From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 17:13:20 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:13:20 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Republican National Convention protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA844A0.9070209@tesco.net> * Despite repression, protesters "happy" * Final peace march marked by smoke bombs, road blocks, arrests * Police violence "disproportionate" - Amnesty * Unmarked vans abduct protesters * Mass arrests at RNC * Arrests target Code Pink, protest concert * Jailed protesters held for days * Protesters clash with police at RNC * Protesters charged as terrorists * 2000 rally against war on the poor * Protesters hit diner * 10,000 on protest march * Delegates find protests "unsettling" * Protests at opening "turn violent" * Father of fallen marine leads peace march * Street medics tell of police violence * Matthew DePalma news clippings * Massive raids on suspected protesters ahead of RNC * Thousands protest Amy Goodman arrest * Banners over Madison support protesters * Protesters disrupt McCain speech http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=524075 Despite heavy police presence, protesters happy with RNC MINNEAPOLIS -- For two years, demonstrators had been looking toward the first four days in September -- when they'd take to the streets of St. Paul to speak out against the war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the Republican agenda. Now, tens of thousands of marchers later, organizers say they plan to use the momentum they gained from the Republican National Convention to fuel the anti-war movement and other causes. And, they say they got their messages across, despite a heavy police presence, destructive acts by anarchists and more than 800 arrests. "We had a clear message that got out every day, especially on the first and last day of the convention, that people in this country are still against the war," said Jess Sundin, a member of the Anti-War Committee. She pointed to Thursday night, when hundreds of people stayed on the streets of St. Paul, even after police told them to leave. Nearly 400 people were arrested, including Sundin. "I think it made a very strong statement," she said. The Republican National Convention was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Sept. 1-4. Thursday's march, on the convention's last night, was designed to take some of the spotlight off Sen. John McCain's speech as he accepted the party's nomination for president. "Our delegates and our guests were very focused on the speakers and Senator McCain and Governor (Sarah) Palin, and I think that our cheers definitely overshadowed anything else that was going on," said Joanna Burgos, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention. But Anh Pham, an organizer for the Anti-War Committee, said she was pleased to see news coverage flip between what was happening inside and outside the convention hall. "We think we were able to get our name out to a lot of people that might not have heard about us before," Pham said. "Our hope is to do what we can to try to catch the momentum from the last few days." Members of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War say they had 30,000 protesters at their peaceful march last Monday. Police gave a crowd estimate of 10,000. About 2,000 people attended Thursday's rally, and about 1,000 people marched, Sundin said. Pham said the four-day convention gave different groups a chance to organize on a national stage, rather than simply ride a bus to Washington, D.C., for a protest. It also gave different organizations in the Twin Cities a chance to network and build relationships. "I was in jail with people who were at their first protest that day, and they were so proud of what they had done," Sundin said. "We talked with all of them about finding a way to get involved and stay involved." Still, Hamline University professor David Schultz, who teaches classes dealing with politics, said the message of the peaceful protesters was eclipsed by the chaos caused by anarchists -- who he said were successful in their mission. "For them, the whole purpose of their demonstrations or their actions was in fact to get the police to respond," Schultz said. For one, a response by police proves their point of how oppressive the government is, and, he said, "the belief is that the violence becomes the spark that then leads to revolution." "For the anarchists, they were incredibly successful. They made their point. They got arrested. They forced the police to respond, to use force," he said. He said in order for the peaceful protesters to be successful, they now need to translate their democracy on the street to democracy at the polls. For now, the Anti-War Committee is now looking ahead to a potluck to talk about the convention, as well as new-member meetings and more demonstrations. They say there is a new energy, fueled by the events of this week. "For me, this is one step forward, and we will continue," Pham said. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Arrests mark last anti-war march of convention The Associated Press Published: September 5, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Nearly 400 people were arrested in the final anti-war march during the Republican National Convention. At least 19 journalists, including two reporters from The Associated Press, were among those held by police. More than 800 arrests were reported during a week of sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent dissent. Anti-war protesters rallied Thursday at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then planned to march to Xcel Energy Center, where Sen. John McCain was due to accept the Republican presidential nomination. But their permit had expired, and police ? in riot gear and using horses, snow plows and dump trucks ? blocked their way. For hours, police let the protesters amble from one blocked intersection to another. But then the arrests began in earnest. At least 19 journalists, including two reporters from The Associated Press, were among those held by police. Earlier in the march, the event was relaxed and even festive. Younger people did cartwheels. Tourists came by to check out the spectacle. The chants, which were political at the outset, turned silly a couple hours in. "You're sexy, you're cute, take off the riot suit," protesters serenaded those blocking their path. When police blocked the path to Xcel, a cat-and-mouse game ensued as protesters moved around the Capitol area, splintered, and then organized into a marching force again. The crowd varied from a high of about 1,000 down to a hundred and back to around 500. About three hours into the standoff, about 300 protesters sat down on a major thoroughfare and police closed the four-lane boulevard. Officers then set off smoke bombs and fired seven percussion grenades, causing protesters to scatter. Some of the scattering protesters entered a residential area north of the Capitol. Later, at least three smoke bombs were discharged in the area of apartments and houses. The event ended with about 200 protesters, along with AP reporters Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski and other members of the media, trapped on a bridge. Officers ordered them to sit on the pavement on a bridge over Interstate 94 highway and to keep their hands over their heads as they were led away two at a time. The arrests came three days after AP photographer Matt Rourke, also on assignment covering the protests, was arrested. He was released without being charged Monday after being held for several hours. Forliti and Krawczynski were issued citations for unlawful assembly and released. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the St. Paul police department and its police chief decided that members of the media would be issued citations and released. Fletcher said he expected most of the charges would be for unlawful assembly. "Whoever got arrested was whoever didn't disperse and was still on the bridge," Fletcher said. "The tactic of blocking people on the bridge could very well have prevented a lot of activity later tonight. Clearly there were a number of people with no intention of being law-abiding tonight." ___ Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/america/NA-P0L-US-Convention-Protests.php Protesters arrested near Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 5, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Police arrested protesters Thursday night after a lengthy series of marches and sit-ins timed to coincide with Sen. John McCain's acceptance of the Republican Party's nomination for president. The arrests came after protesters staged their march near the state Capitol even though their permit had expired. Among the dozens caught up in the police sweep were two Associated Press reporters on assignment to cover the event. They were issued a citation and detained, along with more than a dozen other members of the media, but were expected to be let go shortly. Marchers tried to cross two different bridges leading from the Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center, where McCain accepted his party's nomination for president. But they were stopped by lines of police in gas masks and riot gear who blocked the bridges after the marching permit expired. A cat-and-mouse game followed as protesters moved around the Capitol area, splintered, and then organized into a marching force again. The size of the crowd varied from a high of about 1,000 down to a hundred and back to around 500. About three hours into the standoff, about 300 protesters sat down on a major thoroughfare and police closed the four-lane boulevard. Officers then set off smoke bombs and fired seven percussion grenades, causing protesters to scatter. Police surrounded about 200 people, including AP reporters Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski and reporters from other news outlets. Officers ordered them to sit on the pavement on a bridge and to keep their hands over their heads as they were led away two at a time. The arrests came three days after AP photographer Matt Rourke, also on assignment covering the protests, was arrested. He was released without being charged Monday after being held for several hours. A spokesman at an information center set up during the convention said 12 people had been arrested so far but that number would increase as people were processed. Some of the scattering protesters entered a residential area north of the Capitol. Later, at least three smoke bombs were discharged in the area of apartments and houses. About two hours into the standoff, police began arresting a handful of people even as the crowd dwindled from around 1,000 to around a hundred. "The important thing is even though we didn't have a permit to march, people have decided they want to keep protesting despite all these riot police," said Meredith Aby, a member of the Anti-War Committee. Even as protesters were being arrested, the mood was much more relaxed than earlier in the week. It even turned festive at times. Younger people did cartwheels. Tourists came by to check out the spectacle. The chants, which were political at the outset, turned silly a couple hours in. "You're sexy, you're cute, take off the riot suit," protesters serenaded those blocking their path. Brandon Thorson didn't find much to joke about. The 23-year-old factory worker from Minneapolis said he just wanted to go home ? but he tried to do it through police lines. "One officer used his club to push me away and another officer hit me in the back with his club," Thorson said. "A third officer came in and sprayed me right in the face." Minutes after the skirmish, Thorson's right eye was nearly swollen shut from the pepper spray. He was not arrested. More than 400 people have been arrested in the past week, most on Monday, when violence broke out at the end of another anti-war march. ___ Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/05/rnc.protests/#cnnSTCText Protesters, police clash outside convention ? Story Highlights ? NEW: Arrests at bridge near meeting hall bring total for week to 818 ? NEW: Most of 396 arrested are cited and released, police say ? NEW: No serious injuries reported from confrontations Police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Police faced off with crowds of protesters outside the Republican National Convention, arresting 396 people after using tear gas and percussion grenades to turn them back. As a line of police clad in riot gear and walking with bicycles approached a woman who refused to get out of their way, several sprayed her with a chemical agent. She covered her eyes with one hand and gave the two-finger peace sign with the other. A man standing nearby yelled, "I love you! Why are you doing this?" as the woman was shoved to the pavement. Watch police spray and shove the woman ? Police who were shown video of the encounter declined to comment. Thursday's arrests brought the total for the week to 818, authorities said. "Most of them were cited and released," police Lt. Tracey Martin said Friday morning. Most of the citations were for the misdemeanor charge of unlawful assembly, she added. Martin said she didn't know how many protesters were jailed. A deputy at the Ramsey County Jail said "not many," but couldn't provide a number. There were no reports of serious injuries, police said. Protesters who had gathered near the state capitol, about a mile from the site of the convention, were repeatedly cut off as they tried to march to the convention center. Don't Miss ? Police deny using excessive force ? Police, protesters clash in St. Paul ? Dozens arrested at convention ? iReport.com: RNC: Cop attacked Police used tear gas when dozens of marchers -- most in their 20s, some chanting "F**k the police! F**k the police! F**k 'em!" -- tried to cross a bridge leading to the Xcel Center convention site after being warned not to. Watch the protesters march ? Minnesota State Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion said the arrests were made at an interstate overpass that separated the marchers from the Xcel Center, where Sen. John McCain was preparing to address the GOP faithful. He said the objective was to contain the protesters and keep them from reaching the convention hall. Campion said the first night and the last night of the convention were expected to be big trouble, and they were. Each time the protesters attempted to cross the interstate highway separating them from the convention center, police tried to stop them. Police on horses, motorcycles and bicycles followed marchers on a street-to-street chase that led through a shopping mall parking lot. A number of people wound up on the ground with their hands behind their heads. iReport.com: Cop attacked during protest On Wednesday, the RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body that has been behind many of the protests, said authorities in the Twin Cities had created "a climate of intense police intimidation." Holli Drinkwine, spokeswoman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, denied Thursday that police used excessive force. "The police showed great restraint in what they were doing," she said. "They were dealing with 300 criminals on the street while trying to protect the 10,000 peaceful protesters that were in St. Paul." The American Civil Liberties Union said it was providing limited representation to many of those arrested. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-09/2008-09-05-voa8.cfm?CFID=84450071&CFTOKEN=19976121 Several Protesters Arrested in Standoff With Police in St Paul By VOA News 05 September 2008 Protesters block an intersection during a rally at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, 04 Sep 2008 Police in St. Paul, Minnesota have arrested several protesters who blocked a street near the Republican National Convention, refusing an order to disperse. At least 1,000 protesters rallied in the city Thursday, the final day of the convention. A VOA reporter on the scene saw about six people being arrested. Demonstrators were protesting the war in Iraq and other issues. The reporter says police told the crowed to disperse, and protesters refused. Several hundred protesters have been arrested during the four day convention. http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGUSA20080905001&lang=e Use of Force Against RNC Protesters ?Disproportionate,? Charges Amnesty International [London]--Amnesty International is concerned by allegations of excessive use of force and mass arrests by police at demonstrations in St. Paul, Minnesota during the Republican National Convention (RNC) from September 1-4, 2008. The human rights organization is calling on the city and county authorities to ensure that all allegations of ill-treatment and other abuses are impartially investigated, with a review of police tactics and weapons in the policing of demonstrations. The organization?s concerns arise from media reports, video and photographic images which appear to show police officers deploying unnecessary and disproportionate use of non-lethal weapons on non-violent protestors marching through the streets or congregating outside the arena where the Convention was being held. Amnesty International urges that an inquiry be carried out promptly, that its findings and recommendations be made public in a timely manner. If the force used is found to have been excessive and to have contravened the principles of necessity and proportionality, then those involved should be disciplined, measures put in place and training given to ensure future policing operations conform to international standards. Police are reported to have fired rubber bullets and used batons, pepper spray, tear gas canisters and concussion grenades on peaceful demonstrators and journalists. Amnesty International has also received unconfirmed reports that some of those arrested during the demonstrations may have been ill-treated while held at Ramsey county jail. Amnesty International is also concerned at reports that several journalists who were covering the RNC were arbitrarily arrested while filming and reporting on the demonstrations. They include host of independent news program Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman, and two of the program?s producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were both allegedly subjected to violence during their arrest. A photographer for the Associated Press (AP) and other journalists were also arrested while covering the demonstrations. Kouddous described his arrest to media, ??two or three police officers tackled me. They threw me violently against a wall. Then they threw me to the ground. I was kicked in the chest several times. A police officer ground his knee into my back?I was also, the entire time, telling them, ?I?m media. I?m press?.,? but?that didn?t seem to matter at all.? Amnesty International recognizes the challenges involved in policing large scale demonstrations and that some protestors may have been involved in acts of violence or obstruction. However, some of the police actions appear to have breached United Nations (U.N.) standards on the use of force by law enforcement officials. These stipulate, among other things, that force should be used only as a last resort, in proportion to the threat posed, and should be designed to minimize damage or injury. Some of the treatment also appears to have contravened U.S. laws and guidelines on the use of force. The U.N. standards also stress that everyone is allowed to participate in lawful and peaceful assemblies, in accordance with the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For more information, please contact the AIUSA media office at 202-544-0200 x302 or visit our website at www.amnestyusa.org. http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-73510 RNC: Cop Attacked Posted by: theuptake // 4 months ago // viewed 101,584 times St. Paul, Minnesota // embed media Last updated: 4 months ago More at http://www.theuptake.org. The UpTake captured video of a St. Paul police officer dragging a "black bloc" protester away from a bus, only to get tackled from behind. The officer sprayed a chemical agent all around him but ultimately lost the suspect and called for backup. Video by Conduit. http://www.newscloud.com/read/Cops_use_grenades_tear_gas_on_protesters?skipSplash ? Cops use grenades, tear gas on protesters ? Via Feeds.feedburner at 12:55 pm Sep 9, 2008 ? At least one demonstrator tasered as he lay on the ground. http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Activist_claims_unmarked_police_vans_abducting_0905.html Activist claims unmarked police vans abducted protesters David Edwards and Muriel Kane Published: Friday September 5, 2008 A half-dozen representatives of the so-called Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee met with the media in a St. Paul, MN press conference on Thursday to condemn the widescale police raids and arrests that have targeted protesters in that city this week. The strongest accusations were made by RNC Welcoming Committee co-founder William Gillis, who has been among those planning the protests for the last two years. "Police kicked down doors with guns drawn on families with their children at dinnertime," Gillis charged. "Reporters and the media at large have been repeatedly targeted for repression. Activists have been abducted off the street in unmarked vans and political prisoners held without access to medical attention." The allegation about police use of unmarked vans was apparently first made on August 31 by RAW STORY contributor Lindsay Beyerstein, who was reporting on the convention for FireDogLake. She wrote that "ColdSnap is reporting 9 arrests downtown near the Excel center" and then added in an update, "One of the 9 protesters arrested was a nun, seen being loaded into an unmarked blue van. The 9 were apparently trying to climb a fence near a church." All nine were released later that day. Other representatives of the protesters used the press conference to affirm that they were not terrorists. Betsy Raash-Gilman, a twenty-year veteran (doc) of non-violent activism, stated, "There are no terrorists up here. There are no terrorists in the Ramsey County jail. There are terrorists in the Xcel Center. There are terrorists in the White House." http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/rnc-s04.shtml Mass arrests of protesters at Republican National Convention By Jerry White 4 September 2008 Authorities have carried out a massive mobilization of federal, state and local police and military forces to cordon off the Republican National Convention from protesters opposed to the party?s program of militarism and social reaction. Over the last few days, nearly 300 people have been arrested near and around the Xcel Energy Center and downtown St. Paul, Minnesota has been transformed into a virtual armed camp to intimidate demonstrators and silence dissent. The police reported Wednesday that they had arrested 11 more people Tuesday, including three at an anti-poverty demonstration, but would not give any more details. As the march of an estimated 3,000 people ended near the convention center police fired tear gas and lobbed concussion or ?flash-bang? grenades to disperse protesters, who police claimed were trying to get past security fences. A total of 295 people have been arrested, including 137 charged with felonies such as ?conspiracy to commit riot.? Many continued to be detained. The bulk of those arrested were seized during an antiwar march of 10,000 people on the Monday, the opening day of the convention. Demonstrators were forced to run the gauntlet of hundreds of riot-equipped and black-uniformed police, FBI agents and 150 National Guard troops carrying shields. The police fired tear gas, beanbags and used tasers to arrest hundreds of protesters. Also targeted were independent journalists and photographers and groups that monitor police abuse against protesters. Among those seized by the police were an Associated Press photographer, a group of University of Kentucky student journalists and Amy Goodman, the host of the liberal radio show ?Democracy Now!? Goodman was arrested for ?interfering with peace officers? when she questioned police about the arrest and bloodying of her show?s two producers. WSWS reporter Ron Jorgenson described the scene: ?A helicopter hovered over downtown St. Paul all day long. There were police and sheriff?s deputies from St. Paul, Minneapolis and other cities in Minnesota, as well as across the nation, including a large number from Arlington, Texas that I saw. The largest number were riot police with no identification who wore dark blue or black. They were armed with clubs and other weapons. There were also armored black trucks, filled with an assortment darting through the streets and police on bicycles and horseback. ?I honestly believed as I watched groups of riot police line up and rows of mounted police moved into position that there was a good chance that I might get caught up if I didn?t move. It appeared there were embedded press. I got the impression that established media could move in and out of police lines. I did that once and was sharply warned by a cop. Had I chosen the wrong moment to do that while taking a picture, I could have been thrown to the ground.? Authorities later justified this disproportionate show of force and the mass arrests that followed by citing incidents of rock throwing and window-breaking by a small group?numbering no more than 150?of self-described ?anarchists.? It is very likely this group included police agents and provocateurs whose job was to encourage violence in order to discredit political opposition and create conditions for a police repression. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about a year ago the Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office began ?regular surveillance? of one group, called the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, which included the use of ?three people who posed as members?two informants and an undercover investigator. The informants monitored e-mails and conversations.? The police produced affidavits from these informers accusing protesters of the most outlandish plans, including ?kidnapping? delegates and throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. Geneva Finn of the National Lawyers Guild, which represents many of those arrested, said it was impossible to judge the veracity of the so-called evidence in the affidavit because ?it?s all based on the testimony of people who are not identified, and that?s a real problem.? Based on these claims, on the eve of the convention the police carried out raids at several protest headquarters?including I-Witness Video, a New York-based group that monitors police conduct during protests?detaining activists and seizing computers, political literature and other property. The raids, which produced no serious evidence to substantiate police claims of alleged violent plans, were aimed at preempting the planned demonstrations by intimidating and creating the pseudo-legal justification for mass arrests for ?conspiracy to commit riot.? Once again, as it did during the massive repression at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the national news media has maintained a virtual silence about the police-state measures being employed against political opposition. In many cases, the local media has enthusiastically praised the police crackdown. The Minneapolis Star Tribune published a September 2 editorial, entitled, ?An appropriate show of police force.? The editorial noted that many citizens were dismayed by the presence of police in riot gear in downtown streets, adding that one onlooker the editorial writer passed by was heard saying, ?This can?t be happening in Minnesota.? ?Thankfully, it was,? the editorial flatly stated, denouncing ?rogue protesters who traveled to the Twin Cities for no other reason than to damage property, abuse the police and disrupt the business of the Republican National Convention.? Thanks to the ?extensive planning? of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Police Chief John Harrington, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and other law enforcement officials, the editorial concluded, ?public safety have won out, so far, over anarchism in the streets.? Police chief John Harrington commended the media for recognizing the ?heroic efforts? of his officers. ?I like the term that you in fact had coined, that what you saw today in the face of numbers and agitation and mass criminals, was a restrained use of force. And that I think is a very apt description of what the officers today did.? Reacting to the police actions, Gina Berglund, an attorney and legal observer for the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, said, ?We think it?s unconscionable. We think it?s out of control. The response by the police was completely out of proportion with what they were faced with.? Both the Democratic and Republican conventions?designated as ?National Security Events? under the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security Department?have been used to test out methods of widespread political repression. This must be taken as a somber warning of the way mass opposition to war, social inequality and attacks on democratic rights will be treated by the state, whoever wins the election in November. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523530 4 Code Pink convention protesters arrested ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Even as the most militant protesters vow to press on, police efforts at disrupting anarchist plans to crash the Republican National Convention appear to be largely successful. Police have arrested nearly 300 people since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests marred by violence. Most of the arrests, and the violence, happened Monday. Today's only arrests so far came when four women from the peace group CODEPINK crawled under a fence a couple of blocks from the Xcel Energy Center. Ramsey County Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin says those arrested are being processed as quickly as possible. Total arrests have reached 294, and of those 16 felonies and 47 gross misdemeanors have been charged. All the others arrested were either cited for misdemeanors and released, let go pending further investigation, or released outright. (Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/04/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Antiwar march planned for Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 4, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: As John McCain accepts his party's presidential nomination Thursday night, protesters calling for an end to the Iraq war plan to march outside the Xcel Energy Center. The Anti-War Committee, which is organizing Thursday's march, urged others to join in and denounced the increased presence of police in riot gear and acts of "intimidation" in the streets of St. Paul. Tracy Molm, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota, urged students to get involved. "Students in this country are angry. We're angry because it's us that are asked to fight and die in this immoral and unjust war," Molm said Wednesday. "Bring that anger to the streets, because that is how social change in this country happens." Police arrested 102 protesters in downtown Minneapolis early Thursday following a concert by the political rock group Rage Against the Machine, according to the Joint Information Center. Of those arrests, 100 were for misdemeanors and two were for gross misdemeanors. Today in Americas Cuba marks revolution's anniversary Claiborne Pell, former U.S. senator, dies at 90 Obama gives New Year's tradition at black churches added resonance Police earlier had expressed concern about the possibility of trouble after the concert. A couple hundred people lingered outside the Target Center after the concert. Police eventually ordered them to leave. A smaller group chanting "Whose streets? Our streets" then headed toward the main part of downtown. A downtown Minneapolis intersection was blocked off as police processed those arrested. Young people sat on a sidewalk, their backs against a building, or stood quietly in line, their hands in plastic cuffs behind their backs. Including the Minneapolis protest, police have arrested 422 people since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests in downtown St. Paul that were marred by violence. St. Paul was quieter on the convention's third day, when four women from the peace group CodePink were arrested after crawling under a fence a couple blocks from Xcel. They were released. ___ Associated Press writer Jeff Baenen contributed to this report. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523876 More than 100 arrested after protest group concert MINNEAPOLIS -- Police have arrested more than 100 protesters in downtown Minneapolis following a concert by the political rock group Rage Against the Machine. The Joint Information Center says 102 people were arrested -- 100 for misdemeanors and two for gross misdemeanors. Of those arrested, 87 were tagged and released, and 15 were booked. Police had expressed concern about the possibility of trouble after the concert. At least 422 people have been arrested in Minneapolis and St. Paul since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests that were marred by violence from people hoping to interfere with the Republican National Convention. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/4/hundreds_of_jailed_protesters_held_for September 04, 2008 Hundreds of Jailed Protesters Held for 2+ Days Following Mass RNC Arrests The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat reports. [includes rush transcript] AMY GOODMAN: The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. These include medics, legal observers, journalists and anyone considered to be a protester. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat filed this report with Elizabeth Press. ANJALI KAMAT: Protesters have been camped out on a grassy pavement outside the Ramsey County Jail since Tuesday. Many are friends with or related to those inside. Some are medics and legal observers. And others are simply here in solidarity with the detainees. Armed with food, water, blankets and medical supplies, and surrounded by heavily armed police, they?re waiting for those inside to be released, cheering as each one exits the jail. Larry Hildes is a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild. He described the scene outside the detention center Wednesday afternoon. LARRY HILDES: As we were outside the jail, where there?s a vigil going on for people who have been held now past the deadline to release them, a line of St. Paul cops just formed immediately in the area where the medics are treating folks who?ve been getting out of jail and standing there trying to stare at the people who are being treated. ANJALI KAMAT: We called Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher about the police presence around the jail support group. He told us he wasn?t aware of it. Coincidentally, the police retreated after a few tense moments. And then a man from the sheriff?s office appeared with a cart full of brown bag lunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples. UNIDENTIFIED: We?re just coming up the sidewalk, going to offer everybody a bag lunch. Alright? PROTESTER: I?m a little confused and disoriented about the fact that I was told that it was from the sheriff department and they?re handing out bag lunches. And I?m wondering if they?re feeding people inside. ANJALI KAMAT: The odd arrival of the sheriff?s happy meals lightened the mood but did nothing to mitigate the long wait. We spoke to one young man who had been waiting all afternoon with his mother for his sister to be released. She was a street medic who had been arrested Monday. DETAINED MEDIC?S BROTHER: It?s St. Paul?s little Guantanamo. ELIZABETH PRESS: What does that mean? DETAINED MEDIC?S BROTHER: It means that there are a lot of people getting arrested and tortured and all that stuff, because, yeah, lots of people got beat in jail and tased, and basically that?s torture. ANJALI KAMAT: As the sun began to set, people slowly began to trickle out of the jail. Arraignments scheduled for the morning were completed only by 6:30 in the evening. Rebecca Sang from California was one of those let out. She had been picked up Tuesday from the outskirts of the Poor People?s rally. REBECCA SANG: I was watching them arrest somebody. And I don?t exactly know what happened, but the police started coming at me on their horses. And they just grabbed me. I really had no idea at the time why they could possibly want to do that. But I was really afraid, and I just went with them. ANJALI KAMAT: We asked Rebecca Sang what she had been charged with. REBECCA SANG: It was actually so ludicrous, I didn?t even believe it when I was?what they told me. They said I was under arrest for conspiracy for intent to use a poisonous substance. ANJALI KAMAT: Rebecca?s partner, Jason Johnson, had also been arrested Tuesday after being tasered by the police. REBECCA SANG: He was tasered three times and then wrestled to the ground. And he asked repeatedly for medical attention and didn?t get it for a really long time. His legs were paralyzed. It was really a bad scene. He needed the barbs from the tasers pulled out of his hips where he?d been hit. It was about an hour after we were first detained that that happened. And when he finally did get them removed, it wasn?t like they took him to the nurse or a doctor or anything like that. They actually just pulled them out of his side, like on the side of the cop car. ANJALI KAMAT: Jason Johnson is still in prison. Elizabeth West is a Durham, North Carolina-based activist who had spoken to Johnson Wednesday morning. ELIZABETH WEST: Jason?s huge and strong, and he?s this massive, wonderful, magical, beloved man. And he was tased with?he had four?he was tased with four handheld devices, three protrusion guns. He told me that he is still picking copper out of his hip injury. He has a four inch by one half-inch, about an eighth of an inch deep laceration on his ankle. He has lacerations on his face, his head, his torso. He has a black eye. ANJALI KAMAT: Sheriff Fletcher stopped by the jail later, and we asked him about the use of tasers. SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: You know, I haven?t heard any reports of that. I mean, there certainly is a possibility that out of the 320?but you understand that the arrests were coordinated by the St. Paul Police Department with the assistance of Minneapolis. But, you know, we haven?t?I?m not aware of any tasings. ANJALI KAMAT: Sheriff Fletcher also commented on the conditions inside the prison. SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: I don?t think you?ll get many complaints. We?ve worked closely with the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild. In fact, they had National Lawyers Guild attorneys and ACLU in our facility prior to this event. We talked about food, medication, conditions. And on that front, I think we?re doing very, very well. It is the largest number of people ever arrested in a twenty-four-hour period, 300 or so. ANJALI KAMAT: After spending over forty-eight hours in jail, Katherine Bonner-Jackson and Catherine Tolman were released Wednesday evening. They explained the charges against them and described what they had seen inside the Ramsey County Jail. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: We were on the sidewalk, walking down the street with a group of people. We were surrounded by cops, about twenty cops on bikes, pepper-sprayed and arrested. I have three misdemeanors. CATHERINE TOLMAN: So do I. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: And they set our bail for $1,000, because we?re out-of-staters. People who are in-state with the same sort of crimes?actually, one girl with a felony, it got reduced, and she was released on her own recognizance without bail. CATHERINE TOLMAN: We did talk to a few of the inmates who had been there before, and they were like, ?We never??we got bottled water. They had never got bottled water. And we actually heard one of the guards saying, like, ?Well, screw these NL?the National Lawyers Guild and ACLU people, because if they weren?t here, then we could act normal,? basically saying, like, we could break everyone?s civil liberties if these people weren?t here watching us because of these dumb protesters. ANJALI KAMAT: They also talked about a minor who had been questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents inside the prison and threatened with deportation proceedings. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: So, ICE?tell the ICE? CATHERINE TOLMAN: Yeah. Oh, man, so one of our friends, who?s actually a minor, she got pulled out of the holding cell, and? KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: She?s a Jane Doe, though; she didn?t give her name. CATHERINE TOLMAN: Right. She got pulled out of the holding cell, and the ICE officer was interrogating her and saying, you know, ?This is an investigation.? And she said, ?I?d like to, you know, uphold my Fifth Amendment rights.? And he said, ?Alright, if you?re going to play that game?? And then he asked her, ?Where were you born?? And she said ?I?m going to remain silent and uphold my Fifth Amendment rights.? And he said, ?Alright, then you?re going to go to federal prison,? and he sent her back into the holding cell. I mean just blatant coercion and empty threats, but terrifying. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: She spoke to an immigration lawyer like immediately afterwards, and the lawyer said that it?s a completely illegal coercion tactic and that they?re probably going to be filing a lawsuit against the officers. ANJALI KAMAT: When we asked the sheriff about this, he told us that ICE agents were at the Ramsey County Jail for an unrelated matter and was not aware of them questioning any of the RNC detainees. Many people we spoke to complained about how they were treated by the police at the time of their arrest. Duncan Hardy from Raleigh, North Carolina was among the worst hit, with clear injuries to his arms, legs and face. He had gone straight to a health center after his release. We spoke to him when he returned to help with jail support for his friends inside. DUNCAN HARDY: And there was, you know, maybe eighty men who were six-foot-two, weighed 180 pounds, in SWAT uniform marching down Kellogg at the people, you know, whose arms were locked. And I saw them mace a girl in the park, which is a permitted area to be in. And it really just set me off, so I wrapped my shirt around my eyes with water, and I walked out in front of them and just sort of stood there until they, you know, threw me to the ground, smashed my face in and maced me in my eye and my ear ?til I passed out. I was actually told, because I passed out on the scene, you know, they had somebody from the hospital there. And I can?t?I couldn?t make a sentence. But I asked them, you know, ?I think I hit my head, I think I need medical treatment.? And they said, ?Well, it?s not on the front of your head. There?s nothing on the front of your head, so it must be on the back of your head.? And I asked them to check the back of my head, and they said there wasn?t anything there either. So, other than the person there, who?I couldn?t open my eyes, I couldn?t see?who told me that I had, you know, no injuries, I received no medical attention whatsoever. ANJALI KAMAT: While some of those detained over the week have been released and had their charges reduced, eight individuals affiliated with the RNC Welcoming Committee were charged Wednesday morning, under Minnesota?s version of the PATRIOT Act, with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. Jordan Kushner is a lawyer defending some of the RNC detainees at the Ramsey County Jail. We asked him about the terrorism charges as he came out of the courtroom. JORDAN KUSHNER: This is a political prosecution in its purest form, because no one is actually accused of physically doing anything that would be violent or destroying property or doing anything. They were in jail when it happened. They?re accused?they?re being prosecuted specifically for their political activities and what they advocated. ANJALI KAMAT: Longtime activist Lisa Fithian was also helping with jail support. She had been detained at gunpoint earlier in the day, along with fellow peace activist Laurie Arbeiter and Hal Muskat. LISA FITHIAN: A lot of people have been hurt here, and a lot of people are continuing to be hurt in the jails, and I?m most concerned about them. I was not afraid when they pulled us over. But I just?I?m outraged at the blatant continued violations of people?s rights here, not that I ever thought we had tons of political rights in this country, but I?d never seen it quite as bad as I?ve seen it here. The St. Paul model really trumps the Miami model at many, many levels. And so, my greatest concern right now, aside from people?s safety on the street, is getting people out of jail and ending the police brutality in jail and the beatings that are happening, is, I think, the critical priority. We need people?s help from all around the country to put pressure on the mayor here, Mayor Coleman, and the sheriff, and say end this brutality, cease and desist, and the harassment and the intimidation and the violence on the street against people, and let our people go. Drop those charges and let them go. ANJALI KAMAT: For Democracy Now!, this is Anjali Kamat with Elizabeth Press in St. Paul. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/rnc_0911/ Police repress convention protests By LeiLani Dowell St., Paul, Minn. Published Sep 3, 2008 11:22 PM Despite an onslaught of police terror and repression, protesters from across the country used a variety of tactics to march on the Republican National Convention here on Sept. 1. A mass march organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War was followed by youthful street actions to denounce the Republican policies of endless imperialist war and sweeping attacks on workers. Photos: Troops Out Now Coalition In an escalation of tactics used at the Democratic National Convention in Denver a week earlier, Minnesota police began the repression against RNC protesters days before the march. The cops raided community kitchens, meeting spaces and protesters? homes; handcuffed and harassed activists; confiscated political literature; and arrested at least three people on bogus ?conspiracy to riot? charges. Despite this intimidation, organizers remained determined to move forward with what would turn out to be a highly successful, massive march as well as direct actions on Labor Day, Sept. 1. Some 30,000 attended a rally that included representatives of the American Indian Movement; ANSWER Coalition; Appeal for Redress Campaign; Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War; Code Pink; Colombia Action Network; Green Party; Latinos Against War; Palestine Solidarity Group; Poor People?s Economic Human Rights Campaign; Students for a Democratic Society; Teamsters 743; Troops Out Now Coalition; United for Peace and Justice; Venezuela Solidarity Network; Veterans for Peace; Welfare Rights Committee; and Women Against Military Madness. The diverse crowd, led by the Iraq Veterans Against the War, then marched to the Xcel Center, site of the Republican convention, and back to the State Capitol for a closing rally. Various contingents included low-income people, youth and students, immigrant rights activists, labor, Palestine and Colombia solidarity activists, an anti-capitalist bloc and an anti-climate-change group. While Republican Party leaders shied away from the conference so as to not seem insensitive in the face of Hurricane Gustav, activists remembered the neglect of the Bush administration in response to Hurricane Katrina. A Troops Out Now Coalition banner read ?Bush?McCain; Katrina?Gustav: Criminal Neglect Continues.? Meanwhile, hundreds of youth engaged in militant street actions. They were met by brutal attacks at the hands of the police, including being doused with pepper spray and tear gas. Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) activist and eyewitness videographer Elena Everett reported that a disabled man in a wheelchair was sprayed head-to-toe with pepper spray. Others were hit in the back with tear gas canisters. The Coldsnap Legal Collective (coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com) reports that as of Sept. 1, the Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office had announced 284 arrests. Some 130 were charged with felony offenses, which most likely will be used to keep them in jail until the end of the convention. The collective says that the majority of those arrested are still being held in jail, and some are being refused proper medical attention. The collective is asking supporters to call the jail at 651-266-9350 to demand that these activists be released and given proper medical attention. While the corporate media has focused almost exclusively on property damage sustained during the street actions, including windows being broken at a Macy?s department store, several eyewitnesses told this reporter that the person who began breaking the windows was clearly an agent provocateur working with the police. He approached the window in clear view of the cops, broke it and walked away without an arrest. A police car was also damaged. However, at a press conference the following day, march coordinator Jess Sundin was quick to point out that any rage displayed by activists in the streets is completely justified and pales in comparison to the state violence committed on a daily basis by U.S. forces at home and abroad. The joint press conference was held by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, the RNC Welcoming Committee and the Poor People?s Economic and Human Rights Campaign?all of whom held fast in their solidarity with arrestees, despite attempts by corporate media reporters to bait them into denouncing ?violence.? One man, representing the Poor People?s Economic and Human Rights Campaign, challenged the reporters: ?You act like we?re having this press conference in a country that hasn?t practiced oppression for hundreds of years.? A number of activities are planned to continue the protests through the end of the convention on Sept. 4, including free public music festivals, a ?March for Our Lives? and a ?solutions driven? peace conference. For updates on activities, visit dncrnc.wordpress.com. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/dnc_0711/ No letup in police intimidation as Vets, immigrants protest at DNC By Larry Hales Denver Published Sep 3, 2008 10:42 PM During the five days of protests against the Democratic National Convention held here at the Pepsi Center, the media and the local Denver government grew fond of pointing out that the tens of thousands expected by organizers with Recreate 68 did not show up. Iraq Veterans Against the War. Photos: Troops Out Now Coalition However, during the week the city of Denver did not appear to relinquish any of the cops it had garnered to prepare for tens of thousands of protesters. And in fact, thousands did protest during the week and the last few days showed no letup in numbers or spirit. On Aug. 27, thousands marched in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The march covered four miles, from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center. There was no permit to march, but the route was negotiated with the police by IVAW. IVAW had gone out of its way to work with the cops and applaud their efforts, even though cops had intimidated protesters throughout the week and had rioted on Monday, attacking and arresting protesters and other people just walking from work or shopping. Hundreds were entrapped and assaulted after cops chased protesters out of Civic Center Park, though a permit had been granted for use of the park. Immigrant rights march. Tuesday showed no letup as cops launched brutal assaults against Recreate 68 activist Carlo Garcia and Code Pink activist Alicia Forrest. The cops did not respond to the overtures by IVAW with any respect. Instead, they brought out hundreds of officers in full riot gear on bicycles, motorcycles, horses and the riding boards of SUVs. The state forces lined the entire route of the veterans? peaceful march, stopping it several times along the way for no apparent reason other than to assert their control. However, this small army, meant to be intimidating, did not stop the march from growing. Onlookers and people getting off work joined in and swelled the ranks, despite the oppressiveness of a blazing August sun. Boots Riley of The Coup and members of Rage Against the Machine, both groups that performed at the Denver Coliseum, participated in the march as well. Militant chants of ?One, two, three four, what we need is class war! Five, six, seven, eight, end the war, smash the state!? alternated with ?Troops out now!? and ?Cops out now!? The march ended up across from Auraria Parkway, the street that separates Auraria campus, the largest in the state, from the Pepsi Center grounds. On Thursday, Aug. 28, more than 1,000 participated in a march for immigrant rights, shutting down one section of an overpass to Interstate 25. The march ended in Lincoln Park near the public housing complex where Frank Lobato, a disabled Latino man, had been shot while lying in bed by Denver cop Ranjan Ford. The five days of protests were designed to show the complicity of the Democratic Party in U.S. imperialism and to demonstrate that an independent movement free from either ruling class party is needed. The militancy did not wane. On display as well were the repressive forces of the state, regardless of the nonviolent nature of the protests. Larry Hales was an organizer with Recreate 68 Alliance. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/footage-of-clas.html Video of Clashes Between St. Paul Police and RNC Protestors Bubble Up Online By Sarah Lai Stirland September 03, 2008 | 1:49:51 PMCategories: 2008 Republican National Convention As most of the on-air cable television personalities focus on the national politics of the Republicans' nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president, stories and footage of clashes between the St. Paul police and protesters at the Republican National Convention are turning up on the internet. The Uptake, an online citizen-journalism training outfit in Minneapolis, has been at the forefront of documenting much of the unfriendly interaction between the police and the protesters. In many of the live-streams, which can be seen on the organization's website, it's difficult to tell what's going on because much of the footage seems to have been recorded on an impromptu basis from the citizen-reporters' cellphone cameras. Nevertheless, some of the video is dramatic. In the clip above, police are in a stand-off with RNC protesters holding a black-and-red sign with the words "Against Capitalism," on it. One of the protesters provokes the black-clad, helmeted cops by shouting "Sieg Heil!" The police, who look as if they've just stepped off the set of Brazil, didn't appear to find that funny. Shortly after the taunt, a group of people advance toward the police line, and the cops respond by firing off "flash bangs," which Tom Walsh, the St. Paul police department's public information officer, describes as a "percussive instrument" that's meant to disperse crowds. In an interview, Walsh declined to comment on any specifics, but he pointed out the local media's favorable reports on the restraint that police are exercising against the "excesses of the rioters." He pointed to the Poor People's March on Sunday (which was still going on yesterday), where he said the rioters co-opted the peaceful demonstrators' events and started hurling feces, urine, rocks and bottles. "The peaceful protesters lost control of their march because of these rioters, and that continues to be the pattern," he said. When asked about the arrest of Amy Goodman, the lefty Democracy Now journalist and the show's producers, Walsh declined to comment. In both an online broadcast and during a press conference with St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington on Tuesday, Goodman says that she had approached the police to ask them about the arrest of the show's producers, and the police had simply arrested her despite seeing her press badge. Goodman's been charged with a misdemeanor. "I would submit to you that there are thousands of journalists on the ground, and they're not being impeded on their ability to report," Walsh said. In addition to footage from The Uptake and Democracy Now, The Minnesota Independent, a local blog run by the Center for Independent Media in Washington, D.C., has graphic photos and an account of a 17-year-old peaceful protestor being beaten up by police. More documentation of some of the chaos is in the Kentucky Kernal, a student newspaper at the University of Kentucky, whose photo staff and an adviser got swept up in the arrests. All-in-all, if you lived in a world without television and used social media applications exclusively to keep up with what's going on in St. Paul, your view of the convention would differ significantly from everyone else's. For example, searches using the phrase "Republican National Convention" for the most recently uploaded photos on Flickr Tuesday night yielded hundreds of photos of authoritarian-looking police in their riot gear. Similarly, searches for #RNC08 on Twitter on Tuesday night brought up a lot of messaging between protest organizers and by protesters themselves of the police's movements on the streets. Free Press, a media reform group, is gathering online names and signatures to sign a letter protesting what the group says are intimidation tactics by the St. Paul police. As of Wednesday, the group had gathered more than 35,000 signatures. Free Press intends to deliver the letter to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the Republican National Convention host committee. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048791794897339.html?mod=fox_australian ? SEPTEMBER 4, 2008 Republican Convention Sees Violent Demonstrations ? Article ? Comments more in Politics ? By T.W. FARNAM ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Local prosecutors brought felony charges against 21 people for protesting the Republican National Convention, and federal prosecutors announced that they have charged another man with possessing explosives he said were intended to bomb tunnels under the convention site. Demonstrations this week have been the most violent at a national party convention in recent memory, with protesters smashing windows, slashing tires, throwing bags of urine and excrement and physically confronting Republican delegates in the streets. Getty Images Police in riot gear outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Violent protests overshadowed a number of peaceful demonstrations, including an antiwar march of about 10,000 people. Local authorities say much of the activity is linked to the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, a self-proclaimed anarchist group that released a statement Wednesday saying it was motivated by a range of issues, from the cost of the Iraq war to what it called inaction on global warming. The violence overshadowed a number of peaceful demonstrations, including an antiwar march that attracted a crowd of about 10,000 people. Police are still looking to arrest one member of the group on charges of conspiring to riot. He and others attended two training retreats for 150 to 200 people, according to a criminal complaint. The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office infiltrated the group with an undercover officer and a paid informant. Police have responded to some of the demonstrations with pepper spray, tear gas, smoke canisters and what they called "distraction devices" that give a loud bang and a flash of light, said Doug Holtz, a commander with the St. Paul Police Department. Arrests this week have topped 300, with more than 100 felony arrests. Ramsey County prosecutor Susan Gaertner said her office declined to bring felony charges against 44 of those protesters. Several journalists, including an Associated Press photographer and the radio host Amy Goodman, were also arrested, some charged with inciting a riot. The city attorney said the journalists were released pending further investigation. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman praised the city's law-enforcement officers. "Obviously we're dealing with a very significant situation here, and our officers have responded appropriately to the threat," he said, adding about the journalists arrested, "I can't speak to the specifics of any one case." The federal government provided grants of $50 million to cover security costs at each national party convention; more than 3,500 officers from more than 50 federal, state and local agencies, including the National Guard, have been on duty in St. Paul. The U.S. attorney for Michigan charged Matthew DePalma, of Flint, Mich., with possession of an unregistered firearm after he was arrested last week with a flammable jelly. Mr. DePalma said he planned to use it in the tunnels under the convention site to burn electrical cables and cause a power outage, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday. Monday, protesters blocked members of the Connecticut delegation from proceeding to the convention, said Heath Fahle, executive director of the state party. The demonstrators spat on the delegates and squirted bleach on at least six of them. "There are some people out there that only care about being disruptive," Mr. Fahle said. The Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee gathered at its theater headquarters Wednesday for a "spokescouncil," in which decisions are made by consensus. Group members were milling about on the sidewalk outside eating fried potatoes, but most refused to speak to reporters. Those who did complained about what they saw as a police crackdown. "I think it really exposes that we live in a police state," said a woman who gave her name as Loaf Owls, her age as 20 years old, and said she was a professional clown. "Someone at the march said yesterday that anarchists are protectors of the people, and that pretty much sums up why I'm here." "We'll protest the grass being green," shouted Robert Wilson, 45, who said he is homeless. "I love protesting. My favorite cologne is pepper spray." Write to T.W. Farnam at timothy.farnam at wsj.com http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=11740 RNC Protesters Charged As Terrorists Published on 09-03-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: LA Times Prosecutors in Ramsey County, Minn., have formally charged eight alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee -- one of the groups organizing protests at the GOP convention in St. Paul -- with terrorism-related charges, The Times' P.J. Huffstutter reports. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge, which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty they could face. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/rnc-protesters.html Terrorism charges lodged against protesters at GOP convention Prosecutors in Ramsey County, Minn., have formally charged eight alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee -- one of the groups organizing protests at the GOP convention in St. Paul -- with terrorism-related charges, The Times' P.J. Huffstutter reports. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge, which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty they could face. It appears to be the first time criminal charges have been filed under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal Patriot Act. The RNC Welcoming Committee is a self-described anarchist group that has worked for months planning disruptions at the convention. Police blamed the group for sparking violence during Monday's antiwar protest in St. Paul. Although most of the estimated 10,000 people at the march were peaceful, police say a splinter group of about 200 people harassed delegates, smashed windows and started at least one fire. Police have arrested nearly 300 people during the confrontations this week, according to the Associated Press. Huffstutter reported on the protests for the blog Tuesday. And this morning, we told the story of journalist Amy Goodman's arrest at Monday's march. -- Kate Linthicum http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/27782184.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciatkEP7DhUsX 2,000 rally to 'stop war on the poor' Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune A protester passed through a cloud of tear gas on St Peter St. in St. Paul on Tuesday night. A third day of demonstrations outside the Republican National Convention drew smaller crowds. Police and marchers clashed again, but arrests were way down. By RANDY FURST, CURT BROWN and HER?N M?RQUEZ ESTRADA, Star Tribune Last update: September 2, 2008 - 11:54 PM A vocal group of demonstrators took to the streets of St. Paul again Tuesday evening, voicing their anger about economic justice issues on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. The number of protesters and arrests were down from the 10,000 who marched and the nearly 300 arrested Monday, but police and demonstrators did clash briefly. Chanting "Stop the war on the poor," about 1,000 people in the "Poor People's March" left Mears Park about 6 p.m. and marched through downtown. Their numbers swelled to 2,000 after the march passed an all-day activist event that had coincidentally just wound up on the State Capitol lawn at 7 p.m. The march ended near the Xcel Energy Center about 8 p.m. A plan for civil disobedience fizzled with no arrests after protesters decided not to scale 8-foot fences near the arena. They poked a "citizens arrest warrant for crimes against humanity" for the Republicans through the fence and left. The march disbanded, but a half-hour later hundreds of protesters and others, mainly young people, clogged an intersection at 7th and St. Peter streets, causing police, over a loudspeaker, to order them to disperse. They didn't and police fired several smoke bombs and tear-gas canisters into the crowd. At least 10 people were arrested during the day, including four at a tense showdown with police officers on horseback just before the march started at the edge of the poor people's rally. The officers pepper-sprayed some demonstrators blocking the intersection after one man pulled on a police horse's reins. Cheri Honkala, a leader of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, which sponsored the demonstration, appealed to the rally participants to be nonviolent, pointing out that there were children in the crowd. She told anarchists intermingled in the crowd that she would hold them responsible if they interfered in the peaceful march. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/08/18534432.php Fascistic New Normal in St. Paul by Alice Woodward Monday Sep 8th, 2008 9:22 PM Reporter?s Notebook from the RNC Reporter?s Notebook from the RNC Fascistic New Normal in St. Paul by Alice Woodward August 29, St. Paul, Minnesota. Police in full riot gear raided the ?RNC Welcoming Committee? (which described itself as ?an anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention?) This raid, referred to in the media as a ?pre-emptive strike,? marked the beginning of a weekend of terror and intimidation brought down by the state on activists, organizers, protestors, and journalists throughout the four-day span of the Republican National Convention. Leading up to the anti-war protests planned during the convention, police raided several houses in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, surrounding them, and breaking down doors. The police told people to get down on the ground and shoved guns in their faces in the middle of the night while they were sleeping in their beds. Over the course of the weekend, five people were arrested in these raids, at least 100 were put in handcuffs and then questioned by police. At the Welcoming Committee?s convergence center, the police photographed people and held them for over an hour?no arrests were made, but materials were confiscated and the police issued a fire code violation. Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office, the FBI, Minneapolis and St. Paul police, the Hennepin County Sheriff?s Office and other agencies were involved. Police confiscated normal household items claiming they were going to be used for illegal activities. They searched through the houses and the welcoming center, taking computers, laptops and video cameras. In the face of this outrageous harassment and intimidation thousands of people came out to protest. At Monday?s protest, police surrounded and detained hundreds of protestors arresting around 175 people including progressive journalist Amy Goodman and two of her producers (see ?The RNC?s Outrageous Assault on Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, and Alternative Media?This is What Imperialist Democracy Looks Like?). Tuesday police attacked a protest of over a thousand people, overwhelmingly youth, and which included children and disabled people. Eleven people were arrested that day, some targeted and searched out after being identified in video footage confiscated by the police. Wednesday night, 102 people leaving a Rage Against the Machine show were arrested. More than a dozen medics have been arrested, as well as legal observers. On Thursday, police moved in and swept people up off the capitol lawn for no apparent reason, later claiming they were involved in breaking a window earlier that week. Then Thursday?s rally of over a thousand people was shut down, hundreds marched to the convention center and protestors sat-in at a bridge. Police blocked off the area with bulldozers, and after an intense stand-off, the police arrested 396 people. Over a dozen of these were media, including AP photographers and people from the local TV station. By Friday, according to the authorities, 818 people had been arrested during the week. Police came wearing helmets, padded vests, and shin guards; they used tear gas, pepper spray, Tasers, plastic handcuffs, billy clubs, and rifles that fired projectiles and ?flash bombs.? The National Guard was present throughout the week in full riot gear. Two minors who had been arraigned refused to give their names in solidarity with people in jail; they were charged with contempt on the spot and given a 30-day jail sentence without any trial. The Coldsnap legal collective reported brutality and abuse occurring in the jail including multiple police officers assaulting people, people being put in solitary confinement, and sick people not receiving medical attention. Over 24 people in prison began a hunger strike demanding that medical attention be provided to those who need it. There has been ongoing harassment aimed at intimidating protestors and sending a message that political protest will not be tolerated. The anti-war group Code Pink reported that about 150 police surrounded a group of 10 Code Pink activists who were displaying banners against the Iraq war. Throughout Tuesday?s outdoor concert police cars lined the streets and officers arrogantly milled about the capitol. On Tuesday riot cops lined the street at a Poor People?s march near the capitol. Later on, the police gathered three deep near the capitol where the Rage Against the Machine concert was scheduled. Rage arrived and wanted to play, but the power was shut off a half hour before the permit ended. Zack De La Rocha jumped into the crowd and started singing a cappella. People were chanting, ?Let them play, let them play,? with their fists in the air. They turned toward police and chanted ?Fuck You We Won?t Do What You Told Us.? The march organized by the Poor People?s Campaign arrived at the capitol, people at the concert joined in and the whole atmosphere was energized. The march went to the Xcel Center (where the RNC was going on) and the Poor People?s Campaign presented a citizens arrest on the Bush administration for crimes against humanity. At one point the police lined up with batons and started walking slowly toward the protestors, chanting, ?Move. Move. Move.? A protestor described when the police moved in to attack: ?People were walking back to the state capitol to get to their cars and go home and police said their presence walking back was an ?unlawful assembly, you all need to keep moving? and then opened fire with tear gas and concussion grenades. I saw clouds of smoke go up and I thought it was concussion grenades, then I saw the blue hint of the smoke and people started running and leaving very quickly and in front of us, another line of cops started firing....? People were yelling out, ?Don?t Run, Don?t Run,? helping each other get down the street, they were trying to get out and there were smoke bombs and mace. Loud explosions and screams punctured the atmosphere, people were screaming and running and others tried to help people stay calm, then more National Guardsmen in camouflage came in, sneaking out of a dark parking lot and threw tear gas into the crowd of people trying to run. One woman told Revolution, ?There was a fucking asthmatic woman shouting ?Medic,? and the police guy was just like, ?Get away from the sidewalk!? and he shot a fucking tear gas, not at her, but past her, he was just like ?Get away!? She fucking couldn?t breathe.? There were shoes and eyeglasses in the street. A woman in her twenties looked back at a line of police in the park and said, ?I have never felt more unsafe in my life.? People were agitating that what the police were doing was illegal and unconstitutional; people were outraged. The St. Paul Police Department has declared to the public repeatedly that their plans have been a success. At a press conference on September 3, Police Chief John Harrington repeatedly claimed that ?rioters? and ?anarchists? were targeted because of their alleged plans to disrupt the convention. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said in a statement that the ?Welcoming Committee is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention.? Testimony and eye witness accounts from medics, legal observers, journalists, and protestors, as well as hours of video footage posted on YouTube and all over the internet, reveal a different story. What has actually occurred is targeted attacks on event organizers, legal observers, medics and journalists, as well as police indiscriminately coming down on protestors, as well as bystanders. Many diverse youth and progressive people have been a part of mobilizing to protest at the RNC. The statement at the website of the RNC Welcoming Committee is endorsed by several chapters of the Students for Democratic Society, Campus Anti-War Network, and a number of anarchist organizations and grassroots groups like the Queer Action Network and Milwaukee Anti-racist Action. In addition, anti-war activists, unions, Iraq war veterans, and many others across the country mobilized to come to St. Paul to politically protest the crimes that have been committed by the Bush regime. An affidavit filed by the police with the Ramsey County District Court states that police have infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee since August of 2007, employing both undercover investigators as well as informants. A May 2008 article in a local St. Paul weekly, City Pages exposed that FBI was seeking out informants to attend ?Vegan Potlucks? in the Twin Cities. The article recalls how this occurred in the lead-up to the 2004 RNC in New York City, pointing out that ?the NYPD?s Intelligence Division infiltrated and spied on protest groups across the country, as well as in Canada and Europe. The program?s scope extended to explicitly nonviolent groups, including street theater troupes and church organizations.? Similarly, surveillance and profiling occurred in Denver leading up to the DNC, carried out by what?s called ?fusion? groups, consisting of federal as well as state authorities collecting information. An article on worldcantwait.org, titled ?Gitmo on the Platte,? details this and other similar police state measures taken in Denver for the DNC this year. The Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild has pointed out that given this kind of history, the allegations towards organizers, which rely entirely on covert operations and no material evidence at this time, are highly questionable. They said in a statement, ?Evidence read to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations other than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provocateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence.? At the same time, new norms are being established. The Ramsey County prosecutors charged eight of the people arrested in the raids with second-degree furtherance of terrorism, conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder, and conspiracy to damage property. This is the first time that charges have been issued under the Minnesota version of the Patriot Act, which was passed in the state in 2002. This repression and police terror has been opposed by City Council member David Thune as well as Congressman Keith Ellison. Petitions and statements in support of protestors and those arrested have gone up on the Internet; one gathered over 35,000 signatures overnight. Many are demanding that people in jail be provided with medical care and the legal support they are entitled to, that they be released and charges be dropped. Send us your comments. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17383222/detail.html#- Protesters Meet Politicians Near Landmark Diner St. Paul Fixture Is Steps Away From Largest Protests Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News POSTED: 1:55 pm MST September 3, 2008 UPDATED: 3:07 pm MST September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mickey's Diner is a fixture that people who visit downtown St. Paul can't help but notice. There are no golden arches or double-lanes of drive-through windows though. It's an historic dining car pulled into downtown St. Paul in the late 1930s. Its breakfast, burgers and baked beans are classic favorites for the maximum of 35 people who can cozy up to the counter for breakfast, lunch or dinner 24 hours a day, every day of the year. "Our baked beans are the cult favorite here," said Bert Mattison, a member of the family that has owned and operated Mickey's since 1937. "We make them the same way as we made them in 1939." This week, Mickey's Diner is at the crossroads of politics. It's located at the corner of West Seventh and St. Peter streets. Mickey's is just two blocks from the home of the Republican National Convention and just a sidewalk away from the most popular parade route for protesters. "We are at the point where the demonstrations meet the delegates," Mattison said. ( Police Use Pyro To Break Up RNC Protests) Tuesday night, more than 2,000 protesters marched by on their way to the Xcel Energy Center where the RNC speeches were under way. "It's a sight to see," Mattison said. "Sometimes I think when they get riled up, we get nervous about the crew. But for the most part, I think everybody is being peaceful and good. Some of them have even come in and eaten." More than 10,000 people are believed to have taken part in protests over two days with 280 arrests by police. Mickey's is protected from the crowds by police barricades and fences. Tuesday night, protesters and police clashed just feet away from Mickey's dining car door. Smoke from bombs and tear gas floated along the street in front of the diner as if a low-lying fog has moved into the downtown. A police officer in riot gear sat on top of the diner car with his legs dangling over the front. "There was a time when we weren't taking customers. But everyone was OK." Mattison said. The landmark dining car has welcomed more than protesters this week. Presidential candidate Ron Paul, Comedy Central host Jon Stewart and CNN anchor John Roberts have taken a seat at the counter this week, according to Mattison. They join the ranks of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Willard Scott, Bill Murray, Peter Jennings and many others who have discovered Mickey's over the years. "I think it's our people and our mix of culture that keeps people coming here," Mattison said. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17375360/detail.html#- Violence Follows Second Day of RNC Protests Police Use Grenades To Disperse Protesters Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News POSTED: 8:14 pm MST September 2, 2008 UPDATED: 9:26 am MST September 3, 2008 A four-hour anti-poverty protest outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul ended with police using flash grenades, smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse the crowd. ( Police Use Pyro To Break Up RNC Protests) Police reported three arrests before the crowd was forced away from the downtown area. Seven additional arrests happened in the clash that followed. More than 2,000 protesters rallied with the event organizers, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. The national organizer for the group, Cheri Honkala, told the protesters she would "march to the steps of the Xcel Center to serve the Republicans with a citizen's arrest." Honkala's group believes the government fails to do enough to support the poor and homeless in America. Honkala shared the story of her 6-year-old son who was told recently that he was not eligible for government support to fight a problem with his vision. "When I found out, I just sat in my van and cried," Honkala said, choking back tears. The group marched a winding 4?-mile path through St. Paul to the Xcel Energy Center, where RNC delegates were gathered. As the protesters marched, hundreds of people joined their rally, including those gathered for a concert that failed to happen near the state Capitol. The march ended outside two panels of fencing that surrounded parts of the Xcel Center. Honkala challenged the protesters to remain peaceful as she tried to deliver the citizen's arrest. A small group of supporters lifted her to their shoulders as they tried unsuccessfully to enter the fenced area. ( Protesters Take Peaceful March To RNC Gates) Other protesters then started a standoff with about 20 police in riot gear. The remainder of the protesters retreated from the Xcel Center area. As they did, hundreds of police in riot gear stood arm to arm to form a route away from St. Paul's downtown. Protesters refused to leave the area, at times taunting officers in riot gear. Police issued a final warning to leave the area before firing the smoke bombs and grenades. Tuesday's protest came a day after more than 280 people were arrested in violence after an anti-war protest. Meanwhile, inside the Xcel Energy Center, speeches and videos proceeded without any hint of disruption. Few had any idea of the protests and clash with law enforcement happening outside. Russ Walker, a delegate from Oregon, arrived at 5:30 p.m. and did see a few protesters on his way in. Fellow Oregonian Ross Marzolf did not run into any demonstrations Tuesday but said his bus was hit by demonstrators in Monday's anti-war violence. Marzolf urged protesters to "grow up," saying that the Republicans are "acting like adults, but the protesters are goons." Pete Saxon, an alternate delegate from California, appreciates being protected from the demonstrations because "the GOP, any group, has the right to conduct business" even though the protesters should also have the right to demonstrate peacefully away from that business. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809040068.html Kenya: Anti-War Protests Rage On At Party Meeting Samuel Siringi 3 September 2008 ________________________________________ St. Paul ? Three more people were arrested as police broke up violent protests near the venue where John McCain was to be officially nominated as Republican presidential nominee last night. Police used tear gas and grenades to prevent the protesters from getting closer to the Xcel Energy Centre, venue of the Republican National Convention, as President Bush addressed delegates via satellite from the White House. The protesters, about 2,000, were holding an anti-poverty demonstration just a day after another group caused damage to buildings as they marched against the Iraq war. A self-described anarchist group called The RNC Welcoming Committee claims it disrupted the convention. It hints at more trouble in the days ahead. The group is not officially connected to organisers of either of the marches on Monday or on Tuesday. Cheri Honkala, a leader of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign that called the protests, asked marchers to be nonviolent. She told anarchists in the crowd that she would hold them responsible if they interfered in the peaceful march. It was the third day of protest marches in downtown St Paul since delegates began arriving last weekend. More than 3,500 police officers have been deployed in the city to handle security, with street protests their key brief. Many streets in the city have been closed to traffic making many people accessing the city to travel long distances. On Monday, more than 200 people were arrested following daylong protests at the city. The anti-Iraq war protesters smashed windows of shops and damaged a police car, but their plans to set it ablaze were stopped by police. http://www.theledger.com/article/20080903/news/809030385 Almost 300 Protesters Are Arrested at GOP Convention By MARTIGA LOHN & JON KRAWCZYNSKI Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 1:50 a.m. ST. PAUL, Minn. | Police arrests tally nearly 300 following sometimes violent confrontations this week, and more protests were planned for Wednesday and Thursday, the final two days of the GOP National Convention. Some protest organizers have promised to resume their often confrontational actions near where delegates are meeting in the Xcel Energy Center until the convention ends. Police said Wednesday they had arrested 10 people throughout Tuesday, but they declined to offer specifics about each incident. Total arrests for the week were 294, including 137 felonies. At least three of the arrests Tuesday came during a march against poverty. The march was tense but neither as widespread nor violent as events a day before, when nearly 300 people were arrested in numerous run-ins. Police estimated about 2,000 people took part in the poverty march, which lasted about three hours. It ended near the arena with police using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters they said were trying to get past security fences, a police spokesman said. The arrests Tuesday came a day after violence erupted following a largely peaceful anti-war march by some 10,000 people. Afterward, police blamed a splinter group of about 200 for harassing delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/04/america/CVN-Convention-Protests.php 102 arrested after GOP convention's third night The Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn.: Police arrested 102 protesters in downtown Minneapolis early Thursday following a concert by the rock group Rage Against the Machine, raising to more than 400 the number arrested in demonstrations related to the Republican National Convention. Police blocked off an intersection as they processed those arrested. Young people sat on a sidewalk, their backs against a building, or stood quietly in line, their hands in plastic cuffs behind their backs. Protesters calling for an end to the Iraq war urged others to join their march Thursday night outside the convention as John McCain accepts his party's presidential nomination on its fourth and final night. The Anti-War Committee denounced the increased presence of police in riot gear and acts of "intimidation" in the streets of St. Paul. In a warmup to the main protest, about 50 college and high school students staged an anti-war rally at the Capitol at midday Thursday. Eight police officers watched the rally from afar, with most leaning against their cars. None wore riot gear. Today in Americas Cuba marks revolution's anniversary Claiborne Pell, former U.S. senator, dies at 90 Obama gives New Year's tradition at black churches added resonance Organizers said they were trying to put on a safe, nonviolent event for the whole family. When a musician singing and playing a guitar uttered a profanity, she was chastised by the crowd and quickly promised to clean up her language. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty blamed the violence this week on a small group of "anarchists, nihilists, and goofballs who want to break stuff and hurt people." "They need to be dealt with," Pawlenty said in an interview with WCCO-AM of Minneapolis. "When you want to break stuff and hurt people, you can't do that." St. Paul was quieter on Wednesday, the convention's third day, when four women from the peace group CodePink were arrested after crawling under a fence a couple blocks from the Xcel Center where the convention is being held. They were released. CodePink also took credit for disrupting Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's speech on Wednesday night. The group said two of its members were given tickets to the speech by a Republican delegate who was frustrated with the party and Palin. The CodePink members, Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, were escorted from the Xcel Center after yelling and displaying a banner. They said they were held until after her speech but not arrested. Police said they broke up more serious plans to disrupt the convention. Search warrants and other police documents made public this week claim that anarchists discussed plans to throw Molotov cocktails, sabotage the Xcel Energy Center or the St. Paul Downtown Airport, stretch metal chains across freeways and kidnap delegates. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/09/02-6 Published on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by The San Francisco Chronicle 250 protesters arrested, including Amy Goodman by Joe Garofoli MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - Police used pepper spray and tear gas to quell breakaway demonstrators from an otherwise peaceful anti-war demonstration Monday outside the Republican National Convention, after the splinter groups smashed department store and police car windows. Police officers spray pepper spray at a group of protesters during an anti-war rally at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. (Matt Rourke / AP) More than 250 people were arrested - including Amy Goodman, host of the nationally broadcast television and radio program "Democracy Now"- as police clashed with roaming groups of protesters. Goodman was later released, and she was among those cited for various misdemeanors. More than 2,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, many in full riot gear, lined the parade route to keep the estimated 10,000 marchers from straying from their permitted march. Later in the day, police motorcycles escorted buses carrying convention delegates to and from the Xcel Energy Center, as police shut down large sections of downtown. Earlier Monday, several groups of demonstrators - many who identified themselves as anarchists and covered their faces with bandanas - broke from the main march. They set a fire in a garbage Dumpster, damaged five police squad cars and smashed three giant display windows at a Macy's department store, police said. Store spokeswoman Jennifer McNamara said the store will increase security for the rest of the week in response to the vandalism. Activists and civil rights organizations had criticized police for a series of pre-emptive raids on Friday and Saturday on the homes of suspected demonstration organizers and at the meeting place for the "RNC Welcoming Committee," an umbrella organization of dozens of activist groups and individuals from around the country. It has been planning convention demonstrations for over a year. Police seized several laptop computers, digital cameras, schedules and 7,000 "welcoming guides" organizers planned to distribute to people coming to the Twin Cities for demonstrations. They also seized several gallons of urine and various tools activists use to link themselves together during protests. "It wasn't chilling enough," said St. Paul Police Department spokesman Tom Walsh. "We had probable cause. We had obtained information in advance that some of these groups, maybe 10 or 12 of them, were planning to cause disruption and destruction. For us not to act on that would have been irresponsible. "It made today less violent because of the action we took," Walsh said. Asked whether law enforcement used undercover infiltrators to obtain information on the suspected demonstrators, Walsh said "that's an irresponsible question" and declined to answer. "Certainly there were troublemakers (Monday), and they deserved to be arrested," said Teresa Nelson, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union-Minnesota. "But we're very troubled that the police were using heavy-handed tactics. We heard reports from people who were listening to music in the park and who were surrounded and detained." Nelson's organization will be in court today to try to regain some of the material seized in the raids. "That is constitutionally protected material," she said. The vast majority of the participants in Monday's demonstration were peaceful. They filled the lawn outside the Minnesota state capitol building and listened to speeches at an 11 a.m. rally before marching roughly 20 blocks to the Xcel Center. In addition to the smattering of Socialists and supporters of a variety of left-wing causes, the majority of participants were local families and college students spending their Labor Day holiday protesting the GOP and the Iraq war. "I'm here to be a part of history," said Marisha Weihe, a 38-year-old restaurant manager who rallied with her mother and 7- and 16-year-old sons. "It's good to be out here with people who feel the same way. Yeah, you can send e-mails to each other, but it feels good to physically be present." The Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/rnc.security/index.html?eref=rss_latest Tue September 2, 2008 Police fire chemical agents, projectiles at RNC protesters ? Story Highlights ? NEW: Police: Officers trying to stop people from breaching security fence ? About 2,000 people took part in anti-poverty protest outside convention ? Hundreds of people arrested Monday after demonstrating near convention ? "Splinter group" broke windows, threw benches Monday, police say ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- St. Paul police fired chemical agents and projectiles into a large crowd of protesters outside the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night. Police fire chemical agents after some protesters said they would breach a security fence. Witnesses said the protesters marched from the grounds of the state Capitol after a concert there ended abruptly. The protesters were noisy but peaceful as they approached the convention. Once they arrived, a police officer read an order to disperse, CNN reporters on the scene said. But almost immediately, officers along the exit route opened fire with gas and projectiles. In one instance, a CNN producer said, an officer stepped out of line to hit a young woman with pepper spray as she ran for the exit. See police spray marchers ? Police said officers were trying to scatter protesters who they said \were trying to get past security fences. Police told the AP that about 2,000 people participated in the anti-poverty march, which lasted about three hours. Other officers used gas and pepper spray in the path of those attempting to comply with the disperse order, forcing some to stop in their tracks, a CNN crew reported. Don't Miss ? Dozens arrested at convention ? Security plan going well, police say ? Convention cities turned into high-tech fortresses ? iReport.com: RNC: Cop attacked The incident comes after almost 300 people were set to be formally charged in Ramsey County District Court on Tuesday after they were arrested during protests Monday at the Republican National Convention, police said. On Monday, police arrested 283 people after firing projectiles, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd demonstrating near the convention site, St. Paul Police Department Chief John Harrington said. Police used plastic handcuffs to detain 20 to 30 of them a few blocks from the security perimeter around the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. St. Paul police said that 120 of the 283 arrested were being held on felony charges. The rest were charged with various misdemeanors. iReport.com: Cops swarm bikers, protesters A crowd of about 300 people conducted what appeared to be a sit-in in a parking lot near the Mississippi River on Monday. Watch police detain protesters ? Earlier in the day, a group of self-described anarchists threw park benches into streets and smashed windows, police said. St. Paul police spokesman Thomas Walsh said Monday afternoon that some of those arrested are accused of property damage and conspiracy to riot. The arrest of the "anarchists" came after almost 5,000 protesters marched peacefully outside the site of the convention. Walsh said they were part of a "splinter group" of the main body of protesters. He said he would not characterize their activity as a protest. Watch police use pepper spray ? "I think they did a disservice to those that came here to protest," he said. Five police cars were among the property that was damaged, Walsh said. Harrington said police arrested nine additional people overnight Monday. Court proceedings were slowed Tuesday when 22 people facing misdemeanor charges refused to give their real names, Dave Gill, a Ramsey County public defender, told The Associated Press. Only two people out of all those arrested completed their initial hearings as of midday, the AP reported. On Sunday, police saw little disruption ahead of the convention, which was scaled back because of Hurricane Gustav. Despite Monday's disruptions, the security plan is working, Walsh said. "We had some expectation that there may be some of this activity," he said. The Republican convention, which began Monday, has been designated a "national special security event," which means the Secret Service is responsible for planning and implementing security. But the primary responsibility for street-level security falls to local police agencies. St. Paul received $50 million in federal grant money to pay for additional security. View the convention security plan ? The St. Paul Police Department estimated that it would require $34 million to pay 3,500 extra officers. The remaining money is for training and equipment, the department said. Numerous federal agencies are helping provide security, including the FBI, the Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604853 10,000 anti-war protesters rally outside Republican convention site Posted: 2008/09/03 From: MNN An estimated 10,000 people of all ages walked slowly down the route from the Capitol to the convention site at the Xcel Energy Center, frequently singing, chanting, and shouting against Bush and the war in Iraq. ST. PAUL, the United States, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Anti-war protesters promise on Tuesday more demonstrations and decry police tactics, as the Republican National Convention enters day two in St. Paul, Minn. Cheri Honkala, a spokesperson for the protesters, told reporters that police arrested more than 280 people Monday during a series of skirmishes that ranged throughout downtown St. Paul, some within blocks of the Xcel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention began its four-day run. In speaking with reporters Tuesday morning, a dozen protest leaders blamed the confrontations on police and their "intimidating" tactics. Some of the 4,500 delegates, too, continue to feel harassed. At a delegate breakfast in downtown St. Paul, the tires were slashed on two buses belonging to the Minnesota delegation, said state Republican Party chair Ron Carey. On Monday, members of the Connecticut delegation told reporters they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Energy Center. Of those arrested, 130 were booked on felony charges, including one assault on a peace officer. The 51 people arrested for gross misdemeanors and 103 for misdemeanors had already been released or were expected to be released soon after they were booked. As President George W. Bush will address the delegates Tuesday night via satellite, Police say they are prepared for violent protests to continue all week, though they are hoping the worst is over. An estimated 10,000 people of all ages walked slowly down the route from the Capitol to the convention site at the Xcel Energy Center, frequently singing, chanting, and shouting against Bush and the war in Iraq. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Kentucky-Students-Still-Jailed-After-Protest/baDuLY06c0O3ZClBThCnEg.cspx Kentucky Students Still Jailed After Protest Last Update: 9/02/2008 10:05 pm Related Links ? Democracy 2008: WCPO Special Section Web produced by: Neil Relyea MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Two University of Kentucky journalism students and their newspaper adviser remain jailed more than a day after they were swept up with nearly 300 others during protests in downtown St. Paul, Minn. Police arrested students Edward C. Matthews and Britney D. McIntosh along with adviser Jim Winn on Monday afternoon. All came to the Twin Cities to document protests held in response to the Republican National Convention, meeting this week in St. Paul. Matthews' father, Tom Matthews, heard about his son's arrest Tuesday morning, then saw him in an Associated Press photo that showed him turning away from a stream of pepper spray. Matthews, of Lexington, Ky., spent much of Tuesday trying to learn whether his 21-year-old son would face charges or be released from the Ramsey County jail before being told he'd remain in jail for a second night. The three arrested are affiliated with the University of Kentucky student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. Matthews is a photographer, McIntosh is the multimedia editor and Winn is the paper's photo adviser. Editor Brad Luttrell said the three traveled to St. Paul for the experience of working with professional journalists on a big story, not to cover the convention for the college paper. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/03/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Nearly 300 arrested at Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Police arrests tally nearly 300 following sometimes violent confrontations this week at the Republican National Convention, and more protests were planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Some protest organizers have promised to resume their confrontational actions near the meeting site, Xcel Energy Center, until the convention ends its four-day run. Police said Wednesday they had arrested 10 people Tuesday, but they declined to offer specifics about each incident. Total arrests for the week were 294, including 137 felonies. At least three of the arrests Tuesday came during a march against poverty. The day before, nearly 300 people were arrested in numerous run-ins in downtown St. Paul. Police estimated about 2,000 people took part in the poverty march, which lasted about three hours. It ended near the convention arena with police using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters they said were trying to get past security fences, said Tom Walsh, a St. Paul police spokesman. The arrests Tuesday came a day after violence erupted following a largely peaceful anti-war march by some 10,000 people. Afterward, police blamed a splinter group of about 200 for harassing delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. The RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist group that has worked for months planning convention disruptions, claimed success in e-mails to its members and media. "The spectacle has been crashed!" read one. That group wasn't officially connected with the organizers of either march. http://newsok.com/oklahoma-delegates-find-protests-unsettling/article/3292153 Delegates find protests unsettling Oklahoma delegates find protests unsettling By Michael McNutt Published: September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Jason Reese recognized the odor of tear gas from Navy Reserve training, and told his companion to quickly roll up their taxi's windows. Featured Gallery Tom Montgomery was just trying to walk from his vehicle to the Republican National Convention when he found himself walking next to what looked like a parade. Both members of Oklahoma's delegation to the Republican National Convention came face-to-face Monday with an anti-war protest march, in which some in the group got into a confrontation with police. The Oklahomans were not harmed, but admitted Tuesday it was unsettling. Reese, a delegate from Oklahoma City, and his guest, Brett Farley, left the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, about 4 p.m. Monday to see some friends at a nearby hotel. They got into a taxi and hadn't traveled far when the vehicle stopped. Reese, attending his first national GOP convention, said he saw about 30 people dressed in black carrying black and red flags. They wore bandannas or surgical masks and yelled at police who were equipped with riot gear. They acted differently than anti-war demonstrators seen minutes earlier, protesters who were peaceful and chanting and singing "This Land Is Your Land." "They (those dressed in black) start running across the street at the police and one or two of them actually made physical contact with the police, but the rest of them are just running up in a kind of menacing manner," Reese said. "The police had their sticks out only for the ones who actually made physical contact with them to fend them off. But then they threw tear gas, a big billowing green smoke. And the protesters started falling back once that happened." Reese said he smelled the tear gas and noticed the taxi's windows were rolled down. "The green smoke starts coming in like a bad horror movie," Reese said. "Our noses started running a little bit...and we start telling the cabbie, 'You need to go.'" The cab driver was able to drive them out of the area, Reese said. He said he didn't see anyone throwing benches or breaking windows. Organizers of Monday's protest had said about 50,000 would attend the protest march. Published reports said protesters numbered about 10,000; police arrested about 250. Going the same way Montgomery, a delegate from Muskogee, said he drove from the delegation's hotel in Minneapolis to the Xcel Energy Center. More streets were closed than he originally was told, so he parked near Minnesota's state Capitol, which was near the beginning of the anti-war demonstration route. As he walked toward the convention site about 2:30 p.m., he said he noticed the protesters and soon he was walking beside them. "They were mostly nice," said Montgomery, although a few heckled him when they saw him wearing his straw cowboy hat with the bumper sticker for U.S. Sen. John McCain. http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/18216/Black_bloc_protester_retaliates_against_police_repression_at_RNC_rescues_victim Black bloc protester retaliates against police repression at RNC, rescues victim Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:03:36 -0500 Summary: Click the link below or click here for the Youtube version. The video shows a police officer brutally dragging a protester through a crowd while threatening them with pepper spray. At 0:16 of the video, with his back turned, an unidentified black bloc protester body checks the officer, momentarily knocking him off balance and allowing the victim to flee into the crowd. The officer, after dousing everyone around him with pepper spray, also flees. The image of the anonymous protester slamming into the guard is one of the few proud moments for the dissident movement over the last eight years. It should be replayed over and over again to remind us of what taking to the streets really means. In the first world, its hard to find backbone in the dissident movement, but this kid didn?t come to St Paul to wag a sign around and feel self-righteous: this kid came to fight back. [Posted By stevenmartin] By Conduit Republished from The Uptake Lone protester intervenes in act of police brutality during RNC, allowing victim to flee. The UpTake captured video of a St. Paul police officer dragging a ?black bloc? protester away from a bus, only to get tackled from behind. The officer sprayed a chemical agent all around him but ultimately lost the suspect and called for backup. Video by Conduit. http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=97969 US Senate candidate from Kalamazoo County caught in RNC protest ? Updated:9/3/2008 8:05:53 AM - Posted: 9/3/2008 12:08:34 AM MINNEAPOLIS, M.N. (KARE11) - It's an experience they probably will never forget. US Senate Candidate Jack Hoogendyk and his wife were on their way to the Republican Convention in Minneapolis Tuesday night when they found themselves in the middle of a protest. Hoogendyk is currently a State Representative in the 61st District in Kalamazoo County. He's running against Democrat Carl Levin in November. He says after parking their car, he and his wife began to walk to the convention but were faced by a wall of protestors. Unable to find their way out, a reporter from our sister station, KARE-11 in Minneapolis escorted them to the police line. They presented their credentials and were able to get away from the crowd. About a half hour later, the crowd of protestors became unruly and police had to use tear gas to push the crowd back. You can read the reporter's account of the situation by clicking on this link from Kare 11. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523779&catid=2 Tuesday night: Two protest marches merge Wednesday morning looking back Whew. Lookin' back on last night...how surreal was that?! A couple hind-sight observations: 1. Believe it or not - it's the truth - the vast majority of the people in these rallies are not about tearin' up the town. They're just not. They're folks who are trying to make a few key political statements - at a time when much of the nation is focused on politics & messaging. They're so effective at what they're doing that they create a critical mass, which is very useful for folks who are looking for cover - to make statements of their own. 2. Don't miss the chance to pull down the raw video. You really get the feeling of 'being there.' Craig Norkus, the photographer, working with me last night was top-shelf. Managing not just to keep his footing in that moving sea-of-humanity, while looking through a viewfinder, and trying to stay focused on the action anticipating what might be next. He was also fending off a few punks who just wanted to challenge him for taking video. As an aside, let me see if I understand this, correctly: ? You want to come downtown to stage a rally & protest march. ? You want your voice to be heard. ? In some cases you want to provoke the police. ? And if/when there's a teargas attack or a pepper spray issue. You would like the camera people to go away? What am I missing here? 3. Another guy working with us in the field was Taylor Carik, a new hire with MetroMix. He had been covering the "Rage Against the Machine" concert that wasn't and ended up running alongside the impromptu concert-goers-join-the-activist marchers. Carik is a young, smart guy and aggressive when it comes to getting the job done. In all the chaos (literally thousands of marchers), he'd point out two (or seven) folks in a pack moving to disguise their faces as we neared parts of the business district. He was good and very "on top of what was happening" as it was going down. I was kind of blown away at his ability to find & locate the would-be spoilers, out of such chaos, in real time. Impressive. 4. I still can't believe we found that Republican U.S. Senate candidate (Jack Hoogendyk, Kalamazoo, MI) and his wife but talk about picking out things in a sea-of-humanity that "don't look quite right." I grabbed Craig (photographer) & told him we needed to go after "that guy." Beyond the obvious risk of being in the middle of a crowd with so many armed police officers surrounding them, finding that guy & his wife in the middle of the pack was one place where it just seemed like there was a real opportunity for someone to get seriously hurt. I got an email from a woman this morning who identified herself as an 'Independent' who would 'Vote for Obama' -- and asked me to pass this onto the candidate: "If you get a chance to speak again to the Republican US senate candidate and his wife whom you escorted out of the crowd, please tell them that some people, such as I, a Saint Paul resident, are appalled at the way they have been received in our city. There is absolutely NO reason for that type of intimidation. They should feel safe and welcomed here." So, if you're out there Mr. Hoogendyk, I hope you got the message. 5. You have to have respect for the work of law enforcement in this thing. While we may well find cases of abuse (most in the media are on high alert for it; where found, it's reported aggressively), there's no getting around the fact that these folks themselves put their lives in danger simply walking head-long into sometimes very angry masses of people. In 20 years of reporting & anchoring in this town, I've come to know many of them. I saw several faces in the crowd yesterday, only this time, the school officer was dressed in fully padded kevlar. Some of the traffic cops were completely decked-out in riot gear. One or two stopped to take off a mask & say "Hi." That's wild. It gives me (and hopefully you, too) a bit of a perspective for the real lives and people behind this thing. This is their community too. Some spoke to me with pride about making sure those who want to "speak out" are able to do it safely - and without fear of other/unknown angry elements. Some spoke of their time - not just as cops - but in the military, literally, fighting for such rights. They live here, as do many of the protesters themselves. It'll be interesting to see where it goes Wednesday and the rest of this week. 8:57 p.m. So, we get out of the thick of the protest and the couple who I'm trying to free, Representative Jack Hoogendyke of Michigan, who is running for U.S. Senate, and his wife agree to talk to me on camera... When the interview is over, I realize we are surrounded by protesters on bikes trying to block us in. I try to get through the bikes and one of the kids says 'psych'... We eventually get by and I'm leading Hoogendyke and his wife out when we run into four delegates... I know they are delegates because they are very well dressed and had a look of uncertainty and quiet desperation about them... I tell them all (six total) there is no guarantee I'll get you out, but we'll see. We double back to the corner of Mickey's diner and flag down a cop.. I explain who these six people are and where they need to go. They are asked to show their official RNC badges and the entire group is allowed through the baracade. At the same time, several journalists rush our group and ask to get out too... None of them were allowed to leave... We had no intention to leave, but it was clear we wouldn't have been able to anyway. Also caught up in the mayhem was KARE 11 photojournalist Craig Norkus who was tear gassed as he tried to cover the protest... and yes, he caught it all on tape. This all happened if you can believe it.. quite surreal. 8:40 p.m. The vast majority of the people involved are very peacefull people. A lot are disabled, some children, some seniors.. Then there are some who look liked they wanted to cause trouble, some with masks over their faces, some without. It's an intersting and dynamic scene. You have a sense you don't really know what is going to happen. In this scene, near the end of the line where you have to turn around, people are being rallied by a woman with a blowhorn. I see this guy in a business suit with his wife clutching her purse trying to pass everyone. He clearly does not belong. So I go try to talk to them.. and I say, what are you doing here. He says that's a good question.... He explains he is with the Michigan Delegation and he's trying to get to the 'X' ... I say he's in the middle of a protest march and at the end of this road is an 8 foot fence and there is no way out. He says, what do we do? I say come with me.. I'm going to try to get you out of here. 8:25 p.m. 10th and Wabasha The cops numbered this crowd at 4,000 people... This was one large march. The group at Mears park marched to the State Capitol where they hooked up with 'Rage Against the Machine" march... They together continued on their march to the Xcel. They went down Cedar from the capitol and were forced to hang a right on 7th street by hundreds of police in riot gear and masks. The protestors marched down 7th near Mickey's Diner and hit a dead end... an 8 foot fence... right across the street is the 'X'... This is the same place protestors marched yesterday and they had to turn around in the 'cage' and go back the way they came. 7:35 p.m. Thousands of protestors are making their way to the Xcel. One of the protestors along the parade route says 'Rage Against the Machine'showed up at the concert and said they had a right to play. When they were denied access to the stage, they went in front of the stage and talked to the concert goers for about 20 minutes... Shortly after, the entire crowd of several thousand people started their march down Cedar to the Xcel Energy Center. Police in riot gear could be seen from all directions. 7:15 p.m. We are at 7th and Cedar in downtown St. Paul. There are so many police officers it's difficult to count them all... What we've heard is the Capitol declined to permit a prescheduled concert from continuing on. 'Rage Against the Machine', a political rap metal band formed in Los Angeles, showed up to perform Tuesday night at the Capitol. After their performance, the crowd of concert goers/protestors planned to march down Cedar to the Xcel Center. However, 'Rage Against the Machine' was not allowed to get on stage and that's when protestors started to march down Cedar. Police declared a code 2, high alert. Officers in riot gear came in from all sides of the intersection at 7th and Cedar to meet the protestors. We'll wait to see what happens. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/violence-breaks.html Violence Breaks Out at Anti-War Protest in St. Paul Email Share September 01, 2008 4:49 PM UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning, police have arrested more than 280 demonstrators throughout the downtown St. Paul area, according to the Associated Press. ABC News' Lindsey Ellerson Reports: Waving signs and chanting in unison "troops out now", thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets of St. Paul Monday for what is the largest anti-war rally scheduled during the week of the Republican Convention. Police estimated a crowd of 8,000-10,000 at the event organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, despite initial predictions that up to 50,000 demonstrators would show up. The gathering kicked off at the State Capitol and soon gathered steam into a large march to the Xcel Energy Center, where Sen. John McCain is scheduled to accept the Republican nomination for president on Thursday. Enthusiastic demonstrators screamed "war isn't the answer!", some inciting violence against police trying to control the march. ?Whose streets? Our streets!? yelled a young demonstrators who clashed with law enforcement. As activists tried to push through police barricades to make their way down to the convention center, it appeared that police were using pepper spray to quell the chaotic activity. "We do believe that some sort of chemical agent was deployed," said a representative from the RNC's Joint Information Center, when asked by ABCNews. Officials are reporting that the protest activity resulted in 13 arrests, seven misdemeanors, two gross misdemeanors and four felonies today. For the latest on Hurricane Gustav, watch "Gustav Storms the Gulf" on a special edition of "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET The St. Paul rally opened peacefully with various speakers addressing the large crowd about what they called atrocities committed by the Bush administration. ?When I say Bush, you say Liar. Bush! Liar! Bush! Liar!?roared the crowd in a call and answer session. ?When I say Cheney, everybody duck!? According to the organizers, the protest was officially endorsed by more than 125 national and local organizations. Jay Marx, an avid activist who spent last week at the DNC in Denver, is visiting St. Paul to support impeachment of President George Bush and represent all forms of freedom. ?There might be various flavors and pieces of justice represented here, but fundamentally, we?re all here to stand for the same peace.? Jerry Krause, a professor at a St. Paul University and member of Veterans for Peace, paraded through the crowd holding a large, bloodied flag. When asked by ABC News if the RNC?s cancellation of evening events, which were scheduled to include President Bush and Vice President Cheney, deterred his desire to protest, Krause replied, ?Bush didn?t cancel the war.? Many activists came to support the cause from miles away. Matthew Jones, a 22 year old student who drove 950 miles to stand up against the Bush administration, was dressed in an orange jumpsuit with a black cloak over his head. ?I am here to represent the political prisoners, people locked in Gitmo without due process and the Iraq war impending Iranian conflict?because I don?t want my daughter to be affected by this capitalistic government, and then be left with nothing.? The rally began at 11a.m. and continued throughout the afternoon. http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/whas11_topstory_080903_UK_students_arrested_GOP.3ebe0d6a.html 2 UK students and advisor released after being arrested during Republican Convention protests 05:13 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Previous Story: 2 UK students part of hundreds arrested Two university of Kentucky journalism students and an advisor are out of jail after getting arrested along with hundreds of others during Republican Convention protests. They are all affiliated with the UK student newspaper - Kentucky Kernel-in Lexington. A photo taken by the Associated Press shows Kentucky kernel photographer Ed Matthews being doused with pepper spray. According to the Kentucky Kernel, Matthews, fellow student Brittney McIntosh, and advisor Jim Winn were all released around noon Wednesday. The newspaper says charges are pending further investigation. The editor of the Kentucky Kernel told WHAS11 News that the three were not rioting. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14450.cfm RNC Protest Organizers Framed on Bogus Conspiracy Charges ? RNC 8 Charged with "Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism" Indymedia Twin Cities, MN, September 3, 2008 Straight to the Source In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002 Minnesota version of the Federal Patriot Act, Ramsey County Prosecutors have formally charged 8 alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty. Affidavits released by law enforcement which were filed in support of the search warrants used in raids over the weekend, and used to support probable cause for the arrest warrants, are based on paid, confidential informants who infiltrated the RNCWC on behalf of law enforcement. They allege that members of the group sought to kidnap delegates to the RNC, assault police officers with firebombs and explosives, and sabotage airports in St. Paul. Evidence released to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provacateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence. "These charges are an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism. This both trivializes real violence and attempts to place the stated political views of the Defendants on trial," said Bruce Nestor, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "The charges represent an abuse of the criminal justice system and seek to intimidate any person organizing large scale public demonstrations potentially involving civil disobedience, he said." The criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege that any of the defendants personally have engaged in any act of violence or damage to property. The complaints list all of alleged violations of law during the last few days of the RNC -- other than violations of human rights carried out by law enforcement -- and seeks to hold the 8 defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals. None of the defendants have any prior criminal history involving acts of violence. Searches conducted in connection with the raids failed to turn up any physical evidence to support the allegations of organized attacks on law enforcement. Although claiming probable cause to believe that gunpowder, acids, and assembled incendiary devices would be found, no such items were seized by police. As a result, police sought to claim that the seizure of common household items such as glass bottles, charcoal lighter, nails, a rusty machete, and two hatchets, supported the allegations of the confidential informants. "Police found what they claim was a single plastic shield, a rusty machete, and two hatchets used in Minnesota to split wood. This doesn't amount to evidence of an organized insurrection, particularly when over 3,500 police are present in the Twin Cities, armed with assault rifles, concussion grenades, chemical weapons and full riot gear," said Nestor. In addition, the National Lawyers Guild has previously pointed out how law enforcement has fabricated evidence such as the claims that urine was seized which demonstrators intended to throw at police. The last time such charges were brought under Minnesota law was in 1918, when Matt Moilen and others organizing labor unions for the Industrial Workers of the World [ed. correction-TCIMC] on the Iron Range were charged with "criminal syndicalism." The convictions, based on allegations that workers had advocated or taught acts of violence, including acts only damaging to property, were upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court. In the light of history, these convictions are widely seen as unjust and a product of political trials. The National Lawyers Guild condemns the charges filed in this case against the above 8 defendants and urges the Ramsey County Attorney to drop all charges of conspiracy in this matter. Source: Bruce Nestor, President Minnesota Chapter of National Lawyers Guild http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14457.cfm Republicans Secured Prior Insurance Coverage to Violate Civil Rights of Protestors at RNC ? Taxpayers Off The Hook For GOP Convention Lawsuits By Ryan J. Foley AP, via Common Dreams, September 4, 2008 Straight to the Source Critics say the agreement has only encouraged police to use aggressive tactics knowing they won't have to pay damages ST. PAUL, Minn. - Taxpayers should be off the hook for any damages stemming from claims of police misconduct related to the Republican National Convention under a first-of-its-kind agreement. The deal required the Republican Party's host committee to buy insurance covering up to $10 million in damages and unlimited legal costs for law enforcement officials accused of brutality, violating civil rights and other misconduct. Other cities who hosted conventions in recent years - including Denver, Boston, New York and Philadelphia - either covered those costs from their general budgets or used tax money to buy insurance policies. But St. Paul officials, led by Mayor Chris Coleman, insisted the committee use its private donations to purchase the insurance policy. They had some leverage because the party had named St. Paul as the location for the convention before striking the city services agreement in January 2007. "The negotiating team, with the mayor's encouragement, took the firm ground that we had to have the police professional liability insurance paid for by someone other than city taxpayers," said City Attorney John Choi. "Ultimately, and reluctantly on the host committee's part, we were able to secure that." The deal could save taxpayers millions. Police have arrested nearly 300 people, and many protesters are threatening lawsuits. New York City still faces more than 400 lawsuits from some of the 1,800 people arrested at the 2004 GOP convention, said Laura Postiglione, a spokeswoman in the city's law department. In St. Paul, some critics say the agreement has only encouraged police to use aggressive tactics knowing they won't have to pay damages. "It's an extraordinary agreement. Now the police have nothing to hold them back from egregious behavior," said Michelle Gross, who leads Communities United Against Police Brutality. She is considering filing suit after being handcuffed and searched last week during a raid of the St. Paul hub of an anarchist group. ? 2008 Associated Press http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523982 Police: Officers showed restraint, patience during RNC protests ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Police packed away body armor, gas masks and pepper spray on Friday -- but not the questions about their tactics during the Republican National Convention. Click here: Media advocates cry foul over journalists' arrests They made more than 800 arrests related to the convention, including nearly 400 on Thursday as protesters blocked traffic on streets and bridges a few blocks from Xcel Energy Center. In Denver, site of the Democratic convention a week earlier, only 152 people were arrested. Hundreds of officers in riot gear -- some on horses -- poured into St. Paul's streets starting on Sunday to hold demonstrators to approved routes and quell disturbances. They used tear gas, pepper spray, percussion grenades and sticks to control protesters who overstayed permits or veered into unauthorized areas. Police Chief John Harrington said the 3,700 officers who worked the event showed patience and moved in when they had to. He said they focused on people they expected to cross the line into property damage or violence, and tried to contain other protesters without trampling on their free speech rights. "Nothing burned in downtown St. Paul," Harrington said. "No one was injured in downtown St. Paul. With the exception of one or two windows, downtown St. Paul remained open for business." But protesters and some observers said the show of force raised the tension level. "You could literally go nowhere without being confronted by a Robocop in the most intimidating, threatening gear, who wouldn't give you directions, who wouldn't do anything except threaten you and tell you to move, move, move," said Dianne Mathiowetz, an anti-war activist from Atlanta. Some showed injuries they said were caused by rubber bullets or rough handling during arrest. Those caught up in chaotic mass arrests included journalists, legal observers and others who hadn't intended to commit civil disobedience -- including two Associated Press reporters and an AP photographer. On Friday, an attorney for The Associated Press sent Harrington a letter asking for an accounting of police treatment of photographers Matt Rourke and Evan Vucci. Rourke was wearing AP credentials when he was arrested Monday while covering protest violence in downtown St. Paul, and was held for 10 hours before being released. The ACLU of Minnesota is preparing to coordinate legal representation for some protesters, and is looking into the use of chemical irritants and mass arrests as it prepares a possible lawsuit against the city, executive director Chuck Samuelson said. Another group of six protesters held a news conference Friday to show bruises, scratches and other injuries. Two said they planned to sue and others said they were contemplating legal action. Pre-emptive arrests before the convention and the aggressive look of riot police heightened fear and anger among the protesters, said Demi Miller, who walked the demonstrations as a member of the Peace Team, a group in yellow vests that sought to defuse tensions. Miller said the law enforcement strategy changed from day to day. On Tuesday, the day after nearly 300 people were arrested during scattered acts of violence on the convention's opening day, police prevented the band Rage Against the Machine from playing at a free concert on the Capitol grounds. Hundreds of angry concertgoers joined an anti-poverty march that had just come down the street. "Suddenly we had this huge group of really enraged or upset people energized to go screaming into downtown with the poor people's march," Miller said. By the end of the evening, 10 were arrested and police fired pepper spray and percussion grenades to disperse those who lingered after the march broke up. But the officers also showed restraint. In some cases, they waited for hours and took verbal abuse. They gave several dispersal warnings before using more drastic tactics. During a peaceful standoff on Thursday night at the intersection of John Ireland Boulevard and Rice Street near the Capitol, one man agitated the crowd by roaming through the protesters and swearing at them. After about an hour, police suddenly moved to arrest him. Then one officer used a bullhorn to tell protesters not to worry, that they were only arresting the man causing trouble. "Continue to speak your minds," the officer told the crowd. Protesters cheered and clapped. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.startribune.com/politics/27736044.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX Estimated 10,000 protesters march on convention in St. Paul: Antiwar demonstrators marched today from the State Capitol to the site of the Republican National Convention, despite the big-name cancellations, and following an earlier march by a smaller group. The ad hoc group of protesters departed early from the Capitol and were met near the Xcel Energy Center, site of the convention, by counter-demonstrators and under the watch of police. Two news media photographers apparently caught pepper spray from law enforcement. Protest organizers said their passion remains strong even though President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are skipping their convention speeches because of Hurricane Gustav. Police put the initial number of marchers at about 10,000 as the formal trek from the Capitol began this afternoon. "There's far too few people here," said Lennie Major, a teacher from Mounds View. "We should have 10 times this many. This will only be a blip." http://www.myantiwar.org/view/161171.html Mass show of peaceful dissent soon makes a violent descent Richard Sennott, Star Tribune Police arrest a group of protesters along Shepard Road in St Paul. By CURT BROWN, Star Tribune Last update: September 2, 2008 - 12:08 PM Bolstered by emergency help from the Minnesota National Guard, police in St. Paul arrested 284 people Monday after outbreaks of violence and road obstructions linked to rogue bands of demonstrators among an otherwise peaceful throng estimated at 10,000 people. The demonstrations, on a steamy first day of the Republican National Convention, began with block after block of marchers -- far fewer than the 50,000 some had predicted -- chanting and peacefully waving signs on downtown St. Paul's narrow streets. As the day wore on, the carnival atmosphere turned ugly. Before most of the demonstrators had finished their march, a few hundred protesters splintered off and became confrontational and sometimes violent. Some smashed windows at Macy's and a downtown bank building. Others challenged police by blocking roads. Late Monday, authorities said 130 of the 284 people arrested may face felony charges. Dozens were pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed. One police officer was punched in the back, and another suffered from heat exhaustion. St. Paul emergency rooms reported nine minor injuries and several heat-related cases. Hundreds of police officers, sweltering in heavy riot gear, swept in to block streets and protect delegate buses. About 3 p.m., St. Paul police requested help from 150 National Guard troops. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said officers showed restraint as a small number of law-breaking demonstrators marred an otherwise peaceful day of free speech. "Their efforts were nothing short of heroic," Coleman said. "They did not fail. They did not take the bait." But observers from the National Lawyers Guild took issue with police action. "We think it's unconscionable. We think it's out of control," said Gina Berglund, an attorney and legal observer coordinator for the guild's Minnesota chapter. "The response by the police was completely out of proportion with what they were faced with." St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said the troublemakers came from a half-dozen loosely organized groups totaling up to 180 people, a small fraction of Monday's turnout. Some delegates attacked Members of the Connecticut and Alabama delegations reported being attacked at one point by protesters. Connecticut delegate Rob Simmons told KMSP-TV that protesters tried to rip the credentials off delegates' necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes. One 80-year-old delegate was treated for injuries, and several others had to rinse their eyes and clothing. Also, retired Alabama Supreme Court Judge Terry Butts said about 100 protesters approached a delegation bus and one threw a brick through a window. Butts said the bus driver suffered cuts. A cross-section of dissent Protesters had come from across the state and the country for what was expected to be the week's largest demonstration. They marched after a noon rally at the State Capitol, snaking down a route that circled in front of the Xcel Energy Center as delegates arrived for a session cut short by Hurricane Gustav. Cu Nyugen, a Vietnamese native who lives in Minneapolis, brought his 12-year-old daughter, Mai, on the eve of her first day of sixth grade. "It's important for the younger generation to see and learn about different points of view," Nyugen said. Marie Williams, 77, of Minneapolis, carried a "Dissent Is Patriotic" placard. "I started coming to protests with Paul Wellstone," she said. Some were disappointed by the turnout, wondering if the 90-degree heat, aggressive police and President Bush's cancellation thinned the crowd. "I'm disappointed -- this is far too few people," said Lennie Major, a teacher from Mounds View. "We needed 10 times this many to make an impact; this will only be a blip." Escalating violence Harrington said the first illegal salvo happened about 11 a.m., when a Dumpster was shoved into an occupied squad car on W. 7th Street. "I'm not sure how anyone can say that's protest," Harrington said. The peaceful mood started to change after 1:30 p.m., when several groups broke off and began resisting police. The biggest showdown occurred about 5:30 p.m., when police in riot gear cornered about 80 protesters near the Mississippi River below the Minnesota Science Museum. Daniel Streltz, a freelance photographer, said the protesters sat down when police ordered them to disperse. By early evening, police had arrested most of them. About 3 p.m., about 250 people locked arms to block delegate buses near Robert Street and Kellogg Boulevard. They were in a standoff with 100 police officers, and authorities warned them to disperse. Minutes later, when the group refused to move, officers tossed in a dozen tear-gas canisters, prompting the crowd to retreat. Some demonstrators then attempted to line the street with obstacles. Witnesses said police also used concussion grenades and smoke bombs. "Most of [the demonstrators] were pretty good," said CarolLee Folsom, a bystander who used to work for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. "But you don't know what any of these people are going to do. And they warned them, so anybody that wanted to get out could have gotten out." Demonstrator Andrew Sigmundik, 18, disagreed, saying that the police went overboard and that he witnessed "one guy in a wheelchair getting Maced and some other people getting hit by police batons. "Nobody was trying to cause destruction or violence," he said. "The idea was to just block the streets. We were just trying to disrupt the delegation, and I think we succeeded." At about 2 p.m., protesters dropped bent nails into the intersection at 6th and Wacouta Streets. A group of more than 200 tossed garbage cans and newspaper kiosks into the road. A few marchers broke off and threw objects, shattering three windows in a bank building at 4th and Minnesota Streets. Others continued up 6th, pursued by more than a dozen slow-moving police cars. A few officers walked in front of the cars, clearing the barriers the marchers had thrown in the street. By the time they reached 6th and Cedar, many of the marchers began to disperse. Some smashed three windows at Macy's. One person jumped up and down a few times on the roof of a parked police car before breaking its windows. An alternative broadcaster, "Democracy Now" host Amy Goodman, was among an estimated 40 people arrested about 5 p.m. near the corner of 8th and Jackson. She was arrested as she tried to prevent the arrests of two colleagues, a producer for her show said. Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke also was arrested when he was swept up with a group of protesters. He was released without charges. Staff writers Randy Furst, Anthony Lonetree, Heron Marquez Estrada, Maria Elena Baca, Tony Kennedy, Paul McEnroe, H.J,. Cummins, Rodrigo Zamith, Pat Pheifer, Allie Shah, Richard Meryhew, Kevin Giles, Thomas Lee, David Shaffer, Jean Hopfensperger and Pam Louwagie contributed to this report, along with the Associated Press. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/02/america/NA-US-Convention-Protests.php Some turn violent in US convention protests The Associated Press Published: September 2, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Demonstrations near the Republican National Convention site turned violent, as protesters harassed some delegates, smashed windows, slashed car tires and threw bottles. Police using pepper spray arrested more than 250 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site where the Republican Party was starting its four-day meeting. And many of those involved in the more violent activities identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. These protesters, some clad in black, were operating on the streets in addition to a peaceful anti-war march, wreaking havoc by damaging property and setting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pockets of a neighborhood near downtown, several blocks from where the convention was taking place. The main anti-war march was peaceful, police said, estimating about 10,000 people participated. Late Monday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. Members of the Connecticut delegation to the convention said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Center, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came toward his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes. One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported. Five people were arrested for lighting a trash bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. Of the arrestees, 119 faced possible felony charges, authorities said. At least four journalists were among those detained, including Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a nationally syndicated public radio and TV news program. Goodman was intervening on behalf of two producers for her program, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, when she was arrested, said Mike Burke, another producer. St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said Rourke was held on a gross misdemeanor riot charge. Goodman was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, Ramsey County sheriff's spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said. Neither Walsh nor Drinkwine had information on the other two journalists. The anti-war march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organizers of the march. About 20 people dressed in black tried to block a key intersection. Police quickly broke up the group, then shot two tear gas canisters at them as the fled. Pictures taken by Associated Press photographers showed officers using pepper spray on people who appeared to be trying to block streets. Up to 200 people from various groups marched in a noisy "Funk the War" march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some individuals smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big trash bin into the street, bent the rearview mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. One member of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." The group chanted: "Whose streets? Our streets!" At one point, people pushed a trash bin filled with trash and threw garbage in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tire of a limousine waiting at an intersection and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped at an intersection. The bottle smashed into pieces but didn't appear to damage the bus. After the official march ended, police spent hours dispersing smaller groups of protesters, employing officers on horses, smoke bombs and pepper spray. Protesters put eye drops in each other's eyes after police used chemical irritants. Some wore bandanas and masks to protect themselves. Protesters were seen lying on an interstate exit ramp to block traffic in downtown St. Paul and linking arms to block other roads. Terry Butts, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who is a convention delegate, was on a bus taking delegates to the arena when a brick thrown through a window sprayed glass on him and two others. Butts said he wasn't hurt. "It just left us a little shaken," he said. "It was sort of a frightening moment because it could have been a bomb or a Molotov cocktail." ___ Associated Press writers Ryan J. Foley, Martiga Lohn and Jon Krawczynski in St. Paul and Desiree Hunter in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080902/pl_politico/13067 Two delegations attacked by protesters Bob Shaw - St. Paul Pioneer Press, Tom Webb - St. Paul Pioneer Press Bob Shaw - St. Paul Pioneer Press, Tom Webb - St. Paul Pioneer Press ? Mon Sep 1, 9:24 pm ET Featured Topics: Protesters harassed two state delegations in St. Paul to attend the Republican National Convention Monday. Someone threw a rock through the window as delegates from Alabama rode their bus to the Xcel Energy Center, where Republican National Convention events took place. And masked protesters confronted and harassed the Connecticut delegation ? several of them were spat upon, roughed up and doused with a mixture of water and bleach. Heath Fahle, director of the Connecticut Republicans, said the incident happened on Kellogg Boulevard about 2 p.m. ?It was frightening,? he said. He said the delegation of more than 100 got off their chartered buses near the Xcel Energy Center. As they walked on the sidewalk, a group of masked protestors chanting anti-war slogans appeared in front of them. They linked arms, attempting to create a human barricade. As police on horseback arrived, Fahle and other members of the group tried to push through. Most of them escaped unscathed, but the protesters splattered the last group of delegates with the liquid. ?Two got doused, and several more got sprayed with it,? said Fahle. Former Rep. Rob Simmons was hit on the face with the liquid. Delegate Rob Simmons was outraged. ?We were attacked by a mob,? he said. ?We were subjected to violent and anarchist behavior by a bunch of thugs." Fahle said two people were spat upon: Lila Healy, the mother of Connecticut party chairman Chris Healy; and 83-year-old Fred Biebel. Beibel was reportedly shoved, and his credentials were torn off. One protester grabbed the purse of the state party finance director, who tussled with the protester to save it. ?They had cameras, backpacks and bandanas covering their faces. They were prepared for pepper spray or whatever,? said Fahle. According to the St. Paul Joint Information Center, the liquid was shown to be diluted bleach and salt. About 1 p.m., a rock was thrown through the windshield of a delegate bus carrying Alabama delegates to the Xcel center. It penetrated the windshield, and shattered glass on the bus driver, cutting him and sending glass on several delegates. One of those showered with glass was retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Terry Butts. ?They were dressed all in black, black pajamas, kind of a black hat and mask on, except for their eyes ? a Ninja look,? Butts said. He said about 30 protesters swarmed the bus. The area was supposed to be secured, he said, ?but this was a breech in security, obviously.? Police intercepted the protesters, and the protesters swarmed the police. At that point, one of the protesters threw a very large rock, according to Butts. ?I happened to be sitting in the front seat right behind the bus driver, and it literally hit eye level between the bus driver and myself,? he said. Another Alabama delegate, Randy McKinney, was also on the bus. He attributed the attack to ?a couple dozen Ninja-wannabes, and I didn't see any taxpayers in the group.? Suze Butts, wife of the retired justice, added: ?Be sure to point out that we know they weren't from Minnesota. We are just enthralled with Minnesota.? Bob Shaw and Tom Webb are political writers for The St. Paul Pioneer Press. Politico and the Pioneer Press are sharing content for the 2008 election cycle and during the Republican National Convention. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523573 RNC protestors raise signs, voices in opposition The State Capitol has long been the epicenter of Minnesota politics, but rarely has the discourse been as loud or impassioned as the voices carrying across the grounds Monday afternoon. For two hours speakers from a number of activist organizations took the stage, assailing what they call the failed policies of the Bush administration, and trying to link them to Republican Nominee John McCain. "The working class and the middle class are being completely misrepresented, and the RNC needs to hear that people are angry," opined 23 year old Duluth resident Chelsa Nelson after the speakers had finished. She was one of an estimated ten thousand or more that marched down Cedar Street en route to the Xcel Energy Center, site of the RNC. Most of the signs dealt directly with the war in Iraq, and the moral, political, and financial objections of protest groups. "This war has really got to end, it's the worst thing to ever happened in American foreign policy. Unbelievably stupid," said veteran protester Mark DeZiel. "You've got people who are diverse in their philosophies, what they're coming here for, but we're all against the war." Organizers of the march on the Republican National Convention estimated there would be a crowd of 50,000 people. According to the official numbers from the Minnesota State Patrol and Capitol police, the crowd numbered approximately 10,000 people. They marched from the capitol grounds to as close to the Xcel Energy Center as they could get. Along the way, police mobile field forces dressed in riot gear blocked roads as protesters and marchers passed by. For the number of people, this large, organized protest remained relatively peaceful. "We think it's time for a change and?we're here to support everything that's going to be happening," says Marta McIntyre of Roseville. "I am not in favor of the war. I believe that it's about time that we should stop," says Denisse Spencer, who marched among the crowd through downtown St. Paul. By Dana Thiede, KARE 11 News http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/8794AAB60E17CE6E862574B700164C4D?OpenDocument ST. PAUL, MINN. 01/09/2008 Police arrested nine people taking part in an antiwar march at the Republican National Convention on Sunday after they crossed a security fence into a restricted area near Xcel Energy Center. The nine were arrested for trespassing, said Doug Holtz, a St. Paul police commander. Eight of the nine protesters were taken away in handcuffs. The ninth, a 78-year-old nun, was not cuffed. The protesters had planned ahead of time to cross the fence, and organizers had announced it ahead of the march, which drew about 250 people. http://www.wtov9.com/politics/17362028/detail.html?rss=steu&psp=nationalnews#- Protests Turn Violent Amid RNC's Open Police Estimate Crowd At 8,000 To 10,000 Monday, September 1, 2008 ? updated: 8:54 pm EDT September 1, 2008 As Republicans began their shortened convention, thousands of protesters rallied outside on nearby streets. Convention organizers scaled back their agenda, but 8,000 to 10,000 protesters went ahead with their march, mostly peaceful. However, some protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles during an anti-war march to the site of the RNC. Police used pepper spray in confrontations with demonstrators and arrested at least 56 people. ( Watch: Police, protesters clash outside RNC. | Read: Reporter's notebook of protester chaos.) Instead of the single coherent march that organizers had hoped for, fringe groups of anarchists and others wrought havoc along the streets between the state Capitol and the Xcel Energy Center where the convention was taking place. Protesters attempted to block several main bridges and streets leading to the center. Police were positioned to stop protesters and push them back. The clashes brought parts of St. Paul's downtown to standstill for about two hours. Five people were arrested on suspicion of lighting a trash bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. About 20 anarchists who had allegedly started the trash bin on fire later tried to block the intersection of St. Peter and Exchange streets. Police quickly dispersed the group, then shot two tear gas canisters at the fleeing anarchists. Pictures taken by Associated Press photographers showed officers using pepper spray on protesters who appeared to be trying to block streets. "There are people who are committing violations of law and they're being arrested," Walsh said. About 200 people from a group called Funk the War noisily staged their own separate march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some of their members smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big trash bin into the street, bent the rearview mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. One man who seemed to be the leader of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." The group chanted: "Whose streets? Our streets!" Meanwhile, a group of about 100 anarchists pushed a trash bin filled with trash and threw garbage in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tire of a limousine waiting at an intersection and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped at an intersection. The bottle smashed into pieces but didn't appear to damage the bus. Closely following the anarchists were teams of riot officers carrying batons, rifles and guns that could be used to shoot tear gas. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. The crowd was clearly in the thousands. Late this afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. The day's march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family-friendly march. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which wasn't among the organizers of the march. http://www.wtov9.com/politics/17362087/detail.html#- Notebook: Police, RNC Protesters Clash Reporter's Notebook: 'Chaos' Can Be Reality Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News Monday, September 1, 2008 ? updated: 11:09 pm EDT September 1, 2008 ST. PAUL -- As I made my way toward the Xcel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention just got under way, I came across several blocked streets in downtown St. Paul. At one intersection, protestors collapsed to the ground to block a tour bus. Police used plastic zip ties to detain those protestors. The streets quickly reopened. The stand-offs with police appeared almost routine. No doubt police on duty here in St. Paul this week took part in riot training. ( Protesters Detained Near RNC | Read: Protests Turn Violent Amid RNC's Open) But that was just the beginning of an afternoon where I found myself blinded by the effects of tear gas and trapped inside a protest group of thousands. That particular duel between police and protesters started at the intersection of Kellogg Boulevard and Wabasha Street, about two blocks from where RNC delegates started their official business on the first day of their convention. As I walked toward the stand-off, I heard the loud beating of drums and saw police standing strong in iron-clad formation. They stood in a pose ready for battle. There were police in riot gear, police on horseback and police inside their cars. I noticed police lined up arm and arm and starting to slowly reposition along the side of Kellogg Boulevard. They were attempting to keep the protesters off the street. The protesters were undeterred, though. They kept moving along Kellogg Boulevard as much as 10 yards in front of police. I kept trying to move ahead of the 5 to 10 yards that separated the front lines of police and protesters. Everyone moved step-by-step toward another major intersection two blocks away at Robert Street. Midway through the two-block standoff, protesters seemed to start more dramatic taunting of police with words and physical challenges. In the video I shot, you?ll see a woman holding a single yellow flower. She moved out of the protest group toward police in riot gear. They answered with appears to be tear gas. ( Police, Protesters Clash Outside RNC) I watched that through my camera lens but quickly started to feel the effects. My eyes teared up. My forehead and cheeks began to burn. I felt a choking feeling from the gas. For no significant reason a few hours before, I stuck several paper napkins from lunch inside my camera bag. I grabbed them to cover my mouth and nose. It was still difficult to breath. I was at least 10 to 15 yards from that confrontation. For a moment, my fear surfaced as I wondered if I was trapped in the middle. But, as a news person, I felt compelled to stay in place. We never know when inflamed situations like this burst into full riots. I took a moment to wipe the tears from my eyes? and kept recording. Seconds later, I watched through my camera as another young protester taunted police. He surged once but retreated. He surged again but was captured in the grips of police. For the next five to 10 minutes, protesters rallied. They pulled barricades into the street and stopped cars at that intersection of Robert and Kellogg. I turned quickly to see one passing car hit with what appeared to be green paint. I?m not clear who threw that. No, this was not the out-of-control protests from the 1960s. But it was a highly tense time for St. Paul Monday? and a scary time to be a reporter caught in the middle. Oddly enough, just hours before, a co-worker said a police officer told her that ?the city is in chaos.? At the time, I chuckled. After my experience, I should have taken the warning more seriously. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/01/uselections2008.republicans2008?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews Protestors march at GOP convention to denounce Iraq war ? Groups walked mile-and-a-half rout in protest ? 'Let our troops win' group conducts counter protest ? 8,000-10,000 took part in peaceful march ? Daniel Nasaw in St Paul ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 September 2008 21.32 BST ? Article history Carlos Arredondo takes part in a march against the Iraq war in St Paul, Minnesota. Arredondo?s son was killed in the war. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Getty Images Thousands of anti-war protesters marched on the site of the Republican convention in St Paul today, in an effort to force John McCain and the Republican party to confront lingering popular opposition to the US engagement in Iraq. The protesters were a diverse coalition of veterans of wars in Iraq and Vietnam, pink-clad feminists, shaggy-headed anarchists, a group of "grandmothers against the war," and more than 130 other liberal groups. Although united in their opposition to the continued presence of the war in Iraq, they marched for causes as diverse as better pay for firefighters and less restrictive immigration policies. The Republican party staunchly supports the US presence in Iraq. John McCain, an early backer of the war and a proponent of the recent surge in US troops there, has said he will withdraw US troops only as conditions on the ground permit. Democratic nominee Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw US combat forces within 16 months. Under a bright clear sky, the largely peaceful protesters walked a roughly mile-and-a-half route from the state capital building to the Xcel Energy Centre, were convention proceedings are being held. The overwhelming demand, heard from speakers at the rally preceding the march and in chants along the parade route, was that the US invest the roughly $12bn per month it spends in Iraq on pressing domestic priorities like healthcare and education. "There are so many things going wrong in this country, certainly the war in Iraq, but on the domestic front, healthcare is in shambles," said Katherine Fuchs, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "I really don't see how we can allow political parties to have essentially a party without raining on their parade a little bit and reminding them that all is not hunky-dory." Stefan Haire of Los Angeles said, "We're tired of fighting a war while we are tripping over homeless people." He and three friends wore pastel-coloured sailor hats adorned with anti-war messages. The protesters beat drums, danced, and carried giant puppets and effigies of McCain, Bush, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, one of the architects of the war in Iraq. The Republican party cancelled much of today's activity in order to allow its members to focus on dealing with hurricane Gustav on the Gulf of Mexico. But as the march neared the convention site, they were met by a small group of counter-protesters demanding "let our troops win" in Iraq. "The war goes on Iraq everyday, and thousands and thousands of people made plans to be here," said Jess Sundin, a march organiser. "We will bring our message to the delegates that are here today and those that are coming along later I'm sure will hear all about it. Our united goal is to stop the war in Iraq, but we're linking that with our understanding of the need to spend money on human needs instead of war, to demand peace, justice and equality, and say no to the Republican agenda." Stickers and shirts emblazoned with Barack Obama's image, name and campaign slogans were aplenty among the marchers, although the Democratic party was not among the official organisers. March leaders had obtained a permit for 50,000 protesters. Police estimated the crowd at between 8,000 and 10,000. Compared to the Democratic convention last week in Denver, where protesters were largely confined to pens known as "freedom cages", St Paul was more welcoming. Demonstrators converged and mingled freely on the grounds of the state capital building, and police cleared streets along the parade route to accommodate them. Fearsome looking officers in full black riot gear guarded intersections to ensure the crowd stayed along the permitted route, but save of isolated clashes with young rioters who broke a few shop windows and caused minor mayhem, officers and demonstrators stayed clear of one another. Police arrested at least five people, including some who lit a dumpster on fire and pushed it into a police car. Among the protesters Monday was Melida Arredondo, who pulled a mock coffin draped with an American flag behind her. Her stepson Alexander, a Marine, was killed in 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. "I am very much angered, as a gold star mom, that John McCain is saying that he will continue the occupation of Iraq to vindicate the fact that my son was killed there," she said. "My son loved the Iraqi people, believed in the Iraqi people, was fed by the Iraqi people and he would not want the occupation to continue." http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8932933 Some protests turn violent Associated Press - September 1, 2008 4:53 PM ET ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Some protests near the site of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, have turned violent. Police say protesters smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles during an anti-war march. Police used pepper spray in some confrontations with demonstrators and arrested five. They're accused of setting fire to a trash bin and pushing it into a police car. Police estimate there were 8,000 to 10,000 protesters. Instead of the single coherent march that organizers had hoped for, fringe groups raised havoc along the streets between the state Capitol and the Xcel Energy Center where the convention is taking place. The arrests occurred several blocks from the arena. Some marchers smashed windows of cars and stores, tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a trash bin into the street, bent the rear view mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. They were followed by teams of riot officers carrying batons, rifles and guns that could be used to shoot tear gas. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523701 Protesters vow to continue, police hope for peace ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Self-described anarchists vowed Tuesday to hit the streets of St. Paul every day this week, even as police were hoping for calm after violence near the site of the Republican convention led to more than 280 arrests. "We are excited about what the next few days may bring now that the illusion of business as usual has been shattered," said Rose DaBarr, spokeswoman for a group called the RNC Welcoming Committee. About 10,000 people marched Monday in an anti-war protest, most of them walking peacefully on a route from the state Capitol to the convention arena, Xcel Energy Center, and back. A splinter group that police estimated at about 200 people was blamed for attacking delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. Another march on Tuesday organized by a different group, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Committee, was going ahead as planned. "We are not going to be stopped," said the group's spokeswoman, Cheri Honkala. She said their march would deviate from the permitted path to go by the county jail, where some of the people arrested Monday remained. Honkala also promised multiple acts of civil disobedience. Police said they were ready. "We are prepared for this type of activity to continue all week, although we certainly hope that the violence is done and the rest of the week will be peaceful," said Minneapolis Police Capt. Amelia Huffman. Minneapolis is one of many agencies working with St. Paul on security. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman called on protesters to "engage in proper political dialogue." "We will send a very loud and clear message to those who choose to break the law and endanger the safety of others," he said. "We will pursue you, and we will not let this stand." Authorities said 130 of those arrested faced possible felony charges. At least four of those arrested were journalists who were later released. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she expected her office to consider charges on Tuesday against those arrested. She said she couldn't speculate on how long they would be held before having a chance to post bail. The anti-war march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by the RNC Welcoming Committee, which wasn't among the organizers of the march. The violent protests in St. Paul were a contrast with a relatively peaceful Democratic convention in Denver, where only 152 people were arrested during the four-day convention and the preceding weekend. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/259119/RNC_Convention_Protesters_and_Journalists_Alike_Beware_Of_Police RNC Convention: Protesters and Journalists Alike Beware Of Police Published Sep 2, 2008, by ? Sadiq Green Join our team to voice opinions, share images, get paid to report news and more! Listen Email Print Subscribe to author Save as mp3 | Speech-enabled by ReadSpeaker Related News From the blogs 'Barack The Magic Negro' CD Causes Quite The Stir Within The RNC RNC Chair Distances Himself From Controversial CD Fascist state tactics at RNC? RNC Convention: Protesters and Journalists Alike Beware Of Police by Sadiq Green. The peaceful tone the RNC Convention turned into on day one inside of the Xcel Center in Minnesota apparently did not reach outside. The Minneapolis police used physical force to subdue what they called violent protesters and at least three journalists. Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com As the Republican Party convened the opening day of its convention turned telethon, protesters turned violent in the streets surrounding the convention hall, as DJ?s own SueD reported. When police intervened, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were being unlawfully detained while attempting to carry out their journalistic duties covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman, one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States, was clearly credentialed at the time of her arrest. She appears to be guilty of defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press. According to the Democracy Now! website, all three were released late Monday night. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of Felony Riot, while Goodman is charged with Obstruction. Consequently, another Democracy Now! reporter, Elizabeth Press, was detained during one of the preemptive house raids over the weekend. The arrests of Goodman, Kouddous, Salazar and hordes of protesters, continues a recent trend of police in riot gear at conventions, Democratic and Republican alike, to subdue protesters and media. This began in 2004 at the DNC convention in Boston, where police set up a designated free speech zone for protesters, limiting where and when protesters could exercise their first amendment rights. Police arrested an ABC producer for filming video of Democratic Senators and donors leaving a private meeting in Denver during last weeks DNC convention. Asa Eslocker was charged with trespassing, failure to follow a lawful order, and interference with a police officer. Since his release ABC is demanding that all charges be dropped. In New York City, site of the RNC Convention of 2004, a 10,000 strong uniformed police force in full riot gear, body armor, equipped with submachine guns and rifles were deployed to the areas surrounding Madison Square Garden. 2004 was the first year of a Department of Homeland Security directive designating both conventions as National Special Security Events. This years conventions also carry that designation, so it is no surprise this is occuring. It will be interesting to see what day two has in store. The Convention should take on a more traditional tone with the Hurricane not being as devastating as was feared. President Bush is already scheduled to address the convention via sattelite from the White House. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2008/09/02/scores-arrested-in-us-anti-war-protest-91466-21654524/ Scores arrested in US anti-war protest Sep 2 2008 WalesOnline Demonstrations near the Republican National Convention site turned violent as protesters harassed delegates, smashed windows, slashed car tyres and hurled bottles. Police using pepper spray arrested more than 250 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Centre convention site in St Paul, Minnesota, where the Republicans were starting the four-day meeting. Many of those involved in the more violent activities identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. These protesters, clad in black, were operating on the streets in addition to a mostly peaceful anti-war march, wreaking havoc by damaging property and starting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pocket of a neighbourhood near downtown St Paul, several streets from where the convention was taking place. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. Yesterday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups. Members of the Connecticut delegation said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Centre, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came towards his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes. One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported. Five people were arrested for setting a rubbish bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. Of those arrested, 119 faced possible felony charges, authorities said. At least four journalists were among those detained, including Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a nationally-syndicated public radio and TV news programme. Ms Goodman was intervening on behalf of two producers for her programme, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, when she was arrested, said Mike Burke, another producer. St Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said Mr Rourke was held on a gross misdemeanour riot charge. Mr Goodman was arrested on a misdemeanour charge, Ramsey County sheriff?s spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said. Neither Mr Walsh nor Ms Drinkwine had information on the other two journalists. The anti-war march was organised by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family-friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-styled anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organisers of the march. About 20 people dressed in black tried to block a key junction. Police quickly dispersed the group, then fired two tear gas canisters at them as they fled. Up to 200 people from a group called Funk the War noisily staged their own march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some of their members smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big rubbish bin into the street, bent the rear-view mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone bins on the pavements. One member of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto ?Don?t Tread on Me?. The group chanted: ?Whose streets? Our streets!? At one point, people pushed a bin and threw rubbish in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tyre of a limousine waiting at a junction and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped. After the official march ended, police spent hours dispersing smaller groups of protesters, employing officers on horses, smoke bombs and tear gas. Protesters put eye drops in each other?s eyes after police used chemical irritants such as pepper spray and tear gas. Some wore bandanas and masks to protect themselves. Protesters were seen lying on an interstate exit ramp to block traffic in downtown St Paul and linking arms to block other roads. Terry Butts, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who is a convention delegate, was on a bus taking delegates to the arena when a brick through the window sprayed glass on him and two others. ?It just left us a little shaken,? he said. ?It was sort of a frightening moment because it could have been a bomb or a Molotov cocktail.? http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35875 Boston Father of Fallen Marine Leads Protest Submitted by Chip on Mon, 2008-09-08 04:50. ? Activism ? General Discussion ? Nonviolent Resistance ? Organizing Locally Boston father of fallen Marine leads protest By Brian Bender | Boston.com The father of a Boston Marine killed in Iraq led thousands of antiwar protesters in a boisterous but largely peaceful demonstration outside the Republican National Convention, while riot police and National Guardsmen clashed separately with a collection of small fringe groups that smashed windows and damaged public property. Police using pepper spray arrested a total of at least 56 people. In one dust-up, police fired what appeared to be tear gas canisters to disperse a dozen members of the so-called RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist group that has vowed to shut down this week's events and was targeted in police searches over the weekend that resulted in six arrests. Elsewhere, members of another group called Funk the War smashed the windows of storefronts and cars trying to enter the tight security perimeter. But the scene outside the convention on the opening day was largely a cacophony of peaceful voices - many of them supporters of Democrat Barack Obama - calling for an end to the war in Iraq and linking Republican presidential candidate John McCain with the policies of the Bush administration. Leading the throng of up to 10,000 marchers was Carlos Arredondo of Boston. He pushed a flag-draped coffin bearing the uniform, dog tags, and Purple Heart of his 20-year-old son Alexander, a Marine lance corporal who was killed in Iraq in 2004. "All these people know what this is about: ending this war," Arredondo, who drove from Boston with his wife, Melida, said as he motioned to the sea of people marching from the Minnesota State Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center. Arredondo grabbed national headlines when he clambered inside the van of the Marines who came to inform him of his son's death and then set the vehicle on fire. He suffered severe burns. Since then, he has become a high-profile member of Military Families Speak Out, a nonpartisan antiwar group, and has traveled to at least 25 states. Yesterday's march was organized by The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, a collection of antiwar groups. Along with the Arredondos, dozens of Iraq veterans marched at the front of the crowd, including about 10 from the Boston chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, who tried unsuccessfully to meet earlier in the day with representatives of the McCain campaign to air their concerns. Michael Spinnato, 24, of Mission Hill, is a student at the University of Massachusetts who was a machine gunner in Iraq and decided to miss the start of classes to participate. "I listened to what President Bush had to say," he said. "I believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, I believed the connections to Al Qaeda. I feel betrayed." Liam Madden, 24, of Boston, who is co-chairman of the group's board of directors, said he hoped the rally would impel Americans to take greater action, saying he believes voting against McCain won't be enough. "We think it is about time that the people of this country realize that it is not just voting that will end this war," said Madden. "It's about people participating by turning off the TV. Obama is repackaging the same occupation, not ending it." Yet while the main message yesterday was the need to end the US military involvement in Iraq, there was also a political one: that McCain will bring the same policies as President Bush. Amid cheers and catcalls at a morning rally on the grounds of the State Capitol, a pair billed as Mr. Bush and Ms. McCain were married in a mock ceremony. The crowd represented a broad cross-section, including veterans, students, teachers, nurses, mothers with their children, and senior citizens. Sister Eunice Antony, 72, of St. Joseph, Minn., a member of the Benedictine order, waved a placard saying "No to War" and "No to Torture." "I believe the war is immoral," she said. "It bankrupts us financially and spiritually." http://www.wbir.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=63098&provider=rss Protestors outside Republican National Convention turn violent The Associated Press Updated: 9/1/2008 9:45:40 PM Posted: 9/1/2008 9:44:27 PM Some protests outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, have turned violent. Protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles. It was a violent counterpoint to an otherwise peaceful anti-war march. Police wielding pepper spray arrested at least 56 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site. Many of those involved in the more violent protest were clad in black and identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. The crowd was clearly in the thousands. Late Monday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523340 First big protest of the RNC underway in Minneapolis The first of the big protests planned for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul kicked off Friday night at Loring Park in Minneapolis. The'Critical Mass' bike ride coincides with the countdown to the convention. Another critical mass ride ended in more than a dozen arrests last year. So far, the protest has been a peaceful one. (Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2008/09/02/0902rnclocal.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76 Local activists to join protests at Republican National Convention in Minneapolis By TONY DORIS Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 02, 2008 South Florida activists have joined the front lines of protesters at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chairman of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, said today that he will head to Minneapolis on Wednesday, to lend solidarity and "jail support" to activists who've been confronting delegates at this week's convention. "To say you don't want people protesting in the streets is the same as saying you didn't want the Boston Tea Party to happen," Tsolkas said. "People have every reason to be upset and to be standing their ground." About a dozen people from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have joined the protests at the convention, where more than 100 people have been arrested, he estimated. The county coalition has 200-300 people who participate "to some degree," and about 20-30 who regularly attend its monthly meetings, he said. The South Florida participants in Minneapolis include environmental, social and anti-war activists, he said. The Environmental Coalition, when it protested FPL's western Palm Beach County power plant construction in February, received support from groups around the country, Tsolkas said. In Minneapolis he hopes "to provide jail support and keep public awareness and public interest on the protest and the reason people are protesting," he said. He supports those who have tried to block Republican Party delegates from attending the convention, he added. "It fits the course of history for people who are responding to urgent situations. ...I wish they could shut the whole convention down. The Republicans have turned this country into an empire." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-protesters_15pol.ART.State.Edition2.4daf17b.html Protesters diverse, some peaceful, some not 12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News eramshaw at dallasnews.com ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Holding hands in their wedding finest ? and wearing matching George W. Bush and John McCain masks ? Texans Heidi and Jim Turpin braved gas-masked riot police, window-smashing anarchists and the hem of Heidi's lacy floor-length gown on Monday to protest the Republican convention. MELANIE BURFORD/DMN A police officer sprayed protesters who pushed him over and surrounded him as they became violent while marching through the streets of St. Paul, Minn., on Monday. They were among the several thousand demonstrators. "We're outlandish to try to draw attention," said Heidi, 47, who, along with her husband, 49, is a member of the DayGlo-clad anti-war group CodePink. "This has been a long war. It's hard to keep that energy up for years and years. We need the public to know that McCain will just be a continuation of Bush's failed policies ? four more years of the same." The Turpins, from Austin, were among the several thousand protesters who paraded through downtown St. Paul on the convention's opening day ? a far cry from the tens of thousands expected. Organizers said Monday morning that they didn't think Hurricane Gustav had an effect on turnout. It was a diverse crowd, from elderly veterans in military uniforms and sneakers, to teamsters in blue baseball caps, to dreadlocked young anarchists with their faces wrapped in black handkerchiefs Most protesters were spreading the message of peace ? and acted accordingly. They marched for higher wages, benefits for veterans and bringing home the troops. They called for an end to torture and global warming. A few simply carried Obama-Biden posters. But about two dozen protesters grew unruly on Monday afternoon, breaking windows at downtown banks and prompting riot police to use pepper spray and ride crowd control horses into the fray. National Guard troops were called in. More than 250 people were arrested Monday. Their intentions seemed clear from the get-go. At a pre-march rally, young anarchists doused surgical masks with vinegar to block the effects of pepper spray, tucked their "violence level" colored flags into their knapsacks, and wrote attorneys' phone numbers and whether they had asthma on their legs in black permanent marker. David Martinez, a filmmaker and University of Texas graduate who protested Monday, said violence defeats his purpose: "to put the radical left on the map." "We're here protesting, and not because we want Obama to be president," Mr. Martinez said. "We disagree with what both of the parties stand for. The point is to say, 'There's a bunch of people to the left of the Democratic Party who see you all as the fools you are.' " http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=74122 'Peace' protesters at RNC welcomed anarchists Violent rampage grabs spotlight during anti-war demonstration ________________________________________ Posted: September 02, 2008 3:53 pm Eastern By Art Moore ? 2009 WorldNetDaily Anarchists Colin, left, and Cameron, right, who declined to give their last names, gather at the Minnesota capitol building with anti-war protesters (WND photo) ST. PAUL, Minn. ? The spokesman for the coalition of 130 groups engaged in a "peace" protest outside the GOP convention yesterday told WND he had no problem joining forces with activists as extreme as anarchists, but it was anarchists who, nevertheless, grabbed the headlines with a violent rampage resulting in at least five arrests. "We're glad they have come to speak out at the RNC," Mick Kelly told WND prior to the anarchists' attacks, which included smashed cars, punctured tires and bottles hurled at police, who arrested at least five. "A diversity of views is, in fact, welcome when we're united about opposing the occupation of Iraq and demanding peace, justice and equality," said Kelly, spokesman for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, which included a Teamsters union branch, the ANSWER Coalition and Iraq Veterans Against the War. You're concerned about how extreme some of these groups are? "Not at all," he replied before the march, as a group of anarchists milled about near his media tent in front of the Minnesota capitol building. (Story continues below) At least one anarchist ? or "anarchist-syndicalist" to be precise ? told WND before the march he was, well, kind of against using violence to accomplish his aims. Protesters gather in front of the capitol building in St. Paul (WND photo) Cameron, a 20-something barista from Mankato, Minn., who laughed as he was asked for his last name, explained he subscribes to a branch of anarchist philosophy that takes a more pragmatic approach, regarding anarchy as utopia but recognizing it probably will never be achieved. "It's kind of the activist anarchy," he explained. "Basically it's saying you make immediate changes when and where you can. I might advocate universal health care; the next day I might advocate immigrant rights. It's social Darwinism is what it is. Recalling the anarchist rampage at the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999, Cameron was asked if he advocated violence to help bring about his ideal world. "No sir," he replied. But he qualified his answer when asked if he identified with the Eugene, Ore., anarchists that smashed storefronts in unprepared Seattle, bringing an ugly, early end to the WTO meetings. St. Paul police prepare for the worst ahead of a planned protest march yesterday (WND photo) "A little bit," he said. "I understand their anger. "I don't think destruction of property is violence," he quickly elaborated. "Hurting other people, that's violence ? when you make a big deal about smashing windows when there's a big war going on, or killing tens of thousands of civilians, if not hundreds of thousands, it's the pot calling the kettle black." Starbucks was one of the targets of the Seattle rampage, but Cameron said he serves coffee at an independent local shop in Mankato. In St. Paul yesterday, with police on high alert with a fully equipped riot team, some anarchists reportedly started a trash bin fire and later tried to block a major intersection. Police dispersed the group, firing two tear gas canisters at the fleeing anarchists. Another mob, of about 100, threw garbage in the streets and at cars from a trash bin they commandeered. Blogger Jim Holt of Gateway Pundit reported his bus was hit by sandbags thrown from a highway overpass. Anarchist prepares for the day's activities in St. Paul yesterday (WND photo) While destroying property is a simple, straightforward endeavor, describing what an anarchist America would look like proves more difficult. For starters, there would be no president or Congress. "There's no hierarchy," Cameron said. How do people, uh, organize themselves. Can you get sewer and water? "You work together," he said. "Groups of people all over have been providing basic services for each other before creating a military state. Always, people who don't understand it compare it to total chaos and a lack of organization and community. But it's really an absence of the state, and allowing people to collectively organize among themselves." Cameron's colleague standing nearby, Colin from Milwaukee, chimed in, pointing to the Rotary Club as a helpful example. "The last time I checked, they don't have a military presence, and they seem to organize just fine," Colin explained. Asked if there's an example from history of a successful anarchist community, Cameron pointed to the Spanish Civil War, when thousands of anarchists in Catalonia and Barcelona rebelled against the regime before being dismantled by the communists. Cameron said that while he has many communist friends, he isn't one, because "they don't have such a great track record." What's your track record? Book table at the anti-war protest in St. Paul yesterday (WND photo) "Well normally the anarchists tend to be the soldiers, like the Russian revolution ? that was mainly fought by socialists and anarchists, and in the end, the Bolsheviks took us over, and they threw us in jail and they killed us," he replied. "The same thing happened in Catalonia ? and in all of Europe during the 1800s," he said. Is that an inherent problem ? that the neighbors who are more organized are always going to wipe you out? "That does tend to be a problem," he said. "We just hope to get stronger. http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=435381 'Street Medics' Describe RNC Protests Volunteers among those who were pepper sprayed and arrested Kathlyn Stone (kstone) Published 2008-09-08 17:41 (KST) Street medic assisting RNC protester. Many dozens of volunteers -- activists as well as doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, psychologists and other health workers -- stepped in to serve as "street medics" during the Republican National Convention demonstrations in St. Paul, Minn., which concluded with more than 800 arrests. Political events, particularly national conventions, are a big draw for demonstrators because of the national and international focus placed on them. And the heavy police presence promised at the RNC this past week was like honey to a bee for those who sought altercations with police. In almost all cases, tensions mounted between demonstrators in the evenings following permitted marches and other events such as rallies and concerts. Many who volunteer as street medics are themselves activists or are at least sympathetic to demonstrators wishing to exercise their right to free speech or commit civil acts of disobedience. Sometimes groups of nonviolent protesters were caught between police and violent protesters with no avenue of escape. And sometimes nonviolent protesters simply refused to leave and were sprayed with chemicals or rubber bullets. (See "First Time Protester Tear Gassed," Fox 9.) Michael Cavlan, a registered nurse from Apple Valley, Minn., was one of those who volunteered to be on hand to offer medical help where needed. In a report of the injuries and the arrests described in an article published at OpEdNews.com, Cavlan, a Green Party candidate for the US Senate, describes numerous injuries from chemicals, rubber bullets and concussion grenades, as well confiscation of medical equipment and arrests of health care volunteers. Here is an excerpt from Cavlan's account of the Poor People's March on Sept. 2: "At this time, the police gave a dispersal order. We knew what that meant. They threw gas and concussion grenades into the crowd and then opened up with rubber bullets, wooden baton rounds, tear gas, etc. "My team treated another young lady who had been maced in the face and delivered her to the clinic, to get cleaned up from the burning chemicals in her face, eyes, arms and clothes. By the way, this stuff hurts even when you only put your exposed skin on someone who was hit by it." Cavlan was also called upon to document injuries sustained by protesters who had been beaten by police. The Twin Cities' North Star Health Collective (NSHC), a local group that coordinated media response during the protests, began training sessions for street medics weeks before the convention. On Sept. 5, NSHC representatives held a press conference denouncing the "police detention and abuse of medical volunteers." They also shared examples of the types of weapons used on protesters. "My medic partner and I were treating a handicapped male in a wheelchair for pepper spray to the face at the parking lot of Jackson Street," recounted Sean McCoy, an EMT and a Navy veteran. "In the process of treating the patient, we were surrounded by several police officers in riot gear and forcibly thrown to the ground and told we were under arrest. We were then forcibly removed from our patient, handcuffed, and forced to lay face down on the ground while the officers proceeded to cut our bags off of us and remove all of our medical gear by dumping it on the ground." NSHC said McCoy was held for 55 hours in the Ramsey County jail before being released. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17384376/detail.html#- Man Arrested, Accused Of Plotting To Bomb RNC Michigan Man Charged With Possessing Molotov Cocktails POSTED: 3:46 pm MST September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A 23-year-old Michigan man accused of trying to set off a bomb at the Republican National Convention has been arrested. RNC Coverage Matthew B. DePalma, of Flint, Mich., has been charged with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails. He was arrested Saturday in south Minneapolis. According to a news release from the FBI, DePalma allegedly plotted to set off either Molotov cocktails or a chemical bomb in the tunnels near the Xcel Energy Center, hoping it would cause a power outage. The news release said that according to an FBI affidavit, DePalma also described a plan to use napalm-filled Molotov cocktails on the streets against police officers. DePalma said he wanted to bomb the Xcel on the first or last day of the convention. DePalma said if he bombed the Xcel on the first day, officials might call off the convention because "a power outage would say a lot," according to the affidavit. DePalma said if he bombed the Xcel on Thursday, the last day of the convention, it would "end with a bang," the affidavit said. According to the affidavit, DePalma became known to the FBI in July, when he attended the CrimeThinc Convergence near Waldo, Wis. During that event, DePalma allegedly said he was going to attend the RNC, and also expressed his desire to "make some bombs" and ?blow up? things during the convention. The affidavit states that DePalma discussed with a FBI source his desire to make Molotov cocktails, describing in detail the use of ingredients that would make the flammable liquid more viscous so that it would stick to a target and burn longer and hotter than an ordinary gasoline-based Molotov cocktail. The affidavit states that DePalma went to a library in Minnesota on Aug. 18 and spent 90 minutes researching recipes for explosive devices. DePalma's next court appearance is Friday in Minneapolis. http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/5105 Matthew DePalma's rant posts fill blog, online journal Submitted by worker on Tue, 2008-09-23 22:32. Tags: ? Anarchist People ? Prisoners ? The Media From The Flint Journal - by Shannon Murphy Tuesday September 23, 2008, 11:52 AM DePalma Eerie postings fill an online journal -- entries that become increasingly angry as the writer vents about being a misunderstood anarchist. "Now I'm ready to watch the world burn," a post dated April 18 reads. "I always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt about how they understand me. Most people don't, hell, even I had to figure out myself from scratch." The online musings are believed to be written by Matthew DePalma, a Flushing native who has been federally charged in a plot to bomb the site of September's Republican National Convention. The journal is written by a person who uses the name "Shades Mcgee" on MySpace, which a friend confirmed is DePalma. "Now, I don't relate to about 90 percent of Americans," he writes. "That tells me I'm doing something right. But one thing is abundantly clear to me now, something I had been denying for far too long. The people, do not deserve to be saved. At least not by me." Those who know DePalma describe him as a loner, extremely intelligent and slightly impulsive. He often wore black and gothic-style clothing -- but friends were shocked to think of DePalma being involved in anything violent. "Usually, he was one for not liking the government," said high school friend Richard Coote, 24, of Flint. "Mostly he talked about not liking things. ... He never made any threats." Coote said DePalma didn't have a lot of friends and was not popular in school. He said he was somewhat misguided about things and followed his mind, regardless of what other people thought. DePalma also was described as a strong anarchist. The MySpace page is filled with video clips of fires, riots and bombings. As he switched schools at least three times in as many years, even students who went to the relatively small Flushing High School had trouble remembering him. "I heard he was in my class, but I didn't really know him," said Flushing High School graduate Jessica Tedesco. "A couple of people said he was a trench coat kind of kid." For many locals, the first they heard of DePalma was in August, when his arrest made national news. He faces federal charges of possession of firearms for allegedly making Molotov cocktails, or gasoline firebombs, to bomb the Xcel Energy Center, the site of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. DePalma remains in federal custody. His public defender could not be reached for comment. A teenage boy who answered the door at the DePalma home in Flushing said members of the family "were not interested" in talking to the media. DePalma was charged by federal authorities Aug. 30. According to a Department of Justice release, the FBI began investigating DePalma in July after he attended an anarchist convention, called CrimethInc., in Wisconsin. While there, he told an FBI informant he wanted to "makes some bombs" and "blow up" things during the convention, according to the release. DePalma spent his freshman and sophomore years at Flint's Central High School before he transferred to Flushing High School for his junior year. In his senior year, he transferred again and enrolled in Mott Middle College, a school for at-risk students that allows them to take high school and college classes. He graduated from there in December 2003. "He's got an above-average (grade-point average, and) there's nothing significant in his record. That's all that I can tell you," said Thomas Svitkovich, Genesee Intermediate School District Superintendent. DePalma didn't appear to have a criminal record in Genesee County juvenile or circuit courts. Although little is known about him, his family is well-known in the community. His younger brothers attended Flushing High School, and his mother has taught music at St. Robert Catholic School in Flushing and for Flint schools. It is unclear where Matthew DePalma went after graduation, although his blog indicates he spent some time in Georgia. Public records and his MySpace page indicate he also spent about a year in Portland, Ore. Coote said his friend loved to travel and also had spent time in New York and Oklahoma before he returned home to Flint for a short time in the past year and then left town again. According to the MySpace page believed to be his, he had been training to be an emergency medical technician, although he still clearly stuck to his anarchist beliefs. "I wash my hands of this world. I am not an American, I hardly want to be human at this point," the author writes in his blog. "I am an Anarchist. I am my own Island. I will not fear the consequences. I will avoid detainment, (ie prison) to be the best of my ability. I'm out, I quit this **** game. I'll take a hammer to this whole worthless state." The blogs stop at the end of April, after DePalma writes a letter to his 16-year-old self. "The fact that you never give yourself credit for anything, makes you think your capabilities are limited, the irony is, they are because you believe this way," he wrote. Journal staff writer Ron Fonger contributed to this report. http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/10/flushing_native_matthew_depalm.html Flushing native Matthew DePalma enters plea in Republican National Convention case by The Associated Press Wednesday October 22, 2008, 10:22 AM MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- A Flushing native who allegedly came to Minnesota to attack the Republican National Convention has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing Molotov cocktails. The U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis said 23-year-old Matthew B. DePalma entered a guilty plea to possession of destructive devices on Tuesday. DePalma had made at least five Molotov cocktails by the time he was arrested on Aug. 28 in a Minneapolis apartment. He had allegedly told an FBI informant he planned to attack the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where the convention was held, and had described a plan to use the fire bombs on police. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim will sentence DePalma at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. DePalma remains in custody. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/11/uselections2008.republicans2008 Republican convention protesters investigated for arson at Texas governor's mansion Officials won't confirm whether the men are suspects in the June 8 arson ? McClatchy newspapers ? guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 September 2008 16.43 BST ? Article history Two protesters accused of taking explosive devices to Minnesota to disrupt the Republican National Convention are being investigated for possible links to this summer's still unsolved blaze at the Texas governor's mansion. Department of Public Safety officials won't say whether the men - 22-year-old David McKay and 23-year-old Bradley Crowder - are suspects in the June 8 arson, which gutted the governor's mansion. But a high-ranking state law enforcement official said today that the men, who remain in custody in Minnesota and stand accused of manufacturing Molotov cocktails for use at last week's convention, are under investigation in Texas. Texas officials have video surveillance of a young man lighting a Molotov cocktail and using it to set the governor's mansion on fire. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the probe is on-going, said there were "enough similar characteristics in the two cases to justify a review". Minnesota attorney Jeff Degree said he hasn't heard of any Texas investigators meeting with McKay, his client, and that they haven't spoken about the governor's mansion case. When asked whether McKay admitted to producing Molotov cocktails for the Republican convention, Degree declined to answer. "It's early on in the case and we haven't been able to review a lot of it," he said. "It seems pretty clear, however, that law enforcement undertook a lot of pretty aggressive actions (during the convention), not just on the street but undercover informants." McKay and Crowder, who investigators say are connected to an Austin-based anarchist organisation called the Affinity Group, were charged in US federal court in Minnesota last week with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails. According to a federal affidavit, the FBI in Texas began investigating the group in February 2007, and group members left Texas last month for the convention site. Investigators allege that McKay and Crowder stopped at a Wal-Mart in St Paul to purchase Molotov cocktail supplies, which they stored at a local residence. On an FBI audio recording taped by an informant, McKay allegedly discusses plans to throw the explosive devices at vehicles in a parking lot used by law enforcement vehicles. During the same conversation, McKay is heard saying it was "worth it if an officer gets burned or maimed", authorities allege. When St Paul police raided the residence on September 3, officers seized gas masks, slingshots, helmets, and containers of a gasoline and oil mixture. They found eight assembled Molotov cocktails. McKay was arrested in that raid. Crowder, whose attorney and family members could not be reached, had been arrested two days earlier for disorderly conduct. Crowder's MySpace page where he uses the screen name Thoughtrebel, includes pictures of himself, one of which shows him crouching in front of three men carrying what appear to be Molotov cocktails. His page says he is a member of the Anarchist Collective and Anarchy in the USA groups. On McKay's web page, which is titled Go Away, he posts pictures of himself protesting and getting arrested by the Midland county, Texas, sheriff's department. His most recent log-in was on August 27, four days before the Republican National Convention. The men will remain in custody in Minnesota until that state's investigation is complete, said David Anderson, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html?source=newsletter Saturday Aug. 30, 2008 12:44 EDT Massive police raids on suspected protesters in Minneapolis [updated below (with video) - Update II - Update III - Update IV] Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff's department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying. Jane Hamsher and I were at two of those homes this morning -- one which had just been raided and one which was in the process of being raided. Each of the raided houses is known by neighbors as a "hippie house," where 5-10 college-aged individuals live in a communal setting, and everyone we spoke with said that there had never been any problems of any kind in those houses, that they were filled with "peaceful kids" who are politically active but entirely unthreatening and friendly. Posted below is the video of the scene, including various interviews, which convey a very clear sense of what is actually going on here. In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house. One of the individuals renting the house, an 18-year-old woman, was extremely shaken as she and others described how the officers were deliberately making intimidating statements such as "Do you have Terminator ready?" as they lay on the floor in handcuffs. The 10 or so individuals in the house all said that though they found the experience very jarring, they still intended to protest against the GOP Convention, and several said that being subjected to raids of that sort made them more emboldened than ever to do so. Several of those who were arrested are being represented by Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild. Nestor said that last night's raid involved a meeting of a group calling itself the "RNC Welcoming Committee", and that this morning's raids appeared to target members of "Food Not Bombs," which he described as an anti-war, anti-authoritarian protest group. There was not a single act of violence or illegality that has taken place, Nestor said. Instead, the raids were purely anticipatory in nature, and clearly designed to frighten people contemplating taking part in any unauthorized protests. Nestor indicated that only 2 or 3 of the 50 individuals who were handcuffed this morning at the 2 houses were actually arrested and charged with a crime, and the crime they were charged with is "conspiracy to commit riot." Nestor, who has practiced law in Minnesota for many years, said that he had never before heard of that statute being used for anything, and that its parameters are so self-evidently vague, designed to allow pre-emeptive arrests of those who are peacefully protesting, that it is almost certainly unconstitutional, though because it had never been invoked (until now), its constitutionality had not been tested. There is clearly an intent on the part of law enforcement authorities here to engage in extreme and highly intimidating raids against those who are planning to protest the Convention. The DNC in Denver was the site of several quite ugly incidents where law enforcement acted on behalf of Democratic Party officials and the corporate elite that funded the Convention to keep the media and protesters from doing anything remotely off-script. But the massive and plainly excessive preemptive police raids in Minnesota are of a different order altogether. Targeting people with automatic-weapons-carrying SWAT teams and mass raids in their homes, who are suspected of nothing more than planning dissident political protests at a political convention and who have engaged in no illegal activity whatsoever, is about as redolent of the worst tactics of a police state as can be imagined. UPDATE: Here is the first of the videos, from the house that had just been raided: Jane Hamsher has more here, and The Minnesota Independent has a report on another one of the raided houses, here. UPDATE II: Here is the video we took from the second house as the raid was occurring. We were barred from entering but spoke with neighbors outside as well as with Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota Lawyer's Guild, regarding these raids: Over at FDL, Lindsay Beyerstein spoke with the property owner whose house -- the fourth one we now know of -- was being raided while the raid was in progress, and Lindsay has details here ("About an hour and a half ago 20 to 30 heavily armed police officers surrounded the house. One of my roommates said 'I want to see a warrant' and she was immediately detained"). Meanwhile, Indy Media of Twin Cities -- an association of independent journalists in the area -- just told me that several of their journalists have been detained while trying to cover these raids. Their site, with ongoing updates, is here. The Uptake also has several reports of the various raids, including video of the raid at the property whose owner Bernstein spoke with as the raid occurred. That video includes an interview with a lawyer from the National Lawyer's Guild who was detained and put in handcufffs, explaining that the surrounded house is one where various journalists are staying. Additionally, a photojournalist with Democracy Now was detained at that house as well. So, both journalists and lawyers -- in addition to protesters -- have been detained and arrested even though not a single violent or criminal act has occurred. UPDATE III: FDL has the transcript of part of my discussion about these raids with the National Lawyer Guild's Minnesota President -- here. The Uptake has this amazing video interview with the Democracy Now producer who was detained today. As the DN producer explains, she was present at a meeting of a group called "I-Witness" -- which videotaped police behavior at the 2004 GOP Convention in New York and helped get charges dismissed against hundreds of protesters who were arrested. The police surrounded the St. Paul house where they were meeting even though they had no warrant, told them that anyone who exited the house would be arrested, and then -- even though they finally, after several hours, obtained a warrant only for the house next door -- basically broke into the house, pointed weapons at everyone inside, handcuffed them, searched the house, and then left. Here is a blog post from one of the members of I-Witness asking for help during the time when they were forced to stay inside the house (see the second post -- it reads like a note from a hostage crying out for help). This is truly repugnant, extreme police behavior designed to intimidate protesters, police critics and others, and it ought to infuriate anyone and everyone who cares about basic liberties. UPDATE IV: More here, including on the Federal Government's role in these raids. http://www.truthout.org/article/police-break-down-doors-night-raid-protesters-meeting Police Break Down Doors in Night-Time Raid on Anarchist Meeting Saturday 30 August 2008 ? by: Mary Turck, Twin Cities Daily Planet Sammy Schutz and Gabe. (Photo: Mary Turck / Twin Cities Daily Planet) "I heard somebody saying, 'They're coming, they're coming!' And feet pounding on the back stairs, pounding on the door saying they had a search warrant. They busted through the door. They've got their guns cocked at people." Sammy Schutz held tightly to five-year-old Gabe, who had been watching a video with his mother and father and about 20 other people when the police stormed into 827 Smith Avenue in St. Paul, ordering everyone down on the floor. "All I could feel was Mama Bear - do whatever you want to do to me, but I need to get my son out safe. He was watching his dad get handcuffed. And he's saying, 'Mommy, mommy, why did they crash through the door?'" Gabe's question remained unanswered. Ramsey County sheriff's deputies said they were executing a search warrant, but would not show a copy of the warrant to lawyers or reporters. More than a dozen police vehicles , almost all unmarked, and more than 20 sheriff's deputies and St. Paul police arrived at the building about 9:45 Friday night and were still there at 1 a.m., when I left. After handcuffing the people in the building (occupants said there were about two dozen on the second floor and "about 40 or 50" on the first floor), police processed them one by one. Each person was asked for identification, name and address, and then photographed. People who had been inside the building told similar stories of police entering with guns drawn. They said police rushed past the security desk on the first floor, and used a battering ram to crash through the second floor back door. "They said if you don't show us ID and get your picture taken, we will arrest you and take you away," said Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, who had arrived five or ten minutes before the raid began, planning to attend a meeting. "They never said what the basis for arrests would be. We were waiting for a meeting, for God's sake! I cannot tell you how much like a police state that felt to me." After each person was released after being photographed, exiting the building and crossing between police cars to a crowd of cheering friends on the sidewalk across from the building. No one was arrested, but sheriff's deputies remained inside the building. Eventually, a city contractor arrived to board up the building, allegedly for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune said he was trying to find out who ordered the building locked up and on what grounds. "This isn't the way we do things in St. Paul," Thune said. "I don't want the city to get sucked into something that the sheriff's office is concocting." Thune said that someone had called in the city contractor and ordered him to secure the building, but this was not done according ot St. Paul city procedures. "Normally," said Thune, "we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle. The fire inspector has no idea what's going on. He hadn't been called. The person who is on 24/7 call was not called. I talked to him trying to fid out who did issue that order and why." The building at 827 Smith Avenue had been rented by the RNC Welcoming Committee as a "convergence space," open to activists for meetings, eating, and just hanging out. Earlier in the week, a large downstairs room in the former theater held tables of literature and about a dozen computers, set up for free wi-fi access for visitors. Large maps showed downtown St. Paul streets. The kitchen was spotless, with stainless steel refrigerators and a gas range, looking like a commercial kitchen in a church basement. The second floor room, where Sammy and her family were watching a video on consumerism Friday night, had comfortable theater seats and space for meetings. A young man who would not give his name said that many people had asked to see the search warrant. After "what seemed like a long time," someone was allowed to read the warrant aloud. His recollection, affirmed by at least two others, was that the warrant was very long and listed many items, including soap flakes, X boxes, paint, computer operating support manuals, caltrops, bleach, floppy disks with digital information, Molotov cocktails and many other items. Dave Thune reported that sheriff's deputies hauled out literature and other items in boxes. Literature available in the Convergence Center earlier in the week included "The Struggle is Our Inheritance: A History of Radical Minnesota," "Anarchy: A Pamphlet," "a guide to 2008 antiRNC organizing," and "Need to Know Basics: Coldsnap Legal Collective's Minnesota Legal Primer for the RNC." Police loaded confiscated items into a police vehicle. The activists had studied their legal rights, and said they repeated asked to see the search warrant, said they did not consent to searches, and asked to see their lawyers. At least one person on the second floor managed to dial a number for the National Lawyer's Guild (NLG) as the police burst through the door. Though NLG lawyers arrived on the scene early, they were not allowed to enter the building and no one in the building was allowed access to lawyers. "Here we are in this country trying to fight terrorism," said one activist, "and I experience it - a gun in my face!" Photo URL: http://tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/08/30/police-break-down-doors-night-time-raid-anarchist-meeting.html&print=1 Unique/Short Title: Sammy Schutz and Gabe Caption: Sammy Schutz and Gabe. (Photo: Mary Turck / Twin Cities Daily Planet) =========== http://www.nowpublic.com/world/35-000-people-sign-letter-protesting-arrest-us-journalist 35,000 people sign letter protesting arrest of US journalist by mtippett | September 3, 2008 at 09:19 am 220 views | 24 Recommendations | 6 comments by mtippett by mtippett slideshow view all 2 The uproar surrounding the arrest of Amy Goodman and other journalists in Minneapolis continues to grow. Now over 35,000 people have reportedly signed a petition demanding an end to media intimidation. http://www.truthout.org/article/pre-emptive-strikes-against-protest-rnc Pre-Emptive Strikes Against Protest at RNC Tuesday 02 September 2008 by: Marjorie Cohn, t r u t h o u t | Report Marcus Washington, a producer from Tennessee who was documenting the antiwar protest, grimaced in pain after he was hit with pepper spray. (Photo: Jim Gehrz / Minneapolis Star Tribune) In the months leading up to the Republican National Convention, the FBI-led Minneapolis Joint Terrorist Task Force actively recruited people to infiltrate vegan groups and other leftist organizations and report back about their activities. On May 21, the Minneapolis City Pages ran a recruiting story called "Moles Wanted." Law enforcement sought to pre-empt lawful protest against the policies of the Bush administration during the convention. Since Friday, local police and sheriffs, working with the FBI, conducted pre-emptive searches, seizures and arrests. Glenn Greenwald described the targeting of protesters by "teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets." Journalists were detained at gunpoint and lawyers representing detainees were handcuffed at the scene. "I was personally present and saw officers with riot gear and assault rifles, pump action shotguns," said Bruce Nestor, the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, who is representing several of the protesters. "The neighbor of one of the houses had a gun pointed in her face when she walked out on her back porch to see what was going on. There were children in all of these houses, and children were held at gunpoint." The raids targeted members of "Food Not Bombs," an antiwar, anti-authoritarian protest group that provides free vegetarian meals every week in hundreds of cities all over the world. They served meals to rescue workers at the World Trade Center after 9/11 and to nearly 20 communities in the Gulf region following Hurricane Katrina. Also targeted, were members of I-Witness Video, a media watchdog group that monitors the police to protect civil liberties. The group worked with the National Lawyers Guild to gain the dismissal of charges or acquittals of about 400 of the 1,800 who were arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. Pre-emptive policing was used at that time as well. Police infiltrated protest groups in advance of the convention. Nestor said that no violence or illegality has taken place to justify the arrests. "Seizing boxes of political literature shows the motive of these raids was political," he said. Further evidence of the political nature of the police action was the boarding up of the Convergence Center, where protesters had gathered, for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member David Thune said, "Normally we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle." Thune and fellow City Council member Elizabeth Glidden decried "actions that appear excessive and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for those who wish to exercise their First Amendment rights." "So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do," Greenwald wrote on Salon. Preventive detention violates the Fourth Amendment, which requires that warrants be supported by probable cause. protesters were charged with "conspiracy to commit riot," a rarely-used statute that is so vague, it is probably unconstitutional. Nestor said it "basically criminalizes political advocacy." On Sunday, the National Lawyers Guild and Communities United Against Police Brutality filed an emergency motion requesting an injunction to prevent police from seizing video equipment and cellular phones used to document their conduct. During Monday's demonstration, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. At least 284 people were arrested, including Amy Goodman, the prominent host of "Democracy Now!," as well as the show's producers, Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. "St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city to be," Greenwald wrote, "with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations." Bruce Nestor said the timing of the arrests was intended to stop protest activity, "to make people fearful of the protests, but also to discourage people from protesting," he told Amy Goodman. Nevertheless, 10,000 people, many opposed to the Iraq war, turned out to demonstrate on Monday. A legal team from the National Lawyers Guild has been working diligently to protect the constitutional rights of protesters. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35795 Banners Over Madison Support RNC Protestors Submitted by Chip on Tue, 2008-09-02 07:23. ? Activism ? General Discussion ? Nonviolent Resistance Banners appeared in Madison, Wisconsin overpasses Monday morning in solidarity with the blockades and protests against the Republican Convention in St. Paul, MN. As of 9/1/2008, there are a total of 256 arrests; 119 felonies, 48 gross misdemeanors; 89 misdemeanors. CNN reported that police used pepper spray and tear gas against protestors. St Paul received $50 million in federal grant money to pay for additional security. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/09/04/mccain_protesters/index.html?source=rss&aim=/politics/war_room Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 22:40 EDT Protesters disrupt McCain speech ST. PAUL, Minn. -- If you're at home watching John McCain's speech at the Republican Convention and wondering why he made a few odd pauses and why the crowd broke into the occasional chant of "USA! USA!" it's because a few antiwar protesters got into the hall and started heckling him during his speech. The first hecklers were off-camera, located conveniently above the press stands. Two men, carrying banners that read "You can't win an occupation," began shouting questions for McCain. They managed to divert the attention of the press and a substantial portion of the crowd; McCain, who couldn't see what was going on from his vantage point, seemed confused. It seems as though both men have been removed, though it's hard to be sure from where I'm sitting. Later, a second protester, this one on the floor and not far from the podium, broke into the speech, leading to more chants from McCain's supporters and more disruption of the speech. This time, McCain was able to figure out what was going on. "Please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static," he quipped, earning himself a big round of applause. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other." ? Alex Koppelman http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/USA/Anti-war_protestors_disrupt_McCain_speech/articleshow/3446920.cms Anti-war protestors disrupt McCain speech 5 Sep 2008, 0804 hrs IST, AFP Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: ST PAUL, Minnesota: Several anti-war protestors disrupted John McCain's primetime convention speech on Thursday minutes after he had accepted the Republican presidential nomination. One protester who sneaked into the crowd held up a black sign reading "You can't win an occupation," and started chanting, but was quickly drowned out by the crowd cheering "USA, USA." Moments later a protestor in another part of the arena also started shouting slogans, but was bustled out by security, sparking angry chants from Republican delegates, and another chorus of "USA, USA." http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/09/codepink-activists-interrrupt-sarah-palins-rnc-speech-at-side-of-the-stage/ CODEPINK activists interrupt Sarah Palin?s RNC speech at side of the stage! Posted by Jean - Wed, Sep 3, 2008 Bust McCain, CPHQ, Citizen Diplomacy, Give Peace a Vote, PeaceRoom 2008, Rock the Parties!, Uncategorized, War is Not Green FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Jodie Evans, co-founder, 310-913-4821 ST. PAUL ? Two activists of the women?s peace group CODEPINK disrupted Sarah Palin?s speech tonight at the Republican National Convention when they approached the stage where Palin was speaking, adjusted their clothes to reveal pink slips that read ?Palin is not a woman?s choice,? stood there at the side of the stage for about a minute and yelled ?Women say no to war!? and ?Women need a vice-president for peace!? They also removed banners that read ?Women need a peace vice-president.? Co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, who were given their tickets to the speech by a Republican delegate who was frustrated with the Republican party and Sarah Palin, caught the attention of Palin with their banners and shouting about 15 minutes into her speech. Palin stopped talking for a moment to turn to look at them. (Read a Washington Post description of the incident here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/03/inside_the_convention_hall.html). After another moment, security then grabbed Benjamin and Evans and escorted them one at a time out of the St. Paul Xcel Center, where they were held until the end of the Palin?s speech and told they would be arrested if they tried to reenter. They were told they?d committed an arrestable offense but they were not charged. ?Sarah Palin is not a woman?s choice,? said Jodie Evans, co-founder, moments after being released. ?That?s it.? CODEPINK is a nonpartisan women?s peace group. They vehemently oppose Palin?s pro-war, anti-environment, anti-choice positions. More details to come. For questions, please call Jodie Evans at 310-913-4821. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 17:08:43 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:08:43 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Republican National Convention protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA8438B.8000009@tesco.net> * Despite repression, protesters "happy" * Final peace march marked by smoke bombs, road blocks, arrests * Police violence "disproportionate" - Amnesty * Unmarked vans abduct protesters * Mass arrests at RNC * Arrests target Code Pink, protest concert * Jailed protesters held for days * Protesters clash with police at RNC * Protesters charged as terrorists * 2000 rally against war on the poor * Protesters hit diner * 10,000 on protest march * Delegates find protests "unsettling" * Protests at opening "turn violent" * Father of fallen marine leads peace march * Street medics tell of police violence * Matthew DePalma news clippings * Massive raids on suspected protesters ahead of RNC * Thousands protest Amy Goodman arrest * Banners over Madison support protesters * Protesters disrupt McCain speech http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=524075 Despite heavy police presence, protesters happy with RNC MINNEAPOLIS -- For two years, demonstrators had been looking toward the first four days in September -- when they'd take to the streets of St. Paul to speak out against the war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the Republican agenda. Now, tens of thousands of marchers later, organizers say they plan to use the momentum they gained from the Republican National Convention to fuel the anti-war movement and other causes. And, they say they got their messages across, despite a heavy police presence, destructive acts by anarchists and more than 800 arrests. "We had a clear message that got out every day, especially on the first and last day of the convention, that people in this country are still against the war," said Jess Sundin, a member of the Anti-War Committee. She pointed to Thursday night, when hundreds of people stayed on the streets of St. Paul, even after police told them to leave. Nearly 400 people were arrested, including Sundin. "I think it made a very strong statement," she said. The Republican National Convention was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Sept. 1-4. Thursday's march, on the convention's last night, was designed to take some of the spotlight off Sen. John McCain's speech as he accepted the party's nomination for president. "Our delegates and our guests were very focused on the speakers and Senator McCain and Governor (Sarah) Palin, and I think that our cheers definitely overshadowed anything else that was going on," said Joanna Burgos, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Convention. But Anh Pham, an organizer for the Anti-War Committee, said she was pleased to see news coverage flip between what was happening inside and outside the convention hall. "We think we were able to get our name out to a lot of people that might not have heard about us before," Pham said. "Our hope is to do what we can to try to catch the momentum from the last few days." Members of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War say they had 30,000 protesters at their peaceful march last Monday. Police gave a crowd estimate of 10,000. About 2,000 people attended Thursday's rally, and about 1,000 people marched, Sundin said. Pham said the four-day convention gave different groups a chance to organize on a national stage, rather than simply ride a bus to Washington, D.C., for a protest. It also gave different organizations in the Twin Cities a chance to network and build relationships. "I was in jail with people who were at their first protest that day, and they were so proud of what they had done," Sundin said. "We talked with all of them about finding a way to get involved and stay involved." Still, Hamline University professor David Schultz, who teaches classes dealing with politics, said the message of the peaceful protesters was eclipsed by the chaos caused by anarchists -- who he said were successful in their mission. "For them, the whole purpose of their demonstrations or their actions was in fact to get the police to respond," Schultz said. For one, a response by police proves their point of how oppressive the government is, and, he said, "the belief is that the violence becomes the spark that then leads to revolution." "For the anarchists, they were incredibly successful. They made their point. They got arrested. They forced the police to respond, to use force," he said. He said in order for the peaceful protesters to be successful, they now need to translate their democracy on the street to democracy at the polls. For now, the Anti-War Committee is now looking ahead to a potluck to talk about the convention, as well as new-member meetings and more demonstrations. They say there is a new energy, fueled by the events of this week. "For me, this is one step forward, and we will continue," Pham said. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Arrests mark last anti-war march of convention The Associated Press Published: September 5, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Nearly 400 people were arrested in the final anti-war march during the Republican National Convention. At least 19 journalists, including two reporters from The Associated Press, were among those held by police. More than 800 arrests were reported during a week of sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent dissent. Anti-war protesters rallied Thursday at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then planned to march to Xcel Energy Center, where Sen. John McCain was due to accept the Republican presidential nomination. But their permit had expired, and police ? in riot gear and using horses, snow plows and dump trucks ? blocked their way. For hours, police let the protesters amble from one blocked intersection to another. But then the arrests began in earnest. At least 19 journalists, including two reporters from The Associated Press, were among those held by police. Earlier in the march, the event was relaxed and even festive. Younger people did cartwheels. Tourists came by to check out the spectacle. The chants, which were political at the outset, turned silly a couple hours in. "You're sexy, you're cute, take off the riot suit," protesters serenaded those blocking their path. When police blocked the path to Xcel, a cat-and-mouse game ensued as protesters moved around the Capitol area, splintered, and then organized into a marching force again. The crowd varied from a high of about 1,000 down to a hundred and back to around 500. About three hours into the standoff, about 300 protesters sat down on a major thoroughfare and police closed the four-lane boulevard. Officers then set off smoke bombs and fired seven percussion grenades, causing protesters to scatter. Some of the scattering protesters entered a residential area north of the Capitol. Later, at least three smoke bombs were discharged in the area of apartments and houses. The event ended with about 200 protesters, along with AP reporters Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski and other members of the media, trapped on a bridge. Officers ordered them to sit on the pavement on a bridge over Interstate 94 highway and to keep their hands over their heads as they were led away two at a time. The arrests came three days after AP photographer Matt Rourke, also on assignment covering the protests, was arrested. He was released without being charged Monday after being held for several hours. Forliti and Krawczynski were issued citations for unlawful assembly and released. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the St. Paul police department and its police chief decided that members of the media would be issued citations and released. Fletcher said he expected most of the charges would be for unlawful assembly. "Whoever got arrested was whoever didn't disperse and was still on the bridge," Fletcher said. "The tactic of blocking people on the bridge could very well have prevented a lot of activity later tonight. Clearly there were a number of people with no intention of being law-abiding tonight." ___ Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/america/NA-P0L-US-Convention-Protests.php Protesters arrested near Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 5, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Police arrested protesters Thursday night after a lengthy series of marches and sit-ins timed to coincide with Sen. John McCain's acceptance of the Republican Party's nomination for president. The arrests came after protesters staged their march near the state Capitol even though their permit had expired. Among the dozens caught up in the police sweep were two Associated Press reporters on assignment to cover the event. They were issued a citation and detained, along with more than a dozen other members of the media, but were expected to be let go shortly. Marchers tried to cross two different bridges leading from the Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center, where McCain accepted his party's nomination for president. But they were stopped by lines of police in gas masks and riot gear who blocked the bridges after the marching permit expired. A cat-and-mouse game followed as protesters moved around the Capitol area, splintered, and then organized into a marching force again. The size of the crowd varied from a high of about 1,000 down to a hundred and back to around 500. About three hours into the standoff, about 300 protesters sat down on a major thoroughfare and police closed the four-lane boulevard. Officers then set off smoke bombs and fired seven percussion grenades, causing protesters to scatter. Police surrounded about 200 people, including AP reporters Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski and reporters from other news outlets. Officers ordered them to sit on the pavement on a bridge and to keep their hands over their heads as they were led away two at a time. The arrests came three days after AP photographer Matt Rourke, also on assignment covering the protests, was arrested. He was released without being charged Monday after being held for several hours. A spokesman at an information center set up during the convention said 12 people had been arrested so far but that number would increase as people were processed. Some of the scattering protesters entered a residential area north of the Capitol. Later, at least three smoke bombs were discharged in the area of apartments and houses. About two hours into the standoff, police began arresting a handful of people even as the crowd dwindled from around 1,000 to around a hundred. "The important thing is even though we didn't have a permit to march, people have decided they want to keep protesting despite all these riot police," said Meredith Aby, a member of the Anti-War Committee. Even as protesters were being arrested, the mood was much more relaxed than earlier in the week. It even turned festive at times. Younger people did cartwheels. Tourists came by to check out the spectacle. The chants, which were political at the outset, turned silly a couple hours in. "You're sexy, you're cute, take off the riot suit," protesters serenaded those blocking their path. Brandon Thorson didn't find much to joke about. The 23-year-old factory worker from Minneapolis said he just wanted to go home ? but he tried to do it through police lines. "One officer used his club to push me away and another officer hit me in the back with his club," Thorson said. "A third officer came in and sprayed me right in the face." Minutes after the skirmish, Thorson's right eye was nearly swollen shut from the pepper spray. He was not arrested. More than 400 people have been arrested in the past week, most on Monday, when violence broke out at the end of another anti-war march. ___ Associated Press writers Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/05/rnc.protests/#cnnSTCText Protesters, police clash outside convention ? Story Highlights ? NEW: Arrests at bridge near meeting hall bring total for week to 818 ? NEW: Most of 396 arrested are cited and released, police say ? NEW: No serious injuries reported from confrontations Police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Police faced off with crowds of protesters outside the Republican National Convention, arresting 396 people after using tear gas and percussion grenades to turn them back. As a line of police clad in riot gear and walking with bicycles approached a woman who refused to get out of their way, several sprayed her with a chemical agent. She covered her eyes with one hand and gave the two-finger peace sign with the other. A man standing nearby yelled, "I love you! Why are you doing this?" as the woman was shoved to the pavement. Watch police spray and shove the woman ? Police who were shown video of the encounter declined to comment. Thursday's arrests brought the total for the week to 818, authorities said. "Most of them were cited and released," police Lt. Tracey Martin said Friday morning. Most of the citations were for the misdemeanor charge of unlawful assembly, she added. Martin said she didn't know how many protesters were jailed. A deputy at the Ramsey County Jail said "not many," but couldn't provide a number. There were no reports of serious injuries, police said. Protesters who had gathered near the state capitol, about a mile from the site of the convention, were repeatedly cut off as they tried to march to the convention center. Don't Miss ? Police deny using excessive force ? Police, protesters clash in St. Paul ? Dozens arrested at convention ? iReport.com: RNC: Cop attacked Police used tear gas when dozens of marchers -- most in their 20s, some chanting "F**k the police! F**k the police! F**k 'em!" -- tried to cross a bridge leading to the Xcel Center convention site after being warned not to. Watch the protesters march ? Minnesota State Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion said the arrests were made at an interstate overpass that separated the marchers from the Xcel Center, where Sen. John McCain was preparing to address the GOP faithful. He said the objective was to contain the protesters and keep them from reaching the convention hall. Campion said the first night and the last night of the convention were expected to be big trouble, and they were. Each time the protesters attempted to cross the interstate highway separating them from the convention center, police tried to stop them. Police on horses, motorcycles and bicycles followed marchers on a street-to-street chase that led through a shopping mall parking lot. A number of people wound up on the ground with their hands behind their heads. iReport.com: Cop attacked during protest On Wednesday, the RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body that has been behind many of the protests, said authorities in the Twin Cities had created "a climate of intense police intimidation." Holli Drinkwine, spokeswoman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, denied Thursday that police used excessive force. "The police showed great restraint in what they were doing," she said. "They were dealing with 300 criminals on the street while trying to protect the 10,000 peaceful protesters that were in St. Paul." The American Civil Liberties Union said it was providing limited representation to many of those arrested. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-09/2008-09-05-voa8.cfm?CFID=84450071&CFTOKEN=19976121 Several Protesters Arrested in Standoff With Police in St Paul By VOA News 05 September 2008 Protesters block an intersection during a rally at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, 04 Sep 2008 Police in St. Paul, Minnesota have arrested several protesters who blocked a street near the Republican National Convention, refusing an order to disperse. At least 1,000 protesters rallied in the city Thursday, the final day of the convention. A VOA reporter on the scene saw about six people being arrested. Demonstrators were protesting the war in Iraq and other issues. The reporter says police told the crowed to disperse, and protesters refused. Several hundred protesters have been arrested during the four day convention. http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGUSA20080905001&lang=e Use of Force Against RNC Protesters ?Disproportionate,? Charges Amnesty International [London]--Amnesty International is concerned by allegations of excessive use of force and mass arrests by police at demonstrations in St. Paul, Minnesota during the Republican National Convention (RNC) from September 1-4, 2008. The human rights organization is calling on the city and county authorities to ensure that all allegations of ill-treatment and other abuses are impartially investigated, with a review of police tactics and weapons in the policing of demonstrations. The organization?s concerns arise from media reports, video and photographic images which appear to show police officers deploying unnecessary and disproportionate use of non-lethal weapons on non-violent protestors marching through the streets or congregating outside the arena where the Convention was being held. Amnesty International urges that an inquiry be carried out promptly, that its findings and recommendations be made public in a timely manner. If the force used is found to have been excessive and to have contravened the principles of necessity and proportionality, then those involved should be disciplined, measures put in place and training given to ensure future policing operations conform to international standards. Police are reported to have fired rubber bullets and used batons, pepper spray, tear gas canisters and concussion grenades on peaceful demonstrators and journalists. Amnesty International has also received unconfirmed reports that some of those arrested during the demonstrations may have been ill-treated while held at Ramsey county jail. Amnesty International is also concerned at reports that several journalists who were covering the RNC were arbitrarily arrested while filming and reporting on the demonstrations. They include host of independent news program Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman, and two of the program?s producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were both allegedly subjected to violence during their arrest. A photographer for the Associated Press (AP) and other journalists were also arrested while covering the demonstrations. Kouddous described his arrest to media, ??two or three police officers tackled me. They threw me violently against a wall. Then they threw me to the ground. I was kicked in the chest several times. A police officer ground his knee into my back?I was also, the entire time, telling them, ?I?m media. I?m press?.,? but?that didn?t seem to matter at all.? Amnesty International recognizes the challenges involved in policing large scale demonstrations and that some protestors may have been involved in acts of violence or obstruction. However, some of the police actions appear to have breached United Nations (U.N.) standards on the use of force by law enforcement officials. These stipulate, among other things, that force should be used only as a last resort, in proportion to the threat posed, and should be designed to minimize damage or injury. Some of the treatment also appears to have contravened U.S. laws and guidelines on the use of force. The U.N. standards also stress that everyone is allowed to participate in lawful and peaceful assemblies, in accordance with the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For more information, please contact the AIUSA media office at 202-544-0200 x302 or visit our website at www.amnestyusa.org. http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-73510 RNC: Cop Attacked Posted by: theuptake // 4 months ago // viewed 101,584 times St. Paul, Minnesota // embed media Last updated: 4 months ago More at http://www.theuptake.org. The UpTake captured video of a St. Paul police officer dragging a "black bloc" protester away from a bus, only to get tackled from behind. The officer sprayed a chemical agent all around him but ultimately lost the suspect and called for backup. Video by Conduit. http://www.newscloud.com/read/Cops_use_grenades_tear_gas_on_protesters?skipSplash ? Cops use grenades, tear gas on protesters ? Via Feeds.feedburner at 12:55 pm Sep 9, 2008 ? At least one demonstrator tasered as he lay on the ground. http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Activist_claims_unmarked_police_vans_abducting_0905.html Activist claims unmarked police vans abducted protesters David Edwards and Muriel Kane Published: Friday September 5, 2008 A half-dozen representatives of the so-called Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee met with the media in a St. Paul, MN press conference on Thursday to condemn the widescale police raids and arrests that have targeted protesters in that city this week. The strongest accusations were made by RNC Welcoming Committee co-founder William Gillis, who has been among those planning the protests for the last two years. "Police kicked down doors with guns drawn on families with their children at dinnertime," Gillis charged. "Reporters and the media at large have been repeatedly targeted for repression. Activists have been abducted off the street in unmarked vans and political prisoners held without access to medical attention." The allegation about police use of unmarked vans was apparently first made on August 31 by RAW STORY contributor Lindsay Beyerstein, who was reporting on the convention for FireDogLake. She wrote that "ColdSnap is reporting 9 arrests downtown near the Excel center" and then added in an update, "One of the 9 protesters arrested was a nun, seen being loaded into an unmarked blue van. The 9 were apparently trying to climb a fence near a church." All nine were released later that day. Other representatives of the protesters used the press conference to affirm that they were not terrorists. Betsy Raash-Gilman, a twenty-year veteran (doc) of non-violent activism, stated, "There are no terrorists up here. There are no terrorists in the Ramsey County jail. There are terrorists in the Xcel Center. There are terrorists in the White House." http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/rnc-s04.shtml Mass arrests of protesters at Republican National Convention By Jerry White 4 September 2008 Authorities have carried out a massive mobilization of federal, state and local police and military forces to cordon off the Republican National Convention from protesters opposed to the party?s program of militarism and social reaction. Over the last few days, nearly 300 people have been arrested near and around the Xcel Energy Center and downtown St. Paul, Minnesota has been transformed into a virtual armed camp to intimidate demonstrators and silence dissent. The police reported Wednesday that they had arrested 11 more people Tuesday, including three at an anti-poverty demonstration, but would not give any more details. As the march of an estimated 3,000 people ended near the convention center police fired tear gas and lobbed concussion or ?flash-bang? grenades to disperse protesters, who police claimed were trying to get past security fences. A total of 295 people have been arrested, including 137 charged with felonies such as ?conspiracy to commit riot.? Many continued to be detained. The bulk of those arrested were seized during an antiwar march of 10,000 people on the Monday, the opening day of the convention. Demonstrators were forced to run the gauntlet of hundreds of riot-equipped and black-uniformed police, FBI agents and 150 National Guard troops carrying shields. The police fired tear gas, beanbags and used tasers to arrest hundreds of protesters. Also targeted were independent journalists and photographers and groups that monitor police abuse against protesters. Among those seized by the police were an Associated Press photographer, a group of University of Kentucky student journalists and Amy Goodman, the host of the liberal radio show ?Democracy Now!? Goodman was arrested for ?interfering with peace officers? when she questioned police about the arrest and bloodying of her show?s two producers. WSWS reporter Ron Jorgenson described the scene: ?A helicopter hovered over downtown St. Paul all day long. There were police and sheriff?s deputies from St. Paul, Minneapolis and other cities in Minnesota, as well as across the nation, including a large number from Arlington, Texas that I saw. The largest number were riot police with no identification who wore dark blue or black. They were armed with clubs and other weapons. There were also armored black trucks, filled with an assortment darting through the streets and police on bicycles and horseback. ?I honestly believed as I watched groups of riot police line up and rows of mounted police moved into position that there was a good chance that I might get caught up if I didn?t move. It appeared there were embedded press. I got the impression that established media could move in and out of police lines. I did that once and was sharply warned by a cop. Had I chosen the wrong moment to do that while taking a picture, I could have been thrown to the ground.? Authorities later justified this disproportionate show of force and the mass arrests that followed by citing incidents of rock throwing and window-breaking by a small group?numbering no more than 150?of self-described ?anarchists.? It is very likely this group included police agents and provocateurs whose job was to encourage violence in order to discredit political opposition and create conditions for a police repression. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about a year ago the Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office began ?regular surveillance? of one group, called the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, which included the use of ?three people who posed as members?two informants and an undercover investigator. The informants monitored e-mails and conversations.? The police produced affidavits from these informers accusing protesters of the most outlandish plans, including ?kidnapping? delegates and throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. Geneva Finn of the National Lawyers Guild, which represents many of those arrested, said it was impossible to judge the veracity of the so-called evidence in the affidavit because ?it?s all based on the testimony of people who are not identified, and that?s a real problem.? Based on these claims, on the eve of the convention the police carried out raids at several protest headquarters?including I-Witness Video, a New York-based group that monitors police conduct during protests?detaining activists and seizing computers, political literature and other property. The raids, which produced no serious evidence to substantiate police claims of alleged violent plans, were aimed at preempting the planned demonstrations by intimidating and creating the pseudo-legal justification for mass arrests for ?conspiracy to commit riot.? Once again, as it did during the massive repression at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the national news media has maintained a virtual silence about the police-state measures being employed against political opposition. In many cases, the local media has enthusiastically praised the police crackdown. The Minneapolis Star Tribune published a September 2 editorial, entitled, ?An appropriate show of police force.? The editorial noted that many citizens were dismayed by the presence of police in riot gear in downtown streets, adding that one onlooker the editorial writer passed by was heard saying, ?This can?t be happening in Minnesota.? ?Thankfully, it was,? the editorial flatly stated, denouncing ?rogue protesters who traveled to the Twin Cities for no other reason than to damage property, abuse the police and disrupt the business of the Republican National Convention.? Thanks to the ?extensive planning? of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Police Chief John Harrington, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and other law enforcement officials, the editorial concluded, ?public safety have won out, so far, over anarchism in the streets.? Police chief John Harrington commended the media for recognizing the ?heroic efforts? of his officers. ?I like the term that you in fact had coined, that what you saw today in the face of numbers and agitation and mass criminals, was a restrained use of force. And that I think is a very apt description of what the officers today did.? Reacting to the police actions, Gina Berglund, an attorney and legal observer for the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, said, ?We think it?s unconscionable. We think it?s out of control. The response by the police was completely out of proportion with what they were faced with.? Both the Democratic and Republican conventions?designated as ?National Security Events? under the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security Department?have been used to test out methods of widespread political repression. This must be taken as a somber warning of the way mass opposition to war, social inequality and attacks on democratic rights will be treated by the state, whoever wins the election in November. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523530 4 Code Pink convention protesters arrested ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Even as the most militant protesters vow to press on, police efforts at disrupting anarchist plans to crash the Republican National Convention appear to be largely successful. Police have arrested nearly 300 people since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests marred by violence. Most of the arrests, and the violence, happened Monday. Today's only arrests so far came when four women from the peace group CODEPINK crawled under a fence a couple of blocks from the Xcel Energy Center. Ramsey County Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin says those arrested are being processed as quickly as possible. Total arrests have reached 294, and of those 16 felonies and 47 gross misdemeanors have been charged. All the others arrested were either cited for misdemeanors and released, let go pending further investigation, or released outright. (Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/04/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Antiwar march planned for Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 4, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: As John McCain accepts his party's presidential nomination Thursday night, protesters calling for an end to the Iraq war plan to march outside the Xcel Energy Center. The Anti-War Committee, which is organizing Thursday's march, urged others to join in and denounced the increased presence of police in riot gear and acts of "intimidation" in the streets of St. Paul. Tracy Molm, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota, urged students to get involved. "Students in this country are angry. We're angry because it's us that are asked to fight and die in this immoral and unjust war," Molm said Wednesday. "Bring that anger to the streets, because that is how social change in this country happens." Police arrested 102 protesters in downtown Minneapolis early Thursday following a concert by the political rock group Rage Against the Machine, according to the Joint Information Center. Of those arrests, 100 were for misdemeanors and two were for gross misdemeanors. Today in Americas Cuba marks revolution's anniversary Claiborne Pell, former U.S. senator, dies at 90 Obama gives New Year's tradition at black churches added resonance Police earlier had expressed concern about the possibility of trouble after the concert. A couple hundred people lingered outside the Target Center after the concert. Police eventually ordered them to leave. A smaller group chanting "Whose streets? Our streets" then headed toward the main part of downtown. A downtown Minneapolis intersection was blocked off as police processed those arrested. Young people sat on a sidewalk, their backs against a building, or stood quietly in line, their hands in plastic cuffs behind their backs. Including the Minneapolis protest, police have arrested 422 people since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests in downtown St. Paul that were marred by violence. St. Paul was quieter on the convention's third day, when four women from the peace group CodePink were arrested after crawling under a fence a couple blocks from Xcel. They were released. ___ Associated Press writer Jeff Baenen contributed to this report. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523876 More than 100 arrested after protest group concert MINNEAPOLIS -- Police have arrested more than 100 protesters in downtown Minneapolis following a concert by the political rock group Rage Against the Machine. The Joint Information Center says 102 people were arrested -- 100 for misdemeanors and two for gross misdemeanors. Of those arrested, 87 were tagged and released, and 15 were booked. Police had expressed concern about the possibility of trouble after the concert. At least 422 people have been arrested in Minneapolis and St. Paul since Saturday in pre-emptive raids and at protests that were marred by violence from people hoping to interfere with the Republican National Convention. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/4/hundreds_of_jailed_protesters_held_for September 04, 2008 Hundreds of Jailed Protesters Held for 2+ Days Following Mass RNC Arrests The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat reports. [includes rush transcript] AMY GOODMAN: The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. These include medics, legal observers, journalists and anyone considered to be a protester. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat filed this report with Elizabeth Press. ANJALI KAMAT: Protesters have been camped out on a grassy pavement outside the Ramsey County Jail since Tuesday. Many are friends with or related to those inside. Some are medics and legal observers. And others are simply here in solidarity with the detainees. Armed with food, water, blankets and medical supplies, and surrounded by heavily armed police, they?re waiting for those inside to be released, cheering as each one exits the jail. Larry Hildes is a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild. He described the scene outside the detention center Wednesday afternoon. LARRY HILDES: As we were outside the jail, where there?s a vigil going on for people who have been held now past the deadline to release them, a line of St. Paul cops just formed immediately in the area where the medics are treating folks who?ve been getting out of jail and standing there trying to stare at the people who are being treated. ANJALI KAMAT: We called Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher about the police presence around the jail support group. He told us he wasn?t aware of it. Coincidentally, the police retreated after a few tense moments. And then a man from the sheriff?s office appeared with a cart full of brown bag lunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples. UNIDENTIFIED: We?re just coming up the sidewalk, going to offer everybody a bag lunch. Alright? PROTESTER: I?m a little confused and disoriented about the fact that I was told that it was from the sheriff department and they?re handing out bag lunches. And I?m wondering if they?re feeding people inside. ANJALI KAMAT: The odd arrival of the sheriff?s happy meals lightened the mood but did nothing to mitigate the long wait. We spoke to one young man who had been waiting all afternoon with his mother for his sister to be released. She was a street medic who had been arrested Monday. DETAINED MEDIC?S BROTHER: It?s St. Paul?s little Guantanamo. ELIZABETH PRESS: What does that mean? DETAINED MEDIC?S BROTHER: It means that there are a lot of people getting arrested and tortured and all that stuff, because, yeah, lots of people got beat in jail and tased, and basically that?s torture. ANJALI KAMAT: As the sun began to set, people slowly began to trickle out of the jail. Arraignments scheduled for the morning were completed only by 6:30 in the evening. Rebecca Sang from California was one of those let out. She had been picked up Tuesday from the outskirts of the Poor People?s rally. REBECCA SANG: I was watching them arrest somebody. And I don?t exactly know what happened, but the police started coming at me on their horses. And they just grabbed me. I really had no idea at the time why they could possibly want to do that. But I was really afraid, and I just went with them. ANJALI KAMAT: We asked Rebecca Sang what she had been charged with. REBECCA SANG: It was actually so ludicrous, I didn?t even believe it when I was?what they told me. They said I was under arrest for conspiracy for intent to use a poisonous substance. ANJALI KAMAT: Rebecca?s partner, Jason Johnson, had also been arrested Tuesday after being tasered by the police. REBECCA SANG: He was tasered three times and then wrestled to the ground. And he asked repeatedly for medical attention and didn?t get it for a really long time. His legs were paralyzed. It was really a bad scene. He needed the barbs from the tasers pulled out of his hips where he?d been hit. It was about an hour after we were first detained that that happened. And when he finally did get them removed, it wasn?t like they took him to the nurse or a doctor or anything like that. They actually just pulled them out of his side, like on the side of the cop car. ANJALI KAMAT: Jason Johnson is still in prison. Elizabeth West is a Durham, North Carolina-based activist who had spoken to Johnson Wednesday morning. ELIZABETH WEST: Jason?s huge and strong, and he?s this massive, wonderful, magical, beloved man. And he was tased with?he had four?he was tased with four handheld devices, three protrusion guns. He told me that he is still picking copper out of his hip injury. He has a four inch by one half-inch, about an eighth of an inch deep laceration on his ankle. He has lacerations on his face, his head, his torso. He has a black eye. ANJALI KAMAT: Sheriff Fletcher stopped by the jail later, and we asked him about the use of tasers. SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: You know, I haven?t heard any reports of that. I mean, there certainly is a possibility that out of the 320?but you understand that the arrests were coordinated by the St. Paul Police Department with the assistance of Minneapolis. But, you know, we haven?t?I?m not aware of any tasings. ANJALI KAMAT: Sheriff Fletcher also commented on the conditions inside the prison. SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: I don?t think you?ll get many complaints. We?ve worked closely with the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild. In fact, they had National Lawyers Guild attorneys and ACLU in our facility prior to this event. We talked about food, medication, conditions. And on that front, I think we?re doing very, very well. It is the largest number of people ever arrested in a twenty-four-hour period, 300 or so. ANJALI KAMAT: After spending over forty-eight hours in jail, Katherine Bonner-Jackson and Catherine Tolman were released Wednesday evening. They explained the charges against them and described what they had seen inside the Ramsey County Jail. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: We were on the sidewalk, walking down the street with a group of people. We were surrounded by cops, about twenty cops on bikes, pepper-sprayed and arrested. I have three misdemeanors. CATHERINE TOLMAN: So do I. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: And they set our bail for $1,000, because we?re out-of-staters. People who are in-state with the same sort of crimes?actually, one girl with a felony, it got reduced, and she was released on her own recognizance without bail. CATHERINE TOLMAN: We did talk to a few of the inmates who had been there before, and they were like, ?We never??we got bottled water. They had never got bottled water. And we actually heard one of the guards saying, like, ?Well, screw these NL?the National Lawyers Guild and ACLU people, because if they weren?t here, then we could act normal,? basically saying, like, we could break everyone?s civil liberties if these people weren?t here watching us because of these dumb protesters. ANJALI KAMAT: They also talked about a minor who had been questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents inside the prison and threatened with deportation proceedings. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: So, ICE?tell the ICE? CATHERINE TOLMAN: Yeah. Oh, man, so one of our friends, who?s actually a minor, she got pulled out of the holding cell, and? KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: She?s a Jane Doe, though; she didn?t give her name. CATHERINE TOLMAN: Right. She got pulled out of the holding cell, and the ICE officer was interrogating her and saying, you know, ?This is an investigation.? And she said, ?I?d like to, you know, uphold my Fifth Amendment rights.? And he said, ?Alright, if you?re going to play that game?? And then he asked her, ?Where were you born?? And she said ?I?m going to remain silent and uphold my Fifth Amendment rights.? And he said, ?Alright, then you?re going to go to federal prison,? and he sent her back into the holding cell. I mean just blatant coercion and empty threats, but terrifying. KATHERINE BONNER-JACKSON: She spoke to an immigration lawyer like immediately afterwards, and the lawyer said that it?s a completely illegal coercion tactic and that they?re probably going to be filing a lawsuit against the officers. ANJALI KAMAT: When we asked the sheriff about this, he told us that ICE agents were at the Ramsey County Jail for an unrelated matter and was not aware of them questioning any of the RNC detainees. Many people we spoke to complained about how they were treated by the police at the time of their arrest. Duncan Hardy from Raleigh, North Carolina was among the worst hit, with clear injuries to his arms, legs and face. He had gone straight to a health center after his release. We spoke to him when he returned to help with jail support for his friends inside. DUNCAN HARDY: And there was, you know, maybe eighty men who were six-foot-two, weighed 180 pounds, in SWAT uniform marching down Kellogg at the people, you know, whose arms were locked. And I saw them mace a girl in the park, which is a permitted area to be in. And it really just set me off, so I wrapped my shirt around my eyes with water, and I walked out in front of them and just sort of stood there until they, you know, threw me to the ground, smashed my face in and maced me in my eye and my ear ?til I passed out. I was actually told, because I passed out on the scene, you know, they had somebody from the hospital there. And I can?t?I couldn?t make a sentence. But I asked them, you know, ?I think I hit my head, I think I need medical treatment.? And they said, ?Well, it?s not on the front of your head. There?s nothing on the front of your head, so it must be on the back of your head.? And I asked them to check the back of my head, and they said there wasn?t anything there either. So, other than the person there, who?I couldn?t open my eyes, I couldn?t see?who told me that I had, you know, no injuries, I received no medical attention whatsoever. ANJALI KAMAT: While some of those detained over the week have been released and had their charges reduced, eight individuals affiliated with the RNC Welcoming Committee were charged Wednesday morning, under Minnesota?s version of the PATRIOT Act, with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. Jordan Kushner is a lawyer defending some of the RNC detainees at the Ramsey County Jail. We asked him about the terrorism charges as he came out of the courtroom. JORDAN KUSHNER: This is a political prosecution in its purest form, because no one is actually accused of physically doing anything that would be violent or destroying property or doing anything. They were in jail when it happened. They?re accused?they?re being prosecuted specifically for their political activities and what they advocated. ANJALI KAMAT: Longtime activist Lisa Fithian was also helping with jail support. She had been detained at gunpoint earlier in the day, along with fellow peace activist Laurie Arbeiter and Hal Muskat. LISA FITHIAN: A lot of people have been hurt here, and a lot of people are continuing to be hurt in the jails, and I?m most concerned about them. I was not afraid when they pulled us over. But I just?I?m outraged at the blatant continued violations of people?s rights here, not that I ever thought we had tons of political rights in this country, but I?d never seen it quite as bad as I?ve seen it here. The St. Paul model really trumps the Miami model at many, many levels. And so, my greatest concern right now, aside from people?s safety on the street, is getting people out of jail and ending the police brutality in jail and the beatings that are happening, is, I think, the critical priority. We need people?s help from all around the country to put pressure on the mayor here, Mayor Coleman, and the sheriff, and say end this brutality, cease and desist, and the harassment and the intimidation and the violence on the street against people, and let our people go. Drop those charges and let them go. ANJALI KAMAT: For Democracy Now!, this is Anjali Kamat with Elizabeth Press in St. Paul. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/rnc_0911/ Police repress convention protests By LeiLani Dowell St., Paul, Minn. Published Sep 3, 2008 11:22 PM Despite an onslaught of police terror and repression, protesters from across the country used a variety of tactics to march on the Republican National Convention here on Sept. 1. A mass march organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War was followed by youthful street actions to denounce the Republican policies of endless imperialist war and sweeping attacks on workers. Photos: Troops Out Now Coalition In an escalation of tactics used at the Democratic National Convention in Denver a week earlier, Minnesota police began the repression against RNC protesters days before the march. The cops raided community kitchens, meeting spaces and protesters? homes; handcuffed and harassed activists; confiscated political literature; and arrested at least three people on bogus ?conspiracy to riot? charges. Despite this intimidation, organizers remained determined to move forward with what would turn out to be a highly successful, massive march as well as direct actions on Labor Day, Sept. 1. Some 30,000 attended a rally that included representatives of the American Indian Movement; ANSWER Coalition; Appeal for Redress Campaign; Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War; Code Pink; Colombia Action Network; Green Party; Latinos Against War; Palestine Solidarity Group; Poor People?s Economic Human Rights Campaign; Students for a Democratic Society; Teamsters 743; Troops Out Now Coalition; United for Peace and Justice; Venezuela Solidarity Network; Veterans for Peace; Welfare Rights Committee; and Women Against Military Madness. The diverse crowd, led by the Iraq Veterans Against the War, then marched to the Xcel Center, site of the Republican convention, and back to the State Capitol for a closing rally. Various contingents included low-income people, youth and students, immigrant rights activists, labor, Palestine and Colombia solidarity activists, an anti-capitalist bloc and an anti-climate-change group. While Republican Party leaders shied away from the conference so as to not seem insensitive in the face of Hurricane Gustav, activists remembered the neglect of the Bush administration in response to Hurricane Katrina. A Troops Out Now Coalition banner read ?Bush?McCain; Katrina?Gustav: Criminal Neglect Continues.? Meanwhile, hundreds of youth engaged in militant street actions. They were met by brutal attacks at the hands of the police, including being doused with pepper spray and tear gas. Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) activist and eyewitness videographer Elena Everett reported that a disabled man in a wheelchair was sprayed head-to-toe with pepper spray. Others were hit in the back with tear gas canisters. The Coldsnap Legal Collective (coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com) reports that as of Sept. 1, the Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office had announced 284 arrests. Some 130 were charged with felony offenses, which most likely will be used to keep them in jail until the end of the convention. The collective says that the majority of those arrested are still being held in jail, and some are being refused proper medical attention. The collective is asking supporters to call the jail at 651-266-9350 to demand that these activists be released and given proper medical attention. While the corporate media has focused almost exclusively on property damage sustained during the street actions, including windows being broken at a Macy?s department store, several eyewitnesses told this reporter that the person who began breaking the windows was clearly an agent provocateur working with the police. He approached the window in clear view of the cops, broke it and walked away without an arrest. A police car was also damaged. However, at a press conference the following day, march coordinator Jess Sundin was quick to point out that any rage displayed by activists in the streets is completely justified and pales in comparison to the state violence committed on a daily basis by U.S. forces at home and abroad. The joint press conference was held by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, the RNC Welcoming Committee and the Poor People?s Economic and Human Rights Campaign?all of whom held fast in their solidarity with arrestees, despite attempts by corporate media reporters to bait them into denouncing ?violence.? One man, representing the Poor People?s Economic and Human Rights Campaign, challenged the reporters: ?You act like we?re having this press conference in a country that hasn?t practiced oppression for hundreds of years.? A number of activities are planned to continue the protests through the end of the convention on Sept. 4, including free public music festivals, a ?March for Our Lives? and a ?solutions driven? peace conference. For updates on activities, visit dncrnc.wordpress.com. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/dnc_0711/ No letup in police intimidation as Vets, immigrants protest at DNC By Larry Hales Denver Published Sep 3, 2008 10:42 PM During the five days of protests against the Democratic National Convention held here at the Pepsi Center, the media and the local Denver government grew fond of pointing out that the tens of thousands expected by organizers with Recreate 68 did not show up. Iraq Veterans Against the War. Photos: Troops Out Now Coalition However, during the week the city of Denver did not appear to relinquish any of the cops it had garnered to prepare for tens of thousands of protesters. And in fact, thousands did protest during the week and the last few days showed no letup in numbers or spirit. On Aug. 27, thousands marched in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The march covered four miles, from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center. There was no permit to march, but the route was negotiated with the police by IVAW. IVAW had gone out of its way to work with the cops and applaud their efforts, even though cops had intimidated protesters throughout the week and had rioted on Monday, attacking and arresting protesters and other people just walking from work or shopping. Hundreds were entrapped and assaulted after cops chased protesters out of Civic Center Park, though a permit had been granted for use of the park. Immigrant rights march. Tuesday showed no letup as cops launched brutal assaults against Recreate 68 activist Carlo Garcia and Code Pink activist Alicia Forrest. The cops did not respond to the overtures by IVAW with any respect. Instead, they brought out hundreds of officers in full riot gear on bicycles, motorcycles, horses and the riding boards of SUVs. The state forces lined the entire route of the veterans? peaceful march, stopping it several times along the way for no apparent reason other than to assert their control. However, this small army, meant to be intimidating, did not stop the march from growing. Onlookers and people getting off work joined in and swelled the ranks, despite the oppressiveness of a blazing August sun. Boots Riley of The Coup and members of Rage Against the Machine, both groups that performed at the Denver Coliseum, participated in the march as well. Militant chants of ?One, two, three four, what we need is class war! Five, six, seven, eight, end the war, smash the state!? alternated with ?Troops out now!? and ?Cops out now!? The march ended up across from Auraria Parkway, the street that separates Auraria campus, the largest in the state, from the Pepsi Center grounds. On Thursday, Aug. 28, more than 1,000 participated in a march for immigrant rights, shutting down one section of an overpass to Interstate 25. The march ended in Lincoln Park near the public housing complex where Frank Lobato, a disabled Latino man, had been shot while lying in bed by Denver cop Ranjan Ford. The five days of protests were designed to show the complicity of the Democratic Party in U.S. imperialism and to demonstrate that an independent movement free from either ruling class party is needed. The militancy did not wane. On display as well were the repressive forces of the state, regardless of the nonviolent nature of the protests. Larry Hales was an organizer with Recreate 68 Alliance. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/footage-of-clas.html Video of Clashes Between St. Paul Police and RNC Protestors Bubble Up Online By Sarah Lai Stirland September 03, 2008 | 1:49:51 PMCategories: 2008 Republican National Convention As most of the on-air cable television personalities focus on the national politics of the Republicans' nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for vice president, stories and footage of clashes between the St. Paul police and protesters at the Republican National Convention are turning up on the internet. The Uptake, an online citizen-journalism training outfit in Minneapolis, has been at the forefront of documenting much of the unfriendly interaction between the police and the protesters. In many of the live-streams, which can be seen on the organization's website, it's difficult to tell what's going on because much of the footage seems to have been recorded on an impromptu basis from the citizen-reporters' cellphone cameras. Nevertheless, some of the video is dramatic. In the clip above, police are in a stand-off with RNC protesters holding a black-and-red sign with the words "Against Capitalism," on it. One of the protesters provokes the black-clad, helmeted cops by shouting "Sieg Heil!" The police, who look as if they've just stepped off the set of Brazil, didn't appear to find that funny. Shortly after the taunt, a group of people advance toward the police line, and the cops respond by firing off "flash bangs," which Tom Walsh, the St. Paul police department's public information officer, describes as a "percussive instrument" that's meant to disperse crowds. In an interview, Walsh declined to comment on any specifics, but he pointed out the local media's favorable reports on the restraint that police are exercising against the "excesses of the rioters." He pointed to the Poor People's March on Sunday (which was still going on yesterday), where he said the rioters co-opted the peaceful demonstrators' events and started hurling feces, urine, rocks and bottles. "The peaceful protesters lost control of their march because of these rioters, and that continues to be the pattern," he said. When asked about the arrest of Amy Goodman, the lefty Democracy Now journalist and the show's producers, Walsh declined to comment. In both an online broadcast and during a press conference with St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington on Tuesday, Goodman says that she had approached the police to ask them about the arrest of the show's producers, and the police had simply arrested her despite seeing her press badge. Goodman's been charged with a misdemeanor. "I would submit to you that there are thousands of journalists on the ground, and they're not being impeded on their ability to report," Walsh said. In addition to footage from The Uptake and Democracy Now, The Minnesota Independent, a local blog run by the Center for Independent Media in Washington, D.C., has graphic photos and an account of a 17-year-old peaceful protestor being beaten up by police. More documentation of some of the chaos is in the Kentucky Kernal, a student newspaper at the University of Kentucky, whose photo staff and an adviser got swept up in the arrests. All-in-all, if you lived in a world without television and used social media applications exclusively to keep up with what's going on in St. Paul, your view of the convention would differ significantly from everyone else's. For example, searches using the phrase "Republican National Convention" for the most recently uploaded photos on Flickr Tuesday night yielded hundreds of photos of authoritarian-looking police in their riot gear. Similarly, searches for #RNC08 on Twitter on Tuesday night brought up a lot of messaging between protest organizers and by protesters themselves of the police's movements on the streets. Free Press, a media reform group, is gathering online names and signatures to sign a letter protesting what the group says are intimidation tactics by the St. Paul police. As of Wednesday, the group had gathered more than 35,000 signatures. Free Press intends to deliver the letter to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the Republican National Convention host committee. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122048791794897339.html?mod=fox_australian ? SEPTEMBER 4, 2008 Republican Convention Sees Violent Demonstrations ? Article ? Comments more in Politics ? By T.W. FARNAM ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Local prosecutors brought felony charges against 21 people for protesting the Republican National Convention, and federal prosecutors announced that they have charged another man with possessing explosives he said were intended to bomb tunnels under the convention site. Demonstrations this week have been the most violent at a national party convention in recent memory, with protesters smashing windows, slashing tires, throwing bags of urine and excrement and physically confronting Republican delegates in the streets. Getty Images Police in riot gear outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Violent protests overshadowed a number of peaceful demonstrations, including an antiwar march of about 10,000 people. Local authorities say much of the activity is linked to the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, a self-proclaimed anarchist group that released a statement Wednesday saying it was motivated by a range of issues, from the cost of the Iraq war to what it called inaction on global warming. The violence overshadowed a number of peaceful demonstrations, including an antiwar march that attracted a crowd of about 10,000 people. Police are still looking to arrest one member of the group on charges of conspiring to riot. He and others attended two training retreats for 150 to 200 people, according to a criminal complaint. The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office infiltrated the group with an undercover officer and a paid informant. Police have responded to some of the demonstrations with pepper spray, tear gas, smoke canisters and what they called "distraction devices" that give a loud bang and a flash of light, said Doug Holtz, a commander with the St. Paul Police Department. Arrests this week have topped 300, with more than 100 felony arrests. Ramsey County prosecutor Susan Gaertner said her office declined to bring felony charges against 44 of those protesters. Several journalists, including an Associated Press photographer and the radio host Amy Goodman, were also arrested, some charged with inciting a riot. The city attorney said the journalists were released pending further investigation. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman praised the city's law-enforcement officers. "Obviously we're dealing with a very significant situation here, and our officers have responded appropriately to the threat," he said, adding about the journalists arrested, "I can't speak to the specifics of any one case." The federal government provided grants of $50 million to cover security costs at each national party convention; more than 3,500 officers from more than 50 federal, state and local agencies, including the National Guard, have been on duty in St. Paul. The U.S. attorney for Michigan charged Matthew DePalma, of Flint, Mich., with possession of an unregistered firearm after he was arrested last week with a flammable jelly. Mr. DePalma said he planned to use it in the tunnels under the convention site to burn electrical cables and cause a power outage, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday. Monday, protesters blocked members of the Connecticut delegation from proceeding to the convention, said Heath Fahle, executive director of the state party. The demonstrators spat on the delegates and squirted bleach on at least six of them. "There are some people out there that only care about being disruptive," Mr. Fahle said. The Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee gathered at its theater headquarters Wednesday for a "spokescouncil," in which decisions are made by consensus. Group members were milling about on the sidewalk outside eating fried potatoes, but most refused to speak to reporters. Those who did complained about what they saw as a police crackdown. "I think it really exposes that we live in a police state," said a woman who gave her name as Loaf Owls, her age as 20 years old, and said she was a professional clown. "Someone at the march said yesterday that anarchists are protectors of the people, and that pretty much sums up why I'm here." "We'll protest the grass being green," shouted Robert Wilson, 45, who said he is homeless. "I love protesting. My favorite cologne is pepper spray." Write to T.W. Farnam at timothy.farnam at wsj.com http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=11740 RNC Protesters Charged As Terrorists Published on 09-03-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: LA Times Prosecutors in Ramsey County, Minn., have formally charged eight alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee -- one of the groups organizing protests at the GOP convention in St. Paul -- with terrorism-related charges, The Times' P.J. Huffstutter reports. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge, which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty they could face. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/rnc-protesters.html Terrorism charges lodged against protesters at GOP convention Prosecutors in Ramsey County, Minn., have formally charged eight alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee -- one of the groups organizing protests at the GOP convention in St. Paul -- with terrorism-related charges, The Times' P.J. Huffstutter reports. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge, which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty they could face. It appears to be the first time criminal charges have been filed under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal Patriot Act. The RNC Welcoming Committee is a self-described anarchist group that has worked for months planning disruptions at the convention. Police blamed the group for sparking violence during Monday's antiwar protest in St. Paul. Although most of the estimated 10,000 people at the march were peaceful, police say a splinter group of about 200 people harassed delegates, smashed windows and started at least one fire. Police have arrested nearly 300 people during the confrontations this week, according to the Associated Press. Huffstutter reported on the protests for the blog Tuesday. And this morning, we told the story of journalist Amy Goodman's arrest at Monday's march. -- Kate Linthicum http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/27782184.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciatkEP7DhUsX 2,000 rally to 'stop war on the poor' Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune A protester passed through a cloud of tear gas on St Peter St. in St. Paul on Tuesday night. A third day of demonstrations outside the Republican National Convention drew smaller crowds. Police and marchers clashed again, but arrests were way down. By RANDY FURST, CURT BROWN and HER?N M?RQUEZ ESTRADA, Star Tribune Last update: September 2, 2008 - 11:54 PM A vocal group of demonstrators took to the streets of St. Paul again Tuesday evening, voicing their anger about economic justice issues on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. The number of protesters and arrests were down from the 10,000 who marched and the nearly 300 arrested Monday, but police and demonstrators did clash briefly. Chanting "Stop the war on the poor," about 1,000 people in the "Poor People's March" left Mears Park about 6 p.m. and marched through downtown. Their numbers swelled to 2,000 after the march passed an all-day activist event that had coincidentally just wound up on the State Capitol lawn at 7 p.m. The march ended near the Xcel Energy Center about 8 p.m. A plan for civil disobedience fizzled with no arrests after protesters decided not to scale 8-foot fences near the arena. They poked a "citizens arrest warrant for crimes against humanity" for the Republicans through the fence and left. The march disbanded, but a half-hour later hundreds of protesters and others, mainly young people, clogged an intersection at 7th and St. Peter streets, causing police, over a loudspeaker, to order them to disperse. They didn't and police fired several smoke bombs and tear-gas canisters into the crowd. At least 10 people were arrested during the day, including four at a tense showdown with police officers on horseback just before the march started at the edge of the poor people's rally. The officers pepper-sprayed some demonstrators blocking the intersection after one man pulled on a police horse's reins. Cheri Honkala, a leader of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, which sponsored the demonstration, appealed to the rally participants to be nonviolent, pointing out that there were children in the crowd. She told anarchists intermingled in the crowd that she would hold them responsible if they interfered in the peaceful march. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/08/18534432.php Fascistic New Normal in St. Paul by Alice Woodward Monday Sep 8th, 2008 9:22 PM Reporter?s Notebook from the RNC Reporter?s Notebook from the RNC Fascistic New Normal in St. Paul by Alice Woodward August 29, St. Paul, Minnesota. Police in full riot gear raided the ?RNC Welcoming Committee? (which described itself as ?an anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body preparing for the 2008 Republican National Convention?) This raid, referred to in the media as a ?pre-emptive strike,? marked the beginning of a weekend of terror and intimidation brought down by the state on activists, organizers, protestors, and journalists throughout the four-day span of the Republican National Convention. Leading up to the anti-war protests planned during the convention, police raided several houses in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, surrounding them, and breaking down doors. The police told people to get down on the ground and shoved guns in their faces in the middle of the night while they were sleeping in their beds. Over the course of the weekend, five people were arrested in these raids, at least 100 were put in handcuffs and then questioned by police. At the Welcoming Committee?s convergence center, the police photographed people and held them for over an hour?no arrests were made, but materials were confiscated and the police issued a fire code violation. Ramsey County Sheriff?s Office, the FBI, Minneapolis and St. Paul police, the Hennepin County Sheriff?s Office and other agencies were involved. Police confiscated normal household items claiming they were going to be used for illegal activities. They searched through the houses and the welcoming center, taking computers, laptops and video cameras. In the face of this outrageous harassment and intimidation thousands of people came out to protest. At Monday?s protest, police surrounded and detained hundreds of protestors arresting around 175 people including progressive journalist Amy Goodman and two of her producers (see ?The RNC?s Outrageous Assault on Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, and Alternative Media?This is What Imperialist Democracy Looks Like?). Tuesday police attacked a protest of over a thousand people, overwhelmingly youth, and which included children and disabled people. Eleven people were arrested that day, some targeted and searched out after being identified in video footage confiscated by the police. Wednesday night, 102 people leaving a Rage Against the Machine show were arrested. More than a dozen medics have been arrested, as well as legal observers. On Thursday, police moved in and swept people up off the capitol lawn for no apparent reason, later claiming they were involved in breaking a window earlier that week. Then Thursday?s rally of over a thousand people was shut down, hundreds marched to the convention center and protestors sat-in at a bridge. Police blocked off the area with bulldozers, and after an intense stand-off, the police arrested 396 people. Over a dozen of these were media, including AP photographers and people from the local TV station. By Friday, according to the authorities, 818 people had been arrested during the week. Police came wearing helmets, padded vests, and shin guards; they used tear gas, pepper spray, Tasers, plastic handcuffs, billy clubs, and rifles that fired projectiles and ?flash bombs.? The National Guard was present throughout the week in full riot gear. Two minors who had been arraigned refused to give their names in solidarity with people in jail; they were charged with contempt on the spot and given a 30-day jail sentence without any trial. The Coldsnap legal collective reported brutality and abuse occurring in the jail including multiple police officers assaulting people, people being put in solitary confinement, and sick people not receiving medical attention. Over 24 people in prison began a hunger strike demanding that medical attention be provided to those who need it. There has been ongoing harassment aimed at intimidating protestors and sending a message that political protest will not be tolerated. The anti-war group Code Pink reported that about 150 police surrounded a group of 10 Code Pink activists who were displaying banners against the Iraq war. Throughout Tuesday?s outdoor concert police cars lined the streets and officers arrogantly milled about the capitol. On Tuesday riot cops lined the street at a Poor People?s march near the capitol. Later on, the police gathered three deep near the capitol where the Rage Against the Machine concert was scheduled. Rage arrived and wanted to play, but the power was shut off a half hour before the permit ended. Zack De La Rocha jumped into the crowd and started singing a cappella. People were chanting, ?Let them play, let them play,? with their fists in the air. They turned toward police and chanted ?Fuck You We Won?t Do What You Told Us.? The march organized by the Poor People?s Campaign arrived at the capitol, people at the concert joined in and the whole atmosphere was energized. The march went to the Xcel Center (where the RNC was going on) and the Poor People?s Campaign presented a citizens arrest on the Bush administration for crimes against humanity. At one point the police lined up with batons and started walking slowly toward the protestors, chanting, ?Move. Move. Move.? A protestor described when the police moved in to attack: ?People were walking back to the state capitol to get to their cars and go home and police said their presence walking back was an ?unlawful assembly, you all need to keep moving? and then opened fire with tear gas and concussion grenades. I saw clouds of smoke go up and I thought it was concussion grenades, then I saw the blue hint of the smoke and people started running and leaving very quickly and in front of us, another line of cops started firing....? People were yelling out, ?Don?t Run, Don?t Run,? helping each other get down the street, they were trying to get out and there were smoke bombs and mace. Loud explosions and screams punctured the atmosphere, people were screaming and running and others tried to help people stay calm, then more National Guardsmen in camouflage came in, sneaking out of a dark parking lot and threw tear gas into the crowd of people trying to run. One woman told Revolution, ?There was a fucking asthmatic woman shouting ?Medic,? and the police guy was just like, ?Get away from the sidewalk!? and he shot a fucking tear gas, not at her, but past her, he was just like ?Get away!? She fucking couldn?t breathe.? There were shoes and eyeglasses in the street. A woman in her twenties looked back at a line of police in the park and said, ?I have never felt more unsafe in my life.? People were agitating that what the police were doing was illegal and unconstitutional; people were outraged. The St. Paul Police Department has declared to the public repeatedly that their plans have been a success. At a press conference on September 3, Police Chief John Harrington repeatedly claimed that ?rioters? and ?anarchists? were targeted because of their alleged plans to disrupt the convention. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said in a statement that the ?Welcoming Committee is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention.? Testimony and eye witness accounts from medics, legal observers, journalists, and protestors, as well as hours of video footage posted on YouTube and all over the internet, reveal a different story. What has actually occurred is targeted attacks on event organizers, legal observers, medics and journalists, as well as police indiscriminately coming down on protestors, as well as bystanders. Many diverse youth and progressive people have been a part of mobilizing to protest at the RNC. The statement at the website of the RNC Welcoming Committee is endorsed by several chapters of the Students for Democratic Society, Campus Anti-War Network, and a number of anarchist organizations and grassroots groups like the Queer Action Network and Milwaukee Anti-racist Action. In addition, anti-war activists, unions, Iraq war veterans, and many others across the country mobilized to come to St. Paul to politically protest the crimes that have been committed by the Bush regime. An affidavit filed by the police with the Ramsey County District Court states that police have infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee since August of 2007, employing both undercover investigators as well as informants. A May 2008 article in a local St. Paul weekly, City Pages exposed that FBI was seeking out informants to attend ?Vegan Potlucks? in the Twin Cities. The article recalls how this occurred in the lead-up to the 2004 RNC in New York City, pointing out that ?the NYPD?s Intelligence Division infiltrated and spied on protest groups across the country, as well as in Canada and Europe. The program?s scope extended to explicitly nonviolent groups, including street theater troupes and church organizations.? Similarly, surveillance and profiling occurred in Denver leading up to the DNC, carried out by what?s called ?fusion? groups, consisting of federal as well as state authorities collecting information. An article on worldcantwait.org, titled ?Gitmo on the Platte,? details this and other similar police state measures taken in Denver for the DNC this year. The Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild has pointed out that given this kind of history, the allegations towards organizers, which rely entirely on covert operations and no material evidence at this time, are highly questionable. They said in a statement, ?Evidence read to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations other than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provocateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence.? At the same time, new norms are being established. The Ramsey County prosecutors charged eight of the people arrested in the raids with second-degree furtherance of terrorism, conspiracy to riot, conspiracy to commit civil disorder, and conspiracy to damage property. This is the first time that charges have been issued under the Minnesota version of the Patriot Act, which was passed in the state in 2002. This repression and police terror has been opposed by City Council member David Thune as well as Congressman Keith Ellison. Petitions and statements in support of protestors and those arrested have gone up on the Internet; one gathered over 35,000 signatures overnight. Many are demanding that people in jail be provided with medical care and the legal support they are entitled to, that they be released and charges be dropped. Send us your comments. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17383222/detail.html#- Protesters Meet Politicians Near Landmark Diner St. Paul Fixture Is Steps Away From Largest Protests Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News POSTED: 1:55 pm MST September 3, 2008 UPDATED: 3:07 pm MST September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mickey's Diner is a fixture that people who visit downtown St. Paul can't help but notice. There are no golden arches or double-lanes of drive-through windows though. It's an historic dining car pulled into downtown St. Paul in the late 1930s. Its breakfast, burgers and baked beans are classic favorites for the maximum of 35 people who can cozy up to the counter for breakfast, lunch or dinner 24 hours a day, every day of the year. "Our baked beans are the cult favorite here," said Bert Mattison, a member of the family that has owned and operated Mickey's since 1937. "We make them the same way as we made them in 1939." This week, Mickey's Diner is at the crossroads of politics. It's located at the corner of West Seventh and St. Peter streets. Mickey's is just two blocks from the home of the Republican National Convention and just a sidewalk away from the most popular parade route for protesters. "We are at the point where the demonstrations meet the delegates," Mattison said. ( Police Use Pyro To Break Up RNC Protests) Tuesday night, more than 2,000 protesters marched by on their way to the Xcel Energy Center where the RNC speeches were under way. "It's a sight to see," Mattison said. "Sometimes I think when they get riled up, we get nervous about the crew. But for the most part, I think everybody is being peaceful and good. Some of them have even come in and eaten." More than 10,000 people are believed to have taken part in protests over two days with 280 arrests by police. Mickey's is protected from the crowds by police barricades and fences. Tuesday night, protesters and police clashed just feet away from Mickey's dining car door. Smoke from bombs and tear gas floated along the street in front of the diner as if a low-lying fog has moved into the downtown. A police officer in riot gear sat on top of the diner car with his legs dangling over the front. "There was a time when we weren't taking customers. But everyone was OK." Mattison said. The landmark dining car has welcomed more than protesters this week. Presidential candidate Ron Paul, Comedy Central host Jon Stewart and CNN anchor John Roberts have taken a seat at the counter this week, according to Mattison. They join the ranks of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Willard Scott, Bill Murray, Peter Jennings and many others who have discovered Mickey's over the years. "I think it's our people and our mix of culture that keeps people coming here," Mattison said. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17375360/detail.html#- Violence Follows Second Day of RNC Protests Police Use Grenades To Disperse Protesters Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News POSTED: 8:14 pm MST September 2, 2008 UPDATED: 9:26 am MST September 3, 2008 A four-hour anti-poverty protest outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul ended with police using flash grenades, smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse the crowd. ( Police Use Pyro To Break Up RNC Protests) Police reported three arrests before the crowd was forced away from the downtown area. Seven additional arrests happened in the clash that followed. More than 2,000 protesters rallied with the event organizers, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. The national organizer for the group, Cheri Honkala, told the protesters she would "march to the steps of the Xcel Center to serve the Republicans with a citizen's arrest." Honkala's group believes the government fails to do enough to support the poor and homeless in America. Honkala shared the story of her 6-year-old son who was told recently that he was not eligible for government support to fight a problem with his vision. "When I found out, I just sat in my van and cried," Honkala said, choking back tears. The group marched a winding 4?-mile path through St. Paul to the Xcel Energy Center, where RNC delegates were gathered. As the protesters marched, hundreds of people joined their rally, including those gathered for a concert that failed to happen near the state Capitol. The march ended outside two panels of fencing that surrounded parts of the Xcel Center. Honkala challenged the protesters to remain peaceful as she tried to deliver the citizen's arrest. A small group of supporters lifted her to their shoulders as they tried unsuccessfully to enter the fenced area. ( Protesters Take Peaceful March To RNC Gates) Other protesters then started a standoff with about 20 police in riot gear. The remainder of the protesters retreated from the Xcel Center area. As they did, hundreds of police in riot gear stood arm to arm to form a route away from St. Paul's downtown. Protesters refused to leave the area, at times taunting officers in riot gear. Police issued a final warning to leave the area before firing the smoke bombs and grenades. Tuesday's protest came a day after more than 280 people were arrested in violence after an anti-war protest. Meanwhile, inside the Xcel Energy Center, speeches and videos proceeded without any hint of disruption. Few had any idea of the protests and clash with law enforcement happening outside. Russ Walker, a delegate from Oregon, arrived at 5:30 p.m. and did see a few protesters on his way in. Fellow Oregonian Ross Marzolf did not run into any demonstrations Tuesday but said his bus was hit by demonstrators in Monday's anti-war violence. Marzolf urged protesters to "grow up," saying that the Republicans are "acting like adults, but the protesters are goons." Pete Saxon, an alternate delegate from California, appreciates being protected from the demonstrations because "the GOP, any group, has the right to conduct business" even though the protesters should also have the right to demonstrate peacefully away from that business. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809040068.html Kenya: Anti-War Protests Rage On At Party Meeting Samuel Siringi 3 September 2008 ________________________________________ St. Paul ? Three more people were arrested as police broke up violent protests near the venue where John McCain was to be officially nominated as Republican presidential nominee last night. Police used tear gas and grenades to prevent the protesters from getting closer to the Xcel Energy Centre, venue of the Republican National Convention, as President Bush addressed delegates via satellite from the White House. The protesters, about 2,000, were holding an anti-poverty demonstration just a day after another group caused damage to buildings as they marched against the Iraq war. A self-described anarchist group called The RNC Welcoming Committee claims it disrupted the convention. It hints at more trouble in the days ahead. The group is not officially connected to organisers of either of the marches on Monday or on Tuesday. Cheri Honkala, a leader of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign that called the protests, asked marchers to be nonviolent. She told anarchists in the crowd that she would hold them responsible if they interfered in the peaceful march. It was the third day of protest marches in downtown St Paul since delegates began arriving last weekend. More than 3,500 police officers have been deployed in the city to handle security, with street protests their key brief. Many streets in the city have been closed to traffic making many people accessing the city to travel long distances. On Monday, more than 200 people were arrested following daylong protests at the city. The anti-Iraq war protesters smashed windows of shops and damaged a police car, but their plans to set it ablaze were stopped by police. http://www.theledger.com/article/20080903/news/809030385 Almost 300 Protesters Are Arrested at GOP Convention By MARTIGA LOHN & JON KRAWCZYNSKI Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 1:50 a.m. ST. PAUL, Minn. | Police arrests tally nearly 300 following sometimes violent confrontations this week, and more protests were planned for Wednesday and Thursday, the final two days of the GOP National Convention. Some protest organizers have promised to resume their often confrontational actions near where delegates are meeting in the Xcel Energy Center until the convention ends. Police said Wednesday they had arrested 10 people throughout Tuesday, but they declined to offer specifics about each incident. Total arrests for the week were 294, including 137 felonies. At least three of the arrests Tuesday came during a march against poverty. The march was tense but neither as widespread nor violent as events a day before, when nearly 300 people were arrested in numerous run-ins. Police estimated about 2,000 people took part in the poverty march, which lasted about three hours. It ended near the arena with police using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters they said were trying to get past security fences, a police spokesman said. The arrests Tuesday came a day after violence erupted following a largely peaceful anti-war march by some 10,000 people. Afterward, police blamed a splinter group of about 200 for harassing delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/04/america/CVN-Convention-Protests.php 102 arrested after GOP convention's third night The Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn.: Police arrested 102 protesters in downtown Minneapolis early Thursday following a concert by the rock group Rage Against the Machine, raising to more than 400 the number arrested in demonstrations related to the Republican National Convention. Police blocked off an intersection as they processed those arrested. Young people sat on a sidewalk, their backs against a building, or stood quietly in line, their hands in plastic cuffs behind their backs. Protesters calling for an end to the Iraq war urged others to join their march Thursday night outside the convention as John McCain accepts his party's presidential nomination on its fourth and final night. The Anti-War Committee denounced the increased presence of police in riot gear and acts of "intimidation" in the streets of St. Paul. In a warmup to the main protest, about 50 college and high school students staged an anti-war rally at the Capitol at midday Thursday. Eight police officers watched the rally from afar, with most leaning against their cars. None wore riot gear. Today in Americas Cuba marks revolution's anniversary Claiborne Pell, former U.S. senator, dies at 90 Obama gives New Year's tradition at black churches added resonance Organizers said they were trying to put on a safe, nonviolent event for the whole family. When a musician singing and playing a guitar uttered a profanity, she was chastised by the crowd and quickly promised to clean up her language. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty blamed the violence this week on a small group of "anarchists, nihilists, and goofballs who want to break stuff and hurt people." "They need to be dealt with," Pawlenty said in an interview with WCCO-AM of Minneapolis. "When you want to break stuff and hurt people, you can't do that." St. Paul was quieter on Wednesday, the convention's third day, when four women from the peace group CodePink were arrested after crawling under a fence a couple blocks from the Xcel Center where the convention is being held. They were released. CodePink also took credit for disrupting Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's speech on Wednesday night. The group said two of its members were given tickets to the speech by a Republican delegate who was frustrated with the party and Palin. The CodePink members, Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, were escorted from the Xcel Center after yelling and displaying a banner. They said they were held until after her speech but not arrested. Police said they broke up more serious plans to disrupt the convention. Search warrants and other police documents made public this week claim that anarchists discussed plans to throw Molotov cocktails, sabotage the Xcel Energy Center or the St. Paul Downtown Airport, stretch metal chains across freeways and kidnap delegates. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/09/02-6 Published on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by The San Francisco Chronicle 250 protesters arrested, including Amy Goodman by Joe Garofoli MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - Police used pepper spray and tear gas to quell breakaway demonstrators from an otherwise peaceful anti-war demonstration Monday outside the Republican National Convention, after the splinter groups smashed department store and police car windows. Police officers spray pepper spray at a group of protesters during an anti-war rally at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. (Matt Rourke / AP) More than 250 people were arrested - including Amy Goodman, host of the nationally broadcast television and radio program "Democracy Now"- as police clashed with roaming groups of protesters. Goodman was later released, and she was among those cited for various misdemeanors. More than 2,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, many in full riot gear, lined the parade route to keep the estimated 10,000 marchers from straying from their permitted march. Later in the day, police motorcycles escorted buses carrying convention delegates to and from the Xcel Energy Center, as police shut down large sections of downtown. Earlier Monday, several groups of demonstrators - many who identified themselves as anarchists and covered their faces with bandanas - broke from the main march. They set a fire in a garbage Dumpster, damaged five police squad cars and smashed three giant display windows at a Macy's department store, police said. Store spokeswoman Jennifer McNamara said the store will increase security for the rest of the week in response to the vandalism. Activists and civil rights organizations had criticized police for a series of pre-emptive raids on Friday and Saturday on the homes of suspected demonstration organizers and at the meeting place for the "RNC Welcoming Committee," an umbrella organization of dozens of activist groups and individuals from around the country. It has been planning convention demonstrations for over a year. Police seized several laptop computers, digital cameras, schedules and 7,000 "welcoming guides" organizers planned to distribute to people coming to the Twin Cities for demonstrations. They also seized several gallons of urine and various tools activists use to link themselves together during protests. "It wasn't chilling enough," said St. Paul Police Department spokesman Tom Walsh. "We had probable cause. We had obtained information in advance that some of these groups, maybe 10 or 12 of them, were planning to cause disruption and destruction. For us not to act on that would have been irresponsible. "It made today less violent because of the action we took," Walsh said. Asked whether law enforcement used undercover infiltrators to obtain information on the suspected demonstrators, Walsh said "that's an irresponsible question" and declined to answer. "Certainly there were troublemakers (Monday), and they deserved to be arrested," said Teresa Nelson, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union-Minnesota. "But we're very troubled that the police were using heavy-handed tactics. We heard reports from people who were listening to music in the park and who were surrounded and detained." Nelson's organization will be in court today to try to regain some of the material seized in the raids. "That is constitutionally protected material," she said. The vast majority of the participants in Monday's demonstration were peaceful. They filled the lawn outside the Minnesota state capitol building and listened to speeches at an 11 a.m. rally before marching roughly 20 blocks to the Xcel Center. In addition to the smattering of Socialists and supporters of a variety of left-wing causes, the majority of participants were local families and college students spending their Labor Day holiday protesting the GOP and the Iraq war. "I'm here to be a part of history," said Marisha Weihe, a 38-year-old restaurant manager who rallied with her mother and 7- and 16-year-old sons. "It's good to be out here with people who feel the same way. Yeah, you can send e-mails to each other, but it feels good to physically be present." The Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/rnc.security/index.html?eref=rss_latest Tue September 2, 2008 Police fire chemical agents, projectiles at RNC protesters ? Story Highlights ? NEW: Police: Officers trying to stop people from breaching security fence ? About 2,000 people took part in anti-poverty protest outside convention ? Hundreds of people arrested Monday after demonstrating near convention ? "Splinter group" broke windows, threw benches Monday, police say ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- St. Paul police fired chemical agents and projectiles into a large crowd of protesters outside the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night. Police fire chemical agents after some protesters said they would breach a security fence. Witnesses said the protesters marched from the grounds of the state Capitol after a concert there ended abruptly. The protesters were noisy but peaceful as they approached the convention. Once they arrived, a police officer read an order to disperse, CNN reporters on the scene said. But almost immediately, officers along the exit route opened fire with gas and projectiles. In one instance, a CNN producer said, an officer stepped out of line to hit a young woman with pepper spray as she ran for the exit. See police spray marchers ? Police said officers were trying to scatter protesters who they said \were trying to get past security fences. Police told the AP that about 2,000 people participated in the anti-poverty march, which lasted about three hours. Other officers used gas and pepper spray in the path of those attempting to comply with the disperse order, forcing some to stop in their tracks, a CNN crew reported. Don't Miss ? Dozens arrested at convention ? Security plan going well, police say ? Convention cities turned into high-tech fortresses ? iReport.com: RNC: Cop attacked The incident comes after almost 300 people were set to be formally charged in Ramsey County District Court on Tuesday after they were arrested during protests Monday at the Republican National Convention, police said. On Monday, police arrested 283 people after firing projectiles, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd demonstrating near the convention site, St. Paul Police Department Chief John Harrington said. Police used plastic handcuffs to detain 20 to 30 of them a few blocks from the security perimeter around the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. St. Paul police said that 120 of the 283 arrested were being held on felony charges. The rest were charged with various misdemeanors. iReport.com: Cops swarm bikers, protesters A crowd of about 300 people conducted what appeared to be a sit-in in a parking lot near the Mississippi River on Monday. Watch police detain protesters ? Earlier in the day, a group of self-described anarchists threw park benches into streets and smashed windows, police said. St. Paul police spokesman Thomas Walsh said Monday afternoon that some of those arrested are accused of property damage and conspiracy to riot. The arrest of the "anarchists" came after almost 5,000 protesters marched peacefully outside the site of the convention. Walsh said they were part of a "splinter group" of the main body of protesters. He said he would not characterize their activity as a protest. Watch police use pepper spray ? "I think they did a disservice to those that came here to protest," he said. Five police cars were among the property that was damaged, Walsh said. Harrington said police arrested nine additional people overnight Monday. Court proceedings were slowed Tuesday when 22 people facing misdemeanor charges refused to give their real names, Dave Gill, a Ramsey County public defender, told The Associated Press. Only two people out of all those arrested completed their initial hearings as of midday, the AP reported. On Sunday, police saw little disruption ahead of the convention, which was scaled back because of Hurricane Gustav. Despite Monday's disruptions, the security plan is working, Walsh said. "We had some expectation that there may be some of this activity," he said. The Republican convention, which began Monday, has been designated a "national special security event," which means the Secret Service is responsible for planning and implementing security. But the primary responsibility for street-level security falls to local police agencies. St. Paul received $50 million in federal grant money to pay for additional security. View the convention security plan ? The St. Paul Police Department estimated that it would require $34 million to pay 3,500 extra officers. The remaining money is for training and equipment, the department said. Numerous federal agencies are helping provide security, including the FBI, the Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604853 10,000 anti-war protesters rally outside Republican convention site Posted: 2008/09/03 From: MNN An estimated 10,000 people of all ages walked slowly down the route from the Capitol to the convention site at the Xcel Energy Center, frequently singing, chanting, and shouting against Bush and the war in Iraq. ST. PAUL, the United States, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Anti-war protesters promise on Tuesday more demonstrations and decry police tactics, as the Republican National Convention enters day two in St. Paul, Minn. Cheri Honkala, a spokesperson for the protesters, told reporters that police arrested more than 280 people Monday during a series of skirmishes that ranged throughout downtown St. Paul, some within blocks of the Xcel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention began its four-day run. In speaking with reporters Tuesday morning, a dozen protest leaders blamed the confrontations on police and their "intimidating" tactics. Some of the 4,500 delegates, too, continue to feel harassed. At a delegate breakfast in downtown St. Paul, the tires were slashed on two buses belonging to the Minnesota delegation, said state Republican Party chair Ron Carey. On Monday, members of the Connecticut delegation told reporters they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Energy Center. Of those arrested, 130 were booked on felony charges, including one assault on a peace officer. The 51 people arrested for gross misdemeanors and 103 for misdemeanors had already been released or were expected to be released soon after they were booked. As President George W. Bush will address the delegates Tuesday night via satellite, Police say they are prepared for violent protests to continue all week, though they are hoping the worst is over. An estimated 10,000 people of all ages walked slowly down the route from the Capitol to the convention site at the Xcel Energy Center, frequently singing, chanting, and shouting against Bush and the war in Iraq. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Kentucky-Students-Still-Jailed-After-Protest/baDuLY06c0O3ZClBThCnEg.cspx Kentucky Students Still Jailed After Protest Last Update: 9/02/2008 10:05 pm Related Links ? Democracy 2008: WCPO Special Section Web produced by: Neil Relyea MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Two University of Kentucky journalism students and their newspaper adviser remain jailed more than a day after they were swept up with nearly 300 others during protests in downtown St. Paul, Minn. Police arrested students Edward C. Matthews and Britney D. McIntosh along with adviser Jim Winn on Monday afternoon. All came to the Twin Cities to document protests held in response to the Republican National Convention, meeting this week in St. Paul. Matthews' father, Tom Matthews, heard about his son's arrest Tuesday morning, then saw him in an Associated Press photo that showed him turning away from a stream of pepper spray. Matthews, of Lexington, Ky., spent much of Tuesday trying to learn whether his 21-year-old son would face charges or be released from the Ramsey County jail before being told he'd remain in jail for a second night. The three arrested are affiliated with the University of Kentucky student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. Matthews is a photographer, McIntosh is the multimedia editor and Winn is the paper's photo adviser. Editor Brad Luttrell said the three traveled to St. Paul for the experience of working with professional journalists on a big story, not to cover the convention for the college paper. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/03/america/NA-POL-US-Convention-Protests.php Nearly 300 arrested at Republican convention The Associated Press Published: September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Police arrests tally nearly 300 following sometimes violent confrontations this week at the Republican National Convention, and more protests were planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Some protest organizers have promised to resume their confrontational actions near the meeting site, Xcel Energy Center, until the convention ends its four-day run. Police said Wednesday they had arrested 10 people Tuesday, but they declined to offer specifics about each incident. Total arrests for the week were 294, including 137 felonies. At least three of the arrests Tuesday came during a march against poverty. The day before, nearly 300 people were arrested in numerous run-ins in downtown St. Paul. Police estimated about 2,000 people took part in the poverty march, which lasted about three hours. It ended near the convention arena with police using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters they said were trying to get past security fences, said Tom Walsh, a St. Paul police spokesman. The arrests Tuesday came a day after violence erupted following a largely peaceful anti-war march by some 10,000 people. Afterward, police blamed a splinter group of about 200 for harassing delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. The RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist group that has worked for months planning convention disruptions, claimed success in e-mails to its members and media. "The spectacle has been crashed!" read one. That group wasn't officially connected with the organizers of either march. http://newsok.com/oklahoma-delegates-find-protests-unsettling/article/3292153 Delegates find protests unsettling Oklahoma delegates find protests unsettling By Michael McNutt Published: September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Jason Reese recognized the odor of tear gas from Navy Reserve training, and told his companion to quickly roll up their taxi's windows. Featured Gallery Tom Montgomery was just trying to walk from his vehicle to the Republican National Convention when he found himself walking next to what looked like a parade. Both members of Oklahoma's delegation to the Republican National Convention came face-to-face Monday with an anti-war protest march, in which some in the group got into a confrontation with police. The Oklahomans were not harmed, but admitted Tuesday it was unsettling. Reese, a delegate from Oklahoma City, and his guest, Brett Farley, left the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, about 4 p.m. Monday to see some friends at a nearby hotel. They got into a taxi and hadn't traveled far when the vehicle stopped. Reese, attending his first national GOP convention, said he saw about 30 people dressed in black carrying black and red flags. They wore bandannas or surgical masks and yelled at police who were equipped with riot gear. They acted differently than anti-war demonstrators seen minutes earlier, protesters who were peaceful and chanting and singing "This Land Is Your Land." "They (those dressed in black) start running across the street at the police and one or two of them actually made physical contact with the police, but the rest of them are just running up in a kind of menacing manner," Reese said. "The police had their sticks out only for the ones who actually made physical contact with them to fend them off. But then they threw tear gas, a big billowing green smoke. And the protesters started falling back once that happened." Reese said he smelled the tear gas and noticed the taxi's windows were rolled down. "The green smoke starts coming in like a bad horror movie," Reese said. "Our noses started running a little bit...and we start telling the cabbie, 'You need to go.'" The cab driver was able to drive them out of the area, Reese said. He said he didn't see anyone throwing benches or breaking windows. Organizers of Monday's protest had said about 50,000 would attend the protest march. Published reports said protesters numbered about 10,000; police arrested about 250. Going the same way Montgomery, a delegate from Muskogee, said he drove from the delegation's hotel in Minneapolis to the Xcel Energy Center. More streets were closed than he originally was told, so he parked near Minnesota's state Capitol, which was near the beginning of the anti-war demonstration route. As he walked toward the convention site about 2:30 p.m., he said he noticed the protesters and soon he was walking beside them. "They were mostly nice," said Montgomery, although a few heckled him when they saw him wearing his straw cowboy hat with the bumper sticker for U.S. Sen. John McCain. http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/18216/Black_bloc_protester_retaliates_against_police_repression_at_RNC_rescues_victim Black bloc protester retaliates against police repression at RNC, rescues victim Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:03:36 -0500 Summary: Click the link below or click here for the Youtube version. The video shows a police officer brutally dragging a protester through a crowd while threatening them with pepper spray. At 0:16 of the video, with his back turned, an unidentified black bloc protester body checks the officer, momentarily knocking him off balance and allowing the victim to flee into the crowd. The officer, after dousing everyone around him with pepper spray, also flees. The image of the anonymous protester slamming into the guard is one of the few proud moments for the dissident movement over the last eight years. It should be replayed over and over again to remind us of what taking to the streets really means. In the first world, its hard to find backbone in the dissident movement, but this kid didn?t come to St Paul to wag a sign around and feel self-righteous: this kid came to fight back. [Posted By stevenmartin] By Conduit Republished from The Uptake Lone protester intervenes in act of police brutality during RNC, allowing victim to flee. The UpTake captured video of a St. Paul police officer dragging a ?black bloc? protester away from a bus, only to get tackled from behind. The officer sprayed a chemical agent all around him but ultimately lost the suspect and called for backup. Video by Conduit. http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=97969 US Senate candidate from Kalamazoo County caught in RNC protest ? Updated:9/3/2008 8:05:53 AM - Posted: 9/3/2008 12:08:34 AM MINNEAPOLIS, M.N. (KARE11) - It's an experience they probably will never forget. US Senate Candidate Jack Hoogendyk and his wife were on their way to the Republican Convention in Minneapolis Tuesday night when they found themselves in the middle of a protest. Hoogendyk is currently a State Representative in the 61st District in Kalamazoo County. He's running against Democrat Carl Levin in November. He says after parking their car, he and his wife began to walk to the convention but were faced by a wall of protestors. Unable to find their way out, a reporter from our sister station, KARE-11 in Minneapolis escorted them to the police line. They presented their credentials and were able to get away from the crowd. About a half hour later, the crowd of protestors became unruly and police had to use tear gas to push the crowd back. You can read the reporter's account of the situation by clicking on this link from Kare 11. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523779&catid=2 Tuesday night: Two protest marches merge Wednesday morning looking back Whew. Lookin' back on last night...how surreal was that?! A couple hind-sight observations: 1. Believe it or not - it's the truth - the vast majority of the people in these rallies are not about tearin' up the town. They're just not. They're folks who are trying to make a few key political statements - at a time when much of the nation is focused on politics & messaging. They're so effective at what they're doing that they create a critical mass, which is very useful for folks who are looking for cover - to make statements of their own. 2. Don't miss the chance to pull down the raw video. You really get the feeling of 'being there.' Craig Norkus, the photographer, working with me last night was top-shelf. Managing not just to keep his footing in that moving sea-of-humanity, while looking through a viewfinder, and trying to stay focused on the action anticipating what might be next. He was also fending off a few punks who just wanted to challenge him for taking video. As an aside, let me see if I understand this, correctly: ? You want to come downtown to stage a rally & protest march. ? You want your voice to be heard. ? In some cases you want to provoke the police. ? And if/when there's a teargas attack or a pepper spray issue. You would like the camera people to go away? What am I missing here? 3. Another guy working with us in the field was Taylor Carik, a new hire with MetroMix. He had been covering the "Rage Against the Machine" concert that wasn't and ended up running alongside the impromptu concert-goers-join-the-activist marchers. Carik is a young, smart guy and aggressive when it comes to getting the job done. In all the chaos (literally thousands of marchers), he'd point out two (or seven) folks in a pack moving to disguise their faces as we neared parts of the business district. He was good and very "on top of what was happening" as it was going down. I was kind of blown away at his ability to find & locate the would-be spoilers, out of such chaos, in real time. Impressive. 4. I still can't believe we found that Republican U.S. Senate candidate (Jack Hoogendyk, Kalamazoo, MI) and his wife but talk about picking out things in a sea-of-humanity that "don't look quite right." I grabbed Craig (photographer) & told him we needed to go after "that guy." Beyond the obvious risk of being in the middle of a crowd with so many armed police officers surrounding them, finding that guy & his wife in the middle of the pack was one place where it just seemed like there was a real opportunity for someone to get seriously hurt. I got an email from a woman this morning who identified herself as an 'Independent' who would 'Vote for Obama' -- and asked me to pass this onto the candidate: "If you get a chance to speak again to the Republican US senate candidate and his wife whom you escorted out of the crowd, please tell them that some people, such as I, a Saint Paul resident, are appalled at the way they have been received in our city. There is absolutely NO reason for that type of intimidation. They should feel safe and welcomed here." So, if you're out there Mr. Hoogendyk, I hope you got the message. 5. You have to have respect for the work of law enforcement in this thing. While we may well find cases of abuse (most in the media are on high alert for it; where found, it's reported aggressively), there's no getting around the fact that these folks themselves put their lives in danger simply walking head-long into sometimes very angry masses of people. In 20 years of reporting & anchoring in this town, I've come to know many of them. I saw several faces in the crowd yesterday, only this time, the school officer was dressed in fully padded kevlar. Some of the traffic cops were completely decked-out in riot gear. One or two stopped to take off a mask & say "Hi." That's wild. It gives me (and hopefully you, too) a bit of a perspective for the real lives and people behind this thing. This is their community too. Some spoke to me with pride about making sure those who want to "speak out" are able to do it safely - and without fear of other/unknown angry elements. Some spoke of their time - not just as cops - but in the military, literally, fighting for such rights. They live here, as do many of the protesters themselves. It'll be interesting to see where it goes Wednesday and the rest of this week. 8:57 p.m. So, we get out of the thick of the protest and the couple who I'm trying to free, Representative Jack Hoogendyke of Michigan, who is running for U.S. Senate, and his wife agree to talk to me on camera... When the interview is over, I realize we are surrounded by protesters on bikes trying to block us in. I try to get through the bikes and one of the kids says 'psych'... We eventually get by and I'm leading Hoogendyke and his wife out when we run into four delegates... I know they are delegates because they are very well dressed and had a look of uncertainty and quiet desperation about them... I tell them all (six total) there is no guarantee I'll get you out, but we'll see. We double back to the corner of Mickey's diner and flag down a cop.. I explain who these six people are and where they need to go. They are asked to show their official RNC badges and the entire group is allowed through the baracade. At the same time, several journalists rush our group and ask to get out too... None of them were allowed to leave... We had no intention to leave, but it was clear we wouldn't have been able to anyway. Also caught up in the mayhem was KARE 11 photojournalist Craig Norkus who was tear gassed as he tried to cover the protest... and yes, he caught it all on tape. This all happened if you can believe it.. quite surreal. 8:40 p.m. The vast majority of the people involved are very peacefull people. A lot are disabled, some children, some seniors.. Then there are some who look liked they wanted to cause trouble, some with masks over their faces, some without. It's an intersting and dynamic scene. You have a sense you don't really know what is going to happen. In this scene, near the end of the line where you have to turn around, people are being rallied by a woman with a blowhorn. I see this guy in a business suit with his wife clutching her purse trying to pass everyone. He clearly does not belong. So I go try to talk to them.. and I say, what are you doing here. He says that's a good question.... He explains he is with the Michigan Delegation and he's trying to get to the 'X' ... I say he's in the middle of a protest march and at the end of this road is an 8 foot fence and there is no way out. He says, what do we do? I say come with me.. I'm going to try to get you out of here. 8:25 p.m. 10th and Wabasha The cops numbered this crowd at 4,000 people... This was one large march. The group at Mears park marched to the State Capitol where they hooked up with 'Rage Against the Machine" march... They together continued on their march to the Xcel. They went down Cedar from the capitol and were forced to hang a right on 7th street by hundreds of police in riot gear and masks. The protestors marched down 7th near Mickey's Diner and hit a dead end... an 8 foot fence... right across the street is the 'X'... This is the same place protestors marched yesterday and they had to turn around in the 'cage' and go back the way they came. 7:35 p.m. Thousands of protestors are making their way to the Xcel. One of the protestors along the parade route says 'Rage Against the Machine'showed up at the concert and said they had a right to play. When they were denied access to the stage, they went in front of the stage and talked to the concert goers for about 20 minutes... Shortly after, the entire crowd of several thousand people started their march down Cedar to the Xcel Energy Center. Police in riot gear could be seen from all directions. 7:15 p.m. We are at 7th and Cedar in downtown St. Paul. There are so many police officers it's difficult to count them all... What we've heard is the Capitol declined to permit a prescheduled concert from continuing on. 'Rage Against the Machine', a political rap metal band formed in Los Angeles, showed up to perform Tuesday night at the Capitol. After their performance, the crowd of concert goers/protestors planned to march down Cedar to the Xcel Center. However, 'Rage Against the Machine' was not allowed to get on stage and that's when protestors started to march down Cedar. Police declared a code 2, high alert. Officers in riot gear came in from all sides of the intersection at 7th and Cedar to meet the protestors. We'll wait to see what happens. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/violence-breaks.html Violence Breaks Out at Anti-War Protest in St. Paul Email Share September 01, 2008 4:49 PM UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning, police have arrested more than 280 demonstrators throughout the downtown St. Paul area, according to the Associated Press. ABC News' Lindsey Ellerson Reports: Waving signs and chanting in unison "troops out now", thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets of St. Paul Monday for what is the largest anti-war rally scheduled during the week of the Republican Convention. Police estimated a crowd of 8,000-10,000 at the event organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, despite initial predictions that up to 50,000 demonstrators would show up. The gathering kicked off at the State Capitol and soon gathered steam into a large march to the Xcel Energy Center, where Sen. John McCain is scheduled to accept the Republican nomination for president on Thursday. Enthusiastic demonstrators screamed "war isn't the answer!", some inciting violence against police trying to control the march. ?Whose streets? Our streets!? yelled a young demonstrators who clashed with law enforcement. As activists tried to push through police barricades to make their way down to the convention center, it appeared that police were using pepper spray to quell the chaotic activity. "We do believe that some sort of chemical agent was deployed," said a representative from the RNC's Joint Information Center, when asked by ABCNews. Officials are reporting that the protest activity resulted in 13 arrests, seven misdemeanors, two gross misdemeanors and four felonies today. For the latest on Hurricane Gustav, watch "Gustav Storms the Gulf" on a special edition of "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET The St. Paul rally opened peacefully with various speakers addressing the large crowd about what they called atrocities committed by the Bush administration. ?When I say Bush, you say Liar. Bush! Liar! Bush! Liar!?roared the crowd in a call and answer session. ?When I say Cheney, everybody duck!? According to the organizers, the protest was officially endorsed by more than 125 national and local organizations. Jay Marx, an avid activist who spent last week at the DNC in Denver, is visiting St. Paul to support impeachment of President George Bush and represent all forms of freedom. ?There might be various flavors and pieces of justice represented here, but fundamentally, we?re all here to stand for the same peace.? Jerry Krause, a professor at a St. Paul University and member of Veterans for Peace, paraded through the crowd holding a large, bloodied flag. When asked by ABC News if the RNC?s cancellation of evening events, which were scheduled to include President Bush and Vice President Cheney, deterred his desire to protest, Krause replied, ?Bush didn?t cancel the war.? Many activists came to support the cause from miles away. Matthew Jones, a 22 year old student who drove 950 miles to stand up against the Bush administration, was dressed in an orange jumpsuit with a black cloak over his head. ?I am here to represent the political prisoners, people locked in Gitmo without due process and the Iraq war impending Iranian conflict?because I don?t want my daughter to be affected by this capitalistic government, and then be left with nothing.? The rally began at 11a.m. and continued throughout the afternoon. http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/whas11_topstory_080903_UK_students_arrested_GOP.3ebe0d6a.html 2 UK students and advisor released after being arrested during Republican Convention protests 05:13 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Previous Story: 2 UK students part of hundreds arrested Two university of Kentucky journalism students and an advisor are out of jail after getting arrested along with hundreds of others during Republican Convention protests. They are all affiliated with the UK student newspaper - Kentucky Kernel-in Lexington. A photo taken by the Associated Press shows Kentucky kernel photographer Ed Matthews being doused with pepper spray. According to the Kentucky Kernel, Matthews, fellow student Brittney McIntosh, and advisor Jim Winn were all released around noon Wednesday. The newspaper says charges are pending further investigation. The editor of the Kentucky Kernel told WHAS11 News that the three were not rioting. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14450.cfm RNC Protest Organizers Framed on Bogus Conspiracy Charges ? RNC 8 Charged with "Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism" Indymedia Twin Cities, MN, September 3, 2008 Straight to the Source In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002 Minnesota version of the Federal Patriot Act, Ramsey County Prosecutors have formally charged 8 alleged leaders of the RNC Welcoming Committee with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, and Max Spector, face up to 7 1/2 years in prison under the terrorism enhancement charge which allows for a 50% increase in the maximum penalty. Affidavits released by law enforcement which were filed in support of the search warrants used in raids over the weekend, and used to support probable cause for the arrest warrants, are based on paid, confidential informants who infiltrated the RNCWC on behalf of law enforcement. They allege that members of the group sought to kidnap delegates to the RNC, assault police officers with firebombs and explosives, and sabotage airports in St. Paul. Evidence released to date does not corroborate these allegations with physical evidence or provide any other evidence for these allegations than the claims of the informants. Based on past abuses of such informants by law enforcement, the National Lawyers Guild is concerned that such police informants have incentives to lie and exaggerate threats of violence and to also act as provacateurs in raising and urging support for acts of violence. "These charges are an effort to equate publicly stated plans to blockade traffic and disrupt the RNC as being the same as acts of terrorism. This both trivializes real violence and attempts to place the stated political views of the Defendants on trial," said Bruce Nestor, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "The charges represent an abuse of the criminal justice system and seek to intimidate any person organizing large scale public demonstrations potentially involving civil disobedience, he said." The criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege that any of the defendants personally have engaged in any act of violence or damage to property. The complaints list all of alleged violations of law during the last few days of the RNC -- other than violations of human rights carried out by law enforcement -- and seeks to hold the 8 defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals. None of the defendants have any prior criminal history involving acts of violence. Searches conducted in connection with the raids failed to turn up any physical evidence to support the allegations of organized attacks on law enforcement. Although claiming probable cause to believe that gunpowder, acids, and assembled incendiary devices would be found, no such items were seized by police. As a result, police sought to claim that the seizure of common household items such as glass bottles, charcoal lighter, nails, a rusty machete, and two hatchets, supported the allegations of the confidential informants. "Police found what they claim was a single plastic shield, a rusty machete, and two hatchets used in Minnesota to split wood. This doesn't amount to evidence of an organized insurrection, particularly when over 3,500 police are present in the Twin Cities, armed with assault rifles, concussion grenades, chemical weapons and full riot gear," said Nestor. In addition, the National Lawyers Guild has previously pointed out how law enforcement has fabricated evidence such as the claims that urine was seized which demonstrators intended to throw at police. The last time such charges were brought under Minnesota law was in 1918, when Matt Moilen and others organizing labor unions for the Industrial Workers of the World [ed. correction-TCIMC] on the Iron Range were charged with "criminal syndicalism." The convictions, based on allegations that workers had advocated or taught acts of violence, including acts only damaging to property, were upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court. In the light of history, these convictions are widely seen as unjust and a product of political trials. The National Lawyers Guild condemns the charges filed in this case against the above 8 defendants and urges the Ramsey County Attorney to drop all charges of conspiracy in this matter. Source: Bruce Nestor, President Minnesota Chapter of National Lawyers Guild http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14457.cfm Republicans Secured Prior Insurance Coverage to Violate Civil Rights of Protestors at RNC ? Taxpayers Off The Hook For GOP Convention Lawsuits By Ryan J. Foley AP, via Common Dreams, September 4, 2008 Straight to the Source Critics say the agreement has only encouraged police to use aggressive tactics knowing they won't have to pay damages ST. PAUL, Minn. - Taxpayers should be off the hook for any damages stemming from claims of police misconduct related to the Republican National Convention under a first-of-its-kind agreement. The deal required the Republican Party's host committee to buy insurance covering up to $10 million in damages and unlimited legal costs for law enforcement officials accused of brutality, violating civil rights and other misconduct. Other cities who hosted conventions in recent years - including Denver, Boston, New York and Philadelphia - either covered those costs from their general budgets or used tax money to buy insurance policies. But St. Paul officials, led by Mayor Chris Coleman, insisted the committee use its private donations to purchase the insurance policy. They had some leverage because the party had named St. Paul as the location for the convention before striking the city services agreement in January 2007. "The negotiating team, with the mayor's encouragement, took the firm ground that we had to have the police professional liability insurance paid for by someone other than city taxpayers," said City Attorney John Choi. "Ultimately, and reluctantly on the host committee's part, we were able to secure that." The deal could save taxpayers millions. Police have arrested nearly 300 people, and many protesters are threatening lawsuits. New York City still faces more than 400 lawsuits from some of the 1,800 people arrested at the 2004 GOP convention, said Laura Postiglione, a spokeswoman in the city's law department. In St. Paul, some critics say the agreement has only encouraged police to use aggressive tactics knowing they won't have to pay damages. "It's an extraordinary agreement. Now the police have nothing to hold them back from egregious behavior," said Michelle Gross, who leads Communities United Against Police Brutality. She is considering filing suit after being handcuffed and searched last week during a raid of the St. Paul hub of an anarchist group. ? 2008 Associated Press http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523982 Police: Officers showed restraint, patience during RNC protests ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Police packed away body armor, gas masks and pepper spray on Friday -- but not the questions about their tactics during the Republican National Convention. Click here: Media advocates cry foul over journalists' arrests They made more than 800 arrests related to the convention, including nearly 400 on Thursday as protesters blocked traffic on streets and bridges a few blocks from Xcel Energy Center. In Denver, site of the Democratic convention a week earlier, only 152 people were arrested. Hundreds of officers in riot gear -- some on horses -- poured into St. Paul's streets starting on Sunday to hold demonstrators to approved routes and quell disturbances. They used tear gas, pepper spray, percussion grenades and sticks to control protesters who overstayed permits or veered into unauthorized areas. Police Chief John Harrington said the 3,700 officers who worked the event showed patience and moved in when they had to. He said they focused on people they expected to cross the line into property damage or violence, and tried to contain other protesters without trampling on their free speech rights. "Nothing burned in downtown St. Paul," Harrington said. "No one was injured in downtown St. Paul. With the exception of one or two windows, downtown St. Paul remained open for business." But protesters and some observers said the show of force raised the tension level. "You could literally go nowhere without being confronted by a Robocop in the most intimidating, threatening gear, who wouldn't give you directions, who wouldn't do anything except threaten you and tell you to move, move, move," said Dianne Mathiowetz, an anti-war activist from Atlanta. Some showed injuries they said were caused by rubber bullets or rough handling during arrest. Those caught up in chaotic mass arrests included journalists, legal observers and others who hadn't intended to commit civil disobedience -- including two Associated Press reporters and an AP photographer. On Friday, an attorney for The Associated Press sent Harrington a letter asking for an accounting of police treatment of photographers Matt Rourke and Evan Vucci. Rourke was wearing AP credentials when he was arrested Monday while covering protest violence in downtown St. Paul, and was held for 10 hours before being released. The ACLU of Minnesota is preparing to coordinate legal representation for some protesters, and is looking into the use of chemical irritants and mass arrests as it prepares a possible lawsuit against the city, executive director Chuck Samuelson said. Another group of six protesters held a news conference Friday to show bruises, scratches and other injuries. Two said they planned to sue and others said they were contemplating legal action. Pre-emptive arrests before the convention and the aggressive look of riot police heightened fear and anger among the protesters, said Demi Miller, who walked the demonstrations as a member of the Peace Team, a group in yellow vests that sought to defuse tensions. Miller said the law enforcement strategy changed from day to day. On Tuesday, the day after nearly 300 people were arrested during scattered acts of violence on the convention's opening day, police prevented the band Rage Against the Machine from playing at a free concert on the Capitol grounds. Hundreds of angry concertgoers joined an anti-poverty march that had just come down the street. "Suddenly we had this huge group of really enraged or upset people energized to go screaming into downtown with the poor people's march," Miller said. By the end of the evening, 10 were arrested and police fired pepper spray and percussion grenades to disperse those who lingered after the march broke up. But the officers also showed restraint. In some cases, they waited for hours and took verbal abuse. They gave several dispersal warnings before using more drastic tactics. During a peaceful standoff on Thursday night at the intersection of John Ireland Boulevard and Rice Street near the Capitol, one man agitated the crowd by roaming through the protesters and swearing at them. After about an hour, police suddenly moved to arrest him. Then one officer used a bullhorn to tell protesters not to worry, that they were only arresting the man causing trouble. "Continue to speak your minds," the officer told the crowd. Protesters cheered and clapped. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.startribune.com/politics/27736044.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX Estimated 10,000 protesters march on convention in St. Paul: Antiwar demonstrators marched today from the State Capitol to the site of the Republican National Convention, despite the big-name cancellations, and following an earlier march by a smaller group. The ad hoc group of protesters departed early from the Capitol and were met near the Xcel Energy Center, site of the convention, by counter-demonstrators and under the watch of police. Two news media photographers apparently caught pepper spray from law enforcement. Protest organizers said their passion remains strong even though President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are skipping their convention speeches because of Hurricane Gustav. Police put the initial number of marchers at about 10,000 as the formal trek from the Capitol began this afternoon. "There's far too few people here," said Lennie Major, a teacher from Mounds View. "We should have 10 times this many. This will only be a blip." http://www.myantiwar.org/view/161171.html Mass show of peaceful dissent soon makes a violent descent Richard Sennott, Star Tribune Police arrest a group of protesters along Shepard Road in St Paul. By CURT BROWN, Star Tribune Last update: September 2, 2008 - 12:08 PM Bolstered by emergency help from the Minnesota National Guard, police in St. Paul arrested 284 people Monday after outbreaks of violence and road obstructions linked to rogue bands of demonstrators among an otherwise peaceful throng estimated at 10,000 people. The demonstrations, on a steamy first day of the Republican National Convention, began with block after block of marchers -- far fewer than the 50,000 some had predicted -- chanting and peacefully waving signs on downtown St. Paul's narrow streets. As the day wore on, the carnival atmosphere turned ugly. Before most of the demonstrators had finished their march, a few hundred protesters splintered off and became confrontational and sometimes violent. Some smashed windows at Macy's and a downtown bank building. Others challenged police by blocking roads. Late Monday, authorities said 130 of the 284 people arrested may face felony charges. Dozens were pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed. One police officer was punched in the back, and another suffered from heat exhaustion. St. Paul emergency rooms reported nine minor injuries and several heat-related cases. Hundreds of police officers, sweltering in heavy riot gear, swept in to block streets and protect delegate buses. About 3 p.m., St. Paul police requested help from 150 National Guard troops. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said officers showed restraint as a small number of law-breaking demonstrators marred an otherwise peaceful day of free speech. "Their efforts were nothing short of heroic," Coleman said. "They did not fail. They did not take the bait." But observers from the National Lawyers Guild took issue with police action. "We think it's unconscionable. We think it's out of control," said Gina Berglund, an attorney and legal observer coordinator for the guild's Minnesota chapter. "The response by the police was completely out of proportion with what they were faced with." St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said the troublemakers came from a half-dozen loosely organized groups totaling up to 180 people, a small fraction of Monday's turnout. Some delegates attacked Members of the Connecticut and Alabama delegations reported being attacked at one point by protesters. Connecticut delegate Rob Simmons told KMSP-TV that protesters tried to rip the credentials off delegates' necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes. One 80-year-old delegate was treated for injuries, and several others had to rinse their eyes and clothing. Also, retired Alabama Supreme Court Judge Terry Butts said about 100 protesters approached a delegation bus and one threw a brick through a window. Butts said the bus driver suffered cuts. A cross-section of dissent Protesters had come from across the state and the country for what was expected to be the week's largest demonstration. They marched after a noon rally at the State Capitol, snaking down a route that circled in front of the Xcel Energy Center as delegates arrived for a session cut short by Hurricane Gustav. Cu Nyugen, a Vietnamese native who lives in Minneapolis, brought his 12-year-old daughter, Mai, on the eve of her first day of sixth grade. "It's important for the younger generation to see and learn about different points of view," Nyugen said. Marie Williams, 77, of Minneapolis, carried a "Dissent Is Patriotic" placard. "I started coming to protests with Paul Wellstone," she said. Some were disappointed by the turnout, wondering if the 90-degree heat, aggressive police and President Bush's cancellation thinned the crowd. "I'm disappointed -- this is far too few people," said Lennie Major, a teacher from Mounds View. "We needed 10 times this many to make an impact; this will only be a blip." Escalating violence Harrington said the first illegal salvo happened about 11 a.m., when a Dumpster was shoved into an occupied squad car on W. 7th Street. "I'm not sure how anyone can say that's protest," Harrington said. The peaceful mood started to change after 1:30 p.m., when several groups broke off and began resisting police. The biggest showdown occurred about 5:30 p.m., when police in riot gear cornered about 80 protesters near the Mississippi River below the Minnesota Science Museum. Daniel Streltz, a freelance photographer, said the protesters sat down when police ordered them to disperse. By early evening, police had arrested most of them. About 3 p.m., about 250 people locked arms to block delegate buses near Robert Street and Kellogg Boulevard. They were in a standoff with 100 police officers, and authorities warned them to disperse. Minutes later, when the group refused to move, officers tossed in a dozen tear-gas canisters, prompting the crowd to retreat. Some demonstrators then attempted to line the street with obstacles. Witnesses said police also used concussion grenades and smoke bombs. "Most of [the demonstrators] were pretty good," said CarolLee Folsom, a bystander who used to work for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. "But you don't know what any of these people are going to do. And they warned them, so anybody that wanted to get out could have gotten out." Demonstrator Andrew Sigmundik, 18, disagreed, saying that the police went overboard and that he witnessed "one guy in a wheelchair getting Maced and some other people getting hit by police batons. "Nobody was trying to cause destruction or violence," he said. "The idea was to just block the streets. We were just trying to disrupt the delegation, and I think we succeeded." At about 2 p.m., protesters dropped bent nails into the intersection at 6th and Wacouta Streets. A group of more than 200 tossed garbage cans and newspaper kiosks into the road. A few marchers broke off and threw objects, shattering three windows in a bank building at 4th and Minnesota Streets. Others continued up 6th, pursued by more than a dozen slow-moving police cars. A few officers walked in front of the cars, clearing the barriers the marchers had thrown in the street. By the time they reached 6th and Cedar, many of the marchers began to disperse. Some smashed three windows at Macy's. One person jumped up and down a few times on the roof of a parked police car before breaking its windows. An alternative broadcaster, "Democracy Now" host Amy Goodman, was among an estimated 40 people arrested about 5 p.m. near the corner of 8th and Jackson. She was arrested as she tried to prevent the arrests of two colleagues, a producer for her show said. Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke also was arrested when he was swept up with a group of protesters. He was released without charges. Staff writers Randy Furst, Anthony Lonetree, Heron Marquez Estrada, Maria Elena Baca, Tony Kennedy, Paul McEnroe, H.J,. Cummins, Rodrigo Zamith, Pat Pheifer, Allie Shah, Richard Meryhew, Kevin Giles, Thomas Lee, David Shaffer, Jean Hopfensperger and Pam Louwagie contributed to this report, along with the Associated Press. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/02/america/NA-US-Convention-Protests.php Some turn violent in US convention protests The Associated Press Published: September 2, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minnesota: Demonstrations near the Republican National Convention site turned violent, as protesters harassed some delegates, smashed windows, slashed car tires and threw bottles. Police using pepper spray arrested more than 250 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site where the Republican Party was starting its four-day meeting. And many of those involved in the more violent activities identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. These protesters, some clad in black, were operating on the streets in addition to a peaceful anti-war march, wreaking havoc by damaging property and setting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pockets of a neighborhood near downtown, several blocks from where the convention was taking place. The main anti-war march was peaceful, police said, estimating about 10,000 people participated. Late Monday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. Members of the Connecticut delegation to the convention said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Center, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came toward his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes. One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported. Five people were arrested for lighting a trash bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. Of the arrestees, 119 faced possible felony charges, authorities said. At least four journalists were among those detained, including Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a nationally syndicated public radio and TV news program. Goodman was intervening on behalf of two producers for her program, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, when she was arrested, said Mike Burke, another producer. St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said Rourke was held on a gross misdemeanor riot charge. Goodman was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, Ramsey County sheriff's spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said. Neither Walsh nor Drinkwine had information on the other two journalists. The anti-war march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organizers of the march. About 20 people dressed in black tried to block a key intersection. Police quickly broke up the group, then shot two tear gas canisters at them as the fled. Pictures taken by Associated Press photographers showed officers using pepper spray on people who appeared to be trying to block streets. Up to 200 people from various groups marched in a noisy "Funk the War" march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some individuals smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big trash bin into the street, bent the rearview mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. One member of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." The group chanted: "Whose streets? Our streets!" At one point, people pushed a trash bin filled with trash and threw garbage in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tire of a limousine waiting at an intersection and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped at an intersection. The bottle smashed into pieces but didn't appear to damage the bus. After the official march ended, police spent hours dispersing smaller groups of protesters, employing officers on horses, smoke bombs and pepper spray. Protesters put eye drops in each other's eyes after police used chemical irritants. Some wore bandanas and masks to protect themselves. Protesters were seen lying on an interstate exit ramp to block traffic in downtown St. Paul and linking arms to block other roads. Terry Butts, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who is a convention delegate, was on a bus taking delegates to the arena when a brick thrown through a window sprayed glass on him and two others. Butts said he wasn't hurt. "It just left us a little shaken," he said. "It was sort of a frightening moment because it could have been a bomb or a Molotov cocktail." ___ Associated Press writers Ryan J. Foley, Martiga Lohn and Jon Krawczynski in St. Paul and Desiree Hunter in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080902/pl_politico/13067 Two delegations attacked by protesters Bob Shaw - St. Paul Pioneer Press, Tom Webb - St. Paul Pioneer Press Bob Shaw - St. Paul Pioneer Press, Tom Webb - St. Paul Pioneer Press ? Mon Sep 1, 9:24 pm ET Featured Topics: Protesters harassed two state delegations in St. Paul to attend the Republican National Convention Monday. Someone threw a rock through the window as delegates from Alabama rode their bus to the Xcel Energy Center, where Republican National Convention events took place. And masked protesters confronted and harassed the Connecticut delegation ? several of them were spat upon, roughed up and doused with a mixture of water and bleach. Heath Fahle, director of the Connecticut Republicans, said the incident happened on Kellogg Boulevard about 2 p.m. ?It was frightening,? he said. He said the delegation of more than 100 got off their chartered buses near the Xcel Energy Center. As they walked on the sidewalk, a group of masked protestors chanting anti-war slogans appeared in front of them. They linked arms, attempting to create a human barricade. As police on horseback arrived, Fahle and other members of the group tried to push through. Most of them escaped unscathed, but the protesters splattered the last group of delegates with the liquid. ?Two got doused, and several more got sprayed with it,? said Fahle. Former Rep. Rob Simmons was hit on the face with the liquid. Delegate Rob Simmons was outraged. ?We were attacked by a mob,? he said. ?We were subjected to violent and anarchist behavior by a bunch of thugs." Fahle said two people were spat upon: Lila Healy, the mother of Connecticut party chairman Chris Healy; and 83-year-old Fred Biebel. Beibel was reportedly shoved, and his credentials were torn off. One protester grabbed the purse of the state party finance director, who tussled with the protester to save it. ?They had cameras, backpacks and bandanas covering their faces. They were prepared for pepper spray or whatever,? said Fahle. According to the St. Paul Joint Information Center, the liquid was shown to be diluted bleach and salt. About 1 p.m., a rock was thrown through the windshield of a delegate bus carrying Alabama delegates to the Xcel center. It penetrated the windshield, and shattered glass on the bus driver, cutting him and sending glass on several delegates. One of those showered with glass was retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Terry Butts. ?They were dressed all in black, black pajamas, kind of a black hat and mask on, except for their eyes ? a Ninja look,? Butts said. He said about 30 protesters swarmed the bus. The area was supposed to be secured, he said, ?but this was a breech in security, obviously.? Police intercepted the protesters, and the protesters swarmed the police. At that point, one of the protesters threw a very large rock, according to Butts. ?I happened to be sitting in the front seat right behind the bus driver, and it literally hit eye level between the bus driver and myself,? he said. Another Alabama delegate, Randy McKinney, was also on the bus. He attributed the attack to ?a couple dozen Ninja-wannabes, and I didn't see any taxpayers in the group.? Suze Butts, wife of the retired justice, added: ?Be sure to point out that we know they weren't from Minnesota. We are just enthralled with Minnesota.? Bob Shaw and Tom Webb are political writers for The St. Paul Pioneer Press. Politico and the Pioneer Press are sharing content for the 2008 election cycle and during the Republican National Convention. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523573 RNC protestors raise signs, voices in opposition The State Capitol has long been the epicenter of Minnesota politics, but rarely has the discourse been as loud or impassioned as the voices carrying across the grounds Monday afternoon. For two hours speakers from a number of activist organizations took the stage, assailing what they call the failed policies of the Bush administration, and trying to link them to Republican Nominee John McCain. "The working class and the middle class are being completely misrepresented, and the RNC needs to hear that people are angry," opined 23 year old Duluth resident Chelsa Nelson after the speakers had finished. She was one of an estimated ten thousand or more that marched down Cedar Street en route to the Xcel Energy Center, site of the RNC. Most of the signs dealt directly with the war in Iraq, and the moral, political, and financial objections of protest groups. "This war has really got to end, it's the worst thing to ever happened in American foreign policy. Unbelievably stupid," said veteran protester Mark DeZiel. "You've got people who are diverse in their philosophies, what they're coming here for, but we're all against the war." Organizers of the march on the Republican National Convention estimated there would be a crowd of 50,000 people. According to the official numbers from the Minnesota State Patrol and Capitol police, the crowd numbered approximately 10,000 people. They marched from the capitol grounds to as close to the Xcel Energy Center as they could get. Along the way, police mobile field forces dressed in riot gear blocked roads as protesters and marchers passed by. For the number of people, this large, organized protest remained relatively peaceful. "We think it's time for a change and?we're here to support everything that's going to be happening," says Marta McIntyre of Roseville. "I am not in favor of the war. I believe that it's about time that we should stop," says Denisse Spencer, who marched among the crowd through downtown St. Paul. By Dana Thiede, KARE 11 News http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/8794AAB60E17CE6E862574B700164C4D?OpenDocument ST. PAUL, MINN. 01/09/2008 Police arrested nine people taking part in an antiwar march at the Republican National Convention on Sunday after they crossed a security fence into a restricted area near Xcel Energy Center. The nine were arrested for trespassing, said Doug Holtz, a St. Paul police commander. Eight of the nine protesters were taken away in handcuffs. The ninth, a 78-year-old nun, was not cuffed. The protesters had planned ahead of time to cross the fence, and organizers had announced it ahead of the march, which drew about 250 people. http://www.wtov9.com/politics/17362028/detail.html?rss=steu&psp=nationalnews#- Protests Turn Violent Amid RNC's Open Police Estimate Crowd At 8,000 To 10,000 Monday, September 1, 2008 ? updated: 8:54 pm EDT September 1, 2008 As Republicans began their shortened convention, thousands of protesters rallied outside on nearby streets. Convention organizers scaled back their agenda, but 8,000 to 10,000 protesters went ahead with their march, mostly peaceful. However, some protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles during an anti-war march to the site of the RNC. Police used pepper spray in confrontations with demonstrators and arrested at least 56 people. ( Watch: Police, protesters clash outside RNC. | Read: Reporter's notebook of protester chaos.) Instead of the single coherent march that organizers had hoped for, fringe groups of anarchists and others wrought havoc along the streets between the state Capitol and the Xcel Energy Center where the convention was taking place. Protesters attempted to block several main bridges and streets leading to the center. Police were positioned to stop protesters and push them back. The clashes brought parts of St. Paul's downtown to standstill for about two hours. Five people were arrested on suspicion of lighting a trash bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. About 20 anarchists who had allegedly started the trash bin on fire later tried to block the intersection of St. Peter and Exchange streets. Police quickly dispersed the group, then shot two tear gas canisters at the fleeing anarchists. Pictures taken by Associated Press photographers showed officers using pepper spray on protesters who appeared to be trying to block streets. "There are people who are committing violations of law and they're being arrested," Walsh said. About 200 people from a group called Funk the War noisily staged their own separate march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some of their members smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big trash bin into the street, bent the rearview mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. One man who seemed to be the leader of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." The group chanted: "Whose streets? Our streets!" Meanwhile, a group of about 100 anarchists pushed a trash bin filled with trash and threw garbage in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tire of a limousine waiting at an intersection and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped at an intersection. The bottle smashed into pieces but didn't appear to damage the bus. Closely following the anarchists were teams of riot officers carrying batons, rifles and guns that could be used to shoot tear gas. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. The crowd was clearly in the thousands. Late this afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. The day's march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family-friendly march. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which wasn't among the organizers of the march. http://www.wtov9.com/politics/17362087/detail.html#- Notebook: Police, RNC Protesters Clash Reporter's Notebook: 'Chaos' Can Be Reality Jeff Parsons, Senior Director of News Monday, September 1, 2008 ? updated: 11:09 pm EDT September 1, 2008 ST. PAUL -- As I made my way toward the Xcel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention just got under way, I came across several blocked streets in downtown St. Paul. At one intersection, protestors collapsed to the ground to block a tour bus. Police used plastic zip ties to detain those protestors. The streets quickly reopened. The stand-offs with police appeared almost routine. No doubt police on duty here in St. Paul this week took part in riot training. ( Protesters Detained Near RNC | Read: Protests Turn Violent Amid RNC's Open) But that was just the beginning of an afternoon where I found myself blinded by the effects of tear gas and trapped inside a protest group of thousands. That particular duel between police and protesters started at the intersection of Kellogg Boulevard and Wabasha Street, about two blocks from where RNC delegates started their official business on the first day of their convention. As I walked toward the stand-off, I heard the loud beating of drums and saw police standing strong in iron-clad formation. They stood in a pose ready for battle. There were police in riot gear, police on horseback and police inside their cars. I noticed police lined up arm and arm and starting to slowly reposition along the side of Kellogg Boulevard. They were attempting to keep the protesters off the street. The protesters were undeterred, though. They kept moving along Kellogg Boulevard as much as 10 yards in front of police. I kept trying to move ahead of the 5 to 10 yards that separated the front lines of police and protesters. Everyone moved step-by-step toward another major intersection two blocks away at Robert Street. Midway through the two-block standoff, protesters seemed to start more dramatic taunting of police with words and physical challenges. In the video I shot, you?ll see a woman holding a single yellow flower. She moved out of the protest group toward police in riot gear. They answered with appears to be tear gas. ( Police, Protesters Clash Outside RNC) I watched that through my camera lens but quickly started to feel the effects. My eyes teared up. My forehead and cheeks began to burn. I felt a choking feeling from the gas. For no significant reason a few hours before, I stuck several paper napkins from lunch inside my camera bag. I grabbed them to cover my mouth and nose. It was still difficult to breath. I was at least 10 to 15 yards from that confrontation. For a moment, my fear surfaced as I wondered if I was trapped in the middle. But, as a news person, I felt compelled to stay in place. We never know when inflamed situations like this burst into full riots. I took a moment to wipe the tears from my eyes? and kept recording. Seconds later, I watched through my camera as another young protester taunted police. He surged once but retreated. He surged again but was captured in the grips of police. For the next five to 10 minutes, protesters rallied. They pulled barricades into the street and stopped cars at that intersection of Robert and Kellogg. I turned quickly to see one passing car hit with what appeared to be green paint. I?m not clear who threw that. No, this was not the out-of-control protests from the 1960s. But it was a highly tense time for St. Paul Monday? and a scary time to be a reporter caught in the middle. Oddly enough, just hours before, a co-worker said a police officer told her that ?the city is in chaos.? At the time, I chuckled. After my experience, I should have taken the warning more seriously. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/01/uselections2008.republicans2008?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews Protestors march at GOP convention to denounce Iraq war ? Groups walked mile-and-a-half rout in protest ? 'Let our troops win' group conducts counter protest ? 8,000-10,000 took part in peaceful march ? Daniel Nasaw in St Paul ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 September 2008 21.32 BST ? Article history Carlos Arredondo takes part in a march against the Iraq war in St Paul, Minnesota. Arredondo?s son was killed in the war. Photograph: Eric Thayer/Getty Images Thousands of anti-war protesters marched on the site of the Republican convention in St Paul today, in an effort to force John McCain and the Republican party to confront lingering popular opposition to the US engagement in Iraq. The protesters were a diverse coalition of veterans of wars in Iraq and Vietnam, pink-clad feminists, shaggy-headed anarchists, a group of "grandmothers against the war," and more than 130 other liberal groups. Although united in their opposition to the continued presence of the war in Iraq, they marched for causes as diverse as better pay for firefighters and less restrictive immigration policies. The Republican party staunchly supports the US presence in Iraq. John McCain, an early backer of the war and a proponent of the recent surge in US troops there, has said he will withdraw US troops only as conditions on the ground permit. Democratic nominee Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw US combat forces within 16 months. Under a bright clear sky, the largely peaceful protesters walked a roughly mile-and-a-half route from the state capital building to the Xcel Energy Centre, were convention proceedings are being held. The overwhelming demand, heard from speakers at the rally preceding the march and in chants along the parade route, was that the US invest the roughly $12bn per month it spends in Iraq on pressing domestic priorities like healthcare and education. "There are so many things going wrong in this country, certainly the war in Iraq, but on the domestic front, healthcare is in shambles," said Katherine Fuchs, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "I really don't see how we can allow political parties to have essentially a party without raining on their parade a little bit and reminding them that all is not hunky-dory." Stefan Haire of Los Angeles said, "We're tired of fighting a war while we are tripping over homeless people." He and three friends wore pastel-coloured sailor hats adorned with anti-war messages. The protesters beat drums, danced, and carried giant puppets and effigies of McCain, Bush, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, one of the architects of the war in Iraq. The Republican party cancelled much of today's activity in order to allow its members to focus on dealing with hurricane Gustav on the Gulf of Mexico. But as the march neared the convention site, they were met by a small group of counter-protesters demanding "let our troops win" in Iraq. "The war goes on Iraq everyday, and thousands and thousands of people made plans to be here," said Jess Sundin, a march organiser. "We will bring our message to the delegates that are here today and those that are coming along later I'm sure will hear all about it. Our united goal is to stop the war in Iraq, but we're linking that with our understanding of the need to spend money on human needs instead of war, to demand peace, justice and equality, and say no to the Republican agenda." Stickers and shirts emblazoned with Barack Obama's image, name and campaign slogans were aplenty among the marchers, although the Democratic party was not among the official organisers. March leaders had obtained a permit for 50,000 protesters. Police estimated the crowd at between 8,000 and 10,000. Compared to the Democratic convention last week in Denver, where protesters were largely confined to pens known as "freedom cages", St Paul was more welcoming. Demonstrators converged and mingled freely on the grounds of the state capital building, and police cleared streets along the parade route to accommodate them. Fearsome looking officers in full black riot gear guarded intersections to ensure the crowd stayed along the permitted route, but save of isolated clashes with young rioters who broke a few shop windows and caused minor mayhem, officers and demonstrators stayed clear of one another. Police arrested at least five people, including some who lit a dumpster on fire and pushed it into a police car. Among the protesters Monday was Melida Arredondo, who pulled a mock coffin draped with an American flag behind her. Her stepson Alexander, a Marine, was killed in 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. "I am very much angered, as a gold star mom, that John McCain is saying that he will continue the occupation of Iraq to vindicate the fact that my son was killed there," she said. "My son loved the Iraqi people, believed in the Iraqi people, was fed by the Iraqi people and he would not want the occupation to continue." http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=8932933 Some protests turn violent Associated Press - September 1, 2008 4:53 PM ET ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Some protests near the site of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, have turned violent. Police say protesters smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles during an anti-war march. Police used pepper spray in some confrontations with demonstrators and arrested five. They're accused of setting fire to a trash bin and pushing it into a police car. Police estimate there were 8,000 to 10,000 protesters. Instead of the single coherent march that organizers had hoped for, fringe groups raised havoc along the streets between the state Capitol and the Xcel Energy Center where the convention is taking place. The arrests occurred several blocks from the arena. Some marchers smashed windows of cars and stores, tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a trash bin into the street, bent the rear view mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone garbage bins on the sidewalks. They were followed by teams of riot officers carrying batons, rifles and guns that could be used to shoot tear gas. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523701 Protesters vow to continue, police hope for peace ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Self-described anarchists vowed Tuesday to hit the streets of St. Paul every day this week, even as police were hoping for calm after violence near the site of the Republican convention led to more than 280 arrests. "We are excited about what the next few days may bring now that the illusion of business as usual has been shattered," said Rose DaBarr, spokeswoman for a group called the RNC Welcoming Committee. About 10,000 people marched Monday in an anti-war protest, most of them walking peacefully on a route from the state Capitol to the convention arena, Xcel Energy Center, and back. A splinter group that police estimated at about 200 people was blamed for attacking delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire. Another march on Tuesday organized by a different group, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Committee, was going ahead as planned. "We are not going to be stopped," said the group's spokeswoman, Cheri Honkala. She said their march would deviate from the permitted path to go by the county jail, where some of the people arrested Monday remained. Honkala also promised multiple acts of civil disobedience. Police said they were ready. "We are prepared for this type of activity to continue all week, although we certainly hope that the violence is done and the rest of the week will be peaceful," said Minneapolis Police Capt. Amelia Huffman. Minneapolis is one of many agencies working with St. Paul on security. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman called on protesters to "engage in proper political dialogue." "We will send a very loud and clear message to those who choose to break the law and endanger the safety of others," he said. "We will pursue you, and we will not let this stand." Authorities said 130 of those arrested faced possible felony charges. At least four of those arrested were journalists who were later released. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she expected her office to consider charges on Tuesday against those arrested. She said she couldn't speculate on how long they would be held before having a chance to post bail. The anti-war march was organized by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by the RNC Welcoming Committee, which wasn't among the organizers of the march. The violent protests in St. Paul were a contrast with a relatively peaceful Democratic convention in Denver, where only 152 people were arrested during the four-day convention and the preceding weekend. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/259119/RNC_Convention_Protesters_and_Journalists_Alike_Beware_Of_Police RNC Convention: Protesters and Journalists Alike Beware Of Police Published Sep 2, 2008, by ? Sadiq Green Join our team to voice opinions, share images, get paid to report news and more! Listen Email Print Subscribe to author Save as mp3 | Speech-enabled by ReadSpeaker Related News From the blogs 'Barack The Magic Negro' CD Causes Quite The Stir Within The RNC RNC Chair Distances Himself From Controversial CD Fascist state tactics at RNC? RNC Convention: Protesters and Journalists Alike Beware Of Police by Sadiq Green. The peaceful tone the RNC Convention turned into on day one inside of the Xcel Center in Minnesota apparently did not reach outside. The Minneapolis police used physical force to subdue what they called violent protesters and at least three journalists. Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com As the Republican Party convened the opening day of its convention turned telethon, protesters turned violent in the streets surrounding the convention hall, as DJ?s own SueD reported. When police intervened, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, who were being unlawfully detained while attempting to carry out their journalistic duties covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman, one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists in the United States, was clearly credentialed at the time of her arrest. She appears to be guilty of defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press. According to the Democracy Now! website, all three were released late Monday night. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of Felony Riot, while Goodman is charged with Obstruction. Consequently, another Democracy Now! reporter, Elizabeth Press, was detained during one of the preemptive house raids over the weekend. The arrests of Goodman, Kouddous, Salazar and hordes of protesters, continues a recent trend of police in riot gear at conventions, Democratic and Republican alike, to subdue protesters and media. This began in 2004 at the DNC convention in Boston, where police set up a designated free speech zone for protesters, limiting where and when protesters could exercise their first amendment rights. Police arrested an ABC producer for filming video of Democratic Senators and donors leaving a private meeting in Denver during last weeks DNC convention. Asa Eslocker was charged with trespassing, failure to follow a lawful order, and interference with a police officer. Since his release ABC is demanding that all charges be dropped. In New York City, site of the RNC Convention of 2004, a 10,000 strong uniformed police force in full riot gear, body armor, equipped with submachine guns and rifles were deployed to the areas surrounding Madison Square Garden. 2004 was the first year of a Department of Homeland Security directive designating both conventions as National Special Security Events. This years conventions also carry that designation, so it is no surprise this is occuring. It will be interesting to see what day two has in store. The Convention should take on a more traditional tone with the Hurricane not being as devastating as was feared. President Bush is already scheduled to address the convention via sattelite from the White House. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2008/09/02/scores-arrested-in-us-anti-war-protest-91466-21654524/ Scores arrested in US anti-war protest Sep 2 2008 WalesOnline Demonstrations near the Republican National Convention site turned violent as protesters harassed delegates, smashed windows, slashed car tyres and hurled bottles. Police using pepper spray arrested more than 250 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Centre convention site in St Paul, Minnesota, where the Republicans were starting the four-day meeting. Many of those involved in the more violent activities identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. These protesters, clad in black, were operating on the streets in addition to a mostly peaceful anti-war march, wreaking havoc by damaging property and starting at least one fire. Most of the trouble was in pocket of a neighbourhood near downtown St Paul, several streets from where the convention was taking place. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. Yesterday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups. Members of the Connecticut delegation said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the Xcel Centre, KMSP-TV reported. Delegate Rob Simmons told the station that a group of protesters came towards his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks and sprayed them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes. One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing, the station reported. Five people were arrested for setting a rubbish bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. Of those arrested, 119 faced possible felony charges, authorities said. At least four journalists were among those detained, including Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a nationally-syndicated public radio and TV news programme. Ms Goodman was intervening on behalf of two producers for her programme, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, when she was arrested, said Mike Burke, another producer. St Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said Mr Rourke was held on a gross misdemeanour riot charge. Mr Goodman was arrested on a misdemeanour charge, Ramsey County sheriff?s spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine said. Neither Mr Walsh nor Ms Drinkwine had information on the other two journalists. The anti-war march was organised by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family-friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-styled anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organisers of the march. About 20 people dressed in black tried to block a key junction. Police quickly dispersed the group, then fired two tear gas canisters at them as they fled. Up to 200 people from a group called Funk the War noisily staged their own march. Wearing black clothes, bandanas and gas masks, some of their members smashed windows of cars and stores. They tipped over newspaper boxes, pulled a big rubbish bin into the street, bent the rear-view mirrors on a bus and flipped heavy stone bins on the pavements. One member of the group carried a yellow flag with the motto ?Don?t Tread on Me?. The group chanted: ?Whose streets? Our streets!? At one point, people pushed a bin and threw rubbish in the streets and at cars. They also took down orange detour road signs. One of them used a screwdriver to puncture the back tyre of a limousine waiting at a junction and threw a wooden board at the vehicle, denting its side. Another hurled a glass bottle at a charter bus that had stopped. After the official march ended, police spent hours dispersing smaller groups of protesters, employing officers on horses, smoke bombs and tear gas. Protesters put eye drops in each other?s eyes after police used chemical irritants such as pepper spray and tear gas. Some wore bandanas and masks to protect themselves. Protesters were seen lying on an interstate exit ramp to block traffic in downtown St Paul and linking arms to block other roads. Terry Butts, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who is a convention delegate, was on a bus taking delegates to the arena when a brick through the window sprayed glass on him and two others. ?It just left us a little shaken,? he said. ?It was sort of a frightening moment because it could have been a bomb or a Molotov cocktail.? http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35875 Boston Father of Fallen Marine Leads Protest Submitted by Chip on Mon, 2008-09-08 04:50. ? Activism ? General Discussion ? Nonviolent Resistance ? Organizing Locally Boston father of fallen Marine leads protest By Brian Bender | Boston.com The father of a Boston Marine killed in Iraq led thousands of antiwar protesters in a boisterous but largely peaceful demonstration outside the Republican National Convention, while riot police and National Guardsmen clashed separately with a collection of small fringe groups that smashed windows and damaged public property. Police using pepper spray arrested a total of at least 56 people. In one dust-up, police fired what appeared to be tear gas canisters to disperse a dozen members of the so-called RNC Welcoming Committee, a self-described anarchist group that has vowed to shut down this week's events and was targeted in police searches over the weekend that resulted in six arrests. Elsewhere, members of another group called Funk the War smashed the windows of storefronts and cars trying to enter the tight security perimeter. But the scene outside the convention on the opening day was largely a cacophony of peaceful voices - many of them supporters of Democrat Barack Obama - calling for an end to the war in Iraq and linking Republican presidential candidate John McCain with the policies of the Bush administration. Leading the throng of up to 10,000 marchers was Carlos Arredondo of Boston. He pushed a flag-draped coffin bearing the uniform, dog tags, and Purple Heart of his 20-year-old son Alexander, a Marine lance corporal who was killed in Iraq in 2004. "All these people know what this is about: ending this war," Arredondo, who drove from Boston with his wife, Melida, said as he motioned to the sea of people marching from the Minnesota State Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center. Arredondo grabbed national headlines when he clambered inside the van of the Marines who came to inform him of his son's death and then set the vehicle on fire. He suffered severe burns. Since then, he has become a high-profile member of Military Families Speak Out, a nonpartisan antiwar group, and has traveled to at least 25 states. Yesterday's march was organized by The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, a collection of antiwar groups. Along with the Arredondos, dozens of Iraq veterans marched at the front of the crowd, including about 10 from the Boston chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, who tried unsuccessfully to meet earlier in the day with representatives of the McCain campaign to air their concerns. Michael Spinnato, 24, of Mission Hill, is a student at the University of Massachusetts who was a machine gunner in Iraq and decided to miss the start of classes to participate. "I listened to what President Bush had to say," he said. "I believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, I believed the connections to Al Qaeda. I feel betrayed." Liam Madden, 24, of Boston, who is co-chairman of the group's board of directors, said he hoped the rally would impel Americans to take greater action, saying he believes voting against McCain won't be enough. "We think it is about time that the people of this country realize that it is not just voting that will end this war," said Madden. "It's about people participating by turning off the TV. Obama is repackaging the same occupation, not ending it." Yet while the main message yesterday was the need to end the US military involvement in Iraq, there was also a political one: that McCain will bring the same policies as President Bush. Amid cheers and catcalls at a morning rally on the grounds of the State Capitol, a pair billed as Mr. Bush and Ms. McCain were married in a mock ceremony. The crowd represented a broad cross-section, including veterans, students, teachers, nurses, mothers with their children, and senior citizens. Sister Eunice Antony, 72, of St. Joseph, Minn., a member of the Benedictine order, waved a placard saying "No to War" and "No to Torture." "I believe the war is immoral," she said. "It bankrupts us financially and spiritually." http://www.wbir.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=63098&provider=rss Protestors outside Republican National Convention turn violent The Associated Press Updated: 9/1/2008 9:45:40 PM Posted: 9/1/2008 9:44:27 PM Some protests outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, have turned violent. Protesters attacked delegates, smashed windows, punctured car tires and threw bottles. It was a violent counterpoint to an otherwise peaceful anti-war march. Police wielding pepper spray arrested at least 56 people. The trouble happened not far from the Xcel Energy Center convention site. Many of those involved in the more violent protest were clad in black and identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. Police estimates of the crowd shifted several times during the event, ranging from 2,000 to 10,000. The crowd was clearly in the thousands. Late Monday afternoon, long after the anti-war marchers had dispersed, police requested and got 150 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to help control splinter groups near downtown. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523340 First big protest of the RNC underway in Minneapolis The first of the big protests planned for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul kicked off Friday night at Loring Park in Minneapolis. The'Critical Mass' bike ride coincides with the countdown to the convention. Another critical mass ride ended in more than a dozen arrests last year. So far, the protest has been a peaceful one. (Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2008/09/02/0902rnclocal.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76 Local activists to join protests at Republican National Convention in Minneapolis By TONY DORIS Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 02, 2008 South Florida activists have joined the front lines of protesters at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chairman of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, said today that he will head to Minneapolis on Wednesday, to lend solidarity and "jail support" to activists who've been confronting delegates at this week's convention. "To say you don't want people protesting in the streets is the same as saying you didn't want the Boston Tea Party to happen," Tsolkas said. "People have every reason to be upset and to be standing their ground." About a dozen people from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have joined the protests at the convention, where more than 100 people have been arrested, he estimated. The county coalition has 200-300 people who participate "to some degree," and about 20-30 who regularly attend its monthly meetings, he said. The South Florida participants in Minneapolis include environmental, social and anti-war activists, he said. The Environmental Coalition, when it protested FPL's western Palm Beach County power plant construction in February, received support from groups around the country, Tsolkas said. In Minneapolis he hopes "to provide jail support and keep public awareness and public interest on the protest and the reason people are protesting," he said. He supports those who have tried to block Republican Party delegates from attending the convention, he added. "It fits the course of history for people who are responding to urgent situations. ...I wish they could shut the whole convention down. The Republicans have turned this country into an empire." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-protesters_15pol.ART.State.Edition2.4daf17b.html Protesters diverse, some peaceful, some not 12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News eramshaw at dallasnews.com ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Holding hands in their wedding finest ? and wearing matching George W. Bush and John McCain masks ? Texans Heidi and Jim Turpin braved gas-masked riot police, window-smashing anarchists and the hem of Heidi's lacy floor-length gown on Monday to protest the Republican convention. MELANIE BURFORD/DMN A police officer sprayed protesters who pushed him over and surrounded him as they became violent while marching through the streets of St. Paul, Minn., on Monday. They were among the several thousand demonstrators. "We're outlandish to try to draw attention," said Heidi, 47, who, along with her husband, 49, is a member of the DayGlo-clad anti-war group CodePink. "This has been a long war. It's hard to keep that energy up for years and years. We need the public to know that McCain will just be a continuation of Bush's failed policies ? four more years of the same." The Turpins, from Austin, were among the several thousand protesters who paraded through downtown St. Paul on the convention's opening day ? a far cry from the tens of thousands expected. Organizers said Monday morning that they didn't think Hurricane Gustav had an effect on turnout. It was a diverse crowd, from elderly veterans in military uniforms and sneakers, to teamsters in blue baseball caps, to dreadlocked young anarchists with their faces wrapped in black handkerchiefs Most protesters were spreading the message of peace ? and acted accordingly. They marched for higher wages, benefits for veterans and bringing home the troops. They called for an end to torture and global warming. A few simply carried Obama-Biden posters. But about two dozen protesters grew unruly on Monday afternoon, breaking windows at downtown banks and prompting riot police to use pepper spray and ride crowd control horses into the fray. National Guard troops were called in. More than 250 people were arrested Monday. Their intentions seemed clear from the get-go. At a pre-march rally, young anarchists doused surgical masks with vinegar to block the effects of pepper spray, tucked their "violence level" colored flags into their knapsacks, and wrote attorneys' phone numbers and whether they had asthma on their legs in black permanent marker. David Martinez, a filmmaker and University of Texas graduate who protested Monday, said violence defeats his purpose: "to put the radical left on the map." "We're here protesting, and not because we want Obama to be president," Mr. Martinez said. "We disagree with what both of the parties stand for. The point is to say, 'There's a bunch of people to the left of the Democratic Party who see you all as the fools you are.' " http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=74122 'Peace' protesters at RNC welcomed anarchists Violent rampage grabs spotlight during anti-war demonstration ________________________________________ Posted: September 02, 2008 3:53 pm Eastern By Art Moore ? 2009 WorldNetDaily Anarchists Colin, left, and Cameron, right, who declined to give their last names, gather at the Minnesota capitol building with anti-war protesters (WND photo) ST. PAUL, Minn. ? The spokesman for the coalition of 130 groups engaged in a "peace" protest outside the GOP convention yesterday told WND he had no problem joining forces with activists as extreme as anarchists, but it was anarchists who, nevertheless, grabbed the headlines with a violent rampage resulting in at least five arrests. "We're glad they have come to speak out at the RNC," Mick Kelly told WND prior to the anarchists' attacks, which included smashed cars, punctured tires and bottles hurled at police, who arrested at least five. "A diversity of views is, in fact, welcome when we're united about opposing the occupation of Iraq and demanding peace, justice and equality," said Kelly, spokesman for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, which included a Teamsters union branch, the ANSWER Coalition and Iraq Veterans Against the War. You're concerned about how extreme some of these groups are? "Not at all," he replied before the march, as a group of anarchists milled about near his media tent in front of the Minnesota capitol building. (Story continues below) At least one anarchist ? or "anarchist-syndicalist" to be precise ? told WND before the march he was, well, kind of against using violence to accomplish his aims. Protesters gather in front of the capitol building in St. Paul (WND photo) Cameron, a 20-something barista from Mankato, Minn., who laughed as he was asked for his last name, explained he subscribes to a branch of anarchist philosophy that takes a more pragmatic approach, regarding anarchy as utopia but recognizing it probably will never be achieved. "It's kind of the activist anarchy," he explained. "Basically it's saying you make immediate changes when and where you can. I might advocate universal health care; the next day I might advocate immigrant rights. It's social Darwinism is what it is. Recalling the anarchist rampage at the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999, Cameron was asked if he advocated violence to help bring about his ideal world. "No sir," he replied. But he qualified his answer when asked if he identified with the Eugene, Ore., anarchists that smashed storefronts in unprepared Seattle, bringing an ugly, early end to the WTO meetings. St. Paul police prepare for the worst ahead of a planned protest march yesterday (WND photo) "A little bit," he said. "I understand their anger. "I don't think destruction of property is violence," he quickly elaborated. "Hurting other people, that's violence ? when you make a big deal about smashing windows when there's a big war going on, or killing tens of thousands of civilians, if not hundreds of thousands, it's the pot calling the kettle black." Starbucks was one of the targets of the Seattle rampage, but Cameron said he serves coffee at an independent local shop in Mankato. In St. Paul yesterday, with police on high alert with a fully equipped riot team, some anarchists reportedly started a trash bin fire and later tried to block a major intersection. Police dispersed the group, firing two tear gas canisters at the fleeing anarchists. Another mob, of about 100, threw garbage in the streets and at cars from a trash bin they commandeered. Blogger Jim Holt of Gateway Pundit reported his bus was hit by sandbags thrown from a highway overpass. Anarchist prepares for the day's activities in St. Paul yesterday (WND photo) While destroying property is a simple, straightforward endeavor, describing what an anarchist America would look like proves more difficult. For starters, there would be no president or Congress. "There's no hierarchy," Cameron said. How do people, uh, organize themselves. Can you get sewer and water? "You work together," he said. "Groups of people all over have been providing basic services for each other before creating a military state. Always, people who don't understand it compare it to total chaos and a lack of organization and community. But it's really an absence of the state, and allowing people to collectively organize among themselves." Cameron's colleague standing nearby, Colin from Milwaukee, chimed in, pointing to the Rotary Club as a helpful example. "The last time I checked, they don't have a military presence, and they seem to organize just fine," Colin explained. Asked if there's an example from history of a successful anarchist community, Cameron pointed to the Spanish Civil War, when thousands of anarchists in Catalonia and Barcelona rebelled against the regime before being dismantled by the communists. Cameron said that while he has many communist friends, he isn't one, because "they don't have such a great track record." What's your track record? Book table at the anti-war protest in St. Paul yesterday (WND photo) "Well normally the anarchists tend to be the soldiers, like the Russian revolution ? that was mainly fought by socialists and anarchists, and in the end, the Bolsheviks took us over, and they threw us in jail and they killed us," he replied. "The same thing happened in Catalonia ? and in all of Europe during the 1800s," he said. Is that an inherent problem ? that the neighbors who are more organized are always going to wipe you out? "That does tend to be a problem," he said. "We just hope to get stronger. http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=435381 'Street Medics' Describe RNC Protests Volunteers among those who were pepper sprayed and arrested Kathlyn Stone (kstone) Published 2008-09-08 17:41 (KST) Street medic assisting RNC protester. Many dozens of volunteers -- activists as well as doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, psychologists and other health workers -- stepped in to serve as "street medics" during the Republican National Convention demonstrations in St. Paul, Minn., which concluded with more than 800 arrests. Political events, particularly national conventions, are a big draw for demonstrators because of the national and international focus placed on them. And the heavy police presence promised at the RNC this past week was like honey to a bee for those who sought altercations with police. In almost all cases, tensions mounted between demonstrators in the evenings following permitted marches and other events such as rallies and concerts. Many who volunteer as street medics are themselves activists or are at least sympathetic to demonstrators wishing to exercise their right to free speech or commit civil acts of disobedience. Sometimes groups of nonviolent protesters were caught between police and violent protesters with no avenue of escape. And sometimes nonviolent protesters simply refused to leave and were sprayed with chemicals or rubber bullets. (See "First Time Protester Tear Gassed," Fox 9.) Michael Cavlan, a registered nurse from Apple Valley, Minn., was one of those who volunteered to be on hand to offer medical help where needed. In a report of the injuries and the arrests described in an article published at OpEdNews.com, Cavlan, a Green Party candidate for the US Senate, describes numerous injuries from chemicals, rubber bullets and concussion grenades, as well confiscation of medical equipment and arrests of health care volunteers. Here is an excerpt from Cavlan's account of the Poor People's March on Sept. 2: "At this time, the police gave a dispersal order. We knew what that meant. They threw gas and concussion grenades into the crowd and then opened up with rubber bullets, wooden baton rounds, tear gas, etc. "My team treated another young lady who had been maced in the face and delivered her to the clinic, to get cleaned up from the burning chemicals in her face, eyes, arms and clothes. By the way, this stuff hurts even when you only put your exposed skin on someone who was hit by it." Cavlan was also called upon to document injuries sustained by protesters who had been beaten by police. The Twin Cities' North Star Health Collective (NSHC), a local group that coordinated media response during the protests, began training sessions for street medics weeks before the convention. On Sept. 5, NSHC representatives held a press conference denouncing the "police detention and abuse of medical volunteers." They also shared examples of the types of weapons used on protesters. "My medic partner and I were treating a handicapped male in a wheelchair for pepper spray to the face at the parking lot of Jackson Street," recounted Sean McCoy, an EMT and a Navy veteran. "In the process of treating the patient, we were surrounded by several police officers in riot gear and forcibly thrown to the ground and told we were under arrest. We were then forcibly removed from our patient, handcuffed, and forced to lay face down on the ground while the officers proceeded to cut our bags off of us and remove all of our medical gear by dumping it on the ground." NSHC said McCoy was held for 55 hours in the Ramsey County jail before being released. http://www.kpho.com/politics/17384376/detail.html#- Man Arrested, Accused Of Plotting To Bomb RNC Michigan Man Charged With Possessing Molotov Cocktails POSTED: 3:46 pm MST September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A 23-year-old Michigan man accused of trying to set off a bomb at the Republican National Convention has been arrested. RNC Coverage Matthew B. DePalma, of Flint, Mich., has been charged with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails. He was arrested Saturday in south Minneapolis. According to a news release from the FBI, DePalma allegedly plotted to set off either Molotov cocktails or a chemical bomb in the tunnels near the Xcel Energy Center, hoping it would cause a power outage. The news release said that according to an FBI affidavit, DePalma also described a plan to use napalm-filled Molotov cocktails on the streets against police officers. DePalma said he wanted to bomb the Xcel on the first or last day of the convention. DePalma said if he bombed the Xcel on the first day, officials might call off the convention because "a power outage would say a lot," according to the affidavit. DePalma said if he bombed the Xcel on Thursday, the last day of the convention, it would "end with a bang," the affidavit said. According to the affidavit, DePalma became known to the FBI in July, when he attended the CrimeThinc Convergence near Waldo, Wis. During that event, DePalma allegedly said he was going to attend the RNC, and also expressed his desire to "make some bombs" and ?blow up? things during the convention. The affidavit states that DePalma discussed with a FBI source his desire to make Molotov cocktails, describing in detail the use of ingredients that would make the flammable liquid more viscous so that it would stick to a target and burn longer and hotter than an ordinary gasoline-based Molotov cocktail. The affidavit states that DePalma went to a library in Minnesota on Aug. 18 and spent 90 minutes researching recipes for explosive devices. DePalma's next court appearance is Friday in Minneapolis. http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/5105 Matthew DePalma's rant posts fill blog, online journal Submitted by worker on Tue, 2008-09-23 22:32. Tags: ? Anarchist People ? Prisoners ? The Media From The Flint Journal - by Shannon Murphy Tuesday September 23, 2008, 11:52 AM DePalma Eerie postings fill an online journal -- entries that become increasingly angry as the writer vents about being a misunderstood anarchist. "Now I'm ready to watch the world burn," a post dated April 18 reads. "I always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt about how they understand me. Most people don't, hell, even I had to figure out myself from scratch." The online musings are believed to be written by Matthew DePalma, a Flushing native who has been federally charged in a plot to bomb the site of September's Republican National Convention. The journal is written by a person who uses the name "Shades Mcgee" on MySpace, which a friend confirmed is DePalma. "Now, I don't relate to about 90 percent of Americans," he writes. "That tells me I'm doing something right. But one thing is abundantly clear to me now, something I had been denying for far too long. The people, do not deserve to be saved. At least not by me." Those who know DePalma describe him as a loner, extremely intelligent and slightly impulsive. He often wore black and gothic-style clothing -- but friends were shocked to think of DePalma being involved in anything violent. "Usually, he was one for not liking the government," said high school friend Richard Coote, 24, of Flint. "Mostly he talked about not liking things. ... He never made any threats." Coote said DePalma didn't have a lot of friends and was not popular in school. He said he was somewhat misguided about things and followed his mind, regardless of what other people thought. DePalma also was described as a strong anarchist. The MySpace page is filled with video clips of fires, riots and bombings. As he switched schools at least three times in as many years, even students who went to the relatively small Flushing High School had trouble remembering him. "I heard he was in my class, but I didn't really know him," said Flushing High School graduate Jessica Tedesco. "A couple of people said he was a trench coat kind of kid." For many locals, the first they heard of DePalma was in August, when his arrest made national news. He faces federal charges of possession of firearms for allegedly making Molotov cocktails, or gasoline firebombs, to bomb the Xcel Energy Center, the site of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. DePalma remains in federal custody. His public defender could not be reached for comment. A teenage boy who answered the door at the DePalma home in Flushing said members of the family "were not interested" in talking to the media. DePalma was charged by federal authorities Aug. 30. According to a Department of Justice release, the FBI began investigating DePalma in July after he attended an anarchist convention, called CrimethInc., in Wisconsin. While there, he told an FBI informant he wanted to "makes some bombs" and "blow up" things during the convention, according to the release. DePalma spent his freshman and sophomore years at Flint's Central High School before he transferred to Flushing High School for his junior year. In his senior year, he transferred again and enrolled in Mott Middle College, a school for at-risk students that allows them to take high school and college classes. He graduated from there in December 2003. "He's got an above-average (grade-point average, and) there's nothing significant in his record. That's all that I can tell you," said Thomas Svitkovich, Genesee Intermediate School District Superintendent. DePalma didn't appear to have a criminal record in Genesee County juvenile or circuit courts. Although little is known about him, his family is well-known in the community. His younger brothers attended Flushing High School, and his mother has taught music at St. Robert Catholic School in Flushing and for Flint schools. It is unclear where Matthew DePalma went after graduation, although his blog indicates he spent some time in Georgia. Public records and his MySpace page indicate he also spent about a year in Portland, Ore. Coote said his friend loved to travel and also had spent time in New York and Oklahoma before he returned home to Flint for a short time in the past year and then left town again. According to the MySpace page believed to be his, he had been training to be an emergency medical technician, although he still clearly stuck to his anarchist beliefs. "I wash my hands of this world. I am not an American, I hardly want to be human at this point," the author writes in his blog. "I am an Anarchist. I am my own Island. I will not fear the consequences. I will avoid detainment, (ie prison) to be the best of my ability. I'm out, I quit this **** game. I'll take a hammer to this whole worthless state." The blogs stop at the end of April, after DePalma writes a letter to his 16-year-old self. "The fact that you never give yourself credit for anything, makes you think your capabilities are limited, the irony is, they are because you believe this way," he wrote. Journal staff writer Ron Fonger contributed to this report. http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/10/flushing_native_matthew_depalm.html Flushing native Matthew DePalma enters plea in Republican National Convention case by The Associated Press Wednesday October 22, 2008, 10:22 AM MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- A Flushing native who allegedly came to Minnesota to attack the Republican National Convention has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing Molotov cocktails. The U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis said 23-year-old Matthew B. DePalma entered a guilty plea to possession of destructive devices on Tuesday. DePalma had made at least five Molotov cocktails by the time he was arrested on Aug. 28 in a Minneapolis apartment. He had allegedly told an FBI informant he planned to attack the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where the convention was held, and had described a plan to use the fire bombs on police. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim will sentence DePalma at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. DePalma remains in custody. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/11/uselections2008.republicans2008 Republican convention protesters investigated for arson at Texas governor's mansion Officials won't confirm whether the men are suspects in the June 8 arson ? McClatchy newspapers ? guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 September 2008 16.43 BST ? Article history Two protesters accused of taking explosive devices to Minnesota to disrupt the Republican National Convention are being investigated for possible links to this summer's still unsolved blaze at the Texas governor's mansion. Department of Public Safety officials won't say whether the men - 22-year-old David McKay and 23-year-old Bradley Crowder - are suspects in the June 8 arson, which gutted the governor's mansion. But a high-ranking state law enforcement official said today that the men, who remain in custody in Minnesota and stand accused of manufacturing Molotov cocktails for use at last week's convention, are under investigation in Texas. Texas officials have video surveillance of a young man lighting a Molotov cocktail and using it to set the governor's mansion on fire. The official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the probe is on-going, said there were "enough similar characteristics in the two cases to justify a review". Minnesota attorney Jeff Degree said he hasn't heard of any Texas investigators meeting with McKay, his client, and that they haven't spoken about the governor's mansion case. When asked whether McKay admitted to producing Molotov cocktails for the Republican convention, Degree declined to answer. "It's early on in the case and we haven't been able to review a lot of it," he said. "It seems pretty clear, however, that law enforcement undertook a lot of pretty aggressive actions (during the convention), not just on the street but undercover informants." McKay and Crowder, who investigators say are connected to an Austin-based anarchist organisation called the Affinity Group, were charged in US federal court in Minnesota last week with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails. According to a federal affidavit, the FBI in Texas began investigating the group in February 2007, and group members left Texas last month for the convention site. Investigators allege that McKay and Crowder stopped at a Wal-Mart in St Paul to purchase Molotov cocktail supplies, which they stored at a local residence. On an FBI audio recording taped by an informant, McKay allegedly discusses plans to throw the explosive devices at vehicles in a parking lot used by law enforcement vehicles. During the same conversation, McKay is heard saying it was "worth it if an officer gets burned or maimed", authorities allege. When St Paul police raided the residence on September 3, officers seized gas masks, slingshots, helmets, and containers of a gasoline and oil mixture. They found eight assembled Molotov cocktails. McKay was arrested in that raid. Crowder, whose attorney and family members could not be reached, had been arrested two days earlier for disorderly conduct. Crowder's MySpace page where he uses the screen name Thoughtrebel, includes pictures of himself, one of which shows him crouching in front of three men carrying what appear to be Molotov cocktails. His page says he is a member of the Anarchist Collective and Anarchy in the USA groups. On McKay's web page, which is titled Go Away, he posts pictures of himself protesting and getting arrested by the Midland county, Texas, sheriff's department. His most recent log-in was on August 27, four days before the Republican National Convention. The men will remain in custody in Minnesota until that state's investigation is complete, said David Anderson, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html?source=newsletter Saturday Aug. 30, 2008 12:44 EDT Massive police raids on suspected protesters in Minneapolis [updated below (with video) - Update II - Update III - Update IV] Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff's department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than "fire code violations," and early this morning, the Sheriff's department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying. Jane Hamsher and I were at two of those homes this morning -- one which had just been raided and one which was in the process of being raided. Each of the raided houses is known by neighbors as a "hippie house," where 5-10 college-aged individuals live in a communal setting, and everyone we spoke with said that there had never been any problems of any kind in those houses, that they were filled with "peaceful kids" who are politically active but entirely unthreatening and friendly. Posted below is the video of the scene, including various interviews, which convey a very clear sense of what is actually going on here. In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house. One of the individuals renting the house, an 18-year-old woman, was extremely shaken as she and others described how the officers were deliberately making intimidating statements such as "Do you have Terminator ready?" as they lay on the floor in handcuffs. The 10 or so individuals in the house all said that though they found the experience very jarring, they still intended to protest against the GOP Convention, and several said that being subjected to raids of that sort made them more emboldened than ever to do so. Several of those who were arrested are being represented by Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild. Nestor said that last night's raid involved a meeting of a group calling itself the "RNC Welcoming Committee", and that this morning's raids appeared to target members of "Food Not Bombs," which he described as an anti-war, anti-authoritarian protest group. There was not a single act of violence or illegality that has taken place, Nestor said. Instead, the raids were purely anticipatory in nature, and clearly designed to frighten people contemplating taking part in any unauthorized protests. Nestor indicated that only 2 or 3 of the 50 individuals who were handcuffed this morning at the 2 houses were actually arrested and charged with a crime, and the crime they were charged with is "conspiracy to commit riot." Nestor, who has practiced law in Minnesota for many years, said that he had never before heard of that statute being used for anything, and that its parameters are so self-evidently vague, designed to allow pre-emeptive arrests of those who are peacefully protesting, that it is almost certainly unconstitutional, though because it had never been invoked (until now), its constitutionality had not been tested. There is clearly an intent on the part of law enforcement authorities here to engage in extreme and highly intimidating raids against those who are planning to protest the Convention. The DNC in Denver was the site of several quite ugly incidents where law enforcement acted on behalf of Democratic Party officials and the corporate elite that funded the Convention to keep the media and protesters from doing anything remotely off-script. But the massive and plainly excessive preemptive police raids in Minnesota are of a different order altogether. Targeting people with automatic-weapons-carrying SWAT teams and mass raids in their homes, who are suspected of nothing more than planning dissident political protests at a political convention and who have engaged in no illegal activity whatsoever, is about as redolent of the worst tactics of a police state as can be imagined. UPDATE: Here is the first of the videos, from the house that had just been raided: Jane Hamsher has more here, and The Minnesota Independent has a report on another one of the raided houses, here. UPDATE II: Here is the video we took from the second house as the raid was occurring. We were barred from entering but spoke with neighbors outside as well as with Bruce Nestor, the President of the Minnesota Lawyer's Guild, regarding these raids: Over at FDL, Lindsay Beyerstein spoke with the property owner whose house -- the fourth one we now know of -- was being raided while the raid was in progress, and Lindsay has details here ("About an hour and a half ago 20 to 30 heavily armed police officers surrounded the house. One of my roommates said 'I want to see a warrant' and she was immediately detained"). Meanwhile, Indy Media of Twin Cities -- an association of independent journalists in the area -- just told me that several of their journalists have been detained while trying to cover these raids. Their site, with ongoing updates, is here. The Uptake also has several reports of the various raids, including video of the raid at the property whose owner Bernstein spoke with as the raid occurred. That video includes an interview with a lawyer from the National Lawyer's Guild who was detained and put in handcufffs, explaining that the surrounded house is one where various journalists are staying. Additionally, a photojournalist with Democracy Now was detained at that house as well. So, both journalists and lawyers -- in addition to protesters -- have been detained and arrested even though not a single violent or criminal act has occurred. UPDATE III: FDL has the transcript of part of my discussion about these raids with the National Lawyer Guild's Minnesota President -- here. The Uptake has this amazing video interview with the Democracy Now producer who was detained today. As the DN producer explains, she was present at a meeting of a group called "I-Witness" -- which videotaped police behavior at the 2004 GOP Convention in New York and helped get charges dismissed against hundreds of protesters who were arrested. The police surrounded the St. Paul house where they were meeting even though they had no warrant, told them that anyone who exited the house would be arrested, and then -- even though they finally, after several hours, obtained a warrant only for the house next door -- basically broke into the house, pointed weapons at everyone inside, handcuffed them, searched the house, and then left. Here is a blog post from one of the members of I-Witness asking for help during the time when they were forced to stay inside the house (see the second post -- it reads like a note from a hostage crying out for help). This is truly repugnant, extreme police behavior designed to intimidate protesters, police critics and others, and it ought to infuriate anyone and everyone who cares about basic liberties. UPDATE IV: More here, including on the Federal Government's role in these raids. http://www.truthout.org/article/police-break-down-doors-night-raid-protesters-meeting Police Break Down Doors in Night-Time Raid on Anarchist Meeting Saturday 30 August 2008 ? by: Mary Turck, Twin Cities Daily Planet Sammy Schutz and Gabe. (Photo: Mary Turck / Twin Cities Daily Planet) "I heard somebody saying, 'They're coming, they're coming!' And feet pounding on the back stairs, pounding on the door saying they had a search warrant. They busted through the door. They've got their guns cocked at people." Sammy Schutz held tightly to five-year-old Gabe, who had been watching a video with his mother and father and about 20 other people when the police stormed into 827 Smith Avenue in St. Paul, ordering everyone down on the floor. "All I could feel was Mama Bear - do whatever you want to do to me, but I need to get my son out safe. He was watching his dad get handcuffed. And he's saying, 'Mommy, mommy, why did they crash through the door?'" Gabe's question remained unanswered. Ramsey County sheriff's deputies said they were executing a search warrant, but would not show a copy of the warrant to lawyers or reporters. More than a dozen police vehicles , almost all unmarked, and more than 20 sheriff's deputies and St. Paul police arrived at the building about 9:45 Friday night and were still there at 1 a.m., when I left. After handcuffing the people in the building (occupants said there were about two dozen on the second floor and "about 40 or 50" on the first floor), police processed them one by one. Each person was asked for identification, name and address, and then photographed. People who had been inside the building told similar stories of police entering with guns drawn. They said police rushed past the security desk on the first floor, and used a battering ram to crash through the second floor back door. "They said if you don't show us ID and get your picture taken, we will arrest you and take you away," said Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, who had arrived five or ten minutes before the raid began, planning to attend a meeting. "They never said what the basis for arrests would be. We were waiting for a meeting, for God's sake! I cannot tell you how much like a police state that felt to me." After each person was released after being photographed, exiting the building and crossing between police cars to a crowd of cheering friends on the sidewalk across from the building. No one was arrested, but sheriff's deputies remained inside the building. Eventually, a city contractor arrived to board up the building, allegedly for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune said he was trying to find out who ordered the building locked up and on what grounds. "This isn't the way we do things in St. Paul," Thune said. "I don't want the city to get sucked into something that the sheriff's office is concocting." Thune said that someone had called in the city contractor and ordered him to secure the building, but this was not done according ot St. Paul city procedures. "Normally," said Thune, "we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle. The fire inspector has no idea what's going on. He hadn't been called. The person who is on 24/7 call was not called. I talked to him trying to fid out who did issue that order and why." The building at 827 Smith Avenue had been rented by the RNC Welcoming Committee as a "convergence space," open to activists for meetings, eating, and just hanging out. Earlier in the week, a large downstairs room in the former theater held tables of literature and about a dozen computers, set up for free wi-fi access for visitors. Large maps showed downtown St. Paul streets. The kitchen was spotless, with stainless steel refrigerators and a gas range, looking like a commercial kitchen in a church basement. The second floor room, where Sammy and her family were watching a video on consumerism Friday night, had comfortable theater seats and space for meetings. A young man who would not give his name said that many people had asked to see the search warrant. After "what seemed like a long time," someone was allowed to read the warrant aloud. His recollection, affirmed by at least two others, was that the warrant was very long and listed many items, including soap flakes, X boxes, paint, computer operating support manuals, caltrops, bleach, floppy disks with digital information, Molotov cocktails and many other items. Dave Thune reported that sheriff's deputies hauled out literature and other items in boxes. Literature available in the Convergence Center earlier in the week included "The Struggle is Our Inheritance: A History of Radical Minnesota," "Anarchy: A Pamphlet," "a guide to 2008 antiRNC organizing," and "Need to Know Basics: Coldsnap Legal Collective's Minnesota Legal Primer for the RNC." Police loaded confiscated items into a police vehicle. The activists had studied their legal rights, and said they repeated asked to see the search warrant, said they did not consent to searches, and asked to see their lawyers. At least one person on the second floor managed to dial a number for the National Lawyer's Guild (NLG) as the police burst through the door. Though NLG lawyers arrived on the scene early, they were not allowed to enter the building and no one in the building was allowed access to lawyers. "Here we are in this country trying to fight terrorism," said one activist, "and I experience it - a gun in my face!" Photo URL: http://tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/08/30/police-break-down-doors-night-time-raid-anarchist-meeting.html&print=1 Unique/Short Title: Sammy Schutz and Gabe Caption: Sammy Schutz and Gabe. (Photo: Mary Turck / Twin Cities Daily Planet) =========== http://www.nowpublic.com/world/35-000-people-sign-letter-protesting-arrest-us-journalist 35,000 people sign letter protesting arrest of US journalist by mtippett | September 3, 2008 at 09:19 am 220 views | 24 Recommendations | 6 comments by mtippett by mtippett slideshow view all 2 The uproar surrounding the arrest of Amy Goodman and other journalists in Minneapolis continues to grow. Now over 35,000 people have reportedly signed a petition demanding an end to media intimidation. http://www.truthout.org/article/pre-emptive-strikes-against-protest-rnc Pre-Emptive Strikes Against Protest at RNC Tuesday 02 September 2008 by: Marjorie Cohn, t r u t h o u t | Report Marcus Washington, a producer from Tennessee who was documenting the antiwar protest, grimaced in pain after he was hit with pepper spray. (Photo: Jim Gehrz / Minneapolis Star Tribune) In the months leading up to the Republican National Convention, the FBI-led Minneapolis Joint Terrorist Task Force actively recruited people to infiltrate vegan groups and other leftist organizations and report back about their activities. On May 21, the Minneapolis City Pages ran a recruiting story called "Moles Wanted." Law enforcement sought to pre-empt lawful protest against the policies of the Bush administration during the convention. Since Friday, local police and sheriffs, working with the FBI, conducted pre-emptive searches, seizures and arrests. Glenn Greenwald described the targeting of protesters by "teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets." Journalists were detained at gunpoint and lawyers representing detainees were handcuffed at the scene. "I was personally present and saw officers with riot gear and assault rifles, pump action shotguns," said Bruce Nestor, the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, who is representing several of the protesters. "The neighbor of one of the houses had a gun pointed in her face when she walked out on her back porch to see what was going on. There were children in all of these houses, and children were held at gunpoint." The raids targeted members of "Food Not Bombs," an antiwar, anti-authoritarian protest group that provides free vegetarian meals every week in hundreds of cities all over the world. They served meals to rescue workers at the World Trade Center after 9/11 and to nearly 20 communities in the Gulf region following Hurricane Katrina. Also targeted, were members of I-Witness Video, a media watchdog group that monitors the police to protect civil liberties. The group worked with the National Lawyers Guild to gain the dismissal of charges or acquittals of about 400 of the 1,800 who were arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. Pre-emptive policing was used at that time as well. Police infiltrated protest groups in advance of the convention. Nestor said that no violence or illegality has taken place to justify the arrests. "Seizing boxes of political literature shows the motive of these raids was political," he said. Further evidence of the political nature of the police action was the boarding up of the Convergence Center, where protesters had gathered, for unspecified code violations. St. Paul City Council member David Thune said, "Normally we only board up buildings that are vacant and ramshackle." Thune and fellow City Council member Elizabeth Glidden decried "actions that appear excessive and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for those who wish to exercise their First Amendment rights." "So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do," Greenwald wrote on Salon. Preventive detention violates the Fourth Amendment, which requires that warrants be supported by probable cause. protesters were charged with "conspiracy to commit riot," a rarely-used statute that is so vague, it is probably unconstitutional. Nestor said it "basically criminalizes political advocacy." On Sunday, the National Lawyers Guild and Communities United Against Police Brutality filed an emergency motion requesting an injunction to prevent police from seizing video equipment and cellular phones used to document their conduct. During Monday's demonstration, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force. At least 284 people were arrested, including Amy Goodman, the prominent host of "Democracy Now!," as well as the show's producers, Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. "St. Paul was the most militarized I have ever seen an American city to be," Greenwald wrote, "with troops of federal, state and local law enforcement agents marching around with riot gear, machine guns, and tear gas cannisters, shouting military chants and marching in military formations." Bruce Nestor said the timing of the arrests was intended to stop protest activity, "to make people fearful of the protests, but also to discourage people from protesting," he told Amy Goodman. Nevertheless, 10,000 people, many opposed to the Iraq war, turned out to demonstrate on Monday. A legal team from the National Lawyers Guild has been working diligently to protect the constitutional rights of protesters. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35795 Banners Over Madison Support RNC Protestors Submitted by Chip on Tue, 2008-09-02 07:23. ? Activism ? General Discussion ? Nonviolent Resistance Banners appeared in Madison, Wisconsin overpasses Monday morning in solidarity with the blockades and protests against the Republican Convention in St. Paul, MN. As of 9/1/2008, there are a total of 256 arrests; 119 felonies, 48 gross misdemeanors; 89 misdemeanors. CNN reported that police used pepper spray and tear gas against protestors. St Paul received $50 million in federal grant money to pay for additional security. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/09/04/mccain_protesters/index.html?source=rss&aim=/politics/war_room Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 22:40 EDT Protesters disrupt McCain speech ST. PAUL, Minn. -- If you're at home watching John McCain's speech at the Republican Convention and wondering why he made a few odd pauses and why the crowd broke into the occasional chant of "USA! USA!" it's because a few antiwar protesters got into the hall and started heckling him during his speech. The first hecklers were off-camera, located conveniently above the press stands. Two men, carrying banners that read "You can't win an occupation," began shouting questions for McCain. They managed to divert the attention of the press and a substantial portion of the crowd; McCain, who couldn't see what was going on from his vantage point, seemed confused. It seems as though both men have been removed, though it's hard to be sure from where I'm sitting. Later, a second protester, this one on the floor and not far from the podium, broke into the speech, leading to more chants from McCain's supporters and more disruption of the speech. This time, McCain was able to figure out what was going on. "Please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static," he quipped, earning himself a big round of applause. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other." ? Alex Koppelman http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/USA/Anti-war_protestors_disrupt_McCain_speech/articleshow/3446920.cms Anti-war protestors disrupt McCain speech 5 Sep 2008, 0804 hrs IST, AFP Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: ST PAUL, Minnesota: Several anti-war protestors disrupted John McCain's primetime convention speech on Thursday minutes after he had accepted the Republican presidential nomination. One protester who sneaked into the crowd held up a black sign reading "You can't win an occupation," and started chanting, but was quickly drowned out by the crowd cheering "USA, USA." Moments later a protestor in another part of the arena also started shouting slogans, but was bustled out by security, sparking angry chants from Republican delegates, and another chorus of "USA, USA." http://codepink4peace.org/blog/2008/09/codepink-activists-interrrupt-sarah-palins-rnc-speech-at-side-of-the-stage/ CODEPINK activists interrupt Sarah Palin?s RNC speech at side of the stage! Posted by Jean - Wed, Sep 3, 2008 Bust McCain, CPHQ, Citizen Diplomacy, Give Peace a Vote, PeaceRoom 2008, Rock the Parties!, Uncategorized, War is Not Green FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Jodie Evans, co-founder, 310-913-4821 ST. PAUL ? Two activists of the women?s peace group CODEPINK disrupted Sarah Palin?s speech tonight at the Republican National Convention when they approached the stage where Palin was speaking, adjusted their clothes to reveal pink slips that read ?Palin is not a woman?s choice,? stood there at the side of the stage for about a minute and yelled ?Women say no to war!? and ?Women need a vice-president for peace!? They also removed banners that read ?Women need a peace vice-president.? Co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, who were given their tickets to the speech by a Republican delegate who was frustrated with the Republican party and Sarah Palin, caught the attention of Palin with their banners and shouting about 15 minutes into her speech. Palin stopped talking for a moment to turn to look at them. (Read a Washington Post description of the incident here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/03/inside_the_convention_hall.html). After another moment, security then grabbed Benjamin and Evans and escorted them one at a time out of the St. Paul Xcel Center, where they were held until the end of the Palin?s speech and told they would be arrested if they tried to reenter. They were told they?d committed an arrestable offense but they were not charged. ?Sarah Palin is not a woman?s choice,? said Jodie Evans, co-founder, moments after being released. ?That?s it.? CODEPINK is a nonpartisan women?s peace group. They vehemently oppose Palin?s pro-war, anti-environment, anti-choice positions. More details to come. For questions, please call Jodie Evans at 310-913-4821. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 17:25:36 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:25:36 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Democratic National Convention protests, August 2008 Message-ID: <4AA84780.40908@tesco.net> * Anti-war activists take to the streets to "defend Denver" * Peace protesters deliver message to Obama aide * Police repression at DNC protests * Pepper-spray cannons among police attacks * No protesters in "freedom cage" * More repression newsclippings * Protesters "aren't making big waves" * Pelosi ridicules rightist protesters http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/25/anti_war_protests_begin_in_denver August 25, 2008 Antiwar Activists Take to the Streets to ?Defend Denver? Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill heads to the streets of Denver to report on day one of protests outside of the Democratic National Convention. He speaks to antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, M1 of Dead Prez, Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice and others. [includes rush transcript] AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. Breaking with Convention, War, Peace and the Presidency. We?re broadcasting this week from Denver. We?ll be traveling from the streets to the suites to the convention floor. And while much of the attention will be focused on what?s happening inside the convention, we begin our coverage outside the heavily fortified gates of the Pepsi Center. Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill filed this report. JEREMY SCAHILL: The city of Denver has been converted to a massive monument celebrating Barack Obama. This weekend, some 4,000 delegates to the Democratic National Convention began flooding the city for the much-anticipated coronation of the man chosen by the Democrats to face John McCain in November. Some 15,000 journalists are here, as well. The convention could be described as one big political NASCAR race, with corporate logos splashed on practically everything related to the big show. The total cost of the convention could well top $100 million. It is on track to be the most expensive political convention in US history. Some $50 million has been allocated by the federal government to the city for security, and Denver is now home to a massive twenty-four-hour fusion center, where law enforcement agencies, from the US Secret Service and the FBI to the state and local police, monitor events inside the convention and on the streets. And it is in the streets of Denver where the uninvited guests will find themselves this week. While the big party is underway in the Pepsi Center, the site of the DNC, the party crashers will be outside the fortified sports arena. While convention delegates checked into their hotel rooms across the city, unpacked their free corporate-sponsored goodie bags and plotted out which parties to attend, a few thousand demonstrators marched and held rallies downtown. Crowds were smaller than past convention protests, but the dedicated demonstrators gathered in the streets to protest the continued funding of the Iraq war, threats to escalate the war in Afghanistan, and railed against the substantial corporate influence in politics. Among the crowd, there were many national figures in the streets, like Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004. She denounced the multimillion-dollar convention extravaganza. CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, of course, it?s just a show. And the most telling thing to me about it was when?AT&T is one of the major sponsors of the Democratic National Convention. Right before Congress recessed for the break, they gave telecoms immunity and the administration immunity from warrantless wiretapping and spying on Americans. That?s a direct breach of the Fourth Amendment, our right to be private in our papers and, you know, possessions. So, yeah, I think that the Democrats, especially in the past eight years of the Bush administration, have grown closer and closer and closer to the Republicans. They have not been an effective opposition party. And since Obama has become the presumptive nominee, every time the Republicans, like, pressure him on anything, he moves closer to them. And now we see in the polls where he?s tied with McCain, which to me is amazing. McCain, you know, in my opinion, is a doddering old fool. And if Obama put as much daylight between himself and McCain, he would be at least twenty points ahead. CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Our country has been hijacked. JEREMY SCAHILL: At the Recreate 68 rally outside the Capitol building, one of those to address the gathering was herself a delegate in conventions past, former US Congress member Cynthia McKinney. She?s now running against Barack Obama and the Democrats as the Green Party presidential candidate. You used to be inside of these conventions. You would walk around. You would see the parties, the corporate sponsorship. What?s it like now to be on the outside and not going inside? CYNTHIA McKINNEY: I?m free, in every sense of the word. I have liberated myself from the shackles of the two-party paradigm, and now I?m free to advocate the policies that I know the American people really want and that reflect their values. And it?s wonderful to be free. JEREMY SCAHILL: Also on hand at the protest was Ward Churchill, a longtime American Indian Movement activist who was controversially fired by the University of Colorado. Churchill is a prominent figure in Colorado justice struggles, particularly around indigenous rights. WARD CHURCHILL: You have the abomination happening in Denver, and I?m not being cute. Rush Limbaugh put in an ?O? rather than the ?A?; it is a straight-up ?A? abomination, a charade that?s undertaken to perpetuate business as usual. And if you?re going to oppose the occupation and the process of war that is engendered by occupation, you need to deal with the fact that the fundamental equation is right here. Every square inch of North America that?s constituted as United States is indigenous territory that?s been expropriated by armed force and is maintained in that situs of expropriation. And as long as you have that foundation to this country, that fundamental equation in place, then the kind of results that are being protested here are going to inevitably result. JEREMY SCAHILL: While almost all of the hype in Denver this week centers around Barack Obama, there was concern among the demonstrators over the selection of Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate. Biden is the latest addition to a foreign policy team that?s comprised of some of the most hawkish Clinton-era officials. Biden himself was a key figure in authorizing the invasion of Iraq. Here?s Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice. LESLIE CAGAN: His record has not been great. We focus mostly on issues of war and peace, and he?s not been great. He?s been awful, actually. On Iraq, he was the one who came up with the idea, at least in this country?the one who came up with the idea of partitioning Iraq into three separate republics. First of all, why anybody in this country should even have a position like that, you know, doesn?t make any sense. But so, we?re concerned that?you know, that this doesn?t send a signal of a strong antiwar candidacy. So we?re concerned about that. What it does, though, is it reminds us?it should be a wake-up call to people all around the country who are committed to ending the war in Iraq and bringing all the troops home that our work is far from over and that during these next several months, this election season, we need to be visible, we need to be at every campaign stop, not only for the presidency and the vice presidency, but for every congressional office. We need to be out there and visible and vocal as an antiwar movement, saying the war needs to end, it needs to end now, and all the troops need to come home, and the contractors, too. ANN WRIGHT: Well, Ann Wright, a retired US Army colonel and US diplomat who resigned in opposition to the war in Iraq. JEREMY SCAHILL: What?s your reaction to Obama choosing Biden? What message does this send? ANN WRIGHT: Well, it sends that it?s?he?s a part of the old Democratic establishment, and he is?while he?s had a long history with foreign affairs, I mean, it?s not all?it?s not the type of foreign affairs that I want. JEREMY SCAHILL: Obama seems to be pulling in all of these old-guard Democrats, all of the famed people from the Clinton era, the Madeleine Albrights, the Warren Christophers, Anthony Lake, Susan Rice. I mean, what does that say? Or what?s your analysis of?once again, we see progressive rhetoric, then he beats Hillary and takes in all of these people who are the old guard? ANN WRIGHT: Well, you?ve exactly identified what?s happening, and that concerns us, because there are plenty of other voices that are out there that have a very different way of approaching a US foreign policy, that it?s a policy of the United States, not as a dominating imperial place, but as a place that is a member of the international community and conducts itself as such. And we certainly know that during the Clinton administration, where all of these folks that you?ve identified, they were a part of the invasion and occupation of many, many countries. They committed breaches of international law in military operations that they conducted. And it does not give me a good feeling at all that Barack Obama is pulling in that same group. There are plenty of other foreign policy experts that are out there that have a different vision of what America ought to be and how?what America?s stature in the world should be and how we get to it from this tremendous hole that the Bush administration and the Democratic Congress has dug for us. LARRY EVEREST: I?m Larry Everest. I?m the author of Oil, Power and Empire: Iraq and the US Global Agenda. It shows that despite the fact many people??Oh, the economy is the issue. It?s all about the economy.? No, it?s not all about the economy. Objectively, with events in the Middle East, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, now Georgia, with Iran looming all over this, no matter who is in office, the ruling class of this country confronts these huge challenges and these explosive contradictions in trying to maintain and extend their grip on the world. So, in my view, Obama?s selection of Biden points to that, that in order to contend, you have to show?you?re basically auditioning to be commander-in-chief of the US empire. JEREMY SCAHILL: Again, Green Party presidential candidate, Cynthia McKinney. CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Well, you can?t get more inside the Beltway than Joseph Biden, so it looks like it?s going to be more of the same, and that?s truly unfortunate. But we understood that that?s where the Democratic Party was. It?s where it has been. It?s where it is today. And that?s why we have to have alternative parties and alternative voices. That?s why I?m here in Denver today. JEREMY SCAHILL: On Monday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will officially open the Democratic National Convention. As she bangs the gavel, one of her fiercest critics will remain in the streets: Cindy Sheehan, who?s challenging Pelosi for her congressional seat in San Francisco in the fall. CINDY SHEEHAN: In 2002, she was briefed on torture, and she sanctioned it. As a member of the leadership of the Democratic Party, she has been instrumental in funding the occupations, especially since she?s been Speaker. She could definitely withdraw funding from this. She has been instrumental in supporting the police-state fascism of the Bush regime. So she?s been very complicit in what?s going on. I believe that?s one of the reasons that impeachment?s off the table. TOM HANKS: Hello, I?m Tom Hanks, and I want Barack Obama to be the next president of our country. JEREMY SCAHILL: Perhaps more than any candidate in history, Barack Obama has seen an impressive array of celebrities line up to support him. Many of these figures are flying into Denver to cheer on Obama, as they have with high-profile advertisements. The Brooklyn-based political hip-hop group dead prez was not among those artists invited inside to perform at the DNC, like Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and Black Eyed Peas. But the duo of M1 and stic.man is here in Denver performing at rallies and evening political gatherings. And they seemed right at home among the crowds in the Denver streets. M1: Their political objectives are limited, and we know that they are surface, surface. We?re looking at a government who?s a paper tiger and someone who wants to participate in a paper democracy. JEREMY SCAHILL: What do you make of this major embrace, as it seems, not just of hip-hop, but the whole entertainment industry, of the Obama camp? STIC.MAN: It?s lack of understanding, the lack of political clarity, you know what I mean? And it?s marketing, you know what I mean? It?s like Barack is hot. He?s, you know?he?s the [blank] right now, so throw him on your jacket, you know what I mean? And, you know, it ain?t really deep. It?s just people riding the wave, you know what I mean? And that?s what hip-hop is being used for, is, you know, to sell products, to sell [blank] to us, stuff [blank] down our throat that might not necessarily be good for us. So some of the hip-hop people, you know, who do hip-hop, and this is our culture, we have to speak from the vantage point of people who want real power. And hip-hop is part of that. Barack wouldn?t even be in the position he?s in without the support of hip-hop. You know, and we? JEREMY SCAHILL: So are you guys going to vote? M1: Hell no. STIC.MAN: Yeah, yeah, I?m going to vote. M1: OK, cool. JEREMY SCAHILL: Who are you going to vote for? STIC.MAN: I mean, I?m voting with my art. M1: Yeah. STIC.MAN: I?m voting with my participation in rallies like this. I?m voting?you know what I mean??in raising my son, you know what I mean, to recognize the truth about this system. I?m voting in so many ways, I don?t even got time to go to the booth in November. M1: I?m voting for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Free ?em all. Feel me. JEREMY SCAHILL: Dead prez joined with the protesters as they defied orders not to march directly on the Pepsi Center. The procession was led by Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, whose life story was made into the movie Born on the Fourth of July. Kovic, who led the march in his wheelchair, and the others refused to go into the so-called free speech zone, a caged-in area that has become a common feature of these political conventions. RON KOVIC: We?re going to the Pepsi Center. We?re going to sit down at the Pepsi Center. We?re going to cover the streets. We are opposed to this war. They will not take away our liberty. They will not take away our freedom of speech or our freedom of assembly. We are struggling this week in Denver and battling in this week in Denver not only to stop the war in Iraq, but we are fighting?we are fighting for democracy. This is not only an antiwar movement; this is becoming a democracy movement, as well. I did not give three-quarters of my body in Vietnam in 1968, forty years ago, to be put inside of a cage. I?m going to speak. I?m going to raise my voice against this war, and I refuse to be silenced. And we refuse to be silenced. We?re growing stronger every day. This is going to become one of the most powerful antiwar movements in the history of this country. PROTESTERS: We won?t be silenced! We won?t be silenced! We won?t be silenced! JEREMY SCAHILL: Kovic and his allies blocked the media entrance to the Pepsi Center for about two hours on Sunday, effectively shutting it down. More protests are planned for each day of the convention. PROTESTERS: We won?t be silenced! We won?t be silenced! AMY GOODMAN: That report produced by Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill and Jacquie Soohen of Big Noise Films. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14411.cfm 3,000 Vets, War Protesters Hand-Deliver Their Message to Obama Aide ? 3,000 march in largest demonstration of DNC By Patti Thorn Rocky Mountain News, August 28, 2008 Straight to the Source DENVER - "Follow Us. Welcome to Denver," read the electronic sign on the police vehicle. Members of Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW) march in downtown Denver, leading several thousands activists towards The Pepsi Center. While some feared police would attempt to stop the march, officers surprised the group by escorting the protesters through city streets, redirecting traffic and pedestrians along the way. (Photo: Rocky Mountain News)]Members of Iraq Veterans Against The War (IVAW) march in downtown Denver, leading several thousands activists towards The Pepsi Center. While some feared police would attempt to stop the march, officers surprised the group by escorting the protesters through city streets, redirecting traffic and pedestrians along the way. (Photo: Rocky Mountain News) And with that conciliatory gesture, an unpermitted march for peace was allowed to proceed Wednesday afternoon through downtown Denver streets - peacefully. It was easily the largest demonstration in a week filled with them. See video of the march here and here. At least 3,000 Iraq war veterans and war protesters marched from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center perimeter. The veterans' ultimate goal was to deliver a statement to presidential candidate Barack Obama, urging him to promote the immediate withdrawal of "all occupying forces" from Iraq, among other points. After about an hourlong standoff with police at the end of the march, contact was made with an Obama aide. Mission accomplished. Co-sponsored by the anti-war group Tent State University and the Iraq Veterans Against the War, the march began around 3:15 p.m. outside the coliseum after 9,800 people attended a free concert featuring the heavy metal/rap band Rage Against the Machine and three other acts. During the four-hour show, audience members were urged to join the demonstration. Band members and others stressed the need for the march to remain peaceful. At one point, rapper Jonny 5 of Denver's Flobots referred to conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who has been widely quoted as saying it would be his "dream" for riots to break out in Denver during the convention. The musician told the crowd the worst thing they could do was make that dream come true. While some feared police would attempt to stop the march, officers surprised the group by escorting the protesters through city streets, redirecting traffic and pedestrians along the way. "Under the totality of all the circumstances, it was handled in a manner that best addressed the public safety at the time," said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Joint Information Center, a clearinghouse for convention security information. The group of mostly young people walked behind a banner that said: "Support GI Resistance." Wearing T-shirts and stickers with slogans such as "Arrest Bush" and "Make Out Not War," they sang rolling chants, Marine- style. "Tell Me What We're Marching For," sang one group. "Stop the torture, stop the war," answered another. People lined the streets to watch, most approvingly. As the marchers wound their way through the neighborhoods west of the coliseum, they found solidarity with a group of Latinos holding up an anti-war sign and cheering them on. "Si, se puede!" shouted some young marchers. "Yes, we can!" But not all were supportive. From the balcony of an apartment complex, a man yelled at the throngs to move on. "Don't come back here," he said. As the march wore on under a hot sun, some dropped out. Others found ways to take shortcuts. Two teens on the 16th Street Mall shuttle wearing Rage Against the Machine T-shirts admitted they had skipped part of the march and planned to join it as it neared the end. One foot clad in a black shoe, the other barefoot, James Koller, 17, explained: "Someone clocked me in the face and took my shoe in the mosh pit. This is a quicker route to the Pepsi Center." Koller's friend, Joey Minicucci, 18, of Littleton, noted that his brother was in the military and would soon be sent to Iraq. That was one of the reasons he was going to the march. Anne Hill, of Montrose, had other reasons. "I'm marching because it seems to be the last vestiges of our free speech and because people have demands and our government's not listening," she said. The march came to a standstill at the perimeter of the Pepsi Center around 6:30 p.m., at which time the veterans attempted to have their statement delivered to Obama. Tension with police seemed to escalate, until several veterans stepped forward and saluted police. "We are your brothers and sisters in arms," said one. "We don't want to hurt you. We don't want you to hurt us." With that, the standoff melted away and soon an appropriate aide was contacted. "I figured as long as we kept things peaceful, they would hear us, and they did," said Army veteran Jeffrey Wood. Staff writers Allison Bruce, Daniel J. Chacon, Abigail Curtis, Jeff Kass, Dan Kelley, Sue Lindsay, Steve Myers and Judi Villa contributed to this report. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/dnc-a27.shtml Police repress protesters at Democratic National Convention By Tom Eley 27 August 2008 On Monday, police in riot gear used pepper spray, truncheons and rubber bullets on a peaceful demonstration of about 300 protesters about one mile from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Around 100 demonstrators were arrested, charged with resisting a lawful order to disperse and obstruction of streets or public passageways. At about 7 p.m. Monday, riot police fired pepper spray and pepper balls, which are delivered by guns, against the protesters, who had attempted to carry out a protest outside of the police-designated ?free speech zone.? The free speech zone is a small area in a parking lot near the Pepsi Center, surrounded by two layers of steel fence and concrete barriers and topped by razor wire. The confrontation began on a sidewalk near Denver?s Civic Center. SWAT police forced protesters backward, where a second phalanx of police was waiting, blocking their retreat. The police then completely surrounded the protesters, while reinforcements, including two armored vehicles, arrived. The protesters were held in this position for 90 minutes. Twenty-one year old Joey Kenzie, a recent community college graduate, was among those surrounded by the riot police. ?I?m a little in shock,? she told the Denver Post. ?At one point we didn?t know what we were going to do, we were going to get arrested or maced. I haven?t been able to vote for a president yet, but this was an epiphany. My freedom of speech was suppressed.? From among those pinned by the police, a protester was heard shouting, ?This is not America. This is what a police state looks like. You?re worried about Beijing? This is repression.? The Denver Police Department claims that the ?crowd that had gathered near Civic Center Park refused requests to disperse and suddenly rushed a police safety line about 7:15 p.m.,? and that protesters were ?carrying rocks and other items that could be used to threaten public safety.? A legal observer for the People?s Law Project and the National Lawyers Guild disputed the police account. He observed no rocks or other projectiles in the hands of the protesters, and noted that they were complying with police orders to ?move back? when the police fired pepper spray into the crowd. No order to disperse was given, and when protesters attempted to leave of their own accord, the police blocked their route. Footage of the protest and the police intervention can be viewed on YouTube. Police interned the arrested protesters at a makeshift prison composed of wire cages reminiscent of the US detention facility at Guant?namo Bay, Cuba. Denver has set up special ?DNC? kangaroo courts to process the arrested protesters. However, it was not until nearly midnight on Monday that the first five protesters were arraigned?without attorneys?at the court dubbed ?DNC 2.? Four of the five protesters were brought into the court tied together in twos, and they were compelled to enter pleas before the judge, Doris Burd, still linked together. The judge offered the prisoners the choice of entering a plea agreement with the city attorney, or pleading either guilty or innocent on the spot. Burd levied a $500 bond on the two protesters who pleaded not guilty. Two men who had been arraigned and pleaded guilty?one of whom claimed to have been only a bystander?were interviewed in the courtroom by a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News. However, when the reporter tried to write their names down, a sheriff?s deputy ripped the reporter?s notebook out of his hands, removing the page with his notes, and threatened to remove him from the court. ?You are never to speak to prisoners,? the deputy said. The arrested protesters have been effectively denied legal representation. On Monday, attorneys for the People?s Law Project received requests for legal representation, but they did not know where the prisoners were located or when they would appear in court. The police and security build-up in the lead-up to the DNC vividly demonstrates the precarious state of basic democratic rights in the US. Because the Department of Homeland Security has declared the nominating conventions ?national security events??a hazy legal status created by executive order under President Bill Clinton?the police of Denver have been transformed into a de facto military force and placed under the direction of the executive branch of the federal government. The size of this police force has been doubled by the infusion of cops from surrounding areas, while numerous federal and state agencies have been mobilized to assist with security, including the Secret Service, which directs security operations, the National Guard, the Coast Guard, the US Customs and Border Protection agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Pentagon?s Northern Command. The level of security would suggest that DNC was a colonial administration meeting in hostile territory, rather then the nominating convention of a mass political party in a functioning democracy. Moreover, the magnitude and ferocity of the security operation is completely out of proportion to the size and nature of the protests, which have been rather small and self-consciously peaceful. Sunday?s protest included about 3,000 people, while the protest attacked by police on Monday included no more than 300. The militarization of Denver and the police repression of basic civil rights, which no leading Democratic Party politician has denounced, is the hysterical response of a political system that can allow no political expression outside of the narrowest official channels. It is meant to serve as a warning to those who would attempt to challenge the status quo, and also as a trial run for the sort of repression the ruling elite intends to mete out to the working class in the coming period. http://rawstory.com/news/2008/100_protesters_arrested_in_Denver_hit_0826.html Denver police hit protesters with pepper spray from cannons, arrest 100 John Byrne Published: Tuesday August 26, 2008 Denver police have taken 100 protesters into custody after ordering them to disperse and spraying them with pepper spray from cannons. The action happened last night but more details have emerged this morning. Riot police forced several hundred protesters out of the civic center and blocked them before they could reach the 16th St. Mall. They used at least two armored vehicles, according to the Denver Post. A spokeswoman for the convention's Joint Information Center, "said one officer fired pepper spray during the initial confrontation near the City and County Building and one officer fire pepper spray on 15th Street. She also said one officer fired pepper balls in once instance, but wasn't sure of the timing." The spokeswoman said the office fired his spray after protesters "charged the police line." She did not cite any violence on the protesters' behalf. Police processed detainees until nearly 1am ET last night. They were then loaded onto sheriff's detainees for transport to a temporary "processing center" set up just for the convention. Denver Police have been criticized by civil liberties groups such as the ACLU, which released a leaked memo showing that the police had classified all manner of people as a threat, including those on bicycles, wearing football helmets, or carrying city maps or protest signs. "I'm a little in shock," said Joey-Kenzie, 21, of Denver, told the Post after spending about an hour and a half in the crowd of people pinned in by SWAT officers. Officers group surrounded the protesters, leaving them no way out. "At one point we didn't know what we were going to do, we were going to get arrested or maced," Kenzie added, saying. police never asked for her identification. Larry Hales, speaking for the group Recreate 68 said his group did nothing wrong Monday and had a permit for the Civic Center gathering when police closed in and created havoc. CNN reported on the protests Monday. A reporter from the scene said he'd seen no violence from the protesters, and complimented police on their handling of the scene earlier in the day. One protester told the paper the police had used the spray "like a supersoaker." The paper offered a chaotic blow by blow of the moments leading up to the police spray. The detained grouped chanted in unison: "Who screams? We scream." Some in the crowd outside the police lines, which included onlookers and media, chanted: "Cops here. Bombs there. U.S. out of everywhere." "Speech is free. Let them be." "Show me what the First Amendment looks like." "Let them go." "Watch out! They're gearing up," some in the crowd shouted, as officers donned gas masks and other protective equipment. A girl warned anyone with contact lenses to get out of the area. "The spray will fuse your contact lenses to your eyeballs," she said. http://rawstory.com/news/2008/As_convention_begins_no_protesters_in_0825.html As convention begins, no protesters in 'Freedom Cage' Nick Juliano Published: Monday August 25, 2008 Across town from convention, police clash with protesters DENVER -- Fears of confrontation between police and protesters outside the Democratic National Convention seem to have been overblown. As Democrats gathered for their convention's first night at the Pepsi Center, there were no protesters to be seen in the fenced in free speech zone a few hundred yards away. Dubbed the "freedom cage" by activists, the police-sanctioned protest area seems to have been largely abandoned. Across town though, hundreds of protesters clashed with police. "I don't think anyone would come here because it's kind of ridiculous," said William Aanstoos, a 19-year-old from Asheville, NC, who came to Denver to participate in the protests. He said other events were happening elsewhere in the city. Later Monday night, protesters were pepper sprayed and arrested in front of the Denver City and County Building, about 1.5 miles from the Pepsi Center. It's believed to be the first time police used any kind of force against protesters. Authorities say police were trying to disperse a crowd of about 300 that had disrupted traffic. Police have led at least two people away as the crowd chanted "Let them go!" Some of the protesters threw bags containing a colored liquid at police. Police Lt. Ron Saunier says he did not immediately know whether there had been arrests. He said, "The situation is still very fluid and active." On Sunday, the day before the convention's start, an anti-war protest snaked past the Pepsi Center, but by Monday the security perimeter had been expanded so that no one without a credential could get within two city blocks of the convention site. The "freedom cage" was just outside the security perimeter on the southwest corner of the Pepsi Center Complex, but there was no entrance to the perimeter anywhere near the protest zone. Even if protesters had bothered to show up, it's unlikely any Democratic delegates or reporters would have seen them. A police officer stationed near the protest zone told RAW STORY that members of the anti-war group Code Pink had staged a demonstration there earlier Monday, but that it had been mostly empty the rest of the day. Around 5 p.m. local time, there were a few scattered reporters but no protests. An empty microphone was set up in one corner of the fenced in parking lot with a sign up sheet for speakers. Some pranksters apparently filled out most of the sheet with mock entries. For example, "MLK 'I have a dream, that one day, all free speech will be done in cages.'" The ACLU had expressed concern that police would be over-zealous in cracking down on protesters. Denver police had previously been told to be on high alert for "stockpiles" of such innocuous items as maps and bicycles. A spokesman for the organization said earlier Monday night, before the arrests across town, that things had been pretty "quiet." The police had been certainly making their presence known throughout the weekend. Hundreds of officers were deployed throughout the city on foot, bike and horseback. Police SUVs also were driving through downtown Denver Sunday and Monday with up to a dozen officers each riding on platforms attached to the sides of the vehicles. There was a constant whir of helicopters overhead throughout the city during the convention. Most of the officers assigned to the empty protest zone were milling around looking bored Monday evening. Aanstoos, who spoke to RAW STORY in the abandoned "freedom cage" said most of his encounters with police officers had been friendly. http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=25772 DNC Protests: CodePink protester is slammed to the ground by police in Denver A CodePink protester is knocked to the ground and later arrested when she did not move back fast enough after the Denver police made an arrest. http://www.connietalk.com/police_arrest_denver_protestors_082708.html Denver Protestors Arrested, Mased Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 by Connie T. Chaos ensued in Denver, Colorado on Monday when anti-war protestors outside the Democratic National Convention were doused with pepper spray by police for marching in the streets. A video of the incident is above. As you may have seen on the Video of the Day on our forum yesterday, an alliance of many different groups with over 1,000 protestors marched up and down the street with signs like "No War On Iran," "FISA = Fascism," "Out of Iraq Now," etc. A FOX News reporter tried to ask demonstrators what their message was, and one man yelled into the microphone (live), "F*** FOX!!" The crowd then all began chanting, "F*** FOX News, F*** FOX News!" Police in riot gear arrested about 100 people from the streets, claiming they were disrupting traffic near the Denver City and County Building. The only warning they were given before police used force was "3, 2, 1." Rubber pellets and batons were also used by police. Will the antiwar protestors be awarded a judgment in the millions by courts for wrongful arrests, as we just saw in New York City? If so, and if it's anything like that case, it could take years. But we'll keep up with the story for you! If you or someone you know was present and arrested at the rally, and have information that we might publish, please send tips to: http://www.workers.org/2008/us/dnc_0904/ No democracy in Denver Cops attack protesters at DNC Emergency news conference exposes gov?t terror By LeiLani Dowell Denver Published Aug 27, 2008 9:19 PM Denver police have used violence and mass arrests in an attempt to silence dissent during the Democratic National Convention. However, organizers and activists have put the city and police on notice that their intimidation tactics will not work. Larry Hales from Recreate 68 Alliance and FIST tells off Denver police. To his left is John Parker from Los Angeles Int?l Action Center. Photos: Troops Out Now Coalition Several hundred activists were gathered in Civic Center Park on Aug. 25, where the Recreate 68 Alliance (Recreate68.org) has a permit for a week of actions during the DNC. At about 6 p.m., Denver police began massing in groups, encircling the park. Squads then began to march through the park, pushing and kicking people as they passed. One group of heavily-armed police lined up directly across from the Troops Out Now Coalition table. At about 7:00, a group of mostly young people responded by chanting ?No justice, no peace!? The police charged the group, hitting several of them with pepper spray. Attempting to get away from the club-swinging police, the group moved onto Cleveland Street, joined by many others from the park. Police then closed off both ends of the block, entrapping the group as well as many bystanders. They began hitting people with their nightsticks and using pepper spray and pepper balls. Front banner at anti-war march in Denver, Aug. 24. One young protester, Martin, told the Denver Post, ?We moved to the sidewalk?a few people stayed in the street?because we didn?t want a confrontation, but it didn?t matter. People started pleading: ?Let me go. I want to go home.? ... ?Some of the police on horses were whacking people with their batons. I was told later that the police were telling us to disperse, but I didn?t hear them say that. And where would we go? The police were all around us, not letting us leave.? TONC organizer and Navy veteran Dustin Langley was among those trapped on the street between the police lines. He noted that spirits remained high, saying: ?Street medics took care of those who had been pepper sprayed, and we shared water and made sure everyone was okay. We continued chanting and singing. At one point, we sang ?Solidarity Forever?. One group of activists chanted at the cops: ?Who do you protect? Who do you serve??? After more than an hour, the solidarity of those on the streets and negotiations by Recreate 68 organizers won the release of most of those trapped on the block. At least 85, however, were placed in metal shackles and arrested. They were denied access to attorneys while at the detention center, and many were bullied into making a guilty plea in order to get released. Martin said, ?Now, because of the plea bargain, I?m free but on probation. I can?t join any more marches, or do anything illegal in the next six months, or I?ll get five days in jail on top of the other charges.? The next day the police continued their attempts to intimidate those protesting the DNC. Heavily-armed police continued to mass around the park, and squads of horse-mounted cops rode through the park several times. At about 9 a.m., the right-wing bigot Fred Phelps entered the park, spewing a homophobic hate speech. A Recreate 68 organizer, Carlo Garcia, told him to leave. The Denver police responded by arresting Garcia, who has two brothers in Iraq. When Code Pink organizer Alicia Forrest questioned Garcia?s arrest, she was knocked to the ground by police and arrested as well. Organizers with the Recreate 68 Alliance and TONC called an emergency press conference in front of police headquarters to take a public stand against these tactics and respond to distortions in the corporate media, which portrayed the protesters as the initiators of violence. Glenn Spagnuolo, one of the cofounders of the Recreate 68 Alliance, put the mayor, police chief and Denver Police Department on notice that he and other organizers are meeting with attorneys to move forward with legal action. He noted several major protest-related lawsuits, such as those in New York and Washington, which have cost local governments millions of dollars. Larry Hales, a leader of the Recreate 68 Alliance and of the youth group FIST (Fight Imperialism Stand Together), noted that any violence that has occurred was initiated by the Denver police. Recreate 68 demands all police be removed from the park. Hales stated that since Recreate 68 has a permit to hold its activity in the Civic Center Park, the police have no business there. Other speakers at the press conference included Brian Vicente of the Peoples Law Project; Ben Kaufman, who described the arrest of Carlo Garcia; Sally Newman of Code Pink; and Mark Cohen, a Recreate 68 cofounder, who questioned the role of the Democratic Party in suppressing civil liberties and attempting to silence protest. Following the press conference, organizers returned to Civic Center Park, where they joined hundreds of activists from around the country determined to continue in the spirit of resistance and protest. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/082808dnpolprotesters.41e40c2.html Protesters aren't making big waves in Denver 11:41 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News dlevinthal at dallasnews.com DENVER ? Reid Neureiter stepped atop the podium and held the microphone tight between his hands. "Are there any delegates ? anyone, anywhere ? that can hear us?" the Dallas native and Denver attorney bellowed, alone but for his son and son's friend in a caged-in, empty parking lot some 47,000 square feet large. "Surely, someone can hear me behind these double iron fences? Tell your politicians that this is a travesty of the First Amendment." Mr. Neureiter's one-man protest of the Democratic National Convention in the city-sponsored "free speech" zone is emblematic of what, through Wednesday, has proved to be an underwhelming display of demonstrations outside Denver's Pepsi Center. To be sure, organizations representing a variety of interests have staged rallies, paraded through Denver streets and occasionally disrupted traffic or clashed with police. A Tuesday night rally at Civic Center Park proved incendiary, with police using pepper spray on some demonstrators and arresting nearly 100 of them. On Wednesday evening, a largely peaceful war protest on a road leading to the Pepsi Center attracted about 1,000 people, some of whom demanded that police deliver a message to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Not that protesters could get close if they tried: The Pepsi Center is surrounded by tall fences and hundreds of armed guards. As of Wednesday evening, authorities had arrested 141 people in convention-related incidents, said Suzanne Silverthorn, a spokeswoman for the Denver Joint Information Center, which is representing local, state and federal authorities. Most were hauled away for minor offenses such as "interference with police authority," trespassing and loitering. Police reports indicate that four Texans were among the arrested ? two from Austin, two from Corpus Christi. "The protest group sizes have been less than projections reported in the media," Ms. Silverthorn said. Protest groups had promised that tens of thousands of people would rally in Denver on behalf of causes ranging from ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to instituting a federal abortion ban. And there's still one more day of conventioneering. But the groups, some with names like "Recreate '68" ? an allusion to the riots outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago ? fell far short of their self-styled monikers. "I wish more people had come. There are important issues Democrats aren't dealing with, like the war," said Joe Jimenez, a protester who drove to Denver from Los Angeles. Mr. Neureiter wasn't particularly impressed, either. While taking a break from talking, his son, Austin, grabbed the microphone and began rapping. "This is like a bad cartoon. A Monty Python sketch," Mr. Neureiter said, placing his hand over his head. "You have a bunch of 13-year-olds singing to a bunch of police officers in riot gear." http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35722 Pelosi Ridicules Protesters: "Can we drill your brains?" Submitted by Chip on Wed, 2008-08-27 07:51. ? Activism ? Cindy Sheehan ? Evidence ? General Discussion ? Impeachment Pelosi to protesters: "Can we drill your brains?" By Ryan Grim | Politico.com House Democratic leaders and protesters waving McCain signs had a war of words Tuesday at a press event outside an old train station. The demonstrators interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with chants of ?Drill here! Drill now!? Pelosi paused and asked the group, ?Right here?? Seeming to enjoy the back and forth, she followed with another question: ?Can we drill your brains?? She went on to refer to the protesters, who continued to chant sporadically, as ?handmaidens of Big Oil.? Arguing that increased offshore drilling would reduce gas prices by only a couple of pennies a decade from now, she referred to the demonstrators as the ?2-cents-in-10-years-crowd.? Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer swiped at the demonstrators, too, saying that ?sophomoric chanting? won?t solve the energy crisis and that ?all thinking Americans know? ? stressing the word "thinking" and looking at the crowd ? that America doesn?t have a quarter of the word?s fossil fuels yet uses a quarter of the world?s energy. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 17:38:00 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:38:00 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] INDIA - West Bengal - land grab protest defeats industrial giant Tata Message-ID: <4AA84A68.40903@tesco.net> In West Bengal, mass protests and roadblocks forced the cancellation of a factory to build the new Tata Nano car, as local farmers backed by the political opposition protested for the return of land grabbed by the state to build the factory. Tata Nano protest stories, August-October 2008, most recent first. * October 20 - Trinamool rally targets Tata, state government * October - protests in Gujarat as project relocated * October - Andhra Pradesh farmers protest suggestion to move Tata to Andhra * September 29 - Uttarakhand move proposed * September 10 - new Tata protests and Naxalite rally * September 9 - protests force Tata out of Bengal; protests end * September 2-5 - Work at Tata plant halted by protests * September 3 - Counter-protest against Tata blockade * August 28-31 - Protests disrupt construction * August 25 - Protest blocks highway * August 24 - Indefinite protest launched http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/420686/cs/1/ Thousands of Trinamool supporters take part in protest India Gazette Monday 20th October, 2008 (IANS) Traffic across large parts of central Kolkata was thrown out of gear as several thousand activists of West Bengal's main opposition Trinamool Congress took part in a siege on the city police headquarters at Lal Bazar Monday. Despite apprehensions of violence, the programme passed off peacefully. Amid heavy security arrangements, the Trinamool workers assembled at the Metro Channel in the heart of the city protesting against police 'high-handedness' and the 'unlawful' arrest of a party activist Oct 5. Shouting slogans against West Bengal's Left Front government and its major constituent Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), they walked two kilometres through the main thoroughfares Chittaranjan Avenue and B.B. Ganguly Street before converging at Phears Lane. More than 10,000 policemen, including armed force, Rapid Action Force personnel, intelligence sleuths, plainclothesman, and the Special Action Force members were deployed to prevent any breach of peace. Though Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee stayed away from the programme, all other important party leaders took part. Addressing the workers, leader of opposition in the state assembly Partha Chatterjee said his party's struggle was against the government's efforts to use the police to quell democratic protests. 'Forty four thousand false cases have been slapped against the opposition activists. Whoever opposes this government, is thrown in prison,' he said. Chatterjee, who had a bitter argument with city police commissioner Goutam Mohan Chakraborty Oct 5 over the arrest of party activist Swarup Biswas, warned the police not to be partial. 'But I know you have to be so under the present regime of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee'. Taking on Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata for splashing advertisements in newspapers eulogising Chief Minister Bhattacharjee and decrying Trinamool and Banerjee, he said: 'Some people are telling the CPI-M that I will even advertise for you. You only have to finish off Mamata.' Chatterjee issued a warning to the government that it could not stop protests by the use of brute force. 'Wherever we find people are being tortured, we will raise our voice. We cannot be deterred by batons or bullets.' With traffic coming to a halt in central Kolkata, students returning home were greatly inconvenienced. Some ambulances were also seen stranded in the snarl. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080068666 Politics fuels Nano protest in Gujarat, agitation intensifies Joydeep Ray Tuesday, October 14, 2008, (Ahmedabad) Trouble just seems to be following the Tata's prestigious Nano project. After protesting farmers led by the Trinamool Congress drove the project out of West Bengal, now in its new home in Gujarat, it is almost like a repeat all over again. The state Congress is up in arms along with the farmers saying the compensation given for their land is not enough. (Watch) The farmers in Sanand are almost echoing the anti-Nano protestors in Bengal. The Congress in Gujarat says they want an RTI into the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Tata Motors and state government. They claim the government should have compensated the farmers for the land before giving it over to a corporate house. "This land worth of Rs 1000 crore has been given at almost no cost to the Tatas for their project of only Rs 1500 crore. This is just not only state exchequer lost its income but also the poor farmers have been deprived of their legitimate demands of compensation for their own land," said Arjun Modhvadia, leader of opposition. The government has argued that this is government land and the farmers have no claim over it. But egged on by the Congress, the farmers in Sanand the site of the plant have intensified their protests. The farmers claim they are historic owners of the land and that the dispute is already in court. They have brought a new legal notice against the government for not compensating them. "How government can hand over our land to someone else without even consulting us. Government is not giving the land free to Tatas as government itself has claimed that Tatas bought land in existing market rate," said Mukesh Vaghela, farmer, Chharodi. But many say that this is political posturing by the Congress, which unlike Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, cannot afford to escalate its anti-Nano protests. Congress leaders say that they welcome the Nano project as it benefits Gujarat. They are only asking for compensation for the farmers. Also, many of the Congress leaders are leading industrialists and have more than just a political stake in Gujarat's economic growth. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122338771211111405.html?mod=fox_australian ? OCTOBER 8, 2008 Tata to Shift Production of Minicar After Protests NEW DELHI -- Tata Motors Ltd. is shifting production of the world's cheapest car to the western state of Gujarat, in a move that shows how Indian states are vying for investment despite grass-roots resistance to some big industrial projects. Tata Chairman Ratan Tata said Tuesday that the company had acquired 1,100 acres of land near Gujarat's business capital, Ahmedabad, and would relocate equipment from a failed West Bengal project to build the main production plant for its 623cc Nano minicar. http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20081005/148976.htm Sunday, October 05, 2008 Tata officials visit Andhra sites, face farmers' protests From correspondents in Andhra Pradesh, India, 07:00 PM IST A team of officials from Tata Motors Sunday conducted inspection of two sites near here for their Nano car project but faced protests from farmers, who refused to part with their land. The team led by Tata Motors' managing director G. Ravi Kant and accompanied by officials of the state revenue department visited Seetarampuram and Aluru villages in Ranga Reddy district. Both sites are close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad. The delegation first visited Seetarampuram village where the state government has offered 1,128 acres of land at concessional rates. But as soon as the officials of the company and the revenue department reached there, local farmers gathered and tried to stop the inspection. The farmers made it clear they would not surrender their land at any cost as they had been cultivating these for decades. The police had to intervene and cane the farmers to allow the team to complete its inspection. The protest by farmers and local people in Singur in West Bengal has forced Tata Motors to pull out from there. Tata officials also visited Aluru village where the government is offering 1,240 acres of land. The 10-member team later returned to the state capital to meet Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who is ready to offer any concession to wrangle the Nano project for the state. The state government has proposed another site in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, where it is ready to allot 1,000 acres for the project. The government announced huge sops Friday to attract the prestigious project. Besides allotment of land at concessional rates, the state is offering 100 percent exemption from stamp duty, subsidised electricity with two feeder lines, exemption from electricity tax for 10 years and refund of gross output value added tax (VAT) and central sales tax (CST) for 21 years. The government has also offered exemptions from entry tax, VAT on capital goods, works contract tax, octroi and other state levies. The sops announced Friday by the state are part of the government's ultra mega integrated automobile policy and are on par with those announced by the Tamil Nadu government. Under this policy, the government will provide incentives to automobile projects, either new or those under expansion, which are ready to invest not less than Rs.40 billion. http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=36616 Now Andhra farmers protest against Tatas Hyderabad, Oct 5 A team of officials from Tata Motors Sunday conducted inspection of two sites near here for their Nano car project but faced protests from farmers, who refused to part with their land. The team led by Tata Motors' managing director G. Ravi Kant and accompanied by officials of the state revenue department visited Seetarampuram and Aluru villages in Ranga Reddy district. Both sites are close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad. The delegation first visited Seetarampuram village where the state government has offered 1,128 acres of land at concessional rates. But as soon as the officials of the company and the revenue department reached there, local farmers gathered and tried to stop the inspection. The farmers made it clear they would not surrender their land at any cost as they had been cultivating these for decades. The police had to intervene and cane the farmers to allow the team to complete its inspection. The protest by farmers and local people in Singur in West Bengal has forced Tata Motors to pull out from there. Tata officials also visited Aluru village where the government is offering 1,240 acres of land. The 10-member team later returned to the state capital to meet Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who is ready to offer any concession to wrangle the Nano project for the state. The state government has proposed another site in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, where it is ready to allot 1,000 acres for the project. The government announced huge sops Friday to attract the prestigious project. Besides allotment of land at concessional rates, the state is offering 100 percent exemption from stamp duty, subsidised electricity with two feeder lines, exemption from electricity tax for 10 years and refund of gross output value added tax (VAT) and central sales tax (CST) for 21 years. The government has also offered exemptions from entry tax, VAT on capital goods, works contract tax, octroi and other state levies. The sops announced Friday by the state are part of the government's ultra mega integrated automobile policy and are on par with those announced by the Tamil Nadu government. Under this policy, the government will provide incentives to automobile projects, either new or those under expansion, which are ready to invest not less than Rs.40 billion. http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/sep/29tata.htm Uttarakhand agri minister protests Tata land move Shishir Prashant in Dehra Dun | September 29, 2008 10:33 IST The Uttarakhand government's move to allot 50 acres of agriculture land to Tata Motors [Get Quote] for housing purposes has hit a rough patch with Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressing opposition to the use of farm land for industrial or any other use. "The agriculture land should be used only for agriculture purposes," said Rawat expressing his strong opposition. Rawat said that a big chunk of land has fallen into the hands of land mafia in the state. This also means that the company may have to wait for more time to get the 50 acres of land from the government in the wake of reservations expressed by Rawat and some small social groups. Although the Uttarakhand government had expressed its commitment to allot 50 acres land to Tata Motors during the Thursday's meeting held between Chief Secretary I K Pande and the company officials here, official sources today clarified that the auto major is yet to get the land and that it should wait till a favourable environment is built in the hill state over the issue of land transfer. The government wants the land from Pantnagar Agriculture University to be given to Tata Motors. Significantly, the University Vice Chancellor B S Bist also said that the land has not yet been allotted. "We have not given any land to Tata Motors. On the other hand, the sources also clarified that the government has not yet taken any decision regarding the Tata Motors' demand to lower the lease rent to Rs one per sq meter from Rs five per sq meter for its 1000 acres of industrial plot at Pantnagar where it wants to produce Nano car. "The decision is still pending but we are positive on it," said Pande. But the sources said the decision on both land allotment and lease rent is likely to be taken at the next cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, HESCO, a Dehra Dun-based social group, has asked the government to safeguard the interests of Uttarakhand before allocating agriculture land for industrial purposes. "We must guard our own interests when we give our prime agriculture land to Tata Motors or other industries," said HESCO Director Dr Anil P Joshi. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/New-protest,-Naxalite-party-holds-rally/359564/ New protest, Naxalite party holds rally Font Size Express News Service Posted: Sep 10, 2008 at 0159 hrs IST Print Email Feedback Discuss Kolkata, September 9: The worries of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee over Singur issue are far from over. Landless agricultural labourers and sharecroppers of Singur, who lost their jobs after the land was acquired for the Tata Motors factory, have decided to launch a fresh movement demanding compensation from the state government. The people are being organised under the banner of Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist (Liberation), a Naxalite political party. Over 1,000 agricultural labourers and 1,200 sharecroppers of Singur will participate in the rally to be held in the Barohatkalitala area of Singur on Wednesday. The rally will be addressed by senior state committee members of CPIML (L). The sharecroppers alleged that their interests were not taken care of during the discussions held between the representatives of the state Government and Opposition parties at Raj Bhavan on Sunday. Sajal Adhikari, a CPIML (L) state committee member, said the state government has not announced any compensation for the agricultural labourers of Singur. ?The state government has said that only 25 per cent of the land value would be given to the registered sharecroppers, though they deserve the similar compensation that was given to the land owners,? he added. UK Pound Crosses Rs. 74Unmatched Exchange Rates, Overnight Remit2India.com/FreeMoney Clinton Thrashes Obama24 Hour News - Breaking Stories, www.russiatoday.com Celeb Big Brother 2009Who's going in the house? www.thesun.co.uk/bigbroth Ads By Google ?These marginal farmers, who were beaten up on several occasions by Singur police for resisting the state government?s forceful land acquisition, would assemble at Singur tomorrow demanding withdrawal of criminal cases filed against them by the police,? Adhikari said. Farmers have also demanded that the details of the agreement between the state government and Tatas be published immediately. ?Only a part of the agreement was published that did not provide all the details,? said Adhikari. Villagers of Singur, meanwhile, held a rally supporting the Tata?s Nano plant on Tuesday, even as the work at the small car factory remained suspended. More than a thousand people including farmers, CPM leaders, members of various syndicates, who supplied construction material to the Nano factory and unemployed youths participated in the rally. They raised pro-Tata slogans and stated that if Tata factory leaves Singur, it will spell a doom for the area. ?This is a non-political rally. People from all walks of life are present here. After the construction of the Nano factory, the area has seen rapid development. If Tata?s move out, people will lose their jobs which they got at the factory,? said Dibakar Das, local CPM leader. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia/india/2008/09/09/173865/Protests-end.htm Protests end against Tata?s cheap car plant SINGUR, India -- Opposition activists in eastern India on Monday abandoned their siege of a Tata Motors factory set to build the world?s cheapest car after striking a deal to end violent protests against the plant. West Bengal state?s Trinamool Congress party, which has been spearheading the opposition, hailed the Marxist state government?s pledge to return seized land as ?a big victory? for evicted farmers. ?I am suspending protests,? party leader Mamata Banerjee told crowds of activists, who chanted ?We have won!? and ?Long live the revolution!? But Tata Motors, India?s leading vehicle maker, said it was still studying the agreement, which is not entirely satisfactory to the company as it involves Tata having to shift some ancillary units, such as component vendors. ?There?s no reaction at this point in time. One is evaluating and studying this initiative,? a senior company official told AFP, asking not to be named. Protests against the plant, slated to manufacture the ultra-cheap Nano car, have been going on for two years, but they worsened in the past few weeks with demonstrators besieging the factory and threatening to kill workers. The plant in Singur is 90 percent complete, and Tata Motors, part of the tea-to-steel Tata Group, has said it aims to launch the Nano in October, in time for the big-spending annual Hindu festival season. Tata hopes to sell the car at just 100,000 rupees, or US$2,264. Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata warned over two weeks ago he would abandon the plant if the demonstrations continued, even though the company has poured US$350 million into the project. All work on the factory was halted over a week ago when protesters barred workers entering the plant. Even though Tata had yet to say whether it would accept the deal, people in Singur village were optimistic the plant would be saved. ?It?s a new dawn,? said plant worker Subal Manna. Nearly 200 plant workers live in the village where agriculture is still the main livelihood. http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/CSRfiles/page.php?Story_ID=2218 India: Farmers end protest over Tata Nano plant A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 136, dated 8 Sep 2008 Farmers who have been engaged in sometimes violent protest against the construction of the Tata Motors car plant in West Bengal have said that they are suspending their activities after the government promised to return some of the land that had been taken. The move comes after Tata had threatened to pull altogether from the site in the face of the violence and damage done to the plant. The site is slated to be the home of the new Tata Nano, celebrated on launch as the world's cheapest car. The crisis was initially created when the government took over 1,000 acres of farmland for the factory. Offers of compensation to some of the farmers were rejected in the face of demands that at least 400 acres should be returned. Protests have initially been suspended for seven days, whilst details of the return of land are resolved. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080909/BUSINESS/797245109/1005/rss Nano car production stalls over Tata move ? Last Updated: September 09. 2008 10:26PM UAE / GMT MUMBAI // The barricades blocking the highway to the Tata Motors Nano factory in West Bengal have come down, but the road is not yet clear for production of the world?s cheapest car. Tata Motors said on Monday it would not immediately restart production of its super-cheap Nano car ? which had a planned launch slated for the end of the year ? even though farmers who had lost land and local political leaders opposed to the plant ended weeks of violent protests in Singur. The local government on Sunday promised to compensate the farmers with more land. A committee will be set up to decide within a week the details of the compensation package. ?Tata Motors is obliged to continue the suspension of construction and commissioning work at the Nano Plant? until final details of the agreement are clarified, the company said on Monday. It insists it cannot keep costs down unless some 60 key suppliers remain integrated with the Nano factory. Some farmers said they did not accept the government?s offer of compensation for their land because they could get a better price by selling the land directly to the company. * Associated Press http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/02/business/02tata.php West Bengal protests lead Tata to halt all work on Nano car factory By Anand Giridharadas Published: September 2, 2008 MUMBAI: Tata Motors, whose trailblazing project is to build the world's cheapest car, said Tuesday that violent political protests over land had compelled it to stop building the factory in eastern India for its much-awaited Nano model. But the car, set to cost 100,000 rupees, or $2,250, will still roll off assembly lines as planned in October under a backup plan to shift production to other Tata sites, an executive familiar with Tata's internal deliberations said late Tuesday. For the first two months, Tata will produce 10,000 cars a month instead of the planned 40,000, according to the executive, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak for the company. Still, the political throttling of the project has many in the Indian business community warning of a chilling effect on investment into the country. "It's a slap on the face for Brand India," said Suhel Seth, a longtime adviser to the Tata Group and the managing partner of Counselage, a strategic branding firm in New Delhi. "Which foreign company will want to come in when India's most respected group cannot set up industry in a state?" With its briefcase-sized trunk, hollow steering-wheel shaft and rear-mounted German engine no stronger than a lawn mower, the car, which costs less than the optional DVD player on a Lexus sport utility vehicle, has been described as a "generational leapfrog in terms of cost reduction," by Daryl Rolley, the head of North American and Asian operations for Ariba, which provides parts for Tata and other auto makers. Ariba was also involved in the Nano project. But the Nano has been dogged from the beginning by one of India's most wrenching dilemmas: how to create space for industry by moving farmers off their land and compensating them adequately. The Communist-run government of West Bengal State invited the Tata Group, a towering symbol of Indian capitalism, to set up its plant in an area called Singur. It acquired 1,000 acres of land from farmers on the company's behalf. As the project advanced, some of the farmers who had sold their land demanded it back. The main state-level opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, led protests demanding that the land be returned. Most people sympathetic to Tata accused the opposition party of inducing the farmers to protest, while Tata's critics said the farmers had legitimate grievances. The issue simmered for months. But in recent weeks and days, it took a severe turn as protesters surrounded the facility, blocked roads in the area and prevented Tata workers from reaching the plant. "The existing environment of obstruction, intimidation and confrontation has begun to impact the ability of the company to convince several of its experienced managers to relocate and work in the plant," Tata said in a statement on Tuesday. Opponents of the project worry that an ultracheap car is being built for roads that have no space, under a sky already too thick with smog. They complain of Tata receiving a secret sweet deal from the government and say that it is taking land from the very poor to build cars for a swelling middle class that does not need government help. Abhirup Sarkar, an economist at the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta, said, "The compensation paid for the land is measly," according to Reuters. "It should be three to four times higher than what was paid." But Tata said Tuesday that it had trained workers in the area, built medical facilities and at its peak employed about 4,000 people, including many locals. "Operation successful, patient dead," said Seth, the Tata adviser. "You had a successful political operation, but you've killed the aspirations of people, subverted the process of law and told politicians you can do what you will." http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/beng-s05.shtml Protests in West Bengal threaten to derail CPI (M)-sponsored Nano car project By Kranti Kumara 5 September 2008 A 13-day-long peasant agitation for the return of land seized by the West Bengal Left Front government on behalf of the Tata Group is threatening to derail the Indian transnational company?s high-profile Nano Car project in Singur, which lies some 50 kilometers from the state capital Kolkata (Calcutta). Tata and its automobile division, Tata Motors, have promoted the Nano?a two-cylinder, four-seater slated to go on sale later this year for around $2,500 US?as proof of their technical prowess. Tata?s ?people?s car? project has also been hailed by India?s ruling elite as evidence of India?s rise to world-power status. The agitation has seen peasants and their supporters camping outside and ultimately blocking access to a huge tract of land in Singur, where Tata has all but finished building its Nano assembly plant and auto parts-makers have established ancillary facilities. The protest movement is being organized under the auspices of an ad hoc umbrella group made up of 21 organizations including political parties, NGOs and peasant groups. Political leadership of the movement is, nevertheless, effectively in the hands of Trinamul [Grassroots Party] Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. The official opposition in the state legislature, the Trinamul Congress is a right-wing, Bengal regionalist party which began as a split-off from the Congress Party. It has frequently made common cause with the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and participated in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, which during its tenure in office (1998-2004) aggressively pursued big business?s agenda of deregulation, tax cuts, privatization and marketization. If an anticommunist demagogue like Banerjee is now able to posture as the voice of West Bengal?s downtrodden peasants it is because the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front is ruthlessly pursuing ?pro-investor? policies aimed at making the state a haven for cheap-labor manufacturing and business-processing. In the name of promoting the ?industrialization? of West Bengal, the Stalinists have invoked colonial era legislation to expropriate peasant land on behalf of big business, then employed anti-democratic laws and lethal violence to quell popular opposition. The immediate demand of the Singur protesters is for the return of 400 of the 1,000 acres of land expropriated by West Bengal?s Stalinist-led government in 2006. The government has claimed that the peasants ?voluntarily? sold their land, their sole means of livelihood. In fact they were cajoled, bullied and coerced, with both legal and extra-legal methods employed. On Tuesday, the Tata Group announced immediate suspension of all construction work at the Singur plant site. ?Tata Motors,? declared a company press release, ?has been constrained to suspend construction and commissioning work at the Nano plant in Singur in view of the continued confrontation and agitation at the site.? ? The company also threatened to transfer the Nano project out of West Bengal if the protests persist: ?In view of the current situation, the company is evaluating alternative options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities and a detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternative site is under preparation.? The statement went on to claim that the decision to suspend work on the Singur plant ?was taken in order to ensure the safety of its employees and contract labour, who have continued to be violently obstructed from reporting to work.? In fact, the company has shown callous disregard for both the peasants whose land it has grabbed with the Stalinists? help and for the workers, many of whom come from the dispossessed peasant families. As a result of the suspension of work on the plant, Tata has placed the workers on indefinite layoff without pay. In its statement, Tata offered the laid-off workers only a non-binding promise that it will inquire as to whether it can employ them elsewhere at some future date: ?To minimize the impact [that the indefinite suspension of work] may have on the recently-recruited and trained people from West Bengal, the company is exploring the possibility of absorbing them at its other plant locations,? It was reported that on Wednesday a 65-year-old day laborer at the Tata site, distraught at his inability to provide for his family, committed suicide. Tata?s threat to relocate the Nano project is a sign of its determination to force a quick end to the Singur agitation. Since Tata has already spent rupees 15 billion ($350 million) on developing the West Bengal site and moving the project would entail major delays in the car?s launch, the company will be loathe to carry through on its threat. But other state governments have been quick to express interest in offering Tata an alternate site. In a September 3 article, the Times of India quoted a company source as saying, ?This may well be a posturing by the company to show its seriousness on the threat. However, if there is no positive response, the company will pull out.?? The Tata threat is aimed at both the West Bengal Left Front government and the Trinamul Congress. The Stalinists twice resorted to lethal mass violence last year in seeking to quell a peasant protest against its plans to expropriate 10,000 acres of land in Nandigram to set up a Special Economic Zone for the Salim Group. In the first instance, the CPM deployed 4,000 heavily armed state police. In the second they used CPM goons. (See ?West Bengal?s Stalinist government mounts terror campaign to quash peasant unrest? and ?West Bengal Stalinist regime perpetrates peasant massacre?) But the bloody events at Nandigram provoked revulsion across India and have dealt a body blow to the Stalinists? pretensions to represent India?s toilers. Fearing public approbation, the Left Front allies of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPM] have repeatedly made after-the-fact criticisms of the government?s Special Economic Zone policy and the methods the government has employed in implementing it. For fear of the political fallout, the Left Front government has thus far refrained from mounting a major police action against the Singur agitation. At the same time, West Bengal Chief Minister and CPM Politburo member Buddadeb Bhattacharya has been at pains to underscore his government?s determination to act as the guarantors of big business interests and profits. In an address to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) on August 26 he declared, ?I am against bandhs [general strikes). Unfortunately I belong to a political party which calls bandhs. I have kept quiet. But from now on, I?ll not keep quiet.? Bhattacharya went on to condemn gherao, a protest tactic that became popular during the worker-student-peasant radicalization of the 1960s and which involves the encircling of a person in authority. ?Gherao,? affirmed Bhattacharya, ?is illegal and immoral. It is our contribution to the English language. It will not be allowed in the state.? It has been reported that the Left Front government is considering legislation to curtail workers? rights to resort to job action and imposing on workers a new legal responsibility to meet management production goals. The Tata threat is also aimed at persuading Banerjee and her Trinamul Congress that there will be a political cost if they continue to align themselves, albeit for the purposes of weakening the Left Front government, with the peasant movement against land expropriations. The corporate media has taken up the Tatas? cause, vilifying the protesters in unison and imploring Banerjee to seek a speedy accommodation with her Left Front rivals. Other corporate leaders have also spoken out in support of the Tata Group. Bharti Group Chairman and CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal said, ?The Tatas pulling out of West Bengal would be unfortunate for India. Nano is seen as a world car and has drawn international acclaim. Immediate political dialogue to find a solution towards keeping the project in West Bengal is imperative.? On occasion Banerjee has cast herself as a champion of the poor against the Tatas (one of India?s oldest and most prestigious bourgeois families.) But this is pure bombast. She has repeatedly voiced support for increased big business investment in West Bengal. A couple of days ago she made the following comment to the press: ?We want work to resume at the Tata Motors plant soon because we don?t want the poor workers to suffer. We are not against the Tatas. We want the Tatas to bring out their car. Let there be talks to resolve the impasse. But our demand is fixed. The government has to return 400 acres of farmland to the unwilling farmers.? In assuming a leading role in the current agitations, Mamata wishes to politically capitalize on the widespread popular opposition to the Stalinists? pro-investor policies and bloody repression, while directing peasant grievances into safe and harmless channels. There are indications, however, that the agitation has gone somewhat beyond her control. It was never Banerjee?s intention to stop work on the Tata plant, but on the evening of August 27 protesters initiated more militant action when they blocked busloads of employees from leaving the factory gates for several hours. Banerjee has now announced that she will take part in a meeting between representatives of her party and Chief Minister Bhattacharya, which is to be hosted by the West Bengal governor. Representatives of none of the other organizations involved in the agitation appear to have been invited to the talks. It is quite likely that the talks are aimed at isolating the more militant elements by striking a deal with the Trinamul Congress offering increased compensation to farmers for the loss of their land. Whether such a strategy will succeed is yet to be seen. The Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has demonstrably announced that it will not intervene in the Singur dispute. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the most important UPA minister from West Bengal, Pranab Mukherjee, have frequently lavished praise on the Left Front government and its ?industrialization? policy. But the Congress has assumed a much more aggressive stance against the Stalinists since the Left Front withdrew its support for the government in July over the Indo-US nuclear treaty. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7595422.stm Wednesday, 3 September 2008 10:38 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version More protests hit Tata Nano plant Tata and local farmers are at loggerheads over land rights Tata Motors is in urgent talks with the West Bengal government after saying it will relocate its Indian auto plant. Production of the Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car, has been suspended indefinitely amid reports of more disturbances at the factory. Tata Motors has decided to look for alternative manufacturing sites after violent protests by farmers in West Bengal where the plant is located. Farmers want the return of 400 acres of land purchased to build the plant. Tata said the situation at the plant was "hostile and intimidating". The West Bengal government has called for urgent talks between government and opposition leaders and Ratan Tata, and asked the group not to finalise its decision to pull out of the plant until after these meetings. Meanwhile, Indian businessmen are worried that the disturbances will set back India's efforts to attract foreign investment. The business community in West Bengal is particularly concerned that if Tata leaves others will follow, our reporter Rahul Tandon says. The state government has been desperately trying to attract investors, who for years have been put off by their communist policies. Economic blow The conflict has already led to loss of life. A few hours after Tata announced its plans to suspend work at its car factory, a villager there allegedly committed suicide fearing loss of work for his sons. Sushen Santra , 65, was found dead at his residence in the Joymalla village in Singur, early on Wednesday. And at least six small farmers had earlier committed suicide in Singur when their lands were acquired for the Tata project. The opposition Trinamul Congress party, which has been leading the protests, said they were not seeking Tata's withdrawal from the area, some 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Calcutta. But they said the land on which the plant in Singur is being built had been forcibly acquired from "unwilling" farmers. There is no way this plant could operate efficiently unless the environment became congenial and supportive of the project Tata Motors Tata is evaluating options to shift production of the Nano - which will cost about 100,000 rupees ($2,500) - to some of its six other manufacturing sites in India. The firm said it had no choice but to suspend work at the Singur plant - in which it has invested $350m - because of the hostile environment. "There is no way this plant could operate efficiently unless the environment became congenial and supportive of the project," a company spokesman said. The BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta said other Indian states such as Maharashtra were keen to encourage Tata to build the car there. The Nano project was a major boost for the West Bengal economy, with local authorities hoping to develop the area into a regional hub for low-cost car production. More than 760 workers are currently employed there and Tata may consider moving them to other sites. The Communist-led coalition in the state described Tata's decision as a "major loss" and described the current protests as "irresponsible". Rural anger One of the leaders of the protest movement said farmers' rights to their land had to be respected. The Nano is intended to offer the dream of owning a car to the masses "It is Tata's decision, not ours," he said of the move to stop work. "We never asked them to leave." India's rapid industrialization in recent years has been the backbone of the country's strong economic growth. But this process has provoked a backlash since the majority of Indians still earn their living off the land. The policy of creating special economic zones to attract new investment has provided a focal point for the anger of poorer, rural families who rely on their land for food and income. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=402274 Locals block Singur road, want protests to stop ________________________________________ IANS Wednesday 3rd September, 2008 A day after Tata Motors threatened to pull out of this rural belt, some locals - backed by the state's ruling Communists - put up a road block Wednesday demanding an end to the protests against the factory that is to produce the world's cheapest car Nano. A farmer who had given land for the project is also alleged to have committed suicide Tuesday night after the Tatas signalled their readiness to withdraw from Singur. The Nano factory's workers, contract labourers and also material suppliers to the plant held up traffic at the busy Ratanpur More Wednesday, exhorting other locals to stand up for the project. 'We want Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to withdraw the protests against the factory within 24 hours. Otherwise, we will start an intense agitation to stop the ongoing siege before the factory gates by the Trinamool and some other outfits,' said a protestor. 'We are in favour of industrialisation. We are in favour of the Tata plant. We need the factory for Singur's development,' he said. Trinamool and several other opposition parties in the state, along with a section of local farmers, have been holding an indefinite siege near the factory gate since Aug 24, demanding the government return 400 acres allegedly taken forcibly from unwilling peasants for the car plant. A total of 997.11 acres was acquired for the Tata Motors small car project in Singur. There were more voices in favour of the factory Wednesday. Town Hall, a Kolkata-based organisation of IT professionals, engineers and teachers, tried to meet Banerjee, but were apparently turned away by Trinamool leaders. 'I, along with two other members of our organisation, tried to meet Banerjee to impress upon her the need to make the situation congenial so that the project becomes operational once again,' said Town Hall convenor Jhuma Mukherjee, herself a software engineer working in the IT hub at Kolkata's satellite township of Salt Lake. 'But we were stopped from going to the dais by people over there. Ultimately, when we managed to get close to a makeshift podium and requested Banerjee to heed our pleas, we were asked to leave the spot by Trinamool leaders,' she said. 'A Trinamool leader even threatened us with physical assault. We are common people. We don't have any political banner. So we got frightened and left the place,' Mukherjee told reporters. While there has been no police confirmation about the cause of the farmer's death, family members say it is a suicide linked to the Singur protests. Sukhen Santra allegedly killed himself Tuesday after the Tatas threatened to withdraw from Singur. Santra had given land for the project and his two sons had got jobs in the factory. 'I have heard that one person has died, but can't say anything more,' said state Inspector General of police (law and order) Raj Kanojia. After suspending work at the factory for four consecutive days following the protests, Tata Motors Tuesday signalled its readiness to pull out of the state, saying it was evaluating alternate options for manufacturing the world's cheapest car at other company facilities. 'In view of the current situation, the company is evaluating alternate options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities and a detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternate site is under preparation,' the company said in a statement. The company also pointed out that it had 'been constrained to suspend the construction and commissioning work in view of continued confrontation and agitation at the site,' and said the decision to stop work was taken in order to ensure the safety of its employees and contract labourers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122037878739291499.html?mod=googlenews_wsj ? SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 Protests in India Push Tata To Stop Building Car Plant Modernization Foes In Rural Areas Send Message to Investors By ERIC BELLMAN in Singur, WEST BENGAL, and PAUL BECKETT in New Delhi Tata Motors Ltd., maker of the world's cheapest car, warned it is suspending construction of its Nano plant and reviewing possible plans to move manufacturing from eastern India in the face of violent protests from farmers and local politicians there. AFP/Getty Images Protesters last week outside the site of Tata's proposed manufacturing plant. The car maker said it may relocate construction of its Nano minicar. It isn't clear whether the declaration by Tata, part of India's flagship industrial conglomerate, is more plan or threat. But the escalating conflict is the starkest sign yet of how rapid industrialization is clashing with skepticism toward modernization and the reach of big business into rural India. It is a conflict being played out across the nation, as India strives to boost manufacturing to supplement slowing growth in its larger services industry. Tata's predicament has been the most closely watched, because the $2,500 Nano minicar has been touted around the world as revolutionary, and Tata is known as one of India's most powerful, yet socially responsible, employers. As a result, Tata's problems could send a discouraging message to big international companies interested in operating in India. "This has happened to an Indian corporation, showing that it's not safe even in its own country," said Jigar Shah, a Mumbai-based senior vice president of Kim Eng Securities. "This is a very regrettable incident that is going to have a negative impact." On Tuesday evening, Tata said it is "evaluating alternate options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities, and a detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternate site is under preparation." The statement left open the possibility that the company could stay if the impasse is resolved amicably -- an unlikely prospect, at present. Tata fell short of categorically stating it is withdrawing immediately, instead saying that because "there is no change in the volatile situation around the plant," it would suspend construction and look for alternatives. It did not provide a time frame for either resuming construction or moving the Nano plant. It's a tiny car, costing less than $3,000 dollars and has become a hit in India. Tata Motors unveils its new mini-car, the Nano. The plant is in Singur, in the eastern state of West Bengal, about 25 miles from the city of Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta. Encouraged by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the party that runs the state and has been seeking to attract investment, Tata has invested about $345 million in the plant and attracted about 60 suppliers to set up shop nearby to ensure that the car would start rolling off production lines in the last three months of this year. The plant and its suppliers are located on almost 1,000 acres of land that had been purchased from farmers. Construction on the plant began in January 2007, employing about 4,000 people at its peak. In the past two weeks, protests by thousands of farmers and others opposed to the plant have seriously impeded the company's ability to operate. Construction work on the plant has been stalled since last Thursday. International consultants hired by Tata have left to avoid intimidation, the company said. And Tata is struggling to persuade senior managers to relocate to work in the plant. Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday on the highway in front of the sprawling complex, waving flags and signs reading "Nano Destroying the Farmer No No." Policemen watched from within the factory grounds. Behind the protests is Mamata Banerjee, a firebrand politician who has used the demonstrations and the massive publicity they have garnered to portray the Communists as insensitive to the interests of small farmers and local constituents. The leader of the Trinamool Congress, a rival state party, Ms. Banerjee has held nightly rallies at the manufacturing site. She is demanding the return of about 400 acres of the site, saying the land she wants returned was taken from farmers against their will. Tata denies it grabbed land from farmers. The West Bengal government says that only a small minority of farmers were forced to leave, and that the others accepted compensation for the land when the government took it over for the plant. "I fight for the downtrodden people," Ms. Banerjee said in an interview Tuesday. "Someone has to fight for them." She said she doesn't want to scare industry away from West Bengal, but warned that farmers can't be rolled over. "Industry should be safe, and agriculture should also be safe," she said. Before Tata's announcement, Ms. Banerjee vowed to continue the protests. She celebrated the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with followers on the highway in front of the Tata plant, and said she would be there to celebrate the Indian fall holiday of Diwali, and Christmas as well. A spokesman for the Communists in West Bengal, Anil Basu, said it was crucial for the state to attract companies such as Tata to provide jobs. "We have to go for rapid industrialization," he said. "There is huge demand for jobs and employment." He said the Nano plant was projected to create close to 20,000 jobs: about 1,000 at Tata itself, about 7,000 at parts makers, and about 12,000 in businesses expected to sprout up around the site and its employees. Tata representatives declined to say whether the furor would affect production schedules for the Nano, nor did they estimate how much Tata stands to lose if it were to move the plant to another of the company's manufacturing sites in India. It said it is exploring the possibility of absorbing workers hired in West Bengal at other sites. Analysts said a withdrawal would be extremely costly and likely delay the Nano's launch. "I think Tata will only be able to recover 10% to 20% of the investment if they decide to shift to another location," said Ambrish Mishra, auto analyst at brokerage firm MF Global. "It will be very negative for them...the launch of the Nano will be delayed by at least four to six months." The salt-to-software Tata Group is based in Mumbai but has a huge presence in eastern India. Tata Tea is based in Kolkata, and the group is building a cancer hospital nearby. Tata Steel's main production facilities are in Jamshedpur, a city in the neighboring state of Jharkhand. Jamshedpur, where the group runs the schools, hospitals and even the police force, is known for its rosy relations between industry, its employees and the surrounding community. "They have land in Jamshedpur -- why do they need mine?" asked Ramkrishna Koley, a farmer at the Singur protest who refused to take compensation but still lost his land to the Tata facility. "I don't want money. I want my land back." Tata's factory was supposed to herald a new age of investment in West Bengal, where Kolkata, once the capital of British-ruled India, has fallen behind other cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad in attracting big-name businesses. The state's investment image took a big blow last year when a planned chemical complex in the town of Nandigram was abandoned after 14 protesters were killed by police. Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. of Japan is one of the few big international companies to have a plant in the state. ?Santanu Choudhury contributed to this article. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/372893/1/.html India protests halt construction of cheap car plant Posted: 31 August 2008 1714 hrs Mamata Banerjee, leader of India's Trinamool Congress party, addresses a mass protest at the factory SINGUR, India: Thousands of Indians staged loud protests on Sunday outside a factory being built to produce the world's cheapest car, forcing a halt to construction work at the site, officials said. A team of Japanese experts helping Tata Motors with the production of the 2,500-dollar Nano car returned home after demonstrators forced work on the factory to be suspended. Protesters, who have demonstrated against the construction of the plant in West Bengal state for two months, say poor farmers were forcibly evicted to make way for the factory and want 400 acres (160 hectares) of land returned. The government acquired about 1,000 acres for the plant, but activists insist only 600 acres are needed. "The conditions are not conducive for resuming work at the Tata Motors small car factory," said West Bengal state industry minister Nirupam Sen. "Six Japanese experts working in the plant have left because of the uncertainty," he told AFP. The protests forced a shutdown on Friday, a day after police had to escort hundreds of workers from the factory as angry demonstrators blocked the exit. Last week, Tata chief Ratan Tata warned he would move the plant out of the state if the protests kept up at Singur, on the outskirts of the state capital Kolkata. Tata Motors hopes to start selling the four-door Nano in October. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/08/30/172530/Protest-halts.htm Saturday, August 30, 2008 0:00 am TWN, Reuters Protest halts Nano car work in east India KOLKATA, India -- Work at a plant in eastern India that will make the Nano, billed as the world?s cheapest car, stopped on Friday after thousands of employees failed to turn up for work following protests by farmers, officials said. Tata Motors, which is setting up the plant to launch the 100,000-rupees (US$2,300) car, has faced violent protests and political opposition over the acquisition of farmland in Singur, an hour?s drive from the state capital Kolkata. More than 3,600 employees were escorted by the police out of the Singur factory on Thursday after political activists and farmers threatened to assault them if they returned, officials said. ?Our workers are not working today,? a spokesperson for Tata Motors said. ?We are assessing the situation as of now.? Last week, Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata said he was prepared to move the plant from Singur if violence continued, despite having invested US$350 million in the project. Workers were being intimidated on their way to the factory, some officials said. Trouble began after the government took over 1,000 acres of farmland for the factory. The government offered compensation but some farmers refused it, demanding that at least 400 acres of land be given back to them. The protests reflect a larger stand-off between industry in India and farmers unwilling to part with land in a country where two-thirds of the billion-plus population depend on agriculture. Mamata Banerjee, leader of the opposition Trinamool Congress, which is spearheading the protests, has threatened to carry out road blockades on Friday to protest against the factory. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said he was ready for talks with farmers but could not return 400 acres of land, earmarked for ancillary units, as it would make the project unviable. Tata Motors has since been flooded with offers from other states for the Nano plant. Shares in the company were trading 3.91 percent up at 434 rupees in the Mumbai market. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i1NE0flHCbe647rE5V4jRZKxhIrA India's cheap car plant remains shut Aug 29, 2008 SINGUR, India (AFP) ? Protests against a factory being built in eastern India to make the world's cheapest car forced work to halt for a second day Saturday as vehicle giant Tata Motors mulled abandoning the plant. "There has been no improvement in the ground situation so far, hence the conditions are still not conducive for resuming work today," Tata Motors said in a statement. "We continue to assess the situation closely" at the plant in Singur in the Marxist-ruled West Bengal state, said the company making the 2,500-dollar compact car, known as the "Nano" and billed as the world's cheapest. The protesters say poor farmers were forcibly evicted to make way for the factory and want 400 acres (160 hectares) returned. The government acquired 997 acres for the project but activists insist the project needs only 600 acres. The halt to work came a week after Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata conglomerate, warned he would move the plant from the state if the protests kept up at Singur, on the outskirts of state capital Kolkata. Tata Motors, India's top vehicle maker, was expected to make a decision soon on the fate of the plant in which the company has already invested 350 million dollars. At the company's general meeting in Kolkata earlier this month, Ratan Tata said, "We would move, whatever the cost, to protect our people." "I can't bring our managers and their families to West Bengal if they are going to be beaten, if there is going to be violence constantly," said Ratan Tata, who conceived of the flagship project as a way to get India's masses off motorbikes and into cars. The shutdown came after police had to escort hundreds of workers on Thursday from the factory when angry demonstrators blocked the exit. Thousands of protesters yelled "Go back, go back," when some labourers reported for work on Saturday at the plant, which according to the government is 85 percent complete. A court on Friday ordered security forces to clear the highway outside the plant that is the main thoroughfare for bringing supplies to Kolkata. But protesters continued to block it, squatting on the road and holding placards saying "Give Back Our Land" as heavily armed police protected the factory gates. The road has been blocked for a week. West Bengal police inspector general Raj Kanojia said the plant site had turned into a "sanitation hell with protesters relieving themselves along the boundary walls, eating and cooking their meals and dumping garbage." The West Bengal government wooed the Tatas to set up the plant in the impoverished state to create jobs. India's top business leaders have warned the country's global image as an investment destination could suffer a major setback if the tea-to-trucks group was forced to withdraw the small car project from West Bengal. "If the House of Tatas can face such resistance, the much-needed fresh wave of industrialisation in the country could suffer," Sunil Mittal, chairman of India's largest mobile phone company Bharti Airtel, said in a statement. West Bengal has been at the forefront of recent battles over land rights in India. The struggles have pitted the interests of farmers, who say they will starve without their land, against those of business and India's government, which say the country needs to industrialise rapidly. Tata Motors hopes to start selling the four-door car in October. But analysts say the demonstrations have put the target date for the debut of the snub-nosed car, whose innovative low-cost engineering has been hailed by industry watchers, under severe threat. http://www.zeenews.com/States/2008-08-25/464258news.html Trinamool?s protest chokes highway in West Bengal Kolkata, Aug 25: The indefinite siege by West Bengal's opposition Trinamool Congress in front of the Tata Motors small car factory site in Singur Monday caused a traffic gridlock on the national highway and hampered the movement of vehicles entering the state. "There's a huge traffic snarl on NH-2 because of the Trinamool Congress agitation. Several long distance vehicles coming from other states were diverted," Hooghly District Police Superintendent Rajiv Mishra said. He said the entire Durgapur expressway in Hooghly district was clogged due to the siege. "Many trucks had to stop before entering the district," Mishra said. The Trinamool-led Krishijami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee (KJJRC), which opposed the takeover of farmland for the Tata project, had called for an indefinite protest at the Nano factory site from Sunday. The protesters are demanding the return of 400 acres of land which they allege was forcibly taken from "unwilling farmers" to build ancillary industries adjacent to the Tata Motors' main plant. A total of 997.11 acres was acquired for the project, of which 691.66 acres belonged to farmers who gave their land willingly. "We don't accept this claim that the traffic jam was caused because of our political programme. We are constantly allowing all emergency vehicles through the Durgapur expressway. But we would request people to kindly bear with us during this crucial point of our movement," senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra said. He said the problem of Singur farmers, whose land was forcibly acquired by the state government, was much more critical than the troubled passengers who were stuck on the way. Trinamool stir outside Tata Motors showroom As the Trinamool Congress' dharna outside the Tata Motor's small car factory at Singur continues for the second day on Monday, party activists held a demonstration outside a Tata Motors showroom in Malda town. Activists of the Malda unit of Trinamool Youth Congress held a demonstration outside the Tata Motors showroom in this north Bengal town here for around 45 minutes. Malda district Trinamool Youth Congress president Ananta Chakraborty said that the demonstration had been peaceful. The demonstration was lifted after police intervened. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Singur_Trinamool_protesters_force_workers_to_return_home/rssarticleshow/3417632.cms Singur: Trinamool protesters force workers to return home 28 Aug 2008, 1639 hrs IST, PTI KOLKATA- Work at Tata Motors plant in Singur almost came to a halt today with attendance dropping as workers who turned up for duty were allegedly threatened by the Trinamool Congress whose indefinite dharna entered the fifth day today. Supporters of Trinamool Congress, which began the dharna on Sunday promising that it would be peaceful, allegedly threatened workers who turned up for work, forcing them to return, the police said. Yesterday workers of an ancillary unit and a van-puller were assaulted allegedly by Trinamool supporters. A Tata Motors spokesman said attendance of the contract workers today is less than 15 per cent than that of yesterday. Before the dharna, the average attendance of contract workers was between 3600 and 4000, including both at the mother plant and vendor park. Attendance by engineers also was very thin against an average of 85. The agitators were also reported to be threatening factory employees staying in rented houses at Baidyabati, Dankuni and Serampore nearby. Thousands of trucks remained stranded on the Durgapur Expressway running beside the dharna site. Consignments of perishable goods, including egg, fish, vegetables and fruits, were rotting in the trucks. Meanwhile, a report from Singur said, Trinamool Congress leaders have intervened and persuaded party supporters, who were preventing willing workers from entering the factory, not to do so. Chief Secretary A K Deb said that the West Bengal government was trying to find a way to clear the blocked Durgapur Expressway. "We have to keep patience," he said. http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2008-08/2008-08-28-voa5.cfm?CFID=87527589&CFTOKEN=54335326 Opposition Protest in West Bengal Leaves Thousands of Trucks Stranded By Goutam Gupta Kolkata 28-August-2008 Gupta's report - Download (MP3) Gupta's report - Listen to (MP3) Bengal`s busiest highway remains blocked since Sunday after the opposition began its siege of the car factory. This has left about 20,000 trucks stranded on the road with a large number of them carrying perishable goods. This will not only cause huge losses to truck-owners, but will also push up commodity prices. Yet the government is reluctant to intervene fearing violence. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article4602376.ece August 25, 2008 Indian farmers' anger poses threat to launch of the Tata Nano Local politicians have called for an indefinite siege of the factory and analysts fear the Nano launch will be delayed Rhys Blakely The high-profile launch of the world's cheapest car - the ?1,250 Tata Nano - was in jeopardy last night after tens of thousands of protesters gathered at the factory being built to produce the vehicle, complaining that the land had been taken illegally from small farmers. Demonstrators blocked roads leading to the plant at Singur, about 20 miles from Calcutta in the northern Indian state of West Bengal. About 4,000 riot police were drafted in to protect the factory, which is due to start producing the Nano this autumn. Security was tight and water cannons were on standby amid fears that the protests could turn violent. Activists at Singur said that they would call off their protest only if the state government handed back about 400 acres to farmers - a move that could derail the Nano project. Tensions in the area earmarked for the Nano factory have been simmering for two years amid allegations that the communist-led state government of West Bengal had seized land illegally from local small farmers. Related Links ? Nano costs could leave Tata out of pocket ? Tata's little car makes big impact Mamata Banerjee, the head of the main opposition Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal, called for an indefinite siege of the factory. Farmers have not accepted any compensation. Kajal Das, the wife of a farmer who lost land to the project, said: ?We have gathered today to get back our land. Money cannot compensate our loss.? The demonstrations threaten to ruin the commercial debut of the Nano, one of the most closely watched launches in the car industry in decades. At its unveiling in January, the Nano was lauded as marking a revolution in the industry, allowing millions in India's emerging middle classes to buy a car for the first time. On Friday, Ratan Tata, the Tata chief executive, said that he was ready to abandon the Singur plant if the long-running series of demonstrations did not abate. Such a decision would involve the company writing off up to $350 million (?189 million) in investment. Already there are fears that the car's ultra-low-cost business model could be scrambled by sharp increases in raw materials and that Tata will make heavy losses on the first batch of Nanos sold. Indian analysts forecast that Tata will need to produce nearly 400,000 Nanos a year to make a profit, well above a planned initial capacity of 250,000. Any delay to production capacity coming online, therefore, could prove hugely expensive for the conglomerate. Tata has not commented on the margins that it expects to make on the Nano. It has said only that the car will be profitable over the long term. The economics underpinning the Nano make it especially vulnerable to price movements in the commodity markets. Since Tata began to develop the Nano in 2003, raw material costs have increased from about 13 per cent to about 23 per cent of its price before taxes, according to an estimate by Global Insight, the consultants. By contrast, raw materials account for about 7 per cent of the cost of an average American car - or about $1,600, up from about $800 five years ago. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL232408.htm Farmers protest against Nano car in eastern India 25 Aug 2008 12:25:07 GMT Source: Reuters By Sujoy Dhar KOLKATA, India, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of angry farmers marched in eastern India on Monday to protest against a factory making what is billed as the world's cheapest car, one of several protests against farmland seizures, officials said. Thousands of other protesters, mainly members of the Trinamool Congress, the main opposition party in communist-ruled West Bengal state, remained outside the Singur factory for a second day to protest against the project. India's Tata Motors is building the factory in West Bengal to roll out the Nano -- the $2,380, snub-nosed "people's car" -- but months of protests against acquisition of farmland have threatened the project. Tata Motors head Ratan Tata has threatened to move the plant if violent protests continue and its scheduled launch in October could also be delayed. "We will continue our stir till we get back our land," 70-year-old Laxman Das, a farmer who lost two acres (0.8 hectares) of land to the factory, told local television. More than 2,500 police guarded the car plant. The protests reflect a larger stand-off between industry in India and farmers unwilling to part with land in a country where two thirds of the billion-plus population depend on agriculture. The Trinamool Congress has set up 21 camps to shelter protesters for days and refused to budge from its demands that 400 acres (160 hectares) of land be returned to farmers. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday invited Mamata Banerjee, chief of the Trinamool Congress, for another round of talks to settle the issue. The government said it was impossible to return land to the farmers but it was willing to consider a proper rehabilitation package and even identify farmland for them. On Monday, about 80 percent of the 4,000-odd employees turned up for work at the Singur factory, a Tata Motors spokesman said. "I am confident everything will resolve and the car will roll out in October," said Sandipan Chakravortty, managing director of Tata Ryerson Ltd, a joint venture company owned by Tata Steel and Ryerson Inc of the United States. Tata Ryerson is investing 1 billion rupees ($23 million) for a process steel unit in Singur. For Tata Motors, India's top vehicle maker, the trouble started after the state's communist government took over farmland for the factory. The state offered compensation in return, but some villagers refused to obey and are declining compensation. (Additional reporting by Tamajit Pain; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Paul Tait) http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=398550 Trinamool protest chokes highway in West Bengal ________________________________________ IANS Monday 25th August, 2008 The indefinite siege by West Bengal's opposition Trinamool Congress in front of the Tata Motors small car factory site in Singur Monday caused a traffic gridlock on the national highway and hampered the movement of vehicles entering the state. 'There's a huge traffic snarl on NH-2 because of the Trinamool Congress agitation. Several long distance vehicles coming from other states were diverted,' Hooghly district police superintendent Rajiv Mishra told IANS. He said the entire Durgapur expressway in Hooghly district was clogged due to the siege. 'Many trucks had to stop before entering the district,' Mishra said. The Trinamool-led Krishijami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee (KJJRC), which opposed the takeover of farmland for the Tata project, had called for an indefinite protest at the Nano factory site from Sunday. The protesters are demanding the return of 400 acres of land which they allege was forcibly taken from 'unwilling farmers' to build ancillary industries adjacent to the Tata Motors' main plant. A total of 997.11 acres was acquired for the project, of which 691.66 acres belonged to farmers who gave their land willingly. 'We don't accept this claim that the traffic jam was caused because of our political programme. We are constantly allowing all emergency vehicles through the Durgapur expressway. But we would request people to kindly bear with us during this crucial point of our movement,' senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra said. He said the problem of Singur farmers, whose land was forcibly acquired by the state government, was much more critical than the troubled passengers who were stuck on the way. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10528826&ref=rss Protestors tell Tata - 'give us back our land' 8:27AM Monday Aug 25, 2008 Protestors block Calcutta-Delhi national highway during a peaceful sit-in-demonstration in front of Tata Motors small car factory at Singur. Photo / AP CALCUTTA - Thousands of angry farmers protested outside a factory that manufactures the world's cheapest car in India's West Bengal state yesterday, to demand the return of land they say was taken from them without proper compensation. The farmers claim that India's Tata Motors has not paid them proper compensation for the 997 acres (405 hectares) the company acquired in Singur, a village 20 miles (30 kilometres) northwest of Calcutta, the state capital. The land is now the site of a factory producing the Nano automobile, which is scheduled to go on sale by the end of the year for US$2,500. Repeated protests, however, could delay the launch. Nearly 3,000 armed police surrounded the factory Sunday as thousands of farmers gathered, but no violence had been reported. "We have water cannons ready to cope with any eventuality," said the area's superintendent of police, Rajiv Mishra. Protesters with posters, banners and flags lined both sides of the highway leading to the factory. "We want our land back. Money cannot compensate our losses. We are farmers and we want to live by farming," said Bibekanada Das, a farmer who said he lost about two acres (less than a hectare) of land. "The Tatas should bow down before people's power and return the land," Mamta Banerjee, chief of the opposition Trinamool Congress party, told reporters as she joined the protesters. Banerjee's party has led the fight against Tata and last week called for the company to return 400 acres (160 hectares) of land to the farmers. On Friday the chairman of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata, threatened to move the factory out of West Bengal if the protests persist. "If the state for any reason ... feels that we are exploiting them, if that is the feeling, we will exit," Tata told reporters in Calcutta. "We can't operate the plant with police protection," he said, adding that protesters had attacked Tata employees and stolen equipment from the factory site. Tata did not say when he would decide whether to leave the state, and did not address how the possible move would affect production of the Nano. West Bengal has been the centre of a national debate about acquiring farmland for factories in India, where about two-thirds of the more than 1 billion people live off agriculture. The controversy came to a head last year when police gunned down 14 protesters in Nandigram, a nearby district in West Bengal, causing an outcry that eventually scuttled a planned special economic zone designed to draw foreign investment. Tata has the support of the Communist government that has ruled West Bengal for three decades, but a coalition of opposition parties has strongly fought the project because it opposes using fertile farmland for industry. Tata Group, founded in 1868, is one of India's largest business conglomerates, with interests spanning steel, software services, hotels, chemicals and insurance. - AP http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=398385 Mamata kicks off indefinite protest at Singur ________________________________________ IANS Sunday 24th August, 2008 Opposition Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday kicked off an indefinite protest by thousands near the Tata Motors small car factory site in Singur in West Bengal to demand return of 400 acres of farmland acquired for the project. The Trinamool chief reached Singur at 2 p.m., accompanied by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, social activist Medha Patkar, former Congress leader Soumen Mitra, Krishi Jami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee (Save Farmland Committee) Convenor Purnendu Bose and other political and social activists. Banerjee appealed to the protesters to abstain from any violence. 'I would like to request all of you to abstain from any violence. This agitation is for the cause of common people,' she said. Around 200,000 people were expected to join the demonstration organised mainly by the Trinamool Congress, said Becharam Manna, a farm leader. Security forces were deployed to prevent possible violence at Singur, 40 km from here. The Trinamool-led Krishijami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee, which opposes the takeover of farmland for the Tata project, has called for indefinite protests at the Nano factory site from Sunday. The protesters want the Left Front government to return 400 acres of the total taken from what they say are 'unwilling farmers' to build ancillary industries adjacent to the main auto plant. A total of 997.11 acre was acquired for the project, of which 691.66 acre belong to farmers who have given their land willingly. 'I am going to express my solidarity with the people of Singur. The Tatas should not use their corporate power for wrong purposes,' Patkar said. The protesters have set up 21 camps around the factory site. Security arrangements have been tightened in and around Singur, said Inspector General of Police (law and order) Raj Kanojia. 'We have deployed around 3,000 policemen. But they will not do anything unless the situation arises,' said Rajiv Mishra, the Hooghly district police superintendent. Tata Motors took up the project to build the small car factory in Singur two years back. Since then the firm has faced resistance from sections of the farmers and political parties over the farmland acquisition. 'We want our land back and we will continue to agitate till our demand is met,' said Laxman Das, a farmer in Singur. http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=36106 TATAs to face protests wherever they go : Patkar Updated: 08-26-2008 Email this Page HYDERABAD : Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar has warned that TATA?s would face protests wherever they goes. Referring to Singur imbroglio in West Bengal, she said the Tata Motors was welcome to shift its Nano project out of West Bengal. However, she warned that the protest against the project would continue wherever it was proposed to be set up in agricultural lands. The project could come up in fallow lands as in the case of Hind Motors, she added Inaugurating five-day dharna camp against SEZs being organized by the National Alliance of People?s Movement, of which she is the national convenor, she warned the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government that the NGOs across the country will begin an agitation if illegal acquisition of land for the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Kakinada did not stop. She said the Kakinada SEZ was just a beginning of the take over of the 972 km long coast of the State. A whole corporate lobby, including the petrochemical and petroleum industry led by the Ambanis, had set its sight on the corridor. She said the proposal to sell to the industry 1,500 acres of cultivable land near Kakinada had forced the NGOs to take up the cause of evacuees, most of whom were from Scheduled Castes. The corporates were shown undue and unconstitutional favours at the cost of land owners. Patkar sought the intervention of Governor N.D. Tiwari in inclusion of 805 villages of nine districts in Schedule V. She appealed to the Governor to invoke his constitutional powers to see that the demand which was pending for the last 28 years was met. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 18:38:12 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:38:12 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Service delivery protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA85884.3010201@tesco.net> Service delivery protests - food, water, electricity, gas * SUDAN/CHAD: Food uprising at refugee camp, 1 killed * SOUTH AFRICA - Chatsworth - 100 in service delivery protest, road blockade * SOUTH AFRICA - Orange Farm - shack-dwellers blockade highway in week of service delivery protests * SOUTH AFRICA - Volksrust - car stoned in protest against local leaders * SOUTH AFRICA - KwaMashu - politician locked in house over electricity bias * SOUTH AFRICA - Johannesburg - tyres burnt in housing protest * SOUTH AFRICA - Protests could grow, says analyst * KENYA: Locals plan roadblock campaign for development * GUINEA: Youths target electricity company over shortage * PAKISTAN: Karachi - Power cuts spark unrest * PAKISTAN: Power crisis sparks protests * PAKISTAN: Growers protest warer shortage * TRINIDAD: Protests for road paving lead to roadblocks * INDIA: Karnataka - Road protest over poor condition of roads * INDIA: Puducherry - Groups clash over amenities protest * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - power cuts protest * TRINIDAD: Roadblock for water supply * BANGLADESH: Power cuts spark roadblock porotest by industry workers * INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Omalur - Protest for ration cards * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Statewide protests over power cut * INDIA: Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur - Protest over neglect of amenities; Kurnool - ration card protest; Eluru - protest against unemployment * INDIA: Kerala, Thiruvanthapuram - Protest over food price rises * INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Selaiyur - protest for amenities * INDIA: Puducherry - Communists protest for amenities * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Fishermen protest against power cuts; locals target amenity suppliers * IRAN: Tabriz - women protest gas shortage * SOUTH AFRICA: Cosatu "earned battle stripes" in service protests * NORTHERN MARIANAS: Saipan - Hundreds protest over power crisis * UK: Protests over gas bills - "freeze profits not pensioners" Transport protests * INDIA: Accident protests in two cities * INDIA: Ludhiana - Protesters open toll barrier * MALAYSIA: Residents protest tunnel closure * CANADA: Residents block street to protest shortcut * INDIA: Kerala, Kochi - Roads blocked in bad road protest Disasters * ALGERIA: Flood survivors demand aid * NEPAL: Flood displaced persons demand handouts at festival * INDIA: Bihar - soldiers attack protesting flood survivors * EGYPT: Rockslide survivors clash with police * INDONESIA: Lapindo mudslide survivors demand payment http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27933&Cr=darfur&Cr1= Food riot at refugee camp in Darfur kills one, injuries six others ? UN Ant?nio Guterres on visit to camp Um Shalaya in April 2008 4 September 2008 ? One person was killed and six others were injured during a food riot inside a camp that houses Chadian refugees in the Sudanese region of Darfur, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports. The agency said the incident occurred on Tuesday morning at the camp in Um Shalaya, about 70 kilometres southeast of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state. Hundreds of stick-bearing women demonstrated noisily against a temporary reduction in the availability of sorghum, which is widely consumed in both Chad and Sudan, because of logistical problems. Continued insecurity has made it difficult to safely transport food from El Geneina to the camp at Um Shalaya. UNHCR reports that some members of the crowd took on local police and assaulted one of them, despite efforts by aid workers at the scene to calm the refugees. The police fired warning shots in the air and, in the confusion, a 26-year-old male refugee was hit in the chest and later died. Three refugees, a 28-year-old man and two men in their 20s, are now receiving treatment in El Geneina, while an injured policeman is being treated locally. ?The incident is very regrettable and first and foremost we express our sympathies to the persons and families of both the refugee community and the police who were injured,? said Chrysantus Ache, UNHCR?s representative in Sudan. ?We urge calm and restraint by all parties,? Mr. Ache said. ?We are currently conducting a proper investigation into the incident with the Government and we hope that, together with the refugees, we can quickly reach an understanding on how to avoid such incidents in the camp in the future.? About 6,600 refugees live in Um Shalaya, with new asylum-seekers arriving each month as they flee violence in their home areas of eastern Chad, where rebels have been fighting Government forces for months. UNHCR reports that an estimated 50,000 refugees, mostly Chadian, have settled in border areas of Darfur, which has been beset by its own deadly conflict between rebels, Government forces and allied militiamen since 2003. This week?s food riot has occurred amid mounting UN concern about repeated attacks against humanitarian convoys throughout Darfur, a vast and impoverished region on Sudan?s western flank. The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission to the region, known as UNAMID, reported that a World Food Programme (WFP) mobile truck was carjacked yesterday near Moraya, which is about 55 kilometres northwest of Nyala, the South Darfur state capital. The truck?s drivers were robbed of their money and mobile phones, and the whereabouts of the WFP staff members and the vehicle are unknown, although the tracking device indicated the truck was heading in the general direction of the Jebel Marra area. Three vehicles belonging to the UN Children?s Fund (UNICEF) were also ambushed yesterday by unknown gunmen as the convoy returned from a visit to Yara in South Darfur. A patrol from UNAMID was deployed to rescue the members of the convoy, which included a delegation from Khartoum and the head of UNICEF?s office in Nyala. Two vehicles were rescued while the third reached Nyala with its passengers unharmed but looted of their property. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080829075852426C905849 Chatsworth protesters burn tyres August 29 2008 at 09:20AM About a hundred people burnt tyres and blocked roads to protest against service delivery in the Chatsworth area on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal police said. Police spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said members of the community first started burning tyres on Roads 701 and 751 in Chatsworth around 5am. The fire brigade was called in and extinguished the fire. The protest then moved to Demet Road outside Chatsworth where community members again burnt tyres and blocked the road. Earlier media reports said the protest was connected to taxi violence but Mdunge said this was not the case. "They are angry over the poor service delivery of the councillor [in the area]," he said. Police continued to monitor the scene on Friday morning. The road was still blocked by 7.30am. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20080915150647575C763874 Orange Farm protesters arrested September 15 2008 at 03:58PM Related Articles ? Cops call back-up for Orange Farm ruckus Eighteen people have been arrested on the Golden Highway, near Soweto, where Orange Farm residents burnt tyres and barricaded the road on Monday, Johannesburg metro police said. Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said those arrested had been charged with public violence. They would appear in the Vereeniging magistrate's court soon. Minnaar said the protesters had since dispersed and the situation had returned to "normal." Orange Farm residents have been protesting over poor service delivery. Last week, ten Orange Farm residents were injured and 20 were arrested for public violence during a protest. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20080920085120313C539188 'Protesting is our last resort' September 20 2008 at 01:36PM Related Articles ? Angry protesters barricade highway ? Orange Farm protesters arrested ? Residents injured in Orange Farm protest ? Orange Farm residents burn tyres, not shacks ? Protesters burn shacks When a police Nyala drove through barriers of burning tyres and rubble that had been used to barricade the Golden Highway, Bricks Mokolo was reminded of the grim events of September 1984. Then, the protests in the Vaal region against rent increases imposed by the Vaal council left almost 50 people dead. For Mokolo, protests on the same highway in Orange Farm struck a chord. It was chaos where he stood. Police sirens and radios blared. Dark clouds of smoke from burning tyres billowed. Mokolo observed the similarities in the manner in which the protests were conducted and the reaction by the police against angry protesters. But first he had to acknowledge that the demands by the communities were slightly different. This time, only a handful of protesters were arrested, while several were wounded by rubber bullets. "People then were fighting against discriminatory policies based on race," he recalled. "Now it is the fight against selective development approaches between the rich and the poor." Over the past two weeks, Orange Farm has been a battleground, with police firing rubber bullets at stone-throwing and sjambok-wielding protesters who blockaded the highway. It's nothing new. Residents have made it a habit to blockade the highway with rocks and burning tyres demanding service delivery at least once every year. It has been the only way for them to focus the authorities' attention on their plight. "Towards the festive season, poor people face more challenges in their households than at any other period of the year," explained Mokolo, a community leader in the area. "People want to live and enjoy the festive season with proper infrastructure in place. They look at their neighbours living in other areas and they suddenly realise they are still deprived even in the new dispensation." Established in 1987, the sprawl of Orange Farm, south of Joburg, has an estimated population of more than 350 000. The area remains one of the most underdeveloped with its scenery alternating between dusty gravel roads and shackland dumping grounds. There might have been an increase in the number of people who now have access to clean water and electricity, but sanitation, roads and houses have been elusive. For Julia Senokoane, life has been hard for 17 years in Driezek 1, Orange Farm. In 2004, her son, the only breadwinner and the person she had hoped would built her a house, passed away, leaving two children. Now her hopes of getting a proper house are slowing fading. The 53 year-old lives in a derelict three-room shack with her two grandchildren and survives on the children's monthly grant. She couldn't join hundreds of her neighbours who took their frustration to the streets, but she was equally angry and supported the demonstrations. "We have tried everything possible on this earth, including signing petitions and marching peacefully to the local council offices, but nothing has changed," says Senokoane. "All I want now is a house - one that I can sleep peacefully in with my grandchildren when it rains." As she continued talking, her voice rose: "For how long shall we wait to see a promise of a better life fulfilled?" she asked. "We have had enough of empty promises by the government, and neglect as though we don't exist at all." Mokolo believes the lack of service delivery has brought new hardships in many households in Orange Farm. "This is a silent war that is ravaging families and tearing households apart. People are frustrated," he added. People, he continues, were dying silently in their homes. "We last saw these kinds of community revolts in the 1980s. The amount of anger I have seen here has made me think we could be taken back." Mokolo's memories of random violence and frustration, with people destroying their own communities, are vivid because he took part in the Vaal uprisings. He saw the riots damage many households in other ways. They sent many of his comrades on different paths. He could, he said, have joined those who now sit in council chambers and drive around in expensive 4x4s, but he chose to be with the poor, where the struggle was yet to end. The 49-year-old has been instrumental in educating and organising the Orange Farm community to stand up and fight for their right to decent living conditions and housing delivery. Still, Aviva Manqa, spokesperson for Gauteng Housing MEC Nomvula Mokonyane, insists the government has continuously engaged the community on its plans to deliver houses in the area. "It is strange to us that despite public meetings being held where we have constantly reported back to the community about our comprehensive plans for development, they still go out and protest," he states. "People need to understand that before service delivery of houses, there is a lot of paperwork that has to be done." He believes the government's suspicion of a "third force" being involved in the protests was justified, a view Moloko dismisses as "apartheid-style rhetoric". Manqa states that part of the challenge the government faces in faster delivery of houses in the area was because some of the land was still in private hands. In addition, he says, the provincial government has to wait for the approval of designs for housing by the City of Johannesburg. "Once the designs are approved we will appoint a service provider for the sewer system. Hopefully this will happen soon." But Professor Sheila Meintjies, of Wits University's political studies department, notes that the underlying message in all the service delivery protests is that poor people are frustrated, depressed and felt the government has failed to live up to its promises. "There has been a growing problem of discontent among the poor communities because unemployment is very high and people can't budge from extreme levels of poverty," she says. Meintjies adds that frustration among communities in informal settlement was brought about by a desire to see the better life they had been promised since 1994. Hosiah Hlole, 74, who took part in the protests this week, says blockading the highway had become the only mechanism available for the community to get the authorities' attention. "Since 2004 no one has ever bothered to come and explain to us what their plans are for developing this area," he says. "We will return to the streets to continue until something is done." Musi Kubheka, a member of the area's street committee, which was set up to fight crime, says that despite several pleas made to local authorities for the provision of street lights, nothing had happened. "The reasons they gave us for failing to deliver on their promises in the past years have been vague, and that is not what we want at the moment," says Kubheka. "The people want to hear a clear plan to develop their area with timeframes on when these developments will be taking place." "It is not like they are saying they want to overthrow the government," reasons Mokolo. "They are merely saying 'we want toilets'." http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2389979,00.html Tyres burnt in delivery protest 08/09/2008 11:07 - (SA) Johannesburg - Orange Farm residents burnt tyres on Monday morning in a protest over poor service delivery, said Johannesburg metro police. The large amount of smoke generated by the burning tyres led to people reporting that shacks had been burnt, said Inspector Edna Mamonyane. "We can confirm that no shacks were burnt during the protest," she said. Reports of shooting could not be confirmed, neither could reports of people being injured when police opened fire with rubber bullets. Mamonyane said metro police received a call at 02:00 about protesters intending to blockade the Golden Highway. "Metro police managed to bring the situation under control and make sure that the highway was not blockaded or that anyone was injured," she said. Describing the situation as "very tense" Mamonyane said metro police would remain on the scene to ensure the safety of motorists and road users. Sebokeng police spokesman Constable Edwin Ntsheo said community members were meeting with local councillors, community leaders and the provincial government on Monday to discuss a way forward. ? An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that shacks had been burnt. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20080908124819712C361436 Residents injured in Orange Farm protest September 08 2008 at 12:53PM Related Articles ? Orange Farm residents burn tyres, not shacks An unknown number of Orange Farm residents were injured in a protest over poor service delivery on Monday, Gauteng police said. Constable Edwin Ntsheo said an unknown number of people were also arrested during the protest. Residents burnt tyres and threatened to blockade the Golden Highway in the protest, which started at 2am, said Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane. "Metro police managed to bring the situation under control and make sure that the highway was not blockaded or that anyone was injured," she said. Describing the situation as "very tense" Mamonyane said metro police would remain on the scene to ensure the safety of motorists and road users. Ntsheo said community members met with local councillors, community leaders and the provincial government at 10am on Monday to discuss a way forward. At the meeting residents complained of a lack of a sewerage system, toilets, street lights and title deeds for home owners in the settlement and said their grievances had not been addressed since 1994. While other, newer townships were being developed, Orange Farm was not, they said, adding that not even undertakers and ambulances could drive down the streets between their houses. At noon on Monday community leaders were reporting back on the meeting to residents. Another meeting would be held at 6pm on Tuesday at Itemogeng in Orange Farm, said Ntsheo. - Sapa http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2390087,00.html Protest: 10 hurt, 20 arrested 08/09/2008 14:07 - (SA) Johannesburg - Ten Orange Farm residents were injured during a protest over poor service delivery on Monday, Gauteng police said. Constable Edwin Ntsheo said emergency services took 10 people to hospital for injuries described as "not serious". Twenty people were arrested for public violence during the protest. They will appear before the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court soon. Residents burnt tyres and threatened to blockade the Golden Highway in the protest, which started at 02:00, said Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane. "Metro police managed to bring the situation under control and make sure that the highway was not blockaded," she said. Situation 'very tense' Describing the situation as "very tense", Mamonyane said metro police would remain on the scene to ensure the safety of motorists and road users. Ntsheo said community members met with local councillors, community leaders and the provincial government on Monday to discuss a way forward. At the meeting residents complained of a lack of a sewerage system, toilets, street lights and title deeds for home owners in the settlement and said their grievances had not been addressed since 1994. While other, newer townships were being developed, Orange Farm was not, they said, adding that not even undertakers and ambulances could drive down the streets between their houses. At noon on Monday community leaders were reporting back on the meeting to residents. Another meeting would be held at 18:00 on Tuesday at Itemoheleng primary school in Orange Farm, said Ntsheo. - SAPA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080908104624249C995732 [NOTE: Report later corrected as false] Protesters burn shacks September 08 2008 at 10:50AM Orange Farm residents torched their shacks in extension 13 on Monday morning in a protest about poor service delivery, Johannesburg Metro police said. An unknown number of shacks were burnt, said Inspector Edna Mamonyane. Reports of shooting could not be confirmed. Mamonyane said metro police received a call at 2am about protesters intending to blockade the Golden Highway. "Metro police managed to bring the situation under control and make sure that the highway was not blockaded or that anyone was injured," she said. Describing the situation as "very tense" Mamonyane said metro police would remain on the scene to ensure the safety of motorists and road users. Sebokeng police spokesperson Constable Edwin Ntsheo said community members were meeting with local councillors at 10am on Monday to discuss service delivery issues. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20080913122922668C993551 Three injured in Volksrust protests September 13 2008 at 01:45PM Three people were injured by protesters throwing stones from Vukuzakhe township in Volkrust, Mpumulanga police said on Saturday. Police spokesperson Superintendent Abie Khoabane said protesters from Vukuzakhe township were busy throwing stones on Wakkerstroom road at 11:30 pm on Friday night. They attacked a car passing by with two men and a woman inside. "They wanted to burn the vehicle but... police quickly arrived on the scene," said Khoabane. He said the police called an ambulance to take the three people from the car who had been injured to hospital. By Saturday morning, two of the injured had already been released from hospital. No arrests have been made. The vehicle was badly damaged, said Khoabane. Residents of the area have been protesting over the last week because they allege the mayor and municipal manager of the Pixley ka Seme municipality are corrupt and should be removed from power. Protesters have been barricading roads, burning tyres and throwing stones and there has been a strong police presence in the area. Khoabane said on Saturday morning the area was quiet. Earlier this week, two groups of twenty people were arrested on charges of malicious damage to property and public violence. Khoabane said the first group arrested on Monday, including three minors, were granted bail on Tuesday. However, a second group of people, including four minors, were denied bail after fears rose that if they were released they would return to committing public violence, said Khoabane. Protesters would appear in court again on October 6. Last month 13 people appeared in court for arson after four houses in Vukuzakhe were burnt down. A councillor's car and a police vehicle were also damaged. This followed protests in late July, caused by residents' apparent unhappiness about the municipality not consulting them on rate increases. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080912144905117C357492 Protesters lock ward member in house September 12 2008 at 03:04PM By Thandiwe Mthethwa Residents of Siyanda in KwaMashu, north of Durban, have been urged to be patient for service delivery. This plea came from the councillor of the area, Mduduzi Madondo, after some community members marched to a ward committee member's home, locked her in her house and demanded speedy service delivery. Some houses do not have electricity and running water. The angry protesters stormed Ntombizethu Mhlongo's house in the early hours of Tuesday. They demanded she call Madondo because they claimed he had refused to listen to their grievances when they approached his office. Mhlongo was locked in her home for almost four hours and was freed by police, who managed to disperse the crowd. "The people were angry because my house is one of the ones that have electricity in Siyanda. They felt this was favouritism because I am on the ward committee. Grievances "I understand the people's frustration - there are many problems with the infrastructure," said Mhlongo. She said residents told her that they would target all the people in the ward committee unless their grievances were dealt with by the councillor. Madondo, who arrived with the police to disperse the crowd of 300 protesters, said people should wait their turn because power would eventually be supplied to every house in Siyanda. "The residents were angry because some of their neighbours have electricity, but they must understand that all the houses will have electricity, it is just a matter of time," said Madondo. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20080930093456211C154882 Marlboro residents protest September 30 2008 at 09:42AM Residents of Marlboro in northern Johannesburg are burning tyres in a protest over housing, Gauteng police said on Tuesday. "Residents are disgruntled about government's allocation of housing in the area. Tyres are being set alight on Old Pretoria Main Road and Fourth Street," said Constable Neria Malefetse. - Sapa http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=80741 SOUTH AFRICA: Protests over delivery likely to grow Photo: Bonile Bam/IRIN Residents are angry at the slow pace of delivery JOHANNESBURG, 3 October 2008 (IRIN) - Violent protests over service delivery in South Africa are likely to grow ahead of the elections scheduled for 2009, said an analyst, one of the authors of a new report on local governance. "The split in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), between [former President] Thabo Mbeki and [party president Jacob] Zuma will feed into factionalism at the local government level, which is one of the main factors hampering delivery at the moment," said Benjy Mautjane, a coordinator at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), a local think-tank. Mbeki resigned his post as South Africa's president in September after the ANC's executive body, controlled by supporters of ANC president Jacob Zuma, made Mbeki's position untenable, putting Zuma in pole position as the ruling party's preferred presidential candidate in the 2009 elections. "South Africa is highly politicised and there is a level of disgruntlement among the people which is manipulated by political factions, which then leads to protests and riots over delivery," said Mautjane, who, along with two other IDASA researchers, looked at the state of governance in 16 municipalities. Local government is the only tier of government in South Africa where representatives are directly elected by the people, and serves as a credible measure of a political party's popular support. South Africa is highly politicised and there is a level of disgruntlement among the people which is manipulated by political factions, which then leads to protests and riots over delivery "South African citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of services provided by local government," said the IDASA study. "This is despite the fact that local government in South Africa has improved its service delivery substantively over the past ten years, at a pace and extent rarely seen anywhere in the world." Since 2004 there have been protests, often violent, over the perceived slow pace of delivery of basic municipal services such as water, electricity and housing. Many analysts say the country's high unemployment rate has also fed into social unrest over delivery, and have even identified the recent xenophobic attacks as an extension of the service delivery protests. According to the government's 'Labour Force Survey 2007', about a quarter of a workforce numbering nearly 17 million - 4.3 million in a population of 47.7 million - are officially unemployed; a further 3.5 million are classified as "discouraged work-seekers" or "unemployed persons who are available to work but who say that they are not actively looking for work". Besides political manoeuvrings, there is a level of disconnectedness between the citizens and their municipalities, said Mautjane. "Citizens generally feel further removed from [local] government and from 'development', and increasingly show consumerist behaviour patterns, and demand more and better services on the one hand, while being less willing to contribute to local development through their own actions and initiatives on the other hand." In 2004/05 alone there were 881 illegal demonstrations and 5,085 legal protests across 90 percent of municipalities, according to the Centre for Development and Enterprise, a South African think-tank focusing on development issues in relation to economic growth and democracy. The IDASA study found that representatives were partly to blame. "Elected representatives must be more transparent about decision-making processes - including providing proper feedback to ward committees, communities and citizens who have complaints or proposals," said Mautjane. During the course of their study, the researchers came across a municipality in Limpopo Province, in northern South Africa, where councillors provided regular feedback to their constituencies through a communication network. "It encourages communities to take initiatives and participate in the decision-making process," said Mautjane. Councils should act more as facilitators and catalysts than as implementers, said the study, and "help citizens to solve their own problems and not necessarily solve their problems for them." http://allafrica.com/stories/200809260159.html Kenya: Residents Plan to Block Major Road in Protest Jonathan Manyindo 25 September 2008 Nairobi ? Community leaders in Taita District have threatened to mobilise residents to blockade the Mombasa-Nairobi highway in protest against poor service delivery by the Government. Despite support Taita-Taveta County Council vice- chairman Jones Mganga and Maktau councillor Fulmence Mshilla bluntly told Coast provincial commissioner Ernest Munyi that despite supporting the Government since Independence, little had been done to develop the area. "Money for development projects is misappropriated by Government officials and as a result, a lot of them are never completed," they alleged. They said to avert confrontation the Government must surface the Mwatate-Taveta road, complete Kigombo dam and supply water from the planned Mzima Two project. They accused the Government of reneging on a promise to surface the Voi Taveta road. "If the work does not start before the end of the year, you must be prepared to kill some of us because there will be no movement on the major highway," Mr Mshilla said. Not take off He said that at the height of last year's election campaign, President Kibaki promised that work on the road would start before December "but up to now nothing is happening". Mr Mganga warned that the Mzima Phase Two pipeline would not take off unless the dry regions of the district were incorporated in the design. Urging the leaders to be patient, Mr Munyi said the Taveta road had been redesigned and work was likely to start next year. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110014.html Guinea: Youths Pledge Continued Demonstrations Until Lights Come on 10 September 2008 Conakry ? Sporadic youth-led demonstrations have rocked blacked-out neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Guinea's capital Conakry during the past week. Altogether, hundreds of youths have demonstrated in near-darkness, lit only by dozens of burning vehicles, against the state-run Electricity of Guinea (EDG), the country's sole electricity source. On the evenings of 08 and 09 September, demonstrators set up barricades in Hamdallaye I, Bambeto and Cosa, neighbourhoods that have not had regular electricity for three months. Deputy chief Kandas Conde with government mobile security unit said some youths were briefly detained, then released, during the most recent demonstrations. "We released them in order to avoid public outcry." Security forces at the demonstrations dispersed the youths with tear gas. One youth from Cosa, who chose to remain anonymous, said he believed the cuts are intentional."We cannot understand how during this rainy season we can be deprived of water [available through electric water pumps] and light. This is an affront to residents here. Whereas in Kaloum, in downtown Conakry, there is electricity 24 hours a day. We will continue to protest until Electricity of Guinea gives us light." He said supporters of the presidential ruling Party of Unity and Progress mostly live downtown whereas activists from the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea are concentrated in the blacked-out sections of town. But the state electricity company's director general, Sekou Sandfina Diakite, told IRIN the cuts are simply because Conakry's electricity demand has outstripped available supply. "Conakry needs about 200 megawatts of energy whereas EDG can only supply 120 megawatts." Another EDG official, Abdoulaye Camara, says 2,000 litres of oil are needed every hour to keep two of the main generators running. "It is impossible for EDG to keep up operations with recent oil price increases." Electricity problems were one of main grievances of demonstrators during weeks-long deadly strikes during early 2007 in Guinea that shuttered businesses and claimed more than 100 lives. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=135887 Persistent load-shedding stirs power riots Monday, September 15, 2008 By our correspondents Karachi Owing to persistent power outages, angry consumers of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) took to the streets and resorted to rioting on Sunday. This resulted in traffic jams in various parts of the city. Angry residents of Mirza Adam Khan Road, Lyari, took to the streets against unending power outages in their area. They blocked the road, torched tyres and also attacked the area KESC office. They were, however, dispersed by the police in a couple of hours. Similarly, the residents of Nazimabad, Abul Hasan Isphani Road, Peerabad and Korangi-5 launched protests against the continuous power outages and pelted the KESC office with stones. They shouted slogans against the KESC, and demanded that the authorities concerned resolve the power crisis since they had been paying huge taxes to the government. Powers riots were also reported near Spencer Hospital Road where the protesters pelted moving vehicles with stones and blocked the traffic flow for more than two hours. Later, police managed to disperse the mob. Similar protests were also witnessed at Pahar Ganj (within the Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan police limits), Kalakot, Chakiwara, Miraan Naka, Maulamadad Stop, Baghdadi, Kalri, Kharadar, Mithadar, Eidgah, Dhobi Gaath, Usmanabad and Shoe Market. Prolonged power outages were reported in Mehmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, Baloch Colony, Korangi Crossing, Qayyumabad, Bhittaiabad, Korangi-2 ?, Ibrahim Hyderi, Zaman Town, Landhi, Sharifabad, Bilal Colony (Korangi Industrial Area), Landhi-36B, Muzzafarabad Colony and Mansehra Colony. Power outages hit almost entire city: The tripping of extra-high tension wire caused serious power failure on Sunday in many localities of Orangi, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, North Karachi, New Karachi, Malir, Landhi and Korangi. Almost all residential localities in the city experienced at least seven hours of load-shedding during the daytime alone. There were also reports of power outages during Suhoor in several localities. The electricity outages have also caused a water shortage in many areas. In Golimar, a mob blocked the road and disrupted vehicular traffic in the area. They shouted slogans against prolonged and unending load-shedding. The residents of Kaemari, Jackson Market, Kala Pul and Liaquatabad also blocked vehicular traffic and burnt tyres on roads. The people complained that recent power crisis has also affected their uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system as the UPS units were not being properly charged due to frequent power shutdowns and voltage fluctuations. A caller from SMCHS said that their area suffered more than 10 power outages , with an interval of 20 minutes between each breakdown. A resident of North Karachi?s Sector 5C-4 said that their power supply was suspended at 10am and it resumed after 4pm, adding, they made many attempts to lodge complaints with the KESC centre but not a single call was attended by the staff. A woman from Gulshan-e-Maymar said that they were facing at least five hours of load-shedding. She said there was a voltage fluctuation during Suhoor and this has been happening for the last couple of days. Residents of Gulshan-e-Jauhar Block-9 said that they suffered three spells of one-hour load-shedding with an hour?s interval between each spell. Load-shedding started soon after Suhoor, and lasted till noon. Another outage occurred at 1pm and continued till 3pm, they said. Residents of Gulshan-e-Iqbal blocks 1, 5 and 13-D said that they were without electricity since 10am while the KESC staff were unable to give any reason for the unannounced load-shedding on Sunday. Meanwhile, the absence of electricity during the hot and humid weather has also affected the water distribution system and people from many areas could not fill their underground water tanks. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/pakistan-bursts-protests-power-crisis-deepens Pakistan bursts into protests as power crisis deepens by hussain | August 28, 2008 at 10:33 pm 138 views | 7 Recommendations | 5 comments The people in various cities and towns of Pakistan have taken to streets against the unannounced power outages, extending up to 20 hours a day in some areas, as the power crisis in the country is deepening with every passing day. Protesters in various areas are losing their patience and tempers and venting their resentment by torching tyres on roads, blocking traffic on roads and chanting slogans against the power distribution companies as well as the government. Besides affecting general public in the hot and humid weather conditions in the country, the power crisis is badly affecting the industries and triggering multiple crises in the country. People are also complaining of faults in the household electric appliances because of low voltage and unexpected power outages with short intervals. ?Besides the terrorism incidents, several other crises including power shortage have made life of people miserable but it seems the rulers have no time to address other problems except serving the US interests and political manoeuvrings,? said Saqib Nisar, a resident of Rawalpindi, while criticising the coalition government led by the Pakistan People?s Party. ?People are committing suicides because of hunger and poverty but the rulers seem oblivious to the miseries of the people. They are busy in multiplying problems of masses in the name of serving the poor. It seems the country is being pushed to chaos and anarchy under a well-knit conspiracy,? commented another angry protester in Rawalpindi, declining to identify himself. ?Rulers are employing diverse tactics to eliminate the poor.? http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=131771 Growers protest against water shortage Monday, August 25, 2008 By our correspondent NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: The tail-end growers of Dalipota took out a rally and staged a demonstration in front of the Naushahro Feroze Press Club on Sunday to protest against the non-availability of water. Protesters, led by Shah Nawaz Lakho, raised slogans against the Irrigation authorities. Talking to journalists, they said influential landlords had installed pipes in minors and were lifting water through suction motors. They accused them of breaking watercourse points and that they were taking water beyond their share. ?As a result, the growers are suffering losses,? Lakho said. The protestors said they had approached the SDO Irrigation of Tharushah and the XEN Moro several times but their complaints were not heard. They demanded of the Sindh chief minister and the Irrigation minister to take action against influential landlords and provide them justice. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161369406 Fiery protests in Central Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau Thursday, August 28th 2008 BAD-ROAD BLOCKADE: Charlieville residents and passers-by view one of the fiery blockades at Caroni Savannah Road yesterday. -Photo: KRISHNA MAHARAJ Bad roads sparked an early morning protest yesterday, as angry residents burned old tyres and used rusty appliances to block the main road in Charlieville, Central Trinidad. They came out around 4.30 a.m., bringing old refrigerators, washing machines and vehicle parts. The protest caused a massive traffic pile-up along the Caroni Savannah Road as commuters hustled to get to work on time. Rasheed Karim, a resident, said motorists have been battling with bad roads for almost three months. "The roads were repaired and then WASA came and dug the main road up to fix a pipeline. The line was repaired but the road was not fixed. They left it in a terrible state and we have to deal with that," he said. Karim said several food outlets were forced to close because of the roads. "The dust on the roads getting into the food places and because of these unsanitary conditions people stopped buying, so the owners had to shut down their businesses. A barbecue stall and another food court were among the places closed," he said. Karim added: "For too long we have been sacrificing and driving our cars along this road. But we have had enough. We came out here this morning because we are fed up, we cannot take this anymore. Someone has to do something about this. WASA cannot come and dig up the roads and leave." Police arrived about three hours into the protest, accompanied by a team of fire fighters. They removed the debris and warned the residents against blocking the road. But as the officers drove away, the residents returned with old appliances, blocking the flow of traffic. "We are shutting down the Caroni Savannah Road today. And we intend to continue this protest until something is done. And if this does not work we would protest on the highway because we need some answers," Karim said. An official at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) said he was not aware of the situation, but promised to investigate the residents' concerns. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161375401 San Francique protesters complain of 'house arrest' 'Forced to stay indoors' Phoolo Danny-Maharaj South Bureau Saturday, September 13th 2008 Villagers at San Francique claimed yesterday that they were put under "house arrest" on Thursday night by police who attempted to break up their protests for road repairs. They said following their protests earlier that day, police patrolled the area "all night long and warned us to stay indoors or be arrested for disturbing the peace". "Uniformed police officers with guns patrolled the area on Thursday night and warned people to stay off the streets," a villager said yesterday. A police official denied that they threatened anyone. "We just warned them not to gather in large groups. And they were not under house arrest," he said. The villagers threw debris and burned tyres at strategic points between Murray and Saltmine Traces for the second consecutive day yesterday. They are demanding road repairs and maintenance to clogged drains that caused "floods with the slightest rain". They said Murray Trace, which is a main thoroughfare for vehicles travelling to and from Siparia, had worsened because of constant heavy traffic. No maintenance work was carried out on the road for more than 15 years, villagers also claimed. The Siparia Regional Corporation is responsible for the road. Ivan St Clair, councillor for the area, could not be reached yesterday. Late yesterday, the corporation sent in workmen to patch potholes in the area. But villagers said "we do not want that, we want proper road paving". Police stood guard to allow the workers to clear the road, and waited for the material to arrive for the repairs to begin. But up to 4 p.m. there was no sign of any material. Villagers said they planned to continue the protest. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091452870300.htm Karnataka - Hassan KRV protests poor condition of roads Staff Correspondent Lorries transporting iron ore prevented from travelling to Mangalore ________________________________________ Continuous movement of lorries carrying iron ore has damaged roads They were stranded on the road between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. ________________________________________ HASSAN: Vehicular movement near Dairy Circle here came to standstill on Saturday as members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty group) resorted to a ?rasta roko? in protest against the poor condition of roads in the district, particularly Arsikere taluk. Vehicles going to Bangalore, Shimoga, Hubli, Dharmasthala, Chikmagalur, Mangalore and Madikeri have to pass through this circle, and as the agitators stopped them for more than an hour, several vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road. The protesters stopped lorries carrying iron ore, which were proceeding to Mangalore, and made them park on one side of the road. These lorries were stranded from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. ?Nothing done? Addressing the protesters, founder president of the vedike, Praveen Shetty, said the movement of heavy vehicles, particularly those carrying iron ore, had damaged most roads. He charged the district administration with not having done anything to repair them. ?Funds not released? The former Minister and Congress leader B. Shivaram said the Arsikere-Hassan road and the Dudda-Tiptur road, which were part of the Gandsi Assembly Constituency (earlier represented by him), were the worst hit due to movement of heavy vehicles. He said the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had started work on this road at an estimated cost of Rs. 2 crore. But, as Gandsi was represented by him (Shivaram), the then Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna did not release any funds for the project. Mr. Shivaram charged Mr. Revanna with focussing only on Holenarsipur. After reorganisation of Assembly constituencies, Gandsi was split into three, parts of which were attached to Holenarsipur, Arsikere and Hassan constituencies. Now, even if Revanna wanted to develop the road, he would be unable to do so as he too was in the Opposition. Railway mode The former Sakleshpur MLA H.M. Viswanath wanted transportation of iron ore through railway wagons only. Roads could then be easily maintained, he added. District president of the vedike Dharmaraj Kadaga said they would continue their agitation till work on these roads began. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/27/stories/2008092753500300.htm Other States - Puducherry Police resort to mild force to disperse clashing groups Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: Police on Friday resorted to ?mild force? to disperse two groups that came to blows during a demonstration in front of the Sub-Collector?s Office in Villianur. According to the Villianur police, organising secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) S. Pavanan had sought permission to hold a demonstration to protest the delay in providing basic amenities in a colony at Villianur. As the agitation started, another group led by Tamil Nadu State Committee member of VCK Thalayari came to the venue to stage a counter protest, despite objection from the police. As tussle broke out between the two groups, the police resorted to mild force to disperse the crowd. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100253050300.htm Tamil Nadu Palani residents protest frequent power cuts Staff Reporter ?Supply is erratic and shutdown continues for seven hours? PALANI: A large number of Muslims picketed the Palani-Dindigul highway near the central bus stand here on Wednesday, condemning frequent power cuts. Traffic was disrupted for an hour. They alleged that despite appeals not to cut power during their prayer time, power supply was snapped . Even as the scheduled power shutdown was between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. it was not resumed till 2 p.m., they said. Such widespread disgust over power crisis was restricted to Palani town but prevalent in the entire district for the past three days. The situation turned from bad to worse in both rural and urban areas as the TNEB snapped supply frequently. Even as the scheduled power shutdown was only for five hours, power supply was erratic and power crisis continued for seven hours at several places. The condition was worst in villages. They got power neither in daytime nor at night hours properly. Many villages plunged into darkness for several hours continuously at night. Worst affected are students in tenth and plus two classes, particularly rural areas. ?Sometimes, power supply was not resumed even two hours after the scheduled three-hour power shutdown. We could not plan our work,? said local people. Earlier, the TNEB engineers had announced that power shutdown would be between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. and noon in Dindigul every day. But they did not follow these schedules. They cut power supply from half an hour to one hour before and after the scheduled time. On an average, actual period of power shutdown has been extended to six to seven hours in the town and eight to nine hours in rural areas without any announcement. Already, industrial and business activities have been completely paralysed. While big industries that have diesel generators have managed run the mill at least for one shift, small and tiny industries have been reeling under acute power crisis. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161379519 Car crashes into road-protest debris -Carolyn Kissoon Wednesday, September 24th 2008 Eager to get to work on time, a motorist drove his car into a pile of debris which was used to block the main road leading to Point Fortin by angry protesters before daybreak yesterday. Police said the car crashed into a rusty water tank. The driver was unhurt, but the car had to be towed away. The driver told police that although his headlights were turned on, he was unable to see the debris on the roadway. The accident occurred around 4.30 a.m., about an hour after residents began their protest near Vance River, La Brea. Police were called out to remove the debris. Ryan Lucas, a resident, said promises by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to have a regular supply of pipe-borne water in the community have not been fulfilled. "Since 2004 we have been staging protests over our poor water supply, but nothing is being done about it. WASA promised that we would have water in our taps in August 2004. The water came, but it did not last for long. Soon afterwards the taps went dry again," he said. Lucas said around 3.30 a.m. residents brought out old water tanks and appliances to block the roadway in an effort to highlight their concerns. He said residents were later informed that WASA had promised to open the valves in the afternoon. "And I opened my taps this afternoon and there was water in the taps. I just hope they continue to open the valves and allow us to do our daily chores comfortably," he said. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA58449.htm Bangladeshis block highway to protest power outage 24 Aug 2008 09:41:10 GMT Source: Reuters DHAKA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Bangladesh factory workers blocked a national highway on Sunday to protest against frequent power outage that idles their mills and deprives them of jobs, police said. Several thousand workers from textile and jute mills rallied at Narsingdi, 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, blocking traffic on the busy Dhaka-Sylhet highway for more than three hours. "The protesters withdrew the blockade after relevant authorities assured them to try to reduce the power outage," a police officer said. Officials of the state-managed Power Development Board said uninterrupted electric supply was not possible immediately due to fall in generation capacity. Bangladesh's electricity generation has fallen to 4,300 megawatts against a requirement of 5,500 MW, due to mechanical faults and shortage of natural gas. "We have to sit idle and lose our wages when factory remain closed due to power outage," a protest leader said. Bangladesh fetches around $11 billion annually from textile exports. Consumers often stage violent protest demanding adequate supply of electricity and other utilities in the country. (Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; editing by Elaine Hardcastle) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081952210300.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstration staged Staff Reporter OMALUR: Residents of Maniyakkaranur staged a demonstration here on Monday urging the district administration to provide rice to all the eligible cardholders. The residents claimed that only 200 cardholders were given rice in the fair price shop. They wanted the administration to supply PDS goods including rice to all the eligible cardholders. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083053170300.htm Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur Protest in council over undeclared power cut Staff Reporter AIADMK, MDMK councillors enter with lighted candles ?Photo: M. Srinath ALLAYING FEARS; Collector M. S. Shanmugam addressing a farmers? grievance day meeting in Thanjavur on Friday. THANJAVUR: AIADMK and MDMK councillors in Thanjavur Municipality came with lighted candles to the council meeting held here on Friday to highlight the power cut problem faced by the people in Thanjavur. They shouted slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government, which they alleged, has pushed the State into darkness. Thenmozhi Jayabal, Chairperson, said that power cut existed throughout Tamil Nadu and it was due to fall in generation. The demand could not be met with less generation of power. Once the situation improves, power cut would be lifted, she said. Manikandan, a councillor, said that vacancies in the Municipality were not filled because of which there was no adequate workforce. Municipal Commissioner Soundarajan said that expenditure was now more than 49 per cent and hence new appointments could not be made. The Municipality had increased property and other taxes. Once the revenue improves, new appointments would be made, he said. Plea to Collector Farmers of the district expressed concern and appealed to Collector M. S. Shanmugham to provide 20 hours three-phase supply to agriculture pumpsets. They said that power cut prevailed for the whole day or night in the villages and many villages could not get water to drink. Agreeing with them that power shortage remained a major problem, the Collector, who presided over the meeting, said that power should be shared by all. He said that he would convey their feelings to the Government and appeal to it to find ways to solve the problem. With respect to drinking water, village panchayat presidents have been asked to ensure that the overhead tank is filled regularly and water supplied. Tamil Nadu Electricity Board engineers have been asked to ensure power supply to reach drinking water in the villages. TNEB engineers said that the daily requirement of Thanjavur district was 80 Mwt of power. At present, only 30 Mwt of power is available. The daily requirement of Tamil Nadu is 8,000 Mwt per day and the availability is only 6,000 Mwt. The Collector said that electricity, water, seeds and fertiliser and loans were the four major components required by the farmers to do cultivation. While nothing much could be done on the electricity front as it depended upon the generation of power, water position was slowly improving with a good inflow into the Mettur Dam. There was also a seed scarcity. Efforts were being made to get seeds from other districts. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083060600600.htm Tamil Nadu Protest over power cut Staff Reporter WATRAP: Over 500 farmers and women staged a road roko here on Friday protesting unannounced powers cut for up to 9 hours every day in the last week. Bus services were crippled and shops remained closed for four hours. The protest that began around 10 a.m. went up to 3 p.m. The women, who squatted with empty pots highlighting the drinking water shortage owing to frequent power cuts, stood ground until there was an assurance from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to stop unannounced power cuts. The Srivilliputtur MLA, T. Ramasamy, who held talks with the officials said, ?Frequent power failures have put the farming community and women to untold hardships. We do not know when power will go off or supply continue for how long. We face power failure for at least 9 hours a day.? The town faced frequent power cuts throughout the nights, he added. Stating that it was the right time for transplantation of seedlings, Mr. Ramasamy said that the seedlings in many places had started drying.?Besides, transplantation could not be taken up for paucity of water,? he said. Attributing the frequent power failures to a technical hitch, a TNEB official promised to rectify it. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090350080200.htm Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin Protest against load shedding Staff Reporter ? Photo: N. Rajesh. AGITATION: Advocates staging a protest in Tuticorin on Tuesday. TUTICORIN: Advocates of Tuticorin staged a protest on Tuesday against load shedding by holding candles. The agitation was held on the district court premises. The advocates raised slogans against both the State and Centre for their ?failure? to manage the power crisis. U.S. Sekar, district advocates? wing secretary of the AIADMK, said that court proceedings were coming to a standstill every day, owing to load shedding. Frequent sheddings caused inconvenience to students, said A. Senguttuvan, former president of Bar Association. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100454670500.htm Karnataka Farmers to stage protest today KOLAR: The Kolar taluk unit of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha has given a call to lay a siege to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Circle Office here on Saturday to register its protest against erratic power supply in the district. Activists of the sangha campaigned in several places on Friday to mobilise the support of the people. ?The power crisis reflects the inefficiency of the BJP Government in the State,? claimed Holur Shankar, taluk president of the sangha. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091759600300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Demonstration TIRUCHI: PMK cadres, led by the party city secretary Umanath, staged a demonstration in the city and elsewhere in the district on Tuesday condemning the frequent power cuts across the State. Demonstrations were also held at Mannachanallur, Lalgudi, Musiri and Tiruverambur. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091752340300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem PMK members stage demonstration in protest against power cuts Special Correspondent SALEM: Members of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) staged a demonstration here on Tuesday demanding the immediate resignation of State Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy for continuous power cuts in the State. They said that the power cuts had affected the industry and agriculture very badly. After taking out a procession they assembled before the Collectorate Complex and staged a brief demonstration. They raised slogans against the Minister saying that he had failed to take adequate precautionary measures to tackle the power crisis. Though the timings for power cuts were announced, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board was resorting to unscheduled power cuts too, thus forcing the farmers and industrial sector people to suffer heavily. Because of the power cuts, even hospitals were not spared and educational institutions could not function fully. They also condemned the arrest of the Mugaiyur PMK MLA Kalivaradhan for approaching TNEB officials on the issue of power cut. State Deputy general secretary and Omalur MLA A. Tamilarasu, Urban District secretary Kadir Rajarathinam, Central secretary A. Sivasankaran and State youth wing secretary R. Arul spoke. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/12/stories/2008091252730300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem Demonstration staged against power cuts Staff Reporter ?It has affected all sections of society? Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan Expressing displeasure: Members of DYFI and AIDWA staging a demonstration in Salem, protesting against frequent power cuts. ? SALEM: Members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and All India Democratic Women?s Association(AIDWA) staged a demonstration in front of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board office at Saminathapuram here on Thursday protesting against frequent power cuts that were being imposed. The continuing power shortage in the State has severely affected all sections of society. As a result of the prevailing situation, a large number of workers have been rendered job less. It had also led to increase in incidences of theft and robbery in several parts of the State. A number of house breaking incidents during the power cuts were reported in the district. If the situation continued, it would hit the normal life of the people, members pointed out. Family cards Members also wanted the State Government to provide family cards to all eligible applicants without any delays. The smuggling of goods meant for supply under the public distribution system should be prevented. Public toilets should be constructed in Duraisamy Nagar and Chinneri Vayal Kadu, they demanded. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091057580200.htm Tamil Nadu - Ramanathapuram CPI(M) cadres? novel demonstration Special Correspondent Protest: The CPI(M) cadres staging a protest in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday. RAMANATHAPURAM: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday expressed resentment over the acute shortage of power by breaking television sets.Fifteen cadres including Venkatesan, town secretary, were arrested by the police for not paying heed to the regulations imposed by them. Though the police had given permission to hold demonstration against the power shortage, they disallowed the move of the CPI (M) cadres to break television sets. However, the cadres, who assembled at Taluk office suddenly, broke the television sets, which were concealed by them, to express their dissatisfaction over the handling of power situation by the State Government. Following this, the police took them away to the police station. They shouted slogans against the Government?s inability to provide power supply round the clock. They said people were being subjected to untold hardships due to power cuts. Traders, students, business, housewives and others were struggling because of frequent power cuts. Many small scale units and ice plants in the district were severely hit. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090955240500.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstration staged Staff Reporter ? Photo: M. Balaji Against power cuts: Members of Communist Party of India staging a demonstration in Tirupur on Monday. Tirupur: Members of Communist Party of India staged demonstrations at four places here on Monday in protest against the frequent power failures in the city. They pointed out that the ?announced? and ?unannounced? load shedding for about eight hours a day had started threatening the industrial potential of the city considerably. Many small and medium scale textile units were forced to stop production owing to power holidays, since it was not financially viable for such firms to opt for captive power generation. Similarly, load shedding during untimely hours in the night had disturbed children. According to CPI men, the government should take proactive measures to introduce schemes to augment power generation in the State and take steps to obtain more power from the Central grid to tide over power crisis. Hundreds of people took part in the agitation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090657990300.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstrations against erratic load shedding Staff Reporter CPI, MDMK stage demo in Pudukottai; traders down shutters ANXIOUS: AIADMK cadres staging a demonstration against erratic power supply in front of the TNEB office in Karur on Friday. (Right) Communist Party of India (CPI) cadres staging a demonstration in Pudukottai. KARUR: Cadres of the AIADMK staged a demonstration in front of the TNEB Superintending Engineer?s office on the Kovai Road here on Friday protesting the frequent and unscheduled load shedding in the town that was hugely affecting the business and industrial activity of Karur. Speakers demanded the resignation of the DMK ministry owning responsibility for the ?power fiasco? that is plaguing the State. Leading the protest, former Union Minister and AIADMK propaganda secretary M. Thambi Durai said that power shut down in the district was affecting the textile exporters, power looms, handlooms, mosquito net manufacturing units, bus body building units, farm pump sets and throwing the normal life of public out of gear. He squarely blamed ``poor management of power sector? for the fiasco. ?CM must resign? Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi should assume moral responsibility for the power crisis, resign and face the people in the elections. If he was thinking that Re. One a kg rice scheme would bail him out in polls he has misread the situation. Rise in prices of essentials, gas cylinder shortage, fuel scarcity, and such other things that have hurt the people the most, Mr. Thambi Durai claimed. The former Union Minister also charged the Central Government and the alliance parties that form part of the government with mortgaging the interests of the country with the United States with regard to the civilian nuclear cooperation deal. People were upset and dissatisfied with the dealing, he alleged. Mr. Thambi Durai charged that illegal sand mining was rampant in Karur district but people who were in the thick of the activity were denying involvement. He called upon the State Government to take effective and immediate steps to end the swindling of natural resources. Karur MLA and party district secretary V. Senthil Balaji said that TNEB authorities were resorting to eight hours power shut down in the district and all sections of society were feeling the pinch of the ?inability of the State Government? to rise up to the occasion and ensure uninterrupted power supply. The Government owed an explanation to the people, he pointed out. District party chairman and former MLA A. Pappa Sundaram, former MLA Sasikala Ravi, MGR Mandram district secretary H. Shahul Hameed, Anna Thozhilsanga Peravai secretary Porani K. Ganesan, and other party front organisation leaders and cadres participated in the demonstration. Pudukottai Cadres of Communist Party of India (CPI) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) staged demonstrations at five centres in the district on Friday, protesting against the prolonged load shedding. They raised slogans urging the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to stabilise its distribution network by stepping up power generation. In Pudukottai, the cadres of the CPI, including women, staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Superintending Engineer here. Led by party?s town secretary M. N. Ramachandran and carrying burning-torches, they raised slogans condemning the power shutdown. Later, Pudukottai Union wing secretary Muruganandam and Municipal Councillor Pazhaniappan said that students and the aged were hard hit by the load shedding. In Aranthangi, CPI volunteers staged a demonstration in front of the TNEB office. Union committee member Thangavelu led the stir. Similar agitations were staged at Keeramangalam and Kothamangalam villages. At Naakudi village, members of MDMK staged an agitation which was led by Union secretary Rajappa. Traders in Ponnamaravathy downed shutters for six hours till noon today, protesting the load-shedding. Led by Chamber of Commerce president M.S. Murugappan, they took out a procession to the TNEB office where they submitted a memorandum to officials. Chamber secretary C. Karuppiah and treasurer G. Ilango, who participated, informed the officials that low voltage posed a great hardship to the traders and the members of the public. Mr. Murugappan said that supply of drinking water had been affected due to load shedding and low voltage. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092450930300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur CPI (M) protests against civic problems Staff Reporter Effigy of ?Kumbhakarna? carried; negligence of AMC draws flak Wake up call: CPI (M) activists stage protest with an effigy of ?Kumbhakarna? in Anantapur on Tuesday. ANANTAPUR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a novel protest here on Tuesday by taking out a procession with a huge effigy of sleeping Kumbhakarna, a mythological character that is often compared with deep slumber, gross neglect in the present context, protesting the alleged negligence of civic problems by the Anantapur Municipal Corporation. Party activists took out the procession carrying the effigy of Kumbhakarna from the party office in Ramachandra Nagar to the civic body office in Sapthagiri Circle. Speaking in front of the civic body office town secretary of the party V. Rambhupal alleged that the authorities of the municipal corporation were sleeping over the severe drinking water problems in several areas in the town. The protests tried (mocked) to wake up Kumbhakarna (effigy) with drinking water pipes. They also pricked the effigy with tube lights, street lights, flaying the neglect of street lights. The area was reverberated with sounds of drums, whistles and shouts to wake up Kumbhakarna, the civic body. The municipal corporation was not even in a position to utilise Rs. 3 crore funds sanctioned and the authorities were not even ready with proposals. People voted the Congress to power in the civic body thinking that it would serve the people better as the party was already in power at the Centre and in the State. The ruling body was unmoved with the travails of people in respect of drinking water even as the problem spread from 18 to 32 divisions during the last few months. Mosquito menace was forcing the people to suffer disease like malaria and dengue and the street lights problems was making movement of people difficult during nights. Party activists Obulesu, Sunkanna, Rammohan and others participated. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092550460300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Ration cards: CPI(M) cadres stage protest KURNOOL: Supporters of CPI(M) staged dharna at the Collectorate here on Wednesday braving heavy downpour. Legislator M.A. Gafoor also took part in the dharna for ration cards to the below poverty line families. He also addressed the gathering on the occasion. -Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092552670300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Eluru Telugu Desam stages novel protest Staff Reporter Party leaders enact ?suicide pact? to highlight unemployment ? Photo: A.V.G. Prasad Telugu Desam leaders participating in agitational programme in Eluru on Wednesday. ELURU: The acting skills of Telugu Desam leaders came to the fore during their protest on problem of unemployment in the city on Wednesday. The agitators sought to highlight the problem by enacting a ?suicide pact? depicting the plight of jobless youths in the State. The organisers put in place an ?altar? and noose at the Employment Exchange office well in advance for the leaders to go ahead with their high-profile theatrical performance. Those who ?entered? the suicide pact included Zilla Parishad former Chairman K. Jayaraju and Telugu Yuvata leader Mullapudi Bapi Raju. The programme was a part of the call given by the TDP. Party leader Subbarayudu lambasted the Congress accusing it of failing to keep its promise of creating 2.6 lakh jobs for the youth within six months of its coming to power. The TDP leader said the employment programmes like Rajiv Yuva Shanki and Rajiv Udyogasri brought no cheer to the unemployed youth as they were plagued by irregularities. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092556340400.htm Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram UDF protests against tariff hike Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Wednesday registered its protest against the hike in water and electricity tariff and the LDF government?s ?failure? to tackle price rise and provide relief to the weaker sections of society through subsidised rations. Addressing a press conference here, UDF convener P.P. Thankachan said water and electricity tariff hikes would add to the burden of the common man who was already reeling under the impact of the price spiral. He said water tariff had been hiked during the previous LDF rule in 1999. The UDF had taken a conscious decision not to hike tariffs even though the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) had submitted proposals in this regard. The State government, he alleged, was not interested in taking measures to reduce the price of rice. The UDF wanted the government to implement a scheme under which the below poverty line (BPL) sections would be given 25 kg rice a month at Rs.2 a kg. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had announced a Re.1-a-kg and Rs.2-a-kg schemes respectively for the BPL sections. The UDF also demanded a scheme for APL categories at Rs.8.90 a kg of rice subject to a limit of 35 kg. a month. The Kerala government would incur only Rs. 42 crore a year for subsidising this, Mr. Thankachan said. The UDF also urged the government to discontinue the single-window system for Plus One admissions ?as it had proved to be a failure.? Mr. Thankachan said thousands of seats remained vacant even as students were struggling to gain admissions. It would be better to stick to a practical schedule under which admission and classes would go hand in hand. With regard to the Class VII social studies textbook issue, Mr. Thankachan said the youth and students organisations owing allegiance to the UDF had withdrawn their agitation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/25/stories/2008082557920200.htm Tamil Nadu Selaiyur residents resort to protest Special Correspondent TAMBARAM: A few hundred residents of Selaiyur near Tambaram staged a flash protest on Sunday evening against the pathetic state of amenities in their locality, including the discharge of sewage in the open by apartment complexes, encroachments on a road that was 100-foot wide and poor road conditions. Pointing out to the stagnation of sewage on either sides of the 100 feet Road in Sriram Nagar, residents of Ward No. 19 of Tambaram Municipality said that they had appealed to the government machinery at various levels but none of their demands was met. Fed up with the response of government agencies, they resorted to the protest said Usha Nandini, a resident. Builders of the apartment complexes ought to have made provisions for proper collection and disposal of sewage, Sriram Nagar residents said, calling for a swift response from the Tambaram Municipality. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092051270300.htm Other States - Puducherry CPI(M) protests PUDUCHERRY: Activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday staged a demonstration in front of the Oulgaret Municipality seeking better civic amenities in Pavanar Nagar, which had a sizeable population of construction labourers, autorickshaw drivers and domestic workers. The activists sought steps to improve health and hygiene in the residential area located close to the municipality. One of the three public conveniences, each having five toilets, remained closed while water supply was inadequate in the other two, they said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453140300.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against load shedding NAGAPPATTINAM: Fishermen?s organisations and political parties protested against the power situation at Avuri Thidal here on Friday. About 300 fishermen and fisherwomen belonging to different organisations protested against the frequent load shedding. CPI district secretary M. Selvaraj said that the government should not privatise power generation which was the main cause for the power shortage. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091860220400.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against services of LPG agency, TNEB offices Special Correspondent TAMBARAM: On Wednesday, residents resorted to protests in two places near Tambaram against the alleged poor Response from agencies handling two crucial amenities that had a direct impact on their daily lives. While residents of Vandalur protested power disruptions and the confusion over collection of the monthly bills, those in Selaiyur near Tambaram staged a demonstration protesting alleged harassment by staff at an agency distributing Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders. Residents of Vandalur and nearby places charged they were already facing problems owing to scheduled and unannounced power cuts by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. And when they went to pay their bi-monthly bills at the bill collection centre office of the TNEB in Vandalur on Tuesday, there was a huge crowd as Monday was holiday. They waited in long queues till office hours and yet were unable to pay the bills. TNEB officials on Tuesday said they could make the payments on Wednesday. When they returned on Wednesday morning, the officials asked them to pay penalty for late-payment. Enraged, the residents staged a protest on Grand Southern Trunk Road and dispersed after they were pacified by personnel from Otteri and Guduvanchery police stations. However, residents charged that the EB officials accepted the amount only along with a fine. In Selaiyur, residents protested outside the an LPG distribution agency, whom they charged of insisting on producing ration cards for getting cylinder supplies. ?Though the State government had made it clear that it was not necessary to produce ration cards while applying for new connections or for booking refills, the staff insisted on the family cards,? said Guru Parameswaran, advocate and a resident of New Balaji Nagar. ?We are unable to even record our complaints as they do not have a register,? he said, as residents from East Tambaram, Medavakkam, Ponmar and other places joined the protest. Personnel from Selaiyur police station asked staff at the agency to heed to the requests of the subscribers, but in vain. Staff at the agency said they were yet to receive communication from the government agencies concerned about the notification. Mr. Parameswaran later complained at Selaiyur police station that he received a call on his mobile about threats of dire consequences if he went ahead with the complaint. Residents charged that delivery boys, who were aware of their subscriber numbers, made advance bookings in connivance with staff at the agencies, diverted cylinders to other customers on a premium. http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/5569/105/ Iran: Mayhem of women protesting gas shortage in Tabriz Tuesday, 02 September 2008 NCRI ? Thousands of women consumers flocked in the Saat Square protesting to home cooking gas shortage in the northeastern provincial capital of East Azerbaijan. The demonstrators, mostly housewives, were badly beaten by the State Security Forces (SSF) ? mullahs' suppressive police ? attempting to disperse their gathering. The SSF agents in full riot gears attacked the protesters beating and injuring some participants in the demonstration. Some men trying to stop the SSF beating the protesters were arrested and taken to an unknown location by the suppressive security agents. According to Oil and Gas Journal, Iran has an estimated 974 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in proven natural gas reserves. It holds the world's second largest reserves after Russia. Around 62 percent of Iranian natural gas reserves are located in non-associated fields, and have not been developed. Major natural gas fields include: South and North Pars, Tabnak, and Kangan-Nar. In 2005, Iran produced and consumed 3.6 Tcf of natural gas. Natural gas consumption is expected to grow around 7 percent annually for the next decade. However, the mullahs' regime is not providing the public with enough to respond to their gas demands. Instead, the SSF is often dispatched to suppress their protests. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080904171612985C306719 Cosatu earned battle stripes in protests September 04 2008 at 06:57PM The Congress of SA Trade Unions considered recent protests and a national stayaway over rising food, fuel and electricity prices as a major victory in which it had "earned its battle stripes. It showed that Cosatu was serious about its demands for more affordable electricity, secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said at a media briefing on Thursday, following a Cosatu central executive committee meeting. Cosatu's actions had contributed to the rejection of the proposed 53 percent increase that power utility Eskom had wanted, Vavi said. Although this contributed to the final tariff increase being lower, discussions were still continuing at Nedlac with Business Unity SA (Busa) because Cosatu's demands had not been met. Cosatu has also called on unions to identify job losses caused by the electricity crisis Cosatu and Busa have written to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to discuss the proposed 2 cents per kilowatt levy to be implemented in October, which would increase tariffs by another 10 percent in one year and undermine the principle of increases being smoothed in. Cosatu has also called on unions to identify job losses caused by the electricity crisis, which caused major disruptions to manufacturing at the beginning of the year through blackouts. Cosatu was pleased that a task team to discuss food prices was considering a structure to monitor food prices in response to its demand for price regulation. The inquiry is expected to start soon and take six months. The union federation also wanted more information on the government's decision to increase the value of social grants and a decision on zero rating further basic food stuffs.. 'Government is to-ing and fro-ing on the issue of zero rating further basic food stuffs' "Government is to-ing and fro-ing on the issue of zero rating further basic food stuffs," Vavi said. Cosatu suggested that the government use the R4-billion it would lose by zero rating chicken to support small farmers. It accused the media of ignoring the victories the union body had achieved in terms of electricity and food price rises, saying it was obsessing on its support for ANC president Jacob Zuma. Affirming its support for Zuma, a statement issued at the briefing said that he had been under attack by the media and that those who support him are characterised as "stupid and dangerous demagogues". They battled to get reply space in newspapers and felt the ombudsman leaned towards the media. In response, Cosatu planned a "counter-offensive" against the "daily bias against workers and the left that always pervades the media" and the claim that Cosatu was obsessed with Zuma. Cosatu was formed in December 1985 to improve conditions of working people, to organise "the unorganised" and for peace and democracy. - Sapa http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/8771 Hundreds protest against Saipan utility 19/09/2008 ________________________________________ Hundreds of residents of Saipan, dressed in black with bandages plastered on their bodies, have protested against what they called the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation?s band-aid approach to the island?s power crisis. The island has been plagued for months by power outages, Radio New Zealand International reports. There are also complaints about the high prices the corporation charges for electricity. Many people carried signs with slogans, such as "Will fight for light," and "Customers Using Candles Meanwhile, more than 400 people have signed a petition that will be given to the Director of the Office Insular Affairs, when he visits the island next week. The petition seeks federal intervention and oversight of the Corporation. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/409829.html Freeze Profits Not Pensioners - Cardiff Gas Bill Protest Adam Johannes | 02.10.2008 10:21 | Social Struggles Our angry protest forced British Gas on to the defensive, with their PR team going into overdrive phoning, faxing, emailing and visiting local media. They claimed that they were doing everything possible to help poorer customers - except giving up on obscene profits by reducing bills, of course... A lively picket of the Cardiff HQ of British Gas took place over the weekend initiated by supporters of the People before Profit Charter and supported by socialists, trade unionists, young greens, welsh language activists and others. Here's a quick report: FREEZE PROFITS NOT PENSIONERS was the red-hot demand we took to the Gas Barons over the weekend. Our angry protest forced British Gas on to the defensive, with their PR team going into overdrive phoning, faxing, emailing and visiting local media. They claimed that they were doing everything possible to help poorer customers - except giving up on obscene profits by reducing bills, of course... Speaking at the protest, Leanne Wood AM called for a windfall tax on profits, but argued that the gas companies needed to be re-nationalised to prevent people being at the mercies of the profiteers, "Public ownership would mean lower bills". She also reported, "British Gas are clearly worried. I received a letter from them last Thursday, asking me to withdraw my support for the protest. They claim that the domestic arm of the business has not made any profits and that they have a number of schemes to help people in fuel poverty. They also claimed to be concerned about the safety of their workforce." A similar letter was sent to the National Campaigns Secretary of Cymdeithas (The Welsh Language Society) and other prominent backers of the protest. The demand for public ownership was echoed by Ramon Corria, Secretary of Cardiff's Trades Council who reminded us that our quarrel was not with those working for British Gas, but rather with the people who owned and ran the gas companies. A moment of hilarity occurred when a woman from a company in competition with British Gas turned up with a pile of fliers trying to convince protesters to sign up to her company. She didn't hang around for very long when she realised that this was a protest against all the gas profiteers. Rounding off the protest, Adam Johannes from Left Alternative (formerly Cardiff Respect) referred to working class people being literally mugged by "rip-off merchants like British Gas, who are making billions off the backs of working people." Calling for direct action to defend workers who might have their supply cut off, he ended by saying, "They nationalise to bail out bankers and the rich, but we believe in nationalisation to raise up the living standards of working people.The Gas Barons are only powerful because we are on our knees. Let us rise!" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7638665.stm Saturday, 27 September 2008 16:17 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Gas protest aims to ignite debate Protest organisers are calling for a windfall tax on British Gas and energy suppliers' profits Around 30 protesters gathered outside British Gas' Cardiff headquarters to demonstrate against energy price rises and the economic crisis on Saturday. The People Before Profit Alliance are unhappy at the company's recent price rises but want its event to launch a public debate on the failing economy. British Gas raised its electricity and gas prices by 9% and 35% in July. It said it had since launched measures to help its most vulnerable customers cope with the bill rises. The rally began at 1400 BST outside the company's offices in Churchill Way in the city centre. The protest was supported by local trade union leaders, pensioners groups, and the Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood made a speech. The Alliance believes the British Gas rises were unnecessary as its parent company, Centrica, announced more than ?1bn in profits a day later. It is quite clear that we haven't seen anything like the current economic crisis since the Wall Street Crash of 1927 Event organiser Jonny Jones As part of the protest it is demanding the government renationalise British Gas and the UK's other energy companies and subject them to a windfall tax on their profits. The Alliance's Jonny Jones said: "We want the protest to act as lightning rod for people who are disenchanted about not only the British Gas price rises but also the greater economic downturn. "It is quite clear that we haven't seen anything like the current economic crisis since the Wall Street Crash of 1927. "As it starts to take a grip you can be sure the government and companies are going to make workers pay for the crisis by holding down wages and calling for us to keep an eye on our debts." Describing the protest as a "lively" gathering, Mr Jones said the alliance was next planning to organise a public meeting where the best way forward could be discussed. British Gas said it was widely recognised as the leading energy supplier in terms of helping its vulnerable and fuel poor customers. A spokesperson said: "We have already committed ?900m of energy efficiency measures for our customers' homes over the next three years and a further ?160m to help our most vulnerable customers. "In addition, the government's recently announced fuel poverty package will increase our commitment by around a quarter." http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Protest-raises-heat-outside-gas.4534974.jp Protest raises heat outside gas firm's HQ Published Date: 27 September 2008 PROTESTERS are to target gas company Centrica's headquarters in Granton in a demonstration over spiralling energy prices. Campaign group People Before Profit plans to stage a protest outside the building in Waterfront Avenue on Wednesday at 12.20pm. Demo organiser Donny Gluckstein said: "Utility companies are raking in profits in billions, but recent government announcements have done almost nothing to help people cope with the huge increases in gas and electricity." Willie Black, UNITE senior shop steward at ScottishPower, speaking in a personal capacity, said: "This winter many people, but especially the old, will be forced to choose between heating and food, both of which, as official figures show, have risen over twice as fast as general inflation, which is itself at five per cent." The People Before Profit Charter calls for a windfall tax on corporation super profits, especially those of the oil companies. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7621482.stm Wednesday, 17 September 2008 15:49 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Man in upside down cost protest Herbert Crossman wants to create a new political party A security firm manager has suspended himself upside down in central London to protest against rising living costs. Herbert Crossman, from Harrow, north-west London, hung from a crane for two hours in Trafalgar Square, attached by the ankles with a bungee rope. The 60-year-old allowed change to fall from his pockets into three tubs beneath him to show how the British people are "haemorrhaging money". One tub was for the government, one for utility bills and one for his income. "Everything is going up - gas, electricity, the congestion charge, parking, petrol - everything," said Mr Crossman, who had permission to stage his protest. "It's our money the government is spending and wasting, not their fat-cat salaries. "If I was doing what they are in my business I'd be out of work by now." He did not prepare for his suspension but had a medical check to make sure he had good blood pressure and circulation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/24/stories/2008082451920300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Nalgonda Girl knocked down by bus, students protest Staff Reporter NALGONDA: An eighth class student of a private school, Ashvani, was knocked down by an RTC bus in the Valigonda bus stand triggering protest from the students on Saturday. According to the information reaching here, Ashwani was hit by the bus when she tried to hurriedly board it in an attempt to occupy a seat. She died instantaneously while another boy Akhil, a sixth class student, suffered minor injures in the mishap. Both of them hailed from Pulijala of Valigonda mandal and they were on their way back home after attending their school in the mandal headquarters. Enraged by the girl?s death, students of various organisations staged a dharna demanding action against the driver and Rs.5 lakh as compensation for the victim?s family. The protest was going on till reports last came in. http://news.oneindia.in/2008/08/22/350-booked-for-violence-during-protest-over-accident-1219399647.html News> August 22, 2008 > Full Story 350 booked for violence during protest over accident Friday, August 22 2008 15:10 (IST) Subscribe to Newsletter Kurukshetra, Aug 22 (UNI) Pehowa police has registered a criminal case against 350 unidentified persons who had put a Haryana Roadways bus on fire and also damaged a fire tender while protesting against the death of a local trader after being hit by a state-run bus yesterday. A police spokesman said here today, that the bus driver Harjinder Singh had also been arrested for negligent and rash driving leading to death of the Ismailabad-based scooter-borne trader Ved Prakash yesterday near DAV College, Pehowa, about 30 kms from here. Angered by the death, a mob had dragged and beat up the bus driver and put the bus afire. They also damaged a fire tender and did not allow firemen to extinguish the bus which was reduced to ashes. The criminal case has been registered against the 350-odd people for destroying the government and private property, assault on government employees and hindering government officials from performing their duties, the spokesman said. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080827/ldh1.htm Akali protest brings smile to motorists Kanchan Vasdev Tribune News Service Commuters being allowed to cross the toll barrier without paying tax in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Photo: Inderjeet Verma Ludhiana, August 26 A protest by Youth Akali Dal (YAD) activists against the poor state of the National Highway-1 proved to be a boon for commuters passing through the toll plaza as the agitators let them go without paying tax. Stating that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had no right to charge toll from commuters given the bad state of the road, the activists, led by Sarabjeet Singh Grewal of the YAD, made hundreds of vehicles pass without paying the tax. NHAI employees remained mute spectators. The protesters staged a dharna on the bridge for a few minutes and later, let vehicles pass through. They were carrying placards saying: ??No road, no toll.?? This was a unique protest that left the public happy. Commuters were seen encouraging the activists, saying that they were doing a good thing. Grewal said they were sick of the bad state of the road. The NHAI was charging whopping sums from vehicles, but when it came to maintaining the road, it was not doing anything. ??We will not allow this to happen. If we can stop their collection for an hour, we can do it for a longer time also,?? he said. The condition of the road had worsened after the rain, but no repair work was being carried out. ??This is the only way to register our protest. Now, even the higher authorities would know that the people are angry,? he added. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/9/11/central/1970303&sec=central Thursday September 11, 2008 Residents hold protest against MBPJ for causing inconvenience Story and photos by YIP YOKE TENG THE closure of the old tunnel linking Ara Damansara to the LDP via Taman Megahmas has resulted in a massive traffic congestion at the new tunnel near the Football Association of Selangor (FAS) building in Kelana Jaya during the peak hours. The old tunnel near the NiuZeXui commercial area, commonly known as the NZX tunnel, was closed since Sept 1. A signboard put up by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) states that the NZX tunnel is closed until Sept 29 for a survey and study on the traffic situation. Bumpy ride: The road is riddled with potholes The chaos caused by the closure of the NZX tunnel has raised the ire of thousands of angry motorists who have to suffer great inconvenience for hours to travel just a short distance. Those affected most are residents of the D?Aman Crimson Condominiums, Ara Damansara and Lembah Subang and nearby areas. It is even said that business in these areas has dropped by as much as 50%. About 100 angry residents staged a peaceful protest last Saturday at the NZX tunnel against the MBPJ for closing the tunnel. The tunnel closure has brought unbearable inconvenience to more than 10,000 residents, according to the president of D?Aman Crimson Condominiums, who only wants to be identified as Tan. ?It has forced us to take a detour of an extra 3.5km. And, to make things worse, the stretch is terribly congested during peak hours. It sometimes takes us 30 minutes just to travel the short distance from the FAS building to the LDP because the cars have to take a long pause before entering the busy highway,? he said. Troublesome closure: The NZX Tunnel linking Ara Damansara to LDP via Taman Megahmas has been closed since Sept 1 to facilitate a traffic study but the closure has aroused the ire of residents and motorists. Tan said traders were suffering the consequences of the closure as their businesses had been badly hit. He said that taxi drivers at the Kelana Jaya LRT stations did not want to enter the ?trapped? housing estates and, if they did, they demanded higher fares. ?Is having one tunnel better than having two? We just don?t see the logic. We want an explanation from the MBPJ on the whole fiasco,? Tan said. According to Ara Damansara resident Peter Tan, the residents are stranded each time it rains as the roads and tunnels would be flooded. Peter said that the opening of the FAS tunnel a month ago had eased traffic congestion mainly caused by the volume of vehicles coming from Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Glenmarie and nearby areas, which used the NZX Tunnel as an alternative to the LDP. Angry lot: Residents showing their dissatisfaction with the tunnel closure ?But, since the closure of the NZX tunnel, traffic jams have been transferred from Taman Megahmas to Kelana Idaman. Moreover, roads are starting to have potholes and this is worsened by the current rainy spell,? he said. Sunny Nah, also a resident of Ara Damansara, said that he nearly had an accident when the NZX tunnel was first closed as it was not properly barricaded then. ?Ara Damansara has a population of at least 3,000. We are feeling the pinch of petrol increase and we will really appreciate if the local authorities are kind enough to grant us a shorter route,? Nah said. According to the residents, the route via the FAS tunnel has many other setbacks. They said the stretch was dark and dangerous. The roads are small but are frequented by many motorists and students of two schools in the vicinity. The residents also lamented that with the closure of the NZX tunnel, they were now trapped. They said the Ara Damansara accesses and exits had always been problematic, the three tunnels, the third being the Tropica tunnel, were often flooded while the Subang route was perpetually congested. ?We are not rats! We don?t want to use tunnels all the time, we need proper roads,? resident K.S. Hiew said. The residents want the MBPJ to reopen the NZX tunnel pending the construction of proper roads to their areas. Aloysius Francis Pinto, an aide to Subang MP R. Sivarasa, who met the residents during the protest, said that a meeting involving all concerned parties would be called soon. He said a dialogue was organised by the Complaints Bureau under the Prime Minister?s Department about three months ago to resolve the issues plaguing the NZX tunnel. Pinto said the elected representatives, together with MBPJ officials and representatives of the developer, met with the residents and all had agreed to engaging consultants to study the situation. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/10/02/ot-nepean-081002.html?ref=rss Residents clog Nepean street to protest shortcut Last Updated: Thursday, October 2, 2008 | 3:53 PM ET Comments27Recommend15 CBC News Residents parked on both sides of Grenfell Crescent to slow traffic between Woodroffe Avenue and Merivale Road Thursday. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC) Dozens of cars were pulled out of garages and driveways and parked on both sides of Grenfell Crescent in Nepean Thursday to protest the use of the street as a shortcut between downtown Ottawa and its outer suburbs. Residents are demanding that the city put up a sign that bans people from making a right turn onto the street from Woodroffe Avenue to discourage through traffic during peak hours. Darlene Hale, who organized the protest, said many seniors and children live on the street, which has no sidewalks. "It's very hazardous, very dangerous for our residents in the neighbourhood," she said. "We have a lot of walkers, we have a lot of bikers, we have children waiting for school buses." Residents estimated that about 300 cars each morning use the 2.2-kilometre-long street, which links Woodroffe Avenue and Merivale Road, between Barrhaven and downtown Ottawa. They said some are travelling at more than double the 40 km/h speed limit, and that many ignore the stop signs. Thursday's protest did slow down the cars passing along the road, but there weren't many, as the protest had been publicized in the media. Coun. Gord Hunter, who represents the ward that includes Grenfell Crescent, said Thursday he agrees that there is a problem and council is "looking at implementing" the sign proposed by residents that would ban right turns onto Woodroffe. Last January, more than 100 neighbourhood residents signed a petition asking city council to consider that solution. Hunter plans to bring the issue to the city's transit committee in November. In the meantime, residents said they want to see more police enforcing speed limits and stop signs on the street. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092662120300.htm Kerala - Kochi Protest against bad roads Staff Reporter KOCHI: Passengers are inconvenienced and vehicles suffer damage because of the pathetic condition of the road running northwards from Kacheripady junction, the Bus Transport Association of Kerala has said. Similar is the plight of the Paramara Road and Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road. The association members would lay siege to Kacheripady on Sunday. http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=11110 Algerian protesters demand aid as floods toll rises GHARDAIA (AFP) - Around 5,000 people demonstrated in the flood-riven southern Algerian town of Ghardaia on Friday to demand urgent aid after flash floods killed 33 residents, witnesses said. Police broke up the rally before the crowd could reach the municipal headquarters, witnesses told AFP. The protesters demanded basic food supplies and equipment to help search for survivors or bodies buried in the rubble. The death toll in Ghardaia climbed to three Friday as aid workers battled to help hundreds of homeless and the army was deployed to prevent looting, state radio said. The floods had left 50 people injured and made about a thousand homeless around the historic town, a UN World Heritage site at the entrance to the Algerian desert in the M?Zab Valley, state radio said. The Algerian government on Friday unblocked aid for victims, said the minister for national solidarity, Djamel Ould Abbas, as cited by APS agency. Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia gave ?strict orders for victims of the natural catastrophe to be taken care of by releasing? unrestricted credit, the minister said. Hundreds of volunteers, Red Crescent workers and scouts were helping the homeless. The radio said the water level was eight metres high in some parts of the town, some 600 kilometres south of the capital Algiers. In and around Ghardaia, those who had escaped the worst of the flooding helped their less fortunate neighbours, offering shelter and hot meals to those left homeless by the flash floods. Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Tuesday sent his ?sincere condolences? and ?strong feelings of sympathy and compassion? to Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said the floods are the worst for a century, while locals on Friday reported sweeping damage. ?Hundreds of houses have been destroyed but thousands have been damaged and are uninhabitable in the area,? said a resident of El Gaba, a village near Ghardaia, speaking in front of his ravaged home. ?It?s unimaginable, a real catastrophe,? added another, confirming that four people had died in the vicinity and three others were missing. Another shocked resident said all the homes damaged by the waters would effectively have to be rebuilt. Gas and electricity supplies have been partially revived, but there was an acute shortage of basic goods and medicines - most of which had been damaged due to the flooding. The interior ministry sent tents, generators, and 400 tonnes of food aid to the region. The authorities also requisitioned two sports halls, where they installed 890 tents and 1,500 camp beds for those made homeless by the rains. Several parts of Algeria were lashed by heavy rain including Djelfa - midway between Ghardaia and Algiers - where two people died. Flooding in the Algiers region in 2001 killed more than 800 people and caused considerable damage. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct04/news07.php Koshi flood victims launch protest demanding fresh handouts for festival Hundreds of families displaced by the recent floods caused by a breach in Koshi River embankment in Sunsari district have launched protest, demanding fresh handouts including cash so that they would be able to celebrate Dashain festival in their own small way. The flood victims of some of the worst affected parts blocked the main highway in Sunsari district on Saturday, protesting lack of prompt assistance from the government. The flood victims have complained that the two installments of cash handouts of Rs 700 rupees and Rs 1000 from the government, recently, were too little to meet their need during the festival, reports said. They have announced that the agitation would go on until the government comes up with fresh cash handouts. There are nearly 40,000 thousand flood-affected people living in makeshift camps in different parts of Sunsari. The government in collaboration with Nepal Red Cross and some aid agencies has been providing flood, clothing and medical care for them, but there are growing complaints of insufficient relief aid. nepalnews.com mk Oct 04 08 http://www.stuff.co.nz/4710127a12.html India deploys police as flood victims protest Reuters | Monday, 29 September 2008 e were deployed in a flood-hit eastern Indian state, a day after soldiers opened fire on angry villagers demanding food and relief, wounding at least a dozen people. Police said a huge crowd threw stones at an army convoy in the eastern Bihar state, demanding food and shelter. "The villagers clashed with army personnel, threw stones at them and attacked their vehicles, forcing the army to retaliate," Kuer Singh, a senior police officer said on Monday. Monsoon rains and burst dams unleashed bouts of flooding in South Asia this year, killing about 1,500 people, mostly in India but also in Nepal. About 270 flood-related deaths have been reported from Bihar, reeling from the worst floods in recent years, officials said. At least 250,000 acres of farmland were damaged in the state after the Kosi river burst a dam in neighbouring Nepal and flooded areas downstream. At least 20,000 people are still marooned in the eastern state, mostly villagers who refused to be evacuated, saying they wanted to protect their belongings. Indian authorities have been widely criticised for acting too late and too slowly after the floods hit. Local media has reported cases of food and aid being siphoned off by corrupt officials. Flood victims have blocked national highways and chased away government officials regularly to protest against poor relief. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2401525,00.html Troops, flood victims clash 2008-09-29 17:33 Patna - Hundreds of police were deployed in a flood-hit eastern Indian state on Monday, a day after soldiers opened fire on angry villagers demanding food and relief, wounding at least a dozen people. Police said a huge crowd threw stones at an army convoy in the eastern Bihar state on Sunday, demanding food and shelter. "The villagers clashed with army personnel, threw stones at them and attacked their vehicles, forcing the army to retaliate," Kuer Singh, a senior police officer said on Monday. Monsoon rains and burst dams unleashed bouts of flooding in South Asia this year, killing about 1 500 people, mostly in India but also in Nepal. About 290 flood-related deaths have been reported from Bihar, reeling from the worst floods in recent years, officials said. At least 100 000ha of farmland were damaged in the state after the Kosi River burst a dam in neighbouring Nepal and flooded areas downstream. Fears of more flooding Heavy rains lashed the region, raising fears of more flooding as authorities said more than 800 people were still missing. Bad weather prevented search and rescue operations, they said. At least 20 000 people are still marooned in the eastern state, mostly villagers who refused to be evacuated, saying they wanted to protect their belongings. Indian authorities have been widely criticised for acting too late and too slowly after the floods hit. Local media has reported cases of food and aid being siphoned off by corrupt officials. Flood victims have blocked national highways and chased away government officials regularly to protest against poor relief. - Reuters http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/28/2348638.htm Homeless riot in India's Bihar after widespread flooding By Claire Mackay in New Dehli Posted Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:06am AEST Food riots have erupted in the eastern Indian state of Bihar where flooding has left more than 2 million people homeless. The Kosi River in Bihar broke its banks and changed course last week, flooding hundreds of villages and towns. At least 2 million people are homeless and Indian authorities are struggling to reach those in desperate need of food and rescue. Looting and food riots have been reported and one person was killed in Madepura district as villagers fought over limited food and medicine at a relief centre. In the Supaul district a boy was killed and 30 people injured as they ran under helicopters that were distributing food packages. Stranded people have been sending text messages from roof tops. Bihar is one of India's poorest states and the Kosi River floods regularly. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Food-riots-in-Orissa-flood-waters-lap-Taj-Mahal/365382/ Food riots in Orissa, flood waters lap Taj Mahal Reuters Posted: Sep 24, 2008 at 1558 hrs IST Maoists kill abducted SI, CRPF jawan die...Orissa flood death toll rises to 26Kandhamal violence blot on Orissa's face...Orissa govt disburses Rs 42.3 lakh for c... Bhubaneswar, September 24: Officials in eastern India struggled to provide aid to tens of thousands of flood victims after riots broke out on Wednesday, as floodwaters lapped the Taj Mahal compound but posed no immediate threat to it. Monsoon rains, burst dams and overflowing embankments have unleashed bouts of flooding in South Asia in 2008, killing about 1,500 people, mostly in India but also in Nepal. In Orissa, tens of thousands were still stranded on embankments and on highways after large areas were flooded when authorities opened sluice gates of a dam on the Mahanadi river after heavy rains last week. Food riots broke out in many areas after villagers complained they were not getting relief supplies. Hungry victims beat up officials, blocked roads and looted relief materials. "At least eight people sustained injuries after two groups of people clashed over distribution of relief," police officer Jitendra Kumar Dalai, who was injured, said by telephone from flood-hit Jagatsinghpur district. Authorities said more than 100,000 people are still marooned and six more deaths were reported overnight, raising the death toll from floods in the eastern state to 35 in the past week. More than 200 people have died in the past five days in India, most of them in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with rising rivers bursting their banks and swamping vast areas of farmland and villages, forcing thousands from their homes. Officials said they had posted policemen near the famed Taj Mahal to monitor water levels in the swollen Yamuna river. Flood waters had reached the outer wall of the Taj compound, but posed no danger to the 17th century mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan on very high ground, officials said. "Since the monument has weathered many a storm over the centuries, I do not think the rise in the Yamuna level or its increasing current could cause any harm to the structure," said K C Yadav, a police officer. The flooding in the Yamuna, which also flows through New Delhi, was caused by the release of water from two barrages following heavy rains upstream. The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of modern world, is already under threat from industrial pollution which is turning its white marble a pale yellow. http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/235139 Egypt rockslide disaster: Residents clash with police Posted: 07-09-2008 , 11:53 GMT Angry residents of a Cairo shantytown Sunday hurled stones and insults at authorities for "inefficient" rescue efforts after a massive rockslide flattened homes and buried whole families under the rubble. "Residents are throwing stones at police and shouting at civil defence officials. They are angry because they say rescue efforts are slow and inefficient," a security official told AFP. Eyewitnesses said that they had been told to vacate the area and leave the rescue work to the experts, sparking anger among residents. According to the health ministry, at least 31 people died and 47 were hurt in Saturday's disaster. By Sunday morning cranes and special heavy lifting machinery could still not access the scene, the security official said. Rescuers worked through the night in a desperate race to find survivors of the tragedy, with some estimates putting the number of people still missing at 500. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the government to provide housing for those left homeless and issue compensation to families of the victims, the state-owned Al-Ahram reported. After an emergency meeting on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said that there would be a full review of housing settlements built throughout the country without construction permits, known as "ashwaeeyat." http://www.arabianbusiness.com/530185-egypt-rockslide-survivors-clash-with-police Egypt rockslide survivors clash with police by Dylan Bowman on Sunday, 07 September 2008 TRAGIC DISASTER: Furious residents have clashed with police over 'inefficient' rescue efforts. (AFP) Furious residents of a Cairo shantytown Sunday hurled stones and insults at authorities for "inefficient" rescue efforts after a massive rockslide flattened homes and buried whole families under the rubble. "Residents are throwing stones at police and shouting at civil defence officials. They are angry because they say rescue efforts are slow and inefficient," a security official told newswire AFP on condition of anonymity. Witnesses told AFP that they had been told to vacate the area and leave the rescue work to the experts, sparking anger among shocked and grieving residents. According to the health ministry, at least 31 people were killed and 47 injured in Saturday's accident after huge boulders each weighing "hundreds of tonnes" according to one official had crushed some 35 homes in the impoverished and over populated Manshiyet Nasser neighbourhood. By Sunday morning cranes and special heavy lifting machinery could still not access the scene, the security official said. Rescuers worked through the night in a desperate race to find survivors of the tragedy, with some estimates putting the number of people still missing at 500. The section of hill that broke away was estimated at 60 metres wide and 15 metres long. Rescuers were using their bare hands to shift debris in a desperate bid to find victims while specially trained dog handlers were deployed to try to locate survivors. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the government to provide housing for those left homeless and issue compensation to families of the victims, the state-owned Al-Ahram reported. After an emergency meeting on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said that there would be a full review of housing settlements built throughout the country without construction permits, known as "ashwaeeyat". "It was horrible, like an earthquake," said Farghali Gharib, who lost eight members of his family in the rockslide - five sisters, a sister-in-law and her two children. The reason for the rockfall was not immediately known but angry residents said work had been taking place on the hill for several weeks, and that the authorities had been warned about the dangers. "They [authorities] were doing some work up on the hill. I am sure this is what caused the rockslide," said shoemaker Mohamed Gaber. Mohamed al-Sayyed, 80, too blamed the authorities. "They had said they would evacuate the entire neighbourhood in order to set up an industrial zone. We were happy about this... but they did no such thing." Driver Abdel Latif Hossam said "there had already been some landslides, slightly hurting some people". Others said that the area where the disaster struck had been declared unsafe but that alternative housing promised to them had been sold off. The interior ministry said in a statement that plans were underway to evacuate the area in a month's time. Most of the brick-built dwellings in the district have two floors and were put up without adhering to planning regulations and without construction permits. The arid Moqattam hill is broken up by chalky rock slopes, and a number of unofficial housing areas are huddled at its base, along the length of a main road into the city. Egypt has a poor track record of building safety often blamed on the flouting of construction regulations, particularly involving adding extra floors without permission. ASAP News --------------------------------------------------- Mudflow victims demand balance of damage payment Jakarta Post - August 26, 2008 Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo -- Hundreds of mudflow victims blockaded a reconstruction site at the Porong mudflow area Monday, demanding mining company Lapindo Brantas Inc. pay the remaining 80 percent compensation as regulated by a presidential instruction. Saboteurs robbed tools from reconstruction workers, prevented others from operating cranes working the main mudflow banks and stopped trucks supplying construction materials from entering the site. The action threatened the big banks containing the mudflow with mudslides and overflows because the mud almost reached the top of the banks. The victims said all victims would be evicted from their rented homes next month and they had nowhere to go unless the remaining compensation was paid immediately. "We have no alternative but to stage this blockade because Lapindo has been deceiving us for a long time," said 35-year-old Uswati, a mudflow victim in Jatirejo village. She said the blockade follows on a similar demonstration staged by residents of four submerged villages last week which Lapindo ignored. During the demonstration, hundreds of residents of Siring, Jatirejo, Renokenongo and Kedung Bendo villages planted poles marking the borders of their mud-submerged property. "We won't live in rented houses or refugee camps any longer. We need houses to live a normal life and a plot of land to earn our living," said Uswati. Presidential Instruction No. 14/2007, issued one year after the erupting mud began submerging the villages on May 29, 2006, orders Lapindo to pay the 80 percent compensation one month before the end of the two-year house leasing arrangement ends. Lapindo has paid 20 percent of the compensation to victims to allow them to rent houses. Some 600 displaced families who have occupied the Porong market building for more than two years, have rejected the compensation scheme since the instruction carried no sanctions against Lapindo if the latter fails to pay compensation on schedule. Meanwhile hundreds of families living just outside the mudflow site, whose homes and assets were also damaged by the mudflow in February, have yet to receive any compensation from either Lapindo or the government. The government last month announced it would issue a new presidential instruction in its review of the current one in order to provide compensation from the state budget for the additional victims. So far, no funds have been disbursed to the government-sanctioned Sidoarjo Mudflow Handling Agency or Lapindo. Lapindo spokesperson Yuniwati Teryana called on all victims to exercise patience in waiting for the compensation payment because everything has been proceeding as per the buy-sell deal spelled out in the first regulation. "Lapindo will purchase all damaged assets from the victims to express our social responsibility as mandated by the government," she said. "For those having undocumented assets, we will provide cash and resettle them according to the agreement between Lapindo and the victims' representatives." --------------------------------------------------- From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 18:52:20 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:52:20 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Land grab and land rights protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA85BD4.8080604@tesco.net> * UGANDA: Squatters protest forest clearance * KENYA: Kisumu - Traders battle police over demolitions * KENYA: Displaced persons protest fund delay * NIGERIA: Refugees occupy Government House over camp closure * SOUTH AFRICA: Squatters attempt to occupy land * INDIA: Karnataka, Bellary - farmers protest ore seizure * CAMBODIA: Protest plan over reclamation project, land grab * VIETNAM: Catholics protest land grab, battle police * PHILIPPINES: Quezon City - squatter colony residents march against eviction * PHILIPPINES: Batangas - farmers travel to Manila to protest violent incursions * INDIA: Hyderabad, Dindi - villagers protest coastal corridor land grab * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - three land grab protests * INDIA: Maharashtra - seven-day protest walk over coastal land grab * INDIA: New Delhi - Sonia Gandhi rally hit by farmer compensation protest * INDIA: Kerala - container port protest * PHILIPPINES: Bacolod - Arroyo rally targeted by protesting farmers * US: Davie - protest over mobile home eviction * INDIA: Karnataka - protest against road widening * PHILIPPINES: Protest camp against Calamba demolition * INDIA: Karnataka - Dalits target airport over land grab * INDONESIA: Residents demand compensation after volcano house losses * DR CONGO: Protest for compensation after plane crash * IRELAND: 200 protest for access to Ashford Castle * US: Michigan, Lansing - hundreds in anti-eviction protest * US: Pittsburgh - protest over housing director firing * US: Irving - Protest over apartment closure * UK: "Justice not crisis" protest against homelessness http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250428.html Uganda: NFA Plants Trees Amidst Protests From Encroachers Gerald Tenywa 24 August 2008 Kampala ? THE National Forestry authority (NFA) has continued with the restoration of Wambabya forest despite resistance from the local people in Hoima district. In a recent clash outside the forest reserve, a group of local people armed with arrows and spears attacked policemen who were providing security to the NFA team. The Police is holding three suspects over the incident. "At the time of the shooting, the team of forestry and district officials and the people contracted to plant the trees were inspecting the areas to be replanted," said David Mununuzi, a forestry official. In an interview with The New Vision on Thursday, Mununuzi said the encroachers had taken over 2,000 hectares of the 9,000 hectares of the forest. They were growing cassava and tobacco in the forest and some of them had set up homes there, he said. He added that the encroachers would be allowed to harvest their crops before leaving. The forest is a catchment area for R. Wambabya on which a hydro-power dam is to be built. Because of the destruction of the forest, the river has been heavily silted. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809090112.html Uganda: Slum Dwellers Protest Eviction Herbert Ssempogo 8 September 2008 Kampala ? SLUM dwellers in Kampala have protested against investors who evict them, saying they are also able to develop their land. "We are not against development. We call upon the Government to help us buy land through loans which we can pay back gradually," said Nsubuga Ganga, a member of the National Slum Dwellers Association of Uganda. Some of the slums in Kampala include Bwaise, Nateete and Kalerwe. Ganga said over 2,000 people in Kakajo zone were recently asked to leave after the land was bought by investors. "The investors should participate in the search for areas where the evicted people could settle instead of asking them to leave immediately," said Ganga, who is also a resident of Kisenyi, a city slum. He made the comments during a function at the offices of Actogether Uganda, an non-government organisation, that works towards enabling the poor acquire houses. Jamilu Butanaziba, a resident of Kisenyi, said their group had saved sh40m for the construction of houses for its members. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809080883.html Kenya: Police, Traders Clash Over Demolitions Dan Obiero 5 September 2008 Nairobi ? Police in Kisumu fired in the air and used teargas to disperse traders protesting the demolition of stalls at the main bus terminus. The two groups engaged in running battles for the better part of the day. The demonstrators lit fires on the main road leading to the town as they chanted anti government slogans. Others could not hold back tears as they rummaged through the debris of their stalls. Several cars were stoned in the early morning incident that caught most of the residents unawares. There was heavy police presence at the town hall after traders threatened to burn it down. One man was seriously injured while others suffered cuts as the demonstrators pelted the police and motorists with stones. The demolition of the stalls comes a day before a planned tour by Local Government Minister Musalia Mudavadi and top business leaders, who are expected to address the woes of local authorities in the country. A prison bus ferrying inmates to the court was caught in the chaos forcing the wardens to fire in the air to clear the road. The protesters accused the council of destroying their business structures without prior notice and demanded the immediate resignation of the Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello. Property of unknown value was damaged at the Bus Park as the municipal bulldozers flattened hundreds of stalls in the early morning exercise. Pamela Onyango, 44, who owned a boutique, said that she lost over Sh400,000 worth of stock in the operation and was uncertain of what to do next. "I just acquired the new stock from Dubai on a bank loan and lost all in the demolition." Friday's demolitions follow a similar one on Wednesday when the council conducted the operation opposite the Nyanza provincial general hospital. Kisumu town clerk, Mr Joshua Kutekha, however defended the council saying the traders were notified in advance over the impending demolitions. (Daily Nation) http://allafrica.com/stories/200809040064.html Kenya: Displaced Protest At Delay of Funds George Sayagie And Wanjiru Macharia 3 September 2008 Nairobi ? Internally displaced people at Muchorwe in Molo District blocked a high-powered Government delegation to the area as they protested against delays in the disbursement of resettlement funds. The mob of about 1,000 people blocked the Molo-Olenguruone road on Tuesday evening and held the team that was going to launch the disbursement of the funds at Karirikania camp for about half an hour. The delegation included Internal Security PS Francis Kimemia, Administration Police Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua, Rift Valley PC Hassan Noor Hassan and Molo MP Joseph Kiuna, among others. Efforts by the PS and the PC to convince the demonstrators to let the team proceed failed as the protesters insisted that the entourage visit Muchorwe camp first and explain to uprooted families why they were yet to receive the Sh10,000 like the other victims. "All the other victims received their money before leaving the main camps. Why haven't we been given ours?" posed one of the refugees. Mr Kiuna had a rough time trying to calm the crowd. His bodyguard even had to draw his pistol to force the demonstrators away. Finally, the team gave in to demands by the displaced people and went into the camp where the heard their grievances and addressed them. Mr Kimemia called for calm, saying that the assistance had kicked off countrywide and that all the victims would receive their money in 10 days. Mr Kimemia said Molo District had been allocated Sh51,220,000, adding that each family would receive an initial Sh10,000 to buy necessities and, thereafter, an additional Sh25,000 to buy building materials. Mr Kimemia said that the Government had set aside Sh1.3 billion for the resettlement of internally displaced people, with the Rift Valley taking the lion's share. He promised the residents that security would be enhanced in the area. The team toured the area after Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta visited last week. Mr Kenyatta was surprised to find out that the victims still lived in camps after a directive was issued that they be resettled. Molo, which bore the brunt of post-election violence, saw more than 56,000 people ejected from their homes. So far, only 48,200 people have moved into transitional camps close to their farms. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809230507.html Nigeria: Bakassi - Returnees Protest Ejection From Camp Okon Bassey 23 September 2008 Lagos ? Bakassi returnees yesterday invaded Akwa Ibom State Government House to protest a surprise directive purportedly issued by the state government for their ejection from their camp without any alternative arrangement for their accommodation and other needs. The returnees numbering more than 1, 000 who appeared dejected and frustrated complained that a top government official from the office of the State Deputy Governor had come to their camp to distribute the sum of N5, 000 for some people thereafter saying the government wants them to vacate the camp . In the seeming confusion that followed the directive, the Bakassi returnees yesterday packed their property from the camp at the Government Technical College, Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom local government area of the state to the State Government House along Barrack road where they completely blocked the entrance to the Hilltop mansion. The returnees also displayed different placards, some of which read: "We need our shelters, Empowerment, Health and Feeding; We are Bakassi Returnees, Please Help Us , Resettle us in our Communities; Akwa Ibom State government come and help, We are dying; Tears of Bakassi returnees, please come and help us we are dying; Our children need to go to School. "A spokesman for the returnees, Michael Etukudo, told THISDAY that he came to Government House to see the state Governor face to face and to hear from him why he passed such instruction without alternative means. The returnees of the state origin said to have been handed over to the Akwa Ibom State government about 18 days ago by the Cross River State government and camped at the Government Technical College complained of abandonment without any medical care and hunger resulting to illnesses and subsequent deaths. The State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, who addressed the returnees instructed that they should go back to the camp where lunch will be provided for them and promised that the state government was going to discuss with the leaders of the returnees on the best way to handle the problem. "We won't let you suffer, I'm happy to see you back alive, Akwa Ibom is okay, " the Governor declared, urging them to remain calm and peaceful , saying the state government was deeply concerned about their plight. The State Deputy Governor, Mr. Patrick Ekpotu , who had also spoken with them said that the state government had acquired a land to build a camp for the returnees, disclosing that the state government was discussing with the Federal Government on possible assistance due the state for the returnees. He told them Akwa Ibom State was yet to receive any assistance from the appropriate authority to resettle the returnees despite the fact that some others states had got assistance to build camps equipped with hostels, clinics, fire station, police station and other facilities. Ekpotu equally informed that the state government was making arrangement with the local government councils where the returnees belong so that they could be catered for effectively. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20080814063458765C231911 Cops block occupation of state land Patrick Hlahla August 14 2008 at 03:26PM Police have again prevented a group of residents from illegally occupying a piece of land on the northern side of Lotus Gardens. The residents had planned to build shacks on the land which they say belongs to government and is earmarked for low-cost housing. They expressed fears that the land could be sold to private developers who will build houses which they cannot afford. The residents, who are members of the Mailagofengwa community, recently marched on the Department of Housing's offices in Sunnyside, where they handed over a memorandum of their grievances. The memorandum was addressed to Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Gauteng MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane. In June the group was prevented by the Pretoria West police from occupying the piece of land. The residents said they were fed up with waiting for RDP houses and empty promises from the Tshwane Metro Council. Joseph Ngoetjana, spokesperson for the residents on Wednesday said they were still awaiting a response from Sisulu's office. Ngoetjana said officials at the department had indicated that the land was earmarked for low-cost housing. "However, according to the officials, we have a right to apply for the piece of land," he said. Ngoetjana said the residents were becoming impatient. "This is the reason why they decided to illegally occupy the piece of land. "But after negotiations with the police, they decided not to go ahead with the plan," he said. He said the residents will decide within the coming few days whether to go ahead with their protest march planned for August 19, or not. "This will depend on the response we get from the department before next Tuesday," Ngoetjana said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/25/stories/2008082552420300.htm Karnataka - Bellary Farmland owners protest ore seizure Staff Correspondent Movement of traffic affected for some time ________________________________________ Farmers seek return of confiscated ore Demand permission to dig lands ________________________________________ BELLARY: A torchlight procession was taken out in Hospet city on Saturday evening by farmers engaged in removing float ore from ?patta? lands, in protest against the raids by the district administration against illegal mining. They also demanded that the Government accord them permission to extract ore from their lands. A large number of farmers from various villages in the taluk, including Kallahalli, Rajapur, Venkatagiri, Kariganur, Sankapur, Vaddafrahalli and Jambunathahalli, participated in the rally organised under the aegis of the Raithara Hakku Badhyata Samiti. They raised slogans against District in-charge Minister Janardhan Reddy, MLA Anand Singh, and the district administration. The agitators also demanded that the ore seized by the district administration be returned to land owners. The movement of vehicular traffic was affected for some time in the city on account of the procession. The district administration had, in accordance with instructions from Mr. Janardhan Reddy, raided several places in Hospet and Sandur taluks recently and seized over 3.5 lakh tonnes of float ore extracted by digging the land. N. Chandrababu, president of the samiti, led the protest. http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/component/option,com_jcs/Itemid,52/crestrictid,21441/task,add/ Protest threatened over lake Written by Chhay Channyda Friday, 29 August 2008 DISGRUNTLED Boeung Kak residents will march on City Hall next week to demand that the municipality halt a reclamation project that is driving them from their homes, one resident said Thursday as others began tearing down their homes and leaving the future construction site. A developer on Tuesday began pumping sand and water into the lake, which will be filled in over the next year to make way for a 133-hectare residential and commercial complex. Thousands of families will be affected by the development, which has been condemned as illegal by rights groups. Noun Thol, who faces eviction, was collecting thumbprints from other affected residents and by Thursday afternoon had 40 other families on his petition. "We are planning to take this case to court. We will also march from Boeung Kak to City Hall demanding that the government halt the pumping of sand into the lake. If we don't get a solution, we will seek help from Prime Minister Hun Sen," Noun Thoul said, explaining that he thought that more people would join his effort as anger over the development rose. "The residents must demand compensation," Noun Thol said, adding that the water levels have risen since the pumping began as tonnes of sand settle onto the lake bottom. Am Sam Ath, monitoring supervisor for Licadho, said that he has not heard of any Boeung Kak families being compensated for their lost homes. "Compensation should have been made before filling in of the lake began," he said. "The pumping of sand is an act of intimidation to get the residents to leave Boeung Kak while they have not yet agreed to the nature and amount of compensation." But Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said that many lake residents have already received compensation. "Municipal officials today are giving Boeung Kak residents houses and cash," he said. He declined comment on how many residents had received compensation but said around 500 families have agreed to "deal" with the municipality. http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2008/08/cambodia-lake-filling-must-not-lead-to.html Thursday, August 28, 2008 Cambodia: Lake filling must not lead to forced evictions Amnesty International UK The filling of Boeung Kak Lake in central Phnom Penh should immediately stop until a proper process that ensures human rights protection is in place, said Amnesty International and the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) today. With work starting on the redevelopment of the lake, tens of thousands of Phnom Penh residents living in its immediate vicinity fear forced eviction. They were not notified the work was going to begin. Few details about the plans have been disclosed as to what will happen to the affected people - an estimated 3,000 to 4,200 families living on the shores of the lake and around the area. Amnesty International and COHRE said the project process is in breach of both Cambodian and international law. Brittis Edman, Amnesty International's Cambodia Researcher, said: 'In the absence of proper plans, compensation and adequate alternative housing for at least 3,000 affected families, the filling of the lake should be immediately halted. Otherwise, this may be the beginning of the biggest forced eviction in post-war Cambodia.' Dan Nicholson, Coordinator of COHRE's Asia and Pacific Programme, added: 'If the government wishes to develop Boeung Kak, they should do so through a legal process, with the participation of communities that live around the lake. 'Affected communities need to be able to make informed decisions. The serious lack of clear information and accountability shows that preparations are just not in place.' Background ? The development plans for Boeung Kak Lake emerged in 2007, after the Municipality of Phnom Penh had entered into a 99-year lease agreement, handing over management of 133 hectares of land, including 90 per cent of the lake, to a private developer, Shukaku Ltd. According to the Municipality, this company will turn the area into 'pleasant, trade, and service places for domestic and international tourists.' As recently as two weeks ago, representatives of the Municipality conceded to journalists in Phnom Penh that they did not know how many people were affected, but estimated the number to be just 600 families. Local group surveys show the number to be far higher. In breach of international law and standards the process leading up to the agreement between the company and the Municipality of Phnom Penh excluded affected communities from participation and genuine consultation. Information has been lacking throughout the process, and community members and housing rights advocates in Phnom Penh consider that offers of compensation and/or adequate alternative housing have not been systematic, while resettlement plans have been withheld from the public. The agreement also appears to breach domestic law and implementing regulations in that no environmental impact assessment has been made public and no bidding procedure preceded the agreement. Moreover, according to the 2001 Land Law, the lake itself should be inalienable state land (so-called state public property), so its ownership cannot be transferred for longer than 15 years, during which time the function [of the property] must not change. Many of the affected families have strong legal claims to the land under the Land Law. http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2008/08/lake-dwellers-fear-loss-of-homes.html Thursday, August 28, 2008 Lake dwellers fear loss of homes Boeung Kak lake is being filled in for a property development By Guy Delauney BBC News, Phnom Penh Residents around the largest lake in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, are protesting against it being filled in. Boeung Kak is home to thousands of families - many of whom own homes and thriving businesses serving tourists. The local government has leased the land to a property developer - a move residents say is illegal. Some argue the project is needed to help develop the city, but others say that compensation is too low and that rights have been ignored. Disappearing lake An enormous pipe is spewing a constant flow of sandy sludge into one of Phnom Penh's few open spaces. By the time it is turned off, only a tiny part of the lake will remain. The developers plan to build high-end shopping centres and housing on the new land. But the project is a multiple blow for local residents. They stand to lose both their homes and their livelihoods. The sunset over Boeung Kak is one of the most striking sights in the city and it attracts large numbers of overseas tourists. Dozens of guest houses, restaurants and shops provide a good living for local families. There seems to be little chance of those businesses surviving. Residents have been offered alternative housing on the outskirts of Phnom Penh - or a small amount of cash. But many people living and working here rent their property - and face losing everything. "We've been doing this business for 10 years - and suddenly we heard [about] the development. So we're worried, we're all worried. We don't know where we're going to and what's going to happen," said a guest house owner. Housing rights organisations say the deal between the city and the developers is an illegal use of state land. But local government officials insist that partnerships between the public and private sectors are the best way to ensure much-needed development in Phnom Penh. http://khmeroc.com/latest-cambodia-news/19-politic/755-boeung-kak-lake-protest-held.html Boeung Kak lake protest held HUNDREDS of Boeung Kak residents marched on City Hall Monday demanding the municipal government halt the filling in of the lake and provide market-value compensation for those losing their homes to the development. Local developer Shukaku Inc started pumping sand into the lake August 26 at the first stage of a controversial 133-hectare housing and commercial project that will see all but 10 percent of the lake reclaimed. Protest leader Bun Navy said that three villagers were allowed to enter City Hall to submit thumbprints and a signed petition. "We were told by an official at the administrative office that they would solve the problems for us within one week. If there is no solution, we will go to Prime Minister Hun Sen's house next week," he said. Protestor Keo Lon said the lake was being filled under a veil of secrecy. "I live near the most affected area, in Village 4, where the sand pipe has been installed. Villagers were not informed about the sand or told about the development until the work started last week," she said. "I have lived here for 16 years, but didn't know anything about the new development until I saw it in the media." She said that the lake's water level has risen one centimetre a day since filling began and will start flooding houses in five days if the pumping continues. Bunn Rachana, a monitoring officer for the NGO coalition Housing Rights Task Force, said at the protest that "it is not acceptable that no compensation has yet been provided, but that the company has started filling the lake. It is not only affecting people living around the lake, but every Phnom Penh resident. It will cause floods in the city". Bunn Rachana is also concerned that the Ministry of Environment has not yet made public its environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project, which supposedly gave the green light last month. Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said: "City Hall [has] accepted the petition from the villagers and is now reviewing it." He declined to comment further. Puth Sorithy, EIA department director at the Ministry of Environment, also declined to comment on the Boeung Kak EIA, referring reporters to Environment Minister Mok Mareth, who could not be reached Monday. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/232935,vietnamese-catholics-protest-as-government-clears-disputed-land.html Vietnamese Catholics protest as government clears disputed land Posted : Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:39:08 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) Hanoi - Hundreds of Catholics massed Friday in downtown Hanoi, singing and praying, after the government sent construction equipment to clear a disputed property next to the city's cathedral. Priests said construction crews arrived at 4 am Friday to break down walls and clear structures on the site of Hanoi's former papal nunciature, next to St Joseph's Cathedral in central Hanoi. Parishioners and priests staged a months-long vigil on the site last winter to demand the land be returned to the church. "At 4 in the morning, about 200 police and two construction machines appeared at the site," said Father Nguyen Van Khai, a priest from neighbouring Thai Ha parish who is staying at the cathedral. "At about 4:30, they destroyed the wall and the other monuments on the site. They are blocking the whole neighbourhood. We cannot go out." Since 8 am, several hundred parishioners have gathered in the street in front of the site, watched by a nearly equal number of uniformed and plainclothes police. A foreign journalist photographing the site was told to leave and threatened with detention. Last December the city's archbishop led hundreds of parishioners in a vigil on the site of the nunciature that lasted several months. Parishioners built a shrine to the Virgin Mary and for a time erected a cross on the site, and parishioners camped there every night. The vigil ended with an agreement between the Hanoi city government and the parish to negotiate a settlement. Priests said they had not been informed by the government in advance of this morning's moves. A restaurant on the site's property, which the parish had asked be cleared, was being renovated Friday morning, and a new sign on the front declared it would become a local government community centre. "We are fighting for peace and justice," said Khai. "We are ready to die." Khai said he thought the government planned to turn the site into a park. Vietnamese government officials were not available for comment on the incident. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/232991,vietnamese-catholics-protest-government-land-clearing--summary.html Vietnamese Catholics protest government land clearing - Summary Posted : Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:33:23 GMT Author : DPA Hanoi - Hundreds of Catholics massed Friday in downtown Hanoi, singing and praying, after the government sent police and earthmovers to clear a disputed piece of property and turn it into a public park. Priests said construction crews arrived at 4 am Friday to break down walls and clear structures on the site of Hanoi's former papal nunciature, next to St Joseph's Cathedral in central Hanoi. Parishioners and priests staged a months-long vigil on the site last winter to demand the land be returned to the church. "At 4 in the morning, about 200 police and two construction machines appeared at the site," said Father Nguyen Van Khai, a priest from nearby Thai Ha parish who is staying at the cathedral. "At about 4:30, they destroyed the wall and the other monuments on the site. They are blocking the whole neighbourhood. We cannot go out." "We are clearing the land to build a library and a park, to serve the whole community," said Nguyen Thinh Thanh, chief of the secretariat of Hanoi's People's Committee. "We did not have to ask for the parish's permission, because that land belongs to the state." Since 8 am, several hundred parishioners have gathered in the street in front of the site, watched by dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police. "We are fighting for peace and justice," said Father Khai. "We are ready to die." Police have closed streets to traffic in a one-block radius around the nunciature, but parishioners and students at the adjacent Catholic seminary were entering and exiting the area on foot. Thanh said no punishment would be sought against Catholics who had gathered to pray at the site unless they took "extremist actions," in which case police would be asked to deal with them. Last December the city's archbishop led hundreds of parishioners in a vigil on the site that lasted several months. Parishioners built a shrine to the Virgin Mary and for a time erected a cross on the site, and parishioners camped there every night. The site, enclosed by a high fence, contains a grassy field and an elegant colonial building, the former nunciature, which housed the Vatican's representative in Hanoi before Vietnam became independent from France in 1954. The Communist government later took over the property, but the church says it still owns it. The vigil ended with an agreement between the Hanoi city government and the parish to negotiate a settlement. Thanh said the government had informed the parish in advance of Friday morning's moves, but priests said they had no warning. The conflict over the nunciature is one of two land disputes in Hanoi between the local government and the Catholic Church. The other is at Thai Ha church, where Khai is a pastor. At Thai Ha, parishioners last November began breaking down walls and occupying a plot of land adjacent to the church which was expropriated by the government in the early 1960s. The land was assigned to three state-owned companies. After one of those companies, the Chien Thang garment company, was privatized and moved to sell the land for a profit, the church objected. Prayer marches and vigils beginning August 14 led to the arrest of three parishioners on August 28 for destroying property and to an open conflict between a crowd of parishioners and police. Police announced Wednesday they had arrested a Thai Ha parishioner, Pham Chi Nang, 50, accused of destroying property on the site. They issued an arrest warrant for another protestor, Nguyen Dac Hung, 31. At a government press conference on August 29, Hanoi's People's Committee explained that a 2003 decree rules out reconsidering land disputes from before 1991 involving the old "socialist land management policies." Catholicism is entrenched in Vietnam, having arrived in the 1600s, and at least 6 million Vietnamese (in a population of 85 million) identify themselves as Catholics. Hundreds of churches around the country had property confiscated by the government between 1954 and the country's turn to a free-market economy in the 1990s. If the government accommodates the demands of the churches in Hanoi, other churches around the country could take it as a signal to reopen their old property claims. The land disputes have soured the mood between the Vietnamese government and the Vatican, which had discussed normalizing relations in recent years. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Pope Benedict in January 2007. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/228729,vietnam-police-clash-with-catholic-land-protesters.html Vietnam police clash with Catholic land protesters Posted : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:32:24 GMT Author : DPA Hanoi - The Vietnamese government held an unusual press conference Friday to justify its actions in arresting up to six Catholic protestors over a land dispute at a church in Hanoi. The government presented an eight-minute video compiled from police surveillance footage, dozens of still photos and copies of documents dating back to 1963 to make its case against the land protests, which on Thursday led to the arrests and clashes between police and roughly 100 protesting parishioners outside a Hanoi police station. The protests began in November but intensified on August 14 with protestors demolishing walls on the contested site, erecting tents and shrines, and organizing Masses and prayer vigils. "From August 14, the priests and parishioners have ignored the law," said Hanoi People's Committee Deputy Chairman Vu Khong Khanh. "They are determined to occupy the land by all means." The protests centre around Nam Dong Church in Hanoi's Thai Ha diocese, where several priests have led parishioners in a months-long campaign to regain title to an adjacent land plot nationalized by the Communist government decades ago. "We bought the land in 1943 with the intention of building a new church, but due to the war, we couldn't build the church," said Father Vu Khoi Phung, head of Nam Dong Church. The state took the land in the early 1960s, and the plot now belongs to two state-owned companies and a private garment factory. Since November, church members have destroyed several small buildings on the site, put up crosses and icons of the Virgin Mary, and held prayers there, ignoring government requests to leave. The Hanoi People's Committee ruled June 30 that the church had no claim to the land. On Thursday, police arrested two protestors who they said had been heavily involved in the demolitions of structures at the site and arrested another woman for disturbing public order by leading a procession of gong players. Priests then led roughly a hundred protesters to the police station holding the trio, and subsequent clashes led to the arrests of three more protestors, Hanoi Chief of Police Nguyen Duc Nhanh said. A Vietnamese Christian website affiliated with the demonstrators said police had beaten protestors with electric batons and showed video of a woman at the protest with blood on her shirt. Asked at the press conference whether police had beaten protestors, Nhanh said the department had received no such complaints but did not deny that beatings had occurred. Khanh said a deed handing over the land to the Vietnamese government had been signed by a priest from Thai Ha church in 1963. The government provided reporters with a copy of the deed. Vietnam's economy today is increasingly capitalist, and most of the country's land is now in private hands, but the country had a strict, Soviet-style socialist economy from 1954 to the 1980s, and large tracts of land were taken over by the state. A Vietnamese government decree issued in 2003 stated that land nationalized during the socialist period before 1991 is not subject to claims of restitution. Similar legal measures have been passed in many formerly Communist countries to avoid perpetual confusion over real estate ownership. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7625393.stm Friday, 19 September 2008 13:56 UK Bulldozers stoke Hanoi land clash By Nga Pham BBC News Another land dispute is raging at the Thai Ha parish of Hanoi Tensions are high in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, after the authorities began construction work on land claimed by the Catholic Church. At dawn workers moved bulldozers past a police guard onto the disputed site at Nha Chung street. Crowds of priests and believers soon gathered outside. The site, which once served as the Vatican ambassador's residence, was at the centre of a month-long protest by Hanoi Catholics earlier this year. They only learned that their claim to the land had been turned down the previous afternoon, when the authorities announced via the state media that it would become a park. A witness told BBC that the police had sealed off the whole area to prevent people getting in. "But we could see from outside that they have started digging the ground and clearing the front of the residence," she said. Another witness said scores of riot policemen and sniffer dogs were mobilised and the whole scene looked "very chaotic". January protest Thousands of Catholics held prayers at the site for the whole of January as they pressed their claim to the land. They say the land was borrowed from the Apostolic delegation of the Hanoi Diocese and it is time to give it back. The crowds only dispersed after the Archbishop of Hanoi told them that the government had promised to return the land. Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet has personally petitioned the government However, eight months on and the authorities have decided to transform the former residence into "a green tree park with flower beds and grass lawns", reports the Ha Noi Moi newspaper. "The event today caught us totally off-guard," said Father Nguyen Van Khai, spokesman for Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet, adding that a protest has been quickly formed to "ask for justice". The Archbishop himself has sent an urgent petition to the Vietnamese prime minister and president, asking them to intervene to stop "activities damaging to the Hanoi Diocese's assets". Luu Van Dat, an official from the state-sponsored Fatherland Front, acknowledged that the ongoing dispute has escalated to a "serious" level. He said: "The authorities should look into this matter. We have to be very careful in order to protect the rights [of citizens] but also to follow the law." Meanwhile, the church has called on all believers to join in protests, as well as pray for the Catholic claim to more disputed land in Hanoi, this time at Thai Ha. This second land grievance has been going on for more than a month, attracting hundreds of believers for prayer and protest every day. The Vietnamese government maintains that all land belongs to the state and land claims should be submitted to the law courts for consideration. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5685045 Vietnam Denies Use of Stun Gun to Break Protest Vietnam denies use of stun guns, force to break up Catholics' protest HANOI, Vietnam August 29, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Vietnamese authorities denied Friday that they had used force or stun guns to break up a demonstration by Catholics who are demanding the return of land the Communist government took more than four decades ago. Responding to accusations from protesters, including one who was bleeding, Hanoi's police chief told reporters Friday that officers had broken up the demonstration of about 300 people peacefully. "Like police in other countries, we never use any kind of tools to beat unarmed people," Hanoi police Chief Nguyen Duc Nhanh told a news conference. "We just talked to them and the crowd dispersed." Six people, including two priests, told The Associated Press that police had beaten and shocked church members who had gathered Thursday outside a police station to pray for the release of parishioners who were arrested earlier in the day. Members of Thai Ha Church in Hanoi have been holding round-the-clock prayer vigils for nearly two weeks to demand the return of land next to their church that the government took in the early 1960s. On Aug. 15, the day the vigils began, church members knocked down a section of a fence surrounding the property and placed several statues of the Virgin Mary inside. Police say they arrested three people for damaging the fence. Church members, however, have said four were arrested in the fence incident and another seven following Thursday's demonstration. One of the priests, Nguyen Ngoc Nam Phong, said Friday that police were lying about their actions. "I was there and I saw them using stun guns to give electrical shocks to our church members," Phong said in an interview. "I could see the guns flare. They also beat people. Their denial once again shows that they never respect the truth." Church leaders filed a complaint Friday protesting the conduct of police. The Associated Press spoke to a parishioner shortly after the clash who had sought refuge inside the church, about 300 yards (meters) from the police station. "They beat me on my face and used a stun gun to shock my daughter," said Nguyen Thi Phuc, who had blood on her face and shirt. Hanoi authorities called the news conference Friday to address the land dispute and the charges of police violence. Vu Hong Khanh, vice chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said the church members had no legal basis to demand the return of the land. "If they need more land for their religious practice they have to apply to authorities to be granted land in accordance with the law," Khanh said. Parishioners are seeking a 172,000 square foot (16,000 square meter) parcel next to their church. The lot is now occupied by a state-owned textile company. Although religious freedom has been growing in Vietnam recently, the state closely monitors religious organizations and only recognizes a half-dozen officially sanctioned faiths, including Catholicism. Catholicism is Vietnam's second-largest faith ? after Buddhism ? with more than 6 million adherents. In the years after Vietnam's Communist government took power in 1954, all private land was taken over by the government. Although demonstrations of any kind are rare in Vietnam, church members have been asserting themselves more boldly in recent months. Earlier this year, Catholic leaders organized prayer vigils at a parcel of land near Hanoi's main cathedral demanding the return of that site, which once housed the Vatican's embassy in Vietnam. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/vietnam/2008/10/03/177222/Vietnam-PM.htm Vietnam PM warns Catholics to end protests HANOI -- Vietnam?s prime minister has warned Catholic leaders that the communist state will not tolerate mass protests by followers demanding the return of seized church land, state media said Thursday. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung criticized Catholic mass gatherings held in two parishes of the capital Hanoi in recent months, in talks with Vietnam Episcopal Council leader Bishop Nguyen Van Nhon, the report said. ?It is absolutely unacceptable when someone regards the land laws as incomplete and twists them,? Dung was quoted as saying by the state run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in the meeting in Hanoi Wednesday. ?If those activities do not come to an end, they will have an adverse impact on the good ties between the state and the church and the relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican, which has been progressing positively.? Catholics started their prayer vigils late last year for the return of several properties seized after the communists took power from the French in North Vietnam in 1954, leading to tense standoffs with authorities. Police have in recent weeks cracked down on the prayer vigils, arrested several protesters and locked down the disputed Hanoi properties, where the government is building public parks and a library. Dung thanked Bishop Nhon for not encouraging the protests but charged that Hanoi Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet had instigated the gatherings and shown a ?lack of respect and cooperation with the Hanoi administration,? VNA said. The premier, who met with Catholic protesters last December, stressed that ?Kiet?s words challenged the state (and) hurt the nation.? State media did not quote the bishops? responses, but a vietcatholic.net report called Dung?s comments ?a slap in the face of the bishops and the Catholic Church? which contradicted state assurances to resolve the dispute. Vietnam, a unified communist country since the war ended in 1975, has Southeast Asia?s largest Catholic community after the Philippines ? at least six million out of a population of 86 million. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/09/21/2003423771 Hanoi Catholics protest over government land grab AFP, HANOI Sunday, Sep 21, 2008, Page 4 A row between Vietnam?s communist regime and the country?s Catholic community deepened on Friday when authorities began building a public park on land claimed by the Church. The site in the heart of the capital Hanoi was the Vatican?s embassy before it was taken over by the city?s communist rulers following the departure of the French in the 1950s. Police blocked the street next to the site on Friday and dozens of priests, nuns and monks looked on as work began. Bulldozers occupied the land and a fence had been knocked down. The Archbishop of Hanoi said there had been speculation for some time that a park and a library would be built on the site ? a plan confirmed on Thursday in the communist party daily, Nhan Dan. Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet said that Catholics would ?continue to protest? against the project. Catholic clergy and parishioners began holding mass rallies at the end of last year demanding the return of the property near Hanoi?s St Joseph?s Cathedral. The protests ended earlier this year when the government agreed to resolve the problem, but Catholics say nothing has changed. Vietnam has Southeast Asia?s largest Catholic community after the Philippines ? at least 6 million out of a population of 86 million. All religion remains under state control, but Hanoi?s relations with the Catholic Church have improved in recent years, leading to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung making a landmark visit to the Vatican last year. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080920-161869/Vietnam-police-punched-US-journalist-covering-protest GROUP SAYS Vietnam police 'punched' US journalist covering protest Agence France-Presse First Posted 14:31:00 09/20/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Media HANOI -- Media rights group Reporters without Borders has denounced the "arrest and mistreatment" of an American journalist covering a protest in Vietnam. The Associated Press accused Vietnamese police of punching its Hanoi bureau chief Ben Stocking in the face as he tried to cover a demonstration in the capital Hanoi on Friday. Police took his camera and, when he asked for it back, hit him on the head with it and punched him, the AP said in a report from Bangkok published on the Internet. He then spent two and a half hours in a police station before being taken to a clinic where he had four stitches to his head. "Reporters Without Borders condemns the arrest and mistreatment of Associated Press Hanoi bureau chief Ben Stocking by police while he was covering a peaceful demonstration by Vietnamese Catholics," the group said in a statement. The AP has asked the Vietnamese authorities to apologize and return Stocking's camera, it said. Vietnam denied the allegations. "Ben Stocking has violated Vietnam's laws by intentionally trying to take photos at prohibited areas," said foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung. "It is totally untrue that Mr. Ben Stocking was beaten by Vietnamese security forces." The US embassy in Vietnam said it had lodged a protest with the government over the incident, which took place during a protest by Catholic priests, monks and nuns against government construction work on land claimed by the Church. "We strongly object to any aggressive actions being taken against any individuals American or otherwise who is observing or participating in a peaceful gathering," an embassy spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse. "We have protested the incident to the government." http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080929-163547/QC-squatters-protest-eviction QC squatters protest eviction By Jeannette Andrade Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 11:42:00 09/29/2008 Filed Under: Housing & Urban Planning, Human Rights, Poverty, Conflicts (general) MANILA, Philippines -- Some 50 residents of a squatter colony trooped Monday to the Commission on Human Rights compound to protest their impending eviction from a government lot in Quezon City. The protesters, all clad in black, sought the intervention of CHR commissioner Leila de Lima as the local inter-agency committee, headed by the Quezon City police district, gave them until Saturday to stay on the 1,500-square meter property. Pacita Quesada, 62, a resident of the area for 24 years, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that a seven-day notice was given to at least 75 families last Friday. "It is unfair to give us only seven days. We know that we settled on a property that we do not own and would voluntarily leave when asked, but they could at least give us more time to find means to move to new homes," she said. She added that the QCPD was offering P3,000 to every family. Inquirer learned that the QCPD was planning to build a model police station and fire station on the site. The illegal residents also planned to troop to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, which would be implementing the demolition, to seek a moratorium on their scheduled eviction. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080904-158721/Farmers-protest-incursions-into-Batangas-property Farmers protest incursions into Batangas property By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:21:00 09/04/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform MANILA, Philippines?Farmers picketed the Department of Agrarian Reform to protest violent "incursions'' into their property in Nasugbu, Batangas by a firm a developing a seaside resort there. The farmers accused the SM Investment Corp. (SMIC) of employing armed guards to fence off portions of their farms in the village of Papaya inside Hacienda Looc and harass them if they resisted. The guards beat up farmers who resisted the incursion, and even burned the home of one, they said. We're not against development. But they should not use violence against us,'' Lerma Limboc, spokesperson for the farmers, said in an interview outside the DAR office. The 8,600-hectare Hacienda Looc is owned by the Manila Southcoast Development Corp. (MSDC), which together with the SMIC is under the SM Group of Companies. But the farmers claimed that the incursions into their property were unjustified because the Supreme Court had yet to rule on the land dispute after issuing a "status quo'' order in the late 1990s. Besides, they held titles to their property, they added. DAR granted a collective certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) and emancipation patents (EPs) to more than 100 farmers over a 2,700-hectare portion of Hacienda Looc in 1990. It cancelled these five years later to give way to an ecotourism zone. The farmers were offered a disturbance compensation, but the majority of them balked at the compensation, and filed a case that eventually reached the high court. Hacienda Looc is a vast tract of valleys and mountains overlooking the South China Sea and straddling the villages of Looc, Papaya, Bulihan and Calayo. The SMIC is developing a seaside resort in Papaya called Pico de Loro Cove, which is part of the 1,800-hectare land development project, Hamilo Coast. "We traveled for hours to come here, and air our concern because nobody in Batangas is paying attention to us. We hope President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would listen to us,'' Limboc said. The farmers appealed to the DAR to conduct an ocular inspection in the area to see for themselves the violation of the farmers' rights. "As it is, the SMIC and MSDC are already selling membership shares in Hamilo Coast Resort Project and Pico de Loro,'' Armando Lemita, spokesperson of the farmers' group Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka Laban sa Pangwawasak sa Kalupaan ng Hacienda Looc, said in an interview. http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=36310 Dindi villagers protested coastal corridor Updated: 09-09-2008 Email this Page HYDERABAD : Over 1,000 Dindi villagers of Nizampatnam mandal on Monday expr-essed resentment over the proposed construction of coastal corridor by denying entry to the speical deputy collector, Srilatha, into their village. Sensing the mood, the police, along with the special duty collector and the police personnel left the village. The villagers came to know that the special deputy collector was visiting Dindi village for discussion on land acquisition. The angry villagers squatted on the road near the bus stop on the outskirts of Dindi village located about 15 km from Nizampatnam. The villagers blocked the road on the outskirts and obstructed the vehicle of the official who came to village for discussions on land acquisition. Disappointed with the unforeseen incidents, the official left the village even without entering it. The villagers living in the coastal areas of Nizampatnam are reluctant to sell land to the government for the construction of the coastal corridor. The irate villagers chased the village revenue officer, Srinivas, with a motive to beat him. Luckily, he managed to escape with the help of the police. Repalle circle-inspector, K. Nageswara Rao, rescued the VRO and took him to a safer place. The villagers alleged that the VRO was pro-government and was working against the wishes of the poor farmers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/25/stories/2008082554950600.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai AIADMK plans demonstration Special Correspondent CHENNAI: The AIADMK will hold demonstration in Thiruvarur district on August 26 against the government?s attempt to acquire land for a Central university in Koradachery union. Party general secretary Jayalalithaa alleged that acquisition of 700 acres would deprive people in Perumpugalur, Neelakudi, Thiyagarapuram, Pommanatham, Karunakaranallur and Vandampalai of their livelihood. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/22/stories/2008082254671000.htm Tamil Nadu AIADMK activists stage demonstration Special Correspondent Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy For a better deal: AIADMK activists staging a demonstration at Naduvattam near Gudalur on Thursday. ? Udhagamandalam: A demonstration was staged in front of the panchayat office at Naduvattam near Gudalur on Thursday, under the aegis of the AIADMK, in order to condemn what they termed as the anti people approach of the government. The demonstrators condemned the steps that had been initiated by the forest department in order to evict farmers who had been cultivating crops in the area for about fifty years. In addition to this, they also claimed that all the wards in Naduvattam panchayat lacked basic amenities and efforts to take up development activities were conspicuous by their absence in the whole region. Besides this, they also condemned the government for its failure to fulfil its promise of giving free colour television sets to the people, liquefied petroleum gas connections, two acres of land and free house site pattas to all sections of the society. The wages of the workers in the Manjushree Tea Plantations which have not been paid for the past six months should be settled immediately. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081950840300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem Residents stage demonstration Staff Reporter ? Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan Voicing their woes: Residents of Angammal Colony staging a demonstration in Salem on Monday. SALEM: Residents of the Angammal Colony staged a demonstration here on Monday urging the State government to allow them to resettle on their lands in the colony. Evicted They claimed that they were evicted from the colony, where they were living for the past several years. The government should take steps to resettle the residents in the colony, they said. Court order They also wanted the government to implement the Madras High Court order issued in this regard. Protection They appealed to the government to extend adequate protection to them. Revenue and police officials pacified the agitators. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/nation/story_9929646.jsp Land protest in Maharashtra SATISH NANDGAONKAR Mumbai, Oct. 4: Like Mukesh Ambani, younger brother Anil too is facing opposition to a project in Maharashtra?s coastal Raigad, from where hundreds of farmers began a seven-day protest march to Mumbai yesterday. Side by side, a power project by the Tatas ? whom chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is wooing with land for the Nano plant ? is also under fire. Farmers are opposing the land acquisition process that started this week for two plants by the Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Power, one based on coal and the other on gas. They will collectively generate 4,000MW at Shahapur in Raigad district?s Alibag tehsil, 110km from Mumbai. Farmers in Pen tehsil of the district, 35km from Alibag, have already participated in a state-conducted referendum on Mukesh?s proposed special economic zone (SEZ) there, the outcome of which the government has not released. Pen?s anti-SEZ farmers, protesting for two years, were furious today when Deshmukh did an about-turn and said a referendum could not be seen as state policy. In Alibag, 500-odd farmers from 78 villages began their march from a temple last evening and are expected to reach Mumbai for a major protest on October 10. They are protesting against Anil?s two plants as well as a 1,600MW thermal plant in the neighbourhood by Tata Power, for which a combined total of 4,000 acres are required. Rajan Bhagat, member of the Alibag farmers? committee that has been leading the protests along with the Peasants? and Workers? Party (PWP) since last year, said: ?The land acquisition process has been initiated though the government knows the local people are against it.? Bhagat said the project was likely to displace more than 50,000 people in 13 villages. ?The government has not been transparent? since the MoUs were signed with Reliance and Tata Power three years ago. Under the land acquisition law, a project report detailing the affected zone and explaining why so much land is required has to be submitted. That has not been done.? He said that like the Pen villages where the Mukesh Ambani-promoted Maha Mumbai Special Economic Zone is to come up, the Alibag region too is a double-crop area. Bhagat said Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who is holding a conclave of his Nationalist Congress Party in Alibag, had turned down his request for an audience. In Pen, Deshmukh had initiated the referendum to find out if acquisition of the 10,000 hectares would meet any opposition from the 5,900 prospective landlosers. Vaishali Patil, member of the Pen anti-SEZ committee, said the farmers would release the voting data they had collected during the September 21 referendum in Pen on Monday. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1195530 Farmers protest at Sonia's rally PTI Saturday, October 04, 2008 19:01 IST NEW DELHI: A group of farmers on Saturday disturbed the address of Congress President Sonia Gandhi during a rally here by raising slogans protesting poor compensation for farm land acquisition. Around 30 farmers from Kanjawala village started raising slogans against Gandhi and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit when the Congress chief referred to the issue of farmers during her speech at the Chattrasal stadium. However, unfazed by the protest, Gandhi continued with her address amid the din. The noisy protest drowned her speech and not much could be heard. While the slogan shouting continued for over five minutes, angry Congress workers present at the venue clashed with the protesters consisting mostly elderly women. Gandhi handed over certificates to 11 resident welfare associations for authorisation of regularised colonies at the programme. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092353790300.htm Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram Vizhinjam: protests gather momentum Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram: The public protest over the government notification on acquiring land for the proposed international deepwater container transhipment terminal at Vizhinjam gained momentum on Monday with hundreds of people blocking roads and staging dharnas at three places. The agitation was organised by the Janakiya Prathirodha Samithi, an apex action council comprising the residents of Vizhinjam and neighbouring panchayats. Participants in the dharna and road blockade, including a large number of women, shouted slogans and held placards demanding that the government cancel the notification and conduct a fresh survey. Action council convenor K. Satheeshkumar inaugurated the protest at the Kovalam junction. George Mercier, MLA, C.P. John, Communist Marxist Party leader, and representatives of various political parties and community organisations addressed the dharna. Similar protests took place at Kanjiramkulam and Mukkola. At Kanjiramkulam, a youth threatened to commit suicide by jumping from the parapet of a three-storey building. He was later dissuaded by his friends and escorted down the stairs of the building. A heavy police posse was deployed at the three places to prevent untoward incidents. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081001-164058/Protest-mars-Arroyo-speech-in-Bacolod Protest mars Arroyo speech in Bacolod By Joel Guinto INQUIRER.net First Posted 22:16:00 10/01/2008 Filed Under: Protest MANILA, Philippines?A scuffle between policemen and leftwing activists marred President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's speech during the Masskara festival in Bacolod City on Wednesday. Video footage aired on GMA-7 television showed policemen restraining the protesters, who were calling for genuine land reform. The President was also seen pausing during her speech. It was not clear if she witnessed the commotion. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081001-164020/6-nabbed-at-Bacolod-protest-vs-Arroyo 6 nabbed at Bacolod protest vs Arroyo By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net First Posted 17:12:00 10/01/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform MANILA, Philippines -- Six protesting farmers were arrested by police in Bacolod City on Wednesday after they held a protest rally just minutes away from where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was attending the opening of the Negros Occidental capital?s Maskarra Festival. Task Force Mapalad (TFM), a federation of agrarian reform beneficiaries, identified the six as Hermigildo Padilla, Romeo Pidoy, Everlito Alguna, Bonbon Alguna, Noel Estaris Jr., and Gerry Batalla, all workers of Hacienda Bacan, which is owned by the family of Arroyo?s husband, TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles. The arrested farmers were allegedly ?manhandled? by police as they were brought to the Bacolod City Police Station 1 to be charged with public scandal, Angeles said. The farmers were protesting the delay in the distribution of the 157-hectare sugarcane plantation that Angeles said had already been valuated by the Land Bank of the Philippines. ?Last July, the Department of Agrarian Reform [DAR] had ordered the Land Bank to issue a certificate of cash deposit in favor of Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corporation, which holds title to the hacienda, but the bank had not complied. DAR said it needed the certificate of deposit to generate and issue certificates of landownership award [CLoAs] to the farmer-beneficiaries,? Angeles added. ?All they wanted was to remind President Arroyo of her promise, declared publicly last May, that Hacienda Bacan would be distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries,? Angeles said, adding that their protest was ?peaceful.? http://cbs4.com/local/davie.mobile.home.2.810004.html Sep 4, 2008 10:06 am US/Eastern Davie Mobile Home Park Residents Protest Eviction Residents Have Until February 28th To Move Haga Clic Aqu? Para Leer Este Titular En Espa?ol DAVIE (CBS4) ? Click to enlarge Residents of Davie's largest mobile home park have until February 28th, 2009 to move. CBS Some were angry, others fearful, all were frustrated. Wednesday night hundreds of residents of Davie's largest mobile home park marched on townhall to protest their eviction at a town council meeting. More than 900 low income families call the Palma Nova mobile home park off Davie Road and I-595 their home. Last month, they received eviction notices from the park's owner and developer Austin Forman, one of Broward County's most politically influential businessmen, stating that they had until February 28, 2009 to move. Wednesday evening they marched on to townhall to ask commissioners if there was something they could do to stop the eviction. They also want to know if they could stop paying rent before they move so they can save money. "I've lived here for 19 years," Marion Grand said, as she cried. "I don't know what I'm gonna do, and I mean this is my home, and all of a sudden like they're just going to take my home away." "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" wondered Karina Ramos. Ramos and her young family saved and bought a mobile home in Palma Nova in July, 2008; a month before the eviction notices went out. Ramos told CBS4 reporter Carey Codd she feels betrayed. "Why they did they do that to me," questioned Ramos. "They should have let me know, that way I don't buy this mobile home." Most residents of Palma Nova are angry about the eviction notices. Not only will it require finding new schools for their children, they also know that it will be too expensive to move their mobile homes and nearly impossible to sell them if the home is old. Families like the Ramos' will likely receive some money from the state, but not enough to cover what she's lost. "Who's gonna give me my $6 thousand dollars back," demanded Ramos, "Nobody." Council member Susan Starkey said she wants to know if there was any fraud involved by allowing people to move to the park recently if the owner already planned to sell. Under state law, residents displaced from a single wide mobile home receive $1,375; from a doublewide $2,750. Resident who opt to move their mobile home are eligible for anywhere from $3, thousand to $6 thousand. In accordance to the Town of Davie law, Palma Nova has provided residents with a list of affordable housing in the area. The park's owner has also hired a relocation company to help residents move. Another nearby mobile home park has said they are willing to take in some of the residents if they have newer mobile homes that can be moved. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090252430300.htm Karnataka - Shimoga Protest against road-widening work Special Correspondent SHIMOGA: Shopkeepers, vendors and residents of B.H. Road staged a protest on Monday against the proposed road-widening work here. Several shops remained closed for some time. In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey, the protesters said that increasing the width of the road to 26 metres would cause a lot of hardship to shopkeepers, vendors and residents as they were likely to be uprooted. The memorandum stated that earlier it was decided to increase the width of the road to 20 metres and so building owners had demolished the structures in accordance with that, incurring heavy expenditure. ?Now that it has been decided to increase the width of the road to 26 metres, shopkeepers and business people will be hit hard,? it said. The protesters appealed to the district administration to s http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080916-161042/Protest-camp-put-up-vs-demolition-in-Calamba Protest camp put up vs demolition in Calamba By Ni?a Catherine Calleja Southern Luzon Bureau First Posted 17:38:00 09/16/2008 Filed Under: Protest CALAMBA CITY, Philippines?Around 150 families residing in an urban poor community in Calamba City put up a protest camp on Tuesday after a Regional Trial Court issued a notice of demolition. Judge Alberto Serrano of RTC in Calamba ordered last September 11, 2008 the demolition of houses built in a three-hectare land of Sitio Kabute in the village of Real, Calamba City, which is now subject of a dispute as it was reportedly bought by Metrobank. Melicia Almario, spokesperson of Samahan ng Maralita sa Sitio Kabute (SMSK) said through phone that they have been occupants in that land for over three decades. "Who is Metrobank to take our lands? We have been staying here for a long time," she said in Filipino. She said that some time in January 2008, armed policemen and security guards of Metrobank surprised residents and ordered a demolition even without presenting proper documents. Out of fear and lack of knowledge in laws and due process, the residents demolished their own homes. But weeks later, with help from Bayan Muna-Southern Tagalog, the families reoccupied the lands. The residents of Sitio Kabute staged a noise barrage in Crossing Calamba at around 12 noon to kick off their protest camp dubbed as "Kampong bayan laban sa demolisyon, dislokasyon at kahirapan (People?s camp vs demolition, dislocation, and poverty)." Almario hit the city mayor for its incompetence in dealing with urban poor issues in Calamba. "He allowed us to lose our homes without a sure relocation and livelihood," she added. Meanwhile, Bayan-Muna staff Antonet Priscilla said that aside from Sitio Kabute, about 800 households from three other communities in Calamba are threatened with demolition. On Monday, community leaders of Sitio Tibag and Sitio Kamkaman in Barangay 3, and Sitio Kabute held a dialogue with city officials on the issue of demolition. According to Priscilla, the local government is offering the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), which to them is nothing but a "money-making business" of the Arroyo government. "In CMP, the residents will just be burdened by debts because of the costly house rent. They will again be evicted ," Priscilla said. Priscilla added that the government should instead focus on developing these communities and provide them with social services. At 4 p.m., the residents will join other groups in a protest rally to be held in Crossing, Calamba. The rally is part of a week-long protest that will end on September 22 in Southern Tagalog to commemorate martial law. Ernesto Aquino, executive assistant of Mayor Joaquin Chipeco, said they could no longer revoke the court order. ?But instead, what we can give is support to the residents who will be dislocated,? he said. But, most of the residents in Sitio Kabute refused to accept the offer of relocation, he said. In the CMP, Aquino said the residents were given opportunity to buy a house lot at a lower price. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091059880300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore DSS activists protest Staff Correspondent MANGALORE: Activists of the Dakshina Kannada unit of Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti staged a protest in front of the Bajpe Airport on Monday to urge the Government to fulfil various demands of people who were evicted for laying the second runway and new terminal building at the airport. Manjappa Putran, district organising convenor, said that the State Government in 1989 had fixed a compensation of Rs. 250 a cent of land in Malavoor, Adyapady and Kenjar villages. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1426751.php/Victims_of_Indonesian_mud_volcano_protest_for_compensation Victims of Indonesian mud volcano protest for compensation Asia-Pacific News Aug 25, 2008, 9:54 GMT Jakarta - Hundreds of homeless residents from East Java province demanded compensation for their properties destroyed by a massive mudflow caused by an industrial accident. More than 14,000 homes, 33 schools, 65 mosques and an orphanage have been buried since May 2006 when a 'mud volcano' began oozing to the surface following an oil-drilling accident in East Java district of Sidoardjo, an industrial suburb. 'Our two-year housing rents is running out, but so far we don't know yet when they would pay the remaining 80 per cent of compensation. Now, we have no place to stay,' said Heri Iswandi, one of the protest leaders, was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency. 'This land still belong to us. We will continue to block the BPLS' works from continuing to built dams here until we get full payment of the compensation money,' Iswandi said. BPLS is the government-sanctioned Sidoarjo Mud Mitigation Agency, which has been working to stem the flow with a network of dams and by channelling some of it into the sea, but with little success so far. Gas leaks are increasingly common around the site as the weight of the mud causes the ground to sink and trapped gas makes its way to the surface. The sludge also buried railway tracks and toll roads, causing serious traffic disruption. The drilling operation, operated by the Indonesian company PT Lapindo Brantas, apparently hit an underground volcanic mud flow while drilling at a depth of 3,000 metres, allowing the sludge to spew to the surface. Geologists, scientists, non-governmental organizations and many victims blame the company for irresponsible drilling. Lapindo is backed by two court rulings that said an earthquake near Yogyakarta, 250 kilometres away, triggered the mud volcano. The government accepted responsibility last year for costs related to the disaster's social impact on people living outside swamped areas. But it ordered Lapindo to pay 3.8 trillion rupiah (425 million dollars) in partial compensation for the mud disaster. http://www.koreanmovie.com/news/view/Protesters_demand_compensation_plane_338909/ Protesters demand compensation after plane crash in DR Congo Posted 08 27 2008 5:34PM GOMA, DRCongo (AFP) - More than a hundred people took to the streets in Democratic Republic of Congo Tuesday to demand compensation for the damage caused by a fatal plane crash in April. Shop keepers and residents, whose stores and homes were destroyed when a DC-9 skidded off the runway while attempting to take off in the eastern city of Goma on April 15, said they had not yet received any compensation. Dressed in black and carrying banners, the demonstrators marched over the site of the plane crash in Goma's financial and working-class district, Birere. They then visited the headquarters of Hewa Bora, the private airline that chartered the DC-9 plane that crashed. The shop owners value the damage at 900,000 dollars (610,000 euros) and say they have not received any compensation, despite Hewa Bora's promise. The DC-9 plane suffered an engine problem after it skidded on water along the pothole-strewn runway in Goma, with the pilot first trying to continue his take-off then braking and losing control. 47 people died in the crash, which also left more than a hundred people injured and destroyed about a dozen homes and shops. DRC's aviation sector, which is littered with ageing Soviet-era aircrafts, is generally viewed as being in a chronic state of disrepair. All of DRC's 50-odd registered airlines have been placed on a European Union blacklist, with Hewa Bora having been added just a week before the fatal crash. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0906/ashford.html Protest at Ashford Castle over access Saturday, 6 September 2008 23:10 Over 200 people protested outside Ashford Castle this evening over disputed access rights to the grounds of the luxury hotel. Local residents in the village of Cong say that since the castle changed hands in March, they have not been allowed into its woodlands. The new owner, developer Gerry Barrett, has said that during renovations, some access to the garden area of the hotel had to be restricted for health and safety reasons. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/lansing_0925/ Lansing, Mich., protest: ?Moratorium now! No evictions!? Published Sep 17, 2008 10:45 PM WW photos: Cheryl LaBash and Alan Pollock Streaming onto the state capitol grounds in Lansing on the morning of Sept. 17, hundreds from across the state of Michigan and beyond demanded passage of SB 1306, a bill that would enact a two-year moratorium on foreclosures. Demanding ?Moratorium Now!? and ?Bail out the people not the banks,? protesters held a spirited march, rally and people?s public hearing detailing both the devastation of foreclosures and the people?s will to keep fighting for a moratorium. ?Bryan G. Pfeifer ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_590815.html?source=rss&feed=7 Northside council firing sparks protest By Chris Togneri TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, September 30, 2008 On a day that the Central Northside Neighborhood Council announced progress on the Federal Hill housing and redevelopment project, about 25 residents protested outside the council's board meeting, angered over the firing of its executive director. The council fired executive director Michael Barber last week. Shortly after 7 p.m., the protesters voiced their displeasure outside the Allegheny YMCA, where the council's board was holding a meeting. They carried signs and chanted, "Bring Michael back." "Michael Barber has been in community development for over 20 years and is amazing at what he does," said one of the protesters, Jennifer Russell. She said she and others have demanded a meeting to discuss the moves, but the board has ignored their requests. Council President Bill Buettin said he could not discuss the firing because of privacy concerns. Reached at his home yesterday, Barber declined to comment. In an e-mail to council members last night, Vice President Greg Spicer said the board discussed the firing at its meeting and that an announcement would follow "in the next few days." "We should never lose sight of the fact that we're dealing with the livelihoods of two individuals who have a right to quietly get on with their lives," Spicer wrote. During the protest, police officers told the group to move across the street because the YMCA felt the protesters were intimidating members and tenants. The group moved away from the entry doors and the police left. The protest was the latest rift in a neighborhood that is deeply divided. Tensions in the Mexican War Streets spiked during a heated campaign leading up to board elections in the spring. A slate of candidates headed by Buettin swept the seven open seats. Protester Myron Arnowitt said Buettin's group ran on a platform of openness and communication. Firing Barber without an explanation "seems completely contradictory to what they ran on," he said. Meanwhile, the council announced that the city has agreed to maintain the curbs around the proposed planted medians on Federal Street. Buettin said the medians will slow traffic and create a more pedestrian-friendly environment for the 23 town houses under construction in the area. Public Works initially opposed the idea, but now says it will build and maintain the medians. They should be built by spring, when the first town houses are completed. "Getting the medians is huge," Buettin said. "We really wanted to give Federal Street more of a neighborhood feel." The Central Northside Neighborhood Council is a nonprofit organization founded in 1970 to represent residents of the neighborhood. It offers resources to residents interested in jobs, home repair and improvement, and youth and social services, and oversees development projects. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/090508dnmetirvapartments.2065b18.html Activist, residents clash with Irving on apartment closing 01:53 AM CDT on Friday, September 5, 2008 By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News bformby at dallasnews.com A Hispanic activist and a crowd of more than 40 Irving residents displaced during a recent abrupt apartment closing clashed with Irving police and city officials at an Irving City Council meeting Thursday. Carlos Quintanilla tried to speak out about Irving's recent closing of the Vista Del Lago apartments during the citizens' forum portion of the meeting. But Mayor Herbert Gears abruptly adjourned the meeting without explanation after Mr. Quintanilla stood near the podium before his turn as another resident spoke about an unrelated matter. "Carlos was attempting to disrupt the meeting," Mr. Gears said late Thursday. "It seemed like the best move to make." But as City Council members left the chambers, angry former residents of the complex yelled and chanted in Spanish. Mr. Quintanilla rallied the crowd and vowed to protest at City Manager Tommy Gonzalez's home at 6 p.m. today, despite an Irving police officer's warning to take any protests to City Hall. The Vista Del Lago apartments were closed last month after city officials said they found dangerous conditions that threatened residents' safety, including raw sewage, exposed wiring and broken ceiling joints. City officials have blamed the apartment owner for not taking care of his property despite collecting rent from residents. But Mr. Quintanilla said city officials should have given residents more time to move out. He also said officials should have told residents that city-tapped developer Delbert McDougal has a contract to buy the property. Code Enforcement Director Teresa Adrian said the city was looking out for residents' safety. She said all properties receive the same scrutiny. Mr. Quintanilla said the city is financially backing Mr. McDougal, but officials said the money Mr. McDougal uses to redevelop is loaned to him by Comerica Bank. The council approves Mr. McDougal's loan amounts because Irving has the option to take over any loan the developer defaults on, though it is not required to do so. The council earlier in the evening was scheduled to vote on whether to raise Mr. McDougal's loan amount from $24 million to $40 million, but Mr. Gears said the item was postponed because of misconceptions about the financial arrangement. The city will have a public hearing before voting on the matter, he said. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409666.html Justice Not Crisis Homelessness Demonstration NB | 29.09.2008 16:01 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | Birmingham *DEMO FOR THE HOMESLESS* Campaign group JUSTICE NOT CRISIS are organising a demonstration to highlight the issues of homelessness and other housing issues in Birmingham. One of the main problems at present is the city councils refusal to sell land to housing associations so they can bulid homes for socail rent. There is ?100MILLION of government grants allocateed for Birmingham that are not being spent because of the councils policy. this money could build 2,000 new homes for rent. *JOIN THE PROTEST* We are squatting a piece of vacant council housing land on Thursday 30th October and setting up the JOHN LINES HOMELESS VILLAGE. We are planning a Halloween party for the Friday night to bring as much attention to the issues as possible. Come and join us. Bring a tent if you have one, or anything else that may be useful. The site of the demo wioll be made public during the afternoon of Thursday 30th October. Please visit the web site at: www.justicenotcrisis.wordpress.com email us at justice.not.crisis at googlemail.com phone or text 07547 744 643 NB e-mail: justice.not.crisis at googlemail.com Homepage: http://www.justicenotcrisis.wordpress.com From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 19:20:32 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:20:32 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHINA: Protests and unrest, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA86270.8000206@tesco.net> * Gansu, Longnan - party office stormed in land grab protest after earthquake, up to 10,000 in clashes with police * Jiaxing - residents block garbage trucks in pollution protest * Guangdong, Dongguan - toy factory workers' revolt wins new contracts * Hunan, Leiyang - cops trash government building in pay protest * Shanghai, Chongqing and elsewhere - taxi drivers' strike "tests tolerance" * Shanghai, Minxing - four-day protest by dispossessed farmers * Guangdong, Dongguan - standoff at suitcase factory in labour dispute after overwork death * Shanxi, Wangjiazhuang - clashes after village election * Shanghai: workers trash police car, battle factory goons in layoffs dispute * Beijing - multiple protests break out * Worker protests lead to statement on unemployment * Guangzhou - taxi drivers fight police in protest over beating * Shenzen - hundreds protest death, storm copshop * Beijing - farmers protest land grab for train route, clash with workers * Jiangxi - clashes in land dispute over timber mill * Zheziang, Kanmen - migrant workers revolt over mistreatment * Guangdong, Sanjiang - farmers block road in dispute * China, Xinjiang - police killed in armed group clashes * China, Beijing - student revolt in property dispute, govt office smashed * Ningbo and Hunan, Jishou - unrest over boy injury, unpaid loans http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/18/asia/AS-China-Protests.php 1,000 protesters storm Chinese government building The Associated Press Published: November 18, 2008 BEIJING: A crowd of 1,000 people stormed a local Communist Party headquarters in northwest China, smashing cars and clashing with police following a land dispute, government officials said Tuesday. At least 60 people ? officials, police, and protesters ? were injured in the riots, according to a statement on the government Web site of Longnan city, where the unrest occurred. The protest initially began Monday with just a small group of people complaining about the demolition of their homes to make way for a new road in Longnan in Gansu province, according to an official from the local Communist Party surnamed Wang. But by nightfall, the crowd swelled to as many as 1,000 as more people joined the demonstration, the city's statement said. "Instigated by a small number of people with ulterior motives, some unlawful people started to storm the city government building and attacked government officials from the petitioning office," it said. Protesters attacked police and officials with stones, steel pipes and bricks. They also set fire to motorcycles, bicycles and buildings, according to the statement. After attempting to calm the crowd, police "had no option but to disperse the unlawful elements with force," it said. By early Tuesday morning, the situation was "under control," said Wang, who like many Chinese officials would give only his surname. Protests are common in China over land seizures and corrupt officials. Local government officials often confiscate land for infrastructure and housing projects, with little or no compensation. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/19/china-protest-and-repression-at-earthquake-area-gansu-lungnan/ China: Protest and Repression at Earthquake Area, Gansu Longnan Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 @ 06:32 UTC by Oiwan Lam According to mainstream news report, around 30 peasants from Wudu?? ?? district Dongjiang???? town paid a petition visit to the Longnan???? city committee yesterday (17-18 of Nov), but it ended with police repression. There is little explanation on what had exactly happened as information has been blocked. However, two videos have been uploaded in youtube showing the street fight between protesters and police. In the video, sound of gunfire is rather visible: Beifeng tried to figure out the background of the confrontation by searching on the web. And it seems that the incident is related with the land acquisition compensation and the relocation of the Longnan City after the earthquake. Here is a translation of Beifeng's investigation: Land acquisition and city relocation ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? Longnan is located in southern Gansu. It is the only region in the province that situates near the Yangtze River. Before the earthquake in May, the region had a large scale city construction project and many peasants had to surrender their land. In order to build the new city government office building, most of the farmland and residential district at Dongjiang town and Hanwang town has been resumed. Some said that many people were forcefully removed by developer and some are still living in camp. ? 5.12??????????300????????????????2008?7? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ????????? In the May 12 earthquake, there were more than 300 people injured and killed. Gansu is the second most seriously affected area in the country after Sichuan. Back in July 2008, there were rumors saying that the city committee and government planned to relocate the city administration center from Longnan to Cheng County out of geology consideration. The plan had agitated peasants who had suffered from the land acquisition and the residents in Longnan. However, the government denied the rumor very quickly via local media and the emotion cooled down. However, a week later some netizens found out that the document concerning the geology issue and city relocation had been posted on the website of the State Department. The Longnan City government did not give further response to the issue. People from Wudu and Cheng County were put in an antagonistic position and there were a lot of online verbal attacks. The peasants suffered from land acquisition and demolition also started to pay petition visit. 17???????????????????????????????????? ????????????? In the morning of Nov 17, the news about ?Longnan City relocation plan approved by State Department? spread out, which probably leaded to this new round of petition visit. 2008?11?17 ???9?30????????????????30??????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????11?17????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ??? At 9:30am of Nov 17, more than 30 petitioners from Dongjiang town, Wudu district, Longnan City paid the petition visit to the city committee. Because of the land acquisition, people are homeless and landless, now that the city is to relocated to another district, they demand the city committee to explain the situation and whether the government have any relief plan for them. In the afternoon, more people gathered in front of the city committee. Although the city officials had arranged a meeting with the petitioners, there was no consensus. More and more people gathered outside the city committee in the evening until midnight expecting to see city leader. For some unknown reason, some people rushed into the courtyard of city committee, broke the windows and vehicles and set fire on part of the office. Such action leaded to this serious confrontation. Police's trap A secondary school youth from Wudu gave more background on this confrontation in the comment section: ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? The government had been preaching to the people not to believe in rumor and they had arrested 6 so-called rumor makers. Since Wang Yi became the secretary of city committee, a lot of residential buildings had been demolished, especially in Wudu Dongjiang town. It is not exaggerating to say that the whole town had been demolished and thousands of people lost their home. Wang Yi explained to the people that Dongjiang would become Longnan new city center. People believed the government and willingly moved into temporary housing. No one complained because they believed in the party's good will to improve their life. However, now that Wang Yi decided to move away and left behind so many homeless people. How can they not be angry? During the 5.12 earthquake, people wasn't panicking. In Nov 17, people were really angry, they protested in front of the city committee spontaneously. People in Wudu are very civilized, at first they just shout slogan: ?no relocation?. However, later at night, some police from Cheng County pushed a number of protesters into the city committee building and beat them hard. People couldn't stand anymore, they rushed in to rescue their fellow and tried to get hold of the attackers. However, the police insiders received them with rods and stones. Then the situation became out of control. More than a hundred people had been arrested now, many were injured, some are fatal. It is more agitating that the military vehicles moving in carry a slogan ?counter terrorist force?. The image of earthquake rescuing team has vanished over night. Information blocked Another comment urges people to help spreading the news: ?11?18???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????,???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? In Nov 18, tens of protesters had been beaten to death. Information had been blocked and photos could not be released. However, this post (translator note: from another forum) has adopted the official stand - they disregarded people's emotion and much of their opinions had been blocked. Their voices could only appear in a small number of forum with very few visitors. They couldn't attract public attention. We have lost a number of fellows and we hope that their deaths deserve some respect, not to be called as ?rioters?. The secretary of the city committee had done with the demolition, had done with contracting out project and business, had done with attracting capital, now he is ready to go and leave people behind. He have lost his credibility. The Gansu province committee doesn't know the truth and blocks the information. Such big incident was not even reported in Lanzhou. Where is our justice? Should our opinion and our sufferings be repressed by the bureaucrats like that? We can only depends on people to pass on the information and raise concern. Just now, the riot police are still firing tear gas to the people. The people have to resist. I wish you will understand the truth and let it known to others. Please pass on the information, thank you. http://www.abc.net.au/australianetwork/news/stories_to/2425668.htm China arrests 30 over riots in northwest 21/11/2008 08:16:25 Police in north-west China have arrested 30 people involved in a two-day protest that had to be broken up with tear gas after 74 people were injured. As calm returned to Longnan in Gansu province, authorities say they've questioned more than 100 people over the riots in which people threw stones, bricks and bottles at police. The government says the protest was triggered by a group of people whose houses had been demolished to make way for a new government building. The protest swelled to about 2,000 people on Tuesday, but had been stamped out by the evening. http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=792554&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_world&cate_rss=WORLD_eng Tear gas used on ax-wielding rioters in China, say witnesses Agence France-Presse 2008-11-20 12:39 AM Security forces in northwest China used tear gas to quell two days of violent protests by thousands of people who used axes, chains and iron bars to attack police, witnesses and officials said yesterday. At least 60 people, including police and officials, were injured during the riots, according to a statement on the government website of Longnan city in Gansu province, where the violence occurred. "Protesters used iron rods, chains, axes, hoes... to attack officials and policemen at close proximity," the statement said. They also threw stones, bricks and flowers pots at the officials and police in front of the local government building, and attempted to hijack a fire truck that came to put out a blaze they started, according to the statement. The government said the protest was triggered on Monday by about 30 people whose houses had been demolished to make way for a new government building, in an apparent typical "land grab" case that often leads to protests in China. A receptionist at a Longnan hotel near the government headquarters said there were no demonstrations yesterday because of an extremely heavy security presence. "But yesterday there were a lot of people. Police used tear gas to disperse them," she told Agence France-Presse by phone. "We're not far from the government building, and although we closed our door, the smell of gas still came into our hotel. I heard a lot of people were hurt." China's official Xinhua news agency reported that the protest swelled to about 2,000 people on Tuesday. But a local policeman, who asked not to be named, told AFP by phone that many thousands of people had joined the protest at its height on Tuesday. "Yesterday the government brought in thousands of armed police who used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the crowds, and a lot of people were beaten," he said. Xinhua said the situation was back under control by Tuesday evening, after all the main streets and crossroads had been locked down and people dispersed. A spokeswoman for the Communist Party in Longnan, surnamed Li, denied security forces used tear gas or that tens of thousands of people demonstrated. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/19/world/fg-chinariots19 Massive riot in northwestern China Thousands, angered over a plan to raze a city center, burn cars and battle police with rocks, iron bars and axes. A Communist office is overrun and 60 officials are injured. By John M. Glionna November 19, 2008 Reporting from Beijing ? An angry crowd of 2,000 rioted in northwest China's Gansu province over a government plan to demolish a downtown area, torching cars and attacking a local Communist Party office, injuring 60 officials, state-run media reported Tuesday. At one point, rioters met a surging wall of armed police officers with a hail of rocks, bricks, bottles and flowerpots. The crowd later confronted police with iron bars, axes and hoes as they tried to hijack a fire truck and smashed windows and office equipment in two government buildings. The violence, one of the most marked instances of social unrest to grip China in recent months, was sparked by government plans to relocate the city of Longnan's administrative center after May's devastating earthquake, according to the Xinhua news agency. State-run press has reported on numerous pickets and demonstrations that have broken out across China in recent weeks, including a two-day strike by disgruntled taxi drivers in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing. Earlier this month, a crowd of 400 in the southern boomtown of Zhenzhen threw stones and set fire to a police car after officers tried to stop a motorcyclist at a checkpoint. The cyclist fled and was killed when he hit a lamppost. In June, 30,000 people demonstrated in the southwestern province of Guizhou, setting fire to cars and the local Communist Party building following rumors that officials had tried to cover up the death of a teenage girl. Activists warn that tensions over the sudden downturn in the Chinese economy could provoke similar public outbursts, even though police have made efforts not to immediately resort to violence in quelling the riots. "The government's emphasis on maintaining a harmonious society just extenuates the levels to which it is worried about these kinds of threats to social stability," said Joshua Rosenzweig, a Hong Kong manager of research at the Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights group. "I don't think we're even close to seeing the real impact of the global financial crisis on Chinese society. I'd be surprised if the government wasn't very concerned about the increasing level of social unrest all over China." Chinese economists say that rising wages throughout China have led many laborers to expect better working conditions and residents to demand more accountable government. "The local government has become the front line of conflict," said Hu Xingdou, an economics professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7737262.stm Wednesday, 19 November 2008 Clashes at China 'land protest' Video footage captured the moments the protester and police clashed Demonstrators in Gansu province, China, have attacked government buildings in protest at a plan to demolish homes, says state media. Xinhua reported that thousands of people angry at having to relocate to make way for government developments used chains and axes to attack police. Property and vehicles were damaged and several people injured, say reports. Correspondents say that protests over land seizures have increased in China in recent years. The Gansu protests were reported to have started after the local authorities announced plans to relocate the government of Longnan City, said Xinhua. The move would force local residents to be resettled. Some homes had already been demolished when the protests began. Tear gas Protests first broke out on Monday and fired up 24 hours later. "Protesters used iron rods, chains, axes, [and] hoes... to attack officials and policemen at close proximity," said a statement from the security forces. Police fired tear gas which made women and children sick. This made the others angry Eyewitness They are also reported to have thrown stones, bricks and flowerpots at officials and police in front of the local government building. Xinhua said 2,000 people had been involved in the unrest, but a local policeman told the AFP news agency that crowds had numbered several thousand. "Yesterday the government brought in thousands of armed police who used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the crowds, and a lot of people were beaten," the policemen told the agency. Video footage posted on YouTube appeared to show people throwing stones at men in uniform, who respond by hitting out with sticks. One eyewitness told the Reuters news agency there were "a few thousand petitioners", a term used to describe people complaining to the authorities. "Police fired tear gas which made women and children sick. This made the others angry," said the eyewitness, who did not give his name. "We're not far from the government building, and although we closed our door, the smell of gas still came into our hotel. I heard a lot of people were hurt," another witness told AFP. The authorities said the situation was under control by Wednesday after streets and junctions were closed. Earthquake unrest Gansu province was severely damaged by the massive earthquake which hit neighbouring Sichuan in May 2008, which left some five million people homeless. Commentators have suggested that the unrest could be linked to general discontent over the reconstruction projects and assistance given to those who lost their homes and belongings. Many of those left homeless by the quake were reported to be still living in camps. Gansu Communist Party chief Lu Hao said the rebuilding task was "extremely urgent" and that central government had approved the reconstruction plan for the areas. Reporting a similar disturbance earlier this year, the BBC's James Reynolds, in Beijing, said that China has tried to address the issue of property seizure by passing a law giving ordinary people better protection against developers. But people in many areas still feel that they are powerless to stop their land from being taken, he said. Protests have also taken place against rising living costs and unemployment, and earlier this month hundreds of people rioted in the southern city of Shenzhen following the death of a motorcyclist close to a police checkpoint. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2428871,00.html Axe-wielding rioters, cops clash 2008-11-19 11:52 ? Article Tools ? Share ? Get News24 on Beijing - Security forces in northwest China used tear gas to quell two days of violent protests by thousands of people who used axes, chains and iron bars to attack police, witnesses and officials said on Wednesday. At least 60 people, including police and officials, were injured during the riots, according to a statement on the government website of Longnan city in Gansu province where the violence occurred. "Protesters used iron rods, chains, axes, hoes... to attack officials and policemen at close proximity," the statement said. They also threw stones, bricks and flowers pots at the officials and police in front of the local government building, according to the statement. A receptionist at a Longnan hotel near the government headquarters said there were no demonstrations on Wednesday because of an extremely heavy security presence. "But yesterday there were a lot of people. Police used tear gas to disperse them," she told AFP by phone. "We're not far from the government building, and although we closed our door, the smell of gas still came into our hotel. I heard a lot of people were hurt." According to the local government's statement, the protest began on Monday with about 30 people whose houses had been demolished to make way for a new government building in a different part of town. China's official Xinhua news agency reported that the protest swelled to around 2 000 people on Tuesday, with demonstrators smashing windows of the government building and nearby cars. But a local policeman, who asked not be named for fear of retaliation, told AFP by phone that many thousands of people had joined the protest at its height on Tuesday. "Yesterday the government brought in thousands of armed police who used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the crowds, and a lot of people were beaten," he said by phone. "Some people in the crowd threw stones, so both sides sustained injuries." Xinhua said the situation was back under control by Tuesday evening, after all the main streets and crossroads had been locked down and people dispersed. Protests are common in China, often fuelled by government-backed land grabs or abuses of power. - AFP http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/11/20/1368/ The Longnan riots and the CCP?s global spin campaign By David Bandurski ? At first glance, Control 2.0 seems to herald a more open-handed approach to news and information in China, promising rapid coverage of sudden-breaking news events. But it has worked with growing effectiveness this year as an open hand that deals a back-handed slap to the news, and that sends international media spinning into orbit. [Frontpage image by cbcastro available at Flickr under Creative Commons license.] What we consume from Xinhua News Agency and the usual suspects (People?s Daily, local party newspapers, etc.) in the immediate aftermath of sudden-breaking news events, or tufa shijian (????), is pretty much the best we can expect in China. And the same goes for international coverage. The basic point you can glean from coverage so far of the Longnan riots, whatever the source, is that we are all, thanks to the party?s more active approach to shaping news coverage, consuming and transmitting the same ?authoritative? CCP facts. We are tops spinning in place. When news of the incident in Longnan broke on Tuesday, it was from three official sources: 1. An article in the official Gansu Daily 2. An official Xinhua News Agency release [English version here] 3. An official statement from the news office of the Longnan City People?s Government Here are all three of these sources as they appeared online Tuesday afternoon. The Gansu Daily version was actually on the front page of the print newspaper, what one might under other circumstances have seen as a welcome sign of change. In the past, what we?ve generally seen are embarrassing local stories pushed to the back or avoided altogether in local party dailies, while coverage comes predominately from commercial newspapers in other cities or provinces. If you insist on seeing the glass as half full, you can cite this as one of your reasons for optimism. Anyhow, the Gansu Daily story read: ?Mass Petition Incident Occurs in Longnan City?s Wudu District? Gansu Daily reporting. At approximately 9am on November 17, more than 30 residents facing eviction and relocation in Dongjiang Township, Wudu District, Longnan City, gathered at the office of the party committee to voice [their views] on the problem of the relocation of Longnan?s administrative center. The party committee and relevant departments quickly received their petitions. As the petitioners would not be satisfied, the mass of onlookers continued to grow, reaching as many as 2,000 people. In the early hours of November 18, a number of petitioners attacked the offices of the party committee and other government offices, causing damage to vehicles and other office facilities. By 2am [on the 18th] most of the masses gathered had already left. After receiving a report [on the incident], the provincial party committee and provincial government had given the case a high level of priority. At 5pm on November 17, Party Secretary Lu Hao (??) and Governor Xu Shousheng (???) issued their instructions. In the early hours of November 18, Lu Hao called an urgent meeting to carry out special research on the Longnan Mass Petitioning Incident (?????? ???), seeking opinion on disposal [of the crisis] and demanding that the Longnan Party Committee and the city government take measures to quickly bring the situation under control, ensuring social stability and securing the smooth resumption of post-quake reconstruction efforts. While Gansu Daily?s version of the story led meager print coverage of the story on November 18, including in the Legal Mirror and Shenzhen Evening News, the Xinhua News Agency version dominated coverage on the Internet, where we saw reports from: *Phoenix Online [CHINESE] *Reuters news agency [CHINESE] (adding material from the Longnan city government statement) *UPI [ENGLISH] *CNN Website [ENGLISH] (Xinhua version + a few Chinese chatroom comments) *AFP [ENGLISH] Like the CNN website, the AFP version frosted what was basically a Xinhua report with a brief reference to Chinese internet posts and a couple of paragraphs of background: The official state media did not offer further details on the dispute, but government-backed land grabs, often in collusion with developers, have become one of China?s most sensitive social issues . . . Gansu neighbours Sichuan province, which was at the epicentre of the May 12 earthquake that left up to 88,000 people dead or missing. It is no surprise, of course, to see international newswires relying largely on Xinhua for these initial news reports. Even if they do have the resources to dispatch reporters to the scene, this takes time. In a report late Wednesday, the strongest foreign wire report of the day, the AFP reached three additional sources by phone, including a party employee, a hotel receptionist and an unnamed local policeman. Reuters coverage on Wednesday supplemented official facts with quotes from a ?hotel worker? and from a foreign risk analyst in Beijing (not related to Longnan). None of the foreign wire reports available differed substantially from the official story. The most notable coverage of the Longnan story on Tuesday came from Caijing Online, the now fairly autonomous online edition of the leading current affairs magazine Caijing. Caijing led with a map infographic of Longnan from the original Gansu Daily report, and supplemented facts from Gansu Daily and the Longnan government statement with background material on the recent history of urban development in Longnan, probably drawn from prior news coverage and other material in the public domain: After the re-drawing of [city] districts in 2004, Longnan City used many means to intensify local development. One important measure was a strategy (?????????????) for Wudu District, which involved a decision to develop the Dongjiang New District on the foundation of Wudu District?s Dongjiang Township (???). After this, residents in Dongjiang Township were faced with a wide-scale land requisition campaign, and the majority of residents have lived ever since in transitional demolition and relocation quarters waiting to move into resettlement homes. Beginning in March 2008, there was news that the city?s administrative center would be moved . . . and this made the residents of Wudu District uneasy. They were concerned that once they had lost the advantages of an administrative center, the overall development of Wudu would be impacted. The news that the administrative center would be relocated created an even bigger stir in Dongjiang Township, where residents worried that relocating the administrative center would mean related developments would cease, including preparation for their resettlement homes, and that the issues of land and subsistence would not be resolved for them. With these concerns, they went through many different means and channels to voice their opposition to the relocation of the administrative center. On this matter, the Longnan city government on a number of occasions held meetings to say that the removal of the administrative center was a rumor, that ?the party committee and the government have no intention of relocating? and that their ?determination to build a bright new city in Wudu had not changed ?? Caijing?s own augmentation of the official version of events actually influenced coverage at two newspapers the next day [See top of list below]. Here?s a taste of where coverage was being sourced at the fifty-odd party and commercial newspapers that ran the story on Wednesday. Chongqing Morning Post (Sources material from Caijing Online and Gansu Daily) Southern Metropolis Daily (Sources material from Caijing Online and Gansu Daily) Shenzhen News (Sources material from Xinhua News Agency via People?s Daily Online) The Beijing News (Sources material from Gansu Daily and ?other sources,? basically Xinhua) Changsha Evening News (Sources material from Xinhua but rewrites lead to focus on ?a few people with ulterior motives?) Jinan Daily (Uses shortened version of the Xinhua report) Beijing Times (Uses Gansu Daily version) [ABOVE: Page A14 of Wednesday?s Southern Metropolis Daily runs state media coverage of riots in Longnan plus some Caijing Online material.] [ABOVE: Page 11 of Wednesday?s Chongqing Evening Post with coverage of the Longnan riots from the official Gansu Daily.] The two papers using some Caijing Online material were a rare but notable exception to what was otherwise exclusively official information. All other reports were sourced from Xinhua News Agency, Gansu Daily and the Longnan government?s official statement. A smattering of editorials on the Internet reflected on the Longnan incident, some pointing the finger at the local government. The AFP noted one People?s Daily Online editorial in its Wednesday report, with the misleading suggestion that this was ?an unusual move apparently aimed at placating the protesters.? It was not. And reporters are warned against assuming material at People?s Daily Online have even an iota of the gravitas of articles appearing in People?s Daily, the official party mouthpiece. The most strongly worded editorial, in fact, came from CN Hubei, and was available by late Tuesday night: Water is a soft and yielding substance, but stir it up and it surges with unimaginable power. That is why the ancients said: ?As water can float a vessel, so can it capsize it.? Ordinary people are the water, and the government is the boat, and if the vessel and the water cannot exist in harmony then the result is difficult to predict, and ghastly to contemplate. We have as our best examples a number of dynasties with strong soldiers and sturdy horses that were overthrown by ordinary people. We have some officials who don?t understand this most elementary of principles, who treat the ordinary people as weak and amenable water. This is bound to raise the ire of the masses, creating conflict, destroying the goodwill between the party and the masses, between cadres and the masses, and impacting the development of harmony and the economy. Should these profound lessons not alarm us and cause us to reflect more deeply? Gansu Daily reported on November 18: at November 17 at around 9am, more than 30 residents facing demolition and removal [from their residences] gathered to petition in Dongjiang Township (???) of Wudu District (? ??) in Longnan City (???), expressing [their opposition] regarding the relocation of Longnan?s administrative center (????). The office of the party secretary and relevant government offices moved quickly to hear their petitions, but those petitioning were not to be discouraged and the crowd of onlookers continued to grow, reaching as many as 2,000 people. In the early morning hours of November 18, a number of petitioners assaulted the administrative building of the local party committee, damaging a number of vehicles and some office equipment. The area had already been mostly deserted by 2am. Our Great Leader Mao Zedong once said: ?In this world there is no such thing as love without reason, nor hate without reason.? Most ordinary Chinese are the kind of people who see lightning and fear that their ears will be shaken, who fear for their heads when leaves drop from the trees . . . Sometimes, all it takes is a fart from an official to send them running for the hills. This time around, when they?ve actually eaten bear heart and panther gall, daring to attack the office of the party secretary and destroy vehicles, exchanging their cotton trousers for leather ones ? there must be a reason. Dogs leap the wall when they?re desperate, and rabbits gnash their teeth. These ordinary people once had houses to live in, but after demolition and removal [of these properties], the compensation they have received doesn?t enable them to buy homes. Tell me, how could they not petition? Chinese news coverage today (Thursday, November 20) is again dominated by Xinhua News Agency and Gansu Daily. Thirty print news articles and three editorials are returned in our database of 300+ mainland newspapers with a search on ?Longnan? and ?incident? (?? and ??). Here are some examples: Information Times (Xinhua release) Shijiazhuang Daily (Xinhua release) Sichuan Legal Daily (Xinhua release) Tianjin Daily (Xinhua release) Xin?an Evening News (Xinhua release) Hainan Daily (Xinhua release) Legal Daily (Bylines a compilation of official news sources, mostly from Gansu provincial level) Shanghai Morning Post (Xinhua release) Chongqing Morning Post (Xinhua, China News Service and China National Radio) Harbin Daily (Xinhua release) Spring City Evening Post (Xinhua and China News Service) The Beijing News (Xinhua and other official sources) Wuhan Evening Post (Xinhua release) Official coverage is obviously everywhere today. But lest readers of English feel left out of the party message, here is the Xinhua version for international consumption from China Daily: Police departments must standardize procedures for law enforcement and build harmonious relations with the people, the country?s top public security official said on Tuesday. Speaking at a teleconference with local police heads, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu said police should ?be fully aware of the challenge brought by the global financial crisis and try their best to maintain social stability? . . . Meng?s comments come in the wake of a clash between protestors and police in Longnan, Gansu province. On Monday, thousands of people, angered by a property dispute, stormed the city?s Party headquarters, smashing windows, burning cars, and injuring more than 60 government workers and police, a statement from the local government said yesterday. The situation is now ?under control?, it said. The Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday that the protesters have left the site and order has been restored . . . Or, if you prefer the Gansu Daily version, you can read a mouthful about how order has been restored, how leaders are doing their utmost, and how everything is just, well, hunky-dory ? except for those nasty petitioners ?with ulterior motives?: Things returned to normal on November 19 after a mass incident in which the office of the party committee was attacked. During the reporter?s interviews today, cadres and the masses all expressed their desire for stability and harmonious development, and their earnest hope for the quick rebuilding of their homes damaged during the earthquake [in May]. At 9am on November 19, most shops along the streets of Wudu District had opened their doors for business. People came and went on the street outside the gate to the offices of the Longnan Party Committee . . . [See Southern Metropolis Daily eyewitness refutation of this last statment below.] One cadre said: ?Our Longnan has just recently suffered seriously from the earthquake disaster, and it is one of the areas affected most seriously. After the earthquake happened, the party and the government cared very much about the disaster area, and everyone in the throughout the nation and the province did their utmost to support the area, providing the Longnan disaster area with materials and financial support. Now the rebuilding plan for the Longnan District has already been set down, and work has begun already for many projects. The work of rebuilding in the disaster area is going forward urgently, and during a time like this it is very bad to have such an incident as this [riot] occur. This not only affects the normal operation of society, but also affects the work of rebuilding after the disaster. The masses in the disaster area do not approve of such behavior . . . [ABOVE: Screenshot of Gansu Daily November 20 coverage of Longnan via China.com] Another key component of Xinhua coverage today is the news that Gansu Party Secretary Lu Hao (??) said during a November 18 meeting with top provincial leaders that officials needed to ?reflect back deeply? (?? ??) on the Longnan incident to ensure a ?harmonious and stable environment for economic and social development.? Gansu Party Secretary Lu Hao said to cadres from various offices of the party and government that [all] needed to reflect back deeply on this mass incident, earnestly seeking its lessons . . . using effective measures to quickly handle social contradictions of various kinds and to create a harmonious and stable environment for economic and social development. We can only assume on the basis of coverage at present that Lu Hao?s call for ?reflection,? or fansi (??), was not read as an invitation to more independent-minded non-party newspapers to look more deeply into the Longnan incident. But is there really no news coverage that wanders away from the sanitized state version? We find the one lone Chinese example in print today in the only place it would probably occur to most China watchers to look for it: Southern Metropolis Daily. Most of the key facts in the Southern Metropolis Daily report are taken from official sources, including Xinhua and Gansu Daily. But the reporter is apparently on the scene, and the news report is sprinkled with direct observation, including an account that directly contradicts the Gansu Daily report that has people ?coming and going? outside the party committee headquarters: Yesterday, this reporter visited the site at the offices of the party committee where the incident occured and saw that the area was already under lockdown, with police positioned at both ends of the street. According to information this reporter obtained from the police, things will return to normal once order has been restored to key stretches of road and arterial roads . . . . . . In a television report explaining the [Longnan] incident on the local Wudu TV this reporter saw a spokesperson for the city government of Longnan emphasizing that police had been order not to use weapons in conficts with the masses . . . . . . Hearing rumors from the public that the city would be under curfew beginning at 10pm, this reporter learned from a dispatcher at the 110 emergency service number that a curfew was not in effect for the city. However [the dispatch said], the police have advised city residents ?to go out seldomly at night if they have no business, and to do things as normal if they have business.? We?ll have to keep an eye out over the next few days to see if Southern Metropolis Daily?s reporter on the ground ? or anyone else ? digs up anything interesting. So far, though, it seems that Control 2.0 is working quite effectively. And that rings true whether you?re reading Harbin Daily or the Las Vegas Sun. FURTHER READING: ?China at last tries to report the news first,? Reuters, November 20, 2008 [A ?writ? from propaganda authorities? Sure, this was it.] [Posted by David Bandurski, November 20, 2008, 4:32pm HK] http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1120/1227136328550.html Thursday, November 20, 2008 Chinese police told to keep a lid on economic protests In this section ? ? Obama names Daschle for key health post ? Poles must vote on euro, says president ? Spaniards see red over cost of UN's 'Sistine Chapel' ? Patient's stem cells used in pioneering transplant surgery ? 'Thank God Eufor has brought some security' ? Piracy boom draws hundreds of young where life is cheap and hope is rare CLIFFORD COONAN THE CHINESE government has urged police and local authorities to keep a lid on social unrest and safeguard stability after a series of riots and demonstrations in a number of areas largely prompted by the slowing economy. Thousands of people mobbed a government office in Longnan in the northwestern province of Gansu on Monday, burning cars and looting office equipment, the Xinhua news agency reported. There was more violence on Tuesday and the authorities ordered an evening curfew and closed major streets and local businesses. Xinhua said order had been restored in the area after the unrest. It began after residents of Dongjiang town in Wudu District went to the city government to petition regarding forced relocation from their farmlands. Websites carried pictures of armed riot police being attacked by demonstrators. It's the latest in a series of protests and demonstrations nationwide. China has warned that economic growth will slow this year to less than the double-digit expansion it has seen for many years. The export market, crucial to the economy, is slowing as economies in the West slow down, and there have been factory closures in areas such as Guangdong province, the engine of China's booming economy. The Communist Party is wary of social unrest and any instability which could threaten its grip on the country. Public security minister Meng Jianzhu told the China Daily that police "should be fully aware of the challenge brought by the global financial crisis and try their best to maintain social stability". Mr Meng, a member of the State Council, urged the police to further improve their approach to law enforcement, using "a harmonious thinking to ease conflicts and a harmonious attitude to treat the people". This month has seen a series of strikes by taxi drivers in major cities, angry at rising rental fees and competition from unlicensed cabbies. In factories in southern China there have been demonstrations over closures after international toy companies cancelled orders, while workers at a diesel plant in Jiangyan in the eastern province of Jiangsu blocked roads and surrounded government offices amid concerns over job security. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7737262.stm Wednesday, 19 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Clashes at China 'land protest' Video footage captured the moments the protester and police clashed Demonstrators in Gansu province, China, have attacked government buildings in protest at a plan to demolish homes, says state media. Xinhua reported that thousands of people angry at having to relocate to make way for government developments used chains and axes to attack police. Property and vehicles were damaged and several people injured, say reports. Correspondents say that protests over land seizures have increased in China in recent years. The Gansu protests were reported to have started after the local authorities announced plans to relocate the government of Longnan City, said Xinhua. The move would force local residents to be resettled. Some homes had already been demolished when the protests began. Tear gas Protests first broke out on Monday and fired up 24 hours later. "Protesters used iron rods, chains, axes, [and] hoes... to attack officials and policemen at close proximity," said a statement from the security forces. Police fired tear gas which made women and children sick. This made the others angry Eyewitness They are also reported to have thrown stones, bricks and flowerpots at officials and police in front of the local government building. Xinhua said 2,000 people had been involved in the unrest, but a local policeman told the AFP news agency that crowds had numbered several thousand. "Yesterday the government brought in thousands of armed police who used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the crowds, and a lot of people were beaten," the policemen told the agency. Video footage posted on YouTube appeared to show people throwing stones at men in uniform, who respond by hitting out with sticks. One eyewitness told the Reuters news agency there were "a few thousand petitioners", a term used to describe people complaining to the authorities. "Police fired tear gas which made women and children sick. This made the others angry," said the eyewitness, who did not give his name. "We're not far from the government building, and although we closed our door, the smell of gas still came into our hotel. I heard a lot of people were hurt," another witness told AFP. The authorities said the situation was under control by Wednesday after streets and junctions were closed. Earthquake unrest Gansu province was severely damaged by the massive earthquake which hit neighbouring Sichuan in May 2008, which left some five million people homeless. Commentators have suggested that the unrest could be linked to general discontent over the reconstruction projects and assistance given to those who lost their homes and belongings. Many of those left homeless by the quake were reported to be still living in camps. Gansu Communist Party chief Lu Hao said the rebuilding task was "extremely urgent" and that central government had approved the reconstruction plan for the areas. Reporting a similar disturbance earlier this year, the BBC's James Reynolds, in Beijing, said that China has tried to address the issue of property seizure by passing a law giving ordinary people better protection against developers. But people in many areas still feel that they are powerless to stop their land from being taken, he said. Protests have also taken place against rising living costs and unemployment, and earlier this month hundreds of people rioted in the southern city of Shenzhen following the death of a motorcyclist close to a police checkpoint. http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=16768 China: Curfew imposed after urban warfare protests 10,000 people have taken to the streets to defend the rights of a few dozen with many turning to protests -- the economic crisis and unemployment are making the situation explosive Thursday, November 20, 2008 By Asia News Protests continued with an escalation of violence yesterday in Longnan (Gansu), with clashes between 10,000 people and the police, thousands of cars burned, and more than 60 people injured. Today there is an eerie calm in the area, after a curfew was imposed and the main roads and shopping centers were closed. Meanwhile, videos of the clashes are circulating on the internet. The protests began two days ago, in support of 30 residents of the little town of Dongjiang, who were driven from their homes in 2006 and have been living in temporary shelters since then, asking the government of Longnan to honor its promise to provide them with other homes. More than 2,000 people took to the streets and clashed with police, tearing up two public buildings. The protests continued yesterday, and at night hundreds of police officers remained on patrol to control the thousands still in the street. It is a very poor area, where the earthquake on May 12 left 1.8 million without homes, and reconstruction has been delayed. The episode, with the crowd coming to the defense of citizens harassed by the authorities, is only one of the many protests over the violation of fundamental civil rights. The population, which has no means of obtaining justice or even the right to protest, is taking to the streets as the last possibility to assert its rights, solidifying the widespread discontent. The police are even intervening to defend the interests of big businesses, which are protected by local officials. Like in Tonggu (Jianxi) on October 24, when thousands protested against a company that was cutting down the woods, and clashed with police, with dozens injured and cars set on fire. Or in Jishou (Hunan), with more than 10,000 who clashed with police to protest the expropriation of land. Or on November 7 in Shenzhen, when hundreds took to the streets because the police had shot and killed a motorcyclist at a checkpoint, as also on July 17 in the county of Boluo (Huizhoum, in Guangdong), also over the death of a motorcyclist. In both cases, there were serious clashes, and police cars were burned or destroyed. Hu Xingdou, a professor of economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology, observes that "the local government has become the front line of conflict." Discontent has grown together with the economic crisis, inflation, and rising unemployment. For now, Beijing, through public safety minister Meng Jianzhu, has limited itself to telling the police that they "should be fully aware of the challenge brought by the global financial crisis and try their best to maintain social stability." But other avenues are also being sought: companies in Shandong and Hubei have been told to ask for "official authorization" in order to fire more than 40 people, after 700,000 people have lost their jobs in Shangdong alone in 2008. In Guangdong, thousands of factories have been closed, and at many others salaries have been cut by 25%: often too little to live on. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/thousands-riot-protests-longnan-gansu-china-7364.html Thousands of Protestors Overrun Communist Office in Northwest China By Samuel Spencer Epoch Times Staff Nov 18, 2008 People watch armed police from the side of the street. Thousands of people rioted in Gansu province protesting the regime's move of an office, resulting in a termination of reconstruction of houses affected by the Sichuan earthquake. (The Epoch Times) Between 2,000 and 10,000 people protested and attacked a Communist Party office in Gansu province of Northwest China early Tuesday. 60 people were reported to have been hurt in the protests. The numbers of protestors varied in reports ?state-run media reported 2,000 protestors, and various online blogs reported that close to 10,000 people had been protesting. The riots are believed to have occurred due to the regime?s decision to move its offices at the city of Longnan to another city. One blog reported that the move had resulted in the termination of housing construction for thousands of families who had been affected in the Sichuan earthquake. The May earthquake killed 275 people in Longnan and destroyed many houses. State-run media reported that 30 residents had gathered on Monday to protest the reallocation of the office, but that the number had quickly grown. The violence is only the latest of numerous angry protests that have broken out against the ruling Chinese Communist Party. In recent weeks, numerous protests by disgruntled taxi drivers have broken out across the country, especially in Chongqing. The taxi driver protests were prompted by what many believe to be collusion between the regime and fleet owners to let taxi drivers bear the brunt of the fallout from low fares and rising costs. In June, 30,000 people rioted outside the Party office in Guizhou province, setting fire to government vehicles after a local girl?s death. The death of the 15-year-old girl, who had been raped and murdered, was widely rumored to have been covered up by police and government officials. The Chinese Communist Party has often used a growing economy to offset questions about its human rights records and its iron-fisted rule, but the recent economic downturn is now testing the limits of how far free expression can go under the Communist regime. Last Updated Nov 19, 2008 http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6532540.html Rubbish piles up in Chinese city streets in pollution protest 19:30, November 12, 2008 Rotting rubbish has been piling up on the streets of Jiaxing city for four days after residents blocked garbage trucks with their bodies at a waste disposal plant in a protest against pollution. Villagers living near Jiaxing's Buyun Garbage Incineration Power Plant gathered at its gate on Saturday to block rubbish trucks from entering, saying its stinking smell and dust had affected their health and the harvest. A spokesman for the local government said it had persuaded the villagers to leave on Wednesday, with promises to replace the plant's old furnaces with new ones which met environmental standards. But the replacement would be carried out only after approximately 400 tonnes of rubbish that had piled up in the city over the past four days was properly disposed of, he said on condition of anonymity. The plant was forced to stop operation between Saturday and Tuesday when angry villagers took turns to block the main entrance to the privately owned plant. On Tuesday, around 30 villagers deflated the tires of seven rubbish trucks and blocked the plant's trucks from leaving. The plant in Jiaoshanmen Village, Daqiao town, about 10 kilometers from Jiaxing's city center, opened in 2003. Village official Chen Jianfeng said residents had been worryinga bout pollution for the past five years. "But this time, their grievances reached a climax because of apparent losses in the fields and suspected health problems." Farmers complained their fruits and vegetables hardly sell on the market, as dust from the incineration plant falls on crops and is difficult to remove, said Chen. Yu Yuezhong, who grows grapes in his family's greenhouse, said this year's fruits were extremely small because the dust that accumulated on the roof of the greenhouse blocked sunshine. Many villagers suspected that pollution from the plant had affected their health, too. Though no official figure is available, one of the villagers said 16 people in the village had died of cancer in the past five years. "We didn't used to have so many lung and liver cancer cases in the past," said Xie Linyou, 61. Xie himself was diagnosed with liver cancer last month. Village head Chen Jianfeng said the local government had sent an investigation team to visit every household to hear the villagers' complaints and discuss details of a technological overhaul with the plant. Senior executives of the privately-owned plant were nowhere to be found Wednesday and only an office manager was answering the phone. "I think we'll need help from the government for a technological upgrade," he said on condition of anonymity. By Tuesday night, the incident had paralyzed more than 20 trash collection centers in Jiaxing, which together dispose of more than400 tonnes of rubbish daily. Workers wearing face masks had to pile up the rubbish -- in bags or without packages -- along the streets. "The street has been stinking for four says. We have repeated our complaints to the government," said a resident surnamed Yang. He said he and his neighbors in downtown Jiaxing had to keep their windows shut. Jiaxing, a city with about 4 million people, is a boomtown in Zhejiang Province. Several other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Changzhou in the eastern Jiangsu Province, and Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province, have built similar plants to turn trash into a power source. The incident has not disrupted power supplies in Jiaxing, as power generated in garbage treatment accounts for a small proportion of the city's total supplies, a spokesman with the city government told Xinhua on Wednesday. Source: Xinhua http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/26/content_10417082.htm China toy factory board agree to renew labor contracts after violent protests DONGGUAN, Guangdong, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- A leading toy producer in south China's Guangdong Province has agreed to renew its labor contracts with some senior employees following a violent protest by employees on Tuesday, a Chinese official said Wednesday. The board of directors of the Hong Kong-funded Kader toy factory in the Zhongtang Township in Dongguan City has also agreed to, in accordance with the law, offer a new plan about giving economic compensation and bonuses to the employees who terminated their contracts, said Li Zhihui, head of the Zhongtang Township. More than 500 employees in Kader clashed with factory security guards, smashed factory offices and police vehicles Tuesday night in a labor dispute. Most of them had been told by their employer that it would terminate their contracts with an average compensation of one month's wages. That would be less than 1,000 yuan (about 143 U.S. dollars) for most employees, a protesting employee told Xinhua early on Wednesday. In addition, the employer said it would give a bonus to those employees who had worked there for at least seven years and who had made no mistakes in the past, Li said. According to the plan, a year's work for Kader qualified an employee for a month's bonus -- that would be 1,030 yuan a month for office clerks and 770 yuan a month for workers. "But once an employee had made a mistake, he or she wouldn't get the bonus. It's none other than this precondition that sparked discontent among employees and led to the protest," he said. At least 80 employees, having worked for nearly 10 years at the factory, were unhappy with the arrangement and demanded more compensation, a protesting employee told Xinhua early on Wednesday. "They rallied at the company's gate late Tuesday afternoon and were soon joined by their co-workers," said a witness on condition of anonymity. About 1,000 police and security guards were called in to disperse the crowd. This infuriated the protestors, who overturned a police vehicle, smashed at least four police motorbikes and broke windows and computers in the factory's office building, said the witness and a spokesman with the township public security bureau. Witnesses said at least five employees were injured. This figure has not been confirmed by police. The violence had stopped by Wednesday morning. The factory managers fled their offices on Tuesday night. The employees claimed their employer, the Hong Kong-based Kader Holdings Co. Ltd. that produces toys for several major international brands, was trying to evade its obligations under China's labor contract law, which came into effect early this year. The new law requires employers to sign unlimited-term contracts with employees who have worked for more than 10 years. Some employers, however, believe such contracts will be a burden. Liu Xiyuan from the central province of Hunan, who has been working at Kaida for 21 years, said he turned down compensation equivalent to eight months' wages when his contract expired on Nov. 19. "If I had accepted the compensation, it would have meant all my 21 years of work wouldn't count," said Liu, 45. One employee, who refused to give his name, said he accepted 4,000 yuan in compensation for having seven years of work written off. Kaida, which employs more than 6,500 people, terminated contracts with 380 employees on Nov. 19. Another 216 contracts had been scheduled to be terminated on Wednesday. Li said the protest was not a result of the global financial crisis. "It's because the employer fails to understand the labor contract law well and lacks thoughtful consideration while making arrangements for the employees," he said. He said the township government has set up a working team to handle the issue together with the employer and employees. "We will strictly abide by the labor contract law and prevent further problems from arising," he added. Editor: Du Guodong http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/26/asia/AS-China-Factory-Riot.php Workers riot at Chinese toy factory The Associated Press Published: November 26, 2008 DONGGUAN, China: It started as a pay dispute at a southern Chinese toy factory. But it quickly turned into a riot as laid-off workers tapped into a network of friends and unemployed laborers who flipped over a police car, stormed into the plant and smashed office computers. The latest violent protest to rock China's export machine was still simmering Wednesday at the massive plant, which makes Nerf toys for the U.S. company Hasbro Inc. The volatility underscored the urgency of China's efforts to keep stoking an economy weakened by the global financial crisis. To protect jobs and social stability, the central government recently signed off on a multibillion-dollar stimulus plan. Officials have also been urging factories to avoid large layoffs and to try retraining employees to keep them off the streets. "When times are bad economically, a small incident can rapidly become a big one," said local Communist Party official Guo Chenming, who was monitoring the situation Wednesday outside the restive toy factory in the city of Dongguan. Tempers began flaring Tuesday when the plant's Hong Kong owner, Kader Holdings Company Ltd., prepared to lay off 216 migrant workers at the factory that employs 6,500. About 80 senior workers claimed they were getting shortchanged on their severance pay, and they mobilized a mob of 500 ? mostly other unemployed workers and friends, Guo said. The workers battled security guards, turned over a police car, smashed the headlights of police motorcycles and forced their way through the factory's front gate, Guo said. They went on a rampage in the plant's offices, damaging 10 computers, the company said. The account was confirmed Wednesday by several of the 200 or so jobless laborers peacefully milling around the street in front of the four-story factory complex covered in soot-stained white and green tiles. Small groups of workers inside the factory pressed against glass windows and stared at the crowd below. When their shift ended, they flooded into the streets and mixed with the angry workers. "The factory's management and the local officials really look down on the workers," said one laid-off worker who would only give his surname, Qiao, because he feared criticizing the company might jeopardize his chance of getting any compensation. Qiao accused the police of igniting the riot. "The workers just got angry because the police hit them first," said the 30-year-old migrant from the southwestern province of Sichuan, devastated by last May's monster earthquake. Guo doubted the allegation, saying it would be foolish for the police to incite such a massive crowd. He also said the 80 workers didn't get full severance because of bad performance. But he added that the company didn't fully understand new labor laws and was also to blame. Kader's executive director Ivan Ting said the workers were compensated beyond what is required by Chinese labor law, but did not give a figure. A company statement said the toymaker is financially sound. Basic assembly line jobs at the factory pay only 770 yuan ($112) a month, and overtime is rare now that most of the Christmas orders have been fulfilled. Shipping containers on trucks in the factory's courtyard were loaded with Hasbro boxes containing Nerf toys. Whipping up a mass protest can be easy in this part of southern China ? called the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province. It's one of the country's biggest manufacturing bases, and most of the residents are migrant workers who work long hours in factories and live in crowded dormitory rooms. News of protests or mistreatment quickly spreads via mobile phone text messages. Crowds can quickly swell with gawkers who eventually join the action. Workers from the same provinces often band together and support each other. It's a major concern in major industrial zones in Guangdong, which has been hit hard by a series of factors: rising costs of wages and raw materials along with currency fluctuations and the global financial crisis. More than 7,000 companies in Guangdong have gone bust or moved elsewhere in the first nine months of the year, the official China Daily newspaper recently reported. American businessman David Levy said local officials are intensely concerned about the economy. They have been visiting factories to make sure the plants are financially healthy and not ready to disgorge hundreds of angry workers onto the streets, he said. But Levy, a general manager Lastar Electronics Co., Ltd., which makes cables in Dongguan, said most reports of plant closures are overblown or involve small operations that had problems before the recent global economic woes set in. "What I usually hear is, 'Yeah, we're down 20 to 30 percent.' You can take that hit unless you have a problem to begin with," he said. "All of the turmoil is not bubbling out into the streets." But last month, one of Dongguan's biggest toy factories shut down, laying off 7,000 workers who protested in the streets for days demanding unpaid wages. The plant made toys for Hasbro and Mattel Inc. More closures will come in the next few months because of the global financial turbulence, said Lo Foo-cheung, vice president of The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong. Lo said companies will be cutting workers despite the government's warnings to keep them. "At the end of the day, it's a business decision," Lo said. "It's all about survival." _____ Associated Press writer Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong and researcher Zhao Liang in Beijing contributed to the report. http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/page.php?Story_ID=2323 China: Kader settles labour dispute after violent protests A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 142, dated 28 Nov 2008 Kai Da, a leading toy manufacturer in Guangdong, has agreed to renew labour contracts with employees following violent protests against its plans to terminate them. During the protests, more than 500 employees attacked the company's offices and overturned a police vehicle. They had been told that their contracts were to be terminated with around one month's pay as compensation. Some of the workers had been with the company for approaching ten years. As well as renewing contracts for a number of workers, the company is improving compensation terms for those still expected to leave. Five workers were injured during the protests. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94MHJFG1&show_article=1 LEAD: Sacked toy factory workers clash with police in S. China+ HONG KONG, Nov. 26 (AP) - (Kyodo)?(EDS: UPDATING) About 500 people clashed with police in southern China's Guangdong Province on Tuesday after some 80 workers at a toy factory were reportedly assaulted and thrown out after being sacked, according to media reports Wednesday. The Southern Metropolis Daily, a mainland newspaper, said 216 workers were laid off after their contracts expired Wednesday and about 80 of them had disputes with the factory over compensation pay. Hong Kong media reported the disgruntled workers on Tuesday drew 500 people, other jobless and migrant workers, to smash the factory office and fought with the security staff, overturning five police cars, leaving at least five people injured. The crowd was dispersed late in the evening after the factory promised to talk to the workers Wednesday, the Hong Kong Commercial Daily said. Wang Xingbing, one of the injured workers now in hospital, said they were sitting on a stairway inside the factory, hoping to meet with the management over their compensation when some security staff came down, stepped upon them and hit them, Cable TV reported. Li Jianbo, a township Communist Party official, denied the police and security staff had attacked the workers. "The five workers were injured during worker's shift changes," Li said by telephone. "There were so many people around, it is impossible that police officers and security guards would assault the protesting workers in front of others." Li said the factory has been following the newly imposed labor law and compensating accordingly to all the workers whose contracts expired. "The protesting workers were angry that they weren't awarded the hard- working bonuses that were given to others," Li said, adding the government, the factory and the workers have reached consensus and factory operation has resumed normal. The toy factory in Dongguan, the industrial hub in Guangdong, is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Kader Holdings and it employs about 6,500 workers there. A company statement said the workers have been promptly compensated and it has rewarded staff members who have served more than five years and with outstanding records with extra bonuses, but it did not say why the clash occurred. http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200812030243DOWJONESDJONLINE000357_univ.xml 100 Police Staff Protest Over Pay In China - Rights Group12-3-08 2:43 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article BEIJING (AFP)--About 100 police employees damaged government property in a highly unusual protest in China over inadequate pay, a human rights group said Wednesday. The three-hour protest occurred Tuesday in the city of Leiyang in the central province of Hunan, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement. At one point, the demonstrators damaged chairs and other property at the local Communist Party headquarters, it said. The majority of the protesters were auxiliary police, civilians hired to back up regular police officers and patrol work but who don't have full police powers, it said. However, some full-time police officers were also among the crowds, the statement said. Citing witnesses, the group said the protesters surrounded the building around 11 a.m. They complained about low salaries and allowances, it added. The incomes of vast numbers of Chinese consumers have been squeezed in the past couple of years by runaway inflation that has only recently tapered off. The protest lasted about three hours, ending when party officials urged the demonstrators to disperse. Calls to Leiyang police and government headquarters went unanswered Wednesday. China sees tens of thousands of public protests each year by members of society who have been marginalized or left behind in the country's economic boom. However, such protests are typically quelled by police, not initiated by them. The Hong Kong-based group said local officials in Leiyang were in "urgent" meetings Wednesday over the incident. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/393888/1/.html 100 police staff protest over pay in China Posted: 03 December 2008 1710 hrs BEIJING: About 100 police employees damaged government property in a highly unusual protest in China over inadequate pay, a human rights group said on Wednesday. The three-hour protest occurred on Tuesday in the city of Leiyang in the central province of Hunan, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement. At one point, the demonstrators damaged chairs and other property at the local Communist Party headquarters, it said. The majority of the protesters were auxiliary police, civilians hired to back up regular police officers and patrol work but who do not have full police powers, it said. However, some full-time police officers were also among the crowds, the statement said. Citing witnesses, the group said the protesters surrounded the building around 11am. They complained about low salaries and allowances, it added. The incomes of vast numbers of Chinese consumers have been squeezed in the past couple of years by runaway inflation that has only recently tapered off. The protest lasted about three hours, ending when party officials urged the demonstrators to disperse. Calls by AFP to Leiyang police and government headquarters went unanswered on Wednesday. China sees tens of thousands of public protests each year by members of society who have been marginalised or left behind in the country's economic boom. However, such protests are typically quelled by police, not initiated by them. The Hong Kong-based group said local officials in Leiyang were in "urgent" meetings on Wednesday over the incident. - AFP/so http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JL11Ad01.html Taxi protests test China's tolerance By Stephen Wong SHANGHAI - Tens of thousands of taxi drivers in various Chinese cities walked off the job successively in the past month in what might be China's biggest taxi strike in history. But what is even more unprecedented is that authorities have remained tolerant of the action and subsequent media coverage of the strikes. The strike started in Chongqing municipality in early November, and taxi drivers in cities including Sanya in Hainan province, Yongdeng in Guizhou province and Shantou and Guangzhou in Guangdong soon followed, protesting high rentals and unfair competition from unlicensed taxis. It's not the first time Chinese cabbies have launched a strike. Yetin the past, such cases were sporadic and isolated, going unnoticed by outsiders as the state-controlled media refrained from reporting on protests while the government covered them up. But this time the authorities have not only allowed the state-run media to freely cover the strikes; they have also acted promptly to hold dialogue with the cabbies, a sign the government might be growing more tolerant of workers' protests amid growing labor conflicts in an economic downturn. After a series of riots this year, the government may have learned that crackdowns on protests do not reduce social conflicts. The issue now is how far the government is willing to go along this line. Wave of strikes by cab drivers The series of strikes started on November 3 in Chongqing, where 9,000 cabs operating in the city center stopped working over high fees charged to drivers, unfair competition from unlicensed cabs and a shortage of fuel. The violent strike lasted two days, resulting in more than 100 cars being smashed and police arresting a number of drivers. Drivers in other cities soon followed. On November 10, hundreds of cab drivers rallied in front of the government building of Sanya, a tourist city in the island province of Hainan. Police detained 21 suspects for smashing taxis after their drivers refused to participate in the strike. On November 10, in Landeng county in northwestern Gansu province, over 100 cab drivers went on strike. On November 19, nearly 300 drivers in the suburbs of Chongqing walked out. The wave of strikes spread to booming southern Guangdong province days later, with over 300 drivers on strike in Shantou on November 21. On December 1, over 10,000 taxi drivers walked out in Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital. The scale of the strikes is unprecedented. The drivers said they had long been heavily exploited by taxi companies, which monopolize the market by controlling taxi licenses and fares. Most taxi companies in China obtained licenses from the government at very low prices in the early 1990s. A taxi driver has to pay about three quarters of his revenue to the taxi company to rent a licensed taxi. In Chongqing, where the strike started, taxi companies earn about 40,000 yuan (US$5,827) a month from each taxi. "This is probably the most profitable trade in the world," said Huang Qifan, vice mayor of Chongqing. On the contrary, cab drivers have to work over 10 hours a day to earn an income that barely supports their families. Many drive unlicensed cabs, which are illegal but much more profitable than regular cabs, stealing business from regular cab drivers. Meanwhile, the conditions of cab drivers have worsened this year thanks to rising fuel prices and cab rental fees, increasing numbers of private cars and fuel surcharges. Unusual response The drivers' actions worked. In the cities where strikes stranded commuters, officials vowed to provide more fuel supplies, eliminate the extra fees that drivers are required to pay taxi companies and crack down on unlicensed cabs. The media's sympathetic coverage and the Chongqing government's swift response have given the strikers the upper hand in negotiations with the cab companies. On the third day of their strike, Chongqing's driver representatives received a rare audience by Bo Xilai, Chongqing party chief and a politburo member. The meeting was unusually high profile - it was broadcast live by the local TV station. This has clearly set an example for governments of other cities. The local governments, which used to blame "a small number of criminals" for "instigating" the masses into street demonstrations, did not attribute the strikes to instigators this time. Instead of its usual iron-handedness, the government has given an ear to the drivers' complaints and has taken quick measures to solve their problems. In Sanya, three government officials in charge of the city's transport stepped down after the strike. Yang Fengchun, executive vice mayor of Sanya, said it was the first time senior city officials had taken responsibility for unrest. "The penalty was heavy," said Yang. China's state-controlled media gave wide and in-depth coverage of the strikes and generally showed sympathy to the drivers. The Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, reported the strikes on its front page on December 2, urging reforms for the current taxi license system. State-run Xinhua News Agency has reported almost every cabbie strike in the past month. China's cab drivers have walked off the job before. For instance, Chongqing cab drivers went on strike seven years ago. Mary Gallagher, an associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan, said taxi drivers were generally well organized as they could coordinate over their radio systems and "know they have a lot of power, being essential to transportation". However, those strikes didn't receive the amount of government and media attention bestowed on the recent Chongqing strike. A more tolerant government The way the government has dealt with the latest Chongqing strike is in sharp contrast to its earlier attitude toward social unrest. In July, after a protest-turned-riot over the death of a middle-school girl in Weng'an, Guizhou province, Guizhou's party chief blamed the unrest on instigation by "members of criminal networks", although he acknowledged that the riot was also caused by "some social contradictions that have accumulated for a long time, and many controversies, some of which never received the attention they deserve, some of which were not solved in time", according to Xinhua. Chongqing's tolerance of the cabbies' protest might be related to its relatively liberal leader Bo Xilai. Having served as China's minister of commerce and mayor of Dalian city, Bo is widely regarded as a capable and open-minded official, and insiders said he told the country's media censors not to screen out news about the strike. The attention the government has given to the strikes also highlights official concerns about maintaining social stability as economic growth slows to a pace that may not provide enough jobs and wealth for the population. Protests are already becoming more common across China as dissatisfaction grows over issues ranging from tough living standards to corruption. "There's a lot more coming, though the government will probably take a very flexible approach to the strikes as long as it's in their interests to do so," Andreas Lauffs, a partner at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie specializing in Chinese labor issues, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal. The central government is apparently trying to make grassroots officials adopt this new approach toward social unrest. The communist party held its first-ever leadership training program for over 2,000 grassroots officials last month. An important part of the program involved learning how to tackle social unrest, the Economic Observer reported. In the seven-day training program, the officials were told to hold a dialogue with protesters, rather than blaming them for being instigated by "criminals". How tolerant? The cabbie strikes also underscore China's urgent need to deal with labor conflicts. Yet how China can deal with increasing labor conflicts and strikes under its current political system remains in question. On November 13, the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) issued a notice urging all taxi companies to establish trade unions. Union officials said this would help drivers negotiate with their companies and avoid extreme measures such as strikes. But according to Chinese law, trade unions are based on individual companies, which pay membership fees to the ACFTU. As a result, trade unions are largely influenced by company management and can hardly speak for the workers. In 2005, the Chongqing trade union refused an application from a group of cab drivers to establish a trade union, saying they had to go through their companies. The leader of the drivers, Yang Xiaoming, later lost his job for repeatedly petitioning for drivers' rights. Even the media have questioned whether a trade union setup by an employer could truly protect labor rights. "Even if the taxi trade unions are established, will they be controlled by the government and the employers, and ignore the interests of the drivers?" asked the popular newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily. Without a trade union that can truly represent their rights, workers still have a long way to go and China still has an uphill battle in building a "harmonious society". The government's tolerance will be put to further tests with more social unrest expected to erupt amid the financial crisis and widening wealth gap. And not all officials are tolerant. The Guizhou government banned cabbies from going on strike after drivers in a county there walked off the job. The Guizhou ban was denounced by the media, but the central government did not comment. The Chinese constitution makes no mention of strikes, either for or against. The lawmakers scrapped a stipulation on workers' rights from the constitution in 1982, saying that the rights of employers and employees were the same under the socialist system. But the constitution does not stipulate a ban on strikes, either. In the Trade Union Law publicized in 1992, unions are asked to negotiate on behalf of the workers with the employers if workers refuse to work. This means Chinese workers have a "de facto" right to strike, said Gao Yifei, a profession at Southwest University of Political Science and Law. A lot of Chinese scholars are calling on the government to constitutionalize workers' rights to strike. It's probably in the government's best interests to deal with the cab drivers' complaints, but how far the government will go in its tolerance of demonstrations is still unclear. Without political reforms, the fate of the protesters still lies with the government, not themselves. Stephen Wong is a freelance journalist based in Shanghai. (Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.) http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/shanghai-farmers-protest-land-expropriation-9068.html Shanghai Farmers Protest Land Expropriation By Gu Qing'er Epoch Times Staff Dec 24, 2008 Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon For four consecutive days, farmers whose lands were illegally seized have been protesting in front of the Maqiao Town Hall in Minxing District in Shanghai. (The Epoch Times) Beginning December 15, hundreds of farmers who were forced to give up their lands to local government officials, gathered in front of the Maqiao Town Hall in Minxing District, Shanghai. They protested asking the government to compensate them for their loss. After four days the farmers continue their protest at town hall. The police mobilized hundreds of officers to the scene to guard against protesters. On December 15, residents in the town of Huacao and Minpuer Bridge of the same district in Shanghai also held demonstrations. It is learned that Gao Fengchi, Party Chief of Qizhong Village in Maqioa Town, and Chen Liangyu, former Shanghai Party Chief, illegally took title and control of 5,000 acres of land in the town of Maqiao for the Liangyu Construction Project. The land encompassed eight villages and 1600 acres of farm land. The illegal land takeover resulted in the farm lands being wasted for five years and over 3,000 houses forcibly demolished. The government officials threatened and detained farmers who refused to cooperate and even set fire to their properties. Mr. Dong from Maqiao told the Epoch Times on December 18, ?About 1,000 people went to the town hall to protest yesterday. Over 2,000 acres of our land were sold and we did not get a penny. That is why we go to the government to ask for compensation. It?s been four days. I just got back from today?s protest. We got there at 8 a.m. and the police were there before us. There were about 200 officers today and 300 yesterday.? The Shanghai authorities mobilized all kinds of police units and sent a dozen police vehicles to the scene to guard against protesters. In the process, there were small conflicts. Some took pictures of police beating up peasants but their camera was taken away. Farmers whose lands were illegally taken have been protesting in front of the Maqiao Town Hall in Minxing District in Shanghai. (The Epoch Times) Dong said that most of the farmers refused to relocate because of the ridiculous compensation. The local regime wrote threatening letters to those who refused to leave their properties, beat them, cut off their power and water, or even prevented them from going to work. For those who fought back, the regime sent thugs to set their houses on fire. Deng said, ?How do I make a living without a farmland? (The government) did not arrange work for us and we were on our own. For those of us who are not highly educated, what can we do? The corrupt officials are making all the money. We will not allow them to do this and will continue to protect our rights. We will leave when we get our compensation.? During the morning of December 15, residents from Huacao in the same district of Shanghai also held a peaceful demonstration. They protested the regime failing to supervise construction vehicles that polluted the environment with dust and brought harm to residents? health. A witness confirmed that the authorities mobilized many police officers, restricting access zones and deploying various riot vehicles. There was traffic control for miles away from the protest scene. When being asked why there were so many protests in the Minxing District in Shanghai, Mr. Chen from Huacao said it was because the Shanghai City government started new construction projects and tore down houses in the district. ?If the government follows every procedure legally, there wouldn?t be such problems. Now the government robs our land and doesn?t even care! We know the laws and there is no way we will swallow it. More and more people are standing up for their rights.? http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/local-news/other/2008/12/20/188452/Protesting-workers.htm December 20, 2008 3:25 am TWN, By William Foreman, AP Protesting workers in standoff with police DONGGUAN, China -- Police held hundreds of protesting workers inside a suitcase factory in southern China to prevent them from staging a public demonstration about a wage dispute Friday, a worker said from the compound. The standoff at the Jianrong Suitcase Factory in the southern city of Dongguan is the latest unrest arising from layoffs, poor working conditions and slashed wages in China, where thousands of companies have gone bust in recent months. On Friday, more than 30 police, some with helmets and riot shields, were guarding the front of the factory. Workers could be seen pressed up against the metal bars at the dormitory?s windows looking out at the police. About 30 workers were on the roof of the building. One worker leading the protest, Zhang Guohua, said police had been holding about 300 laborers inside the factory and an adjacent five-story dormitory since Friday morning to prevent them from demonstrating publicly. ?One girl tried leaving her dorm but was beaten on the head with a metal baton and was sent to hospital with serious injuries. They just don?t want us to protest. If we try to leave, they will beat us even more,? Zhang told The Associated Press by telephone from inside the dorm. The protest started Dec. 15 outside the factory, Zhang said, but after company officials said they would not negotiate, the workers went to the Dongguan city government office to seek help on Thursday, where some of them were beaten by police. The workers stayed outside the government office overnight, waiting for a resolution but were forced back to the factory compound in the morning by police officers, police dogs and trucks, ordered by the local government, he said. In the early afternoon, about 100 workers pushed their way through the police and out of the plant compound shouting, ?We have no human rights here!? Police videotaped the laborers as they gathered in a small alleyway near the factory gate. ?They have been trying to lock us up in the factory because they don?t want us to come out and have the international media cover our protest,? said one of the workers who escaped, Dai Houxue. Zhang said about a dozen people were sent to the hospital with injuries after being hit by police when they were being forced inside. Officers guarding the factory gate, which was cordoned off with police tape, refused to answer a reporter?s questions. More than 7,000 companies in Guangdong, the province across the border from Hong Kong, closed down or moved elsewhere in the first nine months of the year, the official China Daily newspaper recently reported. The factory problems put further pressure on a government struggling to maintain social stability in areas where factories were struggling because of rising wage and raw material costs, even before the onset of the global financial crisis. Zhang said the suitcase company had ceased operations Dec. 15, and some workers had not been paid for 2{ months. Those who had not been paid had been told to expect only 60 percent of their salaries, while those who had been paid would have to return 40 percent of what they received, he said. Zhang said his monthly salary was 2,000 yuan (US$290), while other workers at the factory earned half that amount. http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/19/rare-demonstrantion-of-public-protest-in-china/ Chinese in street protest as financial crisis bites 19/12/08 17:02 CET In a rare demonstration of public protest, workers in the Dongguan province of China have clashed with police after taking to the streets over unpaid wages and factory closures. ?We haven?t eaten in days,? said one protester, reflecting the increasing desperation of those who either have not been paid or whose jobs have gone. An estimated 6.7 million Chinese are believed to have been made unemployed since the global financial crisis hit what used to be known as the ?World?s workshop?. A police officer at the demonstration said he understood the protesters? worries but the law had to be obeyed. Demonstrations are illegal in China. But with unemployment due to hit a new high in the new year, analysts say social stability is now seriously threatened. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/778017 Chinese protest chef's death from 'overwork' Reuters Last updated 00:32 30/12/2008 Share Print Text Size Relevant offers Chinese workers have protested outside a garment factory in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangdong after the death of a colleague they said was from overwork. The worker, a chef in a Dongguan factory in his 40s, had worked more than 10 straight days before his death on Friday, the Guangzhou Daily said on its website amid rising factory closures sparked by the global economic crisis and government concern about escalating unrest. "The chef's family and the workers were not satisfied with the compensation given by the factory," the report said, adding that there were hundreds of protesters. "They threatened to protest further this afternoon." The report did not say how the chef died. A police officer in Humen town in Dongguan confirmed the protest, but said it was not as big as the newspaper said. "Lots of the people are just onlookers," the officer, who gave his surname Wang, said by telephone. "In an economic crisis, such cases happens frequently." http://www.hkhkhk.com/engpro/messages/2522.html Dozens injured in clash in China after village election: watchdog Kyodo 182 ?r 2008 ?~ 12 ?? 12 ?? 21:11 Kyodo News ?^?? (c) 2008 Kyodo News HONG KONG, Dec. 12 -- Two camps of supporters in a village committee election in northern China clashed with each other Friday, leaving 50 people injured, a human rights watchdog said. The dispute happened in the morning when about 1,000 villagers from Wangjiazhuang village in Shanxi Province fought each other before 300 riot police officers arrived at the scene, the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said. The Hong Kong-based watchdog said about 50 villagers were injured and as many as 200 people were arrested by the police. The center said both the villagers and the government fielded their own candidates, and some villagers alleged the government-backed candidate, with the financial support of businesses, offered bribes to voters. China does not allow direct elections except at the village committee level. According to the Civil Affairs Ministry, 623,690 villages elected village committees by the end of 2007, while the ministry estimated that 3 percent of the rural votes had been bought, local media has reported. ==Kyodo http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1448013.php/Hundreds_riot_over_village_election_in_China_group_says_ Hundreds riot over village election in China, group says Asia-Pacific News Dec 12, 2008, 11:16 GMT Beijing - More than 1,000 people confronted at least 300 Chinese riot police on Friday after they were angered by alleged vote-buying in a village election, a rights group reported. About 50 villagers were injured and police detained some 200 protestors after the riot on Friday morning in Pingyao county in the northern province of Shanxi, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said. The election for new members of the village committee in Wangjiazhuang, in Pingyao's Nanzheng township, was scheduled to take place on Saturday. But the villagers rallied after reports that candidates backed by the township government had tried to buy votes, the centre said. It was not clear if the election would still go ahead on Saturday. Chinese leaders claim that their commitment to grassroot elections, greater openness in governance, and more democracy within the ruling Communist Party show that the nation is making progress. But they have suggested several times in recent months that the 'socialist modernisation' stage - and therefore the absence of multi-party democracy - would last about 100 years. The government has promised to improve its system of direct elections for village heads and village committees, with a possible extension to township and even provincial level in the future. Wang Jinhua of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in August said that problems of corruption and vote buying affected a 'small number' of elections, estimating the number skewed by vote buying at 3 per cent or less. Communist Party members occupy 56 per cent of the seats on village committees and 48 per cent of those on the urban committees, Wang said. About 73 million of China's 1.3 billion people are Communist Party members. Last month, Yao Lifa, a legal activist in the central province of Hubei, said police held him for nearly two weeks to prevent him from advising candidates and voters in local elections. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1448154.php/Village_riot_caused_by_compensation_dispute_China_says_ Village riot caused by compensation dispute, China says Asia-Pacific News Dec 13, 2008, 9:09 GMT Beijing - A riot involving hundreds of villages and police in northern China's Shanxi province was caused by a dispute over compensation for the death of a worker, state media said on Saturday. Police in Shanxi's Pingyao city said the villagers in Wangjiazhuang were led by relatives of a man who died of a heart attack while working as a gate keeper at a local agricultural firm, the official Xinhua news agency said. The man's foster son, Duan Qijun, was accused of leading 'more than 150 people wielding wooden rods to block both gates of the company' on Friday morning in a bid to win more compensation. the agency said. The riot lasted for about two hours until police ended it an and detained 77 people for 'disrupting social order'. Most of the 77 people detained were migrants from other provinces and were allegedly paid between 100 yuan and 200 yuan (14 dollars to 29 dollars) to join the riot, the agency quoted police as saying. The police were still looking for Duan, it said. The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on Friday said the was spurred by alleged vote-buying before a village election on Saturday. The centre said about 50 villagers were injured and around 200 detained. But Communist Party officials in Pingyao refuted those figures and denied that the riot was connected to alleged vote-buying, the agency said. Elections in the village started as scheduled on Saturday and the situation in Wanjiazhuang was 'peaceful', it said. The riot is the latest in a string of protests reported by state media in recent weeks. http://www.hkhkhk.com/engpro/messages/2515.html Riot in Shanghai ends with workers injured, police car damaged Kyodo 139 ?r 2008 ?~ 12 ?? 9 ?? 19:45 Kyodo News ?^?? (c) 2008 Kyodo News HONG KONG, Dec. 9 -- A dispute between laid off workers and an electronic connectors manufacturer in Shanghai ended in a riot that left 13 workers injured and a police car damaged, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday. The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said three workers were beaten by thugs sent by the operator of the Shanghai Yixin Industry Co. after negotiations over reduced working hours and compensation failed. On Monday, as many as 1,000 migrant workers attempting to enter the factory because of the beating clashed with 300 police officers deployed to the scene, leaving 10 workers hurt and a police car stoned. The center said two police stations confirmed the riot, but it did not say if anyone was arrested. ==Kyodo http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/protests-china-schemes-beijing-7485.html Large-Scale Multiple Protests Break Out in Beijing By Guo Meilan Central News Agency Nov 20, 2008 Large scale protests in front of the Beijing Municipal Government on Nov. 19. (Youmaker.com screenshot) Large-scale protests broke out on November 19 in front of the Beijing Municipal Government. Over 1,000 people gathered onsite to strike for their rights. Boxun News Network (http://www.boxun.com and http://www.peacehall.com/ news/gb/english/page3.shtml) posted a report on the protest including a 45 second long video recording, taken by people onsite. See video of protests. According to the report, the protest started at 9 a.m. on November 19. Vehicles were forbidden to enter Zhengyi Road where the municipal government is located. Over 100 policemen were dispatched to disperse the crowed. At 11 a.m., police cordoned off the area surrounding the municipal government offices and then arrested some of protestors. Zhou Li, a rights activist, who was also the reporter of the incident, told Central News Agency that the protesting crowd was composed of citizens who were swindled into investing in what was purported to be tree-planting in Inner Mongolia, purchasing retail rental space in a building in Beijing, as well as those whose homes were demolished with no reasonable compensation. The three groups joined their protests together as the Beijing Municipal Government is not dealing with any of their situations. Zhou said, that about six months ago, the Yilin Corporation advertised on state-run television (CCTV) to encourage people to invest in a tree-planting scheme in the arid northern region of Inner Mongolia, which lured them to purchase woods, with promises of huge returns within eight years. However, what people actually bought are pieces of barren land without any trees whatsoever. A majority of the victims were senior citizens, who invested their life savings and pensions. They were swindled for an average of over 100,000 Yuan (US $14,631) per person, and they made up half of the protestors on November 19. Those people who were swindled in the tree-planting scheme believe that the state-controlled CCTV got huge profits from the advertising, but cheated people. They think CCTV belongs to the country, so the government should take the responsibility. Another group of protesters were conned into buying ?retail rental space in a building? in Beijing?cheated by Xinguo Corporation, owned by the son of Li Peng, former Premier of China. Similarly, they lost a couple of 100,000 Yuan (US $14,631) on average per person. They were last seen being taken by police to a big bus, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/30/nerf-factory-riot-in.html Nerf factory riot in China Posted by Cory Doctorow, November 30, 2008 12:17 AM | permalink Riots are breaking out in factories in Dongguan as bankruptcies and layoffs throw thousands out of work with wages owing. South China, "the world's factory," is in chaos, faltering. After the mid-autumn festival, enormous numbers of workers simply stayed home in the provinces, rather than returning to work in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Dongguan. This AP story talks about a riot in the factory where Nerf toys were manufactured for Hasbro -- and no, they didn't fight with Nerf bats. Tempers began flaring Tuesday when the plant's Hong Kong owner, Kader Holdings Company Ltd., prepared to lay off 216 migrant workers at the factory that employs 6,500. About 80 senior workers claimed they were getting shortchanged on their severance pay, and they mobilized a mob of 500 ? mostly other unemployed workers and friends, Guo said. The workers battled security guards, turned over a police car, smashed the headlights of police motorcycles and forced their way through the factory's front gate, Guo said. They went on a rampage in the plant's offices, damaging 10 computers, the company said. The account was confirmed Wednesday by several of the 200 or so jobless laborers peacefully milling around the street in front of the four-story factory complex covered in soot-stained white and green tiles. Small groups of workers inside the factory pressed against glass windows and stared at the crowd below. When their shift ended, they flooded into the streets and mixed with the angry workers. "The factory's management and the local officials really look down on the workers," said one laid-off worker who would only give his surname, Qiao, because he feared criticizing the company might jeopardize his chance of getting any compensation. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AJ1HF20081120?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Protest-hit China says job stability top priority Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:32am EST By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Stabilising employment is the top priority for China, a minister said on Thursday as he revealed a rise in jobless workers triggered by a weakened export sector amid a series of strikes and protests. Unemployment rose in October as the impact of the global financial crisis hit China's production heartland. The ranks of jobless are expected to rise further in 2009, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin said. "Stabilising employment is the top priority for us right now," Yin said. After decades of solid economic growth, China is battling an unknown as falling demand for its products triggers factory closures, sparks protests and raises fears of popular unrest. Faltering economic conditions have raised the specter of growth falling below 8 percent, which the government regards as a benchmark to create enough jobs to sop up excess labor and guarantee social stability. "This is something we are concerned about. The unemployment situation is basically stable this year. But starting in October, unemployment in China has begun to show the impact of changes in the international economic situation," he said. "...The global economic crisis is picking up speed and spreading from developed to developing countries and the effects are becoming more and more pronounced here. Our economy is facing a serious challenge." Workers in southern and coastal China have gathered at shuttered factory gates in the last month, seeking back wages, while local governments vow to pursue bosses who have fled. Yin said the government would try to nip potential unrest in the bud by striving to solve half such disputes at the grassroots before they got out of control, and set up a fast-track system to deal with them. China's official urban unemployment rate was still about 4 percent, but could tick up to 4.5 percent by the end of the year, and rise further next year, Yin said. "In the first quarter of next year the situation will become yet more difficult. But there will be a turnaround from the second quarter," he added. The official figures fail to capture many of the hundreds of millions of Chinese who have left villages and sought work in the cities over the past three decades. "It is migrant workers who are affected most severely. Many of them either return to their home towns or stay in cities looking for other opportunities, but they are not included in our statistics," Yin said. About 4.5 million jobless workers had been rehired, short of the government's goal of 5 million re-hires, Yin said. Those having difficulty finding new jobs numbered 1.29 million, exceeding the government's expectations that 1 million would have problems doing so. (Additional reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Nick Macfie) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LO217036.htm Chinese cabbies clash with police in Guangzhou 24 Nov 2008 16:26:34 GMT Source: Reuters (Changes dateline, adds details from Xinhua, paragraphs 6-7) BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Hundreds of taxi drivers in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou clashed with police on Monday during a protest against the alleged beating of a cabbie by an official, at a time of rising tensions in the trade. Several hundred cabbies were shown scuffling with police on Hong Kong's Cable TV during a march to protest the weekend beating of a local taxi driver by three drunken men, one of whom claimed to be a city official, according to local media reports. Authorities denied any of the attackers had been officials, Cable TV reported. "Our pressure is great and our burden heavy," one driver told Cable TV. A number of cabbies were shown being dragged to waiting vehicles by police officers. The head of Guangzhou's public security bureau Wu Sha was quoted by the China News Agency as saying the drivers should remain calm, while pledging to resolve the matter in accordance with the law. The protesters had dispersed by noon on Monday, China's official Xinhua news agency said, adding that police had detained the three who had beaten the cab driver. The man who had claimed to be a government official was actually a businessman who had been "sent for labour education for two years for mass gambling" in 2000, Xinhua said, without giving the source of its information. In recent weeks, a wave of taxi strikes has broken out across China against unlicensed competition, high fuel prices and rising rental fees, which have threatened drivers' livelihood as the Chinese economy comes under strain from the financial turmoil. Other signs of recent social strains include mass factory closures and protests by newly laid-off workers in China's industrial heartland of Guangdong province, riots in northwestern Gansu province and a mass petition in Beijing. Protests and incidents of "mass unrest" have risen in China in recent years, sparked by a slew of grievances including official abuse of power, land seizures and labour disputes. (Reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong and Ian Ransom in Beijing; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) http://www.bt.com.bn/en/asia_news/2008/11/09/hundreds_clash_with_police_in_south_china Hundreds clash with police in south China Rare protest: Chinese protesters seen outside a police station in Shenzhen, southern China's Guangdong province to protest the death of a motorcyclist.Picture: AFP BEIJING Sunday, November 9, 2008 HUNDREDS of people clashed with police in a southern Chinese city, throwing stones and setting fire to a police car after a motorcyclist died while trying to avoid a checkpoint, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. The skirmish in Shenzhen, which lasted from Friday afternoon until early yesterday morning, started when relatives of the motorcyclist carried his body to a local police station and a group of about 30 people smashed items in the station and set off fireworks, according to the report. The crowd later grew to 400 people, with some 2,000 onlookers, police said. Some threw stones and set fire to a patrol car before they were disbursed by 2am. The motorcyclist was identified as 31-year-old Li Guochao. Police said he was driving an unlicensed motorcycle and had rushed passed a checkpoint in the city's Bao'an district, Xinhua reported. He then turned around at a crossroad and drove back on the other side of the road. At that point, a checkpoint worker threw his walkie-talkie at Li, causing him to lose control and strike a lamppost, Xinhua said. Li's relatives demanded government compensation of 600,000 yuan ($131,736), according to Xinhua, adding district government officials promised an advance of 200,000 yuan, with any final compensation to be paid after results of an autopsy. The checkpoint worker has been detained by police, but Xinhua said the city's public security bureau had determined police showed restraint in handling the unrest. Protests and incidents of "mass unrest" are rising in China.Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4A70MI20081108?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Hundreds clash with police in China's Shenzhen Fri Nov 7, 2008 10:14pm EST BEIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of people clashed with police in a southern Chinese city, throwing stones and setting fire to a police car after a motorcyclist died while trying to avoid a checkpoint, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The skirmish in Shenzhen, which lasted from Friday afternoon until early Saturday morning, started when relatives of the motorcyclist carried his body to a local police station and a group of about 30 people smashed items in the station and set off fireworks, according to the report. The crowd later grew to 400 people, with some 2,000 onlookers, police said. Some threw stones and set fire to a patrol car before they were disbursed by 2 a.m. The motorcyclist was identified as 31-year-old Li Guochao. Police said he was driving an unlicensed motorcycle and had rushed passed a checkpoint in the Bao'an district of the city, Xinhua reported. He then turned around at a crossroad and drove back on the other side of the road. At that point, a checkpoint worker threw his walkie-talkie at Li, causing him to lose control and strike a lamppost, Xinhua said. The checkpoint worker has been detained by police, but Xinhua said the city's public security bureau had determined that police had shown restraint in handling the unrest. Protests and incidents of "mass unrest" had been rising in China -- sparked by a wide range of grievances from official abuse of power and corruption, seizures of land, and disputes over environmental and corporate issues -- but Beijing has not released statistics on protests for the past few years. China's top police official has urged officers to avoid inflaming protests at a time of growing and increasingly complex social unrest. In June angry residents in Weng'an town, Guizhou province, torched and ransacked police headquarters and government offices after allegations spread that police had covered up the rape and murder of a girl. (Reporting by Ken Wills; Editing by Alex Richardson) http://english.eviewweek.com/Weekend-riots-over-motorcyclist-settled.shtml Weekend riots over motorcyclist settled Submitted by admin on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 07:54 ? Macroeconomy Source: China Daily A riot that broke out over the weekend following the death of a motorcyclist in the southern boomtown ofZhenzhenhas been resolved, after the local authorities agreed to provide a compensation of 200,000 yuan ($29,000) to the victim's family, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The Bao'an district government of Shenzhen reached an agreement with the family of Li Guochao, who died on Friday afternoon when he reportedly struck a lamppost after trying to break through a checkpoint set up to catch unlicensed vehicles. The authorities will give Li's family the specified amount in advance and decide on further compensation based on results of investigations into the case, Xinhua reported. The government also promised the family that no autopsy would be made on Li without their attendance. According to a preliminary investigation, Li was driving an unlicensed motorcycle with a passenger behind when he was stopped at a traffic checkpoint on Baoshi East Road on Friday morning. The passenger dismounted, after which Li sped past the checkpoint. A worker at the checkpoint surnamed Lai from the sub-district office of Shiyan crossed the guardrail in the middle of the road and tried to block Li, who reportedly ignored him. Lai then apparently hurled his intercom phone at Li, who lost control of his motorcycle, crashed into a lamppost and sustained serious injuries. Lai is under police detention. Other staff at the office called police and rushed Li to a hospital, but he died during treatment at about 12:30 pm, police said. There were no police officers at the checkpoint at the time of the incident, police said. The nearest officer was a traffic policeman on duty 300 m away. However, Li's family believed that the checkpoint had been organized by the Shiyan traffic police detachment. They brought more than 30 people to the police detachment at about 1 pm and blocked its gate. At 2:30 pm, the relatives of the dead motorcyclist reportedly carried Li's body to the police station, smashed property and set off firecrackers. By 5 pm, the crowd at the station had grown to 400, with about 2,000 others looking on. People threw stones and set a police car alight. Officials of Bao'an district and the city government were summoned to deal with the situation. The public security bureau said that throughout incident, the police had shown restraint. The bureau said the crowd had dispersed by 2 am on Saturday. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=9017 Rail workers clash with farmers over land (11-04 18:46) Chinese authorities are investigating an incident in which more than 100 rail workers carrying iron bars beat local farmers who were obstructing work on a high-speed train link. Railway workers from 17th Bureau Group, a unit of state-owned China Railway Construction Corp, clashed with farmers last month on the outskirts of Beijing near a construction site for the US$11 billion (HK$85.8 billion) high-speed railway from Beijing to Shanghai, local media reported. Rural discontent over government-sanctioned land grabs is rife in China's vast countryside, where more than 700 million farmers toil on small plots that are owned by the state. Railway officials have said increasing troubles acquiring land cheaply is holding back the expansion of China's rail network. REUTERS http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=184041&sc=145 Last updated at 10:55 AM on 27/10/08 Chinese villagers, timber company guards clash over land payments The Cape Breton Post BEIJING ? There are reports of another violent land dispute in China. The official Xinhua news agency says scores of villagers in a remote area of Jiangxi province battled with security guards and ransacked the offices of a forestry company last week. Xinhua says the villagers accuse the company of paying too little for the use of their land. It says about 100 police officers were called out to break up the riot. About 150 villagers ransacked the offices of Luhai Wood Industry Co. Ltd., destroying or taking computers, air conditioners and desks. It says 12 villagers and three police were injured. They were reportedly angry because they felt payments from the private forestry company for use of their land had not kept up with rising land values. Xinhua quotes police as saying about 30 company security guards battled with the villagers. Police arrested eight of the security guards and were seeking an unspecified number of other suspects, it said. Police appealed to residents to come forward with tips, it said. No villagers were being sought in connection with the violence and authorities were investigating their grievances, Xinhua said. Phones rang unanswered at the offices of Luhai Wood Industry on Monday and police said they did not have any immediate comment. Violent protests flare regularly across China as citizens demonstrate their anger over a range of issues, including official corruption, land disputes and dissatisfaction over the environmental effects of industrialization. 27/10/08 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-10/28/content_7147741.htm 15 injured, 8 arrested after E. China riot (Xinhua) Updated: 2008-10-28 08:30 Comments(4) Print Mail Police in east China said they have arrested eight forestry security guards and are seeking others after a riot involving almost 200 people last week left 15 injured. Police also denied reports of deaths in the riot, which broke out just before midnight on Thursday in a dispute over land-use rents paid by a privately owned forestry company in Jiangxi Province. Twelve villagers were injured, three of them seriously, after about 150 residents of Shuanghong Village, Daduan Town in Tonggu County, confronted around 30 company security guards, said police. The villagers attacked the offices of the Luhai Wood Industry Company Ltd., destroying or taking away computers, air-conditioners and desks, said police. About 100 public security bureau police were dispatched to the site and three of them were injured, one seriously, as they tried to restore order, said police. Four police cars were overturned, but they denied reports that any of them were set alight. All of the injured were being treated in hospital, a police spokesman said. "The security guards were vicious -- they hit anyone they saw," said Chen Shilin, 57, the most seriously injured. He suffered three knife wounds on his back, four on his head and a broken rib, a doctor said. Police had posted notices in public places and made appeals on television and radio for the public to come forward with any information on the incident and on any of the security guards who had since disappeared. They said they were seeking no villagers in connection with the violence. Local government officials had also launched an investigation into the causes of the villagers' grievances and dispatched a medical team to the area, said a county government official. "Conflicts had happened before when peasants were caught illegally felling trees because they were dissatisfied with the company payments," said Ye Chirong, leader of the firm's 17-strong eastern security squad. The company had hired about 30 guards altogether and the conflict had involved the western security squad, he said. Ye said members of his squad had blackmailed villagers who were caught illegally felling trees when they should have reported the offences to the police according to the law. The Luhai company leased more than 100,000 mu (6,700 hectares) of forest in 2004, paying the peasants 80 yuan for each mu. Shuanghong was a mountainous village where most of the population of 2,000 rely on forestry for a living, a county government official said. The villagers became unhappy with the contracted rents and began felling trees after reforms of forest property rights and looser tax policies increased land values, the official said. After government mediation, the company paid a further 6 yuan (76 U.S. cents) per mu, the official said. On Monday, the area appeared quiet and the damage had all been cleared up. Part of the plant was preparing to resume production. More than 100 pieces of lost facilities had been returned to the company by villagers. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/07/15/2003417510 Migrant workers riot in Zhejiang Province, attack police station AP, SHANGHAI Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008, Page 1 Hundreds of migrant workers angry over mistreatment of a fellow worker surrounded a police station in eastern China and smashed cars and motorbikes, a Hong Kong-based human rights organization said yesterday. The riot, which began on Thursday in Kanmen in coastal Zhejiang Province, lasted three days, the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said. Three hundred military police arrived in the town on Sunday and 30 migrant workers have been detained, the group said. No injuries were reported. A woman who answered the telephone at Kanmen?s public security bureau said she saw the demonstration but denied that the workers broke into the police station or burned vehicles. The woman, who did not give her name, as is common with officials in China, said they only gathered on the streets, shouting their protests. ?Break into our PSB? If they did, we would beat them to death,? she said. The violence comes just weeks after a crowd of 30,000 people in southwest China set fire to a police station, angry over what many believed was a cover-up of the death of a teenage girl by local authorities. Such incidents are an embarrassment to officials, especially in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, which begin on Aug. 8. The Hong Kong-based rights group said the unrest in Kanmen was centered around a migrant worker who was beaten by a security guard while trying to get a temporary residence permit. When the worker went with a group of other workers to complain to police about the man who beat him, he was detained, triggering the protest in which hundreds of workers converged outside the police station, burning police cars and motorcycles and later throwing stones, the group said. The report did not give any other details about the incident, including why the worker was beaten. A notice posted on the Web site of Yuhuan County, which oversees Kanmen, said ?the July 10 incident is being investigated? but did not describe what the incident was. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1435881.php/Riot_police_beat_detain_farmers_in_southern_China_ Riot police beat, detain farmers in southern China Asia-Pacific News Oct 9, 2008, 11:43 GMT Beijing - Riot police beat and detained protestors in southern China's Guangdong province after more than 500 people blocked a main road because of a dispute with local officials, residents and a US-based rights group said on Thursday. 'The farmers who were the leaders of the protest were arrested by the police,' one local resident told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone from Guangdong's Sanjiang township. Another local resident said Sanjiang was 'quiet' on Thursday, following the riot on Wednesday. US-based Human Rights in China quoted witnesses as saying more than 500 people joined the protest and that police used batons to disperse the crowd, 'leaving some seriously injured and unconscious.' The police also detained several residents who recorded the incident on their mobile telephones, the group said. The sit-in was staged to protest local officials' management of the area near a dam that collapsed during a recent typhoon in Sanjiang's Shenlei village, it said. Flooding from the dam-burst destroyed crops, fish ponds and other property, with villagers blaming the disaster on the officials' decision to remove protective palm trees near the dam a few months ago. Farmers were also angered by the refusal of the local government to compensate them for losses suffered after the collapse of the dam, the group said. The incident is the latest sign of growing unrest and violence in rural areas, where many residents accuse local officials of corruption and abuse of power. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/28/china.violence/index.html August 28, 2008 -- Updated 0952 GMT (1752 HKT) China: 2 policemen dead in ethnic group clash ? Story Highlights ? Clash reported by World Uighur Congress, which is based in Germany ? Chinese police: Unaware of any police deaths or of any incident in the region ? Clash in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, home to Sunni Muslim minority ? Millions of Han Chinese migrated into Xinjiang causing unrest among Uighurs (CNN) -- A confrontation in western China has killed two police officers and led authorities to detain at least 20 members of the Uighur ethnic group, according to an international organization that represents Uighur interests. Two officers were killed, more were severely injured and others suffered slight injuries in a confrontation on Wednesday between Uighurs and police, said Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the the World Uighur Congress, which is based in Germany. A Chinese police spokesman, however, said she was unaware of any police deaths or of any incident in the region in question. The clash happened in Jiashi County, about 62 miles (100 km) from the city of Kashgar, Raxit said. That is in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan, a region that is home to a Sunni Muslim ethnic minority. Uighurs in Xinjiang are supposed to enjoy regional autonomy, as guaranteed by China's constitution, but some want independence. Millions of Han Chinese, the country's dominant ethnic group, have migrated into Xinjiang over the past 60 years, prompting complaints that they dominate local politics, culture and commerce at the expense of the Uighurs. The dissatisfaction has turned violent at times. On August 4, an attack killed 16 police officers in Kashgar. Police have detained several hundreds Uighurs as a result of that incident, and they've detained at least 20 as a result of clashes Wednesday, Raxit said. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g9DGAcpJC22ojD44TodVyRFQJ4WA Chinese police kill six in Xinjiang clash: reports Aug 29, 2008 BEIJING (AFP) ? Chinese police killed six people and arrested three others during a clash in the restive Muslim northwest region of Xinjiang, state media reported on Saturday. Police carried out an operation late Friday in Kashgar prefecture in the far west of Xinjiang against a group of people suspected of involvement in an attack on August 12 in which three security guards were killed, the Xinhua and China News agencies said. They discovered the nine suspects armed with knives in a corn field, where they resisted arrest and injured two members of the security forces, the agencies said. The police fought back, killing six of the suspects and wounding the three others. Local police contacted by AFP Saturday refused to comment on the reported clash in the remote region which borders Central Asia. Xinjiang has suffered a wave of violence over the past month, with 16 policemen killed on August 4 in Kashgar in the most deadly attack. Six days later, an attack on a police station in Kuqa resulted in the deaths of 10 of the attackers and a security guard. In the August 12 incident, three security guards were killed and a fourth wounded by knife-wielding assailants during an attack on a checkpoint at Yamanya, a town 30 kilometres (about 20 miles) from Kashgar. On Wednesday two policemen were killed and five wounded while searching a corn field near Kashgar for a suspect connected with an earlier attack. Analysts have said Xinjiang is enduring its worst violence in years, partly triggered by separatists wanting to raise publicity while the world spotlight was focused on China for the Beijing Olympics, which ended on Sunday. Many of Xinjiang's 8.3 million Turkic-speaking ethnic Muslim Uighurs say they have suffered decades of repression under communist Chinese rule. Chinese authorities have blamed much of the recent violence on Xinjiang's East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is listed by China and the United Nations as a terrorist organisation. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26441923/ 2 Chinese police killed, 7 wounded in Xinjiang Crackdown on Muslim Uighur ethnic minority sparked clash, activists say updated 4:00 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2008 BEIJING - Chinese police clashed with members of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority in the far western region of Xinjiang, authorities and an activist said Thursday, the first reported outbreak of violence in the area since two high-profile attacks during the Olympics. Two Chinese policemen died and seven more were wounded. It was not immediately clear what ignited Wednesday's conflict in a village in Jiashi County or if any Uighurs were injured. Activist Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Germany-based World Uighur Congress, said witnesses heard "fierce gunfire" and saw at least 20 Uighurs arrested ? part of what he says is a wider crackdown. He did not give any other details. A public security official said eight Uighurs ? seven men and one woman ? were involved. One man had been captured, but the others were at large, said the official, who refused to give his name as is common among Chinese officials. Mu'erbiya, an official from Jiashi County's Communist Party propaganda office, said two police officers had died and an investigation was under way. Like some Uighurs, she uses one name. Seven police officers were being treated at the No. 1 People's Hospital in Kashgar, about 60 miles west of Jiashi, including one for stab wounds, according to a woman at the hospital's emergency center who refused to give her name. China has long said that militants among the region's dominant ethnic Uighurs are leading an Islamic separatist movement in Xinjiang, an oil- and gas-rich region on the border with Afghanistan, Pakistan and six Central Asian nations. The Uighurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims with a language and culture distinct from the majority of Chinese. But critics accuse Beijing of using claims of terrorism as an excuse to crack down on peaceful pro-independence sentiment and expressions of Uighur identity. Official says Uighurs trying to split China Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday confirmed reports of the Jiashi incident but did not provide any details. He insisted that there were only sporadic tensions in Xinjiang. "People of various ethnic groups coexist in harmony and equality, and the situation in Xinjiang is generally good," Qin said at a regular briefing. "This has nothing to do with any alleged persecution or oppression of the Uighur people." He said that there was a handful of Uighur "terrorist forces attempting to create violence and split China" but that the government and authorities were cracking down on them. The predominantly Muslim region saw three deadly attacks during and just before the Beijing Olympics. Videos also appeared online threatening the games. The wave of violence began on Aug. 4, four days before the start of the competition, in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two men stole a truck and rammed it into a group of police on their morning jog. The men continued attacking with homemade bombs and knives, killing 16 police. Six days later, bombers struck in the west-central Xinjiang county of Kuqa, targeting a police station, government building, bank and shops owned by Chinese. Police said they killed 10 of the attackers ? including one woman ? while a security guard and a bystander died in the violence. State media said another attacker, a 15-year-old girl, was injured. On Aug. 12, attackers jumped from a vehicle and stabbed civilian guards, killing three of them at a roadside checkpoint in Yamanya town, near Kashgar. The assailants escaped. No one has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents, though government officials have suggested terrorism is behind the violence. Activist says crackdown on Uighurs should stop Citing local Uighurs, Raxit, the activist, said large-scale arrests have been taking place in Kuqa and Kashgar since the attacks and residents of Kuqa are prohibited from traveling outside of the area. Checkpoints also have been set up, he said, adding that Wednesday's incident has triggered even tighter restrictions. "It is part of China's worsening crackdown in the area," Raxit said in a statement. "The international community should prevent the Chinese government from carrying out their systematic crackdown policies on the Uighurs." Police in Kuqa refused to comment on the current situation and telephones at police headquarters rang unanswered in Kashgar. The Uighurs suffered greatly in the 1960s and 1970s when the government ? caught up in Marxist revolutionary fervor ? viewed religion as well as minority languages and culture as divisive remnants of feudalism that should be abolished. In the 1980s, the government adopted a more liberal political and cultural policy in Xinjiang, but in the following decade resorted to a hardline policy after scattered incidents of unrest. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=134295 Students in China riot over property dispute Sunday, September 07, 2008 BEIJING: Thousands of students attacked a county government office in central China, smashing windows and clashing with riot police, in unrest triggered by a property dispute, a rights group said on Saturday. Students from a high school in Shenqiu county, Henan province, clashed with police on Friday morning while trying to stop a developer from building apartments on their sports ground, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement faxed to Reuters. The students became enraged when two girls were injured in the scuffles, and proceeded to surround the local government building at noon (0400 GMT), the Hong Kong-based rights group said. ?(They) smashed the main building?s entrance and windows. Fires lit by some students were put out,? the group said. The county government called in an emergency detachment of 100 regular and armed police to try to disperse the several thousand students at the site. Some 20 students were subsequently injured in clashes with police, the group said. A local resident contacted by Reuters by telephone confirmed the report. ?Of course the developers are in the wrong for trying to take over the students? sports ground,? said the resident, who declined to leave his name. Calls placed by Reuters to the county government office went unanswered. Students did not disperse until after 8 p m (1200 GMT), after a government official ?promised to talk with the developer?, the group said. China, with its vast and poor rural population, sees many thousands of protests every year, but has been rocked by several incidents of bitter rioting in recent months. Tens of thousands of locals torched government offices and smashed police cars in Weng?an county, Guizhou, in June, after claims spread that authorities had covered up a teenage girl?s death. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1428984.php/Police_quell_more_riots_in_east_south_China_ Police quell more riots in east, south China Asia-Pacific News Sep 5, 2008, 10:35 GMT Beijing - Riot police have quelled two violent protests by thousands of people in southern and eastern China, in the latest of several recent clashes between ordinary residents and local authorities, officials and a rights group said on Friday. Up to 30 people were detained for questioning after riot police broke up a protest by migrant workers demanding compensation for a teenage boy who was seriously injured after he climbed into a textile factory in the eastern city of Ningbo, police said. 'There are now 20 to 30 under investigation and being interviewed,' a police officer in Ningbo's Xiangshan county told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone. The officer said 'mass rioting' broke out after factory workers seized the 14-year-old boy as a suspected thief and called police, apparently resulting in the boy jumping from a building as the police arrived. 'The reason why he jumped is still under investigation,' he said. The Xiangshan police officer said the boy was treated by a local hospital for serious injuries but was out of danger. He said no police were injured in the clash with protestors, but the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said 20 others were injured. The Information Centre said some 500 migrant workers gathered outside the factory on Thursday, and thousands of onlookers swelled the crowd to about 10,000 before the riot police arrived. It said another 50 people were injured and 20 detained after riot police clashed with thousands of protestors angered by an illegal fund-raising scheme in the southern province of Hunan on Wednesday and Thursday. The government's official Xinhua news agency said a 'chaotic petition to local authorities' on Wednesday and Thursday had blocked roads and railways in Hunan's Jishou city. The protesters surrounded local government offices to demand intervention after a local real-estate firm failed to repay the loans and interest promised in its illegal fund-raising scheme, the agency said. Some protesters and onlookers swarmed into the Jishou railway station on Wednesday evening but were 'persuaded by officials to leave about an hour later,' it said. The protestors continued to block roads and the railway station on Thursday morning. They dispersed after officials registered the petitioners' claims against the real-estate firm and detained company executives, the agency said. The riots are among an increasing number of protests and violent incidents in recent years, reflecting simmering unrest over abuse of official powers and widespread cynicism towards the ruling Communist Party in many poor areas. In one of the most serious incidents, up to 30,000 people rioted after the suspicious death of a teenage girl in the south-western province of Guizhou in late June. The government later said a string of unresolved 'social grievances' and encouragement by criminal gangs had sparked the rioting. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 19:29:22 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:29:22 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] SWAZILAND: Pro-democracy protests, September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA86482.4040408@tesco.net> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/africa/05briefs-PROTESTSTURN_BRF.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Swaziland: Protests Turn Violent By REUTERS Published: September 4, 2008 Demonstrators stoned shops, looted a market and set off an explosion that damaged a bus, as a second day of protests for democratic change in Swaziland turned violent on Thursday. About 5,000 people marched in Mbabane, the capital, calling for a multiparty democracy and criticizing the lavish way of life of King Mswati III. The police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, said a police spokesman, Vusi Masuku. Protest leaders promised more demonstrations and some strikes before a parliamentary election on Sept. 19. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L4412541.htm Swazi protests turn violent, unions plan strike 04 Sep 2008 18:09:24 GMT Source: Reuters By Charles Matsebula MBABANE, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Demonstrators stoned shops, looted a market and set off an explosion, damaging a bus, as a second day of protests for democratic reform in Swaziland turned violent on Thursday. Some 5,000 people marched in Mbabane, capital of the southern African monarchy, calling for multi-party democracy and criticising the lavish lifestyle of King Mswati III. Police spokesman Vusi Masuku said police had used water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters who had started to damage property. A police bomb squad was sent in after a small blast damaged a bus. But there were no reports of any injuries during the protest, which forced banks, embassies and government offices to close for the day, while some shops only opened late in the afternoon. Leaders of the march -- which followed a smaller rally in the main commercial city Manzini on Wednesday -- vowed more protests and a labour stoppage in the run-up to a Sept. 19 parliamentary election. "We will continue on Saturday and from there we are calling for the biggest ever strike action from September 15 to 19, the day of the elections," Jan Sithole, secretary general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, said to a jubilant response from the protesters. The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), which is fiercely critical of the government, said last month it would step up pressure on Mswati, saying he showed a "high appetite for leisure" while the economy declines. "It has come to our attention that the current Tinkhundla (Swaziland governance) system has dismally failed to take care of the Swazi people so it is now time that we call for an immediate democratic change," Sithole told the demonstrators. The protesters have criticised a costly 40th birthday celebration for Mswati this weekend, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of independence from Britain. The Swazi monarch has courted controversy for his lavish lifestyle while two-thirds of his subjects live in poverty, in a nation where about 40 percent of adults live with HIV. Last month, Forbes magazine listed him as the 15th-richest monarch in the world. He was the only African on the list. (Editing by Muchena Zigomo and Mark Trevelyan) http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-09/2008-09-19-voa4.cfm?CFID=86979132&CFTOKEN=60163970 Swaziland Protesting Union Leaders Arrested Ahead of Parliamentary Election By Peter Clottey Washington, D.C. 19 September 2008 Clottey Interview With Vincent Dlamini - Download (MP3) Clottey Interview With Vincent Dlamini - Listen (MP3) The people of Swaziland go to the polls Friday to elect members of parliament amid government crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators who are calling for political reforms under King Mswati III. Swazi police arrested several protest leaders Thursday, saying the protesters were causing Anarchy.But the demonstrators say today?s parliamentary election is a fa?ade calculated to deceive Swazis into believing that absolute monarch, King Mswati III, is interested in democracy. Vincent Dlamini is the main proponent of the protest march. He tells reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Mbabane that the protests would continue unabated until their demands for democratic reforms are met. ?Some of the union leaders were arrested during our protests and demonstration around the country?s border post yesterday. Some of the were released later on after their detention, but I?m not quite sure what happened to the others. We are still trying to locate where they are at the moment. What we can also report is that quite a number of workers, in the southern part of the country in Mshangano were brutally assaulted by the police as they were conducting the demonstration against the election that would be held this morning in our country,? Dlamini said. He said the union workers are protesting against he called an undemocratic system, which he said clamps down on their right to a free democratic society. ?We are protesting against the current Nikunda system, which we believe is undemocratic, and we are demanding that elections must be held under a multi-party democratic system. This current system came into place by the banning of the political parties in 1973 by the previous King Sobhuza II. In this particular state of emergency, one significant thing that happened was that all three branches of government were transferred to the king. That is the judiciary, legislature and all other executive powers were vested in the king by that particular decree, which banned political parties in the country,? he said. Dlamini said the protesters want to enjoy democracy just like most people in other parts of the world do. ?We are saying that we want elections to be conducted in a multi-party democratic environment,? Dlamini pointed out. He sharply denied that Friday?s parliamentary election is an attempt by the government to bring about some democratic reforms. ?No, no, no, there is no reform at all. What is happening in our country is that the majority of the people reside in the rural areas, which is about 70% of the population. And therefore quite a number of them are participating in this election because they are intimidated by the chiefs who are appendages of the monarch. The chiefs run the rural areas and the villages on behalf of the monarch and they tend to intimidate and evict people who do not conform to the dictates of the regime,? he said. Dlamini accused the government of not educating the masses on the benefits of democracy. ?What is happening is that the regime in our country currently thrives on the ignorance of the masses. In the rural areas there are high level of poverty and people are being abused in the sense that what is happening, they are given food passes and all that and are being bribed so to speak,? Dlamini noted. He said union workers would not stop protesting to ensure their voices for democratic reforms are heard. ?What we are going to do next is that we will continue in engaging in mass action, we will have mass demonstrations at certain intervals. And we are going to be educating our people in terms of what is best for our country, as well as making sure that the international community understands our plight and understand that Swaziland is still an undemocratic country,? he said. Some political observes say although the monarch remains popular among many of his subjects, there is rising discontent over his extravagant lifestyle, refusal to adopt democratic reforms and to tackle Swaziland?s numerous social problems. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=80469 SWAZILAND: Ignoring protests will not make them go away Photo: Taurai Maduna/IRIN King Mswati - ridiculing opposition MANZINI, 18 September 2008 (IRIN) - Swazi police on Thursday detained trade union leaders and pro-democracy activists attempting to blockade the landlocked country's border with South Africa, to press their demands for political reform in the kingdom. "Whilst it may be within the rights of workers to engage in protest action, it is certainly unacceptable to exercise this right by disrupting the free flow of goods and services and infringing on the rights of others to conduct their business freely," said Prime Minister Themba Dlamini in a media statement. Jan Sithole, Secretary General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, and Mario Masuku, president of the banned political party, the People's United Democratic Movement, were reportedly detained after the government declared the demonstration illegal. Police prevented protestors from getting near the four key border posts with South Africa. Road freight firms contacted by IRIN said they had taken the blockade threat seriously, but had no choice but to attempt normal operations. Around 90 percent of Swaziland's imports come from South Africa, including all petroleum products. The Congress of South African Trade Unions held demonstrations on the South African side of the border in solidarity with Swazi workers. The border demonstrations were held on the eve of the country's parliamentary elections, in which political parties are banned from campaigning. King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, appoints cabinet ministers from the ranks of elected and palace-appointed members of parliament, and selects the prime minister, who is a member of the ruling Dlamini clan. Growing protest The government's attempt to ban demonstrations two weeks ago in the capital, Mbabane, and the central commercial town, Manzini, was thwarted by the largest turnout for a political rally in the nation's history. A combined 25,000 protestors marched in both cities to demand political reform. The government subsequently ridiculed the event by saying the number represented a small minority of the 970,000 population. Political activists responded by pointing out that fewer people ? 15,000 - had turned out for the recent controversial celebrations marking Mswati's 40th birthday and the country's 40 years of independence. "Both groups are right and wrong. The political demonstrations were historic and should be taken seriously. But the average Swazi is more impacted by hunger, AIDS and unemployment," said Joshua Khoza, a political writer from Manzini. Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world and more than two-thirds of the population depend on foreign food aid. A Commonwealth Secretariat observer team to the last parliamentary elections in 2003 concluded that the polls were not free and fair. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2396250,00.html Protest outside Swazi embassy 19/09/2008 12:02 - (SA) Pretoria - A small group of protesters picketed outside the Swazi Embassy, in Pretoria, on Friday, in opposition to the country's "sham" elections, said the Swaziland Solidarity Network. Spokesperson Lucky Luckhele said the protesters included representatives of the ANC Youth League, the Young Communists' League, SACP, Congress of South African Trade Unions, South African Students' Congress and Congress of South African Students. "We demand a democratic election for the people of Swaziland," said Luckhele. He said the protesters were demanding the unbanning of all political parties, the unconditional release of political prisoners and the return of exiles. They also wanted the removal of laws inhibiting political activity in the country. - SAPA http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2395761,00.html Swazi cops stop protestors 18/09/2008 21:14 - (SA) Oshoek - Swaziland police stopped dozens of demonstrators trying to blockade border posts in protest against elections on Friday in Africa's last absolute monarchy. An AFP journalist, travelling to the Oshoek border post with South Africa, saw a 65-seater bus pulled over and ordered to return to northern Swaziland on Thursday. Unions and banned political parties planned to blockade major border posts ahead of parliamentary elections which they have called "a sham". More than 200 people were stopped from going to border posts including a number of leaders of organisations, said Lucky Lukhele of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, a South African body. "What the police are doing is arresting them and dumping them in remote areas," Lukhele said. Some 200 people held a protest on the South African side of the Oshoek border crossing, carrying banners and placards and dressed in red t-shirts. One placard read: "Mswati stop abusing culture for your personal and sexual needs." Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III, who ascended the throne at age 18, and keeps a strong traditional grip on power, with responsibility for appointing the prime minister, legislature and judiciary. His country is one of Africa's poorest, with one of the world's highest HIV rates, and some have blamed the king's state-sponsored extravagant lifestyle for draining Swaziland's finances. Friday's poll is the first to take place under a rewritten constitution, put into effect in 2006, which allows for freedom of association. However, candidates can only stand for elections as individuals, not as part of political parties. - AFP http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2395549,00.html Swazi monarch face protests 18/09/2008 13:36 - (SA) Sibongile Khumalo Mbabane ? Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy, faced protests on Thursday on the eve of elections with anger growing in a country that remains deeply impoverished despite the king's lavish lifestyle. Unions and banned political parties planned to blockade border posts ahead of parliamentary polls on Friday that those who have been pushing for change say will be meaningless. "How these elections are called democracy is beyond me," said Mario Masuku, leader of People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), one of Swaziland's banned political parties. "The country's political system makes it a mockery of democracy in the region. In Swaziland there are no elections just selections of people who dance to the king's tune." King Mswati III, who ascended the throne at age 18, keeps a strong traditional grip on power, with responsibility for appointing the prime minister, legislature and judiciary. Highest HIV rates His country is one of Africa's poorest, with one of the world's highest HIV rates, and some have blamed the king's state-sponsored extravagant lifestyle for draining Swaziland's finances. Friday's poll is the first to take place under a rewritten constitution, put into effect in 2006, which allows for freedom of association. However, candidates can only stand for elections as individuals, not as part of political parties. Opposition and civil society groups have been fighting for plural politics and the abolition of the monarchy, which they claim is dictatorial. Swaziland United Democratic Front general secretary, Vincent Ncongwane, this week questioned the sending of observers to what he called a "sham" election. Observers from the 15-nation Southern African Development Community, Pan African Parliament (Pap), the Commonwealth and the AU will monitor the vote. "It puzzles the mind as to why they are endorsing this joke," he said. Homegrown political system Political parties in the landlocked southern African country were banned in 1973 by the late King Sobhuza after he dissolved the country's constitution, declaring it was unworkable as it promoted hatred among Swazis. Swaziland is currently run on a homegrown political system called Tinkhundla with parliamentary elections held every five years after which the king appoints a new prime minister. With an unemployment rate of 40%, the upcoming poll means nothing to most Swazis, said analyst Thembinkosi Dlamini. "People want to see an end to the hunger gripping country, access social grants, health care. They have voted before, but nothing has changed," said Dlamini. "These elections do not embrace the virtues of modern democracy and the will of the people." Mswati III, who rules the country side by side with his mother, has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the 15 richest royals in the world, with a fortune of $200m. - AFP http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN835729.html Swaziland union leaders detained, protest blocked Thu 18 Sep 2008, 8:56 GMT By Charles Matsebula MBABANE (Reuters) - Police in Swaziland, one of the world's last absolute monarchies, detained several union leaders on Thursday and blocked others from a pre-election protest to demand democratic reform, one of the union leaders said. Swazi authorities had said the protest could cause anarchy in the southern African kingdom the day before a parliamentary election. Armed police pulled labour activists from buses and cars at a roadblock en route to a border crossing with South Africa, taking union leaders into vans and sending others back to the capital Mbabane, the union leader said. "We are at Piggs Peak prison inside the back of a van and don't know why," Jan Sithole, the general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, told Reuters by telephone, after he was stopped and taken away with other union leaders. "This is detention without trial and execution of an unlawful order," he said. There was no immediate comment from police. The unions, backed by South Africa's powerful COSATU labour federation, had vowed to block traffic at the border, a commercial artery between the two nations. King Mswati III rules the country of 1.1 million people with a free hand, choosing the country's prime minister and cabinet from those elected to parliament. Political parties have been banned in the country since 1973. Although the monarch remains popular among many of his subjects, there is rising discontent over his extravagant lifestyle, refusal to adopt democratic reforms and to tackle social problems, including one of Africa's worst AIDS epidemics. Swaziland's economy grew by about 3.5 percent in 2007 but has been buffeted in recent months by higher prices for fuel and food and a slowdown in South Africa, its main trading partner. There are fears that unemployment and poverty could rise as a result of the economic difficulties. About 40 percent of Swazi workers are unemployed. Frustrations boiled over into rare violent protests earlier this month when demonstrators stoned shops, looted a market and set off an explosion that damaged a bus. Mswati, listed as the world's 15th richest monarch by Forbes magazine, is not seen loosening his grip soon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7622667.stm Thursday, 18 September 2008 17:20 UK Police hold Swazi poll protesters Pro-democracy activists held protests earlier this month Police in Swaziland have detained a number of pro-democracy activists planning a border blockade ahead of parliamentary elections in the kingdom. Several union leaders were bundled into police vans at the main border crossing with South Africa, organisers of the planned blockade said. Political parties are banned in Swaziland, one of the world's last absolute monarchies. There have been recent protests calling for change and multi-party democracy. In Friday's elections, 55 unaffiliated candidates are due to be chosen for Swaziland's national assembly. King Mswati III, who has been in power since 1986 and recently celebrated his 40th birthday, hand-picks a further 10 people. The assembly then chooses 10 representatives for the Senate, with a further 20 selected by the king. Correspondents say the king remains popular with many of his subjects, though opposition has been growing to his lavish lifestyle in a country where most people live in poverty. Border protest Early on Thursday, authorities detained union leaders and other activists after they arrived at Oshoek, Swaziland's main point of trade with South Africa. Among those being held was Jan Sithole, the secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, who said he had been driven about 120km from the border to Piggs Peak. The whole world was making noises about Zimbabwe. It's the same problem with Swaziland Kesco Mataba South African union leader Other would-be protesters in buses and cars were turned back by Swazi authorities. The BBC's Thulani Mthewa, who is at the border, said some 200 people - both South African and Swazi - protested on the South African side of the crossing, but the demonstration on the Swazi side had been blocked and the border remained open. South African unionists from the umbrella organisation Cosatu are demonstrating in solidarity with their Swazi counterparts. "The problem of Swaziland is our problem because the current regime is not resolving many problems - HIV/Aids, unemployment - their people are flocking in our country," said Kesco Mataba of the South African Young Communist League. "The whole world was making noises about Zimbabwe," he said. "It's the same problem with Swaziland." Riot police have been deployed on both sides of the border crossing, our reporter says. Landlocked Swaziland is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa. Ahead of the planned blockade, Swazi government spokesman Percy Simelane said the protest was illegal. "No one is allowed to wake up in the morning and go and close borders leading to another country, not even the government is allowed to do that," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. But the secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Labour, Vincent Ncongwane, said protesters wanted to demonstrate that Friday's elections would not be inclusive. "We still have in Swaziland this myth that you can have a democracy where there isn't the participation of other political parties," he told the BBC. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 19:35:41 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:35:41 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHINA Addendum, Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA865FD.2060501@tesco.net> * Hunan, Xiangxi/Jishou - Furious protest over pyramid scheme * Ningbo - workers clash with police * Wuhan - protest over soccer player suspension http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200809050333DOWJONESDJONLINE000392_univ.xml Armed Police Sent To Quell Protest In Central China9-5-08 3:33 AM EDT | E-mail Article | Print Article BEIJING (AFP)--Hundreds of armed police were dispatched to central China to quell a demonstration by furious crowds demanding their money back from a fund- raising scheme, the local government said Friday. The protest began Wednesday in Hunan province and gathered momentum Thursday, blocking traffic and delaying trains, but all had returned to normal by Friday, according to a witness and the government of Xiangxi prefecture. "The railway station is open today, but yesterday it was blocked by people," a receptionist at the Tianlu Hotel next to the station in Jishou City, who could not be named for fear of reprisal, said Friday. According to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the crowd swelled to 10,000 people, but local authorities refused to comment when contacted by phone. The center said 5,000 soldiers and armed police had been dispatched to control the crowd, leading to 20 arrests with 50 people injured. The protest is the latest in a series of confrontations over social issues in China, where tens of thousands of riots erupt each year, many of which emanate from grievances over abuse of power, corruption or land grabs. In June, tens of thousands of people rioted in southwest Guizhou province over claims police had covered up an alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl. The government said in a statement on its Web site it brought in armed police to disperse the crowd in Jishou, but failed to mention how many, adding no one was hurt and that car and rail traffic had returned to normal by Friday. It said it had taken "coercive measures" on nine protesters, but it was unclear whether these people had been detained. Photos of the protest were widely available on popular web portals in China, depicting a strong armed police force standing behind shields on railway lines and on the roads. Locals in the city took to the streets on Wednesday to ask the government to intervene after a firm failed to pay back money it owed them, the local government said in its statement. A crowd formed at the city's railway station on Wednesday evening, but soon dispersed, according to the statement. On Thursday morning, the protesters gathered again on the streets and at the railway station, blocking car and rail traffic. "There are still lots of police at the station today, but there are less locals than yesterday," the hotel receptionist said. The local government said the people responsible for the fund-raising company, called Fuda Real Estate Company, were under investigation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7600762.stm Friday, 5 September 2008 16:10 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protests in two Chinese cities The Chinese government is reported to have sent thousands of soldiers and police to quell unrest in the central province of Hunan. Up to 10,000 people took to the streets in Jishou to demand money back from an allegedly fraudulent fundraising firm, a Hong Kong-based rights group said. In another protest in the eastern port of Ningbo, 10,000 workers clashed with police, the group added. Social unrest is common in China, but rarely on this scale. Confronting police The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said that, in both protests, violent clashes erupted between angry crowds and local authorities. In Jishou 50 people were injured in rioting, and police arrested 20 people, the group said. According to Xinhua news agency, the protesters blocked roads and trains to demand that the government take action after a fundraising company "failed to pay them back as promised". The Jishou government admitted in a statement that armed police were drafted in to disperse the crowds, but did not mention if anyone was hurt. In the second incident, thousands of migrant workers confronted police in Ningbo to protest about the injury of a man in a local factory. The protests are the latest in a series of confrontations over social issues in China - many of which stem from grievances over alleged corruption and local authorities' abuse of power. In June, thousands of people rioted in Guizhou province over claims that police had covered up the rape and murder of a girl. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1428984.php/Police_quell_more_riots_in_east_south_China_ Police quell more riots in east, south China Asia-Pacific News Sep 5, 2008, 10:35 GMT Beijing - Riot police have quelled two violent protests by thousands of people in southern and eastern China, in the latest of several recent clashes between ordinary residents and local authorities, officials and a rights group said on Friday. Up to 30 people were detained for questioning after riot police broke up a protest by migrant workers demanding compensation for a teenage boy who was seriously injured after he climbed into a textile factory in the eastern city of Ningbo, police said. 'There are now 20 to 30 under investigation and being interviewed,' a police officer in Ningbo's Xiangshan county told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone. The officer said 'mass rioting' broke out after factory workers seized the 14-year-old boy as a suspected thief and called police, apparently resulting in the boy jumping from a building as the police arrived. 'The reason why he jumped is still under investigation,' he said. The Xiangshan police officer said the boy was treated by a local hospital for serious injuries but was out of danger. He said no police were injured in the clash with protestors, but the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said 20 others were injured. The Information Centre said some 500 migrant workers gathered outside the factory on Thursday, and thousands of onlookers swelled the crowd to about 10,000 before the riot police arrived. It said another 50 people were injured and 20 detained after riot police clashed with thousands of protestors angered by an illegal fund-raising scheme in the southern province of Hunan on Wednesday and Thursday. The government's official Xinhua news agency said a 'chaotic petition to local authorities' on Wednesday and Thursday had blocked roads and railways in Hunan's Jishou city. The protesters surrounded local government offices to demand intervention after a local real-estate firm failed to repay the loans and interest promised in its illegal fund-raising scheme, the agency said. Some protesters and onlookers swarmed into the Jishou railway station on Wednesday evening but were 'persuaded by officials to leave about an hour later,' it said. The protestors continued to block roads and the railway station on Thursday morning. They dispersed after officials registered the petitioners' claims against the real-estate firm and detained company executives, the agency said. The riots are among an increasing number of protests and violent incidents in recent years, reflecting simmering unrest over abuse of official powers and widespread cynicism towards the ruling Communist Party in many poor areas. In one of the most serious incidents, up to 30,000 people rioted after the suspicious death of a teenage girl in the south-western province of Guizhou in late June. The government later said a string of unresolved 'social grievances' and encouragement by criminal gangs had sparked the rioting. http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/hunan-protest-chinese-swat-officer-3917.html 20,000 Chinese SWAT Officers Deployed to Hunan to Monitor Protesters By Gu Qinger and Hu Tongcai Epoch Times Staff Sep 7, 2008 Jishou City after the protest. (Epoch Times) On September 4, almost 100,000 Jishou City residents joined together for a protest regarding money loaned to businesses that had became insolvent. The government-supported loan scheme had encouraged prefecture-level and city-level government officials to invest in long-term, high-interest rate loans for local corporations and business people. The problems began in early August when investors were tipped off that the businesses were insolvent. Investors started withdrawing their investments and in less than two weeks had withdrawn nearly 10 billion yuan from the loan scheme (approx. US$1.5 billion), causing the corporations to become completely insolvent. The loan scheme was worth nearly 7 billion yuan (US$1 billion). Authorities have responded to the protest by sending 20,000 Chinese SWAT officers into the city. Nine of the main coordinators of the protest have been arrested, and the 20,000 officers remain stationed in the city. Since September 4, victims of the illegal business loan scheme have been seen walking around the major streets in Jishou City. The Jishou Train Station was so crowded that the train was unable to continue its service and a large number of commuters were forced to stay at the train station. Chinese S.W.A.T. officers station on major streets of Jishou City. (Epoch Times) Eyewitnesses say local authorities have mobilized a large number of armed police from other cities to suppress the 100,000 protesters. Jishou City resident Mr. Li told a reporter, ?There are 20,000 SWAT officers stationed in Jishou right now. They are carrying machine guns and armed with even small mortars. The local authorities have arrested nine protesters. There is a lot of tension right now. There are many policemen blocking the media. A lot of media in China are reporting the protest from the perspective of the Chinese government.? Another resident Mr. Yang said, ?To prevent the public from launching another protest, local authorities have sent the police to guard the train station. The authorities have claimed that they would tell the public how they will solve the problem within three months and shut down the businesses which fail to pay the loans.? Encouraged by the local government, Jishou City residents invested in nearly 7 billion yuan worth of business loans. According to a local activist who investigated the incident, the prefecture-level and city-level government officials who invested in the business loans withdrew their investments and their bonuses as soon as they heard the news of insolvency at the beginning of August. The news traveled fast. Soon many local residents withdrew their investments and bonuses. In less than two weeks, nearly 10 billion yuan of loans (approx. 1.5 billion USD) had been withdrawn, leaving the corporations completely insolvent. It is alleged that the local government granted and endorsed the business loans to over 20 corporations and individuals, including Fuda, Rongchang, Sanguan, Weiye, Gexie and Jidian. The local government enticed the public to invest in the business loans by offering 3 percent, 5 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent interest rates, which are higher than normal bank interest rates. This offer quickly captured the imagination of many investors who they poured their money into the scheme. Mr. Yang said, ?With an 8 per cent interest rate, an investment of 10,000 yuan will yield over 1000 yuan in interest revenue a month. The advertisement was endorsed by the local government, but now the government is not doing anything.? Mr. Li said, ?The local government has a lot of land, but the corporations do not have enough money to develop it. The government then allowed the corporations to acquire investments from the public. Soon the investment money snowballed. Without the approval from the government, no corporation may solicit investments from the public. There are a lot of wealthy government officials who also made investments. Nearly all the corporations in Jishou solicited investments from the public.? Victims of the business loans include the elderly as well as unemployed people. They have now lost all of their life savings and become penniless. According to an unnamed source, a female farmer solicited business investments from an entire village. When she failed in her effort to withdraw the villagers? investments and interest revenues, she drank poison to kill herself. The anxious investors approached the corporations to get their money back, but ended up being beaten up by thugs employed by the corporations. Jishou City resident Ms Xiong said, ?Many people were lured to sell their lands and make an investment by the promise of high interest. Some people even got loans to make an investment. Some poured in their entire life savings. Nearly every household here has made an investment. Many people were lured by the temptation of high interest rates. Even people living in retirement homes made an investment, taking money out of their life savings. The Chinese government must step in or else many people will commit suicide.? Because of the severity of the situation, the Hunan provincial government has mobilized the military and the police from nearby cities to suppress the protest. Sources say Beijing is well aware of the incident. http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE4930AY20081004?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews Thousands of China soccer fans protest player suspension Fri Oct 3, 2008 11:46pm EDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of soccer fans marched in the Chinese city of Wuhan, blocked traffic and some charged a police blockade in protest against an eight-game suspension of a star player, a Hong Kong newspaper said. The Chinese Football Association suspended defender Li Weifeng and fined him 8,000 yuan ($1,169) on Tuesday for a scuffle with a player from the opposing team who was given the same punishment. The September 28 game ended in a 1-1 draw. Li, 30, is a former captain of China's national team who played on the Olympic squad in August. Li's Wuhan Guanggu club later announced its withdrawal from the Chinese Super League in protest, saying it would sue the Football Association and fuelling the outrage of Wuhan's fans. Tens of thousands of fans hit the streets on Thursday, shouting slogans like "Dissolve the Football Association!" and "The Super League is Finished!," and staged a sit-in to block traffic, Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported on Saturday. Wuhan's deputy mayor went to the scene to try to calm the fans and about an hour later they left peacefully, the newspaper said. Soccer is wildly popular in China, but the professional leagues are plagued with corruption and the national team is widely considered an embarrassment. ($1 = 6.843 yuan) (Reporting by John Ruwitch, additional reporting by Liu Zhen in Beijing; Editing by Valerie Lee) From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 19:36:47 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:36:47 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Uprisings, August-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA8663F.6010801@tesco.net> * EGYPT: Bedouin protests, unrest over bogus terror detentions * CHILE: Clashes, arrests at democracy commemoration protest * GERMANY: Hamburg - "leftists" battle police at street party * MEXICO: Protesters battle police at 1968 anniversary protest * ITALY: Naples - cops injured as garbage protests continue * TURKMENISTAN: Opposition group clashes with soldiers * NIGERIA: Niger Delta - Clashes between army and MEND as "oil war" declared * BANGLADESH: Border force clash with smugglers, locals * ARGENTINA: Train delays spark fiery protests * DR CONGO: UN targeted in protests against renewed fighting http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1429834.php/Egyptian_Bedouin_continue_protest_over_detainees_in_Sinai_ Egyptian Bedouin continue protest over detainees in Sinai Middle East News Sep 10, 2008, 10:37 GMT Cairo - Around 1000 Bedouin in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula participated in the second day of a growing protest on Wednesday, calling on police to release 14 of their members, security forces said. Angry protestors in Mahdyia village, near Egypt's border crossing into Gaza at Rafah, collaborated with Bedouin from nearby villages, burning car tires and chanting slogans in support of the detainees, whom they said had been held without due cause. The demonstrators also blocked the Rafah-Gaza border-crossing road. According to Bedouin, Egyptian police routinely harass and discriminate against their members in Sinai. Egyptian security forces blame Bedouin for planting bombs in 2004 and 2006 in Sinai holiday resorts which killed dozens of tourists. Bedouin protestors are threatening to breach the Israel-Egypt border if the police do not free their detainees. http://africa.reuters.com/country/EG/news/usnL9663309.html Bedouin protest against detentions in Egypt's Sinai Tue 9 Sep 2008, 20:25 GMT CAIRO, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bedouin in Egypt's Sinai peninsula burned tyres and blocked roads on Tuesday, demanding police release tribesmen they said were arrested without charge, Bedouin and Egyptian security sources said. About 500 Bedouin, who have tense relations with Egyptian police, paraded in small trucks through the village of Mehdiya near Egypt's border with Israel, the sources said. The protest, which erupted after the arrest of a Bedouin in the border town of Rafah, was moving towards the barbed wire fence on the border with Israel, they said. Bedouin also erected stone barriers and burned tyres on the road leading to the village. Bedouins claim Egyptian police arrest and detain them without charge. Relations between police and Bedouin have been strained since 2004, when police detained thousands of local people for possible links to a group which had bombed tourist resorts. Northern Sinai is home to about 200,000 formerly nomadic Bedouin. It is one of Egypt's poorest areas and unemployment is endemic. (Writing by Will Rasmussen; editing by Keith Weir) http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/15/content_10004289.htm Chilean police detain 19 demonstrators in protest marking 1973 coup SANTIAGO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chilean police detained 19 demonstrators in clashes during a march on Sunday. The march was organized to pay tribute to victims during the 1973-90 rule of Augusto Pinochet. Clashes broke out around midday in the center of Santiago when a group of masked demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police and vandalized shops, traffic signals and public garbage cans. Police reacted with water cannons and tear gas and detained 19 demonstrators for damaging public and private properties. The march and the clashes ended at a memorial wall bearing names of the victims of dictatorship repression. Some 3,000 people marched to the city's main cemetery Sunday. The event is organized each year around the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 1973, coup by leaders of the Group of Families of Disappeared Detainees and other social and human rights organizations. http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/world/BO87343/ Germany: 18 injured in Hamburg street riot BERLIN -- Police say a riot broke out at a Hamburg street festival and 18 people were injured. Hamburg police spokesman Rais Kunz says an annual neighborhood festival that drew 8,000 people with food booths and live music deteriorated late Saturday when a small group of revelers started throwing rocks through windows. Police say the violence escalated as others built barricades in the streets and set fire to a car, a telephone booth and a portable toilet. Police say they used water cannons and that rioters responded by throwing bottles and rocks that injured 11 officers. Kunz says it took 950 officers to subdue the violence. He says 38 people were detained for questioning early Sunday and 19 taken into custody. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/230162,leftist-demonstration-turns-violent-in-hamburg.html Leftist demonstration turns violent in Hamburg Posted : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:04:01 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Europe World News | Home Berlin - A street party in Hamburg turned violent overnight after leftist demonstrators went on the rampage, police in the northern German port said Sunday. Eighteen people were injured, 11 of them police officers, following the event in the Scheunenviertel area of the city, renowned for the many residents adopting an alternative, anti-authority lifestyle. Police deployed water cannon and used riot sticks to break up the gathering. Some 950 officers were on duty to contain the violence. Police detained 39 people temporarily after the demonstrators erected street barricades, set fire to refuse containers and broke shop windows. They also pelted passing cars with stones. The fire brigade doused 13 small fires. A street party in the area turned violent last year. The protests are similar to the May Day clashes with police that have taken place virtually every year for the past 20 years in Berlin's Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain area. On Saturday several thousand people protested largely peacefully against the German extreme rightwing in various centres. In the Bavarian town of Memmingen, hundreds turned out to protest against a meeting by around 120 members of the German National Party (NPD) in the local town hall. In Dortmund, some 3,000 protestors turned out to counter a rally of about 1,000 right-wingers. In Magdeburg, 200 people participated in a commemoration for a 20-year-old art student who was murdered three weeks ago by suspected right-wingers. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/10/200810391342846655.html Mexico protesters clash with police Activists are calling for an inquiry into the killings of 1968 student protesters [AFP] At least 18 people have been injured in clashes between Mexican police and demonstrators marking the 40th anniversary of a student massacre. More than 30,000 people turned out on the streets of Mexico City on Thursday to demand justice for student protesters killed by Mexican security forces in a 1968 demonstration. "We have 18 police officers wounded, not seriously," Manuel Mondragon, a police chief, said. "Twenty people were arrested, all precisely identified by video surveillance systems," Jose Angel Avila, secretary of Mexico City municipality, said. Call for justice The clashes were sparked near Zocalo square when police tried to arrest protesters who had painted graffiti on a city building wall, a witness said. The demonstrators were marking the anniversary of a massacre in Tlatelolco, when Mexican security forces opened fire on an 8,000-strong political protest. Between 44 and 300 pro-democracy activists are believed to have died in the police attack. The Mexican police covered up evidence of the atrocities, which came 10 days before the 1968 summer Olympic games. "I'm here to denounce the most despicable act committed in Mexico," Aarceli Bernal, a 26-year-old student, said. Protesters in Tlatelolco drew chalk figures on the ground covered with blood stains to remember those killed by the security forces. Newspaper cuttings of the massacre, showing soldiers standing ready to fire, were plastered on a candle-laden altar in one corner of the square. Forty years after the attack in Tlatelolco, the full details of the massacre remain mired in mystery. No individuals have been prosecuted for their role in the killings. Many protesters on Thursday, demanded that those responsible for the 1968 massacre be punished, while others lambasted the current government for its apparent failure to investigate the killings. Amnesty International on Thursday appealed to Felipe Calderon, Mexico?s president, to finally establish the truth about the massacre. The latest demonstration nearly two months after hundreds of thousands of people held a series of demonstrations in Mexico City to criticise the police, who they deem as corrupt. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4709550a12.html Police injured in Naples garbage protest Reuters | Monday, 29 September 2008 Five police have been hurt during clashes with protesters opposing the opening of a garbage dump on the outskirts of Naples, a key part of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's plan to keep the city clean. The southern Italian port city suffered a garbage crisis for much of this year after official dumps were declared full. Streets were piled high with bags of rotting trash for months until Berlusconi made resolving the problem his top priority upon taking office in May. But his plans to open a dump at a quarry in the poor Chiaiano neighbourhood have provoked repeated unrest and protests on Saturday night by about 3,000 people ended in violence. Police said a group of demonstrators hurled fireworks at police near the site, lightly injuring five of them. They also tipped over rubbish bins and set fire to trash in the streets. Police responded by firing tear-gas to disperse them. "There was a lack of good sense, which is always needed, on both sides," Chiaiano's mayor Salvatore Perrotta said. The Naples garbage crisis, which caused illness and scared off tourists, is further complicated by the involvement of the Naples mafia, or "Camorra", in the lucrative business. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=91365&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Clashes in Italy over dump plans (00:58) Report Sept 28 - Protesters demonstrating against the location of a garbage dump clash with troops and riot police in the southern city of Naples. Residents of 10 suburbs are up in arms over government plans to put mountains of rotting, uncollected waste in their neighbourhoods. Susan Flory reports. http://www.anspress.com/nid88368.html Politic / 16.09.2008 15:08 Turkmen security forces killed in clashes-president It was Berdymukhamedov's first comment on the incident which authorities said was a major operation against drug traffickers, but which independent websites say was a battle between security forces and armed rebels. Turkmenistan's president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said members of the security forces were killed in clashes in the capital Ashgabat last week. It was Berdymukhamedov's first comment on the incident which authorities said was a major operation against drug traffickers, but which independent websites say was a battle between security forces and armed rebels. The president, in a statement shown on state television late on Monday, offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the clashes, the first official acknowledgement of deaths among security forces. "As you know, a few days ago our forces eliminated a major criminal group involved in the drugs trade," he said. "To our greatest sorrow, there were losses among law enforcement agents during the clashes with armed bandits." Independent websites, most of them blocked for Turkmen users in a nation where information is tightly controlled by the state, have questioned the official version of events. Websites such as www.chrono-tm.org said nine people were killed in a three-day battle on the outskirts of the capital. One website, www.tm-iskra.org, quoted a source as saying a group of "radically minded opposition activists" were behind the event, but it remained unclear how the violence had started. None of the information could be independently verified. Residents of Ashgabat reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions near the northern residential district of the city at the weekend. Gas-rich Turkmenistan, seen by Western investors as an alternative source of energy for European markets, is tightly run by the government which allows little opposition to state policy and controls domestic media. The predominantly Muslim nation, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been stable compared to some of its more volatile Central Asian neighbours and has sought to open up since the death of its absolute leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, in late 2006. Criticised in the West for human rights violations, Niyazov ran Turkmenistan as a personal fiefdom for 21 years and locked up his opponents. Berdymukhamedov has sought to distance himself from Niyazov's policies and promised liberal reform. /Reuters/ http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080914/FOREIGN/853311651/1002/rss Rare clashes in authoritarian Turkmenistan ? Last Updated: September 14. 2008 12:46PM UAE / September 14. 2008 8:46AM GMT ALMATY, Kazakhstan // Heavy gun battles between a radical group and security forces erupted overnight in the capital of Turkmenistan ? a rare instance of violence in the authoritarian nation, media reports and a Western diplomat said yesterday. The diplomat said there were unconfirmed reports that at least 20 members of the security forces were killed and some of the suspected fighters had been rounded up. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Witnesses in the capital, Ashgabat, said there was heavy, prolonged gunfire and some casualties in the fighting, though they did not know how many. They said they saw armored personnel carriers patrolling the area and streets there were closed for much of the day. Several reports said the clash was between a radical group and security forces. Information is strictly controlled in Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic with large gas and oil reserves. State media did not report on the incident. The small country borders Iran and Afghanistan and its population is overwhelmingly Muslim. Religious violence is virtually unheard of in the country, as the government has vigorously stamped out all opposition. The US embassy in Turkmenistan warned Americans to stay away from the northern districts of city where the clashes took place. * AP http://allafrica.com/stories/200809140003.html Nigeria: 15 Feared Killed As Militants, Military Clash Jimitota Onoyume 14 September 2008 ABOUT fifteen persons were feared dead yesterday when men of the Joint Task Force, JTF, and some militants clashed on the waterways at Elem Tombia in Rivers State. The militants in an online statement issued under the aegis of Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, said they lost seven men while community sources said the death toll was higher including some innocent lives. The militant group claimed that 27 hostages were caught in the crossfire. Tension heightened in the area at press time. But the JTF said things had been brought under control. Meanwhile, MEND, in its online statement which it updated regularly, alleged that it fired at one of the helicopters used by the security body, a claim the spokesman for the army and the JTF in the state, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, denied. MEND said, "Tombia, Rivers State, 1245 hours: MEND fighters have suffered about three casualties and RPG's were fired on two army attack helicopters that came at close range. We suspect one of them may have been damaged. The helicopters were repelled and have not returned. No news of enemy casualties. Fierce fighting is still going on with MEND fighters adopting guerrilla tactics. At about 0900 hours today, September 13, 2008, the armed forces of Nigeria began a full scale aerial and marine offensive on the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) positions and neighbouring Ijaw communities in Rivers State with helicopter gunships, jet fighters and over 20 gun boats and landing crafts filled with heavily armed soldiers mainly from the northern axis of Nigeria. "We hold the governor of Rivers State and the president of Nigeria accountable for the genocide on the defenseless civilians who are bearing the brunt of indiscriminate air force bombs. All MEND positions in the Niger Delta will respond to this unprovoked attack coming at a time the government is canvassing the so-called Niger Delta Ministry to hoodwink the people. Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State must realize that this action also puts his family and community at the risk of reprisals with dire consequences. Oil companies are warned to move out their workers within the next 24 hours because a hurricane is about to sweep through oil installations in the entire Niger Delta region. An update on the fighting will be continuously relayed." Continuing with an update mail, the militant body said they had so far killed about seven soldiers in the encounter. The mail read: "1500 hours: Seven fighters have so far been lost in the attack by the army on our position in Rivers State with several others injured. Three army helicopter gunships returned and began firing missiles indiscriminately into the mangrove vegetation's because of the excellent camouflage of our men and boats. We cannot tell the casualties from the army who have suffered some losses from sniper rifles. This may be the beginning of a full scale oil war." Responding to the claims, the JTF spokesman said they did not lose any soldier. According to him, the RPG rifle which the militants claimed to have used on its helicopters was not even within the distance area of an aircraft. The boys are lying. We have not lost any soldier. And again RPG is not even within the distance area of an aircraft". Musa said the JTF had only one helicopter hovering in the area. He added that contrary to the claim of the militants that the army invaded the area, they (JTF) were on routine patrol of the waterways when militants opened fire on their gun boats. And in self defense, according to him, they had to retaliate. "In order to checkmate recurrent sea piracy and related militants, criminal acts on our water ways, the JTF Operation Flush III maintains regular marine patrol of identified notorious water ways. It was on such patrol that today at about 1035 hours at Elem Tombia, an unknown group of militants opened fire on our patrol team which resulted to an exchange of fire. The aircraft seen hovering around was just for routine surveillance and reconnaissance. It was a minor encounter, no cause for alarm. No casualty recorded on our side and the state is under control", he stated. The spokesman feared that the militants would have suffered some casualty. On its part, the Rivers State government, yesterday, urged people of the state not to panic as security operatives had the capacity to deal with the situation. In a statement issued by acting chief press secretary to the governor, Mr. Blessing Wekina, the government said it would not be distracted by threats from miscreants in the state. "Governor Rotimi Amaechi remains focused on his mission to develop the state. People should not be scared as the security agencies have capacity to respond to any attack from any quarter", Blessing said. In another statement, yesterday, MEND said men of the Red Cross and doctors should be allowed access to some hostages injured in the attack. According the militant body, they had rescued some hostages and they were kept in one of the camps allegedly invaded by the soldiers yesterday. "The 27 oil workers rescued yesterday by MEND from the pirates that kidnapped them from the MT Blue Ocean and taken to the camp under attack to be offered as a reward leverage for the release of Henry Okah are trapped in the fighting between our fighters and the Nigerian military forces. The workers are made up of five expatriates from Britain, South Africa and Ukraine, while the remaining twenty two are Nigerians. It was learnt that the military on faulty intelligence as usual embarked on what is now a botched rescue attempt. "Some of the oil workers are injured but are being treated with the same local herbs we are using in treating our wounded. The Red Cross or doctors from MSF should be allowed passage to attend to them. Injuries are mainly from high caliber machine guns and shrapnel. Meanwhile, two civilian communities; Elem Tombia and Ogboma have been razed to the ground by the rampaging soldiers who have not been able to take our positions. Civilian casualties are high." It would be recalled that the hostages were taken when some militants hijacked the vessel around Sombriere river in the state some days ago. (Vanguard) http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601207&sid=azCdlm3MWsFk&refer=energy Nigerian Militant Group Claims Killed 29 Soldiers in Clashes By Dulue Mbachu Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A Nigerian militant group that calls itself the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger claimed it killed 29 government troops in clashes in the country's southern oil region. ``The precise locations of the battles are Odiama creek in Bayelsa, Opia river in Delta, and the confluence of Bonny and Andonni rivers in Rivers state,'' Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for the group also known as MEND said in an e-mailed statement today. The group, which says it is fighting for the interests of poor inhabitants of the Niger Delta oil region, said the attacks were in retaliation for alleged recent Nigerian military attacks on unarmed villagers. Six MEND fighters died, Gbomo said. Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the joint military task force in charge of security in the oil region, couldn't be reached on his cell phone. Attacks by militant groups in the Niger Delta, which accounts for nearly all of Nigeria's oil output, have cut more than 20 percent of the country's crude exports since 2006, helping push world oil prices to record highs. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Militants-declare-39oil-war39-as.4490682.jp Militants declare 'oil war' as fighting flares in Niger Delta Published Date: 15 September 2008 By Randy Fabi NIGERIA'S most prominent militant group yesterday declared an "oil war" in the Niger Delta after two days of gun battles with security forces. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), responsible for attacks that have cut a fifth of the country's oil output, repeated its warning for all oil workers to evacuate the delta immediately and expanded its threat to oil vessel "Mend has declared an oil war in response to the unprovoked aerial and marine attacks on a Mend position in Rivers state (on Saturday]," the group said in a statement. The deteriorating security situation in the delta, home to Nigeria's oil sector, is considered to be the biggest hindrance to economic growth in Africa's most populous country, which is also the world's eighth biggest oil exporter. Mend said it had attacked flow stations, a gas plant and oil pipelines, including a Chevron-operated platform in Kula. It said 22 Nigerian soldiers had been killed, but an army spokesman denied any military casualties. A Chevron official confirmed one of its oil platforms was attacked, but production had already been shut down due to pipeline problems stemming from a previous attack in late July. Militants said they also attacked a Shell-operated gas plant in Soku and pipelines in Nembe Creek. A Shell spokeswoman said the company was investigating the reports. Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military task force in Rivers state, said no oil facilities were affected by two days of heavy fighting. Security in the Niger Delta worsened dramatically in early 2006 when militants, who say they are fighting for more local control of the impoverished region's oil wealth, started blowing up oil pipelines and kidnapping foreign workers. "The operation will continue until the government of Nigeria appreciates that the solution to peace in the Niger Delta is justice, respect and dialogue," Mend said. The heavy fighting began on Saturday in Tombia, in Rivers state, where the militants said at least seven people were killed. Security sources said Nigeria's army, navy and air force were involved in the clashes, which have spread since the weekend but remain confined to Rivers state. "At the moment, it seems the military has the upper hand," said a security source with the oil industry, who wished not to be named. Lt Col Musa said militants attacked several locations early on Sunday in retaliation for what he said were heavy losses in fighting the previous day. "They are losing ground," he added. "We are hopeful they will give up the fight very soon." He said the fighting was provoked by the militants and denied Mend's claims that this was the start of a military offensive in the delta, a vast network of mangrove creeks that is the main source of Nigeria's two million barrels per day output. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809150055.html Nigeria: JTF, Militants Clash Escalate in Rivers Henry Omunu 15 September 2008 Port-Harcourt ? The special military Joint Task Force (JTF) and militants clashed for the second successive day in Rivers State with claims and counter claims of heavy losses being suffered by both sides as fighting between the military and fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) rages in the numerous creeks in the state. Yesterday's fighting, Daily Trust learnt is said to have erupted in Elem-Tombia, scene of earlier clash between the military and the militants on Saturday, and Ogboma which the militants alleged was razed by soldiers. The militants further alleged that civilian casualties from yesterday's fighting was high, a claim our correspondent could not verify. On Saturday, the JTF clashed with militants in Eleme-Tombia, Degema local government area of Rivers State with the spokesman for the task force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa saying the fighting broke out when fighters of MEND attacked soldiers on patrol, who returned fire in self-defence. Lt. Col. Musa told journalists that no casualty was recorded in Saturday's gun fight. But, MEND in a statement released in Port-Harcourt, disputed this claim, alleging that the JTF launched a major offensive with gun boats and helicopter gun ships against its camps in the state, killing three of its members. MEND, therefore, threatened reprisal attacks on oil and military installations in retaliation for Saturday's offensive, and asked oil majors in Nigeria to leave the Niger Delta. Following this warning, fighting between the military and MEND fighters escalated yesterday, as the military and militants clashed again in some parts of the state. MEND in a statement by Mr. Jomo Gbomo, its spokesman said in response to Saturday's attack by the military, the group has launched a counter offensive tagged "Hurricane Barbarossa" with heavily armed fighters in hundreds of war boats filing out from different MEND bases across the Niger Delta to carry out destructive and deadly attacks on the oil industry in Rivers State. Gbomo claimed that by dawn yesterday, MEND fighters had killed 22 soldiers deployed to guard oil facilities in the trouble zone, destroyed oil flow stations, gun boats, and sabotaged oil pipelines. The oil installations, the MEND fighters attacked, Gbomo disclosed include the Soku Gas Plant, Chevron Platform at Kula while a major crude pipeline at Nembe creek was blown up at several points. However, JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa in his reaction to yesterday's attack by MEND, dismissed Gbomo's claims that 22 soldiers were killed, adding that instead the military inflicted heavy casualties on the militants. "This is another wild propaganda. No soldier was killed as MEND has openly admitted. It's unfortunate they suffered heavy casualties", he said. According to Gbomo, the counter offensive by MEND will continue until the Federal Government appreciates that the solution to the Niger Delta problem is justice and dialogue. "This military style bull-ying belongs to the past 50 years when the Niger Delta people responded only with their mouths, pens and placards. "All international oil and gas loading vessels entering the region are warned to drop anchor in the high sea or divert elsewhere until further notice. Failure to comply is taking a foolhardy risk of attack and destruction of the vessel. "Again, we are asking that oil companies evacuate their staff from their field facilities because the brief is not to capture hostages but to bring these structures to the ground", Gbomo added. Meanwhile, MEND disclosed that the 27 oil workers who were rescued from pirates will be used as leverage to bargain for the release of Mr. Henry Okah, who is standing trial for sundry offences. The oil workers, comprising five foreign nationals from British, South African and Ukrainian origin, as well as 22 Nigerians were kidnapped from the MT Blue Ocean and are currently trapped in the fighting between its fighters and the military, MEND said. Some of the hostages MEND claimed are injured and require medical attention. http://allafrica.com/stories/200808310001.html Nigeria: As Niger Delta Crisis Escalates, 35 Killed in JTF, Militants Clashes in 3 States 31 August 2008 Lagos ? Thirty-five people were killed yesterday in violent clashes between security personnel policing the Niger Delta and militants. The deadly exchanges took place in Bayelsa, Delta and River States. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in an e-mail message it sent to Reuters news agency that it had launched a series of reprisal attacks against the men of the Nigerian Army. The group claimed 29 soldiers and six of its own members were killed in the fighting. MEND also said the close combat involving fast attack boats, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles had taken place at three separate locations in the oil-producing region, a network of mangrove creeks. When THISDAY called the Spokesman of JTF in Rivers State, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa to confirm the report at about 9.59pm, he said he was at a function and was not hearing us due to the noisy background which was noticeable. We thereafter sent text to him but did not receive any reply as at press time. Musa had in the past responded promptly to inquiries. A statement signed by Gbomo Jomo on behalf of MEND claimed that the militants attacked the JTF in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States simultaneously and recorded high casualty rate on the part of the soldiers while six of its own men died in an operation that was code-named "Operation Hunter Hunted". Jomo in the statement gave the locations of the attack which he said journalists should visit as Odiama creek in Bayelsa, Opia River in Delta and the confluence of Bonny and Andoni River in Rivers State. Jomo claimed that the militants used advanced Soviet weapons combined with General Purpose Machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and other assorted weapons for the assault where they admitted they lost some of their combatants. "In three separate co-ordinated attacks in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States which began about 19:30 Hrs on Saturday, August 30, 2008, fighters from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) carried out reprisals on the military Joint Task Force (JTF) responsible for the killings of men, women and children from their so-called "warning shots" in the inland waterways to punitive expeditions on oil bearing communities. "Operation Hunter Hunted involved the use of several fast attack speedboats, general purpose machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and the deadly Soviet made anti-tank missiles at close range combat. "The precise locations of the battles are Odiama creek in Bayelsa, Opia River in Delta, and the confluence of Bonny and Andoni River in Rivers state. "Journalists should visit the locations mentioned above as soon as possible to witness the wreck of gunboats which were still burning when we left, to forestall any denial by the military. "From our count, the predominantly ethnic northern JTF lost a total of 29 soldiers in the combined assault. We cannot account for those that jumped into the water in panic and drowned. We lost six of our gallant fighters", Jomo claimed. "In three separate co-ordinated attacks in the states of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers which began at about 19:30 on Saturday (yesterday), fighters from MEND carried out reprisals on the military Joint Task Force," MEND said in an e-mailed statement. Meanwhile as the war against illegal oil activities in the Niger-Delta intensifies, the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday arrested 20 barges and uncovered an illegal outlet in Warri, Delta State , where petroleum products from suspected illegal local refineries were being sold. The JTF said in an operation code-named "Operation Restore Hope", its men arrested barges, which were being used for bunkering. The barges, it said were picked up in the creeks in Burutu Local Government Area of the state. The JTF media co-ordinator, Lt-Col Rabe Abubakar, who confirmed the two incidents to THISDAY in Warri, estimated the capacity of the seized vessels at about 9, 900, 000 litres of crude oil. This calculation is based on the fact that each vessel has the capacity for 15 trucks with each holding 33,000-litres of the commodity. Nine persons had also been arrested in connection with the two incidents, Abubakar said. He said that 29 drums of oil and a Mercedes-Benz truck were seized from six suspects during the weekend raid at the illegal depot at Ngwu Market, Warri, while three suspects were arrested in connection with the 20 barges. The JTF Commander, Brig-Gen Naven Wuyep Rimtip, described the weekend operations, particularly the arrest of the 20 barges as constituting "one of the biggest successes recorded in the intensifying fight against illicit activities in the Niger-Delta." The vessels were at the verge of pulling out into the high seas off the coast of Delta and Bayelsa states when they were intercepted and subsequently overpowered, the spokesman added. The suspects were still being detained pending the conclusion of preliminary investigations into the incidents; before those arrested would be handed over to appropriate security authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution, Abubakar told THISDAY. From Ahamefula Ogbu in Port Harcourt, Omon-Julius Onabu in Warri with agency report (ThisDay) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=53264 Published On: 2008-09-04 Metropolitan BDR-villagers clash leaves 50 injured in Chuadanga Unb, Chuadanga More than 50 people were injured as villagers clashed with BDR personnel at Jagannathpur in Damurhuda upazila in Chuadanga yesterday. BDR said a patrol team of Jibon Nagar border outpost chased a group of smugglers numbering about 15 when they entered into the village from across the border with smuggled goods at noon. The smugglers left behind goods, including phensidyle, bicycles and low-grade fertiliser. Joining with the villagers the smugglers attacked the BDR team with sticks and pelted brickbats. BDR were reinforced from the outpost and the clash lasted more than an hour. Angry villagers partially damaged a BDR vehicle. BDR fired ten warning gunshots to scare away the fighters. Senior BDR officials rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Local BDR commander Lt Colonel Sultan Ahmed said the untoward incident took place as the smugglers on chase mingled with the villagers and mislead them into the clash. They met with the UP chairman and village elders and settled the matter amicably. BDR held Israfil, Asadul, Zafar and Safin from the spot during the clash. All but Safin were later set free. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/04/america/LA-Argentina-Burning-Trains.php Argentine protesters set fire to train over delays The Associated Press Published: September 4, 2008 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentine commuters are so frustrated by delays that some are setting fire to trains. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to quell protests in which passengers burned trains in at least two locations near Buenos Aires on Thursday. A spokesman for Buenos Aires Trains acknowledges the company has trouble meeting rush-hour demand for trains running west from the capital, despite a schedule that has trains leaving every eight minutes. Police have not yet reported the number of injured or detained during Thursday's incidents. Similar protests erupted in November 2005. Twenty-nine people were injured and 113 at that time. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809030842.html Congo-Kinshasa: Anti-Monuc Protest in Rutshuru Turns Violent 3 September 2008 Kinshasa ? At least one person was wounded and a UN vehicle damaged during a demonstration against peacekeepers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Rutshuru on 3 September. "A MONUC [UN Mission in DRC] vehicle was set on fire and two civilian demonstrators wounded by bullets, one in both his feet, the other in his stomach," Benjamin Mbusa, 36, a student in the North Kivu town, who witnessed the demonstration, told IRIN. MONUC confirmed that one of its vehicles had been burnt but said only one civilian had been wounded and not necessarily by a bullet. This happened when "Indian blue helmets opened fire to defend themselves as per our mandate because the crowd did not want to obey warning shots fired in the air", said Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich, MONUC's military spokesman. He added that the crowd started to disperse once the army began firing heavier weapons into the air. Dietrich also said stones had been thrown at MONUC vehicles in the previous four days. "Two Indian peacekeepers were wounded and one vehicle damaged." The unrest came five days after fierce fighting broke out between government forces and renegade troops led by dissident general Laurent Nkunda. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the clashes prompted 8,000 civilians to flee to villages along the road to Goma. "Many of the displaced are now staying with families or in public places such as schools. But we have to move them to allow schools to reopen as normal," said Gloria Fernandez, head of OCHA in DRC, adding that food rations were being distributed to the displaced. "People are protesting against MONUC because they want the army to advance and push the rebels right out of the country, rather than withdrawing to positions held previously," said Mbusa. MONUC's civilian spokeswoman, Sylvie van Wildenberg, said: "It is clear that the population doesn't seem to understand MONUC's role in the Amani [peace] process" enshrined in a ceasefire deal signed in January. Under this deal, the various armed groups active in eastern DRC are supposed to disengage, creating buffer zones that MONUC is meant to occupy. National police and soldiers were guarding MONUC premises in Rutshuru on the morning of 3 September. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28294&Cr=DRC&Cr1= Angry protesters attack UN post, wound two peacekeepers in DR Congo 26 September 2008 ? Hundreds of Congolese civilians, enraged by violent incursions by Lord?s Resistance Army (LRA) Ugandan rebels, attacked United Nations posts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday, wounding two UN peacekeepers. The violence erupted during protests in Dungu, Orientale province, against LRA attacks which have uprooted thousands from their homes in many areas within a 90 kilometre radius of Dungu, the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) said in a news release today. Hundreds of demonstrators encircled the MONUC observation post, wounding two Blue Helmets from the Moroccan contingent and destroying equipment and material, it added. The crowd also destroyed and plundered the liaison office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and tried to raid the residence and offices of the territory?s civilian administrator. MONUC was sending a multidisciplinary team to Dungu today to evaluate the security and humanitarian situation following the displacement of thousands of people by the LRA attacks, as aid agencies fear more serious and massive human rights violations. ?The priority is to carry out fast preliminary investigations on the various violations, to identify the victims and to determine their number, and to collect testimonies of displaced persons around Dungu,? MONUC said in a statement. MONUC and the DRC army jointly deployed troops to Ituri and Orientale in August to protect civilians after LRA attacks. Since the mid-1980s, the LRA has waged war in northern Uganda against that country?s government and became notorious for its abduction and use of child soldiers during the conflict. Its fighters have often been based in neighbouring southern Sudan or in north-eastern DRC. The LRA and Uganda have recently signed several peace agreements, raising hopes of a comprehensive accord to formally end the entire conflict. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809270001.html Congo-Kinshasa: Angry Protesters Attack UN Post, Wound Two Peacekeepers 26 September 2008 Hundreds of Congolese civilians, enraged by violent incursions by Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Ugandan rebels, attacked United Nations posts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday, wounding two UN peacekeepers. The violence erupted during protests in Dungu, Orientale province, against LRA attacks which have uprooted thousands from their homes in many areas within a 90 kilometre radius of Dungu, the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) said in a news release today. Hundreds of demonstrators encircled the MONUC observation post, wounding two Blue Helmets from the Moroccan contingent and destroying equipment and material, it added. The crowd also destroyed and plundered the liaison office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and tried to raid the residence and offices of the territory's civilian administrator. MONUC was sending a multidisciplinary team to Dungu today to evaluate the security and humanitarian situation following the displacement of thousands of people by the LRA attacks, as aid agencies fear more serious and massive human rights violations. "The priority is to carry out fast preliminary investigations on the various violations, to identify the victims and to determine their number, and to collect testimonies of displaced persons around Dungu," MONUC said in a statement. MONUC and the DRC army jointly deployed troops to Ituri and Orientale in August to protect civilians after LRA attacks. Since the mid-1980s, the LRA has waged war in northern Uganda against that country's government and became notorious for its abduction and use of child soldiers during the conflict. Its fighters have often been based in neighbouring southern Sudan or in north-eastern DRC. The LRA and Uganda have recently signed several peace agreements, raising hopes of a comprehensive accord to formally end the entire conflict. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 20:13:33 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:13:33 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-capitalist, anti-neoliberal and anti-corporate protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA86EDD.90706@tesco.net> * SWEDEN, Malmo - unrest at ESF * CHILE: Anniversary protest * KOREA: Beef import protests continue * GERMANY: Berlin - protesters target arena opening, oppose gentrification * PHILIPPINES: Protest against VAT on basic commodities * INDIA: Kerala, Kollam - electricity workers observe anti-restructuring day * INDIA: Karnataka, Raichur - protest against privatisation of Devadasi protest * INDIA: Maharashtra, Mumbai - workers protest Dow closure * GREECE: Thessaloniki - Unions rally against Greek neoliberal reforms * INDONESIA, Jakarta - small traders protest Carrefour hypermarket * US: Maine - protest against water bottling plant * GREECE: Airline workers block runway in privatisation protest * NIGERIA: Ijaw and Itsekeri protest Chevron over employment issues * GHANA: Farmers protest against free trade deals * BRAZIL: Graffiti artists target street art exhibition * NEW ZEALAND: Food tax protest group defy crackdown * US: Milwaukee - protest against fast food outlet * PHILIPPINES: Protesters shot-at during chicken farm protest * US: Bailour protests across the country http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409104.html Riots and 20 arrests at ESF Malmo Nessuno | 20.09.2008 00:01 | Repression | Social Struggles | World As the full European Social Forum got underway for proper, Swedish police, backed by foriegn police made 16 pre-emptive arrests at Malmo central train station in the mid-afternoon. A policewoman said that the protesters were mistaken for being Antifa members. One protester was charged with carrying an 'illegal weapon' but this turned out to be a leather sewing needle. He has been bailed to return. At 6pm all were released but whilst walking towards the swedish reclaim the streets party in central Malmo were intercepted again and several were re-arrested after attempting to run. At least 2 possibly 8 are in custody as of tonight. There has been several autonmous demonstrations today in Malmo. The first was a group of cyclists against AIM weapons factory in south Malmo in the morning. AIM make gunsights for fighter aircraft and helicopters. During the afternoon, over 2000 protesters assembled in South Eastern Malmo to demonstrate against E.ON over plans to build power stations in sweden and also in support and solidarity with the UK climate camp Kingsnorth which happened in early august. The event was very peaceful, colourful and with no arrests. At 8pm tonight in Malmo there was the largest reclaim the streets party in the centre. until 10pm it was peaceful with the cops just waiting and watching. As news of the arrests filtered through, the windows of a bank were stoved in and broken. Riot police then issued warnings to disperse and most did. However 100-150 protesters decided to stay and confront the police. A tense standoff then ensued with swedish riot police for a while with bottles being thrown. Latest news as a few minutes ago (midnight) is that there have been several more arrests and large scale property damage in Central Malmo near the City Hall. Tomorrow, there will be the main ESF official demonstration with what is expected to be at least 18-20,000 people demonstrating. Nessuno http://www.openspaceforum.net/twiki/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=672 A report from Malmo By: Wladek Flakin on: Sat 18 of Oct, 2008 03:07 BST (181 Reads) (9059 bytes) European Social Forum: a report from Malmo @ http://www.permanentrevolution.net/entry/2316 Last Sunday, the European Social Forum (ESF) came to a close in the city of Malm?, southern Sweden. Nearly 10,000 people from across Europe took part in hundreds of political and cultural events over four days, reports Wladek Flakin, from the independent youth organization REVOLUTION. The highlight was a demonstration on Saturday with 15,000 participants where trade unions, environmental groups, autonomists, left parties and socialist youth organizations together called for "Power to the People!". The ESF participants came primarily from Scandinavia. For example, 14-year-old Vilma came with two friends from "Ung V?nster", the Swedish Left Party?s youth organization. "We have spent the last few days painting banners, but we were also at the demonstration for immigrants' rights", she said about her personal highlights at the forum. But activists from across Europe - from Spain to the Ukraine - and even from Latin America were also there. From Germany, dozens of people traveled in buses from the "Left Youth - Solidarity" and the trade union youth. Even from the Basque Country, over 20 young activists came, after spending 40 hours in two small buses. The ESF?ers stayed in gymnasiums and schools around the city, while the events took place in public buildings, rented ballrooms and a mosque. The ESF is an opportunity for different movements to network internationally. Opponents of the U.S. Air Force base in Vicenza in Italy could meet up with opponents of the planned U.S. missile base in Poland. In a large gathering, they exchanged experiences and planned protests against the forthcoming 60th anniversary of NATO. Representatives of European students also had a special meeting to discuss a Europe-wide day of action against education cuts. Special events New for the ESF was a "Labor Youth Space": a church building in which the trade union youth from different countries organized their own workshops. "The point is to have the youth of the European trade unions network from below" said Joachim Heckel, a young activist of the German metalworkers' union from Nuremberg. "Here, we see that flexibility a huge problem for young workers across Europe. That is why we must think about organizing Europe-wide days of action." At an event about the EU "terror lists", representatives of the revolutionary left from Turkey, the left-wing independence movement from the Basque country and anti-imperialist organizations from Denmark shared the podium. They explained how these "black lists" are used to repress left-wing parties and movements around the world. At the time of the forum, a huge wave of repression by the Spanish state against the Basque independence movement was in full-swing, in which several political parties were banned. Ulrik Kohl from the Danish group "Fighters and Lovers," which sells T-shirts with the logos of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Colombian guerrilla organisation FARC, had been condemned the day before for "supporting terrorism" ? at the ESF, however, he announced he would continue the solidarity work. Riot and chaos Over the the weekend, the Swedish tabloid press headlined: "Krawall och Kaos!" or "Riot and Chaos!". This was referring to a "Reclaim the Streets" party which had gone through Malm?'s city centre on Friday evening. The approximately 2,000 participants danced to hip-hop and techno - and because the Swedish autonomists seem somewhat more class struggle-oriented than their German counterparts, the whole party took place behind a banner with the slogan "Klass mot Klass" ("class again class"). Some people sprayed graffiti along the road and a window pane of the bank SEB was smashed - i.e. it was hardly the mass riot that the press had been warning about for days! The police, who were present, remained surprisingly reticent. "If they were to attack, then everything would get much, much worse" said an ESF organizer about the police tactics. Outside the official ESF program, numerous actions by the anarchist-oriented "Action Network" took place. On Friday, for example, around 1,000 people gathered in front of the office of the energy corporation E.on to protest against climate change. The day before, a few hundred had demonstrated in front of the "foreigners' office" in Malm? to call for an end to deportations. The ESF ended on Sunday with the Assembly of Social Movements that decided on a final declaration of the forum. A major mobilization for all ESFers will be the protests against the 60th Anniversary of NATO in April 2009. But the protests against the G8 summit in Sardinia in July 2009 or against the climate conference in Copenhagen in November 2009 also have a great significance. The venue and date of the next ESF has already been decided too: 2010 in Istanbul. A preliminary balance-sheet Overall, the forum was different from previous forums in Florence (2002), Paris (2003), London (2004) and Athens (2006). Malm? is the smallest city to ever host the ESF, and in light of this, the 15,000 participants at the demonstration represented a success. Since the venues were scattered throughout the city, it was difficult for an individual to get an overview of the forum ? but the number given by the organizers of 10,000 registered participants would certainly be accurate. The size of the 5th ESF was below expectations (20,000) as well as below the levels of previous ESFs (with the possible exception of the more or less disastrous 3rd ESF in London). This can be partly explained by external factors. For example, there were hardly any participants from Germany, given that there were almost 60,000 people at different demonstrations at the same time in Cologne, Berlin and Stuttgart. So the three buses from Germany were on average only half full. But that's not enough to explain the ESF?s small size. The ESF is the great forum of "talking past" or "talking at" one another ? the political diversity amongst the participants, from social democratic NGOs to environmentalist hippies to revolutionary Marxists makes it difficult to find a common denominator. But the functioning of the forum and especially the final assembly makes it completely impossible. The final declaration is not decided by a democratic vote, but rather presented by a more or less self-appointed preparation group and then rubber-stamped with "consensus". The text contains bullet points to satisfy nearly all of the participants, but no concrete mobilization plans. After years of noncommittal chatting, many are wondering what the use of the whole event is, and that is a good explanation for the almost constant decline in number of participants. Given the shrunken size of the ESF, the anarchist counter-activities on the sidelines had a much greater weight than before. In past years, it was no more than splinter groups who organized, parallel to the ESF, small (and hard to find) "counter-forums". But this time, the "ESF Action Network" represented a serious competitor to the ESF. Simply because of high ticket prices (?40 or ?20 for students), there were certainly more than 1000 young people from southern Sweden or the neighboring Copenhagen who came to the ESF, but not to the official seminars, only to the anarchistic actions on the all around. Problems and potential The vast majority of seminars were alienating for young people. It was not unusual for an event lasting two and a half hours to consist of two hours of speeches from the podium and half an hour of "discussion", whereby the latter consisted in reading out different communiqu?s. The demands in the flyer from REVOLUTION for independent youth structures at the ESF proved to be completely correct. It was positive that for the first time there was a "youth space" by the trade union youth, but this was occupied by up-and-coming functionaries and offered little opportunity for an independent organization. The non-stop attacks on workers, migrants and young people in Europe, which are centralized by the EU, make a common, Europe-wide resistance more necessary than ever before. But the unofficial bureaucracy which dominates the ESF (which is in turn made up of various social-democratic and trade union bureaucracies) again and again prevents that the ESF from becoming a focus of such resistance. We greatly appreciate the networking that takes place at the ESF - after each meeting, activists from across Europe exchange their email addresses - but overall the ESF is and remains pretty aimless. As far as we are concerned, we will participate at the ESF - the relatively larger revolutionary left in Turkey will certainly make the forum in Istanbul more exciting - but always emphasize that a revolutionary international organization is needed to turn the diffuse slogan "another world is possible" into a concrete, socialist reality. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3658686,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Globalization | 20.09.2008 Massive Anti-Globalisation Protest Puts Sweden on Alert Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Swedish authorities fear outbreaks of anarchy such as these seen in Rostock in 2008 Some 20,000 anti-globalisation protesters are set to march in Sweden on Saturday in what is expected to be one of the biggest demonstrations ever held in the Scandinavian country, organisers and police said. "This will probably be the biggest demonstration (in Sweden) since the end of World War II," organiser Peter Johansson told reporters at the European Social Forum in the southern Swedish town of Malmo. The four-day forum has requested that police keep a discreet presence at the march, and only a few dozen officers will be visible along the demonstration route, Anders Svensson, who is in charge of protest security, told reporters. "That is one of our demands to police," he said, adding that organisers wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2001 clashes between protesters and officers in the southwestern city of Gothenburg, when 250 people were injured, including three demonstrators shot by police. "We will have a very low profile. We won't have lots of policemen in the streets (but) we will have officers (on call near) the demonstration," Malmoe police spokesman Lars Foerstell told reporters. "We will have plenty of police resources to take care of whatever might happen," he added. The demonstration, titled "Power to the People -- Against Capitalism and Environmental Destruction. Another World is Possible!" will begin in a working class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Malmo. Protesters will then march 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) into the center of town. Calls for independent activists to demonstrate on Friday evening have also been circulating on the Internet. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/405858/cs/1/ Pinochet demonstration precedes violence Australian Herald Saturday 13th September, 2008 In Chile, at least 30 people have been injured and 234 arrested during nationwide demonstrations denouncing the military coup of 1973 that launched the dictatorial regime of Augusto Pinochet. Hooded protesters armed with sticks, stones, Molotov cocktails and firearms set up barricades, set bonfires and threw chains on power lines, knocking out power to some 200,000 people in the capital, Santiago. Officials said a police vehicle was struck by gunfire in the Santiago neighbourhood of Pudahuel, while in the southern district of Hermida, some 200 demonstrators armed with handguns and rifles clashed with security forces. Outside the capital, the most serious incidents occurred in the southern region of Bio Bio, where police arrested two individuals who had barricaded a road and two vehicles were set on fire. The Chilean government, when headed by Pinochet who died in late 2006, was involved in the killing of more than 3,000 people. Nearly 30,000 others were tortured and forced into exile. Chile's National Human Rights Assembly is expecting some 18,000 people to turn out Sunday for a march in Santiago to honour the victims of the military regime. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808250009.html 19 Held Over Weekend Protests in Seoul Police arrested 19 protesters in demonstrations against U.S. beef imports near the Myeongdong Cathedral and Gangnam Subway Station and in Apgujeong-dong on Saturday night and early Sunday. Police said some 250 protesters, most of them members of Agora web forum on portal Daum, rallied from 6 p.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. the following morning, disobeying police order to disperse and shouting slogans such as "Down with Lee Myung-bak!" Separately, another group of about 200 protesters staged guerrilla-style rallies by swiftly moving from one location to another in the Gangnam Subway Station area and Apgujeong-dong from around 7:10 p.m. on Saturday until 2 a.m. on Sunday. Police sprayed protesters with colored water and arrested seven for illegal occupation of roads. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808290026.html Rallies Teem With Professional Protesters An investigation of seven people arrested for throwing bottles of hydrochloric acid at police during a protest near Myeongdong Cathedral on Aug. 9 has revealed that only one of them had a stable job. Another of the seven was an itinerant laborer, and the other five were unemployed. They met during anti-U.S. beef protests in June and formed a group called Passionate Citizens and gave themselves the ranks of ?chairman,? ?advisor,? ?spokesman? and ?marksman.? The spokesman for the group was a homeless man living in a park in Yeoido and used a slingshot to fire ball bearings at police. If arrested, they conspired to make false confessions that they had been instructed to do so by the ruling party or a conservative group. There are professional protesters who appear at each rally, clad in masks and wielding steel pipes as if they had been waiting for such an opportunity. It has been a mystery what kinds of jobs these people had; now the truth is gradually being revealed. On July 26, two riot police were dragged off to Boshingak Pavilion and beaten after being stripped. Police arrested four of the assailants and found that one was a university student, another was an employee at a boarding house, and the remaining two unemployed men in their 20s and 30s. The jobless man in his 30s had been arrested four times for assault at protest rallies since May, but had been released each time. Out of 23 violent protesters who had been arrested at demonstrations, 17 are said to have criminal records. Eight of them had more than five prior convictions. People are even saying that homeless people were no longer spotted in their usual haunts since the mad cow protests escalated. Among the people who drove around in trucks with loudspeakers during the beef protests inciting the public to storm the presidential office were many leading officials of progressive civic groups that were created when pro-North Korean and leftwing factions joined hands. The co-leaders of these civic groups are people who have been rushing to each and every anti-U.S. rally -- over a U.S. firing range, the death of two schoolgirls under an armored U.S. vehicle, and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. In the early stages of the beef protests, there were many people who were genuinely worried that the government had not done its job properly to protect the health of the public. In retrospect, these people with genuine worries were used by anti-U.S. and pro-North Korean factions that planned the protest rallies and by disgruntled homeless and jobless people and ex-convicts who stood in the front lines of the rallies to assault the police. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2894388 Institute owner arrested for protests September 02, 2008 Police yesterday decided to seek a warrant to further detain the 48-year-old president of an educational institute, identified only by the surname Na, on charges of leading dozens of unlawful political protests and throwing stones at police. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced yesterday that they arrested Na early Sunday in Jongno District when he was illegally occupying downtown streets with six other demonstrators during an anti-government rally. Police said that over the past few months, Na has organized 40 protests in central Seoul separately from the main rally organizer, the People?s Conference Against Mad Cow Disease, including a May 24 protest with 200 participants near Gwanghwamun. Na is also suspected of throwing stones into a group of police near Myeongdong Cathedral on Aug. 17, police said. According to police officers, Na has left about 400 posts on Agora, the nation?s largest online forum. His goal was to encourage people, in particular ?the 386 generation,? Koreans who were born in the 1960s and attended college in the 1980s, to appear at the protests against the government?s resumption of imports of U.S. beef and its decision to fire former KBS chief Jung Yun-joo. In the 1980s, many 386ers joined pro-democracy student demonstrations across the country when Korea was under military rule. ?He admitted posting the date and time of protests on the Internet to lead protests,? said a police officer who asked not to be named. ?His purpose is to have President Lee Myung-bak impeached.? He has also promoted the establishment of a militant protest group, police said, consisting of 386ers and former members of a special commando corps, in an effort to keep up the anti-Lee protests. ?A former student activist, Na is now a radical protester,? said the officer. ?He also urged other protesters to participate in the boycott campaign against firms advertising in the nation?s three major conservative newspapers: the JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Dong-A Ilbo.? The reaction on the Internet to Na?s arrest has been mixed. Some said that they will issue a manifesto, claiming such a leader is needed to keep the government in check. Others said that as an educator teaching young students, his actions are unacceptable and deserve to be punished. By Park Sang-woo Staff Reporter [spark at joongang.co.kr] http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/117_31983.html 10-01-2008 17:38 Protesters in Military Uniform Detained By Park Si-soo Staff Reporter Two reserve soldiers, who took part in an anti-U.S. beef import protest in August wearing military uniforms, have been detained for interfering with police officers in the performance of their duties. Gwanak Police Station said Wednesday it had detained two anti-U.S. beef protesters who had spearheaded a group of military style protesters widely called the ``reserve soldier squad'' in a street demonstration, Aug. 30. The ``reserve soldier squad,'' formed by volunteers, served as a human shield between riot police and protesters to prevent possible clashes between the two. Investigators said the two had stolen police officers' two-way radios during the protest in Gwanak, southern Seoul. ``Riot police at the scene said the two had stolen their radios. We also have ample evidence proving their wrongdoings,'' a police officer said. However, the detainees deny the charges. It is unknown whether police will seek warrants to arrest them. In related news, the People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease, which led the country into three months of chaos with candlelit protests, has become crippled in the wake of a government crackdown. Heads of the association have been indicted or fined, while the prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence for the association's secretary general Ahn Jin-gul, Tuesday. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200809/200809260018.html Beef Protests 'Cost W3.75 Trillion' Street protests against the import of the U.S. beef which continued for more than 100 days since May this year led to social costs of some W3.75 trillion (US$1=W1,159), according to a report published by the Korea Economic Research Institute under the Federation of Korean Industries on Thursday. KERI based its research on protests between May 2, the day of the first candlelight vigil, and Aug. 15, the 100th day of the protest, saying the demonstrations created W1.57 trillion of direct costs and W2.69 trillion of indirect costs. According to KERI, the direct damage includes W35.6 billion of production loss from the strikes by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which drew participation of 136,000 workers, W84 million in cost of mobilizing police and subsequent damage to human and material resources to quell demonstrations, W904.2 billion in loss to shops near the sites of demonstrations, W31 billion of losses in advertising profits to major newspapers due to threats to advertisers, and W2.7 billion of losses due to night and morning traffic congestions every day. KERI also analyzed the relationship between economic growth and investment in infrastructure and frequency of street protests between 1990 and 2006, and concluded that social instability created by the street protests led to W1.84 trillion of macroeconomic costs such as decrease in investment and economic growth. The institute said at least two months of delay of various public reforms including privatization of public firms also cost W856.1 billion. According to the National Police Agency, the number of demonstrators in Seoul last year was 736 cases per 1 million inhabitants, distinctly higher than in Paris and Washington D.C., which had 186 and 207. Seoul?s figure is 12.5 times greater than Tokyo?s, which had 59 cases for every 1 million people. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,577656,00.html 09/11/2008 UNWELCOME O2 DEBUT Protesters Crash Berlin Arena's Opening Party By Rachel Nolan in Berlin The German capital put on a big display Wednesday night to herald the opening of its new O2 Arena. But as celebrities gathered inside, protesters clashed with police outside, fearing not only rising rents but also a loss of identity. The latest round in the contest over who controls Berlin -- property developers or residents attached to their low rents -- has been decided. City administrators could not have picked a more sensitive place to approve the construction of a shiny new venue. But, it's now there, dominating an area that straddles the still punky but ever-gentrifying neighborhoods of Kreuzberg in the West and Friedrichshain in the former East Berlin. After two years of construction, the enormous sports and entertainment complex christened the O2 Arena and built to hold 17,000 spectators opened Wednesday night on the banks of Berlin's Spree River. According to Berlin police, about as many protesters showed up for the party as people who attended the black-tie gala inside -- 1,000 on each side. In a speech at the center, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit observed that the arena demonstrated the viability of large projects in the city and voiced his approval that a group led by foreign investors could undertake such a project ?without expecting to draw on state support.? The mayor was referring to the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the American investment consortium that spent ?165 million ($231 million) building 02 World. In a city with ?60 billion of debt, Wowereit?s point is well-taken. Sink the Boat Local fury is mostly reserved for Mediaspree, the municipal urban-renewal group responsible for approving and organizing various developments along the Spree River, including O2 World and the new headquarters of MTV Networks Germany and Universal Music Deutschland. Protests against Mediaspree have simmered all summer, with locals accusing the organization of an array of alleged offenses, including raising rents, promoting gentrification, allowing ugly buildings to be built and spoiling a historical area -- the new arena looks directly onto the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. ?02 World is the core of the entire Spree River area,? Christian Meyer, director of the Mediaspree iniative, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. He objects to the "emotional tenor" of the protesters, who call their group ?Sink Mediaspree.? RELATED SPIEGEL ONLINE LINKS ? Photo Gallery: Protest Rocks the Opening of Berlin's O2 World ? Building Spree: Developers and Dreamers Battle Over Berlin Identity (09/11/2008) The nautical metaphor fits with a number of the monikers that have been given to the new venue, such as ?U-boat? and ?spaceship," and many of the opponents of the bright-blue-roofed building also refer to themselves as "Spree pirates." The LED screen out front displays a continuous loop of advertisements for upcoming events -- Metallica, Coldplay, ice hockey games. Love it or hate it, there's no denying that the structure sticks out in what is still a largely undeveloped, post-industrial space. An editorial in Die Tageszeitung, a left-leaning Berlin daily, called the building the "no name arena," saying it is strange that no architect will take responsibility for a such a landmark in a city obsessed with architecture. "The entertainment UFO has landed," is how Der Tagesspiegel, another Berlin daily, announced the opening. Another issue is the complex's size. The O2 Arena is the second largest in Germany after the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, which also opened to loud protests in 1998. "The protesters call it too big and monstrous," said Meyer. "But the developments help create jobs, and we are leaving niches for riverside bars, for creative and cultural offerings." Opposition to Mediaspree has not been toothless. On Sept. 7, for example, opponents won a local referendum that may help them block future projects. While only 35,000 out of a potential 187,500 voters turned up to cast their votes, a massive 87 percent of them were in favor of massively altering other planned riverside developments. They want the buildings to be built further back from the water and to be drastically smaller. The referendum is not legally binding, but "Sink Mediaspree" has found sympathetic ears among many Berlin politicians. Diverse Protests Protesters arrived at the O2 World opening Wendesday night in two waves. First came those donning high heels, gowns and tuxedos, which clashed with the beat-up bikes they arrived on. Organized by a group called "Hedonism Internationale," they were hoping to be admitted into the event by blending into the crowd. "Not chic enough," one muttered after being turned away. Most demonstrators arrived later after gathering across the river in Kreuzberg and marching toward the arena. Some 600 policemen were there to meet them, cordoning off the road in front of the arena and keeping many away from the building. Riot police kept protesters who slipped through the roadblock at a 300-meter distance from the building. Demonstrators made their point in writing, too, wielding signs saying "Keep the Spree banks open for everyone!" "Against yuppies and investors!" and "Down with capitalism!" ?I?m here because the building is hideous; I hate it,? said a protester who would only identify herself as Anna D. ?My boyfriend is up there protesting because of gentrification, but I just think it?s ugly.? NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday. Anna stood back from the ring of protesters around the front of O2 World, which the police periodically rushed, knocking down some demonstrators in the process. "Tear it down, tear it down," shouted the whistle-blowing protesters. At this distance, the only signs of life to be seen from inside the complex were event-goers who emerged onto the enormous balcony to smoke and point down at the protesters. In the end, the protests only succeeded in delaying the opening by about 30 minutes, and the closing event -- an impressive fireworks display -- went off as planned. Back at the police roadblock after the event, most of the protesters had dispersed, though some remained sitting on the grass drinking beer. A handful of people took advantage of the opportunity to argue with policemen. ?Just let me through, already? said a woman from Kreuzberg, hanging onto the crowd-control barriers. ?I?m moving after a year, anyway.? ?That?s nice,? one policeman responded. ?What do you mean, nice?," the woman answered back. "I can?t afford my apartment, anymore." ?I don?t really understand why all these people, these demonstrators, are standing outside,? said Karl Heitz, a tourist from Nuremberg who had made his way through the roadblock to take photographs of celebrities arriving at the gala. Protesters had been busy all night dropping their pants to moon celebrities and cameramen. ?What can they do?" asked Heitz. "Take it down? It is already there.? In a statement issued after the event, "Sink Mediaspree" representatives accused the police of "disproportionate exercise of violence." In its statement, the police said that 20 of the 600 officers in attendance were injured when a protester broke a bottle filled with acid. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3631060,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Berlin | 09.09.2008 East Berlin Building Project Sparks Protest, Praise Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protests are planned for "O2 World" opening on Wednesday Sep. 10 A controversial development project designed to reshape the River Spree bank in east Berlin opens Wednesday amid weeks of fierce protest. The site cuts through three of Berlin's twelve districts and crosses the border which formerly divided the city into East and West. Projects already realized under the Mediaspree label include futuristic office high rises as well as redeveloped industrial sites. But the drastic change the project has caused to the city's landscape has also aroused fierce protest. One objection is to a large multi-purpose arena accommodating up to 17,000 visitors, which opens on Wednesday Sep. 10 after two years of construction. Local opposition to Spree river building Hans-Christian Stroebele, a Green party member of the Bundestag in Berlin, told the AP news agency that he felt "great sympathy" for the protest initiative "Sink Mediaspree" -- an organization opposed to building projects along the Spree river bank. With its bright blue roof and large LED screen catching the eye from afar, the "O2 World" arena sticks out in an area of what is still a largely undeveloped post-industrial wasteland. The venue and the surrounding 24 hectare-compound is owned by US event company Anschutz Entertainment Group. Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: A computer generated image of the Spreeport complex Critics maintain the arena destroys the character of the district and many have been protesting against the building of "O2 World" and other projects in the area. Some said they would stage another protest at the official opening. Local pressure groups have been lobbying to keep the Spree river banks free from private real estate developments. On Sunday Sep. 7, 35,000 out of 187,500 potential voters cast their votes in a non-legally binding poll and eighty-seven percent were in favor of massive changes to the other Spree river-bank building projects. District mayor remains positive Franz Schulz, Green party member and mayor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg where the arena is located, said that investors, politicians and those opposing the project should get together and seek a negotiated settlement. He also said that the notion of changing the building plans would be very delicate and could incur huge fees in damages. Schultz also leant his praise to the flashy building: "It is an important development engine for the entire district." "The Anschutz project will attract other investors. It has also had a direct effect on the ailing local labor market, providing about 900 jobs," Schulz added. Together with its sponsor, mobile phone operator O2, Anschutz plans to celebrate the completion of the 165 million euro ($235 million) "O2 World" arena with an impressive line up of stars. Metallica, Coldplay and German singer Herbert Groenemeyer will be performing in the coming week. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/116891/Mendiola-closed-off-ahead-of-planned-protest-rally Mendiola closed off ahead of planned protest rally 08/29/2008 | 12:01 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us MANILA, Philippines - Manila police and presidential guards closed off Mendiola Bridge near Malaca?ang before noon Friday, in anticipation of a protest to be staged there by militant students. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that militant students had been planning a protest to call for the repeal of the value-added tax (VAT) on basic commodities. On Thursday, militant groups mounted localized protests calling for the repeal of the VAT and seeking a P125 wage hike. The Manila City government allows rallies in the area only during weekends and holidays. - GMANews.TV http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20080829-157580/Alleged-govt-spies-nabbed-by-protesting-PUP-students Alleged gov?t spies nabbed by protesting PUP students SWAT team blocked from entering school By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net First Posted 15:33:00 08/29/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Youth, Education, Espionage & Intelligence, Police MANILA, Philippines -- Youth activists at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) claimed to have caught four alleged government agents conducting surveillance on a student protest Friday noon. In a phone interview, Ken Ramos, chairman of the youth group Anakbayan, said the protesters first pounced on two men they caught taking pictures of PUP student council chair Krishna Ayuson. Two other men, who tried to sneak out the first two, were also caught. The men, in their late 30s, wore civilian clothes and were allegedly armed, Ramos said. As of posting time, the four have been taken into the custody of the PUP security office, where they are being interrogated by the school administration and student council. However, Ramos said the four have refused to answer questions, not even about their identities. ?They refused to tell their motives for documenting our picket-program. But it is clear from their actions that they intended to spy on and intimidate us,? Ayuson said. Ramos said after the four men were apprehended, 15 members of a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrived at the school but were prevented from entering by the students. An agreement between student activists and the government signed in the 1980s prohibits armed policemen from entering school grounds without the administration's permission. Ramos accused the government for the alleged ?underhanded tactic to stifle student unrest.? ?Surveillance, intimidation and misinformation have always been part of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's arsenal in confronting protesters. These moves are almost always coupled with violence. This dangerous concept in dealing with opposition is now being used in educational institutions. Arroyo is responsible for the seeping fascism in the schools,? he said. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/116728/Militants-stage-protests-in-20-areas-eye-nationwide-revolt Militants stage protests in 20 areas, eye 'nationwide revolt' 08/28/2008 | 08:00 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us MANILA, Philippines - After claiming success in its protests for a P125 wage hike and for the removal of the value-added tax (VAT) Thursday, militant workers are eyeing a "nationwide revolt" if government fails to address their concerns. The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said workers, urban poor and other sectors staged their protests in more than 20 areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. "We not just prepared for metrowide protests, but also for nationwide revolts," said KMU chairman Elmer Labog, in a statement on the KMU website. "The Arroyo government better not be stubborn. This is just a prelude to a nation-wide transport strike we are gearing up for next month if our demands are not met," he added. In the same statement, Labog pointed out the "evident" exploitation of big oil companies that set the prices petroleum products, and that the regime taxes heavily from it. As example, he pointed out that when the world market oil price was $114 on the average last May, the average diesel price for the same month was P44 per liter. For this month of August when oil price is pegged at $114, the price of diesel is at P55 per liter. ?That should already amount to a minimum of P11 instant rollback. We are not yet considering the P12 overprice cost exposed by IBON, and the excessive profiteering of big oil companies. "All the oil cartel's lame arguments have already been debunked. We are expecting a big or substantial rollback in oil prices, and no less," Labog said. Labog also lambasted the recent announcement of the National Wage Board of the effectivity of the P5 Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) adjustment starting Thursday. "If this is the Arroyo regime's way of recognizing the bites of monthly record-breaking rates, of pacifying the people in the anticipated round of increases in the prices of canned goods, vegetables, and other food products, and of evading again the legislated P125 wage increase, we warn her to stop her delusions,"Labog reacted. "The P5 cannot even adjust the 'cost of living,' it's not even par with new minimum jeep fare of P8.50," he added. - GMANews.TV http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/29/stories/2008082954940500.htm Kerala - Kollam KSEB staff protest Staff Reporter KOLLAM: Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) workers under the banner of the INTUC-affiliated Kerala Electricity Employees Confederation observed Thursday as anti-restructuring day. They wanted the government to drop the move to convert the KSEB into a company. The confederation alleged the move was part of a conspiracy to implement the 1008 Lavalin agenda in the KSEB. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/28/stories/2008082859150300.htm Kerala - Kochi KSEB staff plan protest KOCHI: The Kerala Electricity Employees Confederation will organise campaigns before the various circle offices of the Kerala State Electricity Board on Thursday against the decision of the government to convert the KSEB into a company. The Federation has urged the government to reconsider the decision, said a statement issued by P.M. Abdul Lathif, president of the Federation. Aug 28 http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092153520400.htm Kerala KSEB employees? protest ? Photo: S. Gopakumar for a cause: Members of the Kerala Electricity Board Employees Confederation staging a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Saturday in protest against the move to restructure the Kerala State Electricity Board. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092151200300.htm Karnataka - Raichur Devadasis protest against privatisation of project Staff Correspondent Raichur: Members of the district unit of the Karnataka Rajya Devadasi Vimochana Sangha staged a dharna here on Saturday in protest against privatisation of the Devadasi rehabilitation project. They demanded that the Government reserve separate funds for Devadasis while implementing the Amrut Yojana. About 200 activists staged the dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office. H. Padma, president of the district unit of the sangha, said there were 22,000 Devadasis in 22 districts of the State. Most of them led miserable lives owing to lack of proper employment. She said that since last year, the Government had been implementing a subsidised loan scheme and the Amrut Yojana for Devadasis under the Devadasi rehabilitation project of the the Karnataka State Women?s Development Corporation. This had benefited many Devadasis. However, the project had failed to achieve the target set. This had prompted the Government to hand over the project to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Ms. Padma said the handing over of the project to NGOs would lead to exploitation of Devadasis by middlemen and would not help provide social security to them. Ms. Padma said implementation of the Amrut Yojana had not achieved the expected success. The scheme was meant to extend financial assistance with 50 per cent subsidy to poor women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, including Devadasis, so that they could buy cows. Separate provision The Government should make a separate budgetary provision to extend financial assistance exclusively to Devadasis, she demanded. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/blnus/27271020.htm Maharashtra Govt halts work on Dow unit after protests MUMBAI: After followers of the `Warkari' sect in Maharashtra intensified their agitation against Dow Chemical demanding closure of its proposed unit near Pune, the Chief Minister Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh has ordered a month's stay on the project work. Mr Deshmukh, currently on a week-long official visit to Europe, has taken the decision keeping in mind the sentiments of the Warkaris (members of the sect), sources close to him said here. The Government has also decided to appoint a committee headed by a former High Court judge to study the objections to the multi-crore R&D project, the sources said, adding the panel is expected to submit report within a month. The US chemical multinational is the owner of Union Carbide, responsible for the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy in which several thousand people were killed due to the release of 40 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. Dow is trying to build a chemical experimentation facility in Vasuli Shinde village, near Pune, and the project is facing stiff opposition on ground of pollution. In January, angry villagers dug up the road leading to the plant and stopped construction. In July, when the company attempted to restart construction with police protection, Warkaris entered and demolished the construction site. They also staged pro test in Chakan, Alandi and Khed regions of Pune district. The Warkaris, known for their peace loving nature and devotion to Maharashtra's reigning deity Lord Vithoba of Pandharpur, are up in arms against the project over pollution fears. - PTI http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/06/europe/EU-Greece-Protests.php Unions rally against Greece's conservatives The Associated Press Published: September 6, 2008 THESSALONIKI, Greece: More than 10,000 people demonstrated in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Saturday to protest economic reforms. The protest, called by labor unions, was largely peaceful, but a small group of demonstrators damaged a bank with a gasoline bomb and smashed a nearby storefront, police said. Police fired tear gas to disperse the violent protesters. Authorities said 10 demonstrators were arrested. Brief clashes also broke out between two rival protest groups. Police had deployed some 2,000 officers to keep protesters away from an international trade fair, where Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was due to speak on the state of Greece's economy. The annual speech has repeatedly been marred by violence in recent years. Greece's largest unions are pressing a series of demands that include pay hikes, pension reforms and an overhaul of labor rights. Police and firefighting associations were also due to stage rallies, with their members protesting in uniform. "We are expecting the prime minister and the very talkative members of his Cabinet to tell us what will happen with all the low-income pensioners, the unemployed and all of those people who are in danger of losing their jobs," said Yiannis Panagopoulos, leader of Greece's largest labor union, the GSEE. Greece's monthly minimum wage rose to ?701 (US$1,000) on Sept. 1, up from ?680 (US$970). "We must make the changes to transform a generation of (economic) submission into a generation of confrontation," said Alexis Tsipras, head of the small Left Coalition Party, who joined the protesters in Thessaloniki on Saturday. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/230123,more-than-10000-people-rally-to-protest-economy-in-northern.html More than 10,000 people rally to protest economy in northern Greece Posted : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:52:58 GMT Author : DPA Thessaloniki, Greece - More than 10,000 people rallied in the Greek northern port city of Thessaloniki on Saturday to protest the poor state of the economy. The demonstrators marched through the city just as Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was giving an annual speech on the economy and badly needed economic reforms at the site of an international trade fair where 2,000 police where deployed to contain any potential violence. A small group of demonstrators damaged a number of storefront windows and a bank, setting it ablaze with homemade gas cannisters while riot police retaliated by firing tear gas into the crowd. Smaller clashes also broke out between two main rival protest groups. Officials said a dozen demonstrators were arrested. Four people were slightly injured and taken to hospital. http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=6926890&subject=companies&action=article (AFX UK Focus) 2008-10-02 17:02 Greek PM vows to pursue reforms despite protests ATHENS, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vowed on Thursday to press ahead with reforms despite mounting union protests at his privatisation plans for debt-ridden state carrier Olympic Air [OLY.UL]. Hundreds of pilots, dock workers, and employees at other public companies marched on parliament chanting "Elections now!" before a vote to permit the privatisation of Olympic and other state-owned firms. "These reforms will continue, despite the opposition of those with vested interests, who wallowed for decades in stagnation," Karamanlis said after meeting his cabinet. "We have been elected to change things, and this is what we will do." Karamanlis's New Democracy party won re-election to a fresh four-year term a year ago, but faces strong union opposition to its plans to privatise state companies and tighten the rules on labour and social security benefits. The government, which launched a tender this week to sell off Olympic, saw its tenuous grip on parliament weakened on Monday when Karamanlis dismissed a rebel deputy, cutting its presence to 151 seats in the 300-member house. Greece announced last month it would break the loss-making airline into three units and privatise them, ending years of wrangling with the European Commission over illegal state aid. No investors have expressed interest yet. "We will continue fighting until (the minister) withdraws his plan," the head of the Olympic Airways unions (OSPA), Manolis Patestos, told Reuters. The protesters, who promised not to disrupt Olympic flights, said they would meet unions from troubled Alitalia and other European airlines on Wednesday to plan coordinated action. Workers from the transport sector and other state-owned companies will stage a 24-hour strike the same day. New Democracy has fallen behind the opposition Socialists in opinion polls on concern over its handling of the economy. A senior official said on Thursday the government would guarantee all bank deposits, amid reports some savers were withdrawing their funds because of concern over the global financial crisis. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/9/4/melawai-market-traders-protest-against-carrefour-presence/ 09/04/08 00:28 Melawai market traders protest against Carrefour presence Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A group of small retail traders from Pasar Melawai in the Blok M area in south Jakarta demonstrated at the Jakarta City Legislative Council (DPRD DKI) building on Wednesday to protest against the presence of a Carrefour hypermarket in the same building where they are operating. Accompanied by activists of a number of small traders` advocacy organizations, representatives of the traders` group said the Carrefour hypermarket was a threat to their businesses. "We have filed a lawsuit, reported to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU), State Audit Board (BPK) and Commission B of the City Legilsative Council. And they said Carrefour had no permit," said Sujianto, chairman of the Federation of Indonesian Market Traders Organizations ((FOPPI). The Melawai traders said Carrefour had violated a city administration regulation on private marketplace affairs issued in 2002 stipulating that hypermarkets cannot be set up within a distance of less than 2.5 kilometers from a traditional market. "But in Melawai, Carrefour is operating in the same building as small traders who now feel threatened," Sujianto said. Aliman Aat, chairman of the City Legislative Council`s Commission B, who received a delegation of the protesters, said he would check with economic affairs bureau of the city administration whether Carrefour really lacked a permit to operate at Melawai. Meanwhile, the Melawai traders said they would continue to demonstrate at the City Legislative Council building if the city authorities did not revoke the permits of hypermarkets that had violated the 2002 regulation on their proper location.(*) http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/033079.html Anti-bottled water protest held E-mail this page Reader Comments (below) By Noel K. Gallagher Portland Press Herald Staff Writer September 17, 2008 03:40 PM Recent Updates Search on for possible missing boater off Biddeford 10:20 AM Maine film hits number 1 10:02 AM Motorsports Expo today 9:32 AM PORTLAND -- About 50 people turned out for an anti-bottled water protest in Tommy's Park in downtown Portland this afternoon. The protest was mostly aimed at Poland Springs, which has met resistance in several York County towns this summer after proposing possible drilling on town-owned land. Other speakers brought up anti-free-trade sentiments and urged people to drink tap water instead of any bottled water. Anti-bottled water protesters emphasized that Poland Spring is a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America. Its corporate parent is based in Switzerland. Organizer Jamilla El Shafei, of Save our Water, urged people to "say 'no' to the corporate takeover of our natural resources." Poland Springs spokesman Tom Brennan released a statement today saying the company is creating jobs and is environmentally responsible. "To Maine people who know about our economic development in rural parts of the state and our environmental and sustainability practices, these protests just don't make sense" Brennan wrote in an e-mail. Shapleigh resident Mary Taylor told the crowd she was hopeful a water extraction moratorium would be passed at a special town meeting this Saturday. "It seems someone wants to steal that water from us," she said. "I hope we stop them cold. We have to say no to Nestle." Among the speakers' concerns are global water privatization, how much oil is used in the production of plastic bottles and transportation of bottled water, and the quality of bottled water compared to tap water. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/18/europe/EU-Greece-Olympic-Airlines.php Greek airline workers stage protest near runway The Associated Press Published: September 18, 2008 ATHENS, Greece: About 200 Olympic Airlines workers have staged a protest at Athens International Airport to oppose plans to privatize the only fully state-owned airline in the European Union. Airport officials say the demonstration did not disrupt Thursday's flights. The Greek government wants to break up and sell Olympic Airlines and transfer most of its 8,100 staff to public sector jobs. The EU has criticized Greece for breaking competition rules by paying Olympic illegal subsidies. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809180294.html Nigeria: Ijaw, Itsekiri Protest Chevron's Employment Style Daniel Gumm 18 September 2008 The Ijaw-Itsekiri Consultative Forum (IICF), yesterday, in Warri protested Chevron's "unholy employment attitude," to the two nationalities, warning that if the oil giant did not cease their attitude, the forum would have no other option than to "come out largely with our women and children to protest against a system that deprives them the source of living." In a letter to the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited, signed by Collins Eselemo, for the Ijaws, and Hosnana, Jalogho-Williams, for the Itsekiri, made available to Vanguard, the forum called on the management of Chevron to "immediately complete and recruit successful candidates from the 2002 employment process as well as occupation of vacant seats in Warri and Escravos by Itsekiri and Ijaws, who are qualified." The forum also called for immediate absorption of the outstanding successful candidates for the "skill training at Ogere and South Africa, and restoration of the good intentions promoted by Chevron Nigeria Limited earlier but which had taken a clandestine operation by the operations department in CNL, which objective was to reduce few Ijaw and Itsekiri people in Chevron to redundant positions. It called on the oil giant to shun its nationally advertised placement where hundreds/thousands of people apply for short-listing, which placed the Ijaw-Itsekiri graduates disadvantaged in the random selection process because of their small population, advising Chevron to adopt community-based aptitude test for qualified graduates. Besides, the forum also wants Chevron to implement the following demands or face the consequences: *Inclusion and strict adherence to labour law provision(s) as they affect or touch on catchments area employment quota. *A committee of inquiry set up to investigate the employment process of CNL as it affects the Itsekiri and Ijaw. *Immediate recruitment of 600 Itsekiri and Ijaw for direct employment and 2000 contract staffs. *An immediate recommendation made by the commission of inquiry and referred to our body in order to achieve the sustainability of peace and tranquility within the Niger Delta region. It frowned at a situation whereby "it is seen that Chevron is attracting capital flight in its labour entity by absorbing a high percentage of other major ethnic nationalities in its labour force, a situation that gives an opening for our ethnic nationalities to be subsumed." But Chevron's General Manager, Government and Public Affairs, Mr. Femi Odumagbo, reacting from London said the "issue is being addressed to see that the matter is settled amicably." He said his company, Chevron "is targeting community people in the employment policy which has tremendously increased the percentage in employment in key areas such as operations, facility engineering and award of contracts to community contractors which has reduced tension between Chevron and its host communities." Mr. Odumagbo added that Chevron would continue to do its best to ensure that people were given sufficient opportunity as far as employment policy was concerned. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809291220.html Ghana: Farmers Protest Signing of EPAs Selorm Amevor 29 September 2008 Asutsuare ? Ghanaian farmers have added their voice to the call on government to desist from signing on to the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which is expected to top the agenda at the 6th Summit of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries which begins tomorrow, Tuesday, September 30 and ends Friday, October 3. Currently, the government has initialed the EPAs light despite calls from the Ghana Trade Union Congress (GTUC), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and other bodies urging it not to sign the agreements due to the dire consequences they will have on the agricultural sector and other sectors of the economy. According to tomatoe and rice farmers in the Eastern and Central Regions, if government signs on to the EPAs it would lead to the total collapse of the agricultural sector which is the backbone of the economy. During a two-day tour of Asutsuare in the Eastern Region and Okyereko in the Central Region, the farmers who are likely to be the worst hit by the EPAs, indicated through their representatives that with the current deplorable state of the Ghanaian farmer it was impossible for them to compete with their European partners. The Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC) organized the tour as part of its efforts to have a first hand assessment of governments' policy of banning imported tomato paste and the institutional purchase of local rice and poultry which was introduced last year and the likely negative impact of the EPAs on these policies should it come into force. Mr. Jacob Kwabla Kpodo, on behalf of tomato farmers at Ada, highlighted the numerous challenges affecting the cultivation of tomatoes in the country which include the lack of access routes to their farms, their inability to purchase modern equipment to meet current trends, difficulty in accessing loans from banks as well problems associated with the marketing of their products. He said that with all these challenges bedeviling the Ghanaian farmer, and government's lack of commitment to salvage the situation, the signing of the EPAs would have a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the ordinary farmer and their family. Mr. Kpodo indicated that the government's decision to ban the importation of tomato paste from November 1 of last year led to an increase in their yields, accessed new variety of tomato seeds, got a ready market for their products and also witnessed an increase in youth involvement the production of tomatoes. According to him, instead of government signing on to the EPAs, it should rather renovate the many tomatoes factories across the country and make efforts in putting up new ones. "We do not have the factories that would help us package our tomatoes to meet international standards so any effort to open up our markets to the international world will mean an unfair competition," he added. Mr. Elvis Donkor, Administrative Secretary of the Asutsuare Co-operative Society, in his presentation commended the government for the introduction of the institutional purchase of local rice and poultry. He indicated that the introduction of the policy made it possible for rice farmers in the country to get a ready market for their produce and this led to increases in their yields. Mr. Donkor said that if government signs on to the EPAs it would mean that both international and local producers would have a level playing field when it comes to the issue of institutional purchase of rice. In addition, he said that that instead of government reducing taxes on rice importation, it should maintain or even increase them and use the taxes to support the local industry. Ms. Mary Lee, a rice farmer, said that any attempt by government to sign on to the EPAs would mean creating jobs for those in the outside world while Ghanaians would become more unemployed because of the likely influx of products from outside. She urged the government not to consider the immediate benefits of financial assistance that would come to it because it signed on to the agreement but then the consequences such a policy would have on the agricultural sector. At Okyereko, the Vice President of the Okyereko Co-operative Society, Mr. Emmanuel Amoak, called on the government to seek the interest of the Ghanaian farmer and not that of donor countries who would always want the best for their country. He indicated that whereas it costs the Ghanaian farmer about $450 to get produce a tonne of rice, a farmer in Europe spends about $275 on the same tonne because of subsidy from their governments. The Coordinator of the GTLC, Mr. Ibrahim Akilbila, said that the two-policy initiative by government was an indication that it has the strength to introduce policies that would be beneficial to the Ghanaian. He, however, said that since the government introduced the two policies efforts to get the modalities spelt out have been very difficult although they were hopeful of getting a positive reply soon. Touching on the EPAs, he said that although the government has initialed the EPAs light it was not an indication that it would sign on to the real EPAs. Mr. Akilbila said that the agreement places the country against powerful and developed partners whose enterprises and industries would be treated like Ghanaian companies. "The agreement ensures that Ghana cannot use tariffs as a development tool with one of its biggest trading partners to advance the development of the country thus the use of government procurement to support sectors to grow is under treat in the EPAs, he said. He said that to drum home their message to government the Coalition and other partners would organize a demonstration today to the Ministry of Trade and Industry where they would present a petition to government on the stands of farmers. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/street-art-protest-pixacao-gallery-grafitti-attack Pixacao Protests [Edit] Graffiti Artists Deface Street Art Exhibit In protest against the marketing, institutionalization and domestication of street art, 30 members of a graffiti art movement known as ?pixacao? stormed into a Brazilian gallery brandishing spray cans and defaced the entire collection of paintings by well-known street artists that were on display. The attack caused almost $10,000 worth of damage. The Choque Gallery in Sao Paulo, Brazil specializes in promoting new art forms, and has displayed work by graffiti artists, tattoo artists, graphic designers and illustrators since 2004. The pixacao protests are adding fuel to the ongoing debate about whether or not street art should be shown in galleries. The choque gallery attack is the latest and perhaps the most high profile incident where pixacao have tried to make their voice heard. (designboom) http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/09/22/1243743afe8c Group set to defy council over food tax protest Updated at 1:25pm on 22 September 2008 A group campaigning for the removal of a tax on food says it plans to defy Whangarei District Council and use a city mall to display its petition. The Residents' Action Movement has organised what it calls a people's procession and is making its way to Parliament in Wellington. The convoy expects to arrive in Whangarei about about midday on Tuesday. The council has refused to let the group use the Cameron Street Mall for its anti-GST campaign, because it sees it as a political event. Organiser Vaughan Gunson says the council's decision is ridiculous and mall is the major public space in Whangarei. The council says the group could be liable for a hefty fine if it goes ahead. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/32540449.html Kids protest proposed Church?s Chicken, citing health reasons By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Sep. 12, 2008 A group of neighborhood kids carrying signs and chanting, ?No more chicken; we want healthy choices,? led a vigil Thursday night at the proposed site of a Church?s Chicken restaurant on Milwaukee?s north side. The peaceful demonstration, billed as ?a vigil to stand for the health of a community,? drew about 60 people, including neighborhood residents, members of area groups that promote eating healthful foods, two physicians and 16 kids who marched from their nearby Neu Life Community Center after-school program a few blocks away. The kids, ages 7 through 17, chose to participate, made signs and came up with cheers to support the cause, said program director Jody Rhodes. Another 40 kids from the program decided they want a fried chicken restaurant at the site, 1635 W. North Ave., and stayed behind at the community center. ?The other kids noted it would bring jobs and said they love chicken,? Rhodes said. ?We?ve been talking about this for a few days now, and it?s been quite a conversation.? The vigil was organized by Walnut Way Conservation Corp., a nonprofit group that coordinates neighborhood betterment projects, including several community vegetable gardens ? one of which is on the other side of a fence from the site of the proposed Church?s Chicken. The site has housed several other fried chicken restaurants in the past. It has been vacant about a year. The proposed Church?s would be the third fried chicken restaurant within a 10-block stretch of North Ave., and opponents contend the neighborhood already is saturated with fast food. The city?s Board of Zoning Appeals is expected to take action on the restaurant proposal at its meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. ?I think it?s important that communities are healthy and safe,? said Stephen Hargarten, chief of emergency medicine at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. He attended the vigil with Linda Meurer, a physician and associate professor of family and community medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. ?We want to be a district of change,? said organizer Sharon Adams, co-founder of Walnut Way Conservation Corp. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/sep/11/yehey/prov/20080911pro5.html Thursday, September 11 2008 Fear grips residents protesting poultry farm in Nueva Ecija village CABANATUAN CITY: Fear grips residents of a lowly Nueva Ecija village after some 200 people holding a vigil in protest of the continuous operation of five poultry farms where allegedly fired at over the weekend by armed men in fatigue uniforms, village officials said on Monday. The shots reportedly came from the compound near the poultry houses of Hazel Navarro in Barangay Cabu, Cabanatuan City. Navarro is a chicken grower whose harvest was being barred by the people camped out along the barangay road. Navarro herself claimed bullets that came from nowhere hit her house. Alfredo Talania, barangay coun?cilor, said over 200 villagers were lying on the roadside when the shots, said to be from an automatic firearm, were heard. While the protesters believed the gunshots were intended to scare them off, they chose to stay put. On the fourth day of protest on Monday, several armed men in fatigue uniform emerged from the eastern side of the road and demanded for people to let container trucks pass to ferry the chickens from Navarro?s farm. ?They were brandishing long firearms, dressed in fatigue uniform but without nameplates,? one protester said, adding that the men then refused to identify themselves when asked by the residents. Supt. Eliseo Cruz, city police chief, said the situation somehow subsided on Monday afternoon when Navarro signed an agreement with the leaders of the protesting residents that until such time that a memorandum of agreement for a permanent solution is reached, she will not load the birdhouse with anymore chicks. Another meeting has been set on October 1. Earlier, Cruz deployed a team from the Special Weapons and Tactics unit and two mobile patrols to the village as barangay officials expressed alarm over the alleged firing of guns on the villagers who held a vigil in protest of the operation of poultry farms in the area. The residents held the vigil to protest the perceived continuous operation of Navarro?s farm despite pending talks for a proposed memorandum of agreement at the Sanggu?niang Panlungsod. Bara?ngay officials have proposed that the agreement include provisions for improved sanitation and for workers who usually come from far place to register. Cruz said the agreement signed between Magtalas? group and Navarro opens for a long-term solution. ?Now they can talk about long term solution,? he said. The residents are keeping their fingers crossed until the city government and concerned agencies rule on their petition. -- Armand M. Galang http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=9113003 Local bailout protesters cited for vandalism Posted: Oct 2, 2008 05:24 PM Updated: Oct 7, 2008 07:02 PM Posted by Rachel Folz- email EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE)- Some local bailout protestors were cited by police for drawing on the sidewalk. It happened in front of Rep Brad Ellsworth's office in downtown Evansville. According to the police affidavit, the protestors wrote slogans on the sidewalk and drew pictures on the walls in chalk. The fire department was called to clean up the mess. http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=9109933 Tri-Staters protest Ellsworth's bailout vote Posted: Oct 2, 2008 03:57 AM Updated: Oct 7, 2008 07:02 PM By Nathan Ryder - bio | email Posted by Mike Mardis - email EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - The House of Represenatives will likely vote on the Senate version of the bailout plan Friday. Opposition to a federal bailout spilled onto the sidewalk Wednesday evening in Evansville. The protest in front of Representative Brad Ellsworth's downtown office was in response to his 'yes' vote on the government's financial bailout plan. Within about an hour of starting, the group doubled, attracting the attention of drivers passing by. "They only come past for one or two seconds, but it's long enough for them to be able to see the sign and know that's the way they feel," Phil Schmitt, protester said. There were honking horns in support of a protest in downtown Evansville from people upset over Ellsworth's vote on Monday's financial bailout package. "We're against this vote," Schmitt said. "He's been good on some things I suppose. He's just like any politician. He tries to walk the line." Schmitt organized the non-partisan protest because he and several other people feel a bailout is a bad idea. "They've been trying to frame this bailout plan with new terminology like "a rescue plan" and I don't see it that way," Schmitt said. "Every time they come to the rescue, things seem to get worse." Ellsworth, on the road back to Evansville, said he understands how they fell. "Everybody should be mad we're in this situation," Ellsworth said. He said when the bailout plan first emerged, it was something he was against. "Originally, I would have voted 'no,'" Ellsworth said. "But after this was negotiated with the protections in place for the good decision makers, the average Joe on the streets of Evansville in the 8th district, then it was something I could support." Ellsworth said he'd still vote 'yes' on the plan that came before him on Monday, but protestors hope the newest plan coming out of the Senate will change Ellsworth's tune. "We hope that he will change his vote to 'no,'" Schmitt said. Ellsworth was returning to Evansville after attending an event in Terre Haute. He said Thursday he will fly back to Capitol Hill and begin reviewing the plan put together by the Senate Wednesday night. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/412057/cs/1/ US bailout fuels protests in streets, online Australian Herald Sunday 28th September, 2008 (IANS) Even as lawmakers laboured to break the impasse on Bush administration's $700 billion plan to rescue giant Wall Street firms to solve the financial crisis, the bailout has spontaneously inspired street protests in the US and outrage gone viral across the web. Protesters argue that they would want the Congress to protect millions of ordinary American citizens on the verge of losing their homes due to poor lending practices of creditors instead of handing out public money to big investment companies responsible for ruining the economy in the first place. An Indian American, Arun Gupta, too was enraged on learning the details of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's bailout plan with taxpayer funds. Publisher of an alternative newspaper, The Indypendent, he sent an e-mail to some politically active friends in New York, which resulted in protests against the bailout in New York and at scores of other locations in the country Sep 25. 'I couldn't sit back while this plan gets rammed through Congress,' Gupta was quoted in the media as saying. He now works with the online group, truemajority.org, and is expecting hundreds to join a novel protest planned near Wall Street in Manhattan. Protesters intend building a pile of 'citizen junk' that the government should also purchase in front of the iconic bull sculpture. Besides street protests, the Internet is now the site of numerous petitions, debates bordering on rants, and satire about the treasury secretary's plan and its potential consequences. Vociferous critics spanning the political and ideological spectrum in the country demand that Congress amend, scale back, or scrap the plan altogether. Much of online rage takes the form of signatures on petitions and electronic letters to members of Congress. One Independent Senator, Bernie Sanders, is circulating a popular one on the left-leaning blog Huffington Post. The 1.9-million member Service Employees International Union is also circulating a sign-on letter to Congress that says point blank: 'No deal. No blank check.' Another website, StopTheHousingBailout.com argues: 'A bailout tells responsible Americans that they are suckers.' A right-wing blogger urges Republicans to vote against the bailout, since 'God himself couldn't have given rank-and-file Republicans a better opportunity to create political space between themselves and the administration'. Biting satire is the way of buymyshitpile.com, where users are posting pictures of their personal junk next to the tagline: 'Hey Washington, can you buy my bad investments, too?' The total asking price of the 'pile' submitted by users-which includes horse shit, baseball card collection, and an 'Immagrent', has crossed $7 billion as of Saturday. Social networking sites are not immune to the new virus. The Facebook group 'Just Say No to the Government Bailout' has over 300 members now. On YouTube, there is a bailout-related group called the Young Turks, whose news-style segment, 'This Is How The Bail Out Will Screw You', has had more than 25,000 page views. 'The public outrage out there is really enormous,' said Independent presidential candidate and populist consumer advocate Ralph Nader on a TV programme, calling the Bush proposal 'a double standard between the guys at the top and the people who are going to have to pay the bills'. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/protests_1009/ Bailout plans spark nationwide protests By Betsey Piette Published Oct 1, 2008 3:55 PM Detroit WW photo: Alan Pollock In the week since Bush announced plans to use $700 billion in public funds to rescue Wall Street banks, nearly 200 demonstrations have been organized throughout the U.S. to oppose the bailout and express the righteous anger of workers and poor. Many were organized by grassroots groups taking advantage of the Internet to get the word out. In addition, tens of thousands of protest e-mail messages have been sent to Congress members, many demanding that any taxpayer funds go instead to assist homeowners facing foreclosures or to provide assistance to the millions unemployed. Opinion polls reported opposition to the bailout running at more than 85 percent. Detroit WW photo: Alan Pollock Some protests involved anti-war activists who characterized the current economic crisis as a war against the workers at home and linked it to the $2 trillion already spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and threats of new war against Iran. The mood was angry and militant in Baltimore, Md., where more than 200 people came out on a day?s notice for a rally at the Federal Reserve Bank organized by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council. Larry Holmes, NYC. WW photo: G. Dunkel As congressional leaders negotiated with the Bush administration in Washington, D.C., 150 homeless advocates and community activists protested the city?s effort to shut down the Franklin School homeless shelter?the kind of program that will get the ax if the bailout goes through. Speakers made the connection between the city?s plan to close a facility that now houses people who lost homes through mortgage foreclosures, and the twisted priorities of a system that volunteers taxpayers? money to Wall Street millionaires. Chanting ?Main Street first? and carrying signs and colorful umbrellas, a few hundred protesters also marched in front of the White House in the rain to demand the rejection of Treasury Secretary Paulson?s Wall Street bailout plan. Joyce Chediac WW photo: G. Dunkel About 20 people gathered on a busy intersection in Tucson, Ariz., holding signs demanding ?Foreclose the war?not our homes!? and ?No to endless war and banker bailouts!? The protesters were met with enthusiastic responses of raised fists, victory signs and horn honks of approval. Drivers rolled down their windows to take leaflets. The linking of the war drive with the attacks on workers seemed to resonate with everyone. NAU Peace and Justice in Flagstaff, Ariz., held a march and rally of about 110 people to address the imminent war with Iran and to express opposition to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Tucson, Ariz. Photo : Paul Teitelbaum Outside the federal building in Philadelphia, several youth from Students for a Democratic Society and Fight Imperialism, Stand Together joined other anti-war and union activists to voice opposition to the bailout and the war spending. FIST members Tyneisha Bowens and Miya X led chants and talked about what the bailout will cost in terms of program cuts, jobs lost and the heavy impact on women and people of color. SDS members Alex Grosskurgh and Jeff Rousset called on the government to bail out youth unable to pay off student loans. Raleigh, N.C. WW photo: Peter Gilbert Protest signs included cardboard $700,000,000,000 checks depicting the money Bush wants workers to give over to rich bankers. Among those who stopped to sign a petition to stop the bankers? bailout were a woman who faced foreclosure on her home of 17 years and a homeless Vietnam veteran. Several bus drivers honked their horns in support and opened their doors to get fliers. Two busloads of teenagers passing by all gave the fist and thumbs-up signs to the demonstration. Flagstaff, Ariz. Photo : NAU Peace and Justice In Detroit, City Council President Monica Conyers and Councilmember JoAnn Watson held a joint press conference under the theme, ?No bailout for banks and CEOs without bailout assistance for homeowners.? Earlier in the week, the Detroit City Council passed a resolution demanding Congress bail out victims of the housing and mortgage crisis by enacting a two-year moratorium on home foreclosures. In Seattle, several dozen people protested at the federal building while others gathered at the headquarters of Washington Mutual, the savings and loan seized late last week by the government and sold off to JP Morgan Chase. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/36345 Redistributing the Wealth - National Protests Erupt Over Bailout Plan Submitted by Chip on Sat, 2008-09-27 11:19. ? Congress ? Criminal Prosecution ? Elections ? Evidence ? General Discussion ? Impeachment ? Nonviolent Resistance ? Organizing Locally National Protests Erupt Over Bailout Plan by Haider Rizvi | InterPressService NEW YORK - The George W. Bush administration's plan to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to rescue giant Wall Street firms from their current financial meltdown has unleashed a spontaneous wave of protests across the United States. Protesters said they want the Congress to protect millions of U.S. citizens who are on the verge of losing their homes due to bad lending practices of creditors instead of doling out public money to big investment firms responsible for ruining the economy. "People are up in arms about this," Matt Holland of the TrueMajority.org, an advocacy group comprising 700,000 members that played a major role in organising the protests, told IPS. "Our members are livid. They're hitting the streets." According to the group, thousands of people in more than 190 cities and towns across the country took part in demonstrations against the corporate bailout bill proposed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson last Friday. The four-page draft bill, which is currently under discussion on Capitol Hill, did not initially require any legal and financial measures to protect homeowners from possible foreclosures, nor did it put any limits on the salaries of the corporate executives -- although legislators say that has since been amended. On Thursday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers declared they were close to reaching a deal on a modified version of the bill, but still there was no indication if it would pass the Senate and the House. "While many are focused on providing relief to the Wall Street, millions of homeowners are at risk of being left behind," said Janet Murgula, president of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group. To Murgula, "it is irresponsible public policy to ask taxpayers to foot the bill for a Wall Street rescue package while simultaneously denying them a sustainable response to the devastation the rising foreclosures rate is having throughout the country." Independent presidential candidate and populist consumer advocate Ralph Nader agrees. "The public outrage out there is really enormous," he said in an interview with the left-wing television programme Democracy Now!, calling the Bush proposal "a double standard between the guys at the top and the people who are going to have to pay the bills." But President Bush does not think there is anything thing wrong with his proposal. "I understand there's a lot of nervousness, and -- but the economy is growing, productivity is high, trade's up," he said in a televised speech Wednesday. "People are working. It's not as good as we would like, but -- and to the extent that we find weakness, we'll move." To Nader, there is no logic in Bush's remarks. "I mean, look at all his statements: this could do this, this would do that, farms failing, small business, tada, tada," he said. "The first question we have to ask as citizens is: why is there a need for a bailout? "If there is a need for a bailout, why 700 billion dollars?" he asked. "If there is a need for a bailout, what kind of bailout? Taxpayer equity? So the taxpayer can recover if these companies make a profit, they can recover surplus." On Thursday, at the invitation of President Bush, both presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain attended a meeting at the White House to discuss the current financial crisis facing the Wall Street. However, it remains unclear to what extent they agreed on the Paulson bill. Latest reports from Hill suggest that members of the both political parties on the legislative committee on banking agreed to put limits on the pay of corporate executives, but there was no news about protection for vulnerable low-income homeowners. While proposals continue to evolve and be debated, according to NCLR, a pro-homeowner package must include a model for the broad, systematic modification of failing mortgages, which is the best way to keep working families in their homes. "Unless we respond to the needs of millions of struggling homeowners," said NCLR's Murgula, "a rising inventory of foreclosed homes will continue to overload the market, pushing housing prices down even further." http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=100312 Local Group Protests Economic Bailout By Reed Parker 9/25/2008 The proposed economic bailout was protested today in Indianapolis. Members of Central indiana Jobs With Justice gathered outside the offices of Senators Lugar and Bayh to let them know they need to be responsible with the current economic situation. Protest organizer Allison Luthe says the non-partisan group opposes a bailout altogether. They want Congress to tighten oversight and regulations of financial institutions, protect homeowners, limit CEO compensation and hold Wall Street accountable. Luthe says its not a partisan problem, and all people should come together for the right solution. http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/26/content_10114499.htm Protesters rally in New York against bailout Several hundred protesters yelled their enthusiastic support outside the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday as union leaders decried a proposed $700 billion plan aimed at reinvigorating the credit markets by relieving financial institutions of distressed debt.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) http://www.clickorlando.com/money/17575023/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=news Homeowner Flies Upside-Down American Flag To Protest Economy POSTED: Sunday, September 28, 2008 UPDATED: 5:09 pm EDT September 29, 2008 ? "The government needs to get upright," Welsh. "I'm in distress. Everyone is in distress." ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A large upside-down American flag is being flown at a Central Florida home until the economy improves. Kevin Welsh, who lives near Rosemont in Orange County, said he's flying the upside-down flag because too many people are suffering financially. Welsh lost his job and may soon lose his home to foreclosure, Local 6 reported. The flag is a call of distress and a symbol of a broken government, Welsh said. "The government needs to get upright," Welsh. "I'm in distress. Everyone is in distress." A neighbor and war veteran said he is outraged over the upside-down flag. "It hurts because you've been over there fighting for something and you have somebody else who is using it for a different meaning than freedom," the neighbor said. "The government has got to do something," Welsh said. "The government is not even taking care of our guys coming back." Welsh said he has no plans to take down the flag in the future. He also claimed that the he is not attacking the troops serving overseas, it is only his statement on the current affairs of the American government. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story. http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-sep2508-idaho_bailout_protest.af5806ea.html Idahoans protest Bush's bailout plan 04:46 PM MDT on Thursday, September 25, 2008 KTVB KTVB A group of protesters rallied in Downtown Boise to voice their opposition to the president's $700 billion bailout plan. BOISE -- Many Idahoans don't agree with President Bush's bailout plan and some are making their voices heard in Downtown Boise. Members of United Action for Idaho are protesting to show their staunch opposition to the bailout plan. Members of the group call the plan dangerous and are organizing a national day of protest. Other people participating in today?s protest include unions and some online organizations such as Democracy for America and TrueMajority.org. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 20:42:01 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:42:01 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-racist protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA87589.8080808@tesco.net> Anti-fascism * GERMANY: Cologne - Islamophobe event smashed by anti-fascists * GERMANY: Altenburg - Nazi rally met with protests Anti-racism and immigrant rights * ITALY: Rome - Immigrants protest murder of six Africans, smash stores * SPAIN: Immigrants battle police after suspicious death * UK: Unrest over police repression at Notting Hill Carnival * UGANDA: Relatives protest bogus terror detentions * ARMENIA: Turkish PM visit sparks protests over genocide * SUDAN: Clashes as soldiers invade refugee camp, up to 27 killed * US: Los Angeles - immigrant rights activists stage fast * US: Arizona - racist sheriff Arpaio faces protest at meeting * US: Atlantic City - Black Panther protest at jazz festival * EAST TIMOR: Internal refugees protest for right to return * UK: Protest demands "hands off Kurdish refugees" * US: Murder of Mexican prompts nationwide protests * US: Los Angeles - Korean-Americans protest golf club racism * UK: Protests against attacks on Roma in Italy * UK: Gurkha justice protest * UK/NIGERIA: Protests against BA continue * UK: Cardiff borders office targeted Religious minorities * INDIA: Orissa and nationwide - wave of protests against anti-Christian pogrom In Mangalore, protesters battle police Protests also reach the UN in New York * US: Sikh protests over prisoner haircut * INDIA: Muslims protest Mohammed cartoon, police harassment, idol in mosque * KOREA: Buddhists protest against pro-Christian bias; monk self-harms in protest * ISRAEL: Modern Orthodox protest haredi "discrimination" * US: Colorado, Greeley - Muslim workers fired for protesting discrimination * US: Oregon, Portland - protest over anti-Muslim DVD * INDIA: Haryana - Sikhs protest for local governing body * INDIA: Kakkivadanpatti - week-long temple occupation over right to worship * INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Cuddalore - Muslim protesters demand compensation for accident http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=153730 Anti-mosque nationalists protested in Germany A left-wing protester demonstrates against an anti-Islamization congress, organized by ?Pro Koeln.? Protesters disrupted the opening of an "anti-Islamification" conference Friday organized by a right-wing German nationalist group that opposes the building of a large new mosque. Some 100 protesters gathered outside city hall in Cologne's borough of Rodenkirchen to prevent two leaders of the Pro-Cologne movement from entering the building where they were to hold a news conference. Police moved in to build a protective ring around the two men, amid shouts of "Shame on you!" and "Get lost!" from the angry crowd. The nationalists were turned away at the door by a city official on orders from the mayor. The group then sought refuge on a boat floating on the Rhine River, scrambling aboard with several journalists as protesters pelted the side of it with stones and paintballs. Six people were arrested after the scuffle that left several windows broken, but no one was injured, police said. About 500 largely peaceful protesters also built a human chain around a nearby site where the city has approved the building of a large, domed mosque _ complete with two 55-meter-tall minarets _ in the city's heavily immigrant Ehrenfeld district. Construction is to begin by the end of the year. Pro-Cologne had billed its three-day conference as an attempt to build a "European, patriotic, populist right-wing movement" and invited members of nationalist parties from other European nations to attend. The conference is to include a demonstration against the mosque on Saturday, and police say they expect several hundred nationalist supporters to attend, along with up to 10 times as many counter-demonstrators. "We believe that such an event organized by populists and extremists in Cologne as damaging to the good cooperation between the city and its Muslim citizens," Gabriele Hermani, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, said at a regularly scheduled news conference in Berlin. Armin Laschert, the minister for integration in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Cologne is located, noted that the hundreds of counter-demonstrators reflected citizens' disapproval of Pro-Cologne. "They are not a citizens' movement, it is a far-right group," Laschert said. About 1 million people live in Cologne, more than 36 percent of them Turks or of Turkish descent. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27972 Clashes at start of Islamophobic congress Right wing Islamophobic demonstrators clash with leftist anti-fascist protesters over Muslim mosque in Cologne. COLOGNE - Demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed Friday at the start of an "anti-Islamification congress" in Cologne, where city fathers have approved plans for one of Europe's biggest mosques. The two-day event is organised by members of the far-right group Pro-Koeln (For Cologne), who were countered by leftist activists. Scuffles also broke out between the two groups, police said. Counter-demonstrators carried signs with slogans, including "Stop the Nazi Congress -- Stop Pro Koeln" and ?Never again fascism!" A few scuffled with the right-wing organisers. Six leftist protesters and a right-winger were taken into police custody. Mayor Fritz Schramma, whose city council gave the green light for the construction of the huge mosques, slammed Pro Koeln as "arsonists and racists" hiding under the cloak of a "citizens' movement" in a speech earlier Saturday. Cologne is in the west of Germany on the River Rhine. Pro-Koeln hopes 1,500 people will attend the high point of the congress -- a rally in the city centre to oppose the mosque. It is to start at midday (1000 GMT) Saturday. Those attending the congress -- including far-right leaders from Belgium, Austria and Italy ? say they want to protect Europe's "shared, thousand-year history" and "Christian traditions". A spokeswoman for the German interior ministry criticised the event Friday, calling Pro Koeln an "extremist" group that aimed to undermine good relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. "A sweeping condemnation of an entire world religion to which nearly 16 million people belong in the EU alone is extremely out of place," added the religion spokesman for the liberal Free Democrats' parliamentary group, Hans-Michael Goldmann. Counter-demonstrations were called by trade unions, some churches and anti-racist movements and were expected to attract between 40,000 and 60,000 people. Several hundred opponents of the congress formed a human chain around a mosque in solidarity with the Muslim minority, which numbers more than three million in Germany, or four percent of the population. First Published 2008-09-20 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7627047.stm Saturday, 20 September 2008 15:13 UK Street clashes erupt in Germany Left-wing protesters set fire to barricades in clashes with police Thousands of left-wing demonstrators gathered to protest against an extreme right-wing rally have clashed with police in the German city of Cologne. Police said about 3,000 protesters threw stones at officers, while some tried to steal their weapons. Violence erupted after the protesters tried to halt an "anti-Islamification" rally, which police eventually banned. The extreme-right Pro-Koeln group had sought to protest against plans to build one of Europe's biggest mosques. The police said the decision to ban the rally was a matter of public safety. 'Immigrant invasion' Some 3,000 police had been drafted in and part of the old city was sealed off as authorities appealed for peaceful protests against a two-day congress called by the Pro-Koeln (Pro-Cologne) group. The mosque is not due to be completed until 2009 Pro-Koeln had hoped 1,500 people would attend the rally in the city centre to oppose the mosque and what they say is an "immigrant invasion" of Europe. The municipal council has approved the building of the domed mosque, which will have two 55m (177ft) minarets, in the city's heavily immigrant Ehrenfeld district. Far-right leaders from Belgium, Austria and Italy had come to the city for the congress. It was due to culminate in a rally against "Islamification" and in support of Europe's "shared, 1,000-year history" and "Western values and Christian traditions". Earlier, the leftist demonstrators blocked two Pro-Koeln leaders from entering the conference venue, pursuing them as they sought refuge on a boat. Police say they responded with batons after left-wing protesters set fire to barricades. In a speech earlier on Saturday, Cologne Mayor Fritz Schramma labelled Pro-Koeln "arsonists and racists" hiding under the cloak of a "citizens' movement". Germany is home to three million Muslims, who make up 4% of the population. http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/20/rss.htm#e4 Protesters block anti-mosque rally in Germany COLOGNE: Protesters throwing stones and paintballs disrupted the opening of an 'anti-Islamification' conference Friday organized by a right-wing German nationalist group that opposes the building a large new mosque. Some 100 protesters gathered outside city hall in Cologne's borough of Rodenkirchen to prevent two leaders of the Pro-Cologne movement from entering the building where they were to hold a news conference. (Posted @ 04:07 PST) http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3658135,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf 19.09.2008 | 21:00 UTC Cologne - protest against far-right In the German city of Cologne counter-demonstrators have interrupted the start of a far-right conference by forcing its organisers to stay put on a cruise boat on the river Rhine for hours. Police arrested eight demonstrators who threw stones and paint projectiles. They also barred the far-right from a bus tour of Cologne's multi-ethnic neighbourhoods. Government and church officials have condemned the so-called "anti-Islamisation" weekend congress. The far-right group calling itself "Pro-K?ln" plans a rally on Saturday against the building of a large new mosque. Police say they expect up to 40,000 counter-demonstrators. On Friday the integration minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state Armin Laschet joined hundreds of pro-mosque sympathisers outside an existing Turkish mosque in Cologne's suburb of Ehrenfeld. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3660404,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf 21.09.2008 | 12:00 UTC 500 detained in protests against German anti-Islam congress German police say they arrested 500 people after violent protests by leftists against a far-right rally in the western city of Cologne. Police said most of the estimated 40,000 anti-right protesters had been peaceful. The street battles came on the sidelines of a two-day congress organised by right-wing extremists, on the purportedly growing dominance of Europe's Muslim minority and the construction of one of Europe's largest mosques in Cologne. Left-wing protests forced the cancellation of a planned rally on Saturday by the right wing group calling itself Pro-Koeln. Meanwhile, around 150 bars in Cologne stopped selling to Pro-Koeln members. Some taxi and bus drivers also refused to take delegates to the congress. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=153730 Anti-mosque nationalists protested in Germany A left-wing protester demonstrates against an anti-Islamization congress, organized by ?Pro Koeln.? Protesters disrupted the opening of an "anti-Islamification" conference Friday organized by a right-wing German nationalist group that opposes the building of a large new mosque. Some 100 protesters gathered outside city hall in Cologne's borough of Rodenkirchen to prevent two leaders of the Pro-Cologne movement from entering the building where they were to hold a news conference. Police moved in to build a protective ring around the two men, amid shouts of "Shame on you!" and "Get lost!" from the angry crowd. The nationalists were turned away at the door by a city official on orders from the mayor. The group then sought refuge on a boat floating on the Rhine River, scrambling aboard with several journalists as protesters pelted the side of it with stones and paintballs. Six people were arrested after the scuffle that left several windows broken, but no one was injured, police said. About 500 largely peaceful protesters also built a human chain around a nearby site where the city has approved the building of a large, domed mosque _ complete with two 55-meter-tall minarets _ in the city's heavily immigrant Ehrenfeld district. Construction is to begin by the end of the year. Pro-Cologne had billed its three-day conference as an attempt to build a "European, patriotic, populist right-wing movement" and invited members of nationalist parties from other European nations to attend. The conference is to include a demonstration against the mosque on Saturday, and police say they expect several hundred nationalist supporters to attend, along with up to 10 times as many counter-demonstrators. "We believe that such an event organized by populists and extremists in Cologne as damaging to the good cooperation between the city and its Muslim citizens," Gabriele Hermani, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, said at a regularly scheduled news conference in Berlin. Armin Laschert, the minister for integration in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Cologne is located, noted that the hundreds of counter-demonstrators reflected citizens' disapproval of Pro-Cologne. "They are not a citizens' movement, it is a far-right group," Laschert said. About 1 million people live in Cologne, more than 36 percent of them Turks or of Turkish descent. http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/20/rss.htm#e4 Protesters block anti-mosque rally in Germany COLOGNE: Protesters throwing stones and paintballs disrupted the opening of an 'anti-Islamification' conference Friday organized by a right-wing German nationalist group that opposes the building a large new mosque. Some 100 protesters gathered outside city hall in Cologne's borough of Rodenkirchen to prevent two leaders of the Pro-Cologne movement from entering the building where they were to hold a news conference. (Posted @ 04:07 PST) http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3658135,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf 19.09.2008 | 21:00 UTC Cologne - protest against far-right In the German city of Cologne counter-demonstrators have interrupted the start of a far-right conference by forcing its organisers to stay put on a cruise boat on the river Rhine for hours. Police arrested eight demonstrators who threw stones and paint projectiles. They also barred the far-right from a bus tour of Cologne's multi-ethnic neighbourhoods. Government and church officials have condemned the so-called "anti-Islamisation" weekend congress. The far-right group calling itself "Pro-K?ln" plans a rally on Saturday against the building of a large new mosque. Police say they expect up to 40,000 counter-demonstrators. On Friday the integration minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state Armin Laschet joined hundreds of pro-mosque sympathisers outside an existing Turkish mosque in Cologne's suburb of Ehrenfeld. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3660404,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf 21.09.2008 | 12:00 UTC 500 detained in protests against German anti-Islam congress German police say they arrested 500 people after violent protests by leftists against a far-right rally in the western city of Cologne. Police said most of the estimated 40,000 anti-right protesters had been peaceful. The street battles came on the sidelines of a two-day congress organised by right-wing extremists, on the purportedly growing dominance of Europe's Muslim minority and the construction of one of Europe's largest mosques in Cologne. Left-wing protests forced the cancellation of a planned rally on Saturday by the right wing group calling itself Pro-Koeln. Meanwhile, around 150 bars in Cologne stopped selling to Pro-Koeln members. Some taxi and bus drivers also refused to take delegates to the congress. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/231554,germans-protest-against-rally-by-far-right-party--summary.html Germans protest against rally by far-right party - Summary Posted : Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:26:01 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Altenburg,Germany - Six police officers were slightly injured by stone-throwing protesters opposed to a rally by the far- right National Democratic Party (NPD) on Saturday. More than 2,000 demonstrators, members of an alliance against right-wing extremism, took part in the protest in Altenburg, a town in the east German state of Thuringia. Police said they were able to prevent major clashes breaking out between the demonstrators and around 1,200 participants in a "People's Festival" organized by the anti-foreigner NPD. There were minor scuffles as some left-wing demonstrators threw stones and staged sit-down protests in an attempt to block the rally. "The vast majority protested loudly, but in a peaceful manner against the NPD gathering," a police spokesman said. The protest was backed by local politicians from the mainstream political parties as well as the Protestant church, trade unions and cultural organizations. The NDP, seen by many in Germany as a neo-Nazi organization, has legislative seats in two of the 16 German states but no representation at federal level. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/immigrant+protest+turns+violent/2463267 Immigrant protest turns violent Print this page Last Modified: 19 Sep 2008 Source: PA News Hundreds of African immigrants took their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans to the streets, hurling rocks and smashing windows in a town north of Naples. Protesters blocked traffic and taunted police who were deployed in vans and riot gear to control them as they marched more than six miles along a state highway. One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Immigrant_protest_turns_violent_in_Italy/rssarticleshow/3505360.cms Immigrant protest turns violent in Italy 20 Sep 2008, 0603 hrs IST, AP Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: ROME: Hundreds of African immigrants took their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans to the streets here, hurling rocks and smashing windows in a town north of Naples. Several hundred people participated in the demonstration yesterday, which continued till evening, police said. Television footage broadcast on Italian SkyTV24 showed protesters marching in the rain and blocking traffic. They taunted police who were deployed in vans and riot gear to control them as they marched more than 10 kilometers along a state highway. One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer. The ANSA news agency reported that some people in the crowd were armed with broken bottles and shouted insults about Italians. The demonstrators were protesting the shooting deaths of six immigrants from Ghana, Togo and Liberia late Thursday in what authorities say may have been a hit by the Camorra crime syndicate punishment for trying to compete in the drug trade. The victims were slain by automatic gunfire as they stood outside a store that sold ethnic goods in Castel Volturno, a town of 22,000 people about 30 kilometres north of Naples. A seventh immigrant was being treated for injuries suffered in the shooting, ANSA reported. The protesters denied the victims were involved in drug trafficking, news reports said. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/immigrant-attacks-spark-riots-in-italy-937579.html Immigrant attacks spark riots in Italy By Peter Popham Monday, 22 September 2008 Italy is confronting a rising tide of immigrant anger this week after demonstrations erupted at opposite ends of the country against violent attacks directed at African immigrants. At Caserta, a decaying seaside resort north of Naples, which has become both the stronghold of the most aggressive clan of the Camorra, the Naples mafia, and home to thousands of illegal immigrants, African demonstrators overturned cars and rubbish bins and tore down street signs in a spontaneous protest against the gangland killing of six Africans in and outside a boutique and tailoring workshop. Then on Saturday in Milan, thousands of demonstrators marched through the city to condemn the beating to death of a youth from Burkina Faso by the owners of a local bar who caught him stealing biscuits. Two completely different and unrelated attacks, but both taken by their respective communities as proof of the miserable status of black people in Italy and the failure of the majority even to get a toehold on a life of decency and self-respect in a country which is only grudgingly coming to terms with its new multi-ethnic fabric. The attack on Ob Ob Exotic Fashions, where automatic gunfire killed six people on Thursday night, was explained by police as punishment inflicted on African drug dealers for refusing to pay the newly inflated pizzo, or protection money, to the Camorra. But friends of the six black victims angrily rejected the charge. One of them told La Repubblica newspaper: "It's a big lie. They were breaking their backs working in fields and building sites. Or they worked in the tailoring shop from morning to night, without raising their heads from the workbench." A reporter for Il Mattino di Napoli, who specialises in Camorra crimes, confirmed that the massacre was nothing to do with drug dealing. "It was merely a way for them to impose their will on the territory," she said. In Milan, a crowd estimated at 7,000 marched to protest the killing on 14 September of Abdul Salam Guibre, beaten to death by a Milanese father and son for stealing two packets of biscuits from their bar. The protesters smashed motorcycles and overturned rubbish bins along the route, chanting, "Ignorant white bastards". Unlike the protesters in Caserta, these were not illegal immigrants, survivors of leaky boats from Libya, but first-generation Italians, speaking fluent Italian but feeling utterly rejected by the only home they know. Italy has never seen anything like it. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-italy_20int.ART.State.Edition1.26d6cc0.html Deaths of 6 Africans in suspected mafia hit sparks rioting in Italy 12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, September 20, 2008 The Associated Press ROME ? Hundreds of African immigrants threw rocks and smashed windows Friday, taking out their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans in a town north of Naples. The Associated Press African immigrants on Friday protested alleged mafia slayings of six Africans. Several hundred people participated in the demonstration, which continued into the evening, police said. One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer. The demonstrators were protesting the deaths of six immigrants from Ghana, Togo and Liberia late Thursday in what authorities say may have been a hit by the Camorra crime syndicate ? punishment for trying to compete in the drug trade. The victims were killed by automatic gunfire as they stood outside a store that sells ethnic goods in Castel Volturno, a town of 22,000 people about 20 miles north of Naples. A seventh immigrant was being treated for injuries suffered in the shooting, the ANSA news agency reported. The protesters denied that the victims were involved in drug trafficking, news reports said. Television footage showed protesters marching in the rain and blocking traffic. They taunted police who were waiting in vans with riot gear to control the crowd. ANSA reported that some people in the crowd were armed with broken bottles and shouted insults about Italians. The Associated Press http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7626099.stm 19 September 2008 18:37 UK Riot after Africans shot in Italy Police are investigating whether the two shootings were linked Immigrants in a southern Italian town have rioted after six Africans were killed in a suspected mafia attack outside a shop. People smashed windows and threw rocks in Castelvolturno, north-west of the city of Naples. The six men from Ghana, Liberia and Togo were shot dead late on Thursday. Police say the attack may be linked to a row between the Casalesi clan of the regional Camorra mafia and immigrants involved in drug-trafficking. Two other men were injured in the shooting. Television footage showed men wielding metal bars and forcing traffic to stop on Friday. In a separate incident in Castelvolturno, a man, believed to be an Italian national, was gunned down near a local games hall. Police are now investigating if the two shootings were linked. They say the murders may be connected to drugs-trafficking in the town, where African immigrants have recently begun dealing autonomously, the Italian news agency Ansa says. The Casalesi clan - one of the most feared groups in the Camorra - is believed to control drug-trafficking and prostitution in the region. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LJ670266.htm REFILE-Immigrants riot in Italy after six killed 19 Sep 2008 17:24:21 GMT Source: Reuters (Refiles to fix day in first paragraph) NAPLES, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Immigrants rioted in a southern Italian town on Friday after six Africans were shot dead at a tailor's shop, in what police said they suspected was fallout from a drug-related turf war. Dozens of rioters smashed windows, flipped cars and threw rocks at police, calling for justice and accusing law enforcement of racism for assuming the victims were drug traffickers. Television footage showed young men wielding metal bars halting traffic and making motorists leave their vehicles. "We want justice. It's not true that our murdered friends sold drugs or were mobsters," one protester told reporters. Police say at least six hitmen sprayed 130 bullets at the men late on Thursday in Castelvolturno, a town of 20,000 northwest of Naples, apparently using a Kalashnikov automatic rifle as well as smaller weapons. It was one of the bloodiest shootouts in recent memory blamed on the Camorra, the Naples version of the mafia, and stunned a region long used to violence from organised crime. The six dead were from Ghana, Togo and Liberia, and between the ages of 25 and 31. A man from Ghana was wounded in the shooting, Italian media reported. "The arrogance of the Camorra has reached intolerable levels," said Sandro De Franciscis, president of the Caserta province which includes Castelvolturno. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, archbishop of Naples, called for an end to the violence. "Put down your guns. What you use to kill people today will kill you and your families tomorrow," Sepe told reporters. "As long as these killers are not defeated we will always have a cemetery filled up by hate and with violence." (Writing by Phil Stewart; editing by Elizabeth Piper) http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/immigrant+protest+turns+violent/2463267 Immigrant protest turns violent Print this page Last Modified: 19 Sep 2008 Source: PA News Hundreds of African immigrants took their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans to the streets, hurling rocks and smashing windows in a town north of Naples. Protesters blocked traffic and taunted police who were deployed in vans and riot gear to control them as they marched more than six miles along a state highway. One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Immigrant_protest_turns_violent_in_Italy/rssarticleshow/3505360.cms Immigrant protest turns violent in Italy 20 Sep 2008, 0603 hrs IST, AP Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: ROME: Hundreds of African immigrants took their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans to the streets here, hurling rocks and smashing windows in a town north of Naples. Several hundred people participated in the demonstration yesterday, which continued till evening, police said. Television footage broadcast on Italian SkyTV24 showed protesters marching in the rain and blocking traffic. They taunted police who were deployed in vans and riot gear to control them as they marched more than 10 kilometers along a state highway. One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer. The ANSA news agency reported that some people in the crowd were armed with broken bottles and shouted insults about Italians. The demonstrators were protesting the shooting deaths of six immigrants from Ghana, Togo and Liberia late Thursday in what authorities say may have been a hit by the Camorra crime syndicate punishment for trying to compete in the drug trade. The victims were slain by automatic gunfire as they stood outside a store that sold ethnic goods in Castel Volturno, a town of 22,000 people about 30 kilometres north of Naples. A seventh immigrant was being treated for injuries suffered in the shooting, ANSA reported. The protesters denied the victims were involved in drug trafficking, news reports said. http://english.bna.bh/?ID=72509 AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS CLASH WITH SPANISH POLICE date: 08 09, 2008 MADRID, SEPT 8 (BNA)-- AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS CLASHED WITH SPANISH POLICE IN A SECOND NIGHT OF VIOLENCE TRIGGERED BY THE KILLING OF A SENEGALESE MAN IN AN APPARENT DRUG DISPUTE, REPORTED AP TODAY. FOUR DEMONSTRATORS WERE ARRESTED AND A CIVIL GUARD OFFICER WAS INJURED. AFRICANS LIVING IN A SHANTYTOWN NEAR ROQUETAS DEL MAR, A SEASIDE TOWN IN ALMERIA PROVINCE ON THE MEDITERRANEAN, THREW ROCKS AT AN AMBULANCE ON A ROUTINE CALL SUNDAY NIGHT, THEN ATTACKED POLICE WHO CAME TO RESTORE ORDER. THE VIOLENCE FIRST BROKE OUT IN THE EARLY HOURS OF SUNDAY AFTER THE STABBING DEATH OF A 28-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM SENEGAL. ENRAGED AFRICANS SET FIRE TO HOUSES AND CARS. THE STABBING APPEARED TO STEM FROM A DISPUTE OVER DRUGS, AND POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED A SMALL-TIME DEALER AS A SUSPECT IN THE KILLING. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN CONNECTION WITH THE KILLING. HS. 08-SEP-2008 11:43 http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2389978,00.html Immigrants, cops clash in Spain 2008-09-08 11:40 Madrid - African immigrants clashed with Spanish police in a second night of violence triggered by the killing of a Senegalese man in an apparent drug dispute, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. Four demonstrators were arrested and a Civil Guard officer was injured, it said. Africans living in a shantytown near Roquetas del Mar, a seaside town in Almeria province on the Mediterranean, threw rocks at an ambulance on a routine call on Sunday night, then attacked police who came to restore order, a ministry official in the provincial capital Almeria said. The violence first broke out in the early hours of Sunday after the stabbing death of a 28-year-old man from Senegal. Enraged Africans set fire to houses and cars. The stabbing appeared to stem from a dispute over drugs, and police have identified a small-time dealer as a suspect in the killing, the ministry official said. No arrests have been made in connection with the killing, he added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because department rules bar his name from being published. - AP http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5749842 Spain: Street Violence After Immigrant's Death Spanish police report second night of violence in southern town after immigrant death By DANIEL WOOLLS Associated Press Writer MADRID, Spain September 8, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press African immigrants clashed with Spanish police in a second night of violence triggered by the killing of a Senegalese man in an apparent drug dispute, the Interior Ministry said Monday. Four demonstrators were arrested and a Civil Guard officer was injured, it said. Africans living in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Roquetas del Mar, a seaside town in Almeria province on the Mediterranean, threw rocks at an ambulance on a routine call Sunday night, then attacked police who came to restore order, a ministry official in the provincial capital Almeria said. The violence first broke out in the early hours of Sunday after the stabbing death of a 28-year-old man from Senegal. Enraged Africans set fire to houses and cars. Four protesters were arrested and two police were injured after this first outbreak of rioting, the official said. The stabbing appeared to stem from a dispute over drugs, and police are looking for a small-time dealer identified as a suspect in the killing, the ministry official said. No arrests have been made in connection with the killing, he added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because department rules bar his name from being published. The newspaper El Pais reported Monday that the Senegalese man was trying to break up a fight over drugs and was stabbed. But the ministry official said he could not confirm this, saying the circumstances of the killing remained under investigation. http://www.euronews.net/2008/09/08/appeals-for-calm-after-riots-in-spanish-town/ Appeals for calm after riots in Spanish town 08/09/08 17:16 CET The Spanish town of Roquetas de Mar remains tense after disturbances at the weekend in which an African immigrant was fatally stabbed. Hundreds of people took part in a protest against living conditions that they say contributed to the violence. It erupted after a Senegalese man was reportedly knifed after he tried to intervene in a dispute between Senegalese and Roma families. Buildings were damaged and cars burnt in the unrest. The mayor of the town in the south east of the country appealed for calm. ?I ask you to show the capacity of our community to live together, as we have down and will do,? he said. Eight African immigrants were arrested after the rioting that occurred on Saturday and Sunday nights. Around a third of the population in the town are migrants. The region?s vast agricultural sector is heavily dependent on workers from abroad. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20080908125157381C197616 Immigrants detained after riots in Spain September 08 2008 at 02:22PM Madrid - Spanish police have arrested a total of eight African immigrants after weekend riots erupted in a southern town following the fatal stabbing of a Senegalese man, officers said on Monday. Four of the men, two from Senegal and two from Guinea Bissau, were detained on Sunday evening after a renewed outbreak of violence in Roquetas de Mar. On Saturday a number of Sub-Saharan immigrants vandalised property, burnt rubbish bins and threw stones and bottles at police after the 28-year-old Senegalese man was killed. A witness said the man was knifed as he tried to intervene in a dispute between Senegalese and Roma families in the area. The dispute is believed to have been over an unpaid debt, a police representative told radio station RNE. Rioters set fire to two homes which they believed belonged to family members of the culprit as well as burning a number of parked cars, the police said. About a third of the town's residents are immigrants, many of whom work in the agricultural sector. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7603243.stm Sunday, 7 September 2008 21:39 UK African immigrants riot in Spain African immigrants inspected the scene following the violence African immigrants have rioted in Spain after a Senegalese man was stabbed to death in the street of a southern town. Police said the rampage began in the early hours of Sunday, and led to houses and cars being set on fire. After the 28-year-old man was killed in a fight in Roquetas de Mar, an angry gathering "degenerated into violence and public disorder", a statement said. Police said they did not know what led to the attack, but they were looking for a local man. A witness said the man was killed as he tried to intervene in a dispute between Senegalese and Roma (Gypsy) families in the area, Reuters reported. Rioters set fire to two homes of relatives of the man suspected of the killing, police said. They also said rioters attacked firefighters with stones, and clashed with police. There are a high proportion of immigrants in Roquetas de Mar, in the province of Almeria, many of whom work in the agricultural sector. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7581556.stm Tuesday, 26 August 2008 11:40 UK Arrests after carnival stand-offs The incident in Ladbroke Grove was captured on video Police were pelted with bottles during two stand-offs at the Notting Hill Carnival. About 180 youths were stopped and seven arrested at south London's Oval cricket ground as officers stopped the group from going to the weekend event. Later officers were hit with bottles when they clashed with 40 people in a separate incident in Ladbroke Grove. A total of 330 people were held during carnival with weapons such as knives, a Taser gun and CS spray being seized. One eyewitnesses described the Ladbroke Grove clash as a "full-scale battle". One officer suffered facial injuries during the skirmish, police said. History of disorder In the first incident, on Monday afternoon, officers stopped a group of about 180 people in Harleyford Road, outside the Oval. Police said 151 were taken to a police station, of which seven were formally arrested for public order offences or possession of pointed or bladed items. Bottles were thrown at police in Ladbroke Grove Officers said they believed the group, which included many teenagers, were on their way to the carnival to commit crime. Some members of the group had a history of being involved in disorder at the carnival, police said. Later in the evening police were involved in sporadic clashes in Ladbroke Grove, near the carnival route in west London, where unprotected officers were hit by bottles and other objects. Up to 40 people were involved in the clash, which continued for more than two hours, and one officer suffered facial injuries after being hit by a bottle. Ch Insp Jo Edwards said: "For over two hours our officers were faced with a hardcore, mainly of young men, who came to Carnival not to enjoy the event but to fight, commit crime and cause trouble." Pat Mason, from Kensington and Chelsea Council, was at Ladbroke Grove and saw the events unfold. I saw one police officer with blood on his face and I saw people who were throwing missiles getting carried away because they were getting batoned as well Pat Mason, eyewitness He said: "They were all picking up bottles, throwing bottles, throwing bits of stones, throwing anything at the police they possibly could. "I saw one police police officer with blood on his face and I saw people who were throwing missiles getting carried away because they were getting batoned as well. "So we had a full-scale battle going on." Ch Insp Edwards said the majority of the 330 reported crimes during the two-day carnival, which attracted about 850,000 people, were as a result of stop and search powers. Last year 246 people were arrested over the same period. Carnival organisers said the trouble which flared after the event was "extremely disappointing". But Michael Williams, from London Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, said: "More than a million people had a great time at the Notting Hill Carnival and enjoyed an amazing spectacle of colour, energy and music." http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250002.html Uganda: Families of Terror Suspects Protest 24 August 2008 Kampala ? MUSLIM clerics and families of the arrested South African terror suspects have claimed that they are being subjected to Islamaphobia and terror profiling. The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) in South Africa told local newspapers that it believed Islamic cleric Mufti Hussain Bhayat and Haroon Saley detained in Kampala on terrorism allegations are being subjected to Islamaphobic profiling. The MJC and the Media Review Network (MRN) want South Africa Intelligence Minister, Ronnie Kasrils, to intervene in the case of the men being handled by the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force. The MRN, by the weekend, was also preparing to send its chairperson, Iqbal Jassat, to accompany Zahid Asmal of Channel Islam International to Uganda to assess the case. The MRN and MJC said they were outraged "that Muslims of undeniable integrity and a track-record of poverty alleviation have been profiled as 'terrorists'. "This feeds into the orchestrated frenzy of Islamophobia that can only be detrimental to the harmonious relationship currently enjoyed by our people on the continent," the organisations commented. The two were arrested at Entebbe International Airport on Monday with two other Ugandans Muslims who had gone to the airport to receive them. Security declined to reveal the identity of the locals.Radio Islam in South Africa reports that Bhayat lives in Lenasia, and Saley is a resident of Azaadville. Army spokesperson Maj. Paddy Ankunda said the two were suspected of being involved in terrorism activities and that they had not been tortured. "We are stilling holding them. We have got useful leads and still compiling more information." Yousha Tayob, who spoke on behalf of the suspects' families said they had received acknowledgement from Uganda that Bhayat and Saley are in custody, but didn't know why. "We are trying to establish consular access and that will tell us everything we need to know," Tayob said. "We have been given no official reason," he said over the weekend. http://expressyoureself.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/protests-greet-turkish-presidents-football-diplomacy/ Protests greet Turkish president?s ?football diplomacy? YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) ? Thousands of Armenians lined the streets of the capital Yerevan Saturday, protesting the Turkish president who drove past in the first ever visit by a Turkish leader. Many held placards demanding justice for massacres that took place nearly 100 years ago. Turkish President Abdullah Gul boards a plane at Ankara before departing on an historic visit to Armenia. Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia to watch a Turkey vs. Armenia football World Cup qualifier game with President Serge Sarkisian that many hope will help the two countries overcome decades of antagonism rooted in Ottoman-era massacres of Armenians. Gul is the first Turkish leader to set foot in Armenia since the ex-Soviet nation declared independence in 1991. The two neighbors have no diplomatic ties and their border has been closed since 1993. Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. Ties have also suffered from Turkey?s opposition to Armenia?s occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, a close Turkish ally. As Gul left the airport, the presidential motorcade drove along streets lined with thousands of people holding up placards, mostly in English and Armenian, that read: ?We want justice,? ?Turk admit your guilt,? and ?1915 never again.? Others held up names of places in Turkey from which their ancestors were forced to leave as the Ottoman Empire uprooted Armenian communities between 1915 and 1922. Little progress is expected on the genocide issue or on Nagorno-Karabakh when Gul meets Sarkisian for talks just before the game ? which Turkey is favored to win. Still, the visit is a sign of a diplomatic thaw. ?I hope that (the visit) will help lift the obstacles that stand in the way of rapprochement between the two peoples and contribute to regional friendship and peace,? Gul said before his departure. Gul?s decision to accept Armenia?s invitation to the match is linked to Turkey?s desire to carve out a regional peacemaker role amid tensions sparked by Russia?s invasion of neighboring Georgia. Turkey, a NATO member, has cause for alarm about how Russia?s recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia might inspire its own separatist Kurds, or provoke Armenia to boost support for separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the wake of the Georgia conflict, Turkey proposed a regional grouping for stability in the Caucasus that would include Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. ?About a month ago, we all saw how conflicts that have remained unresolved threatened regional stability and peace in the Caucasus,? Gul said in reference to the Georgia crisis. Armenia is the last of Turkey?s neighbors with whom Ankara has failed to mend ties since the end of the Cold War. Turkey has gradually improved relations with old foes such as Greece, Bulgaria and Syria. Improved ties with Armenia are likely to help lift strains on Turkey?s relations with other countries that have or plan to formally recognize the massacres as genocide. In October, a measure that would have declared the Armenian deaths as genocide in the U.S. Congress was stopped after President George W. Bush?s administration warned relations with strategic ally Turkey would be damaged. On the plane, Gul paid tribute to the Armenian president. ?President Sarkisian was brave in taking the opportunity of inviting me to this game,? he said. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a Muslim ally of Ankara, in order to pressure Yerevan into ending the conflict. he move has hurt the economy of tiny, landlocked Armenia. Armenia?s bitter ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey have resulted in the tiny country being excluded from strategic energy pipelines that connect Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia. Armenians, supported by numerous scholars, claim an organized genocide was carried out in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire and are pushing for the killings to be recognized as among history?s worst atrocities. Turkey contends the 1.5 million death toll is wildly inflated. It also says the Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the chaos that surrounded the empire?s collapse. Turkey has called for the establishment of a committee of scholars to study the WWI events in a bid to improve ties, but Armenia has declined to consider this until relations are forged. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Africa&set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=vn20080826055212165C507138 Serious clashes break out in Kalma August 26 2008 at 09:28AM Khartoum - Serious clashes broke out on Monday when Sudanese security forces thrust into one of the largest camps for displaced people in Darfur, leaving up to 27 people feared dead, witnesses and rebels said. Government security forces massed at dawn outside Kalma, a highly charged camp home to up to 100 000 people made homeless by five years of war in Sudan's western region of Darfur, witnesses and UN officials said. Reports of casualties varied wildly and there was no immediate confirmation of numbers from aid workers or the United Nations compiling their own statistics. One rebel commander in Darfur said 27 people had been killed. Aid workers said people on the ground in Kalma camp, outside Darfur's biggest town of Nyala, had reported more than 20 dead. "On Tuesday morning, security forces surrounded Kalma camp and demanded that every IDP (internally displaced person) leave," Ahmed Abdel Shafie, a commander in the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, said from elsewhere in Darfur. "Later, they opened fire on the eastern side of the camp. There were many casualties. Up to now, we have 27 confirmed dead and 75 wounded." He accused the government of wanting to disband IDP camps near main towns to isolate victims of the conflict since the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has sought an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir. Adam Mohamed, a community leader in Kalma, said by telephone that eight IDPs were killed and another 30 were wounded in clashes with police. Another camp resident, Abdelrahman Omar, said police riding in about 20 cars surrounded homes and started searches, sparking clashes with IDPs. Police in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, said a statement would be released later. One local government official denied any intention of ordering aid workers or civilians out of the camp. - Sapa-AFP http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20081001-1101-ca-immigrantrightsfast.html Immigrant rights advocates plan to fast over raids ASSOCIATED PRESS 11:01 a.m. October 1, 2008 LOS ANGELES ? Immigrant rights advocates say they will camp out in downtown Los Angeles and fast to demand an end to raids they say are tearing apart families. Organizer Kai Newkirk said on Wednesday about 100 people are expected to join the fast, which will start on Oct. 15 and last until immigrant rights advocates garner a million signatures for a pledge to support immigrant rights. Newkirk says tents will be set up at La Placita Olvera in Los Angeles for fasters, who will drink only water. Several Los Angeles-based immigrant rights groups will help circulate the pledge. Some fasters plan to join for several days, others for longer. The medically supervised fast was planned by a group of immigrant rights activists who say they are committed to non-violent protest. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/30/20080930protestor0930.html Arpaio foe is arrested after protest Man demonstrated as county killed Guadalupe police pact 419 comments by Yvonne Wingett and JJ Hensley - Sept. 30, 2008 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic Randy Parraz, an organizer with a group that regularly protests the policies of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, was arrested by sheriff's deputies Monday after a Board of Supervisors meeting. At the meeting, the board ratified its decision to end a contract for police services between the town of Guadalupe and the Sheriff's Office. Guadalupe officials tried to get a court order to block the ratification. A federal court dismissed a request for an injunction, saying the town would not be in immediate harm because it had until March 16 to find new police services. At the meeting, protesters with Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability shouted and held up anti-Arpaio signs. Parraz was told by deputies to leave the building because of his conduct. He then stationed himself outside the supervisors' auditorium in an area blocked off with yellow tape. Deputies asked Parraz to leave; he refused and deputies arrested him on suspicion of trespassing on government property and disorderly conduct. He was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail. ASAP NEWS -------------------------------------------------- Displaced Timorese rally to return home Voice of Culture - September 17, 2008 Matt Crook and Domingos Fernandes, Dili -- Disgruntled Timorese living in one of Dili's camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) were told on Tuesday that the verification process that will allow many of them to return home will begin on Wednesday, although thousands more remain in IDP camps around the district. About 100 IDPs marched from the Obrigado Barracks camp, which is located in a car park opposite the United Nations compound, to the Ministry of Social Solidarity to demand answers as to why they have been unable to return to their homes since being displaced in 2006 when clashes within Timorese security forces incited violence among local street gangs and youth groups. The protesters congregated at the entrance to Obrigado Barracks at about 1 pm, locking the gates to the camp and leaving UN staff unable to remove their vehicles from the compound. In a bid to draw attention to their plight, the protesters shook the gates and heckled passing government vehicles, a foreign source working for a local security firm said. The source added that the protesters opened the gates and calmed down after it was suggested that they wait for journalists to arrive. UN Police officers and local security officials maintained the peace. Ilidio Gayo, resident of Obrigado Barracks and head of security at the camp, told reporters that the families living there are ready to return home, but the government has been unable to give a definite answer as to when. Some 322 families comprising 1,508 people are registered on the Ministry of Social Solidarity database as living at Obrigado Barracks. "First we were told we could leave in June, then they told us August and now we are told we cannot leave," said Mr Gayo. At about 2:30 PM Mr Gayo led a march to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, located five minutes' walk from Obrigado Barracks. There protesters rallied outside the entrance and demanded a meeting with an official of the ministry. The group were blocked from entering the building by National Police of East Timor Officers while armed Portuguese Republican National Guard troops arrived at the scene and kept watch over the proceedings. After a brief standoff, seven of the protesters were allowed into the building and the remainder were escorted outside the grounds. The seven protesters were granted an audience with Jacinto Rigoberto Gomes, secretary of state for Social Assistance and Natural Disasters. The two parties discussed the situation and Mr Gomes said that verification of displaced people living at Obrigado Barracks would begin the next day. The Ministry of Social Solidarity has 15,000 people registered in its database awaiting verification, which is part of a five-part process leading up to IDPs returning home. During verification, representatives from the Ministry of Social Solidarity travel to the homes of IDPs, often accompanied by members of international aid organizations, to assess individual circumstances. Nadia Hadi, humanitarian affairs officer for the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that the verification process can take up to three weeks and is dependant on factors such as where IDPs lived and whether their homes are still standing after the conflict. A government schedule dictates when verification at each IDP camp begins, although a source from the Ministry of Social Solidarity said that the march on Tuesday likely only brought forward the date for Obrigado Barracks by a few days. Estimates put up to 30,000 people still living in Dili's 28 remaining IDP camps, the source added. Some 22 IDP camps in Dili have been closed by the government and those living there have returned home or to host communities. IDPs typically receive a recovery package of between US$500 and US$4,500 per family, added Miss Hadi. All but one of Dili's "big four" IDP camps have closed, with Metinaro the largest camp in Dili still housing IDPs, she said, adding that displaced persons living in the Don Bosco camp, previously the largest in the district, returned to their homes last week. In 2006, up to 150,000 Timorese fled to rural areas or else into one of dozens of IDP camps around East Timor after violence erupted across the nation when one-third of the country's defence forces were laid off by the government. The resulting tension accentuated the east-west divide in the country and bloody clashes ripped through the streets. IDP camps sprang up all over Dili after the arrival of Malaysian and Australian peacekeeping forces. In March, IDPs began returning home when the internal security situation showed signs of improving after the death of rebel leader Alfredo Reinado, while many of the former rebels angry with the government began negotiating settlements. Initially many IDPs were weary of leaving behind government support and relative safety to return home, particularly as many Timorese still felt unsafe in their home communities. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080903_Protest__arrests_disrupt_Atlantic_City_jazz_fest.html Posted on Wed, Sep. 3, 2008 Protest, arrests disrupt Atlantic City jazz fest By JASON NARK Philadelphia Daily News narkj at phillynews.com 856-779-3231 A community rally on the Atlantic City boardwalk Monday started off with a little jazz music and ended with bullhorns, handcuffs and shouts of "Black Power!" Authorities arrested four people, including the leader of Philadelphia's New Black Panther Party, a South Jersey school board member and an aide to an Atlantic City councilman. Atlantic City police say that about 11:20 a.m., about 15 protesters marched up to Kennedy Plaza on the boardwalk, and three men walked onto the stage, disrupting a scheduled musical event. Maruse Heath, also known as King Samir Shabazz, of Philadelphia, began to address the crowd through a megaphone. "If you're not willing to stand up, black man and black woman, then get the hell in the river and drown with the jellyfish," said Heath, 36, in a video posted on a TV station's Web site. When audience members complained, police said, the protesters were asked to disperse. When they wouldn't, three men were arrested. Gordon Sunkett, of Winslow Township, Camden County, said that when he tried to intervene on behalf of Steve Young, an aide to an Atlantic City councilman, he was arrested and charged with obstruction. "They arrested Steve Young, and I asked him, 'What's your lawyer's name and cell number?' " said Sunkett, vice president of the Winslow Township School Board. "The officer said, 'You can get his number and go with him.' The guy was nice. I didn't resist." Authorities say Young did resist arrest, however. Young and Sunkett are president and vice president, respectively, of the South Jersey chapter of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Young said the rally had been planned to discuss corruption, poverty, crime and other issues that plague Atlantic City. "We were there to stand up for our civil rights," Young said. Sunkett said he didn't know members of the New Black Panther Party, but Young said that its members "speak the truth." "You can't argue with anything they are saying," Young said. Heath, Young and Jerry Jackson Jr., 52, of Philadelphia, were charged with disrupting a public gathering, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. Police also charged Heath with providing false information by claiming his name was King Shabazz. Jackson declined to comment last night. Heath could not be reached for comment. The remaining protesters complied with officers' requests and were not charged, police said. Sunkett said he hadn't contacted an attorney because he believes he did nothing wrong. "It's all just a big misunderstanding," he said. "I was just listening to the tunes." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/407969.html Demonstration / Hands off Kurdish asylum seekers! Dashty Jamal | 01.09.2008 15:11 | Repression | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements Thursday 11th September 2008 - 12:30pm - 14:30pm Lobby of the Home Office 2 Marsham St London SW1P Remember Hussein Ali and Muhammed Hussein International Federation of Iraqi Refugees and Coalition to stop Deportations to Iraq are holding a joint lobby to protest at the UK Home Office's continuing policy of forcible deportation to Iraq. Hussein Ali is a victim of the policy of forcible deportation to Iraq, he committed suicide days after being forcibly returned to Kurdistan on 7 August. Muhammad Hussein died of cancer following six years of struggle to gain refugee status in the UK. The families of Hussein Ali and Muhammed Hussein will be attending the lobby http://www.workers.org/2008/us/anti-ice_0904/ Fatal beating of Mexican sparks anti-ICE nationwide protests By Cheryl LaBash Published Aug 29, 2008 8:15 PM On Aug. 22 demonstrations in many U.S. cities demanded an immediate moratorium on raids, incarcerations, deportations and separation of immigrant families. The urgent call responded to the racist killing of 25-year-old Luis Ram?rez and plans by ICE/Homeland Security to dragnet half a million people in the next six months. Chicago group, Latinas, in Pottsville, protesting racist killing of Luis Ram?rez. WW photo: Heather Cottin Ram?rez was beaten to death by three white high school football players in Shenandoah, Penn., near Hazelton, Penn., a town notorious for enacting virulent anti-immigrant laws. At the Aug. 18 arraignment for the accused killers, where the charges were reduced from first degree to third degree murder, demonstrators gathered outside the Schuykill County, Penn., courthouse to demand justice for the slain Mexican immigrant. Teresa Gutierrez, a leader of the May 1 Coalition for Immigrant and Worker Rights, who traveled from New York City, told WNEP-TV, ?No one has the right to be judge, jury and executioner on the streets of this country, no matter the legal status of any Latino or other immigrant.? Detroit. WW photo: Alan Pollock Emma Lozano, who traveled from Chicago with a delegation of young pink-bereted Latinas, said: ?That?s why we?re here. We?re here to say the hate?s got to stop. We?re here to battle the hate, not to battle individuals or a race or a color of people, just the hate.? The nationwide protests were organized as a result of a call from Latinas, a Chicago-based group of women including Emma Lozano, Flor Crisostomo and Elvira Arellano, and Familia Latina Unida/SIN FRONTERAS. Arellano is a Chicago airport worker who took sanctuary in a church there for more than a year to draw attention to the cruel separation of immigrant families. She was deported to Mexico after leaving sanctuary. Crisostomos is now in sanctuary in the same Chicago church. According to a statement issued from Mexico by Elvira Arellano on Aug. 25, the demands for the moratorium were raised in fourteen U.S. cities, as well as Mexico City. New York City WW photo: John Catalinotto In New York City, the May 1 Coalition for Immigrant and Worker Rights held a picket/press conference at the ICE Processing Center in lower Manhattan. In Chicago, a new ?Ya Basta! Coalition gathered with Congressman Luis Gutierrez and over a dozen Latin@ elected officials and delegates to the Democratic National Convention. One by one the delegates pledged to bring the demand for a moratorium to all the delegations at the DNC. From Mexico City, Mexico, in a moving moment, the mother of Luis Ram?rez called to address the crowd and the press in Chicago over a speakerphone. ?I just want justice for my son,? she said, surrounded by supporters at the press conference supporting the demand for a moratorium. In Detroit, more than 30 picketers appeared at the Detroit Homeland Security ICE office. Latinos Unidos and Pro-Immigrant Awareness spearheaded the Detroit action. It was supported by members of Centro Obrero, Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Human Rights (Ann Arbor), the Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellerman and non-immigrant organizations including the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice (MECAWI), BAMN (By Any Means Necessary), the youth group Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST)?Cleveland chapter and the National Lawyers Guild. In Los Angeles, more than forty people picketed the downtown Federal Building In Portland, Ore., Jobs with Justice coissued a press release endorsing the Aug. 22 moratorium demands and urging supporters to contact delegates. Gatherings also occurred in Philadelphia and Houston. http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f257db9f1f1f2f060abe286f613f8a27 Korean Americans Protest LPGA's English-Only Policy Korea Times, Posted: Sep 04, 2008 LOS ANGELES?The Ladies Professional Golf Association's new English-only policy drew the ire of Korean Americans and Asian American lawmakers, reports Korea Times. Korean American Coalition's Los Angeles chapter convened an emergency press conference Aug. 29 to condemn the LPGA policy as a ?racially biased policy.? Another influential Korean American grassroots organization, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, issued a statement in which the LPGA's policy was described not only as discriminatory against South Korean players, who are significantly represented within the LPGA membership, but also as a possible violation of civil rights laws. According to Korea Times, members of the Asian American Caucus in California's state assembly also objected. They sent a letter to the LPGA commissioner to protest the policy. Grace Yoo, the executive director of KAC's L.A. chapter, told Korea Times that her organization has been in contact with 20 Korean and non-Korean grassroots organizations to mobilize resources in an attempt to pressure LPGA to rescind the policy. The LPGA's policy stipulates that international players must pass an oral English evaluation after two years on tour or else face suspension. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409070.html Manchester protest against the persecution of Roma in Italy libertarian communist | 19.09.2008 16:57 | Anti-racism | Migration | Repression | Manchester Anarchists and No Borders activists demonstrate at the Italian Consulate in Manchester Over 60 protesters picketed the Italian consulate in Manchester today, in a demonstration against the worst persecution in Italy since the fascist era. The protest, called by the Anarchist Federation and No Borders, saw both sides of the Ducie Street entrance to the consulate at 111 Picadilly picketed, with the picket extending down the street and onto Picadilly, where both sides of the pavement were lined with demonstrators. 1000 leaflets detailing the persecution were distributed to interested passersby. Text of the leaflet at: http://www.afed.org.uk/blog/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=1 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/409943.html Protest against the persecution of Roma in Italy one of no borders | 04.10.2008 23:50 | Anti-racism | Migration | London Activists from No Borders, International Workers of the World, Crossoads Women centre and others held a lively protest at the Italian Toursit Board last Friday, 3rd October. Chanting: Italy stop racist attacks; Italy: stop killing Roma people; Italy: stop killing Black people. Roma camps have gone on fire on at least 8 occasions. The Italian right wing government are doing nothing to protect the Roma people from racist attacks: instead, they have passed 'emergency' decrees against the Roma; they have evicted camps and squatted buildings leaving the people in the street; they are proceeding to identify and fingerprint the Roma population including children; they have taken hundreds of children from their families. Leading politicians such as the Minister of Interior Maroni and Umberto Bossi, leader of the racist Northern League, have openly incited the mobs to attack and advocated the dismantling of camps and the expulsion of Roma - many of whom have been living in Italy for centuries and are Italian citiziens. Others have arrived from Eastern Europe in recent years, oftenf fleeing racist persecution there. Two young fiancees of Sinti ethnicity have recently died in an arson attack in the province of Padova. The mayor of the town denies it was a racist attack A 13 years old Rom boy from Romania died in a fire: he was sleeping with his family in a derelict factory with no electricity and no heating and one candle caused the fire. Other ethnic minorities and all immigrtants are under attack as well. There have been numerous racist attacks culminating in the murder of 19 years old Abba (Abdul Guibre) in Milano. He was beaten to death for stealig some buiscuits. 6 immigrants of African origin died in a massacre in the Neaples province and a seventh was critically injuried when unknown persons fired 130 bullets at them. Protests and great anger for these murders and today, 4th October, more than 15.000 persons amongst whom many migrants have taken to the streets in protest. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep17/news04.php Gurkhas protest in London for justice Retired Gurkha soldiers marched to London's High Court Tuesday to put pressure on the authorities for the right to settle in Britain just before the court started a judicial review into their legal challenge. British actress Joanna Lumley, whose father served with the Gurkhas, joined the protest, before a judge began hearing a legal action by over 2,000 British army Gurkhas. "My own father served with the Gurkhas for 30 years... like so many people in Britain, I am ashamed at how successive governments have failed these magnificent and loyal soldiers," British media quoted her saying. She added, "The overwhelming wish of the British is to allow them to live here with us if they so choose. I sincerely hope the court finds in their favour." A petition was filed at the court after a judge last month granted a group of veterans permission for an urgent judicial review of the lawfulness of Britain's settlement policy for Gurkhas, who have been part of the British army for nearly 200 years. A lawyer for the Gurkhas, Martin Howe, said they deserved better treatment for their service to Britain with "heroism and unflinching loyalty." "At no point have the Gurkhas ever deserted Britain's call for help and assistance, and during this country's darkest hours, the Gurkhas stood shoulder to shoulder with us as our most faithful and loyal friends," he said. Around 200,000 Nepali Gurkhas fought for Britain in World Wars I and II, and about 3,500 currently serve in the British army. More than 45,000 have been killed serving Britain. nepalnews.com Sep 17 08 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408969.html Respect Nigerians Coalition protest against BA Peter Marshall | 18.09.2008 12:01 | Anti-racism | Migration | London The Respect Nigerians Coalition demonstrated outside British Airway's HQ building near Heathrow in support of Ayodeji Omatode and their 'Boycott BA' campaign. Pictures (C) 2008, Peter Marshall, all rights reserved. Ayodeji Omatode, an IT consultant living in Kent, boarded a British Airways flight at Heathrow on March 27, 2008, going home to Lagos for his brother's wedding. Along with other passengers he was appalled at the maltreatment of a Nigerian man being forcibly deported on the flight and he made his views clear. BA employees called the police to deal with Mr Omatode, and more than 20 officers boarded the plane and dragged him off; he was handled roughly, thrown against a wall and then into a police van, arrested and held for eight hours. BA banned him from flying with them, didn't return his fare and only gave him his luggage back a week later - damaged. Over 130 Nigerians and some other nationals were ordered off Flight BA075 to allow a single man to be deported against his will to Nigeria, surely making it one of the most expensive operations of its kind. According to a report in 'The Guardian', the Nigerian government has received an apology about the incident from the British High Commisioner to Nigeria, with a promise that the British government would ensure such an event did not happen again. Despite this, the CPS have decided to go ahead with the prosecution of Mr Omotade on a charge of threatening behaviour towards a member of the aircraft crew. The case was due to be heard at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on 18 September, but has now been postponed. The Respect Nigerians Coalition has demanded that they make a full apology to the 134 Nigerian passengers who were offloaded, and give an apology and appropriate compenstation to Mr Omatode. They also ask BA to withdraw the statements made by their employees to the police about him, and to remove the ban on him flying with BA. Finally they have asked for an undertaking that BA will improve its attitude to customers and stop practices that make it appear "arrogant, uncaring and discriminatory." The Respect Nigerians Coalition have called on "all decent people everywhere" to join them in a boycott of BA until the company meets these demands. They got considerable publicity when the picketed the BA AGM earlier this year and a small group of protesters came to the Harmondsworth HQ of BA at lunchtime on Wednesday 17 Sept. They were not allowed on to the BA site at Waterside but set up on the main road just outside the offices. It looks to me like time for BA to withdraw with as much grace as they can manage, but so far they have failed to do so. Our government has let the right-wing press dictate our immigration policy. Most of the time it's sheet inhumanity and the misery, suffering and illtreatment it causes are hidden, happening out of mind and sight in places few of us go. When they see it happening, decent people are rightly appalled. Those who act as good neighbours should and protest should be applauded, not persecuted. More pictures on My London Diary http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/09/sep.htm http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408869.html Protest outside UK Border Agency offices in Cardiff Today! No Borders South Wales | 17.09.2008 02:21 | Anti-racism | Migration | Social Struggles There will be a protest against Babi?s incarceration outside of the place where he was grabbed; the UK Border Agency offices at 31-33 Newport Road, Cardiff at 12noon, today Wednesday 17th September. All are welcome. This protest will only last one hour so people can come along in their lunch-breaks. Please show your support with any banners or placards that you are able to make. Babi Babakhan Badalov, (Babi) the openly gay, internationally renowned radical artist and poet from Azerbaijan was arrested tuesday morning while signing on at the UK Border Agency Offices in Cardiff. Babi went for his weekly sign-in with friends from the Keep Babi Safe in Cardiff Campaign. When he did not come back out of the building campaigners became concerned and enquired after his well-being only to be told he had been detained and would be removed from the country as soon as possible. At the time of writing he is at Rumney Police station, though he may be moved to one of the UK?s detention prisons at any time. A friend has been able to visit him in custody. Babi was already in a very fragile mental state before his arrest, and No Borders South Wales can report that he was a complete wreck when a friend and member of the campaign was able to visit him in the police cell. Friend and activist Hywel Bishop said: ?I?ve never seen anyone so scared. If Babi gets sent home he faces persecution from the state for his art, beatings from the local community, as well as the threat of honour killing from his family because they can?t live with the fact that he?s gay.? Typically Babi was also mindful of his art, and was concerned that his detention would stand in the way of his upcoming exhibition in Cardiff?s TactileBOSCH studio on 27th September and 14th October. When he was informed that he was going to be detained and deported Babi responded by saying: ?I feel sick? To which the UK Border agent told him: ?well you make us sick, you?re going back where you belong? Babi had the appeal to his asylum refusal rejected at the end of July and has been in the process of filing a fresh claim with new evidence of the danger he would face back in Azerbaijan. Alarming new witness statements detailing Babi?s history of violent persecution have also recently came to light, which would allow him to make a very strong fresh claim for asylum. Furthermore, his solicitor has only recently been able to find medical experts to corroborate evidence of neurological and psychological damage, effecting his increasingly deteriorating mental health. All of which has delayed the lodging of his fresh claim. No Borders South Wales e-mail: noborderswales at riseup.net Homepage: http://noborderswales.wordpress.com http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/228720,50000-christian-institutions-in-india-shut-down-to-protest-attacks.html 50,000 Christian institutions in India shut down to protest attacks Posted : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:53:17 GMT Author : DPA Category : India (World) News Alerts by Email click here ) Create your own RSS India World News | Home New Delhi - Nearly 50,000 schools, colleges and educational institutions run by Christian organizations and individuals across India shut down Friday to protest continuing violence against Christians in the eastern state of Orissa. "According to our estimate, 50,000 schools and colleges and other educational institutions were closed today," said Sam Paul, spokesman of the All India Christian Council. The council - a nationwide alliance of Christian denominations, mission agencies, institutions, federations and Christian leaders - supported the strike called by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India. At least 11 people have been killed in Hindu-Christian clashes that erupted in Orissa after a Hindu leader was killed August 23. Paul said there were more than 5 million students in the 50,000 institutions and the protest was not merely against attacks on the Christian community but attacks on the secular fabric of India. "Children studying in the institutions will understand that it is very important to respect all religions and such criminal acts should not be condoned," he said. Meanwhile, protests were reported from various parts of India, including New Delhi, where scores of Christians marched. Violence flared in Orissa after Laxmananda Saraswati, a Hindu leader from the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad group, was shot dead by suspected Maoist rebels in the central district of Kandhamal. Hindu activists attacked Christians and torched churches alleging that Christians killed Saraswati because he was opposing religious conversion in the state. Christian organizations denied the allegations. More than 3,000 police and security forces have been deployed to counter the violence, but attacks on churches continued and nearly 6,000 people fled from the violence-hit areas to take shelter in government camps. "There is almost an ethnic cleansing in the state," Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, told the IANS news agency. But state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik insisted that the clashes had stopped and the situation had been brought under "complete control." After a meeting with Christian groups Thursday night, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the violence as a "national disgrace." Communally sensitive Kandhamal - with a population of 600,000, including 150,000 Christians - has witnessed numerous clashes between Hindus and Christians in the past. In one of the worst attacks on Christians in Orissa, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons were burned alive in 1999 by a fanatical Hindu mob that set their car on fire. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/09/16/174891/Police-clash.htm Updated Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:26 am TWN, By Muneeza Naqvi, AP Police clash with Christians in south India NEW DELHI -- Police fired tear gas and swung batons in clashes with hundreds of Christian protesters in southern India on Monday, a day after at least six churches were attacked in the region. It was not immediately known how many people were injured in the clashes, said Satish Kumar, superintendent of police in Mangalore in the southern state of Karnataka. ?Tear gas and batons were used, so I think there will be several injuries in today?s clashes but immediately there are no details,? he said. On Sunday at least six churches and prayer halls around Mangalore were attacked. The violence followed weeks of Hindu-Christian clashes in the eastern state of Orissa, but Kumar said there appeared to be no connection between the violence in the two states. ?The miscreants stoned the buildings and broke the furniture before running away,? he said, adding that a right-wing Hindu group, Bajrang Dal, initially took responsibility for the attacks but later denied involvement. Police have arrested 30 people in connection with the attacks, Kumar said. The Catholic Bishops? Conference of India condemned the violence. ?The heightened attacks on Christians, their dwellings and places of worship in different parts of the country are a manifestation of the growing intolerance of certain sections of society,? the group?s president, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, said in a statement. In Orissa, thousands of security forces patrolled the Kandhamal district on Monday after three men were killed by police during weekend riots, District Commissioner Kishan Kumar said. More than 20 Christian homes and a prayer hall were burned over the weekend and five people were arrested, as the death toll from three weeks of Hindu-Christian violence across the state rose to 20, Kumar said. The situation remained tense, but no violence had been reported for 24 hours, he said. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=400461 Christians stage protest in Delhi over Orissa religious unrest ANI Friday 29th August, 2008 New Delhi, Aug 29 : Christians staged a protest here today against the violence in Orissa's Kandhamal District. Chanting slogans like 'We Want Justice', and carrying placards and banners to voice their angst at the religious violence and ongoing tension in Kandhamal, the protesters accused religious fundamentalists of infringing human rights. "The behaviour of the fundamentalists and communal groups has rejected our Constitution. They have no regard for human rights, for constitutional rights, for freedom of conscience. Our people are feeling very insecure there. They are running away and their houses are being burnt by these people," said Vincent Concessao, the Archbishop of Delhi. The protest came as around 30,000 Christian missionary-run schools and colleges across the country have decided to remain closed today. The call for a total shutdown came after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh described the violence in Orissa as a "national shame". A delegation of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) on Thursday had called on the Prime Minster and appealed to him to conduct an independent inquiry into the killing of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati. In a backlash to the killing of the VHP leader and four others on Saturday night, the violence has claimed ten lives in Orissa so far. While the police are still carrying out investigations into the killing of the VHP leader, people of the region are living in a state of panic. A red alert has been sounded in the affected areas, and the authorities have appealed to the people to help them to restore normalcy. Shoot-at-sight orders were issued on Wednesday in eight blocks -- Phulbani, Baliguda, Tumudibandh, Raikia, Nuagaon, G Udaygiri, Tikabali and Sankarakhol of Kandhamal District. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083054950500.htm Kerala - Pathanamthitta Protest against violence in Orissa Staff Reporter Malankara Catholic Church organises march in Thiruvalla town Church concern: Metropolitan Archbishop of the Thiruvalla Archdiocese of the Malankara Catholic Church Thomas Mar Coorilos inaugurating a protest meet in Thiruvalla on Friday. PATHANAMTHITTA: Metropolitan Archbishop of the Thiruvalla Archdiocese of the Malankara Catholic Church Thomas Mar Coorilos has strongly condemned the ?organised attack on Christian churches and faithful in different parts of Orissa.? The Archbishop was inaugurating a protest meet organised by the Malankara Catholic Church in Thiruvalla town on Friday afternoon. Mar Coorilos termed the brutal violence on in Orissa as a ?premeditated heathen act in the name of religion.? He said the Orissa government should take effective steps to curb the violence without any further delay. Mon. Antony Kakkanatt, vicar-general; Mon. Antony Chethippuzha, chancellor; Eji Parappattu, Kerala Catholic Youth Movement president; Shibu Puthukkeril, Malankara Catholic Association president; and Prasanth Kurien, Malankara Catholic Youth Movement president, also spoke. Violence decried In a statement issued here on Friday, National Council for Churches in India (NCCI) treasurer Suresh Koshy and executive committee member George Varghese called upon the Orissa government and the Union government to take immediate steps to stop violence against Christians in different parts of that State. They said murder and violence would never help resolve problems. The NCCI leaders alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders were trying to alienate the Christian community by levelling baseless allegations. The Christian churches in India had been practicing religious work only as per the provisions enshrined in the Constitution and the allegations of forced conversion were baseless, they said. Clergy meet The meeting of clergy attached to the Niranom diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church, held in Thiruvalla on Friday, too condemned the violence against churches in Orissa. Youhanon Mar Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of the diocese, presided over the meeting. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083054530400.htm New Delhi Protest against killing in Kandhamal district Staff Reporter Concern over violation of human rights in the name of religion - Photo: R. V. Moorthy United we stand: Christians protesting in New Delhi on Friday against the recent attacks on their community by Hindutva activists in Kandhamal and adjoining areas during a bandh in Orissa. NEW DELHI: The Legal and Human Rights Department of the All-India Congress Committee organised a protest march from Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti to the National Human Rights Commission headquarters here on Friday to express concern at violation of human rights in the name of religion. Led by its secretary Ranji Thomas, the AICC delegation demanded that NHRC Chairman Rajendra Baba take appropriate action against all organisations indulging in unconstitutional and murderous activities against the minorities in Orissa as well as Gujarat. They sought lodging of a criminal case against leaders and office-bearers of organisations instigation such violent acts. Meanwhile, a large number of Christian organisations from all over Delhi and neighbourhood organised a dharna at Orissa Bhavan here protesting against the killing of innocent people in Kandhamal district of Orissa. ?There are thousands of displaced Christians whose homes were destroyed in the mob violence. The violence in towns and cities seems to be over, but the villages face the strong possibility of more attacks since security forces are spread thin. We are requesting military intervention,? said All-India Christian Council Orissa State president Rev. P.R. Parichha. All Christian schools and educational institutions were closed in the Capital on Friday to express solidarity with the victims of violence in Orissa. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083053960300.htm Andhra Pradesh Missionary schools observe protest Srikakulam: Christian Missionary schools in the district had declared a holiday on Friday in protest against the killing of a catholic father in Nizamabad district and also for continued attacks on Christian community in Khandamal district in Orissa State for no fault of theirs. In a signed statement several Christian leaders representing All India Christian Council (AICC) and the local churches condemned the attacks on the silent and peaceful Christians. Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083060680700.htm Tamil Nadu Christians hold demonstrations Special Correspondent Condemn violence against their community in Orissa ? Photo: M. Moorthy SOLIDARITY: Nuns and college students form a human chain in front of the St. Joseph?s College in Tiruchi on Friday, protesting against the attack on Christian community in Orissa. CHENNAI: The Christian community on Friday held a demonstration in the city and throughout the State condemning violence against minorities in Orissa. A.M. Chinnappa, archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, who led the demonstration, told reporters that minorities in the eastern State had been the target of anti-social elements. Using the recent killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmanananda and five others as a pretext, the elements had indulged in violence against the minorities. Most Rev. Chinnappa, who deplored the killing of the VHP leader and his colleagues, wanted the Union and Orissa governments to take action against perpetrators of the violence. All Christian educational institutions observed a holiday on Friday. A fast would be observed near the State Guest House on September 7. Attack condemned AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Friday condemned the attacks saying such dastardly act against a particular community was a disgrace to the nation. In a statement here, she said in a country like India such violence by anti-social elements should be nipped in the bud. Calling upon the Centre and Orissa government to take punitive action against those who were responsible for creating communal disharmony, she said immediate relief and compensation should be provided to the affected people. ?Also provide full protection to the life and property of the Christian community,? she added. The Union and State governments, police officials and prominent persons belonging to different walks of society should come forward to ensure that incidents that incite communalism and violence do not recur, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss said on Friday. Referring to the killing of five members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and attack on Christian institutions in Orissa, Dr. Ramadoss said it was understandable that members of an organisation would feel agitated when their leader was killed. But, attacking the minorities who had nothing to do with the incident was unacceptable. Criticising the Orissa government for having failed to act on a war footing to curb violence, the PMK founder said there was no justification for the government to continue. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083052150300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Christians protest GULBARGA: Christians shut down educational institutions run by them in Gulbarga district and staged protests condemning violence on the Christians following the killing of a VHP activist and his three followers. All 17 educational institutions run by the Christian missionaries were shut down, and the teaching staff and the brothers and nuns of various churches took out a procession in the city and staged a day-long dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner?s office. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083061870300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore We exercised our democratic right to protest: schools Staff Reporter Accusation that they violated norms dismissed BANGALORE: Even as the State Government directed officials to initiate disciplinary action and issue notices to Christian minority institutions for ?declaring unauthorised holiday? on Friday, schools and colleges maintained that they were entitled to their ?democratic right to protest?. Nearly 300 people gathered at Mahatma Gandhi statue here to express their solidarity with the Christian minorities who have been targeted in Orissa following the killing of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader. Principals and heads of various minority management schools and colleges attended the rally and also defended their right to close their institutions as a mark of protest. Dismissing the Bharatiya Janata Party Government?s accusation that they had violated norms by declaring an ?unauthorised holiday?, Fr. Ambrose Pinto of St. Joseph?s College said: ?We will compensate by scheduling an extra day of college, but it is our democratic right to protest by closing our institution.? Several other institutions have informed students that compensatory classes will be held next week. There was no provision to seek permission for a protest from the Department of Education as the State Government was contending. Sources in the Department of Education said that all Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) would seek explanation from the schools and colleges concerned for ?hindering the teaching-learning process? and not delve into its political ramifications. Fr. Gilbert Saldanha, principal, St. Joseph?s Indian High School, said they would give a ?valid reply? to the Government when asked. Ashok Mathews Philip, director of South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), said that the Government was wrong in questioning the closure. ?Minority institutions have minority rights and the Government may question if it is a prolonged closure. Colleges and schools are always closed during bandhs. Why is it that they are making such a serious issue of this?? he asked. The Bangalore Citizen?s Forum, an umbrella organisation of various non-governmental organisations, citizen?s rights groups and activists, spearheaded the rally. Former chairman of the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, Ravivarma Kumar, social activist Ruth Manorama and representatives of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Students Federation of India, All-India Democratic Women?s Association, and NGOs including (SICHREM) and women?s organisations were present. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/08/30/172528/Christian-schools.htm Saturday, August 30, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Ramola Talwar Badam, AP Christian schools shut down to protest violence MUMBAI, India -- Thousands of Christian-run schools and colleges across India were closed Friday to protest recent Hindu mob attacks on churches and homes in eastern India that have left at least 11 people dead. Violence has rocked Orissa state since the killing of a Hindu leader last week, which police blamed on Maoist rebels but Hindu activists pinned on Christian militants. In apparent retaliation, Hindu hard-liners set ablaze a Christian orphanage Monday, killing a Christian woman and seriously injuring a priest. The violence has spread to include mob attacks on churches, shops and homes. Orissa has a history of Hindu-Christian clashes generally fueled by Hindu suspicions about missionary work among the rural poor. Roughly 30,000 schools were closed Friday to condemn the violence, said Joseph D?souza, president of the All Indian Christian Council. Churches planned hold special services to pray for peace and solidarity, he said. ?The peaceful protest by closing schools and colleges is a signal to those inciting religious hatred and disharmony,? said Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops? Conference of India. ?The government must hold an independent inquiry into the Orissa killings.? An additional 12,000 Roman Catholic educational institutions joined in Friday?s shut down after a meeting in Mumbai. Archbishop Oswald Gracias called for the government to better protect minority groups. ?Innocents should not be targeted,? he said. ?We have appealed for calm.? Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Catholic Bishops Conference of India in a meeting late Thursday that the Orissa incidents were a ?national shame? and promised the government would make every effort to restore normalcy, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. During his weekly Vatican address, Pope Benedict XVI said the attacks had ?profoundly saddened? him. He also described as ?deplorable? the killing of a Hindu leader, saying he was against ?any attack on human life.? Christians make up 2.5 percent of India?s 1.1 billion people and relations between them and the majority Hindus are mostly peaceful. But the issue of conversions triggers fury among hard-line Hindu groups. Hindu groups say Christian missionaries promise employment and money in return for conversions, but Christian groups deny bribes or coercion. Last year, four people were killed and nearly 20 churches destroyed in similar clashes in Orissa. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mangalore-tense-as-cops-protestors-clash/73598-3.html?from=rssfeed KARNATAKA CHURCH ATTACK Font Size Mangalore tense as cops, protestors clash CNN-IBN Published on Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 12:44, Updated on Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 18:34 in India section New Delhi: In Karnataka, Christian groups have called a bandh in Mangalore and Udupi and gathered at prayers halls in the bustling commercial centre to protest the attack on churches and prayer halls on Sunday. The police clashed with Christian protestors at a church in Ullal in the outskirts of Mangalore. Police were forced to fire in the air, lathicharge and arrest several people. The police have surrounded the Cordel Church in Mangalore where people have gathered to protest Sunday's attacks. The Bishop of Mangalore, Aloysius Paul D'Souza has issued a statement saying that he felt police should not be entering churches. Father D'Souza has come forward and have asked Christians to call off the protest. He says he doesn't want more trouble though he has demanded the release of the arrested Christians. "This morning I sent people to different places where protests were happening and I have asked them to withdraw the protest. I have asked for peace," he said. "The people are shocked at the present happenings. The church was attacked and the statue of Jesus was broken and also some of the holy sacrament left out for worship was attacked, we have asked the people to remain calm" says spokesperson, Mangalore diocese, Onil D'Souza. He said that the Christians in Karnataka should not be targetted for what happened in Kandhamal in Orissa. Meanwhile, all roads including the Mangalore-Mumbai National Highway have been blocked and the police have clamped prohibitory orders. Schools and shops remained shut and vehicles kept off the roads. "The city is tense. Groups of people are indulging in throwing stones at each other at a few places. We are trying to control the situation and at one or two places we lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowds," a senior police official was quoted by agencies as saying. The bandh has been called after suspected Bajrang Dal activists attacked several churches in three communally sensitive districts on Sunday. Seven churches were vandalised in Mangalore, Uduppi and Chikmagalur. Fifty people have been arrested in connection with attack on the churches. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will visit Udupi on Monday. He has also ordered an enquiry into the attacks, but Home Minister V S Acharya has given the Bajrang Dal a clean chit, saying it has no role in the attacks. The state police are looking into the recurring pattern of attacks on churches by saffron groups. Hindutva groups say that these churches indulge in forced conversions while the Christians insist the attacks started after the BJP came to power three months ago. Around 10 churches and Christian prayers halls were Sunday attacked in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada - of which Mangalore is the headquarters - and Udupi by suspected Bajrang Dal activists, the police said. The attacks, damaging window panes and furniture, were to protest alleged conversion activities, officials said. Soon after the attacks Sunday, hundreds of Christians in Mangalore demonstrated in front of the churches and prayer halls, demanding arrest of the attackers. On Sunday too police used batons and teargas shells to disperse protesters and banned the assembly of five or more people in Mangalore city for three days. Around 10 people were injured in the clashes between Christian and Hindu groups. A few policemen were also hurt in the stone throwing, police said. There have been attacks on one or two Christian prayer halls in the rich coffee plantation district of Chikmagalur and the central Karnataka district of Davangere earlier this month, the attackers alleging that the churches were enticing Hindus to convert to Christianity. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/30orissa.htm Indo-American Christians protest against Orissa violence at UN Suman Guha Mozumder in New York | August 30, 2008 The Federation of Indian American Christian Organisations of North America on Friday staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters and urged Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to look into the 'naked violation' of human rights of Christians in Orissa. Christian schools shut to protest Orissa violence Holding placards with slogans that read 'Ban VHP,' 'Stop Burning Christians alive in Orissa,' and 'Deploy Army to Orissa to Christians,' the FIACONA activists staged a three-hour protest outside the UN. "By conducting a prayer vigil and writing to Ban, we seek to highlight the issue in the international arena. If India seeks to become a major player in the global arena, since it is a signatory to the human rights declaration, it should respect these sensibilities," Bernard Malik, chief of FIACONA, told rediff.com. Orissa violence: Centre favours CBI probe "UN is not a foreign body and India is very much part of it. Whether Mr Ban reads the letter or makes a statement on it not, it is not going to resurrect the dead Christians. India needs to own up to its responsibility in protecting its own citizens," he said. "By giving the memorandum to Mr Ban, we would like to call the attention of the world body to the plight of Christians in India. Because India is constitutionally a secular state, we would like to see all communities, irrespective of their religions, to live in peace and harmony. India should uphold its constitutions and so this memorandum," the Reverend Wilson, of Grace International Assembly, and also a coordinator for Indian American Christians, told rediff.com. Rights groups urge US, EU to end Orissa violence "We are concerned about the atrocities committed on the minorities in our mother land. We condemn every murder, including that of Swami Saraswati, whose murder was perpetrated by Communist Maoists. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad blamed the Christians for the killing, using it as a ruse to attack and kill Christians, who also are peaceful citizens of India," the Reverend Wilson said. In the memorandum to Ban, FIACONA urged him to look into the 'crumbling of the very basis of the civilised society and the absolute degradation of the morals and values of co-existence and cooperation. All the Christians in India and the world look up to you for your valuable support to end the macabre and horrendous carnage of the Christians in Orissa'. Kandhamal returns to normalcy after week-long violence Abraham George, a senior UN Official and general secretary of the Indian National Overseas Congress, said that the latest news reports suggest that over 30 people have been killed, schools, orphanages and churches vandalised, nuns raped and a woman set ablaze. "What we are witnessing here is a complete failure of the government machinery headed by the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine, in protecting the innocent citizens of the state, where extremists are wreaking havoc by killing people and challenging the pluralistic character of the nation," Abraham said. Woman burnt, 12 churches razed during Orissa bandh The INOC has also released a statement condemning the killings. Malik blamed the Orissa government for its inaction in protecting Swamiji even after he received death threats. "Then, after the murder, the government should have been proactive in preventing riots and protecting Christians. The VHP is also to be blamed for the negative propaganda about the myth of conversion and Central government for its failure to intervene in a timely manner," he said. Christian families still still hiding in the jungles, says CRPF Malik said there have been as many as 123 incidents in Orissa in the last two weeks and 143 incidents of violence against Christians in Karnataka. "Being a forever peace-loving and religious tolerant community, Christians are remaining mute spectators to these intensely inhuman and barbaric acts," Malik said. Orissa: VHP men damage churches, prayer hall In response to another question, Malik said that it is matter of changing the mindset of common masses that gets exploited by the ruling party. "Indians till today are not driven by principles but by political affiliations. Therefore, the principle of plural India is not an objective principle that has been consistently supported. Indians have a short memory in learning lessons," he said. Image: Members of the Federation of Indian American Christian Organisations of North America stage a protest outside the United Nations headquarters. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080901/over-5-000-christians-take-protest-against-orissa-violence-to-india-s-capital.htm Over 5,000 Christians Take Protest Against Orissa Violence to India's Capital By Dibin Samuel Christian Today Reporter Mon, Sep. 01 2008 07:39 PM EDT BHUBANESHWAR, India ? Over 5,000 Christians from various denominations in the India gathered Friday at the office of the Orissa state resident commissioner to show solidarity with the victims of the country?s worst-ever communal violence against Christians. Related ? Hindu-Christian Clashes Kill 11 in Eastern India ? India's Christian Bodies Demand End to Orissa Violence ? Thousands of Christians Flee from Violence in India ? Freedom Fighters Call for Int'l Solidarity Amid Orissa Violence The gathering at Orissa Bhawan in New Delhi was the result of an appeal made by churches to protest the recent violence unleashed against the minority Christian community following the murder of a prominent Hindu leader and four others by suspected Maoist groups. Protesters on Friday heard from church dignitaries and others, including retired high court justice Kulse Patil; Shabnam Azami, director of the progressive voluntary organization ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy); Udit Raj, a dalit leader; Teesta Setalvad, an eminent social activist; and Member of Parliament P.C. Thomas. Each speaker condemned the violence and stressed the secular character of the country. "Over 50,000 people have been displaced and over 2,000 homes destroyed," reported Archbishop Raphael Cheenath from the Bhubaneshwar Diocese of the Catholic Church He further added that "the police were mere bystanders as the rioters' rampaged village after village." At the time of the rally Friday, the known death toll had mounted to 30. Many more are feared dead, however, according to unconfirmed reports. Prominent social activist Teesta Setalvand also expressed her solidarity with the Christian community, especially thanking them for their service to the nation through the numerous schools, colleges and medical institutions and the service to the poor and the oppressed in the most backward regions of the country. At the end of the two-hour rally, Christian leaders led by Archbishop Raphael submitted a memorandum to Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, governor of Orissa. According to sources, at least 3,000 people ? mostly Christians ? are living in government-run relief camps and several thousands have fled to forests since the recent violence rocked Orissa state. Christian leaders said that at least 1,000 Christian homes had been set on fire since last Monday and more than 5,000 people are homeless. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called on the state government, run by a coalition including the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, to restore peace. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/01/stories/2008090157550700.htm Other States - Rajasthan Candlelight vigil in Jaipur to protest against Orissa violence Special Correspondent JAIPUR: Christian organizations and human rights groups in Rajasthan organized a prayer meeting cum candlelight vigil at the Martyrs Memorial in the Rajasthan capital on Sunday evening to protest the violent attacks on Christians in Orissa and to pay homage to people who lost their lives in the communal flare up. In the programme, organized jointly by the Rajasthan Christian Fellowship, Jaipur Catholic Association and the PUCL, Rajasthan, hundreds of persons, including nuns, joined at dusk to light the candles and sing songs of harmony and peace. The gathering also prayed for the flood victims of Bihar and denounced all kinds of violence, be it from any quarter. Leading the prayers Father Edward Olivera, Vicar General of the Jaipur Catholic Diocese, said the community was pained by the brutal attack on its members and property by certain groups. The Christian community stood for peace and service to the people, he said. Bishop of Jaipur Diocese Oswald Lewis in a message said Orissa-like incidents held the potential of creating unrest in various parts of the country. All democratic and secular persons would oppose any attempt to divide the countrymen on religious lines, he said. Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of PUCL, Rajasthan, P.L.Mimroth of the Centre for Dalit Human Rights and John Mathew of Emmanuel Mission were among those who addressed the gathering. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090252620300.htm Other States - Puducherry CPI(M) to stage protest demonstration Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) will hold a protest demonstration in Puducherry on Tuesday to condemn the violence against Christians in Orissa. Announcing the decision, secretary of Puducherry unit of CPI (M) V. Perumal told reporters that the Orissa government had failed to ensure protection to Christians and to their places of worship. The party wanted the Centre to prevail upon the Orissa government to take corrective measures to provide protection to Christians residing there, he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091952590300.htm Karnataka - Madikeri Protests and counter-protests in Madikeri Staff Correspondent KFD activists: Yeddyurappa government must step down on moral grounds Reaction: Activists belonging to the Karnataka Forum for Dignity staging a protest against the recent attacks on churches and Christian prayer halls, in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner at the Fort in Madikeri on Thursday. Madikeri: Activists of the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), on Thursday, converged on the Fort to protest against the attacks on churches and prayer halls by the Hindutva activists in Mangalore and other parts of the State. Waving placards and shouting slogans against Hindutva activists, who had allegedly attacked churches and prayer halls, the KFD activists demanded that Yeddyurappa government should take the responsibility for the violent incidents in State and resign on moral grounds. K.H. Abdul Majid, president of the Kodagu unit of the KFD, addressing protesters, said the pre-election promise of the BJP leaders to make Karnataka another Gujarat, was becoming a reality. Karnataka has been known for communal amity, but since the time the BJP government has taken over the reigns of the State, violence is spreading. Members of the Sangh Parivar who did not believe in the Constitution were responsible for the attacks, he alleged. The KFD would continue to fight for justice for all communities, Mr. Majid added. Activists of the ?Kodagu Pragatipara Chintakara Vedike? also participated in the protest. Counter-protest Even as the KFD members ended their protest after giving a memorandum to Chikkathimmaiah, Headquarters Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner, activists belonging to the Vishwa Hindu Parishat and other organisations of the BJP assembled in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office (at the Fort) and started shouting slogans to counter the allegations of the KFD. Somesh, a protester, told the police that people of Kodagu district had abided by the law and had refrained from indulging in attacks on places of worship. But, if any organisation tried to instigate violence, it would not be tolerated. The State Government had made its stand known against forcible religious conversions, he said. They also shouted slogans against leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress parties, who were criticising the BJP Government in the State over the issue. Police directed activists of the KFD to disperse thus averting an untoward incident. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-23923.html Protests against attacks on Christians in Orissa Imphal/Bangalore, Sept 18 : Christians in Manipur took out a rally against attacks on their community members in Orissa. Church leaders termed the attack on fellow Christians as "unfortunate." "The churches were burnt and Christian institutions were destroyed. Christians fled in fear," said Rev. Dominic, archbishop of Manipur. Meanwhile, Muslims took out a rally in Bangalore, condemning the violence on Christians in Orissa. "The atrocities over Christians by the activists of Bajrang Dal and Sangh Parivar, should immediately be controlled and involved people should be punished," said Mufti Ehtamulhaq, president of Karnataka Imam Council. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had asked the government to deploy four additional police battalions to protect Christians, but violence has continued. Last month, at least 16 people, mostly Christians were killed, churches destroyed and 10,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes as violence spread in Kandhamal district of Orissa. --- ANI http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/15mang.htm Protest rally turns violent in Mangalore Vicky Nanjappa | September 15, 2008 22:42 IST Communal violence continued to haunt Mangalore on Monday, with fresh incidents of violence being reported from the coastal city. On Sunday, right wing Hindu activists had allegedly desecrated churches and places of worship, claiming that Christian missionaries were indulging in conversions. On Monday, members of the Christian community took out a rally to protest the violence. Don't convert forcibly: Karnataka CM The protest rally began on a peaceful note, but turned violent at the Holy Cross Church in Kulashekar, when a group of protestors began pelting stones at passers-by. In a bid to control the mob, the police resorted to lathi charge and also lobbed tear gas shells. The incident turned uglier when a group of masked men desecrated a statue of St Antony near Bejai in Mangalore. However, Udupi and Chickmagalur, which had witnessed similar incidents of violence on Sunday, remained calm on Monday. Church attacks: Mangalore in turmoil Two persons were reportedly stabbed, but neither has been identified. While the first incident occurred in Kuloor, the second took place in Kodailbail. Meanwhile, several Christian leaders met Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemalatha and submitted a memorandum, urging her to ensure protection of the community. The DCP assured them that adequate steps would be taken to ensure their security. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mangalore_shut_police_protesters_clash/rssarticleshow/3485361.cms Mangalore shut; police, protesters clash 15 Sep 2008, 1518 hrs IST, PTI Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: MANGALORE: Police burst teargas shells and made a cane-charge to disperse members of the Christian community, after their protest against attacks Protesters pelt policemen with stones in Mangalore. Cops fired tear gas and swung batons in clashes with hundreds of Christian protesters in southern India on Monday, a day after at least six churches were attacked in the region. (AP Photo) More Pictures on prayer halls in the state allegedly turned violent. ( Watch ) The protesters pelted stones at the police near Kulasekhara church in the heart of the city, said police adding that they burst teargas shells and used lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Police could not provide details about the number of injured in the incident. Similar protests have also been reported from Shaktinagar, Vamanjur, Tokkotu and Bantwal, police said. Situation was tense in the city as several shops and business establishments remained closed fearing violence. However, the situation in the neighbouring Udupi district, which witnessed attack on prayers halls on Sunday, remained peaceful, police said. No untoward incidents have been reported from Chikmagalur district, the sources said. Nine churches in Dakshina Kannada and three each in Udupi and Chikmagalur districts were attacked on Sunday. The district administration in Dakshina Kannada clamped prohibitory orders for three days as a precautionary measure. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1190245 Mangalore shut as Christians protest IANS Monday, September 15, 2008 13:00 IST BANGALORE: Schools and shops remained shut and vehicles kept off the roads in the coastal Karnataka city of Mangalore on Monday, following group clashes and demonstrations by Christian groups to protest attacks on them Sunday by right wing Hindu groups. "The city is tense. Groups of people are indulging in throwing stones at each other at a few places," a senior police official said. "We are trying to control the situation and at one or two places we lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowds," he added. Christians gathered at prayers halls in the bustling commercial centre, about 350 km from state capital Bangalore, to protest attack on churches and prayer halls. The police official said stones were pelted at police personnel from inside a prayer hall complex in the city. Around 10 churches and Christian prayers halls were Sunday attacked in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada - of which Mangalore is the headquarters - and Udupi by suspected Bajrang Dal activists, the police said. The attacks, damaging window panes and furniture, were to protest alleged conversion activities, officials said. Soon after the attacks on Sunday, hundreds of Christians in Mangalore demonstrated in front of the churches and prayer halls, demanding arrest of the attackers. On Sunday too police used batons and teargas shells to disperse protesters and banned the assembly of five or more people in Mangalore city for three days. Around 10 people were injured in the clashes between Christian and Hindu groups. A few policemen were also hurt in the stone throwing, police said. The Hindu groups maintained they did not attack churches but only prayer halls run by some Christian groups whose main activity was, according to them, to convert Hindus. There have been attacks on one or two Christian prayer halls in the rich coffee plantation district of Chikmagalur and the central Karnataka district of Davangere earlier this month, the attackers alleging that the churches were enticing Hindus to convert to Christianity. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/15ktaka1.htm Attack on churches: Violent protests in Mangalore September 15, 2008 15:05 IST Police burst teargas shells and made a cane-charge to disperse the members of the Christian community after their protest against attacks on prayer halls in the state allegedly turned violent. Miscreants attack 14 churches in Karnataka Protesters pelted stones at the police near Kulasekhara church in Mangalore, said police adding that they burst teargas shells and used cane-charge to disperse the crowd. Police could not provide details about the number of injured in the incident. Similar protests have also been reported from Shaktinagar, Vamanjur, Tokkotu and Bantwal, police said. Situation was tense in the city as several shops and business establishments remained closed fearing violence. However, the situation in the neighbouring Udupi district, which witnessed attack on prayers halls on Sunday, remained peaceful, police said. No untoward incidents have been reported from Chikmagalur district, the sources said. Nine churches in Dakshina Kannada and three each in Udupi and Chikmagalur districts were attacked on Sunday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091453020300.htm Karnataka Protest on September 23 Staff Correspondent DAVANGERE: The Karnataka Komu Sourdha Vedike and Pragathipara Sangahatanegalu have decided to take out a rally here on September 23 protesting against the recent attacks on churches in Davangere. Different issues Speaking to presspersons here on Saturday, K.L. Ashok, secretary-general of the vedike; Chandrashekara Thoranaghatta, president of the Karnataka Janapara Vedike; H.K. Ramachandrappa, Communist leader; and Nagari Babaiah said they had been agitating over three different issues such as attacks on churches, seizure of churches by the Davangere City Corporation and the failure of the district administration to prevent such attacks. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/indias-secular-political-outfit-support-peace-protest-christians India's Secular Political outfit support peace protest of Christians by Nksagar | October 2, 2008 at 11:31 pm 138 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment by Nksagar In Union Cabinet meeting PM Manmohan Singh expressed anguish over continuing violence against Christians in Orissa, Federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil shot off a strongly-worded letter to CM Naveen Patnaik asking him to take effective measures and provide security for the community. The letter came hours after the Union Cabinet expressed grave concern over the situation in the state with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directing Patil to present an appraisal report on the situation at the next cabinet meeting. The Prime Minister is also understood to have expressed anguish over the situation on which he had to face embarrassment during the recent India-EU Summit in Marseilles.DD news 2008-10-03 06:33:42 - Glaxy of political bigwigs poured in to attend the Christians of all denomination of Delhi and NCR protest at Janatr Mantar along with eminent Hindu and Muslim scholars. Mr. Patnaik has claimed the central force was being properly utilised in the riot-hit district of Kandhmal. A total of 46 companies of central forces were deployed in Kandhamal alone as nine of the 12 police station areas in the tribal-dominated witnessed violence since over a month. In the meantime, over 370 persons have been arrested in connection with the recent violence in Kandhamal district. The joint operation by CRPF and Orissa Armed Police is continuing to apprehend people possessing illegal arms. 2,Oct 2008,New Delhi. The stars of secular political parties came on one platform at 7 Jantar Mantar a protest centre in New Delhi to show their solidarity with Christians communities.Mrs Shiela Dixit,CM of Delhi visited morning hours to the protesting communities and said billions of people are with christian in this secular country,Mr Oscar Fernades,Mr Lalu Parsad,the federal ministers,Mr Sita Ram yechury ,the communist suave, said the matter will be taken up in the coming session of Parliament,Mr JP Aggarwal,MP RS and President of DPCC ,all visited and supported the cause. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes said they would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow and see to it that measures are taken to contain violence,two leaders also hinted that the Centre may consider even going beyond Article 355, a rarely used constitutional provision that typically holds out the threat of dismissal of a state government and imposition of President's rule if the warning of the Centre goes unheeded. "The Prime Minister has just returned. A cabinet meeting is scheduled tomorrow. We will apprise him of your sentiments. We will also request him to either visit the places of occurence himself or send a delegation there," Prasad said. Charging the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits with fomenting communal tension, he said "Bajrang Dal is sullying the name of 'Bajrangbali (Lord Mahavir)'. These people have nothing to do either with Ram or Rahim. They are hungry for power and doing these things keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha election." Assuring all support to Christian community, Prasad lauded the role of Christian organisations in spreading education. Mr MS Bitta,Chairman Anti terrorist group,Mr Teesta Setalvad,Mr Khaliq GS Lok Shakti,Mr Hannar Moola,Mr Tarun Tejpal,Mr Kuldeep Nayyar,Mr Jawed Naqvi,Mr NKSagar,Mr Ashok Jetley also participated on the last day of their peaceful protest.Thousand of christians thronged the Protest point at 2 PM from Delhi and NCR to carry out peaceful march from Jantar Mantar to Gandhi Samadhi,the protesters reached the Samadhi 6 PM and Bishop,Archbishop of various cities and Swami Agnivesh spoke to inspire the brotherhood,peace and tranquility and fight the communal violence with spirit of non-violence. Setalvad enumerated various incidents of anti-Christian violence in India and urged the country's middle class to speak up. She said middle-class people have benefited greatly from services offered by Christians but remain silent when their benefactors are attacked. Swami Agnivesh, a Hindu reformist leader who addressed a prayer meeting near the Gandhi mausoleum, decried those who have killed Christians and raped nuns as the "biggest enemies" of God. He blamed Gandhi's killers as the ones behind the attacks on Christians in Orissa. Several marchers said the rally is to impress upon authorities the need to take firm action to end attacks on Christians. Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi said he wants the federal government to take control. "We want the government to establish peace in Orissa," he said. Sister Sheeba said she regretted the government had done little to control the violence. "I hope the rally and the dharna (sit-in protest) would at least open the eyes of the government," the Franciscan Clarist nun said. Bishop Joseph Mar Bernabas of the Mar Thoma Church asserted the government cannot go on ignoring Christians even though they are a minority. "We are part of the nation," he said. "We love our country." The peaceful rally reaffirmed Christians as a peace-loving community, said Father Jayan Thomas of the same Church, an offshoot of the Orthodox Church. Christians were on seven days sit on dharna from 26 Sept to 2Oct 2008,a peaceful protest against the atricities committed on Dalit chirtians in states of Orissa,Karnataka,Kerala.MP and other states. Orissa has fourteen districts affected out of thirty with 300 villages saw the violence in its worst and fifty thousand peoples were brought in the refugee camps.In all more than 4600 houses burnt,fifty eight peoples killed including two pastors and 10 religious person injured and total of 18000 injured,2 women gangraped and 151 church destroyed and theirteen schools,college destroyed. Karantaka has four district under vandal and about ninteen churches were damaged or saw its arson,20 nuns,women injured.Couples of churches destroyed in the State Uttarkhand,New Delhi, four churches destroyed in Mandhya Pradesh,Kerala,Tamil Naidu and nuns,pastors harrassed,beaten are Chattisgarh, Uttarkhand Punjab, Bihar. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100251770300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Guntur Christians? protest mass today GUNTUR: Heads of all churches in Guntur have come under the United Pastors? Fellowship to protest the attacks on churches and Christians in Orissa and Karnataka and propose to conduct a Mass from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday. The prayer to be called ?United Christian Fasting Prayer Conclave? would be organised at A.L.B.Ed. College Grounds at Lodge Centre in the city at which "we will plead to the Lord to do justice to His children and forgive all those who had perpetrated violence," said Fellowship founder P.B. Ravi Prasad and secretary K. Premaranjan. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090252620300.htm Other States - Puducherry CPI(M) to stage protest demonstration Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) will hold a protest demonstration in Puducherry on Tuesday to condemn the violence against Christians in Orissa. Announcing the decision, secretary of Puducherry unit of CPI (M) V. Perumal told reporters that the Orissa government had failed to ensure protection to Christians and to their places of worship. The party wanted the Centre to prevail upon the Orissa government to take corrective measures to provide protection to Christians residing there, he said. http://story.londonmercury.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/b8de8e630faf3631/id/413528/cs/1/ Protesters demand immediate relief for Kandhamal victims London Mercury Wednesday 1st October, 2008 (ANI) New Delhi, Oct 1 : Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt led a protest march to the United Nations information centre in New Delhi on Wednesday demanding immediate relief for the victims of ongoing violence in Kandhamal District of Orissa. Bhatt met the Director of the United Nations information centre Shalini Dewan and conveyed his concern about the need to extend urgent help to those suffering in Kandhamal. Bhatt said Dewan had given him assurance that adequate steps would be taken to provide relief to those suffering. "We came here with folded hands and bended knees to the United Nation because it is in the charter of the UN to provide urgent relief to those who are internally displaced. This is the 60th year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and I wanted to plead to Shalini Dewanji to exhaust all possibilities to deliver urgent help to brothers and sisters who have been crying for help for quite some time," said Bhatt. The protest saw the participation of a number of victims of Kandhamal violence seeking security. The victims claimed there was no end to atrocities committed on them and the Government's apathetic attitude had forced them to come here. "Ever since August 23rd, when the riots started, our houses have been burnt. A lot of people have been murdered too. As a result, we had to hide ourselves and seek shelter in forests. Then we approached the relief camps. But even there, we were not provided security. A lot of people were poisoned. We do not have any secure place to stay. The Government has done nothing for us. So we came here seeking security," said Sudesh Kumar, a victim. The attacks on Christians continue unabated in Orissa despite the State Government making desperate efforts to control the sectarian mayhem in the tribal-dominated region since the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his associates on August 23. Though additional companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been deployed, residents complain that as soon as there is any laxity in the security arrangement, incidents of violence start taking place. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has been requested to visit the region to assess the situation where Christian missionaries are accused of forcibly converting lower class Hindus to Christianity to escape discrimination, which has been vehemently denied by the missionaries. The team would examine the steps taken by the Orissa government to bring the situation under control where the locals are still living in fear of violent attacks. Many Hindu nationalists say they are determined to fight Christian missionaries accusing them of converting Hindus to Christianity. Meanwhile, Christian missionaries say that lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape discrimination of the caste-system. Communal violence spread out of Kandhamal to Karnataka as well where at least 20 churches have been burnt by Hindu mobs in the past 10 days. The Central Government has asked the State Governments of Orissa and Karnataka to do more to stop religious violence. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/28/stories/2008092852560400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Kannada Christians protest Bangalore: The Akhila Karnataka Catholic Christian Kannada Sangha has urged Chief Minister B.S. Yedyurappa to set up a fact-finding committee to get at the truth behind the attacks on churches and prayer halls in Karnataka. Sangha general secretary Raphael Raj told presspersons here on Saturday that the organisation would hold a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Sunday at noon. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/29/stories/2008092952010300.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore Church members stage protest Staff Reporter . ? Photo: M. Periasamy. EXPRESSING RESENTMENT: Members of the Property Protection Committee of the CSI Immanuel Church staging a protest on Sunday Coimbatore: Members of the Property Protection Committee of the CSI Immanuel Church in Uppilipalayam on Sunday staged a protest against the reports on the alleged misappropriation of funds and misuse of church properties. They gathered in front of the church wearing black badges and waving black flags. Members also picketed the car of the bishop and his family members. This led to tension and commotion for some time. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-26583.html Protest in Delhi over violence against Christians New Delhi, Sep 26 : A collage of faces - young students, leaders of religious minorities, Christian priests, nuns and others - gathered at the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital Friday to protest the violence against the Christian community in Orissa and other parts of the country. Holding banners reading "Prosecute vandalists and communal elements" and "Violence against Christians is violation of human rights", the protesters raised their voices against the vandalisation of churches and attacks on Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Thursday demanded immediate deployment of paramilitary forces in sensitive areas of Karnataka and sought stringent action against Bajrang Dal activists involved in attacks on churches in the state. In its report to the Prime Minister's Office, the minorities panel requested the central government to ensure that protection is immediately given to vulnerable members of the Christian community. Over two dozen churches have been attacked in Karnataka over the past week. This follows similar clashes in Orissa in which at least 25 people died after the killing of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader. ?Whatever is happening in Orissa or Karnataka is not right and we are here to oppose that. Violence against innocent people because of their faith is un-religious,? said Akhumla Kinimi, a student of the Jesus and Mary college, who took part in the protest. Standing with their colourful umbrellas in the scorching heat, many other college students said that a spate of such incidents was an indication of the rising intolerance in the society. ?So far,e five states have been engulfed in the violence against Christians - Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and even Delhi, since a church was attacked in Peeragadhi last week,? Dominic Emanuel, a Christian priest, told IANS. With support from religious leaders like Shankaracharya Omkarnandji Maharaj of Prayag peeth, Maulana Nomai of Jamiate-Ulema-e-Hind and Granthi Jagtap Singh Jagiana, the protesters stressed that such cases of violence are an attempt to polarise the Indian society. ?Such incidents against religious minorities, be it Christians, Muslims or Sikhs, are a threat to the secular fabric of India. A memorandum had already been submitted to the prime minister to put an end to all this violence and we will submit another one with this regard,? Emanuel added. The sit-in protest will culminate at Rajghat Oct 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary which has been declared World Non-Violence day. --- IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092553791300.htm National Rally to be held in U.S. to protest violence against Christians Special Correspondent ?U.S. must help hold the people responsible for the violence accountable? ________________________________________ Rally to be held outside White House during Manmohan?s visit ?Probe activities of agencies affiliated to radical Hindu groups in U.S.? ________________________________________ CHENNAI: A rally demanding an end to violence against Christians in India will be held at Lafayette Square in front of the White House in Washington on Thursday during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s visit there. The rally is being organised by the Federation of Indian American Christian Organisations of North America (FIACONA). ?We will be holding our Prayer Rally outside the White House to draw attention to the unprecedented levels of religious violence against Christians in India by extremist religious radicals,? FIACONA president Rev. Bernard Malik, said in a statement. Radical religious extremist outfits such as the VHP and the RSS, both associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, have ?unleashed a wave of unprecedented level of violence and bloodshed against Christians in Orissa and Karnataka for the past several weeks,? Rev. Malik added. At least 49 Christian priests, nuns and members of local congregations were killed and over 300 churches, besides a number of convents/orphanages, were burnt or destroyed, he said. ?It is shameful to allow such things to take place while India is on its way to becoming an economic power. This kind of behaviour needs to be discouraged if India must become a member of the civilised global society,? the statement said. ?U.S.-based organisations affiliated to these radical Indian religious outfits support a number of things from restricting the Constitutional rights of people to follow a religion of their own choice, to supporting the creation of a Hindu religious state in India.? FIACONA demanded that the U.S. and international governments strongly condemn this religious violence directed against a particular group solely because of their religious faith and to tell the Prime Minister to do all that is necessary to provide adequate security to the people of Orissa and Karnataka. ?We ask the U.S. to help hold the people responsible for this violence accountable and bar them from entering the U.S. as per the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 passed by U.S. Congress,? it said. ?We ask the Justice Department to investigate the activities and fund raising efforts by organisations affiliated to radical Hindu groups in the U.S. and how these funds are used for supporting violence against Christian religious groups.? http://www.zeenews.com/States/2008-09-02/466222news.html Meghalaya Catholics protest Orissa violence Shillong, Sept 02: Christian organisations in Meghalaya on Tuesday protested the violence perpetrated on the minorities in Orissa demanding adequate security forces to bring back normalcy. Related Stories Stray violence in Kandhamal, day curfew suspended Centre ready to take steps in riot-hit Orissa, SC told Kandhamal riots: Justice SC Mohapatra to head judicial probe Shivraj Patil to visit Orissa on Wednesday Orissa violence: Cong moves President, seeking CBI inquiry Orissa lifts restrictions on entry of outsiders to Kandhamal Orissa violence: Archbishop moves SC seeking CBI probe Orissa: Naveen regrets riots after Saraswati killing Orissa: Restrictions on entry of outsiders to Kandhamal lifted "Christians are peaceful, non-violent and patriotic. We condemn the inhuman atrocities meted out to the minorities in Orissa by certain elements," president of the Meghalaya Catholic Association S L Marbaniang said. He said it is unfortunate that in a secular and democratic country like India such clashes have broken out, denying its citizens protection and freedom. The association also alleged that deployment of security forces were not sufficient even as 16 people were killed and several houses, Churches, schools and orphanages damaged. The association has also sent a protest note to the Prime Minister, seeking his intervention to restore normalcy. They have also asked the Meghalaya Chief Minister to send peace team to the state. The association will hold a peace rally here on September 7 where leaders of all Christian denominations and Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist organizations are likely to participate. The Meghalaya People's Human Rights Council has also strongly condemned the 'horrific attacks' and 'outrageous communal violence' and asked the Centre to stop the massacres and protect the rights and lives of the minorities in Orissa. The Council has also clamoured for immediate relief and compensation to the affected victims. "The Orissa government must issue a white paper on the conversion issue to dispel fears and suspicions that have been assiduously raised about the Christian community," the council's secretary general D G Dympep said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092453930300.htm Karnataka - Hassan Protest rally HASSAN: Members of the H.K. Kumaraswamy Abhimani Sangha here on Tuesday took out a rally protesting against the attacks on churches and other minority institutions. The activists took out procession from the Hemavathi Circle and also burnt the effigies of the Chief Minister and Home Minister. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092453330300.htm News: ePaper | Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements | Advts: Retail Plus | Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary | Kerala - Kollam Catholics organise protest meet Staff Reporter Forum calls upon the State governments to take action against miscreants Airing grievance: Council for Catholic Women of India members take out a march in Kollam on Tuesday in protest against the attack on Christian places of worship. KOLLAM: A march and public meeting in protest against the attack on churches and Christians in various parts of the country was organised under the banner of the Kollam diocese unit of the Council for Catholic Women of India (CCWI). The march began from the Saint Joseph?s Convent Girls High School grounds, passed through the Taluk Office junction and culminated at the Press Club Maidan at Chinnakada. The march was led by CCWI diocese president Jane Ancil, Kerala Latin Catholic Association diocese president William Ferns and secretary Jose Vimalraj. Addressing the protest meeting, Kollam diocese Vicar General Paul Mullassery said ?we are deeply hurt.? The attacks churches were a cruel insult to the cultural and democratic traditions of the country. Only anti-socials can unleash such attacks, Dr. Mullassery said. The vast majority desires peace and harmony. So the perpetrators of such attacks would be grossly wrong if they are under the impression that these attacks could boost their vote banks. Those ruling the States were duty bound to instil a sense of security in the victims, he said. The rulers should not only stop such acts but also ensure that they are not repeated. The attacks have also marred the name of the country before the world, Dr. Mullassery said. He said the protest was not targeted at any particular religion or organisation. We also do not hate the people who are behind such attacks. The Christian community will only pray to God to forgive them. The protest march is aimed at making such persons feel contrite about what they have done, he added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092351940300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur CPI (M) to protest Bijapur: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretariat member Bhuyareddi said the CPI(M) would observe a State-wide bandh on September 25 to protest against the attacks on Christian prayer halls in various parts of the State. Processions would be taken out by all district and taluk wings of the party, Mr. Bhuyareddi said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092355060400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore ?Protests crucial to protect communal harmony? Special Correspondent Teesta Setalvad Bangalore: Teesta Setalvad, social activist, who visited St. James Church at Mariyannapalya which was desecrated, saw disheartening scenes of all symbols held sacred by the Christians lying in disarray. The heartening thing, however, was that people were not cowering in fear, but were angry and protesting against the outrageous act. ?This is an indication that if resistance is channelised in the right direction, the designs of those who are out to create communal disharmony will not go unchallenged,? says Ms. Setalvad. This is in contrast to States like Gujarat where ?resistance has been almost non-existent? to communalisation of the entire social fabric. Ms. Setalvad earlier visited Mangalore and Orissa. ?Protests are critical to countering this trend which is fast spreading to new areas,? says Ms. Setalvad. She notes that Sangh Parivar?s belligerent attacks on minorities are spreading to places in Karnataka that were not very long ago regarded to have a strong secular fabric. Stressing the need to ?turn the tide now?, she adds that ?perhaps only the South can do it.? An alarming trend throughout India, says Ms. Setalvad, is the manner in which the police and other State machinery handle communal situations and how the media laps up what the ?authorities? have to say. In case of attacks on Christian institutions in States like Orissa and Karnataka, the media has bought the ?diversionary discourse? of the Sangh Parivar on conversions, she points out. While the incidents in Karnataka have at least hit national headlines, those in Orissa where 55 people have died so far has not got the media attention it deserves, feels Ms. Setalvad. She is disturbed by the ?complete shift? in media?s approach from that of a watchdog to one that ?unquestioningly accepts? what the Intelligence Bureau or the police have to say. ?But the same media will be very suspicious of the police and the CBI in the Arushi case!? she says. Why is the media not raising questions from the pro-Constitution, pro-human rights perspectives? she asks. The police, says Ms. Setalvad, have shown a clear bias in ?completely covering up? the terror created by extremist Hindu organisations. The leads related to bomb blasts, which led straight to Sangh Parivar organisations, were simply dropped by the police, she alleges. ?The bias starts with the language used,? says Ms. Setalvad. Attacks by VHP or Bajrang Dal are described are simply by ?mobs?, but there are names galore when any Muslim is involved in an attack, she says. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092051720300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Protests Bijapur: Two protests were held in Bijapur on Friday. The Labour Wing of the district Congress unit staged a protest to condemn attacks on Christian prayer halls in the State and bomb blasts in Delhi. Congress workers submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner C.M. Shirol. Member of the Hindu Jana Jagruti Samiti staged a protest demanding ban on the English movie ?The Love Guru? in the State stating that it had scenes portraying gurus (teachers) in a bad taste. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-24658.html Christians protest against church attack in Madhya Pradesh Jabalpur, Sept 20 : Christians in Japabalpur took out a protest march against the attack on a 150-year-old cathedral. The incident in Madhya Pradesh comes on the heels of a series of attacks against churches in Orissa and Karnataka. Christian devotees formed human chain, offered prayers and marched through the streets of the city and urged shopkeepers to down shutters. They demanded immediate action against the culprits. "We have asked the administration and Chief Minister to arrest the people involved. A judicial inquiry should be conducted and security should be provided to all our institutions," said Bishop Jerold Almed of the Jabalpur cathedral. Officials said efforts were on to nab the miscreants. "Police have lodged the case against unidentified people and are trying to arrest the people involved," said D. K. Nagendra, sub-divisional magistrate of Sadar cantonment area of Jabalpur. The cathedral was set to fire by a mob here on Thursday night. The altar and statues inside the 150-year-old St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in the cantonment area of Jabalpur were burnt in the fire. The church was closed at the time. As the news spread across the city, a large Christian crowd gathered outside the church leading to a clash with the police. On Sunday, suspected activists of Bajrang Dal attacked at least nine churches in Karnataka, protesting alleged conversion of Hindus to Christianity. --- ANI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092158330300.htm Andhra Pradesh Christians to protest today Scores of Christians will attend prayers at various churches in the twin cities by wearing black clothes to protest against a series of attacks on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka recently. An SMS requesting the same was sent to Christians in the twin cities. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/22/stories/2008092255050400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Protest to condemn Orissa violence Staff Reporter CHENNAI: Chennai Churches Fraternity held a prayer meeting to protest the violence in Orissa and expressed their solidarity with those affected by violence in the State, here on Sunday. Reiterating their faith in non-violence, the church leaders urged the Union government to take necessary action to save innocent lives. ?The development in Orissa is a form of terrorism. The government should take measures to curb this evil and provide relief and rehabilitation to the victims of violence in Orissa,? said Arch Bishop of Madras, Mylapore A.M. Chinnappa. The church leaders requested the Centre to ban communal organisations that resort to violence against innocent people. They also demanded the government to formulate a national policy on ways to curb organised violence against minorities in the country. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/USA/US_Sikhs_protest_chopping_of_prisoners_hair/articleshow/3418925.cms US Sikhs protest chopping of prisoner's hair 29 Aug 2008, 0101 hrs IST, PTI Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: NEW YORK: A Sikh body here has strongly condemned the alleged forcible cutting of hair of a Sikh prisoner in Florida state and has launched a signature campaign to pressurise the authorities to respect the community's religious sensibilities. United Sikhs, a US-based advocacy group, has termed the incident, in which the hair of prisoner Jagmohan Singh Ahuja was allegedly chopped off by authorities in Duval County jail last month, as "gross violation" of Sikh religion rights. The group on Wednesday claimed that Ahuja had asked a public defender to file a motion with the Duval county circuit court to stop officials from proceeding. In the motion, Ahuja asked the public defender to present evidence of the significance of kesh (unshorn hair) for Sikhs. However, the motion was denied by Judge Russell Healey, the outfit said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090354890400.htm Tamil Nadu - Vellore Muslim youth in Vellore protest against publication of cartoon Staff Reporter It leads to violent incidents; stones hurled at six government buses ? Photo: Special Arrangement Protestors who gathered in front of the office of a Tamil daily on the Chennai-Bangalore Road in Vellore. VELLORE: Tension prevailed in Vellore as scores of Muslim youth staged a protest against to condemn the publication of a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed in one of the Tamil dailies here on Tuesday. They pelted government buses with stones. The protestors, who had gathered in large numbers on the Chennai-Bangalore Road, said publication of the cartoon had hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community. Initially, the protestors staged a ?road roko.? The incident took an ugly turn when the protestors pelted stones at the daily?s office. This provoked the police to lathicharge the mob. As the protestors were on the road for more than four hours, normal traffic on the Chennai-Bangalore Road was affected. 25 arrested Police said they had arrested 25 persons for causing damage to six government buses. In one of the incidents, three children travelling by different government buses were reported to have sustained injuries. Police said the injured were treated at the Government Hospital at Adugamparai. The police had to resort to lathicharge more than five times to restore normalcy. The protestors also pulled down the barricades that were put up to control the mob. Vellore District Collector Dharmendra Pratap Yadav came to the spot and tried to pacify the protestors. Vellore MLA C.Gnanasekaran was present. Vellore Range Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) T.P.Sundaramoorthy and Superintendent of Police (SP) N.Arivulselvam were present. Employee arrested Police said that they have arrested Dilip Kumar, one of the employees of the newspaper, for hurting the religious sentiments of the community. In Tiruvannamalai, Muslims belonging to various political parties and religious associations gathered in front of Gandhi Statue to condemn the Tamil newspaper. People belonging to various ?Jamats? and those who affiliated to TamilNadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam gathered in front of Gandhi Statue and raised slogans against the newspaper. Similarly, large number of Muslims staged a protest in Chengam. http://www.twocircles.net/2008sep04/muslims_protest_against_derogatory_cartoon_tamil_daily.html Muslims protest against derogatory cartoon in Tamil daily Submitted by admin4 on 4 September 2008 - 10:57am. ? Indian Muslim By TwoCircles.net staff reporter, Vellore (Tamilnadu): A tense situation has followed the publication of cartoon of Prophet Muhammad in Dinamalar, a Tamil daily on September 1. Various Muslim organizations of the state have condemned the cartoon. S.A. Anwar, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, told TwoCircles.net that all the Muslim organizations have condemned the provocative cartoons and some of them have even called for the statewide strike today. But the situation became ugly when thousands of Muslim youths were gathered on the Chennai- Bangalore road in order to condemn and protest against the publication of the cartoons. The traffic on the road was virtually blocked because of the huge gathering for hours. The crowd expressed their anger by pelting stones at the government buses and at the office of the Tamil daily. The police resorted to lathi charge after which around 25 people were arrested. There are reports that one of the employee of Dinamalar newspaper has been arrested for hurting the religious senitment of the community. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0809272298162642.htm New Delhi, Sept 27, IRNA India-Muslims-Protest Harassment Thousands of Indian Muslim marched to Parliament to protest police harassment, counter killings of Muslim youth and terrorizing the Muslim community in the wake of Jamia Nagar encounter, at Jantar Mantar, central area of India's national capital Delhi. The peaceful march organized by leading Indian Muslim organizations came at a time when Indian Muslims were feeling insecure due to the high handed attitude of the police against Muslim youth in different parts of the country. Several Muslim leaders who spoke at Jantar Mantar and later in front of the Parliament before an agitating crowd that looked deeply hurt by recent police excesses asked the people to maintain calm and said that it was just the beginning of the agitation. Ahmad Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi while speaking on the occasion questioned the police version of the encounter at Batla House. He said that at 11:15 in the morning he was informed by Atif and Sajid's neighbors that the two youth were taken to the ground floor by the police and killed there. He said later police made it a counter killing and went up to paint the whole Muslim localities as den of terrorism. Ahmad Bukhari said that Inspector Sharma's death as well as Atif and Sajid's killing should be probed. He said that police version of Sharma's death was highly suspicious as initially it said that he had received three bullets in his abdomen, but after autopsy no bullet was found in his body. He said that the senseless terrorizing of Muslim community would not be tolerated. People seemed very angry with the Congress party and the UPA government and more especially with Home Minister Shivraj Patil. The demonstrators also chanted anti-Patil and anti-Congress slogans and asked parties like Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janta Dal to leave Congress party led alliance. Later, they submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. A high level judicial time-bound inquiry should be conducted into the whole incident to find out the truth and its findings must be made public, read the memorandum. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/12/stories/2008091260660500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Protests over idol in mosque Staff Reporter HYDERABAD: Tension prevailed at Darulshifa in the old city on Thursday night when unidentified persons left a Ganesh idol at the entrance of Jame mosque on Thursday triggering protests by namazis. As the news spread, scores of namazis assembled at the mosque demanding immediate arrest of the persons responsible for bringing the idol inside, as the action hurt their religious sentiments. South Zone DCP Atul Singh rushed there with additional forces and pacified the agitators assuring to catch the culprits at the earliest. According to Mr. Singh, around 8.15 p.m. some namazis saw a Ganesh idol of about six inches near the entrance of the mosque where they keep their caps, bags and other belongings before entering inside. ?The idol was covered with some caps. Alerted by them, we went there and removed the idol,? he told reporters. A case under Sections 448 (trespass) and 153-A (clause (b)-promoting enmity on grounds of religion) of Indian Penal Code was filed by the Mirchowk police following a complaint lodged by the mosque committee office-bearer Jaffar Pasha. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/buddhists+protest+at+christian+bias/2435357 Buddhists protest at Christian bias Print this page Last Modified: 27 Aug 2008 Source: PA News Tens of thousands of South Korean Buddhists are taking to the streets of Seoul in anger over what they allege is pro-Christian bias by the administration of President Lee Myung-bak. Discontent among Buddhists has been brewing for months over Mr Lee and other public officials' alleged favouritism towards Christianity. Buddhists have criticised Mr Lee, a Presbyterian, for filling most of his Cabinet and top presidential posts with other Christians. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/korea/2008/08/31/172611/S.-Korean.htm August 31, 2008 0:00 am TWN, AP S. Korean Buddhist monk slashes himself in protest SEOUL, South Korea -- A Buddhist monk slashed himself in South Korea?s capital Saturday to protest alleged religious discrimination by the country?s Christian president. The 60 year-old monk used a knife to slit his stomach at Seoul?s Jogye Temple, headquarters of South Korea?s largest Buddhist sect bearing the same name, said sect official Lee Mi-ran. The monk, identified by his Buddhist name, the Venerable Sambo, was taken to a hospital and his condition was not life-threatening, Lee said. She said the monk left a note written in blood that read, ?The government of (President) Lee Myung-bak should stop oppressing Buddhism.? http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/08/28/2003421597 Buddhists protest Christian ?bias? in S Korea AFP, SEOUL Thursday, Aug 28, 2008, Page 5 South Korean Buddhist monks hold a prayer service at a park in Seoul yesterday during a rally to protest South Korean President Lee Myung-bak?s alleged Christian bias. The rally drew about 50,000 Buddhists demanding an apology from Lee. PHOTO: AFP Tens of thousands of South Korean Buddhists rallied yesterday in central Seoul in protest at alleged Christian bias by the government of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. A crowd estimated by police at 55,000, including thousands of gray-robed monks, packed City Hall Plaza for the rare protest, which began with the beating of a giant drum. Organizers said Buddhist temples across the country rang bronze bells simultaneously. ?Buddhists united to stop religious bias,? read one banner. A police search involving Jigwan, head monk of the country?s main Jogye Buddhist order, was the trigger for the mass rally. ?This is only the beginning of our struggle,? said Jinhwa, a monk acting as spokesman for the organizers. ?This is the first time all 27 [Buddhist] orders have held a rally,? he said, reiterating demands for an apology from Lee, the resignation of police chief Eo Cheong-soo and legislation formally banning religious discrimination. Buddhists have been uneasy over what they see as Christian bias since Lee, a Presbyterian Church elder, came to power in February. They were unhappy when he included members of his Church network in his first cabinet. An online map published by two ministries, showing Seoul?s churches, but not major Buddhist temples, also sparked anger. Early last month seven activists wanted by police following protests against US beef imports took refuge in Seoul?s Jogyesa temple. Tensions grew last month when police stopped a car carrying Jigwan outside the temple and searched the trunk. Police chief Eo apologized and disciplined two senior officers. But Buddhists accused police of treating the head monk like a criminal and called for Eo?s resignation. The government has tried to placate the Buddhists, with culture minister Yu In-chon on Tuesday expressing regret for the dispute. Yu said regulations would be introduced to ban religious discrimination by government officials. Lee has urged his officials not to make controversial remarks on matters of faith. But Buddhists were unappeased. Spokesman Jinhwa said that if their demands are not met, they would hold more protests across the country. Official data shows South Korea has about 10 million Buddhists and 13.7 million Christians of a total population of about 49 million. ?This government is trying to evangelize the whole country and turn it into a Protestant state,? said protester Suk Jin-heung, carrying a banner demanding the resignation of the police chief. He said many Protestant leaders were under the illusion that the country became a Protestant state when Lee was elected. ?But Lee must know he is not president only for Protestants but for Buddhists and Catholics too, and nonbelievers as well,? Suk said. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1220353266256 Sep 3, 2008 1:53 | Updated Sep 4, 2008 3:12 Modern Orthodox protest J'lem haredi 'discrimination' By ETGAR LEFKOVITS A few dozen modern Orthodox residents of the capital's Katamonim neighborhood protested on Tuesday, saying the only religious elementary school in their neighborhood is predominantly haredi even though the area's residents are a mix of modern Orthodox and secular. Katamonim residents protest the absence of a state religious elementary school in the Jerusalem neighborhood. Photo: Courtesy The dispute is the latest in a series triggered by the growing haredi presence in non-haredi Jerusalem neighborhoods. "In a neighborhood that is a mix of secular and modern Orthodox residents, there is not one state religious school, and instead there is a school that for all intents and purposes is haredi, for pupils who do not even live in the neighborhood," said local resident Rachel Azaria, who is running at the head of the joint secular-modern Orthodox "Yerushalmim" list in the November 11 municipal election. She said the gender-segregated elementary school Darchei Noam operated as a haredi institution even though there were only 10 to 14 children per class, forcing modern Orthodox families to send their offspring to study in other neighborhoods. "It doesn't make sense that there should be 13 kids in each class in the school, when hundreds of kids in the neighborhood have to go out of the neighborhood for school," said local resident Estherlee Kanon, who sends her seven-year-old out of the neighborhood to attend second grade. "The city keeps promising but nothing happens," Kanon said. "We do not want to send our kids to a school with haredi teachers," said Tamar Cohen, whose four children also attend schools elsewhere in the city. She said she was angry with the city for failing to live up to its commitment to establish a modern Orthodox school in the neighborhood. The Jerusalem Municipality said Tuesday that the city school system had accepted the requests of some Katamonim parents to send their children to schools elsewhere, and that they would consider a request to establish a state religious school in the area based on need. "The city school system is willing to consider the establishment of an additional state religious school in the neighborhood, after thorough preparations are carried out to determine the needs of the population in the south of the city," Jerusalem Municipality spokesman Gidi Schmerling said in a statement. Azaria, who is modern Orthodox and heads Mavoi Satum, a prominent nonprofit organization for women denied a Jewish divorce, said the National Religious Party, which was a partner in Mayor Uri Lupolianski's predominantly-haredi city council coalition, had proven to be an "abject failure" in meeting the needs of modern Orthodox residents. "You can say what you want about the haredim, but they know how to take care of their people," she said. Nearly 40 percent of the more than 220,000 pupils in the city school system attend haredi schools, compared to 27% who study in state secular and religious schools, according to the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. The remaining children study in Arab schools. Among the nearly 150,000 pupils in the city's Jewish schools system, 58% study in haredi schools and 42% in state religious or secular schools. The dispute comes weeks after a Jerusalem municipality plan to construct a haredi kindergarten in the predominantly secular Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood angered residents concerned that their quality of life would be harmed, and that their neighborhood would join others in the city that have turned largely haredi. The kindergarten project has been temporarily frozen pending final city approval. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/muslim_workers_1002/ Muslim workers fired for protesting discrimination By Larry Hales Denver Published Sep 26, 2008 11:11 PM In early September, at least 100 Muslim workers at the JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colo., most of them from Somalia, were fired for walking off their jobs to protest Swift?s refusal to accommodate Muslim workers during the holy month of Ramadan. The official number of fired workers, according to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, is 130, while Swift says the number fired is only 100. The workers were asking to take their break at sunset so they could pray and break their fast, but the company denied the request. Similarly, workers at another Swift meatpacking plant in Grand Island, Neb., were fired for the same reason. There, workers put the number fired at 150, though plant management says it was only 86. In Nebraska, the workers were originally allowed to take time at sunset to pray and break their fast. Unfortunately, instead of exhibiting solidarity in dealing with the company, hundreds of other workers walked off the job there to protest Muslim workers being allowed the break time, saying it amounted to ?preferential? treatment. When managers at the plant reversed their original decision, the Muslim workers were fired after walking out a second time. Last year Muslim workers walked off the job at the Nebraska plant because of discrimination, though they eventually returned. James Abbi, a Somali Muslim in Nebraska, said of the sunset breaks, ?We just asked for five minutes to pray. That don?t hurt nobody.? It is not unusual for workers to get time off for special religious needs, like Catholics on Ash Wednesday, for example. In Greeley, UFCW Local 7 filed a grievance on behalf of the Muslim workers for discrimination and wrongful termination. The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced possible legal action, but Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman, said, ?Really, you don?t need attorneys in these cases. You just need a spirit of good will and cooperation.? Citing the stubbornness of the Swift plant in Greeley, Hooper said, ?Usually in these cases we?re able to come to an amicable solution.? The battle is ongoing. Though Swift counters that it offered a break time at 8 p.m., that would have been too late for the evening prayer, which is timed for sunset. It is the one prayer during the day that has to be done at a specific time. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.katu.com/news/local/29902909.html Crowd protests newspaper's decision on DVD Story Published: Sep 29, 2008 at 1:27 PM PST Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 2:02 AM PST By Valerie Hurst and KATU Web Staff Video PORTLAND, Ore. ? About 50 people gathered in front of the headquarters of The Oregonian Monday to protest the newspaper's decision to include a controversial DVD about radical Muslims in Sunday's editions as a paid advertisement. More than 70 newspapers across the country have distributed the DVDs this month, including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Some newspaper have refused. A New York nonprofit paid for the DVDs; officials with the group say they wanted to warn Americans about radical Islamists' threat to national security. Those who turned out for Monday's protest said the DVD is just pure Muslim-bashing and only incites fear and anxiety in people who watch it. They said the paper should not have sent it out, and they asked for an apology by newspaper officials. "It is time to tell the media - The Oregonian specifically - to stop the use of sophisticated propaganda tools, such as this DVD," said Hala Gores, a Palestinian-American attorney. State Sen. Avel Gordly, a Portland Democrat, told those in attendance to send the DVD back to the newspaper. Publisher Fred Stickel had no comment on the protest Monday, saying a statement he made in an article published in the newspaper Sunday would suffice. In that article, he was quoted as saying: "I've always felt we have an obligation to keep our advertising columns as open as possible. Our acceptance of anything -- our acceptance or rejection -- does not depend on whether or not we agree with the content. . . . There is a principle of freedom of speech involved here. I could find no reason to reject this." http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/09/07/0809072143_sikhs_hold_protest_rally_haryana_town.html Sikhs' hold protest rally in Haryana town Sunday, September 07, 2008 21:29 [IST] CHANDIGARH: The ad hoc Haryana Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HGPC) Sunday took out a protest rally in Haryana's Karnal town. The rally, "Sarbat Khalsa", was held to press for HGPC's demand for creation of a committee separate from the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to manage the gurdwaras in the state. "We do not want the unnecessary interference of (Punjab Chief Minister) Parkash Singh Badal in the affairs of Sikhs based in Haryana. We want the Haryana government to formulate some strategy to look after the affairs of gurdwaras in the state in the next 30 days otherwise we will take their management in our own hands," said Didar Singh Nalvi, general secretary of HGPC. "Our demands are based on rational thinking and there should be no discrimination with Sikhs based in any part of the country," said Nalvi. Hundreds of Sikhs, representing various political and religious denominations from various states, participated in the rally. Source : IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/03/stories/2008100358990100.htm Protesting villagers return home after week-long stay in a temple S. Sundar Kakkivadanpatti residents have been living at a temple in a neighbouring village ________________________________________ They have been demanding right to worship in a temple Officials promise to hold talks next week ________________________________________ SIVAKASI: After seven days of protest living at a temple in a neighbouring village and two days of relay hunger strike, villagers of Kakkivadanpatti near here returned home on Thursday. The Sivakasi Revenue Divisional Officer, B. Ganesan, and the Sivakasi Tahsildar, A. Ramasamy, held talks with representatives of the protestors and promised to fulfil their charter of demands on merit. Over 300 people belonging to six castes deserted their houses on September 25 protesting against the alleged ?denial of right to worship? at Kaliamman temple and took refuge in another temple in Uppupatti. The officials opened the temple that was locked following dispute between the six-caste group with people of another caste. Relay hunger strike However, the protestors began a relay hunger strike on Tuesday seeking patta for the temple that was located on a poromboke land. Though the officials refused to give in on the patta issue, they asked the protestors to return home so that talks could be held to resolve other issues, Mr. Ramasamy said. Remove the fence The people, who started for home at around 11.30 a.m., have demanded the removal of the fence around an ?oorani? at Kakkivadanpatti. On their demand to take over administration of the Kaliamman temple, the officials promised to hold talks with both the groups next week to find out a solution. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, R. Rajagopal, was present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081951270300.htm Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore Demonstration seeks compensation Special Correspondent CUDDALORE: Members of the Muslim Makkal Kazhagam led by S.S.Jainuddin, State president, staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate on Monday seeking compensation to the family that lost two sons who drowned in the Uppanar at Thevanampattinam here. Mr. Jainuddin said when Usman Ali (24) tried to rescue Jaffer Ali (21) from a water filled pit both drowned on December 26, 2007. Because of their death their elderly parents, a sister and the wife of Usman Ali residing at Panruti were left in the lurch. Taking up their cause, the Kazhagam had made a representation to the district administration seeking due compensation to the family and suitable job to Usman Ali?s wife. But even eight months after their death no response was forthcoming. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 21:11:17 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:11:17 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] THAILAND: Anti-government protests by PAD, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA87C65.8010305@tesco.net> * PAD "misunderstood by western media", anti-capitalist * PAD "fights democracy" * Protesters say stress concerns unfounded * Oct 5 - protest leader arrested * Oct 5 - protesters dog Prime Minister * PM's hometown worried by protests * Sept 27 - protesters clash with airport security * Parliament President chased off by protesters * Sept 24 - protests raise spectre of coup * Protesters seeking chaos? * Yellow, redshirts clash in Wat Somanus * Sept 14 - emergency rule lifted, protests continue * September 8th - counter-protests planned in 50 provinces * September 9th - PAD defy court threats * Health fears at protest sites * Sept 4th - chronology of 10 days of protests * September 4th - Govt House turns into open-air market * September 4th - mass strike fails, thousands remain at Govt House * September 5th - Students injured in protest rally * September 6th - protesters to stay put * September 7th - Students divided over PAD protest * September 4th - protests inside Parliament * September 3rd - minister resigns as protests continue * 500 protest at Chumphon city hall * September 2nd - 1 killed, dozens injured as PAD and redshirts clash * Krabi protesters seize airport in emergency protest * September 1st - 100th day of anti-government protest * September 1st - railway board resigns after trade union joins protest * September 1st - PAD bomb police * September 1st - protests hit rail services, oil production * August 31st - PAD blockades airport in Phuket * August 30th - "scuffles" as protests continue * August 30th - police HQ, airports, rail hit * August 31st - protesters clean up, leave royal building * August 29th - police back off as protests spread, airports blockaded * August 29th - 300 police trapped by protesters in compound * Protesters target Government House, state TV * Electricity workers to join protest * 27th August - warrants issued for protest leaders * 26th August - protesters storm Government House * Poll shows opposition to PAD; city residents denounce protests * 26th August - protesters clash with riot cops * Protesters disrupt NBT broadcast * 27th August - protesters block roads * 26th August - protesters flood Bangkok * 26th August - mass arrests as broadcaster shut down * Protesters occupy key sites across capital http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/09/01/thailand-protesters-misunderstood-by-western-media/ Thailand: Protesters misunderstood by Western media? Monday, September 1st, 2008 @ 02:58 UTC by Mong Palatino Good news: Airports have been re-opened in Thailand. Bad news: The political crisis is far from over. Protesters are still camped inside Thailand?s Government House. They have been demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. The leader is accused of being a puppet of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Members of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are the frontrunners of the protest rallies in Thailand. The group is accused of fomenting chaos and military adventurism. In fact, some have branded it as People Against Democracy because of its proposal for a Parliament in which most of the lawmakers are appointed and only 30 percent elected. Most of the online commentaries and news reports about PAD are not positive. SilapaJarun.com wonders whether the statements of PAD, and their English translations, are delivered to the global audience correctly. ?There is something wrong with Dan Rivers and CNN. Many details in the articles online contain erroneous info and I've found phrases in English which clearly show they have poor translators working for them. In one very clear example I think it was Dan R. who cut up a quote by Sondhi Limthongkul (leader of PAD) to suggest Sondhi and the movement wants a democracy which would disenfranchise the rural poor?when the full quote is that we need an interim government for a period before holding elections.? The writer clarifies that PAD is not against democracy; what it opposes is western-style capitalism and its excesses: ?Many news outlets portray PAD as being ?not happy? with democracy. PAD is not happy with western style capitalism in Thailand which has grown like a cancer. This kind of capitalism is obviously deeply connected with the debased form of democracy pandered by Thaksin Shinawatra. ?PAD's slogan is ?toon niyom samarn? which is like ?filthy capitalism? in which you can buy everything and most importantly sell everything including national assets and bring in foreign investors to do what Thai people can do on their own. ?The movement is therefore condemned as being ?nationalistic? when in fact it's trying to stop the snowball effect of neocolonialism (economic colonialism). Hyper-nationalism or nationalism (which) leans more towards thinking one's nationality is superior to another?this is not what PAD has ever said? Then the writer highlights a point missed by mainstream media: ?It's interesting to note, that the Thai idea of democracy at the grassroots level has shades of socialism. In fact many of the key PAD leaders are union leaders which allowed them to shut down the railways and now ports. ?Media in the West has left out the key detail that Thai Muslims are backing this protest as well. Maybe it's a good thing they haven't picked up on it though?before you know it they'll think PAD is a bunch of terrorists. ?Only in Thailand?a movement is 100% supported by the people. PAD gets free food, mobile bathrooms, clothing?everything even ice from volunteers. If they announce on the stage ?we need flashlights, batteries, water??it'll be there soon!? There are two ways to explain the ability of protesters to sustain their campaign for almost a week already. One, it has genuine support from citizens and organized sectors. It is impressive that railway and airline employees supported the protesters. Second, PAD has financial and political ties to other factions of the elite and military. How are ordinary Thais and foreign residents coping with the protest activities? Will Yaryan is a bit excited: ?I'll take my binoculars up to the 22nd floor of our apartment building to scan the skyline for signs of action. And I watch news videos of the crisis on one of the local TV stations which provide a bit of information and insight, even if I can't understand the commentary. I've never been in a revolution, coup or putsch before. It's a bit exciting.? Stuart's Life in Thailand is somewhat clueless: ?The political atmosphere is a huge mess, but away from the protests downtown in the government quarter, life is going on as normal in the rest of Bangkok. ?I have been trying to keep up with what is going on. But as an outsider, this has been a very difficult task. What are the protesters really aiming for? Who is supporting them? Who are the big groups that are struggling for power here? That is basically what this is all about ? a power struggle over who will control the country, and the type of government that will have that power.? A reader of Jamie's Phuket comments about the closure of the Phuket airport: ?Before Friday's action, the PAD had the support of the vast majority of people on Phuket. And now? Well, anyone who depends on the tourism industry for a living would have to wonder. Tourists don't play politics, so it's best not to play politics with tourists.? Phuket is Thailand?s major tourism destination. Gnarly Kitty is not amused: ?With the PAD going all crazy and s&#!t, who's going to side them now? And I was thinking, what's going to happen if the PAD doesn't stop this government? I mean, what's the big deal? You did it last time they came back anyway. And look, the more you're fighting, the more people are going to hate you. Just chill man. You're hurting the traffic. And I don't like waking up at 6 in the morning to hear you sing on TV.? It is good that apology statements are circulating in emails about the inconvenience caused by PAD. PAD has been criticized for invading a TV station. The attack was viewed as an assault on press freedom: ?Thai Broadcast Journalists Association and the Confederation of Thai Journalists, said: The mob action is one of the gravest and most blatant assaults on media freedom to date. The media was threatened, intimidated and kept from performing their duty.? But a commenter thinks the government-run TV network deserved it: ?That darn TV station only broadcast government one side talk anyway? it's basically a government public relation channel. If it's fair, both sides should be in a talk show long time ago debating not one way. So the TV news is not a fair play, and deserved the break down like this.? Prachatai uploads an article written by Pokpong Lawansiri which discusses why PAD is not as popular as before: ?This movement is no longer a broad-based alliance as it was during the anti-Thaksin days in 2006. Civil society groups in the PAD now only comprise a few individuals, not of broad-based networks. ?This is because the PAD no longer mentions issues relating to the welfare of the people. Issues such as the government's policies towards trade liberalisation which are affecting the people; human rights violations such as the case of Tak Bai, or the menacing war against drugs under the Thaksin administration; or issues relating to an attempt to push policy towards the creation of an economic system similar to that of a welfare state. ?The PAD's focus is now on superficial issues, which would not benefit members of the poor or marginalised group? Real Life Thailand on why the protests backfired: 1) It has not achieved its stated objective; 2) Its fascist behaviour is losing it support. 3) It is actually increasing the popularity and perceived independence of Samak Suntarajev. Samak's calmness and patience during this fiasco is exactly what the PAD did not want. They wanted him to react angrily and threaten force, or start talking about Thaksin. His restraint has won him support. Yesterday, an emergency session of Parliament was convened. Thailand Crisis is not impressed: ?It?s difficult to imagine how the session of Parliament could solve the political crisis. This is just PR. Nothing more.? glossyart.com accuses PAD of promoting anarchy: ?The PAD is not even a party; it's more like a lobby consisting mainly of members of the Thai elite who are fed up with Samak's politics and who think he's just a puppet of the old (and corrupt) PM Thaksin. Taking the issue in their own hands is therefore not democratic but anarchic.? Connecting the Dots insists political tensions in Thailand will not subside until Thaksin is punished: ?The unrest in Thailand will continue until Thaksin is out of the picture completely. If he is granted political asylum anyplace in the world, Thailand will still suffer. If Thaksin is unwilling to back down and give up, then someone must step in and do that for him. The Thai courts look to be on that track, and all that needs to be done is deliver Thaksin back to the Thais.? http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/12/asia/12thai.php Power of the people fights democracy in Thai protests By Seth Mydans Published: September 12, 2008 BANGKOK: It looks a lot like a "people power" revolution, the kind of brave and joyous pro-democracy uprising that has toppled dictators from the Philippines to Serbia. For more than two weeks, thousands of people have camped on the grounds of the prime minister's office, cheering and clapping as speakers with microphones have stood on the back of a truck and called for the downfall of the government. But in fact the protest is more like a counterrevolution by the Thai establishment against the rising electoral power of the mostly rural poor. The government the protest seeks to bring down, whatever its faults, was democratically elected with a huge majority. The new order the protest proposes would roll back democracy by replacing an elected Parliament with one that is mostly appointed, keeping power in the hands of the country's royalist, bureaucratic, military elite. "This is a very weird situation where a reactionary movement is mobilizing people by using conservative ideology mixed with leftist language," said Prajak Kongkeerati, a leading political scientist at Thammasat University. The situation is weird but to some extent predictable, reflecting many of the social tensions visible throughout the region. A government that is hardly democratic, pursuing autocratic policies and seeking to neutralize the checks and balances of the Constitution, bases its support on the votes of the poor. That alienates powerful interests that are used to getting their way, which breeds confrontation, paralysis and, possibly, instability. Whichever way the confrontation ends, analysts say, democracy is unlikely to be the winner. Although Thailand has in recent years been seen as a beacon of democracy in Asia, the system has always been tenuous, plagued by coups and corruption. The current government is the friendly successor to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006. Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, its governments have been unstable and mostly short-lived coalitions, scrapping and replacing their constitutions 17 times. They have been subject to two corrective forces particular to Thailand: repeated intervention by the military and by the monarchy. There have been 18 coups since 1932, and Thai commentators say conditions are ripe for a coup now. The army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, has promised that this will not happen, but promises like this have been broken in the past. If the situation becomes critical, many Thais hope King Bhumibol Adulyadej will step in as he has several times over the years to defuse confrontations. The king stands above the fray of politics, but he is deeply revered and his word is the authority of last resort in a country that has still not found its political footing. Calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, protesters have occupied the grounds of the prime minister's office since Aug. 26, forcing him to move the business of government elsewhere. In a strange twist unrelated to the protest, the prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, was forced to step down on Tuesday after a court ruled that he had violating the Constitution by accepting payments to appear on a television cooking show while in office. A new prime minister was expected to be named Friday ? and it could possibly be Samak, whose party has nominated him to succeed himself ? but the protests have continued and show no sign of coming to an end. The protests go beyond a challenge to one government and are rooted in social and political divides that have only hardened in the past three years of political tension. It is a story of haves and have-nots, with the haves rising up against the poorer classes. Traditionally in Thailand, governments have pursued policies that reflected the country's hierarchical culture, favoring the urban elite. "We can say that every government has a policy platform that has an urban bias," Prajak said. "So when elections come, they court the support of the rural vote. But when they are in power, they formulate policy that favors the urban and industrial sector." Because of this, he said, "We have an unequal growth between the agricultural sector and the industrial sector. This gives us the very high gap in income distribution." Thaksin tapped into this disparity, placing the poor at the center of his governing strategy with populist policies like low-cost health care and debt relief. Poor and rural voters found their voice in voting for him, creating an overwhelming electoral base that gave him and his allies increasing economic and political power that some saw as a challenge to the monarchy. The People's Alliance is a self-contradictory mix of royalist elites, generals and business professionals with some liberal democrats, students and trade unionists, united only by their opposition to the pro-Thaksin government. But at its core, the People's Alliance would move Thailand away from the basic democratic principle of one person one vote, Prajak said. "Many Thai elite don't believe in that," he said. The People's Alliance would return the country to a 20-year-old model of "semi-democracy," in which the bureaucracy and the military have a role in politics and business professionals share a voice with elected representatives, Prajak said. In their resistance to democracy, the protesters are squarely in a political camp that has roots deep in Thai history, said Thongchai Winichakul, a professor of Southeast Asian history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "The PAD is a variation of the deep-rooted hierarchical society," he said. "In a nutshell, it's a kind of distrust of the people." He added: "You can find this idea beginning in the late 19th century, when King Chulalongkorn said Thai people do not want democracy, that Thai people trust the king. "Throughout all the years that kind of idea remained," Thongchai said. "People are not ready." http://www.bangkokpost.com/040908_News/04Sep2008_news06.php Protesters say stress concerns unfounded APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL Psychologists have raised concern about how anti-government protesters, who are fiercely determined to oust the Samak administration, will handle any major disappointments. Mental Health Department spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin said the protesters were on a ''high''. Their emotions were at fever pitch and that left the worrying problem of their mental capacity to accept reversals. Dr Taweesin said all Thais, not just the protesters, should be ready to cope with emotional stress as the country is going through one of its toughest times of political uncertainty. In light of the current stand-off, people's emotions could range from anxious to depressed to stressed. Some could become more aggressive, leading to more clashes like those on Tuesday. The clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators left one man dead and 43 injured. However, many PAD members said being able to join the protest was the best way to ease stress. Artificial legs and arms have not prevented Surapol Pongpipatpanich from tackling the long trip from Phuket to join the rally. Sitting on drenched ground inside the Government House compound, the 53-year-old engineer said he had no worries about his safety. ''I am happier and less depressed coming here than sitting at home and watching what's happening on television,'' he said. Mr Surapol, a veteran of the Oct 6, 1976 student uprising, stopped working and headed to Bangkok when People's Alliance for Democracy leaders announced ''the final war'' last week. He believes the group will win and oust the Samak government. Having supported PAD for more than two years, he and his wife admit to some disappointment due to uncertainty in the situation. ''Of course, we'll be very sorry if we don't win this time. But at least we have let this government realise that people are always ready to step up and fight against any corrupt and immoral politicians,'' he said. Another PAD demonstrator, Napasporn Tangchitchotewuttikul, a cousin of ex-Thai Rak Thai MP Suporn Atthawong, said protests against the government had become a zero-sum game and the PAD could not afford to lose. ''It's either us or the government. The stakes are very high and we cannot afford to lose,'' she said. To ease stress, Dr Taweesin recommended PAD and government supporters put aside their differences and talk about issues they have in common. The idea was to ease tensions and allow more sleep, the most effective way to kill stress. The mental health expert was positive about a solution to the political stalemate and that it could end without violence or bloodshed. ''Both the government and PAD supporters should not pin their hopes too much on winning or losing. ''The most important thing for everyone to get through this tough time is to have a conscience and be prepared to accept the outcome, no matter the result,'' he said. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/05/asia/thai.php Thai protest leader arrested By Thomas Fuller Published: October 5, 2008 BANGKOK: The police arrested on Sunday the leader of a group of anti-government protesters who have occupied the grounds of the Thai prime minister's office here for more than a month. Chamlong Srimuang, who faces charges of insurrection and inciting unrest, was detained early Sunday immediately after casting his vote in the Bangkok gubernatorial election. Thailand's prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, who took power last month, has been working out of the VIP lounge of Bangkok's old airport because the protesters have barricaded themselves into what would normally have been his office. Until now, Somchai has been publicly conciliatory toward the protesters, offering to start negotiations with them. It was unclear if the arrests of Chamlong and another protest organizer, Chaiwat Sinsuwong, who was detained Friday, indicated a harder line by the government. But the arrest appeared to undermine plans by the deputy prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, to meet with protest leaders later this week. The opposition leader in Parliament, Abhisit Vejjajiva, warned Sunday that the arrest could worsen the country's political crisis, which began about three years ago with demonstrations against Thaksin Shinawatra and his removal in September 2006 in a military coup. Anand Panyarachun, a former prime minister, compared Chamlong's arrest to "starting a fire." "It will definitely heat up the temperature, and I don't know where it is going to lead," Anand told reporters after casting his vote in the election for Bangkok governor. Chamlong's arrest was almost cordial - the police allowed him to vote before detaining him and let him sit in the front seat of a police vehicle. The protest leader appeared to anticipate his arrest, leaving a note before he went to vote that urged demonstrators to carry on in the barricaded prime minister's compound. Bangkok's Metropolitan Police commissioner, Suchart Muangaew, seemed apologetic in explaining Chamlong's arrest. "I want people to understand that if the police didn't arrest the suspect when we saw him, the police might be accused of negligence," Suchart said. The police would not use force to arrest seven other leaders of the anti-government protests, he added. A criminal court in Bangkok will consider on Monday whether the warrant against Chamlong and the other leaders is valid. Chamlong, 73, is a former army general turned politician who was once Bangkok governor. In addition to his role as protest leader, he also heads an ascetic Buddhist sect. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/05/politics/politics_30085124.php PAD protesters dog prime minister By The Sunday Nation Published on October 5, 2008 The People's Alliance for Democracy twice confronted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat yesterday. Some 100 PAD supporters chanted slogans against him while he lunched at the Pasak Cholasit Dam club house in Lop Buri but were kept away by the police. Another 100 later forced him to cancel plans to visit the Buddha's footprint in Saraburi province. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/28/politics/politics_30084566.php PM's home town worries over PAD protests By The Sunday Nation Published on September 28, 2008 The business sector in Nakhon Si Thammarat fears that the protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy against Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat during his visit to his home town will affect the image and economic development of the province. Nakhon Si Thammarat Chamber of Commerce president Jamorn Charoen-apibal said that although the protest involved a small group of people, the adverse publicity would portray the whole province as anti-government. Somchai changed his plan to visit Nakhon Si Thammarat following reports that the PAD would stage a protest in the province. He took another plane and landed at Surat Thani airport, in the neighbouring province, at 10.30am yesterday to continue the journey by road to Nakhon Si Thammarat. "Having a Nakhon Si Thammarat native as PM will help the province in improving the living conditions of local residents and injecting funds to push development projects. Those who have a different opinion should respect the rights of others and not push the country to a dead end,'' he said. At Surat Thani airport, 200 people welcomed the PM. However, Somchai's face dropped when a PAD protester shouted "Traitor!" right in his face when he was about to leave. Prayong Ronarong, Magsaysay Award winner for community development in 2004, opposed the PAD protest against Somchai. He said that although the PAD had the right to protest it should have re-|sorted to other ways that did |not create bad press and alienate the people of the province. "A political movement that is driven by emotion rather than by sense brings damage. I wish people would exercise better judgement,'' said Prayong, who is a native of Nakhon Si Thammrat. He urged the PAD not to mobilise anti-government protests in the 14 southern provinces, saying they would not improve the country's political situation. Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondet yesterday voiced concern over the protest in the South against the prime minister, and another one earlier in the week against visiting House Speaker Chai Chidchob. "I don't want to see conflicts expanding to different regions |of the country. This government belongs to the entire country, |not to any particular region. |The government has just been |set up. We should allow them time to run the country," he said. Chamlong Srimuang, a core PAD leader, said yesterday that the group's supporters in the South had acted independently. There were no instructions from the PAD leaders in Bangkok. He also said the threat by the PAD's southern supporters to besiege certain airports in the region as part of their protest was also an independent action. Meanwhile, Democrat Party assistant secretary-general Thepthai Senpong denied an accusation by the three hosts of the NBT television talk show "The Truth of Today" that the party had hired protesters in Nakhon Si Thammrat to oust Somchai. The Democrats were accused of paying Bt1,000 each to 150 people to hold rally against Somchai there. "The PAD protest in Nakhon Si Thammrat was a real movement of the people,'' he said. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/234354,protesters-clash-with-airport-security-as-thai-premier-visits-south.html Protesters clash with airport security as Thai premier visits South Posted : Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:00:00 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) Bangkok - Anti-government protesters clashed with airport security in Surat Thani soon after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat arrived in the southern city Saturday, the government-run Thai News Agency reported. No serious injuries were reported and the protesters, who numbered about 100, fell short of closing the airport as they threatened to prevent Somchai from visiting his hometown near the town some 650 kilometres south of Bangkok. Somchai, who became prime minister on September 18, said he wanted to return to his hometown to celebrate his appointment. The protests were in support of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is spearheading demonstrations in Bangkok against the government they claim is controlled by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is seeking political asylum in Britain. Somchai is married to one of Thaksin's sisters. Chamlong Srimuang, a core PAD leader and retired army general, said what PAD supporters do in the south is independently up to them and not controlled from Bangkok. Thousands of PAD supporters seized the Government House compound on August 26 and have refused to leave until the government meets their demands. The demands include not amending the 2007 constitution that they claim the government was trying to do in an effort to clear Thaksin of corruption charges and make way for his return. An earlier demand was that former prime minister Samak Sundaravej resign, but he lost his post on September 9 when the Constitutional Court found him guilty of illegal moonlighting by hosting television cooking shows. Sitting prime ministers are not allowed to earn income from a second job. The PAD has refused to stop their protests because Somchai's cabinet is similar to Samak's, which they accuse of being controlled by Thaksin. Two years ago, the PAD organized months of protests against Thaksin, who was eventually ousted in a bloodless military coup in September 2006. The PAD and coup leaders charged Thaksin with massive corruption, dividing the nation, and undermining democracy and the monarchy. Thaksin, a former policeman turned billionaire businessman, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, winning a huge following among Thailand's rural poor. But the populist politician drew the opposition of the political elite when his growing power led to perceived abuses for personal gain. After spending 17 months in exile in the post-coup period, Thaksin returned to Thailand in February but fled again last month after his wife was convicted on tax-evasion charges. She skipped bail, and the couple is now seeking asylum in Britain. Thaksin currently has four warrants for his arrest in Thailand for not appearing to face various corruption charges. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30084481 Chai forced by protesters to leave Nakhon Si Thammarat Parliament President Chai Chidchob failed to chair an event in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat after a group of protesters turned up to demand him to leave. Chai left the province and headed back to Bangkok Friday morning. He initially planned to chair the Parliament Meet the People activity at the Si Thammarat Suksa School Friday morning. But protesters rallied outside the Twin Lotus Hotel where he initially stayed Thursday night, prompting him to sneak out to stay overnight at a resort of Piti Thepphakdee, a failed election candidate of the People Power Party. Chai left the resort and headed back to Bangkok Friday morning. Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban said he was worry sorry about the protest and his party was not behind it. The Nation http://www.bt.com.bn/en/asia_news/2008/09/24/protests_raise_spectre_of_another_coup_in_thailand Protests raise spectre of another coup in Thailand BANGKOK Wednesday, September 24, 2008 PERSISTING anti-government protests and political instability threaten peace and democracy in Thailand and could usher in another military coup, a leading think tank has said. The warning came as Thailand's new Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat put the finishing touches yesterday to his cabinet line-up, which is expected to be unveiled within days. Protesters besieging the main government compound will be watching closely for signs of the influence of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as they continue their campaign to bring down any government with links to him. "Every day the standoff continues, political divisions become more intractable - and another coup becomes more likely," Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a statement released late Monday. Thaksin was overthrown in a coup in September 2006 and fled into exile for a second time in August this year as corruption cases mounted against him. His allies in the People Power Party (PPP) won elections in December 2007 but have struggled with protests and court cases against them. "Overthrowing the elected government - either by a coup or by street demonstrations - would be a severe blow to Thailand's democracy ", said Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, ICG's Thailand analyst. "It will do nothing to resolve the deep political polarisation that is tearing Thailand apart." The group said the crisis was affecting tourism and the economy. The Thai stock market has fallen more than 25 per cent since an alliance of anti-government demonstrators launched their campaign in late May. Tensions grew when they stormed Government House nearly a month ago. PPP deputy leader Somchai was elected premier after Samak Sundaravej was forced out from office.AFP http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e78b7bda-8991-11dd-8371-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1 Thai protesters pursue chaos theory By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok Published: September 23 2008 18:12 | Last updated: September 23 2008 18:12 It is nearly a month since Puangporn Boonthai, a university student from north-east Thailand, came to Bangkok to join a siege of Government House to protest against the country?s elected administration. Initially, the protesters were calling for the resignation of Samak Sundaravej, the abrasive former prime minister, who was removed from his post two weeks ago by a court that deemed his guest appearances on a television cookery programme a violation of constitutional conflict of interest rules. Since then Somchai Wongsawat, a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Mr Samak?s successor, has tried to strike a conciliatory note, urging protesters to allow his administration to focus on Thailand?s urgent economic and social challenges. Mr Somchai is expected to unveil his cabinet on Wednesday. Yet Ms Puangporn, like other members of the People?s Alliance for Democracy, has no intention of leaving. They will not be pacified until Thailand finds a new way to choose its ?leaders, by replacing a parliamentary democracy they believe is broken beyond repair. ?We want a new political system,? said Ms Puangporn, wearing a black t-shirt ?bearing the English slogans: ?Thailand Turning Point 2008? and ?Democracy ?Revolution?. To her, the fact that Mr Somchai is also the brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, the fugitive former prime minister now in exile in the UK, is emblematic of all that ails Thai democracy ? a system where, she says, the poor sell their vote to corrupt leaders. ?We want a system where the people can participate more ? not where the people, can buy votes,? she said. ?Politicians today have a conflict of interest problem. Now it looks like we get the same as Mr Thaksin. It?s the same vicious circle.? The PAD has backed away from its initial proposal of a new legislature made up of 70 per cent appointees and 30 per cent elected members. But it is developing plans for a new system to classify voters by their occupation, and allow them to vote for leaders from their field. Despite his appeal for national healing, Mr Somchai has acknowledged that the siege is not likely to end soon, approving Bt8bn ($237m, ?160m, ?128m) last week to fit out offices in Bangkok?s former airport to serve as the temporary administrative headquarters for his People?s Power party-led ruling coalition. Most Thais believe the PAD?s strategy is to cause such disruption that the military is prompted to intervene, paving the way for a constitutional overhaul. Publicly, the PAD has called for a new ?national unity government?, in which the legislature could choose any Thai as prime minister, even if he was not an elected member of parliament. ?The PAD are committed to their chaos theory to bring about their new order,? said Giles Ungpakorn, a Chulalongkorn ?University political scientist. ?Even if [Mr Somchai] wasn?t the brother-in-law [of Mr Thaksin], they would still object to any PPP prime minister. ?They want an end to parliamentary democracy.? Boonlert Pairindra, a US-educated retired bureaucrat and former senator, believes it will be only a matter of months before the protesters disperse voluntarily ? after achieving their aim of ?driving out the PPP-led administration. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082266 Clash occurs in Wat Somanus community Two groups of people in red and yellow shirts clashed on a soi of Wat Somanus community Tuesday morning. The clash occurred at 6:10 am. About 100 men in red shirts tried to attack those in yellow shirts by throwing rocks at them. Each side also threw tree pots and pieces of woods against each other. The men in red shirts also sprayed fire extinguishers at the other side. The Nation http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/15/content_10002917.htm Protests continue as emergency rule lifted in Bangkok ?Anti-government protesters continued their rally, occupation in the Government House.. ? Caretaker PM Somchai announced to lift the emergency decree in Bangkok. ?He urged all parties to reach reconciliation in form of dialogue. Policemen in riot gear keep guard outside Parliament in Bangkok Sept. 12, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) BANGKOK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government protesters continued their rally and occupation in the Government House although Thailand's Caretaker Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat announced to lift the emergency decree in Bangkok on Sunday, 12 days after it was imposed by the former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. The lifting takes effect from Sunday, said Somchai in a statement, citing that the emergency decree would further affect people's life and cause economic losses to the country, and that no major violent incidents has happened since the decree was imposed, which meant the situation has improved and made a state of emergency unnecessary. Somchai said that political uncertainties in the recent past had already brought the kingdom negative impacts socially and economically. He urged all parties to solve their "conflicts of ideas" and reach reconciliation in form of dialogue within the framework of law and democracy in order to improve the situation. The caretaker prime minister did not make a demand for the anti-government protesters organized by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who have seized and occupied the Government House in central Bangkok since Aug. 26, to disperse, though. The PAD had demanded Samak and his whole cabinet to resign and pushed for its so-called "new politics" concept, which want a major part of the parliament members to be appointed rather than elected, to be imposed. However, the army chief maintained on no use of force in efforts to remove the PAD protesters, who continued their rally and occupation in the Government House. After violent clashes broke out before dawn on Sept. 2 between pro-government demonstrators and PAD protesters on the streets of Bangkok, Samak declared a state of emergency over Bangkok hours later, and assigned Army Chief Anupong to be in charge of the imposition. After Samak was disqualified by a Constitutional Court verdict on Tuesday which found him in breach of the charter by hosting TV cooking shows while in office, first Deputy Prime Minister Somchai was appointed as acting prime minister to head the caretaker government. The House of Representatives on Friday postponed a scheduled vote on a new prime minister until next Wednesday after the PPP split over whether to re-nominate Samak, while other five coalition parties also voiced opposition to the choice of Samak. Samak later declined the offer. Somchai is now deemed among the three favorite candidates for the prime minister post by the PPP, which is set to announce its decision on the final choice on Monday and now lobbying coalition partners to accept its choice. Although the emergency decree was lifted, the PAD on Sunday vowed to carry on anti-government rally at the Government House. Two core leaders of PAD, Chamlong Srimuang and Somsak Kosaikul, held a press conference on Sunday morning, saying that the emergency decree has caused damage to the country in many aspects, but it was not the PAD's fault. They also made it clear that the PAD will not accept the three top tipped candidates of PPP for the premiership -- including caretaker PM Somchai, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, caretaker Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat, or anyone from the current caretaker government led by PPP. They have vowed to continue their demonstration until the current administration steps down and it becomes certain that no other "proxy" of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra runs the country. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/08/politics/politics_30082829.php Counter protests planned in 50 provinces By The Nation Published on September 8, 2008 Thailand is heading toward further rifts with pro-government crowds planning to rally in 50 provinces to demand an end to the anti-government protesters' siege of the Government House. People Power Party MP Chuvit Pitakpornpallop said pro-government crowds would rally in 50 provinces located in the four regions to counter the People's Alliance for Democracy by demanding to the PAD's capture of the Government House. The pro-government rallies were scheduled to take place at provincial halls from last night until the anti-government protesters moved out of the seat of the government. Chuvit said pro-government crowds might even lay siege to religious sanctuaries run by Santi Asoke in Ubon Ratchathani and other provinces. Santi Asoke is seen as closely linked to PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang. Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, is scheduled to hold his Cabinet meeting in Udon Thani tomorrow. He is in the same shoes with Thaksin, who in 2006 was also forced to hold his Cabinet meetings in the provinces because the PAD had sealed the Government House. Udon Thani is the province where recently members of the PAD were physically assaulted by the pro-government supporters, an incident that created big headlines. Prakasit Rubsung, a leader of the PAD in the Northeast, said Khwanchai Praipana, the leader of the pro-government Udon Lovers' Club, is planning to organise rallies against the PAD by paying Bt150,000 to any district which brings in people to support the rallies. He added that Khwanchai will be mobilising some 2,000 supporters to greet Samak and his Cabinet on Monday at the airport and to prevent the PAD's protesters from getting close to the prime minister. Meanwhile, the People Power Party yesterday ruled out all scenarios for it to relinquish power - either by the prime minister resigning or a House dissolution - arguing the turmoil would persist regardless of its course of action. "Protesters want to introduce the idea of so-called 'new politics' even though many people have no idea what that is," party spokesman Kudep Saikrajang said. Kudep said political normalcy could not be restored as long as the opposition movement led by the PAD was determined to use illegal means to oust the government and revamp the political system. He said none of the problems would be solved by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's resignation or by calling a snap election. If the government bows to demands made through illegal means, this would set a dangerous precedent for the Thai political system, he said. The uncertainty would escalate because at this juncture, there is no clear explanation on how to implement a new system of allocating House seats among 70 per cent of appointees and 30 per cent of elected MPs, he said. The party spokesman dismissed speculation that the main coalition party was at odds with Army chief General Anupong Paochinda relating to the enforcement of emergency measures. He said his party did not pressure Anupong to use force to evict protesters from Government House as the government had pledged patience and tolerance in trying to resolve the political unrest. He said his party was in favour of negotiations as a way to overcome the political deadlock as suggested by Anupong. The problem is not the government but the opposition movement, which refuses to negotiate, he said. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=97131 THAILAND: PAD to continue protest despite court ruling Opposition group pleased with court's ruling about Prime Minister Samak hosting two broadcast shows, but warn parliament about its vote for a new one Bangkok Post Tuesday, September 9, 2008 People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) released a statement on Tuesday night, saying that it would continue its anti-government protest as it has proven that the group played an important role in opposing the government that has violated the charter. The statement was released several hours after the Constitution Court ruled that Samak Sundaravej violated the constitution by hosting cooking shows on commercial television and ordered him to step down. PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said the rally needs to go on as the group would like to closely monitor the situation and see who will be elect to be a new prime minister. Mr Suriyasai called on political parties to think 'outside the box,' and said neither Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva nor Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa is qualified to lead the country. "There will be problems if Mr Abhisit is elected," he said. "If Mr Banharn is elected, there will be conflicts as well." PAD also condemned People Power party (PPP)'s resolution to re-elect Samak Sundaravej back into the government, saying that this is a proof that the party MPs are unethical thus should not have the right to govern the country. "These politicians have the intention to keep the country under crisis," it said in the statement. Date Posted: 9/9/2008 http://www.bangkokpost.com/100908_News/10Sep2008_news11.php Sanitation worries at PAD protest sites Doctors fear demonstrators are at risk of ill-health, writes Apiradee Treerutkuarkul The early-morning sight of cleaners wearing Mohom, an indigo-dyed shirt, and a sarong and sweeping the streets is a familiar one along Ratchadamnoen Nok avenue The garbage they sweep up is generated by the thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters inside the Government House compound and around the Makkhawan Rangsan bridge area protesting against the People Power party-led administration. The trash is carried away to a line-up of green trucks waiting nearby. The cleaning duties are just one of the routine activities of the ''Dhamma Army'', from the Santi Asoke Buddhist sect. It also runs a vegetarian canteen which has provided free meals to the the protesters since the anti-government offensive was launched in late May. But despite their efforts, concerns have been raised over the hygiene of the protests sites. Doctors are warning of possible outbreaks of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal diseases due to unhygienic food and a shortage of toilets. The PAD core leaders have dismissed the worries, but doctors stationed at the demonstration sites and medical experts from elsewhere point to the damp conditions, crowded environment and limited sanitation as causes for concern. ''Although there have been no reports of severe diarrhoea so far, it is possible that PAD protesters could experience fever, headaches, sore throats and food poisoning, especially with the rapidly changing weather of the monsoon season,'' said senior health official Vichai Chokewiwat, chairman of the Oct 14, 1973 foundation. With the PAD struggling to improve sanitation at the protest sites, Dr Vichai has recommended demonstrators try to stay dry and keep their feet protected. But the Dhamma Army and many PAD supporters dismissed the hygiene risk, saying it was simply an attempt to discourage more people from joining the demonstration. ''They can say what they want. There will always be rumours. We all realise this is a public place and that we have to keep it clean,'' said Padboon Chaohinfah, a 50-year-old chef and a member of the Dhamma Army. Ms Padboon wakes up at 3am each day and joins hundreds of fellow Dhamma Army members in cleaning the area. They collect garbage, clean cooking sites and the areas around Makkhawan Bridge and the Government House compound, before preparing breakfast for protesters. She said members make sure all ingredients are clean before cooking. Many PAD supporters who stay overnight help them with the cleaning duties. Ms Padboon, however, conceded she had heard of protesters falling ill due to food poisoning from time to time. But she said it was difficult to know if their meals were responsible for any illness because food has also been donated by PAD supporters from around the country. Hatairat Charoenwattananon, a volunteer nurse stationing at a medical tent near Santi Maitri Building, said she watched a news programme reporting on PAD demonstrators falling ill due to poor food and limited toilet facilities but was not convinced of the accuracy of the news coverage. ''This is nonsense and completely untrue. I dare those who spread this rumour to come and see with their own eyes how we are staying here,'' she said. Sunee Limthongtae, a PAD supporter from Bangkok's Phra Kanong district, said the reports of a health risk would not discourage her from going to Government House to join the protest. ''My friends and I will always come here to protest because we cannot stand corrupt politicians ruining our country any longer,'' she said. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP12798.htm CHRONOLOGY:Ten days of street protests in Thailand 04 Sep 2008 04:15:48 GMT Source: Reuters (For related story see THAILAND/PROTEST or [ID:nSP329169] Sept 4 (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said on Thursday that he would neither quit nor dissolve parliament in the face of a street campaign led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The protests began in Bangkok in late May and have escalated over the past 10 days after thousands of protesters occupied the prime minister's official compound. (For related FACTBOX on the PAD see [ID:nBKK96523]) Here is a timeline charting recent unrest. * Aug 26: Thousands of demonstrators storm state broadcaster NBT and Samak's official compound in a PAD-organised attempt to unseat his seven-month-old government. [ID:nBKK47538] * Aug 27: Thai court orders protesters to leave government compound, issues arrest warrants for nine PAD leaders for inciting unrest and trying to overthrow government. [ID:nBKK145744] * Aug 28: About 40,000 protesters defy deadline to leave. Police unable to arrest leaders due to sheer numbers barricaded inside the compound behind makeshift barriers of car tyres and razor wire. [ID:nSP265214] * Aug 29: Unrest peaks. Police fire teargas and rubber bullets to repel 2,000 protesters who attack Bangkok's police headquarters; scuffles break out as they deliver eviction orders at Government House. Demonstrations spread south, forcing closure of airports in Krabi and Phuket. Rail services disrupted by strikes. [ID:nBKK97947] * Aug 30: Samak holds firm, vows not to quit. [ID:nBKK21471] * Aug 31: More than 1,000 government supporters rally outside parliament as lawmakers debate the street campaign. Samak vows never to bow to protesters. [ID:nBKK45732] * Sept 1: Public sector unions threaten nationwide strike on Sept. 3 unless Samak quits. Government says unrest is turning into guerrilla war after a small bomb explodes in a Bangkok police booth; no one is injured. [ID:nSP195323] * Sept 2: Samak declares state of emergency after one person is killed and about 45 people hurt in overnight clashes between his supporters and anti-government protesters. All public gatherings banned in Bangkok. Amry chief says force will not be used to break up occupation of government compound. [ID:nSP120651] * Sept 3: Thai foreign minister quits as protests drag on. Hundreds of riot police outside Government House make no move towards the thousands of protesters camped inside. Public sector strike causes little disruption. [ID:nSP48377] * Sept 4: Prime Minister Samak says he will neither quit nor dissolve parliament. Barricaded inside the prime minister's compound, the PAD vows to stay until Samak resigns. [ID:nSP329169] Source: Reuters http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604995 Thailand: Gov`t House turns into open air market to cater protesters Posted: 2008/09/04 From: MNN Gov`t House has become an open-air market selling goods to the thousands of anti-gov`t protestors have occupied the prime minister`s office for more than a week now. Despite emergency rule, thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD protesters were still milling around the prime minister?s compound, entertained by musical performances and munching on free food. Some protesters wandered around, shopping and chatting at Government House, which is normally used to welcome official guests such as U.S. President George W. Bush. Dozens of stalls lined the street, selling sundry items such as clapping toys used for cheering, face tattoos bearing the Thai national flag and slippers with the faces of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman. Chorpiporn Pattanasupong, a masseuse said "It?s tiring to sit for a long time or walk long distances, so they come to have a massage." A stall selling yellow T-shirts has proved popular, with many protesters wearing them to show their respect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Yellow is the colour of Monday, the day of the week on which the 80-year-old monarch was born. A protestor said "It would be stressful to sit in the protest all the time. Coming to shop here is relaxing." Many people have joined the rally since the street protest began in May and some of them have now run out of money. Uma Sungkhao, a protestor said "I've stayed in the protest here for too long, my money is running out. So I have found something to sell." The protestors have vowed to continue their campaign until prime minister Samak Sundaravej resigns and have urged others to join them behind barricades of razor wire and car tyres. Restaurant owners and supporters of the PAD have been giving the protestors free food. Duangkamol Sawansook, a PAD supporter said "It's hot here, so ice is perfect to give out to the protestors. No one else is doing it and normally we give out this dessert at home, so we came here.? (TNA) http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/04/world/fg-thailand4 Archive for Thursday, September 04, 2008 ?We won?t stop,? Thai protester pledges A mass strike fails to materialize but tens of thousands remain at a government compound in Bangkok as they seek Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej?s resignation. By Charles Mcdermid September 04, 2008 in print edition A-5 Bangkok shopkeeper Rai Varopaspiman is dead tired. Months ago, she joined anti-government protesters and began camping outside the gates of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej?s administrative compound, demanding his resignation. Six days ago, the situation intensified when Rai and thousands of other People?s Alliance for Democracy protesters ? some wielding golf clubs, slingshots or pepper spray ? stormed the gates and set up a protest camp inside. Arrest warrants on treason charges have been issued for nine of the group?s leaders, and a court order has demanded dispersal of the crowd, which reports say has reached as many as 30,000 people. The escalating turmoil, which has spilled to the provinces and shut down tourist hot spots, prompted Samak to declare a state of emergency Tuesday. The decree forbids gatherings of more than five people and restricts news media freedoms. At a televised news conference, Samak said the emergency declaration was the most gentle way to restore peace in Thailand. He also insisted that he had no intention of stepping down. ?I don?t understand why people think I?m the bad guy here,? he told reporters. Early today, Samak reiterated in a radio broadcast that he would not resign. A threatened mass strike failed to materialize by Wednesday night, although hundreds of Bangkok schools and several regional airports remained closed. Razor-wire barricades were erected at entrances to Bangkok?s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where protesters have threatened to disrupt flights. Sundaravej, elected in January after a junta kept its promise to restore democracy, is accused by opponents of mismanaging the economy and a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand and of serving as a figurehead for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in exile. For shopkeeper Rai, last week?s action was only a march of a few hundred yards, but the act of mass defiance and the occupation of the nation?s seat of government are powerful expressions of the political instability and social chaos that grip Thailand. Rai now huddles in a plastic tent alongside other demonstrators and their families trying to avoid the heat, monsoonal downpours and the noxious mud pit that the manicured grounds of Government House have become. She stands in line for meals provided by organizers and sleeps on a rattan mat on the ground. But like many others, Rai, a 50-year-old mother of four, intends to stay put until the government steps down. ?We will stay here as long as it takes,? Rai said Tuesday, just hours after violent predawn clashes between the protesters and pro-government demonstrators left one man dead, three others hospitalized for gunshot wounds and nearly 50 injured, according to local reports. The army has been put in charge of public order, but the top army commander, Gen. Anupong Paochida, has said the military will not take sides or stage a coup. Thailand has had 18 military takeovers since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Although a recent poll by Bangkok University reported that 68% of respondents said they disapproved of the People Alliance?s actions, the movement?s leaders see the state of emergency declaration as a victory. The leader of the protests is Thai media baron Sondhi Limthongkul. Sondhi and other People?s Alliance leaders have told followers to stay calm amid ?hundreds of plainclothes police.? Last weekend, Sondhi told the crowd: ?They may shoot me here.? People?s Alliance members are described by local news media as mostly middle class but also including impoverished people from large cities and rural provinces. Led by Sondhi and discontented people within the old elites in the military and palace, they believe Samak plans to amend the constitution drafted under military rule after the 2006 coup in order to nullify corruption charges against Thaksin. Samak has denied this. ?We entirely expect that we will win,? Rai said, pointing out that the National Election Commission has ruled that Samak?s People?s Power Party committed electoral fraud and should be dissolved. As the protests drag on, Thailand is feeling the strain. Recent events have tarnished the tourist-friendly reputation of the so-proclaimed ?Land of Smiles.? Countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Australia have issued warnings for travelers. Last weekend, hundreds of protesters ran onto the runway at the airport servicing tourist haven Phuket and refused to move until the facility was closed. At another airport, protesters blocked the only road, freezing traffic for hours and stranding passengers. As many as 30% of the nation?s rail lines have been closed at one time, according to local reports. At the prime minister?s complex, riot police and bands of armed pro-government hecklers have encircled the protesters at night, sparking clashes. In response, protest leaders have distributed motorcycle helmets and makeshift bamboo weapons. ?They come when we are tired,? Rai said. ?They think that when we are scared, we will leave, and with less people, they can sweep us away. We have to stay awake during the night because of violence and in the day we are very, very tired.? But the protesters appear unmoved by perceptions of the crisis that Samak has called ?embarrassing in front of the world.? Kritsada Tiyawanit, a 22-year-old university student whose face was painted the three colors of the Thai flag, disagreed. ?This is good for Thailand. This is democracy. This is an uprising ? our uprising.? Said Rai, ?If everybody in the world knows the real situation ? they would understand. It took us 34 days to remove Thaksin and today it is 101 for me. ?We won?t stop.? http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5731983 Thai Leader Refuses to Negotiate With Protesters Thai leader refuses to negotiate in political crisis as Parliament proposes mediation By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand September 5, 2008 (AP) Thailand riot police wait outside Government House in Bangkok Friday, Sept. 5, 2008. Prime Minister... (AP) Thailand's prime minister said Friday he won't negotiate with protesters that have occupied his office in a bid to oust him, as a new mediation effort by Parliament raised a glimmer of hope for ending the country's political crisis. The effort by lawmakers to find a solution reflects their growing frustration over the crisis, which has virtually paralyzed the government for the past 12 days and raised fears of an economic downturn, especially in the crucial tourism industry. The standoff stems from a campaign by the People's Alliance for Democracy ? a loosely knit group of royalists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents, and union activists ? to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government, accusing it of corruption and violating the constitution. Samak, who refuses to go, reiterated Friday that he won't negotiate with the alliance. Related Thai Referendum Upcoming, PM Won't Quit Thai Foreign Minister Quits, More Protests WATCH: Bangkok Protests Turn Bloody "No, that won't be necessary," he told reporters. Samak has said he will call a referendum to ask the people if the alliance's campaign is justified. However, he did not reject outright the new proposal by Parliament to let Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondet act as a mediator. The decision to attempt mediation was made by the opposition Democrat Party and leaders of the two chambers of Parliament ? the Senate and House of Representatives. "The speaker has agreed to find a way to get the two sides to sit down and talk to find a way out," Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters. He said Prasopsuk will also meet the army chief. "The legislature can play a role here. The government has proposed a referendum but that process would take a long time and may not be ready in time to deal with the crisis," Abhisit said. Alliance leaders have already rejected the referendum, and most analysts say it would be a futile exercise and divide the country. Thousands of alliance members who took over the compound of Samak's office, the Government House, on Aug. 26 remain ensconced there under makeshift tents. It is the first time in history that the seat of government has been overrun by civilians. Panithan Wattanayagorn, a political analyst from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, welcomed the mediation idea, saying Prasopsuk has a reputation of being fair and honest. A group of Thai anti-government demonstrator pose for a photograph early Friday morning, Sept. 5,... (AP) "It now depends on whether the two sides would be willing to talk and come up with a solution. It doesn't look like either side would budge easily," he said. The alliance protesters accuse Samak of being a stooge of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed from power by a military coup in 2006 following months of street protests by the alliance. Samak came to power in general elections held by the military government in December 2007. Alliance leaders say the elections were fraudulent, and that Samak is running the government as a proxy for Thaksin while he is in exile in Britain. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1428688.php/Hat_Yai_airport_reopens_after_protest_closure_ Hat Yai airport reopens after protest closure Asia-Pacific News Sep 4, 2008, 5:41 GMT Bangkok - Thailand's Hat Yai International Airport reopened Thursday after a two-day closure forced by anti-government protestors. Thai Airways International PCL, the national carrier, resumed its thrice-daily flights to Hat Yai, about 720 kilometres south of Bangkok. The airport had been closed on and off by anti-government protests since Friday when the government dispatched police to Government House in Bangkok to evict thousands of protestors with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who seized the Thai government headquarters on August 26 and have occupied it since. The airport was reopened over the weekend and then closed again by PAD supporters Tuesday after the government declared a state of emergency in Bangkok. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Thursday refused to resign despite the political crisis that has rocked his administration and left the cabinet without offices for 10 days. Samak called a special cabinet session Thursday to discuss means of evicting the PAD from Government House without exacerbating the crisis through violence. The PAD is essentially a conservative Bangkok-based movement that has attracted Thailand's urban middle class fed up with corrupt politicians and seeking a 'new politics' based on appointments rather than elections. Critics accused the movement of trying to undermine Thailand's elections-based political party system, taking the country back to its feudalistic past when the military and bureaucracy led the government. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Asia&set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20080905085334360C547763 Thai students wounded during protest rally September 05 2008 at 10:48AM Related Articles ? Thai PM offers unusual compromise ? Thai cabinet floats referendum ? We'll die for King - defiant Thai protesters Bangkok - Police warned students on Friday to avoid street protests after a gunman shot and wounded two students demonstrating against Thailand's prime minister, raising new fears of violence in the country's tense political crisis. The attack came after the premier, Samak Sundaravej, proposed a national referendum Thursday to decide his political fate, an unconventional compromise that was dismissed by critics as a stalling tactic that will prolong the unrest. About 100 students were marching to demonstrate outside Samak's home late on Thursday when an unidentified gunman on the back of a motorcycle opened fire on the crowd, said police chief Colonel Somsak Bunsaeng of the Ladprao station in northeast Bangkok. One of the students was shot in his left leg, the other in his left arm. Police said they were hospitalised but were not seriously hurt. 'The situation is very politically charged.' Anti-government protesters have occupied Samak's official headquarters, Government House, for 11 days, vowing not to leave until he resigns. Samak imposed a state of emergency on Tuesday after his opponents and supporters clashed near Government House in rioting that left one person dead and dozens wounded. The decree gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties and bans public gatherings of more than five people. Police told students after the shooting that under the state of emergency their Thursday evening protest was not allowed, said police spokesperson Surapol Tuantong. "We explained to the students last night that the city is under the state of emergency - and they understood and dispersed," Surapol said. 'I will not abandon the ship, and I will take responsibility for the crew on board' "The situation is very politically charged. Right now, it's not a good idea to gather," he said. "There are many parties involved and when something like this happens, it's hard to find the perpetrators." Shooting incidents are rare in Bangkok, which was calm on Friday with business going on as usual in most of the city. Anti-government protests have mostly been isolated to the area around Government House. Samak hopes his proposed referendum will allow him to keep his job while placating the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has vowed to continue its anti-government campaign. The referendum will ask the public to choose between the alliance and the government, but many analysts say a simple yes-no vote is insufficient in the face of a complicated political crisis. The alliance ridiculed the plan, saying Samak will manipulate the vote, just as they allege he did during general elections his party won in December 2007. "The referendum is an attempt by Mr Samak to buy himself some more time in the office," Sondhi Limthongkul, a media tycoon and one of the protest leaders, told reporters. Before announcing the referendum, which caught the nation by surprise, Samak delivered a combative speech on national radio, again refusing to step down. "I will not abandon the ship, and I will take responsibility for the crew on board," Samak said, peppering his speech with folksy language. "I am not resigning. I have to protect the democracy of this country." But some have said the referendum could aggravate rather than alleviate the political deadlock. "A referendum is normally used to test public approval on whether to go to war or pass an important law. It would not be effective as a tool to solve a complicated political crisis with many conditions and layers," said Panithan Wattanayagorn, a political science professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. The alliance is a loosely knit group of royalists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents, and union activists. It wants parliament to be revamped so most lawmakers are appointed rather than elected, arguing that Thailand's impoverished rural majority is too susceptible to vote buying. The group has already had a hand in bringing down one government, when it staged demonstrations in 2006 that paved the way for the bloodless coup that removed then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. The protesters say Samak is Thaksin's stooge and is running the government for him by proxy while the ousted prime minister is in exile in Britain. The government's failure to resolve the deadlock has also raised fears of an economic downturn, especially in Thailand's crucial tourist industry, which is particularly susceptible to concerns about political instability. - Sapa-AP http://www.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,,7778961,00.html Living conditions bad but Thai protesters stay put Saturday September 6, 2008 12:31 pm AP Photo DLL108, DLL101, DLL103< ContentType:Spot Development; ContentElement:FullStory; Breaking:True; By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Living conditions at a 12-day-old protest at Thailand's Government House were worsening, with thousands camped in mud enveloped by the stench of urine, but organizers said Saturday they will not leave until the prime minister resigns. Protest organizers sprayed white disinfectant powder over the muddy, stinking ground, which was once a lush green lawn of the Government House before the complex, which houses the prime minister's office, was taken over by a horde of protesters on Aug. 26. On Saturday, they were camped in heavy rain under makeshift tents with plastic sheets spread over the filthy mixture on the ground. More than 200 people lined up to get free medicine from makeshift clinics. Elsewhere in the compound, hundreds of people lined up to use mobile toilets while some men relieved themselves in the open amid the pervasive smell. ``It is a bad smell everywhere, but we can stand it. To get this government out of office we are even prepared to die,'' said Mananya Maksukkha, a 54-year-old schoolteacher. The standoff stems from a campaign by the People's Alliance for Democracy - a loose-knit group of royalists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents, and union activists - to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government, accusing it of corruption and violating the constitution. Hundreds of high school and university students joined the protest in the pouring rain. ``This is the beginning of an involvement by students to help pressure the government,'' said Pentaka Rakanklang, a sophomore at Thammasat University. ``We hope more students will come out to join us and express their views.'' Until recently, students have not played a significant role in the current anti-government movement. The deadlock has virtually paralyzed government work and raised fears of an economic downturn, especially in the crucial tourism industry. It has also raised concern about Thailand's ability to hold a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in December. A glimmer of hope for ending the crisis was raised Friday when Parliament appointed Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondet to act as a mediator. Samak, who refuses to resign, reiterated Friday that he will not negotiate with the alliance but did not reject outright Prasopsuk's effort. The alliance welcomed Prasopsuk's appointment, but said it will hold negotiations with the government only after Samak resigns. ``We cannot do anything against the will of people who are determined to protest until our goal is reached,'' Chamlong Srimuang, one of the five core protest leaders, told reporters. The protesters accuse Samak of being a stooge of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed from power by a military coup in 2006 following months of street protests by the alliance. On Friday, Samak said he will meet with security officials in the next few days to discuss whether to lift the state of emergency he imposed in Bangkok on Tuesday. --- Associated Press writers Sutin Wannabovorn and Ambika Ahuja contributed to this report. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/07/politics/politics_30082773.php Students divided 0ver PAD protest By The Sunday Nation Published on September 7, 2008 Some have serious reservations about 'new politics' proposal University students are split over whether to throw their support behind the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). One group said it would boycott classes next week in a show of support for the PAD, while another is against the PAD, arguing its proposal for "new politics" is undemocratic. According to the PAD proposal, only 30 per cent of MPs should be elected and the rest appointed from professional groups. Yesterday, a new group of college students calling itself Yaowachon Koo Chart (Young PAD Group) said some 80 to 100 students from 80 universities throughout the Kingdom would not report to classes from Tuesday until Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej resigned. "We're not following a trend in siding with the PAD," Kulthip Karn-samrit, a leader of the group, said. "But we want to be with the right side." At the opposite pole is the Students' Federation of Thailand, the King-dom's largest umbrella group of students from 39 institutions and with a long history of democratic struggle. It rules out support for the PAD because its "new politics" theory - where 70 per cent of MPs will be appointed - is undemocratic. "We disagree with the PAD and the crux of it is with the [new politics] issue. The PAD's demand for the resignation of the PM or for the dissolution of the House is, however, within the democratic framework," Artef Sohko, its secretary-general, told The Sunday Nation. Artef said those students wanting to support or join the PAD could do so but he urged students to think deeply about the implication of the PAD's proposal. He added that a majority of university students were unsure how to resolve the political stalemate. The SFT, which will hold a news conference at Thammasat University today, is also opposed to the state of emergency, but it wants the nine PAD leaders to report to the police to hear government charges. Elsewhere, a lecturer of medicine at Chulalongkorn University issued a statement calling on Samak to resign. Tul Sitthisomwon demanded that the state-run NBT TV station stops being a a mouthpiece for the government. Meanwhile, students have been gathering signatures at Thammasat University's Rangsit campus to seek impeachment of the premier. They had collected 1,000 in four hours. Ramkhamhaeng University students will visit National Police Head-quarters today to see if there's any progress in the shooting case against two of their colleagues. They vow to lay a wreath if there's no progress. Yesterday evening, about 1,000 college students gathered near Makkhawan Bridge, demanding that Samak step down. The so-called Young PAD Group defied the emergency rule imposed by the government which bars a political gathering of more than five persons. http://www.bangkokpost.com/040908_News/04Sep2008_news15.php Protests over clash mar debate MONGKOL BANGPRAPA The House debate on the 1.835-trillion-baht Budget Bill for 2009 fiscal year was launched amid a commotion and noisy protests yesterday with opposition Democrat MPs attempting to turn the session into a discussion forum on the political standoff. The ruckus began when Democrat list-MP Suwaroj Palang proposed an inquiry into allegations that certain MPs of the People Power party (PPP) had engineered a violent confrontation between pro- and anti-government demonstrators. Opposition chief whip Sathit Wongnongtoey accused a cabinet minister of having a hand in the pro-government protest, saying he was seen discussing the political situation with PPP MPs on the day of the clash before the violence erupted. Democrat and Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva asked House Speaker Chai Chidchob to launch an investigation into Mr Sathit's claim. Sathit: Links cabinet minister to clash Surapong: Hits back at Somkiat of PAD PPP MP for Chiang Mai Surapong Towichakchaikul hit back, directing his attack at Democrat MP Somkiat Pongpaiboon, a core member of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Mr Chai tried to bring the chamber back to its agenda by proposing he discuss possible arrangements with the senate speaker and opposition leader for a fresh debate on political problems. The debate on the Budget Bill was disrupted when Democrat MP Boonyod Sukthinthai proposed that Democrat MPs be allowed to observe a minute's silence to pay respects to the man who died in Tuesday's clash. PPP MP for Maha Sarakham Suthin Khlangsang disagreed and accused the Democrat party of using the death to shore up its image. The debate on the Budget Bill was often disrupted as government and opposition MPs abandoned the formal agenda and traded barbs and accusations. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/373575/1/.html Thai FM hands in resignation as protesters refuse to budge Posted: 03 September 2008 2114 hrs Thai anti-government protesters cheer during a speech by one of their leaders BANGKOK - Thailand's foreign minister handed in his resignation Wednesday a day after the prime minister clamped emergency rule on Bangkok following deadly clashes and days of protests against his rule. An aide to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who would not be named, told AFP that Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag submitted his resignation citing his wife's ill health, but it has yet to be accepted by the prime minister. Samak is fighting to rally support in the face of thousands of protesters who have besieged his empty government offices for the past week, calling on him to resign. Early Tuesday, the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy clashed with government supporters in Bangkok, leaving one man dead and 44 people injured, prompting Samak to impose emergency rule across the capital. Thailand's political stalemate showed no sign of easing up on Wednesday, even as a national strike threatened by utility workers flopped. Unions representing 200,000 employees at state enterprises had threatened to make crippling cuts to water and power supplies nationwide. But few workers heeded their call, with services running as usual. Some workers who began disrupting train services last week returned to the job Wednesday, the State Railway of Thailand said, adding that operations had actually improved, with trains suspended only in southern provinces. Flag carrier Thai Airways reported no disruptions and transport authorities in Bangkok said public buses were running as usual. But the thousands of activists who stormed Samak's official compound 10 days ago refused to budge, raising fears of new violence despite the capital now being essentially under military control. Political gatherings are banned and the army is empowered to suspend civil liberties. But while the protesters have defied the ban on assembly, the army chief, General Anupong Paojinda, said he would use talks rather than violence to end the siege. The military has made no move to evict activists squatting in the Government House compound, and one of the key protest leaders said they would only open negotiations if Samak resigns. "Our stand is always firm -- that Mr Samak has to go. If Mr Samak doesn't go we will not talk to anybody," said media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, who has spearheaded the movement. No soldiers were seen around the protest site Wednesday, where 5,000 activists had again slept on the Government House lawn -- now little more than a smelly mass of mud after days of occupation with little sanitation. One senior aide to Samak told reporters that the premier was surprised that Anupong had not taken any action against the protesters. "Anupong should not be a mediator," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "What are the military playing at?" Samak's state of emergency has sharply split Thais, according to a survey of Thailand's 16 biggest provinces by Assumption University, which found 50.8 per cent of people questioned supported the decision. The turmoil has also battered Thailand's stock market, which has fallen 24 per cent since protests first broke out in May. The PAD's protesters accuse Samak of acting as a puppet for Thaksin, who has fled to Britain to escape corruption charges. Samak also faces a barrage of legal cases that could bring down his government. The PAD wants to weaken the voting power of the rural poor, who form the base of support for both Samak and Thaksin, by appointing rather than electing 70 per cent of parliamentarians. Such a change would undo most of Thailand's democratic development over the last three decades. The kingdom has only ever had a shaky hold on democracy, with 18 military coups since absolute monarchy ended in 1932. "All these calls for Samak to resign now constitute a litmus test for Thailand's democratic system," said political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University. "If the PAD remains intransigent and gets its way, that would mean Samak is ousted and PAD is unlikely to stop there. Ultimately they're going far to the right, taking Thailand back to the dark ages." - AFP/ir http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/09/200893132011321614.html Thai protesters defy emergency law Protesters say they are fighting "the last war" against the government [EPA] Thousands of anti-government protesters have continued to occupy the grounds of the Thai prime minister's office as the threat of a public sector strike spreads 24 hours after a state of emergency was declared in the capital. Samak Sundaravej, the Thai prime minister, declared the state of emergency for Bangkok on Tuesday, a week after tens of thousands of demonstrators led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) laid siege to his official compound. But the military, given charge of restoring order, has yet to move on the protesters. The emergency rule came after political tensions exploded into rioting and street fighting between Samak's supporters and opponents early this week, leaving at least one person dead and dozens more injured. The protesters continue to demand Samak's resignation. But in a change of tack, they indicated on Wednesday that they would no longer demand his government quit as well. In depth Timeline: Political crisis Profile: The PAD The move could undermine support from Samak's coalition partners and put more pressure on him to go. Samak is accused of being a stooge to Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in a coup in 2006, and of running the government for him by proxy. Tej Bunnag, the foreign minister, resigned on Wednesday but Samak has yet to accept his resignation, an aide said. The aide, who refused to be named, told the AFP news agency that Tej had tendered his resignation because of his wife's ill health. Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the protest leaders, said the protesters "will not hold talks with the government or anyone" until the prime minister steps down. But there is no indication that Samak will resign. The standoff has forced Samak to conduct official business from the city's military headquarters. Tourism threatened The growing unrest in the Thai capital is now threatening to cripple the country's vital tourism business as 12 countries have issued warnings for their citizens not to travel there. The military has not moved on the protesters so far [EPA] Al Jazeera's Selina Downes, reporting from Bangkok, said tensions in the capital showed no signs of abating. Public sector employees have also threatened to disrupt transportation services and cut off water and power supply to government offices. On Wednesday the 200,000-strong State Enterprises Workers' Relations Confederation called for a strike to bolster street protesters' demands. But Thai officials said on Wednesday that there were so far no reports of any disruption and that most employees had turned up for work and the services were running as usual. Last week railway workers disrupted train services, with service suspended on nearly half of Thailand's lines over the weekend. Samak also faces a legal challenge after the country's election commission recommended that his People's Power party (PPP) be disbanded for alleged electoral fraud committed during December's elections. The commission on Tuesday forwarded its findings to the attorney-general's office to decide whether to submit the case to the constitutional court for a final ruling. Samak and other party leaders would be banned from politics for five years if the ruling is upheld, although other members could form a new party and retain power by winning new elections. Tuesday's move was reminiscent of the court dissolving of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party last year. The party later regrouped under the PPP flag. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/09/03/173074/Thai-labor.htm Wednesday, September 3, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By SUTIN WANNABOVORN, AP Thai labor strike fizzles out but anti-government protesters remain defiant BANGKOK, Thailand -- A labor strike fizzled out Wednesday but protesters demanding the prime minister's resignation refused to lift their weeklong siege of his office, defying an emergency decree that has intensified Thailand's political deadlock. The Federation of State Enterprises comprising 43 unions had planned to lead more than 200,000 workers in a strikes to crimp the supplies of power and water to government offices, and disrupt telecommunications and rail, road and air transport. But few services were disrupted by the protesters, who want to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from office, accusing him of corruption, violating the Constitution and making questionable appointments to senior government positions. Sawit Khaewwan, the federation's secretary-general, said thousands stayed away from their jobs but acknowledged that a majority of the members were at work. He said that essential services were not hit. "We already said that we will (go on a strike) only if the government uses force to harm the people," he said. The anti-Samak campaign is led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which comprises leftist labor union leaders, urban elite and civil society activists, among others. Thousands of PAD supporters remained camped in the sprawling grounds around Samak's office, the Government House, in a virtual siege that started on Aug. 26. Speakers took turns to get up on a stage and denounce Samak. "The PAD will not hold talks with the government or anyone," said Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the five core leaders of the group. "The PAD will talk only after Samak has resigned," he said. The PAD was formed in 2006 to demand the resignation of then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, eventually paving the way for a bloodless coup that ousted him. Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, recently fled to Britain to escape corruption charges. The protesters say Samak is Thaksin's stooge and is running the government for him by proxy. However, there is no indication Samak will step down. He imposed emergency rule limited to the capital Bangkok on Tuesday. The move came after a week of political tensions exploded into rioting and street fighting early Tuesday between Samak's supporters and opponents that left one person dead and dozens injured. Emergency rule gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties, bans public gatherings of more than five people and bars the media from reporting news that "causes panic." Still, the army chief, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, made it clear that if troops are ordered into Bangkok's streets, they will be armed only with riot shields and batons, and will not use force. Anupong's assurance has turned the emergency decree into "toilet paper," said Sirinan Yodkongkha, a 45-year-old business woman. "The state of emergency has ended up drawing a bigger crowd rather than scaring protesters away," said Sirinan, one of several thousand people camped out at the Government House despite a morning downpour. Scattered around the rounds, people rested in hammocks and helped themselves to a variety of Thai food, some distributed for free and some on sale at food stalls. Water trucks continued to deliver new shipments of drinking water to keep protesters hydrated and hygiene trucks came to clean the portable toilets that were trucked into the compound several days ago. New barbed-wire barricades were erected at the approaches to Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi Airport, where protesters had threatened to disrupt flights on national carrier Thai Airways. But there was no sign of trouble and flights continued normally. The threat to cut off water and electricity supply to government buildings also did not materialize. "We don't know when we are going to start because we have to weigh our options and consider the effect it will have on the people as well," said Somchai Sirimivet, head of the union for Metropolitan WaterWorks Authority. In a front-page editorial, the Bangkok Post daily said it is true that Samak's People's Power Party won the most seats in general elections last year. "But winning the election does not mean his government has a mandate to break the law," it said. It cited the Election Commission's recommendation Tuesday that his party be disbanded for fraud during elections last year. Samak and other party leaders would be banned from politics for five years if judicial authorities upheld the ruling. "Even though we disagree with the PAD holding the country and the people to ransom ... we agree that the PAD has every right to protest against the government," the Post said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082419 500 protesters demonstrate at Chmphon city hall Chumphon - Some 500 protesters broke into the compound of the city hall to demonstrate against the government and demand the lifting of state of emergency in Bangkok. Sunthorn Rakrong, a coordinator of the People's Alliance for Democracy, said PAD supporters in Chumphon would continue the demonstration at the city hall until the demands of PAD in Bangkok were met. He said PAD supporters in all 14 southern provinces would do the same. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082293 More people join protest despite ban At 10:30 am, more people still join the protests at the Government House. Protesters arrived in groups of three or four people on the sides of Chamai Maruchet Bridge and Nakhon Pathom Road. They carried foods supplies and water to give to the staff in charge of cooking. http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/02/content_9755591.htm One killed, 44 injured in early protesters clashes in Bangkok BANGKOK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed, 44 others were injured in violent clashes between the pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the updated casualty report by Medical Service Department. Government supporters lie injured after clashes with anti-government demonstrators several blocks from the Government House in Bangkok early morning September 2, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Of the 44 injured people, 12 remained hospitalized at six hospitals in Bangkok, DR Peerapong Saichua, deputy director of the department, was quoted by a Bangkok Post website report as saying. The dead man was identified as Narongsak Kothaisong, 55, from northeastern province Nakhon Ratchasima, who had just arrived in Bangkok to join the anti-government protest led by The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest on Monday before deadly wounded in clashes with the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) after 1:00 a.m. Tuesday (1800 GMT, Monday). Pongphet Emergency Center, where the victim died while being treated, reported that he died of a gunshot wound in his chest. However, DR Peerapong said he died of head trauma after being hit with a heavy object. Violence broke out when the DAAD-led pro-government protesters, estimated at some 3,000 people, marched after midnight towards the Government House compound, which has been occupied by PAD protesters since Aug. 26 in its showdown attempt to oust the Samak cabinet, and confronted with the PAD guards who tried blocking them from getting into the compound. Some protesters, from either side, were armed with sticks, batons, clubs and even Molotov cocktails. The violence has gave grounds to Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to declare a state of emergency in Bangkok Tuesday morning. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082285 Krabi protesters block airport, city hall Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy in Krabi staged protested against the announcement of stage of emergency in Bangkok by briefly blocking the airport Tuesday morning. They later moved to rally at the Krabi city hall. Their leaders said they might also block major roads in the province. The Nation http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,24280334-5003402,00.html?from=public_rss Dozens injured in Bangkok protest Article from: Agence France-Presse September 02, 2008 06:44am THAI police called in army reinforcements early today as violent clashes between protesters in Bangkok left dozens of people injured, with at least one reported killed, officials said. Gunshots were reportedly fired as thousands of baton-wielding pro and anti-government protesters clashed in the capital Bangkok. The violence took place not far from the site where about 15,000 demonstrators have been besieging Government House for a week, demanding that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down. "Thousands of protesters from Sanam Luang went to the scene and clashed," the police officer in charge of the area said, referring to a plaza where protesters often gather. "There were reports of gunfire, but police cannot confirm who fired or how many were injured. "The police took about 15 minutes to break up the groups," said the officer, who did not wish to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Thailand's national police chief Patcharavat Wongsuwan told a local news channel that the army had been called in to help calm the situation, but that invoking a state of emergency was not necessary. "The number of police is still enough to take care of the situation but we have asked the assistance from the army to help," he said. Peeratong Saichoew, a doctor with the Bangkok administration's media reporting bureau, said early reports were that one person had died. "Initial reports which need to be confirmed later are that one died and 38 were injured. There is a report that one person was injured from gunshots while the rest were injured from fighting. Now they are being treated at six hospitals nearby," he said. Thai television showed men wearing helmets and carrying batons and people bleeding in the street. Supporters of the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy have been squatting at Government House since last Tuesday. Tensions flared when they briefly scuffled with police on Friday. http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/401579/cs/1/ Anti-government protest enters 100th day in Thailand Irish Sun Monday 1st September, 2008 (IANS) A protest calling for the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and dissolution of his government entered its 100th day Monday, with thousands of demonstrators in command of Government House - the administrative seat. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a loose coalition of conservative groups opposed to the current government, has been staging peaceful anti-government demonstrations on Rajdamnoen Avenue in the old section of Bangkok since May 25. Last Tuesday, in what the PAD dubbed 'D-Day', the movement rallied more than 10,000 supporters who stormed the Government House and seized the cabinet's working headquarters. The protestors have occupied the seat of government for a week Monday, and show no signs of leaving. Chamlong Srimuang, one PAD leader, described as 'useless' a special joint session held Sunday by both houses of parliament to resolve the standoff. Chamlong Monday rejected calls by the pro-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, another mob, to withdraw from the compound. Efforts by police to forcibly oust the demonstrators from Government House Friday failed. The show of force drew immediate criticism from a broad swathe of Thai society, and prompted PAD supporters to raid and shut down three airports in southern Thailand. The three airports at Hat Yai, Krabi and Phuket all reopened Sunday. The labour union of the government-run State Railways of Thailand (SRT) also went on strike Friday, while on Monday, the SRT was operating only 129 of its 244 trains. The SRT board resigned en masse Monday, after the state enterprise reported a 60-million-baht ($1.9 million) loss due to the partial strike. Labour union leaders at the capital's state-run electricity and water utilities have threatened to shut down services, should the government resort to violence in attempting to end the PAD protest at Government House. Thai premier Samak is faced with a difficult dilemma: if he cracks down on the PAD, there will be a political backlash; but if he allows them to continue occupying his offices, he looks weak. Political analysts said the Thai military is unlikely to assist Samak in getting rid of the PAD, which claims to be a staunchly monarchist movement devoted to cleaning up Thai politics. The PAD was a significant movement two and a half years ago, as the spearhead to topple former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire populist politician who dominated Thai politics from 2001 to 2006. Thaksin was overthrown by a military coup Sep 19, 2006. The PAD claims Samak is a stand-in for Thaksin, who is now living in self-exile in London. http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/01/content_9750563.htm Thai state railway board resigns after labour union joins anti-gov't protest BANGKOK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Board members of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Monday resigned en masse after its labor union joined anti-government protests by taking on a strike, paralyzing nearly half of train services nationwide for the fifth consecutive day. SRT Board Chairman Somsak Boonthong announced that all board members decided to resign to take responsibility for the strike, which had left many passengers stranded at train stations in the past few days, according to Thai News Agency. Somsak was quoted as saying that the board didn't agree with the labor union, who linked the country's political issues to their jobs and caused much trouble to the public. The SRT labour union, whose leaders were said to have close relation with the anti-government civil coalition the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), had called on its members to take sick-leaves effective from last Friday to show support for the PAD-led protesters. The protesters launched their "final showdown" against the government by raiding a state-run TV station and seizing the Government House on Aug. 19 and have occupied the Government House compound for five days, demanding Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet to resign. Seventy-six SRT rail route services nationwide were disrupted, with many services suspended altogether, paralyzing railway cargo transport, the report said. Out of 244 trains nationwide, 115 trains have stopped operation so far. However, it was reported that the northern route had resumed service at 10:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) Monday morning. More trains in northern routes were expected to resume operation Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, SRT governor Yutthana Thapcharoen negotiated with representatives of railway union in Nakhon Sawan province in the North and Saraburi in the central region, attempting to get technical and engineering staff to resume services of at least 40-50 trains a day. The railway strike has caused losses of more than 60 million baht (1.76 million U.S. dollars) to the SRT directly. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/01/thailand1?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront Bomb targets police in Thai protests Government accuses anti-PM campaigners of launching guerrilla war ? David Pallister and agencies ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 September 2008 11.54 BST ? Article history Members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) wave flags during a demonstration outside Government House in Bangkok, Thailand. Photograph: Udo Weitz/EPA Anti-government protests across Thailand entered a seventh day today with threats by unions to cut water and power supplies to government buildings if the authorities use force. As thousands of demonstrators remained in the main government compound in Bangkok this morning, a small bomb exploded in a police booth in the city. The blast damaged windows, but caused no injuries. This development prompted a senior government source to claim that the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) campaigners were taking protests to another level. "The PAD has launched a guerrilla war," the source said. "They want to show that the government and the police are too weak to protect the people," the national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong told Reuters. "It is something we expected." But General Jongrak Jutanond, who was named Bangkok's new police chief today after his predecessor was sidelined, repeated the government's line about police restraint. "We have enough reinforcements to prevent violence and to disperse protesters. Police will not harm the protesters." A PAD spokesman denied any responsibility for the bombing. "We had no reason to do that. It would only scare away protesters, not bring more people to join. We have other effective civil disobedience measures to fight the government without planting a bomb," Parnthep Pourpongpan said. The PAD, a group of conservative businessmen and activists whose campaign against the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra led to his overthrow in a 2006 coup, has always espoused peaceful protest, although last week men used knives and clubs to storm the state television centre. The protests are the climax of a campaign calling for the resignation of the prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, who is accused of being an illegitimate proxy for Thaksin and his perceived corrupt regime. Thaksin, who owns Manchester City football club, is in exile in London. Trade union support for the protesters continues to grow, with railway, water and power workers taking part. Hundreds of employees of the State Railways of Thailand continued a strike that has halted service on dozens of train lines, cutting off most long-distance connections between Bangkok and the far northern and southern parts of the country. Somchai Srinewest, the head of the union at Thailand's Waterworks Authority, said: "The tap water at the national police headquarters and at provincial administration offices will be cut off starting Monday." Sirichai Maingam, the union leader at the state power producer Egat, urged back-room staff to take a holiday but said production workers would carry on as normal. "We are not going to hurt the people as our strike aim is to slow down the government's work," he said. In one positive development, there was temporary relief for thousands of tourists stranded in the country. Airport blockades were lifted on Sunday at Phuket and Krabi, two of Thailand's popular beach destinations. In his weekly radio address on Sunday, Samak repeated that his patience was wearing out. "I am not afraid but I am concerned about chaos in the nation," he said. "We cannot let the seizure of Government House continue indefinitely without taking action." During an emergency debate in parliament he accused protesters of wanting to destroy democracy. " I love this country as much as anybody. But I love democracy much more, more than anyone who told me to resign. "I will not resign or dissolve parliament. I will not be defeated by those protesters," he said. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/373187/1/.html One dead, dozens wounded as Thai protesters clash Posted: 02 September 2008 0446 hrs BANGKOK: Thousands of pro- and anti-government protesters clashed violently in the Thai capital early on Tuesday, leaving dozens wounded and one person reported dead, officials said. Thailand's police chief said he had called in army reinforcements to help quell the unrest, which occurred when groups of protesters calling for the prime minister's resignation clashed with government supporters. "Initial reports which need to be confirmed later are that one died and 38 were injured," said Peeratong Saichoew, a doctor with the Bangkok administration's media reporting bureau. "There is a report that one person was injured from gunshots while the rest injured from fighting. Now they are being treated at six hospitals nearby." Thai television showed men wearing helmets and carrying batons and people bleeding in the street, and national police chief Patcharavat Wongsuwan told a local news channel the army had been called in to help calm the situation. "The number of police is still enough to take care of the situation but we have asked the assistance from the army to help," he said. The violence took place not far from the site where about 15,000 demonstrators have been besieging Government House for a week, demanding that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down. The activists accuse Samak of acting as a puppet for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in exile in Britain after the same protest group helped topple his government in 2006. Meanwhile, Thailand's biggest union on Monday called for a strike to support the anti-government protesters. The 200,000-strong State Enterprises Workers' Relations Confederation said it would cut power and water supplies to government agencies "to put pressure on the government to quit and stop damaging our country." The confederation's members have never taken strike action en masse, despite threats from their leadership. One top government official accused the protesters of "guerrilla warfare," urging the workers not to join the protests that have already won support from railway crews who have crippled national train services since Thursday. "We think that their strategy is guerrilla warfare," the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tuesday's violence was the worst since the start of the campaign to oust Samak, although protesters clashed with riot police on Friday, causing minor injuries. The anti-government activists have also taken their campaign to the provinces, closing key regional airports for two days, including the nation's second-busiest hub on the resort isle of Phuket. Samak called an emergency session of parliament on Sunday, but the debate failed to produce any plan for ending the protests and the premier angrily rejected calls to dissolve parliament and hold new elections. "Why are the only solutions house dissolution and resignation? Why can't we choose the third option, which is to show the world that we maintain our democracy," he said. The leaders of the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have already said that they would not accept a parliamentary solution to the crisis. In addition to demanding that Samak resign, they want an overhaul of Thailand's system of government, saying only 30 percent of seats in parliament should be elected, with the rest appointed. PAD gathers most of its support from Bangkok's traditional elite and a portion of the middle class. Its leaders openly disparage the merit of votes cast by the nation's rural poor, who have thrown their support behind Thaksin and now Samak. Thaksin was toppled by royalist generals in a military coup in 2006, and is now living in exile in Britain to avoid corruption charges at home. But his allies still fill many top seats in government, and Samak won elections in December by campaigning as Thaksin's proxy. - AFP/de http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,414601,00.html Thai Protesters Threaten to Cut Off Utilities, Disrupt Airline Services Monday, September 01, 2008 AP Aug. 30: Anti-government demonstrators carry donated supplies to protesters camped outside of government buildings. BANGKOK, Thailand ? State workers threatened Monday to cut off water, electricity and phone service at government offices and disrupt flights of the national airline in support of protesters trying to bring down the Thai prime minister. A coalition of 43 unions representing workers from state companies including water, electric, phone and the national airline said they would cut off services to the government starting Wednesday. They are already disrupting rail service and plan to cut back public bus transportation as well. "The government has beaten protesters, and that justifies our retaliating by stopping water, telephone service and electricity to some government agencies," Sawit Kaewwan, secretary-general of the State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation, or SERC, told a news conference. The labor federation said 200,000 members would stop work from Wednesday in support of an alliance of right-wing protesters who have occupied Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's office for a week, trying to bring down the government. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a rowdy crowd of about 500 Samak supporters ? some carrying sticks and wearing helmets ? tried to rout members of the People's Alliance for Democracy from the Government House compound. Police and anti-government protesters stopped them and fighting between the two sides ensued. One person died from severe head injuries and four others were in serious condition, two with gunshot wounds, Dr. Petchapon Kumtonkitjakarn of the Erawan Medical Center told The Associated Press. He said 37 people were being treated for injuries at several hospitals. The alliance claims the government is corrupt and too close to ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and recently fled to Britain to escape an array of corruption charges. The same group organized the massive anti-Thaksin demonstrations in 2006 that helped spark the bloodless coup. The group and its sympathizers ? monarchists, the military and the urban elite ? complain that Western-style democracy with one-man, one-vote gives too much weight to Thailand's rural majority, who protesters say are susceptible to vote buying that breeds corruption. They have proposed a system under which most lawmakers would be appointed rather than elected. The prime minister has repeatedly insisted he will not bow to pressure by resigning or dissolving parliament to call new elections. "I am sure that I love this country as much as anybody," Samak said at a joint session of the upper and lower houses of parliament convened to debate solutions to the deadlock. "But I love democracy much more, more than anyone who told me to resign." Sawit and others laid out plans for the work stoppage by state employees but did not say how long the action would last. Public bus workers will halt service on 80 percent of Bangkok's 3,800 buses, with the remainder running for free, he said. Workers for state-owned Thai Airways plan to delay flights Wednesday, said Somsak Manop, deputy chief of Thai Airways International labor union. Hundreds of employees from the State Railways of Thailand continued a strike Monday that has halted service on 93 train lines, cutting off most long-distance service between Bangkok and the far-northern and southern parts of the country, said spokesman Phairath Rojjaroenngam. More than half of the 76 cargo trains scheduled Monday were also not running. There was no schedule for restoring service, which has been disrupted since the strike started Friday. Three airports in southern Thailand were also forced to close by protesters this weekend. "If they continue to defiantly hold on to power even after the general strike on Sept. 3, the alliance will have no choice but to step up the pressure on them," Suriyasai Katasila, one of the protest leaders, said of the government. Protesters began occupying the prime minister's office on Aug. 26 and have tried block streets in the capital. The alliance has been able to call out as many as 30,000 supporters, according to an early government estimate, to besiege Samak's office and blockade other public areas. Sondhi Limthongkul, the senior protest leader, said he liked the idea of shutting down public services even it might anger and inconvenience many Thais. "I think it's one way of putting pressure on the government," Sondhi told reporters. "At the end of the day, they will see whether it's me who is the problem or Mr. Samak. All we want is Mr. Samak to go. When Samak goes, we stop." At the prime minister's residence, several thousand protesters spread out across courtyards, gardens and park benches, cheering and clapping as speaker after speaker called for Samak to resign. Flanked by the Thai national flag, huge photos of the king and queen and "most wanted" posters of Thaksin and his wife, protesters said they had no grand scheme to reinvent government. They just want the current government tossed out. "The Cabinet must resign and they all must be imprisoned," said Thiwa Thongkaew, a 43-year-old office worker from the tourist resort of Krabi. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_world.php?id=356529 September 01, 2008 11:40 AM Thai Anti-govt Protests Keep Rail Services Down, Disrupt Oil Production By D. Arul Rajoo BANGKOK, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- The train service between Bangkok and Malaysia's Penang remains suspended as Thailand's anti-government protests continue to paralyse the railway service, affecting thousands of passengers and even disrupting onshore oil production in northern Thailand. Thanongsak Phongprasert, chief of the Southern Centre of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT), said railway workers had not come to work since Friday and there was no indication when the service would resume. He said that besides the daily Bangkok-Penang service that takes about 20 hours, about 20 train services were also affected in the country's southern region. "About 7,000 passengers are affected daily as our train services run up to Sungai Golok in Narathiwat (on the Malaysia-Thailand border)," he said when contacted in Hatyai. Beginning Friday, SRT workers took sick leave en masse to support the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which has been staging a protest against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government since May 25, and led a siege on the country's nerve centre of administration, the Government House, on Aug 26. In Bangkok, passengers with tickets for the Bangkok-Penang train service were advised to look for alternative transportation. "Those who have already bought tickets can come to Hua Lamphong train station to get a refund," an SRT spokesman said. The Phuket and Krabi international airports resumed operation today after they were forced to close by protesters on Friday and Saturday, while Hatyai Airport started operation on Saturday after a one-day shutdown. The ongoing railway strike is also disrupting oil production in the country's biggest onshore well, the Sirikit Oilfield, located in Phitsanulok province, 377 km north of Bangkok. PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) has cut down its daily oil output from about 20,000 barrels per day to just 3,000 due to the difficulty in transporting the oil to refining facilities in Bangkok, while production of LPG and NGV gas was going on as these are used by the electricity utility firm, EGAT, for consumption in the northern part. A PTTEP spokesman, who confirmed the reduction in output, said they could not transport the crude oil without the railway service, adding that they were losing millions in revenue as only 3,000 barrels could be ferried daily by trucks. -- BERNAMA http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082259 Number of injured protesters rises to 40 The number of protesters injured in the clash between the pro and anti-government protesters rose to 40, health officials said. Five were admitted to Ramathibodi Hospital, 5 to Hua Chiew Hospital, 1 to Mission Hospital, 2 to Central Hospital, 1 to Rajvithi Hospital, 1 to Siriraj Hospital and 25 to Vachira Hospital. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082249 Pro-government protesters erect tents near Government House Pro-government protesters erect tents near a boxing stadium, about 200 metres from the Government House which has been seized by anti-government protesters. Hundreds of the pro-government protesters tried to provoke the protesters in the Government House and guards of the protesters by yelling at them and throwing stones. Two molotov cocktails were thrown from the pro-government protesters to a soi where PAD guards were deployed. No injuries were reported http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/16/national/national_30083527.php Marathon protesters call time out on field of swill By Daily Xpress Published on September 16, 2008 PAD leadership works with pros to ensure there's no epidemic A big clean up has started at Government House. The PAD worries its protest site is such a pig sty people will start getting sick. Since August 26, thousands of demonstrators have been camped in mud and muck, come rain or shine.Their presence is causing untold headaches for the government. Many state workers cannot get to their offices at the building. The once pristine grounds are a stinking quagmire. Just 10 days into the siege, all the fish in the pond had died because the water had become a rancid, toxic swamp. Now, protestors are keeling over with skin infections and the mosquitoes are feasting on a PAD smorgasbord. So yesterday the Dharma Army spearheaded a cleanup. "Rain has left puddles of muddy water. These are the sources of slush and germs," army clean-up boss Kaenfah Saenmuang, an internationally educated engineer, says. "We have mobilised volunteers to help," he said. "We have spread sand and erected huge tents to keep the demonstrators dry and clean," Kaenfah says. There are wood floors. The PAD leadership is working with professionals to ensure no epidemic breaks out. The Fine Arts Department says its permission is not required but adds the PAD should stop work because the property is state land. The Teuk Daeng in the compound is a registered historic building. Any renovation or change requires department approval. http://www.watoday.com.au/national/tourists-stranded-in-phuket-as-protests-blockade-airport-20080831-468j.html Tourists stranded in Phuket as protests blockade airport ? August 31, 2008 More than 15,000 passengers - including nearly 300 hundred Australians - are stranded on the holiday isle of Phuket, as officials said the airport would be closed indefinitely due to ongoing anti-government protesters. Thailand's second-busiest airport was closed yesterday afternoon after 5,000 protesters set up a blockade and marched down the tarmac, forcing authorities to suspend flights to and from the island. About 1,000 protesters from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is also squatting on the main government compound in Bangkok, blocked access to the airport today. The airport's director Wicha Nurnlop said the protesters had refused to negotiate with authorities on reopening the runway. "Phuket airport is shutting down indefinitely," he told Agence France-Presse. In Australia, a Jetstar spokeswoman said a Sydney-bound Airbus A320 scheduled to depart from Phuket yesterday was still unable to leave, forcing 265 Australian passengers to stay in Phuket for a second night. "At this stage the airport remains closed," the spokeswoman said tonight. She said the Australian passengers stranded at Phuket and 274 Australian passengers diverted to Bangkok last night would be accommodated at hotels overnight. "We've found other hotels for those passengers who were unable to stay on in their accommodation," she said. So far more than 100 flights have been cancelled, including 25 on international routes, leaving 15,000 passengers stranded, Wicha said. Tourists have been given free hotel rooms until the airport reopens, while authorities were scrambling to arrange buses for about 100 passengers trying to connect to onward flights in Bangkok, he added. Few police were seen at the airport, and protesters appeared to have been allowed to roam facilities freely. Wicha said protesters were demanding the government release 85 detained activists and calling for Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's resignation. The nearby Krabi airport also remained closed since yesterday evening, the operator Airports of Thailand said. But the southern airport in Hat Yai had reopened for a Thai Airways flight early today, after protesters had forced its closure yesterday as well. Budget carrier Jetstar flies between Sydney and Phuket three times a week. Qantas flies only into Bangkok, and a spokeswoman today said it was not facing any disruptions to its services. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said Australians should stay away from the political rallies or "concentrations of military personnel", and follow any instructions issued by local authorities. Thailand's southern provinces continue to have a "do not travel" rating, while for the whole country tourists are urged to show a "high degree of caution", according to DFAT. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/372881/1/.html Phuket airport reopens as Thai protesters disperse Posted: 31 August 2008 1511 hrs BANGKOK - The airport on Thailand's resort island of Phuket resumed flights on Sunday, two days after being forced to suspend operations by anti-government protesters, the airport director said. Up to 15,000 passengers have been stranded at the airport on the southern resort isle -- the gem of Thailand's tourism industry -- after protesters stormed the runway and blockaded the entrances on Friday. "The airport resumed operations at about 11:00am (0400 GMT)," said Vicha Neunlop, director of Phuket International Airport, Thailand's second busiest airport. "The first flight will land soon. All services at the airport are back to normal. Protesters started leaving the airport (this morning) -- there are not many left now," he told AFP. Airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai were forced to close on Friday as protests that have brought chaos to Bangkok's government district spread to southern tourist spots. Hat Yai airport reopened on Saturday, and local news reports said that Krabi was also preparing to reopen on Sunday, but officials were not immediately available to confirm that. Thousands of protesters from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have barricaded themselves in the grounds of Bangkok's main government compound, demanding Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down. - AFP/vm http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/372892/1/.html Thai resort airports reopen as protesters disperse Posted: 31 August 2008 1706 hrs Anti-government protesters block Phuket's airport on August 29 (file pic) BANGKOK: The airports serving Thailand's beach resorts of Phuket and Krabi reopened on Sunday, two days after anti-government protesters forced all flights to be grounded, airport officials said. Up to 15,000 passengers have been stranded at the airport on the southern resort isle of Phuket ? the gem of Thailand's tourism industry ? after protesters stormed the runway and blockaded the entrances on Friday. "The airport resumed operations at about 11:00 am (0400 GMT)," said Vicha Neunlop, director of Phuket International Airport, Thailand's second-busiest aviation hub. "All services at the airport are back to normal. Protesters started leaving the airport ? there are not many left now," he told AFP. Airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai were forced to close on Friday as protests that have brought chaos to downtown Bangkok spread to tourist spots in the south of the country. Thousands of protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have barricaded themselves in the grounds of Thailand's main government compound in the capital, demanding that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down. "Krabi airport resumed normal service since early Sunday morning. The first flight from Bangkok has landed. There are no protesters left since the morning," an airport official there told AFP. Service at Hat Yai airport resumed on Saturday. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/372656/1/.html Police scuffle with protesters as turmoil spreads through Thailand Posted: 30 August 2008 0202 hrs Anti-government protesters lie down on the street to avoid tear gas during a demonstration BANGKOK : Thai police on Friday fired tear gas and scuffled with protesters who are demanding the premier step down, as escalating turmoil in the kingdom heaped pressure on the seven-month-old government. As protests spread across the country, shutting airports in the southern tourist hotspots, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej again insisted he was not going to give in to the protesters' demands. "I will not quit. At this moment, I will not declare emergency rule, I will wait and see tomorrow," he told reporters on Friday. Up to 25,000 protesters have barricaded themselves in the main government complex in the capital, accusing Samak of being a figurehead for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and insisting he must step down. Skirmishes broke out throughout the day as police used shields and batons to deal with angry mobs, causing slight injuries to a handful of protesters. A crowd of about 2,000 demonstrators left the besieged Government House compound and marched to the nearby police headquarters on Friday evening to demand the officers involved in the clashes be handed over, prompting police to fire tear gas, witnesses at the scene said. A government-run medical emergency centre said it had treated 35 people after the incident. Samak has vowed to end the crisis without violence, and reiterated earlier Friday that there were still no plans to forcibly break up the rally. "Police will still adhere to my earlier order -- they merely went to post a court order, not to clear protesters," Samak told reporters, referring to a court injunction posted at the site ordering protesters to leave. Deputy national police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said the crowds had swelled and 25,000 people were now in the grounds of the compound. As the situation spiralled Friday, the powerful army chief again reassured the nation that the military would not intervene unless asked. "There will be no coup because a coup will not be able to solve the problems," General Anupong Paojinda told reporters, adding: "I am confident that police are able to oversee the situation." Police, however, appeared to be struggling to contain the demonstrators, with Surapol telling AFP that all the officers who were stationed inside the compound had now withdrawn because of the risk of clashes. "There are now up to three thousand police deployed outside Government House," Surapol said. The restraint of the police seems to have emboldened the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement. "I am convinced that the military will not forcibly crack down on us," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters. "PAD must go ahead and intensify the protest -- we think that more unions will join us and it will lead to more airport closures." The PAD has been demonstrating against Samak for months, but events took a new turn on Tuesday when protesters stormed a TV station and barricaded themselves inside the Government House grounds. The courts have ordered the protesters to leave the site and issued arrest warrants for nine of the ringleaders on charges including rebellion. Outside Bangkok, thousands of protesters forced the closure of three airports in the south. Phuket International Airport was the first to shut its doors after PAD sympathisers invaded the runway. Similar rallies soon prompted officials to close Hat Yai and Krabi airports, said Sereerat Prasutanont, president of Airports of Thailand. The State Railways of Thailand, meanwhile, said 248 drivers and mechanics called in sick on Friday, halting a quarter of all services in the kingdom. The PAD -- which despite its name is trying to bring down Samak's elected government -- began its campaign at the end of May, just over three months after the coalition government was formed. PAD protests helped lead to the 2006 coup that unseated Thaksin, and the entry into government of his ally Samak after elections in December has infuriated the country's old power elites in the military and palace. They also object to Samak's plans to amend a constitution drafted and approved under military rule following the coup. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/08/30/172448/Thai-protesters.htm Saturday, August 30, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Pracha Hariraksapitak, Reuters Thai protesters hit police HQ, disrupt airports and railroads BANGKOK -- Protesters trying to overthrow Thailand?s government attacked Bangkok?s police headquarters on Friday as demonstrations against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej spread from the capital, disrupting air and rail services. Some 30 people were injured after police repelled the 2,000-strong crowd on a fourth day of protests that have raised fears of major violence and military intervention less than two years after a coup in September 2006. TV footage showed teargas canisters exploding among the protesters, but police denied using them, saying they had only fired rubber bullets. Protesters also invaded runways or blocked roads at three southern airports, including the tourist island of Phuket, leaving scores of passengers stranded as flights were suspended. Striking rail workers halted 30 percent of services nationwide, and unionized airline and port workers were urged by their leaders to take sick leave. In Bangkok, where protesters have occupied the prime minister?s compound since Tuesday, some of Samak?s advisers pushed him to impose emergency rule, two government sources said. But Samak, who leads a shaky coalition government elected in December, declined to get tough with the protesters ahead of a royal event on Saturday. ?I have several tools at my disposal, but I am not using any of them because I want to keep things calm,? he told reporters after meeting top military and police officers. ?I will not quit. If you want me out, do it by law, not by force. This is embarrassing in front of the world,? Samak said. Imposing a state of emergency would allow Samak to deploy soldiers to disperse the protesters, although army chief Anupong Paochinda said the situation did not warrant it. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thai-democracy-protests-escalate-913325.html Thai democracy protests escalate By Pracha Hariraksapitak in Bangkok Saturday, 30 August 2008 AP Police clash with anti-government protesters in Bangkok yesterday Protesters trying to overthrow Thailand's government have attacked Bangkok's police headquarters as demonstrations against the Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, spread from the capital and disrupted air and rail services. Police fired what appeared to be tear gas at the 2,000-strong crowd, taking part in escalating protests that have raised fears of major violence and military intervention less than two years after a coup in September 2006. Protesters also forced airports to close in the tourist destinations of Phuket and Krabi and the southern town of Hat Yai, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. Striking rail workers halted 30 per cent of services nationwide, and airline and port workers were urged by their union leaders to take sick leave. In Bangkok, where protesters have occupied the prime minister's compound since Tuesday, some of Mr Samak's advisers urged him to impose emergency rule, according to two government sources. "It has been proposed as an option to him," said one source, who declined to be named. But Mr Samak, who leads a coalition government elected in December, declined to get tough with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which began its protest campaign on 25 May. "I have several tools at my disposal, but I am not using any of them because I want to keep things calm," he told reporters after meeting top military and police officers. "I will not quit. If you want me out, do it by law, not by force. This is embarrassing in front of the world." Imposing a state of emergency would allow the government to deploy soldiers to disperse the protesters, although the army chief Anupong Paochinda said the situation did not warrant it. "It will hurt the country's image and worsen the country's situation," he said, nearly two years after the coup that removed the prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra but failed to heal the deep divisions in Thai society. Thai shares have fallen 23 per cent since the street campaign began in May amid fears of policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth and bloodshed on the streets. The protesters' assault on police headquarters came hours after riot officers tried to deliver an eviction order and clashed with demonstrators barricaded inside the compound. "We are trying to deal with the protesters as gently as possible," said a police spokesman, Surapol Thuanthong. After the scuffles, the Civil Court said that it had retracted its earlier eviction order after the demonstrators appealed against the ruling. The People's Alliance for Democracy, a group of businessmen, academics and activists whose 2005 protests against Mr Thaksin contributed to the coup against him, have accused Mr Samak of being an illegitimate proxy of the former prime minister, who is now living in exile in London. Mr Samak has denied the accusation. "Today is the Judgement Day. It is the People's Revolution and we must win," said the alliance leader Sondhi Limthongkul after raids on government offices and a state TV station on Monday. Mr Sondhi is one of nine PAD leaders charged with insurrection, a crime that can carry the death penalty. The alliance also proclaims itself to be a defender of the revered King Bhumibol Adul-yadej against an alleged Thaksin plan to turn Thailand into a republic ? a charge vehemently denied by both Mr Thaksin and the government. The protesters have barricaded themselves in the 11-acre compound behind razor wire and car tyres. Sentries armed with bars and golf clubs poured a mixture of gasoline and shampoo across the road, turning it into an ice-rink. At the barricades, alliance supporters held aloft pictures of King Bhumibol, shouting "We love the King. We love Thailand". Inside the compound, thousands sat on plastic sheeting, clapping and cheering speeches by the group's leaders. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/372703/1/.html Thai PM briefs king on protests; police scuffle with demonstrators Posted: 30 August 2008 1113 hrs Protestors clash with riot police BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has briefed King Bhumibol Adulaydej on the anti-government protests spreading around the country, a government official said Saturday. The premier flew from Bangkok around midnight by private jet to the nearby seaside resort town of Hua Hin, where the king is in residence, the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "He reported to the king on the current situation and he will return to Bangkok today," the official said. News of the royal briefing comes after Thai police fired tear gas and scuffled with protesters who are demanding the premier step down, on Friday night. As protests spread across Thailand, shutting airports in the southern tourist hotspots, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej insisted he was not going to give in to the protesters' demands. "I will not quit. At this moment, I will not declare emergency rule, I will wait and see tomorrow," he told reporters. Up to 25,000 protesters aligned with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have barricaded themselves in the main government complex, accusing Samak of being a figurehead for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and calling for him to resign. Skirmishes erupted throughout the day as police used shields and batons to deal with angry mobs, causing slight injuries to a few protesters. About 2,000 demonstrators left the besieged Government House compound and marched to the nearby police headquarters on Friday evening to demand the officers involved in the clashes be handed over, prompting police to fire tear gas, witnesses at the scene said. A government-run medical emergency centre said it had treated 35 people after the incident. A meeting of the government's ruling coalition made up of Samak's People Power Party (PPP) and five others was quickly called on Friday evening, and an urgent parliamentary debate was scheduled for Sunday to discuss the crisis. Asked if the debate could pacify protesters, Banharn Silpa-Archa, leader of the PPP's main coalition partner Chart Thai Party, said: "I don't know, it's up to PAD." But retired general Chumlong Srimuang, one of PAD's leaders, has repeatedly said protest rather than parliament was the only way to solve Thailand's political problems. Samak has vowed to end the demonstrations without violence, a promise he reiterated earlier Friday. "Police will still adhere to my earlier order - they merely went to post a court order, not to clear protesters," Samak told reporters, referring to a court injunction put up at the site ordering protesters to leave. Deputy national police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong said the crowds had swelled and 25,000 people were now in the grounds of the compound. As the situation spiralled Friday, the powerful army chief reassured the nation the military would not intervene unless asked. "There will be no coup because a coup will not be able to solve the problems," General Anupong Paojinda told reporters, adding: "I am confident that police are able to oversee the situation." Police, however, appeared to be struggling to contain the demonstrators, with Surapol telling AFP that all the officers who were stationed inside the compound had now withdrawn because of the risk of clashes. "There are now up to 3,000 police deployed outside Government House," Surapol said. The restraint of the police seems to have emboldened the protest movement. "I am convinced that the military will not forcibly crack down on us," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters. "PAD must go ahead and intensify the protest - we think that more unions will join us and it will lead to more airport closures." PAD has been demonstrating against Samak for months, but events took a new turn on Tuesday when protesters stormed a TV station and barricaded themselves inside the Government House grounds. The courts have ordered the protesters to leave the site and issued arrest warrants for nine of the ringleaders on charges including rebellion. Outside Bangkok, thousands of protesters forced the closure of three airports in the south. Phuket International Airport was the first to shut its doors after PAD sympathisers invaded the runway. Similar rallies soon prompted officials to close Hat Yai and Krabi airports, said Sereerat Prasutanont, president of Airports of Thailand. The State Railways of Thailand, meanwhile, said 248 drivers and mechanics called in sick on Friday, halting a quarter of all services in the kingdom. PAD - which despite its name is trying to bring down Samak's elected government - began its campaign at the end of May, just over three months after the coalition government was formed. PAD protests helped lead to the 2006 coup that unseated Thaksin, and the entry into government of his ally Samak after elections in December has infuriated the country's old power elites in the military and palace. They also object to Samak's plans to amend a constitution drafted and approved under military rule following the coup. - AFP/yb http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=August2008&file=World_News2008083044730.xml Thai protesters disrupt air, rail services Web posted at: 8/30/2008 4:47:30 Source ::: REUTERS Anti-government protesters scuffle with the riot police in the streets surrounding Thai Government House as thousands of anti-government protesters continue their fourth day of occupation in Bangkok yesterday. (EPA) bangkok ? Protesters trying to overthrow Thailand?s government attacked Bangkok?s police headquarters yesterday as demonstrations against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej spread from the capital, disrupting air and rail services. Some 30 people were injured after police repelled the 2,000-strong crowd on a fourth day of protests that have raised fears of major violence and military intervention less than two years after a coup in September 2006. TV footage showed teargas canisters exploding among the protesters, but police denied using them, saying they had only fired rubber bullets. Protesters also invaded runways or blocked roads at three southern airports, including the tourist island of Phuket, leaving scores of passengers stranded as flights were suspended. Striking rail workers halted 30 percent of services nationwide, and unionised airline and port workers were urged by their leaders to take sick leave. In Bangkok, where protesters have occupied the prime minister?s compound since Tuesday, some of Samak?s advisers pushed him to impose emergency rule, two government sources said. But Samak, who leads a shaky coalition government elected in December, declined to get tough with the protesters ahead of a royal event today. ?I have several tools at my disposal, but I am not using any of them because I want to keep things calm,? he told reporters after meeting top military and police officers. ?I will not quit. If you want me out, do it by law, not by force. This is embarrassing in front of the world,? Samak said. Imposing a state of emergency would allow Samak to deploy soldiers to disperse the protesters, although army chief Anupong Paochinda said the situation did not warrant it. ?A coup would not solve anything. It will hurt the country?s image and worsen the country?s situation,? he said, nearly two years after the coup that removed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra but failed to heal the divisions in Thai society. Chulalongkorn University analyst Sompop Manarungsan said Samak had few options but to resign or call a snap election. ?If he doesn?t quit over the next two days, it is very likely that we will see a bloodbath,? Sompop told Reuters. The protests are led by the People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a motley group of businessmen, academics and activists who accuse Samak of being an illegitimate proxy of Thaksin, now in exile in London. Samak denies the accusation. The PAD proclaims itself to be a defender of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej against a supposed Thaksin plan to turn Thailand into a republic?a charge vehemently denied by both Thaksin and the government. Thai shares have fallen 23 percent since the PAD?s street campaign began in May amid fears of policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth and soaring inflation. The PAD assault on police headquarters came hours after riot officers tried to deliver an eviction order and clashed with demonstrators inside the prime minister?s compound. http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/international/story/426601.html 08/30/08 06:44 AM Police fire tear gas at protesters in Thailand By Grant Peck ASSOCIATED PRESS BANGKOK, Thailand ? Police fired tear gas at thousands of right-wing protesters besieging their headquarters Friday, while demonstrators outside the capital disrupted air and rail service in a growing campaign to unseat the prime minister. Charging that Western-style democracy has allowed corruption to flourish, the protesters hope to repeat their success of two years ago, when they helped topple former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej insisted he won?t step down and may declare a state of emergency, suspending some civil liberties, if rioting during the four-day old protest worsens. The country?s influential army commander said the military will steer clear of politics and not stage a coup. The People?s Alliance for Democracy protesters settled in for a fourth night occupying the grounds housing the prime minister?s offices. They have fought police ? under orders to show restraint ? to a standoff. ?After the current government is ousted, we will propose a totally new political system with those corrupt guys prosecuted, and we will have a clean and efficient political system,? protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul told the Associated Press. The alliance accuses Samak?s government of serving as a proxy for Thaksin, who was deposed in a bloodless coup and banned from public office until 2012. Thaksin, who fled to self-imposed exile in Britain, faces an array of corruption charges. Samak led Thaksin?s political allies to a December 2007 election victory, and their assumption of power triggered fears that Thaksin would make a political comeback on the strength of his continued popularity with Thailand?s rural majority. Friday saw the worst unrest in the latest round of protests. After police forced their way into the Government House compound to deliver a court eviction order, the alliance fought police in running street battles and suffered minor injuries when police fought back. Claiming ?police brutality,? alliance members later laid siege to police headquarters, saying they wanted officers they accuse of violence turned over to them. As they pressed against the gates, police threw tear gas to disperse them. Samak insisted the government would not employ force, but rather ?soft and gentle? methods to oust the protesters, indicating he was willing to wait out the protesters, whose numbers go up and down from 2,000 to about 30,000. He accused the protesters of trying to spark a confrontation with authorities that would lead to violence. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/160995.html Protesters break into PM's office From correspondents in Bangkok August 30, 2008 05:04pm ABOUT 45 protesters used bolt cutters to break into Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's abandoned office today, after five days of occupying the grounds surrounding the building. One of the activists said protest leader Chamlong Srimuang had ordered them to force open the doors so that he could use the offices himself. The so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has led thousands of protesters in anti-government rallies since May, but they stepped up their campaign on Tuesday as they marched into the Government House compound and set up camp. About 15,000 protesters were squatting there at midday today, one day after the rally erupted into skirmishes with riot police, causing minor injuries and setting nerves on edge. "Chamlong told us to clean up the mess left by police so that PAD's five supreme leaders can use the offices inside the building during the rally," the activist said. The protests also spread outside Bangkok as activists marched on three key regional airports, including on the resort isle of Phuket. Phuket's airport remained shut today, but the southern town of Hat Yai resumed air services in the morning, aviation officials said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30082005 66 protesters receive medical treatment Friday A total of 66 protesters received medial treatment throughout Friday, the Emergency Medical Service Centre of the Public Health Ministry announced Saturdya. Twenty six of them were women and Seven of the 66 protesters were admitted to four hospitals, said Doctor Surachet Satiniramai, director of the centre. Two of the seven were admitted to Vachira Hospital for breathing problems; one to Ramathibodi Hospital for serious wound on a leg; 3 to Chulalongkorn Hospital with head injuries; and one to the Police Hospitl with the broken left arm. Surachet said all of the seven were safe now. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081981 Some 2,000 protesters move to Manager head office to guard ASTV Some 2,000 protesters moved from the Government House to the Manager Group head office to guard ASTV from being raided by pro-government people. At 1:30 pm, Panthep Wongpuaphan, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, told the crowd that he learn that the pro-government people would raid the ASTV station so he enlisted volunteers to help guard it. Some 2,000 protesters followed the PAD guards out of the Government House immediately. http://www.bangkokpost.com/310808_News/31Aug2008_news05.php Protesters start cleaning up building Pledge not to re-enter place By Apinya Wipatayotin The People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday broke into the Santi Maitree building, a significant place for royal receptions and welcoming foreign guests, citing the place needed to be cleaned up. A group of Sriviciptchai Warriors, PAD's security guards, unlocked a door of the building and allowed about 50 of the PAD supporters in to collect the garbage and foam food containers and plastic bottles. Anchalee: Sanitation needed at the place ''We have been ordered by Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang to clean up the place and prepare it for meetings of key members of the PAD,'' said one guard. Earlier, Anchalee Prileeluck, another key PAD member, told the protesters Santi Maitree and the Thai Kufah buildings should be cleaned up to welcome anti-government demonstrators. ''We will open all windows and doors inside the building to welcome all of you who will be remembered in history for your effort to help prevent the country from collapsing. We don't see any reason why we can't use these buildings,'' said Ms Anchalee. ''However, we will not touch anything. We will ensure its sanitation,'' she said. Government House has been littered with garbage after nearly a week of occupation by PAD supporters, with foul smell from toilets filling the air. The cleaning team has left a message for police, saying the protesters would make sure the compound is cleaned up before they leave the place. But the PAD security guards were later told by their leaders to exit the building as they fear the place would be damaged by the protesters. ''We will not enter the building again because it is an important place. We will not sleep there or use its toilets,'' said one leader. PAD has converted the building's terrace into a medical centre. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/228750,police-back-off-as-protests-spread-from-bangkok--summary.html Police back off as protests spread from Bangkok - Summary Posted : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:43:22 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) Bangkok - Thai police withdrew from a protest area late Friday to avoid further confrontations with anti-government demonstrators as the protests spread to other provinces and forced the closure of several international airports. Three airports in the south, including Phuket International on Thailand's popular island destination, were close because of the protests, stranding thousands of tourists. Earlier in the day the State Railways of Thailand labour union went on strike, stopping most rail traffic in the country. The protests were all in support of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is spearheading anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok. They demanded the police refrain from force to break up the anti- government rally illegally taking place at the Government House compound in Bangkok. Even before the airport protests the police had backed off the demonstrators on Bangkok. "We don't want to have a misunderstanding," said Lieutenant- General Assawin Kwanmuang, Metropolitan Police commander. "We have no intention to hurt the demonstrators." He said all police were ordered to pull back. About 20 people suffered slight injuries Friday during scuffles as riot police pushed their way through demonstrators into the Government House compound. The injured were mostly hit with batons. The move by police further angered demonstrators who are calling for the administration to resign. "I'm very angry with the police," 61-year-old Prasert Somtowyai said after officers carrying shields and batons and wearing riot gear pushed their way through demonstrators, only to retreat shortly after to nearby roads. Prasert said he joined the protest from a neighbouring suburb because he thinks the administration of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is corrupt and the premier should resign. There were nearly 20,000 demonstrators Thursday night, but their numbers had fallen to about 3,000 after torrential rain and fatigue dwindled numbers long before the police made their push. By Friday afternoon, people were filtering back to the compound in small numbers, carrying much needed food and water. Chamlong Srimuang, a PAD leader and retired army general who has held out at the compound since Tuesday, said the police were planning to force them out as the fourth day of the standoff was coming to an close. Thailand's criminal court has ordered the protesters to disperse from the compound around Government House and issued arrest warrants for nine PAD leaders. Tens of thousands of PAD supporters seized several government buildings early Tuesday to block the government from amending the 2007 constitution and pressure the administration to resign. Two years ago, PAD organized months of protests against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was eventually ousted in a bloodless military coup in September 2006. The PAD and coup leaders charged Thaksin with massive corruption, dividing the nation, and undermining democracy and the monarchy. It has been calling for Samak's resignation since May after the cabinet approved a motion to amend the 2007 constitution. Protest leaders charged the amendments are aimed at clearing Thaksin of corruption charges and paving the way for his return to power. Thaksin, a former policeman turned billionaire businessman, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, winning a huge following among Thailand's rural poor. But the populist politician drew the opposition of the political elite when his growing power led to perceived abuses for personal gain. After spending 17 months in exile in the post-coup period, Thaksin returned to Thailand in February but fled again this month after his wife was convicted of tax evasion charges. She skipped bail, and the couple is now seeking asylum in Britain. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/400663/cs/1/ Thai PM refuses to go after protests escalate Big News Network (UPI) Friday 29th August, 2008 Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has said he will not resign despite the anti-government protests which are escalating. More than 25,000 people remain at Government House in central Bangkok, refusing court orders to leave. The protest is being led by the People's Alliance for Democracy which has accused Samak of working for the interests of former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. The PAD movement is now getting support from other parts of the country, with small blockades affecting airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai. Some rail workers have also walked off the job, affecting about a third of rail services across the country. The military in Thailand has told the country's prime minister to negotiate with protesters who are occupying the government compound in Bangkok. On Friday, police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators who tried to storm into police headquarters. PAD began its campaign at the end of May, just over three months after the coalition government was formed. PAD protests helped lead to the 2006 coup that unseated Mr Thaksin. http://www.bangkokpost.com/290808_News/29Aug2008_news06.php CRISIS Police unit trapped inside the protest Isolated, under guard, they wonder what went wrong, writes Apinya Wipatayotin The real victims of the confrontation between the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and Samak Sundaravej's government are neither the PAD leaders nor the prime minister _ but about 300 police trapped inside the compound. They have been confined to a small space behind the Thai Khufa building since Tuesday, when the PAD launched its final showdown and laid siege to Government House. The officers, from the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the border patrol police, were instructed to guard the Thai Khufa building, which houses the prime minister's office, when the PAD stormed the compound. The officers said they were told their assignment would be for no more than eight hours, and then another team would replace them. But things did not go according to plan. They have spent three days in the area near the Thai Khufa building so far. Their relief team has not arrived because they are surrounded by protesters who have refused to allow them to leave the area the PAD has designated for them. The demonstrators have also not allowed replacements in. What has made the situation worse, they said, is that there has been no clear explanation from their bosses about what they should do or how long the situation will continue. ''It's like we are in prison. It has bought great shame on us that police have been detained by the protesters,'' said a police sergeant-major attached to the Metropolitan Police Bureau. ''All our food and drinking water is carefully checked by the PAD guards. Everything is up to them. If they are feeling kind, they allow us to have some food and drink. ''Last night, we did not have dinner until almost 11pm.'' The officers have been sleeping in the Santi Maitree building. It is air-conditioned, but there are not enough toilets and the tap water runs very slowly. ''We have to watch television to get updates on the situation and relax. Our mobile phones no longer work since the batteries ran down. ''We didn't prepare for an overnight operation, so we didn't bring our chargers with us,'' he said. The sergeant-major confirmed that his superior told him he would be standing guard inside the compound for only a short while _ but that was three days ago. A police lance corporal detained in the area said he was worried about his 10-year-old son, who had been staying alone at his house since Tuesday. His son could not go to school because his father was locked up inside the Government House grounds. ''I didn't prepare for this situation, so I didn't give him any money. ''All I can do is borrow my friend's phone to talk to my son. ''I told him to make instant food for himself. I have no idea when I can get out to see him,'' he said. Another police officer said he disagreed with the government's handling of the demonstration, saying the government lacked a clear policy on how to deal with the protest. ''The prime minister only barks, but never bites. That's why the situation is getting worse. He and senior police just think about themselves. It's disgusting,'' he said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081474 PAD moves to protest at Government House Protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy started heading to Government House from the Makkhawan Bridge at 6:30 am Tuesday. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081471 Protestes who protest at government-run tv station detained Police detained on Tuesday leaders of People Alliance for Democracy who tried to seize a government-run television station on Vipavadi Rangsit Road. Around 5.00 am on Tuesday, a number of men raided the station of state-run NBTChannel, switched off electricity to disrupt the broadcast, cut off telephone connections and caused damages to property, police deputy spokesman Maj General Suraphol Thuanthong said. Many station workers and newsroom staffers were told to move out of the way during the raid by the men wielding sticks. Policemen rushed to counter the raid and arrested some suspects for questioning. The raid was suspected to be a part of the mass rally organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy. NBT station partially resumed broadcase shortly after police ended the raise. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081924 Egat workers to join protest The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand's labour union promised that though some Egat employees would join the People's Alliance for Democracy protest and though power cut is possible, the majority of public would not be disturbed. Somkuan Yavichai, secretary-general of the Egat labour union, said that as of Friday, about 500 employees have joined PAD. He expected that thousands could follow as they have filed "leave" applications. He said the union would discuss with other unions of 43 state enterprises on joint actions, but the actions are not yet finalised, depending on future situation. He noted that even though Egat, Metropolitan Electricity Authority and Provincial Electricity Authority, join the protest, the generator would run as usual so as not to disturb the public. Egat union does not want the government to use force against protesters, he said. "We insist that we won't cut power or cause troubls to the public who are Egat's clients. But if the government uses forces, we may launch some actions including cutting power. But the majority of the country would not be troubled by that," Somkuan said. Egat's management issued a circulation, urging the employees to avoid the protest or break the law. Egat Governor Sombat Sarntijaree supported the union's promise that the power would not be cut as all on-duty officers have their work disciplines. He believed that they would not commit any actions which could cause damage or disturb the public. "Throughout the past 40 years, despite upheavals, Egat has proved that we would never stop generating and supplying electricity," Sombat said. The Nation http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-08/29/content_9736092.htm Anti-government protesters block southern airports, suspend train service in Thailand BANGKOK, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- A few hundred anti-government protesters blocked entrances and exits at the airport in Thailand's southern economic and transportation hub Hat Yai and the access to the airport in the southern coastal resort Phuket Friday afternoon. The latest development added to fears that the unrest in the capital, which has witnessed a see-saw battle between the police and the protesters led by People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to take control of the government seat on Friday, will spread to provinces nationwide. The state-run TV station NBT, which was raided and seized by PAD protesters on early Tuesday morning and forced to suspend broadcasting, reported on Friday that about 500 protesters were staging a rally at the Hat Yai airport. Prayuth Tiraksa, a PAD leader in Phuket, said the protester started blocking the road at 2:00 p.m. (0700 GMT) , according to a report by news website The Nation. Some media reports here said some flights at the two southern airports were delayed or would be redirected, especially those with foreign passengers. Airports of Thailand Plc, the operator of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and four international airports in provinces -- Phuket, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, on Friday has raised the level of security alert. Meanwhile, parts of the railway services were affected on Friday as railway union leaders announced Thursday that members of the union, including train drivers, had submitted sick leave in a strike to show support for PAD protest. Sathorn Sinpru, leader of the railway union at the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) in northeastern province Nakhon Rachasima, said Thursday that more than 100 members of the union, including 40 train drivers, submitted their sick-leave notices for two days effective from Friday. Long-haul train services linking the Northeast to Bangkok will be suspended as a result. Sathorn said the strike was to protest the government for ignoring train workers' welfare and to show support for PAD protesters in Bangkok since the union decided to join the PAD-led civil rebellion to topple the government. SRT union chief Pichet Suwanchatree in Hat Yai, the southern transportation hub, also said late Thursday that railway service in the South would be suspended indefinitely, starting from Friday. Sawit Kaewwan, Secretary-General of the Confederation of State Enterprise Labour Unions, who has been appointed a second-generation leader of the PAD group, confirmed at the Makkawan Bridge rally site that the SRT labor union had announced a strike. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081882 PAD protesters block access to Hat Yai, Krabi airports Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy started gathering outside the Hat Yai and Krabi airports Friday afternoon. The protesters took action in retaliation against police's crackdown on protesters in Bangkok, their leaders said. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081875 Protesters overcome police barriers At 2.45 pm, protesters broke police barriers on two fronts - at the Royal Plaza and at the Makawan Rangsan Bridge. Police did not use force to block the crowds. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081890 Senator Rosana leads some 100 protesters to Metropolitan Police Nation Channel reported at 3:25 pm that Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositrakul led about 100 people to demonstrate in front of the Metropolitan Police head office. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081850 Police seen on TV beating, stepping on protesters inside Government House compound Police were seen on TVs pushing, hitting and stepping on protesters near a red building inside Government House compound Friday morning. The protesters were forced to sit down and cover their faces apparently to protect themselves from gas. Some protesters were also seen being pulled out of the group and were forced to lie face down on the floor. The Nation http://www.buzzle.com/articles/219254.html Protesters Defy Court Order to Continue Occupation of Thai Government Zone Samak says he will not use force against demonstrators calling for his resignation Thousands of anti-government protesters who have occupied the Thai prime minister's office compound since Tuesday continued their defiant occupation today despite a court order instructing them to leave and arrest warrants for nine of their leaders. The demonstrators from the rightwing People's Alliance for Democracy are calling on the prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, to resign, accusing him of being a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and, from his exile in Britain, faces several corruption cases. Samak ordered 1,000 riot police to close in on the Government House compound yesterday but has deliberately refrained from ordering the use of force. "I have a sword, but I have chosen not to use it," he told reporters from his temporary headquarters in a military compound in a north Bangkok. "It will be too dangerous." He has accused the protesters of seeking to provoke a violent government response in the hope that the military will step in with another coup. The army commander has publically insisted that troops will not get involved. Overnight, dozens of protesters wearing military fatigues and armed with golf clubs, batons and bamboo sticks stood guard around the compound. They locked most of the gates and built up makeshift barriers of tires in anticipation of a police raid. Thousands more protesters poured into the occupied area in response to the court order, and many formed a human chain overnight around the group's top leaders to prevent them from being taken away. Observers put the total number at around 10,000. The atmosphere was a cross between a festival and a political rally as they listened to to folk music and vitriol against Samak and his elected government. Retired general Chamlong Srimuang, an influential former politician and army officer and one of the top alliance leaders, said the protesters are doing nothing wrong. "We are staging a protest because the government has made too many mistakes and has no legitimacy to run the country," he said. But deputy police spokesman Maj Gen. Suraphol Tuanthong said the arrest warrants against the leaders were for insurrection, conspiracy, illegal assembly and refusing orders to disperse. Insurrection, which is the legal equivalent of treason, carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. Samak initially said he hoped the protesters would be out ahead of a ceremony on Saturday for Thailand's royal family. But today he proposed moving the royal procession to another site. The climb-down only intensified speculation that Samak and the government are under pressure from anonymous PAD backers thought to come from the anti-Thaksin business elite, army or even the palace. Revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is officially above politics but who has intervened several times on a variety of sides during his six decades on the throne, has made no public pronouncements since the PAD launched its assault on Tuesday. Alliance leaders said the group planned to appeal the court order to vacate the government compound. Chamlong said he and other leaders were ready to be arrested, but encouraged supporters to stay on the grounds. ? Guardian News & Media 2008 http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604238 Thailand: Warrants out for key PAD protest leaders Posted: 2008/08/27 From: MNN Thailand`s Criminal Court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for the top five leaders of the anti-gov`t coalition People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD`, its coordinator and three other PAD activists for leading demonstrators to storm the gov`t House compound and other state offices on Tuesday. Meanwhile retired Maj-Gen. Chamlong Srimuang, one of five PAD core leaders, challenged the authorities to come make the arrests, saying that neither would he nor the other PAD activist leaders resist arrest or use anyone as human shields to deter the arrest process. The five PAD leaders are Sondhi Limthongkul, Piphop Thongchai, Gen. Chamlong, Somsak Kosaisuk, Somkiat Pongpaiboon and PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila. The other three persons include Chaiwat Sinsuwong, Amorn Amornrattananond and Therdpoom Chaidee who led PAD stalwarts in a raid on state-owned NBT television station on Tuesday. The high-profile PAD personalities are charged with rebellion and rebellious attempt, organising gatherings of 10 or more people to cause public disturbances and defying police orders to disperse. Eighty-two PAD actiivists or hangers-on, including four women and three juveniles, arrested for breaking into NBT's broadcast facilities remain in police custody after the Criminal Court denied bail on Tuesday on grounds of their having committing violent crimes. Police charged them with colluding with armed protesters in coercing others to do or not to do actions against their will, possessing firearms without permission and carrying firearms in a public place without permission. If found guilty, they are each liable to a maximum five-year jail term and/or fines of up to 10,000 baht. (TNA) http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14036 PAD Protesters Storm Government House ________________________________________ By SAI SILP Tuesday, August 26, 2008 ________________________________________ Thai anti-government demonstrators broke into the compound housing the prime minister's office, took over a state-controlled television station and besieged several ministries on Tuesday, while the country?s police announced arrest warrants are ready to be issued to five protest leaders. Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), an anti-government group, took over roads leading to Thai Government House in an attempt to force the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet. A PAD leader, Sondhi Limthongkul, said demonstrators would not leave government house until the government accedes to its demands. Early Tuesday, demonstrators wearing masks broke through the closed gates and stormed the premises of state-run NBT television station, which is operated under the National Public Relations Departments, halting all programs, while other PAD protesters rallied at several points throughout Bangkok Pol Maj Gen Surapon Tounthong, the deputy Thai Royal Police spokesperson, said the police were ordered to use restraint and would not use arms or violence against the protesters. ?However, it does not mean that we will do nothing to the protesters who break the law,? he said. ?Arrest warrants are prepared to issue to the protester leaders soon because they illegally entered government offices and other national security areas,? he said, according to a report on a Thai news Web site, Komchadluek, on Tuesday Meanwhile, Pradit Ruengdit, the secretary-general of Thai Journalists Association, said in a statement released on Tuesday that the protesters who seized the NBT station seriously abused freedom of the press. The statement noted that PAD leaders claimed NBT is a government mouthpiece and has a bias in reporting political news. ?However, there are ways to fight through legal processes,? he said. ?To attack and obstruct media from reporting is an abuse of freedom the press.? The Southeast Asian Press Alliance, the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA) and the Confederation of Thai Journalists released a statement saying: "The mob action is one of the gravest and most blatant assaults on media freedom to date. The media was threatened, intimidated and kept from performing their duty." The masked men who attacked the NBT station claimed they were PAD members. Other PAD protesters invaded the compounds of the Transport Ministry, Finance Ministry and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Army chief Anupong Paochinda, meanwhile, repeated claims that the military would not overthrow the government to quell the political unrest. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej warned protesters on Tuesday that his government's tolerance for their repeated demonstrations had its limits, but he did not say what, if any, action he would take. Samak placed Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Pol Gen Kowit Wattana in charge of governmental security and the overall police response. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081651 PAD's protest activities disapproved by majority More than 70 per cent of the people condemned the People's Alliance for Democracy for its Tuesday's protest activities, Bangkok University Poll said on Wednesday. Almost 73 per cent voiced disapproval for blockading main roads linking Bangkok to the North, the Northeast and the South. About 71 per cent said they disagreed with the raid of the NBT station. And 68 per cent said they found it unacceptable to lay seige at Government House and ministries. http://www.bangkokpost.com/270808_News/27Aug2008_news09.php City folk condemn protesters' tactics APINYA WIPATAYOTIN & PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN City residents condemned the People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD) invasion of several state agencies, including state-owned NBT broadcasting station, saying it was pointless violence that made victims of innocent people. Bangkok awoke early yesterday to learn of the raid on the NBT station by at least 80 people. Television coverage showed damage inside the building, including broken windows and collapsed barricades. There were similar PAD raids at the Transport, Agriculture and Finance ministries, the Public Relations Department and Government House. Several road blockades were erected by PAD supporters, resulting in severe traffic congestion. ''I have no clients today. They rushed to go home earlier because they were uncertain about their safety. Today's situation is worse than the coup,'' said a cloth merchant in Soi Ari, where affected offices of the Finance Ministry and Public Relations Department are located. ''I'm very disappointed with the situation. The PAD has destroyed the country's happiness. I live with fear and feel that my freedom to go anywhere or do anything is violated by that group,'' she said, declining to be named. She said she did not think the situation would have a happy ending. ''I think each party is only interested in its own benefits. They have never thought about the country. Most people are suffering from the actions of both sides. It's like whoever wins, we lose.'' Chalerm Bhiman, 51, an office worker, said the PAD has no legitimacy to lay siege to state offices. ''What they have done is illegal and not supported by a majority of people in this country,'' he said. ''I don't know why they had to do it despite the fact that the courts are doing their job against this government, the ruling People Power party and Thaksin Shinawatra,'' Mr Chalerm said. ''This means they [PAD leaders] don't trust the country's justice system that they always called on to solve the country's problems,'' he said. One motorist, who identified himself as Preecha, said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's demand the public choose sides could make the situation worse. ''I don't want to choose sides. I don't like either side. What I want is peace in our society,'' he said. A 50-year-old woman from Ubon Ratchathani who joined PAD yesterday said the siege of Government House was unavoidable, because only the unifying force of the people could bring change to politics. http://story.floridastatesman.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/399349/cs/1/ Thai protesters call for a coup Florida Statesman Tuesday 26th August, 2008 The BBC has reported Thai riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters who stormed the Thai prime minister's office compound in Bangkok. Earlier, the demonstrators invaded government buildings and a state-run TV station. The protesters, who say Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is a proxy for escaped former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have called for a coup to oust the current government. After the intruders ignored a deadline to leave the prime minister's headquarters, hundreds of riot police moved in to clash briefly with the protesters. The fighting stopped when officers secured the inside of the compound. The protesters, clad in yellow as a mark of loyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also pushed down fences to enter the grounds of Government House. This forced the prime minister to move to military headquarters elsewhere in the capital. More than 30,000 protesters marched through Bangkok's streets on Tuesday. The masked supporters first stormed the main studios of the government-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand before entering three government ministries. The unrest is the latest in a series of shows of force staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy over recent months. The PAD movement is known to want a largely appointed parliament and a legalised role for the military as a referee in Thai politics. The PAD began three years ago as a movement to bring down the powerful Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin is currently in the UK, avoiding justice in Thailand over claims of corruption. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=132210 Protesters try to take Thai state TV Wednesday, August 27, 2008 BANGKOK: About 40 armed anti-government activists broke into the studios of Thai state broadcaster NBT on Tuesday to try to halt programming as a prelude to a major demonstration against the seven-month-old coalition. Police arrested the group, who were armed with two pistols, golf clubs, sling shots and knives, NBT reported on air after the attempted disruption. Today is the people?s revolution day, so we want NBT to stop broadcasting, NBT chief Surayont Hoontasan quoted one of the protesters as saying. They shouted ?Get out, get out? at us repeatedly. All 150 of us were rounded up for a short while before police arrived and talked them down to the ground floor, newscaster Soifah Osukonthip said on air. The People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a motley group of royalist, pro-military businessmen, is hoping to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Tuesday?s rally outside Government House, their latest attempt to unseat the elected government. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2684e028-7421-11dd-bc91-0000779fd18c.html Police and protesters face off in Thailand By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok Published: August 27 2008 11:30 | Last updated: August 27 2008 11:30 Thai riot police surrounded the seat of government on Wednesday and tried to negotiate an end to a siege of the compound by protesters who want to topple the administration of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. On the second day of the tense standoff, police obtained warrant for the arrest of nine top leaders of the People?s Alliance for Democracy, the protest organisers, on charges including inciting arrest and trying to overthrow the government. Kowit Wattana, interior minister, appealed to the protesters to leave the Government House compound, saying authorities needed to prepare for a ceremony there on Saturday honouring the royal family which the country?s crown prince is scheduled to attend. Yellow-clad demonstrators affiliated with the PAD ? a diverse coalition of royalists, businessmen and activists united against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra ? stormed Government House on Tuesday afternoon and have vowed to remain until Mr Samak?s coalition resigns. The PAD sees the administration, which took power after December elections and is packed with Thaksin loyalists, as a proxy for the former leader, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and this month fled to the UK while facing trial in several criminal cases. Mr Samak has accused the protesters of trying to provoke another military coup. Analysts are sceptical that the protesters will achieve their aim and Bangkok residents appear turned off by their aggressive tactics. The army chief has vowed that the army will not intervene in the crisis. ?The Samak government has the upper hand,? said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a Chulalongkorn University political scientist. ?As long as the government doesn?t overreact or resort to excessive force, time is on the government?s side.? The stand-off comes amid concern about the twin challenges of slowing economic growth and rising inflation, which hit a ten-year high in July. The Bank of Thailand yesterday raised the key interest rate by 25 basis points, to 3.75 per cent, tightening policy for the second month in a row despite opposition expressed by Surapong Suebwonglee, finance minister, on concern that higher rates will further affect growth. The high-profile dispute between Mr Surapong, a close Thaksin ally, and the central bank faded last week after Thailand?s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej waded into monetary policy, offering rare public praise for the central bank. Thailand?s two leading English-language newspapers ? which supported massive anti-Thaksin protests in 2006 ? both slammed the PAD?s protests yesterday. ?The PAD?s ?last whistle blow? is unjustified, unnecessary, provocative and illegal,? The Bangkok Post editorial declared. ?If the PAD really wants to bring down the government, they should do it through parliament. That is the proper, democratic place to do it.? The Nation said, ?the PAD?s action yesterday was completely uncalled for? and that the group?s motivations ?have gone from clear cut to incomprehensible.? http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081508 NBT mobile broadcast disrupted by protesters again Protesters stormed into the mobile broadcast unit of NBT and disrupted its broadcast again at 11:10 am. Tuangporn Assawawilai, an announcer, said protesters were arriving at the mobile broadcast unit and was about to disrupt the broadcast. Shortly after that, she disappeared from the screen and the broadcast switched to signals from NBT station in Songkhla. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081509 PAD protesters storming Metropolitan Police At 11.15 am, protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy have broken passed the headquarters gate of Metropolitan Police Bureau on Sri Ayutthaya Road. Metropolitan Police commissioner Lt General Asawin Kwanmuang is trying to negotiate with protesters to back out of the police commound and not raid the headquarters building. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=151514 Thai protesters settle down to stay at PM?s office Thai Buddhist monks and demonstrators sit under a plastic sheet during a demonstration inside the Government House in Bangkok on Thursday. Anti-government protesters hunkered down at the Thai prime minister's office compound on Thursday evening, preparing to extend their occupation for a third night with no end to the standoff in sight. As dusk approached, the crowd of several thousand began to swell slightly as some protesters returned after spending the day at their workplaces. They vowed to stay for as long as it takes to push Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej out of office. "We can withstand any difficult conditions if we can topple Samak," said Kitja Usaiphan, 43, a fisherman who has been camping at the site since Tuesday with other followers of the People's Alliance for Democracy. The alliance accuses Samak's government to step down, accusing it of serving as a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and faces several pending corruption cases. Thaksin is in self-imposed exile in Britain. The demonstrators continued to defy a court order to end their occupation, saying they had a right to remain and would stay until the country's leaders resign. For the time being, the authorities seem to be content to leave them stay there, as the rest of the city and the country carries on with business as usual. Samak said Thursday that the court order had given the government extra leverage to deal with the protesters, but he has vowed not to use force to remove them. "Simply stated, the court has given the government a 'sword,' but officials concerned will enforce the court order with caution," the state Thai News Agency quoted him saying. Several times during the day, members of the People's Alliance for Democracy appeared to be bracing for government action that never came. Groups of protesters wearing military fatigues and armed with golf clubs, batons and bamboo sticks at times stood guard around the perimeter of the Government House compound. http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/18188/Thai_protesters_defy_court_order_to_leave_PM_s_office Thai protesters defy court order to leave PM's office Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:03:09 -0500 Summary: Protesters from the People?s Alliance for Democracy, EPA The Thai PM has been forced into refuge at a ?temporary headquarters in a military compound? as protesters from a coalition of opposition groups continue their occupation of his office. Overnight, dozens of protesters wearing military fatigues and armed with golf clubs, batons and bamboo sticks stood guard around the compound. They locked most of the gates and built up makeshift barriers of tyres in anticipation of a police raid?Thousands more protesters poured into the occupied area in response to the court order, and many formed a human chain overnight around the group?s top leaders to prevent them from being taken away. Observers put the total number at around 10,000. [Posted By Szamko] By David Pallister Republished from The Guardian Protesters continue to demand the ouster of Thaksin-linked PM, who now fulminates from a military compound Thousands of anti-government protesters who have occupied the Thai prime minister?s office compound since Tuesday continued their defiant occupation today despite a court order instructing them to leave and arrest warrants for nine of their leaders. The demonstrators from the rightwing People?s Alliance for Democracy are calling on the prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, to resign, accusing him of being a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and, from his exile in Britain, faces several corruption cases. Samak ordered 1,000 riot police to close in on the Government House compound yesterday but has deliberately refrained from ordering the use of force. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081764 Protesters use toilets of Command Centre Protesters now have access to toilet rooms on every floor of the five-story Command Centre. Signs were put up, telling the protesters to use toilet rooms of every floor of the building. Several of them also took a rest inside air-conditioned rooms on the fourth floor. Offices on other floors remain locked up. The Nation http://www.bangkokpost.com/280808_News/28Aug2008_news06.php Thursday August 28, 2008 Protest shuts Hat Yai road CHEEWIN SATTHA People's Alliance for Democracy protesters blocked roads to Hat Yai airport in Songkhla yesterday afternoon. The blockade lasted a few hours. Some flights were delayed. Banjong Nasae, a leader of the PAD network in the South, said at least 500 PAD supporters turned out. The road closure was aimed at putting pressure on the government not to forcefully disperse the protest in Bangkok. In Chiang Mai, a motorcyclist hurled a ping-pong ball bomb at the office of the local PAD network on Tuesday night. No injuries were reported. Chiang Mai governor Wiboon Sa-nguanpong met with senior police yesterday for a briefing on the political situation in the province. Police have been posted at NBT television's Chiang Mai office following the raid on the state-owned broadcasting channel's headquarters in Bangkok on Tuesday. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JH27Ae02.html Aug 27, 2008 Thai protests turn nasty By Shawn W Crispin BANGKOK - Thailand's topsy-turvy politics took a turn for the chaotic on Tuesday as anti-government protesters violently stormed government buildings, blocked major roadways and knocked a state-run television station off the air. The protests shook markets and raised concerns that the government might move to invoke an emergency decree and temporarily suspend democracy. It also ominously points to splits inside the military, with camps divided between those who support and oppose Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who serves concurrently as defense minister. Samak has reached an accommodation with top-ranking military leaders, including army commander General Anupong Paochinda and First Army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha, but a hardline camp has reportedly refused to fall in step. A group of these officers reportedly called for Samak's resignation when the violence reached a crescendo early in the afternoon, according to a well-placed government source who spoke on condition of anonymity with Asia Times Online. Samak told reporters he had no intention of stepping down or declaring an emergency decree, adding that street protesters who broke the law would face arrest. Thailand's SET Index declined 1.37% to 668.92 on Tuesday, bringing its decline since May 21 to more than 24%. The baht weakened about 0.3% to 34.205 to the US dollar. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement had billed Tuesday's protest a "final showdown" in which either Samak's government or its supporters would survive. Its ambush-style attacks represented a violent escalation of its previous protests, which commenced on May 25 and have centered on the claim that Samak's government is serving as a political proxy for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is currently in self-imposed exile in England. According to a source in the Prime Minister's Office, one of the protesters who stormed the National Broadcasting Television was in possession of a gun. "If this is true, this could represent a case of treason," the official said. He said officials had established a "war room" to counter the attacks and "preserve democracy". The official also said they were trying to get in touch with US ambassador Eric John, who they hoped to put on national television condemning the PAD's attacks. The spasm in violence comes soon after several political pundits predicted Thailand had achieved a more stable political footing in the wake of Thaksin's decision this month to flee the country rather than stand trial on a range of corruption and abuse of power charges. The Attorney General's office forwarded to the Supreme Court this week an important criminal case which aims to seize 76 billion baht (US$2.3 billion) worth of Thaksin's family's assets, believed to be the bulk of his personal holdings and wellspring of his political patronage. With his departure and potentially diminished wealth, many believed the country was on the verge of a political reordering where a camp of 100 or so members of parliament inside the ruling People's Power Party, led by provincial powerbroker and until now strong Thaksin ally Newin Chidchob, might be tempted to break away and form a new coalition government led by the opposition Democrat Party. A source near the leadership of the Democrat Party recently told Asia Times Online that party officials were exploring that possibility, which appealed because Newin's political following is in Thaksin's stronghold northeastern region. The PAD has a love-hate relationship with the Democrats dating to run-ins and libel law suits the party filed in the past against the street movement's media baron leader, Sondhi Limthongkul. Despite the PAD's role in keeping pressure on Samak's government, the Democrats' recent overtures towards PAD-nemesis Newin would presumably leave the protest movement's leaders and associates outside of any future non-Thaksin-aligned government. It's unclear if the PAD leadership, including Sondhi, intended for the protests to spin so wildly out of control. Many analysts have speculated that the PAD had stepped up its protests in recent weeks to potentially lure security forces into a crackdown and amid the chaos a military seizure of political power take place - a scenario apparently favored by some military hardliners, but opposed by Anupong and Prayuth, who have top authority over Bangkok's security. What is known is that the PAD has powerful backing from a hardline faction inside the military that lost out at last year's reshuffle, which most significantly saw the promotion of Anupong over the ambitious General Saprang Kalayanamitr. A key player in the 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin, Saprang has been quoted in the local press as saying that he personally has given orders to the PAD. There is no evidence that he or other military figures played any role in stoking Tuesday's violence, but there are worrying indications that a hardline military camp may bid to capitalize on the chaos and its aftermath at more moderate military rivals' expense. The breakdown in public order notably comes on the eve of a highly anticipated military reshuffle, which was reportedly already completed and expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Anupong is widely expected to preserve his army commander post, but there have been grumbles inside the rank-and-file that he hasn't played a more assertive political role in the de facto joint premiership he has established with Samak. The PAD's attacks on government buildings have clearly weakened his hand and will provide ammunition for hardliners to take up other pivotal command posts, including perhaps a break-up of Prayuth's unbroken chain of command over Bangkok through his Pre-Cadet Academy Class 12 allies over the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions and the 2nd and 4th Cavalry. What is also clear is that Thailand's battered and bruised democracy has reached a crucial juncture. The PAD's rally cry took a hard turn last month when its members started to call for a "new politics" in which future parliaments would be 30% elected and 70% appointed. The proposal was clearly in response to the fact that pro-Thaksin parties continue to win elections, even after his original Thai Rak Thai party was disbanded by a military tribunal, and would likely prevail again if Samak opted to dissolve parliament and call for new polls. The PAD's version of diminished democracy also jibes with the military's vision of the country's political future, seen in the various illiberal articles it wrote into the 2007 constitution, including in particular its controversial move backward towards a half-elected, half-appointed senate. The all-important wild card is the royal household, which by law is above Thai politics. The highly revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej has on at least two nationally televised occasions endorsed Samak and his administration, notably on the eve of a previous PAD-declared "doomsday". Anupong and Prayuth are also both known to have close personal ties with Queen Sirikit. While the PAD has consistently claimed its movement aims above all at protecting the monarchy from usurping politicians, its attacks on Tuesday on government buildings which bear royal insignia make those claims as doubtful as its eponymous commitment to democracy. Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online's Southeast Asia Editor. He may be reached at swcrispin at atimes.com http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,24247033-401,00.html?from=public_rss Stand-off as protesters flood city By Anusak Konglang in Bangkok Agence France-Presse August 26, 2008 08:42pm THAI premier Samak Sundaravej today vowed "decisive action" to end escalating anti-government rallies, as thousands of protesters stormed a state-run TV station and blockaded key ministries. At least 20,000 protesters demanding his resignation seized the television station, invaded the grounds of the seat of government and besieged at least three ministries in their efforts to cripple Samak's administration. Mr Samak, who was elected in December and formed his coalition government in February, warned that his patience was running out. "Police will use all means to restore normalcy as soon as possible," Mr Samak said in a televised address to the nation. "Police will take decisive action against the protesters ... government restraint is almost over. "I ask all the protesters who have been blockading or occupying government offices that you still have a chance to withdraw and go back to your homes." Major General Surapol Tuanthong, deputy national police spokesman, saod that the thousands of protesters who besieged the Government House compound had until 6:00pm (9pm AEST) to leave. "Otherwise they will be asked to leave," he said. "They have caused disorder and breached the law." Mr Samak, who has appointed Interior Minister Kowit Wattana to oversee the police operation, said he would not step aside and played down rumours of another coup. "I will not resign, I will stay to protect this country," Mr Samak said. "The military will not allow the protesters to take control of the country. However, it is not the time yet for military force," he added. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has been protesting since May, claims Mr Samak is running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is barred from holding office. The demonstrators marched before dawn on Government House and the office of the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand, forcing its staff to switch to another location. "Today is judgement day," PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul told cheering crowds, most wearing yellow shirts as a mark of allegiance to revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, to whom they claim loyalty. A first attempt to take the station ended with the arrest of 80 protesters. Police charged them with trespassing and seized a handgun, slingshots and golf clubs. Thousands more protesters waving national flags and banners marched through the government district, vowing to blockade major government buildings. Crowds broke down police barriers and entered the grounds of Government House, the finance ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters. They also surrounded the agriculture and transport ministries. "The easiest way to restore normalcy is for Prime Minister Samak to quit," said PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila. "If we do not receive a clear and positive response, we will prolong the rally to the next day and mobilise more protesters." Thailand's powerful army chief earlier urged calm, insisting the military would not overthrow the Government to quell the protests. "The military will not stage a coup d'etat. The public must not panic and must carry on their daily lives. The army will not get involved in politics," General Anupong Paojinda said. Police Colonel Ekachai Pratyavutirat, an officer overseeing the protests, estimated that about 23,000 demonstrators had flooded the streets. A police spokesman said 3,000 police officers had been deployed to maintain order. Some 2500 people were also protesting on roads in the north, northeast and south of Thailand, highways police chief Colonel Somyos Promnim said. PAD protests in early 2006 helped lead to the coup that unseated Mr Thaksin, and the entry to government of his ally Mr Samak infuriated the old power elites in the military and palace, who resented Mr Thaksin's hold on rural voters. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/08/26/thailand-protests.html?ref=rss Protesters shut down Thai broadcaster, more than 50 arrested Last Updated: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 | 12:34 AM ET Comments0Recommend5 CBC News Dozens of anti-government protesters armed with knives and guns stormed a government-owned television station in Thailand and briefly forced it off the air Tuesday. Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) shut down studios of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand in Bangkok for a few hours before police moved in and arrested 50 to 80 protesters without incident, the broadcaster said. Hundreds more unarmed protesters gathered outside the gates of the media compound while thousands of PAD supporters peacefully laid siege to several government ministries, including the main Government House, preventing employees from entering the offices, local media reported. "We are now controlling most of the key government offices to prevent them from coming to work," said Sondhi Limthongkul, a co-leader of PAD. "Today, we declare a long, long holiday for the government." The protests are the latest effort by the group to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government from office. Those protesting contend Samak is a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and has sought self-imposed exile in England. Samak, whose party won national elections last December, denies the allegations. Since May, PAD has staged boisterous protests that have disrupted traffic in pockets of the capital but have rarely turned violent. The group's leaders painted Tuesday's protest as the start of the final showdown against the government and have vowed to continue agitating until Samak quits. Samak has refused, maintaining that "the government is still safe and sound." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081535 Protesters occupying key locations around the capital By 2.00 pm on Tuesday, protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy have managed to occupy many key installations and shut down works. Protesters are now inside Government House, the Education Ministry, the Transport Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the Finance Ministry. They are rallying in front of the Energy Ministry. They have taken complete control of two broadcasting stations of NBT Channel located on Vibhavadi Road and Phetchaburi Road respectively. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 21:24:37 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:24:37 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy protests, Southeast Asia, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA87F85.9070309@tesco.net> * MALAYSIA: Security law protests resume * MALAYSIA: Walkout over DNA law plan * BURMA: Sittwe monks protest, repressed * BURMA: Protests on anniversary of coup * BURMA: Student protest in Sittwe * BURMA: Monk attempts suicide at famous temple * BURMA: Fragging incident hits army * BURMA/GLOBAL: Democracy protests commemorated Protests in the Philippines, Bangladesh * BURMA: Bomb wounds four in Yangon * PHILIPPINES: Traders protest social cleansing * PHILIPPINES: Protest against honour for tyrant's wife * PHILIPPINES: Balas protest camp targeted by saboteurs; protest continues * KOREA: Protests over repression of pro-North groups * TIBET/NEPAL: Mass arrests as protests resume * TIBET: Protests in Sydney, Arunachal Pradesh * TIBET/INDIA: New Delhi - visit of Chinese minister protested * TIBET/US: New York - Chinese visit protested * INDONESIA: Bali and elsewhere - protests over new indecency law * INDONESIA: Wave of protests in Jakarta * INDONESIA: Rights victims demand compensation * INDONESIA: Opposition party to target election bureaus * INDONESIA: Witnesses boycott trial after assault * INDONESIA: Women's groups oppose "porn" bill * INDONESIA: Fishermen protest against illegal fishing * NEPAL: Judges strike against corruption allegations * NEPAL: Hundreds protest disco crackdown * NEPAL: Civilian death protests disrupt capital * NEPAL: Lalitpur - Police killing leads to protest * NEPAL/INDIA: Import tax leads to border protests http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43881 POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Security Law Against Dissent - Protests Rise By Baradan Kuppusamy Police trying to disperse a candlelight vigil against the arrest of dissenters under internal security laws. Credit:Baradan Kuppusamy/IPS KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 16 (IPS) - Under relentless opposition since losing massively at the March general elections, the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has resorted to invoking a draconian security law to check political dissent. In a sudden crackdown on Sep.12 authorities arrested prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who runs the hugely popular Malaysia Today political website, and the outspoken opposition lawmaker Teresa Kok, under the dreaded Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for indefnite detention without trial. As part of the blitz three newspapers were issued with notices that could potentially see them suspended or banned altogether. A young journalist with a Chinese daily who reported the allegedly racist speech of a Malay leader was also arrested, but released 16 hours later. The popular ?The Sun? English daily, the Chinese language ?Sin Chew Daily? and ?Berita Keadilan,? the official organ of iconic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim?s Keadilan party, have been asked to say why they should not be punished for various offences -- most of them spurious, according to human rights lawyers. The crackdown comes as Anwar struggles to induce the defection of over 30 to 40 government backbenchers and topple the government. He constantly claims to have the required numbers. Anwar has 82 members in the 222-seat chamber and needs 30 more to form a simple majority government, although how he is going to effect that is anybody?s guess. There is no precedent and the government appears prepared to take tough measures to keep itself safe. ??The crackdown is a signal that a new era of intolerance and threat has started. They intend to curb media freedom, political freedom and signal all Malaysians that more tough action is ahead,?? Bar Council vice-chairman, Ragu Kesavan, told IPS. The bar, which represents over 13,000 lawyers, is calling an urgent emergency meeting on Sep. 20 to plan how to head off the crackdown and threats from the government. The ISA law -- which the authorities defend as necessary to keep the peace in a multi-racial society -- was originally enacted in 1948 by the British colonial government for use against a communist threat. Since the 1960s Malaysia has widened the use of ISA to detain politicians, religious extremists, activists, currency forgers and even passport forgers. So far, the arrests of Kamaruddin and Kok have sparked a huge storm of protest with even cabinet ministers joining in to voice anger at the use of the ISA against legitimate political dissent. Several cabinet ministers broke ranks to speak out, forcing the government to release the reporter and allow lawyers and family members to visit Kamaruddin and Kok at their detention cells. Cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim, who resigned on Monday after failing to dissuade the government from making the arrests, had led the criticism from within the government ranks. Speaking to reporters, Zaid said the ISA was ??open to abuse?? and that ??if we cannot be fair in implementing it, then we should confine its use to terrorists.?? The government has defended the arrests saying police had carried out a major intelligence survey and found that there is a need to arrest both critics to ensure race and religious differences did not get out of hand. Allied with Anwar, Kamaruddin has been a fierce critic of the government with traffic to his website exceeding one million hits on an average when he was arrested. The government has already charged him with sedition and defamation in the past months. Critics say the real reason for arresting Kamaruddin is to protect Abdullah?s position as prime minister now that he is under severe attack from within his ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and from outside by Anwar. Opposition lawmaker Kok, a senior member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) that supports the interests of ethnic Chinese and is allied to the Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, was formally arrested over unproven claims that she led a non-Muslim complaint about the ??loud sound?? of morning prayers over loudspeakers at a mosque. She vehemently denied the accusation and threatened legal action when she was arrested. Abdullah, who has promised to leave by June 2010, is however facing mounting pressure from UMNO to leave by December so that a new man can take over and win back lost support. Abdullah?s woes were compounded after the 83-year-old former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a fierce critic of Abdullah, announced his decision to return to the political stage. Protest is building up across the country with ordinary people, NGOs and politicians protesting the crackdown by organising candle-light vigils and protest meetings to whip up opposition against use of the ISA. Even the church has expressed its concern at the sudden crackdown and has urged the government to allow legitimate dissent. It has also launched prayer meetings for ISA detainees. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Asia&set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20080828132020819C184671 Anwar protest DNA sampling legislation August 28 2008 at 02:59PM Related Articles ? Anwar ends decade-long political exile ? Anwar wins Malaysia vote Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday staged a dramatic parliament walkout with his 81 lawmakers just hours after being sworn in, in protest over controversial DNA sampling legislation. Anwar was admitted to parliament earlier in the day, ending a decade-long political exile and taking another step forward in his plan to topple the government. The first order of business was a new bill that would force suspected criminals to give DNA samples - legislation Anwar says is targeted at him after he refused to provide a sample following his arrest on sodomy charges. He said the walkout was triggered when the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition - which he has promised to topple within weeks - refused to establish a special committee to review the legislation. "We have walked out because they have refused to respond. Many MPs requested a select committee to be formed but the minister (Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar) refused," Anwar told reporters. "There is no point staying and participating in the debate," he said. Syed Hamid, who tabled the proposed legislation, condemned the actions of the three-party opposition alliance. "They walked out contrary to the rules because they don't want to accept defeat. They know that they will be defeated," he told reporters. "They walked out because they don't want it to appear like a failure for its leader who has said that he will be able to win over Barisan Nasional MPs." Anwar claimed a landslide victory on Tuesday in a by-election to return him to parliament, capping a stunning comeback after he was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 and jailed for sodomy and corruption. "I'm glad to be back after a decade," Anwar said, attacking Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who has faced calls to quit since March elections in which the opposition gained unprecedented ground. "The prime minister has lost the mandate of the country and the nation," Anwar said, calling on Abdullah, his deputy Najib Razak and "all their cronies" to be removed from power. Anwar has rejected the new sodomy allegations, levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, as a government conspiracy to prevent him from challenging the coalition that has ruled for half a century. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/08/26/democratic-voice-of-burma-sittwe-monks%E2%80%99-protest-disrupted-by-authorities/ Democratic Voice of Burma: Sittwe monks? protest disrupted by authorities Tue 26 Aug 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma A planned demonstration by monks in the Arakan state capital Sittwe was disrupted by local authorities, according to Arakan National League for Democracy joint secretary U Than Hlaing. The authorities had increased the number of armed security personnel on the streets of Sittwe but the monks decided to proceed with their demonstration despite the heightened security presence, U Than Hlaing said. Forty monks gathered in the city at 1pm in an attempt to mark the first anniversary of the demonstration against commodity price rises by 300 Sittwe monks on 24 August last year. ?The intention was to stage a memorial protest,? U Than Hlaing said. ?But the authorities got wind of the plan and so security forces turned up suddenly and aggressively and it didn?t happen.? Security had been further stepped up in advance of the protest after a riot police officer was killed by a group of local youths during a clash on 22 August at the spot where the monks gathered. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/09/29/democratic-voice-of-burma-security-tight-in-sittwe-after-demonstration-%E2%80%93-yee-may-aung/ Democratic Voice of Burma: Security tight in Sittwe after demonstration ? Yee May Aung Mon 29 Sep 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma Security has been tightened again in Sittwe after 150 monks staged a silent march on Saturday to commemorate last year?s Saffron Revolution, according to local residents. Armed security personnel, police and plain-clothes agents have been deployed at hotels and guesthouses as there have been reports for ten days that the regional commander is due to visit the town. One local resident said the heightened security presence was visible around the town. ?In the ward, authorities and Swan Arr Shin members are being positioned, and the army has increased the number of camouflaged sentries in residential areas and guesthouses,? he said. Another resident said locals had been informed that the commander was coming to town and so security personnel were working hard to make sure they kept control of the situation. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/09/15/narinjara-news-monks-demonstration-plans-foiled-sittwe/ Narinjara News: Monks? demonstration plans foiled - Sittwe Mon 15 Sep 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma About 50 monks in Sittwe gathered on Saturday at Gissapa Nadi playground to stage a demonstration against the Burmese military government, but their plans were foiled when security forces besieged the playground and set up road blocks to prevent a march. A witness from Sittwe said, ?The plan of monks to march in the streets of Sittwe from the playground was foiled after many security forces were deployed in the areas surrounding the playground.? The security forces, including police and riot police, rushed to the scene when they received information that the monks were preparing to stage a demonstration. ?I heard monks had plans to march in the streets peacefully while holding religious flags, demanding a reduction in commodity prices and a release of their colleague U Ithiriya from custody.? U Ithiriya is now in Buthidaung prison serving a seven-and-a-half year jail term, but his health is reportedly poor due to a lack of food and inadequate health care in prison. The monks abandoned their plan and dispersed at the playground when security forces besieged the area. The woman said, ?No one was arrested at the scene but I do not know what happened after the monks left for their respective monasteries from the playground.? There is currently no information on whether security forces arrested any monks, but the authorities have beefed up security near many monasteries and temples in Sittwe. This is the third effort by monks to stage a demonstration since the beginning of August. Twice in the last month monks attempted to stage a demonstration against the present military government. http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/1060-burmese-activists-protest-on-20th-anniversary-of-coup.html Burmese activists protest on 20th anniversary of coup by Phanida, Huaipi Thursday, 18 September 2008 21:15 Anti-government leaflets were distributed in Myitkyina, Kachin State on Thursday to condemn the 20th anniversary of the military coup in Burma. Spokesperson of the 'All Kachin Students Union' (AKSU) told Mizzima that activists distributed and pasted anti-regime leaflets elsewhere in Myitkyina such as in high schools, university, colleges, government offices and residential blocks. "We want to show our solidarity with all the students and monks in Burma while our second objective was to stage demonstrations on the 20th anniversary of the military coup," AKSU spokesperson said. The students, who distributed about 400 leaflets printed on A-4 size papers, said they will continue to distribute the leaflets despite local authorities removing and seizing the posters, one of them said. "The authorities removed and seized the leaflets as soon as they found them at about 9 a.m. today. We heard that the authorities announced cash rewards for information leading to our arrest. However we will continue what we have to do," he added. On September 18, 1988, Burmese military made coup after brutally and ruthlessly cracking down on a nationwide uprising which left at least 3,000 dead and many injured. Meanwhile, to denounce the junta's brutal military coup, pro-democracy activists in New Delhi, staged demonstrations near condemning the generals, who has persistently cling on to power for the last twenty years despite of international and internal pressures. Dr. Tint Swe, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office (West) of the National Coalition Government of Union of Burma (NCGUB), during his speech at the protest, urges the people to remain resolute and unwavering in their struggle for democracy. "We must work for our cause. Democracy can be achieved and restored only by the force of the people. All the people must continue their struggle bravely and resolutely. We must fight," he said. Similarly, Burmese activists and their supporters in various parts of the world including Malaysia, United States, and Japan held demonstrations condemning the junta for its military coup 20 years ago and call for the immediate political reformation in Burma. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/28/asia/myanmar.php Monks stage protest march in Myanmar The Associated Press Published: September 28, 2008 YANGON, Myanmar: About 100 Buddhist monks in a western Myanmar city staged a peaceful protest march to mark the anniversary of the bloody crackdown last year on pro-democracy demonstrators. Meanwhile, in the country's biggest city, Yangon, recently released political prisoners helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the party led by the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The police and other security personnel kept a close watch Saturday on the headquarters of the party, the National League for Democracy. No protests directly related to the anniversary of the crackdown were noted in Yangon, where the demonstrations last year drew up to 100,000 people. The junta put down the protests with force, killing at least 31 and detaining thousands. But in the western port city of Sittwe, about 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully in heavy rain for about 30 minutes, according to witnesses who asked not to be named for fear of being harassed by the authorities. The monks' march took the form of their morning round of begging for alms, but it is widely understood that such a large number of monks marching in an organized fashion represents a veiled protest. In Yangon, six truckloads of riot police officers with shields and batons were deployed near the opposition party offices. People attending the ceremony there were videotaped and watched by at least 50 plainclothes security personnel. The ceremony, attended by about 350 people, including National League for Democracy members, diplomats and reporters, was also a homecoming for Win Tin, a senior party member who was freed last week after 19 years in jail. In an anniversary statement, the party reiterated its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi - who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest - and her deputy, Tin Oo. It also called for the freedom of Buddhist monks and ethnic leaders arrested by the junta. The National League for Democracy was founded in 1988 after an abortive pro-democracy uprising and since then has faced nearly constant harassment from the ruling junta. When the party's candidates won a majority in general elections in 1990, the military refused to let it take power. Separately on Saturday, the so-called Group of Friends, which includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, called on the ruling junta to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and to start talks with the opposition. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/09/29/mizzima-news-students-stage-protest-in-sittwe-%E2%80%93-than-htike-oo/ Mizzima News: Students stage protest in Sittwe ? Than Htike Oo Mon 29 Sep 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma The local residents said that the students from Sittwe Technical College staged demonstration by marching in procession on Monday morning in protest of non-availability of school ferry. About 250 Sittwe Technical College of Sittwe situated at Yechanpyin Ward, Rakhine State came back from school by marching in procession. This opposition movement arisen from the region filled with opposition spirit and having high anti-government attitude, scared the authority. ?The school ferry followed the protesting students and met them at Bandoola junction, about 8 miles from their college, but the students refused to board the ferry and came back to their homes on foot?, one of the demonstrators said. This is the exam period and the students staged demonstration in protest of school authority?s harsh treatment to them in dealing with them, he said. Sittwe Technical College responded by phone, ?Nothing happened, everything is over and OK?, when contacted by Mizzima. About 150 monks launched silent protest of marching in procession in Sittwe on Saturday morning marking the first anniversary of Saffron Revolution. This demonstration erupted amid the tight security imposed in all major cities in Burma to prevent the fresh monks-led demonstration again. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/17/asia/AS-Myanmar-Protest.php Myanmar monk attempts suicide at famous temple The Associated Press Published: September 17, 2008 YANGON, Myanmar: A Buddhist monk slashed his throat in a suicide attempt at Myanmar's most sacred temple, the scene of several pro-democracy protests that erupted a year ago, witnesses said Wednesday. A trustee of the Shwedagon temple said the monk became desperate after running out of money to pay for medical care. It was the second suicide attempt by a monk at the pagoda this year. The temple has a history as a center for mass political gatherings, and was a focus for Buddhist monks and pro-democracy protesters last September. Tuesday's attempted suicide occurred at a time when the authorities have tightened security in Yangon and other cities to try to prevent any protests this month marking the first anniversary of the anti-government demonstrations. Those protests were initially small, consisting of people complaining that the military government had failed to ease their economic burdens. They later turned into broader anti-government demonstrations, led by militant monks and brought as many as 100,000 people out into the streets on Yangon, the country's biggest city. The army eventually stepped in to quash the peaceful protests by force, killing at least 31 people and detaining hundreds. The monk who tried to take his life Tuesday was brought to Yangon General Hospital, said witnesses, who asked not to be named so as not to draw the attention of the country's military authorities. "The monk said he tried to kill himself because he was desperate. He said he came to Yangon to take medical treatment and he ran out of money," according to the trustee, who also asked for anonymity. The trustee said the monk, whose name has not been released, was in stable condition. In March, 26-year-old Kyaw Zin Naing set himself on fire at the temple after shouting anti-government slogans, according to witnesses. He died later of burn injuries. Witnesses to Tuesday's suicide attempt did not hear the monk shout any anti-government slogans. Another politically significant anniversary is being marked this week. On Sept. 18, 1988, the army intervened to smash massive pro-democracy demonstrations and grab absolute power from a weak interim government, suspending the constitution. http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/1116-students-stage-protest-in-sittwe.html Soldier commits suicide after allegedly killing commander: Eyewitness by MyintMaung Tuesday, 07 October 2008 19:12 New Delhi - A soldier from the Burmese Army's Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 707 based in Taikgyi Township of Rangoon Division, reportedly committed suicide on Saturday after allegedly killing his captain, local residents said. A resident of Oat Pho Township in Pegu Division, who claimed to witness the ensuing standoff among soldiers in nearby Aye Mya Thar Yar Village, said Private Kyaw Shwe Maung committed suicide on Saturday evening as he was cornered by fellow soldiers for allegedly killing his captain. According to the witness, Kyaw Shwe Maung fled his battalion on Saturday evening after allegedly killing his captain. However the accused ended up cornered in an electricity transformer building after several soldiers based in surrounding areas including those from LIB 707, LIB 35, LIB 6, LIB 4 and LIB 5 along with local police stopped him as he was trying to escape on a motorbike. "He shot more than ten times into the sky and took shelter against the transformer boxes," related the resident, who claims to have rushed to the scene along with several other local residents. The local said there was a brief shoot-out between the accused and an officer who was leading soldiers from LIB 707 in their search. The officer was reportedly severely injured in the exchange. The ensuing standoff persisted for several hours as soldiers feared they might destroy the electric transformer. But at about 11 o'clock there came the loud sound of repeated gunfire, and when a few soldiers went in they found the Private dead with multiple bullet wounds, the local said. "Soldiers recovered more than 170 bullets, hand grenades, a 9 mm pistol and a rifle MA 1 from the private. They [the soldiers] took the body and buried it in nearby Pyidawthar Village," he added. Another local resident of Oat Pho, when contacted by Mizzima, said she also heard of the incident but had not gone to witness the events, as she feared for her safety. Similarly, a shopkeeper in Pyi, about 70 miles north of Oat Pho, said she also heard of the incident as she was returning from Rangoon on Saturday evening. "As I was returning from Rangoon, soldiers stopped and searched all buses at Taikgyi Town. The soldiers were saying that they were looking for a defector," she added. Latpadan lies on the Rangoon-Pyi highway and is about 85 miles north of Rangoon and about 15 miles south of Oat Pho, where the incident took place. She added that according to the soldiers and other rumors, the soldier was defecting from his base in Hmawbe after killing his commander. Soldiers from various battalions joined in the search of surrounding areas. However, the local police station in Oat Pho was unavailable for comment. The local witness, citing rumors spreading among the soldiers, said Private Kyaw Shwe Maung, an ethnic Arakanese, had allegedly killed his captain for abusing his social rights. But details of the case cannot be verified. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1433224.php/Philippine_activists_remember_violent_Myanmar_protests_ Philippine activists remember violent Myanmar protests Asia-Pacific News Sep 26, 2008, 9:13 GMT Manila - Filipino activists held on Friday a silent protest in front of the Myanmar Embassy in the Philippine capital to remember the first anniversary of a bloody crackdown by the military junta against pro-democracy protesters in Yangon. The protesters donned crimson sashes and lighted incense sticks to offer solidarity and support to the Myanmar people in their fight for democratic reforms. An estimated 100 people, including a Japanese journalist, were killed when Myanmar soldiers opened fire at more than 100,000 protesters in the streets of Yangon on September 26-27 last year. More than 3,000 people have been arrested in the subsequent crackdown. Egoy Bans, leader of the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines, said the repression in Myanmar continues and the military has been arresting pro-democracy advocates. Bans said that in August at least 39 activists were arrested in Burma and in the first 10 days of September 18 members of the opposition party were also detained. 'The crackdown has not ended,' Bans said. 'The junta is not just unable but is likewise unwilling to learn from the lessons of the Saffron Revolution. Instead of addressing the issues of the people of Burma, the junta stepped up its campaign to silence the legitimate dissent of the people.' Bans said that monks, who led the pro-democracy protests a year ago, were under surveillance and some monasteries have been raided ahead of the anniversary of the bloody protests. 'The strength of the Burmese junta comes from its army and armory, but history will tell us that no amount of guns and cannons can stop the people calling for democratic change,' he said. The protesters called on the international community, particularly the United Nations and the Association of South-East Asian Nations, to increase the pressure to force the Myanmar junta to institute democratic reforms. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/09/25/narinjara-news-monks-stage-demonstration-in-dhaka-demanding-release-of-political-prisoners/ Narinjara News: Monks stage demonstration in Dhaka demanding release of political prisoners Thu 25 Sep 2008 Filed under: News, Regional The International Burmese Monks? Organization (Bangladesh) staged a demonstration on Wednesday in front of the Burmese embassy in Dhaka demanding the release of monk leader U Gambira and other political prisoners. U Thila Wantha, and organizer of the group, said, ?We staged the demonstration in front of the Burmese embassy here to honor the first anniversary of last year?s Saffron Revolution, but we strongly demanded the military government release our leader Gambira and other political prisoners.? U Gambira, who led last year?s Saffron Revolution in Burma, is being detained by authorities at Insein prison in Rangoon and is facing ten separate charges in court. ?We let the Burmese military government know through our demonstration about our desire for the detained monks, and also that their arrest was illegal and not just. So we want to see the release of monks in Burma immediately,? U Thila said. Many Bangladeshi police forces deployed near the Burmese embassy before the demonstration and attempted to block the road towards the Burmese embassy, but the monks marched peacefully towards the embassy while shouting anti-government slogans. Bangladesh police later allowed the monks and demonstrators to continue their demonstration 10 yards from the embassy entrance; the demonstration lasted for an hour at that spot. During the demonstration, three monks staged a performance as Burmese prisoners, wearing prisoner clothes along with iron chains, and many staff from other nearby embassies came outside to watch the monks. U Khama, secretary of the monk organization said, ?Our program was successful because we got many people attracted to our movement and we let them know about Burma and what is happening there under the present military rule.? Before the demonstration was completed, one democratic activist went to the entrance gate of the embassy to lay a wreath with photos of people who lost their lives during last September?s protests, in order to honor their sacrifice. Many local journalists in Dhaka came to the Burmese embassy to report on the demonstration. Afterward, the demonstrators led by monks marched to the front of the Bangladesh high court and staged a demonstration there in order to attract the attention of the Bangladeshi people to the Burmese democracy movement. There were over 40 monks that participated in the demonstration, including Bangladeshi Buddhist monks from Chittagong, and 40 democratic activists. The demonstration started at 11 am and ended at 2 pm. http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnTRE48O1GO.html Yangon bomb wounds 4 as protest anniversary looms Thu 25 Sep 2008, 6:35 GMT By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - A bomb exploded outside City Hall in Myanmar's main city on Thursday, wounding four people the day before the anniversary of a bloody military crackdown on anti-government protests. "It seems to have been a small bomb but we are still carrying out investigations," a policeman, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters at the scene of the blast near a busy bus terminal in the heart of Yangon. Anybody from underground pro-democracy groups to ethnic minority guerrillas to the military government itself could be behind the blast, which left few signs of damage, according to a diplomat who arrived shortly afterwards. "It could have been anyone on any side with any number of objectives," the diplomat said. "There wasn't some great big hole in the ground, but people were injured and it was right in the middle of downtown." Small bombs are relatively common in Myanmar. The junta routinely blames them on dissidents in exile or the jungle militias that have been fighting the ethnic Burmese majority since shortly after independence from Britain in 1948. Three women and a man were wounded, but the police officer said they were not thought to be seriously hurt. Armed police and soldiers immediately sealed off the area, a focal point of the massive marches by Buddhist monks a year ago against army rule stretching back to 1962. At least 31 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown, which drew worldwide condemnation when it was launched on September 26, 2007. With the anniversary looming, security in the former capital has been unusually tight, with armed police and troops patrolling the streets and setting up vehicle checkpoints. The area around City Hall and the Sule Pagoda, where the monk's marches ended, has been under particularly tight watch. At least 3,000 people were arrested in the crackdown and its aftermath. Human rights groups say as many as 700 people remain behind bars, although the junta says all but a few dozen have been released. Earlier this month, female activist Nilar Thein, a student leader in a brutally crushed democracy uprising in 1988 and an organiser of the 2007 protests, was detained after a year on the run. She went into hiding, abandoning her four-month-old daughter, when her husband was arrested in August for helping stage the small fuel and food price protests that snowballed into the monk-led demonstrations a month later. The detention of the still-influential 1988 uprising leaders -- the so-called "88 Generation Students" -- makes any demonstration to mark the anniversary inside Myanmar extremely unlikely. Events are planned for outside the country. News websites run by exiled dissidents, most of them in neighbouring Thailand and India, have come under cyber-attack in the past week in what they say is an attempt by the generals to prevent coverage of the demonstrations. (Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould) http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=400382 Manila vendors protest discipline zone By Nestor Etolle Updated September 14, 2008 12:00 AM Photograph provided by the Manila Police District shows C.M. Recto Avenue in Divisoria after the city government?s implementation of the discipline zone. Hundreds of Divisoria vendors are threatening to hold a rally tomorrow at the Manila City Hall to protest, among other things, the implementation of the discipline zone. Officials of the Manila Police District, including station commanders of Moriones and Meisic police stations who have jurisdiction over the entire Divisoria area, are set to conduct a dialogue today with the rallyists to thresh out their problems. According to the vendors, they will call on Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim to give them back the stretch of C.M. Recto Avenue in order to ply their trade. The vendors said they have been losing business since the implementation of the LIM (Linisin, Ikarangal ang Maynila) discipline zone, which limits them to one square meter of space on the sidewalk. Before the implementation of LIM discipline zone, vendors occupied nearly half of the street, causing traffic snarls in the area. The vendors will reportedly ask Lim to once again allow them to sell their products even in the middle of C.M. Recto Avenue for the Christmas season, when bargain shoppers flock to Divisoria. However, MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales said the implementation of LIM discipline zone along C.M. Recto Avenue was appreciated by the public because the traffic flow has been eased and the trash and illegal stalls are gone. The LIM discipline zone, which is also being implemented along Tayuman street and Quezon Boulevard, prohibits tricycles, illegal vendors, illegal parking, uncollected garbage, eyesores, obstructions, scavengers and vagrants in the vicinity. Meisic police station chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut vowed to fully implement the law ?no matter who gets hurt.? He proposed the opening of a night market along Juan Luna and Asuncion streets from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to give the vendors a better chance to dispose of their wares and earn enough money. ?However there should be guidelines before they are allowed to sell such as the cleaning of their vending areas before and after their operations,? Yabut said. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080906-159099/Imelda-Sam-Milby-honored-at-youth-seminar-causes-protest Imelda, Sam Milby honored at youth seminar, causes protest By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:09:00 09/06/2008 Filed Under: Education, history, Politics, Celebrities MANILA, Philippines -- The choice of former first lady Imelda Marcos as "guest of honor" at a youth leadership conference opening in Baguio City on Sunday has raised a furor among education officials, as well as various teacher and student groups. The controversial wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos will be honored for her ?contribution to Philippine culture and arts? at the DepEd?s annual National Leadership Training for Student Government Officers at the Teachers Camp. The four-day conference is a project of the DepEd's Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs, or CSCA. In the same event, the department will formally designate Fil-Am actor Sam Milby as its ?youth spokesperson.? A flurry of protests from teacher and student groups, some DepEd executives, as well as top officials of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) expressed ?shock and dismay? at the CSCA's choice of role model. "It?s truly disgusting," said Antonio Tinio, head of the 15,000-strong Alliance of Concerned Teachers. ?Our schools should be teaching the youth that Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos led the most brutal and corrupt dictatorship this country has ever seen. We're outraged that DepEd will provide her with such a venue. We won't just let this pass,? Tinio added. Education Undersecretary Vilma Labrador, NCCA chair, and NCCA Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez called the decision to invite Marcos ?very insensitive to the sacrifices of the victims of martial law, including a number of public school teachers.? Both Labrador and Alvarez consider themselves ?victims of the Marcos dictatorship.? The NCCA chairperson, who will represent Secretary Jesli A. Lapus as the conference's keynote speaker, said she ?didn't know (Marcos) would be attending the same event.? Labrador added she was ?not consulted (by CSCA executive director Joey Pelaez) about this matter.? For his part, Lapus said the decision to invite the former first lady was not cleared with him. ?I haven't seen the program,? Lapus told the Inquirer. Asked to comment, Pelaez said, ?Mrs. Marcos is known for her contribution (to) the arts.? Pelaez claimed ?it was a suggestion by some people to invite her. They told me she was invited recently by the University of the Philippines-College of Public Administration.? Pelaez, however, did not say who made the suggestion. Vencer Crisostomo, president of the militant League of Filipino Students, called the DepEd decision ?ridiculous and an insult to the nation which was victimized by the Marcos dictatorship.? Alvin Peters, head of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, said ?with a such decision, the DepEd has apparently become ignorant and insensitive of our history.? On the choice of "youth spokesperson," Peters pointed out that the young actor Milby "isn't even a product of the Philippine educational system.? Sarah Katrina Maramag, deputy secretary-general of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, said ?What we need are stars in quality education, not publicity stunts.? "Why has DepEd chosen a foreigner who barely speaks Filipino to be its spokesperson? On the other hand, he?s a good choice if they want to highlight how deeply entrenched the colonial orientation is in our educational system," added Tinio. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/10/03/news/2.nabbed.for.destroying.balas.protest.streamers.html October 03, 2008 2 nabbed for destroying Balas protest streamers By Ian Ocampo Flora CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- A mad scramble occurred along the picket post of the sacked members of Biyaya A Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) here Thursday after four men tried to remove the controversial protest streamers and posters that were reinstalled at the Arnedo Park. The incident occurred a day after Balas boys reinstalled the protest streamers and posters earlier ordered to be taken down by Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers It was learned that the four men tried to remove the streamers around 1 p.m. But they were confronted and chased away by the Balas boys. Two of the intruders identified as Honorio Madla and Joel Castro were eventually arrested and turned over to the city police here. Roperlee Syquia, one of the supporters of the sacked Balas members, said the two suspects had admitted that they were allegedly paid P500 each to remove the protest streamers and posters. He said they had pointed to a former barangay kagawad in Barangay Lourdes here as the one who ordered them to take off the streamers. "They destroyed some of the streamers, they said they were paid P500 each to do the job," Syquia told this paper's reporter. It was found out that the two suspects are "pedicab" drivers here. Filologo Rodriguez, Balas former head of operations, said they will file cases against the suspects for violating Balas boys' freedom to express their grievances against the governor. The protesters said the act was a clear manifestation of harassment and foul play on the part of some of Panlilio supporters. In a separate interview with Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio, he said he earlier ordered the removal of the streamers because they contained photos and statements that are "malicious and below the belt" and that they lack the necessary permit. However, Panlilio clarified that he did not order the removal of the said streamers and posters yesterday afternoon. Panlilio admitted though that there are supporters of his administration who have expressed their willingness to volunteer and remove the said streamers. "There are people who are getting tired of what the Balas is doing and we have put up with this for quite too long," Panlilio said, adding that he will get into the bottom of the said incident. Meanwhile, the Balas boys said they will continue their protest actions at the Arnedo Park. "This only makes us even more determined to see this protest through," Syquia added. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/10/02/news/protest.streamers.reinstalled.html Thursday, October 02, 2008 Protest streamers reinstalled By Jovi T. De Leon CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Protesting members of the Biyaya A Luluguran At Sisikapan (Balas) reinstalled their "Panlilio and Dabu Resign!" streamers near the flagpole in front of the Capitol on Tuesday morning. This came after Balas members were emboldened by reports that they could legally continue to stay at the controversial Arnedo Park. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers The move is a prelude to what the sacked quarrymen called "round 3" of their protest in a bid to show Governor Eddie Panlilio that they have enough "firepower" to bring the "whole of Pampanga to Panlilio's doorsteps" and call for his resignation. Two "big" rallies so far have been held by the group last September 17 and 22, but the protesters vowed to hold bigger ones after Panlilio belittled their demonstrations, claiming both rallies, with attendances of about 1,200 and 2,000, respectively, are not representative of the sentiments in the entire province. The protesters met the other day to finalize their plans for "round 3" but did not disclose when and how their next rally would be conducted. They said they were "recharged" after a few days of "chilling out" as a result of their quandary to obtain the necessary permit for their picket at the park. Panlilio earlier shut all channels for the protesters when he wrote City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez requesting him to refrain from issuing permits to the rallyists, as Arnedo Park is within the Capitol's jurisdiction. Before that, Panlilio issued an official statement citing Provincial Board (PB) Resolution 1338, declaring Arnedo Park a "freedom park" invalid. Both the PB and Panlilio have challenged each other to take the matter to the court to prove their respective claims, but both parties have remained in a "wait and see" position. Rodriguez said the city administration would, at the moment, cease in issuing rally permits at Arnedo Park until they formally and "professionally" respond to the governor's letter. But the other day, the Balas boys rejoiced upon learning that Arnedo Park "is indeed a freedom park" based on this paper's opinion article on the provisions of Batas Pambansa (BP) 880 which was cited to settle the cases of Bayan, et al. v. Ermita, et al., G.R. Nos. 169838 and its companion cases of Del Prado, et al. v. Ermita, et al., G.R. No. 169848, and KMU, et al. v. Executive Secretary, et al., G.R. No. 169881 on April 25, 2006. The column article by lawyer Jun Bautista said: "Supreme Court Justice Azcuna, who penned the decision, went one step further in safeguarding liberty by giving local governments a deadline of 30 days within which to designate specific freedom parks as provided under BP 880.? If, after that period, no such parks are so identified in accordance with Section 15 of the law, all public parks and plazas of the municipality or city concerned shall in effect be deemed freedom parks; no prior permit of whatever kind shall be required to hold an assembly therein. The only requirement will be written notices to the police and the mayor's office to allow proper coordination and orderly activities. On this premise, the protesters decided to reinstall their streamers and posters in their original location despite a previous order issued by Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu to the Capitol's General Services Office to dismantle them due to the lack of a permit and because they were defamatory and derogatory in nature. But on Wednesday, as the protesters "reclaimed the area" for their streamers, they were met and reminded by the Capitol's security group headed by Eddie Cabiling, that he "has standing orders from Panlilio disallowing the reinstallation of the protest messages there." Cabiling requested the group to "back off" and replace the streamers and posters near the protesters picket line along Capitol Boulevard. The protesters insisted that "they have the right to be there" based on BP 880. Former Balas leader Chris Ocampo even read the full terms of the law to Cabiling. Roperlee Syquia, Panlilio's former social welfare aide and a staunch supporter of the protesters, added: "PB Resolution s1338 is valid because Panlilio did not contest it within its prescribed period after its publication." He said "after 15 days of its publication in newspapers, the resolution automatically becomes an ordinance if no entity contests its issuance within that time frame." Syquia said they have been consistently reminded and guided of their rights by their legal counsels. The protesters told Cabiling that they would only leave the premises and dismantle their streamers if Panlilio and Dabu would serve them the legal order from the proper court. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/09/21/news/balas.protestors.reject.call.for.dialogue.html Sunday, September 21, 2008 Balas protestors reject call for dialogue By Ian Ocampo Flora CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Sacked members of the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) have turned down the advice of "running priest" Robert Reyes for them to sit down and discuss their differences with Governor Eddie Panlilio. Reyes, who arrived at the Capitol here last Friday to show his support to the embattled governor, appealed to the Balas Boys to try and "open their hearts" to another set of dialogue with the priest-turned-governor. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers The running priest said that he is very much concerned with what is happening in the province and with the way things have been going against Panlilio. "Let us not fall into the gospel of stone-throwing and open our hearts and minds to reconciliation," Reyes told the dismissed Balas members. Flanked by members of civil society group Kasaup, Reyes urged the protesting Balas Boys to join the run-around at Arnedo Park. Reyes, Panlilio, and members of the Kasaup also held a ceremonial "blessing of the stones" in front of the Capitol. But rather than heeding the priest's call, the protesters insisted the Panlilio should first follow what was agreed upon in his previous dialogues with them. "How could we talk to the governor if he does not keep his words? What should be done is that he first follow our demands," Chris Ocampo, one of the protestors, told Reyes. Panlilio, who was standing, along with members of Kasaup, in front of the Capitol, was heckled with phrases and statements like "Eke Recall, Resign Kami" (We are not for recall, we are for resignation) and "Panlilio alang metung a salita" (Panlilio has no word of honor). In an interview with Sun.Star, Ocampo believed that Reyes "does not entirely comprehend" what is happening in the province. "We respect the coming of Fr. Reyes, but the problem here is he does not entirely understand what is happening here. If he really knew what was happening with the Balas since the start he would surely asked the governor for reforms," he said. He said they are firm in their position not to talk to Panlilio until their demands are met. "We have been protesting for almost two months, our complaints are not politically motivated and are legitimate claims," Ocampo said. Prior to their rally, they were protesting their demotion, which was made after alleged anomalies and complaints in quarry monitoring surfaced. Aside from Panlilio, the disgruntled Balas members called for the resignation of Provincial Administration Vivian Dabu last July 10. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2008/200809/news09/01.htm#16 Police Suppression Protested in S. Korea Pyongyang, August 31 (KCNA) -- Political parties and civic and public organizations of south Korea, including the Democratic Labor Party, the south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Society for Supporting Prisoners of Conscience of the Family Movement for Realizing Democracy, called a press conference in Seoul on August 27 at which they denounced the puppet police for arresting members of the Federation of Socialist Workers' Union. Speakers at the press conference recalled that the police arrested all of a sudden O Se Chol, honorary professor at Yonsei University who is chairman of the Steering Committee of the federation, and its six other members on August 26 on charges of the violation of the ill-famed "National Security Law", searched their houses and seized social and scientific books, etc. They accused the police of even disallowing families of arrestees and those concerned of the federation to visit them, stating that this is nothing but a foolish act of the authorities to tide over the ruling crisis through the police suppression of people. The "government's" use of police to hold in check social progress is aimed at discouraging the progressive forces, they added. They called on all the people to foil the police suppression and have the NSL repealed at an early date so as to win back the freedom of political activities and thinking. Meanwhile, the Bar Association for a Democratic Society declared that it would form a "group for legal counter-actions" in protest against the authorities' ongoing suppression. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2008/200809/news09/01.htm#18 Unreasonable Trial Protested in S. Korea Pyongyang, August 30 (KCNA) -- The Measure Committee for the Release of Yun Ki Jin, chairman of the South Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification, called a press conference in Seoul on August 27, denouncing the unreasonable trial on him by the puppet Seoul Central District Court. The court sentenced to three years of imprisonment and three years of suspension of qualification Yun who was arrested and prosecuted on charges of violating the "National Security Law". Speakers at the press conference said that the court authorities' ruling was an anachronistic reckless action. They charged that it is an unpardonable deed that the court authorities granted a "special pardon" to the chieftains for the irregularities and corruption and declared Yun guilty for the mere reason that he acted as chairman of the south Korean Federation of University Student Councils and struggled to relieve the sorrow of national division. They contended that the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification is a legitimate organization of youth and students in the north and the south and abroad, not an organization which acts on the "instruction" of someone. They held that the Lee Myung Bak group should stop the suppression of Yun, coming to sense though belatedly. http://www.anspress.com/nid87414.html Event / 09.09.2008 19:21 Tibetans resume protests in Nepal, 72 held Nepali police detained 72 Tibetan exiles as they tried to storm a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu on Tuesday, resuming anti-Beijing protests after a brief lull. Nepali police detained 72 Tibetan exiles as they tried to storm a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu on Tuesday, resuming anti-Beijing protests after a brief lull. Refugees got down from public buses near the walled premises of a visa office of the Chinese embassy, but were stopped by police from marching ahead. Protesters, including nuns and monks demanding human rights in Tibet, then squatted and slept on the road before being picked up by police and hauled into trucks. "If there is the word human rights in the United Nations dictionary it should be put into practice in Tibet," the Tibetan Volunteers Group in Nepal said in a leaflet distributed during the protests. Impoverished Nepal considers Tibet as part of China, its influential neighbour and key donor as well as trade partner, and does not allow Tibetans to engage in anti-China activities. Yet the exiles have been organising regular protests since the crackdown by China on protests in Lhasa and neighbouring areas in March. More than 20,000 exiles have been living in Nepal since fleeing their homes after a failed uprising against Beijing in 1959. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3830f4aa-7454-11dd-bc91-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html?nclick_check=1 Tibetans to resume protests in Nepal By Prateek Pradhan in Kathmandu Published: August 27 2008 17:38 | Last updated: August 27 2008 17:38 Tibetan activists plan to resume protest rallies in front of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu on Friday even though Nepal?s new Maoist-led government is expected to treat demonstrators harshly. Nepal?s Tibetan residents, who number more than 15,000 and form the world?s largest population of Tibetan refugees after that of India, protested regularly at the embassy during the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, in spite of harsh police beatings and mass arrests. The refugees are worried that the new government, which took office during the games, will be even less tolerant. Puspa Kamal Dahal, the new prime minister known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, was warmly welcomed to the closing ceremony in Beijing last weekend by Hu Jintao, Chinese president, making him the first Nepali prime minister to make China his first port of call rather than India. Officials in the new government say they have no special affinity with China and say the Beijing visit was a coincidence of the timing of the games, despite their adherence to the political philosophy developed by Mao Zedong. However, C.P. Gajurel, foreign department chief of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), told the Financial Times that ?the party will ask the government to stop? Tibetan demonstrations. Upendra Yadav, the new foreign minister, said policy had not yet been set. ?We will definitely discuss about Tibetan refugees but as we have not yet made any policy, I will not comment,? he said. ?China has given special attention to Nepal due to the Tibetan issue,? said Tashi, a 26-year-old Tibetan student born in Nepal. ?If the new government constricts democratic space, we will be forced to move to western countries where there is freedom to raise our voice for free Tibet,? said Tashi, adding that he had participated in 80 per cent of rallies held in the capital. Thakpa Tenzing, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, is hopeful that the new government will allow peaceful movements. He also stressed that in spite of increasing pressure, his group would continue the peaceful rallies in Kathmandu that began in March, when riots broke out in Lhasa. ?Our protests have not stopped,? he said. ?We will resume on August 29 and 30.? http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/24/asia/tibet.php Tibetan exiles in Nepal protest Chinese rule Reuters Published: August 24, 2008 KATMANDU, Nepal: About 2,000 Tibetan exiles, including children, monks and nuns, joined a protest rally in Katmandu on Sunday, hours before the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing. Maroon-robed monks and nuns with shaven heads, some with Tibetan flags and placards calling for independence, were among the participants who walked silently for eight kilometers, or five miles on the outskirts of the Nepali capital. Also Sunday, in Dharamsala in northern India, home of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, hundreds of Tibetan youths marched, vowing to keep alive their "Free Tibet" campaign even after the Olympics. Monks and nuns walked alongside ordinary Tibetans, shouting "Free Tibet" and "We want justice." In Katmandu, the police kept a strict vigil and snatched some flags, but they let the march continue from the Boudha suburb to the ancient monastery of Swyambhu outside the main city. Exiles called for fact-finding missions from the United Nations and other organizations to "assess the actual situation in Tibet and let the world know the truth." More than 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal, the second biggest home for them outside Tibet after India, having fled there after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Nepal, which considers Tibet part of China, which is an aid donor and trade partner for Tibet, says the exiles can stay in the impoverished nation but cannot organize any activities against its influential neighbor. The refugees have managed to protest, however, and have tried to storm the Chinese consular office in Katmandu regularly since a crackdown on anti-China riots in Tibet in March. About 10,000 refugees have been arrested in the past five months, but later freed. Human Rights Watch, based in New York, said last month that the Nepali authorities were under pressure from Beijing to stop Tibetan protests, a charge China denied. Nepal's new Maoist prime minister, Prachanda, also known as Pushpa Kamal Dahal, was in Beijing to attend the closing of the Olympics, and was to meet President Hu Jintao of China and other leaders and discuss Nepal-China relations. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/24/2344878.htm Protesters rally against China regime in Sydney Posted Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:24pm AEST Updated Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:21pm AEST ? Map: Sydney 2000 As the Beijing Olympics prepares for the closing ceremony, protesters have gathered in Sydney to highlight what participants say is the oppressive regime of the Chinese Government. Many of the protesters wore cloth masks over their mouths to draw attention to the censorship of the media by Chinese authorities. In particular they have criticised the decision by a European satellite company to suspend its signal to an independent Chinese language broadcaster. Former Australian Olympic swimmer Michelle Engelsman told the rally she did not attend the Beijing Games because China's human rights record destroyed her desire to compete. "We also have to remember that there's many, many people in China who are experiencing repression and torture and death because of the Olympics," she said. "[They] have been kicked out of their homes with little to no compensation, [and] aren't even allowed to protest and that's terrifying." http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080831/himachal.htm#2 Tibetan protest: Life comes to halt Tribune News Service Dharamsala, August 30 Life came to a standstill at Macloedganj, also known as little Lhasa, due to worldwide symbolic action organised here today to free Tibet. All the business establishments, offices of Tibetan government remained closed. Thousands of people, consisting of Tibetans and their supporters gathered at the Tsuglagkhang, the main temple, today. The Tibetan Solidarity Committee termed the today?s synchronised 12-hour prayer session and the symbolic fasting, which is held across the world, is one of the most important non-violent actions. The chief justice commissioner, justice commissioners, speaker and deputy speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche, members of the Kashag, members of Tibetan parliament, heads of the three independent bodies and other officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, participated in the non-violent action. While addressing the gathering, Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche said that the universal prayer session and the symbolic fasting was aimed at achieving world peace and happiness for all sentient beings in the world in general, and particularly for people in China and Tibet. We are immensely fortunate and grateful that the Dalai Lama has consented to take part in person here, but due to a slight indisposition this could not happen. However, he is observing the fast and prayer from Mumbai today and we convey our immense gratitude and respect to him, he said. Underlining that the activity is not a protest borne out of hatred and anger, Kalon Tripa said that it was an effort to strengthen our commitment to non-violence and to reduce our own defilements and to create compassion in the minds of the oppressor. http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/09/02/0809021613_tibetans_celebrate_democracy_day_suspend_protest_demonstrations.html Tibetans celebrate 48th 'Democracy Day' in Delhi Tuesday, September 02, 2008 16:11 [IST] NEW DELHI: Tibetans celebrated their 48th "Democracy Day" on Tuesday and suspended protest demonstrations that were going on in the Indian capital since March against "atrocities in Tibet". Scores of exiled Tibetans, holding their red-blue-yellow flag in pride, celebrated the day, which marks the beginning of the Tibetan government in exile in India. Saying it was a directive from the Tibetan Solidarity Committee members in Dharamsala, Tenzin Lekshay of the committee said the protests against "atrocities in Tibet" going on in Delhi since March this year, have been temporarily suspended. "The Tibetan parliament, which begins its monsoon session Sep 6,will decide whether the demonstration will continue or some other form of protest will be held instead. But for now, it is suspended," Lekshay said. According to him, the "Tibetan Democracy Day" was introduced in 1960 after the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet. The Tibetan government in exile has been functioning since then and the day observed each year. The Democracy Day at Jantar Mantar, the observatory in the heart of the business centre of the capital, began with the singing of the Tibetan anthem followed by the Indian national anthem. Tempa Tsering, representative of the Dalai Lama, while speaking to the gathering, most of who had come down from Dharamsala, abode of the Dalai Lama, as well as Tibetan students from across Delhi, expressed gratitude at the amount of Indian support to the Tibetan cause. Dharamsala is the seat of the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama has made the town his home along with thousands of his followers after he fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959. Source : DNA http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=403936 Tibetans in exile protest Chinese Foreign Minister's arrival in India ________________________________________ ANI Monday 8th September, 2008 New Delhi, Sept 8 : Tibetans-in-exile took to streets in New Delhi to show their annoyance against visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi who arrived in the national capital today. The Tibetan protestors carrying Tibetan flags and shouting slogans condemned the alleged Chinese atrocities against the Tibetans in their homeland and demanded that Beijing should set Tibet free. "We are here protesting against the visitor Chinese Finance Minister Yang Jiechi to India. We are protesting that China has illegally occupied Tibet for almost 60 years and they are brutally cracking down on the Tibetans inside Tibet, especially since the recent times on the peaceful protest inside Tibet. So we are letting him (Yang Jiechi) know that China should get out of Tibet and they should stop crackdown on Tibetan people," said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress ( TYC). The protesters shouted slogans urging the people of India and the world to help them in their cause of freedom of Tibet from China. China has controlled Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops marched into the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of its territory. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. Critics accuse China of repressing Tibetans' religious aspirations, especially their veneration for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. China has accused followers of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, of stirring riots and protests in Tibetan regions in March in a bid to upstage its Olympic preparations. The Dalai Lama has denied the claim and said he upheld China's right to host the Games. But groups campaigning for an independent Tibet said the Beijing Olympics should be used as an opportunity to voice criticism of Chinese policy. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-20363.html Tibetans in exile protest Chinese Foreign Minister's arrival in India New Delhi, Sept 8 : Tibetans-in-exile took to streets in New Delhi to show their annoyance against visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi who arrived in the national capital today. The Tibetan protestors carrying Tibetan flags and shouting slogans condemned the alleged Chinese atrocities against the Tibetans in their homeland and demanded that Beijing should set Tibet free. "We are here protesting against the visitor Chinese Finance Minister Yang Jiechi to India. We are protesting that China has illegally occupied Tibet for almost 60 years and they are brutally cracking down on the Tibetans inside Tibet, especially since the recent times on the peaceful protest inside Tibet. So we are letting him (Yang Jiechi) know that China should get out of Tibet and they should stop crackdown on Tibetan people," said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). The protesters shouted slogans urging the people of India and the world to help them in their cause of freedom of Tibet from China. China has controlled Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops marched into the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of its territory. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule. Critics accuse China of repressing Tibetans' religious aspirations, especially their veneration for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. China has accused followers of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, of stirring riots and protests in Tibetan regions in March in a bid to upstage its Olympic preparations. The Dalai Lama has denied the claim and said he upheld China's right to host the Games. But groups campaigning for an independent Tibet said the Beijing Olympics should be used as an opportunity to voice criticism of Chinese policy. --- ANI http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-20402.html Tibetans protest during Chinese foreign minister's visit New Delhi, Sep 8 : At least eight Tibetan activists were taken into custody when they tried to barge into a hotel where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi Monday evening, the police said. Carrying Tibetan flags and shouting anti-China slogans, the activists tried to break the security cordon thrown around the Taj Mahal Hotel at the Mansingh Road around 5.30 p.m., police officials said. They were immediately stopped by a large posse of policemen and were taken into preventive custody, the police said. The protesters were then whisked away to the Tughlak Road police station. According to the police officials, the activists came in batches of two and three and wanted to lodge their protest against the Chinese ?occupation of Tibet?. --- IANS http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/united-states/wen-jibiao-new-york-chinese-4677.html New Yorkers Protest Wen Jiabao, Number Two of Chinese Regime By Joshua Philipp Epoch Times Staff Sep 23, 2008 Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon PARK AVENUE PROTESTS: Protesters outside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where Chinese official Wen Jiabao is staying. (Mingguo Sun/The Epoch Times) NEW YORK?Arriving for the U.N. General Assembly's 63rd session, Chinese second-in-command, Wen Jiabao, was met by groups protesting the Chinese Communist Party?s (CCP) numerous human rights abuses. Nearing the United Nations Plaza in Manhattan on Sept. 23, police stood at the corner of nearly every street, while lines of police cars patrolled the roads. Growing closer, the shouts of protesters could be heard from groups gathered near where the annual meeting of world peace was being held. It is the first appearance by a high-ranking Chinese official following the Olympics, so protesters pointed to human rights abuses during the Olympics, which added to the CCP?s already-lengthy list of atrocities. Some lined up in quiet protest, holding signs and meditating, others waved flags, while others staged performing arts pieces portraying their concerns. Just a few blocks from the U.N. building, along Park Avenue, protesters from Falun Gong, Tibetan groups, and others had also gathered in front of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where the Chinese second-in-command will be staying. Some waved Tibetan flags, others passed out information packets, and each side of the road was lined with banners highlighting various human rights issues. Banners from Falun Gong banners read, "Immediately Release Jailed Falun Gong Practitioners in China," and "China Stop Persecuting Falun Gong," while others called for the arrest of other CCP leaders deemed responsible for the worst abuses, saying, "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jin, Zhou Yongkang to Justice." Former Canadian Official Corroborates Deadly Acts Speaking at a rally, former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, David Kilgour, discussed the extent of the CCP?s persecution of Falun Gong, a meditation practice that is based in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Teamed with international human rights lawyer David Matas, Kilgour has conducted an independent investigation into allegations that the CCP has been killing Falun Gong practitioners and selling their vital organs. ?We amassed a substantial body of evidence and became convinced beyond any doubt that this crime against humanity has occurred and is still happening as I speak here today,? Kilgour said. Kilgour explained that, in order to justify the persecution of Falun Gong to the Chinese people, the CCP has conducted a propaganda campaign to spread false information about the practice. ?Before the persecution of Falun Gong began there were 70 to 100 million practitioners. The Party State of China began its propaganda in 1999 and it has demonized, dehumanized, and vilified the Falun Gong community across China since,? said Kilgour. According to numerous witnesses, political prisoners and prisoners of conscience inside China are often sent to forced labor camps where they are made to manufacture products such as chopsticks and Christmas decorations exported to western countries. Kilgour commented on the issue: ?This of course constitutes both corporate irresponsibility and violations of World Trade Organization rules. It?s pretty hard for Americans, Canadians, and others to compete with products from forced labor camps" Tibetan Protests Across the road, Tibetans had also come to protest Wen's arrival. According to the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, since Mar. 10, leading up to the Beijing Olympics, more than 209 Tibetans were killed and over 5,714 were arrested while trying to protest the CCP?s suppression of their people. ?Hundreds of Tibetans are still in jail, still missing,? said Tenzin Dorjee, a member of Students for a Free Tibet. ?As a result of the crackdown the cost was immense to the Tibetan people. Thousands of Tibetans were imprisoned and tortured, and hundreds were killed during the Chinese crackdown on the Tibetan people this year.? Dorjee explained why the Tibetans had come to protest Jiabao?s arrival in the U.S. ?This is not a protest against the Chinese people,? said Dorjee. ?This is a protest against the Communist leaders and the Chinese government, which is not only oppressing the Tibetans, but also oppressing their own people. ? ?We want to tell the world that they shouldn?t believe China?s lies. They shouldn?t believe the propaganda spin that Wen Jiabao is so good at putting on while he will address the U.N.,? said Dorjee. http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/19/content_10079345.htm Balinese protests against porn bill in Indonesia JAKARTA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Balinese legislators, artists and tourism operators join forces on Friday opposing the endorsement of the pornography bill by the Indonesian parliament. Bikini-clad tourist center of Bali island may have to cover up if the law is passed across the country. The bill could be passed this week. The Balineses came into the parliament building and met with several lawmakers, expressing their disagreement on the law endorsement. "We want to see chairman of the House, and all others chairmen of factions," I Made Ariaye, a leader of the protesters said. The porn bill is composed to define pornography and set a moral tone across Indonesia, which most of its 230 million population are Muslims. Bali, mainly Hindu with easy-going lifestyle, is the center of tourist industry in the country with over 200,000 foreign tourist coming per month. Indonesia tourist industry has been recovered from the hit of Asian financial crisis in 1997 and terrorism. The bill has been supported by the country's largest party of Golkar but opposed by second biggest party of the Democratic Party of Struggle. ASAP News -------------------------------------------------- NGOs protest against draft pornography bill Tempo Interactive - September 22, 2008 Rohman Taufiq, Surabaya -- Hundreds of people from the East Java Civilian Community Network (JMSJ) and other NGOs protested against the draft pornography bill yesterday (21/9). "We reject the draft bill as it only positions women subjects," said Erma Susanti, the coordinator of the protest. Erma said the government did not need to make a new state decree to stop issue as Indonesia already has the protection of children and protection of women state decrees. "If the intention is to protect children and women, just revise the two existing state decrees," said Erma. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Eight protest actions to hit Jakarta today Tempo Interactive - September 22, 2008 TMC/Ronald, Jakarta -- The Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC) reports that eight protest actions will be held in Jakarta today, Monday September 22. The first demonstration will be held by the Student Movement of Legal Concern (GMPH) in front of the National Police headquarters and the State Palace in Central Jakarta at 9am. At 10am, the Papua Anti-Corruption Customary Community (KAPAK) will hold an protest action at four locations starting at the Corruption Eradication Commission offices, then moving on to the Supreme Court, the Department of Home Affairs and ending in front of the State Palace. Also at 10am, the Teachers Reform Forum (FGR) will hold a demonstration in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Central Jakarta. Another protest action will also take place at the DPR in relation to the draft anti-pornography law which is currently being discussed by the DPR???s working committee. Demonstrations against and in support of the law have also spread to other parts of the country such as Bali and Yogyakarta. Next, the State Assets People's Saviours Movement (GRPHN) will hold protest actions at three different locations, the State Place, the Attorney General???s Office and the central office of the state-owned electricity company PT PLN. Not far from the State Place at the Department of Home Affairs, the Action Study Circle for Indonesian Democracy (LSADI) will also be holding a demonstration at the same time. Another protest action is planned to take place at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Affairs, which will be continued at the offices of PT. Pusaka Benjina Resource at the Wisma 99 building on Jl. Iskandar Syah in South Jakarta. The final demonstration is planned for 1pm and will be held in front of the Supreme Court by the People???s Sovereignty Forum. [Translated by James Balowski from two articles in Tempo Interactive.] --------------------------------------------------- Hundreds rally in Bali against porn bill Agence France Presse - September 23, 2008 Denpasar -- Hundreds of people protested Tuesday in the Indonesian resort island of Bali against a proposed anti-pornography law. Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika told the crowd the bill overlapped with existing legislation and trampled local customs in a country of ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. "The parliament should enforce other laws on the sex industry but don't endorse a new law on pornography, especially if that law only accommodates a single group's perspective and disrespects others'," he said. He said regulations in the media law, the criminal code, the broadcasting law and the child protection law should be enough to control pornography and set a moral tone for the country. The bill before parliament in the mainly Muslim country has drawn criticism for being too vague in its definition of pornography and for encouraging vigilante groups to take the law into their own hands. Critics in the mainly Hindu island of Bali say it will threaten local religious and cultural traditions, and hurt the lucrative tourism industry. The bill would criminalise all public acts and material capable of raising sexual desires or violating "community morality," including dance, music and poetry. About 1,000 people took part in the protest outside the governor's mansion, the second such demonstration against the bill in less than a week. They performed traditional dances, songs and poems that could be deemed pornographic under the broad terms of the bill. Activists have pledged to wage a campaign of civil disobedience if the bill is passed into law, but Governor Pastika said he would not support such action. "We will think it over and find the best way to respond," he said. The bill has been pushed by conservative Muslim parties and has won the backing of the main secular Golkar party, which is struggling for votes ahead of elections next year. Lawmakers have postponed a vote on the bill until later this year in response to the public outcry. --------------------------------------------------- Yogyakarta, Surakarta people say porn bill a unity threat Jakarta Post - September 23, 2008 Slamet Susanto and Blontak Poer, Yogyakarta, Surakarta -- Hundreds of residents in Yogyakarta and Surakarta staged separate rallies Monday in protest against the deliberation of the pornography bill which they said potentially threatened both national unity and freedom of expression. Protesters in Yogyakarta held the rally at the provincial legislative council on Jl. Malioboro. Also joining the event were noted artists and public figures such as Butet Kertaradjasa, Bakdi Sumanto and Queen GKR Hemas. After performing and giving speeches, they met with legislators. Both parties then agreed to sign a joint statement rejecting the pornography bill. "We hope this agreement will inspire other regions to take the same stand against the bill," said Ahmad Sulistiono, the council's deputy speaker. He said the council rejected the bill because it could threaten the thriving traditions and cultures of the Indonesian people. The renowned "king of monologue" Butet Kertaradjasa agreed, saying the pornography bill was not the response to effectively curb pornography in the country. "The bill is not easy to implement. It is subject to multiple interpretations, which could lead to further unanticipated problems across the country," Butet said. Woman activist Hapsa of the Yogyakarta Women's Alliance said the pornography bill itself harasses women. She said women and children, often victims of sexual harassment, could even be taken to court if the bill were to pass. The peaceful rally continued at the Yogyakarta state palace Gedung Agung, one kilometer from the legislative council. Noted transgender dancer Didik Nini Thowok and dozens of other local performers staged traditional dances until late in the afternoon, attracting thousands of passersby. Separately, in the Central Java town of Surakarta, local artists marched to the municipal legislative council, voicing similar objections. Symbolizing their rejection of the pornography bill, the demonstrators placed many tombak sewu (a thousand spears) before the legislators' building. Made from coconut leaf ribs, each topped with chili peppers and red onions the natural sculptures symbolize the warding away of evil. Protest coordinator Murtidjono said the bill had failed to accommodate articles which unambiguously protect the traditional arts as well as rituals and customs. "The bill is against our basic constitution, the 1945 Constitution." --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Four demos to hit Jakarta today, motorists advised to be on alert Detik.com - August 28, 2008 E. Mei/Amelia. R, Jakarta -- At least four protest actions will strike the capital city today and motorists are advised to be on the lookout for areas that could potentially become congested. According to the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre, the first demonstration will be held by the Indonesian Youth Study Circle (LSPI) at the offices of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Labour (BNP2TKI) on Jl. M.T. Haryono in Jakarta at 9.30am. A protest action will also be held by PT Mayasari Utama Trade Union workers at the offices of PT Mayasari Utama on Jl. Lapangan Tembak in the Cibubur area of East Timor between 8.30am and 1.30pm. At 10am, demonstrators from TOP Guntur will be holding a protest at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, which will then be continued at the offices of the General Elections Commission on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta. Finally, the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims of Human Rights Violations (JSKKP-HAM) will be holding a routine ???Thursday??? action in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta. The peaceful action will begin at around 4pm. (mei/fiq) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== No letup to protests on first day of Ramadan fasting month Detik.com - September 1, 2008 Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta -- It appears that fasting is not deterring some people from taking to the streets to voice their protests. The evidence being that four demonstrations will take place in Jakarta on the first day of the Ramadan fasting month. According to data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre for Monday September 1, the first action will take place at 7pm the Central Jakarta District Court on Jl. Gajah Mada. Following this at around 9.30am, a demonstration will take pace at the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Overseas Labor (BNP2TKI) on Jl. MT Haryono in South Jakarta. Then between 10-11.30am, a protest will be held by a group of people at the United Nations representative offices on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta and the Batam authority representative offices on Jl. DI Panjaitan in East Jakarta. In the satellite city of Tangerang meanwhile, a protest action will take place at the offices of PT Langgeng Makmur. (ndr/lrn) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- Talangsari human rights victims demand compensation Jakarta Post - September 6, 2008 Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung -- Stigmatized as rebels, victims of the bloody Talangsari tragedy in East Lampung asked the government on Friday to rehabilitate their names and give them proper compensation. "The stigma of rebel is still applied to us since our names have never been rehabilitated. Our children and grandchildren had difficulties to find jobs or to apply to be civil servants," Azwar Kaili, one of the victims of the tragedy which occurred in 1989, said. The 74-year-old man hoped the government could soon legally settle the human rights violation case and give proper compensations to the victims. Another victim of the tragedy, Jayus, who is now living in Muara Dua, South Sumatra, said that compensation was needed for the victims to continue their lives. "The stigma was very hard. I had to move from my village to continue our life," the 60- year-old Jayus said. The tragedy occurred in Cihideung hamlet, Talangsari village, Rajabasa district, Central Lampung regency, when a battalion from the Garuda Hitam Lampung military command attacked the hamlet, which was accused of sheltering a rebel group. At least 246 people were reportedly killed as a result of the military attack against the Warsidi- led group, which had been based on a 3.5 hectare plot in the hamlet. The government officially acknowledged 27 deaths in the tragedy. Meanwhile, coordinator of the impunity division of the Committee for Missing Persons and Violence Victims, Chrisbiantoro, praised the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for reviewing the case. "But Komnas HAM still failed to summon key persons from the military who should be held responsible for the human rights violation," Chrisbiantoro said. He suggested the rights commission should not just investigate the rights abuses, but also examine the material and intangible losses suffered by the victims. He said the victims had lost their properties, including land and cattle, as well as job opportunities. "Many of the victims and their families were dismissed from their jobs since they were accused of being involved in the tragedy," he said. He said Komnas HAM should work hard to bring the rights violations to court. "But it's difficult as Komnas HAM has limited authority." According to government regulations, victims of gross human right violations can be given compensation and their names rehabilitated once the case concerned has been permanently resolved and settled by the court. "As we know, it's not easy to hold a human rights trial in Indonesia," Chrisbiantoro said. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Police gear up for KPU protests by Gus Dur supporters Jakarta Post - September 8, 2008 Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta -- Police are gearing up for possible security breaches after National Awakening Party (PKB) co-founder Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid ordered his followers to besiege election commission offices across the country. "We have deployed personnel to guard election commission offices in anticipation of any unforeseen events," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira said here Sunday. On Friday, Gus Dur instructed PKB supporters loyal to him to picket election commission offices across the country, a move he said would deter the General Elections Commission (KPU) from recognizing a rival faction as the official representative of his party. The move came after the Jakarta State Administrative Court ordered the KPU to postpone a decree recognizing the PKB faction led by Muhaimin Iskandar as an official contender in the 2009 legislative elections. Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana confirmed he had been informed about the possibility of a siege at the KPU office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, but played down the likelihood of conflict. "According to the police intelligence unit, no such riot will take place. They (Gus Dur's supporters) just want to hold a hearing with the KPU to voice their goals," Ketut said. Central Jakarta deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Herri Wibowo said at least four companies of police -- or about 400 officers -- were guarding the KPU office. "Whether it (the siege plan) is true or not, we will deploy personnel to anticipate any disturbances," Herri added. Security measures around the KPU office have been heightened due to the potential for conflict leading up to the general elections, Herri said. Gus Dur's daughter Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh Rahman, better known as Yenny Wahid, called for calm on Sunday, saying her father's statement had been misunderstood. "The siege plan has been exaggerated. The truth is, it's merely going to be our persuasive effort to hold a dialogue with the KPU to make them recognize Gus Dur's camp, as a result of the State Administrative Court ruling," Yenny said. The KPU has recognized the Muhaimin-led PKB faction's eligibility to contest the 2009 election, after the Supreme Court ruled Gus Dur's dismissal of him as party chairman was illegal. PKB secretary general Lukman Edy asked Gus Dur on Sunday to withdraw his instruction, saying it was an inappropriate political lesson for the public. "It was far from Gus Dur's character as a national leader," Lukman said, as quoted by Antara news agency. Certain individuals had likely convinced Gus Dur to issue such an instruction, he added. The PKB, the fifth-largest faction in the House of Representatives, has been embroiled in a protracted internal conflict, which began earlier this year when Gus Dur dismissed Muhaimin as party leader. Muhaimin, who is Gus Dur's nephew, challenged the decision. Both camps held separate extraordinary meetings in early May. Muhaimin's camp renamed the House deputy speaker as the party chairman and elected Azis Mansyur as the party's chief patron. Gus Dur's camp reelected the former president as the chief patron, with Ali Masykur Musa elected the new party chairman. Muhaimin's camp has registered 485 candidates for election to the House of Representatives with the KPU, while Gus Dur's faction has proposed 78. PKB secured 52 legislative seats in the 2004 legislative election, with East Java its main stronghold. *************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- Gus Dur supporters besiege KPUD Jakarta Post - September 10, 2008 Suherdjoko and Desy Nurhayati, Semarang, Jakarta -- National Awakening Party (PKB) members affiliated with Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid have besieged a local elections commission office for the second day in a row in protest against the registration of legislative candidates from Muhaimin Iskandar's rival camp. The protesters, members of the Garda Bangsa youth wing, carried a mock coffin bearing the name Abdul Kadir Karding, a legislative candidate from the Muhaimin faction. They also brought an effigy of a corpse labeled as the General Elections Commission (KPU), which, they claim, is refusing to hear the truth. Slogans on their posters read, "If Gus Dur abstains from voting, so will we", "The PKB will break down if Gus Dur resigns" and "Without Gus Dur we retreat". Police allowed protest coordinators only to enter the Central Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) office targeted in the protest. Coordinator Yusuf Chudlori was met by local KPUD officials Ida Budhiati, Ari Pradhanawati and Slamet Sudjono. Chudlori called on the KPU to be consistent in upholding the law and to respect the PKB's internal guidelines. According to a Supreme Court ruling, the leadership of the PKB should revert to that decided during the Semarang convention. During the convention, Gus Dur was named chairman of the Syuro board of patrons, Muhyidin Arubusman as secretary, Muhaimin Iskandar as the Tanfidz executive council chairman and Lukman Edy as secretary-general. Chudlori added that the PKB's central executive board had determined the leadership structure of the Central Java executive board, naming KH Hayatun Abdullah Hadziq as chairman, Asryrofi Masyito as secretary of the Syuro board with Yusuf Chudlori as chairman, and Muhammad Hendri Wicaksono as secretary of the Tanfidz council. Chudlori also sought to know on what grounds the KPUD had accepted the registrations of Abdul Kadir Karding and Fuad Hidayat, who registered on behalf of the party's provincial executive board. Central Java KPUD member Slamet Sudjono said his office had worked according to its functions and authority. "The election law stipulates that the KPU will ask for clarification from a party's central executive board in the event of double leadership. And if the board also has double leadership, then the KPU will ask for clarification from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry," he said. In Jakarta, State Secretary Hatta Rajasa rejected claims by Gus Dur that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had intervened in the decision to approve lists of PKB legislative candidates from Muhaimin Iskandar's camp. The decision was entirely the responsibility of the KPU, he said. "The President has never had any intervention in the KPU because the commission is independent. It is common for the government to communicate with the KPU, but any communication is always in line with the law," Hatta said at the State Palace. He said the approval of the PKB legislative candidates was an internal matter for the PKB, and thus not the President's concern. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Monas rally ambush witnesses announce trial boycott Jakarta Post - September 16, 2008 Indah Setiawati, Jakarta -- Witnesses from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) announced they would boycott trials on the June ambush at the National Monument (Monas) park after one of their activists was assaulted outside the courtroom Monday. "We plan to boycott the upcoming trials because the prosecutors have failed to protect us. We feel intimidated," M. Guntur Romli, an AKKBB activist as well as a victim and witness of the June ambush, told The Jakarta Post. He said during the trial of the Islam Troop Command leader Munarman, he had asked a police officer guarding the trial why seven of the 10 suspects in the ambush, purportedly members of the Islam Defender Front (FPI), were allowed to wander freely outside the courtroom. "They defendants were laughing and chatting with their fellow FPI members during Munarman's trial. I don't understand why they were not in detention," Guntur said. The police officer said he did not recognize the seven, so Guntur asked another activist, Nong Darol, to check with the prosecutors. "Nong told the police the seven people were suspects. The policeman started to scold me instead, saying 'What are you up to?' repeatedly," Guntur said. He said the police officer's loud voice attracted the attention of many FPI members. "They surrounded us, one of them beat Nong on her forehead and abdomen. Some plainclothes officers then took us to a witness room while others tried to hold the seven suspects who had harassed us," he said. Guntur said the activists were also considering two other options besides a boycott: mobilizing more people to protect AKKBB witnesses during the trial or reporting the assault to the police. "The court cannot protect us, the witnesses," he said, adding the defendants and their supporters should be strictly supervised. A lawyer representing FPI, Achmad Michdan, said FPI members would not beat a woman. "But there was a woman attending the hearing whose comments infuriated other defendants who had just finished their hearing in a separate courtroom," he told the Post. On June 1, AKKBB staged a peaceful rally in support of the Ahmadiyah community and to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of the Pancasila state ideology. Ahmadiyah, a minority Islamic sect, has been dubbed heretical and therefore their activities have been restricted by the government. Some 70 activists attending the rally were injured when allegedly attacked by FPI adherents. Earlier in the day, the trial of FPI leader Rizieq Shihab turned ugly as the defendant's supporters began to protest against presiding judge Panusunan Harahap for failing to rule on the defendant's request his detention be suspended. Panusunan, who had already had one FPI supporter removed from the courtroom for contempt of court, immediately adjourned the hearing. FPI lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir said the panel of judges was biased. "If the judges show prejudice, there should be no trial at all," he said. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Woman groups refuse pornography bill Jakarta Post - September 14, 2008 Jakarta -- A coalition of women's groups has refused a bill on pornography, saying it would restrict women's freedom of expression. "The bill regulates something that shouldn't be regulated. It would restrict women's freedom of expression. It's not that we are pro-pornography, but they (lawmakers) regard women only as objects, not subjects," Kalyanamitra women's group director Rena Herdiyani said at a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday. The coalition said the bill was vague due to its unclear definition of pornography and tendency to criminalize victims of pornography. They also said the bill was a politicization of the human body and sexuality issues. "Article 1 Chapter 1 (of the bill), for example, says pornography is manmade sex materials in the form of pictures, sketches, illustrations, photos, text, sound, moving pictures, animation, cartoons, lyrics, conversations, bodily movements or other forms of communication in other mediums and/or public performances that can arouse sexual desire and/or violate moral values in society," said Estu Rakhmi Fanani, director of Women's Legal Aid Foundation (LBH APIK). According to Ade Kusumanintyas, program coordinator at Islamic women's group Rahima, the definition allowed for loose interpretation of materials and considered public human work, lyrics and dances, as pornography. "Such definitions have the potential to criminalize anyone over subjective perceptions. If this bill is passed, wearing mini skirts or tank-tops could be punishable for arousing sexual desires. The same for not wearing a jilbab," she said. (dre) --------------------------------------------------- http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/9/15/imw-protests-illegal-fishing-in-indonesian-waters/ 09/15/08 18:42 IMW protests illegal fishing in Indonesian waters Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some 50 people grouped in Indonesian Maritime Watch (IMW) staged a rally in front of the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Monday to protest against illegal fishing in Indonesian waters. In their peaceful rally, the protesters demanded that security agencies make concerted efforts to stop illegal fishing in the country as soon as possible. They said illegal fishing was causing the state a loss of Rp30 trillion every year. According to the protesters, illegal fishing was the same as corruption and therefore the security agencies and law enforcers must take firm action against the perpetrators. The IMW demonstrators also said many government officials were involved in illegal fishing activity but to date they had not been touched by the law. Early this month, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (DKP) nabbed five Thai and four Vietnamese fishing boats in Indonesia`s Natuna waters. Meanwhile, a spokesman of the directorate general of fisheries and marine resources management and control, Aji Sularso, said here recently that at least 186 foreign fishing boats had been nabbed this year for poaching in Indonesian waters. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1431597.php/Nepalese_judges_on_strike_to_protest_corruption_allegations_ Nepalese judges on strike to protest corruption allegations South Asia News Sep 18, 2008, 8:56 GMT Kathmandu - Judges in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu halted work for two hours Thursday to show their displeasure over corruption allegations by the head of the country's bar association. The unprecedented move by the judges followed public comments by Biswo Kant Mainali, president of the Nepal Bar Association earlier this week who accused the judges of rampant corruption in return for favourable verdicts. The judges of two appellate courts as well as three district courts in Kathmandu valley went on strike, suspending scheduled hearings. 'We decided to stay away from work for two hours to symbolically condemn the corruption allegations made against us by the bar president,' appellate court judge Keshari Raj Pandit said. 'The remarks have demoralized and hurt the sentiments of the judges.' During a speech in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Mainali alleged that becoming a judge amounted to an 'open license for corruption.' When contacted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Thursday, Mainali refused to comment on the issue. The latest row highlights the souring of relations between the bar and the bench. In July, the bar association decided to analyze controversial judgements in what it said was an attempt free the judiciary from corruption. The move was heavily criticized by the judges including the chief justice, describing it as an attack on judicial independence. Media reports said there was growing pressure on the Supreme Court by judges to initiate contempt of court charges against Mainali. The reports said the issue could be debated by the Supreme Court as early as next week. It is the first time that Nepal's judges have halted work to protest accusations against them. There is a widespread perception among the Nepalese public that judges are regularly bribed by criminal organizations bend verdicts in their favour. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/22/asia/AS-Nepal-Lawyers-Protest.php Lawyers' protest shuts down courts in Nepal The Associated Press Published: September 22, 2008 KATMANDU, Nepal: Thousands of lawyers across Nepal launched a boycott of the courts Monday to protest the Supreme Court's decision to ban the bar association chairman after he alleged widespread corruption among the country's judiciary. The Supreme Court judges announced a six-month ban on Nepal Bar Association Chairman Biwokanta Mainali last week for saying being a judge was like being given a license to take bribes. The bar association reacted by deciding to boycott the courts starting Monday until the decision is rescinded. Thousands of defense attorneys stayed away from the courts across the nation, bringing the justice system to a standstill. "We will continue to boycott the courts and refuse to take part in proceedings until they withdraw their decision to ban our chairman," said Nar Bahadur Shahi of the association. Allegations have surfaced in the past that some judges have taken bribes when deciding cases, but no evidence has ever been brought to court. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/17/2366509.htm Hundreds protest against Nepal crackdown on 'nude' discos Posted Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:35am AEST Updated Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:47am AEST Hundreds of disco workers protested in Kathmandu on Monday against a Government crackdown on "nude dancing" in its bid to improve the deteriorating law and order. Police have raided scores of discos, nightclubs and dance bars in the past two weeks and detained 1,500 people saying many were running bars where "nude dances" were performed, not allowed by law in the Hindu majority society. There are hundreds of such night spots in the Kathmandu valley, although the country has no specific law to regulate them. A Maoist-led government which took power in August has already ordered the bars should be closed an hour before midnight, to halt worsening public security in the capital, home to more than 2 million people. Bar and disco operators are protesting the move would jeopardise their business and render 80,000 people jobless. -Reuters http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Nepalese_protest_against_nude_discos_shutdown/rssarticleshow/3486518.cms Nepalese protest against nude discos shutdown 15 Sep 2008, 2112 hrs IST, REUTERS KATHMANDU: Hundreds of disco workers protested in Kathmandu on Monday against a government crackdown on "nude dancing" in its bid to improve the deteriorating law and order. Police have raided scores of discos, nightclubs and dance bars in the past two weeks and detained 1,500 people saying many were running bars where "nude dances" were performed, not allowed by law in the Hindu majority society. There are hundreds of such night spots in the Kathmandu valley, although the country has no specific law to regulate them. A Maoist-led government which took power in August has already ordered the bars should be closed an hour before midnight, to halt worsening public security in the capital, home to more than two million people. Bar and disco operators are protesting the move would jeopardise their business and render 80,000 people jobless. Police official Sarbendra Khanal said those dancing nude in bars as well as their clients would be charged under the public offence act. If found guilty, they can be sentenced to jail of up to one year and a fine of $400. http://www.newstin.com/tag/us/76716268 Nepalese protests disrupt capital travel moldova.org Sep 12, 2008 2 related Traffic in Kathmandu was disrupted Friday as protesters disputed the facts of a recent civilian death, police in the Nepalese capital say. While police officials have maintained that Pradip Khadka, 38, died this week as a result of motorcycle crash injuries, protesters Friday alleged that the civilian had been the victim of police brutality, Nepalnews reported. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep12/news07.php#1 Alleged police brutality sparks protests in Kathmandu A shutdown strike called by Nepali Congress affiliated Nepal Student Union (NSU) and other sister organisations has partially affected normal life in the capital Friday. With angry protesters marching the streets vehicular traffic was badly affected in the morning, leading to closure of many schools in the valley. However, the traffic gradually returned to normal in the afternoon, but some areas still remained tense due to student protests. Activists of Nepal Student Union confront the riot police at Padma Kanya Campus... The protest was called against the alleged murder of NC cadre Pradip Khadka, 38, of Katari VDC-4 in Udaypur district, by the police Wednesday night in Lalitpur. Khadka was a construction entrepreneur by profession. Police say Khadka died at Patan Hospital due to injuries he sustained in a motorbike accident. Eyewitness accounts however suggested that he was severely tortured by the policemen, which could be the cause of the death. The Kathmandu Post quoted an eyewitness as saying that police had blown whistle to stop Khadka's motorcycle at Balkumari Chowk as he was on his way home at about 9:15 pm. Five policemen allegedly pounced on him alleging that he had stopped his two-wheeler some few meters away from the spot. The eyewitness said the policemen started beating him up, reminding him of the directives of new Home Minister, Bam Dev Gautam. "Forgive me, if there is any mistake on my part. Please don't kill me. Take me to Hanumandhoka or another place. Take action against me but don't beat me up," the eyewitness quoted deceased Khadka as pleading. The eyewitness said that despite the pleas the police continued beating him with wooden planks, sticks and boots before taking him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Khadka's family members refused to receive the body yesterday as police claimed he died in an accident. Police have come down heavily on Kathmandu's night life, stepping up security and night-time checking since last few days following the order by Home Minister Gautam. The NSU meanwhile has warned of stronger protests if the government failed to invite them for talks by Friday evening. nepalnews.com ia/ag Sep 12 08 http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep11/news16.php Lalitpur tense after one dies in police action After one Pradeep Khadka died in what witnesses accuse of police excesses, the Balkumari area of Lalitpur district remained tense the whole day on Thursday. With bricks in their hands Nepal Student Union... Khadka ? who is a son of a Nepali Congress (NC) leader Arjun Khadka ? is said to have died of police beating on Wednesday night. Khadka was riding a motorcycle when he was stopped by policemen for 'checking' at Balkumari. Some witnesses have said the police severely thrashed him before taking him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Protesting the police excesses, people demonstrated in Balkumari area and even burnt tyres. Police have stepped up security and night-time checking since last few days following the order by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam. nepalnews.com Sep 11 08 http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-26958.html Indians protest as Nepal slaps cess on incoming vehicles Kathmandu, Sep 27: Protests have begun erupting on the India-Nepal border as the Nepal government began slapping an entry cess on Indian vehicles entering the Himalayan republic. The Bahujan Samaj Party of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati led the demonstrations Thursday in the Dasjagga area in Sunauli-Maharajgunj and stopped all vehicular traffic for three hours to protest the entry tax. The protests were also taken up by local chambers of commerce in India and a local organisation, the Hindi Yuva Vahini. The new tax was declared by Nepal's Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai when he unveiled the Maoist government's first budget earlier this month. However, the clause went unnoticed in the long budget speech and came to public notice only this week when Nepali authorities began slapping the entry tax on Indian vehicles. According to the new budgetary provisions, trucks, pickups and tractors entering India for a day would have to pay NRS 904, cars and minibuses NRS 452 while two-wheelers would have to pay NRS 113. In addition, all the incoming Indian vehicles would also have to pay 13 percent VAT on the cess. Protesters have submitted a memorandum to police authorities at the Nepali border town of Rupandehi, asking for the tax to be withdrawn. They are also asking for action against the alleged extortion from Indian vehicle owners at the Nepali side and demanding security for drivers and their helpers. The protesters say that Nepali cars entering India temporarily do not have to pay any such tax. According to a pact signed by India and Nepal in 1950, the two neighbours are committed to treat each other's citizens as their own. The tax violates the India-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950. However, the new Maoist-led government of Nepal says it wants all bilateral pacts with India to be scrapped or reviewed. --- IANS From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 9 21:42:44 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:42:44 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] USA: Pro-democracy, human and civil rights protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA883C4.5010907@tesco.net> * Transport workers oppose drug test crackdown * Arizona - speed cameras protested * Oregon, Olympia - medical marijuana activists protest caps * Texas - faculty protest honour to politician * Protest over jailing of peace protester * Allegheny - tasers protested * Pittsburgh - gun rights group protests arrest at Obama event * Georgia, Atlanta - rally against Troy Davis execution * North Dakota - protest for "self-defence rights" * Alaska - "huge" protest against Sarah Palin * Pennsylvania - Clarion students protest smoking ban * New York - Pakistanis protest bogus terror case, torture * PAKISTAN: US detention of Aafia Siddiqui protested * West Virginia - coalminers strike over NRA visit * CANADA/QUEBEC: Montreal - Cuba solidarity protesters target embassy * Hawaii - protesters demand tourism chief quits * Lee's Summit, Mo. - protesters want cop fired over corrupt affair * Celebrities plan Miami Five protest * UK: Journalists lead rally against US interference in Latin America * Washington DC: Police checkpoints terrorise locals, spark protest * GLOBAL: Wave of protests for Miami Five http://wbz.com/pages/2839982.php?contentType=4&contentId=2634873 Posted: Sunday, 24 August 2008 7:00PM MBTA workers protest drug testing regulation Mia Carter MBTA workers are protesting a new federal regulation requiring that they be monitored when giving urine samples for drug tests. The Department of Transportation guidelines take effect in November and mandate the collection of urine from employees who have previously tested positive, be observed by another party. The rule also applies to employees who have submitted past samples that appeared to have been tampered with. Observers are required to be the same gender as the employee who is providing the sample. Transportation officials say they need the rule to combat what they call a flourishing industry set up to help people beat the tests. But Terrence Ward, who heads the MBTA's Concerned Minority Employees Group, tells the Globe the procedures violate workers' privacy. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/22/20080822cameraprotest0822ON.html Speed-camera protesters say 'Honk for privacy' 235 comments by Jane Larson - Aug. 22, 2008 07:34 PM The Arizona Republic Waving signs calling for "Cops, Not Cameras" and asking drivers to "Honk for Privacy," a grass-roots group called CameraFraud.com gathered Friday in Scottsdale to protest the use of photo-enforcement cameras. About 20 protesters waved anti-camera signs at Scottsdale and Thomas roads for about an hour starting at 5 p.m. They whooped whenever motorists honked their horns and whenever Scottsdale police vehicles cruised by. The intersection has photo-enforcement cameras. Some drivers waved and gave the group thumbs-up signs. "We encourage people to get involved and express their disapproval of these systems," spokesman D.T. Arneson said. The group's top concern is safety, adding that cameras cannot catch drunken drivers or spot stolen cars the way police do. Arneson said the CameraFraud Web site has doubled its traffic daily since going live Sunday. Some at Friday's protest said they also heard about the event, the group's first, at the Meetup Web site for presidential candidate Ron Paul. Protester Natalie Sharp of Scottsdale said privacy topped her list of concerns about the cameras. If drivers don't become aware of the issue, the intrusion will escalate, she said. "I just want people to pay more attention to what's going on, instead of getting a ticket and not fighting it," she said. Arneson said the group hoped that elected officials take up the cause. Otherwise, he said the group would press for a ballot proposition to determine the fate of photo-enforcement cameras. A spokesman for American Traffic Solutions Inc., the Scottsdale company that operates the city's cameras, said polls indicate most Arizonans favor the cameras. "This is an enhancement to safety," spokesman Josh Weiss said. "These cameras are proven to reduce violations, crashes and injuries, and they are overwhelmingly popular in Arizona and across the country." Arneson said the group's efforts started in part because the Arizona Department of Public Safety is preparing to add up to 100 fixed and mobile speed-enforcement cameras to the state's freeways. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008136960_webpot25m.html?syndication=rss August 25, 2008 at 12:00 AM E-mail article Print view Medical pot patients protest caps on supply Medical marijuana activists plan to pack a state Health Department hearing to protest limits on how much pot a patient can have. By The Associated Press OLYMPIA ? Medical marijuana activists plan to pack a state Health Department hearing to protest limits on how much pot a patient can have. They're upset with the state's proposed caps, which will define the amount of marijuana and plants that are considered a legal two-month supply under state law. State officials once wanted to propose 35 ounces and 100 square feet of plant-growing area. But Gov. Christine Gregoire thought that was too high, and ordered the Health Department to meet with law enforcement. Afterward, the proposed limits dropped to 24 ounces of usable pot, along with six mature plants and 18 immature plants. Those are the same limits used in Oregon. http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/082808kvuecharliewilson-ls.1de670c0.html Plan to honor Charlie Wilson sparks faculty protest 07:08 AM CDT on Thursday, August 28, 2008 Associated Press Faculty members at the University of Texas are objecting to plans to create an endowed chair in Pakistan studies in honor of former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, the colorful Democrat who was portrayed in last year's movie "Charlie Wilson's War." Wilson represented an East Texas district in the U.S. Congress from 1973 to 1996. He played a pivotal role in the funding of Islamic rebel fighters who opposed Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. His efforts were portrayed in the film. In a letter to Randy Diehl, dean of UT's College of Liberal Arts, 12 professors wrote that establishing a chair in Wilson's name would represent a "romanticized vision" of the congressman's legacy as well as the history of the conflict. UT officials have said they want to raise $500,000 to match an identical amount pledged by the T.L.L. Temple Foundation in Lufkin, Wilson's hometown. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Rally-To-Support-Jailed-Iraq-War-Protestor/ejtPyV7m7k6QBrIDKsFhow.cspx Rally To Support Jailed Iraq War Protestor Last Update: 9/06/2008 1:54 am A group of Iraq war protestors stood outside the Hamilton County Justice Center Friday night, demanding the release of a local woman from jail. "No justice, no peace! We want Barb released!," protestors chanted. Barbara Wolf was one of seven people arrested nearly two years ago for protesting inside the local office of Congressman Steve Chabot. She was charged with criminal trespass, and last week when she didn't agree to do community service, the judge sent Wolf to jail. A crowd opposed to the war gathered Friday night, demanding that she be released. "Barb's point is that this is an unjust sentence," said Kristen Barker, an anti-war protestor. "Those who are trying to end this war, are not the people that should be put in jail," said Barker. "Those who are sitting peacefully in an office trying to get our congressman to do the right thing and stop the dying ? we should not be in jail." Wolf is scheduled to get out of jail at 6 p.m. Monday. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_586182.html?source=rss&feed=7 Protesters urge halt of Tasers, study by experts By Bobby Kerlik TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, September 3, 2008 A dozen protesters Tuesday called for a moratorium on Tasers in Allegheny County and asked District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to quickly assemble a team of medical and law enforcement experts to publicly examine the weapon's use by police. "We don't want some blue-ribbon committee. We want people to take a serious look at Tasers," said Celeste Taylor, a council member of the Black & White Reunion, a community group dedicated to ending racism. "We want to see consistent use of force by the police. I'm particularly concerned about people with pre-existing physical and mental conditions who are tasered. More discretion is needed." Zappala said last week that he plans to assemble a working group in the wake of Andre Thomas' death. Thomas, 37, died Aug. 5 about an hour after Swissvale police officers tasered him. Police were called after neighbors complained that Thomas was running through his neighborhood, knocking on doors and screaming that people were trying to kill him. Zappala's spokesman Mike Manko said yesterday that the working group still is being put together. Manko said the district attorney "believes that if his investigation into the death of Mr. Thomas and plan to establish the working group helps increase dialogue within the community and helps to provide a forum for those who are concerned about this issue, then that is productive for everyone." Zappala did not attend the protest, which occurred outside of his office in the county courthouse, Downtown. Two men shared stories alleging they were unjustly tasered by police. Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the city's Citizen Police Review Board, attended the gathering and said that police statewide might want to re-examine Taser use and training. "I think any time the public is concerned about police tactics, they have an obligation to step back and look at it," Pittinger said. "I think police have to look at if the officers are trained enough or are Tasers just the easiest to use?" http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_585890.html?source=rss&feed=7 Gun rights group protests arrest at Obama event By The Tribune-Review Monday, September 1, 2008 A gun rights group is calling on Gov. Ed Rendell to "order a halt to unlawful police-state tactics at presidential campaign events" after a Beaver County man was arrested Friday for openly carrying a gun near where Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama later made an appearance. The group, OpenCarry.org, accused state police of suspending the right to bear arms in Beaver by arresting John Noble, 50, of Industry. State police said Noble would be charged with disorderly conduct for carrying a loaded, holstered and exposed 9 mm semiautomatic because he breached a secured perimeter of a presidential candidate rally, creating alarm and causing a breakdown in security. OpenCarry.org says Noble was not at the Obama event, did not attempt to enter the event area and broke no law. A representative of Rendell's office could not be reached for comment Sunday. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/19/davis_execution_protest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 ATLANTA Protests held downtown over Troy Davis execution Lethal injection scheduled for Tuesday; 7 witnesses have recanted in murder case Associated Press Friday, September 19, 2008 More than 250 anti-death penalty protesters marched Thursday in downtown Atlanta to call for a new hearing for Troy Anthony Davis, who is condemned to die next week for the murder of a Savannah police officer 19 years ago. The group also held a prayer vigil at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Steve Woodall (right) vows to hold a fast and remain in vigil downtown to protest what he believes is the wrongful execution of convicted police killer Troy Davis. Woodall prays with the Rev. Marvin Morgan early Friday morning. In addition, one protestor has taken up a vigil in a chair at Marietta and Fairlie streets to fast and protest the planned execution. Steve Woodall said he will remain at the chair until Davis is pardoned, his sentence is commuted, or until Tuesday, when Davis is due to be killed. ?I?m not just protesting the death penalty, I?m protesting because he?s an innocent man,? Woodall said, wearing a blue and white T-shirt that reads ?I am Troy Davis.? On Thursday night, demonstrators carried signs proclaiming ?Innocence Matters? as they walked 12 blocks from Woodruff Park in the heart of downtown Atlanta to new Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church is across Auburn Avenue from the historic sanctuary where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached. Ebenezer?s pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, said it was appropriate the march should end there because King opposed the death penalty. ?This is the house of God, but it is also the house of a great servant of God whose voice echoes from the crypt,? Warnock said to the crowd, swollen to about 350 by the time they assembled in the church. Supporters of Davis, who is scheduled for lethal injection Tuesday, say he should get a new trial because several witnesses who testified against him recanted or contradicted their statements. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Davis clemency last Friday but did not give a reason. ?We?re quite shocked that the board turned him down,? said Peggy Hendrix, an anti-death penalty activist from Atlanta who took part in the march organized by Amnesty International and the NAACP. ?We?re trying to get them to reconsider.? The case has taken on racial overtones because Davis is black. The slain officer, Mark McPhail, was white. Edward Lee, an Asian-American marcher, said it was a matter of social justice. ?Any of us could be in the same situation, with the wrong skin color or whatever,? Lee said. Eleanor Hunter of Atlanta noted that the United States is one of the few nations with capital punishment. ?We should be following the universal human rights proscribed by the United Nations,? Hunter said. ?That doesn?t mean you shouldn?t be punished, but each of us has the right to live.? The Rev. Timothy McDonald, who spoke at the park to begin the march, noted that all types of people were present, ?old, young, Asian, black and white.? ?This is what justice looks like,? McDonald proclaimed as he exhorted the throng to chant ?justice matters? and ?innocence matters? along the way. At the church, Davis? older sister, Martina Davis Correia, said she was gratified by the turnout. ?Everyone is here,? Correia told a reporter. ?No matter what happens on the 23rd we win. People are getting involved. They?re not standing for executing people for no reason.? She said she would not give up even if her brother is put to death on Tuesday. Rejection of his appeals so far has been on procedural grounds, she said. ?I?m taking this fight to the White House,? Correia said. ?This is about a system of injustice that we have to expose.? ? AJC staff writer Marcus Garner contributed to this article. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/19/davis_execution_protest.html Protests held downtown over Troy Davis execution Lethal injection scheduled for Tuesday; 7 witnesses have recanted in murder case Associated Press Friday, September 19, 2008 More than 250 anti-death penalty protesters marched Thursday in downtown Atlanta to call for a new hearing for Troy Anthony Davis, who is condemned to die next week for the murder of a Savannah police officer 19 years ago. The group also held a prayer vigil at Ebenezer Baptist Church. http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/university_of_north_dakota_students_protesting_removal_of_self_defense_righ/ September 17, 2008 University Of North Dakota Students Protesting Removal Of Self Defense Rights By Rob on September 17, 2008 at 08:48 am 19 Comments In the wake of the massacre at Virgina Tech the University of North Dakota, understandably, instituted a new security policy that will allow students and faculty to be notified of an attack on campus through text messages, emails and phone calls. But groups of students on campus are saying that it isn?t enough. Here?s a television news report of the situation: More from the Grand Forks Herald: ...Jae Baker, a senior majoring in accounting who started Females For Firearms on campus last October, criticized the new system Tuesday during a day she publicized her student group. ?I feel it?s another attempt at an illusion of proper security,? Baker said, citing the April 2007 case, in which a mad student shot to death 32 students on campus, then killed himself. Her group, assisted by Young Americans For Freedom, drew 32 chalk outlines on sidewalks across campus Tuesday to publicize the need for allowing students to bear arms. The NotiFind system appears that it would be too little, too late, if the worst happened, Baker said. She has protested UND?s policy of banning all weapons on campus as a violation of her own right to defend herself, as well as to carry a gun. ?I can?t even have pepper spray in my purse,? she said. She knows of women who have been assaulted near campus and thinks UND needs to allow students, faculty and staff to carry weapons if they choose. I think Baker and her group have a point. A big reason why schools and universities are targets for crazies who want to go on a shooting spree is that they?re relatively unprotected. It is impractical to have armed security guards cover every inch of massive university and school grounds at all hours of the day, so shooters know that if they time their attacks correctly they can rack up a big body count among a group of citizens they know won?t be able to defend themselves. If you allow people their right to bear arms on campus that campus because less of an attractive target for a crazy. And if said crazy does decide to try and shoot up the campus, he/she isn?t likely to be as successful. But aside from common sense, I think some of UND?s anti-gun policies may actually be unconstitutional: The new weapons checking policy, as of July, is extending the rule that no weapons are allowed to be kept in academic areas, offices and vehicles to include student apartments, Czapiewski said. His department has a climate-controlled storage space, with 24-hour access to students, staff and faculty, where shotguns, rifles, handguns, bows and knives can be kept. Mostly, it?s students who are hunters who use the storage space, he said, and the response has been positive, he said. Students can?t keep firearms in their apartments? Granted, the apartments are on campus, but the campus itself is owned by the public. And these apartments are being rented to students as their residences. By denying students the right to keep arms in their apartments UND is denying them the right to keep arms in their homes. And I don?t think you can get more unconstitutional than that. After the landmark Washington DC vs. Heller case a wise gun-rights proponent said that while the case was important, additional lawsuits would be required to ensure that the point was driven home across the nation. I think UND, with its ban on guns in student apartments, is ripe for that. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008178168_palinprotest14.html?syndication=rss Anchorage protest draws a crowd At least 500 protesters turned out Saturday for a rally against Gov. Sarah Palin's candidacy for vice president. At least 100 Palin supporters were on the other side of the street, showing support for the governor. By McClatchy Newspapers ERIK HILL / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin signs autographs Saturday during a farewell rally at the new Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center in Anchorage. An estimated 1,500 people attended the event. ANCHORAGE ? At least 500 protesters turned out Saturday for a rally against Gov. Sarah Palin's candidacy for vice president. At least 100 Palin supporters were on the other side of the street, showing support for the governor. The protest, outside a public library, came hours after the governor held a morning rally attended by as many as 1,500 supporters in downtown Anchorage, then flew to Nevada to resume campaigning. The public demonstration was the first against Palin since she accepted Republican presidential nominee John McCain's offer Aug. 29. Protesters said they were surprised at the size of the crowd, crediting e-mails promoting the event. At least a half-dozen police cars were at the scene, but no confrontations or traffic problems were reported. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/politics&id=6419029 Alaska protesters: Palin failed pledge Sunday, September 28, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KABC) -- Several hundred voters in Alaska rallied against Governor Sarah Palin this weekend. An anti-Palin protest was organized by a group called Alaskans for Truth. The group says it's upset that the Republican governor is fighting back in the investigation of her decision to fire the state's public safety commissioner. Participants say Palin failed to honor her pledge of transparent government. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/36004 "Alaska Women Reject Palin" protest is huge! Submitted by prissears on Mon, 2008-09-15 00:06. ? Activism From the Mudflats Blog we have a report on Sunday's rally that took place in response to the "Welcome home" rally in Anchorage. "The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It?s probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally ?a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots?, and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received many nasty, harassing and threatening messages." "Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn?t honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn?t happen here. Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn?t be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high. So, if you?ve been doing the math? Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin?s rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around (links are appreciated) to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say." http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/ Visit the blog for more reporting, and video and many pictures! http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/53183.html ? Sunday, September 28, 2008 Hundreds of Alaskans rally to protest Palin on 'troopergate' By Kyle Hopkins | Anchorage Daily News ANCHORAGE ? A protest rally blasting Gov. Sarah Palin's handling of the state's so-called troopergate investigation -- and calling for the attorney general to resign -- drew 1,000 or more people in Anchorage on Saturday. Protesters chanted "Recall Palin!" as organizers told the crowd to push state legislators to keep after their investigation into the governor's firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The investigator hired by the Legislature is scheduled to present his report on Oct. 10. "This report needs to be released. Not just for us ... it needs to be released for all those people in the Lower 48 who are going to make a decision on Nov. 4," Democratic blogger Linda Kellen Biegel told hundreds of protesters. Earlier, hundreds of people lined a nearby street, waving signs that said "Steady on her heels, wobbly on her words" and "Tina Fey would do a better job" at passing cars. A group calling itself Alaskans for Truth organized the event, which at times resembled a Barack Obama campaign rally. Anchorage singer-songwriter Libby Roderick led the crowd in a chorus of "We're gonna keep on moving forward" and "Stand tall for Obama," while Obama volunteers signed up supporters under a nearby tent. Next to the Obama fliers sat petitions calling for Attorney General Talis Colberg to be removed from his job. On July 28, the Legislative Council -- a bipartisan group of 12 state lawmakers -- voted to launch an abuse-of-power investigation into Palin's firing of Monegan. Palin initially said she'd cooperate with the investigation. Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain announced Palin as his running mate Aug. 29, and the McCain camp has argued that the investigation became a partisan witchhunt spurred by Democrats. Colberg is suing to quash the Legislature's subpoenas of Palin aides in what's become a turf battle between the state's executive and legislative branches of government. Nicole McCullough came to the rally with her grand-niece and grand-nephew -- twins born the day before Palin's youngest son, Trig. McCullough wore a pitbull mask with large red lips, a reference to a Palin's joke about hockey moms at the Republican National Convention. A Hillary Clinton supporter earlier in the election, McCullough called Palin "a female Dan Quayle" and carried a sign that read: "Gov. Pitbull, call off your McCain dogs. It's a reference to the McCain spokespeople and attorneys, including the self-described "Truth Squad" that's been defending the governor in regular Anchorage press conferences. "She's had a lot of outside lawyers coming into the state ... and I think they're just being in the way of our legislative process," McCullough said. http://www.tobacco.org/news/271205.html Clarion students protest state university smoking ban Jump to full article: The Derrick (Oil City, PA), 2008-09-16 Author: From staff and wire reports Intro: The move to completely smoke-free campuses is apparently unprecedented among state-funded Pennsylvania universities, but the American Lung Association said more than 130 colleges and universities across the country have such policies. Penn State, a public university that is not part of the state system, bans smoking inside buildings and university-owned vehicles and within a certain distance of building entrances, but allows smoking elsewhere at its flagship University Park campus in State College, a spokeswoman said. Students who feel the policy is too extreme have organized peaceful protests of smokers and sympathetic nonsmokers on at least three of the 14 campuses, including Clarion, and there is talk of a coordinated statewide demonstration later this week. At Clarion's Gemmell Student Center, about 60 students gathered outside around lunchtime Monday, then marched to the grounds of the campus library, where they lit up, said Steve Dugan, a 20-year-old freshman from Pittsburgh who participated in the protest. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08259/912373-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml Clarion University students light up to protest ban Monday, September 15, 2008 By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette CLARION, Pa. -- About 50 Clarion University of Pennsylvania students protested a new ban on smoking on state-owned campuses today, calling the prohibition that forbids lighting up even outdoors unfair and unenforceable. Students rallied for an hour outside the Gemmell student union, then marched to the campus library with a pair of campus police officers in tow. Many of the protestors lit up in a red-brick plaza outside Gemmell, openly defying the new policy across the 14 schools in the State System of Higher Education. University officials handed them yellow cards warning them that they risk fines or disciplinary action. Some of the protesters responded by putting tobacco on the cards, rolling them up and lighting them so they could be smoked. Some pointedly noted that the title of the state's new smoking ban is the Clean Indoor Air Act. "I'm standing outside. I should have the right to smoke outside," said Jon DiSalvo, 23, a sophomore computer science major from Vandergrift. State system officials say their new policy represents their reading of the new state anti-smoking law that took effect Thursday. Other Western Pennsylvania campuses affected by the ban are Slippery Rock, California, Edinboro and Indiana. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/siddiqui_0918/ Pakistani imprisoned in U.S. Protesters demand: ?Free Aafia Siddiqui!? By Heather Cottin Published Sep 11, 2008 9:22 PM U.S. troops in Afghanistan shot Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and took her into custody in July. She lies in solitary confinement in the Manhattan Detention Center, with an open scar from her sternum to her lower abdomen. She has not seen her lawyer, Elizabeth Fink, because if she leaves her cell she faces an excruciating strip search. New York?s Pakistani community protests treatment of jailed Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. WW photo: Heather Cottin Aafia Siddiqui is a 36-year-old Pakistani national who is a graduate of MIT and holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University. On a visit home to Karachi in 2003, she was disappeared along with her three children. Her family believes the U.S. government captured, tortured and incarcerated her. The U.S. government claims Siddiqui is an Al Qaeda terrorist. Federal officials deny knowledge of her whereabouts for the last five years. But on July 17, U.S. troops arrested her outside the governor?s office in Afghanistan?s Ghazni province after police searched her handbag and allegedly found documents on making explosives as well as descriptions of New York City landmarks. This story is at odds with the one the Afghan police tell. According to the Afghan officials, Siddiqui was arrested with maps of Ghazni, a city in central Afghanistan, including one of the governor?s house. When U.S. troops requested Siddiqui be handed over to them, Afghan police refused, so U.S. soldiers disarmed them. The U.S. troops, ?thinking that she had explosives and would attack them as a suicide bomber, shot her and arrested her.? The U.S. troops claimed she somehow managed to grab an M-4 rifle in a police station and shot at them. (Reuters, Aug. 14) Human rights groups said they believe Dr. Siddiqui had been secretly detained since 2003, much of the time in U.S. custody at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Dr. Siddiqui?s 12-year-old son is still in prison in Afghanistan. No one knows where her two youngest children are. ?We believe Aafia has been in custody ever since she disappeared,? said one of her lawyers, Elaine Whitfield Sharp. (New York Times, Aug. 5) In Pakistan and the U.S., scores of protesters have condemned the detention and torture of Siddiqui and demanded her release. If there was to be a trial, Pakistanis claim that, ?She should have faced a court of law here in her own country.? (Daily Times, Pakistan, Aug. 11) Pakistan has been a client state of the U.S. for decades. Ex-dictator Musharraf allowed the U.S. and NATO to bomb civilians in its northern provinces, along with permitting the arrest, disappearance and detention of thousands of Pakistanis. Many Pakistanis are enraged over the U.S. claims of extraterritorial jurisdictions, which violate international laws. After Dr. Siddiqui was shot, she was flown to the U.S. in the custody of FBI agents, in agony and confused. Her lawyer, Elizabeth Fink, explained at a trial on Sept. 4 in Manhattan that Dr. Siddiqui could not appear for trial because the strip search she must undergo each time she leaves her cell is physically unbearable. When Fink last saw her, on Aug. 11, Dr. Siddiqui was disoriented and begged Fink to send food she was given to her son in his prison in Afghanistan. Hundreds came to the trial on Sept. 4 and gathered afterward to protest the unjust treatment of Dr. Siddiqui. Chanting, ?Free, Free Aafia Siddiqui!? Pakistani, African-American and north American speakers called for an end to CIA torture prisons in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guant?namo in Cuba, and Somalia. They denounced the policies of the U.S. that have placed this young mother literally in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=132832 Protesters demand early release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui Saturday, August 30, 2008 Noor Aftab Islamabad: Hundreds of protesters here on Friday demanded immediate release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her children from the US custody and action against those responsible for her agony in line with the teachings of Islam. The demand to this effect was made during a protest demonstration held at Markaz G-9 under the auspices of Hizbul Tahreer. A large number of protesters, holding placards and banners, marched on the roads of Markaz G-9 and staged a sit-in in the main market area. Addressing the protesters, the speakers said Pakistan should withdraw from the war on terror, alleging that it was actually a war against Islam. They said that the war on terror was a war of the US and its objectives were occupation of Muslim lands and resources. Later, the protesters staged a sit-in at Markaz G-9 and chanted slogans against the arrest of Dr. Afia Siddiqui and her children. http://crooksandliars.com/2008/10/01/wv-coalminers-shut-down-mine-in-protest-over-anti-obama-nra-visit/ WV Coalminers Shut Down Mine In Protest Over Anti-Obama NRA Visit By Logan Murphy Tuesday Sep 30, 2008 6:00pm WBOY: Coal production at a mine in Monongalia County came to a halt today when every union miner stayed home, as part of a political protest. It was an idle day Monday at the Blacksville #2 Mine. More than 440 workers who are members of the United Mine Workers of America took what's called a Memorial Day instead of going to work. Union officials say they took the day to protest after a film crew from the National Rifle Association showed up at the Consol mine last week to interview union workers. They say the crew tried to get union coal miners to speak out against Barack Obama. Read on... The NRA didn't just show up at the coal mine, this was apparently an unprecedented move by mine management, who allowed them in and supported the manipulation and exploitation of their employees. Consol just learned a big lesson - don't f*#k with your union workers. "Consol doesn't let anybody on their property - never," said Safety Committee Member Mark Dorsey, "And for them to let the NRA come on the property and solicit our membership was totally uncalled for. We made our endorsement to our political process and we didn't bother them and they shouldn't be harassing our membership over this." http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604988 Quebec Solidarity Organization Announces Protest Action in Montreal Posted: 2008/09/04 From: MNN The Table de Concertation de Solidarite Quebec-Cuba will picket in front of the US consulate, in Montreal on September 12 and 13. HAVANA, Cuba (acn) -- The Table de Concertation de Solidarit? Qu?bec-Cuba and its Fabio Di Celmo Committee for the Release of the five Cuban antiterrorists held in US jails will stage a picket line in front of the US consulate, in Montreal next September 12 and 13, in the context of the Five's 10th year of unfair imprisonment. The announcement was made by Fabio Di Celmo Committee member Arnold August as he read a message of greetings-- of which ACN received a copy--from the Table de Concertation de Solidarit? Qu?bec-Cuba to the 4th Biennial Convention of the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC), recently held in Toronto, Canada. In his announcement, August said that the 4th Annual Montreal-Cuba Friendship Day takes place next September 6, and he invited CNC members to send a delegation to the event. "For us all, Cuba is an example for the peoples of the world. An inspiration for us all is the Cuban people's courageous and unrelenting resistance to all attempts since 1959 by the US administrations to turn the clock back and reverse history so that Cuba once again becomes a colony of the US," the message read. The message also highlighted common work between the CNC and the Quebecois organization, which included joint sponsoring of the Breaking the Silence Solidarity Conference for the Cuban Five, held last November in Toronto. "The Table initiated the signing of 56 parliamentarian deputies in favour of the liberation of the Five, and the CNC then made its contribution. There is also the post-card campaign in favour of family visiting rights for the Cuban Five, one in English in Canada and another in French for Quebec as well as in many other languages from other countries," explained the message read by Arnold at the event and it concluded that " we also have to our joint credit the common work against the blockade with synchronized border crossings that continue year after year with Pastors for Peace, letter campaigns and responses to the mainstream media disinformation, work with Parliamentarians on Cuban issues and the list goes on." The CNC Convention was attended the vice-president of the Cuban Friendship Institute Basilio Gutierrez; Cuban ambassador to Canada Teresa Vicente and the General Consul of Cuba in Toronto, Laureano Cardoso. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/29852384.html Protestors Demand Johnson Be Removed By Andrew Pereira Story Updated: Sep 27, 2008 at 6:53 PM HST Carrying signs that read ?enough already, just quit? and chanting ?Rex Johnson has to go,? protestors who are demanding the head of the Hawaii Tourism Authority be fired marched down the heart of Waikiki Saturday afternoon. HTA President and CEO Rex Johnson has been the focus of civil rights groups once it was revealed he received pornographic material on his state computer and forwarded sexist and racist e-mails to a group of friends. ?It's unacceptable to have Rex Johnson still be the CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority with the type of e-mails that he read from his friends and forwarded it onto others," said Daphne Barbee-Wooten, a civil rights attorney who participated in the march. Alphonso Braggs, president of the Honolulu chapter of the NAACP which organized Saturday?s protest, said Johnson can no longer be an effective leader of the HTA. ?The economy is almost tanked out, we're looking at a $900 million deficit and unemployment is on the rise again,? said Braggs. ?We cannot afford to have this negative cloud hanging over us.? Johnson has already apologized for the content of the e-mails and issued another statement on Saturday. ?Forwarding offensive e-mails was a lack of judgment on my part and a terrible mistake,? Johnson wrote. ?While it is not a reflection of my character or beliefs, I understand the seriousness of my actions. I am truly sorry for offending anyone as this was not my intent.? In the statement Johnson said that he and the HTA board had already reached a resolution over the matter, a reference to Johnson?s earlier punishment after the state auditor found pornographic material in his e-mail account. As a result, the HTA board cut Johnson?s $240,000 salary to $200,000 but voted to keep him as president and CEO. The fact that Johnson forwarded racist and sexist e-mails was only reveled after the board?s initial reprimand. ?Given these new revelations,? said Braggs, ?it's just inconceivable to anyone that he would still be permitted to stay. It is my absolute wish and hope that the board will relieve him of all of his duties. Andrew may be reached at apereira at khon2.com or ph. 591-4263. http://www.kctv5.com/news/17560848/detail.html?rss=kan&psp=news#- Protesters Want Lee's Summit To Fire Officer Man Freed After 5 Years In Prison Among Protesters POSTED: 6:28 pm CDT September 25, 2008 UPDATED: 10:33 am CDT September 26, 2008 LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- Protesters walked for three hours Thursday outside Lee's Summit City Hall, pleading with city officials to fire a police officer. The protesters said they no longer trusted the officer, Richard McKinley, who was accused of having an affair with the wife of a man while the man was on trial, accused of sexually molesting the couple's daughter. McKinley and Ted White's ex-wife, Tina, have been married for years and have said their relationship started after the allegations were made, not before. Despite their denials of wrongdoing, White recently won a $16 million civil lawsuit against the city of Lee's Summit. Jurors said they believed White spent five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Thursday night's protest was a peaceful one, but the people involved in it said they wouldn't rest until McKinley was fired. The mayor of Lee's Summit said it was a frustrating issue, and while she understood how the people protesting felt, she said no decision would be made until after an internal investigation was complete. White himself was among the protesters, and while he no longer lives in Lee's Summit, he said he would not be finished with Lee's Summit until McKinley was fired. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/29/usa.cuba Celebrities plan protest against detention of Miami Five The men were sentenced in 2001 for allegedly acting as agents for the Cuban government ? Ed Pilkington in New York ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 29 September 2008 18.09 BST ? Article history Nine Nobel Laureates, including the South African campaigner Desmond Tutu and the German novelist Gunter Grass, join forces tomorrow with more than 100 celebrities from the arts, law and media to protest the on-going detention by the US government of five Cubans imprisoned for allegedly spying on behalf of the Cuban government. The so-called Miami Five were sentenced in 2001 to prison terms of between 15 and 25 years for allegedly acting as Cuban agents within the exile community in Miami. The men and their supporters have consistently protested that they had come to the US to infiltrate and disrupt right-wing exile groups perpetrating acts of terrorism within Cuba. To mark the 10th anniversary of the arrests of Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, full-page adverts are being taken out in the Guardian and the Independent tomorrow. They claim that the men were unjustly jailed, and protest against the refusal to allow the wives of two of the prisoners to visit them from Cuba for up to 10 years. Signatories to the adverts include the designers Vivienne Westwood and Jasper Conran, artist Howard Hodgkin, writers Iain Banks and Harold Pinter and actors Julie Christie and Susannah York. The case of the Miami Five has attracted the attention of international human rights groups. Amnesty International has repeatedly raised the issue with the US government, arguing the refusal to permit spousal visits is unnecessarily punitive. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has also found that the US failed to give the men a fair trial. http://www.ukwatch.net/article/london_protesters_demand_an_end_to_us_coups London Protesters Demand an End to US Coups September 23rd, 2008 By Paul Haste Charley Allan Scores of solidarity campaigners picketed the US embassy in London on Wednesday night before a huge rally at the National Union of Journalists head office to demand an end to US interference in Latin America. Responding to ongoing coup attempts in Bolivia and Venezuela, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said that it was ironic that he was protesting outside the US embassy when its government had nationalised more of its economy in the last few days than Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had in the last decade. ?The US is standing up for privilege, for the interest of the few against the interest of the many and will go to any length to achieve it,? he stormed. ?It will go to the lengths that it did in Chile and will drown the revolution in blood if it gets the opportunity,? referring to the CIA-orchestrated coup against Salvadore Allende 35 years ago. ?But there is one big difference ? we are prepared, we have learned the lessons and we are already organised.? The 100-strong crowd chanted ?No More Coups? and waved colourful solidarity banners as embassy workers left for the day. Dozens of people made speeches in English and Spanish, with some making the point that, in the dying days of US President Bush?s regime, many people thought that he would attack Iran ? yet it was clear that Latin America was the real target. Loud cheers went up whenever speakers brought up the expulsion the US ambassador in Bolivia because of his links to coup-plotters and Venezuela doing the same in solidarity, with cries of ?Yankee go home? filling Grosvenor Square. At the NUJ headquarters, Bolivian ambassador Maria Beatriz Souviron explained how the traditional political system in Bolivia had been swept away with the election of Evo Morales. ?He has given people hope for the first time. There has not just been a change in who controls the state, but also a change in culture in a country that has been racist for so long.? Bolivia Solidarity Campaign organiser Amancay Colque, who helped organise the actions with Hands Off Venezuela, brought harrowing news from the northern state of Pando, where the far-right governor threatened to split from Bolivia and had paid mercenaries to machine-gun rural workers loyal to Morales. She explained how the elite was fuelling racism to try to divide Bolivians and that, in the right?s eastern stronghold of Santa Cruz, it was now impossible for an Aymara or Quechua indigenous Bolivian to walk down the street without being attacked. John McDonnell MP pointed out that ?what is happening is not a personal attack on Morales or Chavez but an attack on the seeds of socialism that they are spreading. ?What the US is terrified of is the prospect that socialism will catch light all across the Americas, so of course it has to go on the attack. But it is exactly for this moment that solidarity campaigns exist.? Venezuelan charge d?affaires Felix Plasencia said that he was ?honoured to stand with Bolivia as all Latin America struggles for dignity, sovereignty and independence. We have finally thrown off the US Monroe Doctrine that treated us as their ?backyard? for 200 years. ?The aim now is to extend this people?s power throughout Latin America and the solidarity shown to Bolivia as it fights back against counter-revolutionaries is a significant step in uniting our countries,? he added to great applause. http://www.katu.com/news/local/28738779.html Protesters: Oly. Peninsula checkpoints create 'fear' Story Published: Sep 20, 2008 at 9:16 PM PST Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 1:34 AM PST By Akiko Fujita PORT ANGELES, Wash. - Demonstrators marched through this Olympic Peninsula community on Saturday demanding an end to checkpoints set up by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border patrol agents have arrested 25 people since they began operating three checkpoints on the Olympic Peninsula one month ago, said spokesman Joe Guiliano. The presence of 25 agents has sparked a loud debate in a quiet community, across the water from Victoria, B.C. Critics allege agents are unfairly targetting minorities and call the checkpoints "racial profiling." "They have created terror, fear. It goes beyond the imaginable," said Manuela Vasquez, who marched with more than 100 protesters. Guiliano says the checkpoints are part of a larger effort to clampdown on terrorism, illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Agents slow down drivers along U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 104 to check their nationality and citizenship. Guiliano says 15 people have been detained for immigration violations while 10 people were arrested for minor drug violations. His agency plans to make the checkpoints a permanent part of their operation. But Lois Danks, founder of the "Stop the Checkpoints" committee is determined to fight back. She started organizing a rally last week and said she was overwhelemed by the response. "It's the first time all cities on the peninsula have gotten together on anything like this," she said "It's affecting us all." Forks teacher Laylan Iranshad says two of her students were detained by agents at checkpoints. "I'm not crossing a border. I'm driving to work. You're holding up my day, and you're making me uncomfortable. I'm seeing you hurt people that I know," she said. Guilano says agents will remain at checkpoints so long as the weather permits. Danks is organizing a meeting, to plan the next protest. http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=606298 Cuba: Worldwide Demonstrations Demand the Release of the Cuban Five Posted: 2008/09/17 From: MNN Various actions in solidarity with Cuba were carried out in different corners of the planet over the weekend. HAVANA, Cuba, Sept 16 (acn) Participants demanded the release of the Cuban Five, unjustly incarcerated in the United States. One of the main activities was held in Dili, the capital of East Timor, with a rally in the downtown park of Dissidere, highlighted Granma newspaper in its Monday edition. Three representatives at the rally delivered a declaration in front of the US embassy in that city demanding the release of the Cuban men. During the closing ceremony of the third congress of the Womens Organization of East Timor, more than 200 delegates signed a document calling on US mothers and wives to join the universal appeal for Olga Salanueva and Adriana P?rez to be allowed to visit their jailed husbands, and for the five men to be set free. In Seville, Spain, a vigil in solidarity with the Five was summoned, while in Japan, professionals from the mass media -such as Asahi, Kyodo News, NHK, NTV, digital publications and independent journalists- received information on the case of these five men during a conference in Tokyo. This was delivered by Cuban ambassador Jos? Fern?ndez de Coss?o, who inaugurated the third campaign in that country for the release of the Cuban Five. Likewise, friends of Cuba in Australia demanded the release of these anti-terrorist fighters. A demonstration was held in front of the US consulate in Perth, in the state of Western Australia, in which friendship groups, political organizations and people from all walks of life demanded justice for the Five, while freeing the same number of doves and demanding the release of the men from prison. Simultaneously, the first public concert in solidarity with the Cuban Five was held in New York, which was attended by more than 600 people. Ram?n Laba?ino, Antonio Guerrero, Ren? Gonz?lez, Gerardo Hern?ndez and Fernando Gonz?lez, internationally known as "The Five," were arrested by US authorities 10 years ago after having monitored Miami-based extreme rightwing groups, which -with absolute impunity- have organized terrorist actions against the Cuban people for almost five decades. The mission of these men was to warn the Cuban people of the activities of these groups. These organizations had committed acts of sabotage, terrorism and assassinations that resulted in thousands of people being killed, injured or disabled, as well as affecting extensive damage to the island's economy. The Five were jailed for the only "crime" of warning Cubans of these criminal actions. They were later subjected to a biased trial in which they were given severe and unjust sentences, despite their being totally innocent. # http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408800.html Miami 5 - London demonstrations Peter Marshall | 15.09.2008 18:37 | Repression | London | World Events took place around the world last weekend to mark the 10th anniversary of the arrest of the Miami 5, in prison in the USA. RATB held a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, and the Cuba Solidarity Campaign have a further demonstration planned for 7 Oct. Trafalgar Square was booked for something called 'The Peace Concert', part of the London Week of Peace, endorsed by Gordon Brown, Jacqui Smith, David Cameron and Ian Blair. (It's a misleading name as it not about peace in the wider sense but concerned with community cohesion, promoting justice, equality and respect between people, particularly Londoners, from all backgrounds. It may also be about defusing the kind of grass-roots movements we've seen in some parts of London about civil rights and in particular about knife and gun crime and channeling them into something more easily controlled. If you're not in Manchester you can join their peace march on Saturday 20th.) Because of this event, RATB's 'Free the Cuban 5' demonstration couldn't be held on the North Terrace in front of the National Gallery as they had planned and they had to set up in a rather less prominent location on the pavement to the east, a traditional site for demonstrations. The case of the Cuban 5 has led to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International criticsing the US government, and to movements in over a hundred countires around the world calling for their release, The demonstration in Traflagar Square by Rock around the Blockade was one of a number of events around the world to mark the 10th anniversary of their arrest, including in East Timor, Spain, Japan, Australia and the United States. A further event takes place next month in London, when the Cuba Solidarity Campaign plans a Miami 5 Vigil outside the US Embassy on Tuesday 7 October 2008. More pictures from last Saturday's demonstration on My London Diary shortly: http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/09/sep.htm Peter Marshall e-mail: petermarshall at cix.co.uk Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 15:54:05 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:54:05 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KASHMIR: Protests and unrest, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9838D.30704@tesco.net> * Sept 27 - Kashmiris protest at UN in New York * Sept 26 - Poonch - Muslim protesters demand release of prisoners * Sept 21 - Srinagar - Thirty hurt in clashes; strike shuts down shops, traffic * Sept 20 - Srinagar - Protesters, police clash * Sept 20 - Jammu - 12 Hindu activists injured by police * Sept 19 - Valleywide protests and shutdown * Sept 13-14 - Srinagar - hundreds in protests, clashes * Sept 13 - Strike over police killings, protest rallies, clashes * Sept 12 - Baramulla, Shopian, statewide - police kill two protesters during post-prayer protests * Sept 12 - Leading separatist injured in police attack on protests * Sept 8 - separatists call bandh against Indian elections * Sept 8 - protests, clashes over police killing in Srinagar * Sept 5 - vigils, protests as separatists arrested * Sept 6 - protester killed during Hurriyat shutdown * Sept 3 - Hurriyat announces general strike, protests * Aug 30 - Srinagar - Mass protests after curfew relaxation; pitched battles * Aug 31 - Jammu - Hindu protesters defy curfew for Amarnath victory rally, break police barricades * Aug 27 - Kupwara, Bugdam - statists slaughter three protesters during clashes * Aug 26 - Police beat protesters during crackdown; hundreds defy curfew * Aug 25 - Jammu - Police attack Hindu protest * Aug 24 - Srinagar - Another death as police attack protesters * Aug 17 - Srinagar - tens of thousands join rally against Indian occupation, for slain protesters * Analysis - Fresh protests reignite dispute (IHT) * Analysis - separatists "out of touch" - Indian general (Rediff) * Analysis - Kashmiris see power in peaceful protest (IPS) * Analysis - "a perilous religious game" (Time) http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/09/27/0809270911_un-protest.html Intervention of UN sought to resolve Kashmir issue Saturday, September 27, 2008 09:08 [IST] New York: US based separatist Kashmiri organisations led by the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) held demonstration near the United Nations seeking the world body's intervention to resolve the Kashmir issue. The two-hour protest was organised to coincide with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh s address to the United Nations General Assembly. In a memorandum sent to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the KAC executive director Ghulam Nabi Fai sought UN intervention to ensure "immediate and complete cessation" of military and paramilitary action by the Indian forces and release of all those arrested in connection with the ongoing insurgency. It also called for determination of the "status" of Kashmir through a "free vote" of the people. Source : PTI http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/27un.htm Rival Kashmiri groups protest outside UN Suman Mozumder in New York | September 27, 2008 08:47 IST Holding placards and banners, rival Kashmiri groups staged protests outside the United Nations on Friday afternoon during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [Images] address to the plenary session of the UN General Assembly. The two groups -- Kashmiri American Council, a predominantly Muslim body that demands the right of Kashmiris to self-determination under the UN Security Resolutions, and the Indo American Kashmir Forum, a predominantly Hindu outfit that highlights the plight of Pandits because of 'ethnic cleansing' by Pakistan-aided terrorists in the state -- staged the protests side by side, separated only by waist length iron barricades set up by the police. Kashmiri separatists are isolated from reality While the KAC raised slogans against the Indian government for alleged draconian laws that imprison people who 'resist Indian occupation,' the IAKF blamed the Pakistani government for allegedly promoting global Islamic terrorism. Traditionally, KAC has held protest demonstrations outside the world body every year during India's address to the UNGA, but this was the first time IAKF held the protest as well. "Every year, the police decline to give permission for any protests during the UNGA because there are always too many protesters during UNGA and only those who had applied early for permission to stage demonstrations, get to hold that. This year, we made it a point to prepare early to get the permission," Lalit Kaul, president of IAKF, told rediff.com. In Kashmir, a new generation inherits Azadi legacy Both the groups handed memoranda to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, urging the world body's intervention in solving the crisis. KAC said that there must be an immediate and complete cessation of the "military and paramilitary action by Indian forces against the people of Jammu & Kashmir". The organisation demanded that all bunkers, watch towers and barricades set up by the military and paramilitary forces in towns and villages must be immediately dismantled and the right of peaceful association, assembly and demonstration should be restored to the people. Expect good news on Kashmir soon, Zardari to India The KAC memorandum was signed by Dr. Ghulam [Images] Nabi Fai, Shaheen Bhat, Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir, Raja Muzzaafar, Aftab Shah and Hafiz Muhammad Sabir, among others. "The Kashmir question is one of the oldest unresolved international problems in the world. The experience of nearly six decades has shown that it will not go away and that an effort is urgently required to resolve it on a durable basis," Fai said. In its memorandum, the IAKF stated that even today the abuse of human rights of Kashmiri Hindus by the Islamic terrorists in the valley continues. It urged the UN Secretary General to direct the Indian government to restore Kashmiri Hindus' political and economic rights that would give them equal status, rather than a second class citizenship in their native land. "We would continue our fight for our rights, whether the world body or the Indian government take any action or not. We will keep on fighting," Kaul told rediff.com. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/muslims-in-poonch-demand-release-of-rioters-before-eid_100100390.html Muslims in Poonch demand release of rioters before Eid September 26th, 2008 - 5:13 pm ICT by IANS - Jammu, Sep 26 (IANS) Muslims in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir Friday asked the administration to release the people arrested during the riots in the region and threatened not to celebrate the festival of Eid if their demand is not met. After offering Friday prayers, Maulana Mufti Yaqoob, head priest of the Jama Masjid in Poonch, said: ?We will mark this as black Eid if all those arrested by the administration during the recent riots are not released before the festival. We also demand reinstatement of all government employees suspended for allegedly abetting rioting.? Eid is to likely to be celebrated on Oct 2, depending on the appearance of the moon. Many shops and houses of both Hindus and Muslims were burnt, looted and damaged by either side in rioting in August during the dispute over allotment of government land to the board that runs the Hindu shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir. Mohammad Afzal Bhat, deputy commissioner of Poonch, said: ?We had arrested over 30 civilians under various sections for looting, rioting and damaging property from both the communities.? He said some of them had managed to get released on bail while others were still under detention. Bhat added that 18 government employees, including eight Muslims, were suspended for abetting rioting. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=55832 Published On: 2008-09-21 Front Page Thirty hurt in anti-India clashes in Kashmir Afp, Srinagar Thirty people were injured in fresh clashes in Kashmir during an anti-India protest strike that shut shops, schools and offices Saturday in the latest trouble to hit the scenic region. Clashes erupted across summer capital Srinagar when Kashmiri protesters chanting "we want freedom" hurled stones at Indian police, who retaliated by firing teargas and rubber bullets. ?Some 16 policemen and 14 protesters were injured during violent clashes," a police statement said. The strike, called by a separatist committee spearheading recent anti-India demonstrations in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, emptied streets of all traffic. "Saturday's strike is to demand the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir," leading separatist chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. Separatists have been demanding a UN-supervised referendum giving people the choice of independence, staying with India or joining Pakistan. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan hold the region in part but claim it in full. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. On Friday, 20 people were wounded in clashes during protests against New Delhi's rule in Kashmir, ending a week of calm in the restive region. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/09/20/175565/Indian-police.htm September 20, 2008 11:48 am TWN, Reuters Indian police clash with Kashmir protesters; 35 hurt SRINAGAR, India -- At least 35 people were wounded on Friday in Kashmir?s main city when demonstrators clashed with troops in the latest anti-India protest to hit the region, police and witnesses said. They said Indian troops fired teargas shells and chased stone-pelting protesters in Srinagar, Kashmir?s summer capital. Shouting anti-India slogans, thousands of people marched in Srinagar, Kashmir?s summer capital, part of an ongoing campaign against New Delhi?s rule that has become an embarrassment for the Indian government. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-india_20int.ART.State.Edition1.26d47cd.html Police use force against anti-India protesters in Kashmir 12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, September 20, 2008 The Associated Press SRINAGAR, India ? Police fired tear gas and beat people with bamboo batons to disperse rock-throwing demonstrators Friday as anti-India protests flared again in Kashmir, police said. GURINDER OSAN/The Associated Press Police stood guard Friday in New Delhi, India, near a house where police fought suspected Islamic militants. Thousands of people took to the streets after Friday prayers in the Muslim-majority region. Also Friday, the Indian government said it was ready to allow trade between Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani portion, a major demand of recent protests. In recent months, the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir has seen some of the largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. A general strike has been called for today. The Associated Press http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1191628 Strike, protests in Kashmir after Friday prayers IANS Friday, September 19, 2008 18:32 IST SRINAGAR: The Kashmir valley witnessed large-scale protests after the Friday prayers along with an afternoon shutdown. The protests and the shutdown followed a call by the separatist co-ordination committee comprising of representatives of various separatist groups, traders and lawyers. Shops, business establishments, government offices, banks and educational institutions shut down in the afternoon as traffic deserted the streets. People came out of various mosques on to the streets immediately after the Friday prayers in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital and all major towns in the valley and held protests shouting pro-freedom slogans. Lawyers also held similar protests in the Lal Chowk, the city centre, in the afternoon. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik led a procession from Maisuma towards the city centre. In Baramulla town in north Kashmir several thousand people took out a procession shouting independence slogans. Protests were also reported from almost all major and minor valley towns including Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama in south Kashmir and Bandipore, Sopore, Ganderbal, Kangan and other places of north Kashmir. A senior police officer said the protests were peaceful barring some incidents of stone pelting in the old city. He said protesters roughed up two policemen and snatched a teargas gun from one of them at Nowhatta here. Police responded by using batons and firing teargas. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/162515.html 12 Amarnath activists hurt in clashes Web posted at: 9/21/2008 3:32:25 Source ::: IANS Jammu ? Over 12 activists of the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS) were injured in clashes with police here yesterday at an event to honour those killed during the two-month-long agitation for allocation of about 40 hectares of land in Kashmir to the board that runs the Hindu shrine. SASS had booked Abhinav theatre - a government auditorium - for a function to pay homage to those killed during the agitation in Hindu majority Jammu region. The police had thrown a cordon around the venue. "The Abhinav theatre management had cancelled the SASS booking and we feared that the activists would use force to enter the premises," a police official said. The clashes between police and SASS activists followed after the latter tried to barge into the auditorium by breaking the police cordon. The police baton charged the crowd, lobbed tear gas shells and fired in the air to disperse them. Over a dozen activists were injured in the clashes. On May 26, the state government diverted 40 hectares of land to the Amarnath shrine board in the valley, prompting widespread protests in Kashmir. This was revoked on July 1, quietening Kashmir but triggering protests in Jammu instead. What followed were days of curfew and shutdowns that snowballed into the state being polarised between Jammu and Kashmir. On August 31, the government attempted a settlement by setting aside the land for the Amarnath board but specifying that it was only for the duration of the annual pilgrimage. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/19amar.htm 25 injured in J&K protests Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar | September 19, 2008 21:20 IST Valleywide post-Friday prayer protests and an afternoon shut down marred life across the J&K Valley as 25 persons including 14 cops were injured in clashes between protestors and police. Police opened fire to disperse an agitated slogan shouting and stone-pelting mob at Nowhatta as youths spilled out of the historic Jamia Mosque after Friday congregational prayers to stage pro-freedom protests, the call for which was given by the separatist coordination committee. The protests, however, turned violent after some youth snatched a teargas gun from two cops in a lane in the Nowhatta locality after beating them up, resulting in the police opening fire, injuring three persons, one of them critically. The injured were immediately shifted to hospital for treatment. This triggered violent clashes with a strong mob attacking the local police station with rocks. Police and the Central Reserve Police Force had a tough time in controlling the situation, and in the process 14 policemen including a deputy commandant of the CRPF suffered injuries. Police was responding by firing teargas shells and baton charging the mobs. Barring this incident, the protests across the Valley remained peaceful with no report of any violence coming in on Friday. Last Friday two persons were killed in police firing and two major towns of Baramulla and Shopian had to be clamped with curfew to control the volatile situation. Massive protests were held in Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag, Sopore, Ganderbal and other towns after the Friday prayers today. A procession of lawyers started from the high court complex in Srinagar [Images] and went around the city centre Lal Chowk shouting slogans. In the city centre, protests were also held outside the various mosques. Pro-Independence Jammu and Kashmir [Images] Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik led a procession shouting pro-freedom slogans from the Maisuma locality near the city centre on Friday afternoon. Shopkeepers in Srinagar and other towns downed their shutters in response to the coordination committee call. Traffic also deserted the streets on Friday afternoon. The coordination committee comprising representatives of various separatist groups, local traders and lawyers has called for a general strike on Saturday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17258 Protesters, police clash in held Kashmir Sunday, September 14, 2008 HELD SRINAGAR: The government forces fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse stone-throwing protesters demonstrating on Saturday against Indian rule in held Kashmir, said officials. Hundreds of protesters chanted ?We want freedom? and ?Indian forces leave Kashmir? as they flooded into the centre of held Srinagar. Shops and businesses remained closed and traffic was sparse. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas and wielded batons against the protesters, who hurled rocks at them, said B Srinivas, a senior police official. He said one person was injured. Residents and shopkeepers said soldiers entered their buildings and smashed windowpanes and furniture and beat them with batons. Senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani strongly condemned the use of brute force by Indian troops and police against peaceful protestors at various places. He maintained that the resolutions passed by the United Nations on Kashmir were key to a permanent and easy solution to the Kashmir dispute. Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik has said that the ongoing peaceful struggle would continue till the goal of liberation was achieved. Addressing a rally at Lal Chowk in held Srinagar, he said more than 50 people have been martyred by the Indian police and troops during the recent pro-freedom and anti-India demonstrations in the occupied territory. He said such repressive tactics would not break the will of Kashmiris for demanding their right to self-determination. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080913/FOREIGN/759590861/1002/rss Protesters and police clash in India ? Last Updated: September 13. 2008 3:27PM UAE / September 13. 2008 11:27AM GMT Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol the streets during a protest in Srinagar, India, on Sept 13, 2008. Dar Yasin / AP SRINAGAR, INDIA // Government forces fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse stone-throwing protesters demonstrating against Indian rule in Kashmir, officials said. Today's protest comes just one day after two protesters died in clashes with authorities. Hundreds of protesters chanted, ?We want freedom? and ?Indian forces leave Kashmir? as they flooded into central Srinagar, the biggest city in Indian-ruled Kashmir. Shops and businesses remained closed and traffic was sparse as security forces erected additional checkpoints. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas and wielded batons against the protesters, who hurled rocks at them, said B Srinivas, a senior police official. He said at least one person was injured. Residents and shopkeepers in the area said soldiers entered their buildings and smashed windowpanes and furniture and beat them with batons. ?I was beaten like a dog and they would just not listen to me,? said Maqbool Ahmed, a local resident. Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, said authorities would investigate the allegations. Yesterday, tens of thousands of Muslims participated in pro-independence rallies across Indian Kashmir, leading to scattered clashes with government forces that left at least two protesters dead and dozens injured. Separatist leaders have warned Indian authorities that the situation could spiral out of control if they ?use force to break peaceful protests.? More than two months of angry protests, some of the biggest anti-India demonstrations in two decades, have left at least 43 people dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir, most of them killed when soldiers opened fire on Muslim protesters. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, India?s only Muslim majority state, where most people favour independence from mainly Hindu India, or a merger with Muslim Pakistan. Kashmir has been divided between Hindu-majority India and predominantly Muslim Pakistan since 1947 when the two countries fought their first war over the region in the aftermath of Britain?s partition of the subcontinent. Both countries continue to claim all of Kashmir. Separatist movements in Indian-controlled Kashmir remained peaceful until 1989, when Islamic insurgents took up arms seeking to win independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan. The fighting has killed an estimated 68,000 people. Until the recent unrest, violence had ebbed considerably as India and Pakistan began a peace process in 2004. But the long-time rivals have yet to achieve a breakthrough in their efforts to settle the Kashmir dispute. *AP http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091450170100.htm Front Page Clashes continue in Kashmir Srinagar: Clashes between security forces and agitators continued here for the second day on Saturday even as Kashmir valley observed a strike over the killing of two persons in police firing. ? PTI http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Clashes-continue-for-second-day-in-Srinagar/360999/ Clashes continue for second day in Srinagar Agencies Posted: Sep 13, 2008 at 1647 hrs IST Srinagar, September 13: Violent clashes between security forces and agitators continued for the second day on Saturday in Maisuma area of Srinagar even as Kashmir Valley observed a spontaneous strike over the killing of two persons in police firing. Several slogan-shouting protesters took out a procession from Maisuma locality in Srinagar on Saturday. The protesters were intercepted by CRPF personnel who used batons to disperse them, triggering intense clashes as the agitators indulged in stone pelting, official sources said. So far, there were no report of any injury in the clashes but several persons were beaten up by paramilitary forces. The situation was put under control after the intervention of police, the sources said. Agitators said they took out the rally in protest against the use of ?brute force? during peaceful protests yesterday in which two persons were killed and more than 130 including JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik was injured in police action. Shops and business establishments opened as usual in the morning but after clashes broke out between protestors and CRPF personnel, a spontaneous strike was observed, the sources said. Within no time all shutters were down and offices closed and transporters started beating hasty retreat to safety, resulting in traffic jams. CRPF spokesman Prabhakar Tripathy said some ?aberrations? might have been committed by the personnel in the volatile situation. He said the incident would be investigated and those guilty, if any, would be punished. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080913-0237-kashmir-protests.html Protesters and police clash in Indian Kashmir By Aijaz Hussain ASSOCIATED PRESS 2:37 a.m. September 13, 2008 SRINAGAR, India ? Government forces fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse stone-throwing protesters demonstrating Saturday against Indian rule in Kashmir, officials said, one day after two protesters died in clashes with authorities. Hundreds of Muslim protesters chanted ?We want freedom? and ?Indian forces leave Kashmir? as they flooded into central Srinagar, the biggest city in Indian-ruled Kashmir. Shops and businesses remained closed and traffic was sparse as security forces erected additional checkpoints. Police and paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas and wielded batons against the protesters, who hurled rocks at them, said B. Srinivas, a senior police official. He said at least one person was injured. Residents and shopkeepers in the area said soldiers entered their buildings and smashed windowpanes and furniture and beat them with batons. ?I was beaten like a dog and they would just not listen to me,? said Maqbool Ahmed, a local resident. Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, said authorities would investigate the allegations. On Friday, tens of thousands of Muslims participated in pro-independence rallies across Indian Kashmir, leading to scattered clashes with government forces that left at least two protesters dead and dozens injured. Separatist leaders have warned Indian authorities that the situation could spiral out of control if they ?use force to break peaceful protests.? More than two months of angry protests, some of the biggest anti-India demonstrations in two decades, have left at least 43 people dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir, most of them killed when soldiers opened fire on Muslim protesters. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, India's only Muslim majority state, where most people favor independence from mainly Hindu India, or a merger with Muslim Pakistan. Kashmir has been divided between Hindu-majority India and predominantly Muslim Pakistan since 1947 when the two countries fought their first war over the region in the aftermath of Britain's partition of the subcontinent. Both countries continue to claim all of Kashmir. Separatist movements in Indian-controlled Kashmir remained peaceful until 1989, when Islamic insurgents took up arms seeking to win independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan. The fighting has killed an estimated 68,000 people. Until the recent unrest, violence had ebbed considerably as India and Pakistan began a peace process in 2004. But the longtime rivals have yet to achieve a breakthrough in their efforts to settle the Kashmir dispute. http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=607731 Two killed, 130 injured as fresh protests rock Kashmir SRINAGAR, SEPT 12 (PTI) Two persons were killed and over 130 others, including JKLF chief Yasin Malik, injured in firing and baton charge by security forces as fresh protests rocked the Kashmir Valley today, prompting authorities to clamp curfew in Baramulla and Shopian towns. The protesters poured into the streets shortly after Friday prayers on a call by the separatists to press for right to self determination but turned violent as security forces refused to allow them to march on the roads, the sources said. Apprehending violence, authorities had deployed police and paramilitary forces in strength outside all mosques, shrines and sensitive localities A roadside vendor, Manzoor Afzal, was killed when he was hit by a bullet after security forces opened fire to quell violent protesters in Baramulla town, the sources said. The clashes between the protesters and security forces intensified towards late afternoon, prompting the authorities to impose curfew in the town, the sources said. In Shopian, thousands of slogan shouting people took to streets shortly after offering prayers at Jamia Masjid. One person, Imtiyaz Ahmad Ganai alias Sabha, was killed and 13 others injured in firing by security forces on protesters, the sources said, adding curfew was later clamped. In Srinagar, police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse thousands of protesters who assembled at Lal Chowk after the prayers. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik received a baton blow on his legs and was taken to SMHS hospital for treatment, the sources said, adding nearly 25 people were also injured in the police action. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1189785 Protesters clash with security men IANS Saturday, September 13, 2008 14:48 IST SRINAGAR: A day after two people were killed and 40 injured in clashes with security personnel, agitated mobs on Saturday forced the shutdown of shops in Lal Chowk, the centre of this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, by pelting stones at police and paramilitary forces. Besides Lal Chowk, clashes between the protesters and security men also erupted in adjacent Hari Singh High Street after local police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel used batons and tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters. However, despite the shutting down of Lal Chowk and Hari Singh High Street markets, educational institutions, banks and business establishments in the rest of the city functioned normally. On Friday, protests had turned violent in the old city area of Nowhatta when stone pelting mobs attacked the police and CRPF. Around a dozen people were wounded in the clashes. Security forces had also opened fire to disperse a mob in Shopian, 56 km from here. One person was killed in the firing and 12 others were injured. One protester was also killed in firing on a mob by security personnel in Baramulla town, 54 km from here. Four other protesters sustained injuries in that incident. An indefinite curfew had been clamped on Shopian and Baramulla following the violence. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-21655.html Protesters clash with security men in Srinagar Srinagar, Sep 13 : A day after two people were killed and 40 injured in clashes with security personnel, agitated mobs Saturday forced the shutdown of shops in Lal Chowk, the centre of this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, by pelting stones at police and paramilitary forces. Besides Lal Chowk, clashes between the protesters and security men also erupted in adjacent Hari Singh High Street after local police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel used batons and tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters. However, despite the shutting down of Lal Chowk and Hari Singh High Street markets, educational institutions, banks and business establishments in the rest of the city functioned normally. On Friday, protests had turned violent in the old city area of Nowhatta when stone pelting mobs attacked the police and CRPF. Around a dozen people were wounded in the clashes. Security forces had also opened fire to disperse a mob in Shopian, 56 km from here. One person was killed in the firing and 12 others were injured. One protester was also killed in firing on a mob by security personnel in Baramulla town, 54 km from here. Four other protesters sustained injuries in that incident. An indefinite curfew had been clamped on Shopian and Baramulla following the violence. --- IANS http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7612397.stm Friday, 12 September 2008 16:16 UK Two die in new Kashmir protests Friday's clashes are the latest in a summer of violence Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say two people people have died during clashes with demonstrators calling for independence from India. They say that protests have been held across the Kashmir valley. A curfew is in force in Shopian town where one person was shot and killed by police. They say another man died when hit by a stray bullet in the town of Baramullah. A separatist leader was injured in Srinagar as police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowds. Doctors at the district hospital in Shopian say 17 injured have been brought in for treatment. An earlier report that one person died from their wounds in a hospital in Srinagar turned out to be untrue. People say they want 'freedom' from Indian forces The separatist leader injured in Srinagar was Mohammed Yasin Malik. Police say his injuries were only minor. Members of his Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front party say that he has been injured in the thigh and the police acted violently and without provocation in the protests. Friday's protest follows two months of demonstrations throughout the summer which left at least 40 people dead. The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that the anti-India protests have shut down the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. Our correspondent says that the protests are in response to a call by the Co-ordination Committee which has been spearheading ongoing public protests against Indian rule. The committee comprises separatist groups and trades unions. The demonstrations began after a period of relative quiet in the Kashmir valley. They were initially triggered by a state government decision - later revoked - to dedicate land in the valley to a trust which administers an important Hindu shrine. They eventually developed into large-scale anti-India demonstrations. The decision to drop the land transfer led to counter protests in the Hindu-majority Jammu area of Indian-administered Kashmir. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=405503 Yasin Malik injured in Srinagar protests ________________________________________ IANS Friday 12th September, 2008 Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was injured here Friday when the police baton-charged a group of protesters in Lal Chowk city centre. Malik was leading a sit-in protest of about 4,000 people at Lal Chowk after Friday prayers. The separatist leader was injured as police used batons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. "Malik fell unconscious and was immediately removed to the SMHS hospital," a JKLF activist told IANS. Doctors at the hospital said Malik was out of danger, but had sustained an injury in his leg. Protests after Friday prayers were reported from other places in Srinagar city and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley. The joint co-ordination committee of both the separatist groups of Hurriyat conference had called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers across the Valley and a complete shutdown after 12.30 p.m. Addressing a large congregation at the Jamia mosque in the old city area here today, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, called on people to boycott the forthcoming assembly elections in the state. He was also highly critical of the police sending summons to people of various in the city to present themselves at police stations in connection with their participation in separatist protests and rallies. "Once anybody receives such summons in the locality, the entire population of that locality must go to the police station and lodge a peaceful protest there,' he said. "The administration should immediately stop this practice of summoning people to police stations, failing which we shall be forced to start a 'Jail Bharo' (court arrest) programme here," the Mirwaiz said. Elections to the state legislative assembly are due in November. The state is under six-month governor's rule since July 11 when the previous Congress-led coalition government fell and the state assembly dissolved after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pulled out of the alliance following differences over the Amarnath shrine land allotment. The issue has had the state on the boil amid conflicting claims from Muslims in the Valley and Hindu groups in Jammu region over a piece of forest land allotted to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board that manages annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine in south Kashmir. Nearly 50 people have died, mostly in police and paramilitary firing, during the last two months of protests over the land row. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/12jk1.htm Yasin Malik hurt in J&K protest Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar | September 12, 2008 17:34 IST Last Updated: September 12, 2008 23:43 IST Two persons were killed and 40 others, including the pro-Independence Jammu and Kashmir [Images] Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik, injured in Valley-wide protests following Friday Prayers. People responded in their thousands to the separatist coordination committee's call to observe a peaceful shutdown and stage protests after the Friday prayers. As the Friday prayers ended, people spilled out of various mosques to the streets to stage protests shouting pro-freedom slogans. Curfew was imposed in the two towns of Baramulla and Shopian on Friday evening as mob violence erupted after Friday prayers. The authorities have deployed army, paramilitary and police to impose curfew restrictions and defuse tension. In Shopian town of south Kashmir, clashes erupted between the protestors and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and police after the Friday prayers, when several thousand people took out a procession and later indulged in stone-pelting. CRPF troops opened fire at the protestors, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to 15 others, who were immediately shifted to hospital for treatment. The district authorities had a difficult time in controlling the situation, and more police and paramilitary units were moved and deployed all over the town. In the north Kashmir Baramulla town, thousands of protestors held protests and later pelted stones at the police injuring 10 policemen who fired warning shots and teargas to quell the mobs. One youth was killed on the spot after being hit by a teargas shell on his head and 20 others were wounded, two in firing by the CRPF. The injured were taken to hospital. In Srinagar [Images] people from various uptown mosques marched towards the historic Lal Chowk shouting pro-freedom slogans as they tried to stage a sit-in near the clock tower, a landmark of the capital city. Police and paramilitary fired teargas shells and resorted to repeated baton charges to disperse the protestors who, however, continued to swell. JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, who was carried on shoulders by his supporters to Lal Chowk, was injured in the baton charges. Malik was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, where his condition is stated to be out of danger. Police also resorted to baton charges and teargas in other localities of Srinagar where clashes erupted after the Friday prayers. Reports from other towns of Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara, Bandipore in north Kashmir and Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and other towns in south Kashmir said people staged protests after the Friday prayers. Shopkeepers downed their shutters with other business establishments and government offices, educational institutions, banks following suit on the call given by the coordination committee. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/separatists-call-bandh-in-kashmir-to-protest-poll-dates/73119-3.html?from=rssfeed Separatists call bandh in Kashmir to protest poll dates Press Trust Of India Published on Mon, Sep 08, 2008 at 18:49, Updated on Mon, Sep 08, 2008 at 22:47 in Nation section Srinagar: Life in Kashmir valley came to a grinding halt on Monday due to a bandh called by separatists in protest against Election Commission's move to decide the date for Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Shops and other business establishments, educational and semi-government institutions remained closed, while attendance in government offices was thin, official sources said. All modes of transport were off the roads in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley and work in banks and courts was affected. Sources said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the Valley. The bandh was called as the EC convened a meeting of leaders of all political parties in New Delhi to assess the situation in the state in the wake of the recent violence over the Amarnath land row. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, too, said that the state was not ready for elections and the government must create a conducive environment if it wanted elections to be held on time. "At this point in time, elections in the state will have serious ramification internationally. There are serious concerns over extent to which voter will participate in the election and about the polarisation of people in Jammu," Omar said. The coordination committee of separatists had on Sunday announced a month-long programme including two general strikes and a call for march to Lal Chowk to press for implementation of right to self-determination in the state. Police and paramilitary forces in riot gear have been deployed in large numbers across the city to tackle any law and order situation, officials added. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/08/asia/AS-Kashmir-Shrine-Protests.php Police use tear gas on Indian Kashmir protesters The Associated Press Published: September 8, 2008 SRINAGAR, India: Police fired rubber bullets, live ammunition and lobbed tear gas in Indian Kashmir to disperse hundreds of angry demonstrators protesting the killing of a man by government forces and to oppose elections due in October, police said Monday. Shops, banks and government offices were closed for the day, and public and private vehicles stayed off the roads across much of the region in response to a strike called by Muslim separatist groups protesting Indian rule in the disputed region. Protesters blamed government forces for fatally shooting Javed Ahmed Bhat, a 23-year-old bystander, on Saturday in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state. Government forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse an angry crowd on Saturday as well. More than two months of angry protests have left at least 43 people dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir, most of them killed when soldiers opened fire on Muslim protesters. On Monday, Kashmiri protesters clashed with government forces at three places in Srinagar, said Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, adding that troops fired live ammunition in some places. Eleven paramilitary soldiers were injured by rocks thrown by the protesters. Doctors in at least three Srinagar hospitals said at least 13 protesters had also been brought in with injuries, some with bullet wounds. They gave no other details. Monday's strike was called by the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, whose members include Muslim separatist leaders and representatives of businesses, lawyers and government employees. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a key pro-Pakistan leader, also warned the Indian government Monday against holding state legislative elections in the region, which are due in October. "If New Delhi goes ahead with the elections, it will add fuel to the fire in Kashmir," said Geelani. Geelani's comments came as India's Election Commission began consulting various political groups to set a date for the election. Geelani and two other separatist leaders, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, have been put under house arrest by Indian authorities since Friday to prevent them from leading protest marches. On Monday, Farooq told reporters that India was pursuing a "policy of force, intimidation and terror to subjugate" people in Kashmir. "When you are making peaceful revolution impossible, you're making violent revolution inevitable." Farooq also demanded that the Indian allow cross-border trade between Indian Kashmir and that part of the Himalayan region that is controlled by Pakistan. "India should open the cross border road for trade and people, or entirely close it. We're determined to see it as an alternate route, not yet another symbolic move." Currently, India only allows passenger bus service twice a month between the two regions, though government officials have said that they are considering allowing trade across the border. Kashmir has been divided between Hindu-majority India and predominantly Muslim Pakistan since 1947, when the two fought their first war over the region in the aftermath of Britain's bloody partition of the subcontinent. Both countries continue to claim Kashmir in its entirety. A separatist insurgency in Indian Kashmir has killed an estimated 68,000 people since 1989. Farooq said a trade delegation from the Indian Kashmir was planning a visit to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The latest unrest, the worst to hit Kashmir in more than a decade, was triggered by a government move to hand over land to a Hindu shrine. Muslim separatist leaders launched protests in June saying the government plan was aimed at changing the demography of the Muslim-majority region. The plan was quickly scrapped, angering the region's Hindu minority who also launched their own massive protests, forcing authorities to allow Hindu pilgrims temporary use of land near the shrine. The Muslim separatists' demonstrations have however snowballed into a broader anti-India movement. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/09/asia/AS-Kashmir-Shrine-Protests.php Protesters clash with troops in Indian Kashmir The Associated Press Published: September 9, 2008 SRINAGAR, India: Government security forces in Indian Kashmir's main city fired tear gas and used bamboo batons Tuesday to disperse hundreds of angry demonstrators protesting the killing of a man by troops. Several people, including soldiers, were injured in the clashes, officials and doctors said. The protest in Srinagar started after a memorial service for 23-year-old Javed Ahmed Bhat, who was killed Saturday during another demonstration in the city. More than two months of protests in Indian Kashmir have left at least 43 people dead, most of them killed when soldiers opened fire on Muslim protesters. Police admit shooting Bhat with a rubber bullet, and say he later died of his wounds. At least six protesters, one with bullet wounds, were brought to a Srinagar hospital on Tuesday, according to Reyaz Ahmed, a doctor. He gave no other details. Prabhakar Tripathi, a spokesman for the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, said police and paramilitary soldiers were also injured in the clashes. He gave no immediate details on the numbers. Tripathi said police did not fire at protesters on Tuesday, though in the past troops have used both rubber bullets as well as live ammunition to control angry crowds. The latest unrest in Kashmir, the worst to hit the Himalayan region in more than a decade, was triggered by a government move to hand over land to a Hindu shrine. Muslim separatist leaders launched protests in June, saying the plan was aimed at changing the demographics of the Muslim-majority region. The plan was quickly scrapped, angering the region's Hindu minority. Hindus then launched their own massive protests, forcing authorities to allow Hindu pilgrims temporary use of land near the shrine. But the Muslim demonstrations have snowballed into a broader anti-India movement. Kashmir has been divided between Hindu-majority India and predominantly Muslim Pakistan since 1947, when the two fought their first war over the region in the aftermath of Britain's bloody partition of the subcontinent. Both countries continue to claim Kashmir in its entirety. A separatist insurgency in Indian Kashmir has killed an estimated 68,000 people since 1989. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080909/main4.htm Over 100 hurt in Srinagar clashes Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 8 Over 100 persons, including over 48 cops and CRPF personnel, were injured in a series of clashes between crowds of protesters and security personnel across the valley, especially in and around Srinagar. A CRPF official said a violent mob blocked a police bus carrying personnel of 174 battalion of the CRPF near Bagi Mehtab in the evening and they were fired upon apparently by some militant hiding in the crowd. He said the CRPF opened fire to quell the stone-pelting protesters, which have left at least three persons injured. The police and the CRPF earlier fired at a crowd in Nowhatta. Four persons were injured in the firing and one of them is lying in a serious condition in hospital. A government spokesperson said 32 cops, 11 CRPF personnel and 11 civilians were injured in today's clashes. However, reports said more than 50 civilians have received some kinds of injuries. Meanwhile, the bandh call given by the separatists brought life to a halt in the valley as shops, private offices remained closed and private transport was off the road. Hurriyat-led separatists had given the bandh call yesterday in protest against the Election Commission?s meeting in New Delhi with political parties for holding elections in Jammu & Kashmir and alleged atrocities committed by troops on Kashmiris. Schools and colleges were also closed and there was not much attendance in government offices. Stone pelting by protesters at some places in downtown was reported. A police spokesman said a couple of stone-pelting incidents at Safa Kadal, Nowhatta and Nawab Bazar occurred. A violent mob attacked the vehicle of Dr S Jalal, former director, SKIMS, at Sekidafar in Safa Kadal and two civilians in the incident were injured when his PSO opened fire. The injured were rushed to Bone and Joint Hospital. He said a group of people pelted stones on CRPF in Safa Kadal and four civilians were injured as they tried to quell protests. At Nowhatta, a group of 50 to 60 persons indulged in stone pelting but they were dispersed and a small group of stone-pelting people was also chased away at Nawab Bazar, he said. http://www.zeenews.com/news467337.html 15 injured in fresh clashes in Kashmir Srinagar, Sept 07: At least 15 people, including 10 policemen, were injured as fresh clashes erupted Sunday between security forces and protesters after the killing of a youth in police firing in the Kashmir Valley. "Ten policemen and CRPF personnel suffered injuries in stone pelting incidents by groups of teenagers and youth at Nowhatta, Zamp Kadal, Gujralbal, Chattabal and Safakadal," a police spokesman said this evening. He said police and CRPF personnel exercised utmost restrain to avoid civilian casualty. However, official sources said five youth were also injured in the clashes which continued throughout the day despite incessant rains. The clashes started at Maisuma in the heart of the city and its adjoining areas including Red Cross, Kokerbazar, Madina chowk and Nai Sadak in the morning and later spread to various downtown and uptown localities, disrupting normal life, the sources said. Javid Iqbal was killed when he was hit by a rubber bullet during a clash between police and protesters at Nowhatta following a general strike called by separatists in support of their demand for right to self-determination yesterday. However, no one was injured in the clashes, which took place at Maisuma in the heart of the city and its adjoining areas including Red Cross, Kokerbazar, Madina chowk and Nai Sadak, they said. A youth Javid Iqbal was killed when he was hit by a rubber bullet during a clash between police and protesters at Nowhatta in interior city following a general strike called by separatists in support of their demand for right to self-determination on Saturday. Coordination Committee of separatists had, however, asked people to resume normal activities from Sunday. But shops and business establishments were forced to down their shutters by youths who visited various markets to enforce a strike to protest against the killing. Life in the vast area of downtown city including Nowhatta - the scene of the fierce clash on Saturday - too was paralysed as groups of youth took to streets at various places in the vicinity of Jamia Masjid shouting pro-freedom slogans. There were minor incidents of stone-pelting at some places including Nowhatta and Rajourikadal. "The situation remained by and large peaceful but tense," officials said. Only skeletal transport was plying on the roads. Additional police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in sensitive areas, a police officer said denying reports of imposition of curfew in parts of the city. Bureau Report http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=113943&d=7&m=9&y=2008 7 September 2008 (06 Ramadan 1429) Youth killed in Kashmir clashes Mukhtar Ahmad I Arab News ESCAPE: Policemen run for cover as protesters throw stones at them during a protest in Srinagar on Saturday. (AP) SRINAGAR: Thousands of angry people took to the streets in Kashmir to denounce the killing yesterday of a protester by government troops who fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells at Muslim demonstrators chanting anti-India slogans, an official said. Shops and businesses were closed and public buses stayed off the roads across much of the region yesterday in response to a strike called by Muslim separatist groups protesting Indian rule in the disputed region. The strike was called by the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, whose members include Muslim separatist leaders and representatives of businesses, lawyers and government employees. The angry crowd threw rocks at the soldiers, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas shells. Several people, both protesters and troops, were injured. ?The injured were taken to SMHS hospital where Javed Ahmad Bhat succumbed,? Wasim Qureshi, the doctor who attended to him, said. News of the youth?s death fueled more clashes as thousands took to the streets to protest the killing. In at least two other areas of Srinagar, protesters burned tires and hurled rocks at troops who fired tear gas to control the crowds, Tripathi said. As the news about the death of Javed spread here, tension gripped the city as mobs at Kak Sarai and Habba Kadal started pelting Indian police and paramilitary. The body of Javed was taken to the martyr?s graveyard at Eidgah for burial in a procession in the afternoon, after it was handed over to his relatives by the police. Release of the detenues rounded up by the police and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in its recent crackdown on the separatists and protesters was the other issue on which yesterday?s call was given by the Coordination Committee, which is a conglomerate of both groups of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), traders and businessmen of the valley. In another development Mirwaiz Maulvi Omar Farooq, the chairman of the moderate APHC, announced expansion of the Coordination Committee by involving academicians, writers, doctors and human rights activists. ?The good news is that bureaucrats and civil servants have also offered their support,? Mirwaiz said. Police kept three key separatist leaders under house arrest for a second day yesterday to prevent them from leading possible demonstrations, a police officer said. http://www.zeenews.com/States/2008-09-05/466967news.html Protests in Kashmir; separatist leaders under house arrest Srinagar, Sept 05: Peaceful protests were held on Friday at several places in the Kashmir valley as authorities put separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik under house arrest, official sources said. They said police resorted to lathicharge and used teargas shells to disperse the mob, leading to clashes between the two sides. A police officer was injured in the stone-pelting by the mob, the sources added. Protests were held outside all major mosques and shrines in the Valley on the call of the coordination committee ? an amalgam of all major separatist outfits of the valley, the sources said. The authorities put Geelani, Malik, and Mirwaiz under house arrest fearing that the presence of these leaders at Friday congregations could lead to law and order problems. Geelani had said he would offer Friday prayers at the Hazratbal Shrine but was confined to his residence at Hyderpora by a posse of policemen early today. Reports of peaceful demonstrations after Friday prayers were also received from Anantnag, Baramulla, Bandipora, Budgam, Pulwama, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Shopian and Kulgam districts. The coordination committee has called for a general strike tomorrow. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/230103,one-killed-during-protests-in-indian-kashmir.html One killed during protests in Indian Kashmir Posted : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:56:06 GMT Author : DPA Category : India (World) Srinagar, India - Violence broke out in India-administered Kashmir after a two-week lull on Saturday, with the death of a demonstrator when police fired to disperse protestors. The police said they fired to disperse a mob of protestors who pelted stones at security forces personnel in the old quarters of Jammu and Kashmir state capital Srinagar. Two people were injured and admitted to hospital. Protestors shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans gathered in several parts of the city which saw a complete shutdown in response to a strike call by the separatist Hurriyat Conference. Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing violent protests during the last two months over an order allotting land to a Hindu cave shrine. The unrest, the most widespread in the region in over a decade, has seen clashes between protestors and security forces leaving at least 50 dead. A coordination committee which is spearheading the protests in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, in the upper region of the state, has called a meeting on Sunday to discuss further protest plans. http://www.zeenews.com/States/2008-09-06/467072news.html One killed as police tries to quell protests in Kashmir Srinagar, Sept 06: One protestor was killed and another injured in clashes between police and protestors in Nowhatta, Srinagar on Saturday during a shutdown called by separatists in the Kashmir valley. Hospital officials said it was not clear yet whether the youth had died in firing or after being hit by a rubber bullet. Meanwhile, life in the Kashmir valley remained tense on Saturday due to the shutdown called by the joint coordination committee of both the separatist Hurriyat groups. Shops, business establishments, educational institutions and banks remained closed in this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Attendance in government offices was very thin due to the non-availability of public transport. Reports reaching here from the district headquarters of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Badgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara and Baramulla indicated that the shutdown was total. The separatist coordination committee had called for peaceful symbolic protests Friday to be followed by Saturday's shutdown across the valley. ?Today's shutdown call is against the agreement over the forest land between the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti and the government, which we have already rejected,? separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani said here. Meanwhile, Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik continued to remain under house arrest for the third day Saturday. Geelani and the Mirwaiz were arrested Aug 24, while Malik was detained Aug 25 to prevent their participation in the proposed separatist march to city centre Lal Chowk on Aug 25. They had been released on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that began here Tuesday. Bureau Report http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080907/main6.htm One killed in fresh Srinagar protests Kumar Rakesh Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 6 The ever-fragile calm of Kashmir was shattered today when a man was killed after being hit by a rubber bullet of the security forces in Srinagar. Earlier, a violent mob comprising hundreds of youths charged towards the security personnel and attacked them with stones and even threw a petrol bomb. Life in the valley was paralysed as shops, offices and educational facilities were closed on account of the bandh call given by the Hurriyat-led coordination committee. A police official said a large crowd gathered at Nowhatta in the downtown and resorted to stone-pelting on security personnel. A petrol bomb was hurled at a local police station, though it exploded outside the building. As the situation deteriorated, the police and security personnel fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. One Javaid Ahmad Bhat died when he was hit by a rubber bullet in his chest. Another Jahangir Bhat sustained injuries in his leg. ?At least 15 persons were injured, including four security personnel,? a police official said. Locals said the killed man was not in the agitating crowd. ?He was a taxi driver and happened to be there when the bullet hit him,? Ghulam Ahmad, a local said. Javaid?s death sparked off a massive demonstration. Hundreds of people came out of their homes and sat on the road with his body. People took to roads in different localities of the summer capital, especially as the news of death spread. Protests were witnessed in Bemina and Daresh Kadal and security personnel used force to disperse the crowd. Scores of protesters also gathered in Sopore and held demonstrations demanding release of some locals arrested by the police. There were protests in Anantnagh and Bandipore also. Apart from pro-separatist marches, bandh kept life out of gear. Transport services were off-road. Top separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yaseen Malik, remained under house arrest for the second day. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/03amar.htm Hurriyat to continue protests in Kashmir Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar | September 03, 2008 22:28 IST The All Parties Hurriyat Conference on Wednesday announced the resumption of protests by calling a general strike on Saturday. The APHC co-ordination committee decided to call the strike after holding a meeting in Srinagar [Images] today afternoon to decide its future course of action. Kashmiri separatists are isolated from reality "The coordination committee has appealed to the people to hold peaceful protests after Friday prayers and observe a complete strike on Saturday," a spokesman of the committee said. 'Why object to Islamic rule?' The chairman of the moderate faction of the APHC, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, couldn't chair today's meeting as he is under house arrest. The meeting was chaired by senior separatist leader Fazal Haq Qureshi. Coverage: The Amarnath Row Three top separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik were released by the authorities two days ago. Geelani, who was admitted at the Soura Medical Institute following a mild chest infection, was discharged today. Why Kashmir is up in flames Shops downed their shutters and vehicles stayed off the roads after 5 pm, in response to a call given by the co-ordination committee. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=402477 Separatists call for peaceful protests Friday ________________________________________ IANS Wednesday 3rd September, 2008 The joint coordination committee of both the Hurriyat groups Wednesday asked Kashmiris to hold peaceful protests Friday and observe a shutdown in the Kashmir Valley the next day. The committee made the appeal after a three-hour meeting of the Hurriyat groups headed by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq at the Mirwaiz Manzil in the old city of Srinagar. "After Friday prayers, people would hold peaceful protests for half hour in their areas. There would be no shutdown Friday,' it said. "This would be followed by a complete valley-wide protest shutdown Saturday," it said. The statement said that there would be no shutdown Sunday. Contrary to expectations here that the coordination committee would announce a separatist march to Lal Chowk, the city centre, the decision is seen as a mild reaction to the agreement under which the government has made available land for the use of the board that oversses the Amarnath Hindu shrine. The coordination committee, with representatives from both the separatist Hurriyat groups, was formed here in the wake of massive protests against the alleged economic blockade of the valley by protesters in Jammu region demanding the restoration of forest land to the Amarnath board. People living in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley are still experiencing shortages of many essential supplies including food, edible oils, cooking gas, vegetables, fruits and kerosene oil. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Curfew-clamped-again-after-fresh-protests-in-Valley/355786/ Curfew clamped again after fresh protests in Valley Express news service Posted: Sep 01, 2008 at 0152 hrs IST SRINAGAR, AUGUST 31: On day eight of the curfew in the Kashmir valley, the J-K Government on Sunday announced simultaneous relaxation in curfew across the Valley but had to immediately re-impose curfew at several places after hundreds of people took to the streets raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Four persons were injured when the J-K Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) fired rubber bullets on the protestors in the old city. In Srinagar, as the announcement of relaxation in curfew was made, hundreds of people took to the streets in downtown city. The people were raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and demanded release of the separatist leaders arrested by the J-K Police after their crackdown against the separatists in the Valley. Hundreds of people took to the streets at Rajouri Kadal, Nowhatta, Bohri Kadal, Nawab Bazar and other parts of the old city. At Rajouri Kadal, the police and CRPF tried to stop the peaceful protest march and resorted to baton charge. Then they fired rubber bullets to disperse the protestors resulting in injuries to the four persons. The people soon turned violent and engaged in pitched battles with the J-K Police and CRPF. Soon after the protests, the J-K Police re-imposed the curfew in the old city. However, in the Civil Lines city, the relaxation time passed off peacefully and the police extended curfew first for three hours and then by another four hours till 7 p.m. Curfew had to be imposed again in Sopore, Baramulla and Shopian towns. In Sopore town, as the curfew was relaxed for two hours in the morning, hundreds of people took to streets and raised pro-freedom slogans. The people engaged in clashes with J-K Police and CRPF. The police re-imposed the curfew in the town soon after the relaxation was announced. The Baramulla town too witnessed re-imposition of curfew after the people took to streets raising pro-freedom slogans. This is for the third consecutive day that the curfew had to be re-imposed in the town as a result of massive protests. Pro-freedom processions were also taken out at several places across the valley including Shopian and Kupwara. Hundreds of people took to streets raising pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and demanding release of the separatist leaders. At several places, the protestors entered into clashes with police and CRPF. More than a dozen protestors were injured in these clashes. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Srinagar_Fresh_clashes_follow_curfew_relaxation/articleshow/3427875.cms Srinagar: Fresh clashes follow curfew relaxation PTI 31 August 2008, 02:20pm IST SRINAGAR: Protesters demanding the release of separatist leaders clashed with security forces in several areas of downtown Srinagar on Sunday during a brief relaxation of curfew. ( Watch ) Within minutes of announcement of relaxation from 9 AM in Srinagar, groups of people raising "pro-freedom" slogans and demanding release of separatist leaders took to streets in Rajouri Kadal, Nowhatta, Malaratta, Saraf Kadal, Nawab Bazar, Zaldager, Nallah Mar, Habba Kadal and Tankipora, official sources said. Police used batons to disperse protesters who pelted stones on them and fought pitched battles on the streets. However, no casualty was reported, the sources said. Fearing trouble, the authorities cut short the relaxation period in the areas which witnessed the protests. In other areas of the city, curfew was relaxed for three hours from 9 AM, the sources said. Curfew was clamped in all 10 districts of Kashmir valley on August 24 to thwart a rally by separatists. Top leaders of both factions of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Shabir Ahmed Shah, JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi were also arrested. Curfew was also relaxed in Bandipora and Pulwama districts on Sunday from 8 AM while in Baramulla, Budgam and Kupwara districts from 10 AM. However, no relaxation was given in rest of the four districts of Shopian, Kulgam, Ganderbal and Anantnag, the sources said. The coordination committee of separatists has, meanwhile, appealed to people to protest peacefully. "We appeal to the people not to provoke police and troopers and protest peacefully," spokesperson of the committee said in a statement. http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/09/01/0809012135_kashmir-2nld_curfew.html Kashmir curfew:Six injured in clashes Monday, September 01, 2008 21:31 [IST] Srinagar:At least six persons were injured in sporadic clashes between police and protesters here today even as curfew was relaxed in seven of the ten districts of Kashmir valley for varied periods to enable people to buy essentials on the eve of Ramzan, official sources said. Authorities delayed relaxation in curfew in view of a call for peaceful protests given by coordination committee of separatists and the clashes that took place in some parts of interior and uptown city. One Zahid Ahmad Dar was hit by a rubber bullet at Razdan Kocha near Nawab bazar, which alongwith Fatehkadal, Saffakadal and Naidkadal areas in downtown Srinagar witnessed violent protests, they said. Two persons were injured at Saffakadal and another in Naidkadal, they said. Batmaloo locality of central Srinagar witnessed brick-battle between police and the protesters, which left two persons injured, they said, adding police fired dozens of teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the agitators. A group of people also tried to took out a procession in Khanyar but were stopped by police leading to a clash between the two sides. Groups of youth also tried to assemble at various places in the city including Nowhatta, Rajouri Kadal, Natipora, Rambagh, Danderkhah, Qammerwari and Bohrikadal but were chased away by police, they said. Parts of Srinagar witnessed violent protests during relaxation period yesterday, prompting authorities to re-clamp curfew in the interior city within minutes of easing it. Source : PTI http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Asia&set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20080901110855154C878212 Kashmir plans more protests September 01 2008 at 02:58PM By Sheikh Mushtaq Srinagar, India - Sporadic clashes broke out in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir on Monday as anger festered against a deal with Hindu groups to resolve a land dispute that has paralysed and polarised the state. The dispute about forest land near a Hindu shrine has sharply divided Hindu-majority Jammu and mainly Muslim Kashmir, the two main parts of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 38 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed since the row snowballed into some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley since a revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989. The government announced a deal with Hindu groups on Sunday, sparking celebrations in Jammu. In Kashmir, however, the deal has been rejected by separatists and some mainstream parties. A curfew remains in place but more protests are planned, separatists said. Police fired rubber bullets at protesters in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's summer capital, hitting a roadsweeper in the chest with a rubber bullet. Most shops remained closed in the city. Federal police, mostly Hindus who do not speak the Kashmiri language, patrolled nearly every street corner armed with automatic rifles and batons. Barbed wire cordoned off entire neighbourhoods. Barbed wire cordoned off entire neighbourhoods. Many passers-by stopped to show journalists bruises they said had come from police beatings. International human rights groups have criticised Indian troops for using excessive force. The land dispute began in June after the state government promised to give forest land to a trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Muslims were enraged, the government backtracked, and then Hindus protested, blocking the highway to the Kashmir Valley. The state government has now promised to allow temporary shelters to be built during the annual pilgrimage. Muslim separatists have rejected the deal, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a mainstream party that believes in Kashmir's unity with India, called the agreement a "move to disrespect the popular sentiments in Kashmir". One local newspaper on Monday splashed two photos side by side on its front page. The first showed Hindus celebrating the land deal with a smiling policeman in Jammu. The second showed a Muslim youth lying in hospital after being shot by police, echoing Kashmiri sentiments that India's government favours Hindus over Muslims. For many Kashmiris, the land dispute was only the spark for wider simmering discontent about 60 years of Indian rule. "We will continue our peaceful protests. What we want is freedom, nothing else," said Zaffar, a 23-year-old student. India has intensified a crackdown against separatists and detained at least five separatist leaders, including a top woman leader, in an effort to defuse protests. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since the armed revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out in 1989. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Jammu_protesters_defy_curfew_to_attend_victory_rally/articleshow/3427433.cms Jammu simmers; protesters defy curfew for 'victory' rally 31 Aug 2008, 1730 hrs IST, PTI JAMMU: At least 28 people were injured on Sunday when police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse crowds which defied curfew and Protesters pelt stones at police during curfew in Jammu. (Pic courtesy: Times Now) More Pictures broke barricades to take part in a 'victory' rally in Jammu city after signing of an accord on the Amarnath land issue. ( Watch ) Authorities had imposed curfew in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Poonch, Samba and Kishtwar and deployed the Army in the entire city to prevent the march called by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangrash Samiti which suspended its two-month long agitation after the government allowed the Amarnath Shrine Board to use the land in Kashmir during the yatra period. ( Watch ) People defied the curfew at dozens of places and broke through police barricades and barbed wire fencing put up by the Army to march towards M A M Stadium - the venue of the 'Vijay Rally', police said. Fierce clashes erupted in Parade, Purani Mandi, Canal Road, Jewel Chowk, KC Morh, Janipur, Gangyal, Tallab Tilloo and Shakti Nagar, Residency road areas of city, with police, Army, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF personnel resorting to teargas shelling and cane-charge on protesters, including women and children. Irate over the police action, people resorted to heavy stone pelting and clashed with police in which over 25 people and three police personnel were injured. "Fifteen persons were hospitalised and other were discharge after first aid," police said. "We have imposed curfew to stop people from assembling and taking part in the major rally in view of intelligence reports of presence of some militants in Jammu," district's Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari said. Militants can use this occasion to trigger violence, he said. "Fierce clashes have taken place in Jewel Chowk, Canal Road, Purani Mandi and Saint Peters areas in the city," police sources said adding people chanting 'Bum Bum Bolay' were staging sit-ins at several places. "We did not allow people to reach to M A M Stadium - the venue of the rally. Strict orders had been passed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu to take all measures to quell the mobs," they said. Bhandari said about three to four lakh people were expected to converge for the rally. Authorities had urged the Samiti to call off the march as there were fears that militants were present in the outskirts of the city, who could Protesters pelt stones at police during curfew in Jammu. (Pic courtesy: Times Now) More Pictures be a threat to the rally, he added. "There is a security concern and that is why curfew was the only alternative," Bhandari added. Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Manohar Singh said that a man had reported entry of two militants in his house at Sangh Talab area of Raipur-Domana in the outskirts of the city. Army and police have launched an operation to track down militants and the entire area has been cordoned off, he said. The 64-day long agitation ended here today following signing of an agreement between SAYSS and the Governor's panel headed by S S Bloeria under which the shrine board has been given 40 hectares of land for exclusive use by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for the period of yatra. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=151875 Despite deal, Kashmir plans more protests Sporadic clashes broke out in Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir on Monday as anger festered against a deal with Hindu groups to resolve a land dispute that has paralyzed and polarized the state. The dispute over forest land near a Hindu shrine has sharply divided Hindu-majority Jammu and mainly Muslim Kashmir, the two main parts of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 38 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed since the row snowballed into some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley since a revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989. The government announced a deal with Hindu groups on Sunday, sparking celebrations in Jammu. In Kashmir, however, the deal has been rejected by separatists and some mainstream parties. A curfew remains in place but more protests are planned, separatists said. Police fired rubber bullets at protesters in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's summer capital, hitting a roadsweeper in the chest with a rubber bullet. Most shops remained closed in the city. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aHhr13Fk1JEQ&refer=india Hindu Kashmir Group Ends Protest as State Cedes Land to Shrine Email | Print | A A A By Jay Shankar Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- A Hindu group seeking the transfer of land to caretakers of a shrine in Kashmir ended protests after the state government agreed to its demands, an official said. ``The crunch issue has been accepted,'' Suchet Singh, spokesman for the group, said today by telephone from Jammu, the winter capital of the state. ``The government granted exclusive rights to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board to use the land.'' Tension between Muslims and Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, rose after the government transferred land to the shrine in June. Separatist Muslim leaders in Srinagar protested the transfer and took to the streets demanding an end to Indian rule. At least 34 people were killed, most of them shot by police, during the protests. Hindus began their own demonstrations after the decision was reversed on July 1, blocking the movement of goods from mainly Muslim Srinagar to Hindu-majority Jammu and other parts of India. ``We got the land back and independence to the shrine board,'' Sharma said. ``These were two issues which we fought for.'' The ownership status of the land will not change, he said. The 99-acre (40-hectare) site is to be used for building temporary structures for more than 400,000 Hindu pilgrims who trek every year to the shrine in a mountain cave. Victory Rally A curfew has been imposed in Jammu and troops were deployed to stop people from participating in a ``victory rally,'' the Press Trust of India said, citing Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mandeep Bhandari. More than 300,000 people are expected to take part in the rally, Bhandari told PTI. There is a threat of militants disrupting the gathering, he added. Sharma said the rally will go ahead peacefully. ``We have told protesters not to confront either the police or the army. We will not force our way through. Let people celebrate their victory,'' he said. Jammu and Kashmir is part of a Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both. The nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the territory. More than a dozen Islamic separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 for the state's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan in a conflict that has killed about 50,000 people. http://www.worldpress.org/feed.cfm?http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Protesters-clash-with-security-forces-in-Srinagar/355594/ Separatists reject accord, sporadic incidents in Valley Font Size -A +A Press Trust of India Posted: Aug 31, 2008 at 2053 hrs IST Print Email To Editor Post Comments Most Read Articles Related Articles Hand over Lakhvi to India, US tells PakPut Mumbai terror attacks behind: Pak NSA'Give access to Kasab for credibility to con...Sania didn?t pay ?charges?, security withdra...Ghajini (Movie Review)Is IBM eyeing stake in Satyam? Srinagar, August 31: The Coordination Committee of separatist outfits on Sunday rejected the accord reached between the Jammu and Kashmir Government and the group, which led the stir, on resolution of the vexed Amarnath land transfer issue. "Although the land issue has no importance for us at the moment, we reject the agreement," a spokesman of the Committee said. On the other hand, sporadic violence occurred in Kashmir Valley with mobs, protesting among other things the accord on the Amarnath land issue, indulging in clashes with police prompting authorities to re-clamp curfew in parts of Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara districts. At least nine persons were injured as police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse mobs also protesting the arrest of separatist leaders, youth and highhandedness of security forces, official sources said. They said angry youths clashed with police in Sopore township of Baramulla, Baramulla district town and Kupwara district town in protest against the signing of the accord between the Sri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and the panel set up by Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra. Police assisted by security forces used batons and teargas shells to disperse the protesters resulting in the injury to five persons at Ribbon village in Sopore. In Srinagar, trouble began within minutes of the announcement of relaxation of curfew in interior parts of the city when groups of youth took to the streets and started raising ?anti-India? slogans and demanded release of arrested leaders and other youth. Within no time, the protests which started from Rajouri Kadal spread to adjoining localities including Nowhatta, Malaratta, Saraf Kadal, Nawab Bazar, Zaldager, Nallah mar, Habbakadal and Tankipora, the sources said. A youth identified as Irshad Ahmad Kenu was hit by a bullet in his leg, while three others were injured in baton charge at Rajouri Kadal, the sources said. Fearing more trouble, the authorities immediately re-clamped curfew and drove people back to their homes. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-31-voa7.cfm?CFID=86898797&CFTOKEN=16595722 Kashmir Hindu Groups Call Off Strike After Government Budges By Shahnawaz Khan Srinagar 31 August 2008 Hindu groups in Indian administered Kashmir have suspended a two-month protest over a land dispute, after the state government ceded to their demands. Shahnawaz Khan reports for VOA from Indian-Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar. Hindu protestors celebrate by throwing color powders in Jammu, India, 31 Aug 2008 Hindu protesters defied a curfew in Jammu district of Indian-administered Kashmir to hold a victory march after the government acceded to their demands. Officials said they imposed the curfew because they feared a militant attack on the victory rally. Marchers threw stones at soldiers, who responded with tear gas. The government has allowed a Hindu Shrine Board, at the center of the land dispute, exclusive use of 40 hectares of forest to provide facilities to pilgrims for three months each year. But the land has not been transferred to the Shrine Board, as had been done in June. Leela Karan Sharma, of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti, the group spearheading the protests, told reporters in Jammu the government has met most of its demands. "I am happy that the task that I had taken upon myself has been completed, with honesty and courage," Sharma said. "The land has been kept aside for exclusive use of shrine board, without any payment." Kashmiri Muslims had protested the government's June decision to transfer the land to the Board, alleging India planned to create Hindu settlements in Muslim-dominated Kashmir. The protests grew into large pro-freedom marches. The government then rescinded the order, which led to protests in Hindu-dominated Jammu province. The latest government decision hopes to create peace in Jammu, but it is unclear how Kashmir Valley will respond to it. A coordination committee of Kashmiri Muslim separatists is discussing the issue in Srinagar, in the absence of its top leadership. At least 40 people, mostly Kashmiri Muslims, have been killed in police clashes with protesters this month and six top separatist leaders were arrested. The U.N. Human Rights office this week urged Indian authorities to respect the right to freedom of assembly and expression, and comply with international human-rights principles in controlling the demonstrators. India described the comments as unwarranted. India and Pakistan each claim Jammu and Kashmir in full and control parts of it divided by a de-facto border. Muslim separatists have been fighting for the Independence of Indian-administered Kashmir or for its merger with Pakistan since 1989. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/protests-against-land-deal-curfew-in-kashmir-areas/72538-3.html?from=rssfeed Protests against land deal, curfew in Kashmir areas IANS Published on Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 14:58 in Nation section Tags: Amarnath Land Row, Kashmir , Srinagar Read Comment | Post Comment TROUBLED WATERS: Kashmiris buy vegetables at the Dal Lake during curfew relaxation in Srinagar on Saturday. Srinagar: Authorities moved in quickly to re-impose curfew in a few places in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday after protests erupted against the state government's decision to give the Amarnath temple trust exclusive rights over a controversial piece of land during the two-month pilgrimage period. In Mahrajgunj locality of Srinagar, curfew was re-imposed within hours of it being lifted after protests broke out. One person was injured as security forces clashed with the protesters during the curfew relaxation period. "Curfew relaxation was withdrawn and re-imposed in the area immediately as violent protests erupted," a police official told IANS here. In south Kashmir's Kulgam district, protesters came out on the streets and burnt effigies of Governor N N Vohra after news about the agreement between the four-member government panel and the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti spread like wildfire in the morning. Day curfew had been completely lifted in the south Kashmir districts of Kulgam and Shopian following improvement in the situation. It has been reimposed in Kulgam. According to the agreement, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) would get rights over the 40 hectares of forest land in Baltal during the pilgrimage period. In north Kashmir Ganderbal district, authorities too were forced to immediately re-impose curfew following protests. Reports of protests have also come in from the north Kashmir Sopore town where people started pelting stones on security personnel during the curfew relaxation period. A four-member panel nominated by Governor N N Vohra reached an agreement in the early hours Sunday with the negotiating team of the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti in winter capital Jammu to end the row over the land issue which has paralyzed life in Jammu for more than two months. As per the agreement, the SASB would be allowed to use the 40 hectares of forest land in the north Kashmir Baltal area "which would be set aside exclusively for use by the SASB without any change in proprietorship/title of the land which would continue to remain with the state forest department." The agreement is being celebrated by the leaders of the Sangarsh samiti who are projecting it as a "victory for the people of the Jammu region". http://www.buzzle.com/articles/218541.html South Asia: Four Killed As Indian Troops Fire on Protesters in Kashmir Deaths come as separatist crowds defy army curfew following Hindu shrine decision Indian security forces fired into crowds of demonstrators yesterday who defied curfews in the Kashmi valley, killing at least four people, as a new generation of youth appeared radicalized by the call for the state's independence from India. In a series of confrontations around Srinagar, crowds of several thousand faced down Indian troops and police. Four deaths have been confirmed while seven people are in a critical condition. The state government said soldiers only opened fire after being attacked - a claim separatist groups say is an attempt to justify the use of deadly force. Many of the dead appear to be either innocent victims or young Kashmiris armed with little more than rocks and a set of well-worn pro-independence slogans. In the maze of back streets, the blood of 62-year-old shopkeeper Ghulam Qadir Hajam is still splattered on the walls near his family home. Outside a crowd has gathered with a single word on their lips: "Azadi" (freedom from India). Hajam, said his family, was shot dead trying to save his eldest son Mohammed Yaquob being beaten with the butt a rifle by a group of Indian soldiers on Sunday. "My brother had gone to get milk for the family," said Hilal Ahmad, another son. "We heard a noise and rushed outside and saw my brother being beaten. My father then started to cry out to leave his son alone and the soldiers shot him. We are ordinary shopkeepers and [soldiers] used to come to our shop to buy milk. They knew us. Why did they kill us?" The use of "overwhelming force" has dismayed mainstream Kashmiri politicians, who have long defended Indian rule. Omar Abdullah, an MP in the Indian parliament whose grandfather took Kashmir into the Indian Union, told the Guardian that he was considering resigning. "People in Kashmir know that the armed struggle has got them nowhere. So they are trying peaceful demonstrations. However, if the use of overwhelming force is used against peaceful protest then what is my role? What space are you leaving [for democrats]," said Abdullah. "I don't think an independent Kashmir can survive but let's have that debate." The latest protests in the Muslim-majority state have their roots in a decision in May to give 40 hectares (100 acres) of land in the Himalayas to a Hindu shrine, which is visited by 100,000 pilgrims a year. The order has been rescinded temporarily by Delhi, but the demonstrations in Kashmir have broadened into a pro-independence movement. Hindus in Kashmir's Jammu region have responded by blockading the main highway linking the plains of India to Srinagar. After weeks of protests by separatist leaders, which culminated in 500,000 gathering in Srinagar on Friday, the army began a crackdown. First newspapers were shut down and local news broadcasts banned. A curfew was then imposed, emptying the streets of Srinagar on Sunday. The main political separatist leaders were arrested and imprisoned yesterday. Military checkpoints have been set up every few hundred meters and buildings have been covered in barbed wire. The attempt by the authorities to snuff out the protests have confirmed in many people's minds that the Indian government would never consider anything but the status quo for Kashmir - over which India has fought two wars with its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan since 1947. "Delhi does not want to see the Kashmir problem in terms of self-determination," said Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a law lecturer at University of Kashmir. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Security-forces-fire-on-protesters-in-Kupwara-one-killed/354039/ Fresh violence in Kashmir, 2 die in firing by security forces Font Size -A +A Agencies Posted: Aug 27, 2008 at 1827 hrs IST Print Email To Editor Post Comments Most Read Articles Related Articles Dar making too many mistakes, needs a break:...Sania didn?t pay ?charges?, security withdra...Bollywood flashback: Hits and Misses of 2008BJP sweeps Ktk bypolls, gains absolute major...I-T chief stopped in hired car with red beac...Govt okays 21% pay hike; arrears from ?06 Srinagar, August 27: Two persons were killed and another was critically injured on Wednesday when security forces opened fire on protestors who defied curfew in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara and Budgam districts as violence erupted again in the Valley after a brief lull. A group of people tried to defy curfew in Soibugh area of Budgam in the afternoon and raised anti-India slogans, prompting security forces to resort to baton charge and teargas shelling, official sources said. Unable to control the mob, the security forces opened fire resulting in death of one Hilal Ahmad Mir, they said. Another youth was hit by a teargas shell and was shifted to a hospital here in a critical condition. Earlier, a group of protestors started raising anti-India slogans after offering afternoon prayers at Banday Mohalla in Handwara area of Kupwara, the sources said. Security forces opened fire to disperse the mob in which one person identified as Mohammad Yousuf Banday was injured. He was shifted to a hospital in Srinagar where doctors declared him brought dead. Agitated at the firing, more people gathered in the area and indulged in stone pelting resulting in minor injuries to five police personnel. With these, the death toll in firing by security forces on curfew-defying protesters has now gone up to eight. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0808271765185419.htm 2 killed as security forces open fire on protesters in Kashmir New Delhi, Aug 27, IRNA India-Kashmir-Protest Two persons were killed and another was critically injured on Wednesday when security forces opened fire on protesters who defied curfew in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara and Budgam districts as violence erupted again in the Valley after a brief lull. A group of people tried to defy curfew in Soibugh area of Budgam in the afternoon and raised anti-India slogans, prompting security forces to resort to baton charge and tear-gas shelling, NDTV reported quoting official sources. Unable to control the mob, the security forces opened fire resulting in the death of one Hilal Ahmad Mir, they said. Another youth was hit by a teargas shell and was shifted to a hospital in Srinagar in a critical condition. Earlier, a group of protesters started raising anti-India slogans after offering afternoon prayers at Banday Mohalla in Handwara area of Kupwara, the sources said. Security forces opened fire to disperse the mob in which one person identified as Mohammad Yousuf Banday was injured. He was shifted to a hospital here where doctors declared him brought dead. Agitated at the firing, more people gathered in the area and indulged in stone pelting resulting in minor injuries to five police personnel. With these, the death toll in firing by security forces on curfew- defying protesters has now gone up to eight. http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINSP24482720080826 UPDATE 3-India extends Kashmir curfew, detains separatists Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:55pm IST (Updates with police crackdown) By Sheikh Mushtaq SRINAGAR, India, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Indian police beat Kashmiri protesters who defied a curfew on Tuesday and troops searched for separatist leaders as the biggest anti-India protests in two decades showed no sign of abating. Authorities said they had detained four separatist leaders since Monday. They raided the homes of dozens of leaders in a sweep that began on Monday night. Asiya Andrabi, chief of Kashmir's women's separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of the Muslim Faith) who led series of anti-India protests over the last two weeks was detained late on Tuesday, police said. Police on Monday killed five protesters who defied the curfew, bringing the death toll to at least 28 in the biggest demonstrations since a revolt against Indian rule by the region's Muslim majority broke out in 1989. The Indian government says its security forces have been fired upon by protesters on several occasions, questioning separatist statements that their protests were peaceful. The government has also disputed whether Sheikh Aziz, a senior separatist leader, was killed by police gunfire, saying someone among the crowd of protesters could have shot him. More than 600 people have been injured in clashes over the two weeks of protests. The state, whose tourist brochures proclaim the Kashmir valley as "paradise on earth", has suffered more than $1 billion in lost business. Police used tear gas and beat hundreds of protesters with batons for defying the curfew in the Achabal area, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Srinagar, the summer capital, police said. Residents in Kashmir stayed indoors as the military extended the curfew for a third day. Authorities blocked four local television channels from broadcasting on Sunday. The crisis has strained relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule in parts, damaging a tentative peace process and raising fears Kashmir could again become a hotspot between the two nuclear rivals. It has also raised fears of communal tension in the state, which is split between the Hindu-majority region around Jammu city and the Muslim Kashmir valley. Residents say the deaths have fuelled more anger against India and further alienated Kashmiris from New Delhi. "TREATED LIKE SLAVES" "During three months of violent protests in Jammu police have killed three Hindus, just three Hindus," said 45-year-old Gausi Khan, a doctor. "And in just two weeks these people have killed more than 30 people (Muslims). This simple mathematics tells you India treats us like slaves." The crisis began after the state government promised to give forest land to a trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Many Muslims were enraged. The government then rescinded its decision, which in turn angered Hindus in Jammu, who blocked the region's only road link and attacked lorries carrying supplies to the Kashmir valley. The protests have tentatively united a disparate group of separatists like the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, which condemns militant violence, and the breakaway group of hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, for years seen as marginalised. The government could be forced to suspend state elections due in Jammu and Kashmir this year, which would be a victory for separatists who have urged a boycott of any vote. Officials say more than 43,000 people have been killed in violence involving Indian troops and Muslim militants since 1989. Human rights groups put the toll at about 60,000 dead or missing. Levels of violence in Kashmir had been falling in the past few years amid tighter Indian security and a peace process between Pakistan and India. (Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Myra MacDonald) http://www.dawn.com/2008/08/26/rss.htm#31 Occupied Kashmir protests despite curfew SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir , Aug 26 (AFP) Indian police used teargas and gunfire to disperse hundreds of protesters in occupied Kashmir on Tuesday as the death toll among demonstrators rose to five, officials said. Officers said they also used batons as protesters gathered in southern Achabal village a day after four people were killed in police shootings and over 100 injured in clashes. One of the injured died in hospital Tuesday, doctors said. ?A strict curfew remains in force all over the Kashmir valley,? police officer Pervez Ahmed said in Srinagar. The latest troubles were triggered by a state government plan made public in June to donate land to a Hindu shrine trust in the occupied Kashmir valley. The decision was later reversed after massive Muslim protests, angering Hindus. Since June, at least 37 Muslims and three Hindus have died in police shootings on protesters in the region. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST, Updated @ Posted @ 15:00 PST) http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200808260455DOWJONESDJONLINE000142_univ.xml Hundreds Protest In Indian Kashmir Despite Curfew8-26-08 4:55 AM EDT | E-mail Article | Print Article SRINAGAR, India (AFP)--Indian police used teargas and gunfire to disperse hundreds of protesters in Kashmir Tuesday as the death toll among defiant demonstrators rose to five, officials said. Police officers said they also used batons as protesters broke a curfew and gathered in southern Achabal village a day after four people were killed in police shootings and over 100 injured in clashes as the restrictions were flouted. One of the injured died in hospital Tuesday, doctors said. "A strict curfew remains in force all over the Kashmir valley," police officer Pervez Ahmed said in summer capital Srinagar, as New Delhi tried to end a series of major demonstrations against its rule in the mainly Muslim region. The latest troubles were triggered by a state government plan made public in June to donate land to a Hindu shrine trust in the Kashmir valley. The decision was later reversed after massive Muslim protests, angering Hindus. The crackdown prevented a planned rally Monday by separatists in Srinagar's historic Red Square. Ahead of the scheduled event, authorities arrested two leading separatists and detained a third as he tried to march towards the venue. The three - Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik - have recently led some of the largest pro-independence demonstrations since armed militants started an insurgency against Indian rule in 1989. Since June, at least 37 Muslims and three Hindus have died in police shootings on protesters in the Kashmir valley and the mainly Hindu area of Jammu. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=151224 Three shot dead as Kashmir protesters defy India?s curfew An activist of Sri Amarnath Yatra Sangharshana Samathi, or Shri Amarnath Pilgrimage Struggle Committee, shouts slogans as he is arrested by police in Hyderabad, India. Soldiers and police fired at Muslim protesters demanding an end to Indian rule in Kashmir as authorities arrested top separatist leaders on Monday in a bid to quash unrest that has left at least 37 people dead since June. The three latest deaths came late on Sunday in Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, and Monday in two villages on the city's outskirts when security forces confronted angry protesters defying a curfew in the Kashmir Valley, the Muslim heart of India's Jammu and Kashmir state. The state government said in a statement that soldiers opened fire Monday after they were shot at by protesters, who wounded two soldiers and two police. At least 15 protesters were believed to have been wounded. While there was no immediate reaction from the separatist groups that are organizing the protests, they have repeatedly said such accusations are an attempt by authorities to justify the use of force against unarmed civilians. Kashmir's crisis began in June when Muslims launched protests complaining that a government decision to transfer land to a Hindu shrine in Kashmir was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region. After the plan was rescinded, Hindus took to the streets of Jammu, a predominantly Hindu city, demanding it be restored. The unrest has unleashed pent-up tensions between Kashmir's Muslims and Hindus and has threatened to snap the bonds between India and its only Muslim-majority state. There was more unrest Monday in Jammu, where police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of stone-throwing Hindu protesters, police said. And in much of the state -- from the Hindu-dominated plains where Jammu lies to Muslim mountain villages near Srinagar -- strikes shut down businesses and schools. There were few cars on the roads, and markets stood empty as Srinagar prepared for what separatist leaders were billing as the largest protest to date. A rally Friday attracted hundreds of thousands of people. In an effort to head off Monday's protests, authorities arrested two prominent separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, in pre-dawn raids, police said. Another separatist leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, was arrested later Monday for defying the curfew when he tried to march to the center of Srinagar. Police and soldiers were also out in force, patrolling on foot and in armored vehicles. Before his arrest Farooq told The Associated Press that the detentions "will not deter our mission." Throughout the morning, pro-independence chants were blaring from the loudspeakers of mosques, and there were scattered protests, most of which were quickly dispersed by police and soldiers. Kashmir has been divided between Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan since 1947 when the two fought their first war over the region in the aftermath of Britain's bloody partition of the subcontinent. 26 August 2008, Tuesday http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082655351000.htm 30 injured in fresh Jammu protests Luv Puri ? Photo: PTI Raging issue: Teargas shells being fired on protesters during a demonstration on Akhnoor Road near Jammu on Monday. Jammu: Thirty persons, including a Senior Superintendent of Police, were injured in renewed protests in various parts of Jammu as the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti?s call for ?chakka jam? caused a complete shutdown. The Samiti has already extended its strike till August 31. There was no vehicular movement on Monday in response to a Samiti?s call but sporadic violence continued throughout the day in which SSP Manmohan Singh of 8th Battalion of the J&K Armoured Police was injured in stone pelting. There were also incidents of stone pelting in Kathua. Crowds were dispersed by cane charge and tear gas shelling. Attempts were made in both places to block the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1 A, but police foiled them. The Samiti?s decision to continue its protests is seen an attempt to hasten the decision which the government and the Samiti have almost arrived at. There is a broad agreement that land will be given to the Shrine Board for three months during the ?yatra? period. The government is trying to get the ?correct wording? of the agreement to make sure that there is no reaction in the Valley. Samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma said, ?The Centre and the State Government were delaying the decision to hand over the land to the Board due to pressure from separatists. In view of their dilly dallying tactics, the Samiti has decided to continue its agitation and so it has extended the bandh up to August 31.? The Samiti would hold rallies on August 27 and 31 to press its demands, he added. The bus service between Poonch and Rawalkote in Pakistan occupied Kashmir that was started in 2006 as part of the confidence building measures between India and Pakistan was suspended on Monday due to curfew in Poonch. The Line of Control crossing was scheduled for Monday. Officials are confident that the bus service would resume after 15 days. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080062923 No let-up in raging protests in Jammu Zaffar Iqbal Monday, August 25, 2008, (Jammu) Jammu continued to remain tense on Monday. Protesters clashed with the police on the Jammu-Pathankote Highway while they were trying to enforce the call for a chakka jam given by the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti. Policemen were stoned. Four of them were injured, after which tear gas shells were fired to drive away the protesters. In Kathua district, similar clashes broke out, leading to the imposition of curfew. "We were shouting slogans, but the police resorted to lathi charging and the shells even fell in the houses of the people," said a protestor. The samiti has extended the Jammu bandh call till Sunday, saying the agitation will go on till the land issue is resolved. They have had three rounds of talks with the committee appointed by Governor N N Vohra. A list of demands has been submitted. The samiti is now waiting for the government's response. All eyes are now on the next round of talks between the representatives of the samiti and the panel appointed by the Governor. It seems that normalcy can return to Jammu only if there is some sort of a breakthrough, and both sides reach a mutually agreed upon solution. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/08/26/171858/At-least.htm Tuesday, August 26, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Sheikh Mushtaq, Reuters At least 3 killed, 500 injured as Kashmir protesters defy curfew SRINAGAR, India -- Police shot and killed at least three Muslim separatist demonstrators on Monday, as authorities tried to enforce a curfew in Kashmir in the face of some of biggest protests in two decades against India?s rule. Police had detained three separatist leaders before protests planned for Monday. Troops enforced a curfew in the summer capital of Srinagar, where a separatist rally had been planned, and armored vehicles patrolled mainly deserted streets. But outside Srinagar, thousands of Muslim protesters shouting ?we want freedom? defied the curfew in about dozen rural areas. Three protesters were killed and at least 50 people were injured when police fired bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, police officials said. Police have killed at least 27 Muslim protesters and more than 500 have been injured in clashes in two weeks of demonstrations in the Kashmir Valley after a land dispute between Muslims and Hindus snowballed into massive demonstrations. The crisis has strained relations between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full but rule it in parts. It has also raised fears of communal tension in the state, split between the Hindu majority Jammu region and the Muslim Kashmir Valley. Police said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of Kashmir?s main separatist alliance, All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference and hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani were detained in overnight raids in Srinagar. ?Both have been detained for precautionary measures,? a senior police official, who asked to remain anonymous, said. Another separatist leader, Mohammed Yasin Malik, chief of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, was detained later on Monday after he defied a curfew, police said. These leaders are often detained before major protests in efforts by authorities to try to defuse demonstrations. ?The people of Kashmir were ready to defy the curfew and carry out the march to protest against Indian occupation,? a statement from the All Parties Hurriyat Conference said. One person was killed and dozens were injured on Sunday when police fired bullets and tear gas and used batons to disperse thousands of pro independence protesters defying a curfew. The recent crisis began after the state government promised to give forest land to a trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Many Muslims were enraged. The government then rescinded its decision, which in turn angered Hindus in Jammu, the winter capital of the region. In Jammu, around 25 Hindu protesters were injured on Monday in clashes with police as authorities enforced a curfew on the highway town of Kathua, police said. A strike in Jammu called by Hindu groups has shut down many of Jammu?s business for the past month. The conflict has had little impact on national politics, with a consensus in India that Kashmir should stay part of the country, no matter what. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP47010.htm One killed, dozens injured in fresh Kashmir clashes 24 Aug 2008 15:14:44 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds death, details) By Sheikh Mushtaq SRINAGAR, India, Aug 24 (Reuters) - One person was killed and dozens were injured in Indian Kashmir on Sunday when police fired bullets and used batons to disperse thousands of pro-independence protesters defying a curfew. Authorities imposed the indefinite curfew ahead of a separatist rally planned for Monday, but thousands of people defied the order in the latest in a series of demonstrations against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. In Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, a 60-year-old man was killed and his son critically wounded when police fired at a group of protesters, police said. The biggest demonstration took place in Handwara, 75 km (45 miles) north of Srinagar where Muslims charged security personnel with desecrating the Quran, Islam's holy book. Authorities denied the charge. In the past two weeks Kashmir has seen some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since a separatist revolt against New Delhi's rule broke out in the region in 1989. The protests were triggered by a dispute with the region's Hindus over transfer of land to a Hindu shrine trust, bolstering separatist sentiments in Kashmir. Separatist leaders plan to address a huge rally on Monday in Lal chowk in the heart of Srinagar, insisting they will not be deterred by the curfew. A three-day strike called by separatists in the region began on Saturday. "In fact government is trying to target us. They killed Sheikh Aziz and scores of innocent people," hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said. "Now they are trying to suppress our peaceful struggle." Sheikh Aziz, a senior separatist leader, was among 23 Muslim protesters killed by police over the past two weeks. More than 500 people have been injured in clashes. BEATINGS AND ARRESTS On Sunday, several journalists were beaten up by police and three were hospitalised, an association of Kashmiri journalists said. "Security personnel are abusing and beating journalists," Farooq Khan president of Kashmir Press Photographers Association said. "We strongly condemn this." Geelani said more than two dozen activists of the region's main separatist alliance, All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, had been arrested in overnight police raids. Thousands of police and troops were patrolling the region's streets to enforce the curfew. Police vehicles with loudspeakers urged people to remain indoors. On Saturday evening, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets in Srinagar carrying torches and shouting: "Go India go! We want freedom." The land dispute began after the state government promised to give a forest tract to a Hindu trust that runs the cave shrine of Amarnath. Many Muslims were enraged, leading the government to rescind its decision. That in turn angered Hindus in Jammu, where thousands have been protesting the revocation of the land order and criticising the government for "pandering to separatists". (Editing by Krittivas Mukherjee and Robert Hart) http://www.dawn.com/2008/08/25/rss.htm#26 Indian police kill two, injure several occupied Kashmir protesters SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 25 (AFP): Two protesters were killed Monday when security forces opened fire on pro-independence demonstrators in occupied Kashmir, police said. One protester was killed and two critically injured on the outskirts of Srinagar city, where separatists planned a rally against Indian rule later in the day, police said. Another demonstrator was killed and seven injured in a protest involving 5,000 people in Pulwama town, 30 kilometres from Srinagar, police officer Tanveer Ahmed said. The rally in Srinagar was planned to be held in Red Square, where in 1948 India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised Kashmiris the right to self-determination through a referendum - a pledge still to be fulfilled. More than 40 other people were injured Monday across occupied Kashmir in clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Indian authorities imposed a curfew on the region Sunday. Police have killed at least 25 protesters and more than 500 have been injured in clashes in two weeks of demonstrations in occupied Kashmir after a land dispute between Muslims and Hindus snow-balled into massive demonstrations. (First Posted @ 14:05 PST, Updated @ 15:45 PST) http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/08/24/kashmir.html Indian Kashmir troops fire on protesters Last Updated: Sunday, August 24, 2008 | 2:46 PM ET Comments50Recommend26 The Associated Press Indian paramilitary soldiers carry an iron barricade to block roads during a curfew in Srinagar on Sunday. (Dar Yasin/Associated Press)Paramilitary soldiers opened fire on a group of Muslim protesters in Indian Kashmir after they allegedly defied curfew late Sunday and tried to storm into a police camp, an official said. One person was killed and another seriously injured. The protesters had surrounded a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Srinagar, the main city in India's Jammu-Kashmir state, forcing troops to open fire, Prabhakar Tripathi, the CRPF spokesman, said. He gave no other details or estimates of the size of the crowd. A witness, however, said the soldiers had fired on a man and his son without any provocation. Mohammed Ismail said his neighbours, Ghulam Qadir and his son, were just standing near the entrance to their home when they were fired upon. In Baramullah town, 55 kilometres north of Srinagar, thousands of people also defied an indefinite curfew imposed in Muslim-majority areas of the volatile Himalayan region. Government troops there were forced to use tear gas and fire rubber bullets when the mob began to throw stones at them, a local police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Indian paramilitary soldiers carry a sign to use as a barricade during a curfew in Srinagar. (Dar Yasin/Associated Press) At least 27 people, including seven paramilitary soldiers, were injured in the violence, he said. The curfew comes amid a weekend general strike in the region's main city and the largest protests against Indian rule in more than a decade, intensifying the turmoil that has roiled the region for almost two months. Police drove through neighborhoods in the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley before dawn Sunday announcing the curfew and warning residents to stay indoors. Thousands of security forces patrolled the deserted streets of Srinagar. Police warned "stern action will be taken against violators" of the curfew. Botlagauduru Srinivas, a senior police officer, said the army had been called in to assist the police in enforcing law and order. Earlier in the day thousands of people took to the streets of Handwara, a town 100 kilometres north of Srinagar, to defy the curfew. The demonstrators chanted pro-independence slogans and alleged that government forces had desecrated the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Officer says soldiers fired tear gas Srinivas called the allegation "totally baseless." Security forces fired tear gas and used batons to stop the protesters, Srinivas said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. In Srinagar, chants of "We want freedom!" could be heard from public announcement systems at mosques. The announcements also exhorted people to defy the curfew. At least 10 journalists who were outside during the curfew were beaten by paramilitary soldiers and three of them were hospitalized, said Farooq Khan, president of the Kashmir Press Photographers Association. The government issued a statement calling the curfew a "precautionary measure" and saying it had information that separatist leaders could face threats from "vested interests." It did not give any other details, but officials usually describe armed Kashmiri militant groups as "vested interests." Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, a key separatist leader, dismissed the government statement. "If at all we have threats from any quarter, it's from Indian forces," he said. Farooq said separatists would defy the curfew and go ahead with plans for a sit-in protest Monday in Srinagar. On Friday, an estimated 275,000 people thronged a main square in Srinagar for a rally called by a coalition of separatist political parties. It was the largest in two months of angry rallies that have rocked the Indian portion of Kashmir, pitting the region's Muslim majority against the Hindu minority. The crisis began in June when Muslims demonstrated over a government decision to transfer land to a Hindu shrine that they said was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region. After the plan was rescinded, Hindus took to the streets of Jammu, a predominantly Hindu city, demanding it be restored. The unrest has left at least 34 people dead, mainly protesters. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1948. Separatist movements in the disputed region were mostly peaceful until 1989, when the movements gave rise to a bloody Islamic insurgency that wants to see India's part of the region merged with Pakistan or given independence. At least 68,000 people have been killed in the fighting. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200808/s2337838.htm?tab=latest Anti Indian demonstration in Kashmir Updated August 17, 2008 12:53:38 In Indian controlled Kashmir tens of thousands of Muslim separatists have turned out to a mass rally on the outskirts of the summer capital Srinigar demanding India get out of the disputed territory. They had gathered to mourn 22 protesters shot dead by Indian security forces over the past week. Peter Cave reports from New Delhi, the protester shouted "We want freedom , Indians go home and Kashmir is ours." Kashmir's chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told the crowd that India claimed to be a democracy but he said the shooting were not democracy, they were not humanity. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the situation in Kashmir a crisis and urged dialogue to resolve the violence in Kashmir which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed as soverign territory by both. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/22/asia/kashmir.php Anti-India protests erupt in Kashmir By Somini Sengupta Published: August 22, 2008 SRINAGAR, Kashmir: Born and reared during the bloodiest years of insurgency and counterinsurgency, inheritors of rage, a new generation of young Kashmiris has poured into the streets by the tens of thousands over the past several weeks, with stones in their fists and an old slogan on their lips: "Azadi," or freedom, from India. Their protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir were part of an unexpected outburst of discontent set off by a dispute over a 40-hectare, or 99-acre, piece of land, which has been stoked for more than two months by separatist leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir and Hindu nationalists elsewhere in India. Overnight, the unrest has threatened to breathe new life into the old and treacherous dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, which is claimed by both nations and lies at the heart of 60 years of bitterness between them, including two wars. Disastrously for the Indian government, Kashmir has burst onto center stage at a time of growing turmoil in the region - with the resignation this week of Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, who had sought to temper his country's backing for anti-Indian militancy here. Even though the two countries have been engaged in four years of peace talks, India has grown nervous that the disarray in Pakistan has left it with no negotiating partner. From New Delhi's perspective, that power vacuum has allowed anti-Indian elements in Pakistan's intelligence services and the militant groups they employ to pursue their agenda with renewed vigor. Relations between the countries have become newly embittered as Indian and Pakistani forces have engaged in skirmishes for the first time in years across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between them. Not least, India has blamed the Pakistani intelligence services for playing a hidden role in the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan last month, a charge that Pakistan vehemently denies. The latest unrest here has only added to the difficulties of renewed dialogue. How long this agitation will continue depends on both India's capacity to assuage Kashmiri separatist leaders, and on their ability, in turn, to control the sudden eruption of rage among the young. The largest, most intense demonstration in years took place on Monday, as tens of thousands of Kashmiris, mostly men, streamed into an open area in the center of Srinagar to demand independence from India. They came in motorcycle cavalcades, and on the backs of trucks and buses. A few waved Pakistani flags. Some shouted praise for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the banned, Pakistan-based militant organization that India blames for a series of terrorist attacks in recent years. "India, your death will come," they chanted. "Lashkar will come. Lashkar will come." By Tuesday, traffic had returned to the city as the separatists called for a three-day suspension of the strike. Shops and cafes reopened. The pro-Pakistan graffiti had been covered up, as though it were again an ordinary day. On Friday, however, another mass gathering was called at the martyrs' cemetery, where two generations of those killed in the conflict are buried. Again and again, Kashmiris from across the political spectrum said these scenes reminded them of the peak of the anti-Indian rebellion in the early 1990s - except at that time, separatist guerrillas, aided by Pakistan, openly roamed the streets with guns. The current demonstrations have pierced what seemed, perhaps deceptively to the Indian government, like a return of the ordinary here. Earlier this year, tourists were flocking to Dal Lake in Kashmir. Buses were running twice monthly so that Kashmiris could visit their relatives across the de facto border in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir. A bookshop opened for the first time in nearly two decades. "Before the storm, there is always a calm," a Kashmiri woman, Assabah Khan, 34, declared. "The uprising we see now is the latent anger against the Indian state that has erupted again." Narendra Nath Vohra, the governor of the Indian-controlled Kashmir state, compared life in Srinagar today to darkness at noon. In the last few weeks, tourists all but disappeared. Schools and offices closed. The main city hospital was filled with Kashmiris shot and wounded by Indian security forces. Mehmeet Syed, who only a few months ago could sing her heart out on stage with her five-piece rock band, remained in her home as her city erupted in fiery protests and strikes. On the road leading to the Syed family home, children guarded a homemade roadblock the other day, clutching stones. On Monday, on the edges of an open field where tens of thousands had gathered to vent their anger at Indian rule, Abdul Gani Mir, 62, marveled at a young man who had scaled a chinar tree to plant a green Islamic flag. Mir said being here filled him with hope "We succumbed, but I don't think this generation will," he said, and then he chuckled. "I wish I were young." His niece was among 20 unarmed Kashmiri protesters killed by Indian security forces last week as they set off on a march to Muzaffarabad, in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Sheik Yasser Rouf, 27, said he had never before taken part in a demonstration so large, so intense. He was a child in the early 1990s, when the anti-Indian rebellion was at its peak. "This feeling was always there," he said. "We are fighting for our one right, to be free." "Sooner or later, this had to be," insisted his friend, Shahid Rasool, also 27. Rouf said he had spent 15 days in jail during his senior year in high school, accused of harboring militants. Rasool, then 16, said he was picked up by security forces and interrogated all night. The trouble in the valley began two months ago, quite unexpectedly, over the 40 hectares of state government land that, for decades, had been used by Hindu pilgrims on the route to a Himalayan shrine called Amarnath. In May, the authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir authorized the panel that runs the pilgrimage site to put up "prefabricated structures" for pilgrims. The order enraged Muslims. With state elections scheduled for this year, some politicians and separatist leaders pounced on the decision and declared it a bid to re-engineer the demography of Kashmir. Hard-line Islamists compared it to the Israeli occupation of Muslim holy lands. The government soon rescinded the order, but nothing, as Vohra pointed out, actually changed: Hindu pilgrims still used the land, and they still came this year in record numbers. Nevertheless, the retraction of the original order enraged people in the Hindu-majority plains of Jammu, which is also part of the state. They, too, began agitating by the tens of thousands. And they, too, were goaded by politicians and hard-line leaders. All told, over the past two months, the protests here in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, and counterprotests led by Hindu groups in the plains below, have left a death toll of nearly 40 in clashes with security forces. The two sides remain at each other's throats. Muslims in the valley allege that Indian troops have been quick to halt their protests, while letting Hindus in the plains carry on their agitation. Hindu leaders in the plains were outraged that the government allowed anti-Indian separatists to march through the valley carrying Pakistani flags. Many Indians regard the rebellious tableau in the valley as an unexpected affront. Kanwal Sibal, a retired diplomat, suggested in an angry column on Tuesday in Mail Today, an English-language newspaper, that unlike China with its Tibet policy, India has never sought to alter Kashmir's Muslim-majority demography. The latest fury, he suggested, "shows the failure, and perhaps the futility, of efforts to win the hearts and minds of the valley Kashmiris." Kashmiri public opinion is hardly uniformly anti-Indian, and the pro-Pakistan current is one among many. But distrust runs deep. Rumors travel and harden equally fast. Muslims here complain that Indian security forces roam the streets, and they can recount at least one memory, usually more, of humiliation and fear. "It is a volcano that has erupted," Shad Salim Akhtar, 54, a doctor, said of the latest agitation. Yusuf Jameel contributed reporting. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/29anil.htm Why Kashmir is up in flames August 29, 2008 As someone who has been active in resolving the Kashmir issue since 1990, recent events did not come as too much of a surprise. Many observers have commented that the situation is back to the days of 1989-1990. They are only partially right, on the surface it does appear so, but there are major differences. How the situation is similar and yet different is an important issue since the Indian response has to be based on sound analysis lest we repeat our past mistakes. Public memory is short but it is the job of analysts to remember the past and bring it to public notice. Rollercoaster public opinion in the Kashmir valley The first thing to understand about the people of the Kashmir valley is that their views are fickle and can see radical changes. In 1947, in the wake of the tribal invasion led and masterminded by Pakistan, the valley welcomed the Indian Army [Images] with open arms. One of INPAD's members, retired Lieutenant General Eric Vas remembers that the soldiers were showered with rose petals. It was thanks to Sheikh Abdullah's secular leadership as well as the Sufi tradition that Kashmiris rejected the poisonous Muslim League propaganda. In 1965, when Pakistan repeated the 1947 feat and sent in infiltrators, there were very few takers for the idea of merger with Pakistan and the infiltration failed to achieve the goal of engendering an insurrection. In 1975-1976, when Sheikh Abdullah was the chief minister, there was a widespread movement in Pakistan occupied Kashmir to march to Indian Kashmir -- an exact opposite of the present Kashmiri slogan of 'Chalo Muzaffarabad'. On April 1, 1979, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by military dictator Zia-ul Haq. His hanging sparked off large-scale violence in the Kashmir valley. Those owing allegiance to the Jamaat-i-Islami, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were the main target of attack. Their houses were destroyed by firebombs. The provocation: The Jamaat had distributed sweets to celebrate Bhutto's hanging. It was the Indian Army that rescued Geelani and his people. On April 4, 1979, Kashmiris held a massive congregation in Hazratbal to thank Allah that they were a part of India and paraded a donkey with a placard that read 'I am Zia-ul Haq'. The flip side Post-1947 support for India vanished in a few years. In the late 1950s when Nehru sent Haribhau Pataskar to gauge public opinion in the valley (in order to hold the referendum he had promised), Pataskar told him that the valley was all for joining Pakistan. Sheikh Abdullah, who was elevated to the status of 'Pir' (holy man) by Kashmiris, fared no better. He died in 1982. Within seven years, his birth and death anniversary became occasions to burn his effigy. A police guard was placed to protect his grave from vandalism. He now became the 'great betrayer' from his erstwhile position of 'Lion of Kashmir'. Zia-ul Haq, the Pakistani dictator, saw a total reversal of fortunes. His bemedalled photographs began to adorn the homes of Kashmiris. The late Hamid Dalwai, a Muslim reformist from Maharashtra, recounted his encounters in Kashmir that aptly sums up the reasons for Kashmiri flip-flop. He asked several people as to why they were unhappy in India. The answer given to him by one shikara owner was that they had everything going for them in India, "but after all, must we not care for the flag of Islam?" Understanding the present crisis The year 2008 till July was extraordinarily peaceful by Kashmir's standards. Pakistan was so embroiled in its internal crisis that it had no time to devote to Kashmir. The present crisis in Kashmir erupted when an innocuous transfer of land to build temporary facilities for Amarnath pilgrims was made an issue by politicians like Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah. The usual Srinagar [Images] protests by unemployed youth and crowds on hire so rattled the government that it revoked the land transfer. At that stage, a little firmness and explanation that the land was being given to a statutory body established by the state legislature and that too for temporary structures should have doused the fires in the valley. But with an eye on upcoming elections, the People's Democratic Party and the National Conference jumped into the fray and made allegations about attempts being made to change Kashmir's demography! When the land order was revoked, the government thought that like countless other surrenders earlier, it will get away with this one too. In any case the prime minister was busy sewing up the nuclear deal with the US and the supreme leader of the ruling combine was enjoying the Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images] in the company of her family! Nobody had much time to devote such trifling matter as a major crisis in Jammu and Kashmir [Images]. The reaction in Jammu came as a surprise to one and all (including the ineffectual Bharatiya Janata Party which later tried to jump on the bandwagon). Frankly, the protests in Jammu had very little to do with the Amarnath land transfer issue. It was a spontaneous outburst of pent-up anger at the last 60 years of mollycoddling of the valley and discrimination towards the region. Other hilly states like Himachal Pradesh [Images] or Uttarakhand [Images] are marching ahead of J&K. It is the obduracy of the valley -- that sees demons in any and every attempt at economic development as 'Indian imperialism' -- that has got the people of Jammu agitated. The measure by former governor retired Lieutenant General S K Sinha to extend the Amarnath Yatra [Images] saw a bonanza in the shape of over 500,000 pilgrims making the arduous trek. Even at an average spending of Rs 2,000 per pilgrim, it meant over Rs 100 crore was pumped into the state's economy, directly benefiting the common man. That this was opposed surely takes the cake, as the world over religious tourism is being encouraged. Part II: Kashmiri separatists are isolated from reality Colonel Dr Anil Athale (retd) is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Fellow at the United Services Institution, Delhi [Images], and coordinator of the Pune-based Institute for Peace and Disarmament http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/02guest.htm Kashmiri separatists are isolated from reality September 02, 2008 The second part of Colonel Athale's analysis of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir [Images] Part I: Why Kashmir is up in flames In a television debate, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah mocked a Jammu Muslim who supported the agitation. Little does he or others realise that the Muslims of Jammu have also suffered from the stupid government policy of appeasing the separatists and kicking the nationalists. Just one example should suffice. School teachers' jobs in even remote Jammu regions go to Kashmiris from the valley. The teachers so appointed (at a good salary) are absent most of the time except on the first every month to collect their salary. The education levels among Jammu's Muslims are abysmal. In a tehsil of Mendhar in Poonch district, for example, there is not a single graduate! In Rajouri division, when I led a team of scientists ten years ago (in an attempt at bringing in horticulture technology to J&K to better people's life), we were aghast to see a soil testing laboratory that had a clean look about it -- all the equipment for soil testing was never used! This is the legacy of valley appeasement that the Jammu people revolted against. The Hurriyat and other separatists, marginalised by the peace process, jumped into the fray, cried wolf and went back to the bad old days of shutdowns and marches to the United Nations office in Srinagar [Images]. A new innovation this time round was a call to march to and a threat to take their fruits to Pakistan. In a reversal of fortune the slogan of 'Azadi' (freedom) was replaced by the cry for merger with Pakistan. Root causes of current unrest in Kashmir The root cause of the present trouble in the valley is the fact that beginning in the 1980s the Sufi tradition of Kashmir has been on the retreat and in its place the virulent Waahabi/Deobandi Islam has become the dominant creed. Saudi money, the influx of mullahs from UP have dealt a death blow to the Kashmiriyat that took pride in tolerant Islam. The burqa, totally alien to Kashmir, made its appearance. Sufi shrines like the one of Baba Rishi at Tannemarg (on the way to Gulmarg) and Charar-e-Sharif were burnt down by the militants. Girls schools were destroyed and Ayesha Andrabi of Dukhtaran e Millat was emboldened to throw acid on girls daring to wear jeans. The State, such as it was, abdicated its responsibility and watched helplessly. This is the underlying cause of the present unrest -- neither the use of force by security forces nor the so-called economic blockade. The idea of Kashmiriyat today exists only in the minds of a lunatic fringe of candle carrying peaceniks and in the studios of politically correct television channels. But it will be wrong on the part of the Indian State and even more for the Kashmiris to think that they can repeat the shenanigans of the early 1990s. Changed geopolitics The world, specially the West, has changed radically since 1989-90. The sole superpower was then in support of the Kashmiri cause, such as it was. BBC, the paragon of Western objectivity, repeatedly showed a clip of a toothless old Kashmiri woman shouting 'We want Sharia' in Kashmir. The US was bent upon teaching a lesson to erstwhile Soviet allies like India. Osama bin Laden was the blue-eyed boy of the Americans and Mujahids (Muslim religious fighters) were still basking in the afterglow of the victory over the Soviets in Afghanistan. The West had still to learn the disaster that awaited it by patronising the Waahabi creed. The attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, changed all that. One wonders if the Kashmiri separatists have noticed the absence of any comment from the West on the current happenings in Kashmir. Even the Pakistanis appeared surprised, though delighted, by the present happenings. The Pakistan Senate promptly passed a resolution condemning 'excessive' use of force by the Indians. It was comic since at that very time Pakistan was using helicopter gunships and fighter aircraft against its own tribals in the frontier area. The day the march to Muzaffarabad took place, over 50 Shia Muslims were killed in an attack on a hospital in Pakistan. Pakistanis were delighted that while Baluchistan and the tribal areas were in open revolt against the federal authorities, Kashmiris were clamouring to join them. Pakistanis were indeed grateful that at least someone in world thought that they were not a failed State. But despite some noises, even Pakistanis seemed aghast at the movement in Kashmir. Thanks to the peace process and people to people contacts, most Pakistanis now accept the secular credentials of India. The average Pakistani is keen to establish trade, cultural and educational contacts with India. Is there a way forward? The valley Kashmiris' outburst was and is like a reaction of a spoilt child who revolts irrationally when denied his demands. The reaction in Jammu was the first time ever that the valley people received a jolt. It is noteworthy that the troubles in J&K, of the separatist variety, are confined to Srinagar valley. It is the valley that is out of sync with the region and the world. There is no hope of any support to the irrational demands of a fundamentalist minority. Neither the US nor UK wants another safe heaven for the Al Qaeda [Images] to come up in the subcontinent. Even China, which faces Muslim separatism, is wary. The Russians know what it is like to create another Chechenya. Kashmiri separatists are isolated from reality. India must sit tight and not succumb to pressure tactics. After relative peace that Kashmir has got used to, let there be a dose of unrest for the Kashmiri to come to his collective senses. Colonel Dr Anil Athale (retd) is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Fellow at the United Services Institution, Delhi [Images], and coordinator of the Pune-based Institute for Peace and Disarmament http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43770 RIGHTS-INDIA: Kashmiris See Power in Peaceful Protests By Athar Parvaiz Bhat Kashmiris at a peaceful protest demanding freedom from Indian rule. Credit:Athar Parvaiz Bhatt/IPS SRINAGAR, Sep 3 (IPS) - Firefights between India's armed forces and separatist militants, a feature of life in Jammu and Kashmir state, have now given way to a different type of confrontation -- paramilitary troops facing mass protests by peaceful, unarmed demonstrators demanding freedom. Curiously, this non-violent uprising is appearing at a time when political observers were beginning to write the obituary of the long-standing freedom movement of the Kashmiris. "In the last few years, the common people had started getting disillusioned and the level of anger against India, as also the freedom sentiment, had gone down to a certain extent, especially when compared to the early 1990s when these were at their peak,?? Gul Wani, who teaches political science at Kashmir University, told IPS. According to Wani, people had become disenchanted because of the ideological differences among various separatist outfits grouped under the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and neighbouring Pakistan's preoccupation with its own domestic problems. "Since the separatist groups were pulling in different directions, people had become pessimistic about the resolution of the Kashmir issue," explains Wani. Broadly, groups demanding secession fall into two groups: those demanding an independent Kashmir, and those who advocate merger with Pakistan. Since the end of British rule over Indian sub-continent in 1947 and its partition into the two sovereign countries of India and Pakistan, this former princely state has been a bone of contention between the two major South Asian neighbours. The two have fought three full-scale wars in efforts to gain complete control over Kashmir. Presently, one-third of the territory is administered by Pakistan and the rest by India. Pakistan has officially declared its moral, political and diplomatic support for the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. Of late, however, an impression has gained ground that Pakistan is not paying too much heed to the Kashmiri issue. Kashmiris on the Indian side launched an armed struggle in 1989 to seek independence which has, over the years, resulted in the deaths of more than 68,000 people. The government of India maintains that the armed struggle is backed and funded by Pakistan, which the latter denies. Many observers believe that the violent struggle helped bring the Kashmir issue to the world's attention. However, after the 9/11 events, violent methods were beginning to look counterproductive and a debate arose within Kashmiri civil society as to whether the armed struggle should be replaced by a non-violent movement. The current peaceful mass uprising appears to have provided the answer to this debate. It has even impressed Syed Salahudeen who operates from Muzzaffarabad in Pakistani Kashmir and heads the United Jihad Council, a coalition of more than 14 armed groups active on the Indian side. "Since the common people are protesting peacefully in favour of freedom, we are terminating our operations in the civilian areas though our operations will continue in the frontier areas,'' he said in a statement. Salahudeen's own Hizbul Mujahideen is currently the most prominent organisation supporting the state?s accession to Pakistan. Mohammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), an active militant until he renounced violence in 1994, terms the mass uprising a good omen for the Kashmir's freedom struggle. "It is great to see people protesting in a peaceful manner in favour of the freedom. It thrills me that the freedom sentiment is catching up rapidly within Kashmir,'' Malik told IPS. The JKLF has alternatively sought independence for Indian Kashmir as well as the accession of the territory to Pakistan. Malik?s own renouncement of violence and his alleged pursuit of an internal settlement with the Indian government led to a split in the JKLF in 1994. A militant faction of the group is now active on the Pakistan side of Kashmir and led by Amanullah Khan. The younger generation in Kashmir is upbeat about the impact of peaceful protests. Before the nine-day curfew -- lifted on Tuesday --was imposed, to stop the massive public rallies, youngsters were prominently seen in the processions, raising slogans in favour of freedom. "We seek an end to the disputed nature of Kashmir. This will guarantee us our secure future. We wonder why we are not allowed to exercise our right to freedom,'' asserts Hilal Ahmad, a college student. Hilal?s fellow students share this view. They assert that undemocratic means of stifling the present uprising are not going to work. "I firmly believe that force never serves to suppress a genuine movement. India may have managed to silence these protests for the time being, but they are bound to resurface regardless of the repression,'' affirmed Rayees Ahmad, another college student. People from among the older generation also say that they are fed up with the uncertainty surrounding the Kashmir issue. "This time around, we would seek a final solution, once and for all; it hardly matters if our business suffers in the process," says Mohammad Sultan who has reopened his bakery shop in the busy commercial area of Lal Chowk, after the nine-day curfew. At least 39 people were killed in the recent protests and several hundreds injured before the government imposed the curfew which extended over the whole of Kashmir. What triggered the protests was the allotment of 100 acres of land to the management of a Hindu shrine by the state government, two months ago. The issue led to massive demonstrations by both Hindus and Muslims. Hindus are concentrated in the Jammu region of the state while Muslims dominate the Kashmir valley. Ordinary people and separatist groups in Muslim-dominated Kashmir opposed the land allotment, suspecting that it was aimed at reducing the ratio of Muslims by settling Hindus from other states of India in the valley. Following weeks of persistent protests, the government, on Sunday, agreed that Hindu pilgrims will only be allowed temporary use of land near the famed Amarnath cave shrine and that no permanent structures will be built there. Separatist groups are, however, taking advantage of the renewed public anger. "This is not only the issue of 100 acres of land; our original demand is the demand for freedom... so our struggle for freedom will continue,?? says JKLF chief Malik. Malik?s main complaint is that the people of the Kashmir valley and their representatives are not being consulted on a resolution of the Kashmir issue. "The fact remains that India and Pakistan are yet to give Kashmiris the status of direct parties to the dispute. They have started a peace process between themselves, but Kashmiris figure nowhere in that peace process.?? Wani said the Indian government ??initiated a dialogue with some separatist groups in Kashmir, but it never made this dialogue serious and result-oriented. Nothing came out of several rounds of talks and this ultimately strengthened the hawkish voices in the separatist camp??. According to Wani the delays created doubts in the minds of common people. ''They felt that the Indian government was simply buying time. That is why we are now seeing people on the streets, seeking a solution to Kashmir issue.?? (END/2008) http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1835609,00.html?xid=rss-topstories Clashing Over Kashmir By Madhur Singh Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008 Kashmiri Muslims protest against rule in Kashmir on August 22. Tauseef Mustafa / AFP / Getty "Azadi!" has been the cry across the stunningly beautiful Kashmir Valley for two weeks now. Shouting the word for "freedom," hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris have been marching to demand liberty from India. Schools and businesses across the region have been closed, as the central government in New Delhi has mobilized thousands of troops into the area to assert its control. So far, at least 23 people have been killed and 500 injured in clashes with Indian security forces. A three-day respite to allow locals to stock on essentials ended on Aug. 22 with a resumption of protests and hundreds of thousands drove or marched on foot through the provincial capital Srinagar shouting anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans. Some were waving Pakistani flags, as people lining the roadsides offered them refreshments and encouragement. On Aug. 24, two leading separatist leaders were arrested by Indian police on the eve of more demonstrations. The scenes were painfully reminiscent of the worst days of the insurgency, which has raged for two decades and has witnessed the deaths of as many as 11,000 people as bands of Islamist guerrillas, encouraged by Pakistan, fought Indian troops. That crisis, which at many points brought New Delhi and Islamabad to the brink of war, had seemed to pass as the 21st Century took hold. But the old embers of discontent remained, indeed almost structurally preserved by the very way Kashmir is governed. It is part of a single Indian state called Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where Jammu is a majority Hindu area which waters down the numbers of Kashmir's majority Muslims. And so, it took just one spark for the old fire to come roaring back. The Valley had been on edge since June this year over the local government's move to "divert" 100 acres of land to a trust managing a Hindu pilgrimage. Muslim protests led the provincial government to rescind its order. That decision, however, infuriated Hindus, who blocked the highway to Srinagar, which while less than successful as an economic weapon led to the Muslims of the Kashmir Valley exploding in anti-India protest. Kashmiris saw the blockade as a symbol of Hindu India's willful ability to hold Muslim Kashmir in a vise. "The blockade was made out to be much worse than it probably was," says Navneeta Chadha Behera, author of Demystifying Kashmir. "In effect it was like a psychological war. A fear psychosis was created where people panicked about shortage of medicines and milk for children, about truckloads of apples rotting. How much was fact and how much rumor, no one knows." The depth of Kashmiri anger, however, runs deep. For two decades, Kashmiris have lived in one of the most militarized regions of the world, with 800,000 troops stationed in the 15,520 sq km (5,992 sq mile) Kashmir Valley and operating under laws that give them impunity from prosecution. Charges of extrajudicial killings, rapes, abductions and torture were leveled against them with chilling regularity during the 1990s. The Indian government has consistently denied Kashmiri calls to demilitarize, saying the terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan has yet to be dismantled. Resentment continues to simmer over the "disappearance" of more than 8,000 Kashmiris during the insurgency. Human rights organizations claim the missing were killed by security forces. Kashmiri demands for greater cross-border travel and trade relations with Pakistan have also seen slow progress due to continuing distrust between the two countries. Meanwhile, Kashmiri aspirations for greater autonomy have also remained largely unrealized. That has been particularly galling because Kashmir acceded to India in the 1947 partition of British India into Pakistan and India based on carefully negotiated terms giving the region the right to self-governance on all issues except foreign relations, communication and defense. The chaos has enveloped the Jammu side of the province. Since the government rescinded its diversion of land, the Hindu-dominated area of the state has seen widespread protests, in which at least 10 people have lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands have protested what they say is the special treatment given to the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley. While J&K receives the highest per capita financial assistance from the federal government in New Delhi, they claim, most of those resources are channeled into the Valley. They point out that J&K is the only state with its own constitution and with a special status in the Indian constitution, where outsiders cannot buy land and whose demographic balance ? roughly 70% Muslim and 30% Hindu ? that is is solicitously protected. New Delhi thus has two political fronts to deal with, one Muslim and one Hindu. Any concessions it might offer to those protesting in Srinagar will provide fodder to the equally vociferous protesters in Jammu. What's more, the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party has taken the issue beyond the state of J&K into the rest of India, and seems set to make it an election issue during the general elections expected at the beginning of next year. Due to the protests, the state elections have been put off until next year. The problem of separatism is completely different. "The only solution is to get people back on the table to talk," says A.S. Dullat, a former chief of India's external intelligence agency, the R&AW, and a former incharge of Kashmir affairs in the Prime Minister's Office, "But for that they need to wait for passions to cool." With general elections round the corner, the talks are more likely to be an exercise to buy time than to find a meaningful solution. Chadha Behera says the separatists themselves are to blame for the deadlock with New Delhi: "They themselves are not agreed on whether they want freedom or merger with Pakistan." Furthermore, she says, they are inflexible. "They won't give up their personal security but will demand troops be removed from the valley." While opinion columns in Indian newspapers have, rather remarkedly, for the first time started talking of letting Kashmir have independence, the fact remains that no government facing an election is likely to take any hard decision on Kashmir. For the moment, the situation looks likely to fester. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1829965,00.html A Perilous Religious Game in Kashmir By Madhur Singh / New Delhi Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2008 Indian Hindu devotees ride horses past a soldier on their way to the holy Amarnath Cave. Narinder Nanu / AFP / Getty High up in the stunning Kashmir Valley lies a natural cave called Amarnath, where stalagmites form during the summer months. Devout Hindus believe this cave to be one of the holiest sites of their religion, and that the largest of the ice formations is a Shiva Lingam, the symbol of Lord Shiva. Hindu mythology has it that Shiva ? the destroyer in the Hindu Trinity that includes Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver ? imparted the secrets of creation to his consort, Parvati, in Amarnath. Each year, during the months of July and August, hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims from across India and abroad take an arduous five-day, 40-mile trek to worship at this cave. The only trouble at the cave used to be that the Shiva Lingam would melt before the greater part of the throngs could arrive to pay obeisance (The stalagmite does wax and wane with the seasons but some blame premature melting on global warming, others on heightened human activity near the shrine). However, for more than two months now, this small, 150 ft high and 90 ft long cave has been the center of a raging communal and political storm in the state of Jammu and Kashmir ? one that has divided the Hindu and Muslim populations of the state. Now, the Hindu rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to make it a major issue leading up to the general elections next year, with potentially explosive results. The cave is a gigantic challenge to managing the logistics of the pilgrimage ? not only is it perched 4,000 meters (12,000 ft) above sea level where rain, snow and landslides are common, it is also plunk in the middle of the insurgency-ravaged Kashmir Valley. And with ever greater numbers of pilgrims coming in (so far this year, over 500,000 pilgrims have already visited) the government reasoned that more temporary shelters were required. And so on May 26 the ruling Congress-led government of Jammu and Kashmir decided to divert 100 acres of forest land to erect such facilities for Hindu pilgrims. Muslim hardliners complained vehemently against what they alleged was an attempt to create "Israel-like" settlements of Hindus to change the demography of the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley. (It would be a daunting feat for even the most fanatical of such alleged settlers ? the area is uninhabitable for much ofthe year.) But once the fears spread, protests in Kashmir grew. The government eventually backed down and revoked the shelter order on July 1. That, in turn, led to a backlash from Hindus in the Hindu-majority Jammu region of the state, with right-wing parties including the BJP jumping in to protest against what they alleged was capitulation to "Muslim separatists." Since then, protests have engulfed many parts of the state, with demonstrators clashing with the police in what many say is the largest mass agitation in the state since the 1990s, when the insurgency was raging. This week, at least three protestors have been killed and scores injured. On Tuesday, Hindu protesters blocked traffic on the main highway, leaving the Valley short of food, fuel and medical supplies, and leaving Kashmiri fruit-growers seeing their produce rotting instead of heading for markets in the rest of India. The situation has come as a political bonanza for the BJP. In the last state elections in 2002, it had been wiped out in its stronghold of Jammu by the Congress Party. It has since been quick to grab the opportunity to both incite and tap Hindu anger. To many, it is reminiscent of the party's actions in Ayodhya in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Hindu hardline party first shot to national prominence in the 1990s after it led public heated public demonstrations over a 16th century mosque in the north Indian town of Ayodhya, which they insisted was the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. Those demonstrations led to the worst outbreak of sectarian violence since the 1947 Partition that created India and Pakistan. The party has been at the forefront of Amarnath controversy in Jammu, and with its announcement that it will undertake nationwide strikes over the issue, it is set to make Shiva's cave a presence in the general elections. Ironically, the Amarnath cave has long been one of many symbols of Hindu-Muslim camaraderie. Legend has it that the cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd, and Muslim vendors benefited from the religious tourism for years until 2000, when the cave was put under the authority of the government-run Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, the agency in charge of the shelters for pilgrims. Now, commentators see political opportunism at work across the political spectrum, not just the BJP. The move by the state's Congress government to allot 100 acres of forest land to the SASB, just months before elections due in October, was seen by many as aimed at attracting Hindu votes in the Hindu-majority Jammu part of the state. It clearly did not foresee the backlash. Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of secessionist leaders and parties, has announced a campaign to boycott the forthcoming state elections. Manoj Joshi, author of Lost Rebellion: Kashmir in the 1990s, says all parties are equally to blame for dividing the state along religious lines. "And by blockading the Valley, they [Hindu hardliners] are making the Muslims more insecure and making them lean towards Pakistan." Joshi says, "It is a very dangerous game. One wonders how far they can go on playing with national interest." From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 16:46:00 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:46:00 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PALESTINE, International protests, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA98FB8.6040605@tesco.net> * IRAN, Dec 1 - students protest Gaza atrocities, demand hard line against Israel * IRAN, Dec 13 - protesters Molotov Saudi airline office to protest Israel peace deal * IRAN, Dec 12 - massive rally against Israel * IRAN, Dec 8 - anti-Israel protests at Egyptian embassy * IRAN, Dec 6 - students fast against Gaza blockade * IRAN, December - protest at Saudi embassy over Arab inaction on Palestine * JORDAN, Dec 5 - marches protest Gaza blockade * EGYPT, Dec 4 - oppositionists arrested after Gaza protests * SYRIA, December - protests at Egyptian embassy over plight of Gaza * LEBANON, Dec 19 - thousands of Hizbollah supporters protest over Gaza blockade * IRELAND, Dec 20 - Egyptian embassy target for Gaza protest * BAHRAIN, Dec 19 - mass rally against Gaza blockade; police attack * IRAN, Nov 17 - students protest at Jordanian embassy * JORDAN, Nov 19 - thousands protest Gaza blockade * US: New York, Nov 16 - protests at fundraiser for settlements * UK, Nov 13 - protest at Israeli president visit * IRAN, Nov 15 - protest at Qatar embassy * US: Princeton, Nov 11 - mock checkpoint constructed on campus * EGYPT, Nov 16 - Islamist students clash with Cairo cops over Gaza blockade * EGYPT, Oct 27 - Psychologists protest exclusion from Gaza * JORDAN, Oct 12 - professionals hold sit-down protest against Israel imports * US: Detroit, Aug 21 - dozens protest pro-Israel fair * UK: Scotland, Aug 30 - protesters disrupt Israeli concert * IRAN, Sept 26 - Jerusalem Day marked with rallies http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612776 Iran: Students stage protest against atrocities in Gaza Posted: 2008/12/01 From: MNN A group of students from various universities staged a protest in front of the Foreign Ministry here on Sunday to condemn the atrocities unleashed by the Zionist regime in Gaza Strip and called for end to the blockade. The university students called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to adopt a stronger position against the Zionist regime. Protesters also demanded the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) take immediate and appropriate actions against this. The protestors carried placards, some of which read: 'Down with USA, 'Down with Zionist', 'We Will Never Keep Silent in the Face of Zionist Atrocities in Gaza', 'Israel Is a Cancerous Tumor' and 'We Will Never Yield to Suppression'. They even expressed their hatred for the heinous crimes in Gaza as well as the silence of international organizations in this respect. The students also hoisted the flag of Palestine and chanted a series of slogans as 'Down with US-Style Islam', 'Oil Exports Should Be Cut', 'Down With Reconcilers' and 'Silence of Every Muslim is a Betrayal of the Cause of Palestine'. The students also called on the Iranian government to stop importing goods from companies which provide financial support to the Zionists. -- IRNA # http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1046165.html 13/12/2008 Report: Group attacks Saudi airline office in Iran to protest Saudi peace plan By Reuters Tags: Saudi peace plan Iran's state-run newspaper says a militant group has attacked the office of Saudi Arabia's state-owned airline in Tehran over a Saudi-backed peace initiative with Israel. Iran newspaper says the group - identified as Ikhwan al-Radwan, or Brothers of Heaven in Arabic - attacked the Saudi Arabian Airlines office with several Molotov cocktails Wednesday, causing minor damage to the building. Saturday's newspaper report quotes a statement by the group saying the reason for the attack was Saudi Arabia's support for an Arab peace initiative. Advertisement The initiative offers Israel normal relations with all Arab countries if it withdraws from lands occupied in 1967 Arab-Israeli war and allows the creation of a Palestinian state with a capital in Jerusalem http://www.payvand.com/news/08/dec/1138.html 12/12/08 Iran holds massive rally to protest Gaza blockade by Israel Reports by Press TV Millions of Iranians have held rallies across the country in condemnation of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip against Palestinians. Demonstrators chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" in the capital Tehran and carried banners, denouncing Israel's atrocities in the Gaza Strip run by the democratically-elected Palestinian government of Hamas. The Islamic movement does not recognize Israel as a legitimate state. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also joined ralliers in Tehran on Friday. President Ahmadinejad, speaking with reporters, strongly condemned Israel's blockade of Gaza, saying Tel Aviv is increasing pressure on Palestinians to hinder their upcoming election. Incumbent Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas' four-year term expires on January 9. However, it is unclear when the elections will be held. A recent Israeli National Security Council assessment has urged Tel Aviv to hinder "elections in the Palestinian Authority, even at the cost of a confrontation with the US and the international community." At the end of theThursday rallies, a statement was issued in strong condemnation of international silence on Israel's siege of the region as well as the attacks in the West bank city of al-Khalil. The Gaza Strip is facing a humanitarian crisis as Israel has imposed an economic blockade on the coastal area, turning it to an 'open prison' and putting lives of almost 1.5 million residents at stake. The siege has resulted in the shortage of fuel for the strip's only power plant, which could lead to a complete blackout. The residents are also suffering from the shortage of basic supplies including food and medicine. Hundreds of right-wing Jewish hardliners have been attacking and hurling rocks at Palestinians and vandalizing their homes in al-Khalil since November. The United Nations Human Rights Council has urged Israel to end Palestinians' suffering. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah has also criticized the international community for keeping silent, calling for an end to 'Israel's crimes' committed against people in the coastal region. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/huge-rallies-iran-protesting-gaza-blockades Huge Rallies in Iran Protesting Gaza Blockades Share: by Rob Walker | December 12, 2008 at 01:21 pm 180 views | 2 Recommendations | 2 comments Photos Iran's government is deeply involved in protests in the country's capital, Tehran. Thousands of protesters chanted slogans of 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America', in a rally that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The rallies are protesting the continued blockade of Gaza crossings by Israel, and called for all Islamic states to break diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. Iran?s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joined the protests and said Israel would soon ?fade away?. ?The crimes being committed by the Zionist regime [Israel] are happening because it is aware that it has reached the end of the line and will soon fade away from the Earth,? Mehr news agency quoted the President as saying. Analysts point out that by staging the protests, Iran is sending a message in the region that it has emerged as a genuine champion of Palestinian rights - a position that neighbouring Arab countries had been known for several decades. Source: hindu.com Iranians held a protest rally in Tehran on Friday against Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. Shouting "down with the U.S." and "down with Israel," the demonstrators marched on streets leading to the Tehran University, in which the weekly Friday prayer ceremony is held. In a statement, the protesters denounced that "intensification of cruel blockade imposed on Gazans is undoubtedly the offspring of alliance of the United States, Israel and some Arab states betrayal." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1228728147303 Dec 11, 2008 0:30 | Updated Dec 11, 2008 6:27 Cairo protests anti-Israel demos at its Iran mission By BRENDA GAZZAR The Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned a Cairo-based Iranian diplomatic official into its office Tuesday to express its anger over recent student demonstrations outside the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Teheran, the Iranian FARS news service reported Wednesday. A view of Teheran, Iran. Photo: Courtesy SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World The Foreign Ministry also issued a statement Tuesday voicing its concerns over the demonstrations staged there from time to time, the agency reported. A representative from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment late Wednesday, and The Jerusalem Post could not verify the report. According to FARS, dozens of Iranian students demonstrated against Egypt in Teheran on Monday, chanting, "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" and burning an Israeli flag. The students were protesting "the Zionist regime's severe crimes in Gaza and Egypt's collaboration in exerting pressure on the Palestinian people," the agency said. The Egyptian ministry was also quoted as criticizing some Iranian newspapers that have repeatedly insulted Egyptian policies. and leadership recently. FARS reported that several similar demonstrations had been held in Teheran in the last week opposite the embassies of other Arab countries perceived to be cooperating with Israel by failing to push for the removal of the Gaza blockade. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1447485.php/Egypt_recalls_envoy_from_Tehran_after_public_protest_ Egypt recalls envoy from Tehran after public protest Middle East News Dec 10, 2008, 5:50 GMT Tehran - Egypt has recalled its diplomatic envoy from Tehran after a protest was held in front of its interest section, Fars news agency reported Wednesday. Hundreds of Islamist students staged a gathering on Monday in front of the Egyptian embassy's interest section in Tehran in protest against Egypt's continued cooperation with political arch-foe Israel over the ongoing siege of the ruling Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Despite reassurances by Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi that the diplomatic missions in Tehran were sufficiently secured, Cairo decided to recall its envoy from the Islamic state. Local political analysts believe the move will further delay the normalization process toward bilateral diplomatic relations, which were severed following Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution due to Egypt's Camp David Accord with Israel in 1978. Iran was earlier this year quite hopeful that relations would soon be normalized and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad even said if Egypt agreed to normalize diplomatic relations 'today,' Iran would send an ambassador to Cairo 'tomorrow.' Despite efforts in the last 10 years by both Ahmadinejad and his predecessor Mohammad Khatami to resume full diplomatic relations with Egypt, the government in Cairo has been hesitant to do so. One of the main disputes between the two states was the naming of a Tehran street after the assassin of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, which Iran later agreed to change to Intifada (uprising) Street in reference to the Palestinian resistance in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. In return, Tehran wants Egypt to change the name of a street in Cairo named after the late Iranian king Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, who is also buried in the al-Rifai mosque in the Egyptian capital. http://www2.irna.ir/ar/news/view/line-22/0812082977183231.htm Students stage protest in front of Egypt interest section Tehran, Dec 8, IRNA Iran-Students-Protest A group of university students stage a protest gathering in front of Egypt interest section in Tehran to condemn atrocities of the Zionist regime in Gaza in collaboration with the Egyptian regime which exerts pressure on Palestinians. University students from various cities such as Isfahan, Shahroud, Kerman, Shiraz, Mashhad, Zahedan and Tehran took part in the demonstration. Protesting students expressed their hatred of the heinous crimes being committed by the Zionist regime and condemned the silence of international organizations in this respect. They also chanted slogans in condemnation of the Zionist regime and its main supporter, the United States of America. The protestors carried placards reading: 'Down with the US', 'Down with the Zionists', 'Israel is a cancerous tumor' and 'We will never yield to suppression', 'Palestine should turn to a graveyard for Zionist aggressors, ' Palestine is part of Islamic world', 'Down with Mubarak', 'Hosni Mubarak is a traitor', 'Gaza has turned into Karbala' and 'World muslims should be united http://www.iqna.ir/en/news_detail.php?ProdID=330461 Saturday, December 6, 108 11:54 New ID : 330461 Iranian Students Go Fasting to Protest Gaza Blockade --Iranian university and seminary students will go fasting tomorrow to protest the Israeli massacres against the people of Gaza. A statement issued by students societies of Isfahan Industrial University has called on university and seminary students all over the country to go fasting on Sunday as a sign of their protest against what is going on in Gaza and against the silence of the Islamic world. It has also called on the students to attend a protest march in Tehran on Monday. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Gaza, where continued border closures by the Zionist regime in recent weeks have prevented the delivery of vital food, medicine and fuel supplies. 330428 http://www.iranembassy.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106%3Astudentsgazza&catid=46%3Agaza-news&Itemid=180&lang=ur Students protest Arab world's silence in face of Gaza crimes University students and seminarians' here on Sunday staged a protest meeting near the Saudi Embassy to deplore the silence of Islamic countries' leaders in the face of crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza Strip. They chanted slogans condemning the Arab world's compromise with the Zionist regime on the Palestinian issue. They also issued a statement, which was read out in Persian and Arabic. Addressing Muslim nations, the statement said, "You should defend the rights of the homeless Palestinians. It's your turn to remove all the obstacles to Palestinians defense of their rights." The students also called on the government to support the oppressed in the world. They even urged the government to revise its policies vis-a vis Arab countries which support the Zionist regime. They carried placards reading 'Every Drop of Oil Equals Israeli bullets'. Meanwhile, a large number of students also staged a gathering near the Swiss Embassy to protest to the world's silence against the merciless treatment meted out to the residents of Gaza Strip. Students from Al-Zahra, Allameh Tabatabaei, Amir Kabir, Sharif, Arak and Semnan universities took part in the gathering. They held the Lebanese flag as well as pictures depicting the crimes of the Zionist regime. http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1205/202970.html Marches in Jordan to protest Israel's blockade to Gaza 2008-12-05 21:58:11 GMT AMMAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people in Jordan on Friday took to streets in capital of Amman to protest Israel's blockade to the Gaza Strip. Participants, organized by the Islamic Action Front, marched from Al Hussein Mosque to Amman Great Municipality yard, called for supporting Gazans to remove the blockade that forced them in difficulties. Hamam Sa'id, a leader of the march, urged concerned parties to act immediately and effectively to put an end to the Israeli siege. Meanwhile, a similar march took place in northern city of Irbid, where participants called on the Arab and Islamic governments to take immediate action to lift the siege and dispatch assistance to Gazans. The Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas has been under tight Israeli blockade for a month since violence between Gaza-based Palestinian militant groups and Israel flared up on Nov. 4. On Thursday, Israel decided to allow the delivery of 70 truckloads of food and basic supplies into the impoverished strip and limited quantity of fuel for the territory's sole power plant. It is only the fourth time that Israel opened its crossings with Gaza since the violence flared up one month ago. http://palestinechronicle.com/news.php?id=3fe81beaa277f2a4672e43f5cb1f60fc&mode=details 18:44 12/04/2008 Gaza Protests Leads to Egypt Opposition Arrests Egyptian police on Thursday arrested 64 members of the Muslim Brotherhood opposition group for organizing protests against the siege of the Gaza Strip, the Islamic group said. The arrests were made during dawn raids in the northern city of Alexandria, the Suez Canal town of Ismailya and other governorates in the Nile Delta, the Brotherhood website said. The arrests were made after the Brotherhood organized "events across the country showing solidarity with the Palestinian people, particularly those facing the deadly siege in Gaza." The movement won a fifth of seats in the 2005 parliamentary election, which observers said was marred by police intervention and fraud. Police have arrested dozens of the Islamists this year and also barred some of their leadership from travelling abroad. Gaza Blockade Israel said it will allow some humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Thursday, easing a month-old closure it imposed on the Hamas-ruled territory after a surge in violence. Defense Minister Ehud Barak authorized the delivery of 70 truckloads of food and basic supplies into Gaza and an unspecified quantity of fuel for the impoverished territory's sole power plant, his office said in a statement. The statement said the decision was taken as a gesture of goodwill ahead of next week's Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice. This would be the fourth time that Israel is opening its crossings with Gaza since violence flared on November 4. The opening of the crossings will be reviewed on a daily basis and will be subject to Palestinian militants halting their rocket fire against southern Israel, said defense ministry spokesman Peter Lerner. http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=61757 64 arrested in Egypt for protests against Gaza siege Updated at: 0400 PST, Friday, December 05, 2008 ALEXANDRIA: Egyptian police on Thursday arrested 64 members of the opposition party Akhwan-ul-Muslimeen for organising protests against the siege of the Gaza Strip. The arrests were made during dawn raids in the northern city of Alexandria, the Suez Canal town of Ismailya and other governorates in the Nile Delta, the website of Akhwan-ul-Muslimeen said. It was not immediately possible to confirm the number of arrests with security officials. Earlier this week, police arrested 28 Brothers "for membership of an illegal organisation and possession of banned literature," a security official said. The Muslim Brotherhood (Akhwan-ul-Muslimeen), which calls for an Islamic state in Egypt through peaceful means, is officially banned by the government but fields independent candidates in parliamentary and municipal elections. The movement won a fifth of seats in the 2005 parliamentary election, which observers said was marred by police intervention and fraud. Police have arrested dozens of the Islamists this year and also barred some of their leadership from travelling abroad. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1230111680086 Dec 24, 2008 13:59 | Updated Dec 24, 2008 14:28 Egypt angry over Syrian protests By THE MEDIA LINE NEWS AGENCY The Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned the Syrian ambassador to Cairo for consultations on Tuesday to express concern about recent demonstrations outside the Egyptian embassy in Damascus. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right, meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: AP Demonstrators, who according to news reports were mostly Palestinian refugees, protested this week against the blockade on Gaza and demanded Egypt ease the plight of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Protesters called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, send aid to the Gazans and not give in to what they called American and Israeli pressure. Egypt insists it is making great efforts to ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza and rejects accusations from several Arab countries that it is responsible for the suffering of Gazans. Similar protests against Egypt have taken place in Lebanon, Jordan and Iran. There is already tension between Damascus and Cairo over Egypt's involvement in the internal Palestinian crisis. Egypt has been playing role of mediator in order to bring about reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. But Syria alleges that Egypt is not taking a balanced approach and is siding with Fatah. Syria, it should be noted, hosts several key Hamas leaders in exile and Arab critics accuse Syria of siding with Hamas in the conflict. The Islamist Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007, leading to a de facto rift between Gaza, which is governed by a Hamas government shunned by the international community, and the West Bank, which has a separate Western-backed government and is supported by Fatah. Cairo says any allegations of Egyptian bias in the conflict are untrue and insists it is taking an even-handed approach to the dispute. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1449440.php/Thousands_in_Lebanon_protest_against_Gaza_blockade_ Thousands in Lebanon protest against Gaza blockade Middle East News Dec 19, 2008, 14:01 GMT Beirut - Thousands of people in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday protested Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. The protestors, who were mainly followers of the radical Hezbollah movement along with some Palestinian factions, roamed the streets waving Palestinian flags and yellow Hezbollah flags and chanting 'Gaza, Gaza, here we come.' Hezbollah boy scouts and women in black chadors carried two huge Palestinian flags through the crowd. As they marched, they shouted slogans like 'Death to Israel! Death to America!' Other protestors were carrying placards reading 'No peace if it leads to humanitarian catastrophe' and 'May God protect our leader (Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan) Nasrallah.' Other demonstrations are also being held in cities in the south and north and in the Bekaa Valley to the east of the capital. Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which was imposed after the Islamist Hamas movement managed to oust forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007, tightened even further last month because of an upsurge in violence. Tensions remained high in and around Gaza on Friday as Hamas warned they would respond to any attack. 'We are are responsible, like all Arabs and Muslims, to completely liberate Palestine, from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea,' Hezbollah's deputy secretary general Naim Kassem told the crowd. 'The Palestinian cause is a just cause,' he said as he addressed the crowd. Many at the demonstration were also carrying pictures of US President George W Bush being hit by a shoe thrown by an Iraqi journalist on Sunday. 'No thanks, Mr Bush, we don't want your democracy' and 'We want justice' signs carried by the demonstrators read. Hamas and Hezbollah, are both considered terrorist organizations by the United States. They both call for 'resistance' against Israel. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3641303,00.html Mass protest in Beirut against Gaza blockade Thousands gather after Hizbullah chief's call to rally; Organization's deputy chief calls on Egypt to open Rafah crossing Roee Nahmias Published: 12.19.08, 17:28 / Israel News Egypt must open the Rafah crossing on its border with Gaza, said Hizbullah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Kassem, during a speech Friday afternoon in Beirut. Hundreds of thousands of Hizbullah supporters gathered all over the city in protest of the 'siege' on Gaza. Hizbullah's 'resistance' efforts Report: Hizbullah holds exercises south of Litani / Roee Nahmias (Video) Al-Arabiya reports Shiite terror group conducted military maneuvers in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite UN Resolution 1701, which has determined region will be demilitarized "Why is Gaza under siege," asked Kassem in his speech. "Because its people rejected humiliating political initiatives and chose resistance. Israel doesn't want them to choose their own destiny, so it set up a blockade," he said. "Egypt has all of the religious, moral and legal justification to stand with the people in Gaza and Palestine. There is no agreement in the world that allows for standing with a blocked, starving people and killing women and children," Kassem said. "Egypt, know that the Arab nation, the Muslim nation, will stand with you," he said, adding that "the world must know ? the Palestinian people will not be defeated and will fight forever. Those standing against them will be defeated." "Palestine is the main problem and we will work to liberate it from the (Jordan) River to the sea," he continued, referring to an extremist platform that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. "We say to Gaza residents ? we are with you in your struggle," Kassem said, explaining the rally. "We in Hizbullah will never neglect this issue until Palestine is returned to its rightful owners.... I call on all Palestinians to unite together in resistance!" In support of Hamas' decision to end a ceasefire with Israel, he said that Hizbullah "would not let the problem of Palestine turn into a pathetic ceasefire or allow Palestine to become a refugee camp in Gaza, at the expense of the rest of Palestine." http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048273.html 20/12/2008 Thousands of Hezbollah supporters protest Gaza siege By The Associated Press Tags: lebanon, hassan nasrallah Thousands of supporters of the militant Hezbollah group swarmed Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, demanding Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Hezbollah's supporters, including black-clad Shiite women with their children, waved flags and carried banners denouncing the Gaza blockade as they marched in the neighborhoods devastated by Israeli airstrikes in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Advertisement Chants of "Death to America" and "Israel is the enemy of Muslims" rang out from the crowd. The protests were in response to a call by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to people across the Arab and Muslim world to help end the siege and support the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power of it last year, ousting the forces of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The barrier was tightened last month when Gaza militants resumed firing rockets at Israel. Addressing the Beirut crowd, Hezbollah deputy leader Sheik Naim Kassem called on Arab and Islamic governments to act to help lift the Gaza blockade and urged Egypt to take an historic stance and open its border crossing with Gaza. "Silence on the [Gaza] blockade is disgraceful. Silence on the blockade amounts to participation in the [Israeli] occupation," Kassem said. In the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, about 1,000 Hezbollah supporters protested the Gaza siege with a sit-in in the city's main square, bringing traffic to a halt for about three hours. In Syria, about 3,000 Palestinian refugees also took part in a demonstration at the Sbeineh camp outside of the capital, Damascus. Hamas official Sami Abu Zouhdi, who joined the demonstration in Syria, warned that any Israeli military escalation in Gaza would be met with a tough response by Hamas. He also urged Egypt to open the Rafah crossing, saying Friday's protests were a message of rage against all parties contributing to the Gaza blockade, in a clear reference to Egypt. http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2008/12/15/205050.htm Nasrallah calls for popular demonstration in protest of Israeli siege Dec 15, 2008 Beirut, (SANA)-Secretary General of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah on Monday called for organizing a popular demonstration next Friday at the southern suburb in Beirut in protest of the Israeli unfair siege on Gaza. "The Israeli siege on Gaza aims at breaking the resistance Will of the Palestinian people in order to accept a humiliating settlement that won't guarantee the legitimate Palestinian rights," Sheikh Nasrallah said in a speech on Gaza siege, broadcast by Al-Manar Lebanese TV station. "In light of the Israeli field and political escalation and the Israeli military threats, there is no hope for any imminent solution to lift the siege on Gaza," Hezbollah Leader added. He underlined that Israel seeks judization of Jerusalem and displacement of the remaining Arab residents through a series of limitation steps and tear down of houses under any pretext. Mazen http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&AFD051CB3230B797C2257520006B3323 Nasrallah Calls for Open-Ended Protest until Gaza Siege is Lifted Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday called for an open-ended protest until the Gaza siege is lifted. "Our actions that will start on Friday will not end on that day, but until the Gaza siege is lifted," Nasrallah said in a televised speech broadcast on Al-Manar TV, mouthpiece of Hizbullah. He called for a demonstration to be held next Friday in Beirut's southern suburbs. "The Gaza siege is aimed at defeating the will of the Palestinian people so that the Zionists can impose their conditions," Nasrallah said. He slammed Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for saying Israeli Arabs who had national aspirations should move to a Palestinian state when it is established. "What Livni said was not a slip of the tongue," Nasrallah said. On Thursday, Livni drew criticism for saying "my solution for maintaining a Jewish and democratic state of Israel is to have two distinct national entities." "And among other things I will also be able to approach the Palestinian residents of Israel, those whom we call Arab Israelis, and tell them: 'your national aspirations lie elsewhere,'" Livni said. Nasrallah said there are two scenes in Gaza today -- hunger, cold and shelling facing steadfastness. He called on Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing permanently. Addressing Arab and world countries, Nasrallah said: "From a humanitarian position I tell them that there are one and half million people in Gaza who face sickness and death." "Where is the Arab courage today?" he asked. Beirut, 15 Dec 08, 21:28 http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnkfcwidgb/rss2/ Protest to be staged outside Egyptian embassy in Dublin 20/12/2008 - 08:31:40 A protest is to be staged today outside the Egyptian embassy in Dublin over the closure of crossings into the Gaza strip between Israel and Egypt. The Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza wants Egypt to open its crossing with the city of Rajah. The blockades followed attacks on Israel by Palestinian groups in Gaza. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/541581-bahraini-police-fire-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-at-protesters Bahraini police fire tear gas, rubber bullets at protesters by Dylan Bowman on Friday, 19 December 2008 Bahraini police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to quell thousands of protesters calling for action from Arab governments to end Israel's blockage of the Gaza Strip, newswire AP reported late on Friday. Citing witnesses at the scene, AP said several people, including women and children, were injured by rubber bullets, while others suffered gas inhalation. More than 10,000 people attended Friday's rally, the newswire said, citing opposition leader Ibraheem Sharif. Bahrain's Interior Ministry denied rubber bullets were used, but said tear gas was fired when protesters started throwing stones at security forces and destroying public property, AP said. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611748 University students stage protest in front of Jordanian embassy Posted: 2008/11/17 From: MNN University students from various universities staged a protest in front of the Jordanian embassy here on Monday to condemn the move orchestrated by some Arab countries to normalize ties with the Zionist regime. Iranian university students had earlier staged similar protest in front of the Saudi Arabian and Qatari embassies to condemn the move. The students also condemned the recent confab held in New York on 'Dialogue among Religions" and said the meeting lacked religious identity but was politically motivated to help normalize relations between a number of countries in the region with the Zionist regime. Views of some countries are not the same as the views of Islamic Ummah, underlined the students. The protestors carried placards, some of which read: 'No Compromise, No Submission', 'Fight Until Destruction', 'Muslims Should Be United', 'Zionist Regime Should Be Wiped Off the World Map'. --IRNA # http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1443919.php/Jordanian_demonstrators_protest_Gaza_blockade_ Jordanian demonstrators protest Gaza blockade Middle East News Nov 19, 2008, 22:13 GMT Amman- Thousands of Jordanians demonstrated Wednesday, demanding an end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The demonstration, which ended in front of the National Assembly building, was organized by the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, its political arm - the Islamic Action Front (IAF) and trade unions. The participants raised placards and chanted slogans that criticized Arab countries, particularly Egypt, for their failure to break the siege and re-open the crossing points between the Palestinian territory and Egypt. Addressing the rally, IAF secretary general Zaki Bani Ershaid blasted what he called the 'free-of-charge normalization' between Arab countries and Israel. 'We are today angry because the siege is being implemented by Arab hands and the outlets with Gaza are being closed by the Egyptian regime,' he said. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6537440.html Jordanian protesters urge Israel to end blockade against Gaza 16:43, November 20, 2008 Hundreds of Jordanians have held a demonstration in the capital Amman in protest against Israel's blockade of Gaza, urging for an end to the worsening humanitarian conditions in the coastal enclave, daily The Jordan Times reported on Thursday. The protesters marched from the headquarters of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which organized the demonstration, to the parliament building on Wednesday, calling for an end to the embargo, according to the report. IAF secretary general Zaki Bani Rsheid was quoted as saying that "we want to send a message to the international community and Western governments who claim to stand for democracy and human rights" that Israel must stop "the hypocrisy towards our people in Palestine." "This unjust blockade must stop now," he stressed. Despite requests from the EU and the UN, Israel continued a complete lockdown of the coastal Gaza Strip, keeping cargo crossings, a main passageway for fuel and humanitarian aid, shut in response to rocket and mortar fire at Israeli border towns. Source:Xinhua http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9964.shtml Groups protest settlement fundraiser at New York hotel Press release, Adalah-NY, 16 November 2008 Eight groups representing tens of thousands of people in the United States, Palestine and Israel have called on the Marriott Marquis hotel in Manhattan to cancel the 17 November dinner for the Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund aiming to raise money for Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron. In a 7 November letter the groups stated: "The Marriot Marquis will be facilitating activities that directly violate international law and US foreign policy, actively promote racial discrimination, and, at least indirectly, support brutal Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian civilians and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Hebron." The signers of the letter include Adalah-NY, Coalition of Women for Peace, (Israel), Gush Shalom (Israel), Jews Against the Occupation-NYC, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and WESPAC Foundation. Adalah-NY has called for a protest at the hotel on 17 November if the dinner is not cancelled. Kathleen Duffy, a spokesperson for Marriott in New York City, told Adalah-NY on 12 November that the dinner will go ahead. Duffy did not respond directly to questions about seeming violations of the Marriott's Human Rights Policy Statement which notes the Marriott's respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and says that the Marriott endeavors to remain "free from complicity in human rights abuses." All Israeli settlements violate international law, according to a broad international consensus. Duffy noted that in the past the Marriott cancelled the event of a group linked with white supremacist David Duke. On the Hebron Fund webpage, clicking on the symbol which says "Give to Hebron" leads to a donations page on the website for the Jewish Community of Hebron which says, among other things, "keep Hebron Jewish for the Jewish people." In a report on Hebron, the Israeli human rights organizations B'Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) have labeled the demands of Hebron's settlers as "racist." Aaron Levitt of Jews Against the Occupation-NYC explains, "As a Jew who has worked in Hebron as a human rights monitor, I'm dismayed that the Marriott is facilitating fundraising for Hebron's violent Jewish settlers. One example of this violence is the ritual stoning by Israeli settler youth of Palestinian girls walking to the Cordoba School in Tel Rumeida, Hebron. Each day, several dozen young girls hurried to their schoolhouse, huddled together, past the entrance of the magnificent new settlement synagogue. And each day settler youths standing in front of their synagogue would hurl a barrage of stones at the passing girls. The attackers' parents did nothing, or watched in approving silence. The settlers' violence, and my own shame, was worst on Shabbat, when sometimes I would stare at the beautiful synagogue, wondering what corrupted version of my faith was practiced there." In Hebron 700 Israeli settlers, living amidst 150,000 Palestinians, are attempting to expand their hold on the historic old city by expelling Palestinian residents, and connecting their settlements to the neighboring settlement of Kiryat Arba. According to B'Tselem and ACRI, Hebron's settlers' attacks on Palestinians have included "physical assault, including beatings, at times with clubs, stone throwing, hurling of refuse, sand, water, chlorine ... destruction of shops and doors, shattering of windows, thefts, cutting of fruit trees, destruction of merchants' stands." Defence for Children International-Palestine Section has also documented settler attacks on Palestinian children in Hebron. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a Hebron settler who grew up in Brooklyn, executed 29 Palestinians as they prayed at a mosque in Hebron. In a 24 September 2008 radio interview, Hebron Fund Executive Director Yossi Baumol explained, "There are real facts on the ground that are created by people helping the Hebron Fund and coming to our dinners." Creating "facts on the ground" is the mantra of the Israeli settlement movement. A March 2007 joint appeal by The Hebron Fund and Jewish Community of Hebron called for donations, saying, "Dozens of new families can now come live in Hebron ... waiting for you to be their partners in the redemption of Hebron -- by providing doors, windows, heating systems and many other necessities." The Hebron Fund has launched other, similar fundraising appeals for settlements. A 25 August 2008 Reuters article noted the seeming contradiction that "The United States says Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank threaten any peace between Israel and the Palestinians -- yet it also encourages Americans to help support settlers by offering tax breaks on donations." Reuters notes that US non-profits like the Hebron Fund fundraise for settlements even as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "has pressed Israel to cut its own financial incentives for settlers." According to the Hebron Funds US tax forms obtained by Adalah-NY, the organization has raised $10.4 million for Hebron's settlers from 2000-2006. The Hebron Fund's 1982 "Certificate of Incorporation" as a not-for-profit, also obtained by Adalah-NY, says the purpose of the organization is to "advance public knowledge and disseminate information," and to raise money for various "educational, religious and medical institutions located in Hebron." There is no mention of settlement construction. http://www2.irna.ir/fa/news/view/line-20/0811139074184226.htm Protest at Israeli president's visit to UK London, Nov 13, IRNA UK-Israel A peaceful demonstration is being planned at Oxford University against the decision by Balliol College to award an honorary degree on Israeli President Shimon Peres, who has been accused of ethnic cleansing. The protest in front of the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, west of London, is being timed to coincide with Peres making a speech next Tuesday evening. "It is unusual for a college to implicate itself in such a fashion with an acting head of a state, let alone with a head of a state that is known to commit human rights abuses on such a large scale," the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said. "Instead of supporting the occupied, Balliol has decided to reward the oppressor. In response, we must show our solidarity with the occupied people of Palestine, and declare our complete rejection of, and opposition to, the policies of the state of Israel, the state that Peres represents," PSC said. It said that Peres is responsible for the occupation of Palestine, the longest military occupation in modern history, and for the ethnic cleansing and dispossession of the Palestinian people, the world's largest refugee population. "Israel, currently violates the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, as officially noted in the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories," it added. The UK-based campaign believed that the apartheid system in South Africa only fell due to international pressure exerted against its representatives and institutions and said it can only fall in Israel through the adoption of a similar strategy that can lead to peace. Peres himself was accused of being personally responsible for numerous crimes and human rights breaches, including playing a leading personal role in the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine for purchasing weapons for the Haganah terrorist militia. He was also held responsible for being "the father of the Israeli nuclear project," illegally introducing nuclear weapons into the Middle East for the first time. It has been reported that during his visit to the UK next week, he is controversially also being given an honorary knighthood and being allowed the distinction of addressing both houses of parliament, but have yet to be confirmed. Honorary knighthoods are normally conferred on foreign nationals on recommendations made by the Foreign Office to those "who have made a significant contribution to relations between the United Kingdom and their own country." But in the last 20 years, recipients eventually stripped of their titles have included most recently, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania, three days before he was executed at the end of 1989 http://www2.irna.ir/fa/news/view/line-22/0811166210014745.htm Students stage a protest in front of Qatar embassy Tehran, Nov 15, IRNA Iran-Qatar-Protest A group of students from various universities staged a protest in front of the Qatari embassy here on Saturday to condemn the move orchestrated by some Arab countries on normalizing ties with the Zionist regime. The protestors carried placards, some of which read: 'No Compromise, No Submission', 'Fight Until Destruction', 'Muslims Should Be United', 'Zionist Regime Should Be Wiped Off the World Map'. At the end of the protest, the students issued a statement to denounce the move http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=3520290 Mock Israeli checkpoint constructed in protest at Princeton By Lauren Christensen November 11, 2008 Source: The Daily Princetonian, Princeton Students trying to walk through the north entrance doors of Princeton's Frist Campus Center during peak hours Monday may have encountered some obstacles, as the Princeton Committee on Palestine held a series of three demonstrations to protest the establishment of military checkpoints on roads in the West Bank and along its border. ?Armed? with plastic weapons, PCP members Theo Beers, a senior, and graduate student Yael Berda played the parts of Israeli soldiers, blocking the central entrance to simulate the checkpoints on many roads essential to everyday travel in the region. All students who tried to enter the building during the demonstrations were asked to show their proxes to pass. Occasionally, Beers and Berda refused passage through the center entryway altogether, instructing students to use alternate entrances. PCP members Fadi Abdeljawad, a graduate student, freshmen Nicole Rafidi and Sahin Naqvi, as well as non-member Saud Al-Thani, a sophomore, played the role of Palestinians. They were in some cases required by Beers and Berda to give up their belongings to be searched. Some were asked to lift up their clothing to ensure that they were not carrying a bomb. Meanwhile, seniors Issa Ashwash and Adrienne Clermont, sophomore Clare Herceg and freshman Mika Devonshire distributed fliers and answered questions about the demonstrations. ?The main goal [of the protest] is to bring awareness to the Princeton campus about what?s going on in Palestine,? Abdeljawad said, adding that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank was a ?violation of freedom.? Naqvi said the Princeton community needed to observe the demonstration. ?Many students don?t even know that any wall has been built in the region and are not aware of the human rights and international law that it violates,? Naqvi said in an e-mail, referring to the fortified barrier around portions of the border of the West Bank. He added that PCP hoped the protest would ?foster some sort of dialogue, however informal.? ?I feel that many students just simply don?t care enough about the issue to discuss it in any detail,? Naqvi said. ?Perhaps this protest will inspire or provoke them to do so.? Tigers for Israel president Jacob Loewenstein said that ?the process of passing through Israeli checkpoints is by no means easy,? but he added that ?it is irresponsible to reinforce the perception of Israeli soldiers as the brutes they are portrayed as.? Loewenstein said that though there may be problems with the implementation of the checkpoints, they are necessary for Israeli defense. ?Tigers for Israel acknowledges that conditions at the checkpoints are not ideal, but their full removal is impossible,? he said. ?Unfortunately, their effectiveness is proved all too often.? Abdeljawad said, however, that because ?most of the checkpoints are between Palestinian villages? and not on the boundary between the West Bank and Israel, the Israeli checkpoints in Palestinian areas are ?part of [the] occupation? and not the security infrastructure. PCP?s demonstration aimed specifically to address the effect of the checkpoints on Palestinian youth, Abdeljawad explained. ?The whole scene wants to show a typical young-aged Palestinian trying to get to school or to a job in the morning or to visit family members in another town. This is what they go through every day,? he said. ?In a typical scenario, you might [want] to travel between two places that are really only 15 minutes apart, and [because of the checkpoints] it might take you four to six hours.? For Abdeljawad, this issue is personal. A native Palestinian, he recently traveled to see the West Bank barrier in person. ?It?s shocking when you go to really see [the wall],? he said. ?I tried to travel between towns, and it?s close to impossible.? http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1041257.html Last update - 14:56 26/11/2008 Islamist students protesting Gaza blockade clash with Cairo police By Reuters Tags: Muslim Brotherhood Hundreds of Islamist students demanding an end to the blockade of Gaza clashed with riot police outside Cairo University on Wednesday and students said nine of their colleagues were injured. Riot police hit the demonstrators with wooden batons and some of the students hit back with their own sticks, Reuters photographer and witness Nasser al-Nouri said. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, has been campaigning for months against the blockade of Gaza, a territory controlled by its allies in Hamas. Advertisement The Egyptian government cooperates with the Israeli blockade, mainly to prevent Israel from transferring to Egypt full responsibility for supplying Gaza. The Brotherhood and other opposition groups have tried to arrange convoys of humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza but the Egyptian police have stopped them en route and sent them back. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=28957 Jordan protests at abuse of prisoner in Israel Prisoners' rights group in Jordan says Jordanian inmate in Israeli jail been beaten, held in isolation. AMMAN - A prisoners' rights group in Jordan said on Wednesday that a Jordanian inmate in Israeli jail has been beaten and held in isolation, a day after a rare family visit. Abdullah al-Barghuti was the subject of "ill-treatment, blows, being kept in isolation and is barred from having visitors," said a committee for prisoners in Israel that is run by Jordan's trade unions. In solidarity, two other prisoners, Merhi Abu Saida and Munir Merhi, refused on Tuesday to see their relatives, as part of efforts to press for Barghuti's wife who lives in the Palestinian territories to be allowed to visit, it said. The committee urged the Amman government, which has a 1994 peace treaty with Israel, to press for the release of Jordanian prisoners. A group of 37 Jordanians on Tuesday made a rare visit to relatives jailed in Israel. The visitors spent time with 16 prisoners at a jail in the coastal city of Netanya, according to an AFP photographer. The visit was the second in two years and the third since Jordan and Israel signed the peace treaty. Opposition groups accuse the Jordanian government of "negligence" in its handling of the prisoner issue. They say that more than 35 Jordanians are jailed in Israel while official figures put the figure at around 20. http://news.egypt.com/en/200810264557/news/middle-east/doctors-protest-israeli-blockade-of-gaza.html Doctors protest Israeli blockade of Gaza Written by Egypt News Monday, 27 October 2008 Dozens of mental health specialists on Sunday protested Israel?s closure of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after they were prevented from entering to attend a conference there Around 70 demonstrators waved signs denouncing the Israeli closure of the Palestinian territory, with slogans such as ?Let Gaza live? and ?Israel: a medical conference is a security threat?? Doctors from several countries had hoped to attend a conference on mental health in the impoverished coastal territory hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), but Israeli authorities did not allow them to enter. The conference, which will be held on Monday with doctors in the West Bank town of Ramallah participating via video conferencing, will focus on the impact of the Israeli blockade on the mental health of Gaza residents. The Israeli military rejected the doctors? accusations in a statement, saying it would allow medics to enter Gaza to provide care but not to attend a conference in a ?territory controlled by terrorists.? Israel has sealed the territory of 1.5 million people off from all but limited humanitarian aid since the Islamist Hamas movement -- which is pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state -- seized power there in June 2007. EGYPT NEWS http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093215390 Jordan- Hundreds protest import of Israeli produce Jordan Times -12/10/2008 (MENAFN - Jordan Times) Over 200 members of the Kingdom's professional associations staged a one-hour sit-in at Khreibet Al Souq's central vegetable market on Saturday to protest the import of fruits and vegetables from Israel. The protest, which was called for by the associations' Anti-Normalisation Committee, was designed to highlight the rising number of goods from the Jewish state entering the country. "We strongly reject and condemn doing business with the Israeli enemy as if it was a neighbour. What is imported from Israel can easily be imported from other neighbouring countries," committee president Badi Rafayah told The Jordan Times on Saturday, adding that consumers should be enlightened as to the origin of imported products. "We want our people to know that produce imported from Israel is grown in lands that were seized by force from the Palestinians by Israeli settlers," Rafayah said. Although Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, professional associations and opposition parties prohibit their members from having any links with the Jewish state. Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association President Abdul Hadi Falahat said yesterday that the volume of imports from Israel has witnessed a recent rapid increase, prompting the sit-in. "During the past three months, approximately 3,400 tonnes of vegetables and 1,400 tonnes of fruit were imported from the Israeli enemy," Falahat told The Jordan Times, adding that imports mainly consisted of mangos, kiwis, carrots and potatoes. Although many traders responded to the associations' call and stopped dealing with Israeli companies, he pointed out that several importers still insist on dealing with produce from the Jewish state, necessitating further action by the committee. "The sit-in is just the first step and will be followed by other measures, such as an anti-normalisation conference to be held October 25," Falahat said, adding that the association will release the names of traders who continue to import Israeli goods. Meanwhile, some protesters at yesterday's sit-in burned Israeli flags, calling on the government to shut down the "Zionist embassy" in Amman, referring to the Israeli embassy in the Rabia neighbourhood. Other participants carried posters describing agricultural normalisation with Israel as a "threat to the country's economy and the people". The sit-in ended peacefully without incident. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/154184 Jordan: Muslims, Leftists Protest Israeli Fruit Reported: 04:25 AM - Oct/12/08 (IsraelNN.com) Muslim extremists and leftists united on Saturday in Jordan to protest imports of fruit grown in Israel. Hundreds of protesters organized a sit-in and called on merchants to boycott Israeli produce, particularly exotic fruits such as mango, kiwi, and pineapple. Many protesters burned Israeli flags and empty boxes used to ship Israeli fruit. Several members of Jordan's parliament participated in the protest. While Jordan is officially at peace with Israel, many Jordanians remain hostile towards Israel and companies that do business with Israel frequently face boycotts. http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=11266 Hundreds protest import of Israeli produce An elderly man carries a vegetable sack and looks on as he passes by a rally to protest importing Israeli agricultural and other products in Amman Saturday (Photo by Hani Hazaimeh) By Hani Hazaimeh AMMAN - Over 200 members of the Kingdom's professional associations staged a one-hour sit-in at Khreibet Al Souq?s central vegetable market on Saturday to protest the import of fruits and vegetables from Israel. The protest, which was called for by the associations? Anti-Normalisation Committee, was designed to highlight the rising number of goods from the Jewish state entering the country. "We strongly reject and condemn doing business with the Israeli enemy as if it was a neighbour. What is imported from Israel can easily be imported from other neighbouring countries," committee president Badi Rafayah told The Jordan Times on Saturday, adding that consumers should be enlightened as to the origin of imported products. "We want our people to know that produce imported from Israel is grown in lands that were seized by force from the Palestinians by Israeli settlers," Rafayah said. Although Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, professional associations and opposition parties prohibit their members from having any links with the Jewish state. Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association President Abdul Hadi Falahat said yesterday that the volume of imports from Israel has witnessed a recent rapid increase, prompting the sit-in. "During the past three months, approximately 3,400 tonnes of vegetables and 1,400 tonnes of fruit were imported from the Israeli enemy," Falahat told The Jordan Times, adding that imports mainly consisted of mangos, kiwis, carrots and potatoes. Although many traders responded to the associations? call and stopped dealing with Israeli companies, he pointed out that several importers still insist on dealing with produce from the Jewish state, necessitating further action by the committee. "The sit-in is just the first step and will be followed by other measures, such as an anti-normalisation conference to be held October 25," Falahat said, adding that the association will release the names of traders who continue to import Israeli goods. Meanwhile, some protesters at yesterday?s sit-in burned Israeli flags, calling on the government to shut down the "Zionist embassy? in Amman, referring to the Israeli embassy in the Rabia neighbourhood. Other participants carried posters describing agricultural normalisation with Israel as a "threat to the country's economy and the people". The sit-in ended peacefully without incident. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/israel_0904/ Protest against Israel?s founding Published Aug 28, 2008 10:42 PM On Aug. 21, about 70 protesters challenged the ?Fair to Remember? event at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit that marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the U.S.-backed Israeli settler state, an event known in Palestine as the Nakba or the catastrophe. Protest sponsors and endorsers included the Middle East Task Force, the Michigan Peace Team, Ann Arbor Middle East Film Society and Jewish Witnesses for Peace. In an article entitled ?Demonstrators protest apartheid at State Fairground,? the Arab American News quoted an organizer who was ?enraged at the idea of holding a celebration of what she calls ?the violent ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestine in 1948,? in a poor neighborhood in Detroit.? Members of the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice held a banner with the message: ?Israeli terror paid for by U.S.A. Money for our cities, not for war.? ?Report and photo by Cheryl LaBash http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AntiIsrael-protest-is-countered-by.4442409.jp Anti-Israel protest is countered by standing ovation Published Date: 30 August 2008 By Tim Cornwell PROTESTERS who interrupted a concert by Israeli musicians five times yesterday sparked outrage ? but the audience for the recital, by the Jerusalem Quartet as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, responded with a standing ovation. The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign claimed to have struck a blow against a group they claimed were "cultural ambassadors for Israel". Five Scottish protesters stood up, one after another, at the concert in the Queen's Hall to disrupt the performance, denouncing "Israeli army musicians", before being bundled out and arrested. The group campaigns for a cultural boycott of Israeli. But the audience yesterday rallied to the musicians ? two of whom are members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, established to promote harmony between Israeli and Arab musicians and cultures. Some tried to silence the protesters or drown them out with clapping. Hugh Kerr, formerly the MEP overseeing the European Parliament's music policy, was at the concert. He said: "I am a long-time supporter of Palestinian rights, as I suspect were many in the Queen's Hall this morning. However, the effect was totally counterproductive." The Scotsman's music critic, Susan Nickalls, called it "absolutely disgraceful ? Even if one might have sympathy with the Palestinian cause, this was not the platform. The audience had come to hear an uncontroversial programme of Brahms, Smetana and Haydn, not the views of political activists." The Edinburgh International Festival's theme this year is "Artists without Borders" and includes performers from Israel, Iran and Palestine. A spokeswoman said the four musicians ? Alexander Pavlovsky, Sergei Bresler, Amichai Grosz and Kyril Zlotnikov ? had indeed done the military service required of Israeli citizens. However, they are now full-time musicians. The EIF's artistic director Jonathan Mills, who also watched the concert, said: "I was moved by the commitment to their artistry in performing their entire programme and in doing so they were rewarded with a rare but very well-deserved standing ovation." http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2008/09/26/194259.htm Iranian demonstrations commemorating Jerusalem Day Sep 26, 2008 Tehran, (SANA)-Iranian big cities on Friday witnessed mass demonstrations in commemoration of the International Jerusalem Day ( International Day of al-Quds) which comes on the last Friday of Ramadan. During the demonstrations, millions of Iranians carried placards and signs condemning the US- backed Israeli occupation of the Arab lands, reading slogans that confirm their support and solidarity with the Palestinian people to regain their usurped rights. For his part, Secretary General of the International Conference of al-Quds in Iran Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pur criticized the international incapability of solving the Palestinian issue and the occupied Jerusalem city due to the dominance of superpowers that support Israel. International Jerusalem Day is an annual event condemning Israel's occupation of Jerusalem. Mazen From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 16:46:17 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:46:17 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PALESTINE: Protests, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA98FC9.6090403@tesco.net> *** December *** * Ramallah, Ofer prison - prisoners, screws injured during jail uprising over cell damage * Bilin, Nilin - nonviolent protests suppressed * Kalandia - youth shot at checkpoint, Molotov alleged * Gaza - youth, Egyptian guard killed in border clashes * Bethlehem - "Santa" in protest scuffle * Bilin - villagers throw shoes at soldiers * Hebron - locals battle rampaging settlers * Gaza - fourth protest boat arrives * Gaza - Israeli activists stopped from taking aid to Gaza * Gaza - Christians cancel Christmas to protest blockade * Jerusalem - Israelis demolish protest camp yet again *** November *** * Nilin - Israeli MP, Irish Nobel prizewinner injured by troops at nonviolent protest * Nilin - protesters stone Israeli troops * Al-Ma'asara - nonviolent anti-wall protest attacked * Nablus - protest at empty settler compound * Gaza - second relief boat docks * Gaza - relief boat arrives * Jerusalem - house demolitions spark protests, clashes * Jerusalem - municipal elections lead to strike * Jitha - rabbis defend olive harvest from settlers * Hebron - hundreds protest after settler rampage * Tel Aviv - traffic blocked in protest of Gaza raid * Jerusalem - protest tent is focus of eviction battle - demolition leads to protests * Hebron - five injured in settler rampage * Jerusalem - Muslims protest project to build museum on historic graveyard * Ramallah - Hamas supporters protest Fatah repression * Nazareth - Thousands of Palestinians march against Gaza siege *** OCTOBER *** * Ramallah - Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian during protests over earlier killing * Nilin - Eight wounded as soldiers attack peaceful protest * Al-Ma'sara and elsewhere - anti-wall protests continue * Hebron - settlers clash with rabbis over olive harvest * West Bank - dumping proposal causes outcry * Nablus - farmers, settlers clash * Acre - Palestinians revolt after home attacks - four-day uprising rocks mixed city * Jerusalem - Palestinian killed, six injured in clashes during extreme Zionist attack *** SEPTEMBER/AUGUST *** * Gaza - human chain against siege * Nilin - clashes, injuries at wall protest * Hebron - Palestinians battle soldiers, settlers after rampage * Bethlehem - soldiers murder child during unrest over attacks * Qalandiya - soldiers attack checkpoint protest * Gaza - teachers protest Hamas control * Gaza - relief boat defies siege, brings Palestinians to Cyprus * Deir Sharaf - hundreds protest waste dump plan * Gaza - 12 killed in clashes between Hamas, local clan http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/21/content_10531401.htm Eight prisoners, two Israeli soldiers wounded in Israeli prison's clashes Tear gas clouds rise from inside Ofer prison during clashes between Palestinian prisoners and Israeli prison guards, outside the West Bank city of Ramallah December 20, 2008. According to an Israeli prison service spokesperson, seven prisoners and three Israeli guards were injured and a tent set ablaze as riots broke out after guards wanted to conduct a search on Saturday.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) RAMALLAH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Eight Palestinian prisoners and two Israeli prison's guards were injured during clashes in Israel's Ofer Prison in the West Bank on Saturday. Prisoners from inside Ofer prison told reporters on cellular phones that they were protesting an earlier search of prisoner property which damaged the living quarters of the prisoners. They said that in response to the protest, dozens of Israeli soldiers fired rounds of rubber coated bullets and tear gas canisters on the prisoners, who set fire to some of the tents inside the prison. They reported from inside their prison that several prisoners with heart problems or breathing difficulties were suffocated as the Israeli soldiers fired dozens of gas canisters at the prisoners. Other prisoners reported that they have been harshly beaten by Israeli soldiers, saying many were forced out of their living areas and taken to solitary confinement cells. According to the prisoners estimates, around 400 prisoners participated in the clashes. The Palestinian Prisoners Society chief Abedelal al-Anani described what happened as a dangerous destabilization of condition, adding that "the soldiers used water hoses, gas bombs and rubber coated bullets to repress the prisoners." Israeli police enter Ofer prison during riots between Palestinian prisoners and Israeli prison guards at Ofer prison outside the West Bank city of Ramallah December 20, 2008. According to an Israeli prison service spokesperson, seven prisoners and three Israeli guards were injured and a tent set ablaze as riots broke out after guards wanted to conduct a search on Saturday.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1228728266489 Dec 20, 2008 16:49 | Updated Dec 21, 2008 7:45 Guards, detainees clash at Ofer Prison By AP AND JPOST.COM STAFF Clashes broke out between Palestinian inmates and Israeli guards at the Ofer Prison near Ramallah on Saturday. Prison guards wearing gas masks and riot gear enter Ofer prison during clashes with Palestinian inmates near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday. Photo: AP SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World Palestinian Authority deputy minister of prisoner affairs, Ziad Abu Ein, said guards were carrying out an inspection when the clashes erupted. He said the guards used sound grenades, tear gas and clubs, adding that eight prisoners were injured. The Israeli Prison Service confirmed seven inmates suffered minor smoke inhalation and three guards were injured during the clashes. The difference in numbers could not be immediately rectified. According to reports, the guards had tried to search the tents in which the inmates sleep. The prisoners refused, and immediately began to throw objects at the guards. During the violence which ensued, two tents were burnt down. The Prison Service said about 150 prisoners took part in the fighting, and that the situation is now under control. The prison holds over a thousand Palestinian security prisoners. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081220151131380408.html Clashes erupt in Israeli-run prison Israeli police entered Ofer prison outside Ramallah to quell the riot which erupted on Saturday [Reuters] At least seven Palestinian detainees and three Israeli guards have been injured in a prison riot, according to Yaron Zamir, a prison service spokesman. The clashes in the Ofer detention centre near the West Bank town of Ramallah erupted on Saturday when dozens of Palestinian inmates started throwing objects at guards who had entered to search a prison ward, Zamir said. "Following the violence a larger force was sent into the ward and order was restored shortly afterwards," he told the AFP news agency. Seven prisoners injured after inhaling tear gas were treated at the jail. Three guards were lightly injured by objects thrown at them, Zamir said. More than 11,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, many of them detained for long periods without trial. Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera's correspodent reporting from Ramallah, said: "Palestinian detainees inside the miltary camp tried to prevent Israeli prison authorities from raiding their sections and undertaking a search of the wards. "We have heard repeatedly from these detainees about the humiliation they undergo on a daily basis during these searches. "And it was at this point they [inmates] wanted to protest against the measures undertaken by the Israeli prison authorities." She said that calm appears to have been restored and situation brought under control. But it is unclear whether the Israeli authorities will respond to the Palestinian prisoners' frustrations and grievances after the latest incident. Gaza fatality In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, a Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli missile attack - the first death since the end of a six-month-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Palestinian territory. Ali Hijazi, 22, and two other men who were wounded in Saturday's incident were members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, witnesses said. The air raid targeted a group of fighters firing rockets towards Israel, an Israeli military official said. The attack in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip came a day after the end of the ceasefire. Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said: "The [Israeli] military told us that six projectiles have been launched from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel. "This is coming as very sad news for the people here who once again find themselves in the position they were in before the ceasefire, in terms of this almost daily aggression by Israel and very uncertain times in terms of what will happen next. "From the Israeli side they have said that ... as long as there is peace from the Palestinian side they will respond with peace. But if there is aggression by Palestinian factions, they will fight back with force." A ceasefire agreed in June officially ended at daybreak on Friday, after Hamas said it would not renew it. Hamas blamed Israelis for the failure of the ceasefire, saying that they had not lived up to their obligations under the deal by continuing a blockade of the Gaza Strip. http://www.imemc.org/article/58005 Israeli Troops Suppress Non Violent Demonstrations in Bil'in and Ni'lin Friday December 12, 2008 15:15 by IMEMC Staff The people of Bil'in statred a demonstration after Friday?s prayers that included international and Israeli activists, as well as a community from the Bethlehem district. (file) A demonstration in Bilin in summer 2007 (Photo by: Marcel Masferrer Pascual) The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and rang bells for the anniversary of the first Palestinian Intifada that occurred in 1987. The demonstrators marched inside the village, approaching the area where the wall is erected, but the Israeli soldiers stopped them from entering through the main gate. When the demonstrators approached, the Israeli soldiers shot tear gas canisters, sound grenades and rubber-coated bullets at the crowd, which caused many to choke, including Mohamad Basem, an eight year old child, as well as Baasem Abu Rahma, age 30, and Abed Hamamra, age 37. The vilagers of Bil'in have been demonstrating against the wall, non stop, on a weekly basis, for the past three years. They have managed to reclaim half of the land that Israel had planned on confiscating for the construction of the apartheid wall. Also, in the nearby village of Nil'in, during Friday prayers, on the lands near the construction area of the wall, Israeli soldiers surrounded the area in front of the demonstrators and shot tear gas while the prayers were still going on. The Israeli Army command called for more vehicles and units that, upon arrival, shot live ammunition and tear gas at the demonstrators. The excess tear gas created a massive cloud, causing many people to choke. Six young men were shot by live ammunition, among them a camera man from the International French Press (IFP), Abed Khabesa, who was shot with a tear gas canister while he was recording at the scene. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456531396&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 30, 2008 14:21 IDF fires at Palestinian with Molotov cocktail at protest near Kalandia By JPOST.COM STAFF IDF troops fired shots at a Palestinian youth holding a Molotov cocktail on Tuesday, during a protest near the Kalandia checkpoint south of Ramallah. Troops shot at the lower half of the youth's body, and confirmed a hit. The Red Crescent in Ramallah provided medical treatment. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/29/2455929.htm Egyptian guard, youth killed in Gaza border clashes Posted Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:00am AEDT An Egyptian border guard and a Palestinian youth were killed during border clashes between Hamas and Egyptian security forces. An Egyptian security source said Hamas forces had also shot an Egyptian policeman in the leg. The incidents took place near the main border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, where Egyptian riot police fired in the air to try to drive back Palestinians who had managed to penetrate the border wall. The Palestinians were trying to flee Gaza in the midst of Israeli air strikes which have killed nearly 300 people so far. The events are likely to aggravate tense relations between Hamas and the Egyptian Government, which says that Hamas is largely to blame for the Israeli onslaught. Witnesses said dozens of Palestinians crossed into Egypt from Gaza as Egyptian riot police fired in the air. Reuters correspondent Yusri Mohamed said he had met several Palestinians on the Egyptian side of the border who told him they had slipped across at holes in the border wall. - Reuters http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/12007/39Santa39-involved-in-protest-scuffle.4811003.jp 'Santa' involved in protest scuffle Published Date: 20 December 2008 A PALESTINIAN dressed as Santa Claus yesterday scuffled with Israeli soldiers during a protest at Israel's separation barrier near Bethlehem in the West Bank. No-one was hurt. The 'Santa' then went on to hand out sweets to children in the village of Maasarah. More than 20 Palestinians shouting and waving flags marched towards the barrier, the site of regular protests. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=29295 Palestinian protesters hurl shoes at Israeli troops Hundreds of protesters demonstrate against West Bank separation barrier the Zaidi way. BILIN, West Bank - Demonstrators hurled their shoes at Israeli security forces on Friday in a protest against the West Bank separation barrier, following in the footprints of a now famous Iraqi journalist. Similar protests in the past near the village of Bilin have often ended with young Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli troops who generally respond by firing tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. This time, many of the 500 or so protesters hurled shoes instead in tribute to the journalist who made international headlines and was jailed for throwing his footwear at US President George W. Bush in Baghdad. "We want to demonstrate our support to Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi and say that like the Iraqis, we are opposed to the occupation," one of the organisers of the protest said. Palestinian and foreign activists regularly gather at the West Bank village to protest against the Israeli barrier. Israel says the barrier, a projected 723 kilometres (454 miles) of steel and concrete walls, fences and barbed wire, is needed for security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that undermines their future state. To date Israel has built about 57 percent of the barrier, most of it inside the West Bank. The barrier, also known as the ?Apartheid Wall?, is condemned under international law because it is built on Palestinian territories illegally occupied by Israel in 1967. http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=40219 Israeli Settlers Clash With Palestinians, Police in West Bank City Wednesday, December 03, 2008 By Julie Stahl Smoke rises from a Palestinian area after a fire was allegedly set by Jewish settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron, Wednesday Dec. 3, 2008. Tensions have been high in the divided West Bank city around a house where Jewish settlers have holed up in defiance of an Israeli Supreme Court eviction order. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) ? Tensions remained high in the mixed West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday where Jewish protestors are trying to prevent Israeli security forces from evicting families living in a disputed building. The clashes have focused attention on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, where Palestinians want to establish a future state. Settlements are one of six major issues that must be settled before a deal can be reached to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to up the ante on Wednesday when he said he would not allow the settlers to overrule democracy and the rule of law in the country. ?There are phenomena that cannot be tolerated and which the government headed by me cannot accept,? Olmert said during a memorial ceremony for Israel?s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion. ?The dispute over the Land of Israel is legitimate, and the desire to maintain a Jewish presence in the holiest and most important of our cities is understandable. However, this desire cannot be stronger than the decision of the Supreme Court,? Olmert said. Two weeks ago, Israel?s Supreme Court ordered the settlers out of a building they call the House of Peace until its ownership could be determined. The Jewish tenants claim to have purchased the building from the Palestinian owner. But he says the deal was never completed and therefore the house is still his. Israeli security forces have been hesitant to carry out the eviction order. But Olmert indicated that he would do so. Olmert said he loved Hebron and harbored ?boundless respect for its lovers, residents and guards? but said that since the Supreme Court had decided the building should be evacuated, it would be evacuated. ?I will not let anyone raise a hand against democracy in Israel,? Olmert said. He said he would try to avoid confrontation with negotiations, but he also insisted on discipline and order. David Wilder, a spokesman for the Hebron Jewish community, questions whether the Supreme Court decision demands an evacuation of the building or simply ?permits? it. Wilder told CNSNews.com he hoped that Defense Minister Ehud Barak would avoid confronting the settlers and allow the court system to take a look at the evidence regarding the building?s ownership. Hundreds of Jewish youths have gathered in the city. On Wednesday, some of them tried to enter another house in Hebron that was evacuated by court order earlier, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. A Jewish settler scuffles with an Israeli border police officer as she is arrested near a disputed house in the West Bank town of Hebron, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill) Youths threw rocks and bottles at police, who fired stun grenades at them, reports said. Rosenfeld said paramilitary border police, trained in riot control, would replace Israeli army troops in the city. On Tuesday Jewish youths clashed with Palestinians as well as with Israeli security forces trying to separate them. They reportedly slashed tires of Palestinian security vehicles and defamed a Muslim cemetery. Wilder said that the youths in the city had been given guidelines and instructed not to initiate violence. He said at least 75 percent of the clashes with Palestinians had been started by the other side. On Wednesday, one settler support group sent out emails calling for people to come to Hebron to prevent what they thought was an impending evacuation. Some settler leaders said the violence blurred the justness of their cause. ?We are doing our best to make sure that [the struggle] is a moral one and a right one, is also conducted in moral, right and clever way,? said Danny Dayan, who heads the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). ?We are against the last incidents. I think it was a very big mistake,? Dayan told CNSNews.com. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1227702390742 Dec 1, 2008 22:30 | Updated Dec 3, 2008 7:55 Hebron home now closed military zone By ABE SELIG AND YAAKOV KATZ Settlers clashed with Palestinians and security forces under a hail of stones at the disputed Beit Hashalom in Hebron on Tuesday, as hundreds of people, some of whom have been holed up in the building for weeks, prepared to resist a possible evacuation. Unrest in Hebron A 16-year-old Jewish boy suffered serious head wounds when Palestinians on the roof of a neighboring home began throwing rocks and other debris at a crowd that had gathered below. OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni signed an order Tuesday night declaring the area surrounding the building a closed military zone. Officials said that the order was issued to prevent settlers and far-right activists from reaching the home to reinforce those already there. Since Monday night, 18 settlement supporters and 20 Arabs have been wounded near the disputed structure. Bricks, stones and pottery - a piece of which struck the boy in the head - were thrown from the roof, and settlers responded by stoning the Palestinian home. Soldiers and border policemen who were patrolling the area lobbed stun grenades onto the Palestinians' roof in an attempt to quell the violence. When a small band of young settlers attempted to break through the gate of the Palestinian home with a wooden battering ram, soldiers threw stun grenades at them as well. The incident sparked chaos in and around the home, as soldiers, paramedics and settlers scurried to evacuate the wounded boy while rocks continued to fly in all directions. At one point, a young Jewish man confronted one of the soldiers guarding the gate of the Palestinian home, drawing jeers from the crowd. "Don't touch the soldiers," people yelled. "This is the way we'll lose," another man said. "If we fight each other, we're going to lose." A dozen soldiers entered the Palestinian home, setting up a guard post on the roof and throwing the remaining bricks and debris safely down into the yard. Soldiers were seen entering and exiting the house throughout the rest of the day, keeping the young men and women from Beit Hashalom at bay and enforcing some degree of order. After the crowd began to disperse, police continued to arrest small numbers of teenagers from the disputed structure who had wandered down the road toward other Arab homes. Rocks and light bulbs continued to be sporadically thrown from the roof of the disputed home at passing Border Police jeeps, but the majority of those inside Beit Hashalom were vocal in their opposition to such acts. "There will be no rocks thrown off of this roof!" One woman yelled at a young man after he tossed a stone down toward the street. "Don't do it again!" she said. Nevertheless, IDF officers in Hebron said the settler violence had "grown out of control" and was an indication that any evacuation would be met with fierce resistance. One far-right activist who has been living in Beit Hashalom for the past week said the settlers were preparing "surprises" for any evacuating forces. Soldiers from the Givati Brigade's Shaked Battalion, who were deployed on the roof of the structure, said that they had fought in Gaza and in the West Bank but that the standoff with the settlers was their most frightening experience. On Tuesday, OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni decided to deploy a special Border Police force near the building. "We are scared," one soldier standing outside the home said Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the violence ended. "This is even scarier than operations in the Gaza Strip, since here we're facing off against Jews and not Palestinians." Brig-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, head of the IDF's Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, met Tuesday with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad as well as with Palestinian leaders from Hebron to discuss ways to calm the situation in the city. Officials in Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office said that Eitan Broshi, the ministry's liaison with the settlements, was in daily contact with the Jewish leaders in Hebron as part of efforts toward a nonviolent evacuation of Beit Hashalom. The officials said the plans for the evacuation were being finalized and that the operation would take place in the coming weeks, in accordance with the High Court of Justice's ruling allowing the eviction. "Israel is a law-abiding state and we will not permit attempts by small groups of radical people to undermine the authority of the state," Barak said Tuesday during a tour of an IDF Education Corps base in the North. "We cannot allow this to happen and will not allow it to happen." http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1045061.html Last update - 18:38 09/12/2008 Fourth protest boat sails into Gaza, breaching Israeli blockade By The Associated Press Tags: Blockade, Israel News, Hamas A small boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists has sailed into Gaza's port, in the fourth such violation of an Israeli blockade on the coastal territory. Three other protest boats have reached Gaza from Cyprus since Israel imposed the closure on the Hamas-ruled territory in response to rocket fire by Palestinian militants. The activists said they wanted to highlight the damaging effects of Israel's blockade. Israel has recently halted two other boats bound for Gaza - one from Libya and one carrying Israeli Arab activists from Israel. Among the new arrivals Tuesday were British activists who advocate a boycott of Israel's universities. Also on board was a Gazan man who left the territory years ago. His wife and children wept with joy as they embraced him. Relatives refused to say why he had left, or why he had been unable to come back. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/07/Israeli-police-stop-Gaza-protest-boat/UPI-62421228663639/ Israeli police stop Gaza protest boat Published: Dec. 7, 2008 at 10:27 AM TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Israeli protesters preparing to pilot a boat to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid have been prevented from leaving port, authorities said. Police officials said the boat, with several Arab members of the Israeli Knesset and peace activists aboard, was seized at the port of Jaffa Sunday morning and brought to the Tel Aviv marina, The Jerusalem Post reported. Authorities also said they had seized a truck with medicine and food supplies and detained three people for questioning. The Knesset members and activists had planned to sail to Gaza to "break the Israeli-imposed siege" a day before the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, the Post reported. Police said they were acting on an Israeli law that prevents any unauthorized dockings at Gaza. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/247711,extra-gaza-christians-annul-xmas-celebrations-to-protest-blockade.html EXTRA: Gaza Christians annul Xmas celebrations to protest blockade Posted : Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:39:10 GMT Author : DPA Category : Middle East (World) Gaza - Palestinian Christians living in the Hamas-ruled Gaza will not celebrate Christmas this year and will not perform the midnight Christmas mass, Gaza Latin Church pastor Manuel Musalam said Wednesday. In a statement sent to the media, he said the decision was to protest Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip and to protest what he said were Israeli threats to invade the salient. Around 4,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip. Most of them are adherents of the Greek Orthodox Church, but a few follow the Latin church and celebrate Christmas on December 24-25. Sources inside the Strip said that 800 Christians applied to Israel for permission to travel to the West Bank city of Bethlehem to attend midnight mass on Wednesday, but only 280 received a permit. "Annulling the Christmas mass prayers at midnight in Gaza came also to protest the Israeli decision not to give permission to Gaza Christians to go to Bethlehem," Musalam said. He called on Christians and Moslems to gather at the Holy Family School, run by his church, to attend a silent mass, instead of praying at the Church. Israel has kept the Gaza crossings shut since Friday, when the expiration of a six-month truce led to an upsurge in rockets attacks from the salient. On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak reversed a decision to open the crossings, after militants in the Strip showered southern Israel with rockets, to protest Israel's killing of three Hamas militants Tuesday night. Israel said the three were trying to plant a bomb by the Gaza-Israel border fence when spotted. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111681631&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 24, 2008 15:00 | Updated Dec 24, 2008 15:01 Gaza Catholics cancel Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in protest of blockade By ASSOCIATED PRESS The head of Gaza's tiny Roman Catholic community announced on Wednesday that Christmas Eve's Midnight Mass celebration is canceled, in protest of the blockade on the Gaza Strip. Father Manuel Musallem said the parish would instead hold an evening mass. About 4,000 Christians, including about 300 Roman Catholics, live in Gaza, a conservative Muslim society. Most of the remaining Christians are Greek Orthodox. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0812/S00494.htm Israeli forces demolish Sheikh Jarrah protest camp Monday, 22 December 2008, 3:08 pm Press Release: ISM Media Israeli forces demolish Sheikh Jarrah protest camp yet again Israeli forces have again demolished the protest tent established in Sheikh Jarrah, Occupied East Jerusalem, built on Palestinian private property in support of the evicted al-Kurd family and the 18 Palestinian families who currently face eviction from the neighbourhood. Two international solidarity activists, one British and one Austrian, who had been staying in the tent, were detained by Israeli police and taken to the local police station for their details to be taken. They were released three hours later. Israeli forces arrived at the site of the protest camp at around mid- day and began to dismantle the tent despite the protests of Sheikh Jarrah residents who repeatedly pointed out that the tent is built of private property. The police then took two of the international solidarity activists from the site. They were released from the police station three hours later. Um Kamel al-Kurd, who was evicted from her home of 52 years by Israel had this to say following the most recent demolition of the Sheikh Jarrah protest camp; "This time there were no order, no paper no reason for the demolishing. Before they referred to either lack of permit or an act of law; any objects that destroy the natural beauty in an area can be removed. This is a law that they did not use since 30 years but now they have implemented it again. Today they only claimed that this is public area". "I am sad to see the tent being demolished again. Also I am very frustrated, because we have no means to stop this." "Still I am resolute, I will maintain here and if they return to demolish again, we will rebuild it again". "Where are the conciousness, where are the hearts of the world? Why are they not defending us and helping us to return to our home?" Fellow Sheikh Jarrah resident Rima added; "We are calling the international governments and people to come here. They must implement the international law that they are behind". The protest camp was established by the Sheikh Jarrah Neighbourhood Committee following the violent eviction of the al-Kurd family on the 9th November initially to show support for the evicted family and the 500 other Palestinians who are under threat of eviction from the neighbourhood. It has been demolished three times already by Israeli authorities despite being situated on private Palestinian property. The camp has been used as a cultural centre for the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, regularly screening films, holding traditional Palestinian dancing and showing Palestinian photo exhibitions. The latest demolition of the tent can be viewed as another effort by Israel to react against displays of Palestinian national identity within Occupied East Jerusalem. The house had become emblematic of the plight of Palestinian residents of Occupied East Jerusalem. The al-Kurd family were previously made refugees from Jaffa and West Jerusalem. They were then made refugees for the second time as they were evicted from their home of 52 years. A previous protest tent had been active throughout the Summer on the al-Kurd property, as widespread international condemnation of Israeli policy against the family and neighbourhood grew, including an official complaint from the US State Department (see below). Abu Kamel al-Kurd was immediately rushed to hospital following the family's violent early morning eviction with high-blood pressure. He was re-admitted to hospital two weeks later where he died of a heart attack homeless. http://www.imemc.org/article/57758 Palestinian Lawmaker, Irish Noble Prize winner wounded in Ni'lin protest Friday November 21, 2008 17:32 by IMEMC Staff As the residents of Ni?lin village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, supported by international peace activists, held their weekly nonviolent protest against the Israeli Annexation Wall on their lands while Israel soldiers showered them with teargas bombs. Troops violently attacked the peaceful protest, and a number of residents were treated for gas inhalation. Among them were Palestinian legislator, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Irish Noble Prize laureate, Maread McGuire, and Palestinian cameraman Mahmoud Harbiyyat who works for the Watan TV. All received treatment by field medics. The protest started after Friday prayers and the protesters were planning to march towards a construction site of the Annexation Wall. Soldiers attacked them and barred them from reaching the area, local sources reported. Later on, clashes erupted between local youth who hurled stones at the soldiers and the army showed them with teargas canisters and rubber coated bullets. Soldiers also fired teargas canister at a number of homes in the village; several residents were treated for gas inhalation. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/155142 Arab Protestors at Naalin Stone Israeli Troops Reported: 15:50 PM - Nov/02/08 (IsraelNN.com) Dozens of Arabs, anarchists, and pro-Arab activists were protesting the partition fence near the Arab village Naalin west of Ramallah. The protestors were throwing rocks at Israeli security forces. Security forces employed riot-dispersal techniques, such as tear gas. http://www.imemc.org/article/57666 Israeli troops wound four nonviolent protestors in Bil?in Friday November 14, 2008 19:12 by George Rishmawi - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group At least four nonviolent protestors were wounded in the weekly nonviolent protest in Bil?in west of the West Bank city of Ramallah. Dozens of the villagers accompanied by International and Israeli supporters marched after the Friday prayer and went through the village in an attempt to reach the land confiscated for the construction of the wall. The protest this week was dedicated to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of the late President Yasser Arafat and the 20 anniversary for the Palestinian declaration of independence. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters at the protestors to prevent them from going through the gate in the wall to their land. The four were identified as, Ahmad Jabarin, Ahmad Saleh, Adib Abu Rahma and Abdulmajeed Nasser. http://www.imemc.org/article/57664 Israeli troops attack nonviolent protestors in Bethlehem Friday November 14, 2008 18:57 by George Rishmawi Israeli troops assaulted nonviolent anti-wall protest in the West Bank village of Al-Ma?asara near Bethlehem. The protest was also to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the declaration of independence by the Palestinian National Council. Mohammad Brejeieh spokesperson of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements said troops severely beat the nonviolent protestors causing them bruises and wounds. The villagers of Al-Ma?asara, together with International and Israeli peace activist protest on weekly basis against building the wall on the villages land, which is the main source of income for most of the families of the village. http://www.imemc.org/article/57760 Palestinians organize a protest at an evacuate settlement near Nablus Friday November 21, 2008 18:32 by IMEMC News Residents of the villages near the evacuated settlement of Homesh In Nablus area, organized a nonviolent demonstration to protest the return of six settler families to the evacuated land. An Areial Photogrsaph for the evacuated Homesh colony - 2006 (Photo: decolonizing.ps) Ten protestors were wounded when the Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters at the protestors. This is the second demonstration organized by the popular committee against the colonial settlement activity in this area. Israeli soldiers prevented the protestors from entering the evacuated settlement. This settlement was evacuated in 2005 as part of the unilateral disengagement plan during which Israel pulled out from four small settlements in the West Bank, however, all of them remained until this moment under military order, which prevents Palestinians from entering the evacuated areas. http://www.thehindu.com/yw/2008/11/04/stories/2008110450080300.htm In protest Despite a strict blockade by Israel, a boat with 27 pro-Palestinian activists docked in the Gaza Strip last Wednesday; the second in three months. Dignity left Cyprus and arrived in Gaza to protest against Israel?s blockade after Gaza was seized by Hamas in June last year. The activists in Dignity included Nobel Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for peace efforts in Northern Ireland); Palestinian parlia mentarian Mustafa Barghuti and Israeli activist Gideon Spiro. Barghuti called it ?a historic day? as he would normally require a permit to enter Gaza being a resident of Ramallah in the West Bank. The first boat docked in August to focus attention on the state of the 1.5 million people who live in the area. Israel warned activists not to enter the military zone around the Gaza Strip but did not move to stop the voyage. COMPLIED BY R. KRITHIKA http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=115936&d=30&m=10&y=2008 Thursday 30 October 2008 (01 Dhul Qa`dah 1429) Another boat arrives to protest Gaza blockade Hisham Abu Taha | Arab News NOBLE ACT: Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire visits a Palestinian patient in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday. (Reuters) GAZA CITY: A boat carrying 27 international activists sailed into the Gaza Strip yesterday, braving stormy seas and defying an Israeli naval blockade to bring attention to Israeli sanctions on the Hamas-controlled territory. Israel had threatened to block the boat. But navy ships did not interfere, and the boat sailed unhindered into a Gaza harbor, where it was greeted by Hamas policemen and a small group of Palestinian activists. In the West Bank, Palestinians said Israeli troops shot and killed a 67-year-old farmer during a nighttime raid. The 66-foot yacht Dignity took off from the nearby island of Cyprus on Tuesday with a shipment of humanitarian supplies. The passengers included Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. ?The government of Israel cannot cut off Gaza forever. We will come again and again,? Maguire said. The activists are scheduled to remain in Gaza for four days. Israeli activist Gideon Spiro said he joined the boat to express his opposition to his government policy toward Gaza. ?It is collective punishment against people who did not do anything wrong, especially children, women, elderly people, and I think that?s not the way to handle it and that?s why I?m here,? he said. Jamal Khoudary, one of the Palestinian organizers of the protest, said the boat would take 10 Gazans back to Cyprus, including students and patients needing medical care. In the West Bank early yesterday, Israeli troops killed a 67-year-old farmer in a nighttime raid, Palestinians said. Taher Abahreh, 40, of the West Bank town of Yamoun, said his father, Muhammad Abahreh, was near a small enclosure outside the town guarding his livestock when he was shot. Troops were unsuccessfully trying to treat his father when he arrived about an hour after neighbors called him and reported hearing gunfire, he said. The Israeli military said the man opened fire at the soldiers before he was killed. The military said troops found a shotgun on his body and ammunition nearby. Abahreh said his father would not have confronted troops. Palestinian security officials confirmed Abahreh?s account. ? With input from Mohammed Mar?i http://news.netster.com/story.asp?id=D94B27K80 Boat carrying EU lawmakers sails into Gaza port with medicine, part of blockade protest Email this story to a friend 7:38 PM EST November 8, 2008 The Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip A group of European lawmakers sailed from Cyprus into Gaza Saturday, defying an internationally backed blockade of the Hamas-run territory with activists promising to send more visitors and goods to end the coastal strip's isolation. Israel's navy did not try to block the vessel, Dignity, which made its third run from Cyprus to Gaza since August. The 23 passengers included 13 members of various European parliaments and an Israeli journalist, who will stay until Tuesday. "We came on a boat. Many more boats can come. Let's have dozens of boats and then we can open up the siege," said Clare Short, a former member of the British Cabinet. Parliamentarians and activists say they are not seeking to legitimize Hamas' rule of Gaza, which it seized last year after pushing out security forces loyal to Fatah. Hamas' takeover prompted Israel and Egypt to seal its borders with Gaza, only allowing in humanitarian aid and a trickle of commercial goods. Instead, activists say they want to highlight the harm done to Gaza's 1.4 million residents. The ship also brought a ton of medicines and some hospital equipment. "Even prisoners have rights ... to have a life in dignity," said Lord Nazir Ahmed, a Muslim member of Britain's House of Lords, referring to the difficulties faced by Gaza residents. Ahmed said Arab lawmakers were planning a similar boat trip to show their solidarity with the Palestinians. Black-clad Hamas police on horse and foot secured the dock as intelligence officials in civilian clothing patrolled the area. Ahmed said there were plans to send more boats to the territory, including one that will carry Arab parliamentarians. Shortly after the boat arrived, Hamas officials based in Syria said their group would boycott upcoming Palestinian reconciliation talks with rival Fatah. The decision was taken because Fatah did not release Hamas loyalists from West Bank jails, the group said. The talks were to start Sunday in Cairo, Egypt. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7711590.stm Wednesday, 5 November 2008 Clashes as Israel flattens homes The demolitions caused anger in especially in Silwan neighbourhood Israel demolished four unauthorised Palestinian-owned buildings in occupied East Jerusalem in one day, triggering clashes in one Arab neighbourhood. Palestinian youths threw stones at police and a demolition unit in Silwan, where two homes were razed. A house in Shuafat and a wedding hall in Beit Hanina also were demolished. Human rights groups have criticised homes demolitions, saying it is often impossible for Palestinians to obtain permits in Israeli-occupied areas. The Israeli authorities said they were applying the law by removing structures built illegally without permits. Israeli police said several people were detained in Silwan but there were no injuries. More than 100 paramilitary border guards, including some on horseback, protected the demolition team using a large digger. Local people threw rocks from rooftops, while the security forces fired rubber bullets and used stun grenades. Witnesses said some people had barricaded themselves inside one of the condemned buildings but they agreed to leave after negotiations with police. Local activists said the Jerusalem municipality had issued demolition orders against 90 homes in Silwan, located in a valley below Jerusalem's Old City, to build a park. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225715349371&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Nov 5, 2008 13:56 Palestinians protest home demolition in east Jerusalem By ASSOCIATED PRESS Police were trying to disperse a violent protest in Jerusalem where Palestinian protesters were trying to halt a home demolition, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Wednesday. Rosenfeld said authorities went to the area to take down a home that was built illegally. The crowd gathered and began pelting police with stones. He said police were trying to break up the crowd with stun grenades. The unrest was taking place in east Jerusalem. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/05/content_10313455.htm Arabs in east Jerusalem riot over house demolition JERUSALEM, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Arab residents in East Jerusalem held a violent protest on Wednesday after the authorities demolished buildings in the area. Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Xinhua that the Palestinian protestors sought to block the demolition of a illegal house inside the village of Silwan. The police managed to disperse the crowd with stun grenades, causing no injuries. Israel has leveled more than 300 homes in Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods since 2004, citing a lack of building permits. However, critics say the permits are virtually impossible to obtain and that the demolitions are part of an Israeli policy to discourage Palestinian population growth in the disputed city. Editor: Yan http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=15126 Palestine: Strikes in East Jerusalem in protest of Israeli municipal elections 12-11-2008 By Maisa Abu Ghazaleh Jerusalem, (PNN): Israeli forces arrested 14 Palestinians in Jerusalem yesterday for calling on shop owners to close their doors during a strike against the Israeli-controlled municipal elections. Among those arrested are several Fateh officials. The Palestinian Authority called earlier this week for a formal boycott of the elections, the two main candidates for which were described as intending to ?make life harder for Arabs," and "erase the Arab nature of the city.? On Salah Addin Street and in central Beit Hanina the polls were sparsely attended. PNN?s Jerusalem correspondent reports that members of the Palestinian press were prevented by Israeli police from entering polling stations in East Jerusalem or photographing and interviewing voters, while the Israeli press was afforded access to other voting sites. The Director of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, Ziad Hammouri told PNN that the mayor of West Jerusalem is in a unique position to implement the schemes of the Israeli occupation. If Palestinians vote in the Israeli elections, the Israeli administration will likely use that fact as a means to prevent participation in the Palestinian Authority and Legislative Council elections, which was already a difficult issue in 2005. Hammouri commented on Tuesday's elections, ?It is very clear that to continue with the Palestinian national approach we must boycott the elections. We demand the end of the occupation and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people.? "The vote would allow the annexation of the eastern part of the city, and to participate in the election means the Palestinians are satisfied with this annexation. All the world knows it was forcibly annexed and occupied. United Nations resolutions condemn the annexation, and even the US does not support Israeli annexation,? added the Director of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights. Strikes lasted from the morning and into the evening when the polls closed at eight. http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3961&Itemid=1 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3369505/Rabbis-face-down-settlers-in-Palestinian-olive-harvest-clashes.html Rabbis face down settlers in Palestinian olive harvest clashes Israeli rabbis have come to the defence of Palestinian farmers who are being attacked in the West Bank by Jewish hardliners while harvesting their olive trees. By Carolynne Wheeler in Jitha Published: 2:29AM GMT 03 Nov 2008 The olive harvest is critical to farmers' livelihoods as well as being a traditional time for family gatherings in the predominantly Palestinian West Bank Photo: Reuters Malik Maher, 15, clambered up the side of a terraced hill to his family's olive grove like a mountain goat, occasionally pausing to laugh at the foreigners puffing below him. But he stopped short as he came within sight of the caravans parked just a couple of hundred yards away and spotted two Israeli soldiers. Two days earlier, a group of angry teenage boys descended from those caravans, an extension of a nearby Jewish settlement, and chased his family, including his 75-year-old great-grandmother, out of their grove. "They pelted us with stones and chased us with sticks, so we ran away," said Malik. This year's olive harvest, critical to farmers' livelihoods as well as a traditional time for family gatherings in the predominantly Palestinian West Bank, has been the most violent ever for clashes between farmers and Israeli soldiers and settlers. The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has urged his people to plant a million trees in protest while begging the Israeli forces to protect them, while the Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak has condemned the radical Israeli settlers as "thugs". The violence has gone beyond the olive harvest. Israel's attorney-general has called for an investigation into recent settler riots, in which scores of Palestinian cars had tires slashed and Muslim graves were defaced with paint after the Israeli army razed an illegal settler outpost. "Whoever expresses himself in such a manner belongs in jail. We've had enough of all this violence. Verbal violence that brings physical violence - and we will not abide this," the outgoing prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told his cabinet recently. But in the middle of Malik's grove was an unexpected peacemaker - a lanky, long-bearded Israeli rabbi who has made it his mission to lead Jewish volunteers into the West Bank to shield Palestinian farmers as they bring in their crops. He speaks to the soldiers in calm but firm Hebrew, and they turn away after issuing a warning - another day's work for Arik Ascherman, executive director of Israel's Rabbis for Human Rights movement. "I want to give credit to the security services, they are being more active this year against these attacks. But it's a real tide of settler violence this year and they are just overwhelmed," said Mr Ascherman, 48, who has been running the olive harvest campaign since 2002. "I've been beaten by security forces. I've been attacked by settlers. I've had my car stolen by Palestinians - it's equal opportunity out here in the West Bank. But I think it's a risk worth taking. "As a Jew, as a rabbi, as an Israeli and as a Zionist, it's the right thing to do." The spike in violence is blamed on a radical Right-wing Israeli fringe which has recently begun a campaign of protests to counter progress in peace talks, in which Israel is expected to halt settlement growth in return for a Palestinian crackdown on militant groups. The most radical of this Israeli fringe are blamed for setting off a pipe bomb in front of a Left-wing Israeli professor's home in September and for offering rewards for the assassination of liberal Israeli activists. Their latest target appears to be the olive harvest, as Palestinians attempt to access land near Jewish settlements or the security barrier. Just a mile away from Malik's family home, dozens of Israeli soldiers had inserted themselves between a group of Palestinian farmers and Jewish residents from the nearby settlement of Kedumim. Nearby, Shosh Ilan, a 70-year-old grandmother, paraded her grandson who lost a leg during a Palestinian shooting attack six years ago. "There is no balance between what they're saying and reality," she scoffed, arguing the settlement was built on government land and the grove is theirs. "It has nothing to do with taking things from the Arabs." This time the soldiers were successful in pressing the two sides back. Many other times in recent days, they have failed. At least 20 serious clashes have been recorded between settlers and Palestinian farmers since the olive harvest began in early October. The fringe movement has even Israel's settler leaders taken aback and frustrated. "We really condemn any manifestation of violence and we call on law-enforcement officers to punish the culprits," said Dani Dayan, chairman of the Yesha Council which represents the settlements, though he argued that the confrontations are often the result of "deliberate provocation by Palestinians and Left-wing organisations, Israeli and international." The Israeli volunteers - some of whom refuse to work with international volunteers seen as radically anti-Israel - beg to differ. Aid agencies estimate some 2,000 Israeli volunteers helped with last year's Palestinian olive harvest. "Friends ask me if I'm afraid to go to the West Bank and I say I'm afraid when I see the settlers," said Netanya Ginsburg, 69, a volunteer from Rabbis for Human Rights, pausing from stripping olives from a branch. "One day I had a pot of animal urine and feces thrown in my face. I've been threatened by kids who wanted to throw stones at me," said the South African-born retired librarian, who has been in Israel 45 years. "But our policy is non-violent, not physical, just verbal. Arik believes in helping these people and that's good enough for me." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1225199628779 Nov 2, 2008 16:01 | Updated Nov 3, 2008 0:40 Hundreds of Palestinians hold protest in Hebron By ASSOCIATED PRESS Hundreds of Palestinians staged a protest in the center of Hebron, witnesses said Sunday afternoon. A Jewish settler walks through a Hebron neighborhood (illustrative). Photo: Ahmad Gharabli SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World The demonstrators were calling on Hebron residents to reclaim the downtown area where IDF troops guard several Jewish enclaves. During the protest, several Jewish settlers pulled down three Palestinian flags and burned one of the banners. IDF forces pushed the settlers away. Soldiers then demanded that the Palestinians leave the area, which promoted a scuffle. No one was wounded in the incident. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/20/israel.settlers/index.html November 20, 2008 -- Updated 2356 GMT (0756 HKT) HEBRON, West Bank (CNN) -- Inflammatory graffiti was found on Muslim gravestones and a mosque in the divided West Bank town of Hebron as a group of Jewish settlers clashed with Palestinians, Israeli military sources said Thursday. Israeli soldiers guard a Muslim cemetery Thursday in Hebron after Jewish settlers vandalized gravestones. Army Radio reported that Jewish settlers scrawled "Mohammed is a pig" on the mosque, which is near a disputed building in Hebron. Israel Defense Forces cleaned the graffiti off on Thursday, the radio reported. Pigs are reviled by many Muslims as unclean, and the Quran prohibits them from eating pork. Jews also are prohibited from eating pork. A day earlier, Jewish settlers living inside the disputed building ignored a court-ordered deadline to evacuate, setting themselves up for a possible confrontation with the Israeli military. The settlers moved into the building last year, claiming they bought it from a Palestinian man who says no deal was made. The court must still settle that issue. Nine families made up of 70 people live at the property. The court ruled Sunday that the settlers would be evicted within 30 days if they did not leave voluntarily. Settlers and Palestinians clashed overnight, with IDF and Israeli police forces trying to prevent violence and disperse the participants, Israeli military sources said. One Israeli soldier was slightly injured by a chemical substance that Israeli settlers threw at him, the sources said. Some settlers also threw rocks at Israeli soldiers who were trying to contain the clashes, Army Radio reported. A number of IDF and Israeli police cars were damaged. Hebron is one of the most contested cities in the West Bank. It is home to approximately 160,000 Palestinians and 500 Israelis. It is also the location of the Cave of the Patriarch, a religious site holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and has been the site of high profile violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Settlers in the area were preparing ahead of the Wednesday deadline. More than 1,000 convened an emergency meeting in a neighboring town on Tuesday to discuss the possible eviction. "The state of Israel has become the enemy of the people and the land of Israel," settler Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe said at the meeting, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Nissim Zeev, an Israeli member of the Knesset from the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, opened an office in the four-story building in a sign of solidarity. He called on other Knesset members to join him in Hebron. Settlers presented Zeev with evidence they have gathered relating to the legality of the purchase. This includes a videotape they say shows the homeowner counting the cash the settlers paid him when they purchased the property http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/156073 Anarchists Protest IDF Destruction of Kidnap Tunnel Reported: 23:43 PM - Nov/18/08 (IsraelNN.com) Several dozen pro-PA activists and anarchists disrupted local traffic outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv Tuesday evening, to protest the IDF's action in Gaza on December 4. The IDF on that day destroyed a 300-meter-long tunnel dug by Hamas terrorists under the security fence on the Gaza border. Police arrested two of the protestors. Israeli intelligence had reports that the tunnel was soon to be used to kidnap more Israeli soldiers. The tunnel ran near an IDF position manned by an attackable number of soldiers, not unlike where the Hamas-affiliated attack captured Gilad Shalit. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7737725.stm Wednesday, 19 November 2008 Israel police remove protest tent Police said they were operating on the basis of a court order Israeli police have pulled down a protest tent set up by a Palestinian family evicted from their home of 52 years in East Jerusalem. They also arrested three international activists and one Palestinian. Fawzia al-Kurd, 57, had been sleeping in the tent since she and her disabled husband were forced from the house last week on the basis of a court ruling. Jewish groups have claimed ownership of the site as part of efforts to settle the Israeli-occupied east of the city. They say the land, which includes a site held to be an important Jewish burial place, was Jewish-owned in the 19th Century. "They kicked me out of my home and now they kicked me out of the tent," Mrs Kurd told the BBC. Eviction in battle for Jerusalem "Where am I supposed to go?" A spokesman for the Israeli police said their actions were based on a court order and were co-ordinated with the Jerusalem municipality. The municipality said the tent had been erected on public land and was dismantled after the Kurd family failed to comply with a warning calling for its removal. Mrs Kurd said she had received no written warning, and activists said the land was privately owned. The case has been followed closely by international activists and centres around the controversial issue of the status of Jerusalem. Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital, but Palestinians want to locate the capital of a future state in the east of the city, where they make up the majority of the population. Israel has annexed the city's east and extended its municipal boundaries into the West Bank. But this move is not recognised by most of the international community, which regards East Jerusalem as occupied, along with the West Bank, since the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7729487.stm Saturday, 15 November 2008 Eviction in battle for East Jerusalem Fawzia al-Kurd has been living in the tent since she was evicted on Sunday By Heather Sharp BBC News, Jerusalem Fawzia al-Kurd, 57, raises her black cloak to show the bottoms of the pyjamas she is still wearing several days after she and her wheelchair-bound husband were forced from the home he had lived in for five decades. She had no time to change or gather her possessions when the Israeli police arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. In borrowed shoes, she shows us around the tent that she now calls home near the single-storey, two room house in East Jerusalem. Jewish Israelis who had already moved into the extension the Kurd family had built for their son, have now taken over the rest of the flat. 'Never forgive' Mohammad al-Kurd, 55, who is partially paralysed and suffers from heart and kidney problems, diabetes and high blood pressure, is now staying with relatives. He had lived in the house for 52 years when the Israeli Supreme Court served an eviction order on him in July. "I will never forgive the Israelis for what they have done to me and my sick husband, kicking us out of our own house in the early hours of the morning. I may forgive other things they have done, but not this," said Mrs Kurd. The Jewish-occupied houses are adorned with Israeli flags The eviction is the culmination of a decades-long legal dispute between the Kurd family and organisations seeking to boost Jewish residency in the Israeli-occupied east of the city. The case, followed closely by international activists, goes to the heart of one of the most hotly-contested issues in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks - the status of Jerusalem. Palestinians fear an Israeli drive to create "facts on the ground" in the part of the city where Palestinians are the majority and want to locate the capital of a future state. Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital and has annexed to the east of the city and extended its municipal boundaries into the West Bank. But the international community sees it as occupied, along with the West Bank, since the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. The few houses draped in blue and white Israeli flags with their own armed guards, amid a cluster of cream stone Arab-style properties, are therefore considered illegal settlements under international law. Their inhabitants will not speak to the media. 'Not forced out' But Daniel Luria of Ateret Cohanim, an organisation which promotes Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem says "nobody's forcing anyone out - the courts ruled they [the Kurds] were living there illegally". The Kurds' lived metres from the Jewish settlers who moved into the extension (Image: ISM) The Kurd family were among some 700,000 Arabs who fled or were forced from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel. Jordan, which controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem after the war, and the UN housed them and several other families on the plot of land. But after 1967, a Jewish association laid claim to it in the courts on the basis of Ottoman-era documents. An Israeli lawyer working for the Kurd family agreed to relinquish their ownership claim to the land in exchange for "protected tenancy status". The family maintain they were unaware he was doing this and fired him as soon as they found out. July's court ruling followed a labyrinthine legal battle, but was apparently based on the Kurd family's refusal to pay rent to a trust fund established in case the Jewish claim was finally validated. Side-by-side Since 2001, a group of Jewish settlers has been living in the Kurds' extension. Their argument is that it was built without official permission - as is much Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem because the Israeli authorities rarely grant building permits. Both sides say the other harassed them as they lived side by side, the front doors metres apart. JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN EAST JERUSALEM Mrs Kurd said her Jewish neighbours would teach their children to shoot toy guns at pictures of Palestinian children; the Jews have said they had excrement and stones thrown at them by local Arabs. Jewish groups also point out that the house is near the site held to be the burial place of 3rd Century BCE Jewish high priest Shimon Hatzadik, and an old synagogue there was used as a rubbish dump and goat shed until they sought access to clean it up. A Jewish settlement company has already proposed a 200-unit development where 27 families neighbouring the Kurds currently live. They fear they will be next. Mr Luria says that the eviction is an unusual case. Counting just over 100 families that have moved into about five sites in what he calls the "Holy Basin" around Jerusalem's Old City in the past five years, he says most cases are straightforward transactions. "No-one acts individually to just drive someone out - an Arab wants to sell, he sells and a Jew moves in." The sales are usually at inflated prices, sometimes done through middle men to protect the vendors from recriminations. Mrs Kurd says she turned down an offer of US$10m for her modest apartment. Daniel Siederman, a left-wing lawyer specialising in Jerusalem, says the location is one of several targeted by Jewish organisations which effectively ring the Old City, home to Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites. "The battle for the Old City has begun, and these are the crown jewels," he says. "The Kurd family has been run over by historical forces beyond their power." He says the situation is very different for Palestinians trying to reclaim pre-1948 property from what is now Israel. "We have a very unlevel playing field and it doesn't work the other way round." To Mr Luria, the Green Line - the 1949 ceasefire line - between East and West Jerusalem is meaningless, whatever the international community says. "God gave the land to the Jewish people. Full stop." But the Kurds are currently mounting a legal challenge, based on Jordanian documents which have recently come to light. Mrs Kurd says she is hopeful she will one day return to the house: "It is my homeland, it is my right." http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1035683.html Last update - 00:00 09/11/2008 Elderly Palestinian couple evicted from East Jerusalem home despite U.S. protest By Michael Bahl Tags: Israel News, U.S., Jerusalem In a pre-dawn operation in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of predominantly Arab East Jerusalem, scores of police officers and IDF troops Sunday evicted an elderly Palestinian couple from their home, despite protests by the United States, other countries, and human rights groups. Security forces also detained several activists of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement who had been sleeping on the family's property, and expelled them to the adjacent West Bank, without pressing charges. A Jerusalem court in July ruled that the east Jerusalem housing provided to Mohammed al-Kurd and his wife Fawzieh in 1956 by the Jordanian government and a UN refugee agency was built on land to which their title was in doubt and they must vacate the property. The case came to international attention when U.S. diplomats lodged an official protest with Israel for harming Palestinians and for anti-Palestinian actions taken by settlers, citing as one example the eviction of the al-Kurd family from their home in the Shimon Hatzadik complex in Sheikh Jarrah. For months, a group of settlers has also lived in a portion of the house, maintaining that an Ottoman-era bill of sale grants ownership of the Shimon Hatzadik property to the Committee for the Sephardic Group. The Jerusalem District Court issued a ruling in favor of the Sephardic Group,which transferred the property to a settler organization called "Shimon's Estate." The settler group, in turn, sought to evict the al-Kurd family, refugees from West Jerusalem, who have lived in the house since the early 1950s. At 4:45 on Sunday morning, some 20 IDF vehicles and seven police minibuses sealed off much of the neighborhood, prior to the eviction, witnesses said. The al-Kurds were then taken from the apartment, which they have been sharing with Israeli settlers since 1999, when Israeli courts evicted their son Raed from an added wing of the property. The couple has been fighting for their property through the courts ever since, but in July 2008 they were ordered to vacate the premises at once. Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said that following the court order naming a Jewish family as the legal owner of the house, "The Arab family was evicted. Two people were, in fact removed from the house," he told Haaretz, referring to the al-Kurds. "There were also seven tourists, left-wing activists, who were removed." ISM members said that there were eight activists taken from the house, nationals of Denmark, Sweden, the United States, England and Canada. Danish ISM activist Anders Pilmark, 20, said that 40 to 50 IDF soldiers and police woke them up at 4:45 A.M. and immediately started to clear out the al-Kurd's apartment. The activists were detained on suspicion of trespassing, but were later escorted to the West Bank's Qalandiya checkpoint with no charges pressed. The couple's neighbor's gathered Sunday morning outside the closed perimeter set up by the IDF. They have been following the case closely, and believe that the court decision and forced eviction of the family paves the way for the takeover of 27 multi-storey houses in the neighbourhood, threatening to make 500 Palestinians homeless. "This is only the first. Just you wait and see," one of the neighbors said. Rafiq Husseini, an aide to Palestiniann President Mahmoud Abbas, has been quoted as warning that the takeover of the Kurds' home was part of a wider drive to change the geography of Jerusalem by forcing out Palestinians and replacing them with Israeli settlers. "Such a development would deal a death blow to already-strained peace negotiations," he wrote in a letter to foreign consulates in Jerusalem http://www.canadiandimension.com/blog/2008/11/israeli-bulldozer-demolishes-protest-camp/ Israeli bulldozer demolishes protest camp Matthew Brett, November 20th, 2008 Update: The Israeli bulldozer is now creating a wall surrounding the residents who have remained on the site of the protest tent. The wall that the Israeli forces are creating is on Palestinian owned private land. ???? 9:30 am, East Jerusalem: Israeli forces are again dismantling the protest camp in Sheikh Jarrah, set up after the eviction of the al-Kurd family on the 9th November. A bulldozer arrived at the private property at 8:45am with orders to destroy the tent and the surrounding fence where the al-Kurd family has been living since they were evicted from their home on the 9th November 2008. The camp is situated on Palestinian-owned private property. Yesterday the tent was also demolished, and one Palestinian and four internationals were taken into Israeli police custody. The Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah continues to be held. The family re-constructed the tent yesterday in order to continue their protest. Today, while the fence surrounding the private land was being bulldozed, neighbors dismantled the tent in order to save it from repeated destruction. At present, the demolition of the fence continues as the Al-Kurd family, neighbors, and internationals are eating breakfast. The decision to remove the al-Kurd family paves the way for the takeover of 26 multi-story houses in the neighborhood, threatening to make 500 Palestinians homeless and signifying the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Occupied East Jerusalem by the Israeli State. In July the US State Department brought forward an official complaint to the Israeli government over the eviction of the al-Kurd family, openly questioning the legality of terms on which the Israeli Jewish settler group claimed to have purchased the land. (see www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/spages/1005342.html). The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem was built by the UN and Jordanian government in 1956 to house Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war. The al-Kurd family began living in the neighbourhood after having been made refugees from Jaffa and West Jerusalem. However, with the the start of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, following the 1967 war, settlers began claiming ownership of the land the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was build on. Stating that they had purchased the land from a previous Ottoman owner in the 1800s, settlers claimed ownership of the land. In 1972 settlers successfully registered this claim with the Israeli Land Registrar. While the al-Kurds family continued legal proceedings challenging the settlers claim, the settlers started filing suits against the Palestinian family. In 2006, the court ruled the settlers claim void, recognizing it was based on fraudulent documents. Subsequently, the Al-Kurd family lawyer petitioned the Israeli Land Registrar to revoke the settlers registration of the land and state the correct owner of the land. Although it did revoke the settlers claim, the Israeli land Registrar refused to indicate the rightful owner of the land. In 2001 settlers began occupying an extension of the al-Kurd home. Despite the fact that their claim to the land was revoked, settlers were given the keys of the al-Kurds family home extension by the local Israeli municipality. This was possible after the municipality had confiscated the keys of the extension that the al-Kurd family built on their property to house the natural expansion of the family. When this extension was declared illegal by Israeli authorities, the Israeli municipality handed the keys over to Israeli settlers. The al-Kurd Family went to court and an eviction order was issued against the settlers. When the al-Kurd family were evicted on the 9th November 2008, the settlers were allowed to remain in the property, despite their own eviction order. In July 2008 the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the eviction of the al-Kurd family, for their refusal to pay rent to the settlers for use of the land. Although the settlers claim to the land had been revoked two years earlier, the court instead based their decision on an agreement made between a previous lawyer and the settlers. It should be noted that the al-Kurd family -and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as a whole- rejected this agreement and fired their legal representative at the time. http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=15170 Palestine: Israelis forces dismantling protest camp in East Jerusalem 20-11-2008 The International Solidarity Movement: 9:30 am, East Jerusalem: Israeli forces are again dismantling the protest camp in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, set up after the eviction of the al- Kurd family on the 9th November.The Israeli bulldozer is currently creating a wall surrounding the residents who have remained on the site of the protest tent. The wall that the Israeli forces are creating is on Palestinian owned private land. A bulldozer arrived at the private property at 8:45am with orders to destroy the tent and the surrounding fence where the al-Kurd family has been living since they were evicted from their home on the 9th November 2008. The camp is situated on Palestinian-owned private property. Yesterday the tent was also demolished, and one Palestinian and four internationals were taken into Israeli police custody. The Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah continues to be held. The family re-constructed the tent yesterday in order to continue their protest. Today, while the fence surrounding the private land was being bulldozed, neighbors dismantled the tent in order to save it from repeated destruction. At present, the demolition of the fence continues as the Al-Kurd family, neighbors, and internationals are eating breakfast. The decision to remove the al-Kurd family paves the way for the takeover of 26 multi-story houses in the neighborhood, threatening to make 500 Palestinians homeless and signifying the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Occupied East Jerusalem by the Israeli State. In July the US State Department brought forward an official complaint to the Israeli government over the eviction of the al-Kurd family, openly questioning the legality of terms on which the Israeli Jewish settler group claimed to have purchased the land. The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem was built by the UN and Jordanian government in 1956 to house Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war. The al-Kurd family began living in the neighbourhood after having been made refugees from Jaffa and West Jerusalem. However, with the the start of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, following the 1967 war, settlers began claiming ownership of the land the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was build on. Stating that they had purchased the land from a previous Ottoman owner in the 1800s, settlers claimed ownership of the land. In 1972 settlers successfully registered this claim with the Israeli Land Registrar. While the al-Kurds family continued legal proceedings challenging the settlers claim, the settlers started filing suits against the Palestinian family. In 2006, the court ruled the settlers claim void, recognizing it was based on fraudulent documents. Subsequently, the Al-Kurd family lawyer petitioned the Israeli Land Registrar to revoke the settlers registration of the land and state the correct owner of the land. Although it did revoke the settlers claim, the Israeli land Registrar refused to indicate the rightful owner of the land. In 2001 settlers began occupying an extension of the al-Kurd home. Despite the fact that their claim to the land was revoked, settlers were given the keys of the al-Kurds family home extension by the local Israeli municipality. This was possible after the municipality had confiscated the keys of the extension that the al-Kurd family built on their property to house the natural expansion of the family. When this extension was declared illegal by Israeli authorities, the Israeli municipality handed the keys over to Israeli settlers. The al-Kurd Family went to court and an eviction order was issued against the settlers. When the al-Kurd family were evicted on the 9th November 2008, the settlers were allowed to remain in the property, despite their own eviction order. In July 2008 the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the eviction of the al- Kurd family, for their refusal to pay rent to the settlers for use of the land. Although the settlers claim to the land had been revoked two years earlier, the court instead based their decision on an agreement made between a previous lawyer and the settlers. It should be noted that the al-Kurd family -and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as a whole- rejected this agreement and fired their legal representative at the time. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9978.shtml Only feeble protest over family's eviction Jonathan Cook, The Electronic Intifada, 21 November 2008 The middle-of-the-night eviction last week of an elderly Palestinian couple from their home in East Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers is a demonstration of Israeli intent towards a future peace deal with the Palestinians. Mohammed and Fawziya Khurd are now on the street, living in a tent, after Israeli police enforced a court order issued in July to expel them. The couple have been living in the same property in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood since the mid-1950s, when East Jerusalem was under Jordanian control. The United Nations allotted them the land after they were expelled from their homes in territory that was seized by Israel during the 1948 war. Since East Jerusalem's occupation by Israel in 1967, however, Jewish settler groups have been waging a relentless battle for the Khurds' home, claiming that the land originally belonged to Jews. In 1999, the settlers occupied a wing of the house belonging to the couple's son, Raed, though the courts subsequently ruled in favor of the family. The eviction order against the settlers, unlike that against the Khurds, was never enforced. The takeover of the Khurds' house is far from an isolated incident. Settlers are quietly grabbing homes from Palestinians in key neighborhoods around the Old City of Jerusalem in an attempt to pre-empt any future peace deal with the Palestinians. What makes the case of the Khurd family exceptional is that it has attracted the attention of western consulates, particularly those of Israel's important allies, that is, the United States and Britain. They have appealed without success to the Israeli government to intercede. In particular, the diplomats are concerned that the takeover of the Khurds' home will set a dangerous precedent, freeing settler groups to wrest control of most of Sheikh Jarrah. The settlers plan to oust more than 500 Palestinians from the neighborhood and build 200 apartments for Jewish families. If the settlers can take control of other areas, such as Silwan, Ras al-Amud and the Mount of Olives, the Old City and its holy sites would be as good as sealed off not only to Palestinians in the West Bank -- as is the case already -- but also to nearly 250,000 Palestinians in the outlying suburbs of East Jerusalem. Because the Palestinians expect East Jerusalem and its holy places to be the core of their state, the Sheikh Jarrah judgment effectively offers the settlers a blocking veto on any future negotiations. That may be one reason why the Israeli government has shown little inclination to intervene in cases like that of the Khurds. In Israeli law, all of Jerusalem, including the eastern half of the city, is the "indivisible" capital of the Jewish state. The eviction order also worries western diplomats because it opens up a Pandora's box of competing land claims that will make it impossible for Palestinian negotiators to sign up to a deal on the division of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority has already pointed out to the consulates that nearly two-thirds of West Jerusalem's land was owned by Palestinians before the creation of Israel. Fawziya Khurd, for example, lived in Talbieh, in what is now the city's western half, before 1948. If the settlers can make property claims in East Jerusalem based on title deeds that pre-exist 1948, why cannot Palestinians make similar claims in West Jerusalem? The US involvement in the Khurd case demonstrates its desire to mark its red lines in East Jerusalem. The concern is that Israeli actions on the ground are seeking to unravel the outlines of an agreement being promoted by Washington to create some kind of circumscribed Palestinian state. In the US view, the basis of such a deal is an exchange of letters between President George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister at the time, in spring 2004 in which the US president affirmed that Israel would not be expected to return to the armistice lines of 1949. Instead, he declared that Israel would be able to hold on to its "population centers" in the West Bank -- code for the established settlement blocs. As a result, the current US administration has turned a blind eye to continuing construction in the main settlements, home to most of the West Bank's 250,000 settlers. The unstated agreement between Tel Aviv and Washington is that these areas will be annexed to Israel in a future peace deal. In an indication of Israel's confidence about the West Bank settlements, the Israeli media reported at the weekend that Ehud Barak, the defense minister and the leader of the Labor Party, had personally approved hundreds of new apartments for the settlers in the past few months. Israel's wall is being crafted to include these blocs, eating into one-tenth of the West Bank and leaving only a few tens of thousands of settlers on the "wrong side." For the time being, the US is showing indecision only about two settlement-cities, Ariel and Maale Adumim. If the wall encompasses them, it will effectively sever the West Bank into three parts. In relation to East Jerusalem, the White House has so far appeared to favor maintaining the status quo. That would entail the eastern half of the city being carved up into a series of complex zones, or "bubbles" as they have been described in the Israeli media. Another 250,000 Jewish settlers live in East Jerusalem, though almost all of them reside in their own discreet colonies implanted between Palestinian neighborhoods. These settlements are considered so established by Israelis that most of their inhabitants do not regard themselves as settlers. However, the more ideological settlers of the kind taking over homes in Sheikh Jarrah refuse to accept partition of the city on any terms. They are trying to erode the Palestinians' chances of ever controlling their own neighborhoods in the eastern half of the city. Backed by powerful allies in the courts, government and municipality, the settlers look set to continue expanding in East Jerusalem. Nir Barkat, the millionaire businessman who was elected mayor of Jerusalem last week, forged close ties with some of the most extreme figures in the city's settlement movement during his campaign. Like his chief rival for the mayoralty, he has promised to build a new Jewish neighborhood, called Eastern Gate, that will be home to at least 10,000 settlers on land next to the Palestinian neighborhood of Anata. The move, much like the eviction of the Khurds, has been greeted with silence from the government. Both developments are a sign of Washington's powerlessness to force even the limited concessions it expects from Israel in East Jerusalem. Jonathan Cook is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. His latest books are Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israel's Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). His website is www.jkcook.net. This article originally appeared in The National published in Abu Dhabi and is republished with permission. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/25/israelandthepalestinians Israeli policeman headbutts woman in Palestinian demolition clashes Human rights group B'Tselem films violence at demonstrations as police move in to destroy 'illegal' homes ? Owen Bowcott and agencies ? guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 November 2008 11.59 GMT ? Article history Clashes at Silwan Link to this video An Israeli policeman wearing a hard helmet is shown headbutting a Palestinian woman in a video released by a human rights group today. The short film was recorded by the Israeli group B'Tselem during a protest against the demolition of Palestinian homes. The Jerusalem municipality destroyed two houses because, it said, they had been built without permission. The pictures, taken on November 5 but not released until today, show the actions of one policeman whose reinforced visor is pushed back above his helmet. At one point he grasps the hands of a Palestinian woman and slams against the top of her head with his protective headgear. She reels back, clutching her head. Other residents object, and the policeman is seen grabbing the wrists of a Palestinian man and headbutting him as well. According to an Israeli police spokesperson, the family living in the house that was destroyed refused to leave the building, and local residents threw stones and firebombs at officers. "[On] the day, severe riots took place in Silwan," Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, told Reuters. "As a result five policemen were wounded and evacuated to hospital, 11 locals were arrested for assaulting policemen and throwing firebombs and six police vehicles were damaged. This event was exceptional and is now being examined by an external police investigation unit." Police were said by B'Tselem to have used stun grenades to break up the crowds. Witnesses later claimed police fired live ammunition in the air. Silwan is in Arab East Jerusalem, an area annexed by Israel in 1967. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city to be the capital of a future Palestinian state. B'Tselem monitors human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. In July, B'Tselem activists filmed two Israeli soldiers shooting a bound Palestinian with a rubber bullet. They were later charged by the army. B'Tselem in Hebrew literally means "in the image of", but the group says it is also used as a term meaning human dignity. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=257690&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 Five hurt in Hebron clashes A Palestinian wounded in the head helps another injured man after tens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian houses with stones and fired live bullets in Hebron yesterday HEBRON, West Bank: Five people were injured yesterday in clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians outside a disputed house in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Israeli army and witnesses said. ?At least three Palestinians were hurt by stones being thrown and were taken to hospital in Hebron,? a witness said. ?The settlers also shot at the Palestinians but did not wound anyone.? An army spokeswoman said ?two settlers were wounded, and the army, border guards and police were trying to separate the two sides.? The controversial house was occupied by dozens of hardline Jewish settlers in March 2007. They have remained in the building, which they dubbed ?the house of peace,? despite a November 16 court order for them to move out. The settlers say they bought the house from a Palestinian, who denies that a deal was ever completed. With more than 170,000 Palestinian residents, Hebron is the largest city in the West Bank apart from annexed Arab East Jerusalem. It has long been a flashpoint because of a settler enclave of around 600 hardline Jews in the heart of the city, and a further 6,500 settlers living in Kiryat Arba on the outskirts. - AFP http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1225910055540 Nov 6, 2008 19:26 | Updated Nov 7, 2008 7:21 Wiesenthal dean rejects museum protests as extremist agitation By YAAKOV LAPPIN AND JERUSALEM POST STAFF Hundreds of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians held a demonstration at the Mamilla Muslim cemetery in central Jerusalem on Thursday to protest a High Court decision to allow the construction of the Museum of Tolerance on a site that partially covers the medieval cemetery. Arabs march from east Jerusalem to Mamilla to demonstrate against construction of Tolerance Museum next to old Muslim Cemetery. Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski Slideshow: Pictures of the week But Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean and founder of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center which is building the museum, has rejected the Islamic condemnations as the voice of extremism and vowed that it will rise as "an institution that offers hope and reason." On October 29, after a prolonged legal battle, the High Court rejected a petition by the Al-Aqsa Company for Development of Holy Muslim Assets against the museum's construction. The High Court ruled that the $250 million museum safeguarded religious sensitivities and respected the historical burial site. Muslim opponents say the museum's location violates the cemetery's sanctity. According to Muslim tradition, a number of companions of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, are buried at Mamilla. But in an article to be published in Sunday's Jerusalem Post, Hier notes that the site, which was jointly owned by the Israel Lands Administration and the Jerusalem Municipality, had functioned for almost half a century "as the city's municipal car park (a portion of it included three levels of underground parking), serving the diverse communities of Jerusalem. Everyday, since the 1960s, hundreds of Jews, Christians and Muslims parked their cars there. The city of Jerusalem also laid electrical cables and sewer lines below the ground." During that period, Hier goes on, "no Muslim group, including today's most vociferous critics of the museum... raised a word of protest... They were silent because, as the High Court said, '...the area has not been classified as a cemetery for decades.'" Hier adds that the Wiesenthal Center "offered numerous compromises" during the court process, "but they were all rejected out-of-hand by Sheikh [Raed] Salah" of the Islamic Movement. Now, he writes, Salah "is agitating against its decision because he lost..." "From this half-century former parking lot in the center of west Jerusalem will rise an institution that offers hope and reason to all the people of Israel and the world," Hier writes. In a recent telephone interview from Los Angeles, Hier said: "The opposition to the move is not motivated by religious concerns but is a political attempt at a land grab by Islamic fundamentalists, who are in cooperation with Hamas, in the center of west Jerusalem." During Thursday's protest, Sheikh Kamal Hativ, Deputy Chairman of the Islamic Movement's Northern Branch, said: "We came to announce to the entire world in the name of all Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, those within the Green Line and in the Diaspora - we will not reconcile with you and will not forgive you for violating the graves of our mothers, fathers, and grandparents. We will not forgive you for building the tolerance structure," "The cemetery has in any case been in existence before Israel, and the graves of our forefathers will remain after Israel," Hativ added. Jerusalem Police said the protest passed without incident. Etgar Lefkovits contributed to this report http://www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=3&id=1648 Palestinians Protest against Construction of ?Museum of Tolerance? on Jerusalem Muslim Cemetery 12/11/2008 The Alternative Information Center (AIC) http://www.alternativenews.org November 11, 2008 On Thursday, 6 November, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against the recent Israeli High Court decision permitting the construction of the Simon Wiesenthal Center?s ?Center for Human Dignity-Museum of Tolerance? on top of the Ma?mam Allah Islamic Cemetery in West Jerusalem. The cemetery, dating back to the 13th century, served as Jerusalem?s primary cemetery for the city?s Muslim population until 1948, when the newly created state of Israel declared it ?absentee property.? In 1955, Israel proposed the first changes to the area?s status, although no public notice of these proposed changes were issued in Arabic. Over the next 30 years, the Jerusalem Municipality expropriated the area and acquired ownership of the property. All objections made were to no avail, and the cemetery was legally designated as an ?open public space,? which today functions as a picturesque ?park? through which Israelis walk in the center of West Jerusalem. Approximately 70,000 graves fill the 200 dunam cemetery, and although no burials have been conducted in the past 50 years, it contains the graves of numerous Muslims leaders and is regarded as scared. Local Palestinian families still visit the Ma?man Allah Islamic Cemetery to honor their deceased family members. On 29 October, the Israeli High Court gave the final ?green light? for the creation of the Center for Human Dignity-Museum of Tolerance, noting that since no objections were filed since 1960, when the Jerusalem Municipality built a parking lot on a part of the cemetery, there is no reason to block further construction on the site. The Simon Weisenthal Center, a Los Angeles based Jewish organization ?focusing on racism in America and the history of the Holocaust,? dedicated the site already in 2004, although subsequent legal proceedings blocked construction until late last month. The US$250 million museum aims to build bridges between warring tribes and to create tolerance and co-existence. Last week?s protest march began outside the American Consulate in East Jerusalem, from where the thousands of participants?a mix of the old and young, men and women, Muslims and Christians?marched together to the cemetery in West Jerusalem. Prayers and speeches were conducted at the cemetery, where the Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein stated that this court ruling is criminal as it permits the ?attack of the tombs and bones of Muslims.? Among the demonstrators were many Islamic and Christians leaders and figures, and the security was very tight. http://english.sina.com/world/p/2008/1114/198409.html Hamas supporters protest against Abbas' Fatah movement 2008-11-15 05:53:22 GM RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday arrested 17 Hamas members across the West Bank, the Islamic Hamas movement said in a statement. The arrests have been highlighted tension between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah and complicated Egypt's efforts as Cairo announced it has postponed hosting a national Palestinian dialogue due to be held this week to reconcile the two movements. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1226404738790 Nov 15, 2008 21:10 | Updated Nov 15, 2008 21:34 Hamas protests PA West Bank crackdown By KHALED ABU TOAMEH Tensions between Hamas and Fatah mounted over the weekend as the Islamist movement organized demonstrations in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. A Palestinian police officer gestures as he and other Hamas supporters gather during a demonstration in Gaza City. Photo: AP SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World The tensions have seen an ongoing crackdown on Hamas supporters in the West Bank by PA security forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas. Fatah, on the other hand, accused Hamas of detaining dozens of its supporters and activists in the Gaza Strip over the past few days. Addressing the demonstrators in Gaza City, Khalil al-Hayeh, a senior Hamas official, called on his followers in the West Bank to resist attempts by Abbas's men to arrest them. "We won't abandon our people in the West Bank to be tortured by the security forces belonging to the Ramallah leadership," he said. The Hamas official also warned Fatah supporters in Gaza against any attempt to cause trouble. Hamas representatives in the Strip said Abbas's forces had detained more than 500 Hamas supporters and members in the West Bank over the past five weeks. They said that among those detained over the weekend was Baker Mansour, 17, the son of prominent Hamas political figure Jamal Mansour, who was killed by an IAF missile in a Hamas command center in Nablus in July 2001. Abbas's forces also arrested Ra'fat Nassif, a top Hamas operative in the northern West Bank, the Hamas representatives said, adding that the man had been involved in efforts to achieve reconciliation with Fatah. Hamas leaders claimed that Abbas's latest clampdown on their supporters in the West Bank was being carried out on instructions from Israel and the US. "This campaign is part of the security understandings reached between Abbas, on the one hand, and the Israelis and Americans on the other hand," said Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon. "We have information that US army generals are supervising the campaign against Hamas." Hamdan said the stepped-up measures in the West Bank were aimed at "undermining" the movement and removing it from power after it won the 2006 parliamentary election. "Attempts to reverse the results of the free [2006] election will fail," he said. "In fact, these attempts have backfired and Hamas remains the preferred choice of the Palestinians." Mahmoud Zahar, the top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, condemned Abbas and his PLO colleagues as "traitors and spies." If Hamas ever decided to join the PLO, it would be only to "cleanse the organization of all the traitors, spies and merchants," he said. Zahar said the only reason Abbas had agreed to attend the "national reconciliation" conference that was supposed to be held in Cairo last week was because he wanted to win Hamas's approval for the extension of his term in office for another year. Abbas and Fatah, he added, were very worried by the growing power of PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad, of the independent Third Way party, whose government has laid its hands on the funds and security forces in the West Bank. "They feel that Salaam Fayad is a big threat and that's why Fatah wants to get rid of him," he said. "The Fatah people were hoping that Hamas would help them get rid of Fayad by agreeing to form a Fatah-Hamas unity government and keeping Abbas in power after January 2009." Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum attacked Abbas for agreeing to hold another meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this week. Abbas was going to Jerusalem "to receive orders from Israel to keep trying to eliminate Hamas," he said. Barhoum said the Americans and Israelis had been putting heavy pressure on Abbas to refrain from solving the crisis with Hamas. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a senior Fatah official and close aide to Abbas, scoffed at the Hamas allegations and said it was only a matter of time before the Hamas leaders found themselves on trial for staging a coup against the PA in the Gaza Strip. Abdel Rahman described the Hamas leaders as "highway thieves" and "mercenaries" who didn't represent anyone. "What does Hamas have to offer the Palestinians other than more militias that are persecuting and killing our people?" he asked. "The Hamas leaders are all murderers who are perpetrating crimes against our people. In one day they killed 13 members of the [pro-Fatah] Hilles clan." http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=149744 Israeli Arabs protest against Gaza blockade Sunday, November 30, 2008 NAZARETH, Israel: Thousands of Israeli Arabs demonstrated in the northern town of Nazareth on Saturday to protest against the crippling Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The protesters carried pictures of children and sick people in Gaza and placards reading: No to the hunger of the Palestinian people and (US President George W) Bush and (Israeli Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert are war criminals. Men and women marched separately in the demonstration which was organised by the wing of the Islamic Movement whose leader Sheikh Raed Salah led the protesters. The Islamic activists do not recognise the Jewish state and field candidates only in municipal not parliamentary elections. Israel has allowed food into the Gaza Strip on only three days since a flare-up of violence on the border on November 4 prompted it to tighten its blockade of the aid-dependent territory. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-15-voa63.cfm?CFID=89137493&CFTOKEN=66901786 Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian During West Bank Protest By VOA News 15 October 2008 Hospital sources in the West Bank city of Ramallah say Israeli soldiers fatally wounded a Palestinian man during clashes Wednesday to protest the killing of another man a day earlier. The sources said the 21-year-old man was shot in the chest at the heavily guarded Jewish settlement of Bei El, and later died of his wounds. An Israeli military spokesman said troops shot at a protester who was preparing to throw a firebomb at them. The incident took place following the funeral of an 18-year-old Palestinian man killed by Israeli troops late Tuesday as he was preparing to throw a firebomb into a Jewish settlement. A military statement said Israeli soldiers found another 10 firebombs at the scene. http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10251047.html Eight wounded in West Bank barrier protest Agencies Published: October 10, 2008, 15:36 Nilin: Israeli security forces clashed with demonstrators at the West Bank on Friday, injuring eight people, medics said. More than 200 people gathered near Nilin to protest the building of a barrier in the area. A military spokesman said Israeli forces used anti-riot measures after demonstrators hurled rocks at soldiers, who fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas at demonstrators. Israel says the projected 723-kilometre barrier is needed for security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that undermines their future state. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/October/middleeast_October150.xml Eight demonstrators wounded in West Bank protest (AFP) 10 October 2008 NILIN, West Bank - Eight people were slightly wounded when Israeli security forces fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas at demonstrators protesting the West Bank separation barrier on Friday, medics and witnesses said. A border guard also suffered light injuries, according to a military spokesman who said Israeli forces used anti-riot measures after demonstrators hurled rocks. More than 200 people, including foreign activists, participated in the demonstration near Nilin and symbolically helped Palestinian villagers pick olives from their trees located near the barrier. Villagers, Israelis and foreigners regularly protest at Nilin against the building of the barrier, hurling rocks at construction workers and Israeli troops, who usually respond with tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. Since the end of July, a Palestinian child and a teenager have been killed by Israeli forces during the protests. Israel says the projected 723 kilometres (454 miles) of steel and concrete walls, fences and barbed wire is needed for security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that undermines their promised state. To date Israel has built 57 percent of the projected barrier, most of it inside the West Bank. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92407&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Palestinian protest over Israel wall (01:54) Report Oct 18 - Palestinians protest against the Israeli construction of barriers separating Palestinian and Jewish communities. Demonstrators lob rocks at Israeli police guarding construction vehicles from being attacked. Police send tear gas and rubber bullets back. Caught in the middle are olive growers who are at the peak of the harvesting season who must attempt to pick olives amid conflict and tear gas. Penny Tweedie reports. http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=14974 Palestine: Israeli troops suppress a nonviolent demonstration near Bethlehem 11-10-2008 International Middle East Media Centre: Israeli soldiers dispersed international, Israeli and Palestinian activists who assembled in a protest against the wall in the village of Al-Ma?sara near Bethlehem on Friday afternoon. The protest started after the Friday noon prayer in the village and headed towards the construction site of the wall. However, Israeli troops halted them and prevented them from continuing towards the wall, and showered them with tear gas and concussion grenades. No injuries were reported. The villagers of Al-Ma?sara and the neighboring villages have been organizing weekly protests in the past two years in bid to stop the construction of the wall on their land, which is the main source of income for most of the villagers. http://www.imemc.org/article/57283 http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=OTUzNDM2NTgx Settlers, rabbis clash over West Bank olives Published Date: October 04, 2008 HEBRON: Militant Jewish settlers clashed with activists of the Rabbis for Human Rights movement near the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday as they protected Palestinians beginning the annual olive harvest. Israeli police and soldiers grappled with settlers who tried to drive off local Palestinians and international supporters of Palestinian rights in the Israel-occupied territories. This is just the beginning of the olive harvest which will be going on for the next two months," said the executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, Arik Ascherman. He said activists were going to 40 Palestinian villages to protect olive growers and uphold their right to work the land, and harvest. They would act "as human shields" if necessary. A settler woman screamed "Murderer, murderer" at the rabbi, and settlers angrily shouted down any activists trying to explain their aims to TV reporters. The West Bank olive harvest has developed over the past decade into a regular confrontation between Palestinian farmers and militant Israelis who have settled on nearby land. Palestinians say settler harassment often turns to encroachment and eventually seizure of more land in the name of settler "security". There are those who say all the land of Israel belongs only to the Jewish people," Ascherman said. "Everybody knows these are Palestinian-owned trees. It's unfortunate that some people so filled with mistaken religious fervour are choosing to insult, be violent, trying to steal the olives. The Jewish militants say they want a secure route from the settlement through the olive grove, to a cave regarded as a Jewish holy site. The settlers would like to make a path ... as part of their effort to create facts on the ground," Ascherman said. "They've been trying to create this outpost here to take more and more Palestinian land. Rabbis For Human Rights said in a statement that delegations also joined Palestinians for the olive harvest near Nablus, "where there is a long history of the army preventing agricultural work". In several locations olives have already been stolen in recent weeks, and this year's harvest will be all the more difficult because of the recent wave of settler violence," the group said. Its members would "work to insure that Israeli security forces meet their obligations under international law and the ruling of the Israeli High Court", the statement added. --- Reuters http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1222017467135 Oct 5, 2008 22:43 | Updated Oct 5, 2008 22:59 West Bank dumping stirs protest By EHUD ZION WALDOKS A controversial project to turn a West Bank quarry into a dumping site has been resurrected in a slightly different format in recent months, prompting concern among local residents and environmental organizations about possible contamination of water supplies. PLANS TO turn a West Bank quarry into a dumping ground has opponents worried about possible water contamination. The Baron Industrial Park Company would like to turn the Abu Shusheh quarry just outside Deir Sharaf, near Nablus, into a building-waste dump site for both area residents and perhaps Israeli waste shipped over the Green Line as well. The company is a joint endeavor of the Kedumim and Karnei Shomron town councils and the Samaria Regional Council. Residents held a demonstration at the site on August 26 in protest, concerned the project could pollute their water sources. However, the project could also pose more than a local threat if not done properly, as the mountain aquifer runs below the quarry and could be contaminated as well. One third of Israel's water comes from the aquifer. A previous initiative by the company to dump waste exclusively from Israel proper was stopped through the legal efforts of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED) in 2005. IUED, in conjunction with B'Tselem, contended, in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, that it was against international law to ship waste across the Green Line to be dumped on occupied territory. They argued that dumping potentially contaminating waste violated the rights of local residents. In light of IUED's efforts, the Civil Administration froze the plan until it could be modified to comply with international law and Israeli regulations. Now it seems as though the project has been revived. Yitzhak (Itche) Meir, head of the Municipal Environmental Associations of Judea and Samaria, who is overseeing the project for the Baron company, told The Jerusalem Post late last week that there were two differences with this adaptation of the project. First, he said, the proposed project would be just for dry waste such as building waste. The earlier plan called for storage of "reject" waste, which contains small amounts of organic material and therefore has a higher pollution potential. Secondly, this time the surrounding Israeli settlements and perhaps even Palestinian villages would mostly dump in the quarry with perhaps some waste being transported from the other side of the Green Line, he told the Post. It is legal to export waste to the territories if local waste is also being collected, he said. The Civil Administration has given planning permission to the company thus far but nothing else, an Administration spokesman told the Post. Meir said the plans included sealing the bottom of the site as well as other measures to ensure there would not be any polluting leaks. While IUED had not heard about the latest plans, organization head Tzipi Iser Itsik said they would be looking into it very carefully in light of the information brought to their attention by the Post. "If it has been decided to renew the plan, we plan to check if it adheres to the conditions the IDF Command and the Civil Administration affirmed to the Supreme Court they would uphold," she said via e-mail. "[We will also check] to make sure the new plan does not violate international law, nor does it contradict environmental principles or environmental justice." "As is our wont, we do not intend to give up our role as the guard dog of public and environmental interests especially not when those interests were fully recognized and delineated by the judges of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem," she added. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017507966&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Oct 11, 2008 14:33 Palestinian farmers and settlers clash near Nablus By JPOST.COM STAFF Palestinians and settlers clashed near Nablus Saturday morning, when Palestinian farmers came to harvest olives in lands belonging to the village of Burin, located near the settlement of Yitzhar. The IDF said that the farmers had neglected to coordinate their arrival with the army. It acknowledged that a riot had developed at the scene, but added that soldiers had arrived and broken up the fight. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/world-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=10&dd=12&nav_id=54165 Israeli Jews, Arabs clash for fourth day 12 October 2008 | 11:14 | Source: VOA ACRE -- Ethnic violence has rocked a mixed Jewish-Arab city in Israel for a fourth day, VOA reports. Israeli Jews and Arabs clashed again in the historic port city of Acre, despite the deployment of 700 police. Trouble began when crowds of Jews and Arabs gathered in a neighborhood and threw stones at each other. Police quickly moved in. They dispersed the crowds using tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades. Later on, Jews set fire to two Arab homes. There were no serious injuries; 12 people were arrested. Riots first erupted on Wednesday, during Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Though it is customary not to drive on the holiday, an Arab drove through a Jewish neighborhood with music blaring and was attacked by angry residents. As word spread about the incident, Arabs took to the streets, vandalizing Jewish-owned cars and shops. Israeli-Arab Cabinet Minister Raleb Majadele appealed for calm. "We cannot allow thugs to disrupt life in Acre," Majadele told Israel Radio. He called on the police to restore order so that the two peoples, Jews and Arabs, can coexist in peace. The port city of Acre was once the Crusader capital of the Holy Land, and today, it is one of the few cities in Israel with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Jews and Arabs generally get along, but the riots are a reminder of a deep cultural and religious divide in the State of Israel. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-29-voa29.cfm?moddate=2008-10-29 Recent Riots Highlight Frustrations of Arab Israelis By Luis Ramirez Acre, Israel 29 October 2008 Ramirez report - Download (WM) Ramirez report - Watch (WM) Clashes in the Mediterranean port city of Acre this month highlighted tensions between Jews and Arabs who are citizens of Israel. If Israeli Palestinian negotiations succeed, there will be a Palestinian state ideally in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Arabs there will be governed by Arabs. For more than a million Arab citizens of Israel however, the future involves a battle against discrimination. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Acre. Ancient city of Acre in northern Israel The ancient city of Acre in northern Israel has weathered many conflicts through the millennia. It was conquered by Assyrians, Romans, Crusaders, and Turks. In 1948, at the end of the British Mandate, Israelis captured the city, forcing thousands of Arab residents to flee. Recent decades have seen peace, with Jews, the majority, co-existing with an Arab minority. But coexistence was shattered earlier this month when Jews and Arabs clashed. It began at this intersection where Jewish residents chased an Arab man who drove his car with the stereo blaring through this Jewish neighborhood on Yom Kippur - the most solemn Jewish holiday. Jewish resident Rumors that the man was killed brought hundreds of Arab youths in the middle of the night. "At around 1:30 people wearing masks, faces covered, arrived and they started turning the cars over, breaking windows, and throwing stones," a Jewish resident said. "They damaged hundreds of cars. My mother and father-in-law, they were scared to death when hundreds of Arabs surrounded the house. They were yelling Allahu Akbar on Yom Kippur, our holiest day." Now, damaged storefronts are repaired, and soldiers patrol the streets. But fear remains. And tourists no longer come to Acre in their usual numbers. This Arab souvenir vendor says he has not sold a thing for days. He says the clashes have added to tensions over plans to gentrify the waterfront. "What has been happening in Acre is that the Israelis want the Arabs out," the vendor said. "They want every Arab out of Acre in order to bring Israelis and to bring Israeli investors." Sami Hawari Arabs here are Israeli citizens. They pay taxes and have access to public health. But community activists like Sami Hawari say Arab Israelis continue to suffer discrimination in city services, education, and housing, "The fa?ade of coexistence in this city between Arabs and Jews," Hawari said. "It's false advertising and I believe that there's a lot of conflict between Arabs and Jews, that the municipality and other authorities are covering and trying to make it [seem like] a 'beautiful life' etcetera." Virtually all Arabs interviewed said they would never move to a newly independent Palestinian state. In Israel, they enjoy democracy and economic opportunities. They are here to stay. But days after the riots, anger still runs deep - especially after some Jewish factions called on Jews not to buy goods from Arabs. Near the riot scene, a gathering of Jews and Muslims. They are calling for peace. "There is sort of the reality that it will never change," a Jewish rally attendee said. "[Both] people live in the place and I can't see them going out of the place. So even if there will be two states, I believe that Arabs will live in Jewish places as well and we'll have to both learn how to make it happen." Addressing that question will be a tough challenge for Israeli leaders, who learned a new lesson - in Acre - on just how fragile coexistence within Israel is. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1012/mideast.html Fourth night of Jewish-Arab clashes Sunday, 12 October 2008 22:30 Jews and Arabs clashed for a fourth consecutive night in the northern Israeli city of Acre leaving at least three people injured in hospital. Three Jewish demonstrators were also arrested in the town where riots erupted late on Wednesday night on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. More than 700 officers remained on patrol in the coastal city of 50,000 people to try and keep a lid on the violence. Advertisement Police said the clashes broke out when an Arab resident drove through a conservative Jewish neighbourhood blaring music from his car stereo. A group of Jewish youths assaulted the driver, accusing him of deliberately making noise and disrupting the sanctity of Yom Kippur, when most Jews in Israel observe a religious ban on driving. Hundreds of Arabs took to the streets shortly afterwards, damaging around 100 cars and 40 shops, according to the police. In the ensuing days Jewish and Arab rioters clashed with each other and with police. Two protesters and a police officer have been wounded and 25 people arrested since the violence broke out. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49A21420081011 Israel's Acre suffers third night of violence Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:17pm EDT By Ammar Awad ACRE, Israel (Reuters) - Rioters in northern Israel torched two houses and badly damaged several others in the third night of tensions between Jewish and Arab residents of Acre, officials said Saturday. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Arab residents were evacuated before their homes were set alight and that nobody was injured. He said police remained on very high alert. Sami Hawary, an Israeli-Arab resident of Acre who heads a group which works for cooperation between Arabs and Jews, said that during the early hours of Saturday angry Jewish residents set fire to two houses and damaged eight others. "There were scores of angry Jewish residents, mainly younger people who set fire to the homes, the tension is very high here, things are on a knife-edge," Hawary told Reuters. Friday, Israeli prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni visited Acre and urged a return to calm from both communities. Livni is trying to form a new government following the resignation of premier Ehud Olmert. Abbas Zakour, an Israeli Arab lawmaker from Acre confirmed 10 homes had been damaged and that tensions remained high. "Jews burned 10 homes inside a Jewish area last night, there is calm at the moment but the tensions remain," he told Reuters. Rosenfeld said police had worked through the night to contain sporadic violence in the city of 46,000 and remained on high alert to counter further outbreaks. He said officers had arrested 12 people from both communities. Many shops and restaurants in the old town, a popular tourist destination which was once the Crusader capital of the Holy Land, remained closed Saturday, Rosenfeld said. Trouble started in Acre after dark Wednesday at the start of the Yom Kippur, the holiest day for Jews, when an Arab drove into a Jewish district, disturbing the start of 24 hours during which many Jews fast and abstain from driving. As word spread from mosque loudspeakers of Jewish youths stoning the car, Arab crowds responded angrily, causing widespread damage to cars and shops in a main city street. Relations between Jews and the mostly Muslim Arabs have been sometimes tense in Israel and dog the nature of a peace settlement which still eludes the two communities, 60 years after Israel was established in what was then Palestine. Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed in principle on a two-state solution in which the 4 million Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza, many descended from those driven out or who fled Israel during the war of 1948, would eventually have a state. As a result of the violence, Acre's mayor canceled an annual theater festival set to take place in the city next week but Israeli Culture Minister Galeb Magadla, himself an Israeli-Arab, said it was the wrong move. (Additional reporting by Wafa Amr in Ramallah, Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Matthew Jones) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=58194 Published On: 2008-10-11 Front Page Jewish-Arab clashes hit Israeli town Afp, Acre Police clashed with Jewish protesters in Acre yesterday as Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni travelled to the northern Israeli city to appeal for calm after two days of clashes between Arab and Jews. Police fired a water cannon at the crowd of about 200 people as some demonstrators hurled bottles and stones at security forces. Chanting "death to Arabs," the protesters were headed from a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood to the house of an Arab when police intervened. The incident took place just hours after Livni, who is trying to form a new government and replace outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, travelled to Acre, where she issued what she said was "a message of reconciliation and cooperation to calm tempers within the population." Police deployed an additional 500 officers to help the 200-strong local force after violence broke out on Wednesday night as Jews observed Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. "We have also raised our level of alert throughout the country so that similar incidents do not occur again in Acre, or elsewhere," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. Israeli President Shimon Peres also appealed for calm. "Jews and Arabs must stop immediately this violence which will not benefit anyone," he said in a statement. Two protesters and a police officer have been lightly wounded. Twelve people -- Arabs and Jews -- have been arrested since the first clashes broke out, Rosenfeld said. About 100 cars and 40 stores were damaged by Arab demonstrators, he said. Rosenfeld said the initial unrest erupted when an Arab motorist drove into a neighbourhood where Arabs and Jews live, playing his car stereo loudly. A group of Jewish youths assaulted the driver, accusing him of deliberately making noise and disrupting the sanctity of Yom Kippur, when most Jews in Israel observe a religious ban on driving. "Rumours then spread out, namely from mosques, claiming that the motorist had been killed, prompting several hundred Arabs to take to the streets," Rosenfeld said. Clashes started again on Thursday, when rioters from both sides hurled rocks at each other and the police used tear gas to disperse them, media reported. Football matches planned for the weekend were cancelled as was an annual theatre festival that was to be held next week and which usually draws thousands of visitors to the Mediterranean coastal city, media reported. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&7ADCCB6C03F8913DC22574DE0017C70F Clashes Erupt in Mixed Arab-Jewish City Arabs and Jews traded blows and threw rocks in a northern Israeli city on Thursday, in a second day of sectarian violence that marred the somber Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Police set up roadblocks in and around Acre, one of only a few Arab-Jewish towns in Israel, to separate the angry crowds. Officers fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons to quell the violence. Several people were arrested, but there were no reports of serious injury. Israel's caretaker prime minister, Ehud Olmert, called on Arabs and Jews in the city to restore calm. "Coexistence between Jews and Arabs is of the utmost importance, especially in mixed cities, and all efforts must be made to live together," Olmert said in a statement. The fighting erupted late Wednesday, after the start of Yom Kippur, in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Acre. Observant Jews fast, pray for forgiveness of their sins and abstain from most activities, including driving, during Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Police said an Arab driver entered the neighborhood and was attacked by Jewish youths who beat him. Abbas Zakour, an Arab parliament member, said the driver lives in the neighborhood and was trying to get home. Israeli media and some police officials said the driver and two companions had loud music blasting from the car radio as they entered the neighborhood. After the attack on the driver, several hundred Arab residents rioted, chanting "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great, and smashing the windows of dozens of cars and shops in Acre's main commercial area, police said. With the end of Yom Kippur after sundown Thursday, Jewish residents took to the streets, some chanting "Death to the Arabs." At one point, Arabs and Jews scuffled and threw rocks at each other, police said. Police eventually managed to separate the sides, setting up roadblocks in and around Acre. Riots continued in Acre's Old City, where hundreds of Arab residents threw stones and burned tires, police said. Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population. They enjoy full rights but have suffered from discrimination under successive Israeli governments.(AP) Beirut, 10 Oct 08, 07:26 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017498195&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Oct 9, 2008 19:10 | Updated Oct 10, 2008 10:13 Yom Kippur riots garner strong reactions from lawmakers By YAAKOV LAPPIN The Arab-Jewish Yom Kippur riots garnered strong reactions from political leaders. A smashed store window in Acre, Thursday. Photo: Channel 10 SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL) called the riots a "Jewish pogrom," and said the police were handling the "attack against the Arab residents" in a discriminatory manner. Hadash MK Muhammad Barakei echoed Tibi's words, saying that "fascist gangs in Acre carried out a pogrom against Arabs, reminiscent of dark days in human history. We have been warning for a while of the expansion of these gangs in Acre, whose only purpose is to harass the Arabs." "Mixed cities are supposed to serve as a model of coexistence... The police must impose order, otherwise these cities will turn into ticking time bombs," MK Nadia Hilou (Labor) commented Thursday night. Hilou, who heads the Knesset lobby for mixed cities, called on Public Security Minister Avi Dichter to come to Acre. "I foresee an immediate danger - these sorts of riots might spread to the rest of the region," she added. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in response to the riots that maintaining coexistence between Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel was a highly important mission. He called on Acre residents to show restraint and to do their best to make efforts to get life in the city back on track. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni spoke with Acre Mayor Shimon Lankri, who updated her on events. Israel Beiteinu MK Estherina Tartman said, "The pogrom in Acre is another proof that the Arabs of Israel are the real threat to the state. There is no solution [other than] a swap of territories," she said. Israel's only Arab minister, Ghaleb Majadle (Labor) said he believed that the Acre riot was "an exceptional and unusual incident, and I hope it won't repeat itself." MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) called on Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Cohen to resign. "Israel has become the only country in the world where pogroms against Jews are taking place, [with participants] harming them, their property and calling to kill the Jews. A police [force] incapable of protecting the Jewish residents of Acre and Peki'in needs to reassess itself," Steinitz said. Israel Police Commissioner Ch.-Insp. Dudi Cohen held a special situation assessment meeting at an Acre police station on Thursday evening and admitted that local police were caught off guard by the outbreak of hostilities. "I am aware of the evidence and witness to the consequences," Cohen said, alluding to the widespread damage. "It is difficult for me to assess whether the incident was nationalistically motivated or simply an act of hooliganism; we will know this later on. I wish to stress that the Acre Police Department is prepared for this Yom Kippur in accordance with recent years and we had no information indicating that such as incident was about to occur." Shelly Paz and JPost.com staff contributed to this report http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L9399340.htm Jews and Arabs clash in northern Israeli city 10 Oct 2008 00:46:56 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds details) By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Police used tear gas and water cannon to try and stamp out clashes between Jews and Arabs in Israel's northern coastal city of Acre on Thursday, officials said. Israeli television showed smashed shop fronts and damaged cars in the city, where Jews and Arabs live close together, but no major casualties were reported. Arab witnesses said the clashes began when Jewish youths stoned a car carrying Arabs late on Wednesday during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Police set up road blocks to keep the two sides apart and helicopters flew over the ancient port. Local Arab Israeli parliamentarian Abbas Zakkour said dozens of people were injured by tear gas canisters and that some had been taken to hospital for treatment. "We must guard vigilantly the ability to live together in co-existence in these towns," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a statement. Police said clashes broke out twice and that eight Arabs and four Jews had been detained. Traditionally during Yom Kippur all vehicle traffic, except for emergency services, stops in Jewish parts of Israel. Israel's Arabs number about 1.5 million, about 20 percent of the population. They are descended from families that stayed while hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the 1948 Independence War. They complain of discrimination and say the government fails to give the same funding to their towns, schools and other infrastructure as it does for Jews. Israeli officials deny any discrimination and note there are Arab parliamentarians. Relations between the communities are mostly calm, although occasional breakdowns have occurred over the years, most recently in October 2000 when police killed 13 Arabs while trying to halt violent demonstrations. The demonstrations were launched in support of Palestinians at the start of their 2000 uprising against Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in September 2005. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Douglas Hamilton and Ori Lewis; Editing by Ralph Gowling) http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=115377&d=13&m=10&y=2008 Monday 13 October 2008 (12 Shawwal 1429) Palestinian groups protest Acre riots Hisham Abu Taha | Arab News GAZA CITY: Leaders of several Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip yesterday vowed to retaliate for anti-Arab violence in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Abu Abeer, spokesman of Al-Nasser Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), told reporters that the group would respond to ?the crimes against our Palestinian brothers? soon. Clashes between Arabs and Jews erupted in Acre on Wednesday evening after an Arab motorist entered a predominantly Jewish area during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Yesterday marked the fifth consecutive day of violence with Jews torching an empty Arab house. Israeli media reported yesterday that police have arrested some 54 people from both communities involved in rioting. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told police to show ?zero tolerance? toward rioters. ?The scenes from Acre since Yom Kippur and over the past several nights have been very distressing,? Olmert told the weekly Cabinet meeting. The National Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, promised an appropriate response. ?The Palestinians are one nation be it in Gaza, the West Bank or Israel. We can never accept these attacks on our brothers in Akka (Acre), which is aimed at forcing them to leave their city,? a statement issued by the group said. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) denounced the Israeli police action of releasing Jewish youths while keeping Arabs in detention as racist. The PLO called for immediate international intervention to protect the Arabs, whom ?Israel is treating as ?second class citizens.? http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1945348&Language=en Clashes in Jerusalem claims life of Palestinian -- sources Military and Security 10/19/2008 1:44:00 PM GAZA, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- Six Palestinian residents of Jerusalem were injured on Sunday when they were attacked by Jewish extremists along with a truck driver who was stoned. "Six Palestinians were injured as they were caught in clashes with Jewish extremists in Jerusalem, and were transferred to a medical facility, while police forces arrested three of the Jewish attackers," Israel Radio said. Meanwhile, similar assaults occurred when the Jewish activists stoned a truck driver, a resident of Jerusalem. One of the attackers was detained by the Israeli police, the radio added. After the bloody confrontations between the Palestinian activists and Jewish extremists in the city of Akka (Acre) last week, fears have been predominant that similar violence would take place in cities where Israeli settlers reside, Israel's newspaper, "Yedioth Ahronoth," said. Border guards have recently reinforced their presence in the area, and Israeli police found the corpse of a Palestinian citizen in front of an uninhabited building in West Jerusalem -- with signs of violence on the body. Meanwhile, tens of Israeli right-wing activists broke into courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque supported by Israeli police forces.(end) zt.sab KUNA 191344 Oct 08NNNN http://palestinechronicle.com/news.php?id=eed48ce86e7f667ceaa46a00c3384819&mode=details Human Chain Protests Gaza Siege BEIT HANUN, Gaza Strip - Thousands of Palestinians formed a human chain across the in the beleaguered Gaza Strip on Monday, February 25, to protest the crushing Israeli blockade and sending an urgent SOS plea to the international community. "There is hardly any food, and the Israeli incursions are frequent," Huzeifa al-Masri, 14, who together with his classmates joint the chain, told Agence France Presse (AFP). "We want to live in security like the rest of the world." Under a light late-morning rain, thousands of schoolchildren were joined by adults along Salaheddin Road, the main highway traversing the center of the impoverished coastal strip. They held banners and chanted slogans such as "End Gaza Siege", "Save Gaza" and "The World Has Condemned Gaza to Death." After two hours, the demonstrators dispersed peacefully. A small group of youths set fire to a tyre a few dozen meters from the Israeli army position at the Erez crossing. The Israeli troops, put on alert for the event, responded by opening fire at them, wounding two. Israel has sealed the Gaza Strip to all but vital humanitarian supplies since Hamas seized power last June following clashes with rival Fatah. On January 17, Israel completely locked down the Strip, causing its sole power plant to shut down for lack of fuel. Many international human rights groups have accused Israel of pursuing a policy of collective punishment against Gaza's 1.6 million residents. Ticking Bomb Jamal Al-Khudari, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, the event organizer, thanked participants. "This is a peaceful and civilized act to let the people express their rejection of the siege and of collective punishment," he said. "We are raising a cry to the world for it to act." Organizers planned to place one person every meter along the roughly 40-kilometre road running from Rafah to Beit Hanun, for a total of around 40,000 people. Hamas said the human chain sends a clear message to the world that Gaza could explode at anytime. MP Ismail al-Ashqar warned that unless the siege is lifted "there will be a hurricane that will flood the whole region." On January 23, Palestinian militants blasted several holes in the border barrier with Egypt, sending a human tide of hundreds of thousands streaming into Egypt to replenish depleted stocks. Hamas security forces and Egyptian troops resealed the border on Sunday, February 3. Israel fears that could have happened at its borders with the Strip. "This is a message addressed to the international community and to the Israeli occupation, and I hope it will seize the opportunity to lift the siege," said spokesman Fawzi Barhum. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127600 Peaceful Jewish Demonstration Becomes Angry Arab Riot at Na'alin by Hana Levi Julian (IsraelNN.com) Violent riots again broke out in the Palestinian Authority-controlled village of Na?alin on Friday, leaving two Border Guard police officers lightly wounded in the melee. Pro-Arab Israeli activists, foreign nationals and Palestinian Authority Arabs have been rioting at the site almost daily to protest the construction of the Judea-Samaria security barrier that is being built in the area. Arab prepares to hurl rock at Israeli civilians and soldiers Photo: Yehuda Boltshauser The peaceful Israeli protest of support Photo: Yehuda Boltshauser Soldiers refrain from live ammo and fire gas cartriges in response to barrage of rocks Photo: Yehuda Boltshauser The protest against the separation barrier actually began as a demonstration in support of soldiers by rights activists who arrived at the site in the morning. The activists demonstrated peacefully until almost 1:00 p.m., according to an eyewitness who said the trouble began when pro-Arab protestors began to approach the barrier from the Arab side of the fence. Rights activists at that time were warned by Border Guard officers to leave the area. ??It?s not safe here,? they said? related photojournalist Yehuda Boltshauser, who was on the scene at the time. ?They -- the Arabs -- started moving toward the barbed wire and were also igniting fires as they moved forward,? he added. ?It appeared as though they were lighting branches and sticking them in shrubs. They also continued throwing heavy barrages of rocks.? Border Guard police responded to the riot first with gas grenades and then with shock flash-bang grenades. When those measures failed to stop the onslaught, security personnel received authorization to fire rubber bullets at the rioting Arabs, who were by that time hurling softball-sized rocks at the officers. ?They were using slingshots to fling the rocks,? said Boltshauser. The village, which is located near the PA-controlled city of Ramallah and the Jewish city of Modi?in, has been the scene of increasingly bloodly clashes as the riots continue over the construction of the barrier. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/08/15/Three-hurt-in-West-Bank-fence-rioting/UPI-68321218820714/ Three hurt in West Bank fence rioting NAALIN, West Bank, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Two border guard officers and an Israeli photographer were hurt Friday in rioting over the new border fence at the West Bank town of Naalin. Officials said the officers were stoned by demonstrators protesting construction of the security fence, Ynetnews reported. The photographer suffered light to moderate wounds and was taken to a Jerusalem hospital. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Middle&set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=nw20080913140754843C873563 Boy stabbed, four injured in West Bank clash September 13 2008 at 02:12PM Nablus, West Bank - At least four Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli troops and Jewish settlers in the West Bank on Saturday after an intruder stabbed a child in a nearby settlement, officials said. A Palestinian man stabbed a nine-year-old boy and burned down an abandoned house after sneaking into the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar early on Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian security officials said. The boy was taken to hospital after being lightly wounded in the attack, which took place at around 8.00am (0500 GMT), an Israeli army spokesperson said. Shortly after the attack around 150 settlers from Yitzhar - a bastion of extreme right-wing Israelis - stormed into the nearby village of Asira al-Qibliya, breaking windows, throwing rocks and firing shots in the air, according to local councillor Mohammed al-Shami. He said Israeli troops arrived on the scene to disperse the crowds, shooting and wounding four Palestinians. Medics in Nablus confirmed they were treating the four men for gunshot wounds and that one of the patients was seriously wounded. The army spokesperson said there had been "some sort of gathering or demonstration by Israeli civilians," but that he was not aware of shots being fired. Israeli troops had earlier launched a manhunt for the person who attacked the child, placing Asira al-Qibliya and two other villages under strict curfew and also trying to prevent settlers from entering. Hundreds of members of the Palestinian security forces were deployed in Nablus in November last year at the start of a security plan intended to underpin US-backed peace talks relaunched the same month. The plan has largely succeeded in reining in violence and organised crime in the city, but Israeli officials say the security forces have done little to combat Palestinian militant groups. The Palestinians have meanwhile accused Israel of undermining the plan by carrying out regular nightly incursions of its own and preventing Palestinian security forces from operating in certain areas. - AFP http://news.scotsman.com/world/Palestinian-boy-shot-dead-in.4489927.jp Palestinian boy shot dead in clash Published Date: 14 September 2008 ISRAELI troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager yesterday in a clash near Bethlehem. The military said troops fired one live round, but could not immediately say what caused the fatal wound. Medics at Beit Jalla hospital said 16-year-old Hassan Hmeid was shot in the chest. Witnesses said soldiers opened fire when a patrol entered Tekoa village and came under a hail of stones from youngsters. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers rampaged through the Palestinian village of Assira Kubliyeh, wounding six, after a Palestinian stabbed a nine-year-old Israeli boy outside a nearby Jewish settlement. The Israeli military said an intruder set fire to an abandoned building near Yitzar yesterday morning and when the boy raised the alarm the man stabbed and lightly injured him, then fled. Dozens of settlers then raided Assira Kubliyeh, until Israeli soldiers arrived three hours later, mayor Hosni Sharaf said. Resident Ahmed Daoud said his 10-year-old son was lightly hurt by shrapnel and his neighbour was hit in the face by a rubber-coated steel bullet. Sharaf said two villagers were hit by live fire and four by rubber bullets. The army said any casualties to Palestinians were a result of settler violence. http://politicom.moldova.org/news/israeli-forces-disperse-checkpoint-rioters-147869-eng.html Israeli forces disperse checkpoint rioters September 05, 2008 Subscribe to: RSS, Email Israeli forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem say they were forced to disperse nearly 100 Palestinians who were throwing rocks at them Friday. Ynetnews reported that the riot north of the Israeli capital came during the first Friday of Ramadan, a religious observance for Muslims. The Israeli news group said no injuries were reported from the checkpoint clash. Two similar rallies took place along the Israeli security barrier near the West Bank city of Ramallah. In one of the incidents, nearly 150 Palestinians allegedly began pelting Israeli border troops with rocks. Security forces nearby told Ynetnews that nearly 50 Palestinian protesters and Israeli activists also began throwing stones as part of a similar protest. Meanwhile, Ramadan ceremonies took place in Jerusalem without major incidents. Ynetnews said in preparation for the related prayer ceremonies, Israeli officials deployed thousands of troops throughout the city to limit those entering the Old City and the Temple Mount compound. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1220526718100 Sep 5, 2008 15:15 | Updated Sep 6, 2008 0:20 Ramadan prayers end in Kalandiya riots By JPOST.COM STAFF AND AP Some 100 young Palestinians rioted at the Kalandiya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, on Friday, shortly after the first communal prayers of Ramadan. A Border Police officer stands surrounded by Palestinian Muslim worshipers as they wait to cross Kalandiya checkpoint, between Ramallah and Jerusalem. Photo: AP SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World The Palestinians hurled stones at IDF troops and border policemen deployed in area, prompting the security forces to take crowd control measures. No casualties were reported. Simultaneously, there were two disturbances near the security fence, near Ramallah. Some 150 Palestinians gathered for the routine anti-fence protest in Ni'lin, in which, as usual, security forces were pelted with stones, and a similar but smaller demonstration was held in Bi'lin. Meanwhile, near the village of Yata, south of Hebron, an Israeli vehicle was damaged when it was struck by stones thrown by Palestinians. No one was wounded. Also on Friday, around 90,000 Muslims congregated on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for prayers, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He said "thousands" of policemen were deployed around the city to prevent any disturbances. Citing security concerns, police restricted the entry of Palestinians, banning men under 45 and requiring many women to produce valid entry permits. In the past, some Friday services at the site have ended in riots. No disturbances were reported in the area this time. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L5730302.htm Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers on holy day 05 Sep 2008 13:20:16 GMT Source: Reuters KALANDIA, West Bank, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Palestinians hurled rocks at Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank after the army blocked them from attending Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, witnesses said. Israel restricted Palestinian access to Jerusalem to men older than 50 and women over 45, angering would-be worshipers eager to reach Islam's third holiest shrine for prayers on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. One Palestinian was injured when he was struck on the head by a tear-gas grenade fired by soldiers trying to disperse a crowd at the Kalandia crossing, which leads to the city of Ramallah where the Western-backed government of President Mahmoud Abbas is based. Israeli police said some 90,000 worshipers attended prayers at al-Aqsa, which sits on the complex in the walled Old City known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif. Palestinian access to Jerusalem is already limited because Israel requires those who live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to obtain hard-to-get permits. Palestinian officials have demanded that Israel provide open access for worshipers. (Reporting by Abed Omar Qusini; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Dominic Evans) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014728.html School year off to a shaky start in Gaza, as teachers protest Hamas control By Haaretz Service Tags: gaza, palestinian authority The Palestinian Authority education system opened the 2008-2009 school year on Sunday, with approximately 250,000 children expected to attend classes. In Gaza, the new school year got off to a shaky start, as teachers loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas declared a five day work-stoppage. Teachers' Union Secretary-General Jameel Shehada said the strike was to protest "the actions Hamas took against the teachers." He said Hamas police took over the building belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization-affiliated Teachers' Union, fired some employees of the education ministry, and transferred some teachers to remote schools. Hamas interior ministry official Mohammed Abu Shuqair said in reply that the takeover of the building was not connected to the "education process," while the teachers were moved because of a "legal procedure." Hamas is expected to appoint its own teachers to replace those who went on the strike. The movement has already appointed Hamas loyalists as headmasters in most schools. Students in Gaza last week also learned that there is a shortage of school supplies in the coastal Strip. Despite the Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas that went into effect in June, few goods, apart from humanitarian necessities, have been allowed to enter Gaza. On June 19, 2008, pursuant to the truce, Israel decided to expand the list of goods allowed into the Strip. But since no formal government decision was ever made about which items would be sanctioned, items that pose no apparent security risk are still prevented from entering the Strip . Anwar al-Qazaz, 41, had sent one of his sons to the market to buy school supplies for his younger sisters. "He returned home with his sisters and told me there was nothing. No pens and pencils, no notebooks, and no school uniforms," Qazaz told Haaretz last week. He added that he could buy the necessary products from Egypt, but that would significantly increase the cost. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) also runs schools within the Palestinian Territories, and classes there are scheduled to begin in September. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=240005&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 Hamas police force end to Jihad protest GAZA CITY: Hamas-run security forces dispersed some 150 teachers loyal to the Islamic Jihad movement who had gathered yesterday to protest against the politicisation of the civil service in the Gaza Strip. Hamas police forcibly dispersed the teachers protesting against both the Islamist-run government?s sacking of loyalists of the rival Fatah party and the resulting strikes by teachers and medical workers. They also prevented photographers from approaching the demonstration, witnesses said. Senior Islamic Jihad member Nafid Azam slammed the dispersal of what he said had been a peaceful and non-political protest, calling it a ?dangerous and unacceptable situation.? ?The teachers did not demand anything beyond insulating public education from political differences,? he said, referring to the rivalry between Hamas and the secular Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The two main Palestinian movements have been bitterly divided since Hamas seized power in the impoverished territory of 1.5mn people after routing Abbas?s security forces in a week of bloody street battles in June 2007. Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions have remained mostly neutral in the Hamas-Fatah dispute while calling for national unity. ?Regrettably (police) attacked some of the teachers who were participating in the demonstration, which was entitled ?Preserving the Unity of the Teachers? and was not allied with any party at the expense of another party,?? Azam said. A spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry said the demonstration was illegal because the teachers had not obtained a permit, but Azam said the organisers had informed police of their plans. Thousands of doctors and teachers across the isolated territory have been on strike for more than a week in protest at the Hamas-run government?s firing of dozens of civil servants belonging to Fatah. - AFP http://www.creative-i.info/?p=399 FREE GAZA ? LIBERTY ARRIVE IN CYPRUS WITH PALESTINIANS ON-BOARD FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact: Cyprus: Greta Berlin: +357-9908 1767 ? iristulip at gmail.com Cyprus : Osama Qashoo: +357-9779 3595 ? osamaqashoo at gmail.com Jerusalem: Angela Godfrey-Goldstein: +972-547366393 angela at icahd.org Website: www.freegaza.org FREE GAZA MOVEMENT announces the arrival at 20:30 (10:30am PDT), Friday 29 August, 2008 of the FREE GAZA and LIBERTY vessels, in Larnaca Harbour, returning from Gaza, and a successful end to this first of such missions. The historic return voyage represents the first time ever that Palestinians have been able freely to enter and leave their country. The Free Gaza Movement will mark this historic moment with a reception at Larnaca Harbour , as will Palestinians in Gaza , as both boats return safely from Gazan and international waters after a calm and uneventful crossing. Organiser Paul Larudee: ?This endeavour has been a huge success, far more significant and wide-reaching than anyone ever dreamt it could be. It has had obvious beneficial effects on the Palestinian people, but also on Israel . In fairness, credit must go where credit is due ? despite threats or obstacles, a responsible decision was made by Israeli authorities not to interfere with our mission and this is a model for the future.? As reported by the world press, news has travelled worldwide of the Free Gaza Movement. Supportive messages have come in, including from UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the OPT, Richard Falk, who wrote: ?The landing of two wooden boats carrying 46 human rights activists in Gaza is an important symbolic victory. This non-violent initiative of the Free Gaza Movement focused attention around the world on the stark reality that the 1.5 million residents of Gaza have endured a punitive siege for more than a year. This siege is a form of collective punishment that constitutes a massive violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The siege, the coastal blockade, and overflights by Israeli aircraft all bear witness to the fact that despite Israel?s claimed ?disengagement? in 2005, these realities on the ground establish that Gaza remains under Israeli occupation, and as a result Israel remains legally responsible for protecting the human rights of its civilian population. By severely restricting the entry of food, fuel, and medicine the economic and social rights of the people of Gaza have been systematically violated. There is widespread deafness among the people of Gaza that is blamed on the frequent sonic booms produced by over-flying Israeli military aircraft. For this reason the peace boats brought 200 hearing aids to Gaza.? Mr. Falk strongly urged the international community to take action to uphold human rights in the Gaza Strip. ?Above all, what is being tested is whether the imaginative engagement of dedicated private citizens can influence the struggle of a beleaguered people for basic human rights, and whether their courage and commitment can awaken the conscience of humanity to an unfolding tragedy.? Or, in the words of Palestinian voyager, Musheir El-Farra, originally born and raised in Khan Younis in Gaza but currently living in Sheffield , UK : ?For the first time in my life, I went to Gaza without being humiliated, without having to ask Israel for permission. We did it. We finally did it. And now others must join us and do it as well.? www.freegaza.org www.anis-online.de/office/events/FreeGazaSong.htm www.flickr.com/photos/29205195 at N02/ Huwaida on Al Jazeera Intnl. vs Israeli spokesman: uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aUPA0z2zRHQ and Part 2: uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DGBHPMe5c Editor?s Note: Typically, the mainstream media have completely ignored this historic mission, so if you have access to a Website please spread this release. Ed. http://palestinechronicle.com/news.php?id=afdd01c2d412259248b01252fde38600&mode=details 21:33 08/28/2008 Gaza Blockade Protesters Sail Back to Cyprus Two boats carrying foreign peace activists who had defied an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip left the Hamas-ruled territory on Thursday for Cyprus, taking with them seven Palestinians. An Israeli official said the Israeli navy would not intercept the boats. Thousands of cheering Palestinians had welcomed the boats, carrying 44 peace activists from 17 nations, when they docked in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. A Hamas official said nine activists decided to stay in the territory in a show of solidarity with its 1.5 million inhabitants. The seven Palestinians who sailed with the activists to Cyprus included 16-year-old Sa'ad Mesleh, who lost a leg in an Israeli army attack on militants three years ago, as well as a mother and her four children hoping to reunite with her husband. Mesleh's father, Khaled, said he would seek to fit an artificial limb for his son in Cyprus. "We have agreed with the Free Gaza activists to organise more sailings to Gaza in the near future," said Jamal al-Khodary, a Hamas-backed legislator. Saying it wanted to avoid a public confrontation, Israel allowed the activists to reach the Gaza Strip. They were the first foreigners to come to the territory by sea since Israel tightened travel restrictions after Hamas's takeover more than a year ago. As part of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that took effect in June, Israel has eased its blockade of the territory, allowing in more humanitarian goods and medical equipment. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=138152 Hundreds protest Israeli plan to dump waste in WB Saturday, September 27, 2008 DEIR SHARAF, West Bank: Around 300 Palestinians protested on Friday in the West Bank against what they say is an Israeli plan to reopen a controversial toxic waste dump near important underground springs. After holding Friday prayers at the site outside the village of Deir Sharaf, demonstrators waved signs reading ?Stop Dumping Settler Waste on Palestinian Lands? and ?Waste Destroys the Palestinian Environment.? Israel dumped waste from Israeli towns and West Bank settlements at the site until it was closed in 2005 amid protests from Palestinian residents who said the dumping threatened underground wells. Officials say Israeli work crews have returned to the area in recent weeks, raising fears the site may soon reopen. ?This is a very dangerous place to dump waste, because it is going to pollute water in Palestinian lands,? said Mohammed Abu Safat, a geologist at Al-Najah University who attended the protest. There are five artesian wells around the site, supplying water to Deir Sharaf but also to the northern West Bank?s main city of Nablus, and another village, Beit Iba. ?There is an underground well no more than 500 metres away, so this would endanger the water on which tens of thousands of Palestinians depend,? Abu Safat said. A spokesman for Israel?s coordinator of activities in the Palestinian territories said no decision has been taken on reopening the tip. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1431169.php/11_killed_in_new_outbreak_of_inter-Palestinian_clashes__Roundup__ 11 killed in new outbreak of inter-Palestinian clashes (Roundup) Middle East News Sep 16, 2008, 14:13 GMT Gaza City - Hamas police in the Gaza Strip battled it out with one of the salient's most powerful clans Tuesday, leaving at least 11 people, a baby infant among them, dead, in the worst internecine violence in the salient in more than a month. Dozens of people were also injured in the fighting, which saw both sides use rocket-propelled grenades and semi-automatic weapons. The clashes erupted when Hamas police forces raided a neighbourhood in southern Gaza City before dawn, seeking to arrest members of a powerful local Dughmush clan. A statement by the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry said the police killed three 'wanted criminals' who refused to surrender during an attempt to arrest them. The radical Islamist movement ruling Gaza ordered the raid after one clan member killed a Hamas policeman and wounded another when police tried to arrest him near a Gaza City market on Monday. Jameel Dugmush fled to the family's stronghold in the al-Sabra neighbourhood, prompting Hamas to send its forces into the area after him. Ihab al-Ghussein, a spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry, said 'the security campaign in al-Sabra neighbourhood is over.' 'All the wanted criminals were killed in the operation,' he added in a statement sent to the media. 'This was not a campaign against the Dugmush family. It only targeted some members of the family involved in security chaos.' 'We will not allow more security strongholds in Gaza Strip to cause anarchy and threaten the safety of the residents,' Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman, said. Tuesday's clashes were the worst since early August, when a Hamas raid on the pro-Fatah Helles family in Gaza City's Sheja'eya neighbourhood left some 13 Palestinians dead and dozens more wounded. Most of the large clans in Gaza Strip are loyal to Fatah, but after the Hamas Gaza takeover made their peace with the Islamist movement. The Dughmush clan did not however, but Hamas did not take action against the family, in part because the clan harboured in its ranks the Army of Islam, a radical group which joined Hamas in snatching an Israeli soldier during a June 2006 cross-border raid. In addition, many Dughmush family members are active in the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a pro-Hamas armed group. But relations between Hamas and the clan soured when the Army of Islam kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston and held him for several months. Hamas has accused the Army of Islam of trying to stir disorder in the strip on the order Hamas' bitter rival, the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas says Abbas' movement, which is consolidating its power in the West Bank, is behind 'attempts to shake security in Gaza.' The two Palestinian movements have severed all ties since Hamas violently seized sole control in the Gaza Strip in June 2007 by overpowering the headquarters of security forces loyal to Abbas. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/0917/1221599421764.html Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Hamas clashes with clan claim 12 lives in Gaza MICHAEL JANSEN GAZA: TWELVE PEOPLE were killed in Gaza yesterday during clashes between Hamas security forces and members of the heavily armed Dogmush clan. Among the dead were a policeman, an infant and 10 clansmen, including a member of the Army of Islam, which is an al-Qaeda affiliate. A number of policemen were wounded. A nine-hour firefight erupted when Hamas security forces stormed the Dogmush compound in the Gaza City district of Sabra with the aim of detaining three clansmen allegedly implicated in the murder of a policeman on Monday. Interior ministry spokesman Ehab Gussen said security forces took action only "after exhausting all peaceful efforts" to detain the suspects who had resisted arrest. Explosives and weapons were seized during the raid. The Dogmush clan, which has links to criminals as well as militant groups, was originally tied to Hamas but has shifted its allegiance to Fatah's former Gaza strongman Muhammad Dahlan. The Army of Islam, founded by Dogmush clan leader Mumtaz Dogmush, was involved in the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June 2006 and in the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in March 2007. Since seizing power in the Strip 15 months ago, Hamas has largely restored order by cracking down on disruptive Gaza clans and on Fatah elements allied to Mr Dahlan. In early August, another nine people were killed during fighting with the Hilles clan when Hamas security forces attempted to arrest members accused of a July 25th bombing at a seafront cafe were five Hamas officers and a girl died. Clan leader Ahmad Hilles, who was the military chief of Mr Dahlan's Fatah faction in the Strip, fled to Israel along with 180 men, 150 of whom were given sanctuary in the West Bank. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 17:20:36 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:20:36 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, August-September 2008 Message-ID: <4AA997D4.9020600@tesco.net> Global South: * CAMBODIA: Villagers protest tree-felling * TAIWAN: Environmentalists protest road plan dressed as crabs and shrimp * CHINA: Beijing - residents protest garbage plant * CHILE: Coffin protest targets electric plant * BULGARIA: Residents warn of escalation over dump * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Greenpeace occupy timber ship * INDONESIA: Greenpeace call for renewable energy * INDIA, Tamil Nadu: Sand quarrying sparks protests Global North: * GERMANY: Hamburg - protests, clashes over new coal plant * TURKEY: International protesters target nuclear scheme * CANADA: Protesters angry at uranium whitewash * US: Oregon - Banner drop on Morrison bridge * AUSTRALIA: PM's office occupied in emissions protest * US: Hawaii - Protesters blockade Superferry * CANADA: Vancouver - naked cyclists target police station after arrest * US: West Chester - local politician targeted over oil links * UK: Scotland - protest over axing of trees * AUSTRALIA: Politician egged over water scheme * AUSTRALIA: Protest at transport summit against road-building * UK: Manchester - Allotment holders prepare for fight to save land * US: California, Berkeley - tree-sit protest ends, trees felled * UK: Wales, Cardiff - direct action against coal authority AGM * UK: Derbyshire - Protest camp dismantled after 9-year campaign, victory at Nine Ladies * IRELAND: Ten-day hunger strike over Rossport * IRELAND: Shell bombed in Rossport action * UK/IRELAND: Rossport protest in London * IRELAND: Four arrests at Rossport protest * ISRAEL: Ashkelon - mass arrests at Greenpeace protest against coal plant * US: Virginia - lock-on at power plant * IRELAND: Naked protest at Ryanair AGM * AUSTRALIA: Climate protest in Melbourne * AUSTRALIA: Farmers protest coal-mining plans * AUSTRALIA: Dam project sparks protest * US: Virginia - uranium protesters argue with company at meeting * AUSTRALIA: Greens protest coastal mining * US: Arizona - cellphone tower plan protested * UK: Bournemouth - hundreds protest house-building plan, loss of green land * US: Florida - store-building protested * AUSTRALIA: Alice Springs - uranium mining protested * CANADA: Pipeline bombed four times * US: Texas - rock-crushing plant meets opposition at new site * US: Florida - new power plant faces continuing protests * UK: Scotland, Glasgow - Adventure playground at park faces protests, sabotage * UK: Birmingham - repression against students at protest against unsustainable energy * NEW ZEALAND: Artist sells prints to fund wind farm protest Preservationism: * INDIA: Karnataka - protest after bus hits statue * US: Georgia - protest to save historic building * GREECE: Pagans protest to save historic site * UK: Brighton - protests over football stadium redesign http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2008_08_28_archive.html Villagers protest the cutting, burning of acacia trees in S'ville The Phnom Penh Post Written by May Titthara Wednesday, 27 August 2008 LOCAL villagers and municipal officials in Sihanoukville have illegally cleared more than 100 hectares of acacia forest in Lek Muoy commune, residents and NGOs in the area said. The acacia forest was planted as part of a joint effort between the Cambodian and Danish governments to protect local wetlands in Kbal Chhai that constitute the municipality's largest supply of fresh water. "Authorities charged with protecting this area are doing nothing," said So Song, a Kbal Chhai resident. "They ... don't care that it will affect the availability of our water resources in Sihanoukville." She said logging on protected land concessions is illegal, and she regrets there has been no reaction from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), which worked jointly with Cambodian officials to protect the area in 2003. "Some residents have not cut trees, but several businessmen have cleared the land and sold it for as much as US$2,800 for a 10-metre-by-30-metre tract," So Song said. Bun Narith, a coordinator with the local human rights group Licadho in Sihanoukville, said the forest in Kbal Chhai was part of a land concession made to DANIDA in 2003 for the protection of local wetlands. "The acacia trees are government property, and they have been cut down and burned," Bun Narith said. Investigation launched Doung Socheat, deputy of the provincial Forestry Administration Department, said his officers have started to investigate claims of illegal logging. "We are trying to protect the area by replanting lost acacia trees during the rainy season, but people continue to harvest them," he said, adding that he has asked for assistance from police in Sihanoukville. "This is concession land, so anyone trying to sell or buy it is breaking the law," Doung Socheat said. Say Hak, governor of Sihanoukville Municipality, said he understands the importance of preserving the wetlands. "If anyone has information that government officials are involved in seizing this protected land, they should write down names and send them to me directly," the governor said. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/08/29/2003421734 Environmentalists protest road plan A BRIDGE TOO FAR? : Protesters dressed as crabs and shrimp wanted the construction of Special Expressway No. 2 to be halted in order to protect the Nanzai Stream By Shelley Shan STAFF REPORTER Friday, Aug 29, 2008, Page 2 Environmentalists protest in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei yesterday, calling on the ministry to halt construction of Special Expressway No.2 to protect the Nanzai Stream in Banciao, Taipei County. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES Hundreds of environmentalists gathered in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday morning, demanding that it halt construction of Special Expressway No.2 (???????) in order to protect the Nanzai Stream (???) in Banciao (??), Taipei County. The 30km expressway, which connects Tucheng (??) with Wugu (??) and passes through Taishan (??) and Sinjhuang (??), is scheduled to be completed by 2010. Members of the Banciao Rivers Association dressed up as crabs and shrimp and put on a skit in front of the ministry building, before handing a petition to a ministry representative. The association said in a statement that the stream has strong connections to the history of Banciao and that it was the only waterway in the Taipei Area where large trees grow along the banks. However, the ministry has chosen not to preserve the stream and has insisted on building an overpass above it, the statement said. The association denounced Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (?? ?) as a ?river terminator? and demanded that MOTC Minister Mao Chi-kuo (???) step down over the plan. The association further demanded that the ministry halt construction on the section spanning the stream. Designs for two other sections of the expressway should also be altered, they said. In response, the ministry?s Directorate General of Highways said that construction would continue as planned as it was impossible for the ministry to stop the construction. Lee Chung-yun (???), a section chief at Taipei County?s Public Works Bureau, said the project was evaluated by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) before being finalized in 2004. ?The stream is nothing but stagnant water now because it has been cut off from its source,? he said. As part of the construction project, Lee said the Taipei County Government had budgeted NT$950 million to revitalize the stream. He also said that the overpass was not being built right above the stream, but over higher land to the west. Lee said two completed sections of the expressway would soon be opened to traffic, which would help divert part of the flow of traffic into the city. The consequences of any delay would be unthinkable, he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3430459.cms Beijing residents protest pollution 1 Sep 2008, 1022 hrs IST, AP Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: BEIJING: Scores of people protested in Beijing against a garbage disposal plant they say has been releasing noxious fumes into the air, with two demonstrators hurt in a scuffle with security officials, a rights group said on Sunday. The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said the protesters Saturday called for the resignation of the top environment official in Beijing's Chaoyang district, where the Gao'antun garbage incineration plant is located. The rights group said about 500 people were involved in the protest, but the number could not immediately be confirmed. The Beijing Public Security Bureau's information office said Sunday that it had no information about the incident. The demonstration was held near the plant, and a tussle between protesters and the authorities resulted in two protesters being hurt, the group said in a statement. The rights group also said one of the organizers of the protest went missing Saturday night and was presumably taken away by security officials. An employee of a restaurant near the road junction where the demonstration was held said ?many people? took part in a protest, with some wearing face masks. The employee, who only gave her surname, Zhang, said she was not clear about the reason for the gathering. The group said the protest was organized by residents of two apartment complexes in the district. Telephone numbers of the complexes were not immediately available. A man from a team set up by the Chaoyang district government to look into the issue said about 100 people participated in the protest. He refused to give his name or provide more details, saying he was not authorized to speak to the media. According to the rights group, thousands of residents living near the garbage disposal plant have suffered from rank and poisonous air released by the plant. It said the plant had closed during the Olympic Games, which were held in Beijing in August, but resumed operations after the games ended Aug. 24. The statement said respiratory and other health problems have surfaced among some residents near the plant. Separately, a petitioner from the central Chinese province of Hubei was detained and sent to a labor camp for 15 months after accepting a phone interview by a foreign journalist during the Olympics, another rights group said Sunday. On Aug. 28, Wang Guilan was sent for re-education through labor for ?disturbing the public order,'' and was believed to be currently held at a detention center in Enshi, a city in Hubei, the overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders said in a statement. A man who answered the phone at the Enshi detention center refused to check if Wang was being held there, referring all further queries to the Enshi Public Security Bureau, where telephones rang unanswered. China's re-education system, in place since 1957, allows police to sidestep the need for a criminal trial or a formal charge and directly send people to prison for up to four years to perform penal labor. Critics say it is misused to detain political or religious activists, and violates suspects' rights. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/09/01/2003421981 Beijing locals protest dump THE OBSERVER, BEIJING Monday, Sep 01, 2008, Page 5 In a sign that the Olympics feel-good factor has already begun to evaporate, protesters took to the streets of Beijing on Saturday in an escalating campaign against the city?s biggest dump site, which they claimed was polluting the air with a foul stench and dangerous dioxins. Wearing surgical masks and carrying umbrellas, the mostly young, middle-class campaigners blocked roads, chanted anti-pollution slogans and refused to allow garbage trucks to pass as dozens of police filmed them and appealed for calm. Residents of the affluent Changying District of east Beijing have complained for more than three years about the nearby Gaoantun landfill and waste incineration facility. Every day, 3,700 tonnes of household refuse are buried in the 40-hectare landfill. In addition, the plant burns 40 tonnes of medical waste, raising fears among locals that the air is being polluted by odorless carcinogenic dioxins. This is denied by the plant?s owners. Residents have petitioned the authorities and filed a lawsuit in the courts. Dissatisfied with the lack of progress, they are using the Internet, text messages and demonstrations to be heard. Zhen Qianling, a chemist among the crowd, said the stink from the plant on hot days made him feel sick and sent his heart racing. ?We want to block the traffic so the government will hear our voice. If we just sit back and do nothing, the government will also do nothing,? Zhen said. Like many, this was the first protest he had joined. The demonstrators were young urban professionals ? designers, Internet workers and translators. Other protestors were from the ?New Sky Universe? and ?Berlin Symphony? tower blocks. Property costs about 14,000 yuan (US$2,045) a square meter, well above the Beijing average. The residents thought they were buying into one of the city?s most salubrious neighborhoods, but on hot summer days, when the wind is in the wrong direction, their homes are filled with the stench from the dump. ?If I had known, I would never have bought a home here,? says Helen Liu, who moved into her 500,000 yuan house in April. In the run-up to the Olympics, police detained several prominent dissidents and put others under close surveillance. Three ?protest parks? were established, but of the 77 people who applied to use them, none succeeded. Human rights groups say several applicants were sent back to their home provinces or put in ?re-education through labor? camps. Foreigners who staged Free Tibet demonstrations were deported. The residents of Chanying said they did not fear a police backlash because China was becoming more open and the authorities? concerns about losing face during the Games have diminished. During the demonstration and after police warned the protesters they were breaking the law, they became almost comically polite. They walked slowly back and forth for more than an hour across a pedestrian crossing ? but only on the green light ? chanting, ?We don?t want stinking air.? Managers at the site said emissions met environment bureau standards, but officials acknowledged the smell was a problem. ?We pay a lot of attention to the residents? concerns,? Guo Tuanhui said. ?On hot days, the buried garbage gives off a bad odor. But we are doing what we can.? http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/09/01/172693/Coffin%27-protest.htm September 1, 2008 0:00 am TWN, Reuters ?Coffin? protest seeking to bury Chilean thermoelectric plant CALETA LOANCO, Chile -- Environmentalists erected a 28-foot-tall coffin on Saturday to protest against plans to build a thermoelectric power plant they say will pollute Chile?s southern coastline. The 750 MW plant to be built in Chile?s El Maule region by AES Gener, a unit of U.S. power company AES Corp is aimed at helping reverse the South American country?s massive power deficit. But some 400 activists turned out in this fishing village 290 miles (465 km) south of the capital of Santiago to unveil a coffin they said was the world?s largest. The protesters say the plant, which will be fired by coal shipped from Australia, will foul the air, pollute artisan fishing waters and poison groundwater in an area of forests. Chile is one of Latin America?s star economies, driven by sales of its No. 1 export copper, but the country?s growth has been limited by dependence on its neighbors for fuel. The country is seen becoming self-sufficient soon as new power supplies come on line, though opponents say Chile is selling out its environment in the name of development. ?Madame President: You choose who to kill,? activists wrote on the wooden coffin that is so tall organizers have sent in a record-breaking claim to the Guinness Book of Records. AES Gener is revving up to become one of Chile?s top power providers as it spends US$3 billion in coming years to bring seven new, mainly coal-fired plants, on line. ?A thermoelectric plant would do away with our agriculture, with artisan fishing and with our tourism industry,? said Fernando Salinas, from the nongovernmental organization born to oppose power projects in the region. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=96697 Suhodol Citizens Give up Peaceful Protests over Reopened Dumpsite 4 September 2008, Thursday Citizens of the Sofia district of Suhodol declared they are giving up peaceful protests over the nearby dumpsite reopened in the end of 2007and are going to do everything possible to protect the environment and the health of the local people. The protesters accuse Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov over not keeping promises to close the dumpsite and build a waste treatment plant that would solve the garbage crisis in Sofia, the only solution to which now is using the full to the brim dumpsite in Suhodol. People from the district have been staging numerous protest in the past months and years over the continued use of the landfill. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2354787.htm Greenpeace storm 'illegal' logging vessel in PNG PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY PM - Wednesday, 3 September , 2008 18:34:00 Reporter: Steve Marshall MARK COLVIN: In Papua New Guinea, Greenpeace activists have stormed a logging vessel to stop it loading logs bound for China. Greenpeace says the operation is a blatant example of illegal logging in PNG. The organisation's calling for action from both the PNG and Australian governments. PNG correspondent Steve Marshall filed this report from on board the Greenpeace boat, Esperanza. STEVE MARSHALL: For the past three days Greenpeace ship Esperanza has been waiting off the PNG south coast for the right time to strike. The target, the Harbour Gemini, an export ship that often loads logs at the remote Paia Port. PNG Greenpeace activist Sam Moko explains why. SAM MOKO: Gemini is a target because Rimbunan Hijau is a link to that ship. Rimbunan Hijau is the logging giant in Papua new Guinea and they're logging almost everywhere in Papua New Guinea and most of their operations we suspect their concessions (phonetic) are located illegally where the resource owners have not been consulted and they're consent are not given. STEVE MARSHALL: Sam Moko is one of four Greenpeace activists who stormed the Harbour Gemini today and shut down log loading operations. MALE PROTESTOR: Our climbers are in position and we're going to hang a banner that's sends a message to the world. STEVE MARSHALL: Using abseiling equipment, they hoisted themselves onto the ships crane and unveiled a banner that read 'protect forests, save our climate'. ACTIVIST: Thank you for coming, we are with you. ACTIVIST 2: Thank you, thank you. STEVE MARSHALL: The protest was a co-ordinated effort between Greenpeace and local land owners. The locals allowed logging to start here 20 years ago but Wauro Oumabe (phonetic) says the operation is breaking forestry laws and destroying his land. He hopes the Greenpeace action will pressure the government into reviewing the logging project. WAURO OUMABLE: There are land owner benefits that are still outstanding that we have not received for the last couple of years. And also we observed that the PNG Logging Code of Practice according to our understanding, this has not been followed. This is an abuse of laws and we want to address those areas in this review that we are pushing for. STEVE MARSHALL: Greenpeace International says that 90 per cent of logging in PNG is illegal because many permits were issued without proper consultation with land owners. ANNIE KAJIR: A lot of these timber permits have been issued, often through under the table deals. STEVE MARSHALL: Environmental lawyer Annie Kajir suspects wide scale bribery and corruption in PNG's forestry sector. Recently the Post Courier newspaper linked three unnamed PNG politicians to $40-million dollars sitting in a Singapore bank account, allegedly money earned through secret logging deals. Environmental Lawyer Annie Kajir. ANNIE KAJIR: You know, there is evidence that monies have been misused or for example, put in private trust accounts overseas and there are no investigations to reveal why those money are being kept overseas. STEVE MARSHALL: With the possibility of an emerging carbon market, PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is seeking opportunities for PNG to receive money in exchange for not cutting down the forest. PNG Greenpeace spokeswoman Valerie Phillips says the PNG Prime Minister should not be taken seriously. VALERIE PHILLIPS: He's been asking for money to protect forests overseas but back home in PNG, the Government has a woeful track record on forest management. And this needs to be addressed before they can be taken seriously on the global carbon market. We're asking the PNG Government to implement a moratorium on the allocation of any new logging concessions. We're also asking them to conduct a review of all existing logging concessions and any that are found to be in breach must be revoked and the logging concessions shut down. STEVE MARSHALL: Greenpeace is also calling for Kevin Rudd to honour a pre-election promise and stop the importation of illegal logged timber and timber products. On board the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, this is Steve Marshall for PM. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jU3O9UwEqyzZupf0lmr3jDb3IF9w Armed police end Greenpeace timber export ship protest (AFP) ? Sep 6, 2008 PORT MORESBY (AFP) ? Armed police have removed four activists from a timber cargo ship on the South Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, ending a three-day protest against logging, environmentalists said Saturday. "Armed police have escorted Greenpeace activists off a logging cargo ship on Papua New Guinea's Aiai River at Paia," Greenpeace Australia said in a statement. "The activists were harnessed to the ship's crane for 55 hours." The activists had prevented the ship from loading logs bound for China at the remote port on Papua New Guinea's south coast. The environmental group had been invited to the area by local landowners who were concerned about logging operations on their land. Forests across the island of New Guinea and the nearby Solomon Islands make up a third of the world's tropical rain forests. Greenpeace claims that 90 percent of logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal because many concession permits have been granted by the PNG government without proper consultation with landowners. "What needs to happen is a moratorium and a review of all existing logging concessions," said Greenpeace spokeswoman Valerie Phillips. Papua New Guinea Forests Minister Belden Namah rejected the Greenpeace claims. "As far as I'm concerned all the logging activities in Papua New Guinea have been legally sanctioned," he said. Recently, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare had a series of meetings in Europe about potential carbon trading deals that would see PNG receive money for not cutting down its forests. ASAP NEWS --------------------------------------------------- Greenpeace calls for new energy Jakarta Post - August 23, 2008 Triwik Kurniasari, Jakarta -- International environmental activist group Greenpeace has called on the government to immediately develop renewable energy sources to end the need for rotating blackouts resulting from the country's energy deficit. "It is important to save energy from fossil fuels and to use it more wisely, but we can run out of such energy in the future. It is better if the government can tap renewable energy sources, like geothermal, solar, water and wind," said Sonki Prasetya, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia. "Applying rotating blackouts is not the best solution. The government should start to plug into renewable energy now." He said Indonesia could produce more than 60 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050, which would make the country less dependent on imported fossil fuels and allow for cheaper electricity. "The government actually has a plan to use renewable energy. It also has set up a regulation on it, but the implementation is still lacking," he said after the group had held a peaceful rally in front of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry in Central Jakarta. The rally featured dozens of Greenpeace activists clad in costumes representing renewable energy sources, including wind, solar energy, water and geothermal energy. Greenpeace's report -- Energy Revolution: A Sustainable Indonesia Energy Outlook -- describes a combination of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures as clean, cost-effective and climate-friendly. According to Greenpeace, Indonesia has the world's largest geothermal energy potential, with an estimated capacity of up to 27,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, or equal to around 40 percent of the world's geothermal reserves. The government has said geothermal power can contribute 30 percent to its 10,000 MW electricity program. The government currently implements a rotating blackout program in some cities around the country to compensate for the country's power deficit. According to state electricity company PT, some parts of Jakarta and Tangerang will continue to suffer blackouts until the end of the year. Electricity demand in Jakarta can reach between 4,500 MW and 5,000 MW during peak hours, usually between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Lobo Balia of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said the government had started to use alternative energy, including geothermal energy. "We really want to develop renewable energy, but it is hard to do it because the government is still subsidizing electricity from fossil fuels. If we erase the subsidy, people might protest the policy," said Lobo. Sonki said it would be better if the government removed the subsidy on fossil fuels and instead allocated the funds for other sectors, including education and transportation. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/01/stories/2008090152550400.htm Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli Demonstration against ?illegal? sand quarrying Staff Reporter TIRUNELVELI: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres, led by former Chief Minister and party treasurer O. Panneerselvam, staged a demonstration at Ambasamudram near here on Sunday against ?illegal and rampant quarrying of sand at several points on the Tamirabarani riverbed.? Addressing the protesters, Mr. Panneerselvam said the decision to involve a government agency directly in sand quarrying was taken when the AIADMK was in power with the objective of supplying the construction material at an affordable cost of Rs. 624 per unit and augmenting the revenue of government. And sand mining was carried out without affecting groundwater and environment. Moreover, a whopping income of Rs. 16,000 crore was ensured through sales tax and the government got another Rs. 1,900 crore through Department of Registration when Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister. ?However, illegal and rampant quarrying across the State has now made sand a costly commodity and the construction material is available only at a premium price. In Tirunelveli alone, Rs. 5 crore-worth sand is being plundered every day from the Tamirabarani basin,? Mr. Panneerselvam alleged. http://www.euronews.net/en/article/24/08/2008/coal-power-ignites-protests-in-germany/ Germany Coal power ignites protests in Germany 24/08/08 13:42 CET world news There have been clashes between environmental protestors and police in northern Germany at the proposed location of a new coal-fired power-station. Up to 700 demonstrators turned up at the site at Moorburg, a suburb of Hamburg. The campaigners argue that should the plant go ahead, emissions of carbon dioxide would increase by 40 per cent in the Hamburg area. The power giant Vattenfall has promised to install technology at Moorburg to capture the greenhouse gas by 2013, but opponents point to the fact that there are also 25 other coal-fired power-plants in the pipeline in Germany. Environmentalists say coal-burners produce around twice as much CO2 as gas-fired generators. But the country has a plentiful domestic supply of the dirtiest type of coal, lignite, reducing the need for energy imports. Germany and other EU states have agreed to cut CO2 emissions by a fifth by the year 2020. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/23/europe/EU-Turkey-Nuclear-Protest.php 29 foreign protesters detained in Turkey The Associated Press Published: August 23, 2008 ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish police on Saturday detained 29 foreigners and three Turks during a peaceful protest against plans to build a nuclear power plant near a Black Sea port city. The police broke up the protest in front of the governor's office and "forcibly took" the protesters to a police station, said Niklas Hartmann of European Youth for Action, an environmentalist group. Police officers confirmed the detentions during what they called an unauthorized protest. The detained included at least two American citizens and several German and French ones, along with other European nationals, Hartmann said by telephone from Sinop. The group has been camping near Sinop since Aug. 9. The protesters posed as dead bodies on the ground to warn the people about what they consider the dangers of nuclear power plants. "The Turkish state seems to be very afraid of their citizens learning how dangerous nuclear power is. That is why authorities do not tolerate any protest," Hartmann said in a statement. "We are seriously concerned about the denial of freedom of speech in Turkey." Turkey has announced plans to build a nuclear plant near Sinop after the construction of its first nuclear power plant near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/08/29/ot-uranium-080829.html?ref=rss Protesters angry uranium excluded from Ontario mining review Last Updated: Friday, August 29, 2008 | 12:55 PM ET Comments10Recommend12 CBC News Anti-uranium protesters sang about water contamination at a public meeting in Kingston about the Ontario Mining Act review. (Courtesy of Sheila MacDonald) Dozens of anti-uranium protesters turned up Thursday in Kingston at a public consultation that is part of an Ontario Mining Act review, even though the province insists that uranium mining won't be covered by the review. About 50 placard-waving demonstrators and a live band performed a song about water being polluted by uranium mining set to the tune of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for officials from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. They were attending one of five meetings around the province to discuss how to modernize the century-old act that governs mineral exploration and mining in the province. Kevin Costante, deputy minister of northern development and mines, told the crowd that mining is a multibillion-dollar industry that helps fuel Ontario's economy, and officials are looking for comments and suggestions about its regulation. "It's important to the province that we have a competitive and vibrant mining industry, but it's also important that we ensure that this potential is developed in a way that is respectful of our communities, respectful of the environment and respectful of individuals," he said. But officials made it clear Ontario has little control when it comes to uranium mining. Federal agency in charge: ministry The act does cover uranium exploration, which is treated the same as the exploration of any other metal, but not uranium mining, which is governed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, a federal government agency. But protesters such as Sheila MacDonald scoffed at that explanation. "It's time to say screw you. We don't deal with morons," she said. "So this may be our last grassroots protest and we may go on to another level altogether." Another called for the government to stop what he called its bogus jurisdictional charade. Many of the people attending the meeting had taken part in an occupation at a site about 60 kilometres north of Kingston where a local exploration company, Frontenac Ventures, had been test drilling for uranium. Some, such as Tim Sykes, said they were concerned about the waste left behind when uranium is used in a power plant. "Now, before we do any more mining of radioactive materials, we'd better look at how we're going to babysit this stuff," he told the crowd. "I have no intention of beggaring my children or grandchildren with that task. Leave the stuff in the ground." The Ontario government announced on Aug. 5 that it would be holding public and stakeholder meetings in five Ontario communities between Aug. 11 and Sept. 8 to get input about how to modernize the century-old act that regulates mining in the province "to be more respectful" of aboriginal communities and private landowners. In addition to the Kingston meeting, consultations have been held in Timmins, Sudbury, Thunder Bay. The last is in Toronto on Sept. 8. The province said the public meetings are the first step in its public consultation process for the Mining Act, which will also include "focused discussions" with the minerals industry, municipalities, and First Nations and M?tis leaders and communities. Stakeholders and the public are also invited to comment on a discussion paper that was posted on the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines website on Aug. 11. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/08/protesters_climb_onto_morrison.html Protesters climb onto Morrison bridge, unfurl banner Posted by Jacques Von Lunen, The Oregonian August 04, 2008 16:18PM A group of activists assembled this afternoon on the west end of the Morrison bridge to protest construction of a new I-5 bridge across the Columbia River. While protesters expressed their discontent with the planned crossing, two members scaled the barbed wire below the span, climbed out onto the girders and unfolded a banner. Shortly thereafter, Portland firefighters apprehended the two below the bridge and delivered them into the hands of Portland police. The two, 27-year-old Maya Smeloff and 23-year-old Timothy Swenson, were cited for Criminal Trespass in the First Degree and then released. The two, part of a group called Convergence for Climate Change Action, which convened in Eugene this weekend, will most likely have to perform community service for the offense, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz of the Portland Police. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24383789-1248,00.html?from=public_rss Climate protesters occupy PM's office By Robyn Ironside AAP September 22, 2008 02:07pm UP to 20 constituents from Kevin Rudd's Griffith electorate have packed his electorate office in Brisbane to demand a meeting on climate change. Led by Bradley Smith, the group plans to occupy Mr Rudd's office until staff agree to convey its concerns about the emissions reduction target to the Prime Minister and arrange a meeting. Mr Smith said the emissions reduction target of 5-10 per cent fell well short of what was needed to save the Great Barrier Reef. "We need to set a target that does not jeopardise the Reef and does not impact the viability of our farms," Mr Smith said. "We think that Australia has the opportunity to solve climate change but the only way we can do that is to set a strong target. "We're talking about 30 to 50 per cent." Mr Rudd is in New York this week to talk up the future of clean coal at the United Nations. Last week, Mr Rudd announced a new $100m institute would be built to work on clean coal, also called carbon capture and storage. http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=6991409 Kauai Protestors Keep Superferry Away Updated: Aug 28, 2007 11:03 AM Diana LaBetz (KHNL) - While Maui protestors went to court to stop the Hawaii Superferry, Kauai protestors again take to the water to keep the ship from coming in. Kauai protestors paddle out with their surfboards and canoes, along with their desire to stop this inter-island service. The Superferry was scheduled to pull into Kauai at 5:30 Monday evening, but the people in the water kept the ship from docking. And for hours, passengers were stuck on the Alakai just offshore. Leaving many on board frustrated and angry because they could not reach their destination. But protestors celebrated their victory. Last night, protesters were unable to keep the ship from docking and when the demonstration moved from the water to the pier, the vocal crowd turned violent. Police were forced to use pepper spray to clear the crowd and allow cars to get off the Superferry. "We're stopping the Superferry. We're stopping the people from getting off. we're creating gridlock." says Diana LaBetz, one of the protestors. Three protestors were arrested during the Superferry's first trip to Kauai. Monday night there were also a few arrests made. And in order to handle the crowd in the water, the Coast Guard flew additional personnel and sent boats over to Kauai. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/08/25/2003421362 Nude ride prompts naked protest at police station AP, VANCOUVER Monday, Aug 25, 2008, Page 7 Naked cyclists converged on Vancouver?s main police station on Saturday to protest the arrest of a fellow cyclist who had taken his three-year-old son on a nude ride earlier in the day. Naked Bike Ride spokesman Conrad Schmidt said it all began when six squad cars and a paddy wagon showed up as the group of about 75 naked cyclists arrived along the city?s English Bay. Vancouver Police Constable Jana McGuinness told The Canadian Press that several bystanders had called police, concerned about the child?s well-being. Police arrived and spoke with the man, who agreed that both he and his child would wear underwear during the ride. But as he left to join the other riders, the man stripped his and his son?s clothes off. Officers arrested him on the spot, citing public nudity laws. Schmidt said the boy was in tears as police took him and his father away, and the arrest prompted the group to cycle through downtown Vancouver to the police station. McGuinness said it appeared the man afterward regretted his actions. ?When they were leaving [the scene] it was under the understanding that perhaps he hadn?t shown the best judgment; there were a number of people that took offense to the child being naked in the group and subjected to people?s scrutiny,? she said. ?It sounds like it?s been a good lesson all around.? http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/neighborhoods/west_chester/story/Local-Group-Protests-Outside-John-Boehners-Office/5NyAACQRA028eJNh9eAvkw.cspx Local Group Protests Outside John Boehner's Office Last Update: 8/07/2008 1:02 pm Reported by: Deb Silverman Photographed by: Terry Helmer Web produced by: Ian Preuth More than a dozen people were outside Congressman John Boehner's office in West Chester Thursday holding anti-drilling signs. The group is part of the organization moveon.org. Protesters say they collected more than 200 signatures from voters in Boehner's district for a petition which calls for our nation's leaders to focus on cleaner forms of energy, rather than drilling for oil. The group took the petition into Boehner's office after their short protest. A spokesperson from Boehner's office says the congressman appreciates when people take the time to express their opinions. The spokesperson says the petition will be passed on to Boehner. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Residents-bark-their-protests-as.4439928.jp Residents bark their protests as Grassmarket trees are axed Published Date: 29 August 2008 By HAZEL MOLLISON A BID to axe mature trees in the Grassmarket as part of a ?6 million revamp has sparked protests. The city council is set to remove five poplar trees from the central area and replace them with large oak and lime ones. Experts have found that there is some decay in the trees and they could only last a few more years. But local residents said they were "horrified" by the plans, as they had been promised the trees would be kept. They said there was no good reason to remove them now, and they could live another ten or 20 years. Several of the poplar trees were replaced in April by mature oak and lime trees from Germany. The next five will be removed in September. Janet Dick, who lives and works in the Grassmarket, said: "This takes no account of the residents' wishes. There are no good reasons for any trees to be removed in the Grassmarket. "Poplars are not considered the tree of choice by many arboricultural experts, but the people who live here like these trees and want to keep them. They give the Grassmarket character and should be left alone." She said more than 40 people had attended a recent residents' meeting, with most calling for the trees to be saved. Another meeting for residents and traders to discuss the issue is planned for Wednesday. Councillor Joanna Mowat, who represents the city centre and chairs the Grassmarket Forum, said she could understand people's concerns. She said: "There is a very vocal minority of people who do not want to see the trees replaced. It can be a very emotive issue, and people do get very attached to the trees. "The problem is, no-one can say how much life the trees have in them. They could go tomorrow, or they could last another 20 years. The expert opinion is they probably don't have a long time left. "It's a very hard decision. There are potential safety issues. There is money in the kitty at the moment to pay for the project, but there may not be in a few years' time." Many traders in the Grassmarket are taking a pragmatic view. Bill Cowan, who runs Costume HaHa, said he was pleased with the trees that had been planted in April and welcomed the move. He said: "Most of us are quite happy about it. We realise it's better to replace the trees now. This way it will cost ?6000 a piece, whereas it could cost ?18,000 if we wait for ten years. "The trees put in in April have already grown several feet now." He said the new paving in the Grassmarket meant it was unsuitable for poplar trees, as they would not get enough water, and limes would be a better option. A council spokeswoman said it would be removing four or five of the poplars in September. These will be replaced by mature trees, imported from Germany, as soon as possible afterwards. She said: "Our biologists and independent tree surgeons have looked at the trees and found that, internally, they are in a state of decay. They're not going to last more than a few years and will need to be replaced anyway. "The new ones will be mature trees, although they will not be exactly the same." http://www.gawaher.com/index.php?showtopic=407965.html& Brumby and ministers under fire at water protest Paul Austin, Shepparton, and Peter Ker August 27, 2008 Tim Holding bears the marks from the protest in Shepparton. WATER Minister Tim Holding has been pelted with eggs by angry protesters in Shepparton opposed to the Government's plan to pipe water from the state's north to Melbourne. Mr Holding was struck by at least one egg last night as he walked past about 70 protesters outside a pro-pipeline dinner in Shepparton. The protest capped off a day in which country Victorians expressed their anger over the State Government's water policy. Yesterday morning in Mildura, a hostile crowd of 400 protested against Mr Holding's decision this month to abolish the 113-year-old First Mildura Irrigation Trust over financial management concerns. Last night in Shepparton, Premier John Brumby, a keynote speaker at the pro-pipeline dinner, avoided the protesters by entering the hall by another entrance. "He's a gutless wonder. He doesn't have the courage to face us," protester Barbara Hancox said. "He doesn't care for the country people, he only cares for Melbourne." Inside the venue, Mr Brumby urged Victorians to get behind what he called "this great nation-building project." He said the $1 billion project to upgrade the northern Victorian irrigation system would revitalise Victoria's "food bowl". The pipeline would carry only a small portion of the extra water saved by reducing leakage and wastage, Mr Brumby said. "If we work together to deliver what is, in effect, a food bowl renaissance, a transformation of northern Victoria, we will secure this region's future, productivity and sustainability," he said. Protest leader Mike Dalmau said the message for Mr Brumby was simple: "It's all right to have a plan to modernise the food bowl, but where is the water to be pumped to Melbourne if we haven't got enough water here to operate the system?" Earlier yesterday, Mr Holding defended his decision to abolish the First Mildura Irrigation Trust. The trust had significant losses from investing in subprime-exposed companies, and its powers have been overtaken by nearby Lower Murray Water. But questions are being asked about the conduct of three senior trust managers, who were given lucrative termination deals in the dying weeks of the organisation, entitling them to 12 months' pay in the event of the trust's demise. The Age also believes $103,000 in tax on those termination agreements was not paid, and is now the subject of a recovery action by administrators. The trust's deposed chairman, Jim Belbin, said the deals were designed to retain good staff at a time when there was uncertainty over the trust's future. Mr Holding said the "secret, last-minute" adjustments to the managers' contracts were a "clear breach of Government guidelines" and the money taken belonged to local irrigators. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/13/2363725.htm Vic pipeline deal sparks protests Posted Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:15pm AEST ? Map: Shepparton 3630 ? Related Story: Pipeline approval 'environmental vandalism' A day after the Federal Government approved Victoria's north-south pipeline, opponents have held a protest at the proposed pump site. The Victorian Government will have to prove to the Federal Environment Minister that the water it pumps to Melbourne is sourced from water savings, not from farmers or environmental allocations. But Jan Beer from Plug the Pipe says Peter Garrett may have plugged the pipeline himself because of the conditions imposed, given the projects the Brumby government plans to take water from. "[In regard to] several projects, central Goulburn 1, 2, 3 channel upgrade and Shepparton modernisation project, Mr Garrett's conditions were you cannot take water from water allocated to the living Murray initiative," she said. "Now those projects are all on the Living Murray Register." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=626386&rss=yes Protesters rally outside tunnel summit 12:39 AEST Fri Sep 5 2008 Protesters rallied outside a transport summit in Melbourne in opposition to a proposed east-west road tunnel. About 30 people assembled outside the Telstra Dome as Victorian Premier John Brumby prepared to host a summit that will help shape the government's transport plan to be released later this year. About 100 stakeholders were expected to attend Friday's summit, which will be their last opportunity to have their say on the Eddington report. Sir Rod Eddington's $18 billion transport blueprint recommends a road tunnel be built linking the Eastern Freeway with the western suburbs and an east-west rail tunnel. Protesters are angry they have been locked out of the summit, which Mr Brumby says will bring together the best minds in transport, urban planning, environment and construction. Freda Watkin, from the Yarra Campaign Against the Tunnel, said residents affected by the Eddington proposal felt disenfranchised. "It's a culmination of feeling very, very disappointed because this is probably the most significant transport forum and discussion in 40-odd years in Victoria, and also angry because we feel that the decisions made in the forum are going to be, probably, more geared towards the corporate sector ... and not in the interests of residents or communities." Ms Watkin said it was "utterly incredible" that the government would consider roads over public transport in today's age of climate change. Royal Park Protection Group convener Julianne Bell said community groups would be represented at the summit by the Protectors of Public Lands Victoria coalition. Ms Bell said the road tunnel was a "dinosaur" policy that was unsustainable against rising petrol prices and would destroy communities in its path. "Sustainable public transport, not road tunnels - that's our war cry," she said. "It's extremely important because the road tunnels themselves will destroy the inner city and part of the western suburbs, it will rip up parkland, it will alienate Royal Park and Holland Park and they will become quarry sites for 10 years." http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1065269_storm_of_protest_on_allotments?rss=yes Storm of protest on allotments Don Frame 4/ 9/2008 ANGRY allotment holders are fighting for survival after discovering plans to dig up half their plots to make way for a huge storm drain. The Environment Agency is considering cutting through the Bradley Fold site, close to the River Mersey in Didsbury, to ease flooding problems. Members of Didsbury Garden Society say they have been kept in the dark about the scheme, and accuse the agency of not considering alternatives. They say 40 allotments will be lost for good, with disruption to many other plot holders, some have been there for more than 30 years. Leo Jacobs, vice chairman of the society, said: "We are not taking this lying down. We intend to fight. There is already a desperate shortage of allotment sites in Manchester. "Allotments don't just happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and for many people it becomes a way of life. It is valued by the whole community. "There must be alternatives, such as a covered culvert or diverting the route, but no doubt that would cost more than laying their drain through the middle of our site." Retired teacher Eleanor Vickerman, who has had an allotment for 24 years, said: "We have invested so much of our time on our plots and if this goes ahead it will be nothing short of a disaster." John Watson, 71, who has had a plot for 30 years, said the society has had two contradictory letters from the Environment Agency - one suggesting there will be a public consultation, and another implying the decision has already been taken. He said: "They are treating us very shabbily. "We stand to lose three acres of this land, which is not just allotments but a public amenity." Chris Stone, from the Environment Agency, said: "Discussions have begun with the owners of Bradley Fold allotments to look for solutions to manage flood risk, whilst minimising disruption to gardens..'' http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=47370 First of Protested Oak Trees Cut Down in Berkeley Posted By: C. Johnson 1 year ago BERKELEY (BCN)University of California, Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said the university Friday began tearing down oak trees next to its football stadium as the first step in a project to build a news sports training center adjacent to the stadium. Mogulof said that the university would only be "pruning" trees Friday in the wake of a court ruling on Thursday that allowed the university to go forward with the project after a 20-month legal battle. But at a 4 p.m. news briefing next to the football stadium, Mogulof said the university actually began tearing down trees Friday and plans to tear down a total of 42 trees by the end of the day Monday. He estimated that about four to five trees had been removed as of 4 p.m. Friday. Videographer LA Wood, who has filmed activities at the grove of oak trees since a UC Board of Regents committee approved the project December 2006, said at least six trees have been taken down so far. Michael Kelly, the president of the Panoramic Hill Association, which is one of three groups that filed suit to try to stop the project, said he thinks at least a dozen trees had been removed. Wood accused UC officials of issuing a "misleading" statement about their plans for Friday. "They didn't prune trees, they killed them," Wood said. Four tree-sitters remained in a single tree near the stadium and at least 50 supporters had gathered near the site to watch the trees being cut down. Wood said he thinks the university wouldn't have cut down the trees Friday if there had been a larger group of protesters. Mogulof said there are currently 70 oak trees in the grove next to the stadium and when the university finishes the work, 20 will remain. He said the university will plant three new trees at the site for every one it removes. Mogulof said the university expects that it will take two and a half years to build the new sports training center. Shortly after 5 p.m., UC police detained Ayr, the leader of the ground support team for the tree-sitters. Kelly, who witnessed the incident, said Ayr had been arguing with a small group of university students who supported removing the trees and were carrying a sign that said "Free Firewood." Kelly said he didn't think Ayr did anything to warrant being detained. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=8980279 Last tree-sitters end protest over UC Berkeley construction Associated Press - September 9, 2008 6:04 PM ET BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Environmentalists have ended a 21-month protest to stop the construction of a new sports center on the University of California, Berkeley campus. The last four tree-sitters were taken into police custody this afternoon after climbing down from a redwood tree they had occupied. The treesitters ended their protest after UC officials agreed to create a committee that will allow community members to have input in the school's future development decisions. Officials had said they were prepared to forcibly remove them and had constructed scaffolding around the tree to mount the effort. The protest began in late 2006 to prevent the university from clearing the trees to make room for the new athletic center. Campus officials have promised to plant three new trees for every one cut. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408454.html Cardiff Coal Protest Undercurrents | 10.09.2008 18:30 | Climate Chaos | Oxford Undercurrents filmed a direct action against the Coal authority AGM today. Watch the action on http://www.visionon.tv http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1067589_nineyear_protest_camp_over?rss=yes Nine-year protest camp over 20/ 9/2008 ECO-WARRIORS are dismantling their tree-houses and tepees and preparing to leave Britain's longest-running protest camp. For almost nine years they refused to budge from the site near the ancient Nine Ladies Stone Circle as they battled to prevent an area of the Peak District National Park being used for quarrying. The protest was sparked when quarry company Stancliffe Stone announced plans to reopen Endcliffe and Lees quarries, at Stanton Moor, near Matlock, Derbyshire, to extract high-quality sandstone. Fearful of the environmental impact the scheme might have, protestors moved in - living in a caravans and in tree-houses where they remained despite bids to evict them. Geoffrey Henson, of Stanton Lees Action Group which opposed the plan, said: "We are delighted and all we are waiting for now is the revocation notice, which should come back from the government in the next 12 weeks. "It is a formality and the dismantling of the camp has already started. "This is what we've been fighting for and now everyone at the camp will up sticks and go. "This was based on principle, it was proposed for a national park and this was never right. "There are no plans for a celebration yet, we shall talk about that when it is over." Last September Hazel Blears, the local government secretary, decided Stancliffe Stone's planning permission would be revoked in exchange for the right to quarry at Dale View, a quarry in an area which is less environmentally sensitive. But the remaining 20 protestors refused to pack up until they had it in writing that there would be no quarrying at the site. Now, after lengthy negotiations the final legal documents have been completed and are expected to be rubber stamped before Christmas. It will bring to an end years of controversy, court cases and concern over risks to the bronze age remains such as the Nine Ladies Stone Circle. Stancliffe Stone is voluntarily giving up the planning permission granted in 1952, ending the possibility the quarries may be re-opened. In exchange, the company will be allowed to extend Dale View quarry, further away from the most-sensitive sites. Narendra Bajaria, chair of The Peak District National Park Authority, said: "This is a great result for the authority, the company, the community, and most of all for the nationally-important heritage and wildlife of Stanton Moor. "It brings to an end to years of uncertainty for villagers, parish councils, action groups and the company concerned. We are grateful for the community's support and patience while the negotiations were taking place, but it was necessary to secure the best solution that could have been achieved." The new Dale View quarry permission allows an extension of around three hectares and extra extraction of around 950,000 tonnes of gritstone - most of which will be used for building, walling and monumental purposes. The operator will be required to manage nearby biodiversity habitats throughout the quarry's 20-year active life, and commit to 20 years' aftercare of the restored site as hay meadows. Ian Pearson, estates manager of Stancliffe Stone, commented: "We've been working closely with the national park authority, local community and other interested parties to reach an agreement on Dale View. The quarried stone will be used for new build, heritage and restoration projects. "We would like to thank all of the stakeholders involved in finalising this agreement, which will help protect the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, wildlife and surrounding landscape." Ben Hartley, 29, who is originally from Cheadle Hulme, has lived in a tree house on the site 'on-and-off' for the past nine years. He says the plans to re-start quarrying at the site would have been devastating for those living in the nearby village. And he says he is delighted that by working together with the residents they have been successful in over-turning the plans. They may not have enjoyed four-star luxury at the site during their stay, but the eco-protestors have installed their own creature comforts over the years, by rigging up wood burners in the tree houses, as well as outdoor baths and showers. And beneath the ground they have installed an intricate network of underground 'defences' - tunnels that could be occupied by protestors should anyone have come to try and reclaim the site. "Our presence prevents them from coming onto the land and quarrying," said Ben, who says that at the height of the threat of eviction in January 2004 there were more than 100 people on the site. "There were in excess of 30 tree houses at one time, although a lot of them have now been taken down. They are all made from things that have been recycled, stuff that people have thrown away. "It's beautiful living in trees. I really enjoy it with the birds twittering around you." The tree houses are built around wooden floor joists, with a domed structure of willow or hazel poles that are then covered with blankets and plastic tarpaulin. Ben says the structures - which even have oil burners - can be toasty, even in winter. There is a bath, which is made of cast iron, which is heated from beneath with a fire. And there are showers that have been rigged up with water butts, that are then hauled into the trees. However despite the touches of 'luxury', Ben admits, that everyday chores can be a challenge - even with the support of nearby residents, which he says has been crucial. "It isn't easy and day-to-day chores are a lot harder than when you are living in a house," said Ben. "You have to make a fire whenever you want to cook and go and get water, which usually has to be collected with water butts. But it is thoroughly enjoyable. "The local people have been absolutely supportive. The campaign has been successful because it has been a combination of local people and us. Working together is absolutely the way to go. "Without local people it simply would not have worked. They have been writing and rewriting the same letters. And they have helped us with food and resources; letting us charge their batteries in their houses, letting us take baths and washing clothes." Nearby resident Geoffrey Henson, aged 69, and his wife Julie have been keen to support the protestors during their stay. Retired veterinary manager Geoffrey said: "It has worked very well. We were a bit surprised when they turned up, because they turned up out of the blue. "It's been about having respect for one another. They have respect for us as local residents and we have respect for them because they have come to protect the area and not to cause any trouble. "When you see how tough life is on the site, you realise they have to be dedicated to what they do. We will be sorry to see them go, but we now know we have won the battle. They have become friends." Before they leave the site the campaigners have vowed to make sure the site is returned to its original state - removing the tree houses and the underground structures. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0920/1221835126751.html Saturday, September 20, 2008 Shell to Sea protester ends 10-day hunger strike LORNA SIGGINS, Western Correspondent SHELL TO Sea campaigner Maura Harrington ended a 10-day hunger strike yesterday with a statement rejecting any alternative location for the Corrib gas refinery. "Any attempt to extricate Shell and the Government from the nexus that is the Corrib gas project is doomed to failure," Ms Harrington said, in her first public criticism of Erris community groups seeking compromise. The groups, Pobal Chill Chom?in and Pobal Le Ch?ile, involve former Shell to Sea supporters living in the Kilcommon parish area of Erris, including members of the Rossport Five. They have proposed an alternative location at Glinsk which would avoid installation of a high- pressure onshore pipeline. Ms Harrington, who retired as school principal a week ago on her 55th birthday, called off her action some 24 hours after Shell EP Ireland confirmed the pipelaying ship, Solitaire, was being sent to Britain for "assessment". The ship had been anchored off Killybegs, Co Donegal, for the past week, following suspension on September 10th of a planned offshore pipelaying programme in Broadhaven Bay. The company, which faces legal issues relating to fishing rights in the bay, said the ship had sustained damage shortly after arrival in the bay. Ms Harrington initiated her fast in protest at the ship's presence, and said she would not stop until it left Irish territorial waters. In a statement, Ms Harrington said "any alternative location for the Corrib gas infrastructure will not build new schools, new hospitals or contribute to the National Pension Fund . . . Until we the people benefit from what is rightfully ours, any attempt to extricate Shell and the Government from the mess that is Corrib remains doomed to failure." Shell had no comment to make on Ms Harrington's action. http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=2&storyid=13131 Corrib protesters target Dublin in failed bomb attack Filed from Aberdeen 9/16/2008 2:10:27 PM GMT DUBLIN: Army bomb experts were called in late yesterday to make safe a small explosive device outside the Dublin offices of the Irish unit of Royal Dutch Shell, Ireland's Defence Forces said today. "The team made safe a viable device outside Corrib House," the Defence Forces said in a statement to Reuters. "The team carried out a controlled explosion on the simple, improvised explosive device," it said. Shell operates the Corrib Natural Gas Field off the north west coast of Ireland, which has drawn protests including a hunger strike carried out last week by a local teacher against the laying of a pipeline between the gas field and the mainland. http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/13706382?view=Eircomnet&cat=Breaking%20News Shell to Sea campaigners protest in London From irishtimes.com 11:26 Monday, 15th September, 2008 British supporters of the Shell to Sea campaign are protesting today outside the London offices of Allseas, the company that owns the pipe-laying ship the Solitaire. They are demanding that the Solitaireleaves Irish waters so that local teacher Maura Harrington (54), who has been on hunger strike for seven days, can bring her protest to an end. Ms Harrington has said she will continue her hunger strike until the boat, brought in by Shell to lay the Corrib offshore gas pipeline, departs Irish waters. Shell said last week that pipelaying has been suspended due to ?technical issues? with the Solitaire. The 300-metre boat, the largest pipe-laying vessel in the world, has returned to Killybegs, Co Donegal, where a full assessment of the damage is under way. The Irish Timesunderstands a section of the Solitaire?spipe-laying apparatus, known as ?the stinger?, became detached. The 100m section was retrieved from the water but will have to be re-attached before the vessel can begin the pipe-laying exercise. It is likely the repair work will need to be carried out in Rotterdam, which may take a few months. Sources said ?the stinger? was not damaged by protests in the waters around the ship. It is believed it broke off due to adverse weather conditions, including high winds and heavy swell. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0913/mayo.html Four released after Corrib protests Saturday, 13 September 2008 22:23 Four people who were arrested this afternoon at the Corrib Gas site at Glengad, Co Mayo have been released without charge. The four were detained for public order offences. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,419002,00.html 14 Greenpeace Activists Arrested at Power Plant Protest in Israel Monday, September 08, 2008 AP Sept. 8: In this photo released by Greenpeace, a Greenpeace activist is arrested by Israeli police in Ashkelon's harbor. ASHKELON, Israel ? Israeli police have arrested 14 Greenpeace activists protesting Israel's plan to build an electricity power plant fueled by coal. Jo Kooper, a spokeswoman for the group, said police moved in after activists on the Greenpeace flagship "Rainbow Warrior" spray-painted the slogan "Quit coal" on the side of a ship unloading coal at Ashkelon's harbor. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said they were detained upon entering a restricted area. Among the 14 arrested Monday were activists from Israel, Germany, France and Holland. Greenpeace activists say they plan to sail to another 10 countries to protest coal-fired power plants. Greenpeace activists lead protests against projects they feel harm the environment, including nuclear power and weapons. http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/18336/Peaceful_Protestors_Lock_their_Bodies_to_Dominion_Power_Plant Peaceful Protestors Lock their Bodies to Dominion Power Plant Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:16:18 -0500 Summary: All bureaucratic channels of resistance have been exhausted for Virginia residents who are trying to stop the construction of a coal fired power plant in their community. Therefore, to stop the spewing of mercury, CO2, sulfur-dioxide, and other ?particles? in their backyard, residents of Wise County have resorted to non-violent civil disobedience. Joining them were citizens throughout Appalachia who are fighting mountain top removal coal mining (a method which will intensify with the construction of this plant) and supporters from around the country. [Posted By STOPSTRIPMINING] By For Immediate Release, Monday September 15 Republished from wiseupdominion.org Protesters From Across the Country Join Wise County VA Residents to Oppose Power Plant?s Impact on Environment and Health, and to Demand a Clean Energy Future Wise County, VA ? At 6:00am this morning around 50 peaceful protesters entered the construction site of Dominion Virginia?s (NYSE: D) Wise County coal-fired power plant. Almost twenty protesters locked their bodies to eight large steel drums, two of which have operational solar panels affixed to the top that illuminated a banner reading ?renewable jobs to renew Appalachia.? In addition to those locked to the construction site, over 25 protesters from across the country convened in front of the plant singing and holding a 10?x30? banner, which said ?we demand a clean energy future?. [end excerpt] http://wiseupdominion.org/ http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0918/ryanair.html Semi-naked protestor disrupts Ryanair AGM Thursday, 18 September 2008 20:57 Ryanair's AGM has been interrupted by a shirtless man protesting about the airline's environmental record. The protestor, who referred to himself as 'Rob Mac' from Lahinch, Co Clare, said that people with genuine concerns about the environment were being laughed at by Ryanair. The man approached Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary as he was addressing shareholders at a hotel in Dublin Airport, saying he represented a group of 'eco-loonies' called Plane Mad. Advertisement The protestor, dressed only in a pair of black trousers, accused the low-fares airline of lying about the damage the industry is doing to the environment. Mr O'Leary said taxing air travel would have no effect on climate change or emissions. Meanwhile, the company's accounts show that Ryanair does not expect to make a profit this year. The annual report shows that because of rising fuel prices the low-fares airline will finish the year in either a breakeven position or suffer a loss of ?60m. Speaking to shareholders, Mr O'Leary criticised the performance of Aer Lingus, the Dublin Airport Authority and the Commission for Aviation Regulation. http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/climate-change-protest-melbourne-australia Climate Change Protest Melbourne Australia by wittaman1 | September 19, 2008 at 07:19 am 118 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment by wittaman1 The Melbourne Climate Criminals Tour, Started outside Exxon Mobil then Bhp Billiton ending at the Victorian Parliament. About 100 People took part in the Protest. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200809/s2365813.htm Locals protest Gunnedah coal mining Tuesday, 16/09/2008 Hundreds of farmers in the north west New South Wales have protested at a coal conference about mining in the productive Liverpool Plains. About 200 farmers travelled from throughout the region to meet outside the annual conference in Gunnedah. They're worried about coal inspections in the Caroona basin which could lead to mining in one of the state's biggest food producing areas. They want an independent study into the effect this could have on local water supplies. The rally was peaceful, but it did get heated when local politicians said mining companies were too scared to do the study. But farmers vowed to take their concerns to Sydney. http://news.www21.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=626941&rss=yes Bob Brown leads Traveston Dam protest 15:41 AEST Sat Sep 6 2008 117 days 23 hours 50 minutes ago By Nadine McGrath VIEWS: 0 | FLOCKS: 0 | 0 comments so far Greens leader Bob Brown has led a rally calling for the federal government to block the controversial proposed Traveston Dam across the Mary River in southeast Queensland. The day after federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett decided to block Waratah Coal's $5.3 billion coal loading project in Queensland's Shoalwater Bay Senator Brown called on him to also say "No" to the Traveston Dam proposal. Senator Brown said the dam should be opposed because it would flood thousands of hectares of prime food producing land near Brisbane, Aboriginal heritage sites and the main nursery for the world famous Australian Lungfish. "I've told the minister there is no way he should allow the major breeding ground for the Australian Lungfish or the Mary River Turtle, or Mary River Cod, to be obliterated," Senator Brown said. Hundreds of farmers and local residents gathered at the proposed $2.5 billion dam site near Gympie, about 160km north of Brisbane, to protest against the proposal. The Queensland government believes the dam is a key component of a water grid to drought-proof the state's southeast corner. Senator Brown kayaked on the Mary with kayaker and environmentalist Steve Posselt, who earlier this year paddled the river length to raise awareness of the environmental dangers associated with the dam. "By any measure, the decision to construct the Traveston Crossing Dam is flawed," Mr Posselt said. "There are far better means of supplying water for Brisbane and these options must be explored." http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/mining_foes_clash_at_gretna_forum/5787/ Mining foes clash at Gretna forum By BERNARD BAKER Published: August 23, 2008 GRETNA ? Opponents of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County say the area is being used as a ?sacrifice zone? for corporate profit. About 75 people met Friday at Gretna Middle School for an education forum sponsored by Chatham-Pittsylvania County Southside Concerned Citizens. Gregg Vickrey, chairman of the local group, said the area falls into the sacrifice zone category because of a small population, low incomes and lower educational standards. ?Uranium mining in Pittsylvania County is a bad, bad idea,? Vickrey said, adding he lives 6 miles from the possible mine site on Coles Hill. Shireen Parsons, Virginia community organizer with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, said uranium mining in the county is a corporate assault. She said uranium mining has never been done safely. Once mining takes place, the dust particles will contaminate everything they touch, Parsons said. She contends some fortunate people will be bought out and other families will have to walk away from their homes, with those left behind forced to deal with the health hazards of uranium mining. ?Are you willing to be guinea pigs?? Parsons said. Supporters of uranium mining said the committee is using half-truths and scare tactics. Henry Hurt, an investor in Virginia Uranium, said opposition claims are outrageous. ?Calling us corporate terrorists is so silly when there are honest concerns that need to be addressed,? he said. ?People around here are too intelligent to be fooled by such irrational nonsense.? Hurt said it would be hard to enforce a broad ordinance banning radioactive materials, like that sought by Chatham Mayor George Haley, since it could be interpreted to ban trucks or trains that carry these materials from passing through the area. The ordinance passed by the town of Halifax outlawing chemical trespassing has a provision to allow succession, he noted. John Anderson, of Renan, wanted to know what oversight role federal agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, would play. Renan disagreed with Parsons? view that the federal government would ?rubber stamp? permits to OK mining operations. ?They just don?t rubber stamp these permits,? Anderson said, adding the federal government would probably want a say in what happens with the issue. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/26/2375488.htm Greens protest coastal coal mining Posted Fri Sep 26, 2008 3:28pm AEST ? Map: Bondi 2026 The Greens have held a protest at Sydney's Bondi Beach to call on federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to stop a company exploring for coal off the New South Wales coast. The company Energie Future has applied to the NSW Government to explore a 6,000-square-kilometre area of sea bed off the NSW coast for coal. The company is seeking to use an experimental process to turn underground coal into gas and says it will submit an environmental plan. But NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says the project will impact on whale migration and water quality. "This type of mining off the New South Wales coast comes under both the New South Wales Government and the Federal Government, and the Federal Government actually has the final sign-off," she said. Ms Rhiannon says the experimental process to extract coal from the sea bed is too risky. She is calling on Mr Garrett to rule out final approval of the project. A spokesman for Mr Garrett says the Minister will give the application thorough and rigorous consideration in accordance with national environmental legislation. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/05/20080905cr-notower0906.html S. Chandler neighbors protest Verizon cell tower plans 19 comments by Edythe Jensen - Sept. 5, 2008 11:49 AM The Arizona Republic When some Chandler neighbors learned that Verizon Wireless wanted to erect a 55-foot cellphone tower shaped like a palm tree near their homes, they protested with e-mails and petitions. The City Council's willingness to delay a decision on the tower's permit request until Sept. 25 is giving them hope. "When I found out how close it was going to be, I started doing research and realized that I'm really not OK with this," said Ginger Trudgen, 33, whose home in Arizona Estates northeast of Cooper Road and the Santan Freeway is about two blocks from the proposed tower. The "monopalm" would be on Arizona Department of Transportation land next to the freeway. Verizon would pay rent for the spot, said agency spokesman Tim Tait, but Trudgen launched a petition drive against the tower and submitted signatures from 74 of her neighbors to the council last month. The "monopalm" would devalue property, and the radio waves it emits could pose health risks, she said. Cities can't legally consider health issues in determining cell tower locations, said planner Bill Dermody. However, he urged the delay so Verizon could look at other locations or shared use of an existing tower. Last year, the council denied T-Mobile permission to erect a cell tower on the grounds of San Tan Junior High School. "They're ugly and they have radio wave emissions; they should move it to an industrial park," said Matt Flansburg, 34, who signed the petition but said he's a Verizon customer. Verizon spokeswoman Jenny Weaver said the company investigated options and considers the proposed site the best for its customers and planned service expansions. Locations away from neighborhoods on the south side of the Santan Freeway would be too close to Chandler Municipal Airportaccording to city documents. Weaver said the company refers questions about health concerns to the Federal Communications Commission. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7615508.stm Sunday, 14 September 2008 16:17 UK Hundreds protest at housing plans Hundreds of people gathered to protest in Bournemouth on Sunday Hundreds of people have held a protest over the prospect of thousands of new homes being built in Dorset. The government wants to build 48,100 new homes in south-east Dorset by 2026, including a new town at Lytchett Minster and 7,250 houses around Poole. But protestors, who gathered in Bournemouth on Sunday, said it would eat into greenbelt land in the area and lead to "urban sprawl". The government has said greenbelt land has grown over the past 10 years. Brian Lane, of Keep Corfe Mullen Green, said: "This [protest] is to protect our green belt, which is there to stop urban sprawl. The proposals from the current government will not stop urban sprawl. "It's wholly immoral." The [green] belts are being run down until we have an urban sprawl Sheila Bourton, Keep Wimborne Green Sheila Bourton, of Keep Wimborne Green, was protesting at plans to build 800 homes in Wimborne. She added: "The [green] belts are being run down until we have an urban sprawl." The protest was co-organised by the Dorset branch of the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE). South West England has been named the most unaffordable place to live in England in terms of house prices relative to average income. Last year Poole in Dorset was singled out by the National Housing Federation as the most unaffordable town in the UK. Annette Brooke, MP for Mid-Dorset and Poole North, addressed the rally. "You cannot build your way out of a crisis, you need local decision-making," she said. "We need the right sort of homes, not executive homes that will draw people into the area or more second homes. "We need appropriate housing provided by housing associations." Nick King, the prospective Conservative candidate for Mid-Dorset and Poole North, said the government was forcing an "enormous" amount of housing on the area that local councils did not want. "Local people should be deciding how many, where and what type [of housing]," he added. "At the moment the government plans are just a charter for developers." http://www.justnews.com/news/17426930/detail.html?rss=mia&psp=news Residents Protest Proposed Shopping Plaza POSTED: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 UPDATED: 7:57 am EDT September 9, 2008 COCONUT CREEK, Fla -- Residents in Coconut Creek are gearing up for a fight against the City Commission. Residents don't want a green space to be rezoned for stores they said they don't need. Protesters were screaming into traffic at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Lyons Road, they want to keep that street corner from becoming the new home of another shopping plaza. Right now the area is marsh land with a walking path, and activists say it's home to nearly endangered species. It is currently commercially zoned, but must be rezoned to accommodate a plaza as large as the one proposed. The Cocomar Plaza will feature anchor stores like Kohl's and Lowes. Coconut Creek resident Al Martinez said, "There is a Lowes ten minutes away on Sample Road and another Lowes six miles away. We don't need another hardware store." The meeting gets started Thursday at 7 p.m. http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/anti-uranium-protest-alice-springs-australia-0 Anti Uranium Protest Alice Springs Australia uploaded by wittaman1 October 4, 2008 at 12:26 am 17 views | add comment | 0 recommendations Over 100 people Marched through Alice Springs NT Protesting against the NT Govermentd decision to allow Uranium Exploration within 25 KM of Alice Springs in an Area that ispart of the towns water catchment area http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/01/05/bc-encana-bombing-pipe.html 4th pipe line bombing in northeastern B.C. Last Updated: Monday, January 5, 2009 A fourth explosion occurred at an EnCana Corporation natural gas facility in northeastern B.C, just east of Dawson Creek. RCMP said EnCana gas line workers discovered a partially destroyed metering shed on Sunday at a wellhead near the community of Tomslake. Investigators said the damage was the result of what appeared to be a deliberate attack similar to three other blasts that occurred at Encana operations in October. The first blast on Oct. 11 was beside a sour gas line about 50 kilometres east of Dawson Creek, B.C. The second occurred Oct. 16 along a pipeline off Highway 2, about half a kilometre from the provincial boundary with Alberta. The third blast occurred on Oct. 31, about 12 kilometres northwest of Tomslake, B.C., near the Alberta border. Many people in the area believe the explosions might be linked to a threatening letter sent to a local newspaper demanding that companies operating sour gas wells and pipelines in the area stop their operations. Many critics of sour gas development fear the gas, which can be fatal if too much of it is inhaled, poses a danger to nearby residents. The explosions are being investigated by Canada's anti-terror squad. http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080907_mo_rockcontro.54b550de.html Protested plant meets with more opposition at new site 02:10 AM CDT on Monday, September 8, 2008 By DARLA MILES / WFAA-TV Darla Miles reports September 7, 2008 FORT WORTH - A concrete controversy continues after residents fought to get a rock-crushing plant out of their backyard. While they won that fight, families who live near the new location say they don't want it near them either. Dee Jennings has lived in Forest Hill for nearly 30 years, and may be getting a new neighbor. The city of Fort Worth just approved a zoning permit for a rock-crushing plan operated by Destructors, Inc. The plant plans to set up shop a few miles away from his home, which is on the Fort Worth-Forest Hill border. "We're going to catch all of the pollution, all of the dust," said Dee Jennings, a Forest Hill resident. Destructors had a temporary site near Oak Grove and the Interstate 35W and Interstate 20 interchange. However, the nearby neighborhood of Highland Hills fought the company's application to make it their permanent site. They complained about the dust, noise and the traffic from heavy trucks. They won, and Destructors was forced to make a plan to move on. The new location is planned at Freeman and Esco drives in the city of Fort Worth. But the only way to get there is via a two-lane asphalt road, Anglin Drive. Anglin Drive, which is in the city of Forest Hill, is also home to soccer, football and cheerleading. "It is the field in Forest Hill," Jennings said. "So, I just think, you come on top of our kids like that, it's wrong. And, I guarantee you there is no other community that would want that that period." Forest Hill's city manager, David Miller, says in order to sustain the traffic from rock haulers, the street needs to be a four-lane, cement road. "We're not bumping heads with the city of Fort Worth," he said. "[The] city of Fort Worth understands our concerns." Miller is now appealing to the state senate to try to get the rock crushers to move again. In the meantime, the city plans to ticket every truck that drives down Anglin, a no truck zone. "As it stands right now, the trucks are not legally allowed to operate on that road," Miller said. Meanwhile, the city of Fort Worth says they were the ones that paid to repave Anglin Drive in 2004. The new rock crushing location is in council member Kathleen Hicks' district. She said the city worked hard find an industrial area for the site and that they have gone above and beyond their duty to negotiate the use of Anglin Drive between Forest Hill and Destructors. As for Destructors, they offered to pay Forest Hill around $100,000 a year for the use of Anglin Drive. E-mail dmiles at wfaa.com http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/west/epaper/2008/09/20/0920fplprotest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=73 Protest at FPL plant site more peaceful than Feb. clash By PAUL QUINLAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Saturday, September 20, 2008 By comparison, it was a walk in the park. A second protest staged at the construction site of a new power plant in western Palm Beach County went off without incident Saturday, in sharp contrast to the February demonstration that provoked a clash with sheriff's deputies and ended with 27 arrests. This time, a phalanx of deputies arrived in advance and kept close watch over the two-hour event, in which a klatch of at least 50 environmental activists chanted, pounded drums and waved signs at passing traffic on Southern Boulevard. The object of their scorn: Florida Power & Light's West County Energy Center. FPL boasts that the gas power plant will be among the cleanest of its kind in the nation, situated to feed growth in nearby communities and provide about $273 million in savings to customers. But the activists Saturday decried the plant as a boondoggle intended to catalyze growth on rural, western-county lands while belching pollutants and injecting wastewater deep underground at a site just across the street from the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and stormwater treatment areas that feed into the Everglades. "Power plants like this are basically the beating heart of a system of destruction and development," Peter "Panagioti" Tsolkas, a key organizer of both protests, told the group before they set off around 11 a.m. on a one-mile march along Southern Boulevard to the site, also the entrance to the Palm Beach Aggregates quarry. Florida Power & Light responded in a statement: "We respect everyone's right to free speech, but this group's allegations have no more legal merit today than at past protest rallies. The West County Energy Center will be the cleanest facility its kind in Florida and one of the cleanest in the nation." Deputies - roughly one for each protester present - stood watch along the route and at the site, where barricades were set up to keep the activists from blocking the quarry's driveway. "Our goal is to ensure a peaceful demonstration, recognizing the constitutional rights of the demonstrators while allowing commerce to flow freely," Major Rich Jenkins of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said beforehand. The protesters were under similar orders, as organizers with the Everglades Environmental Coalition had billed the event as "peaceful" and "family-friendly" with the hope of broadening their support base and attracting a larger turnout than ultimately materialized. Having promoted it as such, "we felt we couldn't put people's well-being on the line," said organizer Russell McSpadden, 29, of West Palm Beach. Fanning out on the north and south shoulders of Southern Boulevard, the activists chanted ("Corruption! Rock Mining! Fossil Fuels! Out of the Everglades!") and passed the megaphone for impromptu speeches before the captive audience of jump-suited deputies. The groups have also filed a federal lawsuit alleging, among other things, that the plant underwent slipshod environmental review in violation of federal law. They have asked that construction be halted in the meantime. Each of the West County Energy Center's three units will produce about 1,250 megawatts of power, enough to serve 250,000 homes and businesses, according to FPL. The units will go online one after the other in 2009, 2010 and 2011. For the first two years, the plant will draw water from the Floridan Aquifer, before switching to reuse water in 2011, said FPL. Environmentalists are wary of assurances that the process is clean and safe. As Marc Silverstein, 22, of Boca Raton said, "I'm not drinking the water once this is done." ~'paul_quinlan at pbpost.com http://www.wpbf.com/news/17521232/detail.html Activists Protest FP&L Plant To Be Built Near Wildlife Refuge Palm Beach Co. Police In Full Force To Ensure Crowd's Safety POSTED: 7:01 pm EDT September 20, 2008 UPDATED: 7:08 pm EDT September 20, 2008 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Palm Beach County police were in full force along state Road 80 on Saturday as a group of environmentalists protested a new Florida Power and Light energy plant. Protesters came out by the dozens to make their point. "Anything worth fighting for is always hard to fight for," one protester said. A couple dozen environmentalists rallied in front of wetlands against a new power plant set to be built across the street along state Road 80. "If we watch these developers and commissioners continue to rezone land and industrialize wild places, there will be nothing left," a protester said. Members of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition said they're outraged that FP&L wants to put its new site so close to a wildlife refuge. The group is fighting permits and the project itself on all levels, including in federal court. "It's horrible, and people are ignoring it because FP&L is so well politically connected," said protester Panagioti Tsolkis. "We need to stand up and stop it." "We just need to win once and we can pull the plug on the power plant," protester Barry Silver said. On Saturday morning, the protesters took their battle to Southern Boulevard and marched down to Palm Beach Aggregates to make their point. "Would you want it next to your house?" asked protester Alexandria Larson. Larson said there are many other protests to come. Police arrested a couple dozen protesters in February at the same site after they caused a traffic nightmare. "We blockaded the road," Larson said. "It was a peaceful display of civil disobedience." Palm Beach County Regional Major Rick Jenkins said that won't happen this time, and he's brought in officers on foot, horseback and four-wheelers to make sure of it. "It's a multi-faceted approach to ensure that we have every base covered," Jenkins said. The protesters said they hope their message packs a big punch. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Blow-for-Pollok-adventure-park.4456575.jp Blow for Pollok adventure park protesters Published Date: 04 September 2008 By Stephen McGinty A CONTROVERSIAL tree-top adventure course is set to be built in Pollok Park, despite widespread opposition, after the Scottish Government yesterday refused to intervene on Glasgow City Council's plans. Protesters, who enjoyed the support of Nicola Sturgeon, the Deputy First Minister, had hoped the decision to build high-level rope walkways and slides in North Wood near the Burrell Collection would be called in and over-turned. However, a spokesman for the Scottish Government said ministers would not issue any restrictions or call in the plan. Glasgow City Council, which previously passed the application, will now have the final say, while campaigners are looking at ways to launch a legal challenge. The Go Ape development would be the latest in a chain of 17 adventure playgrounds featuring slides and high rope walkways. The scheme, which was passed by the city's planning department in March, was then referred to Holyrood as the council, which would be paid for leasing the land, had a financial interest in the venture. Prior to the vote, a high-profile campaign, Save Pollok Park, was started by residents and attracted 900 written objections, a 4,000-signature petition and the support of Ms Sturgeon, who is also MSP for Glasgow Govan. Last night, a Scottish Government spokesman said: "It is not ministers' intention to intervene in this application ? The council has been authorised to deal with the application." Bill Fraser, spokesman for Save Pollok Park, said: "We're extremely disappointed. We're going to seriously consider a legal challenge to the council's right to grant a lease in Pollok Park." Mr Fraser said he believed the council did not have the ability to grant a lease to the adventure course without the permission of the National Trust for Scotland and the Maxwell family, which gifted Pollok Park to the city. Last night, a spokeswoman for Go Ape said: "We welcome the Scottish Government's indication that the application will not be called in by ministers. We have always felt it is up to elected representatives to decide on the best way forward, whether it be at national or local level. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment until the formal planning process has been fully completed." She added: "This year has been a tremendous year with about 20,000 people having enjoyed visiting Go Ape in Aberfoyle. About one-third of those come from the Glasgow area and have to make a lengthy drive into the Trossachs, so we would like to be able to provide this challenging and exciting outdoors activity closer to home." The council will now send out decision notices to Go Ape and all the objectors informing them that the adventure course has been given the go-ahead. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Protest-group-goes-ape-over.4467216.jp Protest group goes ape over vandal attack at playpark Published Date: 08 September 2008 By CLAIRE GARDNER A TREE-TOP adventure park in Perthshire has been vandalised in an attack being linked to protests targeted at a similar centre proposed for Glasgow's Pollok Park. Vandals calling themselves Fight for Pollok Park cut three tree-top zip wires and daubed graffiti on trees at the Go Ape park in Aberfoyle last Friday. The attack happened two days after the Scottish Government refused to step in to halt the same ADVERTISEMENT company building a controversial Go Ape adventure course in Glasgow. Staff at the Aberfoyle adventure centre found the vandalism on Saturday morning while carrying out routine safety checks before the playground opened. They discovered the zip wires had been cut half way down. Graffiti saying "Go Away Ape" and signed FFPP had been daubed on trees. According to staff, similar graffiti had been written at Pollok Park several months ago. It is believed the graffiti and initials FFPP, which stand for Fight for Pollok Park, were written by a splinter campaign group at Pollok Park at the start of the summer and that the attacks are linked. Last night, Bill Fraser, spokesman for Save Pollok Park, distanced himself from the vandals. He said: "We absolutely condemn vandalism of any sort, particularly if it could put lives at risk. We have never campaigned against Go Ape as an activity, just its location in Pollok Park which we think is unsuitable. Anyone carrying out such acts of vandalism has no place in our campaign." The Glasgow Go Ape development, which would be the latest in a chain of 17 adventure playgrounds featuring slides and high rope walkways, has attracted fierce opposition. The Save Pollok Park campaign attracted 900 written objections, and 4,000-signatures on a petition when the planning application was submitted. The scheme, passed by the city's planning department in March, was referred to Holyrood as Glasgow City Council, which would be paid for leasing the land, had a financial interest in the venture. Objectors, backed by Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy First Minister, had hoped the decision would be called in. However, last Wednesday ministers said they would not do so and the council, will have the final say. Tristram Mayhew, chief executive of Go Ape said: "As a matter of routine, all Go Ape courses are checked thoroughly by staff each day before they can be used by any member of the public. "It was during these checks that the issues at Aberfoyle came to light. "However I am pleased to say that repairs are under way and the course should be back to normal by the early part of this week." Patrick Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow, who opposed the plan, said: "There is no excuse for any vandalism especially in anything that puts visitors at risk. "Greens remain opposed to the Pollok Park scheme because of its location but in the right place Go Ape is an excellent way of getting kids out into Scotland's countryside." A spokesman for Central Scotland Police said "We are currently investigating a report of vandalism at these premises." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409474.html Birmingham Guild of Students+RBS+police collude to criminalise protest on campus Birmingham student | 25.09.2008 20:39 | Birmingham On Tuesday 23rd September the University of Birmingham Guild of Students attempted to stop its own student members from holding and distributing materials from their own stall criticising the Royal Bank of Scotland, a paying exhibitor at a corporate freshers fair held on the same day in another part of the building. At an incident later in the day the Guild refused to intervene when police threatened to arrest students distributing leaflets unless they disclosed their names, addresses and other details. On the morning of Tuesday 23rd September Guild staff and reps attempted to confiscate material critical of the Royal Bank of Scotland from a stall organised by People & Planet, a Guild society, in the 'Change the World Fair' on the request of RBS, a paying exhibitor at a fair in another part of the building. Stall holders refused and after a protracted and heated argument the Guild rep conceded that she no grounds to enforce RBS's request and left. RBS was unhappy that literature critical of the banks unsustainable funding of oil and gas projects, part of a sustained national campaign by People & Planet endorsed by the NUS, had found its way down to the corporate fair in the hands of interested students. This encounter was quickly followed by another representation by a different pair of staff + rep which now informed the stall holders that any body found distributing materials in the corporate fair would be removed by security, on further highly dubious grounds. Later in the day, in direct defiance of the Guild's unprecedented intervention in the right of students to hold and distribute pre - approved material on union premises, one member flyered students immediately next to the RBS stall. Instead of allowing the union officials to deal with the incident RBS staff summoned two police officers who informed the student that his actions - distributing material critical of RBS - may constitute a 'breach of the peace' and proceeded to take him aside and attempt to obtain his details under threat of arrest. After initially refusing he called for some assistance from another student at which point the police changed their story and claimed they needed to take his details in case he committed some offense in the future if he refused to leave the university grounds. After it became clear to the police that the details of neither himself nor his 'assistance' were going to be disclosed they left , informing the student that if he did not leave university premises he would be liable for arrest. At no point during this farcical attempt by the police to intimidate the student into disclosing his details did any member of Guild staff or rep attempt to intervene in the interest of the students welfare. These incidents represent a worrying development in the way the Birmingham Guild of Students treats the rights of students to raise awareness about pertinent political issues amongst the student body, both under the law and its own constitution. The actions of West Midlands Police also appear to be an attempt to criminalise lawful protest on campus, as well as an attempt to gather intelligence and criminalise a much wider network of individuals engaged in criticism of the company in collusion with the company. It remains to be seen how this strategy will develop as the campaign against RBS is widened to other events on campus and elsewhere during the coming academic year. Birmingham student http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10532001&ref=rss Artist sells defaced prints to fund wind farm protest 12:55PM Saturday Sep 13, 2008 Artist Grahame Sydney, a vocal opponent of plans for wind farm developments in Central Otago, has defaced prints of one of his most famous paintings and is selling them to raise money to fund protest group Save Central. Sydney is president of the Save Central group. The 760mm by 1520mm defaced prints of Timeless Land had turbines painted in blood red, graffiti-style, across the landscape to emphasise the viciousness of wind-farm proposals, Sydney told the Otago Daily Times. The group was looking to carry on its appeal against Project Hayes when hearings resumed in January and was looking for financial support. The 1000 prints cost $35 delivered and for $50 punters could have their print inscribed and signed by Sydney. They are available online at the Save Central website. Sydney painted Timeless Land in 1992. The original is now part of a private collection. - NZPA http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/12/stories/2008091259880300.htm Karnataka Rajkumar fans protest Some 200 fans of the late actor Rajkumar held a protest against the private buses on Bangalore-Mysore Road, after a bus hit the pedestal supporting the bust of the thespian at around 5.45 a.m. on Thursday near Pantharapalya. The structure was damaged. The angry fans dispersed after the bus owner assured them he would get it repaired, the Byatarayanpura Traffic police said. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/09/life_of_georgia_building.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 Preservationists protest plan to raze Life of Georgia building By JIM AUCHMUTEY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday, September 09, 2008 A Midtown hospital?s expansion may claim a piece of Atlanta history. Emory Crawford Long Hospital plans to demolish the 78-year-old Life of Georgia building, at West Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, to make way for a medical complex scheduled to open in 2013. Enlarge this image Rich Addicks/raddicks at ajc.com The 1930, white Indiana limestone building, decorated with pilasters, rosettes and swags across the top, is slated for demolition to make way for expansion of Emory Crawford Long Hospital. Enlarge this image Rich Addicks/raddicks at ajc.com Emory Crawford Long Hospital holds a permit to raze the building to make way for the hospital?s expansion. Jeff Clemmons discovered the demolition permit as he researched Midtown architecture for a tour he leads for the Atlanta Preservation Center. ?We considered rehabilitating the building, but it just wasn?t conducive to world-class health care,? said the hospital?s chief operating officer, Dane Peterson. ?We?d have to gut it. It would be very expensive.? Crawford Long?s plans have started to draw opposition. The Atlanta Preservation Center, a nonprofit advocacy group, launched an online petition signed by more than 275 people asking the hospital to reconsider. But the petitioners are mounting an uphill battle. The building is not landmarked under the city?s preservation ordinance, and the owner of record, Emory Healthcare, holds a demolition permit. ?That doesn?t mean the building isn?t worth protecting,? said Boyd Coons, executive director of the preservation group. ?Midtown has never been properly surveyed, and many significant properties have fallen between the cracks.? The six-story building was erected in 1930 as the headquarters for the Industrial Life and Health Insurance Co. Renamed Life of Georgia, the business remained there until it moved up the street to a new high-rise in 1968. The company has since been sold. Clad in white Indiana limestone and decorated with pilasters, rosettes and swags across the top, the building was designed in an understated style that Georgia Tech architecture professor Robert Craig calls ?modern classic.? The architects, Charles Frazier and Daniel Bodin, were best known for designing posh homes for wealthy Atlantans in the Tuxedo Park area of Buckhead. Frazier also did an estate for one of Coca-Cola magnate Asa G. Candler?s sons that still stands on Emory?s west campus on Briarcliff Road. After Life of Georgia vacated its building, Doctors Memorial Hospital took over the space. When the hospital folded in 1986, Emory purchased the property and used it for offices and outpatient surgery until 2002. Crawford Long has considered razing the structure for several years, but preservationists didn?t get wind of it until this summer. Jeff Clemmons, who works for a nearby law firm, discovered the demolition permit as he was researching Midtown architecture for a walking tour he leads for the preservation center. ?I hadn?t noticed the building before,? he said. ?You don?t notice how beautiful it is unless you stop on the sidewalk and look. You don?t really see it if you?re driving by because West Peachtree is such a blur.? That traffic is one reason Crawford Long wants to remove the building. An interstate ramp dumps onto Linden, often creating a bottleneck on the narrow street. ?We?d like to widen it to four lanes, if the city would let us,? said Crawford Long?s Peterson. The hospital is still fleshing out its plans and does not intend to tear down the building anytime soon. In the meantime, it is conducting an audit of the property?s architectural features that might be worth reusing. ?We?d like to incorporate some of them in the new construction,? said Peterson, who finds some of the marble detailing ?neat.? The hospital plans to set up a meeting with the preservation center to discuss the possibilities. Coons welcomes the opportunity and points out that Crawford Long has managed to preserve two landmarks on its campus: the 1930 W.W. Orr Doctors? Building and the 1911 Davis-Fischer Sanatorium. ?I?d like to ask them why they can?t build their expansion on the surface parking lot they own across the street,? Coons said. ?Maybe we can get them to rethink their plans and save the building ? or at least a part of it.? http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10329631?source=rss Followers of Greek gods will stage protest Denver Post Wire Report Posted: 08/29/2008 12:30:00 AM MDT ATHENS, Greece ? A small group of pagans pledged Thursday to hold a protest prayer among the Acropolis temples, more than 1,500 years after Christians stamped out worship of the ancient Greek gods. Group spokeswoman Doretta Peppa said the worshippers would pray Sunday to Athena ? goddess of wisdom and patron of ancient Athens ? to protect the 2,500-year-old site. Peppa said followers of the old religion object to the removal of hundreds of sculptural masterpieces from a museum on the Acropolis to a large new building. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7617902.stm Monday, 15 September 2008 22:48 UK Protest over updated Falmer plans The new design for the stadium has more room for seating Plans for a football stadium in Brighton have met with further opposition from the local community. Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club are hoping to get planning permission from the city council for the 22,000-seater Falmer Stadium's latest design. New health and safety and disability access rules have meant the original plans had to be changed. Protesters said the new design does not fit in with the local area but the club said the changes were "minor". The initial planning application for the 22,000-seater stadium on land north of Village Way, in Falmer, was submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council in 2001. The design of the stadium was sold... to the public on the fact it would blend in with the area of outstanding natural beauty Melanie Cutress, Falmer Parish Council It was were accepted by the government in July 2007 after a High Court challenge and two public inquiries - but the new safety and disability rules forced the club to resubmit fresh plans. The new design allows more room for seating, and a landscaped area at one end of the planned stadium had been altered to accommodate shops, offices and a power plant. Melanie Cutress, from Falmer Parish Council, said: "Block work walls and metal roofs - well, that's not acceptable. "The design of the stadium was sold to the community, to the council, to the public on the fact it would blend in with the area of outstanding natural beauty. But this won't blend in." The South Downs Society has also objected to the new plans. The club, which has already invested ?6m on the stadium, said it is determined to start work on the building in December. Martin Perry, chief executive of the club, said said they were confident the would get planning permission. He said: "All we're doing is making minor changes to it. The principle has not changed, the overall concept has not changed." From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 17:43:22 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:43:22 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Peace protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA99D2A.9050601@tesco.net> * AUSTRALIA: Protest plans cause shutdown of arms fair * GERMANY: Protest against American nuclear presence * GERMANY: Protest for withdrawal from Afghanistan * JAPAN: Visit by American nuclear carrier faces protests * UKRAINE: US, Russian warship visits protested * DR CONGO: Thousands protest against fresh clashes * PAKISTAN: NWFP - 26 killed as locals revolt against Taleban * INDIA: Protests by left over nuclear deal * CANADA: March to support American war resisters, demand refugee status * CANADA: Peace protesters to target Olympic train * GERMANY, FRANCE: Thousands protest against Afghan war * UK: Peace protest at Labour conference * SOUTH AFRICA: Protest over stopover by US carrier * US/PAKISTAN: Drone strikes protest * US: Veterans protest Bush-McCain event * SRI LANKA: Protesters block UN withdrawal * PHILIPPINES: War in Mindanao protested * GEORGIA: Protesters demand Russian withdrawal * Solidarity protests held in Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408258.html Radical protesters force cancellation of Australian arms fair repost | 07.09.2008 11:11 | Anti-militarism | Other Press | World A MAJOR defence expo due to start in Adelaide on Remembrance Day has been cancelled amid fears of violence by radical protest groups. Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Defence and Security Exhibition made the decision after talks with the State Government and police over planned protest action against the three-day event. Great news for anti-arms fair campaigners and 'feral anarchists' everywhere. SA defence expo cancelled over violence fears from radical groups Article from: Sunday Mail (SA) http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24306242-5006301,00.html NIGEL HUNT September 07, 2008 12:30am A MAJOR defence expo due to start in Adelaide on Remembrance Day has been cancelled amid fears of violence by radical protest groups. Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Defence and Security Exhibition made the decision after talks with the State Government and police over planned protest action against the three-day event. In recent weeks, police have given the Government several confidential briefings on the scale of the planned protests ? including the participation of an ultra-radical group responsible for violence at last year's APEC meeting in Sydney ? and the cost of the huge police operation to counter them. Acting Premier Kevin Foley said yesterday the Government had full confidence in police to manage "these feral anarchists that would be descending on Adelaide" if the event, at the Convention Centre, had proceeded. "However, the organisers had to take into account a number of factors, ranging from security issues as well as the level of support from the Defence Department," he said, also labelling the protesters "feral low-lifes". "We had to weigh up a number of factors and the decision was taken that the cost of security, the possible threats of violence, were risks that on balance the organisers of the event and the Government agreed were not worth proceeding with." Mr Foley said the decision should not be seen as a "victory" for the protest groups because the contacts with manufacturers made so far would be followed up. The APDSE ? an armaments trade fair ? was to be held from November 11-13. The fair was part of a concerted push by the State Government to sell South Australia to the rest of the world as a defence state. The executive director of APDS Exhibition Ltd, Phil Guy, yesterday confirmed the discussions with the Government and police leading up to the decision. "The major issues discussed revolve around public safety, security risk levels and increased costs, plus the Commonwealth's failure to support the event," Mr Guy said. "Earlier this week, SAPOL advised the Government and APDS about issues of public order and security leading up to and during the event. "Police advise that the APDS exhibition is being targeted by highly organised and violent protesters with a history of focusing on similar defence and security events." Sources said the State Government was alerted to the scale of the protests several weeks ago. Police then briefed the Government's Emergency Management Committee on August 28. It is understood further meetings were held between the Premier's office and senior police this week which resulted in the discussions with organisers. Mr Foley was critical of the protest groups, particularly those who resorted to violence. "These are feral, low-life people that want society to be in a state of near anarchy for their own perverse pleasure," he said. "Let's not mince words here. People who say they are anti-war but resort to violence and destruction to put their case are clearly a bunch of people who are dangerous to society. "These are just anarchists that enjoy disrupting civil society. They do not have one fig of credibility." Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Burns yesterday declined to comment, but police sources said senior officers had detailed to the Government the expected scope of the protests ? around 500 protesters ? and the "strong" likelihood of violence erupting. The size and cost of the police operation was also detailed, along with assessments concerning public safety risks and disruption to the city over the period. SAPOL's Protective Security Service command had been planning a massive security operation involving almost 500 police to control the protests. All annual leave for police had been cancelled a month ago for the week of the operation and those involved were having their riot training updated. It is known police had received accurate intelligence on the protesters who would attend, including members of the ultra-militant protest group Mutiny. Mutiny, and another group called Arterial Bloc, were behind the violence at last year's APEC meeting in Sydney and the G20 meeting in Melbourne in 2006. Many other protest groups have been attempting to rally support for their cause in recent weeks by dropping pamphlets at various events in the city. Prior to the event being cancelled, peace activist Jacob Grech from OzPeace told the Sunday Mail he anticipated "around 500" protesters at the event. Mr Grech organised similar protests at Canberra's AIDEX events in 1989 and 1991. The violence at the 1991 event resulted in a third defence expo planned for 1993 being cancelled. He said plans were under way for several busloads of protesters to travel from Melbourne and Sydney and many had intended making their own way to Adelaide. "We have a policy of non-violent direct action," he said. However, Mr Grech confirmed members of the militant Mutiny group were also planning to attend. "I have heard some of them will be coming down from Sydney, but again the nature of the protest is going to be non-violent as far as we can determine," he said. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3604906,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf 30.08.2008 Protesters Demonstrate Against Alleged US Nukes in Germany Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protesters were carefully watched by a large police presence About 2,000 pacifists demonstrated without violence Saturday outside a German Air Force base where they insist 20 US nuclear weapons are stored. The protesters demanded that the weapons be removed from Buechel air base in western and be scrapped. Hundreds of police kept a careful eye on the rally after some demonstrators had threatened to climb the fence and enter the fighter-bomber base. "I never would have thought that Germany would again threaten the world by stationing US nuclear weapons here," said Horst-Eberhard Richter, a member of Germany's pacifist movement. Neither German nor US officials have ever confirmed that the sole remaining US nuclear warheads on German soil are maintained at Buechel by a US Air Force team. Experts, however, say that this is plausible since US nuclear-weapon safety inspectors do make calls at the site. DPA news agency (sms) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080926a3.html Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 Protests greet nuclear carrier at its new home in Yokosuka By JUN HONGO Staff writer YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref. ? The USS George Washington arrived at its new home Thursday, becoming the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward-deployed outside the United States. Greetings: Crew members form the word "Hajimemashite" ("Nice to meet you") on the flight deck of the USS George Washington as it heads into the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Thursday morning. KYODO PHOTO Hundreds of slogan-shouting protesters lined the harbor and took to boats as the giant warship pulled into Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, while flag-waving supporters crowded the dock at the U.S. naval base. The 102,000-ton, 332-meter warship arrived at 10 a.m., greeted by the crew's family members and performances by the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet Band and the Maritime Self-Defense Force band. "It is altogether fitting that a ship bearing the name of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived has been sent to protect one of the greatest relationships America has ever had," U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer said in front of the aircraft carrier during a welcoming ceremony. Secretary of the U.S. Navy Donald Winter expressed gratitude for Japan's cooperation in ensuring regional safety, including its antiterrorism efforts in Afghanistan. "The contributions of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, particularly in your leading role in refueling coalition ships at sea in Operation Enduring Freedom, have been critical" to the global fight against terrorism, Winter said. The George Washington is the fourth U.S. carrier to be stationed in Yokosuka, following the Kitty Hawk, the Midway and the Independence. It is powered by two nuclear reactors and can reach a top speed of more than 30 knots within minutes. The ship's arrival in Japan was delayed by a shipboard fire in May. It carries about 75 aircraft, can accommodate a crew of up to 6,250 and serves 18,000 meals daily, according to the U.S. Navy. Foreign Minister Yasufumi Nakasone welcomed the arrival of the carrier and its positive effect on the Japanese-U.S. alliance. The deployment symbolizes "the firm commitment of the United States to the alliance," Nakasone said in a message. Meanwhile, at nearby Umikaze Park, some 450 people gathered to protest the George Washington's arrival. They shouted "We won't make Yokosuka the base for a war" and held banners reading "No nuclear-powered aircraft carrier." On the sea near the base, some 40 people, some from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa, held a rally using 12 boats. The demonstrators say the ship poses a threat because of its nuclear power plant. They also are opposed to the increase in sailors as a result of the George Washington replacing the older and slightly smaller Kitty Hawk, and say that the carrier could make Yokosuka a target if hostilities break out between the U.S. and another country. Information from Kyodo, AP added http://en.rian.ru/world/20080901/116450879.html U.S. warship met by anti-NATO protests in Ukraine's Sevastopol 18:46 | 01/ 09/ 2008 SEVASTOPOL, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, which arrived on Monday morning at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol where Russia has a naval base, has refused to go ashore amid anti-NATO protests, customs officers said. (U.S. Coastguard cutter Dallas enters Sevastopol Harbor - video) The Dallas, which recently delivered humanitarian aid to Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi, docked at the Crimean port on the invitation of Kiev. The ship was met with thousands of protesters chanting "Yankees go home!" and waving banners with the slogan "NATO Stop!" The area around the ship has been cordoned off by police, with an anti-NATO picket nearby. Ukrainian customs officers who went on board the ship and met with the commander said the U.S. servicemen are refusing to leave the vessel on foot, but that buses could be provided so they can be given a tour of the city. Tensions between Russia and the West have been exacerbated by the build-up in the Black Sea of U.S. and NATO naval vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia. In an apparent response, Russia sent a group of warships last week, including the Moskva missile cruiser, to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia. Russia's Black Sea Fleet uses the Sevastopol base under agreements signed in 1997. Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko announced earlier this year that Ukraine would not extend the lease beyond 2017. Yushchenko signed a decree earlier this month requiring prior notice of all movements by Russian naval vessels and aircraft from the Sevastopol base in the Crimea. The decree is not has not yet come into force, but Russia views it as a provocation and is likely to resist any Ukrainian attempts to restrict the deployment of its navy. http://en.rian.ru/world/20080902/116477984.html U.S. warship leaves Sevastopol after protests 15:05 | 02/ 09/ 2008 SEVASTOPOL, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas left Sevastopol Tuesday morning after anti-NATO protests in Ukraine's Crimean port. (U.S. Coastguard cutter Dallas enters Sevastopol Harbor - video) The Dallas, which recently delivered humanitarian aid to Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi, docked on Monday at the Crimean port, where Russia has a naval base, at the invitation of Kiev. The ship's arrival was met by thousands of anti-NATO protesters chanting "Yankees go home!" and waving banners with the slogan "NATO Stop!" Police cordoned off the area around the ship. Ukrainian customs officers who boarded the ship and met the commander said they had been prepared to lay on buses for the U.S. crew to give them a tour of the city, but apart from a few officers, no one left the vessel. Tensions between Russia and the West have been exacerbated by the build up in the Black Sea of U.S. and NATO naval vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia. In an apparent response, Russia sent a group of warships last week, including the Moskva missile cruiser, to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia. A Russian warship, the Smetlivy patroller, has meanwhile returned to Sevastopol after being involved in peacekeeping operations off the Abkhazian shore, a Russian Black Sea Fleet command source said. "Smetlivy returned to its base this morning. Everyone on board is safe and sound. A group of ships has remained near the Abkhazian shore to ensure the republic's maritime security," the source said. Most of Russia's naval group have returned to the Black Sea bases of Novorossiisk and Sevastopol. After a Russian ship patrolling Abkhazian waters sank a Georgian missile boat during armed conflict last month, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said Russian warships involved in the operation near Georgia could be prohibited from returning to Sevastopol. Russia's Black Sea Fleet uses the Sevastopol base under agreements signed in 1997. Ukrainian pro-NATO President Victor Yushchenko announced earlier this year that Ukraine would not extend the lease beyond 2017. Yushchenko signed a decree last month requiring prior notice of all movements by Russian naval vessels and aircraft from the Sevastopol base in the Crimea. Russia views it as a provocation and is likely to resist any Ukrainian attempts to restrict the deployment of its navy. http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/ukranians-protest-as-russian-warship-returns-1461628.html?r=RSS Ukranians protest as Russian warship returns Saturday August 23 2008 Damien McElroy in Sebastopol Ukrainians staged a protest yesterday as a Russian warship involved in the conflict in Georgia, returned to Ukraine's southern port of Sebastopol, the headquarters of the Black Sea fleet. While quickly snuffed out, the protests demonstrated Sebastopol's emergence as a flashpoint for tensions between Moscow and its former Soviet satellites, in the wake of the Georgian conflict. Mirage, the missile corvette that returned to Sebastopol, was involved in the only reported maritime action of the campaign. It sank a Georgian fast patrol boat that came within range of its guns. Ukraine's president, Victor Yushchenko, condemned the use of vessels based in the Russian concession to provide backup for its assault on Georgia over the disputed enclave of South Ossetia. While Ukraine is powerless to stop Russian movements in Sebastopol, there was a brief stand-off, as one of its ships moved to accompany the Mirage through the harbour. Russia retained a strategic advantage on land as well as sea. Sebastopol and the wider Crimean peninsula are virtual Russian enclaves in Ukraine. The protest erupted at a point where holidaymakers normally walk to the harbour. But the strength of the pro-Russian forces, mobilised to show support for the Mirage, was hardly put to the test by the demonstrators. Oleh Yatshenko, the organiser of the anti-Russian protest, displayed two small cuts on his arm, inflicted by pro-Moscow forces, who pushed their opponents away from the shore and ripped away banners. "What Russia did in Georgia was illegal,'' he said. "We are standing up for our country because they are doing the same thing here.'' Most of Mr Yatshenko's supporters had arrived from the western Ukraine. The group carried banners reading, "Shame'' and "Get out of here!'' Last week, a Ukrainian presidential decree imposed reporting restrictions for Russian naval craft moving through Ukrainian waters. The government also reiterated its determination not to renew Moscow's lease on the port when it is due for renewal in 2017. Kiev has shown no signs of backing down despite a furious Russian reaction, with the foreign minister Volodymyr Ogryzko telling the Izvestia newspaper that its preparations for a withdrawal should have already started. He said: "Russia should already be preparing for the withdrawal of the fleet, which will take place in 2017. Such things do not happen in a day." Russia criticised the dispatch of NATO vessels to the Black Sea to distribute humanitarian aid to Georgia. The deputy chief of the Russian military's general staff, expressed doubts about whether it was necessary to have Nato vessels in the Black Sea. Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn asked: "What for and with what aim?'' (? Daily Telegraph, London) http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2402131,00.html 1000s protest rebel violence 30/09/2008 16:07 - (SA) Lubumbashi - Several thousand people in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo protested on Tuesday against clashes roiling the country's east, in the latest of growing demonstrations against rebel fighters here. Organised by local authorities who promised a paid day off work, the march in the Katanga province capital of Lubumbashi paralysed commercial activity in the city. It marked the latest of mushrooming protests in major towns across the country against fighters loyal to renegade ex-general Laurent Nkunda. Clashes that erupted in August between the rebels and government have forced more than 100 000 people to flee their homes over the past month alone, according to the Red Cross. Katanga's governor Moise Katumbi, who is close to President Joseph Kabila, has called on the government to give its army the means to "neutralise" the rebels and for UN peacekeepers and the international community to help re-establish peace. Clashes between the two sides resumed late in August, violating a peace accord signed at the beginning of the year by all parties in the conflict. - AFP http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=605314 26 die as militants clash with locals in Pakistan`s northwest Posted: 2008/09/06 From: MNN @mathaba | Re-Tweet | FaceBook At least 26 people have been killed and scores others injured as people in a remote town in Pakistan`s northwest revolted against local Taliban, officials said. Clashes erupted late last night in Matta area of restive Swat valley when the locals refused to hand over a local religious scholar to Taliban, they said. The scholar had been critical of Taliban activities in the area and armed Taliban surrounded a village and asked the people to give the man to them. The people from local Gujar tribe rejected Taliban which resulted in a clash and fighting continued till Saturday. Locals said that 20 people and 6 Taliban fighters have been killed so far and exchange of fire continued. This is the first time that the people have shown resistance in Swat valley, where the security forces are engaged in operation against the militants. Both sides used heavy weapons including rockets, witnesses said. They said that security forces also moved to the area to help the people eliminate militants. Hundreds of people have been killed in Swat, a beautiful valley in North West Frontier Province, where a pro-al-Qaeda leader Maualna Fazalullah is leading local militants. Resistance against local Taliban is growing in parts of Pakistan's northwest. Tribesmen in Bajaur region have also stood against Taliban and several were killed and handed over to the authorities. Security forces launched major operation against the militants in Bajaur last month and officials say over 200 militants have been killed so far. In another tribal area Kurrum Agency, over 10 tribes also raised against Taliban as the area have seen deadly clashes over the past few weeks. --IRNA # http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092051570300.htm Karnataka - Hassan Call to observe ?Protest Day? on Thursday Staff Correspondent ________________________________________ Mass dharna to be staged in Parliament House ________________________________________ HASSAN: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Telugu Desam Party, All India Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Janata Dal (S) will observe September 25 as ?Protest Day? throughout the country, CPI(M) district secretary Dharmesh said here on Friday. Mr. Dharmesh said that on September 25, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be visiting Washington to finalise the nuclear deal. ?The deal compromises India?s sovereignty and interests. The Prime Minister has gone back on his promise that he will come back to Parliament after obtaining clearance from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. A Parliamentary session has been convened only from October 17, by when the nuclear deal will have been finalised,? he said. Contempt alleged Mr. Dharmesh said that on September 25, Members of Parliament belonging to all Left parties would hold a mass dharna in Parliament House against what he termed the contempt for, and violation of, democracy. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091856121200.htm National Left, BSP to intensify protest on session Atiq Khan LUCKNOW: The Left and the Bahujan Samaj Party, along with other like-minded parties, will intensify their protest against the Parliament session not being convened by the United Progressive Alliance government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s visit to the United States on September 25 to finalise the nuclear deal. Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Wednesday that a joint announcement in this regard would be made by the Left, the BSP, the Telugu Desam Party, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Jharkhand Vikas Party in Delhi on Friday. Mr. Karat, who was here to attend a two-day State council meeting of the party?s U.P. unit, said he was in touch with the leaders of other parties. He had a telephonic talk with Chief Minister Mayawati on this issue on Wednesday. While denying any discussion on seat-sharing in the State with Ms. Mayawati for the coming Lok Sabha election, he said talks were on between the parties on how to face the election. ?The CPI(M) is trying for an alliance with certain non-Congress and non-BJP parties, but there will be no truck with the parties aligned with the Congress and the BJP.? Critical of the Centre?s failure to adopt a pro-active role in containing the communal violence in Orissa and Mangalore, Mr. Karat said the Centre should have done more to aid and advice the Orissa government. As for Mangalore, he said a more forthright approach was needed. Mr. Karat slammed the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal for their efforts to create communal tension, which seemed to be their ?overall design keeping in mind the Lok Sabha election.? Intelligence failure On containing terrorism, Mr. Karat said a draconian law was not the real issue. Since the October 2005 bomb blasts in Delhi, there have been successive intelligence failures, with the agencies unable to uncover the terror plots. Rather than laws it was the failure of the intelligence and security systems. The BJP?s demand for a law like POTA was an attempt to score a point with the government. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090953120300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protests by BSP, NWKRTC staff Staff Correspondent HUBLI: The city witnessed two protests on Monday ? one by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) against the nuclear deal, and the other by employees of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) against a tabloid. BSP members led by Dharwad district unit president Premanath Chikkatumbal staged a demonstration in front of the B.R. Ambedkar statue near the Head Post Office, accusing the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party of conspiring to prevent a Dalit woman from becoming the country?s Prime Minister. The protesters said that the nuclear deal were against the interests of the country. They released a booklet on why the nuclear deal is detrimental to the country and what its impact will be on the people of the country. Ban sought Employees of the NWKRTC urged Governor Rameshwar Thakur to ban a Kannada tabloid carrying crime news, published from Bangalore. Its editor and reporters were resorting to blackmail, and publishing concocted stories to tarnish the image of the employees of the corporation who refused to pay them, the protesters alleged. They urged the Governor to arrest the editor and reporters of the tabloid, and file criminal cases. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100559150300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore CPI(M) protests against nuclear deal Staff Correspondent ?India has nothing to lose? ________________________________________ India is said to have been barred from conducting tests ?Deal will jeopardise country?s internal security? ________________________________________ MANGALORE: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) observed a ?black flag day? in the city on Saturday to protest against the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, supposed to be signed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The signing of the deal did not go through as announced. It has been put off. ?Truth is out? Addressing the party workers here, its district secretary B. Madhava said: ?The truth is now out. A string of top U.S. officials, including Condoleezza Rice, have confirmed that the nuclear deal between the two countries will be off if India decides to carry out nuclear tests.? ?Misleading people? Criticising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh he said: ?The Prime Minister and leaders of the Congress party have been constantly misleading the people about the nuclear deal.? Sovereignty at stake The country?s sovereignty had been compromised by the deal. It would be interesting to know what the Prime Minister had to say, now that the truth was out, he said. Imapact Stating that certain tenets of the 123 agreement and the overriding influence of the Hyde Act would put the country?s foreign and defence policy in a tight corner for as long as the deal was in operation, Mr. Madhava said: ?India has everything to lose with this agreement while America will gain another military base to help further its imperialist aspirations.? He said that an American military strain in India would severely and adversely alter the fragile geopolitics of the Asia Pacific region. Misconception ?But, despite the monstrosities that the deal is going to wreak on the country and the region, it is amazing how the Prime Minister and the Congress party are seeing the deal as an emblem of their victory,? he said. ?It is a decoy? Mr. Madhava said that the reason for the jubilation in the Congress party was that the deal itself was never the sole objective of the party. ?The deal is just a decoy. The main aim is to pave way for a Indo-U.S. strategic alliance by which the U.S. will have more direct participation in the internal affairs of the country,? Mr. Madhava said. Power generation He rubbished the argument that the nuclear deal would allow for a capacity increase in power generation in the country. ?The country will be able to add only 20,000 MW of electricity through nuclear power, as and when generated, and even that will take as long as 2020 to fructify,? Mr. Madhava added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100551990300.htm Andhra Pradesh Protest staged VIZIANAGARAM: Leaders and cadres of CPI and CPI (M) on Saturday sported black badges and organised rasta-roko at the RTC complex here in protest against nuclear deal. P. Kameswara Rao, CPI secretary demanded that the agreement be scrapped. Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/001200810041332.htm CPI, CPI(M) form human chain protesting Rice's visit Vijayawada (PTI): City units of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party Marxist (CPM) on Saturday organised a human chain at low bridge centre in a town here as part of a protest against the nuclear deal. The Left parties have organised a blockade here protesting against the visit by U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is in New Delhi on Saturday. The agitation was led by CPI City Unit Secretary K Subbaraju and CPM City Unit Secretary R Raghju. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0810010627132831.htm Left parties decide to observe "Black Day" in protest against Indo-US nuclear deal New Delhi, Oct 1, IRNA India-US Nuclear-Black Day Left parties have decided to observe October 4 as "Black Day" when India and the US sign the nuclear deal. "In order to protest against the signing of the nuclear deal during Condoleezza Rice's visit on 4th October, the Left parties call for the observance of a `Black Day' against this surrender to US imperialism", said a statement issued by Left parties in New Delhi. A joint statement by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)(CPI-M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Rashtriya Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc (FB) alleged that the agreement includes all retrograde provisions of the Hyde Act which puts further constraints on full civilian nuclear cooperation. It said the activists of the Left Parties will observe the day by hoisting black flags, organizing demonstrations and wearing black badges. The Left has also asked other democratic parties and organisations to join in the united protest against the Manmohan Singh government's "betrayal of India's sovereign interests". "The US Congress is adopting a legislation approving the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement and the act to be adopted by the Senate includes all the retrograde provisions of the Hyde Act and also puts further constraints on full civilian nuclear cooperation in India," the statement said. The Left parties said the Indo-US nuclear agreement provided for no assurance of uninterrupted fuel supply to India, no provision for strategic fuel reserves and no transfer of nuclear technology. It also included steps to be taken against Iran. "Any self-respecting government would have refused to sign the deal and operationalize it after this," the statement said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/28/stories/2008092852170300.htm Karnataka - Belgaum CPI, NFIW activists protest against nuclear deal Staff Correspondent Belgaum: Activists of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) on Saturday staged a demonstration and organised ?rasta roko? at Rani Chennamma Circle here to protest against the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal and ?failure? of the Congress-led UPA Government to control inflation. They also protested against the ?failure? of the State Government to prevent attacks on churches and Christian prayer halls. The protesters was led by CPI State executive council member A.R. Vijay Kumar, district secretary and the former Mayor Nagesh Sateri, NFIW State unit president Parimala Vijay Kumar and district unit president Milan Rajput. They formed a human chain and blocked vehicular traffic at the circle for some time shouting slogans against the Union Government for going ahead with the nuclear deal ignoring protests across the country. Mr. Vijaykumar said the Government?s ?pro-imperialist? policies and inefficient management of resources had put the ?aam admi? (common man) in distress and misery. Successive governments had failed to check corruption in the distribution of ration cards, the protesters said. The protesters also drew attention of the Belgaum City Corporation to the bad condition of several roads here. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the Government in this regard. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080929/jsp/nation/story_9900715.jsp Karat cry for protest SHEENA K Firebrand: Prakash Karat Raipur, Sept. 28: US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice will face CPM heat during her proposed visit to India in the first week of October to operationalise the nuclear deal. ?We have come to know that Rice is arriving on October 3 or 4, and the party is planning to lodge a protest against her visit that is aimed to sign the 123 Agreement,? said CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today. The CPM will be calling a meeting of ?like-minded? parties soon in New Delhi to give final shape to the strategy. ?After discussion with other parties, we will disclose the nuclear deal protest details,? Karat said. The party would, however, not invite the BJP for the meeting. The CPM boss said the protest would be nationwide and the party could observe a ?black day? on the day Rice signs the agreement. The CPM leader also added that he was ?hopeful? that Tata Motors would decide to stay in Bengal and said that the ball was in Tata?s court now. ?Now, it?s not up to us. Tata Motors will take the final call,? Karat said today, when asked that the party leadership thought of the Bengal agitation. ?The Bengal government has done all that it could do,? Karat said. The CPM general-secretary said the Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was making last-ditch efforts to retain the project and had written letter to Ratan Tata, who had agreed for parleys. ?The youth in Bengal are reeling under the unemployment problem,? Karat said, adding that only big industrial projects, such as the Tata?s Singur plant, could address the problem and the government understands that well. Talking about the issue of land, the Left leader pointed out that in the past 25 years, the CPM government has distributed 11 lakh acres to the land-less people in the state. ?It is because of the state?s strong land reforms that Naxalites did not get room to grow in Bengal. Now, the rebels are coming in from the neighbouring states; committing crime and then returning to their states,? Karat said. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/24ndeal5.htm N-deal: Left to observe protest day September 24, 2008 16:24 IST The Left and other supporting parties will observe a protest day on Wednesday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] will meet US president George W Bush [Images] in Washington to "formalise" the 123 Agreement. The CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc, TDP and JD(S) will hold two protests in the national capital -- one at Parliament House and the other at Jantar Mantar -- to highlight its objection to the agreement which they claimed will compromise India's sovereignty and vital interests. "The prime minister has gone back on his assurance that he will come back to Parliament after getting the clearance from the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. "Parliament has been convened only on October 17, well after the nuclear deal will be sealed in Washington," the parties said. Besides rallies and demonstrations across the country, the MPs of these parties would also hold a mass dharna in the Parliament House premises against "the gross contempt and violation of parliamentary democracy." "The refusal to call Parliament comes at a time when the country has suffered a series of terrorist blasts, attacks on Christian minorities, continuing price rise and adverse impact of the US financial crisis," the parties said. They said the protest day was being planned against "the signing of the nuclear deal and the bypassing of Parliament". The protest actions would be held across the country against "this surrender to the United States". Interestingly, the Bahujan Samaj Party, which also came together on a joint platform with all these parties last month, is not among the signatories to the joint statement. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092657491200.htm Nuclear deal: Left, BSP, JD(S) stage protests Special Correspondent Senate panel?s stand exposes Manmohan?s claim on 123 pact: Karat NEW DELHI: The Left parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday staged protests here against the United Progressive Alliance government for not holding the Parliament session and going ahead with the civil nuclear agreement with the United States. MPs belonging to these parties staged a sit-in on the steps of the main entrance to Parliament House stating that the government should have convened the House at a time when the people were facing serious problems. They said issues such as the terror strikes, attacks on Christian minorities, continuing price rise and the impact of the U.S. financial crisis should have been discussed. Holding placards and raising slogans, the MPs also protested against the government?s decision to carry forward the nuclear agreement. The parties said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went back on his assurance that he would come back to Parliament after getting clearances from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Parliament is scheduled to meet only on October 17. The protest was also held to coincide with Dr. Singh?s meeting with President George Bush in Washington on Thursday (early Friday morning here). A kilometre away from Parliament House, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, his AIFB counterpart Debabrata Biswas and CPI national secretary Amarjit Kaur addressed members of the Left parties staging a protest at Jantar Mantar. Hyde Act Mr. Karat said the argument by the government that India would only be bound by the 123 Agreement stood exposed with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee insisting that the Henry J. Hyde Act would be supreme. Besides terminating the agreement and recalling the equipment sold by the U.S. in the event of India testing again, the stipulations include that the U.S. could ask other member-countries of the NSG to adopt similar measures. War on terror Mr. Biswas said the Left stand against the nuclear agreement now stood vindicated. What was more worrying was that India would be roped in to engage with the U.S. in its war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said India was insulated from the impact of the American financial crisis due to the consistent stand adopted by the Left parties against the opening up of the financial sector. http://news.oneindia.in/2008/08/20/bharat-bandh-demonstration-in-orissa-assembly-1219248245.html August 20, 2008 > Full Story Bharat bandh demonstration in Orissa Assembly Wednesday, August 20 2008 21:11 (IST) Subscribe to Newsletter Bhubaneswar, Aug 20 (UNI) The Left wing trade unions-sponsored 24-hour nationwide strike to protest the Union government's 'anti-people' economic policies and the Indo-US Nuke deal had an echo in the Orissa Assembly today. CPI member N Narayan Reddy, CPI(M) member Laxman Munda and Independent member Sambhunath Naik with posters supporting the bandh entered the well of the House during question ours and shouted slogans against the Union government. The Marshal managed to snatch a poster from CPI(M) member Laxman Munda, but CPI member Narayan Reddy refused to give away the posters. The three members sat on a dharna for some time inside the well and later staged a walkout after making a few rounds around the reporters' table. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092653540300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur TDP, Left parties protest against nuclear deal Staff Reporter ________________________________________ UPA government mortgaging the country?s interests, say protesters ________________________________________ ANANTAPUR: Activists of the TDP, CPI, CPI (M) and Praja Rajyam staged a protest against the Centre?s nuclear agreement with the US here on Thursday saying it meant mortgaging the country?s interests. They also burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, presently on a visit to the US, to push through deal in its final stage. Leaders and activists of the TDP took out a procession from the party office to Sapthagiri Circle and the Left parties took out another procession from Tower Clock to Sapthagiri Circle demanding immediate withdrawal from the deal. They also demanded resignation of the Prime Minister. K. Srinivasulu and K. M. Saifullah of TDP, D. Jagadish of CPI and G. Obulakonda Reddy of CPI(M) alleged that the Prime Minister was longing to see through the deal which would be most dangerous politically and most disadvantageous technologically. They alleged that the Prime Minister was mortgaging the country to the US by sticking with the deal even after the US President told the US Congress that Indian government would act according to the US interests. In Kurnool, the supporters of the TDP, CPI(M) and CPI took out a rally against the nuclear deal. TDP district president Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy, CPI leader Jagannatham and CPI(M) district secretary T. Shadrak said the deal would be detrimental to the interests of the country. Demonstrations held In Tirupati, the Joint Action Committee of the non-Congress parties comprising the CPI, the CPI (M), the TDP and the RPI held angry demonstration outside the Municipal Corporation building protesting against the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington to sign the nuclear deal with the US government. The Left parties? leaders criticised the UPA government for signing the nuclear deal when there were more serious issues staring the nation such as spiralling prices, agrarian crisis, terrorism, communal disturbances, floods, etc. Among those who addressed the gathering were the CPI(M) State committee leader Somaiah, K. Kumar Reddy of CPI(M), P. Harinadha Reddy (CPI), Narasimha Yadav (TDP). http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/13/america/NA-Canada-Anti-War-Protests.php Canadians march to support American war resisters The Associated Press Published: September 14, 2008 TORONTO: Members of anti-war organizations held demonstrations across Canada in support of American war resisters. Protesters marched outside government buildings Saturday to draw attention to American war resister Jeremy Hinzman's upcoming deportation from Canada on Sept. 23. The protest was part of a Canadian day of action to support American soldiers seeking refugee status in Canada as conscientious objectors against the Iraq War. Twelve former United States soldiers are seeking refugee status in Canada. Robin Long became the first American resister to the Iraq war to be removed by Canadian authorities in July. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/09/14/war-resisters-rally.html?ref=rss Vote to let war resisters stay: protesters Last Updated: Sunday, September 14, 2008 | 12:14 PM MT Comments130Recommend76 CBC News Protesters gathered outside Edmonton City Hall on Saturday, urging people to vote for parties supporting asylum for American soldiers who come to Canada to avoid fighting in the Iraq war. About 20 rallies from British Columbia to Newfoundland were held to support American soldiers seeking refugee status as conscientious objectors against the war in Iraq. Protesters said the Conservatives are the only party that supports sending war resisters back to the U.S., while the opposition parties all supported a non-binding motion passed in the House of Commons in June to allow American war resisters to stay. Peggy Morton, who was at the rally in Edmonton, said it's against Canadian values to send the soldiers home. "They have refused to return to Iraq or serve in Iraq because of their conviction that they cannot participate in war crimes, in crimes against humanity and crimes against the peace," Morton said. "It's unconscionable that they not be permitted to stay in Canada as refugees. What better reason is there than that?" Morton said she was surprised the Conservatives have refused to allow war resisters to stay, since opinion polls show most Canadians support granting war resisters asylum. There are an estimated 200 U.S. war resisters in Canada. Pte. Robin Long, the first to be deported, was sentenced to 15 months in jail upon his return to Colorado. The Edmonton rally was organized by the Council of Canadians and the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism. http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dawn/2142 October 2, 2008 'Spirit Train' protests continue towards the East Activists in Edmonton interrupted the 2010 Olympics Spirit Train stop-off there on September 29th. Their actions came on the heels of a protest in Vancouver that marked the launch of the train. Vancouver's Olympics Resistance Network has called for mobilization as the train travels east. A smaller demonstration against the Spirit Train took place in Calgary. In Sudbury, the local Coalition Against War and Occupation (SAWO) is planning to protest the train as it rolls through on October 11th. The train's last stop will be in Montr?al on October 18th. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/377376/1/.html Thousands in France, Germany, protest Afghan deployment Posted: 21 September 2008 0633 hrs German soldiers serving with the International Security Asisstance Force (ISAF) patrol Kabul BERLIN - Thousands of people in France and Germany took to the streets on Saturday calling for soldiers deployed in Afghanistan to be brought home, police and march organisers said. Both countries have parliamentary votes coming up on the issue. More than 5,000 people took to the streets Saturday in Berlin and Stuttgart to protest against the decision to prolong the deployment of German troops in Afghanistan, police from both cities said. Demonstrators, who had been mobilised by 250 pacifist groups and trade union organisations, carried banners with slogans including "Give peace a chance - Bring the troops back from Afghanistan." At least 3,300 people rallied in Berlin and a further 2,000 in Stuttgart, although the event organisers put the total figure at 7,000 people. In France, marches calling for the recall of French troops in Afghanistan took place in about 10 towns across the country, organised by political activists, trades unions and several left-wing opposition political parties. In Paris, where the biggest march took place, 3,000 people took part in a march -- 2,000 according to police. Opposition parties backing the demonstrations included the Greens, the Communist Party, and the far left Revolutionary Communist League. The march took place two days ahead of a parliamentary vote on the France's deployment in Afghanistan. Germany has roughly 3,500 soldiers deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), stationed in Kabul and in the north of Afghanistan. That figure is set to rise to 4,500 in the coming months, subject to a vote on October 7 in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament. Since 2002 about 30 German troops have died there and public support for their continued deployment has diminished over the years. France has 3,000 troops serving with the 70,000-strong international force fighting the revived Taliban. On August 18, 10 French soldiers were killed in an ambush east of Kabul. France has lost a total of 24 soldiers in Afghanistan, where its troops are serving in the NATO-led ISAF force. - AFP /ls http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3659675,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf | 20.09.2008 | 21:00 UTC Demonstrations for German troop withdrawal from Afghanistan Over 5,000 people have participated in peaceful rallies in Berlin and Stuttgart to protest Germany's military role in Afghanistan. The gatherings were organised by a collective of some 250 peace groups under the slogan: "Give peace a chance, troops out of Afghanistan." The German parliament is set to renew the Afghan deployment in October, extending the mandate by 15 months and increasing the maximum troop level by 1,000 to 4,500. Currently about 3,300 German soldiers are serving in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Germany has lost about 30 troops in Afghanistan since 2002, the year after the Taliban regime was removed in a US-led invasion. http://www.workers.org/2008/world/germany_1009/ 10,000 in Germany protest Afghanistan war Published Oct 4, 2008 12:01 AM Photo: Gabriele Senft More than 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Germany?s capital Berlin and the southern metropolis Stuttgart on Sept. 17 to demand the withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan. All surveys and opinion polls show that a majority of people living in Germany oppose the country?s massive participation in the illegal occupation of Afghanistan, although only a minority in the Bundestag (Parliament) reflect this position. Here, the demonstrators from the Left Party carry a banner that reads: ?Federal Army out of Afghanistan.? Many of the NATO countries are participating in the occupation of Afghanistan, even if their governments refused to join the occupation of Iraq or have withdrawn from Iraq. In these countries the anti-war movement focuses on demands that the troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Beside this protest in Germany, there is another set for Canada, whose troops have taken relatively heavy casualties. The Canadian Peace Alliance and Collectif ?chec ? la Guerre are calling for a pan-Canadian day of action on Oct. 18 to end the war in Afghanistan and bring Canadian troops home. ?John Catalinotto ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/09/2008920225034797740.html French protest Afghan deployment There are nearly 7,000 French and German troops in Afghanistan [EPA] Thousands of people have marched in France against the continuing deployment of troops in Afghanistan. Political activists, trade unions and several left-wing opposition political parties organised marches in 10 towns across France on Saturday The largest march occurred in Paris, with two to three thousand people attending. It comes two days before a parliamentary vote on the positioning of France's troops in Afghanistan. Germany protests More than 5,000 people also took part in protests in the German cities of Berlin and Stuttgart, demanding that troops be brought home from the central Asian nation. About 250 pacifist groups and trade union organisations had organised the demonstrations. About 3,300 people marched in Berlin and another 2,000 in Stuttgart, although the organisers said a total of 7,000 people had took part. 'Give peace a chance' Demonstrators carried banners with slogans including "Give peace a chance - Bring the troops back from Afghanistan." Jens-Peter Steffen, who helped organise the Berlin rally, said: "There's another strategy for peace in Afghanistan that doesn't involve a military, and that strategy needs to be employed." The German parliament is also going to a vote on October 7 on whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan. France has more than 3,000 troops in Afghanistan with the 70,000 capita Nato-led force there. Germany has about 3,500 soldiers in the country. Germany has lost about 30 German troops in Afghanistan since 2002 and France a total of 24 soldiers in the country. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=606747 ________________________________________ Anti-war protest precedes UK`s annual Labour conference Posted: 2008/09/20 From: MNN Peace campaigners were gathering in Manchester, north-west England, Saturday, to stage a protest against the cost of the gov`t war policies ahead of Labour`s annual conference. "War in the Caucasus has highlighted the growing danger of war spreading," said former veteran Labour cabinet minister Tony Benn, who is president of the Stop the War Coalition (STWC), organizing the demonstration. "Seven years after the start of the war on terror, occupation continues to bring misery to Iraq and Afghanistan but the consequences of the war are spreading," Benn said. "US policy of expanding NATO eastwards has been an important feature of the conflict between Russia and Georgia, as has the west's desire to control the oil and other natural resources of the region," he warned. Under the banner of Troops Out, the demonstration was highlighting that while the Iraq war is a "continuing disaster," violence in Afghanistan has reached its "worst level" since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001. "Politicians and generals talk up the success of the 'surge', but Iraqis are still dying in large numbers every week. People lack clean water, electricity, and a working health system because the country has been wrecked by occupation," STWC said. It pointed out that the majority of Iraqis want foreign troops to go, but said the "US and its allies are insisting on permanent military bases and the US control of Iraqi oil." In its leaflet, Britain's network peace group also said that in Afghanistan, people were being told it was a "good war" but that the facts on the ground "tell a different story." "The number of civilian casualties is mounting as bombing raids are stepped up. No reconstruction is taking place. More and more British troops are dying as resistance grows," it said. STWC described the policies of the ruling Labour Party, ahead of the start of its conference on Sunday, as a "disgrace," saying it was still supporting the wars at a time when Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to schedule getting the troops out of Iraq. "The billions being spent on war could be used to invest in housing, pensions and services," it said. Some have accused the billions being spent by both US and Britain as being at least partly responsible for the global economic crisis. --IRNA # http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/special_reports/conference/s/1067715_thousands_stage_antiwar_protest?rss=yes Thousands stage anti-war protest 20/ 9/2008 THOUSANDS of anti-war demonstrators staged a noisy protest outside the Labour Party conference calling on Gordon Brown to end the 'catastrophic' conflict in Iraq and withdraw British troops. Students, pensioners and peace activists joined a march through Manchester to deliver another anti-war message to the government. Leaders of the Stop The War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament held up a giant banner which read 'troops out' at the head of the march, which organisers said was joined by at least 5,000 people. Scores of police officers, some on horseback, were on duty as the protesters walked towards the conference centre. A letter was handed in to a Labour Party official explaining that the demonstration was in protest at the government's foreign policy which organisers said merely followed that of the US administration. The letter read: "We urge you to deliver on your commitment to withdraw all British troops from the illegal and catastrophic occupation of Iraq. "We also urge you to recognise that the occupation of Afghanistan has involved Britain in an unwinnable and devastating war in a country where the population is clearly opposed to our presence." Lindsey German, convener of the coalition which signed the letter, said: "Seven years after the war in Iraq a number of flash points have flared up in the Middle East, South Asia and now the Caucuses. "Britain's role in the world has become dangerous and to criticise Russia for taking military action in Georgia is breathtakingly hypocritical." Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND, said: "We are here to tell the government that we want a foreign policy based on peace not war. "We want our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan and we are appalled at the prospect of the further spread of war. "Most people around the world want peace but our government plans war policies. Change is needed." Members of the Military Families Against The War whose relatives have been killed or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan were also at the head of the march. It was the 21st national demonstration organised by the anti-war groups. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35944 Stop The War Coalition Demonstration in Manchester on September 20th Submitted by Chip on Thu, 2008-09-11 19:11. ? Activism ? General Discussion ? Nonviolent Resistance ? Organizing Locally Stop The War Coalition Demonstration in Manchester on September 20th What will British foreign secretary David Miliband say in his speech to Labour's annual conference in Manchester? It's all too predictable. 'We' are 'winning' in Iraq, making 'progress' in Afghanistan, defending 'democracy' in Georgia, confronting Iran to protect world 'security' and waging endless war against 'global terrorism'. 'We' stand "shoulder to shoulder" with George Bush and whoever his successor may be in following slavishly wherever US foreign policy takes 'us'. There will be no place in Miliband's speech for the views of the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and anywhere else that the Bush wars have brought, or threaten to bring, mass slaughter and destruction. Only last weekend a mass demonstration of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad to call for all foreign troops to get out of Iraq, confirming country wide polls which show this to be the view of an overwhelming majority. And David Miliband will not have a word to say about the large majorities in both Britain and the United States who have consistently opposed the warmongering carried out in their name and insisted that the US and British troops all be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. David Miliband, Gordon Brown and the rest of the Labour government, who have so seamlessly adopted the war policies of Tony Blair, hope that the ever dutiful mainstream media will help delude people in this country into believing that 'we' are 'winning' and making 'progress' in our support for illegal invasions. This is why Stop the War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative are organising a demonstration at the Labour Party conference in Manchester on Saturday 20 September, to ensure that the voice of the anti-war majority that opposes the government's warmongering is prominently represented. Please publicise the details of the demonstration as widely as you can and join us in Manchester on 20 September. Leaflets are available for downloading or from the Stop the War national office. Transport details for protestors travelling to Manchester from outside London are available on the Stop the war website or by calling 020 7278 6694. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2404448,00.html Protests planned over carrier 04/10/2008 17:21 - (SA) Capetonians have been doing their best to photograph the carrier, anchored outside of Table Bay. This photo was taken from sightseeing boat in the harbour. (Richard Thornton, News24 User) Cape Town - The USS Theodore Roosevelt - a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - has made an overnight arrival in Table Bay harbour, but not everyone has welcomed its presence. According to Talk Radio, Earthlife Africa and The Anti-War Coalition have planned demonstration at the V&A Waterfront on Saturday. They are reportedly protesting against the arrival of the Roosevelt, and its support ship the USS Monterey, in South African waters. Shaheed Mohamed of the Anti-War Coalition said his organisation was concerned South Africa is being used by the US government in the war effort, citing five different US war ships currently in the Western Cape. "This is a warship that has been used to launch the invasion of Afghanistan. Secondly it's been used to launch the invasion of Iraq in 2003." There are also concerns about the nuclear reactor used to power the carrier. The National Nuclear Regulator gave permission for the carrier to drop anchor in Table Bay several days ago, despite objection from Earthlife Africa. A spokesperson for the regulator, Tim Hill, said on Wednesday that the license granted for the visit obliged the applicants - the SA and US navies - to observe safe operating procedures. It also called for an emergency plan devised by the City of Cape Town to be operational. Radiation monitoring would be done using existing detectors set up to monitor Koeberg power station. Despite the planned protests, Capetonians of all ages have made their way to several vantage points along the coast to photograph the carrier. The carrier, built in the early 80s, carries a crew of about 3 200, with another 2 480 members of the air wing, plus 85 aircraft. It spans 332 metres - roughly three times the length of Newlands Rugby stadium. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/162091.html US-Pakistanis protest against drone attacks NEW YORK: A group of Pakistani-Americans held a protest at a crowded Times Square on Sunday, against unilateral United States military attacks in Pakistani territory. ?Violence breeds violence,? the protesters shouted, carrying placards calling on the US to respect Pakistan?s sovereignty. The demonstration, which lasted for about an hour, was organised by student activists and human rights bodies, including the Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum. app http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35962 Gold Star Families Protest Bush - McCain Event Submitted by Chip on Fri, 2008-09-12 18:00. Gold Star Families Protest Bush - McCain Event in Oklahoma City, Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 Three Gold Star parents will protest President George W. Bush's visit to Oklahoma City on Friday, September 12. The event is being held to raise money for Republican candidate John McCain and the Republican National Committee. Warren Henthorn, of Choctaw, Kay Henthorn, of Oklahoma City and John Scripsick of Wayne, OK. consider it their patriotic responsibility to show up to ask questions of President Bush about his mishandling of the war that cost their son's lives. In desperate economic times, many people, who do not have family members or friends serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, are paying little attention to the killing and suffering that is taking place on a daily basis so far across the world. The fundraiser, being held on the northeast side of Oklahoma City at a private home, will give those attending the opportunity to donate $5,000 to have their photograph taken to memorialize their support of George Bush. These Gold Star families will not be donating or attending, but will be speaking out against the war which they say is both illegal and immoral and should be brought to an end. Their concern is for the other troops serving, those who will be deployed in the future and those returning, who are seeking medical care, along with the families that also undergo the hardships of war. Henthorn and Scripsick have sought the advice of legal council to make sure their first amendment rights are secure and observed in demonstrating that morning at the event which takes place at 9200 N. Sooner Road, near Britton Road. They plan on arriving at 9:00 am as the doors open at 10:00 am and will close at 11:00 am. "I?m sure standing on a corner this Friday, outside the fundraiser, will not get my questions answered. But maybe the right person will hear the message. I do know that doing nothing will produce nothing." Scripsick stated. John Scripsick recently observed the one year memorial of his son?s death on September 6, 2007. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/presidentbush/2008/09/arrest-bush-che.html Anti-war veterans unfurl 'Arrest Bush/Cheney' banner at National Archives At 7:30 a.m. this morning, they climbed a nine-foot fence to occupy a 35-foot-high ledge at the National Archives. And five members of the Veterans for Peace organization have been there ever since. They say they're veterans of Vietnam and Iraq, anti-war activists, and soldiers for a cause who plan to fast for 24 hours in protest of the Bush administration. Seeking the criminal prosecution of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the organization distributed "Citizens' Arrest Warrants" to tourists waiting in line to enter the archives, which houses the key documents of U.S. history: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In a press release, the group described the reasons for its protest: Bush and Cheney?s serial abuse of the law of the land clearly marks them as domestic enemies of the Constitution. They have illegally invaded and occupied Iraq, deliberately destroyed civilian infrastructure, authorized torture, and unlawfully detained prisoners. These actions clearly mark them as war criminals. Accountability extends beyond impeachment to prosecution for war crimes even after their terms of office expire.... We are not conducting ourselves in a disorderly manner; our action is well-ordered and well-considered. We are not trespassing; we have come to the home of our Constitution to honor our oath to defend it. So far, authorities have not interfered with the peaceful protest or the sign. Yes, there's a sign. A 22-foot-by-x8-foot banner draped across the Constitution Avenue side of the archives says, ?DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION. ARREST BUSH AND CHENEY: WAR CRIMINALS!? http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/15/2364264.htm Sri Lankan protesters block UN withdrawal Posted Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:00am AEST The United Nations in Sri Lanka says hundreds of protesters are continuing to block UN offices inside rebel-held territory in the north, preventing its workers from leaving the area. A spokesman for the UN said the pullout was temporarily being held up by the protests, but the agency's intention was to comply with the Government order to withdraw. The UN began withdrawing a few days ago after the Government said it could not guarantee the safety of aid workers because of increased fighting near the main rebel-held town of Kilinochchi. - BBC http://article.wn.com/view/2008/09/07/UP_students_stage_dance_protest_vs_Gloria_s_Chacha/ UP students stage dance protest vs Gloria?s Cha-cha The Daily Tribune By Pat C. Santos 09/07/2008 Christian and Muslim students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman launched a dance protest last Sept. 4 against the plan of Malaca?ang to pursue the change in the form of government amid the escalation of war in Mindanao. http://kilusan.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=189:up-students-dance-against-cha-cha-&catid=12:youth-a-students&Itemid=68 UP Students Dance Against Cha-Cha Kilusan News posted by administrator QUEZON CITY ? Amidst the escalation of conflict between the GRP and the MILF in Mindanao, and the Arroyo administration's attempts to railroad Charter Change, students from the University of the Philippines Diliman show their protest in a unique way--through a dance competition. In a protest action and dance competition spearheaded by the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP), students from various colleges in UP Diliman converged at the Palma Hall steps to witness the first ever "Dance Against Cha-cha" to express their unity against opportunistic moves by the government to use the Mindanao conflict as a scapegoat to push for Charter Change. Amidst watching and participating in dance events like the Jive, Cha-cha, and crumping, the students also gathered in protest to stand with the Bangsamoro people's struggle for their right to self-determination and peace. "This is our unique way of saying, we don't want Cha-Cha and we literally stomp our feet in protest," said Terry Ridon, spokesperson for STAND-UP. "We believed this is just a vain and self-centered attempt by the Arroyo regime to perpetuate itself in power and to continue its corrupt and repressive policies against the people." "The Bangsamoro people, alongside their Lumad and Christian counterparts, have long been suffering from Arroyo's schemes to ensure her political survival," STAND-UP deputy secretary-general Fudge Tajar states. "It is already apparent that the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between her regime and the MILF is no more than a smokescreen for Charter Change. Cha-Cha shall ostensibly commence the shift to federalism to accommodate the demands of the Bangsamoro people's call for autonomy, but it shall only help perpetuate the Arroyo regime in power further than 2010." "Mindanao cannot achieve genuine peace and autonomy under the US-Arroyo regime. The tally of human violations committed by government forces against the Bangsamoro people and Arroyo's manipulation of anti-Moro hysteria are but testaments to the government's insincerity in granting the Muslims the community they envision," Tajar says. Further, the students lambast the Arroyo regime for pitting the Bangsamoro and the Christian people against each other as yet another diversionary tactic to obscure the intensifying cries for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's ouster. Tajar states, "We, mga Iskolar ng Bayan, will never condone the atrocities Arroyo and her cohorts have committed against the people. While we unite with the Bangsamoro people's quest for genuine autonomy and peace, we also seek Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's ouster as instrumental to ending both the Bangsamoro people and the Filipino people's plight." ### http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-23-voa21.cfm Protesters Demand Russia's Withdrawal from Georgia's Black Sea Port By VOA News 23 August 2008 Georgian protestors shout anti Russian slogans at the entrance of the Black Sea port city of Poti, western Georgia, 23 Aug 2008 Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti, demanding the withdrawal of Russian forces from the city. They chanted "Russians Go Home" to protest checkpoints set up by Russian troops in armored personnel carriers. No direct confrontation was reported. Moscow says it has fulfilled terms of a French-brokered peace deal with Tbilisi. But, in addition to Poti, Russian troops continue to patrol some key areas outside the so-called "security zones" where Russia claims it has the right to station troops in Georgia. Those areas include the aviation base at Senaki and parts of a major highway connecting Tbilisi with the Black Sea coast. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn addresses the media in Moscow Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said Saturday the continued presence of Russian troops deep in Georgian territory is not breaking the cease-fire that Moscow and Tbilisi signed earlier this month. He said Georgia's special services are preparing further military action in South Ossetia, and the Russian troops are in key positions to ensure peace. Nogovitsyn also objected to an increased presence of NATO ships in the Black Sea. He said Russia could increase the size of its force in Georgia if the United States begins to help Georgia rebuild its military. NATO on Friday said its Black Sea deployment was planned long before the outbreak of the Gergian conflict, and that the ships are there for routine exercises. The U.S. military said the USS McFaul, which arrived in the Black Sea on Friday from Greece, is carrying humanitarian aid for Georgia. Another U.S. ship is to follow. A Polish frigate also entered the Black Sea late Friday. In Tbilisi Saturday, Georgian lawmakers voted unanimously to extend emergency wartime powers for President Mikheil Saakashvili for another 15 days. The Georgian military move into South Ossetia earlier this month triggered a massive Russian response, with Moscow sending scores of tanks and thousands of troops into Georgia. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp080906173900.opniqk3fp1&show_article=1 Irish football fans join an anti-Russian demonstration staged by Georgians reisiding in Germany Irish football fans join an anti-Russian demonstration staged by Georgians reisiding in Germany opposite Mainz' main railway station, prior to the Georgia vs. Ireland Football World Cup 2010 group 8 qualifying match. http://en.for-ua.com/news/2008/08/22/131048.html 22 August 2008 | 13:10 Sevastopol holding protest actions against Ukraine?s involvement into military conflicts Representatives of youth public organizations, the National Movement party, the congress of Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian People?s party are holding a protest action in the center of Sevastopol against the Ukraine?s involvement into military conflicts and usage of Russian symbols on he territory of Ukraine. About one thousand representatives of organizations from of Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolayev, Kharkiv and other cities are taking part in the protest action. The participants are holding banners ?Sevastopol is not Tskhinvali?, ?War with Georgia is not a feat, but crime against humanity?, ?Medvedev, Ukraine does not need your peacemakers.? The activists are also distributing papers and photos made in the region of military operations in Georgia. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/01/europe/EU-Georgia-Demonstration.php Vast crowds jam Georgia in protest against Russia The Associated Press Published: September 1, 2008 TBILISI, Georgia: Huge crowds of Georgians surged into the capital's streets Monday to demonstrate against Russia while others gathered at a Russian checkpoint where soldiers are guarding the "security zone" Moscow claimed for itself after last month's war. Large demonstrations also took place in Poti, the Black Sea port city where Russian forces have a checkpoint on the outskirts, and in Gori, which had been bombed and then occupied by Russian forces as fighting spread from the separatist republic of South Ossetia into Georgia proper. Several hundred people marched from Gori to the Russian checkpoint at Karaleti, about four miles (six kilometers) north, where soldiers watched impassively but a tank turret swiveled ominously from behind an earthen fortification. No figures for total turnout nationwide were immediately available, but the television station Rustavi-2 said more than 1 million people participated in the demonstrations that also included the cities of Kutaisi and Zugdidi. The crowd that jammed Tbilisi's main avenue alone appeared to have at least 100,000 people. The demonstration in the capital dispersed by early evening, although horn-honking cars with national flags brandished from the windows continued to cruise the streets. "I'm very proud of my people ... We will be free, we will prevail," Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said amid the clamor at the capital's Freedom Square. "I want to tell the whole world that not only will Russian imperialism not be victorious, but in Georgia the idea of Russian imperialism will be buried once and for all," he said. The demonstration started with hand-holding people forming "human chains" in an echo of the so-called Baltic Chain of 1989, in which residents of then-Soviet Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia stretched the length of their homelands to protest Soviet occupation. A 60-year-old demonstrator, Tengiz Kuparadze, said he had been in Lithuania for that event. "Now, Lithuania has become free; it is a member of the European Union and reliably protected against Russia. Georgia will fight for this, and will win," he said. Underscoring the Baltic example, some demonstrators waved Estonian and Lithuanian flags. At the capital's Orthodox Sameba Cathedral, a soaring structure of peach-colored stone, several thousand demonstrators held hands for nearly an hour, seemingly unwilling to end a gesture that seemed both defiant and aimed at comforting each other. About 50 of them wore traditional warrior costumes of knee-length black tunics and belts from which hung daggers in elaborately filigreed silver scabbards. Then the scene became livelier as long lines of young people holding hands, striding and skipping up the steep streets to the cathedral, shouting the country's name in Georgian: "Sa-kart-ve-lo." The demonstrators in Tbilisi appeared to be largely in high spirits, using the event more as an expression of national pride than of anger. But one group of young people brandished a Russian-language sign warning "Farewell, Unclean Russia." At the Karaleti checkpoint, one demonstrator held a sign reading "Stop Mutant Bear." But for all the verve and unity, some demonstrators questioned whether the day would amount to anything more than a vivid show. "I don't know what this will do ? maybe it will help. We'll see what the summit does," said Rudolf Argasian, a demonstrator at the cathedral. He was referring to the European Union summit Monday that was expected to make strong statements but take little action against Russia. The demonstration stood in contrast to Russia's main media event in the wake of last month's war ? a concert led by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev in the war-battered South Ossetian capital. That concert, though billed as a requiem, had an air of triumphalism and many of the audience members appeared to be listening out of a sense of obligation. The demonstration of unity could help Saakashvili deflect possible opposition criticism. So far, opposition parties have not publicly questioned the wisdom of launching the assault on Tskhinvali on Aug. 7 ? a battle Georgia had no chance of winning ? but the issue seems likely to arise as memories of the war's torments fade. Saakashvili lost much credibility in last fall's crackdown on opposition protests and any significant criticism of his role in the war could quickly catch fire. Georgia's politics are characterized by contentiousness and passion. --- Correspondents Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Raul Gallego in Poti and Vakho Zabashta in Karaleti contributed to this report. http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=331084 Protest against Russian intervention in Georgia staged in Prague published: 01.09.2008, 15:34 | updated: 01.09.2008 15:35:21 Prague- Some 50 people today created a human chain in Prague centre as a protest against the Russian intervention in Georgia. Other protest events against Russian policy are also being staged in various European cities as well as in Tbilisi today when an EU summit in Brussels is debating the stance on the Russian-Georgian conflict. "The situation in our country is terrible not only for Georgia, but also for all civilised countries in the world," said a Georgian post-graduate student in Prague, Zurab Lalijashvili, one of the participants in the human chain today. He carried a Georgian flag on his shoulders. "Russian aggression is not what we want in the 21st century," he added. Jimi Dabrundashvili, from the Samsoblo Georgian association that organised today's event, said the protest should call on the whole world to support Georgia as much as possible and make Russia fulfil all the six points of the ceasefire on which the Russian and French presidents agreed. Samsoblo also held other protest events against the Russian steps in Georgia outside the Russian embassy in Prague in the past days. In reaction to the Russian-Georgian conflict, the Czech cabinet of Mirek Topolanek has supported the territorial integrity of Georgia. Czech diplomacy promotes this position in Brussels today. Czech President Vaclav Klaus, on the contrary says only Georgia, headed by pro-Western President Michail Saakashvili, is to blame for the conflict. Famous Russian journalist Andrei Babitski, who watched the demonstration in Prague, told CTK and public Czech Radio that in his opinion, the South Ossetian leadership had no means to provoke the Russian reaction, and this is why Moscow was responsible for the situation. Russia thereby wanted to prevent Georgia and Ukraine from entering NATO, however it will probably achieve exactly the opposite, he added. "I think that Russia has miscalculated [the situation] since the right of the strongest is not accepted so unanimously any more," Babitski said. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1220300223.37/ Georgians stage mass protest against Russia 01 September 2008, 23:00 CET (TBILISI) - Waving giant European Union flags and angrily denouncing Russia's leaders, huge crowds of Georgians filled the streets on Monday to protest against the Russian military presence in their country. In what Georgian officials said was the biggest protest in the ex-Soviet republic's history, tens of thousands formed a gigantic human chain through the capital Tbilisi and staged similar demonstrations nationwide. The rally -- which in Tbilisi took on a triumphant air -- coincided with an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels intended to respond to Russia's incursion into Georgia last month and occupation of swathes of territory. The protestors carried the red-and-white Georgian flag and the flags of the European Union and the Western military alliance NATO, symbolising Tbilisi's desire to form closer ties with the West. "Georgia will win together with Europe," President Mikheil Saakashvili told the crowds packed into Tbilisi's Freedom Square in an address from the balcony of the town hall. "Georgia is united as never before. There are one million people on the streets," he proclaimed as Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," the anthem of Europe, boomed out from loudspeakers. Protestors forming the human chain chanted "Sarkatevelos Gaumarjos!" ("Long Live Georgia") while others drove past in hooting cars with Georgian flags flying from the windows. As the Georgian national anthem played to mark the start of the rally, demonstrators -- many also holding candles -- joined their hands and raised them into the air. "The world has to hear that we in Georgia are speaking with one voice," said Shalva Letashvili, an economist, proudly clutching a NATO flag. "Europe has to help us and we have faith that they will. Who knows, tomorrow Russia could be invading even deeper into Europe," he added. Emotions were running high against the Russian government, with one protestor carrying an image of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made up as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler next to the slogan "Stop Russia!" "The Russians are the modern day Tartars and Mongols," seethed Zura Undatze, referring to the Turkic peoples who repeatedly raided Europe. "They are the new Genghiz Khan." For Nino Kerikadi, 21, a business student, "Russia is a strong country and we are very small and the Russians want to occupy our territory." "I keep thinking that this is a dream, this cannot be happening, that in the 21st century one country can be occupying and bombing another country's territory," she said. Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria told AFP: "It is the biggest demonstration in Georgia's history. According to our estimates, more than one million people in the whole of Georgia are taking part in the human chain." At least 100,000 people could be seen crammed in central Tbilisi alone, an AFP correspondent reported, with many more further out forming the human chain. Elsewhere in Georgia, some 15,000 in the western port of Poti formed a human chain from the city centre to Russian military checkpoints that are still maintained on its outskirts, Georgia's Rustavi-2 television reported. Around 10,000 people also took part in a human chain in the city of Gori, which was occupied by Russian troops until their partial pullout from Georgia last month, Imedi television said. Smaller protests took place around Europe. About 500 Georgians living in Greece demonstrated in Athens, while 150 waved Georgian flags in London's Trafalgar Square and a similar number formed a human chain in central Prague. At Monday's emergency summit, EU leaders decided to freeze strategic partnership talks with Moscow until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would visit Moscow and Tbilisi next Monday with Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for talks on the crisis. Georgia had been hoping for a tough response from EU leaders to Russia's August 8 incursion into Georgia and recognition of independence for two Moscow-backed separatist regions. Russian troops entered Georgia to push back a Georgian offensive to retake the rebel enclave of South Ossetia, which broke away from Tbilisi in the 1990s with Moscow's backing. Despite a partial withdrawal, Russian troops continue to hold positions in Georgia, serving in what Moscow describes as a peacekeeping mission. Tbilisi has labelled them an occupying force. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 18:03:57 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:03:57 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and human/civil rights protests, Africa - Americas - Middle East - Europe, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9A1FD.1030700@tesco.net> Africa * NIGERIA: Biafra - MASSOB shutdown, tensions and panic buying * NIGERIA - SOUTH AFRICA: Protest over detention of MEND leader * NIGERIA: Civil liberties group protests for free information bill * NIGERIA: Niger Delta - Protest warning over sorcerer bill corruption * NIGERIA: Relatives of detained leader storm assembly * NIGERIA: Protests over TV shutdown * SUDAN: Journalists protest curbs * ZIMBABWE: WOZA demand new government * KENYA: Residents protest corruption * SIERRA LEONE: Journalists boycott police events over assault * SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma supporters protest, storm prosecution offices * MAURITANIA: Anti-coup protests Caribbean * JAMAICA: Murder by police sparks protest march * TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS: Protest against local TV station Middle East * LEBANON: Protesters demand release of Islamist prisoners * IRAN/US: Ahmadinejad visit protested * IRAN/UK: Molotov attack on Iranian embassy * BAHRAIN: Amwaj boat ban provokes resident protest Europe and Global North * EUSKAL HERRIA - SPAIN: Protesters march for independence, battle police * IRELAND: Children march for a voice * DENMARK: Rock star uses shock tactics to protest smoking ban * NEW ZEALAND: Protest for jailed relative to attend funeral * UK: Wales - Protester scales crane in eviction protest * UK: Continuing protests over McKinnon * UK: Finance workers target Tories * UK: De Menezes relatives stage protest at inquest * NEW ZEALAND: Outcry over surveillance of activists * NEW ZEALAND: Politician accused of driving car at protester * AUSTRALIA: Teens defend parties from police repression, fight back * AUSTRALIA: Police exacerbate Aboriginal unrest * CANADA: Protests for Canadian held in Sudan * AUSTRALIA: Graffiti artists protest repression * NEW ZEALAND: Protest targets judge http://allafrica.com/stories/200808280621.html Nigeria: Massob - Ebonyi Residents in Panic-Buying Christopher Isiguzo 28 August 2008 Abakaliki ? Markets in the South-east part of the country yesterday witnessed increased patronage, with residents engaging in panic-buying, in readiness for today's commencement of the sit-at-home order issued by Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). THISDAY's visit to the popular Abakpa Market, in Abakaliki, showed that most of the traders were already getting set to abide by the order. However, Ebonyi State Government has described the order as as "ill-motivated, unlawful and misleading." Government, in a statement issued by Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr Abia Onyike, urged the people to discountenance the order and go about their lawful duties. It warned residents against complying with the order, maintaining that anybody that obeys it by either not going to work or closing shops and market stalls would not only loose his/her job, but would have such shops and stalls permanently sealed. "Having regard to the overriding need to maintain law and order and to guarantee security of law-abiding residents of the state, the government hereby urges every citizen to disregard the order and go about their lawful duties. "The state government will not hesitate to permanently close down and seal up any firm, market or business organisation that obeys or complies with the MASSOB order or any other order by MASSOB henceforth," the statement read. While noting that law enforcement agencies have been placed on red alert to maintain law and order and ensure that citizens who go about their lawful duties are not molested, Onyike noted that the said order directing people to stay at home and close their businesses from 7a.m. to 4p.m. today, is in itself against the interest of the generality of the people of the zone. The statement therefore urged chairmen of the 13 local government areas, coordinators of the 64 development centres, traditional rulers, community leaders and well-meaning individuals to sensitise their people and watch out for hoodlums and miscreants who might want to exploit the "illegal MASSOB order," to cause the breach of the peace. When THISDAY visited Abakpa Market in Abakaliki, most of the traders insisted that they would observe the order, maintaining that those giving contrary opinion were "against the interest of Biafra." A marketer who simply gave his name as Nworie told THISDAY that they had been obeying the order for close to four years now, and would not be ready to listen to anybody who would want them to do anything contrary. "We believe in Biafra and we hope that one day, we would have our freedom," he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200808270452.html Nigeria: Tension As Massob Sit-At-Home Order Begins 27 August 2008 Lagos ? ANAMBRA State, especially Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of the state, yesterday, was enveloped in a pall of tension as the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) sit-at-home protest in the entire South-East begins tomorrow. The tension was heightened by optimism expressed by the leadership of the pro-Biafra movement that everything had been put in place to ensure that the exercise turns out a huge success. MASSOB had last month in consistent newspaper publications asked that no person in the South-East should engage in any economic activity throughout the South-East today. It also directed a massive shut all cell phones in the entire geopolitical zone to protest "the continued marginalization of Ndigbo by the Nigerian federation." The Awka Regional administrator of the Movement, Comrade Edeson Samuel, told Daily Champion yesterday on telephone that every arrangement had been put in place to ensure the success of the exercise. He said that all the market leaders, industrialists, transporters, Okada riders, bank managers and the clergy had been briefed on the need to comply with tomorrow's stay-at-home directive. Comrade Samuel gave the assurance that these professional groups would definitely comply and this would reaffirm the fact to the federal government and the international community that 95 percent of Ndigbo are behind MASSOB. The administrator said that the occasion would afford Ndigbo the opportunity to protest the killing of an Igbo man in the North some weeks ago as well as the persecution of Ndigbo by the successive federal governments of Nigeria. "This will show the pessimists that we are in effective control of the Biafran land, which the Nigerian government calls the South-East," said the administrator. The declaration of Biafra in 1967, an attempt by the former Eastern Region to form a separate republic, turned 41 this year. Meanwhile, the pro-Biafra group has unveiled a manifest of 2,016 dead and or missing members, said to be victims of extra-judicial killings during the eight-year rule of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. MASSOB in a cover letter to the 'official' casualty list entitled "Continued Massacre/Detention of MASSOB Members" also said a lot more killings had gone unreported or under-reported in those years. "More than 1,000 MASSOB members are languishing in various prisons in Nigeria," the pressure group said in the letter which was mailed to Champion House, Lagos. According to the MASSOB statement, 263 of its members perished in a massacre of March 29, 2003, at Okigwe, Imo State; 1,044 at Onitsha, Anambra State, between 2006 and 2007; 448 at Aba, Abia State, and Owerri, Imo State, and 198 at Enugu, Enugu State, and Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. Also on the casualty list are other deaths recorded in the same period as follows: Ohafia Area 1, 13; Arochukwu Area 2, six; Nkporo Area 3, 10; Bende Area 4, five; Abiriba Area 8, 22; Okamu Area 7, two; and Abam Area 6, five - all in the Abia north region. Tracing the history of such killings, the letter signed by MASSOB's Deputy Director of Information, Mr. Chris Mocha, recalled that state-sponsored mass killing of Ndigbo - the majority ethnic group in the defunct Biafra - began in 1953 in Kano, northern Nigeria, during the nationalist agitation for independence. "The massacre continued in January and July 1966 in most parts of the North and indeed western Nigeria," the letter further recalled, and added that the 1966 massacre led to the declaration of Biafra and the 30-month civil war that ended in 1970. Mr. Mocha contended that even after the cessation of hostilities, "There has been no end to the genocide against the Igbo ethnic group." These killings, he said, were done in the guise of religious crisis, especially in northern Nigeria. He said MASSOB was floated in 1999 "as (safety of) lives and property of Ndigbo could not be guaranteed in Nigeria." The objective, he continued, was to pursue through non-violence the cause of self-determination for the people of eastern Nigeria. Notwithstanding MASSOB's "non-violent approach," lamented the spokesman, "the Nigerian state continued its genocide against our people." He claimed the 2,016 on the list perished between May 22, 2000, and April 22, 2008. While affirming the inalienable right of MASSOB "to agitate for our freedom through non-violent means," Mr. Mocha called on the international community and all men and women of goodwill to dissuade the Nigerian authorities from further genocide and "release our members detained in Nigeria." Recently while celebrating the declaration of Biafra which clocked 41 last May 30, MASSOB issued a statement calling on the United Nations to drag erstwhile President Obasanjo to the International Criminal Court for genocide involving more than 3,000 MASSOB members said to have perished in the hands of his government forces. A MASSOB statement marking the anniversary said that the ex-president deserved the fate of Charles Taylor of Liberia who is facing criminal charges at The Hague. MASSOB also called on President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to release over 1,000 of its arrested members in the course of its scheduled protest march earlier this year. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809050058.html Nigeria: Citizens in SA Protest Okah Continued Detention Emma Amaize 5 September 2008 SOME Nigerian citizens resident in South Africa yesterday reportedly protested the continued detention and trial in camera of the supposed leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), Henry Okah by the Federal Government. It was one year yesterday that Okah, a Nigerian resident in South Africa and an activist of the organization MEND, was arrested in Luanda, Angola. According to the reports, aggrieved citizens of Nigeria in Johannesburg took to the streets and went to the Angolan Consulate to state their grievance. "The Consulate-General was handed a letter to address the wrong done by his arrest and extradition to Nigeria," a participant said. The letter was allegedly signed by all that participated in the protest march. In the letter to the Angolan Consulate, entitled, "Demand for Release/Agitation of Okah's Arrest in Luanda", the protesters said, "We, the citizens of Nigeria here in Diaspora wish to express our grievance over the illegal arrest of Henry Okah (Nigerian Passport Number - A2947735A. Case File No was - 1132/07) on the 3rd of September 2007. He went in the company of Captain Atatah to Luanda on a business trip and was arrested unjustly for money laundry and arms charges. "Your judiciary system did not charge him for any crime since there were no evidence found against him done to your State. He was then extradited to Nigeria on the 14th of February 2007 and has remained incarcerated till date, one year after his arrest. "We wish to state that your country is directly to blame for the havoc in the Niger Delta of Nigeria due to this arrest." We accuse your government of sabotage as we suspect his arrest was orchestrated by your government and Chevron to take up the upper notch of the production of crude oil by displacing Nigeria due to the havoc Okahs arrest left behind. "Before his arrest , there was peace in the Niger Delta creeks as militants had laid down their arms. The case is opposite now as most pipelines are being blown up in agitation for Okah's release. "We, therefore, demand that your State and government seek ways to amend the injustice of this arrest and extradition", they reportedly said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810020326.html Nigeria: CLO Marks Independence Anniversary With Protest Over FOI Bill 2 October 2008 Lagos ? The Lagos State Chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has marked the independence anniversary with a peaceful protest over the delay in passing the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill into law. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest match, which kicked off at the CLO headquarters on Allen Avenue , went through Alausa, and ended at the Ikeja Police College . Participants in the rally include representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Campaign for Democracy, United Action for Democracy, and the Constitutional Rights Agenda. The promoters of the FOI Bill have in the past eight years been actively pushing for its passage without success. The state Chairman of the CLO, Mr Eneruvie Enakoko, told NAN that the protest march was to sensitise Nigerians on the need to challenge some anomalies in the system. He said the CLO was also protesting the non adoption of the Fiscal Responsibility (FR) Act by the 36 states, especially those in the Niger Delta. "We also want the immediate enactment of a law that will regulate the disbursement and/or sharing of funds in the excess crude account," he added. Enakoko said if the FOI Bill was signed into law, the FR. Bill adopted by the states and a law enacted to regulate the utilisation of the money accruing to the excess crude account, Nigerians could make their leaders account for their stewardship. He noted that restricting access to information "denies the press of the legal authority to publish what they know is true". "The Nigerian Press has for many years been accused of sensationalism, as against journalism based on facts. This is because their work seems not backed by evidence. It is time we changed all that," he added. The chairman said the more Nigerians delayed the passage of the Bill, the more they delayed the day of progress and prosperity of the nation. He noted that the fight against corruption could not bring about meaningful change without the passage of the FOI Bill, which would help to expose corrupt public officers. Enakoko said the Federal Government should demonstrate its sincerity to fight corruption by taking concrete actions that would convince the people. He urged President Umaru Yar'Adua to ensure the passage of the Bills as a matter of priority. http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250319.html Nigeria: Sorcery Allegation - Ijaw Threatens Protest March Emma Amaize 24 August 2008 CHAIRMAN of Izon-Ibe oil producing community task force, Alaowei Afro Biukeme, weekend, threatened to mobilize the disenchanted people of the Niger-Delta to march in Abuja, if within 30 days, the National Assembly and the police fail to carry out a proper inquiry on the N800 million sorcery against the suspended chairman of the NDDC, Ambassador Sam Edem and give cogent feedback to the nation. Alaowei Biukeme who is the chief executive officer of Afrotex International Marine Services, Warri, opined that the claim by the Acting chairman of the commission, Barrister Bassey Dan-Abia that the agency's money was not in any way involved in the ugly development around the suspended chairman was far from the truth. He insisted that the people would want to know where a public servant like Ambassador Edem got a whooping sum of N800 million to splash on a native doctor, adding, "Any attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet would not be accepted". According to him, "The whole world is aware already of the fraud that the commission has become, and this is one case these people cannot use money to influence, therefore, we are giving them 30 days to tell us the outcome of the investigation, if not , we will go and protest before the president because of the Due Process that he is campaigning, if it does not work out, then, we will take other ways to make it work. If we keep silent over this matter and he is left off the hook by the police that it is a ritual case, we are not going to accept it because that money belongs to us. We want that money back into the coffers of the NDDC for the development of the neglected region. "We, the activists in the region will not allow this issue to be swept under the carpet because the way the development of the region is going is not encouraging. The NDDC and the entire governors of the Niger Delta must use our oil money to improve the living conditions of our people", he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809190555.html Nigeria: Women At War!86 Wives Protest Husband's Arrest 19 September 2008 Lagos ? Wives and children of the detained Bida based Islamic cleric, Mallam Bello Abubakar Masaba, yesterday, stormed the Niger State Ministry of Justice opposite the State House of Assembly, demanding the immediate release of their bread winner. This is as the embattled Masaba has sought solace and refuge in the Federal High Court, Abuja for an order nullifying the death sentence passed on him by the Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI). They arrived the scene yesterday at 11 a.m in a 32-seater Asia bus registered Lagos: AP 990LND, a Mazda bus marked Niger: XB 195BDB, and a Pony car marked Kano AG 194MB. Activities at the secretariat were disrupted for over four hours, as people abandoned their duty posts to catch a glimpse of the women and their children. Armed with different placards, they called on the state government to set their husband free. Some of the placards read: "who plans to destroy, must be destroyed first," "don't render our unborn babies and children fatherless. Sharia commission take note." Others are: "Our children need their father, Alhaji Bello." '"We are legally married to our husband according to Islamic and Nigeria laws." Spokespersons of the protesters, Hajia Hafusat Bello Masaba, one of the wives and Maroof Bello, one of the children, maintained that their father, Mallam Masaba was not a criminal and should not be treated as such by the state government, claiming that 'he was God sent to help the masses'. They claimed that their husband and father discharges his paternal duties effectively, provides for them and satisfies the women sexually and therefore there was no basis to arrest and detain him. Hajia Hafusat Bello, daughter of a first republic minister from Ilorin, Kwara State, disclosed that she has been married to Alhaji Bello for the past 20 years and that the union was blessed with four grown up children without any hitches since their marriage. Her claim which was substantiated by the other wives who emphasized that their family was the most organized and God-fearing doing every thing in accordance with the directives from the Almighty Allah. They said they wanted the world to know their plight and help appeal to the government to set their husband free because he has not committed any offence against any known law of the land. "We want our husband, we need him; we did not take money from government. He is not a thief and we don't beg. Everybody should fear God". Our husband comes from God and he is going to marry more. He was sent by God to help people . One Mohammed Abass, a Ghanaian, told journalists that his sister was married to Baba, revealing that the man trained him from his childhood. Efforts to speak with the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Adamu Usman, was not successful as he was said to be away. But Acting Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Barrister Ndagi Wali who stood in for him, said he has not been around for some weeks now, but urged the leaders of the group, Mr. Maroof Bello to calm the wives and the children to remain law abiding as the ministry will ensure that his right were not infringed upon. He said the position of the ministry was that the matter was already in Upper Sharia Court in Minna, and therefore it would be sub-judice to make any comment on a matter. He, however pleaded with the protesting women and children to go because the ministry of justice is not the court. It will be recalled that a judge of Upper Sharia court of appeal had sentenced Mallam Muhammadu Bello Masaba to 21 days imprisonment in order to allow police carry out uninterrupted investigation into the legality of his marriage to 86 women. In the application for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights filed at the court by his lawyer, the applicant wants the court to hold that notwithstanding the provisions of Islamic laws, the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must take precedence. He said his decision to marry 86 wives does not constitute a legally punishable offence at the time the marriages took place and that the Fatwa passed on him is unknown to law. The case is yet to be assigned to any judge. It would be recalled that Justice G O Kolawole while on vacation duty granted Masaba permission to sue the JNI and the Bida Emirate Council with their officials. The court had ordered parties to the case to stay action pending the determination of the motion on notice. Justice Kolawole also allowed Masaba to serve all the court processes including the motion on notice on all the defendants while yesterday was given as a return date. Although the court order was allegedly carried out to the letter, Masaba was on Tuesday arraigned before an Upper Sharia court in Minna, Niger state where he was ordered to be remanded in prison custody until October 6. The octogenarian may be celebrating the Ramadan festival in prison custody. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/6502213.html Nigerian press associations protest on TV station closure 19:40, September 18, 2008 Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Guild of Editors, two of the prominent organization societies for journalists in Nigeria, protested Nigerian authorities for shut-down of Channels TV station on Tuesday for Nigerian President's resignation rumor, according to a statement reaching here on Thursday. "The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Guild of Editors are shocked and dismayed by the news of the closure on Tuesday of the offices of Channels TV in Lagos and Abuja and the arrest and continued detention of five members of staff of the company," said the statement, jointly signed by Ajibola Ogunshola and Gbenga Adefaye, Presidents of the two organizations. "From the information currently in the public domain, Channels' news gathering process may have been challenged. The station had broadcast a report, purportedly originating from the News Agency of Nigeria that President Yar'Adua may resign after a cabinet reshuffle," it said. But closure of the station is "unacceptable" according to Nigerian laws, said the statement. Channels TV, leading news channel in Nigeria, was shut on Tuesday by Nigeria's State Security Service (SSS) for allegedly relayed as the rumor of Nigerian President Yar'Adua's resignation camouflaged as a piece of news filed by the official News Agency of Nigeria. Source: Xinhua http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110319.html Sudan: Journalists Protest Over Curbs Badru Mulumba 10 September 2008 Juba ? In a television studio the size of two trailer trucks, the Government of Southern Sudan's Information Minister Changson Chang talks like a man sensing a crisis on his hands. In his midst, scores of journalists, apparently bleeding, have converged. "I see every one with this," Changson, right palm over his lips, says to officials seated next to him in the studio, long before the television cameras are switched on. "They are trying to close their mouths," says Victor Bullen Baba, the director of Southern Sudan Television. "To demonstrate?" Changson asks, then nods his head. "It's a very strong message." "Your Excellency they are expressing their views over the National Press Council decisions in Khartoum," said Baba. In the mid morning, sweltering heat in the centre of Juba, Southern Sudan's most progressive journalists, yesterday, converged to show their disgust, following a particularly bad phase of censorship. This they did in the only way they could: a plaster over the mouth here, a plaster over the arms there, or anywhere else they could. Some had bruised cheeks. Others had bleeding lips. And some had bleeding eyes. It was the first spontaneous media demonstration in the south against censorship since Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in January 2005, ended a 21 year north south civil war, and a powerful statement that when one journalist suffers all journalists should bleed. South Sudan is now led by Sudan's First Vice President Salva Kiir. During the demonstration, journalists started converging at the Southern Sudan Television bearing a memo that had taken them a week and several meetings to put together. "Despite the fact that Sudan Tribune has been reopened, and The Citizen has crossed the border to print from Uganda, this doesn't stop us," said David Dau, a journalist with the Sudan Radio Service. Continue with actions "Should the National Press Council continue with such actions, it would minimise the work of the press, not only in Southern Sudan, but in Sudan in general." Dau must know. In early August, the National Press Council banned Dau's column in the Sudan Tribune, making him the first victim, in the south, of the censorship in Khartoum. In a letter, August 3, signed by the Complaint Committee Chairman of the National Publication and Press Council Abdalla Mohammed Ali al Arabad. The Council chairman was incensed by Mr Dau's columns; in one column Mr Dau called for the investigation of the National Congress Party for the atrocities they committed, compensation of the Abyei Dinka for the displacement and destruction of property. Mr Arabad also accused Mr Dau of inciting the south to secede, asking for a popular uprising against the NCP, and that his writing was not in 'conformity with' Islamic Press laws, according to the letter written in Arabic. But some of Sudan's media have often proven unaware of what's probably the greatest moral lesson of the last century, best captured by the World War 1 Germany Naval Captain, Pastor Martin Niemoller. When the Nazis came for the communists, Niemoller wrote, he remained silent; he was not a communist. The Nazi's then went for the social democrats, then the trade unionists, then for the Jews. "When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." If they had learned that lesson, perhaps the newspapers that were suspended later would not have been. When Dau's column was stopped, because of the way some journalists, here, often personalize competition, not many fellow journalists from outside his organization came out to speak for him. At least one Reporter told of his editor stopping him from writing about the Press Council suspension of Mr Dau's column, and, another journalist even defended the ban as normal because the writer was not registered in Khartoum. By the end of the month, the censorship had claimed one newspaper: Sudan Tribune. Sudan security officials August 28 seized, and shut down the Tribune, one of the leading English dailies, following a pattern of threats and seizures over months. The paper's print run was confiscated 17 times in August alone right after it had paid money and the printing was done. In a letter, the Secretary General of the National Press Council, Hashim el-Jaz, Tuesday, issued what he called the 'final warning' to the newspaper, saying that failure to comply with the conditions, 'we'll shut down the newspaper' on September 1. The Press Council claimed that the as Editor-in-Chief must be based in Khartoum - and not Juba, where it early this year opened an office. The council also asked the newspaper to replace the old Editorial Board and submit a new list of names to the Press Council, forcing the paper to file a case in the Constitutional Court, seeking compensation and an end to harassment by the National Press Council. Five days later, on September 1, the censorship claimed another newspaper: The Citizen, asking the Editor-in-Chief to name an editorial board and to name an acting Editor-in-Chief in case he still wants to publish in Khartoum. The Press Council accused the newspaper of bleaching the law that requires that in the absence of the Editor in Chief, an acting editor be named within 24 hours, for at least three months, failing to name an editorial board, and failing to put ten copies of the newspaper to the Press Council. The press council also claimed that the Managing Editor of The Citizen, Izzadine Abdul-Rassoul, was not qualified to hold a senior position. Izzadine is fairly critical of the National Congress Party regime. He also hails from Darfur. The decision of the press council has led to speculation over its real intentions in saying that he's not qualified. The Sudan Tribune was reopened September 4, after it named an acting Editor-in-Chief to sit in Khartoum. But under the law, one can only act for a maximum of three months and a substantive editor-in-chief named to sit in Khartoum. The Citizen now prints two times a week in one of the East African countries. But that means it can not be distributed in the north. For Dau and Izzadine, it's a no win decision. Southern Sudanese David Dau's column remains banned so long as Sudan Tribune prints in Khartoum. Darfuri Izzadine remains jobless so long as his newspaper runs away from Khartoum. "The journalists of the south should stand up for press freedom," Wol Deng, a member of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, told the demonstrators. The oppression of the freedom of speech, he added, is not acceptable, according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. But a demonstration in Juba against censorship in Khartoum has as much impact as a demonstration in Nairobi against censorship in Kampala. First, the authorities in charge of the censorship sit thousands of kilometers away, in Khartoum. Second, Sudan is literally two countries in one, each setting its rules, and as of now, the part of the country that oppresses the media, and is out of Changson's power, is also the only one with a printing press. According to the Changson, whose party paper has also been censored, in Khartoum, an SPLM-NCP Partnership committee is working on various issues of the CPA, including media freedom. But talk is nearly all that the southern Sudan government can offer right now. "We have to levels of government," Changson said, resignedly. But the demo has at least one upside: The media, for now, is, at least on the face of it, united behind Martin Niemoller's lesson. "We, media houses in southern Sudan are committed to the course of our profession in Journalism and we consider an injury to one as an injury to all," read the memo the journalists handed over to the Information Minister through one of the journalism clubs here, Association for Inter-Media. "We therefore stand together to live and to struggle for a free, fair and independent media not only in southern Sudan but together with the rest of the world for a free and fair and independent media in the Whole world." In that respect the journalists demo was important not so much for what it would achieve in Khartoum, but for how it has at least brought journalists together, at least, for now. "It implies a silent demo," one journalist says, holding the cross patch glued to her cheek. "We are sending a message to the Press Council." "This is the hand I use for writing - I write with the left hand," Nhial Majuk, a journalist with the Southern Sudan Radio, says of the cross patch on his arm. "Now, it has been disabled." At least he feels Izzadine's and Dau's pain. "I recommend your protest, which is signaled by the cross on your cheeks, and on your palms, especially my friend Paul [Batali]," Changson said, singling out a journalist who had glued up his entire lips and face. "Today he doesn't want to smile because he's seriously injured," Changson said. "We recognize your concern." http://allafrica.com/stories/200809300802.html Zimbabwe: WOZA Protest Demands New Government Violet Gonda 29 September 2008 Hundreds of protestors from Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) took to the streets Monday to demand the implementation of the 'new government' so it can take urgent action in dealing decisively with the economic crisis, as people continue to suffer. WOZA coordinator Jenni Williams said at least 600 people peacefully marched in Bulawayo. There were no arrests as police just looked on as the demonstrators marched to government buildings handing out newsletters, which called for the formation of a new government to address the people's needs. Although ZANU PF and the two MDC parties agreed to form a coalition government two weeks ago there is still no sign on the ground that the spirit of the deal is working. Food prices are soaring, water and power cuts are still rampant. "If only there was a new government in place we could be directly targeting that government... so that urgent demands can be addressed," Williams said. The pressure group said people are still not safe, even after the deal was signed on 15 September, and road blocks are still in place around the country. The WOZA coordinator said the MDC should stop being "na?ve" as this is still a "dangerous" time in Zimbabwe. She said ZANU PF is a party born out of violence and has violent characteristics, saying the MDC should do more than it is doing right now if there is going to be a genuine inclusive government. When asked if WOZA could relax with a new government and the MDC, hopefully, in power Williams said: "No we cannot relax because they haven't delivered the social justice that we want. People were relaxed in 1980 and ZANU PF got away with murder. We are not going to relax and expect the MDC to just deliver. We are going to continue to be in the streets until people get what they deserve and that is dignity and social justice." http://allafrica.com/stories/200809230119.html Kenya: Residents Protest Over Constituency Money 22 September 2008 Nairobi ? Hundreds of Longonot area residents on Monday protested at alleged discrimination in the allocation of constituency development funds. Waving placards and twigs, the residents said money set aside to buy land to build two classrooms had been diverted. They complained that their children were walking seven kilometres to attend school. But area MP John Mututho insisted that all CDF transactions have been conducted above board. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809240073.html Sierra Leone: Journalists Impose News Blackout On Police Activities to Protest Assault On Colleagues 23 September 2008 The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) on September 22, 2008 imposed a news blackout on police activities as part of a campaign to demand justice for journalists who were violently assaulted by Sierra Leone Police Force personnel in August. On August 13, police personnel deployed at the country's State House in Freetown, the capital, assaulted eight journalists covering a meeting between the two major political parties: the ruling All People's Congress Party (APC) and the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). In the process, the journalists lost equipment, including cameras, cellular phones and audio recorders. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)'s correspondent reported that at a meeting on September 20, SLAJ members unanimously resolved that the blackout should remain in force until the police provide adequate compensation to all the affected journalists. The SLAJ said the police have failed to comply with recommendations of a committee that was set up to investigate the incident. SLAJ said that should the police fail to act on the request, it will further extend its action to the government since some supporters of the ruling party also assaulted the journalists on the same day at the ruling party's headquarters. Updates the case of assault on journalists: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/96126/ http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2384761,00.html Zuma protesters gather in Dbn 29/08/2008 11:39 - (SA) Durban - Supporters of embattled ANC president Jacob Zuma began assembling in various parts of Durban ahead of their planned march on 16 police stations in the city on Friday. The marches, announced last week by the ANC's eThekwini region, would be followed by the handing over of memorandums to demand that the National Prosecuting Authority drop charges against Zuma. Police spokesperson Superintendent Danelia Veldhuizen said that about 100 people had gathered in Umlazi. There were unconfirmed reports that hundreds more had gathered in KwaMashu to march on the KwaMashu police station. Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu confirmed the KwaMashu march and also said there was a march taking place in Durban's Point Road area as well as along Higginson Highway in Chatsworth, Durban. Courts next The ANC has said the marches would be followed a week later by pickets outside and, where possible, inside 11 magistrate's courts in the greater Durban area. Following the protests outside the court buildings, a protest was planned for September 10 outside the National Prosecuting Authority offices in Durban. On the night before Zuma finds out whether or not Judge Chris Nicholson ruled in his favour to have the decision to charge him declared unlawful, protesters would converge on Pietermaritzburg's Freedom Square (formerly Market Square) to stage a night vigil. Zuma faces a charge of racketeering, four charges of corruption, a charge of money laundering and 12 charges of fraud related to a multi-billion rand arms government arms deal. Zuma was charged in 2005 but that case was struck from the roll in 2006. He was re-charged in December 2007. The two Thint companies - Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd -- are the South African subsidiaries of the French arms manufacturing giant Thales International (formerly Thomson-CSF). They each face a charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption. - SAPA http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2389326,00.html Protest outside NPA offices 06/09/2008 21:03 - (SA) Durban - About 65 people protested outside the National Prosecuting Authority offices in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, said Kwazulu-Natal police. Police spokesperson Superintendent Henry Budhram said the people converged at 11:30 and dispersed by 14:20 on Saturday, handing over a memorandum. There were no reports of intimidation of violence. SABC news reported that the people were members of the SA Communist Party who were asking for all charges against African National Congress president Jacob Zuma to be withdrawn. - SAPA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Politics&set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20080911060215816C667906 Protesters try to storm NPA offices September 11 2008 at 08:53AM Two people have been arrested in a protest by more than 5 000 people outside the Durban offices of the National Prosecuting Authority. The protesters on Wednesday demanded the dropping of criminal charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma. eThekwini metro police director Steve Edwards said the two protesters were arrested for "public order violations" in West Street shortly after a memorandum was handed to the deputy head of the Directorate of Special Operations, Thanda Mngwengwe. A small crowd started gathering shortly after 9am, but by midday it had swelled, with Edwards putting the number close to 10 000. At one stage, the Public Order Policing Unit stood guard outside the offices with riot shields, batons and teargas at the ready while protesters sang and tried to barge their way through. Most wore T-shirts in support of Zuma and some carried sticks and knobkerries. At one stage, a group took control of a fire hose and tried to spray police guarding the doors to the building where the Scorpions are based. Durban mayor Obed Mlaba, deputy mayor Logie Naidoo, Cosatu's KwaZulu Natal provincial secretary Sahlulele Luzipo and a host of other provincial and regional political figures were present at the protest. Pictures of Zuma were everywhere, with placards reading: "Hands off Jacob Zuma". In Pine Street, the growing crowd blocked the traffic and prevented scores of taxis from moving. A red blanket with the word "Scorpions", its symbol emblazoned across it, was set alight as office workers leaned out of neighbouring buildings to see what was happening. Several businesses rolled down their shutters, while staff in others peered through closed doors. After the memorandum was handed over, protesters danced up Field Street with both police and eThekwini metro police officers retreating and trying to divert traffic. Stones were thrown as marshals attempted to control the crowd, which then turned back down Field Street and into West Street, where the arrests took place. Edwards said a crowd of about 800 people had gathered in the city's Medwood Gardens in West Street, opposite the City Hall, to demand the release of the two people who were arrested. - Sapa http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?from=rss_The%20Star&fArticleId=4604266 Teargas, arrests as protesters try to storm NPA offices September 11, 2008 Edition 2 Two people have been arrested in a protest by more than 5 000 people outside the Durban offices of the National Prosecuting Authority. The protesters yesterday demanded the dropping of criminal charges against ANC president Jacob Zuma. eThekwini metro police director Steve Edwards said the two protesters were arrested for "public order violations" in West Street shortly after a memorandum was handed to the deputy head of the Directorate of Special Operations, Thanda Mngwengwe. A small crowd started gathering shortly after 9am, but by midday it had swelled, with Edwards putting the number close to 10 000. At one stage, the Public Order Policing Unit stood guard outside the offices with riot shields, batons and teargas at the ready while protesters sang and tried to barge their way through. Most wore T-shirts in support of Zuma and some carried sticks and knobkerries. At one stage, a group took control of a fire hose and tried to spray police guarding the doors to the building where the Scorpions are based. Durban mayor Obed Mlaba, deputy mayor Logie Naidoo, Cosatu's KwaZulu Natal provincial secretary Sahlulele Luzipo and a host of other provincial and regional political figures were present at the protest. Pictures of Zuma were everywhere, with placards reading: "Hands off Jacob Zuma". In Pine Street, the growing crowd blocked the traffic and prevented scores of taxis from moving. A red blanket with the word "Scorpions", its symbol emblazoned across it, was set alight as office workers leaned out of neighbouring buildings to see what was happening. Several businesses rolled down their shutters, while staff in others peered through closed doors. After the memorandum was handed over, protesters danced up Field Street with both police and eThekwini metro police officers retreating and trying to divert traffic. Stones were thrown as marshals attempted to control the crowd, which then turned back down Field Street and into West Street, where the arrests took place. Edwards said a crowd of about 800 people had gathered in the city's Medwood Gardens in West Street, opposite the City Hall, to demand the release of the two people who were arrested. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20080912061853268C201002 Protest leaders may be charged September 12 2008 at 08:25AM By Matthew Savides and Gugu Mbonambi Police in Durban are considering charging organisers of Wednesday's ANC-led protests in the city centre for contravening the Public Gatherings Act after a small group of demonstrators clashed with officers. The protests started outside the National Prosecuting Authority offices in Joe Slovo (Field) Street, but turned ugly when a group of about 400 people blocked intersections and brought traffic to a standstill. Police intervened, using rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. The protests were held by the ANC against the NPA's handling of ANC president Jacob Zuma's trial. The protesters demanded that all charges against him be dropped ANC eThekwini region chairman John Mchunu, under whose leadership the protests were held, warned of further similar scenes as people's frustration over the matter overflowed. "You must expect more anger from people if this matter is not resolved. At the same time we condemn what happened. But the authorities must move quickly," he said. Wednesday's scenes were reminiscent of protest marches held by the DA and IFP in June and last year against the municipality's street-renaming process. During those marches, shops were damaged, traffic flow was disrupted, street vendors' tables were overturned and several people injured. The municipality and ANC were quick to release statements condemning the incidents, pinning the blame for the debacle firmly on the door of the march organisers. After the second march, municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe said the municipality would consider banning marches in the city centre to ensure that no disruption to business and trading took place. He repeated this threat on Thursday, adding that the municipality was awaiting a legal opinion on whether this was possible and did not infringe on the right to protest. To the anger of the opposition parties in council, the municipality did not issue a statement condemning Wednesday's incidents. The DA accused the municipality of favouring the ANC. Speaking to The Mercury, Sutcliffe said he would investigate what happened and was awaiting a full report from police and other officials. DA caucus leader John Steenhuisen said the city's silence on the matter showed it practised "double standards". By late Thursday afternoon, no statement had been released by the municipality. Steenhuisen said this was another example "that there are two sets of rules in eThekwini: those that apply to the ANC and their allies, and those that apply to everybody else". Sutcliffe said it was "unacceptable" for protesters to block traffic and disrupt business. "I am going to investigate what happened. After any march we always investigate and see which parties are to blame," he said. He added that he had not received reports from various authorities and would act once he had read them. Police Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said a case docket has been opened into the incident, which had been forwarded to the senior director of public prosecutions who would decide if any charges could be laid. "We agreed with protest organisers on the rules of compliance. "Protesters started stoning the police, invading government buildings and damaging metro police vehicles, and that was a complete violation of the rules we had agreed on," he said. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Top&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080911111203323C642470 'Protests will become more unruly' Staff Reporters September 11 2008 at 12:19PM After an explosion of violence in Durban on Wednesday, police began wrapping central Pietermaritzburg in a ring of steel on Thursday as the city braces for Friday's judgment on the fate of the case against ANC president Jacob Zuma. Violence broke out during a march in central Durban when some Zuma supporters veered off the prescribed route. Police fired rubber bullets as Zuma supporters stoned them, injuring several officers and disrupting traffic. Police spokesperson Henry Budhram said on Thursday: "Strict measures have been put in place to ensure that the general public, the business community and the supporters are protected prior to, during and after the court case." There had been extensive planning to ensure normal activities could proceed unhindered outside the court. Portions of a number of main roads were closed, as well as the area immediately in front of the High Court. Opinion was divided on Thursday on the possible impact of Judge Chris Nicholson's ruling on the application by Zuma's lawyers seeking to have his prosecution declared unlawful. They argue that it is invalid because the State failed to seek his representations before deciding to revive charges against him. The ANC expects at least 5 000 supporters to gather outside the court in vocal support of Zuma. Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, said on Wednesday that the ANC's mobilisation was an "overt attempt to influence the judicial process". "But I don't think they're succeeding," he said. "The idea that the masses of this country, that ordinary grassroots folk are going out in the streets to support Mr Zuma is simply false. "The people who are mobilising are the political activists. People see a few hundred people in the streets and conclude that it is the voice of the people. It's not - it's the voice of a few hundred people." Another political analyst, John Daniel, warned: "It is certainly an attempt to intimidate the judiciary in a way that is not favourable to our constitution." But he agreed with Friedman that there had been no suggestion that Judge Nicholson would be swayed by the external pressure. "I have confidence that the judiciary will not be scared off. They will evaluate the facts as they see them," said Daniel. But KwaZulu-Natal political analyst Protus Madlala warned that anger was rising. "It is clear that Zuma supporters are not going to settle for anything other than the withdrawal of the charges," he said. There was evidence of this in central Durban on Wednesday when Zuma supporters attacked police and disrupted traffic. Two people were arrested for public order violations after stones, bottles and pieces of wood were hurled at police and their vehicles. Police retaliated by firing rubber bullets. Metro Police Director Steve Edwards confirmed that several officers had been struck. "Stones were thrown at the officers and two or three of our vehicles were also damaged in the process," he said. Edwards said the commotion had occurred when part of the group had changed their direction from the planned route and police attempted to control the crowd. http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=828155 Teachers call for pro-Zuma strike Sapa Published:Aug 22, 2008 Sadtu is the largest union in the public service with 235,000 members. The SA Democratic Teachers? Union (Sadtu) has called for a "political" general strike in support of beleaguered African National Congress president Jacob Zuma. ? School children rally for Zuma ? SLIDE SHOW: 100% support for Zuma at court There had been what Sadtu termed "mounting allegations" around the multi-billion rand arms deal implicating "leading politicians" - an apparent reference to President Thabo Mbeki, read a statement issued on today following a three-day meeting of Sadtu?s national executive. "This adds to the widespread belief that the selective targeting of comrade Jacob Zuma is politically motivated. The pending charges against comrade Zuma are perceived by many to pose a real threat to the political stability of the country," it said. In the light of these factors, the executive was calling for all charges against Zuma to be dropped immediately, and for a judicial commission of enquiry into the arms deal. It had also resolved to call on the Congress of SA Trade Unions to "mobilise" in support of Zuma, "including calling for a political general strike". Zuma is expected to go on trial on corruption charges next year. Sadtu is the largest union in the public service with 235,000 members. The union also said it fully endorsed the Tripartite Alliance?s education campaign launched last week. It committed itself to hold its members to the highest levels of ethical and professional conduct. Teachers should arrive at school on time, teach properly prepared lessons for the full period, and mark work timeously. "The union will discipline members who act outside of its code of conduct and bring the union and the profession into disrepute," it said. Sadtu?s provincial structures would help set up local education committees to monitor delivery. http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=840794 Zuma freaks run riot ahead of trial Nivashni Nair Published:Sep 11, 2008 ________________________________________ WAR ZONE: Chaos erupts as supporters of ANC president Jacob Zuma go on the rampage and intimidate bystanders and motorists in central Durban yesterday. They also vented their anger at the Scorpions Picture: GIORDANO STOLLEY/SAPA Two police officers were seriously injured when protesters stoned them outside the Durban University of Technology. Motorists pulled from their cars and forced to march in support of ANC leader A DAY after ANC president Jacob Zuma called for his supporters to show restraint in their campaign to have criminal charges against him dropped ? they turned Durban city centre into a war zone. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned ugly yesterday when Zuma supporters forced motorists out of their cars, and intimidated bystanders and workers in surrounding buildings into joining their march. The protest was part of the ?mass action? by the ANC and its alliance partners in support of Zuma?s bid to have the charges against him withdrawn. But, instead of peaceful picketing outside the National Prosecuting Authority offices in Durban, pandemonium broke out when the protesters became unruly. Zuma supporters gathered outside the NPA offices at about 8am. At about 10am, marchers in Field Street, on their way to the City Hall, began throwing water bombs at the police. ?It might have been a legal march, but there was nothing legal about it. They did not follow the proposed route and came into the city from all angles. When they finally merged there were about 3,000 protesters,? said police spokesman Superintendent Vincent Mdunge. ?They all started coming from different parts of the city and they were intimidating people, looting and damaging property along the way,? Mdunge said. He said the protesters displayed a total disregard for the law, forcing the police to open fire on them with rubber bullets in West Street. ?Along the way, the supporters began pulling innocent motorists out of their cars to join the march. They then invaded a nearby building. Police had to escort marchers out of the building. There was looting and damage to property.? Two police officers were seriously injured when protesters stoned them outside the Durban University of Technology. ?The supporters began throwing bricks and stones at the campus buildings too. There has been damage to property,? Mdunge said. The city came to a standstill as cars were left unattended in the CBD when their occupants were forced to join the march. A taxi blockade, planned to protest against taxi violence, exacerbated the situation: the taxi owners joined the Zuma protest and refused to move their vehicles. The police impounded more than 30 taxis. ?The police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the unruly crowd so the city could operate again. There have been arrests, but we are unable to say how many,? Mdunge said. But ANC eThekwini regional secretary John Mchunu said the march was peaceful until the police provoked the protesters. ?It went on well until the police clashed with protesters. After the march, police got angry because some people did not want to go home and it was those racist white and Indian policemen who started shooting rubber bullets at the protesters,? he said. He said the ?racist police? were angry because the ANC was marching against the Scorpions. ?They are on their side,? he said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Scorpions and the police have not enjoyed a good relationship. Mdunge dismissed Mchunu?s claims: ?All police officers acted within the law. The issue of racism is nonexistent.? The city had returned to normal last night, but fears have grown that Zuma?s court appearance in Pietermaritzburg on Friday will lead to a replay of the chaos in Durban. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_News&set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=nw20080910165950637C713659 Sasolburg protesters praise JZ September 10 2008 at 08:04PM African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma offers hope to those still struggling with poverty and a lack of development, said one of thousands of protesters who showed their support for Zuma in Sasolburg on Wednesday. "We should close the old book and open a new book and go forward," said elderly protester Steve Dlamini. After prayer and praise songs, the protesters marched to the Sasolburg police station where they handed over a memorandum to a representative of the Free State chief justice. In it, they demanded the dropping of the criminal charges against Zuma, said ANC Free State chairperson Ace Magashule. They also called on the courts to act impartiallly and apolitically; immediately dismantle the Scorpions, and end the trial by media of Zuma. An attack on the ANC's leaders was an attack on the party itself, he said, explaining why members of the ANC's alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) would defend their leaders. SACP provincial chairperson Bhekumzi Stofile said the case against Zuma was political, and required a political solution. Big businesses had colluded to rob the poor, yet no-one was making a noise about it. However, the judiciary would willingly reduce the human rights of other people, namely Zuma. Stofile said the judiciary was not yet transformed and still had an apartheid mentality regarding people's rights. He called on the South African Human Rights Commission to charge those who defamed Zuma as a rapist and enemy of the judiciary. He referred specifically to the Sunday Times cartoon drawn by award-winning cartoonist Jonathan "Zapiro" Shapiro. "Why has the National Prosecuting Authority failed twice to convict Zuma?" asked Cosatu spokesman Sam Mashinini. Members of the alliance had defended the revolution before 1994 and would continue to defend the liberation of the country, he said, adding that Cosatu central executive committee members would be at the Pietermaritzburg High Court for Zuma's appearance on Friday. Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MK-MVA)commander Malala Lauti said Zuma had been persecuted and accused for seven years, but had still not been found guilty. Speaking about MK-MVA and alliance members' support for Zuma, he said: "We are willing to lay down our lives for our cause. We will not move one inch backwards. We are moving forward." Youth organisations and student movements led the march in Zamdela, but arrived at the stage running well ahead of the ANC Women's League and Cosatu members. Zamdela is a settlement outside Sasolburg with half acre plots, painted three bedroom houses and colourfully painted primary and kindergarten schools. - Sapa http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2391327,00.html Two arrested at Zuma protest 10/09/2008 18:38 - (SA) Durban - Two people were arrested during a protest by more than 5 000 people outside the Durban offices of the National Prosecuting Authority on Wednesday. The protesters were demanding that criminal charges against ANC president Jacob Zuma be dropped. eThekwini Metro police director Steve Edwards said the two protesters were arrested for "public order violations" in West Street shortly after a memorandum was handed over to the Directorate of Special Operations deputy head Thanda Mngwengwe. A small crowd started gathering shortly after 09:00, but by midday the crowd had swelled with Edwards putting it close to 10 000. At one stage the Public Order Policing Unit stood guard outside the offices with riot shields, batons and tear gas at the ready while protesters sang and attempted to barge their way through. Most protesters wore T-shirts in support of Zuma and some carried sticks and knobkerries. At one stage a group took control of a fire hose and attempted to spray police guarding the doors to the building where the Scorpions are based. Mayor present and protest Durban's mayor Obed Mlaba, the deputy mayor Logie Naidoo, the Congress of South African Trade Union's (Cosatu) KwaZulu-Natal secretary general and a host of other provincial and regional political figures were present at the protests. Pictures of Zuma were everywhere, with placards reading: "Hands off Jacob Zuma". In Pine Street, the growing crowd blocked traffic and prevented taxis from moving. A red blanket with the word Scorpions and its symbol emblazoned across it was set alight as office workers leaned out of neighbouring buildings to see what was happening. Several businesses rolled down their shutters, while staff in others peered through closed doors. After the memorandum was handed over, protesters marched up Field Street with both police and eThekwini metro police officers retreating and trying to divert traffic. Stone-throwing Stones were thrown as marshals attempted to control the crowd which then turned back down Field Street and into West Street, where the arrests took place. Edwards said a crowd of about 800 people had gathered in the city's Medwood Gardens in West Street, opposite the City Hall, to demand the release of the two people arrested. Zuma faces a charge of racketeering, four charges of corruption, a charge of money laundering and 12 charges of fraud related to the multi-billion rand arms government arms deal. He was charged in 2005, but that case was struck from the role in 2006. He was re-charged in December 2007. A charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption are also faced by two Thint companies - Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd - the South African subsidiaries of the French arms manufacturer Thales International (formerly Thomson-CFS). - SAPA http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2404097,00.html Anti-coup coalition to protest 03/10/2008 19:14 - (SA) Nouchakchott - A coalition of Mauritanian pro-democracy parties said on Friday they would go ahead with a demonstration in the capital Nouakchott this weekend in defiance of a ban by the military authorities. "We have informed the government of the protest march as the law requires," said Omar Ould Yali, deputy leader of the People's Progressive Alliance, one of five political parties in the national front for the defence of democracy. Although the authorities had told them that the march could not proceed "we have decided to have the march while we remain open to dialogue," he added. The front has called for a protest march and a "Day for Democracy" on Sunday, the day before an ultimatum by the AU for Mauritania to return to constitutional order is set to expire. On August 6 a military junta, led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, ousted Mauritania's first democratically elected president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. The coup was widely condemned by the international community and on September 22 the AU issued an ultimatum to the West African nation to reinstate Ould Cheikh Abdallahi "by October 6 at the latest". The authorities have said in a letter that "all protests of a political order organised in the public space are banned until further notice". - SAPA http://allafrica.com/stories/200808140079.html International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto) Mauritania: Journalist Arrested Covering Anti-Coup Demonstration 14 August 2008 Reporter Ahmed Ould Neda of the Nouakchott-based independent news agency "Akbar Info" was arrested on 7 August 2008 while covering a demonstration against Mauritania's new military regime. Police confiscated Neda's camera with pictures of a police assault, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) reported. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Neda was detained for three hours after refusing to hand over his pictures. Police fired tear gas at the small demonstration, but let another demonstration proceed the same day in support of the bloodless takeover. One day earlier, General Mohammed Ould Abdul-Aziz, then head of the presidential guard, ousted democratically elected Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi after the president dismissed him and three other senior military officers. The General and his forces also seized Mauritania's state radio and television, and according to the regional web agency Menassat.com, sacked and arrested the manager, Kabir Ould Hammoudi. Several newspapers failed to publish on 6 August after General Aziz's troops blocked the road to the country's only printing press, which is owned by the state. Menassat.com said newspapers blocked from publishing quickly resorted to the Internet. Neda's arrest brought to three the number of journalists detained in Mauritania, MFWA added. Mohamed Nema Omar and Mohammed Ould Abdelatif of the Arabic-language newspaper "Al Houriya" had been in prison since 21 July over an article accusing three judges of corruption. On 30 July about 30 journalists demonstrated against the detention of their colleagues outside the main court building in Nouakchott, the capital. With hands and ankles manacled, Oumar and Abdelatif were brought before an investigating judge half an hour later, said Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Abdelatif had been transferred to hospital, RSF said, with a lung problem aggravated by alleged police mistreatment intended to make him name the story's sources. Mauritania, Africa's newest oil producer, spans Arab and black Africa and has been a U.S. ally, Reuters noted. The United States condemned Abdallahi's ouster and suspended non-humanitarian aid; the European Union, United Nations, Arab League and African Union also condemned the coup. Abdallahi won elections last year after a 2005 coup - also instigated by Abdel Aziz - ended the 21-year dictatorship of Maaouya Ould Taya, who faces trial for alleged ethnic cleansing crimes. Ruling party in-fighting became rancorous, the UN agency IRIN reported, after a May reshuffle brought to power a dozen ministers from Ould Taya's regime. While other senior officials including the prime minister were released, Abdallahi was held at a secret location and his family briefly kept under house arrest. The junta declared that an 11-person state council would rule until elections are held. Other state institutions could operate normally, it said, including parliament - where most pro-Abdallahi legislators had quit his party on 4 August. Many of those legislators joined hundreds of people on the pro-coup march. http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20080826/news/news3.html Residents protest Spragga's son death Scores of demonstrating residents yesterday staged a small protest just in front the Kingston central police station to challenge what they was the cold-blooded murder of Carlton Grant, the son of dancehall artiste Spragga Benz. The mourning residents, most of whom are from communities within central Kingston, tied their heads with thin pieces of black cloth as a signal of their displeasure. "Jus like how God did visit ova Sodom, a suh him a go visit ova da station deh," an obviously irate woman said. Fatal shooting According to the residents, Carlton was known by many within their communities and surely will be missed. His fatal shooting they expressed yesterday, was a sure act of murder. In explaining their claims, one resident who begged for anonymity told THE STAR that a housemate of hers happened to witness the incident. As she related the story, the woman got upset when THE STAR asked if she was a witness. "Suh why yu haffi ask mi dat?, Yu nuh hear mi a tell yu wha gwaan?," she asked with a look of disgust on her face. Alleged witness Another resident at that point took over the conversation and continued to explain what the alleged witness had recounted. "Di man seh hi see when di police dem shoot Carl-I (Carlton) ... Him seh him go ova deh to dem and seh offica a weh unnu kill di yute fah and di police tell him seh dem find a gun pon him...Di man seh him ask di police suh weh di gun den and di police go inna him owna waist and tek out a gun and seh see it ya". That recount the protesting residents say, is a sure sign that the youngster was murdered in cold blood. "If dem did find gun pon him dem nuh woulda use piece a stick and lif it up or supm? Dem too wicked," another resident added. The Constabulary Communication Network reported that at 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, a police party signalled two men to stop while they rode their bicycles along Church Street in downtown, Kingston. The men allegedly pulled guns and fired at the police after which the fire was returned. Grant was reportedly found suffering from gunshot wounds and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. A 45 semi-automatic pistol was said to be taken from him. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=9981 Turks and Caicos opposition party holds demonstration against local television station Published on Thursday, August 21, 2008 Email To Friend Print Version By David Tapfer PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands: The opposition People?s Democratic Movement (PDM) held a demonstration on Wednesday against WIV channel 4, which is the only privately owned TV station in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). People?s Democratic Movement (PDM) supporters protesting against WIV 4 Protestors were seen walking up and down in front of the station?s Leeward Highway facilities, carrying placards bearing various messages. The station itself was recording the event with cameras and the print media was present as well. Attempting to keep order were at least 14 police officers, six police vehicles and one armoured vehicle. The protestors were told by the police to conduct their demonstration in the road and not on the station?s property. The placards carried by the demonstrators displayed various messages, including "PNP and WIV in bed together"; "Why does a USA owned company discriminate"; "We want justice"; and "PDM will be heard". In a interview with Caribbean Net News, the deputy leader of the PDM and former Chief Minister Oswald Skippings said, "We will continue to press for freedom of speech here in the Turks and Caicos because we are a democratic country." He added, "The Commission of Enquiry is here and they need to be aware of how this PNP government has prevented our party access to the people through the media. The days of the PNP covering up are ending and we are here to see to it." At a public meeting on Friday night, PDM Leader Floyd Seymour told the crowd, "Freedom of speech is one of the basic tenets of a democratic country and when this freedom is suppressed the basic concept of democracy is undermined." Caribbean Net News interviewed Seymour during the demonstration and he stated, "We are not only demonstrating on behalf of the PDM but also on behalf of all the people of our country. We believe there must be equal access to the local media from both sides of the political spectrum for our people to truly understand each and every issue and to understand what is happening in our country. Unless there is freedom of speech our people will never be free." Demonstrators at the protest rally Seymour stated further that the people need to read the press release he provided a week ago, which spells out the events that occurred that illustrate how WIV has prevented the PDM party from appearing on the station and presenting alternate view points. "We feel equal access is important; that's what we are demonstrating for," he said. WIV had on two occasions reportedly cancelled paid one hour programmed produced by the PDM. According to the PDM, the first cancellation was not explained and a letter citing fear of liability for defamation was advanced as the reason for the second cancellation. Skippings told Caribbean Net News, "How can it be that PNP can air their lies on WIV and we are not permitted to tell the truth?" Earlier attempts by Caribbean Net News to seek comment from WIV on these issues were unsuccessful. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=95452 Islamist protesters demand release of detained 'sons of Sunni faith' By The Daily Star Compiled by Daily Star staff Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Listen to the Article - Powered by Relatives of detained Islamist suspects in Lebanon staged a protest in Beirut on Tuesday to demand the release of their kin. Some 200 protesters shouted Islamic slogans and waved black flags and banners, steps away from the Parliament which was in session. One banner lamented that with Parliament elections due next year. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/iranian+ny+visit+sparks+protests/841057 Iranian NY visit sparks protests Watch the report Print this page Last Modified: 24 Sep 2007 By: Jonathan Rugman Protesters gather in New York as Iran's President Ahmadinejad arrives to address the UN general assembly. "Go to hell!" screamed one New York tabloid as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in New York for the UN general assembly. Crowds of protesters gathered outside the city's prestigious Columbia university, where he's due to speak today, as he declared that Iran did not recognise Israel because it was based on occupation and racism. Earlier the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, said it would have been a travesty for him to visit the site of the 11 September attacks. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=76088 New Yorkers protest Ahmadinejad as 'today's Hitler' But Palin disinvite prompts Jewish leader to say: 'I am ashamed of my own people' ________________________________________ Posted: September 23, 2008 11:55 pm Eastern By Matt Sanchez ? 2009 WorldNetDaily U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, greets Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad NEW YORK ? With the leader many call "today's Hitler" addressing the United Nations General Assembly, it's no surprise hundreds of people rallied near the U.N. yesterday in vocal protest of the return to New York of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After all, the Iranian leader has repeatedly and unambiguously called for the total annihilation of Israel ? which he describes as a "filthy, black germ" ? denies the Holocaust ever happened, and is by all accounts engaged in a full-throttle quest for nuclear weapons. Thus, security measures at the United Nations have been at an all-time high. Teams of reporters follow a maze of barricades to gain access to the U.N. building through the bowels of the main tower. Bomb detection dogs wag their tails, bobbing in and out of cars and electronic cases. Yesterday, school buses from throughout the Tri-State area unloaded children who were ready to participate in the now annual rally protesting the visit of the Iranian president. But there were several groups among the crowds seemingly angrier at the withdrawal of both vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Joel, who was holding a sign reading "Christian in Support of Israel," had flown in from Buffalo, N.Y., to attend the rally: "It's a shame Clinton decided to make this political, there was plenty of room for both of them." Joel understood his concern for Israel as a natural extension of his faith: "Christians support a safe and secure Israel. We believe in Israel and the Jewish people and we should not stand by as witnesses to another Holocaust." "This isn't just about Jews, it's an international issue," added Ann Greenfield, who identified herself as an experienced veteran of Jewish affairs in New York. "The Iranian president is an enemy of the world," she said. Greenfield was with several "concerned citizens" collecting signatures in protest of the Sarah Palin withdrawal from addressing the rally. Esther Ehrenberg, who was also collecting signatures, agreed. Both ladies hesitated to comment on the political fallout of Hillary Clinton's refusal to speak, but intended to force an apology to Sarah Palin who was abruptly disinvited from speaking at the rally. "I am ashamed of my own people," said Mort Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America, a major Jewish organization that dates back to 1898. Talking to WND by phone, Klein, a major figure in Jewish issues, said: "I would have fought strongly not to withdraw the Palin invitation. But I wasn't consulted, no one was consulted." After the Palin announcement, all other politicians withdrew from addressing the rally. For instance, added Klein, "Florida Congressman Robert Wexler was coming." Several observers suggested that rally organizers were threatened with having their tax-exempt status revoked if vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke. But no one WND contacted was willing to make that allegation on the record. The U.N. Security Council has moved to sanction Iran on three occasions and to force that nation to halt uranium enrichment ? a process most agree will lead to the construction of a nuclear bomb. Ahmadinejad insists his aims are peaceful, but his repeated incendiary comments have put Israel on a state of high alert. In 2006, in a televised speech from Tehran, the Iranian president told his audience, "We say that this fake regime [Israel] cannot logically continue to live." Since then, the Iranian president has only ratcheted up his rhetoric. In a corner of the rally, a half-dozen members of the antiwar group Code Pink held signs insisting the American government use diplomacy and renounce war. Observers estimated the crowd this year was noticeably smaller than the year before. "The politicians are the only ones who have any real influence here," said one, "and none of them showed up." http://english.bna.bh/?ID=72961 IRAN PROTESTS OVER MOLOTOV COCKTAIL ATTACK ON ITS EMBASSY IN LONDON date: 23 09, 2008 TEHRAN, SEPT. 23 (BNA) IRANS FOREIGN MINISTRY TODAY SUMMONED THE BRITISH CHARGE DAFFAIRES AND PROTESTED AGAINST THE RECENT MOLOTOV ATTACK ON ITS EMBASSY IN LONDON. THE MINISTRY, ACCORDING TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEWS AGENCY, CALLED FOR FOLLOW-UP OF THE ISSUE, REMOVAL OF SECURITY HAZARDS AND COMPENSATION FOR THE MATERIAL DAMAGE. IT ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE WEAK SECURITY MEASURES FOR THE IRANIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON AND CALLED FOR IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION INTO THE INCIDENT. ON HIS PART, THE BRITISH DIPLOMAT REGRETTED THE INCIDENT AND PROMISED TO PROBE THE MATTER. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT UNIDENTIFIED ATTACKERS THREW A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL ON THE MAIN GATE OF THE IRANIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON YESTERDAY CAUSING SOME DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING BUT NO HUMAN INJURIES. MTQ 23-SEP-2008 23:00 http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=25909354 AMWAJ BOATS BAN PROTEST More than a dozen homeowners at Amwaj Islands took to the water yesterday in breach of a ban on using motorised boats within the development. The residents, made up of people all nationalities, staged the protest after claiming they had been robbed of the main reason they bought their waterside properties. They took their vessels out to sea in a symbolic demonstration for around an hour to show the strength of feeling against the ban. Residents earlier received letters from Amwaj Islands Security saying motorised vessels, including jet-skis would no longer be around in the breakwater. Buoys bearing the warning STOP - NO BOATS were also strung across the entrance to the breakwater. Instead of creating a set of rules to improve safety, residents say management took the easy option and simply banned all vessels from the water. Many also suggested that closing the area off to boats would encourage swimmers to disregard safe guidelines such as keeping close to the shore. Instead they want management to separate swimming areas from the rest of the water area and create a new set of rules for boats and maybe jet skis. "By banning boats from the breakwater area they are instantly reducing the appeal of the islands to a large market since it is removing a fantastic resource," said one man, who regularly goes sailing, swimming wakeboarding and kite-surfing. "The Amwaj Islands is a fantastic development that should be allowed to reach its full potential. "However, it will not get there with poor prohibitive management that takes the easy or lazy solution to every problem that it encounters." Problem A British resident, who did not wish to be named, said the protest was sparked by a wider dissatisfaction. "There is a lack of consultation and that is the general view of everybody within the development," he told the GDN. "The management change the goal posts whenever they want. "There are issues with ownership, the management and service and it is getting worse." Amwaj Islands management were unavailable for comment. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/231663,police-clash-with-basque-protesters-in-northern-spain.html Police clash with Basque protesters in northern Spain Posted : Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:50:10 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Madrid - Police clashed with Basque separatists during a protest march in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian on Sunday, media reports said. Police fired rubber bullets after some of the marchers pelted the officers with stones, the reports said. Two people were arrested. The clashes erupted after police tried to stop the march, which was called by an organization seeking an amnesty for jailed members of the Basque separatist movement ETA. Authorities had earlier banned the march. On Thursday, Spain's top court ruled that a plan by the Basque regional government to stage a referendum-like vote on the self- determination for the northern region was unconstitutional. The Basque parliament had approved holding the vote on October 25, but the Spanish government and opposition conservatives lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court. http://www.koreanmovie.com/news/view/Hundreds_march_Spain_Basque_335406/ Hundreds march in Spain's Basque region for independence Posted 08 23 2008 12:59PM MADRID (AFP) - Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Bilbao, the financial capital of Spain's northern Basque Country, on Friday to demand independence for the wealthy region. Police offered no estimate for the number of participants but the Basque news agency Vasco Press said just over 1,000 people had taken part in the demonstration which was organised by left-wing Basque nationalists. The Basque Country already enjoys considerable autonomy and polls show most Basques do not want to secede from Spain. But a vocal minority is pushing for an independent Basque homeland. The armed Basque separatist group ETA is blamed for the deaths of over 820 people in bombings and shootings in its 40-year campaign for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France. Judge Fernando Grande-Marlaska of the National Audience meanwhile banned a public hommage to 40 ETA prisoners from taking place in Bilbao on Friday night. The hommage had been organised by Askatasuna, an outlawed ETA prisoner support organisation. http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/927/55/ Swords boy leads protest Thursday, 21 August 2008 A TWELVE-year-old boy from Swords, aged just 12, helped to organise a protest outside the Minister for Children?s office, last week to highlight the need for more communication with young people on issues that affect them. Karl O?Brien is a member of the Swords Youth Council, a recently formed group that is hoping to provide a constructive voice to young people in their community. The group was established last March and comprises students from the four secondary schools in the Fingal town. They have since vowed to put pressure on authorities to provide appropriate facilities for teenagers in the area. They marched from the Garden of Remembrance to the Minister Barry Andrews?s office on Hawkins Street to protest against the department?s policy of only meeting with youth groups once a year. ?The idea for the protest started when we emailed the minister to arrange a meeting and we felt his reply just wasn?t satisfactory,? Karl told Northside People. ?We decided we would hold a protest outside the department to get their attention. ?While we were there, some civil servants came out to listen to us and told us that the minister was on holidays.? A leaflet handed out by the protestors outlined that for young people to effectively tackle issues alongside politicians, D?il na nOg must run for more than one day a year. It also called for Minister Andrews to arrange a meeting with the leaders of the National Youth Organisation. The group believes it was successful in achieving this and is hoping to hold a meeting with the minister in the coming months. A spokesperson for the Minister for Children told Northside People that as Minister Andrews was away, they were unable to confirm if he would be meeting with the group but said the request will be passed on. Swords Youth Council is closely linked to other youth organisations like D?il na n?g (youth parliament) and the National Youth Council. Together these groups work to provide a voice for young people and raise issues with the Government. ?While we were protesting someone suggested to us that we would be better off joining political party youth wings and changing things that way,? Karl stated. ?I think this misses the point of groups like ours. ?We are here to help directly with any issues affecting young people in Swords.? Karl will be attending Colaiste Choilm in September having just finished at St Cronan?s Junior National School. Despite his youth, he has high expectations for the group and expects to launch some serious campaigns in the coming months. ?We are organising a poster campaign around suicide and bullying for the start of the new school term,? he added. ?If you would like to get involved with Swords Youth Council or find out more information visit, www.swordsyouthcouncil.com http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3594739,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf 26.08.2008 Danish Rockstar Uses Nazi Slogan to Protest Smoking Ban Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Smoking bans are the creations of "health fascists," Larson has said A pro-smoking campaign launched in Denmark by one of the country's best-known rockstars features a notorious Nazi slogan. The country's modest Jewish community is refusing to take offense. As frontman of Gasolin', a seminal rock band which enjoyed its heyday in the 1970s, Kim Larsen has always been one of the bad boys of Danish rock. And like any self-respecting hellraiser, he's vociferously anti-establishment. In the best rock 'n' roll tradition, he's also a die-hard smoker. So it comes as no surprise that he doesn't like the EU's anti-smoking laws introduced in Denmark one year ago, which ban smoking in public bars and restaurants. Health fascists Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Who reads billboards anyway? Not the type who likes being told what to do, Larsen recently helped fund an advertising campaign revolving around the slogan "Tillykke med rygeforbudet -- Gesundheit macht frei!!!" The first claim means "good luck with the smoking ban" in Danish, while the German slogan "health sets you free" is an obvious allusion to the Nazi slogan "Arbeit macht frei," or "work sets you free," which was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps, such as Auschwitz and Dachau. "The people who introduced the smoking ban are health fascists," Larsen has been quoted as saying. He said the reference to the Third Reich is a valid one, because the Nazis introduced a nationwide tobacco ban as part of their quest for bodily and racial purity. "Hitler was the first to ban smoking," said the one-time Eurovision Song Contest hopeful. Cause celebre Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Kim Larsen: too stupid to be taken seriously? Larsen allegedly isn't the only celebrity to have donated to the "Himmelbla" fund behind the campaign, whose ads are now splurged across Copenhagen's billboards. "This is not about a defense of smoking," Larsen has said. "This is about a defense of democracy and freedom." The country's Jewish community, for its part, is choosing to see the campaign in this context -- merely a clumsy protest against government interference with individual freedoms. "It's stupid, plain stupid," Stefan Isaak, president of the Danish Jewish community, told DW-WORLD.DE. "I don't connect it with any kind of anti-Semitism -- it's just plain stupidity." Explaining why Larsen's posters have gone largely ignored, he pointed out that Denmark has few Holocaust survivors, because most of the country's Jews left for Sweden during World War II. "Feelings might be hurt," he said. "But the whole slogan is so idiotic; you can't begin to connect it to Auschwitz." Bad taste Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Smokers: social pariahs Arne Rolighed of Denmark's leading cancer research charity is taking more offense. "It's extremely tasteless," he was quoted as saying in Danish daily Politiken. It's not the first time this kind of parallel has been drawn. In Germany -- where Nazi allusions are not shrugged off as lightly as they are in Denmark -- one protester launched a line of T-shirts earlier this year bearing a yellow Star of David along with the word "smoker." The shirt was quickly withdrawn from the market after Jewish groups objected to comparing the perceived persecution of smokers to that of the Jews under the Nazis. Isaak is more circumspect. "The less said about [Larsen's campaign], the better," he said. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4684282a11.html?source=RSSnationalnews_20080907 Family continue protest for dad's release for funeral Sunday, 07 September 2008 Family and friends of a slain man protested outside Auckland Prison for a second day today in an attempt to persuade the Corrections Department to let his father attend his funeral. John Maeva, 25, was killed in an execution-style shooting outside his Papatoetoe, south Auckland, home early last Sunday morning. His family say that his father John Maeva snr, serving a sentence for drug offences, has been refused permission to attend Tuesday's funeral preventing him from properly grieving his son. The department said in a statement yesterday that while it understood the death was a distressing time for the family and prisoner "we make no apology for putting the safety of our staff and the public first". Wayne James Bracken, a 31-year-old unemployed man, has been accused of murdering Mr Maeva and is due to reappear in Manukau District Court on September 22. - NZPA http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7624659.stm Friday, 19 September 2008 08:24 UK Crane protester gets night curfew Paul Jones was protesting about being evicted from a council property A protester who scaled a crane in Wrexham has been ordered to obey a night curfew. Paul Jones, 41, was demonstrating after a long running dispute over his eviction from a council property, Flintshire magistrates' court heard. Jones climbed the 60m (197ft) crane at the town's new Eagles Meadow shopping development on Wednesday, and stayed there for more than four hours. He admitted causing a public nuisance, and was also ordered to pay ?60 costs. The court heard that the crane Jones climbed was due to be dismantled, but his actions meant the job had to be cancelled and workmen sent home without pay. You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time when they can ill-afford it District Judge Andrew Shaw Another crane had to be brought in at the cost of ?3,500 for a police negotiator to speak to him. It was claimed that the cost of the delays to developers at the site amounted to ?10,000. 'Selfish, attention-seeking' District Judge Andrew Shaw called it "selfish, attention-seeking behaviour" and rejected his claim that it was done on the spur of the moment. "You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time when they can ill-afford it," added the judge. Euros Jones, defending, said the root of the protest was that Jones, his six children and partner were evicted from a Wrexham council property four years ago. The court was told that the defendant believed the eviction order was the result of malicious complaints from neighbours, and believed that the council had refused to investigate the issue. "He decided that this was the only option left to him," said his solicitor. "My client got to the foot of the crane at 5am and it took him about an hour and a half to pluck up the courage to go all the way up, but he did go." "He is thoroughly ashamed." The court said Jones must obey a curfew order to remain indoors from the evening until 8am for three months. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10032592-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 September 4, 2008 9:27 AM PDT Protesters decry NASA hacker's extradition Posted by Tom Espiner Protests chant outside Britain's Home Office in support of Gary McKinnon. (Credit: Tom Espiner/ZDNet UK) A peaceful protest supporting self-confessed NASA hacker Gary McKinnon took place this week in London. About 35 backers showed up Tuesday in front of the Home Office to protest the extradition of McKinnon to the United States. They said he should instead be put on trial in the United Kingdom, where he lives. McKinnon is accused of one of the biggest military hacks ever, slipping into computer systems belonging to the U.S. Army, Air Force, Department of Defense, and NASA. The U.S. government alleges that McKinnon's hacking activities caused $700,000 worth of damage. McKinnon has always maintained that his activities were harmless and that he was merely looking for evidence of UFOs. European Court of Human Rights turned down his extradition appeal last week. If found guilty of the hacking charges in a U.S. court, McKinnon could face up to 70 years in prison under anti-terrorism laws. Karen Todner (Credit: Tom Espiner/ZDNet UK) Karen Todner, McKinnon's solicitor and a protester, said that he should at least be allowed to serve his sentence in the U.K. because of his recent diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Todner is preparing further appeals to the extradition. Lucy Clarke, McKinnon's girlfriend and a protester, said he has become withdrawn following the loss of his appeal. "He's shut down," Clarke told ZDNet UK. "Gary's been living with this for six years. I'm surprised he hasn't had some kind of breakdown before now...We are very concerned about his health." Clarke added that she hoped the U.S. would be "realistic" in sentencing McKinnon. "I want the Americans to be realistic here, a bit bloody realistic" Clarke said. "Seventy years is a joke. At the end of the day, this was a bloke on a computer. If you haven't got passwords, you're lucky that Gary wasn't a terrorist. He's always said he was wrong, but they should have had the security set up. He hasn't murdered anybody." Lucy Clarke (left) and Janice McKinnon, Gary McKinnon's mother (Credit: Tom Espiner/ZDNet UK) The Home Office gave an official statement to ZDNet UK about the Extradition Act 2003 and the 2003 extradition treaty between the two countries. "These arrangements are fairly balanced, despite differences in terminology and procedures," stated a Home Office representative. "There are strong safeguards in place in the Extradition Act 2003 which ensure that the courts and the home secretary consider a number of issues, such as human rights and double jeopardy before anyone is extradited from the U.K. to the U.S." Tom Espiner of ZDNet UK reported from London. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/finance-workers-to-protest-at-sleazy-tories-947854.html Finance workers to protest at 'sleazy' Tories PA Wednesday, 1 October 2008 Finance workers wearing bowler hats and pig masks will stage a demonstration outside the Conservative Party conference today protesting at donations the Tories have reportedly received from hedge fund managers. Unite will also launch an advertising campaign accusing Tory leader David Cameron of being "cheesy and sleazy" and claiming that the Opposition was cashing in on the credit crunch. The union, which has 180,000 members working in financial services, has complained of a "deafening silence" from the Conservatives over how to tackle the current economic crisis, Joint general secretary, Derek Simpson, said: "Thousands of staff at banks like HBOS and LloydsTSB fear for their jobs, but the Tories seem more interested in taking money from the culprits of the credit crunch than helping the victims. "George Osborne's words cannot be trusted. He is a dangerous right winger who is inextricably linked to the City. The culture of the City is the culture of the Tories. They went to school with the City, they dine with the City and many of them married into the City. You can't rely on them to regulate the City. "The Tories have remained mainly silent when almost everybody else in the country - including Labour - are calling for City excesses to be reigned in." http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Menezes_inquiry_opens_to_protest&in_article_id=318006&in_page_id=34 Menezes inquiry opens to protest Sunday, September 21, 2008 Menezes inquiry opens to protest The long-awaited inquest into the police killing of Jean Charles de Menezes was due to begin on Monday. The 12-week hearing, which will be put to a jury verdict, will attempt to piece together how and why the innocent Brazilian came to be shot by anti-terror marksmen at Stockwell Tube station in 2005. Two policeman who fired the fatal shots will come face-to-face with Mr de Menezes' family for the first time, although 50 of the 65 officers who will give evidence have been granted anonymity. Relatives of Mr de Menezes will protest outside the venue today, while Metropolitan Police chief Sir Ian Blair has called the inquiry the 'most testing' in years. The 27-year-old was killed on a Tube days after the devastating July 7 London suicide bombings. Police claim they mistook him for a wanted terrorist. No new evidence is expected to emerge from the London inquiry, which will use facts gained from other investigations, but a verdict of unlawful killing could damage the Met and force out Sir Ian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/22/menezes.london?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront Jean Charles de Menezes inquest opens as relatives stage protest Cousins of innocent Brazilian shot dead by police on tube hand out leaflets bearing the words 'Three Years, No Justice' ? Audrey Gillan and agencies ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 22 September 2008 13.15 BST ? Article history Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes arrive for the start of the inquest into his death. Photograph: Johnny Green/PA The inquest into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes began at London's Oval cricket ground this morning with members of the dead man's family staging a quiet protest. Cousins of the Brazilian, who was shot dead as he attempted to catch a train at Stockwell tube station, handed out leaflets printed in the colours of the Brazilian flag and bearing the words "Three Years, No Justice". They wore T-shirts marking the date of his death ? July 22 2005 ? set inside the London Underground logo. A banner was hung from the window of a neighbouring flat emblazoned with the phrase "Inquest not cover-up ? Justice for Jean". The hearing is being held less than a mile from where the electrician was shot. The 12-week inquest could have repercussions for Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan police commissioner, who is already in the midst of a race row within his ranks and faced with questions over the award of a contract to a friend. He could be forced to quit early if the inquest result is considered too damaging for him to see out his five-year term. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0809/S00075.htm Protestors slam big brother state Friday, 5 September 2008, 12:37 pm Article: Natasha Burling Protestors slam big brother state By Natasha Burling Protestors and a law professor have criticised the Government for a massive increase in surveillance of political activists over the past few years. At a central Auckland protest on Saturday, which called for charges against Tuhoe tribe members to be dropped, veteran protestor John Minto said that the police had overreacted during the so-called terror raids last year. Click to enlarge John Minto and Mike Treen from Global Peace and Justice SEARCH NZ JOBS He said there has definitely been an increase in surveillance of political activists in the last six years. ?In fact in my lifetime this [the raids] would be the single biggest attack on civil liberties that I?ve ever seen.? he said. He explained heightened surveillance jeopardises New Zealanders? rights to dissent and warned Kiwis are in danger of losing these rights. Click to enlarge ?It?s really important that New Zealanders wake up to the fact that if we don?t defend our rights we will lose them,? he said. Minto went on to say the police have had a massive injection of money over the past six years and that they were using this to profile protest groups, rather than terrorists. Auckland City Police communications manager Noreen Hegarty said the New Zealand Police do not often spy on protest groups, but they sometimes receive tip-offs from members of the public who are concerned about planned illegal activities. Click to enlarge She added that communication in New Zealand is quite open and there is a lot of information on blogs and websites. ?It is not difficult to find out what is going on,? she said. Auckland law professor Jane Kelsey said she disagrees with the State using powers in the name of anti-terrorism against political dissidents. ?It?s a dangerous trend and if we allow this to go unopposed, we don?t know who?s next,? she said. However, Hegarty said the Police need to get High Court permission to spy on someone electronically and good evidence is needed for this. When asked if increased surveillance has been necessary since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Minto said New Zealand?s non-participation in the Iraq war means the country is not a terror target. He said there are no terrorists in New Zealand, unlike Australia and Britain where terrorist activities have occurred. Hegarty said the New Zealand Police would be irresponsible to not increase surveillance after the 2001 attacks. ?The world has changed considerably since 9/11. The New Zealand Police would be remiss if we didn?t acknowledge that,? she said. She added police often detect terrorism before it happens. ?A lot of stuff is going on that you would not be aware of.? ENDS http://www.stuff.co.nz/4699139a11.html?source=RSSnationalnews_20080920 Teen activist, MP dispute protest incident By TANYA KATTERNS - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 20 September 2008 Masterton police are investigating claims that a vehicle Wairarapa MP John Hayes was travelling in was deliberately driven toward a teenage protester. Placard-waving Labour supporter James Sleep, 16, was protesting outside a Masterton retirement village on Thursday afternoon when National leader John Key and his entourage arrived. Mr Hayes, in the passenger seat of his officially signposted National Wairarapa MP wagon, was leading the convoy. James claims Mr Hayes' car drove straight into his path, but Mr Hayes said: "This boy jumped into the path of my car and we were going very slowly. We didn't hit him. He is known to me and has been harassing me and a number of other MPs for some time." James said he was just exercising his democratic rights. "I was attempting to make attendees aware of the irony of National's attendance given that it was that party which cut superannuation in the 90s." He said Mr Hayes was directing the driver and "they blatantly attempted to shift me with the vehicle. I had no way of moving to the side as I was being propelled back by the force of the car. "I had my hands up against the bonnet of the car, trying to move to the side." Senior Sergeant Warwick Burr said police had received a complaint and were making inquiries. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=77&ContentID=93982 Boy charged after Lockridge riot 25th August 2008, 12:30 WST A 15-year-old boy has been charged following an out-of-control birthday party in Lockridge on the weekend. Riot police were pelted with bricks and bottles by angry youths after the party got out of control on Saturday night. A police spokesman said two police cars had attended the party on Scanlon Way about 11:40pm following reports of youths fighting in the street. The officers had been forced to retreat and call for back up after projectiles were launched at them. Fifteen police cars, including officers in riot gear, arrived at the party soon after to try to disperse the rowdy crowd. Partygoers then pelted the riot police with beer bottles and bricks as the officers moved in a line towards the party. Several officers were struck by the projectiles, with one policeman suffering minor cuts after he was hit on the leg by a glass bottle. St John Ambulance was also called to the party to treat several girls who were believed to have been injured during the fighting. The 15-year-old was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing police. RONAN O?CONNELL http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/31/2351032.htm Riot police close down illegal dance party Posted Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:00am AEST ? Map: Camperdown 2050 Riot squad police shut down an illegal dance party at Camperdown in Sydney's west overnight. Police were called to a warehouse on Parramatta Road at about 1:00am (AEST) and found about 1,500 people inside. Concerned about a fire hazard, police attempted to shut down the party but were pelted with bottles by those inside. Paramatta Road was closed and about 50 officers from the public order and riot squad, the rescue squad and local area commands - as well as a police helicopter - were called to help clear the building. Police say no was injured during the operation and one person was arrested in a separate incident, unrelated to the party. Police are securing the building. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24272157-5001021,00.html Face-off as Camperdown rave turns into riot By David Barrett and Chelsea White September 01, 2008 12:00am POLICE are trawling social networking sites and tracking text messages to find the organisers of a wild party shut down by the riot squad. About 1500 people crammed into a Camperdown warehouse for the party which was publicised through Facebook and other online forums. Nearly 1km of Parramatta Rd was closed yesterday as police tried to get partygoers out of the warehouse amid fire and safety concerns. Revellers pelted police with bottles from upstairs windows. ? Gallery: The illegal dance party that ended in disaster ? Violent Sydney: More knife attacks prove stats are wrong About 50 officers from Newtown were joined by a huge back-up force, including the public order and riot squad, the dog squad, Polair and police rescue, to close down the party. Despite the huge police presence, no arrests were made. Police are now scouring CCTV footage to identify those who threw bottles during the incident. The free party - complete with lasers, video installations and DJs over three floors - was advertised on Facebook and at dance music websites including www.inthemix.com.au. Text messages were also circulated inviting people to the party, listing the address and encouraging people to pass the invitation on. Assistant Police Commissioner Catherine Burn admitted that police "did not know" of the party until revellers turned up at the warehouse. One youngster identified only as Daniel said part of the event's appeal was that it was illegal. He said there was significant drug use at the party. "Going against the grain, of course its fun," he said. "Is it right? No. But is it fun? Yes." The Daily Telegraph understands the party was the eighth in a string of illegal raves held across Sydney known as "Channel" parties. Others have been held at Clovelly Beach, Artarmon and Alexandria. Police have identified the owner of the warehouse, but were yet to interview him last night. It's not known if he was aware of the rave. Partygoers yesterday posted comments online about the rave, accusing police of being too heavy handed. One reveller, Wana3q, wrote: "If the cops just let the party go on then they wouldn't have had to shut down Parramatta Rd or deal with a potentially volatile situation. I feel it was a massive overreaction." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=624267&rss=yes Police attacked at MySpace riot party 10:00 AEST Tue Sep 2 2008 319 days 1 hour 35 minutes ago Police have come under attack at a wild party that got out of hand after it was promoted on social networking website MySpace. Police were confronted by up to 100 youths, 3AW radio reported. Officers were encircled and pelted with bottles and a police vehicle was damaged after a 16-year-old's birthday party turned into a mini-riot, the Geelong Advertiser reports. Startled neighbours told the newspaper police were forced to unleash their batons in the aftermath of the house party at Belmont in Geelong's south on Saturday night. Geelong Chief Inspector Wayne Carson said police had to call for backup, and three youths were arrested and cautioned by police. "These 16-year-old parties at home are a recipe for disaster if they're going to get on cyberspace and let everyone know about," Inspector Carson told the Advertiser. "If people are stupid enough to have these home parties for young people without security this is what will happen." Inspector Carson condmened the "disgraceful lack of respect" for police and was furious that resources were being wasted to "break up these parties". But the party host Jordan Sciortino said the evening was going smoothly until police ejected partygoers onto the street. "There were a fair few there, people were drunk and we were making a bit of noise, but they only cracked it because they didn't want to leave and the police were forcing them out," the 16-year-old said. He confirmed to the Advertiser the party was promoted on MySpace but denied an address was given online. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/17/2367049.htm Police blamed for reigniting Willowra riots Posted Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:48pm AEST Updated Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:38am AEST ? Map: Alice Springs 0870 A Walpiri elder has accused the Northern Territory police of escalating the conflict that caused riots in Willowra this week. Police say 200 people gathered near the community store on Monday when a fight broke out and up to 40 people armed themselves with boomerang, rocks and nulla nullas. Twelve people have been charged with riotous behaviour over the fight. One of those men, a Walpiri elder, says he was mediating in the conflict and that tension was subsidising when police started taking photos. "Police behaviour made them worse, because photo cameras shouldn't be happening because everybody was calming down. "They made a mistake." But the Acting Commander of the Southern Region Lance Godwin says police should never be subjected to violence. "Police are required to act. Police are required to intervene and it should be irrelevant whether police were filming the scene or not . "The reality is police were there doing their job, trying to protect the community, and they shouldn't be subjected to that kind of behaviour." Police say it a similar riot occurred in the town last month. A youth worker involved in mediating between the rioting families is urging the Central Desert Shire to step in and help solve the conflict. Blair McFarland has been mediating in the community but says the shire needs to become more involved in resolving the long standing issues. "If the shires made a point of getting people from both side of that family divide into a consultative body then that would go a long way to making everybody feel like there was a process that could resolve differences in the community without having to resort to violence." Two men have appeared in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court today in relation to the riot. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=8c32a3ca-f83d-4190-bd50-430e8af4351f Sunday, January 4, 2009 Protesters aim to bring home Canadian held in Sudan Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, September 13 2008 OTTAWA - Thirty protesters rallied Friday in support of Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen holed up in the Canadian Embassy in Sudan waiting to receive a passport from the government so that he can rejoin his family in Canada. Abdelrazik, a Canadian from Montreal, was incarcerated in Sudan in 2003 on suspicion of terrorist activity. He had gone there to visit his sick mother. He was held until July 2006, when he was released without ever being charged - but has not been able to return to Montreal because of the government's refusal to replace his now-expired passport. There have been allegations that Abdelrazik belonged to al-Qaida and had gone to a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, allegations he has always denied. At the rally at the Human Rights Monument, his lawyer Yavar Hameed deplored the government's inaction in bringing his client home. "The question we need to ask is, "Why does the government refuse to repatriate Mr. Abdelrazik, who has not been convicted of any crime and has not faced indictment?'" Hameed contrasted this case with that of Brenda Martin, a Canadian woman who was convicted in Mexico of participating in a fraudulent online investment scheme and was nonetheless repatriated by the Canadian government last May. The lawyer deplored what he described as "a system of two-tiered citizenship, of institutional racism, of the marginalization of Canadian Muslims." http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39684 Graffiti artists protest unjust laws Alistair McKinnon, Melbourne 27 September 2008 On September 20, hundreds of people converged on Clifton Park in Brunswick to admire the work of talented graffiti artists. The gathering was part of a ?Don?t Ban the Can? campaign, launched in response to the state government?s new anti-graffiti laws, which allow $550 spot fines to be issued to anyone in possession of a ?graffiti implement?. Police can also now search anyone 14-years or older if they are suspected of carrying a spray can. Protest organiser Jeremy Gaschk told Green Left Weekly: ?The great injustice of these laws is the instant presumption of guilt placed on anyone for simply carrying a spray can. The police have been, in effect, given the power to persecute someone for pursuing their chosen art.? Across Melbourne, designated graffiti areas have been established through agreements with local councils and artists. The willingness of some councils to cooperate with local artists displays a recognition of graffiti as an art form; something that can enhance an area rather than detract from it. The new laws appeal to old prejudices and myths about graffiti and youth street culture that many in the scene have been fighting hard for years to dispel. ?For some of these artists graffiti is their livelihood and they have exhibited their work all over the world?, Gaschk said. http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=144849 Protest at judge's house 21/09/2008 9:32:04 People with a beef against the justice system are taking their grievance to a High Court judge's home this morning. A demonstration is planned about now outside Justice Judith Potter's house in Epsom in Auckland. Organiser Benjamin Easton, who describes himself as a disaffected father, says the public have little hope when they come up against the system. He says the protest is about making a noise to "blow the whistle" on the justice system. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 18:18:00 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:18:00 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy protests, Eastern Europe, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9A548.8040202@tesco.net> December * CHECHNYA - RUSSIA: Mass protest after Russian war criminal paroled * RUSSIA: Police smash opposition protests * KOSOVO: Serb justice workers protest firing * KOSOVO: Civil society groups protest Serb influence, EU police * CROATIA: Anti-government Facebook protests "fizzle" * UKRAINE: Horn honking protest against corruption * BULGARIA: Corruption protest over MPs' bonuses * ARMENIA: Protest over trial of opposition leaders * BOSNIA: Kindergarten Santa ban protested * SERBIA - PRESEVO - Protest over arrests of alleged former guerrillas November * HUNGARY - SLOVAKIA: Police violence at football game protested * RUSSIA: Protest over beating of environmental activist * BASHKORTOSTAN - RUSSIA - Bashkir leader holds mass protest against Moscow * GEORGIA: Thousands protest Saakashvili * ARMENIA: Opposition protesters "take a break" October * RUSSIA: Parliament siege remembered * ALBANIA: Protest over crimes of former regime August-September * INGUSHETIA - RUSSIA: Police attack protests against local leader, death of journalist * BELARUS: Opposition protests flawed vote * ALBANIA: Protest over handling of depot blasts http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081225/119175370.html Over 1,000 protest parole of Chechen woman's murderer 19:29 | 25/ 12/ 2008 MOSCOW, December 25 (RIA Novosti) - More than 1,000 people took to the streets of Grozny on Thursday protesting a Russian court's decision to grant parole to a former Russian military officer guilty of murdering a young Chechen woman. Yury Budanov, the former commander of a tank regiment during the second military campaign in Chechnya, was convicted in the summer of 2003 of murdering an 18-year-old Chechen woman, Elsa Kungayeva, three years earlier and was sentenced to 10 years in jail. A court in the Volga basin's Ulyanovsk Region upheld his parole request on Wednesday. Budanov, whose parole had been rejected once by the same court, will leave jail 15 months early after January 11. Budanov admitted killing Kungayeva, but claimed temporary insanity, saying he had strangled her in a fit of rage because he thought she was a sniper. His conviction came after a lengthy legal process involving a controversial retrial and numerous psychiatric reports. Students, human rights activists, members of political parties and patriot organizations gathered on a central square in the Chechen capital carrying posters that read "The murderer must not be pardoned" and "Where is justice?" An uncle of the killed Chechen woman, Lema Kungayev, slammed the court's ruling. "We are angered by the court's decision and believe it to be unjust," he said. "In my opinion, the release of Budanov is a slap not just for the relatives but for every Chechen." Kungayev said he could not believe that Budanov had repented for the killing. "On the contrary, he has threatened to punish us. This criminal must sit in prison," he said. Russian society was divided over the issue, with human rights activists seeking the tank commander's conviction, and other groups, including the military, supporting him. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=162292 Over 1,000 in Chechnya protest parole of colonel More than 1,000 people have gathered in the Chechen capital of Grozny to protest a court's decision to grant parole to a Russian colonel convicted of murder. Protesters on a central Grozny square on Thursday carried posters reading "A murderer should sit in prison" and "Murderers deserve life sentences." A court in Dimitrovgrad ruled earlier this week that Col. Yuri Budanov be released 8? years into his 10-year sentence. Budanov was arrested in early 2000 and convicted in 2003 of murdering an 18-year-old Chechen woman, Heda Kungayeva. He admitted strangling her, but said he did it in a fit of rage while interrogating her believing her to be a rebel sniper. Budanov's case has been closely watched as a test of authorities' determination to deal with abuses in Chechnya. http://www.rferl.org/Content/Hundreds_Protest_Release_Of_Murderer_In_Grozny/1364827.html Hundreds Protest Release Of Murderer In Grozny December 29, 2008 Hundreds of Chechens have been protesting in Grozny against a court decision last week to grant parole to a Russian Army colonel convicted of murdering a teenage Chechen girl, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service reports. A court in Dimitrovgrad ruled on December 24 that Colonel Yury Budanov be released 8 1/2 years into his 10-year sentence, although he is to remain in prison until January. Budanov was arrested in early 2000 and convicted in 2003 of murdering 18-year-old Elza Kungayeva. The protest in Chechnya's capital appears to have been organized by the republic's authorities. But the public indignation is quite genuine -- a lot of people are very upset by this decision, especially as so many Chechens spend 20 years in Russian prisons without parole for much lesser offenses. -- Aslan Doukaev http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_603005.html?source=rss&feed=7 Police break up Moscow protest By The Associated Press Monday, December 15, 2008 MOSCOW -- Police thwarted a banned anti-Kremlin protest in central Moscow on Sunday, seizing dozens of demonstrators and shoving them into trucks. Organizers said 130 people were detained around the capital but police put the number at 90. The opposition movement headed by fierce Kremlin critic and former chess champion Garry Kasparov said the co-leader of the group was one of those seized. The Other Russia movement organized the protest, in defiance of a ban, to draw attention to Russia's economic troubles and to protest Kremlin plans to extend the presidential term from four years to six. Critics say the constitutional change as part of a retreat from democracy and is aimed at strengthening the grip of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his allies. News broadcasts on the main television networks made no mention of the Moscow crackdown or of protests in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. Kasparov and other prominent liberals have just launched a new anti-Kremlin movement called Solidarity in a bid to unite Russia's liberal forces and encourage a popular revolution similar to those in Ukraine and Georgia. Kasparov had vowed to carry out yesterday's protest although authorities had denied permission for it. Before the scheduled start, hundreds of officers guarded Triumph Square, which was ringed by police trucks and metal barriers. Police roughly grabbed protesters who tried to enter the square, dragging at least 25 people into waiting trucks. Police seized Other Russia co-leader Eduard Limonov along with a handful of bodyguards as they walked toward the square. They were bundled into police vehicles. Kasparov and a group of supporters decided to avoid police by marching in a different location, then set off for a third site after finding another strong police presence, spokeswoman Marina Litvinovich said. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/world/europe/15russia.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Russian Antigovernment Protesters Detained By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ Published: December 14, 2008 MOSCOW? The Russian police detained dozens of antigovernment protesters attempting to hold an unsanctioned rally in Moscow on Sunday. Police officers and armored riot control personnel prevented the planned protest in central Moscow from materializing, in the latest sign that public expression of dissent against the authorities would not be tolerated under President Dmitri A. Medvedev any more than it had been under his predecessor, Vladimir V. Putin. As many as 100 people were detained, including Eduard Limonov, the head of the banned National Bolshevik Party, said a spokeswoman for Other Russia, a coalition of opposition groups led by Mr. Limonov and the former chess champion Garry Kasparov, among others. The police said that about 10 people were detained during a similar protest in St. Petersburg, Interfax reported. The Moscow demonstration was meant as a protest of the Kremlin?s handling of the financial crisis and its plans to change the Constitution to extend presidential and parliamentary term limits. Government critics say such a move could be used to extend the authority of Mr. Putin, who is now prime minister, and possibly lead to his early return to the presidency. Mr. Putin, while he has said Mr. Medvedev will remain president until his term ends in 2012, has not ruled out running for a third term after that. As with similar protests organized by Other Russia, the authorities denied permission for demonstrators to hold Sunday?s rally, called the Dissenters? March, but organizers vowed to go ahead. The police appeared to have foreknowledge of who would attend, detaining individuals as they arrived at the designated protest site and taking them to waiting buses. Others were detained when they unveiled banners or shouted slogans. The rally was scheduled to correspond with the establishment over the weekend of a new opposition group, Solidarity, an organization modeled on the 1980s Polish movement of the same name. Mr. Kasparov is among the founding members of the new organization. On the opening day of Solidarity?s founding congress on Friday, a busload of dead and wounded sheep was dumped outside the meeting hall in a Moscow suburb. The sheep were clad in baseball caps and T-shirts with Solidarity written on them, according to Mr. Kasparov?s Web site, and it was not clear who had dumped them. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013406107 Russian Police Detain Nearly 150 Protestors, Stop Two Rallies ShareThis December 14, 2008 4:45 p.m. EST AHN Staff Moscow, Russia (AHN) - Police in Moscow and St Petersburg detained about 150 protestors for holding unauthorised rallies and prevented two demonstrations by anti-government marchers on Sunday. Police officials said that they detained protestors tried to hold an unauthorized march of dissent and provoke clashes, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Dozens of people were arrested in Moscow in two different places and at least 10 people were detained at St. Petersburg as police blocked 100 anti-Kremlin protesters from marching on the city's main thoroughfare. Some of the opposition leaders, including Eduard Limonov, the head of the banned National Bolshevik Party (NBP), were among those arrested. The NBP is outlawed by a court decision for their extremist activities. Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion and leader of the United Civil Front, had indicated that the protestors would go ahead with the march in Moscow, despite failing to receive permission for the rally, according to the RIA Novosti. Almost 200 opposition protesters had gathered from 40 regions of the country met at the outskirts of Moscow and launched the anti-Kremlin movement called "Solidarity". "The rallies were held to coincide with the Decembrist uprising which took place in Imperial Russia on December 12, 1825," said RT, a Russian news agency. The protest is aimed to "dismantle the Putin regime," according to Kasparov as he spoke to over 100 protesters ahead of the scheduled march Sunday. http://www.moscowtimes.ru/articles/detail.php?ID=373126 Police Detain 90 For Illegal Protest 15 December 2008Police thwarted an anti-Kremlin protest organized by the Other Russia opposition group on Sunday, seizing demonstrators and shoving them into trucks. Moscow police detained 90 people, including the group's co-leader and a Moscow Times reporter. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24800619-12335,00.html 100 arrested at protests ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print From correspondents in Moscow | December 15, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse AT least 100 people were arrested at opposition protests in two major Russian cities organised by Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, police say. Dozens were detained and forced into police buses at Triumfalnaya Square in central Moscow on Sunday, where Kasparov and other activists had planned to hold an unsanctioned "Dissenter's March''. The arrests came a day after Kasparov and fellow government critics launched a new opposition group, Solidarity, and vowed to ``dismantle'' the regime of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Several hundred metres away on Pushkin Square an AFP photographer saw about 15 elderly people who said they were retired military officers being detained by police as they prepared to head for the march. "Around 90 people were detained,'' police spokesman Viktor Biryukov said. The detained activists included writer Eduard Limonov, founder of the National Bolshevik Party, a banned radical group, his aide Alexander Averin told AFP by telephone from a bus where they were being held. It was not immediately clear what happened to Kasparov. http://www.sptimes.ru/story/27820 Tensions Mount Over Mass Protest By Sergey Chernov Staff Writer City Hall on Thursday downgraded a major oppositional protest event scheduled for Sunday to a stationary meeting at the Chernyshevsky Gardens, far from the city center, organizers said after meeting with officials. The protest is the latest in a series of actions that are known as Dissenters? Marches, Last week, City Hall rejected three routes suggested for the march by the rally organizers, without offering an alternative as they are legally required to do, prompting the applicants to file a lawsuit against the local government on Monday. Although they have agreed to a stationary meeting at the Chernyshevsky Gardens, the majority of organizers and participants will gather at a previously announced starting point near Gostiny Dvor Metro at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Olga Kurnosova, the local leader of Garry Kasparov?s United Civil Front (OGF), said by phone on Thursday. ?[Participants will gather] at Gostiny Dvor and move along sidewalks, in an organized way, toward the Chernyshevsky Gardens,? Kurnosova said. The approximate distance between the two points is 3 kilometers. The gardens will be open to protesters from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Kurnosova said. Dissenters? Marches were introduced as the main form of mass protest in 2006 by the Other Russia, a pro-democracy coalition formed by OGF and Eduard Limonov?s banned National Bolshevik Party. Held several times a year, the marches, which have attracted up to 6,000 protesters at a single event, were frequently dispersed by the OMON special forces police, with many arrests and police beatings reported. Sunday?s march is targeted against changes to the Russian Constitution that will prolong the presidential and State Duma terms from four years to six and five years respectively. The measures were proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev last month and are currently being approved by regional parliaments. The way the Kremlin is dealing with the economic crisis will also come in for criticism according to flyers published by the organizers. ?Change Those in Power, and Not the Constitution? and ?Authorities, Take Responsibility for the Crisis,? stickers advertising the rally state. Oppositionists said City Hall had no right by Russian law to change the form of the rally from a march to a stationary meeting, but agreed to the offer to avoid clashes with the police. ?Unlike the executive authority and law enforcers, first and foremost for us is the safety of civilians, while for them it?s orders from Moscow,? Kurnosova said. ?That?s why, for us at least, having an official document means, morally, that we do everything we could to provide this safety. So the march will take place come rain or shine.? Earlier this month, Leonid Bogdanov, the head of the city government?s Law, Order and Secutity Committee, rejected the three suggested routes in a three-page letter, stating reasons ranging from repair works to the possible ?distraction of drivers? and pedestrians? attention from following the traffic rules, which may lead to possible road traffic accidents.? However, after the oppositionists announced that the Dissenters? March would go ahead anyhow ? the Russian Constitution guarantees the freedom to hold peaceful public gatherings ? tensions between the authorities and the oppositionists mounted. OGF member Mikhail Makarov was visited at his home by police, including the deputy head of the Vasileostrovsky District Police department, at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Kurnosova said. The officers wanted Makarov to record a video in which he would say he was ceasing to organize the Dissenters? March, but Makarov considered the demand ?unlawful? and declined. On Thursday morning, Kurnosova?s mother was visited by a district police officer who demanded to know where Kurnosova was, she said. Late last month, Kurnosova was summoned to the southern Russian town of Astrakhan, where she is a suspect in a criminal case for allegedly smuggling a can of caviar. She was held there for 10 days by investigators. She returned to St. Petersburg on Wednesday. ?I think they will continue to take great pains to complicate my activities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other places in Russia,? she said. On Sunday, a Dissenters? March will also be held in Moscow, despite a ban from the Mayor?s Office, as well as in a number of the other Russian cities. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=24&nav_id=55959 Justice workers protesting in northern Kosovo 24 December 2008 | 11:40 | Source: Beta KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Serb justice workers in northern Kosovska Mitrovica have protested this morning in front of the District Court building at not being allowed to return to work. They were due to resume their jobs in line with an earlier agreement with UNMIK. The justice workers have warned representatives of the international mission that a solution to the problem is impossible without an agreement with the Serb community, and have warned of a blockade of the court unless Serb prosecutors and judges are allowed to return to their posts. The Serbs say that UNMIK has failed to honor an agreement whereby, following the arrival of international prosecutors and judges at the court building in early October, their Serb counterparts were due to reassume their positions as part of the second phase, starting on December 2. The court in northern Kosovska Mitrovica has been out of operation since March 17, after clashes between UNMIK police and Serb demonstrators who gathered after the arrest of Serb prosecutors and judges. One Ukrainian police officer died and 200 people were injured during the violence that ensued. A spokesman for the justice workers, Nikola Kaba?i?, told journalists that UNMIK had been drawing out talks with the Serbs, and that the latest date set for the withdrawal of UNMIK personnel from the building was January 15. They are due to be replaced by EULEX prosecutors and judges http://www.nowpublic.com/world/kosovo-civil-society-protests-increased-serbian-influence Kosovo Civil Society Protests Increased Serbian Influence Share: by AP101 | December 3, 2008 at 08:39 am 67 views | 0 Recommendations | 4 comments Photos November 24, 2008, Prishtina, Kosovo: Thousands of Kosovar citizens took to the streets of Prishtina last week to protest a United Nations proposal to increase Serbia's influence in Kosovo. The proposal, put forth by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in consultation with the Serbian government, would give Serbia broad administrative powers over Serb majority areas within the Republic of Kosovo. These would include control of the police, judiciary, transportation and infrastructure, boundaries, customs and religious sites. Civil society groups fear that the proposal would essentially partition Kosovo by putting a third of the country's territory under Serbian control, and pave the way for the equivalent of the Bosnian Serb enclave (Republika Srpska) within Kosovo's borders. Last week's march opposing the move was organized by more than 20 Kosovar civil society organizations, including the Kosova Women's Network (KWN), a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). "KWN fully supports citizens in this effort, agreeing that any political decision concerning Kosovo should be made by citizens rather than imposed by outside international bodies," the group said in a statement. The UN proposal came after Serbia refused to accept the deployment of the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in northern Kosovo, which is supposed to gradually replace the UN administration there. Serbia asserts that UN Security Council Resolution 1244, passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serbs and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, only gives the UN administrative powers in Kosovo. This resolution also refers to Kosovo as Serbia's "southern province," not as an independent state. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 and has been recognized by 52 UN member states, including 22 European Union members and all bordering states except Serbia. KWN and other civil society groups contend that the new UN proposal would threaten Kosovo's territorial sovereignty, violate its constitution, and jeopardize the fragile peace that has been secured in Southeast Europe. The protesters also point out that many Serbs who live in enclaves in Kosovo are opposed to increased Serbian governmental influence. Kosovo's constitution already guarantees Serb representation in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, seats as Ministers and Deputy Ministers, access to media in the Serb language, representation on the Kosovo Judicial Council and national language rights. Efforts have also been made to include Serb citizens in public institutions, such as the police force. KWN and other civil society organizations are calling for international pressure on Serbia to accept the independence of Kosovo and the deployment of the EULEX mission. They also want the Serbian government to support the Kosovo Status Settlement, proposed by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari. This would grant Kosovo a flag, anthem, and the right to make international agreements and seek membership in international institutions. Such recognition, as well as retribution for crimes committed against the citizens of Kosovo in 1998 and 1999, should be a precondition for Serbia to join the EU, they said. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3843753,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Eastern Europe | 02.12.2008 EU Kosovo Mission Put Back Amidst Pristina Protests Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: December 9 is the new start date for Eulex police officers and officals The transfer of security duties from the UN to the European Union was supposed to demonstrate the bloc's involvement and bolster peace in Kosovo. But no one seems very happy with what's become a mission of compromises. Eulex troops were supposed to start taking over maintaining security in Kosovo from UN forces on Tuesday, Dec. 2, but that start has been delayed a week. "We are ready, but there is some fine tuning to be settled first," Eulex spokesman Viktor Reuter told the dpa news agency in the Kosovan capital Pristina. The mission, which would see some 2,000 police officers and officials help Kosovo keep law and order, is now set to commence on Dec. 9. The "fine tuning" refers to the implementation of a six-point plan announced last week by the United Nations and is aimed at opposition to the mission by Serbia, which claims Kosovo as part of its territory. In the aftermath of the 1990s Balkans Wars, Kosovo -- the majority of whose inhabitants are ethnic Albanians -- was put under UN administration. In February of this year, the Assembly of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. More than 50 countries, including the US, Britain and Germany, recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state, but the move angered Serbia and Belgrade's main ally Russia. According the six-point plan, the UN would retain control over Mitrovica and other northern regions of Kosovo that border or are near Serbia. But that compromise has, in turn, upset ethnic Albanians. De facto partition? Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Anti-EULEX protests in Kosovo Thousands of ethnic Albanians took to the streets of the Kosovan capital Pristina on Tuesday to protest against what they fear amounts to the division of Kosovo. The mission was "masking Kosovo's partition," protest organizer Albin Kurti, told the demonstrators Kosovo's political leadership is unhappy as well. "For us?it's important ?to see Eulex deployed as soon as possible across Kosovo," the country's president Fatmir Sejdiu topld dpa news agency on Tuesday. Those sentiments echoed a statement made by Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, the day before. "The mission will only be meaningful if from day one it is also installed in the northern Mitrovica," Thaci said. Meanwhile Belgrade is lobbying NATO to lift a buffer zone, agreed upon in 1999, that prohibits the Serbian military from the immediate vicinity of the Serbia-Kosovo border. DW staff http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3843355,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf 02.12.2008 | 16:00 UTC Thousands of Kosovo Albanians protest EU police force. Thousands of Kosovo Albanians have gathered in the capital Pristina to protest against the deployment of a European Union police mission, saying it threatens Kosovo's sovereignty. EU police are to take over from the UN's post war mission on December 9, with a mandate to oversee Kosovo's transition in a neutral capacity. The UN backed plan provisionally leaves Serb enclaves in the North under the UN umbrella. Albanian Kosovars fear this will lead to partition. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=02&nav_id=55457 Anti-EULEX protest in Pri?tina 2 December 2008 | 15:55 | Source: Beta PRI?TINA -- Thousands of people attended a peaceful protest in Pri?tina today against UNMIK and the deployment of EULEX mission in Kosovo. Protesters 'issue' Zannier with new ID (Tanjug) The protest organized by the Kosovo Albanian NGOs ended without incident. UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier was proclaimed a persona non grata in Kosovo at the rally. The protest was organized by some 20 NGOs and the Self-Determination movement, with the support of the Kosovo's independent unions, whose president spoke at the gathering. Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti said that the neutral status of the EU mission "essentially means that it does not recognize Kosovo independence and that the process of confirming its status remains open". For the first time, there were chants against the president and prime minister, while Hashim Thaci was declared a traitor. Other slogans that were heard were ?Kosovo in the EU, but not under the EU?, ?No Partition?, and ?Kosovo is Ours.? The protestors called on UNMIK and EULEX to leave Kosovo immediately. It was also said at the rally that the EU mission in Kosovo is a ?product of Serbia? and signs were seen which read, ?EULEX ? Made in Serbia.? Kosovo police, KPS, officials were seen only in front of the EULEX headquarters in Pri?tina, even though the protesters walked through all of the town. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-10-voa60.cfm?CFID=157779097&CFTOKEN=21697209&jsessionid=00304ed9f045de25b830726578662c2f4620 EU Mission Deploys in Kosovo Amid Protests By Stefan Bos Budapest 10 December 2008 The European Union has begun deploying its largest justice and police mission ever in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia earlier this year. The EU mission began amid protests in the country, which is still recovering from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. French gendarmerie personnel, serving in EULEX on the Jarinje checkpoint on the border between Serbia and Kosovo, 09 Dec 2008 The first members of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, unpacked their blue berets and fresh uniforms, and began deploying across the mainly ethnic-Albanian territory of Kosovo. About 3,000 people, including 1,900 international and 1,100 local staff members, will eventually participate in EULEX, described as the largest civilian mission in the EU history. The head of EULEX, retired French General Yves de Kermabon, told reporters his mission of judges, prosecutors, police, custom officials and correctional officers will help build government institutions in Kosovo, which is still recovering from Balkan wars. "I can affirm today that we are ready to start fulfilling the mission," he said. "It means that we have the minimum requirement to do this and to work with our [Kosovo] counterparts in the three components: Justice, police and customs." Yet, EULEX strongly relies on 16,000 peacekeepers of the Western military alliance, NATO, for protection, as it finds itself unwanted by either side of Kosovo's ethnic divide - ethnic Albanians and Serbs. In recent weeks, thousands of people from across Kosovo have demonstrated against the EU mission. Ethnic-Albanian protesters view it as an attempt to impose European control over their young nation of about two million people. Kosovo's Serb minority is against EULEX because most EU member states supported Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, earlier this year. European Union policemen wearing the bloc's insignia in Kosovo's capital Pristina, 27 Nov. 2008 Despite these disagreements, Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci supports EULEX. In comments translated by France 24 television, he said the EU mission could help restore law and order for all ethnic groups in Kosovo. "This mission will strengthen the republic of Kosovo's institution's and can only extend its authority," he said. "Any action taken by EULEX will be taken in agreement with our constitution." EULEX is to take over from the United Nations, which has ruled Kosovo since 1999, following a war between Serbian forces and independence seeking ethnic Albanians. U.N. officials said they will remain in Kosovo to oversee a smooth transition. EULEX is under international pressure to help improve Kosovo's struggling legal system. Western observers say courts are swamped with cases and that corruption is rampant. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=11&dd=19&nav_id=55132 Pri?tina protest against UN plan over 19 November 2008 | 15:02 -> 16:46 | Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug PRI?TINA -- Around 5,000 Albanians have protested today in Pri?tina against the six-point plan for UNMIK reconfiguration. Carrying Albanian and Kosovo flags, and chanting a range of pro-Kosovo Liberation Army and anti-UNMIK slogans, around 5,000 Albanians began their protest at midday against the proposed six-point plan for the reconfiguration of the international presence in Kosovo, where UNMIK would retain control of the police and customs in northern Kosovo, and in the other majority-Serb enclaves south of the Ibar . A network of 30 non-governmental organizations in Kosovo, led by the Self-Determination movement, organized the protest ?against the imposition of conditions for the EULEX deployment.? Demonstrators carried banners reading ?No to the Ban Ki-moon Six-Point Plan?, ?Sovereignty, Independence, Freedom?, ?KLA? and others. The protest?s motto was ?Everyone against the Ban Ki-moon Six-Point Kosovo Plan?. The protestors said that the plan compromised their sovereignty and territorial integrity, as it paved the way for a partition of Kosovo, whereby, stressed Igbala Rugova, the president of the Kosovo Women?s Network, one-third of the province?s territory would be under the control of parallel Serb structures and Serbia. ?We no longer wish to be an experiment. Kosovo is no longer an experiment, Kosovo is a state,? said Rugova. The other speakers echoed these views, stating that the protest had been organized to give a resounding ?no? to the six-point plan. Addressing protestors at the end of the protest, Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti announced a series of demonstrations against the disputed plan. The protest passed peacefully and without incident. Kosovo Police spokesman Veton Elshani said earlier that the police had not been officially notified of the protest and that the KPS had found out about the rally through local media reports. Leader of the Self-Determination Movement Albin Kurti, one of the organizers of the protest, said that Kosovo did not need the EU mission, rather the government should have jurisdiction over the entire province. ?The international presence in Kosovo should not carry with it executive power, change laws or ministers. The presence should be of an advisory nature,? Kurti said. ?It is unacceptable for the UN and Serbia not to recognize Kosovo but negotiate over Kosovo. So we have a problem of principles here. All the issues in the six-point document are the concern of the Kosovo government and institutions,? he underlined. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6536995.html Kosovo Albanians stage protests against UN plan + - 08:44, November 20, 2008 Thousands of ethnic Albanians protested Wednesday in the Kosovo capital Pristina against the UN plan over the deployment of the EU Rule of Law mission (EULEX). "All against 6 points of Ban Ki Moon" was the motto of the two-hour protest organized by the network of 30 NGOs denying a conditional deployment of EU mission in the territory. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon offered a six-point plan to Pristina authorities last week on the modalities of EULEX deployment causing anger to Kosovars. The six-point plan arranges the aspects of customs, police, border controls, justice, transport and Serb religious heritage in Kosovo. It is based on Belgrade recommendations to UN over these issues, therefore Serbia accepts the plan and the deployment of EULEX if it is granted by a UN Security Council. The head of Self-determination movement Albin Kurti led the protest, claiming that "UN and Serbia have no right to discuss for Kosovo if they do not recognize its independence." The Kosovo government and President Fatmir Sejdiu completely rejected Ban's plan and offered their four-point plan as an option to resolve the issue. According to the four-point plan, Kosovo agrees on a quick deployment of EULEX in accordance with Kosovo Constitution and Status Settlement Proposal of UN status envoy Marti Ahtisaari. The plan also agrees on close cooperation of Kosovo institutions with EULEX, and with NATO, the European Union and the United States. The demonstration was called before Pristina's refusal of the plan, but Kurti insisted for the protest despite the government's move. The leader of Women Network of Kosovo, Igballe Rogova, said that Ban Ki-Moon's plan leads the territory towards partition. Kosovo, the breakaway province of Serbia and with an ethnic Albanian-majority, unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17 following almost nine years of UN administration. The EULEX is designed to replace the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), but local Serbs and Belgrade are strongly opposing its deployment in Serb localities in Kosovo without a Resolution of UN Security Council. No local politicians or officials joined the protest which ended peacefully outside the UNMIK headquarters in Pristina. Source:Xinhua http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2429207,00.html Albanians protest UN plan 19/11/2008 17:40 - (SA) Pristina - Thousands of ethnic Albanians have rallied in Kosovo to protest a United Nations plan they say will split the country along ethnic lines. The UN plan would see some powers shift from central government to local police, customs and judicial officials. Protesters in Pristina on Wednesday said it would give more power to officials in Serb-majority areas who opposed Kosovo's independence in February. They say it would give Serbia a say over Kosovo's affairs. The plan was drafted to try to win Belgrade's support for a European Union police mission for Kosovo. Kosovo's leaders have rejected the UN plan but Western diplomats are pressing them to agree. An explosive device was thrown at EU offices in the capital Pristina last week in a sign of growing tensions. - AP http://www.croatiantimes.com/index.php?id=2070 08. 12. 08. - 12:00 Anti-government Facebook protests fizzle Croatian Times Anti-government protests organized on Facebook fizzled Friday when roughly 3,500 people turned out for a demonstration that organizers hoped would draw 60,000. About 2,500 people gathered in the capital, Zagreb. Several hundred turned up in Croatia's second-largest city, Split, and a few hundred more in five other cities to protest government austerity measures. "It's easier to click a mouse, in the safety of your home, than show up in public," said Jaksa Matovinovic, a spokesman for the group that organized the protest. Still, the protests demonstrated that online social networks have began to have some political impact in this former Yugoslav republic, where only 2 in 5 households have access to the Internet Younger generations are well-versed in the Internet, but gaffes by some politicians reflect Croatia's relative computer illiteracy. Speaker of parliament Vladimir Seks called the social networking Web site "Facebok." Opposition lawmaker Mato Arlovic, spoke of "emajl" - enamel in Croatian - when he meant e-mail. And former Interior Minister Ivica Kirin called YouTube "Jubito" in a widely played clip posted on that site. The Facebook group, called "Tighten your own belt, you gang of knaves," criticized Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's measures to fight a potential financial crisis, saying they would hurt the average Croat while politicians and the rich would be unscathed. It also blames the government for failing to fight crime and corruption. "Only united we are becoming a force that no one can ignore," the group's leader, Josip Dell Olio, told the crowd in Zagreb. Recent police questioning of two members of Facebook groups critical of the government signalled that politicians may not be prepared for a new, cyberspace opposition. Irate Croat politicians still sometimes place calls over critical stories in traditional news media, and occasionally, stories are being pulled or changed as a consequence. Although there are few formal restrictions, Croatia still has some ways to go in shedding its authoritarian past, first imposed by communism and then by the nationalist forces that ruled the ex-Yugoslav country in the 1990's. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/12/23/ukraine-a-loud-protest/ Ukraine: A Loud Protest Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 @ 00:16 UTC by Veronica Khokhlova Ukrainiana writes about and posts video of a very loud protest in Kyiv: ?On December 22, at noon, Kyivites honked their horns to protest against rampant government corruption and endless power struggles wrecking the Ukrainian Dream amid the country?s deepest economic crisis since the early ?90s.? http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1220/1229725700935.html Saturday, December 20, 2008 Bulgarians protest at state corruption as MPs take bonuses DANIEL McLAUGHLIN ABOUT 2,000 Bulgarians protested in their capital, Sofia, yesterday, amid growing anger at crime and corruption and the government's handling of mounting economic problems. Dissatisfaction with the country's leaders was exacerbated by news that MPs had voted to pay themselves Christmas bonuses totalling more than ?350,000, at a time of almost daily factory closures, redundancies and increasing difficulties for ordinary people in repaying loans and finding new credit. More than 1,000 farmers drove hundreds of tractors into Sofia to demand higher government subsidies for their produce and relief from growing bank pressure over their debts. "We face bankruptcies," said farmer Vasil Dimitrov (35). "All these tractors have been bought with credit and banks have already started pressing us." "It's better for the government to disappear. It is unable to run the country," added another farmer, Alexander Dimashki (61). "Corruption has taken over." The European Union stripped Sofia of ?220 million in aid last month, and said Bulgaria might lose another ?340 million if it failed to curb graft and political interference in funding processes by the end of 2009. Opinion polls suggest 75 per cent of the population disapprove of the parliament's work and two-thirds want the government to resign. A general election is due next year. Politicians were lambasted by the media and non-governmental groups for taking a Christmas bonus, despite having been sanctioned by the EU and failing to push through reforms. "We've had enough," environmental group For Nature said in a statement. "We want a state without corruption, lawlessness and damage to natural, human and intellectual resources." Hundreds of young Bulgarians also marched yesterday to protest a rise in violent crime, after a student was beaten to death two weeks ago. "Bulgaria needs criticism, but it also needs support," prime minister Sergei Stanishev argued this week, after another rebuke from Brussels over his government's failure to crush crime and corruption. "EU integration doesn't always run smoothly because we are a new member and we are learning. Bulgarians deserve to be treated on an equal footing with other Europeans," he said. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081219164045.7uflt9jap1&show_article=1 Protestors chant slogans outside the courthouse in Yerevan, Armenia Protestors chant slogans outside the courthouse in Yerevan, Armenia, where the trial of former Armenian foreign minister Alexander Arzumanian is underway. Seven top opposition supporters, including former foreign minister Arzumanian, went on trial in Armenia Friday on charges of seeking to overthrow the government in unrest this year that left 10 dead. http://news.scotsman.com/world/Protests-over-ban-on-Santa.4826290.jp Protests over ban on Santa Published Date: 29 December 2008 HUNDREDS of Bosnians have protested against a recent ban on Santa Claus in Sarajevo kindergartens. The directors of day-care centres and kindergartens banned Santa arguing that the capital is predominantly Muslim and Santa Claus is not part of the Muslim tradition. A multi-religious mix of parents, children and others staged a public protest requesting Santa be restored. Santa, locally as Father Frost, has previously given out presents to generations of Bosnian children even during communist rule and was always tied to New Year's celebrations. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=28&nav_id=56057 Pre?evo: Albanians protest KLA arrests 28 December 2008 | 19:10 | Source: B92, Beta PRE?EVO -- Several hundred ethnic Albanians gathered today in Pre?evo, southern Serbia, to protest the arrests of ex-KLA members suspected of war crimes. The protest in Pre?evo (FoNet) The families of the ten suspects, and an association of former members of the so-called Liberation Army of Pre?evo, Bujanovac, and Medve?a (UCPMB)? a KLA offshoot in the region ? accused the Serb authorities of causing tensions in the area known as the Pre?evo valley, and of intimidating the Albanians living there. The gathering also heard that Interior Minister Ivica Da?i? is continuing with Slobodan Milo?evi?'s policies, all with the intent of intimidating the local Albanians. The Serbian state organs were also accused of bringing militarization, violence and instability, instead of development and economic progress. The rally, that ended without any incidents, also asked for international factors to get involved the case, including the governments in Pri?tina, and Tirana. The protesters carried Albanian flags and banners that read, "KLA warriors don't belong in jail", "We want freedom in our areas", "Pre?evo valley is a problem that demands a solution", "Stop to searches", and, "NATO in Pre?evo valley". Ljuljzim Ibisi of the association gathering former UCMBP members ? a group that launched armed rebellion in the region after the war in Kosovo, which ended with international mediation in 2001 ? said that while the ten men detained on Friday were KLA members, "they have nothing to do with war crimes accusations". "They were KLA members, but they did not go to war against civilians. UNMIK and KFOR were in Kosovo at the time, so wouldn't they have arrested them, had they really committed crimes," said Ibisi. He also said that he "doubts the numbers" of missing and kidnapped Serbs from the Gnjilane area which he "first heard about two days ago from the police", but added that if they were true, all those who committed crimes should be found and punished, "and that goes for the missing Serbs and Albanians". "The state of Serbia should get serious and respect human rights, instead of getting ideas when they've nothing to do ? let's go to Pre?evo and make a rebellion and demonstrate how efficient we are," said Ibisi. The ten men MUP Gendarmes arrested and took to Belgrade on Friday were today interrogated by a judge in the Serbian capital. The War Crimes Prosecution ordered their arrest on suspicion that they took part in kidnapping, rape, mutilation, torture, and monstrous murders of at least 51 Serbs and non-Albanians in Gnjilane after the 1999 war in the province. http://www.politics.hu/20081103/slovak-embassy-in-budapest-cordoned-off-after-protests November 03, 2008, 7:57 CET news Slovak embassy in Budapest cordoned off after protests By MTI Police have pulled a double barrier around the Slovak embassy in Budapest and are searching demonstrators who have come to protest "police excesses" at a soccer game in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, earlier on Saturday. About 1,000 Hungarians from far right organisations travelled to the game where several were injured in scuffles with police. About 150 protectors gathered near the Slovak embassy after several Internet websites alleged - falsely - that a Hungarian had died of injuries at the game. Hungarian police issued a press release confirming that Hungarians had been injured but that none were in life-threatening condition. Far right groups had appeared at a game between Bratislava soccer team Slovan and Dunajska Streda, a team from an ethnic Hungarian region in southern Slovakia. With football hooligans supporting both teams, police made multiple arrests and a number of fans on both sides were injured. Internet messages for days before the game promised that ultra-rightists from Poland and the Czech Republic would be supporting their Slovak counterparts. About 1,000 far right Hungarians took up the gauntlet. http://conservengland.blogspot.com/2008/11/they-shoot-environmentalists-dont-they.html Thursday, November 27, 2008 They Shoot Environmentalists Don't They Shoot, or in the case of Mikhail Beketov, beat within inches of life. With such attacks it becomes ever clearer that preserving our environment is the key battleground of social struggles now and into the future. Saving a forest ?Beketov, 49, is a journalist, the owner and editor-in-chief of a local newspaper, Khimkinskaya Pravda, which has been critical of the authorities in Khimki. Beketov blew the whistle more than once on local officials and murky businesses. His latest battle was to try to save a section of the Khimki forest where developers want to build a commercial and service centre, part of a future highway connecting Moscow to St. Petersburg. The first threats came a year ago. In May 2007, his car was set on fire. Last summer, his puppy was shot dead by strangers in front of his neighbours' eyes. Then, a few weeks ago, he received a phone call. An unknown voice said: "You are targeted." To protest the brutal attack on Beketov, a small group of about a dozen people gathered last week in a square near the Kremlin on a cold November afternoon ? It is difficult to know exactly how many journalists and social activists have been attacked and murdered in Russia in recent years. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists reports that at least 47 Russian journalists have been killed in questionable circumstances since 1992. Of those that took place in the past eight years, 13 "bear the marks of contract hits," it says. " http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/2008/11/window-on-eurasia-bashkir-leader-plays.html Monday, November 10, 2008 Window on Eurasia: Bashkir Leader Plays Nationalist Card with Demonstration against Moscow Paul Goble Vienna, November 10 ? In what one Russian analyst describes as the one of the first such actions of its type since the 1990s, Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov has organized a nationalist protest in his republic in an effort to block Moscow?s apparent plans to remove him and thus institute tighter central control over his Middle Volga republic. Just as Soviet commentators did in the late 1980s, Moscow reporting on this weekend?s demonstration sought to dismiss this demonstration as nothing more than political PR by the republic leadership. But in fact, the coming together of the nationalists and of republic elites represents a more serious challenge to the center than either would on its own. On Saturday, approximately 150 young people picketed the Sibay city offices of Duma deputies Pavel Krasheninnikov and Andrey Nazarov. They carried signs reading: ?Federal Officials ? Hands Off Bashkortostan!? ?This isn?t Chechnya!? and ?Murtaza, We are with You!? (www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1054628&NodesID=2). Speakers at the demonstration, which took place without incident in a city some 420 kilometers from the republic capital of Ufa, accused the two United Russia deputies of ?ignoring the interests of the republics,? demanded that they be removed from office, and called on Moscow ?to stop interfering in the affairs of Bashkortostan.? In their comments to the Moscow media, spokesman for the two deputies said that this action had been ?inspired by the local powers that be? and reflected the tensions between Moscow and Ufa over the future leadership of the republic. (Rakhimov has long been rumored to be on the short list for replacement.) And these spokesmen added that the participants in the rally were all members of a youth group that they insisted is completely under the control of the republic?s leader as well as officials from local government offices whose positions are in Rakhimov?s gift and therefore do what they are told (www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article.shtml?2008/11/10/167997). Nazarov for his part added that there was no way that either he or Krasheninnikov could be recalled, and consequently, the Bashkir authorities were going in for this and other forms of ?psychological pressure,? pressure that he suggested both pro-Kremlin deputies could safely ignore. But the coming together of these two forces ? nationalism in the population and a willingness to use it in the republic elites ? may be something that he and others will regret dismissing, especially if what Aleksei Titkov, an expert at the Moscow Institute of Regional Politics, says is the case. According to him, such elite-supported national protests were a regular feature of the unstable 1990s. During the Putin years, they had seldom taken place. And this one in Bashkortostan represents the first of its kind in recent times, a possible bellwether for what may happen next. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/09/2003428169 Thousands take to streets in Tbilisi demonstration AP, TBILISI Sunday, Nov 09, 2008, Page 6 Thousands of flag-waving protesters brought Tbilisi traffic to a standstill on Friday in the first major protest against Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili since the country?s war with Russia. Widespread skepticism is undermining Saakashvili?s claims about the war, emboldening former allies angry about the botched conflict and alienated by what they call his authoritarian style. But a fractured opposition, fear of renewed hostilities with Russia and lingering support suggest the gathering political storm is unlikely to topple the pro-Western president soon. ?There?s no sign in the last week that the wheels are coming off the bus,? said Jonathan Kulick, an analyst at the Georgian Center for Strategic and International Studies. ?You have an administration with somewhat less appeal to its foreign friends and benefactors, but I just don?t see that he?s on the way out.? Anger over Georgia?s losses in the war has compounded dissatisfaction among Saakashvili?s opponents, but appears to have gained little traction so far among the general population. On Friday, the United Opposition coalition brought more than 10,000 protesters onto the streets of Tbilisi, exactly one year after riot police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse peaceful demonstrators calling for Saakashvili?s ouster. The crowd was far smaller than the throngs whose protests culminated in the crackdown last year ? a disappointing signal for an opposition wracked by infighting and lacking broad popular support. A September poll conducted by the US-based, government-funded International Republican Institute indicated support for Saakashvili and his government was higher than before the war. A majority of those polled ? 52 percent ? said that they would vote for Saakashvili if elections were held the following Sunday. That figure was up from 34 percent in February. Ana Jelenkovic, an analyst at The Eurasia Group, said the numbers likely point less to Saakashvili?s popularity than to the opposition?s failure to present a coherent, attractive message. ?There?s ample room for a political opposition, but that political space simply hasn?t been filled,? she said. The poll showed that most Georgians support Saakashvili?s main defense of the war: that Russia started it. According to the survey, 84 percent of Georgians believe that ?Georgia reacted to Russian military aggression in South Ossetia,? compared with 9 percent who said that Georgia started the war. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012956270 Georgians Protest Against Government, Demand Early Elections ShareThis November 8, 2008 4:21 a.m. EST AHN Staff Tbilisi, Georgia (AHN) - Thousands of Georgians demonstrated outside the parliament building in Tbilisi on Friday demanding fresh elections in spring and commemorating last year's violent dispersal of an anti-government rally. "Our main demand is free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections next spring," opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze said, according to Al Jazeera. The protesters warned that more anti-government demonstrations across the country will be held if President Mikheil Saakashvili fails to call a parliamentary election by April 9. It was the first opposition demonstration against Saakashvili since the military conflict between Georgia and Russia in August, when Russian forces invaded the country after the Georgian army tried to take over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/08/world/europe/08georgia.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Protesters Condemn President of Georgia Justyna Mielnikiewicz Residents of Tbilisi, Georgia, gathered at a rally outside Parliament on Friday. Opposition politicians at the condemned President Mikheil Saakashvili?s handling of the war with Russia. By OLESYA VARTANYAN and MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ Published: November 7, 2008 TBILISI, Georgia ? Thousands of antigovernment demonstrators poured into the streets of Georgia?s capital, Tbilisi, on Friday, hoping to weaken the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili as it strives to maintain power despite a catastrophic war with Russia and a growing economic malaise at home. Skip to next paragraph Related Georgia Claims on Russia War Called Into Question (November 7, 2008) The large, though generally subdued, demonstration occurred one year after black-helmeted riot police officers violently quashed opposition protests in Tbilisi, pelting unarmed civilians with clubs and rubber bullets, and using tear gas and water cannons to chase the protesters from the streets. That event roused accusations domestically and internationally that the president?s promises of democracy and reform, which he made upon taking power in a bloodless coup in 2003, had fallen short, leaving Georgia only slightly more democratic than the country?s post-Soviet neighbors, including Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. But while Mr. Saakashvili is perhaps still off kilter after last year?s political tumult and the war with Russia in August ? which many see as a humiliation for Georgia that the president may have provoked ? he remains popular and appears still to be very much in control. At Friday?s protest, opposition politicians condemned Mr. Saakashvili?s handling of the war and blamed the president for losing two separatist Georgian enclaves, South Ossetia, over which the war was fought, and Abkhazia. Russia has consolidated its control of both enclaves and now recognizes them as independent states, despite widespread international disapproval of the move. Protesting opposition members also repeated accusations of fraud in presidential and parliamentary elections held this year, and they called for early elections to be held in the spring. But the message was equally one of patience, with opposition leaders apparently using the protest to gauge the political mood just months after a majority of Georgians rallied to the side of Mr. Saakashvili in the face of a Russian invasion. ?It is impossible to reach freedom in half an hour, one hour or two hours,? Kakha Kukava, an opposition leader, told the protesters. Some of the demonstrators were disappointed in calls to wait, saying they would like Mr. Saakashvili and his team to be removed from power immediately, lest they provoke renewed fighting with Russia. ?Saakashvili should go right now,? said Eka Jipashvili, a protesters. ?We need a new government that will be able to negotiate with Russia and will not worry us with ideas of new war.? Few analysts, however, think Mr. Saakashvili?s immediate removal is possible, given the fractured state of the opposition. Some central opposition figures skipped the protest, including Nino Burdzhanadze, a former speaker of the Parliament and an erstwhile confidant of Mr. Saakashvili, who broke with the president in April. ?I don?t think the opposition is going to storm the president?s office, storm Parliament and take over Georgia,? said Lincoln Mitchell, a Georgia expert at Columbia University. Friday?s demonstration appeared to be largely a victory for the Georgian government, which has been under increasing scrutiny internally and by backers in Western governments. The government has said it aspires to follow the democratic principles espoused by Mr. Saakashvili, but critics say it has receded in practice. The demonstration, which the government allowed, occurred without problems, and few police officers were on the streets. It was muted compared with last year?s raucous protests. Back then, about 500 people were injured, though none fatally, in the police crackdown, which was the culmination of a month of political turmoil that had pushed the once enormously popular government of Mr. Saakashvili to the verge of implosion and that had stained relations with the president?s allies in Europe and the United States. Yet Mr. Saakashvili survived politically, unexpectedly conceding to opposition demands and declaring early presidential elections that temporarily eased internal political tensions and foreign criticism. He won the elections, though there were accusations of fraud by the opposition. In a televised appeal made last month, Mr. Saakashvili said he had learned painful lessons from last year?s police violence and vowed to prevent a recurrence. ?We have all learned big lessons from Nov. 7,? he said. ?We have seen mistakes made by the Georgian authorities.? He added: ?Those events demonstrate how important it is for the government and the president to listen to the people, and how important it is to maintain dialogue even with minor groups.? Olesya Vartanyan reported from Tbilisi, Georgia, and Michael Schwirtz from Moscow. Correction: November 29, 2008 An article on Nov. 8 about an antigovernment protest in Georgia on the first anniversary of a violently suppressed demonstration referred imprecisely to the reasons Nino Burdzhanadze, now an opposition leader, split with the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili. Ms. Burdzhanadze, who was speaker of the parliament, split with the president and left her job for several reasons, including that she felt his party was not giving her sufficient support; she did not break with the president solely over the government?s actions during last year?s demonstration. The article also referred imprecisely to when she broke with the government. It was in April, not immediately after last November?s crackdown. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/world/europe/21georgia.html Opposition in Georgia Makes Call for Protests By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: October 20, 2008 TBILISI, Georgia ? A political opponent of Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia, called on Monday for mass protests on Nov. 7, the first anniversary of a government crackdown on demonstrators that left 500 people injured. The opponent, Levan Gachechiladze, who lost to Mr. Saakashvili in presidential elections in January, urged demonstrators to gather in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, the site of last year?s violence. Making his announcement about the protest on the Parliament steps, Mr. Gachechiladze said the purpose would be to call Mr. Saakashvili to account for Georgia?s losses in the August war against Russia over the disputed enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He has also accused the government of tainting the results of parliamentary elections and presidential elections. ?The opposition is going to renew the waves of protest and ask President Saakashvili to take responsibility for his actions last year,? Mr. Gachechiladze said. Last November, Mr. Gachechiladze was among the leaders who directed six days of antigovernment protests, alleging renewed corruption and increasing economic inequality. On Nov. 7, riot police officers fired rubber bullets and used clubs to beat unarmed protesters, and Mr. Saakashvili closed an opposition television station and ordered a nine-day state of emergency, causing many to question Georgia?s democratic credentials. Saying he needed to restore his mandate, Mr. Saakashvili ordered early elections, in which he won 52.8 percent of the vote and Mr. Gachechiladze won 27 percent. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav102008b.shtml EURASIA INSIGHT ARMENIA: THE OPPOSITION TAKES A BREAK FROM YEREVAN PROTESTS Marianna Grigoryan 10/20/08 Print this article Email this article Nearly eight months after Armenia?s presidential election, Yerevan cars may still fly the national tricolor to show support for ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosian, but the opposition?s recent decision to call a temporary halt to rallies suggests that its appeal is sagging, some observers believe. At an October 17 rally in downtown Yerevan, Ter-Petrosian cited the need to support the government in talks with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh as the reason for the decision to stop the protests, ongoing since Armenia?s February presidential vote. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "The suspension of the rallies and the marches does not mean that the movement gives up its political struggle and the demands made with it," Ter-Petrosian told demonstrators. One independent political analyst, however, argued that a better-organized and mobilized opposition would not have needed to take a break. "In this situation, when the authorities are taking active steps in the foreign policy domain and making the opposition weaker, it is important what stance the opposition leaders will have," said Yervand Bozoian. "Had the opposition had clear programs, I think it would not have to take a break. I think they made wrong calculations and the statement that they?re taking a break for awhile because of foreign tensions is not that convincing." The "clear action plan" promised by Ter-Petrosian a few days after the February 19 election has not yet surfaced, leaving some to wonder if the opposition is fragmented, or just cannot come up with concrete policy proposals. More than 120 opposition activists and supporters still remain in jail after the March 2008 crackdown on protestors, while police remain on watch at Yerevan?s Liberty Square, the opposition?s traditional gathering place. Nikol Pashinian, the editor-in-chief of the largest and best-selling opposition daily, Haykakan Zhamanak, and, along with Ter-Petrosian, a driving force behind the opposition rallies, has gone into hiding abroad. He now encourages supporters via a series of articles and editorials. With the start of construction on an underground parking garage for Liberty Square, though, some supporters believe that the government has gotten a permanent jump on Ter-Petrosian?s movement and its rallies. The construction will last two years; the city government has denied, however, that the project is intended to block protests. For many Armenians, the opposition?s rallies have failed to produce results. "To be frank, I don?t understand why so many people lost their lives. What is this struggle for?" asked one Yerevan cab driver about the eight people who died in the March 2008 clash between protestors and police. "People had such great expectations, but the victory promised by the opposition appears to have remained only an unfulfilled promise." Yerevan engineer Mkrtich Hakobian counters that eight months is too short a time period to realize any of those expectations. "Society wants a power change very quickly, but politicians are there for providing realistic solutions to emerging problems based on pragmatism," said Hakobian, who took part in the October 17 rally. Meanwhile, President Serzh Sargsyan?s administration has exhibited policy pragmatism designed to prevent the opposition from gaining traction. For example, reforms have been launched in customs and tax administration, while Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian (no relation to Serzh Sargsyan) declared an official campaign against corruption, leading to the firing of several senior officials. In foreign policy, the unprecedented invitation to Turkish President Abdullah Gul to visit Yerevan in September is seen as another display of Sargsyan?s pragmatism. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Yet that pragmatism has its limits. No dialogue between the opposition and the government has yet taken place, and the general level of democracy in Armenia, according to international organizations, remains questionable. Senior Ter-Petrosian supporter Suren Sureniants argues that a strong public desire for democratic change does, in fact, exist; it all comes down to tactics, he adds. "Tactics need to be developed on a day-to-day basis, hour by hour, and this is being done. In the coming months, I think, we will witness the opposition?s materialization." Editor's Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com in Yerevan. http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2008-10-03/Parliament_siege_remembered.html Parliament siege remembered permalinke-mail story to a friendprint version 03 October, 2008, 12:43 Russia is marking 15 years since the constitutional crisis which almost led to the civil war. Yahoo StumbleUpon Google Live Technorati Scoop del.icio.us Digg Sphinn Furl Reddit In autumn 1993, the confrontation between the executive and the legislative branches of the government reached its peak. It ended in a tank assault of the then Parliament building ? the White House. The crisis began in September, when President Boris Yeltsin dissolved the country's legislature, dominated by conservatives who were resisting reforms. They voted to remove Yeltsin from the presidency through impeachment and barricaded themselves inside the White House. Mass demonstrations erupted on October 2. Shortly afterwards the Ostankino TV centre was stormed. President Yeltsin ordered the situation to be resolved through force. Tanks shelled the White House, resulting in the surrender of the resisting legislators within. The crisis claimed at least 150 lives, becoming the worst street clashes Moscow had witnessed since Bolshevik revolution. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081116070049.chglom5kp2&show_article=1 Former political prisoners protest against crimes commited under Albania's communist regime Former political prisoners protest against crimes commited under the communist regime on 100th birth anniversary of the late dictator Enver Hoxha, in Tirana, on October 16. Hoxha led the resistance movement in occupied Albania during the World War II before taking over the power after the conflict. He then led the country with an iron fist until his death in April 1985. http://www.rferl.org/Content/Opposition_Vows_New_Protests_In_Russias_Ingushetia/1196037.html Opposition Vows New Protests In Russia's Ingushetia Magomed Yevloyev September 03, 2008 By Reuters NAZRAN, Russia -- Police blocked streets in the capital of Russia's volatile Ingushetia region today to prevent new protests over the death of an opposition leader, which the United States has called on Moscow to investigate. Despite the authorities' promise to disperse protests, the new head of Ingushetia's opposition website told Reuters he would push for fresh demonstrations against Ingush President Murat Zyazikov. "I can't tell you where we will meet, but we absolutely will do it," Maksharip Aushev said. Aushev took over as editor of ingushetiya.ru after police on August 31 shot Magomed Yevloyev, one of the republic's leading opposition figures and owner of the website. The police said Yevloyev lunged for a gun whilst in their custody but human rights groups rejected this account and said police murdered him. 'Assassination' The 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe described the shooting as an "assassination" intended to halt dissent. The United States called Yevloyev's death "very disturbing." "Russian officials need to get to the bottom of it. And there needs to be people held to account for what happened," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Ingushetia, a poor, mainly Muslim republic of about 400,000 people, neighbors Chechnya and North Ossetia at the heart of Russia's volatile North Caucasus. Bomb attacks and murders have racked the territory this year as federal forces and rebels fight for control -- instability which analysts say could spread. On the dusty streets of the capital, Nazran, Ruslan, a local businessman who declined to give his surname, watched police block roads leading to the main square. On September 2, eyewitnesses said police with batons broke up an opposition protest there. He said he believed the police had murdered Yevloyev. 'Where All Evil Comes From' "The opposition is right, but there is something lacking," Ruslan said. "The opposition is too weak to fight such a monster as the FSB, where all evil comes from." The FSB is Russia's domestic security agency, which New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed earlier this year for a series of abductions and murders in Ingushetia. Ingush President Zyazikov and Russian courts have tried to ban ingushetiya.ru throughout the year but the website has survived and Aushev promised to build on Yevloyev's work. "We'll continue to tell our audience about the arbitrariness and widespread violations of Russian law in Ingushetia," he said. Yevloyev was the highest-profile journalist to die in Russia since the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, best known for her critical reporting of the Kremlin's wars in Chechnya. Another journalist also died in the North Caucasus today. In Dagestan, police blamed Islamic radicals for the murder of a television station editor who promoted an officially sanctioned form of Islam. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-09/2008-09-02-voa25.cfm?CFID=84575585&CFTOKEN=43398280 Russian Police Break Up Protest in Ingushetia By VOA News 02 September 2008 Russian police in the southern republic of Ingushetia used batons to break up a protest Tuesday against the fatal shooting of opposition journalist Magomed Yevloyev while in police custody. Police dispersed hundreds of activists who spent the night in the central square of the town of Nazran. People attend an opposition rally in Nazran in the sourthern Russian republic of Ingushetia, 01 Sep 2008 The protesters reject police claims that Yevloyev's death was an accident. They demand that Ingush leader Murat Zyazikov resign. U.S. State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack calls Yevloyev's death very disturbing and says Russian officials need to, in his words, "get to the bottom of it." The Russian prosecutor general's office has opened a criminal investigation. Yevloyev, who owned the pro-opposition Web site Ingushetia.ru was killed by a bullet to the head Sunday while in police custody. The Web site says police took him off an airplane upon his arrival in Ingushetia, put him in the back of a police car, and drove him away for questioning. Police say Yevloyev was shot accidentally when he tried to grab an officer's gun. But human rights groups and Yevloyev's supporters believe he was murdered. Yevloyev was highly critical of Ingushetia's Kremlin-backed government, including Zyazikov. Authorities have been trying to shut down his Web site. A top official of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Miklos Haraszti, called Yevloyev's death "outrageous." He said the assassination represents further deterioration of media freedom in Russia. Ingushetia borders Russia's Chechnya region, where pro-Islamic separatists have been battling the Russian government for more than a decade. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3403570.htm Opposition vow new protests in Russia's Ingushetia 03 Sep 2008 11:58:13 GMT Source: Reuters NAZRAN, Russia, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Police blocked streets in the capital of Russia's volatile Ingushetia region on Wednesday to prevent new protests over the death of an opposition leader, which the United States has called on Moscow to investigate. Despite the authorities' promise to disperse protests, the new head of Ingushetia's opposition website told Reuters he would push for fresh demonstrations against Ingush President Murat Zyazikov. "I can't tell you where we will meet but we absolutely will do it," Maksharip Aushev said. Aushev took over as editor of www.ingushetiya.ru after police on Sunday shot Magomed Yevloyev, one of the republic's leading opposition figures and owner of the website. The police said Yevloyev lunged for a gun whilst in their custody but human rights groups rejected this account and said police murdered him. The 56-nation Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe described the shooting as an "assassination" intended to halt dissent. The United States called Yevloyev's death "very disturbing". "Russian officials need to get to the bottom of it. And there needs to be people held to account for what happened," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Ingushetia, a poor, mainly Muslim republic of about 400,000 people, neighbours Chechnya and North Ossetia at the heart of Russia's volatile North Caucasus. Bomb attacks and murders have racked the territory this year as federal forces and rebels fight for control -- instability which analysts say could spread. On the dusty streets of the capital Nazran, Ruslan, a local businessman who declined to give his surname, watched police block roads leading to the main square. On Tuesday, eyewitnesses said police with batons broke up an opposition protest there. He said he believed the police had murdered Yevloyev. "The opposition is right but there is something lacking," Ruslan said. "The opposition is too weak to fight such a monster as the FSB where all evil comes from." The FSB is Russia's domestic security agency, which New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed earlier this year for a series of abductions and murders in Ingushetia. Ingush president Zyazikov and Russian courts have tried to ban ingushetiya.ru throughout the year but the website has survived and Aushev promised to build on Yevloyev's work. "We'll continue to tell our audience about the arbitrariness and widespread violations of Russian law in Ingushetia," he said. Yevloyev was the highest-profile journalist to die in Russia since the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, best known for her critical reporting of the Kremlin's wars in Chechnya. Another journalist also died in the North Caucasus on Wednesday. In Dagestan, police blamed Islamic radicals for the murder of a television station editor who promoted an officially sanctioned form of Islam. (Writing by James Kilner in Moscow, editing by Mark Trevelyan) http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL143138920080901?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Russian police in standoff over journalist's death Mon Sep 1, 2008 1:30pm EDT NAZRAN, Russia (Reuters) - Police in Russia's troubled Ingushetia region were in a standoff on Monday with protesters angered by the death of a leading opposition journalist who was shot in the head while in police custody. Magomed Yevloyev, owner of opposition Internet site www.ingushetiya.ru, is the most high-profile Russian journalist to be killed since investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot outside her Moscow apartment in October 2006. Police said Yevloyev, who was a leading opponent of Ingushetia's Kremlin-backed leader Murat Zyazikov, was shot by accident when he tried to grab an officer's gun. His supporters and human rights groups said they did not believe that version of events. A Reuters reporter in Ingushetia's biggest city Nazran said riot police were lined up on a central square where about 250 people, some of them armed with wooden sticks and truncheons, were demanding Zyazikov leave his post. A helicopter flew several times at low altitude over the demonstrators, who ignored police instructions to disperse. Earlier in the day, about 1,000 protesters chanting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great," gathered around a truck in the square which was carrying Yevloyev's coffin. "They killed our colleague in a dastardly and open way. If the federal authorities do not intervene in what is happening, we have the right to demand Ingushetia's secession from Russia," Magomed Khazbiyev, a protest organiser, told the crowd. TINDERBOX Zyazikov told Russia's Interfax news agency Yevloyev's killing was a "human tragedy" which would be thoroughly investigated. But he warned he would not allow anyone to use the incident to destabilize Ingushetia. Yevloyev's colleagues said police detained him after he arrived from Moscow on the same flight as Zyazikov. Interior Ministry officials were taking Yevloyev from Magas airport to Nazran when the incident occurred. "Yevloyev attempted to grab the weapon of one of the officers accompanying him. As a result the unidentified officer inflicted a penetrating gunshot wound to Yevloyev's head," a ministry spokeswoman said." Yevloyev's killing is likely to add to tension in a region which is already a tinderbox because of poverty, a violent Islamist insurgency and accusations Zyazikov crushes dissent. France, holder of the European Union presidency, said in a statement issued by its Foreign Ministry it learned of Yevloyev's death "with consternation" and that it was "deeply concerned by attacks on media freedom" in the region. Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media freedom, group, said the explanations given by the Ingush authorities for Yevloyev's death made no sense. "We are outraged by the death of Yevloyev," it said. "His death must not go unpunished." Russian prosecutors said they had started a criminal investigation under article 109 of the criminal code: causing death through carelessness. Russian media reported that the editor of ingushetiya.ru, Rosa Malsagova, fled Russia this year saying she feared for her life. A Moscow court in May closed down the site, saying it was publishing extremist material. Yevloyev spearheaded a campaign which tried to prove Ingushetia's authorities had rigged an election last year to give more than 90 percent support to a pro-Kremlin party. (Additional reporting by Aydar Buribaev in Moscow; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Mary Gabriel) http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/01/europe/slay.php 1,000 protest killing of journalist in Ingushetia Reuters Published: September 1, 2008 NAZRAN, Russia: More than 1,000 people gathered in Russia's troubled Ingushetia region Monday to protest the death of Magomed Yevloyev, a leading journalist and opposition leader who was shot over the weekend while in police custody. Yevloyev, owner of the opposition Internet site www.ingushetiya.ru, was the most high-profile Russian journalist to be killed since the investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot outside her Moscow apartment in October 2006. The police said he had been shot by accident when he tried to grab an officer's gun. His supporters and human rights groups said they did not believe that version of events. Yevloyev had often clashed with Ingushetia's Kremlin-backed leader, Murat Zyazikov, and officials had tried to close down his Internet site. Protesters gathered Monday in a central square of Nazran, Ingushetia's biggest city, around a truck that was carrying Yevloyev's coffin. "They killed our colleague in a dastardly and open way," Magomed Khazbiyev, a protest organizer, told the crowd. "If the federal authorities do not intervene in what is happening, we have the right to demand Ingushetia's secession from Russia." The protesters responded with loud shouts of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great." About half of them left when Yevloyev's body was taken for burial. About 500 people remained and said they would not leave until Zyazikov had left his post. The local administration declined to comment Monday on the killing, which is likely to add to tension in a region that is already a tinderbox because of poverty, a violent Islamist insurgency and accusations that Zyazikov crushes dissent. Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based media freedom group, said the explanations given by the authorities for Yevloyev's death made no sense. "We are outraged by the death of Yevloyev, who demonstrated his courage and determination by reporting independent news in Ingushetia, although he and his family were harassed and threatened," it said. "His death must not go unpunished." http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080901/116452619.html Thousands protest police killing of S.Russia opposition activist 19:52 | 01/ 09/ 2008 MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Several thousand people gathered on Monday in Nazran, the main city in the south Russian republic of Ingushetia, to protest against the alleged murder of a local journalist and opposition activist by police. Magomed Yevloyev, who ran a banned website that had called for protests against the local government, was shot in a police car on Sunday and died in hospital. Police have said he was shot by accident, a claim his supporters have rejected. Protesters brought Yevolyev's body to the city center. Magomed Khazbiyev, a local opposition leader, told reporters: "There is a huge number of people here. The rally has been underway for an hour. Magomed Yevloyev has not been buried, his body is here, at the rally." An Interior Ministry source said earlier that Yevloyev had been detained by police at the local Magas Airport and driven in a police vehicle to Nazran to give testimony regarding "a criminal case." "Preliminary reports say that while the vehicle that Yevloyev and the police officers were in was moving, one of the officers' guns accidentally went off, and a bullet hit Yevloyev in the head," the source said. Investigators from the local prosecutor's office said on Sunday that a probe into Yevloyev's death would be carried out. Yevloyev's website, Ingushetia.ru, was closed down earlier this year after being declared extremist. Local authorities said the website had called on people to take part in unsanctioned demonstrations in January. The protests against the local administration were banned over public safety fears. The decision to close the website was approved by a Moscow court in August. France's Foreign Ministry has urged Russia to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Yevloyev's death. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122268452889085379.html?mod=fox_australian ? SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 Belarus Fails Election Test Observers Deem Vote Count 'Bad'; Opposition Protests By ANDREW OSBORN MINSK, Belarus -- European observers said an election in Belarus that failed to elect a single opposition lawmaker "fell short" of democratic standards, dealing a setback to Minsk's hopes of a rapprochement with the West. Landov A demonstration in Minsk following Sunday's vote, in which none of the opposition candidates won a seat in the Belarus parliament. Belarus's autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko had promised Sunday's parliamentary election would be "unprecedented" in its fairness, paving the way for the lifting of Western sanctions and an end to the small country's pariah status. But observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted only "minor improvements" since the previous legislative election four years ago. "There were efforts," said Anne-Marie Lizin, vice president of the OSCE parliamentary assembly. "But at the same time we want to say that's not enough." Washington, which had partially suspended financial sanctions against Minsk this year, responded quickly, saying the vote fell short of international standards. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in a statement, noted "positive indications but also a number of negative elements," Reuters reported. Opposition activists in Belarus called on the U.S. and Europe not to recognize the vote. The overwhelmingly negative tone of the OSCE report suggested it would be hard for U.S. and European diplomats to take significant steps to improve relations with a country that has largely positioned itself as a Russian ally. The EU had said it might ease sanctions if the election was judged to be fair. The OSCE said the greatest problem was with the vote-counting process, which it deemed "bad or very bad" in half of the country's constituencies. It also complained that around one-third of its 500 observers were barred from watching the vote count. "Where access was possible, several cases of deliberate falsification of results were observed," the OSCE said in a statement. "The transparency of a fundamental element of the election process was compromised," said Ms. Lizin. The OSCE also said that while the opposition was allowed to campaign, restrictions imposed by authorities meant the campaign was "barely visible." Counted Out The OSCE found shortcomings in Belarus's parliamentary election Sunday, including: 09/26/08 A spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement the OSCE had failed to evaluate the significance of technical measures taken to improve the election "in full measure." He said the main point was that the observers had recognized efforts were made and that these could form a basis for future cooperation with the OSCE. Mr. Lukashenko is trying to kick-start a moribund relationship with the West to breathe life into his country's Soviet-style economy as he comes under growing pressure from Moscow to pay substantially more for Russian natural gas. He has released political prisoners, hired a Western public-relations firm and halted systematic harassment of his opponents. In the wake of August's conflict between Russia and Georgia, his significance as a strategic ally -- both for the West and for Russia -- has grown. He has resisted pressure from Moscow to recognize the Georgian breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in what diplomats say appears to be a bid not to alienate the West, which strongly opposed Moscow's move to recognize them. Both the West and Russia have indicated they are ready to improve relations, given the right conditions. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due in Minsk next week, underlining Mr. Lukashenko's newfound popularity with foreign powers. Mr. Lukashenko's political opponents say he is playing a cynical bargaining game in order to play the West off against Russia to ensure his own political survival as the Belarusian economy begins to wheeze. "If you try to negotiate with him, he will see it as a sign of weakness," Igor Rynkevich, an opposition candidate, said in an interview. "Any concessions will come back like a boomerang. http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/29/content_10133604.htm Post-election demonstration in Minsk www.chinaview.cn 2008-09-29 20:49:57 Opposition protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in Minsk, capital of Belarus, Sept. 28, 2008. Hundreds of opposition protesters demonstrated after the election of the country's lower house of parliament on Sunday. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/19/europe/EU-Albania-Protest.php Albanians protest gov't handling of depot blasts The Associated Press Published: September 19, 2008 TIRANA, Albania: Thousands of Albanians marched through Tirana on Friday to protest the government's alleged mishandling of an investigation into deadly explosions this year at an ammunition dump. The peaceful protest was organized by the main opposition Socialist Party, which called for Prime Minister Sali Berisha's government to resign. More than 5,000 people took part in the march. The series of massive blasts near Tirana, Albania's capital, on March 15 killed 26 people and injured more than 300. Although a judicial investigation has yet to establish the cause, the government has said the explosions were accidentally triggered during work to dispose of aging Communist-era ammunition. The Socialists claim the governing Democrats have tried to prevent an impartial investigation by exerting pressure on Albania's judiciary. Prosecutors have brought murder charges against a defense ministry official, as well as the owner and manager of the private company handling ammunition disposal. The country's defense minister and army chief of staff were fired over the blasts. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 18:31:04 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:31:04 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and human/civil rights protests, INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, TURKMENISTAN, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9A858.2010908@tesco.net> BANGLADESH: * Students stone cops, defy ban, demand PM release * Protest over repression of human chain * Protest over political releases * Protest over alleged torture PAKISTAN: * Clashes, roadblocks at lawyer protests * Women protest allegedly corrupt teacher appointments * Residents block Super Highway over crap arrests * Minister leaves residence to protest government attitude * Protest over live burial in Balochistan * Man attempts suicide during protest INDIA: * Police terror against Muslims protested * DMDK repression protest * Lawyers clash over election in UP * Protest against attack on art exhibit * Lawyers protest police assault * Protest against forced labour in Tamil Nadu * Residents protest corrupt handout * Students protest police beating * Villagers shun panchayat nomination * Protest on self-government day in Orissa * Karnataka protest at BJP failure * AIADMK demand sacking over corruption * Tamil Nadu - protest for release of political prisoners * Karnataka - JD(S) protests BJP * Karnataka - artists protest against ban * Karnataka - call to ban paper over blackmail * Karnataka - CPI(M) protests BJP * Tamil Nadu - dharna, motorcycle burning in anti-BJP protest INDIA - SRI LANKA * Fishermen strike over Lanka navy killing TURKMENISTAN - FRANCE * Activists occupy Paris embassy over detention of journalists http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/25/asia/AS-Bangladesh-Protest.php Student activists demand ex-PM's release The Associated Press Published: August 25, 2008 DHAKA, Bangladesh: Stone-throwing protesters clashed with riot police, smashed and burned vehicles Monday to demand the release of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is being held on corruption charges, news reports said. The violence left one person dead, United News of Bangladesh reported. The victim, a 45-year-old garment trader, was hit by splinters from an exploding gas cylinder from a bus that was set on fire by the protesters, the report said. He died in state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Several other people were injured, the report said without providing details. Police used batons to disperse the dozens of protesters who tried to take to the streets, defying emergency rules banning such protests, the agency reported. The protesters were from the student front of Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the report said. It said the protests occurred on the campus of Dhaka University and its adjoining areas. The activists threw stones at riot police during the protest in central Dhaka. There was no immediate reports of injury. Zia served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. She has been held at a makeshift prison in Dhaka's parliament compound since September last year on corruption charges. Zia is accused of misusing her power by awarding contracts to a local company, Global Agro Trade Company, when she was in office in 2003. The complaint said Zia's administration did not follow standard procedure in awarding the company work involving two cargo terminals, one in Dhaka's Kamalapur Railway Station and another in the country's main Chittagong seaport. She faces three other charges of extortion. She has rejected the charges as a move to tarnish her political image. Bangladesh has been ruled since mid-January last year by an interim government installed by the military after 30 people were killed in political clashes following the end of Zia's term. The government, led by a former central bank governor, has vowed to fight corruption, reform electoral rules and clean up the nation's factional and often violent politics before holding the next elections scheduled for December this year. Bangladesh, an impoverished nation of 150 million people, has been ranked as one of the world's most corrupt countries by the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e8a_1187799181 Bangladesh Students Defy Protest Ban Photo taken at the scene.. Three days of violent student demonstrations drove Army soldiers from a university campus in Bangladesh Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007. Government officials ordered troops to leave the Dhaka University campus, where they had been stationed since January. The government declared a state of emergency in January, suspended elections, stationed soldiers on campuses throughout the country and decreed and end to many civil liberties. The emergency laws ban all demonstrations, but that did not prevent thousands of students from protesting this week. The demonstrations began after a group of soldiers quartered at Dhaka University beat up some students during a soccer match Monday, according to press accounts. The clash between the soldiers and students led to three days of violent protests in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Cars were burned, shops damaged and at least one military vehicle was turned over and torched by demonstrators. The Agence France Presse wire service reported one person was killed and the Associated Press reported 150 were injured. To put that into perspective, recent flooding has left about 650 people dead in Dhaka. Bangladesh has a population of 147 million, which is about half the population of the United States. Five students were injured by the soldiers early Monday, according to the AP. The attack led to street protests by Dhaka University students and the demonstrations were joined by Dhaka University staffers and students from other nearby campuses. Government and Army officials said they would investigate the incident and take disciplinary action against the soldiers responsible for the attack. However, a 2006 U.S. State Department human rights report on Bangladesh indicates many abuses by the military, government authority and political parties go un-investigated and unpunished. "While the law prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment, security forces, the RAB (the Rapid Action Battalion police force), and police routinely employed severe treatment as well as psychological abuse during arrests and interrogations. Abuse consisted of threats and beatings and the use of electric shock. According to human rights organizations, security forces tortured 45 persons during the year, 14 of whom died... The government rarely charged, convicted, or punished those responsible, and a climate of impunity allowed such police abuses to continue." Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since Jan. 11, 2007, when the country's leader, President Iajuddin Ahmed, cancelled scheduled elections and decreed a state of emergency for the country. His actions came after opposition parties staged violent protests calling for fair elections. The media is heavily restricted and censored in Bangladesh. According to the U.S. State Department's report the toll on press freedoms in 2006 included "...one journalist was killed, 183 journalists were injured, six were arrested, 53 were assaulted, and 114 were threatened during the year." http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=52641 Published On: 2008-08-31 Metropolitan Delwar protests police action during human chain in Khulna Staff Correspondent BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain protested the police action during the human chain programme by the four-party alliance on August 27 in Khulna, says a press release yesterday. Delwar termed the obstacle as interference to the democratic rights of the people. It reflects the repressive and undemocratic nature of the present government, he added. He also condemned the filing of case against its 15 leaders and demanded withdrawal of the case. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=53417 Published On: 2008-09-05 Metropolitan Release of corrupt suspects protested Staff Correspondent Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) yesterday formed a human chain in the city and elsewhere in the country amid police barriers to protest the release of corrupt politicians and war criminals. JSD leaders and activists observed the programme yesterday, a day after Tarique Rahman, a leading accused in corruption cases, was released on bail. Police barred JSD President Hasanul Haq Inu, General Secretary Syed Jafar Sajjad and other leaders who tried to form the human chain in front of the party office at Gulistan. The JSD president said it is unfortunate that corrupt politicians, war criminals and militants are being released from jail as part of a 'backdoor' deal between the government and the corrupt politicians. He called on the government to try war criminals and corrupt politicians before holding of the general elections. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=54746 Published On: 2008-09-14 Metropolitan Protest against CA in front of UN headquarters on Sept 26 Staff Correspondent Tarique Mukti Andolon (TMA), a platform for the release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman, will stage demonstration against Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed in front of the UN Headquarters in New York on September 26. This was stated by TMA President and Senior Joint General Secretary of BNP's US unit Akter Hossain Badal at an Iftar party on Friday to mark the release of Khaleda and Tarique, said a US- based news agency. Badal said they will stage the demonstration as Fakhruddin is involved in eliminating the nationalist forces and torturing the family members of late president Zia. He also alleged that Tarique was tortured so that he could not take part in politics. The committee thanked the media for playing a positive role for the release of Khaleda and Tarique and held a function to thank the journalists. http://mobile.sun-sentinel.com/news.jsp?key=66165&rc=wo Pakistani lawyers protest for return of ousted judges, disrupt traffic By Associated Press August 28, 2008 03:48 AM LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) _ Hundreds of lawyers are rallying in major Pakistani cities and disrupting traffic. They are pressuring the government to reinstate dozens of judges fired by ex-President Pervez Musharraf. Lawyers played a major role in undermining Musharraf, who resigned Aug. 18 to avoid impeachment by the country's ruling coalition. The government this week reinstated some judges, but it appears reluctant to restore Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. Musharraf sacked the judges in November to avoid legal challenges to his rule. The protests Thursday happened in cities such as Karachi, Multan and Lahore. A top lawyer leader, Aitzaz Ahsan, said the ruling coalition should "honor its pledge" to restore Chaudhry and other judges. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/09/pakistan-lawyers-protest-leads-to.php Thursday, September 04, 2008 Pakistan lawyers' protest leads to violent clash with police Joe Shaulis at 2:13 PM ET [JURIST] Pakistani lawyers demanding that the government reinstate judges ousted last year [JURIST report] by former President Pervez Musharraf [JURIST news archive] clashed with police in Islamabad on Thursday, according to media reports. Television images showed police beating the lawyers with batons outside Parliament, in a confrontation that reportedly began after an estimated 100 demonstrators tried to enter the nearby Supreme Court [Bloomberg News report]. Hundreds of lawyers and other protesters had gathered for a sit-in outside the buildings, where Aitzaz Ahsan [profile], president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association, told reporters [Daily Mail report] that an independent judiciary is essential to a stable government in Pakistan [JURIST news archive]. Protests also took place [AFP report] in the cities of Lahore, Karachi and Multan. The demonstrations came amid reports that four judges removed from the Peshawar High Court [official website], including the chief justice, would take new oaths Friday [Daily Mail report]. The Pakistani lawyers' movement [AHRC backgrounder; PBS report] renewed its protests last week after eight judges were reappointed [JURIST report] to the Sindh High Court in Karachi. Critics described that development as evidence of a "conspiracy" to undermine support for reinstatement of all the judges nationwide. Pakistan's coalition government dissolved [JURIST report] last week after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif [party profile; JURIST news archive] withdrew his Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) [party website] party over the failure to reach an agreement with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) [party website] to reinstate the judges. Musharraf, who resigned [JURIST report] last month to avoid impeachment proceedings for firing the judges and other alleged abuses of authority, now faces the possibility of criminal charges [JURIST report]. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Stick-wielding_riot_police_beat_protesting_Pakistani_lawyers/rssarticleshow/3444018.cms Stick-wielding riot police beat protesting Pakistani lawyers 4 Sep 2008, 1404 hrs IST, AFP ISLAMABAD: Pakistani riot police used sticks to beat lawyers demanding the reinstatement of dozens of judges sacked by former President Pervez Pakistani police used sticks to beat lawyers demanding the reinstatement of judges sacked by Pervez Musharraf. (AFP photo) More Pictures Musharraf. The melee broke out after around 100 black-suited lawyers tried to enter the Supreme Court building by climbing the main gates, shouting slogans against the new chief justice appointed by Musharraf in November. After the 15-minute brawl, the lawyers retreated but continued their demonstration. Some 500 lawyers had been joined by political party workers and other supporters carrying black flags, placards and banners in front of parliament house and the Supreme Court. "This is the representative gathering of all lawyers and bar associations of Pakistan and our struggle will continue until the reinstatement of all judges," lawyers' leader Aitzaz Ahsan said. Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposed dozens of judges under a state of emergency last November when it appeared they would challenge his re-election as president the previous month. The sackings sparked large and sometimes violent protests by Pakistan's influential lawyers. Musharraf resigned on August 18 under the threat of impeachment charges levelled by the government but Pakistan's shaky ruling coalition has since failed to decide how to restore the judges. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif withdrew his party's support from the coalition last month over the issue, saying the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was dragging its feet. http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/13/nat16.htm September 13, 2008 Saturday Ramazan 12, 1429 Women protest against teachers? recruitment ?out of merit? By Our Staff Correspondent MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 12: Around four dozens women, annoyed over the alleged violation of merit in the recent recruitment of primary teachers, staged a unique demonstration in the hometown of Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday, throwing eggs and tomatoes at the local education department office to register their protest, witnesses said. As the protesters reached the office of deputy district education officer in Dhirkot, some 55 kilometres south of here, a large contingent of police intercepted them, though the entire education department staff had already left to avert their ire. After an altercation with the police, the infuriated protesters pelted tomatoes and eggs at the education department office amid bitter slogans against the prime minister as well as the ?corrupt education department officials.? Similar chants were also inscribed on several placards which the protesters were carrying. ?Killer of merit: prime minister,? read one of the placards. Earlier, the female protesters also took a round of Dhirkot bazaar in what the locals said was first ever demonstration of women in the town. They were also accompanied by male political activists and members of civil society. ?Sardar Attique government has compelled us to come on the roads by resorting to slaughter of merit. This will not auger well for his government,? said one protester. She said she held a master?s degree but a less qualified girl had been given preference either due to nepotism or political considerations or bribery. Another protestor warned that prime minister's cavalcade may also receive tomatoes and eggs if the ?controversial appointments were not nullified.? ?Sardar Attique frequently travels through this route to his residence. If today education department is pelted with eggs and tomatoes, tomorrow his cavalcade can also receive similar treatment,? she said. The protesters called upon the government to immediately cancel the ?out of merit? appointments or else a serious law and order situation could emerge in the region. ?We will go to the last extent. We will challenge the sale of merit in the courts of law and also on the streets,? said Raja Sajjad Ahmed, leader of main opposition People?s Muslim League (JKPML) which had organised a protest demonstration on this issue on September 5. A day after the last Friday demonstration, a news item was released by the official quarters to a section of the vernacular press, stating that the prime minister had ordered annulment of all controversial appointments after Raja Iftikhar Ayub, a ruling Muslim Conference leader from Dhirkot, had drawn his attention towards violation of merit in the recruitment process. However, secretary education Khan Bahadur Abdullah later issued a clarification that the department had constituted a committee to look into the complaints against the recruitment process. It may be mentioned that complaints of non-transparent recruitment of primary teachers have also started pouring in from other areas of AJK. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137834 Protesters block Super Highway Thursday, September 25, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Hundreds of residents of Sohrab Goth blocked the Super Highway on Wednesday to protest the arrest of three people by the police. The men were alleged to have made a bid to extort money from a factory owner in the F.B. Industrial Area police limits. SSP Allauddin Abbasey of Gulberg Town said that a complaint was received from a trader, Mohammed Anees. He owns a factory situated in the F.B. Area police limits. Anees said that some unidentified people were demanding extortion of Rs1.5 million. He said they had threatened dire consequences if their demands were not met. SSP Abbasey then assigned police officials who started negotiations with the criminals and called them within the premises of the factory. While they were taking the extortion amount, the police pounced at them and took them to the police station and registered a case against them on Anees? complaint. The men were identified as Tariq Khan, Amanullah, and Saeed Khan. During investigations, the accused said that they were the supporters of the Awami National Party (ANP). On verification, it was found that they had no connection with the party. Afterwards, the residents of Sohrab Goth, where the accused were residing, came on to the Super Highway and blocked the road for vehicular traffic and demanding that the three men be released. The protesters maintained that the men were innocent and the police had implicated them in a false case. The situation at Sohrab Goth was tense until last reports came in. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=135891 Rafiq Engineer surrenders official residence in protest Monday, September 15, 2008 By Tahir Hasan Khan Karachi Sindh Katchi AbadiesMinister Rafiq Engreer has vacated his official residence (an apartment provided to him in Bath Islanad, Clifton) to protest the ?discriminatory? attitude of the bureaucracy . Authorities concerned had provided the apartment to the minister at a rent of Rs40,000 per month. Similar apartments were, meanwhile, being provided to government officers at Rs8,000 per month as rent. The minister told The News that he had lodged a proper complaint with the Sindh chief minister and the chief secretary, informing them that the authorities were yet to provide him accommodation according to his entitlement as a provincial minister. Rafiq Engineer, who was twice elected from Lyari, said that he would raise the issue in the Sindh Assembly as his privilege was breached. He further said that the authorities were ?fooling? him. The Sindh General Administration Department is responsible for providing accommodations, vehicles and fuel to provincial ministers and advisers as per their entitlement under the rules. Most provincial ministers and advisers have, however, complained that they were not provided with official accommodation. There are 44 ministers in the provincial cabinet and most of them have preferred to stay in their own houses in order to avoid bureaucratic hurdles. The crisis started when the General Administration Department allotted a house to Rafiq Engineer behind the US Consulate and informed the minister that the house was in a dilapidated condition and repairing it would cost Rs2.5million and will take considerable time. When the minister reached the house, however, he was told that it had been allotted to the additional home secretary and the department concerned had already moved a summary for approval by competent authority with the estimate of Rs1.3million for repairs. Engineer said that such tactics proved how the bureaucracy was ?fooling elected representatives.? He said that a bureaucrat was living in this house for the last five years while his services were handed over to the federal government from Sindh but the authorities did not charge for its repair from the officer concerned and the condition of the house was worse when it was vacated. The minister said that the officers whether working in Sindh or in the federal government have occupied official residences in Bath Island, Shireen Jinnah Colony, DHA and PECHS and all the budget of the departments concerned was being spent for the repair, renovation, fuel and providing vehicles to bureaucrats. He said that the bureaucracy had ?many lame excuses? for elected representatives with regard to providing them accommodation and other facilities while they ?make no excuses? for providing accommodation and other facilities to officers. Engineer said that this attitude ?shows how government servants hate the people?s representatives.? http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137017 Protest in Islamabad against live burial of women in Balochistan High-powered commission demanded to present report on issue Sunday, September 21, 2008 By Saadia Khalid ISLAMABAD: A high-powered commission for presenting a report to parliament on Violence Against Women (VAW), especially on killings in the name of honour, tradition and custom, was demanded in a protest here on Saturday. The protest was staged by civil society members at the Parade Avenue to condemn the government for not taking any immediate steps on the recent incident in which five women were buried alive in Naseerabad. The participants were holding placards inscribed with messages like 'Kick out Israrullah Zehri' and 'Women parliamentarians speak or resign'. They raised slogans against the government for not taking the issue seriously, as those responsible have not been arrested yet while the investigation process of the unfortunate incident was also not satisfactory. The protesters said that the government representatives should stay vigilant in order to identify planning of such crimes as honour killings, so that preventive measures could be taken in time. They said that Senator Zehri and those public representatives who had defended honour killings should be disqualified immediately. Director of the Aurat Foundation Naeem Mirza said he was greatly disappointed by the stance of women parliamentarians on such a terrible issue. "The role of PPP women parliamentarians is condemnable, as they have not taken any stance in parliament in this regard," he said and stressed that a high-level commission should be constituted to investigate the issue in which members of civil society should also be given proper representation. Civil activist Shabana Arif said that burial of women who were alive was the most inhuman, heinous, and barbaric crime that should be condemned at all levels. "The issue should be discussed in both houses in order to curb such practices in future," she said. Farzana Bari said it was a routine matter that committees were constituted to prolong such issues until the voices opposing them died down. "We are not satisfied with the proceedings of the committee till now," she said and added that the penal code needed to be further amended, so that murder could be brought back as a crime against the State and should, under no circumstances, be compounded. Meanwhile, People's Rights Movement (PRM) held a protest on the occasion of the joint session of parliament, demanding a firm stand against the American imperialism, both in the form of direct military incursions on the Pakistani territory and the economic imperialism of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its sister financial institutions. Speaking on the occasion, Aasim Sajjad said that over the past two weeks, it had been proven that the military establishment was hand-in-glove with the US. "There is a widespread consensus in the society that American hegemony should not be tolerated but unfortunately, the powers-that-be are willing to take a stand on the basic principle of national sovereignty and so Pakistan's client state status stands confirmed," he said. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137018 Man attempts suicide during protest Sunday, September 21, 2008 By Saadia Khalid ISLAMABAD: During the protest at the Parade Avenue against the killing of five women in Naseerabad and the American imperialism, a person named Safdar Ali attempted to commit suicide. The protesters became panicky when all of a sudden Ali came out of the crowd and poured petrol over himself. However, media persons and members of civil society present on the occasion successfully stopped him from proceeding any further. Afterwards, while talking to The News, Safdar Ali said that he was employed by the Civil Aviation, Lahore, some years ago when he went on leave for three days for being seriously ill. "On my return, the officers expelled me from the job," he said. Since the last three years, Ali said he was running from pillar to post in order to get his job restored but all his efforts had been in vain. "I have eight daughters and two sons but I am unable to feed my family due to unemployment," he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091554160500.htm Other States - Rajasthan Muslim protestors slapped with ?harsh? sections Special Correspondent Fact-finding team of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum visits Jodhpur, Kota over the last week-end JAIPUR: Alarmed at the claim of investigating agencies that Kota and Jodhpur are fast emerging as nerve-centres of Islamist radicals, Muslim groups in Rajasthan visited the two towns over the week-end and expressed concern over what they described as a ?reign of terror? unleashed by the police to nab youngsters for their alleged links with the terror outfits. Panic among Muslims The combing operations launched by the State police to nail the associates of alleged perpetrators of the May 13 Jaipur serial blasts have led to panic and resentment in the local Muslim communities. The way 37 persons were held in Jodhpur after the protest staged against the arrest of two terror suspects has left the city?s Muslims horrified. A fact-finding team of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum found in Jodhpur that very harsh sections of criminal law were slapped on those arrested during the protest against policemen taking away two youths to Jaipur. In Kota, policemen have been swooping on the Muslim-dominated localities in the dead of night and randomly picking up any person on the pretext of acquaintance with the terror suspects. Twenty-six of the 37 persons arrested in Jodhpur on charges of rioting, damaging public property and interfering with the public servants? work were released on bail, while others are still in judicial custody. Two youths, Sohail and Azam, were taken to Jaipur and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for their alleged links with the masterminds of the Jaipur blasts. Bail pleas rejected The bail applications of seven persons arrested from Kota for their alleged connections with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) have since been rejected by a city court here. They had contended that the FIR registered against them was ?vague with no mention of explicit grounds?. The Muslim Forum alleged here on Sunday that the police and investigating agencies were creating an atmosphere hostile for Muslims to justify indiscriminate arrests and illegal detentions and influence the courts. It said the police were terrorising Muslims in Kota and Jodhpur by demanding that the youths profiled by them as suspects be handed over to them. Muslim Forum?s member and Jamat-e-Islami Hind State president Mohammed Salim said the investigating agencies? attempt to establish the complicity of the alleged perpetrators of Ahmedabad and Jaipur blasts in Saturday?s terror attack in Delhi would weaken their own case as there was ?no way in which the detainees could have exploded bombs from the police lock-up or jail?. Bid to deflect attention ?The prompt delivery of an e-mail from the so-called Indian Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the blasts confirms our belief that the masterminds want to deflect attention from the real culprits and somehow prove the case against Islamist outfits,? said Mr. Salim. He said the police would put the blame for the Delhi serial blasts on the accused such as Shahbaz Hussain, Abu Bashir and Sajid Mansuri. Despite a controversial resolution adopted by the District Bar Association not to represent any of the accused in the blasts case, the Muslim Forum has appointed a panel of 20 lawyers to defend those picked up from various places in connection with two separate cases ? carrying out the blasts and participating in the activities of SIMI. Prominent among the panel?s members are criminal lawyer S.R. Bajwa and High Court advocate Prem Krishna Sharma. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090758810300.htm Agitated Agitated Desiya Murpokky Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) activists thronged the Peelamedu police station protesting against the removal of the banner put up by the party in connection with the demonstration to be held on Sunday near Red Cross Society Buildings on Huzur road. The banners were placed welcoming the party leader Vijaykanth who was scheduled to take part in the demonstration condemning the erratic power supply situation in the State. http://news.oneindia.in/2008/08/26/three-advocates-hurt-in-group-clash-1219745456.html August 26, 2008 > Full Story Three advocates hurt in group clash in UP Tuesday, August 26 2008 15:23(IST) Subscribe to Newsletter Kanpur, Aug 26: Three advocates, including election officer Amresh Chand Mishra, were wounded in a clash between two groups of lawyers in Bar Association premises at the district court compound here. According to reports, Mr Ganesh Dixit was elected as the president of the Kanpur Bar Association last week. The rival groups were opposing this, allegeing that the election was invalid as only 16.8 per cent advocates had cast their votes. The rival group members started raising slogans and vandalised the furniture of the Bar Association during the oath ceremony today. Later, they also thrashed some advocates. Amresh, Santosh Tiwari and Shivendra sustained wounds in the incident and were rushed to Urshala hospital. Police was yet to make any arrest in this connection. Meanwhile, posse of policemen have been deployed at the court compound to avoid any fresh violence. Investigation was on. UNI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082659951000.htm Protest against attack on art exhibition Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: A day after an exhibition showcasing the printed works of painter M. F. Husain was vandalised by miscreants at V. P. House here, a protest meeting was organised by SAHMAT on Monday. The exhibition was organised to coincide with the three-day ?India Art Summit? at Pragati Maidan, where Husain?s works were not displayed by the organisers. Some activists, claiming to be members of ?Shri Ram Sena? vandalised the exhibition on Sunday afternoon. ?In protest against the attack and the vandalism, the exhibition, which began on August 22 and was to conclude on 24, was extended in ?as-is? vandalised condition for a day,? said a SAHMAT member. At the meeting, organised to condemn the attempts by right-wing forces to impose a narrow, majoritarian view of the country?s culture, CPI(M) leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat, artists Jatin Das and Ram Rahman and classical singer Shubha Mudgal were present. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau also strongly condemned the attack by ?Hindu chauvinist elements? and demanded that the culprits be brought to book. Attack condemned Janata Dal (Secular) has condemned the attack on an exhibition of M.F. Husain?s paintings here on Sunday. The exhibition was organised by SAHAMAT. ?This is a grave attack on freedom of expression and the secular fabric of India?, Kumwari Danish Ali, secretary general of the party, said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/29/stories/2008082952420300.htm Other States - Orissa ?Assault? triggers protest KORAPUT: Members of the Koraput District Bar Association took out rallies at Koraput, Jeypore, Kotpad and Nabarangpur on Thursday in protest against the alleged assault by police on Satyabrata Padhi, an advocate from Jeypore on Wednesday evening. The association demanded a judicial probe into the incidence wherein the policeman had allegedly assaulted the advocate. Mr. Padhi was assaulted for not giving way for the police vehicle, the association said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091850700200.htm Tamil Nadu - Perambalur Demonstration staged in Perambalur Special Correspondent PERAMBALUR: Members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi led by its leader Thol. Thirumavalavan staged a demonstration in Perambalur on Thursday, protesting the alleged action of police officials forcing some Dalits to dig a grave in Veppanthattai village in the district. The incident was said to have taken place last month, following a dispute between Dalits and non-Dalits over burying a non-Dalit in the village. The two communities already had a dispute over the village temple car festival. The demonstration was staged near the Old Bus Stand in Perambalur. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091851260300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin Residents stage demonstration Staff Reporter TUTICORIN: Demanding immediate distribution of free colour television sets, a group of residents from Pandaarampatti near here staged a demonstration on Wednesday. The protestors said the freebie was given to only to a select set of Pandaarampatti villagers on September 6 and the officials refused to give a proper reply when the residents, who did not get the ?idiot box?, raised queries about the shortage. The residents also forwarded a petition to the District Collector. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090555520300.htm Sept 5 Other States - Uttar Pradesh AMU students protest beating of colleague by police ?Student assaulted for objecting to police personnel using ATM after brushing aside crowd waiting for their turn? Aligarh: Alleged beating of a student of Aligarh Muslim University by two police personnel sparked demonstrations in the varsity campus with angry students on Thursday protesting in front of the VC?s office, demanding suspension of the duo. According to a report filed with the University authorities by the victim, Javed Alam, two police personnel assaulted him last Tuesday when he objected to their using an ATM after brushing aside others waiting for their turn. The incident took place when Javed, a final year engineering student, had gone to the SBI ATM in the University administrative block. In his complaint, Javed also alleges that the duo later took him to the Civil Lines police station and released him after several hours on the intervention of University authorities. Javed, in his written complaint, has also mentioned that station officer in charge of the police station threatened him of implicating in ?bogus case? if he files any complaint. The students? protest came to an end after senior officials led by Senior Superintendent of Police Aseem Arun assured them that punitive action would be taken against the errant officers by evening. Meanwhile, Secretary of AMU teachers association, Abdus Salam has demanded immediate suspension of station officer in charge A close watch is being kept over the campus to prevent the situation from turning violent. --PTI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090658000300.htm Tamil Nadu Protesting villagers shun panchayat nomination Staff Reporter No nomination filed till last day for presidentship PUDUKOTTAI: With no nomination received for the by-election till Thursday, the last day for filing of papers, the post of village panchayat president and members for nine wards at Koppanaapatti village panchayat near Ponnamaravathy in the district will remain vacant for another six months. Demarcation first None of the voters filed the nomination papers, demanding that the district administration and the State Government demarcate the boundary of their village panchayat. Notify jurisdiction Residents say that the village panchayat had been bifurcated without notifying proper jurisdiction. They have been demanding the village panchayat map which the officials had failed to issue. The first time when the villagers boycotted the polls was in October 2006 when the local bodies across the State went to polls. In the two by-elections held in February 2007 and August 2007, none of the voters filed the papers for the village panchayat presidentship and ward membership. A meeting, convened prior to the by-election in February this year, helped provide only a temporary relief to the officials. En masse resignations Although nominations were then filed for the vacant posts, all the winners submitted their resignations en masse a few days after the by-election. ?We shall notify the vacancy in this village panchayat for the next by-election due in February next year,? official sources told The Hindu here on Friday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/01/stories/2008090157360300.htm Other States - Orissa Protest marks ?local self-government day? Correspondent Opposition parties observe ?Black Day?, criticise BJP-BJD alliance CUTTACK: While the ruling BJP and BJP parties shied away from observing the Local Self-government Day without any major functions in the city, the opposition parties observed the day as ?Black Day? throughout the city on Sunday. Considered to be an important day for the municipalities, the Millennium city boasting to have one of the oldest municipalities in the State wore a ?pathetic? and ?deplorable? look on the day. Contrary to Cuttack?s sorry state of affairs, the neighbouring Bhubaneswar municipality observed the day with fun and gaiety. Both the cities were accorded the municipal corporation status on the same day five years ago. Protesting against the ?inefficient? municipal council formed in the city by the ruling alliance, the city CPI(M) unit blamed city legislator Samir Dey, Mayor Nibedita Pradhan and the BJD-BJP government in the State for neglecting the Silver city over these days. ?The ruling alliance headed by Naveen Patnaik has systematically turned one of the thriving cities of the State into a dead city,? alleged CPI (M) leader Subash Singh. CPI (M) meet While the CPI (M) observed the protest day at a meeting in front of Ravenshaw University by wearing black badges and hoisting black flag, the main opposition party of the council -- Congress held a protest meeting in front of Pravat Cinema where the CMC had laid a foundation stone for an over bridge five years ago. Joined by former Cuttack Lok Sabha member Jayanti Patnaik, and former minister Bijaylaxmi Sahu, the Congress activists too observed the day as ?black day?. City Congress chief Suresh Mohapatra alleged that the BJP-BJD council has neglected the city. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090952930300.htm Karnataka - Hassan JD(S) protests against BJP?s ?failure? in governing State Staff Correspondent Party members take out rally expressing dissatisfaction Complaints galore: Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Revanna presenting a memorandum addressed to the Governor through Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh in Hassan on Monday. HASSAN: Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Minister H.D. Revanna led a rally here on Monday protesting against the ?failure? of the Bharatiya Janata Party Government to govern the State well. He presented a memorandum addressed to the Governor through Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh. Addressing protesters at the Deputy Commissioner?s office, Mr. Revanna detailed the failures of the BJP Government and said farmers in the district were unable to recover from the potato crop loss. The Government, on its part, did nothing to help them. The district administration sent a proposal to the Government seeking compensation of Rs. 100 crore, but the Government did not act on it. Arsikere MLA K.M. Shivalinge Gowda said roads in Arsikere had been damaged as lorries carrying iron ore from Hospet/Bellary passed through the taluk. He said ore from Bellary should be supplied to steel plants within the State and not exported. Anti-farmer Shravanabelagola MLA C.S. Putte Gowda said governments which were anti-farmer would not survive. Hassan MLA H.S. Prakash said potato was the major crop in the district and that Rs. 600-crore worth crop was being sold every year. In the memorandum, the Janata Dal (S) listed 18 failures of the Government including non-payment of compensation for failed potato crop and for crop loss due to the recent floods; failure to pay Rs. 14.3 crore as crop insurance premium for last year; and non-payment of Rs. 15 crore as compensation to sugarcane growers. It also spoke about the police opening fire on farmers in Haveri district, the Government?s failure to deal effectively with the fertilizer shortage and its directive to farmers to settle outstanding power bills for the last two years? although it had announced free power supply up to 10 HP to 14 lakh irrigation pumpsets in the State. Mr. Revanna said when BJP activists burnt KSRTC buses in Hubli when Jagadish Shettar was not made a Minister, no action had been taken against them. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082651850300.htm Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil Demonstration Nagercoil: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK) staged a demonstration in front of Collectorate on Monday, to urge the Government to sack the Tourism Minister, N. Suresh Rajan from his post. According to sources, the Minister allegedly used abusive words against the Deputy Collector (Distribution of Free Television Sets), Janarthanan while distributing television sets with in Nagercoil municipal limits (8th ward). The former Minister, Thalavai Sundaram, led the agitation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082654880500.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore Demonstration to release prisoners Staff Reporter Photo: M. Periasamy Demand: The demonstration organised by Members of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners in Coimbatore on Monday. ? Coimbatore: Activists of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners on Monday staged a demonstration demanding the release of 72 prisoners belonging to minority community. The demonstrators welcomed the decision of Tamil Nadu Government to release life sentence convicts who had completed seven years rigorous imprisonment on September 15 in view of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai. The Home Secretary, in her circular to Prison Department officials, had stated that the remission and release of prisoners was not applicable to those held for offences under the Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and communal violence. In addition, those sentenced to capital punishment and subsequently reduced to life sentence would not be eligible for release. Such a clause was making it quite evident that the Tamil Nadu Government was not willing to release the 72 minority community prisoners and four serving sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Constitution, guidelines of Union Government and Supreme Court judgments have never given guidelines for such a discrimination among prisoners, the demonstrators said. The demonstrators appealed to the State Government, Home Secretary and Additional Director-General of Police to remove guidelines that discriminate against prisoners on caste and communal lines. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091051440300.htm Karnataka JD(S) workers stage protest Correspondent SIRSI: Scores of workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) took out a march in Karwar on Monday to protest against the ?failure? of the BJP Government in the State. The workers damaged a windowpane at the Deputy Commissioner?s office when the Deputy Commissioner, Govindaraj, did not come out to receive their memorandum. Observer of the State unit of the party Abdul Azim, State unit general secretary Pramod Hegde, MLAs Dinkar Shetty and Sunil Hegde, the former MLC V.D. Hegde, district unit president of the party Ganapayya Gouda were present on the occasion. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091051440300.htm Karnataka JD(S) workers stage protest Correspondent SIRSI: Scores of workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) took out a march in Karwar on Monday to protest against the ?failure? of the BJP Government in the State. The workers damaged a windowpane at the Deputy Commissioner?s office when the Deputy Commissioner, Govindaraj, did not come out to receive their memorandum. Observer of the State unit of the party Abdul Azim, State unit general secretary Pramod Hegde, MLAs Dinkar Shetty and Sunil Hegde, the former MLC V.D. Hegde, district unit president of the party Ganapayya Gouda were present on the occasion. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/08/stories/2008090851200200.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Chord of protest by live band artistes and music lovers Staff Reporter ?Having liquor and viewing live music is not a crime? ? Photo: K. Murali Kumar Against ban: Live band artistes performing in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Bangalore on Sunday. BANGALORE: A host of music lovers, young live band artistes and music lovers on Sunday staged a protest against the ban on live band in restaurants. ?Let music live? Holding placards that said ?Music be the food of love, you are starving us?, ?Bust crime, not creativity?, ?Let music live?, ?Do not kill the music?, they staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Mahatma Gandhi Road here. Illogical They termed illogical the argument that live music in restaurants and bars increased crime. ?Even the live band artistes have families. They have to maintain it. Ban has affected their financial condition,? the protesters said. ?The live band artistes and music lovers are not potential criminals. Having liquor and viewing live music is not a crime,? said Arati Rao, artiste. Those who want to go for dinner, viewing live music are denied their rights,? she added. Platform Restaurants provided platform to young artistes to exhibit their talent, she added. ?Let the police take action against those who perform in an objectionable manner, but not curb live band,? she said. ?Allow live band? Carlton, artiste, said that the State Government should allow live band and protect the interests of artistes and music lovers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090953120300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protests by BSP, NWKRTC staff Staff Correspondent HUBLI: The city witnessed two protests on Monday ? one by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) against the nuclear deal, and the other by employees of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) against a tabloid. BSP members led by Dharwad district unit president Premanath Chikkatumbal staged a demonstration in front of the B.R. Ambedkar statue near the Head Post Office, accusing the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party of conspiring to prevent a Dalit woman from becoming the country?s Prime Minister. The protesters said that the nuclear deal were against the interests of the country. They released a booklet on why the nuclear deal is detrimental to the country and what its impact will be on the people of the country. Ban sought Employees of the NWKRTC urged Governor Rameshwar Thakur to ban a Kannada tabloid carrying crime news, published from Bangalore. Its editor and reporters were resorting to blackmail, and publishing concocted stories to tarnish the image of the employees of the corporation who refused to pay them, the protesters alleged. They urged the Governor to arrest the editor and reporters of the tabloid, and file criminal cases. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091057950300.htm Karnataka - Mysore CPI(M) stages protest Staff Correspondent MYSORE: Even as the district administration celebrated the Bharatiya Janata Party Government (BJP) completing 100 days in office at Kalamandira by distributing benefits to beneficiaries under various schemes, hundreds of activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a demonstration at K.R. Circle here on Tuesday and raised slogans against the Government for its ?anti-people? stand in the last three months. Addressing the activists, member of district committee of CPI (M) Balaji said that the firing on farmers, who demanded distribution of fertilizers; luring MLAs from other parties under ?Operation Kamala?; using brutal force on those who protested against the ?anti-people? policies of the State and Union Governments and branding trade union leaders as anti-social elements were the ?achievements? of the BJP Government in the last 100 days. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/28/stories/2008092856970500.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem PDK protest turns violent Staff Reporter Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan Fall out: A moped of a cadre of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam was burnt near the venue of State BJP meet in Salem on Saturday. ? SALEM: Violence erupted near the venue of Tamil Nadu BJP?s executive and general council meet in Salem on Saturday when Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) cadres attempted to stage a dharna in protest against the BJP. In the melee, BJP cadres assaulted a PDK member and reportedly burnt his moped. Stones were also pelted at the PDK members. Tension prevailed when the PDK cadres led by their leader Kolathur Mani tried to stage a dharna near the venue protesting against the conduct of the meet, which was attended by the party?s national President Rajnath Singh. Police arrested the PDK cadres and their leader when they tried to block traffic on the Steel Plant road leading to the venue. Meanwhile, another group of PDK cadres tried to enter the venue which led to a clash between the two sides. Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. They arrested 124 PDK cadres. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093053030300.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Fishermen protest killing Special Correspondent MADURAI: A large number of fishermen abstained from work on Monday in protest against the killing of a fisherman, Murugan, on Sunday. Two days ago, when four fishermen went into the sea for fishing, one among them died in the firing allegedly opened by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel. Keep off sea As a token protest, the fishermen numbering 3,000 and about 700 boats in Rameswaram stayed off the sea. They wanted the Centre and State governments to take action o stop such firing. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/18/europe/EU-France-Turkmenistan-Protest.php Activists occupy Turkmenistan's embassy in Paris The Associated Press Published: September 18, 2008 PARIS: Activists have occupied Turkmenistan's embassy in Paris to demand the release of two journalists held in the Central Asian country. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says the activists from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders briefly entered the embassy before leaving peacefully. The activists were calling attention to the plight of journalists in Turkmenistan during a meeting Thursday in Paris of Central Asian and European leaders. They were demanding the release of Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadjiev, two journalists imprisoned since 2006. They were arrested with journalist and rights activist Ogulsapar Muradova, who later died in prison. Kouchner said he also had urged for the release of the journalists. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 19:09:23 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:09:23 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests - Health, Welfare, Services - Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9B153.2000005@tesco.net> * CAMEROON: HIV/AIDS patients protest lack of drugs * INDIA: Driver death triggers protest * INDIA: Protest over handling of dengue crisis * US: New York - AIDS protesters disrupt mayor's speech * UK: Cancer treatment protest * INDIA: Death triggers protest * INDIA: Protests over bus fare hike * INDIA: Medical staff beg in protest * INDIA: Vets protest * INDIA: AIDS counsellors protest * BULGARIA: Protest by people with rare diseases protest lack of treatment * MOZAMBIQUE: Demobbed soldiers protest for benefits * UK: Tractor protest over port closure * UK: Protest to save post office * CANADA: Protest against health cuts * US: Providence - health execs face protest * US: Minnesota - police attack health, housing protest * UK: Cancer mum leads life protest * CANADA: Artists slam leader at cuts demo * US: Molokai - protest against water rates * UK: Protest against hospital plan * AUSTRALIA: Local leader protested over health * SOUTH AFRICA: Protesters storm lottery meeting, demand NGO money * GERMANY: Health workers protest lack of funds * INDIA: AP health workers protest * INDIA: Kerala protest for cleanup * INDIA: AP protest for phone service * NEPAL: Cinema tax protest * NIGERIA: Subscribers protest mobile phone service * US: Skiers protest to keep resort open * US: Rhode Island - meeting cancelled after cuts protest * EAST TIMOR: Veterans want finances http://allafrica.com/stories/200809080134.html Cameroon: HIV/Aids Patients Protest Lack of Drugs Leocadia Bongben 5 September 2008 A group of people under the umbrella of Cameroon Advocacy Movement for Access to Treatment, MOCPAT, has been on a sit-down protest at the National Aids Control Committee, NACC, office in Yaounde. They are protesting the scarcity of anti-retroviral drugs.Though this is not the first time they have been out on the streets of Yaounde, they camped at the entrance of NACC premises on Monday, September 1, with messages that explained their problems. Some of the messages on their placards read; "NACC drinks while the sick get drunk," "We demand 2nd line treatment" "We demand free laboratory tests," "We want to live!" One of them who opted for anonymity disclosed that instead of the normal three two-month allocation of drugs, patients are now being rationed for 10 days and at most 20 days. One woman lamented that if she is not taking the drugs she may develop resistance. She said if she dies now there would not be anyone to care of her kids who are equally taking the drugs. The protesters refused being photographed and were persuaded by the Permanent Secretary of NACC to enter the premises for dialogue.The question that has not been answered is what has happened to the subvention from the global fund? Equally, when the patients develop resistance in the absence of second line treatment what would be the consequences? According to a researcher, 150 ARVs are available in developed countries while developing countries have just about nine. She recommended that for Africa to get more of the ARVs, civil societies should lobby pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, community relay agents in charge of follow-up of patients at home have not been paid for six months and they are equally agitating to go on strike. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/29/stories/2008092960120500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad RTC driver?s death triggers protest by relatives Staff Reporter ________________________________________ Doctors of RTC Hospital accused of not providing proper treatment Lack of proper facilities at the hospital also come in for criticism ________________________________________ HYDERABAD: The death of a bus driver at the RTC Hospital in Tarnaka sparked protests on Sunday with the relatives staging a demonstration on the hospital premises alleging that doctors? negligence had led to the incident. Fifty-two-year-old V. Jaipal Reddy, a native of Nalgonda district, was admitted to the hospital on Friday as he was suffering from fever and asthma. On Sunday morning, Reddy?s condition became critical and he died. Irate relatives accused doctors of not providing proper treatment. ?How can a person admitted to the hospital for fever die?? they asked. They alleged that four persons died while undergoing treatment in the hospital in the last one month. Lack of proper facilities at the hospital also came in for criticism. The family members relented only after authorities assured that necessary action would be taken against the duty doctors. Couple commits suicide A couple committed suicide by consuming poison at their house at Vanasthalipuram on Saturday night. Police said B. Madhav, 24, and his wife Srilaxmi, 20, started vomiting minutes after having dinner. Sensing something suspicious, their family members rushed them to a nearby hospital where they died early on Sunday while undergoing treatment. A suicide note purportedly written by Madhav was recovered from his room in which he stated they were ending their lives due to health problems. The couple hailing from Rajasthan got married two-and-half years ago. Madhav and his brothers were running a sweet shop. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=409767 Congress protests BJP-led MCD's 'inefficiency' to check dengue ________________________________________ IANS Monday 22nd September, 2008 With dengue cases in the national capital reaching an alarming figure of 409, opposition Congress municipal councillors Monday protested against the alleged inefficiency of Bharatiya Janata Party-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi in checking the epidemic. A delegation of ex-MCD officials lead by former mayor Jai Kishan Sharma complained to Lt. Governor Tejinder Khanna saying medicines being used had run expiry dates and that 'while 409 cases of dengue have been reported (in Delhi) and many patients died, the Municipal's data shows only two deaths'. 'The data is alarming and is of grave concern but the current administration is paying no heed to it,' said Sharma at the meeting with Khanna. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is the largest of three civic bodies in the Indian capital. It manages over 85 percent of the city's land area. According to the delegation, the Delhi government had provided Rs.220 million for initiating measures to combat dengue but a major portion of the amount was wasted on purchase of medicines in larger quantity than required. Farhad Suri, another ex MCD mayor, said: 'The medicines named temiphos (used in water bodies and coolers to prevent breeding of mosquitoes) has been purchased in excess.' 'It is a known fact that such medicines can be only used up to October during the monsoon season when breeding of mosquitoes is congenial, then what was the justification to purchase medicines in large quantity?' Suri questioned. At present 80,000 kg of medicines is lying unused. This quantity, he said, will be wasted, as it cannot be used anymore. Sharma also informed the Lt. governor that chlorine tablets being given to citizens for use in drinking water had expired. 'The distribution of such tablets is just like playing with the life of the citizens. The distribution must be stopped immediately,' Sharma said. The delegation urged Khanna to call for a CBI inquiry into purchase of medicines reaching expiry date. http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=9118641 Protesters briefly interrupt governor Associated Press - October 3, 2008 10:25 AM ET NEW YORK (AP) - Protesters seeking more aid for people suffering from HIV/AIDS have briefly interrupted Gov. David Paterson's meeting with legislative leaders unveiling dire economic news. The protesters disrupted the meeting early with chants of "We want a meeting!" Paterson smiled from the panel, unable to see what the protest was for, and waited for the protesters to be escorted from the Manhattan conference room in the state's office building. The meeting continued and protesters appeared to cooperate as they left. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7631419.stm Tuesday, 23 September 2008 13:15 UK Senedd cancer protest by ex-mayor Christopher Lewis says a 12-month treatment for him would cost ?22,000. A former town mayor who has terminal cancer has protested at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay to call for the drug Sutent to be available to all who need it. Christopher Lewis, 54, of Chepstow, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May and has been told he has two years to live. His local health board refused funding after his consultant at Cardiff's Velindre Hospital applied for the drug. Monmouthshire Local Health Board said it considered each case on its merits but followed national NHS guidelines. Mr Lewis, a former mayor of Brecon, took a letter for First Minister Rhodri Morgan. The letter said people "should not be denied a right to life, simply due to minor amounts of funding." 'Not recommended' It said : "Every human being in this country should receive clinically approved medication, even if life is only prolonged for a short time." Mr Lewis claims 12 months of treatment with Sutent would cost around ?22,000. Monmouthshire Local Health Board's Director of Joint Commissioning, Angela Jones, said she was unable to comment on individual cases. She said the board followed guidance by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice) which did not recommend Sutent as an option for advanced cases. Last August the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group had also come out against recommending the drug, she said. Ms Jones said: "We do consider exceptional cases but that has to be through a formal process and panel." 'Concerns' A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said decisions on treatment had to be made locally until NICE published its final guidance in January 2009. He said in the meantime Health Minister Edwina Hart had asked Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Mike Harmer to canvass the views of Wales-based oncologists working specifically in the field of renal cancer on the merits of the draft NICE guidance. He said: "They had a number of concerns, not least whether it is ethically sound to refuse a drug when this might otherwise mean a survival benefit of up to six months. "They also expressed concerns that in reaching their overall judgement on the clinical and cost effectiveness, it was not clear whether NICE had used the most up-to-date data from recent trials. "These points, along with a number of others, have recently been made formally to NICE as part of the Welsh Assembly Government's response to the NICE consultation." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082659550500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Boy?s death triggers protest at Niloufer Staff Reporter Six-year-old Siva was admitted to the hospital with leukaemia 20 days ago HYDERABAD: The death of a six-year-old boy, T. Shiva, at the Niloufer hospital on Monday morning triggered protest with the boy?s relatives, along with CPI(M) activists staging a demonstration alleging that the child died due to doctors? negligence. Shiva?s parents -- Shanta Bai and Bhajan Singh -- along with CPI(M) activists squatted on the main road and raised slogans against the government. They alleged that the doctors were responsible for Shiva?s death. ?Despite knowing that my son?s condition is serious, doctors failed to inform us. We would have taken our son to a private hospital for better treatment had they informed us in advance,? the boy?s mother, Shanta Bai, said weeping inconsolably. Police later intervened and pacified them assuring that justice would be rendered to the family. Shiva, a native of Karimnagar district, was admitted to the hospital 20 days ago with leukaemia. ?Even after giving treatment to him in consultation with doctors from MNJ Cancer Hospital, the boy died,? said Resident Medical Officer G. Hanumanlu. He said initially, there was no complaint from the boy?s parents. They later started making allegations after the CPI(M) workers arrived at the hospital. ?Outsiders created problem with an ulterior motive,? he alleged. The hospital had also 10 other deaths and explaining about them, the RMO said weight of a newborn baby should be 3.5kgs, but the weight of the children who died on Sunday was 860 grams to 2.25kgs. Few children also died due to premature birth, he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083052080300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Hubli witnesses three protests Staff Correspondent BJP takes out march against decision of Christian institutions Raising slogans: Youth Congress workers protesting the hike in bus fares, in Hubli on Friday. HUBLI: The city witnessed three protests on two issues on Friday. While Bharatiya Janata Party workers took out a procession against the decision of Christian educational institutions to remain closed for the day in protest against the Orissa violence, the Congress and Yuva Samata Sena members staged demonstrations against the increase in bus fares. BJP MLA Virabhadrappa Halaharavi, BJP Yuva Morcha national executive committee member Mahesh Tenginakai, and Hubli-Dharwad unit president Datta Dorle participated in the procession and demonstration in front of the tahsildar?s office. They said that the decision to close educational institutions run by the Christians for the day would confuse students and create communal hatred among them. They sought action against such Christian educational institutions. The protestors submitted a memorandum to the Hubli tahsildar. Condemning the hike in bus fares, members of the Yuva Samata Sena staged a demonstration in front of the tahsildar?s office. They demanded that the hike be withdrawn immediately. Addressing the protestors, State unit president of the sena Gurunath Ullikashi and Karnatak Youth Federation?s vice-president Rajashekhar Menasinakai condemned the hike. They said the BJP Government led by B.S. Yeddyurappa, which had promised that it would not hike the bus fares, had deceived the people. They submitted a memorandum to the tahsildar. At Durgad Bail Circle, Youth Congress members staged a demonstration against the bus fare hike and demanded that it should be withdrawn immediately. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083052140300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Protests Staff Correspondent BIJAPUR: Members of the district organising committee of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) took out a rally here on Friday to protest against the increase in bus fares. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083055630600.htm Karnataka Left parties protest Staff Correspondent TUMKUR: Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India blocked road traffic for an hour at the Town Hall Circle here on Friday and protested against the Government?s decision to increase bus fare. Syed Mujib, district convener of the CPI(M), and N. Shivanna, secretary of CPI, addressed the agitators. They said that the BJP Government had become arrogant after the entry of defectors. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090551280300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Congress protests against bus fare hike Special Correspondent ?No valid reason for increase as most transport corporations are making profits? Agitation: Congress workers disrupting the movement of buses in Gulbarga on Thursday. GULBARGA: Workers of the Congress staged a protest in front of the Gulbarga City Central Bus-stand here on Thursday against what they termed the unjustified increase in bus fares. They disrupted the movement of buses from the bus stand for more than one hour in the morning. The workers led by District Congress Committee president Allamprabhu Patil, women?s wing president and former Mayor Chandrika Parameshwar and district Youth Congress president Naseer Hussain staged a dharna in front of the entrance of the bus-stand. Tension prevailed for some time when a few buses tried to break through the human cordon. The workers however, forced the buses back. The police had a tough time in controlling the situation but they managed to persuade the Congress workers to call off their agitation after some time. Mr. Patil, who addressed the gathering, said that the decision of the Government to increase the bus fares had come as a bolt from the blue for the common man. He also criticised the Transport Minister for ?deceiving? the public by making a statement that only a 7 per cent increase was being effected while the actual increase in the bus fares was 19 to 12 per cent. He said that there was no valid reason for the increase since all the transport corporations, except North-East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) and North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), were making profits. While the NWKRTC had suffered a loss of Rs. 67 crore, the NEKRTC had suffered a loss of Rs. 16 crore. Mr. Patil urged Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to reconsider the increase in the bus fares and revert to the original fares in all the transport corporations. He warned that if the Government failed to retract , the Congress would be forced to intensify its stir and take the agitation to the taluk and hobli levels (Sept 5) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090252500300.htm Karnataka - Raichur Protest against bus fare hike RAICHUR: Members of the district unit of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) staged a dharna here on Monday protesting against the hike in bus fares. The activists led by Aparna B.R., member of the district organizing committee of the SUCI, staged a dharna at the bus stand. Later, they went in a procession and submitted a memorandum to the district administration urging the Government to withdraw its order in the interest of the common man. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090250340300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protest against rise in bus fare Staff Correspondent IN PROTEST: Students and members of SUCI staging a rasta roko at the Old Bus Stand in Dharwad on Monday. DHARWAD: Members of Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) and a large number of students staged a ?rasta roko? for a while in Dharwad on Monday to protest against the rise in bus fare. The protestors stopped buses at the Old Bus Stand to register their protest against the rise in bus fare ?at a time when the prices of essential commodities were soaring?. Addressing the protestors, SUCI district secretary Ramanjanappa Aldalli, said the rise in bus fare had only burdened the general public who were already hit by the rising prices of essential commodities. Mr. Aldalli said that the decision to increase bus fare on the pretext of developing infrastructure was not justifiable. ?The State road transport corporations had earned profits of crores of rupees. The infrastructure requirement could have been met by the excess funds,? he said. He urged the State Government to withdraw the decision to increase bus fare. He said that the objective of the BJP Government was to loot the public throwing the electoral mandate to the winds. He called upon the public to unite in raising their voice against the wrong policies of the State. Members of the SUCI district organising committee H.G. Desai, P.C. Hiremath, Laxman Jadagannavar, Gangadhar Badiger and Pramila, led the protest. Apart from students, senior citizens and women took part in the protest. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/29/stories/2008082952350300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Eluru Paramedical staff stage novel protest ELURU: The paramedical employees on Thursday resorted to begging on the city thoroughfares as a mark of protest against the alleged indifference by the government in regularising their services. They came in a procession and staged a demonstration at the Collectorate under the banner of the United Medical and Health Employees Union before they resorted to begging. They submitted a memorandum to the district Collector. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090659180500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Veterinary doctors? protest HYDERABAD: Thirteen persons were taken into custody for causing damage at the office of Director of Animal Husbandry in Shanthinagar on Friday. Around 200 veterinary doctors were staging demonstration demanding increase in salaries and provision of medical equipment. (Sept 6) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/16/stories/2008091659620400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Protest by HIV, AIDS counsellors Staff Reporter ? Photo: Bhagya Prakash K. Demand: Members of the Karnataka State HIV/AIDS Counsellors? Association staging a protest in Bangalore on Monday. Bangalore: Demanding regularisation of services and increase in wages, members of Karnataka State HIV/AIDS Counsellors? Association took out a protest rally from Banappa Park to Mahatma Gandhi Statue on Mahatma Gandhi Road in the city on Monday. Shouting slogans and holding placards the protestors staged a demonstration in front of the statue for five hours. Later they submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who reportedly promised them that he would look into their demands. Association president Venkatachalapathy and secretary Fayaz Ahmed said though these counsellors were appointed on the basis of postgraduate employees? wage scale, they were being paid a mere Rs. 6,500. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97015 People with Rare Diseases Protest in Sofia 16 September 2008, Tuesday The Bulgarian National Alliance of People with Rare Diseases are staging Tuesday a protest in front of the parliament entitled "Promises do not cure." Protesters are to release hundreds of balloons in order to demonstrate their desire for relief for the problems people with rare disease encounter in Bulgaria. The organization said they protest against the bureaucracy and the policy of the government that leads to lack of medicines and treatment for people with rare diseases, dooming them to death. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=359661 September 17, 2008 15:12 PM Police Abort Demonstration By Demobilised Soldiers MAPUTO, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- The Mozambican Association of Demobilised Soldiers (AMODEG) called off a demonstration through the streets of Maputo scheduled for Tuesday, after large scale police presence at the site where the demonstrators were to gather made a march impossible. According to a report by Mozambican news agency, AIM, several AMODEG members, including the organisations chairperson, Herminio dos Santos, were arrested. When AIM rang him on his mobile phone, dos Santos said he was in a cell in the Maputo Seventh Police Precinct. "Were detained here for no good reason", he said. "Neither I nor the rest of my time can leave. Whats happening to us is lamentable". AMODEG claims that some 400,000 people were demobilised from the armed forces prior to the creation of the new, unified army, the FADM, in 1994. The figure is a gross exaggeration. According to the data released by the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) in late 1994, a total of 57,507 government troops and 20,537 fighters from the former rebel movement Renamo were demobilised - a total of 78,044. The government never released figures for troops demobilised during the course of the war (between 1978, when conscription began, and 1992, when the war ended), but these cannot have been more than a few tens of thousands at the outside. This would give a maximum figure for total demobilized of 130-140,000. AMODEG is now demanding from the government the same pensions and privileges given to the veterans of the liberation war that overthrew Portuguese colonial rule. They also want free medical care for the widows and orphans of those who died in the war, the right to education and housing, and a transport allowance. Although the police say that the planned demonstration was illegal, AMODEG said it had made the necessary notifications to the Maputo Municipal council, the police command, and even to the Defence Ministry. But the spokesman for the national police command, Pedro Cossa, warned on Monday that the police would not tolerate any possible disturbance arising from such a demonstration. So at the square where the demonstrators were hoping to gather on Tuesday morning, AMODEG found a strong police contingent, including members of the riot police, in place. About 200 demonstrators turned up, and the police made around 10 arrests. The demonstrators were carrying placards with slogans such "Pay the illiterates who defended you during 16 years of war!", and protesting against what they claimed were military pensions of only 800 meticais (about US$33) a month. Threats were made. One former soldier, Fernando Corneta, told reporters "We want an answer before the next elections (the local elections scheduled for 19 November). If theres no reply, we shall take severe measures". He did not specify what these measures might be, merely adding that "our leadership will decide on the measures we shall take in our defence". But the demonstrators dispersed peacefully after receiving phone calls from their jailed leaders, urging them to obey the police instructions to go home. -- BERNAMA http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7613926.stm Saturday, 13 September 2008 16:36 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Tractor protest over post closure Dozens of branches in South Yorkshire are earmarked for closure A convoy of tractors brought traffic to a standstill as part of a campaign by villagers in South Yorkshire to stop the closure of their local post office. The protest was timed to coincide and cause disruption to the St Leger race meeting in Doncaster on Saturday. Residents marched through the town centre and handed in a petition against the closure of the Clayton branch. Dozens of post offices have been listed for closure in the county as Royal Mail seeks to cut branch numbers. Campaigners said the Clayton branch was the community's only shopping amenity and closure would mean elderly people having to travel to the next village. One protester said: "We want everybody to see how strongly we feel. "We want everybody to know that this is our post office, our service and we want this service." A public consultation period has now begun and the Post Office said all representations should be received by 22 September. Councillor Jonathan Wood said: "If it really is a process of public consultation and they are asking for our views, it's a shame they are not here to listen today." http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Focus-on-facts-in-bid.4475794.jp Focus on facts in bid to save post office, protesters told September 2008 By SUE GYFORD MORE than 150 protesters crammed into Marchmont St Giles church in Kilgraston Road last night to grill post office representatives about the proposed closure of Warrender Park Road Post Office. Post Office staff running a consultation on the proposed closure of 13 offices across Edinburgh were met with a barrage of angry questions as protesters were told to leave their emotions behind and concentrate on the facts if they wanted to save the post office. The meeting was chaired by Mike Pringle, MSP, who had arranged it, and was attended by politicians of all political shades, united to condemn the closure. Julia Young, external relations officer for the Post Office, told the meeting not to bother submitting petitions showing how many people wanted to keep the post office open, but to concentrate on providing concrete facts about the area which were not already known to the organisation. She added that there were another 10 post offices within a mile of Warrender Park Road which customers could use. However, chairwoman of the Marchmont and Sciennes community council Susie Agnew told the meeting that the post office's decision to propose the Warrender Park Road office for closure had been based partly on the fact that the number 24 bus could take customers to nearby offices, but said this service was scheduled to be reduced in future. Post Office Network Development Manager Gary Herbert said: "The proposals are not going to be changed because you're going to argue about whether there's a 30 minute bus service or not, they're going to be changed because you tell us something that we have not yet taken into account." Many of the users paid tribute to the service provided by sub postmaster Graham Smalley and his wife Jean, who have run the post office for 11 years. However, Ms Young urged protestors to avoid such emotional appeals as she said they would not affect the outcome of the consultation: "We're looking at this from a purely scientific point of view, even though we understand that many of you are pleased with the service you get." Mr Smalley himself gave an emotional address, calling for closure proposal to be overturned. He told the audience: "I'm quite overwhelmed by the tremendous response and turn out tonight from all the people that have come to this meeting. I can say categorically that I think I recognise every face in this room." Pensioner Billie Reese, of Lauderdale Street, who walks with a frame, said she could take parcels to Warrender Park Road Post Office but would not be able to travel any further. She also asked how she would be able to pay her council tax and pick up her pension if the office closed, adding: "Please don't suggest I give to a government department the details of my bank because we all know that government departments are a dab hand at having so little respect for our records that they lose them by the hundreds of thousands." The consultation on the proposed post office closures runs until September 29, with the final decision due on October 21. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2008/27/c8957.html Media Advisory - Ontario Health Coalition: Large Protests in Five Cities Today TORONTO, Sept. 27 /CNW/ - Today, protests will be held in five Ontario cities to draw attention to the McGuinty government's health-care cuts and privatization. Details on the events that will take place at those protests are now being made available. http://www.projo.com/news/content/INSURANCE_ROUNDTABLE_09-27-08_D7BO4LR_v10.160a023.html Protesters greet health-insurance executives at roundtable in Providence 01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 27, 2008 By Felice J. Freyer Journal Medical Writer Ivette Luna, left, leads demonstrators to denounce the profit-making and high executive salaries of private insurance companies outside a roundtable discussion yesterday sponsored by the industry trade group America?s Health Insurance Plans. The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer When the Clinton administration attempted to overhaul the health-care system in the 1990s, among the loudest voices raised in opposition was that of the health-insurance industry. The insurers financed the notorious ?Harry and Louise? commercials that contributed to the Clinton plan?s failure. ?We?ve learned a lot since then,? said Karen Ignagni, the Rhode Island native and Providence College graduate who heads the industry trade group, now called America?s Health Insurance Plans or AHIP. Now, as both presidential candidates have put forth proposals for health-care reform and public sentiment leans toward change, the health insurers say they want a different role in the debate ?? that of helpful participant rather than opponent. Yesterday, AHIP held a ?roundtable discussion? in Providence as the seventh stop in its Campaign for an American Solution, meetings to discuss what citizens want from their health-care system. And the first thing the ?listening tour? encountered was a protest. A group called Health Care for America Now!, comprising unions and other activists, gathered a dozen or so people under umbrellas outside the Foundry building. Their signs and fliers getting soggy in the rain, they denounced the profit-making and high executive salaries of private insurance companies. ?They?re insuring less people and making more money,? said Patrick Quinn, state director of the Service Employees International Union. ?They?re part of the problem. They?re not the solution.? Inside, at a discussion moderated by former Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty, Ignagni spoke with eight people, most either public-employee union representatives or small-business owners. Theresa Tanzi, a member of the executive committee of the National Organization for Women, said her husband, a podiatrist, offered health insurance to his employees ?? but none could afford the premiums. Phil Papoojian said his small manufacturing company suddenly experienced a 26-percent increase in premiums. The group discussed the merits of incentives for people to take care of their health or to see their doctors instead of going to the emergency room. One of the participants, Karen Malcolm, executive director of Ocean State Action ?? continuing the argument from the street ?? said the ?elephant in the room? was the administrative costs and high salaries at health-insurance companies. She noted that government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid operate with very low overhead. Ignagni said that government programs, unlike private insurers, don?t offer such services as care coordination and disease management ?? programs that most experts believe the health-care system needs. ?It?s quite reasonable,? Ignagni said, ?for the public to ask us to demonstrate our value.? http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=523336 Police and protestors clash at state capitol Dierk Bolten of Edina wanted to show off the Minnesota State Capitol building. "My sister-in-law is here and we just wanted to show her around," Bolten said. Instead, Bolten and his family walked right into a clash between protestors and capitol police. "They made it real obvious that they didn't want us here at all," said Bruce Dawson of the People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. The Campaign hoped to stage a sit-in in the rotunda of the capitol to advocate for better housing and health care. But, the protestors say, after about 20 of them entered the building with their signs, police locked the doors. From 4:00 to 5:00 Friday afternoon, protestors were allowed out, but no one was allowed in. "The building is closed for security reasons right now," said an officer with Capitol Security. Protestors said they are non-violent. "They're not armed commandos. They're just people with sleeping bags," said Ted Dooley, a St. Paul attorney who represents one of the protestors. Police said they locked the doors because the group was planning to disrupt business and they did not want to allow any more members inside. Police also said protestors were planning to spend the night inside the capitol, which is not allowed, and they did not have a permit to protest. At 5pm, protestors said police told them to leave the building or they would be arrested. Once outside, one protestor said an officer hurt her when she tried to let a photographer inside. "The officer grabbed me right here, where this beginning bruise is here," said Cheri Honkala while pointing to her upper arm, "and then violently pulled me back and locked us in." Honkala said she and other protestors, some of whom are homeless, tried to spend Thursday night on Harriet Island in a camp they called "Bushville." She said police forced them to move, but they are planning to set up another Bushville on Saturday. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1064438_cancer_mum_leads_protest?rss=yes Cancer mum leads protest Amanda Crook 28/ 8/2008 CANCER drugs campaigner Jean Murphy led a protest with a simple but hard-hitting message - `we deserve the right to life'. The 63-year old from Salford took centre stage at the rally outside the London offices of the agency which says new treatments are too expensive for the NHS. Jean and daughter Cathy also handed in personal letters to officials at the National Institute and Clinical Excellence asking them to change their minds. The agency ruled that Sutent - a drug which prolongs the life of kidney cancer sufferers - IS effective, but that at ?3,500 for six weeks treatment it is too expensive. Jean, who was refused the drug by Salford primary care trust, is now paying for it privately thanks to a mystery ?10,000 donor. Doctors and patients are hoping Nice will change its mind before a final decision due at the end of the year. Dozens of campaigners gathered outside Nice's offices, buoyed after the watchdog's U-turn this week on the drug Lucentis which can prevent blindness. Mrs Murphy, who started taking Sutent three weeks ago, said: "I cannot understand why health authorities seem to think kidney cancer patients have less right to live than other people. "I am lucky that someone has answered my prayers and is paying for my drug but I am fighting for all the others out there who will come after me, in the hope they will not have to battle while they are dying. "Sutent has made me feel more like my old self and I've only been on it for three weeks." Broadcaster James Whale, who lost a kidney to cancer in 2000, was among protesters and said Nice were `faceless bureaucrats'. He said: "I want the chairman of Nice to come down and speak to these people. "I want him to look into the eyes of the people whose lives he would cut short." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4641308.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797084 August 31, 2008 Protests force review of ban on cancer drugs Sarah-Kate Templeton, Health Editor The National Health Service drugs rationing body has been forced to review its policy of banning life-prolonging cancer medicines that are available elsewhere in Europe. At present it rejects drugs that cost more than about ?30,000 for a year of good-quality life ? a limit that has not changed in four years. The review by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) emerged after 26 top cancer consultants wrote to The Sunday Times last week saying that the current system for assessing new drugs was not working. This weekend Professor Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation cancer programme and one of the main signatories of the letter, welcomed the review, which is expected to report back later this autumn. However, he said it was unlikely to solve the problem of withholding expensive drugs from NHS patients and predicted that political realities will force Alan Johnson, the health secretary, to intervene. Nice provoked anger three weeks ago by ruling that the kidney cancer drugs Sutent, Nexavar, Torisel and Avastin should not be prescribed on the NHS. It brushed off the criticisms in Sikora?s letter, saying any concession would be at the expense of other patients. It did not mention that it had already embarked on a review, which it now says it commissioned between three and four years ago. Johnson has already hinted that he is concerned about Nice?s policy on kidney cancer. In a phone-in programme on BBC Radio 5 Live in June, he said that drugs were ?too slow going through the system?. Writing in The Sunday Times today, Sikora says: ?I suspect by Christmas the drugs will be approved. Otherwise this episode could lose too many votes.? Meanwhile, a one-year-old baby girl, Emma Rosser, is to take legal action against the NHS for denying her father, Jack, a cancer drug which could prolong his life. Lawyers are preparing to take a High Court action on behalf of the infant because they believe that an NHS trust is depriving her of a family life. http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=166247&sc=505 Last updated at 9:20 AM on 28/08/08 - The Canadian Press Angry artist compares Harper to Hitler at demo against cutbacks MONTREAL SYLVAIN LAROCQUE The Canadian Press Opposition politicians attending a rally blasting cuts to federal arts spending quickly distanced themselves Wednesday from remarks by one speaker linking Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Hundreds of Quebec singers, actors, dancers and writers gathered in a Montreal square to condemn nearly $45 million in funding cuts announced recently by the Conservative government. The artists accused the government of trying to "censor" artists and running counter to trends in the rest of the world. But then composer Walter Boudreau delivered a blisteringly sarcastic speech from the stage about the intentions of the federal government and concluded it by shouting, "Heil Hitler." A couple of people in the crowd also hoisted signs marked with the Second World War-era swastika which branded the Nazis. Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, as well as NDP MP Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Denis Coderre were all at the rally and later denounced the gestures. "These comparisons are totally unacceptable and take credibility away from the very real objections made about these cuts," Mulcair said in a telephone interview. B'nai Brith Canada also criticized the incident, calling for "civilized political discourse as Canadians gear up for what is expected to be a fall election." "The comparison of Canada's prime minister to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is obscene and offensive," said Frank Dimant, the group's executive vice-president, in a statement. "Such statements trivialize the Holocaust and inject ugly rhetoric in what ought to be reasoned debate on real and pressing political issues." The incident cast a shadow on what had otherwise been a successful rally that drew a number of heavyweights from the Quebec arts scene, including Montreal International Jazz Festival co-founder Andre Menard and noted writer Michel Tremblay. "We must wonder about the sincerity of a government that recognizes the people of Quebec as a nation when it does not hesitate to cut into the very heart of its existence - culture," said film producer Denise Robert. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/09/05/arts-cuts-protest.html?ref=rss Protesters, filmmakers decry arts cuts amid TIFF events Last Updated: Friday, September 5, 2008 | 11:56 AM ET Comments31Recommend19 CBC News Protesters wave signs denouncing cuts to arts funding as Paul Gross arrives for the gala screening of his film Passchendaele at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday night. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press) Amid the glamour and frenzy of Toronto's just-started film festival, arts supporters and members of the filmmaking community took brief turns in the spotlight to protest recent cuts to arts and cultural programs. Across from the red carpet at the festival's opening night gala screening of Passchendaele on Thursday night, a small group hoisted signs protesting the Harper government's decision to cancel programs amounting to more than $40 million. However, their target ? Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who had been expected to attend the gala ? did not make an appearance. Though it has become somewhat of a custom for a federal minister to attend the Toronto festival's opening gala and deliver a brief speech, there was no such representative at Thursday's screening. Still, Passchendaele producer Niv Fichman felt the protesters ? some with signs that read, "FUND THE ARTS NOT WAR" chose the wrong venue to air their grievances. "Sometimes it's appropriate and sometimes it's not. We just felt yesterday it was not. [With Passchendaele] we were honouring our troops in World War One and through the ages into Afghanistan. It just wasn't appropriate," Fichman told CBC News on Friday morning. In the proper setting, he continued, both he and filmmaker Paul Gross "would have been out there happily protesting with them. We believe in what they're doing, but we just wouldn't do that [on the night of the gala]." The cuts were also on the minds of other filmmakers attending the festival. "We have, at this festival, a crisis before us, which is a serious erasure of our funding in this country," director Patricia Rozema said at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association's Producers Awards presentation on Thursday afternoon. She urged her colleagues, if presented with an opportunity to "get in front of a microphone" in the coming days, to speak out against the arts cuts and emphasize the importance of film to Canada's culture. "We have to say that it is important. Films are the public art form of our era, the popular art form. They are our campfire. They are how we understand each other," she said to applause from the largely industry crowd gathered. Sandra Cunningham, chair of the CFTPA, also referred to the cuts. Revealing that the association's board has approved the $10,000 annual producer's prize for another five years, Cunningham pointed out that making the announcement was a pleasure "in a climate of uncertainty for the future, where I suppose the only real certainty is budget cuts to the arts." http://www.khon2.com/news/local/27890654.html Molokai Residents Protest at the Capitol By Manolo Morales Story Updated: Sep 4, 2008 at 5:48 PM HST Water bills for Molokai residents have nearly tripled since the beginning of the month and they're asking the state to do something about it. A few dozen Molokai residents flew in to Honolulu to make a point, that the recent water rate hikes are unaffordable and unjustified. "For my family alone, 10-thousand dollars in the economically hard time Molokai." And among the many officials they wanted to talk to is someone in the governor's office. "We're already being victimized is our message," said Walter Ritte. "Okay I appreciate you taking the time to do this," said Barry Fukunaga. The state Public Utilities Commission approved an increase of up to 178 percent for water being provided by Molokai Properties, which also owns Molokai Ranch. This was after the ranch had threatened to shut off water service because the company said it couldn't afford to do it anymore. "These state agencies need to declare the process null and void and we need to have a fair hearing for the island of Molokai," said Ritte. Molokai Ranch stopped commercial operations in April which also laid off 120 workers. The company says it couldn't sustain the business without the approval of a proposed luxury housing development at Laau Point. So without the housing development, many are unemployed and are forced to pay skyrocketing water bills. Some state legislators are crying foul. "It really is about a profiteer on an island that wishes to do what the island is not suited to do," said Kaneohe Senator Clayton Hee. "The people of Molokai cannot afford to pay such inflated rate increases as a means to subsidize mismanaged utilities. This is injustice," said Moloka Representative Mele Carrol. The governor's chief of staff says the state is looking at different ways to continue water service and still make it affordable. "There's been mention of the state or the county and even the ranch continuing or another provider," said Barry Fukunaga. The rate hikes are in effect for the next six months. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/7652292.stm Saturday, 4 October 2008 10:14 UK Protest against plan for hospital Private firms could take over the management of failing NHS hospitals Campaigners have marched the streets in protest against plans which could see Cambridgeshire's Hinchingbrooke Hospital become an NHS franchise. The hospital was criticised by the Audit Commission for failing to manage its debt for the third year running. The proposals could see it run by a better-performing NHS Trust or by a private company. Hospital officials said there were a range of options which it was exploring and no decision had yet been made. The Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital group has condemned the move for focusing on profits and not patients. 'No decision' Dr Stephen Dunn, the hospital's director of strategy, said: "It is vital that we find a solution which will deliver clinically and financially sustainable services to the people of Huntingdonshire. "What is important is that we get the best deal for Hinchingbrooke and its patients. There are a range of options which we are exploring. No decision has been made. "We are not being ideological about this. Other NHS providers, as well as the independent sector, all have lots to offer which we must consider. We want the best deal." But Mike Gough, from Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital, said earlier: "It should be patients, not profits. "The hospital's in the top 40 in the UK - top five for patient satisfaction. "It's doing well yet the only thing that's a noose around its neck is this historical debt that was caused by the government in the first place. "The government started this debt off by the changing the way the health service worked, and Hinchingbrooke unfortunately was a victim of it." http://news.www30.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=625708&rss=yes Protesters confront Bligh over health 12:46 AEST Thu Sep 4 2008 120 days 2 hours 31 minutes ago Anna Bligh has been confronted by protesters at a rural women's conference in the state's south. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has been confronted by protesters at a rural women's conference in the state's south. Ms Bligh is attending the inaugural Rural Women's Symposium in Roma, the first of three annual events the government has planned. But she was met by the women angered by reports the government is considering scaling back the Flying Specialist Service, which provides obstetrician and gynaecology services to remote communities. They called for guarantees health services would be maintained. Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg last week revealed a leaked report proposing changes to the service. State Health Minister Stephen Robertson said he was not satisfied with the report's findings, saying the government was committed to expanding maternity services. Mr Robertson was also under fire over the downgrading of Aramac Hospital, which has since been stalled by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. The seven mayors on the Central Western Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board on Thursday expressed disapproval at the government's planning of regional health. Winton mayor Ed Warren said the group had reservations about the decision to move away from collaborative planning. "Mayors are really starting to doubt Queensland Health's knowledge of the region and willingness to engage in an open manner," Mr Warren said. "We need pro-active health planning in this region that takes into account the potential growth that is on our doorstep as well as health services that cater for and facilitate strong sustainable, rural communities." http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20080902055356216C410902 Protesters storm lotteries meeting Xolani Mbanjwa September 02 2008 at 03:18PM Protesters disrupted a meeting of the National Lotteries Board, demanding that the Lotto body pay outstanding funds promised to their cash-strapped not-for-profit organisations. After a two-hour sit-in protest on Friday at the Lotto board offices in Hatfield, Pretoria, the board management had to call the police to remove the angry protesters. Chairperson of the board Joe Voster eventually decided to accept their petition. The protesters represented 10 organisations from the arts, culture and heritage sectors whose funds were approved but never paid. 'Arts schools and projects are shutting down because the board promised to pay, but has reneged' They demanded that all projects with outstanding funding be paid immediately. One of the protesters, Jerry Raletebele, director of Soyikwa Institute of African Theatre, said R1-million was approved to fund his organisation four years ago, but it had yet to see a cent. "This (delay) is a burden to all organisations. Arts schools and projects are shutting down because the board promised to pay, but has reneged. It doesn't answer our telephone calls," said Raletebele. "We are being sent from pillar to post by those who are running the lotteries fund." Mike Manana, the director of the Vukani Community Theatre, claimed that his organisation owed R1,7-million in unpaid bills because of the lotteries board. 'Of the R1,5-million it promised, it didn't pay R800 000' "The board approved funding in 2004. Of the R1,5-million it promised, it didn't pay R800 000, which was meant to pay artists. Now artists want to shoot me because I have not paid them since 2005," said Manana. A director of the Craft Association, Thandi Radebe, said the association had been waiting for a payment of R208 000 from the board since 2005. She said when funding had stopped, projects in Limpopo and Mpumalanga had also stalled. The protesters stormed into the Lotto board meeting while the management was in a session with 10 employees who had been fired for questioning the leadership style of the lotteries board chief executive officer, Vevek Ram. Ironically, the protesters demanded that Ram be fired for incompetence. The sit-in protest comes a week after trade and industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa admitted to the serious problems in dispensing Lotto funds. Distribution agencies - responsible for approving and allocating the funds - blame the board management for the hold-up. Chairperson of the group of distribution agencies, Prof Nompumelelo Jafta, admitted to "delays" by the board. "As agencies, we assess applications and approve funding. What happens after the approval is up to the board," said Jafta. Spokesperson for the board Sershan Naidoo said: "We have told the representatives of the organisations that we will have a response for them tomorrow." http://www.euronews.net/en/article/25/09/2008/german-health-workers-protest-at-lack-of-funds/ Germany German health workers protest at lack of funds 25/09/08 15:38 CET The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. More than 80,000 German healthcare workers have held a protest in Berlin to denounce a lack of funding in an ever-more expensive sector. Doctors, nurses, carers and hospital managers from all over Germany were bussed to the rally. The government yesterday pledged just over three billion euros to hospitals from 2010, but workers say that is not enough and that they are being forced into cutting costs. ?We?re demonstrating today for better conditions in the German health service so that we can get back the money we?ve been saving in recent years and so that we can have more time for patients and more jobs for carers and doctors,? said one protestor. Germany?s main hospital workers group says the industry is 6.7 billion euros short of cash for 2008 and 2009 and warns that spending caps are putting patients? lives at risk. Another demonstrator said: ?We want to go home happy every night and say ?yes, we?ve done our best.? We can?t do that now, we go home with heavy consciences.? Health Minister Ulla Schmidt said yesterday that the law is good for patients and hospital employees. Many health workers disagree. More than 100,000 jobs have gone in the last decade, in which time the number of people needing treatment has risen 15 percent. Costs including medicine and electricity bills have also added to the cash shortfall. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/25/europe/EU-Germany-Hospital-Protest.php Demonstrators in Berlin demand money for hospitals The Associated Press Published: September 25, 2008 BERLIN: Some 135,000 health care workers from around Germany converged Thursday on Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, waving protest signs and banners demanding more government funds for hospitals and clinics. Rudolf Koesters, president of the German Hospital Association, told the crowd that a third of German hospitals were in danger of going bankrupt amid rapid recent increases in energy costs, food prices and medical supplies. "The German hospitals don't have the finances to cope with the surging costs in 2008 and 2009 without drastic help," Koesters told the crowd. Organizers had expected 70,000 people for the demonstration, but police said 135,000 showed up on a sunny fall day in the capital. Beginning at three separate rally points, the protesters marched through the city, converging at the Brandenburg Gate for the demonstration under the motto "save the hospitals." The crowd waved union flags and signs with slogans like "enough saved," while blowing horns and whistles. One group held a banner saying: "Banks go broke, the government pays. Hospitals go broke and the government?" The federal government on Wednesday passed an emergency package providing an additional ?3.2 billion (US$4.7 billion) for the sector for 2009. But the protesters say the country's 2,100 clinics and hospitals are so financially strapped that they need at least ?6.7 billion (US$9.84 billion) in emergency funds. Without the additional money, demonstration organizers say some 20,000 jobs could be lost and the quality of care in the government-sponsored health care system will suffer. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090254480300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar Health workers stage protest KARIMNAGAR: Voluntary women health workers (Asha scheme) affiliated to the CITU trade union staged a massive dharna in front of the Collectorate here on Monday demanding the State government to provide a monthly income of Rs. 2,000 per month, besides other benefits. CITU district secretary G. Mukund, AP Voluntary Health Workers Association general secretary G. Jyothi, other association leaders S. Vijaya, Rajamani, Bhagya, Shantha participated in the programme. They said that the voluntary health workers are providing health assistance to pregnant women and encouraging deliveries besides immunising children. They alleged that the government is not providing their salaries regularly and demanded the government to provide TA/DA and also PF benefits to them health workers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091457900300.htm Kerala - Kochi Protest KOCHI: Yuvamorcha members completed ?floral designs? with waste materials on TD Road on Onam day in protest against the failure of the Corporation of Cochin authorities to clean up the city during the Onam season despite a promise to do so. The City has seen waste heaps growing in its different parts and the Yuva Morcha was planning to organise even more protest action, said a statement here.?Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092152850300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Khammam New Democracy protest KHAMMAM: The CPI (ML New Democracy) district unit on Saturday staged a demonstration in front of the office of the BSNL general manager protesting against the poor mobile and landline services in the rural areas especially in the remote villages of Gundala mandal. The protesters, who presented a memorandum to the general manager, complained that the network of BSNL mobile services continued to be poor in the district. http://www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=11421 Posted on: 9/29/2008 Nepali Artistes protest tax on cinema industry Cinema hall owners across the country have closed their business Monday to protest the decision of the new government imposing compulsory tax on cinema industry. The government had unveiled plans to impose compulsory tax on motion pictures for film development fund. Such taxes have been imposed only for foreign films brought to Nepal for screening. Film producers and artistes organised one-hour sit-in protests in front of the Nepal Film Development Board this morning. They have warned of further protests if the decision is not scrapped immediately. Nepal Film Artists Association, Film Producers Association and other organisations have opposed the decision of the government to impose tax on cinema industry, which has suffered a lot due to decade long insurgency. Source:nepalnews.com http://allafrica.com/stories/200809290921.html Nigeria: Subscribers Protest MTN Poor Services in Ilorin Mustafa Abubakar 28 September 2008 Ilorin ? Hundreds of MTN subscribers yesterday protested on the streets of Ilorin, Kwara State capital over persistent inability to easily load credits in recent time. The angry protesters, who called for the federal government's intervention, went round major streets, in the state capital protesting. Places visited include: Unity, Ibrahim Taiwo, Challenge, Post Office, Offa Garage area, Asa Dam and Murtala Muhammad road. Spokesperson of the angry protesters, Raliat Abdulgafar told Sunday Trust that the untoward attitude of the GSM operators, particularly the MTN, became worrisome because it had badly affected their businesses in no small measure. Abdulgafar who said they used to make an average of N2,500 daily after all deductions, lamented that since the present development started, they hardly make N500 because of very low patronage as a result of poor network. We log in credit, we don't receive the credit until after three days, and even when we make calls, the voice is poor. You hardly hear the voice from the other end, yet deductions are made. This cannot continue, so we decided to gather ourselves together and make this complaint so that the federal government can call them to order," she stressed. She described as irresponsible the nonchalant attitude of government to the problem. http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/kmov_localnews_080922_hiddenvalley.a1ebd2e6.html Skiers protest to keep Hidden Valley open 10:25 PM CDT on Monday, September 22, 2008 (KMOV)- The controversy continues over the possible shut down of the St. Louis area's only ski resort. The owner of Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood said he's planning to close. He blames the Wildwood city council. http://newsblog.projo.com/2008/09/protest-ends-ri.html Protest ends RIPTA board meeting / Video 1:25 PM Mon, Sep 22, 2008 | Permalink Jack Perry Email Journal photo / Mary Murphy Both RIPTA board members and members of the Providence Students for a Democratic Society hang around the RIPTA conference room a the transit authority's headquarters this afternoon after a protest spurred the cancellation of the board's meeting. Watch the video: RIPTA general manager Alfred Moscola explains why the meeting had to be canceled, and protester Chelsea Miller questions they way RIPTA is funded PROVIDENCE -- A meeting of the board of directors for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority was canceled today after it was interrupted by a group protesting possible cuts in services. About 30 people interrupted the meeting at RIPTA's headquarters. The group included a lot of students, including those belonging to Providence Students for a Democratic Society. But there were also some members of the Gray Panthers. "We can't continue a meeting when people are yelling and screaming and trying to take over the meeting," said Alfred J. Moscola, RIPTA general manager. The board had planned to review the agency's budget and conduct other business during the meeting. The police were called. Facing a budget shortfall, RIPTA is considering widespread cuts in services. -- With reports from Journal staff writer Mary Murphy --------------------------------------------------- East Timor veteran lobby wants financial recognition ABC Online - September 11, 2008 In East Timor a group claiming to represent 200 former resistance fighters is demanding financial recognition for its contribution to the country's independence struggle. They say they shouldn't have to wait until next year for government action. The group call themselves "The Petitioners" -- a similar name to the group of 600 soldiers who mutinied in 2006, sparking months of bloody violence. But this new group claims to have a more honorable cause. Presenter: Stephanie March Speakers: Anacleto Belo, former resistance fighter and spokesperson for the petitioning veterans; Mario Reis, State Secretary for Veterans and National Liberation; Jose Sousa Santos, Youth Worker at Uma Juventude March: In 2006 the government of East Timor was faced with a problem, 600 armed soldiers demanding action against discrimination in the military. At the time 37 people died and 100,000 people fled their homes. The trouble was blamed for the assasination attempt on president Jose Ramos Horta in February. Many of the displaced people have only recently returned to their homes to rebuild their lives. The petitioners too are moving on. With the death of their self-appointed leader Alfredo Reinado during the attack on the president, each of the petitioners has accepted an eight thousand dollar government package, provided they give up their bid to be reinstated to the military. But now it seems the government has a new problem. Anacleto Belo is the spokesperson for the new petitioners. Belo: I want to ask to government to take responsibility for us. We were the rebels against the Indonesian government during Soeharto's time, we are not rebels against current East Timor government. So why do those who rebels who act against government now have a good life? They are rebels but they get money to have a good life because they made trouble. March: The group of new petitioners claims to represent 200 ex-commanders from the 24-year-long resistance struggle against Indonesian occupation who don't qualify for the pension. Current government policy says only veterans over 55 or those who fought for more than 15 years are entitled to the pension. That can be worth up to 550 dollars a month. It's more than pay of most police officers, and public servants, who earn around three hundred dollars a month. Anacleto Belo joined the resistance in 1989 at the age of 16. Using the clandestine name 'La Sudar', which means 'not afraid', he fought as a section commander in the bloody jungle war for a decade. After independence, he and fellow resistance fighters peacefully handed over their weapons to authorities, believing the government would look after them. Belo: We tried to follow the procedure to become recruits in the new army but did not have not enough education. March: State Secretary for Veterans and National Liberation Mario Reis says the government is working to recognise all of the nation's resistance heroes. Reis: The government has a plan based on our constitution in article 11 which said that says we must recognize people who participated in a struggle. But many of those who can make claims are yet to because they still don't have the right documents. March: He says he is aware of the complaints of the new petitioners, but they must be patient and accept the law as it stands. Reis: Their demands are beyond the work of government. If you choose your government it is because [you believe] they are competent. You have an obligation respect their right to get the capacity to develop to make the nation. March: The government says it's developing a plan for 2009 to recognize and give financial support to veterans who were involved in the resistance struggle for more than three years. But the government is missing an opportunity according to youth worker from NGO Uma Juventude Jose Sousa- Santos. He says the petitioners could be used to help deal with the tens of thousands of unemployed and disenfranchised youth who are often blamed for much of East Timor's violence and instability. Santos: What I realize is missing in the kids in regards to identity and cultural knowledge is these role models -- the examples these guys gave. Now how can I expect East Timorese youth to behave any different than the militia they have seen in '99 or the burning they have seen in 2006 if that's the only examples to them of strength of power they have seen? They don't get to see this kind of strength, this kind of discipline. March: He says the veterans could provide much better role models than the nation's politicians. Santos: They fought. They walked the walk, they talked the talk while politicians were enjoying their time. There is not many politicians other than Xanana that have been in the jungle. The rest of these guys were in other countries, jet setting, yeah they were doing their bit for Timor but they were not in the jungle. They didn't have to carry their mates after getting shot. They didn't have to evade Kopassus dog tracking teams where you could not urinate for up to three weeks. They didn't do it hard like these guys did. March; The petitioning veterans say they are more concerned about receiving recognition than money. And unlike the 2006 petitioners they won't resort to violence to get what they want. --------------------------------------------------- From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 19:18:03 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:18:03 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Student protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9B35B.1010403@tesco.net> * SOUTH AFRICA: Student dies at UNISA protest during police attack * SOUTH AFRICA: School student uprising over substandard food * UGANDA: Fee raise prompts protests * ZIMBABWE: Repression against students continues despite peace deal * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Student strike over inflation, corruption * INDONESIA: Students protest mayor * INDIA: Student protest newsclippings * BANGLADESH: Students protest attack on leader * IRELAND: Students storm ministry in fees protest * US: Miami - students block road over power cut class decision * US: Stroudsberg/Pocono - dress code prompts unrest * US: Maine - backpack ban protested * UK: Teacher who assaulted boys targeted at home * INDIA: Parents protest exam schedule * SOUTH AFRICA: School students burn building to protest eviction http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2380088,00.html Student dies at Unisa protest 21/08/2008 14:15 - (SA) Durban - A 22-year-old man, believed to be part of a group of protesters that had gathered at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Durban, collapsed and died on Thursday. At least 200 students were protesting outside the campus, at the corner of Old Port Road and Stanger Street over the university's registration process. Police said the angry students had been throwing stones at vehicles and had prevented non-protesting students from entering the building to write a national examination. Ten protesters were arrested at the scene for public violence. Inspector Michael Read said the student who died collapsed outside the International Convention Centre, which is situated opposite the campus. "It appears as if he died from natural causes, but the body will be taken to the Gale Street mortuary and a post mortem will be carried out to establish the cause of death." Read said the student apparently suffered from asthma. Police watchdog, the Independent Complaints Directorate was also called to the scene to investigate the matter. Police have opened an inquest docket. While police described the protest as "very peaceful", a university official claimed it was "violent". Unisa's KwaZulu-Natal regional director Magnate Ntombela, though, said he was "saddened" that the protest had "got a bit violent". He claimed that students chained the entrance gate early on Thursday to prevent staff and students from entering. Security guards removed the chain. Ntombela said the students later started throwing stones and trying to force their way into the one-building campus. "Police dispersed them," he said. "There was a bit of a commotion. We have a few windows broken in the building," he said, adding that a law society exam had to be postponed. Ntombela said students held a protest march on Friday in opposition to the university's new registration process. He received a memorandum from them which he forwarded to senior management, he said. The students gave management until lunch-time on Monday to respond. Ntombela said that, on Monday, he told the students he had passed on their memorandum and had explained to them that their unhappiness arose from a "misunderstanding". "They expected Monday to be (the) response from management saying they were going to scrap the process," he said. "Then they decided today that they were going to protest again," he added, claiming they had not informed the university of their plans, other than by making a vague threat of further action in the memorandum. He said a similar protest had been held last year, but that "it didn't get this ugly". - SAPA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080822061654830C509529 Student dies during protest August 22 2008 at 07:49AM By Gugu Mbonambi A University of South Africa (Unisa) student died of a suspected asthma attack triggered by teargas used by police to disperse protesting students in Durban on Thursday. More than 20 students, protesting against a new registration process being introduced by the institution, were arrested at Unisa's Durban campus. Ntando Khuzwayo said Mthokozisi Nkwanyana, 20, a second-year political science student, was affected by the teargas and collapsed and died outside the International Convention Centre. The students were protesting against the introduction of online registration and study material being supplied on CD. They felt that the new registration process did not consider those who were computer illiterate. Young Communist League (YCL) provincial secretary Mlungisi Hlongwane condemned the use of teargas by the police. He said the league would lay a complaint with the Independent Complaints Directorate and community safety and liaison MEC Bheki Cele. Hlongwane called for the immediate release of all the arrested students. Unisa regional director Magnate Ntombela said he was "shattered" at Nkwanyana's death and believed that the situation could have been handled differently. "There was a misunderstanding between management and students about the introduction of online registration and compact disc study material. Those who are computer illiterate will be assisted at registration venues and although study material will be available on CD, hard-copy material will also be available," said Ntombela. Police Inspector Michael Read said 22 students were arrested for public violence and would appear in the Durban magistrate's court on Friday. "It appears as though the student died of natural causes and his body was taken to the Gale Street mortuary," he said. Unisa principal Barney Pityana had called for a meeting with all students at the Durban campus on Friday to address their concerns, said Ntombela. Nkwanyana's sister, Thandeka, of Ozwathini, outside Pietermaritzburg, said he was a down-to-earth and playful person. "I'm still trying to understand how this could have happened. My brother was not a violent person," she said. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Education&set_id=1&click_id=105&art_id=nw20080822092250967C916889 Students protest sees 22 arrested August 22 2008 at 09:29AM Related Articles ? Student dies during protest ? Student dies at Unisa protest The number of students arrested for public violence at the University of South Africa's (Unisa) Durban campus had risen to 22, Durban police said on Friday. At least 200 students on Thursday protested outside the campus, at the corner of Old Port Road and Stanger Street over the university's new online registration process and material being supplied on a compact disc. Police said the angry students had been throwing stones at vehicles and had prevented non-protesting students from entering the building to write a national examination. A 22-year-old man, who was part of the group of protesters, collapsed and died at the scene after suffering from an apparent asthma attack. He was identified by the university as Mthokozisi Nkwanyana, a second year political science student. At the time, police spokesperson Inspector Michael Read said the student collapsed outside the International Convention Centre, opposite the campus. "It appears as if he died from natural causes, but the body will be taken to the Gale Street mortuary and a post mortem will be carried out to establish the cause of death," he said. Post mortem results were expected in a week's time. On Friday, the Mercury newspaper reported that Nkwanyana collapsed after police used teargas to disperse the protesters. Read however denied that teargas was used, saying: "We gave them verbal warnings to disperse". Police watchdog, the Independent Complaints Directorate, was also called to the scene to investigate the matter. Police have opened an inquest docket. Unisa's KwaZulu-Natal regional director Magnate Ntombela at the time said protesting students had also chained the university's entrance gate to prevent staff and students from entering. Security guards later removed the chain. The 22 students are due to appear in the Durban magistrate's court shortly. The institution and students were expected to meet around midday on Friday to discuss the students' grievances. - Sapa http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=11964 < Go Back Student dies at protest 22 Aug 2008 Sharlene Packree and Sapa Mthoko Ncawanyana, a student involved in a protest on the University of South Africa (Unisa) Durban campus, collapsed and died shortly after the crowd was dispersed by police yesterday. Ncawanyana, a second-year law student, was one of the 200 students who protested outside the campus yesterday over the registration process. Angry students pelted police with stones, causing damage to several vehicles and injuring three policemen. Students prevented others not involved in the protest from entering examination rooms. Police spokesman Inspector Michael Read said 10 students were arrested and charged with public violence. "Police quickly dispersed the crowd. The arrested students will appear in court soon," he said. When the students had dispersed, Ncawanyana was found outside the International Convention Centre, which is near the campus. Paramedics were called in and declared him dead. Read said that although it seems that Ncawanyana died of natural causes, a post-mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death. "The Independent Complaints Directorate was also called to the scene to investigate the matter," he said. Ncawanyana's aunt, Maureen Zulu, said the family had "high hopes" for Ncawanyana, whom she described as passionate about his studies. "Mthoko was a bright boy. He went to hand in an assignment today, so I don't know how he got involved in the protest." She said that apart from suffering from asthma, Ncawanyana was healthy. "The family is still in shock. His mother is extremely upset and had to be sedated by a doctor. She is not doing well," Zulu said. Unisa's KwaZulu-Natal regional director, Magnate Ntombela, was not immediately available to comment on the student's death. He earlier described the protest as "ugly", saying he was saddened it had "got a bit violent". Ntombela said students chained the university's entrance gate to prevent staff and students from entering. Security guards removed the chain. "There was a bit of a commotion. We have a few windows broken in the building," he said, adding that a law society exam had to be postponed. Ntombela said students last week held a march in opposition to the university's new registration process. A memorandum was handed to the university's management, who were given until Monday to respond. When students received no response, they planned a protest for yesterday. Ntombela said a similar protest took place last year, but that it did not get "this ugly". http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080905054412892C757531 Schoolgirls run riot September 05 2008 at 09:09AM By Jeff Wicks Weeks of bread and cheese for supper prompted nearly 300 schoolgirls from the Sacred Heart Secondary boarding school in Verulam to run riot on Thursday night. It is alleged that the girls rampaged through the school, breaking windows, damaging cars and looting the tuck shop and kitchen. Superintendent Jay Naicker said police had been called in. "We think the school tried to control the situation with their own security guards before getting the police to intervene. A disturbance at the school was reported to the Verulam police." Private security company Reaction Unit SA spokesperson Prem Balram described the situation as chaotic. "When we arrived the girls were toyi-toying. They had broken windows, damaged a staff member's car and looted the tuck shop and hostel kitchen." The school's kitchen burnt to the ground several weeks ago, and the girls have been provided with two slices of bread and a slice of cheese for supper since. Balram said many parents had fetched their children last night. The education department said it would investigate the incident on Friday. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110116.html Uganda: Makerere University Students Protest Over Tuition Hike Yasiin Mugerwa and Isaac Imaka 11 September 2008 Makerere University Students have petitioned Parliament and vowed to stage a sit- down strike today over what they have described as intolerable tuition fees at the university. Mr George Jjagwe, the chairman of the Concerned Students Association, a pressure group told a press conference at Makerere yesterday that the students would oppose the new development fee of Shs123, 500 and Shs50, 000 for technology fees collected from private sponsored students. The students later filed a petition to the Speaker of Parliament Edward Ssekandi, urging him to intervene."The sit-down strike today shall take place in our halls/hostels of residence and in the freedom square starting at 7.00am." Mr Jjagwe wrote. University spokesperson , Mr Gilbert Kadilo said the new fees have been discussed with the students' guild. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809181056.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Violence Persists While Ink is Still Wet on Power Sharing Deal Violet Gonda 18 September 2008 Arrests and beatings continue in Zimbabwe barely three days before the ink has dried on the power sharing agreement between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations. 10 students from Bindura State University were arrested on Wednesday during protests calling for a conducive learning environment. Three student leaders Chiedza Gadzirayi (22), Laswet Savadye (24) and Respect Mbanga (21) were allegedly beaten up while in police custody. Chiedza Gadzirayi told Newsreel they were arrested at 10am on campus and were only released at 7pm the same day after being charged with criminal nuisance. The students were made to pay a fine of $20 each. She said: "They beat us up saying we are over excited and not recognising the whole issue of the talks...they also said we are part of the MDC and that we were trying to incite students." The students were protesting against the decision by the University to charge top up fees for this semester of $380 trillion and $420 trillion for science students. Gadzirayi said this was exorbitant, given the fact that the students had already been made to pay $85 trillion when colleges opened on 13th August. The top up fees are required by the 30th September. According to the students, since the University opened there has been no improvement in the environment and no learning as the lecturers are also on strike for better salaries. We could not get a comment from Bindura police, but the students maintain their demonstration was justified. They say the police have shown they are really not respecting the talks by continuing with the brutality. "Our demonstration was justified and the police were not justified to do what they did to us yesterday, especially the harassment and the torture and the humiliation that they made us go through," added Gadzirayi. The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) said in a statement: "This is a negative development, taking into consideration that the deal was signed to bring sanity to the political terrain in this country." Observers say repression in Zimbabwe is now a political culture such that this 'coalition' has to put security sector reform and the judiciary as top on its agenda if it is to work. The MDC has to demand that action be taken decisively against the perpetrators. They are now part of the system, and it's either they are viewed as culpable or they show that they will not tolerate such behaviour. Meanwhile ZANU PF official Patrick Chinamasa was quoted by the state media claiming his party supporters were "being victimised across the country." He said: "It's unfortunate that these violent attacks are happening just when we are starting a new era in Zimbabwe." http://news.smh.com.au/world/png-students-protest-against-inflation-20080905-4a8s.html PNG students protest against inflation ? Advertisement ? Email ? Print ? Normal font ? Large font September 5, 2008 - 10:12AM Advertisement Students at the University of Technology in Lae, on PNG's northwest coast, have taken action over the high and rising costs of goods and services. The Taraka campus students are boycotting classes over government corruption. Student Representative Council president Jackson Kiakari, who also leads the National Union of Students, said they were talking to other university representatives to encourage similar action at other PNG campuses. "We have a situation here where the kina today does not have any value, however, we are told that PNG is flushed with cash," said. "How can this happen?" "Everyone in this country is bearing the pain silently and the government and MPs don't seem to care," he said. "Our parents, our relatives and our workers in town are not able to get a lot of food for our pay," he said. The protests came on the same day as PNG treasurer Patrick Pruitch announced, in Port Moresby, that inflation was 10.7 per cent, more than 2008's forecasted nine per cent. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=41853 Students strike in Papua New Guinea over inflation and corruption Posted at 05:52 on 05 September, 2008 UTC More than 2,000 Papua New Guinean university students have stormed out of classes, reportedly in protest at corruption and the government?s inability to keep inflation low. Students at the University of Technology in Lae are reported to have acted over the high and rising costs of goods and services. The Student Representative Council president Jackson Kiakari, who also leads the National Union of Students, says they want to encourage similar at other PNG campuses. He says the kina?s value has plummetted and people can get little with the money they earn. The protests came as the PNG Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch announced, in Port Moresby, that inflation had increased to 10 point 7 per cent, significantly above government forecasts. --------------------------------------------------- Students rally against new mayor Jakarta Post - September 17, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung -- Some 100 students from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) staged a rally Tuesday to protest the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Mayor Dada Rosada and Vice Mayor Ayi Vivananda. The students, from the ITB Students' Body (KM-ITB), were protesting the conversion of Babakan Siliwangi forest, in the western part of the ITB campus, into a restaurant and a three-floor parking building. Staged some 50 meters in front of the Merdeka Building on Jl. Asia-Afrika where the ceremony was held, the students demanded the Bandung municipal administration cancel a cooperation agreement with the project developer. Students handed out flyers and held a silent protest by symbolically taping their mouths shut with black tape. West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, who officiated at the inauguration ceremony, also asked the new mayor and his deputy to run the administration and development programs based on environmental considerations. Ahmad said air pollution and a shortage of clean water were Bandung residents' main problems, triggered by environmental degradation and diminishing open green spaces. "We have to change our development paradigm, which places more importance on the material side without considering effects to the environment," he said during the ceremony. KM-ITB spokesman Irfani Priananda said the group's protest against the Babakan Siliwangi conversion was staged because the project would damage the environment. In July, the students conducted a brief investigation on the project. They found there were many springs at the future project site which would cause damage to buildings. "The springs in Babakan Siliwangi are unique because they produce clean water all year long, even during the dry season," Irfani said. "The number of springs in the area has decreased from 13 to 7 since ITB built a sports complex and the Sasana Budaya Ganesha convention hall." The students also reminded the administration the construction of the restaurant and parking building would only worsen groundwater degradation in Bandung, which is subsiding at a rate of 4.2 millimeters per year. The administration was also urged to increase the number of open green areas, from 7.68 percent of the city's area to 30 percent. Responding to the protest, Mayor Dada said he would reevaluate the project, handled by PT Esa Gemilang Indah from the Istana Group. As mayor from 2003 until 2008, Dada signed a memorandum of understanding between the administration and PT Esa Gemilang Indah to redesign and operate Babakan Siliwangi until 2027. The company will build a restaurant and a 7,000- square-meter art gallery, while the administration will build a three-story parking building. "We will see whether the project threatens the environment. If so, we will revise the agreement," Dada said. Dada's tenure has seen many green areas converted into commercial buildings and spaces, giving rise to numerous protests against the mayor. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/23/stories/2008082354640500.htm Karnataka - Udupi Students protest Udupi: The Mangalore University All College Students Action Committee (Sarva College Vidyarthi Kriya Samiti) staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office here on Friday. In a memorandum addressed to Governor Rameshwar Thakur, submitted at the Deputy Commissioner?s office , the committee demanded the scrapping of the credit-based semester system by the Mangalore University. The students took out a procession from the Service Bus Stand to the Deputy Commissioner?s office. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/29/stories/2008082960150400.htm Tamil Nadu College students stage protest on Velachery Main Road Special Correspondent TAMBARAM: Traffic on arterial Velachery Main Road was affected when students of a private college staged a protest on Thursday. Students of Prince Shri Venkateswara Arts and Science College in Gowrivakkam, near Tambaram, and members of All India Students Front staged the protest in support of their demands that included advancing the college timings and allowing them to form a students? union. They squatted on the road to press for their demands. They said that all colleges in and around Tambaram commenced at 8 a.m., but theirs opened only at 10. If the timing was advanced to 8 a.m., they could get free time in the afternoon to join computer or other technical training institutes. They also took exception to the suspension of six students recently and pointed out that some staff behaved rudely with them and their parents. However, college authorities refuted the allegations, stating only a section of the college students protested. Students came late for classes even now and if the timing was advanced, it would be difficult for those from far off places to come on time. Unlike other colleges in Tambaram, their institution offered only one shift and hence it opens at 10 a.m., they said. Authorities added that they had only initiated disciplinary action against six students, including girls, for staying away from classes and the issue was sorted out after an assurance from their parents, adding that the college attached a lot of importance to discipline. The students dispersed after V.Varadaraju, Deputy Commissioner of Police, came to the spot. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/27/stories/2008082758500300.htm New Delhi Students protest against B.Sc. (Programme) result Staff Reporter Stage a demo outside the Vice-Chancellor?s office ________________________________________ Students had launched a protest last year as well ?No one from the University has invited us for talks" ________________________________________ NEW DELHI: A number of students pursuing the restructured B.Sc. (Programme) at Delhi University staged a demonstration outside the office of Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental on Tuesday to protest against ?unexpected and poor results?. The students enrolled for the course had launched an agitation last year as well after a number of them performed poorly in the annual examination. Later the authorities set up a review committee to look into the reasons for the poor performance. ?The committee had last year said that all those students who got an Essential Repeat (ER) in one or two subjects would be promoted. However, this has not happened this year. Those who have got an ER in two subjects have been failed. At the same time, there have been cases where students who got an ER in three subjects have been promoted to the next year,? alleged a student. ?In our question papers for the final exam, a number of questions came from portions that we were told had been deleted from the syllabus. In fact, only two months prior to our annual exams we were informed by our teachers that our syllabus had been reduced,? claimed another student. The students are agitated as no one from the University administration has invited them for dialogue since they began their protests outside the Vice Chancellor?s Office a few days ago. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090760470300.htm New Delhi ABVP protests against results NEW DELHI: Just hours after the results of the Delhi University Students? Union elections were announced on Saturday, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists protested against the verdict outside the office of the Dean of Students? Welfare on the North Campus. They demanded to know why despite early leads, the ABVP candidates for the post of vice-president and secretary, Vasu Rukhar and Anupriya Yadav, respectively, lost out to NSUI candidates. Both these candidates lost to their nearest rivals by slender margins. ?It is difficult to believe that while for the post of president we won by about 1,800 votes, we could not wrest any other post despite early leads. We feel there was some conspiracy. We have demanded that the electronic voting machines be shown to us,? said ABVP media coordinator Atif Rasheed. The students wanted to meet Chief Election Officer Gurmeet Singh, but were stopped by the police. Eight activists were detained and later let off. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/15/stories/2008081560660800.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Medical college students stage demonstration Staff Reporter Against mandatory rural service and increase in duration of course Photo: R. Ashok AGITATED: Students of K.A.P.Viswanatham Government Medical College staging a demonstration in Tiruchi on Thursday. ? TIRUCHI: Over 200 undergraduate students of K. A. P. Viswanatham Government Medical College held a demonstration in front of their college on Thursday, condemning Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss?s recent talks with Medical Council of India for implementation of mandatory rural medical services. They attended their classes sporting black badges as a mark of protest. In a statement released by Tamil Nadu Medical Students? Association, they demanded the intervention of State Government to drop the decision of compulsorily deputing medical graduates to rural areas for an year. The move, if implemented, would prevent job opportunities for the fresh graduates. Over 30,000 medical students graduate every year and temporary jobs would affect their chances of permanent employment in government hospitals. The proposed compulsory rural medical service and increase in duration of medical course to six-and-a-half years have discouraged brilliant students from opting for medicine. Sixty-five students this year and 139 students in 2007 joined engineering courses despite securing medical seats. The Association has also threatened to intensify the stir after August 20. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090555290300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Student organisations hold protest Special Correspondent ? Photo: U. Subramanyam Heated exchange: Police clash with SFI activists in Kurnool on Thursday. KURNOOL: The supporters of SFI and AISF staged noisy protests on different issues at the Collectorate here on Thursday. Both groups clashed with the police when the protesters tried to barge into the Collectorate. SFI demanded implementation of GO no 18 which allowed concession in the tuition fee for Backward Class students. The SFI leaders alleged that some of the private engineering colleges were not honouring the government order. The organisation urged the government to release Rs. 100 crore for the Rayalaseema University for speedy development and introduce 25 new courses. The AISF complained that most of the government schools had no proper accommodation. (Sept 5) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/05/stories/2008090555520300.htm Sept 5 Other States - Uttar Pradesh AMU students protest beating of colleague by police ?Student assaulted for objecting to police personnel using ATM after brushing aside crowd waiting for their turn? Aligarh: Alleged beating of a student of Aligarh Muslim University by two police personnel sparked demonstrations in the varsity campus with angry students on Thursday protesting in front of the VC?s office, demanding suspension of the duo. According to a report filed with the University authorities by the victim, Javed Alam, two police personnel assaulted him last Tuesday when he objected to their using an ATM after brushing aside others waiting for their turn. The incident took place when Javed, a final year engineering student, had gone to the SBI ATM in the University administrative block. In his complaint, Javed also alleges that the duo later took him to the Civil Lines police station and released him after several hours on the intervention of University authorities. Javed, in his written complaint, has also mentioned that station officer in charge of the police station threatened him of implicating in ?bogus case? if he files any complaint. The students? protest came to an end after senior officials led by Senior Superintendent of Police Aseem Arun assured them that punitive action would be taken against the errant officers by evening. Meanwhile, Secretary of AMU teachers association, Abdus Salam has demanded immediate suspension of station officer in charge A close watch is being kept over the campus to prevent the situation from turning violent. --PTI http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Following-protests,-expulsion-of-3-DAV-students-revoked/356678/ Following protests, expulsion of 3 DAV students revoked Font Size Express News Service Posted: Sep 03, 2008 at 0255 hrs IST Print Email Feedback Discuss Related Stories: Union protests shifting of steel plantETT teachers protest in BathindaHoteliers observe strike to protest luxury taxDrivers protest, block road at Ambala bus standBhiwani firing: After Hooda?s assurance, residents cremate deadDemands not met, Punjab Roadways staff go on strike Chandigarh, September 02: Three students of DAV College, Sector 10, were expelled yesterday because they had locked the mess of the BTC hostel owing to the poor quality of food being served there. The order was, however, revoked today. The three students are Vicky, Vinod of BA (III) and Saurabh Malik of BA (II). On Tuesday morning, the student bodies protested against the college authorities and also met the principal, B C Josan. The principal constituted a committee to decide on the matter and called all the student leaders for a meeting. The students claimed that the food is sub-standard and that they could not eat the food any more. ?We have not done anything wrong. If our demands are not genuine then we are ready to face the consequences,? said Vinod, a student. ?I can?t say anything right now as the matter is still pending before the committee and it will decide on the matter. I have given orders to the mess contractors to arrange for better food in the future. This is a political stunt before the upcoming elections,? said Josan. Celeb Big Brother 2009Who's going in the house? www.thesun.co.uk/bigbroth UK Pound Crosses Rs. 74Unmatched Exchange Rates, Overnight Remit2India.com/FreeMoney Flying to India?Now Fly Daily from London to Mumbai FlyKingfisher.com/TravelI Ads By Google ?It is our democratic right to protest in a peaceful manner and the students have genuine demands. If their demands are false then the authorities can take any action against them,? said Vikas Rathee, INSO president. Prof B C Josan added, ?As I had not given any written order of their expulsion, it was just a warning to the students. If they create any more nuisance in the future then we will not tolerate it.? INSO demands more hostels PU students led by the Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) protested on Tuesday against the hostel problems and the high rates being charged at student centre shops and the PU market. PU campus chairman, Sukhdev Kundu led the student procession to press for their demands. Later, the INSO delegation also submitted a memorandum to the PU vice-chancellor. Kundu said that the problem of hostels had been discussed with the v-c many times earlier. He also said that students of some departments like diploma students of Psychology have been denied hostels. He demanded that PU make some interim arrangements like vacating hostels for students and converting more buildings into hostels. PU should plan and construct four more boys and girls hostels this year, the INSO leader said. ?ENS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091852870300.htm Other States - Puducherry Students protest PUDUCHERRY: Students of the Tagore Government Arts College on Wednesday boycotted classes and staged a protest to highlight demands such as supply of safe drinking water, appointment of lecturers and enhancing facilities in the computer laboratory. Alleging that the management did not take steps to meet their demands, they locked the main entrance of the college and staged a road-roko. Close on the heels of officials in the Department of Higher Education promising steps to enhance facilities in the college gradually, the students withdrew their agitation, official sources said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091952880300.htm Karnataka - Raichur AIDSO, AIDYO stage protest Staff Correspondent Raichur: Members of the district units of the All India Democratic Students? Organisation (AIDSO) and the All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) took out a procession and staged a dharna here on Thursday in protest against the introduction of negative marking in examinations for diploma engineering students from this academic year. Students from the Government Polytechnic and the HKE Society Diploma Engineering College boycotted classes and went in a procession from Ambedkar Circle and reached the Deputy Commissioner?s office. They staged the dharna there for some time and submitted a memorandum to the Headquarters Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner Qhateeb urging the Director of the Technical Education to withdraw the negative marking system. Chennabasawa Janekal, secretary of the district unit of the AIDYO, said that diploma engineering students were being asked objective-type questions for the past two years. However, from this academic year, the Directorate of Technical Education had introduced negative marking. This had affected students. He said that the directorate had introduced a change in the examination system without improving the teaching level. In addition, the shortage of staff in colleges had affected the coverage of the syllabus in various subjects. The directorate had failed to consult experts before bringing such changes in the pattern of questions in the examinations. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/16/stories/2008091652760300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Students protest against demolition notice Special Correspondent GULBARGA: The Gulbarga City Corporation on Monday asked the Government Pre-University College in Adarsh Nagar to stop the construction of two classrooms that have been identified for demolition to widen the road. Students of the college boycotted classes in protest against the notice issued by the corporation asking the school authorities to stop the construction work. The students said the present college building did not have enough classrooms, and the authorities were conducting classes in shifts. The new classrooms would have helped solve the problem to an extent. The students said they needed more than two classrooms. They warned that if the city corporation did not allow the construction to go ahead, they would intensify their agitation. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/410150/cs/1/ Students protest against don accused of sexual harassment India Gazette Tuesday 23rd September, 2008 (IANS) Students and faculty of the political science department of Ramjas College, Delhi University, Tuesday launched a week-long protest to demand stern action against a senior faculty member accused of sexually harassing 10 male students in October 2007. The male students had complained against B.N. Ray, a senior reader in the political science department, in October last year. The College Complaints Committee (CCC), which probed the complaint and submitted its report in April this year, had found the charges of sexual harassment against Ray valid, and 'recommended that he face termination from service'. The protesting students are demanding implementation of the recommendations of the report. 'The protest today was a sustained demonstration organized to sensitize students and make our voices heard,' said Gaurav Parashar, student president, political science department. 'We along with our teachers have boycotted classes for a week. We will shout slogans against the accused and the principal, and sensitize those who don't know about the case.' 'A year has passed since the incident and still no action has been taken and the accused is still on the university rolls enjoying salary without attending classes. This is an open mockery of the justice delivery system of the university?' said Kumar Rahul, senior faculty, political science department of the college, who had joined the protest. According to Parashar, the harassed students had been pressured to withdraw their complaint but they stood firm. The CCC report directing that Ray's services be terminated has given the students hope. 'Unfortunately, the delay in implementing the decision by the college governing council does not send a very positive message to the student and teacher community in the country,' he said. The principal of Ramjas College, Rajendra Prasad, when contacted claimed that since 'Ray had submitted a civil writ petition against the CCC report, the matter is sub judice'. 'After consulting an advocate I will know the legal standing of the case. Ray has been banned from teaching and his entry into the college grounds has also been banned,' Prasad told IANS. However, students are angry that no official action has been taken against Ray. 'The ban had not been officially declared and more severe action is required,' added Prasher. 'We will seek support from students and faculty of other colleges like Hindu and Kirori Mal and the Law Faculty in the days ahead,'said Aditya Kaul, a student activist. The students have planned a silent candle march on Thursday from the college ground to the Vice-Chancellor's office 'to take the protest to the next level', Kaul said. The CCC is a body that investigates student complaints and provides recommendations to college authorities. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092559720200.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Students stage protest, seek better facilities Kannal Achuthan ? Photo: V. Ganesan SIT IN: Students of Madras School of Social Work protest the lack of amenities at the college on Wednesday. CHENNAI: Students of the Madras School of Social Work on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the college in Egmore demanding better amenities. The students said at least 20 students in the hostel were suffering from diarrhoea or fever as a result of the poor quality of drinking water. One of the students has been hospitalised, they said. One of the hostel students, requesting anonymity, said a request for boiled water in the dining hall had been turned down. ?We were told we could buy water sachets if we wanted,? he said. The students have also demanded additional drinking water facilities inside the college and provision of more toilets. ?For about 450 students, there are only three toilets for men and three for women in the college,? a student said. The college authorities said they would act on the demand for better facilities for water. However, the students said they wanted the assurance in writing and would continue the protest till then. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461770300.htm New Delhi B.Sc. students of DU protest NEW DELHI: The second year students of the restructured B.Sc. (Programme) of Delhi University staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday alleging that the authorities did not fulfil their assurance given to them. ?We called off our previous agitation after the authorities told us that they will review the results of both the first and second year students enrolled in the course. While they have made the changes in the first year results, second year students are still awaiting justice,? said a student. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092461760300.htm New Delhi Ramjas students revive protest Staff Reporter Photo: Rajeev Bhatt Ramjas students protesting slow progress on sexual harassment case against a senior faculty member. NEW DELHI: Some students and faculty members of the Political Science Department at Ramjas College here on Tuesday revived their agitation to bring into focus the case against former Vice-Principal B.N. Ray. Dr. Ray had been accused of sexually harassing male students. A number of students took out a protest march across the college campus on Tuesday shouting slogans against Dr. Ray and the college governing body for ?failing to implement the report of the college complaints committee.? ?A year has passed since and still no action has been taken and he is still on the University rolls. This is a mockery of the justice delivery system of the University,? said a senior faculty member. A candlelight march has been organised outside the college on Thursday evening where students from other colleges are also likely to join the protest. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=414306 Kerala medical students protest government service bond ________________________________________ IANS Friday 3rd October, 2008 Students of five state-run medical colleges in Kerala will strike work Oct 6, demanding repeal of the compulsory bond that requires them to work in government service for at least two years. The students Friday organised protest marches in all government medical colleges and announced their plan for agitation. The bonds executed during admission to medical courses, including under-graduate, post-graduate and super specialty courses, require the medical students to work for a certain duration in the government service. The Kerala Medical Post-Graduates Association which will lead the strike has formed a Joint Strike Committee for the agitation enlisting the support of graduate students and those in government service working under the bond. 'We will hold a token strike Oct 6 and later we will consider an indefinite strike if the government fails to meet our demand,' said Sanu P.M., president of the association's Kozhikode chapter. The strike is likely to cripple the government medical college hospitals as the students and doctors serving under bond constitute a major portion of the work force in these hospitals. 'In Kozhikode college, there are 34 anaesthetists. Of these, only 20 are permanent staff. The rest are PG (post-graduate) students and doctors serving under the bond,' said T.V. Murali, a student of the college. 'A student joining one of these colleges for a graduate medical course at the age of 18 will be at least 38-years-old if he does his PG and super speciality courses and completes the bond. This is while the students in 16 private medical colleges in the state face no hassles of a bond,' he added. Sanu pointed out that the medical colleges are still continuing with the staff pattern of 1961. 'The government is not making any new appointments in the colleges and the bulk of the work are done by the post graduates and 'bonded doctors''. Those working under the bond are not even eligible for maternity leave during the period. 'If some one take leave, the bond period will be further extended,' Murali added. The students argue that the bond should not be made applicable to them, as during the three-year medical post-graduate course, they are working in the hospital and are not sitting in classrooms. In Kerala, the stipend for post-graduate students is Rs.10,000 per month, which students say is much less compared to their counterparts in other states. 'We are resorting to the strike after the government failed to respond to our repeated pleas,' Sanu added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/29/stories/2008092953740400.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Students stage protest Staff Reporter KOZHIKODE: Students of the Calicut Medical College protested by waving placards against compulsory government service for doctors after completing MBBS, postgraduate and superspecialty courses, during a visit by Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy to the college on Sunday. Secretary of the Calicut chapter of Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association Rinett Sebastian K.V. and Calicut Medical College Union chairman Rakesh Kumar Jha met the Health Minister and submitted a memorandum against compulsory government service. The Minister told the student represntatives that the government would look into their demands. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100252830300.htm Other States - Orissa Hostel students protest against poor quality food Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR: Some 50 students have escaped from the hostel of Jopakhal Sevashram School in Rayagada district protesting against low quality of food served to them. After investigation the administrative officials suspended the headmistress of the residential school, Annapurna Arichuan, for dereliction of duty on Wednesday. This school is located at a distance of 4 km from the district headquarters town, Rayagada. The Welfare Extension Officer, Sarat Chandra Sahu, inspected the school and filed a report. Basing on the report, Rayagada Sub-Collector D. Jagannadh suspended the headmistress. Local MLA Ramachandra Ulaka also reached the school to investigate into the allegations made by the students. One hundred and fifty seven students are studying in the school. Of them 99 are hostel borders. As per the norms, the State government provides a grant of Rs. 350 per month for each student of the school. The grant for girl students is Rs. 25 more. The schools get the grant under free mid-day meal scheme. The students, who escaped from the school, went to the officials and alleged that they were not being provided vegetables and were getting eggs once in a month. They also alleged that the headmistress was deploying them for her personal work and firewood collection. Similar incidents Similar incidents of students protesting against teachers at government residential schools have been reported in south Orissa. Some of them occurred in Gajapati district within past few months. Around 20 students of Chandragiri Girls High School of Mohana block had demonstrated against alleged atrocities at the hands of a teacher. The Gajapati Collector had ordered immediate transfer of the teacher. In a similar incident, 25 boys of a tribal ashram school of Koinpur in Rayagada block of Gajapati district had left the hostel protesting against their teachers. The students from the Model School, Chandragiri, had run away to Parlakhemundi to voice their protest against the school administration. In July 2007, 33 students of the residential school for girls at Daringbadi in Kandhamal district left for their homes from their hostel protesting against their teachers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/27/stories/2008092754410300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati ABVP protests shifting of examination centres Special Correspondent TIRUPATI: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Friday staged a dharna in protest against the shifting of some examination centres of the Distance Education module to S.V. University in Tirupati. They said the shifting caused serious hardship especially to the students coming to Tirupati from districts like Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Nizamabad, and Karimnagar to write the examination. Meanwhile, the SVU Dean of Examinations said the decision was taken by the authorities of the district centres in the wake of alleged ?irregularities? in the exam conducted by study centres. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=52375 2008-08-29 Metropolitan BCL protests attack on leader DU Correspondent Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, staged a demonstration on the Dhaka University campus yesterday demanding proper investigation into the armed attack on Sagar Ahmed Shaheen, president of Lalbagh Thana BCL. Shaheen was critically wounded as he was shot during the attack at Dhanmondi in the city on Wednesday night. In a protest rally on the campus, the BCL leaders threatened to wage a tougher movement if the government fails to bring the attackers to book. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojidmhsn/rss2/ Students storm department gates in protest Print Email+ Share 01/09/2008 - 15:03:42 More than 50 students stormed the gates of the Department of Education in Dublin this afternoon, in protest against any reintroduction of third level fees. The students ran past security and into the grounds of the building to highlight their anger. Garda? swiftly moved the protesters outside the building, but students have said they will camp outside Leinster House tomorrow night to continue their protest. The Union of Students in Ireland said the protesters were forced to take action after the Minister for Education ignored their request to meet them. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0924/1222205368706.html Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Students protest restoration of fees KATHRYN HAYES MORE THAN 1,000 students from four third-level institutions took to the streets yesterday to protest over the proposed reintroduction of college fees. Students from the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College of Education and Limerick School of Art and Design marched through the city centre. Press Officer for Limerick Association of Students' Unions, Aoife Breen, said the reintroduction of college fees would deny some people the opportunity of going to college. "It's blocking people before they even get a chance to enter third level and is commandeering education," she said. According to Ms Breen some 68 per cent of Irish students work in part-time jobs to fund their living expenses while at college. "A recent survey found that it cost students ?38,000 to get through four years of college . . . the fees will make this extortionate and will add an extra strain on students . . . consequently, more students will fail their courses," she added. A protest is planned for Cork on October 9th when students from the nine third-level institutions across Munster march in the city as the campaign intensifies. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Four-MU-Students-Arrested-At-Power-Outage-Protest/Z-PQVAHGhUC5eYHsy1RIlw.cspx Four MU Students Arrested At Power Outage Protest Last Update: 9/17/2008 12:18 am Four students were arrested during a protest at Miami University Monday night. Police had to close High Street after an estimated 3,000 people gathered chanting, "No power, No classes." The students were upset that the university didn't cancel classes Tuesday, because many off-campus residences don't have power, even though some campus areas did. Police say some of the students started throwing things at officers. Zachary Burns, Molly Bowers, Adam Spotts and Brandon Organ have been charged with disorderly conduct and failure to disperse. http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/09/17/ddn091708miami.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=16 Four arrested as 3,000 protest Miami's decision By Ryan Gauthier Staff Writer Wednesday, September 17, 2008 OXFORD ? Four Miami University students were arrested after a gathering that drew thousands Monday night, Sept. 15, to protest the school's decision to hold classes Tuesday. The protest outside of Miami President David Hodge's home drew an estimated 3,000 people and agencies throughout Butler County ? including nearly 70 officers ? were called in to assist, according to the Oxford Police Department. Those arrested included: Zachery Burns, 21, of Brickhouse Lane in Fairfield; Molly Bowers, 21, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Adam Spotts, 23, of West Sycamore Street in Oxford; and Brandon Organ, 23, of West High Street in Oxford the Oxford Police Department said. They all face misdemeanor charges. By 10 p.m., the crowd size was estimated at 3,000 people, loudly chanting, "No Power, No Classes," according to police. People in the crowd began throwing projectiles, such as rolls of toilet paper, hedge apples, walnuts, water bottles and a beer bottle at the officers, according to police. By 10:30 p.m. ? with the situation "deteriorating" ? mutual aid was requested. Twelve area police departments responded, Oxford police said. The area was cleared by 1 a.m. During a meeting between university representatives and Hodge Monday afternoon, the decision was made to resume normal operations of all campuses. Students were notified by text messages, said university spokeswoman Claire Wagner. http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS/809150311/-1/rss01 Students vehemently disagree with S-burg dress code, protest outside high school Mackenzie Kern, 13, an eighth-grader at Stroudsburg Junior High School, and Justin Arias, left, 13, a seventh-grader at Stroudsburg MIddle School, cheer as a car honks while driving past them as they protest the Stroudsburg School District?s dress code Saturday afternoon in front of Stroudsburg High School on Main Street.ADAM RICHINS/Pocono Record By Melanie Vanderveer Pocono Record Writer September 15, 2008 Six students with signs, energy and determination stood in front of Stroudsburg High School on Saturday to protest the school district's new dress code. "We are standing here today with our signs because this is the root of all the evil ? Stroudsburg High School," eighth-grader John Paul Sanchez said. Related Stories ? Two school boards consider dress codes ? No dress code for Stroudsburg elementary students ? Cheers, jeers as Stroudsburg dress code policy debuts (wtih video) ? New buildings, new courses, new uniforms, new faces greet kids this week ? Vandals protest dress code through graffiti at school Messages on signs were "Dress Code Sucks" and "I Don't Want To Be A Clone." Many passers-by showed their support by honking and giving thumbs-up. "Why aren't the kids being heard?" Maribeth Sanchez asked. Her son John Paul is one of many kids unhappy about the dress code. "The kids do not like the uniforms. I do think there was a problem with the way some of the kids dressed but this isn't the way to fix it." Sanchez believes that the dress code is too restrictive. "Pants with too many buttons, shirts are not burgundy enough. This isn't the military. Their voices should be heard," she said. Ninth-grader Megan Penny organized the mini-protest. "I think that the dress code is just ridiculous. A dress code is necessary but not like this," she said. "A few kids wrecked it for everyone. We should have rights. This is America." Penny added, "I felt safer when I knew who the gang kids were. Now they all blend together." She complained that the dress code unfairly limits students' self-expression. From an adult perspective, Sanchez said the clothes are costly. "These clothes aren't cheap, especially when you have to buy them for more than one child." Across the street, residents had something to say about the dress code as well as the mini-protest. "If the kids wore their clothes the right way before, maybe this dress code wouldn't be necessary," Jeanette Marron said. "A few walk around with their rear ends hanging out, which ruins it for all of them." She added, "It's a good thing to have their opinions but it won't get them anywhere now." http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/09/13/maine_students_hold_sit_in_to_protest_backpack_ban/ Maine students hold sit-in to protest backpack ban September 13, 2008 SOUTH BERWICK, Maine?A backpack ban will remain in place at Marshwood High School even after dozens of students staged a sit-in to protest the school's policy. At least 50 students at the South Berwick school staged a protest Friday to make their voices heard on a school policy that prohibits the use of backpacks during school hours. Eleventh-grader Richard Cooney said student feel like they're not making progress in persuading the principal to change the policy. Superintendent Jeffrey Bearden said the policy was put into place as a safety measure several years ago after the 1999 Columbine High School killings. He said the rule also cuts down on classroom clutter and reduces the stress students place on their backs. http://news.scotsman.com/education/Fresh---attacks-on.4845511.jp Published Date: 06 January 2009 THE home of a teacher convicted of assaulting two pupils has been targeted in a fresh vandalism attack. In the latest incident, windows were smashed on Sunday night. Mike Barile, 51, a maths teacher, was found guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court last month of assaulting two boys in a classroom after they had insulted him. Sheriff Charles Macnair found Mr Barile not guilty of two other assault charges and a fifth charge was not proven. He was admonished by the sheriff who said that the charges were of a minor nature and would probably not have been brought against him had it not been for the fact he was a teacher. Three weeks ago, Mr Barile and his wife Moira, of Dundee, had their car tyres slashed, glue poured into locks and eggs thrown at their home. Last Updated: 05 January 2009 10:03 PM http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080923/jsp/calcutta/story_9871006.jsp Parents protest exam schedule A STAFF REPORTER A parent demonstrates outside Auxilium Convent on Monday. Picture by Amit Datta Students and parents gathered outside Auxilium Convent School in Dum Dum on Monday to protest the authorities? decision to scrap the half-yearly examination and hold tests for two subjects per day along with regular classes. The school had taken the decision after question papers were leaked. The parents demonstrating in front of the school had other grievances, too. They alleged that though each student was made to pay Rs 2,000 for the construction of a science block on the premises, the authorities didn?t give them a receipt. ?We repeatedly requested for a receipt for income tax deductions, but the school management didn?t oblige,? said a parent. ?We noticed discrepancies in the functioning of the school recently and brought it to the notice of the principal. She hardly paid any heed to our grievances,? said C. Chakrabarty, another parent. The parents also said that students are forced to run up and down the four-storeyed building during class hours because only the top and ground floors have toilets. ?The asbestos roof makes the classrooms on the top floor extremely hot and the children often fall ill. We have brought the matter to the notice of the authorities several times but they have not taken any step to address our complaints,? said a parent who did not want to be named. The principal, Sister Lucy, admitted that there were a few problems but said that they could be solved through discussion. ?Neither the grievances nor the issues are big enough to create problems between us and the guardians. I think there is some misunderstanding. We will resolve it at the earliest.? Tuesday , September 23 , 2008 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Environment&set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20080923060803974C125080 Pupils burn buildings to protest eviction September 23 2008 at 11:50AM Related Articles ? Nelspruit stadium talks to continue ? Cosatu outraged as stadium workers axed By Thabisile Khoza and Tshwarelo Mogakane Hundreds of toyi-toying schoolchildren picketed the 2010 World Cup stadium in Nelspruit after they torched a library and two classrooms in protest against being evicted from their schools. The fire-bombed buildings are part of a new temporary prefabricated school built to accommodate pupils from the historic Cyril Clark High and John Mdluli Primary in Matsafeni. The original schools have been earmarked for demolition to make way for a parking lot for the R1-billion stadium. "The learners started protesting outside the stadium at 7am on Monday morning. We deployed a heavy police presence, but the officers were distracted by some of the demonstrators when suddenly the buildings were torched," said Nelspruit police spokesperson Inspector Dawie Pretorius. Police then fired teargas into the crowd and forced the protesters away from the stadium into the fenced yard of the temporary school. Although police had not arrested anyone over the fires, they did arrest three pupils and three adult Matsafeni community members for allegedly smashing locks on a gate to the stadium construction site. "We arrested the six suspected ringleaders, between the ages of 15 and 25, on charges relating to malicious damage to property," said Pretorius. Confirming that the protests at the stadium site had become an almost daily occurrence, Pretorius said the demonstrators complained that the new prefabricated school was impossible to study in. "We suspect that the learners are not satisfied with conditions in the prefab schools. They say the classrooms are unhealthy and extremely hot," he said. Three of the protesters - Mavis Dube, 17, Tiger Mavuso, 18 and Jabulile Khoza, 16, - said that while their old schools were solidly built brick buildings, the new school was a flimsy "Zozo" building without ventilation or protection against the Lowveld's humidity and heat. "Up to six learners collapse each day because of the heat. Even the teachers no longer try to teach after break, because they know no one can concentrate," explained Khoza. "The politicians and city council all promised us a better, bigger brick school, but here we sit in Zozo huts. The old schools are still standing. We were kicked out so that the contractors could use them as offices." Mavuso added: "They are making us sacrifice our education and our health for the 2010 World Cup. The soccer will only last a short time but our lives will be ruined forever." Municipal spokesperson Vusi Sibiya said: "The mayor is not involved The people who must take responsibility are the provincial Education Department." Provincial education spokesperson Jasper Zwane is on holiday and referred all questions to spokesperson Kagiso Phatlane, who was unavailable for comment. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2397855,00.html Kids torch school in protest 23/09/2008 08:07 - (SA) Thabisile Khoza & Tshwarelo Mogakane Nelspruit - Hundreds of toyi-toying schoolchildren picketed Mpumalanga's 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium in Nelspruit on Monday after they torched a library and two classrooms in protest against being evicted from their schools. The firebombed buildings are part of a new temporary prefabricated school built to accommodate pupils from the historic Cyril Clark High and John Mdluli Primary schools in Matsafeni. The original schools have been earmarked for demolition to make way for a parking lot for the R1bn stadium. "The learners started protesting outside the stadium at 07:00 on Monday morning. We deployed a heavy police presence, but the officers were distracted by some of the demonstrators when suddenly the buildings were torched," said Nelspruit police spokesperson, Inspector Dawie Pretorius. Teargas fired Police then fired teargas into the crowd, and forced the protestors away from the stadium into the fenced yard of the temporary school. Although police have not yet arrested anyone for the fires, they did arrest three pupils and three adult Matsafeni community members for allegedly smashing locks on a gate to the stadium construction site. "We arrested the six suspected ringleaders, between the ages of 15 and 25 years, on charges relating to malicious damage to property," said Inspector Pretorius. Confirming that the protests at the stadium site had become an almost daily occurrence, Inspector Pretorius said the demonstrators consistently complained that the new prefabricated school was impossible to study in. Three of the protestors, Mavis Dube, 17, Tiger Mavuso, 18, and Jabulile Khoza, 16, said that while their old schools were solidly built brick buildings, the new school was a flimsy building without ventilation or protection against the Lowveld region's humidity and heat. Learners collapse "Up to six learners collapse each day because of the heat. Even the teachers no longer try to teach after break, because they know no-one can concentrate," explains Khoza. "The politicians and city council all promised us a better, bigger, brick school but here we sit in Zozo huts. The old schools are still standing. We were kicked out so the contractors could use them as offices." Mbombela municipal spokesperson, Vusi Sibiya, confirmed that the city council is responsible for the 2010 stadium project but refused to accept responsibility for the schools. "The mayor is not involved. The only thing that links us to the protests is that both the schools and the stadiums are in our municipal area. The people who must take responsibility are the provincial education department," said Sibiya. Provincial education spokesperson Jasper Zwane is on holiday and referred all questions on the issue to spokesperson Kagiso Phatlane - who was in meetings all day and unavailable for comment. Education department head Raymond Tywakadi also declined to take calls on the matter, saying he was meetings. - African Eye From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 19:27:20 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:27:20 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Education protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9B588.1070901@tesco.net> * SOUTH AFRICA: School students target stadium in Nelspruit * TRINIDAD: Protests over conditions at three schools * SOMALIA: School strike over insecurity * TANZANIA: Teachers hold pay march * MANIPUR: Teachers, students protest extortion * INDIA: Teacher protests - newsclippings * TAIWAN: Teachers stage protests against commissioner * US: Chicago - school boycott over funding disparities * US: Twin Rivers - protest at schedule change * US: California - protests over cuts * PHILIPPINES: University staff march over pay rise * US: Dallas - teachers protest cuts * AUSTRALIA: Protest over nursing degrees * US: Florida - teachers demand contract * AUSTRALIA: NSW teachers strike * US: Atlanta - school bus cuts protested at meeting * ISRAEL: School students protest agreement breaches * AUSTRALIA: NT teachers protest strike ban http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2401425,00.html 11 pupils to appear for riots 2008-09-29 19:11 ? Article Tools ? Share ? Get News24 on Related Links ? Pupils still in custody ? Kids torch school in protest Thabisile Khoza Nelspruit - Eleven pupils arrested following riots at the R1bn 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium in Nelspruit last week are scheduled to appear in court again on October 6. They were not asked to plead to charges of malicious damage to property and arson when they appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court last Thursday. Those aged 18 and older were released on warning, while the minors were released into their parents' care. Five pupils from Cyril Clark high school at Mataffin implicated in setting alight a temporary library and two temporary classrooms in protest against having to leave their old school, which will be demolished to make way for a 2010 stadium parking lot, were charged with arson. Police also arrested six other pupils on charges of malicious damage to property after locks on a gate to the stadium construction site were damaged on Monday. Police used teargas when hundreds of schoolchildren toyi-toyied outside the stadium last week. The firebombed buildings are part of a new temporary prefabricated school built to accommodate pupils from the Cyril Clark high and John Mdluli primary schools. The pupils complain that their old schools were solidly built brick buildings, while the prefab structure was a flimsy 'Zozo' building without ventilation or protection against the Lowveld region's heat and humidity. They expect their pass rates to drop significantly this year because of the disruptions caused by the stadium. Mpumalanga education spokesperson Kagiso Phatlane said the schools closed for the holidays on Friday and that the break would be used to address concerns. "We hope to use this period to iron out all issues at hand and ensure that by the time schools reopen there's a practical solution," said Phatlane. Provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Anthony Benadie said that politicking around the stadium had been put ahead of the children's education. "Two years after the two schools were moved to prefabricated classrooms to make way for the stadium, the department of education has not even employed a building contractor to start on the new schools," he said. - African Eye http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161367097 Lengua school pupils, parents gear up for protest Nikita Braxton South Bureau Friday, August 22nd 2008 When the new school term starts in the next two weeks pupils at the Lengua Presbyterian School might be sharing new slogans on placards instead of swapping vacation stories. President of the school's Parent Teachers' Association Saudia Mohammed said on Wednesday there has been no improvement in school accommodation, even after several protests, including one after the Secondary Assessment Examination last term. "Nothing has been done," she said, adding that they were yet to hear from the Presbyterian Board from whom they have been waiting for answers on the status of a new school building. For more than two years, the school has been convened in an annex of the nearby Inverness Presbyterian School, which Mohammed said consisted of three ten-by-ten-foot classrooms which the 78 pupils have had to share. The pupils previously evacuated the old Lengua Presbyterian school - a 63-year-old building that was condemned by the Ministry of Health. Mohammed said a meeting would be held in the first week of the school's reopening and they would decide their next stage of action. Windy Partap of the President of the Presbyterian Board of Education, told the Express a meeting would be held to discuss the problem, after which a formal response would be made. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161371349 Parents protest over conditions at Lopinot school Wednesday, September 3rd 2008 The new school term was officially opened yesterday, but many parents planned on keeping their children home to protest what they call deteriorating conditions at the schools. Cindy Salina, along with several other parents and pupils of the La Veronica Roman Catholic School in Lopinot, Arouca, staged an early morning protest in front of the building yesterday, calling on the relevant authorities to fix the school. Salina, the mother of three boys who attend the school, said parents were not going to allow their children to go to a school where pupils were "susceptible to drinking urine water" because of faulty pipelines. She added that urine was backing up into the water mains because the septic system was in disrepair. Salina said the walls of the 62-year-old school, which houses 96 students, were cracked; there was a hole in the first floor of the building after a girl's leg went through it in June; the main gate was being held together by nylon cords; and the poorly-constructed guttering and drainage created the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. "To make things worst, they always asking us to pay $20 for photocopies, but the photocopy machine not working because the electrical wiring is a mess," she added. When the Express contacted the school's principal, Brenda Salina, she said they tried to contact the ministry and the district school's supervisor to discuss the situation, but was unable to reach anyone. Chairman of the Catholic Education Board of Management, Hazel Reese, meanwhile, said she was not aware of the school's condition and was unable to respond. Media communications specialist at the Ministry of Education, Rory Subiah, said he would investigate the matter, but added that the Educational Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL) was in charge of school repairs. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,85535.html Students attend protests, not classes By FELICIA RAMPERSAD Wednesday, September 3 2008 click on pic to zoom in MY NUMBER IS: These two students from San Fernando Boys RC school check the features of a cellular phone prior to the start of classes as the new scho... Rather than starting classes, scores of students in south Trinidad began the new school year protesting with their parents for better conditions to study and learn. Protests took place at Elswick Presbyterian and Poole River Presbyterian primary schools because no repairs had been done on either school during the vacation. Parents said Elswick was earmarked for repairs three years ago, and their children have been attending classes on shift at Poole River. However, Poole River was also supposed to undergo repairs during the July/August holidays. A dispute between the Ministry of Education and the Presbyterian Primary School Board over an interim agreement on the management of Presbyterian schools continues to drag on. The ministry has remained adamant that the board must sign the agreement before it can authorise repairs at the Presbyterian schools. In the meantime, students continue to pay the price. Elswick PTA official Nichelle Sookdeo said when parents took their children to Poole River that school was covered in dust. ?The ministry is holding the children to ransom. When the parents reached this morning all the Poole and Elswick parents protested. And we locked the teachers out.? Sookdeo said parents of the children from both schools plan to keep their children home for the rest of the week. ?We decided that we are not going to send the children to school until something is being done. If by the end of this week no work is done, we are prepared to take the protests up to Port-of-Spain,? she declared. They had previously protested in the capital during the last term. the two Presbyterian schools were not the only ones that did not open. When parents, guardians and students showed up at the Siparia Girls? RC School they found they had been locked out. One disgruntled man said he went to drop off his nephew but the school?s gates were locked. ?Nobody was telling us anything but eventually the principal said the school would not be open for a month or two. The school is in a dilapidated condition. Even the teachers were protesting,? he said. He said parents were wondering what to do with their children. ?We cannot keep the kids home so long. A lot of parents trying to organise transfers but even so, something needs to be done,? he said. Students of forms one and two at San Fernando Government Secondary School were also turned away yesterday because accommodation for them was not ready. A block at the school was destroyed by fire last term and the installation of prefabricated classrooms had not been completed. ?We have no space for the students and until then, the students would have to stay home,? said a school source. No deadline was given as to when the students can begin classes. But at San Fernando Boys? and St Gabriel?s RC schools, all was well. ?All except the first year students came out today but they would be out tomorrow at both schools. We had orientation for them on Friday so when they come tomorrow they would know where their classes are and who are their teachers.? Even the police ensured the new school term started on the right foot when they directed traffic along the Harris Promenade, San Fernando and even helped the little ones cross the road. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=80151 SOMALIA: Schools close in protest over insecurity Photo: Ahmed Yusuf Mohamed/IRIN Schools have closed in protest against the continuing violence in Mogadishu NAIROBI, 3 September 2008 (IRIN) - A three-day protest against insecurity and attacks targeting educational institutions in Mogadishu has shut down most schools and left thousands of children out of class, locals said. "Almost 90 percent of primary and secondary schools in Mogadishu are participating in the strike," said Abdulkadir Omar Roble, spokesman for the Education Fraternity, an umbrella organisation of education networks in the city, which organised the protest. Deliberate attacks and targeting of schools were the main reasons for the strike, Roble told IRIN on 3 September. "In this year alone, six schools have been attacked, resulting in injuries to six students and two teachers," he said. Many schools in the city are totally destroyed and many students are no longer going to school. "We are losing a lot of children from classes because parents no longer feel their children will be safe," he added. A local civil society activist told IRIN the education system in the capital was "almost broke". "For some strange reason they seem to relish targeting schools," he said, adding that this trend had forced many educators to close their schools and send the children home. "In the last two years, at least two dozen schools have either been destroyed or closed due to the insecurity." Roble accused government forces of attacking two schools last week, Imam Shaafi and SYL. "Five students and two teachers were injured in the attacks," he said. "These attacks are badly undermining an already weak education sector," said the civil society activist. "Many in the education sector have worked hard over the last 18 years to restore education, but that is being undermined by the volatile situation." Abdi Haji Gobdon, the government spokesman, told IRIN the government did not condone "entering or attacking" educational institutions. "The government is very concerned about these incidents and will do everything in its power to deal very harshly with the perpetrators," he said. After the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991, schools and universities were destroyed as the city was torn apart by militia. But private schools have been gradually re-established over the past few years. "In the past 18 years we have not experienced these kinds of attacks on schools," said Roble. Organisers of the school strike said they wanted to show the public and the government that ?these targeted attacks must stop". They appealed to the government to deal with the attackers and called on the opposition to cease mounting attacks on government positions near schools. Roble urged the international community to support his group "and provide both moral and material support at this critical time". http://allafrica.com/stories/200809160163.html The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) Tanzania: Teachers Stage Pay Protest 15 September 2008 Over 200 primary school teachers from Kinondoni municipality marched to offices of the regional education officer yesterday to demand delayed salaries and allowances. They claimed that they had not received the payments since they reported to their duty stations. The move comes after the teachers went to their employer, the Kinondoni Municipal Council, to press for the payments only to be told that they were not employees of the municipality. The teachers said they were shocked by the answer while already the municipality had in July paid them their salaries without allowances which has disowned them as teachers of the municipality. They told The Citizen that they were saddened to be told so while they had letters of contracts with the municipality. "I fail to understand when we are told we are not employees of the municipality while we have contracts with it. If they knew we were not employees why did they pay us the July salaries?" wondered Ms Rehema Macha. She added that the municipality refused to recognize them only after they demanded their August salaries and allowances. Reached for comment, the Dar es Salaam regional education officer, Mr Makali Bernard, said he was not involved with the issue and his authority ended after he assigned them to new duty stations. "I am surprised to hear that the municipality does not recognize them as its servants. My duty is only to assign them to their duty stations as directed by the ministry. This is the issue of the director of the municipality who is their employer," he said. The Kinondoni municipal director, Mr Noel Mahyenga, yesterday refused to recognize the teachers. He asked them to go back to the regional authorities to check out where they would fit because his municipality had no shortage of teachers. Asked why they were paid their July salaries, the director said they were wrongly paid. He would therefore talk with the ministry to see how the money would be deducted from their salaries in case they were employed elsewhere, he said, adding: "That they received July salaries and have employment contracts is not a justification. I do not have the money for their salaries in my budget. "If they were told to report at Kinondoni, that was wrongfully done. I do not recognize them as I have enough teachers." The teachers complained of facing difficult times as they had finished their July salaries and continued to teach in various Kinondoni schools. They have already consulted a lawyer with the teachers association, CWT, Mr Leonard Haule, who has promised to go to the municipality to establish the truth. On his part, the CWT president, Mr Gratian Mkoba, said the situation further justified their planned strike action on October 15. He said they were fed up with mistreatment by the Government. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-17347.html Manipur students', faculty stage protests against militant extortion Imphal, Sep 1 : The faculty and students of the Institute of Cooperative Management recently staged a sit-in protest against the huge monetary demands of some underground groups in the state. "I and also the people of Manipur do not agree with these anti-social activities. Everyone hates this culture of fear that has gripped the state. I would like to appeal to the militants to stop such activities," said Kh. Pranjit Singh, a student. Brojendra, another student added, "Militant activities taking place in Manipur are not good. They are ruining the student's career and time is being wasted. We are not able to pick up the required skills. I feel this is not good." The institute has been a pioneer in providing services and empowering thousands of women and students through self-help groups formation, management training, computer and IT training not only from Manipur, but from other northeastern states as well. The threats from militants to the institute have affected the staff and officials who are thinking of closing down the institute. This would be a great loss for the state. "If such demands and threats keep on happening, one day we may have to close the institute. That is a very big loss for Manipur because this institute caters to the training needs of not only Manipur, but Nagaland, Mizoram, other northeastern states. They are ready to take it back if the situation is not cordial here. They'll call us out there. So who is the loser? The people of Manipur are the losers," said Mamta Rajkumari, a staff of the institute. This is not the first time the institute has been plagued by such demands. There have been instances when several militant outfits have issued threats to the institute. "If this demand is not withdrawn from our institute, we will suffer. We cannot give any amount because we have no other means," said KH. Borkeshwor Singh, Chairman, NCUI. What is worrying the people is that if such militant activities continue then no new institutes will come up. On the other hand, Meghalaya is setting an example for other northeastern states by hosting NIFT, IIM and several other prestigious institutes. --- ANI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090658910300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada Protests mark Teacher?s Day Staff Reporter APUTF members seek settlement of long-pending demands ________________________________________ Activists condemn police lathi-charge on teachers in Hyderabad Plea to ensure quality education in State-run schools ________________________________________ PHOTO: RAJU V. Up in arms: APUTF activists staging a protest in Vijayawada on Friday. ? VIJAYAWADA: The Teacher?s Day celebrations organised by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) at Tummalapallivari Kshetrayya Kalakshetram on Friday saw protests by members of the Andhra Pradesh United Teachers? Federation (APUTF) outside the auditorium premises. The APUTF activists registered their protest against the alleged lathi-charge by the police on the agitating teachers in Hyderabad on Thursday, during which MLCs Chukka Ramaiah, K. Nageswar, K.S. Lakshmana Rao and other leaders were arrested. Wearing black badges and holding placards, the members of the APUTF raised slogans demanding solution to their long-pending demands, including implementation of unified service rules. Legal tangles Lagadapati Rajagopal, MP, the chief guest of the function, said at the meeting that the issue of implementation of unified service rules was intertwined with several other legal complications and Constitutional objections. ?Though I welcome the demand for unified service rules, the government will have to implement zonal system to implement this demand, which is against the provisions of GO 610,? he said. Mr. Rajagopal felt the need for providing adequate infrastructure and improving facilities in government-run schools. ?We are involving service organisations like the Rotary and the Lions clubs to improve facilities in government-run schools. The Lanco group too is encouraging meritorious students by giving them scholarships and providing infrastructure to schools,? he said. Mr. Lakshmana Rao, MLC, observed that several changes had taken place in the education system in the last two decades. ?Particularly, after the advent of privatisation, several private and corporate schools have come up in urban areas. The government should take extra care to ensure that the poor students too get quality education in government-run schools. For this, there is a need to improve infrastructure and facilities,? he said. Pat for teachers Mayor Mallika Begum said she was happy to note that the VMC schools had registered a pass percentage of 85 in SSC Telugu medium and 92 in English medium. ?Undoubtedly, the entire credit goes to teachers working in the schools. I request them to continue the same spirit this year too and break last year?s record,? she said. Municipal Commissioner P.S. Pradyumna called upon teachers to fix a target of achieving 100 per cent result this year. Deputy Mayor S. Narasaraju, floor leaders of the Congress, the CPI and the CPI (M) K. Ambedkar, P. Gowtham Reddy and Ch. Babu Rao, respectively, senior journalist Turlapaty Kutumba Rao and others were present. Cultural performances of schoolchildren enthralled the audience. (Sept 6) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090954400400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore MLCs stage protest Special Correspondent ? Photo: K. Gopinathan Seeking action: Puttanna, Marithibbe Gowda and Y.A. Narayanaswamy, MLCs, staging a protest in Bangalore on Monday. BANGALORE: Puttanna, Marithibbe Gowda and Y.A. Narayanaswamy, MLCs, on Monday staged a protest in front of the office of Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri at the Vidhana Soudha demanding that the Government fulfil 39 demands of primary, secondary and pre-university college teachers and students. ?Convene meet? They urged the Minister to immediately convene a meeting of officials of Primary Education, Higher Education, Social Welfare, Law, and Finance departments to discuss the problems of teachers, pre-university lecturers and students, and mattes related to distribution of textbooks, infrastructure and uniforms. Mr. Kageri was not in the office when they staged the dharna, which was lasted for about 30 minutes. Some of their major demands are regularisation of services of job oriented course (JOC) teachers, who have completed 10 years of service, removal of pay disparity between high school and PU teachers, payment of salary on the first of every month to all government and aided teachers, extension of midday meal scheme to unaided schools, distribution of free textbooks and bicycles to students of unaided schools, grant of aid to all those schools that opened between 1992-93 and 2000-01, medical facility to all teaching and non-teaching staff of aided and unaided schools and colleges. Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Puttanna said they would launch a State-wide protest by the end of the month if the Government did not respond to their demands. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091053790400.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Teachers? protest on September 24 MADURAI: The All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) will hold nationwide protests on September 24 condemning the failure of UGC Pay Review Committee to submit its recommendations to the Centre on time. In Tamil Nadu, dharnas will be held in front of the 69 government colleges and 163 aided colleges, a press release from the Joint Action Council of College Teachers Association stated. S. Vivekanandan, general secretary of the Madurai Kamaraj-Manonmaniam Sundaranar-Mother Teresa-Alagappa University Teachers? Association, said that the Chadha Committee was mandated to submit its report to the Centre by September 6. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092650900300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Teachers stage protest Staff Correspondent ________________________________________ It is in response to a nationwide call ________________________________________ HUBLI: Members of the Karnatak University College Teachers Association (KUCTA) staged a protest here against the delay in the submission of the UGC Pay Commission report. According to a release issued here by Zonal Secretary of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers? Organisations (AIFUCTO) Lingaraj Angadi, in response to a nationwide call, teachers of various colleges in the district attended work wearing black badges on Wednesday. Prof. Angadi has said that the Union Government appointed UGC Pay Commission, headed by G.K. Chaddha in September 2006, and had given a year?s time to the commission to submit its report. The commission members had visited several States collecting opinions of vice-chancellors, teachers? representatives and educational experts. However, the commission had not yet submitted its report, he has said. Prof. Angadi said that although the national federation had been pressuring the Union Government, the Pay Commission had failed to submit the report. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091457580200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Faculty members to join protest on September 24 Special Correspondent Against delay in submission of Chadda Committee report MADURAI: The Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association (MUFA) has decided to join the nationwide protest on September 24 called against the delay in submission of Prof. Chadda Committee report on pay scale review for university and college teachers. A demonstration will be staged on the Madurai Kamaraj University campus. In a release here, S. Krishnaswamy, MUFA general secretary, said the decision was taken at the general body meeting on September 10. The nationwide protest was announced by the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation. The association has urged the University Grants Commission Pay Review Committee to submit its report by October 5. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080906/punjab1.htm Protest mars Teacher?s Day function Tribune News Service Mohali, September 5 From next year, the government will earmark special funds for upgrading infrastructure in government schools, especially in rural areas. The dedicated funds will also be used to promote science education, said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal while presiding over a state-level function organised by the Punjab Education Department Board to celebrate Teacher?s Day here today. As the SAD president was addressing the function, hundreds of teachers of aided schools protested outside the venue. Criticising the Akali government for allegedly going back on its word, members of the Punjab State-Aided Schools Teachers Union demanded restoration of the pension scheme, withdrawal of cases registered against Moga teachers in December, 2006, and the removal of ban on recruitment. Unmindful of the protest, Sukhbir said it was a tragedy that education was never a priority. It is the education that takes a nation ahead. ?A Central university was being set up at Bathinda at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore and the foundation stone of Guru Granth Sahib University had already been laid. A branch of the prestigious Indian School of Business was being set up at Mohali?, he added. Education minister Upinderjit Kaur said there was a need to revitalise cultural roots in students. With this in mind, the use of Punjabi language in schools, educational institutions and government offices was being made mandatory. Two Bills to enforce the use of Punjabi language were being introduced during the ongoing session of the Vidhan Sabha. It had also been decided that Punjabi language would be taught from Class I to X in all schools, irrespective of the board to which the respective school was affiliated. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wife of Sukhbir, said every teacher should adopt the ?Save girl child, save environment? campaign. ?The teachers can be the role model for the younger generation. Educating girl child should be the motto?, she added. The teachers honoured on the occasion were: Secondary education: Sangita (Faridkot), Dr Satinder Singh (Ferozepur), Gurmeet Singh (Mohali), Joginder Kaur (Amritsar), Harjit Sigh Bagri (Ludhiana), Karnail Singh (Mansa), Ranapreet Kaur (Fategarh Sahib), Dr Kuldeep Singh (Mansa), Bhupinder Kaur (Sangrur), Man Singh (Amritsar); elementary education: Amarjit Singh (Taran Taran), Amarjit Kaur Bhatti (Amritsar), Gurpreet Singh (Amritsar), Sarabjeet Singh (Tarn Taran), Varinderjit Kaur (Mansa) and Balram (Ludhiana). http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091953690300.htm Kerala Private school teachers? protest Staff Reporter MALAPPURAM: The Private School Teachers Association (PSTA) has threatened not to cooperate with the government decision to make teachers conduct classes in front of the parents on September 25. The government has asked the teachers to convene parent-teacher meetings at class-level and hold classes in front of the parents. They described the decision as a grandiose but unsuccessful plan. They warned that the move would precipitate a crisis in the education sector. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/406249/cs/1/ Amritsar-Delhi Shatabdi delayed by protest India Gazette Sunday 14th September, 2008 (IANS) The Swaran Shatabdi express that runs between Amritsar and New Delhi was held up near here Sunday for nearly one hour after protesting computer teachers from Punjab blocked the railway tracks. The computer teachers sat in protest on the railway tracks at the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station. The train had to be stopped by the railway officials much before the spot where the protest was being held. The train later resumed its journey after the protesters moved out. Punjab computer teachers association president Gurwinder Singh said they had to resort to the protest as the Akali Dal government in Punjab had failed to fulfil its election promise to regularise their posts. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090351610500.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam Protest against delay in payment of monthly salary Special Correspondent Strike by guest lecturers affects functioning of Government Arts College ? Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy Voicing their woes: Guest lecturers staging a demonstration at the Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam on Tuesday. Udhagamandalam: The guest lecturers of the Government Arts College here observed a strike on Tuesday, affecting the functioning of the college. Demonstration The strike was led by G.Thirugnanasambandham the Nilgiris district secretary of the Guest Lecturers Association. They also staged a demonstration in front of the college. According to Mr.Thirugnanasambandham the strike was to protest against the delay in disbursing their monthly salary. He said that they were yet to receive their wages for the last three months. He added that they were not given priority in appointments, Though an assurance regarding regularisation of jobs had reportedly been made by a senior official a few months ago it was yet to be fulfilled, he said. Many of them had put in between five and ten years of service. Poll promise Claiming that they were in the dark as to which category the government had classified them, he said that regularisation of their jobs was one of the poll promises of the Karunanidhi government. Mr.Thirugnanasambandham questioned the wisdom of re-appointing retired lecturers when many guest lecturers were waiting for permanent jobs. He said that the agitation will continue till the government responds suitably. The strength of the guest lecturers in the Government Arts College is about 70. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092560760400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Pay review panel report: teachers protest delay HYDERABAD: Members of the AP Federation of College Teachers? Associations (FCTA) on Wednesday observed ?protest day? expressing resentment against ?inordinate? delay in submission of the Sixth UGC Pay Review Committee report to the Centre. S. Laxminayarana, chairman, said in a statement that the day marked the beginning of the agitation by university/college teachers. He stated that members of the federation would be forced to resort to more drastic action, including a nation-wide strike. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090652680300.htm Other States - Puducherry Teachers stage demonstration Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: Members belonging to the Forum of Government College Teachers? Association on Friday staged a demonstration to protest the delay in the payment of salary to them for the month of August. President of the association D. Aravazhi Irissappane said the permanent teachers working in seven government colleges were not paid their salary for August till now. He said they were deprived of earned leave encashment and readership to lecturers. Government teachers in all the four regions of the Union Territory wore black badges during working hours as a mark of protest, he said. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/09/15/2003423237 Tainan County teachers plan to protest against policies of Commissioner Su By Flora Wang STAFF REPORTER Monday, Sep 15, 2008, Page 3 ?Although the county government lost an appeal case at the Ministry of Education over the closure of the Tsungyeh Elementary School, Su insisted on closing the school despite the protests of parents and students.? ? Tainan County Teachers? Association The Tainan County Teachers? Association is planning to hold a demonstration on the eve of Teacher?s Day to protest against policies by Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (???). The protest, with a theme of ?fight incompetence and save education,? is scheduled for 9am on Saturday in front of County Hall. ?Education requires long-term planning, which means that education policy should display continuity and transcend political differences,? the association?s press release said yesterday. The association said that education in the county had suffered from insufficient resources and ?unnecessary administrative interference? from the county government. The association questioned Su?s ability to handle the county?s education budget. Citing statistics from the Executive Yuan, the association said the amount of education budget that the county government failed to put to use between 2003 and 2006 amounted to NT$5.1 billion (US$159.7 million). The association also panned Su for his leadership style, accusing him of being ?dictatorial? when determining education policy. The association said that Su had broken a promise made during his campaign by imposing a limit last school year on the number of teachers in the county?s primary, junior high and high schools who could receive positive annual reviews, regardless of protests by teachers. ?Although the county government lost an appeal case at the Ministry of Education over the closure of the Tsungyeh Elementary School, Su insisted on closing the school despite the protests of parents and students,? the association said. The association was referring to the merger of Tsungyeh Elementary School and Wencheng Elementary School into a facility that would focus on fine arts. The county amended its regulations to allow for the merger on July 15 ? the day after the ministry?s Committee of Appeal had ruled in student representative Cheng Ya-hsin?s (???) favor to reconsider the merger. When told of the decision, Cheng was quoted by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times? sister paper) as saying she was happy ?because I can graduate from Tsungyeh as I wished.? In response to the association?s criticism, County Education Department Director-General Wang Kun-yuan (???) said it was inappropriate for the association to judge the county government?s ability by simply citing statistics from the Executive Yuan because failure to fully use the education budget was common across the country. Su had not commented on the matter publicly as of yesterday, but the county government issued a press release questioning the legitimacy of the demonstration, saying that the teachers should focus on how to improve their own expertise instead. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/09/28/2003424449 Tainan teachers stage protest against commissioner STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Sunday, Sep 28, 2008, Page 2 Teachers in Tainan County took to the streets in a protest march in the county?s Sinying City (???) yesterday to voice their dissatisfaction with Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih?s (???) education policies. More than 1,000 members of the Tainan County Teachers? Association and other teachers? groups formed a procession more than 600m long that ended outside the county hall at about 11am. Association chairman Hsu You-jen (???) said that in Su?s six years of service, the county government?s education policies had sparked a lot of controversy. He cited problems such as a lack of respect for grassroots teachers and professionalism, as well as administrative interference in schools? operations ? all of which he said had led to widespread dissatisfaction among county teachers. The teachers are marching to express their concern about the county education system?s slipping competitiveness as a result of the local government?s policies, Hsu said. At the county hall, a representative of the association presented a petition to Wang Kun-yuan (???), director of the county?s education department, listing five of the association?s demands. The demands included the pursuit of sustainable educational development, an increase in the education budget, the implementation of an impartial teacher evaluation system, respect for teachers? autonomy and respect for the law in administering the education system. Upon receiving the petition, Wang said he respected the right of teachers to express their dissatisfaction and to make a petition. However, he said that the government would not change its position on the issue of teacher evaluation. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008154669_protest03.html?syndication=rss September 3, 2008 at 12:00 AM Comments (0) E-mail article Print view Students boycott Chicago schools More than 1,000 Chicago public-school students skipped the first day of classes Tuesday to protest unequal education funding, a boycott... By JENNY SONG The Associated Press PREV 1 of 2 NEXT M. SPENCER GREEN / AP Hundreds of Chicago public-school students line up to fill out applications to attend the more affluent New Trier School District in Northfield, Ill. NORTHFIELD, Ill. ? More than 1,000 Chicago public-school students skipped the first day of classes Tuesday to protest unequal education funding, a boycott organizers said would continue through the week with help from retired teachers who will turn office lobbies into impromptu classrooms. The students took church buses 30 miles north to the suburb of Northfield, where they filled out applications to enroll in the better-funded New Trier District. The move was largely symbolic because students must pay tuition to attend a school outside their home district. The turnout fell short of the thousands organizers expected and was a fraction of the more than 400,000 students who attend Chicago public schools, but protesters and their parents said they're willing to keep the boycott going as long as it takes to persuade state officials to give their district more money. "It's on us kids," said Tracey Stansberry, 14, a student at Corliss High School. "If we don't, we'll be on the bottom." Chicago Public Schools spokesman Mike Vaughn said he did not know how many students boycotted the country's third-largest district Tuesday; attendance figures would not be available for a few days. Although district officials agree the system is underfunded, he said, they consider it a mistake for the children to miss school. "We want our kids to start the school year strong, and that means the first week of school," he said. "The first week, it is important for the kids to connect with teachers and lay the groundwork for the year." Boycott organizers will attempt to set up impromptu classrooms today at Chicago City Hall and the state's James Thompson Center, and in the lobbies of more than a dozen Chicago corporations, including Boeing and Aon, that support Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. "If we say we're a world-class city, then we shouldn't be content with having second-class schools," said state Sen. James Meeks, who is leading the boycott of the district and is urging Gov. Rod Blagojevich and state lawmakers to address school-funding disparities. In Illinois, property taxes account for about 70 percent of school funding, meaning rural and inner-city schools generally end up with less to spend per student than suburban schools in areas with higher property values. Chicago Public Schools spent $11,300 a student last year. New Trier High School spent $17,500 a student, near the top in the state. Meeks is pushing for a pilot program that would distribute $120 million to four clusters of schools ? high schools and their feeder schools ? on Chicago's West Side, South Side, south suburbs and downstate. The governor and legislative leaders have made no promises. "I do not believe that a child's education should be based on where they live," Meeks said. New Trier Superintendent Linda Yonke acknowledged that money played a role in school performance, along with supportive parents and hardworking students. She said 1,100 elementary students and 150 high-school students from Chicago filled out enrollment applications Tuesday for New Trier. http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/278998/36/ Wednesday, 03 September 2008 Chicago students skip school to protest Jenny Song - The Associated Press NORTHFIELD, Ill. -- Hundreds of Chicago public school children are spending the first day of classes lined up outside a wealthy suburban school to protest district funding disparities. The students rode buses Tuesday from Chicago's South Side to New Trier High School's campus in Northfield. Students are trying to enroll in more-affluent schools to draw attention to problems in Chicago's system. Many of the protesters are wearing orange T-shirts that read "Save Our Schools Now." State Sen. James Meeks is organizing the boycott and says he expects the protest to run at least until Friday. Parents say they're willing to keep their children out of their normal schools for as long as it takes to get state action on the funding issue. http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/sep/03/chicago-kids-skip-school-protest-funding-20080903/?subscriber/national Chicago kids skip school to protest funding Students hit road to make symbolic enrollment attempt at wealthier district BY JENNY SONG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NORTHFIELD, Ill. ? More than 1,000 Chicago public school students boycotted the first day of classes Tuesday in a protest over school funding and instead rode buses more than 30 miles north to try to enroll in a wealthy suburban district. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/aug/28/local/chi-school_boycottaug28 Archive for Thursday, August 28, 2008 Suburban school districts, police working out protest logistics Officials say they will welcome Chicago students By Lisa Black and Tara Malone August 28, 2008 They don?t know how many children will report for school Tuesday, when they will arrive, who will accompany them or what they?ll do. But educators, police and New Trier Township residents are preparing for what could be an unprecedented influx of city students Tuesday in an effort to highlight the financial inequities that divide Illinois schools. With an eye toward everything from traffic to toilets, school administrators in Winnetka and Northfield said they want to plan for ?every contingency? and use the occasion as a lesson for their students. They know there?s little room for missteps given the legal and racial pressures that entangle the issue. ?We do see this as an educational opportunity,? New Trier Township High School Supt. Linda Yonke said. State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) has called for city students to boycott their own schools on what is to be the first day and get on one of 125 buses he has reserved to transport them from Chicago?s South Side to New Trier High School and Sunset Ridge School. He has said the students will attempt to enroll in the suburban schools. Meeks pledged to cancel the plan if by Friday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Michael Madigan endorse a three-year, $120 million project to prove that more money and resources would strengthen the academic standing of low-performing schools. The lawmakers, all in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, had not met by Wednesday afternoon. Meeks blamed Blagojevich. ?[Blagojevich] is the only one who doesn?t have the time. I would think the priorities of the school kids of Illinois outweigh anything else,? Meeks said. In Chicago Wednesday, Board of Education President Rufus Williams urged students and parents to not boycott and questioned the logic of Meeks? plan. More than 100 people made a similar plea during a rally outside the Chicago Public Schools headquarters during a board meeting. Keith McFall said he plans to accompany his son Tuesday to Hope College Prep High School. ?A child should not miss one day of school,? said McFall, a South Side resident. Meanwhile, Winnetka and Northfield police are working to prevent traffic jams around the three affected campuses: Sunset Ridge School and New Trier High School?s freshman campus, both in Northfield, and New Trier?s east campus in Winnetka. School administrators are discussing crowd control and how to ensure classes continue as planned. State law prevents schools from enrolling students who live elsewhere unless they pay tuition. Families looking to register students typically must show a birth certificate, school transcript, medical paperwork and proof of residency in accord with Illinois law. Details about when students will arrive and where they will go remain unclear, said school officials, police and Meeks? spokeswoman. ?It?s just a rather dynamic situation,? Winnetka Deputy Police Chief Patrick Kreis said. While some parents may fret about disruptions to the school day, at least one community group hopes to welcome visitors with doughnuts, water and posters. ?We?ve had parental reactions from ?I?m not sending my kids to school? to ?Let?s have a big tent and throw a big party,? ? said Peter Fischer, president of the Sunset Ridge School District 29 Board. He said visitors to that school, which serves Grades 4 through 8, will be ushered into the gym?the only place big enough to hold a large crowd. ?We plan to set out chairs and we?ll have water and cookies. I don?t want the kids to be uncomfortable,? Fischer said. Sunset Ridge PTO President Sue Siegel of Northfield said parents initially asked her whether they should send their kids to school Tuesday. ?I reiterate the value of a school day and that I see no reason to keep them home,? Siegel said. At New Trier, teachers have been given a primer on school funding to help field questions from students, Yonke said. The boycott may be discussed in relevant classes. On Wednesday, nearly two dozen parents, clergy and residents met to plan for the students ?in a welcoming capacity,? said Katie Seigenthaler of Winnetka, a New Trier parent and spokeswoman for a new initiative called United We Learn. ?We are aware there are many ways to look at this situation. We choose to see this as an opportunity to open discussion,? Seigenthaler said. For some, the scene poised to unfold next week may be reminiscent of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.?s speech on housing segregation in Winnetka Village Green more than four decades ago. The civil rights leader drew nearly 10,000 people to the North Shore town in July 1965. Tribune reporters Carlos Sadovi and Rick Pearson contributed to this report. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=5723908&page=1 Protesting Students Head Back to School School District Blasts Use of Children in Opening Day Protest Over Education Funding By ASHLEY PHILLIPS Sept. 4, 2008 10 comments FONT SIZE EMAIL PRINT RSS DIGG SHARE The nearly 1,000 Chicago students who skipped school the last two days to protest unequal public school funding are returning to school today now that the boycott has been canceled. A school official welcomed some of the hundreds of Chicago public school students with their parents... (M. Spencer Green/AP Photo) State Sen. James Meeks, who, along with pastors at Chicago area churches, called for the protest, ended it late Wednesday, he told The Associated Press. "The governor stated that he would not meet until the boycott was called off, so we are going to not only call his bluff but trust that he keeps this word," Meeks said. "We trust that the governor is a man of goodwill and good sense." On Tuesday, nearly 1,000 students boarded buses provided by a group of 85 pastors at Chicago churches to two suburban schools to call attention to what they call the "disparities" of school funding. According to the New Trier school district, 150 high school students and 800 elementary students attempted to register at New Trier Township High School and Sunset Ridge Elementary School Tuesday under the guidance of State Sen. Meeks. The registration was meant to draw attention to the issue. Related School's Out as Chicago Students Protest Why Are Mr. Teachers Mistrusted in Schools? Should Parents Accompany Kids at School? "Illinois is trying to attract the [2016] Olympics by saying we are a world class city. How can we have a world class city and not have world class schools?" Meeks told ABCNews.com from the protest. "We want the city to pay attention to our schools. We want the state to pay attention to our schools." Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Church in Chicago, who helped organize the boycott, echoed that sentiment. "We're bringing these children to Winnetka today because we have exhausted other methods," Acree said. "We want the governor and the senate and legislators all across the state to hear our plea. We want them to see the innocent children from Chicago who are victims of apartheid-style education. We want them to see the inequalities and disparities in our system." According to Acree and Meeks, Chicago Public Schools are grossly underfunded compared with schools in wealthier districts, such as Winnetka, that have fewer minority students. In Illinois, students must pay tuition to attend schools outside their home district. Chicago Public Schools, one of the country's largest school systems, spent $11,300 per student last year. New Trier High School spent $17,500 per student. Like many districts across the country, public school funding in Illinois is tied to property taxes and land values. The more the property around a school is worth, the more funding it'd likely to get. These are some of the hundreds of Chicago public school students with their parents who lined up to... (M. Spencer Green/AP Photo) "We're hoping to send a message today that a two-tiered school system is wrong. It is wrong for one of the wealthiest states in our nation to have the dubious distinction of leading American in school funding disparity," Acree said. Although organizers believe the students will be rejected because they live outside the district, parents believe making the trip to the affluent suburb is worth it. Shayont Gilmore, 31, who's a member of Greater St. John Church, took her 7-year-old son out of school Tuesday to join the trip. Gilmore's son is in private school. For Gilmore, a graduate of the Chicago Public School System and her husband, making the sacrifice for that luxury is worth it. Related Meet the Joneses: Obama's Education Plan Some D.C. Students to Be Paid for A's "Being a parent, I'm tired of having to pay tuition in order to have a quality education," said Gilmore, who lives on the city's west side. "We can't really afford it, but we make the sacrifice." Although there are disparities between districts, comparing a district like New Trier to Chicago is misleading, said Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Education. "If you look at CPS, certainly they're going to be disparities. ... But Chicago is above the state average when it comes to funding," he said. "It's difficult to make those types of comparisons. The enrollment at CPS is 358,000. The enrollment at New Trier is 3,900. "But I don't think anyone would argue the fact that we do need to reformulate the way we fund education. It creates great inequities in per pupil spending," he said. Not everyone believes that a boycott involving students during a school day, particularly the first day of school, is the best way to make that point. "We understand Sen. Meeks' concern and appreciate his desire to dialogue, but anytime school's in session, a child needs to be in school," Vanover said. "You want to start the year off right. The longer you wait to get students in, the less likely they are to come." (Getty Images ) Chicago Public Schools, which did not return phone calls to ABCNews.com by deadline, echoed those sentiments to The Associated Press. "Any adult that tells their child not to go to school sends that child down a path that is self-destructive," Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan told The Associated Press. "Yes, we are desperately underfunded. Yes, we need to challenge that status quo. But let me be clear. Adults should fight that battle. Children should be in school." But for Acree that argument just doesn't hold water. Acree says that this boycott is a last resort to show legislators that Chicago residents are serious about changing schools. "There's been a great debate in Chicago over whether this boycott is necessary, even though for nearly 30 years we've had growth in disparities across the state of Illinois. You hear these leaders claim that it is wrong to ask children to participate in the boycott," Acree said. "We're hoping to send a message today that a two-tiered school system is wrong. ... It's important for our children to take advantage of this social justice lesson." The Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94290389&ft=1&f=1003 Novel Tactics At Chicago School-Funding Protests by Cheryl Corley Listen Now [3 min 28 sec] add to playlist All Things Considered, September 4, 2008 ? Organizers of a school boycott in Chicago are trying high-profile tactics to protest education funding. On Tuesday, more than 1,000 students skipped the first day of classes. On Wednesday, some classes were held in the lobbies of office buildings. http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/2827124.php?contentType=4&contentId=2623883 Posted: Thursday, 21 August 2008 4:11PM North Shore Cops Plan For Protest NORTHFIELD, Ill. (WBBM) - New Trier Township High School students attended their first day of classes Thursday without any influx of Chicago schoolchildren. But State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago), who is planning a Sept. 2 Chicago school boycott and registration protest, spent much of the day on the North Shore. WBBM?s Bob Roberts has the story. Meeks and several supporters met Senate colleague Jeff Schoenberg (D-Wilmette) and north suburban school and police officials at the Northfield police station. They then took a bus tour of the elementary and high school campuses in New Trier Township which are expected to be the focus of the protest. Meeks said the intent was to get a better sense of the logistics that would be involved in bringing the students to the North Shore to attempt to register for classes. He said he saw no point in bringing students to the suburbs before Chicago's opening day of school, Sept. 2, even though most north suburban districts are starting school this week or next. ?If we'd had them here today, no one would have paid attention to it,? Rev. Meeks said, explaining his decision not to try to begin classes on the same timetable as north suburban students. Meeks is trying to dramatize the inequities he sees in the existing funding system. He seeks changes that would direct more funding toward Chicago and other impoverished districts. Meeks and his supporters are urging students to boycott the entire first week of classes in Chicago's public school system. CPS classes resume Tuesday, Sept. 2. He intends to lead protests Sept. 3-5 at the Aon Building, Wrigley Building, Sears Tower, James R. Thompson Center, City Hall, and other downtown landmarks, during which boycotting students will receive four hours of ?instruction? each day. ?In fact, the curriculum we've planned is so good they will probably be ahead of the other students when they get back,? Meeks said. On Thursday, Meeks produced a letter from Linda Riley Mitchell, the chief financial officer of the Illinois State Board of Education. In it, Mitchell said boycotting the first day or first week would have no effect on Chicago school funding, because the city can use any three months or September from any of the past three years when calculating attendance figures for purposes of funding. Last year's opening day attendance in the Chicago system set a record. Meeks contends that state law allows suburban districts to register Chicago school children and waive fees if an emergency exists, and said the funding crisis constitutes an emergency in his eyes. New Trier officials disagree. District 203 Supt. Linda Yonke Thursday sent a letter to parents in which she said Chicago students who attempt to register will be turned away. Several elementary districts in New Trier Township, which also are expected to be the target of demonstrations, have sent similar letters in recent weeks. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1192220.html Parents protest Twin Rivers school schedule change Published: Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | Page 2B A scheduling change in Twin Rivers Unified School District prompted a small demonstration Wednesday morning by parents at Hillsdale Elementary School. They are upset their children must come 85 minutes later on Wednesdays than other days. Leaders of Twin Rivers ? formed July 1 when four districts merged ? negotiated a change with the teachers union to create a consistent slot Wednesday mornings for staff development. The three elementary districts had scheduled such time at the end of school. The new unified schedule started Wednesday. At Hillsdale, where students normally start at 8:15 a.m., classes began at 9:40 a.m. ? Deb Kollars http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=47364 No State Budget Sparks Protest Posted By: Karen Massie 1 year ago SACRAMENTO, CA - School teachers, staff and parents protested around California Friday. The Education Coalition called the "Statewide Day of Action" to grab the attention of state lawmakers who have yet to pass a state budget. In Sacramento, the protestors went iinside the State Capitol looking for legislators. One of them, Sacramento math teacher Mike Bustos sits on the board of the California Teachers Association. "We can't plan for a full school, if we don't know how much money we're going to have coming in," he said. Bustos was joined by members of the California State Parent Teachers Association and California School Employees Association. They carried a basket of apples and a pop quiz. "We don't want proposals from the Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats or the governor," Bustos said. "We want lawmakers to choose the original conference committee's budget compromise which was rejected." Protestors said schools will miss a September payment of $2.5 billion if a budget isn't approved soon. That's more financial pain for school, says Bustos, who teaches at Will C. Wood Middle School. "At my school we already have two math positions filled by substitute teachers," he said. "Our custodial staff has been cut way back. In the last 10 years their responsibility for cleaning rooms has multiplied ten-fold." When protestors stopped by the Governor's Office, Gov. Schwarzenegger's press secretary, Aaron McLear, came out to meet them. "The governor has made education a priority during his time in office," McLear said. "This year we're faced with a $15 billion deficit and we're still fully funding Proposition 98 and making sure we're giving schools all we can." But Bustos countered that a lack of state funds has teachers buying more supplies. He said schools can't get all the instructional materials they need to help students pass mandated tests. "At some of our schools, librarians have been cut," Bustos said. "At other schools, nurses have been cut because there's no funding for them." As they went into the legislators' offices, protestors discovered most weren't in the capitol. "I'm surprised. I would think they would be here," said Bustos. "The budget is 67 days late. They need to lock themselves in a room and come up with a budget plan. They need to get it done. They should have had it done." http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080915-160869/UP-faculty-workers-protest-wage-hike-delay UP faculty, workers protest wage hike delay By Marlon Ramos Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 23:29:00 09/15/2008 Filed Under: Wages & Pensions, University, Local authorities MANILA, Philippines ? Around 200 faculty members and nonacademic workers of the University of the Philippines (UP) Monday marched to its main campus in Diliman, Quezon City, Monday to protest the two-month delay in the release of their 10-percent salary increase. Bearing placards containing their demands, members of the All UP Workers Alliance held a program at the lobby of the Quezon Hall shortly before the scheduled meeting of senior university officials around 3 p.m. The protesters assailed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its alleged arbitrariness in holding funds for the increase. Dr. Judy Taguiwalo, national vice president for faculty of the All UP Academic Employees Union, said they could not understand why DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya has yet to act on several requests made regarding the wage increase. Citing an executive order issued by President Macapagal-Arroyo on May 1, Taguiwalo argued that all government workers, including UP personnel, should have received the increase effective July 1. ?We see no logical reason why the DBM should keep what is rightfully due us,? Taguiwalo told the Inquirer. ?It?s been two months now since they delayed our salary hike. With the worsening inflation rate, the 10 percent additional salary could hardly help us keep up with the rising costs of goods and services,? she added. UP President Emerlinda Roman earlier told Taguiwalo?s group in a letter that the DBM declined to approve the budget for the wage hike because UP was no longer included in the government Salary Standardization Law when the university?s new charter was signed last April. Roman briefly spoke Monday with the protesters on her way to the meeting of the UP President?s Advisory Council. She said she was optimistic that the DBM would soon approve the funds after the agency asked for documents and the draft of an agreement between the university and DBM. Roman said she found it strange that while the national government regarded UP as the top university in the country, ?our employees have the lowest salary among government workers. I think that?s inconsistent.? ?I assure you that we?re doing what is needed to give you the best of both worlds,? she told the protesters, apparently referring to their efforts to get the nod of the DBM while studying ways to improve other benefits for UP personnel. Taguiwalo, however, said they were not contented with Roman?s speech. She then challenged the UP executive to join them in a prayer rally to press Andaya to hasten the release of the funds. ?President Roman told the union that all we can do now is pray. If she?s really with us, then she should lead us in a prayer rally in front of the DBM office,? Taguiwalo said. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/100308dnmetdisdprotesters.d43493d1.html Dallas teachers left wondering about their jobs 07:45 PM CDT on Thursday, October 2, 2008 By DAN X. McGRAW and MATTHEW HAAG / The Dallas Morning News dmcgraw at dallasnews.com mhaag at dallasnews.com Teachers who gathered at today's Dallas school board meeting to protest staff cuts are now left wondering whether they will be among those who lose their jobs. MATTHEW HAAG/The Dallas Morning News Teachers and other protesters gathered outside Dallas school district headquarters to speak out against the proposed cuts. View larger Photography Photo store Also Online Blog: Dallas ISD "We are in shock," said Diana Stansberry, who teaches at Kimball High School. "We don't know where this is going." The board approved nearly 1,100 layoffs, including 550 teachers. Affected employees will be notified as early as next week. Kimberly Stephens, who teaches at George Washington Carver Elementary School, said the news felt like a ?kick to the gut.? ?They don?t care about us,? she said. ?If they did, they would have found another way to help clean up this mess.? On the other hand, Juanita Giddens, a teacher at HS Thompson Elementary, said she was somewhat relieved that the board finally took a vote ? even if the members approved cuts. ?I knew it was going to happen,? she said. ?I feel better that the vote has happened.? Chrisdya Houston, a third grade teacher, broke down in tears as she talked about the layoffs. ?These past few weeks have been very stressful,? Ms. Houston said. ?I am worried about other people, not just myself.? Evelyn Lorenz said her fifth-grade students at Soto Elementary School have been asking her whether she and other teachers will lose their jobs. ?This isn?t going to be pleasant,? she said. Before the board's vote, some 200 protesters gathered outside DISD headquarters to speak out against the layoffs. Many of them wore red as a sign of unity. Many teachers had said regardless of the board vote, they no longer trust the district's administration. "Who is being held accountable for this?" said JoAnn Lemon, a 33-year veteran teacher. "You can't trust principals on up, you know?" Richard Goodwin, who teaches geography at Townview Magnet Center, said he has taught in DISD for 31 years and also graduated from the district. ?I?ve always been proud to be a Dallas Independent School District alum, but today I am ashamed,? he said. ?If Hinojosa were the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, he would be cut.? Beth Bartholf, who teaches talented and gifted students, said she thinks someone has mishandled funds. She held a sign carrying the message, "Dishonesty? Incompetance?" ?This is ridiculous,? she said. ?This isn?t a little mistake. Criminal charges should be filed.? Some teachers said the pressure of knowing they could lose their jobs has made it difficult to come to work every day. Sarah Nour, an elementary teacher, said she threw up at school on Wednesday and breaks down in tears daily while at work. She was hired in February. "It makes me worry about the kids," Ms. Nour said. "No one is going to bat for the kids." If she is let go, Ms. Nour said she doesn't want to be responsible for telling her students that she is leaving. "I want Hinojosa to tell my kids why I'm leaving," she said. "I'm going to have to tell my kids why I'm leaving. It's ridiculous." Tara Decker, who teaches at Soto Elementary, said she has had a hard time being enthusiastic because she is worried for her job and her co-workers' jobs. "This isn't our fault," she said. Ms. Decker said she took a job in DISD because it paid well. "It isn't about the money anymore," she said. "It's about the security and being appreciated." Jim Thompson, a librarian at Spence Middle School, said he has stopped holding meetings for a school cartoon club. ?I don?t know if I?ll be here after October,? Mr. Thompson said. Aimee Bolender, president of the Alliance AFT union, spoke to the crowd with a bullhorn. ?I will tell you because of the incompetence that I was not willing to trust this administration to do this process right,? Bolender said. ?I never wanted to trust them to work up the guidelines because I knew they wouldn?t be fair." As protesters walked along Ross Avenue and Washington Avenue, the crowd began chanting "Where did the money go? We want to know." http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24298746-12332,00.html TAFE nursing degrees spark protest ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print Andrew Trounson | September 05, 2008 Article from: The Australian VICTORIAN nurses are set to ramp up their campaign to stop TAFEs from offering nursing degrees with a rally of 2,000 or more nurses planned next week in Melbourne. While the nursing profession says it is seeking to defend standards and its status, the TAFE in question says it is just a case of ?academic snobbery?. The ?nursing forum? meeting on September 11 in Melbourne has been timed just ahead of an expected decision this month by the Nursing Board of Victoria on whether to approve Victorian TAFE Holmesglen's application to start teaching a bachelor of nursing degree from next year. The Australian Nursing Federation and Royal College of Nursing Australia are further backing their campaign against the proposed TAFE moves with newspaper advertisements. The meeting ?is to make sure the profession is fully informed about what is happening and to be able to relay to the nursing board the feeling of the profession,? Elizabeth Foley, acting executive director of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, told The Australian. The nursing profession is worried that allowing TAFEs to offer nursing degrees will downgrade a profession that has fought a long battle since the 1980s to be treated as tertiary educated colleagues of doctors, rather than their subordinates. They claim that TAFEs, with their traditional focus on vocational training, won't provide the research and analytical training needed by modern registered nurses. But Holmesglen has hit back, saying its three-year bachelor course would be as good as any university nursing degree. Holmesglen's bachelor of nursing curriculum has already been approved by the Victorian Resigtration and Qualifications Authority. Responding to rising demand for nurses and looming shortages, Holmesglen is planning to offer 40 places in its nursing degree next year but is still waiting on approval from the federal Government on whether its places will qualify for commonwealth-supported funding, like universities. If they don't, the course will be full-fee paying, suggesting some take up by foreign students. If all goes to plan Holmesglen is expecting to have 400 nursing degree students on campus by 2012. Another Victorian TAFE, Boxhill, is considering offering a bachelor of nursing. But Foley is concerned that the vocational focus in TAFEs on teaching tasks wouldn't deliver the ?autonomous decision making skills? required of registered nurses. ?It is ultimately going to impact on their ability to provide safe, quality care to their patients,? Foley said. But Holmesglen Associate Director Leone English, herself a nurse, says there is no basis to such claims. She noted that TAFEs like Holmesglen were recognised providers of higher education courses as well as vocational training. ?We will prepare students as scholars as well as prepare them for the workforce,? English said. ?We (the nursing profession) didn't fight to go to university, we fought for equality with the other healthcare professions,? she said. Registered nurses make up about 70 per cent of the total clinical nursing workforce, and are required to have a minimum three-year bachelor degree. So-called enrolled nurses are required to have high-level certificates or diplomas, depending on which state they are in. http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI96232/ Broward teachers protest for contract Related Article Links ? Video: Broward teachers protest for contract FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Teachers kicked off their shoes as part of a protest Wednesday in hopes they will get a contract. Broward County teachers protested by marching outside of the School Board's building. They brought their old shoes and made a huge pile to try to make the point that teachers take their "soles" to work. Teachers said this is their latest attempt to improve their chances to get a contract. "The district is trying to establish professional sweat shops and that is not going to happen in Broward County," said Union leader Pat Santeramo. Contract negotiations were brought down as teachers demanded a 4.5 percent cost of living increase, but the school's superintendent said he can only scrape up 3 percent. Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter said, "Our employees deserve better. The corporate board and the superintendent believe that it is our employees that makes our school system great, but we're funded at 50th in the nation and took a horrendous $93 million reduction this year alone." The state supreme court tossed out Amendments Five, Seven and Nine on the November ballot. Those amendments would have provided for further cuts in funding to public schools and the school district was taking that into account. The school board will meet Wednesday afternoon to talk about this next week in hopes of gaining positive news for the union. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/02/2352804.htm NSW teachers stage stop-work protest Posted Tue Sep 2, 2008 10:00am AEST Updated Tue Sep 2, 2008 11:03am AEST Walkout: Most schools will provide minimum supervision. (AAP Image, file photo: Glen McCurtayne) Up to 70,000 teachers from New South Wales public schools and TAFE colleges have walked off the job as part of their ongoing dispute with the State Government. Teachers stopped work at 9:00am (AEST) and will spend two hours discussing further action on staffing, standards and the Government's 2.5 per cent pay offer. A vote will be held at meetings across the state about further industrial action. Most schools have told the Education Department they will provide minimum supervision for their students, but more than 250 schools have been forced to close while teachers meet. The deputy president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Bob Lipscombe, says some schools may be closed during the action. "Parents have hopefully by now been advised by their schools as to whether their school is open or not," he said. "If they're in any doubt they should contact their school. "Many schools will be closed and parents should be aware of that and no-one wants to place children at risk by attending a school where there's inadequate supervision." The NSW Department of Education estimates that about 90 per cent of public schools will stay open, despite the industrial action. The department's director-general, Michael Coutts-Trotter, says he understands some parents will be frustrated. "We are about to go into negotiations with the teacher's union, so this is pre-emptive," he said. "It won't make a jot of difference to the outcome, but it will, sadly, inconvenience thousands of parents around NSW." Federation president Maree O'Halloran says teachers will continue to insist on a 5 per cent pay rise and forge ahead with further stop-work action. "They have also called on the State Government to reinstate the mixed system of staffing, where there is a transfer system and some local selection," she said. "They have said that they are ready to take more industrial action if it's necessary. I hope it's not necessary, I hope the Government will negotiate." http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2008/09/17/school_bus_service.html School bus service reduction plan faces tweaks By KRISTINA TORRES The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday, September 17, 2008 As parents Tuesday night packed a meeting to protest DeKalb County?s proposal to stop busing students beyond their neighborhood schools, Superintendent Crawford Lewis admitted he will likely have to compromise to see the plan through. ?I don?t think the [school] board will support all parts of the recommendation,? Lewis said. He went on to mention the possibility of only reducing service, with buses picking up children at central locations. DeKalb is trying to save money as the school system wrestles with funding cuts, soaring fuel prices and declining student enrollment. Parents at both Tuesday?s meeting at Southwest DeKalb High School night and at a meeting last week suggested that the system should consider using hubs instead of its current practice of door-to-door transportation. The move to end out-of-zone busing would affect about 5,600 of the district?s 99,600 students, including those who may be enrolled in magnet schools, charter schools and academic theme schools or who transferred from lower-performing campuses. No other system in Georgia has as wide a range of magnet and choice schools or offers such extensive bus service. Now, officials say they can no longer afford such wide-ranging busing. System officials expect to lose another $10.5 million in state funds this school year. If that happens, austerity cuts in state education funding by May will have cost DeKalb more than $100 million since 2002. Educators are scrambling to find ways to close the gap. For example, they say, the busing change alone would save the system $5.9 million a year. Lewis said last week he also would consider additional measures that could include a one-day-a-month furlough for some employees, four-day workweeks and reducing or closing the system?s pre-kindergarten program. At the request of the board, Lewis already planned to downsize non-school staff. Some details of those plans are expected to be announced next month. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/153504 Students, Teachers Protest against Government Reported: 19:35 PM - Sep/23/08 (IsraelNN.com) Approximately 100 high school students and teachers are protesting in Tel Aviv at this hour over more alleged violations by the government of previous agreements on education. The students and teachers unions last year staged several strikes following disagreements between them and the government over proposals for reform in the education system. Following an agreement, there have been frequent charges that government is not keeping its end of the bargain. Police are supervising the demonstration, and no violence was reported. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/23/2372478.htm NT teachers protest against strike ban Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:11pm AEST Teachers have refused the Govt's offer of a 12 per cent raise. (ABC News: file photo) Teachers have protested on the steps of Parliament House in Darwin, against the Industrial Relations Commission's (IRC) decision to stop this week's planned strike. Northern Territory teachers have refused the Government's latest offer of a 12 per cent pay rise over three years. They had been planning to strike for three days this week but the commission suspended any action until November 20. Nadine Williams from the Education Union says teachers are angry. "The problem we have as a union is that we have tried every possible means to make that the clearest message we can, both to the Minister for Education and our negotiators," she said. "We have not been successful, we care about the conditions that our students are learning in because they're our working conditions, they are the same thing." Ms Williams says there will be an appeal to the full bench of the IRC. "We're seeking proper legal advice and seeking to know that the grounds of an appeal will be firm and at this stage that looks like going ahead," she said. Education Minister Marion Scrymgour did not attend today's rally but the Government says is trying to organise a meeting between the union and the Public Employment Commission for later this week. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 19:38:42 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:38:42 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Worker protests, global South, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9B832.8060901@tesco.net> * BANGLADESH: Textile workers clash with police over low wages * INDIA: Workers revolt, kill boss at textile factory * INDIA: Workers clash with guards at factory * LIBERIA: Clashes at plantation over welgate fund * IRAN: Protesting workers block highway * JORDAN: Bangladeshi migrant workers protest at ministry * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Workers clash with landowners * INDONESIA: KFC protested for firing workers; trade unionists rally; bus drivers strike; &more * GHANA: NPP party workers protest for dignity * SUDAN: Officials withdraw in camp strike protest * SOUTH AFRICA: Protest targets Woolworths; prosecution workers protest; plantscapers protest for wage rises; mines targeted; communication workers protest * KENYA: Dock workers protest in pay dispute * BAHRAIN: Ten unions hold short strike * THAILAND: Staff protest for logo change * NIGERIA: Welders protest exclusion * CAMEROON: Douala council workers shut down council * NIGERIA: Steel workers protest for salary * PHILIPPINES: QC workers stage restaurant protest; railworkers protest * PAKISTAN: Labour leaders protest corruption * NEPAL: Journalists protest TV station * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - 10,000 workers arrested in shutdown protests * INDIA: Labour protest roundup http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jF79mrpT1hw7PRuY4bbeL2d5nmHQ Dozens hurt as police fire rubber bullets at Bangladesh workers Aug 30, 2008 DHAKA (AFP) ? Dozens of people were injured as police in Bangladesh fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas at garment factory workers protesting Saturday against low wages and the arrest of colleagues. Local police chief Abdur Rashid said some 10,000 members of staff from eight factories in Gazipur, north of Dhaka, went on the rampage over the arrest of at least 23 fellow workers who had previously campaigned against low wages. "Wielding bamboo sticks, they became violent, attacking police officials with rocks and stones, ransacking factories and damaging several vehicles. They also barricaded a key highway for an hour," Rashid said. Police fired rubber bullets, hurled tear gas and used batons to disperse the crowd, he said "Dozens have been injured including at least eight police officers who were struck by rocks," he added. The garment industry is impoverished Bangladesh's key manufacturing area, accounting for 76 percent of the country's 14.11 billion dollar export earnings last year and making up 40 percent of the industrial workforce Tens of thousands of workers have defied an emergency ban on union activities and gatherings to take part in sporadic protests in the past few months over low wages and better working conditions. The basic minimum monthly salary of a garment worker is 25 dollars while a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice, the country's main staple, costs 35 taka (50 cents) -- normally enough to feed a family of four for a day. Rice prices have doubled in Bangladesh in the past year, in part due to devastating floods and a massive cyclone in 2007. The majority of Bangladeshi households spend nearly 70 percent of their income on food and the government has moved to import more rice and sell it at subsidised prices on the open market to tame inflation. Bangladesh has been ruled by a military-backed government since January last year after emergency rule was imposed and polls cancelled. The government has banned all kinds of protests and pledged to hold elections by the end of December, after pushing through political reforms and an anti-corruption drive. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/30/asia/AS-Bangladesh-Textile-Protests.php Textile workers in Bangladesh clash with police The Associated Press Published: August 30, 2008 DHAKA, Bangladesh: Police used tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday to disperse hundreds of rioting textile workers protesting the dismissal of some colleagues in an industrial area near the Bangladeshi capital, a police official said. About 40 people, including two policemen, were injured in the clashes, Mozammel Hossain, a local police official said after visiting the area. No one was immediately arrested. The protesting workers, armed with stones and sticks, ransacked several garment factories, blocked a major highway and damaged several vehicles in Gazipur, an industrial district near Dhaka, Hossain said. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the rioters and clear the highway linking the district to the capital, he added. Striking workers began demonstrating in front of their factory to protest the sacking of 18 colleagues. They were joined by workers from a nearby factory who went on rampage following rumors of a colleague's death. Bangladesh has more than 3,000 garment factories that employ more than 2 million workers, mostly women. The textile industry earns the impoverished country more than US$10 billion each year, mainly from exports to the United States and Europe, according to the Export Promotion Bureau. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA330332.htm Police break up Bangladesh protest, 50 hurt 30 Aug 2008 13:06:22 GMT Source: Reuters DHAKA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were injured when Bangladesh police fired teargas and used batons to disperse textile workers protesting against the sacking of fellow-workers on Saturday, police and witnesses said. Five policemen were also among the injured, hit by missiles thrown by workers who also ransacked a garment factory and damaged several vehicles on a road in Gazipur, 40 km (25 miles) north of Dhaka. Eighteen workers at a local garment factory were sacked on Friday for violating factory rules and colleagues walked out to demand their reinstatement. The violence erupted as police tried disperse protesters who were blocking the highway. Street protests are banned in Bangladesh under a state of emergency imposed by the army-backed interim government since January last year. Clothes are Bangladesh's biggest export, bringing in more than $9 billion a year. The country has some 4,000 garment factories, employing around 2.2 million workers, mostly women. (Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; editing by Robert Hart) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=56301 Print Friendly Version Published On: 2008-09-24 Metropolitan 50 injured as RMG workers clash in city Staff Correspondent At least 50 readymade garment (RMG) workers were injured during separate clashes with the policemen in Uttara and Uttarkhan areas in the city yesterday. Around 20 workers of a garment factory were injured in a clash with policemen in the city's Uttara area. The clash ensued when the police charged baton on the workers who put up a barricade on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Azampur demanding payment of their salary arrears, Eid bonus and night allowance. Witnesses said around 800 angry workers of Root Apparels Ltd, which was closed a month ago without informing the workers at Uttarkhan, erected a barricade on the road for around one hour from 3:00pm that resulted a severe traffic jam in the area. At one stage, police resorted to baton charge to disperse the agitating workers that left the workers injured. The angry workers gave an ultimatum to the garment factory authorities, threatening that if their demands are not met by today, they would go for a tougher movement. Meanwhile, around 30 workers of a garment factory at Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) were injured as police charged baton on them while they were staging a sit-in in front of the factory with the same demands. The workers also ransacked at least 10 vehicles after blocking Dhaka-Tangail Road for around one hour from 11:00am. Witnesses said some 700 workers of Honor Way Textile and Apparels (Pvt) Limited staged the sit-in in the morning demanding payment of their salary arrears as the authorities shut it down on July 17 after its owner had died. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012407775 Ex-Employees Riot, Kill Boss At Indian Car Part Plant September 23, 2008 11:36 p.m. EST AHN Staff New Delhi, India (AHN) - Indian authorities have arrested and charged with murder 60 dismissed workers of a car part plant outside New Delhi for bludgeoning to death their employer on Monday. Those arrested were among the 125 former workers who barged into the factory in Greater Noida and beat Lalit Kishore Choudhary, head of Graziano Transmissioni India, with sticks and iron rods after he tried to pacified them. Police said the 47-year-old victim suffered severe blows in the head and bled to death. Choudhary apparently invited the workers to discuss their reinstatement. He talked with a few of them inside his office before others outside went into a rampage and attacked the factory. He had fired the workers in recent months for being involved in violence inside the factory. Other executives inside the plant were not harmed when they locked the doors of their offices until the police arrived. Two other people were injured in the riot and hospitalized. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092558330300.htm Other States - Orissa 5 hurt as workers, guards clash Jajpur: Security was tightened as tension gripped Kalinga Nagar in Orissa?s Jajpur district after workers of a private steel mill and its security personnel clashed, police said here today. At least five persons, four of them security guards, were injured in the scuffle yesterday. - PTI http://www.starradio.org.lr/content/view/9121/380/ Several Wounded in Violent Clash at Sinoe Rubber Plantation Written by Sayounue Bilah Wednesday, 27 August 2008 Several persons have been wounded and many houses burned as a result of confusion at the Sinoe Rubber Plantation. The confusion erupted Tuesday following a decision by Superintendent Sylvester Grigsby to dissolve the Citizens Welfare Committee. The Superintendent?s action followed a petition by some citizens that the Committee was not seeking the interest of the workers. However, the supervisor of the monitoring team set up by government said the petition was masterminded by Senator Mobutu Nyenpan and LAC Manager Alfred Porte. Mr. Joe Flah alleged the two officials programmed five persons to petition the Superintendent. LAC?s Administrator Daniel Toe denied his Boss involvement in the confusion while Senator Nyepan says he would respond to the claims later. Meanwhile, Supt Sylvester Grisgby says security has been tightened at the Plantation and those involved in the act would be brought to book. http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/5565/105/ Iran: Protesting workers block Ahwaz-Khorramshahr highway Sunday, 31 August 2008 NCRI ? Striking workers of Rolling and Pipes Mill Corporation (ARPCO) on Saturday blocked the Ahwaz-Khorramshahr highway in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. The workers demand their unpaid salaries for the past six months. However, the handpicked management has refused to give in to the workers demands to date. The State Security Forces (SSF) ? mullahs' suppressive police? attacked the workers beating up a number of demonstrators. Some 500 workers of ARPCO walked out for the second time this summer over their unpaid salaries in the southwestern city of Ahwaz on August 24. The striking workers were cordoned by the SSF preventing the demonstration from spreading to other parts of the city. "There was a forced vacation for 15 days imposed on the workers starting August 5," the state-run daily Kargozaran reported on the same day. However, when the workers reported back to work faced an extension of the "vacation" announced by the management. ARPCO founded in 1966, posses over 30 years of experience in steel industry. At the time being, on 900,000 square meters land, the factory is producing the highest quality hot rolled coil, black and galvanized E.I.W. and pipeline (API 5L) tubes. On July 20, the workers at the ARPCO walked out over their unpaid salaries and other benefits for the first time. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6502150.html Bangladeshi garment workers stage sit-in protest in Jordan 16:41, September 18, 2008 About 38 Bangladeshi migrant workers Wednesday staged a sit-in outside Jordanian Labor Ministry, urging the government to take legal action against their former employer in Sahab, southeast of capital Amman, local daily The Jordan Times reported Thursday. The Qudorat Garment Company in Sahab closed down suddenly and the owner left the kingdom, leaving 321 Bangladeshis and 31 Jordanians without their salaries for July and August, Abu Zeineh, an official with General Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, said on Wednesday. The Labor Ministry cooperated with the union to redistribute the remaining workers to garment factories in Sahab and at Al Hassan Industrial Estate in Irbid, Abu Zeineh said, adding that some Bangladeshi workers refused to continue working in the kingdom. Labor Ministry Secretary General Ghazi Shbeikat said the ministry addressed the Social Security Corporation to refund the workers their SSC subscriptions. "We are also taking measures in cooperation with authorities in Sahab to confiscate the company's assets in order to be sold to offset the workers' outstanding dues," Shbeikat said, adding that the ministry will continue to provide the workers with food and shelter until they leave the country. According to Zeineh, the union contacted Qudorat's main branch in Hong Kong regarding the workers' financial rights, but the company refused to take responsibility. A total of nine out of 32 garment factories have shut down since the beginning of 2008, after Qudorat abruptly ended its operations this summer, according to officials. Source:Xinhua http://news.smh.com.au/world/png-landowners-attack-chinese-workers-20080827-43fe.html PNG landowners attack Chinese workers PORT MORESBY August 27, 2008 Three Chinese workers at Papua New Guinea's controversial Ramu nickel mine have been attacked by 100 armed local landowners. The workers from China's state-owned Metallurgical Construction Company (MCC) Ramu nickel mine at Basamuk Bay in Madang province, on PNG's northwest coast, are now recovering in Madang's Modilon General Hospital. In a separate incident, PNG workers at MCC's Kurumbukari mine site, 150km east of Basamuk Bay, had stopped work over a pay dispute, PNG's The National newspaper reported. MCC had evacuated its other Chinese workers amid fears of more attacks. Police were investigating Sunday's attack at the Ramu mine, but it was unclear what provoked the incident. PNG's $US1.2 billion ($A1.41 billion) agreement with MCC to build the Ramu mine is expected to yield 143 million tonnes of nickel over 20 years. The mine also will pump 100 million tonnes of waste slurry into the province's pristine Astrolabe Bay during the next 20 years. As well as environmental concerns, the PNG government has been accused of breaking the country's own laws by allowing mining work to go ahead, despite an ongoing dispute among local landowners about who has traditional ownership of the site. Locals claim they were not consulted about the project and have been left out of royalty deals. --------------------------------------------------- KFC protested for firing contract workers Jakarta Post - September 22, 2008 ID Nugroho, Surabaya -- The recent dismissal by management of two contract-based workers at a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food restaurant here has been met with protests from labor unions. Over 300 fast food restaurant workers and activists of the Congress of the Indonesian Labor Union Alliance (KASBI) rallied Thursday in front of the Surabaya Plaza shopping center, where a KFC restaurant is run by PT Fast Food Indonesia. "We came here to initiate a dialogue with the management," said Jamaluddin, a protest coordinator. According to KASBI's spokesperson Yuyuk Yuniarti, 20 of the company's 120 workers have been employed under an internship program. "They deserve a monthly payment, an allowance and a special bonus for Idul Fitri," Yuyuk said. A scuffle broke out between protesters and dozens of anti-riot police as the former tried to force their way into the company's office. They receded only after five union representatives were allowed to speak with management, who eventually agreed to rehire the dismissed workers and cease employing interns and contract-based workers. The protesters then moved to the nearby city council, demanding that councilors closely monitor and evaluate the municipal manpower agency, which they claimed had contributed to a new employment system that exploits workers. "The employment of interns and outsourced workers goes against the 2002 Child Protection Law, the 2003 Labor Law and the 2004 Education Law. It constitutes labor exploitation and slavery," Jamaluddin said. The protesters also voiced their dissatisfaction with the prolonged labor dispute between garment factory PT Artha Glory Buana (AGB) in Sidoarjo and more than 2,000 recently dismissed workers. AGB has unilaterally declared bankruptcy over financial difficulties, resulting in a four-month delay in payment of workers' salaries, much less an Idul Fitri allowance and severance payments. Negotiations between the management and workers have become deadlocked, with the former insisting on paying Rp 10 billion in salaries, special allowances and severance payments. Workers are demanding Rp 30 billion. Jamaluddin criticized the manpower agency for doing nothing to resolve the dispute. "Government involvement is needed to protect workers' rights," he said. The Surabaya municipal legislative council's spokesman Musyafak Rouf concurred, saying authority was in the hands of the manpower agency. "We will raise the issue in the upcoming hearing with the mayor," Musyafak said. Head of the municipal manpower agency Ahmad Syafei said his office had never issued a permit to PT Past Food Indonesia to employ interns in its restaurants, including in KFCs. His office has not yet received an explanation for the delays in payment for AGB workers' salaries, the Idul Fitri allowance and severance payment, he added. "The Idul Fitri allowance is mandatory. It must be paid at least ten days before Idul Fitri," he said. --------------------------------------------------- Four demos to hit Jakarta today, motorists advised to be on alert Detik.com - August 28, 2008 A protest action will also be held by PT Mayasari Utama Trade Union workers at the offices of PT Mayasari Utama on Jl. Lapangan Tembak in the Cibubur area of East Timor between 8.30am and 1.30pm. -------------------------------------------------- Transjakarta bus drivers on strike Jakarta Post - September 1, 2008 Jakarta -- Scores of Transjakarta bus drivers serving the Corridor II (Pulo Gadung - Harmoni) and Corridor III (Kalideres - Harmoni) have gone on strike since early Monday morning According to reports by Kompas.com, 106 of a total of 114 drivers serving the two routes, which serves 30,000 and 27,000 passengers respectively per day, have gathered at the Batavia pool on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan to demand a pay raise and improvement of working conditions. Transjakarta Operations Control Manager Rene Nunu Mete said the company had undertaken necessary measures in alleviating the disruptions due to the strike. "We've added extra fleets from Corridor I, V, VII and IV," he said. "The management are now lobbying with the drivers." (amr) *************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- Trakindo workers stage protest Jakarta Post - September 10, 2008 Timika, Papua -- Hundreds of workers at heavy equipment maker PT Trakindo Utama staged a protest at the Timika Transmigration and Manpower Agency office on Tuesday. The workers demanded the agency withdraw a letter issued on April 15 preventing them from striking. Jeremi Kumbubuy, head of PT Trakindo's labor union, said because of the letter, the company had fired 21 workers and issued final reprimand letters to 700 workers for going on strike from April 18 to 23 to demand a salary increase. Kumbubuy said the workers would stay for three days in the agency's compound until their demands were met. If the agency failed to do so, he added, the workers would stop working indefinitely. Galib Yamco, another union leader, said the agency did not have the authority to prevent workers from staging a strike. Agency head Nikalous Mambor denied Trakindo's reprimand letters were issued based on his agency's letter preventing workers from striking. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Batam workers decry outsourcing Jakarta Post - August 15, 2008 Fadli, Batam -- Some 1,000 workers employed by foreign companies in Batam staged a rally on Thursday demanding an end to the practice of outsourcing in the region, which they said had left them without futures. "Thousands of workers in Batam have no future now because there is no certainty in their jobs," Indonesian Metal Workers Labour Union (FSPMI) chairman Anto Sujanto said at the rally. The outsourcing mechanism most companies in Batam used violates Law No 13/2003 on Manpower, Anto said in a dialog with the head of Batam labor agency. Many companies, for example, had used the mechanism to hire contract workers for their main work or had not provided health insurance for them. In some cases, he said, outsourcing is done on multiple levels and involves more than one outsourcing company. Consequently, many workers' take-home pay is much lower than it should be, Anto said. "Therefore, we demand the municipal administration fix this pressing situation. We can't let companies do as they please, because workers have no choice," Anto said. Outsourced worker Anita said her salary was Rp 200,000 (US$21) less than other workers in the same position and service term who were recruited directly by the same company she was assigned to. "Maybe our salaries are in fact the same, only mine is taxed by my outsourcing company," said Anita, also at the rally outside Batam municipality office. Responding to the protesters' demand, Batam Manpower Agency head Rudy Syakyakirti said his office had issued outsourcing licenses to 56 companies, but only around 10 were still operating. Rudy also said his office had difficulty enforcing employment regulations. "Most companies refuse to reveal their numbers of outsourced employees," he said, adding that his office lacked personnel and funding to effectively police the law on outsourced employment. "Which is why we mainly work based on reports which we follow-up," he said. Rudy sympathized with workers, but said "developed countries also use a similar mechanism". "Only their mechanisms are much better regulated," he said. "This (issue) comes under the authority of the central government." --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Tangerang shoe workers strike for holiday bonus Jakarta Post - August 22, 2008 Multa Fidrus, Tangerang -- Some 7,000 workers from PT Hardaya Aneka Shoe Industry (HASI), a former Nike supplier, began striking Thursday in Tangerang to protest company policy on Idul Fitri allowances (THR). "The management has announced this year all workers will receive less money for THR," Agus Widodo, the chair of HASI's workers union (SPN), told The Jakarta Post. He said workers received 241 percent of their monthly salary for THR last year but this year they were told to expect just 100 percent. The strike paralyzed production when HASI's 7,000 workers sat down inside the factory compound in Jatiuwung district, Tangerang municipality. The sit-down turned violent after factory security banned TV reporters from covering the strike. "Security banned journalists from covering our action. They are our friends, our defenders," one worker shouted in a speech. The workers then mobbed and attacked some 25 security officers at the factory. Police officers arrived later and managed to de-escalate the situation. Police immediately evacuated the security officers, already black and blue from the crowd's beating. Company representatives Agus Widodo, Sugeng and Fredy said the company had earlier asserted management would not change its THR policy. The strike was likely triggered by possible massive lay-offs due to an expected September termination of Nike's order contract. Nike Corporation, an American athletic apparel company, had sent a termination letter July 6, 2007, to Siti Hartati Murdaya, president director of PT Central Cipta Murdaya, HASI's holding company, the workers said. The letter said Nike intended to end cooperation with them and PT Naga Sakti Parama Shoes Industry (NASA). The termination letter then led to 13,000 workers from NASA and HASI, which manufacture shoes exclusively for Nike in Tangerang, to rally at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building on July 16 last year to demand Nike restore contracts with the companies. Agus said the massive lay-off might not take place because the company had secured new contracts with buyers such as Hitech of Taiwan and Armor and Columbia from the United States. --------------------------------------------------- http://allafrica.com/stories/200808270854.html Ghana: NPP Footsoldiers Protest Edmond Gyebi 27 August 2008 ________________________________________ ? Email| ? Print| ? Comment Share this on: ? ? ? ? ? Tamale ? Some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tamale who were used as polling station agents in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections, have accused the party leadership of neglecting them. According to the members, they are only recognized or become useful to the party leadership only when elections were approaching. The despondent polling agents made this assertion in an interview with The Chronicle during the recent visit of the party's flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo to the north. Their Spokesperson, Mr. Saddique Joe Lartey, a polling agent for the Gbewa International School Electoral Area in the Tamale Central, said the regional and Constituency executives of the party had failed to build their skills and capacities to become economically independent. He indicated that majority of the youth and the polling station agents had remained loyal and committed to the NPP, in spite of the neglect, because of their love for the party. Meanwhile, one major problem yet to be addressed by the NPP throughout Ghana is how to meet the needs and aspirations of its foot soldiers, who have since time immemorial complained bitterly about cynicism and lack of recognition by the leadership. The foot soldiers have on several occasions accused their leadership of seeking their selfish interests, at the detriment of the youth who do the real work for the projection and sustainability of the NPP. According to Mr. Joe Lartey, however, there had not been any significant improvement in the lives of the NPP foot soldiers since the party came to power, and that the few people who have some businesses have not received any meaningful support from the party, saying "It is very disturbing for the members of the NDC to mock some of us because they have not seen any change in our lives, even though our party is in power". Mr. Joe Lartey observed that it was likely that most of the polling agents would turn their back on the party in the December election, if nothing was done immediately. He indicated that the polling agents had sacrificed a lot for the party and deserved better treatment and recognition. Mr. Joe Lartey, who plies his trade as a tailor in Tamale, sadly revealed that three of the polling agents lost their lives when they were engaged by the party to man some centres in Kumbungu in the 2004 election. In reaction to the assertions by the polling agents, the Northern Regional Organiser of the NPP, Mr. Saibu Saani admitted that though the party had not been able to meet the entire needs of its foot soldiers, majority of them had benefited in diverse ways. Relevant Links ? West Africa ? Ghana He debunked the assertion that the party had deserted the polling agents and explained that the NPP hierarchy had always acknowledged their important contributions. The NPP Regional Organiser disclosed some of them in most cases expected instant rewards, which he said was not the best for party organization. Mr. Saani said most of the polling agents had benefited greatly from the party, while others had had their capacities built. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2728824.htm Darfur officials withdraw in protest at camp raid 02 Sep 2008 11:54:11 GMT Source: Reuters By Andrew Heavens KHARTOUM, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Eighteen Sudanese officials have withdrawn from posts in the Darfur region in protest at an attack by armed forces on a camp for displaced people that killed more than 30 people. The officials are all from a former southern rebel group which signed a peace deal with the northern based government in 2005 to end a conflict that had no direct links to the fighting in Darfur. "We have agreed to freeze our partnership with the national government. We are waiting in our homes. We are no longer in our positions," Omar Abdul Rahman Adam, minister of agriculture and irrigation for south Darfur state, told Reuters. "We told them we would have no part in the government. We are not going to see security violating the law when we are part of the government," said Adam. At least 32 people were killed when armed Sudanese forces raided Kalma camp in south Darfur last week, saying they were searching for weapons, U.N./African Union peacekeepers said. Aid sources said the dead included women and children. The officials who withdrew from their posts were all members of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a former southern rebel group that is now in a coalition government with the northern National Congress Party (NCP). As part of the 2005 peace deal, former rebels took up official posts in Sudan's administration, including in Darfur. Despite the fracture in the coalition on the ground in Darfur, it was unclear whether the withdrawal of the officials would have any implications at the national level. Senior SPLM officials made no immediate comment. Adam said the 18 officials would only return to work when they felt the NCP was serious about solving the Darfur conflict. International experts say the conflict has killed 200,000 people and driven more than 2.5 million to refugee camps like Kalma. Although there is no direct link between the north-south conflict and the one in Darfur, both are rooted in the feeling of marginalisation of people on Sudan's peripheries from traditionally Arab-dominated governments in Khartoum. Kalma has long been a flashpoint. Sudanese politicians and army officers have regularly accused bandits and rebel groups of using it as a base and a store for weapons and explosives. A spokesman for Sudan's armed forces said soldiers and police entered Kamla on Monday last week to search for arms and suspects. Government officials later accused the media of exaggerating the death toll. But the U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur criticised Sudan for using "excessive, disproportionate" force in the raid. South Darfur's governor Ali Mahmoud told state media on Tuesday the withdrawal of the SPLM ministers and government members was illogical and dismissed it as a "political move". (Additional reporting by Skye Wheeler in Juba) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080827150352766C371293 Safety a priority during protest - Woolworths August 27 2008 at 03:17PM The safety of staff and customers during the Saccawu protest march planned for Friday was Woolworths' main priority, the company said on Wednesday. "As the union embarks upon industrial action, this will be our key priority," said Zyda Rylands, Woolworths chief operating officer, support services. On Tuesday, the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union said its members would march in Durban at the end of the week against the retailer's alleged anti-union stance. This would be a one-day protected industrial action where the retailer's workers would gather under the banner of the union and hand over a memorandum to management at one of Woolworths' stores in Central Durban. Saccawu said the KwaZulu-Natal action would be followed by similar protests in Cape Town, scheduled for the following week. Woolworths said it recognised the right of the union to organise its members and embark on protest action. However, it would ensure that such action caused minimal disruption to customers and employees. "We are deeply committed to our employees and work very hard to develop and maintain sound direct relationships with all employees," said Rylands. Woolworths added that it would give Saccawu the appropriate recognition once it demonstrated it had sufficient representation. "I know that Saccawu will support the need for a peaceful protest," Rylands added. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080828171017875C602373 Cosatu backs Saccawu protest August 28 2008 at 06:28PM The Congress of SA Trade Unions has asked its members to support the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union in its protest actions against two retailers and a casino. In a statement on Thursday, Cosatu said it pledged its full support to Saccawu's protests against Pick 'n Pay, Woolworths and Emerald Casino. "Shop and casino workers are among the most exploited, overworked and underpaid employees, especially the growing number whose jobs have been casualised," said Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven. Saccawu has planned to march against the three companies on Friday. It has issued a notice of intention to strike to Pick 'n Pay and the union intends to stage protest marches against the retailer in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. A march against Woolworths will take place in Durban while Saccawu said it would embark on a strike at the Emerald Casino. "At a time when inflation is now officially at 13 percent, and food inflation much higher than that, all workers are suffering a severe cut in their standard of living, and Saccawu members are absolutely right to demand a living wage," Craven added. He called upon all Cosatu members to support Friday's marches. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080826112824546C731468 Woolworths protest moves to Durban August 26 2008 at 11:31AM Related Articles ? Woolies workers demand workers' rights ? Saccawu to march against Woolworths SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) members will march in Durban on Friday against the alleged anti-union stance of Woolworths. "After the successful protest action supported by hundreds of Woolworths workers, Saccawu as part of its national campaign against the anti-union stance of Woolworths, is moving its mass action to Durban," said the trade union in a statement on Tuesday. This would be a one-day protected industrial action where the retailer's workers would march under the banner of Saccawu and hand over their memorandum at one of Woolworths' stores in Central Durban. Saccawu said the KwaZulu-Natal action would be followed by similar protests in Cape Town, scheduled for the following week. "Details of logistics of the protest will be circulated to all media in the next two days. " Woolworths workers demand the beginning of negotiations for a recognition agreement, stop order facilities and access to company premises to conduct legitimate union business. "Instead the company continues with its tactics of intimidating of Saccawu members." The union said that before last week's action the company had sent circulars through its stores threatening workers of possible disciplinary action on a basis that had no bearing on the legal and protected industrial action by workers. Saccawu members on Thursday marched in protest through the streets of Johannesburg. They handed a memorandum to the company's management. Zyda Rylands, chief operating officer of support services at Woolworths, was quoted saying that the retailer respected the rights of its workers but would recognise only unions that "show us sufficient representativity. "From our perspective, they [Saccawu] have less than 15 percent and we don't believe that to be sufficient representativity". - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080826053831507C134096 Gag comes off NPA protest Karyn Maughan August 26 2008 at 08:23AM Prosecutors have swopped their "silent protest" at the government's failure to deliver on promised pay increases for loud and dance-filled demonstrations. Carrying placards and singing, nearly two-thirds of prosecutors based at the Johannesburg High Court on Monday gave up their lunch break to express their unhappiness at their justice bosses. They were supported by their colleagues at the Johannesburg magistrate's court. Dressed in their formal black and white court attire, state advocates belted out their own version of Jacob Zuma's Umshini wami (bring me my machine gun): Imali yam (bring me my money). "NPA = No Pay Anyway", "Crime Does Not Pay, Just Like The NPA" and "Why Should Professionals Beg?" were some of the messages emblazoned on protest posters. The unprecedented demonstration comes as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) prepares to file its response to prosecutors' Labour Court action on Wednesday. Prosecutors are furious Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla has repeatedly failed to up their salaries by a promised 10,5 percent, or implement the "occupational-specific dispensation" under which legal professionals should receive pay increases. After unsuccessfully waiting for the increases, which formed part of the salary agreement signed by public service trade unions and the government last year, dozens of NPA advocates face sequestration, blacklisting and repossession. Their union, the Public Servants' Association, has formally declared a dispute against the department of justice. On Monday, NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali praised prosecutors for protesting in a "peaceful and lawful manner". "They did not break the law by striking - they used their lunch break to demonstrate." http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080916110052165C167206 Plantscapers to protest against wages September 16 2008 at 11:06AM Two hundred Sonke plantscapers are to gather in Honeydew, Johannesburg, on Tuesday to march for wage increases, said the Hotel, Liquor, Catering, Commercial and Allied Workers' Union (Hotelicca). Sonke plantscapers is one of the outsourced national landscaping companies whose clients include hospitals, hotels, resorts, retail establishments, schools and universities. The plantscapers' are demanding across the board increase of 20 percent of the highest salary and a minimum wage of R3 800 a month, Hotelicca said in a statement. Other demands were the establishment of an affordable medical aid scheme, a 100 percent thirteenth cheque and maternity leave of six months with full pay. The workers also want long-service awards starting from three years at R500, five years R700, seven years R1 000 and ten years R1 500. - Sapa http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN649879.html t. S.Africa union to stage protest at Angloplat Tue 16 Sep 2008, 13:32 GMT [-] Text [+] JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's biggest mineworkers union said on Tuesday 17,000 of its members would take part in a march at the biggest mine owned by Anglo Platinum (Angloplat), but the protest would not affect output. The protest, over a social labour plan, would kick off on Wednesday afternoon after workers had ended their shift. Lizwi Kwezi, a branch official of the National Union of Mineworkers, said the workers would march on Angloplat's offices at Rustenburg mine, in South Africa's North West province. "This will be a peaceful march, and will not impact negatively on production or profits," he said. The mine is owned by the world's top platinum producer, Angloplat, a unit of Anglo American Plc. Angloplat spokesman Simon Tebele would not immediately comment about the intended protest. Kwezi said the social labour plan required Angloplat to fund development in areas from where it employs its labour from. So far, Angloplat had spent more money on the immediate area around Rustenburg, where it received the bulk of its workers, but had failed to spend much cash on developing projects in distant areas where some its workers hailed from. http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnJOE4910SD.html AngloGold workers protest S.African mine deaths Thu 2 Oct 2008, 11:43 GMT [-] Text [+] By James Macharia JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Three workers in South Africa died after three separate mining incidents as miners at AngloGold Ashanti's TauTona mine stopped work over a fatality there last week, union and company officials said on Thursday. AngoGold, Africa's top gold producer, said a worker died at the TauTona mine near Johannesburg when a tunnel collapsed early Thursday morning. Work had stopped in that section to conduct an investigation, the company said. The continent's third-biggest gold producer, Harmony Gold, said a worker was killed in a tunnel collapse at its Elandsrand mine, also near Johannesburg on Thursday. It said the section where the miner died was closed for an investigation. Unions said a third person died on Wednesday of injuries sustained when a rock fell on him at the Rustenburg mine on September 8. Rustenburg is the biggest operation owned by No.1 platinum producer Anglo Platinum, which is a unit of global mining giant Anglo American Plc. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said about 30,000 workers at AngloGold's Savuka mine stopped work for one day on Thursday to protest working conditions after a miner died there last week. The NUM has been putting pressure on mining companies to take action to prevent workers' deaths. Since last year, when a miner dies, union members at the mine stop work for one day to mark the death and to pressure the company to improve safety. "The NUM is shocked that while those whose hands stink of workers blood (and) smile all the way to the bank, hundreds of thousand of breadwinners' dependants are left with no food on their tables," NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said. Some 135 workers have died in South African mines so far this year, compared to 221 in the 2007 calendar year and 200 in 2006. Mining companies said that closing operations after fatalities, due to government shutdowns or union work stoppages, have led to production losses. They have promised to make safety a priority. Some companies have shut mines for several months to improve safety measures and have given workers safety training. The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has compiled a report on the safety of South African mines, which is likely to show that mines have poor safety compliance. The NUM, the country's biggest and mostly black union, and the traditionally white Solidarity union, want the findings released as soon as possible. The DME said the report may be made public once it has been presented to South Africa's new president, Kgalema Motlanthe. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080911095708259C170757 Workers may protest against Telkom September 11 2008 at 10:07AM Telkom's plan to outsource the running of its core networks has provoked a backlash from two unions, Business Day reported on Thursday. This may lead to a strike to keep the annual R4,8-billion task of running the networks in-house, the newspaper reported. The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) and the South African Communications Union were deciding whether to strike or seek an interdict to halt the outsourcing - unless managers agreed to listen to their proposals. CWU national treasurer Richard Poulton said the unions had declared a dispute against Telkom's unilateral restructuring. The CWU represents more than 65 percent of the workforce and it is angry that Solidarity, with 10 percent of the staff, largely backs the outsourcing plan, Business Day said. Telkom was studying proposals by local and global companies eager to manage its network infrastructure. "It believes outsourcing to a more experienced operator, a telecoms equipment supplier or a systems integrator, could save about R1,3-billion a year and boost service quality levels up to 15 percent," Business Day said. The newspaper quoted the CWU as saying: "We believe that the haste to outsource is linked to some people who have lost at Polokwane and want to secure their futures before April next year at the cost of workers and their families." - Sapa http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110304.html Kenya: Dock Workers Protest At Pay Raise Delay Gitonga Marete 10 September 2008 Nairobi ? The Dock Workers Union has protested over the delay by the Kenya Ports Authority to implement a 40 per cent salary increment announced two weeks ago. The employees accused the management of plotting to insert the controversial seven-day work schedule clause in the collective bargaining agreement and force them sign it before paying their arrears. "We have not been paid our arrears as agreed with the management," union deputy-secretary general Ezra Okong'o said on Tuesday. "The issue of the seven-day schedule was to be discussed later, but the management is reneging on our agreement." The schedule, in which employees would work for seven days without overtime payment, and which KPA unsuccessfully tried to introduce in July, has been a contentious issue. During a packed meeting at the Bandari College hall two weeks ago, secretary-general Simon Sang announced a 40 per cent salary increase for the unionisable staff after a month of negotiations. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=201765&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30257&date=12-2-2007 Bapco union 15 to hold pay protest By GEOFFREY BEW FIFTEEN members of the Bapco Trade Union board will go on a one-hour strike today to demand a pay rise. They will hold a demonstration outside the firm's headquarters, in Awali, at 3.30pm in a "symbolic" attempt to persuade management to look at their demands favourably. The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the union's board on Wednesday and union vice-president Mohammed Ali Doulabi said the action had the full support of workers. The company's 2,000 Bahraini employees are demanding a minimum 15 per cent increase in wages with immediate effect. They also want better health insurance and a substantial increase in housing allowances, to bring them in line with expatriate employees. Demands Trade union officials earlier said the union had told the management of their demands in writing on November 4 and had been promised a response within three weeks, but nothing had happened. "We have so many recommendations that we have raised with the Bapco management and we did not receive a reply," said Mr Doulabi. "We feel that we have no choice but to do this as nobody has listened to us." Bapco officials earlier said salaries were in line with the industry and the management ensured they remained competitive. They added wages had been increased by 18pc less than a year ago and there was no justification for another raise now. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/16/politics/politics_30083579.php NBTstaff protests for logo change A group of 20 technicians and staffers of state-run NBT TV stationl protest on Tuesday against the management of the station, demanding the station to return to be Channel 11. They reasoned that the station had been dragged into political conflicts and as a state media it had been used as politicians' tool, having lost its neutrality and credibility. They also demanded that the management fairly adjust the salary structure of the old and new staffers, citing that the new staffs enjoyed much higher salaries than the old staffers. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809011134.html Leadership (Abuja) Nigeria: Welders Protest Exclusion From Mines And Steel Ministry Ismail Tahir Funtua 31 August 2008 Nigeria Institute of Welding (NIW), the body mandated to regulate all welding activities in the country and bring it to international standards have protested their affiliation to bodies under the ministry of commerce instead of ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Making their position known to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, he body pleaded with the minister to use his position to ensure that the institute is placed under the direct supervision of the ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Speaking un behalf of his group, President institute, Mr Solomon Iyabosa Edebirin said the best place for the institute is with the ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Stressing that the institute is committed to explore all available resources and opportunities to improve on the current level of competence in welding technology in the country, Mr Edebiri, intimated the minister that it is still faced with the challenge of reluctance by a large section of the country's industrial sector to follow set standards and codes in welding practice. Other challenges he said, is resistance by multinational companies in the sector to accept the Nigerian welders, as well as the lack of modern welding and testing equipment for weld procedure qualifications and personnel certification, including inadequate welding personnel to provide the necessary support to the industry and inadequate resources for the surveillance teams across the country. The president assured the minister that members are committed to working with all relevant government agencies towards the attainment of the Federal Government's vision to make Nigeria one of the 20 most industrialised nations in the world. Responding to the demand to be affiliated to the ministry, the minister advised the institute which said that it is working closely with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to build capacity in welding technology through the NDDC skills acquisition program, train over 1,900 youths across the Niger Delta states, to try and synergise with all other related associations in order to create a synergy of institutions. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809010105.html Cameroon: Protesting Workers Ground Douala Council Joe Dinga Pefok 29 August 2008 ________________________________________ Hundreds of placard-wielding workers from all the five urban councils in Douala, August 27, grounded activities at the Douala City Council. They blocked all the gates into the council offices in Bonanjo to everyone except those who had to participate in talks between the Federation of Syndicates of Council Workers in Cameroon and two staff delegates from each of the councils concerned. Mostly dressed in black, the workers were protesting the failure of the Government Delegate, Dr. Fritz Ntone Ntone, and the City Council Finance Controller to approve the implementation of the 15-percent salary increase decreed by the president on the March 7. The message on some of the placards said that all the council workers would accept nothing short of the 15-percent increase. "Who made you a king?" was a question on one of the placards directed to the Government Delegate.Another message accused the Government Delegate of abusive retrenchment of workers.He was as well lambasted for refusing to dialogue. Playing Tough Ntone Ntone put up a tough show as he decided that members of the trade union and workers' representatives should first meet with his representatives, before they could meet him later. When the first part of the meeting ended at 12.15 pm, trade union spokesperson briefed the anxious workers, who said they would not listen to any story from the Government Delegate, other than that he should sign an order authorising the salary increase.The trade union spokesman then gave the protestors FCFA 10,000 to buy water. Mayors Plead Earlier, as the council workers warmed up for the strike action some of the mayors like Fran?oise Foning of Douala V and Denise Fampou of Douala II, pleaded with workers to exercise patience. The, however, were not against the demand for the salary increase. But they are all tying the increase to the flow of more subventions from Douala Urban Council.It is worth noting that the Douala City Council gives annual subventions from additional tax to the five councils. In the past years, mayors who failed to promptly pay workers always told the workers that the council had delayed the payment of the subventions.As for the Mayor of the SDF-run Bonaberi (Douala IV) Council, John Ndangle Kumase, he told reporters that the Douala City Council had unfairly reduced the monthly subvention to Bonaberi Council from FCFA 20 million a month to FCFA 12.5 million. He said the problem is not lack of will, but rather the lack of means. He told the press that had written to the Government Delegate to appeal to him to reinstate the old subvention rate of the council, to enable him implement the salary increase. But the Mayor, who didn't wait for Ntone Ntone's response, said he had already given instructions that the salary increase be calculated and included in the workers' salaries as from the end of this month. Letter To Minister In a letter dated March 26, 2008 to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Ntone Ntone said he presented the problem concerning the demand for salary increase and subventions.He said he was waiting for hierarchy to give instructions on what he should do. Till date, the minister's response is still awaited. Meanwhile, the letter reminded the minister that the workers of the Douala City Council had had a 10.26 percent salary increase in 2002, following presidential decree No. 2000 / 214 of 27 July, 2000. He said what the workers now deserve is a 4.74-percent increase of. Ntone Ntone also reminded the minister that in accordance with the instruction in 1994 by the then Vice Prime Minister in charge of Territorial Administration, workers of the then Douala Urban Council were not affected by the second salary cuts of 1993. At press time, Ntone Ntone had asked the disgruntled workers for a week during which he would discuss with hierarchy in Yaounde.He said he would meet the workers on Thursday, September 4 to give them the feedback. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809180440.html Nigeria: Ajaokuta Steel Workers Protest Non Payment of Salary Sam Egwu 18 September 2008 Lokoja ? Hundreds of workers of the Ajaokuta Steel Company yesterday staged a peaceful protest over non payment of salary in the last nine months. They marched through the Lokoja-Abuja road to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, an action that led to a long hold up of vehicles coming from the east to Abuja and other parts of the country. It was gathered that the immediate cause of the workers' action was the termination of the concession agreement between the Federal Government and Global Infrastructures Holdings Limited since April. They urged Kogi State government to prevail on the Federal Government to persuade the management of the company to pay the backlog of salary arrears it owes them in the last nine months. Spokesman of the workers Abdul Kareem Jimoh told the Governor Ibrahim Idris that they have been subjected to serious hardship for non-payment of salary arrears, and therefore appealed to him to intervene in the matter before the situation goes off hand. Jimoh said no fewer than 60 of them have died as a result of the situation, and that many homes of their colleagues have been broken as mothers and housewives have deserted their matrimonial homes because of poverty. He said many have resulted into eating raw cassava and untidy foods in addition to resorting to menial jobs and farming for survival. He also said many of their children have been sent out of schools because of the inability of their parents to pay school fees, saying several pregnant women died as result of untold hardship. Responding, the Deputy Governor, Chief Philip Salawu, who spoke on behalf of Governor Ibrahim Idris, who was away to Abuja on official assignment, appealed to the workers to calm down that their message would be conveyed to the Federal Government.Governor Idris told the steel workers that the state government is not unaware of their plight, adding that the state executive and House of Assembly would find means of getting to the highest authority in Abuja to plead on their behalf. He sympathized with the families of those who have lost their lives in the cause of struggle for survival, praying to God to grant their souls eternal rest. The story changed as the protesting workers got back to their base at Ajaokuta resulting in the blocking of the expressway from Kogi East and all the travelers from South East and South South, through Ajaokuta to Abuja. It took the intervention of the security operatives from Lokoja to clear the way for motorists and other travelers to pass. The heavy presence of men of the Mobile Police Force did not allow the protest to degenerate into violence. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080919-161627/Laid-off-workers-of-Quezon-City-restaurant-hold-protest Laid off workers of Quezon City restaurant hold protest By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net First Posted 11:51:00 09/19/2008 Filed Under: Food, Strike, Protest, Labor MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) Laid off workers from a restaurant in Quezon City protested outside its main office in West Avenue early Friday morning, calling for a boycott of the restaurant's products. Seventy-three workers from Kowloon House who were terminated last September 15, allegedly because of conducting illegal labor protests, gathered outside the restaurant's main office as early as 7 a.m. Edmund Navarosa, Kowloon Workers Union president, told INQUIRER.net that that the group dispersed quietly at around 1 p.m. Navarosa said the 73 workers were laid off by Kowloon after the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) ruled that their protests last June 20 were illegal. The NLRC decision found the 73 workers ?guilty of conducting illegal strikes? and were fined P40,000 for exemplary damages. After the decision was released, the management of Kowloon House immediately terminated the employees, but not after giving them their separation pay, said Miguela Rey, accountant of the restaurant. But Navarosa said they were laid off despite a pending motion for reconsideration by the workers? union. He also stressed that the group was merely practicing their right to ?freedom of expression,? because the management of Kowloon allegedly failed to grant them an across the board wage increase as mandated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under Wage Order No. 13 released last August 2007. Wage Order No.13 gives a P12 pay increase and integrates the P50 cost of living to the basic daily pay of workers in the private sector in the National Capital Region. This has increased their minimum daily wage to P362. The wage increase applies to all minimum wage earners in the private sector in Metro Manila, regardless of position, designation or status of employment and irrespective of the method by which they were paid. But Rey denied Navarosa?s claim, saying, ?Anong hindi binigay, na-delay lang pero binigay din [What are they saying? It was given, it was delayed but it was released]. In fact, binigyan pa namin sila ng [we even gave them] back wages.? She added that several of the employees were even paid above minimum wage, at more than P400 a day. Navarosa acknowledged that Kowloon granted them a salary increase, but dismissed them after. ?Binigay nga nila pero tinanggal naman kami [They gave it to us but we were terminated],? he added. The group demanded a public boycott of all products of Kowloon House; the rehiring of the 73 terminated employees; and for another round of wage increase. ?Bahala sila [It?s up to them]. Pero ang customer naman may sariling pag-iisip [But our customers have their own minds],? Rey said, reacting to boycott calls. She added that some 20 of the 73 workers were re-hired by the company after several consultations. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/122821/Dismissed-LRT-workers-hold-protest-as-House-panel-tackle-DOTC-budget Dismissed LRT workers hold protest as House panel tackle DOTC budget 09/25/2008 | 12:12 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us MANILA, Philippines - A group of former Light Rail Transit (LRT) employees on Thursday staged a protest in front of the Batasan Complex in Quezon City, as lawmakers deliberate on the proposed budget of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). A radio report said members of the Pinag-isang Lakas ng Manggagawa ng Metro-National Federation of Workers Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (Piglas-NFWU-KMU) trooped to the Batasan Complex saying that instead of pushing for the approval of their P23.56 billion budget, the DOTC should first settle their ?debts" with the dismissed LRT employees. The group said the DOTC owes them P229 million in back wages and separation pay, when it ?illegally" dismissed 211 employees. The employees were relieved from work after participating in a July 2000 strike which was triggered after the employees and the management reached a deadlock in the negotiations for their collective bargaining agreement. In an earlier ruling by the National Labor Relations Commission, the LRTA and the Metro Transit Organization Inc (MTOI) were being ordered to jointly compensate the dismissed workers. The MTOI is a government-owned and controlled corporation that formerly operated the LRT Line 1. However, the Court of Appeals 13th Division later ruled against the NLRC decision and said that only the MTOI, and not the LRTA, should pay up the said amount. According to the appellate court, the LRTA could not be held liable for the unpaid wages because the dismissed workers were actually employees of MTOI. In April, however, the Supreme Court?s Third Division ruled in favor of the employees and said their relief was illegal. The High Court ordered the MTOI to pay the workers P208 million in back wages and P21 million in legal fees. - Mark Merue?as, GMANews.TV http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/04/rss.htm#34 Labour leaders protest in Jacobabad Saturday, 04 Oct, JACOBABAD: A protest rally was taken out by the Mazdoor Shehri Ittehad against the issuance of a cheque of Rs30.576 million by roads department Jacobabad to a labour leader on Saturday. The rally started from Quaid-e-Azam road and after passing through different streets, reached outside the press club. The protesters were carrying banners, placards and raised slogans against DCO and DO roads Jacobabad. They also observed token hunger strike for two hours. About 200 labourers observed token hunger strike. They were led by president Mazdoor Ittehad, Haji Ghulam Nabi, Shaban Majhoo, Abdul Karim, Roshan Mundrani, Ghulam Rasool Soomro. (Posted @ 20:30 PST) http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/videos/2008/aug/aug31/video02.php Journalists protest against Nepal1 TV Showing solidarity with Nepal1 Television journalists and their demands, other journalists from the Federation of Nepalese Journalists joined Nepal1 TV journos in a protest rally in front of the south gate of Singha Durbar. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai_Over_10000_protesters_held/rssarticleshow/3386045.cms Chennai: Over 10,000 protesters held 20 Aug 2008, 1822 hrs IST, PTI Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: CHENNAI: More than 10,000 CITU and members of other Left-affiliated unions were arrested across Tamil Nadu for staging road and rail blockades. Members of CITU protest in Chennai. (TOI Photo) More Pictures The nation-wide strike, however, evoked little response in the state. All public transport services operated as usual while industrial establishments reported normal attendance. Work in public sector banking and insurance sectors was partially affected with sections of the employees taking part in the strike. Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association Secretary R Muthusundaram claimed in a release that more than 2 lakh employees participated in the agitation. In Chennai, four private airlines cancelled their flights to Kolkata on Wednesday morning following reports of a total strike in Left-ruled West Bengal. All other flights were operated on schedule. The wholesale Koyambedu market, the supplier of vegetables to the city and suburbs, functioned as usual. CITU state Secretary A Sounderajan and CPM MLA Mahendran were among those arrested in Chennai, while CITU organising secretary Vikraman along with 1,700 others were arrested in front of the Madurai Railway Junction. A report from Coimbatore said over 6,500 people, including 900 women were arrested for either trying to stage road-blockade or picketing in and around the temple city. It said around 70 per cent of the 3,000 hosiery units functioned as usual in the garment export hub of Tirupur, considered to be a bastion of Left trade unions. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082651410300.htm Andhra Pradesh Spirited protest ? Photo: Mohd. Arif taking to the streets: Anganwadi workers picketing at the collectorate in Sangareddy on Monday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/27/stories/2008082752820300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati Workers stage protest TIRUPATI: The workers of a closed down unit in Nagari town of Chittoor district staged a protest against the management of the factory belonging to Chiranjeevi?s elder son-in-law L.Vishnu Prasad to coincide with the film star?s public meeting. Wearing black masks to indicate ?darkness surrounding their lives?, the workers of the factory took out a procession in Chittoor town on Monday. They shouted slogans against the management of L.V.R. Dong-In-Granites, for announcing a lock-out and planning to take labourers afresh on contract basis. They wanted Chiranjeevi to come to their rescue. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083153460400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Gram panchayati union to protest HYDERABAD: The AP Gram Panchayati Employees and Workers? Union has resolved to protest the arrest of its large number of members by attending duties sporting black badges for a week and by holding relay hunger-strikes before the mandal revenue offices on September 9, 10 and 11. P. Bhaskar, general secretary, in a statem http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090354640300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Basivins protest KURNOOL: Basivins (temple dancers) led by TDP leader Bangi Ananthaiah staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to protest against delay in releasing the bank deposits even after expiry. Mr. Ananthaiah said the Basivin women were given financial assistance five years ago but the amounts were deposited in the name of beneficiaries in the banks.-Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092051700300.htm Karnataka - Shimoga Casual and contract workers of BSNL stage protest Special Correspondent For justice: Casual and contract workers of BSNL staging a demonstration in Shimoga on Friday. SHIMOGA: Casual and contract workers in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) held a demonstration here on Friday in support of their demands, including regularisation of their services. They took out a procession and staged a demonstration on the premises of BSNL District Headquarters shouting slogans in support of their demands. The demonstration, organised by the Shimoga unit of the Karnataka State BSNL Non-Permanent Workers? Union, was in response to the call given by the All India Casual and Contract Workers? Federation. Demands The demonstrators said that they were suffering as labour laws were not adhered to and minimum wages were not paid. They were demanding payment of minimum wages, regularisation of the services of all casual labourers, extension of statutory benefits like the F.P.F. and E.S.I, payment of bonus and adherence to labour laws. The District president of the Union S.A. Devaraj and the District Secretary Raghavendra led the demonstration. They presented a memorandum to the General Manager of BSNL, Shimoga. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091552140300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Khammam Panchayati raj employees stage protest Staff Reporter Many of their demands have no financial implication, says MLA Photo G. N. Rao Show of solidarity: Thammineni Veerabhadram, MLA and CPI(M) central committee member, trying his hand at cooking rice on the road with protesting panchayati raj employees in Khammam on Sunday. KHAMMAM: Panchayati raj employees on Sunday cooked their meal on the road as part of their protest. They served the meal prepared on road to the political leaders and elected representatives who took part in the protest expressing their solidarity for the employees on stir. Khammam MLA Thammineni Veerabhadram helped the protesters in cooking rice while other politicians tried out their hand in preparing other dishes. The panchayati raj employees have for over a week been on the roads demanding the government to consider 16 of their demands which included payment of salaries under head 010. Later addressing protesters, Mr Veerabhadram said that the demands of the panchayati raj employees would be taken up with the Government. He said the demands were genuine ones and many of them had no financial implication. Sujathanagar MLA Ramreddy Venkata Reddy also sympathised with protesting employees. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091754920500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur Panchayat Raj staff stage silent protest Staff Reporter ?Congress too following the path of TDP regime? Lending support: CITU activists taking out a procession in support of the PR employees? stir in Anantapur on Tuesday. ANANTAPUR: Panchayat Raj employees took out a silent protest through the main street, Subhash Road, in the town, here on Tuesday, the 11th day of their continuing agitation in support of their long-pending demands. Activists of CITU and A.P. Gram Panchayat Workers? Union (GPWU) also took out a procession in support of the employees. Tying black bands across their mouths and holding placards written with slogans relating to their demands, marked the silent protest taken out from ZP Office to Tower Clock and back. Activists of CITU and GPWU took out a procession from the CITU office to ZP office raising slogans in support of the striking employees and against the government?s alleged negligence towards the agitation. District general secretary of CITU M. Imtiaz alleged that the Congress Government in the State is following the same policy that was followed by the previous TDP regime towards the State Government employees. While the previous government had engaged about 2 lakh candidates as contract employees without any rights, the present government is exploiting 5.4 lakh contract employees in the same fashion, he alleged. It?s time for all the associations, employee and worker unions to be united to wage a battle against the government to achieve the judicious demands, he said. About 200 Gram Panchayat workers from 33 major panchayats, CITU activists N. Krishnamurthy, Ramanjaneyulu, J. Chandramohan, Mareppa and others participated. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091453150300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur Civic workers protest Staff Reporter ANANTAPUR: The municipal engineering contract workers of the Municipal Corporation, under the aegis of AITUC, took out a procession from the corporation office to the residence of local legislator B. Narayana Reddy and staged a dharna as part of their 12-day old agitation demanding minimum wages to the workers. Led by AITUC leaders and leaders of contract workers? association C. Jaffer, Syed Amir, D. Raja Reddy, Bala Peddanna and others, the workers on the agitation went in a procession to the legislator?s residence and explained to the MLA that they were being exploited for long by the non-implementation of minimum wages by the municipal authorities. Besides, the engineering authorities had been swindling huge funds as they had been drawing wages for 325 workers and had been paying only 283. Wages pertaining to the rest were being pocketed by the engineering authorities, Mr. Jaffer alleged. Sacking workers In the standing committee meeting held on Friday it was also decided to sack most of the contract workers on the pretext that the engineering authorities had told the panel that only 151 workers were needed and the rest had to be removed. However, the AITUC-led workers? association is not accepting the decision and is demanding the retention of all the workers. The legislator summoned Commissioner Nagabhushanam to his residence and told him to order and inquiry into the allegation of swindling of funds in the name of excess workers in the engineering section. The legislator also assured AITUC leaders of resolving the issue of minimum wages by September 25. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091052360300.htm Tamil Nadu - Erode Protest against ?unfair fine? Staff Reporter ERODE: Employees of Cooperative Department, affiliated to the CITU, staged a protest here on Tuesday, as part of the State-wide agitation called by the trade union. The employees protested against the ?unfair fine? imposed upon erring employees of fair price shops. Missing They said that it is unjust that the Government should demand the employees to pay fine if any of the commodities are missing. Good packing They also said that their repeated demands to supply goods with right quantity and good packing were yet to be taken up by the Government. Sick cooperative They also sought abrogation of the rule that demanded the employees of sick cooperative societies to make a written submission foregoing 50 per cent of their salary to get the remaining 50 per cent. Hundreds of employees participated. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100556171600.htm Karnataka Coaches protest mark opening day?s proceedings Special Correspondent MYSORE: Mayhem, chaos and confusion marked the opening day of the Dussera Games schedule at the Chamundi Vihar Sports Complex here on Saturday. Sports Authority of Karnataka coaches demanding regularisation of their jobs and wage parity voiced their protest during the inauguration and were bodily carried away under preventive custody. The programme did not get underway till 5 p.m. With the likes of SAK coach Damodar Gowda ? a former international athlete, and a couple of other protestors being dealt with so firmly, there was an air of unease hanging over the venue. There was some consolation for the coaches as the DYSS Commissioner and the Deputy Directors met the Sports Minister and the PA to the chief minister, and discussed tabling the demands of the protestors. By then, it started raining and only the indoor disciplines and those games not affected by the protests got underway. Sources declared late in the evening that while wage parity could be addressed with a few performance-based riders, the regularisation of the coaches? jobs would not be possible due to various factors involved. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093050740200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai SRMU demonstration Staff Reporter MADURAI: The Southern Railway Mazdoor Union has demanded payment of bonus with a ceiling of Rs. 3,500 as promised by the Union Government. Addressing a demonstration here on Monday, its Madurai divisional secretary, J.M. Rafi, said that the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, had refused to effect the increase of Rs. 1,000 on ceiling on bonus to railway employees. The Union Finance Ministry claimed that the hike on bonus ceiling was profit-linked. When the bonus ceiling was increased from Rs. 1,600 to Rs. 2,500 years back, the issue of profit-linking was not considered. They also sought disbursement of arrears under the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations as cash and not through banks. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/27/stories/2008092757570300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin BSNL employees stage demonstration Staff Reporter ? Photo: N.Rajesh. agitation: BSNL employees staging a demonstration in Tuticorin on Friday. Tuticorin: United Forum comprising BSNL Employees? Union staged a demonstration here on Friday. Their demands include minimum productivity linked incentive of Rs.10, 000 to all non-executive employees as per the agreement reached between the BSNL management and union last year. The agitation was led by T.K. Srinivasan, district vice-president, BSNL Employees? Union, M. Jeyamurugan, district secretary, BSNL Employees Union. V. Ramachandran, district president of National Union of BSNL Workers and S. Perumal, district secretary, Telecom Employees Progressive Union, spoke. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092052180300.htm Other States - Puducherry Government staff stage demonstration Special Correspondent PUDUCHERRY: Employees owing allegiance to the Coordination Committee of Central and State Government Employees? Associations staged a demonstration near the head post office here on Friday demanding among other things removal of anomalies in the VI Pay Commission?s recommendations. Led by K.Meenakshisundaram and R.Anandarajan, the employees raised slogans urging the government not to abolish the Class IV posts and the jobs should not be left to contractors. The employees also demanded restoration of old pension scheme, fixing new ceiling for bonus, removal of the criterion of efficiency for annual increments and regularisation of the service of daily rated employees who had been receiving consolidated pay. The employees called for strict implementation of labour laws relating to disbursement of minimum wages, adherence to working hours and guaranteeing social security. Another demand was that the government should ensure the supply of essential commodities through public distribution system. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082652130300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Khammam Anganwadi workers hold demonstration Staff Reporter Seek implementation of the promised hike in remuneration and facilities on a par with other employees ? Photo: G.N. Rao FOR A FAIR DEAL: Anganwadi workers staging a demonstration in Khammam on Monday. KHAMMAM: The Andhra Pradesh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers? Union on Monday organised a demonstration in front of the Collectorate demanding implementation of the hike promised by the government in their remuneration. Thousands of anganwadi workers squatted on the road bringing the vehicular traffic to a standstill. They raised slogans seeking issue of GO on their remuneration. Addressing the protesters, union district president Ch. Sita Mahalakshmi pointed out that the hike was announced by the government in the budget session. But it did not materialise till date. The inflationary trends had the worst impact on the lives of anganwadi workers. She stated that anganwadi workers were playing crucial role in woman and child development. They deserved all the benefits of the third class employees. The helpers must be treated as the fourth class employees with retirement benefits. Besides this, she demanded allotment of house sites for anganwai workers and payment of insurance for all those workers died since 2007. She pleaded for payment of TA and DA for ayaas. She emphasised the need for prompt payment of the remuneration. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083054820400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Unorganised workers hold demonstration CHENNAI: The Unorganised Workers? Federation staged a demonstration on Friday to highlight the alleged denial of social security benefits by the Tamil Nadu Labour Welfare Board. Various trade unions representing the unorganised sectors such as construction, agriculture, fishing, weaving and pottery took part in the agitation to press for implementing a 23-point charter of demands. ? Special Correspondent From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 19:46:16 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:46:16 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Worker protests - global North - Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9B9F8.6090709@tesco.net> * IRELAND: Building workers blockade union offices * IRELAND: Nurses; cleaners protest * GERMANY: VW workers march for special status * FRANCE: Renault strike over cuts * POLAND - BELGIUM: Protest to save Gdansk * UK: Biscuit workers protest to keep jobs * LATVIA: Doctors, police protest low wages * US: Protest at anti-union builder * Firefighters quit * Pilots protest UPS deal * Mill owners protested * UK: Sacking causes union protest * US: Pilots protest forced leave * CANADA: Hiring practices protest * AUSTRALIA: Geoscientists protest over pay * Queensland public workers protest * US: Washington protest to "save our jobs" * Workers protest plant closure * Airline protest * CANADA: Aerospace strike over safety * US: Detroit - bus protest * AUSTRALIA: Hospital admin protest * EUROPE - FRANCE: Rail demo in Paris http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlqlcwauau/rss2/ Protesting BATU members ordered to vacate offices Print Email+ Share 11/09/2008 - 15:16:50 Members of the Building and Allied Trade Unions (BATU) have today been ordered by the High Court to vacate the union offices in north Dublin where they have been staging a sit-in protest. Mr Justice Kevin Feeney also ordered them to take down the brick wall which was built in front of the entrance. It follows an ongoing dispute between members and management regarding financial issues within the union. BATU members are demanding the resignation of the general secretary, and want the union to opens its books to an auditor. An interlocutory injunction is now in place restraining them from occupying the building. http://www.breakingnews.ie/Ireland/mhqlgbqlqlgb/rss2/ Building union members threaten more protests 08/09/2008 - 17:13:15 Members of a construction industry trade union who blockaded their headquarters in a row with management warned today they would escalate their protest unless union bosses enter talks. Eighteen men with the Building and Allied Trade Union (Batu) barricaded themselves into the head office demanding the resignation of the union chief and an internal audit. The sit-in at Blessington Street on Dublin?s northside follows the redundancy of two union officials last May, allegedly laid off as part of cost-cutting measures. Dan O?Connell, spokesman for the protestors, said it was imperative Batu chief Paddy O?Shaughnessy agree to talks. ?If he comes down and talks to us maybe we can resolve this before it gets out of control,? he said. ?People are talking now about blockading the whole street. ?People want to bring it to a head now. We?re coasting along at the minute. ?The ideal situation is if Paddy comes and says lads lets sit down.? Union members claimed they were taking the action over the treatment of the workers laid off last May and the lack of transparency with the union?s finances. Mr O?Connell said there are dozens of union members involved in the sit-in and that there is always 18 present. ?We always have at least 18,? he said. ?We have the place locked down. ?We are now in the process of asking him (Mr O?Shaughnessy) to step down. ?We are waiting for a response either way from him. We want him to step down and put himself forward for re-election.? http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojmhgbau/rss2/ Nurses protest in Cavan over working hours Print Email+ Share 29/08/2008 - 08:38:01 Nurses at Cavan General Hospital will protest this lunchtime claiming the nationally agreed 37.5-hour working week has not been implemented there. INO members said they will be highlighting the "abject failure" of management to implement this working week for all nurses and midwives at the hospital. They said they are comparing themselves with colleagues around the country who now enjoy a shorter week. Industrial Relations Officer with the INO Joe Hoolan said if something is not done, the action will escalate. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0930/1222719690840.html Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Cleaners protest over dismissals In this section ? ? Tributes paid to Bernadette Greevy ? A remarkable voice of remarkable longevity ? Survey shows support for tax increase for better services ? Major car dealer agrees not to engage in 'clocking' ? Minister links children's cereals to health issues ? Emissions target will not be met, says Smith A group protests outside the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions at Loughlinstown, in Dublin, yesterday. They were supporting cleaning staff who say they have been unfairly dismissed by a contract firm. Photograph: Cyril Byrne STEVEN CARROLL and CHARLIE TAYLOR A PROTEST was mounted in south Dublin yesterday by a team of cleaners who claim they were unfairly dismissed from contract jobs at an EU-founded organisation which monitors working conditions. The six local women worked at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) in Loughlinstown for between nine and 18 years. They claim they were sacked for complaining about working with chemicals and not receiving wages on time. The workers were not directly employed by the organisation but by a series of contractors. They say working conditions deteriorated when AFM Ireland, a Blanchardstown-based cleaning company, took over the contract at the premises some 18 months ago. "We had to use shoddy equipment and the final straw was the chemicals they brought in three months ago. Everybody was coming down with chest infections and we said enough is enough and complained," said Bridget Tresson, one of the cleaners. Ms Tresson said the six cleaners requested a meeting with AFM management on September 8th, but this did not take place. "Despite promises, nobody came out to meet us until Friday. But when they did, it was to say goodbye and tell us new people were starting and our P45s would be with our wages." They were replaced by four Lithuanians. AFM Ireland's director, Paul Higgins, denied the six employees had been sacked and said that he was "absolutely shocked" the protest was taking place. Mr Higgins said there had only been one instance in which the cleaners had been paid late and this was due to a problem with the company accounting system. He said there had never been a complaint concerning the chemicals used by the company before. "I have the same chemicals in use at quite a number of sites and there's no issue with them. If there was, we would have removed them immediately . . . It seems like they are making a case over nothing," he said. "The women say they were sacked but they gave us notice that they were leaving . . . We wanted them to stay." Mr Higgins denied the company had taken on new cleaners on a lower wage. "We are subject to the Joint Labour Council wage rates and I can guarantee that everyone is paid the same rates." Ms Tresson said it was "ridiculous" to think they would quit. "We live in the area and have worked here for years. We're not just going to quit like that." A spokesman for Eurofound said the organisation had a facilities contract in place with a company called Vector Management which, in turn, employs AFM for cleaning services at its premises. "We have very strict guidelines on how we impose rights on to our contractors and if there's anything coming out of this we would look at that again," he said. http://uk.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP/idUKLC58303220080912?feedType=RSS&feedName=consumerproducts-SP Thousands protest in support of VW law in Germany Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:04pm BST WOLFSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Thousands of Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) staff staged one of the biggest protests in the carmaker's history on Friday to show their support for a a German law that gives the firm special state protection. Both the European Commission and Porsche (PSHG_p.DE), Volkswagen's biggest shareholder, oppose the so-called VW law, which gives the state of Lower Saxony extra power to shape company strategy with its shareholding of just over 20 percent. Union IG Metall said 40,000 Volkswagen workers from inside and outside Germany protested outside the company's works at its Wolfsburg headquarters. They were joined by staff from MAN (MANG.DE), the truckmaker in which VW holds a large stake. "In times of shareholder value and finance market-driven capitalism we need more, not fewer VW laws in our country," IG Metall's leader Berthold Huber shouted in a passionate address to the noisy demonstration. After the EU's highest court ruled last October that the 48-year old law violated EU rules on the free flow of capital and needed changing, the German government made changes aimed at satisfying concerns in Brussels. But those changes were rejected as insufficient by EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy. Huber told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung daily he would shift the protests to Brussels if the Commission lodged another complaint against the VW law, as McCreevy's office has threatened. Earlier this week, Lower Saxony's premier said the state would raise its stake in Europe's biggest carmaker to 25 percent to retain its blocking minority if necessary. (Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Louise Ireland) http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4606010 Renault workers walk out in protest STRIKE CALLED OVER PLANNED JOB CUTS + Click to Enlarge JOBS UNDER THREAT: Workers gather outside a Renault plant in Sandouville, France after they stopped work in protest against planned job cuts. Image: AFP September 11, 2008 Thousands of Renault workers walked off the job today (September 11) in protest against a plan to cut 4000 jobs in France. Renault said the strikes did not affect all of its factories while union officials said disruptions lasted one or two hours. Workers were protesting a plan announced on Tuesday (September 9) for the "voluntary departure" of 4000 Renault employees in France by April 2009 and an additional 2000 job cuts elsewhere in Europe. Renault employs 41 000 people in France and is struggling to overcome the effects of a sluggish domestic and European market About 1500 people stand to lose their jobs at Douai . It says the cuts could save ?350-million (about R4-billion) in 2009 and ?500-million (about R5.7-billion) in 2010. The CGT union called for the strike action. A management spokesman at the Douai factory in northern France, which employees 5600 people, said only "a dozen" workers were taking part in the strike while union officials declined to give figures. About 1500 people stand to lose their jobs at Douai. Union officials said 20 percent of the 4500 staff at the Cleon factory near the western city of Rouen walked off the job for two hours. Renault, however, said less than 10 percent of staff at Cleon had walked off the job and that less than seven percent of workers had taken part elsewhere. CGT spokesman Fabien Gache said he was "mostly satisfied" with participation in the protests held as management met with employees to outline the number of jobs to be cut at each factory. - AFP http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Shipyard_protests_get_under_way_in_Brussels,id,348619.htm Shipyard protests get under way in Brussels 2008-10-03, 15:36 A protest of Polish shipyard workers started in Brussels this afternoon. Workers from the Gdansk shipyard gathered in front of the European Commission to demand support for the plans saving their yard. Brussels has not as yet received such a plan but is waiting for the documents signaling that there is still hope for the Gdansk shipyard. The Gdansk shipyard is a relatively small company, the only one which had been privatised and which received the smallest grant from the budget. The Polish government has to present a separate restructuring plan, only for the Gdansk yard. The initial one, which combined the Gdansk yard with Gdynia, has been rejected by the EU Commissioner for competition Neelie Kroes. Neelie Kroes has also not accepted the restructuring plan for the Szczecin shipyard. If the European Commisison formally rejects the plans, the yards will have to repay the state aid received and will be faced with bankrupcy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/7652503.stm Saturday, 4 October 2008 13:26 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protest to keep 950 biscuit jobs Biscuit factory workers and residents have been protesting to keep about 950 jobs in a Staffordshire town. The demonstration to save Fox's Biscuits in Uttoxeter followed a petition launched by workers. Northern Foods wants to merge its plants in Uttoxeter and Batley, West Yorkshire, and build a new factory on one of the sites by 2011. It said staff at the plant which shuts would be offered jobs at the new base. A decision is expected in early 2009. The Uttoxeter site employs about 950 people, while 1,280 staff work at Batley. Northern Foods has said both factories were old and in need of investment. The company has begun a period of consultation with regional development agencies, local councils and unions to decide which plant to shut. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/26/europe/EU-Latvia-Protests.php Latvian doctors, police protest low wages The Associated Press Published: September 26, 2008 RIGA, Latvia: Health workers, teachers and police are demonstrating in the Latvian capital to demand higher salaries. Several protests are being held in Riga where anger is growing against the government's decision to freeze public sector wages. Authorities say about 1,500 medical workers and teachers took part in a rally Friday. Protesters wielded signs saying "Don't make us go work abroad" and "Save us, we save you." About 200 police officers staged a rally outside the Interior Ministry later Friday demanding a wage increase. The government has decided to freeze public sector wages in an effort to rein in public spending next year. Latvia's economy has stalled following years of double-digit growth. http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2008/08/29/news/valley/b1--shpicket_art.txt Union stages protest at Avalon Huntington site Friday, August 29, 2008 6:41 AM EDT By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief SHELTON ? A union is demonstrating outside the Avalon Huntington apartment complex, which is under construction on Bridgeport Avenue, to protest alleged work, hiring and wage practices. Jeff Wolcheski, a business representative and organizer with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters union, said AvalonBay Communities Inc. has been hiring subcontractors that employ immigrant workers who are being paid substandard wages. Wolcheski said wages have been paid in cash, without the proper removal of taxes. ?The cheaper they can get the job done, the more money they make,? Wolcheski said. ?They have a lot of Latinos who don?t speak the language who reached out to us. These guys are making $8 to $10 an hour.? Wolcheski said workers are being misclassified as independent subcontractors, which he said lets contractors circumvent the law with regard to state and federal taxes, workers? compensation and unemployment benefits. None of the demonstrators, who held signs with messages like ?AvalonBay ? Support Tax and Insurance Fraud,? are working on the project themselves, according to Wolcheski. ?If they were operating legitimately, we wouldn?t be here,? Wolcheski said. ?They shouldn?t take advantage of people because they don?t speak the language or understand how things are supposed to work.? The pickets got several supportive beeps from passing motorists Thursday. ?We?ll be here for a while, until we can get them to adhere to community standards,? Wolcheski said. ?We?ll keep going out to make people aware of it. We?ve been getting a ton of public support.? Scott Kinter, vice president of construction for New England with AvalonBay, said union and nonunion workers are used on the company?s projects. ?This is the New England Regional Council of Carpenters using bullying tactics in an attempt to get us to use 100 percent union carpenters on our projects,? Kinter said. ?They are definitely in a dispute with us because we use a mix of union and nonunion labor. Instead of working with us, bidding on a project and being competitive, they?d rather stand out on Bridgeport Avenue holding signs and sending a message that just isn?t true.? According to Kinter, the company hires several contractors who perform work on its construction projects. ?There is a requirement that they observe all state and federal laws,? Kinter said. ?If a contractor doesn?t follow the law, then we deal with it.? Kinter said all AvalonBay employees have taxes taken out of their wages, and the company observes all state and federal laws. ?We seek to employ contractors who can perform high quality work on schedule and are committed to following all laws and regulations,? Kinter said. Gary Pechie, director of the wage and workplace standards division at the state Department of Labor, said the agency has visited the job site twice, once in July and once on Monday, and issued stop work orders against 10 companies working there. Only five of them have been allowed to resume work, he said Thursday. ?We stopped those companies from working there, until they can verify compliance with workers? compensation law,? Pechie said. State officials interviewed workers and said companies were misclassifying employees as subcontractors to avoid required payments, such as for state and federal taxes and workers? compensation, according to Pechie. The companies were primarily drywall installers, painting and home improvement companies. They included: Mario Aqustin of New Jersey, Diaz Drywall of New Jersey, F & M Home Improvement of New Jersey, MCC Painting of New Jersey, Mario Drywall of New Hampshire, M & J Carpet of New York, L & G Drywall of Bridgeport, Mario Pineda of New Jersey, Ramsey Drywall of New Haven, and Victor Rivera of New Jersey, according to the state. ?When you shut down 10 companies, then there certainly are problems at that job site,? Pechie said. AvalonBay has apartment complexes around the country. Apartments at the Shelton location rent for $1,959 to $2,709 a month, and will be available between September and November of this year, according to the company?s Web site. http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=60790§ionId=46 Illinois Firefighters Quit Department in Protest of Chief Posted: 08-28-2008 Updated: 08-29-2008 11:45:17 AM E-MAIL THIS STORY PRINT THIS STORY KEVIN BARLOW The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) CLINTON - As a volunteer firefighter for the city of Clinton, Aaron Kammeyer isn't used to getting applause for serving the department. He has been thanked many times during the hundreds of calls over his 4 1/2 years on the squad, but Wednesday night was the first - and likely last - time he received an ovation as a firefighter. He received it for quitting the department. A group of about two dozen Clinton residents gathered Wednesday night at the fire station to protest the controversial installation of Shawn Milton as the city's new fire chief, and they applauded as Kammeyer dropped off his equipment and letter of resignation. "It's not easy to quit," Kammeyer said. "This is part of your life. The decision was made last week to bring in Shawn, but we really need someone in there who can bring us back together." Fellow firefighters Ken Holt and Daryn Black also quit Wednesday. Prior to the resignations of Kammeyer, Black and Holt, the squad was down to 24 members. Fully staffed, the department would have 42 members. Clinton Mayor Ed Wollet said he has been in contact with area fire departments and has been assured help will be available if needed. Shawn Milton, son of Public Health and Safety Commissioner Jerry Milton, was approved as chief in a 3-2 City Council vote last week. The chief's appointment is on an interim, part-time basis that will come up for renewal May 1. Ceremony a surprise Shawn Milton said the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday came as a surprise even to him, and firefighters said they learned of it from news reports. "We were expecting him to be sworn in at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday," Holt said. "I don't know why it had to be such a secret." The chief took office a day after a two-hour City Council meeting in which several firefighters aired their concerns about the father nominating the son for a position the father would oversee. Jerry Milton said the decision was made to swear in the chief early so the department would have a chief in case there were any fire calls. Shawn Milton replaced Jeff Pearl, who died in November. At that time, Shawn Milton was appointed assistant chief along with his brother-in-law, Brian Armstrong, who resigned from the squad immediately after the vote last week. "Even if we were to try and give him a chance, the swearing-in situation was a sign that things are probably going to get a lot worse," Kammeyer said. "The fact (is) that it was kept a secret from the department, and if they are going to start that, then I don't think things will change at all." http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/09/03/ny-times-labor-protest-give-ps-a-chance/?tid=true Sep 3 2008 4:27PM EDT 'NY Times' Labor Protest: Give P's a Chance New York Times Co. executives may talk a good game about how the paper's future lies online, but web-side employees are still getting treated like second class citizens -- and they're very politely not going to take it anymore! Officers of the New York Times Digital Guild asked members to wear badges with the letter "P" on them yesterday to protest the stalled negotiations over their much-needed new contract. While the web workers' demands are relatively straightforward -- they want their salaries matched to those of their print-side counterparts -- the talks are bound up in a bigger dispute between the Newspaper Guild and NYT Co. management over health benefits, overtime pay and other difficult-to-resolve issues. A Times Co. spokeswoman confirmed the protest but offered no comment on the underlying issue, while several Guild officers didn't reply to messages. And in case you're wondering what that "P" was supposed to mean, it was for "parity" -- not for "Please, Mr. Sulzberger, may we have some more?" http://www.ajc.com/services/content/business/stories/2008/07/23/dhl_ups_protest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=6 DHL pilots plan to protest UPS cargo deal By RACHEL TOBIN RAMOS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 07/23/08 Between 60 and 70 DHL pilots and workers are expected to protest in front of UPS' Sandy Springs headquarters for two hours Thursday. The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, will be doing "informational picketing" about a proposed deal for UPS to fly DHL's air cargo in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This will be the pilots' third protest after one at DHL headquarters in Plantation, Fla., and another at a DHL sponsored Major League Baseball event in New York. "We want to make the public aware of this proposed agreement that would cause the loss of 10,000 jobs and we believe violates U.S. antitrust laws," said Capt. Pat Walsh, an ALPA officer who represents 500 pilots at ASTAR, a cargo carrier that currently has DHL's contract to fly cargo and is 49 percent owned by DHL. A air cargo carrier represented by the Teamsters, ABX, also stands to lose its contract. DHL's hub is in Wilmington, Ohio. "Nobody wants to see job losses in the United States," UPS spokesman Norman Black said. "But this is not a UPS issue. DHL has to decide where they want to award contracts for air lift. [The pilots] need to continue talking to DHL. It is not our decision." Black said that if the deal goes through, it will keep 14,400 UPS workers employed in Ohio. He also rejected claims the deal would violate antitrust regulations. He said it's similar to a deal that FedEx and UPS have to transport United States Postal Service air cargo. Nonetheless, a delegation of Ohio senators and congressional leaders has asked the Department of Justice to monitor the proposed deal. The White House has said it will appoint someone to watch the deal. ALPA took out a half-page ad in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying that "UPS can save those jobs ? and American families." Similar ads have run in other cities. They've also hired a billboard truck and biplane with a banner to spread the message from downtown to Sandy Springs. http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/09/01/daily20.html Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Workers to protest new owners of Pope & Talbot mill Portland Business Journal The Minnesota investment firm that bought the last Pope & Talbot pulp mill in the U.S. will be the subject of protests claiming it slashed the wages and benefits of workers at the Halsey, Ore., plant. The United Steelworkers, in a news release Wednesday, said it will protest the headquarters of Wayzata Investment Partners on Friday demanding the company ?bargain fairly with employees over the terms of their labor agreement rather than unilaterally implementing changes.? The mill shut down on May 9 when Pope & Talbot, the bankrupt Portland-based paper products company (Pink Sheets: PTBTQ), transitioned from Chapter 11 reorganization to Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings. On June 20, Wayzata Investment Partners made a winning $31.15 million cash bid for the mill in the second of two bankruptcy auctions. The investment firm, with $5 billion under management, created Cascade Pacific Pulp as a wholly owned subsidiary to run the mill. The mill resumed operations on June 27, but the union said longtime workers were fired and made to reapply for their jobs. Their wages were then slashed by 12 percent to 28 percent and employees were forced to pay up to $3,000 for deductibles and up to $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses to retain family health insurance, the union said. A person answering the phone at Wayzata Investment Partner?s Minnesota headquarters declined to answer questions Wednesday. The union members ? joined by cohorts from Minnesota locals ? will protest at the company?s offices at noon on Friday to seek a meeting with managing partner Patrick Halloran. ?If we have no other way of making contact with absentee owners like Wayzata Investment Partners, we have to go to them,? Jim Gourley, financial secretary for USW Local 1189 in Halsey, said in the news release. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/2795629/MandampS-sacking-sparks-GMB-union-protest.html M&S sacking sparks GMB union protest By James Hall, Retail Editor Last Updated: 4:39PM BST 03 Sep 2008 The GMB union plans to launch a series of protests against Marks & Spencer after the retailer yesterday sacked a member of staff for gross misconduct. M&S dismissed the member of staff for leaking planned changes to M&S's redundancy pay to the press. The member of staff, who has been at the store group for 25 years, was suspended late last month and sacked yesterday after a disciplinary hearing. A GMB spokesperson described the dismissal as "outrageous" and said that the union plans to "launch a campaign against what we think is corporate bullying". The spokesperson said that the union will also consider balloting its members for strike action. Several hundred M&S staff members are thought to be members of the union. A spokesperson for M&S confirmed the dismissal and said: "We would never take a decision like this lightly." However the spokesperson added that there were two reasons why the retailer took the action that it did. "Firstly, the individual leaked internet company information and made derogatory and speculative comments in the media. Secondly, we could not be confident that the individual would not disclose information in the future," the spokesperson said. ? More on retail The employee in question has not been named. It is understood that he has been allowed eight days' holiday pay, worth around ?700. The leak to the media concerned M&S's plans to reduce redundancy benefits. Following internal consultation the retailer modified its plans slightly last week. http://www.nbc6.net/travelgetaways/17366681/detail.html?rss=ami&psp=news Spirit Airlines Pilots Protest Furloughs Group Claims Spirit Reducing Pilots, Not Workload POSTED: 8:35 am EDT September 2, 2008 UPDATED: 8:52 am EDT September 2, 2008 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A group of Spirit Airlines pilots spent Labor Day protesting what they said is too much work for a soon-to-be lighter staff. Some pilots are angry about a furlough date effective Monday that the company placed on nearly 70 pilots. Another furlough order affecting 45 pilots was instituted in August. A group protesting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday claimed that Spirit Airlines has not reduced the number of flights considering the reduced amount of manpower. "Over the past few months, we've had several key sections of our contract they've violated, long-standing sections, and we're not happy about it," said Spirit Airlines pilot Sean Creed. "It's dramatically affecting everybody's quality of life." When NBC 6 contacted Spirit Airlines for a response, a representative said, "While our industry is changing dramatically, Spirit continues to work with our pilots to reach an agreement that will ensure the growth of the company and the success of each pilot's career." http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/08/29/friday-prtotest.html?ref=rss N.L. workers protest hiring practices in St. John's Last Updated: Friday, August 29, 2008 | 8:54 AM NT Comments37Recommend56 CBC News Some provincial government employees staged a protest before going to work Friday morning outside Metroplace on Kenmount Road in St. John's. The building is home to the Human Resources, Labour and Employment Department. Amanda Galway, a NAPE member involved in the protest, told CBC News workers are frustrated with current hiring practices. "Filling positions within the department, so it's promotional positions, different classifications. Lateral moves. Anything of that nature," she said. The union that represents them, the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), is not saying anything officially about what prompted the protest. One protester wore a placard saying, "Trainee to management in five months?" CBC News has learned that a new employee was recently promoted to management. The group of about 50 workers didn't stop anyone going into Metroplace, and they returned to work at 8:30 a.m. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/26/2346992.htm Geoscience staff protest over pay Posted Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:08pm AEST Updated Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:10pm AEST ? Map: Canberra 2600 More than 120 staff at Geoscience Australia in Canberra have held a noisy protest at the collapse of pay negotiations with management. Staff claim their wages have been below the public service average for 10 years. CPSU organiser David Hermolin says management's current offer does not even cover rises in the cost of living. "Management is really concerned about the cost of this pay rise and what this would cost if they actually pay staff a pay rise that allows them to keep up," he said. "We're more concerned with what will happen if they don't do it." The unions say staff turnover has risen to 9 per cent for scientists and 11 per cent for administrative staff. About 450 staff signed a letter urging Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson to intervene. A spokesman said the Minister will not comment and it is a matter for Geoscience management. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24343624-2702,00.html?from=public_rss Qld workers to protest pay 'insult' ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print September 14, 2008 Article from: The Australian AROUND 100 public servants will protest in Brisbane today against a Queensland government's 3.25 per cent pay rise offer they describe as an "insult". Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) secretary Gary Bullock said protesters hoped to confront Premier Anna Bligh and her ministers at a Community Cabinet meeting to raise their concerns about the "inadequate offer''. The protesters represent a range of professions including teacher aides, dentists, radiographers and paramedics. Mr Bullock said the workers had been presented with the pay offer and told any increase beyond that rate must be matched with productivity gains. "For many of our workers who already work above and beyond the call of duty, it's very difficult to find any further areas they can make productivity gains,'' he said. "For example, the workload of our Queensland Health members has increased significantly as more people feel the financial pinch and abandon the private health system. "As for teacher aides, many of them are preparing lesson plans and activities in their personal time while only being paid for the hours they are in the classroom.'' He said the increase, which was well under the inflation rate of 4.5 per cent, was "an effective pay cut in real terms for these workers''. Mr Bullock said paramedics wanted a six per cent pay rise per year and teacher aides would need an offer close to five per cent. The protest will begin at 12.45pm (AEST) outside Belmont State School, Carindale. - AAP http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24340762-29277,00.html?from=public_rss Workers to protest over pay rise AAP September 13, 2008 05:55pm HUNDREDS of public sector workers angered by the Queensland Government's 3.25 per cent pay offer plan to take their protest to Brisbane tomorrow. LHMU state secretary Gary Bulloch said the workers found the Government's offer an ?insult?. Mr Bulloch said the State Government's wage increase did not match inflation or the consumer price index (CPI) increase of 5.1 per cent. He said with petrol increases, interest rates up and rents on the rise, public workers were doing it rough. ?Paramedics are working a hell of a lot of overtime ... Their family life is non-existent,? he said. ?Teachers' aides are performing practical work at home and putting in additional time at schools to make sure the kids come first.? Many of the protesters are members of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) and represent a range of professions including teacher aides, dentists, radiographers and paramedics. Mr Bulloch said the workers could walk out tomorrow and work in private industries, and they would be better paid. ?Parliamentarians, judges and director generals haven't had to suffer 3.25 per cent. ?The Government is not keeping up with CPI.? Mr Bulloch said paramedics wanted a 6 per cent pay rise per year and teacher aides would need an offer close to five per cent. Several other unions will also participate in the protest at Carindale in Brisbane's inner-south. Their protest will begin at 12.45pm (AEST) outside Community Cabinet, Belmont State School. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/workers-to-protest-over-petty-pay-increase/2008/09/13/1220857894945.html Workers to protest over petty pay increase September 13, 2008 - 5:56PM Hundreds of public sector workers angered by the Queensland government's 3.25 per cent pay offer plan to take their protest to Brisbane tomorrow. LHMU state secretary Gary Bulloch said the workers found the government's offer an "insult". Mr Bulloch said the state government's wage increase did not match inflation or the consumer price index (CPI) increase of 5.1 per cent. He said with petrol increases, interest rates up and rents on the rise, public workers were doing it rough. "Paramedics are working a hell of a lot of overtime ... Their family life is non-existent," he said. "Teachers' aides are performing practical work at home and putting in additional time at schools to make sure the kids come first." Many of the protesters are members of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) and represent a range of professions including teacher aides, dentists, radiographers and paramedics. Mr Bulloch said the workers could walk out tomorrow and work in private industries, and they would be better paid. "Parliamentarians, judges and director generals haven't had to suffer 3.25 per cent. "The government is not keeping up with CPI." Mr Bulloch said paramedics wanted a six per cent pay rise per year and teacher aides would need an offer close to five per cent. Several other unions will also participate in the protest at Carindale in Brisbane's inner-south. Their protest will begin at 12.45pm (AEST) outside Community Cabinet, Belmont State School. AAP http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Save-Our-Jobs-Coalition-To-Hold-Washington-D-C/wQHd9MnSS0KigaQxeAJrLA.cspx "Save Our Jobs" Coalition To Hold Washington, D.C. Protest Last Update: 9/12/2008 7:39 pm Related Links ? Schools, Hospital Worry About Pending DHL Layoffs ? Task Force Brainstorms DHL Air Park Redevelopment ? Judiciary Committee Holds Hearings On DHL Deal Reported by: Tom McKee The "Save Our Jobs - Save Our Community" coalition is heading to Washington, D.C. Tuesday for a protest rally at the German Embassy. The topic is the likely job cuts at the DHL Air Park in Clinton County that could affect workers in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Coalition spokesperson Tony Olson says members picked the German Embassy because the German government has an ownership stake in the company that owns DHL. The rally is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. DHL is negotiating a 10-year contract with UPS to provide all of its air domestic packaging operations. If that deal is finalized, it will likely mean the elimination of 8,200 jobs at ABX Air, ASTAR Air Cargo and DHL. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/3291E7E0EDD08705862574C10004C2B7?OpenDocument UAW rallies Fenton workers to protest shuttering of minivan plant By Angela Tablac ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 10/09/2008 Shirley Weber walked the rally line outside Chrysler LLC's Fenton minivan plant Wednesday not only for her own job, but for the jobs of two of her children. Weber, an assembly line worker at the minivan plant, has worked for the automaker since 1984. Two of her three children also work at the Fenton operations, one son in the minivan plant and another son in the neighboring pickup plant. Now, as Chrysler has reduced the pickup plant to one shift and is about to shutter the minivan plant on Oct. 31, Weber and other members of the United Auto Workers are lobbying to keep their jobs in Fenton. Those efforts continued Wednesday, as workers carried signs promoting the local plant and captured the attention of drivers along Interstate 44. About 900 people attended the rally, said Joe Shields, president of UAW Local 110. The local union represents workers at the minivan plant who make the Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Caravan cargo van and an export version of the Chrysler Town & Country. Weber, who works in the paint repair part of the assembly line, said the plant offers "very good jobs" that would be tough to lose. Ford has already left the area when it closed its Hazelwood plant, said Weber, 64, of St. Peters. "Now, if Chrysler leaves, it'll be hard in the state" to find good-paying assembly jobs. Weber and other workers said they hope help comes from politicians. And on Wednesday, a few local officials offered their support to the workers. Both St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie Dooley talked to the crowd. Slay said the recent push by Chrysler and other automakers to secure up to $50 billion in federal loans for retooling plants shows an interest in reinventing the industry and its products. But the changes at the Fenton plants, Slay said, shows Chrysler is "also trying to reinvent the auto worker" and take jobs outside the United States. Slay said the minivan plant closing "will have an unbelievable impact on this region." On June 30, Chrysler announced the plant's idling and said minivan production will be consolidated at its plant in Windsor, Ontario. The automaker also said it would reduce the number of shifts at the adjacent pickup plant, where the Dodge Ram is made, from two to one. Chrysler employs about 1,500 workers at the minivan plant. In the weeks after the announcement, workers have protested the changes by gathering outside Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., and by running advertisements in several publications. Chrysler spokesman Ed Saenz said Wednesday that the automaker knew about the rally. "We can certainly sympathize with what our employees are going though there," he said. "But the decisions were not made lightly, and were made on market conditions." Shields said the union members understand the economic conditions, "but what we can't understand is them shifting our work up there" to Canada. Since the Canadian facility opened in 1983, it has been the lead plant for minivan production. Workers at the Fenton plant started building minivans in 1995, and that location has been used to help with production overflow. Since January, it has been running only one shift. "There are business case differences between the two operations that make it prudent to operate the three shifts in Windsor" versus shifts in Fenton, Chrysler's Saenz said. He declined to elaborate. http://www.jsonline.com/business/32540594.html Midwest Airlines workers protest leasing plan By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Sep. 12, 2008 About 200 Midwest Airlines pilots, flight attendants and their supporters rallied Thursday to protest the airline?s recent decision to hire an outside contractor to operate additional flights, bringing an upcoming layoff of 270 Midwest employees. Those will be the latest in a series of major job cuts for the Oak Creek-based company, which will end up with 45% of the work force it had when the year began. The union workers and their family members met outside the local office of the Air Line Pilots Association on S. Howell Ave., just across the street from Mitchell International Airport. They hope to raise public support for their cause, said Jay Schnedorf, chairman of the local pilots union. ?They are outsourcing these jobs,? even though Midwest CEO Timothy Hoeksema said the January sale of Midwest to TPG Capital and Northwest Airlines Corp. would help preserve jobs, Schnedorf said in an interview after the rally. With the latest round of layoffs, Midwest will have cut 1,850 jobs since the beginning of the year. The company?s work force was around 3,380 employees when it was sold for $451.8 million to TPG/Northwest on Jan. 31. It will have around 1,530 employees with the latest cuts. Midwest said last week that it has agreed to lease a dozen Embraer 170 jets from Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings, beginning Oct. 1. The jets will be flown and maintained by Republic employees for the first year or so, which is why Midwest will be laying off some of its workers. Republic, to secure the 10-year lease, agreed to provide a one-year, $15 million loan to cash-strapped Midwest. Republic has a separate loan commitment of another $10 million for Midwest if the company achieves certain financial goals. Republic?s $25 million in financing is part of up to $60 million in new cash for Midwest. The airline said the new cash, including commitments from TPG Capital, represents significant progress in its financial restructuring plan and could help the company avoid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. But the Embraer 170s, which will fly under the Midwest Connect banner, are replacing some Boeing 717 jets that Midwest Airlines uses. The Embraer 170s are smaller and do not offer the signature wide seats the Boeing 717 jets have. Schnedorf said those changes will hurt Midwest passengers along with its workers. ?They must think the public is stupid, and isn?t going to notice? the changes, Schnedorf said. He also said the change violates the labor agreement between the company and the pilots union. Midwest?s aircraft decision will cause difficulties for employees who are losing their jobs, said airline spokesman Michael Brophy. But the agreement with Republic, and the accompanying financing from Republic and TPG Capital, allows Midwest to remain viable, he said. Midwest believes the agreement with Republic doesn?t violate the labor agreement, Brophy said. He said the company?s plan is to rehire the furloughed flight crews and maintenance workers after they?re trained on the new jets. That process will likely take eight months to a year. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2008/10/02/imp-health-protest.html?ref=rss IMP workers off job in protest over safety issues Last Updated: Thursday, October 2, 2008 | 11:25 PM AT Comments11Recommend31 CBC News The union represents about 500 plane mechanics and other workers at IMP Aerospace in Halifax. (CBC) About 150 workers at IMP Aerospace in Halifax refused to go to work Thursday, claiming their long list of health and safety concerns has fallen on deaf ears. The members of the Canadian Auto Workers union stood outside their worksite at the airport. Scott Beaver, president of Local 2215, claims the Nova Scotia Department of Labour issued 76 infraction orders between April 2004 and April 2006, but nothing has been done since the federal Labour Department took over. "Despite all the accidents and incidents, work refusals, internal complaints, past orders by the province, calls and e-mails to the federal inspector, it's business as usual at IMP," Beaver said. Toxic exposure alleged He said some workers have been exposed to high radiation levels, while others have been exposed to polyurethane paint and solvents. The workers say the final straw came this week when a white powder was tracked around the worksite. They claim it was asbestos, a material used in construction that can lead to cancer if fibres are inhaled. IMP lawyer Ron Campbell rejects that claim. "Subsequent testing revealed that that was not asbestos and there was no asbestos contamination," he said. "We did air quality testing and we hired an external contractor to come in and do the cleanup." Campbell said any concerns about unsafe practices are dealt with by a joint union-management committee on health and safety, which is required under federal law. He also rejects the union's claim that there are 76 outstanding orders from the province and he doesn't know why the union has taken this stance. The province oversaw safety regulations at IMP until 18 months ago, when the federal Department of Labour took over. A federal inspector is investigating the latest complaints from the union. Campbell said company officials were hoping workers would be back on the job by the end of the day. IMP Aerospace has military contracts to work on Canadian Sea King helicopters and Aurora patrol planes, as well as U.S. and Norwegian military aircraft. The CAW represents about 500 workers at the plant. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/METRO01/810020397/0/POLITICS October 2, 2008 Detroit City bus protest upsets riders Drivers, acting on their own without union support, hit routes late in support of fired colleague. Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News DETROIT -- City officials expect bus operations to resume as normal today, one day after an informal work stoppage flummoxed and frustrated scores of riders. Upset over the firing of a driver, more than 100 drivers on Wednesday either refused to drive their routes or were intentionally 90 minutes late for work, said Meagan Pitts, a spokeswoman for Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. Early Wednesday, she described the situation as a "crisis." But by noon, the last of the protesting drivers had hit their routes, she said. That was too late for Robin Gill, a Detroiter who waited for more than an hour for a bus to take her to school at the Last Chance Academy. Advertisement "I'm cold," she said as a crowd of about 40 people waited for buses. "I am just trying to get to school to continue my education. They should have posted signs." Geraldine Dove, 35, and her fiancee, Carnell Moore, 49, said they waited at least a half-hour for a bus at a stop at Woodward and Grand River. They experienced a similar delay before catching a bus from Joy Road. They were running errands with their three children -- and becoming frustrated. "They treat the people who have to take the bus" with disrespect, Dove said. Pitts said the drivers "acted on their own" and not as part of an organized effort by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26. Union President Henry Gaffney said he would not comment on the situation because "we had nothing to do with it." He disputed the number of drivers who participated in the protest action and said numerous buses are not in operation on a given day because of mechanical problems. Gaffney did not have a specific number. "Every day they (transportation officials) have drivers off the road because they do not have buses to drive," Gaffney said. "They (transportation officials) need to do their jobs." Pitts did not dispute that buses are sometimes off routes because repairs are needed. The clash began when Detroit Department of Transportation officials fired a driver Tuesday, citing multiple discipline problems. About one-third of the 300 buses that travel routes at 6 a.m. were affected. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=638672&rss=yes Hospital admin workers to stage protest 14:14 AEST Mon Sep 29 2008 98 days 14 hours 18 minutes ago Queensland Health workers will stop work for two hours on Tuesday to protest against a pay offer. Thousands of Queensland Health administrative workers will stop work for two hours Tuesday to protest against the state government's pay offer, which they say is "substandard". Australian Services Union (ASU) Queensland branch secretary Julie Bignell said members - who have been offered a package of four per cent per annum for three years - wanted to send a strong message to the government. "The message is: stop taking your support staff for granted," Ms Bignell said. "They deserve to keep their heads above water and get a decent pay rise that keeps pace with inflation. "They deserve to be listened to and valued for their contribution, and they are sick of being the last priority for Queensland Health." The union says patient care will not be jeopardised, despite all hospitals in the state stopping work between 11.30am and 2pm (AEST) Tuesday. Staff on switchboards and in emergency departments will maintain skeleton staffing. Ms Bignell said members felt they had no choice but to take the action. "The absolute contempt that they (the government) have shown towards admin support staff has made our members very, very angry, and tomorrow they will be taking the opportunity to show them how deep that anger is," she said. Staff will rally in the Brisbane CBD and outside Gold Coast Hospital Tuesday. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1226510226.28 European railworkers to protest in Paris Thursday 12 November 2008, 18:21 CET (BRUSSELS) - Thousands of rail workers will protest in Paris Thursday against EU plans to split up national railways in a "relentless ideological campaign" for privatisation, a European rail union said. "European rail workers will be saying 'enough is enough' and protesting against privatisation, but more importantly, for publicly-owned, environmentally sound, properly funded, customer responsive rail networks," said Sabine Trier, deputy general secretary of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF). The last few years have seen "total restructuring, fragmentation and privatisation, and for workers more stress, less job security, longer hours and a cut to the workforce of half," she said Wednesday. The ETF, an umbrella group for transport trade unions throughout Europe, also said the EU should encourage the development of freight rail lines the length and breadth of the continent "in the name of the fight against climate change". Trier said that while the objective was to gather thousands of rail workers form across 13 EU countries for the demonstration there would be no disruption to any services. The demonstrators will march throughout Paris on Thursday after gathering at the Place de la Bastille. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 20:25:07 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:25:07 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Farmers' protests, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9C313.20002@tesco.net> December * PAKISTAN: Growers protest urea black market * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Farmers protest seed shortage * INDIA: Kerala - farmers march in Delhi * INDIA: KPRS protests choice of delegates to China * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - protest over man-animal conflict, compensation * INDONESIA: Lombok farmers protest against fertilizer scarcity * GREECE: Farmers protest milk price * GREECE: Farmers blockade Bulgarian border * BULGARIA: Farmers protest in capital, achieve deal * IRELAND: Pigmeat workers, pig and sheep farmers protest * CANADA: Ottawa - Farmers clog traffic November * BULGARIA: Farmers demand subsidies * BULGARIA: Tobacco producers to protest in Brussels * INDIA: Milk poured on road in farm protest * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Farmers stage demonstration * PHILIPPINES: Farmers protest dispersal of protest camp * PAKISTAN: Rice farmers protest against agents * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - sugarcane protest; Karnataka - farm crisis protest; Tamil Nadu - price rise protest * INDIA: Rotating sit-in over sugar payments * PHILIPPINES: Protesting Mindanao farmers storm office * BULGARIA: Milk protest * INDIA: Sugar cane protest - farm worker wage protest - land survey disrupted * IRELAND: Farmers protest subsidy cuts October * GREECE: Milk dumped in price protest * INDIA: Karnataka - onion price protest * Tamil Nadu - amenities protest * Sugarcane sit-in * INDONESIA: Farmers burn rice harvest over betrayal * AUSTRALIA: Farmers target PM over water pipeline September/August * PAKISTAN: Police kill grower in shortage protest * INDIA: AP - fertiliser protest leads to clashes * INDIA: Farmer protest newsclippings * INDONESIA: Protests over hybrid rice * ARGENTINA: Farmer protests resume * BULGARIA: Milk farmers in mass protest * BULGARIA: Farmers march in Sofia, storm Council of Ministers * IRELAND: Farmers protest grain price plan http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=153347 Khairpur farmers protest urea black-marketing Tuesday, December 23, 2008 By our correspondent KHAIRPUR: Black-marketing of urea here has compelled the growers to take to the streets. There seems to be no writ of the district administration as black-market is going on unchecked. The growers blocked the National Highway as a protest against the artificial shortage of urea and its black-market. They alleged that the dealers were selling urea at high rates with a profit of Rs 400 to 500 per bag while the Utility Stores of the government have failed to meet the demand. The growers alleged that in Khairpur and other cities some dealers, with the collusion of some Revenue officers and political figures, were indulging in profiteering. The growers said the recent spell of rains had destroyed 80 per cent of their crops, and the black-market of urea and profiteering had compelled them to consider the option of self-immolation. They appealed to the chief minister to take notice of the situation and provide relief to them. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/10/stories/2008121053380300.htm Tamil Nadu - Erode Farmers protest against shortage of sunflower seeds Staff Reporter ________________________________________ The shortage has led traders to sell the seeds at a higher price, they complain ________________________________________ ERODE: Farmers affiliated to the Uttukuli unit of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayeegal Sangam staged a protest against the shortage of sunflower seeds. A release from S.K. Kolandasamy, union secretary, says farmers in Uttukuli, Chengapalli, Kunnathur and neighbouring areas, after preparing their lands, were left in the lurch because of the shortage of sunflower seeds. Enquiries with the Government depot in the area and also with private traders produced negative results, the release says and adds that the shortage resulted in a few private traders selling the seeds at Rs. 600 a kg. The release points out that a year ago the very traders sold the seeds for Rs. 325 a kg. Left with no option, the traders protested in front of the agriculture extension office. Assurance An officer who rushed the spot distributed the seeds to the protesting farmers with the assurance that in a few days they would distribute the seeds to other farmers as well. Uttukuli Town Panchayat president R. Kumar, Tamil Nadu Vivasayeegal Sangam?s district secretary A.M. Munusamy and others participated in the protest, the release says and adds that following the officer?s assurances the farmers withdrew the protest. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/kerala-farmers-hold-protest-march-in-delhi_100132149.html Kerala farmers hold protest march in Delhi December 17th, 2008 - 8:21 pm ICT by ANI - New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): To highlight the issues of farmers and the serious crisis faced by the agriculture sector, hoards of farmers from Kerala held a protest march here today. The protest was organised under the aegis of Karshaka Sanghatana Aikya Vedi (KSAV). The prices of agricultural products have reduced sharply, but the over all cost of produce has increased, which adds to the farmer??s woes. Addressing the mediapersons, P.C. Thomas, Chairman of KSAV, accused the government of ignoring the agricultural sector and said the government is only helping the industrial and other sectors by providing tax relief and other monetary benefits. The government had announced a stimulus package of Rs 20,000 crores for various industries on December 7. (ANI) http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/01/stories/2009010151030300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga China tour: KPRS protests selection of ?farmers? Special Correspondent Its leaders allege BJP and RSS supporters were sent in the first batch GULBARGA: The Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha (KPRS) on Wednesday protested against the ?failure? of the State Government to send progressive farmers and research scientists to visit China to study the advances in agriculture there. It alleged that supporters of the BJP and members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were sent in the guise of farmers. The members of KPRS led by its president Megharaj Khatare and vice-president Virupakshappa Tadkal staged a day-long dharna outside the office of the Joint Director of Agriculture here protesting against the nomination of seven ?farmers? from the district. They said the purpose of visiting China could have been achieved if the Government had selected farmers who knew their job so that they could actually come back and translate their knowledge into action. The KPRS leaders alleged that instead of doing this, the State Government had asked the Agriculture Department to prepare a list of farmers from the names recommended by party legislators and leaders of the BJP. They said the ?farmers? selected from the district did not qualify for such trips. The leaders said the Government was in the process of preparing a second list of farmers and urged it to ensure that now genuine candidates were sent. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/23/stories/2008122359000300.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore Farmers plan demonstration Staff Reporter Coimbatore: The Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangham has planned to stage a demonstration against man-animal conflict in the last week of December. A resolution to this effect was adopted at the meeting of the sangham held here recently which was presided by president of the Sangham M.R. Sivasamy. Crop raid In a statement, Mr. Sivasamy said that pachyderms in search of food and water used to stray into human habitations and indulge in crop raid. The damage to crops had resulted in agricultural production coming down by nearly 30 per cent. The other demands include quantum of compensation to be fixed at Rs. 50,000 an acre for crop damage by pachyderms, Rs. 25,000 an acre for damage to crops such as vegetable, cereals and grams. The compensation should be given to the farmers within 15 days of the incident. In the event of loss of life owing to man-animal conflict, the compensation should be Rs 3 lakh. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/12/24/lombok-farmers-protest-against-fertilizer-scarcity/ 12/24/08 14:41 Lombok farmers protest against fertilizer scarcity Mataram (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of farmers in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) staged a protest rally against fertilizer scarcity in front of Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPR) building here on Wednesday. The protesters, grouped in Lombok Farmers Association (Petolak), was led by Hasan Masat who made oration at the DPRD building's entry gate amidst tight police security. They tried to force themselves into the building but were blocked by the police security officers, and therefore they were only able to make orations outside the DPRD building. In the oration, Hasan Masat said the fertilizer scarcity in West Nusa Tenggara, especially in Lombok Tengah district, since October this year had made the local farmers restless. He said Lombok Tengah district with 45,000 hectares of agriculture land was in a desperate need of 13,500 tons of urea, 7,000 tons of SP.36, and? ? 4,500 tons of Kcl fertilizer but the distribution to the district was only 25 percent of their total demand. Therefore, the farmers urged the local governor, district head, and mayor to immediately take a necessary step to overcome the fertilizer shortage in the district. (*) http://www.nowpublic.com/world/greek-farmers-protest-low-milk-prices-handing-out-free-dairy-products Greek farmers protest low milk prices by handing out free dairy products uploaded by Teacher Dude December 3, 2008 at 04:35 am 64 views | add comment | 0 recommendations Dairy farmers across Greece are demonstrating against low prices paid for milk by handing out free yoghurt and cheese in the northern city of Thessaloniki. The symbolic protest was aimed at making consumers aware of the fact that whilst prices paid to producers have been dropping for years the cost of milk and cheese in Greek supermarkets has risen steadily making them are them some of the most expensive in in the Europe Union. In 2006 the Greek dairy industry was engulfed in scandal when allegations of a price fixing cartel hit the headlines. The case came to light when the director of the state competition commision, Panayiotis Adamopoulos, along with two other officials were arrested and charged with demanding a 2.5 million euro bribe from the Mevgal dairy company in return for dropping a 25 million euro fine for price fixing. Farmers are expected to continue their protests today with a blockade of major roads in the central Thessally region, effectively cutting Greece in two. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=100040 Protesting Greek Farmers Lift Blockade of Border Check Point with Bulgaria Society | December 23, 2008, Tuesday Greek authorities have reported that protesting farmers who blocked Monday the E79 international road near the Promahon border check point with Bulgaria have lifted the blockade. Currently, the situation at the Bulgarian-Greek border is normal and vehicles freely pass through the Kulata-Promahon checkpoint, border services said. It is unknown whether the protest is to be renewed. Many drivers prefer to enter Greece through the Ilinden border checkpoint or through Macedonia. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=100019 Protesting Greek Farmers Block Border Check Point with Bulgaria Society | December 22, 2008, Monday Greek authorities have reported that protesting farmers blocked Monday the E79 international road near the Promahon border check point with Bulgaria. Currently no vehicles are passing the border through the checkpoint, as protesters said only trucks transporting live stock and vehicles carrying people in need of medical help will be let through. It is unknown when the protest of the Greek farmers will end and Bulgarian police advice travelers to use the Ilinden border checkpoint between the countries. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_economy_0_16/12/2008_103041 Farmers put forth demands, increase protests EUROKINISSI Farmers head down a national highway in Larissa, central Greece, as they increase protest action against the government over financial demands. About 250 tractors took part in the protest demonstration, which ended peacefully a few hours later without any traffic disruptions. Farmers are calling on the government to freeze their financial obligations toward ATEbank (the former Agricultural Bank) for the next three years and help to reduce their production costs, in a bid to help them offset the rising price of doing business. Other requests put forth include providing support to the cotton and dairy sectors that are facing difficulties and offering tax breaks, according to a statement issued yesterday. They were joined by peers in others parts of the country, such as Serres, northern Greece. Farmers are expected to meet again today to decide their next protest plan. (December 16) http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99978 Protesting Grain Producers Pull out of Sofia Society | December 20, 2008, Saturday Hundreds grain producers left Sofia Saturday morning with their tractors after successfully blockading downtown Sofia on Friday, and reaching an angreement with the government. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Hundreds of grain producers from all across Bulgaria left Sofia Saturday morning with their tractors after their protest on Friday led to an agreement with the government. After blocking downtown Sofia with several hundred tractors, the farmers got the cabinet to agree to draft a bill for national subsidies for the grain production of BGN 150 M in 2009. The originally demanded sum was BGN 378 M. The agreement between the farmers and the government was formally signed by the Chair of the National Grain Producers' Association Radoslav Hristov and the Deputy Agriculture Minister Byurhan Abazov, in the presence of the Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev. "We set the beginning of talks with the Prime Minister Stanishev for solving the problems of grain production in Bulgaria, which is important for all", Hristov said. The payment of BGN 100 M of the national subsidies for grain production for 2008, and of BGN 150 M of direct EU subsidies has already started. The government and the farmers also agreed that a special roundtable for the problems of Bulgaria's agriculture would be organized in January 2009. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99977 Protesting Bulgarian Grain Producers Reach Agreement with Government Society | December 19, 2008, Friday Protesting Bulgarian grain producers blocked downtown Sofia on Friday with their tractors. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency) Protesting Bulgarian grain producers have reached an agreement with the government as the Agriculture Ministry promised them to provide BGN 150 M in subsidies. The farmers, who demanded the government to envisage BGN 378 M in subsidies needed by grain producers from budget 2009, declared they are satisfied with the agreement and added they are moving their tractors away from the capital city. On Friday hundreds of protesters from all across the country entered Sofia with their tractors which caused unbelievable chaos in traffic. The farmers' protest was joined by students and environmentalist, who staged separate rallies over government's inability to solve harsh social and eco problems. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99950 More than 300 Tractors to Cause Chaos in Sofia during Farmers' Protest Society | December 19, 2008, Friday Hundreds of Bulgarian farmers from all across the country are to enter Sofia with their tractors which is to disturb the traffic in the capital city on Friday. The grain producers are to stage yet another protest against the government policy in the sector after they blocked major roads on the past few days with their agriculture machines. The farmers demand immediate payment of delayed national subsidies as well as the government to envisage BGN 378 M in subsidies needed by grain producers from budget 2009. Bulgaria's grain producers already gathered on the central streets of Sofia in support of these demands in September, and by blocking roads across the country in November. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99926 Bulgaria Grain Producers Stage More Protests Society | December 18, 2008, Thursday Bulgarian grain producers blocked Wednesday the road Sofia-Ruse, protesting against the government policy in the sector and delayed subsidies. Photo by Darik News Bulgarian grain producers are to stage Thursday new protests against the government policy in the sector after they blocked major roads on Wednesday with their tractors. The farmers demand immediate payment of delayed national subsidies as well as the government to envisage BGN 378 M in subsidies needed by grain producers from budget 2009. Bulgaria's grain producers already staged protests in support of these demands with a rally in downtown Sofia in September, and by blocking roads across the country in November. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=100103 Bulgaria's Farmers Brace for Renewed Protests after New Year's Business | December 29, 2008, Monday After they clashed with the police in October 2008, Bulgaria's milk producers are preparing to stage new protests in January 2009 over their demands for additional national subsidies. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) The Chair of the Association of Bulgarian Milk Producers Adrian Tsakonski announced Monday the farmers were going to renew their intermittent protests after New Year's over their demanded subsidies. In his words, the approved 2009 Budget did not include the BGN 210 M of subsidies per head of cattle and per liter of produced milk. Tsakonski pointed out the Budget included only BGN 61 M for the Bulgarian farmers. He added they demanded additional BGN 100 M for the setting up of manure repositories in accordance with a new EU directive. Tsakonski made these statements during a meeting of the associations of Bulgarian agricultural producers with the Minister of Agriculture Valeri Tzvetanov. The Minister retorted the only way the Bulgarian farmers could receive additional funding was through the launch of a cattle identification system through which they would be able to get EU subsidies per each head of cattle. During the meeting, Tzvetanov also said Bulgaria's animal breeding and selection were in complete disarray, and that the country was far behind the EU standards in this respect. "Part of the issue has to do with the inappropriate absorption of national funding, the inadequate channeling of funds, and the blocked activities of certain association. The situation amounts to complete chaos. The breeds that we have created after so many years of hard work, and massive investments, are out of balance, and there are great risks for them", the Minister concluded. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99866 Bulgaria's Grain Producers Start All-out Protests Business | December 16, 2008, Tuesday Bulgaria's grain producers have already protested with demands for national subsidies. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Bulgaria's grain producers have begun Tuesday full-fledged protests across the country in support of their demands for immediate payment of national subsidies. All 18 regional units of Bulgaria's National Grain Producers' Association have taken part in Tuesday's protests, and over 2 000 agricultural vehicles have been used in the protests, according to the Association's Chair Radoslav Hristov. The farmers demanded that they received immediate the additional national subsidies of BGN 22 per decare of arable land for 2008. They demanded that the government fulfill its promise to envisage BGN 378 M for national subsidies in the 2009 Budget. The demanded BGN 378 M would come in addition to the EU subsidies, and should be used for all agricultural sectors not only for the grain producers, according to Hristov. Bulgaria's grain producers already staged protests in support of these demands with a rally in downtown Sofia in September, and by blocking roads across the country in November. The grain producers have also complained that they were selling this year's wheat for BGN 0,18-0,20 per kg whereas the actual price should be BGN 0,30 per kg. They vowed to continue staging protests until their demands were finally met. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_515276553 Grain producers protest again Updated on: 15.12.2008, 10:39 Published on: 15.12.2008, 10:34 Author: Stefan Nikolov Font size: a a a Grain-producers will protest again. This was announced by Radoslav Hristov - Chair of the National association of grain producers, BNR reported. He explained that farmers have been cheated again by the authorities and the demanded 378 million levs have not been planned in Budget 2009. Hristov said that the information that deputies Rumen Ovcharov, Milen Velchev and Yordan Tzonev have submitted a proposal in the parliament for the provision of 211 million levs for grain production is a lie. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1211/1228864662758.html Thursday, December 11, 2008 Workers to protest outside Leinster House today Siptu is organising the demonstration because of delays in resuming production. Photograph: Daragh Mac Sweeney/Provision MARTIN WALL, Industry Correspondent INDUSTRY PROTEST: WORKERS IN the pigmeat industry who have been laid off as a result of the health scare surrounding pork are to hold a lunchtime protest at Leinster House today. The union Siptu said it was organising the demonstration because of delays in resuming production. It said many workers were in "dire straits" financially as a result of the continuing suspension of production in factories around the State. The union also said some workers affected by the halting of production were unable to claim social welfare payments. Siptu said members from plants in Edenderry, Waterford and Kilkenny were among those due to attend the protest. The union said about 1,800 of its members in the pigmeat industry had been laid off as a result of the controversy surrounding pork products. It also said that when non-union members were taken into account the number of workers affected by the suspension of production was more than 2,000. Production has been halted as talks between producers and the Government over a compensation package continued without agreement. Siptu national industry secretary Gerry McCormack said while the union appreciated that consumers, farmers and processors had legitimate concerns, it believed workers were facing "the most immediate and drastic consequences of the current crisis". He said Siptu was also inviting workers in non-union plants - who he said had no voice in the current crisis - to join the protest at Leinster House. Siptu official Frank Jones, who represents workers at Offaly-based Rosderra Meats, said the union had decided to take the protest to the D?il as it was ultimately the Government that had to sort out the problem. "Many of our members are in dire straits, some of them are unable to claim social welfare benefits and all are facing into a very dismal Christmas," he said. This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1210/pork.html Farmers protest over pork delays The Irish Farmers' Association's pigs committee is demonstrating over the delay in resuming pig slaughtering following the recall of pork products. Pig meat producers are demanding the immediate reopening of the country processing plants and they said the closures are costing farmers ?1m per day. Around 100 producers have begun a protest outside the Department of Agriculture this afternoon. Talks involving the Taoiseach, the Minister of Agriculture, and pigmeat processors adjourned at the Department of Agriculture overnight, but resumed this morning. Processors have been demanding a multi-million euro package from the Government to assist them with the recall of pork products and with the storage of pig carcasses once processing resumes. The Government is understood to be putting pressure on the banks that back major pork processors to be more flexible in their approach. Taoiseach Brian Cowen referred to those who back the pigmeat plants having a role in getting them back into production in the D?il this morning. Speaking on RT?'s Morning Ireland, IFA pigs committee chairman Tim Cullinan said farmers wanted processing plants to be reopened as soon as possible. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidsngbeyid/rss2/ IFA halts Dublin sheep protest Print Email+ Share+ 08/12/2008 - 15:14:09 The Irish Farmers Association has lifted the sheep protest outside the Department of Agriculture to allow the Agriculture Minister to concentrate on the pork crisis. Farmers have been protesting for twelve days demanding Brendan Smith to pay the unused Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment funds, secured in the Health Check, to sheep farmers. IFA National Sheep Chairman Henry Burns says the problems in the sheep sector have not gone away. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/12/08/7670166-cp.html Farmers clog traffic in anti-coalition protest By THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - A protest by farmers against the Liberal-NDP coalition on Parliament Hill appears to have fizzled out. Fewer than a dozen tractors and other machines clogged traffic for a few hours in front of the Parliament Buildings before they left about mid-morning. Convoys with more tractors were reportedly converging on the Hill but they never arrived. The protest was organized by the Ontario Landowners Association, which represents farmers, business people and other rural landowners. The group said they opposed the coalition formed last week between the Liberals and NDP with support from the Bloc Quebecois. Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean suspended Parliament last week before the coalition could vote down Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government; MPs are to return Jan. 26 and a budget - over which the government could fall - is scheduled for the next day. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/12/08/ot-081208.html?ref=rss Tractors block traffic in Ottawa in coalition protest Last Updated: Monday, December 8, 2008 Convoys of farm machinery slowed traffic into downtown Ottawa and in front of Parliament Hill during Monday's morning rush as part of a protest against the prospect of a Liberal-NDP coalition government. Before Parliament was suspended by the Governor General last week, the Liberals and the NDP said Prime Minister Stephen Harper had lost the confidence of the House of Commons and proposed to form a coalition to replace his Conservative government . As of 8:30 a.m. Monday, tractors were blocking a lane of traffic on Wellington Street between Metcalfe and O'Connor streets after trundling in from the city's east and west ends. The event was organized by the Ontario Landowners Association, which represents farmers, business owners and other rural landowners. Demonstrators were unswayed by frigid temperatures that made it hard to start their machines or by the fact that a coalition has no prospect of taking power for at least the next month and a half since Parliament has been suspended until Jan. 26. Nevertheless, Jamie MacMaster, director of the landowners association and one of the protest organizers, was still concerned about the possibility of a coalition. Such a coalition, which was to be led by Liberal leader St?phane Dion, would have to be backed by the Bloc Qu?b?cois, MacMaster said, which would make Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe the de facto leader of the coalition. "Nobody that I know of in rural Ontario ? voted for any kind of coalition," he said. "And I can take it a step further and say nobody certainly voted for a coalition that's going to have a separatist at the helm." The Liberals and NDP have stressed that the Bloc would not be part of the ruling coalition but would simply provide support on some key votes. MacMaster added that he thinks the suspension of Parliament was a waste of money. Ian Cumming, a dairy farmer from Williamstown in Glengarry county who joined the protest, said he understands that the possibility of a coalition government "might have merit" legally but isn't appropriate for a time of crisis. "So what's being done here is just foolish and childish and downright dangerous, actually," he said. Last week, Governor General Micha?lle Jean granted Harper's request to suspend Parliament until the release of the federal budget at the end of January. The opposition will have no chance to bring down the current government until then. In the meantime, the Liberals are expected to choose a new leader and the fate of the coalition is uncertain. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/07/Grain_subsidies_focus_of_Bulgarian_protest/UPI-61301226084780/ Grain subsidies focus of Bulgarian protest Published: Nov. 7, 2008 at 2:06 PM Order reprints | Feedback SOFIA, Bulgaria, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Grain producers in Bulgaria say they conducted a protest Friday in the capital of Sofia over what they perceive to be insufficient subsidies. The protesters allege they have yet to receive $3.26 per 1,000 square meters of grain that was supposed to be added to nearly $11 per 1,000 square meters in subsidies, the Sofia News Agency said Friday. The subsidy payments came from 2008 funds provided by the European Union, the news agency said. The grain producers also accuse officials of not adding additional $5.86 payments per 1,000 square meters into the 2009 budget. With the alleged failure of the Bulgarian government to meet the promises, the protesters called for the resignation of Agriculture Minister Valeri Tsvetanov. The news agency said the protest in Sofia came one day after grain producers throughout the republic took part in rallies to call for increased state subsidies. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98652 Bulgarian Grain Producers Stage Protest Rally in Sofia 7 November 2008, Friday Bulgarian grain producers protested Friday in Sofia over insufficient subsidies. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) | buy photo | Bulgaria's grain producers have staged a protest in the capital city of Sofia on Friday, a day after they rallied in regions all across the country over the lack of state subsidies for their production. The protesters said they have not received BGN 5 extra payment per decare, added to the subsidies of BGN 16,78 coming from the EU funds for 2008. They claim also that previously demanded extra payments of BGN 9 have not been included in the 2009 budget. According to farmers, the agriculture policy of the government dooms them to bankruptcy. They have even demanded the resignation of the Agriculture Minister Valeri Tsvetanov claiming he failed to keep his recent promises. The protest of the farmers in the town of Stara Zagora ended with the arrest of the National Grain Producers' Association, Krassimir Avramov. He was detained as more than 150 heavy tractors had crawled and blocked the road to Dimitrovgrad although no permission for such protest actions had been issued. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98665 Bulgaria Govt to Meet with Protesting Grain Producers Monday 7 November 2008, Friday Over 200 Bulgarian grain producers protested before the Parliament building in Sofia demanding hundreds of millions of BGN for national subsidies for the sector. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) | buy photo | The Bulgarian authorities are going to hold a special meeting on Monday with the representatives of the grain producers, who protested in downtown Sofia Friday, in order to discuss their issues. The news was announced Friday afternoon by the Chair of the Bulgarian Parliament Georgi Pirinski after his meeting with some of the protestors. The Bulgarian grain producers demand that the state should allocate BGN 378 M in the 2009 budget for national subsidies in addition to the EU subsidies. They have not received yet the national subsidies for 2008, which amount to BGN 147 M. They are also unhappy with the low grain prices on the market, and insist that the government intervene to regulate the market. The Minister of Agriculture and Foods Valeri Tzvetanov stated in response to the protests that he already tabled to the Parliament the bills for the allocation of the BGN 147 M of the national subsidies for 2008, and of the BGN 378 M for 2009. Monday's meeting is expected to clarify the specific terms of payment of the national subsidies, and to figure out measures to guarantee the funds will not be abused. http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/farmers-protest-in-sofia/id_32844/catid_66 Farmers protest in Sofia 11:44 Fri 07 Nov 2008 - Nick Iliev Farmers and wheat producers have travelled to Sofia today, November 7, for the second day running for a rally by the association of farmers in Bulgaria. The demonstrators are gathering in front of Alexander Nevski Cathedral in central Sofia. Farmers are complaining about the recent cut in subsidies in next year's projected budget. Farmers claim that this is unlawful, discriminatory and exclusive to Bulgaria. They also claim that the government is taking absolutely no measures whatsoever to defend them and their produce from foreign imports. They demand that the government should allocate them the sum of 380 million leva to be distributed to local farming unions. The farmers decided to take action in light of the government's reluctance to award them the sum and the delay in conducting negotiations. Yesterday, reinforcements from across the country converged on Sofia. Hundreds of farmers from north, central, south and eastern Bulgaria left their farms and took to the road. They congregated at major inter-city junctions, raised barricades and blocked the roads and traffic. Angry farmers from Bratsa, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Stara Zagora, Bourgas and Veliko Tarnovo mobilised and paralysed traffic in their local regions for some time in a simultaneous action that sprung up across the country, orchestrated like a military operation. In Stara Zagora, the leader of the farming union. Krassimir Avramov, was arrested. There is a possibility that traffic will be subject to delays and diversions following the expected rally today in central Sofia. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/240389,protesting-bulgarian-farmers-block-highways.html Protesting Bulgarian farmers block highways Posted : Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:48:13 GMT Author : DPA Category : World News Alerts by Email click here ) Sofia - Some 3,000 Bulgarian farmers on Thursday blocked several key highways in protest against the government's agricultural policy, the national radio said. Grain producers, joining the months-long protest of dairy farmers, are demanding subsidies which they claim the state owes them and are demanding more money than what is planned in the 2009 draft budget. They also are demanding the resignation of Agriculture Minister Valeriy Cvetanov, saying he did not meet promises he made. Farmers brought out dozens of combines, tractors and trucks to block the main norht-south corridor, as well as downtown Burgas on the Black Sea coast. Police detained the farmers union leader, Krasimir Avramov, at the scene of one of the blockades Thursday, but protesters plan to block Sofia on Friday. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 to become the poorest member-state. Much of its industry and agriculture still has a hard time adapting to the fierce competitiveness within the 27-nation bloc. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_77053190 Bulgarian tobacco producers to protest in Brussels Updated on: 17.11.2008, 11:37 Published on: 17.11.2008, 11:34 Author: Olga Yoncheva Font size: a a a Tobacco producers from the region of the Bulgarian town of Silistra will protest on Wednesday in front of the European parliament in Brussels together with their colleagues from eight European states. This announced the chairman of the Union of the tobacco producers in the village of Listez Fikret Bekir. According to him the protest is organized by the World tobacco producers association. Altogether hundred Bulgarians have departed today for the European capital. They are carrying Bulgarian flags and boards with appeals to the EU to prolong the term for subsidizing the tobacco production until 2013. Otherwise the production will be directed to the Asian markets. According to data from the Regional department ?Tobacco? - Isperih there are over 6000 tobacco producers in Northeast Bulgaria. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_1288165805 Tobacco producers ready for new protests Updated on: 21.11.2008, 10:32 Published on: 21.11.2008, 10:18 Author: Stefan Nikolov Font size: a a a Tobacco producers might protest again in Brussels, if their European subsidies are suspended. They are ready to protest in the country as well, the mayor of Satovcha Arben Mimenov announced, cited by BNR. "An extreme measure is protest actions, so that we are more strongly motivated. After all Bulgaria was given 3 years after the EU accession on the premiums design, as was the case before," Mimenov pointed out. Bulgarian protests might be concentrated in one place, in one municipality, or be spread in strategic locations in different municipalities, Stovcha's mayor explained, specifying, that there is still no definitive decision of the format of the protests. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112251540300.htm Other States - Orissa Milk producers stage novel demonstration Correspondent Supply snapped to consumers, token strike observed demanding price hike ________________________________________ 100 cans of milk poured on the road Memorandum submitted to Collector ________________________________________ CUTTACK: Scarcity of milk and milk products was witnessed in Cuttack city on Friday as district milk producers snapped the supply observing a day of token strike demanding increase of prices of their produce. Instead, the road in front of the district Collector?s office was flooded with milk as milk producers claim they poured over 10,000 litres of milk on the road. ?We did it to draw home the point that the milk producers of the State are in dire strait and if the government does not look into our demands favourably we would be forced to snap the supply of milk in the city indefinitely?, threatened the Utkal Jadhav Mahasabha president Subash Behera. Earlier in the day over 2,000 milk producers of the district came in a rally from College Square and demonstrated in front of the Collector?s office. Before submitting a memorandum to the Collector, the agitators poured nearly 100 cans of milk on the road as mark of their protest against the State government?s recent decision to stay the increase of Omfed milk price. ?Exploitation attitude? Milkmen across the State are demanding hike in prices of their products in view of rising cost of fodders and cattle feed. The milkmen are aggrieved over what they call ?exploitation attitude? of Omfed and the State government?s nonchalant approach towards the plight of milk producers. While over 62 lakh milk producers are in the State, about 2,000 of them supply milk in Cuttack city. The milkmen are demanding that Omfed should pay them Rs. 18 per litre instead of Rs. 11.80 given at present. Omfed had recently increased its retail price to Rs. 24 from Rs. 20 promising to pay the entire increased amount to farmers. Price hike stayed But the State government stayed the price hike in view of State-wide agitation against the move. The State government?s decision has irked the milk producers most. Speaking on the logic behind destroying such a large quantity of milk when the customers across the city suffered, the agitators claimed that they have distributed milk to poor people in slum areas free of cost while a chunk of their produce was poured on the road. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111158030600.htm Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur Farmers stage demonstration Special Correspondent ? Photo: M. Srinath Seeking attention: Farmers staging a demonstration in Thanjavur on Monday. THANJAVUR: Members of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam and Sugarcane Producers Association staged a demonstration here on Monday demanding payment of Rs. 1,550 per tonne for sugarcane and Rs. 1,000 per quintal for paddy. K. Sambandam, President of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam and S. Ramanathan, President of Sugarcane Producers Association participated in the agitation. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20081125-174323/Farmers-protest-dispersal-at-DENR-office Farmers protest dispersal at DENR office By Alcuin Papa Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:44:00 11/25/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform MANILA, Philippines -- Farmers from Bukidnon province denounced on Tuesday the violent dispersal of their protest camp-out in front of the the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) office in Quezon City, which led to injuries to four persons. In a statement, the peasant federation Task Force Mapalad (TFM) said security personnel of the DENR tried to eject around 17 farmers from the camp at around 5 a.m. Tuesday. A minor scuffle ensued, resulting in injuries to Ruel Panuga, 34; Lizel Amunhay, 37; Jonelyn Olegado, 44; and Eduardo Oracion, 28 who suffered cuts and bruises from alleged clubbing, the organization said. TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles called the dispersal ?a treacherous act conducted while the farmers were asleep, and while there were scheduled negotiations with DENR Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi.? ?The dispersal shows the inability of the DENR to address the concerns of the farmers. Unfortunately, this reflects on the leadership of Secretary [Jose] Lito Atienza,? Angeles added. When asked to comment on Tuesday, Gerochi said he had yet to get a definitive picture of what really happened in the dispersal. ?The incident is really unfortunate. There seems to be a misunderstanding on both our sides,? Gerochi told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). He also assured the farmers that he was investigating the dispersal. The farmers have camped outside the DENR offices to dramatize their demand for a community-based forest management (CBFM) in three areas in Maramag, Bukidnon. These are the Villalon Ranch located in Barangay (villages) Panalsalan and Dagumbaan; the Baclig/Allan Uy ranch located in the village of Panalsalan; and the Ocaya Ranch located in the villages of Cuya and Danggawan. CBFM allows members of local communities to undertake sustainable forestry programs in their areas. TFM said the applications of the farmers covering the three areas used to be pasture leases that were either cancelled or expired. Oscar Maniego, chairman of the TFM-affiliated Alyansa Bukidnon, denied claims they were blocking the DENR gates, saying they were camped out to the left of the gate and were not obstructing the movement of people or vehicles into and from the agency?s offices. He also added that Gerochi was having a hard time answering issues raised by the group in the processing of their CBFM applications. But Gerochi said the DENR has been working to address the issue. ?We want to give due process for all parties and resolve this matter at the soonest possible time.? The farmers already wrote Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to immediately deny the application of Villalon Ranch for renewal of its forest land grazing lease agreement, (FLGLA), which expired 11 years ago. The farmers also said they would press on with mass actions in front of the DENR office and dialogues with officials to resolve the matter. http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Rice-farmers-in-Pakistan-protest-12576-3-1.html Rice farmers in Pakistan protest 2008-11-05 16:25:00 Rice farmers in Pakistan's Baddi district staged a protest against commission agents of the grain market for purchasing their best quality rice at awfully low prices. The growers complained that owners of rice mills and commission agents had monopolized the trade by either taking their crops at low rates or refusing to make deals, saying the local rice market had not been able to find buyers in international market and hence they could not risk to buy the paddy crop at higher prices. As the financial strength of farmers does not permit them to store the rice till the traders agreed to buy the commodity against good rates, they find no way out but to surrender before the monopolists. Rice growers are also frustrated at finding extremely low rates of their crop due to the monopoly of rice mill owners and traders in the area. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144531 Rice growers protest against commission agents, traders Monday, November 03, 2008 By our correspondent BADIN: Paddy crop growers on Sunday staged a protest against commission agents of the grain market for purchasing their best quality rice at awfully low prices. The farmers and cultivators blocked the general bus stop of Hyderabad city, suspending vehicular traffic at the Badin-Hyderabad Road for more than two hours, causing a great deal of inconvenience to commuters. The growers complained that owners of rice mills and commission agents had monopolised the trade by either taking their crops at low rates or refusing to make deals, saying the local rice market had not been able to find buyers in international market and hence they could not risk to buy the paddy crop at higher prices. However, the rice growers said that as they had already suffered a huge loss on costs of seed, fertilisers and tractors as well as labour charges, they could not sell their crops at the present rates. They parked their rice laden tractor trolleys at the main road and set tyres on fire. They demanded immediate government interference to save them from imminent losses due to the monopoly created by rice traders and commission agents and also requested authorities concerned to fix government rates so that no one could compel them to sell their crops at low prices. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112252470300.htm Tamil Nadu - Vellore Ryots stage protest Special Correspondent VELLORE: Sugarcane farmers belonging to the Vellore Cooperative Sugar Mills Sugarcane Producers? Association staged a demonstration under the presidentship of K. Kanniah Naidu, president of the association, in front of the sugar mills in Ammundi near Tiruvalam on Friday . The farmers demanded that the government bear the cost of cutting as done in other States, and that Tamil Nadu government should pay Rs. 2,000 a tonne for sugarcane supplied to the mills. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110457600300.htm Karnataka - Mysore Protest staged to highlight crisis in farm sector Special Correspondent ________________________________________ ?Over 1.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country between 1997 and 2005? Demand to fix procurement price of sugarcane at Rs. 1,750 a tonne ________________________________________ MYSORE: Farmers under the aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh staged a demonstration in the city on Monday to highlight the ?growing crisis in the agricultural sector and the exploitation of the farming community?. The farmers lamented that rich people and multinational companies were buying up agricultural land facilitated by the Government?s liberal economic policies. Underlining the growing crisis in the agricultural sector, sangha activists quoted statistics from the National Crime Bureau that over 1.5 lakh farmers had committed suicide in the country between 1997 and 2005. Criticised Pointing out the disparity in prices and wages in the agricultural sector compared to the non-agricultural sector, the sangha criticised the Government for its ?lopsided economic policies that are creating a wedge between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors?. Drawing attention to the subsidy earmarked in the Union Budget for fertilizer units during the current financial year, the sangha members pointed out that instead the Government could have promoted organic and natural farming. Declined The farmers made light of the Government?s loan waiver scheme amounting to Rs. 60,000 crore and said the budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector had declined over the years. From a budgetary allocation of 27 per cent of the GDP, the allocation for agriculture has shrunk to less than 6 per cent of the GDP, according to the sangha members. Other demands included fixing procurement price of sugarcane at Rs. 1,750 a tonne, compulsory crop insurance scheme to cover all farmers and repair of irrigation canals. The farmers urged the Government to remove silt from tanks and other water bodies and release water to fill tanks in the tail-end region of the Cauvery basin areas. They also called for regulation of financial institutions, which were reluctant to extend loans to farmers but were keen to offer tractor loans through tie-ups with companies. This had pushed many farmers into debt and, hence, the Government should crack down on this menace, said the sangha. The farmers also demanded market price for land acquired for conversion to industrial and non-agricultural purposes and sought action against Revenue Department officials for their alleged complicity in harassing farmers. The sangha also urged the Government to establish a network of marts so that farmers could directly sell their produce to the public. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111950820200.htm Nov 19 2008 Tamil Nadu - Nagapattinam CPI holds protest against price rise Special Correspondent ________________________________________ The government should ban online trading and institute mechanisms to protect the poor ________________________________________ NAGAPATTINAM: CPI volunteers staged a protest against the price rise in front of the tahsildar office here on Tuesday. The protest was led by ex-MP M. Selvaraj and DYFI district secretary Selvam. Later, speaking to presspersons, Mr. Selvaraj said that the price rise had been caused by the inept handling of the economy by the Central government. To ensure that common man did not suffer, the government should ban online trading and institute mechanisms to protect the poor. In the delta region and the tail-end in particular, farmers should be protected by ensuring proper water supply. He said that the farmers? and the agricultural labourers? organisations of the CPI would stage road rook agitations at 100 places in the district on November 25, coinciding with the bandh already announced by the party for the cause of the Sri Lankan Tamils. He also said that the government should increase the procurement price of paddy to Rs.1,200 per quintal and reduce indirect subsidies which benefit only fertiliser and seed companies. The government should also reduce the price of petroleum products reflecting the reduction in international crude oil prices. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112153520300.htm Tamil Nadu PMK stages protest SIRKAZHI: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) volunteers led by Nagapattinam (North) district secretary Agoran staged a protest in front of the RDO office here on Thursday asking for an increase in the procurement price for sugarcane. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081126/punjab1.htm Farmers hold protest against Punjab govt, Sugarfed Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 25 Members of Bhartiya Kisan Union, Punjab (BKUP) staged an indefinite protest near Parade ground here today, demanding release of arrears of Rs 37 crore from Sugarfed. Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of the BKUP, stated that 50 persons would sit on protest everyday, which would continue till their demands are met. He said the sugar mills in the states were not giving payments on time to farmers and Rs 37 crore was pending against them since the past one year. As per the rules, the mills should make payment to the farmers within 14 days of their delivering the crop at the mill. He said the government should fix time for payments. He also added that he did meet the Punjab Chief Minister and spoke on the issue, but the latter did not make any assurance. Besides this, the protesting farmers were insisting for immediate release of tube well connections to the general-category farmers. They alleged that the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was fleecing the farmers on one pretext or the other. They rued that the Akali-BJP alliance in the state had not redeemed its poll promises and left the farmer community in lurch. The members of the union also said they were being harassed by sand mafia in the villages situated on the banks of rivers. Those who had taken the contracts, did not allow farmers to quarry sand from their own fields and charged Rs 3,100 from them. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2008/11/02/news/protesting.farmers.to.meet.with.atienza.html Sunday, November 02, 2008 Protesting farmers to meet with Atienza By Cong B. Corrales A GLIMMER of hope emerged from the three-hour closed door dialogue between Nicanor Peralta, agrarian reform director of operations (Ardo) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Northern Mindanao, and leaders of the farmer-beneficiaries from Bukidnon who stormed the DAR office last Wednesday. In an interview with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, Peralta said they have faxed their central office regarding the protesting farmers? plight. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers The DAR regional office is urging Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman to bring to the attention of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza the issues raised by the umbrella organization Task Force Mapalad (TFM), which is speaking in behalf of the farmers. "Kailangan man gud nga ma-cancel sa DENR ang sales patent nila Fortich before ma-approve ang survey plan, after that I believe tuloy-tuloy na dayon na. Nadelantar lang gyud na sa DENR-10," Peralta said. The fax message addressed to Pangandaman through Undersecretary Rene Herrera stated in part: "The Regional Office is currently covering the following Fortich Properties; Carlitos Fortich and Maria Theresa Fortich located at Dabong-dabong, Mailag, Valencia, Bukidnon. Coverage of the said properties has been 'de facto' suspended due to the fact that part of the requirement of the DENR for the approval of the surveys of the above lands is the cancellation of their public land application." "The DENR, Region 10 has not acted on our survey returns and on October 20, 2008, that office transmitted a memorandum for the Secretary regarding their dilemma," the document stated. Lawyer Apolinario Banaag, attorney II of DAR-Northern Mindanao?s legal services division, documented what transpired in the dialogue. He said they faxed the said message right after the dialogue. "Syempre, mu-agi gyud mi og protocol. The letter is addressed to our department secretary requesting him to communicate with Secretary Atienza to facilitate the cancellation of application of the Fortich properties," Banaag said in a phone interview. For his part, Peralta said they will fund the transportation expenses of Constantino Sales, chairman of Farm Landless Farmer Beneficiaries Association (FLFBA), so that Sales can plead their case to Atienza face to face. "Wala man pud na sila'y kwarta busa atong i-fund iyang gasto paadto Manila as partners in the implementation of Carp (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program). Si Secretary Atienza naa man gud siya'y people's forum every Thursday. Posible nga earlier next week makalarga na siya (Sales) or anytime nga andam siya," Peralta told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. Peralta said many cases have been decisively acted upon by Atienza on his weekly program, citing the ?Ocaya? case as an example -- an agrarian reform issue similar to the FLFBA case. In an interview with Sun Star Cagayan de Oro, Sales welcomed Peralta's suggestion that he go directly to Atienza. "Maayo man hinuon pud na pero ila ko'ng pletehan kay wala gyud mi kwarta," Sales said. Meanwhile, the farmers are still encamped inside the DAR-Northern Mindanao compound in Macanhan, Cagayan de Oro City. The farmers said they will not leave the compound until the Agrarian office will act on the problems they raised. Joseph Coles, Task Force Mapalad (TFM) organizer, said they will light candles inside the DAR compound on Sunday to dramatize their condemnation of the dilly-dallying tactics of the said department. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98352 Bulgaria Milk Producers Stage Yet Another Protest Downtown Sofia Society | October 29, 2008, Wednesday Adrian Tsakonski, the leader of the Bulgarian Milk Producers' Association is skeptical about the future of the milk producing sector in Bulgaria. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency) Bulgaria milk producers have staged yet another protest in front of the Agriculture Ministry downtown Sofia, demanding a meeting with the leaders of the three-way ruling coalition. The protesters want to discuss with the government the future of the milk-producing sector in Bulgaria. Chair of the Milk Producers' Association, Andrian Tsakonski, said he was skeptical such a meeting would take place , as he "did not believe in their honesty." Over the past months milk producers in Bulgaria have staged numerous protest over unpaid subsidies and against the government policy in the sector. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112058620300.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Cane farmers to take part in protest Staff Reporter MADURAI: Members of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers? Association of National Cooperative Sugar Mills at Alanganallur near here will take part in a demonstration in Chennai scheduled for November 26, demanding Rs. 1,550 as procurement price for a tonne of cane. In a statement, its secretary, A. Sundararajan, said that the joint meeting of all cane farmers? association held here on Wednesday had decided to hold a series of protests urging the State and Central governments to implement the Rangarajan Committee recommendation of offering Rs.1,550 as procurement price for a tonne of cane. The farmers of Pandiyarajapuram sugar mills would also participate in the demonstration, the statement said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/18/stories/2008111860090600.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against ?low wages? Special Correspondent ?Photo: K. Ganesan : For more wages: Farm workers at the Madurai Collectorate on Monday. MADURAI: A large number of farm workers, including women, and members of the Communist Party of India staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Monday in protest against ?low wages? paid by Agricultural College and Research Institute to casual labourers employed in the campus farm. A delegation, led by P. Kalidas, CPI urban district secretary, submitted a memorandum to Collector P. Seetharaman, who assured to look into their grievances. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Kalidas said that the Collector had, through an order, fixed Rs. 105 as daily wage based on the prevailing market rates. However, the college disbursed only Rs. 80 as daily wage to labourers. The college authorities justified it on some ?vague calculations,? which was not acceptable. The workers wanted the college administration to disburse Rs. 105 as per the agreement and pay the arrears immediately. They alleged that there were no medicines available for snake bite. Mr. Kalidas said that the problem was similar for the 3,500 casual labourers working in seven agricultural colleges in the State. He urged the government to intervene in the issue. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111451750300.htm Andhra Pradesh Land survey exercise triggers protest Correspondent VIZIANAGARAM: The I-town police took nine dalits into preventive custody when they obstructed survey of land by revenue and housing officials at Thotapalem here on Thursday, according to Sub-Inspector Ramana Murty. . Families of the victims told visiting reporters that 14 dalit families had ?purchased? 10.76 acres of agriculture land surrendered as surplus under the Land Ceiling Act and had been tilling it since then. They had also been paying cess regularly. Recently, Minister for Housing Botcha Satyanarayana reportedly asked revenue and housing officials to survey the land for construction of houses under Indiramma programme. When the officials began survey of the land in the morning, the SCs staged a protest and obstructed officials from discharging their duty. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1116/agriculture.html IFA says Fianna Fail letting down farmers Sunday, 16 November 2008 The president of the Irish Farmers' Association has accused Fianna F?il of forgetting their roots and letting down the west of Ireland. Padraig Walshe was speaking in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, where around 5,000 farmers demonstrated against cuts in farm spending announced in the budget. The IFA estimates that the Budget measures will cost farmers in the west and north-west nearly ?40m. Advertisement Since the Budget in mid-October, farmers have been holding meetings all over the country to voice their anger over cuts in investment programmes and in retirement and some livestock schemes. The IFA is accusing the Government of taking the easy option by cutting the income of farmers on marginal land mainly in the west of Ireland. Mr Walshe said cuts in the suckler welfare and the disadvantaged areas schemes are a direct attack on the viability of low-income farmers. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1127/1227739033833.html Thursday, November 27, 2008 Sheep farmers protest in Dublin SE?N Mac CONNELL, Agriculture Correspondent THE LAST time protesting farmers brought their sheep to the Department of Agriculture in Dublin they drove them into the lobby, souring relations between the two sides for a decade. Yesterday sheep farmers arrived again at Kildare Street, but carefully penned their ewes on a bed of straw and never went near the lobby. Yet the issue remains the same nearly 20 years on. Sheep farmers want more money, and that was the purpose of yesterday's IFA-inspired event. Unlike the last protest, the sheep men are keeping their animals at the front door of the department until Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith delivers them a ?20 per ewe payment. Last week the Minister got permission from the EU to give unspent EU funds of ?23 million to needy sectors, and Henry Burns, the IFA sheep committee chairman, says his sector needs it most and now. He said the Minister was on record that the sheep sector would be a priority for these funds, but since then had refused to commit himself to a major aid package. A spokesperson for the Minister said the dispersal of unspent EU money would be decided by the Minister following consultation with the main stakeholders in the agriculture sector. The statement was issued before the Minister was aware that the sheep will be kept there until he agrees to pay the money. Farmers like Richard Brickenden from Cratloe, Co Clare, and Colm O'Donnell from the Ox mountains in Co Sligo, said without EU aid the industry would be lost. They said they were staying at the department until the commitment was given, no matter how long that took. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1130/budget.html Minister in 'denial' over farming cuts: IFA Sunday, 30 November 2008 The Irish Farmers' Association has said the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith is in denial over the impact of the Government cuts on farmers. The minister said that he did not accept claims about the impact of the cuts on farm incomes. However, IFA President Padraig Walshe said Minister Smith is disingenuous by referring to 2008 payments, which have nothing to do with the Government's farm cuts for 2009. Advertisement This evening an estimated 7,000 thousand farmers took part in a demonstration in Ennis, Co Clare. Farmers mostly from the west and southwest of the country attended the protest. Around 20,000 farmers have expressed their anger over the Budget cuts at IFA meetings all over the country since October. Mr Walshe said the way farmers have been hit is totally unacceptable. Speaking in RT?, Mr Walshe said many farmers would not be able to make a living from farming. He said the cuts are a direct attack on the viability of low-income farmers, especially in the West. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1129/budget.html Separate protests over Budget cuts Saturday, 29 November 2008 Teachers groups and farmers and have staged separate protests against Budget cuts. ? Meanwhile, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association demonstrated outside a meeting of Fianna F?il councillors in Tullamore, Co Offaly where Taoiseach Brian Cowen and other Government Ministers were in also attendance. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidideymhau/rss2/ Offaly farmers protest over Budget cuts Print Email+ Share+ 29/11/2008 - 09:01:35 Farmers are protesting over Budget cuts in Offaly today. Members of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association will demonstrate outside the Tullamore Court Hotel as the Taoiseach Brian Cowen attends a meeting with county councillors from around the country. Around 300 farmers are expected to attend. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1127/agriculture.html Farmers protest over sheep subsidies Thursday, 27 November 2008 16:58 Farmers are continuing their demonstration outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin seeking new subsidies for sheep producers. The farmers have penned-in about 12 sheep near the entrance to the department as part of their protest. The IFA is seeking a new ?20 per ewe payment, which they say was agreed last week in Brussels, with the money due to come from unused CAP funds. Advertisement Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said he will decide how the funds will be spent and that he will not be influenced by any group. IFA National Sheep Committee chairman Henry Burns accused Minister Smith of trying to back-track on his promise to allocate unused funds to the sheep sector. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_economy_0_09/10/2008_101123 Farmers dump dairy goods in protest action EUROKINISSI Farmers from northern Greece demonstrated in Thessaloniki yesterday [October 8], voicing demands for an increase in government aid as they gave away dairy products to passers-by. The producers gathered at around midday in the northern Greek city and handed out milk and yogurt products to dozens of people, most of them elderly citizens. Among their financial demands is an increase in compensation to make up for losses caused by low rainfall this year and subsidies to help cover the rising cost of animal feed. They also called on the government to intervene and help them secure higher selling prices for products that are sold on to large dairy corporations. ?Prices are very low for producers and very high for consumers,? said one farmer. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100652860300.htm Karnataka Farmers protest low onion price Staff Correspondent DAVANGERE: Farmers here discarded loads of onions on Sunday, protesting against the sharp decrease in its prices as well as the failure of the Government to announce a support price for the crop. They also staged a ?rasta roko? on National Highway 13 near Kalledevarapura village in Jagalur taluk. Onion has been widely grown in Kalledevarapura and surrounding villages and the price of the crop has come down to Rs.70 a quintal. Farmers say they would be unable to recover even one-tenth of their production cost if they sell the crop for that price. They said they anticipated a good price for their produce and hence had grown the crop widely in the taluk. They demanded that the Government come to their rescue and announce a support price immediately. Office-bearers of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene led the agitation. A memorandum was submitted to the tahsildar of Jagalur. Surprisingly, the price of onion at the Davangere market has not yet been revised and it is still being sold at Rs.10 a kg. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/21/stories/2008102151420300.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam AIADMK protest against lack of amenities Special Correspondent Power cut has hit functioning of bought leaf tea factories Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy Raising voice: AIADMK workers staging a demonstration in front of the Panchayat Union office in Udhagamandalam on Monday. ? Udhagamandalam: In protest against the lack of basic amenities in Thumanatty and surroundings, a demonstration was staged by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam workers in front of the Panchayat Union office here on Monday. Addressing the gathering, former Minister Pollachi V. Jayaraman said that the demonstration was to condemn the appalling condition of roads in Thummanatty, Ebbanad, Kagguchi, Hullathy and Sholur panchayats. Closure It was also in protest against the closure of the Industrial Cooperative (INDCO) tea factory at Ebbanad. The speakers pointed out that due to power problems functioning of bought leaf tea factories and studies of school and college students had been affected. The demonstrators urged the government to give suitable wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. Police warned Coming down hard on the police for denying permission for such demonstrations, the speakers said that it was just a matter of time before the AIADMK came to power in Tamil Nadu. Among those who spoke were former Minister A. Miller and district secretary, AIADMK, M. Selvaraj. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102352840300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Protesters admitted to hospital Bijapur: Five of the 50 farmers who had been on a fast for two days demanding compensation for uncrushed sugarcane for 2006-07 were hospitalised on Wednesday evening after they complained of stomach pain. They have been identified as Shrishail Biradar, Shekhu Hosdurg, Ishwarappa Biradar, Muttavva Pujari and Alima Chapparband. According to sources in the civil hospital, their conditions are now normal. ? Staff Correspondent --------------------------------------------------- Angry farmers burn rice harvest, accuse PDI-P of betrayal Jakarta Post - October 16, 2008 Agus Maryono, Purwokerto -- A group of farmers in West Ajibarang, Banyumas regency, on Wednesday set fire to seven tons of unhusked rice, claiming they had been betrayed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The farmers said the party had promised to buy their harvest at a high price, but had instead done nothing. "We are really disappointed. We waited three months for PDI-P officials to make good on their promise, but nothing was done, and all the unhusked rice we harvested is now spoiled," said Sartono, 45, one of the affected farmers. The rice, developed in a PDI-P-sponsored project, was called MSP -- an abbreviation of Mari Sejahterakan Petani (let's make farmers wealthy), and also the initials of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. At the launch of the project, the PDI-P's Banyumas office pledged to buy all the harvested rice at Rp 7,000 (72 US cents) per kilogram, some Rp 1,000 higher than the market price. But when harvest time rolled around, local party officials refused to buy the rice, arguing they did not have the money for it. "From the very beginning, PDI-P Banyumas chairman Suherman convinced us his party would buy the entire harvest. Now we know it was all a lie," said 60-year-old Sujadi Sumarto, chairman of the West Ajibarang farmers group. Sumarto added the MSP variety had given farmers a relatively large yield of seven tons of unhusked rice from the 1.5 hectares of fields used in the pilot project. "With the promised price, we expected to earn some Rp 50 million from the harvest. But thanks to their deceit, it has turned into a big loss for us," Sumarto said. He said because of the party's refusal to buy the rice, the group was unable to cultivate their fields for the last three months because they had no money to do so. Sumarto also expressed concern over how a major political party like the PDI-P could deceive the public in such a way, especially with the 2009 general elections drawing nearer. Along with the rice, the angry farmers also burned down a huge banner reading "Mari Sejahterakan Petani" with a picture of Megawati on it. Supangat, deputy chairman of PDI-P Banyumas, confirmed the MSP project was a PDI-P national initiative. "Because it was also conducted in Banyumas, we were obliged to buy all the harvested rice. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24555657-2862,00.html Water protesters cold on Premier John Brumby Mike Edmonds October 27, 2008 12:00am HUNDREDS of north-south pipeline protesters took over the main street of Yea yesterday demanding the resignation of Premier John Brumby. The farmers and others from up and down the Melba Highway, the route of the controversial pipeline, were urged to keep up the fight against the $750 million project by local Federal Opposition members and independent and Green senators from South Australia. About 650 people turned the rally into a march, effectively blocking highway traffic through Yea for 20 minutes. SA independent senator Nick Xenophon said the pipeline concept was madness and there needed to be "a thorough independent audit of the claims being made by the Victorian Government". Aboriginal elder Uncle Roy Patterson performed a healing and cleansing ceremony, and told the crowd the effects of the pipeline would ruin families in its way. "Brumby is an ignorant, arrogant dictator," he said. "If Brumby goes ahead with this pipeline he's going to destroy three states - Victoria, SA and NSW." http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=133277 Police accused of killing protester Tuesday, September 02, 2008 By our correspondent KHAIRPUR: A grower reportedly died when the police resorted to baton-charge and aerial firing to disperse hundreds of growers, protesting against the shortage of urea in Pano Aqil on Monday. The concerned SHO and three other cops were arrested on the orders of DPO Sukkur Sharjel Khan Kharel. The DPO also ordered registration of an FIR against SHO Masood Mahar and his three colleagues. However, the accused SHO said the man died due to suffocation and not by the baton-charge. But Taj Muhamamd Jatoi, brother of the deceased, insisted that his brother was beaten to death by the police. Meanwhile, a breach in the Dighri Canal inundated many villages and the authorities suspended two Irrigation officials for negligence. At RD-25, a wide breach occured in the canal, inundating Pitafi and Burrira villages besides flooding the standing crops. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092653530300.htm Andhra Pradesh Protest for fertilizer turns violent Special Correspondent NANDYAL: The protest by farmers for fertilizer turned violent at Srinivasa Junction in Nandyal town on Thursday leaving four policemen and 50 farmers injured in the incident. The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob which tried to loot two trucks carrying the stocks and took into custody former Telugu Desam Minister N. Md. Farooq on the charge of instigating farmers. According to reports, some 2,000 farmers resorted to rasta roko for fertilizer at Srinivasa junction and held up traffic for six hours. Leaders of TDP, CPI and CPI(M) also took part in the protest in solidarity with the farmers. When the protesters tried to take away the fertilizer bags from the two trucks passing by, the police intervened and caned the farmers. Several farmers and policemen suffered bleeding injuries in the clash. Mr. Farooq and others were let off after the situation came under control. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/22/stories/2008092254620300.htm Karnataka - Raichur KPRS to protest against supply of spurious seeds, fertilizer hoarding Staff Correspondent Crop in more than 300 acres of land in Deodurga taluk affected ________________________________________ Farmers spent Rs. 5, 000 an acre for growing sunflower ?Administration did not respond to farmers? complaints? ________________________________________ Maruti Manpade (centre), president of the State unit of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, at a press conference in Raichur on Sunday. Raichur: Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) has decided to organise a farmers? rally at Deodurga town in the first week of October to protest against the alleged failure of the State Government to protect the interests of farmers in the district. At a press conference here on Sunday, Maruti Manpade, president of the State unit of the sangha, said the farmers in the district had been distressed owing to the failure of early rains. Shortage However, rains in the past one month had helped them take up sowing of crops for the late kharif season, but they had been facing shortage of seeds and fertilizer. Besides, many farmers had suffered losses owing to supply of spurious seeds. The failure of the district administration in checking the supply of spurious seeds and hoarding of fertilizer had affected the interests of the farmers, he said. Mr. Manpade said that majority of farmers in rainfed areas in the district had sown sunflower crop on a large scale. However, standing crop on more than 300 acres of land in Deodurga taluk had been affected at the flowering stage even though farmers used the certified seeds approved by the Agriculture Department. Officials of the department were responsible for the supply of spurious seeds to the farmers, he alleged. Mr. Manpade said farmers had spent about Rs. 5, 000 an acre for growing hybrid sunflower crop. But the crop failed causing heavy losses to the farmers. The affected farmers had registered complaints with the police. But the Agriculture Department had threatened the farmers that fertilizers would not be allotted to them if they did not withdraw the cases, he alleged. Mr. Manpade said he had spoken to Deputy Commissioner Adoni Syed Saleem and Superintendent of Police B.A. Padmanayana appealing to them to register cases against dealers involved in the supply of spurious seeds, but there had not been any response. He said he had also approached Ravikumar, Secretary of the Agriculture Department, to give directions to the officials concerned to supply quality seeds and take up proper distribution of fertilizer. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090359680500.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Farmers stage demonstration TIRUCHI: Members of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affliliated to the Communist Party of India, staged a demonstration near the Collectorate here on Tuesday demanding the Centre to immediately sanction agricultural loans through the nationalised banks to the farmers. The demonstration was led by Sangam district president Ayilai Siva Sooriyan. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/28/stories/2008082860321100.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore Farmers? association plans demonstrations Staff Reporter Coimbatore: The Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangham has decided to stage demonstrations in front of the Collectorates in the third week of September demanding loan waiver scheme, against land acquisition, end to wild boar menace and fixation of procurement prices. In a memorandum, the State President of the Sangham, M.R. Sivasamy, said that a meeting of the association had passed a number of resolutions on the measures to protect the farm sector. One of the resolutions said the Central and State Governments should evolve measures to extend relief to the agricultural sector by waiving farm loans outstanding as on February 29, 2008. Such a measure would boost agricultural production and help combat inflation. Scheme The resolution added that the agricultural loan waiver scheme introduced by the Centre was not yielding any major benefits to the farmers. As per the scheme, farmers who had availed loans prior to March 31, 2007 that fell due on December 31 and not paid till 2008 alone were being waived. With March 31 being the accounting deadline for the banks, farmers used to pay back the loans and renew the same with a fresh loan. Under the loan waiver scheme, big farmers with a land holding of over five acres had to repay their loans for availing a 25 per cent waiver. Above all, the entire loan waiver scheme was nothing but an existing practice of one-time loan settlement adopted by the banks for reducing their non-performing assets. Hence, as it was done by the State Government without any discrimination as small and big farmers, all farm loan outstandings as on February 29, 2008 should be waived by the Centre. The meeting also resolved to intensify and step up the Save Agriculture Movement. In the last 30 years, successive governments, both at the Centre and State, had focussed on industrial development totally neglecting agriculture. Prices With agriculture becoming an unviable sector, farmers have given up farming resulting in prices of essential commodities going up. Another resolution urged the government to give up the proposed Neelambur ? Mettupalayam bypass road and convert the existing Mettupalayam Road into a four-lane one. Irrespective of whether the land was meant for public or private use, acquisition should be done as per the market rate and not based on the guideline value. Citing crop damage caused by wild boars, it demanded that wild boars be excluded from the Wildlife Protection Act. The sangham also demanded that the procurement price for various commodities should be fixed as follows: sugarcane - Rs 2,000 per tonne;, paddy - Rs 1,500 per quintal; copra ? Rs. 60 per kg; and milk at Rs. 20 per litre. To press these demands, the sangham had planned to organise agitations in front of Collectorates across the State. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/23/stories/2008082353350400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Farmers? demonstration BANGALORE: The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Green Brigade would hold a demonstration in Bangalore on September 8 and lay a siege to the Vidhana Soudha, seeking compensation from the Government to potato growers who have suffered losses worth crores of rupees. KRRS president and former legislator K.S. Puttannaiah told presspersons here on Friday that potato cultivated on one lakh acres in Hassan district and 15,000 acres in Chikmagalur district had been affected by ?angamaari disease.? Besides, heavy rains had also led to the destruction of potato crop. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090655450300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur Protests over fertilizer scarcity Staff Reporter Agriculture Minister accused of making misleading statements ________________________________________ In Kurnool, TDP to observe black badge protest on September 11 Police resort to severe caning and manhandling of CPI activists ________________________________________ Logjam: Vehicles stranded on the NH-7 due to an all-party road blockade protesting against fertilizer scarcity at Somuladoddi near Anantapur on Friday. ANANTAPUR: Activists of all parties, except the Congress, staged a road blockade on NH-7 at Somuladoddi village near here on Friday protesting the alleged government inaction over the severe scarcity of fertilizer. Similar protests were also staged in different parts of the district. Vehicular traffic on the NH-7 was disrupted as the protest was staged for about two hours. Vehicles were stranded in long queues on the either side of the protest point. Speaking at the place of the protest, TDP politburo member K. Srinivasulu, district secretary of CPI D. Jagadish, P. Peddi Reddy of CPI (M) and others alleged that Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy was misleading the State by repeatedly claiming that sufficient stock of fertilizer was available. They sought to know from Mr. Raghuveera Reddy why the farmers had been caned by the police and cases were booked against them for not getting fertilizers even after standing in serpentine queues for hours. They also demanded that the State government waive loans of all farmers in drought districts like Anantapur and also reduce the price of diesel being used for farming needs. They would intensify agitations if the government failed to resolve the farmers? problems at the earliest.Later, police arrived at the scene, arrested about 30 leaders and activists of TDP, CPI, CPI (M), BJP and Mana Party and lifted them to Anantapur rural police station. Police resorted to severe caning and manhandling of CPI activists when they were staging rasta roko in front of the RDO?s office here protesting the arrest of party activists on the fertilizer issue. Three activists including town secretary of CPI P. Narayanaswamy were injured. District secretary of CPI (M) G. Obulakonda Reddy condemned the arrests and the lathi-charge and demanded the lifting of cases booked against farmers. Protests were also staged at Gooty, Kadiri, Rayadurg, Guntakal, Kuderu, Singanamala, Mudigubba, Yadiki, Pamidi. Kurnool Special Correspondent adds: Telugu Desam organised a protest against fertilizer shortage at the Collectorate here on Friday. Party district president Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy, secretary Meenakshi Naidu, former ministers B.V. Mohan Reddy, N.Md. Farooq and others were present. Addressing farmers, Mr. Rajasekhar Reddy said, among other things, that the TDP would intensify its stir against the fertilizer shortage by beginning with black badge protest on September 11. (Sept 6) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/18/stories/2008091850620200.htm Andhra Pradesh TDP protest against shortage of fertilizer TDP leader Bangi Ananthaiah and his supporters staged a protest here on Wednesday against shortage of fertilizer. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/16/stories/2008091652860300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Farmers protest Bijapur: Farmers in Bijapur taluk staged a rasta roko at Gandhi chowk here on Monday to protest against delay in the supply of seeds and fertilizers. They gathered at Ganghi Chowk hampering vehicular movement for more than two hours. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091052710300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Protest against non-payment of wages Special Correspondent KURNOOL: Leaders and activists of Farm Workers? Union staged a demonstration at the collectorate here on Tuesday urging the government to clear the pending bills for workers engaged under NREGS. State secretary of the Union Venkat, CPI(M) district secretary T. Shadrak, district secretary of the Union Bala Hussain and others were present. Mr. Venkat said though the workers had completed the works six months ago, the officials had not paid the bills amounting to Rs. 43 crore. He said the delay in payment of wages would defeat the very purpose of the scheme. He said that at many places, workers were not being paid minimum wages. Mr. Venkat said the inference of politicians in implementing the programme was very high in certain areas. A huge amount was diverted to other purposes. He urged the government to take action against the officials who acted hand in glove with the politicians in certain mandals. The authorities failed to pay compensation to the workers who suffered injuries or died. The union asked the government to release Rs. 43 crore and initiate criminal action against the officials who indulged in corrupt practices. The protesters barged into the collectorate and raised slogans. The leaders presented a memorandum to in-charge Collector Chakravarthi. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453770400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Farmers? protest HYDERABAD: Members of the National Alliance of Farmers? Associations will hold protests in New Delhi and all State capitals on October 22 demanding remunerative prices for all products, as recommended by National Commission on Farmers, T. Haque, ex- chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and NAFA adviser, told reporters here on Friday. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100253430300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Protest on October 4 Bijapur: The district unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangha has decided to stage a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office on October 4 urging him to fulfill their various demands. In a press release, sangha president Gurunath Shankar Bagali said that the sangha would demand release of compensation for uncrushed sugarcane for 2006-07, transport and support price for sugarcane crop, and the implementation of tank filling project. ? Staff Correspondent --------------------------------------------------- Protests over president's super hybrid rice Tempo Interactive - September 6, 2008 Jakarta -- The super hybrid rice known as Super toy HL-2 was planted and harvested by no less than the President himself with great fanfare last April. However, experts say, the rice has not completed test procedures. "We have not officially sold this variety to the market as yet," said Agriculture Department's Food and Plants director-general, Sutarto Ali Muso, yesterday. Sutarto was responding to farmers' protests in Central Java who were disappointed that this type of rice was not as good as it was promised to be. Many of the rice grains were they were harvested. Farmers in Grabag are demanding a Rp 22.6 billion compensation from PT Sarana Harapan Indopangan, a company which sponsored the rice and which promised a compensation if the harvest failed. The company is one of PT Sarana Harapan Indo Group's subsidiaries, whose manager is Heru Lelono, the President's expert staff on autonomy, together with his partner Iswahyudi. Another one of their subsidiaries, PT Sarana Harapan Indohidro previously caused a similar scandal when their much-publicized fuel-saving 'blue energy' machine turned out to be a scam. The Super Toy's superior trait was published in the agriculture department's website, which claimed it was able to produce three harvests a year without having to re-plant the seeds, and the rice stalks just needed to be pruned after every harvest, prior to growing back. Lured by the advertisement, Purworejo farmers planted this type of rice in a 103-hectare land, which failed. "I challenge Heru Lelono and Iswahyudi to come to Grabag and meet the farmers themselves. Don't let the people suffer," said Grabag viilage chief, Gandung Sumroiyadi. Presidential spokesman, Andi Malarangeng said the government is not responsible for the unsuccessful harvest, saying it was not a government project. "The president took part in the first harvest because he was invited by the Purworejo regent," he added, pointing to PT Sarana, as the responsible party. Heru Lelono, PT Sarana's CEO, refused to take the blame on his own. "The regent is also responsible, because he was the one who recommended this strain of rice,' he said. According to Heru, the company was only responsible until the first harvest in April. "We had no other agreement after that," he said. "Our director (Iswahyudi) is now discussing the matter with the regent." - Tomi, Elik, Heru CN, Eko Ari, Akbar Tri --------------------------------------------------- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/03/2381992.htm Farmers in Argentina to resume protests Posted Fri Oct 3, 2008 10:03pm AEST Farmers in Argentina are resuming nationwide protests against the Government. They say they will suspend grain exports and limit the export of beef for at least the next six days. Two months ago farmers reached an agreement with the authorities to end nationwide protests. But farming leaders say the government has failed to address their demands, which include lower export taxes. - BBC http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=14709&formato=HTML Wednesday, October 1, 2008 Argentine farmers back on the roads for six-day protest Argentine farmers announced on Tuesday they will take to the roads again temporarily suspending grain exports and limiting beef exports to protest scant progress in talks with the government on how to help small- and medium-scale producers who are suffering financially. But leaders from Argentina's four main farm organizations promised not to blockade roads as they did earlier this year during nearly four months of protests against the government's now-repealed export-tax hike. The protests and blockades led to sporadic food shortages, hurt the economy and caused President Cristina Fernandez's popularity to plunge. Starting Friday, farmers will wage a six-day strike to protest what they say is the government's lack of response to demands including larger subsidies for medium- and small-scale producers, more money for producers living far away from the country's ports and economic relief for thousands of farmers in northern Argentine affected by what they say is the worst drought in 100 years. ?There has been no room for discussion? with the government in two months of negotiations, Eduardo Buzzi, leader of the Argentine Agrarian Federation, said during a televised news conference. ?In the countryside, things keep getting worse. Additional problems include the government's beef and wheat export restrictions and price regulations, as well as high oil prices and falling commodity prices worldwide, said Buzzi and the head of Argentina's Rural Society, Hugo Biolcati. In a separate televised news conference, Agriculture Secretary Carlos Cheppi called on farmers to call off the strike and said ongoing negotiations had provided concrete solutions. ?These protest measures help the country very little given the precarious international (economic) context?, he said. ?We want to continue the dialogue?. The farmers? announcement followed a meeting of the so called liaison committee of Argentina?s main four organizations which successfully steered the four-month protest which ended when the Senate voted against an export tax increase, exposing the vulnerability of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration. However Argentine press reports indicate that the decision to take back to the roads was not as enthusiastic as the previous protest, apparently two of the organizations were not entirely convinced of the opportunity of the extreme measure but finally opted for unity. Argentina is one of the world?s leading exports of soy, corn, wheat, barley and beef. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=96315 Bulgaria Farmers Stage Mass Protest at Shipka Pass 21 August 2008, Thursday Adrian Tsakonski, the leader of the Bulgarian Milk Producers' Association expects over 500 protesters to show up at Shipka. Photo by Nadiya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency) | buy photo | Bulgarian farmers from all over the country are gathering Thursday at the Shipka mountain pass to stage yet another protest over unpaid subsidies. Farmers from Romania have also joined the demonstration in sign of support for their Bulgarian colleagues. Currently over 150 farmers have arrived at the location and there is increased police presence in the area. The farmers including fish-breeders, shepherds and poultry farmers are all there to support the Bulgarian milk producers. The Mayor of Gabrovo said that negotiations are underway in order to prevent the blocking of the road. Wednesday, Adrian Tsakonski, the leader of the Bulgarian Milk Producers' Association stated before Darik radio that he expected over 500 protesters to show up at Shipka. The last protest of the milk producers took place on August 13 in Sofia, in front of the building of the Agriculture Ministry. The very next day the milk producers received their subsidies for March, however, those for April, May, June and July remain unpaid. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=96474 200 Farmers from Bulgaria's Kurdzhali to Participate in Protest Rally 27 August 2008, Wednesday Over 200 farmers from the Kurdzhali region are on their way to Sofia Wednesday to participate in the national farmers' protest beginning at 12:00 pm in front of the Ministries Council building. Boyko Sinapov, leader of the local farmers, who have been on strike for over a month, stated that they were disappointed in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Party, their representatives on the Parliament and the local administration. Sinapov voiced his frustration with the mayors of the municipalities in the Kurdzhali region since so far none of them has visited the farmers and has not taken a stand on their demands. Sinapov added that they hope that the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev was going to declare his stand on the milk producers' problems Wednesday, otherwise the farmers would remain in Sofia and rally every day. The Leader of the Bulgarian Association of Milk Producers, Adrian Tsakonski announced before Darik radio Tuesday that the Wednesday protest rally would be the largest one to be organized by the Bulgarian farmers so far and would bring together over 1,500 farm workers, who were going to stage a permanent protest. Tsakonski further explained for Darik that permanent protest meant either the Cabinet's resignation or the fulfillment of all farmers' demands. Currently only the March subsidies for first calls dairy farms have been paid. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=96484 Protesting Farmers Try to Storm Bulgaria's Council of Ministers 27 August 2008, Wednesday Over 200 milk producers clashed with the police in downtown Sofia as they tried to storm the Council of Ministers' Building. Photo by Kameliya Atanassova (Sofia Photo Agency) | buy photo | Over 200 milk producers from all over Bulgaria staged a protest rally in downtown Sofia demanding agricultural subsidies, which ended with clashed with the police and several arrests after an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Council of Ministers building. After Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev did not agree to meet with the protesters, and as their permit to protest expired at 3 p.m. protesting farmers tried to force their way into the government's headquarters at 1 Dondukov Blvd but were stopped by the dozens of policemen there. As a result, several of the leaders of protesters including the Chair of the Milk Producers' Association Andriyan Tsakonski were arrested for breaking the public peace, and protesting after their permit had expired. Tsankonski and the other leaders were released a couple of hours later after they were warned against engaging in similar behavior in the future. "The protest rally was definitely organized in a provocative way. The organizers urged the protesters to break the law. And I will not meat with anyone, who does not abide by the law", said Bulgaria's PM Sergey Stanishev, who was in the Studentski Grad quarter during the protests, opening renovated university dorms. After the clashes with the policemen, representatives of the farmers received a permit for permanent protests from the Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov. Meanwhile, the State Agriculture Fund has promised the farmer's subsidies would be paid by September 8. If this does not, the milk producers are going to resume the protests on September 10. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97052 Bulgaria Milk Producers Stage Yet Another Protest 17 September 2008, Wednesday Bulgarian milk producers from all over the country are to stage yet another protest on Wednesday against the government policy in the sector. Rallies over unpaid subsidies will be held in Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Sliven, Ruse, Haskovo, Kardzhali , and Gotse Delchev. "Milk producers are to protest until we become European farmers," Chair of the Milk Producers' Association, Andrian Tsakonski, commented. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1002/farming.html Farmers protest over grain price plan Thursday, 2 October 2008 19:58 Around 400 grain farmers have taken part in a protest outside the Glanbia headquarters in Kilkenny. The Irish Farmers Association, which organised the demonstration, says growers stand to lose money as the price being offered for grain is below cost production. Farmers have reacted angrily to Glanbia's grain new price plan, saying that it is unviable and unrealistic. Advertisement The spokesperson said there must be an overhaul of the current pricing mechanism. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 20:45:04 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:45:04 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Small business protests, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9C7C0.2060503@tesco.net> December * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - fuel price protest * CHINA, Dongguan: Factory suppliers protest, seek state help * INDIA - KOREA: Protests as Indian farmers jailed * GREECE: Fisherfolk occupy Piraeus port * PAKISTAN: Fisherfolk seek statewide movement * CANADA: Lobster fisherfolk on strike * MALAYSIA: Fisherfolk stage diesel protest * SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town taxi drivers in protest, clashes; 2 killed * INDIA: Bus trip cancelled following clash; auto unions warn of ban protest * AUSTRALIA: Taxi drivers warn of blockade, stage protests over safety screens * FIJI: Carriers protest deregistration * INDIA: Karnataka - taxi protest * US: Albany - small business protest over concession to big company * INDIA: Hotel owners protest luxury tax * INDIA: Toddy workers march November * FRANCE: Winegrowers protest tasting ban * BAHRAIN: Fisherfolk protest fee * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - protest marks Fisheries Day * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - taxi strike * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - market change protest * PAKISTAN: Small traders protest electricity crisis * INDIA: Karnataka - traders protest road widening * US: Glenville - car dealers protest doublecross * INDIA: Karnataka - textile exporters demand support * AUSTRALIA: Sydney hit by fuel price protest * BULGARIA: Auto industry prepares for protests * INDIA: Chennai - trucker protest hits gas supply * PHILIPPINES: Protests lead to oil price rollback; auto caravan to "Big 3" offices * INDIA: Kerala - taxi protest * NEW ZEALAND: Painters in hotel protest * AUSTRALIA: Lawyers protest legal aid crisis October * INDIA: Orissa - sweetmeat traders protest * INDIA: Mumbai - drivers strike to keep old cars * PHILIPPINES: Taxi drivers protest fare cut * INDIA: Kerala - bus owners protest * BERMUDA: Truckers' protest stops traffic * IRAN: Market traders strike to protest tax; defeat President * PAKISTAN: Shopkeepers protest road extension * INDIA: Kerala - hoteliers protest water price rise * GREECE: Shopkeepers strike over tax, reforms * IRELAND: Picket over payments at Wexford hotel August-September * INDONESIA: Rally against fuel price * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - AIADMK protests property tax * JAPAN: Fuel prices spark trucker protest * PHILIPPINES: Transport group raises fuel price demands * INDONESIA: Taxi drivers protest for reform transparency * SOUTH AFRICA: Taxi strikers attack scabs * IRELAND: Protest halts taxis at Dublin Airport * INDIA: Chandigarh - taxi drivers rally against diesel phase-out * SOUTH AFRICA: Taxi drivers protest over fares * ITALY: Chefs serve free pizzas in price protest * INDIA: Plastic bag raids prompt trader protest * INDIA: Chennai - road widening protested by traders * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - fisherfolk protest * IRELAND: Fishing protests may resume * FRANCE: Oyster farmers protest for aid * CANADA: Lobster fishing protest "far from over" http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120350940300.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstration Tiruvannamalai: The Left parties and the Janata Dal (Secular) staged a demonstration here on Tuesday, urging the Centre to reduce the prices of petroleum products. Communist Party of India district secretary K. Jothi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) town secretary M. Jayabalan, and Janata Dal (Secular) district president Manickavel Aachari participated. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94SH6980&show_article=1 LEAD: Factory suppliers protest, seek gov't help in collecting dues+ Dec 5 06:36 AM US/Eastern Comments (0) HONG KONG, Dec. 5 (AP) - (Kyodo)?(EDS: UPDATING WITH REPORTS ABOUT OWNER FLEEING, NEW MANAGAMENT WORKING ON REPAYMENT PROPOSAL) About 200 suppliers of a car audio and video factory in southern China's Guangdong Province protested outside the provincial government headquarters Friday to seek help in retrieving some 90 million yuan ($13 million) in owed payments, Hong Kong media reported. TV stations showed video footage of protesters lining up along a road outside the building in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, holding banners urging officials to tackle fraud and help them retrieve payments allegedly owed to them by the Redpower Electronics factory located in Dongguan City. Police reportedly stopped reporters from covering the protest. TVB also showed footage captured by suppliers that showed police in riot gear charging the suppliers earlier as they were protesting in Dongguan, an industrial hotspot where thousands of factories have shut down recently due to the economic downturn. One of the suppliers said two protesters were hospitalized with injuries after the police attack. The owner of the factory, Dai Shuyang, is said to have fled to Hong Kong, while the state-owned Guangdong Dongfang Import and Export Corp. is reported to have invested in the company and renamed it but without paying off the dues owed to the suppliers. Hong Kong's pro-Beijing daily Tai Kung Pao said the company has agreed to hammer out a repayment proposal by Dec. 15. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=30745c95-a17f-49d6-a7bd-3da835f68959&Headline=Sailors+get+sentence+in+S.+Korea%2c+protests+at+home Sailors get sentence in S. Korea, protests at home Holidays in South Korea Vikas Pathak, Hindustan Times Email Author New Delhi, December 12, 2008 First Published: 01:54 IST(12/12/2008) Last Updated: 01:56 IST(12/12/2008) A day after the Korean Appeal Court sentenced two Indian sailors for spillage of oil from their ship Hebei Spirit in December 2007, 46 senior Indian seafarers have come together and decided to avoid setting sail to South Korea and to wear black bands if at all they have to go there. ?Delhi and NCR seafarers will launch a protest in front of the South Korean embassy and not purchase goods made in Korea,? Captain Sanjiv Verma of Ocean XV told Hindustan Times. Meanwhile, the wife of chief officer Chetan Syam ? sentenced for 8 months ? has informed the Indian seafarers? community that her husband and Captain Jaspreet Chawla ? sentenced for 18 months ? are being denied basic amenities in prison. ?It is a confined, filthy place with a small opening on the floor to serve as a toilet. Very little heating is there, with sub-zero temperature outside. They are being held in complete isolation,? says her mail. The oil spill had taken place on December 7, 2007, when a Samsung crane barge had collided with the Hebei Spirit, anchored at Taean in South Korea. The captain and the chief officer of the vessel were in virtual house arrest there for a year, before being sentenced on Wednesday. ?As sailors we are outraged,? says captain Prabhat Goel, recently held captive by Somali pirates in the Stolt Valor case, said. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_03/12/2008_102695 Fishermen sail into Piraeus to protest ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU/ANA Dozens of fishermen used their boats to block the port of Piraeus yesterday to protest a European Union directive that will come into force next year, preventing them from fishing close to the coast and at a depth of less than 50 meters. The fishermen demand that the government arrange for them to be exempt from the rule. Ferry services were not seriously disrupted by the protest. A similar demonstration was held in Thessaloniki. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=153340 Fishermen threaten protest drive across Sindh Tuesday, December 23, 2008 By our correspondent HYDERABAD: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) on Monday announced to launch a protest campaign across Sindh from Dec 29 if the provincial government failed to resolve the problems and concerns of the fishermen. Addressing a news conference at the Hyderabad press club, PFF office-bearers Ghulam Mustafa Mirani, Ayub Shah, Fiza Qureshi and others said despite the announcement of the Fisheries minister the Benazir cards have not been issued to the fishermen of the province for the last 10 months. They said the Forest Department of Sindh has imposed a contract system on 30 lakes though the system was abolished due to the PFF struggle.They demanded that illegal occupation of lakes should be ended and arrested fishermen should be released forthwith otherwise a protest campaign would be launched from Dec 29 and protest demonstrations would be staged across the province and finally a long march up to the Sindh Assembly would be carried out. http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/12/02/lobster-cape-sable.html?ref=rss Protesting lobster fishermen head back to sea Wednesday Last Updated: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | 3:43 PM ET Comments17Recommend30 CBC News Lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia will head out on the water again Wednesday, a day after a protest that blocked lobster trucks from leaving Cape Sable Island. The fishermen, upset over the low prices they are receiving for their catches, voted 548-25 at a meeting in Yarmouth on Tuesday afternoon to return to the lobster grounds and pull traps again. However, they are calling for all-party committee of provincial politicians to join with representatives from the fishermen's group to visit Ottawa in the days ahead to seek federal assistance so they won't go under. The fishermen say they need to get between $4 and $5 a pound to cover their costs. They're currently getting only about $3 a pound. Earlier Tuesday, about 30 protesters prevented trucks loaded with low-priced lobster from leaving Cape Sable Island in the southwest part of the province. The fishermen and lobster boat captains searched trucks as they arrived at the causeway in an attempt to keep the lobster from heading to market. Fred Sears said he and his fellow protesters hoped to drive up the prices by slowing down the supply. "There's a lot of people who don't want them to leave the island, don't want them to go to the market. If there's no money, then why should they be selling them?" said Sears. Some people in the industry questioned whether a blockade would work in a market demanding fewer luxury items like lobster. Time running out to prevent lobster spoilage Denny Morrow, who is with the province's fish packers association, said the clock was ticking. "Some of that lobster is not shippable. We couldn't put it on a plane and send it to Brussels or Amsterdam to be distributed around Europe ? It's gotta go to a processing plant, be cooked and put up into a frozen product very quickly or we're going to lose it," Morrow said. Meanwhile, Ron Chisholm, Nova Scotia's minister of fisheries, is in Ottawa to meet with his federal counterpart about the crisis, as well as to discuss licensing policies. Many lobster fishermen returned to ports around southwest Nova Scotia on Monday after word spread about a strike to oppose low lobster prices. http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-279163-Lobster-fishermen-vote-to-end-their-protest-and-go-fishing.html Lobster fishermen vote to end their protest and go fishing by Tina Comeau/Sou'Wester View all articles from Tina Comeau/Sou'Wester Article online since December 2nd 2008, 18:21 Fishermen gathered by the hundreds Tuesday in Yarmouth, N.S. and voted to go fishing. TINA COMEAU PHOTO View all pictures Lobster fishermen vote to end their protest and go fishing By Tina Comeau THE VANGUARD NovaNewsNow.com While lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia say they can?t afford to go fishing for $3 a pound, more importantly they say they can?t afford not to go fishing. At a meeting at the Yarmouth Wesleyan Church on Tuesday afternoon, several hundred fishermen jammed into the church and voted to end a protest against low lobster prices. They will begin fishing again on Wednesday and ? appropriately, considering the surroundings they were meeting in ? pray for the best. Fishermen have crews to employ, families to support and bills to pay and those who lined up at the microphones said they can?t do any of that if their boats stay tied to the wharf. While it became evident early on in the meeting that the fishermen would indeed begin fishing again on Wednesday ? protest or no protest ? a vote held at the conclusion of the meeting made it official. Of the 573 licence holders that cast a vote, 548 voted to go fishing and only 25 voted to continue the protest. On Monday morning fishermen heading out to the fishing grounds turned around, came back to the wharfs and tied up their boats after deciding, with the expenses that they have, that they just can?t make a go of it at $3 or $3.25 a pound for their catch. And it really frustrates and angers them to be paid $3 for a pound for lobster that they see being sold in a grocery store for $7 a pound of more. So fishermen said they were going on strike. Their hope was that by stopping lobster landings it would increase the shore price paid to fishermen. But the fact is, the lobster industry is stacked up against a global economic crisis beyond anyone?s control and the outlook isn?t good. For the time being there is a market up until Christmas. After Christmas, fishermen were told, things look pretty bleak. Many fishermen were of the opinion that with the season underway, the time to fish is now. Next season, they said, they?ll work towards getting organized earlier in the hopes of securing a better price. Shelburne MLA Sterling Belliveau suggested at the meeting that there needs to be an all-party working committee, with fishermen and buyers involved, to work for the benefit of the industry. ?This is a serious issue,? he said about the challenges facing the industry, noting many fishermen are facing a high debt load. Aside from the 1,700 licence holders, they also directly employ about 4,000 deck hands in lobster fishing areas 33 and 34. ?We have to ensure that those deck hands are going to be there next year,? he said. His suggestion of a forming a working committee was greeted positively. It was pointed out repeatedly during the meeting that the lobster industry is the economic engine driving the economy of southwestern Nova Scotia. So not only do fishermen, their crews and families rely on the industry said Ashton Spinney, co-chair of the lobster fishing area 34 management board, but so too do the communities they live in. Stores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other businesses rely on fishing families to spend money in their premises. ?The whole economy of southwestern Nova Scotia is either going to suffer or prosper based on what we decide today,? added Bobby Newell, a fisherman who fishes out of the port of Pinkney?s Point. Spinney characterized the past two days of non fishing as a very spontaneous protest and he said while it may not have achieved the goal of seeing prices increase, it did get people to sit up and take notice. And with fishermen not having fished Monday or Tuesday in protest, on top of sitting out Sunday (the no Sunday fishing is a measure being carried out throughout the season) it also slow down the flow of lobsters coming ashore. To the hundreds of fishermen at the meeting, the following two questions were posed: Are you going to continue this protest? Or, are you going to go home and go fishing? Meteghan fisherman Roger LeBlanc said for him the choice was easy. We go fishing. He said by tying up the boats it was painting the industry as unstable and the region risked losing access to markets because of it. He also said with many fishermen carrying a heavy debt load, they need to be on the water making money, even if fishermen feel it isn?t enough. LeBlanc said at least that way if the banks start calling in loan payments a fisherman can say to the bank, ?I?m trying.? ?If we shut this down and go to the bank, they won?t even talk to me,? he said. LeBlanc also suggested any talk of a split season should be shelved. A split season would see fishermen haul up their traps for two months over the winter, which is a time when little fishing actually takes place anyway because of the weather. ?It?s a six-month season. If someone doesn?t like fishing, stay at the wharf,? he said. Many fishermen lined up at the microphone one after another and said they were going fishing Wednesday. ?I am planning on going fishing tomorrow because I have crewmembers that need a job,? said one. ?There?s a market for Christmas you cannot miss,? said another. And for fishermen who fish closer to shore, they said postponing the season only risked to drive their catch out further from shore as lobsters crawl to deeper water when the water temperature gets colder. ?We?ve got two weeks and then we?re done,? said a fisherman from the floor. While many comments drew applause from the floor, a couple in particular were very well received, including a suggestion by one fisherman that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans should reconsider the $1,890 fee fishermen are required to pay each year for their licence. Fishermen say they don?t see that money being invested back into the industry and in hard times DFO should give fishermen a break and decrease the fee. Another comment questioned if the industry shouldn?t be turning its attention to the middle man. ?Do we have a little too much interference between the boat and the consumer,? asked a woman from Long Island. Overall in the end, the fishermen said they need to fish. ?I think a lot of us that have boats won?t get much, but at least we?ll look after our crews,? said Maurice Shand. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2008/12/01/lobster-protest.html?ref=rss Unhappy with lobster prices, fishermen return to port Last Updated: Monday, December 1, 2008 | 11:18 PM AT Comments76Recommend48 CBC News Hundreds of fishermen returned their boats to ports throughout southwest Nova Scotia on Monday to protest low lobster prices. The spur-of-the-moment protest went ahead after the fishermen lamented to one another over their VHF radios about the low lobster prices, they said. Those who took part said they wouldn't haul traps until buyers offered more than $3.25 a pound. "It's not even feasible for us to even think about trying to work with that kind of price," said Ashton Spinney, a longtime fisherman and representative for fishermen in Area 34. "We just can't function at that [price]. There's just no way of paying your bills." To break even, prices would need to be between $4 and $5 a pound, he said. It was unclear how many fishermen joined the protest. But Spinney estimated about three-quarters of the 972 licence holders took part. The last time fishermen stopped fishing to make a point about low lobster prices was 18 years ago after getting just $2 a pound for their catches. Hubert Saulnier, with the Maritime Fishermen's Union in the area, doubts a strike will work now. "Most of these boats came in but some stayed out, so you're gonna have a lot of confrontation among fishermen themselves, which is very, very unfortunate," he said. Saulnier said many fishermen believe they should have taken action before the season began last Monday, and fished to order at an agreed upon price. 'There's less money around' In an attempt to keep more lobster from heading to market, the fishermen who took part in the protest asked buyers not to transport lobster by truck out of the area until talks took place. An effort was underway Monday afternoon to arrange meetings between fishermen's representatives and buyers. Colin MacDonald, chief executive of Clearwater Seafood Limited Partnership, was sympathetic to the fishermen's plight, but said they have to look at the big picture. "The reality is that there's less money around. The banks aren't lending money ... Certainly none of our customers anywhere in the world want to carry any inventory. They're working hand to mouth and they're just not prepared to pay the price." MacDonald, whose company buys eight million pounds of lobster a year, said Clearwater has already bought enough to meet Christmas sales and predicted the demand over the winter months "will be virtually non-existent." "Maybe it's a good idea that fishermen stay tied up and go back fishing in the spring," he said. Fishermen had been bracing for bad news after hearing about prices in the northeastern United States where more than 70 per cent of Nova Scotia lobsters end up. In Maine, the price paid to them dropped to $2.25 a pound in October, due to an oversupply of lobster and shrinking demand for luxury products. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/18/nation/20081218110519&sec=nation Thursday December 18, 2008 MYT 8:13:02 PM Parliament to discuss fishermen?s diesel protest By LEE YUK PENG KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat allowed an emergency motion filed by Chong Chien Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) to discuss fishermen?s protest against diesel prices. Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar allowed the emergency motion filed under Section 18(1) of the Standing Orders, saying the matter was specific, of public interest and with urgency. One hour has been slotted to debate the emergency motion starting at 4.30pm Thursday and the Government would reply. Chong, in his emergency motion, said that the strike was caused by government policies that did not consider the welfare of fishermen seriously. ?Since June, the price of diesel supplied to fishermen has gone up from RM1 to RM1.43 per litre. Although the Government has said it will reduce it to RM1.30 per litre, it is not enough.? Chong added that the high fuel cost was preventing fishermen from going out to sea and that the policy of allowing foreign vessels to fish in Malaysian waters was making it even harder for local fishermen to survive. ?In Sarawak, the Government?s ban on foreign workers for Class A and Class B fishing boats is also affecting their operations.? Chong said the strike would eventually become more serious and adversely affect fishmongers, the public and the country. More than 45,000 fishermen from seven states went on strike last Friday in an attempt to get the Government to bring down the price of diesel to RM1 per litre. However, after a dialogue with Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai as well as Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Chuan on Wednesday, fishermen from Selangor and southern Perak said they would go back to the sea Thursday. The two MCA leaders had promised to bring up their requests for lower prices to the Government. At the Parliament lobby on Wednesday however, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said the Government could not meet their requests because it would affect other sectors. ?The padi farmers and public transport operators would start asking for a reduction if the price is reduced for fishermen,? he said. The emergency motion filed by Chong on Thursday was only the third allowed out of more than 60 filed since April 28, the day Parliament convened after the March 8 election. The first one was filed by Salahuddin Ayob (PAS-Kubang Kerian) on the shortage of rice supply on May 2, the second one by Mohd Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) on the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide on Dec 10. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2439472,00.html Taxi drivers protest in CT 09/12/2008 11:40 - (SA) Cape Town - Taxi operators were gathering at Cape Town's Kaisergracht Square on Tuesday for a protest over government's Bus Rapid Transit system. Police spokesperson Superintendent Andre Traut said taxis were arriving at the square for the legal march. Earlier, some motorists driving down Du Noon's Potsdam Road were stoned, allegedly by taxi operators. Traut said Metro Police were closing off some streets in the city as part of preparations for the march. Local radio station 567 CapeTalk reported that the protesters were upset about the introduction of the government's Bus Rapid Transit system, which they fear will lead to taxis being phased out. They quoted a protester, Surren Taxi Association's Ismail Baradon, as saying that if the transport ministry did not respond to their concerns, there would be disruptions during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. He said that taxi drivers who had hoped to capitalise from transport needs during previous rugby and cricket world cups found that they did not. - SAPA http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2439991,00.html CT taxi protest turns ugly 10/12/2008 10:44 - (SA) Cape Town - A man and a woman burnt to death while another person was shot and wounded in the head in separate incidents involving minibus taxis in the Western Cape, police said on Wednesday. Captain Joe Wilson said a taxi driver was shot and injured in a police chase near Delft on Tuesday, about an hour after protesters dispersed following a march in Cape Town against the introduction of commuter buses. In a separate incident in the morning, a man and woman burnt to death after stones were thrown at a taxi, causing the driver to lose control and veer into a Wendy house in the suburb Helderberg Park in the Strand. "The taxi caught fire and two people living in the Wendy house, a man and a woman, were trapped underneath the taxi. They burnt to death," said Inspector Olebogeng Tawana. Two taxi occupants were slightly injured and a case of culpable homicide was opened. Tawana said the police did not know why stones had been thrown at the taxi driver. Taxi driver shot at police In the Delft case, Wilson said the driver, in a vehicle without number plates, shot at members of the flying squad who tried to pull him off the road. Police returned fire and the taxi driver was hit in the head, bringing the vehicle to a standstill. He was taken to a local hospital. His condition was not known. Six occupants of the taxi were arrested for attempted murder and were expected to appear in court on Friday. According to Wilson police could not say whether the group had participated in the taxi protest in town but "they came from the direction of Cape Town". Senior Superintendent Billy Jones said a total of 42 people had been arrested following the taxi protest in Cape Town. "Most of them face charges of public violence," he said. Among those, six face charges of attempted murder following the incident in Delft. Those arrested are expected to appear in several courts in and around Cape Town this week. - SAPA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20081210061216548C199181 December 10 2008 at 07:09AM By Aziz Hartley and Craig McKune Tuesday's taxi chaos resulted in widespread disruption across Cape Town, with bus services withdrawn, vehicles vandalised and thousands of commuters stranded, while in Cape Town there were ugly scenes of hooliganism by some taxi drivers and their guards. While about 2 000 taxi men marched in protest against the government's planned Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, which they claimed would erode their income, their behaviour drew condemnation from various quarters, including from some of their own leaders. After the march had ended, a man was killed during a shootout between police and the occupants of a taxi. A traffic officer flagged down the taxi near the Raapenberg Road turnoff on the N2, but it sped away, City Traffic spokesperson Merle Lourens said . "Police were alerted and gave chase all the way to the R300. Shots were exchanged between the taxi occupants and police. Three occupants were arrested," she said. Before the march, scores of taxis sped through the city in a rowdy procession. Taxi guards hung from taxi windows or stood on rear bumpers. Many brandished sticks, sjamboks and knobkerries and hit the roofs of passing cars. Earlier, a bus driver was shot and wounded, another beaten and a number of vehicles pelted with stones. Police were deployed to various areas, including Delft, Nyanga and Du Noon. In Cape Town, marshals struggled to control the crowd who walked from Keizersgracht to the Civic Centre. Protesters, many of them inebriated, taunted police officers and swore at them. At one stage, police fired tear gas into the unruly crowd. Outside the Civic Centre entrance, which had been barricaded with barbed wire, protesters burnt a municipal bin and destroyed a parking sign. Riot police were out in force and a police helicopter circled overhead. The Meltonrose Taxi Association's vice-chairperson, Ricardo Daniels, said: "The (BRT) system means taxis will transport passengers to a certain point, from which buses will take over. It will not only mean less income but more hardship because many operators have bought new vehicles (through) the recapitalisation." National Taxi Alliance provincial chair Mandla Mata said a memorandum to Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille spelled out their concerns about the taxi recapitalisation programme, delays in taxi operator permits, the BRT proposals and vehicles being impounded. "The BRT is not suitable, and our purpose is to have it ceased. We want to tell the mayor we are unhappy," Mata said. Alpheus Mlalazi, secretary general of the National Taxi Alliance, said: "There should be guarantees the industry will not be worse off because of the BRT (system). The industry needs to be convinced. There is no financial model in place and, in the absence of that, the industry finds it hard to accept this BRT." The association's provincial public relations officer, Mvuvusi Mete, said police had provoked the protesting taxi drivers. Mlalazi condemned the drivers' unruly behaviour. "On both sides there were no angels, but we do not condone such behaviour," he said. The DA and ID also condemned the taxi men's behaviour. Mayoral committee member for transport Elizabeth Thompson said the city would respond to the memorandum in 14 days as the National Taxi Alliance had requested, but only on issues that were the council's responsibility. She lamented the taxi men's lack of consideration for the public. "We have asked the police and the Metro Police to bring the law breakers to book. CCTV and other video footage will be used as evidence for prosecutions," Thompson said. Police spokesperson Andre Traut said the protesters had dispersed peacefully. He denied allegations of police provocation. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2439617,00.html Man injured in taxi protest 09/12/2008 15:28 - (SA) Verashni Pillay Cape Town - A man is recovering in Milnerton Medi-Clinic after he was smashed in the face during what appeared to be a taxi-related protest in Du Noon on Tuesday. Ludolph Neethling, 34, was left with a broken collarbone and missing teeth after a group of people attacked him on his Vuka scooter early on Tuesday. The call centre agent was driving on Koeberg road at about 05:55 on his way to gym in Belville when he came across a couch in the road. "I thought someone was moving it," he told News24. "As I was passing it a whole bunch of people rushed towards me." One person threw a brick which missed Neethling. Another hit him in the face with a stick. Neethling, who was going at 90km/hour at that point, lost control and fell off his bike. The stick had smashed through his visor, breaking some of his teeth and collar bone. His scooter was written off, he said. Taxi protest In response to his attempt to understand the situation, his attackers said "something about taxis," said Neethling. "I only caught that," he said. Taxi operators gathered at Cape Town's Kaisergracht Square on Tuesday in protest over government's Bus Rapid Transit system, Sapa reported. Earlier, some motorists driving down Du Noon's Potsdam Road were stoned, allegedly by taxi operators. Local radio station 567 CapeTalk reported that the protesters were upset about the introduction of the bus system, which they fear will lead to taxis being phased out. Neethling said he was "very angry" at being targeted for no reason. "I'm trying to comprehend why they would hurt a stranger if they're upset about something," he said. "It's savage." He was rushed to hospital by another motorist, who was stopped by a concerned group of people in the area. He said he would report the incident to the police on Wednesday and possibly lodge a claim with the Road Accident Fund. - News24 http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2439525,00.html Taxi protest causes commotion 09/12/2008 13:19 - (SA) Cape Town - Scores of taxis careered through central Cape Town on Tuesday, hooters blaring, on their way to the Civic Centre to hand over a memorandum of grievances. Metro and South African Police vehicles followed the taxis, their own sirens blaring, as protesters hung out of the taxi windows or stood on the back bumpers as the vehicles sped along. SA Police spokesperson Supt Andre Traut said shortly after noon that the taxi drivers had caused a "little bit of commotion", but that everything was now under control. He said a crowd of possibly over a thousand taxi drivers were at the Civic Centre waiting to hand over a memorandum to Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille. A Codeta taxi association spokesperson, Sidney Ncate, said the taxi drivers were protesting the introduction of commuter buses in their areas "without consulting the taxi industry properly". He said the government had urged taxi drivers to buy new vehicles under the recapitalisation programme, and taxi owners had done exactly that. "But on the other side they are introducing these buses, taking our work away," he said. "Where are we going to get the work to pay for those vehicles? Those vehicles are going to be taken away by the banks." - SAPA http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/11/stories/2008121152270300.htm Kerala - Kattappana Buses cancel trips following clash A Correspondent KATTAPPANA: Passengers to various destinations were stranded here on Wednesday following a flash strike by private buses. The private buses cancelled their services following a clash on Tuesday between the owners of the buses and the drivers of jeeps that conduct parallel services on the Erattayar route. Owners of two private buses were injured in the attack and private buses on the Erattayar route cancelled services on Tuesday afternoon. Police said that cases had been registered against the persons involved in the attack and no untoward incident was reported on Wednesday. According to the police, tension had been prevailing on the Erattayar route for over a week. Bus owners had alleged that trips on the route by the jeeps had affected their services. Jeeps had been conducting parallel services on the route, where the number of bus services had been inadequate, it is said. At a meeting of the bus owners and jeep owners convened by the police last week, it was decided that jeeps should not carry passengers on short-distance routes. The passengers on various routes had a tough day on Wednesday as the services by KSRTC buses were grossly inadequate. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=448300 Kolkata auto unions threaten protests against court's ban ________________________________________ IANS Wednesday 31st December, 2008 Auto-rickshaw drivers in Kolkata Wednesday threatened to go on a 'peaceful' agitation by staging road blockades if they are forced not to run their vehicles from Thursday. 'We'll stage peaceful protests across the city if the police and the administration stop us from running the autorickshaws tomorrow (Thursday),' Trinamool Congress-led auto unions' leader Sobhon Deb Chattopadhyay said. Earlier in July, the Calcutta High Court issued an order to ban commercial vehicles registered before Jan 1, 1993 from Kolkata and its outskirts. The court also directed that all autorickshaws, irrespective of their date of registration, will have to convert to either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It said the order should be implemented by Dec 31 in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, which includes parts of north and south 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly. 'The family members of the auto drivers will hit the streets and agitate against the directive if the state government imposes ban on the two-stroke autos,' Chattopadhyay added. Meanwhile, West Bengal Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty held a meeting with auto unions Wednesday evening to discuss the issue. 'We're also in favour of mitigating pollution level in the environment, caused especially by the two-stroke autos. We need some more time from the Calcutta High Court to phase out the two-stroke autorickshaws from Kolkata and its adjoining areas,' Shyamal Chakraborty, president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the labour arm of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). According to estimates, if the government implements the court order, around 80,000 autorickshaws, 24,000 taxis and over 8,000 buses and mini-buses would be affected. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24816695-2862,00.html Cab drivers threaten to block Tullamarine over safety screens December 18, 2008 12:00am ANGRY cabbies are threatening to blockade Melbourne Airport after Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky refused to change safety screen laws. About 60 owner-drivers caused traffic chaos yesterday when they blocked Spring St for hours and faced mounted police as they demanded to see Ms Kosky. They called on the minister to change laws introduced this year that make it compulsory for owners to purchase and install safety screens, regardless of whether drivers want them. The screens are removable, once installed, and cost about $1400 with the Government picking up the bill for half that cost with a rebate. The cabbies' Spring St blockade was disbanded after they were allowed to meet the minister yesterday afternoon. But they left Ms Kosky's office frustrated after she rejected their proposal to change the legislation. Drivers will meet at Melbourne Airport this morning to decide on any further action, with a blockade of the airport possible. Readers' comments flooded the Herald Sun's website yesterday with most aimed at the cabbies for clogging up city traffic. "It's the cab owners who are crying foul because they have taken a hit in the hip pocket. Well bad luck. Our cabbies deserve to be protected from a spineless minority who are prepared to threaten and assault them," wrote Mark of East Keilor. The cabbies' spokesman Jeff Marshall has been a taxi driver for 30 years and was dismayed with Ms Kosky's refusal to soften the laws. "We're very disappointed we couldn't change her mind, we tried our best," he said. "Ms Kosky doesn't know what she's doing. She's listening to the wrong people. She's got inexperienced people advising her and therefore she's making the wrong decisions. "It means we have to waste money to buy screens that will sit in the garage because we're not going to use it. We'll also have to use taxpayers' money to pay for the other half." Ms Kosky last night told the Herald Sun she understood what the cabbies wanted, but was not willing to jeopardise the safety of thousands of other drivers. "It's just not fair on people who drive, particularly at night, who are vulnerable," she said. "It's really unhelpful what the owner-drivers have done today." Ms Kosky said she was "serious about" introducing reforms to the industry to make it safer and more efficient for drivers and customers. The latest action follows dramatic protests over driver safety earlier this year, which brought the city to a standstill, and led to the Government's legislation for compulsory installation of safety screens in all taxis. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24817447-2862,00.html Taxi protest may block airport Nick Higginbottom December 18, 2008 12:00am ANGRY cabbies are threatening to blockade Melbourne Airport after Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky refused to change safety screen laws. About 60 owner-drivers caused traffic chaos yesterday when they blocked Spring St for hours and faced mounted police as they demanded to see Ms Kosky. They called on the minister to change laws introduced this year that make it compulsory for owners to purchase and install safety screens, regardless of whether drivers want them. The screens are removable, once installed, and cost about $1400 with the Government picking up the bill for half that cost with a rebate. The cabbies' Spring St blockade was disbanded after they were allowed to meet the minister yesterday afternoon. But they left Ms Kosky's office frustrated after she rejected their proposal to change the legislation. Drivers will meet at Melbourne Airport this morning to decide on any further action, with a blockade of the airport possible. Readers' comments flooded the Herald Sun's website yesterday with most aimed at the cabbies for clogging up city traffic. "It's the cab owners who are crying foul because they have taken a hit in the hip pocket. Well bad luck. Our cabbies deserve to be protected from a spineless minority who are prepared to threaten and assault them," wrote Mark of East Keilor. The cabbies' spokesman Jeff Marshall has been a taxi driver for 30 years and was dismayed with Ms Kosky's refusal to soften the laws. "We're very disappointed we couldn't change her mind, we tried our best," he said. "Ms Kosky doesn't know what she's doing. She's listening to the wrong people. She's got inexperienced people advising her and therefore she's making the wrong decisions. "It means we have to waste money to buy screens that will sit in the garage because we're not going to use it. We'll also have to use taxpayers' money to pay for the other half." Ms Kosky last night told the Herald Sun she understood what the cabbies wanted, but was not willing to jeopardise the safety of thousands of other drivers. "It's just not fair on people who drive, particularly at night, who are vulnerable," she said. "It's really unhelpful what the owner-drivers have done today." Ms Kosky said she was "serious about" introducing reforms to the industry to make it safer and more efficient for drivers and customers. The latest action follows dramatic protests over driver safety earlier this year, which brought the city to a standstill, and led to the Government's legislation for compulsory installation of safety screens in all taxis. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/18/2450380.htm Taxi drivers fined over city protest Posted Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:02pm AEDT Some taxi drivers are vowing to continue the protests. (ABC Online: Kathy Lord) ? Map: Melbourne 3000 A taxi blockade on Melbourne's Spring Street has ended. Twenty-eight cab drivers were fined $68 dollars each for obstructing traffic and parking illegally. One person was arrested for hindering police and at least one cab was towed away. The taxi drivers are angry the State Government is forcing them to install safety screens in their vehicles. The Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky says it is not negotiable. "We're providing a 50 per cent subsidy for these screens and it's now time they just accepted the Government wants a safe working environment," she said. It is the second day in a row the taxi drivers have caused major traffic disruptions and some of the taxi drivers say they will continue to protest tomorrow. A spokesman for the drivers, Ange Goutsiolis said if they do not get to meet the Premier, John Brumby they will block the whole city off. However Ms Kosky says there is only a handful of operators who are creating the problem. The Victorian Taxi directorate supports the plan. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/17/2448867.htm Taxi drivers protest over safety screens Posted Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:32pm AEDT Updated Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:53pm AEDT The taxi drivers want more say in the design of the screen. (ABC Online: Kathy Lord) ? Map: Melbourne 3000 Dozens of taxi drivers are protesting outside the Victorian Parliament, angry about the compulsory installation of protective screens. The Government wants all cabs to have a plastic screen to protect drivers from violent passengers. But the screens cost more than $500 each and some drivers say they are unnecessary and too expensive. The drivers want more say in the design of the screen and believe the Government should cover most of the cost. Taxi drivers staged a much larger protest in April, demanding that the Government improve safety and security measures for drivers. The Government later introduced a pre-paid fare structure and promised that safety screens would be installed in all taxis. The Premier, John Brumby defended the decision on the grounds of safety. "There has never been complete unanimity within the industry about this, there has always been a difference of view," he said. "But the majority view and the consensus view is that the screens need to be in place to give the drivers the protection that they deserve." For a short time, the drivers blocked traffic on Spring St but agreed to disperse upon learning that they would get a meeting with Public Transport minister Lynne Kosky. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=108611 Carrier operators stage protest By Theresa Ralogaivau Thursday, December 11, 2008 EIGHTY four carrier van operators stopped operating Seaqaqa routes Tuesday protesting a Land Transport Authority decision to deregister some vehicles. Three carrier vans have already been deregistered as LTA takes a tough stand against illegal operations in the Northern Division. President of the Carrier Vans Association Abdul Samad said they were informed by LTA that all 84 vehicles would be deregistered by December 31. "Our demand is for LTA to stop deregistering vehicles because our service is needed by people who live in the rural areas where there is no bus service," he said. "The bus services only some routes and not all the roads but the fact is people live all over and they need us as we do need them to run our businesses and put food on our tables." LTA acting northern manager Jokatama Bola refuted that all carrier vans would be deregistered. "Only those contravening the law on several occasions would be deregistered because we don't want illegal operations," he said. "We won't bow down to their demands and they can protest and do whatever they want to. "Buses are actually going down to Navidamu and Vunivere and the public have been advised to observe the bus timetables and get on it instead of waiting for carrier vans." Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Tilawat, whose carriers were deregistered because they operated outside their licence conditions, are worried about their future. "How will we put food on the table or keep up with our repayments?," http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122859290300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Meru cab drivers to continue protest Staff Reporter BANGALORE: Drivers of Meru cabs have decided to continue their protest as the meeting held with Meru representatives at the Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner?s office remained inconclusive. Deputy Commissioner D. Nayak had called the meeting. During the meeting, the drivers said the Meru management should reduce the daily subscription charge from Rs. 900 to Rs. 800. The Meru representatives said the reduction had to be approved by the management in Mumbai and sought time till Tuesday. The drivers said they would continue their protest till Tuesday. http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/12/08/daily45.html Thursday, December 11, 2008 Coffee Beanery operator protesting airport?s decision The Business Review (Albany) - by Michael DeMasi The operator of the Coffee Beanery will formally protest the Albany County Airport Authority?s decision to award a new concessionaire contract to a big corporation. Peter Kwan is scheduled to meet with the airport authority?s general counsel on Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. Kwan sought a public hearing to protest the authority?s vote in November that awarded a 10-year master concessionaire contract to HMSHost of Bethesda, Md. Kwan had hoped the news media could attend, but authority spokesman Doug Myers said that since no board members will be present there will be no quorum of the authority. Therefore, Myers said, it will be closed to the public. When informed by a reporter the meeting would be closed, Kwan was surprised because he said the authority sent him a letter granting his request for a hearing. Kwan assumed it would be open to the public because that?s what he had requested. ?What they have done has really affected taxpayers,? Kwan said. ?It really affected a local minority-owned business. The people in Albany County have a right to know.? Kwan, who opened his first Coffee Beanery franchise at the airport 10 years ago and also runs a small kiosk, will have to close the businesses unless he can get airport officials to change their mind. ?I want to ask them on what grounds they think I am the lesser of the choices,? Kwan said. Under the contract, which begins Jan. 1, HMSHost will bring Starbucks, Dunkin? Donuts and four upscale food and beverage outlets to the airport. HMSHost is a huge concessionaire with $2 billion-plus in revenue. The company controls more than 100 airports around the world and more than 100 highway rest-stops in North America. The authority has said it picked HMSHost because it offered the best overall deal at a time when the airport is contending with fewer departures and lower revenue due to a decline in air travel. HMSHost also will invest $3 million on renovations to the terminal. But Kwan said he?s challenging the authority?s definition of ?highest bidder.? He said his bid would have guaranteed the authority a bigger share of sales, an average of 12 percent, than HMSHost at the three locations Kwan wants to operate. Two are existing sites; the third is in the terminal before the passenger security gate. ?I am not bidding for the other locations that HMS wanted,? he said. Kwan also runs a Coffee Beanery at the Amtrak station in Rensselaer and at the Colonie Center mall. Losing the airport locations will cost him about $1.5 million in revenue. http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/12/15/daily11.html Monday, December 15, 2008 | Modified: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Coffee Beanery operators protest new contract The Business Review (Albany) - by Michael DeMasi The operators of the Coffee Beanery at Albany International Airport spent 45 minutes behind closed doors today with airport officials protesting a new concessionaire contract given to an out-of-town corporation. Afterward, Peter Kwan and Lily Kwan weren?t optimistic the Albany County Airport Authority would reverse its decision to award a 10-year contract to HMSHost of Bethesda, Md. HMSHost is a huge concessionaire with $2 billion-plus in revenue. The company controls the concessions at more than 100 airports around the world and more than 100 highway rest-stops in North America. ?It?s like David vs. two Goliaths,? Lily Kwan said. The Kwans opened their first Coffee Beanery franchise at the airport 10 years ago but will be forced to vacate the space just beyond the security gate after Dec. 31 unless the proposal process is reopened. The Kwans also run a Coffee Beanery at the Amtrak station in Rensselaer and at the Colonie Center mall, although they put the Colonie Center store up for sale for $200,000. Peter Kwan said they listed the Colonie Center site before learning they didn?t win the bid at the airport. He said he probably won?t sell the business at the mall now. Losing the airport locations will cost the Kwans about $1.5 million in revenue. The Kwans contend the bidding for the new airport contract put them at a disadvantage because of special consideration given to the operator of a McDonald?s at the terminal. The McDonald?s is in a prime spot near the Coffee Beanery. If HMSHost had also been allowed to bid on that location, the Kwans believe they would have had a better chance of keeping their coffee shop. The McDonald?s contract was renewed without going through the formal bidding process because the operator agreed to certain concessions, according to Richard Meyers, an authority attorney. The Kwans also said the airport would receive a bigger share of sales, an average of 12 percent, from the three shops they want to operate compared to what HMSHost would pay for those individual locations. Airport officials said they picked HMSHost because the total value of the new concessionaire contract was the best overall deal for the authority. HMSHost will bring Starbucks, Dunkin? Donuts and four upscale food and beverage outlets to the airport. HMSHost also will invest $3 million on renovations to the terminal. The new contract comes at a time when the airport is contending with fewer departures and lower revenue due to a decline in air travel. ?This is a financial issue,? said Doug Myers, spokesman for the authority. ?We have legislation that requires us to have sufficient revenue to be self-sustaining.? Meyers, the airport authority attorney who oversaw the hearing with the Kwans, said he needs to review more documents before making a decision. If Meyers suspends the contract award with HMSHost, the authority could seek new proposals from potential operators. If he affirms the contract award, the Kwans can appeal to authority CEO John O?Donnell. Meyers spent part of the hearing listing complaints about pricing, signs and other alleged problems at the Coffee Beanery. The Kwans said many of the complaints were ?nit picky,? such as having a hand-written sign on a tip jar at the coffee shop counter. The Kwans said they were told that was unprofessional. The Kwans wanted today?s hearing to be open to the public so the press could attend, but Meyers said the hearing wasn?t a ?media event.? http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Hotel_banquet_owners_protest_luxury_tax/rssarticleshow/3882584.cms Hotel, banquet owners protest luxury tax 24 Dec 2008, 0348 hrs IST, TNN MOHALI: Hotels and banquets across the state remained closed on Tuesday as their owners lodged a protest against Punjab government?s recent move to charge luxury tax. Traders from the district took to streets and held an agitation on national highway, inconveniencing commuters for nearly half-an-hour. These entrepreneurs are against government?s notification issued in November that imposes 8% luxury tax on hotel rooms that charge Rs 200 or above as tariff. Also, 10% luxury tax has been fixed on banquet halls charging more than Rs 5,000 a day. A member of district Mohali hotel and banquet association, Pradeep Aggarwal, who owns a hotel in Zirakpur, claimed tariff limit for luxury tax in other states was Rs 2,000 and above. ??In Delhi, it?s levied on rooms with a tariff of Rs 2,500 or more, while in Chandigarh and Haryana 8% luxury tax is charged on rooms with more than Rs 2,000 tariff,?? he said. He called upon government to scrap the policy, which would hurt tourism. ??Charging 10% luxury tax will put an extra burden on customers as they are already paying 12.36% service tax along with 10% VAT,?? said Jaswinder Singh, owner of a banquet hall and president of the association. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/29/stories/2008122954500500.htm Kerala - Kollam Toddy workers plan protest march Staff Reporter KOLLAM: Toddy workers under the banner of the National Toddy Industry Workers Federation will take out a march to the Secretariat on January 15 in support of their various demands. Federation president N. Azhakesan said a dharna in front of the Secretariat in this connection would be inaugurated by Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy. Mr. Azhakeshan said the liquor policy of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government was harmful to the toddy sector. It was aimed at promoting the Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) lobby. While the toddy sector was totally ignored, permits for more facilities to promote IMFL sale was being sanctioned. He said though the pro-Left trade unions in the toddy sector were totally against the liquor policy, political reasons were preventing them from coming forward to protest or organise agitations against the policy. He wanted the government to drop the move to entrust toddy shops to societies. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/424416/cs/1/ French winegrowers protest new laws India Gazette Thursday 30th October, 2008 Hundreds of French winegrowers have rallied against plans to ban free wine tastings and online advertising for alcohol. Saying such a ban would amount to prohibition, about 200 to 300 winegrowers joined a rally in the western city of Angers, while several hundred more protested in south-eastern Lyon. Winegrowers have been alarmed by plans, unveiled in a health ministry bill last week, to ban open bars and the handing out of free alcohol, which would include tastings in winegrowers' cellars. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=233465 Fishermen protest LMRA fees Posted on ? Sunday, November 02, 2008 HUNDREDS of Bahraini fishermen yesterday staged a protest over a BD10 monthly fee imposed by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) for each expatriate worker. It was organised by the Fishermen's Protection Society at its premises in Muharraq. Fishermen protested against the monthly fee, saying they cannot afford to pay it and it should be lifted. They called on the country's leadership to intervene following a string of similar protests. "We are not investment companies, we barely make it through to support our families," said society president Jassim Al Jeran. "Most food supplies in Bahrain are subsidised by the government, why not do the same with seafood such as fish. We need support." Mr Al Jeran said that fishermen should also be compensated when fishing is banned during the breeding season so their income is not affected. "Shrimp catchers especially suffer when the four-month ban is implemented every year from March 15 to July 15. Their income suffers because of this and therefore they should be compensated," he said. Mr Al Jeran said that fishermen would hold a nation-wide strike within two weeks if their demands to be exempted from the fees were not met. This is the fourth demonstration organised by the society in Muharraq. The first demonstration was broken up by police on June 1, but 60 fishing dhows and 35 small fishing boats stayed in port during a subsequent strike. On June 18, fishermen demonstrated in front of the society's premises in Muharraq. The third protest was held on August 31, when more than 170 fishermen and their supporters demonstrated outside the society's premises. Similar protests have been held in the Seef district. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/23/stories/2008112351270300.htm Tamil Nadu - Nagapattinam Protest marks Fisheries Day Special Correspondent Fisherfolk in a belligerent mood NAGAPATTINAM: ?Experts sit in their city offices and make policies for us. Ask them to live in a fisherman?s house for a few years to know what it means,? Devi, a representative from Karaikal, said on Friday. Most of the fishermen and fisherwomen who participated in a protest at Aouri Thidal here on International Fisheries Day were in a belligerent mood against government policies. ?They do not have any idea of what we go through but are ready to give us all sorts of advice,? another woman complained. ?Revoke CMZ regulations? Their bone of contention was the Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) regulations. They wanted it to be revoked. Big and industrial fishermen were damaging the environment and the livelihood of other fishermen. But the government was keen to encourage industrial fishing and beach tourism while denying poor fishermen the right to their livelihood. Subverted the concept Jesurathinam, director, SNEHA, an NGO working with the fishing communities, said the government had subverted the concept of International Fisheries Day. ?The day is meant to be one of protests by fishermen against misguided policies. That was how it started in 1997. Now they have made it as another ?happy? day, when it is enough to ask fishermen to be happy.? Fishermen from Vedaranyam, Kilvelur, Nagapattinam and Karaikal turned up in good number for the protest organised by different unions including the Singaravelar Indian Fishermen?s Livelihood Movement, Coastal Action Network and other NGOs. Local MLA V. Marimuthu, former MLA R. Kodimari spoke. A similar protest was organised in Sirkazhi for fishermen from Sirkazhi and Tarangambadi taluks. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111353060300.htm Tamil Nadu Road transport workers stage demonstration in Tirupur Staff Reporter Tirupur: Van, taxi and auto drivers belonging to All India Road Transport Workers Federation (AIRTWF) staged a demonstration in front of the office of Regional Transport Officer here on Wednesday to press their charter of demands. The agitators asked the government to direct the RTO to stop the practice of confiscating the license of drivers involved in fatal accidents even before the commencement of the trial in the case commenced. They said that steps should be taken to bring down the charges levied for renewal of licenses. Fuel prices should be brought down in consideration of the drastic reduction in petroleum prices internationally. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110550900300.htm Tamil Nadu - Erode Protest against change in market structure Staff Reporter ERODE: Kani Market traders on Tuesday took out a procession and petitioned the Erode Corporation Commissioner against the changes made to the market. President of the Erode Kani Market Varasandhai Anaithu Javuli Vyaparigal Sangam A. Palanisamy said the person who had taken on lease the market from the Corporation had made structural changes in such a way that it affected traders. He explained that a couple of days after Deepavali, the lessee had altered structures of 72 shops converting them into godowns. And then he had sold the godowns. Mr. Palanisamy further said that the lessee had not control over the 72 shops, of which the Corporation alone had control. Such a structural alternation brought about by the lessee had affected traders, who were no longer able to use the shops-turned godowns. He requested the Corporation Commissioner to restore the shops to the original shape so as to help the traders carry on their business. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=149441 Businessmen stage protest at KESC head office Friday, November 28, 2008 By our correspondent KARACHI: Small traders in protest on Thursday have criticised Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) and demanded to annul the decision of adding the 40 per cent of previous month and the surcharge in November bills. Businessmen and traders held a protest at the head office of KESC. Siraj Kassam Teli, former President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said government has deliberately tried to create misunderstanding between small traders and industrialists and that industrialists? rejects all such concessions from government that burden small businessmen. Other businessmen said that government should respect the demands of masses and that government?s image is being spoiled because the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari had vowed to review the issue but nothing positive has been made in this regard. Traders said that they are starting a series of protests until government annuls its decision of adding the 40 per cent and surcharge in November bills. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113060880300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Avenue Road traders protest Staff Reporter ________________________________________ They are against the plan to widen the stretch ________________________________________ Bangalore: ?Beke beku, nyaya beku? was the chant heard at Town Hall between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. People were holding a candlelight vigil protesting against road-widening in the city, among other issues. Traders on Avenue Road downed shutters and hawkers wrapped up operations for the day to join the protest. As the project to widen 97 roads across the city, many of them in the central business district (CBD), is set to take off, people want to present their case before they actually get affected. L.R. Kumar Gupta, who owns a mobile accessory store on Avenue Road, said: ?The livelihood of close to one lakh people depends on this road. Our shops have been there for the past 90 to 100 years and how can we move out all of a sudden.? Satyanarayan, member of The Avenue Road Commercial Association, said: ?The traffic there is congested, but there has been no accident or major traffic jam on the road.? Activists from organisations such as the Environmental Support Group (ESG) and Civic Bangalore have joined hands with them to ask for many areas of the CBD to be declared as heritage sites. ?Bangalore began expanding from here; some of our families have been here for generations,? they said. http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s662473.shtml?cat=300 Posted at: 11/14/2008 05:29:53 PM By: WNYT Staff Print Story Email to a Friend Car dealers protest zoning rule GLENVILLE - Two competing car dealers joined forces Friday to protest in Glenville. Rick DiCresce used to operate a used car dealership down the street from Salisbury Chevrolet. Three months ago he moved out to make way for a Lowe's home improvement store. Salisbury sold him some land across the street from their lot, but the town says he can only sell new cars there. About 20 people, including folks from Salisbury, joined to protest the town's decision. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112160090300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Textile machinery exhibitors protest lack of publicity Staff Reporter BANGALORE: Irked by the poor publicity and lack of facilities, exhibitors participating in the Eighth India International Textile Machinery Exhibition (India-ITME 2008) staged a protest at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) here on Tumkur Road on Thursday. The event, inaugurated on November 15, is being organised in the city for the first time in which around 600 industrialists are participating. However, on Thursday, exhibitors alleged that the India ITME failed to provide proper publicity and infrastructure and urged the organisers to refund the entry fee. ?ITME 2008 is a significant event that gives an opportunity to the participants and business visitors to access the new technology and developments in textile production and operations. At least 600 industrialists from throughout the country have paid Rs. 1.5 lakh each as entry fee. But organisers have not provided proper infrastructure and publicity,? said Ashok Charia, who is representing Savio Texcone Pvt Limited of Mumbai. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/695916 Gridlock expected during petrol price protest AAP Last updated 08:18 30/10/2008 Parts of Sydney will be in gridlock for hours today as motorists queue for heavily discounted petrol at several independent service stations. About a dozen service stations across the city will slash up to 40 cents a litre off petrol prices for a few hours to rebel against what they say are anti-competitive practices by oil giants. The plight of independent operators was highlighted last week when the owners of the BP and United service stations on Sunnyholt Road at Blacktown, in Sydney's west, dropped their unleaded petrol price to 94.9 cents a litre. The discounted price lasted a few hours, causing significant traffic congestion as cars queued for kilometres to get petrol at about 50 cents cheaper than usual. Marie El-Khoury and her brother Elia, owners of the BP station, will again drop their petrol below the $A1 (NZ$1.13) mark today. They will sell unleaded fuel for 99.9 cents a litre between 8am and 9am (AEDT). The owners of up to 12 other independent service stations will follow their lead, heavily discounting petrol from Casula in Sydney's south-west, to Miranda in Sydney's south. The NRMA says Coles and Woolworths dominate around 70 percent of the metropolitan market and are increasingly squeezing out independent operators. NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the motoring organisation welcomed moves by the El-Khourys and other independent stations like them, despite their protests coming at a huge financial cost. "The protest. . . will cost them a lot of money. We commend them for this brave step," he said. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_1885235338 The automobile industry is preparing for protests Updated on: 17.11.2008, 09:50 Published on: 17.11.2008, 09:35 Author: Stefan Nikolov Font size: a a a Protests are expected today in the automobile industry. Reason for the discontent is the price of fuels in the country in comparison to the prices in Europe. The industry expects the Consumer protection commission to announce its decision whether or not there is a cartel agreement on prices. According to transporters, the current price of diesel is ungrounded. The Economy Ministry claims that this is not true and points out that fuel prices in the country and Europe are published everyday on the department's site. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98962 Bulgaria's Auto Carriers Put off Planned Protests over Diesel Prices Business | November 17, 2008, Monday Bulgaria's automobile transport organizations are considering launching protests next week over the high diesel prices. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) The Association of the Auto Transport Organizations is putting off the protests that it had planned for Monday, November 17, because of the unfair diesel prices in Bulgaria compared to the rest of the EU. The news was announced Monday morning by the Chair of the Association Krasimir Lalov in an interview for the Darik Radio. Lalov explained the automobile transport organizations were going to wait for the congress of the governing Bulgarian Socialist Party, which is taking place in the coming weekend, and were then going to decide what steps they would take. "Our protest is motivated purely by the circumstances in our economic sector, we don't want to see it politicized. It is motivated by the unfair diesel prices in Bulgaria", Lalov said. The other organization from the auto sector - the Bulgarian Association of the Automobile Transport Companies - is going to discuss its protest measures over the week, its Chair Mirolyub Stolarski announced Monday morning. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111057840100.htm Front Page Protest by truckers affects LPG supplies Special Correspondent ? Photo: S.S. Kumar LPG supplies in Chennai have come under strain. CHENNAI: After rains and bad roads, trucks transporting cylinders to distributors? godowns derailed liquefied petroleum gas supplies to thousands of households in the city. Sources among Indane distributors said supplies from the bottling plant of Indian Oil Tanking Ltd in suburban Manali were hit for three days last week following protests in support of better remuneration by the crew of the trucks attached to the plant. Close to 40 per cent of the nearly 120 Indane distributors in and around Chennai are attached to the plant, while the rest are served by Indian Oil Corporation?s facility in Ennore. Confirming the protests, including a ?go slow? by the truckers, a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation said as many as 85 trucks are on contract with IOC to transport cylinders from the plant in Manali. Though supplies were made to the distributors from Ennore plant, it was not sufficient to meet 100 per cent demand of those served by the Manali facility. As a result, the time taken to supply the LPG refills would only mount. It takes anywhere between 6-10 days now, beyond the mandatory three-week gap between two refills. A distributor said that there were some signs of disruption in the supplies from Ennore plant a few days ago after the protest spread there. Both the official and the distributors, however, said the situation would be returning to normality shortly, as many of the trucks resumed supplies on Saturday evening. A distributor attached to the Ennore plant said that there was no problem with regard to the supplies. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136373/Petron-Shell-Chevron-roll-back-prices-after-drivers-hold-protest 'Big 3,' oil firms roll back prices after protests BY JOHANNA CAMILLE SISANTE, MARK MERUE?AS 11/28/2008 | 04:24 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis (Update) MANILA, Philippines - Amid the clamor by transport groups for the Big Three to substantially roll back prices, Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp and Seaoil announced Friday that they will slash oil prices by as much as P5 per liter. Shell spokesperson Roberto Kanapi told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that it will slash gasoline prices by P5 per liter and diesel and kerosene prices by P2 per liter starting 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, radio dzBB said Petron spokesperson Virginia Ruvivar announced that the oil firm will likewise bring down gasoline prices by P5 per liter and diesel and kerosene prices by P2 per liter, also starting 12:01 a.m. Saturday. On the other hand, Chevron Philippines spokesperson Antonio Nebrida told GMANews.TV ni a phone interview to just wait for announcements from the oil company. Earlier, members of the groups Pasang Masda, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), and Malabon Transport Group held a protest caravan to urge the Big Three companies - Petron, Pilipinas Shell, and Chevron Philippines - to bring down oil prices. Chevron Chevron (formerly Caltex) announced that it would also be reducing prices for its gasoline, diesel and kerosene products. Toby Nebrida, Chevron corporate communications manager, said that the price reductions would start 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Chevron would be reducing the price for its gold, silver and regular gasoline by P5 per liter while the price for its silver E10 gasoline would be reduced by P4:50 per liter. Diesel and kerosene prices would be reduced by P2 per liter, Nebrida said. Seaoil For its part, independent oil firm Seaoil Philippines on Friday rolled back the prices of its petroleum products anew. Seaoil spokesman Rey Jimenez said the price reduction would cover a P4 per liter cut both on premium and unleaded gasoline and P1 per liter cut on kerosene. The oil firm - which had announced a rollback in prices earlier this week - did not slash its diesel price. Jimenez said the price adjustment would take effect at 10 p.m. Friday. He said that with their latest cut, Seaoil's gasoline products have become 50 centavos cheaper than those from its oil competitors. Seaoil last rolled back its diesel price by P2 per liter, and gasoline and kerosene prices by P1 on Tuesday. With its second cut for the week, Seaoil has already slashed the price of its gasoline by a total of P5 and its kerosene by P2 since Tuesday. Aside from Seaoil, other independent oil firms UniOil Petroleum Philippines, Jetti Oil, and Eastern Petroleum have also implemented their respective oil price cutbacks his week..- GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136305/Jeepney-drivers-gather-in-QC-for-another-protest-caravan Jeepney drivers gather in QC for another protest caravan 11/28/2008 | 09:45 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Jeepney drivers from transport group Pasang Masda gathered in Quezon City to stage yet another protest caravan to Makati City to urge the country's big oil companies for a "big-time rollback", a radio report said Friday. Radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz said as of 9:30 a.m., 30 jeepneys converged along Elliptical Road in front of the Quezon City Hall and are preparing to drive to Makati City to push Pilipinas Shell, Chevron Philippines, and Petron Corp Inc to lead oil price rollbacks. The Big Three, however, have not brought down oil prices despite smaller oil companies' recent price rollbacks. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136307/Security-tight-at-offices-of-Big-3-amid-protest-caravan Security tight at offices of ?Big 3? amid protest caravan 11/28/2008 | 10:08 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Security was tightened at the offices of three big oil firms in Makati City in anticipation for the protest caravan by militant transport groups. Radio dzBB's Denver Trinidad reported that security personnel were deployed around the offices of Shell, Caltex and Petron, the targets of the caravan. Earlier, militant jeep drivers gathered at Quezon City to prepare for a protest caravan to Makati City where they were to picket the offices of three big oil firms. Radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported that at least 30 passenger jeeps had converged near Quezon City Hall for the caravan. The protesters led by Pasang Masda planned to hold protests at the offices of Caltex, Petron and Shell to demand a substantial fuel price rollback so they can roll back fares. Smaller oil firms had rolled back prices by as much as P6/liter earlier this week. - GMANews.TV http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112253840300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Taxi drivers stage protest Staff Reporter KOZHIKODE: The protest staged by the Light Motor-Taxi Coordination Committee in front of the district Collectorate here on Friday against unauthorised taxis plying in the city was a different kind of agitation. More than 400 taxis started as a vehicle procession from Muthalakulam Maidan to Collectorate in the morning. The coordination committee secretary T. Sadanandan said that thousands of illegal taxis were plying in the city when 400 taxis were complying with rules and paying taxes to the government. Even government departments were employing these illegal taxis on daily and monthly basis. The authorities are not taking action in spite of the mushrooming of such unauthorised taxis in the city . The organisation would be forced to intensify its agitation if the authorities failed to take action, Mr. Sadanandan said. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/anne-gibson/news/article.cfm?a_id=39&objectid=10545037 Painter in protest against hotel owner 4:00AM Wednesday Nov 26, 2008 By Anne Gibson A group of placard-waving subcontractors protested against Auckland-headquartered hotel owner CP Group on Queen St last week, saying they are owed money. They are promising to return to Auckland's main street tomorrow, saying negotiations have come to nought. David Tanenui, an Auckland painter and decorator, demonstrated outside CP's offices in the Dingwall Building claiming $63,000 for work on the interior of the group's Lakewood Rotorua property. But Gordy Mallela, CP Group's financial controller, said no money was owed and work on the vacant 23-room property was faulty. Grahame Fong, CP's solicitor, said the painting work was assessed by an independent contractor and found lacking. The party dealing with Tanenui was not CP Group but a company CP was acting as an agent for, he said. That party was willing to abide by the terms of the Construction Contracts Act, he said, adding that Tanenui had also protested at the Rotorua property. "There was a contract and there is a dispute revolving around that contract," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Tanenui said he had been paid $19,000, the remainder of the money was outstanding. The job had taken longer than expected: 12 people worked there for three months and were paid $19,000, he said. "We should have been out by August 1 but we were still there by September 1," he said. CP Group has its headquarters in the Dingwall Building on Queen St and the group carried signs saying "NZers first" and "Tangata Whenua stands up for contractors". Tanenui said he wanted to give a voice to all the subcontractors in New Zealand who were owed money. He had taken legal advice about his rights to take court action against CP but he said this would cost $30,000 and he did not have the money. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/27/2430919.htm Lawyers protest against legal aid crisis Posted Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:25am AEDT ? Map: Melbourne 3000 About 200 lawyers have rallied outside Melbourne's County Court, to call for more funding for legal aid. The lawyers say they are underpaid for legal aid cases and in some cases they do not get paid at all. The President of the Law Institute of Victoria, Tony Burke, says tens of millions of dollars are needed to fund the system properly. "You've heard that in the last financial year there was a $20-million shortfall with Victoria Legal Aid," he said. "We're looking at at least that amount of money to get the system at least moving in a more satisfactory way." The Victorian Premier, John Brumby says he supports the protest. He blames the Federal Government for cutting legal aid funding. "You've only got to look at the figures. What used to be a 60/40 arrangement is now a 40/60 arrangement," he said. "We're now doing the lions share of the funding, and what the Federal Government needs to do is to increase their funding to at least come up to match the funding that is being provided by our Government." The Australian Lawyers Alliance says more innocent Victorians will end up in jail unless governments urgently boost legal aid funding. Alliance spokeswoman Clara Davies says people should not have to fend for themselves in the courtroom just because they do not have the money to pay a lawyer. "Everyone should have the equal opportunity to have access to justice whether or not they can afford to fund their own representation or whether they have the ability to do so through a scheme such as legal aid," she said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/23/2427323.htm Protesting lawyers to stop free legal aid Posted Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:37am AEDT Disruptions expected... lawyers say they have been working for free to provide legal aid. (ABC) Criminal lawyers say Victoria's courts could face major delays during a protest against poor pay for legal aid. The Law Institute says lawyers will stop doing basic legal aid work, meaning some people will not be represented at hearings. The Institute says lawyers are increasingly working for free, because the system is badly under funded. Spokeswoman Stella Stuthridge says the action is likely to be disruptive. "You'll find that there will be quite substantial delays, particularly in the Magistrates Court," she said. "I think the Magistrates Court is where most of us do most of our daily free work. But I think there will also be impacts in the County Court and the Supreme Court, when they discover things like applications for leave to appeal are done for free by practitioners, by barristers and solicitors." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102352610300.htm Other States - Orissa Sweetmeat makers stage demonstration Staff Reporter BHUBANESWAR: Sweetmeat dealers here on Wednesday staged demonstration demanding roll back of price hiked on milk by Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers? Federation Limited (OMFED). They took out a rally from city?s Ram Mandir Square and assembled at Lower PMG Square. Sweetmeat dealers from different parts of the State participated in the demonstration. On the occasion sweet shops across the State were shut down. They submitted a 10-point charter of demands to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and fisheries and animal husbandry minister Golak Naik. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mum-drivers-protest-removing-old-taxis-go-on-strike/75936-3.html?from=rssfeed Mumbai drivers want to retain old taxis, go on strike CNN-IBN Published on Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 10:06, Updated on Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 14:12 in Nation section COG IN THE WHEEL: A poster announcing a one-day long auto and taxi strike in Mumbai is seen on Wednesday. New Delhi: The Mumbai Autorickshaw-Taximen's Union went on one-day strike on Thursday protesting the state government?s move to phase out old taxis in a bid to tackle pollution. The daily commuter would be badly hit as about 1.5 lakh autorickshaws and over 50,000 taxis would stay off the roads during the strike. The union said removing existing taxis, a majority of which are of the Premier Padmini make, was wrong since the emission norms prescribed were being met by the vehicles. "The union is calling for the one day strike to protest against the Maharashtra government's decision to phase out taxis which are over 25 years old and other issues which have not been resolved," head of the union, Sharad Rao, said. Taxi owners have demanded a permit to run old taxis from Airports, exemption from toll charges and a ban on forceful installation of meters. The union is demanding a hike in fares, making electronic meters optional, exemptions from paying toll tax and professional tax for taxi drivers, abolition of fleet taxis and providing facilities for taxi drivers at the city's airport. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20081002-164150/Cebu-jeepney-drivers-protest-fare-cut Cebu jeepney drivers protest fare cut By Ara Chawdhury Cebu Daily News First Posted 11:47:00 10/02/2008 Filed Under: Road Transport CEBU CITY, Philippines - Jeepney drivers in Cebu City voiced their concerns yesterday about lawyer Manuel Iway's petition seeking for a fare rollback. The drivers cited high prices of spare parts, vehicle rentals and the high price of oil despite the rollbacks. Iway's petition seeks a P2 fare adjustment and to remove additional P10 on taxi fares. ?Bisag ako, malipay man ta kos rollback, naa pud baya koy estudyante (I too would be happy with a rollback because I too have children in school),? said Reynaldo Bontuyan, who has 5 children, 3 of whom are still in High School and College. Bring the fuel prices back to P35 and it would be okay but as things stand now he said it's difficult, he said in Cebuano. Juanito Parajele, a 4C route jeepney driver, cited the high costs of tires and the vehicle rental as the reasons he is against the fare rollback. ?Karon, omentohan ang abang ini (jeep) ka yang crudo ra man ang niubos, mahal gihapon ang ligid. Mao man gud na ang sa tag-iya. Otsenta karon (jeep rental) nga nius-os (price of fuel), nya omentohan ug 50 ang abang kay mahal nang asete (The operator will increase the jeepney rental from P80 to P120 or a P50 increase because of the high price of oil or lubricants),? said Parajele in Cebuano. The 4C route covers the Lahug to Ramos area. Rogelio Apilan, a driver plying the 4L route - SM to Lahug route -, said he finds the price changes tedious because drivers would have to renew the fare matrix. ?The vehicle rent won?t go down because the operator would say that the spare parts are still high, ? Alma Apilan, Rogelio?s wife and conductor, said in Cebuano. Another driver Daniel Esplaguer, who plies the Labangon to Ayala route, said in Cebuano that if fare would be reduced to P6, the drivers would not earn because it would only cover fuel expenses. He said the P6 was the fare when fuel only cost P30 per liter. Now, it costs at least P50 per liter. ?Bintaha gud to sa una, makaginansiya pa gani,? Esplaguer said. Rufino Lao, who drives the 4L route, cited the stiff competition in the JY Square to SM route as a reason he is against a fare rollback for now. He said a round trip consumes a liter of diesel which costs P50. ?Pero mokita ko?g P30 to P40 tunga, gamay kaayo?g pasahero, daghag jeep (There are more jeepneys than passengers in the routes so I earn only from P30 to P40 for every trip),? Lao said. ?Right now, I could hardly feed my family. My son is in high school but with the way things are going, I doubt if I could send him to college,? Lao said in Cebuano. ?Kanang dos, dako pa na ka yang pisa wala mi roll back ang grocery, wa gud mius-os. Ang abang mosaka.Sa una, kadtong P37 ang crudo, utong na man gai mi adto? said 12I driver, Esmer Manatun ?Kanang rollback, dos nya bigla bigla. Ang ligid kay milnuwebe na ang pa recap. Ang ganador sa bugas, P40 na, naa pay panahon magmingaw ang pasahero, pareho ron kay magholiday na,? said Sancho Rivera, a driver and owner of a Labangon bound jeep. But commuter, Eduardo Getaruelas, 27, said he daw no difference in the rollback petition because the prices of basic goods are still increasing, making the fare reduction insignificant. PO1 Danzen Gordovez, who lives in barangay Labangon, Cebu City said he supported the move to cut the fare by P2. He pointed out that prices have gone up but the wages have remained low. However, another commuter, architect student Ronald Ampong said the public can still cope with the P8 fare but there should be no more increases. Porter Elvin Almego, 32, said it would be a big help if the fare would be adjusted. But he said it would be better if the prices of fuel would continue to go down. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102554570400.htm Kerala - Kochi Bus owners? protest KOCHI: Some of the owners of private buses will take out a march to the Transport Bhavan on Saturday to protest against the government move to cancel the permits of private buses to help KSRTC services. The protest is being organised by the Bus Transport Association of Kerala. ? Staff Reporter http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d8abb330030027§ionId=60 October 23. 2008 09:53AM Traffic at a standstill as truckers protest ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Unexpected sight: Bermuda's Girl Guides and Rotary Exchange students joined Johnny Barnes at Crow Lane roundabout to wave 'good morning' to commuters when they were surrounded by a convoy of small truckers from the Bermuda General Truckers Association. The truckers blocked early morning traffic at the East Broadway roundabout in protest at big dumpsters, which they say are putting them out of work. Photo: Glenn Tucker All stop: Protesting truckers at the the junction of Par-la-Ville Road and Dundonald Street in Hamilton. Truckers ground traffic to a standstill yesterday in protest at the use of tractor trailer dumpsters on the Island. Up to 22 trucks took part in the convoy from Paget to the City of Hamilton, halting morning commuter traffic with slogans such as 'Help Us' and 'Say No To Dumpsters, Say No 2 Brown Now'. Accusations of Government cronyism were also emblazoned on the vehicles, with one independent trucker asking the question 'Policy for Cronies?' The HCH-class truckers claim the large tractor trailer dumpsters are taking away their income through the illegal transportation of aggregate. Members of the New Bermuda General Truckers Association say these larger vehicles have grown from six to 20 over the past four years, and that they are operating at Transport Minister, Premier Ewart Brown's "discretion". The truckers claim that under The Motor Car Act 1951, the larger trucks are restricted to transporting demolition rubble such as bulk concrete, steel, and other heavy materials. Many however, have been seen carrying aggregate loads such as sand, soil and gravel. According to a letter dated May 14 from Cherie Whitter, Permanent Secretary of Tourism and Transport, the Act "has not been amended to allow the dumpsters to operate in the same capacity as general trucks". Click Here to Visit our Sponsor A Government spokesman said earlier this year: "The relaxation of the legislation is at the discretion of the Minister of Transport." It is understood Dr. Brown has issued special permits to enable tractor trailer dumpster trucks to carry aggregate. Members of the Truckers Association claim those in receipt include: BCS (Bermuda Construction Services), Correia Construction, Island Construction Services, Dynamic Excavating and Landscaping, the Ministry of Works and Engineering, and M & M Construction. Opposition Leader Kim Swan, who met with demonstrators yesterday in Bernard Park, said: "This is a microcosm of a major issue in Bermuda. The truckers are up against the major firms, they are up against Correia Construction and Island Construction. That's a direct political connection. "It's symptomatic of a wider problem that exists when you're talking about fairness and equality. Messages such as 'Policy for Cronies?' are powerful messages of a style of governance which is causing the hard-working Bermudian to feel uneasy." Mr. Swan said: "Excavation is the bread and butter of these truckers, and they feel the competition is unfair competition." Dennis Correia, the owner of Correia Construction and husband of former PLP candidate Jane Correia, was yesterday off-Island and unavailable to comment. However, Zane DeSilva, president and CEO of Island Construction, said: "In the world of competition there is just that ? competition. There is nothing to stop any individual from going out to purchase a dumpster. "At the moment we have about 17 to 18 dumpster trucks on the road. If that is illegal then every truck on Bermuda's roads is operating illegally. The Government MP for Southampton East Central added: "Everything that we do we do have permits for. The law is the law at the end of the day. Every permit Island Construction has obtained legally. We operate within the realms of the law." Asked whether he felt more aggregate business could be returned to the independent truckers, Mr. DeSilva said: "Give it back? It was never taken from them." He also addressed truckers' claims that one Association member is being refused assistance in loading up at Island Quarry. Mr. DeSilva said: "That's between (the unnamed trucker) and my brother. That would be an issue they need to sort out themselves." One trucker taking part in yesterday's demonstration who did not wish to be named said: "We have no problem with these dumpsters being used for demolition purposes such as at Club Med, but we want them off the road at other times. Each truck is five drivers' livelihoods, and so with 20 dumpsters, that's 100 drivers out of a job. "We guys are losing 60 percent of our income. We are struggling." Richard Foggo, president of the Truckers Association, said yesterday: "The public was very supportive this morning and we appreciate that. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience. "We have had no justification from the Ministry of Transport for these vehicles so we had to come out today to show the public the problems we are having." Mr. Foggo said he met with Transport Control Department (TCD) Director Randy Richardson and that Truckers Association representatives will meet with construction companies operating the dumpsters tomorrow in an attempt to iron out the issues. But he added: "Until we get a firm position we are going to stand firm. If it's only talk then expect these men to stand up for their livelihoods and their families." Tim James, chairman of the Trucks Advisory Committee, said yesterday: "The concerns of the General Truckers Association may be better addressed if they talk directly with their industry competitors. "Based on the talks I have had with the General Truckers Association, the main sticking point is competition. There are trucking companies out there with the necessary permits for decades and who have steadily built up their businesses. It would be irresponsible and unreasonable for the Government to step in and tell a properly permitted business person that he or she must give up the jobs they have worked legally to secure." A Government spokeswoman said a TCD review of the use of tractor trailer dumpsters has now been completed. "It was observed and concluded that several operators were using dumpsters inappropriately, and as a result, TCD issued notices to all permit holders advising truckers about operating in contravention of the law," she said. "TCD once again reminded all commercial truck operators that they are still required to apply to the Minister of Tourism and Transport for the occasional use of dumpster trucks." She said: "TCD will remain focused on upholding the law, and in that regard, the Bermuda General Truckers Association has the full support of the Government. It should be important to note that the Government has consistently hired independent truckers for public projects. "The president of the New Bermuda General Truckers Association has been hired to complete tens of thousands of dollars in work for the Government in the current fiscal year." Yesterday it emerged the Bermuda Police Service is considering issuing the demonstrators with tickets for "various traffic offences". Traffic Police diverted the truckers through the City of Hamilton to Dutton Avenue after they were seen "disrupting the regular flow of traffic" by driving between the roundabouts of Trimingham Hill and Crow Lane. A Police spokesman said: "A number of offences were detected and some truck drivers were reported for various traffic offences. The BPS is currently reviewing the situation to see whether or not any other offences may have been committed." Last night the Premier Ewart Brown said the issue would be left up to the chairman of the Truck Advisory Committee Tim James. He said: "He has a good understanding of what is happening in the trucking industry. I don't know most of the details but there is no contemplation of a policy change." http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081013/news/810130398 TEHRAN, Iran Shops close to protest tax Published: Monday, October 13, 2008 at 4:24 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, October 13, 2008 at 4:24 a.m. A strike in Iran's traditional bazaars expanded Sunday despite an order by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to suspend a new sales tax that ignited the protest more than a week ago. The main entrance to the Grand Bazaar in Tehran was closed as major traders like carpet and textile merchants joined the jewelers, who had started the strike in Tehran. The strike continued in the traditional bazaars in several other large cities, including Isfahan, where it erupted first on Oct. 4. In the latest sign of discontent with Ahmadinejad's economic policies, the merchants went on strike to protest being included in the country's first value-added tax. -- Press Democrat news services http://www.rferl.org/Content/Tehran_Bazaar_Gradually_Reopens_After_Tax_Protest/1329419.html Tehran Bazaar Gradually Reopens After Tax Protest Some Tehran shop owners are defying the call to reopen. October 13, 2008 TEHRAN (Reuters) -- Most shopkeepers in Tehran's main bazaar have reopened for business after a protest against a new sales tax, but some defied calls from their trade union to go back to work. Protests by influential merchants broke out in several cities last week, posing an economic and political challenge to President Mahmud Ahmadinejad before a 2009 presidential election in the world's fourth-largest oil producer. It was the first time bazaar traders had closed their shops on such a scale since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when they played a key role in ousting the U.S.-backed shah. In the face of the protests, the president on October 10 suspended for two months the 3 percent value added tax that came into force late last month. But Iranian media said shop owners wanted it scrapped altogether and Tehran's sprawling bazaar was virtually closed on October 12. Shops stayed closed on the morning of October 13 but many later pulled up their shutters for customers, a Reuters witness in the vast and covered market place said. Police patrolled the bazaar's winding streets and alleys but there was no sign of trouble. "We try to make a living. We've got a family to worry about," a clothes vendor said when asked why he had opened. 'Go Back To Your Jobs' A shop owner selling watches said it seemed that union officials had asked prominent merchants to resume business. "I'm hoping they [the government] will permanently withdraw the VAT plan," he said, like others declining to be named. Many textile shops remained closed, however, defying a call by their own union broadcast via loudspeakers in the bazaar. "Open up! Go back to your jobs! The VAT plan has been suspended," the message urged. Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 on a pledge to share out Iran's oil wealth more fairly. But political opponents and other critics say his profligate spending of petrodollars has fueled inflation, now running at an annual 29 percent. Iran also faces the prospect of lower oil income, with the price of crude down around 45 percent from a July peak of $147. "What the government should have done instead of splurging was to invest Iran's record oil profits," the English-language "Tehran Times" daily said in an editorial. Leading reformist politician Mehdi Karrubi on October 12 became the first major figure to announce he would run in next June's election, when Ahmadinejad is expected to stand for a new term. Some analysts believe Ahmadinejad remains the favorite to win the election as he enjoys the apparent support of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, especially in his handling of Tehran's nuclear dispute with the West. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=96702 Tehran bazaar strike continues as merchants protest VAT law By Agence France Presse (AFP) Monday, October 13, 2008 Listen to the Article - Powered by The Iranian capital's traditional bazaar stayed on strike on Sunday as merchants pressed their demand that a decision to bring in VAT be scrapped, even after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially froze its implementation for two months. Stalls were shut down in the capital's main bazaar, an AFP correspondent said. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/21/iran-middleeast-ahmadinejad-bazaaris Ahmadinejad 0, shopkeepers 1 Iran's president has lost his battle with the all-powerful trading community over VAT. It's a significant defeat Comments (65) ? M Cist ? guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 21 October 2008 20.30 BST ? Article history President Ahmadinejad has had to cave into strikers across Iran. Strikes are illegal, so how is it that industrial action succeeded when years of strikes by factory workers and government employees have been brutally put down? Well, this was a strike by not just your average group of workers. Tens of thousands of small shops make up the labyrinthine bazaars of Tehran and together their owners comprise the class that legitimises the Iranian government. Ayatollah Khomeini and his successor would be nothing without the bazaaris. Authors Andreas Malm and Shora Esmailian, in Iran on the Brink characterise the centuries-old bazaar as something that fosters a powerful petit bourgeoisie every bit as much as the coal-mines of 19th-century Europe fostered a proletariat. Well, President Ahmadinejad just had the gall to take them on. And he lost. It was the Shah's dreams of demolishing the bazaars that, finally, cost him ? and his US backers ? his throne. The bazaaris together with the clerical class outflanked the left and sewed up the coalition that has ruled Iran since the Islamic Revolution. Somehow, President Ahmadinejad thought he could implement a 3% VAT charge on the class that keeps him in power. There were general strikes in the bazaars of Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz and Tehran. "Asshole" was what they were calling the president when I went through the alleys of Tehran's dusty bazaar where gruff traders work long hours to maintain some of the richest livelihoods in Iran. "Why should we pay tax when none of Khamenei's cronies do? Do you think Rafsanjani pays sales tax?" He was referring to former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the assembly of experts which theoretically chooses Ayatollah Khamanei's successor. Rafsanjani also chairs the expediency council which mediates between parliament and those who vet parliamentary candidates, and his family is very, very rich. After the jewellery trader gave me some tea, he changed the numbers on a digital board to reflect the creeping rise in gold prices and said he had had enough of Ahmadinejad. He said his friends on the Bonyad-e Mostazafin or Foundation of the Oppressed would destroy the president. The Bonyads are "charitable" institutions that dominate the economy. This Bonyad, exempt from any auditing or taxes, produces two-thirds of all the bricks, tyres and chemicals in the country. They even produce the home-grown, anti-imperialist cola, Zam-Zam, which traces its roots to the days when bazaaris's pressured the government to kick Pepsi out of the country because it was hurting the bazaars' lemonade makers. I asked about strikes being illegal and he said that if Ahmadinejad didn't cancel the tax, the bazaaris would have students, doctors and nurses out on the streets in support. "We would overthrow the government just like we did in 1979!" "Why are we spending all our money on Hizbollah and Hamas when we need money here?" he asked, "at least gold prices will soon rise because of George Bush." I walked through the maze of stalls selling microwaves, carpets, chadors, pots and pans, stationery and duvets and out towards the late 18th-century mosque scarred by scaffolding with its courtyard of switched-off fountains. It was as quiet as I had ever seen it. Within hours, Ahmadinejad ordered the economy ministry to back down. Parliament had approved the tax last year and finally summoned up the courage to implement it only to find itself powerless in the face of the merchants. Official inflation is around 30% and when the government sent a minister, Ali Akbar Arab-Mazar, to pacify Isfahan's bazaar, he was told to go back to Tehran. Trying to put a brave face on it, Ahmadinejad's new finance minister, Shamsoddin Hosseini said on TV that the government should have explained things better. As things stand, it looks like Ahmadinejad cannot implement any of the plans drawn up by his economic advisers. What they fail to understand is that the influx of foreign remittances pump up the skyrocketing property markets of Iran's big cities. That's where the inflation comes from. Already, the perception that there is less of an imminent threat from Israel or the United States is causing problems for the Iranian government. It has been relying on the external menace to prop up political power and the less Bush talks, the more room there is in Iran for dissent. Perhaps only John McCain can save a regime that smells both of Soviet communism and the Sicilian Mafia. Then again, Senator Obama's desire for more sanctions will help the Iranian government, too. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=143558 Shopkeepers protest against reconstruction of Gizri flyover Tuesday, October 28, 2008 By Ahmed Yusuf Karachi Shopkeepers of the Gizri market protested against the alleged initiative of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to redesign the Gizri flyover so that the construction stops short of the residential area limits. Shopkeepers in Gizri started closing their businesses around quarter to two in the afternoon on Monday. Not only were the shutters closed down, but shopkeepers and workers blocked the road to gain the attention of passers-by. At one point, the protest had the potential to turn violent as one or two tyres were burnt by enraged protesters. However, the quick intervention of both the protest leaders and the police ensured that the incident remained an anomaly in what turned out to be a largely peaceful protest. The spokesperson for the Gizri Action Committee (GAC) said: ?Our main issue is that the decision to redesign the flyover will in effect kill our businesses. Further, the design of the flyover is such that the entrances to a mosque and a school will be blocked, and the ventilation of shops and these buildings will severely be affected as a result of the new design?. ?We fear that as a result of the new design, the safety of our customers and more importantly, that of the residents and workers of the area is at stake. Cars travelling at high speeds on the flyover are a danger to pedestrians around the area, especially children going to school. Further, there will be no parking area left, and it will cause a lot of hassle for shopkeepers and their customers,? they said. ?This is a conspiracy to eradicate our businesses and has been done to appease the residents of two or three houses. We don?t understand that in this day of poverty, why are small and medium businesses being killed off. Our businesses not only serve residents around Gizri, but also the residents around Defence. Our loss is also a loss of the residents of Defence?. Shopkeepers vowed to continue their protest till the matter was resolved. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/12/stories/2008101259680300.htm Kerala - Kochi Hoteliers protest hike in water tariff Kochi: The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association, Ernakulam District Committee, will take out a march on October 21 to the office of the Kerala Water Authority chief engineer here in protest against the water tariff hike. At a press conference, A.M. Abudulla and M.P. Shiju, president and secretary respectively of the association, demanded that the benefits being given to the small scale industries be accorded to the hotel industry as well. They said that the restriction on power use imposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had affected the hotel industry in the State. Many of the hotels were on the verge of closing down. Bakeries, photo developing units and engineering workshops were getting power at a concessional tariff because they had been accorded the status of small scale industry. The concessions being enjoyed by the small scale industry should be extended to the hotel industry, given its service-oriented nature. In fact, the labour laws and the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act applicable to the small scale industrial units had to be complied with by hotel owners as well. Even the government and courts had included the hotel industry in the category of small scale industries. The new rules for constructing two toilets in a hotel had also affected small restaurants and hotels. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/238068,retailers-across-greece-close-down-to-protest-reforms-higher-tax.html Retailers across Greece close down to protest reforms, higher tax Posted : Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:42:46 GMT Author : DPA Athens - Retail shops across Greece closed down for several hours on Wednesday to protest the conservative government's reform policies which they say will force their businesses to go bankrupt. From the Greek capital Athens and the northern port city of Thessaloniki to hundreds of islands in the Aegean, small and medium clothing and food retailers refused to do business to protest the sinking purchasing power of the Greeks who on average earn less than 1,000 euros (1,325 dollars) a month. The retailers are also demanding lower taxes for their businesses. Reports said many of the large retailers did not take part in the strike action and opened as usual. Wednesday's action follows a larger nationwide strike a day earlier called by the country's two largest unions, private sector federation GSEE and public sector union ADEDY, representing more than half of the country's workforce of 5 million. The unions are protesting the 2009 budget, which is expected to go to parliament for debate this week. The unions say the budget fails to ensure workers will receive either their pensions or protection from privatization and tax collecting measures. The demonstrations were also called to protest proposed labour reforms and plans to privatize companies, such as Olympic Airlines. The country came to a standstill during the strike, which forced Athens' International Airport to shut down for several hours. Dozens of demonstrations took place in cities, towns and islands across the country. In Athens, more than 15,000 people protested in two separate demonstrators. The 24-hour strike shut down banks, schools, public services and transport. Ferries were forced to remain docked at ports across the country. Lawyers, railway workers and civil engineers also joined the protest. Journalists enforced a news blackout to protest drastic economic policies. Workers at partially-privatized telecommunication company OTE, and the state-run Public Power Corporation joined the demonstrations, as did state hospital employees, leaving hospitals to operate with a handful of emergency staff. Urban transport such as buses, trolley buses and trams were also disrupted as employees staged numerous work stoppages throughout the day. The conservative government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, has been rocked by recent scandals. It said it will push forward with reforms and privatizations despite union opposition. It has promised to protect Greece's population from rising inflation. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1016/wexford.html Picket over payments at Wexford hotel Thursday, 16 October 2008 22:09 A group of businessmen have picketed outside Whites hotel in Wexford this evening in a dispute over payment. They include traders, sub-contractors and suppliers who worked on the development of the new hotel. As many as 60 people were involved. Advertisement They and the main contractors, Cleary and Doyle, are owed ?3.2m by the hotel's owners. Building work on the hotel was completed in August 2006, but contractors say they have only been paid a third of the money they are owed. The case was before the High Court earlier this year, and Cleary and Doyle secured a judgment for payment of the debt by Balmaford, the company legally responsible for Whites hotel. The protest is the first in a planned campaign. Balmaford has declined to comment. Whites said tonight that a separate development company was responsible for the employment of all sub contractors. They added that to date over ?37m has been paid over to the main contractor Clear and Doyle. Whites Hotel also said that no court order existed against it in favour of the main contractor. --------------------------------------------------- Students rally amid SBY speech Jakarta Post - August 16, 2008 Jakarta -- Around 100 students from several state universities staged a rally outside the House of Representatives, where President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was delivering an annual state address Friday. The protesters called on the government to roll back its controversial policy of raising fuel prices by 28.7 percent in May. Going under the title Student Executive Board, they urged the President to directly attend an inquiry by the House into the fuel price policy to show his responsibility for the decision. The demonstrators also demanded the "nationalization of strategic assets" under control by state-owned BP Migas. The government must also pay more attention to the people's basic needs, including education, healthcare and food, they said. The three-hour rally, which began at 9 a.m., ended peacefully amid tight police security. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081951890300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli AIADMK men stage demonstration Staff Reporter Protest "hike in property tax?; flay local body?s failure to improve facilities ? Photo: A. Shaikmohideen. AGITATION: AIADMK cadres staging a demonstration in Tirunelveli on Monday. TIRUNELVELI: Over 800 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam functionaries, including 150 women, staged a demonstration in front of the Tirunelveli Corporation on Monday in protest against ?steep hike in property tax and condemning the local body?s failure to strengthen infrastructure?. Addressing protestors, organising secretary of the party and former Minister Muthusamy, while listing out the ?mismanagement and failures? of the Corporation administration, said the ?mistakes? being committed now would be rectified in near future as elections to Parliament and Assembly would be conducted simultaneously. ?AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa?s strategy will ensure victory in a minimum of 180 Assembly constituencies as the people are eagerly waiting for the polls to punish the present rulers,? he said. Former Industries Minister and election wing joint secretary of the party Nainar Nagendran said the public, who were struggling to lead an ordinary life owing to inflation, were being punished by the corporation by increasing the property tax while nothing was being done to strengthen infrastructure such as roads, streetlights and drinking water. Sankarankovil MLA C. Karuppasamy, former MLAs R.P. Adityan, Murugaiah Pandian, Manickaraj, former Mayor A. Jayarani, Tirunelveli City district secretary of AIADMK ?Popular? Muthiah were among those who participated in the demonstration. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20080827a1.html Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008 Fuel costs spur nationwide trucker protest Kyodo News Truck operators nationwide launched a series of protests Tuesday demanding that the central and prefectural governments take measures to help them cope with rising fuel costs. Truck rally: Feeling the pinch of soaring fuel prices, a truck driver holds up a banner reading "A rally to overcome the business crisis" at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday. KYODO PHOTO Among the measures the Japan Trucking Association demanded are cuts in expressway tolls and diesel delivery tax imposed by prefectural authorities. The association represents about 51,000 truck operators, or about 80 percent of all truck operators in Japan. The association held rallies and street protests in 31 prefectures, including Tokyo and Okayama, with the number of participants estimated at 20,000. Similar protests are planned for Kagoshima and two other prefectures through early September. In the city of Okayama, a local teamster group paraded 30 trucks over 8 km on a road leading to the prefectural office in the morning. An estimated 700 protesters called for a cut in "the world's highest expressway tolls," group officials said. Tokyo's rally was held in a hall inside the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Chiyoda Ward. About 1,000 members of the association from the Kanto region gathered to demand tax cuts and the promotion of a system requiring cargo owners to pay a fuel surcharge in addition to delivery fees. Many small and midsize operators have yet to repay loans for new trucks they purchased to abide by exhaust regulations tightened several years ago, according to a senior association official. "The transportation business is slumping due to the slowing economy and decline in public work projects that reduced demand for transportation of construction materials," the official said. "We are struggling amid rising fuel costs and discount wars." According to a survey the association conducted this month, the price of diesel, the main fuel for trucks, stood at ?139 per liter, up ?75 from fiscal 2003. The surge is estimated to have increased annual expenses for all truck operators by ?1.2 trillion. Recently a huge number of fishermen across the country temporarily suspended operations, calling for government assistance to help them cope with soaring fuel prices. Against this backdrop, the government is readying an economic stimulus package to help smaller firms, farmers, fishermen and transportation companies by providing financial assistance and reducing expressway tolls. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080922-162111/Piston-to-hold-protest-in-Mendiola Piston to hold protest in Mendiola By Riza T. Olchondra Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 05:12:00 09/22/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Road Transport, Oil & Gas - Downstream activities MANILA, Philippines?Militant transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operaytor Nationwide (Piston) will stage a rally on Monday to press its demand that oil companies bring down the price of petroleum products to P37 per liter. The group will also reiterate its call that government scrap the 12-percent value-added tax on fuel products. Piston secretary general George San Mateo, however, clarified that the mass action would not include a transport strike. ?There is no strike on Monday. Our activity is to march peacefully ? and have a program at Mendiola,? he said. The rally will start at 11 a.m. in Sto. Domingo Church on Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. From there, Piston which expects around 500 to 1,000 of its members to participate, will march to Mendiola where it will be joined by other groups like the Kilusang Mayo Uno and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. San Mateo said their members in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, the provinces of Negros, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and General Santos and Cagayan de Oro City would also hold marches. According to him, the protests were aimed at denouncing the refusal of the so-called ?Big 3? oil companies (Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp. and Chevron) to cut fuel prices even as oil prices in the world market have hit $86 per barrel from a high of $147. ?The price of oil in the world market has gone down to $86 but these foreign-owned companies are taking too long in rolling back prices. But when it comes to raising prices, they act as soon as the world price goes up,? San Mateo said. ?Oil companies claim that they are not making a profit but their domestic operations continue to post billions of pesos worth of income,? he added. In a press briefing last week, Piston president Steve Ranjo said that the current cost of diesel at P49 per liter was overpriced by P11. Since August, the price of gasoline has gone down by about P9.50 per liter while diesel and gasoline prices have dropped by P7.50 per liter. -------------------------------------------------- 'Bajaj' owners demand missing vehicles, money Jakarta Post - August 20, 2008 Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta -- Bajaj (three-wheeled taxi) owners and the People's Information Group (LIRA) held a demonstration at City Hall on Tuesday to demand transparency in the program to replace gas-powered bajaj. The owners are members of the Indonesian Bajaj Society, the Bajaj Sehati Cooperative and the Surya Kencana Cooperative. M. Jusuf Rizal of LIRA urged the city administration to hold an investigative audit of the 2006 procurement license given to PT Abdi Rahardja. They said the company was supposed to have procured some 5,000 new bajaj that use compressed natural gas (CNG) but had obtained only 253 so far. "The city administration issued another license in 2007 to the same company that allowed it to procure 4,750 bajaj over a six-month period. However, it procured only 250 units," Jusuf said. He said the governor should order the company to either settle or return the money bajaj owners had paid to procure the CNG-based vehicles. He said they paid Rp 1.5 million per bajaj as a down payment, with some having made the deposit eighteen months ago. Jusuf said the owners had yet to receive the new bajaj even though they had submitted their vehicles documents to the company. "We estimate the company has received at least Rp 3 billion from owners, but so far the realization remains low," he said. "Even though the company breached the contract, the city administration has not done anything," he added. To reduce air pollution caused by some 14,000 smoke-belching bajaj, the city administration had targeted upgrading 5,000 old bajaj to CNG-powered ones by the end of 2007. Deputy Governor Prijanto said he would check the cause of the late procurement. "It depends on the agreement. If the company broke the deal, it is possible we would end the agreement. We support the CNG bajaj because this conversion program is good for the environment," Prijanto said after attending a plenary session. Tarmidi Edy Suwarno, a councilor on the City Council's Commission B, said the city council would soon contact the company, the transportation agency and the industry and trade agency to hear explanations for the delayed procurement. "We must not hear only from one side. We'll ask them about the bajaj procurement procedure and the import license," said Tarmidi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). According to Tarmidi, the commission would question the high taxation involved in acquiring bajaj, which included a 45 percent customs office tax and a 10 percent luxury tax. He said the city council did not know a lot about the bajaj business because it was the first time bajaj cooperatives had come to the city council. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2379892,00.html Taxi protesters attack drivers 21/08/2008 11:37 - (SA) Johannesburg - About 50 members of the Kempton Park Taxi Association blockaded Tembisa roads on Thursday morning, robbing at least one motorist and slashing the tyres of two cars, police said. "The illegal march started at about 04:00 this morning by taxi operators of the Kempton Park Taxi Association," said Inspector Mveli Nhlapo. The protesters, one of whom was armed with a firearm, others carrying knobkerries and sjamboks, stopped motorists in Tembisa who were transporting stranded commuters. "Two cars were damaged. They slashed all four tyres on both cars. One of the motorists said they also took money from him," said Nhlapo. "We don't know what aggravated them," he added. The protesters then took a train at Leralla railway station to Van Riebeeck station near Kempton Park and continued their march. "The police warned them to disperse because the march was illegal but they refused to disperse. The police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd," said Nhlapo. Some of the protesters ran away but 13 were arrested. They face charges of malicious damage to property, public violence, theft and possession of an illegal firearm. Nobody was injured. - SAPA http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0904/taxi.html Protest halts taxi services at Dublin Airport Thursday, 4 September 2008 15:11 Passengers at Dublin Airport were left without taxi services for over two hours this morning during a protest by taxi drivers. The action was taken after an inspection by members of the garda? and the Commission for Taxi Regulation. Tommy Gorman of the National Taxi Drivers Union said members were angry at the way the inspection was carried out but that his organisation had been calling for action to stop 'cloning' of taxi licences. A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority said passengers were diverted to air coach and Dublin Bus services. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Auto-drivers-stage-protest,-submit-demands-to-STA/356669/ Auto drivers stage protest, submit demands to STA Express News Service Posted: Sep 03, 2008 at 0241 hrs IST Chandigarh, September 02: The Auto Rickshaw Union held a rally in Sector 17, to protest against the decision of the State Transport Authority (STA) to phase out diesel-run auto-rickshaws from the city. The date for the same has been decided to be August 31, 2009. The union also submitted a memorandum of demands to Vandna Disodia, Secretary, STA. They said the earlier life span of the diesel-run autos was 15 years earlier, but many operators have not been able to repay their loan installments. Jarnail Singh Chauhan, President, Auto Rickshaw Union said: ?Those who had taken a loan for auto rickshaws a year or two ago, have not been able to repay the same. No financial help or subsidy was provided in 2001, while phasing out of the petrol auto-rickshaws and the same is expected this time too. Also, as there are very less number of LPG outlets, it will create a law and order problem in the city.? The Administration has decided that no further renewal of permits will be allowed beyond August 31, 2009 and only LPG auto rickshaws will be allowed on the roads of Chandigarh. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2391053,00.html Taxi drivers protest over fines 10/09/2008 13:18 - (SA) Durban - Hundreds of minibus taxis blockaded Durban's Warrick Triangle area on Wednesday in protest against metropolitan police who had been fining them. Inspector Michael Read said the taxis had simply parked in the area complaining that they were being fined excessively. eThekwini metropolitan police spokesperson Joyce Khuzwayo could not be reached immediately for comment. There were unconfirmed reports that the metropolitan police were impounding several hundred of the minibus taxis. - SAPA http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=nw20080909101733106C319594 Taxi drivers prepare for protest march 9 September 2008, 10:22 Gauteng taxi drivers were gathering in central Pretoria on Tuesday to march for better working conditions, said the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu). "Drivers are gathering at the corner of Schubart and Proes streets. We are going to march to the department of labour offices to hand over a memorandum," said Satawu spokesperson Joel Sindane. Drivers' grievances include the sectoral determination and the slow implementation of taxi recapitalisation. "The department put the sectoral determination in place in 2005 but nothing has changed... The department should subsidise the industry. "With the taxi recapitalisation, people are losing their jobs. They should speed up the process," said Sindane. He said drivers were coming from across the province, "from places such as Kempton Park and Soshanguve". "Commuters have not been affected much by this march," said Sindane. - Sapa http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080827-0710-italy-pizza-.html Neapolitans get free pizza in price protest By Laura Viggiano REUTERS 7:10 a.m. August 27, 2008 NAPLES ? 'Pizzaioli' or pizza chefs in Naples, birthplace of the Margherita, handed out free pizzas on Wednesday in protest at high prices charged by rivals who, they say, use the spike in commodity prices to rip off consumers. In the city where the classic 'Margherita' with mozzarella, tomato and basil topping was invented in the 19th century ? and named in honour of a queen with a taste for fast food ? 30 cooks lit up six wood-burning ovens to cook 5,000 thin-crusted Neapolitan pizzas for queues of local people and tourists. The group staged the protest in Piazza Dante to demand stricter price controls to defend the reputation of a traditional Neapolitan product which they said should be 'the synthesis of quality and low cost'. Commodity prices, like fuel prices, have fallen back from record highs in the past month on worries about global consumer and business demand as the world economy heads into a slowdown. But retail prices have so far failed to reflect that trend. 'Everything has become more expensive now, including pizza, for people who need to watch what they spend,' said 19-year-old Arianna Masiello, taking advantage of the free pizza offer. Pizzaioli in Naples favor fixing the price of a slice at 3-3.50 euros ($4.40-$5.15) ? when most pizza outlets charge a minimum of 4 euros and often nearly twice that much. 'In Naples and elsewhere in Italy that should be enough to cover costs and give a profit margin, without damaging quality,' Sergio Miccu, president of the Association of Neapolitan Pizza Cooks, told Reuters. The Treasury says that in June the price of pasta jumped more than 30 percent and that of bread more than 13 percent, and consumers are feeling the pinch. Italians are likely to spend an additional 2,000 euros per family on food and energy bills this year. Italy's biggest consumer group wants shoppers to observe a 'bread strike' on Sept. 18 after last year's 'pasta strike'. Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia proposes introducing low-cost staple products to protect consumers from price hikes he blames on speculation by 'five groups that control 80 percent' of the retail food sector in Italy. (Additional reporting by Cristiano Corvino; reporting by Stephen Brown; editing by Tim Pearce) http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080915/jsp/siliguri/story_9833843.jsp Plastic raids prompt trader protest OUR CORRESPONDENT PCB officials raid a plastic carry bag godown at Mahabirstan in Siliguri. Picture by Kundan Yolmo Siliguri, Sept. 14: A series of raids by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board at the plastic carry bag manufacturing units and godowns here has triggered protests from traders. The Board has put a blanket ban on the use of plastic carry bags in Darjeeling district in September 2003 because of its geographical location. Last week?s raids came after a section of residents and businessmen were seen flouting the ban. Following the raids, the Board also served notices on 10 traders to attend a hearing in its Matigara office next week. ?Such raids are misleading and create panic among the public and insecurity among workers at our units,? said Ashish Chandak, the secretary of the North Bengal Plastic Manufacturers and Dealers? Welfare Association. ?Carry bags have become an important part in the lifestyle of people and these, irrespective of their size and thickness, are cent per cent recyclable. So there is no need for a ban.? Chandak said they were working with the Siliguri Municipal Corporation in its solid waste management programme to check pollution. ?We are procuring every piece of recyclable plastic from thousands of rag pickers, scrap dealers and dumping ground.? The Board, however, is firm about its stand. Biswajit Mukherjee, the member-secretary of the State Plastic Management Committee, said: ?It was disappointing to see rampant use of plastic carry bags in Siliguri despite the ban, unlike the hills where the directive has been strictly followed. We have resorted to raids to check the use and ensure compliance of the rules. There is also a Calcutta High Court ruling which cannot be flouted.? Traders, however, feel the state should lift the ban. ?The decision of complete ban on plastic bags in Darjeeling district should be reconsidered,? said Biswajit Das, the general secretary of the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce and Industries, North Bengal. ?Bags having 40 micron or more thickness should be allowed like any other district of the state.? http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/01/stories/2008100161170500.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Protest against road project Staff Reporter CHENNAI: Members of the Federation of Traders, Building Owners and Residents between Padi and Thiruninravur observed fast on Monday in Ambattur protesting the Chennai-Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road widening project to be taken up by the National Highways Authority of India. The project to widen the road to 200 feet between Padi and Thiruninravur would affect nearly one lakh people, who either own residential or commercial buildings, they said. Federation president K. Mohan said widening the road to 80 ft. would suffice for four lane system proposed in the project to ease traffic congestion. Diversion of heavy vehicles plying between Poonamallee and Koyambedu via Ambattur and Avadi caused traffic congestion. Once the work on the Chennai Bypass project gets over, the heavy vehicles would not ply on the CTH Road, facilitating free flow of traffic, he said. Mr. Mohan said representations have been made to the authorities concerned about the impact of the road widening project on the livelihood of the traders. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082655010600.htm Tamil Nadu Fishermen stage demonstration Staff Reporter ?Provide more diesel for boat operation? ? Photo: N. Rajesh. AGITATION: Fishermen and owners of mechanised fishing boats staging a demonstration in Tuticorin on Monday. Tuticorin: Fishermen and owners of mechanised fishing boats staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate on Monday, to press their demands. They urged the district administration to take immediate steps to provide more diesel for the operation of boats, as 246 mechanised boats based at the fishing harbour here had been keeping away from sea for the past many days, owing to acute fuel shortage. The agitators pointed out that against the daily requirement of 90,000 litres for 246 boats, only 36,000 litres were now provided to the fishermen through the three fuel bunks operated by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries? Development Corporation here. Due to this crisis, the trade had been affected severely for the past one week as the boats could not go fishing in deep sea. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the Collector, R. Palaniyandi, seeking his intervention. He assured them that steps would be taken to enhance the supply of diesel in consultation with the authorities concerned. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0902/fish.html Fishermen threaten further protests Tuesday, 2 September 2008 15:28 Fishermen have threatened to resume protests over what they see as a delay in the payment of compensation for reduced quotas and high fuel costs. The Fisherman's Representative Group was set up by fishermen who were involved in protests in June. They demonstrated over fuel costs, low catching quotas and forced discarding of fish at sea. Advertisement In a statement, the group said that despite the protests and meetings, fishermen have received no help and crews are facing ruin. The statement warns: 'A resumption of the protests and further action can be expected if the issues have not been addressed by mid-September.' Minister for Fisheries Tony Killeen said the onus was on the EU Fisheries Commission to provide and fund compensation. He added that although it had been indicated that payments might not be made until next year, the Government would be pressing for compensation before Christmas. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/world/europe/26briefs-OYSTERFARMER_BRF.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss France: Oyster Farmers in Protest By REUTERS Published: August 25, 2008 About 100 oyster farmers dumped at least 12 tons of oyster shells on the doorstep of a government office in Bordeaux on Monday to demand more aid to overcome a shellfish crisis. French oysters 12 to 18 months old have been dying across many of the nation?s breeding centers after an outbreak of a herpes virus, prompting the authorities to pledge help that has included tax benefits. France produces more than 100,000 tons of oysters a year. http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-247265-Lobster-fishermens-protest-over-scallop-fishery-far-from-over.html Lobster fishermen's protest over scallop fishery far from over Article online since September 8th 2008, 21:07 Be the first to comment on this article Lobster fishermen Michael Newell (foreground) and Kevin Ross help lower a remotely operated underwater camera over the side last month. Fishermen are hoping to get the camera back this month for a better look. Photo contributed Lobster fishermen's protest over scallop fishery far from over By Kathy Johnson FOR THE SOU?WESTER NovaNewsNow.com Protesting lobster fishermen may have given up their post by the Cape Sable Island causeway in southwestern Nova Scotia, but they have not given up the fight to stop scallop dragging on traditional lobster fishing grounds in the area. ?We?re not giving up,? said Stoney Island fisherman Kevin Ross. ?We?re still fighting it but we can?t be there (at the causeway) all the time. It?s been hard on our families and we have work to do.? Lobster fishermen began their protest in June, just after the scallop fishing area 29 fishery opened. They are concerned with potential damage to both lobster stocks and habitat from scallop dragging. ?We?ve been at meetings, on the phone or on the water,? said Cape Sable Island fishermen Michael Newell. ?It?s been stressful.? Besides lobbying the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans for improved science and changes to the SFA 29 fishery, they also conducted a test fishery in August on traditional lobster grounds fished by the scallop draggers this year. Between 0.5 to five per cent of lobsters caught during the test fishery had shell damage. ?It was fresh damage this year,? claimed Ross. ?They can?t blame it on a storm.? Although lobster technician Cheryl Frail, who accompanied the fishermen during the test fishery, couldn?t confirm exactly when the shell damage occurred ? considering lobsters molt every year ? she did say the damage would have been on this year?s shell, not last year?s. Lobster fishermen are still planning to do some filming later this month with a remotely operated underwater camera on fishing grounds that were fished by the scallop fleet this season. Although they had access to the camera last month, it broke down before they could film the areas they wanted. They are also trying to stop a scallop survey west of the 65/30 line in SFA 29, that calls for up to 90, eight-minute tows in sub areas A,B,C, and D, according to the tender document. ?Lobsters are molting right now and when they are molting they don?t move, which is why we want the survey stopped,? said Newell. ?We?re not concerned about the lobsters they are going to catch in their drag. We?re concerned about the ones they?re going to run over. We?re concerned about the habitat.? Both Ross and Newell said the fishermen are thankful for all the community support they have received over the past three months. They also said they ?still could use a little more support up the line? from lobster fishermen in the Pubnico area. ?A lot of those guys fish these same waters,? said Ross. ?They should be concerned too.? (Kathy Johnson is a journalist with Transcontinental Media?s Shelburne Coast Guard, which is a contributor to the Sou?Wester.) From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 21:18:20 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:18:20 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Indigenous protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9CF8C.6020001@tesco.net> * WEST PAPUA: Arrests for flag-raising * WEST PAPUA: Protester shot during flag-raising * WEST PAPUA: Explosions rock Freeport mine * WEST PAPUA: Tribe questions govt over mining rights * WEST PAPUA: Shooting at Indigenous People's Day in Wamena * WEST PAPUA: March for independence in Jayapura * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Protest over Indonesian land grab * WEST PAPUA: Guerrilla orders closure of Freeport * VENEZUELA: Yukpa clash with ranchers, settlers * PAKISTAN - NWFP: Soldiers murder protesters during protests over civilian deaths * INDIA: Irula tribes demonstrate against land grab * INDIA: Adivasi women make officials jittery * ASSAM - INDIA: Seven injured during bandh * INDIA: Hill tribe targets Vedanta mine * US - DAKOTA: Indigenous protest over mining * CANADA: Indigenous blockade in Caledonia over crap arrests * CANADA: Quebec Algonquins protest state of schools * CANADA: Protesters block highway in pipeline dispute, win interim agreement * CANADA: Indigenous protesters disrupt Olympic train * CANADA: Protest at school averted * CANADA: Protests over school funding, child abuse --------------------------------------------------- Indonesia police arrest 18 for raising Papua separatist flag Agence France Presse - September 23, 2008 Timika -- Eighteen men have been arrested after an outlawed separatist flag was raised in the Papua province, Indonesian police said Tuesday. Local police chief Jasim Hoda said several people unfurled the "Free Papua" flag early Tuesday in front of a house in Kwamki Baru village in the Mimika district. Police raided houses in the neighbourhood and found weapons including dozens of bows and arrows and 10 air rifles. "The 18 people arrested are all men. We still have to conduct further investigations before naming anyone we suspect of plotting against the state," Hoda told reporters. Anyone convicted of displaying separatist symbols faces life in prison in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago with a history of secessionist rebellions. Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, a former Dutch colony on the western half of New Guinea island, in 1969 after a vote among a select group of Papuans widely seen as a sham. Papuans have long accused Indonesia's military of violating human rights in the province and complain that the bulk of earnings from its rich natural resources flow to Jakarta. --------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 18 arrested in latest separatist flag incident Jakarta Post - September 24, 2008 Markus Makur, Timika -- The police have arrested 18 individuals for allegedly hoisting the separatist Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag Tuesday in Mimika Baru district, Mimika regency, an act which carries a maximum penalty of death under the articles of sedition. The flag was hoisted around 3:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Jakarta time) in front of the Timika office of the Papua Customary Council, said Mimika police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Godhelp C. Mansnembra. During the ceremony, around 60 villagers surrounded the pole in a symbolic gesture of Papuan resistance to and disappointment at the central government, the police said. "Police officers reached Kwamki Baru village some 30 minutes after the flag was raised," Godhelp told reporters. "We have arrested and questioned 18 people in the case." The police learned of the flag hoisting through a tip provided by Timika residents, he said. "We have investigated the reports and extended our patrols in the Kwamki Baru area to about 3 a.m." A flag, a pole, some bows and arrows and an air rifle were confiscated from the hoisting site, Godhelp said. The flag was made in Indonesia, unlike those in previous incidents, which were manufactured in the Netherlands, he added. On Sept. 17, a separatist flag was hoisted in Kwamki Lama subdistrict, with the police unable to locate anyone involved. The suspects in Tuesday's flag-hoisting will be charged under the articles of sedition as well as the emergency law. "When we learn the identity of the leader behind all this, we will make his name public," Godhelp said, adding the motive behind the act was a desire for independence. "It was sedition against the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and an expression of disappointment," he said. Over the past year, police have received reports of similar incidents occurring throughout Mimika regency, Godhelp added. "There is no reason for separatists to be disappointed. The government has enacted policies to help with development in Papua, including large funds and block grants through state and regional budgets." When asked whether the flag-hoisting incident was meant to distract police from their investigation into a series of blasts in the PT Freeport Indonesia concession area, Godhelp said the police had anticipated such a move. Separatists and civil liberties activists, including former president Abdurrahman Wahid, have urged the government not to criminalize the hoisting of such flags, saying they are merely a form of cultural expression. The government banned the display of separatist symbols and flags in 2007 through government regulation no. 77/2007 on the use of regional symbols. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- DAP and MRP meet to discuss Wamena shooting incident Cenderawasih Post - September 4, 2008 The chairman of the MRP, Drs Agus Alua believes that the flag-raising incident that resulted in the shooting dead of Opinus Tabuni, a Papuan in Wamena was handled in a way that was in violation of presidential decree 77 (PP 77) about the use of symbols. 'The intention of the President with PP77 was that it should be used persuasively,' he said. With about ten incidents involving flag-raising having occurred, problems have arisen relating to PP77. 'None of the cases was handled in accordance with the decree. This means that flag-raising will continue to be a problem until a proper solution is found.' With reference to a meeting held the day before between DAP and the MRP, DAP has sent a letter to the police chief which states the conditions the police should observe and hopes that the MRP will support that position. Agus Alua said that the shooting incident is quite a separate matter from the flag-raising and the MRP will call on the police to keep the issues quite separate. The chairman of the Dewan Adat, Forkorus Yoboisembut together with other DAP members said they reject the idea of the police continuing with their investigations (into the flag-raising) until they have revealed who was responsible for the shooting incident. The shooting incident must be dealt with first along with the motive for the shooting. He said that raising a flag is not a crime but murdering a man is certainly a crime. He pointed out that on 7 July 2008, they were commemorating World Indigenous People's Day, an international event. The police should ensure that during any investigations, two lawyers should be present, one domestic and one from abroad, he said. He said finally that once the police have told the public who it was who murdered Tabuni, they would ask people who it was who carried out the flag- raising. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Two explosions near Freeport mine in Indonesia Associated Press - September 12, 2008 Niniek Karmini, Jakarta -- Two small bombs exploded early Friday on a road leading to a massive copper and gold mine in eastern Indonesia and a third unexploded mortar was found nearby, police said. No one was injured and there was little damage. The near-simultaneous explosions near the mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. targeted a bridge and a nearby security post 10 miles from the Grasberg mine in Papua province, said PT Freeport Indonesia spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan. He refused to elaborate until a police investigation was complete. "We can only say that the incident did not disturb our operations," he said. "Things are running normally." Papua is home to separatist rebels who have long denounced the mine as a symbol of Jakarta's rule over the region and were blamed for a 2004 attack on the same road that left two Americans dead. Indonesian security forces hired by Freeport were initially suspected of taking part in those killings to extort higher protection payments from the New Orleans-based company. "An unidentified group was trying to attack Freeport's facilities," said military Lt. Col. Tri Suseno, as more than a dozen members of the country's elite anti-terrorism unit arrived, discovering a third unexploded mortar under a bridge. Police chief Maj. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said a little-known group calling itself the West Papua National Army had circulated pamphlets in recent days demanding the mine's closure, but that it was not yet clear if the events were related. "We're still investigating," he said. The Grasberg mining complex is one of the world's largest single producers of copper and gold, the company says on its Web site. It says that open-pit mining at the site began in 1990 and is expected to continue until mid-2015. The mine has seen violent worker protests in the past, and environmental groups accuse the company of alleged pollution and stripping the desperately poor province of its natural resources. Indonesia tightly controls journalists' access to the province and Freeport routinely turns down requests to visit the sprawling mine. --------------------------------------------------- Gunshots heard before Freeport bomb Jakarta Post - September 12, 2008 Repeated gunshots were heard seven hours before the blasts on Thursday night at a road in Timika, Papua, leading to a massive mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the police said. "There were repeated gunshots seven hours before the bomb exploded, but the authorities never found those who fired them, "said Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira in a press conference in Jakarta on Friday. He said another round of gunshots were heard a month before around the same area that leads to the Grasberg mining complex, which is one of the world's largest single producer of copper and gold. Abubakar said the blast happened at about 1 p.m. and that the type of explosive used was of an older generation of mortar typically used during the war in Papua. He did not specify which war. "There were actually two mortars, placed on a burning stove. Only one of those mortars exploded," he said explaining the mechanism used by the perpetrator. According to The Associated Press more than a dozen members of the country's elite anti-terrorism unit arrived at the scene. "An unidentified group was trying to attack Freeport's facilities," said military Lt. Col. Tri Suseno. Papua is home to separatist rebels who have long denounced the mine as a symbol of Jakarta's rule over the region. Rebels were blamed for a 2004 attack on the same road that left two Americans dead. Indonesian security forces hired by Freeport to guard the mine were initially suspected of taking part in those killings to extort higher protection payments from the New Orleans-based company. The mine has seen violent worker protests in the past, and environmental groups accuse the company of pollution and stripping the desperately poor province of its natural resources. Indonesia tightly controls journalists' access to the province and Freeport routinely turns down requests to visit the sprawling mine. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Indonesia's Papua rebels seek closure of Freeport mine Reuters - September 15, 2008 Jakarta -- A separatist group in Indonesia's Papua province claimed responsibility on Monday for a series of bomb attacks in the area and called for the closure of a controversial huge copper mine. A small bomb exploded near the remote province's Timika airport on Sunday after two blasts on Friday near a mine operated by the local unit of US firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. No casualties were reported in the explosions and Freeport's operations were not disrupted. Freeport's Grasberg mine -- believed to have the world's third-largest copper reserve -- has been a frequent source of controversy over its environmental impact and the share of revenue going to Papuans. Kelly Kwalik, chief of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), issued a letter to members of the group urging them to take action to push for the closure of Freeport's mine. The letter was obtained by Reuters on Monday. "I as the highest commander of the OPM with a brave heart issue this instruction for the closure of Freeport's mine because the presence of the company has been causing many problems leading to clashes among Papuan people," Kwalik said in the letter. He wants the Papuan independence issue to be discussed during the United Nations General Assembly meeting this month. Kwalik told Reuters his group were responsible for the recent attacks. Independence activists in Papua have waged a campaign for nearly 40 years to break away from Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered, often related to disputes over the sharing of rich natural resources. The Grasberg mine accounts for 40 percent of Freeport's total copper reserves of 93 billion pounds, according to the company's website. Freeport is the world's largest publicly traded copper miner. (Reporting by Telly Nathalia in Jakarta and Oka Barta Daud in Jayapura; Editing by Sugita Katyal) --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Papuan tribe questions govt over issued mining licenses Jakarta Post - August 18, 2008 Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura -- A traditional tribal community in Waigeo, Raja Ampat regency, in Papua, has questioned the government's decision to authorize nine mining companies to operate in their region. Members of Maya, a traditional community of the Kawei tribe, said the central government had neglected their rights as traditional people as stipulated under the law on regional autonomy by failing to notify them of the issued mining licenses. "Their (the companies) presence is not benefiting the traditional community," Christine Ayello of Maya Kawei's women's group told journalists in Jayapura on Saturday. Christine said companies operating on Manoram Island, for example, were only obliged to pay Rp 1,000 (10 US cents) for every ton of mined produce they transported from the island. "This is completely unfair," she said. "Papua has been given a special autonomy, so why are our rights as a traditional community ignored? Who benefits from this special autonomy?" Christine said her community was able to benefit from the riches of the land without resorting to industrial mining. "Just from fishing, we can earn Rp 60,000 to Rp 100,000 a day. Our sea is very rich in fish," Christine said. The community feels that as they live in harmony with their land, neither depleting its natural resources or damaging the environment, that mining companies should have no right to operate in the area. "So far no company has dared enter Kawei Island as we take very good care of it," said Kawei Maya traditional community leader Korinus Ayello. Mining companies reportedly entered the traditional region of Waigeo after acquiring licenses issued in 2003 by then Raja Ampat caretaker regent Marcus Wanna. However, Korinus urged the local administration to review all mining licenses. He also called on the administration to involve the traditional community in issuing mining licenses, citing that the body was obliged by law to take into account the rights of traditional people. He said it would be more prudent for the government to develop Raja Ampat regency as a marine industry rather than as a mining site, citing that a fishing industry would benefit from the region's abundance of fish and would not damage the local tourism industry. Chairman of Conservation International Indonesia for Sorong region Albert Nebora said a marine-based development concept could preserve the environment and create more jobs in environmentally-friendly industries. "With a mining-based concept, on the other hand, the regency could be rich within 20 years. But after that, we would only be devastated by environmental damages," he said. Raja Ampat is famous for its natural beauty, and especially its coral reefs, Albert said. "Seventy- five percent of the world's coral reefs are located in Papua, including in Raja Ampat," he said. "Just come to Waigeo if you want to enjoy the most complete collections of the world's coral reefs." That is why, he said, his organization had been providing the local administration with support and input to promote environmentally-friendly developments. "We do so for the sake of the preservation of nature," he said. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Papuans demand investigation into Wamena shooting, democratic space Detik.com - August 22, 2008 Didi Syafirdi, Jakarta -- Around 20 West Papuans from the United West Papua Popular Struggle Front (Pepera) held an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta on Friday August 22. They were demanding that the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla hold a full and complete investigation into the shooting of Opinus Tabuni during a commemoration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People in Wamena, West Papua, on August 9. The protesters arrived at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout at 11am in a Metro Mini bus. As soon as they arrived, they began giving speeches and unfurled to banners reading ???Open up democratic space for the West Papuan people???, ???Uphold the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples??? and ???Fully investigate the August 9 2008 incident in Wamena West Papua???. A poster reading ???Withdraw the military from the West Papua region??? was also displayed. ???Fully investigate the shooting of the civilian in Wamena, West Papua immediately. We are urging the parties concerned to open up democratic space for the Papuan people???, said action coordinator Viktor Kogoya. According to Kogoya, to this day Papuans have still not been given guarantees of the freedom of expression and to convey their views as regulated under the 1945 Constitution. Papuans are still deemed as separatists and violent methods are still used frequently by the government against the Papuan people. ???We call for the military to leave Papua immediately???, they demanded. The action was quite brief with protesters disbanding after half-an-hour of giving speeches. The action caused no disruption whatsoever to traffic in the vicinity of the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, although scores of police could be seen on guard during the action. (sho/nrl) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8505/154/ West Papua: Fatal Shooting at UN Indigenous People Day in Wamena Tuesday, 12 August 2008 Demonstrators want to hold their stand until international intervention in West Papua is decided upon. Below is an article published by Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights: Reports from Wamena this afternoon [10 August 2008] state that there has been a fatal shooting at an event to celebrate UN Indigenous Peoples Day. Reports say that rally event involves 20,000 local people. The man who was shot is identified as Mr Opinus Tabuni, age 35. Mr Tabuni is said to have been shot in chest and killed after Indonesian security forces fired into the crowd at about 3.45 pm today [10 August 2008]. Mr Tabuni is said to have been an organiser for the Tribal Council in the Wamena region (Lapago) and appears to have been coordianting the event. The demonstrators have raised four flags. These are the United Nations flag, the Indonesian flag, the West Papuan Morning Star flag and the SOS emergency flag. The demonstrators are said to be refusing to move from the site of the demonstration until there is now International intervention in West Papua. http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=a72964c40d44d5af7f80bfa9a4891eef New Violence in Indonesia over Papuan Independence New America Media, News Report, Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Posted: Aug 17, 2008 JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Opinus Tabuni, 35, was shot dead during a peaceful rally in the city of Wamena in the picturesque Baliem valley in the Indonesian province of Papua on August 9th. Yeremiah Pigay,19, an anthropology student, was amongst the participants of the rally. He said over the phone that thousands of tribes? people, many armed with traditional bows and arrows and spears, had gathered in Baliem to mark the U.N.?s Indigenous Peoples Day. The rally began at around 11 A.M and ended in chaos at about 2.30 P.M when the police began to fire and some in the crowd responded by throwing stones. A bullet hit and killed Mr. Tabuni, who was an organizer of the rally. One soldier was reportedly injured. Mr. Pigay said that the police fired single shots for approximately 15 minutes to disperse the crowd after the organizers of the rally raised the Papuan Morning Star flag. The Morning Star was raised alongside the Indonesian national flag, a U.N. flag, and a white flag serving as a S.O.S signal. The situation in Wamena is now tense and non Papuan Indonesians are reportedly seeking protection in the city because of rumors of possible attacks by angry mobs of indigenous people. Not all Indonesians agree with the ban on the Morning Star. During the presidency of the blind cleric Abdurrahman Wahid (1999-2001) the people of Papua were allowed to express their political aspirations peacefully. Late last year Mr. Wahid, who is known for his liberal and democratic views, declared that the Morning Star flag is a cultural icon and the government is stupid to ban it. However, Papuans continue to receive harsh consequences for raising the Morning Star. Indonesian Papua has seen a low-key military and political struggle for independence for several decades. During the repressive rule of the late General Suharto (1966-1998) the Indonesian government?s only response to independence aspirations was to send in the guns. Since democracy began to take root after the fall of Suharto the government has awarded autonomy to Papua, and divided the province in to two, Papua and West Papua, but the aspirations for independence have not abated. The land is rich in minerals and other natural resources but the majority of the indigenous tribes, some who have been living in Stone Age cultures for millennia, have yet to enjoy a share of the wealth of their land. The US mining company Freeport Indonesia/Rio Tinto exploits the Grasberg mine, which contains the planet?s largest single copper and gold reserve. In the past, Freeport has been in conflict with the local population over several issues, namely the desecration of sacred areas, the exclusion of the local work force and massive environmental destruction. The Indonesian military has reportedly received large sums from Freeport to guarantee security of the mining operations that dumps over 220 thousand tones of tailings into the Ajkwa River every day, polluting massive areas of forest and waterways and ultimately sea. The shooting in Wamena coincides with the receipt of a letter from 40 USA members of Congress, requesting the Indonesian government to release two Papuan independence activists who are in prison. Former government civil servant Filep Karma and student Yusak Pakage are currently serving 15 and 10 years in prison respectively for expressing hostility and hatred towards the state. The ?hostility and hatred? relates to their participation in a ceremony in December 2004, when the Morning Star flag was raised. Amnesty International considers Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage to be prisoners of conscience detained for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and has been calling for their immediate and unconditional release. In Jakarta, several members of parliament, including speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid, military figures, and the anti-democratic Islamist party Hizb ut Tahrir, seized the news of the letter from the US members of Congress, as an opportunity to condemn what they described as ?US intervention in Indonesian domestic affairs.? On Sunday (August 10, 2008) Hizb ut Tahrir attempted to stage a massive demonstration in down-town Jakarta rejecting US intervention in West Papua, but only managed to gather several score of supporters. In a separate development, Indonesia?s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said that several Papuans who had sought asylum in Australia want to return home. Mr. Wirayuda was speaking in an exclusive interview with Melbourne?s The Age?s reporter in Jakarta ahead of talks with Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. In 2006, 43 Papuan independence supporters fled to Australia by canoe and were granted asylum. Mr. Wirayuda said that the situation in Papua had improved and that the new Lombok Treaty, scheduled to come into force this year, committed Australia not to allow its territory to be used "as a staging point for separatist movements from Indonesia". There is also the risk of religious conflict in Indonesian Papua, fueled partly by the rise of both Christian and Islamist fundamentalism and migration. As Indonesia continues to wield a heavy hand in West Papua, the independence movement will increase in strength. If this trend continues, more blood will flow, and ultimately, the non-Papuan, Muslim Indonesians there will suffer the most. Bramantyo Prijosusilo is a contributing writer for NAM based in Indonesia. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2084666 Papuans march for independence Published: 11:34PM Wednesday September 17, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read About 1,000 people marched through the capital of Indonesia's eastern province of Papua to demand a referendum on Papuan independence, a witness said. The march in Jayapura came days after a string of bomb blasts at an airport in Papua and near a copper mine run by the local unit of US mining firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. A separatist group in Papua claimed responsibility for the blasts, saying it wanted the independence issue to be discussed during the UN General Assembly meeting this month. In a separate incident in Timika, a town near the Freeport mine, separatists raised the Morning Star flag, the symbol of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), police said. "Independence is our basic right as Papuans. So we hoisted the Morning Star in Timika and marched today for a referendum," Seblon Sambom, spokesman of the protesters, said. Independence activists in Papua have waged a campaign for nearly 40 years to break away from Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered, often related to disputes over the sharing of rich natural resources. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to end decades of conflict in Papua and speed up development but critics say rights abuses continue and little has been achieved under the 2001 special autonomy agreement for Papua. Indonesia has denied any systematic violations in Papua, although human rights groups have alleged that security services in the area have routinely abused their powers. http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/2008/09/11/brk,20080911-134875,uk.html Gunshots Reported in Papua Thursday, 11 September, 2008 | 08:50 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta : Gunshots broke early on Thursday around Freeport Indonesia site in Kuala Kencana, Timika. The city police precinct said it received the report from the mining company's security guard saying the gunshots were heard at about 3 AM local time (5 AM Jakarta time). Mimika Resort Police have confirmed the report, but the ressort police chief Senior Commissioner Aide Godhelp Cornelis Mansnembra said the perpetrators were not known yet adding that the Amole (a special unit from the police Mobile Brigade securing the Freeport area) and the military have checked the area but have not found anything. The police are investigating the incident. The incident happened after rumors that the Organization of Free Papua planned to hoist the Morning Star flag as the information of the US ambassador to Indonesia visit to the province was circulating. Tjahjono Ep http://news.theage.com.au/national/group-protests-annexing-of-png-land-20080915-4gux.html Group protests 'annexing' of PNG land September 15, 2008 Papuan nationalists have protested in Canberra against what they say is an occupation of Papua New Guinea territory by the Indonesian military. About a dozen demonstrators, some wearing indigenous costume, chanted slogans and sang songs outside the Indonesian embassy against the alleged incursion. Independence group, the West Papua National Authority, accused the Indonesian army of occupying more than six kilometres of PNG territory across the border from Indonesia's Papua province. "A so-called free-trade zone established between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea has been annexed by Indonesian soldiers," group foreign affairs coordinator Jacob Rumbiak said. "This militarisation threatens West Papuan refugees living in PNG and West Papuans living in their own homes along the border. "It is typical of what is happening across all of West Papua." http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0809/S00347.htm West Papuan Guerrilla Commander Shuts Down Mine Thursday, 18 September 2008, 10:30 am Press Release: Institute for Papuan Advocacy And Human Rights Human Rights Report 16 September 2008 West Papuan guerrilla commander orders closure of Freeport mine Orders issued by General Kelly Kwalik of the West Papuan Liberation Army (TPN) are confirmed to be the reason for a series of explosions and shots being fired around the Freeport mine in West Papua in the past week. This information is based on communication with Kelly Kwalik's men in Timika and documentation supplied by Kelly Kwalik. Kelly Kwalik states the purpose of the guerrilla campaign is to 'Close Down Mining' and to bring international attention to the situation at Freeport and West Papua. Vote Yes for Children in the 2009 referendum Kelly Kwalik has reported he is taking these actions both as a traditional landowner of the Freeport mine area and as an Operational Commander of the West Papua Liberation Army. Kwalik has stated the reasons for his action as the ongoing tribal conflicts caused by the mine, the ongoing abuses of the human rights of the indigenous peoples, the destruction and pollution of the environment associated with the mines operation and that the presence of this company has invited many kinds of problems especially among the people who are living in the surrounding of mining area. Kwalik seeks also to address the problems in West Papua of lack of political rights for West Papuan indigenous people and to express their desire for political independence. Kwalik says, "The Closing of this mining will be done until there is an West Papua nation which has its own independence separated from NKRI (the unitary state of Indonesian Republic)". Kwalik say he supports for international sponsored dialogue as the mechanism through which a negotiated settlement which can give benefits to the West Papua people and the landowners at Freeport. Paula Makabory representing the Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights said. "We are able to confirm that Kelly Kwalik orders are the reason why there has been gunshots and explosions around the Freeport mining concession." 'The reports indicate that the guerrillas are targeting mine facilities and infrastructure rather than civilians or security forces in this action. Kelly Kwalik has clearly ordered that the mine will be the target of guerrilla campaign until West Papua sovereignty issues are resolved." Matthew Jamieson also from Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights said, "The commencement of this campaign has major implications for the security of West Papuans in the Freeport area, especially the traditional owners, because of the likelihood of reprisals by the Indonesian security forces. In the past there has been significant human rights abuse associated with the mine security and we expect that there will be a significant increase military activity because of these recent actions." Matthew Jamieson went on to say, "Kelly Kwalik first attacked the mine in 1972, significantly disrupting mining operations. This lead to a sustained Indonesian military campaign and widespread reprisals, including bombing and strafing villages, both in the immediate area of the mine and elsewhere in the highlands where people had nothing to do with the mine. Many thousands of local people were reportedly killed at this time." "Since then Kwalik group has been in the jungle operating outside Indonesian control. Kwalik's principal political actions have been maintaining a guerrilla force, evading capture by Indonesian security forces and undertaking flag raising events in areas mostly outside Indonesian military control." "In 1995 the Indonesian military together with Freeport security were accused of the killings of a large number of traditional landowners including Kwalik's immediate relatives." http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/22/editorial-shooting-flag-carrier.html Editorial: Shooting flag carrier Mon, 09/22/2008 12:43 PM | Opinion A series of events unraveled in Papua over the past month, ranging from a peaceful rally to a flag-raising and a series of small bombings, all linked to what Jakarta perceives as acts of separatism. Because Jakarta sees all these events as related to separatism, its response is all too expected: harsh and uncompromising. Just look at what happened in Wamena a month ago, and in Mimika in the past week or so. What happened in Wamena on August 9 began as a peaceful rally to commemorate the United Nations' Indigenous Peoples Day. During the rally, a small number of people raised the Papuan Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag, but security personnel reacted quickly, shot and shot, killing one person, Opinus Tabuni. Opinus Tabuni has now become a symbol of Jakarta's oppression of Papuans. People are regularly staging demonstrations in Jayapura and elsewhere demanding the authorities investigate and resolve the shooting case. But why is there no response yet? Isn't it all too clear that one person has already become a victim of shooting -- why haven't the police launched an investigation? Do they really care? While this shooting case remained unresolved, incidents played out in other parts of Papua, which security officials easily blamed on Papuan separatists. In the past two weeks, a series of small bombings hit three different locations at the site of PT Freeport Indonesia, a copper and gold mining giant -- one near the Timika airport and two at the highway leading to Freeport's mining concessions. The bombings caused only minor damage. The police said the explosions were from two small bombs and a mortar, made in the 1941-1943 period. They blamed rebels from the Free Papua Movement (OPM) for the bombings. After these small bombings, as if to confirm the police's statements, a group of people raised the Morning Star flag at Kwamki Lama village, Mimika Baru subdistrict in Mimika, early last Wednesday. A large number of policemen were deployed to the village to search for the unknown people who hoisted the flag. But the perpetrators left the scene before the police arrived. Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Godhelp Mansnembra described the flag raising as an act of "sedition, organized by a separatist group working in Mimika regency". From such a series of incidents, we can see that the police seem to care more about catching people hoisting the Morning Star flag, rather than securing the rally in Wamena, for instance, or providing security for people in Mimika regency. As if flag raising is more dangerous than murder or bombings. From these incidents, the big questions arise: Do Papuans feel like a part of Indonesia, and does Indonesia care about Papuans? The answers to both questions, we are afraid, are "NO". And this needs serious attention, especially from politicians in Jakarta. One of the problems actually stems from Jakarta's own decision in 2007 to outlaw the raising of the Bintang Kejora flag, with those doing so facing imprisonment. This decision originates from Jakarta's perception that the Morning Star flag is a symbol of separatism in Papua. This decision only creates problems on the ground, with people tempted to raise the forbidden flag, and the police trying their best to arrest and imprison them. And often, acts on the ground swerve to different directions, as happened in Wamena when one man was killed. In reality, not all Papuans consider the Morning Star flag a symbol of separatism. They simply consider it a local symbol, just like any other provincial flag adopted by other provinces in Indonesia. Thus the ban on the flag being raised creates more problems, and will not resolve the issue of separatism in Papua. Therefore, we welcome last week's statement from Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono that the raising of the Morning Star flag by Papuans should not be considered an act of separatism, but rather an attempt to seek attention from Jakarta. Although Juwono was accompanied by Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon when he made the statement, we believe Juwono was genuine in his statement and suggestions on how to resolve the problems affecting Papua, which we also share, saying "We should seek dialogue with them (Papuans) instead of punishing them." We must stop punishing Papuans. The government must follow up on Juwono's statement and abolish the ban on the hoisting of the Morning Star flag. Otherwise, the police and the military will continue to hunt down, and even shoot, Papuans hoisting the flag they love. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43713 VENEZUELA: Yukpa Indians Clash with Ranchers and Soldiers By Humberto M?rquez CARACAS, Aug 28 (IPS) - "The army's rifles should be used to protect Venezuela or its people, not to fire over our heads," Sabino Romero, the young deputy "cacique" (chief) of the Yukpa community of Chaktapa, complained to reporters, describing the behaviour of the armed forces in the northwestern mountains of Perij?, near the Colombian border. His grandfather, 97-year-old Jos? Manuel Romero, died on Jul. 22 of injuries inflicted by hired thugs who descended on the elderly man's community at a time when it had been left unguarded. They knocked him to the ground and kicked and beat him, according to Yukpa witnesses. The thugs are presumed to be in the employ of local ranchers, in particular the Vargas family, which has connections with military commanders, according to activists from groups that support the indigenous people. Several estates owned by the Vargas family are claimed by the Yukpa as part of their ancestral lands, and have been occupied by the indigenous people. The dispute was made known to the public by Romero and three other young Yukpa activists who travelled to Caracas. Underlying the conflict is the systematic theft of the ancestral territories of the Yukpa, Bar? and Wayuu peoples, by cattle ranchers for their present use, and for future extraction of coal, phosphates and other minerals, anthropologist Lusbi Portillo told IPS. "In fact, 28,000 hectares of Yukpa lands were given in concession to Corpozulia (the Zulia State Development Corporation) with a view to mining for phosphate," Portillo, the head of the environmental organisation Homo et Natura, told journalists in Caracas, alongside the indigenous delegation. The Wayuu, the largest indigenous community in Venezuela, with 300,000 members on the Venezuelan side of the border and another 200,000 in Colombia, together with the Yukpa and Bar? peoples, have been battling coal mining and the extraction of other minerals in their territories for several years. The Wayuu ancestral lands are located in the northern part of the Sierra de Perij? mountain range, while the Yukpa and Bari traditional territories are in the central and south-central areas of the Sierra. The Perij? mountain chain runs roughly north to south between the Maracaibo basin to the east and the higher Sierra Nevada de Santa Mar?a mountains (in Colombia) to the west, which separate the Perij? range from the Caribbean sea. The Sierra de Perij? forms part of the Venezuela-Colombia border. The entire length of the Perij? mountain range is rich in coal deposits, which are intensively mined on the Colombian side of the border at Cerrej?n and elsewhere, producing more than 40 million tonnes of coal a year. On the Venezuelan side, three mines produce about 10 million tonnes a year. "The core of our proposal is that the government should permanently cancel the mining concessions, or that parliament should revoke them. We want the indigenous territories to be demarcated, with the participation of the indigenous communities and their allies, and we want plots of land (owned by non-indigenous people) to be bought (by the government) as necessary, so that they can live in peace," Portillo said. Venezuelan President Hugo Ch?vez addressed the issue last Sunday on his weekly talk show, Al? Presidente. "We stand with the indigenous people, with the Yukpa," he stated. "No one should have any doubt: between the landowners and the Yukpa, the revolutionary government is with the indigenous people." The president instructed his ministers to find a solution, "and if necessary, we will compensate the (infrastructure) improvements made by the ranchers" in order to give the land back to the Yukpa, he said. Interior and Justice Minister Ram?n Rodr?guez was charged with investigating the death of the elderly Jos? Manuel Romero. A few years ago, groups of Yukpa, together with members of the Bar? community, came down from the Sierra de Perij? mountains where they had been subsisting on unproductive land in miserable conditions for over half a century, to occupy idle land on cattle ranches on the plains between the mountain range and Lake Maracaibo. "We are not invading the ranchers' lands, but recovering land that used to belong to our grandparents. We came down to farm on the plains, so that our children do not die in the mountains," said 23-year-old Daisy Gonz?lez, an activist from the Yukpa community of Guamo. In the 20th century, prospecting for oil and the advance of the cattle ranching frontier drove local indigenous groups up into the mountains. The 1999 constitution provides for the demarcation of their territories, but although this has been done in other remote areas of the country, it has not yet happened in Zulia. The Yukpa belong to the Carib language group, and number over 10,000, distributed in 164 communities. The people from some of these, like Chaktapa and Guamo, located on the banks of the Yaza river, 650 kilometres west of Caracas, have laid claim to a dozen estates, and have occupied portions of several of them, leading to clashes with ranchers. Government commissions have sought to mediate in the conflicts, and the National Guard was mobilised to prevent an escalation of the violence, while university students and activists of the National Association of Free, Alternative and Community Media (ANMCLA) are waging a campaign in favour of the indigenous peoples' land rights. The Yukpa's land occupations "threaten the country's territorial and food security," because the area produces 100,000 litres of milk a day, said Rub?n Barboza, the head of the Maracaibo Lake Basin Ranchers' Federation (FEGALAGO). The plains to the west of Lake Maracaibo are a centre of meat and dairy production. But attempts to reach an agreement have fallen flat. Some ranchers are demanding that the indigenous people be evicted before they will set down at the negotiating table, while the Yukpa from Chaktapa and Guamo complained that Indigenous Affairs Minister Nicia Maldonado, who belongs to a native group from the country's southern Amazon region, only met with them for 15 minutes but spent seven or eight hours with the ranchers. The security forces threw up a security cordon around the Yukpa communities and are regulating access. On Aug. 23, dozens of students from the Bolivarian University and young activists from community media and the government radio station decided to break through the cordon to bring supplies of medicine and food to the indigenous people. But the young people were stopped near Machiques, the nearest town, and prevented from going further. Tensions rose as heated discussions took place in the middle of the rural roadway, and Yukpa people arrived to demand that their allies be allowed through. At that point, soldiers fired shots in the air and dispersed the people with tear gas. A young man from one of the solidarity groups was hit on the head, causing bleeding, and was arrested together with three young women who were giving him first aid. Echoing Sabino Romero, Yukpa activist Mary Fern?ndez complained "they cannot use weapons of war against us. The army's duty is to protect us, because we only want our land, so we can live in peace," she said. Fern?ndez also said that the four young indigenous people who travelled to Caracas to argue on behalf of the demands of their people "did so because the 'caciques,' our chiefs, have been threatened with death if they step outside of their communities, by the thugs hired by the ranchers; everyone in the Sierra de Perij? knows that." Over the past few decades, there have been increasing numbers of contract kidnappings and murders in the state of Zulia, and especially in its capital, Maracaibo. Activists like Portillo have received death threats, and he said there was collusion based on common interests between ranchers, military commanders, and "the strategist behind this whole policy aimed at favouring the long term interests of transnational mining companies: General Carlos Mart?nez, the head of Corpozulia." Portillo said these interests are shared by local authorities of the National Land Institute - which is responsible for carrying out demarcations of indigenous land - and the regional military commander, General Gerardo Izquierdo. "The army in Machiques is divided into two factions: the revolutionaries (Ch?vez supporters), and those who are aligned with the paramilitaries," he said. Minister Maldonado said the "demarcation of land for the 164 Yukpa communities is 70 percent complete," but Portillo and the four young Yukpa emissaries remain unconvinced. "The lines on the map drawn by the president in Caracas are one thing, but the result of negotiations between power factions when the lines are drawn on the ground in Perij? is quite another," said the activist. (END/2008) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7632114.stm Tuesday, 23 September 2008 17:42 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Pakistan police kill protesters Protests have been going on in Mingora since Monday Pakistani police say they have shot dead at least six people during protests against military operations in the north-western area of Swat. More than a dozen others were injured when police opened fire on hundreds of protesters in the city of Mingora. Police say they fired to prevent banks being looted. Locals are angry at army shelling which they say killed five people in the area earlier this week. Troops have been fighting a rising tide of militancy in Swat since last year. Police opened fire at the crowd to prevent them looting banks Swat police official Bahadur Khan Bush pledges to protect Pakistan Owner vows Marriott will rise again Elsewhere in the north-west the military says it has killed dozens of militants near the Afghan border. US military officials say militants use safe havens in Pakistan to mount attacks in Afghanistan. Anger has been growing in Pakistan at US forces in Afghanistan violating Pakistani sovereignty. On Tuesday, US President George Bush met his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari for the first time, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. President Bush made no public reference to the controversial issue of unauthorised US strikes at insurgent targets in north-west Pakistan. 'Looting banks' At least two government-owned banks are reported to have been damaged in the violence in Mingora, Swat's main city. Police say a police station was also ransacked and other property attacked. Protesters burned tyres in the streets. "Police opened fire at the crowd to prevent them looting banks," local police officer Bahadur Khan told the AFP news agency. A curfew was imposed in the city to prevent a recurrence of demonstrations which broke out on Monday. Locals took to the streets after the army shelled a house in the Chahar Bagh area of Swat earlier in the day. At least five people are reported to have died. Correspondents say the security situation in Swat has been steadily deteriorating since the breakdown in the summer of a peace agreement between the government and pro-Taleban cleric Maulana Fazlullah. The Swat valley, Pakistan's most famous tourist destination, has been the scene of an insurgency by his followers since 2007. They want to enforce his version of Islamic Sharia law in the region. Fighting In tribal areas in the north-west, the military says it has used helicopter gunships and heavy artillery guns to bomb suspected militant positions. A number of people received bullet wounds in Swat Military spokesman Maj Murad Khan said 50 militants had been killed in clashes since Monday in Dara Adam Khel, close to the city of Peshawar. He said troops had retaken control of the Kohat tunnel, a key road leading out of Peshawar. One Pakistani soldier was also killed in the clashes. The army says another 10 militants have been killed in clashes in Bajaur region near the Afghan border. There is no independent confirmation of any of the army claims. The Pakistani army is engaged in a fierce campaign against militants in Bajaur which has forced some 300,000 people to flee their homes. Attempts by the government to negotiate with militants in areas along the border with Afghanistan appear to have failed for now, and there have been a spate of recent suicide bombings. They include a devastating militant attack on the Islamabad Marriott hotel on Saturday which killed more than 50 people, most of them Pakistanis. Aid appeal The United Nations refugee agency says it has asked donors for more than $17m in aid to help about 250,000 people displaced by fighting and floods in north-western Pakistan. "The numbers are fluid as people come and go from their villages, but we expect them to increase as the conflict intensifies," William Spindler, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in Geneva. He said the money was needed to provide relief items like tents, blankets and plastic sheets. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2398398,00.html Army kills 6 during protest 23/09/2008 16:46 - (SA) Peshawar - Six people were killed on Tuesday when Pakistani security forces opened fire on a demonstration against civilian deaths in the ongoing military offensive in the restive north-west Swat valley, witnesses said. The demonstration started on Monday after a mortar round hit a house in the Allah Abad area of Swat district in North West Frontier Province, killing one woman and her two children. Residents transported the victims' bodies about 20km to Mangora city, where the army headquarters is located. More than 8 000 people joined them in the protest. The protests gained pace on Tuesday when about 20 000 people violated the curfew and gathered in Mangora, chanting slogans against the military, which is carrying out an operation against the Taliban militants in the area. "The government forces came here to end the militancy but the militancy has increased instead. Militants are doing well but the civilian population is suffering," a speaker named Mohammad Ali told the rally. He claimed more than 600 000 people have been displaced and hundreds more have died because of the conflict and the population was facing shortages of food and medicines. The angry demonstrators set fire to two commercial banks and pelted stones at the law enforcers, who responded with tear gas and gunshots, leaving six people dead and five injured. Swat, once a popular tourist destination, has seen heavy fighting between government forces and Taliban militants since last October when Islamabad sent thousands of troops to quell the rebellion of the followers of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah. Fazlullah launched an armed campaign to enforce Taliban rule in the area. The new government in Islamabad initiated peace talks with militants immediately after it took over in March, but resumed the offensive a month later when the negotiations failed to bring peace to the region. - Sapa-dpa - SAPA http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093051990300.htm Tamil Nadu Irula tribes stage demonstration Staff Reporter Tiruvannamalai: Members of the Irula community staged a demonstration here on Monday protesting against the attempts to grab the land they live in for decades by some affluent sections and the apathetic attitude of the police officials on the complaints preferred by them. M.Harikrishnan, district organiser of Pazhangudi Irular Pathukappu Sangam (PIPS) led the protest held in front of taluk office. Human rights activist and co-ordinator of PIPS P.Kalvimani said that there are around 21 Irula families living in the government poromboke land situated behind circuit house in the Vettavalam road for about 50 years. But they were not able to get patta from the government. Since the market value of the land is soaring, owners of neighbouring lands make attempts to grab the land where the Irula tribes live. A law student from the community who questioned their attempts, was attacked. The victim, Harikrishnan, had to struggle to get his case registered with the police. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/13/stories/2008091358120300.htm Other States - Orissa Tribal women?s protest makes officials jittery Staff Reporter Kharif prospects bleak, police suspect the hand of an organisation ________________________________________ They have no work in hand since July 24 Women contribute more to paddy cultivation than men ________________________________________ ? Photo: Lingaraj Panda Restive: A group of women sport an uncertain look as prolonged curfew in the area had made life miserable, especially for women, at G. Udayagiri in Kandhamal district. BERHAMPUR: Tribal women whose livelihood depended on paddy-based kharif agriculture are in distress in the communal violence-hit Kandhamal district which is still reeling under prolonged prohibitory orders of curfew and section 144. The rising agitation by large number women who claimed to have lost their livelihood due to communal violence and prohibitory orders has become a headache for the administration. Women especially daily wagers are staging protests almost every day at different parts of the district demanding work, wages and relief. G Udayagiri, Raikia, Tikabali and Baliguda areas have witnessed continuous protests and gherao of local authorities by hundreds of women who demanded relief due to loss of livelihood. The State Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal had to run for cover when he was confronted by lathi wielding labour class women demanding relief or work at Tikabali on September 4. Police officials alleged that these well organised systematic agitations exclusively by women from labour class must be backed by some organisations. But it is for sure these women daily wagers have no work in hand since July 24 after the sprouting of communal violence. According to a study made by the National Research Centre for Women in Agriculture (NRCWA) tribal households in Kandhamal were heavily dependent on wage earning from Kharif paddy cultivation. The communal violence and prohibitory orders have destroyed the prospects of Kharif cultivation in the district affecting the livelihood source of the tribal families in which women are major livelihood earners. The study by NRSWA indicated that tribal women of Kandhamal contribute more to paddy cultivation as labour force than men. A tribal woman got engaged for an average of 92 days a year in agriculture of which 64 days were in paddy cultivation during the Kharif season in the district. In comparison the figures for tribal men was 68 days of agricultural work with 39 days in paddy cultivation. Now these tribal women have started losing this valuable wage earning days of Kharif cultivation due to communal tension. The study also found that 24 per cent of the tribal households were headed by women due to migration or unresponsive behaviour of male members. The NRSWA also found that 22 per cent of the girls below 15 years from tribal families were involved either as wage labourers or in their own paddy fields. This large work force of tribal women is now out of work and an empty mind without work has made restoration work tricky for the administration. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200812271711.htm Seven injured during Assam bandh Tezpur (PTI): Seven people were injured when tribal outfit Birsa Commando Force set ablaze a bus in Sonitpur district during a state-wide bandhon Saturday. The bus carrying 70 students and teachers on a three-day educational tour was waylaid by the BCF near Monabari tea estate on NH-52 around 5:20 am and set on fire, official sources said. The bus owned by the Assam State Transport Corporation was returning from Sibsagar district to Lakhimpur district. The 24-hour bandh had been called by the BCF to protest the killing of three adivasi youths in neighbouring Udalguri district on December 21. However, the bandh failed to make any impact in the state. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4d3fc5c-6563-11dd-a352-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1 Hill tribe protests at Indian mine site By Joe Leahy in Mumbai and Rebecca Bream in London Published: August 8 2008 23:12 | Last updated: August 8 2008 23:12 Activists representing an Indian hill tribe have pledged to continue their battle against efforts by Vedanta Resources to mine a mountain revered by the indigenous people as sacred, in spite of a court ruling on Friday that approved the project. India?s Supreme Court overruled objections to the project by the Dongria Kondh tribe. The UK-listed Vedanta?s Indian unit, Sterlite Industries, intends to mine the Niyamgiri hills in eastern Orissa state for bauxite to supply an $800m alumina plant. ?We are going to continue to assert our rights within the democratic framework,? said Bratindi Jena, an activist from ActionAid, a non-governmental group representing the tribe. ?We are going to explore [the] legal options, and we will continue mobilising people, [Vedanta] shareholders and civil society.? The project is one of several large mining and steel projects that have been delayed by protests in eastern India, one of the country?s most resource-rich but least developed regions. Orissa and other eastern states, such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, are home to large numbers of India?s ?tribal? peoples, who trace their roots back to the country?s ancient indigenous forest dwellers. In another development, the Supreme Court approved a proposal by South Korea?s Posco to use 3,000 acres of forest land to build a $12bn steel plant, in what would be India?s largest foreign direct investment to date. That project has also been struggling to get off the ground because of fierce protests by local villagers. The Dongria Kondh, about 8,000 people, last week staged a blockade of a road project to Sterlite?s mine site, according to Survival, another activist group. None of the Dongria Kondh will be relocated to accommodate the mine but they are worried about the religious and environmental impact. ?The mountain is sacred to them and they are also worried that huge amounts of forest will be destroyed and [about] rivers being polluted,? a Survival spokesperson said. The tribe could not appeal against Supreme Court decision but they would petition the court to consider the cultural and religious impact of the mine. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100457230300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam Tribals stage protest Staff Reporter CHINTAPALLI: Leaders of various political parties and tribal associations expressed dismay at the manner in which the public hearing was conducted at Chintapalli on Friday. They wondered as to what purpose the whole exercise was meant when it was held away from the affected area and movement of public transport was curtailed. After staging a protest at the meeting venue for sometime, they walked out soon after the meeting started and staged demonstrations outside the venue. Many of the tribals who walked long distances in the absence of public transport reached around noon. Later, an impressive rally was taken out opposing the mining project. MP Midium Babu Rao said that he had sought provision of transport to the tribals attending the meet as it was held outside the affected area. But, the authorities had failed to meet his demand. He said that an all-party delegation would meet the District Collector on Saturday and submit a memorandum seeking cancellation of the EPH and the MoU with APMDC. CPI(M) leader Ch. aasinga Rao said that an RTC bus was stopped at Chintapalli and the presence of armed police personnel all along the route acted as a major deterrent to people from attending the meeting. Jerrila sarpanch S. Venkata Ramana and Gudem sarpanch Korra Balaram wondered what was the point in organising the meet at Chintapalli when the majority of the affected tribals were from the Jerrila block. ZPTC member from Araku Killo Surendra described the EPH as an eyewash. He called upon the tribals to be prepared to wield their bows and arrows, if the Government goes ahead with its plan. MLA Chengala Venkata Rao, MLC M.V.S. Sarma, CPI leader J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, Telugu Desam leaders Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and M. Mani Kumari were among those who led the agitation. http://www.startribune.com/local/27904984.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7EaDiaMDCiUT Conflict looms as Indians' protest permit expires today Last update: September 5, 2008 - 9:08 AM The permit that Dakota Indians protesting in Minneapolis were given -- but didn't ask for -- expires this afternoon. The two dozen or so protesters erected two teepees and a couple of modern-day tents Tuesday in a bid to reclaim land for the Dakota. But the showdown on the abandoned federal land near Minnehaha Park was put off when federal officials issued a four-day permit. That allowed the group to remain on the site for religious ceremonies. The site -- known as Coldwater Spring -- is sacred to the Dakota and housed the federal Bureau of Mines until 1996. Organizers said they don't plan to leave after the permit expires at 3 this afternoon, and that's when a confrontation could come. They said they will maintain the occupation until Dakota rights to the land are fully restored and the federal government cleans up toxic waste on the 28 acres. --PAUL WALSH http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/09/01/6629816-cp.html Protesters set up highway blockade in Caledonia By THE CANADIAN PRESS CALEDONIA, Ont, - Labour Day was a day of blockades in this divided southern Ontario community as aboriginals and residents both brought traffic to a halt. The aboriginal protest began Monday morning - reports said in response to the arrest of a number of Six Nations youth in Brantford, Ont. That blockade was taken down within a few hours, provincial police said. However, residents of Caledonia began their own protest on a main street in the town, leading provincial police Commissioner Julian Fantino to call for them to re-open the road. "We are now in dialogue with a group of local citizens protesting on Argyle Street in Caledonia," Fantino said in a release. "I am calling on all persons to act in a respectful manner and to build upon the relationships that have been developed within the communities." A national news agency reported that the residents ended their protest by early evening. Fantino stressed that the blockades were unlawful. "Our priority is to preserve the peace and maintain order, not to resolve land claims issues," he added. Tensions between Six Nations and Caledonia residents have been high since aboriginal protesters occupied a housing development. The occupation of Douglas Creek Estates more than two years ago has sparked several blockades and led to arrests of both aboriginal and resident protesters. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/09/12/ot-algonquins-080912.html?ref=rss Quebec Algonquins protest state of their schools Last Updated: Friday, September 12, 2008 | 2:46 PM ET Comments19Recommend12 CBC News About 150 protesters from Algonquin reserves in Quebec demonstrated outside the Gatineau offices of the Indian and Northern Affairs department on Friday to demand more funding for their schools. They said they are hoping they will get some attention during the campaign leading to the Oct. 14 federal election. "We have young people who are losing hope," said Gilbert Whiteduck, chief of the Kitigan Zibi reserve near Maniwaki in French. "How can we all allow a child of five, six, seven years old to lose hope in the future? because the school cannot provide a quality education?" Whiteduck was among demonstrators who travelled from Kitigan Zibi, Barriere Lake, Manawan and Wemotaci to protest the fact that the federal government hasn't reviewed funding formula for aboriginal education for 20 years. Young protester S?bastien M?quish said his community's schools have no money for technology such as computers, sports and recreation equipment, or preserving and teaching its language. The protesters said they hope candidates running in the federal election will voice their position on the issue during the campaign. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/09/29/protests-pipeline.html?ref=rss Aboriginal protesters block Trans-Canada near Regina in dispute over pipeline First Nations say there wasn't sufficient consultation on Alberta Clipper, an expansion to existing Enbridge pipeline Last Updated: Monday, September 29, 2008 | 3:50 PM CT Comments93Recommend32 CBC News First Nations protesters on horseback blocked part of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Regina for about a half-hour on Sunday in a dispute over the construction of an oil pipeline. First Nations in the area called it a peaceful protest to call attention to their concerns about a pipeline, currently under construction by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc., that runs through what they say are traditional Indian territories. The pipeline, which received government approval in February, "run[s] through traditional and/or occupancy lands without due consultation," Solomon Cyr, special adviser and policy analyst for the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council, said in a news release. The chiefs of five different tribal councils and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) supported the action, according to the news release. After the action on the highway, which involved 15 riders, protesters set up six teepees outside a construction site associated with the pipeline project. On Monday morning, workers who showed up at the site, in a community east of Regina called White City, were told to go home for the day. The construction site is managed by Waschuk Pipelines under contract to the Enbridge. No proper consultation with native groups, protesters say Edmund Bellegarde, a spokesman for the aboriginal groups that endorsed the protests, told CBC News that the First Nations are upset the federal government granted Enbridge the right to construct pipelines on traditional aboriginal land without consultation. "We plan to have an occupation here as long as it takes to bring attention" to the issue of consultation, Bellegarde said. "The issue is duty to consult," he added. "We feel that we haven't had the proper consultation in a meaningful way." Bellegarde claimed the pipeline industry had broken promises with First Nations groups on such issues as economic development and employment opportunities associated with large projects. Workers sent home with no pay CBC News has been told that about 300 Waschuk employees, who were sent home, will not be paid for the day. Jennifer Varey, a spokesperson for Enbridge, told CBC News that the company believed it had consulted with First Nations. "We believe we have," she said Monday, adding "we are more than willing to sit down and talk to try and resolve these concerns and would be happy to do so." Morley Watson, a vice-chief with the FSIN, told CBC News that First Nations people have not been benefiting as much as they had expected, when major pipeline projects are approved. "You know there's vast resources in the province of Saskatchewan and that's how Saskatchewan got to be where it is today to be a have province," Watson said Monday. "Unfortunately, we've been excluded from those resources and certainly believe that the chiefs and councils are saying that we have to be included, not only in job and opportunity but part of the resources." June Draude, the provincial minister of First Nations and M?tis Relations, said she is prepared to help the two sides meet and tried to make that happen earlier in the month. "I, as minister, have offered to facilitate a meeting between the First Nations and Enbridge about 10 days ago. The meeting wasn't accepted by the First Nations at that time," Draude told CBC News. "I've also told them that I'd be willing to meet with them ? with the First Nations and with Enbridge ? at any time they would like. And I've also offered to talk to the chiefs at any time to talk about the broad range of issues that are affecting First Nations." The pipeline work at the heart of the protest is known as the Alberta Clipper expansion to an existing Enbridge pipeline. When completed, the system will deliver an additional 450,000 barrels per day of Alberta crude oil to refineries in Eastern Canada and the United States. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/10/03/protests-ending.html?ref=rss Pipeline protests end with interim agreement Last Updated: Friday, October 3, 2008 | 7:15 PM CT Comments77Recommend11 CBC News An interim agreement was reached Friday between several First Nations and the oil giant Enbridge, ending a five-day series of protests that disrupted pipeline construction sites in Saskatchewan. A small group leads a procession away from the protest site, a construction storage yard for an Enbridge subcontractor, about 10 kilometres east of Regina near the community of White City. (Jordan Jackle/CBC) Talks between representatives of Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 First Nations took place Thursday in Saskatoon with officials from Enbridge Pipelines, ending later in the evening. The negotiations were to address complaints by First Nations that two large pipeline projects were not benefiting aboriginal communities. The First Nations said portions of the work traverse what they call "traditional" Indian territory and they should have been consulted about job opportunities and other issues related to the projects, such as environmental protection. At the end of talks on Thursday, officials told CBC News that Enbridge had agreed to pay for training of First Nations people in central and southern Saskatchewan as crane operators, heavy equipment operators and pipe stringers, and guarantee those workers jobs on operating crews. Enbridge vice-president Byron Neiles emerges from a tipi following a pipe ceremony with First Nations leaders to end protests over a pipeline project in Saskatchewan Friday. (Jordan Jackle/CBC) Byron Neiles, a vice-president at Enbridge, said the company will also set aside a certain percentage of construction-related work for First Nations corporations. On Friday afternoon First Nations leaders and officials from Enbridge participated in a pipe ceremony to formalize what was described by Solomon Cyr, special adviser to File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council, as a new "alliance." Protests began on Sunday, with a brief blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Regina, near a pipeline construction site. The actions, which were described by First Nations as peaceful "days of action," continued through the week with teepees being erected at sites connected to pipeline work in different parts of the province. One protest was discontinued prior to talks in what was described as a show of good faith. http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2ee2dfc3-9413-4c5f-b2df-2f4351a245d5 First Nations protesters get meeting over pipeline Enbridge 'optimistic' about resolving issue Jason Warick, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Several First Nations protesting an oil pipeline project have secured a meeting Thursday in Saskatoon with representatives of the pipeline company and government officials. "It's a good thing. We can get some dialogue going," said Red Pheasant First Nation Chief Sheldon Wuttunee. The Saskatchewan natives say they have not been consulted. They're demanding a share of the revenues from the resources on their traditional lands. View Larger Image Red Pheasant Chief Sheldon Wuttunee, who with other native leaders has been protesting a Saskatchewan oil pipeline slated for their traditional land, says they have not been consulted and want a share of the revenues. Richard Marjan, Canwest News Service Gina Jordan, a spokeswoman for Enbridge Pipelines Inc., was also happy all sides agreed to meet. She said senior Enbridge management will be on hand. "We're very optimistic this can be resolved," Jordan said. The meeting will involve Enbridge, officials from the federal and provincial governments, chiefs from the affected First Nations and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. Band members from Red Pheasant and other First Nations have been staging peaceful protests at Enbridge facilities near Kerrobert, about 180 kilometres west of Saskatoon. Other First Nations have staged protests in the southern part of the province where the pipeline is expected to be built. Employees at Kerrobert were sent home Tuesday morning after the protesters set up outside company headquarters. "We've moved right up to the compound," Wuttunee said earlier in the day. He said he and the other protesters met with RCMP officers to ensure they were not breaking the law. They also met with contractors for Enbridge to inform them of the coming activity. Wuttunee said the employees told them to go home. Jordan said the workers were told to go home "out of respect for the process." She said the company is "optimistic" everything can be resolved soon. Until the meeting is completed, the workers will stay at home as a show of good faith. The First Nations contend that the "duty to consult" and accommodate First Nations on such developments, established in a Supreme Court ruling, has not happened. They say Enbridge has provided only token, low-skill labour opportunities to a small number of band members. Enbridge maintains it has consulted with dozens of aboriginal groups, and that many of its employees are aboriginal. Wuttunee said he hopes to make government officials aware of the urgency of the situation. "That pipeline is going through our traditional territories right now." http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2103 September 21, 2008 ? Print ? Del.icio ? Digg Protesters Disrupt "Spirit Train" Sendoff Two arrested, festivities cancelled by Dawn Paley The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca Protesters succeeded in canceling part of the send off ceremony for the "Spririt Train," which will be traveling across Canada for the next month. Photo: Dawn Paley About 50 people showed up to protest the "Canada Pacific Spirit Train" event Sunday in the Vancouver suburb of Port Moody. Taking a position in front of the main stage, the group carried signs and placards, and a large banner that read ?Resist 2010: No Olympics on Stolen Native Land.? While demonstrators banged on pots and pans, Gord Hill, speaking on behalf of the Olympics Resistance Network, announced, "We want homes for the homeless, not corporate invasion on stolen native land." Betty Krawczyk, an octogenarian mayoral candidate in Vancouver who was incarcerated in 2006 for attempting to defend a forest against the expansion of the Sea to Sky highway linking Vancouver and Whistler, said, "There is no spirit on that train; this is all about money." Most attending the event seemed relatively blas? about the protest, which carried on noisily for over an hour. A woman identified only as Gina led two children directly into the crowd of demonstrators, yelling at Krawczyk and pushing other protesters' signs. The children began to cry. Para-olympian Peter Rosen, who will be accompanying the train to Montr?al, said that "these are Canada?s games, not Vancouver?s games... [The 2010 Olympics] are a great opportunity for Canada." When asked about the protests, Rosen stated, "Everybody is entitled to an opinion, but professional protestors get it wrong." Many at the event stayed closer to tents that were erected for the Olympic sponsors including Rona, Yves' Veggie cuisine and GE Transportation. "Spirit Train" tour manager and Canadian Pacific spokesperson Breanne Feigel told The Dominion that "the train will move the Olympic spirit across Canada," and that event organizers "respect everyone?s right to make a statement." An estimated 40 tour staff will be traveling alongside the train in vehicles. It is unknown if anyone will actually be riding inside the train as it travels east. Organizers are planning to run a second "Spirit Train" in 2009. A protester is arrested during a demonstration denouncing the 2010 Olympics. Photo: Dawn Paley Three separate police contingents provided uniformed and undercover officers for the event: the Canadian Pacific Police Service, the Port Moody Police, and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service. In addition, a large group of private security guards from 'Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security' was on-site. Police stormed the protest at about 2:40pm, causing a ruckus and knocking over a number of participants. They arrested an unidentified young man, and three officers carried him to a waiting police van. As members of the crowd watched, an undercover officer assisting with the arrest shoved an elder to the ground, and pushed her against the hood of a car. The officer told the woman that she was under arrest for assaulting a police officer. The officer the woman allegedly assaulted was undercover and did not reveal his identity to the media. The woman was put in a squad car and taken to the Port Moody police department. "Spirit Train" organizers did not make a statement about the arrests. In a press release put out before the event, the Olympics Resistance Network stated, "Canadian Pacific, the Vancouver Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee call the train an 'ambassador of goodwill.' A more careful read of history teaches us that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company has been a key instrument in the colonization of Canada and the genocide of indigenous peoples." "With protestors nearly outnumbering spectators, the most spirited thing today was the spirit of resistance against the Olympics and the forced cancellation of the 'Spirit Train' launch ceremonies," said Hill. "We are confident that this same spirit will inspire others as the train travels across Canada." Corporate media reports emphasized the crying children and unspecified "clashes" with police. Conservative MP James Moore told CTV news that "making kids cry to make a point is just a little bit over the line, and that's what we saw today." The "Spirit Train" left Sunday from Port Moody and will be visiting 10 cities across the country, ending up in Montr?al on October 18. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/08/28/nb-school.html?ref=rss First Nation protest at N.B. school averted Last Updated: Thursday, August 28, 2008 | 3:18 PM AT Students will be able to resume classes at an Edmundston, N.B., high school without disruption, says the chief of a First Nation that threatened to stage a protest at the school. The Madawaska Maliseet First Nation threatened to prevent students from using part of the Cit? des Jeunes school that is located on its land if the provincial government didn't sign a deal regarding highway access ramps in the area. The First Nation owns about half of the land where the high school is located and the province's five-year lease on the property has run out. Chief Joanna Bernard initially refused to sign a new lease and said if the government wanted a new lease it would have to build highway access ramps to another property owned by the First Nation. The First Nation wants to develop land in the area and says it needs the access ramps constructed if it is to attract business. Bernard met with four government ministers on Thursday morning to discuss the dispute. A new agreement has not yet been signed but a verbal commitment was given that the school year, which begins on Sept. 2, will not be interrupted, said a government spokesperson. "School will start no problem. There is no issue there," Bernard said. Bernard said the First Nation will continue negotiating with the government regarding the Trans-Canada Highway ramps. "We are negotiating now so the line of communication is open, so things are going to be OK," Bernard said. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/09/24/first-nation-education.html?ref=rss Protesters denounce inequities in First Nations school funding Last Updated: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 | 6:47 PM MT Comments28Recommend10 CBC News Protesters from First Nations in Alberta marched through downtown Edmonton on Wednesday demanding more funding and support for aboriginal students. (CBC) Hundreds of protesters from First Nations across Alberta held a lunchtime rally in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday to demand equal educational funding for aboriginal students. Protesters said the federal government does not fund First Nations schools as well as other schools in Alberta, and that inequity violates promises made in their treaties. Glenys Buffalo, principal of the school in Big Stone First Nation in Wabasca, Alta., said the federal government gives her school about half the amount of money that is given to provincially funded non-reserve schools. "We're always behind the provincial system in terms of all our dollars, any kind of funding that we have, which includes the busing, post-secondary is a big one. Inequality for teachers' pay, salary ... every issue that you can imagine," she said. Buffalo said she thinks the federal government is using an antiquated system for funding reserve schools. For example, she said funding for busing has not increased since 1980. She said factors like teacher turnover, which she ties to lower salaries, mean students don't get a very good education and end up dropping out in frustration. Buffalo's concerns were echoed by Rose Laboucan, chief of the Driftpile First Nation in northern Alberta. "In Lesser Slave Lake, for example, the money that we are given hasn't risen since 1979, when it was first signed," Laboucan said about her master agreement. "How do we maintain integrity? How do we maintain that ability to be able to look after our people? "We need to do something," she said. "We want to show this country the talent that we have. We have so much of it." Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said aboriginal people are seeking fair treatment. "First Nations education is in crisis. And we've been trying to convince the federal government to be fair to our students," Fontaine said. " For example, there are at least 40 communities, First Nations communities, without education facilities. There's another 80 with schools in terrible state of disrepair. There are at least 100 communities, First Nations communities, that operate under boil-water advisories.... This is not a safe health environment for our kids." Fontaine said aboriginal people are concerned that First Nations issues have been largely ignored by the leaders in the federal election. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012391836 Aborigines In Winnipeg Protest Child Abuse AHN Staff Winnipeg, Manitoba (AHN) - Some 100 people stormed to Odena Circle at The Forks to protest sexual exploitation of young children and to increase community awareness of the scope of the problem of child abuse in aboriginal communities. Winnipeg Free Press reported that people marched from the Thunderbird House at 715 Main St. at around 10 a.m. and ended at the sacred Odena Circle at The Forks. Kookum Gaa Na Da Ma Waad Abinoojiig Council - otherwise known as Grandmothers Protecting Our Children - led the protesters in their campaign. A Sacred Fire was lit at the Odena Circle and was put into a glow until 4 p.m. The fire is a symbol signifying the role of grandmothers in the nurturing and education of the aboriginal culture. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 21:26:06 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:26:06 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests - women, gay, disability - Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9D15E.1040004@tesco.net> Women/Gender * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Women bash bottom pincher Gay/LGBT rights * UK: Bradford - "Pride is a Protest" * US: Gainesville - protest at equality law amendment * US: Protest at award for homophobe * GREECE: Protest for gay marriage ahead of trial * US: Florida - owner protested over anti-gay amendment support * MEXICO: Protest over "gay" as insult * BOSNIA: Injuries as homophobes attack gay rights festival * ITALY: Protest over public kissing trial * UK: Transphobic doctor protested Disability rights * KOREA: Blind masseurs jump from bridge in reform protest * UK: Wales - protest over autistic school standards * US: Florida - blind group protests movie * UK: Autistic group protests McKinnon persecution Other discrimination * IRELAND: Protest over hate crimes against subcultures http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/592884 PNG women bash bottom pincher AAP Last updated 13:07 22/08/2008 A notorious bottom pincher in Papua New Guinea's Bougainville region has been beaten up by a group of women after he pinched one of their posteriors. The thrashing and a brief brawl came in the capital Buka when Joe Sohia pinched an unnamed woman's buttocks. The woman and her friends took umbrage and retaliated by swinging their bags at him. They then set upon him with a flurry of punches that knocked him to the ground. PNG's Post Courier newspaper reported "the man started throwing wild punches at the woman who did not give up but kept punching back". A local bus driver who witnessed the incident said it was a short fight drawing a large audience before police broke it up. "Men who harass women in public places should be expecting that kind of beating from women," he said. "The man who was floored had a very bad habit of pinching women's buttocks in public," he added. Police took the women in for questioning. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407559.html "Pride is a Protest" - Bradford MSGI marches at Manchester Pride Jeffa | 26.08.2008 10:54 | Culture | Repression | Social Struggles | Leeds Bradford | Manchester Several representatives of University of Bradford's MSGI society marched at Manchester Pride 2008 to proclaim "Pride is a Protest", along with several other groups. Several members of Bradford MSGI (Minority Sexual and Gender Identities) attended the Manchester Pride parade on Saturday 23rd of August in order to protest the commercialisation of Manchester Pride. Holding signs such as "Riot, Don't Diet", "God Loves Fags", and "Feminist Fightback", they marched with the University of Manchester Student Union's parade entry. UMSU also staged their own protest, chanting slogans such as "We're here, we're queer, we will not live in fear", and "3, 5, 7, 9, human rights are yours and mine". Other organisations were also out on the 23rd to protest the commercialisation of pride, including the Queer Liberation Front and Anarchist Federation, but most notably the Queer Youth Network, who had to defend their right to carry signs saying "Pride, Not Profit" from worried pride officials. Sarah, Bradford MSGI's Librarian, stated, "It's extremely important for us to stand against the commercialisation of Manchester Pride as MSGI activists. You should not have to pay to be proud of who you are. and I am especially annoyed that the entire Village has been shut off to people unwilling to pay extortionate sums of money to Pride when virtually none of it makes it to charity as they claim anyway. We should remember where our struggle started: Stonewall was a riot, not a brand name." Manchester Pride organisers were unavailable for comment. Bradford Pride is to be held on the 11th October, 2008. Entry is free. Jeffa e-mail: dally92000 at yahoo.com http://www.alligator.org/articles/2008/09/05/news/local/080904_protest.txt Residents protest possible amendment to anti?discrimination policy At a glance ? A proposed charter amendment could eliminate Gainesville's anti?discrimination policy for gay and transgender people. ? The amendment is the product of a petition by Citizens for Good Public Policy. ? Members of the group Equality is Gainesville's Business spoke against the amendment at City Hall. By ANDREA ASUAJE , Alligator Writer People of all ages, colors and sexual orientations came to the steps of City Hall Thursday afternoon in support of Gainesville?s anti?discrimination policy. Members of the group Equality is Gainesville?s Business spoke against a charter amendment that would nullify the city?s anti?discrimination protections for gay and transgender people. ?All of us believe it is Gainesville?s business to ensure equality for all residents,? member Michelle Ott said. The group was formed in opposition to the amendment, which has been pushed for by the organization Citizens for Good Public Policy. Citizens for Good Public Policy has collected enough signatures to put the amendment on the ballot, though it remains uncertain when it will appear. If the amendment passes, the city would be subject to the Florida Civil Rights Act instead of its current policy. This would remove protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity and prohibit the city from adding new categories, like pregnancy, socioeconomic status or party affiliation. The state policy will still provide protection for groups based on race, color, religion, sex, nationalorigin, age, handicap and marital status. Kim Emery, a UF English professor who spoke Thursday, said hearing about the charter amendment made her feel as if citizens of Gainesville thought it was acceptable to strip others of their human rights. ?It would make us something less than citizens,? Emery said. Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, said the amendment is not about restricting rights, but protecting citizens. ?It?s a public safety issue,? Davis said. ?For some reason, they keep missing that point.? Theoretically, he said, men could use women?s restrooms and take advantage of the policy by claiming to be transgender. The group believes that adding gender identity to the city?s anti?discrimination policy in January was a mistake by the City Commission, he said. ?They ought to use common sense,? Davis said. Alachua County Commissioner Paula DeLaney said it?s important to take the ?high road? and realize the fight is over real people. ?There is no excuse for discrimination,? DeLaney said. Dr. Glenn Dickinson, of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, said opposition to the city?s policy has created unnecessary fear. ?I pray for a change of heart and mind,? Dickinson said. Some citizens who attended the press conference said they were concerned about what the amendment would mean for their lives. Amanda Bisson said the amendment was just another way of taking away rights from people. ?I think it?s a disgrace,? Bisson said. ?I?m very worried.? Her domestic partner, Angela Downs, said she thought the amendment was based on fear and lack of education. ?It?s not intended to hurt anyone,? Downs said. But both Bisson and Downs said action is important. http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/dumpdobson1003.html Coalition to Radio Hall of Fame: 'Dump Dobson' by Nick Cargo A coalition has been formed to protest the planned induction of Focus on the Family founder and chairman James Dobson into the Radio Hall of Fame. DumpDobson, founded by Truth Wins Out in conjunction with RespectMyResearch, Soulforce and the Gay Liberation Network, calls on Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications to reconsider honoring Dobson. "We believe that MBC founder Bruce DuMont should immediately rescind this tribute to Dobson and restore dignity and respectability to the Radio Hall of Fame," said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. "While we recognize DuMont has the right to honor whomever he chooses, we also believe that he has a responsibility not to celebrate bigotry and intolerance." Dobson, also the founder of Family Research Council, produces a daily radio show broadcast on over 7,000 radio stations worldwide, in addition to about sixty American television stations. "The fact that James Dobson is an accomplished broadcaster is offset by the fact he is an even more accomplished liar," Besen told PageOneQ in July. "He has built his following by exploiting fear, promoting hatred and appealing to humanity's lowest common denominator. His broadcasts have sharpened divisions in society, poisoned politics and made America a more hostile nation. It is utter madness that one would be honored for such a disgraceful career." Dobson beat out "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger, sportscaster Bob Costas and "shock jock" Howard Stern in the "National Active" category. "Our only criterion is the number of years in the business," said Hall of Fame chairman Bruce DuMont. "He's been broadcasting more than 15 years on more than 3,000 stations. He's qualified." Dobson has been repeatedly accused of distorting sociological research to support his anti-gay political positions, including that same-sex couples are inferior parents and that gays seek to "destroy the institution of marriage." He also founded "Love Won Out," a ministry that purports to "cure" homosexuality. "Dobson continues to promote dishonest psychological theories about gay people that are rejected by every respected medical and mental health association in America, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association," Besen noted. "If Dobson had attacked any other minority in such an offensive manner, Bruce DuMont would not even consider honoring him. Sadly, it appears that Mr. DuMont believes there is a 'gay exception' to the rules of civility and common decency. We think this is wrong." In addition to a letter that members of the public are invited to sign, a protest, in conjunction with Equality Illinois, is scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 1 W. Wacker Drive, in Chicago. "We believe that character counts as much as building an audience when deciding who should make the Hall of Fame," Besen added. "Just as Pete Rose was barred from the Baseball Hall of Fame for gambling, Dobson should be banned for his habitual lies and chronic distorting of science." http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9146.html Greeks protest for same-sex marriage ahead of trial By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk ? September 29, 2008 - 15:26 Prosecutors claim same-sex marriage is illegal in Greece 2 Comments on Greeks protest for same-sex marriage ahead of trial The case of two same-sex couples who took advantage of a loophole in Greek law and got married on the island of Tilos will be heard by a Greek court later this week. The current legislation does not specify sex, but refers exclusively to persons. A gay couple and a lesbian couple took advantage of the existing legal gap and were married in a civil ceremony at dawn on June 3rd. In June a prosecutor on the Greek island of Rhodes began legal proceedings against a local Mayor who married the same-sex couples. The country?s Justice minister said that the civil cermonies performed by Tasos Aliferis on the small island of Tilos were illegal. Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas said Greece's constitution defines marriage as between a man and a woman. He wrote to prosecutors outlining how Article 21, "the family, being the cornerstone of the preservation and the advancement of the Nation, as well as marriage, motherhood and childhood, shall be under the protection of the State," means same-sex marriage is illegal. The public prosecutor of the Rhodes Court of First Instance responded by submitting a nullity suit against the two couples and against Anastasios Aliferis, Mayor of Telos. The trial begins on Thursday. Today the Athens Pride Committee has organised a "support and solidarity event" in front of the country's parliament building. http://www.365gay.com/news/protest-targets-orlando-magic-owners-support-for-anti-gay-amendment/ Protest targets Orlando Magic owner?s support for anti-gay amendment By 365gay Newscenter Staff 09.29.2008 1:29pm EDT (Orlando, Florida) Orlando Magic basketball fans were met by opponents of a proposed amendment to Florida?s constitution that would ban same-sex marriage when they arrived at Amway Arena to pick up season?s tickets to the NBA team. Send / Share Add Comment ?The billionaire?s a bonehead, the billionaire?s a bonehead,? the protesters chanted, referring to Magic owner Rich De Vos, who has given supporters of the amendment $100,000. ?He?s the biggest contributor to the amendment from Orlando,? protest organizer Jennifer Foster told the Orlando Sentinel. ?And he?s getting $1 billion in taxpayers? money to build the arena. That sends a bad message.? Almost half the 30 protesters were straight. They say the proposed amendment also would affect non-married opposite-sex couples if it is adopted. The proposed amendment says, ?Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.? Florida already has a law restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples but supporters of the amendment say the law could be overturned in court. The conservative group Florida4Marriage attempted to have the proposed amendment placed on the 2006 ballot, but fell short of the required number of signatures. Under Florida law, the organization was allowed to continue to add names to the petition in a bid to get it on the 2008 ballot. It was certified in February to go on the November ballot. Last year ,it was discovered that the state GOP was bankrolling the amendment effort. An investigation by the St. Petersburg Times into funding for the Florida4Marriage found that, of the $193,000 that had been raised by the group, $150,000 came from a single donor - the Florida Republican Party. Opponents of the proposed amendment say in addition to barring gay marriage, it would bar civil unions and would be used to deny partner benefits both to same-sex couples and to unmarried couples who live together. That has spurred Florida Red and Blue, a non-partisan organization, to enter the fray on behalf of unmarried, opposite-sex couples. Last year, in just 60 days, the group amassed more than $1 million to battle the proposed amendment. A Mason-Dixon poll, released last month, shows that the amendment could be in trouble. The survey of likely voters found the 57-percent support the amendment, while 36-percent said they intend to vote against it. Florida?s constitution requires a 60-percent majority to amend the document. http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2008/09/mexico-school-teacher-protests.html Saturday, September 27, 2008 Mexico: School teacher protests children's use of the word 'gay' as an insult A high-school English language professor from the city of Tampico, Mexico, decided to stage a one-man protest yesterday against anti-gay discrimination. According to Hoy Tamaulipas, professor Rogelio P?rez Barrag?n said that he was tired of the way that children and adolescents used the word "gay" when insulting each other and said he wanted to raise awareness about the discrimination faced by individuals with different sexual orientations ("Gay professor from Tampico goes out to the street to protest") [Side note: The paper is clear that the word in question is 'gay' and not 'homosexual' which I believe is more commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries, which makes me wonder if it's usage is in any way related to a similar phenomenon among younger individuals in the United States in which the word 'gay' is used to describe something that is lame or tired - without, some would argue, having a specifically derogatory nature]. "Simply," he said," I believe that there is a lot of work to do and that we have to start with the children." Mr. Barrag?n, wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt, taped a piece of paper to his back which read "One part of me is being gay" and "I see life and love." He also attached a piece of lavender-colored cloth to the note. He then walked down Tampico's Guadalajara Street as reporters followed. The professor, whose face is not shown on the photos posted online, disclosed he'd previously been called names and ridiculed due to his sexual identity at his place of employment but did not give the name of the school. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7634901.stm 25 September 2008 06:29 UK Clashes at gay rights festival At least eight people were hurt after opponents clashed with police at Bosnia's first gay rights festival. Helen Fawkes reports from Sarajevo. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1844012,00.html Gay-Rights Clash Over Rome Coliseum Kiss By Jeff Israely Wednesday, Sep. 24, 2008 Activists of Italian gay right groups hold public 'kiss-ins' in front of Rome's Colosseum,in protest of the arrest of two men caught by police kissing in front of the famous Rome monument in 2007. ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP / Getty In ancient Rome, plenty of public kissing went on in the shadow of the Coliseum, where lips smacked on hands, cheeks, rings and even feet, as simple greetings or formal signs of submission. The place is still a notable showcase of public affection, but one specific act of passion played out near the ancient monument has added fire to a very modern debate. On Tuesday a Rome court ordered a trial for two men arrested in July 2007 outside the Coliseum. Michele F., 36, and Roberto L., 28, contend they were caught sharing a passionate kiss; the arresting officers from the carabinieri say they were engaging in oral sex. Defense lawyers have asked for the charges of lewd public acts to be dropped, having sought in vain to get access to footage from nearby security cameras that they say would show the kiss was just a kiss. What might otherwise be an unremarkable case about public decency has become a cause c?l?bre for Italy's gay rights activists, who see the decision to push ahead with the prosecution of the case as blatant discrimination. "Homosexuality is being punished," said Aurelio Mancuso, head of the Arcigay association, "not an obscene act." The court's decision comes as Rome's gay community says it faces increased discrimination from public officials and heightened violence from local homophobic thugs. Earlier this month, two 28-year-old men who'd been holding hands were beaten by a gang shouting "Faggots Get Out of Italy." This and other attacks, including a fire in February set at the "Coming Out" gay club, have occurred in the neighborhood near the Coliseum. The road in front of the ancient monument, via San Giovanni in Laterano, has been dubbed Gay Street for the prevalence of gay clubs and bars situated there. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno has denounced the acts of violence, but gay activists remain suspicious of him because of his affiliation with the National Alliance, a party that once espoused fascist ideas. Just a month after his election in April of this year, Alemanno disparaged Rome's annual Gay Pride parade as "an act of sexual exhibitionism." The trial in the Coliseum case is scheduled to begin in February, and the defendants face maximum prison sentences of three years. At this stage it looks like a their-word-against-ours standoff, unless the security camera footage can be marshaled as evidence for one side or the other. Defense lawyer Daniele Stoppello has demanded access to the footage, even as he conceded that since the lighting was poor, the carabinieri could arrive at a "different interpretation" of what the camera showed the two men doing. Currently it's a moot point, since the prosecuting magistrate has ruled the footage as too "complex" to be judicially relevant. The presence of security cameras has become an issue beyond this specific case. In the wake of the anti-gay violence, Alemanno recently called for more video surveillance near the Coliseum, but gay rights groups oppose the measure as a violation of their privacy. But if what the two defendants shared was indeed just an innocent kiss, an extra camera or two might have been an invasion of their privacy that could set them free. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409405.html Protest against transphobic psychologist Kenneth Zucker in London, 1st October transfeminist | 24.09.2008 20:15 | Gender | Health | Social Struggles | London Kenneth Zucker, transphobic doctor who supports repression and torture of gender-variant children has been invited to speak at the Royal Society of Medicine. Protest against Zucker and for the right to seld-determination of gender identity, October 1st, 8.30am, The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE Demonstration against Ken Zucker (the man who proposes reparative therapy for gender variant kids) October 1st, 8.30am, The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE The demo is organised in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police and will take place outside the Royal Society of Medicine (Just behind Debenhams/House of Fraser, Nearest tubes are Bond Street and Oxford Circus) Please come if you can. Natacha Kennedy (Official Organiser) #### NB. This is not a Press for Change organised event, but Press for Change encourages its members to take part if they can.### This is an important demonstration and it is vital that you attend if you are able. As it is on a Wednesday at 8.30am there are quite a few people who would like to come but are unable to make it because of work commitments. It is important to come for two reasons; 1. to show opposition to Ken Zucker's 'treatments' being used on children and 2. to oppose the nature of the Royal Society of Medicine's highly political conference on trans identified adolescents. Ken Zucker is a psychologist (not a psychiatrist) at the Clarke Institute in Toronto. He promotes his so-called "reparative therapy" which is little more than torture for gender variant(GV) children and trans identified adolescents. It is suggested by research that around 75% of born male bodied children who manifest GV behaviour (sissy boys) do not become trans adults, but it is worth noting that this research has never considered born female bodied GV children (tomboys). Yet he promotes his 'therapy' for all GV children and trans identified adolescents. Ken Zucker also proposes to use "reparative therapy" on these young people, regardless of their parents' wish or the young person's legal right to access this treatment. In the UK, a young person (YP) has a variety of ways in which they can request treatment and give full consent to it; with their parent's approval, and if required, regardless of their parents' wishes i.e. when the YP is 16 (under the Family law Act) or even younger when they are 'Gillick Competent' which requires far greater competence than is every required of an adult accessing treatment, i.e. they understand the nature of the treatment, what it does, what it doesn't do, all the side effects and other consequences, and the health risks they are taking. For the 25% who will become trans identified (and the unknown proportion of the rest who are actually suppressing it or hiding it as a result of bullying, parental pressure etc.), the results of treatments like Zucker's can be catastrophic. Victims of this therapy are left traumatised for a very long time afterwards. They experience frequent feelings of depression and suicidal tendencies. This is not surprising since this treatment involves constantly telling these YPs that they are wrong, everything they do, are or feel is bad, and clothes, toys and other possessions relating to their preferred gender are taken away and they are punished for engaging in activities which reflect their own true identities. They are also rewarded for any behaviour which reflects the gender their parents wish them to be. This is just crude psychological and emotional bullying and exertion of power over those unable to defend themselves. This treatment is not just wrong, but has no basis in psychological theory and is considered by many psychologists and psychiatrists to be the equivalent of voodoo or unproven 'alternative' medicine. It is also wrong because it is a response to the wishes of the many homo & trans phobic parents who demand their child is 'normal', rather than to the needs of the YP. Although parental wishes may be taken into account, when a YP is under 16, the YP is the patient and any doctor is bound by ethics to consider the YP's needs as paramount. We do not believe this is happening in Zucker's clinic. It would also appear that this therapy is related to some of the ideas of the extreme Christian right-wing political lobby in the United States which has sponsored this type of therapy to "treat" homosexuality. This therapy is designed to pander to parents who would like to have a 'normal' child. Children are, however, not a fashion accessory. We believe that this therapy violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the European Convention on Human Rights. Secondly, the Royal Society of Medicine describes itself as an "apolitical organisation", yet this conference seems to have been set up by its organisers in the most political way possible. By inviting Zucker to contribute regarding his 'therapies' and not allowing any representation from anyone to oppose him this is clearly a political move. Even Mermaids, the organisation for trans children & young people, and their parents has not been allowed to contribute. Given Zucker's highly controversial place on the DSM-5 committee on GID this alone is an extremely political act. The only likely opposition is from Professor Peggy Cohen-Kettenis, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam but she is on the same DSM-5 committee as Zucker - can they really give a fair view point between them. And there is no legal overview given, Professor of Law, at Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Stephen Whittle from Press for Change who has written on the legal issues (see *** below) has not been invited. Furthermore, the welcome address is being given by Dr John Scadding, Dean of the Royal Society of Medicine and Professor Philip Steer, President Elect, Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, RSM is reviewing questions of prognosis and long term follow up. However it appears to go further than this. The conference seems to have been set up to push a UK-based treatment protocol for GV children and trans identified adolescents. This protocol will not involve the use of hormone blockers to delay the onset of puberty. Puberty can not only be extremely distressing for some GV YP's particularly those that grow up to be trans adults. Furthermore, as legal research has shown the refusal to consider this treatment means that trans adolescents develop secondary sexual characteristics, such as beard or breast growth that ultimately lead to major health interventions, in the future, which could have been avoided. In this sense it seems that it is also particularly politically motivated and as such as large presence outside is vital to make our feelings known and to distribute leaflets to delegates to make sure they understand the other side of the story. It is rather ironic, but Professor Melissa Hines, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge will be contributing information on Endocrine influences. She is the wife of Professor Richard Green, who has himself been so perturbed by this conference that he has arranged an alternative conference; Conference on Medical Care for Gender Variant Teenagers, on September 28th at Imperial College in London, to challenge it. (for further details go to: http://www.gendertrust.org.uk/n2/temp/conf.html ) Demonstration against Ken Zucker (the man who proposes reparative therapy for gender variant kids) October 1st, 8.30am, The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE Please Join Us Natacha Kennedy *** Whittle, S., Downs, C., 2000, Seeking a Gendered Adolescence: ;Legal and Ethical Problems of Puberty Suppression among Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria In E Heinze, ed. Children's Rights: Of Innocence and Autonomy, Aldershot: Dartmouth Press, pp 195-208, pages: 13 transfeminist http://www.b92.net//eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=09&dd=21&nav_id=53654 NGOs in protest at gay festival violence 21 September 2008 | 15:47 | Source: Beta BELGRADE -- Human rights NGOs are up in arms over the attacks on participants at the Queer Festival in Belgrade. A group of 20 or so youths, wearing surgical masks and hooded tops attacked festival participants on September 19, seriously injuring one U.S. national, who suffered a broken arm and concussion, while several participants from Serbia also received minor injuries. The police, it is added, reacted quickly, one attacker was arrested, and a number of others taken in for questioning. The NGOs point out that threats to attack the festival participants had been posted on the websites of a number of nationalistic organizations a few days prior to the festival, but, they state, no official reaction was forthcoming. ?The ever more frequent homophobic attacks, disruptions to public rallies and cultural manifestations that take place in the name of national dignity, are actually a resumption of the repressive regime of the Nineties, whose reaffirmation was made possible by the policies of Vojislav Ko?tunica,? say the NGOs. Intolerance that was earlier directed to external has now been redirected towards internal ?enemies?, among whom people of a different sexual orientation undoubtedly figure, reads a statement from the NGOs. ?We want the new government and its institutions to show through their actions that they support democracy, a legal state and human rights,? the statement continues. The NGOs have called on the police to take all the necessary measures to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to demonstrate that the human rights of sexual minorities are respected by society?s institutions. The statement is signed by the Queeria Center, Women in Black, the Center for Cultural Decontamination, the Humanitarian Law Center, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights and the YUCOM Lawyers? Committee for Human Rights. The main theme of this year?s Queer Festival running from September 18-21 at the Rex cinema is ?Direct Action + Anti-Fascism?. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/18/korea.blind.masseurs/index.html?eref=edition_asia September 18, 2008 -- Updated 1500 GMT (2300 HKT) Blind masseurs jump from bridge ? Story Highlights ? Police in South Korea arrest 26 blind masseurs threatening to jump off bridge ? Masseurs protesting government decision to let sighted people practice ? Protesters said new policy puts jobs of 15,000 licensed masseurs at risk SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Police in South Korea have arrested 26 blind masseurs who were threatening to jump from a bridge to protest a government decision they say will rob them of their livelihood. Some of the men set fire to a car and two jumped off the bridge into Seoul's Han river, the country's national news agency Yonhap said on Thursday. No injuries were reported. The South Korean health ministry recently decided to grant licenses to sighted masseurs and masseuses to practice certain kinds of massages. Since 1963, the law allowed only blind people to practice the profession, Yonhap said. The protesters said the new policy puts their jobs at risk. There are about 15,000 licensed masseurs in the country, which has a blind population of 216,000. "Medical massage is almost the only profession that is open to the blind people. The ministry's decision is threatening our right to live," Shim Wook-seop, one of the protesting masseurs, was quoted as saying. Another blind masseur, Dong Seong-geun, staged a lone protest in front of the Constitutional Court recently. "I have a wife and two children to support," he told the New York Times. "If I lose this job, I will have to beg on the streets. How can taking away one job from people who only have one compare with taking one job away from sighted people who have a hundred jobs to choose from?" The country's Constitutional Court is expected to rule soon on an appeal filed by several sighted people who argued that the profession cannot be the exclusive domain of the blind. The Massager Association of Korea, representing 120,000 unlicensed masseurs who are working openly and in defiance of the law, is leading the legal challenge. The association keeps a file of members accused of practicing without a license. Those people are usually fined between $450 to $4,500, although the law calls for up to three years in prison. "It breaks my heart when I think that what I am doing every day, what I consider my calling, is a crime," Park Yoon-soo, president of the association, told the NYT. "We are not trying to steal jobs from the blind. We just want to share the market. We want to live as normal citizens, not as criminals." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7626028.stm Friday, 19 September 2008 17:47 UK Autism school standards protest Parents are angry that improvements have not been carried out Parents of autistic children have protested outside a council office, claiming the local authority is failing to address standards at a school. The families' children are students of Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn in Denbighshire. Two Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales reports highlighted 21 different areas where improvements were required. Denbighshire County Council has said it's working with the school to meet all recommendations ahead of a re-inspection next month. The parents claim failings identified by reports in 2006 and 2007 haven't been properly addressed. A handful of protestors gathered outside council offices in Ruthin to make their feelings known. Because our children can't speak and express their opinions or their views it's a matter that they they're able to suffer in silence Dave, parent They also claimed they had not had a proper response from Denbighshire County Council's Chief Executive Ian Miller. One parent who attended the protest, who gave his name as Dave, said: "I'm really disappointed that its had to get to this stage. "I just feel a lot of the problems with autistic children generally get ignored. "Because our children can't speak and express their opinions or their views it's a matter that they they're able to suffer in silence and the council are able to hide the issues that are there for these children," he added. Denbighshire council said the school was re-inspected by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales in November 2007, following an inspection in August 2006. It has acknowledged that the re-inspection highlighted a number of outstanding issues, and has promised action ahead of a further inspection next month. Response A spokesman said: "The council is now working with the school to ensure all outstanding recommendations, including the concerns raised by the parents, are addressed and all progress is documented in preparation for this inspection." In a statement, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales have said it's up to the Local Education Authority to act on their recommendations. There has been criticism of several aspects of the county borough's education services in recent years. In July, the local authority announced it was closing Hyfrydle, a residential centre for autistic children attached to Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, less than a year after it opened. The decision was attacked by unions, local Assembly Members and the National Autistic Society. Last year, a damning report by the schools inspectorate, Estyn, led to the resignation of council leader Rhiannon Hughes, and the establishment of an independent education recovery board. Earlier this week, it was announced that the man charged with preparing and implementing the Estyn plan, Huw Griffiths, had resigned from his position of Corporate Director of Lifelong Learning. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=120352&provider=rss Blind Groups Protest 'Blindness' Movie Posted By: Tommy Crouse Created: 10/3/2008 4:28:56 PM Updated: 10/3/2008 4:49:21 PM JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The National Federation of the Blind is protesting an upcoming movie they say depicts blind people as "vicious" and "depraved." Members of the local chapter will meet Friday night at the premiere of "Blindness" in Tinseltown on the Southside, to protest the film. "Blindness" is a production by Miramax that tells the story of how an epidemic of blindness sends a city into chaos. Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said in a written statement: ?The National Federation of the Blind condemns and deplores this film, which will do substantial harm to the blind of America and the world. Blind people in this film are portrayed as incompetent, filthy, vicious, and depraved. They are unable to do even the simplest things like dressing, bathing, and finding the bathroom. The truth is that blind people regularly do all of the same things that sighted people do." http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=100&num=176263 Published: Oct 3, 2008 Share It | Most Popular | Send A Tip Julianne Moore Film 'Blindness' Protest by Toshiba Reynplds Members of the U.S. National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have planned to protest the release of the new Julianne Moore film Blindness - because the movie portrays the blind as "monsters". The film, a big-screen adaptation of Jose Saramago's 1995 book of the same name, is about a small town which is thrown into social chaos when its residents are struck by a sudden epidemic and go blind. The plot, however, has angered the NFB's 50,000 members and the organization's leaders have called for a boycott of the movie when it is released in U.S. cinemas on Friday (03Oct08). Marc Maurer, president of the NFB, says, "The movie portrays blind people as monsters and I believe it to be a lie. "The NFB condemns and deplores this film, which will do substantial harm to the blind of America and the world. Blind people in this film are portrayed as incompetent, filthy, vicious, and depraved. They are unable to do even the simplest things like dressing, bathing, and finding the bathroom. "The truth is that blind people regularly do all of the same things that sighted people do." The NFB's boycott plan of action has "saddened" bigwigs at Miramax, the studio producing the film. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409426.html Free Gary Mckinnon Campaign- London Autistic Rights Movement - demonstration Free Gary Mckinnon Campaign | 25.09.2008 12:55 | Health | Repression | Social Struggles | London | World Protest to support Gary Mckinnon's case all will be most welcome to attend this protest... Please spread the word.... See link below for more details.... London Autistic Rights Movement - demonstration in support of Gary McKinnon - 4pm Sunday 28th September 2008, US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London:- http://freegary.org.uk/ Free Gary Mckinnon Campaign e-mail: info at FreeGary.org.uk Homepage: http://freegary.org.uk http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojgbeyid/rss2/ Protestors to march against hate crimes in Dublin Print Email+ Share 31/08/2008 - 10:42:41 Protestors are gathering in Dublin today to call for an end to hate-motivated crimes. The group are gathering today to protest against hate crimes and in particular to remember a 20-year-old British woman who was killed in a hate crime attack last August. Sophie Lancaster was attacked by a gang of teenagers in a park in Lancashire in the UK, because she was a member of the Goth subculture. She fell into a coma in hospital and died as a result of serious head injuries she sustained during the attack. Five young men were later arrested and charged in connection with her death. Today's march is to honour the memory of Sophie and others who have been killed in similar attacks and also to call for more social tolerance. The demonstration, which will appeal for an end to hate crimes and more respect for people's lifestyles, gets underway this lunchtime at St Stephen's Green in Dublin. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 21:32:47 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:32:47 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9D2EF.10901@tesco.net> IRAQ * Deadly US airstrike sparks protests * Sadr movement launches mass protests against occupation * Fallujah - protest over lack of services * Jalawlaa - clash between police and Kurdish militia * Khanaqin residents protest military presence, force army withdrawal * Arabs and Turkmen protest Kurdish demands in Kirkuk * US - IRAQ: Protesters fear for Iranians in Iraq * Dahuk - Iraqi Christians protest restrictions * Karbala - protest supports operations chief AFGHANISTAN * Herat - Villagers protest air strike deaths * Kabul - Afghans protest killings by troops http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/19/africa/20iraq.5.php Deadly U.S. airstrike sparks protests in Iraq By Stephen Farrell Published: September 19, 2008 BAGHDAD: Iraqis protested the deaths of at least seven people during an American air strike in northern Iraq on Friday, in the town where Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003. Americans say the raid successfully singled out a senior operative of Al Qaeda in Iraq who was suspected of involvement in bombing attacks along the Tigris river valley. But Iraqi officials said the strike used excessive force in killing eight members of one family, whose innocence they protested. They accused the Americans of shooting down men and women from the air as they fled. The Americans say seven were killed. The deaths come at a sensitive time for the American government, as it tries to negotiate a security agreement with Iraq, which is eager to exert tighter controls over American troops who remain in the country. An American military statement said that coalition forces went to Ad Dawr in Salahuddin Province after receiving intelligence that the wanted man was in the small Sunni town, which lies 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, north of Baghdad, near Saddam Hussein's former stronghold of Tikrit. It said the target was an "emir" in the bombing network of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, known to the Americans as AQI. Iraqi officials said the dead were all from one family: five men in their twenties and thirties and three women aged between 20 and 58. Abdul Karim Khalil Ibrahim, 51, a relative, said that he watched the raid take place from his house. "The American forces surrounded my cousin's house then they bombed it," he said. "I was watching from my roof through a hole in the wall. The American forces lit the place with flashlights. I saw my cousin with his wife escape from the back yard, when the American helicopter shot them and killed them immediately." American officials said that four men and three women were killed, but justified the use of air power in the operation. "After arriving at the target, forces surrounded the building and called for its occupants to surrender. Despite nearly an hour of multiple calls and warnings that the force would engage them, the individuals inside refused to come out," said the statement. "An armed man appeared in the doorway, and coalition forces, perceiving hostile intent based on the man's actions, engaged him. Later he was determined to be the suspected terrorist. During the operation, and in accordance with applicable rules, supporting aircraft engaged and killed three additional terrorist suspects. Three women were also killed." They said an Iraqi child was rescued from the rubble by coalition forces and taken to a nearby base for medical treatment. Colonel Jerry O'Hara, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said: "Sadly, this incident again shows that the AQI terrorists repeatedly risk the lives of innocent women and children to further their evil work." After the attack, 400 protesters gathered at the site demonstrating peacefully against the raid, and marched to the cemetery for the funeral. Abdullah Hussein Jibara, the deputy governor of Salahuddin Province said he did not accept the initial explanations offered by the Americans to the Iraqi police in Ad Dwar and said that they should have carried out more checks before the bombing. "I condemn the random targeting of civilians and the excessive use of force against civilians," he said. "It was better to use another method to avoid losses; this is the third incident during the past two months," he said. Fares Khatab, a sheik of the family's tribe, said that the family had fled to Ad Dwar from their home in Baghdad to escape the violence in the capital. "This family is an innocent family," he said. An Iraqi employee of The New York Times contributed reporting from Ad Dawr, Iraq. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/05/200861422829912594.html Iraq set for anti-US protests Muqtada al-Sadr has called for protests unless the government abandons the deal [AFP] Protests are expected to get under way in Iraq against a deal between Baghdad and Washington over the US's long-term military role in the country. Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia leader of the Mahdi Army, has called for the demonstrations after Friday prayers to pressure the Iraqi government into abandoning the proposed agreement. Washington wants the Iraqi government to provide a legal framework for US troops to remain in Iraq beyond the expiration of a UN mandate in December. Officials from the administration of George Bush, the US president, told Al Jazeera they expect to finalise the deal by the end of July. Sheikh Salah Obaidi, spokesman for al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, said the call for protests is not a "threat" to the Iraqi government, but a "warning". Al-Sadr on Tuesday warned the government against signing the agreement, saying "it is against the interests of the Iraqi people". Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, another key Shia leader, spoke out against the agreement, saying it would violate Iraq's sovereignty. Last week Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shia cleric, also reportedly expressed his anger, saying he would not permit the Iraqi government to sign a deal with "US occupiers" as long as he lived. 'No permanent bases' The US government has said it will not seek permanent bases in Iraq. David Satterfield, a senior advisor on Iraq at the US state department, told Al Jazeera that the so-called Status of Forces agreement (Sofa) with Baghdad would address the issue. "The Sofa agreement and the strategic frameworks agreement will make explicit that there is no desire for, indeed there is a rejection of permanent bases. We could not be clearer on this point," he said. "We do not believe that there is a need for such bases." Satterfield said that the US was conducting the negotiations with representatives of all the main leaders in Iraq. 'Iraq's need' Samir al-Sumaida'ie, the Iraqi ambassador to the US, said the agreement was not intended to "tie the hands of any future government in Iraq or any future administration in the US". Your Views Should the US have a long term presence in Iraq? Send us your views "It's a matter of the current need of Iraq," he said. "Our obligation to our people is to protect their interests, the obligation of the US government is to protect the Americans. "Where these interests coincide, then we can reach agreement." Any prospective agreement can also be terminated two years after either party decides to do so, al-Sumaida'ie said. However, in the US, the House of Representatives has adopted a bipartisan amendment requiring congressional approval for any proposed military accord with Iraq. The move could prevent George Bush from approving the deal only months before leaving office. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L594200.htm Sadr supporters protest against US presence in Iraq 05 Sep 2008 14:49:25 GMT Source: Reuters BAGHDAD, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ites protested against the U.S. presence in Iraq, heeding orders from anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for a peaceful show of force on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Crowds of people waved photos of the reclusive cleric, dancing and shouting, following Friday prayers in Sadr City, a Shi'ite stronghold in northeastern Baghdad. Several men burned a red, white and blue flag as they pledged support for the reclusive Sadr. "We all support you, Sayyid Moqtada! We are your soldiers!" they shouted, addressing Sadr by a title of respect. In the southern holy city of Najaf, several hundred protesters turned out for a parallel protest. "No, no to occupation!" read one banner. Late last month, Sadr extended indefinitely a ceasefire for the Mehdi Army, the feared militia that until a government crackdown earlier this year controlled Sadr City and swathes of southern Iraq. The cleric, who is believed to be holed up in the Iranian city of Qom, has asked the bulk of his followers to dedicate themselves to helping poor Shi'ites and countering western influence in Iraq. He also ordered Friday's protests. The question as violence drops sharply across Iraq is whether the bulk of Sadr's militia will obey orders to put down their arms. In Sadr City, Imam Muhenned al-Moussawi addressed the thousands of men and boys gathered for prayers under the blistering summer sun. "Everybody knows that the goals of American wars are commercial. They use war to drain desperate nations economically and socially," he told the crowd. The protests came as attention focused on the future of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, and the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought assurances from Washington about gradually reducing its military activities in the country. Pentagon sources said this week they were recommending the withdrawal of one combat brigade, 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, in early 2009, a move that reflects both improving conditions in Iraq and growing needs in Afghanistan. (Reporting by Sattar Rahim in Baghdad; writing by Missy Ryan) http://www.investorsiraq.com/showthread.php?s=c0dcaaf29ba74076df03bf8b36d46936&p=704657#post704657 9/05/08 Fallujah residents are demonstrating to protest the lack of services Citizens demonstrated in the district of Fallujah, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, today, Friday, in protest against lack of essential services, the demonstrators demanded the Iraqi government to hold accountable those responsible for negligence and disqualification from office. The demonstration began in front of the mosque spoiled district officers, following Friday prayers, and roamed the streets of the city nearly an hour and a half hours, during which slogans echoed by demonstrators denouncing what they considered a disregard for their demands by the local council. The Chairman of the Board of Scholars of Fallujah, Sheikh radioactive Isawi in an interview with "Uzmatik" that "the demonstrators demanded that officials in Fallujah to fulfilling their promises and obligations towards the inhabitants of their city by providing water, electricity, oil and gas." He added Sheikh Isawi today, Friday, "The survival of Fallujah contacted several times asking him to respond to the needs of citizens, especially the problem of water break but I did not get only promises." He said the citizen, Abdullah Hussein, 44 years old, "We have been suffering from electricity blackouts in more than two months at a time when the disposal of millions of dollars on projects and illusory, and the citizen victim of a lack of services." For his part, called for the citizen, Mohamed Gomaa, 38 years old, "Iraqi government officials for negligence in the disqualification of their work and to hold a shrine, members of the Fallujah local council due to meet the necessary services to citizens." He added Juma Mohammad valuable an interview with "Uzmatik" "We have been suffering from lack of water, gas, electricity, oil and gasoline, and provided several complaints to the local council and a shrine of Fallujah several months ago but without the benefit." It is noteworthy that the town of Fallujah's Anbar province has suffered over the past five years more than other regions because of the violence and military operations launched by the joint forces against the armed groups even expulsion from the boards before awakening. No city is witnessing intensive reconstruction operations or external investments so that the security situation is still subjected to violations. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/articles/article_1433444.php/Policeman_and_a_KDP_member_killed_in_clashes_ 2 killed in clashes between policemen, KDP supporters in Jalawlaa September 27, 2008 - 01:05:08 DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: A policeman and a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party were killed and two policemen others wounded in armed clashes between Emergency Police personnel and gunmen from the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barazani?s KDP in Jalawlaa on Saturday, a security source said. ?An Emergency Police Force raided a KDP headquarters in Jalawlaa city on Saturday and arrested two of its members,? the source told Aswat al-Iraq on customary condition of anonymity most likely because he was not authorized to speak to the media. ?Later on, a delegation from the KDP headed to the Emergency Police HQ to liberate the two arrested men, but clashes erupted, leaving a KDP member and a policeman killed and two policemen others wounded,? the source added. Aswat al-Iraq contacted Amer Rifaat, the official in charge of the KDP in the area, who vouched for the reported news. ?The party has sent a delegation to see why their colleagues were arrested but the matter has developed into clashes,? said Rifaat. The area has been witnessing a lot of tension for a month now due to the Kurdish leaders? rejection to have Iraqi army units deployed there on the grounds that these areas were safe Kurdish territories that enjoy the protection of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Jalawlaa belongs to the disputed district of Khanaqin. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province campaign between 2006 and 2007. Later on, the Iraqi security forces had launched a wide-scale security campaign in Diala province. The operation, codenamed Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good), is aimed at tracking down members of al-Qaeda network in Diala, Iraq?s most restive city, after the armed group lost its strongholds in the western Iraq predominantly Sunni province of al-Anbar, where tribesmen fought its members and flushed them out of the city. AmR (S) http://www.monstersandcritics.com/articles/article_1433444.php/Policeman_and_a_KDP_member_killed_in_clashes_ Policeman and a KDP member killed in clashes Middle East News Sep 27, 2008, 14:41 GMT Baghdad - A policeman and a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) were killed on Saturday in armed clashes north-east of Baghdad, security sources said. The fighting broke out when Emergency Police officers raided KDP headquarters in the city of Jalawlaa, some 125 kilometres north-east of Baghdad in the tense Khanaqin district in Diyala province and arrested two of the KDP's members. A group from the KDP headed to the Emergency Police headquarters to liberate the two arrested men, but clashes erupted, leaving a KDP member and a policeman killed. Two policemen were wounded. Khanaqin district has been rife with tension since late August when Iraqi army units were deployed there to bolster security. Kurdish leaders rejected the Iraqi army operation, arguing that the area was Kurdish and therefore under the protection of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Iraqi forces withdrew from Khanaqin a week later after an agreement between the Kurdish government and the Iraqi central government. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35675 Khanaqin residents protest military presence Diala, 26 August 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) Thousands of residents of Khanaqin staged a demonstration protesting the presence of an Iraqi force in the district and the setting up of several checkpoints there, according to the district mayor on Tuesday. "The demonstrators, who gathered in front of the mayoralty building, submitted a memo of protest in which they demanded the exit of the force from the district, where security conditions are stable," Muhammad Mulla Hasan told Aswat al-Iraq ? Voices of Iraq ? (VOI). For his part, Mulla Bakhtyar, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) politburo, told VOI "political motives were behind the Iraqi army forces' entry into the district," not giving more details. The Khanaqin municipal council chief, Sameer Muhammad, said during the demonstration that the measure was "a red line and will get a response from the masses". The autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan government had set up the Kermyan administration to run the districts of Khanaqin, 155 km northeast of Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, and Kafri, Klar and Jamjamal. The Iraqi forces, with logistical support from the U.S. forces, have launched a large-scale security campaign in July codenamed Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) in a number of cities and districts of Diala with the aim of eliminating armed groups active in those areas. The operation has recently advanced to areas belonging to Khanaqin district, where the Kurdish peshmerga forces withdrew from the districts of Qara Taba and Jalawlaa through an agreement between the Kurdish authorities and the central government in Baghdad. Khanaqin is one of the areas subject to dispute between the two sides pending a hoped-for solution is reached over it through the application of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk city and other disputed areas. It calls for conducting a census to be followed by a referendum to let the inhabitants decide whether they would like Kirkuk to be annexed to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region or having it as an independent province. These stages were supposed to end on December 31, 2007, a deadline that was later extended to six months to end in July 2008. The former regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had forced over 250,000 Kurdish residents to give up their homes to Arabs in the 1970s in a bid to "Arabize" the city and the region's oil industry. Kurds, however, seek to include the city in the autonomous Iraq's Kurdistan region, while Sunni Muslims, Turkmen and Shiites oppose the incorporation. The article currently stipulates that all Arabs in Kirkuk be returned to their original locations in southern and central Iraqi areas, and formerly displaced residents returned to Kirkuk. The article also calls for conducting a census to be followed by a referendum to let the inhabitants decide whether they would like Kirkuk to be annexed to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region or having it as an independent province. Kirkuk, 250 km (156 miles) north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, sits on the ruins of a 5,000-year-old settlement. Because of the strategic geographical location of the city, Kirkuk was the battle ground for three empires, Assyria, Babylonia and Media which controlled the city at various times. Kirkuk is the centre of the northern Iraqi petroleum industry. It is a historically and ethnically mixed city populated by Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs and Iraqi Turkmen. The population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2008. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35710 Khaniqin needs services, not the Iraqi army, protesters London, 27 August 2008 ( KurdishMedia ) After the Iraqi army decided to occupy Kurdistani ares of the governorate of Diyala, a complex situation has risen which Kurdistanis felt that this is the first test of the new Iraqi government to reduce the Kurdistan authorities power and undermine Kurdistani achievements. The situation developed to a point where some media outlets and observers described it as ?explosive?. Today, the local media reported, over 10,000 people protested in Khanaqin against the Iraqi army occupation, chanting, ?Khaniqin needs services, not the Iraqi army.? The protesters demanded the retreat of the Iraqi army from the Kurdistan areas of Diyala. http://www.kurdishglobe.net/displayArticle.jsp?id=329E94738A6B079AFB721F0E2716F4B6 Wednesday, 27 August 2008, 03:36 EDT Iraqi army withdraws after Khanaqin demonstration Thousands of people, Kurds, Turkmens, and Arabs in the town of Khanaqin demonstrated on Tuesday to protest the deployment of Iraqi forces there. By Qassim Khidhir The Kurdish Globe Residents of the town stand together against the presence of the Iraqi army. "The Iraqi army is not in a position to confront Peshmerga forces; Peshmerga forces are far and away stronger than the Iraqi army."- Anwar Hajji Osman, acting Peshmerga Minister "There are political reasons behind the entry of Iraqi forces, who entered with the pretext of hunting down gunmen in the area that is considered one of the most stable areas in Iraq," said Khanaqin Mayor Mala Hassan. Thousands of people, Kurds, Turkmens, and Arabs in the town of Khanaqin demonstrated on Tuesday to protest the deployment of Iraqi forces there. The demonstrators carried slogans demanding respect for the will of Khanaqin citizens and the implementation of Article 140. An organizer of the demonstrations, Salar Mahmud, said, "We think the military crackdown in Diyala province is politically aimed against the will of the Kurdish area residents, because it interferes in the administrational affairs of Kurdish organizations and parties. These military forces should be deployed to control areas affected by terrorism, not to show their power in front of the Kurdish people. We refuse the existence of the forces that make no difference between peaceful citizens and terrorists." The demonstration was supervised by Mala Bakhtiyar, a member of the PUK politburo and representative for the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region presidents. Bakhtiyar said that the Kurdish leadership wants to find a peaceful solution to the tensions that occurred. He pointed out that the Peshmerga forces deployed in the area are part of the Iraqi forces and play a crucial role in combating terror throughout Iraq. Mayor Hassan said the Iraqi forces withdrew from the district of Khanaqin after the demonstration. "A force from the Iraqi army withdrew from the Khanaqin district gates while the rest are currently withdrawing," he said. The Iraqi forces, with logistical support from U.S. forces, have launched a large-scale security campaign in July codenamed Bashaer al-Kheir (Promise of Good) in a number of cities and districts of Diyala with the aim of eliminating armed groups active in those areas. The operation has recently advanced to areas belonging to Khanaqin district, where the Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew from the districts of Qara Tapa and Jalawlaa through an agreement between the Kurdish authorities and the central government in Baghdad. Khanaqin is a disputed area seeking a solution through the implementation of Article 140. A Peshmerga source stated that their forces in the Khanaqin area are on alert for any unusual incidents. Anwar Hajji Osman, acting Peshmerga Minister, explained that when the Iraqi army began the operation in Diyala province with 27,000 soldiers and 400 U.S.-made Humvee, the Peshmerga forces noticed that the Iraqi army's main goal was to control areas inhabited by Kurds and disturb the Peshmerga and Kurdish political parties. Osman said he was informed by Kurdish leadership that Kurdish leaders want to solve the issue peacefully through dialogue. "The Iraqi army is not in a position to confront Peshmerga forces; Peshmerga forces are far and away stronger than the Iraqi army," he said. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/03/MNOM124B0M.DTL Arabs and Turkomans protest Kurdish demands to control oil-rich Iraqi city Parliament holding special session today to resolve standoff Robert H. Reid, Associated Press Sunday, August 3, 2008 ______________________________ (08-03) 04:00 PST Baghdad -- More than 1,000 Sunni Arabs and Turkomans rallied Saturday against Kurdish demands to incorporate the oil-rich area around Kirkuk into their autonomous region, on the eve of a special session of parliament aimed at defusing the crisis. ________________________________________ Images View Larger Image ________________________________________ More News ? Dozens die in nightclub fire in Bangkok 01.01.09 ? Airstrikes rock Gaza as truce remains elusive 12.31.08 ? Humans hope high tech can improve their bodies 01.01.09 ________________________________________ The dispute over Kirkuk and its vast oil wealth has blocked passage of legislation providing for provincial elections this year, a major U.S. goal aimed at reconciling Iraq's rival ethnic and religious communities. Protesters in the town of Hawija, west of Kirkuk, carried banners rejecting Kurdish demands for control of Kirkuk, said Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir of the Kirkuk police. The rally ended without any violence, but residents said the atmosphere was tense in Kirkuk, where a suicide bomber killed 25 people Monday during a Kurdish protest. Last month, Iraq's parliament approved legislation to hold elections for local councils in all 18 provinces, including Tamim, where Kirkuk is located. The measure said seats on the ruling council in the Kirkuk area should be divided equally among Kurds, Turkomans and Arabs. It would also transfer security responsibilities in Kirkuk to mostly Arab military units brought from central and southern Iraq instead of those already there - an apparent move against Kurdish peshmerga troops heavily deployed in the area. But Kurds and their allies, who currently hold a majority on the council, oppose the power-sharing formula. Iraq's three-member presidential council rejected the measure and sent it back to parliament after President Jalal Talabani - a Kurd - opposed it. Parliament adjourned for a one-month summer recess last week but agreed to hold a special session today to try to resolve the standoff and approve a new election bill. Electoral officials have said failure to pass the bill could delay the nationwide vote until next year. The United Nations has recommended postponing provincial elections in Kirkuk as a way of ensuring the balloting elsewhere in the country. It was unclear, however, whether the Kurds would agree to the U.N. proposal. Many Iraqi Arabs and Turkomans believe control of Kirkuk could encourage Kurds to declare full independence for their self-ruled region. Iraqi politicians held meetings Saturday in hopes of narrowing differences before today's parliamentary session, but little sign of compromise emerged. Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said the Kurds were strongly opposed to the quota system for the council and to bringing in soldiers from elsewhere because it cast doubt "on the honesty and the loyalty of the current security force in Kirkuk." The Kurds also were insisting on a clear statement that the law would not supersede a constitutional formula providing for a referendum on the future of Kirkuk, which has been repeatedly delayed, Othman said. Sunni Arab legislator Osama al-Nujeifi said his group was unwilling to make concessions over Kirkuk and accused the Kurds of trying to "marginalize any other ethnic group, control Kirkuk and annex it to Kurdistan." "The situation is very tense there," Sadettin Ergenc, head of the Iraqi Turkoman Front, said of Kirkuk. "The Kurds want to lay bricks for an independent state, but escalating tensions will not bring any good to anyone." Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Friday to express concern over Kirkuk and the status of the city's Turkoman minority, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Iraqi Kurds have long considered Kirkuk rightfully theirs - a claim challenged by many Arabs and Turkomans. Also Saturday, police said four members of the U.S.-allied Sunni fighters were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Diyala province, where U.S. and Iraqi forces recently launched military operations against al Qaeda in Iraq. A roadside bomb in Baghdad killed another U.S.-backed Sunni fighter and wounded two others, police said. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/09/nation/na-iranians9 Archive for Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Protesters fear for Iranians in Iraq Hundreds rally at the White House against U.S. plans to give control of a dissident camp to Iraq. They believe members of the militant opposition group Mujahedin Khalq could be sent back to Iran. By Cynthia Dizikes September 09, 2008 in print edition A-8 Hundreds of people rallied outside the White House on Monday to protest U.S. plans to give the Iraqi government control of a camp housing Iranian dissidents, a step they said could lead to a humanitarian disaster. The demonstrators, who included about 200 Iranian Americans from California, said the move would put camp residents in danger of being expelled to Iran, where they could face torture and death. ?I am terrified of what will happen to those living in the camp,? said Babak Dadvan of Woodland Hills. The activists, who waved green, white and red Iranian flags and chanted into portable microphones, have traditionally supported the Bush administration?s hard-line approach toward Iran. But at Monday?s rally, there was plenty of criticism for the U.S. government. ?It is not fair,? said Mojtaba Rassi of San Diego. ?The American government has an obligation to protect these people. They can?t just leave them and go.? The United States has guarded Camp Ashraf, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, since 2003. The camp houses more than 3,000 members of the Iranian rebel group Mujahedin Khalq, which agreed to disarm in exchange for protection. Although the group, also referred to as the MEK, is considered a terrorist organization in the U.S., Iraq and much of Europe, its members in Camp Ashraf are protected under the Geneva Convention, which bans extradition or forced repatriation of people who could face torture, persecution or death. ?Whenever somebody is transferred or repatriated, the authority in charge should make sure the person is going on his or her own free will,? said Dorothea Krimitsas, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of several human rights groups following the situation. But harboring members of the MEK, which is the largest Iranian opposition group, poses a difficult situation for officials in Baghdad, who regularly talk with their Iranian counterparts. Last week, Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh announced the government?s ?intention to impose full sovereignty over the area of Camp Ashraf.? It will ?deal with members of the organization in a humane way according to existing international laws,? he said. Those who rallied near the White House were skeptical. ?Here is the problem,? said Alireza Jafarzadeh, a well-known Iranian dissident who heads a national security consulting firm in Washington. ?Once the U.S. forces leave, this would invite Tehran to attack Camp Ashraf, which they have not done up until now because they would be attacking America. But once the U.S. moves out, it?s a totally different ballgame.? U.S. forces are preparing for a gradual transfer of security at the camp, but a specific date has not been set, according to Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a Multi-National Force spokesman. ?We have received assurances from the government of Iraq that the residents of Camp Ashraf will be treated humanely,? he said. ?We will continue to engage closely with the government of Iraq on this issue.? The State Department designated the MEK a terrorist organization in 1997 for its role in the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, assassination of U.S. military personnel and civilians, and other acts of violence. According to a 2007 State Department report, it was also allegedly involved in Saddam Hussein?s 1991 massacre of Iraqi Shiites and Kurds. This May, however, the British government officially removed the group from its terrorist list, saying it could find no evidence that the group had engaged in or claimed responsibility for acts of violence since 2001 or 2002. cynthia.dizikes at latimes.com http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1434479.php/More_than_10000_Iraqi_Christians_protest_in_Iraqs_Dahuk_ More than 10,000 Iraqi Christians protest in Iraq's Dahuk Middle East News Oct 2, 2008, 15:29 GMT Baghdad - More than 10,000 Iraqi Christians demonstrated Thursday in the northern Dahuk province, demanding self-rule in their area and restoration of a clause in the new elections law that would guarantee their representation in provincial councils. 'The demonstrators will present an official memo to the local authorities in Dahuk province to back their efforts and help them demand the rights of our people,' Jamal Zeno, the chief of the Chaldo-Assyrian Popular Council, told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency. He added that they would intensify their efforts to restore Article 50, which the Iraqi Parliament removed September 24 during a session to adopt a new provincial elections law. Parliament's decision to remove Article 50, which specifies a quota for minorities in provincial councils, has sparked a heated reaction from several political blocs representing the country's Christians and other minorities. While the new law sets a fixed quota of 25 per cent for women, it snubbed other Iraqi minorities such as Christians and Yazidis. Some 5,000 Iraqi Christians demonstrated against the change a week ago in Nineveh province. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed his concerns on Sunday about the removal of the disputed article. In a statement released by his office, al-Maliki called on parliament and the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to address the concerns, feelings of injustice and the sense of exclusion felt by some segments of Iraqi society. Iraqi Christians constitute some 636,000 of the Iraqi population. Most of them speak an ancient Aramaic dialect. They live in the northern provinces of Arbil, Nineveh and Dahuk. Under the new law, elections will take place in 14 provinces, but not three northern Kurdish states and the oil-rich multi-ethnic province of Kirkuk. The new law bans parties from campaigning in mosques and using religious figures to get votes. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/36966 Protesters in Karbala want operations chief to retain post Karbala, 23 September 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) Hundreds of citizens, including tribal chiefs, clerics and women, in Karbala staged a march of protest against moving the province?s police and operations chief, Raed Shakir Jawdat, to Diala, while the Karbala council deputy chief said he received no official notification on the transfer. ?The demonstrators protested moving the Karbala operations chief, who enjoys a strong personality and managed to entrench security and stability in the province,? Sheikh Azeez al-Yasseri, one of the march organizers, told Aswat al-Iraq ? Voices of Iraq ? (VOI). He urged the government to ?cancel the decision for the sake of maintaining security and stability in the province?. A female protester said she objected the state decision to move the police chief (to Diala). ?We have enjoyed security since the day Maj. General Jawdat received the operations command in the province,? she said. ?It was he who caught the murderers of my children, who were killed in 2005,? she added. An official source in Karbala had told VOI earlier on Monday that Jawdat, upon the request of the prime minister, was moved to the volatile province of Diala, where he would be required to oversee the security operations command. Jawdat has received in April 2007 the Karbala police command in succession of Maj. General Abu al-Waleed. After the Shiite al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya (mid-Shaaban) pilgrimage incidents in August 2007, Jawdat took charge of the security operations command. Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims? holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq?s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, ?Old Karbala,? the religious centre, and ?New Karbala,? the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandsone of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussien?s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about 600 ft (200 m) from the shrine, killing 47 and wounding over 150. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/398225/cs/1/ Afghan villagers protest US air strike deaths Australian Herald Saturday 23rd August, 2008 Afghan villagers have launched protests against all allied forces after claims that 76 civilians, most of them children, were killed in US-led air strikes against Taliban rebels. The US military previously said that only 30 militant fighters had been killed in the strikes, but later admitted it was launching investigations into civilian deaths. About 250 villagers gathered in the angry demonstration on Saturday night, hurling stones at Afghan troops. The police chief for western Afghanistan, General Akram Yawar, said his officers had fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd. Two people were wounded after police were forced back into their compound. The protests centred around an incident in the village of Azizabad, about 120 kilometres south of Herat city, an area which is considered a stronghold of Taliban and other militants. If the death toll from the new incident is confirmed it would be one of the highest for civilians in Afghanistan. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1048630/Afghan-protests-erupt-US-jets-kill-76-civilians.html?ITO=1490 Afghan protests erupt after US jets 'kill 76 civilians' By Mail On Sunday Reporter Last updated at 12:05 AM on 24th August 2008 ? Comments (-) ? Add to My Stories Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai yesterday condemned US-led coalition forces for an air strike which he claims killed 76 civilians - including women and children. Hundreds of people demonstrated in the city of Herat in protest. American officials said they had targeted armed Taliban militants in Friday?s air raid after Afghan and coalition forces came under attack from insurgents. Furious Afghans demonstrate after Friday's air strike The US claimed the strike killed 30 militants, including a Taliban commander, and only two civilians had been wounded. But Afghanistan?s Interior Ministry claimed coalition forces bombarded the Shindand district of Herat, killing 76 civilians, including 19 women and seven men. It said the rest were children under the age of 15. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said that according to initial findings civilians including women and children had been killed in the raid but it could not be verified. Investigations by the Afghan government and the US military have been launched. A US military spokesman said: ?Our reports from our own forces on the ground are only, so far, that those killed in the strikes numbered 30 and they were all militants.? In a statement the US military said: ?All allegations of civilian casualties are taken very seriously. Coalition forces make every effort to prevent the injury or loss of innocent lives. An investigation has been directed.? A woman mourns the death of a relative following the airstrike in western Herat province UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said: ?It is imperative that we exercise caution before jumping to any conclusions. ?The issue of civilian casualties is so important that it is vital that we verify the facts of what has actually happened. It is a matter of great concern that we are seeing reports of large numbers of civilian casualties. The first rule of any counter-insurgency operation is to do no harm.? Hundreds of people demonstrated in Shindand district yesterday, shouting anti-US slogans, after Afghan soldiers arrived in the area to bring aid to the victims? families. Witness Shah Nawaz said: ?People didn?t accept the aid and started throwing stones at the soldiers, saying the Afghan army is our enemy. ?We don?t want anything from our enemies.? He claimed Afghan soldiers fired shots into the air and wounded six people after the crowd threw stones. He added: ?We will continue our demonstration until the international community listen to us and bring those who carried out yesterday?s attack to justice.? The demonstrators also shouted anti-US slogans, saying Americans should withdraw from the area. A police vehicle blazes after being set on fire by protesters According to the United Nations, nearly 700 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in the first six months of this year, 255 of them by Afghan government and international troops, the rest by Taliban militants. Meanwhile, Afghan police chief Matiullah Khan said a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan killed ten civilians who were passengers in a small bus when the bomb exploded yesterday in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. And another roadside bomb killed three more civilians in the Tani district of Khost province yesterday. On Friday a battle between Taliban fighters and Afghan police killed 17 militants in Helmand province. More than 3,500 people - mostly militants - have died in insurgency-related violence this year. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=604765 Afghans protest against continuous civilian death by Int`l troops Posted: 2008/09/02 From: MNN Hundreds of citizens in Afghan capital Kabul rushed into streets and burnt tires on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway on Monday protesting against the death of a Kabuli family caused by the raid of U.S.-led Coalition forces. KABUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The protesters said that three members of a family, two children and the father, were killed while the Coalition forces in a surprise raid early Monday morning threw grenades on their house in Hud Kheil area of eastern Kabul. Neither NATO troops nor the Coalition forces were available to make comments immediately. The demonstration came after a string of cases resulting civilian casualties by international troops in the past month as Afghan government's investigating team on Sunday confirmed that 90non-combatants were killed in the U.S. air raids on Aug. 22 in the west Herat province. Both the Coalition forces and Afghan defense ministry at the beginning disputed the claim, saying 25 insurgents and five civilians were killed during the raid. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) after investigating the case last week confirmed the dead of 90 civilians in the bombardments and called on warring sides to respect the rights of non-combatants. Under the escalating pressure and fury of locals, Afghan cabinet has called for regulating the authority and responsibilities of international troops in the war-torn country after the huge civilian casualties in western Herat province. Conflicts and spiraling insurgency have claimed over 3,200 people's lives with more than 800 civilians so far this year. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-09/2008-09-01-voa11.cfm?CFID=84601506&CFTOKEN=29564046 Afghans Protest Killing of Family By VOA News 01 September 2008 Hundreds of Afghans took to the street Monday to protest the killing of three family members in an attack the protesters blamed on an early morning raid by U.S.-led troops in Kabul. The U.S.-led coalition denied any involvement in the attack on the family's house. Afghan villagers stand in front of the door of a house which was raided by foreign and Afghan forces conducted by U.S. troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, 01 Sep 2008 Witnesses said a man and his two young sons were killed in the raid. They also said three people were taken away by the troops. In another development, Afghanistan's president has appealed to U.S.-led forces to scale back their air strikes on militant targets because of civilian casualties. Hamid Karzai wants NATO and the U.S.-led coalition forces to use alternatives to air power in pursuit of militants. Last week, Mr. Karzai ordered a review of foreign troops in Afghanistan after his administration said up to 90 civilians were killed in an air raid by the U.S.-led coalition in western Herat. The U.S.-led coalition disputed that account, saying 25 militants and five civilians were killed when troops called in air strikes following an attack by militants. The United Nations said it found "convincing evidence" of the higher death toll after an on-scene investigation. Separately, U.S. military officials said Monday more than 220 suspected militants were killed in a military operation in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province last week. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6490845.html Afghans protest against continuous civilian death by Int'l troops + - 16:53, September 01, 2008 Hundreds of citizens in Afghan capital Kabul rushed into streets and burnt tires on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway on Monday protesting against the death of a Kabuli family caused by the raid of U.S.-led Coalition forces. The protesters said that three members of a family, two children and the father, were killed while the Coalition forces in a surprise raid early Monday morning threw grenades on their house in Hud Kheil area of eastern Kabul. Neither NATO troops nor the Coalition forces were available to make comments immediately. The demonstration came after a string of cases resulting civilian casualties by international troops in the past month as Afghan government's investigating team on Sunday confirmed that 90non-combatants were killed in the U.S. air raids on Aug. 22 in the west Herat province. Both the Coalition forces and Afghan defense ministry at the beginning disputed the claim, saying 25 insurgents and five civilians were killed during the raid. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) after investigating the case last week confirmed the dead of 90 civilians in the bombardments and called on warring sides to respect the rights of non-combatants. Under the escalating pressure and fury of locals, Afghan cabinet has called for regulating the authority and responsibilities of international troops in the war-torn country after the huge civilian casualties in western Herat province. Conflicts and spiraling insurgency have claimed over 3,200 people's lives with more than 800 civilians so far this year. Source:Xinhua From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 21:41:11 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:41:11 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Animal rights protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9D4E7.3090304@tesco.net> * LEBANON: Donkey race draws protests * AUSTRALIA: Protests as baby whale killed * JAPAN - GLOBAL: Protests over cetacean killing * PHILIPPINES: Drowning of stray dogs protested * BULGARIA: Dog companions protest neighbour control law * UK: Ledbury lab protested * US: Denver - protests against planned killing of dog * UK: Protests against New Forest horse ban * US: Anti-HLS protest roundup * US: DC - activists target Abbott labs * GERMANY: Protests target vivisection * US: Protests target HLS investors * UK: Manchester - Armani fur protest * AUSTRALIA: Princess faces PETA protest over fur * UK: Artist hangs from hooks in shark fishing protest * US: KFC officials face animal rights protests * GREECE - UK: British bearskin hats protested * US: PETA target Donna Karan * US: Cincinatti - nude PETA protest * US: Tulsa - big cat show protested * AUSTRALIA: "Chicks" target KFC http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=95378 Donkey race draws huge crowds, protests over mistreatment of animals By Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Listen to the Article - Powered by Ten donkeys decorated for an annual competition in the southern village of Room near Jezzine raced a 100-meter course to the delight of a huge crowd on Sunday. But the festivities were interrupted by protesters decrying the abuse of donkeys during the race. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/22/australia.whale?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront Abandoned baby whale put down amid protests ? Barbara McMahon in Sydney ? guardian.co.uk, Friday 22 August 2008 10.34 BST Everyone wanted a happy ending, but it was not to be. A starving humpback whale calf that had lost its mother and was trying to suckle from yachts in waters off Sydney was put down today, as authorities decided that it would not have survived on its own. The decision was taken by veterinarians and members of various government agencies after the condition of the female calf, believed to be one or two months' old, deteriorated rapidly. Angry local people, who had hoped to save the whale by feeding it artificially, shouted "Shame!" as veterinarians administered a sedative in shallow waters. The 14ft mammal could be seen thrashing about before it quietened. Workers were able to hoist it on to a tarpaulin and drag it towards a closed tent on the beach where a final lethal injection was administered. The plight of the young mammal had attracted a huge outpouring of sympathy as it roamed between yachts moored in an inlet off Sydney's northern shores for the past week, with efforts to save it ranging from the practical to the fanciful. Attempts to lure the calf out to sea in the hope that it would have been adopted by a passing pod of whales were unsuccessful, as it turned back and continued its fruitless roaming between the moored vessels searching for its mother. Hopes that it could be fed artificially were dismissed by experts such as Curt Jenner, the managing director of western Australia's non-profit Centre for Whale Research, as a logistical impossibility. Hundreds of spectators turned up to see the lonely calf, and several Australians brought improvised feeding devices, insisting that the young mammal could be saved. The Aboriginal "whale whisperer" Bunna Lawrie, who appears in the upcoming film Whaledreamers, sang to the distressed mammal and stroked it. An organisation called the Divine Marine Group took out a legal injunction to delay the euthanisation, but was not able to serve it in time. Emotions were high as the animal was put down. The National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman John Dengate said the calf was treated with dignity and respect by veterinarians but added that the process of putting down a large mammal was "distressing and harrowing". Animal welfare groups, including the RSPCA, later said that criticism of the authorities was unfounded and they were satisfied that everything had been done in the calf's best interests. The carcass of a large whale has been found further down the coast and DNA tests will be done to ascertain if the animal was the calf's mother. A post-mortem examination will also be carried out on the young mammal to ascertain why it became sick. http://www.justnews.com/news/17339044/detail.html?rss=mia&psp=news [NOTE: The dogs were later released as a ?compromise? after their human companion attempted to get the ordinance overturned] Controversy Brews Over 4 Dogs That County May Euthanize POSTED: Friday, August 29, 2008 UPDATED: 6:36 am EDT August 31, 2008 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Julie Roberts is allowed to visit her four Siberian huskies 15 minutes a day. Broward Animal Care and Regulation took her dogs into custody and under a new Broward County ordinance, the dogs could be put to death. Huskies May Be Put Down For Terrier's Death "We sympathize with the family and we never meant for any of this to happen, but please help me bring my dogs home," Roberts told Local 10's Jeff Weinsier. On Monday, Chloe, Ivy, Dimerland and Champion got out of their Miramar house and allegedly attacked and killed a terrier named Tinkerbell. "These dogs are not running around the neighborhood like a pack of wild animals. This was an accident and that will come out if and when a hearing occurs," said Roberts' attorney, Jason Wandner A Broward County ordinance says if a dog kills or seriously harms another, it can be put down after that first incident. On Friday, members of the South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue, an organization that helps find homes for abused, neglected and abandoned purebred Siberian huskies, protested outside Broward Animal Care and Regulation saying the ordinance is unjust. "State law gives a dog a second chance. If a dog is deemed dangerous and then bites someone, it can be destroyed, but Broward has taken that away," said Jan Michael Morris, the attorney for South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue. "Is this a situation where this family and these dogs lost their right to live because of this horrible accident? That's what this law suggests." "They are not vicious animals. They are not dangerous. Everyone in my neighborhood knows my dogs. They come to visit my dogs and interact with my dogs," Roberts said. "It's sad for all parties concerned -- for the owners of Tinkerbell, as well as for the owners of these dogs, Said Lisa Mendheim of Broward Animal Care and Regulation. But that's for a hearing to determine what the outcome should be. http://tursiops.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6519 Activists in 25 cities protest Japan's dolphin and porpoise cull. lauricedeephd writes "Peaceful protests were held in 25 cities across the world on Wednesday calling for an end to the hunting of dolphins and porpoises in Japan. Activists in London wore red T-shirts representing the blood from the slaughtered animals and chanted, ??Japan stop the dolphin hunt?? outside the Japanese Embassy. Motorists beeped their horns in support of the protest, the campaigners said. The protests were being arranged by Campaign Whale and the Environmental Investigation Agency, which claim nearly 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed by Japan each year. Japan defends the cull, arguing that strict quotas are set to prevent species becoming endangered and all killing is done in as humane a way as possible. For the 2008-2009 season, Japan has issued a catch quota of 16,312 porpoises. Black and white Dall?s porpoises, known in Japanese as ??ishi iruka,?? are hunted off the northeastern prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi, and also off Japan?s northernmost main island of Hokkaido. Around 2,000 dolphins are also hunted in waters around Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture. The dolphin and porpoise meat is sold in shops across Japan. According to the two groups, the porpoises are killed by hand-thrown harpoons in what they call a ??secret?? slaughter. The dolphins are first herded into coves at Taiji before pins are inserted into their necks. In previous years, local fishermen have tried to hide the killing by erecting large canvass sheets. Speaking to Kyodo News from outside the embassy, Jennifer Lonsdale, EIA director said, ??We would like Japan to bring an end to the hunting. It is not sustainable and is a demonstration of extreme mismanagement of a marine resource. The methods used to kill the animals are completely unregulated and there is no oversight.?? In a statement, Andy Ottaway, director of Campaign Whale, said, ??Unlike the larger whales, this secret slaughter continues with little being done to stop it. Even the Japanese public is largely unaware that these appallingly cruel hunts are taking place. ??Since commercial whaling was banned by international agreement in 1986, around 360,000 Dall?s porpoises have been killed, that?s a porpoise speared every 30 minutes of every day for the past 22 years, driving the Dall?s porpoise population to extinction.?? The porpoises have been hunted in Japan since the 1920s. In the mid-1980s the numbers killed increased in order to substitute for the lack of striped dolphins, which had been overhunted, and the absence of baleen whale meat due to a moratorium on commercial hunting. At its peak, Japan killed around 40,000 porpoises. The scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission has in the past called for reductions in the number of porpoises culled and has claimed that the current level is ??unsustainable,?? according to the campaigners. Japan lowered the quota for porpoises in 2007. Some critics have questioned why the IWC has made pronouncements on dolphins and porpoises when its principal concern should be the regulation of the whaling industry. Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/" http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080914-160508/Group-protests-drowning-of-stray-dogs-in-Cagayan-De-Oro Group protests drowning of stray dogs in Cagayan De Oro Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 00:33:00 09/14/2008 Filed Under: Animals, Regional authorities CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines?The Manila-based Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) has assailed the City Pound Office (CPO) here for torturing impounded stray animals by drowning them in buckets of water. Reacting to a story that came out of a local paper here, AWC said CPO officials had clearly committed a crime when they approved the drowning of the seized dogs. The CPO is under the supervision of the City Veterinarian?s Office. Dr. Perla Asis, city veterinarian, confirmed they experimented on various ways of killing unclaimed animals since 1996 but added they only used drowning once. Joey Nacalaban, a photojournalist for a local newspaper, said he personally witnessed the drowning of at least 10 dogs at the city landfill in August. Nacalaban said he took photos of the procedure. ?The dogs died in about five minutes (after immersion of their heads in water). The drowning was done in public,? he said. Ramona Eliza Consunji, AWC external affairs officer, said the use of drowning is prohibited by the Animal Welfare Act (Republic Act No. 8485). ?The City Pound Officer has committed a crime. He should go to jail,? Consunji said. Asis said they only used the method once and employed other means to put to sleep animals seized by the CPO. She said among the methods they used was intra-cranial injection, which proved to be risky for staffers. ?One of our staffer lost a finger after a dog bit him while he performed the intra-cranial injection,? she said. Asis said because of this, the CPO?in a bid to stem the spread of rabies?has opted to use gas poisoning instead to exterminate unclaimed animals. She said unclaimed animals were put inside an improvised gas chambers. An average of 25-35 dogs are being gassed on Thursdays using vehicle exhaust fumes, she said. Asked how soon the dogs die, Asis said the process usually lasts for about 40 minutes. Consunji said if the city government wants to reduce the number of stray dogs, it should instead conduct a massive campaign for responsible ownership. Grace Cantal-Albasin and Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97366 Dog Owners Protest in Sofia over New Law 28 September 2008, Sunday Dog owners say no to neighbour meddling in their personal affairs. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Dog owners staged Sunday a protest downtown Sofia over a new law project that could ban dog raising in apartments without neighbours' agreement. The rally goes under the slogan "No neighbour meddling in personal affairs." According to the protesters, there are enough regulations about raising animals in the cities and the new law would achieve nothing but causing conflicts between the neighbours. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407368.html Protest planned outside Ledbury lab Carnival Against Vivisection | 22.08.2008 21:32 | Animal Liberation | Social Struggles | Birmingham Police in Ledbury are bracing themselves for a mass protest outside Sequani?s animal testing lab on Saturday September 6. Promoters of the day of action say they are showing support for Sean Kirtley, who is currently serving a four-and-a-half year prison sentence for his part in a prolonged protest campaign against Sequani. Excerpts from the Ledbury Reporter. 22nd August: POLICE in Ledbury are bracing themselves for a mass protest outside Sequani?s animal testing lab on Saturday September 6. Promoters of the day of action say they are showing support for Sean Kirtley, who is currently serving a four-and-a-half year prison sentence for his part in a prolonged protest campaign against Sequani. The protest outside the Bromyard Road firm is being advertised on the Internet as the ?Carnival Against Vivisection?. A website states: ?We are constantly being told at marches and demonstrations that this isn?t the time or place to take action or get angry. Well, the time is noon and the place is Sequani.? Groups mentioned on the web site include the Animal Liberation Front and Direct Action. Protestors are being urged to ?bring noise making equipment and wear green?. Protestor Lynn Sawyer said she would be there, protesting peacefully, as an individual. She said that no one wished to liaise with the police because of what happened to Sean Kirtley. She added: ?You liaise with the police, you get seen as the organiser and that could get you sentenced to four and a half years.? Malvern-based protestor Pauline Burgess said she would be collecting for a charity on the day and knew little about the planned protest. But she added: ?If I can get to Ledbury, I will.? Ms Burgess was put on trial alongside Kirtley, found not guilty but was bound over to keep the peace for two years, or face a ?1,000 fine. Carnival Against Vivisection Homepage: http://smashsequani.wordpress.com http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/24/protesters-trying-to-protect-canine-from/ Protesters trying to protect canine from euthanasia By Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published August 24, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. Text size ? 11 Comments ? Email ? Print Photo by Silvia Razgova / Special To The Rocky Azelea Bullock of Denver, left, and Chris McGahey, of Commerce City, hold signs at Alameda Avenue and Jason Street on Sunday. Protesters are trying to keep Forrest - a dog that McGahey refers to as his son - from being put to death under Denver's pit bull ordinance. McGahey and his allies say the dog is not a pit bull. What the law says City animal ordinance, section 8-55, bans the ownership of pit bulls within the city borders, defining the animal as "any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds." More Local News ? Snowpack indicates a happy new year ? Happy New Year 2009 ? Shooting victim here from Las Vegas More stories ? Far from downtown's madding crowds, another group of passionate protesters lines Alameda Avenue near Jason Street. Just up the block sits a condemned prisoner they hope to set free. Forrest the dog. Holding signs imploring the city of Denver to save Forrest from euthanasia, a dozen or so animal lovers wave to motorists, many of whom honk in support of a cause that has generated a nationwide reaction. "The furthest out we've heard from people has been Canada," said Chris McGahey, 25, a construction worker who refers to Forrest as his son. The city, however, has labeled the dog as a violator of the 2005 ban on pit bulls, and has ordered his execution. Despite the city's claims, McGahey and his allies insist that Forrest is not a pit bull. In fact, the dog's owner isn't sure what mix of breeds the animal is. "I got him when he was 4 weeks old," McGahey said of Forrest, now 19 months old and residing at the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter. "He's never hurt anyone." The dog is named for mild- mannered Forrest Gump. Though not a purebred, the animal bears enough of a resemblance to a pit bull to send it to death row, according to the city's interpretation of the ordinance. That fine line is only one of several reasons that dog lovers have rallied to Forrest's defense. Some have come from out of state, including Idaho resident Jeramie Dreyfuss. The former wife of actor Richard Dreyfuss flew in to join the protest. Aside from his bloodline, a point of contention is that the dog and his owner are not even residents of Denver. "Chris lives in Adams County," said Paula Terifaj, a California-based supporter who stood at the entrance to the shelter. She was waving a placard for ROVERlution.org, which is fighting breed-specific legislation. According to Terifaj, Forrest left his Commerce City home twice - the second infraction resulting in a death sentence. She and others have offered to take the dog with them to safety beyond Colorado's borders. McGahey said he has plans to move to Fort Collins. Determined to save the dog, "even if it has to go to the Supreme Court," McGahey hired two lawyers. His side was stung by a ruling on Friday by hearing officer Ann Cisneros, confirming Forrest's genetic roots. Euthanizing the dog could be carried out any time. Terifaj remains optimistic. "They haven't killed the dog yet. They don't want to back down, but they're feeling the heat." McGahey plans to file an appeal this week. Attorney Karen Breslin said on Sunday that she aims to confirm her reading of the City Charter that Cisneros' decision is appealable. "This is a pretty extreme use of government power - to be able to knock on someone's door, take their dog away and kill it, just because of its breed," Breslin said. "The chances (of success) are 99 to 1," McGahey admitted. "But in my mind, it's 50-50. Whatever I have to do to save my son." Should the city's ruling be reversed, he suggested he might consider leaving Colorado. "I'm too scared to have Forrest anywhere in this state," he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7652320.stm Saturday, 4 October 2008 16:03 UK Protest against New Forest plan More than 700 people took part in the protest, on foot or on horseback Hundreds of protesters have taken part in a demonstration against controversial plans to change the way people live in and use the New Forest. The rally was staged at Wilverly Plain near Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Members of Forest Uprising Group are opposed to plans put forward by the New Forest National Park Authority. Proposals include making horse owners seek planning permission to be allowed to keep animals for recreational use, and tolls on New Forest roads. Horses are an integral part of the fabric of the forest and have been for the last 1,000 years Tina Cant, Forest Uprising Group Dog-walkers are also fighting plans to make some car parks "dog-free", as part of plans to protect wildlife and cut down on fouling. The New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) was created five years ago to help preserve the unique character of the New Forest. Tina Cant, from the Forest Uprising Group, said: "We are struggling to understand the motivation. "If you read through the report, every other phrase seems to criticise horse-riding and horse-keeping. "It's very strange because horses are an integral part of the fabric of the forest, and have been for the last 1,000 years, and are very much a part of the economy of the New Forest." Recreational horse owners in the New Forest are upset about the plans Ms Cant said many horse owners would have to meet the new regulations, which include providing 2.5 acres for each horse and the banning of supplemental feeding without planning permission. Horses would also be allowed no rugs or shelter without permission under the plans. Ms Cant said the changes would have an adverse impact on the animals' health. She said the message to the NPA was: "We didn't elect you, you haven't consulted us, these proposals are unworkable - you've got to come back to the table, sit down and rework them." Clive Chatters, chairman of the NPA, said: "The world outside the forest is changing rapidly. "Our policies towards building new stables, taking farmland and turning it into paddocks are more or less the same as the local government policies before us. "It's a consultation plan and we're asking people to read it and then give us their ideas as to how we can make it better." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407766.html Anti-HLS Protests: NYC Roundup Win Animal Rights | 29.08.2008 14:43 | Animal Liberation | World 08/23/08 - WAR Focuses on LSR Investor Barclays Global Investors & Staples 08/14/08 - Spark LP Dumped All Shares 08/09/08 - Actions Against Huntingdon Life Sciences 08/06/08 - Vanguard Group Inc. Dumped 93% of their holdings 08/03/08 - WAR Launches Against LSR Investor Barclays Global Investors 07/27/08 - Operation: IX3 Continues at Home of HLS CEO, Novartis Exec & HLS Supplier Saturday, August 23, 2008 WAR Focuses on LSR Investor Barclays Global Investors & Staples Demo #1: Staples ? 800 Third Avenue Activists began their afternoon of animal advocacy at a prominent Manhattan branch of Staples Office Supplies. Although this is not one of their larger locations, the heavy foot traffic and vehicular traffic of Third Avenue make it a perfect place to reach the public. Hundreds of flyers were distributed to a largely sympathetic crowd. Demo #2: Kevin Baer - Barclays Global Investors Next up was the luxury high-rise building of Kevin Baer, Trader at Barclays Global Investors. Last time activists visited, approximately three weeks ago (August 3, 2008), they were told that Mr. Baer was out of town for the weekend. This time the story changed, as activists were told that Kevin Baer had moved away some time ago. Since this is something activists hear routinely from doormen, it did nothing to stop or impede the demonstration. Many building residents expressed disgust for the continued use of animals for toxicity and product testing. Many promised to contact Barclays to ask them to divest of their shareholding in LSR. Despite the fact the demonstration was peaceful and totally in compliance with both local ordinances and court restraining orders, the NYPD arrived and attempted to stop the protest. After short discussions and at least one threat to arrest everyone if they did not leave the protest, the patrolmen apparently changed their minds and ?allowed? the protest to continue. Demo #3: Joy Hou - Barclays Global Investors With police officers following, activists moved to their next and final destination of the evening?. A return visit to the home of Joy Hou another of Barclays Traders. The building doorman was quick to come out and tell activists that Joy Hou had moved out of the building some time ago. Interesting that both Joy and Kevin have supposedly moved months ago even though both building confirmed their residence only 3 weeks ago! Once again, ice cubes and larger chunks of ice were hurled on protesters from an open window/terrace. The hurlers had bad aim though and hit the NYPD patrol car instead. Instead of turning their anger on the ones throwing things out the window, the police turned their anger on the demonstrators. Again, a peaceful legal demonstration was the target of NYPD repression and strong arm tactics as police continuously interrupted to tell activists not to step off the curb even though the activists in question were either crossing the street to speak to neighbors or hand them flyers, or, in one case to photograph the demonstration. In one case, an activist was told that he could not speak to a neighbor who had stopped their vehicle in order to find out more about the protest. As activists prepared to wrap up the demo a nasty piece of neighborhood trash approached the demonstrators to give them a piece of her small mind about how the protest was frightening her small children?.the same small children who were playfully giggling and scampering around the sidewalk during the entire conversation?.not looking or acting the least bit frightened. The loud mouthed woman kept harping away until out of frustration, the posters and banner were unloaded and the protest went back to full swing. Having been drowned out by the raised voices of disgusted activists, the idiot finally left. ------------------------------------------- Saturday, August 9, 2008 Actions Huntingdon Life Sciences Demo #2: Peter Laventhol, Spark Management Huntingdon Life Sciences investor Peter Laventhol of Sparks was next on the activists agenda. Signs with of bloody beagle puppies and monkeys replaced the anti-fur signs and banners and hundreds of flyers were distributed to Laventhol?s neighbors and visitors to nearby MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Demo #5: Stephanie Goldstein ? Barclays Global Investors Last stop of the afternoon was the Fifth Avenue hi-rise home of Stephanie Goldstein, who was listed as an employee of Barclays Global Investors. Once the protest was started, activists were approached by a gentleman who was related to Stephanie, who claimed that she no longer worked for Barclays Global Investors. It was suggested that Stephanie contact WAR to discuss the situation, which she did. Stephanie subsequently contacted WAR and indicated that she was totally opposed to animal testing and that she found the work done by Huntingdon Life Sciences to be disgusting and reprehensible. Stephanie thanked WAR for educating her about the horrors at Huntingdon Life Sciences. ------------------------------------------- Sunday, August 3, 2008 WAR Launches Against LSR Investor Barclays Global Investors Demo #1: Franklin Robinson ? Barclays Global Investors First stop of the evening was the Upper East Side home of Franklin Robinson Hedge Fund Manager for Barclays Global Investors. Barclays is currently the largest institutional investor of Huntingdon Life Sciences (trading under the ticker symbol LSR) with a huge holding of 279,842 shares. Activists are asking that Barclays make the same ethical choice that previous major investors (Eagle Assets and H Partners) have and divest their shares of LSR. Until then activists will continue to educate Robinson?s friends and neighbors about the horrors and atrocities perpetrated by Huntingdon Life Sciences and that Barclays owns a large share of that suffering and cruelty. Demo #2: Kevin Baer - Barclays Global Investors Second stop was the luxury building of Kevin Baer who is a Trader at Barclays Global Investors. The doorman confirmed that Kevin was a resident of the building but was out of town for the weekend. This did not dissuade activists from continuing the protest, as they were sure that somehow Kevin would get the message. In order to make sure that Kevin did know that activists had been by to visit, messages were scrawled on the public portion of the sidewalk in water-soluble chalk. Hopefully, he got the message. Demo #3: Joy Hou -Barclays Global Investors Final stop of the evening was the building of Joy Hou also a Trader with Barclays Global Investors. Building management confirmed that Joy was a resident of the building. What was originally scheduled to be a short protest was elongated by the repressive presence of the NYPD and the verbal and physical attacks on protesters by one of Joy?s next door neighbors. Ice cubes were hurled on protesters from an open window/terrace. All this did was to cause activists to be more resolute and determined to make sure that neighbors got the message. ?First amendment is our right, we will not give up this fight??.protesters chanted in even louder voices than before the unprovoked attack. Of course, police were busy doing whatever they do in their patrol car, while all of this was going on. Video Clips: Franklin Robinson - Barclays Global Investors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjbLXPurMYc Kevin Baer - Barclays Global Investors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ja1-op-8iw ------------------------------------------- Sunday, July 27, 2008 Operation: IX3 Continues at Home of HLS CEO, Novartis Exec & HLS Supplier Demo #1: Andrew Baker, Chief Puppy Killer ? Huntingdon Life Sciences Storm warnings did not keep activists from gathering at the Central Park West home of Andrew Baker, Chief Puppy Killer and major investor of Huntingdon Life Sciences. Protesters continue to show their resolve by continuing the monthly protests, which have been held for the past 5 years. As long as animals are tortured, mutilated, poisoned and killed by Huntingdon Life Sciences, activists have vowed to be at Andrew Baker?s doorstep. This neighborhood continues to be one of the most consistently supportive of the anti-HLS campaign. These folks love animals and it shows. WAR welcomes a neighborhood activist who was accompanied by her two dogs, all of whom joined the picket line. The large Andrew Baker: Puppy Killer banner is an attention getter and many strolling Central Park West stopped to ask questions and to pick up literature. All seemed disturbed by the fact that a monster lives in their neighborhood. Demo #2: Staples @ 2248 Broadway Again, despite the rain protesters walked several blocks to what must be the most popular Staples Office Supply store in the city. Hundreds of flyers were distributed and a loud spirited protest drew the attention of shoppers and pedestrians from blocks away. Staples continues to be one of the best advocacy locations for this group of campaigners. After hearing about the atrocities at Huntingdon Life Sciences, many refuse to enter the store, some go in only to tell store management how disappointed they are in Staples and others promise to contact Staples management. Demo #3: Dorothy Watson - Novartis General Counsel Last stop of the evening was the home of despicable Novartis executive, Dorothy Watson. Apparently Dorothy couldn?t care less that activists have been dogging her for many months. She has never once attempted to contact anyone and remains an enigma to activists. No wonder her neighbors hated her at her last address and no doubt at this one as well. Once again, activists apologized to Urban Outfitters, whose storefront is unfortunately where the protest must be held, because of the court ordered restrictions against protesting directly in front of Dorothy?s building. Protesters have no issue with Urban Outfitters and do their best to let passersby know that it is Dorothy Watson and Novartis who have earned their enmity. ?500 Animals Died Today, Dorothy Watson is to blame? is a common refrain meant to lay blame on the one who deserves it. Video Clips: Staples @ 2248 Broadway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNHfCOhT5k Staples @ 2248 Broadway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E36Uo1W6wcw Win Animal Rights http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408184.html Midlands Activists Protest At HLS Shareholder Barclays SHAC | 05.09.2008 17:05 | Animal Liberation | Health | Birmingham Tuesday 2nd Sept 2008, around 6 activists gathered outside of Barclays bank in Tamworth Town Centre to protest against them for investing in Huntingdon Life Sciences and about their involvement with the NYSE. Soon after the demo begun, a miserable manager stepped out from Barclays, threatening to "phone the police about us" - oh no! And after realising that we were in our legal rights to protest there, she then tried asking us if we'd "move further out of the way" from Barclays to protest, to which we refused and stayed put. Every passer-by, every barclays customer and every barclays staff at this bank will of heard today about what a sick atrocity of a company Barclays has decided to invest in. And after hearing just that, we gained much public support. Plenty of people took leaflets, said they would join the SHAC campaign to fight HLS, and one lady who'd just created an account with Barclays, came out to see what we were protesting for and once she knew she went back in and cancelled her account! A police officer eventually arrived on the scene, and asked us if we'd protest just a few steps further infront of Barclays so as not to cause so much disruption - our demonstration was almost over anyway as closing-time for Barclays was soon approaching by the time he arrived, so we agreed and some of us then stood on a near-by wall close to Barclays and became even more visual. The demo was a success, and we gained plenty of public support who are now informed about just who and what Barclays is involved with - and have vowed against them. Another stressful day for Barclays, and there'll be more to come until they drop HLS! SHAC http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408022.html CAR Foie gras update // House of cheese protests continue in Tetbury. Cirencester Animal Rights | 02.09.2008 19:04 | Animal Liberation | Repression Cirencester Animal Rights demo report from the House of Cheese Foie gras demonstration in Tetbury. Activists from Cirencester Animal Rights recently held a peaceful demonstration outside the House of Cheese in the sleepy rural town of Tetbury against the sale of Foie gras (French for ?Fatty liver?). The manager was heard to have told police that the protests were peaceful but ?you know how they get, it might get ugly?. An hour later three police cars arrived and the five activists were asked for personal details to which they refused. The protesters handed out leaflets to interested members of the public some of which seemed angry at the police presence which now included one police officer per protester and the chief inspector. Foie gras is produced by force feeding ducks and geese until the liver swells to up to 10 times its original size they are then slaughtered and the liver sold as a luxury pate. The process of ?gavage? (French for force feeding) is so cruel it is banned in the UK under animal welfare legislation. Unfortunately many outlets selling Foie gras lie to customers saying that their foie gras is from non force fed ducks or migratory ducks which naturally over eat. Even though French rural law states that a the duck or goose MUST be force fed in to obtain the title of Foie gras otherwise it remains a standard liver pate. The shop owner had physically attacked activists who tried to give her information about the cruel production of foie gras on their first visit and on this occasion stood outside of her shop and shouted at members of the public who showed their disapproval. Our group will continue to protest at the house of cheese and other foie gras outlets in Tetbury and surrounding areas until it its sale has ceased. After complaints from Cirencester Animal Rights and disgusted members of the public regarding foie gras the Prince of Wales has removed Foie gras from all of his Royal Menus and is currently removing his ?royal warrant? from the House of Cheese. We extend our thanks to visitors to Tetbury and locals who showed their support during our demonstration. Please take a second to contact House of Cheese and voice your protest against their continued sale of this disgusting ?delicacy?. House of Cheese 13 Church Street Tetbury, GL8 8JG 01666 502 865 Please keep all contact polite. Cirencester Animal Rights e-mail: warn at riseup dot net Homepage: http://cirencesteranimalrights.wordpress.com http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408917.html Sun Valley in Lockdown Following Protest Rocky | 17.09.2008 22:43 | Animal Liberation | World Today, activists held a demo at Sun Valley Foods, the UK's largest chicken abattoir, in Hereford. Today, activists held a demo at Sun Valley Foods, the UK's largest chicken abattoir, in Hereford. Upon arrival at the site, the security locked the site's main gates bringing the company into complete lockdown, and not allowing any vehicles or staff to enter or leave. They obviously didn't want a repeat of the chicken liberation that happened at the site, and wanted to keep prying eyes out. HGV's trying to deliver to Sun Valley tailed back along the lane and all the drivers told that the company is now being held accountaible for the thousands of chickens killed there daily for companies such as McDonalds and the Co-Op. One was driving an empty chicken lorry and tried just laughing, but after a while of being told the truth over the megaphones all the drivers became irrate and begun giving the security staff abuse for "giving in to the protesters". http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408919.html DC Activists Protest Against Abbott Labs Defending Animal Rights Today & Tomorrow | 17.09.2008 23:27 | Animal Liberation | Health | Repression | World On Tuesday 9 September, activists paid a nighttime visit to John Richardson, Director of Abbott Labs. When John peeked through his peephole, he was staring straight at a large banner depicting images of what goes on behind closed doors at HLS and read 'Your Business profits from the Murder of 500 Animals per day!' "Drop HLS." Activists chanted with bullhorns through the quiet upscale Georgetown neighborhood to let his neighbors know who he is and what his company profits from! Within 10 minutes, DC's Metropolitan Police Department was on the scene in full force. The police cut off and pulled guns on unarmed activists as they were walking away. The activists were only carrying signs and bullhorns, but the police slammed their heads into the concrete, put their knees into the backs of activists and handcuffed them. All in all, there were approximately 15 police officers at the scene. They told the activists that there was a reported break-in and they were investigating it. Of course there was NO break-in and police had to let the activists go"with a warning," despite their efforts to put activists in jail. Activists over-heard police saying, "We should just lock them up...but you have to be careful, they are organized and this might come back to bite us." That's right! DC activists have the ACLU on their side and a legal team to back them! Defending Animal Rights Today & Tomorrow http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/408920.html GSK & anti-vivisection protests in Dresden, Germany SHAC Germany | 17.09.2008 23:30 | Animal Liberation | Health | World On September, 13th and 14th , about 100 people were demonstrating deafeningly at Dresden, Germany against animal testing and fur. The cause was the annual conference of the "Gesellschaft f?r Versuchstierkunde" (GV-SOLAS, "Society of laboratory animal science"), a meeting of 700 vivisectionists and companies like Harlan, Charles River and Taconic. The Saturday's demonstration was a supporting action for the Escada and the SHAC Campaign. After severel speeches there was raised a hue and cry and a "die-in" in front of the Escada store. Afterwards it went on to GlaxoSmithKline. The main reason Huntingdon Life Sciences remains open is because companies like GSK, Novartis, and Bayer pay them to torture animals. In front of the main gate was read out a statement with a very clear message for GSK: "GSK... You are a target for the international animal liberation movement. You are murdering and torturing innocent lives for profit and it will not be tolerated. 500 animals die inside HLS every single day and their blood is all over your hands. What kind of sick perverted company would test their products at a laboratory who punches beagle puppies in the face, and pores chemicals down animals throats and abuses their animals? A laboratory that captures primates from the wild and mutilates them. Why would you support a company that cruelty is so horrific that one of the laboratory workers tried to kill herself from the guilt? You are that company GSK and you will pay the price and feel the force of the animal liberation movement". After 7 hours of protests in Dresden City the demo finished. In the evening there was a concert for the 10 austrian activists and after a short night the demo continued on Sunday. About 70 people protested in front of the "Technical University Dresden" against the animal testing congress of the German "Gesellschaft f?r Versuchstierkunde". Companies like Charles River or Harlan make their money with harm, pain and death of non-human animals. "Blood on your Hands", "No Excuse for Animal Abuse" and "Shame on You" was shouted noisyly to the arriving attendees. Both days were a great success. Close down HLS. Stop animal testing! SHAC Germany http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409614.html HLS & NYSE Shareholders have more protests SHAC | 28.09.2008 20:32 | Animal Liberation | Health | London With the world of finance far calmer than this time last week, our demos did not generate such a big external interest as then, but we were still outside the same companies shaming them for their involvement in the torture of animals inside the razor wire of Huntingdon Life Sciences. We targetted Barclays, Axa and Merrill Lynch to demonstrate against. We started our day of demos at Barclays at 1-7 King Street. This is not only a Barclays branch, but also a good deal of Barclays offices are based here. We covered both the staff and branch entrances which really seemed to irritate the Barclays security. He even said "I'm watching you!"... ooh we're scared!! We stayed at this disgusting multinational, who have large numbers of shares in both HLS and NYSE Euronext, for just over an hour before moving onto the next one. Merrill Lynch, following last week's takeover, was tactically chosen to be our next demonstration. We wanted to make it very clear to the new management that if you deal with HLS you deal with us! Merrill Lynch have about 11,000 shares in HLS itself and have a large number of shares in NYSE Euronext as well. We stayed at this location for about three quarters of an hour. Almost opposite Merrill Lynch is Axa, the second largest shareholder in NYSE Euronext with approximately half a billion dollars worth of shares! That means a whole lot of influence if they decide to use it. HLS would be history if Axa so much as mentioned it to NYSE Euronext, but they are far too interested in money to even consider making such an ethical step as that. A couple of members of staff actually came to talk to the protest group, insisting that their 7,000 HLS shares had been sold, but we are far more interested in their NYSE Euronext shares. Sell those and the demos stop. In fact, sell those and we'll bake them a nice vegan cake!!! We ended the demonstrations at Barclays on Fleet Street. This branch absolutely loves the demonstrations outside and we didn't disappoint. As with the other 3 demos, we used megaphones to tell the staff and all around that they're dealing with torture and death with their dealing with HLS. 70,000 animals are in there because of greedy companies like these 3 today. No customers, no suppliers, no shareholders: NO HLS! Until next time, SHAC (City of) London SHAC http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409406.html Barclays and Vanguard get HLS protests in DC WSQT Guerrilla Radio 88.1 FM | 24.09.2008 20:16 | Animal Liberation | Health | World On Friday, Sep 19, two bottom-feeding investment firms got office demos over their stubborn refusal to divest themselves of puppy-killing, money-losing Huntingdon Life Sciences(HLS). Protesters showed up at both offices to remind them to divest NOW from HLS-as every day they don't their money kills an additional 500 animals and keeps punching beagle puppies in their faces! **********Background************ Barclays is now the largest institutional investors in HLS-and also has bought out failing Lehman Brothers-one of the investment firms that caused the Wall Street Crisis that could have sparked another Depression! http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/sep/21/barclay.lehmanbrothers I don't know about you, but I would think twice solely on financial grounds about trusting anyone's retirement funds to someone that buys money losers like Lehmans and HLS! WSQT Guerrilla Radio 88.1 FM http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409190.html Activists protest outside Armani in Manchester visiting gog | 21.09.2008 10:59 | Animal Liberation | Manchester Giorgio Armani has reneged on his promise not to use fur in his fashion lines. Activists demonstrated outside Armani's Manchester store yesterday, causing three members of staff to abandon their quest for sales and stand in the doorway defending, with some difficulty, the Armani position on fur. 'I don't think about the fate of the animals because Armani pays me not to' was the main thrust of the argument, along with the old fallacy that 'it's the consumer who creates the demand for products,' although this particular Armani worker then went on to describe how her job was to convince customers that they 'need' Armani fashion items. There was also the usual defeatist 'we're so small and insignificant that nothing we (or you) can do as individuals could possibly affect Armani's decisions.' We'll see. visiting gog http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24268239-5006009,00.html?from=public_rss Nude protest group PETA targets Princess Mary over fur By David Murray August 31, 2008 12:00am PRINCESS Mary's daughter, Isabella is only 16 months old, but one of her outfits has already triggered controversy. In Hobart last week, Mary dressed her youngest child in a cute, multi-coloured vest that, it turns out, was made of fur. Beach intrusion: Mary's dismay at nude baby photo Temper tantrum: Princess Mary's anger during family outing The $800 designer mink garment sparked a furore among animal welfare campaigners yesterday. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia-Pacific director Jason Baker said: "There's just no excuse in this day and age to be wearing fur''. "Princess Mary is looked up to by a lot of people in Europe and Australia and she's looked up to as a mother. I hope people will send a message to her that this is wrong.'' Compounding the issue, he said, was that the outfit would be redundant within months. "Isabella will have grown out of the coat in a few months, but those animals will still be dead,'' Mr Baker said. The RSPCA, opposed to all animal farming for luxury items, also claimed fur in fashion was unacceptable. A spokeswoman said: "We have serious concerns about the way a lot of these animals are killed and we think anybody wearing fur sends the wrong message that it's OK''. "Public awareness of issues surrounding the fur trade is quite high these days and it would be hard to find many people who think it's OK to wear fur in Australia.'' Copenhagen fashion house Heart Made confirmed it sold the mink vest to Mary. "It's a unique piece. It's various colours of mink, sewn together, but turned inside out,'' sales manager Elsa Adams said. "It's really warm and it's very soft and it's quite strong quality, as well. Kids will keep quite warm when they wear things like that and it also looks cool, of course.'' Asked about opposition to fur, she said: "In the Nordic countries, it is very, very difficult not to have fur because we get very cold winters. Fur is very warm and you will find a lot in the stores.'' Danish farms provide a reported 13.5 million mink skins a year, of 49 million produced worldwide. Fur farmers gave Mary a full-length beige mink coat as a wedding present, while she was pictured wearing a fur coat in Norway at the 70th birthday celebrations of King Harald last year. http://english.eviewweek.com/Artist-hangs-herself-from-hooks-in-protest-at-shark-treatment.shtml Artist hangs herself from hooks in protest at shark treatment 9/5/2008 9:58:00 AM Source?Agencies Author? [Font Size?Bigger Middle Smaller] Alice Newstead took the drastic action in protest at the practice of finning-where sharks are impaled on hooks, before their fins are sliced off to harvest meat for shark fin soup. The sharks are then thrown back into the ocean still alive. Alice Newstead suspends herself on Shark Fishing hooks in the window of a central London cosmetics store to highlight the use of Shark products for cosmetics and food stuffs. A crowd gathered outside the Lush cosmetics shop in London's Regent's Street to see the 26-year-old impaled by hooks in her back and gasped as blood trickled down her back. Miss Newstead said: "I am doing this because the demand for shark fin soup and other shark products is wiping out the shark population. "I have had my torso, legs, arms, stomach and knees pierced before so that I could hang from them, so this is no big deal. "Being hung from the chest is more painful than the back because it restricts your breathing, but as long as the piercer knows what they are doing then it is completely safe," she said. Shark finning has been blamed for pushing many species of the fish to the brink of extinction and since 1970, several species have been reduced by more than 90 per cent. Miss Newstead, who was born in Northampton and lives in Watford, left her job as a Lush sales assistant in June, so she could work full-time as an artist. She performs with a group called Constant Elevation, whose members specialise in hanging from hooks pierced through their skin." http://www.projo.com/news/content/NEWPORT_TORTURED_CHICKEN_09-04-08_SEBESPB_v20.3a3d2ed.html Animal-rights activists target KFC officials in protest 01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, September 4, 2008 By Richard Salit Journal Staff Writer Nicole Matthews, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and, dressed as chicken, Brendan McVay, of Providence, ride on a charter boat in Newport, where KFC officials were visiting yesterday. The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires NEWPORT The most eye-catching boat on the water yesterday wasn?t a megasized luxury yacht ? it was the one puttering around the harbor with a guy perched on the bow wearing a chicken suit and waving a wing to passersby. Animal-rights protesters gave a whole new meaning to ?chicken of the sea? yesterday when they cruised around the harbor with a chicken mascot and a banner with an image of a scalded chicken to protest what they say is KFC?s use of cruelly treated poultry. The protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is part of a boycott the group has waged against the fast-food chain since 2001. Yesterday?s demonstration targeted the Association of KFC Franchisees charter sail aboard a 12-meter race yacht. Around noon, four PETA protesters boarded their own chartered yacht, the 48-foot Windee, with the guy in the chicken suit, 25-year-old Brendan McVay, of Providence, occasionally stumbling on the deck in his oversized, three-toed feet. They immediately set off in search of their prey, the KFC boat, not for a nautical game of chicken but to maintain pressure on the company and raise public awareness of the treatment of its chickens. ?Our protest will continue by land, or by sea, as long as they continue to slit their throats while they are conscious and scald them to death,? said PETA spokeswoman Nicole Matthews. ?This is our longest running campaign against a fast food restaurant.? When the protesters motored by the suspected KFC charter boat, there was little to no reaction. KFC officials issued a statement when reached for comment later in the afternoon. ?KFC is committed to the well-being and humane treatment of chickens. We?re proud of our responsible, industry-leading animal welfare guidelines. We buy our quality chickens from the same trusted brands that consumers buy in local supermarkets,? the statement reads. ?While we don?t own any poultry facilities, we require all of our suppliers to follow welfare guidelines developed by us with leading experts on our Animal Welfare Advisory Council. ?We don?t comment on PETA?s activities and publicity stunts, which speak for themselves.? Matthews acknowledged that supermarkets also buy from suppliers with inhumane practices, but that shouldn?t condone the mistreatment of the approximately 1 billion chickens KFC serves up every year, she said. The United States franchises, like their counterparts in Canada, should demand that suppliers treat chickens more humanely and offer vegetarian alternatives on its menu, she said. PETA maintains that KFC suppliers drug chickens in unreasonably cramped quarters to rapidly fatten them up, making the birds so top heavy and unhealthy that they suffer broken legs and heart attacks. The suppliers also slaughter the birds inhumanely, PETA asserts, by slitting their throats while they?re conscious. Some birds that aren?t properly killed get boiled alive during the next process ? feather removal. Matthews said that KFC suppliers could make improvements ? including gassing chickens to kill them ? that would add just two cents to the cost of a meal. Matthews, who is based in Michigan, arranged for the charter and brought aboard three Rhode Island PETA supporters and activists to join her. Oftentimes, she and other PETA activists don bikinis to attract attention, especially in colder weather. But the chicken suit she brought with her also catches a lot of attention. ?It?s easier to travel with a yellow bikini, but people have a warm reception to mascot suits,? said Matthews, 26. While motoring past several ferries, she held up the banner with the picture of the red-tinged scalded chicken and the message, ?Boycott KFC Cruelty. KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.? Helping her with the banner were Honore Ford, 21, of Newport, and Rory VanGrol, 27, of Providence. Most took notice of the protesters and many waved. ?I love chicken,? called out one person on a boat. ?We love chickens, too,? Matthews replied. Under yesterday?s sunny skies and warm weather, McVay was sweating inside the chicken suit. But, when asked how he was doing, he said he was fine. ?It?s because I?m not fried, that I feel all right,? he quipped. http://newsblog.projo.com/2008/09/protesters-crui.html Activists protest KFC suppliers alleged cruelty, by sea 5:12 PM Wed, Sep 03, 2008 | Permalink Mike McKinney Email NEWPORT -- Animal rights protesters cruised around the harbor with a chicken mascot and a banner with an image of a scalded chicken today to protest what it says is KFC's use of cruelly treated poultry. The protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was part of a boycott the group has waged against the fast food chain since 2001. The demonstration targeted several 12-meter racing sailboats that KFC chartered for management for the afternoon. "Our protest will continue by land or sea as long as they continue to slit their throats while they are conscious, and scald them to death," PETA spokeswoman Nicole Mattthews said. Matthews, who is based in Michigan, chartered the 48-foot The Windee and brought aboard three Rhode Island PETA supporters and activists to join her. PETA maintains that KFC franchises in the United States rely on suppliers that drug chickens to fatten them, to such an extent that the chickens suffer broken legs and heart attacks. PETA also alleges that KFC suppliers slaughter the birds inhumanely, and some birds that aren't properly killed get boiled alive during the process of plucking their feathers. KFC corporate issued a statement today when reached for comment. "KFC is committed to the well-being and humane treatment of chickens. We're proud of our responsible, industry-leading animal welfare guidelines. We buy our quality chickens from the same trusted brands that consumers buy in local supermarkets," the statement reads. "While we don't own any poultry facilities, we require all of our suppliers to follow welfare guidelines developed by us with leading experts on our Animal Welfare Advisory Council. "We don't comment on PETA's activities and publicity stunts, which speak for themselves." -- Journal staff writer Richard Salit http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5823536 Bearskin Protest in Athens Over British Guard Hats Greece: Animal Activists Hold Nude Bearskin Protest Over British Military Hats ATHENS, Greece September 17, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Animal rights activists dressed in fake bearskin hats and little else hold up a banner during a... (AP) It was bare skin for bearskin on Wednesday, as animal rights protesters took Britain to task for dressing Buckingham Palace guards in ceremonial bearskin hats. Greek police briefly detained two animal rights activists who took their clothes off outside the British embassy in Athens. The two British women were released shortly after the protest, organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Wearing only fake bearskin hats, underwear and high heels, the activists held up a banner reading "Bare skin, not bearskin." http://english.pravda.ru/news/society/17-09-2008/106385-bearskin-0 Greece protests against Birtish fur hats Front page / Society 09/17/2008 09:01 Source: AP ? Greek police briefly detained two animal rights activists who took their clothes off Wednesday outside the British embassy in Athens to protest the use of bearskin hats by Buckingham Palace guards. The two British women were released shortly after the protest, organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Wearing only fake bearskin hats, underwear and high heels, the activists held up a banner reading "Bare skin, not bearskin." A third protester, who was not detained as she had dressed by the time police arrived, said 60-100 Canadian bears are killed every year to provide the 18-inch-high black ceremonial hats worn by military guards at London's Buckingham Palace and other royal sites. "We wanted to draw attention to the problem," said Ewa Zanicka, from Poland. After talks with animal rights activists this month, Britain's Defense Ministry said it is open to using synthetic fur, provided it can find a good enough replacement for bearskin. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/peta-donna-karen-dkny-show Activists vs Fashion Industry [Edit] PETA Protests Donna Karan 1,370 Views - Click for Gallery Not to take away from the value of their efforts, but it?s pretty amusing to see the ongoing battle between PETA and the fashion industry. We?ve recently seen French Vogue flip PETA the finger, now it?s time for PETA to strike back, and they did at the Donna Karan DKNY 20th anniversary show. In addition to shouts of ?Stop the insanity! No blood for vanity!? and ?D-K-N-Y! How many animals have to die!? at the show?s tent, two female PETA activists made it to the show?s runway with signs that read, ?Donna Dump Fur.? I am patiently awaiting the next episode in the drama? Source: nymag Via: fashionologie http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/neighborhoods/downtown_cincinnati/story/Nude-PETA-Protest-Downtown/OfnzDMNaJ0GJnKcO3LVa4Q.cspx Nude PETA Protest Downtown Contributor: Annette Peagler Email: APeagler at wcpo.com Last Update: 9/13/2008 1:49 am Slideshow (Ron Fischer, 9News) Web produced by: Megan Wasmund A couple of protesters ditched their clothes in downtown Cincinnati Friday afternoon. Two of the members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals showered together at the intersection of Ninth and Vine streets in a protest against the meat industry. PETA says meat makers waste water and produce excessive greenhouse gases. The protesters had a banner to cover them up that states that one pound meat equals six months of showers http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/peta-protests 27 Provocative PETA Protests [Edit] From Dead Bodies to Stripping ________________________________________ Whether PETA?s unique brand of shockvertising pleases or patronizes its viewers, it always achieves one goal--making headlines. PETA protests regularly employ shock and awe to raise awareness of animal rights violations, and the organization?s fervor in this regard has polarized the populace. Most recently, PETA protested Ringling Brothers. 30 activists passed out hundreds of flyers deriding circus animal cruelty at the opening night of a scheduled performance at Western Kentucky University. The show sold about 100 tickets and was canceled. Here are 26 other PETA protests that have helped to inspire change and lessen animal cruelty--or at least make headlines. http://newsok.com/despite-protests-big-cat-show-finds-a-place-at-tulsa-state-fair/article/3302513 Despite protests, big cat show finds a place at Tulsa State Fair Published: September 25, 2008 TULSA ? After initially deciding to cancel a big cat show planned for the Tulsa State Fair, Expo Square's top official said Wednesday the show is back on. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/naked-protesting-australia-kfc Naked Protesting [Edit] Hot 'Chicks' Battle KFC in Australia 16,593 Views - Click for Gallery PETA has been leading the ?naked? protesting? trend in a series of nonviolent (and eye-pleasing) protests involving hot women and men getting naked to draw public attention to pressing issues of animal cruelty?bull fighting, live export, and factory farming. Their most recent campaign targets the poultry giant KFC, which retails an estimated 736 million chickens annually (NYT). PETA has been successful in the past, raising awareness about the unethical treatment of cattle by McDonalds and Burger King chains. The KFC boycott targets the enormous factory farming operation required to produce and process 1,400 ?CPM? (chickens per minute). Animals are tightly caged, fed a host of hormones and antibiotics to deal with the rampant disease in such enclosed environments, and then machine-slaughtered. The latest protest this summer in Sydney resulted in the arrest of three caged women holding signs reading ?Chicks Agree: Boycott KFC.? This was surprising to many as the normally lenient Australian police force allows public protesting as long as traffic is not disrupted. In this case, ?causing a stir? was used as a reason to book the three women during a temporary suspension of Sydney laws coinciding with a national day of pilgrimmage. Activists are concerned over the growing world-wide trend of using ?special powers? during key events to get around the normal due process of law in order to expedite the removal of protesters, a trend that we saw at the 2008 RNC convention in full force. Former Baywatch babe and PETA supporter Pamela Anderson?s joined the protest (not topless) at a Gold Coast KFC as part of a four-year global campaign against the fast food chain over the way chickens are raised, slaughtered and transported. PETA has been effective in garnering media attention in Australia through the nudity technique. Earlier this year PETA orchestrated a visually stunning display of dozens of naked men and women blocking the street to protest ?live export??the shipping of packaged live animals (saves on refrigeration costs). The image creates an empathetic association between human and animal bodies, making the point crystal clear: what?s bad for animals is bad for us. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 22:06:25 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:06:25 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ethnoreligious and miscellaneous protests, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9DAD1.1090402@tesco.net> Protests and clashes around group rivalries, politically dubious protests, and a few which just don't fit anywhere else... * DR CONGO: Eleven dead in unrest over football witchcraft * ITALY: Veterans protest Spike Lee film * US: Anonymous target Will Smith school over Scientology; Katie Holmes play * BOLIVIA: Rightists destabilise country * NEPAL: "Fringe" group stages shutdown against federalism * INDIA: Congress, TRS dispute * INDONESIA: Protests, who knows why * NEPAL: Dispute over festival closing * NEPAL: Protests for festival funding * HUNGARY: Rightists battle police * US: Black American protest against Obama * SOUTH AFRICA: Chained bank protest pays off * UK: Newcastle, Liverpool fans protest owners * UK - SCOTLAND: Rangers fans protest media coverage * MANIPUR: Protests over disqualification of wrestler * INDIA - Tamil Nadu - Police attack protest over suspicious death * MEXICO: Massive anti-crime protest * PAKISTAN: Protest against terrorism blocks traffic * UK: Knife crime protest * US: Oregon - residents protest violent crime * US: Florida - residents mob suspect's house * PAKISTAN: Women attempts suicide over unsolved attack * UK: London knife crime protest after death * EGYPT: Middle classes protest over soap opera * MANIPUR: Protest against militants * BOSNIA: Serbs protest for Karadzic * KOSOVO - SERBIA: Serbs protest EU deployment * SERBIA: Protests call for EU leader death * SPAIN: Portuguese lorry sabotaged * INDIA: AP - Protest against belt shops * PAKISTAN: Police protest promotions corruption * ISRAEL: Settlers protest sudden eviction * QUEBEC - CANADA: Sovereignty protest targets leader * TAIWAN: Protesters call for stimulus, China caution * US: Broughton - protest over student parking places * US: Wisconsin - prison guards protest conditions * US: Boston - police close down sites in protest * INDIA: Soldiers protest pay rates * SERBIA: Kosovo war veterans protest for back pay * SWITZERLAND: Police stop issuing fines in protest * INDIA: Group clashes newsclippings * GHANA: Inter-political clashes * BANGLADESH: One killed, 45 injured in group clash over land * NEPAL: Clashes over plan to stop animal sacrifice * PAKISTAN: 100 die in Shia-Sunni clashes * PAKISTAN - NWFP - Death in "tribal" clashes * BANGLADESH: Awami League factions clash * TRINIDAD: Opposition supporters plan protest * UGANDA: Groups clash over disputed land, 1 killed * KENYA: Herders killed in clashes, hundreds displaced * BANGLADESH: Teacher appointment dispute ends in bloodshed * COTE D'IVOIRE: Deaths in ethnic clashes * NIGERIA: Police, civilians killed in group clash * UGANDA: Groups clash over wetland * PAKISTAN: Deaths in clash at university * NEPAL: Student groups clash * BANGLADESH: Medical students, locals fight * GREECE: Injuries after immigrants clash * ZIMBABWE: Political factions clash outside power sharing summit * BANGLADESH: Student groups clash; 8 injured in group clash * INDONESIA: Clash as political trial continues * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Feuding students sign peace accord http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/democraticrepublicofcongo/2962727/Eleven-dead-in-Congo-football-riot-after-use-of-witchcraft.html Eleven dead in Congo football riot after use of 'witchcraft' A football player's alleged use of black magic has sparked a deadly riot at a stadium in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Published: 1:09PM BST 15 Sep 2008 Nyuki football club was losing to its local rivals Socozaki in Sunday's game when the club's goalkeeper decided to intervene. Radio Okapi, a local broadcaster funded by the United Nations, said the player dashed up the pitch incanting "fetishist" spells to weaken the opposing team. Related Articles ? Uighur Muslim minority clashes with police in China ? FA promise to get tough with misbehaving Sunderland fans ? Uighurs shot dead after police attacked in Chinese city of Urumqi ? Celtic manager Tony Mowbray hails Artur Boruc as a 'top, top goalkeeper' ? Chinese authorities ban Uighurs from mosques The game, a derby match in an eastern province of the Central African country, quickly broke up into a brawl between the two teams of players. A local police commander then tried to intervene to break up the fight, but he was pelted with rocks by the crowd. Matters quickly got out of hand as fighting seized hold of some sections of the stadium. Police fired canisters of tear gas and spectators stampeded for the exits. The charge resulted in carnage: 11 dead and several others injured. As is the case elsewhere in Africa, many Congolese hold traditional animist beliefs and use spells, fetishes and charms to practise witchcraft, often combined with other religions like Christianity or Islam. Sunday's riot happened in Butembo, in North Kivu province, where fighting between the army and rebels has raged on despite the official end of a 1998-2003 war that has killed an estimated 5.4 million people through violence, hunger and disease. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081001172708.44gz1yex&show_article=1 Italian partisans to protest Spike Lee's World War II film Oct 1 01:27 PM US/Eastern Write a Comment US film director Spike Lee poses during the photocall of his... Italian veteran partisans offended by US director Spike Lee's World War II film "Miracle at St. Anna" planned a protest Wednesday at an advance screening in central Italy, media reports said. They plan to stage a sit-in in Viareggio, a town on the Tuscan coast near the village of Stazzema, where retreating German soldiers massacred 560 civilians in 1944, the reports said. The film, which is set for general release in Italy on Friday, shows a member of the resistance collaborating with the Nazis and failing to warn the villagers of the Germans' advance. A dozen of the anti-Fascist partisans who were present during the massacre and about 50 survivors contest this version, according to the Italian daily La Stampa. "It is an erroneous version," said writer Giorgio Bocca, a veteran partisan, wrote in an editorial in Wednesday's La Repubblica, a left-leaning daily. At a press screening on Tuesday, Lee said he was "not apologising" and that he had "not invented anything" in the film version of a book of the same name by James McBride which also highlights the role of black American soldiers in the war. "This film is no clear picture of what happened. It is our interpretation, and I stand behind it," Lee said, suggesting to Italians that there was "a lot about your history you have yet to come to grips with." McBride was more contrite, saying: "I am very sorry if I have offended the partisans. I have enormous respect for them. As a black American, I understand what it's like for someone to tell your history, and they are not you." He added: "Unfortunately, the history of World War II here in Italy is ours as well, and this was the best I could do," stressing: "It is, after all, a work of fiction." Organisers of the Rome Film Festival opening on October 22 told a news conference on Wednesday that they had requested a copy of the film but were told it was promised for last month's Toronto event. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1428669.php/Anti-Scientologists_protest_against_Will_Smith_school Anti-Scientologists protest against Will Smith school People News Will Smith reacts on stage during the event held at Picadelly Cinema in central Tokyo, Japan, 21 August 2008. The movie by US director Peter Berg tells the story of reckless superhero John Hancock (Smith) and will open in Japanese theatres on 30 August 2008. EPA/DAVID COLL BLANCO Sep 4, 2008, 4:00 GMT Will Smith has been targeted by an anti-Scientologist group. On Wednesday morning (03.09.08) Anonymous activists picketed outside the New Village Academy private school in Calabasas, California, which is funded by the actor and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who is a devout follower of the bizarre sci-fi cult. Protestors - dressed in Guy Fawkes masks - held up placards emblazoned with the words 'Scientology disconnects families' and 'what church stalks critics? Scientology'. Passing children on their way to the nearby Arthur E. Wright Middle School shouted at several people, believed to be Scientologist investigators, who were monitoring the protest. One boy Max, 11, said: "We hate Will Smith". While another John shouted: "Get the crazy cult school out of Calabasas!" Spokesperson for Anonymous - who want the Church of Scientology to lose its tax exemption status in the US - Gareth Cales, who refused to wear a mask, said: "Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, an admitted Scientologist, have opened this private school as a front for teaching the L. Ron Hubbard principles of 'Study Technology, his creation, and the school employs Scientologists. "Our goal is to ultimately have the tax exemption status of the Scientology cult end, and the criminal deeds of Church leader David Miscaviage be exposed and prosecuted. Under his leadership, Scientology has threatened people's lives and destroyed careers, they use their lawyers to intimidate anyone who criticises Scientology." 'Study Technology' is described as: "An educational model developed by L. Ron Hubbard, study technology focuses on three principles." Will - who reportedly donated $1 million to the school - has previously denied he is a member of Scientology. Earlier this week, Anonymous announced they were planning to stage a silent protest at the opening of Katie Holmes' new Broadway play 'All My Sons' in October. The former 'Dawson's Creek' actress became a Scientologist after marrying devout follower Tom Cruise in November 2006. http://gawker.com/5052104/anti+scientology-protesters-at-katie-holmes-play Anti-Scientology Protesters At Katie Holmes Play By Ryan Tate, 2:10 AM on Fri Sep 19 2008, 2,029 views "Some wore masks like in the movie V for Vendetta, and one poster read: 'FREE KATIE.'" [AP] http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/14/america/LA-Bolivia-Protests.php Morales struggles to control Bolivia amid violence The Associated Press Published: September 14, 2008 LA PAZ, Bolivia: President Evo Morales struggled to assert control over a badly fractured Bolivia on Sunday as protesters set fire to a town hall and blockaded highways in opposition-controlled provinces, impeding gasoline and food distribution. At least 30 people have been killed in the poor Andean nation this week, Interior Minister Alfredo Rada said. All the deaths occurred in Pando province, where Morales declared martial law on Friday, dispatching troops and accusing government foes of killing his supporters. Pando's security chief, Alberto Murakami, told The Associated Press by telephone that 15 people had died and 55 were injured. Presidency Minister Juan Ramon Quintana told local radio Red Erbol that authorities had arrested Pando Gov. Leopoldo Fernandez, "for violating the constitution and generating the bloody killings of the peasants." Morales has accused Fernandez of using Peruvian and Brazilian "assassins" against Morales supporters. But Pando officials insisted Fernandez was still free, and Quintana later clarified on Red Erbol that while the governor "should be put in jail for blatant crimes," he had not been detained. Fernandez did not make any comments Sunday, but he was seen walking through the streets of Pando's capital, Cobija, where government troops continued to arrive and patrol. The governor has denied having anything to do with the violence, saying it was not an ambush but rather an armed clash between rival groups. Presidential spokesman Ivan Canelas said without providing details that opposition-led highway blockades continued Sunday and that "an armed group" had set fire to the town hall in Filadelfia, a municipality near Cobija. "There are people who want to continue sowing pain across the region," he said. The La Paz newspaper La Razon quoted the country's highways chief as saying blockades had halted transit on major roadways in the opposition-governed eastern provinces of Tarija, Beni and Santa Cruz. The AP could not immediately confirm the report. The gravest challenge to Morales in his nearly 3-year-old tenure as Bolivia's first indigenous president stems from his struggle with the four eastern lowland provinces where Bolivia's natural gas riches are concentrated and where his government has essentially lost control. The provinces are seeking greater autonomy from Morales' leftist government and are insisting he cancel a Dec. 7 referendum on a new constitution that would help him centralize power, run for a second consecutive term and transfer fallow terrain to landless peasants. Morales says the new charter is needed to empower Bolivia's indigenous majority. The leaders of those provinces have designated the governor of gas-rich Tarija, Mario Cossio, as their representative and he was expected to arrive in La Paz on Sunday to resume talks on easing the crisis. South America's leaders were also trying to prevent Bolivia from splintering apart. They were to gather in Chile on Monday for an emergency meeting called by President Michelle Bachelet. It was unclear whether Morales would attend, and President Alan Garcia of Peru was not expected. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva planned to attend, his office said Sunday. Morales' representative in Pando, Nancy Texeira, said the death toll from Thursday's fighting between pro- and anti-Morales forces near the town of Porvenir was expected to rise as authorities continued to encounter more dead and wounded. "We think there are more in the hills, people submerged in the river," she said. A peasant leader involved in the street fight told the AP in a telephone interview Saturday that the violence began after he and several truckloads of companions came upon an opposition blockade on a jungle highway. Antonio Moreno said there was some fighting ? mostly with clubs and rocks ? when a man emerged from a vehicle and fired on peasants with a submachine gun. "The campesinos fled to the mountain, while others jumped into the river," he told the AP. Morales and ally President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela expelled the U.S. ambassadors in their countries last week to protest what they called Washington's inciting of the anti-government protests. The departing U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, denied the accusations on Sunday in his first public comments on the matter. "I would like to say that all the accusations made against me, against the Embassy and against my nation are completely false and unjustified," he told reporters in La Paz. "I have nothing to say to those who misinterpreted my actions." Morales has offered no detailed evidence of Goldberg's alleged conspiracy with the opposition. He has, instead, accused Goldberg of egging on anti-Morales forces through meetings with governors who have publicly called for the president's ouster. Chavez, meanwhile, insisted he would intervene militarily in Bolivia if Morales were toppled or killed. In a speech Saturday in Venezuela, he accused Bolivia's military brass of not fully supporting their president, of "a work stoppage of sorts." Bolivian armed forces chief Gen. Luis Trigo earlier in the week rejected Chavez's pledge to intervene, saying no foreign troops would be permitted to set foot on Bolivian soil. On Sunday, Defense Minister Walker San Miguel backed his armed forces chief. "We Bolivians will resolve our problems among ourselves," he said in an interview with the state TV network. ___ Associated Press writers Paola Flores and Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Ian James in Caracas, Venezuela, and Frank Bajak in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1433519.php/Protestors_disrupt_commerce_traffic_in_Nepal_ Protestors disrupt commerce, traffic in Nepal South Asia News Sep 28, 2008, 6:56 GMT Kathmandu - A general strike called by a fringe left party disrupted activity in the capital Kathmandu and other parts of the country Sunday. The People's Front Nepal called the strike to protest the decision of the Maoists and other major parties to divide the country along a federal structure. In Kathmandu, many people were caught unaware as People's Front Nepal supporters stopped vehicles and shut down major markets. Police said the strike supporters set fire to a passenger bus on the western outskirts of the capital, and vandalized about a dozen cars and motorcycles, accusing the drivers of defying the strike. Police said about two dozen demonstrators were arrested in different parts of the country. In Rolpa district, about 450 kilometres west of the capital, police clashed with demonstrators trying to forcibly shut down government offices and detained about a dozen people, including district level politicians. In Siraha south of Kathmandu, police dispersed dozens of demonstrators who tried to block the main highway by burning tyres. Nepal was declared a federal democratic republic by the country's constituent assembly on 28 May, after voting to abolish the monarchy. People's Front Nepal opposes the move, saying a federal structure in a small country as Nepal is impractical. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/26/stories/2008092657190400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada Lagadapati?s supporters protest attacks on Lanco Staff Reporter VIJAYAWADA: The attack by TRS activists on the corporate office of the Lanco Group in Hyderabad triggered protests by Congress activists and supporters of Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal in the city and on its outskirts on Thursday. The activists held a meeting at the party?s city unit office, the Andhra Ratna Bhavan, in the evening to condemn the attacks. They later staged a dharna on Karl Marx Road and burnt the effigy of TRS president K. Chandrasekhara Rao. The activists squatted on the road for a while and raised slogans against the TRS. Vehicular traffic came to a standstill on the busy Karl Marx Road in the peak evening hours. Terming the attacks on Lanco offices as unfortunate, Kankipadu MLA Devineni Rajasekhar advised Mr. Chandrasekhara Rao to keep a tab on his party activists. Former MLA Adusumilli Jayaprakash said that physical attacks would not solve any problems, but only complicate the issues. He demanded that the Government take necessary steps to protect the assets of the Lanco Group. Dharna staged Congress activists also sat on a dharna at Dabakotlu Centre at Ajithsingh Nagar and the Vijayawada-Hyderabad National Highway No. 9 at Ibrahimpatnam demanding action against TRS activists who resorted to the attacks. Vehicles were stopped for over one hour on the National Highway and it took another half-an-hour for the police to ensure free flow of traffic. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/9/24/protesters-coming-to-dpr-and-ago-to-express-aspirations/ 09/24/08 01:26 Protesters coming to DPR and ago to express aspirations Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives building at Gatot Subroto street, Central Jakarta, and the Attorney General`s Office at Sultan Hasanuddin street, South Jakarta, will have protesters coming to them today, Jakarta Metropolitan Traffic Police said here Tuesday. According to their information, the first group of protesters are planning to express their aspirations in front of Parliament building, and the second in front of the Attorney General`s office as well as in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission building. The protests will be launched at 10 AM. However, the police did not elaborate on the identity and number of the protesters, as well as their aspirations. On Monday (Sept 22), the parliament building had protesters from the Moslem Forum (FUI) who urged the House to change the name of the Porn Bill into Anti Pornography and Porn Action Bill. Meanwhile on the same day, the Attorney General`s office was having protesters from the Indonesian Youth and Student Network who urged the Attorney General to bring to justice several Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI)obligors. If the Attorney General was unable to meet their aspirations, the protesters would ask the KPK to take over the BLBI case. (*) http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep22/news05.php Protests continue at Basantapur area; President's programme cancelled Dispute within two groups of Newar community has led to further tension at New Road area in Kathmandu Monday regarding closing ceremony of the Indra Jatra festival. A group of people from Newar community resumed protests in Kathmandu today expressing dissatisfaction over the agreement reached between government and the Jatra organisers Sunday evening. With the assurance from the government to provide funding for Jatra and support to all rituals, the protests were called off after three days. New Road and surrounding marketplaces remain closed down due the protests. The protesters say they were not involved in the negotiation process with the government and that proceedings have been closed with one-sided decision. They also complained that the police 'dismantled' the chariot at Basantapur. The protesters vandalised a few vehicles in New Road and Jamal area. To end the dispute, both the sides have agreed to sit for talks. Meanwhile, due to continued conflict, the programme of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav receiving tika from Kumari, scheduled for today, has been cancelled. President Yadav is scheduled to fly to his hometown, Dhanusha, later today. nepalnews.com ia Sep 22 08 http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/sep/sep21/news07.php Protests continue in thoroughfares of Kathmandu People continued to organise protests, Sunday, in thoroughfares of Kathmandu including Basantapur, New Road, Bhotahity, Ratnapark and Jamal area demanding apology from the finance minister for not allocating funds for traditional festivals. Protesting locals of Teku in Kathmandu clash with the police on the second day of protests organised by the Newar community against... The protests were sparked, Friday night, after the people taking part in traditional Kumari Jatra turned violent and started demonstrating accusing that the 'government did not allocate budget for the traditional festival this time.' The protests had affected transport movement in key areas of the capital city on Saturday and the same has continued on Sunday as well. Angry protesters have burned tyres and vandalised vehicles. The protests have continued even after the Home and Finance Ministry expressed regret and vowed to provide funds for Jatras. nepalnews.com Sep 21 08 http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=606809 ________________________________________ Hungarian protesters clash with police Posted: 2008/09/22 From: MNN Far-right protests have become frequent since 2006, when Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany admitted in a leaked speech that he lied about the state of the economy to win re-election. His remarks were followed by Hungary`s worst violence in decades. (Reuters) BUDAPEST - Hungarian police fired tear gas and clashed with more than a thousand anti-government protesters who attacked riot police with petrol bombs and cobblestones in Budapest on Saturday. Protesters from the far-right gathered around a downtown monument to the Soviet Red Army, attacked police who guarded the memorial and chanted anti-government and anti-Semitic slogans. Far-right protests have become frequent since 2006, when Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany admitted in a leaked speech that he lied about the state of the economy to win re-election. His remarks were followed by Hungary's worst violence in decades. On Saturday, police pushed hundreds of protesters, some of whom wore swastikas, through downtown streets, continuously firing tear gas. The clashes came just hours after several liberal groups, including the Democratic Charta, founded in part by the Socialist prime minister, and a Roma organization gathered in Budapest to protest against far right organizations which they said were becoming increasingly powerful and menacing. Gyurcsany, one of Hungary's most disliked politicians, has struggled to amass popular support after his government enacted hefty tax and price hikes in 2006 to reduce the biggest budget deficit in the 27-nation European Union. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi) # http://on221.com/2008/09/19/video-african-americans-protest-against-barack-obama/ [Video] African Americans Protest Against Barack Obama Posted by Des on September 19, 2008 A group called ?Blacks Against Obama? protested during a speech Barack Obama was delivering in Coral Gables, Fla. this afternoon. Almost a dozen African-Americans held up signs saying things like ?what about black people?? before being calmly escorted out. Obama asked if he could finish speaking before he addressed the group, though, they were escorted out of the venue. This isn?t the first time that this has happened to Obama. Another demonstration of similar sentiment showed a more assertive side of Obama as he demanded a group of hecklers to cease. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Top&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080904055039345C625263 Chained bank protest pays off September 04 2008 at 07:22AM By Yusuf Moolla An elderly Durban man demonstrated on Wednesday that making a loud noise, for long enough, can get results. Banging a tin against the pavement, the man, identified only as W Maine, chained himself to a lamp post outside the Standard Bank Autobank Sentrum Centre in Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street in an attempt to get paid money owed to him by Standard Bank or The Liberty Group. For several hours, Maine, 86, shouted that he wanted his money, all the while making a racket with his tin and drawing a small crowd. 'His annuity income has been paid to him with interest' Protest boards and slogans on a brown paper bag on his head and on his clothes indicated that Standard Bank or Liberty had breached a contact since 2005 and had yet to pay him. When The Mercury tried to speak to the partially deaf Maine, he said that he wanted to take the guilty party to court. Asked about the reason for his actions, he replied: "You will know the real reason I am here when you come with me to court." Police at the scene said that authorities were negotiating with Maine, adding that he was refusing to move unless a bank official spoke to him. Subsequently Liberty chief executive Andre du Plessis said the matter had been resolved. "We apologise for the distress caused to Mr Maine and can confirm that his annuity income has been paid to him with interest. We are looking into why Mr Maine appears to have received such poor service." Maine was given a letter and proof that payment, with interest, had been made, in the late afternoon. He then freed himself and said he would not be taking Liberty to court. Liberty spokesperson Fiona Hannig said that the matter was being investigated. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7615154.stm Sunday, 14 September 2008 11:03 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Police praise Ashley protesters Owner Mike Ashley did not attend the game Police have praised the behaviour of thousands of Newcastle United fans who staged protests in the city against club owner Mike Ashley. Supporters held demonstrations against the billionaire businessman before, during and after the team's 2-1 loss to Hull City on Saturday. Fans are angry over the claims that manager Kevin Keegan was undermined leading to his resignation. A total of 14 arrests were made for public order offences. Ch Supt Paul Weir, Northumbria Police's match commander, said none of the arrests were in connection with the protests. Banners displayed He said: "I was satisfied that the arrangements made by police to facilitate lawful protest were successful. "A number of groups came to the ground to carry out their lawful protest and I would like to praise those fans for the way in which they behaved." Thousands of fans thronged outside the stadium's Milburn Stand directors' entrance to chant "sack the board" and "Ashley out" before and after the game. Banners were displayed urging fans to boycott Ashley's businesses. One fans' group led a march of hundreds of people through the city as the game kicked-off. Owner Ashley, who bought the club in May last year, and his heavily criticised director of football Dennis Wise did not attend the match. Keegan ended his second spell as Newcastle manager on 4 September citing interference in transfer policy. Newcastle United has previously stated that Keegan was "allowed to manage his duties without any interference". http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/2008/09/13/fuming-newcastle-united-fans-in-mass-protest-115875-20735563/ Fuming Newcastle United fans in mass protest ? ? By Brian McNally 13/09/2008 And the news that Ashley will sell-out will delight the mutinous Geordie fans. After yesterday?s set-back thousands chanted for Ashley to quit outside St James? Park. Advertisement - article continues below ? They were dispersed by mounted police an hour after the final whistle. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/sep/13/liverpool.newcastleunited?gusrc=rss&feed=sport Anfield approach suggests Premier league doomsday is not far off It is a sad indictment of English football that a game as big as Liverpool v Manchester United should be overshadowed by protest Comments (62) Liverpool supporters protest against the club's American owners. Photograph: Paul Thomas/AP The doomsday theory says the Premier League will eat itself should the influx of overseas investors and the march of the global brand continue. The approach to Anfield this morning said we are already there. For at least 1,000 Liverpool supporters, and it appeared far more when they congregated next to the Kop before kick off, the biggest game in the league calendar meant another protest march and another demonstration against the unfulfilled promises and debt-ridden reality of the club's American owners. The presence of George Gillett - and to be fair to the co-owner accused of ruling in absentia, he rarely misses a home game against Manchester United - thus ensured more eyes were trained on the directors' box than Dimitar Berbatov when these hated rivals took to the field at Anfield. Whatever happened to just meeting in the pub? To the escapism and, perish the thought, the fun? It is, for many, long gone. Disillusionment and skewed priorities were not confined to events surrounding today's fixture, when Rafael Ben?tez's side overcame an ominous start superbly through sheer force of will. At Newcastle, thousands more will stage their own protest at the reign of Mike Ashley and the presence of Denis Wise, doing a conga around St James' Park as they go, while no less an authority that Mark Hughes believes Manchester City versus Chelsea represents the grandest fixture on show on account of their respective bank-balances. Not their combined total of three league titles in the past 40 years against the 21 championships and eight European Cups that Liverpool and United can boast between them in the same period, of course, just their projected cash flows. The sad thing is so many buy into the chilling ideas of Garry Cook, City's executive chairman, and barely raise an eyebrow when Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive, leads the team up to collect their Champions League runners-up medals. Those who do recoil can be found on Liverpool's Breck Road and outside St James' Park today. And they will be drowned out if, or when, their club becomes awash with Arabian money and is able to talk seriously of fantasy transfers once again. Gillett at least cannot claim to be unawares of the depth of anger against himself and co-owner Tom Hicks following this weekend's protests, whether organised by the Spirit of Shankly group or otherwise. Gillett and his minders are believed to have had to leave a Liverpool city centre pub on Friday night amid concern for the American's safety. Either that or they left in disgust at the early drinking curfew in Ye Cracke's beer garden. We've all been there. Gillett was sat four rows back in the director's box instead of at the front and directly behind those supporters straining to catch a glimpse, and pass on their thoughts, to Liverpool's co-owner. Meanwhile, out on the pitch, an enthralling game took place. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7628191.stm Sunday, 21 September 2008 16:33 UK E-mail this to a friend Rangers fans protest outside BBC The group gathered outside BBC Scotland's Govan headquarters A handful of Rangers football fans staged a protest outside BBC Scotland's headquarters in Glasgow. The small group of 35 supporters held banners outside the broadcaster's base claiming recent media coverage over songs sung at matches was unfair. BBC Scotland security staff said the protesters were quiet and good-natured. The BBC last week reported that Irish diplomats had raised concerns with the Scottish Government over chanting at last month's Old Firm game. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=404923 Manipur students protest dope charge against wrestler Monika Devi ________________________________________ ANI Thursday 11th September, 2008 Imphal, Sept 11 : Hundreds of students took to the streets here on Wednesday to demand a fair probe into the doping charges against weightlifter Monika Devi, who was denied a berth in the Indian squad for the Beijing Olympics. Carrying placards, the protesters shouted slogans against the Sports Authority of India (SAI) charging it with discrimination against people hailing from the remote regions. "We hope that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will enquire in a right manner. We hope to do some good things but, the main thing is that we want to stand united and we want to struggle against this kind of discrimination, especially sportspersons. We want to have full dignity," said Ashirjit, the president of the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur. The protesters felt that Monica was denied an opportunity to display her talent before the world. "We feel very sorry for Monika because she was discriminated against in front of the world stage. She wasn't given a chance to participate or show her talent on the world stage. So, we feel discriminated against by the Government. That is why we are here to show that we don't agree with what the Government is doing with her," said Kanchana Laishram, a protestor. Monika Devi was withdrawn from the Beijing Olympics after she failed to pass a dope test at home. The lifter pleaded her innocence. The Indian Weightlifting Federation also criticised the SAI, claiming that the doping test was faulty. The Sports Ministry has ordered an internal inquiry to ascertain the truth and the CBI has registered a case following a demand to this effect by Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090751570300.htm Tamil Nadu Protesting villagers lathicharged Staff Reporter Tiruvannamalai: People who staged road roko demanding the police to register a murder case in connection with the death of a person under suspicious circumstances, were lathicharged in Isukkazhi Katteri village near here on Saturday. Velu (40), a farmer of Isukkazhi Katteri village, was found dead in the farm on Friday morning. Villagers suspected it to be a case of murder. But police registered it as suspicious murder and sent the body for post mortem. After getting the body back from post mortem on Saturday, villagers refused to cremate it demanding the police to register the case of murder and staged a road roko. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Conciliatory meeting convened However at the end of a conciliatory meeting convened following the lathicharge, villagers cremated the body. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1051101/Mexicans-streets-protest-spate-murders-kidnappings.html 150,000 Mexicans take to the streets to protest a spate of murders and kidnappings By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 9:22 PM on 31st August 2008 ? Comments (0) ? Add to My Stories More than 150,000 Mexicans staged candelight protests to demand government action against a tide of killings, abductions and shootouts. Only last week a dozen headless bodies were found in the Yucatan Peninsula, home to Mexico's most popular beach resort, Cancun. Murders have surged as drug cartels battle for control of trafficking routes and stage vicious attacks against police nearly every day. Enlarge Protest: People hold candles at Zocalo square in Mexico City on Sunday - more than 150,000 Mexicans dressed in white marched over the weekend= A sea of 100,000 white-clad demonstrators filled Mexico City's Zocalo square, while tens of thousands overflowed into the surrounding streets. Thousands more protested in other cities. On Sunday President Felipe Calderon has announced a crackdown on drug crime, but there has been little improvement on the ground. 'The federal government renews its commitment with its citizens and precisely will step up efforts to eradicate this evil,' Calderon said in a nationally broadcast speech. 'It is urgent that all authorities and all people do their corresponding part to rid Mexico of crime,' he said, without offering specifics. Enlarge Marching on: More than 13 anti-crime groups planned marches in all 32 Mexican states, urging people to walk in silence with candles or lanterns More than 2,300 people have been killed in drug murders this year despite Calderon's battle against gangs. He has sent 25,000 troops and federal police against cartels since taking office in December 2006, but killings have increased. Long-used to violent crime, Mexicans were outraged by the kidnapping and murder of Fernando Marti, 14, whose body was found in a car trunk in Mexico City on Aug. 1, even though his businessman father had paid a ransom. Mexico is one of the worst countries in the world for abductions, along with conflict zones like Iraq and Colombia. Calderon, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard and state governors held an emergency crime summit last week and vowed to stamp out abductions and violent crime. But the huge march put more pressure on Calderon for results. March organizers met with the president on Sunday to put forward their crime-busting proposals. Night-time vigil: Demonstrators light candles as part of the protest, calling on the Mexican Government to do more to fight the kidnappings and killings 'Together, society and government, we can put an end to this cancer that damages and hurts our Mexico,' Calderon said after the meeting. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=133425 Protesters at Faizabad block traffic for hours Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Muhammad Anis Islamabad Motorists and commuters travelling in public transport remained stranded in a traffic jam for at least two hours due to a protest demonstration near Faizabad Flyover here on Monday evening. The roads in other parts of twin cities also remained blocked for hours due to this reason. The construction activity on the Islamabad Highway near Khanna Bridge added to miseries of motorists and those travelling in public transport. ?I want to reach home at the earliest to prepare for Namaz-e-Taraveeh,? Abdul Razzaq, one of the motorists stranded in traffic between Faizabad and Khanna Bridge, told ?The News?. A large number of activists belonging to the Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) staged a protest demonstration near Faizabad Flyover against the killing of people in a terrorist act in Parachinar the other day. The protesters, carrying banners and placards, raised slogans and demanded immediate arrest of killers. They asked the government to take measures for preventing such incidents in future. The protesters burnt tyres on the road, making it impossible for traffic to move on for more than two hours. ?I have to take my wife to the hospital but I am trapped in the traffic mess for more than an hour,? a motorist, Faisal Shaikh, told ?The News?. The construction activity on the Islamabad Highway near Khanna Bridge also caused problems for motorists and public transport. Police did not intervene during the protest demonstration but they prevented demonstrators from crossing the Faizabad Flyover and their march towards the Murree Road and Zero Point. Motorists and commuters, trapped in the traffic mess on both sides of the Islamabad Highway, had no idea about what caused the blockade. The traffic load on Islamabad Highway increases after 6 p.m. due to heavy rush of office workers travelling between twin cities. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7590762.stm Monday, 1 September 2008 08:07 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version March held in knife crime protest Hundreds of young people have marched through Liverpool in a protest against knife crime. Demonstrators left the Anglican Cathedral and marched through the city to Derby Square on Sunday. The march was organised by Term-Time, a group which works for tougher sentencing on violent crime, and more funding for youth organisations. Organisers said it had been organised in response to concerns from both parents and children. Spokeswoman Harriet Stewart said: "The reason this is happening is because at local and national level people have got in touch with us. "Mothers have been saying we fear for our son's life, we fear for our daughter's life. "And youths themselves have contacted us and said it's scary, we're afraid to talk - even to our parents." http://www.kptv.com/news/17425125/detail.html?rss=ptl1&psp=news#- Residents March In Protest Of Violent Crime POSTED: 7:42 pm PDT September 8, 2008 UPDATED: 8:32 pm PDT September 8, 2008 GRESHAM, Ore. -- Some neighbors in the Rockwood area of Gresham took to the streets Monday morning to complain about crime. Several shootings in the past week near 188th and Stark motivated them to march. The mayor, some City Council members and business leaders urged neighbors to support the upcoming tax levy to hire more police officers. The rally marched down Southeast Stark and Burnside streets, which is an area that has seen several shooting over the past week. Neighbors said it's much safer to walk those streets before lunch than it is after dark. Gresham police reported a disturbance in the area on Tuesday night in the area of 188th and Stark where about six shots were fired, one of which hit a car. On Sept. 1, there was another shooting on 190th and Stark when a man shot at two other men, hitting a car but not causing any injuries. "Any time you get violence you're going to get more. It starts out small and then it grows. I've seen it happen in many cities. Once it starts, they take over," neighbor Marion Haines said. Neighbors in the area said they are hopeful that through a police initiative the crime on their streets can be eliminated. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=119436&provider=rss Protestors Set up Camp Outside Caylee Anthony's House Posted By: Gary Detman Created: 9/22/2008 4:03:08 PM Updated: 9/22/2008 4:09:41 PM ORLANDO, FL (AP) -- Each night, a half dozen protesters plant lawn chairs across the street from the home of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony, demanding a confession from her mother and grandparents. "Baby killer," one woman's sign reads. "My mommy did it!" reads another. But all they get is silence: The child's family stays quiet night after night, their yard lined with yellow caution tape and "No Trespassing" signs, and a collage of the hazel-eyed child's photographs taped to the front door. Three months after Caylee disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the protesters have joined the crowd of reporters and gawkers outside the family's suburban Orlando home, hoping to get what police so far have not: a statement that the little girl is dead. They believe the girl's 22-year-old mother, Casey Anthony, killed her and that her grandparents, Cindy and George Anthony, are covering it up. The protesters taunt the family at all hours, some dressing up in costumes and even recording rock songs about the case. There has been a videotaped scuffle and even 911 calls, but the group is undeterred in its mission. "It's putting pressure on them," said Cathy Harris, a mother of 10 children who is among the group staking out the home. Casey Anthony is "hiding something and she needs to be confronted until she tells everybody," said another protester, Richard Ellis Namey. In August, Namey drove a flatbed trailer carrying his son's rock band by the Anthony house as they played "Casey's Song (Wine Sick Mind)," a song they wrote about the missing girl's mother. "You're the only one to blame ... can't wash away the pain, can't wash away the shame," the song goes. After two months, there still is not an answer to whether or not the 3-year-old with big eyes and brown bangs is dead or alive. The child's grandmother first called police in July to say Casey Anthony had told her the toddler had been missing for about a month and that her daughter's car smelled like death, although she later said she was mistaken and the smell was old pizza. Casey Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that when she returned after work, the two were gone. Anthony said she spent the next month trying to find her daughter on her own and didn't call authorities out of fear. But investigators said the apartment where the baby sitter supposedly lived had been vacant for months and that Anthony lied about her job. She was arrested and charged with neglect of a child, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. She is now under house arrest and facing 13 charges in all, most of them stemming from writing forged checks and illegal use of a friend's bank account. Todd Black, a spokesman for Anthony's attorney, said Casey insists she left Caylee with a baby sitter. "Her position is, she never did anything to harm her daughter and she is not believing her daughter is dead," Black said. Now protesters show up at all hours. It is not the typical, supportive vigil so often seen when a child disappears. A recent early morning scuffle wound up videotaped and aired on national television. Cindy and George Anthony told police they were trying to sleep when they heard a loud bang on their garage door. They found a group of seven or eight protesters at the edge of the driveway who began yelling and screaming profanities. A woman grabbed George Anthony's shirt, stamped with a picture of his missing granddaughter, and his wife said she got between them to stop a fight. "This can't keep happening," Casey Anthony said in a 911 call. After the confrontation, the Guardian Angels showed up and began patrolling the well-manicured, middle-class neighborhood. The neighbors are tired of the spectacle and are asking a court to move the protesters to a vacant lot. They are afraid to let their children outside and some can't sleep at night. The Orange County Sheriff's Office has been called to the Anthony home more than 40 times since Caylee was first reported missing. "It was a nice, quiet neighborhood," said Bill Fulton, president of the neighborhood association. "It's changed." In August, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla traveled from California to help bail Casey Anthony out of jail in hopes that they could work together to find her daughter. He said Anthony told him a variation of the story she'd given police, but said when he questioned it, she told him to leave. Padilla eventually left Orlando, in part, because the situation outside the home had grown too hostile. "I've seen vigils held for missing people," Padilla said. "But I've never seen one go into an accusatory tone of that nature." The protesters say they will keep coming until the case is solved. Harris recently brought along her teenage daughter, who was dressed up as Casey Anthony with a short bob wig and similar glasses. "Like what she did was really, really wrong," Yulia Harris, 13, said over the phone. She said she and her mom are "addicted to this case. I don't know how to explain it. It's just wrong." http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137023 Nawabshah woman attempts self-immolation in protest Sunday, September 21, 2008 By our correspondent NAWABSHAH: A woman attempted self-immolation here on Saturday when the police failed to apprehend the accused involved in an attack on her husband,who is a police constable. Hanifan, 40, staged a demonstration in front of the Nawabshah Press Club. She was demanding the arrest of accused involved in the attack on her husband, Head Constable Abdullah Magsi. Hanifan suddenly sprinkled kerosene oil on her and set herself on fire. The people present on the occasion rescued her and shifted her to the Nawabshah Medical Hospital in critical condition. Doctors said she had sustained severe burn injuries. Her husband Abdullah Magsi is also admitted to another ward. A sister of Magsi said his brother was going to his duty in police uniform when he was attacked. She said the attacker hit him on his head with multiple strokes of hatchet and his two fingers were chopped off as he was trying to protect his head. She said the police had registered a case but were reluctant to arrest the accused. She said when the police failed to provide justice to a head constable, then how it could provide justice to a common man. Former district Nazim and MNA Faryal Talpur has strictly directed the acting district Nazim, Abdul Haque Jamali, to pay a visit to Hanifan and tell her that the district government would bear all the expenses of her treatment here or outside the city. She directed the police to conduct an inquiry into the issue. Meanwhile, two police officers have been suspended on the charge of negligence in the case. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4793757.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797084 September 20, 2008 London knife crime protest as another victim dies March ends in Hyde Park rally to demand action against a rising toll of stabbing deaths Kevin Dowling Thousands of Londoners alarmed by the city's rising toll of knife crime marched through the capital today, hours after a man in his 20s was stabbed to death outside a sports club in the city. The victim, named as Lucan Gordon, 23, was attacked outside the Brixton Sports and Social Club in south London at 9pm Friday and taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Within a mile of the stabbing, families this morning set off on a march from Kennington Park into central London to join another group coming from Caledonian Road in the north of the city. They combined for a lunchtime rally at Hyde Park. Several motorists beeped their horns in support of the marchers as they waited for them to pass, accompanied by a gospel choir and chants of ?stop the knives, save lives?. Related Links ? Shock doubling of knife crimes revealed ? Knife crime 'overtakes terror as top priority for Met' Friends of Mr Gordon, laying flowers at the murder scene, said they had been planning to join the People?s March before they heard of his death. They said Mr Gordon was originally from Jamaica and had celebrated his birthday the night before he was killed. His cousin Dwayne Parch, 20, said: ?He was stabbed from behind while standing by the wall. He was stabbed in the left side of the neck.It?s always the good ones who go young. He didn?t stand a chance.? The People?s March was the brainchild of two south London women sickened by the rising tide of deaths they read in the news. After setting up a group on social networking site Facebook, Sharon Singh and Gemma Olway, both 26, joined forces with the families of young people murdered on the UK streets and the Damilola Taylor Trust. Gary Trowsdale, director of special projects at the Damilola Taylor Trust, said: ?We think this could be the moment for change. We are looking to stem the tide because this is ordinary people coming together and saying this has to stop. Richard Taylor, whose son Damilola was stabbed at the age of 10 close to his home in south London as he walked home from school in 2000, said: ?We are sending a message to young people that they have not been forgotten and that we care but we are also not happy with them resolving minor disputes and fighting over issues and then using a knife.? The two marches, from north and south, erupted into deafening applause and cheers as they met at the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus. Brooke Kinsella, actress and sister of murdered Ben Kinsella, met Damilola?s father Mr Taylor for the first time at the point where the two marches met. Junior Home Office minister Vernon Coaker, who joined the rally at Hyde Park, said: ?Obviously the Government has a real responsibility about this, but it is all of us, police, parents and schools, everybody standing together, that will tackle this. I just think that?s a really powerful message." Barry Mizzen, father of Jimmy who was stabbed earlier this year in a bakery in south London, said: ?I?m encouraged by the fact there are so many people here raising awareness of the issue." The family of Oliver Kingonzila was also on the march. His death last week brought the number of teenage knife related deaths to 26 in the capital this year, equalling the total number for 2007 with more than three months of the year still to go. Commander Mark Simmons, who has responsibility for knife crime in the Metropolitan Police, initially struggled to overcome a hostile reaction from the crowd when he began to speak. ?We have arrested over 3,000 people and every person we arrest we are prosecuting and we are putting them in front of the courts,? he said. ?We will continue to do that. We want to work with you, we want to work with your communities and we will be absolutely relentless in our pursuit of people that use knives.? A video message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also met with jeers. Mr Brown told the audience that part of the solution lay in ?making sure that every young person has something to do with their time and isn?t just hanging around.? No arrests have been made in relation to yesterday?s stabbing and the victim has not been formally identified. Scottish protest: Hundreds of people marched against knife crime in Gourock, Inverclyde, today in memory of a teenager stabbed to death a year ago. Darren Pyper, 14, died after being stabbed at a friend?s house in Gourock. William Brown, 64, from Gourock, was charged with Darren?s murder but died of suspected heart failure in hospital in November. Today Darren?s friends and family organised a day of events to highlight the cost of knife crime. His mother Margo and younger brother Ryan were among those taking part. Organiser, Kendall Gregory, 17, said: "We want to show people how hard it is for us one year after Darren died. We hope to send out a message so that, hopefully, other people won?t have to go through the same.? http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/08/when-marines-protest.html Saturday, August 30, 2008 When the Marines protest !! We got in Egypt Marines ,but they are not related to anything military from any or far on the contrary their young men find their ways to escape the military service. The Egyptian Marines are the residents of the famous A class Summer resort ?Marina? in the North Coast.Marine is the gathering place of the A Class from socialites,politicians, ministers,pop and film stars you name it.Yes there are other resorts in the north coast exclusive for the A Class but no like this one. To describe it better Marina now is like Ras Al-Bar pre-1952, I will not say Montaza because historically Montaza was a Royalty exclusive area. Last week something strange or rather provoking thing in Marina happened , after further thought it is not that provoking or strange ,because this is what Marina is and this who the Marines are ,a class from the Egyptian society mostly isolated from the rest and the majority of classes. A group of ladies led by a grand daughter of a free officers member and a daughter of a famous Businessman protested all over Marina against the Emam of Marina?s mosque after his attack on the Turkish TV series ?Nour? !! Yeah Nour again !! The Nour mania in Egypt , it is disgusting . The ladies wore T-Shirts with Mohand and Nour pictures and roamed all over Marina declaring their refusal to this viscous attack !! The Emam described the TV Series as a waste of Time !! A protest for the blue eyes of Mohand !! I respect protesting and freedom of expression but this is too much , I never heard that someone protested because of a TV series ,it is not a cult TV series like a Star Trek for God sake !! Strangely the Police and the interior ministry did not crack this protest as they usually do especially it is for a foreign person !! well may be they did not crack it because they want more of that sort of protests , if you remember from two years ago there was a similar post when Tamer Hosni was in Jail at Cairo !! Have we reached to this level of inconsideration and isolation ?? This is even worse than pre-1952. We have now Two Egypt , the rich Egypt and the poor Egypt and between them there is a middle Class losing more ground to the poor Egypt. It is so sad and disgusting that this happens in the same country where some people protest from time to time to get clean water , bread and small raises to help them in Ramadan and schools time !! It is so sad and disgusting !! Famous Arabic Poet Al-Mutanabbi from Middle Century once described Egypt saying Egypt got many things that can make you laugh , a laugh that is near to cry !! Do you remember the wonderful Obey Giant Poster I posted from two days ago ?? THE LIMITS OF TYRANTS ARE PRESCRIBED BY THE ENDURANCE OF THEM WHOM THEY OPPRESS Tyrants love shallow classes like this , because they are the leading classes many from lower classes look up trying to be like them , they like to make the people busy in anything other than resisting them. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-21758.html Manipur's sericulture department protest against militants' highhandedness Imphal, Sept 12 : Protests against militancy continue in Manipur with people in the state coming out openly against the highhandedness and brutal activities of the militant groups. The staff of the Sericulture Department recently held a demonstration in West Imphal against underground groups, which have been trying to extort money and threatening officials. Staff of the Sericulture Department in Manipur is on a warpath against militants' highhandedness in the State. The sericulture department at Lamphel in Imphal West was out in protest against the militant outfits, which have been demanding seven per cent of the department's annual budget, two per cent of the salary of each employee and Rs. 2 crore from the work undertaken by the department. Such extortion has affected the functioning of the department very badly, which is entrusted with the task of imparting technical know how to the farmers and youth of the state. While emphasising on the negative effect of militancy on growth, N.Jibon Singh, Principal, Sericulture Training Institute, Thoubal said, "If the training programs are hampered, the students will lag behind in technical knowledge. So we appeal to the concerned people not to do such things in these training centres." P. Sushila Devi, a student at the Sericulture Institute, Manipur, says, "We are living by using the farm. We will not be able to live if they continue disturbing us frequently with such demands. With militant activities, our hopes are fading away." The employees of the department fear losing out on the 134 crore rupees project that Japan Bank of International Cooperation has provided for the first phase of the sericulture project. The bank may stop funding the second phase if militants continue to get in the way of the implementation of the scheme. The project has given direct employment to at least 5,000 farmers and the extortion demands by the militant outfits have caused anxiety among farmers whose livelihood is linked to such projects. Y. Tomba Singh, a Manipuri farmer, said, "We farmers are working for sericulture production in the state and this has given us employment. We are struggling to meet our daily needs and troubling us by making huge monetary demands is not good. If this goes on we will have nothing to live on. We appeal that such monetary demands should be stopped." People fear that the Sericulture Department may be closed if militant activities continue. While expressing his anxiety, Gopal Sharma, another Manipuri farmer said, "When the militant outfits are targeting the Sericulture Department, making monetary demands and also creating havoc and disturbances here, we fear that in the long run we may lose the sericulture department. If it continues, it's possible that we might close down the department." As the sericulture department has not given in to the demands of the militant outfits, a live bullet was handed over to the director at her residence and this led to the forcible shutting down of the project office and training centre located at Kwata. Militants who claim to represent the interests of the people are harassing the common people and are hampering the growth and development of the State. The continuous extortion demands prove that militants are not guided by any ideology but by purely mercenary considerations. --- ANI http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20080726132742575C270423 Bosnian Serbs in protest walk for Karadzic July 26 2008 at 01:47PM Pale, Bosnia-Hercegovina - Several thousand Bosnian Serbs joined in one-hour processions organised throughout the Serb-run entity at noon on Saturday in support of the arrested genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic. The peaceful walks and lighting of candles were organised by the nationalist Serb Democratic Party (SDS) founded by wartime leader Karadzic. Around 2 000 people gathered in Pale, his stronghold during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war and where his family lives, headed by the SDS chief Mladen Bosic. The Karadzic family could not be seen in the procession which stopped in front of the church where people lit candles in sign of prayers for Karadzic. Supporters carried pictures of Karadzic reading "Don't touch," "We are with you," "Serb hero," and "The power of prayer," while some wore Tee-shirts with pictures of him and his wartime military chief Ratko Mladic. They also waved flags of the entity of Republika Srpska and the SDS party. In the administrative centre of Banja Luka around a thousand people took part in the procession to the city church. Although the party urged the Orthodox Church to say masses for his health, its officials refused. However, Bishop Grigorije of the southern Hercegovina region allowed priests to celebrate masses for Karadzic in Trebinje and other towns. Karadzic, and Mladic who is still at large, remain heroes for many nationalist Serbs despite heavy charges against them. Karadzic, on the run for more than a decade, was arrested by Serbian security forces in Belgrade on Monday and is expected to be transferred to the UN war crimes court in The Hague within days. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted Karadzic for war crimes and genocide near the end of Bosnia's war. The charges are mainly related to two of Europe's worst atrocities since World War II, the 44-month siege of Sarajevo which killed more than 10 000 people and the Srebrenica massacre of some 8 000 Muslim males. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-02-voa40.cfm?CFID=88655093&CFTOKEN=41066081 Serbs Protest EU Deployment in Northern Kosovo By VOA News 02 October 2008 Serbs gather in the town of Gracanica, south of Kosovo's capital Pristina, to protest against deployment of EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, 02 Oct 2008 Several thousand Serbs have rallied in northern Kosovo to protest the deployment of a European Union police and administrative mission. The demonstrators took to the streets Thursday in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica. Smaller protests were held in other towns in Kosovo. No clashes or injuries were reported. EU personnel are replacing a United Nations force that has operated in the former Serbian province since 1999. The deployment, opposed by Serbia and traditional ally Russia, is expected to be completed this year. Mitrovica has been the scene of confrontations between ethnic Albanians and Serbs since Kosovo declared independence from Belgrade in February. Serbian President Boris Tadic repeated this week that he considers Kosovo a part of Serbia. He said he would consider partitioning the province between its ethnic Albanian majority in the south and ethnic Serbs in the north. The United States and 46 other countries have recognized Kosovo's independence. Serbia and Russia say Kosovo's declaration of independence is illegal. Last week, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group said the EU has failed to fully support Kosovo and its institutions. The group sharply criticized the long delays ahead of the EU mission's deployment in Kosovo. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/28/europe/EU-Serbia-Solana-Protest.php Police arrest four people over anti-Solana posters The Associated Press Published: September 28, 2008 BELGRADE, Serbia: Serbian police have arrested four people for allegedly putting up posters containing faked death notices of the European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Police say the four, including two minors, will face legal action after they were arrested with about 100 posters in the capital Belgrade. Nationalists in Serbia view Solana as anti-Serb because of his role as secretary-general of NATO when it launched a 1999 bombing campaign to stop a Serbian onslaught against Kosovo separatists. Solana's unpopularity was cemented when most EU member states supported Kosovo's declaration of independence. Serbian media reported that the notices, which also took a swipe at pro-Western Serbian media and political parties, first appeared early Sunday. http://www.the-news.net/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=978-14 Spanish vandalise Portuguese milk lorry in protest 27/9/2008 A Portuguese truck carrying 25,000 litres of milk produced in Portugal through the Spanish region of Galiza was accosted by a group of Spanish protestors who emptied its load onto a public road against the under-cut prices at which Spain buys its milk from Portugal. Jos? Oliveira, head of the Leicar milk-producers? cooperative, expressed his disgust at the incident and confirmed that should it be repeated Portugal would take the same kind of action. ?But we would make them turn around,? he said, ?We would never destroy milk like they did?. The incident occurred when the fully filled truck made its way to the Spanish Pe?asanta group?s headquarters in Lugo, based on accusations of ?dumping? (selling at prices lower than production costs) and disregard for national produce. Spanish authorities were informed of the incident as was the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture, which has asked Spain to quickly rectify the illegality. Various Spanish syndicates oppose the importation of Portuguese milk and accuse the regional milk industry of threatening Spain?s farmers by saying prices must be lowered or they will stop buying their produce and then purchase supplies from Portugal or France. Jos? Oliveira protested these accusations, claiming Portuguese-produced milk that is sold to the Spanish is slightly more expensive ?as the quality is better?. Commercial relations between Portugal and Spain within the milk industry are proving prejudicial to Portugal. According to calculations from Leicar, every day 170,000 liters of milk are exported into Spain. But Portugal imports much more than it exports. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/03/stories/2008100353630300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Ongole Novel protest by Telugu Mahila against belt shops Special Correspondent ONGOLE: In a novel protest, Telugu Mahila activists swept the roads demanding the government to remove all unauthorised liquor outlets, called belt shops in villages. The agitators submitted a memorandum to the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar and swept the road up to Miriyalapalem centre, over a distance of about 200 yards. Telugu Mahila leader T Aruna said they had been fighting against belt shops for the last one year with no result. They observed relay fast on Gandhi Jayanti day last year and took to agitations since then in different forms to bring pressure on the government to close all belt shops and save the poor families from falling prey to the liquor evil ruining their economy in villages. The number of belt shops has gone up in the last one year showing the indifference of the government to their demand. She felt the need to intensify their agitation to compel the government concede their demand. TDP senior leaders Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary and Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthi extended their support to Telugu Mahila wing in this regard. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=132262 PSP officers protest out-of-turn promotions Wednesday, August 27, 2008 By Salis bin Perwaiz Karachi Differences have erupted between the Police Services of Pakistan (PSP) and the Provincial Police Services (PPS) after the Sindh government moved a summary for the promotion of two PPS cadre officers to grade-20, a post of a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police. About 35 PSP officers wrote a letter to the federal government and said that the promotions were out-of-turn, sources said. Sources said that the Sindh government had moved a summary of the federal government for the promotion of PPS cadre officers, SSP Mohammed Malik and SSP Dost Ali Baloch, for promotion to BPS-20, the rank of a DIG. SSP Malik was a recruit of the Income Tax Department while SSP Dost Ali Baloch was a recruit of the Intelligence Bureau. Both were inducted in the Sindh Police a few years ago. They took out-of-turn promotions, sources said, adding that SSP Malik recently managed to stop his transfer orders three times from the Driving Licence Branch. Former PPO Sindh Mohammed Shoaib Suddle had constituted an inquiry committee to stop out-of-turn promotions and directed the committee members to check if the grounds for the promotions were sound, and then revert the officers if necessary. Soon after Suddle?s transfer, however, the committee stopped its inquiry, sources said. They maintained that PSP Officers were aware of the upcoming ?out-of-turn promotion? of SSP Malik and SSP Baloch for a few days. They started conducting meetings and finally decided to move an application to the Interior Ministry, Home Minister, Chief Minister, and Civil Services Tribunal for justice. Some senior PSP Officers told The News on conditions of anonymity that these officers who were recommended for BPS-20 were junior to them and had not even appeared for any courses which were compulsory for promotion. The PSP officers said that if the two SSPs were promoted, they would not work under them. They also demanded that if they absolutely had to be promoted, the government should ?kindly transfer them to other provinces.? Some other officers recommended for promotion to BPS-20 are SSP Deen Mohammed Baloch, Mushtaq Mehar, Sanaullah Abbasi, Noor Ahmed Pascho, A.D. Khwaja, Abdul Aleem Jaffery, Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti and others. Sources said that they were promoted to the rank of a DIG. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127425 Protest Rally Against Sudden Eviction Orders by Hillel Fendel (IsraelNN.com) A protest rally is scheduled to be held Tuesday evening in the small town of Reut, just outside western Samaria (Shomron) near Modiin, against the abrupt eviction orders issued to three young Jews living in Samaria. The three were informed last week that they must leave their homes and not set foot in Judea or Samaria for the next 3-4 months. The orders, signed by IDF Central Commander Gen. Gad Shamni, state that the three "present a danger to the public order," but do not elaborate. A petition has been signed by dozens of rabbis (see below), as well as Jonathan and Esther Pollard, demanding that the government rescind the evicition decree. The sudden orders place a difficult burden upon the three evictees, all of whom have young families and earn their living in Judea and Samaria. The three are Meir Bretler (two children, expectant wife) and David Libman (3-month-old baby ) of Adei Ad, near Shilo, and Akiva HaCohen (three children, age 4.5 and younger) of Yitzhar. HaCohen's wife Ayelet-HaShachar told IsraelNationalNews, "We are gratified and encouraged by this demonstration, which shows that people are refusing to accept what the establishment is doing and just allowing it to go unchallenged." Asked if she believes there is a chance the decree will be rescinded, she said she does not know of any developments to this end, "but we are praying that something will happen at the last minute." The orders are to take effect on Tuesday evening at 7 PM - the hour at which the protest is to take place. "The issue here is not a humanitarian one for me and my family," Akiva said last week, "but rather a national one." He said he believes the government has targeted him because of his activity on behalf of an intiative to hinder the army from evicting pioneer youth from hilltops in Judea and Samaria. "We have a system we call 'Mutual Responsibility' whereby whenever the army tries to evict Jews from one hilltop, Jews everywhere else do what they can to stop it, whether by standing in the roads with signs and the like. The police don't like when we show mutual responsibility, so they arrest us..." Milling Tons of Wheat The humanitarian issues loom large nonetheless. Ayelet-HaShachar said, "We are here working hard to mill five tons of wheat kernels before the edict goes into effect." Asked to explain, she said, "The last time we received a leave-home order, for several months, we lived in Kfar Gideon, just north of Afula, and we grew some 40 dunams [10 acres] of wheat. We had about 12 tons of wheat, we sold some, and then we had 5 left. I don't do it; only my husband does. We have this electric mill that does about 100 kilograms an hour, and we're working to do as much as we can." Mrs. HaCohen said she and her husband's housing plans for the next four months are not yet finalized: "We have a possibility for the next two months, but it is not certain." Regarding schools for her children, she said, "We are home-schooling them, which makes it both easier and harder. If we live in a city, it will be very hard to keep them cooped up at home all day..." In addition, the HaCohens had plans to plant ten dunams of grapes next month, right after the end of the Shemittah year in which farming is Biblically prohibited. Their hopes to till the Land of Israel in that manner will apparently be dashed. Mutual Responsibility Women in Green co-chair Nadia Matar, an organizer of the protest, told IsraelNationalNews, "If they don't like how we display mutual responsibility one for another, we'll show them how we really do it. We will not accept this unlawful treatment, throwing young families out of their home without even formal charges or a trial. Just as we demonstrated outside the home of Shamni's predecessor when he issued orders like this until he finally ran away to study abroad, we will protest this injustice without tiring." Nearly 100 Names Gathered in 3 Days Among the nearly 100 signatories on the petition to the government in favor of the three young expelless are: Rabbis Dov Lior, Yaakov Yosef, Moshe Tzuriel, Shmuel Eliyahu, Uziyahu Sharbaf, Ido Elba, Yehoshu Shapira, Yosef Mendlevitch, Yosef Artziel, Shalom Dov Wolpe, and others, as well as several Knesset Members, Yossi Ben-Aharon, Ariel Zilber, Dr. Aryeh Morgenstern, Prof. Hillel Weiss, Moshe Rosenbaum, and many others. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/CanadaVotes/News/2008/09/25/6869871-cp.html Pro-sovereignty protesters target Trudeau By THE CANADIAN PRESS 2008-09-25 Members of Les Jeunes Patriotes du Quebec, a pro-sovereigntist group, demonstrate outside the office of Liberal candidate in Montreal Justin Trudeau Wednesday September 24, 2008. (Canadian Press) MONTREAL - A crowd of pro-sovereignty protesters demonstrated outside Liberal candidate Justin Trudeau's campaign office in the Montreal riding of Papineau Wednesday. Les Jeunes Patriotes du Quebec chose the official launch of Trudeau's campaign bid to denounce the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his support for federalism and bilingualism. "(Justin Trudeau) long refused to recognize Quebec as a nation," said the group's spokesman Francois Gendron. "We are a people and we are a nation." Gendron said they targeted Trudeau because of his politics, his father's politics, and his popularity within English Canada. "We had to chose a candidate and we chose Justin," said Gendron. "If he's going to play rock star he has to deal with the consequences .We're giving his campaign a little colour." Protester Jacques Fournier said he remembered that the senior Trudeau caused a lot of problems for Quebec over the years. "We fear his son will follow in the father's footsteps, that's why we came out today," he said. "As a whole, I don't like Liberal candidates, but Justin Trudeau particularly is a symbol of contempt." Trudeau told the media that he didn't think the protest would affect his campaign but that he was glad to see young people get involved in politics. "It's not them who will vote in Papineau," he said. "It's not their vote that will elect the next MP in Papineau." He also responded to the protester's anger over a comment he made last February calling people who spoke one language "lazy." "I believe bilingualism is better than unilingualism," Trudeau said. "I think a society that doesn't promote bilingualism can be considered a little lazy. But I never accused anyone of being lazy for not speaking another language." Meanwhile, Trudeau supporters, who outnumbered the protesters, spilled into the streets at the high-profile launch attended by prominent Liberals like Bob Rae and Denis Coderre. Rae, introducing Trudeau, joked about the presence of the protesters outside the campaign office. "It makes me feel at home," he said. Papineau, in central Montreal, is the smallest federal riding in Canada, covering only nine square kilometres. The Papineau riding is currently held by Bloc Quebecois MP Vivian Barbot. She's a former college professor and union leader, and was first elected into the traditionally Liberal riding in 2006. http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=132534&CtNode=39 1st protest rally since Ma's inauguration ends peacefully 08/31/2008 (CNA) Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) The first massive-scale protest rally in downtown Taipei since President Ma Ying-jeou's May 20 inauguration concluded smoothly and peacefully Saturday evening, with demonstrators calling for economic stimulus measures and more cautious policies toward China. Tens of thousands of Ma's opponents from around Taiwan marched through major Taipei streets before rallying on Ketagaland Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office. They banged drums, waved "Taiwan Yes, China No" banners and chanted slogans appealing for a better livelihood, protection of national sovereignty and early passage of "sunshine bills" to wipe out corruption. Organized by the pro-independence group Taiwan Society, the rally came amid worries among some people that Ma's efforts to boost Taiwan's sluggish economy with China's help could erode and threaten Taiwan's sovereignty. The crowd included opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, local officials and citizens from around Taiwan and offshore Penghu County. Lo Chih-cheng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Society, said the number of participants was far larger than expected. "The crowd was more than 10 folds of our original estimate," he added. The protest, which coincided with Ma's 100th day in office, was also the first mass rally since the DPP lost power. An ongoing graft probe into former President Chen Shui-bian and his family didn't deter demonstrators, many of whom were staunch supporters of the DPP. DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin said the cash-strapped DPP didn't give any financial support for the protest march and follow-up rally. "I was moved by enthusiastic support shown by grassroots supporters, all of whom have paid for travel fares out of their own pockets, " an emotional Yeh added. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen also took part in the parade from Lungshan Temple in western Taipei to Ketagalan Boulevard in central Taipei, receiving hearty welcome from thousands of DPP fans. Addressing the rally, Tsai said she was pleased to see the street parade and rally proceed orderly and peacefully without any hitch. Noting that the smooth proceeding of the demonstration signifies maturity of Taiwan's democracy, Tsai said she will lead the DPP to move into a brand new stage of development following the protest rally. Before the rally, some ruling Kuomintang lawmakers speculated that the rally could be turned into an event to support what they called "corrupt A-bian" (the former president's nickname). Tsai said she felt a relief from such worry as participants were all rational and adhered to the themes of the rally. She promised to give supporters a better DPP and work for a more democratic and prosperous Taiwan where "clean and sunshine politics" prevails. (By Sofia Wu) http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=133337&CtNode=39 Activists protest Ma in Kinmen 09/08/2008 (Taiwan News) Disgruntled activists were on hand to voice their dissatisfaction towards President Ma Ying-jeou's administration when he visited Wuchiu, Kinmen. A number hoisted banners proclaiming "Welcome Chief Executive Ma Ying-jeou" and "President Ma is worse, people are still hungry" and called out, "Chief Executive." Chen Hui-ling (???), chairwoman of the DPP's Penghu County branch, led more than a dozen protesters in criticizing the new administration, citing two incidents that she claimed illustrated how President Ma Ying-jeou's actions are more suited to a ?Chief Executive of Taiwan?. First of all, Wu Po-hsiung, chairman of the KMT, used the term "Mr. Ma Ying-jeou", rather than "President Ma Ying-jeou" while on a visit to China. And secondly, President Ma Ying-jeou has indicated that relations between Taiwan and China do not involve a "state-to-state" situation. http://www.newsobserver.com/news/wake/story/1225629.html Broughton students park their protest on the lawn By T. Keung Hui - Staff Writer Published: Sat, Sep. 20, 2008 12:30AM Modified Sat, Sep. 20, 2008 03:37AM RALEIGH -- Thirty-six years after Broughton High School students successfully fought a plan to pave its front lawn and put up a parking lot, their successors rallied for just such a convenience by parking on the grass. The students are unhappy that some alumni and city officials are now keeping a lot from being built on the lawn. Holding signs saying "The Grass Is Already Brown, Don't Frown" and "Class Before Grass," about 75 students Friday parked BMWs, Land Rovers, Acuras and other vehicles on the lawn. "The people who are making the decisions aren't the ones who have to park here and get up early to find spaces," said junior Garrett Butler, 16. Broughton did not tow the cars as Wake County school system policy requires. The 79-year-old Broughton, on St. Mary's Street near Cameron Village, has less parking than new high schools -- 273 spaces, compared with 797 on newer campuses. Drawing from some of Raleigh's oldest and most prominent neighborhoods, Broughton has students who file out at the end of the school day to off-campus parking lots costing as much as $400 a year. A plan to pave the lawn and add 126 parking spaces has been rejected by the Raleigh Planning Commission. School officials have appealed to the City Council. Paving the lawn isn't a new idea. But in 1972, students circulated petitions against it, saying they'd park on side streets and walk four or five blocks to save the lawn. Today's students says the alumni are out of touch. "They had their time at Broughton," said senior Starr Rothrock, 16. "Why not let us have ours?" Harold Tharrington, a 1955 graduate who has led the opposition to the lot, wasn't impressed. "My guess is a few years from now they'll look back and regret this," he said. http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=9117314 Kettle Moraine prison guards protest conditions Associated Press - October 3, 2008 1:25 AM ET PLYMOUTH, Wis. (AP) - Correctional officers picketed outside the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution over what they called dangerous working conditions at the medium-security prison. At Thursday's protest, union spokesman Terry Klumpyan said inmate assaults on guards have not been properly investigated, and the Department of Corrections hasn't made promised improvements. Klumpyan is a union steward with Local 163 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He noted that after a March 2006 disturbance, the state approved $1.4 million for video surveillance and 12 secure work stations, but neither project has been started. The department said in an e-mail that the prison plans to make the changes. Spokeswoman Rachel Krueger said the cameras have been delayed to make sure the right technology is used. Information from: The Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboygan-press.com http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/10/04/police_protests_force_work_crews_to_abandon_sites/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news Police protests force work crews to abandon sites Officers upset over law curbing use of paid details Mike Hornbrook, chief operating officer of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, faced demonstrators in Everett yesterday, one of two sites later abandoned by his work crew. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff) By Brian R. Ballou Globe Staff / October 4, 2008 Police union members upset with the governor's new rules allowing some roadway projects to go on without police details protested at two work sites yesterday, forcing state workers to abandon the projects on the first day under the new regulations. A Massachusetts Water Resources Authority crew planning to do routine sewage work through a manhole in an Everett roadway decided to leave after some 30 protesters appeared with signs and said they would prefer that the crew not go ahead without a paid police detail. The crew then went to another roadway work site in Revere, where protesters also appeared. One of the protesters, Revere police Captain James Guido, told Mike Hornbrook, the MWRA's chief operating officer, that the work site was a traffic hazard and that it was unsafe. "I can't allow you to work here," Guido said. The four-man crew eventually departed. The confrontations were the latest in a highly charged debate over police details that has raged for years and recently escalated when Governor Deval Patrick ruled the state would save millions by cutting back on the number of construction sites requiring police supervision. The rule changes have been opposed by police, many of whom supplement their incomes with tens of thousands of dollars annually by keeping watch over and directing traffic at construction sites. MWRA officials said they carefully reviewed the new guidelines before sending out the crew, believed to be the first to work under the new rules that went into effect yesterday. The new rules don't require flaggers or police details at most low-traffic, low-speed residential work sites, such as the ones where the crews yesterday tried to work. But Guido, whose police responsibilities include making sure all work sites in Revere meet municipal safety standards, said the work would disrupt traffic. A bumper sticker placed by protesters over a manhole cover at the Everett site read: "Police Details Save Lives, Governor appointed flagmen don't." Police unions have long tangled with administrations that tried to pry the perk away and in the past have prevailed. In 1992, Governor William F. Weld proposed replacing police details with civilian flaggers, but after hundreds of police officers picketed the State House, he scrapped the idea. Through the years, lobbying efforts have enabled police unions to hold onto the roadway details, which had paid as much as $40 an hour to State Police troopers. But several months ago, Patrick, looking for ways to slice the state deficit, started backing the effort to use civilian flaggers rather than police details, saying the practice would not diminish public safety and would save the Commonwealth millions. On April 17, Patrick signed a transportation bond bill authorizing the Executive Office of Transportation to craft regulations on the use of flaggers at roadwork sites. Yesterday, the bill became law. The new policy requires police details at the most dangerous roadway sites and civilian flaggers at some others. The least dangerous sites are not required to have either details or flaggers. The policy will mean annual savings to the state of between $5.7 million and $7.2 million, according to administration estimates. Police union officials - angry over what they say was unfair treatment during the administration's drafting of the law - said they are planning more pickets at state construction projects. "There was no compromise. It was a one-way deal, a wrong deal that doesn't save any money," Guido said yesterday of the administration's drafting of the rule. Guido said that civilian flaggers will not be as quick as police to react to accidents or other public safety issues in and around roadwork sites. Next week, the state highway department is scheduled to begin using civilian flaggers at roadwork sites throughout the state, said MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky. "MassHighway is committed to implementing Governor Patrick's civilian flagger program promptly and safely, and we will have flaggers on certain projects that have been deemed safe this Tuesday," Paiewonsky said. She said the agency has trained some 100 employees to be flaggers and has certified 14 trainers. Kyle Sullivan, spokesman for Patrick, said the administration intends to hold firm on its commitment to the new rules. "We are confident these reforms will be implemented successfully and that the Commonwealth will realize significant savings," he said. The new regulations will place civilian flaggers on nearly all state roads where the speed limit is below 45 miles per hour, and on low-traffic roads where the speed limit is higher. Civilians would also be used at sites where barriers are used to block off construction sites on a high-speed, high-traffic road. High-traffic roads with speed limits of 45 miles per hour and above would still rely on police officers. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1193366 Forces reject revised pay in protest PTI Friday, September 26, 2008 16:22 IST NEW DELHI: Protesting against the "anomalies" in their new pay scales, the Defence Forces on Friday did not submit their revised salary bills to the ministry's accounts office. By doing so, the Armed Forces have refused to implement the 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) report as existing "disparities" affected personnel across all ranks. "The Armed Forces have not raised their pay vouchers in the revised scales in accordance with the CPC notification and have submitted bills in the old pay scales," a Defence Ministry source said here. On Saturday, the government agreed in principle the Services' demand for restoring 70 per cent "extant pensionary weightage" to jawans on the basis of their last drawn pay. But the Armed Forces are cut up with the Finance Ministry over the rejection of their three other demands concerning officers. The CPC had recommended that the jawans be given 50 per cent "pensionary weightage" and provided an option of lateral entry into paramilitary and central police forces. The Armed Forces wanted the lateral entry scheme to be first approved and implemented by the government before the CPC recommendation on the 50 per cent "pensionary weightage" came into effect. "We have accepted salaries this month under the old pay scales, as we expect the government to take a quick decision on all our demands soon after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his US visit on October 1," a defence officer said. In effect, over 50 lakh civilian government employees will take home higher pay packets along with the arrears announced in the CPC this month, but the 13-lakh-strong Armed Forces personnel would reconcile with the old salaries, to send a strong message to the government. Defence Minister A K Antony and the three Services chiefs have already represented to the prime minister on the four "core issues" they have with the CPC notification. Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Army chief General Deepak Kapoor met Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and PMO officials yesterday to apprise him of the "anger" among the 70,000 officers over their demands not finding favour with the bureaucracy. They have also requested the country's top political leadership to decide on their CPC demands and to implement the pay commission notification in abeyance till the issues were resolved. "It is just a matter of less than Rs 450 crore annually if the government accepts the four demands of the Armed Forces, which is not a huge burden on the exchequer," an officer said. Among the other demands were placing Lt Colonels and their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force under Pay Band-4 instead of Pay Band-3, Grade Pay to officers from Captain to Brigadiers on par with their civilian counterparts, and placing Lt Generals in the Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) Plus pay scales as the Director Generals of paramilitary and police forces. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/25/europe/EU-Serbia-Army-Reservists.php Kosovo war veterans in protest The Associated Press Published: September 25, 2008 BELGRADE, Serbia: Hundreds of Kosovo war veterans briefly blocked traffic in front of the Serbian government headquarters on Thursday, demanding back pay for participation in the 1998-99 conflict. The demonstrators are former Yugoslav army reservists. They claim that the government owes them salaries for serving in the military during the war. The government said after a session Thursday that it will look into the issue and resolve it within the next two months. The reservists then halted all protests. Several reservists went on a hunger strike last week. Some protesters claimed that police prevented hundreds of army reservists from southern Serbia from joining Thursday's protest. Today in Europe For Vatican, Spain is a key front in church-state battle Belgian market's luster dims, but legacy stays Gazprom reduces deliveries of gas through Ukraine Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 after it launched a military campaign in the province against Kosovo's ethnic Albanian separatists. Then-President Slobodan Milosevic was forced to pull out of Kosovo after Serbia was bombed by NATO for 78 days in retaliation for its brutality against civilians in Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence in February. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221911223.75 Swiss police stop issuing fines in protest at unpaid Euro hours 20 September 2008, 23:12 CET (LAUSANNE) - Police in Switzerland's Canton Vaud will not issue fines to motorists because of a dispute with the government over overtime payments during the European Football Championships, Swiss media reported Saturday. "We will reprimand people, but we will not be issuing fines, like in cases of speeding or driving while using mobile phones," president of Vaudois police association APGV, Billy Warpelin told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures. Warpelin added to Swiss news agency ATS that the plan was intended to "hit the state where it hurts", as fewer fines would translate in less income for the state's coffers. Police are seeking a 33 percent surcharge on top of payment for 17,000 extra hours put in during the Euro. In addition, they want a special bonus of 1,500 francs. Pascal Broulis, who is in charge of the state's finances, had said that canton Vaud had already offered a bonus of 700 francs, a sum which he described as "a lot of money". He added that the canton was also ready to pay for the extra hours put in. The government would be looking at the legality of the strike, he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/01/stories/2008100161110500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Group clashes at Chintalbasti Staff Reporter HYDERABAD: Two persons sustained knife injuries while 20 others suffered minor bruises when two groups attacked one another after Monday midnight at Chintalbasti in Saifabad following controversy over erection of black flag mourning the death of a political party leader. Trouble started when a group of youngsters tried to keep a black flag close to a ?mandap? while another group raised objection. After exchanging heated arguments, members of both the groups attacked each other with sticks and pelted stones. Meanwhile, members of one group allegedly attacked others with knives resulting in serious injuries to two persons. No arrests were made till late on Tuesday night. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/28/stories/2008092853100500.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem PDK, BJP workers clash Staff Reporter ? Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan Fallout of violence: A moped of a worker of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam was set ablaze near the venue of the BJP general council meeting in Salem on Saturday. SALEM: Violence erupted near the venue of the BJP?s executive and general council meeting here on Saturday, when Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam workers attempted to stage dharna. In the melee, BJP workers assaulted a PDK member and burnt his moped. Tension prevailed when the PDK workers, led by Kolathur Mani, tried to stage dharna near the venue, protesting the conduct of the meeting, which was attended by BJP national president Rajnath Singh. The police arrested the PDK workers and their leader when they attempted to block traffic on Steel Plant Road that leads to the venue. Another group of PDK workers attempted to enter the venue. This led to a clash. The police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. They have arrested 124 PDK workers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/13/stories/2008091362350300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Group clash at K.G. Halli Staff Reporter Bangalore: Tension prevailed at Subashnagar in K G Halli following a clash between two groups on Friday. The clash occurred when one group took up cleaning of a vacant land that belonged to the Railways in the area. This irked members of another group, who alleged that it was an attempt by the first group to encroach upon government land. Tension Tension prevailed in Jagjivan Ram Nagar on Friday night following a clash between m http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/06/stories/2008090658030300.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai CPI(M) cadres stage demonstration Staff Reporter MADURAI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres, led by the party MP, P. Mohan, staged a road roko at Simmakkal on Friday afternoon protesting against the damage to party flags caused by a former Corporation councillor, Ganesan. The flags were tied around the statue of freedom fighter, V.O. Chidambaram, where the MP. along with Madurai East MLA, N. Nanmaran, and party leader, P. Sampath, had paid respects in the morning, on the occasion of the freedom fighter?s birth anniversary. Later, on hearing that the flags had been removed, the party leaders rushed to Simmakkal and blocked vehicular traffic demanding arrest of the accused. ?The flags were disrespected in the presence of police personnel. This is the second time our party flag has been damaged in the city,? Mr. Mohan charged. Stones were pelted at the protestors forcing the police to chase them away. Later, Mr. Ganesan was arrested and let on bail, the police said. The CPI (M) will organise a demonstration in the city on Saturday to condemn the incident. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093060400600.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai AIADMK stages demonstration Staff Reporter ? Photo: G. Moorthy UP IN ARMS: A section of AIADMK cadres who participated in a protest in Madurai on Monday. MADURAI: Cadres of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staged a demonstration at Tirupparankundram near here on Monday in protest against alleged poor state of Parithimar Kalaingar memorial at Vilachery. The party literary wing?s State secretary, Vaigai Selvam, led the protest. Speakers flayed the State Government for ?neglecting? the memorial house of Tamil scholar, V.K. Suryanaryana Sastri, who gave the first call to declare Tamil as a classical language.Party rural district secretary R. Jayaraman, MLAs C. Durairaj, R. Samy, A.K. Bose and I. Mahendran, and former MP V.V. Rajan Chellappa participated in the protest. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081953170300.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam VHP members stage demonstration Special Correspondent Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad staging a demonstration in Udhagamandalam on Monday. ? Udhagamandalam: A demonstration to condemn the action of an international school near here was staged by the Nilgiris unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad here on Monday. The demonstration organised opposite the Collectorate was led by the president of the district unit, B.K. Kumaran, and among those who participated were members of the district BJP unit. Giving details pertaining to the provocation for the demonstration, Mr. Kumaran told ?The Hindu? that P.C. Thomas, the founder of the Good Shepherd International School (GSIS), at Muthorai Palada had filed a defamation case against him for staging a demonstration near the school on October 25, 2007 in protest against the demolition of the compound wall of a Muneeswarar temple nearby. Stating that the wall was on land belonging to the Highways Department, he claimed that the action was part of a plan to demolish the very old temple. He also claimed that in his notice, Mr. Thomas had described VHP cadres as goondas, hired hands and anti-social elements. In a memorandum submitted to the Collector, Mr. Kumaran regretted that Mr. Thomas had tarnished the image of the VHP. However, Mr. Thomas rebutted the allegations and said that Mr. Kumaran was targeting a minority institution. Stating that as part of its corporate responsibility the school had helped the local community by renovating the temple and provided facilities like a vocational training centre, he said that the institution was known for its secular outlook. Since questionable remarks against him and his institution had been made by Mr. Kumaran, the defamation case had been filed. If regret is expressed, ?I will not mind withdrawing the case,? he added. However, if a confrontationist approach is pursued, the school will go ahead with the case. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/27/stories/2008092756620400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kadapa Congress, TDP activists clash with bombs Special Correspondent KADAPA: Rival groups of Congress and Telugu Desam Party functionaries hurled bombs at each other in Narepalle village in Vemula mandal in Pulivendula mandal around Thursday midnight over a raging dispute on compensation for lands taken over for Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi canal and a fair price shop dealership. Fifteen bombs exploded and six unexploded bombs were recovered but no casualties were reported, police said. A Telugu Desam Party leader Ramana Reddy and Congress leaders Sudha Venkata Reddy and Bandi Gopal Reddy clashed. Kadapa Superintendent of Police D.S. Chauhan visited the village around midnight and took stock of the situation. A large posse of police force searched all households to detect bombs and firearms if any. Incidentally, rival groups hurled bombs a day after Pulivendula circle inspector G.V. Ramana counselled them and advised them to seek police assistance to resolve any problem. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/24/stories/2008092453220300.htm Other States - Uttar Pradesh Students clash with armymen Bhagalpur: For the second time in four days, students forced their way into a passenger train in Bihar and got into a scuffle with armymen, breaking window panes and injuring nearly a dozen passengers. Scores of students boarded a sleeper class coach of Guwahati-Delhi Brahmaputra Mail at Kahalgaon station and got into heated arguments with some armymen and passengers over seat-sharing which soon escalated into a fight. When the train reached Bhagalpur, the students got down and began throwing stones at the train, smashing window panes of a number of coaches, official sources said. Around a dozen people, including some passengers, received minor injuries in the incident, the sources said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/22/stories/2008092261780300.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Groups clash during idol immersion procession Staff Reporter ? Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. tension: Policemen trying to restore peace following a group clash during a Ganesha idol immersion at Chandra Layout in Bangalore on Sunday. BANGALORE: Areas surrounding Gangondahalli Main Road in Chandra Layout remained tense through Sunday evening following clashes between two groups during a Ganesha idol immersion procession. Around 5.30 p.m. a religious procession, which was taking five Ganesha idols to be immersed in a nearby tank, met with resistance. The police said that when the procession crossed a place of worship, those praying inside took objection to the ?disturbance? caused by the procession. The members reportedly threw stones and allegedly threw some pieces of meat into the procession. The police said that three persons were injured. Members of the procession refused to continue on their journey and stayed put at the spot of violence, as they demanded immediate action from the police. Following the incident, there were heated exchanges between both parties and some members resorted to dharna by sleeping on the pavement until the matter was resolved. The police received reports that some persons were involved in breaking into people?s homes and assaulting them, as a consequence of this clash. Senior police officers rushed to the spot and tried to resolve the issue. When the policemen met with resistance from the processionists, who refused to leave the premises, the police had to resort to lathicharge. Subsequently, the crowd dispersed and the immersion was carried out. The police have registered a case. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=150557 24 September 2008 Chiefs condemns inter-political clashes NEW. Watch live television from Ghana plus the latest Ghanaian movies plus OBE TV. Nkoranza (B/A), Sept. 24, GNA-Nana Agyeman Kudom IV, President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs has condemned the clash of political party supporters at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region. He said the clash reported to have been between supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was not what Ghana was looking for and that the action was barbaric and above the cultural practices of Ghana and that such an action should not rear its ugly heads into the body politic of the country. Nana Kudom was speaking at his palace in Nkoranza when Mrs. Lordina Mahama, wife of Mr. John Mahama, NDC running mate paid a courtesy call on him. Mrs. Mahama is on a one week NDC campaign tour of parts of the Brong Ahafo region. Nana Kudom said party politics does not mean to regard opponents as enemies but an issue of choice by the electorate from the policies of political parties which would lead to the development of the nation. Nana Kudom said what was important was that the Electoral Commission should ensure that the ballot boxes got to the polling stations on time and there should be no shortage of voting materials and that polling agents should do their work diligently and with vigilance. He said" it must be transparent and without blemish so that it does not give room for confusion. Mrs. Mahama asked parents to talk to their children into making peace. She said when conflicts happened, it is mothers who suffered the most and pleaded with political party supporters not to do anything untoward to ruin the future of the youth. She asked for prayers and the blessings of God to prevail in this year's election and that the winner should lead the country peacefully. Mrs. Mahama, who was given a rousing welcome interacted with market women, drivers and visited the St. Theresa's Hospital, Nkoranza where she presented gifts to the patients. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090354470300.htm Kerala - Kannur CPI(M), IUML workers clash Special Correspondent KANNUR: Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) workers clashed at Sreekantapuram here on Tuesday. Nearly 15 people were injured in the violence. The trouble started in the morning when Students Federation of India (SFI) area secretary Jinu George was beaten up by a group of Muslim Students Federation (MSF) at the bus stand at Sreekantapuram. The attack was believed to be a sequel to the clashes between SFI and MSF workers following college and school parliament elections. In a retaliatory attack, IUML supporter and headload worker in the bus stand identified as Muneer (28) was manhandled by suspected CPI(M) workers at around 11.30 a.m. The police said that the town became tense when CPI(M) and IUML workers assembled in two groups and started pelting stones at each other. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091553640400.htm Kerala - Alappuzha 11 injured in clash Staff Reporter ALAPPUZHA: Eleven persons, including two women, were injured as clashes broke out between two groups owing allegiance to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party at Thakazhi near the district headquarters late Saturday night. One person was arrested and produced in court, Ambalapuzha Circle Inspector C.K. Uthaman said. The attack was reportedly in retaliation to an attack on certain BJP activists in the panchayat earlier this week. The police said BJP activists allegedly attacked the CPI(M)?s Thakazhi local committee office around 9 p.m. Tension gripped the locality after the attack, and a few houses in the vicinity too were attacked later in the night. A huge posse of policemen led by Deputy Superintendent of Police T.P. Dileep is camping on the spot. In the meanwhile, the local unit of the Vyapari Vyavasayi Association called for a hartal at Thakazhi on Monday http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=56230 Published On: 2008-09-24 National 1 killed, 45 hurt in Netrakona clashes Our Correspondent, Netrakona One person was killed and 45 others were injured in a five-hour-long clash at Bogajan village under Kalmakanda upazila in the district on Monday night. The dead was identified as Tiachand, 33, son of Khacha Mia of village Bogajan. The clash followed a land dispute between Tiachand group and Joynal group of Bogajan village during the last few days, police and locals said. At about 5:00pm on Monday, Joynal and his men went to the disputed land. Hearing this, Tiachand and his men rushed to the spot and attacked the opponents with sharp weapons. Joynal group also reorganised and made a counter attack. As over two hundred people got involved in the five hour-long clash with sharp weapons, Tiachand was killed on the spot and at least 45 people were injured, locals said. On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control. Seriously injured Joynal, Mahbub, Ali Ahamed, Rupchand and Rukon were sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Tense situation is prevailing in the area. Additional police have been deployed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090954500400.htm Kerala Six injured in clashes KASARAGOD: Six persons were injured in separate clashes between workers of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and the CPI (M) at Poochakkad, Pallikkara, here on Sunday night. The injured are K.Sudhakaran (31), K.P Balakrishnan (28) and K. Anil Kumar (27), all workers of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, and CPI (M) workers K. Ranjith (24), Rajesh (26) and Sasidharan (32). All the injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Kanhangad. The area had witnessed tension earlier following clashes during Sri Krishna Jayanthi celebrations. Police personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain peace. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082652930300.htm Other States Three killed in clash Mahoba: Three people were killed and as many injured in a clash between two groups over a property dispute in Makrai village in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night, police said. They said the two groups of different caste clashed over property dispute and used fire arms. One of the deceased included Gram Pradhan Naresh Paliwal, police said, adding the injured have been hospitalised. Additional police force has been deployed in the village, the police added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082651510300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode 25 injured in Perambra clashes Staff Reporter Victory march after school polls turns violent ________________________________________ Three policemen, teachers among the injured Strong posse of police deployed in the area ________________________________________ KOZHIKODE: At least 25 persons, including three policemen and a few teachers, were injured in a series of clashes between activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI)-Students Federation of India (SFI) combine and Youth Congress and Muslim Youth League workers in and around Perambra town for over three hours on Monday evening. The clashes were the aftermath of the results of an election held at a higher secondary school. The injured persons were admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, E.M.S. Hospital at Perambra and Government Hospital at Perambra. Among those who sustained grievous injuries are E.T. Aziz, school teacher of Nochard Higher Secondary School, Muslim Youth League leaders K.Siraj and T. Nazar, and a CPI(M) activist K. Shiju. Two head constables attached to the Perambra police station, K. Gopalakrishnan and T. Baburaj, were admitted to Perambra Government Hospital. The clashes broke out at Velliyur Junction at 4.30 p.m. when activists of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), an affiliate of the Congress, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), of the Indian Union Muslim League, which swept the Nochard Higher Secondary School polls took out a victory procession. A group of persons allegedly belonging to the DYFI attacked the teacher and the procession resulting in clashes between DYFI workers and activists belonging to the Youth Congress and Muslim Youth League. A few teachers sustained minor injuries in the clashes. Within a short time, the clashes spread to Chalikkara and Perambra town, as rival groups assembled with sticks and weapons. Several persons, including policemen, caught in the crossfire were injured. Stones were hurled at the Congress committee office at Perambra during a march taken out by the SFI later. A posse of police personnel has been deployed in the area. Vadakkara Deputy Superintendent of Police K.S. Gopakumar is also camping at Perambra. The SFI had won 23 out of the 25 seats it contested in the high school elections held last week. However, the KSU-MSF combine won a majority of seats in the higher secondary school election held on Monday. The SFI won only two seats. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/29/stories/2008082952980300.htm Kerala Five hurt in clash KASARAGOD: Five persons were injured and several houses and vehicles damaged in clashes between CPI(M) and IUML workers at Uduma here on Thursday. Three IUML workers and two CPI(M) workers were injured in the clashes. Five houses were also damaged in stone-throwing. Miscreants damaged three shops and two vehicles also. A strong police force is camping in the area. The clashes are a sequel to the clashes between workers of the SFI and the Youth League at Uduma Government Higher Secondary School on Wednesday. ? Staff Reporter http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20080828/141218.htm Thursday, August 28, 2008 12 injured in political clashes in Kerala ? Email ? Print ? Download PDF ? Comments (0) From correspondents in India, 02:31 AM IST Twelve people were injured Wednesday in clashes between activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) at Nadapuram town near here, police said. Clashes erupted in the evening when the two parties were taking out processions in Nadapuram, about 70 km from here. Members of the two rallies started attacking each other with stones and country-made bombs, a police official said. Police had to use teargas to disperse them. Nadapuram and surrounding areas have been tense after an IUML panchayat secretary was injured in an attack Tuesday night. The party alleges that Kerala's ruling CPI-M was behind the attack. The IUML had observed a shutdown in Nadapuram and nearby areas earlier Wednesday to protest the assault on their leader. http://story.torontotelegraph.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/409159/cs/1/ Clashes in Nepal over move to stop animal sacrifice Toronto Telegraph Sunday 21st September, 2008 (IANS) Kathmandu, Sep 21 (DPA) Large parts of the Nepali capital shut down Sunday following clashes between police and protestors demonstrating against a government decision not to finance traditional animal sacrifice. Thousands of protestors, mostly from the Newar community - considered the original inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley - forced shops, educational institutions and main markets to shut down and prevented transport from operating in the Old City area. Police said at least a dozen vehicles that defied the strike were vandalized by the demonstrators. They also burnt tyres to set up road blocks and clashed with police in several parts of the city. The government deployed hundreds of extra police to prevent the violence from spreading, but were facing difficulties controlling the crowd. 'The government is trying to interfere with our culture and is attempting to undermine it,' said Pabitra Bajracharya, president Newar National Association. 'The government must apologize and correct its decisions.' The protests first flared up Friday night during Indra Jatra, one of the most important festivals of Newar community. The protests and clashes stopped the chariot procession of the living goddess Kumari, and prevented Nepali president Ram Baran Yadav from receiving blessing from her. It was the first time the tradition has been broken since it began nearly four centuries ago. As part of tradition, the head of state receives blessing during the five-day festival in a symbolic gesture to rule the country for another year. Until last year, the blessing was received by king, but president as the head of state took up the cultural duties after the country abolished the monarchy earlier this year. Last week, the government said it would not provide funding for the animal sacrifice that is considered essential for several Hindu festivals across Nepal, calling it necessary to cut government expenditure. Local media said the government decision to cut the funding would affect all major festivals across Nepal. Last year, the government spent nearly 12.3 million rupees ($166,000) on animal sacrifices. It spent another 54 million rupees organizing and funding various festivals, reports said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090256971400.htm International 100 die in Shia-Sunni clashes Nirupama Subramanian ISLAMABAD: More than 100 people were killed in two days of clashes between Shia and Sunni tribes battling for supremacy of a tribal agency on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The clashes brought the death toll in four weeks of fighting in the Kurram tribal agency to well over 400, with many more injured. Kurram has been in the grip of sectarian unrest since April 2007 widely attributed to the Taliban?s efforts to gain a foothold in the agency. The Sunni tribesmen are said to be backed by the Taliban which wants to take control of the agency, one of the seven in Pakistan?s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, to gain unhindered access over the routes into Afghanistan. The government has been a mute onlooker to the pitched battles, unable even to break a nearly year-long economic blockade by Sunni tribesmen of Parachinar, the main town in Kurram and a Shia majority area. The road between Parachinar and Peshawar has remained cut off since November 2007. All-out retaliation The clashes over Sunday and Monday between the Shia Turi tribe and the Sunni Bangash tribe were particularly bloody. They began after the Bangash ignored a unilateral ceasefire by the Turi to launch attacks on them. It led to an all-out retaliation by the Turi against the Sunni tribe?s stronghold in a village called Bagzai and both sides used heavy weaponry. The day-long battle on Sunday was reportedly also marked by two suicide attacks on the Turi, which the Shia tribesmen are underlining as evidence that the Bangash have been taken over by the Taliban. Over 90 people were killed in Sunday?s fighting alone, after which the Turi claimed to have taken control of Bagzai. Nine more people were killed in clashes that continued in the agency on Monday until six Sunni tribes assembled in the evening for a jirga and declared a unilateral ceasefire. But the Shia tribesmen said the Sunni tribes were powerless to enforce the ceasefire as they were controlled by the Taliban. Meanwhile, in Bajaur tribal agency, the government halted military operations from midnight on Sunday for the month of Ramzan raising concerns that it would allow the Taliban to regroup in the agency. No ceasefire has been announced in Swat yet. The Daily Times commented that it was a ?weak-kneed response to the challenge of internationalised terror?. Ramzan package ?In fact, the enemy will strike most effectively during Ramzan because Muslims are not willing to be active during the fasting month. Let us be frank. The Muslims who kill fellow Muslims have a poor record as far as observing the holy month is concerned,? it said in an editorial headline ?Ramzan package for terrorists?? But thousands among the estimated 3,00,000 people displaced by the aerial bombardment of Bajaur in the operations have started returning to their homes from refugee camps in cities across North West Frontier Province despite apprehensions that fighting may erupt again. Analysts are linking the suspension of military operations in Bajaur to Saturday?s presidential election, which PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is favoured to win. The suspension made it easier for the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami to announce its support for Mr. Zardari over the weekend. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/162085.html One killed, five injured in Kurram clashes PARACHINAR: Clashes between rival tribesmen continued in various parts of Kurram Agency on Sunday, leaving one person dead and five injured, a political administration official said. Toori and Mangal tribesmen clashed in Inzari, Tangi, Pewar and Bagh Zani areas, he said. There were reports that Toori tribesmen had vacated their trenches in the restive Pewar village near the Pak-Afghan border and handed them over to the law enforcement agencies. Efforts were underway to convince the Mangal and Kharwoti tribes to vacate their trenches as well in order to bring peace to the violence-hit agency, the official added. app . http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=53048 Published On: 2008-09-03 National 10 hurt as AL rivals clash in Pabna Our Correspondent, Pabna At least 10 people including the president of Sujanagar upazila unit Chhatra League were injured when two rival groups of Awami League in Sujanagar upazila clashed at Dulai market in Sujanagar upazila on Monday evening. The clash occurred between the followers of Sujanagar upazila unit AL President Abul Kashem and Secretary Abdul Wahab, both of whom are aspirants in the proposed upazila polls, sources said. Abdul Wahab told this correspondent yesterday that he along with some of his followers were holding a meeting at Dulai market about the upcoming upazila election when supporters of Kashem group attacked them, leaving five people injured. Sujanagar upazila AL president Abul Kashem, on the other hand, blamed their rivals for attacking them and injuring five people including president of upazila Chhatra League. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161374846 Panday predicts clash in Square Ria Taitt Political Editor Friday, September 12th 2008 ALL SET: A pedestrian walks past tents at Woodford Square, Port of Spain, yesterday. -Photo: STEVE McPHIE UNC-A Political leader Basdeo Panday last night urged his party's supporters not to go to Woodford Square, Port of Spain, today, where it is expected that supporters of his party and those of the ruling PNM could clash while assembling to support their respective parties. The PNM supporters are congregating to support their leader, as Parliament debates the UNC-A's no confidence motion against Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Last night, in a press release, Panday told supporters, "Having regard to the belligerent statement made by Mr Jerry Narace and others about tomorrow's planned PNM demonstration, the United National Congress is of the view that our members should not gather at Woodford Square in Port of Spain, as it is likely there may be a violent clash." He added, "I shall not subject my people or expose them to this kind of violence. In the circumstances, I am instructing all UNC supporters not to go to Woodford Square tomorrow. "We also have information that workers of Unemployment Relief Programme and CEPEP have been told that if they do not go to Woodford Square to demonstrate support for Patrick Manning, they will not get paid." But neither the PNM nor the UNC-A has applied to the Mayor of Port of Spain, Murchison Brown, or the acting Police Commissioner, James Philbert, for the use of Woodford Square. Brown said yesterday that he had given permission to a cultural group called the "Friends of Port of Spain" for a rally in Woodford Square, which must end by 1 p.m. However, he admitted that Woodford Square is the "people's square". Parliamentary authorities said yesterday that the established rule is that after 1.30 p.m. on a Friday, no assembly of any sort, particularly where there would be sound amplification or huge crowds, is permitted, once it is confirmed that the House of Representatives would be sitting. Numerous groups have asked in the past and they have all been turned down, sources said. "Once something can potentially create a disturbance which could interrupt the proceedings of the House, it is something that the law prohibits," parliamentary experts stated yesterday. Sources predicted that the House Speaker Barry Sinanan and the police would have to intervene to put a stop to any demonstrations or rallies in the square once they go on after 1.30 p.m, the scheduled starting time of Parliament. Earlier yesterday, however, Health Minister Jerry Narace and Panday both confirmed that they had mobilised their supporters to go to the square. Told that people were nervous about the prospect of UNC-A and PNM supporters assembling in the same venue, Panday said: "Yes, well, that is what the Prime Minister wants, isn't it? We went to the Parliament, using the democratic process in order to preserve our democracy. He decides to use thuggery by bringing out the CEPEP and URP workers. Don't you think we have a right to bring out our supporters as well?" So do two wrongs make a right? "If you tell the Prime Minister not to use State funds to force workers to come there to demonstrate support for him, then we are prepared to call off our people too," Panday replied, adding: "The ball is in the PNM's court." Told that Narace stated that it was only after the UNC-A called out its supporters that the PNM supporters spontaneously decided to come out as well, Panday said the UNC-A had evidence that this was not true. "They are giving out jerseys, telling people where to meet and to sign a register when they get on the bus. We know what they are doing. I don't care what the hell they say, they are doing it (mobilising), as you will see tomorrow." Asked whether he believed that the supporters would be kind to each other under these conditions, Panday responded: "Maybe not, so why doesn't the PNM call off theirs." However, he subsequently changed that tone in his late press release. Sources confirmed yesterday that the PNM had been mobilising persons and that early this week, circulars went out seeking to collate information on the persons being canvassed. Sources also said many of these persons were indeed URP and CEPEP employees. But Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Works, with responsibility for CEPEP, URP and Laventille West MP, Nileung Hypolite, denied that any instruction or directive was given to workers to participate in any rally. "I don't know where these reports are coming from. But if anyone, bank worker, policemen, store worker wants to go to Woodford Square of their own volition, what is wrong with that?" he asked. "I think that if PNM and UNC supporters meet in the square they would embrace one another because we are a loving people," he said, dismissing any fears of a possible clash. PNM officials yesterday expressed doubts that UNC-A supporters would leave the sanctuary of Central Trinidad to come to Port of Spain, which is perceived to be PNM heartland. "The UNC leadership may be serious, but would the supporters follow," PNM observers said. All Government MPs are coming prepared to defend the Prime Minister and the policies and achievements of the Government. Opposition MPs are expected to criticise the PM. Opposition Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj said the Prime Minister's actions with respect to UDeCOTT and the UDeCOTT Commission of Enquiry would form the basis of his contribution. This raises the question of what the PNM's most powerful debater, Dr Keith Rowley, would say. "I will be present in the Parliament and monitoring the debate; and if and when it becomes necessary, I will speak," was all Rowley would say yesterday. The motion is expected to be defeated by the Government majority. But given the posture being adopted by both sides, it is left to be seen which side would regret the day that the motion was raised in Parliament. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110042.html Uganda: One Killed, Two Injured in Land Clashes Daniel Edyegu 10 September 2008 Kampala ? ONE person was hacked to death and three others sustained serious injuries during land clashes between the Bagisu and Bagwere over Namatala wetland. The wetland borders Mbale and Budaka districts. The regional Police commander, Alphonse Mbuga, on Tuesday said the unidentified body of a man was retrieved from the wetland, while the injured, including Mustafa Kesasi, were admitted to Mbale Hospital. "The deceased and the injured are Bagwere from Kamonkoli sub-county in Budaka. One of them sustained three deep cuts on the head, while the other had his left arm almost chopped off," Mbuga said. He said the Bagisu fled when the Police arrived at the scene in Nasenyi village, Budaka. Mbuga said the Police had been deployed to maintain calm. "We are making arrangements for the local leaders from the two districts to meet and settle this matter. This bloodshed shouldn't continue unchecked," Mbuga stated. Meanwhile, a mob armed with sticks, stones and pangas hurled insults at policemen at Kamonkoli Police post. They claimed that the Police just looked on as the Bagisu attacked their colleagues. "These Police officers are corrupt. The man (deceased) screamed for help but you could not shoot in the air to disperse the Bagisu, claiming that you are waiting for orders from above!" an angry man yelled at the Police. The mob carried away the body from the station before a postmortem examination was done. The conflict over the wetland started in 2004 when Budaka was still under Pallisa district. The Bagisu from Mbale and the Bagwere of Budaka use the wetland to cultivate yams, rice and sugarcane. But last year, three Bagwere were hacked to death and four injured during clashes with the Bagisu over the wetland. Local leaders from the two districts resolved to demarcate the boundaries of the wetland. Samuel Mulomi, the Budaka chairman, said each district contributed sh1.5m and the money was given to Justine Bwogi, the surveys commissioner, to demarcate the wetland. "He (Bwogi) told us that he would put concrete pillars measuring 100 feet on either side of the stream running through the wetland that would act as a buffer zone between the two districts and farmers were not supposed to cultivate in it. But he only erected the pillars on the Budaka side and disappeared without explanation," Mulomi said. He said this aggravated the conflict because the Bagisu dug a trench at Nasenyi, about 4km inside Budaka district. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=134089 Two killed in tribal clash in Kandhkot Saturday, September 06, 2008 By our correspondent JACOBABAD: A man and his wife were killed in a tribal clash between the Sawand and Sabzio clans in Kandhkot, district Kashmore, on Friday. The Kandhkot police said some armed men of the Sabzio tribe attacked the house of Datar Sawand in Gulshan Mohalla and started firing indiscriminately. Datar Sawand and his wife Kanwal Khatoon died on the spot. Later, the armed men escaped from the scene. The clash took place in the limits of the A Section police station of Kandhkot of District Kashmore. Police reached the spot and shifted the bodies to the Kandhkot Civil Hospital for autopsy. According to the police, the incident took place due to some old enmity between the two tribes. No case was registered till the filing of this report. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809170284.html Kenya: Herders Killed in Clashes Oscar King'ori 16 September 2008 ________________________________________ Nairobi ? Four people were killed and five others suffered gunshot wounds after pastoralists clashed near Kom trading centre in Isiolo District on Tuesday. Two Samburu children are reportedly missing, while more than 20 cattle were killed in the crossfire. Reports indicate that the fighting started after a community from Isiolo raided Samburu herders on Monday at dawn at Ortum grazing lands, 20 kilometres from Kom trading centre. Isiolo police boss Marius Tum said police were combing the Kom area for more casualties, but said they were investigating claims by a ward councillor in Samburu East that four Samburu herders and three other people from Isiolo had been killed in the clashes. He said 500 head of cattle had been recovered in the Merti Division of Isiolo District. The two communities have a long-running feud, which often results in cattle raids on their common border. They are also constantly bickering over the scarce pasture and water at Sabarwawa in Kom location in Isiolo District. The mainly Cushitic communities comprising of the Borana, Somali and Gari accuse the Samburu of stealing thousands of their livestock since December last year. Restore calm Two weeks ago Isiolo peace and conflict resolution chairman, Mr Hassan Galma and his Samburu East counterpart Mr Job Lalampaa clashed at an inter-district peace meeting at Kom trading centre attended by district commissioners from Isiolo, Samburu East and Laisamis districts. Mr Galma accused leaders and Provincial Administration officials from the two Samburu districts of reneging on a peace agreement and failure to honour a promise to return stolen animals from Isiolo and Meru districts. By late Tuesday, police had managed to restore calm in the area. (Daily Nation) http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=80464 KENYA: Hundreds displaced in ?drought? clashes Photo: John Nyaga/IRIN The drought in northern Kenya has led to death and displacement as herders fight over grazing land and wate ISIOLO, 18 September 2008 (IRIN) - At least six people have been killed and hundreds displaced following days of fighting over water and pasture along the Isiolo and Samburu district border as drought-related conflict escalated in northern Kenya. "We have so far managed to find six bodies but still suspect that more bodies might be lying in the bush," Marius Tum, a senior police superintendent in Isiolo, told IRIN. The bodies were riddled with bullets. "More attacks were reported last night ... the animals that were too weak to be moved were also shot," Raphael Lekilua, a local Samburu leader, said. The fighting was between Borana and Samburu herders. The conflict has also led to population displacement. "People have moved away from Kom and Sabarwaiwai, which are the only available grazing areas," Lekilua said. The two areas are reserved for grazing when there is a drought. The livestock will die if the government does not help [those who have fled] return, he said, adding that at least 200 Samburu families have fled. "The fighting is a struggle over water and pasture, nothing else. Each group is trying to uproot the other from the area," Ahmed Mohamed, an official of a local NGO, the Nomadic Support and Rehabilitation Programme, told IRIN. Mohamed said at least 1,000 people had been displaced in Isiolo. "They require urgent assistance to return to the field, which must be shared by all the nomadic pastoralists in the region." The fighting, he said, was also causing food shortages as livestock milk production had dropped. Security personnel have been deployed to the affected areas of Kom and Sabarwaiwai. The northern Kenya region is experiencing severe drought, which has led to an escalation of conflict over scarce resources among the predominantly pastoralist population. At least 13 people were recently killed in inter-clan clashes over water in the neighbouring region of Mandera. na/aw/mw http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=136982 Armed clash leaves seven SU students injured Saturday, September 20, 2008 By our correspondent DADU: Seven students were injured after an armed clash between two rival groups at the University of Sindh on Friday, creating panic among the faculty and students. The clash occurred after a student of the Department of Information Department, Ahmed Brohi, was injured by some armed youth. In retaliation, supporters of the Ahmed Brohi attacked the rival group and left six students, Abid Palah, Rafique Dahani, Khalil, Nadeem and Amajd, injured. The clash created panic in the university and teachers and students, especially girls, ran for cover. Later, the university students staged a demonstration against the deteriorating situation at the campus and demanded strict action against saboteurs. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=54767 Published On: 2008-09-14 Metropolitan Teacher dies, 52 hurt in Sirajganj clash Unb, Sirajganj A schoolteacher was killed and at least 52 people were injured in a fierce clash over appointment of a teacher at Agbair village in Sadar upazila last night. Shahjahan, 50, assistant teacher of Agbair non-govt primary school, died on the spot. A spear pierced through his chest. Police and witnesses said the clash broke out between two groups -- one led by Jamsed master and another by Yakub master, at about 9:15pm in dispute over appointing a teacher of the school. Shahjahan belonged to Jamshed Master group. Two houses were damaged during the clash when both the groups used lethal weapons. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Of the injured, 27 people were rushed to Sadar Hospital and local clinics. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2390146,00.html 8 killed in I Coast clashes 2008-09-08 16:13 Abijan - At least eight people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in inter-ethnic violence in the north of Ivory Coast, news reports said on Monday. Several hundred ethnic Lobis attacked Koulango villagers on Friday in Bondoukou district some 500km north of Abidjan. The Lobis used old rifles and machetes in the attack on the village of Marahui, several newspapers reported. The Lobis were seeking to avenge the death of one of their tribesmen at the hands of the Koulango, the papers said. Police were deployed, but were unable to prevent the assault, the dailies reported, adding that most of the victims were women and the elderly who were unable to flee. Fighting between the groups left 13 dead in the same village in 1993. Ethnic clashes, mainly over land ownership, are frequent in Ivory Coast, which is home to some 60 ethnic groups. - SAPA http://allafrica.com/stories/200808290265.html Nigeria: Four Policemen, Three Civilians Feared Killed in OPC-Drivers' Clash Tunde Sanni 29 August 2008 Ibadan ? A violent clash between Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and men of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ibadan, last night, left four policemen and three civilians dead. Police Spokesperson, Olabisi Okuwobi, however confirmed the death of one policeman with three other policemen injured in the bloody fracas, adding that it was not possible to confirm the casualty from the OPC side, as injured OPC members were evacuated from the troubled zone by their colleagues. Vehicles belonging to some identified OPC members were set ablaze by the aggrieved drivers. The actual number could not be ascertained, but two of them were sighted when newsmen visited the scene around 7p.m. yesterday. Identified victims in the melee, according to eye-witnesses account, included one Jamiu and one Guusi from the NURTW side, while four policemen were believed to have been felled in the gun battle. Sources told THISDAY that trouble started when OPC members in a bus heading to Osogbo from Lagos, for the annual Osun Festival ran into a traffic snarl at the Iwo road end of Ibadan/Ife road. It was learnt that one of the female occupants of the OPC bus alighted from the bus to control traffic, and in the process, the vehicle had a slight brush with an unmarked NURTW bus, which degenerated into hot altercations. In the process, the OPC woman reportedly slapped a member of the NURTW, leading to reinforcement from the workers union to repel OPC attack. One of the OPC members reportedly pulled a gun and shot into the air to disperse the drivers who had increased in number, and pave the way for their escape. Luck, however, ran against the OPC team, as the drivers, showing their knowledge of Ibadan terrain, ambushed the OPC bus at the Wema Junction of the Ife Road, abducting five of them. An attempt by the OPC members to free their abducted members and escape from the trouble spot was foiled by the drivers, with the attendant traffic jam. Caught up in the gridlock was a bullion van coming from Ikire end of the road, with its police escort firing several warning shots to scare away hoodlums. Stray bullets from the policemen reportedly hit some people, which either killed or injured them. Unable to contain the bloody face-off, police at Egbeda and Testing Ground police stations requested for reinforcement, leading to arrival of another batch of policemen in a Hilux van who, on arrival, started shooting into the air. (ThisDay) http://allafrica.com/stories/200808260243.html Uganda: Jopadhola, Banyole Clash Over Wetland Moses Nampala 25 August 2008 Kampala ? TWENTY people have been left homeless and rice fields destroyed in a tribal clash involving the Jopadhola and Banyole. The area of conflict is a wetland covering about 4,000 acres between Paya sub-county in Tororo district and Butaleja sub-county in Butaleja district which is occupied by the Banyole. Over the weekend, several homes were burnt and vast rice fields slashed down in the skirmish between the two tribes. Rice farmers in Butaleja attacked the Adhola community on Tuesday night, setting homesteads on fire and driving families out. They accused the Adhola of encroaching on their land. The following day, the enraged Adhola in revenge raided rice fields belonging to the Banyole community and slashed them down. The violence prompted leaders of both districts to hold an impromptu meeting at the disputed wetland on Thursday. Both resident district commissioners, Mpimbaza Hashaka (Tororo) and Richard Gulume (Butaleja), condemned the violence and urged restraint. Tororo LC5 chairperson Emmanuel Osuna accused the Butaleja leaders of failing to address the problem before the violence. "You shouldn't allow such acts of violence to happen in your courtyard because it's likely to spark off a genocide," an angry Osuna said. The Butaleja LC5 chairperson, Richard Waya, said: "I wish to apologise to the affected Adhola community living in Butaleja. I request all of them to calm down, return to their respective homes as we find ways to assist them reconstruct the houses razed down during the skirmish." (NewVision) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=132257 APMSO-IJT clash results in four deaths at KU University to remain closed for two days Wednesday, August 27, 2008 By Perwez Abdullah Karachi A bloody clash on Tuesday between activists of the All-Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation (APMSPO) and the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) claimed at least four lives and injured 14 at the University of Karachi (KU). The IJT?s current and former information secretaries, Osama Bin Adam and Abdul Jabbar Baloch, were among those who died. The APMSO claimed that two casualties were of activists that belonged to their organisation. Osama Bin Adam was a student of BS final year in the Department of Computer Science (DCS), while Abdul Jabbar was a second-year student at the Department of Political Science. Tension had prevailed since morning on the campus, but clashes began at about 11:00 am when students of two groups got involved in a fist fight in the Arts Lobby. Some students informed The News that about 100 to 150 students belonging to APMSO entered the university through the Maskan gate at 06:30 pm and started indiscriminate firing at IJT activists who were sitting in front of the Administration building. Osama Bin Adam died on the spot while Abdul Jabbar later succumbed to his injuries at the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH). Osama Bin Adam?s body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The bodies of 20- to 22-year-old Muhammad Ramish, an APMSO activist, and 30- to 30-year-old Abdur Rehman, a security guard at the university, along with four injured people were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH). KU Students? Advisor Dr Nusrat Idrees said that she tried to pacify the two groups but they would not listen to her entreaties. She claimed that some IJT activists forced their way into the Administration building by climbing over the railing and entered her office while she was in a meeting with two members of the Students Advisory Council, Dr Sadiq Ali Khan of DCS, and Dr Saleem Shahzad, the Admissions committee Chairman. ?They beat up Dr Khan and Dr Shahzad, and even I was hit when I tried to rescue them. I am very disappointed,? she said. IJT Karachi Information Secretary Riaz Ahmed Siddiqui denied the charges and said that Dr Idrees had fabricated them. ?It is shameful that a teacher is advocating the cause of a party. She has taken sides openly and is now crying foul. Here we are with the dead bodies of two students but the Student Advisor is more concerned with inventing stories,? he claimed. Campus Security Advisor Dr Khalid Iraqi echoed the words of Dr Nusrat Idrees and claimed that he had no information about dead students. The News called up the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters Nine-Zero to seek the APMSO?s version. An official at the news section there said that MQM leaders were engaged in a political press conference and they would fax a press statement later. No faxes were received till the time this report was filed. Meanwhile, the tragic incident at KU has again brought to the surface the role of the Rangers who have been stationed there for more than 20 years. They occupy the hostels, roam around the campus, and lounge around in the Arts Lobby and other parts of the university. After the clashes on Tuesday, they shut down all three gates of the university, and did not allow students to leave the campus. Students? parents and relatives gathered at the university gates Tuesday evening were very critical of the Rangers. ?They did nothing to avert the death of so many students. Now they are not allowing the students to come out. Why are they here,? they said. They wanted The News to place this question before the KU Vice-Chancellor. The KU administration has announced that the university will remain closed for two days (Wednesday and Thursday). http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/aug/aug28/news05.php Charikot tense after clash between student groups Dolakha district headquarters Charikot has been shut down Thursday following a clash between student organisations affiliated with CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML). At least 12 students have been injured in the clash that occurred this morning after Nepal Student Union and All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) attempted to open the a local college padlocked by Maoist-aligned All Nepal National Independent Student Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R). After the clash, ANNFSU and NSU have called for closure of the district headquarters Charikot. The injured students have been taken to Tsho Rolpa Hospital treatment. The college was padlocked by ANNISU-R a month ago due to dispute with the college management over the recruitment of new teachers but other two organisations have been demanding opening of the college. nepalnews.com ia Aug 28 08 http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=51817 Published On: 2008-08-25 Metropolitan Death of Outsider 8 medical students hurt in clash with locals Our Correspondent, Barisal At least eight students of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College were injured in a clash between students and local people yesterday following death of an outsider after indiscriminate beating by students on the campus. The victim is Murad Ahmed, 24, son of Ashraf Ali of Dakkhin Alekanda Refugee Colony adjacent to Zamilur Rahman Pappu Hostel. Students beat him up on the campus in the morning suspecting him a thief. Later, he succumbed to his wounds in the afternoon. During the clash, locals damaged several rooms of the hostel of the medical college. Hundreds of people of the colony swooped on students at the hostel in protest against death of Murad, witnesses said. During the clash, both the clashing groups chased and counter chased each other. Murad's father identifying his son as a mosaic labourer said he went to the hostel in the morning for taking his wage in exchange of repairing a bathroom of the hostel. At that time, students beat him up indiscriminately leading to his death, he said. But a student named Akhter Hossain said Murad fell in wrath of students when they found him stealing a pipe from the bathroom. Prof Habibur Rahman, head of Forensic Department also echoed a similar view. The assistant commissioner of police, Hayatul Islam said students and locals locked in clash for over half an hour. On information, police rushed there and brought the situation under control, he said. Being informed, Barisal City Mayor Showkat Hossain Hiron rushed to the spot and demanded proper investigation into the incident. http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GE/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/08/31/nb-10 Immigrant clashes in Athens injure 13 31/08/2008 ATHENS, Greece -- Thirteen people were injured early Saturday (August 30th) in clashes between immigrants in downtown Athens. Witnesses say hundreds of passers-by were forced to flee the region of the Omonia Square where African street vendors armed with knives, axes and metal rods fought for territory. One police officer was hurt in the clashes and was forced to shoot his gun, injuring one immigrant and one passer-by. The clashes ended early in the morning after special police forces were deployed. A total of 56 people were arrested. (BTA, Kathimerini - 30/08/08) http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2393782,00.html Rival supporters clash in Zim 2008-09-15 16:01 Harare - Riot police restored order on Monday after supporters of Zimbabwe's political rivals clashed outside the venue of the signing of a power-sharing pact. An AFP correspondent saw police separating hundreds of supporters of President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) along a driveway leading to the hotel where the agreement was signed. Wearing T-shirts and sarongs with their respective party symbols, they had gathered to welcome their leaders from the signing ceremony. Witnesses said the two groups started singing songs insulting each other. The insults degenerated into stone-throwing, prompting the riot police to intervene and restore order. Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, head of a smaller MDC faction, signed the power-sharing deal at a ceremony attended by leaders from the southern African region. The three pledged to put their differences behind them and join forces to resolve the country's economic crisis. The accord brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki provides for Tsvangirai to become prime minister while Mugabe remains head of state. The MDC will have a greater number of government ministers than Zanu-PF, reflecting the majority it won in June elections. - AFP http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/09/13/news0367.htm RMC closed till Oct 10 Violent BCL-JCD clash leaves 20 students injured The students of Rajshahi Medical College are leaving the dormitories following clash between two groups of students yesterday. The College was declared closed for a month. FocusBangla Rajshahi Correspondent The Rajshahi Medical College has been closed till October 10 following a clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists last night that left 20 students injured. The RMC authority also asked the students to vacate their dormitories by 6:00pm on Friday. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the academic council of RMC held at the college yesterday morning with Principal Prof Dr Fazlur Rahman in the chair. Police said a group of JCD workers ransacked room No 205 of Dr Pinku Hostel of the college Thursday night following an altercation with the BCL activists over possession of a seat in the hostel. As the news spread, BCL men locked the main gate of the hostel and vandalized room No 008 at about 11:00pm that led to the clash. A chase and counter chase also took place between the activists of the two students' organisations during the half an hour clash, leaving 20 students, including college unit JCD president Mahmudul Haque Raju injured. At one stage, BCL activists drove out the JCD workers and ransacked JCD occupied rooms No 201, 202, 204, 218, and 223. Later, the BCL men also left the hostel. On information, police rushed to the spot at midnight and brought the situation under control. Additional police force was deployed on the campus to fend off further violence. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=54599 Published On: 2008-09-13 Metropolitan Eight injured in Bagerhat clash Unb, Bagerhat Eight people, including a Sramik League leader, were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers at Bagdia village in Bagerhat Sadar yesterday. Supporters of two groups, one led by Nurul Islam and another by Intaj Sheikh, attacked each other with homemade lethal weapons following an altercation between two group leaders over the sale of a domestic animal of Nurul. One of the injured, Intaj Sheikh, general secretary of Baroipara union Sramik League, was admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Seven other injured from both sides were admitted to Sadar Hospital and Khulna Medical College Hospital. -------------------------------------------------- Groups skirmish during Rizieq trial Jakarta Post - September 26, 2008 Indah Setiawati, Jakarta -- Members of two organizations clashed outside the Central Jakarta district court building Thursday as Rizieq Shihab's trial continues. Supporters of the Islamic hardline group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and a group of men clad in T- shirts emblazoned with the word Banser -- a paramilitary group tied to another Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama -- came to blows during the trial's midday break. Thursday was the ninth day of hearings in Rizieq's trial. He is charged with allegedly inciting his supporters to riot by attacking a rally promoting religious tolerance at National Monument (Monas) park June 1. Four people wearing Banser T-shirts and three FPI supporters were injured during the Thursday fracas. Sultan, a witness, said both sides had also thrown stones at each other. Both sides claimed that the other party had been the aggressor. In the afternoon session of Rizieq's trial, immediately after the clash, Rizieq told presiding judge Panusunan Harahap that his FPI members were attacked by a group of "paid thugs". He asked the prosecutors directly whether they were responsible. "Did you bring the thugs in? There were 33 of them. My members were injured during the attack!" Rizieq said loudly, adding that the "thugs" had been carrying sharp weapons, including a sickle. He said a third party might have been trying to create havoc between Banser and FPI since the apparent "thugs" were wearing Banser T-shirts. M. Guntur Romli denied Rizieq's suggestion of third party involvement on his part. Guntur is a member of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB), organizers of the June 1 rally. "It was not a clash! We were attacked and none of the Banser members carried weapons. They came to the district court to show support for us. They're members of Gus Nuril's Banser," he told The Jakarta Post. He said the 33 men wearing Banser T-shirts came showed up to support him and other witnesses in the June 1 Monas ambush case. The witnesses had planned to hand out a letter stating that they were boycotting the trial because they had not gotten a safety guarantee from court authorities. "Just as we were about to stop public buses in front of the Pelni building, about 300 meters from the district court building, we were attacked," Guntur said. After the clash, three FPI supporters who suffered minor injuries and a man named Ali came to city police headquarters to report the attack and related threats. Ali said he reported Guntur for threatening him as he passed through the court's entry gate. "Guntur said he would kill me," he said. Guntur denied Ali's statement, and said Ali had been the man who had threatened him during his previous court appearance Monday. "I was meeting my friend in front of the gate when a man approached me and said 'How dare you come again here?' and I replied, 'Why should I be afraid? I come as a witness.' " During the day's sessions, prosecutors called nine police officers from the city police headquarters who had interrogated FPI defendants as a response to FPI claims that police had intimidated them during questioning. All eight FPI defendants -- including Agus Bambang, Fahrurrozi, Subhan, Sudiran and Sunarto -- retracted their signed dossiers during a hearing earlier this month. Most said they were questioned until 3 a.m. and were verbally coerced into signing the dossiers. Police officers who testified at the hearing denied the accusation. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200808/s2347036.htm?tab=latest Fueding PNG students sign peace accord ? Print ? Email Updated August 26, 2008 15:39:02 Days after feuding high school students in Papua New Guinea signed a peace accord, primary school students have been fighting in the streets. Oure reporter Nasya Bahfen says the students came from primary schools in the Hohola district of the capital Port Moresby. They were involved in a fight near the market area, after classes finished in the afternoon. Residents and motorists intervened, urging the students to go home. Following clashes in recent weeks between secondary students, PNG's department of education has developed a policy to address student violence. The draft of the policy is being circulated for comments among PNG education stakeholders. Last Friday students of Port Moresby's De La Salle and Gordon high schools signed a truce ending a string of fights between the students. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 22:25:12 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:25:12 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression news, Aug-Sept 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9DF38.3070507@tesco.net> US Repression News * Denver cops get T-shirts mocking DNC protest brutality * Holy Name protesters sentenced, lectured * Filmmaker jailed over peace protest * Dangerous funeral protest law upheld * Arizona - man arrested for filming protest * Apology for Muslim expulsion * Bringing children to protest criminalised * Speed cameras used to intimidate protesters Europe/Global North Repression News * ITALY: Fun police run riot inventing rules * FRANCE: Draconian database plan * HOLLAND: Court system insists on stupid standing ritual, against religious rights * IRELAND: Navy used against protesters * UK: Crane protester given fascistic lecture, arbitrary curfew * UK: Coal protesters cleared * UK: Protester jailed for climbing on house roof * UK: Olympic torch protester acquitted * UK: Draconian sentence for youth involved in uprising * ISRAEL: Islamic group closed down * ISRAEL: Gaza ship protester detained * AUSTRALIA: Small victory for G20 protesters * AUSTRALIA: Vicious graffiti laws introduced * CANADA: Seal protest costs exposed Global South Repression News * WEST PAPUA: War criminal commander indicted * US - INDONESIA: Exxon faces lawsuit over repression * INDONESIA: Police torture still widespread, study finds * INDONESIA: Short jail terms for marines in village massacre case * WEST PAPUA: Fresh evidence of Indonesian role in teacher killings * EAST TIMOR: Social cleansing launched against vendors * YEMEN: Protesters pardoned in deal with opposition * CHINA: Would-be protesters still detained * BURMA: Ten jailed for protests * CHINA: Pressure works to free Olympic grannies * PHILIPPINES: The new horror of "discipline zones" * PHILIPPINES: Anti-Arroyo protesters charged * MALAYSIA: Under fire, government resorts to terror law * MAURITANIA: Protests banned * SOUTH AFRICA: Judge bans Zuma protest * THAILAND: Protesting school students threatened by state * JAMAICA: State threatens teachers over student protests * NEPAL: Tibetan protesters could be deported to India * SAUDI ARABIA: Activist faces trial over women's protest * IRAN: Jailing of physicians continues to spark controversy * UGANDA: No more police guns at protests * THAILAND: Police batons banned in PAD protest * KENYA: "Tough terms" for students, parents over school insurrection * CAMEROON: Singer jailed over protests * GHANA: Protests banned in town * MOROCCO: Police question photographer for covering demo * INDIA: Court refuses to repress AIADMK demo * BURMA/THAILAND: Refugees abandoned on "Isle of the Damned" http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=12163 Denver Cops Get T-Shorts That Mock Protesters Published on 09-29-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: Raw Story Denver's police union is facing criticism for printing a commemorative T-shirt that makes light of the use of violence by police, particularly in the wake of 154 arrests during the week of Democratic National Convention this past August. "We get up early, to beat the crowds," the shirt reads, followed by "2008 DNC." The words flank a grinning police officer holding a baton and wearing a hat with a crossed-out number "68," presumably making reference to activist organization Recreate 68, which staged several anti-war demonstrations during the convention. "The people of Denver were assured by the city that it would respect First Amendment rights during the DNC, and that that police officers were being trained to do so. The actions of police during the DNC, which involved numerous violations of people's right to freedom of speech and assembly, put the lie to those promises," said Recreate 68's Glenn Spagnuolo. "And now this appalling, tasteless t-shirt shows why. The members of Denver's police union clearly have no respect for the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution. The Denver Police Department Operations Manual includes a Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, which begins, 'As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind, to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.' The creation of this t-shirt makes a mockery of that statement." Detective Nick Rogers of the Police Protective Association said that the union predicts sales of about 2,000 shirts in addition to the ones given free to Denver police officers, and also told KMGH that he hadn't received any complaints about the shirt. http://chicagoist.com/2008/08/30/easter_protesters_lectured_sentence.php Easter Protesters Sentenced, Lectured The group of anti-war protesters who pulled one of the stupidest moves of the year by disrupting the Easter Sunday service at Holy Name Cathedral were sentenced on Friday. Each was sentenced to: one year probation, 30 days of community service, and ordered to pay $2,600 in restitution. The group also denied they had anything to do with Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War who had originally claimed responsibility. Cook County Judge James B. Linn, who sentenced the group, also had some choice words for the protesters who had shouted and sprayed the congregation with fake blood, calling them "very naive," and then adding: I find it ironic that in this case that the target you picked out, the people you were disturbing on perhaps their holiest day, trying to express their beliefs, literally trying to communicate with God -- I would guess that the majority of those people were probably of the same mind as you about the Iraq war. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Steve-Chabot-Protesters-Sentenced/hFAospz4RUeU9zhUDH_pmA.cspx Steve Chabot Protesters Sentenced Last Update: 8/30/2008 12:27 am Related Links ? Jury Gets Local Anti-War Protest Case Web produced by: Ian Preuth Contributor: Jeff Brogan Four protesters who were arrested outside of Congressman Steve Chabot's office were sentenced Friday. They were charged two years ago with criminal trespassing after refusing to leave until Chabot signed papers, pledging to bring troops home and end the Iraq War. Three of those arrested, including a nun, received probation. Filmmaker Barbara Wolf was sentenced to 10 days in jail. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-08-26-funeral-protests-phelps_N.htm?csp=34 Court affirms limits on funeral protests Posted 8/26/2008 8:58 PM | Comments 43 | Recommend 8 By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service A federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio law that limits picketing at funerals, rejecting an appeal by Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-gay Kansas congregation that has held protests across the country. Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro pastor Fred Phelps, argued that a law amended in 2006 by the Ohio legislature was unconstitutional because it imposed unreasonable restrictions on speech. She suggested that attendees could "avert their eyes" from protests and are voluntary participants at funerals. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the rule "serves an important governmental interest" and is reasonable. "Friends and family of the deceased should not be expected to opt-out from attending their loved one's funeral or burial service," wrote Senior Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich. "Nor can funeral attendees simply 'avert their eyes' to avoid exposure to disruptive speech at a funeral or burial service. The mere presence of a protestor is sufficient to inflict the harm." Phelps-Roper and other members of her Topeka church picket military funerals because they believe God is punishing America for its acceptance of homosexuality with deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. They carry signs with messages such as "Thank God for dead soldiers." FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States | Afghanistan | Iraq | Ohio | God | Kansas | Topeka | Westboro Baptist Church | Fred Phelps The court also disagreed with Phelps-Roper's argument that the law was "overbroad," ruling it was "narrowly tailored" because it restricts protests within 300 feet of a burial or funeral service. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2519.asp Arizona: Man Taping Photo Radar Protest Arrested Police in Scottsdale, Arizona arrest a man for videotaping activists protesting a photo radar van. Police in Scottsdale, Arizona arrested a man late Wednesday claiming he "obstructed" a photo radar van. Jason Shelton, 35, had been videotaping a pair of anti-camera activists at 6800 E. Shea Boulevard before being taken into custody. The protesters held signs calling the speed camera program a rip-off and advertising the group CameraFraud.com in an impromptu demonstration. Shelton intended to post his video on Freedom's Phoenix, an Arizona-based political opinion and news website. Enraged local officials did what they could to ensure that would not happen. "The City of Scottsdale, including the police department, respects and protects an individual's right to stage and/or participate in a lawful demonstration," Scottsdale Police said in a statement. "However, behavior such as the intentional obstruction of a contracted photo enforcement van's operation is not lawful and subject to enforcement action." Videotape of an earlier protest documented a similar demonstration. An activist held a sign reading "FRAUD" in front of a photo radar van's camera as the fully automated system continued in a vain attempt to photograph passing traffic. At no point did the protester touch the photo radar van or its driver. The video also showed the van's driver, an elderly man, used a cell phone presumably to ask his Australian employer, Redflex, for guidance on how to deal with the situation. At a subsequent protest, police were called to the scene after a phone call was made and Shelton was placed under arrest. Scottsdale Police charged Shelton with "obstruction of government operations" (ARS 13-2402) and "refusing to provide truthful name when lawfully detained" (ARS 13-2412). The former charge requires Scottsdale to show that Shelton used or threatened to use "violence or physical force." Video evidence showed the protest was entirely peaceful. Refusing to provide a name to a police officer is only a crime if that officer had a reasonable basis to believe the suspect had committed a crime. According to Shelton's colleagues, his only crime was exercising his rights under the First Amendment. "The person who was arrested was not a demonstrator, but rather a journalist who was videographing the event for local media site FreedomsPhoenix.com," a statement on the CameraFraud website explained. "The person who was arrested never held up a sign the entire evening. Scottsdale Police never arrested the two persons who were actually holding signs." Scottsdale Police have a history of using arrest powers to intimidate political opposition and support the goals of its photo ticketing program. A judge released Shelton on his own recognizance on Thursday. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5012XV20090102 Muslim family booted off U.S. airline gets apology Fri Jan 2, 2009 4:55pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Muslim family that was ordered off an AirTran Airways flight on New Year's Day received an apology and refund on Friday from the airline, which said its decision to bar the passengers was necessary. Atif Irfan said in an interview with CNN that federal authorities removed him, seven family members and a friend from the flight after passengers overheard members of the group talking about the safest place to sit on the plane. He said they were being careful to avoid any "buzzwords" like "bomb" that would trigger a security alert. The group was flying out of Reagan Washington National Airport and was headed for a religious retreat in Florida when other passengers apparently overheard the conversation and reported it to authorities. AirTran, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc., issued a statement apologizing to the nine and the other passengers who were inconvenienced by the incident. It said the airfare of the nine was refunded and other passengers would be reimbursed for expenses incurred by taking other flights. "We apologize to all of the passengers -- to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities, and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight," the discount airline said in a statement. "While ultimately this issue proved to be a misunderstanding, the steps taken were necessary," it said. An earlier AirTran statement said the airline complied with all Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the case. All 104 passengers aboard the flight were taken off and rescreened and their baggage was checked again, AirTran said. Of the nine passengers in the group, six asked to be rebooked to Florida, AirTran said. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it filed a complaint on Friday with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Islamic civil rights group said in a statement it was working with the Muslim passengers and the airline to address the civil liberties issues related to the incident. "We believe this disturbing incident would never have occurred had the Muslim passengers removed from the plane not been perceived by other travelers and airline personnel as members of the Islamic faith," the group said in its complaint. Kashif Irfan, Atif's brother, told The Washington Post he thought the group, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens, were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the group are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves. Kashif Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist, and his brother Atif, 29, is a lawyer, the Post reported. Both live in Alexandria, Virginia. Atif Irfan told CNN U.S. law enforcement officials treated the group with kindness but the family is upset that the airline did not allow the group to reboard the plane or rebook a flight after they had been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Post reported the group booked a flight on US Airways after the incident. (Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Eric Beech) http://www.wftv.com/news/17498709/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=irresistible DCF Says It May Investigate Protesters Who Bring Children To Anthony House Wednesday, September 17, 2008 ? updated: 11:05 am EDT September 18, 2008 ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The quality of parenting seems to be stealing the spotlight in the Casey Anthony case. Not only does Casey face child neglect charges, but Eyewitness News found out the Department of Children and Families issued a warning saying they may investigate parents who bring their children to a protest outside the Anthony home if the children are involved in some sort of incident. Many protesters who bring their children say they just want to teach their kids about their First Amendment rights. DCF says it understands that, but parents need to be aware of the increasing violence outside the home. Children of all ages have been seen outside the Anthony house, many of them protesting right beside their parents. "We share concerns that the general public and the viewing audience shares as well," said DCF's Carrie Hoeppner. Hoeppner says, after this weekend incident involving a young boy (pictured at left), DCF has received several complaints. "We have seen some situations there get violent, confrontational and we want parents to ask themselves, 'Is this really a good environment and do I want to expose my child to these types of scenarios?" Hoeppner said. Now DCF is warning protesters with kids, if there's a complaint against them or if the department witnesses it, the agency will open an investigation. But Hoeppner said DCF is not trying to tell parents what to do when it comes to their children. "I think we are the big advocates for children. Our intervention in this case resulted from the community asking us to get involved," Hoeppner said. Protestors be warned, DCF is now watching. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said if a parent is caught committing a crime, such as trespassing, with their child in tow, he or she could also face child neglect charges. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2534.asp Arizona: Speed Camera Used to Intimidate Camera Protesters Scottsdale, Arizona used a speed camera van to intimidate a strategy meeting for camera protesters. Scottsdale, Arizona turned the table on its political opponents yesterday by sending a speed camera van to protesters. Ordinarily, it is up to those who dislike photo enforcement to make their way to an automated ticketing location so that they can express their political opinion. This time, however, the city paid a visit to the protesters and used the opportunity to conduct a surveillance operation. The newly formed group CameraFraud.com openly used its website to encourage local residents to attend a Friday evening meeting to discuss strategies to encourage the city to drop photo ticketing. Soon after learning of the event, Scottsdale updated its photo enforcement schedule for Friday to include a new location. It ordered a van to the 7600 block of East MacDowell Road, the location of Peter Piper Pizza where the activist meeting was held. A photograph taken by an attendee shows that the camera van was perfectly positioned to videotape and identify all patrons entering the restaurant's driveway (view full-size image). It was also parked illegally. "With hundreds of places where the vans could be located, multiplied by the various times of operation, the chances of such placement being an 'honest mistake' seems highly unlikely -- but not impossible," CameraFraud founder D.T. Arneson wrote. "Now, one is led to wonder if the city is actively attempting to intimidate businesses and perhaps provoke peaceful citizens who are guilty of no crime other than lawful assembly over a pizza pie." This is not the first time that a city has used photo enforcement equipment to intimidate political enemies. Washington, DC officials ordered a mobile speed camera positioned outside the offices of the Washington Times on New York Avenue. The paper broke several news stories embarrassing to the program, including the admission of the then-mayor that photo radar's main purpose was to generate revenue. "It was literally right before the entrance to our building," said Brett M. Decker, a former editorial writer for the Times. "Everybody at the paper complained about it." Scottsdale Police have a history of using arrest powers to intimidate political opposition and support the goals of its photo ticketing program. Last month, for example, officers arrested a man for videotaping a camera protest. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10527527&ref=rss Fun police run riot inventing rules 5:00AM Monday Aug 18, 2008 By Peter Popham Strange but true ? Good lord, city's giant lamington takes the cake ? It's the running of the balls In addition to the usual perils of sunburn, jellyfish attacks and bottom-pinching, holidaymakers in Italy face a new range of menaces this summer, the result of the Berlusconi Government's frontal assault on what it calls the "security emergency". The nation's mayors have been given carte blanche to write laws to address their own particular security hang-ups. The result is a blizzard of new rules and regulations that threatens to turn the bel paese into the biggest nanny state of them all. Unwary foreigners risk getting hefty fines for doing things perfectly legal everywhere in the world except the particular town or city where they find themselves. In Genoa, for example, it is now against the law to walk around with a bottle of wine or can of beer in your hand. In Rome that is okay, but if you stretch out under a pine tree or on the Spanish Steps to drink it, or merely to eat a sandwich, your "indecorous" behaviour may be penalised. Likewise if your al fresco snack is followed by a nap. Stiff regulations are aimed at beach-goers: on one beach in Olbia, Sardinia, smokers risk a ?360 fine, while nationwide, the Minister of Welfare has imposed a ban on massages offered by immigrants, warning of the possible dangerous effects of "aesthetic or therapeutic services" offered by those "not in possession of adequate training or competence". At Eraclea, near Venice, parents need to keep a beady eye on their children: sandcastles are banned, as they "obstruct the passage" along the beach. Racketball and other ball games are forbidden on many beaches, and swimmers who dive heedlessly into the sea may face whopping fines if they are not in "permitted areas". And woe betide holidaymakers in many seaside towns who wander away from the beach clad only in boxers or bikinis: it's against the law. The nationwide witch-hunt against the vendors of counterfeit designer bags has been fortified in Ostia, Rome's most popular beach, by the use of patrolling helicopters, making the Italian beach experience even more hellish than usual. Away from the water, things don't get any easier. Two people may sit down on a park bench in the city of Novara, but if a third person joins them and it's after 11pm, all three are breaking the law. In Viareggio the benches may contain as many people who can squeeze on, but if one of them puts his feet up on it he risks a fine. Scatter breadcrumbs for pigeons in the city of Lucca and you could end up hundreds of euros poorer. The drive against begging has been taken up by many towns - including Assisi, home of St Francis, who began his religious life as a mendicant. In the romantic city of Verona they have taken this trend to its logical conclusion, requiring the beggars' takings to be confiscated. And in Florence it is now illegal to clean the car windscreens of cars waiting at traffic lights. Silvio Berlusconi's Government may be the first in the world to have introduced a "minister of simplification", with the job of identifying and abolishing redundant laws, but in the interests of greater local democracy and security his Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, has allowed a thousand legal flowers to bloom. Most of them will probably never be enforced, but that will be scant consolation to the pigeon-feeder whose holiday souvenirs include a large fine. - INDEPENDENT http://www.pcworld.com/article/151212/.html?tk=rss_news French Gov't Resists Police Database Protests Peter Sayer, IDG News Service Sep 18, 2008 4:30 pm The French government will not reverse a decree allowing French police to record the sexuality and religion of suspects in their files, the French Minister of the Interior has said, despite calls from a parliamentary commission on Thursday not to collect some of that information. The National Assembly's Commission on Laws called on the minister on Thursday to modify the June 27 decree to exclude information on sexuality, race and health from the database. The Commission's role is to scrutinize laws and make recommendations to the government and the Assembly. The June decree merged two domestic intelligence services, the Directorate of Terrorist Surveillance and the "Renseignements G?n?raux," or secret police, and set new rules for maintaining and accessing their files in two central databases, Cristina and Edvige. Edvige, a database covering criminals and potential criminals, and also past, present and potential elected officials, has received the most criticism, notably for the way the decree allows the intelligence services to record the sexuality, religion, race and health problems of those in the database, and widens the range of officials allowed to consult it. Interior Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie plans no significant changes to the decree, she said in a radio interview Wednesday. However, to allay the fears of various campaign groups, the decree will be rewritten to make its meaning clearer, she said. "There's no question of indicating the sexual or religious preferences or health information about people," she said. Nevertheless, those terms had to appear in the decree because otherwise it would be impossible for database entries to mention to, for example, membership of a medical research charity whose name referred to a particular disease. The parliamentary commission also called on the minister to impose stricter rules on who can access the database, and to keep records of all attempts to access the database for five years. Alliot-Marie has spent the week in meetings with campaigners concerned about the Edvige database: on Thursday it was the turn of religious groups, trade unionists and employers' representatives, while earlier she met magistrates, lawyers, civil rights and anti-discrimination campaigners and a group representing paralytics. An online petition calling for the abolition of the database has collected 184,560 signatures since July. The government has had trouble winning public support for its database plans. A new front-end for police databases, Ardoise, was criticized by civil rights campaigners in April, also for allowing records to include information about sexual orientation or religion. http://sheikyermami.com/2008/09/07/rotterdam-islamo-shyster-mohammed-enait-wont-stand-for-the-judge/ Enait claims that standing up conflicts with his religion. Rotterdam: Lawyer may stay sitting Muslim fundamentalist and lawyer Mohammed Enait does not need to stand when the judges enter the courtroom. Enait claims that standing up conflicts with his religion. The court in Rotterdam agreed with him, reports NRC Handelsblad Friday. According to the newspaper the court in Rotterdam had spoken with Enait about his behavior and had agreed that in extremely exceptional cases the lawyer may stay sitting, whenever deep religious convictions dictate so. According to Enait, who recently became a lawyer, Islam states that all men are equal. He therefore thinks he can not stand for others. The public ministry had objections to this, according to a spokesperson, and raised the matter to the Bar Association and the Council for the Judiciary Act. ?It is common practice to stand for the judge.? Enait was formerly in the news after the Social Service refused him a job since he didn?t want to shake hands with women. The Rotterdam court dismissed Enait?s objections on this last month. Both the CDA government party and the opposition VVD think it?s unacceptable. VVD parliament member Henk Kamp reacted furiously to the news that Enait doesn?t need to stand for the judges. ?This is cultural relativism to the extreme. It is impermissible to allow this in a constitutional state. Everybody must simply stand for the judge, period.? Kamp asked Minister of Integration Ella Vogelaar (PvdA) for explanations. CDA parliament member Sybrand van Haersma Buma said that ?it can?t be so that an individual with extreme ideas can tackle general manners.? He says that everybody must respect the judges and jurisprudence in the same way. ?Everybody is equal. That holds also for this man.? He says the court must go back on its decision to make an exception for Enait. Should that not happen, the Council for the Judiciary Act must make a general regulations staying that everybody must stand when the judges come in. The court in Rotterdam was not available for comments Friday. The Dutch bar association says that all lawyers must stand when the judges enter the courtroom, the head of the organization Willem Bekkers said in a radio interview Saturday. Bekkers says that the requirement to stand does not appear in the law, but ?the judicial power and the Bar have to respect each other.? ?We are here in the Netherlands, where Dutch laws are in force,? he says. He points out that the lawyers swear respect for the judicial authorities and that you do not stand up for a person but for his authority. According to Bekkers, if there will be a complaint on the issue to the Bar, an independent board of lawyers and judges would decide on whether the complaint is founded. Bekkers doesn?t expect that more lawyers will refuse to stand before judges. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojeyojmh/rss2/ Navy called in over Shell protests Print Email+ Share 29/08/2008 - 16:00:47 A naval ship was deployed today as protests mounted over a controversial Shell gas pipeline. The Irish Defence Forces said the LE Orla, with 39 crew onboard, was requested by garda? as back-up at Broadhaven Bay, Co Mayo. A spokesman for the naval service said he could not recall any of its ships ever being directly involved in an operation against civil demonstrations. Campaigners opposed to the Corrib off-shore pipeline are expected to step up protests there as the world?s largest pipelaying ship, Solitaire, was due to sail in. A Defence Forces spokesman said the Le Orla, which was formally a British naval gunship patrolling Hong Kong, arrived at Broadhaven Bay today. ?It is there as an aid to the civil power. It was requested to assist gardai and provide them with a platform at sea,? he said. Asked if an Irish naval ship had been involved in a similar capacity before, he replied: ?Not to my immediate knowledge.? He added: ?The Naval Service has been in discussions with the gardai about this operation. ?Any operation we undertake will be with the gardai. We will not be involved in any operation independently of the gardai.? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7624659.stm Friday, 19 September 2008 08:24 UK Crane protester gets night curfew Paul Jones was protesting about being evicted from a council property A protester who scaled a crane in Wrexham has been ordered to obey a night curfew. Paul Jones, 41, was demonstrating after a long running dispute over his eviction from a council property, Flintshire magistrates' court heard. Jones climbed the 60m (197ft) crane at the town's new Eagles Meadow shopping development on Wednesday, and stayed there for more than four hours. He admitted causing a public nuisance, and was also ordered to pay ?60 costs. The court heard that the crane Jones climbed was due to be dismantled, but his actions meant the job had to be cancelled and workmen sent home without pay. You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time when they can ill-afford it District Judge Andrew Shaw Another crane had to be brought in at the cost of ?3,500 for a police negotiator to speak to him. It was claimed that the cost of the delays to developers at the site amounted to ?10,000. 'Selfish, attention-seeking' District Judge Andrew Shaw called it "selfish, attention-seeking behaviour" and rejected his claim that it was done on the spur of the moment. "You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time when they can ill-afford it," added the judge. Euros Jones, defending, said the root of the protest was that Jones, his six children and partner were evicted from a Wrexham council property four years ago. The court was told that the defendant believed the eviction order was the result of malicious complaints from neighbours, and believed that the council had refused to investigate the issue. "He decided that this was the only option left to him," said his solicitor. "My client got to the foot of the crane at 5am and it took him about an hour and a half to pluck up the courage to go all the way up, but he did go." "He is thoroughly ashamed." The court said Jones must obey a curfew order to remain indoors from the evening until 8am for three months. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/10/activists.carbonemissions Kingsnorth trial: Coal protesters cleared of criminal damage to chimney The trial of the six Greenpeace UK activists was the first case in which acting to prevent climate change causing damage to property formed part of a 'lawful excuse' defence ? John Vidal, environment editor ? guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 10 September 2008 15.00 BST ? Article history A Greenpeace activist abseils down the Kingsnorth power station in October 2007. Photograph Will Rose/Greenpeace Six Greenpeace climate change activists have been cleared of causing criminal damage at a coal-fired power station in a verdict that is expected to embarrass the government and strengthen the anti-coal movement. The jury of nine men and three women at Maidstone crown court cleared the six, five of whom had scaled a 200m tall chimney at Kingsnorth power station at Hoo, Kent in October 2007. Greenpeace activists on the painted chimney. Photograph: Will Rose/Greenpeace The activists admitted trying to shut down the station by occupying the smokestack and painting the world "Gordon" down the chimney, but argued that they were legally justified because they were trying to prevent climate change causing greater damage to property around the world. It was the first case where preventing property damage caused by climate change has been used as part of a "lawful excuse" defence in court. It is now expected to be used widely by environment groups. The court had heard from Prof James Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists, that the 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted daily by Kingsnorth could be responsible for the extinction of up to 400 species. Hansen, a Nasa director who advises Al Gore, told the court that humanity was in "grave peril". He said: "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power stations." It also heard David Cameron's environment adviser, millionaire environmentalist Zac Goldsmith, and an Inuit leader from Greenland say that climate change was already seriously affecting life around the world. The court was told was that some of the property in immediate need of protection included parts of Kent at risk from rising sea levels, the Pacific island state of Tuvalu and areas of Greenland. The defendants also cited the Arctic ice sheet, China's Yellow river region, the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, coastal areas of Bangladesh and the city of New Orleans. Goldsmith told the court: "By building a coal-power plant in this country, it makes it very much harder in exerting pressure on countries like China and India to reduce their burgeoning use of the fossil fuel." The jury was told that Kingsnorth emits the same amount of CO2 as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined ? and that there are advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent. Greenpeace used the court's decision to pile pressure on government to abandon plans for a new generation of coal-fired plants. "Today's acquittal is a potent challenge to the government's plans for new coal-fired stations from jurors representing ordinary people in Britain who, after hearing the evidence, supported the right to take direct action in order to protect the climate," said Ben Stewart, Greenpeace's communications director who was one of the six acquitted. The others were Will Rose, Kevin Drake, Tim Hewke, Huw Williams and Emily Hall. "It wasn't only us in the dock, it was coal-fired power generation as well. The only people left in Britain who think new coal is a good idea are business secretary John Hutton and the energy minister Malcolm Wicks," said Hall. "It's time the prime minister stepped in and embraced a clean energy future for Britain." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7725194.stm Wednesday, 12 November 2008 Father jailed for rooftop protest The two men carried out their rooftop protest in June A fathers' rights activist has been jailed for two months after staging a rooftop protest at the home of the deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman. Jolly Stanesby, from south Devon, scaled Miss Harman's home in Herne Hill, south London, in June, City of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard. Stanesby was found guilty of causing distress and alarm and fined ?750. Another Fathers 4 Justice protestor, Mark Harris, also from south Devon, was given a conditional discharge. The two men mounted the protest which eventually led to Miss Harman and her husband Jack Dromey having to temporarily leave the premises. A spokesman for the Fathers 4 Justice protest group, which disbanded in September, said they would be staging further protests on the minister's roof and at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's home in Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath within the week in protest at the sentences. Fathers 4 Justice, was formed by Matt O'Connor, a father-of-two, after a difficult divorce left him struggling to maintain contact with his children. http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/378651/International/2/20/A British court acquits Beijing Olympic torch protester Published: September 29,2008 London , Sep 29 (AFP) A British protester who tried to extinguish the Olympic flame as it passed through London en route for Beijing walked free today, after a judge found in his favour. Martin Wyness, 50, set off a fire extinguisher and aimed it at the flame on April 6, when hundreds of thousands lined the streets amid tight security for the flame, on its way to China for the August Games. Video footage of the incident showed Wyness, dressed in a high visibility jacket, aiming a white substance at the flame from the extinguisher, labelled " Propaganda Extinguisher," before being detained by police. Judge Andrew Sweet agreed with Wyness' defence lawyer that there was not enough evidence to prove he had intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress, as charged. " Having viewed the video footage and listened carefully to your argument, I am not satisfied that the elements (of the charge) are made out. Your application succeeds," he said, awarding 300 pounds (377 euros, 541 dollars) in costs to Wyness. The court heard how Wyness had told television cameramen after the incident: "I tried to extinguish the flame. China has no right to be doing what it's doing." Policeman Doug Dinning said he saw Wyness pulling the extinguisher from a backpack. "I then grabbed the nozzle with my left hand. My immediate thought was that he was going to discharge it within the crowd and to the flame. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7586338.stm Thursday, 28 August 2008 16:35 UK E-mail this to a friend Child unit riot leader sentenced The unit can hold up to 36 young residents A teenager who played a leading part in a riot at a children's secure unit in East Dunbartonshire in March has been ordered to be detained for four years. The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of 16 youths who caused about ?200,000 of damage to St Mary's Kenmure unit in Bishopbriggs. At Glasgow Sheriff Court, sentence on a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, who admitted their part, was deferred. Two girls, aged 15, were referred to the children's panel. An earlier hearing heard how events began to spiral out of control after several girls ran onto the pitch during a supervised game of boys' football. Within hours a full-scale disturbance was in progress - with youths from the facility smashing windows and ransacking rooms, before setting fire to clothing and waving it about. Unit revamp When one member of staff went to investigate the fire alarm he was attacked by the 16-year-old with a knife and sustained a superficial cut to his left ear. Firefighters and police eventually brought the riot under control the following morning by which time a number of youths had escaped. Several of them were later caught as they made their way through fields to the Milton area of Glasgow. St Mary's Kenmure residential unit was reopened on 4 August after a ?500,000 revamp. The unit is run by the Cora Foundation, which is owned by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland. It can hold up to 36 youngsters aged between 11 and 16. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1015101.html Last update - 19:37 25/08/2008 Arab rights group protests closure of Islamic institute By Yoav Stern and Eli Ashkenazi, Haarez Correspondents Tags: Islamic Movement, Adalah Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, urged Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday to revoke an order closing the offices of a sub-branch of the Islamic Movement. The order, outlawing the Al Aqsa Institute, was issued by Barak ten days ago but carried out by police only on Sunday, when large forces from the Valley District Police raided its offices in the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm. Adalah said that the order "seriously infringes on the right to unionize, freedom of speech and freedom of religion of the entire Arab minority in Israel." The organization also protested the closing the offices weeks before the beginning of the Muslim festival of Ramadan, during which the movement steps up its charity activity. Prior to the raid, the Shin Bet had gathered intelligence revealing that Al-Aqsa was coordinating with Hamas commanders in East Jerusalem, by giving them financial and logistical support for their activities in the capital. A number of Umm al-Fahm residents and movement activists arrived at the Al-Aqsa offices to watch the raid. Police said they seized documents, computers and other material belonging to the institute before closing it down. In response to the police action, the Islamic Movement denied any connection to Hamas. "The Israeli establishment prefers to use the stick method instead of talking," the movement said in a statement. Islamic Movement spokesman Zaim Jiday denied the alleged links with Hamas. "It's absolutely not right," he told Army Radio. "We do not cooperate [with Hamas]. We carry out legal, open and transparent activities." The Islamic Movement's northern branch is headed by Sheikh Ra'ad Salah, who last year was arrested for disturbances at a protest against Israeli excavations near the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem. He was later in court with incitement to violence and racism, over a fiery speech he gave in the Wadi Joz neighborhood, in which he accused Jews of using children's blood to bake bread. Salah said Sunday that the raided institute was founded 10 years ago and has an Israeli license to operate. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6487548.html Israeli activist released "conditionally " after questioned for Gaza boat protest 09:28, August 27, 2008 The Israeli who sailed to the Gaza Strip with other international activists in defiance of an Israel-imposed sea blockade was released "conditionally" Tuesday evening after being questioned, local news service Ynet reported. Sderot Police Chief Shimon Nachmani was quoted as saying that The Israeli, Prof. Jeff Halper, "was held for questioning and the decision whether to arrest him will be taken at the end of the probe." Halper was interrogated at a border crossing in the afternoon on his way back from the Palestinian enclave, before police put him into custody at a police station in the southern town of Sderot, Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, a contact person for the protest organizer Free Gaza Movement, told Xinhua. She said that Halper, the only Israeli participant in the voyage, was arrested for violating the law prohibiting Jewish citizens from entering the coastal strip. The incident took place two days after Halper and some 40 other activists with the U.S.-based group reached the Gazan coast in a mission they said aimed to break the siege the Jewish state has imposed upon the Hamas-ruled area. Before giving the so-called "one-time" green light for the two boats, Israeli government had warned that such a provocative move "constitutes the legitimization of a terrorist organization" and that all options would be considered. Israel tightened its restrictions on the Palestinian region since Hamas, a group Israel blacklists as a terrorist organization, seized control of the area last year from the long-dominant Fatah faction. The land border, sea and air of the strip are currently all under Israeli control. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/765/39501 Small victory for G20 protesters Maargarita Windisch, Melbourne 30 August 2008 A county court judge reduced the sentences of four G20 protesters on appeal on August 28. The four, along with other activists, received severe penalties last April in relation to altercations with police at a protest against the G20 meeting held in Melbourne in November 2006. Five protesters received wholly suspended jail sentences of five-to-nine months, and four of the five were also fined up to $4000. Five more activists were sentenced to 12-month community work orders of up to 250 hours. One protester lost his appeal, three had their convictions overturned and one had a suspended jail sentence reduced to a conviction with 250 hours? community work. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39684 Graffiti artists protest unjust laws Alistair McKinnon, Melbourne 27 September 2008 On September 20, hundreds of people converged on Clifton Park in Brunswick to admire the work of talented graffiti artists. The gathering was part of a ?Don?t Ban the Can? campaign, launched in response to the state government?s new anti-graffiti laws, which allow $550 spot fines to be issued to anyone in possession of a ?graffiti implement?. Police can also now search anyone 14-years or older if they are suspected of carrying a spray can. Protest organiser Jeremy Gaschk told Green Left Weekly: ?The great injustice of these laws is the instant presumption of guilt placed on anyone for simply carrying a spray can. The police have been, in effect, given the power to persecute someone for pursuing their chosen art.? Across Melbourne, designated graffiti areas have been established through agreements with local councils and artists. The willingness of some councils to cooperate with local artists displays a recognition of graffiti as an art form; something that can enhance an area rather than detract from it. The new laws appeal to old prejudices and myths about graffiti and youth street culture that many in the scene have been fighting hard for years to dispel. ?For some of these artists graffiti is their livelihood and they have exhibited their work all over the world?, Gaschk said. http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-252257-NL-outlines-antiseal-protest-expenditures.html N.L. outlines anti-seal protest expenditures $167,000 spent over past two fiscal years Article online since September 22nd 2008, 9:15 N.L. outlines anti-seal protest expenditures $167,000 spent over past two fiscal years By Rob Antle FOR THE SOU?WESTER Transcontinental Media/The Telegram The Williams administration in Newfoundland and Labrador spent $167,000 over the past two fiscal years as part of a pro-sealing, anti-protest campaign. The cash investment - allocated at $100,000 per year - was unveiled in the 2006 budget, as a "sealing industry communications strategy to counter the fiction and fabrication with facts." Transcontinental Media?s The Telegram newspaper obtained details of how the province spent the cash using access-to-information laws. A fair chunk of the money ? $26,880 in 2006/07 and $42,720 in 2007/08 ? went to the Fur Institute of Canada, a non-profit lobby group for the fur industry. That total of nearly $70,000 helped organize two anti-protest events held in the past year and a half. Those included the 2007 "Up the Anti" pro-sealing rallies held from Ottawa to the Netherlands, and the 2008 "Swilers Ball" in St. John's. According to government documents, the province paid the Fur Institute for costs that included "transportation for both national and international seal industry representatives and organization of meetings with federal government members." The documents reference a contract between the government and Fur Institute, but provide no further details. Other provincial anti-protest expenditures over the two-year period include: $50,000 for a manual and quality practices video for sealers; $10,000 for photography of seal-hunt activities; nearly $10,000 for the production and distribution of media kits throughout the European Union; more than $20,000 in travel expenses, both within the province and to Europe; and more than $4,000 in local magazine advertising. In 2006, while condemning actress Pamela Anderson for her anti-seal hunt comments at the Junos, Premier Danny Williams said there would be "a definitive strategy that will be developed over a period of time" for the $100,000 annual allocation. Earlier this year, then-fisheries minister Tom Rideout attacked Ottawa for what he called a "defeatist attitude," and took credit for victories on the pro-sealing front. The European Union is expected to vote this fall on a bill that could ban the import of Canadian seal products. http://www.survival-international.org/news/3660 Commander indicted for crimes against humanity is removed from West Papua 27 August 2008 Dani man, Papua ? ?Adrian Arbib/Survival An Indonesian military commander accused of crimes against humanity has been removed from his post in West Papua. Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian faces two indictments in the UN-backed courts in East Timor for crimes committed in 1999. The international police organisation Interpol also issued an international warrant for his arrest in 2003. The tribal peoples of Papua have suffered greatly under the Indonesian military occupation which began in 1963. The Indonesian army has a long history of human rights violations against the Papuans. In May 2007, Siagian issued death threats against anyone who demonstrated in support of independence for West Papua, saying he would ?destroy? them. Survival joined organisations in West Papua and around the world in calling for the Colonel?s removal from West Papua and for him to be tried for his crimes. Siagian remains a leading Indonesian military figure on active duty. --------------------------------------------------- ExxonMobil must face Indonesian villagers' lawsuit: US judge Agence France Presse - August 27, 2008 Washington -- ExxonMobil must face a lawsuit filed by Indonesian villagers alleging that the US oil giant is liable for killings and torture committed by military security forces, a federal judge said Wednesday. "Plaintiffs have provided sufficient evidence, at this stage, for their allegations of serious abuse," said US Judge Louis Oberdorfer in Washington. Eleven Indonesian villagers have accused Exxon Mobil Corporation and two of its US affiliates, Mobil Corp. and ExxonMobil Oil Corp., and its Indonesian subsidiary, ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia (EMOI) of "killings and torture committed by military security forces protecting and paid for by EMOI," the judge said in a court document. Oberdorfer denied Exxon Mobil Corp.'s and EMOI's request to throw out the lawsuit. However, he dismissed the suit for the group's two US affiliates, Mobil Corp. and ExxonMobil Oil Corp., saying there was "insufficient" evidence against them. The lawsuit was filed in June 2001 by the 11 villagers, using pseudonyms. The alleged atrocities took place in Aceh, near ExxonMobil's natural gas Arun Project, in the early 2000s. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Cops torture suspects, study finds Jakarta Post - August 30, 2008 Jakarta -- The majority of suspects in Jakarta are subjected to brutality while in police custody, a recent study claims. According to a Jakarta Legal Institute (LBH) survey, 83.7 percent of respondents said they had been subjected to various forms of torture and police brutality. The respondents included 367 suspects who had been in police custody between January 2007 and January 2008, from across five municipalities and one regency in Jakarta province, as well as from Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi. LBH researchers surveyed sample populations from Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, Pondok Bambu and Cipinang Penitentiaries in East Jakarta as well as from a juvenile correctional facility in Tangerang. City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana refused to comment on the survey findings. "I don't want to comment. It's not clear where they got their data from," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday, refusing to take further questions. Among the survey's respondents, 22 were under 18 years old, with 34 females surveyed, the report says. According to the findings, 24.3 percent of total respondents said they were threatened at gun point by police during investigations. Police tended to use three types of violence -- physical, non-physical and sexual -- the survey reported. Beatings were the most common form of physical violence, with 158 respondents testifying they had been beaten, followed by kicking (94 respondents) and slapping (93 respondents). Other forms of physical violence included being dragged (39 respondents) and blindfolded (16 respondents). With respect to non-physical violence, 159 respondents claimed to have been yelled at, with 89 held at gun point and 44 stripped. Some respondents were shot in the foot and had their chests stomped on by police, the survey found. In some cases, respondents claimed to have been electrocuted or stabbed by a third party -- usually the victim of the crime the detainee was suspected of -- with the consent and instruction of the police. "According to respondents, the aforementioned violence had an objective in relation to the alleged criminal act: It was meant to obtain a confession and information," the survey says. Patterns of violence detected in the survey are comparable to those revealed by a 2005 study, with a slight increase in cases of police brutality, the report concludes. The 2005 survey found 81.1 percent of detainees in Jakarta and greater Jakarta (nearly 531 individuals) testified they were victims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. To prevent such acts from occurring in the future, the Indonesian criminal procedural code and the Indonesian criminal code should be amended, with a strong focus on the reduction of detention periods, as well as on victim rehabilitation and proof of the value of information obtained through torture, the LBH report says. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Thirteen marines jailed for shooting civilians Jakarta Post - August 15, 2008 Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya -- The Surabaya Military Court on Thursday sentenced 13 marines to prison terms of 18 months to three-and-a-half years for fatally shooting four villagers and wounding another eight in a clash last year. Presiding judge Lt. Col. Yan Akhmad Mulyana said in the verdict that the defendants were convicted for their role in a crime that caused the deaths of others. "Each of the defendants is dismissed from the Marine Corps and is sentenced with different prison terms," Yan said. The heaviest sentence was given to platoon leader First Lt. Budi Santoso, who received three-and-a- half years in prison. A lighter sentence of two- and-a-half years was given to First Cpl. Mohammad Suratno and Chief Pvt. Suyatno. The three said they would appeal the verdict. The marines' lawyer Marianus T Miron said the sentences were too harsh. "The marines were on patrol when the clash occurred. They did not do so (conduct the patrol) of their own will. It was a state duty," Marianus said. The remaining 10 marines were each sentenced with eighteen months in prison. The incident occurred on May 30, 2007, following a dispute between villagers of Alas Tlogo in Pasuruan, East Java, and the Navy over ownership rights to a plot of land. The killing spree began as angry villagers reportedly threw objects at the 13 marines as they were patrolling on foot around the Navy's combat exercise compound in Alas Tlogo. Responding to the sentences, some Alas Tlogo villagers said they were too lenient. "We want them sentenced to life imprisonment. This is not fair. They killed people and got only three-and-a-half years in prison," said Jumatun, a relative of one of the four killed. Legal expert I Wayan Titip of Surabaya-based Airlangga University said he would show new evidence revealing that the incident was actually a planned action to attack the villagers. The evidence in question, according to Wayan, was discovered by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence. "The trial gave the image that a clash occurred between the marines and the villagers and that the shootings were not made on purpose," he told The Jakarta Post. "There is also a possibility that the action was an order by the military's highest authority as soldiers are just like robots controlled by others, the military leaders." --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Indonesia linked to teacher deaths in West Papua Melbourne Age - August 17, 2008 Tom Hyland -- New evidence has emerged linking the Indonesian military to the 2002 murder of two American teachers and an Indonesian colleague in a remote region of Papua, according to research by a US academic and an Indonesian investigative journalist. "Credible sources link Indonesian intelligence agents to the planning of this attack," said Eben Kirksey, an anthropologist at the University of California, who co-wrote a new report on the killing with journalist Andreas Harsono. Teachers Ricky Spier, Ted Burgon and Bambang Riwanto were shot dead and five others wounded in an ambush near the giant Freeport gold and copper mine on August 31, 2002. Pro-independence guerillas were blamed, but human rights groups have long accused the Indonesian military of involvement in the attack. The new allegations will be published in a report in a British academic journal tomorrow, drawing on what the authors say are more than 2000 pages of Indonesian court documents, recently declassified US State Department cables, and more than 50 interviews. Dr Kirksey said senior US officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, had helped cover up evidence of military involvement, while the FBI had failed to bring the case to a definitive resolution. The US was keen to have the case resolved so it could resume defence co-operation with the Indonesian armed forces as part of the war on terrorism. A possible motive for military involvement in the attack was to convince the Freeport mine's owners of the need to continue to pay for security. Seven men were sentenced over the killings, including alleged ringleader Antonius Wamang, a guerilla fighter in Papua's independence movement, who received a life term. Military involvement was not seriously considered at the trial, which was a sham, said Mr Harsono, the journalist. The researchers quote "reliable sources" saying Agus Anggaibak, a 27-year old member of the regional parliament, helped plan the ambush and facilitated contacts between the shooters and military agents. In an interview with the authors, Mr Anggaibak admitted to links with Indonesia's intelligence agency, BIN, but denied any involvement in the attack. He also admitted to meeting Mr Wamang. The report will appear in the journal South East Asia Research. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Villagers say sentences handed down by military court too lenient Tempo Interactive - August 18, 2008 Abdi Purmono, Pasuruan -- The sentences handed down by the III-12 Surabaya Military Court against 13 marines who were charged over the shooting of Alastlogo village residents in the Lekok sub- district of Pasuruan, East Java, has deeply disappointed local people. According to Mahmud, a youth figure from the Sumberanyar village, the punishment does not reflect justice, particularly for the people of Alastlogo. ???We join in feeling the sadness of the Alastlogo villagers. We, and other villagers will continue to struggle to defend our land from control by the navy???, said Mahmud when speaking with Tempo in Monday August 18. According to Mahmud, the defendants should have been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in jail, even life imprisonment if necessary. Moreover, the defendants should have been taken before the Human Rights Court because their actions can be categorised as a gross human rights violation because the shooting was carried out in a systematic manner. It is appropriate that the defendants receive the heaviest possible sentence because they have a better understanding of law enforcement than villagers, the majority of whom are unable to read or write. ???They are the ones who understand the law. They are the ones who should protect the people, but instead they shot ordinary people will bullets bought with the people???s money. Why not just sentence them to the same thing???, said Mahmud. Speaking in the same vein, Sumberanyar village chief Purwo Eko said that the judges should have handed down the heaviest possible sentence because they were state officials. ???The sentence wasn???t heavy enough and not in line with their actions against local people. The defendants should have been given heavier sentences and dismissed. So, [all of them] not just three be dismissed and even this is a lenient sentence???, said Eko. Alastlogo village chief Imam Supnadi also said he was dissatisfied. Like Mahmud and Eko, he is also of the view that the lenient sentence was influenced by the weak indictment. ???It also depends on the sentence demanded by the prosecutor, right???, said Supnadi. Alastlogo residents are asking the prosecutor to submit an appeal with heavier charges so that the judges can sentence them to more than five years in jail and dismiss all of the defendants from the navy. The bloody Alastlogo incident erupted on May 30, 2007 when 13 marines from the Navy???s Combat Training Centre, which has its headquarters on the Grati regency, clashed with local residents. The clash began with a protest by residents over the seizure of disputed land by a contractor using a marine guard escort. As a result, four people were shot dead and around eight others wounded. [Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski. Alastlogo is also known as Alas Tlogo village.] **************************************************** -------------------------------------------------- East Timor police panned for crackdown on poor vendors Deutsche Presse Agentur - September 20, 2008 Dili -- National police in East Timor, one of the poorest countries in Asia, are being criticized for a crackdown on snack vendors working a lucrative part of the capital, Dili. No laws ban the sales across from the Palacio do Governo, or Government Palace, and the police are targeting poor people just trying to make ends meet, politicians and vendors complained. Until two days ago, dozens of small carts loaded with drinks and snacks were stationed across from the government offices in a picnic area under shade trees that sits on the sea. On evenings and weekends, the picnic tables in one of the most popular public areas in Dili are usually jammed with couples and families, and business for vendors boomed there. But on Saturday, only one cart dared show up for fear of the police. "They chased me away a few days ago, but I have come back," said Tios Sila. As the sole vendor, Sila was doing a brisk business in soft drinks, biscuits and cigarettes. In East Timor, unemployment hangs around 60 per cent, and most people make less than 1 dollar per day. Sila said he could make 5 to 10 dollars from the crowds in front of the Palacio do Governo. He said he couldn't make that much anywhere else in the city. Jose Texeira, a member of East Timor's Parliament, said he was unaware of any law prohibiting the carts. "I don't care if there's a law or not," he said. "The fact is they have just started doing this without telling anyone. It's nonsense, cracking down on people who just want to make a living." Acting commander of the national police, Alfonso de Jesus, said no law had been passed but, nonetheless, he ordered his officers to shoo away the vendors last week after government workers complained to him about traffic congestion in front of their offices. Police patrolling the area said they have not yet arrested anyone but if they saw any snack carts, they would ask them to move elsewhere. "This isn't government property," Sila said. "Lots of people come here. If you want to sell anything, you have got to find a place that's popular." --------------------------------------------------- http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/September/middleeast_September200.xml Yemen pardons rioters in deal with opposition (Reuters) 11 September 2008 SANAA - Yemen has pardoned dozens of people arrested in violent protests by unemployed youths in April, under a government agreement with the opposition, a security official said on Thursday. "The last 12 detainees were freed yesterday and early today (Thursday) after signing a pledge not to carry out activities against the unity of the country," the official told Reuters. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh issued the amnesty after authorities reached a settlement with opposition parties, particularly the Yemen Socialist Party (YSP) which ruled south Yemen before its unification with the north in 1990. The amnesty also covers three YSP leaders charged in May with inciting violence and calling for secession after the riots that left dozens wounded in the south of the country. Opposition officials confirmed the report. Youths demanding army jobs rioted in several towns in April, some raising demands for secession of the south, where many people feel marginalised. Government forces crushed a southern bid to secede in 1994. The south is home to only a fifth of Yemen's 22 million population but it generates much the country's revenue. Up to 80 percent of oil production comes from the area which also has fisheries and Aden's port and refinery. One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also struggling with an ailing economy and an al Qaeda campaign while the government is fighting to crush a four-year rebellion in the north and cope with an influx of Somali refugees. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/17/asia/china.php Would-be protesters still detained in China By Edward Wong Published: September 17, 2008 BEIJING: Eleven people who came to Beijing last week to protest property issues in southern China are still being held by the police in or around their hometown, a sister of one of the protesters said Wednesday. Some of the detainees, who include an ailing 79-year-old woman and a 4-month-old baby, have been beaten by the police, the sister said. The detainees are from the industrial city of Liuzhou, in Guangxi Autonomous Region, and they have been held by local police since Sept. 10, when they were arrested in Beijing before they had a chance to carry out any protests. The petitioners had flown to Beijing on Sept. 8 from the southern city of Shenzhen after their airplane tickets were arranged by the most outspoken member of the group, Huang Liuhong. Once they arrived, they hid in an apartment in northern Beijing. They intended to protest four separate cases of property seizure or destruction, a common complaint in China. But as they left the apartment, dozens of plainclothes officers from Guangxi arrested them, aided by some Beijing police officers. One of Huang Liuhong's older sisters, Huang Liuqing, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that their mother, Guo Zhenjie, 79, was being held in a government villa in the county of Xiangshui. The government sends a car every day to pick up Huang Liuqing to take her to see the mother, who was injured in the chest while being treated roughly by the police, said Huang Liuqing, who also lives in Liuzhou but did not travel to Beijing last week. "My mother's health is not good," she said. Police officers in Liuzhou and Guangxi have declined to comment on the case. An official in Beijing acknowledged last week that the petitioners had been arrested by police from the south. Huang said her younger sister's 4-month-old son, Zhang Tingyuan, was also being held somewhere, as was another sister. The three of them all came to Beijing last week. The group of petitioners has been split up, Huang said, and no one knows where they are. The police have taken away everyone's cell phones and identification cards, she added. When the petitioners were arrested on Sept. 10, they were put into cars and driven to Liuzhou. Huang's younger sister said by telephone later that night that she and the other older sister had been stripped of all their clothes by a female police officer to prevent them from running away. "There were dozens of male police officers around," Huang said on Wednesday. "It was an absolute humiliation for them. My mother was psychologically devastated when she saw with her own eyes her daughters being stripped naked." Huang said her family members were brought to a hotel run by the military and interrogated for four hours that night by police officers. They were then charged with disturbing the social order in Beijing, she said. Before the Olympic Games began on Aug. 8, China said it would allow protests in three public parks in Beijing. But the government has not granted any protest permits, and instead has detained several seeking to demonstrate. The Paralympics ended Wednesday, and it is unclear whether China will now relax its restrictions. http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/08/29/democratic-voice-of-burma-ten-jailed-for-september-2007-protests/ Democratic Voice of Burma: Ten jailed for September 2007 protests Fri 29 Aug 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma Ten people, including Bogalay township National League for Democracy chairman U Aung Khin Bo, have been sentenced to 30 months? imprisonment for their involvement in public protests last September. Aung Khin Bo was sentenced by Pyapon township court along with Bogalay NLD secretary U Maung Maung Chit, joint secretary Daw Mi Mi Sein, treasurer Daw Khin Lay, and organising committee members U Thet Tun and U Thein Tun, according to lawyer U Aung Thein. The six were arrested after Bogalay township NLD members led by Aung Khin Bo held mass demonstrations last September against the rise in fuel and commodity prices. They were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbing the public order under sections 143 and 505(b) of the penal code, and have been held in Pyapon prison since their detention. Aung Thein said he would be working on an appeal against the judgment. Four other activists, including one from Hinthada township, were also jailed for 30 months yesterday for their involvement in last September?s demonstrations. The other three, Ko Aung Moe Win, Ko Htay Win and Ko Kyi Then, were arrested after leading a demonstration in Laputta township on 3 September which was joined by more than 1000 people. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,24267825-401,00.html?from=public_rss China relents on Olympics protest grannies From correspondents in Beijing Agence France-Presse August 30, 2008 07:11pm TWO Chinese grandmothers sentenced to re-education through labour for applying to protest during the Olympics will escape punishment. The Beijing municipal committee which sentenced them less than two weeks ago revoked its order yesterday, said Human Rights in China. Neighbours Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, were handed the one-year punishment after they asked several times for permission to protest in one of the three areas where authorities said they would allow such activities during the Olympic Games. The elderly women said they wanted to protest as they had not received compensation after their homes were demolished by the Beijing city government seven years ago. The two said they had applied five times to stage protests at official Olympic protest zones. But instead of getting approval for their protest, they were both slapped with the one-year sentences of re-education through labour for disturbing public order. Under the police order, the pair were spared immediate detention but would have been sent off to camp if they caused more trouble. An administrative punishment, re-education through labour is generally handed down for minor offences, such as prostitution, but is also used against political opponents so they can be locked up without trial. Human Rights in China said the system "has long been widely criticised, not only because it violates international standards of human rights, but also because it is in direct conflict with the Chinese Government's self-professed 'rule by law'". http://abikwok.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/second-discipline-zone-in-quezon-city-launched/ Second ?discipline zone? in Quezon City launched Posted by Abi Kwok on August 29, 2008 By Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net First Posted 13:27:00 08/29/2008 MANILA, Philippines ? The Quezon City government will intensify its crackdown on traffic violators as it expands its ?SB (Mayor Sonny Belmonte) Discipline Zone? program to cover portions of Aurora Boulevard, particularly those traversing business and university districts, Belmonte said on Friday. The 2nd phase of the discpline zone, launched last August 27, will cover 1 and ? kilometers of Aurora Boulevard, beginning at the Elliptical Road in Quezon Avenue going towards Marikina city. Key roads covered by the discipline zone would include East Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, North Avenue, and the entire stretch of Cubao, one of the city?s bustling areas, Belmonte said. Key government buildings and universities are within the vicinity of these areas and Belmonte said placing them under a discipline zone would highlight the importance of ?obedience and respect for the law.? ?Small offenses lead to bigger offenses. For us to revolutionize peace and order in Quezon City, we have to cooperate,? he said on Friday. Aurora Boulevard will be the second discipline zone in the city, the first one being the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, an accident prone area that was turned into a discipline zone last April. Apart from stricter traffic rules, street vendors, jaywalkers, ?rugby boys,? and street children, among others, will also be prohibited from the discipline zone. Violators will either be imprisoned or fined, Belmonte said. The second discipline zone will also aim to eliminate street vandalism, littering, vagrancy, and other ?disorderly behaviors,? he added. Magtanggol Gatdula, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said more law enforcers would be placed in key areas covered by the discipline zone. ?We are confident to achieve similar feats in these areas where personal discipline of the people matters most. After all, just like other foreign countries, peace and order is maintained even without the presence of policemen or any other countries,? he added. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081004-164553/Raps-filed-vs-anti-Arroyo-protesters Raps filed vs anti-Arroyo protesters By Carla Gomez Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 05:38:00 10/04/2008 Filed Under: Crime, Regional authorities BACOLOD CITY ? The police on Thursday filed charges of inciting to sedition against five Task Force Mapalad (TFM) members arrested for interrupting President Macapagal-Arroyo?s speech at the Wednesday opening of the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City. Supt. Leo Erwin Agpangan, Bacolod City police deputy director for operations, said they filed charges of inciting to sedition, alarm and scandal and resisting arrest against Hermegildo Padilla, Everlito Alguna, Bonifacio Alguna, Noel Estaris Jr. and Gerardo Batalla before the Bacolod City Prosecutor?s Office. The five were among the 20 protesters, including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan members, who unfurled banners with anti-Arroyo messages just as the President was starting her speech before 5,000 people at the Bacolod public plaza. The TFM members, who demanded the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program on Arroyo lands in Negros, said they would face the charges. Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra appealed for the release of the five if the charges against them were only minor,saying their families would be affected if they continued to be detained. Navarra said he was saddened by the show of force of the police and military officers in dispersing protesters, adding that they should have observed maximum tolerance. But BCPO director Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar said the decision to release the TFM members would be up to the court. Quebrar said the protesters? actions disgraced Negros Occidental and Bacolod City. Most of the protesters, including the Bayan members, managed to evade members of the BCPO and the Presidential Security Group after the quick rally. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43881 POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Security Law Against Dissent - Protests Rise By Baradan Kuppusamy Police trying to disperse a candlelight vigil against the arrest of dissenters under internal security laws. Credit:Baradan Kuppusamy/IPS KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 16 (IPS) - Under relentless opposition since losing massively at the March general elections, the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has resorted to invoking a draconian security law to check political dissent. In a sudden crackdown on Sep.12 authorities arrested prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who runs the hugely popular Malaysia Today political website, and the outspoken opposition lawmaker Teresa Kok, under the dreaded Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for indefnite detention without trial. As part of the blitz three newspapers were issued with notices that could potentially see them suspended or banned altogether. A young journalist with a Chinese daily who reported the allegedly racist speech of a Malay leader was also arrested, but released 16 hours later. The popular ?The Sun? English daily, the Chinese language ?Sin Chew Daily? and ?Berita Keadilan,? the official organ of iconic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim?s Keadilan party, have been asked to say why they should not be punished for various offences -- most of them spurious, according to human rights lawyers. The crackdown comes as Anwar struggles to induce the defection of over 30 to 40 government backbenchers and topple the government. He constantly claims to have the required numbers. Anwar has 82 members in the 222-seat chamber and needs 30 more to form a simple majority government, although how he is going to effect that is anybody?s guess. There is no precedent and the government appears prepared to take tough measures to keep itself safe. ??The crackdown is a signal that a new era of intolerance and threat has started. They intend to curb media freedom, political freedom and signal all Malaysians that more tough action is ahead,?? Bar Council vice-chairman, Ragu Kesavan, told IPS. The bar, which represents over 13,000 lawyers, is calling an urgent emergency meeting on Sep. 20 to plan how to head off the crackdown and threats from the government. The ISA law -- which the authorities defend as necessary to keep the peace in a multi-racial society -- was originally enacted in 1948 by the British colonial government for use against a communist threat. Since the 1960s Malaysia has widened the use of ISA to detain politicians, religious extremists, activists, currency forgers and even passport forgers. So far, the arrests of Kamaruddin and Kok have sparked a huge storm of protest with even cabinet ministers joining in to voice anger at the use of the ISA against legitimate political dissent. Several cabinet ministers broke ranks to speak out, forcing the government to release the reporter and allow lawyers and family members to visit Kamaruddin and Kok at their detention cells. Cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim, who resigned on Monday after failing to dissuade the government from making the arrests, had led the criticism from within the government ranks. Speaking to reporters, Zaid said the ISA was ??open to abuse?? and that ??if we cannot be fair in implementing it, then we should confine its use to terrorists.?? The government has defended the arrests saying police had carried out a major intelligence survey and found that there is a need to arrest both critics to ensure race and religious differences did not get out of hand. Allied with Anwar, Kamaruddin has been a fierce critic of the government with traffic to his website exceeding one million hits on an average when he was arrested. The government has already charged him with sedition and defamation in the past months. Critics say the real reason for arresting Kamaruddin is to protect Abdullah?s position as prime minister now that he is under severe attack from within his ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and from outside by Anwar. Opposition lawmaker Kok, a senior member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) that supports the interests of ethnic Chinese and is allied to the Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, was formally arrested over unproven claims that she led a non-Muslim complaint about the ??loud sound?? of morning prayers over loudspeakers at a mosque. She vehemently denied the accusation and threatened legal action when she was arrested. Abdullah, who has promised to leave by June 2010, is however facing mounting pressure from UMNO to leave by December so that a new man can take over and win back lost support. Abdullah?s woes were compounded after the 83-year-old former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a fierce critic of Abdullah, announced his decision to return to the political stage. Protest is building up across the country with ordinary people, NGOs and politicians protesting the crackdown by organising candle-light vigils and protest meetings to whip up opposition against use of the ISA. Even the church has expressed its concern at the sudden crackdown and has urged the government to allow legitimate dissent. It has also launched prayer meetings for ISA detainees. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E2DF1338F932A35753C1A96E9C8B63 WORLD BRIEFING | AFRICA; Mauritania: Junta To Ban Protests By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: October 1, 2008 Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, the prime minister appointed by Mauritania's military junta, said Tuesday that the government would ban all protests. ''I think that since May we have done nothing else than protest in this country; we are going to limit that, actually we're going to ban all demonstrations from all sides,'' he told Radio France Internationale. The junta, which seized power in August, has promised to hold new elections soon, but no date has been set. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080912110733968C799484 Judge refuses Zuma protest September 12 2008 at 11:12AM There will be no protest by African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma supporters outside the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, said the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). A picket by members of the ANC, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party (SACP) was to have been held in Pritchard Street, outside the Johannesburg High Court. Cosatu spokesperson Siphiwe Mgcina said the Johannesburg metro police had approved the protest pending the approval of the chief judge. "We were only informed this morning that the chief judge refused. "That automatically cancelled the permission from the police, so there won't be a protest for the ANC and the tripartite alliance," he said. Zuma was appearing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday for the handing down of a ruling on the lawfulness of the criminal prosecution against him. There was a large police presence at the Hospital Street entrance to the Constitutional Court on Friday for an expected protest by the ANC Youth League. - Sapa http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=605408 Thai Students warned over boycotting classes for anti-gov`t protest Posted: 2008/09/08 From: MNN Thailand`s Ministry of Education has fired a `warning shot across the bows` to get the attention of students about to take leave from their classrooms to demand the resignation of the prime minister and his gov`t. The ministry on Sunday officially warned the activist student group now designating itself as the 'Young PAD' to be fully aware of the significance of their class boycott to pressure Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign. Late Saturday students saying they represented some 80 institutions of higher learning nationwide called on their fellow students to absent themselves from classes and apply their energy and intellect to convince the prime minister to change his intention regarding staying in office. The students say the prime minister's time at the helm of the ship of state is over now, and that its time to leave. The Commission on Higher Education sent letters to all universities asking that the academic authorities monitor student movements and to them the gravity of the situation under the Emergency Decree imposed in Bangkok, and which remains in effect. Secretary-General Sumet Yaemnun of the Office of Commission on Higher Education said that the office had not imposed any rule to bar students from expressing their political opinions and that their activities were not against university regulations. However, he said that students should also think about their futures and be careful not to be convinced to do anything without understanding the real situation. Mr. Sumet warned that if students did not attend enough classes, according to education sector rules, they may have to waste time repeating another term or retaking an exam. (TNA http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080913/lead/lead4.html Holness lashes out at student protests published: Saturday | September 13, 2008 Education Minister Andrew Holness has asked the police to investigate instances where students are involved in unlawful protests and has warned educators who fail to protect children from these illegal acts that sanctions will be applied. "I would like to publicly express my concern over the practice of unlawful protests on, or in the vicinity of school grounds, in some instances involving students," Holness said in a release yesterday. He added: "Where the ministry determines that school officials have failed to exercise adequate supervision of students in their care, or in any other way acted contrary to the students' best interests, sanctions will be applied in keeping with the Education Act and Regulations." Breach of the peace Holness said from media reports, it was evident that participants in these incidents were in breach of the peace, obstructing public roads and trespassing on school property. Scores of students from Grange Hill High School in Westmoreland on Monday blocked the main road in that community to protest against poor road conditions. Some 1,900 students converged outside the facility demanding that the roads be repaired. "Most importantly, these demonstrations place our students at risk. It is with this in mind that I would like to advise the public of the ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful actions occurring on or near school grounds," he said. The education minister said the ministry's zero-tolerance policy on unlawful protests was discussed in greater detail in its manual on security and safety to be distributed to schools in the current school term. Hold the school Under the ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful protests, the ministry intends to hold the school community and the public responsible for action or inaction that negatively affects school operations. Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school. School administrators have a duty at common law to supervise and care for students in their care and students are bound to obey the school rules, including those prohibiting misbehaviour in public while in uniform. He pointed out that unlawful protests have the potential to escalate and threaten the security and safety of the school community. Such protests, he said, create an atmosphere of hostility, intimidation and indiscipline without providing meaningful resolution to underlying problems. Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school. http://newsblaze.com/story/20080912191321tsop.nb/topstory.html September 12,2008 Send to a friend Tibetan Protesters Without Nepalese Papers Face Removal to India By International Campaign for Tibet 137 Tibetan protesters who were taken into custody by the Nepalese authorities on September 9, 10, and 11 have been handed over to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kathmandu with the understanding that those who do not hold valid papers will be sent to India. Thousands of Tibetans have participated in months of protests in Kathmandu, often near the Chinese Embassy, against China's crackdown in Tibet that followed a tidal wave of demonstrations across the Tibetan plateau this spring and summer. Beijing has urged the Nepal government to stop the demonstrations, claiming they are an irritant to China-Nepal relations. The Nepal government has taken a series of moves against the Tibetan community in Kathmandu, in deference to what it says is Chinese pressure to stop activities by Tibetans that it deems as anti-China. In January 2005 it closed the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Welfare Office, both of which had been operational with the consent of the Nepal government since the 1960s. Tibetans perceive themselves as increasingly vulnerable under the new Maoist regime in power in Nepal, and many fear their status will deteriorate further. The 137 Tibetans are currently at the UNHCR-funded Tibetan Refugee Reception Center in Kathmandu and have been required to present evidence of their legal status in Nepal. According to sources at the Reception Center, those who hold a government-issued refugee registration certificate (RC) or Nepalese citizenship will be allowed to return to their homes. Most of the Tibetans being processed are laypeople although there are some monks and nuns; the oldest is in his late fifties, and the youngest is 16. This is the first time the UNHCR has been involved in conducting such an investigation and is an indication of increased scrutiny from the Nepalese authorities' of the Tibetan population in Nepal. Tibetans without legal status will be deported to India. Tibetans who arrived in Nepal prior to 1989, and their offspring, are eligible to receive a RC, which allows them to remain in Nepal with certain limited civil rights. However, Nepal has been unreliable in the issuance of RCs and thousands of Tibetans who are eligible have been waiting for years for processing to resume. In 2000, the Nepal Ministry of Home Affairs told US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Assistant Secretary Julia Taft that Nepal would issue RCs to all eligible Tibetans. This has not been done. Nepalese Home Ministry spokesman Modraj Dottel told news agency AFP yesterday that police and immigration department officials have been ordered to take action as the Tibetans have not stopped their protests despite repeated appeals from the government. "We have been forced to take this measure as Tibetan immigrants continued with their anti-China protests. We don't want to spoil our friendly relations with China," the spokesman said. "We will not allow our territory to be used for anti-China activity." China's acute sensitivity over Tibet has been the primary feature of China-Nepal relations for some years and has been re-established with the new Maoist government. Prime Minister Prachanda was given a red carpet welcome in Beijing when he flew in for the closing ceremony of the Olympics ? his first trip overseas after being sworn in on August 18. In Beijing, Prachanda reiterated his intention to support China on the Tibet issue. ICT calls on the Nepali government to resume the issuance of RCs, which it stopped in the 1990s, to all those Tibetans who are eligible for legal residency in Nepal. In the near term, ICT calls on Tibetans without legal status to consider carefully the serious ramifications of continuing protests at the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. ICT welcomes the concern that foreign embassies in Kathmandu are conveying to Nepalese officials, including that Tibetans should be afforded the right of free expression and assembly, and especially as the new Maoist government develops policies and procedures that may have long-term implications for Tibetans living in Nepal. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04799719.htm Saudi activist faces trial over women's protest 04 Sep 2007 13:44:32 GMT Source: Reuters RIYADH, Sept 4 (Reuters) - A well-known Saudi reform activist and his brother have been ordered to appear in court on charges including inciting protests by women, a colleague said on Tuesday. Abdullah al-Hamed and his brother Isa are expected to appear in a criminal court in the town of Buraida north of Riyadh over an incident in July where the wives of Saudi men in indefinite detention staged a public protest. "They were ordered three days ago to appear in court on charges of provoking women to stage a sit-in and trying to break a security cordon," said Khaled al-Omair, legal representative for the two men. Omair said the penalty if found guilty was not clear but it could be at least one year in prison. Hamed was detained for several days in July along with women who gathered outside state security offices in Buraida to demand that their husbands face trial or be released, and to raise complaints about mistreatment in prison. The Interior Ministry said at the time that Hamed and his brother had violated a security cordon around the house of one of the protesters. A spokesman was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. The government says about 3,000 people are in detention out of a total of 9,000 arrested since Islamist militants allied to al Qaeda launched a violent campaign in May 2003 to topple the U.S.-allied monarchy and expel foreigners. Activists say many of them have little or no connection to militant groups. Hamed was sentenced in 2005 to seven years in jail on charges of sowing dissent and challenging the royal family in the kingdom, which has no elected parliament or political parties. Later that year King Abdullah pardoned Hamed and two other reformers convicted in the same case. Hamed was a key mover behind a petition to King Abdullah this year asking for more action on political reforms. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122970.php Advocates At U.N. Meeting Protest Jailing Of Iranian Physicians Main Category: HIV / AIDS Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice; Medical Malpractice / Litigation Article Date: 25 Sep 2008 - 8:00 PDT Human rights advocates on Monday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City protested the detention of two Iranian physicians who implemented Iran's first HIV prevention and treatment program, the Washington Post reports. Brothers Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei were arrested in June and have been detained in a high-security Iranian prison without formal charges, according to the Post. More than 3,200 HIV/AIDS advocates and researchers worldwide have signed a petition requesting that the brothers be released. According to the Post, the brothers' arrest reflects a trend of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration to detain professionals who are suspected of promoting Western interests. According to Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a main focus of Ahmadinejad's administration is a "broad crackdown on dissidents of all kinds" and a refusal "to acknowledge that anything of the sort is happening." An unnamed Iranian lawyer who has been in contact with Physicians for Human Rights said the Alaeis likely were the targets of intelligence and security officials in Iran. Hasan Hadad, deputy general prosecutor of Tehran, in an August statement said the brothers attempted to recruit and train people to topple the Iranian government. Hadad said that the brothers were "involved in organizing gatherings on topics such as AIDS that have received attention from domestic and international" non-governmental organizations, adding that they "acted to recruit individuals to travel abroad with the aim of training them on overthrowing the system. They were well aware of their activities and topics of training, such as velvet revolutions." Sarah Kalloch -- a representative of PHR who is leading a campaign to call for the brothers' release -- said that the HIV program the Alaeis implemented in Iran has been a "very enlightened program for ... harm reduction, methadone treatment, therapy and health care for inject[ion] drug users." Kalloch added, "Everyone in global health is wisely advocating for civil society exchange" in Iran, adding, "If that is a threat to the regime, it is a sad day for the health and well-being of the people of Iran" (Boustany, Washington Post, 9/24). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809150628.html Uganda: Military Police to Stop Using Guns During Riots Emojong Osere 15 September 2008 Two top military officials have said guns might no longer be used by police in quelling riots. In their speeches during the passing out of 110 Military Police personnel at Kigo Training School on Friday, Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Land Forces commander, Maj. Gen. Katumba Wamala and the Military Police Commander, Lt. Col. Tumusiime Katsigazi, fronted a total ban on use of guns at riot scenes. The two claimed the graduands had garnered taekwondo tactics and other fighting skills sufficient to control riots without shooting. "It is common to hear over the radio that a military police officer killed 15 people while trying to arrest a suspect. With the level of training we have, we might not need rifles in future while fighting rioters," said Lt. Col. Tumusiime. "The fighting skills we have acquired are enough to push them (rioters) away without releasing a bullet." He made the remarks after a 30 minute taekwondo skills and accurate shooting display exercise by the youthful graduands. Gen. Katumba Wamala said Ugandans had spilt a lot of blood and time had come for the public and the military to live harmoniously. "From today, I do not want to hear of the abuse of the touch the UPDF has built with the wananchi (citizens)," he said adding, "I want you to feel proud of being members of the UPDF, an army that citizens of this country are proud of." The officers completed a Level III military training, the first of its kind which entailed studies in military investigation, prisoner's detention and traffic control. The Force's personnel have on several occasions been accused of abuse of people's rights. In Dec. 2005, the then Military Police Commander, Maj. Dick Bugingo, slapped Forum for Democratic Change Head of Elections, (Rtd.) Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga, as he was waiting to demonstrate after the arrival of South African President Thabo Mbeki in Najjanankumbi. (The Monitor) http://www.bangkokpost.com/020908_News/02Sep2008_news09.php Tuesday September 02, 2008 Riot police ordered to put batons away Riot police have been banned from carrying batons and are now allowed to only carry shields for protection if attacked by People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators, deputy national police chief Jongrak Juthanont said yesterday. The riot control measures were weakened in line with Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's wishes that police not carry anything but the shields. The ban follows accusations that riot police had used undue force against unarmed anti-government demonstrators on Friday. The clashes cost Metropolitan Police chief Aswin Kwanmuang his job as he was quickly transferred to an inactive post at police headquarters. Pol Gen Jongrak was then appointed acting Metropolitan Police chief. Pol Gen Jongrak said the situation could not be kept under control if the protesters were treated badly. Wooden and bamboo poles and crash helmets are on hand for use by People's Alliance for Democracy security guards if police try to break up the PAD protest. ? APICHIT JINAKUL He also said an unnamed third party was responsible for the explosion at a traffic police kiosk next to the Prachakasem bridge near Government House in the early hours of yesterday. Pol Gen Jongrak said it was a low-powered blast and the aim was to cause a public disturbance rather than any harm. The explosion damaged flower pots and the glass windows of the police booth and the nearby Private School Federation building. PAD leader Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang said the alliance had nothing to do with the bombing. Wat Benchamabophit school, Rachawinit school and the Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon, all of which are on Phitsanulok road, remained closed yesterday. On Sunday night, three taxi drivers complained to police that some people had used catapults to shoot marbles at their vehicles near the Royal Plaza protest site, damaging their windshields and side windows. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809020127.html Kenya: Tough Terms Set for Students Who Rioted Jonathan Manyindo, Anthony Kitimo And Walker Mwandoto 1 September 2008 Nairobi ? Schools that had their facilities damaged by rioting students last term are yet to complete repairs because of huge amounts of money required for the job, the Nation has established. At the Kilifi Township Secondary School, only one of the two dormitories razed has been repaired as Form One to Three students started reporting for the third term. Damage to Kilifi Township and Godoma Secondary schools is estimated at Sh4 million. In order to repair the facilities, the management of the two schools have introduced tough conditions for readmission of students. Godoma Secondary School board of governors chairman Bishop Julius Kalu said the 600 students would have to pay Sh6,000 each, and any fee balances before readmission. He told the Nation that a meeting held on Thursday resolved that Sh15.2 million needs to be raised to put up a modern dormitory, ablution block and a fence around the school compound. "Other safety measures to be implemented are deployment of three watchmen for 24 hours and putting up fire-fighting gadgets in dormitories and strategic places," the bishop said. Safety measures being implemented at Kilifi Township Secondary School include the formation of a disciplinary and security committee that will inspect dormitories during the day and night. Principal Kagutha Macharia said that the committee would also be responsible for giving permission to students who wanted to go out of the compound unlike in the past when any teacher could do this. All the 550 students are required to pay Sh4,000 each for the damages and clear all the outstanding fees for the first and second terms. In Taita and Taveta districts, most schools have not complied with various safety measures announced by the Government to avert disasters. Taveta district education officer George Awuocha said that although all the four secondary schools in his area have doors that open outwards, they were yet to be equipped with fire extinguishers. He said it was a costly exercise that required parents "to dig deeper into their pockets, that is why it was being done in bits and pieces". He also said Timbila High School, where students burnt down a laboratory last term, will open as scheduled, while repair work and equipping of the facility goes on. The damage was estimated at Sh3.7 million. "We are trying to source money from elsewhere to see if the damaged laboratory could be rebuilt," he said. In Kaloleni District, parents of schools that were damaged by rioting students last term will have to pay for the cost of the damages, area education officer Julius Nkariphia said on Monday. (Daily Nation) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7635405.stm Thursday, 25 September 2008 13:47 UK E-mail this to a friend Cameroon singer jailed for riots Lapiro was arrested in April over riots earlier in the year A court in Cameroon has sentenced one of the country's best-known singers, Lapiro de Mbanga, to three years in prison over anti-government riots. Lapiro was convicted for taking part in riots in February that authorities said left at least 40 people dead. The singer is the author of a song criticising a constitutional reform that will allow the President Paul Biya to seek re-election in 2011. Lapiro's wife denied that her husband had taken part in the riots. In comments to AFP news agency, she said he had actually "calmed people down so that they wouldn't set fire to the city hall," in Lapiro's home town of Mbanga. The court also ordered the singer to pay 280m CFA francs ($640,000) in compensation for damage caused during the riots. Mbanga was one of several Cameroonian towns that saw riots in February over the high cost of living and the constitutional reform. Authorities had accused Lapiro, an influential member of the opposition Social Democratic Front, of being one of the orchestrators of the riots there, the BBC's Frederik Takang reports from Cameroon. Lapiro's supporters have said the 51-year-old singer is victimised for his songs, which often criticise the government. President Biya has been in power since 1982. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=149648 General News of Sunday, 7 September 2008 Eastern Regional Security Council bans demonstrations at Suhum NEW. Watch live television from Ghana plus the latest Ghanaian movies plus OBE TV. Koforidua, Sept. 7, GNA - The Eastern Regional Security Council has directed that for security reasons, no permit should be given to anyone or group to demonstrate in Suhum. A statement issued by the Council in Koforidua and signed by Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, Eastern Regional Minister directed the police to ensure peace was maintained in the area. It advised the public to co-operate with the security personnel to maintain peace. http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190033.html Reporters sans Fronti?res (Paris) Morocco: Photographer Questioned By Police Over Photograph of Demonstration 18 June 2008 What is left of press freedom in Morocco? The first six months of 2008 have been marked by an avalanche of trials and repressive judicial and administrative decisions. At the same time, promises by Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi's government to reform the press law have still not materialised. No bill has yet been submitted to the chamber of deputies. "We are very worried by the deterioration in the press freedom situation in Morocco," Reporters Without Borders said. "The mistrust that journalists feel towards the government has been reinforced by an increase in the number of prosecutions brought against them and the many other obstacles they have to face." Journalists were stunned when reporter Mostapha Hurmatallah of the weekly "Al Watan Al An" was returned to Casablanca's Okacha prison on 19 February to finish the seven-month sentence he was given in 2007 for publishing the content of an intelligence agency memo. It made them aware of the danger they were all in. Moroccan journalists have always had to worry about their safety. They now know they can go to prison if what they report challenges the official version. Hurmatallah's editor, Abderrahim Ariri, got a suspended prison sentence but the eight army officers who allegedly leaked information to Hurmatallah were given long jail terms that have been seen as a warning to all who cooperate with the media. Before being sent back to prison, Hurmatallah told Reporters Without Borders that his first spell of 56 days behind bars had left him with a "bitter taste" although conditions in prison had been relatively acceptable. "When I set about becoming a journalist, I never imagine that I might end up in prison because of what I wrote. This has been a brutal experience. I was very moved by all the campaigning on my behalf in Morocco and abroad, but prison is prison." There was no response to the request for a pardon that his family sent to King Mohammed and now he is due to be freed in July on completion of his sentence. However, on 18 March, the King did pardon blogger Fouad Mourtada, who had been sentenced to three years in prison for creating a spoof entry on the social networking website Facebook in the name of the king's brother - a case which, despite the pardon, has traumatised the Moroccan blogosphere. The courts rarely rule in favour of journalists, who increasingly doubt the judicial system's independence. In March, the editor of the Arabic-language daily "Al-Massae", Rachid Nini, was sentenced to pay six million dirhams (approx. 550,000 euros) in damages and a fine of 120,000 dirhams (approx. 11,000 euros) in a lawsuit brought by four judges. No court had ever ordered such a high damages award before. The case is due to be heard by an appeal court soon. "Al-Massae" photographer Karim Selmaoui was questioned by members of the national department of criminal investigation in Casablanca for more than two hours on 16 June about a photo in the newspaper's 28 May issue of a woman being manhandled by police during a demonstration. The police superintendent who appeared in the photo received threats after it was published. Selmaoui told Reporters Without Borders he was interrogated about the circumstances in which he took the photo and how it came to be published in the foreign press. He was also questioned at length about his former work relationship with the French weekly "Le Journal", especially as regards to the photos it used for its stories about the Moroccan government. "One can live without the press, but one cannot live without being safe," one of the policemen told him. Just as the trial of "Al Watan Al An"'s editor and reporter caused a stir in 2007, the high-profile trial of Hassan Rachidi, Rabat bureau chief of the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera will start in July. He was charged him with "publishing false information" on 13 June because, according to the government, he deliberately omitted any reference to a government denial about the toll of dead and wounded in recent clashes in the southern city of Sidi Ifni. The authorities seem to have no doubt about his guilt, as his press accreditation was withdrawn immediately after the charges were announced. In May, the government withdrew Al-Jazeera's licence to broadcast directly by satellite from Morocco. This meant that its staff had to stop producing a daily news programme about the Maghreb countries which it had been broadcasting live from its Rabat studio. Rachidi will face a possible one-year prison sentence when his trial starts on 1 July. Another current case concerns a request by Ahmed Herzenni, the president of the Consultative Council for Human Rights (CCDH), for a summary ruling to stop the Arabic-language daily "Al Jarida Al Oula" from continuing the series of previously unpublished interviews it began on 9 June. Senior Moroccan officials gave the interviews to Fairness and Reconciliation (IER), an entity that was dissolved in 2007 and replaced by the CCDH, and Herzenni insists they are confidential government documents. He is to argue his case in court on 18 June. The trial of Ahmed Reda Benchemsi, the publisher of the weeklies "Tel Quel" and "Nichane", is also due to resume in Casablanca on 3 September. He faces up to five years in prison for "disrespect for the king" under article 41 of the press law. When a Reporters Without Borders delegation met with government spokesman and communications minister Khalid Naciri on 30 April in Rabat, he expressed a desire to introduce a new press law that would be "advanced" and "based on consensus." According to Naciri, the proposed new law is still being discussed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/20/stories/2008082060330900.htm Tamil Nadu High Court permits AIADMK demonstration against Minister Staff Reporter Says, it is very sad to read a counter affidavit filed by a police inspector MADURAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nagercoil sub division, Kanyakumari district to permit All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres to hold a demonstration seeking the dismissal of N. Suresh Rajan, Minister for Tourism and Registration. Allowing a writ petition filed by the district secretary of AIADMK, Justice K. Chandru said that the demonstration shall be permitted to be held before the Collector?s office on August 25. The police were at liberty to provide security cover, if they want, though the petitioner had not sought for any such protection, the Judge said. Earlier, the Judge said that ?it is very sad? to read a counter affidavit filed by a Police Inspector who stated that the demonstration was not permitted because the police had to provide security to VIPs. The officer also stated that refusing permission for demonstration would not affect any of the fundamental rights of a citizen. ?First of all, this Inspector of Police does not know what his Constitution is. Everything is denied by him. Even the Constitution will be denied? If given all the powers, the police might not allow anybody to hold demonstrations,? the Judge told the Special Government Pleader (SGP) appearing for the police. Mr. Justice Chandru also told the SGP that there was no harm in earmarking a particular entrance/gate at every office of the Collector to hold demonstrations. He pointed out that in Kerala; even the Legislative Assembly has a gate allocated exclusively for holding peaceful protests. Holding a demonstration was a part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and to assemble peacefully without arms guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution, the Judge observed and said that it has been approved by the Supreme Court in S. Rangarajan Versus B. Jagjivan Ram. P.H. Manoj Pandian, counsel for the petitioner, stated that the demonstration was being held against the Minister as he was accused of abusing a Special Deputy Collector in Kanyakumari by referring to the latter?s Caste, besides instigating two others to assault him in public view on April 18. http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2008/08/200882714583923494.html Wednesday, August 27, 2008 18:18 Mecca time, 15:18 GMT Murder at Sea Tual has become an 'Island of the Damned' for the runaway Burmese fishermen Hundreds of "undocumented" Burmese fishermen - perhaps up to 2,000 men - have been abandoned on the remote Indonesian island of Tual, west of Papua New Guinea. Compelled by poverty to leave their military-ruled homeland for "illegal" work in the Thai fishing fleet, the seafarers have escaped brutal working conditions and even murder on the high seas. Some have been on Tual so long that they have married local women and have families. Others, say reliable sources, have gone feral, scavenging the island's forested interior and clearing smallholdings to feed themselves. Forgotten by the world, for Burmese fishermen Tual has become an "Island of the Damned". From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 23:25:59 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:25:59 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Prison revolts, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9ED77.1050106@tesco.net> December * THAILAND: Protest, building torched, mass breakout at youth prison * COTE D'IVOIRE: Prison uprising over rights abuses * AFGHANISTAN: Hunger strike, uprising, deaths in Afghan jail * ARGENTINA: Three youths killed as police attack prison uprising * INDIA: Inmates skip breakfast, damage furniture at remand prison * INDIA: Protest over conditions at jail * IRELAND: Guards wounded in Cavan youth centre uprising * US: Oregon, Albany - uprising at youth prison * US: Texas - uprising and hostage-taking after death * UK: Five-hour uprising by Muslim prisoners * US: Tennessee - firestarting during prison uprising, overcrowding blamed November * GREECE: Victory for hunger strikers - 5000 to be freed, 4000 involved in 18-day fast * LEBANON: Prison uprising * INDIA: Jail averts food protest * ISRAEL: Assassin on hunger strike over conditions * NEW ZEALAND: Fugitive leads police on long chase * INDONESIA: Bali bomb convicts defy prison repression * MEXICO: Tijuana - uprisings highlight torture, abuse October * PAKISTAN: Karachi - Prisoners murdered by screws during breakout attempt, uprising - take control of jail * AUSTRALIA: High-security prisoners in rooftop standoff at Port Augusta, target overcrowding, minister * TURKEY: Protest at immigration prison * VENEZUELA: Prison sit-in * US - Vermont - prison uprising * NORTHERN IRELAND: Prisoners throw chamber pots at governor, screws * UK: Rooftop protest at Parkhurst * US - Clayton - detainee resists police testing, pees in pants * US: California - five hurt in prison unrest * WALES - UK: Protest against prison building * BANGLADESH: Clashes over fugitive arrests, 10 cops injured September-August * MEXICO: Two dead in mass uprising * SYRIA: Prison uprising highlights abuse * NAMIBIA: Death leads to prison uprising * EGYPT: Injuries in prison uprising over suspicious death * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Inmates hold hunger strike over trial delays * TURKEY: Uprising over prison conditions * PAKISTAN: Prison revolt * INDIA: Kolkata - prisoner dies during clash with screws * US: Tehachapi - lockdown after uprising * IRELAND: "Minor" protest at prison * CANADA: Prisoners refuse to return to cells over prison programme http://www.bangkokpost.com/071208_News/07Dec2008_news10.php Sunday December 7th 2008 Escapees evade police search YOUTHS PROTEST AGAINST REMAND HOME REGIME YOUTHS PROTEST AGAINST REMAND HOME REGIME PRASIT TANGPRASERT NAKHON RATCHASIMA : Forty-two youths remain at large after hundreds of juvenile inmates rioted on Friday night at a remand home and set fire to three buildings. ALIGHT: Fire rages through remand home. Police yesterday managed to recapture 26 other teenagers who escaped after hammering their way to freedom through the home's wall before police could move in to quell the protest with tear gas. The protest broke out about midnight when the home's 461 young inmates went on a rampage and set fire to their sleeping quarters. The rioters were said to be unhappy with the home's new director, Tasanawilai Krainara, whom they accused of being unreasonably strict and rude. They demanded her transfer. Mrs Tasanawilai succeeded Surakij Angurarat on Monday. Firefighters and about 200 police were called in to control the situation. The officers first tried to negotiate with the protest leaders but were forced to give up after they came under a hail of stones thrown at them by inmates. The young protesters were then subdued with tear gas and the sound of gunfire. The unrest caused an estimated 10 million baht worth of damage to six buildings, including a kitchen area and an office, according to an initial inspection. Police have taken the teenagers aged over 18 to a prison in the province. Juvenile Observation and Protection Department chief Tawatchai Thaikeaw, who was present during the police operation, said he would set up a committee to look into the incident, especially the accusations against Mrs Tasanawilai. NOT SO FAST: Male teenagers are forced to lie face down when they were recaptured yesterday after escaping from a Nakhon Ratchasima remand home. "I haven't thought of transferring her as yet. Everything must be based on facts," Mr Tawatchai said. One inmate, whose name was not disclosed, said he and his friends joined the protest because they could not stand the actions of Mrs Tasanawilai and some of the remand staff. The new director was accused of restricting visits to inmates by their parents and not allowing parents to bring in food to their children. This enraged the detainees who wanted to spend time with their families on Friday, Father's Day. According to an initial inquiry, the remand home has imposed controls on food delivered to the inmates by their parents because some items were banned under the home's regulations as they could be used to produce intoxicating drinks. Many of the detainees have previously been caught with alcoholic drinks which they made using sticky rice, soft drinks and cough syrup. The remand home, located in Muang district, houses 461 male inmates, mostly detained for theft and assault. Friday's riot was the third violent incident in the remand home's recent history. In mid-November, 24 teenagers escaped through a hole dug under the home's ageing fence, to celebrate the Loy Krathong festival. In 1998, detainees torched their sleeping quarters to demand officers allow them to watch the World Cup football matches live. http://www.bangkokpost.com/081208_News/08Dec2008_news12.php Police hunt for missing teen rioters PRASIT TANGPRASERT Switch to the new Bangkok Post online. Click here. NAKHON RATCHASIMA : Police are searching for 16 more teenagers who escaped from a remand home late Friday night after causing 19 million baht damage during a riot. Fifty of the 66 escapees have been detained. The riot followed a crackdown on 461 young inmates who led an angry protest by destroying objects and torching six buildings, including their sleeping quarters and an office of the remand staff. The rioters were reported to be unhappy with their treatment by the home's new director. Five of the six damaged buildings were so severely damaged by the fire they had to be dismantled, officials said. The delinquents were dissatisfied with what they described as unreasonably strict rules imposed by remand home director Tasanawilai Krainara. Protesters accused Ms Tasanawilai of restricting visits from their parents and prohibiting them from bringing food to their children. The inmates demanded Mrs Tasanawilai, who had assumed the post since Nov 1, be transferred to another facility. An investigation found certain types of food such as sticky rice were banned after some inmates used it to make intoxicating drinks. The Juvenile Observation and Protection Department will set up a fact-finding committee to look into the matter. Police have taken 140 riot leaders to the adult prison in the province and sent 100 more to be detained at Nakhon Ratchasima Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre. Officials will extend the detention period for the wrongdoers. The remand home, in Muang district, had earlier encountered two violent incidents. In October, 24 teenagers fled the home to join the Loy Krathong celebrations and, in 1998, detainees set their sleeping quarters ablaze to pressure officers to allow them to watch the live broadcast of World Cup football matches. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/7782111.stm Sunday, 14 December 2008 Ivory Coast prison protest ends A tense stand-off developed at the prison Calm has returned to the main prison in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, after police put down a mass protest, prison authorities have said. Six prisoners were injured when about 100 police and gendarmes fired machine guns in the air to disperse the crowd. Others in riot gear worked to gain control of the main prison blocks. Officials said the protest came after a change in visiting hours, but human rights groups said inmates were upset by overcrowding and poor conditions. This prison mutiny follows a similar break-out on Friday from a jail in the country's second city, Bouake, during which more than 20 prisoners managed to escape. Officials denied there was any link between the two disturbances. 'Overpopulated' The BBC's John James, who was outside the Abidjan Detention and Correction Centre (Maca) on Saturday, says calm has now returned, but for most of the day the sound of machine guns and tear gas grenades could be heard. The prison is around three or four times the maximum capacity, so the conditions for the prison guards and the prisoners themselves are quite difficult Drissa Traore Ivorian Movement for Human Rights After inmates in two blocks revolted, police and gendarmes were sent to the prison to support warders. A tense stand-off soon developed, with angry prisoners on the roofs hurling stones at the security personnel, who responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Real bullets were also fired into the air above the inmates' heads in a bid to disperse them. The director of the prison, Patrice Yao, said those responsible for the protest were some of the facility's most dangerous inmates. After several hours, police managed to secure the area around the prison, while others in riot gear carrying guns and shields regained control of the main prison blocks. According to the prison authorities, the protest was sparked by a change to visiting hours in order to avoid escapes. But Drissa Traore, the head of the Ivorian Movement for Human Rights, said the prisoners were also angered by their living conditions. "You know that this place is overpopulated. The prison is around three or four times the maximum capacity, so the conditions for the prison guards and the prisoners themselves are quite difficult," he told the BBC. In addition, of the 5,200 people currently detained at the prison, nearly 2,000 are yet to be tried - for some the wait has lasted more than 10 years, our correspondent says. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7767040.stm Friday, 5 December 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Inmates die in Afghan jail clash Prisoners say there was a hunger strike over conditions Afghan authorities say eight inmates have been killed in clashes with prison guards at the Pul-e-Charkhi jail in the capital, Kabul. Justice Minister Sarwar Danesh said the violence started after some prisoners resisted attempts by officers to search their cells. Officials said they had information that a prison escape was being planned. In June some 900 prisoners escaped from jail in the southern city of Kandahar after Taleban fighters blew up a gate. 'Under control' The Afghan authorities said the officers were searching for weapons and mobile phones in Pul-e-Charkhi. About 900 inmates escaped in the Kandahar incident Mr Danesh said some of the prisoners had contacts with insurgents on the outside and that an explosion was going to be set off to help the escape. He said 12 prisoners and three officers were injured in the clashes and the situation was now under control. Some prisoners who contacted the BBC put the casualty figures higher. They confirmed the clashes started after a refusal to allow cells to be searched. This followed an earlier hunger strike over conditions in the jail. The BBC's Pam O'Toole says the authorities have accused Taleban prisoners of stirring up unrest over poor conditions but there are also accusations of poor security and rampant corruption in Afghan jails. Pul-e-Charkhi houses several thousand prisoners, including members of the Taleban. In the incident in Kandahar in June, 15 guards died in the truck bombing and rocket attack that began the outbreak. The Nato forces admitted it was a success for the Taleban but insisted it was an isolated incident. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6562971.html 3 teenage detainees die in violent protest at Argentine police station 11:34, December 27, 2008 Three minor detainees died and five others were injured when they tried to stage a violent protest at a police station in northern Argentina, authorities said Friday. Ten of 12 minors detained in three cells joined the protest at the police station in the Oran locality in Salta province on Thursday, said the police. Two policemen were also injured in the violence. The detainees attacked the policemen with cold steel and set many mattresses on fire in the protest that lasted for 45 minutes. Three of the injured died after they were sent to hospital. Seven were killed in two riots at the same police station two years ago. Source:Xinhua http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081224/jsp/jharkhand/story_10294869.jsp Food protest rocks remand home - Inmates skip breakfast, damage furniture OUR CORRESPONDENT The observation home at Karandih. Picture by Srinivas Jamshedpur, Dec. 23: The inmates of an observation home in Karandih today protested against the food served to them at the remand house. The inmates skipped their breakfast and created a ruckus which was brought under control after police intervention. They alleged that they were served sub-standard rice and pulses and they have not been given any blankets this winter. Ten among the total 34 inmates of the home tried to break the door of the observation home and damaged the furniture, too. The situation was brought under control after Parsudih officer in charge Krishna Murari and East Singhbhum district welfare officer (DWO) Vijay Kumar arrived at the scene and assured them to look into the matter. According to sources at the remand home, the juvenile undertrials were on protest from the morning alleging that the quality of the food being served was poor. The inmates showed that the rice and pulses contai- ned stone-chips. They also said they were not given blankets. The adult inmates complained that they were not served green vegetables regularly and demanded a cable connection to the television sets at the remand home. Sources said they complained against the remand home in-charge Ranjit Singh Munda and demanded his removal. The police officer and the DWO inspected sack of rice but found no stone-chips in it. ?We did not find any stones in the rice. We checked the whole sack,? said Murari. He said some of the inmates are trying to create problems. On September 23, adult inmates protested that they were not served milk and fruits. He also claimed that the inmates did not skip breakfast today. Kumar said the inmates have misused the blankets that were given to them last year. ?They used the blankets to wipe the floors,? he said, adding that he would ensure the inmates are provided with the blankets soon. The DWO said the inmates wanted a cable connection to watch movies and serials. ?Before recommending for a cable connection, I have to take the permission of higher authorities if allowed, I would arrange for it at the observation home,? said Kumar. The DWO said the home is facing a staff crunch and hopes that the situation would improve soon. ?Against a sanctioned strength of 12 guards, we have only three staff members,? Kumar said. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1217036 Prisoners protest death of inmate, inquiry ordered PTI Saturday, December 27, 2008 18:15 IST Shillong: SHILLONG: A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the death of an inmate of Tura district jail in Meghalaya even as the prisoners lodged a protest with the authorities over the lack of medical facilities in the jail. Official sources said an inmate in the jail convicted for rape fell down in the toilet of the jail last Tuesday. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. About 180 prisoners lodged in the jail resorted to a hunger strike for a day demanding adequate health facilities in the jail. The prisoners alleged that the inmate could have been saved had there been adequate medical facilities in the jail, withdrew their agitation following an assurance from the administration that it would look into the problems. The deputy commissioner has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of the prisoner, administration sources said on Saturday. The inquiry report would be submitted within the first week of January. http://espanol.video.yahoo.com/watch/4603829/11150813 Two guards injured in detention centre riot Publicado hace 6 meses Two guards have been injured an overnight riot at the Cavan Youth Detention Centre. http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/31046.html Guards wounded in youth center riot ALBANY, Ore., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Three guards were wounded when eight teenage girls allegedly staged a riot at a youth detention facility in Albany, the Oregon Youth Authority said. The guards were wounded Sunday in an escape attempt at the Oak Creek Correctional Facility, The (Portland) Oregonian reported Monday. The eight girls, ranging in age from 13 to 17, allegedly faked a fight in a dorm holding 19 girls and then ambushed arriving guards with homemade weapons, said Perrin Damon, a youth authority spokeswoman. "They had weapons fashioned from everyday things," Damon said. The girls made it as far as a recreation yard but were blocked by a pair of high fences and assisting officers from Albany and the Linn County Sheriff's Office. "They never breached the perimeter," Damon said. The security guards were treated at a local hospital and released. One of the guards required 32 stitches to his head, said Damon. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-prisonriot_13tex.ART.State.Edition2.4a7fc2d.html West Texas inmates riot, take 2 hostages 12:00 AM CST on Saturday, December 13, 2008 The Associated Press PECOS, Texas ? Rioting inmates released one of two hostages they took Friday at a privately run prison in West Texas. Authorities have not released the names of the two prison employees, who are recreation specialists at the Reeves County Detention Center. The federal inmates include immigration detainees. They were asking for better medical treatment, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper John Barton told the Pecos Enterprise Friday night. Officials say the riot started after noon, when the body of an inmate who died of natural causes was removed from the prison. A hostage negotiator was talking to the inmates, Reeves County Sheriff's spokesman Michael Estorga told the Odessa American. Fire crews and additional law enforcement were called to the sprawling prison complex after a fire broke out in one building. A woman who answered a phone call at the warden's office of the prison complex said she had no comment. The GEO Group, based in Boca Raton, Fla., has run the jail through contracts with Reeves County and the Federal Bureau of Prisons since 2003. The prison holds more than 2,400 inmates. The Associated Press http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2018421.ece#OTC-RSS&ATTR=News Prison cops in 5hr Muslim riot By JOHN KAY and JAMIE PYATT Published: 09 Dec 2008 A FIVE-hour rampage by young Muslim prisoners armed with hammers and chisels was broken up by a riot squad yesterday. Dozens of inmates barricaded themselves into a workshop and grabbed tools including saws. Riot police and 100 specially-trained prison officers - kitted out with body armour, shields and helmets - were called in. When negotiations failed, the officers moved in and overpowered the prisoners - many of whom were teenagers. No injuries to staff were reported but there was said to be "considerable damage" to the workshop. Some of the rioters suffered minor bruises. It is believed the rampage at Aylesbury Young Offenders' Institution started after inmates celebrated the Muslim festival of Eid which marks the end of Ramadan. The nick in Bucks holds 435 men aged between 17 and 21, with a large ethnic minority population. Most are serving long sentences, including life. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3685105/Asian-inmates-run-riot-during-Eid-at-Aylesbury-centre.html Asian inmates run riot during Eid at Aylesbury centre Dozens of Asian inmates destroyed workshops at a young offender institution after running riot during Eid celebrations. By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor Published: 6:30PM GMT 08 Dec 2008 Up to 80 detainees at Aylesbury YOI, including a large group of Asians, armed themselves with hammers, knives, saws and other tools as they kept prison officers at bay for six hours during the major disturbance. More than 100 specially trained prison staff in riot gear eventually stormed the workshops at 5pm to end what the prison service described as "concerted indiscipline" but not before "significant damage" had been caused. The ringleaders were last night expected to be split up and sent to other centres. The unrest began around 11.15am at the Buckinghamshire centre, which holds up to 435 young men, including some of the worst, most violent young offenders. Around one in ten are understood to be lifers. The incident, described by the Prison Service as "concerted indiscipline," was believed to have broken out during protests as Asian inmates celebrating the festival of Eid. An inspectors report in 2005 revealed the majority of inmates are serving long sentences and there is a large ethnic minority population. The disturbance was contained to the centre's two workshops, which inmates are believed to have trashed during the incident, although there was little structural damages according to Ministry of Justice sources Police from across the Thames Valley were also taken to the scene to the help the prison service and a major operation to search every offender involved in the incident was underway last night to check none has smuggled a potential weapon out with them. The MoJ denied suggestions metal detector arches had been taken to the site. Tom Robson, executive officer of the Prison Officers' Association, said at one point staff were having to "fight" with the inmates to restore order. He said it was a "serious incident" and officers from other prisons had been called in to help. There were no reports of injuries. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/dec/09/youngpeople-youthjustice Riot at young offenders jail to be investigated Prison officers had to call for back-up after disturbance broke out yesterday morning, lasting until late afternoon An investigation has been launched into a riot that saw inmates fighting with prison officers at a young offenders jail. Police and staff from other jails were called in to back up prison officers at Aylesbury young offenders institution after the disturbance broke out at 11.15am yesterday. The Prison Officers' Association said its members had to fight with the inmates to restore order. The body's executive officer, Tom Robson, described it as a "serious incident". The riot ended when specially trained prison service staff intervened at 5pm. There were no reports of any injuries to offenders or staff. The Prison Service said it would conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of the incident. The police will also hold an investigation. The institution houses up to 435 young men on the site of a Victorian prison and former borstal. It holds the longest-sentenced young adult males in the English prison system. A 2005 report by the chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers, found that one-fifth of prisoners were "unoccupied" at some point during the day and called for an increase in training and education provision. She said there were a "significant number of issues" that needed urgent attention at the prison. http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/35757094.html SHERIFF: Inmates start fire in Roane Co. jail to protest overcrowding Save Email Print Posted: 5:40 PM Dec 8, 2008 Last Updated: 5:55 PM Dec 8, 2008 Reporter: Rob Pratt Email Address: rob.pratt at wvlt-tv.com KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The Roane County Sheriff is dealing with another problem. He says inmates set a fire at the jail Saturday night, leading to a full response from fire and police crews from all over the county. The sheriff says with over a hundred inmates in a jail designed for half that many, frustration sometimes leads to problems like this. This situation ended without any injuries. An overcrowding solution is on the way. The sheriff hopes it comes before the next problem. Take a look at these flames, captured by a jail security camera Saturday night around ten. All it takes to ignite a fire like this is Styrofoam cups, toilet paper, a smuggled lighter, and some frustrated inmates. Jack Stockton, Roane County Sheriff, says, "Overcrowding's always been a problem and that was a factor the other night and that's what they claim, the reason they did what they did was to just get some attention on the overcrowding issue that we're dealing with at this time." The sheriff says he moved five inmates to jails in Anderson and Loudon Counties after the fire. He says he'll pursue criminal charges against the fire starters. But it's the powder keg of overcrowding that worries him most. "We have about double what the state says we're allowed to hold and we had some problems with a decertification back in the fall and we're still under that status at this time due to the overcrowding issue." Crews are rolling in beds at the new 172 inmate jail across the road. The sheriff says this will east the overcrowding problem for a while. But the new jail won't open for at least another seven months. Stockton says when it does, space alone won't cure all that ails the jail. "We're going to need several more staff to control the new facility or we're going to end up with another issue like we had Saturday where we won't have enough people to control an issue if something gets out of hand." The sheriff says officers are looking closely at the video and other evidence. He says once that investigation is done, he plans to prosecute those responsible fully. So the inmates' fiery protest about the overcrowded jail could mean they'll have to spend more time in it. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/hunger-strikers-win-victory-greek-prison-protest-0 Hunger strikers win victory in Greek prison protest uploaded by Teacher Dude November 21, 2008 at 05:02 am 27 views | add comment | 0 recommendations After an 18 - day hunger strike involving over half of Greece's prison population the government has said that it will agree to 14 out of the inmate's 16 demands. These include the shortening of sentences and improvements in basic hygiene and medical services. Justice minister, Sotris Hadzigakis has agreed to present legislation to parliament that is aimed at alleviating the severe overcrowding in the prison system by allowing the early release of 5500 prisoner by April 2009. Last year the Council of Europe?s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) noted that Athen's Kordyllio high security facility, which was designed to house 640 prisoner held 2043. The committee's report also condemned the treatment of detainees by prison officers and other law enforcement officials (click here to report in full) and the poor conditions generally in which inmates were held in jails throughout the country. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/20/europe/EU-Greece-Prison-Protest.php Greece: Prisoners call off hunger strike The Associated Press Published: November 20, 2008 ATHENS, Greece: Prisoners said Thursday they will end their 18-day hunger strike against overcrowding in Greek lockups after the government proposed releasing thousands of inmates next year. A group representing the prisoners said strikers will start accepting food Friday. The decision came after the Justice Ministry unveiled draft legislation allowing the early release of 5,500 prisoners by April 2009, to relieve severe overcrowding. The country's total prison population is around 12,300 in penitentiaries designed to hold 8,243. Justice Minister Sotiris Hadjigakis said most will be released through a review of parole rules for convicts serving up to five years, and a reduction in the maximum pretrial detention period. "This will end the unpleasant situation in some prisons where you had inmates serving lighter sentences sharing cells with people convicted of severe crimes," he said. According to the Prisoners' Rights Initiative, participation in the 18-day hunger strike exceeded 5,800 by Thursday, while another 2,200 inmates were refusing prison meals but receiving food from visitors. Hadjigakis said the draft legislation would not include drug smugglers and people convicted of "gruesome" crimes. He said the bill would be presented Parliament on Thursday night. The governing conservatives hold 151 of the 300 seats in the legislature. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/242588,greece-to-release-more-than-5000-prisoners-by-april-due.html Greece to release more than 5,000 prisoners by April due to protests Posted : Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:03:19 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Athens - Greece said on Thursday it will release more than 5,000 prisoners by April and reduce jail terms for hundreds more, particularly drug addicts who need rehabilitation with the aim at easing the country's overcrowded prisons. Greek Justice Minister Sotiris Hatzigakis said the reforms were taken after thousands of inmates at 21 prisons across Greece launched a hunger strike more than two weeks ago, with many sewing their mouths shut to protest poor conditions, overcrowding, drug dealing and lengthy pre-trail detention periods. Prisoners are also demanding that social and political leaders be granted easier access to prisons. Hatzigakis said a total of 3,720 prisoners would benefit from early release, namely those found guilty of misdemeanors who have already served one-fifth of their sentence. The reforms also contain a provision allowing those convicted to terms of up to five years in jail to pay off their sentences. Those convicted of drug dealing will be excluded from all exemptions. He said a total of 5,500 inmates would be released by April. Greece's prisons are among the most overcrowded in Europe with 12,300 inmates crammed into jails designed to hold just 7,543. According to the Council of Europe, detainees in Greece have to wait an average of 12 months in pre-trial detention before they go to trial, nearly three times that of other European Union states. Protesters, whose cause has been backed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and other left-wing parties, object to overcrowding and are demanding better jail conditions, including proper medical care and restrictions on the time that detainees awaiting trial must spend behind bars. An organization called Democratic Rally, who is backing the protesting prisoners, has dismissed the Justice Ministry's initiative, saying the immediate release of prisoners was not a comprehensive solution to the problem of overcrowding in prisons. "The reduction of the length of time that authorities can remand a suspect in custody pending trial and the introduction of more effective measures to rehabilitate drug addicts in jail would be more useful initiatives," the group state in a statement. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/239779,prisoners-launch-hunger-strike-across-greece-to-protest-conditions.html Prisoners launch hunger strike across Greece to protest conditions Posted : Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:42:09 GMT Author : DPA Category : World Athens - Inmates in 21 prisons across Greece launched a hunger strike on Monday to protest overcrowding and lengthy pre-trial detention periods. Thousands of inmates, including Athens' top-security Korydallos prison and the Alikarnassos prison on the Mediterranean island of Crete, launched the strike by boycotting all food. Officials from the Initiative for Prisoners' Rights group said the inmates were demanding better jail conditions, including proper medical care and restrictions on the time that detainees awaiting trial must spend behind bars. According to the Council of Europe, detainees can wait an average of 12 months in pre-trial detention before they go to trial, nearly three times that of other European Union states. Prisoners are also demanding that social and political leaders be granted easier access to prisons. "We are not suffering under the delusion that the ministry will accept all our demands; our goal is one small victory to bring a breath of fresh air into this oppressive situation," Panos Lambrou, the representative of the prisoners' support group, said. Greece's prisons are among the most overcrowded in Europe with 10,983 inmates crammed into jails designed to hold just 7,543. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/11/europe/EU-Greece-Prison-Protest.php Greek group says 4,000 inmates on hunger strike The Associated Press Published: November 11, 2008 ATHENS, Greece: Thousands of Greek prison inmates were staging a hunger strike to protest overcrowding and poor living conditions, a prison rights group said Tuesday. Some 4,000 have been refusing all food but drinking liquids for a week, while another 4,000 were rejecting prison meals but accepting food from visiting friends and relatives, Prisoners' Rights Initiative said. That would mean 8,000 inmates ? or two-thirds of Greece's 12,200 prison population ? were participating in the strike to some degree. The Justice Ministry, however, put the total number of participants at 6,500. There was no immediate way of reconciling the differing tolls or independently confirming either of them. The prisoners are demanding better living conditions, including improved health care and less time in pretrial detention ? demands that have gained support from the local Amnesty International office, lawyers' associations and former political prisoners including composer Mikis Theodorakis, jailed during Greece's 1967-74 military dictatorship. Justice Minister Sotiris Hatzigakis said he would meet members of the protest campaign group Wednesday. "This is an uprising of desperate people," said protest organizer Panos Lambrou, who is not an inmate. Greece's 24 prisons are designed to hold a total of 8,000 inmates, according to government figures, but Lambrou said they often fail to provide basic health and sanitation facilities and offer few job-training opportunities. A government committee on prison policy offered the justice minister a list of recommendations Tuesday that it said could lead to the release of 1,500 inmates. The proposals include early release provisions for minor offenses, making more crimes punishable by fines instead of jail time and more lenient parole guidelines for drug abusers. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=97283 Security forces break up riot involving Islamist inmates at Roumieh Daily Star staff Friday, October 31, 2008 Listen to the Article - Powered by Security forces on Wednesday contained a prison riot among Islamist inmates at Roumieh Central Prison, Lebanon's largest. According to a report carried by the state-run National News Agency, "limited" chaos spread inside the Roumieh facility after Islamists entered into a quarrel. Security forces inside the prison intervened to control the clash. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081120/jsp/siliguri/story_10135052.jsp Jail averts food protest OUR CORRESPONDENT Cooch Behar, Nov. 19: Caught on the wrong foot after Greater Cooch Behar People?s Association chief, Bangshi Badan Barman and 55 members of the outfit boycotted dinner last night and decided to go on an indefinite hunger-strike to claim the status of political prisoners, the jail authorities promised that they would look into the demand. The jail authorities visited the residence of Barman?s lawyer, Shiben Roy, this morning and it was through his mediation that the prisoners decided not to sit on the hunger-strike. ?It is a fact that 56 prisoners implicated in the September 20, 2005 incident had boycotted their dinner last evening, saying none of them was allowed to meet their relatives who had come to meet them in the jail and had decided to sit on an indefinite hunger-strike from this morning. However, they changed the decision after the jail authorities had said they would be treated as political prisoners,? Roy said. He added that the jail superintendent had paid him a visit at home this morning and requested him to take up the matter with Bangshi. ?I assured him that if the jail authorities would allow the 56 men to meet their relatives and not be treated as ordinary prisoners, they would not sit on hunger-strike,? Roy said. He added that the court had accorded political prisoner status for all of them, but the jail authorities had not been complying with the direction. The jail authorities, however, refused comment on the development. Sources said the jail superintendent was in his quarters every time a call was made to the office landline. All 56 men are put behind bars in connection with the incident in 2005 when an indefinite hunger-strike here turned violent and an additional police superintendent and two policemen were beaten to death by a mob and two association supporters had died in police firing. Barman had surrendered before the chief judicial magistrate on May 25, 2006. Roy said the court had accorded them political prisoner status on June 30, 2006. Sources in the jail said the inmates? visitors had to write their names in a register before the prisoners were brought to the gate to speak to them. They said there was no fixed time limit for the meetings and they lasted between five to 10 minutes depending upon the number of visitors. The visiting hours are between 10am and 2pm daily. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1042260.html Last update - 22:20 30/11/2008 Rabin assassin declares hunger strike to protest prison conditions By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Rabin-assassin, yigal Amir The man who assassinated former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin declared a hunger strike on Sunday to protest the recent escalation of penalties against him in prison. Earlier this month, Prisons Services announced that Yigal Amir would be receiving extra punishment in jail for granting an interview with Channels 10 and 2 without the permission from his wardens. The initial broadcasting of excerpts from the interview raised such an uproar that Channels 2 and 10 decided to pull the full program before its scheduled airing. In the interview - aired just before the anniversary of Rabin's death - Amir spoke about how the idea to commit the murder initially came about. He that he was at a wedding also attended by Rabin, and realized that the prime minister was protected by only one bodyguard. "If I were to shake his hand, I could have easily shot him, if I had wanted to," Amir told Channel 10. "I was inside with a gun. I saw that it was so easy, and told myself that in several years I would regret not having killed him." Following the interview, Amir was transferred to an isolated cell in a prison ward in southern Israel, where hundreds of security prisoners are incarcerated. He was stripped of all benefits until further notice and is no longer eligible for conjugal visits with his wife. He also does not have the right to conduct telephone conversations or to hold any kind of electronics in his cell. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10565276 Police will shoot fugitive if necessary Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 3:00AM Sunday Apr 05, 2009 Anna Leask William Alexander Stewart. Photo / Supplied Police hunting for William Alexander Stewart say they will shoot on sight if they have to. Police say the escaper is a "certain danger" to police and the public, and is probably "feasting on the attention". He is no romantic folk hero, no Ned Kelly or George Wilder. The pursuit of Stewart began in February as a routine arrest warrant. But now, in what is turning into one of New Zealand's most high-profile manhunts, Stewart, 47, has busted at least two police cordons during his flight from armed police. Police regard him as dangerous, having threatened officers with violence before. He was released from Christchurch Men's Prison late last year, after serving time for kidnapping his partner, viciously assaulting her and holding her captive in a Nelson motel in 2007. It is understood Stewart had been living between Christchurch and Timaru after his release from prison. A warrant to arrest him was issued in October after he was found growing cannabis - a breach of his release conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Inspector Malcolm Johnston said a lone police officer spotted Stewart in Rangitata, South Canterbury, on February 10. "A violent scuffle ensued, during which Stewart picked up a metal bar and threatened the officer," he said. "The officer was forced to back off and Stewart jumped into a vehicle and took off." Stewart has been on the run since. He is alleged to have stolen drugs from a Fairlie pharmacy on February 15, then from the Leeston pharmacy on March 18. The next day, Halswell Chemist in Christchurch was ram-raided, and armed police set up a cordon near Governors Bay. He escaped that cordon and another in a stolen car. The last suspected sighting was on Wednesday on the outskirts of Methven after thefts from a service station and another pharmacy. Police say his offending is not serious - mainly burglaries and thefts - but his history of drug use, the likelihood that he is armed and has shown violence to police mean he is a threat to the safety of officers and the public. Detective Senior Sergeant John Rae said in any armed offenders situation, officers were given a full briefing on their responsibilities under the law and police guidelines. "Nobody wants the paperwork or the investigation into them as a result of shooting someone," he said. "No one will be taking pot shots at him across a paddock. However, if that situation presents itself then that's what we will do." "He is a real threat to the public," Rae added. "There is no guarantee he is free of drugs. All you've got to do is hear a noise in your house at night, get up and he's pinned in a corner ... if you catch him in your house he's going to make a strenuous effort to get away." The Herald on Sunday has learned police have spoken to Stewart's mother, who lives in South Canterbury, to former partners around the region and to known associates including men he met in prison. "Most of those people have the attitude that he's more trouble than he's worth. He is bringing police into their lives when they don't want police in their lives," a source close to the investigation said. "He doesn't have serious friends, more business associates. His best friends are his [drug] dealers and buyers. He seems to be quite a loner." Since February 10, he is believed to have committed at least five house burglaries, stealing food and vehicles, including a motorbike and a Ford Falcon XR6 with a full tank of petrol. The enormity of the area is making the police search difficult. FAMOUS ESCAPES William Alexander Stewart's South Island crime spree is similar to that of New Zealand's most famous escaper, "Gentleman" George Wilder - but police say he is no gentleman. Advertisement Advertisement Wilder was infamous for breaking into houses while on the run from police and allegedly leaving apology and thank you notes for his victims. He was even said to have joined a search party looking for him. In May 1962 Wilder broke out of a New Plymouth jail, where he was serving time for burglary and theft. He then eluded about 30 police, and a tracker dog for 65 days. Wilder made his second jail break, from Mt Eden in January 1963, and was not recaptured till 172 days later, near Taupo. His final bid for freedom came in February 1964, again from Mt Eden. Wilder and two others, armed with a sawn-off shotgun, kidnapped a warden and hid in a Mt Eden house, holding the residents hostage. Three hours later, under threat of tear gas, Wilder surrendered. Prison escapees Kevin Polwart and Dean Vincent were also compared with Wilder. Polwart evaded police for 41 days after breaking out of Rimutaka Prison in June 2001. Vincent was on the run for almost a year after escaping from Waikeria Prison in May 2000. --------------------------------------------------- The making of martyrs Sydney Morning Herald - November 1, 2008 Tom Allard, Jakarta -- For three men who say they welcome death, the Bali bombers have spent a lot of time trying to avoid it. In the five years since Mukhlas, Amrozi and Imam Samudra greeted their guilty verdicts and death sentences with fist- pumping glee and shouts of "Infidel die", they have fought at every turn their moment with the firing squad. Perhaps these killers of 202 people are not so comfortable with meeting their maker. But they are truly fanatics and a far more worrying explanation for their antics offers itself. This spectacle was engineered by hardline Islamists, high-powered lawyers and wealthy businessmen to keep the headlines running, to increase the killers' notoriety, to publicise their cause and, along the way, to make money on the side. "The Bali bombers want to be martyrs," says Sidney Jones, the Jakarta-based terrorism expert from the International Crisis Group. "And it's much easier to be a martyr if a lot of people are following your every word. In this respect, their strategy has worked." The strategy has two interlinked elements: the first, to launch one legal challenge after another to create an impression that the killers are the victims of a crooked justice system; the second, to generate maximum media coverage. Many Australians will be familiar with the open day held at Nusakambangan prison last month when the smiling and unrepentant bombers cavorted with journalists, especially brought in for the occasion to mark the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri, when Muslims break a month-long fast. Taunting their victims and vowing revenge upon their deaths, the manic flight of the Bali bombers was relayed around the world, accompanied by widespread anger at Indonesian authorities for allowing such an event. But it was only the beginning of a media blitz. Despite maximum-security incarceration on death row, the bombers have given at least half a dozen interviews in the past few weeks. Indonesian television has run lengthy feature programs, while CNN, Al Jazeera and the BBC have broadcast their own interviews. Each has been a variation of a theme. The bombers claim to be warriors for Islam, show no remorse and predict a firestorm of attacks against Westerners after they die. "A lot of the coverage fails to remind people of what the bombers have done that led them to prison life and facing the death sentence," says Hendardi, chairman of the religious tolerance-promoting Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace in Indonesia. "I don't know if it's been done deliberately or not, but this kind of coverage gives them an opportunity to campaign." This week Indonesia's Communication and Information Minister, Muhammad Nuh, urged media restraint. "Don't make people who committed violence seem like heroes, because Islam does not use violence in solving problems," he said. "I don't intervene in the press. But please ponder to put the national interest upon the interest of press freedom when it comes to terrorism." Fine sentiments, but the Indonesian state has been the facilitator of this orgy of Bali bomber stories. To be sure, Indonesia's Government has made enormous headway in combating terrorism. Its police have arrested hundreds of violent jihadists and pioneered methods of deradicalisation that have been innovative and replicated elsewhere. There have been no attacks since the second Bali bombings in October 2005. But willingness to give the likes of the Bali bombers a megaphone by regularly granting them access to the media is deeply puzzling. "It's not against their human rights to stop these people having their views aired every other night on national television," Jones says. While media attention reached a peak in recent weeks, the prison freedom afforded the Bali bombers for years has been extraordinary, a testament to the lack of security and culture of bribes in Indonesian jails. For a time, Imam Samudra kept a laptop in his cell. He communicated with other members of Jemaah Islamiah, set up his own website -- instimata.com, or martyrdom.com -- and fielded questions about the Bali bombings and dispensed advice on jihad. He also published "Me Against The Terrorists", a book in which he repeats his Bali bombing defence as the righteous killing of infidels and also offers a primer on how to undertake cybercrime and build terrorist networks online. The royalties went to his family, with lawyers and publisher also taking cuts. Money is a big part of the story. The bombers have become a burgeoning cottage industry. Most media interviews come at a hefty price and there's no shortage of donors funding the legal team, which has done rather well for itself in attracting more work. The Muslim Defence Team of ideologically driven yet savvy lawyers has shadowed the Bali bombers since their arrests. They have acted for other militants, from Abu Bakar Bashir to members of the Islamic Defenders Front, a gang of young men accused of regularly attacking moderate Muslims and non- Muslims. The lawyers know how to work the Indonesian judicial system and are apparently well-connected. Clients include Muchdi Purwopranjono, the former deputy head of the Indonesian intelligence agency who is on trial for allegedly ordering the poisoning of a prominent human rights activist. This week the lawyers were still threatening legal challenges on behalf of the Bali bombers. One included joining Amnesty International in a challenge before an international court. The Bali bombers have said they do not care about the manner of their executions, yet the lawyers launched a challenge arguing death by firing squad was torture, and therefore unconstitutional. Such episodes illustrate the hijacking of the bombers' fates for the lawyers' own ends. The Setara institute's Hendardi says a minority of Indonesians side with the bombers, citing a recent survey finding that only 3 per cent support violent promotion of a religious agenda. But Indonesia has more than 220 million people; even a fringe group can be formidable if it can mobilise its members. And a noisy minority can have a disproportionate influence in a country still building democratic institutions and identity, and where much of the population is poorly educated. Certainly, a major security effort by police is timed to curtail violence associated with the executions, which can occur any time from this morning. The bodies of the executed will be flown to their burial places to minimise public rancour. Militants have been thin on the ground. Perhaps they are biding their time, or perhaps Indonesians -- even the radical -- have become bored with the over-exposed Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas. It's what happens after they die, however, that will test the bombers' influence. [Tom Allard is the Herald's Jakarta correspondent.] --------------------------------------------------- http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=413e55db3c6d5eac317d63edb8ce03d8&from=rss Tijuana Prison Riots Highlight Torture, Abuse La Prensa-San Diego, News Report, Mariana Martinez, Posted: Oct 02, 2008 Editor's Note: Twenty-five people are dead after two riots at the overcrowded Tijuana State Penitentiary. Twenty-five people are dead after two riots at the Tijuana State Penitentiary where 8,500 inmates are housed in a building well over 200 percent over its original capacity. The first uprising came after a 19-year-old inmate died from a blow to the head, inflicted by the prison guards. His was only the latest in a series of deaths linked to torture practices in Mexican prisons. After word got out about his death, both family members and inmates decided to confront authorities in what they say is systematic abuse, torture, sexual molestation and threats. For many, the riot was long overdue, due to the deep tears in the Mexican judicial system, where justice is still rarely available for the poor, and rampant corruption and political interests still dictate privilege for the few. They saw it coming The first of the two Tijuana jail riots lasted over 12 hours, leaving four people dead and dozens injured, including six police officers. A second riot happened 48 hours later, leaving 17 inmates dead. Two more inmates died gun shoot wounds at the hospital. One more was found beaten to death in his cell early morning, Tuesday Sept. 22 and authorities are charging four of his cell companions with first degree murder. The first riot broke out after the death of 19-year-old Israel M?rquez Blanco, who was convicted of car theft, after guards found a cellphone and drugs in his cell. According to human rights officials, his body had clear evidence of torture. His 17-year-old sister Mayra M?rquez Blanco went to the morgue to identify her brother. ?His body was all beaten, full of scars. He was handcuffed. They put a book over his stomach and they beat him with a baseball bat, until he died from a blow to his head. He was covered in bleach and his arm was broken,? she sobbed. ?That?s why all this destruction started -- they saw how they killed my brother.? She is now one more voice joining many family members, inmates, human rights and religious groups seeking to stop the common practice of torture, abuse, bribery and neglect. The Tijuana prison, known as ?La Peni? -- short for penitentiary -- is the most overcrowded in the country. And it might get worse as Mexicans, scared of kidnappings and drug violence, call for harsher sentences for criminals, and ex-convicts who are being deported from the United States end up back in jail. The underlying issues and pressure at border towns According to an investigation by Milenio newspaper, only 1 percent of crimes in Mexico end in someone being sentenced. Judges see an average of just 12 cases per month and more than 50 percent of inmates are jailed for a non-violent crime with a $50 bail. The International Center for Prison Studies at Kings College of London found that prisons in Mexico are overcrowded (126 percent of capacity), nearly half of inmates have not been to trial (41 percent) and less than 1 percent are foreign nationals. The picture is even worse in border towns like Tijuana, where prison overcrowding is at 200 percent, more than 60 percent of inmates are not yet sentenced or are in an active trial and gangs are even more prevalent than in Southern states. Of the 8,500 inmates at the Tijuana prison where the riot took place, more than 400 came from the United States, many of them deported after serving time in U.S. prisons: Immigration authorities deport ex-convicts from nine states trough Tijuana, and many of these soon end up back in jail. International agreements require federal U.S. authorities to tell their Mexican counterparts when they deport an ex-convict or dangerous criminal, but many times this information doesn?t flow to state and local levels. The result is that career criminals are often mixed in with first-time offenders and non-violent criminals. For Human Rights State Commissioner Francisco Javier Sanchez Corona, overpopulation or mixed-population is not to blame for the riots. The real problem, he says, lies in the procurement of justice, which is slow and elusive, and jails not creating an environment for rehabilitation as is called for in the Mexican Constitution. ?We are convinced that the insecurity problem should not be tackled and cannot be solved with more police or more guns,? he explains. "It is a problem that has to do with the lack of opportunities for the population, lack of employment opportunities, culture, education, access to health, and this is what?s generating the serious problem we now face.? Alicia Aguilar D?valos, president of the Inmate Family Member Committee, has long been asking for guards to be investigated when abuse and bribery claims occur. She, along with the Human Rights Commission, has documented at least 10 torture cases, including plastic bags being put over the head of an inmate, who is then submerged in bleach, anal rape with a broomstick and electric shocks to the genitals as punishment for not giving bribes. ?I pulled the alarms many times prior, saying, 'This is happening, they are torturing, they are being beaten.' The inmates in the punishment cells were on a hunger strike because they had complied with the punishment and were not let go. They started the hunger strike and they got a brutal, fierce beating. That?s what fueled the fire even more,? said Davalos. After the riots, Baja California Governor Jos? Guadalupe Osuna Mill?n removed the three top state prison officials and named new ones. Two hundred and fifty of the inmates have been moved to other jails and six more where taken to a maximum security prison after their involvement in the riots. There is a severed hand at the Coroners' Office and no one knows who it belongs to. But for Mayra, her mother and at least 22 other families whose loved ones are dead, the promise of reform or justice is a hollow one. "He had just 10 months before getting out, and look, he came out early but only because he is dead,? said Mayra about her older brother. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7673481.stm Thursday, 16 October 2008 10:42 UK Four killed in Pakistan jail riot At least four inmates have been killed and a dozen injured during a riot in a prison in southern Pakistan. Officials said guards at the Malir district prison in Karachi opened fire to prevent a group of prisoners attempting to break out through a gate. Prisoners have complained of harsh treatment and overcrowding in the jail, which houses more than 2,500 inmates, twice its original capacity. Karachi's central jail saw a similar riot over conditions on Monday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=141281 Three prisoners killed in massive jail riot Inmates take policemen hostage, assume partial control of Malir Jail Thursday, October 16, 2008 By Salis bin Perwaiz Karachi A violent protest broke out in Malir Jail on Wednesday and the ensuing clashes between the prisoners of Malir jail and the jail police claimed the lives of at least three prisoners. The prisoners, who had gained total control of the jail premises for while, tore down barracks and also torched the offices of jail officials as well as the recently-established Industry set up within the prisons. Seven people, including three police officials, were injured. At last report, as the police continued to make headway into the jail premises, prisoners had demanded that they want to speak to the media and negotiations between jail authorities and the prisoners were on. The prisoners had threatened to commit suicide if the police tried to resort to excessive force. As per the details, in the evening, while some prisoners were working and others were meeting friends and family during visiting hours, an under-trial prisoner, Akram Mahroof, caught by the local police for committing a robbery at the residence of a local business tycoon, executed a jail-break plot with his accomplices. Mahroof, along with his accomplices, stormed the main gate of the prison and tried to break it down. However, in the meantime, a heavy contingency of jail police reached the spot. Commotion ensued in the jail premises and the accomplices of Akram, joined by other prisoners, started breaking the locks of the barracks. Later, they managed to break down the main gate of the Malir prison, but were confronted by a heavy contingency of jail and local police - who forced the prisoners back in the premises. The inmates then also got support from another group of prisoners that had been protesting against the behaviour of the jail staff and demanding new barracks. The collective and reinforced mob of under-trial prisoners started torching and breaking the barracks, the offices and broke the furniture of the Malir Jail Superintendent?s office. Law-enforcement personnel immediately started taking their positions as the prisoners were trying to flee from the jail premises, and began tear-gas shelling. In the meantime, some prisoners took four police officials hostage and snatched their weapons and started firing at the police. Police retaliated, killing three inmates, Ghulab Khan, Lahooti, Abdul Yahi. Four were injured and were identified as Bakhar, Asghar Hussain, Tafseer and Faisal Masih. Three police officials were also injured in the firing. When contacted, IG Prisons, Sindh, Mohammed Yamin Khan, said that the law and order situation was created by known dacoit Akram Mahroof and they had broken the main gate of Malir jail and also torched the jail industry and offices. He added that, as soon as he was informed, he immediately moved towards Malir Jail and also called upon the DIG East Zone A.D. Khwaja along with his zonal force, and also took help from Pakistan Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary. After hours of resistance, he said, they brought the situation under control. The Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister on Jail Affairs Gul Mohammed Jakhrani also reached the spot and started negotiating with the prisoners to return to their barracks. Sources said that, while the Malir Jail had a capacity of about 1,900 prisoners, there are more than 4,000 housed there, including Indian fishermen. There are only 50 to 60 Jail police personnel to control the 4,000 prisoners. http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?206796 Death toll in Malir jail riots, reaches 3 Wednesday October 15, 2008 (2259 PST) KARACHI:The death toll of Malir Jail violence has reached 3 dead. Five policemen, who had earlier been held as hostages have also been rescued safely, while the otherwise peaceful jail premises have been temporarily handed over to rangers. Sources have informed that in aftermath of what is being termed as the biggest incident, among countless minor ones, panic and sense of insecurity existed among prisoners. Sources also indicate a growing incidence of such volatile kind of protests by prisoners, which reflects growing insecurity and distrust of inmates over jail officials. It is pertinent to note that a similar volatile attitude of prisoners, protesting against inhuman attitude of jail attitude, lack of space for prisoners, and not producing the prisoners before courts for trails was observed a day earlier. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=140838 Riot breaks out in Central Jail Jail superintendent injured in clash between police, prisoners Tuesday, October 14, 2008 By Xari Jalil Karachi A riot broke out in Central Jail on Monday evening, during which Jail Superintendent Nusrat Hussain Mangan, along with other jail officials, was injured. Around 35 prisoners from the Central Jail Karachi started a protest at around 7 p.m. Soon after, the protest started turning ugly as the inmates began climbing the rooftops of the jail building. To control the situation, the jail police was called in, and they began to fire rubber bullets at the prisoners, who in turn pelted stones at the jail administration and the jail police. According to details, the protest started when a prisoner belonging to the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, (JSQM) was shifted to the Solitary Confinement. Over 30 of his companions started to protest against this action and demanded that he be shifted back to his barrack. ?Besides this, they also had two other points to protest against,? said a source from the jail. ?They were demanding a change of barracks and for better facilities in the jail, and also they were angry at the fact that many of their relatives had to pay a large amount of money in order to meet them, and demanded that this should be stopped.? During the episode, the SP Jail, Nusrat Mangan, was injured along with some of his other officers. One head constable was also injured, as were some 30 inmates. When the situation was becoming out of hand, the police began a baton charge, but was returned with a similar treatment from the prisoners. A Head Constable, who was taken to the Civil Hospital in an injured state, claimed that the prisoners had sticks hidden and stored with them inside the barracks. Around two hours later, IG Jails Yamin Khan claimed that the situation had come under control, and the inmates had been forced back into their cells and barracks. Sources said that inmates who belonged to the JSQM complained that they were always under pressure by the jail administration because of their political affiliation http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142772 ?Lobbying, political influence responsible for jail riots? Friday, October 24, 2008 By Fasahat Mohiuddin Karachi The political element cannot be ruled out in the recent jail riots that broke out in the Central Prison Karachi, Malir Jail and other prisons as ministers and advisers consider the jail inmates as their voters. Experts say that inmates should be given a message that the jail rules and manuals are to be strictly followed. They allege that for the last few months, whenever the Advisor to Sindh Minister on Jail Affairs, Gul Mohammed Jakhrani, who belongs to Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), visits the jail, he pampers the jail inmates belonging to the same group. It may be noted that the recent riots at the Central Prison Karachi had erupted mainly because of the JSQM. On the other hand, when Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza visits jails such as Malir Jail and Central Prison Karachi, he tells the prisoners that they will be provided with all the facilities, which gives them the courage to ask for more privileges. The biggest hurdle regarding the ill management of jails is Inspector General Prisons, Yameen Khan as he has caused various obstacles including the fact that he is not accepting the possession of 153 jail vans. Moreover, the over-crowdedness in jails is also responsible for the riots occurring within its premises, the experts stressed. The expert who has been looking after all these jails in the Home department said that unless the jail manuals are followed strictly, these riots will continue. The political influence in all the jails of Sindh needs to be completely eliminated. The officials who had been looking after the jail affairs very closely said that another reason for jail riots is the transfer and posting of senior and junior officers at prisons. He further quoted that at the Central Prison Grade -18 jail superintendents are required while a grade 17 officer has been posted and two senior officers of jails are made to sit at home. The jails are being governed by junior officers, which again has to do with politics, he added. Furthermore, illegal gratification and bribe culture prevailing in jails for the last sixty years is another reason behind disturbances in jails, he claimed. Ironically, the expert further said that although the government failed to provide security for the small sized District Malir jail, they are now planning to build a high prison security jail on a 28-acre land adjacent to District Malir jail. The expert said that if this prison is built then how will the District Malir Jail staff manage the security of this prison which will have a capacity of 500 prisoners? It is worth mentioning that the Central Prison Karachi has a capacity of 1,700 prisoners and for the past several years this jail has always had twice the number of inmates. Similar situation prevails at Hyderabad Jail as well, which is why the jail riots occur. It may be recalled that during the PPP government when Abdullah Shah (Late) was the Sindh Chief Minister, a proposal was presented according to which the Central Prison was to be shifted to Malir and Machgoth, making this area a commercial block. However, the late Chief Minister could not materialise the proposal and the prison remains at its own place. The News tried to contact Zulfiqar Mirza and Gul Mohammed Jakhrani for their comments over political bearings in jails, however, both were busy in meetings. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/10/2387526.htm Riot prisoners list concerns Posted Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:13pm AEDT Updated Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:49pm AEDT Prisoners have outlined their concerns. (ABC News) ? Map: Port Augusta 5700 ? Related Story: Riot prisoners hit out at Govt Prisoners involved in a stand-off at Port Augusta prison in South Australia's north have outlined their concerns to police and the Corrections Department. There are 38 high security prisoners involved in the protest, which started yesterday afternoon in the Bluebush cell block. The prisoners have listed grievances including overcrowding in cells. They've highlighted the State Government's prison policy, which it summarised earlier this year as 'Rack 'em, pack 'em and stack 'em'. Police chief superintendent Fred Trueman says police and specialist correctional services staff have been listening to the prisoners' demands. "Those concerns as we understand them, as they have been expressed to us, relate to their limited accommodation, their doubling up and the unavailability of oval time yesterday," he said. Lange Powell from the Department of Correctional Services says some property has been damaged. "We understand that there has been, as I say, some damage to property within the prison, within the Bluebush unit," he said. "We do not know the full extent and won't do so until we are able to resume control of that part of the prison." Authorities are continuing to negotiate with the inmates and there are no reports of injuries. 'No responsibility' The acting Premier, Kevin Foley, says he feels no responsibility for the stand-off at the prison. In May, Mr Foley said 'Rack em, pack em and stack em' if that keeps out streets safe', in response to questions about prison overcrowding. He has told 891 ABC the prison is not operating at capacity, and there is no overcrowding. "The prison is operating as normal and the situation there today is no different to what it has been over the past decade, in that it is operating within its capacity," he said. "So no, it is not a result of overcrowding or stress on the system. "Prisons are not nice places, prisons are not designed for absolute comfort, and the doubling up of prisoners - that is two per cell - is both a common practice and an appropriate practice." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/10/2387115.htm Prisoners camp on roof as stand-off continues Posted Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:29am AEDT Updated Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:27am AEDT Slideshow: Photo 1 of 2 Up to 10 inmates have been seen camped on the roof of the jail. (ABC News) ? Map: Port Augusta 5700 A stand-off is continuing at the Port Augusta Prison in South Australia's north. The South Australian Correctional Services Department is negotiating with rioting inmates at the prison, 300 kilometres north of Adelaide. The Department says about 40 inmates damaged furniture and other items in a high security section of the prison, causing staff to lock-down the area. Heavily armed police and emergency services have been at the scene for several hours. Up to 10 inmates have been seen camped on the roof of the jail. The group is dressed in black and wearing black balaclavas have been waving banners on the roof. The latest banner sprawled in big black letters on a large white sheet says "Assault prisoners hey? No more". Lange Powell from the State Corrections Department says the police and specialist staff are trying to negotiate with the prisoners. Several MFS fire trucks have left the scene, but ambulance, CFS and police continue to watch on. The jail has a high percentage of Aboriginal prisoners. The chief executive of the South Australian Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Neil Gillespie - who is in London - says he cannot comment on specific aspects of the latest incident. But he says conditions in such jails are ripe for unrest. "There has been an issue with overcrowding for quite some time," he said. "It is very sad both for the prisoners and prisoners families and I'm uncertain of the background to this latest riot but it certainly doesn't surprise me." http://news.smh.com.au/national/jail-riot-prompts-industrial-action-20081013-4zhf.html Jail riot prompts industrial action Larine Statham October 13, 2008 Prison guards have taken industrial action in South Australia by refusing to transfer inmates between facilities until cell overcrowding issues are acknowledged. The move follows a riot at the Port Augusta prison last week involving 39 prisoners, some of whom climbed on to the jail's roof and used mattresses to publicise messages of ill treatment and overcrowding. Public Service Association general secretary Jan McMahon said guards representing South Australia's eight prisons would not lift their industrial action until the Department of Corrective Services resolved "the current bed space management crisis". But Correctional Services Minister Carmel Zollo said the prison system was "coping" and she was adamant jails were not overcrowded. Ms McMahon said 92 beds had been lost at the Port Augusta facility in last week's riot, while some cells were without toilets, water and electricity and contained asbestos in the flooring. "As a result, 12 prisoners are sleeping in a yard area," she said. "The women's prison is the only one in the state (including the city watchhouse) not filled to capacity." Ms Zollo said the policy of doubling up and using mattresses on the floor was appropriate in emergency situations. She said the department's only option was to relocate some Port Augusta prisoners to other facilities. But after guards voted against moving inmates and the government was unwilling to reveal contingency plans, a stalemate ensued. "We're asking the unions to work with us," Ms Zollo said. "We will take their concerns into account ... our primary concern is staff safety." Meanwhile, Democrats MP Sandra Kanck said home detention and community service for non-violent offenders would help solve overcrowding and allow $500 million earmarked for new prison buildings to be spent on health and education. "We all know that prisons are the universities of crime; many people leave prison with more information about committing crime than when they went in," Ms Kanck said. But Ms Zollo said releasing prisoners into the community was not an option for reasons of public safety. The government will introduce 90 new beds in jails before the end of the year and a further 209 in the next four years. The Port Augusta prison remains in lock-down and is expected to stay that way until next week. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2191420 Prisoners run riot in Australian jail Published: 9:20PM Thursday October 09, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read Dozens of inmates seized control of an entire cell block during a riot in an Australia jail on Thursday, police and prison officials said. "Some 40 or so inmates have isolated themselves in a part of the prison," police told Reuters. A Correctional Service Department spokesman said no prison officers were involved and no hostages had been taken during the riot at the Port Augusta Prison in South Australia state. "Our emergency response group is working with police," the spokesman said. News website AdelaideNow (www.news.com.au/adelaidenow) said there were no reports of injuries. But the website reported that tensions in the prison have escalated in recent months, with overcrowding at record levels. Port Augusta Prison is a multi-purpose jail for up to 280 high-, medium- and low-security prisoners, including inmates needing protection and others with special needs. The jail, 300 kms northwest of the state capital Adelaide, includes facilities for up to eight female inmates. It attracted intense publicity in July 2004, when it was revealed inmates were using a hole in a fence to leave the jail to attend parties in nearby Port Augusta town before returning with contraband including pornography and cigarettes. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/10/2387901.htm Inmates end Pt Augusta jail protest Posted Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:00pm AEDT Updated Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:17pm AEDT Port Augusta: jail unrest has ended (ABC News) ? Map: Port Augusta 5700 ? Related Story: Riot prisoners list concerns ? Related Story: Riot prisoners hit out at Govt A 24-hour stand-off at Port Augusta jail in South Australia is over. The Public Service Association (PSA) says staff of the prison, 300 kilometres north of Adelaide, will not to return to their jobs until the inmates involved in unrest have been moved elsewhere. The union represents about 120 staff, including prison officers. PSA secretary Jan McMahon says members will also insist that damaged sections of the prison be repaired. "They have determined that they will not open the Port Augusta prison until those prisoners who have been involved in the riot have been removed," she said. "As we understand, the units that have been affected by the riot are completely damaged." SA Correctional Services Minister Carmel Zollo says prisoners involved in the unrest will be moved to Adelaide. "I think it's important that those prisoners are dealt with in a different institution and clearly the police now have a role - it's their discretion," she said. "There'll be an investigation as to what the future holds for those prisoners." SA police confirmed that 37 inmates were involved in the trouble, which started on Thursday afternoon when prisoners were denied their fortnightly outdoor recreation time because of a staffing shortage. The inmates severely damaged equipment in cell blocks and smashed windows. Six inmates withdrew from the protest at lunchtime on Friday and police announced an end to the uprising late in the afternoon. Point made Police Superintendent James Blandford says inmates ended their protest because they had made their point. "All prisoners have been accounted for and control has been re-established," he said. "There have been no injuries, no overt acts of violence. "The incident ... over the last 24 hours was resolved through a lot of intense negotiation and, in no small part too, a lot of goodwill and co-operation shown by the prisoners." He says the damage to the jail is being assessed. "There has been some damage - we're in the current process of investigating and determining how much damage has been done so I can't actually give you a cost estimate," he said. A former chaplain at Port Augusta prison, David Wright, says inmates in the high-security Bluebush cell block rarely get a chance for outdoor activities. He says cancelling an outdoor session would have been the catalyst for the stand-off. "They get one outside activity a fortnight, and it goes for just one afternoon, 1:30 'til about three," he said. "And to have that called off short, that would be the straw that broke the camel's back without a doubt." The Minister says the Government makes no apologies for its policy of having two prisoners to a cell at Port Augusta. But Ms Zollo says that was not responsible for the uprising. "The situation occurred because the prisoners were denied the opportunity to go onto the oval," she said. "We elected to put the safety of our correctional services officers before the prisoners. They were needed ... in the infirmary." Prison not full, says Foley Acting Premier Kevin Foley is adamant that Port Augusta prison is not at capacity. "Prisons are not designed for absolute comfort and the doubling up of prisoners - that is two per cell - is both a common practice and an appropriate practice," he said. But the PSA has a different view. Ms McMahon says problems in the SA prison system are not confined to Port Augusta. "There were three overflow prisoners. That means the prison at Port Augusta, according to our members, was full yesterday," she said. "As we speak, at Mobilong Prison (another SA jail, near Murray Bridge) there are currently 15 mattresses on the floor because the prison at Mobilong is full. "So there is severe overcrowding in South Australian prisons." http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/11/2003425619 Prisoners surrender after daylong riot in Australia AP, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA Saturday, Oct 11, 2008, Page 4 Prisoners rioting at an Australian prison surrendered yesterday, 24 hours after chasing away guards and climbing to the rooftop to denounce overcrowding and ill treatment at the jail, police said. Police brokered an agreement with the 39 prisoners in the high-security compound of the Port Augusta Prison, about 320km north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. They made no demands during the standoff but wanted ?some recognition that they think there is a problem,? South Australia Police Assistant Commissioner Graeme Barton told reporters. The riot began on Thursday afternoon after an outdoor recreation session was canceled. Inmates used makeshift weapons to break windows, air conditioners and computers before taking to the roof and hoisting mattresses on which they had written slogans against overcrowding and poor treatment at the prison. All of the prison staff evacuated the building and there were no injuries. South Australia Acting Premier Kevin Foley described the rioters as among the ?hardest toughened criminals we have.? He rejected claims by the state opposition and the prison officers? union that the riot was in response to overcrowding. ?This has nothing to do with overcrowding. We are dealing with people who are not easy people to deal with, people who are in prison for a very, very long time for committing some of the worst crimes against civil society,? he said. The Department for Correctional Services Web site says the Port Augusta Prison can accommodate 280 inmates; there are 363 inmates in the prison now. Foley said the operational capacity of the jail was 368 prisoners. Last May, Foley advocated a policy of ?Rack ?em, pack ?em and stack ?em if that keeps our streets safe.? But prison officers? union official Peter Christopher said doubling up prisoners in cells was ?a volatile mix.? http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Riot-At-Port-Augusta-Prison-Inmates-Angry-At-Overcrowding-And-Poor-Conditions/Article/200810215117616?f=rss Riot At High-Security Oz Prison 11:00am UK, Friday October 10, 2008 Dozens of criminals who rioted for two days at a high-security prison in Australia have been persuaded to surrender. Inmates are angry about overcrowding About 40 inmates smashed windows, air conditioners and computers and chased away guards in protest against overcrowding and ill treatment in Port Augusta Prison. A dozen balaclava-clad prisoners took to the roof brandishing mattresses and wielding makeshift weapons while a police tactical response unit waited on the ground below. Negotiators brokered an agreement with the prisoners, who made no demands during the stand-off but wanted "some recognition that they think there is a problem". The riot began after an outdoor recreation session was cancelled. Prison officials had to send extra staff to the infirmary at short notice, resulting in too few officers to staff the outdoor yard. All prison staff evacuated the building and there were no injuries. Port Augusta Prison has a 280-bed capacity, according to the Department for Correctional Services. But a state opposition official said there were 363 inmates now housed at the prison. The prison officers' union said it had warned the state government that overcrowding was a serious problem. "Pretty well every prison in the state is full," said spokesman Peter Christopher. "Most cells, with few exceptions, have been doubled up. It's a volatile mix." http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2407689,00.html Prisoners surrender after riot 2008-10-10 10:45 ? Article Tools ? Share ? Get News24 on Adelaide - Prisoners rioting at an Australian prison surrendered on Friday, 24 hours after chasing away guards and climbing to the rooftop to denounce overcrowding and ill treatment at the jail, police said. Police brokered an agreement with the 39 prisoners in the high-security compound of the Port Augusta Prison, about 320km north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. They made no demands during the standoff but wanted "some recognition that they think there is a problem", South Australia Police Assistant Commissioner Graeme Barton told reporters. The riot began on Thursday afternoon after an outdoor recreation session was cancelled. Inmates used makeshift weapons to break windows, air conditioners and computers before taking to the roof and hoisting mattresses on which they had written slogans against overcrowding and poor treatment at the prison. All of the prison staff evacuated the building and there were no injuries. South Australia Acting Premier Kevin Foley described the rioters as among the "hardest, toughened criminals we have". He rejected claims by the state opposition and the prison officers' union that the riot was in response to overcrowding. "This has nothing to do with overcrowding," he said. "We are dealing with people who are not easy people to deal with, people who are in prison for a very, very long time for committing some of the worst crimes against civil society." The Department for Correctional Services website says the Port Augusta Prison can accommodate 280 inmates; there are 363 inmates in the prison now. Foley said the operational capacity of the jail was 368 prisoners. Last May, Foley advocated a policy of "Rack 'em, pack 'em and stack 'em if that keeps our streets safe." But prison officers' union official Peter Christopher said doubling up prisoners in cells was "a volatile mix". - SAPA http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=645086&rss=yes Criminals surrender after SA jail riot 18:13 AEST Fri Oct 10 2008 280 days 14 hours 36 minutes ago By Steve Larkin Thirty of South Australia's most hardened criminals have surrendered to police after rioting inside a regional jail. The prisoners were barricaded in a high-security compound of the Port Augusta jail, surrounded by tactical response police who brokered a resolution during the second day of negotiations with the inmates. The jail is about 300km north of Adelaide. A group of 39 prisoners rioted late Thursday, forcing staff to withdraw as the inmates, brandishing weapons such as chair legs, smashed windows, computers and air-conditioners. Some balaclava-clad prisoners climbed on the compound's roof, displaying messages daubed on mattresses complaining of overcrowding and ill treatment at the jail. SA Acting Premier Kevin Foley described the rioters as among the "hardest, toughened criminals we have". The group surrendered to police about 4.20pm (CST) Friday, about 24 hours after they rioted after being refused access to an outdoor exercise yard. They made no demands during the stand-off but wanted "some recognition that they think there is a problem", SA Police Assistant Commissioner Graeme Barton said. The SA opposition and the prison officers' union said the riot was a response to chronic overcrowding of the state's jails. Opposition correctional services spokesman Stephen Wade said the riot was entirely predictable because the state's prison system was 22 per cent overcrowded - the most overcrowded prison system in the nation. Public Service Association chief industrial officer Peter Christopher said the overcrowding had produced a volatile mix. But Mr Foley said it was "plain wrong" to suggest overcrowding caused the riot at a jail which, according to the Department of Correctional Services website, can accommodate 280 high, medium and low security inmates. The government said the operational capacity of the jail was 368 prisoners - with 363 inmates currently detained in the facility. Mr Foley said there were 50 available places in the state's prison system. "This has nothing to do with overcrowding," he said. "We are dealing with some of the hardest, toughened criminals that we have in our state. "We are dealing with people who are not easy people to deal with, people who are in prison for a very, very long time for committing some of the worst crimes against civil society." http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/guards-lose-control-of-prison-riot/2008/10/10/1223145575747.html Guards lose control of prison riot October 10, 2008 - 8:04AM Emergency services remain on standby at the prison in South Australia's north where inmates have rioted. A police tactical response unit is trying to negotiate an end to the stand-off at the Port Augusta Prison, about 320km north of Adelaide. It is understood about 34 inmates from the jail's high security Bluebush division rioted yesterday afternoon in a protest over conditions. Some have been seen on the prison roof with banners and banging what appear to be makeshift weapons. South Australian Correctional Services spokesman Chris Thompson said this morning no injuries had been reported and authorities were hoping to achieve a swift resolution to the stand-off. "We have had no reports of anyone being injured, I think things have gone relatively smoothly overnight," he said. Mr Thompson said he was unable to confirm what the prisoners were rioting over. However, he said concern had been expressed about recent lock-downs at the facility. Emergency services on stand-by at the prison also include fire and ambulance services. AAP http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24474439-2702,00.html Police riot squad on standby at South Australian prison ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print October 10, 2008 Article from: The Australian TACTICAL response police are on standby at the Port Augusta prison in South Australia's north where inmates have rioted. Authorities believe a cancelled recreation session yesterday afternoon may have sparked the riot. Correctional Services chief executive Peter Severin said an oval exercise session for inmates was cancelled yesterday when jail officials had to send extra staff to the infirmary at short notice. Soon after, between 30 and 40 inmates from the jail's high security Bluebush division overpowered wardens and took control of the block. A police tactical response unit is negotiating an end to the stand-off at the prison, about 320km north of Adelaide. Some have been seen on the prison roof with banners and banging what appear to be makeshift weapons. South Australian Correctional Services spokesman Chris Thompson said this morning no injuries had been reported and authorities were hoping to achieve a swift resolution to the stand-off. "We have had no reports of anyone being injured, I think things have gone relatively smoothly overnight," he said. Mr Thompson said he was unable to confirm what the prisoners were rioting over. However, he said concern had been expressed about recent lock-downs at the facility. Emergency services on stand-by at the prison also include fire and ambulance services. AAP http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/10/2387142.htm Riot prisoners hit out at Govt Posted Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:27am AEDT Updated Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:24am AEDT Port Augusta prison ... riot continues. (ABC News) ? Map: Port Augusta 5700 ? Related Story: Prisoners camp on roof as stand-off continues Prisoners involved in a stand-off at the Port Augusta jail in South Australia's north have hit out at the Government as part of a visual protest at the jail. There are reports inmates have been holding a banner on the roof of the jail that reads 'Not Happy Rann' in reference to the Premier, Mike Rann. Another banner held earlier accused the Minister responsible for prisons of lying. Glass windows on a section of the roof have been smashed, and the Corrections Department says the interior of the cell block has also been damaged. The inmates from the high security Bluebush wing started their protest yesterday afternoon and are believed to be upset about overcrowding. Yesterday up to 10 prisoners climbed onto the roof of the jail. Two prisoners have since given themselves up. The Corrections Department says the prisoners have damaged property, and yelling, clapping, and banging can be heard coming from inside the jail. Police are set up outside the prison and the National Highway One running past the prison has been partly blocked off to traffic. The State Opposition's correctional services spokesman, Stephen Wade, says the jail system is overcrowded, and the damage caused by the riot will lead to more problems. "Those prisoners will need to be relocated while their facility is repaired, that is going to put incredible stress on a prison system that's already overcrowded," he said. "After all it's not just Port Augusta that's overcrowded, every prison in our system has been racked, stacked and packed by this Government." Warnings The Public Service Association (PSA) says it has been warning the Government for sometime that trouble was likely at the prison because of constant overcrowding and doubling-up in cells. The PSA represents about 120 workers at the prison, including the correctional service officers who manage about 300 prisoners. The Association's Peter Christopher says the trouble started yesterday when prisoners in the high security Bluebush unit were not allowed to go outside for exercise because there was not enough staff to supervise them. "When prisoners in that unit weren't able to go outside and do their exercise, the reports we've received indicate that this was a trigger for this particular incident," he said. The head of the Correctional Services Department, Peter Severin, says increases in prisoner numbers means management practices have had to change, and often prisoners' routines are disturbed. He says that is what happened yesterday when an outdoor session was cancelled because of a shortage of staff. "That happens, that is operational reality," he said. "That in itself has absolutely nothing to do with overcrowding, but of course in a situation like this it may well have been a contributing factor to get prisoners to react like they did." 'Full investigation' The Correctional Services Minister, Carmel Zollo, says a full investigation will be carried out as a matter of priority. "What I can say is that incidents like this are regrettable and are a concern, and clearly I want to know what has happened and what has triggered this incident," she said. "It has been reported that this incident was a result of prison overcrowding, this is of course pure speculation, it is an isolated incident and I expect a comprehensive investigation into the underlying reasons and causes." Ms Zollo says prison management has the right to shut down certain areas at any time. She says a number of staff called in sick, and a decision had to be made whether to allow the prisoners to exercise. "They got to always make a decision in the best interest of the running of that prison, for safety reasons, they'll always reserve the right to actually make some areas no-go areas," she said. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=644550&rss=yes SA jail rioters blame 'overcrowding' 13:47 AEST Fri Oct 10 2008 A hardcore group of prisoners remains at large within a South Australian jail, the prison officers' union says. About 40 prisoners have rioted and damaged a high security division at the Port Augusta jail in SA's north, breaking windows, air-conditioners and computers, the Public Service Association (PSA) says. The union said a majority of the prisoners who rioted had since returned to cells in the jail, which had been locked down. "There are a dozen or so still on the loose," the association's chief industrial officer Peter Christopher said. Some of those at large remain on the roof, brandishing signs made on mattresses that highlight overcrowding as the reason for the disturbance. All the approximately 120 prison officers who work at the jail had been removed and replaced by Star Group police, Mr Christopher said. "There are a lot of angry prisoners there," he said, adding that inmates had not been fed since the lockdown was enacted at the height of the riot. The riot started on Thursday when three inmates were transferred to the jail's infirmary, not because they were ill but due to a lack of other available beds, Mr Christopher said. Some prison staff were then deployed to the infirmary, resulting in a scheduled outdoor exercise period being cancelled, he said. "That was the central trigger (for the riot)," Mr Christopher said. The Bluebush high-security division where the riot started had been extensively damaged, he said. Mr Christopher said the association had long been warning the government about overcrowding issues at Port Augusta and other jails in the state. "Pretty well, every prison in the state is full," he said. "Most cells, with few exceptions, have been doubled-up. "It's a volatile mix." Correctional Services chief executive Peter Severin said the oval session for inmates at the Port Augusta Prison was cancelled on Thursday when jail officials had to send extra staff to the infirmary at short notice. No injuries were reported among inmates or staff. Emergency services remain on stand-by while a police tactical response unit continues to negotiate with the inmates in a bid to end the dispute peacefully. "I understand from the briefings that I am receiving that those communications are quite constructive," Mr Severin told ABC Radio. He said that while the cancelled recreation session had nothing to do with the wider issue of overcrowding in the jail, it might have been a contributing factor prompting the prisoners to react as they had. "This incident is subject to a full investigation and I've no doubt our findings will give a whole range of issues that we will learn from," Mr Severin said. "We are dealing with this as a very serious incident, we're trying to do it as constructively as we can. "Whatever issues that we identify that have ultimately resulted in this incident we will carefully assess and if there is action that we need to take as a result, we will." But the South Australian opposition said the riot came as no surprise and blamed what it called the state government's "rack'em, pack'em, stack'em" prison policy. "No one has sympathy for the hardened criminals, but this system has racked, packed and stacked the really bad with those who have a chance to turn their lives around," said opposition corrections spokesman Stephen Wade. "This system creates more hardened criminals and the loser is their next victim." Mr Severin said that because of pressures across the prison system the number of inmates at Port Augusta had been increased by about 90 over the past 12 months. He said that had involved many cells being used to house two prisoners rather than just one. Correctional Services Minister Carmel Zollo said the incident at the jail was regrettable and she wanted to know what triggered it. "It has been reported that this incident was the result of prison overcrowding. This is, of course, pure speculation," she said. "It is an isolated incident and I expect a comprehensive investigation into the underlying reasons and causes." http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=115423&d=14&m=10&y=2008&pix=world.jpg&category=World 14 October 2008 (13 Shawwal 1429) Illegal immigrants protest conditions AFP INHUMAN: Illegal immigrants protest their detention conditions from inside a shelter in Istanbul on Monday. (Reuters) ISTANBUL: Several dozen illegal immigrants yesterday protested against their detention conditions in a state-run center in Istanbul, breaking windows and throwing burning blankets out onto the street. ?We are here for one year and two months. They give us food only once a day and don?t give us any medicine ... They treat us like animals,? one of the immigrants, who said he was a Tamil from Sri Lanka, told an AFP correspondent from a window. Several other immigrants from Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East also criticized insufficient food supplies and medical treatment. The center in Kumkapi, on Istanbul?s European side, hosts between 600 and 800 immigrants arrested in Turkey while trying to cross into Europe and awaiting deportation, police sources said. There was no indication that police were preparing to intervene as the situation was returning to normal. Turkey lies on a major people-smuggling route from Asia to Western Europe and illegal migrants are detained on an almost daily basis. In June, a Somali man died of a gunshot wound and four people, among them two police officers, were injured during a riot at a center for illegal immigrants in the northwestern province of Kirklareli, near the border with Bulgaria. Rebels jailed A Turkish court meanwhile charged and jailed pending trial five people in connection with a Kurdish rebel attack on a police bus in the country?s southeast that claimed five lives. Three suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK), which carried out last week?s assault, were charged with membership in an illegal organization and carrying out armed attacks on its behalf. The two remaining suspects were charged with aiding and abetting the operations. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49D7NW20081014?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Thousands stage sit-in protest in Venezuela prisons Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:30pm EDT CARACAS (Reuters) - Thousands of relatives of inmates staged sit-in protests on Tuesday in prisons across Venezuela to protest abuse and poor conditions in one of the nation's largest such protests in years. Prison violence kills hundreds of inmates each year. It has fueled complaints that leftist President Hugo Chavez has done too little to stem crime and improve the judicial system that often allows people to languish in squalid cells for years without a trial. Venezuelan Prison Observatory, a nonprofit group that monitors prisons, said a protest that began last week with a hunger strike at one prison has spread across the country to involve thousands of relatives, including dozens of children. The Interior Ministry said 6,500 inmate relatives held sit-in protests at eight jails, local media reported. The nonprofit group reported last year more than 500 inmates were killed last year in prison and eight such sit-in protests. This week's protest is unusually large. Chavez, who has used Venezuela's oil wealth to finance social programs for the poor, has vowed to improve conditions for the country's estimated 21,000 prisoners. He was imprisoned for two years for leading a failed coup in 1992. Venezuelans' top concern is crime with many Chavez critics and supporters blaming his government for failing to rein in violence that kills thousands each year, according to opinion polls. (Reporting by Enrique Andres Pretel; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Saul Hudson and Bill Trott) http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081021/NEWS04/810210374/1002/NEWS01 Riot 'ringleaders' await charges after Rutland jail fallout By Brent Curtis Herald Staff - Published: October 21, 2008 The merits and potential consequences of a disciplinary system at the Rutland jail were debated Monday as state police and prison officials looked at charges ranging from reckless endangerment to hostage-taking for a handful of inmates identified as the ringleaders of Saturday night's contained riot at the correctional facility. None of the 13 inmates who prison officials said were involved in the uprising that occurred entirely within a single cell block of the jail were charged with a crime on Monday. But prison Superintendent David Bovat said Monday that Vermont State Police detectives spent the day interviewing the inmates involved and narrowing the scope of their investigation to what he called a handful of ringleaders. What charges the inmates might face also remained unclear, but Bovat said police talked about charges of reckless endangerment and destruction of state property along with a charge related to taking a hostage as possible offenses. No correctional personnel or law enforcement officials were injured or held hostage by the inmates during the three-hour standoff. But Bovat said those inmates who beat up another incarcerated man and then impeded police and rescue crews from getting to the injured man could face charges of taking the man hostage. A lockdown at the jail, instituted at the start of the riot, remained in effect Monday, Bovat said. But the superintendent said he expected the measure to be relaxed starting this morning. While police investigated inmates involved in the incident, cleanup crews started scrubbing the 15-cell D block, which was emptied after a prison riot team used tear gas and other irritants to flush inmates from the section. Bovat said prisoners wouldn't be allowed to return to the section until the block had been cleaned of tear gas and "black water" from broken sprinklers and plumbing overflows. Repairs to the sprinkler system and, potentially, the electrical system also need to be made before the section can reopen in two to three weeks, Bovat said. As police and prison officials in Rutland sorted through the aftermath of the riot, state Defender General Matthew Valerio, whose office includes the state's Prisoner's Rights Office, said Monday that his office had been receiving complaints months in advance about a new behavioral policy in the Rutland jail which he said contributed to tensions leading up to the riot on Saturday. The new policy, instituted by Bovat, who came to Rutland 19 months ago, rewards prisoners for doing things such as cleaning their cell block, maintaining personal hygiene, exercising and following the rules of the prison. But breaking the rules, disobeying commands, being disrespectful to officers and other inmates and other negative behavior costs inmates points. It's a reward/punishment system for minor privileges that's presently unique to the Rutland jail in Vermont. But Valerio said he knows of instances in other states where similar policies have led to rioting like what took place in Rutland. "The thing that keeps calm in a prison is predictability for the inmates," Valerio said. "If a guy knows the rules, he can follow them. But they don't do well with change and rules that can be arbitrarily applied." Valerio said he used the word "arbitrarily" because unlike other disciplinary procedures that require a formal hearing in the jail, the rewarding of points or their subtraction is done at the discretion of the individual officers on duty. After months of receiving complaints from inmates who felt cheated by the new system, Valerio said he believes the atmosphere inside the jail was unstable before the riot. "These disciplinary procedures do tend to raise tensions," he said. "It's an escalation of little things." The "little thing" that appears to have precipitated the incident on Saturday involved an inmate who refused to get out of bed during the day and was punished by being told to lock down early, according to Corrections Commissioner Robert Hofmann. Hofmann said Monday that he had spoken to Valerio about his concerns, but given the circumstances that took place in Rutland, he said he had no complaints about his officers' conduct in Rutland. "We need to endeavor to be consistent and fair and I think that our staff shows unparalleled patience in the majority of cases. But when someone says 'no I'm not getting out of bed' and 'screw you' and they just stay in bed all day and then they get locked in early because of their behavior, I don't think starting a riot is the way to go," Hofmann said. The commissioner said he also didn't think it unreasonable to ask inmates to help with the maintenance and upkeep of the prison by keeping themselves and their living quarters clean. "It costs the state $50,000 a year for each inmate, I think we should be asking them to engage in the maintenance and cleaning," he said. "Sweeping and keeping showers clean isn't a lot to ask. After all, it is their home while they're with us." Bovat said he also implemented the reward/punishment system as a way of reforming the inmates' behavior before their release. The superintendent said that when he arrived, discipline was lax and the inmates' behavior more self-perpetually criminal. "They would hang with their buddies all day and act like bigger criminals," he said. The new system has been successful for the most part, he said. However, he said there were some who have resisted the change. "There's a criminal element that's in and out of the doors all the time who resent the fact that things have changed and it's not the good old times they remember," he said. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidkfsneyau/rss2/ Governor attacked in protests at Portlaoise Prison Print Email+ Share 15/10/2008 - 08:11:40 An investigation is underway into an incident at Portlaoise Prison in which inmates threw the contents of their chamber pots at the governor and prison officers. The incident followed a search of a cell on one of the wings housing republican prisoners. Reports this morning say prison officers were investigating allegations that an INLA member had created a home-made weapon out of a soup ladle. A number of inmates subsequently protested that they were being unfairly targeted. During these protests, two of the prisoners were brought to the segregation unit. Governor Ned Whelan was later attacked while making his regular rounds of the jail and extra staff were called in to deal with the situation. The five prisoners involved in the incident are believed to have been punished by being locked in their cells without access to phone calls or visits for a month. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1015/1224020737250.html October 15, 2008 Real IRA and INLA prisoners in joint protest In this section ? ? Murder inquiry launched into death of man in Cork ? Firms to benefit from rates rebate ? Kilkenny to grant Cody and Pattison freedom of city ? Overcrowding at AE leads to diverted emergencies ? Seven years for man who collected heroin worth ?1.6m ? Suspended jail term for taxi passenger's false shouts of rape CONOR LALLY, Crime Correspondent PARAMILITARY PRISONERS from the Real IRA and INLA joined forces to challenge staff at Portlaoise Prison in recent days in a dispute over the searching of cells at the jail. Prison sources said the protest resulted in full chamber pots being thrown at staff, forcing the closure of a food preparation area. The same sources said the disturbance ended yesterday afternoon only after two INLA inmates were released from segregation. The disturbance began on Sunday morning when the cells of a number of INLA inmates were searched on the E4 landing of the maximum security jail. A makeshift knife was found in one of the searched cells. The INLA inmates were unhappy that the searches had taken place claiming they had been singled out for special treatment. On Monday morning, they staged a protest, throwing the contents of their chamber pots on to the landing of their wing of the prison. The contents of the pots ran down on to the E3 landing below, which houses Real IRA prisoners. The contents of the pots then ran down on to an area below the E3 landing forcing the closure of an area where food is prepared. When other prisoners were asked to clean the area, they were threatened by the INLA group not to clean up. The INLA inmates then broke through meshing which divides their cells from the Real IRA landing below. In an unprecedented move, the two groups of inmates joined forces and demanded that two INLA prisoners who had been placed in segregation be returned to their cells. The prisoners in segregation were released and the protest ended. The Prison Officers Association declined to comment. However, prison officer sources said they were disappointed the prisoners' demands were acceded to. A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said the protest was "minor" and "non violent". It had been dealt with quickly and in a non-confrontational manner. He said the two inmates had been placed in segregation to ease tensions and not as punishment. There was no question prison management had "bowed" to the demands of inmates in releasing the pair from segregation. There are eight INLA and 30 Real IRA prisoners held at the jail. The protest since the weekend is believed the first time that members of the two groups, usually rivals, had held a joint protest. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/News/Parkhurst_prisoner_stages_rooftop_protest.aspx Parkhurst prisoner stages rooftop protest By Jon Moreno - Tuesday, October 14, 2008 The prisoner, arrowed, on the roof at Parkhurst Prison. Contributed picture. A PARKHURST Prison inmate staged a rooftop protest at the jail on Sunday. He climbed on to the roof of the Newport jail?s main block at 11.45am and was finally persuaded to end his demonstration peacefully by prison staff at 1.15am yesterday (Monday). The Ministry of Justice would not comment on the prisoner nor say what prompted his protest. "The incident was resolved without injuries to prisoners or staff. The cost of any damage caused is still being assessed,? a spokesman said. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/10/28/ddn102808policeblotter.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=16 Accident victim stages protest of sorts with police Staff Reports Tuesday, October 28, 2008 A roundup of unusual items from area police departments: CLAYTON ? Oct. 19: Officers responding to an accident in a field across from 8358 Hoke Road observed a female in the driver's seat of a vehicle stuck in mud. The subject got out and started crying. An officer saw the vehicle was in reverse gear, its tires spinning. The subject smelled of alcohol and tripped and fell while being escorted to a cruiser. She agreed to a field sobriety test but said she desperately needed to urinate. She then tried to walk to the side of the road and pull down her pants. The subject was placed in the cruiser and taken to a police department interview room and asked if she needed the bathroom. She became agitated and said she would relieve herself in the interview room. She then urinated in her pants and on the chair where she sat, then urinated again before being escorted to the bathroom. She refused sobriety tests, and was arrested for operating a vehicle intoxicated. http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212175936.shtml Published: Oct 1, 2008 Share It | Most Popular | Send A Tip Five Hurt In Riot At Calif. Folsom Prison by Staff Corrections officials say a riot at California's famed Folsom Prison left at least five inmates injured. The melee broke out Tuesday afternoon in the yard of the aging overcrowded facility and eventually involved hundreds of inmates, the Department of Corrections said. KCRA-TV in nearby Sacramento said its news helicopter captured images of hundreds of prisoners seated on the ground with some being placed in wrist restraints. Three of the injured inmates were taken to area hospitals while two others were treated for minor injuries, KCRA said. The 40-acre prison was built in 1880 and currently houses more than 4,000 convicts, roughly twice the number the facility was designed to hold. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7677380.stm Saturday, 18 October 2008 08:51 UK Final protest against prison site A demonstration in August attracted around 300 people to the site Residents in Cwmbran have held a final demonstration in protest over plans that could see a prison open near their homes. The town's old police training centre is one of four possible sites being considered to house a new Welsh jail. A similar protest in August attracted around 300 people from the Greenmeadow area of the town. The 39-acre site was bought by the Ministry of Justice in 2007, prompting fears that it is the front runner. It has been rated as a "very good" site by officials and could hold up to 1,500 inmates if given the go-ahead. The three other potential places for the new prison are Merthyr, Wrexham and Caernarfon. Public consultation on the possible choices for the prison site closes at the end of October, prompting this final demonstration in Cwmbran. Opposition One of the organisers, local councillor Catherine Lewis said: "I'd like to think that our voice is going to be heard. "At least we can say we have tried our very best to stop it." Ms Lewis said she and others supporting the action were not opposed to a prison being sited in the Cwmbran area. "It's only that site we are against. It's a stones throw from a highly populated area, it is so inappropriate." The initial report on the shortlisted locations see the advantages of Cwmbran being close to the M4 corridor, courts and rail links. Although the Cwmbran site was only officially shortlisted in August, its opponents have been putting together a petition to oppose the plans since October 2007 after finding out that the site had been sold to the Ministry of Justice. Torfaen council has previously stated it would oppose the plans as it would jeopardise its own multi-million pound programme to regenerate the nearby town centre. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=57467 Published On: 2008-10-06 Metropolitan 15 injured as villagers clash with cops in Jamalpur Unb, Jamalpur At least 15 people, including 10 policemen, were injured during a clash between police and villagers at Jhaudanga in Dewanganj upazila early yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested three criminals - Osman Gani, Rafiqul Islam and Abul Kashem - from the house of Pararamrampur UP Chairman Insar Ali at about 3:00am. Police said, sentenced to life term for murder Osman remained fugitive, Rafiqul was awarded three years jail in drug case and Abul Kashem is accused in a criminal case. Following their arrest inmates of the house raised hue and cries saying dacoits, dacoits. Villagers rushed in and attacked the police. They snatched away the criminals from the police custody that led to the clash. Police fired three warning shots to disperse the villagers, police said. Ten policemen, including SI Asaduzzaman Ripon and ASI Shuvra Shaha, injured in the clash were admitted to Dewanganj Upazila Health Complex. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/09/17/175024/Two-dead.htm Wednesday, September 17, 2008 10:06 am TWN, AFP Two dead, 20 injured in massive prison riot MEXICO CITY -- Two prisoners died and 20 others were injured in a prison riot sparked by the death of a prisoner ? allegedly at the hands of prison guards ? in the northern Mexican border city of Tijuana, security officials said Monday. Security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas on some 1,500 prisoners armed with stones and pipes in the 12-hour riot in La Mesa prison on the U.S.-Mexico border. Soldiers and police regained control of the prison early Monday after prisoners stormed two prison buildings, partially setting them on fire and taking two guards hostage. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080904/FOREIGN/586654295/1002/rss Prison riot undermines Syrian gain Phil Sands, Foreign Correspondent ? Last Updated: September 04. 2008 10:53PM UAE / September 4. 2008 6:53PM GMT From right, the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the Syrian president Bashar Assad, the Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus yesterday. Philippe Wojazer / AP DAMASCUS // Bashar Assad, the Syria president, was in Paris for a headline-grabbing summit when he last met Nicolas Sarkozy, his French counterpart. That was in July and amounted to a diplomatic coup for Damascus. All the American attempts to isolate and weaken Syria had failed, and Europe was finally re-engaging. Syria had, for the time being at least, triumphed. While the president was away dealing with matters of international importance, a few kilometres north of Damascus a deadly prison riot was entering its second week. Months later, with Mr Sarkozy in Syria on a reciprocal visit, little is publicly known about what happened in Saydnaya prison. But a few details that can be pieced together give an insight into the various internal tensions pulling at Syria. According to human rights groups, at least 25 inmates were shot and killed by government troops after staging a rebellion in which they took control of the detention centre. In the only official comment on the matter, the Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) noted that, ?a number of prisoners convicted of extremism and terrorism crimes raised chaos, disturbing the public order during the prison administration?s inspection tour?. When the riot started, on July 5, inmates were able to use mobile phones ? routinely smuggled into the jail ? and revealed some of what was happening. One political detainee reported that Muslim inmates had started a rebellion and taken 400 prison guards hostage, who they were using as bargaining chips in negotiations with the Syrian authorities. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, close to the banned Muslim Brotherhood opposition, said there had been shooting at the prison and helicopters flying over the area as Syrian forces moved in to retake it. Those early attempts to restore authority apparently failed, because a fortnight after the riots began it was still under way, according to Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, an independent Syrian advocacy group. Interviewed at the time in the Syrian capital, he said the inmates were protesting against being held without trial. ?We don?t have any real information as to what?s happening,? he said. ?There is a sit in, there are guards being held hostage. The mobile phone coverage has now been cut off. ?It?s not the first problem in Saydnaya. The prisoners started fires, they burned part of the prison a while back. That shows the reasons behind this are the lack of services. There are many prisoners who have been in there for a year or two years without any trial ? they have no rights.? Saydnaya is one of Syria?s largest internment facilities. It was built in 1987 to replace the squalor of various crumbling old prisons. It was designed to hold up to 5,000 people, mainly those convicted of crimes while serving in the military. However, it sometimes holds more, human rights groups said, and while a majority of inmates are thought to be soldiers, there are also political prisoners, detained as part of a campaign against dissidents. Some of those dissidents are advocates of peaceful reform, but not all. The Syrian authorities said militants, including al Qa?eda fighters, are being held there. While opposition figures do not believe all prisoners convicted of terrorism in Syria are really guilty ? the justice system is widely criticised ? independent sources here said Saydnaya did house some militants who returned to Syria after fighting the Americans in Iraq. ?There are political prisoners, but there are also hundreds ? perhaps 200 or 300 ? Salafists [Sunni extremists] and al Qa?eda fighters,? Mr Qurabi said. He said six prison guards and 15 inmates were killed in the riot, with many more injured receiving treatment at a military hospital. No numbers have been released and the names of those who died or were wounded have not been revealed. Abdul Aziz al Kheir, a former political prisoner, spent more than a decade in Syrian jails, including time in Saydnaya. He said there was discontent about the lack of trials, caused in part because of a big backlog of cases in national courts. But he said he did not believe the conditions inside the prison provoked the riot. ?In the past, Syrian prisons were very bad, and prisoners would get beaten,? he said. ?But that stopped years ago. Now, once you?re in prison, it?s not as difficult. The punishment is the loss of liberty. The cells are really rooms, and you can choose which one you live in. There are books ? the political prisoners have collected perhaps the best library in all of Syria there.? Inside the prison, inmates are left largely to decide how to run their daily affairs ? some even have computers and internet access to carry on businesses, while others bribe their way into having conjugal visits with their spouses. They can move around freely inside the prison. It was these freedoms that Mr Kheir said had probably allowed the rioters to plan and carry out their revolt. Someone who was in direct contact with prison guards provided The National with a detailed account of the riot, on condition of anonymity. According to this information ? which is unconfirmed ? the prison authorities were tipped off that a riot was planned by a group of militants. Hundreds of police were brought in to carry out a surprise inspection and foil the plot, but they were new recruits and, when the search began, the militants ? some hardened in combat against the US military ? simply brought their plan into effect. Using sharpened metal bed posts as improvised weapons, they killed some of the young police officers, who were armed with wooden sticks, not firearms, and captured 400. As the riot spread to the roof, sentries opened fire, killing some of the prisoners. But they were unable to hold them back and had to flee. At least one guard, according to this account, died after falling from the roof while trying to escape. Before the prison was overrun, the guards managed to snatch Samir al Bahar, a wheelchair-bound senior Islamist imprisoned on terrorist charges. They would later use him as a mediator to try to negotiate a settlement, apparently without success. Three weeks after the riot began, there was still a stand-off between the authorities and the inmates, according to the source. The Syrian security services had managed to retake the first floor, but the third floor remained under the control of the inmates, with between 600 and 1,200 inside. ?They have been trying to negotiate, but I don?t know what they are thinking,? the source said in July. ?The Syrians want to get the hostages out safely if they can, but what are the inmates thinking? You can?t kill prison guards and then expect to talk your way out of that kind of situation. I don?t know what they want; there was a suggestion they asked to be taken to Iraq and left there, to fight the Americans.? http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110738.html Namibia: Inmate's Death Leads to Cell Riot Denver Isaacs 11 September 2008 Prisoners at the Wanaheda Police Station reportedly started a riot early Monday morning after a fellow inmate died in his cell. They claim that the death of Clive Hibsch (28) was the result of negligence on the part of Police officers in charge of watching over them. Chief Inspector Andreas Nelumbu has rejected the prisoners' claims. In an interview with The Namibian, he said that Hibsch had been sent for medical treatment both on Monday and the day before. "He complained of being sick on Sunday, and was taken to the Katutura State Hospital. He was sent back, but we sent him back to the hospital on Monday and he was again sent back," Nelumbu said. Hibsch died between 03h00 and 04h00, he said. It is understood that prisoners initially refused to allow Police to remove the body from the cell. Nelumbu said he needed to explain the reality of the situation to the prisoners, some of whom were not aware that Hibsch had actually gone for medical treatment. "I managed to calm them down by explaining what happened. It seems some of them thought he hadn't been taken for treatment, but he was. I mean, if the doctors sent him back, we don't have the medical expertise to go against that," he said. Nelumbu showed The Namibian Hibsch's medical reports but would not say what illness he was being treated for, as this was confidential. Hibsch had been awaiting trial on two charges - one of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm registered at the Katutura Police station in March, and the second a robbery charge registered at the Wanaheda station in May. (The Namibian) http://www.afrol.com/articles/30715 25 injured in prison riots in Egypt afrol News, 9 September - At least 25 people were injured in clashes between warders and prisoners in south Egyptian city of Assiut on Monday following rumours about an inmate's death in prison, officials have said. Most of the wounded, including 21 prisoners and four warders, suffered light and medium injuries in riot in southern Egyptian city of Assiut, some 330 kilometers south of Cairo, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The death of the prisoner, named by the Interior Ministry as Ali Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Salam, is said to have led to uproar among other prisoners, who took three officers hostage and seized their weapons, police sources said. When a clash erupted on Monday among a number of inmates, the prison guards intervened to control the situation and isolated the rioters in solitary confinement cells, but the rioting continued until police used tear gas and live bullets to regain control of the jail. An Interior Ministry statement quoted by Reuters said riot occurred when fighting broke out between four prisoners who attacked each other with cutlery. According to a government statement one of the inmates died in the process, which triggered rumors among the prisoners that the inmate was tortured to death. "The prisoners gathered in the yard of the jail and tossed stones at the jail's facilities," said the statement, adding that some of them tried to escape. Riots continued inside the prison building for several hours. Police used tear gas and live ammunition to subdue prisoners and were able to restore control, sources added. The injured included 21 prisoners and four warders. Assiut is the largest city in Upper Egypt, with a population of about 400,000 people. Its jail is reported to hold about 3,000 prisoners. Correspondents say conditions in Egyptian prisons are often dire and overcrowded, and security personnel have been accused of abusing inmates. By staff writer http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/6495918.html Prison riot injures 25 in S Egypt after inmate's death + - 09:57, September 09, 2008 At least 25 people were injured in a prison riot sparked by the death of an inmate in southern Egypt on Monday, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported. Most of the wounded, including 21 prisoners and four warders, suffered light and medium injuries in the riot in the southern Egyptian city of Assiut, some 330 km south of Cairo, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. When a clash erupted on Monday among a number of inmates, the prison guards intervened to control the situation and isolated the rioters in solitary confinement cells. But "one of the inmates died in the process," which triggered rumors among the prisoners that the inmate was tortured to death, said the statement. The prisoners gathered in the yard of the jail and tossed stones at the jail's facilities, said the statement, adding that some of them tried to escape. Police forces fired tear gas bombs and opened fire in the air to calm down the situation. An investigation to the riot is underway. Source:Xinhua http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200808/s2336842.htm?tab=pacific PNG inmates end hunger strike ? Print ? Email Updated August 15, 2008 15:57:10 Inmates being held in a jail in Papua New Guinea, have ended a two-day hunger strike in protest over long delays in their court cases. The 180 inmates at Buimo jail near Lae, have refused food to draw attention to delays in the National Court system. Some prisoners claim they have been held since 2002 with little or no progress in their legal cases. Acting jail commander, Superintendent Simon Lakeng, says the relevant authorities have been informed of the hunger strike, so inmates have agreed to end it. "We went into to talk to them this morning and they eventually agreed they've already skipped breakfast and eventually agreed to now get back to having their meals for lunch and dinner and so forth. " http://archive.gulfnews.com/world/Turkey/10248520.html Inmates riot in Turkish prison Agencies Published: September 29, 2008, 09:28 Istanbul: Five prison guards at a jail in northwest Turkey have been taken hostage by inmates on Monday, state news agency said. The inmates at Burhaniye prison in Balikesir province were protesting over prison conditions, state-run Anatolian news agency reported. The protest began during the pre-dawn meal or Suhoor during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "There is a fire in one of the dormitories at the moment. Our colleagues are trying to bring it under control," Balikesir Governor Selahattin Hatipoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolian. The inmates were protesting at conditions in three dormitories and seeking an amnesty. It was not clear how many of the prison's 258 inmates were involved in the protest. The governor said authorities were trying to establish a dialogue with the protesters. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=154687 Prison riot quashed without use of force A Monday morning prison riot in the town of Burhaniye, found in Bal?kesir province, ended peacefully after officials came to an agreement with prisoners. Bal?kesir Governor Selahattin Hatipo?lu commented on the event, saying, "The riot at Burhaniye C-type prison was quashed without the use of force and no one was hurt." Hatipo?lu noted that the riot began at 2:30 a.m. while prison officers were delivering pre-dawn meals to prisoners. Five prison officers were taken hostage by inmates. "I came to the prison as soon as I heard about the incident. Fortunately the riot ended peacefully and the prison officers were released. The prisoners are now resting in their cells." Gendarmerie and police department detail, as well as representatives from the public prosecutor's office and the prison administration, took extraordinary measures to end the riot. The Burhaniye Municipality sent bulldozers to the area in case of emergency. The governor, however, chose to discuss prisoner demands instead. He promised to solve the prisoners' problems. "They also approached dialogue attempts positively and we solved the problem. Following the riot, all prisoners were accounted for." The prisoners claimed that their rooms were too crowded and living conditions poor. 30 September 2008, Tuesday TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES ?STANBUL http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/04/rss.htm#42 Hyderabad prisoners protest against jail administration Saturday, 04 Oct, HYDERABAD: On the request of the administration of Central Prison, the police personnel have encircled the Hyderabad central prison in order to control the situation, which erupted as a result of the prisoners here on Saturday. According to official sources, the prisoners started protest when jail administration snatched a mobile phone from a prisoner. On the directives of the jail administration, tear gas shells were fired besides aerial firing in order to maintain law and order situation, however, the action created more resentment among the prisoners and they torched old clothes and bed sheets and pelted stone on jail staffers. After receiving this information Sindh Minister for Fisheries Zahid Bhurgari along with DIG Prison Nawaz Arain, Jail Superintendent Abdul Majeed Siddiqui and Acting District President PPP Amanullah Sial reached the jail and tried to negotiate with the prisoners, however, they demanded to call Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Prison for negotiations. (Posted @ 23:18 PST) http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_prisoner-dies-after-clash-with-prison-guards_1190948 Prisoner dies after clash with prison guards PTI Wednesday, September 17, 2008 15:07 IST KOLKATA: An inmate of the Presidency Jail here died on Wednesday after a clash with prison guards, police said. "An inmate called Mohammad Azharuddin died on Wednesday morning at the jail hospital. He had suffered head injuries on Tuesday during a clash with prison guards. The inmates were resisting transfer of a prisoner to Dum Dum Central Jail on the outskirts of the city," S.R. Hossain, deputy inspector general of police (prison), said. "We are trying to investigate if any foul play led to his death," Hossain added. According to prison sources, about 50 prisoners who support city-based mafia don Gudda attacked the prison guards with blades and bricks on Tuesday afternoon while they were trying to transfer him to Dum Dum Central Jail. The guards, in turn, hit the prisoners with batons. "In the clash, 20 prison guards and 30 inmates were injured. Gudda himself slashed his stomach and hand with blade to prevent his transfer," Hossain said. Guddu's transfer has been postponed till he is discharged from the jail hospital. http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Tehachapi-Prison-on-Lockdown-after-Prison-Riot/mJpsTr9tgUKFt8SQjDLO7g.cspx Tehachapi Prison on Lockdown after Prison Riot Last Update: 9/05/2008 8:28 pm The Tehachapi prison is still on lockdown and could be on lockdown for weeks. A prison riot Thursday sent 6 inmates to the hospital. The disturbance began at around 5:15pm Thursday and involved about 180 inmates housed in minimum custody. There are currently more than 12,000 inmates housed in the facility. Medical staff treated some inmates and sent 6 more to hospitals and now only 1 remains hospitalized, though the prison says his injuries are not life threatening. The institution was placed on lockdown to facilitate an investigation of this incident. Prison officials say the lockdown could last anywhere from one day to several months. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0904/prison.html 'Minor' protest in Midlands Prison Thursday, 4 September 2008 21:38 The Irish Prison Service has confirmed that what they are calling a 'minor' protest has taken place in the Midlands Prison. The incident happened at around 4pm inside the prison when a group of 18 prisoners climbed over the bars around a landing and stood for a time on the protective netting separating the floors. It is understood that their action was a protest against the new security measures in place at the prison, which the Prison Service say are yielding success. A spokesman for the service said staff dealt with the incident professionally and brought it quickly to a conclusion without any injuries to people or damage to property. Its understood the protest was sparked when a female visitor to one of the prisoners was stopped by prison officers, and subsequently arrested by garda? on suspicion of trying to smuggle in drugs. Its understood that those involved have been separated to different parts of the prison complex as punishment. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/09/27/6904446-cp.html B.C. maximum-security prison remains under lockdown By THE CANADIAN PRESS AGASSIZ, B.C. - A maximum-security prison in Agassiz, B.C. is locked down today after a prisoner protest that began Friday morning. Kent Institution spokeswoman Whitney Mullin says prisoners refused to return to their cells to protest a prison program. Mullin says negotiators were brought in with prisoners eventually returning to cells early today. An emergency response team was called to the prison and remains on-scene. Mullin says the lockdown will continue until management determines the situation is safe. No one was injured in the incident at the institution that houses 247 inmates at the facility 120 kilometres east of Vancouver. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 10 23:38:54 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:38:54 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Miscellaneous news stories, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9F07E.6090808@tesco.net> * AUSTRALIA: Darwin could soon have ghettos, says Aboriginal specialist * WEST PAPUA: Tensions between "tradition" and "modernity" * NIGERIA: 400 killed in massive pogroms * ISRAEL: Police injure each other in protest training * DR CONGO: Economics at core of ongoing warfare * BULGARIA: Politician denies protest involvement * UK: Archaeology of protest sites * UK: Charity accuses Primark of sweatshop wages * UKRAINE: Expert claims country headed for social unrest * US: Vietnam-era protesters look back * US: Racial abuse at gay rights protest * DR CONGO: EU role in mining project raises concerns * TAIWAN: New protest wave mobilises a new generation * ITALY: Ex-president advocates provocateurs, police violence * LATIN AMERICA: Land rights inflames indigenous protest * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Two in three women abused * PERU: The politics of social protest * TIBET: Leaders contemplate "great change" after March protests * KOREA: Blind masseurs background * GERMANY: Why no-one protested the country's biggest mosque * PHILIPPINES: A wakeup call to protest corruption * INDONESIA: Most child molesters are teachers * EAST TIMOR: Squatting makes it hard to return internal refugees * EAST TIMOR: How local justice systems operate beyond state power * CUBA: Punk rock protest from Cuba's underground * NICARAGUA: Heartbeat of protest * KOREA: Dumb rightist newspaper wants draconian attack on "illegal" protests * UK: Protests can beat the big guys * US: Remembering Chicago 1968 * KENYA: Parents to foot bill for school uprisings * INDONESIA: Travellers hit the road for Eid http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2359008.htm?section=australia Darwin 'could be home to Port Moresby-style ghettos' Posted Tue Sep 9, 2008 7:04am AEST Updated Tue Sep 9, 2008 2:10pm AEST Port Moresby: a warning for Darwin (www.wikipedia.org: Mschlauch, file photo) ? Map: Darwin 0800 Researchers are warning Darwin's demographics could soon resemble those of Papua New Guinea's troubled capital Port Moresby. Professor Jon Altman from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research says Port Moresby has a dual society, with many of the poor living in ghettos or camps. He says Indigenous people from remote areas are living in suburban parks while they access the services in Darwin they cannot get in their own communities. He says without massive spending and considerable planning that population will grow and like Port Moresby, Darwin could soon be surrounded by ghettos. "To put it simplistically, fundamentally [there are] urban whites and rural and remote blacks... the urban people are rich and the rural people are poor," he said. Professor Altman says the Northern Territory has a rapidly growing Indigenous population, but the health and education outcomes for Aboriginal people are steadily worsening. "What we could really see evolving here if you like is a real duality in the Northern Territory economy and society," he said. "We could see growing urban drift and we could see the development of urban ghettos, of people moving into townships, as you see in Port Moresby. "Clearly the new ALP Government needs to address this." Charles Darwin University's Professor Rolf Gerritsen says there should be more options for people living in remote communities, and that current government policy is contradictory. "They essentially are trying to implement I suppose you'd call a 'Pearsonite' agenda which is that Aboriginal people need to start behaving like white people and that means they have to get jobs ... Well, where is the only place you can get a job in the Northern Territory? It happens to be the largest centres." Northern Territory Indigenous Affairs Minister Marion Scrymgour has denied the claims, saying the situation is under control. "We're doing everything we possibly can to deal with that issue," she said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/17/2448491.htm?section=world Tensions rise as traditions die in highlands of Indonesian Papua Posted Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:01am AEDT At the 'car wash'...modernity and traditional culture collide in the Baliem Valley. (AFP: Aubrey Belford) The "car wash" in the remote Baliem Valley of Indonesia's Papua region is not as innocent as it seems at first glance, and just decades ago anything like it would have been inconceivable. A fertile basin gouged out of jagged mountains, the valley has been in contact with the outside world only since the end of World War II. Everything, from clothing to metal, money and medicine is new here. At the "car wash" on a quiet intersection in Wamena town, homeless men and boys from the villages squat by the roadside in the midday sun, drinking and waiting for cars and motorcycles to roll up. Washing the cars brings in some money, but the real money comes from sex with the drivers. Seeing a camera, the workers point and laugh at friends lying drunk and unconscious on the ground. In few places do modernity and tradition collide as dramatically as in the Baliem Valley. Many older men go naked except for the koteka, a long gourd covering the penis, and a feather or bark fibre headdress. Christian missionaries have made headway, but gourds are still accepted attire in churches surrounded by domed grass huts and intricate gardens for growing yams. But change is rapid and ubiquitous, and largely directed from Indonesia, which gained sovereignty over Papua in a 1969 UN-backed vote by tribal elders which has been criticised as a sham. The rough terrain means there is no feasible way in except by air. Everything, including construction materials and fuel, is flown in by propeller planes. The planes also bring in settlers from other parts of Indonesia, who own most of the shops and businesses here despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered by indigenous Papuans. "We can see that our traditions are disappearing bit by bit because of development," said Paulus Asipalek, 40, a local human rights activist who recalls a childhood when tribal wars over stolen wives or pigs were a regular danger. "The old people remember how to make the gardens, bark fibre bags and houses," he said. "When they die it means our kids in school are going to lose this." As traditions die, tensions brew between indigenous Papuans, Indonesian police and troops and settlers. Human rights abuses by police and the roughly 15,000 troops sent to fight a low-level separatist insurgency are a complaint throughout Papua, where many still yearn for independence and see the Indonesians as occupiers. Indonesian government sensitivity over separatism means Papua is usually closed to foreign journalists. AFP was allowed to enter accompanied by an agent from state intelligence, which vetted what the agency could report. In this highlands region there is palpable rage over the shooting death of 45-year-old tribesman Opinus Tabuni allegedly at the hands of police or military - it remains unclear - at a ceremony for the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous People in August. Tabuni was killed after police fired "warning shots" as a crowd of hundreds wearing traditional clothes raised the banned "Morning Star" separatist flag, witnesses said. Displaying such "separatist symbols" is a crime punishable by up to life in prison in Indonesia. Some 40 Papuans are currently in prison in Indonesia for allegedly waving the outlawed flag. "People are looking for the right moment to have their revenge" for Tabuni's death, said one witness who declined to be named. There is little accountability from Indonesian police and troops, who largely come from outside the region and see the ethnic Melanesian Papuans as primitive, human rights activist Theo Hesegem said. "There's definitely racism, there's discrimination. The police will defend themselves, they'll defend migrants but Papuans can not get justice," he said. These days sporadic cases of torture and abuse are more common than the shootings and military crackdowns during the time of former dictator Suharto, Mr Hesegem said, but memories of bloodshed linger. In Kurulu village outside Wamena, where most live in grass huts and children run with bellies distended by malnutrition, 45-year-old Judas Dabi recalled the years he spent hiding in the jungle during bloody fighting between separatists and the Indonesian military in the late 1970s. "We're still scared, scared of being shot, scared of dying," he said. "We're still scared. But it's safe here." - AFP http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/5/400_killed_in_nigeria_in_violent 400 Killed in Nigeria in Violent Clashes Over Disputed Election Results In Nigeria, 400 people were killed last week in violent clashes over disputed election results in the central Nigerian city of Jos. Christian and Muslim protesters took to the streets Friday, killing people and burning down homes, mosques and churches over what they said were rigged election results. At least 7,000 people were forced to flee their homes. We speak with Nigerian human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore. [includes rush transcript] Guest: Omoyele Sowore, Nigerian human right activist, was arrested and tortured by the Nigerian military government. He runs the Nigeria news website SaharaReporters.com Rush Transcript This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution. Donate - $25, $50, $100, More... ________________________________________ Related Links ? Sahara Reporters AMY GOODMAN: We turn to Nigeria, where up to 400 people were believed killed last week in violent clashes over disputed election results in the central Nigerian city of Jos. Christian and Muslim protesters took to the streets Friday, killing people, burning down homes, mosques, churches, over what they said were rigged election results. At least 7,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Authorities imposed a curfew over Jos, and security forces were reportedly given ?shoot-on-sight? orders. For more insight, a few days ago I spoke to Nigerian activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore. Sowore has been arrested and tortured by the Nigerian military, now here in the United States runs the website saharareporters.com. OMOYELE SOWORE: What has happened in Nigeria is that since 1999, when we had this return of democracy, so to speak, there has been consistent violation of democratic tenets and principles, especially election rigging. And the Nigerian people have not had a chance to choose their leaders and also have not had a chance to express their anger whenever the few cabal who run the country, members of the ruling elite, decide to turn elections against the choices of the people. So you now have a country that is filled up of?like I say, that?s doused in gas. And any time there is a little violation of these democratic tenets and basic civil rights of the people, it escalates in ways that nobody can imagine, very fast, very quickly and, you know, very seriously. AMY GOODMAN: And what exactly happened? OMOYELE SOWORE: This time around, there was an election that took place, a local government election, of all elections took, and somebody who was supposed to win by a 58,000 margin was denied victory. And the reaction was instantaneous. Don?t forget that even the current president had the same experience, the rigged election. The elections in 2007 were so bad that on Sahara Reporters we got election results twenty-four hours before the elections took place. That is the kind of things that you saw led to what happened in Jos. But I?m quite disappointed that it got a kind of miserable coverage it got in the mainstream media in this country, when Mumbai, where less people died, got, you know. AMY GOODMAN: Right. Well, it was much more conveyed as a confrontation, a religious confrontation between Christians and Muslims. OMOYELE SOWORE: That is where I was expressing disappointment. It?s that nobody has really spoken to the root of the problem. That is the fact that Nigerians want real democracy and have been denied this consistently since 1999, in recent times, of course, their entire life. And the sectarian part of it was the interpretation given to the crisis by the people in government, not what happened on the ground. So what my analogy is that, like I said, if a house is doused with gas and any part of it catches fire, the part with most gas will of course burn faster and more seriously and perhaps more fatal. AMY GOODMAN: Are the Muslim and Christian communities at odds with each other? OMOYELE SOWORE: I don?t believe so, because the reason is that the crisis has now been extinguished. If it is true that it?s the Muslim versus Christian and that they want us to believe, the crisis could not have been contained, because we?re talking about 50-50 almost, roughly, the population of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. What I?m saying, and what we should not lose sight of, is the problem is justice in Nigeria and poor leadership. We shouldn?t lose sight of this. AMY GOODMAN: It was the Muslim party, the predominantly Muslim party, that got denied the election, and the?? OMOYELE SOWORE: The truth is that there?s no political party in Nigeria that?s predominately Christian or Muslim. You know, the parties in Nigeria, the major parties, are predominately greedy and greedy people. AMY GOODMAN: Do you think the violence will continue now? OMOYELE SOWORE: For as long as there?s injustice in Nigeria of any democratic type, you cannot predict what will happen in our country. That much I can tell you. If there?s justice, of course, there will be peace. There?s no question about it. It?s as simple as that. AMY GOODMAN: Omoyele Sowore is a Nigerian activist, and he runs the website saharareporters.com. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7790217.stm Thursday, 18 December 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Israeli police injure each other Israeli police deny reports that some officers suffered broken bones About 50 Israeli police officers have been injured by fellow officers during a training exercise in riot control. The police suffered the minor injuries in a drill in which officers played militant Jewish settlers and Palestinians throwing stones. The officers used tennis balls rather than real stones. Reports that some suffered broken bones were denied. Seven-thousand police were involved in the exercise, which took place at an army base in southern Israel. Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the Israeli police, described it as "a huge police training exercise to prepare for riot control and to deal with different scenarios". Mr Rosenfeld said that the injuries were sustained during scuffling, and were mostly bruising. No-one had needed hospital treatment, he said. A further five policemen were injured in a traffic accident en route to the training exercise, when a police van overturned, he added. http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_5468.shtml Economics at core of Congo clash By Charles M. Mushizi Updated Dec 22, 2008 - 10:49:00 AM What's your opinion on this article? Printable page KINSHASA (IPS/GIN) - Few Congolese believe Laurent Nkunda is the man with whom to negotiate peace in North Kivu. The crux of the matter is economics and geopolitics?both greatly influenced by Western interests. ________________________________________ The presence of Hutu combatants in North Kivu, sought for their alleged participation in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, remains an excuse for President Kagam? to intervene in the Congo ?to protect Rwanda?s Congolese borders.? ________________________________________ And yet because of the security issues in North Kivu, there seems no way around Gen. Nkunda, leader of National Congress for the People?s Defense, if peace is to return to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ahead of a cabinet reshuffle in Kinshasa in October, then-Minister of National Defense Tshikez Diemu dismissed Gen. Nkunda?s declaration of a unilateral ceasefire and call for political negotiations as ?childish babbling.? Mr. Tshikez did not make it into the new government. Since then the National Congress has advanced steadily in North Kivu, displacing tens of thousands more civilians. A Congolese deputy, a member of the Alliance for a Presidential Majority (known by its French acroynm, AMP), argued that despite the political significance of a meeting between Presidents Kabila and Paul Kagame of Rwanda at the Nov. 7 summit in Nairobi to discuss the Kivu crisis, ?the core issue of the Nairobi meeting was economics.? The rebel leader serves ?as a kind of blackmail or constraint against Kinshasa for failing to protect the interests of Western investors in the DRC, especially in mining,? said the deputy, speaking on condition of anonymity. In 2006, the DRC received substantial technical, logistic and financial aid from the West to organize elections after the civil war (1998-2002) which caused over four million deaths in this Central African country. But a few months after his election, Joseph Kabila?s government signed a slew of mining contracts with Chinese conglomerates, handing over a wide swath of mining rights in the DRC, including sites that have yet to be evaluated. The contracts were valued at nearly $10 billion over approximately 30 years. A number of mining contracts were signed earlier with Western investors during Congo?s transitional government (2003-2006). However, these contracts have since been submitted for re-evaluation and renegotiation to ?balance the parties? interests? since the investors received the lion?s share of the profits, according to Victor Kasongo Shomari, deputy minister for mining. The presence of Hutu combatants in North Kivu, sought for their alleged participation in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, remains an excuse for President Kagam? to intervene in the Congo ?to protect Rwanda?s Congolese borders.? Regional peace depends also on Kinshasa?s political sincerity, a committed diplomatic effort on their part and the DRC armed forces? credibility, according to analysts. The leaders of the Cadre de concertation des notabilit?s des Kivu (CCNK), a group of top politicians, economists and other members of civil society, suspect that officials in Kinshasa have deliberately muddied the waters on security and military matters, specifically in terms of the arming of the rebels and providing political reinforcement. In September, two members of parliament from the governing AMP joined the rebellion, granting it a certain level of political legitimacy. Their suspicions are strengthened by the fact that a former high-ranking member of the Rally for Congolese Democracy-Goma, D?o Rugwiza, is in charge of managing the DRC?s borders; Mr. Rugwiza was close to Gen. Nkunda when the Rally for Congolese Democracy-Goma was still an armed force during the previous civil war. Echoing the sentiments of a number of parliamentarians, the CCNK has said that negotiations between Kinshasa and the rebellion now would be ?ill-timed.? On the military level, the DRC?s army is neither adequately equipped nor combat ready. Soldiers haven?t been properly paid for several months and their families are living in near-poverty. The immediate consequences of the lack of morale has been seen in troops fleeing the enemy and pillaging civilian goods. According to analysts, DRC army?s ability to regain combat strength depends on the current leadership of the Congolese army. Gabriel Amisis, the chief of the army ground troops, commonly known as Tango Fort, is another former high-level officer of Rally for Congolese Democracy-Goma. He too fought alongside Gen. Nkunda in the rebellion against the Laurent-D?sir? Kabila regime and then that of Kabila the son until the inter-Congolese dialogue in 2003 which resulted in the creation of a transition government. Tango Fort, who is the key voice on matters of armament and troops, is accused of being unable to fight his former brother-in-arms Gen. Nkunda. But in addition, authorities have no control over the wholesale embezzlement of military salaries. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99999 GERB Leader Borisov: It Would Be Bad for Govt If I Led Protests Politics | December 21, 2008, Sunday Almost 2 500 Bulgarian policemen protested Sunday showing their old uniforms and torn boots, and demanding better working conditions. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency) The informal leader of the GERB party and Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov responded almost immediately to the allegations that he was behind the policemen's protests by declaring the government's situation would become really bad if he started to organize and lead social protests. Borisov denied any connection with the policemen's rally on Sunday saying PM Stanishev's allegations that GERB wanted to use the protests to bring down the government and assume power were totally unfounded. "Stanishev really could not imagine what would happen if I attended and led some of the recent protests", said the Sofia Mayor, who was the Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry in 2001-2005. In his words, representatives of all recently organized social protests (i.e. policemen, grain producers, students) had visited him to ask him for support but he had not wanted to get involved because of his conviction that the GERB party was going to assume power through democratic means after the next parliamentary elections. Borisov also said the policemen's protests had been motivated by the higher status that the recently founded State National Security Agency DANS had received compared to that of the Interior Ministry. "The policemen are not asking for much, they just want their work to be regarded as equally important to that of the State National Security Agency DANS and the prosecution, because it is no less dangerous, and requires no less qualification. These are their problems. And since the Prime Minister Stanishev's idea was to set up a "political police", and DANS was set up with higher wages and status, we warned the government there were going to be protests", Borisov explained. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/22/archaeology-london-protest The past is so last year: new archaeologists dig the present ? Martin Wainwright and Ben Quinn ? The Guardian, Monday 22 December 2008 ? Article history The streets of south London and a famous corner of Berkshire may hold little interest for treasure-hunters of the fedora-wearing, whip-cracking school, but they are starting to attract a new breed of archaeologists who enjoy plunging their trowels into the very recent past. Homegrown excavators have started to chronicle modern protest structures while they are still warm, from eco-warriors' treehouses to crisp packets buried at the Greenham Common peace camp. "The actions and lives of people today are the archaeology of tomorrow," says Anna Badcock, one of the advocates of the movement known as contemporary archaeology. "Their landscapes and habitations are perhaps no less important than what was there before." Trained on projects such as Bristol University's celebrated excavation of their department's 15-year-old Transit van - which yielded three lost pencils and confetti from a faculty party - teams are "digging" at former parts of the Maze prison in Northern Ireland and the site of the 1981 Brixton riots. Others have travelled to Malta to record links between Valetta's former red light district and British servicemen, while the 1984-5 miners' strike is being checked out by "battlefield archaeologists". According to John Schofield, an English Heritage archaeologist who "rediscovered" Emerald Camp at Greenham Common, the movement draws its inspiration from work done on military sites such as first world war trenches. "They laid the trail for what has emerged in the last 10 years," he said. "Throughout the 20th century we ... seem to have been catching up on ourselves. The end of the cold war and the closure of coalmines under the Thatcher government forced our hand a bit." Badcock's main project is a survey of treehouses and aerial walkways built by protesters in a successful struggle to protect the Nine Ladies Bronze Age stone circle from quarrying. Similar work may be started shortly at Thornborough Henges in North Yorkshire, where protests are still under way against gravel extraction. At the Maze, Laura McAtackney of Oxford University found tiny 'comms', or paper messages, at former inmates' homes. But some of the H-blocks' most famous relics have remained off limits. Escape tunnels dug by Republican prisoners have been concreted over. But Government archaeologists are thought to have explored them; so their work could in time be the subject of a dig. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article5291519.ece December 5, 2008 Primark meets protests over 7p-an-hour wages Rosie Lavan The clothes that fill Primark's stores are being made by workers who are paid as little as 7p an hour, a charity alleged today. War On Want, the anti-poverty charity, argues that the high street fashion chain famed for its cheap prices has ignored the rise in basic living costs affecting workers who make its products in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The report has emerged as Associated British Foods, Primark's parent company, holds its annual meeting today. Campaigners staged a protest over the wages that it pays its workers outside the chain's store on Oxford Street, London. War On Want's report, Fashion Victims II, returns to a campaign it first launched in December 2006 to expose the living conditions of workers for Primark as well as leading supermarkets, Asda and Tesco. Related Links ? Primark shakes off the High Street gloom ? Primark voted least ethical clothing retailer ? Ethical retailing: affordable values, please It said the situation had worsened over the past two years and the companies had failed to make good on promises to deliver improvements. The charity called on the Government to introduce regulations which ensure a living wage for overseas suppliers and allows staff, who claim they are being exploited, to seek redress through the UK courts. Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at War on Want, said: "Primark, Asda and Tesco promise a living wage for their garment makers. But workers are actually worse off than when we exposed exposed their exploitation two years ago." "The UK Government must bring in effective regulation to stop British companies profiting for abuse." War On Want said soaring inflation and fuel costs in Bangladesh had forced a 70 per cent increase in the price of low-quality rice and other foods, including oil, pulses, wheat, flour and onions, had become between 30 per cent and 60 per cent more expensive. Employees say each worker needs ?44.82 a month to provide food, clean water, shelter, clothing education and healthcare for their family. An average worker earns 2280 taka (?19.16) a month. Primark said that it was committed to ethical treatment of workers in its supply chain, and argued that the employment it provided was helping to empower people ? particularly women ? in developing countries. In a statement, the retailer said: "Instead of working in subsistence agriculture ? the only real alternative ? women become wage earners with a regular income, often the only one in the household. That fact alone has done more to empower women in the developing world than anything else, something that is all too frequently ignored by organisations keen to promote agendas of their own." Profits at Primark rose 17 per cent to ?233 million in the 12 months to September 2008. Scenes of hysteria greeted the opening of its flagship Oxford Street store in April 2007. Mounted police and security staff were deployed to restrain the more than 50,000 people who queued and shoved to seek bargains on the first day's trading alone. In October, shoppers voted Primark the least ethical British clothing retailer, in a survey conducted for The Times by Populus. Asda and Tesco also denied the allegations in the report. Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket and the world's third-largest retailer, said: "The allegations are unsubstantiated and, as War On Want have again decided not to engage with us, we question whether their approach is the best way to tackle the complex issues surrounding the Bangladeshi garment industry." A spokeswoman for Asda said: "It is important for us that we continue to offer our customers value product in these tough economic conditions but without any compromise to our ethical standards, ensuring George [Asda?s clothing brand] customers can shop with a clear conscience." http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-285107.html [18.11.2008 13:12] Things heading towards social riots in Ukraine ? expert Razumkov Center deputy director general Valeriy Chaly does not rule out that the misbalance in the social sphere of Ukraine may cause social riots. According to an UNIAN correspondent, he said this to a press conference in Kyiv. ?The main threat is not even the economic crisis but the huge disbalance between the poorest and the richest ones. In Ukraine, there are 5% of the richest and 5% of the poorest, by different data, the gap between them makes from 38 to 70 times. It is the most critical showing in Europe. Considering looming social problems, unemployment, fall of population?s incomes, reduction of buying power and the social level as a whole, it may cause a social tension, if not riots?, the expert said. According to him, ?it will happen very soon, because, objectively, it?s impossible to find a way out of the economic crisis without curtailing workplaces and reducing social payments?. ?We should speak frankly about that. The biggest threat is the people?s attitude to the situation. Steep hopes resulted, in fact, in an apathy as the first consequence. We should be ready to rallies, social-economic demands from trade unions and illegal actions of separate people?, V.Chaly stressed. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081102/NEWS09/811020237 Article published November 02, 2008 FROM REBELLION TO RESPECTABILITY Vietnam-era protesters forge ahead, leave turbulent past in perspective Roseann Canfora, who teaches at Kent State University, took part in the protests that led to the 1970 shootings there. ?Do I regret who I was then? Not in any way, shape, or form,? she says. ( SPECIAL TO THE BLADE/DAVID FOSTER ) Zoom | Photo Reprints By CHAUNCEY ALCORN BLADE STAFF WRITER Former student activist Roseann Canfora remembers ducking behind a car to avoid being shot May 4, 1970, when students who were protesting the Vietnam War on the campus of Kent State University were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard. Ms. Canfora was a sophomore and a member of Students for a Democratic Society at the time of the Kent State shootings, which marked the climax of the anti-Vietnam War movement in this country. She also remembers breaking windows and spray-painting anti-war slogans at police and military buildings on and near campus during the weekend leading up to the shooting, but looking back, she said she does not regret her actions. ?I admit to throwing rocks through a draft board window,? she said. ?I remember thinking, ?I?m willing to go to jail if it draws attention to the fact I don?t want my brothers going to war. I don?t want my friends going to die for an unjust cause.?? But more than 38 years later, Ms. Canfora, now 58, has led a respected teaching career, currently working as a journalism professor at Kent State while also teaching at Aurora High School in Aurora, Ohio. Ms. Canfora is not a neighbor and does not know Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. That?s probably a good thing for her. If she did, her name could be bandied about on national news shows and used by the campaign of Republican presidential nominee John McCain as an example of the radical company Mr. Obama keeps. For months, GOP political ads have attacked Mr. Obama for knowing Chicagoan Bill Ayers, a 1970s anti-war radical who is now a college professor who lives in Mr. Obama?s neighborhood. Sarah Palin, Mr. McCain?s vice presidential running mate, again raised Mr. Ayers? name at a campaign rally Wednesday at Bowling Green State University, questioning what she has said are Mr. Obama?s ties to ?terrorists.? But Ms. Canfora and other former war protesters say their radical days years ago have not stopped them from being mainstream citizens today. ?I went on to get three degrees at Kent State and a master?s degree in journalism,? she said. ?It makes me angry to hear the connections they try to make with Barack Obama and somebody years ago who from what I understand is a productive member of society.? She said her experiences during the anti-war movement helped shape who she is today. ?Do I regret who I was then? Not in any way, shape, or form,? she said. ?Looking back at all of those times where I faced losing my freedom, my reputation, that is a very important part of my resume of who I am today. I feel proud to have been part of a generation of activists that fought for an end to an unjust war. To negate that part of my life is to negate who I am today.? Ms. Canfora sad she vividly remembers the May 4 shootings at Kent State. She said bullets whizzed by that day, and after it was all over, four students were dead. Many more were wounded, including her brother, Allan Canfora, who eventually recovered. An ?intense? time Bill Fall, who was president of student government in 1970 at the University of Toledo when the Kent State shootings occurred, was not a radical in any way. The former Reserve Officer Training Corps member who believed in supporting the troops said the political atmosphere at the university was not as explosive as it was on other campuses, although several students were arrested in anti-war protests. ?It was very intense, both in context of the Kent State shootings and frankly a whole series of highly intense actions ... The Black Student Union blockaded University Hall one day and occupied the president?s office at one point. There was a lot of heavy-duty expressions going on.? Mr. Fall, now 60, is chief executive officer of the William Fall Group, a Toledo-based real estate appraisal company, and a University of Toledo board of trustees member. He said his experiences in student leadership helped make him the man he is today. He also said many student activists from that period have gone on to live successful lives as well. He said he resents personal political attacks from Obama and McCain supporters in this year?s election. ?I felt my role was one of being a mediator and staying the course and allowing for the stating of opinions,? he said. ?It?s made me much more open-minded, much more open to diversity than I would?ve been without that event in the 1960s.? A difficult journey Former Kent State student activist Ken Hammond, who is a professor of east Asian history at New Mexico State University, was a witness to the May 4, 1970, shootings. He and Ms. Canfora were among 25 Kent State protesters indicted in October, 1970, on rioting charges related to the shooting. But shortly after being shot at by National Guardsmen, Mr. Hammond said he fled the campus and eventually the state, fearing someone in the federal government would target him and other activists. Unlike Ms. Canfora, Mr. Hammond did not immediately return to Ohio to face charges after his indictment. Fortunately for him, almost all charges against the 25 people ? later called the Kent 25 ? were dropped about a year later. After the charges were dropped, Mr. Hammond did not return to Kent State to finish his degree, and his life became a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. ?I got married to my first wife, Anna Marie, in December of 1978,? he said. ?We were married about a year and a half ... I was in an automobile accident in 1980. I lost my right leg. My wife was killed. It was a real yucky event.? After the accident, Mr. Hammond won nearly $1 million in a lawsuit against the company that made his vehicle. Kent State later awarded him his degree, and his unique life experiences helped him gain admission to Harvard University, where he received a master?s degree and later a doctorate focusing his studies on east Asia. ?I got a PhD in east Asian languages,? he said. ?I started at Harvard in 1987 and I finished in 1994.? While enrolled at Harvard, he spent time traveling to Beijing, where he met and later married his second wife, Elvira. In 1994, he was offered a teaching position at New Mexico State University, and he and his wife settled in Las Cruces, N.M., where they raised three children. Some would say Mr. Hammond?s views are as radical now as they have ever been. ?I don?t think most of us who went through that now want to say we were just young and foolish,? he said. ?We certainly were young and foolish, but I don?t think that changes what we did and what we should?ve done.? Jeffrey Brown, head of the department of history at New Mexico State University. said that, despite his past, Mr. Hammond is a well-respected professor at the university and considered an expert on issues related to China. A different view Former Toledo Mayor Doug DeGood was no student activist when he attended the University of Toledo, but he did sign a student petition to end the war that was published in the university?s student newspaper on Feb. 2, 1968. ?I was inclined toward the traditional democratic process to ending the war as opposed to those kinds of external activities that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s,? he said. ?[Protesting] didn?t strike me as pragmatically effective . I thought it was substantially less effective than changing the representatives in Congress.? Mr. DeGood served three terms as mayor of Toledo from 1977 to 1983, back when mayoral terms lasted two years. In 1998, he and his wife, Karen, moved to Atlanta, where he does administrative consulting work for local government. ?I?m just kind of semi-retired,? he said. Easing the pain Former Kent State student activist Carol Mirman said the conservative culture in states such as Ohio prevents some people from understanding how people such as herself could go on to live successful lives. Ms. Mirman, also a protester at the time of the shootings, is one of the most famous of the Kent 25. She was photographed in the Pulitzer Prize winning picture of Kent student Jeremy Miller?s slain body, which she remembers seeing in front of her in a pool of blood after she ran from the gunfire. ?I couldn?t believe what I was seeing,? she said. ?It was shock essentially. I touched him. I realized he couldn?t live with all that blood running out of his head. I had a feeling I didn?t want him to be alone.? Ms. Mirman was an art student at Kent State when the shooting occurred. After she was indicted, she did not return to the university for two years but eventually finished her degree and moved to San Francisco, California. It was there that she used her artistic talents to draw protest posters for radical groups such as the Black Panthers, speaking out against not only the Vietnam War but also the oppression of women and minorities. Twenty-five years later, she returned to Ohio to study art therapy and now, at 60, she?s an art therapist for the Cleveland area?s Hospice and Palliative Care Partners of Ohio, an agency of the Visiting Nurse Association. Ms. Mirman, who never married or had children, said she uses art therapy to help elderly and terminally ill patients and their loved ones cope with impending death. She said it is no coincidence she chose this as a profession. Her experience years ago at Kent State inflicted extreme emotional trauma, and she said art helped her cope. ?The ways that always worked for me as an artist was to use art. It really helped a lot,? she said. ?It?s really about pain reduction, pain on the emotional and spiritual level.? Ms. Mirman said she believes she has lived a successful life since her days at Kent State but doesn?t consider her life to be mainstream by Ohio standards because she never married or raised children. She, like most former activists, has no regrets about her views, many of which she still maintains today. ?Why would I regret demonstrating for what I believe in,? she said. ?I stand up. When I am so moved I will stand, period.? Ms. Canfora said she would not have chosen to blow up property the way Mr. Ayers did to express her views or end the war, but even today she does not necessarily disagree with his actions and does not think knowing him should be politically damaging. Prior to attending college, she said she was apathetic about the war until many of her friends were drafted and forced to serve in a conflict with which they disagreed. ?It was the letters I was getting from my friends in Vietnam, hearing my brothers talk about having to go and fight,? she said. ?It was a turning point for me, seeing the images on television that Walter Cronkite was showing of what we were really doing over there. ?Because somebody likes Bill Ayers reaches a greater level of frustration than those who throw rocks through a draft board window, that should never have branded an entire generation of conscientious anti-war activists who wanted to save their friends,? she said. Contact Chauncey Alcorn at:calcorn at theblade.com or 419-724-6168. http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8077 The N-bomb is dropped on black passersby at Prop 8 protests by: Pam Spaulding Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 16:15:00 PM EST UPDATE: the openly gay president of People for the American Way, Kathryn Kolbert, has released a statement. It's below the fold. You could see this coming, and this is what I'm talking about when you ignore the elephant in the room. Rod McCullom of Rod 2.0 blogs reports on the escalation of the "blame the blacks" meme that has been swirling about the blogosphere and the MSM. A number of Rod 2.0 and Jasmyne Cannick readers report being subjected to taunts, threats and racist abuse at last night's marriage equality rally in Los Angeles. Geoffrey, a student at UCLA and regular Rod 2.0 reader, joined the massive protest outside the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood. Geoffrey was called the n-word at least twice. It was like being at a klan rally except the klansmen were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks. YOU NIGGER, one man shouted at men. If your people want to call me a FAGGOT, I will call you a nigger. Someone else said same thing to me on the next block near the temple...me and my friend were walking, he is also gay but Korean, and a young WeHo clone said after last night the niggers better not come to West Hollywood if they knew what was BEST for them. Los Angeles resident and Rod 2.0 reader A. Ronald says he and his boyfriend, who are both black, were carrying NO ON PROP 8 signs and still subjected to racial abuse. Three older men accosted my friend and shouted, "Black people did this, I hope you people are happy!" A young lesbian couple with mohawks and Obama buttons joined the shouting and said there were "very disappointed with black people" and "how could we" after the Obama victory. This was stupid for them to single us out because we were carrying those blue NO ON PROP 8 signs! I pointed that out and the one of the older men said it didn't matter because "most black people hated gays" and he was "wrong" to think we had compassion. That was the most insulting thing I had ever heard. I guess he never thought we were gay. The backlash is upon us, and it's going to get uglier unless our organizations step forward and say something. The desire to scapegoat blacks for Prop 8's defeat has exposed the now not-so-latent racism in our movement. I have already blogged a lot about why the lack of effective communication (and I'm not even talking about outreach on gay issues to socially conservative blacks) between white people in general and people of color. That dearth of understanding and mutual respect for difference, and lack of desire to seek common ground through personal relationships ultimately leads to what we are seeing here. More below the fold. Pam Spaulding :: The N-bomb is dropped on black passersby at Prop 8 protests On the matter of the blame game, Alex Blaze has an excellent post over at Bilerico that tries to poke at the anger directed at the black community (as you read above, it didn't matter if you were black and gay -- it was hurled at him because he represented The Other regardless of his allegiance to the gay community). But I'm wondering why these folks are so caught up in the black voters, who obviously can't ever be persuaded on this issue because... well, because. There are so many other groups in the exit polling that voted for Prop 8 overwhelmingly (as in, more than 60%): Some of these groups supported Prop 8 far more than African Americans did, which makes me wonder why we're focused so much on race instead of any of these factors. In terms of predictive value, religion, political ideology, and being married with children tell us much more about how someone voted on Prop 8 than race does. From which we can infer three things. First, breaking the statistics just along racial lines is an overly simplistic way to look at the results. Black people, like white people, are not a monolithic group, and LGBT people can make inroads by reaching out to African Americans if we try. Flapping our mouths about how we're not PC, how all blacks are homophobic, and how there's no use in reaching out to African Americans doesn't endear people to us, and there is work to be done here that hasn't been done. Second, religion is the overwhelming factor in Prop 8's win, in terms of organizing, funding, and voting. Since it's not going anywhere, we have to take a more serious approach to religious voters. And, yes, their leaders make bank off homophobia, but we're going to have to be more creative. No writing off fundies as idiots allowed - they get votes too. It saddens me that there is so much work to do to heal these wounds on both sides. As I've said, being a triple minority is a challenge because we are often rendered invisible by each tribe we belong to when our existence becomes inconvenient or challenges their biases. You cannot continue to ignore this elephant in the room. What is painful is seeing the how easily I am marginalized in any of the identities I inhabit. There is nothing to gain in slicing our movement up in this manner because we're all hurting. Reading through the comments of my posts (here and here) about the outcome of Prop 8, it's pretty clear some of you either conveniently forgot my commitment to LGBT rights as a matter of self-interest or have never read my vast archive of criticism of homophobia in the black community. The knee-jerk response in the wake of the painful passage of the initiative was that fast and that irrational. You know what? This reminds me of the Freeper reaction to Condi Rice making mildly positive comments about Barack Obama's speech on race -- all of a sudden she became a wild-eyed Trojan Horse Black Radical in their eyes, when nothing of the sort occurred. Apparently she needed to completely divorce herself of her blackness for the comfort of the denizens of the swamp, even though nothing had changed about her views on policy. Discussing the whys and hows of human nature when it comes to these biases shouldn't be such a difficult matter, but it is. I don't have a problem opening the door, but I can't walk through it alone. We all need to play a part, and share in the responsibility to achieve equality for all. Civil rights is not a zero-sum game; there is enough shared blame for the debacle that is Prop 8, and it cannot be undone. We have the choice to educate or alienate going forward. My friend Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out shares the view that this toxic blame game needs to stop and we need move on. So far TWO is the only advocacy organization to step up to the plate. Truth Wins Out today expressed its grave disappointment in those in the LGBT community who have emulated our bigoted opponents by scapegoating minorities. It has been reported that African Americans have been verbally abused and have had racial epithets hurled at them during Anti-Proposition 8 rallies. "It is reprehensible to look for scapegoats and target innocent people with vile racial epithets," said TWO Executive Director, Wayne Besen. "We call on all GLBT people behave intelligently and act responsibly, so we can figure out - together - the best way for our movement to proceed and achieve equality." UPDATE: People For the American Way's president, Kathryn Kolbert, has released a statement about the situation. It's lengthy and worth the read, as it is both informative and personal as she calls for a broad debate around race, civil rights and the LGBT movement. The past 72 hours have brought an extraordinary range of emotions - great joy at the election of Barack Obama and defeat of John McCain, and sadness and anger at the passage of anti-gay initiatives in Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California. That sadness has turned to outrage at the speed with which some white gay activists began blaming African Americans - sometimes in appallingly racist ways - for the defeat of Proposition 8. This is inexcusable. As a mother who has raised two children in a 30-year relationship with another woman, I fully understand the depth of hurt and anger at voters' rejection of our families' equality. But responding to that hurt by lashing out at African Americans is deeply wrong and offensive - not to mention destructive to the goal of advancing equality. Before we give Religious Right leaders more reasons to rejoice by deepening the divisions they have worked so hard to create between African Americans and the broader progressive community, let's be clear about who is responsible for gay couples in California losing the right to get married, and let's think strategically about a way forward that broadens and strengthens support for equality. I particularly appreciate the time Kathryn spends putting the focus on the real enemy -- the religious right, the professional "Christian industrial complex" and its quite blatant courting and cultivation of the existing homophobia in the black church. The Religious Right has invested in systematic outreach to the most conservative elements of the Black Church, creating and promoting national spokespeople like Bishop Harry Jackson, and spreading the big lie that gays are out to destroy religious freedom and prevent pastors from preaching about homosexuality from the pulpit. In addition, Religious Right leaders have exploited the discomfort among many African Americans with white gays who seem more ready to embrace the language and symbols of the civil rights movement than to be strong allies in the continuing battle for equal opportunity. At a series of Religious Right events, demagogic African American pastors have accused the gay rights movement of "hijacking" and "raping" the civil rights movement. The effort to stir anti-gay emotions among African Americans by suggesting that gays are trying to "hijack" the civil rights movement is not new. During a Cincinnati referendum in 1993, anti-gay groups produced a videotape targeted to African American audiences; the tape featured Trent Lott, Ed Meese and other right-wing luminaries warning that protecting the civil rights of lesbians and gay men would come at the expense of civil rights gains made by the African American community. It was an astonishing act of hypocrisy for Lott and Meese to show concern for those civil rights gains, given their career-long hostility to civil rights principles and enforcement, but the strategy worked that year. Eleven years later, however, African American religious leaders and voters helped pass an initiative striking the anti-gay provision from the city charter. (The story of that successful fairness campaign is told in an award-winning mini-documentary - A Blinding Flash of the Obvious - that is part of a Focus on Fairness toolkit produced by People For the American Way Foundation.) In California this year, national and local white anti-gay religious leaders worked hard to create alliances with African American clergy; Harry Jackson was busy in both California and Florida stirring opposition to marriage equality. None of the Right's outreach to African Americans on gay rights issues in recent years has been a secret. Neither has polling that showed some deterioration in African American support for full equality. But there hasn't been the same investment in systematic outreach from the gay rights community. I welcome this frankness. We have to move beyond fear and blame. Please read the rest. Anyone looking to address those exit polls everyone is citing, this diary puts it in perspective with actual statistics: Facts Belie the Scapegoating of Black People for Proposition 8. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44467 ECONOMY: EU Involvement in DRC Mining Project Draws Protest By Michael Deibert LONDON, Oct 28 (IPS) - The involvement of the European Union in a mining project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has drawn a chorus of protest from local and international human rights advocates. They say the project is rife with problems relating to transparency and accountability. Located some 175 km north-west of the DRC city of Lubumbashi in Katanga province, the Tenke Fungurume vein is thought to be one of the largest unexploited seams of copper and cobalt in the world. It has proven alluring to mining companies in recent years as the DRC attempts to extract itself from a civil war during which some six million people have died. Mining of this resource has fallen to Tenke Fungurume Mining SARL (TFM), a joint concern combining G?camines, Congo?s state mining concern, with Lundin, a Swedish mining company, and the U.S.-based mining concern Phelps Dodge. The latter merged with gold-and-copper giant Freeport-McMoran in 2007 and has since become Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. After construction on the Tenke mining facility commenced in 2007, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the investment arm of the European Union, agreed that same year to help finance the project with a loan of 100 million euros. It regarded the project as ??highly significant from an economic and developmental point of view?? and that ??environmental and social issues (connected with the project) have been subjected to careful in-depth analysis??? However, the EIB?s move has been criticised both by international bodies, such as the Paris-based Les Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth), as well as local organisations in the DRC, such as Action Contre l?Impunit? pour les Droits Humains (Action against impunity towards human rights). ??The EIB seems totally unaware of what was going on during the signing of the (Tenke) contract and their assessment seems purely financial,?? says Anne-Sophie Simpere, a campaigner for the reform of international financial institutions working with Les Amis de la Terre. ??We feel that they shouldn't finance that kind of extractive industry project in Africa until they have experienced staff to assess it.?? Objections to the project have ranged from what groups say was an inadequate consultative process (the use of French language documents to explain the Tenke endeavour to a largely-illiterate, Swahili-speaking population) to the displacement of local residents from towns such as Mulumbu to make way for mining activities before replacement housing had been built for them, rendering them essentially homeless. Perhaps even more controversial, in June 2005 the Lutundula Commission concluded that Lundin Holdings made its first payment towards the Tenke concession - totalling nearly 50 million dollars - in 1997. This was a year after it had gained the concession in what was viewed as a largely non-competitive bidding process. The Lutundula commission consists of Congolese parliamentarians charged with investigating business contracts signed during DRC?s civil war. The deposit, the commission discovered, was paid into the account of Rwanda-based Comiex Limited, a company partly owned by Laurent-D?sir? Kabila, the Congolese rebel leader who had just seized power in the DRC after ousting long-time dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. Kabila was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards in 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, the DRC?s current president, assumed the office that he holds today. Recently, the Congolese government completed a further year-long review of 61 mining contracts in the country, the results of which have not yet been officially announced. Lubin and Freeport-McMoran are among those whose contracts are being reassessed. Requests for comment by Lundin Holdings went unanswered. The EIB, for its part, takes a more circumspect view of the situation, and points to the fact that the disbursement of the loan has been put on hold pending the outcome of the mining review. ??The EIB is aware that a review of the mining projects in the DRC has been published, and an independent commission established to renegotiate the mining contracts,?? says Una Clifford, a press officer with the EIB. ??The EIB's discussions with the project sponsor have been suspended pending clarity on the final outcome of the work undertaken by the independent commission. ''The EIB has conditionally approved a loan of 100 million euros for Tenke (but) this loan will not be signed until the bank receives the final go-ahead from the DRC government.?? The Tenke controversy is illustrative of the discomforting ways that commerce and political patronage frequently intersect in foreign companies' involvement in the DRC. South Africa?s AngloGold Ashanti mining company has come under fire for links with and payments made to the Front Nationaliste et Int?grationniste (FNI), one of several ethnically-based militias that helped turn the eastern Congolese region of Ituri into a killing field earlier this decade in a conflict that claimed at least 60,000 lives. One former leader of the FNI, Mathieu Ngudjolo, is currently awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Another, Floribert Njabu, is currently in detention in the DRC's capital of Kinshasa. For its part, the Australian company Anvil Mining, the leading copper producer in the DRC, has been accused by human rights organisations and investigators for the United Nations peacekeeping mission of having provided logistical support to the Congolese army during their siege of the town of Kilwa. At least 73 people were killed in that town, which is in Katanga province. (END/2008) http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/11/18/2003428955 Bridging a generation gap through new protest By Wu Yi-cheng ??? Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008, Page 8 More than 20 years after the lifting of martial law, we find ourselves in an era exploding with information and ruled by the logic of business. The younger generation has never experienced a war, but may have experienced the tail end of authoritarian rule. When they were little, they might have heard their parents say: ?If you don?t behave, I?ll call the police and have you arrested.? They now chat on the Internet, absorb knowledge from online forums and flirt with the opposite sex using text messages. The younger generation has also been given a nasty label by arrogant adults ? the ?strawberry generation? ? because of their alleged inability to deal with pressure. Perhaps no one has considered that behind the ?geek? label and the indifference lies a silent protest against a society with too many opinions; the unwillingness to endure hardship could also be a rebellion against the paternal attitudes of society as a whole. Nobody expected that during the visit of Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (?? ?) the government would resort to heavy-handed police tactics to disperse demonstrators and then refuse to take responsibility for police excesses. This vindicates our concern: The specter of authoritarian rule has come back to life. On Nov. 9, student demonstrators at the gate to Liberty Square in front of the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall initiated the ?Wild Strawberries Movement,? a name that was arrived at through a democratic voting process on the medium they know best: the Internet. As the movement formed, CTI-TV broadcast exclusive footage of families of police officers writing a letter to Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (???), calling on her to ask the students to go home. I don?t know if CTI was playing dumb, if it had failed to investigate the matter or if it was a simple case of audience manipulation, but the station viewed the students as a motley group of rebels that would dance to the tune of a particular political party. Even now they think the strawberry generation is so vulnerable that it is easily divided. Just as the term taike (??) was transformed from meaning ?tacky? or ?Taiwanese redneck? to become an alternative identity to the mainstream, the emergence of the strawberry generation also seems to be a humorous and self-deprecating way for youngsters to stage a ?passive aggressive? protest. The student movement seems to be focusing on the ill-designed Assembly and Parade Law (?????), but in fact it is also a criticism of those in power, including the government ? which thinks it has authority on all matters; those who worry that youngsters do not care about social issues; and particularly those politicians and media outlets that smear and denigrate student protesters. The seemingly vulnerable strawberry generation has emerged with a sense of humility. On the night the Wild Strawberries movement was named, Wu Rwei-ren (???), a participant in the 1990s Wild Lily student movement, said the demonstrators who had gathered together from all over Taiwan ? without knowing one another but still excitedly claiming that ?we are one? ? were a manifestation of a book he translated, Benedict Anderson?s Imagined Communities. With enthusiastic support from the public, the students are bringing about reconciliation and coexistence between generations. Supporters and demonstrators have come to realize the arrival of a new age. As supporters bring warm clothes and ginger duck soup to the demonstrators in this winter of human rights, students are braving the rain and the wind and silently accepting the support, saying: ?Yes, leave it to us.? Wu Yi-cheng is a doctor and an editor of the online magazine Au Mag. TRANSLATED BY TED YANG http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=26071 Ex-Italian President: Provocateur Riots Then ?Beat The Shit Out Of Protesters? Cossiga says Italian government should ?do what I did? under Operation GLADIO - infiltrate protest groups with agent provocateurs Paul Joseph Watson Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga has offered a solution to the Italian government in dealing with widespread demonstrations by students and teachers over a cut in state funding of education - use agent provocateurs to start riots and then have the police "beat the shit out of the protesters". Cossiga, former Italian President, Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, and one of the founders of the Operation GLADIO covert intelligence unit, encouraged Silvio Berlusconi and current Minister of the Interior Robert Maroni to "do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior," namely infiltrate what so far have been relatively peaceful demonstrations, radicalize them, start riots, then engender public support for a heavy-handed police response. Cossiga's full statement translated reads as follows. "Maroni should do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior. University students? Let them do what they want. Withdraw the police from streets and universities, infiltrate the movement with provoking agents ready for anything ["agenti provocatori" is the Italian term] and let them devastate shops, put fire to the cars and put cities to the sword for ten days. Then, strengthen by people's support, the sound of the sirens from ambulances will have to overwhelm that from the police and carabinieri [italian military police]. Law enforcement officers should pitilessly beat the shit out of protesters and send them all to the hospital. They should not arrest them since the courts would free them immediately, but they should beat them savagely, and they should beat savagely as well those teachers that incites them: not old professors, just the young school teachers." Cossiga is essentially describing the problem-reaction-solution dialectic that he exploited when he was in government. Under the banner of Operation GLADIO, which was unveiled after parliamentary investigations in Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, NATO sponsored secret armies committed acts of violence and terrorism and blamed the attacks on left-wing political movements, allowing far-right governments to seize power in numerous European countries. "You had to attack civilians, the people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game," right-wing terrorist and GLADIO agent Vincezo Vinciguerra explained the so-called "strategy of tension" in sworn testimony. "The reason was quite simple. They were supposed to force these people, the Italian public, to turn to the state to ask for greater security. This is the political logic that lies behind all the massacres and the bombings which remain unpunished, because the state cannot convict itself or declare itself responsible for what happened." GLADIO-orchestrated false flag terror attacks, such as the Bologna train bombing in 1980 which killed 85 people, were revealed during the Italian parliamentary investigation as having been overseen by elements of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. At the very least, U.S. intelligence sat on prior knowledge of bombings and allowed them to go ahead. Cossiga's call to infiltrate protest groups and provocateur violence, giving the police public backing to "beat the shit" out of them, is a false flag tactic that has been employed numerous times during major protest events around the world. Indeed, the scenario Cossiga is describing is exactly what happened at the violent 2001 Genoa G8 summit, during which Italian police planted bombs in headquarters being used by protest groups as an excuse to conduct raids and "beat the shit" out of peaceful demonstrators. A similar tactic was also attempted during last year's SPP summit protest in Quebec Canada. Canadian police were caught dressed up as rock-wielding anarchists intent on causing riots. Peaceful protesters identified the agent provocateurs and the police later had to admit the fact despite going to the lengths of publicly staging the arrests of their own officers. Last year, Cossiga drew on his first-hand personal experience in conducting false flag terror operations to declare that 9/11 was an inside job and that this fact was "common knowledge" amongst global intelligence agencies. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44705 LATIN AMERICA: Elusive Right to Land Inflames Indigenous Protests By Milagros Salazar* Women planting potatoes in the Peruvian Andes. Credit:Milagros Salazar/IPS LIMA, Nov 14 (Tierram?rica) - In the past two decades Latin America has made advances in signing international and national instruments that recognise and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. The problem is that these laws are not always heeded by governments, and the lack of enforcement has fuelled protests. For native peoples, the land is associated with vital sustenance, but also with the way they perceive the world, and is linked to the culture and legacy from their ancestors - and what they will leave to their own descendants. Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have ratified International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169, adopted in 1989 to ensure the territorial, social, cultural and economic rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. All, except for Colombia, voted in 2007 for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. "In theory there is an important recognition, but in practice it doesn't exist," Colombian Senator Jes?s Enrique Pi?acu?, of the Indigenous Social Alliance, told Tierram?rica. A major problem is that the government does not bring policies and measures that could affect their communities to the indigenous groups for consultation, such as the government's approval of private investment in their territories. Prior consultation with native communities is required by Article 6 of Convention 169, says Pi?acu?. Starting Oct. 12, Colombian indigenous groups held an unprecedented mobilisation in open defiance of policies of right-wing President ?lvaro Uribe and in demand for recognition of their collective rights. In that country of 44 million people, of which 1.6 million are indigenous, one indigenous person is killed in the decades-long civil war every 53 hours on average, and since 2002 at least 54,000 have been displaced from their ancestral lands, according to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia. Colombia's 1991 constitution recognises native populations as autonomous and with the right to collective ownership of their lands, and the right to maintain their own languages, beliefs and justice systems. Colombia did not vote in favour of the U.N. Declaration, citing national security concerns, because the document recommends against conducting military actions in indigenous territories, and states that if such activities are to take place, the native community should be consulted. In Peru?s Amazon jungle region, local indigenous communities staged massive protests in August to demand the reversal of several decrees that promote private investment in their territories. Congress agreed to repeal two of the most controversial decrees that had been approved in the context of the free trade agreement with the United States. But the government insists that ILO Convention 169, ratified by Peru in 1994, does not give the communities the right to veto activities that are conducted on their land, and has merely held informational workshops as "consultations" with the people about mining and petroleum concessions that have already been granted to corporations. "Many officials don't even know the content of the agreements, and others misinterpret it," Graham Gordon, of the non-governmental Peace and Hope Association, which participated in drafting the civil society report on compliance with Convention 169, told Tierram?rica. Peru was one of the main proponents of the U.N. Declaration, but the government now emphasises its "non-binding" character. Article 42 of the Declaration maintains that the United Nations and the states party "promote respect for and full application of the provisions of this Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of this Declaration" - which is not a binding legal provision. The Peruvian constitution of 1993 recognises the cultural diversity and political participation of peoples as groups, but it refers to native and rural communities who occupy 55 percent of the farmland, and not ethnic indigenous peoples as such. Ecuador, meanwhile, has made great strides in the area of indigenous rights. After the June 1990 Inti Raymi uprising led by the Ecuadorean Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), the indigenous movement became a key actor on the national stage. The lawmakers elected to Congress in representation of the Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement/New Country spearheaded the ratification of Convention 169 in 1997 and, the following year, the constitutional recognition of prior consultation of indigenous communities before the start of mining and oil projects on their lands. This year, with the new constitution approved on Sept. 28, Ecuador declared itself a plurinational and intercultural nation - not just multiethnic. Thirty-five percent of the population is indigenous, according to native groups. However, indigenous leader Luis Macas, former CONAIE president, explained to Tierram?rica that the new constitution should have established not just the requirement of prior consultation, but prior consent by local native populations, because only then would the government be obligated to respect their demands. Indigenous groups have announced an uprising if large-scale mining operations begin on their lands, but President Rafael Correa insists that the investment initiatives will provide funding for social development projects in their communities. In 1990, Mexico became one of the first countries to ratify Convention 169, but its measures have failed to reflect and recognise the enormous, long-standing problems that native peoples face, Nahua Indian Mat?as Trejo, a sociologist at the Autonomous National University of Mexico, told Tierram?rica. Under pressure from the barely-armed Zapatista indigenous guerrilla movement in southern Mexico, the 2001 constitution recognised the pluricultural nature of the country, home to indigenous peoples who conserve their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions. But it is still the government that determines what to do with the territories of the 62 distinct indigenous ethnic groups in Mexico, where indigenous people are variously estimated to make up between 12 and 30 percent of the country?s 104 million people (the smaller estimate is based on the number of people who actually speak an indigenous language). Unlike other countries in the Americas, in Mexico there are no signs of massive indigenous mobilisations. Forty percent of indigenous Mexicans age 15 or older have not completed primary school, and 18 percent of these have had no formal schooling at all. More than 40 percent of their homes have dirt floors and are not built to withstand catastrophes like earthquakes or floods. In Peru, the poorest district in the country is Balsapuerto, in the Amazon rainforest. More than 90 percent of the native peoples living there lack basic services like water and sanitation. (*With reporting by Helda Mart?nez from Bogot?, Kintto Lucas from Quito and Diego Cevallos from Mexico City. This story was originally published by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierram?rica network. Tierram?rica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.) (END/2008) http://static.rnw.nl/migratie/www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/asiapacific/081126-papuanewguinea-women-redirected Two in three Papuan women abused Davion C. Ford 26-11-2008 Listen to the interview with Sarah Martin of Doctors Without Borders Women in Papua New Guinea are being abused, raped, tortured and murdered with alarming frequency. That is the conclusion of a new report by the Australian government's aid programme , AusAID. The report reveals that two out of three women in Papua New Guinea are victims of domestic violence at some time in their lives. Cultural problem Culture and economics appear to be the key reasons why so many women are attacked in Papua New Guinea. Most of the inhabitants of the country still live traditional lifestyles of subsistence-based farming, and - according to AusAID - some common customary practices expose women to violence. These practices also consign women to a low status in society, says Sarah Martin of Doctors Without Borders: "The women have a very low position there. They have very few rights. They have quite a low status within their own family. And often times they are treated as if they were belongings, something that the man or the family owns." A lack of economic power compounds the plight of women in Papua New Guinea, making it impossible for many to protect themselves from violence. Treating the victims Doctors Without Borders runs a women's clinic in the Papuan city of Lae. Sarah Martin says that the clinic treats many abused women: "In Lae, we treat up to 150 women a week who come into our clinic, who have been the victim of domestic violence... or who have been the victim of sexual violence. We have treated over a thousand people in the first six months that we were open." View of the capital, Port Moresby The AusAID report outlines a number of steps that should be taken to reduce violence against women in Papua New Guinea. To begin, women should be provided with increased access to justice by them being informed of their rights and laws being passed to discourage would-be abusers. Women must also be provided with increased access to support services, including safe-havens and long-term support groups. Finally, the government of Papua New Guinea needs to prevent violence against women by working to change community attitudes and by improving women's status in society. Sarah Martin is optimistic, albeit cautiously so: "We see small changes everyday. It is not something that will go away overnight..." http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/peru-the-politics-of-social-protest Peru: the politics of social protest John Crabtree A centralised state, a blocked polity, ineffective parties, endemic poverty, regional discontent, official corruption, rising inflation - Peru needs more then a change in government personnel, says John Crabtree. 21 - 10 - 2008 President Alan Garc?a of Peru has marked the midway point of his five-year term in office by revamping his cabinet, partly in response to widespread social protests and bribery revelations. The most prominent move has been to appoint a prominent left-winger as prime minister. This attempt to widen the government's political base will need to be combined with a more coherent political and social strategy if the state is to address the deeper problems that face Peru - in conditions where the economic boom of the mid-2000s begins to fade. Among openDemocracy's articles on conflicts and politics in Peru: Ricardo Uceda, "Fantasy Island" (20 September 2005) Ricardo Uceda, "Peru's election: a second leap into the void" (9 January 2006) Lisa Laplante, "The cloud of fear: Peru's anti-terror lesson" (7 March 2006) Justin Vogler, "Ollanta Humala: a Peruvian gamble" (7 April 2006) Gaby Or? Aguilar, "Peru vs Fujimori: justice in the time of reason" (10 July 2008)Garc?a's selection of Yehude Sim?n as prime minister on 14 October 2008 was the most visible sign of his intention to breathe new life into a faltering administration. Insofar as the success of the reshuffle depends on this one figure it carries risks, for Sim?n is a controversial figure. He spent six years in jail during the Peru's decade of rule by the authoritarian Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), ostensibly on account of his role as publicist for the proscribed (Castroite) Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA) - a charge he has consistently denied. Since 2002, Sim?n has been the regional president of Lambayeque in northern Peru, where he has gained a reputation both as a catalyst for business investment and at the same time a guarantor of an honest and socially sensitive administration. This is a combination that Alan Garc?a would earnestly like to emulate during the remains of his period in office. It is also a mix that, historically, has proved remarkably elusive in Peru; and it will be surprising if Garc?a can break the trend. No left turn Yehude Sim?n's appointment has been seen as a leftward turn, though the cabinet reshuffle that took place a few days later suggests that it does not constitute any sharp change of direction in the Garc?a administration. Many key ministers were reappointed, most notably Luis Valdivieso, the orthodox-minded finance minister who previously worked for many years behind the scenes at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Antero Flores Ar?oz, formerly a leader of the rightwing Partido Popular Cristiano (PPC), was also ratified as defence minister, an important post given the political sensitivities surrounding human-rights violations in the 1980s and 1990s by members of the armed forces (see Gaby Or? Aguilar, "Peru vs Fujimori: justice in the time of reason", 10 July 2008). Sim?n's supporters were awarded only two "social" ministries (health and women's affairs). The main losers from the reshuffle were people from Garc?a's own Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA) party, which now occupies only three ministries. Two key APRA figures are gone: the previously serving prime minister Jorge Del Castillo, cited in a scandal concerning the irregular awarding of contracts to oil companies in the Amazon jungle; and interior minister Luis Alva Castro, prime minister during Garc?a's first administration (1985-90), now replaced by a retired police general. A losing run Alan Garc?a hopes that the reshuffle will help him consolidate his position in the centre-ground of politics, thus enabling him to win back lost political support. The current opinion-polls make grim reading for the president: at least one suggests that as few as 15% of voters consider him to be doing a good job, down from around 60% in 2006. Garc?a knows from bitter experience from his first term of office how ebbing popularity can erode legitimacy, and he is anxious to avoid repeating past mistakes. The immediate cause of the decline in support for the government is the rise in inflation, especially of imported food products. The inflation-rate is still far lower than during the hyperinflation that raged in the late 1980s, but it is still eroding the living standards of the poor (most of whose purchases are spent on food). The recent depreciation of Peru's currency (the nuevo sol) reflects international market uncertainties and the decline of commodity export prices may make it harder to keep the lid on inflation. How the government deals with this issue will be a key factor in its efforts to recover lost support. John Crabtree is a research associate at Oxford University's Centre for Latin American Studies. He is the author of Peru under Garcia: Opportunity Lost (Macmillan, 1992) and Patterns of Protest: Politics and Social Movements in Bolivia (Latin America Bureau, 2005). He is the editor of Making Institutions Work in Peru: Democracy, Development and Inequality since 1980 (Institute for the Study of the Americas, London University / Brookings Institution, 2006) and co-editor of Unresolved Tensions: Bolivia Past and Present (Pittsburgh University Press, (2008) Among John Crabtree's articles in openDemocracy: "Bolivia: a tale of two (or rather three) cities" (18 September 2007) "Alberto Fujimori's return: a political timebomb" (28 September 2007) "Bolivia's controversial constitution" (10 December 2007) "Santa Cruz's referendum, Bolivia's choice" (30 April 2008) "Bolivia's democratic tides" (1 July 2008) "Alan Garc?a and Peru: a tale of two eras" (29 July 2008) "Bolivia's political ferment: revolution and recall" (13 August 2008) The other half The disillusion with Garc?a and his policies, particularly among the poor who make up a majority of the voting population, stems from his failure to ensure that the benefits of growth are equitably distributed among all sectors of the population. Most people believe that the wealthiest sectors of society (particularly in the capital, Lima) have been the main beneficiaries of growth, while the poor (notably in the interior of the country) have received little or nothing. Yet benefits there are: Peru in the 2000s has been buoyed by an international boom in minerals prices, and has been among Latin America's fastest growing economies. The growth of GDP in 2008 is estimated to be 8%-9% - though the 2009 rate will be much lower. Both the 2001 and 2006 presidential elections revealed a clear geographical cleavage in patterns of political allegiance. Alan Garc?a's main support was located in urban areas, particularly along the country's relatively more prosperous coastal strip. His populist adversary, Ollanta Humala - who scored a higher percentage in the first round of voting - received most of his support in the interior, particularly in the Andean highlands and the Amazon jungle. Garc?a won that race in statistical terms, but to consolidate his success politically would require delivering tangible benefits to those who did not vote for him as well as those who did. This he has so far been unable to do. The institutional deficit Successive governments in Peru have faced a similar difficulty: how to create channels for better distribution of resources, particularly in times of export boom and fiscal surplus. The presence of state institutions is at best precarious in those large parts of the country where poverty and social deprivation are most acute. Even where they do exist, they have a reputation for working in a corrupt and clientilist way, whereby local economic and political elites procure whatever benefits are available. The APRA party, in particular, has a reputation for working in this way. This lack of efficient institutions at the local level has in recent years proved to be one of the main obstacles to attempts to devolve the powers of Peru's historically centralised administration. Alan Garc?a - like his immediate predecessor Alejandro Toledo (2001-06) - has failed to honour promises to decentralise capacities to local government. The finance ministry, in particular, has obstructed any relinquishing of its control over public investment at the local level; its argument - quite plausible - is that there are no proper mechanisms for ensuring that tax revenues are distributed in a transparent or accountable manner. These limitations of the state at the local level is related to the weakness of representative institutions in Peru, particularly political parties. Peru's parties, which too traditionally have operated along highly clientilist lines, underwent a severe crisis in the 1990s - when the authoritarian Alberto Fujimori government made them the scapegoats for the economic and political hiatus of the late 1980s, and successfully expelled them to the margins of the political system. They have since recovered some of their standing, but most parties today remain or have become simply the electoral vehicles for prominent political personalities. They lack any real grounding in society. and fail to act as democratic conduits for popular and democratic pressure from below. A culture of protest A number of social pressures have been building up in Peru both before and since the 2006 election, that are manifested in a revived culture of protest. This takes a variety of forms, of which three are worth mentioning. First, the trade unions - which were weakened by the economic collapse of the 1980s and the economic liberalisation in the 1990s - have more recently again become more assertive over wages and working conditions. Mining unions have taken the lead, their leverage enhanced by the rise in minerals prices and a boom in production; but white-collar workers too (notably health workers and teachers) have become more militant. Second, across Peru's highlands, peasant communities have clashed with mining companies in defence of their land, water sources and traditional way of life. Those who produce coca (the leaf that is the raw material for cocaine) are constantly at loggerheads with the government over United States-backed plans to eradicate their crops. Third, regional movements have also been active in campaigning for greater autonomy, particularly in the form of fiscal decentralisation. They want a larger share of the taxation which mining companies and other extractive industries pay the state (though they also sometimes clash between themselves over boundaries and the division of the spoils from natural resources). In the Amazonian region, regional authorities have sought to rally opinion in defence of the fiscal privileges they have traditionally enjoyed. There too, indigenous groups have been provoked into confrontation by government policies, such as the attempt to encourage businesses investment in their traditional habitats. These various social movements are fragmented, yet they increasingly act in coordination so as to maximise the pressure they can bring to bear. Protest in Peru comes in waves; Garc?a's reshuffle of his cabinet was in part forced by the way a number of different campaigns came together at the beginning of October 2008. The ombudsman's office in Peru has consistently noted that the lack of channels for political communication is such that social mobilisation can quickly turn violent. The violent margin Indeed, the history of political violence in Peru is a shadow behind the type of social polarisation now emerging. The memories are still fresh of the war in the 1980s-90s between the Maoist guerrillas of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) movement and the Peruvian state - a conflict in which an estimated 57,000 people were killed (mainly innocent highland peasants caught in the crossfire). Sendero was defeated militarily in the early 1990s, and its leader Abimael Guzm?n remains in prison; but the social conditions which gave rise to it live on largely unaltered in the poorest and least developed parts of the country. The remnants of Sendero live on, using the proceeds of drug-trafficking to perpetrate armed attacks in those remote coca-growing valleys where the army has failed to root them out. The biggest such attack of recent years - a roadside-bomb followed by machine-gun strafing of army trucks in Huancavelica (east of Lima) on 9 October, killed nineteen soldiers. The incident was followed by an ambush in Vizcatan, southeast Peru, on 14 October which killed two more soldiers. In this overall context, Alan Garc?a and his government face formidable difficulties in winning over the support of the disenchanted who voted for Ollanta Humala in 2006. They may again seek to express their sense of anger and frustration by giving their vote to Humala (or some other emergent "anti-system" candidate) in the presidential election in 2011. Yehude Sim?n's job will be to improve on the social policies needed to tackle poverty, and so to increase the numbers of those who feel they have a stake in the system. Until now, the government in Lima has failed to engage with those who challenge it. Its response to social protest has been erratic and ineffectual, seeking to extinguish the flames but without tackling the causes of combustion. If this challenge is not met - in circumstances where international financial troubles will increase the pressures in Peru - the next protest wave could be even more powerful than the last. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-07-voa19.cfm?CFID=91563970&CFTOKEN=96408680&jsessionid=8830aac0661aa9a2315e723a1d6a7c757034 Tibetan Leaders Contemplate 'Great Change' Following March Protests By Steve Herman Dharamsala 07 October 2008 Tibetan Exile report - Download (WM) Tibetan Exile report - Watch (WM) Tibet's parliament in exile has scheduled an emergency meeting in mid-November. Spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, requested the legislators adopt a resolution on the future of the Tibetan movement following the political unrest in their homeland this year. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman traveled to Dharamsala in northern India, the home of the Dalai Lama and Tibet's government in exile. He reports on what Tibetans leaders there are contemplating about the upcoming extraordinary legislative conference. Tibetan monks in exile Nestled below a clouded Himalayan range in northern India, Tibetan monks in exile recite sacred Buddhist scriptures. These days the monks here in the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, the Namgyal, are also contemplating the fate of Tibet. The country's parliament in exile has approved the Dalai Lama's request for an emergency session in November to debate the future direction. This follows the Tibetan protests and Chinese crackdown in March. For the 130,000 Tibetan exiles, the question is whether to continue with their spiritual leader's "middle way" approach towards China - neither accepting Tibet's present status under Beijing nor seeking independence from Chinese rule. Some now question the middle path after the exile government counted 200 dead from the crackdown and an undetermined number of monks and lay people missing. The Fifth Samdhong Rinpoche is the Kalon Tripa or prime minister of Tibet's government in exile. The incarnate lama tells VOA News this year's events have created a seismic shift. The Fifth Samdhong Rinpoche is the Kalon Tripa "Since March 2008, there have been a lot of protests and, then, international sympathy," the Kalon Tripa said. "A great change has been taking place during these days. And we shall have to review the situation and how we shall have to channelize our future course of action." Input will come not only from Tibet's parliament-in-exile, but also from intellectuals and non-governmental organizations in the exile community - mostly living in India. The Kalon Tripa has long advocated the kind of nonviolent resistance popularized by the Indian nationalist leader, Mahatma Gandhi, believing those in Tibet should assert their rights under Chinese law to stymie Beijing. Younger Tibetans have also expressed frustration with the status quo. Tsewang Ringzin The stated goal of the Tibetan Youth Congress is complete independence for Tibet. The organization's president, Tsewang Ringzin, tells VOA News the November special meeting will give Tibetan youth an opportunity to make their voices heard by their elders. "And as long as people do that and as long as whoever attends the meeting, if they come to represent the true aspirations of the Tibetan people, I think we will have results," Ringzin said. One alternative that gets no public support among the monks and lay people in Dharamsala is violent struggle against China. The head of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which China classifies as a terrorist organization, agrees armed resistance is unacceptable. "There is no question about it. The little support that we have internationally is due to the fact that our struggle is a non-violent struggle," Ringzin said. "Regardless of how you look at it, violence is not an option at all for our struggle." Meanwhile, Tibet's government-in-exile wants China to account for the Tibetans missing following the March uprising. The prime minister of the Central Tibetan Administration says the number of Tibetans casualties this year remains unclear. "A large number of Tibetans are still missing. A large number of monks and nuns who were taken away from Lhasa are still imprisoned in various untold places," the Kalon Tripa said. "We are hearing the unconfirmed news now they are beginning to release [them] but not allowing [them] to go back to the Lhasa monasteries." China has repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting violence to disrupt this year's Beijing Olympic Games. An eighth round of dialog between his exile government and the Chinese government had been scheduled for October, but the Kalon Tripa says it is questionable whether the talks will be held. "After July contact, there has not been any interaction with them, directly or indirectly," he said. Tibetan leaders say the Chinese made unacceptable demands on the Dalai Lama at the last round of talks. If the planned talks this month yields no progress, they say, the discussions, which began six years ago, likely will not continue. For now, all the monks of the Namgyal Monastery can do is pray for better times in their homeland hoping in the meantime it will not all go up in smoke. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/blind-masseurs-protest-at-sighted-competition-954596.html Blind masseurs protest at sighted competition South Korea's 7,000-strong sightless army takes to street to protect their livelihoods By David McNeill in Tokyo Wednesday, 8 October 2008 Unheralded and largely out of sight, a small army of blind masseurs has been kneading South Korea's tired muscles for nearly half a century. Now, demands that the masseurs share their profession with the non-blind have forced them out of the massage parlours and onto the streets into dramatic, sometimes suicidal, protests. In an incident last month, a group of blind masseurs burned cars and threatened to jump into Seoul's Han river unless the government reversed a decision allowing the sighted to practice. The police arrested 26. Blind demonstrators have leapt from bridges and buildings and two have died since a court declared two years ago that a directive allowing them to exclusively work as masseurs "excessively discriminated" against the sighted. The Korean constitutional court will rule on the dispute again this month, but whatever the verdict, not everyone will be happy. It was the Japanese colonialists who introduced to Korea the idea of reserving the role of masseurs for the blind in 1913. The US military government later abolished the protection but it was reinstated in a government directive in 1963. But sighted masseurs say the 7,100-strong blind army can no longer keep pace with demand in South Korea, where at least 120,000 and possibly half a million masseurs operate illegally, and have mounted a legal challenge to make their pounding of the flesh legal. Non-licensed therapists face fines of up to $4,500 (?2,560), although many have worked in official positions; South Korea's former president is believed to have employed one, and they were even used to minister to tired footballers during the 2002 World Cup. Park Yoon Soo, the leader of the group spearheading the challenge told the New York Times: "It breaks my heart when I think that what I do every day, what I consider my calling is a crime. We are not trying to steal jobs from the blind, we just want to share the market. Blind people should be helped into other jobs, not given exclusive rights to just one." In 2006, the Constitutional Court responded to a series of legal challenges by ruling that blind masseurs could not have a monopoly, sparking weeks of fierce demonstrations. The government caved in and wrote the protection for the blind back into law. That decision was the cue for more protests, this time by the sighted, one of whom died after plunging into the river Han. The government recently offered an olive branch by allowing a limited number of sighted therapists to practice, setting off another series of protests by the blind, who demanded the new additions massage only the head and hands. As the government gropes about for a solution, the angry demonstrations continue. Han Yong-seok said a ruling against them would steal their livelihood. "I simply couldn't get another job," he told the BBC this month. "I need to learn this trade so I can continue to bring up my family and be part of society." Opponents of the blind masseur law say it has, in effect, criminalised up to half a million people to protect the rights of a few thousand. Privately, some in the government are said to agree with them. But although they would like to lure the blind out of what some call a vocational ghetto, the issue had become so emotionally charged, few are willing to predict a peaceful end. "It's a life-or-death situation," for us, a visually impaired protester told Korean television after last month's riots. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,586759,00.html 10/27/2008 MUSLIM INTEGRATION Why No One Protested against Germany's Biggest Mosque By Carolin Jenkner in Duisburg The biggest mosque in Germany opened in the city of Duisburg on Sunday and has already become a symbol of successful integration. Unlike other mosque projects in Germany, there was virtually no protest from the local community. The tent next to the mosque in the Marxloh district of Duisburg, an industrial and mining town in the Ruhr region of Germany, can accommodate 3,500 people but it wasn't big enough for the crowd that turned out on Sunday. Thousands of Duisburg citizens had to stand outside to witness this historic day on a giant public viewing screen. The biggest mosque in Germany has been opened and it includes a meeting center for the whole district -- an unprecedented project in Germany. Politicians, church representatives and the board of the local Islamic community agree that the mosque sets a positive example of integration. The governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, J?rgen R?ttgers, said: "We need more mosques in this country, not in the back yards, but visible and recognizable." And Duisburg mayor Adolf Sauerland says his city has coped well with integration. All the speakers praised what has distinguished the new Duisburg mosque from other mosque construction projects in Germany: in Duisburg, there was virtually no protest against the construction. Elaborate Paintings and Gilt Bronze "The fact that we can all come together to mark the opening is really like the small miracle of Marxloh," said Elif Saat, chairwoman of the Ditib Turkish-Islamic Union's education and meeting center in Marxloh. In contrast with recent mosque building projects in Cologneand Berlin, there were no local campaigns against the Duisburg mosque. Far-right parties failed to seize on the mosque to whip up anti-Islamic sentiment. There was one single demonstration by the far-right National Democratic Party. But the number of counter-demonstrations was far higher. REPRINTS Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article in your publication. And the occasional grumbling that could be heard here and there from non-Muslims seems gradually to be giving way to civic pride in the prestigious building. The dome is 23 meters (75 feet) high and the interior of the mosque, which can accommodate up to 1,200 worshippers, is decorated with elaborate paintings and gilt bronze. The windows are of blue glass, and a gold-colored chandelier with a diameter of several meters hangs from the dome. In the prayer room, one's feet sink deep into the carpet. Before, Marxloh's Muslims had to make do with a disused cafeteria as a place of worship. In its place there now stands a dignified, bright house of God. The ?7 million building has a meeting center in its basement that caters for all the people of the district of Marxloh. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia invested ?3.2 million in the meeting center. The remainder of the money for the mosque came exclusively from donations. No Fear or Prejudice The building already appears to be benefiting the district. As soon as construction work had begun, the newly built residential houses on the other side of the street suddenly became easy to sell, and real estate prices in the area, which is marked by high unemployment and a high share of immigrants, is rising. Of the 18,000 people living in Marxloh more than 6,000 have an immigrant background. More than 20 percent of residents live off welfare payments. Why did everything pass off so smoothly in Marxloh? Is it because the 34-meter minaret is only half as high as the spire of the local Catholic church? Or because the Islamic community decided from the start to do without the muezzin call? Those could be two symbolic issues that contributed to the success. But far more important is the simple fact that the people of Marxloh sat down and talked to each other. They talked openly without fear or prejudice, and without inhibitions. It's people like Elif Saat and Z?lfiye Kaykin, the manager of the meeting center, and press spokesman Mustafa K?c?k who initiated the debate. All three are second-generation immigrants, children of Turkish "guest workers" who were invited to Germany in the 1950s, 60s and 70s to overcome labor shortages as Germany performed its economic miracle. Venue for the Locals They feel German, are ready to shoulder civic responsibility and could easily appear in any TV talk show to make their case. "We spend a lot of time talking to each other, not about each other," said K?c?k, 39, while giving a tour through the mosque. During the day he works at steel group Thyssen. In the evenings he works for the community. Now he's taken vacation from work and spends 16 hours a day showing journalists the miracle of Marxloh. He's always in a hurry, and has two mobile phones in the pockets of his gray suit. They're constantly ringing. K?c?k and his colleagues had the idea of building a meeting center in addition to the mosque, of merging a place of worship with a venue for for local people. "We stand by one another, our generation is ready to take over responsibilities," he says. And because his generation believed that a building like that needed support from the whole community, it set up a panel to allow the whole district to discuss the project. The panel also included Catholic priest Michael Kemper. His church, St. Peter's, is just 300 meters away from the mosque. "I was in favor of building the mosque from the start," said Kemper. "After all, it's a house of God." NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday. The priest praised the friendly relations with the Muslim community. Many Muslim children visit the Catholic kindergarten, and Catholics and Muslims visit each other's festivals. Guest Workers Have Arrived "We've got to stick together," says the priest. He said there's a feeling of togetherness in the district. "The necessity to always communicate lies 1,000 meters below us, in the mines. German and Turkish miners worked side by side. They had to be able to understand each other, rely on each other. That feeling was passed on to the district." But Kemper says there was also skepticism in the community. "There's a fear of being dominated. But there is growing acceptance in the community. And above all, there's gratitude that everything has gone off peacefully." No one in Marxloh wants the kind of conflicts that happened in Cologne. The chairman of the mosque, Mehmet ?zay, emphasized that point at the opening ceremony: "I can assure you that this beautiful new mosque is quite safe, it is not a symbol of social division in Germany but a symbol of the benefits of human, religious, cultural and social interaction," he said. The guest workers and their descendants, he said, have now fully arrived in Duisburg and Germany. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2008/10/22/oped/manuel.e..valdehuesa.street.talk.html Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Valdehuesa: ?Sara Protesta?, a wakeup call By Manuel E. Valdehuesa Street Talk LET?S face it, corruption in our society has reached unmanageable proportions; and so has the people?s impatience. The protest closure of local businesses yesterday dramatized this. Too long has the bureau of internal revenue here disregarded public sensibilities, recklessly ignoring complaints about high-handed corruption in its rank and file. Result: too many Cagayanons now view it as insensitive to the point of shamelessness. Unless drastic measures are taken, the community?s faith and confidence in this bureau will be so badly shaken that it will take more than business-as-usual to restore it. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers When the most conservative segment of society ? business people and chambers of commerce ? is roused to the point of activism, joined by other responsible sectors, one can be sure that something is very wrong. The BIR must be whipped into line once and for all, the malefactors raked over the coals or banished. And it must be done regardless of the interests or power of their backers ? who are reported to be well-connected and entrenched. This is a matter of the highest public interest. It is a wakeup call for trustees of the public interest: shape up or ship out! Belittling the public trust has been our society?s great recruiter of insurgents. Too many Filipinos are already disgruntled, despairing about prospects for reforms. Still, too many public servants help themselves to the till, while reactionary forces remain on the ramparts, insensitive to public sentiment. Item: Asked by Station dxCC to comment on the protest action of the chambers of commerce, the Provincial Governor skirted the topic and expounded instead on the importance of due process, saying that ?popularity? cannot be a basis for determining the fitness or tenure of an official. In so doing, he implied that the BIR official sought to be replaced by the business community may be the victim of a popularity test. Perhaps he?s unaware of the particulars of the citizens? plaints. But in blithely branding their action as one so precipitate, based on mere unpopularity, he forgets an important tenet of democracy, which is CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED. When the governed has reached high dudgeon about public trust being betrayed ? and move to assert their right to good governance, the Governor better listen or be swept away by the tide of indignation. For it is an awakened sovereignty whose fury knows no bounds. Edsa taught us this lesson. Public servants need to be reminded that when the system entrusted to them rakes up so much dirt, then it?s time for a cleanup of the House of Democracy by the sovereign citizens. Time for sorting out its malcontents and discard or replace them. In a normal democratic setting, this clean-up ritual is done during elections. Elections enable the community to choose whom they trust enough to wield power and hold the keys to the public treasury, at least theoretically. But elections pertain to elected officials. Those who man the appointive bureaucracy are something else. They?re supposed to be selected from the ranks of pre-qualified, well-qualified and well-trained professionals with integrity. And herein lies the problem with respect to the embattled BIR director. Not only his selection but his actions are perceived as tainted with vested interest and abuse of discretion. And despite the public outcry, which is not the first time against him, the system not only fails to respond, he himself displays what people take to be arrogance or even defiance. So what else can citizens do but resort to extra-legal means? Hence, the business closure yesterday. Now all eyes are on higher authority. Will the appointing power be sensitive to VOX POPULI? Will the embattled director bow to the principle of consent-of-the-governed and, in a rare gesture of delicadeza, yield his post in order to end the deadlock? What does Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Atty. Rodolfo Elman have to say about this, motu propio? --------------------------------------------------- Child Protection Commission: Most child molesters are teachers Jakarta Post - October 24, 2008 Jakarta -- Most child molestation cases are committed by teachers, a study by the National Commission for Child Protection (KPIA) recently revealed. "What's worst is that most of these teachers commit sexual transgressions," KPIA chairwoman Masnah Sari told a media gathering on Friday. According to Masnah, KPIA's data collection revealed that a great proportion of these victims are females. "This means that female students are more vulnerable to sexual harrasment," she said, as quoted by Antara news agency. Based on the reports received by KPIA in 2007, out of a total of 555 registered cases, 18 percent of them were committed by people in their close social circles. "Worst still, as many as 11.8 percent of these reports involved teachers and their students," Sari said, adding that 86 cases have so far been reported this year -- 39 percent of which were committed by teachers. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- IDP returns slowed by squatters occupying homes IRIN - September 22, 2008 Dili -- Efforts to return the remaining internally displaced people (IDPs) to their homes are being hampered by squatters. Some 100,000 people were displaced throughout Timor-Leste in 2006 after an implosion of the national police and defence forces and fighting between eastern and western factions of the country over the distribution of power and economic benefits. However, as of this month, 90 percent of 6,500 IDP families have been able to return to their original homes, the Ministry of Social Solidarity said. Teams comprising government, UN and other agencies are working with communities to mediate between the returning IDPs and the people occupying their houses. "Many secondary occupants have their own needs, they may well be housing insecure themselves," UN Development Programme (UNDP) social reintegration specialist Ben Larke told IRIN. In many cases the squatters have agreed to vacate houses when approached by the returning families. But some claim a stake, saying they spent their own money repairing or improving the houses, or feel their presence prevented further attacks and destruction. "So in some cases, they are asking for compensation," Larke said. A common and effective solution has been for the returnees to pay some of their government relocation compensation funds to the occupants as recompense. Verification problems Most of the 6,500 families have received relocation or recovery packages and 22 camps have been closed since March. While most families have cooperated with the return programmes, there has been some resistance and threats to government staff during camp closures, according to authorities. Local and UN police now accompany government staff to diffuse tensions. Some families are frustrated with the process of proving to authorities the exact extent of the damage to their homes, which is critical to receiving fair compensation, and thus have been moved to transitional shelters while the extent of damage and amount of compensation are assessed. Filomeno, who did not want his last name used, told IRIN that while he would rather be going home, he preferred a cement and tin transitional shelter than remaining in a tent while he verified his details with the government. "It's the solution," he told IRIN. Underlying issues Many of the camps that were most politically volatile and violent, such as the massive one near the airport, are among those now closed. "I think things are going better than expected," Liuz Vieria, country director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told IRIN. But he warned that the long-term success reintegrating IDPs to their homes would depend on communities working collectively to resolve the underlying issues of the 2006 crisis. "I don't think anyone is sure of the extent to which we have gotten to that point," he said. He said while it would not be an easy task, examples existed throughout the world and even in Timor-Leste, where communities recognised the benefits of solidarity could outweigh those of continued division and conflict. "I don't think it's an impossible battle," Vieira said. (sm/bj/mw) --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Water buffalo justice reigns in East Timor Deutsche Presse Agentur - September 28, 2008 Dili -- Justice in East Timor has traditionally been measured out in water buffaloes. A goat theft costs one buffalo and a rape of a woman is worth two, although it varies from village to village. While it has never been institutionalized, the traditional way of meting out justice has remained an underpinning of village life on the impoverished half-island, even under 400 years of Portuguese rule. After Indonesia's 1975 invasion, courts were established but not respected because of a corrupt system and judges. Since 2002 and following two years of United Nations interim rule, East Timor has been independent and eager to abandon the Indonesian system and adopt its own judicial system. Legal aid groups said the best hope for East Timor is a formal judicial system with trained judges and lawyers. According to the country's constitution, everyone has the right to a fair trial and an attorney, and innocence is presumed until proven otherwise. There is no mention of water buffalo in the constitution. But even as the National Parliament moves to finalize the nation's first penal code this month, a minor government official is on a crusade to formalize terra bandu -- traditional law Timorese have used to preserve natural resources and regulate other matters of daily life. Secretary of State for the Environment Abilio Lima has already persuaded about a third of the nation's 1 million people that everything from cattle rustling to rape are crimes best resolved outside courtrooms by water buffalo justice. Last week, Lima was in Tulatakeo, a village a few hours south of the capital, Dili, as the government representative in a ceremony to mark the acceptance of traditional justice. Now, the village chief has the authority to treat serious crimes according to local whim. "The advantage of terra bandu is that it comes from the community," Lima said. "Because it comes from the community, they have a responsibility to it." According to Lima, the problem with East Timor's penal code is that it relies on Indonesian laws and was last updated in 1999, three years before the country gained independence. "People who don't like Indonesia don't respect the laws," Lima said, "so we will use traditional law until we can agree on a national law." Many judicial authorities in Dili said they were shocked at the moves by Lima, who has no legal authority to impose terra bandu or any system of justice. "He's very wrong because he is operating outside the constitution and outside the judicial system," said Fernanda Borges, a member of Parliament who sits on its judicial oversight committee. Borges said she would launch a parliamentary inquiry into the matter. However, some officials in the Justice Ministry seemed unconcerned with Lima's actions. Although not informed about the environmental secretary's push for terra bandu, the permanent secretary for the minister of justice said he supported parts of the plan. "Rape is a crime you can't resolve through terra bandu," Crisagno Neto said. "You have to take that to court." However, Neto said smaller crimes like minor domestic violence could be resolved using traditional justice, a statement that contradicts East Timor's penal code. "Domestic violence is a crime at whatever level," said Mitch Dufrense, head of the UN Justice Support Unit in East Timor. "The severity of the specified level is something for the court to decide." Yet Neto said the courts in East Timor are not for everyone. "Terra bandu is easier and faster in rural areas for people who have no money," Neto said, "but in cities and in areas where people have money, they can't use terra bandu. They need to go to court." In East Timor, where unemployment hangs around 60 per cent and the average income is about a dollar a day, the majority of the population lives where they can farm and hunt for food. Under Neto's criteria, almost no one should go to court, and, as it stands today, virtually no one does. The United Nations estimated that about half of all women in East Timor would be the victims this year of gender-based crimes, yet according to the local UN office, 132 of the estimated 250,000 victims have come forward to report such offenses to police. Instead of a courtroom and a judge, these women could visit the thatched hut of a village elder. One such elder is Florindo Mesquita Lorego, a balding, snowy-bearded village chief in a hamlet hours away from Dili who, along with a dozen other village leaders, decides terra bandu cases. "(Terra bandu) applies to people who are thieves, horse thieves, cattle rustlers and rapists," Lorego explained. "People who go into someone's garden without permission from the owner, that's a crime." He said rape is not a big problem in his community, but it happens. "Rape is resolved with two cows, and you close the woman's wound," Lorego said. Closing the wound means the perpetrator makes the problem better, and the problem with rape is damage to the family name. The two cows, as well as the occasional goat or pig, are given to the victim's family. Often one of the animals is killed, cooked and then the rapist and the men from the victim's family eat and drink palm wine together. The woman is not involved, except to report what happened. The secretary of state for the environment has put his stamp of approval on such a system for about half the districts in East Timor and said he sees his portfolio as reaching far beyond ecology. "I think the environment has a relationship with sexuality," Lima said. "When you talk about environment, you talk about the human environment, about the social environment. I focus on the total comprehensive environment." --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- East Timor mulls traditional justice for serious crimes Radio Australia - September 26, 2008 For many in East Timor, access to the justice system is almost impossible. Institutions are weak and the remoteness of many villages means it can take days to reach the nearest police station. Now, one government official is travelling around East Timor promoting the use of traditional justice for all crimes, including rape. Presenter: Stephanie March Speakers: East Timor MP Fernanda Borges; Albilio de Jesus, Remexio sub-district police commander; Tulatakeu village chief Florindo Mesquita Lorego; State Secretary for the Environment Albilio De Jesus Lima; Chief of the United Nations Administration of Justice Support Unit in East Timor, Mitch Dufrense. March: Tulatakeu village, is 14km from the nearest police station. It takes an hour and a half to walk there, and the road's in poor condition, and is cut off for several months of the year during the wet season. Albilio de Jesus is the Remexio sub- district police commander. He has 11 staff, and one motorbike, to police a population of 10,000. Dejesus: According to us, that's not enough. But while United Nations police are here we coordinate with them when we go on patrol. We got to maybe one town or two towns a day. Then we will go to more towns the next day. March: For many people in East Timor, access to formal justice is almost impossible. Institutions are weak, and it can take hours to reach the nearest police station and days to the nearest courthouse. For centuries, communities have relied on local mechanisms to resolve problems. Community leaders, from Tulatakeu including village chief Florindo Mesquita Lorego recently signed a document formalizing a committee to dish out traditional justice. Lorego: It applies to people who are thieves, horse thieves, cattle rustlers, rapists. People who go into someone's garden without permission from the owner, that's also a crime. March: I asked him what the penalty would be for someone found guilty of rape. Lorego: That will depend on what the council demands, they could demand two cows, maybe three, and they have to restore the reputation of the woman's community to other communities. March: And one East Timorese government official is traveling around the countryside, promoting the type of traditional justice adopted in Tulatakeu. State Secretary for the Environment Albilio De Jesus Lima recently visited the village to congratulate them for adopting traditional justice to include crimes like theft and rape. East Timor is governed by the Indonesian penal code, and other laws developed during the period of United Nations administration following independence. Mr Lima says people don't trust those laws, so while the government works to establish an organic law, it's best to rely on traditional mechanisms. Lima: I think the environment portfolio includes sexuality, you talk about environment, you talk about human environment, about social environment, I focus on a total comprehensive environment. I am a public servant, aren't I? March: The inclusion of rape in the informal justice system is alarming for human rights advocates. Traditional law known as terra bandu is mainly used to resolve community disputes about land and resource management, not crimes against the person. Traditionally in East Timor, often the crime of rape is not considered a crime against the person, but against her family. The belief is that if a woman becomes a victim of sexual assault, the community will believe her family can't take care of her. Chief of the United Nations Administration of Justice Support Unit in East Timor, Mitch Dufrense says the biggest concern with traditional justice is whether or not the process and outcomes meet basic human rights standards. Dufrense: The Minister of Justice has already stated that gender-based violence linked crimes are to be dealt with in the formal justice system. Those cases have traditionally been very challenging in the traditional mechanisms and have been examples of types of cases that fall below international standards. March: MP Fernanda Borges says traditional justice in East Timor is not set up to support victims of gender based violence. Borges: Usually it is the men that are the nucleus of power in the local community, and women are underneath that system. It works for other things, but I think definitely for domestic violence it is not an appropriate form to engage. March: State Secretary for the Environment Albilio de Jesus Lima says he has visited six districts that are using traditional law, which means up to one third of East Timor's population could be using this form of justice. But MP Fernanda Borges says what he is promoting goes against many of the international human rights conventions signed by East Timor Borges: If the secretary of state is doing that he is very wrong, because he is operating completely outside of the constitution and the judical processes that are established in the country. *************************************************** http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2008/09/07/2003422481 SUNDAY PROFILE: From Cuba?s underground, a punk rocker?s protest reverberates Despite arrests and intimidation, Gorki Aguila and his band continue to criticize Cuba?s leaders By Marc Lacey NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, NEW YORK Sunday, Sep 07, 2008, Page 14 ?I am against everything that limits my personal liberty.? ? Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco, lead singer of Porno para Ricardo VIEW THIS PAGE Some people march to protest their government. Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco, the lead singer of a Cuban punk rock group called Porno para Ricardo (?Porn for Ricardo?), vents his discontent by gyrating at a microphone, clutching an electric guitar and spewing out some of the most off-color, ear-splitting lyrics around. Amid the string of expletives that he bellows in his underground concerts in and around Havana are bold criticisms of Fidel and Raul Castro, the past and present leaders of the island. So outspoken has he become that the authorities recently charged him with ?social dangerousness? and hauled him off to jail. Turns out, though, he will sing again. After his detention drew international outrage, including a condemnation from US President George W. Bush?s administration, the Cuban authorities dropped the charge, which could have led to four years in prison. Instead they convicted him of public disorder and fined him 600 pesos, or US$28 ? more than a month?s salary in Cuba. ?I feel even more hate for this tyranny,? Gorki, as he is universally known, said to reporters after he was freed. He then likened his release to walking from a small jail cell into a larger one. With a mane of curly black hair that is as wild as his persona, Gorki is by no means the only outspoken artist in Cuba. Other rebellious singers and painters, though, are more discreet when it comes to the upper crust of the Cuban leadership. They criticize the system in a way that does not get too personal. Not so Gorki, who rails against Cuban communism, scoffs at the revolution and lambastes in no uncertain terms Fidel Castro, who turned 82 last month, and his younger brother, Raul, 77, the longtime defense minister who took over the presidency in February after Fidel fell ill. And Gorki does all of it in a near scream. ?The Comandante holds elections, which he?s invented to keep power,? he says of Fidel Castro in El Comandante, one of his signature songs. ?The Comandante wants me to go vote so he can keep (expletive) my life.? In a shout, he sings: ?The Comandante wants me to work and he pays me a miserable salary. The Comandante wants me to applaud after he?s spoken his delirious (expletive). Don?t eat (expletive), Comandante, for you are a tyrant and no one can stand you.? Gorki has received backing from more traditional critics of the government, such as Elizardo Sanchez, who leads an unauthorized human rights group that Havana tolerates, and Yoani Sanchez, an outspoken blogger who wrote recently of Gorki, ?he sings, sways and shouts in his bloody rock lyrics what others mutter with fear.? The Cuban government has remained quiet about Gorki?s recent legal troubles. Some supporters have spoken up, though. Walter Lippmann, an American who runs an e-mail news service that collects material critical of Washington?s embargo on Cuba, recently wrote, ?He helps clarify the precise meaning of the word ?punk? in the term ?punk rock.?? Gorki?s recent jail stint was not his first. In 2003 he was convicted on a drug charge and spent nearly two years in custody. He condemns that arrest as a setup by a young woman who pretended to be a fan but really worked for state security. In that case, he emerged from custody even angrier than before. A self-taught musician and the father of a preteen girl, Gorki, 39, once told an interviewer that he grew up listening to American and British rock, particularly Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and the Clash. ?My dad never liked rock ?n? roll,? he said, ?and since he knew that this type of music brought me problems, he used to advise me to listen to other bands.? His mother, an outspoken critic of the government, and his older sister left Cuba years ago for Mexico. Gorki married while he was in jail in 2003 so that he and his wife could have conjugal visits. They are separated now but share time with their 12-year-old daughter, Gabriella. ?I try to tell her who I am, why I say the things I say,? he said. A decade ago, he organized Porno para Ricardo ? named for a friend who loved pornography but could not get enough of it because of a government ban. At a recent concert Ricardo himself, a 50-ish man who dresses like a transient, arrived pushing a bicycle and carrying a half-empty bottle of rum. He quickly became the life of the party. Gorki?s words are not the only rebellious thing about him. He had his nose pierced and often wears a T-shirt that calls 1959, the year of the Cuban revolution, a ?year of error.? He was named after Maxim Gorky, the Russian author and founder of literary Socialist Realism. The band?s raucous rehearsals take place in the small apartment in the Playa neighborhood of Havana that Gorki shares with his 75-year-old father, Luis. The place is devoid of furniture, and the room in the back where the band gathers has egg boxes on the walls to help reduce the noise. Concerts are held on the sly. Word of the next performance is spread through text messages or whispers. A few months back, it was in a remote location on the outskirts of the capital. The group arrived at 5pm to warm up. A few hours later nearly 100 people had gathered, most of them young counterculture types who knew the words to song after song. One of the teenagers in the crowd, who wore a Nirvana T-shirt, identified himself only as Daniel and said he was an aspiring punk rocker himself. Porno para Ricardo is one of the few bands in Cuba that has the guts to tell the truth, he said. The group played for about two hours, taking one short break to allow a band member, Herbert Dominguez, to vomit off to the side ? the result, it appeared, of too much rum. ?I am against everything that limits my personal liberty,? Gorki declared in an interview this year. ?The level of unpopularity of the Castro tyranny is so great. It?s obvious. You breathe it. It?s dense. But the people are afraid.? Gorki does not appear afraid. His recent songs include one called Dinosaurs, which refers to the Cuban leadership. Another, El General, lambastes Raul Castro as a farce. After his release from prison, he told a reporter that he was at work on a follow-up to El Comandante, the song about Fidel Castro, which will be called El Comandante II. Although Gorki is the front man, his fellow band members ? Ciro Diaz Penedo on guitar, Renay Kayrus on drums and Dominguez on bass ? are similarly rebellious. As a logo for their group, they use a Soviet hammer and sickle transformed into a pornographic image. While Gorki was in jail, Diaz attended a concert of Pablo Milanes, a noted and far more conventional singer-songwriter, to press for his bandmate?s release. He and some friends unveiled a banner that said ?GORKI? and began shouting the singer?s name. A dozen or more men in plain clothes moved in quickly, according to witnesses, pummeled Diaz and another man and whisked them away to a police station for questioning. That episode prompted a response from the Bush administration, which has made no secret of its disdain for the Castro brothers. ?We condemn the regime?s violent attack on peaceful concert-goers and arrest of Mr Aguila,? Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who left Cuba as a boy with his family in 1960, said of Gorki. Gutierrez said the authorities? actions violated the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Raul Castro signed just days after replacing Fidel in February. Left unsaid by Gutierrez was whether he had ever listened to Gorki?s music. http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/nicaragua-a-scene-of-heartbreak Nicaragua: heartbeat of protest Sergio Ram?rez The Daniel Ortega regime's asphyxiation of the original Sandinista project is exemplified by its appropriation of the music of Nicaragua's revolutionary past as well as its politicised control of state institutions, says the country's former foreign minister Sergio Ram?rez. (This article was first published on 1 September 2008) 2 - 09 - 2008 A heroine of the popular struggles that led to the overthrow of the Somoza family dictatorship in Nicaragua ended a twelve-day hunger-strike in Managua on 16 June 2008. The conditions that gave rise to her extraordinary act of defiance persist. The eleven weeks that have since passed bring the country no closer to their reversal. But her protest has given birth to others on a far larger scale, and it will long outlast its moment. Sergio Ram?rez is a Nicaraguan writer. He was vice-president of the country from 1984-90 during the period of the Frente Sandinista de Liberaci?n Nacional (FSLN) government. In 1995 he broke from the FSLN to form the Movimiento de Renovaci?n Sandinista (MRS). His many books include El reino animal (Alfaguara, 2006). He was named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993, and was awarded the Medalla Presidencial by the Chilean government to mark the centenary of Pablo Neruda's birth in 2004. In 2005 he was a member of the jury granting the Lettre Ulysses award for the art of reportage. His website is here Comandante Dora Mar?a T?llez installed herself on 4 June in a hut on an empty piece of ground at the Ruben Dario roundabout, the most heavily trafficked place in Nicaragua's capital city. Dora Maria - famous for her part in the commando group that took the national palace on 21 August 1978 and for having led the insurgent forces which liberated the city of Le?n in 1979 - fasted for twelve days in principled support of the same things she had earlier fought for with arms: democracy, public freedoms, and the rule of law. There is one ostensible difference: her adversary is no longer Anastasio Somoza, buried after his 1980 assassination in a cemetery in Miami, but Daniel Ortega, her former comrade, president of the revolutionary government until 1990 and winner of a second mandate in 2006 (see "Daniel Ortega's second coming", 7 November 2006). A placard installed on the hunger-strike roundabout showed a photomontage in which Somoza and Ortega held each other's hands above their heads, both smiling; the placard's slogan read "Ortega and Somoza are the same thing". Are there really similarities between Anastasio Somoza, who fled the country on 17 July 1979, when the guerrilla forces were already approaching Managua, and Daniel Ortega, who is now governing alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo? The facts speak for themselves. Dora Mar?a T?llez's hunger-strike was primarily motivated by a politicised decision of the supposedly independent - but in fact Ortega-dominated - Consejo Electoral Supremo (supreme electoral council) to cancel the legality of her party, the Movimiento de Renovaci?n Sandinista (Sandinista Renewal Movement / MRS). The MRS was founded in 1996 by dissidents from the old Frente Sandinista de Liberaci?n Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front / FSLN), which governed Nicaragua from 1979-90. The council also applied the same sanction to another Nicaraguan party, the Conservative Party. This means that the municipal elections in November 2008 will have only two visible contestants: Ortega's own Sandinista Front and the Liberal Party (which belongs to the president's close ally and political hostage, Arnoldo Alem?n; he has been sentenced in court to twenty years' imprisonment for money-laundering, and is the only convict on the American continent who has an entire country for his prison and who in addition leads a political party). Alem?n's deputies in the national assembly vote with Daniel Ortega's; together they compose a majority (see "Nicaragua's hijacked democracy", 18 November 2005). This political favour allows Ortega to dominate a host of state institutions: the assembly itself, the supreme court of justice and the whole judicial system, the comptroller-general and the CSE. His ambition is to exercise the same iron control over the army and the national police. He has already demonstrated his intentions in this regard by sacking the entire police high-command in an attempt to isolate its head, commissioner Aminta Granera, who enjoys the highest popularity ratings in the country. Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo rule generally in secret. Very few citizens know anything of the president's whereabouts, even whether he is within or outside Nicaragua. The couple occasionally surface to speak from platforms profusely decorated with flowers, facing a captive audience whom they address in speeches lasting several hours (see Ivan Briscoe, "Never let me go: can Ortega reclaim Nicaragua?", 2 November 2006). Ortega, in addition, prefers to rule outside institutions when they impede him. The credits from the Venezuelan oil account are not entered in the national budget as part of the state's resources, but are handled privately. Nicaragua's rulers wield a huge petty-cash box of hundreds of millions of dollars which is used unaccountably and indiscriminately to pay for Ortega's constant international travel, accompanied by a numerous retinue; for ferrying demonstrators to his public meetings; for decorating the stages from which he makes his interminable speeches; and for financing assistance-programmes that range from the construction of popular housing to giving pigs and paridas (cows that have recently given birth) to peasant families. Investigations by Nicaragua's remaining independent press have confirmed that the contractors for the houses being built under this scheme are government ministers and allies of Ortega. The arbitrary concept Nicaragua is among the poorest countries of the continent. The confused policies of Daniel Ortega's government since his election in November 2006 - in contrast to the fiery rhetoric of his speeches - have not moved the indexes of unemployment and marginalisation one millimetre; while inflation threatens to exceed 20% in 2008, the result above all of food-price rises which amount to more than 50% in the first eight months of the year. True, this is a worldwide phenomenon which hits the poor hardest in many countries; but Nicaragua is a privileged land in agricultural terms and could do much more to encourage food-production strategies. The plan announced on 26 August 2008 that will use the army in cooperation with the Instituto de Desarrollo Rural (Institute of Rural Development / IDR) is unlikely to bring the relief the people need. The result of this neglect and disarray is to deepen Nicaragua's economic and social crisis. How does Ortega address this explosive situation? In one way only: with speeches that are ever more worn down by the leftist orthodoxies of the last century. At the same time he restricts both democratic participation and the opening of civic space - the precise measures against which Dora Mar?a T?llez - at the risk of her own life - launched her protest, just as she had in the past with a gun in her hand. The horizon of what Daniel Ortega and his wife are doing from the summit of power that they illegally hold extends far beyond the present presidential period, which expires in 2012. Their intention is to secure indefinite re-election by changing the constitution. To this end they need to eliminate the challenge of rival political parties, to exercise absolute control of the state institutions, to secure the obedience of the judges and the judicial system, and to subordinate the national assembly (see "Tearing up the rules", Economist, 14 August 2008). In addition, they need to look for the precise moment to deliver the decisive blow to the army and the police and bring them, too, under control. The distance travelled from nineteen years ago, moral as well as political, is immense. The establishment of the revolutionary government in the city of Le?n on 18 July 1979 was made possible by the expulsion of the forces of Somoza's national guard by the guerrilla forces commanded by the then 22-year-old Dora Mar?a. This daring and already battle-hardened leader, a natural strategist, had won the loyalty and admiration of the young people - many of them just adolescents - around her. Her achievement in making Le?n secure enabled the members of the governing council of the Sandinistas to land in the city after leaving neighbouring Costa Rica. Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo and Tom?s Borge arrived on the first flight; Do?a Violeta de Chamorro, Alfonso Robelo and myself on the second. That petite and worried young woman always laughed at danger; her very youth meant that she never hesitated to take life-and-death decisions. Now, nineteen years on, she is in confrontation with Daniel Ortega, the man whose path to power she prepared. Moreover, she is fighting for the same things as before: liberty and democracy (see N?stor Martinez, "Dora Mar?a, nuestra posible Lula", El nuevo diario, 25 August 2008). In this she is joined by other emblematic figures of the revolution, such as the singer-songwriter Carlos Mejia Godoy. Carlos Mejia Godoy's songs had long featured strongly in official government propaganda, for they evoke the true life and ideals of a revolution of which now only ruins are left. The continued use of his music by those at the heights of power as though the revolution he celebrated were intact - a sort of perverse simulation game - led him to make the brave decision to veto the use of his songs in this way. The reward was a storm of insults unleashed against him by the government-controlled media. Carlos, who has been joined by his brother (and fellow singer-songwriter) Luis Enrique, explained his position: "In the dramatic context in which our people are living, threatened again with a family dictatorship, a sordid replica of the Somoza tyranny, I cannot allow my songs, which were inspired by the sacrifice and death of thousands of Nicaraguan brothers, to serve as the musical background to continue from those flower-decked platforms the most shameful tragicomedy of recent years." Carlos is clear that it is not a question of money, because his music is not for sale: he just wants it not to be used. Ortega has ignored this, and the Mejia Godoys' songs have been declared liable to confiscation - as though they were a herd of cattle or a factory of dairy products. Comandante Tom?s Borge, the former minister of the interior, even wrote: "It is my opinion that the legal formality, which might give rise to a demand supported by the Spanish society of authors, does not oblige us to give up works which, whether you like it or not, belong to the blood of the fallen who are so respected by hundreds of thousands of FSLN militants." This arbitrary concept - that a work is not owned by its creator but by the people (and political party) who inspired the artist with their actions - might seem irrelevant and even inoffensive today; for this is a time when so many single and dominating parties which ruled in the name of a single system of thought have been toppled from their old thrones. But this is not everywhere true; it is not true in Nicaragua. The impossible task Rosario Murillo has (according to Time magazine) written that Carlos Mejia Godoy is nothing but "the instrument of the divine rhythm that reaches his body from a sacred and unknown place". There is no doubt about the meaning of her proclamation that "in life there are some things that do not personally belong to us, that have no master, that are not private property. The dead, for instance. Collective hope, collective creativity, collective grief, collective triumph." The old weight of the collective is indeed on Nicaragua's shoulders. The demand made by total power creates a historic immobility that dries and shrivels everything under its gaze. This includes even not just the dead but the revolution itself, confiscated from its roots and - whatever Rosario Murillo says - privatised in favour of one family (see "Nicaragua: through the abyss", 3 September 2007). Today, the roles are reversing in a dramatic manner in Nicaragua. All that remains of the revolutionary act - precisely what the Mejia Godoys illuminate in their songs - are the decayed sets, the ragged curtains, the moth-eaten stages. The dead who went to their deaths for that cause might awake today astonished by this new scene of power, which represents everything that is opposed to what the songs exalt. What Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and their cronies are trying to impose on those songs is the old collective stamp, whose inkwell too is long dry: "collective hope, collection creativity, collective grief, collective triumph" - the whole phantasmagoria flutters in pathetic contortions, its figures deprived of substance and of ethical sentiment. The heroic epic becomes transformed into a masque of grotesques; if it retains any integrity at all it is in the music of Carlos Mejia Godoy and Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy. Se?ora Murillo openly expresses the idea that the people, seen in abstract as a unanimous whole, is embodied in the totalising party: "Carlos's songs, in spite of himself, continue to belong to the Sandinista Front - the Sandinista Front that made the revolution and from that mythic struggle inspired and dictated them, the Sandinista Front that will also continue to revolutionise history." These words offer more than sufficient reason for the arbitrary power to confiscate the creative patrimony of some artists in the name of a party to whom it gives the impossible role of master of history, and the even more impossible one of continuing to revolutionise it. This article was translated from Spanish by Isabel Hilton http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808260024.html Illegal Protests Must Be Stopped A court ruled that 50 unionized workers at Hankook Tire affiliate ASA who caused a disturbance at the parent company?s office building will have to pay W500,000 (US$1=W1,079) per person each time they engage in an illegal protest. Demanding Hankook Tire cover the debts that drove ASA into bankruptcy, the workers have been holding a sit-in strike inside a tent near the tire maker?s office building since the end of last year. Earlier, a court ruled that protests in front of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon?s official residence by traders at an open-air market that had been closed down violated the mayor?s rights and ordered them to pay W500,000 a head each time they held another illegal protest. Both protests ended after the courts delivered those rulings. In Seoul alone, 6,000 rallies and protests take place every year. Since May, over 100 anti-U.S. beef protests have been held. The Korea Development Institute in a report says rallies and protests lead to W12.3 trillion in annual losses to Korean society. The best option would be for law enforcement authorities to clearly differentiate between legal and illegal protests, protecting the participants of legal protests and blocking illegal ones before they start. But that is a tall order at this point. One police officer was detained by protesters and forced to undergo a kangaroo trial, while riot police are being stripped and beaten by protesters. Some 500 police officers have been injured while trying to stop the beef protests from getting out of hand. People taking part in illegal protests are not afraid of being taken away by police. Some people were arrested four times during beef protests in May and June. After one was released, he was discovered to have taken part in the beating of riot police. He was arrested earlier this month. There are scores of violent protesters, but without a photograph to prove their illegal actions, most of them are set free after they write a statement, while the ones who are handed over to prosecutors are usually get a stay of prosecution. If it is impossible to stop illegal protests with criminal indictments, civil lawsuits should be used. It can be far more effective to get illegal protesters to pay hefty fines. In 2005, New York City ruled that the Transport Workers Union, which staged illegal strikes, must compensate residents for damages incurred. The court ordered the TWU to pay a million dollars each day they strike and the union surrendered after just three days. Police recently sued various civic groups, including the People?s Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease that instigated the protests for W330 million in damages. Traders in the Gwanghwamun area where the mad cow protests took place also filed a W3 billion damage suit against the protest leaders. The only way to stop the vicious cycle of illegal protest is to let the protesters know that instigating or taking part in such protests would lead to unbearable consequences. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14641.cfm Small Protests Can Beat the Big Guys ? By Joanna Blythman Sunday Herald / UK, via Common Dreams, September 14, 2008 Straight to the Source Does the name Helen Steel ring a bell? She handed me a leaflet recently outlining an inspiring community sustainability initiative that she's involved in but I didn't realise who she was until a friend said "Remember McLibel? That's Helen." She was one of the two London anarchists who stood up in court to McDonald's, the world's mighty burger chain, inflicting the biggest moral and public relations defeat this global corporation has ever suffered. Small, discreet, quite unobstrusive behind a heavy fringe, there's no self-promotion from Helen. She is just one of those citizens who, in a quietly determined way, refuses to bow the knee to powerful interests, or give up trying to stop something she sees as morally wrong. I thought of Helen last week, looking at pictures of six Greenpeace climate-change campaigners as they emerged from court, cleared of causing criminal damage at the coal-fired Kingsnorth power station. The six - Huw Williams, Kevin Drake, Ben Stewart, Tim Hewke, Will Rose and Emily Hall - admitted trying to shut down the station by occupying the smokestack and painting "Gordon" on its lofty, landmark chimney, but defended themselves by saying that they were trying to prevent climate change causing greater damage to property around the world. They cited alarming facts, such as the small matter that Kingsnorth emits the same amount of carbon dioxide as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined. The jury accepted their arguments as British juries often do. In recent years, miscellaneous court cases involving GM crops, nuclear power, chemical and arms companies have collapsed after protesters argued they had followed their consciences and tried to prevent a greater crime. Such verdicts are anathema to corporations and government, but they suggest that the public at large has some sneaking admiration for people who take direct action, on the face of it cocking a snoot at the law, to draw attention to injustice or resist policies and decisions imposed from above that are out of kilter with public opinion. Such civil disobedience has a noble pedigree, from the CND protesters in the 1960s who took to canoes on the Holy Loch to the women's peace camp at Greenham Common in the 1980s through to Swampy's road protests of the 1990s and, more recently, the carnival revellers who occupied the site proposed for the third runway at Heathrow. However much we are in sympathy with the cause, relatively few of us feel passionate enough or have the nerve to take on the likes of McDonald's or even a relative tiddler like E.on, the owner of Kingsnorth. Just supposing you were physically fit enough to scale a power station chimney stack, wouldn't you be daunted by the prospect of a night in the nick, a trial up against the best barristers that money can buy, or the very real threat of losing your job? Most seasoned campaigners, trade unionists, professional activists employed by NGOs, veterans of conference motions, council votes, demonstrations, petitions, rallies, vigils and all, baulk at putting themselves so much on the line, no matter how much they believe in the issue at stake. Even the most engaged, active citizens throw in the towel when they have exhausted all lawful, established mechanisms for action. Seasoned campaigners become resigned to defeats, but then you get those surprising people - the retired Quaker accountant at the back row of the meeting, the previously apolitical housewife who has never been involved in any campaign to date - who are just so outraged at a decision or event, that they are prepared to go much further than the usual suspects, even if that means taking wire cutters to an MoD fence, or breaking into a nearby incinerator plant. People like these are essential to the proper functioning of democracy. Not everyone is so tenacious. After the watershed of the Iraq war, many of us have retreated into defeatism and frustration. We feel alienated from the the ritualistic cut and thrust of party politics, let down by our elected representatives at all levels, local, national, global, so much so that we can't see the point of voting. Whatever it is that bugs you - the sale of playing fields, dawn raids on asylum seekers, school or post office closures - there's that now pervasive feeling of done deals behind closed doors, the depressing thought that no amount of opposition at a personal or collective level is going to make one blind bit of difference to the outcome. And this is where those prepared to contemplate direct action - the Helens, Huws, Kevins, Bens, Tims, Wills and Roses of the world - come in. They come up with creative stunts to keep vital issues in the public eye. fuel protestors well and truly piss?like?groups?interest?While everyone off by blocking roads for hours, these activists keep the public on side using short, sweet action that often demonstrates a sense of humour, but is nevertheless as finely targeted as a cruise missile. They act as an important check on obsequious governments prone to rolling for vested interests, be that arms dealers, the global biotech lobby, Big Food or Big Pharma. Call them hotheads, if you like, but heavens, how we need them. ?2008 newsquest (sunday herald) limited. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93898277&ft=1&f=1014 Echoes of 1968 1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests by Ina Jaffe Listen Now [18 sec] add to playlist | download Michael Buckner The group that Tom Hayden helped found in the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society, is springing up again on college campuses. Getty Images Listen: NPR tours Chicago before the 1996 Democratic convention add Weekend Edition Saturday, August 23, 2008 ? Democrats are gathering for their national convention in Denver with their party divided by a bruising presidential nomination contest and the country mired in an unpopular war. The situation was similar 40 years ago, when Democrats convened in Chicago. But what riveted the nation's attention were the battles in the streets between Vietnam War protesters and police. A federal commission later called it a police riot, and the mayhem outside the Chicago convention continues to influence political protests today. No one who knew Chicago thought August 1968 would be another Summer of Love. The Chicago Seed, an alternative weekly newspaper, wrote: "If you're coming to Chicago, be sure to wear some armor in your hair." Mayor Richard J. Daley had amassed a force of 12,000 police officers, 6,000 National Guard members and 6,000 Army troops. He assured convention delegates that all would be well. One of the chief organizers of the anti-war demonstrations, Tom Hayden, says protest leaders worked for months to get permits from the city to march, to rally and to camp in the parks. "We were used to the idea that authorities would stall on permits, but I think some of us thought that the permits would come through at the end, so we went forward," he says. But the permits didn't come. So there was almost nothing protesters could do without violating the law. The massive crowd that the organizers hoped for didn't materialize. "When the week started, there were only 600 or 700 people in the park," Hayden says. "It grew to about 10,000, nearly all of them from Chicago." Violence became a daily event, with marches and rallies broken up by police with nightsticks and tear gas. It was the same most nights in the parks. Protesters would gather, and after the 11 p.m. curfew, the police would move in with clubs and gas, chasing them into the streets. Violence In The Street On one of those nights, Vivian Stovall and a mixed-race group of friends sat down in Grant Park and formed a human chain. "Next thing we knew, we were being kicked, being pulled apart and some very racial statements being made. And then I looked up, and when I looked up that's when I got hit. I still have the scar right here," Stovall says, pointing to her eyebrow. "I remember feeling that warm wet stuff on my face, and I was bleeding." She was 19 years old in 1968. She'd been driving from Washington, D.C., to Louisiana to start the new semester at Grambling State University when she and some classmates decided to take a detour to Chicago. "We were talking while we were on our way there about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, the assassination of Martin Luther King [Jr.]. We talked about the Vietnam War," Stovall says. "We just felt nobody was listening to us at that time anyway, and we wanted to just have our say or at least be part of something." The most infamous battle took place on Aug. 28 outside the Conrad Hilton hotel. It wasn't the most violent confrontation that week by most accounts, but it's the one that got the most news coverage, because the Hilton was where the media were stationed. As it unfolded, CBS engineer Fred Turner described what he saw from his fifth-floor window: "Now they're moving in, the cops are moving and they are really belting these characters. They're grabbing them, sticks are flailing. People are laying on the ground. I can see them, colored people. Cops are just belting them; cops are just laying it in. There's piles of bodies on the street. There's no question about it. You can hear the screams, and there's a guy they're just dragging along the street and they don't care. I don't think ? I don't know if he's alive or dead. Holy Jesus, look at him. Five of them are belting him, really, oh, this man will never get up." It's not the sort of experience anyone would want to repeat. But there are people who see something in those days worth reviving. The Spirit Of The '60s Mark Cohen is the co-founder of the activist group Recreate '68. Although he wasn't in Chicago in 1968 ? he was in Africa with the Peace Corps ? Cohen says his organization's name was meant to get attention and recall the spirit of the '60s, not the violence. He's been planning to protest at this week's Democratic convention since he heard it was coming to his hometown of Denver. "The reason we're protesting is because Mr. Obama's reputation as a progressive is not really deserved," Cohen says. "For example, his so-called anti-war stance involves a program to remove combat troops from Iraq over a period of 16 months. The majority of American people want those troops removed immediately. As soon as possible." He was standing in what will be the official demonstration zone for the convention. He and the rest of Recreate '68 will be in parking lot A, nearly 300 yards from the convention hall. "We call it the freedom cage," says Cohen, 62. The zone will be ringed by two layers of fencing behind a huge white tent set up for the media. And for protest marches, the sanctioned route will leave marchers more than a quarter of a mile from the convention site. Recreate '68 and other groups sued the city of Denver and the Secret Service to get closer to the action, but a federal judge upheld the city's plans. Katherine Archuleta, Denver's lead planner for the convention, said the demonstration zone provides a fair and safe platform for activists. "People can go and come as they like. The other thing that we are doing in the demonstration zone is to provide a stage and speakers and microphone, so that they can be heard [at] a greater distance," Archuleta says. "And that's the city's role ? finding a balance between safety and security and the rights of those who would come and want to raise their voices." Hayden doesn't see it that way. "I don't mean to exaggerate, but it is the end of freedom. This is the freedom to protest as designed for you by any authoritarian state under the direction of the police," he says. Expanding Agenda Caged or not, when demonstrators raise their voices in Denver, they will be talking ? or singing or shouting ? about more than the war in Iraq. The environment will be on the agenda, as well as poverty, health care, immigrant rights and more. Michael Heaney, a political scientist at the University of Florida, says that because of 1968, "we've now become a 'movement society.' " "What 1968 demonstrated was that protest could be an effective tactic for bringing about social change," he says. "So important new protest tactics were invented: the sit-in, the large demonstration. And people learned that this was a way they could effectively influence the government." Heaney's been studying the current anti-war movement and has noticed something interesting about who's in it. He says there are essentially two groups ? one made up of people who were active in the anti-war movement 40 years ago, and the other made up of people in their 20s ? and very little in between. The convention protests planned in Denver will have a kind of retro quality. In addition to Recreate '68, there's another activist group called Tent State University, a reference to Kent State in Ohio, where four students were killed while protesting the war in Vietnam. Outsiders Moving In Meanwhile, the organization that Hayden helped found in the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society, is springing up again on college campuses. Over the past four decades, Hayden has gone from outside agitator to Democratic Party insider. He served in the California state Legislature for 18 years and has been a delegate to national Democratic conventions six times. Stovall has also become a party activist. She's been to four conventions, and she'll be in Denver as a delegate for Barack Obama. It's kind of silly, she says, to try to keep protesters away from the delegates, many of whom have put in time on picket lines and marches just like she has. "A large percentage of those delegates have people out there who are rallying or protesting issues that they care about," Stovall says. "And as a matter of fact, as a delegate, I might get out there myself." http://allafrica.com/stories/200809011201.html Kenya: Parents to Foot Repair Bills At Riot-Hit Schools 31 August 2008 Nairobi ? Parents of schools that were rocked by strikes last term are expected to shoulder an extra-burden of paying for damages caused by their children. Over 300 schools were affected by the strikes during which students destroyed property worth millions of shillings. In Murang'a District, students suspected of having masterminded the violence have been suspended, while some of the headteachers have been transferred. Muranga North District education officer Kaugi Micheni said that some of the cases are being investigated by police, but most of them were addressed by the board of governors during the holidays. "Some of the headteachers who may have caused the riots due to administrative issues have been transferred, and we expect some more transfers when investigations are over," said Mr Micheni. Burnt down At Wahundura Secondary School, where a dormitory valued at Sh800,000 was burnt down, each students will pay Sh4,072 for the damages. The parents met over the weekend and agreed to increase the amount to build a modern dormitory at a cost of Sh1 million in place of the one burnt down, said the school principal Michael Kinyua. At a Mananga Secondary parents' meeting, it was agreed that only those involved in the destruction would foot the repair bill of Sh113,200, said the school head Chege Kariuki. In Nyeri, parents from Wamagana Girls Secondary School will budget for an extra Sh3,000 for the damages caused by their children when they went on the rampage last term. The principal, Beatrice Maina, said the students are expected to pay for the damages when they report back to the school this week. In Meru, the management of Gikumene Girls has asked the more than 600 students at the school to pay Sh2,500 each. Form Two and Three students at Abothuguchi are expected to pay Sh3,000 each before being allowed back in school. At Timbila Secondary School in Coast, where students burnt down a laboratory worth Sh3.7 million, parents will pay Sh9,000 each for rebuilding and equipping it. At Godoma Secondary School, where two dormitories were razed, parents will pay Sh6,000 each for the damages. In Homa Bay and Suba districts, several secondary schools have already held board meetings and arrived at a fee that each parent is expected to part with before their children are readmitted. In Suba, the principal of Lambwe Mixed Secondary School, Ben Opar, said the students caused damages of over Sh1.5 million. He said each student will have to pay over Sh3,500 for repairs. The chairman of the National Parents Association Nyanza branch Mr Jackson Ogweno claimed that some of the costs for repairs have been exaggerated. Reported by Waikwa Maina, John Njagi, Charles Wanyoro, Mwakera Mwajefa, Walker Mwandoto, Walter Menya, Cosmas Butunyi and Maurice K'Aluoch (Daily Nation) --------------------------------------------------- Born to be wild, Indonesians hit the road for Eid Agence France Presse - September 29, 2008 Presi Mandari, Jakarta -- With their daughter perched at the front of the motorbike and their son squashed between them, Purwanto and his wife set off from Jakarta for the 15-hour overnight ride home for their holidays. It's the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and millions of Indonesians pack their children -- and whatever else they can -- onto their motorcycles and hit the road to spend the Eid al- Fitr holidays in their home villages. Long journeys along dangerous roads in stifling heat and dust are no obstacle in a country where about 70 million people earn less than two dollars a day and the price of a bus or train ticket is just too much to bear. "It's tiring but cheap," Purwanto told AFP as he packed his Yamaha 225cc motorbike for the 560- kilometre (350-mile) trip from the capital Jakarta, where he works in a paper factory, to his hometown of Madiun in East Java. As the sun sinks into the smog over the traffic- choked city, Purwanto's seven-year-old daughter dons her oversized helmet and takes up the front position on the seat between her father's legs. Wrapped in a jacket to protect her from the wind, she will bear the brunt of the grit and grime which the road will throw up as the family drives through the night to avoid the blazing tropical sun. "The cost is very high if we take a bus. I have to buy four tickets that will cost me 800,000 rupiah (85.60 dollars). With a motorcycle, I only spend about 90,000 rupiah on fuel," Purwanto explained. Bus and train fares sometimes double or even triple ahead of Eid al-Fitr due to demand, and the crowds are horrendous. "Another benefit is that we can visit relatives in the village with the motorcycle. That also saves me money," added Purwanto, who earns a little more than three dollars a day in the paper mill. Millions of people in the world's most populous Muslim country have taken advantage of cheap credit in recent years to buy motorcycles for the first time. Transport ministry figures show that the number of Indonesians driving motorcycles home for Eid has more than tripled over the past five years. "We recorded 2.1 million motorcycles leaving Jakarta and its surrounding areas last year and we predict that will increase to 2.5 million this year," transport official Ahmad Wahyudi said. Hundreds of people will never make it home. According to police figures, three-quarters of the 789 people killed in road accidents in Indonesia last Eid were riding motorcycles. National police traffic director Yudi Sushariyanto said the scooter-style motorcycles favoured by Indonesian workers were not designed for long journeys and were no match for the buses and trucks on the nation's highways. "It's their right to ride motorcycles, we can't ban them from doing so. We only give them some recommendations for safe riding," he said, adding that driver fatigue on long journeys was a major cause of fatal accidents. Father-of-two Firdaus said his wife left him no choice but to pack his family on his 125cc Honda scooter for the 12-hour Eid odyssey from south Jakarta to her home village near Palembang on Sumatra island -- even when his youngest son was only three months old. "We don't have any choice. Everything is expensive and it's a must for my wife to spend Lebaran (Eid) with her family," said the 34-year-old Jakarta native who works with a cleaning service. "Thank God everything has gone well. My baby was so quiet during the journey last year, he only cried when the heat was intolerable. My kids have never been sick because of the long journey." From south Jakarta, Firdaus first drives two-and-a- half hours to the westernmost part of Java island, where the family boards a ferry across the Sunda Strait to the southern part of Sumatra. They then continue for another seven hours to his wife's family home. Purwanto said he understood the risks of the long road trip, but he felt they were worth taking to give his children time with their grandparents. "I never drive at high speed and I'm always extra careful. I usually stop every three hours for a break," he said. "I realise that it won't be easy for my children but we have to go home to see my parents and relatives. It's only once a year." --------------------------------------------------- From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 00:03:33 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:03:33 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Academic protests and issues, Aug-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AA9F645.7070303@tesco.net> * BANGLADESH: Controversial uni staff clash with police * INDIA: JNTU teachers demonstrate * US: Jury rules for Ward Churchill, media against * IRAN: Student Day protests, clashes * US: Santa Cruz tree-sit continues * KENYA: Students involved in free speech protests * US: Unions clash with universities over smoking ban * US: Protest over cancellation of Bill Ayers lecture * INDIA: University teachers demand justice for minorities * US: California - protest against cuts * INDIA: Puducherry - lecturers protest * TAIWAN: Academics, students involved in referendum protest * INDIA: Protest call over professor's suspension * INDIA: Students, academics among SEZ protesters * CAMEROON: Lecturers protest low pay * NIGERIA: University disrupted by clash between "principals" * THAILAND: Students threatened over protests * INDIA: Protest targets pay review * US: Student who won court victory is still suffering http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65952 Published On: 2008-12-03 Metropolitan Controversial RU staff clash with police RU Correspondent At least 10 'controversially-appointed' fourth-class employees of Rajshahi University (RU) were injured in a clash between police and employees in second day of the indefinite strike on the campus yesterday. Earlier, around 200 fourth-class employees of RU enforced an indefinite strike on the campus wearing shrouds demanding regularisation of their jobs. The employees were preparing to burn the effigy of RU acting vice chancellor. On information, law enforcers rushed to the spot and tried to snatch away the effigy. At one stage, the police locked in a clash with the angry employees. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122151870300.htm Andhra Pradesh JNTU teachers stage demonstration Staff Reporter Kakinada: The Teachers? Association of JNTU College of Engineering, Kakinada staged a demonstration in front of the University?s Central Administrative Building here on Saturday protesting against the delay in releasing the quarterly block grants and demanded unconditional option for all employees to choose the place of postings, transfer of budgeted posts to the college and additional funds for development. In a memorandum submitted to the registrar, association president P. Subba Rao and secretary R. Srinivasa Rao stated that the JNTU, Kakinada was given block grant only for the first quarter of this year against the norm of releasing it in four quarterly instalments. This inordinate delay was hampering the development and maintenance of University and it might cause late payment of salaries and pensions. http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1611 Jury Rules in Favor of Ward Churchill, While the Media Rules Against Him April 3, 2009 by strongwindsahead In the case of Ward Churchill vs. CU Boulder, the jury ruled in favor of American Indian scholar and activist Ward Churchill on all accounts. CU Boulder administration, right wing pundits and much of the mainstream press is fuming as a result. You'll find many articles regretably conceding that yes indeed the firing of Ward Churchill was fueled not by academic misconduct, but by his controversial essay On the Justice of Roosting Chickens. The jury agreed to all three points of the prosecution: that CU used Churchill's opinions and words to terminate him, that the termination harmed Churchill, and that had it not been for the essay he had written (as opposed to the allegations of academic misconduct) that Churchill would still be teaching at the University of Colorado. Still, quickly looking at the headlines from major news outlets and the story continues to be smearing Churchill, rather than recognizing that a university joined forces with conservative politicians to lead a witchhunt against a teacher for their political beliefs. In the Denver Post, the lead article is "$1 for Churchill," focusing not so much on the ruling itself, but on the lone dollar being awarded to Churchill. This misses the entire point of the court case, which was to seek justice and not monetary compensation. Andrew Cohen of CBS News offers an "analysis" which furthers the tired argument from the right claiming that yet again another lazy, incompetent professor is saved by tenure and the opaque technicalities of law. This analysis makes claim after claim of Churchill being a poor professor who has not contributed to the academic world. This despite Churchill boasting of a huge resume of writings and analysis repeatedly referenced in Ethnic Studies. It fails to mention that before his firing he was teaching to standing room only classes or received an award for his scholarly contributions the same year he was fired. The story of the day should be about the victory of free speech over the attempts by CU administrators and politicians of firing someone based on their constitutionally-protected political beliefs. Luckily that was the result of the trial, whether the media wants to recognize it or not. In case you haven't heard yet, Ward Churchill, and justice, prevailed in a Denver courtroom this afternoon. The jury in the 31/2 week trial was asked to decide three questions (which I'm paraphrasing): 1)Did CU Regents use protected speech (Ward's 9/11 essay) as a substantial or motivating factor in its decision to terminate Ward? The jury answered Yes. 2)Did the termination harm Ward? The jury answered Yes. 3)Have the defendants shown that Ward would have been dismissed for other reasons? The jury answered No. In some ways this was the most important question. By answering No, the jury said not only that Ward's First Amendment protected speech led to his firing, but that the "finding" of the CU committee that Ward engaged in academic misconduct was bogus, and there was no justification for firing him. As Ward said to the press shortly after the verdict, and as was obvious all along, this was a political motivated firing, and the jury in their verdict said as much. The jury awarded one dollar. But as David Lane, Ward's primary attorney, had said all along, this was never about money, it was about justice and vindication for Ward, and that's what the jury gave him. Whether Ward will get reinstated is now apparently up to Judge Naves. Attorneys have 30 days to prepare motions and then he'll make a decision. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/12/08/iran-students-protest-dictatorship-and-gender-apartheid/ Iran: Students Protest Dictatorship and Gender Apartheid Monday, December 8th, 2008 @ 16:34 UTC by Hamid Tehrani Photo is from yaarinews.com A group of students held a protest rally against the Iranian government and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the University of Tehran on Sunday to commemorate Student Day, the anniversary of the murdering of three students of University of Tehran on December 6, 1953. Daftare Tahkim Vahdat (means the Office of Consolidation of Unity), an important student association, had organised this demonstration to protest against censorship, gender apartheid and pressure on students. They chanted slogans such as ?Down with the dictatorship? and clashed with security forces. You can see a collection of photos here. Here is a video on the demonstration: Salam Demokrat says that students who had been in jail or deprived of studying delivered speeches at the university. The blogger adds: ?? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ? ???? ????? ? ???????? ??????? ?? ????????? ???? ????. ??? ?? ???? ????? ????????? ???? ?????? ? ??? ?? ???????. ? ????????? ????????? ??????? ??? ????? ? ????????? ????????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ????? Mahdieh Golro talked about the women's movement and her experience in prison. Students encourgaed her very warmly. After Golro, Kurdish students read their statement and socialist students distributed their tracks. The blogger adds that the number of students was between 3000 to 4000. See more photos here. Posted by Hamid Tehrani Print version http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDAH75316320081207 Group causes damage at Tehran University: report Sun Dec 7, 2008 12:39pm EST Related News Quake hits island off south Iran, five hurt--media 07 Dec 2008 TEHRAN (Reuters) - An "illegal splinter group" of an Iranian student body caused damage and clashed with security personnel during a gathering at Iran's largest university on Sunday, the official IRNA news agency reported. Pictures obtained by Reuters showed hundreds of people gathered at Tehran University in the center of the Iranian capital, some of them carrying pro-democracy banners. One photograph showed some demonstrators tearing down a metal gate at the university, one of the oldest campuses in Iran. IRNA called those who gathered a "limited group" and said they had attacked the university's western entrance gate. Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in Iran, which is embroiled in a nuclear row with the United States and is often criticized by Western rights groups for cracking down on dissent at home. Liberal-minded students and academics have criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent on campuses. The president and his government say they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition. Ahmadinejad is expected to seek another four-year term in an election next June. "We want democracy," said a placard carried by one protester on one of the photographs made available to Reuters. "Return expelled students and professors," said another. IRNA said people gathering at the campus "must have confused Tehran University with a battlefield" and denounced their "savage moves and insulting slogans." Referring to a prominent Iranian student movement, the state news agency said "an illegal splinter group associated to the Office of Consolidation of Unity tried to express their existence by inflicting damage to the university's property." It did not give details about the damage at the university. Students and activists say some of those who have spoken out against the conservative government have been detained or blacklisted from university courses. Rights activists say other dissenting voices, including labor movement figures and women's rights campaigners, have also been targets of a government crackdown. (Writing by Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465888,00.html Talks Fail to End Tree-Sitting Protest at University of California Santa Cruz Friday, December 12, 2008 | FoxNews.com SANTA CRUZ, Calif. ? Mediation talks have failed to end the nearly 14-month anti-development protest in redwood trees at University of California, Santa Cruz. Representatives of the Science Hill tree-sitters and the university chancellor's office ended Wednesday night without resolution. Protest spokeswoman Jennifer Charles says the university refused to back off north campus development. The redwoods must be cut down so construction can begin this spring on the new university biomedical facility. University spokesman Jim Burns says it's hoped tree-sitters will leave voluntarily. A judge ordered them out of the trees in March and the mediation sessions were designed to end the protest peacefully. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/501902/-/u0l6a6/-/index.html Students to hold demos to protest against Bill By SIMON SIELEPosted Saturday, December 13 2008 at 22:12 University and middle-level colleges on Saturday said they would organise a series of peaceful demonstrations to protest against what they called an attempt to muzzle the media. They said they would also protest against rising food prices and MPs? failure to pay taxes. ?This action is the only option left to instil a sense of responsibility in the Government,? they said. The group calling itself Student Leaders Forum took issue with the MPs? decision to vote in favour of the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill which they said is aimed at gagging the Press. ?We believe the Bill, if passed into law in its current form, will interfere with the democracy Kenya is enjoying, including freedom of the Press, which has done us proud by exposing the shoddy deals and scandals that we might not have known were it not for the media,? said their spokesman, Mr Mohammed Yosuf. He added that arrangements had been made for young people across the country to converge on Nairobi on Monday to bring pressure to bear on the President not to assent to the Bill. The students termed the proposed law ?draconian in its current form unless it is returned to Parliament for the necessary amendment.? They vowed not to pay taxes in future unless MPs do so in order allocations to the Higher Education Loans Board may go up. http://www.tobacco.org/news/276394.html Universities, union clash over smoking ban Jump to full article: AP, 2008-12-24 Author: MARTHA RAFFAELE, AP Education Writer Intro: Grabbing a quick smoke between classes has become impossible for Lock Haven University political science professor Robert Storch. An indoor and outdoor smoking ban imposed at Pennsylvania's state university system in September means Storch must walk off campus whenever he craves nicotine - a 20-minute roundtrip excursion that he cannot cram into a 15-minute break between classes. ``I find it ridiculous,'' Storch told a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearing examiner Tuesday. ``You feel like a leper anyway. It's really very demeaning.'' Storch was among a handful of professors at the 14 universities who testified about the smoking ban during a hearing on an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the State System of Higher Education's faculty union. A ruling is not expected before February. The 5,900-member Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties wants the ban rescinded. The new policy was imposed with virtually no warning, and APSCUF argues that any changes should have been negotiated with the union first. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1207483/nebraska_faculty_students_to_protest.html Nebraska Faculty, Students to Protest Canceling of Bill Ayers Lecture November 14, 2008 by J. K. Baurain Recommend (1) Font Size Post a comment The controversy over Bill Ayers continues this week in America's heartland. On Friday, November 14, a teach-in protest is taking place on the Lincoln campus at the University of Nebraska. Flyers are billing the event as a chance to "make Nebraska history" as Nebraska Faculty, Students to Protest Canceling of Bill Ayers Lecture Date: November 14, 2008 Lincoln, NE United States of America students and faculty come "to protest UNL's decision to cancel the November 15 lecture by Prof. William Ayers and that decision's violation of academic freedom." Ayers was originally invited to give a lecture as part of an education conference this weekend. When news of his scheduled appearance came into the spotlight, an outcry from some Nebraskans and university donors prompted the university to retract the invitation for Professor Ayers to speak. A number of faculty and students intend to show they protest that decision on Friday afternoon. Participants are being invited to join "open discussions on academic freedom" and hear individuals present about "the history of defending civil rights in Nebraska." At least one group of faculty and students is planning to meet before the protest and walk together to the event as a display of solidarity. Although this weekend's conference is being run by the College of Education, the English Graduate Student Association is sponsoring Friday's teach-in. Faculty from several departments, including English and education plan to present their perspectives on the issues at stake. Following a video covering the history of teach-ins, speakers will address topics that include on academic freedom and its history at UNL. To conclude the event, a faculty member will read "What I Might Have Said" and "The Right to Think at All" by William Ayers. Sources: Flyer by the University of Nebraska English Graduate Student Association, "Teach-In on Academic Freedom." Distributed on the UNL campus during the week of November 10, 2008. Lee, Melissa. "UNL cancels William Ayers speech." Lincoln Journal Star. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110554370400.htm New Delhi Demonstration at Delhi University NEW DELHI: The Democratic Teachers? Forum for Social Justice held a demonstration at Delhi University on Tuesday demanding ?social justice for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes at all levels?. The Forum has demanded immediate implementation of the University Grants Commission?s guidelines (May 2006) regarding reservation in teaching positions for SC/ST candidates. It has also said that the ad hoc positions for teaching posts reserved for SCs/STs/OBCs must be filled by reserved candidates only, said Forum coordinator Ratan Lal. http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50802 Protesters Argue Against CSU Cuts Posted By: Jennifer Smith 4 months ago SACRAMENTO, CA - They call it a "Board of Consequences." CSU Sacramento faculty, students and staff rallied Wednesday to protest proposed cuts of $66.3 million to the CSU budget and caps on enrollment, and posted their concerns on a big board outside the campus library. All 23 CSU campuses have been directed to reduce their budgets by about 7 percent, and some have already laid off or trimmed the work of lecturers and other part-time faculty. A hiring and pay freeze may also be considered. Joining us Live_OnLine Wednesday was Dr. Kevin Wehr, Professor of Sociology at Sacramento State University. He described how CSUS students and faculty are posting personal stories of the impact of the cuts on the "Board of Consequences." They have sent several hundred fax messages to Governor Schwarzenegger to protest the cuts, and will continue to send them. Professor Wehr said faculty and students are getting anxious, as the cuts continue to come. He said it makes it difficult to prepare curriculum, and for students to to plan their progress toward graduation, which for some may now be delayed. Professor Wehr said the Administration, Faculty, staff and students are all working together to try and preserve and protect the CSU education. News10/KXTV http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=56349 Educators, Students Rally Against Higher Ed Cuts Posted By: Julia Fox Posted By: Nicole Chavez 9 days ago ? Read Comments (14) ? Recommend (2) ? Print Article ? Email Article ? Larger ? Smaller SACRAMENTO, CA - Thousands of college students, faculty and staff descended on the State Capitol to protest budget cuts, fee increases and layoffs. Protestors who marched from West Sacramento to the capitol Monday morning said community colleges are only being funded about two percent more each year, while their enrollments are increasing by 10 percent. According to students, this means that it's harder to get classes and that it's taking longer to get through school. "We're looking ahead," said Dean Murakami, who teaches at American River College. "I think California needs to decide what's important, not only for California now, but in our future and we are willing to make the proper investment in education today." Also at Monday's rally were representatives from the University of California and California State University systems. The budget approved in February chopped $450 million from UC and $283 million from CSU. "I need that piece of paper to get a better job, " said Patricia Hoskins. She's worried that increased fees and overcrowded classes will force her to give up her full-time student status. "I'll have to become a part-time student and go back to work making minimum wage. I don't want that. I want to become a teacher," she said. Bob Price, a professor at the City College of San Francisco, said he fears that college budget cuts will keep eventually hamper California's ability to get back on firm financial footing. "We've already reduced the number of classes we offer," said Price. "A lot of times we see students waiting semester after semester for classes that they need to move on to UC or CSU. It really delays their education and sometimes they give up." Marchers said they realize there's not much they'll be able to do about the current budget, but they hope legislators spare them more pain if the economy worsens. According to the California Legislature's budget analyst, the recession has created another $8 billion hole. The unemployment rate, further declines in the stock market and lower tax collections have led to the lower revenue projections. "We're going to have another $8 billion shortfall," said Axel Borg, a UC Davis librarian. "I think we're going to have to do a new budget and hopefully legislators recognize the role higher education plays." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112053050300.htm Nov 20 2008 Other States - Puducherry Lecturers stage protest Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Government Directly Recruited Higher Secondary Lecturers? Association staged a protest on Wednesday to demand creation of additional posts of Vice-Principals and proper implementation of Assured Career Progression (ACP). Secretary of the association K. Ramu said the government had announced the creation of 48 additional Vice-Principal posts in the Assembly in 2006 to enhance the promotion chances of lecturers. But the posts have still not been created, leaving the lecturers with eight per cent chance of being promoted. ?As many as 200 lecturers are working in the same cadre of lecturers for the last 27 years. If the additional posts of Vice-Principals are created, then the chances for promotion will increase,? he said. The association urged the government for proper implementation of ACP with full monetary benefits for the lecturers. ?In the last three years, 14 posts of Vice-Principals in government higher secondary schools remain vacant. We want the government to fill the posts immediately. In addition, the government should evolve a regional transfer policy before executing the inter-regional transfers,? he pointed out. Apart from this, he said lecturers in rural areas should receive an additional 10 per cent as ?village allowance.? http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/31/2003427407 Youth to join Referendum Law protest DEMOCRATIC DRIVE: Student organizations heeded the call of a professor staging a hunger strike outside the legislature to demand the Referendum Law be changed By Shih Hsiu-Chuan STAFF REPORTER Friday, Oct 31, 2008, Page 3 A group of young people plan to stage a vigil tonight in support of Tsai Ting-kuei (???), chairman of the Taiwan Association of University Professors, and other localization activists who are staging a seven-day hunger strike to back demands for amending the Referendum Law (???). Fifty students representing 10 groups will join the hunger strike outside the legislature starting tonight, said Chen Ya-lin (???), a rally organizer. Tsai said he wished to see more young people join him in response to an appeal by some students that he should stop his strike to retain his strength for further protests. In a message he left on the association?s Web site on Monday, Tsai expressed regret that no young people had joined the hunger strike. Tsai says the law is undemocratic because it sets unreasonably high thresholds for a referendum to be initiated and to be passed. ?Professor Tsai has said that he wished young people would join him, and we also think that we are obliged to play a role in the fight for a better democracy,? Chen said. Chen said the student groups launched a drive on the Internet, asking for 1,000 young people to participate in the hunger strike. ?We hope young people planning to join the vigil will bring flashlights so that they can shine them on the legislature to dispel its darkness,? Chen said. The Taiwan Association of University Professors said in a statement on its Web site that Tsai would end his hunger strike if young people would take over the protest, because that would mean young people are also concerned about issues related to the public interest and that he was not alone in his concern. Whether he receives support or not, Tsai would continue to push for amending the law, the statement said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/08/stories/2008110860050300.htm Kerala - Kochi Protest forum seeks support KOCHI: St. Albert?s Forum has urged the general public to unite against the suspension of Sebastian K. Antony, faculty member of St. Albert?s College here. A.P. Jubiraj, secretary of the forum, said here on Friday that the college management had violated all government and university rules by not providing justice to Prof. Antony. St. Albert?s Forum has urged the support of the government, cultural leaders and the academia in the ongoing fight demanding the revoking of suspension of Prof. Antony. ? Staff Reporter http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Protesters-against-Una-SEZ-storm-meet-in-Shimla/363743 Protesters against Una SEZ storm meet in Shimla Font Size Hemlata Verma Posted: Sep 20, 2008 at 0336 hrs IST Print Email Feedback Discuss Related Stories: Mohali airport: farmers demand heavy compensationNursing students? stir gets political hue?Raise voice in Bathinda to get heard?Truckers? strike hits trade in stateGrain traders stage dharna, want checkposts removedHaryana docs threaten strike from Jan 13 Shimla, September 19: "The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the present scenario would reverse what was achieved over decades through implementation of land reforms to re-distribute over two million hectare of land to the landless." A national conference on economic and social perspectives of SEZs at Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, opened on Thursday morning with this statement made by president of Indian Academy of Social Sciences, Allahabad, S.P. Shukla. By evening, the academicians got an opportunity to get a first-hand account of threats to people facing displacement through SEZs when a group of people who are agitating against the proposed SEZ at Gagret in Una talked to them through the same platform. Narender Parmar, legal advisor of Matribhumi Sangharsh Samiti of Una, said the Government was not presenting a true picture about the number of farmers who would be displaced by the proposed SEZ of SKIL Infrastructure Limited. "We have sought information under the Right to Information in which it is clearly mentioned that the SEZ and airport proposed in Una would require 11.5 thousand acres of land, whereas the survey has only been done of 4,000 acres," said Parmar. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810271835.html Cameroon: Lecturers to Protest Poor Pay Azore Opio 27 October 2008 Higher education and research in the country seem to be in grave danger of losing their top-ranking man power due to poor pay and appalling working conditions. Thus, lecturers of the six state universities are turning up the heat on the government to raise their pay and improve their working conditions else, they would go on strike on November 10, this year. It is in this light, that the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education, known by its acronym, SYNES, has served the Minister of Higher Education a statutory notice of intention to go on strike if their demands are not fulfilled. SYNES copied the rectors and vice chancellors of all the state universities.It would appear that SYNES Buea branch held a coordinating meeting mid last week, which, according to a very reliable source, was heavily attended to strategise on how to carry out the strike and how to deal with blacklegs. The meeting, which was also attended by SYNES national executive members from Yaounde, focused on poor remuneration and other disincentives the Cameroonian university lecturer is subjected to. SYNES is demanding that the lecturers be upgraded to salary scales such as obtains in Chad, Ivory Coast and Senegal.An assistant lecturer in Senegal, according to a source, earns about FCFA 600,000 while his/her Cameroonian counterpart receives a paltry FCFA less than FCFA 300,000. Lecturers this reporter spoke to said school facilities directly affect teaching and learning and poor conditions make it more difficult for them to deliver adequate education.Several said poor conditions such as little office space and teaching space; inadequate research funds, yet what little funds there are, are spent on holding meetings and paying up suppliers; no free access to Internet facilities have led them to consider changing schools. Some are thinking about leaving teaching, while others have taken up odd jobs to make ends meet.In addition, many feel that the job of a Cameroonian lecturer requires almost daily compromising of one's meagre income, as some of them often must choose between protecting the fiduciary interests of the government and the educational needs of the students in their caseloads. A case in point is elaborated by some lecturers in the Sciences Department who sometimes are compelled to buy chemicals and reagents from their pockets.This, they consider, is unfair.More fundamental issues, however, are also at stake. Because of the enormous disincentives, which include a staggering amount of paperwork, overwhelming caseloads, endless meetings, escalating poverty and increasingly adversarial, uncivil and often litigious hierarchy, the lecturers resolved that this is their last chance to fight for their rights. Poor working conditions are literally driving the lecturers out of classrooms into the streets, farms, petty trading, taxi businesses, running bars and so on, just to make ends meet.Said one of them your reporter met arranging bottles of beer inside a refrigerator in his bar. "Imagine a lecturer with little money and no time for himself...what do you want him to do? Perish?"All too often, the most highly trained lecturers wallow in a sea of paperwork while under-trained prot?g?es and favoured courtiers of top government officials and politicians feed on fat for doing nothing.Despite their hard work and dedication, many lecturers work for minimum wage. (from Postnewsline) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810130850.html Nigeria: Principals' Clash Stalls Academic Activities At FGC Jos From Andrew Agbese 12 October 2008 Jos ? Academic activities were last week stopped at the Federal Government College, Jos over a clash by two persons claiming to be princi-pals of the school. The clash according to in-vestigations by our correspon-dent, started last week Thurs-day when the former principal, Mallam Alfa Abdullahi, who was transferred in a mass exercise last month returned to reclaim his seat. The former principal, who had initially accepted the transfer said the transfer had been up-turned in Abuja and that he remained the principal of the school when the new principal, Mrs. Caroline Alayande had already assumed duties as prin-cipal. The new principal, Mrs. Ala-yande however refused to be-lieve the Mallam Alfa's story as he was unable to produce any written communication to show that his earlier transfer had been quashed. Our correspondent learnt that the power tussle between the former principal and the new one has impacted negatively on academic activi-ties in the school as students have not been attending clas-ses. Attempts to speak with both the new and old principal failed as they were said to be civil ser-vants who can only speak with the press after clearance from the Federal Ministry of Educa-tion in Abuja. But the chairman of the school's Parent's Teachers As-sociation, Mr. Ayuba Pam, confirmed that Mallam Alfa had been transferred, saying how-ever that the former principal had informed him that the transfer had been reversed. He said he had not seen any letter reversing the transfer, saying he however did not see any reason to doubt Alfa when he returned from Abuja and said the transfer had been reversed. Students of the school who spoke to our correspondent confirmed an ugly incident on the assembly ground of the school last Friday, when the two principals introduced themselves to the students as heads of administration in the school. Many of the teachers transferred out of the school have since left and reported at their various places of posting while those transfered to the school have since reported to assume duties. (Daily Trust) http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=605408 Thai Students warned over boycotting classes for anti-gov`t protest Posted: 2008/09/08 From: MNN Thailand`s Ministry of Education has fired a `warning shot across the bows` to get the attention of students about to take leave from their classrooms to demand the resignation of the prime minister and his gov`t. The ministry on Sunday officially warned the activist student group now designating itself as the 'Young PAD' to be fully aware of the significance of their class boycott to pressure Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign. Late Saturday students saying they represented some 80 institutions of higher learning nationwide called on their fellow students to absent themselves from classes and apply their energy and intellect to convince the prime minister to change his intention regarding staying in office. The students say the prime minister's time at the helm of the ship of state is over now, and that its time to leave. The Commission on Higher Education sent letters to all universities asking that the academic authorities monitor student movements and to them the gravity of the situation under the Emergency Decree imposed in Bangkok, and which remains in effect. Secretary-General Sumet Yaemnun of the Office of Commission on Higher Education said that the office had not imposed any rule to bar students from expressing their political opinions and that their activities were not against university regulations. However, he said that students should also think about their futures and be careful not to be convinced to do anything without understanding the real situation. Mr. Sumet warned that if students did not attend enough classes, according to education sector rules, they may have to waste time repeating another term or retaking an exam. (TNA http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091457580200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Faculty members to join protest on September 24 Special Correspondent Against delay in submission of Chadda Committee report MADURAI: The Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association (MUFA) has decided to join the nationwide protest on September 24 called against the delay in submission of Prof. Chadda Committee report on pay scale review for university and college teachers. A demonstration will be staged on the Madurai Kamaraj University campus. In a release here, S. Krishnaswamy, MUFA general secretary, said the decision was taken at the general body meeting on September 10. The nationwide protest was announced by the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation. The association has urged the University Grants Commission Pay Review Committee to submit its report by October 5. http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=73072 Clash with university over beliefs strands student Seeking resolution of master's degree work at Temple ________________________________________ Posted: August 22, 2008 12:35 am Eastern By Kathleen Willey ? 2009 WorldNetDaily A university student who challenged his school's "speech code" and won a ruling in federal court that it was vague, overbroad and stifled student speech, including his Christian views, is continuing his battle with Temple University because the school has ? three years after he completed it ? declined to provide a grade on his master's thesis, thus effectively denying him his degree. The Alliance Defense Fund recently announced that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had affirmed the district court victory by Christian DeJohn, who is a sergeant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. The ADF handled DeJohn's successful request in the courts for a permanent injunction against Temple University's speech code, and after a district judge sided with DeJohn, the appeals court confirmed "speech cannot be prohibited in the absence of a tenable threat of disruption? Furthermore, the policy's use of 'hostile,' 'offensive,' and 'gender-motivated' is, on its face, sufficiently broad and subjective that they 'could conceivably be applied to cover any speech' of a 'gender-motivated' nature 'the content of which offends someone.'" (Story continues below) 1758626690 Continued the appeals court ruling, "This could include 'core' political and religious speech, such as gender politics and sexual morality? The policy provides no shelter for core protected speech." DeJohn's career, however, is not advancing as he planned. He told W ND the judge's order did not include instructions for Temple to grade his thesis, so more than three years after he completed it under school supervision, it still sits. DeJohn now is serving at Fort Meade in Maryland, and told WND how the problems developed. He said he was enrolled at Temple in Philadelphia, but left about seven months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because he was deployed to Bosnia. While he was in Bosnia, he started getting anti-war e-mails, called "teach-ins" from Richard Immerman, chairman of Temple's history department. DeJohn responded with a request that the e-mails be stopped. Then when he returned from active duty and tried to re-enroll in Temple as a graduate student, he was told he had been expelled because he had not asked permission to leave the university. DeJohn produced copies of his written request, with copies of his orders to deploy, and officials then attributed the situation to "computer error." He eventually was allowed back into school and worked on his master's degree in American and Military History. However, two professors whose classes he took, Gregory Urwin's "Comparative History of Modern Warfare" and Immerman's "American Diplomatic History," included diatribes against President Bush, the military and the war, he said. During the course of those lectures, DeJohn expressed his opinion. He also finished his thesis, "The Sherman Tank in World War II: For Want of a Gun," in 2005 following payments for "thesis guidance" to the school, but he claims because of the dispute, the school simply declined to address his project. However, Ray Betzner, a Temple spokesman, told WND the court simply did not rule in DeJohn's favor on the issues regarding the thesis. "In short, his academic performance just wasn't good enough," Temple attorney Joe H. Tucker, Jr. said. "It had nothing to do with his First Amendment rights and everything to do with Temple professor's academic freedom to grade a student's poorly written, poorly constructed ? thesis." However, the primary reader of his thesis, Dr. Jay Lockenour, was ready to sign off on it but when DeJohn needed a secondary reader, Urwin refused to approve it, DeJohn said. He said Lockenour apparently believed it would be resolved, and advised him to register to graduate in May 2005, but it didn't happen. Despite those circumstances, DeJohn said Temple reported to his student loan companies that he had obtained a diploma, causing his loans in the amount of $50,000 to default, damaging his credit. DeJohn said he believed Temple had initiated a campaign against him, punishing him for openly discussing his opinions while he was a student. He even wrote to Temple's president, David Adamany, seeking his help regarding the obstacles he was facing. Subsequently, when asked under oath if he was aware of DeJohn's dilemma, Adamany denied being aware of allegations about violations of academic freedoms. DeJohn, also under oath, produced copies of their communication. Shortly thereafter, in a front page story in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan. 20, 2006, Adamany announced his resignation. Betzner insists that he "retired." DeJohn eventually sought help from Accuracy in Academia and a Pennsylvania state representative, and later followed the discrimination complaint filed by the Alliance Defense Fund. But even today, DeJohn's academic status remains in limbo because his status of his thesis hasn't been resolved. And the campaign apparently even has gone beyond that. DeJohn reported when he applied for a job as historian at The Army Military History Institute at The Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania, Urwin apparently e-mailed one of his former students who worked there, saying that he understood that DeJohn had applied for the job. He stated that all veterans are mentally imbalanced because they have been trained to kill by the Army. DeJohn said he never even was interviewed for the post, but under a Freedom of Information Act request, he obtained documents showing that he was rated No. 1 out of 62 candidates for that position. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 18:39:15 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:39:15 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] COLOMBIA: Indigenous uprising, October-November 2008 Message-ID: <4AAAFBC3.5040100@tesco.net> Protests across several departments by thousands of indigenous Colombians demanding land rights Roads blocked; protesters allegedly fight with Molotovs, homemade explosives and machetes At least 4 protesters killed, 130 injured - police open fire on protesters; 70 riot cops injured "Mother Earth in danger" from privatisation, land grabs - indigenous spokesperson Protesters demand withdrawal of police after 13 deaths in 2 weeks Repression of media coverage, and a blackout of the conflict in Colombia, led to widespread concern Workers and civil servants later marched in support of the protests http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/97848 COLOMBIA: AUTHORITIES SUPPRESS COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS PROTESTS At least one person was killed and more than 130 were wounded during indigenous demonstrations last week in several departments in Colombia. But with multiple press freedom violations being committed, you would be hard-pressed to find out what's going on. Indigenous community media groups in the department of Cauca complained recently that several of their websites have been blocked, and a local community radio station has reported suspicious power outages - at a time when indigenous communities have been protesting to protect their fundamental rights, reports the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), IFEX member in Colombia. Thousands of indigenous Colombians, mainly in the southwest and northwest, mobilised last week on a five-point plan. It calls for the reestablishment of their territorial rights as laid out by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and rallies against the Colombian free-trade deal with the U.S., Canada and the EU and the increasing militarisation of the country by the government and paramilitaries. As part of the protests, indigenous groups blocked several roads last week, including the Pan-American Highway, the country's main north-south thoroughfare, in at least four locations between Colombia's third largest city, Cali, and the city of Popay?n, 135 kilometres to the south. But they were met with a repressive response. Violent clashes broke out between protesters and security officers on 14 and 15 October, when officers attempted to reopen the highway, allegedly firing into the crowds and assaulting them with tear gas and hand grenades. According to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC), the clashes have resulted in one death and more than 130 people injured, many gravely. On the same day, the websites of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) and the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (CRIC), two of the main organisations that have been mobilising through their own media channels, went out of service, reports FLIP. CRIC told FLIP that its website was down for more than 12 hours until staff temporarily transferred it to another server. CRIC said, "It's very coincidental that the website crashed at exactly the same time that the demonstrations began." The websites of both CRIC and ACIN have previously been down during demonstrations. Several radio stations had their power cut while they were broadcasting information about the demonstrations. La Libertad radio station, based in the municipality of Totor?, says power outages are common in the area. "However, it appears suspicious to us because this has happened several times when we are broadcasting this type of information," La Libertad said. Sources in Cauca told FLIP that they believe the obstruction of the independent media outlets may be aimed at preventing the dissemination of allegations of excessive use of force by security forces during the demonstrations. Meanwhile, journalists who have been covering the demonstrations have expressed concern over their safety. "We are in the line of fire," one journalist told FLIP. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), foreign journalists have been stopped and questioned and even expelled for "taking part in political activities". Julien Dubois, a French journalist planning to document the protests in Cauca Valley, was detained on 13 October, expelled the next day and banned from Colombia for five years. Colombia has a long tradition of community, citizen-based media projects that consistently present an alternative narrative to the corporate media. They are linked to a broader network of national, alternative media (such as Indymedia-Colombia and SICO, among others). But as concluded at International PEN's recent World Congress in Bogot?, their perspectives are rarely heard through mainstream channels, which often give an unfiltered voice to the official authorities. The mass media have been mainly echoing the government's perspective: that the protests have been infiltrated by "destabilising forces" - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The accusations have been denied by protesters. "The (?lvaro) Uribe government continues to make the unsubstantiated link in an attempt to avoid any dialogue with the communities. This fact does not come through in any of the coverage whatsoever, leaving the audience in a permanent state of being misinformed," said Mario A. Murillo, a respected professor at Hofstra University in New York, who has been documenting the protests on his blog in Colombia. "The government's claims... have almost become conventional wisdom in the last few days because of the capacity of the Uribe administration to set the agenda, present its arguments to domestic journalists with indignation and authority, and come off as the victim once again," he added. In some respects, the indigenous groups have defied the odds and have been successful in gathering support on an international level, and getting other rights groups to take notice. An open letter demanding an international mission go to Colombia, addressed to Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has already garnered more than 150 signatures, including some from Canada's First Nations groups. In the meantime, at least 12,000 indigenous people started a march from La Maria, Cauca to Cali on 21 October to continue to pressure President Uribe to address their concerns. They have vowed to continue marching to Bogot? if he doesn't show. Despite talks over the weekend with three ministers and the promise by Uribe to buy land for the indigenous peoples, there was no deal made between them and the government. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) recalls that the protests occur within a general context of grave, systematic and repeated violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in Colombia. According to FIDH, in the last month, 29 indigenous persons were killed in the country, and over the past six years more than 1,240 indigenous persons have been murdered and at least 53,885 displaced. Visit these links: - FLIP: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/97745/ - RSF: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/97757/ - International PEN: http://tinyurl.com/5ourg7 - Mario A. Murillo's blog, with "Media Representations of Popular Mobilizations Ignore the Movement's Message": http://mamaradio.blogspot.com - Statement by President Uribe (15 October): http://tinyurl.com/6czykk - FIDH: http://tinyurl.com/6ojjsd - ACIN: http://nasaacin.org - CRIC: http://www.cric-colombia.org/ - ONIC: http://www.onic.org.co/ - Indymedia-Colombia: http://colombia.indymedia.org/ (Photo: Demonstrators blocking the Pan American Highway last week clashed with security forces. Luz Edith Cometa/nasaacin.org) (22 October 2008) http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/10/24/colombia.indian.protests/index.html?eref=rss_world Fri October 24, 2008 BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and leaders of a massive Indian protest plan to meet Sunday in the city of Cali. Protesters march this week along the Pan-American Highway in Villarrica, Colombia. The president spoke by phone Thursday evening with one protest leader, Daniel Pinacue, and said he looked forward to "comprehensive and constructive" dialogue, the Colombian government said. Tens of thousands of Indians are marching from the mountains of southwest Colombia to Cali, a city of 2 million, to demand more land, better education and health care and protection from corporations encroaching on their ancestral land. Colombia's 1.3 million Indians rank among the most impoverished of the country's 40 million people. Protesters and police have clashed since demonstrations began October 10. At least four demonstrators have been killed and 130 wounded, Indian leaders said. They have accused government security forces of shooting at them. Watch as violence has marred the two-week-old struggle ? Authorities have denied the allegations and said some Indians have hurled rocks, thrown Molotov cocktails and homemade explosives at security forces. As many as 70 security force members, mainly riot police, have been hurt, the government has said. Authorities also said some Indians have shot fellow demonstrators to stir up the crowd's anger. After initially denying such accusations, Uribe admitted Wednesday that police had fired on Indian demonstrators last week despite a government pledge that security forces would not do so. "The police did fire," Uribe said at a news conference after CNN obtained and aired a videotape that shows police at La Maria Indian reservation October 16 in southwestern Colombia. The patrolman who fired, Uribe said, was being attacked with explosives. His supervisors did not know he fired, the president said. The Indians who have been killed died as a result of their explosives and not police bullets, Uribe said. "This is a resistance movement," said protester Rodrigo Quira. "We don't agree with President Uribe's policies, and other groups are affected, too. That's why they're joining us." The demonstrators have snaked along the Pan-American Highway, a major trade route in South America. They occasionally play traditional Indian songs that date to the time of the Spanish conquest, when many Indians across South and Central America died as a result of imported disease, slavery and warfare. "I believe we have to forge strong alliances in our struggle to demand our rights," said Aida Quilcue, an Indian leader. A member of Colombia's riot police force said, "The Indians are the worst because they're fighting with Molotov cocktails, gunpowder [in homemade explosives] and machetes." In the five-minute phone call between Uribe and Pinacue, the president said both sides should talk this weekend "with a spirit of brotherhood," according to the Colombian government. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44564 COLOMBIA: Native Protest Continues Despite Talks with Uribe By Constanza Vieira BOGOTA, Nov 3 (IPS) - In his meeting with indigenous protesters Sunday, Colombian President ?lvaro Uribe did not give in to any of the movement?s main demands, and the demonstrators decided to continue their protest, which is in its fourth week. The National Minga of Indigenous and Popular Resistance ("minga" is a traditional indigenous meeting for the collective good) had initially scored a victory when the right-wing Uribe agreed to travel to the Guambiano community?s La Mar?a reservation in southwestern Colombia for the talks. But the president arrived two hours late for Sunday?s meeting, and after six hours of negotiations, the central point on the protesters? agenda was still unaddressed: agreements signed since the 1970s by indigenous communities and other social sectors with earlier administrations, which have never been implemented. When Uribe attempted to leave the remaining points on the agenda for discussion with a committee of ministers, he was booed by the Minga participants, who have been demanding his direct involvement because they no longer believe in special task forces. That is why the Minga will continue, said Ayda Quilcu?, a top leader of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), one of the country?s most powerful indigenous associations. "We are going to walk the talk," she said. Around 2,000 indigenous people and labour representatives directly took part in Sunday?s meeting with Uribe, while another 4,000 people in the La Mar?a reservation watched the proceedings on a television screen, as the talks were broadcast live by the public Institutional Channel. Security was in the hands of eight concentric rings of members of the Indigenous Guard, who carefully searched each participant, accompanied by members of the security forces. "The idea is to guarantee that the dialogue is not torpedoed for any reason," Silsa Arias, head of communications for the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC), told the on-line Amerindian radio station Dachibedea, which has links to 36 other indigenous stations around the country. This time there was no welcoming applause for Uribe, whose popularity ratings stand at 77 percent in the polls after six years in office and who is used to warm welcomes. Instead, he was met by eight empty coffins -- a reminder of indigenous people killed in massacres, and of Nasa leader ?lvaro Ulcu? Chocu?, Colombia?s first indigenous Catholic priest, who was murdered by hired thugs in 1984. The meeting began just after noon local time, with an episode that caused some tension. Uribe considered it disrespectful when some of the indigenous people present did not stand up when the national anthem was played, followed by the anthems of the CRIC and the Indigenous Guard (who were unarmed). "We can?t say we?re operating in a framework of respect when we have been called terrorists and criminals," said Quilcu?. She pointed out that when their protest began on Oct. 11, Uribe repeatedly accused the demonstrators of being guerrillas, terrorists or delinquents. "If we sit down during the national anthem, it is to protest against a country that does not respect cultural diversity," said Quilcu?. The new Colombian constitution approved in 1991 made a stride forward by recognising the multi-ethnic character of a country with 102 different indigenous groups (making up roughly three percent of the population), a mixed-race (different mixtures of European, Amerindian and African) majority, and white, black, Roma (gypsy), and English-speaking minorities. But Quilcu? complained of "incitement of racism" by members of parliament, where most of Uribe?s allies are under legal investigation for their ties to far-right paramilitary groups that are deeply involved in the drug trade. She complained that the security forces cut the poles of the CRIC flags, "burned our flags, and hoisted the Colombian flag instead." Quilcu? told the president and the senior officials sitting with him that "many of you have promoted hatred against us, from within the country?s institutional structure." "We have been asking for this debate for four years, but it took 120 people injured and killed for you to come here today," she told Uribe, who at the start of the talks said he assumed "responsibility for our words." The agenda of the talks was established by the indigenous people and the government, with the oversight of a commission of national and international facilitators of the talks, who also ensured that each side strictly respected the limits set to guarantee equal speaking time. The first point discussed was the brutal clampdown on the demonstrators in La Mar?a by the anti-riot police, which triggered a week of violent clashes starting on Oct. 13 that left three indigenous protesters dead and around 170 people injured, including 39 police officers. La Mar?a was designated a "territory of dialogue and peaceful coexistence" in 1999, when then president Andr?s Pastrana (1998-2002) launched peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the vast southern region of Cagu?n. (The talks broke down in February 2002). "But those who were invited to take part (in the talks) were handpicked. The people themselves had no participation," said the indigenous governor of La Mar?a, Elides Pechene. "This must be a scenario for debate. But what we are demanding must also take concrete shape, because this should not only serve to make the world believe there is dialogue," Quilcu? said at the start of the talks. The second point on the agenda was human rights violations by the security forces, followed by the issues of protection and expansion of indigenous reservations and unfulfilled agreements. The last point was to include the signing of commitments, but no agreement was reached. During the discussion, the indigenous people talked about "the rivers, streams and lakes that are dying today, and the indigenous cultures that are disappearing, like the Yamaledo community, which has only 30 members left in the Amazon jungle," said Kuna leader Abadio Green. "Our mother nature is in danger. You have handed over our territory to multinational corporations," which has led to forced displacement, murders and selective arrests, said Quilcu?. But the president will not seek to repeal the laws -- on questions like mining, forests and water -- that the indigenous movement considers harmful to the environment and to native territories. He also refuses to endanger infrastructure works or projects that exploit natural resources like minerals, oil or water by submitting them to consultation with affected local and indigenous communities, even though that is a constitutional requirement. "We cannot allow such consultations to be turned into vetoes or delays," said the president. Uribe was also booed when he announced that he would sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples next year, but with at least two reservations: that the subsoil does not belong to indigenous peoples but to the nation, and that native communities do not have to be consulted with regard to investment projects in their territories. With respect to the free trade deal signed with the United States, which is pending approval by the U.S. Congress, the Uribe administration officials claimed that opposition to the agreement is "political" and that indigenous intellectual property will be respected. But they ignored the indigenous movement?s suggestion that a similar agreement be signed with the rest of the nations of Latin America. The president also refrained from commenting on complaints that legal hurdles have blocked, starting at the municipal level, the expansion of indigenous reservations -- a question that is crucial to the survival of many of the country?s native cultures, as young people without land are increasingly moving to the cities. Referring to Uribe?s "democratic security" policy and the heavy U.S. financing of government forces in Colombia?s civil war, Quilcu? complained that "democratic security has been used to kill civilians," and "Plan Colombia has been at the service of democratic security." Although Uribe argued that "there can be no areas off-limits to the fatherland?s army and police," he later softened that stance by saying he was willing to withdraw the security forces from La Mar?a if there were guarantees that the protesters would not block the Panamerican Highway -- which leads to Ecuador -- again, as they had done at the start of the protest. (END/2008) http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/10/15/colombia.clashes/index.html?eref=rss_world October 16, 2008 -- Updated 1429 GMT (2229 HKT) By Karl Penhaul CNN BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Violent clashes between Indian protesters and riot police continued Wednesday in southwest Colombia, increasing the casualty toll to at least two dead and about 100 injured, according to Indian spokesmen. Indians and riot police clash in Candelaria, in southern Colombia, on Tuesday. The protests started Tuesday, when an estimated 7,000 Indians from various ethnic communities used rocks and tree trunks to block the Pan-American Highway -- the country's main north-south thoroughfare -- in at least four locations between Colombia's second largest city, Cali, and the city of Popayan, 85 miles (135 kilometers) to the south. Fresh clashes broke out Wednesday when police moved in with armored personnel carriers and water cannons to clear the highway. The Indians are protesting the Colombian government's free market economic policies; regional landowners they say have stolen their territory; and government plans for a free-trade deal with the United States. Watch Indian protesters prepare for battle ? The Indians, who are traditionally among the very poorest in Colombian society, along with blacks, say they are worse off than ever before. Indian congressman Climaco Alvarez accused police of firing on protesters with live rounds Wednesday. Police deny using lethal force. An Indian spokesman said one Indian was killed in Wednesday's clashes and 39 were injured. That adds to Tuesday's toll, given to CNN by another Indian spokesman, of one dead and around 60 injured. Two hours after the clashes, the Indians said they had managed to move back onto the highway and set up fresh blockades. Tuesday's clashes took place at several locations along the Pan-American Highway. One spokesman for the National Indigenous Council told CNN that injuries to Indians, mostly of the Nasa tribe, had occurred in clashes with riot police near the southwest town of La Maria Piendamo and farther north near a community known as La Candelaria. He said 18 of the injured at La Maria Piendamo had gunshot wounds. Col. Jorge Enrique Cartagena, commander of the police's elite riot squad, said his men had not used live rounds, only tear gas and water cannons. He said seven of his men had been hurt, two seriously, by demonstrators who tossed rocks and fired stones from slingshots, and by exploding gunpowder. He also said leftist guerrilla fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had infiltrated the demonstration and were motivating the protest. Indian organizations deny the accusation, which law enforcement officials frequently level at social protests across the country. The Pan-American Highway is a network of routes stretching from Alaska to South America's southern tip in Patagonia. The idea for it was conceived in 1923 to unite the Americas. The road network is only broken at the jungle-covered border of Panama and Colombia -- a stretch of about 54 miles (87 kilometers) called the Darien Gap. Otherwise, the road network runs about 29,000 miles (48,000 kilometers). http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44307 COLOMBIA: Brutal Crackdown on Indigenous Protest By Helda Mart?nez* BOGOTA, Oct 16 (IPS) - More than 75 people were injured and at least one was killed in a crackdown on indigenous protests being held in different areas of Colombia. The protests began Oct. 12, D?a de la Raza (Day of the Race -- which marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus? arrival in the Americas), in La Mar?a, an indigenous reserve in the southwestern province of Cauca. Demonstrators participating in the National Mobilisation of Indigenous and Popular Resistance, convened by indigenous organisations, blocked the Pan American highway, the main north-south artery in Colombia, a branch of which communicates the country with Ecuador. To clear the road, the army and police went in with helicopters and armoured vehicles, and opened fire with live ammunition. "It was terrible, and so unfair. We had no weapons. We only have our ceremonial staffs which symbolise authority. At this moment (midday on Wednesday) they are still shooting, although they have removed us from the Pan American highway," Manuel Rozental, a spokesperson for local indigenous groups, told IPS. Nevertheless, "the number of protesters is growing. More people are coming down from the mountains to participate in the demonstration, and we estimate there are at least 200,000 indigenous people involved throughout the country," said Rozental. Active protests are taking place in 16 of Colombia?s 32 provinces: La Guajira, C?rdoba, Sucre, Atl?ntico and Choc?, on the northern Caribbean coast; Norte de Santander, Boyac? and Casanare, in the east; Meta, to the south of Bogot?; Risaralda, Caldas, Quindio and Tolima in the centre of the country; Cauca and Huila in the southwest; and Valle del Cauca, in the west. The indigenous organisations have a list of 12 demands that they want to negotiate in direct talks with rightwing Colombian President ?lvaro Uribe. Referring to the clashes in Cauca, Vice President Francisco Santos said "what is going on there is guerrilla infiltration, and those who are fighting are the Grandchildren of Quint?n Lame," an indigenous leader of the last century who fought for recognition of the rights of native communities. Lame's name was adopted by a group of young indigenous people left landless because the reserves have not been expanded. They use explosives and other violent methods in protests, and are disapproved of by their traditional authorities. However, the cabildos (local indigenous governing councils) insistently deny any links between the indigenous people and armed groups of any kind. Colombia has been living through a civil war for nearly half a century, between insurgent groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), far-right paramilitary militias and government troops. The indigenous people in Cauca are demanding that Uribe put in a personal appearance in the area, because "there are too many precedents of unfulfilled promises. At the world summit of indigenous peoples that was held right there in La Mar?a, in 2005, they promised us talks, but what they did was send in more troops, to burn and destroy," said Rozental. At a plenary session of Congress on Tuesday night, indigenous Senator Jes?s Pi?acu? explained the deep-seated reasons behind the mobilisation, and won support from the International Affairs Commission, and among legislators of the opposition Liberal Party and Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA). On Wednesday, Pi?acu? said that just as Uribe has negotiated with drug traffickers and paramilitary forces, he should enter into dialogue with the indigenous people. Agriculture Minister Andr?s Felipe Arias called Pi?acu? a "terrorist." "I hope this struggle that has gone on for so many years, and the specific requests set forth by the present mobilisation, that we have been waiting for with humility and resignation for five years, will be met with solutions. Meanwhile we will keep on struggling, as there is nothing else we can do," Pi?acu? told IPS. On Tuesday, the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC) reported the alleged forced disappearance of two people from the protest in La Mar?a to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It also asked the Organisation of American States (OAS) for "urgent intervention" by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, because at the height of the protest the web page belonging to the Association of Indigenous Authorities of Northern Cauca (ACIN) was disabled, and power was cut off at the headquarters of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), from which ONIC's virtual radio station, Dachibedea, is retransmitted. More than 30 national and international civil society and human rights organisations said that the indigenous demonstration is part of the actions decided by indigenous groups in 2001, and is "aimed at expressing their rejection of physical and cultural genocide and the various ways in which their rights have been trampled on and violated." In a communiqu?, the social organisations stressed that indigenous territories are coveted for their natural resources, and fought over by the armed groups in the civil war. They are also strategic areas for implementing economic and infrastructure projects, the statement says. This "violates the autonomy, territorial integrity and collective rights of indigenous peoples, through the violation of sacred areas, the loss of cultures, and the denial of the right of free, prior and informed consent," it says. In the statement, the social organisations express great concern that the Colombian government has not signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, approved by the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 13, 2007. They also allege that the Colombian state is in breach of International Labour Organisation Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and of the recommendations of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. Since 2002, when the Uribe administration took office, 1,253 indigenous people have been murdered and at least 54,000 have been expelled from their ancestral lands, according to ONIC. *With additional reporting by Constanza Vieira in Bogot?. (END/2008) http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/772/39835 Colombian regime cracks down on indigenous protests Kiraz Janicke 25 October 2008 Thousands of indigenous Colombians are marching along the Pan American Highway ? which connects the south-west of the country to the centre ? to protest militarisation of their lands by government and paramilitary forces, as well as the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The protesters are also calling for President Alvaro Uribe?s administration to comply with previous agreements relating to land rights and increased funding for health and education programs for the country?s 1.3 million indigenous people. The National Mobilisation of Indigenous and Popular Resistance began in La Maria Piendamo in the Cauca province on October 12, the anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Colombus and beginning of European colonisation 516 years ago. It is scheduled to arrive in Cali, the capital of Valle province, on October 27. Repression Only days before the October 12 mobilisations began, Uribe declared a ?state of emergency?, ostensibly to address a crisis in the judicial system crippled by a six-week strike by judicial workers. However despite reaching a temporary agreement with the judicial workers? union, the measure remains in place. The ?state of emergency? grants the president unprecedented powers, allowing him to rule by decree, particularly in the area of security and ?public order?. Prior to the march, indigenous leaders had warned of a potential for a crackdown against the indigenous movement by state security forces. On October 13, the Colombian army and police used helicopters and armoured vehicles and fired live ammunition to clear the road as protesters participating in the march blocked part of the Pan American Highway. At least three people were killed, among them a baby who died of asphyxiation as a result of tear gas fired at the protesters, and more than 75 were injured. Despite the repression, IPS reported on October 16 that ?active protests? had spread to 16 of Colombia?s 32 provinces. Manuel Rozental, a spokesperson for local indigenous communities said, ?the number of protesters is growing. More people are coming down from the mountains to participate in the demonstration, and we estimate there are at least 200,000 indigenous people involved throughout the country.? As the demonstrations have widened, the Colombian government has intensified its repression. On October 15, the army opened fire once again on the protesters, killing one and leaving 39 injured. On October 22, two indigenous activists were shot in the head and back by police in Villarrica as they sought to join the march to Cali and a further five were injured. Propaganda war The Colombian government has repeatedly denied that police and military forces used live ammunition to break up the protests, despite footage of the October 22 incident broadcast on CNN clearly showing the contrary. Jorge Enrique Cartagena, national chief of Colombia?s riot police, even went so far as to make the ludicrous claim that the demonstrators had fired on themselves. ?We think he was shot from within the crowd, and they?re doing that to whip up anger?, he told CNN. The Uribe administration has also launched a massive propaganda offensive aimed at de-legitimising the protests. On October 17, Uribe stated there was ?clear evidence? that the indigenous protest in Cauca were being controlled by the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Indigenous communities, thousands of whom have been displaced as a result of the civil war between the FARC and the military ? alongside far-right paramilitaries acting on behalf of powerful interests that covet their resource rich lands ? insistently deny any links with armed groups of any kind. However, Colombia?s mainstream media has largely echoed the government line, effectively imposing a media blackout of indigenous voices. Murderous government In 2005 and 2006, the Uribe administration responded in a similar fashion to indigenous mobilisations in Cauca. Rozental recalled, ?At the world summit of indigenous peoples that was held right there in La Maria, in 2005, they promised us talks, but what they did was send in more troops, to burn and destroy.? Since Uribe came to power in 2002, 1253 indigenous people have been murdered and 54,000 have been displaced, according to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC). According to Colombiareports.com, dozens of indigenous youth in Cauca have been murdered by state security forces since January, ?many of them so-called ?false-positive? killings because the bodies were dressed up and presented as if they were guerillas killed in combat?. The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca also received a letter on August 11 threatening its members and those of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca with death as ?a consequence of their disrespect?. The letter, signed by the ?angry farmers? of Cauca, is widely believed to be the work of wealthy landowners whose interests are threatened by indigenous land recuperation projects. Just days before the mass mobilisations began in La Maria Piendamo, two Nasa Indians from Cauca were also assassinated by unidentified gunmen on October 10-11. The legitimacy of the Uribe government has been brought into question by the ongoing ?para-politics? scandal, in which 80 governors, mayors and congressional politicians, the majority of them close allies of Uribe, are alleged to have, or have been found guilty of having, direct links to paramilitary death squads. According to a Radiomundial.com.ve report, Luis Evelis Andrade Casama, spokesperson for ONIC, explained that the march to Cali was not only about recuperating land and social benefits, but to ?sow in the consciousness of Colombia and the world that we are suffering a crisis of extreme violation of human rights?. http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_28583.shtml http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/10/22/colombia-indigenous-protests-and-murders-under-media-blackout/ Breaking: Colombia: Indigenous Protests and Murders Under Media Blackout By Juliana Rinc?n Parra Oct 23, 2008, 19:48 From Colombia, the indigenous groups in the Cauca department have made an international SOS to call attention on their plight. They accuse the armed forces of opening fire with live ammunition during their marches along the main highways in the country, killing and injuring indigenous protesters. The government keeps stating that the live fire comes from indigenous members or confabulated guerrilla infiltrated within the armed forces to create chaos, and calling these protesters terrorists. The indigenous groups are marching to ask, among other things, for justice for the thousands of Indigenous Colombian people murdered in the past years, including community leaders. From Colombia, the indigenous groups in the Cauca department have made an international SOS to call attention on their plight. On their website, cric-colombia.org they explain how they have been protesting the human rights abuses they have been victim of, represented by the murder of one of their community leaders by hit men and the death threats on other regional and community leaders and spokespeople. They have requested a public audience with the Government Officials, and have been protesting since October 12, demanding the protection of their human rights and making the government live up to the promises of the signed treaties of the past. However, it is said that armed government forces, have shot live ammunition at the protesters, leaving 2 dead and more than 60 indigenous members injured. On this blog post on the indigenous community site they show pictures of the protest and the injuries some have sustained as well as the list of those injured up to October 14th. On October 15th, the armed forces opened fire once again on the protesters, killing one and leaving 39 injured. They have also blocked the roads and ambulances can't get in to help those who are hurt and needing assistance. (Links in Spanish unless otherwise noted) They write: "la fuerza publica entr? disparando con armas de largo alcance y ya hay 3 heridos mas de gravedad. la fuerza militar entro ya al territorio de dialogo y negociaci?n. Se solicita de manera urgente que organismos internacionales frenen esta violencia. tambien a los pueblos inigenas que refuercen el personal que esta siendo atacado." The armed forces came in shooting with long range weapons and there are already 3 other persons seriously injured. The military forces have barged into the territory of dialogue and negotiation. We urgently request international organizations to stop this violence. Also for the indigenous communities to get more people to back those who have been attacked. The indigenous community has been sending emails and posting on their website[es] updates on the situation. The following video was posted last week by user nasacin, including cellphone and video camera images from the manifestations, clips showing shot indigenous community members, a soldier speaking about the differences between the Mob Control ESMAD and the armed forces, stating that the armed forces are to keep the peace, and the ESMAD is the one in charge of defusing violent situations. However, when asked who it is that is shooting with rifles, the soldier doesn't answer. Blogger Alejandro Pel?ez last week wrote of how foreign media is reporting on the indigenous protests, but local media hadn't published anything at all: Las noticias son hechos, y para escribir sobre hechos toca salir del escritorio, entrevistar personas, buscar en archivos, viajar al monte . Las masacres, por ejemplo, son hechos. Pero en este pa?s los medios cubren este tipo de hechos con diez a?os de diferencia y ah? ya no son noticia, son historia. En este momento, como lo cuenta AdamIsacson (s?, un gringo sentando en Washington D.C.), hay serios disturbios en el Cauca y El Tiempo ni lo anota. Tal vez presenten una cr?nica complet?sima dentro de diez a?os. Ch?vere. News is facts, and to write about facts you have to get out from behind your desk, interview people, search the archives, head out into the mountains. Massacres, for example, are facts. But in this country the media covers this type of events with a 10 year difference when they are no longer a news story, but history. In this moment, as Adam Isacson (yes, a gringo sitting in Washington D.C.) reports, there are serious disturbances in the Cauca, and El Tiempo doesn't even have a note on it. Maybe they'll present a full chronicle of it in ten years. Great. In Gacetilla Colombiana, a Digg style application for Colombian news, posters have been linking foreign news as an alternative for those who are under the ?media blackout? on this event, in particular to a major foreign news chain's video [en] where a citizen media recording shows what could be an armed but hooded person dressed in green with a rifle going moving through the mob squad and shooting at the indigenous protesters as the members of the mob squad move to let him pass. In the blog ?Lets Change the World?, Decio Machado posts the email chain sent out by the Indigenous groups, the means through which most Colombians have found out about the crisis. The Selvas.org blog also posts updates on the situation, how indigenous groups are all marching towards a main city called Cali and blocking the Panamerican Highway and other roads with 10 000 people, including cane pickers, farmers women and children. In the national blogging award winner Tienen Huevo blog, they write outraged at the fact that at the same time there is an ethnocide going on in the streets of Colombia, trying to reach Cali, while a fashion and makeup expo is taking place, with people more concentrated on clothing and fashion shows than the indigenous situation. The government has responded to the accusations of opening fire on the indigenous protesters by saying that they have orders not to shoot, so it must've been an inside job, someone infiltrated from the indigenous communities among the police in order to cause panic and bad feeling. Bacteria Opina blog has a caricature of the situation where two indigenous protesters comment that in spite of marching with ?indigenous malice?, a phrase used to determine the ability to make do with whatever is doled out their way, the government is accusing them of being an ?indigenous milicia?. The government has issued statements saying that these indigenous protests are infiltrated by guerrillas and are terrorist activities, statements the indigenous communities refute absolutely on their blog. These other videos online on YouTube show the indigenous community's past struggles, Colombia ________________________________________ Breaking: Colombia: Indigenous Protests and Murders Under Media Blackout By Juliana Rinc?n Parra Oct 23, 2008, 19:48 From Colombia, the indigenous groups in the Cauca department have made an international SOS to call attention on their plight. They accuse the armed forces of opening fire with live ammunition during their marches along the main highways in the country, killing and injuring indigenous protesters. The government keeps stating that the live fire comes from indigenous members or confabulated guerrilla infiltrated within the armed forces to create chaos, and calling these protesters terrorists. The indigenous groups are marching to ask, among other things, for justice for the thousands of Indigenous Colombian people murdered in the past years, including community leaders. From Colombia, the indigenous groups in the Cauca department have made an international SOS to call attention on their plight. On their website, cric-colombia.org they explain how they have been protesting the human rights abuses they have been victim of, represented by the murder of one of their community leaders by hit men and the death threats on other regional and community leaders and spokespeople. They have requested a public audience with the Government Officials, and have been protesting since October 12, demanding the protection of their human rights and making the government live up to the promises of the signed treaties of the past. However, it is said that armed government forces, have shot live ammunition at the protesters, leaving 2 dead and more than 60 indigenous members injured. On this blog post on the indigenous community site they show pictures of the protest and the injuries some have sustained as well as the list of those injured up to October 14th. On October 15th, the armed forces opened fire once again on the protesters, killing one and leaving 39 injured. They have also blocked the roads and ambulances can't get in to help those who are hurt and needing assistance. (Links in Spanish unless otherwise noted) They write: "la fuerza publica entr? disparando con armas de largo alcance y ya hay 3 heridos mas de gravedad. la fuerza militar entro ya al territorio de dialogo y negociaci?n. Se solicita de manera urgente que organismos internacionales frenen esta violencia. tambien a los pueblos inigenas que refuercen el personal que esta siendo atacado." The armed forces came in shooting with long range weapons and there are already 3 other persons seriously injured. The military forces have barged into the territory of dialogue and negotiation. We urgently request international organizations to stop this violence. Also for the indigenous communities to get more people to back those who have been attacked. The indigenous community has been sending emails and posting on their website[es] updates on the situation. The following video was posted last week by user nasacin, including cellphone and video camera images from the manifestations, clips showing shot indigenous community members, a soldier speaking about the differences between the Mob Control ESMAD and the armed forces, stating that the armed forces are to keep the peace, and the ESMAD is the one in charge of defusing violent situations. However, when asked who it is that is shooting with rifles, the soldier doesn't answer. Blogger Alejandro Pel?ez last week wrote of how foreign media is reporting on the indigenous protests, but local media hadn't published anything at all: Las noticias son hechos, y para escribir sobre hechos toca salir del escritorio, entrevistar personas, buscar en archivos, viajar al monte . Las masacres, por ejemplo, son hechos. Pero en este pa?s los medios cubren este tipo de hechos con diez a?os de diferencia y ah? ya no son noticia, son historia. En este momento, como lo cuenta AdamIsacson (s?, un gringo sentando en Washington D.C.), hay serios disturbios en el Cauca y El Tiempo ni lo anota. Tal vez presenten una cr?nica complet?sima dentro de diez a?os. Ch?vere. News is facts, and to write about facts you have to get out from behind your desk, interview people, search the archives, head out into the mountains. Massacres, for example, are facts. But in this country the media covers this type of events with a 10 year difference when they are no longer a news story, but history. In this moment, as Adam Isacson (yes, a gringo sitting in Washington D.C.) reports, there are serious disturbances in the Cauca, and El Tiempo doesn't even have a note on it. Maybe they'll present a full chronicle of it in ten years. Great. In Gacetilla Colombiana, a Digg style application for Colombian news, posters have been linking foreign news as an alternative for those who are under the ?media blackout? on this event, in particular to a major foreign news chain's video [en] where a citizen media recording shows what could be an armed but hooded person dressed in green with a rifle going moving through the mob squad and shooting at the indigenous protesters as the members of the mob squad move to let him pass. In the blog ?Lets Change the World?, Decio Machado posts the email chain sent out by the Indigenous groups, the means through which most Colombians have found out about the crisis. The Selvas.org blog also posts updates on the situation, how indigenous groups are all marching towards a main city called Cali and blocking the Panamerican Highway and other roads with 10 000 people, including cane pickers, farmers women and children. In the national blogging award winner Tienen Huevo blog, they write outraged at the fact that at the same time there is an ethnocide going on in the streets of Colombia, trying to reach Cali, while a fashion and makeup expo is taking place, with people more concentrated on clothing and fashion shows than the indigenous situation. The government has responded to the accusations of opening fire on the indigenous protesters by saying that they have orders not to shoot, so it must've been an inside job, someone infiltrated from the indigenous communities among the police in order to cause panic and bad feeling. Bacteria Opina blog has a caricature of the situation where two indigenous protesters comment that in spite of marching with ?indigenous malice?, a phrase used to determine the ability to make do with whatever is doled out their way, the government is accusing them of being an ?indigenous milicia?. The government has issued statements saying that these indigenous protests are infiltrated by guerrillas and are terrorist activities, statements the indigenous communities refute absolutely on their blog. These other videos online on YouTube show the indigenous community's past struggles, Federico Ruiz posts a play-by-play ping-pong match style summary of events up until Saturday: los ind?genas decretan un paro, el gobierno lo declara ilegal, los ind?genas se toman la panamericana, el gobierno manda a una fuerza especial antimotines de la polic?a para que desbloqueen las carreteras, m?s ind?genas se suman a las movilizaciones, el procurador de la naci?n dice que va a los di?logos, el presidente dice que est? muy ocupado para ir a resolver el problema, los de la polic?a intentan desbloquear la carretera a las malas, los ind?genas dicen que no se van porque les tienen que arreglar sus problemas y cumplirles los compromisos que les hab?an hecho hace como 15 a?os y que est?n en ese link que es una ?carta abierta al presidente?, entre tanto en las protestas matan a un ind?gena y hieren como a 10 seg?n las informaciones de El Tiempo, pero que en realidad no son 10 sino 90 seg?n lo dicen los ind?genas, y los de la polic?a dicen que en la manifestaci?n o en el paro hay infiltrados de la guerrilla, los ind?genas dicen que no, y justo luego los ind?genas descubren que si hay un infiltrado pero que justamente es polic?a y que ten?a unos panfletos de las farc y unas armas para encochinar a los ind?genas, y por si fuera poco, justo llega el defensor regional del pueblo, o sea un representante del gobierno, y dice que ?la Fuerza P?blica se ha excedido en el uso de las armas de fuego?. The indigenous groups decree a strike, the government declares it is illegal, the indians take the panamerican, the government sends a a special force of riot police to unblock the highways, more indians join the marches, the nation's procurer states they are going to dialogue about this, the president says he is too busy to go solve the problem, the police tries to unblock the road the ?bad? way, the indians say they are not leaving because the government has to keep their promise to solve their issues as stated in a 15 year old treaty, that there is an open letter to the president, meanwhile in the protest an aboriginal is killed and 10 are injured according to El Tiempo [ed note. national newspaper], but really they aren't 10 but 90 according to the indigenous organizations, the police state that in the march and strike there are people infiltrated from the guerrilla, the indigenous people say there aren't, and just then the indians discober that there IS someone infiltrated, but that he is from the police force and had some FARC (Colombian Armed Forces) pamphlets and weapons to incriminate the natives, and if it weren't enough, the regional defender for the people, a government representative, comes and says that the ?Armed Forces have exceeded themselves in the use of fire weapons?. EDITED to add: The organization who sent in the recording of the hooded shooter among the mob squad team have uploaded it online with other images of the protests. The images of the shooter amongst the mob squad, shooting at protesters starts at 1:44. They also add images of President Uribe calling military leaders to ask about the murders of the protesters, to which the military replied it was a shrapnel wounds from a pipe bomb and wasn't a bullet injury.The indigenous people are also shown with segments of a handmade grenade full of metal pieces and ball bearings they claim the armed forces are using against them. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44278 COLOMBIA: Indigenous People Protest in Face of Threats By Helda Mart?nez BOGOTA, Oct 15 (IPS) - At the top of the list of demands of some 7,000 people mobilising in the Cauca municipality of Piendam? is the clarification of the deaths of 13 indigenous people killed over the past two weeks in different parts of Colombia. Thousands of indigenous, black, mestizo (mixed-race) and white representatives of social organisations gathered over the weekend in the southern region of Cauca to participate in the "minga" (a traditional indigenous meeting convened to achieve a collective purpose) on occasion of the D?a de la Raza (Day of the Race), which marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus?s arrival in the Americas. In a public statement, the protesters denounced Tuesday that the army had injured 23 indigenous people and that three others were missing, as a result of "the repression exercised by the state against our peaceful demonstration." They also reported that army helicopters were overflying the indigenous reserve where the gathering is taking place. Protesters were called to commemorate "516 years of resistance against a regime of terror at the service of multinational capitalist greed." Representatives of the union of judicial sector workers, the Asonal Judicial, and sugarcane cutters -- both of which have been on strike for more than a month -- joined the demonstration on Monday Oct. 13. These two additions are expected to double the current number of protesters, according to estimates by Manuel Rozental, a spokesperson for indigenous groups who spoke to IPS by telephone. The demonstrators are waiting for Colombia?s right-wing President ?lvaro Uribe to respond to a letter they presented on Thursday Oct. 9, in which they demand justice and recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples, which are enshrined in the 1991 constitution. But Uribe and his staff have so far remained silent. Cauca Governor Guillermo Gonz?lez Mosquera "is talking, at least, but he offers no solutions and assumes no responsibility," Rozental said. On Sunday "he warned us that military intelligence reports revealed that indigenous leader Feliciano Valencia could be targeted by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)," he added. But the indigenous movement gives little credence to Gonz?lez Mosquera?s warning, as it is common, in the context of Colombia?s armed conflict, for far-right paramilitary and leftwing guerrilla groups to hurl this kind of accusation at each other. According to Rozental, "The FARC accuse the black eagles (right-wing paramilitaries), and the black eagles accuse the FARC." The Colombian army is also present in the area. Valencia himself told IPS that "in any case, it doesn?t matter who gave the order; the order exists." Valencia is a leader of the Cauca indigenous movement who has gained a reputation for fighting the modern-day slavery conditions to which native ethnic groups and afro-Colombians are still subjected by large landowners. "This activity is different from participating in an armed conflict. We are an indigenous community with our own rules, and we expect armed groups and the State to respect them," Valencia said. But the armed groups involved in the decades-old civil war think otherwise. In the last two weeks, they were responsible for the death of 13 people, whose killers have not been identified. According to representatives of indigenous groups, the latest victim was 39-year-old activist Nicol?s Valencia Lemus, who was murdered on Sunday Oct. 12 at 8:30 am. As he made his way to Torib?o, in the Cauca region, he was stopped on the road by hooded men who identified themselves as black eagles, forced him to get out of the vehicle in which he was driving with his wife and son, and killed him. "Regardless of where they come from, the bullets only serve the cause of those who are against the people," states a press release issued by the indigenous movement. "As we celebrate the Minga para la Conmoci?n de los Pueblos (or Minga to Mobilise the People) and commemorate 516 years of resistance and pain, Nicol?s?s murder must be clarified. Several armed groups who are looking to benefit from these acts of terror are active around the area where he was gunned down," the press release adds. "In the face of death, we will continue to speak out and defend life and dignity?The terror they spread will shame and condemn them. Their lives, guns and words will not be enough to cover up their abominable crimes. Nicol?s Valencia Lemus?s death hurts us all and we will fight for justice to be done in his name," it states. Twelve other murders, besides Valencia Lemus?s, were committed in different parts of the country, including Nari?o in the south, Caldas in the central region, and Antioquia in the northwest. And it is not just murders: there have also been numerous threats and other attacks. On Monday, demonstrators who were headed for the Piendam? meeting were held up by the army for a few hours, but "they eventually let us through, and here we are," Ezequiel, another activist, told IPS. The Minga is also being held simultaneously in other regions, like the northern provinces of La Guajira and Santander, Boyac? and Casanare in the east, and the midwest province of Quind?o. But the largest demonstration is taking place in Cauca, Colombia?s most heavily indigenous province, which is culturally close to Nari?o and Putumayo. Demonstrators also expressed their repudiation of the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States, which is pending congressional approval in the U.S. The indigenous people are calling for "treaties between peoples, treaties that are for the people and for life, and not treaties between those who are against the people and are killing our Mother Earth with their greed." They are also demanding "the repeal of the constitutional reforms and pillaging laws that surrender our wealth to corporate interests, and condemn us to silence, stupidity, forced labour, marginalisation and death." The statement mentions a number of regulations promoted by the Uribe administration, including the rural statute, the mining code, water laws and programmes, and the forestry law, which the movements "will continue fighting until they are repealed." They are also speaking out against the "terror spread by Plan Colombia (the U.S.-financed anti-drug and counterinsurgency strategy), (Uribe?s) Democratic Security policy, and ?para-politicians? (lawmakers linked to the far-right paramilitaries), which are infesting our country and sowing death and forced displacement with the false promise of achieving social recuperation." "With this protest -- which is not a crime, but rather an obligation seen as a crime by those who fear freedom -- we want to tell the world how the United States and the (U.S. army) Southern Command are setting up Coordination Centres for Integrated Action, from which they occupy our territories with the aim of handing them over to multinational corporations along with the wealth of our peoples," Valencia said. He also recalled the legislation currently in force in Colombia, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, land rights, trade union rights and other basic rights, and called for "the drafting of a peoples? agenda that will allow us to go from a country with owners and without the people to a country of the people without owners." (END/2008) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/10/24/180129/Uribe%3A-Police.htm Updated Friday, October 24, 2008 10:01 am TWN, By Patrick Markey, Reuters Uribe: Police opened fire on indigenous protesters BOGOTA -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe acknowledged on Wednesday police had opened fire on indigenous protesters during demonstrations for land rights and against a free trade agreement with the United States. At least two indigenous protesters died during marches earlier this week. The government says tests show they were killed when a home-made bomb exploded as they handled it while community leaders say the men were shot by security forces. The controversy broke as Uribe, a key U.S. ally, lobbied Democrats in the U.S. Congress to approve the trade deal he says will consolidate gains made against leftist guerrillas. But Democrats want him to do more to protect human rights, especially those of labor leaders. The shooting incident came as thousands of Colombians from various indigenous groups marched on the city of Cali to demand the government live up to promises to protect their lands, defend them against violence and reconsider the trade pact. ?An investigation shows that yes, police did open fire. An officer ... admits opening fire because they were being attacked with explosives,? Uribe said during a late-night broadcast. Still, ?medical exams show the indigenous people died not from gunshots from security forces but from explosives,? he said. Uribe?s statement came after CNN broadcast a videotape it said was made by marchers. It shows a uniformed man with his face covered opening fire with a rifle. The target is not clear, but riot police moved aside to let him shoot. Police have clashed over a week with the indigenous groups, who authorities say have blocked a major highway, using home-made weapons, sticks and machetes. At least 32 police have been wounded and one lost his hands in an explosion, the government says. Authorities have accused the FARC rebel group of helping provoke the violence, a charge indigenous leaders reject. Colombia?s long rebel conflict has eased as the FARC has been driven back into remote areas and Uribe has negotiated the surrender of thousands of paramilitaries who once committed massacres and stole land in the name of counter-insurgency. Colombia has 85 indigenous ethnic groups with a population of around 1 million who have been among the most victimized people in the country?s four-decade conflict. Violence still displaces thousands of people from their homes each year. Rights groups say the conflict has pushed at least six indigenous groups to the brink of extinction as they are caught in the cross-fire between armed groups often battling for control of lucrative cocaine-producing territories. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N23464560.htm Indigenous Colombians march, unions protest Uribe 23 Oct 2008 21:21:13 GMT Source: Reuters (Recasts with new date, marches, deaths, possible talks) By Patrick Markey BOGOTA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Thousands of indigenous Colombians marched on Thursday to press their demands against President Alvaro Uribe, and labor unions protested in the capital Bogota, where five small blasts panicked residents. Indigenous protesters with traditional staves, banners and mock coffins snaked toward Cali city, where leaders want talks with Uribe on promises to protect their lands, defend them against violence and reject a U.S. free trade agreement. In Bogota, where several thousand state employees marched against Uribe's economic management, five small explosions left in trash cans or tied to lampposts slightly wounded at least 11 people, police said without commenting on those responsible. Authorities say three indigenous protesters have died during more than a week of demonstrations near Cali. Uribe says they were killed when a homemade bomb exploded, but community leaders say security forces shot the victims. "If he has the will to meet with the indigenous communities and the social movements, then let's do it in Cali," said Ayda Quilcue, a member of the Cauca province indigenous leadership. The deaths came as Uribe, a key U.S. ally, lobbies U.S. Democrats for the trade deal he says will consolidate gains made against leftist guerrillas. But Democrats want him to better protect rights, especially those of labor leaders. Uribe late on Wednesday acknowledged a police officer had opened fire with his rifle on the protesters but he said medical exams showed victims did not die from gunshots. The statement came after a video was broadcast showing a uniformed man opening fire, but his target is unclear. Uribe offered talks with indigenous communities at the weekend. Police have clashed for days with the indigenous groups, who authorities say have blocked a key highway, using homemade weapons, sticks and machetes. At least 32 police have been wounded and one lost his hands in an explosion, Uribe said. Authorities have accused the FARC rebel group of helping provoke violence, a charge indigenous leaders reject. Colombia's long rebel conflict has eased as the FARC has been driven back into remote areas and Uribe has negotiated the surrender of thousands of paramilitaries who once committed massacres and stole land in the name of counter-insurgency. Colombia has 85 indigenous ethnic groups with a population of around 1 million who have been among the most victimized people in the country's four-decade conflict. Violence still displaces thousands of people each year. http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/24/rss.htm#e7 Bombs injure 16 in Bogota during protest BOGOTA, Columbia: At least 16 people were injured when six home-made bombs went off inside trash cans in Bogota during a protest march by thousands of civil servants, police said Thursday. The nearly simultaneous explosions occurred in residential neighborhoods near the German and Peruvian embassies, a branch of US Citibank and outside a McDonalds, Bogota police chief Rodolfo Palomino told reporters. He said a passenger bus had also been set on fire Thursday near the El Dorado airport, and that so far there were no clues as to the culprits of the crimes. (Posted @ 06:47 PST) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/10/25/180282/Bombs-injure.htm October 25, 2008 10:51 am TWN, AFP Bombs injure 16 in Bogota during civil servant protest BOGOTA -- At least 16 people were injured when six home-made bombs went off inside trash cans in Bogota during a protest march by thousands of civil servants, police said Thursday. The nearly simultaneous explosions occurred in residential neighborhoods near the German and Peruvian embassies, a branch of U.S. Citibank and outside a McDonalds, Bogota police chief Rodolfo Palomino told reporters. He said a passenger bus had also been set on fire Thursday near the El Dorado airport, and that so far there were no clues as to the culprits of the crimes. He said the bombs injured 16 people, but that ?nobody was seriously hurt.? ?They were low-powered, home-made bombs that make lots of noise but little damage,? another police spokesman told AFP. United Workers Union leader Tarsicio Mora condemned the bombings, calling them ?acts of terror that seek to undermine the social protest movement and peaceful demonstrations.? The bombs went off as thousands of civil servants on a 24-hour strike demonstrated in central Bogota in support a two-week-long protest by thousands of indigenous people in southern Colombia against President Alvaro Uribe?s administration. Their chief demand is that the government return ancestral land they deem was taken illegally from indigenous communities over the past 15 years. Three Indians were killed by gunfire in clashes with police in southern Cauca department earlier this month, with the government. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/10/20/colombia.protests/index.html?eref=rss_world October 21, 2008 -- Updated 0406 GMT (1206 HKT) Colombian Indians push anti-government protests ? Story Highlights ? Indian leaders aim to get some 20,000 protesters to march on city of Cali ? At least two Indians have been killed in the protests, which began October 10 ? The government says up to 70 security forces have been hurt ? The protests are to coincide with Columbus' discovery of the Americas POPAYAN, Colombia (CNN) -- Thousands of Colombian Indians plan to protest government policies on Tuesday in the country's second-largest city, marking more than a week of demonstrations against the nation's free-market economic policies. Indians protest against the government on Tuesday in Medellin in northern Colombia. Indian leaders in the mountains of southwest Colombia announced during the weekend they were gathering as many as 20,000 protesters and would begin to march Tuesday on the city of Cali, an industrial and agricultural hub. At least two Indians have been killed and more than 80 have been injured in the protests, which began October 10 and have included a blockade of the Pan-American highway. The government says as many as 70 security force members, mainly riot police, have also been injured. During the past week, protesters throwing rocks and firing sling shots, catapults and Molotov cocktails, have clashed with riot police, who fought back with tear gas, rocks and batons. The Indians also say the security forces have been shooting at them with rifles and canisters packed with shrapnel. President Alvaro Uribe has denied that police and army forces have been using lethal force against demonstrators, but medics say they have treated scores of Indians injured by bullets and shrapnel. The protesters allege one of their own, 27-year-old Taurino Ramos, was fatally shot in the head by police. The police have made no official comment. A formal autopsy was not conducted because the Nasa tribe, to which Ramos belonged, opposes autopsies for cultural reasons. Press photos of Ramos being carried away from the front lines of the clashes showed him bleeding heavily from his head. Seven Indian tribes in southwest Cauca and Valle del Cauca provinces launched the protests to coincide with the date of October 12, known in the United States as Columbus Day and in much of Latin America as Dia de la Raza, or Day of the (Indian) Race. Latin America's Indian communities equate the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492 as the start of the Spanish colonial invasion, which led to millions of Indian deaths in wars and from disease. The Spanish invaders drove the Indian populations off their ancestral lands and deep into jungles and mountains, as they plundered resources, including gold and silver. Since then, the Indian population has become an ethnic and economic underclass in Colombia and in most of Latin America. They rank among the poorest sectors of society. The Indians have called for the government to fulfill previous pledges to give more land to Indian reservations, guarantee better health care and education, and to stop big business and multinational companies from encroaching on their lands. Under the Colombian constitution, all subsoil rights belong "to the nation," which effectively means the government can, and has, granted mining rights to national and multinational corporations on lands claimed by Indians. The Indians, whose lifestyle and religion is connected closely with preservation of the environment, are bitterly opposed to unrestricted mining in their territory. "We oppose these types of indiscriminate mining activities allowed under the new mining code," Luis Fernando Arias, secretary general of the National Indigenous Council of Colombia (ONIC), told CNN by telephone. Indian leaders describe their protest as "anti-capitalist." They see their struggle as another reflection of growing worldwide concern over free market economic policies and financial management, which they say were to blame for the recent meltdown in global stock markets. "The capitalist system our government imported from the United States is a failure. The world is bankrupt," Aida Quilcue, a protest leader, told CNN. "This shouldn't just be a fight by the Indians but by everyone in Colombia and across the world who rejects this deadly capitalist model." About 1.3 million Indians divided among 102 tribes or ethnic groups are living in Colombia, the government estimates. The government argues the Indians are well provided for with more than 66 million acres of reservations. But Indian authorities say the statistic is misleading since much of the land is jungle, mountain or swamp -- and protected as an environmental reserve. They say almost 500,000 Indians have no land at all. Last week, Indian protesters briefly blocked the Pan-American highway, a symbolic target as well as a major trade route for road cargo traveling the length of South America. The highway was conceived in 1923 as a way to unite the Americas. It runs some 29,000 miles (48,000 kilometers) from Alaska to Patagonia at the southern tip of South America -- broken only for a few miles between Panama and Colombia in a lawless region of thick jungle. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/10/15/colombia.clashes/index.html October 16, 2008 -- Updated 1429 GMT (2229 HKT) Two dead, 100 hurt in Colombian clashes By Karl Penhaul CNN BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Violent clashes between Indian protesters and riot police continued Wednesday in southwest Colombia, increasing the casualty toll to at least two dead and about 100 injured, according to Indian spokesmen. Indians and riot police clash in Candelaria, in southern Colombia, on Tuesday. The protests started Tuesday, when an estimated 7,000 Indians from various ethnic communities used rocks and tree trunks to block the Pan-American Highway -- the country's main north-south thoroughfare -- in at least four locations between Colombia's second largest city, Cali, and the city of Popayan, 85 miles (135 kilometers) to the south. Fresh clashes broke out Wednesday when police moved in with armored personnel carriers and water cannons to clear the highway. The Indians are protesting the Colombian government's free market economic policies; regional landowners they say have stolen their territory; and government plans for a free-trade deal with the United States. Watch Indian protesters prepare for battle ? The Indians, who are traditionally among the very poorest in Colombian society, along with blacks, say they are worse off than ever before. Indian congressman Climaco Alvarez accused police of firing on protesters with live rounds Wednesday. Police deny using lethal force. An Indian spokesman said one Indian was killed in Wednesday's clashes and 39 were injured. That adds to Tuesday's toll, given to CNN by another Indian spokesman, of one dead and around 60 injured. Two hours after the clashes, the Indians said they had managed to move back onto the highway and set up fresh blockades. Tuesday's clashes took place at several locations along the Pan-American Highway. One spokesman for the National Indigenous Council told CNN that injuries to Indians, mostly of the Nasa tribe, had occurred in clashes with riot police near the southwest town of La Maria Piendamo and farther north near a community known as La Candelaria. He said 18 of the injured at La Maria Piendamo had gunshot wounds. Col. Jorge Enrique Cartagena, commander of the police's elite riot squad, said his men had not used live rounds, only tear gas and water cannons. He said seven of his men had been hurt, two seriously, by demonstrators who tossed rocks and fired stones from slingshots, and by exploding gunpowder. He also said leftist guerrilla fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had infiltrated the demonstration and were motivating the protest. Indian organizations deny the accusation, which law enforcement officials frequently level at social protests across the country. The Pan-American Highway is a network of routes stretching from Alaska to South America's southern tip in Patagonia. The idea for it was conceived in 1923 to unite the Americas. The road network is only broken at the jungle-covered border of Panama and Colombia -- a stretch of about 54 miles (87 kilometers) called the Darien Gap. Otherwise, the road network runs about 29,000 miles (48,000 kilometers). http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/10/22/colombia.protesters/ October 22, 2008 -- Updated 0852 GMT (1652 HKT) 2 men killed in Colombia protests ? Story Highlights ? Two men fatally shot during protests in Colombia ? Protesters claim police shot men, but Colombian authorities deny allegations ? Demonstrators seek more land for Colombia's 1.3 million Indians, more funding From Karl Penhaul CNN VILLARICA, Colombia (CNN) -- Two men were shot to death Tuesday in a clash with riot police amid a burgeoning Indian protest in southwestern Colombia. The men were shot in the head and back as they sought to join thousands of Indians marching on Colombia's second-largest city, Cali. Other demonstrators said government security forces fired on the men, but Colombian authorities denied the allegation. Police claim protesters attacked them with homemade explosives. Tuesday's violence stirred resentment among Indians. "We went out there today to reject the government, and they open fire on us," one protester said. Col. Jorge Enrique Cartagena, national chief of Colombia's riot police, said someone in the crowd of demonstrators killed one of the two men. "We think he was shot from within the crowd, and they're doing that to whip up anger," he said. The Indians have said that security forces have been shooting at them with rifles and canisters packed with shrapnel. Colombia President Alvaro Uribe has denied that police and army forces have been using lethal force against demonstrators, but medics said they have treated scores of Indians injured by bullets and shrapnel. Protesters have blockaded the Pan-American highway, fired slingshots and hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails in periodic clashes with riot police. Authorities said they have fought back with tear gas, rocks and batons. Demonstrators want the government to set aside more land for Colombia's 1.3 million Indians and to provide more money for better education and health care. They also would like the government to prevent corporations and multi-national companies from encroaching on their land. So far, four protesters have been killed since demonstrations began October 10. At least 130 more have been injured. The government says as many as 70 security force members, mainly riot police, have also been hurt. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=609081 ________________________________________ Brutal Crackdown on Indigenous Protest in Colombia Posted: 2008/10/17 From: Source More than 75 people were injured and at least one was killed in a crackdown on indigenous protests being held in different areas of Colombia. by Helda Mart?nez (IPS) BOGOTA - The protests began Oct. 12, D?a de la Raza (Day of the Race -- which marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus? arrival in the Americas), in La Mar?a, an indigenous reserve in the southwestern province of Cauca. Demonstrators participating in the National Mobilisation of Indigenous and Popular Resistance, convened by indigenous organisations, blocked the Pan American highway, the main north-south artery in Colombia, a branch of which communicates the country with Ecuador. To clear the road, the army and police went in with helicopters and armoured vehicles, and opened fire with live ammunition. "It was terrible, and so unfair. We had no weapons. We only have our ceremonial staffs which symbolise authority. At this moment (midday on Wednesday) they are still shooting, although they have removed us from the Pan American highway," Manuel Rozental, a spokesperson for local indigenous groups, told IPS. Nevertheless, "the number of protesters is growing. More people are coming down from the mountains to participate in the demonstration, and we estimate there are at least 200,000 indigenous people involved throughout the country," said Rozental. Active protests are taking place in 16 of Colombia?s 32 provinces: La Guajira, C?rdoba, Sucre, Atl?ntico and Choc?, on the northern Caribbean coast; Norte de Santander, Boyac? and Casanare, in the east; Meta, to the south of Bogot?; Risaralda, Caldas, Quindio and Tolima in the centre of the country; Cauca and Huila in the southwest; and Valle del Cauca, in the west. The indigenous organisations have a list of 12 demands that they want to negotiate in direct talks with rightwing Colombian President ?lvaro Uribe. Referring to the clashes in Cauca, Vice President Francisco Santos said "what is going on there is guerrilla infiltration, and those who are fighting are the Grandchildren of Quint?n Lame," an indigenous leader of the last century who fought for recognition of the rights of native communities. Lame's name was adopted by a group of young indigenous people left landless because the reserves have not been expanded. They use explosives and other violent methods in protests, and are disapproved of by their traditional authorities. However, the cabildos (local indigenous governing councils) insistently deny any links between the indigenous people and armed groups of any kind. Colombia has been living through a civil war for nearly half a century, between insurgent groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), far-right paramilitary militias and government troops. The indigenous people in Cauca are demanding that Uribe put in a personal appearance in the area, because "there are too many precedents of unfulfilled promises. At the world summit of indigenous peoples that was held right there in La Mar?a, in 2005, they promised us talks, but what they did was send in more troops, to burn and destroy," said Rozental. At a plenary session of Congress on Tuesday night, indigenous Senator Jes?s Pi?acu? explained the deep-seated reasons behind the mobilisation, and won support from the International Affairs Commission, and among legislators of the opposition Liberal Party and Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA). On Wednesday, Pi?acu? said that just as Uribe has negotiated with drug traffickers and paramilitary forces, he should enter into dialogue with the indigenous people. Agriculture Minister Andr?s Felipe Arias called Pi?acu? a "terrorist." "I hope this struggle that has gone on for so many years, and the specific requests set forth by the present mobilisation, that we have been waiting for with humility and resignation for five years, will be met with solutions. Meanwhile we will keep on struggling, as there is nothing else we can do," Pi?acu? told IPS. On Tuesday, the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC) reported the alleged forced disappearance of two people from the protest in La Mar?a to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It also asked the Organisation of American States (OAS) for "urgent intervention" by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, because at the height of the protest the web page belonging to the Association of Indigenous Authorities of Northern Cauca (ACIN) was disabled, and power was cut off at the headquarters of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), from which ONIC's virtual radio station, Dachibedea, is retransmitted. More than 30 national and international civil society and human rights organisations said that the indigenous demonstration is part of the actions decided by indigenous groups in 2001, and is "aimed at expressing their rejection of physical and cultural genocide and the various ways in which their rights have been trampled on and violated." In a communiqu?, the social organisations stressed that indigenous territories are coveted for their natural resources, and fought over by the armed groups in the civil war. They are also strategic areas for implementing economic and infrastructure projects, the statement says. This "violates the autonomy, territorial integrity and collective rights of indigenous peoples, through the violation of sacred areas, the loss of cultures, and the denial of the right of free, prior and informed consent," it says. In the statement, the social organisations express great concern that the Colombian government has not signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, approved by the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 13, 2007. They also allege that the Colombian state is in breach of International Labour Organisation Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and of the recommendations of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. Since 2002, when the Uribe administration took office, 1,253 indigenous people have been murdered and at least 54,000 have been expelled from their ancestral lands, according to ONIC. *With additional reporting by Constanza Vieira in Bogot? From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 18:55:18 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:55:18 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-capitalist, anti-corporate and anti-neoliberal protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAAFF86.7070801@tesco.net> * PHILIPPINES: Protesters target global migration forum * FRANCE: Mass protests against "Fortress Europe" summit * PUERTO RICO: Activists block luxury development project in year-long protest camp * GREECE: Clashes during anti-neoliberal general strike * PERU: Energy corporation faces deadline to leave in community protests * PERU: Rio Tinto mine halted by community protest * BRAZIL: Indigenous protesters occupy, burn down hydro project * US: Bank hit over road-building links * INDIA: Concern over pharma incentive scheme * KOREA: Repression as beef protests tail out; left protests undemocratic regime * US: Company sabbed over private prison links * INDONESIA: Bandung - Rally against pro-US event, capitalism * GREECE: Anti-privatisation protesters blockade runway * NIGERIA: Workers protest gas privatisation * PAKISTAN: Workers protest against privatisation, power crisis, price hikes and anti-union laws * MEXICO: Teachers, residents clash with police over neoliberal reforms * MEXICO: 1968 anniversary marked with protests, clashes * MEXICO: Oil neoliberalism protesters blockade parliament * PHILIPPINES: "Militant" protest groups target oil firms, price rises * ITALY: Left stages anti-Berlusconi protests * PERU: Protests over low wages, cost of living, corruption * GERMANY: Frankfurt - Anti-market protesters take over stock exchange, hang banner * GERMANY: Munich - Millionaire fair faces protests * UK: Protesters march on Royal Exchange in bailout protest; protests also in Scotland * US: Detroit - anti-bailout march * ICELAND: Wave of protests over collapse begin * ARGENTINA: Protest to protect pensions from crisis * US: San Francisco - Protests disrupt mortgage forum * US: Detroit - Protesters denounce mortgage "state of emergency" * SPAIN: Anti-poverty protesters target bailout * SOUTH AFRICA: Anti-poverty protest * CANADA: Protests over homelessness, economic crisis http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129585/Protesters-march-to-PICC-vs-global-forum-traffic-snarled Protesters march to PICC vs global forum; traffic snarled 10/27/2008 | 10:59 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Traffic in the southbound part near the Manila City Hall was snarled Monday morning as protesters started their march to the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that militant workers joined the march to protest the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). Organizers of the march, who gathered earlier at Liwasang Bonifacio, earlier said they expected up to 10,000 workers to join them in protesting the event. The protesters were to bring up the issues of export policy, union rights for migrants, and migrants' rights. As of 10 a.m., there was no report of any violent confrontation with the Manila Police District (MPD), which deployed civil disturbance management unit (CDMU) operatives in key areas along the route to the PICC. The MPD also brought in reinforcements from other CDMU units in Metro Manila. - http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129602/Cops-foil-workers-march-vs-migration-forum Cops foil workers' march vs migration forum 10/27/2008 | 01:04 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Militant workers protesting the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) were foiled in their attempt to stage a protest at the forum's venue in Pasay City Monday. Radio dzBB reported that two battalions of Manila police blocked the militants' path at the corner of Taft Avenue and Ayala Boulevard. Traffic along Taft Avenue was snarled Monday morning as the riot police blocked the workers who were marching to the site of the forum at the Philippine International Convention Center. Earlier, traffic in the southbound part near the Manila City Hall was snarled as protesters started their march from Liwasang Bonifacio to the PICC. Organizers of the march, who gathered earlier at Liwasang Bonifacio, earlier said they expected up to 10,000 workers to join them in protesting the event. The protesters were to bring up the issues of export policy, union rights for migrants, and migrants' rights. For their part, the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines in Metro Manila were placed on full alert in time for the global forum on migration in Pasay City. Expected to attend the conference are some 1,000 foreign delegates from 151 countries and 20 international organizations. At least 15 ministers from different countries are also attending. Police started dry runs of security arrangements at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex as early as last week, inconveniencing motorists and commuters affected by the arrangements. The second Global Forum on Migration and Development will run from Oct. 27 to 30. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will keynote the opening of the four-day conference on Monday at the PICC in Pasay City with foreign affairs secretary Alberto Romulo. - GMANews.TV http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view/20081026-168525/Protesters-kick-migration-forum Protesters ?kick? migration forum By Julie M. Aurelio Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 02:50:00 10/26/2008 Filed Under: Migration, People, Labor MANILA, Philippines?Militants and football players ?kicked out? the Global Forum on Migration Development (GFMD) set to be held in the country next week, as they played ball yesterday morning at the University of the Philippines sunken garden. Members of Anakpawis said the soccer ball they were kicking symbolized the international forum, which they claimed did not promote the welfare of Filipino migrants toiling abroad. ?It will just be the capitalist countries that will benefit from it as they formulate policies for the globalization of labor,? said Randy Evangelista, Anakpawis public information officer. The GFMD will be held on Oct. 27-30 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The forum is expected to draw over 1,000 foreign labor ministers and other dignitaries from 151 countries. In an interview, Evangelista said policies promoting the migration of Filipino workers were a modern-day form of slave labor which showed no concern for the welfare of the workers themselves. ?Migration is actually a manifestation of the lack of job opportunities here in the country. What the government should do is provide for stable social services, education, health and work so that we can achieve self-sufficiency,? said Evangelista. He and other Anakpawis members kicked around a soccer ball with regular football players to show their vehement opposition to the GFMD. They were also able to get soccer players from the Ateneo grade and high schools and UP College of Medicine to join the spirited protest. ?We didn?t have to explain it that much to them. After all, global migration also affects them as students,? said Evangelista. Instead, the protesting footballers will support the International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees to be held at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila, on Oct. 29. ?We hope the actual concerns of migrants will be addressed there,? Evangelista said. Lian Santos, deputy secretary of Migrante, said migration should not be seen as a solution to poverty and the lack of jobs in the country. ?It?s not a solution to the problem. If workers keep going to other countries, then the Philippines will have less development,? he pointed out. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411986.html Filipino Workers hold March to protest against the GFMD Alliance of Progressive of Labor (APL) | 31.10.2008 00:25 | Migration | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | World As the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) opened today in Manila, at least 5000 workers from the Philippines and other countries in every region of the world came together in one of the broadest labor mobilizations ever organized in the entire history of the global trade union movement. Foreign leaders of global unions around the world joined the Workers March in solidarity with the Solidarity Action of Labor against GFMD (SALAG), the first national labor formation created to respond to issues on migration and development. SALAG which led the rally includes the Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR), the different national public sector unions that are members of the Public Services International (PSI) in the Philippines, and the Solidarity of Union and Labor Organization for New Government (SULONG). The Workers March started off at the Liwasang Bonifacio and later on advanced towards the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)?the venue of the GFMD. ?We workers marched today to collectively express our indignation over the GFMD and the agenda it represents?an agenda that seeks to promote the export of labor and the sidestepping of workers rights. We march for the workers and migrants who have been excluded in the process that claims to speak for them!? said Josua Mata, one of the spokespersons of SALAG. ?For us the GFMD has lost any legitimacy and meaning when it slammed its doors to the migrant workers,? Mata said. The GFMD is an annual consultative, non-binding and government-led process which will be attended by representatives from governments in around 150 countries. It has become the venue to discuss issues related to migration and development. The first GFMD took place in Brussels, Belgium in 2007. This year the Philippines is host to the 2nd GFMD which will be held on Oct 27-30. The workers held the march to condemn the GFMD for failing to ensure protection and promotion of migrant workers rights in the migration and development discourse. The streets to PICC turned into a sea of black with 5000 workers marching together in black shirts carrying the slogan ?Movement of Workers, Unions without Borders.? SALAG attacked the GFMD for merely focusing on remittances, temporary movement of workers, and securing bilateral agreements for exchange of labor between countries. Further, SALAG pointed out how the GFMD has become ?a space for governments to construct an unsafe and unjust environment for migrant workers.? ?The GFMD is about creating borders to keep the ?odd workers? out,? said Mata. ?These are the ?undocumented workers or those workers that governments and recruiters would like to dispose off as soon as they have outlived their use. All in all the GFMD really is a hypocritical process to promote the agenda of worker-hungry private employers and recruiters who treat migrant workers as commodities and virtual slaves,? said Mata. SALAG also slammed the state for marketing the Philippines as a model country in terms of managing labor migration in the 2nd GFMD. ?The Philippines is not the model country in labor migration. We are instead the living testimony to the failure that is the remittance-driven development strategy,? claimed Annie Enriquez-Geron, spokesperson of the public sector unions under SALAG. ?In fact, they shouldn?t even be talking about migrant workers? remittances. They dont have the right to talk about migrant workers? money!? she added. The GFMD is held at a time when countries all over the world are anguishing from the global financial crisis. In response to the global economic slowdown, the Philippine government has just recently set up an emergency program worth P 1 Billion to help migrant workers who will be affected by the crisis. However, SALAG believes this is just a manoeuvre to cover up the real agenda of the government. ?It is absolutely wrong to think that the government with its P 1 Billion emergency program will bail out our OFWs,? Enriquez-Geron said. ?In fact, it would be the other way around. It will be the workers who will bail out the government out of the financial crisis as the state will surely push more of its workers out of the country to save its fragile economy that relies mainly on remittances sent by migrant workers.? ?No wonder then that the government is more than happy to announce that the deployment of OFWs has increased and even breached the one million mark in just the first nine (9) months of this year despite the global economic slump,? explained Enriquez-Geron. SALAG believes that at its current state, the GFMD is just an expensive but pointless exercise. ?Come to think of it we don?t really need the GFMD when the only thing that the governments really have to do is implement the already existing ILO and UN Conventions on human rights and workers rights,? said Renato Magtubo, spokesperson of SALAG. ?We believe GFMD is merely a forum to advance the export of labor. It is a forum meant to legitimize a remittance-driven development strategy. And we workers do not believe in such a strategy. Workers are not commodities that are to be traded but human beings with fundamental rights,? Magtubo said. ### Solidarity Action of Labor Against GFMD (SALAG) SALAG is the first broad and independent national labor formation in the Philippines created to respond to issues on migration and development. SALAG includes the Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR), the different public sector federations affiliated with the Public Services International, and the Solidarity of Union and Labor Organization for New Government (SULONG). SALAG represents the voice of Filipino workers?whether they are here in the country or working abroad. It is a platform that will strive to protect and defend the rights of our OFWs?their right to decent work and pay, their right to organize into unions and associations, and their right to bargain and negotiate for better working conditions and pay. SALAG also serves as the platform that will resist any attempts to curtail these rights in a bid to promote a development paradigm solely motivated by profit or so-called remittances. Consequently, SALAG is a direct action of labor against the biggest fraud by governments against migrant workers rights that is the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). Global Unions Global unions are international trade union organizations working together with a shared commitment to the organize workers, defend human and workers rights, and promote promote trade unionism. There are eleven established global unions organized along industry / sector lines. These are the following: Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), Education International (EI), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers? Union (ICEM), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Metalworkers? Federation (IMF), International Trasnport Workers? Federation (ITF), International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF), International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers? Associations (IUF), Public Services International (PSI), Union Network International (UNI), International Arts and Entertainment Allianc (IAEA). http://www.apl.org.ph/ Workers Set to Rock The GFMD With Protest Action Workers are set to pour out into the streets of Manila tomorrow, October 27, to denounce the biggest fraud being concocted by governments against migrant workers rights ? the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). At least 10,000 workers, including 200 representatives of Global Unions from around the world, are expected to march from Liwasan Bonifacio to the PICC where they intend to deliver the labor movements? position on migration, development and human rights. The Solidarity Action of Labor against GFMD or SALAG will lead the rally. Leaders of SALAG questioned the existence of the GFMD process. Apart from developing international instruments enforceable by the labor movement, the workers believe that all that is needed is for governments to ratify and implement the ILO core conventions and the UN conventions on human rights and development. The GFMD has no right to talk about migration, development and human rights when migrant workers themselves are not present in this forum. According to SALAG leaders, the GFMD is a forum meant to legitimize a remittance-driven development strategy. This is a flawed strategy has not redounded to national development and instead has resulted in grave social costs and has led to massive ?brain drain? and even ?brain waste?. As a means of job generation, it has become a sorry excuse for government to abandon the goals of full employment and local industrialization. With the clear and present danger of the financial meltdown and economic recession in the US going global, the weakness of labor export strategy is further exposed as the rights and welfare of the migrant workers of the world are imperiled once more. SALAG reiterates that workers are not commodities that are to be traded but human beings with fundamental rights! Thus instead of labor export policy, governments should promote full employment through sustainable development. The rally organizers promised that tomorrow?s march will be festive. SALAG is a broad labor formation in the Philippines created to respond to issues on migration and development. SALAG includes the Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR), the different Philippine public sector unions affiliated with the Public Services International, and the Solidarity of Union and Labor Organization for New Government (SULONG). Member Organizations of SALAG = Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR) ? Partido ng Manggagawa ? National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) = Public Services International Affiliates in the Philippines ? Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW) ? Alliance of Government Workers in the Water Sector (AGWWAS) ? Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU) ? Manila Water Employees? Union (MWEU) ? Maynilad Water Supervisors? Association (MWSA) ? NAPOCOR Employees Consolidated Union (NECU) ? Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA) ? Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) = Solidarity of Union and Labor Organization for New Government (SULONG) ? Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) ? Association of Genuine Labor Organizations (AGLO) ? Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) ? Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Pilipinas (KPMP) ? Liga ng Manggagawa ? Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN) Alliance of Progressive of Labor (APL) Homepage: http:// http://www.apl.org.ph/ http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3724657,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-rdf Thousands Protest Against "Fortress Europe" in Paris Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The streets of Paris were filled with protestors Several thousand people took to the streets of France's capital to protest against sweeping new immigration guidelines agreed by EU leaders as the British government warned of tougher entry restrictions. Immigration as an economic issue is exercising governments across Europe with unemployment set to rise as recession threatens in the fallout from the global financial crisis. French demonstrators unfurled a banner proclaiming "Bridges, not walls" at the Paris rally. Other signs that read: "We are all immigrant children" and "Detention centers are lawless places, a state secret." In Le Mans, central France, a 60-year-old woman doused herself in flammable liquid in front of a detention centre and set herself on fire in protest at authorities' threats to deport her partner back to Armenia. The Paris rally along with a 'citizens summit' was organized by some 300 international NGOs, many of them from African nations. Its organizers adopted a declaration Friday evening expressing their dismay at a policy "which would turn Europe into a fortress." http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/20/development-activist-environmentalist-heritage-protest Activists block ?145m development in Puerto Rico ? Protesters say public land sold illegally to developer ? Court ruling to give people free access is ignored ? Richard Luscombe in San Juan ? The Guardian, Monday 20 October 2008 ? Article history San Ger?nimo Fort, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photograph: US National Trust When San Juan's tiny San Ger?nimo fort last saw hostile action, its handful of cannons repelled an invasion by more than 60 British warships in 1797. Despite its size, the coastal garrison played an unlikely yet decisive role in the defence of Puerto Rico's capital city. Two centuries later, the historic fort is again at the heart of a battle for the Caribbean island's future. This time the warring parties are environmentalists campaigning against what they see as the continual destruction of an already overcrowded coastline, and the developers of a $250m (?145m) project to rejuvenate the ancient waterfront with a giant hotel, residential, shopping and entertainment complex. For more than a year, protesters have camped in tents at the site as cranes and 15-storey tower blocks of luxury flats rose around them, cutting off public access to the fort that has fallen into disrepair behind padlocked iron gates. They say that the construction is taking place on public land illegally sold by the government to a private developer, which has reneged on promises to maintain the fort and adjacent waterside walkways. Their protests are not just about the preservation of the 17th-century stronghold and its place in history. The environmentalists have chosen the Paseo Caribe development as a pivotal stand against the intense and largely unchecked pace of growth in Puerto Rico in recent years. "This is a strategic battle," said Miguel Angel Reyes de Jesus, one of about 100 protesters at the site demanding the demolition of buildings nearing completion. "If they win here they will take all of the country. We must stop this for the sake of our children and those who will come after them." Similar community activism has halted a hotel expansion project on the north coast and plans for two new huge resorts in the congested north east of the island, where protesters camped for two years. The Puerto Rican government, surprised by the scale of public opposition and concerned by the threat to water supplies and wildlife, rescinded construction permits. Hopes that Colombian-born developer Arturo Madero's licences for Paseo Caribe project would also be revoked were raised last year when justice department secretary Roberto S?nchez Ramos declared that the government had made a mistake in allowing the complex, and neighbouring Caribe Hilton hotel, to be illegally built on public land. In January the island's supreme court took the opposite view, removing the final legal hurdle to the project and allowing building work to surge ahead, with a caveat that the historic fort should reopen. "San Ger?nimo is a public asset that belongs to the people of Puerto Rico, and access to it should be given free of restrictions," Chief Justice Hern?ndez Denton ruled. So far, that has not happened. An access road through the middle of the building site is closed to all but construction traffic and an armed police officer at the fort's locked gates turns away anyone who gets too close. "This is public land that belongs to the people of Puerto Rico and what is happening here is illegal," said Benito Reinosa, 77, an activist who joins the protest most days. "We were a small group but we have grown as people became aware of what was going on. We'll keep fighting until these buildings are demolished." Madero, meanwhile, maintains that his company, Lema Developers, has acted properly throughout. The protesters, he has said, have nothing to do with the environment and would oppose development of any kind. The conflict turned violent last year when a small group of construction workers attacked the camp, Reinosa said, because they were angry over losing pay when a lone protester held up building work for two weeks by climbing a crane. "It's incredible that the authorities haven't permanently closed the camp and even more incredible that they allow the protesters to stop [our] work," said Glory Cruz, spokeswoman for Trabajadores Pro Ambiente y Empleo (workers for the environment and employment). Dr Antonio Fern?s, a lawyer and author whose book - From San Ger?nimo to Paseo Caribe - chronicles the history the development from its planning stage , said the legal challenges would continue. "These lands were public under the Spanish crown, and were treated as such when they were ceded to the United States in 1898 and then to the people of Puerto Rico in 1929," he said. "This is the looting of a cultural treasure." Backstory San Ger?nimo and the larger San Antonio fort along the San Juan islet were crucial to the successful Spanish defence of the city against a 1797 British invasion. Puerto Rico was ceded to the US after the Spanish-American War of 1898, and became a self-governing territory of the US in 1947. The San Ger?nimo fort, owned by the Puerto Rico government, is in the care of the Caribe Hilton hotel. http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/10/22/nb-06 Protesters clash with police in Athens 22/10/2008 ATHENS, Greece -- A union protest in Athens turned violent Tuesday (October 21st) after riot police fired tear gas at a group of demonstrators throwing stones. The street protest was part of a nationwide, 24-hour strike called by Greece's major trade unions, the General Confederation of Workers of Greece and the Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council. The strike was in response to the government's taxation policy, provisions of the 2009 state budget, the social security system and the planned privatisation of state-owned companies. Thousands of people participated in the demonstration, causing massive disruption of public transport. It also crippled schools, universities, banks and post and tax offices. (In.news - 22/10/08; AP, Reuters, AFP, Makfax - 21/10/08) http://www.iii.co.uk/shares/?type=news&articleid=6966229&action=article (AFX UK Focus) 2008-10-22 19:06 Talisman says no plans to leave Peru over protests Article layout: raw LIMA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Talisman Energy, Canada's No. 3 independent oil explorer, said on Wednesday it had no plans to pull out of Peru, after local media reports said community leaders had given the company an ultimatum to leave. The Calgary-based group, which is looking for oil in Peru, has two lots in the northern Amazon jungle. Several indigenous groups live in the area, including the Achuar people, whose leader has said protesters will throw the company out if it does not stop work by Nov. 15. "We are not planning on leaving Peru any time soon," David Mann, a Talisman official, said. "My understanding is we have all the agreements and consents we require from communities in the areas where we're operating. There may be other groups that are outside our area of operation who are asking for something different." Talisman's chief executive met with a small delegation of Achuar leaders in April and said the company would not operate without their consent. Protesters say oil work harms the environment and sows seeds of conflict. "We, as indigenous people, reject the Canadian company Talisman. We do not want them working in our territory. We want the Peruvian state to respect us, and the armed forces to stop helping the company," Cesar Zuniga, president of the Achuar indigenous group FENAP, said on local radio. Talisman, which operates in some 20 countries, was criticized by human rights groups for its activities in Sudan in the late 1990s and earlier this decade. Conflict over oil exacerbated Sudan's civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2005. (Reporting by Dana Ford; Editing by Walter Bagley) http://www.rootforce.org/2008/10/20/peru-protests-force-halt-to-new-copper-plans/ Peru Protests Force Halt to New Copper Plans Oct 20th, 2008 Rio Tinto, the world?s second largest mining company, announced that it had temporarily suspended all work on a new metal processing plant in northern Peru, after activists threatened to invade company facilities in protest. Media reports did not make it clear who the ?activists? were, but local community opposition to the project has been strong. Reuters referred to the metal-testing plant as ?key to a pre-feasibility study of [the company's] mammoth copper project, La Granja.?La Granja contains between 4 and 8 billion tons of copper, which Rio Tinto hopes to be extracting at a rate of 300,000 tons per year by 2014. The company continues with ore exploration at La Granja. Peru is the world?s second largest producer of copper; neighboring Chile is the first. http://www.rootforce.org/2008/10/22/peru-indigenous-issue-oil-ultimatum/ Peru Indigenous Issue Oil Ultimatum Oct 22nd, 2008 Indigenous nations in Peru?s northern Amazon have warned Canadian oil exploration firm Talisman Energy that if it does not cease all work in the area by November 15, protesters will force it out. ?We, as indigenous people, reject the Canadian company Talisman,? said Cesar Zuniga, president of the national organization of Peruvian Achuar. ?We do not want them working in our territory. We want the Peruvian state to respect us, and the armed forces to stop helping the company.? The company, which has previously come under fire for rights violations in Sudan, said it would not stop work. Over two weeks in August, indigenous protesters occupied a variety of energy installations in both the north and south of Peru?s Amazon, eventually forcing concessions from the federal government. http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/10/22/afx5591692.html Talisman says no plans to leave Peru over protests 10.22.08, 3:06 PM ET LIMA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Talisman Energy, Canada's No. 3 independent oil explorer, said on Wednesday it had no plans to pull out of Peru, after local media reports said community leaders had given the company an ultimatum to leave. The Calgary-based group, which is looking for oil in Peru, has two lots in the northern Amazon jungle. Several indigenous groups live in the area, including the Achuar people, whose leader has said protesters will throw the company out if it does not stop work by Nov. 15. 'We are not planning on leaving Peru any time soon,' David Mann, a Talisman official, said. 'My understanding is we have all the agreements and consents we require from communities in the areas where we're operating. There may be other groups that are outside our area of operation who are asking for something different.' Talisman's chief executive met with a small delegation of Achuar leaders in April and said the company would not operate without their consent. Protesters say oil work harms the environment and sows seeds of conflict. 'We, as indigenous people, reject the Canadian company Talisman. We do not want them working in our territory. We want the Peruvian state to respect us, and the armed forces to stop helping the company,' Cesar Zuniga, president of the Achuar indigenous group FENAP, said on local radio. Talisman, which operates in some 20 countries, was criticized by human rights groups for its activities in Sudan in the late 1990s and earlier this decade. Conflict over oil exacerbated Sudan's civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2005. http://intercontinentalcry.org/amazon-tribe-lays-waste-to-hydro-dam-site/ Amazon tribe lays waste to hydro dam site In an attempt to protect the Juruena river in western Brazil, an estimated 120 members of the Enawene Nawe tribe occupied the construction site of a hydroelectric dam on October 13, and then burned it to the ground. ?They came armed with axes and pieces of wood, banished the employees and later set fire to everything? said Frederico Muller, a coordinator working at the site. At least 12 trucks were destroyed, along with a number of offices and housing units. All told, Muller suggests that there was at least a million dollars in damages. Reporting on the action, Survival International says that right now, there are 77 dams slated for construction along the river. ?The Enawene Nawe say [these dams] will pollute the water and stop the fish [from] reaching their spawning grounds.? The Enawene Nawe see this is a major threat because the relatively isolated tribe depends on fish for survival. They are one a few tribes in the world that do not hunt or eat red meat. Fish also plays a crucial role in their customs and traditions? They say that if the fish get sick and die, then so will they. Before the Enawene took action, they had been taking part in a ?consultation process? (information exchange) with authorities, where they learned the full extent of the development. It exceeded far beyond what they had been told up to now, prompting the Enawene to immediately walk away. Given the Enawene?s loud response, some form of reprisal can unfortunately be expected. If you would like to support the Enawene Nawe, you can send a letter online that urges the demarcation of their land. For more news and background, visit Survival International?s page on the Enawene Nawe. Photo ? www.24horasnews.com.br (More photos available here) http://www.rootforce.org/2008/10/29/bank-hit-over-i-69-connection/ Bank Hit Over I-69 Connection Oct 29th, 2008 The ATM of a Chase Bank in Bloomington, IN was smashed on October 28. This is the third action in Bloomington to target the bank for its financial relationship with Gohmann Asphalt Company, which is involved in building I-69. Gohmann has been a major focus of anti-I-69 protests in recent months. I-69 is a Corridor of the Future. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Pharmaceuticals/Protest_over_govt-funded_pharma_RD_incentive_Bill/articleshow/3616549.cms Protest over govt-funded pharma R&D incentive Bill 20 Oct 2008, 0128 hrs IST, Sushmi Dey, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: The government?s plan to boost research and development using public funds has raised sharp reactions from public interest groups on the commercial rights of the products that would reach the market at the end of such research. Health care activists fear the taxpayer who paid for developing medicines under the scheme may not be able to get them at a fair price if such products are allowed to be patented by its developers. Granting monopoly rights to anyone for products developed using public money is unfair, they say. The Public Funded R&D Projects (Protection of Intellectual Property) Bill is now awaiting Cabinet approval. Groups like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Delhi Science Forum and People?s Health Movement fear that patenting public-funded inventions may result in additional tax for consumers. The proposed Bill intends to allow incentives to public sector research and development organisations to patent and commercialise their inventions. While the proposed law would enable scientists to benefit from commercialisation of their inventions, such groups want safeguards to ensure that the move does not affect the interests of the people. ?Government-funded research is paid for by taxpayers. How are we going to be assured that these people are going to be benefited once these inventions are licensed to companies,? MSF project manager (campaign for access to essential medicines) Leena Menghaney asks. Sources indicate that patient groups? objection is based on the premise that the Bill includes medical innovation and is likely to increase health care spend and impact affordability of essential medicines. http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2008102057938 Protest Leading Fugitive Arrested in Seoul OCTOBER 20, 2008 08:44 A deputy leader of an online community against President Lee Myung-bak was arrested yesterday on the charge of leading illegal street demonstrations. Baek Eun-jong, 55, was apprehended by the Jongno Police Station in Seoul. ?We arrested Baek yesterday," a police spokesman said. "He had been hiding in the (Buddhist) Jogye Temple for more than 100 days. We will send him to an arraignment hearing for his involvement in illegal protests.? To evade police, Baek sought safety at the temple on July 5, along with fellow fugitives. He ventured out Saturday to join a demonstration at Cheonggye Plaza and got arrested. The goal of the street protest, meanwhile, changed from blasting U.S. beef imports to urging action on the economic downturn. Over the last two months, they had not held a rally. A total of 1,100 members of leftist groups held a demonstration at the plaza Saturday, criticizing the Lee administration for the national economic crisis. They said recent tax cuts will help only the top one percent of the income bracket and blasted the police crackdown on protestors as undemocratic. Authorities said the latest protest was an overture for continuing demonstrations to topple the administration by highlighting the hobbling economy. The protesters plan to launch a new organization this coming Saturday. http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/2008/10/26/prison_protestors_vandalize_local_mortga Lights & Sirens Go behind the yellow tape with the The News Tribune's Crime & Breaking News Team. Sunday, October 26th, 2008 Prison protesters vandalize local mortgage office Posted by Ian Demsky @ 04:33:35 pm Plywood covered four of the picture windows in the Wells Fargo home mortgage office in Old Town Tacoma on Sunday. Inside a woman with a purple vacuum strapped to her back sucked shards from the carpet. The vandalism of the storefront at 2215 N. 30th St. appears to be part of a larger social protest rather than a random act of mischief. Vandals have targeted the San Francisco-based financial services company?s offices and ATMs in several states in opposition to its stake in The GEO Group ? a private company that operates prisons including the Northwest Detention Center, a federal immigration lockup on the Tacoma Tideflats. The News Tribune received an e-mail Saturday, claiming the weekend attack was ?done in solidarity with the 13 people recently detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Shelton, WA and the people recently detained in San Francisco, CA.? It?s not clear if any other local branches were hit, but the e-mail only mentioned one. ?They are blinded by their greed and will allow the most dreadful things to arise in their quest for profit,? the e-mail continued. ?... While the bankers count their money, the jailers in the detention center treat the people inside like subhumans.? (The full e-mail is posted after the jump.) Attempts to reach officials with Wells Fargo and GEO Group?s corporate offices Sunday were not successful. Tacoma police took a phone report on the incident, spokesman Mark Fulghum said. Wells Fargo owns 8 percent of GEO Group?s stock, making it the third largest shareholder, according to federal Securities and Exchange Commission filings and fatpitch.biz, a Web site that compiles stock ownership information. Wells Fargo held more than $51 million in GEO Group stock in its Advantage Small Cap Value fund at the end of September, according to the bank's Web site. In July, a study ? released by the International Human Rights Clinic at Seattle University?s law school and the Seattle-based group OneAmerica, With Justice for All ? alleged mistreatment at the Tacoma facility ranging from excessive strip searches and overcrowding to a lack of due process, the Associated Press reported. A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called the report ?a work of fiction.? Throughout the summer vandals have smashed windows, spray painted polemics and destroyed cash machines at Wells Fargo branches in California, Oregon and Washington, according to the September/October issue of Earth First! The article says a branch in Tacoma was hit June 10 and ?stop prisons? was spray painted on the wall. An independent media Web site also listed an August attack in Minneapolis. --------------------------------------------------- Students protest speech on US Jakarta Post - October 16, 2008 Bandung, West Java -- Dozens of students in the National Student Front staged a rally at the Indonesia Education University (UPI) campus in Bandung on Wednesday, protesting against capitalism and a speech being delivered about the American election by a US delegate. "America follows a capitalist system, and many Indonesian bureaucrats have become capitalists, but our brothers and sisters were refused entry to the university because they could not pay registration fees," Heru, one of the students, said. He spoke in front of the Isola building, where the meeting was held to discuss the US campaign information. About 50 students attended the meeting to see a presentation by Commander Rolfe K White, US Embassy Office of Defense coordinator. After the meeting, White said the US Embassy in Indonesia just wanted to inform students about the stages in the presidential election to be held on Nov. 4. "We started it (speeches) on the election within Indonesian universities to encourage more dialogue, so it is not just one way," he said. A similar meeting was also held at the American Corner of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Library on Wednesday. About 50 ITB students listened to a presentation by US Vice Ambassador to Indonesia John Heffern. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/14/europe/EU-Greece-Olympic-Airlines.php Greece: Protesters block Athens airport runways The Associated Press Published: October 14, 2008 ATHENS, Greece: Protesting workers at Greek carrier Olympic Airlines have blocked both runways at Athens International Airport, briefly disrupting flights. Airport officials say the demonstration lasted about 10 minutes, forcing planes to circle the airport. Police are reporting no arrests. Olympic's employee unions oppose government plans to sell the loss-making airline under a plan that would see most workers transferred to other public sector jobs. The protest took place Tuesday. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810160776.html Leadership (Abuja) Nigeria: Gas Company Workers Protest Privatisation of NGC Ben Dunno 16 October 2008 The Nigerian Gas Company Limited (NGC) Warri Chapter of the Petroleum Employees and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum Employees and National Gas (NUPENG) yesterday, protested the planned privatisation of NGC by the Federal Government. The joint union numbering over two thousand who took over the company's premises as early as 7.30am yesterday, chanting anti government political songs, called for the immediate removal of the Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPR), Mrs. Irene Chigbue. Some of the placards read, "This reform is satanic" Down it" "Federal Government / BPE stop sales of NGC and PPMC now." "BPE/Federal Government privatisation is a monster". "We cannot be fooled again by BPE." NGC/PPMC workers say no to Privatisation." Briefing newsmen during the peaceful protest that prevented workers from entering the premises of NGC, the representative of the leadership of NUPENG, Mr. Otorwiewiere Richard said that the decision to stage the peaceful protect was reached at her congress held on October 13, 2008, where the purported sale of NGC was discussed. Otovwiewiere noted that NGC workers as law abiding citizens of Nigeria identifies with the President Yar'Adua administration's focus on the development of the country but said that the joint union was vehemently opposed to the planned sale of Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and Petroleum and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC). The joint union also called for the immediate reversal of the sale of EPCL, just as it demanded that the proceeds accruing from the sale of NNPC Pension Fund Ltd be credited to her account with immediate effect. He regretted the initial mandate of the National Council of Privatisation which was intended by the Federal Government to identify ailing companies and privatise them, have been betrayed by self style leaders bent to destroy the Nigerian economic system. He accused BPE of circumventing the good intention of the Federal Government in revamping ailing companies when as a vestige of the Obasanjo's administration started personalising national assets using the BPE's notoriety in sending Nigerian workers and companies into oblivion as seen in DSC, ASLCON, NITEL and the current shameful activities in NPA that has draw attention of the National Assembly. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=143610 PWF protests against price hike, privatisation Tuesday, October 28, 2008 Noor Aftab Islamabad Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) Monday held a protest demonstration against privatisation, growing price hike, anti-labour laws and increasing power loadshedding across the country. Hundreds of participants of the demonstration belonging to different workers? organisations holding banners and placards chanted slogans against the unfavourable social conditions for the poor segments of the society. PWF Secretary General Khursheed Ahmad, Akram Gundha of Pakistan Workers Forum, President of CDA Employees Union Aurangzeb, Raja Waqar of RPWD, Ramzan Jadoon, an office-bearer of Wapda union, Zafarullah Khan, Malik Zahoor Awan and former MNA Mian Aslam were also present on the occasion. Addressing the protestors, Khursheed Ahmad said the government was pursuing the privatisation policy that would result in dire consequences for the national economy and serve no purpose. He said the privatisation of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) would be harmful to the economy and any such plan be shelved in the larger national interest. ?If the government wants to privatise state entities, it must consult with the representatives of the workers to formulate such policies that can serve the very cause of workers,? he said. Referring to the efforts to privatise Qadirpur Gas Field, he said it was hard to understand why the government was trying to sell it out despite the fact that it had been showing profit for the last many years. Khursheed said the local investors have been investing money in the foreign countries due to uncertain economic conditions in their own homeland. ?The government should introduce new policies to convince our own investors to bring back capital to their own country to keep international financial institutions like International Monetary Fund (IMF) away from our economy,? he said. Akram Gundha said the government has been taking unilateral decisions and the workers were not being taken into confidence in decision-making process. He demanded abolishment of those provisions in the Industrial Relations Act 2008 that damaged the interest of the poor classes and made their lives miserable. Other speakers who spoke on the occasion said workers and labourers acted as the backbone of the economy and if their interests were not protected then the dream of increased growth could never be translated into reality. They said the increasing power loadshedding across the country has already caused severe recession and thousands of employees and daily wage earners have lost their jobs and source of income respectively. The speakers said any agreement with IMF would further aggravate the situation and lead to unprecedented price hike.?The only way to cope with price hike and other highly important issues is to consult with all the stakeholders and take decision after developing consensus among them,? they said. They also demanded of the government to introduce amendments in the Industrial Relations Act 2008 and make it beneficial to the working classes who were being subjected to exploitation. Later, the protestors started their march from Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club (Camp Office) towards the Parliament House, but the police personnel intercepted them and did not allow them to move forward. The labour leaders held talks with the representatives of the local administration for sometime after which four of them were allowed to go to the Parliament House. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92056&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Teachers and police clash in Mexico (01:10) Report Oct. 10 - Hundreds of teachers, residents and police clash in Morelos state during a violent protest against a new education plan. Marches and protests have taken place around the country and teachers in the state of Morelos have been on strike for 60 days, forcing the closure of primary schools. Pavithra George reports. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/10/04/177305/18-police.htm Saturday, October 4, 2008 10:16 am TWN, AFP 18 police injured in ?1968 massacre? clash MEXICO CITY -- Mexican authorities said 18 police were injured Thursday and 20 people arrested as marchers marked the anniversary of a bloody student massacre in 1968. The confrontation with police in the country?s capital came as an estimated 30,000 people rallied in honor of students killed 40 years ago by Mexican security forces, demanding justice for victims. ?We have 18 police officers wounded, not seriously,? said Police chief Manuel Mondragon. ?Twenty people were arrested, all precisely identified by video surveillance systems,? secretary of the city municipality, Jose Angel Avila, told a press conference. Clashes erupted near the main Zocalo square when students tried to paint graffiti on a city building wall, and police moved to arrest them, a witness said. The march recalled the notorious 1968 massacre in Tlatelolco when Mexican security forces killed between 44 and 300 protesters, 10 days ahead of the Mexican Olympic Games, and hastily erased evidence of the crime. Shouting ?October 2 is not forgotten,? protesters set off from the Square of Three Cultures where the massacre took place and from the capital?s Chapultepec park to meet for a rally in the main Zocalo square. ?I?m here to denounce the most despicable act committed in Mexico,? said 26-year-old Aarceli Bernal, in Tlatelolco, where students drew chalk figures on the ground covered with blood stains and doves in the place of hearts to represent those killed. In one corner of the square, an altar covered in candles showed newspaper images of the massacre in which soldiers stood ready to fire. In other pictures frightened people were running and dead students lay in improvised morgues. Forty years on, the details of the massacre remain unclear, with no perpetrators prosecuted and impunity in Mexico widespread. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=29&ContentID=100993 18 police injured in clashes as Mexicans mark ?68 massacre 3rd October 2008, 12:45 WST Mexican authorities said 18 police were injured today and 20 people arrested as marchers marked the anniversary of a bloody student massacre in 1968. The confrontation with police in the country?s capital came as an estimated 30,000 people rallied in honour of students killed 40 years ago by Mexican security forces, demanding justice for victims. ?We have 18 police officers wounded, not seriously,? said Police chief Manuel Mondragon. ?Twenty people were arrested, all precisely identified by video surveillance systems,? secretary of the city municipality, Jose Angel Avila, told a press conference. Clashes erupted near the main Zocalo square when students tried to paint graffiti on a city building wall, and police moved to arrest them, a witness said. The march recalled the notorious 1968 massacre in Tlatelolco when Mexican security forces killed between 44 and 300 protesters, 10 days ahead of the Mexican Olympic Games, and hastily erased evidence of the crime. Shouting ?October 2 is not forgotten,? protesters set off from the Square of Three Cultures where the massacre took place and from the capital?s Chapultepec park to meet for a rally in the main Zocalo square. ?I?m here to denounce the most despicable act committed in Mexico,? said 26-year-old Aarceli Bernal, in Tlatelolco, where students drew chalk figures on the ground covered with blood stains and doves in the place of hearts to represent those killed. In one corner of the square, an altar covered in candles showed newspaper images of the massacre in which soldiers stood ready to fire. In other pictures frightened people were running and dead students lay in improvised morgues. Forty years on, the details of the massacre remain unclear, with no perpetrators prosecuted and impunity in Mexico widespread. Some of Thursday?s protesters called for punishment for those responsible for the 1968 massacre, while others criticised the current government of President Felipe Calderon. Amnesty International appealed to Calderon on Thursday to finally establish the truth about the massacre and said the failure to confront the clampdown on some 8,000 students and workers had left a ?deep scar? in Mexican society. At the end of August, in some of the biggest demonstrations in recent years, hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Mexico City and across the country against growing insecurity and reports of corrupt police. MEXICO CITY AFP http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008304843_mexoil24.html?syndication=rss Originally published October 24, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 24, 2008 at 2:37 PM Comments (1) E-mail article Print view Plan to overhaul Mexico's nationalized oil industry stirs protest As riot police surrounded the Mexican Senate offices to hold back protesters, lawmakers on Thursday passed a controversial overhaul of the nation's flagging oil industry ? the third-largest supplier to the United States By Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES Police charge demonstrators Thursday to clear a path for buses carrying senators, who had passed a controversial energy bill. MEXICO CITY ? As riot police surrounded the Mexican Senate offices to hold back protesters, lawmakers on Thursday passed a controversial overhaul of the nation's flagging oil industry ? the third-largest supplier to the United States. The bill ? which now goes to the lower house, where prospects for passage are good ? would allow more private and foreign investment in the state-run oil monopoly Petr?leos Mexicanos, or Pemex, to help boost production. The measure, watered down from changes proposed by conservative President Felipe Calder?n, has drawn criticism from analysts who say it may be too limited to do Mexico much good in tapping new petroleum deposits to bolster a shaky economy. Leftist critics, meanwhile, worry that it would open the door to privatizing a state industry, long seen by many Mexicans as a source of national pride. The protest was led by leftist firebrand Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador, who lost to Calder?n in a disputed presidential election in 2006 and who opposes any effort to privatize Pemex. The final version was backed by Calder?n's National Action Party, the once-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party and senators from L?pez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party. Mexico nationalized the oil industry in 1938 out of anger over what it saw as exploitation by American and other foreign firms, and it has long treated Pemex as a central part of its identity. Foreign and private firms are barred from investing directly in Pemex. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129107/Militant-drivers-mass-up-in-QC-for-protest-caravan Militant drivers mass up in QC for protest caravan 10/24/2008 | 09:09 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Militant jeepney drivers massed up in Quezon City early Friday to prepare for a protest caravan against three big oil firms in Makati City. Radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz reported that as of 9 a.m., at least 20 passenger jeepneys were already parked near the Quezon City Hall where participants in the protest caravan are expected to converge. Joining the caravan were private vehicles carrying more jeep drivers. The report said the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) and Pasang Masda will lead the protest caravan. Piston secretary general George San Mateo said the first stop of the protest caravan will be the office of Chevron at Glorietta 1 Circle, followed by Shell in Salcedo Village. The caravan will then proceed to Petron's office along Gil Puyat Avenue. Both groups said that with world oil prices going down, pump prices of fuel should be as low as P35 per liter. - GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/128590/Transport-groups-set-protest-caravan-at-Big-3s-offices-Friday Transport groups set protest caravan at Big 3's offices Friday 10/22/2008 | 12:24 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Major transport groups will hound the offices of three major oil firms in Makati City this Friday to push for a rollback of fuel prices to P37 per liter. In an interview on dzBB radio, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) secretary general George San Mateo said Wednesday they expect 200 to 300 drivers to take part in the protest. "Kakalampagin natin sila at hilingin na ibaba ang presyo ng diesel sa P37 (We intend to press them into rolling back prices of diesel to P37 per liter)," San Mateo said, noting that the present world oil price level of $70 per barrel should merit the rolling back of prices in the Philippines to that level. San Mateo, however, stressed Friday's action is not a strike but merely a caravan protest involving 10 to 15 passenger jeeps, with about 20 drivers per jeep. On the other hand, he said drivers will hold a noise barrage in Quezon City at 5 p.m. Wednesday as an "opening salvo and buildup" to Friday's protest. - GMANews.TV http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081018-167148/Tricycles-block-Mendiola-to-protest-VAT Tricycles block Mendiola to protest VAT By Tina Santos Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:04:00 10/18/2008 Filed Under: Unrest, Conflicts & War MANILA, Philippines -- Hundreds of tricycles snarled early morning traffic at the historic Don Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola) in Manila on Saturday as drivers and members of militant groups gathered to call for the repeal of the 12-percent value-added tax on fuel, food, and electricity. The protesters, members of the Sanlakas-Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, were initially blocked by anti-riot policemen at the corner of Morayta Street and C.M. Recto Avenue. But they were eventually allowed to march and hold a program at the foot of the bridge after they presented a rally permit from the city government. The bridge, which is near Malaca?ang, is a no-rally zone, except during weekends and holidays. "We are here to call for the removal of the 12-percent VAT on fuel, food and electricity," said militant leader Leody de Guzman. "The prices of basic commodities continue to rise rapidly and this situation is aggravated by the Arroyo government's implementation of VAT." The demonstrators voluntarily dispersed around noon. http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Italian_leftists_stage_two_anti_Ber_10112008.html Italian leftists stage two anti-Berlusconi protests Published: Saturday October 11, 2008 Activists from Italy's left took to the streets of Rome Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative policies and his avoiding prosecution for alleged corruption. Members of the small Italy of Values party flooded the Piazza Navona in the heart of Rome for a signature campaign against a law described as "the impunity guaranteed to Silvio Berlusconi." Some 3,500 makeshift stands had been put up across the country to get the required 500,000 signatures to enable a referendum on January 8 on the law protecting Berlusconi from prosecution while he is in power. "When dictatorship is at the door, we must resist it immediately before it is too late," former anti-corruption judge Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the values party, told the crowd. Italy's Nobel laureate for literature Dario Fo called the law "unconstitutional" and one that "would never be accepted in any other civilised country." The controversial measure grants immunity from prosecution to the four highest ranking politicians in the state while they are in office. Berlusconi, 72, with a media empire in Italy, had been on trial since March 2007 on charges of giving 600,000 dollars (380,000 euros) in bribes to a British lawyer to hold allegedly incriminating information in a tax fraud case. A Milan court threw out the case earlier this month after the new law was passed in July. Meanwhile Italy's far-left Communists and Greens staged another demonstration in Rome against the conservative policies of Berlusconi's government. The organisers said the rally drew some 300,000 people, while police put the figure at around 100,000. It was the first protest by the far left after losing to the Italian right-wing in parliamentary elections in April. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7658360.stm Wednesday, 8 October 2008 07:51 UK Protesters decry Peru corruption President Garcia has seen his approval rating fall Thousands of people have taken to the streets in several Peruvian cities to protest against the rising cost of living and low wages. The demonstrations, planned weeks ago, took place just days after a scandal allegedly involving officials taking bribes for oil concessions emerged. Voters say corruption is one of their main concerns about President Alan Garcia's government. Mr Garcia, who took office in 2006, has seen his popularity fall sharply. The demonstrations, organised by the biggest trade union, were called to demand a change in the government's free market policies, which opponents say have failed to improve living standards for many Peruvians. But just days after a scandal allegedly involving kickbacks in return for oil contracts emerged, the protesters also took up the theme of corruption. In the capital, Lima, thousands of workers, including teachers, builders and doctors marched on Congress on Tuesday, calling for the cabinet to step down. The governing party, Apra, is stealing while the people are struggling, they chanted. Trouble broke out when a group that did not appear to be linked to the main protest began throwing stones at the police, who responded with tear gas. Damage control The demonstrations could not have come at a worse time for President Garcia, with opinion polls putting his approval rating at its lowest level since he took office, says the BBC's Dan Collyns in Lima. Mr Garcia ordered an investigation after the alleged scandal surfaced on Sunday, and insisted that the government must be purged of corruption. But the damage control may be too late to save the government's reputation, says our correspondent. On Sunday, a TV station broadcast a tape of a top state oil official and a lobbyist apparently agreeing to favour an oil company in a round of auctions for oil concessions. The taped conversation was allegedly between Alberto Quimper, a executive with the state energy agency, Perupetro, and a prominent lobbyist Romulo Leon. The company, Discover Petroleum of Norway, has said it made payments to Mr Leon and to a law company employing Mr Quimper, but it denied paying any bribes, Reuters reported. "The application process (was) completely open and transparent, and could not possibly have been influenced by any bribes," Discover said in a statement. Peru's energy sector has pushed hard to attract billions of dollars in foreign investment in the country's huge mining industry and its fast-growing oil and gas sector. http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKTRE49Q5IM20081027?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews Anti-market protesters invade Frankfurt bourse Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:32pm GMT FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Protesters entered the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Monday, shouting slogans and waving banners denouncing financial markets. The protesters from the anti-establishment Attac movement, who hung a banner over the stock exchange's big board displaying a graph of Germany's benchmark DAX index, were inside for a few minutes, a Reuters photographer on the scene said. He said there were about 15 protesters and that three security guards escorted them from the building in the heart of Frankfurt's banking district. Stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) said nobody had been injured and that trading had not been halted. The group had registered as visitors and launched the action from the visitors' gallery, Deutsche Boerse said in a statement, adding that security measures for visitors would be tightened. "Disarm the financial markets," read one Attac banner. "Put people and the environment above shareholder value." A trader on the stock exchange floor said the protesters had time to throw around "thousands" of leaflets. "The financial crisis is a symptom of a deeper rooted sickness: of an economic system that even when it is performing correctly subordinates all social goals to shareholder value and the profits of investors at the expense of jobs, social equality and environmental protection. It has to end. The casino should be closed," Attac said in a statement about the protest in which it said 25 activists had taken part. Attac recently staged a protest outside the Frankfurt stock exchange demanding an end to "casino" capitalism. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/27/business/EU-Germany-Exchange-Protest.php Protesters hang banner at Frankfurt exchange The Associated Press Published: October 27, 2008 FRANKFURT, Germany: Nearly two dozen protesters from a German anti-globilization group threw leaflets and hung a banner at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Monday chanting, "Disarm financial markets." The protesters managed to climb over barricades during a tour of the exchange in downtown Frankfurt and hung a banner from the balcony that read "Disarm Financial Markets; People And The Environment Ahead of Shareholder Value." One man screamed "The poor people are starving in the world!" The protesters were met by curious glances from the floor and some applause, and were eventually removed by security. "The anger of the people over the failure of the bankers and politicians is massive," said Stefan Schultheiss, one of the demonstrators, in a statement on the group's Web site after the protest. The statement went on to say that the recent failures of the financial system were being corrected unjustly with taxpayers' money, "so that the casino can go on." http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3712009,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-rdf Society | 16.10.2008 Munich "Millionaire Fair" Faces Angry Protests Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: "Your wealth makes us sick," is the motto of the demonstration targetting the fair A fair specializing in luxury goods for the extremely wealthy opens in Munich on Thursday amid a raging financial crisis and anger at growing inequality. Social groups will be out on the streets to protest the event. It's tough being rich these days. Not only are the well-heeled seeing their assets plunge in value in the global financial crisis, now even small highlights on the social calendar, such as the "Millionaire Fair" in Munich, are at risk of being spoiled by a noisy group of social activists. Among the protest actions planned for the opening day of the exclusive life style event is a symbolic slave market that aims to turn the spotlight on wage dumping in Germany and around the world. "Our aim is not to pillory people, but to attack existing social conditions," said Walter Listl from the city's Social Forum. "Riches are the cause of poverty." Just a few meters away from the entrance to the venue on Thursday, Oct. 16, demonstrators will be auctioning off cheap labor, singing anti-capitalist songs and staging sketches lampooning the bank bailout. Inside, visitors will be admiring private jets, high-end cars, lavish jewelry and haute couture. This is the first time that the Millionaire Fair, first held in 2002, has taken place in Germany. Previous venues have included Shanghai, Moscow and Amsterdam. The affluent southern German city of Munich in the country's richest state, Bavaria, is an obvious choice. It also played host to the Luxury Fair earlier in the year. Playground for the rich and famous Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Refreshments at the fair include champagne and caviar Fair organizers expect the event to attract some 20,000 people, including the rich and famous, top business people, luxury goods retailers, bon viveurs and just the plain curious. At 39 euros ($52) for an entrance ticket, you don't need to be a millionaire to get in. And who knows who you might rub shoulders with. Film stars like Joan Collins and Elizabeth Hurley and singer Bryan Ferry were among the guests at previous Millionaire Fairs. For four days, some 100 firms will be setting out their stalls across 16,000 square meters of exhibition space. According to the official Web site, "the creme de la cr?me of luxury goods industry will be presenting their most beautiful one-off creations, the most exclusive products and unusual services to the event's discerning visitors." Or as one supplier's press release puts it, the fair will offer "a cornucopia of all the most beautiful and luxurious things the world has to offer." "Obscene display of perverse wealth" In Walter Listl's eyes, it represents "an obscene display of perverse wealth." "According to UN statistics, a child dies every five seconds of malnutrition or from easily treatable diseases," Listl added. "They?re showcasing mobile phones studded with precious gems. We can?t just sit back and ignore that." Germany's first Millionaire Fair is prompting Munich's Social Forum to break new ground. The network of some 40 local groups -- all with a decidedly anticapitalist bent, according to Walter Listl -- has not targeted specific events like this before. "It's the first time that we have staged something a bit spectacular aimed at a particular event of this kind," Listl said. "We are doing it for very topical and acute reasons." The timing of the Millionaire Fair and the global financial crisis as well as the growing gap between rich and poor in a country whose express goal has been "prosperity for all" has got the social activists out on the streets. The motto of the demonstration: "Your wealth makes us sick." "We're not planning to approach or talk to the millionaires or the wannabe millionaires," said Listl. "We want to bring public attention to the degree of poverty that exists in this country -- and elsewhere." It remains to be seen how the two worlds will react to one another, or even to what extent they will even meet. There will be a police cordon around the venue. The organizers were unavailable for comment. Julie Gregson http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Protesters-stage-bailout--rally.4582183.jp Protesters stage bail-out rally Published Date: 11 October 2008 By RHIANNON EDWARD DEMONSTRATORS jostled with police while trying to force their way into the Royal Exchange building next to the Bank of England in London yesterday during a protest against the UK government's bank bail-out. After being turned back, the protesters ran through nearby city streets and pushed past a small group of police officers who tried to stop them. There were no arrests, and no-one was injured, according to police. Several hundred people, mostly students and Socialist Worker Party activists, turned out for the late- afternoon protest against the government's ?50 billion plan to partly nationalise major banks, while guaranteeing a further ?250 billion of bank loans. "Whose money? Our Money!" chanted the protesters, some of whom carried placards reading "Why should we pay for their crisis?" The building the protesters tried to enter had been a centre of commerce from the 1500s, but is now a shopping centre. Many directed their anger at City bankers. "They do nothing," said Martin Smith, one of the protesters. "If times are good they get money; if times are bad they get money." http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=9161236 Protesters angry over bailout clash with police near Bank of England Associated Press - October 10, 2008 6:03 PM ET LONDON (AP) - Anger in Britain over the government's bank bailout is evident in the streets of London. Several hundred people turned out for a late-afternoon protest today, most of them students and Socialist Worker Party activists. They chanted, "Whose money? Our Money!" And some carried signs reading "Why should we pay for their crisis?" The demonstrators jostled with police and tried to force their way into the Royal Exchange building next to the Bank of England. After being turned back, the protesters ran through the streets, pushing past a small group of police officers who tried to stop them. Police say there were no arrests, and no one was injured. The $86 billion plan partly nationalizes major banks, while guaranteeing a further $431 billion of bank loans. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/410432.html Edinburgh Financial Protest: "We wont pay for your crisis!" Makhno | 11.10.2008 21:55 | Analysis | Social Struggles | World "We Wont Pay for Your Crisis!" Edinburgh is set to have a demonstration against the government's criminal bank bailout, at the Corporate Headquarters of HBOS. People all around Scotland are angered by the huge amount of taxpayers money planned to be spent on bailing out the very banks that have caused this crisis, and this demonstration is sure to attract a large crowd as a result. The top of the Mound in Edinburgh's Old Town is a symbolic and apt choice of rally point for this protest, with the corporate headquarters of HBOS (one of the crisis banks set to be bailed) out and the High Court just across the road. HBOS even has a public "Museum of Money" in its building. Interestingly, the protest seems to have first been announced on a facebook group called "We wont pay for your crisis", and begun by a person calling themselves Tom Joad, a character from John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath', who is angered and radicalised by the 1930's the economic crisis and exploitation of that time. The description of the facebook group states: "The banks are being bailed out with ?500 billion of our money. This is 5 times what the government spends on the NHS per year. Due to the greed of the bankers and speculators, there will be rising unemployment, lowering of wages, rising bills, public services cuts. Let's meet at HBOS headquarters on the Mound and tell them that they won't get away with this robbery." This planned protest comes quickly in the wake of a lively student and Socialist Worker Party demonstration about the financial crisis in the centre of the City of London on Friday 10th. The Edinburgh protest no doubt aims to be a similarly heated event. We can all see that the militant rhetoric of the facebook group is correct. Ordinary people like ourselves will get hit twice by the governments plans to rescue the banks - Firstly, we, the ordinary people, are paying for the bailout - this will happen through higher taxes. service cuts and benefit cuts. These things hit those who cant afford it hardest. Not only will we have to spend our tax money to correct the mistakes of the greedy bankers, but Secondly the economic collapse, that they caused, will mean that we cant afford our repayments on our mortgages and secured loans. This is because this crisis will will mean that we will lose our jobs, wages, pensions and benefits, and we will see a rise in the cost of living, making ordinary people poorer. This means that for many of us our homes are now at risk of repossession from those same banks we will be bailing out. Instead, what should be happening is that our ?500 billion be used to guarantee that our homes will not be repossessed, that our jobs wont be lost, and wages wont be cut. However, with this bailout plan, the banks will be getting our tax money, and our homes, and most likely aim to continue business as usual. This is criminal! See you at 16:30 on the 24th, at the top of the mound. Makhno Homepage: http://scotland.indymedia.org http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/410362.html City of London clashes, London - Pictures. Terence Bunch | 10.10.2008 22:54 | Globalisation | Social Struggles | London As financial markets continue to slump around the world, angry students and activists gather in the City of London to voice their anger over the British governments plan to commit over 50 billion GBP of public funds to shore up confidence in British markets. The protest comes as the scale of the crisis is revealed to include police forces, councils and other public bodies who have been betting with public funds on the markets, raising questions about public accountability and transparency within the public sector. The Metropolitan Police Authority alone lose over 30 million GBP within a wider national loss estimated at over 1 billion GBP. The protest comes on the day international markets continue to fail with widespread losses around the world. City of London, London. October 10th 2008. Terence Bunch e-mail: terry.bunch at terencebunch.co.uk Homepage: http://www.terencebunch.co.uk/PUBLIC/financial-crisis-bank-bail-out-anti-capitalist-protest-london-10-10-2008.php http://www.workers.org/2008/us/michigan_1009/ Emergency protest builds for organizers? conference in Michigan By Kris Hamel Detroit Published Oct 4, 2008 10:26 PM Activists with the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions called an emergency demonstration in downtown Detroit on Sept. 25 to protest the trillion-dollar bailout of the financial industry and demand an immediate moratorium on home foreclosures nationwide. Detroit, Sept. 25. WW photo: Alan Pollock Some 50 protesters gathered at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center and marched through the financial district with banners and signs declaring, ?Bailout the people, not the banks!? Protesters stopped and rallied outside Comerica, National City and Charter One banks, all of which participated in the subprime mortgage fiasco perpetrated on workers and the poor in Michigan and throughout the U.S. Detroit City Councilperson JoAnn Watson told the demonstrators: ?The banks are getting bailed out. The auto companies want a $50 billion federal loan to help them regain market share. What about us? What we need is a bailout for Detroit, for the people!? Protesters chanted, ?The people need jobs and relief?not one more penny for Wall Street!? and ?Stop foreclosures and evictions?moratorium now!? During the protest, motorists honked their horns continually and raised their fists in support of the demand to bailout the victims of the financial crisis, not the bankers who caused it. The demonstration was covered widely on local media, including CBS-affiliate WWJ news radio, the Detroit Free Press, Fox affiliate TV2 and ABC affiliate channel 7. On Sept. 26 the Free Press reported that many Congressional representatives from Michigan have been flooded with calls and emails against the bank bailout. Coalition organizers Vanessa Fluker and Abayomi Azikiwe spoke at a rally of the Gray Panthers during their national conference in Detroit on Sept. 27. At a coalition meeting Sept. 27, plans were made to continue the struggle in Michigan, including a statewide organizers? conference after the November elections. Coalition activists plan to meet with Detroit Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. to request that he declare a state of emergency in the city and formally apply to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for a foreclosure moratorium. The next meeting of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition will be on Oct. 11 at the Central United Methodist Church, 23 E. Adams, 4th floor, Detroit, MI 48226. For more information or to send a donation, call 313-887-4344, email moratorium at moratorium-mi.org, or visit www.moratorium-mi.org. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7691485.stm Sunday, 26 October 2008 Protests in Iceland over economy Hundreds of people have been protesting in Reykjavik after the near-collapse of the country's economy. This week it became the first Western country in more than 30 years to approach the International Monetary Fund for aid. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92427&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Icelanders bank protest (01:40) Report Oct. 19 - More than two thousand people gather outside the Icelandic parliament to demand a new head of the central bank. They demanded the resignation of the head of the central bank and a new monitory policy. The demonstrators were referring to Central Bank Governor David Oddsson a former prime minister and close ally of the current premier. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49O21G20081025 Icelanders call for PM to resign over crisis Sat Oct 25, 2008 3:40pm EDT REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Icelanders demonstrated in the capital Saturday to call for resignation of the prime minister and the central bank chief for failing to avert the financial crisis that has crippled the economy. Demonstrators, numbering about 2,000 according to organisers, also demanded that the North Atlantic island take steps to join the European Union soon. People gathered in front of parliament and marched to a government building in the center of Reykjavik where they chanted calls for Prime Minister Geir Haarde and central bank head David Oddsson to resign. Protesters called for early elections to speed up EU membership. Iceland's financial system has all but collapsed since the country was forced to take over three of its biggest banks this month. The coalition government, whose term runs out in 2011, is divided on the issue of EU membership, with Haarde's Independence Party opposing it while its junior partner, the Social Democratic Alliance, is in favor. Protest organiser Kolfinnur Baldvinsdottir told Reuters: "We need elections ... that's the issue to vote for." Friday, the government said it had agreed terms for a $2 billion aid package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The deal still needs to be approved by the IMF board and Haarde said Friday he expected it would take about 10 days for the review to take place. (Reporting by Sakari Suoninen; editing by Andrew Dobbie) http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92714&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Argentines protest for pensions (01:33) Report Oct 24 - Pension fund workers opposed to the government's plan to nationalise pension funds stage a protest in the capital Buneos Aires. In a bid to protect private pension funds from global market turmoil, the Argentine government has introduced a bill to take control of the funds. But the decision is being criticised by opposition leaders who say it is just a way for the government to shore up its finances. Around 9.5 million have private pensions, and around 40 percent contribute. In 1994 Argentina privatised pension funds, but in 2006 people were given the option of investing in a state pension. Basmah Fahim reports. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122471882370960597.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us_business ? OCTOBER 23, 2008 Protesters Besiege Mortgage Convention By AMY HOAK and ANDREA COOMBES SAN FRANCISCO -- It looked like a scene from the 2006 "Borat" movie: Mortgage executives at a large gathering caught off-guard by disturbances in the audience. But unlike the movie, where Borat streaks through a ballroom of mortgage brokers without a stitch of clothing, the protesters who charged the stage at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual convention this week weren't going for laughs. Much of the contretemps involved political group Code Pink, originally founded by women to protest the Iraq war. But the group has started to focus on the housing crisis and its economic fallout. On Tuesday, several members of the group interrupted Karl Rove during a panel discussion with a political focus. Some shouted from the audience, and one woman went onstage and attempted to handcuff Mr. Rove. All were escorted from the room. A day earlier, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin walked onstage during a panel discussion with the new chief executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and demanded a moratorium on foreclosures. Meanwhile, outside the Moscone West Convention Center here, another group of people picketed as convention attendees entered. For an industry group that focuses on mortgage rates, home sales and refinancing, the public outcry provided an emotional charge to the mortgage bankers' normally staid annual convention. Some felt the need to defend their industry. "I'm darn proud to be a mortgage banker," said John Courson, the trade group's chief operating officer. "We put people in houses, we invest in communities, and we know it has to be done right." But David Kittle, the next chairman of the MBA, conceded the industry had been less than rigorous in the training of loan officers, and said the group needs to rebuild its reputation in 2009. To many protesters, that might seem an understatement. With a record number of homes entering foreclosure, the protesters said not enough is being done for individual homeowners as the Treasury Department plans to spend $700 billion to rescue the financial sector. "The main point, and the main issue for everyone, is there should be a stop to foreclosures and evictions, and the government should be assisting the victims of the crisis and not the people who created it," said Richard Becker, spokesman for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The group picketed outside the convention center on Sunday and Monday. Mortgage bankers should be punished if it's found that they knowingly put people into mortgage loans that people couldn't afford, Mr. Becker said. "Jail them, don't bail them" was a popular rally cry outside the convention center. Code Pink offered a similar argument. As the financial rescue plan emerged, "we realized that this was...a terrible misuse of taxpayer dollars, just like the war in Iraq," said Ms. Benjamin. "Now, seeing another $700 billion being proposed to go for a bailout that wasn't going to help the people at the bottom...we felt like it was a similar kind of rape and pillage of, in this case, the American taxpayer." Cheryl Crispen, senior vice president of communications and marketing for the MBA, said the industry is doing whatever it can to address the foreclosure problem. The industry's Hope Now alliance has helped 2.3 million people since its inception last year stay in their homes by giving them loan modifications and workouts, she said. Throughout this housing crisis, she said, there has been a lot of finger-pointing about who deserves the blame -- lenders, speculators and borrowers. "There is enough responsibility to go around," Ms. Crispen said. ?James R. Hagerty contributed to this article. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/detroit_1023/ Protest demands mayor declare ?state of emergency? By Kris Hamel Detroit Published Oct 19, 2008 5:06 PM This city has been devastated by high unemployment, mass foreclosures, abandoned homes and widespread poverty. About 20 protesters gathered outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in downtown Detroit on Oct. 10 to demand that interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. declare a state of economic emergency and formally apply to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for a moratorium on foreclosures. WW photo: Alan Pollock A delegation of activists from the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions then went inside to the mayor?s office to deliver a second letter demanding he take immediate action to alleviate the suffering. Cockrel had ignored an earlier letter from the coalition sent before he assumed office in mid-September. The letter stated in part: ?The people of Detroit cannot stand to wait one more day for the imposition of an emergency moratorium to stop foreclosures. Under MCL 10.31, et seq., upon application of the mayor of a city, or on her own volition, the governor may proclaim a state of emergency and designate the area involved. We are requesting that you formally apply to Governor Granholm to declare a state of emergency in Detroit, and demand she use her police powers to place a two-year moratorium on foreclosures in the City.? The letter asked Cockrel to respond within one week. Coalition organizers are planning further actions to ensure that the mayor answers their demands. They will hold a mass demonstration in Detroit on Oct. 27 and are preparing to take the struggle to the next level. The Moratorium NOW! Coalition is also demanding passage of State Senate Bill 1306, which would call for a two-year moratorium in Michigan. The coalition will hold a statewide organizing conference in Detroit on Dec. 6 to further broaden the struggle against foreclosures and evictions. Inquiries and donations can be sent to the coalition at 23 E. Adams, 4th floor, Detroit, MI 48226. Call 313-887-4344, e-mail moratorium at moratorium-mi.org or visit www.moratorium-mi.org for more information. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44326 SPAIN: Only Banks Get Aid, Anti-Poverty Protesters Complain By Jos? Antonio Gurriar?n MADRID, Oct 17 (IPS) - "We think it?s disgraceful that billions of dollars are available to bail out banks, and there is no money to eradicate poverty in the world," said Marina Navarro, the spokeswoman for some 1,000 social organisations in Spain taking part in demonstrations against poverty between Friday and Sunday. "We can understand the need for certain measures to address the economic crisis triggered by financial institutions in the United States, but we are completely opposed to that happening at the cost of an increase in hunger, poverty and inequality around the world," the representative of the Spanish Alliance Against Poverty told IPS in Madrid. The Alliance Against Poverty, made up of civil society organisations, trade unions, community associations, religious institutions and other groups, held demonstrations Friday to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and will continue mobilising over the weekend in response to the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), whose campaign slogan this year is "Stand Up and Take Action". From Oct. 17-19, millions of people around the world will literally stand up in protests and other events to demand that their governments make the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) top priority in budget allocation. Taking 1990 levels as a baseline, the MDGs include a 50 percent reduction in extreme poverty and hunger; universal primary education; promotion of gender equality; reduction of child mortality by two-thirds; cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters; combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a North-South global partnership for development. "Far from meeting the MDGs, the number of poor people around the world has grown by 50 million, bringing the total to over 900 million," said Navarro, referring to the first of the eight goals assumed by the international community in 2000, which have a 2015 deadline. "I know it is a very harsh term, but I can?t find a better one: isn?t it disgraceful that it cost 700 billion dollars to bail out the banks in the United States, five times more than what the United Nations approved for reaching the MDGs?" asked Navarro. In practically every large city and provincial capital in Spain, people have been mobilising over the last few days and will continue to do so through the weekend as part of the Alliance Against Poverty campaign, whose main aim is to call for compliance with the first MDG, against extreme poverty and hunger. Developing regions, especially parts of Asia, have achieved steady economic growth and have seen the overall poverty rate shrink from 80 to 20 percent in the last 25 years. In addition, the proportion of children under five suffering from malnutrition dropped from 33 percent in 1996 to 26 percent in 2006. "That?s true, and it should be highlighted as extraordinary progress," said Navarro. "The case of Mozambique is also exemplary -- one of the countries in the world with the greatest economic difficulties, which managed to reduce poverty to 10 percent of the population, thanks to active social policies and to donor countries like Germany, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands." But, she added, "half of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, and 1.4 billion people in poor regions around the world, still live on less than 1.25 dollars a day, according to the World Bank." In Spain?s large cities, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are expected to stand up against poverty from Friday to Sunday. In Friday?s enormous march in Madrid, signs carried by protesters also expressed concern about the unequal distribution of wealth, both between and within countries. Another prominent activist who has been working hard over the last few days for the success of the campaign to sensitise Spanish society on the questions of poverty and hunger is Alliance Against Poverty spokesman David Ortiz, the only civil society representative to accompany Spain?s socialist Prime Minister Jos? Lu?s Rodr?guez Zapatero to the U.N. General Assembly in New York in late September. "It is outrageous that as wealth grows around the world, so does inequality, and far from meeting the MDGs, we are getting farther and farther away from them in many cases," Ortiz told IPS. "In Latin America, the average income has gone up considerably in the last few years, but poverty has grown too, and there are intolerable problems of inequality that must be addressed," he said. "And in Africa, the number of people living in extreme poverty grows day by day, while a small elite becomes extremely wealthy. These are situations that are intolerable from a human standpoint," he said. The demonstrators taking part in the march in Madrid reminded the Zapatero administration of its pledge to increase official development aid to 0.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2012. Ortiz said things have changed since the socialist party (PSOE) came to power in Spain in 2004, but argued that a much greater improvement is needed. Under the previous government, of the centre-right Popular Party, "aid stood at 0.2 percent of GDP, and it has now grown to 0.4 percent and will apparently expand to 0.5 percent in the budget to be approved in the next few days," he said. "But we have to reach 0.7 percent of GDP as soon as possible, in Spain as well as in other countries, because the situation is critical, with millions of children and adults having their basic needs unmet or dying of hunger," said Ortiz. (END/2008) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_General&set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20081018085024659C393795 Many join world protest against poverty October 18 2008 at 03:02PM By Graeme Hosken and Hazel Sambo South Africans joined people across the world in a protest against global poverty on Friday. The local demonstration saw members of churches, non-government organisations and anti-poverty groups coming together on the lawns of the Union Buildings to demonstrate against what they said was governments' inaction in addressing the plight of two billion poor people across the world. Friday's march coincided with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and saw demonstrators demanding that governments from across the world tackle worldwide poverty. "Instead of spending millions on arms deals, money should be put into social grants which can be used to uplift the poor, especially children," said Kumi Naidoo. Naidoo, co-chairperson of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a coalition of non-governmental organisations, churches and trade unions, said it was time action was taken against poverty. "If trillions of dollars can be spent to bail out corrupt bankers, then surely money can be found to feed the poor. We are telling our government that they now need to deliver on their promises of alleviating poverty in this country instead of wasting it on frivolous things such as the military," he said. Naidoo said there were serious issues which were affecting poor South Africans, especially the country's youth. Citing horror poverty stories that "occur daily" in South Africa, Naidoo said there needed to be an improvement of social and welfare grants. "These grants need to be increased in value and (should) cover children up to the age of 18." Pointing to the country's high unemployment rate as contributing to poverty in SA, Naidoo said if poverty was to be addressed, better paying jobs would have to be created. Handing over a memorandum to a government official, Irfan Mufti, of Global Call to Action Against Poverty, said people needed to unite and address the world's governments with one voice to make them aware of what poverty was really like. He said people did not deserve to be poor. "It is not necessary for two billion people to remain sentenced to a life of poverty. Governments need to realise that they have a responsibility to uplift people from this life sentence and help these billions of people who will without their help die," he said. Bishop Paul Verryn, of the SA Council of Churches, called on politicians to take a major pay cut to find out what it was like to live just above the poverty line. "Today is a fight for the respect of all humanity and about how the poor are battling to get access to basic services. "We are calling on government ministers and politicians to take a pay cut so that they earn just above the poverty line to know what everyday life is like for the majority of South Africans," he said, adding that change would only come once the world developed a sense of humanity. South African Human Rights Commission's Jo Mdhlela said questions had to be asked on what had happened with government's promised wealth distribution and eradication of poverty projects. "These are promises which government should not be allowed to walk away from." http://www.streamsofjustice.org/2008/10/dont-ignore-homeless-during-economic.html Monday, October 20, 2008 Don't ignore homeless during economic crisis: protesters Last Updated: Saturday, October 18, 2008 | 8:45 PM ET Demonstrations were held across B.C. on Saturday to demand more affordable housing and better protection for renters as part of Homelessness Action Week. In Vancouver, the day also marked the end of a five-day fast and vigil at Vancouver City Hall by church and social activists who said they are fed up with government inaction. Church activist Dave Diewart said there were many who honked their horns to show support as they drove past the camp, but there were others who yelled, "Get a job." The government didn't do much to provide housing while the economy was strong, Diewart said, and might now use the excuse of the economic downtown to do even less. "It just doesn't seem like the urgency is there, despite the crisis across the country," he said. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 19:08:42 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:08:42 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Land grab protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB02AA.5040708@tesco.net> * BRAZIL: Amazonian protest over rocket base * DENMARK: Encroachment by state on Christiania leads to clashes * NEPAL: Vendors resist clearance by police * SOUTH AFRICA: Police surrounded during protest over hawker seizures * PHILIPPINES: Residents protest business site * NEPAL: Vendors block road in protest over eviction * SOUTH AFRICA: Anti-mall protesters offered jobs * INDIA: Delhi - Indefinite dharna over land grab * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - demonstration over land grab by temple * INDIA: Orissa, Bhubaneshwar - protests as POSCO opponents jailed * INDIA: Ranchi - adivasis protest Arcelor Mittal steel plant land grab * INDIA: Karnataka, Mangalore - land grab protests force alteration in bus-stand plan * INDIA: Goa - detention of anti-megalopolis protester leads to protests * INDIA: AP - rightists spearhead protest against SEZ * INDIA: Mumbai - Narmada activist leads compensation rally * INDIA: AP - police smash protest against corridor * INDIA: Bonhoogly - protests delay gentrification project * INDIA: Gurgaon - waste site protested * INDIA: Simla - protesters storm meeting, oppose SEZ * INDIA: AP, Guntar - protesters take over meeting * US: Swap meet decline, rents protested * NORTHERN IRELAND: Protest over cemetary boundary land grab http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122351030853317377.html?mod=fox_australian ? OCTOBER 9, 2008 Space Invaders: Brazilian Villagers Launch Protests of Rocket Base Descendants of Slaves Claim Land Rights In the Jungle; Disturbing the Natural Spirits ? Article ? Comments more in World ? By MATT MOFFETT MAMUNA, Brazil -- For 200 years, descendants of slaves have preserved a distinctive way of life in this village near the Amazon jungle. Amid the stone ruins of plantations, they farmed communally, played drums made of tree trunks and revered spirits in the wilderness. But then, not long ago, Mamuna was shaken by some strangers: Brazilian and Ukrainian rocket scientists. The scientists said that they intended to use land near the village to expand an aging rocket base into a world-class space center capable of launching commercial satellites. One day in February, a work crew clearing land for the new site suddenly encountered a log roadblock manned by about 60 Mamuna inhabitants, carrying machetes and scythes. "We weren't giving up our lands to outsiders -- not even brilliant scientists," says Militina Garcia Serejo, a community leader who helped bring the crew's work to a halt. In September, a federal judge backed the villagers' action, issuing an injunction halting further construction on the space project, pending a decision on who should have title to the lands. In Mamuna and hundreds of other places throughout Brazil, a more assertive black-rights movement is battling for recognition of quilombos, settlements founded by runaway or freed slaves. But with Brazil's economy surging in recent years and land coveted for development, the territorial push is triggering a flurry of conflicts with businesses, farmers and the armed forces. Anthropologists estimate that Brazil has around 3,500 quilombos. The settlements are an important part of the national saga of a country in which roughly half the population is black or mixed race. Each Nov. 20, on Black Consciousness Day, Brazilians commemorate the life of Zumbi, a slave who escaped from Portuguese colonizers and led a vibrant 17th-century quilombo called Palmares. Brazil's 1988 constitution, ratified at the end of a military dictatorship, guaranteed land titles to quilombo inhabitants. But titling was such an arduous bureaucratic process that in the next 15 years fewer than 100 quilombos received titles. Residents of the rest of the quilombos were vulnerable to being kicked out of their homes. In 2003, Brazil's newly inaugurated leftist president, Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, faced demands to recognize quilombo lands from the country's increasingly energized black-rights movement. Along with other concessions to black Brazilians, such as university quotas, Mr. da Silva issued a decree that made it easier for quilombos to obtain legal land titles. That triggered a surge in land claims -- and resulting court clashes. Slave descendants have been battling Aracruz Celulose SA, a New York Stock Exchange-listed pulp producer, over 42,000 acres, three times the area of Manhattan; vying with the Brazilian navy for control of Marambaia Island, site of a naval base; and fighting property speculators in western Mato Grosso state for land that's believed to have gold deposits. This year, amid pressure by agribusiness, Mr. da Silva backtracked, and issued rules that make it harder for quilombos to obtain titles. But many quilombo residents are still fighting. Grim Reminder The most high-profile struggle has pitted Mamuna and neighboring quilombos against the rocket base located on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Alc?ntara. In the 18th century, the area was a center for cotton and sugar plantations, located near a major port of entry for African slaves. A grim reminder of the slave era is the whipping post in downtown Alc?ntara, now preserved for tourists. In the early 1800s, cotton prices collapsed and slave holders on the peninsula began abandoning their plantations. Ex-slaves took over the lands, leading to the emergence of most of the 100 or so quilombos, with roughly 16,000 inhabitants, that survive on the peninsula today. While quilombo residents keep their own palm-thatched houses, farm land is considered communal property. Decisions on who farms where are made by community leaders, a number of whom are women. Many quilombo dwellers also believe in encantados, spirits existing in nature. Mamuna residents say one encantado inhabits a rock outcropping on a beach, from which a drumming sound is said to emanate. Reuters A rocket is launched off the Alc?ntara Launch Center in 2007. The space program entered the picture in the early 1980s, when the military government announced it was expropriating a large swath of the peninsula to build a rocket base. Alc?ntara was selected as the site because of its proximity to the equator, where the Earth rotates faster, reducing the amount of fuel needed to launch rockets. The construction of the base, in 1986, forced more than 300 families to resettle from quilombos to smaller parcels far from their fishing grounds. S?rvulo de Jesus Moraes Borges, a leader of a local opposition group to the base, says the space program hasn't created many good jobs for peninsula residents due to an "intellectual apartheid" between well-trained space workers and quilombo residents who often lack access to basic schooling. In 2003, a public prosecutor filed a class-action suit on behalf of the peninsula's quilombo residents, urging that they be granted land titles and chastising the government for "creating innumerable obstacles for [residents'] continuity and cultural reproduction." In court filings, the Brazilian Space Agency has noted that the base has brought benefits to the peninsula, hastening the arrival of basic infrastructure like electricity and telephones. Jos? de Ribamar Alves, a congressman from the area, adds that the base is geopolitically vital. "We have to think of the national interest," he says. Disturbing the Spirits Plagued by tight budgets and conflicts between military and civilian managers, however, the Alc?ntara base has struggled to do more than launch suborbital research rockets. The biggest setback came in August 2003, when a satellite rocket blew up on an Alc?ntara launching pad, killing 21 scientists and technicians. In 2006, the Space Agency moved to revitalize the base by starting a venture with Ukraine's government, which would supply its proven Cyclone rocket. The binational company, Alc?ntara Cyclone Space, would offer services for commercial launches, planners said. The company planned a 12,000-acre expansion of the Alc?ntara base that would include a shopping center, staff living quarters, university classrooms and research laboratories. In an interview, Volodymyr Lakomov, Ukraine's ambassador to Brazil, said he thought the arrival of the "industry of the 21st century" would remake the peninsula for the better. But Mamuna residents say they simply want to preserve a lifestyle rooted in the 19th century. The villagers confronted the Alc?ntara Cyclone work crew this year after it cut a 15-foot-wide road and dug holes in a palm forest where Mamuna residents say they traditionally gathered fruit, according to the public prosecutor's petition for an injunction against the project, filed in May. The suit also cited an anthropological study asserting that workmen had disturbed Mamuna's "rich immaterial patrimony" -- that is, the encantados, or nature spirits. Roberto Amaral, director general of Alc?ntara Cyclone, says the crew never set foot on Mamuna's land and that the dispute is a "false conflict." He says tensions are being stirred up by nongovernmental groups, some of whom, he suggests, may be doing the bidding of wealthy nations that don't want Brazil to advance as a space power. The Brazilian judge sided with Mamuna, however. Alc?ntara Cyclone says the expansion is off for now, but it will try launching a Ukrainian rocket from the existing base in 2010. http://news.guelphmercury.com/Wire/News_Wire/World/article/397555 Eviction of squatters sparks clashes in Copenhagen; 2 hurt, 15 arrested October 29, 2008 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE CANADIAN PRESS, 2008 COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish police say 15 people have been arrested and two officers injured after riot police clashed with dozens of demonstrators protesting the eviction of squatters in Copenhagen. Police fired tear gas to dispel the crowd of protesters, who set fires to barricades and pelted police with rocks and firebombs. The clashes started late Tuesday after police helped evict squatters from a building in Christiania, a partially self-governing section of Copenhagen. Police say the clashes lasted until early Wednesday. The community was founded when dozens of hippies occupied a derelict 18th-century fort on state-owned land on the outskirts of the capital. Its more than 900 residents have a tense relationship with authorities. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct15/news04.php Police, street vendors clash in Kalanki Police have arrested at least half-a-dozen street vendors from Kalanki in the capital Wednesday morning in their effort to remove shops from footpaths. As the police started removing the shops, the vendors attacked in response. The clashes that followed resulted in injury of a few vendors. Two hours of scuffle between the two sides forced vehicular movement to halt for almost two hours. The police have informed the street vendors to remove their shops from sidewalks. The initiative was taken to ease the traffic congestion and the trouble pedestrians have been facing due to the shops. Shops on the sidewalks in many other busy areas like Ratnapark, Jamal and Bagbazaar were also removed today. The valley traffic police office has set up an 80-member team to remove street vendors and construction materials from roadsides. Warnings have been issued that violation of warning will result in seizure of the goods and legal punishment. nepalnews.com ia Oct 15 08 http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Environment&set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20081003054653436C547723 Police, street hawkers clash in Marabastad October 03 2008 at 10:27AM By Barry Bateman and Hazel Sambo Tempers flared on Thursday when the Tshwane metro police confiscated truckloads of goods from hawkers trading illegally outside the Marabastad Retail Mall. Later the officers responded to a complaint from a Boom Street shop owner whose entire shop front had become swamped with illegal traders. There pepper spray was used to disperse the crowd which had gathered around the handful of officers. 'How are we supposed to make a living?' Operational commander Senior Superintendent Doortjie Janse van Rensburg said the operation was a continuation of an ongoing campaign to clean up the area. She said their by-law directorate was focusing on Marabastad and Sunnyside. Janse van Rensburg said one of the biggest problems in Marabastad was self-appointed leaders who charged the traders rent to trade on council property. On Wednesday, the metro police opened the country's first by-law enforcement centre at their headquarters on the corner of Church Street and DF Malan Drive. Jansen van Rensburg said members of the public should send complaints to their office so they could investigate and act. It was such a complaint that the unit responded to outside the shop in Boom Street. Informal trader Ismail Molokwane said he had lost fruit worth hundreds of rands. "How are we supposed to make a living? We have got families to feed." Molokwane said the officers never warned them before arriving to confiscate their goods and accused the police of stealing their living. But Jansen van Rensburg said they had visited the area on two previous occasions, first to warn them, then to issue fines and now to confiscate goods which would be returned on payment of a fine. James Masemola said he would have to resort to drastic measures to feed his family. "We all have children. If our children have no food I must make a plan." Masemola, who claimed he earned about R300 a week, said they traded in the parking lot in front of the mall because it was close to the bus depot and thus their customers. "The council wants us to sell our goods far away from here, who is going to see us then?" Russia Kgatla said if the council was going to chase away the hawkers, they should provide them with jobs. "We are not above the law, but the law must take us into account. While the police are chasing us away, the criminals are busy in the city. The police target us because we're soft targets. They are too scared to stand up to the criminals," he said. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081027-168697/QC-residents-protest-business-site QC residents protest business site By Julie M. Aurelio Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 13:58:00 10/27/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Infrastructure, Housing & Urban Planning MANILA, Philippines -- Residents to be affected by the proposed Central Business District in Quezon City marched to city hall on Monday to protest their pending displacement from their homes without a relocation site. Some 50 protesters gathered mid-morning to ask Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. not to push through with the QC- CBD project, which will be built at the site of North Triangle, Barangay (village) Palanas, parts of the villages of Pag-Asa, Central, and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center. Santiago Dasmarinas Jr., spokesman of Concerned Organizations against Transfer, Layoff, Demolition and Privatization for QC CBD said more than 24,000 families would be rendered homeless by the project. The city government is planning to construct commercial, medical tourism and information technology complexes at the CBD in order to attract more investors and raise tax collections. "Pushing with the CBD project will be sacrificing the plight of the poor residents who will have nowhere to go, as well as the government agencies to be displaced by the project," Dasmarinas said. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct21/news06.php Irate vendors hold protest Angry at the government for evicting them from footpath, vendors gathered in front of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Tuesday morning. Street vendors organising a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Local... The street vendors blocked the traffic movement and protested the government decision demanding that they be rehabilitated. Police had to use force to clear the road in Sundhara. The vendors are also preparing to hold similar protests in front of Local Development Ministry and Lalitpur sub metropolitan office. After the decision of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam, the police have evicted street vendors from Kalanki, Gongabu, Ratnapark and Lagankhel areas. Gautam has said that by opening shops in footpath, the street vendors have caused several problems including that of traffic jam. "A footpath is for pedestrians to walk. It is not for running business," he said. Meanwhile, the government has formed a committee headed by former Kathmandu mayor Keshab Sthapit to study and find ways to relocate the evicted street vendors. nepalnews.com sd Oct 21 08 http://www.nowpublic.com/world/street-hawkers-protesting-nepalese-capital Street hawkers protesting in Nepalese capital by Sanjay Jha | October 16, 2008 at 03:41 am 43 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment Nepal's street hawker are protesting against home minister's order of eviction from the capital Kathmandu. Vendors were swept off the streets by the latest order of the minister. Hundreds of street vendors and petty shopkeepers in different parts of the capital city who depended on the sidewalks for their livelihood, bore the brunt of the police crackdown. Minister's eviction bomb has blown to smithereens the chances of survival of street vendors, who were eking out a precarious living on the edge. Street vendors protested against the evacuation of footpath stalls in the capital on Thursday. The irate vendors are protesting in front of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Office demanding to provide an alternative area to operate their business. Meanwhile, vehicular movement at Sundhara area has been affected due to the protest. The traffic police have started vacating footpath stalls in the capital from yesterday stating that the market along the footpath of busy roads has created problems for pedestrians and are also responsible for chaos in the traffic and increasing road accidents. The police cleared the footpath stalls at Kalanki and Satdobato area yesterday. Meanwhile, traffic police is clearing the footpath stalls at New Baneshwor and Koteshwor area today. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20081017120053403C367931 Mzoli promises protesters jobs October 17 2008 at 01:28PM By Natasha Prince Backyard dwellers from Gugulethu, who have protested against the development of a shopping complex in the area, are to be recruited to work at the site from Tuesday as part of an agreement reached with the developer. An agreement was reached with developer Mzoli Ngcawuzela, who also owns the popular restaurant Mzoli's Place in Gugulethu, and the representatives of the Anti-Eviction Campaign after tempers flared at the site on Thursday. About 200 residents, most of whom were unemployed, gathered at the entrance to the site near the local taxi rank at about 7am in an attempt to halt further construction of the development. The disgruntled residents were led by Mncedisi Twalo of the Anti Eviction Campaign. On Tuesday residents also descended on the site to protest against the development. Twalo said they had gathered because yesterday was the deadline of a three-day grace period given to the developer to respond to their objections, including their demands that Ngcawuzela employ people from the area to work at the site. "We've given Mzoli three days to respond. These people need to be part and parcel of the development." Ngcawuzela addressed the group and later met the groups' representatives. After the meeting, Ngcawuzela said residents would be employed at the site as the development gradually progressed. "We are very committed to this, people from the area need to be involved in community developments." He said he did not feel pressured into the decision. Before the meeting, the protesting backyard dwellers cordoned off the street leading to the site's entrance with bricks, and police arrived to control the group. Some protesters held aloft placards, while others wore T-shirts displaying the names of community organisations. Twalo addressed the crowd and listed their grievances from a memorandum. The protesters rebuked those wearing T-shirts with political branding, telling them their protest was "not a political campaign". A resident said that on Thursday night campaign members had called for support by driving through the area with loud-hailers, telling people to meet at the site, where they would be given jobs. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100461080300.htm New Delhi Clash between farmers, forces imminent Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar ________________________________________ Indefinite dharna over appropriate compensation for acquired land ________________________________________ NEW DELHI: With the siege of the Deputy Commissioner?s office in North-West Delhi by farmers seeking higher compensation for land and review of the acquisition policies entering the 23rd day on Friday, a showdown between the security forces and the agitators appears imminent. According to Jan Sangharsh Vahini convenor Bhupendra Singh Rawat, units of Rapid Action Force and other Central police forces have moved to the area and gradually replaced Delhi Police personnel, indicating that the Delhi Government now wants to end the agitation by force. Mr. Rawat said the move had come hot on the heels of a Tis Hazari court order in which the Delhi Government was fined Rs.10,000 for its inability to deal with the situation. As for the agitation, Mr. Rawat said a large number of farmers are sitting on an indefinite dharna at Kanjhawala since September 11 because the Government had not paid them appropriate compensation for acquired land. ?The farmers were earlier demanding enhanced compensation, but now they are pressing for cancellation of the acquisition and restoration of their acquired land,? he said. The issue pertaining to 1,400 acres in Kanjhawala, Sultanpur Dabas, Karala, Tikri Kalan, Pooth Khurd, Tikri khurd, Alipur, Bakoli and other villages began after the Delhi Government issued the notification for acquisition. Since the market value of the land was several times higher, the farmers have been pressing for ?realistic? compensation along with a proper rehabilitation package. Mr. Rawat said that strong-arm tactics by the Delhi Government would not scare the farmers. The working president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Naresh Dabas, said till the time the farmers get their just dues the agitation would continue. He also reiterated that, like in other parts of the country, the farmers of Delhi too would go to any extent to preserve their livelihood and honour. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/20/stories/2008102058410300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Srirangam residents stage demonstration Special Correspondent Resolve to meet Nehru, Periakaruppan and seek audience with CM ? Photo: M. Moorthy Intensifying stir: Residents of Srirangam staging a demonstration on Sunday. TIRUCHI: A large number of residents of Srirangam staged a demonstration in front of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple on Sunday protesting the notices issued to a section of residents by the temple administration claiming ownership rights over their properties. The temple administration, in the notices, had asked the residents to acknowledge the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple as the owner of their property and pay rent. Affected residents, who have asserted that the temple had no stake in their property, have launched a campaign against the move. On Sunday, residents gathered under the banner of Srirangam Town Welfare Association, staged a demonstration in front of the temple. They condemned the issue of notices by the temple administration and asserted that they were the rightful owners of the property. The agitation was led by K. Padmanaban. A spokesperson said the residents have resolved to meet the Transport Minister K.N. Nehru and HR & CE Minister K.R. Periakaruppan to discuss the issue and also seek an appointment with the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to represent their case. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B125087.htm Tension in Indian state as POSCO protest leader held 13 Oct 2008 07:52:31 GMT Source: Reuters By Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India, Oct 13 (Reuters) - More than 500 policemen have been deployed in eastern Orissa state after the arrest of a senior leader who had been spearheading protests against South Korean steel maker POSCO <005490.KS>. India's Supreme Court in August allowed POSCO use of large tracts of forest land to build a $12 billion plant -- the country's largest foreign investment -- which villagers say will force them off farmland and displace about 20,000 people. POSCO and the state say the plant, in Jagatsinghpur district, will create jobs in an impoverished part of the country. Police arrested Abhay Sahu, chairman of the anti-POSCO group PPSS, on Sunday in connection with attacks on the house of a POSCO supporter two years ago, a police official said. At least 24 criminal cases related to Sahu's group were pending, he said, adding police feared Sahu's supporters may step up protests after his arrest. "We have deployed adequate police personnel to avoid any untoward incidents," senior police officer Kumarmani Meher said. The region has witnessed numerous clashes since POSCO inked a deal in June 2005. A POSCO official on Monday said they were still awaiting mining approvals from the government. A spokesman for PPSS said their protests would continue. "If he is not released immediately the government will be held responsible for consequences," Prasant Paikray said, adding PPSS would "carry on the struggle against the company". Earlier this month, Tata Motors Ltd quit West Bengal state after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop production. Also in Orissa, miner Vedanta Resources Plc has run into opposition to its plans to mine bauxite in hills considered sacred by tribal people. The Supreme Court in August greenlighted Vedanta's plan, part of an $800 million project in the resource-rich state. The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers unwilling to give up land in a country where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living. (Editing by Alistair Scrutton) http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-32411.html Anti-Posco agitators protest leader's arrest Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: Hundreds of anti-Posco agitators Monday blocked roads and demonstrated for hours in Orissa?s Jagatsinghpur district in protest against the arrest of a leader Sunday, the police said here. While 500 people demonstrated in front of the block office at Erasama near here, about 300 people blocked a road at Kujanga, the police said. The anti-Posco protesters later assembled at Dhinkia village and organised a public meeting, where they vowed to intensify their agitation against the $12-billion steel plant that South Korean giant Posco proposes to set up in the district near Paradeep, about 100 km from here. The police arrested Abhaya Kumar Sahu, who is spearheading a movement against Posco Sunday evening. According to the police, there are over 20 criminal cases pending against him. This is the first time that Sahu has been arrested after over three years of agitation against the Posco project that involves the largest foreign direct investment in India. "Armed policemen had to be deployed in Dhinkia, Nuagan and Gadakujang areas, where Sahu has a large following," assistant superintendent of police Kumarmani Meher told IANS over phone. Sources said 500 policemen were deployed in the region. The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have also reacted strongly and condemned the arrest. ?He has been arrested on false charges? a CPI leader told IANS. Tension prevailed in parts of the coastal district as Sahu?s party activists demanded his immediate release. ?We have demanded his immediate release. If he is not released, the administration will be held responsible for the consequences,? said Prasant Paikray, spokesperson for the protesters. Posco, the world?s fourth largest steel maker, signed a deal with the state government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016. However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood. Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create thousands of jobs. --- IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101557670300.htm Other States - Orissa Parties stage protest demanding release of Abhay Sahoo Staff Reporter No untoward incident reported ? Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty On the warpath: Leaders and activists of major opposition parties demonstrate demanding release of arrested anti-Posco leader Abhaya Sahoo in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. BHUBANESWAR: Several opposition political parties on Tuesday came out protesting arrest of Abhaya Sahoo, who was spearheading anti-land acquisition movement against setting up of 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel plant by South Korean steel major POSCO. Protest continued for the second consecutive day in the capital city with some human rights activists and non-Leftist parties joining the chorus for immediate release of the leader. Mr. Sahoo, who had mobilised villagers under the banner of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), was arrested by Jagatsinghpur police on Sunday evening. Though there was palpable tension in the Dhinkia and Gobindpur gram panchayats, the proposed project area for the steel plant, no untoward incident was reported from the district. Displacement In the morning activists of the Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), CPI (ML) and newly floated Samruddha Odisha took out a rally. They blocked the vehicular movement on the busy Master Canteen square for an hour. Addressing the gathering CPI?s State general secretary Dibakar Nayak said the leader was democratically leading a movement against displacement while Naveen Patnaik-led government tried to throttle people?s agitation using the force. Leaders accused that a ?motivated? police force arrested the PPSS leader although he was ill. ?Mr. Sahoo should be released from jail without any prior condition. Those responsible for arrest of CPI leader should be brought to book,? Mr. Nayak said. Mr. Sahoo, who rarely came out from Dhinkia village, fell into police net while returning to his place. He was later sent to Choudwar Jail after his bail plea was rejected. There were a number of cases ranging from attacking police persons to kidnapping piled against him. Left parties and human rights activists resolved to intensify their agitation further until he was released from the jail. On Tuesday, a few Congress and CPI leaders went to Dhinkia village calling upon villagers to continue their agitation against acquisition of land for the steel project. http://uk.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUKDEL15398420081027?feedType=RSS&feedName=tnBasicIndustries-SP Students protest against POSCO plant in east India Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:34am GMT BHUBANESWAR, India, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of students marched in eastern India to protest against a proposed plant by South Korean steel maker POSCO (005490.KS), police said on Monday, the latest in a series of protests delaying the project. India's Supreme Court ruled in August that POSCO could use large tracts of forest land to build the $12 billion plant -- the country's largest foreign investment. Villagers say the construction will force them off farmland and displace about 20,000 people. POSCO and the state have said the plant in Jagatsinghpur district of the mineral-rich state, will create jobs in an impoverished part of the country. Last month, police arrested an anti-POSCO leader, triggering violent protests. The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers unwilling to give up land in India where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living. Earlier this month, Tata Motors Ltd (TAMO.BO) quit West Bengal state after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop production. (Reporting by Jatindra Dash; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Jeremy Laurence) ((bappa.majumdar at thomsonreuters.com; +91-11-41781003; Reuters Messaging:bappa.majumdar.reuters.net at reuters.com)) http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37062.html Orissa students hold anti-Posco protest Jagatsinghpur, Oct 27 : Hundreds of college and school students have launched a protest against the proposed steel plant by South Korean steel major Posco in the region, police said Monday. The students from Nuagaon, Gada Kujanga and Dhinkia villages carried out processions holding placards, banners and posters Sunday at Dhinkia - the epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, over 100 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. They demanded the withdrawal of the project from the area and the release of anti-Posco leader Abhaya Kumar Sahu, who was arrested Oct 12. ?The protest was peaceful,? Arun Sahu, a police official, told IANS. According to the police, there are over 20 criminal cases pending against Sahu, who is also a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI). Posco, the world's fourth largest steel maker, signed a deal with the Orissa government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016. However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood. Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create thousands of jobs. The project has not made any progress because of the protest by local villagers. --- IANS http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37171.html Hundreds protest anti-Posco activist's arrest in Orissa Bhubaneswar, Oct 27 : Around 300 people, including villagers and opposition party leaders, staged a demonstration in Orissa's Cuttack city Monday, demanding the release of anti-Posco leader Abhaya Kumar Sahu who was arrested Oct 12. The villagers, joined by members of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and other opposition party leaders, carried out a procession and staged their protest near the office of Director General of Police (DGP) Manmohan Praharaj in Cuttack, around 25 km from here. ?We met the DGP and submitted a memorandum demanding the release of our leader,? said Amarendra Mohanty, one of the demonstrators. ?Police have arrested him on false charges,? he said. According to the police, there are over 20 criminal cases pending against Sahu, who is also a senior CPI leader. Posco, the world's fourth largest steelmaker, signed a deal with the Orissa government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016 in Jagatsinghpur district, over 100 km from here. However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood. Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create thousands of jobs. The project has not made any progress because of the protest by local villagers. Hundreds of college and school students had Sunday launched a protest in Jagatsinghpur against the proposed steel plant and also demanded Sahu's release. The students from Nuagaon, Gada Kujanga and Dhinkia villages carried out processions holding placards, banners and posters in Dhinkia - the epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation in the coastal district. --- IANS http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL169034.htm Indian tribals protest against Arcelor Mittal plant 20 Oct 2008 09:05:14 GMT Source: Reuters By Nityanand Shukla RANCHI, India, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of villagers marched in eastern India on Monday to protest against a proposed Arcelor Mittal steel plant, police said, the latest in a series of confrontations over industry on farmlands. Armed with bows and sickles, the villagers, members of poor local tribes in thestate of Jharkhand, held banners that said: "We need food, not steel". They shouted slogans, swearing they would give up their lives but not their farmlands. The world's largest steelmaker is planning an $8.2 billion plant in the mineral-rich state, which it hopes to build over four years. The company needs 11,000 acres (4,450 hectares) for the 12 million tonne plant and an industrial town. But angry villagers say they will not give up land for the project. "We will not give an inch of land to Mittal steel," Dayamani Barla, a protest leader, said. "We will further intensify our agitation, if the Mittals make any effort to grab our land." A company official in Ranchi, the state capital, said they were trying to defuse the situation by talking to villagers. The protest reflects a larger stand-off between industry and farmers unwilling to surrender land in a country where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living. Experts say state governments and companies will have to pay more attention to the needs of farmers in a country where industrialisation pressures are mounting. Violent protests by farmers and political opposition forced India's Tata Motors Ltd to move the factory for its low-cost Nano car out of West Bengal state earlier this month. The communist government also had to abort plans to set up a Special Economic Zone for a chemicals complex in the state last year. Angry protests by farmers have delayed construction of a steel plant in Orissa state by South Korean steel firm POSCO <005490.KS>, which could be India's single biggest foreign investment to date. An alumina refinery by Vedanta Resources PLC in Orissa has also been delayed due to tribal protests. The villagers in Jharkhand opposing the Mittal project distributed 15,000 fliers in dozens of villages around the proposed plant site, urging people not to part with their land. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Simon Denyer and Alex Richardson) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101358150300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Bus-stand land acquisition plan altered owing to people?s protest Special Correspondent Houses on the proposed site will not be disturbed, say officials ________________________________________ The area originally planned for bus-stand reduced to seven acres ?We will still be deprived of peace and tranquillity in the locality? ________________________________________ DEVELOPMENT: A view of the proposed site for the satellite bus-stand near Pumpwell Circle in Mangalore. MANGALORE: Yielding to protests from people, the district administration has modified its plans to acquire about 11 acre of land near Mahaveer (Pumpwell) Circle. It has now decided to spare the houses and acquire only the vacant lands and farmlands, measuring about seven acres. The lands are being acquired for a bus-stand opposite the headquarters of Karnataka Bank between Mahaveer (Pumpwell) Circle and Nanthur Junction. Special land acquisition officer of Mangalore City Corporation S. Krishnamurthy, who he functions under district administration, told The Hindu that about 11.62 acres of land, including those with buildings, had been proposed for acquisition, originally. But, in the wake of protests, only the vacant lands, measuring a little over seven acres, would be acquired. About 200 families were facing displacement as per the original plan, according to M. Aravinda, president of the Maroli Mattu Kadri B. Gramada Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, which was formed by the residents of the area to fight against land acquisition. Mr. Aravinda said the acquisition of properties was opposed because people had built houses with their hard earned money and many were still repaying the loans. They had no means to shift their houses elsewhere. Besides, they were not confident of getting market value as compensation from the Government. The people have now stopped their agitation as the district administration decided in their favour. However, they continue to resent the plans to set up bus-stand in their vicinity. ?When there is bus-stand, lot of people frequent the area, regularly? said Shailaja Kamath, a retired Government employee residing in the area. She, however, considered lucky that as per the changed plan, the bus-stand was going a little away from her house. Mr. Aravinda said the bus stand would disturb the peace and tranquillity of the place. ?All kinds of legal and illegal activities are bound to take place when you have a bus-stand,? he said. He said when people bought lands and built houses there, they had hoped for a peaceful life, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and in the middle of the greenery. He said the area was part of a greenbelt as per the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). On the other hand, the original proposal to set up a large private and government bus-stands are likely to take a beating consequent to a change in the plans for land acquisition. The KSRTC Mangalore division had asked for a five-acre land, which might not be possible in the changed scenario. ?Let us see, how much land we can get,? said its senior divisional manager, P.B. Karumbaiah. He said the division wanted to operate all services to nearby cities, Puttur, Sullia, Subrahmanya, Darmasthala and Kasaragod from there. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37392.html Goa group protests detention of writer-activist Panaji, Oct 27 : The Goa Bachao Abhiyaan (GBA - Save Goa Campaign), fighting against unplanned and rampant construction of mega projects in Goa - has criticised the police detention of writer-activist Venita Coelho after she questioned the village head about a long pending project. On Sunday, the police detained Coelho immediately after she questioned the village sarpanch (head) at a gram sabha (village meeting) about the status of the 20-year development plan of her village, Moira. Immediately after she raised her query, a boisterous group surrounded Coelho and started heckling and threatening her. However, the police instead of controlling the mob took Coelho to the Mapusa police station, where she was detained for three hours. Coelho, who has written screenplays for several Bollywood films, is a member of the Moira Action Committee (MAC) and the GBA, which have been protesting the rampant illegal construction in the state. 'The police pulled me forcibly out of my chair and dragged me to the police jeep. I was driven straight to the police station and held for three hours. When friends asked if they could accompany me, they were pushed away from the police van,' Coelho told IANS. When contacted C.L. Patil, in-charge of the Mapusa police station where Coelho was detained, claimed that the police acted on the directions of the village head. 'Venita Coelho was detained at the police station in order to avoid any untoward incident at the gram sabha,' Patil told the media. Coelho claims she is a legitimate member of the gram sabha and was well within her rights to question the panchayat. The GBA in an official statement has condemned the use of police force to intimidate and overpower law-abiding citizens. 'Venita Coelho is a valid electoral card-holder, who was removed from Sunday's Moira gram sabha by the police. We see this as an assault on democracy and an erosion of rights. It is high time the elected government acts and restore confidence,' the press note adds. Vociferous protests against large-scale construction projects and mining leases have become a consistent feature in Goan gram sabhas in the last couple of years. After village heads started becoming targets of public ire, the grams sabhas are now being conducted in police presence. --- IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102653140300.htm Andhra Pradesh BJP protests against KSEZ Staff Reporter Kakinada: A large number of BJP activists led by their State president Bandaru Dattatreya and farmers took part in a protest demonstration against the Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in front of the Collector?s office here on Saturday. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dattatreya said the process of land acquisition for the KSEZ was replete with human rights violations and some middlemen were doing real estate business with the land in collusion with those who call the shots in the ruling party. ?Harassment? Nowhere else in the State was such a large area acquired in the name of an SEZ in blatant violation of norms, he said. The farmers were coerced to part with their valuable lands and those who resisted the attempts to snatch their small land holdings were being harassed by the police at the behest of some vested interests, Mr. Dattatreya alleged. Mr. Dattatreya regretted that the government did not feel it proper to suspend the project even after the High Court was approached by the aggrieved sections. The State Human Rights Commission?s strictures also appeared to have been brushed aside. ?Cancel project? The BJP leader demanded that the KSEZ be cancelled and land given back to the farmers to enable them to eke out a living out of it. His party would not hesitate to shelve such projects which jeopardize the lives of such poor communities who have been enduring oppression for a long time. BJP State secretary Somu Veerraju and district president K. Sarvarayudu were among those who took part in the agitation. They also raised the issues of price rise and lawlessness in the State under the current dispensation. ?Lands will be returned? Rajahmundry: The NDA, if elected to power, would return the fertile lands acquired for the SEZs in the country, including the 12,000 acres acquired for the facility in Kakinada, Mr. Dattatreya told newsmen here. He charged the State government with unnecessarily acquiring huge extent of land in Kakinada and allotting some 4,280 acres of the extent to private landlord at government price. Majority of the farmers are poor and hold fertile lands. ?As if this is not enough, most of the villages in two mandals are discriminated against vis-?-vis implementation of welfare schemes ever since the land there was notified as SEZ in 1994,? he charged. Despite opposition of farmers in Tammavaram village to part with their lands, Mr. Dattatreya alleged that the government acquired some 19 acres and allotted it to a local MLA. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101556260700.htm Other States - Mumbai Medha protests in Mumbai Rahi Gaikwad Seeks compensation for project-hit people MUMBAI: Ahead of the State Cabinet meeting, usually slated for Wednesday, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and people affected by various projects in Maharashtra protested outside Tilak Bhawan, the Congress party headquarters in Mumbai. Police rushed to the spot and brought Ms. Patkar and the agitators to Azad Maidan by 2.15 p.m. The agitation covers lands acquired over the years and even as far back as a hundred years ago. For instance, the Tata dam in Maval and Mulshi talukas were acquired as per the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (LAQ). ?The lands have been seized without any compensation or rehabilitation,? says a statement of the National Alliance of People?s Movements (NAPM) led by Ms. Patkar. The statement has been forwarded to State Rehabilitation Relief Minister, Patangrao Kadam. It also demands water to be provided for farming and household use. Rehabilitation not yet ?In the last manifesto, the government promised to rehabilitate and compensate. However, nothing has been done. Thousands of acres have been acquired at a pittance. With the loss of land and homes, these people then become labourers,? said Ms. Patkar. The gathering included people who have not received compensation for acquired land, those who have not been rehabilitated and those displaced due to slum demolition in the city. Six dam projects in Pune, Yavatmal and Narmada dams, Lavasa and Sahara city projects, Special Economic Zones are among the projects defaulting on promises to landowners. Land acquisition Sitabai Raghunath Dongre?s 21 acres were acquired for the Pavna dam, near the Mumbai Pune highway. The land is in her father?s name, who received a paltry Rs. 25, 000 for the 13 acres that was acquired by the government. The remaining eight acres were not acquired. However, they lie submerged under water without any document to account for their ownership. The protests are a combination of various andolans related to the issues of land acquisition and displacement due to projects. They began in Lonavala in Pune district on October 11. ?They will continue in Mumbai indefinitely,? said Ms. Patkar. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakare and Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil are slated to meet Ms. Patkar on Wednesday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101658990600.htm Andhra Pradesh Protest against industrial corridor foiled Special Correspondent Acquisition of 28,000 acres of land in two districts opposed ________________________________________ Protesting activists shifted to police stations ?No clarity in industries proposed in corridor? ________________________________________ CHIRALA: Police foiled the attempts of the CPI, CPI (M), CPI (M-L), RPI and TDP on Wednesday to protest against the acquisition of 28,000 acres of land for the industrial corridor in Guntur and Prakasam districts, depriving lakhs of small and medium farmers of their resource. The all-party committee gave a call to lay siege to the Vodarevu and Nizampatnam port and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC) office here on Wednesday to protest against land acquisition on such a large scale by a private agency with the help of the government. But the police virtually laid siege to Chirala town since Tuesday night and deployed nearly 1,000 men to enforce prohibitory orders declared under Section 144 Cr. PC. They took some leaders into preventive custody on Tuesday night and made it clear that they would not allow any congregation of crowds. CPI State secretary K. Narayana was the first to arrive at the VANPIC office with a contingent of 20 party workers. Police overpowered the leaders and shifted them to the Ipurupalem police station. CPI (M) activists led by Guntur district party secretary Rama Devi arrived, while RPI leader Bojja Tarakam was arrested. After a tussle and lathicharge, police also removed 50 activists belonging to the CPI (ML) and PDSU and shifted them to the police station. Speaking to reporters at the police station, Mr Narayana said that there was no clarity on the industries proposed in the corridor and the extent of land they would require. Yet, it was lending all help to a private agency to acquire 28,000 acres. It proposed two ports at Nizampatnam and Vodarevu, one shipyard and two thermal power stations. Real estate venture He said that it is nothing but a real estate venture in which the government is acting as a ?broker?. The private organisation that is buying the land for a song would sell the same to industries at a higher price. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081013/jsp/calcutta/story_9960910.jsp Protests stall housing estate makeover MEGHDEEP BHATTACHARYA The Bonhooghly tenement scheme. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta; (below) an artist?s impression of Eden Lakeside The brand of disruptive politics that forced the shift of the Nano factory from Singur has stalled the re-development of a 17.2-acre plot closer home in Bonhooghly. A high court order in early August has failed to facilitate the demolition of the dilapidated buildings in the Bonhooghly tenement scheme and construction of new ones in their place. The rest of the plot will have 25 buildings, 16 of which will be 16-storey towers. The project, named Eden Lakeside, is a joint venture of the Calcutta-based Eden City group, London-based REIT Asset Management and the state government. The re-development was to start last year, when the 750 tenants were served notices to vacate their flats. The delay has come as a blow for the 125 residents who complied. Biplab Chakraborty, 39, and his aged mother, for example, had been counting days to move into their new 645-sq ft flat with modern amenities ever since they shifted from their 248-sq ft flat. What now stands between them and their dream home is the agitation by the Trinamul-led Bonhooghly Tenement Bashosthan Rakkha Committee, which is determined to not let the re-development project commence. ?Most of us are willing to grab this wonderful opportunity. But even if 10 people refuse to vacate their flats, the project cannot start. The local Trinamul leadership has been doing everything to not let the project happen,? said Chakaborty, who has been living in a rented flat in the area with his mother. ?The developers should build the flats where the residents will be rehabilitated first and then start work on the rest of the project. That way nobody will have to move to an alternative accommodation. The government has vested interests and we will not succumb to its pressure,? said a local Trinamul leader. A team of experts conducted a study on behalf of the developers and concluded that the project cannot be executed in parts. The dilapidated buildings, at the centre of the plot, must be razed for the reconstruction to begin. The high court, too, dismissed a petition by 50 tenants who demanded that the state provide them alternative accommodation till the re-development work is completed. The developers will pay each displaced tenant Rs 2,000 per month towards rent till their new flats are ready, the tentative time frame for which is two years. ?The tenants will get well-appointed flats that are twice the size of their current ones free. Plus the developers will pay their rent while the construction is in progress. What more can anybody ask for?? said Binay Krishna Biswas, the minister of state for refugee relief and rehabilitation. ?We do not trust the government or the private developers. It is difficult to find accommodation nearby and I can?t move from Bonhooghly,? said Rabi Roy, a petitioner. Amitava Nandy, the Lok Sabha MP from the area, said the matter could not resolved at three all-party meetings, attended by Bengal?s leader of the Opposition, Partha Chatterjee. The Bonhooghly flats, built in the 1960s for refugees, were tagged ?unsafe? by the civic body in the late-1980s. ?The Rs 400-crore project is being held to ransom for political gain. The costs are increasing rapidly,? Sachchidananda Rai, the managing director of the Eden City Group, told Metro. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=d3158745-9d26-4888-b3af-8712ae18d9ea&&Headline=Gurgaon+villagers+protest+garbage+treatment+plant+site Gurgaon villagers protest garbage treatment plant site Ads By Google Apartments in Goa Beautiful Apartments, Classy design Economical, Top developers. Visit! Fifty Plus Dating Site Find Senior Singles in our 50Plus Online-Community. Register Now! NRI : Indians in the UK Sanjeev K. Ahuja, Hindustan Times Email Author Gurgaon, October 09, 2008 First Published: 01:26 IST(9/10/2008) Last Updated: 01:26 IST(9/10/2008) The issue of setting up of a garbage treatment plant in Gurgaon has taken an ugly turn as the mahapanchayat of about 50 villages Wednesday passed a resolution of guarding the proposed site in Bandwari village and not to let the government take possession of it. On the other hand, residents of DLF City have been agitating for long, demanding that the waste management facility be set up at the earmarked site in Bandwari, and not at a site near their locality. The Haryana government has acquired 30.5 acres of panchayat land in Bandwari on the Faridabad-Gurgaon Road for setting up of garbage treatment plant. The panchayat has, however, refused to accept the compensation of Rs 7 crore announced by the state government in February this year. If DLF residents ?? who have staged demonstrations opposing dumping of garbage near their locality ??have moved the court to press the government to set up the plant in Bandwari, villagers living around the proposed site have decided to move court against it. They also declared they would wage a war against the government on this issue. ?From Thursday, 15 men from the affected villages would stand guard 24 hours at the site and would alert others if attempts are made to dump garbage there, or to take possession of the land. We will put up a strong opposition even if we have to face stern police action,? said Anant Ram Tanwar of Tigra village. A committee of 31 members, under the chairmanship of Col (retd) Rattan Singh was formed at the mahapanchayat. ?These resolutions would be enclosed with the memorandum we would be giving to Gurgaon DM Deepti Umashankar on October 13. The government did not take into confidence the panchayat of Bandwari before deciding on the dumping site in their land. We fear the proposed garbage treatment plant would not only contaminate the groundwater, it would also pollute the atmosphere. Thousands of people living in the radius of 15 km would get exposed to the foul smell and other possible ailments because of this plant,? Singh said. Mahesh Daima, district councillor of the area, said the state government did not inform even the district council before deciding on the site. Rajeev Sharma, commissioner Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) claimed the proposed plant would not affect the routine lives of the villagers in the area. ?The plant would leave just 20 per cent residues of the garbage that would be treated here. The residue would be converted into manure or fuel cakes leaving almost no remnants. The technology used in the plant would not affected the ground water at all nor will it pollute the air,? Sharma clarified. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Protesters-against-Una-SEZ-storm-meet-in-Shimla/363743 Protesters against Una SEZ storm meet in Shimla Font Size Hemlata Verma Posted: Sep 20, 2008 at 0336 hrs IST Shimla, September 19: "The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the present scenario would reverse what was achieved over decades through implementation of land reforms to re-distribute over two million hectare of land to the landless." A national conference on economic and social perspectives of SEZs at Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, opened on Thursday morning with this statement made by president of Indian Academy of Social Sciences, Allahabad, S.P. Shukla. By evening, the academicians got an opportunity to get a first-hand account of threats to people facing displacement through SEZs when a group of people who are agitating against the proposed SEZ at Gagret in Una talked to them through the same platform. Narender Parmar, legal advisor of Matribhumi Sangharsh Samiti of Una, said the Government was not presenting a true picture about the number of farmers who would be displaced by the proposed SEZ of SKIL Infrastructure Limited. "We have sought information under the Right to Information in which it is clearly mentioned that the SEZ and airport proposed in Una would require 11.5 thousand acres of land, whereas the survey has only been done of 4,000 acres," said Parmar. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100755090500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Guntur Public hearing marred by protest Staff Reporter GUNTUR: District Collector B. Venkatesham faced the ire of people living in coastal village of Dindi in Guntur district during the public hearing held on Monday. People had gathered in large numbers to attend the public hearing and as soon as the hearing began they started protesting against the proposed land acquisition for the coastal corridor. This is the third public hearing to be held at Dindi and all the three hearings were marred by protests. Heeding to some of the residents? pleas, the Collector, accompanied by Tenali RDO I. Venkateswara Reddy and Repalle MRO Seshi Reddy visited some of the houses and assured the residents of protection of their interests. Some of them had asked for pattas of un-surveyed lands, which the farmers had been cultivating for many years. The Collector assured them that he would personally look into the matter. Later, the Collector visited Bolla Revu, Kotha Palem villages and took part in the inauguration of a mini harbour at Nakshtra Nagar built at a cost of Rs.90 lakh. Animal Husbandry Minister Mandali Buddha Prasad, Minister for Ports Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao and Member of Parliament J.D. Seelam were present. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/33318579.html Swap Meet Vendors Protest By Brianne Randle Story Updated: Oct 26, 2008 at 12:11 PM HST They came waving signs and calling for the publics attention. Dozens of swap meet vendors fearful of the future. "The Swap Meet has been declining vendors have been forced to leave, we've had three to four rent increases in the last four years," says Neumann Shim, Aloha Swap Meet Vendors Association. The Swap meet brings in sixty-percent of Aloha Stadium's annual revenue. But a loss in vendors has prompted Stadium Management to re-evaluate the way they do business. Including changes to vendor pricing and booth set-up. Vendors say the new rules and regulations will only make things worse and force more vendors to leave. "You're raising the rent, but loosing the revenue, doesn't make sense," says Shim. In tough economic times - many vendors have already given up. "A good thirty-percent is gone already." "Everyday you see there's less and less vendors coming and every month you see less and less vendors so from a year ago to now there's a big difference ," says Swap Meet vendor Kim Rom. Some fear they could be next. "Business has slowed and we're concerned of the future of the Swap Meet," says Ashley Harding, Swap Meet vendor. Those who have stuck around are putting up a fight. Vendors are calling out the state-contracted Swap Meet manager "Centerplate" and the Stadium Authority for letting the situation get this far. Aloha Stadium Management responded today in a statement: "We realize these decisions will impact vendors and the way business is conducted at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. However, we feel these decisions are in the best interest of the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet as a whole and must be made in order to move forward." Still vendor's say their concerns about new changes have been ignored. And they plan for more demonstrations. "Well we hope this is the only one that's necessary," says Harding. Centerplate took over management of the Swap Meet in 2004. They had no comment about today's demonstration. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7691036.stm Saturday, 25 October 2008 17:24 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protest over cemetery boundary The protesters believe some graves lie beyond the boundary of the cemetery Relatives of babies that died more than 30 years ago have been protesting in west Belfast. They say thousands of unmarked graves lie outside the boundary of Milltown Cemetery and on the site of the Bog Meadows wildlife park. Colette Clugston's son William died shortly after childbirth and she believes that he is buried in the area. "It's terrible, I'm very angry with the Catholic church for doing what they done with Milltown Cemetery," she said. "Those babies and adults should never have been in the Bog Meadows. Consecrated ground should never be sold over." The Ulster Wildlife Trust owns the land and says it has spoken to the relatives and is awaiting maps which are currently being looked for by Milltown Cemetery. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 19:21:25 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:21:25 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Service delivery protests - housing, water, gas, etc - October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB05A5.3030900@tesco.net> SOUTH AFRICA * Cape Town - Gugulethu residents plan protest * Northwest - villagers blockade road * Northwest, Zeerust - road blocked * Pretoria - anti-poverty protest at Union Buildings * NAMIBIA: Protesters successfully defy eviction orders * INDONESIA: President targeted by student protesters over people's welfare * TRINIDAD: Fiery protest over road conditions * UGANDA: Residents petition for road repairs * DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Police killings fuel spread of protests over public works, blackouts; protesters "get what they wanted" INDIA * Karnataka - Roadblock protest for water * Tamil Nadu - Power cuts cause protests * Kerala - Protest over cuts in quotas * AP and Tamil Nadu - power cut protests * Cuttack - packaged food sparks protest * New Delhi - MPs in protest over rice quota * Tamil Nadu - villagers demand drinking water * Tamil Nadu - small units shut down to protest power cut * Karnataka - protest after road accident * UK: Widow switches off power in energy bill protest * US: Providence - protesters demand release of heating funds * PAKISTAN: Karachi - Residents, shopkeepers protest power cuts * PAKISTAN: Protests force delay in power rate hike * UGANDA: Car accident leads to protest * PERU: Roads blocked over child deaths http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20081015100908651C644059 KTC residents to protest against services October 15 2008 at 10:23AM Residents of KTC near Gugulethu in Cape Town were expected to take to the streets on Wednesday morning in protest against poor service delivery in their area. "Most people are still living in appalling conditions and we are therefore demanding houses. It is also very dark at night and this impacts on the rate of crime especially burglaries happening in the developed area," said community crisis committee spokesperson Ben Londzi. He said residents would also be protesting against lack of police presence in their area. "They (police) don't involve community structures at all. There is an underground gang operating in the area, terrorising community members and killing people but police don't talk to residents about those things," Londzi said. He said residents would meet at the Fezeka Municipality Buildings from 10am. Despite Londzi's insistence that theirs was a protected march, Western Cape police said they knew nothing of a planned protest. "There was never a letter sent to the station regarding the march... we are not aware of it," said Captain Elliot Sinyangana. He disputed claims that police neglected to involve community structures in the fight against crime. "From what I know we have a very good relationship with the Community Policing Forum in Gugulethu. "Our sector managers constantly hold meetings with the community and no one has ever consulted the station commissioner to complain about poor consultation. But anyone is welcome to voice their grievances with the station if they have problems," Sinyangana said. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Crime%20And%20Courts&set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20081014083127526C111296 Protesters barricade roads in NWest October 14 2008 at 09:47AM Residents of two villages barricaded the N4 road near Zeerust on Tuesday, North West police said. Inspector Sam Tselanyane said residents of Welbedacht and Motswedi village were obstructing traffic in a protest over poor service delivery in their areas. "We are unable confirm how many residents are protesting at this moment but we are monitoring the situation," said Tselanyane. A police vehicle was damaged when stones were thrown at it, saiid Tselanyane. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20081014100122259C698255 Protesters go on rampage in Zeerust October 14 2008 at 10:08AM Some 500 protesters barricaded roads within two villages near Zeerust on Tuesday, North West police said. Captain Aafje Botma said the protesters blocked roads in Welbedacht and Motswedi village. Traffic on the N4 was not disrupted. "The municipality is negotiating with the community members and we are monitoring the situation," said Botma. The residents were protesting over poor service delivery in their areas. A police vehicle was damaged when stones were thrown at it. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20081017130157844C925622 Poverty protest outside Union Buildings October 17 2008 at 01:35PM About a hundred people gathered on Friday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against poverty. Protesters called, among other things, for an end to poverty and VAT on basic foodstuffs to be cut. Co-chair of the global call for action against poverty (GCAP) Kumi Naidoo, said it was time for government to act decisively to eradicate poverty and instead of spending millions on border control it should rather spend on health care, water, and sanitation. The GCAP is a civil society alliance comprising NGOs and trade unions. The march was in support of the international day for the eradication of poverty, which falls on Oct 17. Cosatu Gauteng provincial secretary Siphiwe Mgcina, said job creation was important for the country; "if we don't move swiftly it is going to be doom." - Sapa http://allafrica.com/stories/200810201315.html Namibia: Protesters Ignore Eviction Notice Nangula Shejavali 20 October 2008 THE 'Children of the Liberation Struggle', who have been demonstrating outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs since early September, on Friday expected to be forcibly removed, but nothing happened. On Thursday afternoon, they had received a notice from the Deputy Minister of Youth, Pohamba Shifeta, to vacate the TransNamib premises by 14h00 on Friday. As the deadline drew closer on Friday, there was a heavy presence of private security guards at a nearby business fearing that its property might be damaged should the worst come to the worst. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs was standing on his office balcony to get a good view of the spectacle; and the media converged on the demonstration site to witness how the six weeks of protest might come to an end. At 13h45, the protesters rallied together as their spokesperson, Shinedima Salomon, and other leaders encouraged them to remain put, regardless of what was to happen. "They can come if they want to, but we will stay together and remain strong," they urged. "They must come. We are waiting for them." Many of the protesters wet their facecloths and towels, expecting the Police to disperse them with teargas. The group then sang Swapo liberation songs and toyi-toyi'ed for a good hour before settling down to spontaneous bursts of singing. But the expected force did not come, and by yesterday, the protesters were still awaiting word or action on the part of Government, though their stance to stay put remained unchanged. "We will not leave this place. We did not come here for registration, we came here for employment," related Salomon. Another demonstrator, who identified himself only as Thomas, asked: "Why did they only set up registration now? What have they been doing for the past 18 years? We are just fighting for our rights." Asked what the next step would be for the group, Salomon said: "The only person who can help us is Tatekulu Sam Nujoma. He understands what we went through in exile. He is our key. Our next step is to go to talk to him, or if possible, for him to come to us." In the meantime, the City of Windhoek has issued a response to public concerns over hygiene and health at the demonstration site. The City said it has carried out its own investigation "and can confirm the poor state of hygiene due to poor sanitation". "The continued presence of the war veterans' children on the premises affects the image of the city negatively and is also a concern for the road users and the business community in the area," it said. The City said it has been disinfecting the area every second day and rubbish is being removed every day. http://en.afrik.com/article14711.html Children of Namibian war veterans issued an ultimatum The Namibian government has issued an ultimatum to ?children of the liberation struggle? demonstrating outside the Ministry of Veterans? Affairs to pack up and leave before 14h00 today. ________________________________________ Saturday 18 October 2008, by Bruce Sibanda Reports today say the notice to vacate the Trans-Namib premises was issued Friday by the Deputy Minister of Youth, Pohamba Shifeta. But the group vowed not to move an inch. Said the group spokesperson Shinedima , "We won?t separate, we are together. They can take us to prison? It is said that the notice given to the protesters reminded them that a registration process would start in all 13 regions on October 27, so that Government could address their demands for identity documents, training and jobs. The demonstrators have said they intend to continue their protest until they are given jobs. Deputy Minister Shifeta is quoted as saying the Government had appealed to the protesters many times to return home and wait for the registration process. He said the property on which they were camping belonged to TransNamib, and after 14h00 today it would be up to the owners what action to take. "They are violating the business rights of Trans-Namib with this demonstration," he said. "We don?t want the situation to turn ugly." http://allafrica.com/stories/200811200784.html Namibia: SPYL Saves Struggle Children From Arrest Nangula Shejavali 20 November 2008 THE Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) yesterday helped ensure that the 112 protesting children of the liberation struggle did not add a criminal record to their names. The Secretary of the SPYL, Elijah Ngurare, on Tuesday night said that "the court order is in order, and we don't want them to defy it. The youth league doesn't want to see them arrested, and we are working around the clock to avoid this scenario." This work seems to have paid off, and two buses were dispatched at around 12h30 yesterday to relocate the group, which had occupied the pavement in front of the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs for about 80 days. The Ministry rents premises from TransNamib, and it was on this account that Judge Nate Ndauendapo on Tuesday morning ruled in favour of the national transport carrier, granting it an eviction order against the demonstrators. Late on Tuesday night, talks were ongoing to move the demonstrators from the site and to prevent their arrest. Ngurare yesterday confirmed that the demonstrators will be moved to the Sam Nujoma Stadium, where they will remain until the registration process has been completed. The Ramatex complex in Otjomuise had been considered as one of the many options for the move, but was not made use of due to ongoing negotiations on the future of the former textile factory. Salomo Shinedima, spokesperson for the demonstrating group, said: "We are happy with the move. These are not our premises, they belong to TransNamib, and the court order has been given." In a statement to the media earlier this week, the protesters said one of the reasons they were hesitating to leave was that "some of us are orphans and some came from the street, and therefore prefer/demand Swapo to be our guardian." Shinedima referred to this statement when asked about his thoughts on the SPYL's role, hinting that it was the party's responsibility to take care of them. Gearing up for the move, however, did not come without problems. Arguments broke out amongst the group when about 10 ex-members of the group, who had deserted the site when the court order was served, returned and demanded to be taken along. A list of the remaining demonstrators had, however, been compiled following the granting of the court order, and only those on the list were permitted to enter the buses, leaving the others behind. By 14h00, the site was cleared of demonstrators, and only the large cardboard boxes and plastic sheets that formed the structure of their shelters remained. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Safety and Security, Peter Mwatile, expressed relief at the outcome, saying: "We were waiting to dispatch the Police if they didn't comply with the court order, but we didn't want to have to arrest them, and we are very happy with the outcome." Asked what kind of force would have been used against the demonstrators had they not complied with the order, Mwatile said: "When eviction is taking place, there is always an opportunity for negotiation. We always look at the option of using minimal force, or a peaceful way of making people understand. In this case, this was not needed because they complied with the court order." Ailly Hangula-Paulino, Chief Corporate Communications Officer at TransNamib, also indicated the parastatal's satisfaction at the outcome, and the subsequent relief of TransNamib's premises. "We are thankful for the peaceful move, and happy for the amicable outcome without the use of force," she said. http://www.antara.co.id/en/view/?i=1225345060&c=NAT&s= Students demonstration greets President Yudhoyono in Semarang Thursday, October 30, 2008 12:37 WIB | National | | Viewed 53 time(s) Semarang (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s working visit to Diponegoro University (Undip) here on Thursday was greeted by dozens of students who staged a rally outside the university campus. Yudhoyono`s arrival at the campus to give a cultural oration turned to a chaos after the protesters blocked the president`s entourage from entering the campus. But the police finally nabbed four of the students who were suspected to be the provocateurs. Semarang Police chief Senior Commissoner Masjhudi said the protest staged by the students was illegal because, they reported their plan to the police only yesterday (Wednesday). Mashjhudi said the protesters should have reported their plan at least three days in advance. The protesters from several universities in Semarang had planned to evaluate the performance of President Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla`s government in the past four years. According to the protesters, Yudhoyono-Kalla government has failed to create the people`s welfare. Therefore, in their protest the students the government to be serious and resolute in overcoming Lapindo Brantas mud disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java. The also asked Yudhoyono-Kalla government to immediately complete its corruption eradication agenda. "The government should also lower the domestic fuel prices and basic commodity prices as soon as possible," they said. President Yudhoyono and his entourage arrive here on Thursday morning to the 51th anniversary of Diponegoro University and to give national cultural oration at the university`s Serbaguna Sudarto building in the same day. According to an official information from the Presidential Palace Media and Press Bureau, the head of state was also scheduled to open the 10th National Applied Technology 2008 (TTG) exhibition later at noon. The exhibition itself will be held from October 31 - November 4, 2008 and participated in by seven departments, research institutions, several universities, public groups, representatives from 33 provinces, state and regional enterprises, and a number of businessmen. A total of 400 stands have been set up at Bale Merapi, Merbabu, Sindoro, and Sumbing of Central Java`s Development Promotion and Recreation Center, for the exhibition. During his working visit to Central Java, President Yudoyono is being accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Dariman, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto and National Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo. (*) http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,87723.html 2 held during protests By RHONDOR DOWLAT Thursday, October 9 2008 CLEARED: A backhoe is used to extinguish and remove burning debris at Bhaggan Trace in Chandernagore during fiery protests yesterday. ... TWO MEN were arrested by police during a fiery protest by angry residents of Chandernagore and Lime Head Roads in Chaguanas over deplorable road conditions. Police officers including officers from the Couva Municipal Police and the Central Division Task Force, Cpl Friday, PCs Bonnet, Mohammed, Paul, Gangaram, Nelson and WPC Williams were on duty at the corner of Lime Head Road and Chandernagore Main Road to ensure law and order was maintained. However, two men ? a 50-year-old fish vendor and a 34-year-old, were arrested for cursing. Members of the Couva Municipal Police were also verbally abused when they were called in to remove the burning debris with backhoes and dump trucks. From as early as 4 am residents placed planks of wood, lengths of steel, decrepit household furniture and tyres at four strategic points along the Chandernagore Main Road at Ramdeen Singh Street, Bhaggan Trace and Lime Head Road and lit them on fire. Scores of motorists, who frequently use the Chandernagore Road, which is considered a major link road from Orange Field Road, Carapichaima to Chaguanas, were prevented from doing so yesterday. ?The roads real, real bad and potholes are very deep. We not taking that and we are calling on the authorities to effect repairs immediately,? shouted a resident. chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) Ranjit Ramnarine, said he sent several letters to the Works and Transport Ministry. ?Apparently my requests on behalf of the residents fell on deaf ears. I have since had no response and the roads are really worsening.? http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/656731 Mbarara public protests over poorly done road Monday, 27th October, 2008 A bridge on Mbarara Community Hospital road disintegrates a month after its completion By Abdul Ssengendo OVER 850 residents of Rwanyamahembe in Kashari county, Mbarara district have petitioned the Ministry of Works to repair the Bwizibwera-Kabwohe road. The residents staged a peaceful demonstration at Nyamirima on Thursday after officials from the works ministry promised to fix the bridges within a week. Nyamirima and Noonko bridges on the road collapsed two weeks ago, blocking off Buhweju, Rwanyamahembe and Bucuro, which are mainly matooke-producing areas. A resident, Johnson Musiime, said in addition to the collapse of the two bridges, the road is full of potholes, forcing drivers to cut down their hedges to go round impassable spots. They vowed to demonstrate again if the ministry failed to repair the road in the agreed period. Tabaro said he reported the problem to Mbarara district works authorities but got no positive response. He said the Bwizibwera-Kabwohe road links various markets including Bwizibwera, Kyehabure and Kabusye. The road is under the Central Government. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/10/23/29839/Two-deaths-fuel-spread-of-violent-protests-in-Cibao-region 23 October 2008, 12:18 PM Two deaths fuel spread of violent protests in Cibao region Print Email Bookmark Save to my profile 11 Comments - last on Oct 24 at 12:43 PM SANTIAGO. - The strike staged by the Alternative Social Forum in Duarte and Hermanas Mirabal (north) provinces to demand the construction and completion of public works extended to other communities in the region, fueled by the death of two youngsters in San Francisco de Macor?s. In Duarte province Israel Polanco and Juan Luis Gomez were killed when they played basketball in the street. Among the communities in that province that joined the protest are Canca la Reina, El Peru, El Billar La Dura, Monte de la Jagua, where schools, businesses and transport were affected. The mobilizations also took place in some parts of Espaillat and Santiago, in the municipalities Licey and Navarrete, and in the municipalities Luper?n, Guananico, Castillo and Pimentel, where more than 25 people have been detained in the last few hours. http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews102408.shtml Cibao protests over The 72-hour protest that began on Tuesday has officially ended. The protests were organized by the Alternative Social Forum and called for the government to provide citizens in the region with basic services, improved power supply and lower food prices, among other demands. Yesterday, as part of a general work stoppage, protestors marched through sectors of Pueblo Nuevo, San Pedro, San Vicente, Hermanas Mirabal, San Martin, Alto de la Javiela and El Capacito, in San Francisco. As a result of the protests Public Works Minister Victor Diaz Rua, Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin and INAPA director Mariano German will make their way to San Francisco to meet with civil leaders. Officials hope to reach some type of deal that will stop the protests. Listin Diario writes that two people were killed and 20 injured during the three-day protest. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/10/22/29827/One-boy-dies-during-strike-in-northeast 22 October 2008, 11:01 AM Text size: Smaller Bigger One boy dies during strike in northeast SAN FRACISCO OF MACOR?S. - 17 year-old Israel Polanco of gunfire during a confrontation between activists and police agents, amid a protest in San Francisco de Macor?s (northeast), said the strike organizers. The spokesman of the Falpo popular group, Victor Bret?n, said Polanco was shot Tuesday night of by Police agents during the confrontation in the San Martin district. He said a still undetermined number of civilians were also injured. Falpo and other organizations grouped in the Alternative Social Forum stage the two-day strike in San Francisco de Macor?s, demanding of improvement of water and electric services and some road and infrastructure works. SOURCE: clavedigital.com http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=174301 22 October 2008, 12:50 AM Protests in the Cibao leave 15 injured SANTO DOMINGO.-Some fifteen persons were wounded with buckshot, more than 20 were arrested and the educational, productive and commercial activities affected, seem to be the preliminary results of the 48 hour strike that began yesterday in several provinces of the Cibao region called by the Alternative Social Forum in its demands for public works projects and other social benefits. One of those wounded was Alcibiades Balcacer Garcia who was wounded by buckshot when he arrived at his house located in the pueblo Nuevo barrio of San Francisco de Macoris. In that city, some of the bus stops worked yesterday, but the major part of the commercial establishments were closed along the major streets of the city. In the barrios of the city, explosions of homemade bombs could be heard, and many streets were blocked with burning tires, large stones, tree trunks and other rubbish. Some "colmados" and markets in the barrios only opened one door as a precautionary measure, while the service of the "motoconchos" was much reduced, as were local car services. A plentiful amount of security forces was positioned around the city, with Police SWAT teams, Army groups and the Hunters from Constanza, carrying assault rifles, most noticeable. The chief of the Northern Command of the Police, Brigadier General Ciriaco Nunez, told reporters that the situation in San Francisco de Macoris is under control. The popular organizations of Duarte province were calling for the construction of a water treatment plant, more agrarian reform projects, freedom for some "campesinos" jailed two weeks ago, among other appeals. In Hermanas Mirabal province (Salcedo), the 48 hours strike also brought about a school closure and affected commercial and industrial activities. They called for highways, fewer blackouts and a better water supply. http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews102208.shtml Protests in the Cibao Protests are becoming routine in several towns and cities in the Cibao region. Two people including a police officer were injured during street protests. Diario Libre reports that 16 people have been detained and that police officers shot 17-year old Israel Polanco Santos while he was playing basketball during the protests in San Francisco de Macoris. Police are denying this, saying that unknown people shot him. Citizens are asking the authorities to fix roads, lower food prices and provide basic services. Listin Diario reports that 90% of the protests have been in San Francisco de Macoris and were only partially successful in Santiago. Diario Libre reports that 15 people were injured in Santiago, while 20 were arrested. Schools, transport and commerce all came to a halt in San Francisco. Concerns over the strikes led to the cancellation of the Gigantes/Aguilas baseball game on Monday as well as the Toros/Gigantes game. In Salcedo, demonstrators burned tires and threw objects into the streets. The Alternative Social Forum is partly responsible for the protests and says the public was making a stand, asking the authorities to fix roads, provide drinking water, reduce blackouts, lower gasoline prices and lower food prices. http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews102308.shtml Cibao protests to continue The 48-hour protest that began on Tuesday in San Francisco de Macoris in demand for several public works projects was extended for a further 24 hours by a group of organizations belonging to the Alternative Social Forum (FSA). Two people were killed during the first two days of the protest. They were identified as the athlete and member of local Civil Defense teams, Israel Polanco Santos, 17, who was killed while playing basketball on a court in San Martin barrio, and Luis Gomez Nunez, 14, who was shot while riding his bicycle along Nino Risek Street in San Francisco de Macoris. Diario Libre also reported that at least 20 people have been injured by buckshot and rocks during the clashes between protesters and police, and another 20 have been arrested. The FSA spokesperson in Duarte Province, Eddy Munoz, said that a police patrol was responsible for the death of Polanco Santos. According to the commander of the Police for the northeast, Brigadier General Ciriaco Nunez, the police did not shoot at the young man, and he said that the shooter is still unidentified. The unrest has affected educational, productive and commercial activities, as was demonstrated during a tour of the city by DL reporters. The Forum is calling for the construction of a water treatment plant, changes in the Hydro-carbon Law, the freeing of 10 farm workers jailed a couple of weeks ago and the construction of a bridge over the River Jaya. The municipality of Navarrete was also hit by protests in several barrios and in the downtown area, affecting traffic along the Joaquin Balaguer Highway. During the disturbances, some unknown elements went around on a motorcycle and threw a homemade bomb at the CDEEE sub-station, causing some minor damage. In Hermanas Mirabal province, the protests also affected economic and educational activities, and three people were detained by the police. http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews102708.shtml Cibao protesters get what they wanted An official commission agreed to the Alternative Social Forum's demands on Friday and pledged to begin work on the projects that they are calling for this Monday as well as to investigate the deaths of the two young men that took place during last week's protests in the Cibao region. Nonetheless, the agreement is subject to the signing of a document that obliges the parties to work on the principal demands within the agreed timeframe. The leaders of the Forum set 5 November as the date for the commission, headed by Public Works Minister Victor Diaz Rua and National Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin, to begin its work. Otherwise the protests will start again. During the meeting held at the Governor's Office, Diaz Rua and Guzman Fermin were accompanied by the director of the National Institute of Potable Water and Sewers (INAPA), Mariano German, the former director of the Dominican Agrarian Institute, Frank Rodriguez, the governor of the province, Luz Selene Plata and the mayor, Felix Rodriguez. Hundreds of people waited in the park outside the governor's office for the results of the meeting to be announced. The area was cordoned off by SWAT teams and sharpshooters were posted on nearby rooftops. The demands made by the four spokespersons changed course, somewhat, as each one agreed to ask for journalist Cesar Medina and his team to be declared "persona non grata" in San Francisco de Macoris, and demanded that the municipal council issue a municipal resolution condemning the alleged slurs made against the people of the city. They also wanted local cable companies to take the "Hoy Mismo" program, presented by Cesar Medina, off the air. Forum spokesperson Eddy Munoz demanded that damages should be paid to the families of the two deceased young men, and called for the release of those detained. However, the police chief had already ordered the release of some 20 of the protestors. [August 2008] http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews081508.shtml#8 Cibao in a frenzy Protesters, in response to continuous blackouts in Santiago and surrounding areas, took to the streets causing chaos and damage yesterday. Listin Diario reports protesters knocked down two energy towers, removing 69,000 MW of energy from the energy grid. The communities of San Francisco de Macoris, Arenoso, Villa Rivas, Castillo, Hostos, El Factor, Nagua, Sanchez, Samana have all been affected by the loss of the two towers. Also, protesters in Las Matas made their way to the EdeNorte offices and burned it, breaking windows and signs. In order to calm the situation police backup came from Cotui. EdeNorte officials say the prolonged blackouts are due to maintenance at the San Felipe generator in Puerto Plata. Sosa is asking for the public to be patient. Sosa also attributed power outages to the reduced capacity of hydroelectric generators in the Cibao. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/11/6/29972/Blackouts-sparkprotests-across-Dominican-Republic 6 November 2008, 7:35 AM Text size: Smaller Bigger Blackouts spark protests across Dominican Republic Print Email Bookmark Save to my profile 22 Comments - last on Nov 8 at 7:50 AM Close Gallery Photo elnuevodiario.com Zoom Picture SANTIAGO.- The protests against the power grid?s collapse spread to different towns in Cibao, whose inhabitants demand an end to the blackouts. The north region?s service is uncertain despite the resumed operation at dawn yesterday of Puerto Plata?s San Felipe power plant, with 160 megawatts. Yesterday the blackouts of up to 20 hours sparked violent street protests in the sectors Beijing, Los Ciruelitos, Gurabo, Espaillat, Dolores, and Los Platanitos, among others, during which 10 youngsters were detained,. Other demonstrators blocked the Santiago-Licey highway setting tires afire, hurling stones and rubbish. In Bayaguana (east), Police agents killed the athlete Eliezer de la Cruz, 17, during the protests, which also took place in La Romana (east). http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101451820300.htm Karnataka Protest for drinking water Correspondent CHAMARAJANAGAR: The members of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Hasirusene, women self-help groups and Mariyala villagers staged a rasta roko chuluvali at Mariyala in the taluk on Monday, urging the Government to supply drinking water to the village and surrounding areas. The farmers alleged that though the pipeline works had been completed, the water supply had been delayed. Speaking to the protesters, the Chamarajanagar MP, M. Shivanna, assured them that steps would be taken to supply water within two weeks. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100854460700.htm Tamil Nadu Protests on the rise in Karur as load shedding extends Staff Reporter Tamil Nadu Electricity Board officials not adhering to load shedding schedule, allege farmers in Cauvery-irrigated areas ? file Photo: M. Srinath HELL HATH NO FURY: Villagers staging road roko in Thanjavur district, demanding proper electricity supply. KARUR: Continued scheduled and unannounced load sheddings are attracting a lot of flak from people in Karur district. Reports of demonstrations against load shedding by various groups are increasing by the day. While it was announced that the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) would resort to five hours of load shedding a day in the district, in reality it is close to seven hours a day. Several areas of Karur town and district went without power for over seven hours on Tuesday. The duration of power cuts were not as per the announced schedule and that put the people to increased trouble. As usual, industries and farmers had to bear the brunt while the women who had to prepare the children and office-goers to school and work found it immensely difficult to cope with theload shedding in the morning. Residents also complain about extended load shedding in the dead of the night. From one hour in the past few weeks to two hours on the trot, now the power supply situation has only worsened and is adding to the woes, complain public. As the power supply situation gradually worsens, the protest by the groups is proportionally getting shriller. Demonstrations against the power crisis have been held in all corners of the district. Reports of demonstrations have come in from Kulithalai, Thogamalai, Krishnarayapuram, Karur town, K. Paramathi, Aravakurichi and Velayuthampalayam. The worst hit are farmers and industrial unit owners in the district. In the rural areas, farmers are organising demonstrations. Farmers? organisations organised a protest in front of the Kavalkaranpatti power substation and presented a memorandum to the officials there demanding proper and prior information on the load shedding. The farmers claimed that they were finding it difficult to irrigate their fields and it was critical especially when the agriculture operations were picking up in the Cauvery-irrigated areas of Nangavaram, Nachalur, etc. They said that contrary to the State Government?s assurance, uninterrupted power supply for six hours in the day and eight hours in the night was not being adhered to by the officials. The local AIADMK unit has been organising street-corner meetings and speakers at the meetings are highlighting the worsening power supply situation. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=421335 Kerala being neglected, say protesting Left MPs ________________________________________ IANS Wednesday 22nd October, 2008 Demanding that Kerala's food grain quota and share of electricity be restored, MPs of the Left parties Wednesday protested outside parliament and condemned the negligence of the central government towards the state. Kerala's food grain quota has reportedly been cut by nearly 90 percent, from over 100,000 tonnes to 17,000 tonnes over the past year. The MPs, who held the protest before the Lok Sabha session began, said the government "should not divide people in the name of above poverty line and below poverty line". On Tuesday, members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) wanted to move an adjournment notion in the Lok Sabha on the issue. When this was denied, they staged a walkout. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101355780400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad CPI to join TRS? protest against power shortage HYDERABAD: The State council of CPI has extended its support to the call given by Telangana Rashtra Samiti to stage dharnas and demonstrations in Telangana region in protest against the shortage of power and fertilizer supply to farm sector plunging the agriculturists into a crisis. The CPI State leadership called upon its leaders and cadres to participate in the demonstrations. The party lamented that despite adequate rain, the government failed to ensure seven-hour power supply assured to farm sector. Coupled with shortage of power supply , the government failed to take steps to provide seed and fertilizer to ryots. As a result, farmers were unable to bear the high cost of diesel, the CPI said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101050930300.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against undeclared power cuts Staff Reporter CHENNIMALAI: The textile town?s residents joined weavers, farmers and traders, who had downed shutters on Thursday, in expressing their protest against undeclared power cuts. K.V. Ponnaiyan of Revolutionary Youth Front said weaving and agriculture had almost come to a naught here. ?Undeclared power cut is what affects us, because we do not know when power is cut and supplied. This undeclared power cut, which happens up to 10 times a day, has affected weaving and agriculture.? Farmers, who had gone in for drip irrigation, were not able to operate pump sets and water fields, because of which they were turning debtors. Similarly, the weavers suffered continuous interruption in the work because of the power cut. Loss of revenue They were not able to execute orders in time, leading to not only loss of revenue but also business, Mr. Ponnaiyan said. Bharathi, also from RYF, said students who returned from school, were unable to study because of the power cut and children were unable to sleep in the absence of power. Anbalagan of traders? association said unwanted elements were taking advantage of the power cut by stealing goods from shops. Power mismanagement K.R.P. Thambidurai of powerloom weavers? association blamed the Government for what he called power mismanagement. The leaders who led the protests also took exception to Tamil Nadu Electricity Board officials? response at a meeting held on Wednesday. The officers had reportedly expressed their helplessness in solving the issue. The protesters wanted the Government to stick to the declared power cut schedule, so that the weavers and farmers could make a living. Road blocked Soon thereafter as the protesters attempted to block the Erode road, the police took them into preventive custody. The police said around 500 persons, including 100 women, had been taken into custody. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081006/jsp/nation/story_9914718.jsp Packet food sparks protest OUR CORRESPONDENT Cuttack, Oct. 5: Committee for Legal Aid to Poor (CLAP) has opposed a move by women and child development ministry to replace cooked meals with pre-packaged food for children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). The ministry?s proposal to feed ready-to-eat processed food to some 8 crore children between three and six years under the ICDS is likely to be placed before the cabinet for approval soon. ?If the proposal is approved, crores of children will be deprived of cooked meals, which nutritionists stress is the best way to a balanced diet that pre-packaged food fails to proide,? said Bikash Das, the executive vice-president of CLAP. In Orissa, the ICDS operates under 326 projects, including 314 community development blocks and 12 urban local bodies through 41,697 anganwadi centres. CLAP, a legal support advocacy outfit, had submitted separate memorandums seeking intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi regarding the issue last week. ?Distribution of ready-to-eat food through ICDS will legitimise commercialisation of childcare and child nutrition in India,? stated one of the memorandums. Copies of the letter were made available to the reporters today. ?Besides, the proposal to feed ready-to-eat fortified food to children goes against the spirit of a judgment presented by the Supreme Court that mandates cooked meals for the lunch requirement of 300 calories and 8 to 10 grams of protein for children up to six years of age,? said the executive president. The court had made it clear that contractors shall not be used for supply of nutrition in anganwadis and preferably ICDS funds shall be spent by making use of village communities, self-help groups and Mahila Mandals for buying grain and preparation of meals. Apprehensions were expressed that pre-packaged food would automatically lead to a few large suppliers, manufacturers and distributors getting a captive and lucrative market across the country. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/24/stories/2008102458520100.htm Left MPs continue protest in Lok Sabha over rice quota Special Correspondent ________________________________________ Left MPs stage walkout in the Lower House Kerala Congress(J) members join them in the protest ________________________________________ NEW DELHI: For the second day in a row, Left party members from Kerala disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha on Thursday over the reduction of the State?s quota of rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS). However, unlike on Wednesday, when they picketed the well through the day, they did not hold up proceedings for long. Instead, they walked out in protest against the ?empty promises? made by the government. The issue was raised by N.N. Krishnadas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Stating that the Centre was discriminating against the people of Kerala by reducing its quota of rice through the PDS, he sought to point out the unfairness of such treatment given the fact that the State was food-deficit. Further, he accused the Centre of indulging in political vendetta. ?This is a clear case of discrimination against the people,? he said and charged the Centre with not cooperating despite the issue being raised for the past several months. He was supported by his Left colleagues and those from the Kerala Congress (J). (According to a PTI report, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who had suspended CPI(M) member A.P. Abdullakutty for a day on Wednesday for waving a paper on the same issue, reminded the Left MPs to maintain decorum, but later commented that ?I know that the elections are too near.?) With the Kerala MPs insisting on a response from the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi pointed out that Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had responded to the matter in the House earlier this week. The Minister added that their demand would be conveyed to the Prime Minister. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100858040300.htm Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur Villagers stage demonstration Special Correspondent THANJAVUR: People of Marungulam village near Thanjavur staged a demonstration with empty plastic pots and picketed Marungulam panchayat office on Tuesday. They demanded immediate supply of drinking water. They did not get drinking water for more than a week, they stated. As tension prevailed in the village, Thanjavur taluk police and revenue officials rushed to the spot. Resumption They pacified the villagers by assuring that they would be provided drinking water immediately. Thereafter, they dispersed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102354280400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Small units shut shop to protest power cut Special Correspondent They also face credit squeeze and rise in prices of raw material ? Photo: M. Periasamy airing their woes: Members of various industry associations taking out a rally in Coimbatore on Wednesday to protest against power cut. (right) A pump manufacturing unit, which took part in the one-day strike. CHENNAI: Almost 6 lakh micro, small and tiny industrial units across the State shut their doors on Wednesday to highlight the impact of power shortage on this sector. According to the Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association, 105 small scale industry associations were involved in the effort to attract the government?s attention to their problems. ?Added to the power cut, the credit squeeze by banks and irrational increase in the interest rate, high input cost and huge increase in prices of raw materials have forced the SSI sector on the brink,? stated a TANSTIA release. It urged State and Central governments to intervene. In Coimbatore alone, members of 35 industrial associations, representing 50,000 industrial units of all sizes, shut shop. The strike would have led to a production and revenue loss of nearly Rs.100 crore, according to the associations. The affected industries included textiles, engineering parts, plastic, pumps and wet grinder manufacturers, power loom and sizing mill owners, grill workers and industrial estate unit holders. Several thousand workers took out a rally from VKK Menon Road to Sivananda Colony, braving the rain. They presented a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, to the Collector. It stated that many industries had already abolished one shift of production and started laying off workers due to power cut. Exporters were unable to honour their commitments and may others faced penal charges and were defaulting on loans due to delay in production. The government decision to make power available in the grid for only 20 hours combined with a 40 per cent cut in permitted consumption will lead to 65 per cent production loss in the major units, the memorandum said. The government should come forward to share the cost burden of obtaining power from independent power producers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102358890300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Death of youth in accident sparks protest in Mangalore Staff Correspondent Febin Paul, a nursing intern, was knocked down by a private bus ________________________________________ Staff and students of SCS Hospital demand strict action against errant and rash bus drivers Training and sensitisation programme for drivers of private buses being considered ________________________________________ Cry for justice: Members of the public and friends of the accident victim staging a protest in Mangalore on Wednesday. MANGALORE: The death of a youth in a road accident on Wednesday sparked a protest in the city. Febin Paul (22), a nursing intern at SCS Hospital, was knocked down by a private bus when he was walking on the pavement on Mother Teresa Covent Road. According to eyewitnesses, the bus veered off the road and went on to the pavement. The victim died on the spot. The driver of the bus fled from the scene and is absconding. Outraged by the incident, members of the public joined friends of the deceased in blocking Bendoorwell Circle for over half-an-hour to protest against the negligent and rash driving. A case has been registered with the Mangalore East police Station against the owner of the bus and the vehicle has been seized. This incident follows the May 10 incident where Savitha (22) and Vikas (21) were crushed to death by a bus at the State Bank of India terminus. Assurances The protesters, who threatened to sit in until the driver was caught, withdrew their protest after receiving assurances from the police that measures would be taken to rein in private bus drivers. Staff and students of SCS Hospital along with the Karnataka Educational and Charitable Trust, submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao and Superintendent of Police N. Sateesh Kumar. Their primary demand was that the Balmatta-Bendoorwell road be opened to traffic without further delay. They said that the road from Balmatta to Mother Teresa Convent Road was under extreme pressure from traffic that had been diverted from the Balmatta-Bendoorwell Road. They also demanded that police personnel be stationed at all important junctions in the city, particularly during peak hours, roads be repaired immediately and strict action be taken against errant and rash bus drivers. Directed Mr. Rao said that his office had directed the corporation authorities to speed up road repairs and also launch a drive to make all roads in the city pedestrian friendly. He added that he had requested for immediate funds from the Government for setting up traffic signals at all major junctions in the city. In his capacity as the Chairman of the Regional Transport Authority, Mr. Rao said that he had asked for reports from police stations about the cases booked against rash driving. ?We are considering conducting a training and sensitisation programme for drivers of private buses,? he said. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076877/Widow-switches-ALL-power-home-protest-crazy-energy-bills.html?ITO=1490 Widow switches off ALL power in her home in protest at 'crazy' energy bills By Jaya Narain Last updated at 5:53 PM on 13th October 2008 Cold comfort: Anne Myall refuses to use electricity in her home after receiving a string of massive bills she claims to be incorrect It's a drastic step taken as a protest to highlight the drastic rise in the cost of her energy bills. Furious pensioner Anne Myall has turned off all the power in her flat and is living by candlelight. Hit by a series of expensive fuel bills the 72-year-old no longer spends her evenings watching television in front of a warm fire, instead the grandmother listens to a battery-powered radio wrapped in a blanket. Mrs Myall has also dispensed with hot water and all her hot food comes from a local takeaway restaurant. For lunch the pensioner has been tucking into pre-cooked supermarket chicken and plenty of cold salads and both her laptop computer and mobile phone are useless because she is unable to recharge them. She has spent more than a fortnight living a life more akin to the Victoria age after Npower sent her a series of large fuel bills. Mrs Myall, a widow who has lived alone since the death of her husband eight years ago, said: 'They have been bullying me and browbeating me for three years with silly, inaccurate bills upwards of ?700 a quarter. 'I only have a one-bedroom flat and I'm very economical. It's just crazy, my electricity bill should be about ?18 a quarter.' She moved into the flat in Pocklington, North Yorkshire, three years ago and claims she was immediately hit by a bill. Mrs Myall, a retired journalist, said: 'I received a demand for ?53 just days after arriving. I have tried many times to contact Npower with no success. I even got one bill for ?758. 'I'm often away in the winter and I never turn my heating on so I feel that they have just been using guesswork based around an incorrect meter reading they took when I moved in.' The final straw came when Npower staff replaced her old meter system with a pre-payment system while she was abroad. Unhappy that the work was undertaken without her knowledge, she felt the new meter used more energy than the old system and decided to pull the plug. Protest: The widow has resorted to living without modern comforts in her one-bed home She said: 'It's amazing how one can manage, I can't believe how well I feel for doing this. The biggest loss is being able to eat fresh vegetables because I love them but I'm getting by with eating salad. 'I love reading so I'm not really missing the TV, although I do miss my hot water bottle and I'm now looking for a gas camping stove. I've not been able to run my computer or recharge my mobile phone either.' She added: 'This is really a protest against the energy company and the Government's lack of will to do anything about it. 'How Npower works out how much they charge I do not know. They can please themselves and have us over a barrel. 'If everybody switched their meter off for a week just to see what it's like, it would send a message to these companies that they're not untouchable.' Npower claim Mrs Myall has an outstanding bill of ?225 but have now agreed to clear the debt after hearing of her protest. A spokesman said: 'We will be clearing her debt as a goodwill gesture as we do not wish to see her struggle. 'However it is vital for customers who feel they are struggling with their payments to contact their energy supplier as help is available.' http://newsblog.projo.com/2008/10/protesters-ask.html Protesters ask Carcieri to release millions in heating aid 1:23 PM Fri, Oct 24, 2008 | Permalink Maria Armental Email PROVIDENCE -- About a dozen protesters took to Governor Carcieri's office this morning asking him to release millions of dollars in heating aid to the poor. The protesters, associated with Pawtucket-based George Wiley Center, gathered at the State House rotunda holding yellow signs that read "$38 million," the amount the state recently received from the federal government to fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Carcieri said through his spokespeople the money cannot be released until late next month. Usually that money is released in late February, the governor's office said. The average grant for qualifying households is expected to increase to $480 from $340, the governor's office said. To qualify, people can earn as much as 60 percent of the state median income. For a family of four, the cutoff would be $46,913. -- With reports from Steve Peoples, Journal State House Bureau http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142462 Residents, shopkeepers protest power outages, bills Wednesday, October 22, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Residents and shopkeepers took to the streets violently in the Pakistan Chowk area on Tuesday against prolonged periods of load-shedding and inflated electricity bills. Enraged citizens set old articles of furniture and tyres on fire on the main artery of the area and shouted slogans to vent their anger against the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) for subjecting them to prolonged periods of power outages and serving highly inflated electricity bills. Atiq Mir, who runs his business in the Arambagh Furniture Market near Pakistan Chowk, told The News that the duration of load shedding spells during the last three days had doubled, as power supply in the market is shutdown for over three hours. Mir stated that at least two spells of load shedding occur on a daily basis during business hours. Mir said that after the increase in electricity tariffs, traders in the furniture market had been served electricity bills with an average increase of Rs2,000. In case small traders don?t get an extension in the deadline for payment of power bills, they will no option but to default on payment. Mir, who is also a member of the Alliance of Market Associations Karachi, said that he was hopeful that the KESC would announce extension in due dates for payment of electricity bills for the last month in the larger interest of small traders and businessmen in the city. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/power-riots-erupt-karachi-due-massive-power-breakdown Power riots erupt in Karachi due to Massive power breakdown Share: by Sanjay Jha | October 23, 2008 at 12:31 am 276 views | 2 Recommendations | 1 comment Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, is in severe power crisis. Karachi is Pakistan's economic nerve centre of banking, industry and trade. Power supply to the entire city was disrupted on Wednesday morning following a tripping in both the circuits of the Jamshoro-KDA link of the Karachi Electric Supply Company, neutralising the outdated and poorly maintained power plants as well as the transmission and distribution network, which left a shortfall of more than 500 megawatts. In the immediate aftermath of the breakdown, electric supply to all major residential and commercial areas and vital installations, including the Karachi Airport, remained suspended for several hours. Around mid-day on Wednesday, there was no power supply at important military installations of Malir Cantonment. Irate customers and angry traders burnt electricity bills and chant slogans against Karachi electricity supply company. The provincial metropolis was hit by a massive power breakdown around mid-day on Wednesday, adding to the woes of people already under stress due to humid weather. It was probably the first incident of major breakdown ? amid recurring and prolonged load-shedding ? since a new private corporate management took over the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) in mid-September. The power breakdown was so widespread that it involved the entire electricity generation, transmission and distribution system of the metropolis. Although, there has been no end or reduction in frequent load-shedding, there was little or no evidence available on the ground to see any substantial steps taken by the new KESC management to improve, upgrade or expand the capacity and working of the overloaded electricity system. The KESC officials said the power breakdown occurred due to the loss of high-tension transmission lines i.e. both circuits of Jamshoro-KDA link of 220kV of the KESC at around 11 am. KESC spokesman Kashif Effendi said tripping in transmission lines occurred due to Distance Protection Relay, which is a defence mechanism in the electricity transmission system. The fault in the transmission system had a cascading affect and engulfed the entire power generation, transmission and distribution system of the city. The major causality of the breakdown was Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station (BQTPS) as electricity generation from its six power generation units came to a sudden halt for several hours. The power generation input from different independent power producers in the city and the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) also stopped. The KESC spokesman told The News that at around 7:30 pm, except for the unit no 1 of the BQTPS and the unit no 4 of the Korangi Thermal Power Plant, the rest of the indigenous power generation system of the KESC had been brought back to operation. It would take several days before 80 megawatt power generation from the KANUPP would be restored. While power supply input from IPPs was also restored by Wednesday evening.The spokesman said after 3 pm, power supply to 70 per cent of the affected areas was restored while efforts were under way to restore electricity to the rest of the areas. Source: thenews.com.pk http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142552 Presidency smells a rat behind Wapda protests Thursday, October 23, 2008 By Ikram Hoti ISLAMABAD: The presidency smells a conspiracy behind the sudden spiral of anti-Wapda protests that have become particularly violent in the Punjab. However, an official said: ?We are not yet accusing anyone of anything.? Farhatullh Babar told The News the protests were unnerving and unsettling. ?However, please note that we are not accusing anyone. They appear to be well-organised and not spontaneous. There sounds to be an element in these protests being staged by forces that might have agendas,? Babar added. When his attention was drawn to the evaluations that these protests might be initiation of something big, he said: ?We are weighing the intensity. We are very much alive to the situation.? He did not give details of appraisal of power crisis and any decisions taken in the two meetings that took stock of the worsening outages. However, sources revealed to The News that the political fallout of protests did force the government to go for some drastic action. They were reluctant to point out that the Iranian foreign minister?s meetings with the PM and president over the weekend had something significant to do with the same issue. http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/rss.htm#34 Protests compel govt to delay hike in power tariff Thursday, 23 Oct, ISLAMABAD: The countrywide protests have compelled Water Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to differ for the next ten days implementation of the recently announced 31 per cent increase in power tariff. ?I personally apologise to people for the hardships they are facing due to power shortages and appeal to them to not resort to protests, violence or damaging public property,? Mr Ashraf said while speaking at a press conference at the Water Ministry. But, when the water minister reiterated his appeal to the nation to save energy, a reporter brought his attention to the cool and over-lit hall he was sitting in, which was buzzing with the noise of air conditioners, highlighting the irony of the situation. On the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, a special committee has been constituted to investigate the existing confusion over increase in power tariffs. (Posted @ 23:20 PST) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810280086.html Uganda: Nansana Riot Was Sign of Frustration 27 October 2008 Kampala ? On Friday morning seven-year-old Gordon Mwesigwa was hit by a speeding truck in Nansana on the Kampala-Hoima Road. Mwesigwa was the fourth person to be killed by a speeding vehicle within a month at the very spot. The residents were so incensed that they dug up the road and lit fires in it, effectively blocking it. In order to restore order, the Police were sent to the scene. Tear gas would not disperse them. When they failed to control the situation, the anti-riot Police fired live bullets in the air. The residents would not relent and engaged the Police for over an hour! Carnage has become synonymous with Uganda's roads caused by either unfettered recklessness or by the terrible state of the roads. The firing of live bullets to quell the chaos was unwise and could have resulted in more deaths. The Police should have waited for tempers to calm down. After all, the action of the residents was a cry of desperation and protest against the spate of road accidents on Uganda's roads. This is unfortunate because it seems to suggest that there is nobody in control! It appears it is the population that must now do something about the road traffic incidents. A recent accident involvin a bus and a lorry near Lugazi, claimed 30 lives while last year at Kitega on the same road, 30 people perished when a Costa collided with a lorry. A war must be declared on road accidents. The churches and mosques should preach against these accidents and consider them at par with sin, curse, and the devil because that is what they have become! The cool-headed intervention of Kampala Extra Police boss, Edward Ochom, who ordered the Police to stop shooting was commendable. Speed humps on the spot could have prevented the loss of precious lives. Is that too much to expect from the transport ministry? (New Vision) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810270540.html Uganda: Nansana Residents Riot Over Accidents Chris Kiwawulo, Robert Mutebi and Samuel Balagadde 25 October 2008 Kampala ? TEAR gas would not disperse them. Nor would the firing of live ammunition by anti-riot Police. Armed with stones and other missiles, an angry mob of Nansana residents engaged anti-riot Police in running battles for over an hour, disrupting business in the busy roadside town. The residents were protesting the death of a schoolboy killed in a hit-and-run accident. He was the fourth person to get killed by a speeding vehicle within a short period at the same spot found in Nansana's Yesu Amala Zone, in Wakiso District, seven kilometres on the recently resurfaced Kampala Hoima road. Six-year-old Gordon Mwesigwa, a pupil at Glory Primary School in Nansana was hit by a speeding truck on Friday morning. Following Mwesigwa's death, enraged residents staged an impromptu demonstration, criticising the works ministry for failing to install humps to check the speeding drivers. What started as a peaceful demonstration turned rowdy and eventually degenerated into total chaos. Shouting at the top of their voices, angry residents dug up a section of the road near the black spot, lit bonfires and blocked it with tree branches and logs, prompting the Police to intervene. Running battles ensued as enraged residents threw stones at the Police who retaliated by firing tear gas canisters at them. "We are tired of speeding drivers who kill innocent people," shouted the angry residents, as they resisted the Police's efforts to disperse them. The young and the elderly fled, but a group of hardened youths continued to engage the anti-riot Police for almost an hour. On realising that tear gas had failed to work, Police resorted to firing live ammunition in the air, which did not also work. It took the personal intervention of the Kampala Extra Police boss Edward Ochom, who ordered his men to stop shooting and calmed down the situation. He convinced the residents to surrender the body of the dead boy, to the Police so that they take it for a post-mortem at Mulago. The residents had vowed not hand over the body. Ochom assured the residents that he would personally work hand in hand with the works ministry to settle the problem by installing speed humps. The road was recently resurfaced by Zzimwe Construction Company, which led to an increase in accidents by speeding motorists. (New Vision) http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=123&newsId=656327 Nansana residents riot over accidents Nansana residents run for their lives after tear gas was fired By Chris Kiwawulo, Robert Mutebi and Samuel Balagadde TEAR gas would not disperse them. Nor would the firing of live ammunition by anti-riot Police. Armed with stones and other missiles, an angry mob of Nansana residents engaged anti-riot Police in running battles for over an hour, disrupting business in the busy roadside town. The residents were protesting the death of a schoolboy killed in a hit-and-run accident. He was the fourth person to get killed by a speeding vehicle within a short period at the same spot found in Nansana?s Yesu Amala Zone, in Wakiso District, seven kilometres on the recently resurfaced Kampala Hoima road. Six-year-old Gordon Mwesigwa, a pupil at Glory Primary School in Nansana was hit by a speeding truck on Friday morning. Following Mwesigwa?s death, enraged residents staged an impromptu demonstration, criticising the works ministry for failing to install humps to check the speeding drivers. What started as a peaceful demonstration turned rowdy and eventually degenerated into total chaos. Shouting at the top of their voices, angry residents dug up a section of the road near the black spot, lit bonfires and blocked it with tree branches and logs, prompting the Police to intervene. Running battles ensued as enraged residents threw stones at the Police who retaliated by firing tear gas canisters at them. ?We are tired of speeding drivers who kill innocent people,? shouted the angry residents, as they resisted the Police?s efforts to disperse them. The young and the elderly fled, but a group of hardened youths continued to engage the anti-riot Police for almost an hour. On realising that tear gas had failed to work, Police resorted to firing live ammunition in the air, which did not also work. It took the personal intervention of the Kampala Extra Police boss Edward Ochom, who ordered his men to stop shooting and calmed down the situation. He convinced the residents to surrender the body of the dead boy, to the Police so that they take it for a post-mortem at Mulago. The residents had vowed not hand over the body. Ochom assured the residents that he would personally work hand in hand with the works ministry to settle the problem by installing speed humps. The road was recently resurfaced by Zzimwe Construction Company, which led to an increase in accidents by speeding motorists. Published on: Saturday, 25th October, 2008 http://www.livinginperu.com/news/7671 22 October, 2008 [ 10:31 ] Peru citizens riot & block highway after children killed in traffic accident Living in Peru Israel J. Ruiz After two children were hit and killed by a speeding vehicle as they attempted to cross a highway in the region of Lima, citizens took to the streets and blocked the highway early Wednesday morning. 10-year-old Luis Guiordy Anaya and his seven-year-old sister Jackeline were killed on Tuesday evening after they were hit by Juan Carlos Calder?n, the driver of a gray Kia. The accident sparked neighbors' rage, who decided to block the 13th and 14th kilometers of Carretera Central in the Limean district of Santa Clara. With rocks and sticks in hand, citizens have burnt tires on the highway and broken holes in the street, causing a tremendous traffic jam with hundreds of vehicles. Furthermore, it was reported that bus passengers got off vehicles and walked to their destinations. "They've destroyed my family, my life won't be the same without my children," said Luis and Jackeline's mother as she demanded that justice be served. Despite the fact that the driver has been detained, mobs were formed and Carretera Central was blocked for hours. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 19:50:26 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:50:26 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KASHMIR Unrest and protests, Sept-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB0C72.1080105@tesco.net> * 27 Dec - Separatists disrupt election, clash with voters * 24 Dec - "High" election turnout despite protests; protesters battle police * 21 Dec - 9 injured during anti-election protests * 19 Dec - repression ahead of elections * 17 Dec - clashes over election * 14 Dec - Pulwana - protests, shooting mar poll * 12 Dec - Quil village - Protester killed in election protest * 7 Dec - Stone-throwing during anti-poll protests * 5 Dec - Sexual attack on girl sparks anti-soldier protests * 30 Nov - Kupwara - women stage anti-election rally * 23 Nov- Srinagar - shutdown in protest of elections * 23 Nov - Jammu - candidates clash * 22 Nov - Baramulla - protester killed as police open fire on election protests * 21 Nov - "undeclared curfew" ahead of elections * 17 Nov - Bandipur - women stage anti-election protest * 7 Nov - Srinagar - statists fail to stop rally, stone-throwing * 2 Nov - Yasin Malik arrested under PSA, youths respond with protests, stones and shutdown * 28 Oct - human chain protest, general strike lead to shutdown * 27 Oct - protesters resist curfew, stone cops on occupation anniversary * 26 Oct - Baramulla - protester killed by Indian soldiers during protest over arrests * 24-25 Oct - general strike leads to shutdown, clashes * 17-18 Oct - Srinagar - fresh protests and clashes * 14 Oct - New Delhi - Kashmir solidarity sit-in * 12 Oct - Srinagar - 25 hurt in clashes during protests over state killings * 10-11 Oct - Srinagar - 2 killed, dozens injured during PM visit * 7 Oct - Pakistan PM effigy burnt over "terrorist" comment * 5 Oct - vicious anti-protest ban announced * 24 Sept - Srinagar - protest after grenade attack against separatist http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Voters_clash_with_separatists_in_Srinagar_results_on_Sunday/articleshow/3898563.cms Voters clash with separatists in Srinagar; results on Sunday 27 Dec 2008, 0207 hrs IST, Masood Hussain, ET Bureau SRINAGAR: Even as Jammu &Kashmir waits for election results, anti-poll activists have clashed with voters in many places here. Over a dozen people were reportedly injured in these clashes that included a middle-aged man, who received a bullet injury in police action on Thursday. On Thursday, there were reports of certain groups operating in many city localities and marshaling individuals carrying indelible ink marks on their fingers. By afternoon, they attacked a few houses in old city. The attackers, mostly young men and non-voters, alleged they attacked the houses of those who were claiming to be with the Tehreek (movement), but were eventually seen voting on Wednesday. A similar attack was reported from Chanpora as well. A group pelted stones on the ancestral home of a PDP leader in Batamaloo. After seven weeks, Jamia Masjid in Srinagar witnessed a Friday congregation. Separatist Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told the congregation that an election held in presence of a few lakh soldiers is not credible, and will not impact the disputed status of Kashmir. This was his first public appearance after remaining under house arrest for over two months. In a separate incident on Friday, supporters of two contestants from the Shia locality of Zadibal clashed with each other. In almost an hour of rioting, they damaged many houses till the police restored order. The votes are being counted on Sunday, and results will be out well before dusk. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/23/kashmir.vote/index.html?eref=rss_world December 24, 2008 -- Updated 1722 GMT (0122 HKT) From Mukhtar Ahmad CNN SRINAGAR, Kashmir (CNN) -- The heavily guarded, seventh and final phase of voting for a state assembly ended Wednesday in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. Results are expected Sunday. Voters line up in Jammu amid tight security. Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been wracked by an 18-year, bloody separatist campaign that authorities say has left at least 43,000 dead. The regional elections began in November after months of violent protests by anti-Indian groups, fearful state elections will firm up Indian control of the Muslim majority Himalayan state, and by Indian nationalists, fearful that separatist groups will gain control. Anti-election protests erupted Wednesday at more than a dozen places in Srinagar as angry youths shouted pro-independence slogans and pelted paramilitary troops with rocks and bricks. Security forces responded with tear gas and batons. Separatists had called for an election boycott and march to the historic city center, Lal Chowk, for a sit-in, but troops sealed off the main thoroughfares with coils of razor wire and pre-fabricated barricades. Kashmir was placed under curfew-like restrictions Tuesday to help prevent protest marches. Officials said voter turnout in the tense city was low. Srinagar has been the vanguard of the anti-voting campaign ever since the elections were announced by the Indian government in October. Streets were mostly empty of citizens Wednesday morning, as thousands of Indian paramilitary units and police were spread among the eight constituencies eligible to cast ballots. More voters ventured out in the afternoon. "I am voting for good governance and basic civic amenities lacking in this city," said Nazir Ahmed while leaving a polling station at Khanyar, in Srinagar's Old City. In contrast, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din told CNN, "We are not voting. Elections are no solution to this lingering Kashmir problem, which can only be resolved through negotiations." Voting was more brisk in Indian-controlled, Hindu-majority Jammu, Kashmir's winter capital. Referring to the tensions between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday the issue is "dismantling of the terror machine by Pakistan and not war." One of the most active militant groups in Kashmir has been Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT). India blames LeT for last month's brutal massacre of more than 160 people in Mumbai, India, and has demanded that Pakistan hand over leaders of the group. LeT has denied responsibility. Also Tuesday, Indian police said they arrested three Pakistani militants, one of whom they said is in the Pakistani army. Pakistan denied he is an active-duty soldier. The three were arrested during a raid on a hotel in Jammu, where police claimed they were on a "Mumbai-style shooting and bombing mission." Kashmir has been a point of contention between the two countries since the division of the subcontinent in 1947. The neighbors have fought two wars over the territory and narrowly avoided a third war in 1999. Human rights groups and NGOs contest the official claim of at least 43,000 dead in the separatist campaign, putting the number of dead at twice the official figure. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1868687,00.html Big Turnout, Amid Protests, in Kashmir Vote By Yusuf Jameel/Srinagar Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008 An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard as Kashmiri Muslims stand in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 24, December, 2008. Farooq Khan / EPA Election day in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, brought thousands of people onto the streets ? but a majority of them appeared to be in uniform, armed with assault rifles and long bamboo sticks. enforcing strict security restrictions. Security was tight for the final phase of a staggered poll that will elect an 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to a six-year term. The atmosphere on the streets, and inside the heavily-policed polling stations, was predictably tense, but unlike in previous elections, the main security threat this time came not from Pakistan-backed militants but from disgruntled locals who have taken to the streets this year to vent their anger against Indian rule. That anger translated into an election boycott that failed to keep 60% of voters away from the polls throughout the territory, although it did prompot a majority stay away in parts of Srinagar. At one point on election day, crowds had gathered to chant "we want freedom", but they were driven off the streets of Srinagar by policemen wielding bamboo sticks and firing tear gas. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Srinagar, where most people favor either independence or a merger with Pakistan. But outside the old town, a moderate polling was underway, as people lined up to vote, they said, for better roads and drinking-water supplies, an end to frequent power cuts and more job opportunities for the region's unemployed youth. (See images of Kashmir's previous election) Voting in earlier stages of the election had been largely peaceful, with a higher-than-expected turnout of more than 60%, though scattered anti-India protests continued throughout the staggered election process. On November 17, more than half of over 600,000 eligible voters cast their ballot in the first phase of voting in the hilly districts of Bandipore, Leh, Kargil and Poonch, all of which border the Line of Control that separates the Indian- and Pakistani-administered sides of Kashmir. Large numbers of voters in other regions appeared to follow suit in rejecting the boycott call. New Delhi takes pride in this "constructive" change in the mindset of Kashmir's Muslim majority. India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said recently in Srinagar, "It has been quite encouraging that a large number of people has come out to vote... It is significantly higher [turnout] compared to the elections held in the past which is a very important development. It shows people's faith in India democracy." The positive turnout is all the more remarkable in light of the turmoil of recent weeks, which began in June when furious Kashmiris took to the streets in furious protest against the local government's decision to transfer a piece of forestland to a Hindu consortium. The completion of the final round of elections has left the authorities feeling vindicated: "The people have, once again, shown their faith in democracy, despite many constraints, difficulties and threats," said Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N.Vohra. "Indian democracy has triumphed yet again." Still, even if the boycott proved weak, separatist voices are unlikely to be silenced and may be fueled by the tough security measures adopt to squelch dissent. The Kashmir Valley's chief Muslim cleric and leader of separatist Hurriyat Conference alliance Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the elections a "farce", and alleged ballot stuffing and other irregularities by by "goons" working for the government and various pro-India political parties. "India which claims to be the world's largest democracy stands naked before the International community after what was done and seen happening today," Umar charged. "They can't impose curfew and then hold elections under the barrel of a gun." The election to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly may have been successfully completed, then, but the underlying conflict over the region's status that has simmered since 1948 clearly remains unresolved. http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/24/rss.htm#e8 Police, protesters clash in final leg of Kashmir vote Wednesday, 24 Dec, SRINAGAR: Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters Wednesday in Indian-administered Kashmir, where tens of thousands of soldiers were deployed for the seventh and final leg of multi-stage state elections. At least 20 people were injured in the violence between the security forces and anti-poll demonstrators in Srinagar, where voter turnout was low in line with a boycott call by separatist groups. Around 30,000 troops were deployed on the streets of the city, which has long been the hub of a 20-year insurgency against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region. Another 20,000 soldiers patrolled the districts of Jammu and Samba where balloting was also taking place. 'I fail to understand if the Indians are holding elections or going to war,' complained Srinagar resident Mohammed Hafiz, 60. (Posted @ 14:48 PST) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Anti-poll_protests_in_Srinagar_turn_violent_9_injured/rssarticleshow/3870258.cms Anti-poll protests in Srinagar turn violent; 9 injured 21 Dec 2008, 1742 hrs IST, PTI SRINAGAR: At least nine persons including three policemen were injured when anti-poll protesters on Sunday attacked supporters of two candidates in Srinagar and indulged in stone pelting at several places on penultimate day of campaigning for the final phase of J-K Assembly elections. Shouting anti-election slogans, groups pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces at Jamia Masjid and adjoining areas including Nowhatta, Gojwara and Rajouri Kadal in downtown Srinagar, official sources said. Police used batons to disperse the protestors and in the ensuing clashes, four persons including two policemen were injured, while shops and business establishments were closed and traffic came to a standstill. Four persons including a policeman were injured when supporters of separatists' Co-ordination Committee which has called for a boycott of elections pelted stones on the cavalcade of an independent candidate in Habbakadal constituency. A group of youth, shouting pro-freedom slogans, appeared at Asyed Ali Akbar and pelted stones on the cavalcade of independent candidate Bilal Ahmad Parra, a senior leader of People's Democratic Front, who was holding a roadshow, the sources said. The youths were later chased by police and paramilitary personnel, the sources said. A police guard also fire in air following a clash between supporters of national conference and its arch rival PDP at Khanyar locality of interior city, they said. No one was hurt in the shooting but one person was injured in the brick-batting between the two sides. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/19jk-restrictions-in-kashmir-to-prevent-protests.htm Restrictions in Kashmir to prevent protests December 19, 2008 13:09 IST Curfew-like situation prevailed in Kashmir Valley today, as authorities imposed stringent restrictions on the movement of people to prevent separatists from staging protest rallies during the day. Thousands of security personnel have been deployed in Srinagar [Images] and other major towns of the Valley as the Separatist Coordination Committee (SSC) had called for protests after Friday prayers against the ongoing Assembly elections. In wake of restrictions imposed by the administration and strike call by the separatists, all shops, business establishments, government offices, banks, courts, educational institutes and other semi-government institutions are closed, officials said. Vehicles were also off the roads here and in other parts of the Valley, they said. The SCC gave a strike call and peaceful protests against the polls after Friday prayers. "We appeal people to stage peaceful protests after prayers to protest against the polls which are being held to hoodwink the international community about the Kashmir dispute," chairman of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. "We hope people of Srinagar will respect the sacrifices of martyrs," he said, claiming, "People should stay away from so-called elections which have no legitimacy in Kashmir." Police and paramilitary personnel were seen patrolling the deserted streets in bid to foil attempts by separatists to stage protests. Government employees and residents alleged that security personnel were not allowing them to come out of their houses as if curfew had been imposed. "Police vehicles fitted with public address systems made a round of the city in the wee hours asking people not to venture out of their houses as curfew has been imposed," a resident claimed. Police, however, denied any curfew, saying security forces have been given strict orders not to allow gathering of four or more people at any place as Section 144 of the CrPC was in force. Officials said preventive measures were taken to maintain law and order and to prevent loss of any life or property which takes place during the protests. There is no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the Valley so far and the situation is under control, sources said. While most of the separatists have been arrested since the announcement of election schedule for the state on October 19, chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, the Mirwaiz, and Syed Ali Shah Geelani had been placed under house arrest. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=444039 Restrictions imposed to prevent anti-poll protests in Srinagar ________________________________________ IANS Friday 19th December, 2008 The separatist joint co-ordination committee Friday called for anti-poll shutdown and protests, leading again to imposition of restrictions here, an official said. The co-ordination committee of both the separatist Hurriyat groups headed by hardliners Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq asked people to observe a total shutdown and hold anti-poll protests in Srinagar city. The voting for eight assembly constituencies in Srinagar is scheduled for Dec 24 in the seventh and final phase of the staggered elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Markets, banks, traffic and other routine day to day activities remained suspended in the city as heavy deployment of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was made by the authorities to prevent violence and clashes in the city Friday. 'The restrictions are purely preventive to ensure that miscreants do not create any law and order problem in the city. 'These restrictions are only for trouble mongers and not against peace-loving citizens. Strict orders have been issued to ensure that the people be facilitated for offering the Friday prayers throughout the city,' a senior police officer told IANS here. It must be mentioned that the separatists are actually warming up their resistance programme to dissuade the voters in the eight seats of Srinagar city from exercising their franchise. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/polling-picks-up-in-jammu-clashes-in-kashmir-second-lead_100132008.html Polling picks up in Jammu, clashes in Kashmir (Second Lead) December 17th, 2008 - 4:50 pm ICT by IANS - Srinagar/Jammu, Dec 17 (IANS) As the cloudy and bitterly cold weather improved by noon, more people queued up to vote in the sixth phase of the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday. But while polling was peaceful in Jammu, clashes were reported in parts of the Kashmir Valley.Despite a heavy cloud cover, voters turned up in almost all the 10 south Kashmir constituencies of Anantnag and Kulgam districts to elect representatives to the 87-member assembly. In the Jammu region, where six seats in three districts went to the polls, around 40 percent voters had queued up to vote by noon. Former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress is a heavyweight contestant Wednesday. In Kashmir, Homeshalibugh constituency with 22.5 percent voting marked the lowest turnout while Dooru with 63.3 percent marked the highest in the first four hours after balloting began. In Anantanag, 30 percent voting was recorded while during the 2002 assembly polls only seven percent of voters had exercised their franchise. Supporters of the National Conference and the Congress clashed in Dooru constituency from where former minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir of the Congress is seeking re-election. Reports of clashes between supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress have also come in from Kokernag constituency where former Congress minister Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed is seeking re-election. In Noorabad, former PDP minister Abdul Aziz Zargar, seeking re-election, faces a tough challenge from National Conference?s Sakina Itoo, who was a minister till the National Conference lost power in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002 elections. In the Jammu region, with over 450,000 voters and 108 candidates for the six seats at stake in Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts, there was massive voter interest. Former chief minister Azad was safely placed in Bhaderwah constituency although Mohammad Aslam Goni of the National Conference is expected to give a semblance of a contest. Mujib Ali of PDP does not have much of a following while the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) Daya Krishan Kotwal is expected to garner some Hindu votes. Many in the constituency were angry that Azad was made to quit as chief minister following the Amarnath land row by the Kashmir-centric PDP. Imtiyaz Khateeb, a college student, said he and his friends have ?decided to vote for Azad?. ?After casting our vote, we will get others to vote as early as possible,? he added. National Conference supporters too were eager to vote early for Goni, whose family has strong roots in the town. ?Azad is good but we have to look at the larger picture. I don?t think the Congress will be able to form the government this time,? said Javed Iqbal, a long time National Conference supporter. Deployment of election officials in remote and far flung mountainous polling stations in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts had become a big challenge amid snowfall and rains since Tuesday afternoon. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/14/stories/2008121454541000.htm Front Page Protests, firing mar polling in Pulwama Shujaat Bukhari Youth dies as police and CRPF open fire; voting in fifth phase of J&K Assembly elections put at 57 per cent Photos: ? Nissar Ahmad and Akhilesh Kumar Braving the cold: People wait outside a polling station in Pulwama on Saturday. (Below) A jawan stands guard at a booth in the Hiranagar constituency in Kathua district. PULWAMA: Polling in the fifth phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections was marred by the killing of a youth in police firing as anti-poll protests rocked Quil and other areas in Pulwama district. But all segments in Pulwama and Shopian districts witnessed moderate to brisk polling. It was 48 per cent in two segments in Shopian and 47 per cent in four constituencies in Pulwama. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Masaud Samoon said 66 per cent turnout was recorded in Jammu?s Kathua district, where elections were held in five segments. The overall percentage in Saturday?s exercise was put at 57. Braving the chill weather, a large number of people turned up at booths in the Wachi, Shopian, Pulwama, Rajpora, Tral and Pampore segments despite the boycott call given by separatists. But the situation took an ugly turn at Quil when police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel allegedly forced people to come out and vote, and ransacked their houses. This evoked resentment among the people, who gathered in large numbers and shouted anti-election slogans. The police and CRPF tried to disperse them but they were stoned. They later opened fire, in which at least four people were injured, of whom Muzaffar Ahmad, 21, died in hospital. Following this incident, the Quil area with over 3,000 voters witnessed a complete boycott. The people were angry as they restlessly waited for Muzaffar?s body to arrive from Srinagar. In the neighbouring villages, and also in Parigam and Karimabad, the election was boycotted. However, later in the day, voters came out in good numbers at several places and the turnout picked up. Both Shopian and Pulwama districts are considered a stronghold of the People?s Democratic Party. Its president Mehbooba Mufti is contesting in Wachi. But in some areas many booths wore a deserted look as the boycott call evoked near-total response. Interestingly, the militancy-infested Tral town witnessed huge polling. Long queues were seen outside booths. Roads sealed Authorities had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling. All roads leading to Pulwama were sealed to thwart marches by separatists. Senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have been put under house arrest, and Srinagar and other towns are under an undeclared curfew. Both leaders condemned the police firing on protesters. Mr. Samoon told journalists that a magisterial inquiry was ordered into the Quil incident. The Pulwama Deputy Commissioner was asked to give his report within 15 days. http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=3334&ad=14-12-2008 Protester killed in Held Kashmir voting SRINAGAR (AP): Voters cast their ballots in the fifth phase of state elections in Indian Kashmir on Saturday as scattered clashes between protesters and government forces left one person dead. A 20-year-old protester died after police opened fire to control a spiraling protest at Koil village, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) south of Srinagar, Kashmir?s Police Chief B. Srinivas said. Two other protesters were wounded, he said. The elections for Kashmir?s state legislature started Nov. 17 and are to be held in seven phases through Dec. 24. Voting was largely peaceful in the first four phases, with a higher than expected turnout of more than 60 percent. Saturday?s was the first election-day death in clashes between protesters and police since the staggered voting began. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people either favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two rival countries and both claim it in its entirety. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. The uprising and a subsequent Indian crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, most of them civilians. On Saturday, thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying automatic weapons patrolled polling stations. Hundreds of protesters chanting pro-independence slogans clashed with forces in several areas, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to drive away protesters, and at least 17 paramilitary soldiers and policemen were injured, the officer said. At Sambura and Karimabad villages, residents alleged that soldiers and police coerced them to vote. ?They threatened us to vote, which we refused to do. As a revenge they came in and beat up our women to disgrace us,? said Tawheed Ahmed, a resident of Karimabad. Srinivas denied the allegations. Separatist leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, saying they will only entrench India?s hold on the restive region. However, early voter turnout was high, despite the security and the chilly weather. More than 800,000 of the state?s 6.5 million eligible voters live in the 11 areas where voting was taking place Saturday. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=6be1249a-c784-4977-9588-427caf219ac3BattleforBallot_Special&Headline=One+dead%2c+six+injured+in+J%26amp%3bK+poll+clashes One dead, six injured in J&K poll clashes Press Trust Of India Pulwama , December 13, 2008 First Published: 14:14 IST(13/12/2008) Last Updated: 16:14 IST(13/12/2008) One person was killed and six others, including three policemen, were on Saturday injured in clashes between anti-poll agitators and securitymen in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to temporary suspension of polling at three polling stations of the district. Eleven constituencies spread over three districts in Jammu region and Kashmir valley went to polls on Saturday in the fifth phase of elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Three persons were injured in the clashes between securitymen and anti-poll agitators at Quil village as law enforcing agencies fired in air and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters who were trying to march towards the Pulwama district headquarters to disrupt the polling, officials sources said. They said one of the injured identified as Muzamil Ahmad Ganai succumbed at the SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The anti-poll protesters took to streets and pelted stones at the security forces when they stopped them from marching towards Pulwama, the sources said. The polling was temporarily suspended in the polling station, the sources said, adding that a photo journalist of AFP, Rauf Bhat, was hit by a stone while covering the incident. Three policemen were injured in the clash that took place outside a polling booth at Karimabad between the anti-poll agitators and the securitymen, the sources said. Polling was temporaily suspended at the polling station due to the clash. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-13-voa12.cfm?CFID=163395337&CFTOKEN=64064222&jsessionid=663014ce9eb5aa7ff56f134a51b7246654f2 Protester Killed During Voting in Indian Kashmir By Shahnawaz Khan Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir 13 December 2008 Indian policemen charge Kashmiri Muslim protesters with their batons during an anti-election protest in Koil, south of Srinagar, 13 Dec 2008 One person has died and several were injured as police clashed with protesters in Indian administered Kashmir during the fifth phase of seven-phased elections on Saturday. Violence broke out early in the fifth phase of elections in Indian-administered Kashmir. Hundreds of anti-election protesters took to streets in Koil village of Pulwama district in Southern Kashmir and staged demonstrations. The demonstrators met resistance from the police. Police also chased away demonstrators at several other places in the district. Ishtiyaq Ahmad Ashai is the top civilian official in Pulwama district. "At Karimabad and Paigaon we had some minor incidents which have been brought under control, however some of our police personnel got injured," he said. "However at Koil, fire had to open [there was firing] which has resulted in injuries to three persons, who have been shifted to hospital." Early in the morning an undeclared curfew was in efffect in Srinagar and major towns to prevent separatist marches. Eleven constituencies spread over three districts in Kashmir went to the polls Saturday. Kashmiri separatists have called for a voting boycott, citing the fact that India uses elections to justify its control over the region. Most of the separatists have been either detained or put under house arrest in the last two months to prevent the poll boycott campaign. Some of them have been booked under the infamous Public Safety Act that allows detention without a trial for up to two years. Undeclared curfews and restrictions have prevented Friday prayers in Kashmir's largest mosque for the last six weeks. Despite the boycott call an unprecedented number of people have cast their votes in the first four phases of voting. The heavy turn out in Kashmir, where anti-India sentiment runs deep, has surprised many Kashmiri analysts. Weeks before the polls began, Kashmir had seen some of the largest pro-freedom demonstrations in decades. The seven phased staggered voting process in Kashmir began on November 17 and will conclude on December 24. The staggered process allows authorities to move and deploy thousands of troops in each area to prevent violence and poll disruptions. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/12/14/187626/Protester-killed.htm Updated Sunday, December 14, 2008 10:26 am TWN, By Aijaz Hussain, AP Protester killed in clash during Indian Kashmir polls SRINAGAR, India -- Voters cast their ballots in the fifth phase of state elections in Indian Kashmir on Saturday as scattered clashes between protesters and government forces left one person dead. A 20-year-old protester died after police opened fire to control a spiraling protest at Koil village, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) south of Srinagar, Kashmir?s Police Chief B. Srinivas said. Two other protesters were wounded, he said. The elections for Kashmir?s state legislature started Nov. 17 and are to be held in seven phases through Dec. 24. Voting was largely peaceful in the first four phases, with a higher than expected turnout of more than 60 percent. Saturday?s was the first election-day death in clashes between protesters and police since the staggered voting began. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people either favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two rival countries and both claim it in its entirety. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. The uprising and a subsequent Indian crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, most of them civilians. On Saturday, thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying automatic weapons patrolled polling stations. Hundreds of protesters chanting pro-independence slogans clashed with forces in several areas, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to drive away protesters, and at least 17 paramilitary soldiers and policemen were injured, the officer said. At Sambura and Karimabad villages, residents alleged that soldiers and police coerced them to vote. ?They threatened us to vote, which we refused to do. As a revenge they came in and beat up our women to disgrace us,? said Tawheed Ahmed, a resident of Karimabad. Srinivas denied the allegations. Muslim separatist leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, saying they will only entrench India?s hold on the restive region. However, early voter turnout was high, despite the security and the chilly weather. More than 800,000 of the state?s 6.5 million eligible voters live in the 11 areas where voting was taking place Saturday. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/one-killed-in-anti-election-protest-in-srinagar_100130678.html One killed in anti-election protest in Srinagar December 13th, 2008 - 11:17 pm ICT by ANI - Srinagar, Dec. 13 (ANI): A protestor was killed and six, including three policemen, were injured in clashes between the anti- election protestors and the security personnel during the fifth phase of the seven phased state assembly polls Kashmir here on Saturday. According to sources, a 20-year youth succumbed to his wounds in Quil Pulwama village, some 40 kilometers from here. Police opened fire in the air to disperse the demonstrators who reportedly pelted them with stones. The demonstrators said they were holding peaceful protest march. An eyewitness, Inayat Ahmad said, ?We carried a peaceful anti-election protest march. Security Forces opened fire on us, in which five youth. one has died and some are admitted in Pulwama hospital.? Security forces had to fire and lob teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters who were trying to march towards the Pulwama District headquarters to disrupt polling. Polling for 11 constituencies spread over three districts in Jammu region and Kashmir valley was held for the 87-member assembly. The seven-phased poling in Jammu and Kashmir is to replace central rule imposed after the Congress party-led coalition government fell in July over a Hindu shrine land transfer row. The results will be declared on December 28.(ANI) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/20_injured_as_poll_protesters_clash_with_police_in_JK/rssarticleshow/3805219.cms 20 injured as poll protesters clash with police in J&K 7 Dec 2008, 1924 hrs IST, PTI SRINAGAR: At least 20 people, including 11 securitymen, were injured as police lobbed teargas shells and used batons to disperse a stone-pelting group of poll boycotters, during the fourth phase of elections on Sunday. The clashes erupted in Jamia Masjid and adjoining areas of interior city shortly after authorities relaxed restrictions on the movement of people in view of the forth coming Eid, official sources said. Shouting anti-election and pro-freedom slogans, groups of youth took to streets at Nowhatta, Bohri kadal, Zaina Kadal and Gojwara, and hurled stones at police and CRPF personnel, injuring 11 securitymen. To disperse the mob, police and CRPF personnel lobbed teargas shells and used batons. At least nine protesters were injured in the police action. A police spokesman said activists of Shaheed-e-Milat youth front, the youth wing of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq-led Awami Action Committee, were involved in the attack. As many as 15 vehicles, including two of the government, and eight shops were damaged in stone-pelting, the spokesman added. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24765708-12335,00.html Riots mar elections in India From correspondents in Sopore | December 07, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse POLICE used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of anti-election demonstrators in Indian Kashmir during the fourth phase of state elections. The police action left 10 people injured in Sopore town, 50km north of the summer capital Srinagar, after hundreds of residents gathered to protest against the vote today. Four photo-journalists were hurt in the violence. "We were ruthlessly beaten up by the policemen for no reason,'' said one photographer who was admitted to hospital with a head injury. Four more people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse a similar protest in the neighbouring village of Dooru, police said. Separatist politicians and rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen New Delhi's hold over the region. However, the first three rounds of voting saw more than 60 per cent turnout. Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land dispute that triggered a series of major anti-India demonstrations. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,24765769-401,00.html?from=public_rss Violent riots mar elections in India From correspondents in Sopore Agence France-Presse December 07, 2008 12:35am POLICE used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of anti-election demonstrators in Indian Kashmir during the fourth phase of state elections. The police action left 10 people injured in Sopore town, 50km north of the summer capital Srinagar, after hundreds of residents gathered to protest against the vote today. Four photo-journalists were hurt in the violence. "We were ruthlessly beaten up by the policemen for no reason,'' said one photographer who was admitted to hospital with a head injury. Four more people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse a similar protest in the neighbouring village of Dooru, police said. Separatist politicians and rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen New Delhi's hold over the region. However, the first three rounds of voting saw more than 60 per cent turnout. Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land dispute that triggered a series of major anti-India demonstrations. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/voting-picks-up-slowly-amid-sporadic-protests-in-valley_100128056.html Voting picks up slowly amid sporadic protests in Valley December 7th, 2008 - 1:49 pm ICT by IANS - Baramulla (North Kashmir) Dec 7 (IANS) Moderate to brisk polling was underway in 12 constituencies of the Kashmir Valley which went to polls Sunday in the fourth of the seven-phase elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Polling began Sunday in six constituencies of the Hindu-dominated Jammu region also. Brisk voting was on in Uri, which registered 12 percent turnout in the first two hours of polling which began 8 a.m., followed by Gulmarg (seven), Pattan (4.5) and Rafiabad (four) constituencies of this north Kashmir district. Polling is yet to pick up in the apple-rich Sopore, Sangrama and Baramulla constituencies in the same district. In Sopore, the hometown of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, the turnout was four percent till 10 a.m. and no untoward incident was reported. Sangrama reported 13 percent polling and Baramulla the lowest of 1.5. Officials said the polling in the north Kashmir region should be seen in the context of freezing temperatures and boycott calls by militants. Reports from the central Badgam district indicate brisk polling at Khansahib (13 percent), Chadura (five), Beerwah (three), Badgam (6.9) and Charar-e-Sharief constituencies (2.3) there. Long queues of voters were seen at many polling stations in Gulmarg constituency of Baramulla district where voters turned up right in the morning to exercise their franchise. Voters also queued up in Singhpora and Hanjiwara villages, while voting was yet to pick up in Palhalan and Pattan towns of the Pattan constituency of Baramulla. However, in the Shia Muslim majority villages of Pattan constituency, brisk polling was on. Small anti-poll demonstrations took place at a few places in Sopore but the police and paramilitary forces chased the protesters away. In Delina town of Baramulla constituency, an anti-poll protest was held by some local youth outside a polling station. ?The miscreants have been chased away and brisk polling is now going on at the polling station in Delina?, a police officer said. In Chadura constituency of central Badgam district, a large number of people gathered to vote in Lasjan, Gowharpora and other polling stations. There was similar voter enthusiasm in Kramshore village of Khansahib constituency. In Beerwah, Badgam and Charar-e-Sharief constituencies also, voting was picking up. ?Polling is taking place normally without any major incident. We expect more voters to come out by midday?, a poll official told IANS. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120551500300.htm Other States - Jammu & Kashmir Protests against assault on girl by security forces Srinagar: The police on Thursday fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse people protesting against the alleged molestation of a girl by security personnel in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said. The trouble started around midnight on Wednesday night when the girl came out of her house at Danipora village of Kokernag and raised an alarm alleging that some security personnel forcibly intruded into her room and tried to outrage her modesty, the sources said. Police assurance Irked by the act of the security personnel, the residents took to streets demanding action against the culprits. They dispersed after senior police officers rushed to the scene and assured them that appropriate action would be taken against the guilty. They said the protesters again took to streets on Thursday morning demanding that a case be registered against the security personnel. Protest turns violent The police and civil officers said the matter had been taken up with the concerned security forces unit but this time the protesters turned violent and resorted to stone-pelting, the sources said. Police fired teargas shells to disperse the protesters, they said. Clashes were on till the last reports. --PTI http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/anti-election-protests-in-kashmir_100125315.html Anti-election protests in Kashmir November 30th, 2008 - 12:36 pm ICT by IANS - Kupwara, Nov 30 (IANS) Dozens of people, mostly women, Sunday took to the streets and shouted anti-election slogans in a village in Kupwara district during the third phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir. The demonstration took place soon after polling stations opened in Trehgam village. Police said one woman was injured when the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) tried to disperse the protestors, who were demanding suspension of the assembly elections and independence for Kashmir. Trehgam, about 110 km from the state?s summer capital Srinagar, is the ancestral village of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Mohammad Maqbool Butt. He was hanged at New Delh?s Tihar jail in 1983. Polling took place Sunday in five assembly constituencies of Kupwara, Handwara, Lolab, Langate and Karnah in the district. Sunday?s election will decide the fate of 71 candidates, including 31 independents and five women. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081124/main1.htm Shutdown in Srinagar; clashes in Baramulla Kumar Rakesh/Shariq Majeed Tribune News Service Grenade attacks on candidates? houses Some militant hurled a grenade towards the house of Abdul Rashid Ganai, Panthers Party candidate for the Kangan constituency, at Arhama, the police said. In another incident, militants hurled a grenade and fired towards the residence of Mohammad Abdullah Dar, candidate of the Democratic Nationalist Party in Sopore. The grenade exploded in the premises of the house but no harm was caused. Srinagar/Rajouri, November 23 Srinagar observed a complete shutdown today as its neighbouring Ganderbal district went for polls while Baramulla in south Kashmir, where two youths were killed in firing yesterday, saw day-long clashes between protestors and security personnel. Large number of protesters collected in Khanpora in old Baramulla town, which has traditionally been more restive, and they tried to march through the area. They raised pro-freedom slogans and lashed out at authorities for the death of two youths yesterday. Locals said security forces in the old town prevented crowd from marching and lathicharged and fired tear gas shells. Though there was no official count of injuries, locals said over 30 locals were injured in clashes. Official sources said at least 10 of their men were also injured. The summer capital of the state remained shut throughout the day as security personnel threw a cordon around city to ensure that there is no unwanted movement of people to adjacent Ganderbal. Separatists? call for Ganderbal march was foiled today. Meanwhile, supporters of political parties and independent candidates clashed in three assembly segments in Rajouri district, which went for polls today. In Darhal constituency, NC supporters of party candidate Choudhary Liaqat allegedly hurled stones at the polling station in the Badi Darhal area, prompting the BSF personnel manning it open fire in air to control the situation. Five persons were injured in the incident, reports said. In Kalakote assembly segment, there were reports of violent clashes between supporters of NC candidate Rashpal Singh and independent candidate Ashok Sharma. At Brow polling station in Kalakote, four persons were reportedly injured in clashes between supporters of the NC and independent candidate. At Taryath polling station also, security forces had to fire in air to control the supporters of the same candidates. There were reports of clashes between supporters of Singh and Sharma at Bandi polling station. At a polling station in Jawahar Nagar area of Rajouri constituency, supporters of independent candidate Muhammad Sharief Tariq and BJP candidate Vibodh Gupta resorted to stone pelting disrupting polling for about an hour. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/23/asia/kashmir.php Protests against state elections spread in Kashmir The Associated Press Published: November 23, 2008 SRINAGAR, Kashmir: Hundreds of protesters threw rocks at a polling station and clashed with government soldiers in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday during the second phase of state elections. The police and paramilitary soldiers swung batons at protesters in Kurhama, a village north of Srinagar, the region's main city, a police official said. The violence temporarily halted voting at the polling station, he said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with department policy. Muslim separatist leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, saying they will only entrench India's hold on the restive region. Protests against the elections were reported in four other villages, the police official said. There were no reports of injuries. In a village near Kurhama, however, many people gathered to vote. "I'm exercising my right and we need to have our own government that will address our issues," said a first-time voter, Owais Ahmed Mir. The elections come after a crackdown on separatist leaders and some of the largest protests against Indian rule in Jammu-Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in the country . Thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers with bulletproof jackets and automatic weapons patrolled as voting took place in towns north of Srinagar. Tension in the region heightened after government forces opened fire at an election protest Saturday, killing two Muslim protesters, including a student. The elections for the state legislature started Nov. 17 and are to be held in seven phases through Dec. 24. The staggered voting across the region allows the government to deploy thousands of security forces in each area in an attempt to prevent a repeat of deadly violence during 2002 elections and thwart separatist efforts to enforce the voting boycott. http://www.bt.com.bn/en/asia_news/2008/11/23/two_killed_in_indian_kashmir_riots Two killed in Indian Kashmir riots Fresh protests: An Indian policeman chasing protesters during a protest in Gandarbal, 22km east of Srinagar.Picture: Reuters SRINAGAR, INDIA Sunday, November 23, 2008 A SECOND DAY of protests against Indian rule shook Kashmir yesterday, leaving two Muslim protesters dead and more than 30 hurt, police and witnesses said, ahead of more voting in state polls. Police opened fire to control crowds of stone-throwing demonstrators in Baramulla town, about 55km north of summer capital Srinagar, killing a teenage student, a police officer said. The violence came on the eve of the second round of seven-stage state elections which wind up in late December. The demonstrators hurled stones at a cavalcade of an election candidate from India's Congress party, prompting police guards to open fire, the officer said. Following the death, angry youths poured onto the streets of Baramulla chanting, "We want freedom" as they carried the body of the slain student shoulder high. Police opened fire after the baton charge and teargas proved ineffective, killing a second protester, police said. "The situation in Baramulla town is tense," the officer said, requesting not to be named. Residents said thousands of paramilitary troops were trying to enforce a curfew in the town, although authorities say none has been officially declared. Srinagar and other Muslim-dominated towns have been frequently hit by strikes, protest rallies and curfews since June when some of the biggest anti-India protests erupted in the region that left nearly 50 Muslims dead in ensuing security force action. Authorities have detained over the past six weeks more than two dozen prominent separatists who spearheaded the protests and scores of activists to prevent demonstrations against elections being held in Indian Kashmir.AFP http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/kashmir.elections/index.html?eref=rss_latest November 23, 2008 -- Updated 2140 GMT (0540 HKT) Protesters, security forces clash during Kashmir elections ? Story Highlights ? Anti-election demonstrators, Indian security forces clash during state elections ? Police say they used batons to restore order, and no one was injured ? Authorities: Protests come a day after Indian paramilitary forces killed two youths ? Voting was second stage of seven-stage election in Indian-controlled Kashmir From Muktar Ahmad CNN SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- Anti-election demonstrators threw stones at two polling stations and clashed with Indian security forces Sunday as voters stood in long lines in Indian-controlled Kashmir to cast ballots in the second stage of state elections. An Indian Border Security Forces soldier watches as voters in Indian-controlled Kashmir wait to vote Sunday. The protesters yelled pro-independence and anti-poll slogans and threw stones at polling stations in two villages in the Ganderbal constituency, police said. Police used batons to restore order, but no one was injured, police said. People demonstrated in two other villages, Duderhama and Beehama in Ganderbal constituency -- one of six constituencies voting Sunday in the second of seven stages in the state assembly elections. The elections began after months of violent protests by anti-Indian groups, fearful state elections will firm up Indian control of the Muslim majority Himalayan state, and by Indian nationalists, fearful that separatist groups will gain control. Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been wracked by an 18-year bloody separatist campaign that authorities say has left at least 43,000 dead. Sunday's protests came a day after Indian paramilitary forces, according to authorities, gunned down two youths, one of them a high school student apparently taking part in an anti-India demonstration. Police Saturday fired on protesters in the town of Baramulla, killing 10th-grader Manzoor Ahmad Kumar, a senior police officer told CNN. Hundreds of protesters followed Kumar's body into the "Old Town" area of Baramulla, where demonstrators clashed with police. Protesters threw stones at a candidate's escort vehicles, the office said. Indian authorities deployed heavy paramilitary and police reinforcements to maintain order. Six protesters were injured in the fighting, police said. A police official said paramilitary forces in the Baramulla's Old Town area Saturday, shot and killed a second youth, Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh. Elsewhere Sunday, voting continued without incident. In Kangan constituency, voting picked up in the late morning and afternoon, and there and in Ganderbal, voters -- including many women -- lined up to cast their votes. Indian poll officials said the turnout was about 65 percent of eligible voters. Heavy security was also deployed in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. Indian paramilitary troopers carried automatic weapons and blocked roads with barricades and coils of razor wire there and in other towns. The first phase of elections was held November 17 and the third will be held November 30. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=64493 Two killed in fresh Kashmir protests Afp, Srinagar A second day of protests against Indian rule shook Kashmir Saturday, leaving two Muslim protesters dead and over 30 hurt, police and witnesses said, ahead of more voting in state polls. Police opened fire to control crowds of stone-throwing demonstrators in Baramulla town, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of summer capital Srinagar, killing a teenage student, a police officer said. The violence came on the eve of the second round of seven-stage state elections, which wind up in late December. The demonstrators hurled stones at a cavalcade of an election candidate from India's Congress party, prompting police guards to open fire, the officer said. Following the death, angry youths poured onto the streets of Baramulla chanting, "We want freedom" as they carried the body of the slain student shoulder high. Police opened fire after the baton charge and teargas proved ineffective, killing a second protester, police said. "The situation in Baramulla town is tense," the officer said, requesting not to be named. Residents said thousands of paramilitary troops were trying to enforce a curfew in the town, although authorities say none has been officially declared. Srinagar and other Muslim-dominated towns have been frequently hit by strikes, protest rallies and curfews since June when some of the biggest anti-India protests erupted in the region that left nearly 50 Muslims dead in ensuing security force action. Authorities have detained over the past six weeks more than two dozen prominent separatists who spearheaded the protests and scores of activists to prevent demonstrations against elections being held in Indian Kashmir. Groups opposed to Indian rule have called for a voter boycott of the polls. However the first round of the seven-stage election saw a nearly 60 percent turnout. Many of the voters interviewed by AFP said they still wanted political freedom, but had voted to elect a government that would bring economic development and good management of the state. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/11/20081122143822606824.html Protesters shot in Indian-Kashmir The Jammu and Kashmir state election is being held in seven stages because of security concerns [AFP] Two people have been shot dead and about 20 others wounded after Indian troops opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators protesting against state elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Violence flared on Saturday as armed forces grappled with stone-throwing demonstrators in north Kashmir's Baramulla town, police and witnesses said. One of the dead was identified as 16-year-old Manzoor Kumar. Haroon Ahmad, an eye witness, told Reuters news agency that security forces "fired indiscriminately" killing Kumar "on the spot". Ahmad said protesters shouted "down with elections", "we want freedom" and other anti-government slogans as they carried the teenager's body away. The shootings happened as Indian-administered Kashmir entered the second stage of voting in state elections - despite the fact Muslim separatists rejected the use of violence before the poll got under way. Boycott call "We appeal to the people to stage peaceful protests against the arrest of leaders" Statement issued by an alliance of Muslim separatist leaders Separatists have urged voters to boycott the poll, saying the election lacks legitimacy and will only serve to deepen New Delhi's hold over the troubled region. An alliance of Muslim separatists issued a statement after the clashes backing non-violent protests against the Indian authorities. "We appeal to the people to stage peaceful protests against the holding of elections in the presence of 700,000 troops and against the arrest of leaders," the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee said. The poll is being held in seven phases over as many weeks because of security concerns. Staggering the vote has allowed the Indian authorities to intensively deploy troops as each area goes to the polls. Earlier on Friday, 18 people were wounded in clashes between police and anti-election protesters in a separate incident also north of the summer capital Srinagar. The vote comes just weeks after some of the worst protests against Indian rule in the country's only Muslim state since a fragile peace deal was agreed by Pakistan and India in 2004. Both countries claim sovereignty over, and rule parts of, the divided region. At least 48 people have died in demonstrations during the last few weeks, prompting a crackdown on separatist leaders who oppose the polls. Detentions More than 30 people who called for a boycott have been detained in recent days under legislation that allows police to hold people for up to two years without trial. Police officials confirmed they were being held for advocating "secession, breach of the peace and intimidating people not to vote". Separatists argue that free and fair elections are impossible in the presence of what they describe as an occupying force. Indian election officials were initially encouraged by a higher-than-expected turnout overall - although voting in Muslim-dominated areas was said to be so low that security officers outnumbered voters. The vote is the third election in the state since the separatist insurgency began in 1989, which has claimed the lives of at least 47,000 people. Voting finishes in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, December 24, with the final count due on Sunday, December 28. Srinagar will vote in the seventh and final phase. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=5c2d1a26-5314-467a-83e9-be6a74faab74BattleforBallot_Special&Headline=Protesters+clash+with+security+forces+in+Baramulla Protesters clash with security forces in Baramulla Press Trust Of India Srinagar, November 23, 2008 First Published: 19:44 IST(23/11/2008) Last Updated: 19:47 IST(23/11/2008) Defying restrictions, protesters took to streets on Sunday in tense Baramulla district against the killing of two youths in police firing and clashed with security personnel. "The protesters pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces at half a dozen places in the old town, 55 kms from Srinagar, triggering clashes," the sources said. Police and paramilitary forces fired dozens of teargas shells and used batons to chase away the protesters, they said adding no one was hurt in the clashes. Manzoor Ahmad Kumar and Tanvir Sheikh were killed and seven others injured in firing by security forces after an anti-election protest turned violent on Saturday. Patrolling has been further intensified in the violence-affected areas. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/dozen-hurt-in-poll-clashes-amid-heavy-voting-in-jammu-region-lead_100122559.html Dozen hurt in poll clashes amid heavy voting in Jammu region (Lead) November 23rd, 2008 - 4:19 pm ICT by IANS - Jammu, Nov 23 (IANS) A dozen people sustained injuries Sunday when clashes broke out between supporters of various political parties and independent candidates at 10 polling stations in the Jammu region, where voters turned up in large numbers for the second phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.Polling was disrupted after the clashes at 10 polling stations in Darhal, Rajouri and Kalakot constituencies in the region?s Rajouri district following clashes between supporters of various political parties and independent candidates. The police had to open fire to disperse stone-pelting groups of supporters of the National Conference (NC) and other parties at the Badadarhal polling station in the Darhal constituency. District election authorities said order had been restored and balloting had begun at the polling stations. Officials said they might have to extend the balloting time to accommodate the heavy turnout of voters to ensure everyone gets the chance to exercise his franchise. Four constituencies, Darhal, Rajouri, Kalakote and Nowshera in Rajouri district went to the polls Sunday morning with as many as 59 candidates in the fray. Two other constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir where balloting started are Ganderbal and Kangan in the Kashmir Valley. Elections for the 87-member state assembly are being held in seven phases. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/voting-disrupted-in-rajouri-following-clashes_100122473.html Voting disrupted in Rajouri following clashes November 23rd, 2008 - 1:35 pm ICT by IANS - Jammu, Nov 23 (IANS) Polling was disrupted Sunday at half a dozen polling stations in Darhal and Rajouri constituencies in the Jammu region following clashes between supporters of various political parties and independent candidates.The police had to open fire to disperse stone-pelting groups of supporters of the National Conference (NC) and other parties at the Badadarhal polling station in the Darhal constituency. District election authorities said order had been restored and balloting would begin shortly here. Four constituencies, Darhal, Rajouri, Kalakote and Nowshera in Rajouri district went to the polls Sunday morning with as many as 59 candidates in the fray. Two other constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir where balloting started are Ganderbal and Kangan in the Kashmir Valley. This is the second of the seven-phase assembly elections in the strife-torn state. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=18553 Police kill two protesters in held Kashmir Sunday, November 23, 2008 HELD SRINAGAR: A second day of protests against the Indian rule shook Kashmir on Saturday, leaving two protesters dead and more than 30 hurt, police and witnesses said. Police opened fire to control crowds of stone-throwing demonstrators in Baramulla town, about 55 kilometres north of Srinagar, killing a teenage student, a police officer said. The violence came on the eve of the second round of seven-stage state elections which wind up in late December. The demonstrators hurled stones at a cavalcade of an election candidate from India?s Congress party, prompting police guards to open fire, the officer said. Following the death, angry youths poured onto the streets of Baramulla chanting, ?We want freedom? as they carried the body of the slain student shoulder high. Police opened fire after the baton charge and teargas proved ineffective, killing a second protester, police said. ?The situation in Baramulla town is tense,? the officer said. Meanwhile, an irate mob on Saturday attacked PDP President Mehbooba Mufti?s convoy in Baramulla town of held Kashmir, injuring three of her security personnel and damaging three vehicles. However, the PDP leader escaped unhurt in the attack, quoting official sources Zeenews reported. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/security-forces-kill-two-protesters-in-kashmir-probe-ordered-lead_100122309.html Security forces kill two protesters in Kashmir, probe ordered (Lead) November 22nd, 2008 - 6:05 pm ICT by IANS - Srinagar, Nov 22 (IANS) Two young men were killed Saturday when police and paramilitary troops fired at people protesting against the holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, officials and witnesses said.The deaths sparked off wide demonstrations prompting the government to order a probe. The killings took place in north Kashmir?s Baramulla town, which will see voting Dec 7 in the staggered state elections that end Dec 24. Manzoor Ahmed Kumar, a Class 10 student, died after police guards of Congress candidate Mir Mushtaq fired at a stone throwing mob in Khanpora area of Baramulla, 55 km from here, the police said. Kumar died on the spot after being hit in the chest, witnesses told IANS on phone. Tension gripped the town as the protesters carried the body of the slain youth and marched towards the curfew-bound old town shouting anti-election and anti-India slogans. The paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) then opened fired at the funeral procession injuring four men. ?One of the injured, Tanvir Ahmad Sheikh, died in the security force firing and three persons sustained bullet injuries in the old town area of Baramulla,? a police officer said. After anti-election protests in Baramulla town Friday, the authorities clamped curfew to quell demonstrations. An official spokesman said the government has ordered a magisterial probe into the firing incidents in Baramulla town. ?The probe will be conducted by the additional district magistrate of Baramulla district,? the spokesman said. Angry protesters engaged security forces in heavy stone pelting in the town as high tension gripped the area after the killings. Clashes between the stone throwing mobs and the security forces in the town forced the authorities to call additional troops to bring the situation under control. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/protests-undeclared-curfew-ahead-of-second-phase-of-polling_100122044.html Protests, undeclared curfew ahead of second phase of polling November 21st, 2008 - 9:17 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Srinagar, Nov 21 (IANS) Ahead of the second phase of polling, state authorities imposed undeclared curfew and enforced strict security restrictions to prevent a separatist rally in summer capital Srinagar Friday.Early Friday, hundreds of police and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were deployed in Srinagar to enforce the restrictions. This followed a call by the separatist joint coordination committee for a march to the historic Jamia mosque in the Nowhatta locality of the old city. The authorities dis-allowed Friday prayers in the mosque which had been surrounded by the police and paramilitary reinforcements. This is for the second time this month that Friday prayers couldn?t be offered in the Jamia masjid because of curfew-like restrictions. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate separatist Hurriyat Conference who continues to be under house arrest condemned the imposition of curfew saying: ?People?s sentiments have been hurt as they couldn?t offer the weekly Friday prayers.? The Mirwaiz said ?Indian sponsored polls are no substitute to freedom.? Violent protests rocked Srinagar this evening. Protests also rocked Ganderbal, Baramulla and Sopore towns in north Kashmir and south Kashmir town of Anantnag where police and CRPF lobbed tear smoke shells and used batons to disperse stone pelters, who were shouting anti-poll slogans. In Ganderbal, where anti-poll protesters attacked an election rally, police had to open fire to restore order injuring one person who was hospitalized. Police said ten persons were injured in today?s stone pelting incidents. Two constituencies of north Kashmir Ganderbal district, where campaigning ended this evening go to polls in the second phase of assembly elections Sunday. Authorities have made tight security arrangements for peaceful polling. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL403771.htm Troops patrol Kashmir to thwart anti-poll protests 21 Nov 2008 08:20:52 GMT Source: Reuters By Sheikh Mushtaq SRINAGAR, India, Nov 21 (Reuters) - India deployed thousands of troops in Kashmir's main city on Friday and erected barricades in what amounted to an undeclared curfew to thwart planned protests against ongoing state elections. Police and soldiers in riot gear patrolled deserted streets, littered with dry brown leaves, in Srinagar, the capital of the mainly Muslim Kashmir Valley, and warned residents to stay indoors. "We are sick and tired of this, every second day they impose curfew," said 27-year-old bank employee, Tania Khan. "Life is miserable here." Life in Srinagar has been frequently disrupted by strikes, demonstrations and curfews, especially since some of the biggest anti-India protests in years erupted several months ago. At least 42 people were killed by security forces during those protests. Separatists had planned more protests on Friday to renew their appeal for a boycott of the seven-stage vote. The authorities, buoyed by a decent turnout in the first round of the vote, blocked the move. Many separatist leaders remain in jail or under house arrest. The second phase of polls is due on Sunday, and Srinagar will vote in the final phase. It will be the third vote in the state since an insurgency began in 1989, killing at least 43,000 people. "We appeal to people to stage peaceful protests against holding of elections in presence of 700,000 troops and against arrest of leaders," said a statement of the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a new alliance of Muslim separatists, business people and lawyers. Shops, businesses and schools were also closed in other towns across the Kashmir Valley. In the past, separatist guerrillas have attacked and killed scores of candidates and political workers, vandalised polling stations and attacked rallies to thwart elections. But early this year, the United Jihad Council, a Pakistan-based militant alliance fighting Indian troops in Kashmir, rejected the use of violence to enforce a boycott. Violence has declined significantly after India and Pakistan, which both claim the region in full and rule in part, began a slow-moving peace process in 2004. (Editing by Simon Denyer and Sanjeev Miglani) (For the latest Reuters news on India see in.reuters.com, for blogs see blogs.reuters.com/in/) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/women-stage-anti-poll-protest-in-bandipur-district-in-j-k_100120221.html Women stage anti-poll protest in Bandipur district in J-K November 17th, 2008 - 8:18 pm ICT by ANI - Bandipur (J-K), Nov 17 (ANI): Angry women protesters clashed with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Bandipora in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday amidst the first phase of seven-phased Assembly polls. Witnesses said that men, women and children assembled outside the polling booths in the town and tried to stage pro-freedom demonstrations. The CRPF personnel resorted to baton charge and scuffled with demonstrators to disperse them. Protesters offered stiff resistance and in the police action and mob retaliation at least three persons sustained injuries. The Coordination Committee representing separatists had asked people to observe complete shutdown and march to Bandipur on Monday as a mark of protest against elections, which it describes as a ploy by the Indian government to obscure main issue of Kashmir. The Kashmir valley remains the focus of the vote after police killed at least 42 people this year during pro-independence protests. Ten constituencies in four districts including two in Bandipur district went to polls on Monday. As many as, 102 candidates are in the fray in these constituencies. These include three women contestants also. During the Assembly elections 2002, only 40 candidates were in the fray in these constituencies, which indicates greater involvement of candidates in poll process this time. The Indian government is hoping for a decent turnout to bolster the legitimacy of democracy and its rule in Kashmir. (ANI) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/06/asia/AS-Kashmir-Protest.php Troops patrol to halt separatist rally in Kashmir The Associated Press Published: November 6, 2008 SRINAGAR, India: Thousands of troops in riot gear patrolled the main city in India's portion of Kashmir to block a pro-independence rally Thursday, and authorities warned residents to stay home. Separatists called for a protest at Jamia Masjid, the main mosque in Srinagar, to honor tens of thousands of Muslims they say were killed in riots with Hindus on Nov. 6, 1947, in Jammu, the only Hindu-majority city in India's Jammu-Kashmir state. B. Srinivas, a senior police officer, said the government had banned any public assembly of more than five people but that no curfew had been imposed. Troops erected steel barricades and laid razor wire on roads to prevent a public gathering. "We're imposing restrictions to avoid clashes," he said. Police and paramilitary soldiers drove through neighborhoods in the old parts of Srinagar warning people to stay indoors, said Bashir Ahmed, an area resident. He said some police called it a curfew. "They are not allowing any movement," Ahmed said. Most residents stayed home, and shops, businesses and government offices were shuttered across the city. Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, a key separatist leader who was to lead the rally, was placed under house arrest, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Farooq confirmed his detention and also said Kashmiris would reject local elections scheduled to take place later this month. "No free and fair election can be held under military occupation and thus this election is a futile exercise," he said by telephone. "We're demanding a resolution of the Kashmir dispute and the election can't be a substitute for a plebiscite." The elections are to start Nov. 17 and will be held in seven phases running through Dec. 24. Farooq urged people to hold "rallies for freedom" in districts where voting is scheduled. Authorities have arrested at least 30 separatist leaders and activists who have been campaigning against the polls. Many were detained under the Public Safety Act, which allows police to hold people for up to two years without trial. Human rights activists condemn the law as draconian. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people favor independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, and both claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it. Militant separatist groups have fought since 1989 to end Indian rule in the Himalayan region. Some 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed. In recent months Kashmir has experienced some of the largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. At least 48 people have died, most killed when Indian soldiers opened fire on Muslim demonstrators. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/07/asia/AS-Kashmir-Protest.php Soldiers block protest in Indian Kashmir The Associated Press Published: November 7, 2008 SRINAGAR, India: Government forces fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse scores of rock-throwing protesters who broke through security cordons to hold pro-independence demonstrations in the Indian portion of Kashmir on Friday. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Thousands of troops in riot gear prevented people from reaching Jamia Masjid, the main mosque in the disputed region's largest city, Srinagar, where separatist leaders planned a rally after Friday's noon prayers, area residents said. The demonstration was to honor tens of thousands of Muslims who were killed in clashes with Hindus on Nov. 6, 1947, within months of India and Pakistan gaining independence from Britain. Only small groups of protesters took to the streets at two places in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. "Soldiers are patrolling everywhere and are telling us to stay indoors as curfew has been imposed in the city," said Shakeel Ahmed, a Srinagar resident. Officials said the government has banned any public assembly of more than five people. "There is no curfew, but yes, restrictions have been imposed to avoid any law and order situation," said B. Srinivas, a senior police officer. Separatist leaders Maulvi Abbas Ansari, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Gani Lone and the High Court Bar Association president, Mian Abdul Qayoom, were placed under house arrest to prevent them from participating in the protests, said the police officer who did not want to be named. On Thursday, government forces foiled planned street protests by erecting steel barricades and laying razor wire on roads. Most residents stayed home, and shops, businesses and government offices were shuttered. Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, a key separatist leader now under house arrest, urged people to boycott local elections announced by the Indian government. Voting starts Nov. 17 and will be held in seven phases running through Dec. 24. "India has again stopped our peaceful rally by sheer military might. But let India read the writing on the wall that whatever it does, we'll never give up our fight against its occupation," Farooq said in a telephone interview from his home. Authorities have arrested at least 30 separatist leaders for campaigning against the polls, many of them under a tough law that allows police to detain people for up to two years without trial. Human rights activists condemn the law as draconian. In recent months, Kashmir has seen some of the largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. At least 48 people have died, most killed when Indian soldiers opened fire on Muslim demonstrators. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people favor independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who both claim the Himalayan region in its entirety and have fought two wars over it. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown. http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/02/stories/2008110255571000.htm Yasin Malik booked under PSA; protests in Srinagar Shujaat Bukhari Yasin Malik SRINAGAR: Protests rocked Maisuma locality in Srinagar on Saturday after the news about government slapping Public Safety Act (PSA) on Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik spread in the area. A group of youth took to streets shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans forcing the shopkeepers to down their shutters. As police reached the spot the youth pelted stones and police used tear smoke shells to disperse them. The pitched battle continued for sometime . The youth were protesting against government decision to book Mr. Malik under PSA. Though officials were tightlipped over the issue, sources confirmed that Mr. Malik has been booked for two years under the Act. He has been shifted to District Jail Jammu. Mr. Malik was shifted to hospital on Friday for a medical check-up but the authorities later decided to book and send him outside Kashmir. Jamiat-e-Ahlahadees chief Showkat shah has also been admitted to Intensive Care Unit of S K Institute of Medical Sciences here. Both were arrested last month during the anti-election campaign in Hajin area and lodged in Sumbal Police Station. Sources said that Ghulam Nabi Sumji, member of Geelani led Hurriyat Conference has also been booked under PSA for two years and is being sent to Jammu jail. Crackdown continues The government is continuing its crackdown on separatist leaders in view of their anti-election campaign. Top leaders Shabir Shah, Ashraf Sehrai, Naeem Khan are already in jail along with scores of middle rung leaders. This is for the third time in last over a month, that Geelani?s Hurriyat had to appoint an acting chairman. Earlier Sumji was the acting chairman in absence of Geelani but after he was arrested Nissar Hussain Rather was appointed in his place. But he was also arrested two days back and now Sheikh Ali Mohammad is the new chairman. The separatist camp is virtually leaderless as Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is not allowed to lead the major protest programmes and Mr. Geelani is under treatment in Delhi. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/kashmir-arrests-under-new-law-triggers-rioting-14029421.html Kashmir arrests under new law triggers rioting Monday, 3 November 2008 Police have arrested three key separatist leaders in Indian Kashmir under a tough security law that allows detention for up to two years without trial. The arrests triggered weekend clashes with hundreds of Muslim protesters, with police and paramilitary soldiers firing tear gas and swinging batons to disperse the rock-throwing mob. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The separatist leaders were arrested for opposing elections due to start later this month to choose a new government in the Indian-administered region, a police officer said. The separatists oppose Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region. They were arrested under the Public Safety Act, which allows police to detain people for up to two years without trial. Human rights activists condemn the law as draconian. Police had held the separatist leaders under house arrest for several weeks following earlier protests against Indian rule. As news of the separatist leaders? arrests spread in Srinagar, the region?s largest city, hundreds of Kashmiris took to the streets chanting ?We want freedom? and ?Release our leaders?. ?An anti-election campaign is a democratic right and our arrest yet again proves as sham the tall claims of India?s democracy,? Mr Malik told reporters as he was being taken to prison. In recent months, the Himalayan region has seen some of its largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. At least 48 people have died in the unrest, most of them killed when Indian soldiers opened fire on Muslim demonstrators. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Protest_against_separatists_arrest_turns_violent_in_Srinagar/rssarticleshow/3665230.cms Protest against separatists arrest turns violent in Srinagar 2 Nov 2008, 1538 hrs IST, PTI SRINAGAR: Tension gripped parts of interior city as groups of youth took to streets to protest against the arrest of separatist leaders and indulged in stone-pelting on Sunday, prompting security forces to fire teargas shells and use batons to restore order, official sources said. Shouting "pro-freedom" slogans, angry mobs appeared at Saraf Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, Nowhatta, Bohrikadal and adjoining areas in the close vicinity of historic Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar and pelted stones on police and paramilitary personnel, the sources said. They said police acted swiftly and initially used batons to disperse the swelling crowds. As the baton charge proved ineffective, police fired teargas shells to restore law and order, the sources added. At least 50 persons including 29 security personnel were injured in violent clashes on Friday in the sensitive localities, considered as the strong hold of chairman of the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The latest clashes forced the local shopkeepers to pull down the shutters, while the traffic was diverted to other routes, the sources said. Authorities on Saturday slapped the Public Safety Act on JKLF leader Mohammad Yasin Malik, arrested on October 23 for taking part in the separatists anti-poll campaign. Besides Malik, over a dozen prominent separatist leaders including Shabir Shah, G N Sumji, Nayeem Khan, Nissar Rather, Asiya Indrabi, Hakeem Abdul Rashid, G M Hubi, G M Khan Sopori and Moulvi Shoukat Ahmad Shah have been arrested in recent weeks following the announcement of elections in the state. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/17_injured_in_Srinagar_protests/articleshow/3648178.cms 17 injured in Srinagar protests 28 Oct 2008, 0519 hrs IST, Masood Hussain, ET Bureau SRINAGAR: Police personnel and paramilitary forces enforced an informal curfew on Monday morning in Srinagar to thwart separatists? human-chain protest plan. Moderate cleric Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, supposed to attend the protest, was kept under house arrest as security men blocked almost every lane and road in the city. Though the anniversary of Indian Army?s arrival here has remained a strike day in separatists? calendar since militancy broke out in 1988, this was for the first time that severe restrictions were imposed by the government. A couple of lawyers made a bid to come out from the deserted court premises in Lal Chowk but were immediately detained. Kashmir Bar Association that had floated the human chain idea for Monday has said it would meet soon fix another date for this protest. While the day was by and large peaceful, pitched battles were reported between police and protesting mobs in north Kashmir Baramulla and Sopore towns besides Safakadal and Batamaloo localities in which not less than 17 persons including some cops were reported injured. ?There is no curfew,? a senior police officer told ET. ?People are actually observing the strike.? http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/28/2003427166 Protests against Indian rule close offices in Kashmir AP, SRINAGAR, INDIA Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008, Page 5 Shops, businesses and government offices closed across Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday as separatists called a general strike to mark the anniversary of the day Indian troops took control of the region in 1947, celebrated by India as Infantry day. Thousands of Indian soldiers in riot gear patrolled the streets of Srinagar, the main city, and prohibited any gathering of more than five people, said police officer B. Srinivas said. The ban was aimed at blocking a plan by Kashmiri lawyers to form a human chain to protest the presence of Indian troops in the region. ?It?s an irony that even forming a human chain is a threat to the Indian state,? said Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, a key separatist leader. ?This was supposed to be a symbolic protest reminding the world that India has militarily occupied this place,? he said. In recent months, Indian Kashmir has seen some of the largest protests against Indian rule in two decades. At least 48 people have died, most of them killed when Indian soldiers opened fire on Muslim demonstrators. India says it sent troops to the region in 1947 at the request of Kashmir?s Hindu king, who decided to join India when the subcontinent was partitioned by British colonialists into India and Pakistan. However, separatists say the Hindu king decided to join India only after Indian troops had landed in the region. Yesterday?s strike was called by the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a coalition of Kashmir?s Muslim separatist leaders and representatives of businesses, lawyers and government employees. The protesters demand that Muslim-majority Kashmir either gain independence from India or merge with Pakistan. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the territory, which remains divided between India and Pakistan. The longtime rivals both claim the region and have fought two wars over it. Meanwhile, Indian troops shot dead five Islamic militants during a gun battle in the forests of Kishtiwar district, south of Srinagar, a statement from the army said. ?The five were members of Hizbul Mujahidin,? it said, referring to the region?s most powerful group fighting for Indian Kashmir to join with Pakistan. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/27jk.htm Valley turns fortress amid planned protests Mukhtar Ahmad In Srinagar | October 27, 2008 11:41 IST Last Updated: October 27, 2008 20:25 IST An undeclared curfew was clamped in the entire summer capital Srinagar [Images] to scuttle separatist protests in Srinagar on Monday. Indefinite curfew continues to remain in force in the north Kashmir's Baramulla town since Sunday, where a youth was killed and 20 others wounded in day long clashes and paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force firing. Angry youths, however, defied curfew restrictions in the town on Monday morning and engaged the police and CRPF troops in pitched battles till afternoon. The security forces fired volleys of tear gas shells and resorted to repeated baton charges to disperse the angry violators and bring the situation under control. The town continues to be tense, and authorities have decided not to relax the curfew today. The separatist coordination committee comprising of representatives of both groups of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, local traders and lawyers had called for a Valley wide general strike on Monday to coincide with the landing of the first batch of Indian troops this day in 1947. The separatists and the local bar association had decided to form a human chain between the lower court premises and high court building nearly a km apart. The moderate APHC chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq had announced to lead the today's protests and asked women to form another from chain from uptown Dalgate locality to the United Nations Military Observers Group office in Srinagar. The state authorities, however, decided to enforce strict security restrictions disallowing any movement in the city. The restrictions were in place as the people woke up in the morning and tried to move out. Heavy paramilitary CRPF and police deployments had been made across the city restricting the movement of the locals. The city is deserted as were other valley towns. However, the day passed off peacefully, according to a senior police officer. Mirwaiz and other separatist leaders were placed under house arrest by the authorities. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081027/jsp/nation/story_10024956.jsp Protester shot, curfew in Valley OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Srinagar, Oct. 26: Curfew was clamped in Baramulla today after a protester was killed in firing by security forces, the first such death after last week?s poll announcement. The victim, Irfan Ahmad, was part of a demonstration against a string of arrests of youths in the north Kashmir town over the past several days. Such arrests, part of the state government?s plan to foil pro-freedom demonstrations, have become common recently. The police said the curfew was imposed to prevent untoward incidents and to protect the life and property of people. It wasn?t clear if the police or the CRPF, both of whom tried to disperse the mobs, fired the bullet that hit Irfan, killing him on the spot and injuring two other protesters. The demonstrators were demanding the release of youths picked up in the spate of preventive arrests. The trouble began when some of the youths pelted the security forces with stones, prompting the personnel to use teargas and wield batons. The officers claimed they opened fire when the skirmishes didn?t stop. Security forces fear more protests ahead of the November 17-December 24 elections. One is planned tomorrow, when the Hurriyat-led coordination committee has called for forming a human chain from high court to lower court complex in Srinagar to protest the landing of the Indian troops in Kashmir 61 years ago. The human chain protest is part of a campaign by separatists that has included the Lal Chowk marches, thwarted by the security forces several times in the past. The Hurriyat Conference, which has lined up tomorrow?s protest along with the Bar Association, has appealed people to participate. ?Over the past six decades, India has used force to crush our struggle but nothing can prevent us from achieving our goal of right to self-determination,? Hurriyat leader Abbas Ansari said. http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/27video1.htm Troops clash with Kashmiri protesters October 27, 2008 Curfew has been imposed in Srinagar as a precautionary measure to prevent proposed demonstrations by the separatists against the landing of Indian troops in Kashmir valley on October 27, 61 years ago. Shops, business establishments, offices and schools remained closed in response to the shutdown called by the Coordination Committee set up by the separatist outfits. Troops have been deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incident. http://www.keralanext.com/news/2008/10/27/article145.asp Curfew-like situation in Kashmir ahead of separatists' protest 27 Oct 2008, 2109 hrs IST SRINAGAR: A curfew-like situation prevailed in the Kashmir Valley on Monday as troops were deployed in strength to thwart a planned protest by separatists who also gave a strike call forcing closure of business establishments, offices and educational institutions. The restrictions were imposed by the authorities as the separatist coordination committee had announced that it would form a human chain from Saddar court complex in Lal Chowk to High Court complex to protest the landing of Indian troops in the state on October 27, 1947. All roads leading to Lal Chowk were sealed and even government officials who were heading to their workplaces were stopped for thorough frisking. All shops, business establishments, offices, schools and other educational institutions remained closed on account of the strike called by the committee in the midst of stringent security measures. Residents of the city and elsewhere in the valley were not allowed to come out of their homes by police and paramilitary forces. However, Superintendent of Police, Control Room, Showkat Malik said no curfew had been imposed except for Baramulla town where one person was killed and eight other injured in security forces firing yesterday. He said security had been beefed up in the city to prevent any law and order problem. Even media personnel were not allowed to move freely as some CRPF and police officers claimed that curfew had been imposed in the city. Authorities here have imposed curfew three times in as many months to thwart separatists' plans to hold protest rallies. http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhidmhojeysn/rss2/ Protester killed in Kashmir protest 26/10/2008 - 15:15:08 Government troops in Indian Kashmir opened fire today on hundreds of angry protesters demanding the release of several people arrested during a recent strike, killing one and wounding at least three others, a police official said. The Muslim protesters in Baramullah town, 35 miles north of Srinagar, the main city in India?s Jammu-Kashmir state, threw stones and clashed with police and paramilitary soldiers, who responded first with bamboo truncheons and tear gas and then with live ammunition, said Abdul Gani Mir, the area?s deputy inspector general. On Friday, a general strike was organised by the Jammu-Kashmir Co-ordination Committee, a coalition of Muslim separatists and local business leaders, during which local residents said at least 10 people were arrested by police. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/26/world/main4546005.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_4546005 Troops Fire On Kashmir Protesters, 1 Dead Separatists Chant Pro-Freedom Slogans As They Clash With Soldiers In India-Controlled State Comments 2 SRINAGAR, India, Oct. 26, 2008 Kashmiri civilians take an injured man, Manzoor Ahamed, for treatment at a hospital in Srinagar, India, Oct. 26, 2008. Government troops in Indian Kashmir opened fire Sunday on hundreds of angry protesters demanding the release of several people arrested during a recent strike, killing one and wounding at least three others. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) (AP) Government troops in Indian Kashmir opened fire Sunday on hundreds of angry protesters demanding the release of several people arrested during a recent strike, killing one and wounding at least three others, a police official said. The Muslim protesters in Baramullah town, 35 miles north of Srinagar, the main city in India's Jammu-Kashmir state, threw stones and clashed with police and paramilitary soldiers, who responded first with bamboo truncheons and tear gas and then with live ammunition, said Abdul Gani Mir, the area's deputy inspector general. The protesters chanted pro-freedom slogans as they clashed with the troops, Mir said. Police will investigate the death and injuries, he said. On Friday, a general strike was organized by the Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a coalition of Muslim separatists and local business leaders, during which local residents said at least 10 people were arrested by police. Mir said police arrested only four people. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people favor independence from mainly Hindu India or a merger with predominantly Muslim Pakistan. At least 45 people have died in unrest since August, most of them killed when Indian soldiers opened fire on Muslim demonstrators. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim the region and have fought two wars over it. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. The uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, most of them civilians. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-36611.html Protesters clash with police in Srinagar Srinagar, Oct 25 : Protesters clashed with police in Jammu and Kashmir disrupting normal life in the region during the early morning hours on Saturday. They took to the street and started raising slogans against the police and blocked the highway resulting in traffic jams. They demanded that the police should release those taken into custody after Friday's protests. 'Last evening, they took into custody a few people. Today, they have resorted to baton charge. These people are protesting against the same. Police had to resort to firing tear gas shells also. Some protesters have got injured. I don't even know whether I would get any vehicle to move out of this place or not. Security personnel are also here now,' said Wilayat Hussain, a resident. --- ANI http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-24-voa19.cfm?CFID=94267187&CFTOKEN=96772820&jsessionid=de30c499ea9bbdc8803a4979263370481340 Police and Protesters Clash in Indian Kashmir By VOA News 24 October 2008 Policemen chase away Kashmiri protesters during protest against Indian rule in Kashmir, in Srinagar, India, 24 Oct 2008 Police and protesters clashed Friday in Indian-administered Kashmir as separatist groups carried out a day-long strike against Indian rule. More than 40 people are reported to have been injured. Shops, businesses and schools were closed in the region. Separatists say the strike - which coincided with United Nations Day - was to mark the adoption of a U.N. resolution calling for a referendum to determine whether Kashmir should be part of India or Pakistan. Pro-separatist protests have grown in recent months, but have been largely contained by Indian security forces. India plans to hold multi-stage local elections in Kashmir beginning in November. Earlier this week, Indian authorities arrested two separatist leaders who had called for a boycott of the vote. About 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Indian-administered Kashmir since a separatist insurgency began in 1989. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Two of the three wars the two countries have fought have been over the disputed territory. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/10/18/179239/Kashmir-protesters.htm October 18, 2008 11:33 am TWN, Reuters Kashmir protesters and police clash, 20 hurt SRINAGAR, India -- At least 20 people, including six policemen, were wounded in Kashmir?s main city on Friday when Indian police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators in fresh protests against Indian rule, police and witnesses said. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing demonstrators shouting ?We want freedom,? and ?La ilaha illalah? (There is no god, but Allah) in several parts of Srinagar, Kashmir?s summer capital. The disputed Himalayan region has seen some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations in the past two months since a separatist revolt against Indian rule erupted in 1989. At least 42 people have been killed by government forces and at least 1,000 wounded. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a two-day visit to Kashmir last week, when he expressed sadness over the deaths of protesters and offered fresh dialogue with the separatists to end the violence. Officials say more than 43,000 people have been killed in Kashmir in nearly two decades of violence between Indian troops and Muslim militants. Human rights groups put the toll at 60,000. The Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a new alliance of Muslim separatists and representatives of businesses and lawyers, called for the protests after Friday prayers. ?I appeal to people not to indulge in violence, and protest against Indian occupation peacefully,? said Yasin Malik, a senior separatist leader who led a peaceful march in the heart of Srinagar. The latest round of protests, which have become an embarrassment for New Delhi, come at a time when violence involving Indian troops and separatist guerrillas has declined significantly after India and Pakistan, which both claim the region, began a slow-moving peace process in 2004. On Thursday, a group of 19 businessmen from Pakistani Kashmir returned home after a week-long trip to the Indian side to discuss boosting trade across the frontline, parts of efforts to find a solution to the dispute. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=419632 Dozens injured as protesters clash with police in Srinagar ________________________________________ IANS Friday 17th October, 2008 Protesters clashed with police and paramilitary troopers after offering Friday prayers resulting in injuries to at least two dozen people in this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. After the prayers, the protesters gathered in the old city's Nowhatta area and the uptown Maisuma locality, pelting stones on police and paramilitary forces deployed there. "Police used batons and tear smoke shells to disperse the irate protesters in Nowhatta and Maisuma areas who resorted to heavy stone pelting on the deployed security men," a senior police officer told IANS. Reports said at least two dozen protesters and security men were injured in the clashes. A cameraman working for a private television channel was also injured in the stone pelting. The joint co-ordination committee of the two separatist Hurriyat groups had called upon the people to hold peaceful protests after the Friday prayers here as part of the "separatist resistance programme". http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-34009.html Separatists protest against government in Srinagar Srinagar, Oct 17 : At least 20 people, including six policemen, were wounded in Srinagar, when police clashed with hundreds of separatist protesting against the Government on Friday. The Jammu-Kashmir Coordination Committee, a new alliance of Muslim separatists and representatives of businessmen and lawyers, called for the protests after Friday prayers. "I have collectively appealed to the Kashmiri's that they should not sell their land either to the Government or to fellow Kashmiris for business purpose. Because if we do not want to be economically dependent then we have to create our own resources and land is important for that, " said Yasin Malik, separatist leader who led the march in the heart of Srinagar. Police used teargas and batons to disperse hundreds of stone-pelting demonstrators shouting, "We want freedom," and "La ilaha illalah" (There is no god, but Allah) in several parts of Srinagar. The latest round of protests comes at a time when violence involving Indian troops and separatist guerrillas has declined significantly after India and Pakistan began a slow-moving peace process in 2004. On Thursday, a group of 19 businessmen from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) returned home after a weeklong trip to Jammu and Kashmir to discuss better trade across the border. India and Pakistan have agreed to start bilateral trade across the Line of Control from October 21. Last week, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh made a two-day visit to Kashmir when he expressed sadness over the deaths of protesters and offered fresh dialogue with the separatists to end the violence. --- ANI http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0810149723164510.htm Kashmiris to hold protests during UN chiefs Delhi visit Srinagar, Oct 14, IRNA India-UN-Protests The Kashmir Coordination Committee (KCC) spearheading the current movement in Kashmir, announced a sit-in at New Delhi on the occasion of UN Secretary General's proposed India visit. The KCC, an amalgam of various civil society groups backed by the Hurriyat Conference Monday announced the decision after its special session here called to chart out a month-long program. It also called for on lawyer community here to form a human chain during a total shut down on October 27, the day India landed its troops in Kashmir in 1948. The KCC which met under the chairmanship of Muhammad Yaseen Malik, leader of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) also called for peaceful protest demonstrations after Friday prayers every week. "October 27 will be observed as Black Day throughout the state, and a total shut down will be held on that day," Malik said while briefing the news men after the meeting. Malik said that human chains would be formed from the high court to the lower court on that day, and similar protests would be held at all district headquarters. Malik said that a 300-member team, under the aegis of the KCC, would leave for Delhi on the India visit of UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and hold a sit-in to press on the world body to grant Kashmiris the right to decide their own future in accordance with UN resolutions. He said that a condolence rally would be held in the Srinagar Jamia Masjid on November 6 to pay tribute to the martyrs of Jammu. Nearly three hundred thousand Muslims were massacred in Jammu during the mayhem that followed an uprising against autocratic rule of Maharaja in 1947 weeks before his signing of controversial instrument of accession with New Delhi. According to Malik, the Bar Association would hold a seminar in October to which intellectuals from India would be invited. Today's KCC meeting was attended by the Hurriyat Conference, Bar Association, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, the Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Traders Federation, representatives from transporters, hoteliers and government employees associations. http://www.javno.com/en-world/twenty-five-hurt-in-new-clashes-in-indian-kashmir_191571 Twenty Five Hurt In New Clashes In Indian Kashmir The clashes between Indian police and stone-throwing protesters spread to several parts of Srinagar, Kashmir`s summer capital. Published: October 12, 2008 15:53h At least 25 people were hurt on Sunday when police in Indian Kashmir fired bullets and teargas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators mourning the death of protesters killed by government forces, police said. The clashes between Indian police and stone-throwing protesters spread to several parts of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, and north of the region and continued until Sunday evening. The disputed Himalayan region has in the past two months witnessed some of the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since a separatist revolt against Indian rule in 1989. More than 40 people have been killed by security forces and more than 1,000 hurt. At least two people were killed and 75 injured on Friday when security forces fired to quell thousands protesting against the Indian prime minister's visit to the region for the inauguration of a power project and the Kashmir valley's first train link. The government has banned public gatherings for a month. Thousands of soldiers and police in riot gear patrol Srinagar's streets, residents said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his two-day visit to Kashmir, offered dialogue with the separatists to end the violence and expressed sadness over the deaths of protesters. The latest round of protests come at a time when violence involving Indian troops and separatist guerrillas has declined significantly after India and Pakistan, which both claim the region, began a slow-moving peace process in 2004. But people are still killed in almost daily shootouts. Indian soldiers have shot dead six militants in separate gun battles across Kashmir since Saturday evening, police said. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_10-injured-in-srinagar-clashes_1197367 10 injured in Srinagar clashes IANS Sunday, October 12, 2008 16:03 IST SRINAGAR: Curfew like restrictions were re-imposed on unday in parts of the old city here following fresh clashes between security forces and protesters that left ten people injured. Angry youths shouting pro-freedom and anti-India slogans took to the streets in old city areas of Nowhatta, Gojiwara, Rajouri Kadal, Bohri Kadal, Naid Kadal, Fateh Kadal, Khankahi Maulla, Kaw Mohalla, and Rainawari Sunday morning. They pelted stones at the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers. Security forces fired tear gas shells and baton-charged initially, but later opened fire to disperse the mob at Khankahi Maulla. "One person received bullet injury and was taken to hospital," a police official said. As the mob swelled, authorities who had lifted the curfew Sunday morning from the entire old city, moved in CRPF re-inforcements to control the situation. But as the clashes intensified, the administration decided to impose curfew-like restrictions in the old city areas falling under the jurisdiction of Nowhatta and Khanyar police stations. "The troops have blocked lanes and by-lanes in our area using razor fitted wires. They are not allowing any movement," said Muhammad Ayub, a resident of Bohri Kadal. Police sources here said ten people, including two CRPF troopers, were injured in Sunday's clashes in the old city. A report from north Kashmir's Baramulla town, 55 kms from here, said protesters clashed with police again Sunday. The clashes erupted after Saturday's arrest of some youths by the police in the town. The police personnel responded with a baton charge. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who inaugurated the first Kashmir train on Saturday, had offered to hold talks with all sections of the society. He said: "The recent incidents in the state show that there is some resentment towards the government among a section of the youth here on certain issues. It has always been our belief that even the most difficult issues can be resolved through dialogue. We started a series of round table conferences and the government will welcome dialogue with all sections of people." http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_violent-clashes-rock-srinagar_1197249 Violent clashes rock Srinagar IANS Saturday, October 11, 2008 19:26 IST SRINAGAR: Violent clashes between stone pelting mobs and security forces rocked this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, the day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged off the first ever train in the troubled valley. Intermittent clashes were reported from uptown Maisuma here even as authorities enforced curfew in three police station areas of the old city. "Stone pelting mobs engaged the police and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Maisuma," a police officer said. "We are handling the situation with restraint to avoid any civilian casualty in the area. Batons and tear smoke shells were used to disperse the mobs," the police officer said. In the old city Nowhatta area two protesters were killed in police and CRPF firing as an unruly mob resorted to heavy stone pelting on the security forces there on Friday. Over a dozen protesters and security men were injured in the Maisuma clashes on Saturday. As a precautionary measure, the authorities imposed curfew in SR Gunj, Nowhatta and Safa Kadal police station areas. In at least two other police station areas of Khanyar and Rainawari also the authorities enforced restrictions on movement of people and traffic to thwart violence. Separatist leaders had called for a complete shutdown Saturday to protest the prime minister's visit to the valley. Businesses, educational institutions and banks remained closed here and attendance in government offices ran very thin because of non-availability of public transport. The University of Kashmir had cancelled all its exams scheduled to be held on Saturday. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Civil_curfew_in_Kashmir_to_protest_Manmohan_Singhs_visit/articleshow/3584136.cms Civil curfew in Kashmir to protest Manmohan Singh's visit 11 Oct 2008, 1605 hrs IST, AGENCIES SRINAGAR: Residents of Kashmir Valley on Saturday observed a "civil curfew" to protest Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's visit and the use of force on peaceful demonstrators. In Srinagar, transport was off the roads today, while shops, markets and petrol pumps remained closed. Law enforcement agencies have enforced prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the city, said official sources. On Friday, two persons were killed and 75 others, including 34 security personnel, were injured in clashes between demonstrators and the law enforcing agencies in the city. According to reports from district towns, a complete shutdown was observed in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Kupwara, Pulwama and Shopian. Earlier on Friday, the separatists' coordination committee had given a call for peaceful protests and observance of civil curfew today to convey to the Prime Minister that mere packages would not solve the Kashmir problem, as it involved the future of a nation. http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/10/rss.htm#46 Two Kashmiris killed in protest against Indian PM Friday, 10 Oct, SRINAGAR: At least two people were killed in occupied Kashmir on Friday in a protest against the Indian prime minister's visit to inaugurate a train link and power project. Over the past two months the disputed region has seen some of the biggest anti-India protests since a separatist revolt against Indian rule in 1989. About 40 people have been killed by security forces and more than 1,000 wounded. On Friday, two were killed and about 75 people were wounded when police fired bullets and teargas shells and used batons to disperse Muslim demonstrators who marched the streets in Srinagar, the summer capital, shouting ?We want freedom?. (Posted @ 22:54 PST) http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/10/07/news0014.htm Kashmiris fighting India are terrorists: Zardari: Protests in Srinagar: Pak President?s effigy burnt Asif Ali Zardari Agency, Srinagar A group of Muslim protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir has defied a curfew to denounce Pakistani President Asif Zardari and burn his effigy. Zardari has provoked outrage after being reported as saying that Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir were "terrorists". Leading Kashmir separatists have also denounced Zardari. Pakistan has supported anti-Indian militants and fought two wars with India over Kashmir. Many Kashmiris and Pakistanis regard militant groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir as freedom fighters. Zardari made his controversial reference to them as "terrorists" in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Protesters took to the streets of the town of Baramullah on Monday, close to the Line of Control that separates Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, despite a curfew imposed by Indian security forces in Muslim-majority areas of the Kashmir Valley. The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says it is the first time that a Pakistani leader's effigy has been burnt in Indian-administered Kashmir where anti-India protests have often been marked by pro-Pakistan slogans. Prominent politicians fighting for an end to Indian rule in Kashmir joined in the condemnation of Zardari. Syed Ali Shah Geelani told the BBC that "Zardari has made these remarks to please the Americans". "Zardari fears India and would do anything to please that country even at the cost of Pakistan's dignity," Geelani said. "Kashmiri youths have been fighting for a just cause." India maintains a huge security presence in Kashmir and the military and police, as well as the militants, have frequently been accused of human rights abuses. "In reality," Gilani said, "the people of Kashmir have been victims of state terrorism." In Pakistan itself, Information Minister Sherry Rehman of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) sought to clarify Zardari's comments. "The president has made it very clear that the just cause of Kashmir and its struggle for self-determination has been a consistent central position of the PPP for 40 years now," she told the BBC Urdu service. "There is no change in that policy. He has never called the legitimate aspirations of Kashmiris an expression of terrorism, nor has he undermined the sufferings of the Kashmiri people." However she offered no explicit support for the use of violence to oust Indian forces from Kashmir. Pakistan and India have fought three fully-fledged wars since independence in 1947. They came close to another war in 2002 after militants stormed the Indian parliament in Delhi in December, 2001. The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says Pakistan's powerful military has long-defined India as a threat to Pakistan's existence and in the past it has given covert backing to the militants in Kashmir. But Zardari told the Wall Street Journal that "India has never been a threat to Pakistan" and that "I, for one, and our democratic government is not scared of Indian influence abroad." He also said that Pakistan had to develop strong economic ties with India. "There is no other economic survival for nations like us. We have to trade with our neighbours first." He also appeared to acknowledge that his government had given consent to US air strikes in Pakistan. Pakistan and India took part in a faltering peace process under the former President Pervez Musharraf. But suspicions always ran deep, and relations have soured recently. Our Islamabad correspondent says Zardari's comments mark a radical break with the past. More reaction is expected in Pakistan after the country returns to normal working following the Eid festival holiday. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/10/05/177468/Month-long-protest.htm Updated Sunday, October 5, 2008 10:55 am TWN, AFP Month-long protest ban imposed in Indian Kashmir SRINAGAR, India -- Indian Kashmir imposed a one-month ban Saturday on public gatherings, the government said, in a move interpreted as a bid to scupper a planned rally by pro-independence Muslim separatists. The order applied to gatherings of five or more in public spaces, a government statement said. A committee spearheading recent protests against Indian rule had planned to hold a mass rally Monday in the main city of Srinagar. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has been placed under house arrest ahead of the proposed demonstration but other activists said they intended to march. http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/06/rss.htm#14 Curfew in occupied Kashmir to prevent protest rally SRINAGAR: Police warned Monday they would shoot any violators of an indefinite curfew imposed in occupied Kashmir to prevent a pro-independence rally. Thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear drove through neighborhoods and went to people's homes warning them to stay indoors, said Ghulam Nabi, a resident of Nowhatta district in Srinagar. (Posted @ 12:08 PST) http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/04/rss.htm#30 Protest ban imposed in occupied Kashmir Saturday, 04 Oct, SRINAGAR: Authorities have imposed a one-month ban Saturday on public gatherings, the occupied Kashmir government said, in a move interpreted as a bid to scupper a planned rally by pro-independence activists. The order applied to gatherings of five or more in public spaces, a government statement said. A committee spearheading recent protests against Indian rule had planned to hold a mass rally at Lal Chowk on Monday in the main city of Srinagar. (Posted @ 19:26 PST) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Protest_in_Srinagar_against_grenade_attack_on_separatists_house/articleshow/3521912.cms Protest in Srinagar against grenade attack on separatist's house 24 Sep 2008, 1509 hrs IST, PTI SRINAGAR: Police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse violent demonstrators protesting against the grenade attack at the residence of a separatist leader here. On Tuesday night, unidentified persons hurled a grenade at the house of Jamiat Ahli Hadees President Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah. "A group of youth pelted stones at security forces in Maisuma locality around 11.00 am. The forces retaliated with baton-charge and fired tear smoke shells to chase away the protestors," official sources said. There were no reports of any injuries in the clashes so far, they added. Hitherto unknown militant outfit Hizbul Muslimeen has claimed responsibility for the attack on Shah's residence. Shah is a member of the Coordination Committee which is spearheading the ongoing agitation in the valley for right to self-determination. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 20:51:28 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:51:28 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Uprisings and unrest, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB1AC0.7080104@tesco.net> * GUINEA: Protesters blockade bauxite trains over poor public service; police murder 1 * PERU: Unrest across five provinces * FRANCE: Youth unrest after police killing * NIGERIA: Trade unionists shut down parliament over constitutional reform * KENYA: Vicious crackdown on Mungiki, police murders lead to protests, strike * DR CONGO: Goma - protesters storm UN HQ over clashes, stone "peacekeepers" - 1 killed * NORTHERN IRELAND: Craigavon - vehicles torched in night of unrest * BANGLADESH: 25 injured as students protest admissions curb * MAURITANIA: Protesters stone police in anti-coup protest * EGYPT: Protest after police murder pregnant woman; roads blocked tyres burnt * KURDISTAN - TURKEY: Kurds revolt over Ocalan detention, PM visit, police kill 1 * KURDISTAN - FINLAND: Turkish embassy firebombed * NIGERIA - NIGER DELTA: Clashes between army and MEND * SPAIN - EUSKAL HERRIA: Basques protest vote ban * INDIA - GORKHALAND: Protests for new state shut down tea district http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1227450.htm Guinea bauxite trains restart after protest ends 01 Nov 2008 18:19:23 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds details, background) CONAKRY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Trains used by Guinea's main bauxite exporter Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) resumed work on Saturday after a protest that had blocked the line since Friday ended, a company official said. "Traffic has restarted. The first 120-wagon train arrived this afternoon," said the official, who asked not to be named. One person was killed during the protests in which local people in Boke, where the world's largest bauxite exporter CBG digs the aluminium ore, erected barricades on the railway line to protest over electricity shortages. U.S. metals giant Alcoa , part-owner of CBG, said late on Friday that production had not been affected by the protest. Guinean President Lansana Conte personally intervened to end the protests, the company official said. "He (Conte) brought together the local authorities and they spoke. The people understood and agreed to let trains pass," he said. Protests about poor public services are common in the west African country, where most people live in poverty despite Guinea's lucrative natural resources. Demonstrations about inadequate electricity supply often target bauxite operations as these tend to generate power for surrounding towns under their deals with the government. In October, one person was killed during a five-day power protest in the town of Mambia that stopped trains carrying bauxite for Russian aluminium firm UC RUSAL. Alcoa and Rio Tinto Alcan control the Halco joint venture that owns 51 percent of CBG, and the Guinean government holds the remainder. In July, the Guinean government said it was replacing Alcoa as manager of CBG with an interim committee. [ID:nL18903866] As well as bauxite, Guinea has large reserves of steel-making raw material iron ore. Rio Tinto is majority owner of the $6 billion Simandou iron ore project, which the firm says is the world's best unexploited resource. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; editing by Keith Weir) http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15229 GUINEA: One killed in Guinea protest over bauxite trains Reuters Africa October 10th, 2008 At least one person was killed when police in Guinea cleared protesters from a railway carrying bauxite for Russian aluminium company RUSAL, police and industry sources said on Friday. The trains, which have been blocked since Monday, had still not restarted, the sources added. Local residents demanding mains electricity and regular running water supplies blocked the railway at Mambia, between RUSAL's Kindia mine and the port of Conakry, the coastal capital of the West African state. Armed police moved in on Thursday to clear the demonstrators and at least one person was killed and several were wounded, police and witnesses said. "All of the barricades have been removed ... but for security reasons, since there was one person killed yesterday, the train shuttle has not restarted yet," an employee of RUSAL's Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK) told Reuters. Asking not to be named, he said authorities were worried about possible sabotage against the railway by angry locals. RUSAL did not immediately respond to emailed requests for an update on the situation. The company had said on Wednesday the blockage of the trains "does not affect the company's overall performance targets". Guinean government officials flew to the area to talk with local people about their grievances. Although Guinea is the world's top exporter of bauxite, the ore used to make aluminium, most Guineans live in extreme poverty despite the country's mineral riches. While resource firms are keen to launch operations there, analysts say political instability is a concern for investors. As well as RUSAL, U.S. aluminium company Alcoa and London-listed Rio Tinto dig bauxite in Guinea. Rio is also majority owner of Simandou, which it says is the richest unexploited iron ore deposit in the world. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/world/americas/30briefs-DEMONSTRATIO_BRF.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Peru: Demonstrations Flare in Provinces By REUTERS Published: October 29, 2008 Thousands of people demonstrated in five provinces on Wednesday, threatening politicians in one, setting a police station on fire in another and demanding a larger share of the taxes generated by local mines in several others. During the unrest, which began earlier this week, dozens of people have been injured in clashes with the police, who have shot tear gas into the crowds at times. Three police officers who had been taken hostage in Moquegua were released on Wednesday. President Alan Garc?a overhauled his cabinet this month in an attempt to end a series of political protests this year and to quell a corruption scandal. He also hoped to lift his popularity rating, which hovered around 20 percent, according to recent surveys. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/world/europe/01paris.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss French Police Clash With Youths By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: September 30, 2008 ROMANS-SUR-IS?RE, France (AP) ? A French police officer was shot and wounded during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager was killed in a car crash while fleeing the police, the authorities said Tuesday. The police used tear gas and rubber-coated pellets to push back about 50 people during clashes late Monday and early Tuesday. In an effort to prevent a second night of violence, about 300 riot police officers and gendarmes took up positions around the center of Romans-sur-Is?re, 60 miles east of Lyon in the Rhone Valley. Some officers were brought in from neighboring regions. The wounded officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, the police prefecture said. The officer?s life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby. The violence broke out after a 16-year-old was killed after driving a stolen car into a wall while fleeing the police. Four other minors in the car were injured. Accidents involving the police and youths have been potentially explosive in France since riots in 2005 that were set off by the deaths of two teenagers electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from the police. Jean-Pierre Nahon, a prosecutor in the regional capital, Valence, said a police watchdog agency would investigate the latest episode. Mr. Nahon said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the five teenagers had stolen the car overnight and were driving at high speed through the center of Romans-sur-Is?re when the police began chasing them. The driver took a sharp turn and lost control of the car, running into a wall. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20080930151545114C884616 French policeman wounded during clash September 30 2008 at 03:16PM Grenoble - A French police officer was shot during clashes with youths that broke out after a teenager died while fleeing police in south-eastern France, police said on Tuesday. The officer appeared to have been shot in the leg with a hunting rifle, the police prefecture in the south-east town of Romans-sur-Isere said. His life was not in danger. Dents from bullets and buckshot were also found in police vehicles nearby. Police used teargas and rubber pellets to push back 50 youths during clashes late on Monday and early on Tuesday. Several cars were burned and about 15 shop windows were smashed. The violence broke out after a 16-year-old died after driving a stolen car into a wall while fleeing police. Four other minors in the car were lightly injured. Accidents involving police and youths have been particularly sensitive in France since riots in 2005 that were sparked by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police. Jean-Pierre Nahon, a prosecutor in the regional capital, Valence, said a police watchdog agency will investigate latest incident. Nahon said that, according to a preliminary investigation, the five teenagers had stolen the car overnight and were driving at high speed through the centre of Romans-sur-Isere when police began chasing them. The young driver took a sharp turn and lost control of the car, running into a wall. - Sapa-AP http://allafrica.com/stories/200810170995.html Leadership (Abuja) Nigeria: Nulge Protests Plans to Expunge LGs From Constitution Andrew Oota 17 October 2008 The business of the Senate was yesterday brought to a quick close as protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) stormed the premises of the National Assembly to protest attempts by some senators to expunge the local government administrations from the 1999 Constitution through the proposed review of the subsisting Nigerian constitution. The angry NULGE members, who broke the National Assembly security network, shouting "ALUTA" songs barricaded the two main gates of the nation's highest lawmaking institution, calling on the lawmakers not to truncate democracy by embarking on an exercise that would be anti-people. The placard-carrying NULGE delegation to the National Assembly in their thousands did not hide their demands, aside condemning the call by the Southern Senators Forum for expunging the local governments from the constitution; they urged the National Assembly to amend the constitution in a manner that the joint accounts between state governments and local governments are expunged. Miffed by the presentation of NULGE, the police moved into action, mercilessly tear-gassing the union members who held the National Assembly hostage for over six hours. National President of NULGE Prince Kingsley Ugo Ogba explained: "We are definitely worried that our over two million members will be thrown into the already suffocating unemployment market with the attendant implications on the lives of over ten million dependent relatives. "We are also worried that the burden of funding primary education in Nigeria has been left for local governments alone against the spirit and letter of the 1999 Constitution and in utter disregard of a subsisting Supreme Court ruling on the matter. Our government service, which was brought into place under the famous 1976 government reforms, has been destroyed through deliberate misinterpretation and misappropriation of the 1999 Constitution by the states." The National President of NULGE continued: "We therefore wish to caution that the politics of local government creation and derivation principle should not be mixed with the overriding need to guarantee the existence of the local governments under the nation's constitution. "It is therefore our resolve that the status of the local government as a third tier of administration in Nigeria should be clearly and expressly recognised in the nation's constitution. To this effect, section 7 of the 1999 constitution should be amended accordingly. "The new constitution should guarantee direct funding and financial autonomy to the local government with the state government having possible oversight roles through the state House of Assembly and the Office of the Auditor General for the Local Government. " That section 162 (6) of the 1999 constitution which provides Government Account be expunged since it has proved to be nothing but a conduit pipe for siphoning local government funds by some state governments. Addressing the protesting crowd, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, pleaded with the protesters comprising leaders of NULGE across the 774 local governments of the country to sheathe their swords in the mean time. The Deputy Senate president also urged NULGE to make their presentations and demands when the Joint Committee on the National Assembly begins public hearings across the country. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810170934.html Daily Independent (Lagos) Nigeria: Nulge At Nass Protests Moves to Scrap Councils Innocent Oweh 17 October 2008 Members of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) on Thursday protested at the National Assembly premises to register their grievances over alleged attempt to abolish local government administrations in the country. They accused some Governors of championing the move. The protesters, however, met with stiff opposition from the Nigeria Police as well as some State Security Services (SSS) personnel, who initially denied them entry into the premises of NASS with tear-gas at about 10:35 a.m. Leading the protesters was President of the union, Kingsley Ogba, who said, "Instead of scrapping local government administrations from the Constitution, they should be made autonomous. The existence of local governments should be guaranteed in the Constitution, we are not arguing whether we are federating or not, after all, what is wrong in dissolving the states and leaving the local governments to exist? "You cannot compare the functions of the state to that of the local government because it is nearer to the people, how will the people be given opportunity to be represented?" Ogba asked. Some of the protesters carried placards that read, "The Intention to Scrap Local Government is Demopholy", "The Third Tier of Government Deserves Full Autonomy", etc. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810100213.html Kenya: Protests As Police Hunt for Mungiki Sammy Cheboi And Fred Mukinda 9 October 2008 Nairobi ? Matatu operators and traders in Nairobi's Kayole estate protested against a police operation on suspected Mungiki sect members Thursday. Public transport was paralysed and business at the main Saba Saba Market closed for the better part of the day. The protesters had placed old tires on the roads but were dispersed by police before they could set them on fire. The officers also maintained vigil on the roads to prevent youth gangs from stoning vehicles operating on routes not affected by the protest, but passed through Kayole. Others continued "Only matatus plying route 17 and 19 failed to operate, the others continued with business," said area deputy police commander George Tonui.Thursday's protest started after police raided the main market at 5am, arresting a trader Mr James Mbogo. According to witnesses, Mr Mbogo, a tomatoes broker, was picked up by police who had been hunting him. They claimed he was one of witnesses cited in the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights report which accused police of carrying out extra-judicial killings. The protesters also claimed Mr Mbogo's evidence to human rights bodies had implicated the police in the disappearance of youths in the area. Other youths were said to have been arrested in Soweto area at the same time, but the actual number could not be established. Matatu crew who were interviewed accused the police of harassing them in the name of hunting down Mungiki followers. "We decided to remove our vehicles from the road to demand the release of those arrested. Many have been apprehended but were never seen again. We are no longer safe from the police," said one who declined to give his name for fear of police reprisal. Attempts by some demonstrating youth to block the road at Saba Saba were thwarted by plain clothes police who fired in the air to disperse them. Police officers patrolled the estate to prevent any chaos from breaking out. Mungiki spokesman Gitau Njuguna Gitau told the Nation that another man, Mr Peter Theuri Kihoro, was arrested at the market last Thursday."Since then, he has not been seen and we don't know where he is," he said. Mr Njuguna said area residents would carry out a public arrest if the Government failed to arrest officers he said had been picking up youths, who were later found killed. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2416657,00.html Congo protesters stone UN HQ 27/10/2008 14:35 - (SA) Goma - Thousands of protesters are attacking the UN headquarters in eastern Congo. They are lobbing stones and rocks over the wall surrounding the UN offices in the provincial capital of Goma. UN spokesperson Sylvie van den Wildenberg says cars are being damaged and windows shattered. People in eastern Congo are angry that the United Nations' 17,000-strong peacekeeping force has been unable to protect them from a rebel attack just 40km north of the city. Tens of thousands of civilians have abandoned their homes. Hundreds of soldiers pulled back from the front on Monday in tanks, jeeps, trucks and on foot in what appears a retreat of government forces under attack by fighters of renegade General Laurent Nkunda. - AP http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/28/africa/28congo.php People walk past a convoy of Congolese army tanks as they flee fighting, near Kibumba, some 40 kilometers north of Goma in Congo. (Karel Prinsloo/The Associated Press) Congo rebels advance; protesters hurl rocks at UN compound By Jeffrey Gettleman and Neil Macfarquhar Published: October 28, 2008 NAIROBI, Kenya: Hundreds of furious protesters hurled rocks at a United Nations compound in eastern Congo on Monday in frustration that peacekeepers had not halted the rebel advance through the countryside, while the Spanish general leading the peacekeeping mission abruptly resigned. Jaya Murthy, a spokesman for Unicef in the eastern Congo city of Goma, said heavy fighting between government troops and rebel forces was spawning a vast wave of internally displaced people, with tens of thousands evacuating several battle zones, often for the second or third time in recent months. As many as 250,000 people have been driven from their homes since August, with the collapse of a peace deal between the government and rebels under the command of Laurent Nkunda, a renegade general who says he is fighting to protect ethnic Tutsis. Several Western aid workers who spoke by phone from Goma on Monday described a panicky atmosphere, with the rebels gobbling up territory in the hills above Goma and Westerners hunkering down in their compounds, fearful of stepping outside. "We're on alert," Murthy said. "We're not sure what's in store for the future, but whatever it is, it's not good." The general who resigned, Lieutenant General Vicente D?az de Villegas y Herrer?a, was officially appointed just seven weeks ago to lead the United Nations' Congo mission and had been in the country for only three weeks. The announcement in New York that he was stepping down, from the spokeswoman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said only that D?az was leaving for "personal reasons." But some United Nations officials described his oral resignation as an emotional one. Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of the resignation, said he had criticized the lack of a coherent strategy, the lack of a mandate and the lack of resources needed to get the peacekeeping job done. D?az's departure is expected to increase tension between the African forces serving with peacekeeping operations on the continent and United Nations headquarters, which has been lobbying heavily for the African Union to be more flexible about accepting outsiders. His appointment as force commander had been a significant test case in those efforts. The rebel leader, Nkunda, has rejected several cease-fires brokered by the United Nations. Recently, he threatened to take his war all the way to Kinshasa, Congo's capital, on the other side of the country. His forces are much better trained and equipped than the government troops, who are notorious for turning their rusty guns on civilians and for fleeing when faced with a real threat. On Sunday, Nkunda's forces seized an army base, for the second time in recent weeks. According to United Nations officials, the protest started Monday morning around 9 after Congolese activists organized a large crowd to march on the United Nations compound in Goma. The protest quickly degenerated into violence, with demonstrators pelting the compound and nearby United Nations cars with large stones. There were unconfirmed reports about casualties, with some Congolese officials reporting that the United Nations peacekeepers had killed two protesters in an attempt to quell the crowd. A spokesman for the peacekeepers could not be immediately reached. The violence in eastern Congo has continued unabated for several years now, despite the presence of the United Nations' largest peacekeeping force, with more than 17,000 troops. Brigadier General Ishmeel Ben Quartey of Ghana will lead the mission for the moment, the United Nations said, and General Edmond Mulet of Guatemala, the assistant secretary general for peacekeeping, is in Congo. "The population is not happy with the UN," Murthy said. "They feel they are not protected. They are getting extremely angry." Jeffrey Gettleman reported from Nairobi, Kenya, and Neil MacFarquhar from the United Nations. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/28/world/fg-congo28 Archive for Tuesday, October 28, 2008 1 dead after citizens stone U.N. compounds in Congo Angry civilians blame the international body for failing to stem violence in the rebellion-plagued region. By Edmund S and Ers October 28, 2008 One person was killed today after hundreds of angry civilians stoned U.N. peacekeeping bases in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, blaming the international body for failing to stem violence in the rebellion-plagued region. Protesters, including mostly children, descended upon several U.N. compounds in the city of Goma, spurring U.N. soldiers at one facility to fire in the air to disperse the crowds, according to U.N. spokeswoman Sylvie van den Wildenberg. She said it was unclear whether the civilian was killed by a falling rock or a bullet. ?We were assaulted by a rain of stones,? she said. ?We understand perfectly the frustration of the population. We understand they are panicking. But the violence of this morning was unacceptable.? U.N. officials, who oversee a 17,000-soldier peacekeeping force, met today with local leaders in an attempt to calm the situation. In a statement released today by the U.N.?s New York headquarters, the newly appointed force commander for U.N. troops in Congo, Lt. Gen. Vicente Diaz de Villegas y Herreria, announced he would resign. It was unclear whether the resignation was related to the recent fighting between government troops and rebel militias. Officials cited ?personal reasons? for the decision. Frightened residents say the peacekeeping force, currently the largest in the world, has done little to stop the spread of fighting. Joseph Mukulima, 42, a pastor in Goma and father of six, said U.N. officials appear to lack the resolve to end the conflict. ?It?s not in their interest, because if there is no [fighting] then they won?t have a job,? he said. ?What?s going to happen will happen and [the U.N.] presence won?t change anything. It?s better if they just leave.? Today?s stoning attack followed a similar incident last week in which a U.N. commander was hit in the face with a rock while driving back to camp. Tensions have been rising as fighting intensifies between government troops and rebels loyal to Gen. Laurent Nkunda, who leads a large, well-armed militia that has vowed to overthrow the government. On Sunday, rebels overran a government army base north of Goma, sending thousands of civilians fleeing toward the city. Skirmishes continued today, officials said, reaching as close as 10 miles from Goma. U.N. helicopters attacked rebel positions in the village of Kibumba after fighters ignored warning shots and continued their advance, officials said. Casualties among the rebels could not be determined. Elsewhere rebels began moving toward giant displacement camps around the edge of the city, forcing families that had already fled their homes to pick up and run again. Government soldiers were seen retreating from the area, raising fears that Nkunda might attempt to seize control of Goma. His forces attacked the city last year, but were rebuffed by U.N. troops. U.N. officials are calling on Nkunda?s forces to respect a January cease-fire agreement and abandon the government military base. Nkunda has accused the government of starting the recent conflict by harassing his troops. When U.N. forces tried to investigate Sunday?s attacks, Nkunda forces fired on them, forcing the U.N. soldiers to retreat, Wildenberg said. ?That left the population with the perception that we left them and didn?t do anything to protect them,? she said. Sanders is a Times staff writer. Special correspondent Fidel Bafilemba in Goma contributed to this report. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7687092.stm Thursday, 23 October 2008 15:41 UK Vehicles burnt in N Ireland riot A clean-up operation is taking place after a night of rioting in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. A number of vehicles were set alight including a bus, after masked men ordered passengers off it. http://newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=226493 DU VC orders crackdown as madrasah students protest admission curb 25 students injured in police action Monday October 20 2008 01:05:01 AM BDT At least 25 students of Dhaka University (DU) were injured on the first day of admission forms distribution yesterday, as police charged batons on agitating students for the first time after the August violence in 2007 in line with the directive of the university's vice-chancellor to crack down on demonstration.(The New Nation) Of the injured, Sohan Sobhan, Biplob Mandol, Sohel Rana, Mumtahina, Shikha and Rahat Ahmed of Progressive Students' Alliance (PSA) and Habibur Rahman, Mujahidul Islam, Farhad, Shamimul Islam, Umar Faruk and Al-Mamun of Madrasah Students' Rights Preservation Committee (MSRPC) were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and DU medical centre in critical condition. MSRPC convener Md moniruzzaman said police swooped on them when they were entering the TSC premises in a procession to stop sale of first-year honours admission forms demanding withdrawal of restrictions on madrasah students to get admitted to eight departments of DU. Mita of Chhatra Union alleged that police beat up their activists without any provocation when they rushed to the same place in another demonstration demanding a decrease of Tk 50 on each admission form from Tk 300. On-duty police officer Suruzzaman told reporters that they charged batons on the agitating students, as police was asked by the university authorities to help the bank authorities sell admission forms without any hindrance. Earlier, DU Vice-Chancellor SMA Faiz on Saturday directed the law enforcing agencies to assist the bank authorities by hook or by crook so that they could sell admission forms uninterruptedly. However, the bank authorities, the Janata Bank branch in particular, couldn't sell admission forms for long, as sporadic clashes took place between police and the agitating students till the noon. Admission seekers, who came to the campus to collect admission forms, had to suffer a lot, as they had to wait in the long queues for long due to the clashes. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=28214 First Published 2008-10-08 Police tried to break the demonstration with tear gas Anti-coup protesters clash with Mauritania police Dozens of demonstrators responded to police by pelting Mauritania security forces with stones. NOUAKCHOTT - Police in military-ruled Mauritania clashed Tuesday with protesters supporting ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, as the African Union urged the junta to reinstate the elected leader. Violence erupted in the capital Nouakchott when riot police tried to break up an anti-coup demonstration with tear gas. Dozens of demonstrators responded by pelting the security forces with stones. The protest was being held in defiance of a ban on demonstrations imposed by the new military regime headed by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. After calling for peaceful protest marches earlier Tuesday, six Mauritanian unions announced in the afternoon that they had changed tactics. "Today we have decided to go ahead with our planned protests but we have changed strategy and instead of a peaceful march we will seek a confrontation," union leader Samory Ould Beye said, ahead of the clashes. Meanwhile a junta delegation met with African Union officials in Addis Ababa, one day after an AU deadline for reinstating the deposed president passed unheeded despite the threat of sanctions. AU chief Jean Ping "took the opportunity (...) to reiterate the African Union's standpoint" that Mauritania should reinstate Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, the organisation said in a statement after the meeting. The statement added that "in the face of the absence of a return to constitutional order" in the west African country, its Peace and Security Council would make propositions "at the right time" on how to move forward. The AU had demanded that the junta reinstate the president by Monday or face possible sanctions. Sanctions could take the shape of travel restrictions and asset freezes such as those the AU imposed in the Comoros isle of Anjouan on Mohamed Bacar, the renegade leader who was ousted by AU forces earlier this year, officials say. The continental body has also been pushing for the release of the ousted Mauritanian president. The army says he has been kept under house arrest but his daughter says his whereabouts are unknown. Mauritania's first democratically-elected president was ousted on August 6 hours after he issued a decree firing the military's top brass, including Ould Abdel Aziz, who was the commander of the presidential guard. Since the coup, the junta has taken over the powers of the president and formed a new government with the support of a majority of the deputies in parliament. The new leadership has promised to hold elections quickly, but no date has been set and parliament has voted to delay a presidential vote by at least a year. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_West%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20081008113032913C197855 Police disperse anti-coup protesters October 08 2008 at 11:52AM Nouakchott, Mauritania - Police fired tear gas and used batons to beat back union activists who marched to demand the reinstatement of Mauritania's deposed president. Four of the country's unions went ahead with the unauthorised march on Tuesday, violating the ruling junta's ban on demonstrations. Union leaders said they were willing to brave police brutality in order to protest the August 6 coup. The country's first democratically elected president in over two decades was put under house arrest and a military junta instated. "We wanted to show that their refusal to authorise our marches will not stop us from marching," said Samory Ould Beye, secretary-general of the Free Confederation of Mauritanian Workers. No injuries were reported in the police action Tuesday. - Sapa-AP http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4942SF20081005?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Mauritanian forces gas and beat anti-junta protestors Sun Oct 5, 2008 8:45pm BST By Vincent Fertey NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Mauritanian security forces beat and fired tear gas at opponents of the ruling military junta on Sunday when they defied a government ban on street demonstrations, Reuters witnesses said. Scores of supporters of ousted President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who has been under house arrest since military chiefs ousted him in August, gathered near Nouakchott's main hospital and tried to block roads using cars emblazoned with his portrait. "Long live President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi," protesters shouted before paramilitary gendarmes fired tear gas at them and beat some of them with batons. Gendarmes also broke up several smaller groups of 10 to 20 protesters. Top military chiefs led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, seized power in the iron ore-mining Islamic Saharan state on August 6 after Abdallahi tried to sack them. The officers formed a ruling military "High Council of State" and accused Abdallahi, Mauritania's first democratically elected leader, of overstepping his authority during a power struggle with parliament in the weeks leading up to the coup. The junta has promised to hold a free and transparent presidential election but has refused to release Abdallahi or give any guarantee that Abdel Aziz will not stand as president. The United Front for the Defence of Democracy (FUDD), a group of parties opposed to the coup, called Sunday's protest. Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Laghdaff has outlawed all public demonstrations ahead of a series of planned "national days of consultation," designed to pave the way for elections. The protest came ahead of Monday's deadline, set by the African Union, for the junta to release Abdallahi from detention or face possible sanctions from the continental bloc, which has already suspended Mauritania over the coup. It is unclear what sanctions the AU would impose, especially as several of its members in the region have given their tacit approval to the coup. But overseas donors including the United States, France and the World Bank have acted quickly to cut aid. The European Union has begun proceedings under its Cotonou Agreement with developing former colonies that could lead to further aid cuts. Prime Minister Laghdaf said last week Mauritania could turn to its Arab partners for help instead. Even so, Abdel Aziz's military junta is isolated at a time Mauritanian forces are struggling to stem the spread of al Qaeda, whose North African arm has launched a series of attacks in the past year, fuelling fears it is expanding south. After the most recent attack, 11 army soldiers and their civilian guide were found with their heads cut off near the country's main iron ore mine in the remote northwestern Sahara. "I wish the soldiers were on the borders defending the country instead of assuming they have the right to ride roughshod over the fundamental right to demonstrate," university lecturer Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah Ahmed said at the protest. (Writing by Alistair Thomson; Editing by Louise Ireland) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_West%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20081005083253221C586586 Anti-coup coalition set to protest October 05 2008 at 05:45PM Nouakchott - Mauritanian pro-democracy parties were set to defy a ban and hold an anti-coup demonstration on Sunday, one day before an African Union deadline for the junta to reinstate the ousted president. The west African country's junta-appointed prime minister, Moulaye Ould Mohamed Leghdaf, announced earlier this week that all demonstrations would be banned, saying Mauritanians had "protested enough". The National Front for the Defence of Democracy, a coalition of five political parties opposed to the coup, said the military leadership "will be responsible in case of clashes" during the protest dubbed "Day for Democracy". The August 6 coup was widely condemned by the international community and the African Union (AU) has issued an ultimatum for the junta to return ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to power "no later than Monday October 6". Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who was Mauritania's first democratically-elected president, has been held under house arrest since the coup. The African bloc has warned the military regime that it risked "sanctions and isolation" if it failed to yield to its demands, but the junta has resisted all diplomatic pressure to restore the elected government. Still, observers in the capital Nouakchott believe that the military leadership could free the president as a goodwill gesture ahead of their mid-October visit to Brussels for talks with the European Union. The military leadership headed by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has categorically rejected the idea of returning Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to power. "It's unrealistic and illogical", the junta leader said on September 27, five days after the AU set its ultimatum. "He is a former president. ... We cannot return to the past." The president was ousted on August 6 just hours after he issued a decree firing the Mauritanian military's top brass, including Ould Abdel Aziz, who was the commander of the presidential guard. Since the coup the junta has taken over the powers of the president and has formed a new government with the support of a majority of the deputies in parliament. The junta has promised to hold elections quickly but no date has been set and parliament has voted to delay a presidential vote by at least a year. - Sapa-AFP http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-05-voa22.cfm?CFID=92127480&CFTOKEN=60159538&jsessionid=8430f3a4551d402cf5de5f6c3233f593d516 Mauritanians Protest New Military Government By VOA News 05 October 2008 Policemen disperse protesters in Nouakchott, 5 Oct. 2008 Security forces in the west African country of Mauritania have used tear gas to break up a crowd that defied a ban on street demonstrations and protested against the August military coup. A coalition of pro-democracy groups, the National Front for the Defense of Democracy, organized Sunday's march in the capital, Nouakchott. Protesters chanted "no to dictatorship" and held pictures of ousted President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Police broke up the larger protest in Nouakchott and a number of smaller marches. No injuries are reported. Mauritania's military rulers face a Monday deadline by the African Union to free President Abdallahi from house arrest or face sanctions. Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (file) Mauritanian military leaders overthrew Mr. Abdallahi on August 6 when he fired top army officers. They accused the president of bungling the economy and being lenient with terrorists. He is Mauritania's first democratically elected president. The military government already has named a cabinet headed by newly appointed Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf. The government has promised new elections, but has yet to announce a date. Much of the international community has condemned the military coup. But three-fourths of the Mauritanian parliament signed a declaration backing it. http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-10-06-mauritanian-police-gas-protesters Mauritanian police gas protesters AHMED MOHAMED | NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA - Oct 06 2008 14:23 Police broke up an anti-government march by beating protesters with clubs and launching tear gas into the crowd in Mauritania's capital,. The 50 or so protesters had gathered late on Sunday in Nouakchott despite a ban on demonstrations, which ruling junta officials said on Monday was necessary for security reasons. The protesters demanded that President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi be reinstated, after he was ousted in an August 6 coup led by Genewral Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. "No to the coup! Yes to democracy!" the protesters shouted before they were forced to disband. An Associated Press reporter saw police pounding people with clubs and shooting tear gas into a crowd. The ruling junta last week prohibited demonstrations and marches for "reasons of security" after recent attacks by an al-Qaeda affiliate in the country's northern desert, Nouakchott Governor Mohamed Lemine Ould Moulaye Zeine said on Monday. One of the protest organisers, Oumar Ould Yali, said the demonstrators "refuse to renounce the right to march in the street to call for the return to constitutional order and of the legitimate president". Abdallahi was Mauritania's first democratically elected president in more than two decades. The coup leader, Aziz, has accused him of corruption and being soft on terrorism. But Abdallahi's supporters say the allegations are false and being used by the junta to justify the coup. Many in Mauritania had hoped Abdallahi's 2007 election would end the pattern of political upheaval in the West African country, which has been wracked by more than 10 coups or attempted coups since its 1960 independence from France. The junta has said a transitional government will lead Mauritania until new elections can be held, but no voting date has been set. -- Sapa-AP http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7654148.stm Monday, 6 October 2008 11:30 UK Mauritania coup protest broken up The authorities said they had not given permission for the demonstration Police in Mauritania's capital have used tear gas to disperse scores of protesters calling for the release of the president ousted in August's coup. The demonstration came ahead of the African Union's Monday deadline for Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to be freed and restored to power. The AU has already suspended Mauritania's membership over the coup and has warned of further sanctions. But the army coup leader has dismissed the AU's demand as unconstructive. General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz has appointed a transitional government to stay in power until new elections, to be organised in 14 months time. Villa arrest Sunday's protest came in defiance of a ban on demonstrations imposed by the country's military rulers. Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is being kept under house arrest Local journalist Hamdi Ould Mohamed el Hacen told the BBC's Network Africa programme that police used tear gas and bludgeons to disperse the protesters, but no arrests were made. He says Mr Abdallahi, who became Mauritania's first democratically elected leader in 2007 after a coup two years earlier, also partly instigated by Gen Abdelaziz, is believed to be in good health. He is being kept under house arrest in a villa in the capital, Nouakchott, the reporter says. But the military junta say they will never consider Mr Abdallahi's return to power. Cash strapped The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa, where the African Union is based, says the continental body is trying hard to shake off its old image as a "dictators' club". It wants to enforce at least some minimum standard of constitutional legitimacy for its members and it has already had one success, she says. When the long-standing president of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema, died, his son was hastily sworn in to succeed him. There was such an outcry that the young Faure Gnassingbe was persuaded to go through a form of election before assuming power. Judging by that election, the standard of democracy demanded by the AU is not very high - but even so, Mauritania's new rulers seem unwilling to compromise, our reporter says. Rafiq Hajat, executive director of the Malawian-based think tank Institute for Policy Interaction, says the generals are unlikely to be worried by its censure. The organisation can apply diplomatic pressure through donors, but military action is extremely unlikely given its limited resources, he says. "The ultimate decision is not with the AU, it's not with America, it's not with the EU, it is with the people of Mauritania and what they desire," Mr Hajat told the BBC. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/06/africa/AF-Mauritania-Protests.php Mauritanian police beat, gas protesters The Associated Press Published: October 6, 2008 NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania: Police broke up an anti-government march by launching tear gas and beating protesters who were demanding Mauritania's deposed president be reinstated. The 50 or so protesters had gathered late Sunday in Nouakchott despite a ban on demonstrations, which ruling junta officials said Monday was necessary for security reasons. The protesters demanded that President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi be returned to office, after he was ousted in an Aug. 6 coup led by Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. "No to the coup d'etat! Yes to democracy!" the protesters shouted before they were forced to disband. An Associated Press reporter saw police pounding people with clubs and shooting tear gas into a crowd. The ruling junta last week prohibited demonstrations and marches after recent attacks by an al-Qaida affiliate in the country's northern desert, Nouakchott Gov. Mohamed Lemine Ould Moulaye Zeine said Monday. Abdallahi was Mauritania's first democratically elected president in more than two decades. The coup leader, Aziz, has accused Abdallahi of corruption and being soft on terrorism, but Abdallahi's supporters say the allegations are false and being used by the junta to justify the coup. Many in Mauritania had hoped Abdallahi's 2007 election would end the pattern of political upheaval in the West African country, which has been wracked by more than 10 coups or attempted coups since its 1960 independence from France. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/236188,egyptian-villagers-protest-police-killing-of-pregnant-woman.html Egyptian villagers protest police killing of pregnant woman Posted : Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:24:08 GMT Author : DPA Category : Middle East (World) Cairo - Hundreds of Egyptian villagers protested early Thursday after police killed a pregnant woman in a house raid, a security source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The 26-year-old pregnant woman resisted police who came to arrest her brother, who is being investigated in a robbery case. Police hit the woman, who died after she was moved to a hospital in Samalout. Samalout is located some 217 kilometres south of Cairo. Villagers burnt car tyres and blocked an agricultural road after they attempted to set several police cars ablaze. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=28239 Egypt town riots after woman death Hundred Egyptians attack policemen with rocks after pregnant woman dies during police search at home. CAIRO - More than a hundred Egyptians attacked policemen with rocks and sticks in a town south of Cairo on Thursday after a pregnant woman died during a police search of her home, a security official said. Mervat Salam Abdel Fatah, in late pregnancy, died of internal bleeding when police shoved her to the floor after she refused to allow them into her home, the official said. Police had a warrant for her brother-in-law, accused of theft. Residents of the town, Samalut, rioted when they heard of her death, pelting police with stones and setting fire to a police truck. An officer was taken to hospital with injuries. Police responded with tear gas. First Published 2008-10-09 http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Protestor_killed_in_Kurdish_demo_in_10202008.html Protestor killed in Kurdish demo in eastern Turkey: police Published: Monday October 20, 2008 A protestor was killed on Monday in eastern Turkey as police clashed with Kurdish demonstrators decrying alleged abuses against jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, officials and media reports said. Unrest also greeted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Diyarbakir, the largest city of the predominantly Kurdish southeast, where he arrived later for a one-day visit. "One person is dead," a police officer told AFP by telephone from the town of Dogubayazit, without giving other details. The clashes erupted when the protestors, shouting slogans in favour of Ocalan and his separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), attempted to hold a march, refusing police orders to disperse, the Anatolia news agency reported. The demonstrators pelted officers with stones while police fired shots in the air and used tear gas and water cannons against the group, the agency said. It was not immediately clear how the victim, a man, died, but unconfirmed reports said he was shot. A police officer was also injured in the fighting while many demonstrators were taken into custody, Anatolia said. Kurds demonstrated across Turkey at the weekend after Ocalan's lawyers reported he had been assaulted by a guard and threatened with death in his cell on the prison island of Imrali, in the northwest, where he is the sole inmate. Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin firmly denied the allegations of mistreatment on Sunday. The unrest however spread Monday to Diyarbakir as Erdogan arrived in the city to attend the opening of the academic year at the local university and inaugurate a medical centre. At least 20 people were detained as hundreds of Kurdish protestors gathered in the streets, chanting pro-PKK slogans, pelting the police with stones and hurling petrol bombs at schools. The police, reinforced with special riot units from neighbouring provinces, used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds as armoured vehicles controlled the streets and helicopters flew over the city. Most shops remained closed -- a traditional Kurdish protest method against the government -- as public bus services in downtown areas were cut and the municipality, held by the Kurdish Democratic Society Party, did not collect the garbage. Similar reports about Ocalan's prison conditions have stirred anger in the past among Turkey's Kurds, many of whom view the rebel chieftein as a hero. Arrested in Kenya in February 1999, Ocalan, 60, was originally condemned to death but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty. The PKK, blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States as well as by Turkey, picked up arms for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish east and southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 44,000 lives. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LK337226.htm One dead as clashes escalate in eastern Turkey 20 Oct 2008 11:52:09 GMT Source: Reuters DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Oct 20 (Reuters) - One protester died of gunshot wounds on Monday after clashes with police in eastern Turkey at a demonstration in support of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, hospital sources said. Hundreds of supporters of the banned separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been protesting across southeast and eastern Turkey since Saturday, alleging mistreatment of Ocalan. Dozens have been arrested. Clashes between protesters and police intensified on Monday, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to Diyarbakir, the region's largest city. One man died in hospital after being shot in Dogubeyazit during clashes between police and Kurdish demonstrators, hospital sources said. No further information was immediately available. The authorities deny any mistreatment of Ocalan, the former leader of the PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. He is serving a life sentence on an island in the Marmara Sea. Bus services were halted and shops were shuttered in Diyarbakir on Monday after the PKK urged locals to protest against Erdogan's visit. Tensions have risen in Turkey's poor, mostly Kurdish southeast after a series of deadly attacks on soldiers by the PKK. The military has responded by pounding suspected PKK positions inside Turkey and across the border in northern Iraq, where many of the rebels are believed to be based. Some 40,000 people have died in PKK-related violence since 1984, when the group took up arms to try to carve an ethnic Kurdish homeland out of southeast Turkey. (Writing by Thomas Grove; Editing by Kevin Liffey) http://www.worldpress.org/feed.cfm?http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/1238225.htm 19 Oct 2008 Kurds clash with cops Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:02 Kurds demonstrating in support of jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan clashed with police in Istanbul and other Turkish cities following allegations of his mistreatment in prison, press reports said on Saturday. Dozens of people were detained in two cities in the largely Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey. In Diyarbakir, the largest city in the region, more than 5000 slogan-chanting demonstrators protested. Police did not initially react but charged when they were attacked with stones. Several dozen people were detained. In a separate incident at Yuksekova, an isolated small town near the borders with Iraq and Iran, police used teargas and water cannon to disperse a crowd of several thousand people who set up road blocks and burned tyres, the Anatolia news agency reported. It said police had made "numerous" arrests but gave no precise figure. Shops in the town remained closed on Saturday, it said. On Friday, police and Kurdish demonstrators had clashed in Istanbul and other cities. Police used water cannon to disperse Kurds in the Istanbul district of Umraniye, while in nearby Kucukcekmece petrol bombs damaged a shopping centre, the Anatolia news agency reported. The pro-Kurd news agency Firat for its part said police quashed protests in the cities of Mersin, in the south, Sanliurfa in the southeast ? where vehicles were set on fire ? and Van and Varto in the east. Ocalan's lawyers had reported he had been assaulted by a guard and threatened with death in his island prison of Imrali, in the northwest, where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999. Similar reports in the past have stirred anger among Kurds who look on Ocalan, head of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, as a hero. Arrested in Kenya in February 1999, he was sentenced to death by a Turkish court but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States as well as by Turkey. Some 44 000 people have died since its conflict with the Turkish state began in 1984. AFP http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/10/21/nb-06 One dead in street protests against Erdogan's visit to southeast Turkey 21/10/2008 ANKARA Turkey -- One protester died on Monday (October 20th) in clashes with police during Kurdish protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the southeastern town of Diyarbakir. Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party and suspected members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) set fires on the streets of Diyarbakir, the latest in a series of rallies in support of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan following allegations of his mistreatment in prison. Authorities deny the claims. Also Monday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan announced that Turkey is considering three-way consultations with Iraq and the United States to step up actions against PKK bases in northern Iraq. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani proposed the talks. Meanwhile, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, said on Monday he is ready to accept establishment of a buffer zone between Iraq and Turkey. Leaders hope the zone will prevent PKK incursions. (Zaman, Milliyet - 21/10/08; Anadolu news agency, AFP, Hurriyet, NTV - 20/10/08) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/10/20081020161213236897.html Kurdish protester killed in Turkey Demonstrators clashed with police during a visit by Turkey's prime minister in Diyarbakir [AFP] A Kurdish demonstrator has died after protesters clashed with police in eastern Turkey, according to the country's state news agency. The man, identified as Ahmet Ozkan, was killed after police fired into the air and used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in the town of Dogubayazit, near the border with Iran, the Anatolia news agency said. The protesters were denouncing the alleged ill-treatment of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Some demonstrators ran into side streets, forming barricades and blocking traffic, while one police officer was injured when protesters hurled stones, Anatolia said. The protest in Dogubayazit was just one of several held across Turkey by Kurds over the past three days, following allegations that Ocalan was mistreated in prison. In Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast, demonstrators burned tyres and formed barricades during a visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's prime minister, on Monday. There were no immediate reports of any injuries. Meanwhile, police in the city of Van detained dozens of people following a protest there, while in nearby Hakkari, protesters hurled stones at the local headquarters of Erdogan's ruling party. Lawyers' claims Ocalan's lawyers said last week that he was removed from his cell by guards carrying out a search, was forced onto the ground when he objected and was threatened with death. The government has denied the claims. Mehmet Ali Sahin, Turkey's justice minister, said: "We ordered an investigation. He has not been mistreated, he has not been subjected to any kind of negative treatment, he was not tortured." Ocalan is serving a life sentence on a prison island off Istanbul for leading a war for autonomy for the country's Kurdish minority in the southeast. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead since it began in 1984. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=156589 PKK supporters continue violent protests Tensions sparked in Turkey's Southeast during the weekend over alleged maltreatment of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah ?calan continued Tuesday, jumping to ?stanbul, Turkey's most crowded city. Kurdish citizens have been holding demonstrations since the weekend in protest of what they say are illegal practices against ?calan, who is serving a life sentence on ?mral? Island in the Sea of Marmara. In Diyarbak?r yesterday, PKK supporters threw stones at an ambulance that was en route to the hospital carrying a pregnant woman. Faruk Seven, the driver of the ambulance, was injured in the attack. He said the ambulance was attacked by three separate groups of protestors. "The first group was children aged 10 to 12. The second group was adults, and I had to stop the ambulance. They broke the windows of the ambulance by throwing stones. I told them I was carrying a patient with an urgent condition. They did not listen to me. Then I continued driving," Seven said. "The third group of protestors were around the age of 18. I told them about the condition of the patient, and they allowed me to go." In demonstrations in ?anl?urfa's Viran?ehir district, two police were injured when they clashed with protestors who wanted to hold an illegal rally. Police detained nine protestors who marched to the city center chanting pro-PKK slogans and carrying posters of ?calan. Police used pepper gas to disperse the crowd. In the Ba?kale district of the eastern province of Van, store owners did not open their shops when PKK supporters threatened them with violence. The authorities deny any mistreatment of ?calan, who began serving a life sentence after he was captured in 1999. Tensions continued Tuesday in A?r?'s Do?ubeyaz?t district, where one protester died of gunshot wounds on Monday when Kurdish demonstrators fought police. The incident coincided with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's visit to the region. Shopkeepers in the city also remained closed, fearing violence. Police teams took intensive security measures in the city. In Mardin, a group of demonstrators attacked several bank buildings and the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) former provincial building. Additional security teams were dispatched to the region. During the clashes, Police Chief Alim Karak?l?? sustained a head injury when protestors attacked him with stones. Police took several demonstrators into custody. Tension moves to ?stanbul On Monday night, ?stanbul was the scene a number of separate arsons and Molotov cocktail attacks perpetrated by suspected PKK supporters. Among the acts of property destruction were the torching of workplaces and cars and an attack on a health clinic. A health clinic in Ba?c?lar's Kemalpa?a district was attacked with Molotov cocktails around 12:30 a.m. The assailants reportedly threw the explosives at the doors and stairs of the clinic and then fled. As firefighting teams responding to the scene intervened, police teams checked trash bins in the area for possible explosives. They found a bag in a trash can on a nearby street that contained paper and cloth soaked in gasoline and other materials that could be combined to create a Molotov cocktail. Three suspects were taken into custody in connection with the incident. Around 1:20 a.m., Molotov cocktails were thrown at a market on Maslak Street in the Ba?c?lar district. The ensuing fire resulted in damage to the storefront. Cars burned in K???k?ekmece, Maltepe Another arson took place in the K???k?ekmece district, where a car parked on the street was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Despite firefighters' efforts, the vehicle was damaged beyond repair. In the Maltepe area, a car belonging to Mehmet Demir with a Turkish flag displayed in its back window was set aflame. Demir noticed that the car was on fire around 1 a.m., and upon being unable to extinguish the blaze, called firefighters for help. After firefighting teams extinguished the fire, as Demir told reporters that he did not know why his car was set on fire, his mother interjected: "Because they want to divide Turkey -- God willing, they will be divided. They burned Mehmet's car because of the Turkish flag." 8 cars set ablaze in Pendik Eight vehicles were also lit on fire last night off Girne Street in Pendik's Kaynarca neighborhood by unidentified perpetrators. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a white ?ahin brand automobile driving around the neighborhood and said the passengers of the vehicle set the fires. The arsons took place at around 2:30 a.m. A group of youths in a vehicle drove onto a street and poured ignitable fluid onto cars before setting them ablaze. Immediately afterward, they reportedly fled the scene in the same vehicle they arrived in. The torches they created from pieces of cloth were left at the scene, and police have begun investigating the possibility of extracting fingerprints. When they became aware of the fires, the owners of the torched vehicles put out the flames with buckets of water. Police teams dispatched to search the area for evidence found the car that the suspects allegedly used, but the car had been burned -- doused with gasoline, set on fire with a torch and attacked with a Molotov cocktail. Police have launched an investigation into the arsons. 22 October 2008, Wednesday http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Turkish_police_hold_scores_in_Kurdi_10182008.html Turkish police hold scores in Kurdish demos Published: Saturday October 18, 2008 Kurds demonstrating in support of jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan clashed with police in Istanbul and other Turkish cities following allegations of his mistreatment in prison, media reported Saturday. Dozens of people were detained in two cities in largely Kurdish southeastern Turkey. In Diyarbakir, the largest city in the region, more than 5,000 slogan-chanting demonstrators protested. Police did not initially react but charged when they were attacked with stones. Several dozen people were detained. In a separate incident at Yuksekova, an isolated small town near the borders with Iraq and Iran, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd of several thousand that had set up road blocks and burned tyres, the Anatolia news agency reported. A car bomb which detonated during the protest injured a 28-year-old man, Anatolia said, adding police had launched an investigation into what type of explosive had been used. It said police had made "numerous" arrests but gave no precise figure. Shops remained closed Saturday in the town, it said. On Friday police and Kurdish demonstrators had clashed in Istanbul and other cities. Police used water cannons to disperse Kurds in the Istanbul district of Umraniye, while in nearby Kucukcekmece petrol bombs damaged a shopping centre, Anatolia reported. The pro-Kurd news agency Firat for its part said police quashed protests in the cities of Mersin, in the south, Sanliurfa in the southeast -- where vehicles were set on fire -- and Van and Varto in the east. Ocalan's lawyers had reported he had been assaulted by a guard and threatened with death in his island prison of Imrali, in the northwest, where he has been held in solitary confinement since 1999. Similar reports in the past have stirred anger among Kurds who look on Ocalan, head of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, as a hero. Arrested in Kenya in February 1999, he was sentenced to death by a Turkish court but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States as well as by Turkey. Some 44,000 people have died since its conflict with the Turkish state began in 1984. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6076834 Arson Attack on Turkish Embassy in Finland Arson attack on Turkish Embassy in Finland after Kurdish demonstration HELSINKI, Finland October 21, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Finnish police say there was an arson attack on the Turkish Embassy in Helsinki. Officers say the front door of the embassy in the Finnish capital was burned in the attack. The fire spread indoors before it was extinguished by fire fighters. An embassy worker was treated for inhaling smoke. The early morning attack on Tuesday came hours after a peaceful anti-Turkey protest outside the embassy by a few dozen Kurdish demonstrators. Police spokesman Jussi Huhtela says officers have detained four men on suspicion of the attack. Huhtela says the attack could have been politically motivated and that some of the men had a Turkish-Kurdish background. He gave no more details. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieugEHF4vifnO8CtUw0XNkU8YgNA Nigerian troops clash with militants in oil region Oct 16, 2008 LAGOS (AFP) ? One soldier was wounded when Nigerian troops clashed with militants in the restive oil-rich Niger Delta, an army spokesman said on Thursday. Lieutenant-Colonel Musa Sagir told AFP the militants had come in six speed boats to attack the Joint Task Force, protecting oil facilities and personnel around the Bonny river on Wednesday. He said the soldiers repelled the attack, sinking two of the boats with all its occupants, but did not specify how many insurgents were in the boats. Since the beginning of 2006, militant attacks in the volatile region have cut Nigeria's oil output by more than one quarter. Production currently veers between 1.8 and two million barrels a day against 2.6 million barrels two years ago. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2231903 Spain's Basques protest vote ban 1:25PM Sunday October 26, 2008 Thousands of people demonstrated throughout the Spanish Basque Country on Saturday against a ban on a referendum-style vote on the region's links with the rest of Spain. Saturday was to have been the date of the vote, until it was declared illegal by Spain's constitutional court. Demonstrators gathered in towns throughout the northern Spanish region. Organisers said 20,000 people joined in, news agency Europa Press reported. The moderate nationalist government of the Basque Country had planned a vote on "the right to decide" of the Basque people - a coded reference to the question of independence from Spain. The head of the Basque Country government, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, has pledged to continue to seek a way for Basques to decide their relationship with the rest of Spain if he wins regional elections next year. Early on Saturday, bombs ripped through two train stations in the Basque Country towns of Berriz and Amorebieta without hurting anyone. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Basque separatist rebels ETA have regularly planted bombs in their four decades of armed struggle for the region's independence, during which they have killed more than 800 people. The Basque Country already has considerable autonomy over areas such as health and education and polls do not show a majority in favour of independence. http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/world/protests--tea-tourism-india-darjeeling-6084.html Protests Hit Tea, Tourism in India's Darjeeling Reuters Oct 23, 2008 KOLKATA, India?Fresh protests for a separate state in India's famous Darjeeling hills are threatening its tea and tourism industries, traders said, as the Gorkha community continues to press its demand for autonomy. Gorkhas, who are ethnic Nepalis, are demanding a separate state of "Gorkhaland" be carved out of West Bengal state's Darjeeling region to protect their Himalayan culture and heritage, and protests have picked up again this month. The communist state government in West Bengal opposes the idea, as do Bengali groups in the foothills to the south of Darjeeling. There have been sporadic outbreaks of unrest between ethnic Nepalis and Bengalis as a result. Caught in this battle are tea traders, who say exports of premium Darjeeling tea may fall 20-25 percent this year due to political unrest in the hills. The region's vast tea gardens ship highly prized and fragrant brews around the world, churning out about 10 million kg a year. "This third protest in the past few months has left the garden managers and workers jittery and we estimate 20 percent loss in production in tea gardens," Rajiv Lochan, secretary of the Siliguri Tea Traders' Association, told Reuters. Tea gardens in some areas were deserted and officials said regular protests had hampered plucking, a Reuters photographer said. Exports of Darjeeling tea had been expected to rise 20-25 percent over last year's 6 million kg, but now the industry is staring at substantial losses. The Gorkhas have rejected offers by state and central governments to talk about increased autonomy, saying only statehood would solve their problems. At least 1,200 people died in the first Gorkhaland campaign in the 1980s, but protests ended a few years later after Gorkha leaders accepted limited autonomy. "We will not settle for anything less than a separate Gorkha state this time," said Roshan Giri, a protest leader of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Gorkha People's Liberation Front). Hundreds of protesters took to the streets this week and forced car owners to replace the government licence plates with ones saying "Gorkhaland". Tourists have also been avoiding the Darjeeling hills, with thousands of cancellations reported since April this year. "The tourist inflow is 20 percent less and we are estimating an annual loss of 200 million rupees ($4 million)," said Anil Punjabi, who heads the eastern India unit of the Travel Agents Federation of India. Most hotels were empty and profits were down by almost 50 percent in the region, Raj Basu, the owner of a dozen hotels said. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 21:09:57 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:09:57 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Indigenous protests, October-November 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB1F15.1060603@tesco.net> WEST PAPUA: * Women's groups call for dialogue * Rally honours Theys * Papuans unhappy with regime * Papuan students call for troop withdrawal, zone of peace * Papuans reject military presence * Protesters damage Wamena election office * Jayapura - thousands march for independence * Jakarta - Papuans protest * Police arrest 15 at independence rally * Papuans join "porn bill" rally * Timika, Nabire, Yogyakarta - five arrested for flag-raising; flags raised * Jakarta - Papuans rally against corruption * Jakarta - solidarity protest * ECUADOR: Mass protest is peak of week of action by CONAIE * COLOMBIA: Indigenous people in protest march to Bogota * LIBYA: Indigenous rebels clash with soldiers * TAIWAN: Aboriginal groups protest demolition notice * INDIA: West Bengal - adivasis protest police harassment after bombing * PERU: Indigenous protesters target oil companies * CANADA: Tyendinaga Mohawks protest police station, landfill * AUSTRALIA: Brisbane - indigenous protests face police repression * INDIA: Karnataka - adivasis protest SEZ * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - indigenous peoples rally against Sri Lanka, Orissa violence * PAKISTAN: Indigenous group launch protest * PHILIPPINES: Mining abuses focus of campaign * CANADA: Community opposes tarsands development over deaths * MEXICO: Six killed as police attack occupation of ruins * PHILIPPINES: Indigenous farmers launch protest campaign over land claims * INDIA: Adivasi revolt over communalist shutdown * INDIA: Adivasi protest over Arcelor Mittal plant * INDIA: AP - mining protests spread * CANADA: Indigenous blockades against Olympic train * CANADA: Police violently attack Algonquin road blockade * US: California - Indigenous people protest Columbus Day * US: New York - protests for, against sales tax on Indian stores * SPAIN: Herdsmen hold annual protest http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/11/26/papuan-women039s-groups-call-dialogue-end-decades-clout.html Papuan women's groups call for dialogue to end decades of clout The Jakarta Post | Wed, 11/26/2008 11:09 PM | National The Papuan Women Working Committee has demanded the central government to open a dialogue with them on underlying problems facing Papuans including human rights violations, corruption and regional autonomy. Committee member Frederika Korayn said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com Wednesday, Papua had been integrated with Indonesia for 42 years but the living standards of Papuans had not improved, with more than 80 percent of women on the island poorly educated, in poor health and living in absolute poverty. "If the government is willing to talk with the government of Aceh, then why not with the people of Papua?" she said during a seminar in Jakarta which heralded the theme "Fostering Constituency and National Support for the Rights of Papuan Women". Further evidence of the low quality of life in Papua was shown by population growth figures. Last year only saw 1.5 percent growth, far lower from the 10 percent growth recorded in 1971. She also questioned the benefit of regional autonomy since no clear results had been felt directly by the majority of the population. Another committee member, Hanna S. Hikoyabi, said bridging the gap by engaging in more intense dialogue would serve everyone's interests better than passing ineffective legislation on regional autonomy. "Don't let our feeling of trusts and hope toward Indonesia diminish. That's why we're asking for dialogue," said Hanna, who is also vice chair of the NGO Papuan People's Assembly. Another seminar speaker, Yenny Rosa Damayanti of the Association of Indonesian Legal and Human Rights Aid (PBHI) said problems Papuans face could not be detached from how the rest of Indonesia regards Papuans. "Because we have different skin color and hair, we feel they are 'the others', not brothers," she said. Such a view, she said, was clearly manifested in how the army was operating in Papua. The majority of Indonesians oppose military measures to solve conflicts, but they somehow applied a different standard when it comes to matters involving Papuans. She proposed Indonesians redefine what constitutes Indonesianness. "Is it only the Malay race? Is it only Muslims?" (and) --------------------------------------------------- Pro-independence group honors Theys Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008 Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura -- On Wednesday some 100 people, calling themselves the Papua Human Rights Awareness Coalition, commemorated the seventh anniversary of the death of Theys Hiyo Eluay, leader of the Papua Presidium Council, who was killed by government forces on Nov. 10, 2002. The crowd, led by Buchtar Tabuni, staged a rally at the Papua Provincial Legislative Council building after traveling from Abepura city. Earlier, they marched to the Theys Hiyo Eluay memorial, where they removed a garbage bin which had been placed there. "Why has a garbage bin been placed at the memorial of a Papuan freedom fighter," yelled someone, followed by jeers from others. They rolled the bin in to a ravine. The crowd then marched to the legislative council office in Jayapura while chanting "Freedom for Papua". "Theys was killed, but other Theysus live on, like me and all Papuans, who will rise and fight for our freedom," exclaimed Buchtar. For Buchtar and other Papuans, Theys was a freedom fighter, despite being branded as a traitor by the government, due to his wish to withdraw Papua from the unitary state of Indonesia. Theys was shot and killed by elite Kopassus military troops on Nov. 10, 2002, as he returned from the Kopassus command station in Hamadi, Jayapura, to commemorate National Heroes Day. However, his body was not found until the next day in Koya, a village near the border with Papua New Guinea. Theys was a leader to those who wished for an independent Papua state. They consider the Indonesian annexation of Papua through the Pepera referendum in late 1960s invalid as it was not carried out through a one-man-one-vote system, but by using a representative method. They demand independence for Papua. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Papuans voice discontent with government Jakarta Post - November 12, 2008 Abdul Khalik, Jakarta -- Anyone who thinks the discussion on Papuan independence is over should listen to Hans Gebze and other young Papuans. "We're not feeling like free people. We are still poor and alienated while many of us experience injustice on our home soil. So how can we rule out trying for independence?" Hans, a member of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), said on the sidelines of a seminar on Papua here Tuesday. More than 100 Papuans attended the seminar, which quickly turned into a forum for the Papuans to express their disappointment with Jakarta's policies. The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the situation in Papua since the establishment of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP), a caucus that aims to gather support for Papua from the international community. The group's ultimate aim is a self-determination referendum for Papua. The Indonesian government has dismissed the organization, established in London on Oct. 15, as nothing more than a tiny collection of Papuans who lack international support. Papuan member of the Regional Consultative Council (DPD), Ferdinanda Ibo Yatipai, said she could understand the animosity as Jakarta had treated Papua unfairly. She was referring to alleged human rights violations against Papuans and exploitation of Papua's natural resources for the enrichment of Jakarta. "We must unite to support the IPWP. Where's the money the government said had been given to the Papuans? We must find the embezzlers of the funds," she told the seminar. Rights activist Syamsudin Radjab talked about the failure of the special autonomy for Papua since its inception in 2001. "We estimate Rp 26 trillion in special autonomy funding has been given to Papua since 2001. But many Papuans aren't enjoying it. The government must explain where the money has gone," he said. Syamsudin urged the government to initiate a comprehensive program that involved all stakeholders, such as NGOs and Papuan leaders, while opening a national dialogue to address Papua's problems. "Indonesia must learn from the Timor Leste lesson. We can't pretend that everything is OK down there in Papua," he said. Ibo said the IPWP had been established because Papuans were no longer able to make themselves heard by the government. "We established a special committee for Papua at the DPD. But when we wanted to hold a dialogue with the President, the DPD chairman simply told us he did not want to attend the event. What can we do?" Ibo said. University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan said the threat of disintegration was real. He said Papua today looked like Timor Leste before the 1999 referendum when the government believed the province would remain with Indonesia. "That's why the government can't solve the problems in Papua with military might or by sending more and more soldiers to the provinces. Instead, the government must gather sociologists, anthropologists and NGOs to help them find the root causes of the problems," he said. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Papuan students call for troop withdrawal, zone of peace Detik.com - November 3, 2008 Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar -- Scores of students from Papua demonstrated in front of the Mandala monument on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on November 3. They were demanding that the government immediately withdraw the 6,000 Indonesian military (TNI) troops stationed in Papua because they have been intimidating the Papuan people for decades. This would be in order to create a zone of peace in Papua. According to action coordinator Mape, large numbers of Papuans have been terrorised and accused of involvement in separatist activities. Yet, according to Mape, they were simply struggling for the rights of indigenous Papuans. ???Papuan citizens have been arrested, even killed as a consequence of being accused of separatism,??? said Mape. Aside from the repressive actions by military forces in Papua, the protesters also called for the repeal of Special Autonomy Law Number 21/2001 because it has failed to bring any benefit to the Papuan people. In speeches the demonstrators also protested against government injustice against Papuans since Papua became part of Indonesia in 1965 (sic). They also cited the many health epidemics that have broken out in various parts of Papua that have been ignored by the central government in Jakarta. Following the speeches, the demonstrators held a theatrical action depicting the repressive actions by soldiers against Papuans. Accompanied by traditional Papuan music, the protesters were also carried away by the unique Papuan music of Waita. Following the protest action, the students returned to their dormitories on Jl. Lanto Daeng Pasewang. (mna/asy) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- Papua rejects heavy military presence Jakarta Post - November 4, 2008 Nethy Dharma Somba, Papua -- Around 100 protesters from the International Parliament for West Papua (IPWP) staged a rally Monday against an alleged increase in militarism in Papua outside the Provincial Legislative Council building. "We reject militarism in Papua. We see more and more fully armed Indonesia Military (TNI) soldiers milling around in villages and towns," IPWP Papua coordinator Buchtar Tabuni said in his speech. "The soldiers are supposed to ward off expansion threats from outside, not watch people in towns." Buchtar said the number of armed troops in Papua gave the impression there was a war taking place. He said the military presence was particularly strong on Oct. 16 when a rally was staged to celebrate IPWP's establishment. The organization was founded in London by two British parliamentarians with the aim of revising the 1969 Act of Free Choice, or Pepera referendum. The IPWP believed the act was unfair because it was based on a representative system rather than the one-person-one-vote principle. "There were so many soldiers conducting searches on the day, when it is the duty of police to secure public order," Buchtar said. The TNI is fighting a low-level armed rebellion waged by the Free Papua Movement (OPM) separatist group. Buchtar also asked the Papuan legislative council speaker John Ibo to arrange a meeting with Papua's provincial police chief and the Cendrawasih Military Command chief regarding the increasing number of soldiers in Papua. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2008/09/30/brk,20080930-138223,uk.html Crowds Damage Wamena Election Office Tuesday, 30 September, 2008 | 19:29 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Timika:Thousands of supporters backing candidates running for Wamena regent who did not pass the verification stage yesterday went into a violent protest, damaging the General Election (KPU) and the Regional Government Council (Bapeda) offices in Wamena, Papua. They all came to the KPU office at Yos Sudarso Street and, because there were no KPU officials in sight, they broke windows of the building. The crowd then moved to the Local Planning Agency (Bapeda) office and again broke the windows there. They also burned a honay (Papuan traditional house) located on the grounds of an official?s home. Papua?s Police Criminal Investigation Division director, Paulus Waterpauw said his team was monitoring the situation in Wamena. ?The Wamena Police has not given any reports. I have just landed in Timika,? Waterpauw said. He said that the Papua regional police had not decided whether or not they will add more personnel in Wamena given the unsettled situation. ?We are still investigating,? he said. However, there has been no information regarding the regent candidates who failed to pass the verification stage. Candidates vying to be regent of Wamena who will go to the next phase of the elections are Bartolemus Parayage ? Daud Wanma, Musa Mabel ? Dani Panggabean, Budiman Kogoya ? Yunus Metlama, Wempi Wetipo ? John R. Banua, and Nikolas Jigibalom ? Ribka Haluk. The mob had previously threatened the Wamena KPU, which it accused of ?conspiring? with the Papua KPU. They asked for the Wamena election to be postponed but the demand was ignored. Tjahjono EP http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE49F1ZB20081016 Several thousand Papuans march for independence Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:56am BST START News Content Page Tags 'Text' | 'Picture' | 'Slideshow' | 'Video' ie. articleId ie. articleId ie. articleId ie. headline for article ie. headline for article END News Content Page Tags JAYAPURA, Indonesia (Reuters) - About 2,000 people rallied in the capital of Indonesia's Papua province on Thursday, calling for independence for the remote, resource-rich area in the far east of the country. Shouting "freedom," some protesters carried banners saying "Review the act of no choice in 1969," referring to a disputed vote that led to Papua being formally incorporated into Indonesia. Papua, which occupies the western half of New Guinea island, was under Dutch colonial rule until 1963, when Indonesia took over. Jakarta formalised its rule in 1969 in a vote by community leaders which was widely criticised as flawed. Protest organisers said the march was timed to coincide with a gathering of parliamentarians in the British capital London on Wednesday in support of self determination for Papua. About 10 trucks of police sought to block the marchers, although there were no reports of violence. Separatist groups have stepped up protests in Papua in recent months. There have also been several small bomb blasts, including at an airport in Papua and near a copper mine run by the local unit of U.S. mining firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Police also arrested five people this week after an unidentified group hoisted a banned separatist flag in front of a local government office in Navire. (Reporting by Oka Barta Daud and John Pakage in Timika; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Paul Tait) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/16/asia/AS-Indonesia-Papua-Protest.php Indonesian protesters call for Papua independence The Associated Press Published: October 16, 2008 JAYAPURA, Indonesia: Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets in eastern Indonesia on Thursday demanding independence for resource-rich Papua province. Riot police watched over the demonstration in the provincial capital of Jayapura as protesters denounced a 1969 referendum that gave Indonesia control over the former Dutch colony. That ballot, which Jakarta still holds up as a valid expression of self-determination, is now widely regarded as a sham. More than 600 students, activists and residents yelled "Free Papua" as they headed toward the local parliament, said protester organizer Forkorus Yaboisembut. They were blocked by riot police, who set up barricades on the road leading to the legislature and the main university. Agus Rianto, a police spokesman, said the rally dispersed peacefully. Indonesia took over Papua from the Dutch in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region six years later through a stage-managed vote by about 1,000 community leaders. A small, poorly armed separatist movement has battled Indonesian rule in the impoverished province ever since. About 100,000 Papuans ? a sixth of the population ? have died in military operations. Protest actions to add to Jakarta???s traffic woes Detik.com - October 20, 2008 Ken Yunita, Jakarta -- It has become like a ???regular customer???, traffic crossing Jl. Warung Buncit Raya in South Jakarta from Ragunan in the direction of Mampang Prapatan is invariably congested in the mornings. This situation will be worsened today, Monday October 20 by a protest action in front of the offices of the Justice and Prosperity Party???s (PKS) central leadership board, which is located on this stretch of road. According to the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre website, the demonstration by a group calling themselves the Papua National Coalition (KNP) will take place at 8am. The demonstrators will fill almost half of the road and result in traffic being even more chaotic than usual. Following the protest in front of the PKS offices, the protesters will switch to the Department of Home Affairs on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta. In addition to the KNP, after protesting at the State Palace at 9am the Papuan Traditional Social Community Against Corruption (Kampak) will also hold a demonstration at the Department of Home Affairs. Following this at 10am, the South Sumatra Social Alliance of Concern for the Organisation of Clean Elections (AMSSPPPB) will be holding a protest action at the offices of the General Elections Commission on Jl. Imam Bonjol. (ken/nrl) [Translated by James Balowski.] --------------------------------------------------- Indonesian police detain 15 over independence rally Reuters - October 20, 2008 Indonesian police detained at least 15 people and stopped over 2,000 people from participating in a planned independence rally in resource-rich Papua province on Monday, a Reuters witness said. Police blocked roads as hundreds of Papuans began streaming in for the rally in Jayapura, capital of remote Papua, where independence activists have waged a campaign for nearly 40 years to break away from Indonesia. The coordinator of the rally, Buchtar Tabuni, said he had sought police permission for the rally. Separatist groups have stepped up protests in Papua in recent months. The province has witnessed several rallies to demand a referendum on Papuan independence and Papuans have hoisted the outlawed separatist "Morning Star" flag in public places on some occasions. There have also been small bomb blasts, including at an airport and near a copper mine run by the local unit of US mining firm Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc.. Freeport's Grasberg mine in Papua -- believed to have the world's third-largest copper reserve -- has been a frequent source of controversy over its environmental impact and the share of revenue going to Papuans. Papua, which occupies the western half of New Guinea island, was under Dutch colonial rule until 1963, when Indonesia took over. Jakarta formalised its rule in 1969 in a vote by community leaders that was widely criticised as flawed. [Reporting by Oka Barta Daud and John Pakage;; Writing by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Bill Tarrant.] --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Papuan separatist leader arrested Jakarta Post - October 21, 2008 Nethy Dharma Somba and Dian Kuswandini, Jayapura/Jakarta -- Police on Monday arrested separatist leader Buchtar Tabuni as he was about to attend a massive rally in Jayapura, Papua, to show support for the newly created international parliamentarian caucus for West Papua in London. In Jakarta, a leading legislator said the House of Representatives would file a protest against the British Parliament through the British Embassy for supporting separatism. Buchtar and 17 other Papuan separatists were arrested by police at Imbi Park and taken for questioning to Jayapura City Police headquarters some 30 meters from the park. Buchtar was later transferred to Papua Provincial Police headquarters to be questioned as a witness in Thursday's rally to celebrate the establishment of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) in London. The provincial police accused Buchtar as the rally organizer of violating Articles 106, 110, 160, 212 and 216 of the Criminal Code on sedition, agitating the public and resisting security officers. Buchtar was released after complaining of illness. His questioning will continue next week. Lawyer Latifah Anum Siregar, representing the separatists, said she regretted the way police had summoned the separatists to testify. "They were beaten in public and then forced at gunpoint to enter police cars," Latifah told The Jakarta Post. The IPWP was launched with the aim of revising the 1969 Act of Free Choice, or Pepera referendum, calling it unfair because it was based on a representative system rather than the one-person- one-vote principle. However, not all Papuans support the IPWP, with three prominent Papuan chieftains -- Amandus Mabel, Dasik Asso and Jimmi Asso from the Central Mountain Range area -- saying Papua's choice to be a part of Indonesia was already final. "There was no such thing as the establishment of an international caucus for West Papua in London. It was just an issue created by an irresponsible group aiming to destabilize Papua," Jimmi told the local Cenderawasih Pos newspaper published Monday. In Jakarta, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said he had not been informed yet about recent events in Papua, in which Free Papua Movement (OPM) supporters reportedly held separatist activities over the last two days. "All I know is the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs is currently handling it," Juwono said Monday at the House. He called on the public not to label all activities in Papua as separatist acts. "Don't correlate every activity there as something that will lead to disturbances," he said. Theo L. Sambuaga, chairman of the House's Commission I overseeing defense, information, foreign and political affairs, said the protest would be sent to the British Embassy in Jakarta on Monday evening. "We can't accept any efforts to support such a separatist movement, because it indicates foreign intervention in our country's affairs," he said. "The House will also bring the case to the Inter- Parliamentary Union, which has stated it will not tolerate any separatist movement." Dismissing the fact the caucus was supported by only two British MPs -- Andrew Smith and Lord Harries -- legislator Abdillah Toha said such partial support could lead to a bigger movement. "The government must be aware of 'small waves' because they can turn into bigger ones," he said. National Development Party (PPP) legislator Ali Mudatsir said the government had always been weak in responding to such issues. "The government must take a firm stance because this has to do with our sovereignty," he said. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Anti-porn bill rally clogs Denpasar streets Jakarta Post - October 13, 2008 Dicky Christanto and Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar -- More than 5,000 people from various occupations, religions and organizations stormed Denpasar's main thoroughfares Saturday with one goal in mind -- to protest against the pornography bill, currently being deliberated by lawmakers in Jakarta. Among the rally participants were several noted figures, including Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member GKR Hemas, who is also the wife of Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, film director Garin Nugroho and folk singer Franky Silahatua. "We want all of you here to know that we, Yogyakartans, have also refused the porn bill deliberations as it deeply harms our pluralism. Therefore you are not alone in this struggle. Let's unite to get rid of this dangerous bill once and for all," Hemas told the participants who gathered at the Bajra Sandhi square in Renon. "And if the lawmakers insist on passing the bill then it can have only one meaning: that they have seriously violated the country's legal system," she added. After listening to Hemas' speech, the crowd then marched five kilometers through the city to Puputan Badung square, in front of the Denpasar mayor's office. The participants in the rally, which was organized by the Balinese People Component (KRB), carried a red-and-white flag about 230 meters long as they cheered the speeches given by several activists during the march. At first glance, the mass rally resembled a national independence day commemoration carnival, usually held in August in cities such as Jakarta and Surabaya. The protesters were welcomed at the Puputan Badung square by a troupe of female dancers. Their 10- minute energetic yet sensual modern dance performance apparently managed to attract most of the participants' attention as they pushed to get to the front, near the stage, waiting for more. After viewing the sexy dance, the crowd was entertained by a music performance by local rock band the Geekssmile, whose song lyrics criticized the government's policies. Next was a traditional Papuan dance performed by a group of Papuan students wearing their traditional dress: koteka or penis gourd. "Most of the performances on this stage today would be in violation of the law if the porn bill were passed, so are we supposed to agree with the bill?" student activist I Gusti Agung Jelantik asked from the stage after the Papuans had finished their dance performance. "No way do we agree with the dangerous bill," someone from the crowd yelled in response. "If that's so, then we agree that this rally is not our last. We will continue to protest against the bill whenever the lawmakers try to deliberate it," Jelantik said. "We will," the crowd answered in unison. The KRB reiterated its position that the definition of "pornography" in the bill was too vague, meaning anybody could be named a suspect and their acts deemed pornographic. "The bill has the potential to cause disintegration because not a single tribe in the country wants to be humiliated simply because its culture is considered to be 'pornographic'," said KRB coordinator I Gusti Ngurah Harta. Some critics have said the bill is offensive to women because it considers them simplistically as the cause of sexual lust. "So let's oppose this bill which underestimates the role of mothers and women," the KRB statement said. A special team from the House of Representatives drafting the bill is scheduled to hold public hearings in regions that strongly oppose the bill, namely Bali, Papua and North Sulawesi, from Sunday to Tuesday. The team is in Bali on Monday. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Five arrested for raising banned flag in Indonesia's Papua Agence France Presse - October 15, 2008 Timika -- Five men have been arrested after an outlawed separatist flag was raised in Indonesia's remote Papua province, police said Wednesday. A group of people unfurled the outlawed "Morning Star" flag early Wednesday at in four places including in front of the local assembly and government offices in Nabire town, local police chief Rianto Jatmono said. "The five people are under police investigation. Those proven to have raised the flags will be named suspects on charges of plotting against the state," Jatmono said. Anyone convicted of displaying separatist symbols faces a maximum of life in prison in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago with a history of secessionist rebellions. Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, a former Dutch colony on the western half of New Guinea island, in 1969 after a vote among a select group of Papuans widely seen as a sham. Many Papuans accuse Indonesia's military of violating human rights in the province and complain that the bulk of earnings from its rich natural resources flow to Jakarta. --------------------------------------------------- Police seize four raised separatist flags in Nabire Antara News - October 15, 2008 Jayapura -- Police early Wednesday motning pulled down and confiscated four Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flags of the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM) which unidentified people had raised at four different spots in Nabire. Nabire District Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Rianto said the outlawed flags were apparenly hoisted as the town was in a total blackout due to heavy rain. He said two of the flags were found fluttering in front of Nabire Regional Legislative Assembly building and two others in ooutside the Nabire district admnistration office. "The perpetrators remain at large but we have questioned five security guards from the Nabire district administration office, the Nabire Regional Legislative Assembly and the Nabire tourist office as witnesses," Rianto said. He said the flags were discovered and lowered at 5 am by police officers on patrol duty. Wednesday morning's incident was the third to have happened in Papua in less than a month. On September 17, a group of unidentified locals also raised the separatist OPM flag at Timika's Kwamki Lama square but it was then taken down again before police arrived. Again on September 23, or less than a week afterward, another group of people hoisted the Bintang Kejora flag again before dozens of others at Cemara street in Timika's Kwamki Baru subdistrict at a sport only about 100 meters from a police precinct. According to Wikipedia free encyclopedia, the morning star flag represented the territory of West New Guinea from December 1, 1961 until October 1, 1962 when the territory came under administration of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA). The flag is commonly used by the West Papuan population including OPM supporters to rally self- determination, human rights support and is usually raised on December 1 each year in defiance of Indonesian domestic laws. The flag consists of a red vertical band along the hoist side, with a white five-pointed star in the center. The flag was for the first time raised on December 1, 1961 and used until the United Nations became the territory's administrator on October 1, 1962. --------------------------------------------------- Papuans rally at police HQ Jakarta Post - October 15, 2008 Jakarta Post, Jakarta -- About 100 people from the Anti-Corruption Papuan Society Alliance Community (KAMPAK) rallied at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday, demanding the police clamp down on what they claim is rampant corruption throughout their region. The rally's coordinator, Julius S., said corruption in Papua had cost the people dearly and left many of them struggling in poverty. "We demand the police move in and arrest those suspected of corruption who are still roaming free in Papua," Julius said at the rally, as quoted by Antara news agency. Police personnel supervised the protesters, some of whom were wearing traditional Papuan costumes. The police then invited about 10 of the protesters into the police building to meet senior police officers. The protesters said they would continue their demonstrations and would next visit the Attorney General's Office and the Home Ministry office. (rid) --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Thousands rally for Papuan independence Agence France Presse - October 16, 2008 Thousands of Papuans demanded a referendum on independence from Indonesia during a peaceful rally watched by hundreds of riot police. At least 5,000 people gathered in the Papuan provincial capital Jayapura to denounce the 1969 referendum that handed sovereignty of the resource rich former Dutch colony to Indonesia. Carrying banners demanding "freedom" and calling for international attention, they tried to march on the provincial parliament building but were blocked by police. "We refuse the 1969 referendum and urge the Indonesian government to organise a new referendum of independence for Papuan people," protest coordinator Bucktar Tabuni said. One speaker told the crowd through a megaphone: "Our children weren't born to be tortured and killed by Indonesia's security forces. Our only wish is for Papuans to be treated well as human beings." Many Papuans accuse Jakarta of stealing the rugged, largely undeveloped province's natural resources. Indonesia's military is also accused of rights abuses and corruption, especially around foreign- owned mines. --------------------------------------------------- Several thousand Papuans march for independence Jakarta Post - October 16, 2008 Jakarta -- About 2,000 people rallied in the Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday, calling for independence for the remote, resource-rich area in the far east of the country, Reuters reported. Shouting "freedom", some protesters carried banners saying "Review the act of no choice in 1969", referring to a disputed vote that led to Papua being formally incorporated into Indonesia. Papua, which occupies the western half of New Guinea Island, was under Dutch colonial rule until 1963, when Indonesia took over. Jakarta formalized its rule in 1969 in a vote by community leaders which was widely criticized as flawed. Protest organizers said the march was timed to coincide with a gathering of parliamentarians in the British capital London on Wednesday in support of self determination for Papua. About 10 trucks of police sought to block the marchers, although there were no reports of violence. Separatist groups have stepped up protests in Papua in recent months. There have also been several small bomb blasts, including at an airport in Papua and near a copper mine run by the local unit of US mining firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Police also arrested five people this week after an unidentified group hoisted a banned separatist flag in front of a local government office in Nabire. Separately on Thursday, a group of Papuan students hoisted the Papuan separatist flag the Morning Star (Bintang Kejora). The students claimed nine other flags were also hoisted at none other places across Indonesia. --------------------------------------------------- Morning Star flag raised in Yogyakarta Tempo Interactive - October 16, 2008 Bernarda Rurit, Jakarta -- The Free Papua Organization flag the Morning Star reportedly hoisted in Yogyakarta on Thursday morning to coincide with a convention on West Papua held in London. The flag was reportedly raised at a dormitory for Papua students belonged to the Papua Province administration on Jl. Kusumanegara Yogyakarta at about 4 AM. No flag were seen at 7:20 AM at the student complex. A spokesman for a Papua student association in Yogyakarta Roy Liqua said the flag was raised to coincide with the meeting of International Parliamenter for West Papua in London. The convention claimed by the students started on Wednesday and will end on Friday. Students also said the flag was raised simultaneously in several region in the country, and they were planning an action in Jakarta. Indonesia won controll of Papua from the Dutch Colonial in 1969, twenty four years after the country declared independence from Japan. --------------------------------------------------- Seven protest actions to enliven Jakarta today Detik.com - October 16, 2008 At 10am, the offices of the Central Leadership Board of the National Awakening Party on Jl. Sukabumi, in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta will be visited by the Jakarta Papua Social Solidarity Forum (FSMPJ). http://ecuador-rising.blogspot.com/2008/11/mass-indigenous-protest-in-defense-of.html Friday, November 21, 2008 Mass Indigenous Protest In Defense of Water Caps Week of Mobilizations in Ecuador Written by Daniel Denvir for UpsideDownWorld Thursday, 20 November 2008 Photo Courtesy of Comunicaci?n CONAIE Over 10,000 indigenous people from hundreds of Ecuador?s Northern Sierra (highlands) communities gathered to present the native movement?s proposed Water Law. Protesters chanted, ?Water is not for sale, it is to be defended,? as speakers excoriated President Rafael Correa?s draft Water Law, saying that it could lead to privatization and pollution by mining companies. The protest was organized by the Confederation of Peoples of the Kichwa Nationality (Ecuaranari), the Sierra regional block of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). Marches left from the North, South and West to converge on the Pan-American Highway, blocking the country?s central artery for over six hours. The march also showed the indigenous movement?s capacity to mobilize large numbers of people, a sign that the CONAIE is recovering from past internal divisions and political defeats. Correa has regularly insulted indigenous leaders and anti-mining activists, claiming that they do not represent a real political base. But indigenous people at Wednesday?s protest were passionate about defending their access to clean water. Maria came to the march from the community of Santa Anita, in the Central Sierra province of Chimborazo: ?We are here to defend the water. We take care of the p?ramos (Andean wetlands) to get our water. We don?t get our water for free. They say they?re going to take away our water, and we?re not going to let them.? The protest came two days after thousands of campesinos and coastal fishers staged nation wide protests and road blockades against Correa?s draft Mining Law and support for large-scale shrimp farms. Activists contend that the law would allow companies to undertake damaging large-scale and open pit mining in ecologically sensitive areas, contaminating the water supply with heavy metals. Fishers demanded that Correa overturn Decree 1391, passed on October 15th, which handed thousands of marine hectares over to large-scale shrimp farmers. This will lead to the further destruction of mangrove forests, critical habitat for the area?s fish, crabs and conchs. Participants in all of this week?s marches have emphasized the importance of natural resources to their communities. Five people were arrested during Monday?s protests, including Jorge Sarango, a former Constituent Assembly member from the indigenous party Pachakutik. While Sarango has been released, the other four activists remain in jail. Ceaser Quilumbaquin came to Wednesday?s march with over 400 people from San Miguel del Prado, a community in the province of Pichincha. Photo Courtesy of Comunicaci?n CONAIE ?We?re fighting for our water because they want to privatize it. We are indigenous people and the majority of water comes from our p?ramos. Water is life, and the government wants to sell water to private entities,? said Quilumbaquin. This week?s mobilizations are an important demonstration of growing social movement unity and independence from the government of President Rafael Correa. Activists say that this week?s mobilizations are the beginning of a larger movement to confront Correa?s environmental policies. Correa scored a huge political victory in September when voters overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, weakening the traditional political parties and business elites. Social movements, and the indigenous movement in particular, were instrumental in mobilizing their members to vote ?yes??but they have in recent months increasingly distanced themselves from the government. Although the Left has been in conflict with Correa since he took office in January 2007, September?s defeat of the right wing has emboldened social movements in taking on government social and environmental policies. Indeed, water and anti-mining activists invoke the new constitution?s strict environmental provisions in demanding local control over community territory. Ivonne Ramos of Acci?n Ecologica, said, ?The constitution prioritizes the use of water to ensure food sovereignty, for small livestock and agriculture, and for human consumption. Water for industry comes last.? And, in an interesting move, legislators usually close to Correa?from the Popular Democratic Movement (MPD) as well as Correa?s own party, Alianza Pa?s (AP)?showed up to speak in support of the Water Law. While the MPD has become increasingly critical of Correa in recent weeks, it seems likely that AP lawmakers? presence has more to do with posturing than a real political shift. Indigenous delegates from Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico addressed the crowd and, recounting their own struggles in defense of water, expressed their solidarity with Ecuador?s indigenous people. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=231903&CategoryId=14089 Indians continue protests Quito (EFE) ? Ecuador?s powerful federation of Indian groups defied the national government Wednesday, vowing to press ahead with its highway-blocking protests against a free-trade pact with the United States despite imposition of a state-of-emergency prohibiting such actions. Luis Macas, head of the group known as Conaie, told foreign journalists in Quito that the Indians are protesting to block any trade deal with Washington, to press their demand for the nationalization of Ecuador?s oil, and to force authorities to convene a constitutional convention aimed at radical structural change. Soldiers in armored personnel carriers and on bulldozers deployed in six provinces of central Ecuador on Wednesday to remove barricades blocking highways and enforce a rights-suspending state-of-emergency imposed to quell the protests. But Indian leader Humberto Choy?n declared at midday: ?Our mobilizations remain unchanged.? Macas said that Ecuador?s contracts with foreign-owned oil companies, ?besides infringing on the rights of indigenous communities, damage the interests of the country.? Therefore, he said, Quito should proceed with nationalization of the oil sector, and should start by canceling its contract with U.S. firm Occidental Petroleum. Both the attorney general?s office and state-run PetroEcuador have sought the expulsion of Oxy from oil fields in the Amazon region, claiming that the California-based company ? which pumps and sells about 20 percent of Ecuador?s oil ? has violated its contract. Crude oil is Ecuador?s chief export, funding about one-third of the annual government budget, and most of the petroleum it lies in the overwhelmingly Indian-populated Amazon provinces. Macas also reiterated Conaie?s 16-year-old demand for a constitutional convention. http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6046572/Colombian-Indians-in-protest-march-to-Bogota Colombian Indians in protest march to Bogota Published: Monday 10 November 2008 22:05 UTC Last updated: Tuesday 11 November 2008 10:31 UTC Thousands of Colombian Indians have set out on a 500-kilometre march to the capital Bogot? in protest against President Alvaro Uribe's policies. The Indians are demanding the government adhere to earlier agreements on the restitution of land to indigenous tribes. They are also protesting against a free trade agreement with the United States and against human rights violations against Colombia's indigenous peoples. Most of the protesters departed from the city of Cali on Monday, and are expected to arrive in Bogot? in more than two weeks. At the end of last month, more than 30,000 Indians went to Cali in a failed attempt to force the president to meet them. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012974144 Eleven Dead In Southern Libya Clashes November 10, 2008 8:53 a.m. EST The Media Line Staff Al-Kufra, Libya (TML) At least 11 people have been killed in clashes between government forces and rebels in southern Libya since protests broke out there last week, rights organizations say. Human-rights groups say security forces began battling rebels and civilians in Al-Kufra, in southeast Libya last week. Clashes involve members of the Tabu tribe, who were protesting against discriminatory laws and a lack of medical services. Military units and helicopters were soon dispatched to the region to quell the mutiny, opposition groups say. The reports are hard to authenticate because of the closed and secretive nature of the Libyan regime. Reports of the clashes have largely been leaked by bloggers and opposition groups. There has been no mention of the clashes in the Libyan media, which toes the line of the regime. Libyan opposition groups contacted by The Media Line said they had accounts of the events but asked not to be mentioned by name so as not to risk their sources in Libya. A critic of the regime told The Media Line there was a deliberate policy of media blackouts when such incidents occurred. Tension with the Tabu tribe began in December when the government accused their leaders of siding with Libya's rival, Chad, and stripped them of their citizenship. One organization said the tribe was involved in illegal weapons trading over the borders of Libya, Chad and Sudan and this had put them at odds both with the regime and with other members of the Tabu tribe. What the regime is doing is a blatant human rights violation because its forces are targeting unarmed civilians, a Libyan opposition activist said. He added that recent reports suggest that roads leading to and from Al-Kufra have now been cut off, essentials such as food are not arriving in the area, and that a "humanitarian catastrophe is on the horizon." Libya is trying to patch up relations with the West after decades of diplomatic isolation and the latest incidents cast a shadow over Tripoli's efforts to show a positive image to the West. Libya is paying $1.5 billion to a fund as compensation to American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks in the 1980s. The payment removes one of the major hurdles to normalizing relations between Tripoli and Washington. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a historic visit to Tripoli. Rice is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Libya in more than 50 years. In 2003 Libyan President Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi announced his country was abandoning its Weapons of Mass Destruction program, a move that began Libya's rapprochement with the West. The release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor from a Libyan jail last year after being accused of infecting Libyan children with AIDS was another step towards reconciliation with Western powers. Despite a thaw in relations with the West, critics say the regime is still stifling opposition and is dealing with any expressions of dissent inside the country with an iron fist. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/13/2003428528 Aborigines protest demolition notice By Loa Iok-sin Thursday, Nov 13, 2008, Page 2 Frightened by a demolition notice posted by the Taipei County Government on Nov. 5, residents of the Sanying Aboriginal Community shaved their heads in front of the county hall yesterday, asking officials to live up to an agreement reached in March. ?We came from our faraway home villages into the city for our survival. The government never came to our aid, and is trying to kick us out of our homes,? Sanying residents and their supporters sang to an ancient Amis tune. Five people sat on stools with a banner that read ?Fight until the end? while having their heads shaved. Tears ran down faces of some of the protesters. The Sanying Community is located on the banks of the Dahan River (?? ?) in Taipei County. Most of the residents are Amis Aborigines from Hualien and Taitung Counties who work as construction workers in Taipei. Unable to afford living in the city, they built their own homes with abandoned construction materials some 20 years ago. However, contending that the community could be flooded, the county government ordered that the people be evicted and the community?s buildings be demolished, with the most recent demolition in February. Determined to stay, the residents rebuilt their homes. Weeks before the March presidential election, Sanying residents, along with Aborigines from other communities that were to be demolished, demonstrated outside the campaign headquarters of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (???), asking him for help. Soon after the demonstration, KMT Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (???) reached an agreement with the Aborigines during a meeting on March 13, promising to leave the Aboriginal communities untouched until ?the county government finds a piece of land that is acceptable to both the government and the residents for the Aborigines to rebuild their communities,? a transcription of the meeting conclusion reads. But a demolition notice posted by the county government on Wednesday last week frightened the residents. ?The Sanying residents build luxury homes that they can never afford by day, then return to their small, miserable houses at night, and never complained,? Chiang Yi-hao (???), a Sanying Self-Help Association spokesman said. ?Why can?t the government just leave them alone?? A low-level county Water Resources Bureau official surnamed Lin explained that the demolition notice doesn?t include the residents? houses. ?It just means that we wanted to remove structural garbage along the river that may block the flow of water,? Lin said. However, both Lin and the Indigenous Peoples Bureau director Chu Ching-yi (???) would not comment on whether the March 13 agreement is still valid. A source speaking on condition of anonymity said that a demolition of the Sanying Community could take place next month. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/tribals-protest-harassment-after-salboni-landmine-blast_100118691.html Tribals protest harassment after Salboni landmine blast November 13th, 2008 - 7:39 pm ICT by IANS - Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) Thousands of tribals staged a demonstration Thursday in West Bengal?s Lalgarh, a backward tribal-dominated region in West Midnapore district, to protest against the police, alleging harassment after the Salboni landmine blast Nov 2.Armed with improvised weapons, tribals, including women and children, squatted on dug up roads in Maoist-hit Lalgarh. They cut off the area from the rest of the district, protesting the alleged harassment of local people. The villagers also blocked all approach roads with huge tree-trunks. ?The area is on boil since the landmine blast. We?re trying to iron out the impasse through a process of dialogue,? West Bengal Home Secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty told reporters here. He said the district magistrate Thursday held a meeting with all political parties and tribal communities in that region to resolve the issue. According to officials, the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa Juan Ganta, a tribal body, was spearheading the agitation in the area. Trouble began at Lalgarh last week after the district police arrested some school students and allegedly heckled tribal women in connection with the landmine blast that went off when the convoy of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was passing near Salboni. Both the ministers had a narrow escape in the incident. The road connectivity between Lalgarh and Salboni was blocked at 13 points near Jhitka forest with big trees. The road leading to Jhargram was dug up at several places at Katapahari. ?The Chief Minister told us to intervene into the situation and if anything happens we?ve orders to immediately start investigation,? said Chakraborty. Villagers alleged the police often arrested people living in that area, mostly tribals, on the suspicion of being Maoists. They claimed that the police broke open tribal homes at midnight and beat up women in course of their investigation. A landmine had exploded close to Paswan?s security vehicle near Salboni and injured six policemen of a pilot car. The incident took place shortly after chief minister?s convoy passed through the area. The convoy was returning after inauguration of JSW Steel?s mega 10-MT steel plant in West Midnapore district. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/west-bengal-tribals-protest-police-harassment-lead_100118781.html West Bengal tribals protest police harassment (Lead) November 13th, 2008 - 11:44 pm ICT by IANS - Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) Thousands of tribals, including women and children, squatted on dug up roads in Maoist-hit Lalgarh in West Bengal Thursday to protest alleged police harassment and the arrest of some school students following the Nov 2 landmine blast targetting the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two union ministers.The tribals blocked all approach roads to Lalgarh, in West Midnapore district, by placing huge tree trunks on the roads. Meanwhile, a meeting between the civil administration, police officials and the agitating tribals Thursday failed to find a way out of the impasse. ?The Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa Juan Ganta (BJMMJG) tribal group reached a consensus with us and decided to withdraw the agitation. But a few Maoists have taken the upper hand and don?t want to call off this agitation,? R.K. Singh, superintendent of police, West Midnapore district, told IANS. The Maoists are warning the BJMMJG against withdrawing the agitation, he said. ?The area is on the boil since the landmine blast. We?re trying to find a way out through dialogue,? West Bengal Home Secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty told reporters earlier in the day. Trouble began at Lalgarh last week after the district police arrested some school students and allegedly heckled tribal women in connection with the landmine blast that went off when the convoy of Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was passing near Salboni. Both the ministers had a narrow escape in the incident. Villagers allege that police often arrested people on suspicion of being Maoists. They claimed that the police broke open tribal homes at midnight and beat up women in the course of their investigation. A landmine had exploded close to Paswan?s security vehicle near Salboni, injuring six policemen of a pilot car. The convoy was returning after inauguration of JSW Steel?s mega 10-MT steel plant in West Midnapore district. On Friday the civil administration and police will meet the tribal group at Lalgarh to find a consensus over the impasse. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/tribals-protest-police-excesses-in-west-bengal_100119171.html Tribals protest ?police excesses? in West Bengal November 14th, 2008 - 9:01 pm ICT by ANI - Midnapur (West Bengal), Nov 14 (ANI): Tribals in Jhargram-Lalgarh belt of West Midnapore district of West Bengal staged a protest against the alleged ?police excesses? in the area on Friday. The residents of Jhargram-Lalgarh belt are incensed as they allege that policemen investigating the November 2 landmine attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee have been torturing women and making ?indiscriminate? arrests. The tribals cut off almost four blocks in the district from the rest of the state by digging up roads and felling trees across them. The protesters have also blocked different entry points into the Jhargram-Lalgarh area for more than a week now. The protesters, wielding sticks, bows, arrows and choppers allege that innocent tribal residents in villages like Chotopelia, Kanta Pahari, Dehijudi, Khejua, Bandhgadha, Amalavati were being labeled as Maoists by the police and harassed. ?The police officials are coming to the villages and arresting the men. They come in the night. If they have to come, they should come during the day time. If people are guilty they should come with warrants. They should not come without arrest warrants and they should come during the day not at night. They call us Maoists. They themselves are Maoists. That is why they come at night,? said Sangita Murmu, protester. Despite several parleys between the locals and the District Administration, a solution to the problem has remained elusive. ?The administration cannot take hasty steps. It could lead to more trouble or misunderstanding. Some people have some problems and are angry. The district administration and police have assured them that action would be taken against those guilty if complaints are filed. Discussions are going on even now,? said Ashok Mohan Chakravorty, Chief Secretary, West Bengal Government. Trouble began at Lalgarh last week after the district police arrested some school students and allegedly heckled tribal women in connection with the landmine blast that went off when the convoy of Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan, Jitin Prasada and Bhattacharjee was passing through Bhadutala. They had a narrow escape. Villagers allege that police often arrested people on suspicion of being Maoists. They alleged that the police entered tribal homes at midnight and beat up women in the course of their investigation. The landmine exploded close to Paswan??s security vehicle near Salboni, injuring six policemen of a pilot car. The convoy was returning after the inauguration of JSW Steel??s mega 10-MTsteel plant at Salboni in West Midnapore district. (ANI) http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=428033 West Bengal tribals protest 'indiscriminate' arrests ________________________________________ IANS Sunday 9th November, 2008 The West Bengal government Sunday held a series of meetings with tribals and residents of West Midnapore district who are up in arms against alleged police atrocities and 'indiscriminate arrests' after landmine ambush of the chief minister's convoy here Nov 2. Reports from Salboni said District Magistrate N.S. Nigam has agreed to consider withdrawing cases registered against three students for their suspected involvment in the attack by suspected Maoists. 'Few tribal religious leaders were present at the meeting. All of us will try to persuade residents and the tribals to stop the protests and withdraw the siege on Lalgarh police station,' Nigam told IANS by phone. However, in Kolkata, Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia said: 'There were long and positive discussions.' Six policemen were injured in the incident, with union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada and Chief Minister Bhuddhadeb Bhattacharjee having a close shave while returning from groundbreaking ceremony of the JSW Bengal steel plant. Red-faced over the attack, despite the presence of scores of security personnel, the police cracked down on the adjoining villages to get clues and rounded up eight people. Irate people and tribals dug up roads, put up road blockades and laid siege to the Lalgarh police station after the arrest of three students Thursday. All three were freed on bail the next day. The tribals also complained of police brutalities, saying even their womenfolk were not spared during repeated raids on their villages. Holding rallies, displaying their traditional weapons bows and arrows, the tribals also snapped power supply near Khoirasol village, plunging surrounding areas into darkness. The tribals have demanded that the police apologise for the 'atrocities' and release all residents of Lalgarh held after the attack. During the first round of meeting Sunday, the opposition parties staged a walkout as the state's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist accused them of being 'hand-in-glove' with the Maoists. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112555641000.htm Opposition parties join tribal protests against police Special Correspondent KOLKATA: Opposition parties staged demonstrations at different places in West Bengal on Monday protesting alleged police excesses on tribals in Paschim Medinipur district. Parts of the district have remained virtually cut off for more than a fortnight following an agitation by locals in Lalgarh, demanding action against police for highhandedness. Fresh roadblocks were set up by protesters in the Jhargram sub-division of Paschim Medinipur district as well as in parts of adjoining Bankura district, according to reports reaching here. Procession A group of tribals led by Trinamool Congress leaders took out a procession at Asansol in Burdwan district in protest against the alleged police atrocities. Those leading the agitation alleged that police excesses had been committed on Lalgarh villagers during police raids to track down those responsible for the IED blast that narrowly missed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?s convoy on November 2. Supporters of the Congress and its youth wing staged demonstrations in the Jhargram subdivision against the ?police excesses.? They squatted for two hours on the highway that links Kolkata to Mumbai, causing severe traffic disruptions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5337802.stm 13 September 2006, 10:13 GMT 11:13 UK Amazonian tribe protests at oil pollution Indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon are stepping up their campaign against oil companies, as the BBC's Dan Collyns reports from the capital, Lima. Some feel the rights of indigenous populations are not taken seriously Peru's Amazon state, Loreto, takes up almost a third of the entire country. A vast expanse of rainforest divided by tributaries of the Amazon river, even its main city Iquitos is only accessible by boat or plane. But its inaccessibility has not discouraged oil companies from hunting for black gold, and they have been doing so for the last 35 years. During that time, the Achuar people, who have lived in harmony with their environment in this part of western Amazon for thousands of years, say their way of life has been systematically violated. The Federation of Native Communities of the Corrientes' river (FECONACO) says that for every barrel of oil there are nine barrels of contaminated water produced as a by-product - a total of more than a million barrels a day. The water contains high concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, like lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. The Achuar people say it is destroying the fragile eco-system in which they live, killing the fish and wildlife, contaminating their water source and seriously damaging their health. Health problems Geanina Lucana is a nurse who has been working with indigenous communities in the area for six years. She says the contamination affects every part of the human body, causing a chronic breakdown of the immune system. The Achuars say high levels of toxins in the water are damaging their health "The toxins affect the central nervous system, causing a complete mental and physical breakdown. I've seen a person die but the doctor was not able to determine a single cause of death," she said. It is widely acknowledged that high levels of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and chlorides can cause serious physical and mental health problems, including cancer and genetic deformities. A survey carried out by Peru's Ministry of Health in May found that cadmium levels in the blood of more than 98% of the Achuar exceeded safe levels. The oil companies, with the complicity of the state, are systematically violating our human rights Robert Guimaraes, vice president of AIDESEP And more than 66% of children had levels of lead in their blood which exceeded the maximum permissible. Yet despite the evidence of its own health ministry, the Peruvian government has been slow to act. Different worlds Last week, Achuar leaders, with the help of two not-for-profit groups, brought their fight to Peru's capital, Lima. At one end of a large boardroom table, two apus - or community leaders - sat dressed in western clothes but with their traditional head-dresses. At the other end of the long table sat three suited officials from Peru Petro - the state-run body which issues licences to foreign oil companies. For a short time these people from different worlds inhabited the same space, while the community leaders from the jungle spoke of their outrage in their own Achuar language. "I represent 31 communities and we all say we don't want more oil companies on our land," said Cesar Dawua, leader of the Providencia community. "You live happily here in Lima working for the Peruvian state," he told the state officials. "We too want to live happily in our community of Rio Corrientes - but we can't because of the contamination. "That's why we've come to say to you loud and clear that this is the last opportunity that we have to try to resolve this issue - you can't allow this to drag on any more." The issue was not resolved, however, despite the appeals of the community leaders. Extreme poverty Both FECONACO and the Inter-ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP) have appealed to their government to make the oil company, in this case Pluspetrol, re-inject the contaminated water back into the earth. Pluspetrol say they plan to be able to re-inject 20% of the waste water by 2009. The region is classified as being in extreme poverty However, Peru's vice-minister for energy and mines, Pedro Gamio, says the government is pressing Pluspetrol to re-inject 100% of the contaminated water by that date. He added that the oil company stated this would be impossible because it lacked the correct equipment to carry out the work. Mr Gamio went on to say he could not order them to stop production because this would affect the country's economy and in turn a portion of the company's royalties, which are returned to the Corrientes region. The region provides 60% of the oil consumed in Peru. At the same time it is also officially registered as a zone of extreme poverty. The Peruvian government says the oil and mineral companies are bringing wealth and helping development in the country. But those representing indigenous communities say they pay too heavy a price. Robert Guimaraes, vice-president of AIDESEP, says: ""The Peruvian state is incapable of imposing sanctions on those who pollute our rivers and our land. Where is the justice?" http://intercontinentalcry.org/tyendinaga-mohawks-charged-for-protesting/ 7 November Tyendinaga Mohawks Charged for Protesting More than a dozen Tyendinaga Mohawks in southern Ontario are facing arrest for opposing an expensive new police station, paid for in part by the Federal Government of Canada, and for demanding the closure of a second landfill that is believed to be destroying and contaminating local water sources. An estimated 80 per cent of the community?s water wells are currently contaminated. A total of 27 criminal charges have been laid, all of which are said to be in connection to a set of protests that were held on October 27 and 29. However, as a November 5 statement from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory explains, the charges seem moreso aimed at silencing those from the community ??who maintain scrutiny over Band Council operations and spending.? ?[It] amounts to an unprecedented attempt to criminalize and jail any effective opposition that exists in the community. This is an attack on our families, our children, our culture and the way we think. This has moved beyond a simple community dispute. The federal government is making a final push to eradicate those people who believe in the strength and power of the Mohawk Nation and who will stand in its defence,? the statement reads. As for the police station, the community?s concern is that the Tyendinaga Band Council, with the support of the Federal Government, is ignoring the water crisis. They say the money used for the needless building, which cost $1.9 million, should be allocated toward providing safe water and for addressing poor housing conditions in the community. Concern over the quarry operation, on the other hand, is stemming from ?the tremendous speed with which [it] has been established and grown in size,? continues the November 5 statement. ?Community members are aware of the extremely rigorous environmental study and assessment practices that are required before quarries and aggregates can be established elsewhere in the province. Such laws do not apply on reserves and concern as to whether environmental and safety assessments have been properly conducted and meet recognized professional standards.? ?These fears have increased in recent weeks as households in the direct vicinity of quarry operations have experienced water problems and collapsed wells for the first time ever.? ?The quarry is operated by Build-All Contractors, a company owned by [Tyendinaga] Police Chief Maracle?s brother. The site preparation and overseeing of the building construction at the site of the new police station was also awarded to Build-All, the Police Chief?s brother, in an untendered contract.? ?With army helicopters and fighter jets circulating the Territory today, the Federal Government of Canada is making it clear that it intends to exercise what it views as its interest in community affairs.? For background and more information, please head over to the Tyendinaga Support Committee website, www.ocap.ca/supporttmt/. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/11/07/7335996-cp.html Arrests in a pair of protests at reserve near Belleville By THE CANADIAN PRESS BELLEVILLE, Ont. - Thirteen people are facing charges for protests last week on the Tyendinaga Mohawk reserve, east of Belleville. Police have laid a total of 27 charges against 11 adults and two youths for protests at the Buildall quarry on Oct. 27 and another demonstration two days later at the proposed site of a new police station. In the Oct. 29 demonstration, protesters managed to block trucks carrying the modular building that was supposed to serve as the reserve's new police station. Some of the reserve's residents are upset that the $1.9 million set aside for the station isn't being used for other projects, such housing and water improvements. Charges were also laid against another three people for a protest at the quarry in September. Tyendinaga police say they expect to make more arrests over the next few days. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/01/2407626.htm Indigenous protesters demonstrate in Brisbane Posted Sat Nov 1, 2008 2:19pm AEDT ? Map: Brisbane 4000 Indigenous protesters have gathered in Brisbane, venting their anger on a range of issues. There has been a rally underway in Queen's Park in the CBD over the bashing death of an Aboriginal man just south of Brisbane last weekend, the conviction of Palm Island rioter Lex Wotton and a planned ceremony to recognise police involved in the 2004 riot. The riot was sparked by the death in custody of Palm Island man Mulrunji Doomadgee. Aboriginal activist Sam Watson says a petition will be delivered to Parliament House this afternoon calling again for a Royal Commission into his death. "We believe that a high level Royal Commission is the only true forum in which we can expose all the issues," he said. Police officers will receive bravery awards in Townsville on Monday for their actions in the Palm Island riot, four days before Wotton is due to be sentenced. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=32952863226&topic=7835 QLD Police Target Lex Wotton Benefit Gig Displaying the only post. Post 1 Lauren wroteabout an hour ago *media release 23/3/09 Police Target Lex Wotton Benefit Gig On Saturday night 21st of March two arrests were made following police harassment of a Palm Island Indigenous man leaving a benefit gig held to support Lex Wotton?s family. Lex Wotton is currently serving a six year jail sentence for his part in a community protest in response to the cover-up of the death in custody of fellow Palm Island resident Mulrunji Doomadgee in November 2004. The gig was an alcohol free all ages live music event held as part of regular Saturday night activities at Blackstar Coffee Roastery in West End, none of which previously had attracted any police interest. ?From the start of the benefit gig, which included performances about black deaths in custody, uniformed police in unmarked cars patrolled the street, driving past at least five times before stationing two police cars and a police wagon at the end of the street. Despite no incidents at the event the police clearly expected to make arrests? said Robert Nicholas, one of the organisers from the Aboriginal Rights Coalition. An Indigenous man from Palm Island who had attended the event was walking home when he was stopped at the end of the street by ten police officers who questioned why he was at the event. Several concerned people walked up the street and asked police why they were not letting the man go home, to which they replied that he needed an ?escort?. ?We told them that one of us would walk home with him, and that he didn?t require a police escort or presence. At this point they started becoming very agitated and calling us ?ignorant left-wingers?. The harassment was clearly politically motivated and meant to intimidate? said David Stone, one of the arrestees. After further questioning the man was allowed to walk home. Our small group then attempted to go back to the gig but Owain Jones was stopped and police said they wanted to search him because his ?backpack smelt like cannabis?. When he objected police threatened to take him to the police station. When asked why he was being searched police told us ?walk away or be arrested?. Another man, David Stone, repeated the question and was grabbed by two police and arrested. When we protested that we hadn?t done anything wrong four police then wrestled an unresisting Owain Jones to the ground and violently held his arms behind his back. It was only when a cameraman taping the Benefit Gig arrived to take footage of these two unprovoked arrests that one police officer yelled ?camera, camera!? and the other officers restraining the men stopped and escorted them inside the police wagon. A police search at the watchouse revealed nothing illegal on either person. Both were charged with ?obstruction? which they will be challenging in court. These actions on behalf of Queensland police show the extreme abuse of the amended ?police ?move-on powers? which allow police to enforce search directions and use ?move-on? directions to avoid scrutiny by the public. Their violent and antagonistic behaviour prior to there being a camera present demonstrate the lack of accountability for acts of intimidation based on the political motivations of some officers. Witnesses and arrestees will be filing complaints regarding the harassment and abuse of police ?move-on? powers with the CMC. Contact: Lauren Mellor (Aboriginal Rights Coalition) 0413 534 125 Thomas Day (Event Organiser, Blackstar Coffee) 0423 412 171 http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110759750300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Activists return to Kudubi-Padavu, stage protest against MSEZ Staff Correspondent The disputed 15.34-acre plot has been flattened by the company ________________________________________ Some Kudubi tribal people say they have not received compensation Decision taken to intensify the agitation in the coming days ________________________________________ VOICING THEIR OPPOSITION: Activists taking an oath that they will not allow their land to be acquired by Mangalore Special Economic Zone at Kudubi0-Padavu on Thursday. MANGALORE: The activists of the anti-Mangalore Special Economic Zone, who had gone into hiding following alleged threats to their lives, returned to Kudubi-Padavu village for an agitation on Thursday only to find that the place had completely changed. The Kudubi-Padavu village, which was popularly known as emerald green farmland until a few days ago, now resembles a barren playground. The Mangalore Special Economic Zone Ltd (MSEZ), which is seeking 15.34 acres of land here for the construction of some temples, has flattened the land, allegedly without the permission of its owners. The activists, who, led by the Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti, held a meeting here on Thursday, vowed to retrieve the land that had been allegedly taken over by force. The members of the Jamat-e-Islami Hind, seers of the Kollya and Khemaru maths and the Nagarika Seva Trust-Guruvankere, a non-governmental organisation, also participated in the meeting. But, some of the Kudubi tribal people told The Hindu on Thursday that the resurgence of theses activists might have come a tad too late. ?When the company?s contractors were running bulldozers on our lands there was nobody to support us. Our fertile farmland land is now under tons of infertile soil; everything is ruined,? said a Kudubi tribal woman. Vidya Dinaker of the Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti (KBSS) told The Hindu that she had received threats from contractors and proponents of the MSEZ. While she abstained from attending the Thursday?s meeting out of fear, Natesh Ullal, a KBSS activist who attended the meeting, said that several Christian members of the samiti were living in fear of the police. One of the Christian members of the samiti said: ?The police lathi-charged some Christians in this region, when they were on a peaceful protest against the attacks on churches. Now, there was a feeling of mistrust towards the police. That is why we were reluctant to openly support the Kudubis? cause.? Honnappa Gowda of the Kudubi community said: ?I have never taken any money from anybody in exchange for my land. Still the company contractors are forcibly entering my land.? He claimed that the company officials refused to furnish any proof for the company having taken over his land. ?They are maintaining that they have bought my land. But, they are not revealing who did they pay the compensation to,? he said. Theresa Bai, a land-loser, said: ?All the documents pertaining to to my land are with me. Yet, the company officials entered my land in my absence and filled it with soil.? Those who spoke at the meeting told the residents here that they would support them in their struggle, henceforth. The over-500 activists decided to intensify their agitation in the coming days. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/02/stories/2008110253530300.htm Tamil Nadu - Dharmapuri Kuravas stage demonstration DHARMAPURI: Members of the Tamilnadu Kurava Tribal Association and the cadres of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) staged a demonstration before the Dharmapuri Collectorate condemning the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka and attack on minority Christians in Orissa. Mr. P. Devakrishnan, State Deputy Secretary of the Tamilnadu Kurava Tribes Association and State Dy. Secretary of the Ezhuchi Pasarai of VCK presided over the demonstration. They raised slogans against the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka and attack on Christians in Orissa. Demonstrators also demanded that the district administration should evict the the caste Hindus who had encroached on the land allotted to the Kuravas in Survey Number 102 and 103 in A. Reddihalli. About 50 persons participated. http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/06/rss.htm#e6 Protest launched against the Zardaris Thursday, 06 Nov, SANGHAR: Dozens of people belonging to Chakrani tribe staged a protest against the Zardaris here on Wednesday. They were carrying dead body of a woman, Hazooran 40, wife of Dhani Bux Chakrani. The protesting Chakranis blocked Mirpurkhas road in front of a local press club. (Posted @ 05:12 PST) http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/11/06/news/international.group.protests.mining.in.macambol.html Thursday, November 06, 2008 International group protests mining in Macambol By Ben O. Tesiorna INTERNATIONAL group Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod) protested the alleged irregularities committed by the two mining companies in their mining operation in the City of Mati. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers The protest action was conducted in United Kingdom last week and a launching of its report is set in Davao City on Thursday. In its report entitled "Kept in the Dark", Cafod accused BHP-Billiton and its estranged local partner, Asiaticus Management Corporation (Amcor), of committing errors in getting their Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) from the indigenous community in Barangay Macambol, where the mining area is located. "The process between 2001/08 to secure approval for the project from Macambol's indigenous peoples, as required under Philippine law, was so seriously flawed that it cannot be considered valid. The authority of the indigenous leader who gave consent for mining is in question. This indigenous leader was allegedly on the payroll of Amcor, BHP-Billiton's joint venture partner. Individuals were prevented from speaking out and some indigenous groups known to oppose mining were deliberately excluded from the process," the report stated. The report also accused Amcor of bribing local community leaders and government officials to get support for the mining project and silence opposition to mining. "Amcor and Philippine government officials allegedly offered bribes to community leaders to buy support for the project and to silence opposition to mining. BHP-Billiton's code of business conduct, which applies to all of its joint venture partners, strictly prohibits bribery. Cafod has no evidence to suggest the BHP-Billiton staff were involved, but believes that the company has a responsibility to ensure partners and contractors it has chosen to work with do not partake in bribery or corruption. On the basis of this research, Cafod believes that BHP-Billiton has applied insufficient due diligence over its joint venture partner Amcor," it said. Macambol Mandaya leader Rufino Mapinogos, meanwhile, denied any bribery made by Amcor to his community. He said what the Filipino-owned corporation gave the lumads in Macambol were programs and projects that are part of the company?s social responsibility. "Para kanamo, dili bribery ang pagtabang kanamo aron makasustiner, ma-organisar ang katawhan. Dawat namo ang responsableng pagmina. Gitudlo na kanamo sa among partner nga local mining company ang mamahimong ilang buhaton kun ugaling makasugod na ang operation (Helping us sustain the livelihood and organize our people is not bribery. We support responsible mining. The local mining company has briefed us on what it intends to do once operation starts)," Mapinogos said. Cafod said that BHP-Billiton has also failed to give people sufficient information about the project and all of its potential impacts. "BHP-Billiton has failed to give people sufficient information about the project and all of its potential impacts. The community is not well informed and has not had access to independent analysis of the social and environmental impacts of mining. This has limited people's ability to make an informed decision. The reality of life below the poverty line has left people easily swayed by hope of work and promises of community development assistance from BHP Billiton, without evaluating the longer-term impacts of mining on their future livelihoods and the environment that supports them," the report said. Lastly, Cafod said the project's potential dangers to the environment and to local livelihoods are undeniable. "The Hallmark project falls between two nationally designated protected areas: Pujada Bay and the Mount Hamiguitan wildlife sanctuary. Mining development in this area of rare and endangered species, including the Philippine Eagle, could lead to irreversible loss of biodiversity," it said. "Mining could lead to increased soil erosion, landslides and flashfloods. Pollution from mine waste or chemicals could endanger the livelihoods of the 65,000 people from communities that border Pujada Bay," the report added. The group said that making things worse is the fact that the Philippine government agencies responsible for monitoring the environmental impacts of mining are "under-resourced and lack independence." Mines and Geosciences Bureau chief for Southern Mindanao Edilberto Arreza meantime described as premature the demand for the mining companies doing exploration in Mati City to make public their environmental protection program. Arreza said that since the mining companies are still in exploration stage, they have not yet submitted any environment protection plan before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). He said the environment protection plan will only be submitted after the exploration stage and once the company fully decides to mine the area. "Still premature pa for them to judge or comment that the environment will be destroyed," Arreza said. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/11/24/7513861-sun.html Community protests tarsands Oilsands development a danger to aboriginal community: Band member By KEVIN CRUSH, SUN MEDIA The Edmonton Sun Mike Mercredi, a community member of Fort Chipewyan, was on hand yesterday at Edmonton?s Native Friendship Centre to talk about the impact an oilsands development is having on his First Nations community. (KEN ARMSTRONG/Sun Media) EDMONTON -- Fort Chipewyan is facing a "genocide" from oilsands development, says a member of the First Nation. "It's a slow, industrial genocide and Fort Chipewyan is a sacrifice," Mike Mercredi, 33, warned attendees at the Everyone's Downstream 2 conference at Edmonton's Native Friendship Centre yesterday. Mercredi, who works for the band studying traditional land use, said after his speech that this is a case of history repeating itself. "It was biological warfare with smallpox (after the European settlers arrived) and now we're almost facing that again," he said. "We're facing another form of biological warfare and it's killing us off. It's genocide. They know it's there but they're denying it."' Upstream from Fort Chipewyan, oilsands companies are busy mining the area around the Athabasca River. Their sites are each allowed to release small amounts of waste into the water, which Mercredi says is collectively building up and devastating his tiny community of 1,200, located 610 km northeast of Edmonton. Approximately 40 people attended the conference yesterday morning. Put on by the Indigenous Environmental Network and Oilsands Truth, the conference tried to highlight the impact of oilsands development on First Nations communities. "We have got to create space like this to bring together all these different interests that, in our opinion, truly represents the majority," said organizer Clayton Thomas-Muller, an Ottawa-based tarsands campaigner with the Indigenous Environmental Network. While the conference highlighted Fort Chipewyan, it also drew attention to the impact of an oil refinery being built near a First Nations community in North Dakota and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Thomas-Muller said the effects of development are hurting more than just aboriginal populations. "Anyone living below Canada's poverty line who can't afford $3,000 rent in Fort McMurray is going to be impacted." But it's further north where Mercredi sees the damage. A former truck driver with Syncrude Canada, he said he quit a year ago when he realized he was part of the problem that was destroying the community he grew up in. As a child, he said the community could go years between funerals, but now they are held almost monthly. Since 1990, 108 people have died and Mercredi claimed much of it is being caused by chemicals in the water. Studies have refuted that, but Mercredi said those studies never questioned the people who were actually sick. He said Fort Chipewyan is a sacrifice to development and no one seems to care. But he suggested the circumstances would be different if the river flowed south to Edmonton. "There's only so much that people would say about a First Nations community and help out, but once it's in a capital city and people there were dying, it would be an epidemic." http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-10-04-2710996370_x.htm 6 villagers killed in clash at Mexico ruins Posted 10/4/2008 8:59 PM | Comment | Recommend by Moyses Zuniga Santiago, AP A man looks at damaged state and federal police vehicles after clashes broke out a day earlier near the entrance to the Mayan archeological ruins of Chinkultic in southern Mexico, Saturday Oct. 4, 2008. Indian protesters occupying the entrance say six of their comrades were killed in violent clashes with police trying to re-open the entrance to the ruins, while state officials have not confirmed the exact number of dead but acknowledge that several people died in the clash. Indian inhabitants took over the entrance in September to protest what they called excessive entrance fees and a lack of maintenance. (AP Photo/Moyses Zuniga Santiago) By Manuel De La Cruz, Associated Press Writer SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico ? Police clashed with hundreds of villagers who seized the entrance to a Mayan archaeological site and six protesters were killed, state officials said Saturday. Hundreds of villagers had occupied the entrance to the Chinkultic ruins for nearly a month, saying they were protesting excessive entrance fees and a lack of investment in the area. The protesters fought police with sticks, rocks and machetes, according to the state Justice Department. Protesters managed to wrest guns away from some officers and poured gasoline on others, threatening to set them on fire, the department said. Six protesters were killed in Friday's raid, and two dozen other people were injured, including 16 police, the department said. Irma Trinidad, an indigenous leader who participated in the clash, said six of her comrades were shot to death by police. She said 10 other protesters had bullet wounds and 28 were arrested. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Mexico | Justice Department | History | Guatemalan | Montebello | National Institute of Anthropology | Tzotzil Chiapas state Justice Secretary Amador Rodriguez Lozano ordered 300 state police who participated in the raid to be detained for questioning. No charges have been filed. Chinkultic is a Mayan archaeological site about 1,200 years old, located near the Montebello lakes near the Guatemalan border. The villagers, most of them from the Mayan Tzeltal and Tzotzil cultures, drove administrative workers off the site on Sept. 7 with sticks, but allowed the archeologists to keep working. The protesters charged visitors 20 pesos (US$1.80) for entrance rather than the official 35 pesos (US$3) and said they would use the money to fix roads and make other infrastructure improvements. Tourists continued to visit the site during the takeover. At a booth outside the entrance, officials from the National Institute of Anthropology and History warned tourists about the protests but said the site was still open to visitors. http://i.abcnews.com/International/wireStory?id=5960805 5 Police Held in Deadly Clash at Mexican Ruins 5 Mexican police arrested in death of villagers during clash at Mayan ruins By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ Associated Press Writer SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico October 6, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Five state police officers were arrested in southern Mexico on Sunday in connection with a deadly raid to dislodge protesters from a Mayan archaeological site. Villagers sit in a police truck prior to being released in Chiapas, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 5. 2008.... (AP) The five officers led an operation on Friday to remove hundreds of mostly indigenous villagers who had occupied the entrance to the Chinkultic ruins for nearly a month, the Chiapas state Justice Department said. The officers could face homicide charges. Protesters fought back with sticks, rocks and machetes, the department said. They wrested 75 guns from the officers and poured gasoline on others, threatening to set them on fire. State Justice Secretary Amador Rodriguez Lozano said four villagers were killed and two are missing. Two dozen other people were injured, including 16 police officers. Indigenous leaders said the two missing protesters were found dead, bringing the toll to six. The villagers, most of them from the Mayan Tzeltal and Tzotzil cultures, were protesting what they call excessive entrance fees and a failure to reinvest gate revenues in local infrastructure and environmental protection. They also demanded a role in the administration of the ruins. They invaded the site on Sept. 7, driving away administrative workers but allowing archeologists to keep working. They had operated the front gate ever since, charging visitors 20 pesos (US$1.80) rather than the official 35 pesos (US$3) and saying the money would go to fixing roads and other infrastructure improvements. Another 295 police who had been held for questioning were released by Sunday. But the Justice Department said more could be arrested as investigations continue. Lozano also said authorities are considering an offer from the villagers to hand over the stolen weapons in return for the release of 30 detained protesters. Chinkultic is a 1,200-year-old Mayan archaeological site near the Guatemalan border. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081020-167465/Bukidnon-farmers-protest-delays-in-pacts Bukidnon farmers protest delays in pacts By Grace Cantal-Albasin Mindanao Bureau First Posted 17:47:00 10/20/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Forest and forest management MALAYBALAY CITY, Philippines?Bukidnon farmers belonging to indigenous communities are protesting delays in the processing of their applications for forest management agreements. The issue raised by Bukidnon indigenous farmers comes after the decade-old struggle of Sumilao farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. The farmers, who have been occupying expired and canceled ranches located in Maramag town in September, staged a protest rally at the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Pangantucan town on Monday to protest the alleged slow-paced processing of their forest management applications. The farmers, belonging to the Alliance of Landless Farmers and Rural Poor in Bukidnon -- Task Force Mapalad (Alyansa- TFM), complained of the alleged incompetence of Elpidio Magday, the CENRO chief in Pangantucan, after their application for a Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) agreement got stuck on the required documents. The farmers alleged that Magday has been deliberately stalling their applications because he had yet to ask the National Commission on Indigenous People for the conduct of the Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC), a requirement for a forest management agreement. The informed consent is a community consultation especially among the indigenous peoples who live in the area and who are applying for a forest management agreement. The community-based forest management scheme will serve as the tenurial instrument of Alyansa farmers who now occupy the cancelled ranches. Oscar Ma?iego, Alyansa-TFM chairperson, said there was no reason for the CENRO to delay their papers because they had filed their application right after Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza cancelled the forest land grazing lease agreements of ranches belonging to Allan Uy and the Ocaya family on August 20, 2008. The farmers who took over the Villalon ranch had applied for a community forest management agreement as early as last year. "How can Secretary Atienza grant our CBFM application when this local environment office is not responsive to our request? In so doing, it is not working in consonance with his advice," said Ma?iego. The protesting farmers were told that Magday was only waiting for the 90-day grace period given to the leases and that CENRO has also been waiting for the order from the central office. The farmers, however, vowed to continue to demand for the speedy approval of their application and warned of another camp-out at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional office next week. Ma?iego said Atienza advised them to start occupying and tilling the area pending his approval of their CBFM. "In fact, the local government through our respective barangays (villages) already filed resolutions endorsing our application," Ma?iego said. Farmers belonging to the Panalsalan Dagumabaan Tribal Association (Padata) occupied the 520-hectare ranch in the villages of Panalsalan and Dagumbaan, which was owned by former Kibawe Mayor Ernesto Villalon. The Baclig Farmworkers Association (BACFA) occupied the 472-hectare Alan Uy Ranch while the Danggawan Landless Farmers Association (DLFA) occupied the 820-hectare ranch of Circle T Development Corporation owned by the family of the late Governor Timoteo Ocaya. If approved, these groups under Alyansa-TFM will be allowed to develop with sustainability a specific portion of the forest land for 25 years which could be renewable for another 25 years. Data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources show that of the total 669,576 hectares forest land area in Bukidnon, 187,548 hectares are identified production forest where the community based forest management agreement can be applied. But only 15 percent or 26,977.9 hectares have forest management applications. The rest have not been distributed to targeted beneficiaries. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100455240700.htm Other States - Rajasthan Prohibitory orders imposed in Dungarpur after clashes Special Correspondent JAIPUR: The district town of Dungarpur in south Rajasthan was brought under prohibitory orders on Friday following clashes between two communities and a mob attacking the police force during a bandh call given by the Bajrang Dal. Incidents of stone-throwing were reported from some parts of the town. Eight shops were also set afire. The day?s violence was in continuation of strife the Adivasi town had witnessed four days earlier. After a brief lull, tension ran high again on Thursday night when two groups armed with swords clashed, injuring four persons of one side. Following the clashes the Bajrang Dal had issued an ultimatum to the district administration to arrest the accused or it would hold a bandh on Friday in protest. ?We had arrested three of the seven accused in the night itself. However, against our appeal the Bajrang Dal went ahead with the bandh,? said Inspector-General of Police (Udaipur Range) N.R.K. Reddy talking to The Hindu on phone from Dungarpur. Friday?s trouble started when a 400-strong mob of bandh supporters got on to the streets around 9-30 a.m. and started attacking the police personnel deployed. ?As the police started disbursing them, they fled but on the way set fire to a few shops,? Mr. Reddy said. Half a dozen policemen sustained injuries in the attack, he said. The police arrested 24 persons. ?The situation is under control,? he maintained. Women and Child Welfare Minister Kanakmal Katara visited the town and addressed a peace meeting of the representatives of both the communities at the Circuit House in the presence of Zila Pramukh Tara Chand Bhagora. The authorities in Dungarpur clarified that the Garba dance programmes going on in the town in connection with the Navaratra festivities would continue despite the prohibitory orders. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL169034.htm Indian tribals protest against Arcelor Mittal plant 20 Oct 2008 09:05:14 GMT Source: Reuters By Nityanand Shukla RANCHI, India, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of villagers marched in eastern India on Monday to protest against a proposed Arcelor Mittal steel plant, police said, the latest in a series of confrontations over industry on farmlands. Armed with bows and sickles, the villagers, members of poor local tribes in thestate of Jharkhand, held banners that said: "We need food, not steel". They shouted slogans, swearing they would give up their lives but not their farmlands. The world's largest steelmaker is planning an $8.2 billion plant in the mineral-rich state, which it hopes to build over four years. The company needs 11,000 acres (4,450 hectares) for the 12 million tonne plant and an industrial town. But angry villagers say they will not give up land for the project. "We will not give an inch of land to Mittal steel," Dayamani Barla, a protest leader, said. "We will further intensify our agitation, if the Mittals make any effort to grab our land." A company official in Ranchi, the state capital, said they were trying to defuse the situation by talking to villagers. The protest reflects a larger stand-off between industry and farmers unwilling to surrender land in a country where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living. Experts say state governments and companies will have to pay more attention to the needs of farmers in a country where industrialisation pressures are mounting. Violent protests by farmers and political opposition forced India's Tata Motors Ltd to move the factory for its low-cost Nano car out of West Bengal state earlier this month. The communist government also had to abort plans to set up a Special Economic Zone for a chemicals complex in the state last year. Angry protests by farmers have delayed construction of a steel plant in Orissa state by South Korean steel firm POSCO <005490.KS>, which could be India's single biggest foreign investment to date. An alumina refinery by Vedanta Resources PLC in Orissa has also been delayed due to tribal protests. The villagers in Jharkhand opposing the Mittal project distributed 15,000 fliers in dozens of villages around the proposed plant site, urging people not to part with their land. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Simon Denyer and Alex Richardson) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/19/stories/2008101955640400.htm Andhra Pradesh Protests against mining spread to East Godavari Staff Reporter Demand for alternative means of livelihood for the tribal groups RAMPACHODAVARAM: Protests against bauxite mining are going on in Visakhapatnam district because of the availability of a huge quantity of 540 million tonnes. The Left parties are fighting the mining lease given to the Jindals and another company. The heat now is slowly spreading to the East Godavari Agency. There is 30 million tonnes of bauxite in 70 hamlets of 35 Revenue villages of five major panchayats in Y. Ramavaram mandal of the Agency. The panchayats are Daragadda, Gurthedu, Kanivada, Patakota and Vadda Gandi. The main reserves of bauxite are in ?Katamarajula Konda?. As far as the district is concerned, this is a huge quantity, but compared with Visakhapatnam it is small. In the 70 hamlets, four primitive tribes -- Konda Reddy, Konda Kammara, Koya and Gutti Koya -- live. There are 15,000 primitive groups which will be dislocated if mining is allowed. Officials of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation and Mining Department officials undertook several trips to Katamarajula Konda. But, during the last six months, they have not visited the place as the CPI (Maoists) and CPI (M) are holding agitations separately. Once a month The Maoists are conducting meetings once a month in one panchayat. The CPI (M) took up an agitation, led by M. Babu Rao, MP, for over three months. They warned against any mining in the absence of an alternative means of livelihood for the tribal groups. Gurthedu is the centre of the CPI (M) agitations. The Maoists are keeping their activities a secret as police thwart their meetings if announced in advance. They are addressing meetings during nights. However, in the last one month, they have intensified the agitation. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/12/train-block.html Ontario protesters end bid to block train promoting Olympics Last Updated: Sunday, October 12, 2008 | 9:13 PM ET Comments19Recommend9 The Canadian Press Protesters briefly barricaded a rail line north of Toronto Sunday evening and threatened to stop CP Rail's Olympic Spirit Train, but police quickly persuaded them to end their protest after about an hour. "They listened to reasoning and they're dispersing," said Sgt. Mike Sterchele of York Regional Police. "We always like to negotiate these things to a peaceful end." The group issued a news release earlier Sunday vowing to block the train's cross-country route to bring attention to what it called unresolved issues with aboriginals, the poor and the environment related to the staging of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. "This is an act of solidarity with those First Nations on the West Coast," protest spokesman Dan Keller told the Canadian Press in a phone interview. About 20 activists assembled on the railway line and one woman chained herself to the tracks, Keller and police said. "The ultimate aim of this is, of course, to stop the Spirit train," Keller said. Keller did not immediately return phone calls after the protesters dispersed. The train left Port Moody, B.C., on Sept. 21, on a trip to promote the Games. It spent Saturday in Sudbury, Ont., and was scheduled Sunday to travel south to Mississauga, west of Toronto. It was not clear exactly where the train was at the time the protest started. CP Rail touted the train as a "mobile ambassador moving the Olympic spirit to Canadian communities." Keller said the protesters hoped they could stop the train from spreading what he called propaganda about the Games. Target of opposition Opposition to the Olympic Games has been constant since Vancouver was awarded the bid in 2003 but some protest groups say their membership is getting stronger as the Games near. First Nations activists have been vocal in their opposition to the Games, saying they are being held illegally on traditional territories. This is an attitude organizers have worked hard to counter. The federal government has signed agreements worth billions of dollars with the four bands whose traditional territories are home to the Games and with whom Olympic organizers have also built official relationships. Both CP and the Vancouver organizing committee have said they are prepared for protests. CP Rail, as the official rail freight services supplier to the 2010 Vancouver Games, paid somewhere between $3 million and $15 million for the sponsorship, in exchange for access to tickets and the use of Olympic trademarks for such promotional events. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081012.wwtrain1012/BNStory/National/home Protesters block rail line hoping to halt Olympic Spirit Train Canadian Press October 12, 2008 at 7:55 PM EST VAUGHAN, Ont. ? Protesters say they have barricaded a rail line north of Toronto in hopes of stopping CP Rail's Olympic Spirit Train. Protester Dan Keller says about 20 non-violent activists have assembled on the rail line with one woman having chained herself to the tracks. At this time, York Region police are monitoring the situation. The group is attempting to block the Spirit Train's route to bring attention to unresolved, issues with aboriginals, the poor and the environment related the staging of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Spirit Train left Port Moody, B.C., on Sept. 21, on a cross-Canada voyage to promote the Games. The train spent Saturday in Sudbury, Ont., and was scheduled to travel south to Mississauga on Sunday. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/10/07/ot-blockade-folo-081007.html?ref=rss Algonquin protesters, Quebec police trade accusations of force Last Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 | 5:11 PM ET A group of Algonquin demonstrators is accusing Quebec police of hurting a man and a little girl while breaking up a peaceful highway blockade on Monday, even as police accuse the protesters of violence that made tear gas necessary. About 50 protesters of all ages from the Barriere Lake reserve, about 300 kilometres north of Ottawa, shut down Highway 117 for most of the day near Grand-Remous, where the highway joins du Lac Rapide Road in La V?randrye wildlife reserve. The highway is the sole direct route between the Abitibi region and the rest of Quebec. Riot police used tear gas to break up the protest late in the afternoon. Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Melanie Larouche said police used tear gas only after giving protesters a verbal warning. "We did a line in front of them and they became very violent at that time," she said. "They took cement blocks and they broke them on the road, and they took the pieces of cement in their hands." Michel Thusky, a spokesman for the protesters, maintained that police were not being provoked when they began launching tear gas at the group, which included children, the disabled and the elderly. Protesters said a three-year-old girl was hurt when she was hit by a tear-gas canister, as was a man who had to be hospitalized. Others required oxygen treatment, they said. The group was protesting because they say the Canadian and Quebec governments are not respecting economic development and resource management agreements within their territory. They were also demanding that the federal government appoint an observer to oversee the selection of a new chief for the reserve, and said the blockade would continue until those demands were met. Thusky said Tuesday that protesters were forced to reopen the road because their children were being hurt, but he added that the community will keep using pressure tactics until the provincial government agrees to meet with them. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/10/06/ot-blockade-081006.html?ref=rss Quebec police arrest 9 Algonquin protesters, end blockade Last Updated: Monday, October 6, 2008 | 6:09 PM ET Comments58Recommend27 CBC News Quebec provincial police have broken up a blockade set up Monday by a group of Algonquin protesters on a western Quebec highway and have arrested nine people. An activist at the scene alleged that police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, who were from the Barriere Lake reserve, about 300 kilometres north of Ottawa. About 50 protesters set up barrels and logs around 6 a.m. ET Monday on Highway 117, which connects the Abitibi region to the Outaouais and Montreal regions. The blockade was at kilometre 362, near Grand-Remous, where the highway joins du Lac Rapide Road in La V?randrye wildlife reserve. It remained peaceful into the afternoon. However, the highway is the sole direct route between the Abitibi region and the rest of Quebec. The only other option is to circle around through Ontario. The Algonquin protesters alleged that Canada and Quebec are not respecting agreements concerning economic development and resource management within their territory. They were also demanding that the federal government appoint an observer to oversee the selection of a new chief for the reserve. They said the blockade would continue until those demands were met. http://intercontinentalcry.org/riot-police-target-algonquin-blockade/ Riot Police Target Algonquin Blockade October 7, 2008 at 12:16am | 916 views and 0 comments, leave your own Monday morning, families from the Algonquin community of Barriere Lake set up a blockade on highway 117 in northern Quebec to demand that the Federal and Quebec governments uphold the agreements they signed with the community, and for Canada to appoint an observer to witness a leadership reselection in the community, and then respects its outcome. Half way through the day, the S?ret? du Qu?bec?s anti-riot squad was called in to break up the blockade. They were said to overrun the families, launching tear gas, one of of which hit a child in the chest. Nine people, including an elder, a pregnant woman, and two minors, were arrested. Here?s an urgent call for support that the Barriere Lake Solidarity Collective sent out before the arrests. The blockade is over now, but it?s not to late to speak up in support of the Algonguins. Updates and further information can be found at their website, barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com Algonquin Blockade: Urgent Call for Support Starting at 6am this morning, families from the Algonquin community of Barriere Lake have blockaded highway 117 in northern Quebec. They are demanding that the Federal and Quebec governments uphold the agreements they signed with the community, and stop imposing illegitimate leadership on the community in order to avoid their responsibilities. As of 12:30pm on Monday, the police are saying that the Montreal police have been called in to clear the highway, and arrest those who resist. There are currently 50 community members and 20 non-native supporters peacefully blockading the highway. The community needs members of the broader public to make it clear right now that this is unacceptable, that they have suffered enough division at the hands of the government, and that the agreements need to be honoured. What you can do right now to help We need people to let the government know that they support the demands Barriere Lake has been fighting for for decades. Please take 15 minutes to phone or fax a letter to some of the following: ? Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada ( fax: 613-941-6900 ) ? Lawrence Cannon, Transportation Minister and MP for Pontiac (613 992-2940 Fax: 613 944-9376 ) ? Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs ( 819 997-0002 Fax: 819-953-4941 ) Use some of the following points (along with your own): ? The government should immediately cease its intimidation tactics and threats of violence ? The Federal government should honor the trilateral agreement it signed with Barriere Lake ? Express support for the Barriere Lake community?s struggle for the right to choose its own leadership ? The federal government should immediately stop interfering in Barriere Lake?s internal affairs More information ? Demands, and a list of groups that have endorsed them: http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/mission.html ? Photos of the current blockade: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31135244 at N07/sets/72157607795831835/ ? A quick visual introduction to the community: http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/1947 ? More information on how to support the Barriere Lake Algonquins: http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=49094 Indigenous People Peacefully Protest Columbus Day Posted By: Cristi Jessee 3 months ago NEVADA CITY, CA - Some people had the day off to relax this Columbus Day, but in Nevada City, others gathered in peaceful protest at the 9th Annual Indigenous Peoples Days. The festival began Friday night with a special land dedication in downtown Nevada City. Nevada City and Nevada County donated a parcel of land, 1,100 square feet, back to the Tsi-Akim Maidu people. The Maidu tribe heavily populated the Nevada City area up until the Gold Rush days. Festival chairman Don Ryberg said his ancestors, who were scattered when the miners came looking for gold, would be proud of the dedicated land's prime location. "This little piece of land is very significant to us. When people give land to Indians, it's generally in a swamp or toxic dump. This is right downtown in the middle of the community," Ryberg said. On the land, located at the corner of Union and Broad streets, sits a sacred grinding rock. Ryberg recently found the rock on nearby private property near Squirrel Creek. The land owner gave the rock to Ryberg, and now it's prominently displayed for the community to see. "Hundreds, if not thousands of generations have been grinding on this rock," Ryberg said. "This rock has heard all the songs, it's heard all the prayers and it actually has Maidu blood in it where they scraped their hands while they're doing this." The Maidu primarily used the grinding rock to grind pine nuts and acorns to be used in bread and soups. Ryberg said the granite rock has seven holes in it and weighs about 1,000 pounds. Ryberg wants to educate the community about the importance of such rocks, and the importance of honoring and respecting them. "Indian people believe that everything has a spirit. Everything is alive, even rocks," Ryberg said. "We need to respect that." http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=9126805 Protests over Indian taxes pass each other by Associated Press - October 5, 2008 3:55 PM ET SENECA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - Protests for and against imposing state sales taxes on Indian reservation stores passed each other by peacefully this weekend in central New York. On Route 89 in Seneca Falls, outside the Cayuga Indian Nation's LakeSide Trading gas station, a motorcade organized by the Cayuga-Seneca Chapter of Upstate Citizens for Equality urged Gov. David Paterson to collect sales tax from Native American businesses. In response, the Cayugas offered $10 in free gas Saturday morning and mounted a counter-demonstration in support of Indian sovereignty with supporters lined up along the road with signs. http://www.euronews.net/en/article/26/10/2008/spanish-shepherds-protest-in-streets-of-madrid/ Spain Spanish shepherds protest in streets of Madrid 26/10/08 17:58 CET world news The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. On a normal day, you would find wool in expensive sweaters gracing the shops of Madrid?s elegant avenues. But on Sunday, it was trotting down the streets of the Spanish capital. In what has been an annual event for the past 15 years, Spanish shepherds and their livestock marched in Madrid to draw attention to their dwindling numbers. They are calling for the protection of ancient grazing routes which are increasingly threatened by the growth of cities. The demonstration coincides with the annual livestock migration from cool highland pastures in summer to low-lying land in winter. For centuries, herdsmen and their cattle were allowed free access to some 125,000 kilometres of paths, in what is now becoming an increasingly unfamiliar sight in the Spanish countryside. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 21:23:02 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:23:02 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB2226.9050006@tesco.net> * INDIA: Goa - anti-mining protests block roads * INDIA: Karnataka - protests target forestry officials * BANGLADESH: Indiscriminate tree-felling protested * CHINA: Zhejiang, Taizhou - Protests against planned chemical plant * INDIA: AP - Villagers stage novel protest over garbage problem * WEST PAPUA - INDONESIA: Greenpeace blasts deforestation * GREECE: Locals protest lagoon threat * BULGARIA: Environmentalists protest illegal construction in green zones * AUSTRALIA: Tasmania - police smash Florentine forest protest * US - HAWAII: Residents protest redevelopment plan * CANADA: Newfoundland: Protests over oily soil * UK: Protesters march on parliament over airport expansion, police shut it down * CANADA: Scientists protest Harper "attack on science", global warming denial * US: Montana - gas leases protested * TAIWAN: Protest to save Lo Sheng * POLAND - CZECH REPUBLIC: Protest over wind turbines at tourist site * US: Texas/Chicago - protest against unsound energy * US: Connecticut - Protest over waste station * US: Wyoming: Buffalo plan draws protests * US: Montana - Yellowstone managers destroying solitude * UK - SCOTLAND: Protesters target SNP leader at home * NEW ZEALAND: Protest against GM crops * UK: 5000 sign up to Greenpeace land protection scheme * AUSTRALIA: Ecological protesters picket Cairns parliament * UK: Greenpeace ship in coal protest * AUSTRALIA: Tasmania - violent sledgehammer attack on forest protesters * SCOTLAND - UK: Tree-sitters seek to save park trees * ITALY - SARDINIA: Greenpeace targets coal power * SCOTLAND - UK: Protest fails to save trees Preservationism * BANGLADESH: Removal of statues sparks protest * IRELAND: Church demolition sparks protest http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/417523/cs/1/ Anti-mining protests in south Goa India Gazette Sunday 12th October, 2008 (IANS) A fresh mining lease in the south Goan region of Quepem has led to a resurgence in anti-mining protests, even as police arrested seven people after villagers and activists came out on the streets and blocked the passage of trucks carrying iron ore, officials said Sunday. Those arrested include Seby Rodrigues, a civil rights researcher, and an 85-year-old woman, on charges of rioting. Inspector General of Police Kishen Kumar said the accused had been remanded to judicial custody and further investigations were on. Speaking to IANS Sunday evening, Kumar denied reports of a Catholic priest being arrested. The demonstration Saturday night came on the eve of the inauguration of a fresh mining lease in Colamb region of Quepem, which has seen protests from the local villagers. A two dozen-strong group had squatted on the road, used to ferry iron ore extracted from mines to barges. In a statement to the media, anti-mining activist Philip Neri Dsouza said a minister in the Goa cabinet, a leader of the Goa Youth Congress and a member of the Goa district council had 'unleashed terror on the villagers of Maina-Quepem using government machinery'. Floriano Lobo, president of the Goa Suraj Party, said Rodrigues was being branded a Maoist by the pro-mining lobby. 'Sebastian Rodrigues is a Ph.D. student and is involved nationally and internationally in bringing awareness to the world about the ill-effects of unplanned and illegal mining in India, more specifically in his home state of Goa,' he said in a statement. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/17/stories/2008101758080300.htm Karnataka - Bellary Protest held against arrest of Congress leader Staff Correspondent ________________________________________ Diwakar Babu and 12 others were arrested on Wednesday ________________________________________ BELLARY: Followers of M. Diwakar Babu, former Minister and Congress leader, took out a procession in the city on Thursday protesting against Mr. Babu?s arrest on Wednesday when he, along with 12 others, was protesting in the Office of the Conservator of Forest against the partisan attitude of the Forest Department officials. They were demanding action against those who were undertaking illegal mining. The procession began from Durgamma temple and passed through the main streets to reach the Deputy Commisisioner?s office, where a memorandum was submitted, to be forwarded to the Governor. The memorandum urged the Governor to direct the State government to drop all the false charges levelled against Mr. Diwakar Babu and 12 others besides initiating steps to control the district administration from taking wrong steps, failing which the State Government would be solely responsible for the law and order problem that would arise. They condemned the arrest of Mr. Diwakar Babu and 12 others. Terming the police action as suppression of fundamental rights to agitate and bring into focus the ongoing attempts to loot mineral wealth , the protesters accused the district administration, particularly the police and the Forest Department, of adopting a ?partisan? attitude, and demanded stern action against the officials. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=60129 Published On: 2008-10-24 Metropolitan Indiscriminate felling of trees at Khashia Punji protested DU Correspondent Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) and Bangladesh Adivasi Forum (BAF) yesterday formed a human chain at TSC intersection on the Dhaka University campus protesting the indiscriminate cutting down of trees at Khashia Punji in Moulvibazar. Bapa President Prof Muzaffer Ahmed said wholesale cutting down of trees at Khashia Punji not only poses a threat to the environment, but also it is an issue of justice. The environment, biodiversity and livelihood of the local indigenous people are facing threats due to such type of whimsical act of the government, he added. Prof Ahmed said the government decision would put questions to the future national plan to face the impacts of climate change. At the programme, he called on the government to be careful not to take such decision immediately. The speakers said a huge number of trees have already been cut down as part of chopping down 4,000 trees in Khashia Pan Punji at Nahar Tea Garden at Srimangal and process of felling down more trees underway. They placed a five-point demand, including immediate halt to cutting down of trees and their sale and stop taking tax from the local indigenous people. The speakers said though only 864.58 acres of land is registered with the tea garden, it is using more than 1200 acres of land. Though the news of corruption by the local official of forest departments is published in the media, they are still cutting down trees indiscriminately, they added. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/13/asia/protest.php Opposition grows against proposed chemical plant in China International Herald Tribune, Reuters Published: October 13, 2008 BEIJING: Residents of a Chinese city plagued by pollution are mobilizing against a proposed chemical plant that they say could harm their health, with some urging marches against the plan, which they say puts growth before the environment. The plant proposed for Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, on the eastern coast of China, would make paraxylene, a petrochemical also known as PX and used to make polyester. Last year, protests against a PX plant planned for another coastal city, Xiamen, led to its being shelved. Now Taizhou residents, dismayed at the prospect of another chemical plant in an area already crowded with them, are threatening to re-enact those protests. "Resolutely oppose the PX project. As Taizhou residents, everyone must take some action," said one message on a local Web site (bbs.taizhou.com) that has served as a platform for those opposed to the plant. "We want clear water and green hills, not toxic cash." Leaders in China have vowed to create what it calls a more "harmonious society" with cleaner air and water, even at the cost of slower economic growth. But this dispute threatens to become another battle pitting citizens with environmental or health concerns against local officials whose priority often remains attracting fresh investment and revenue. Another Internet site devoted to opposing the project, calling itself Baowei Taizhou - roughly translated as Safeguard Taizhou - is urging residents to "surround Taizhou." "Let the people speak out. Give them full rights to know and express themselves," said the latest posting, dated Sunday. "Environmental problems are the world's problems, and every individual's." Internet messages are also urging residents to send around text messages organizing mass "strolls" against the project. Coastal Taizhou is a hub of chemical production, and the big plant would be a feather in the cap of local officials. "This is a rare historic opportunity, and a big project to enrich the people of Taizhou," said an official news report that announced the plan in April. But residents and workers in Taizhou have long complained about water, air and fields putrid with pollution. The proposed chemical production plant would make ethylene and paraxylene as part of a larger petroleum processing complex costing 60 billion yuan, or $8.8 billion, according to reports in the official Taizhou Daily. A Taizhou city environmental official told Reuters that the project, led by China National Petroleum, was still in planning stages. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100657850300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada Villagers stage novel protest Staff Reporter Mayor, Pradyumna urged to sort out garbage problem ? PHOTO: RAJU V Seeking divine help! Villagers of Pathapadu, Mangalapuram participate in a peace rally to protest against the entry of grabage dumper vehicles to their village-limits for dumping the solid waste on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Sunday. VIJAYAWADA: The villagers of Pathapadu, Apparaopeta, Sitaramapuram, Mangalapuram and Venkatapuram registered their protest against dumping of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by organising non-denominational peace prayers cutting across religious lines here on Sunday. They took out peace rally under the aegis of Chetta Tarlimpu Vyatireka Udyama Committee from Apparaopeta to Pathapadu and conducted prayers at all temples and churches en route. ?We urge the almighty to bless Mayor Mallika Begum, Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner P. S. Pradyumna and officials with prudence and wisdom. They are unable to understand our plight,? said villagers, who participated in the rally. The rally began at Kodanda Ramalayam in Apparaopeta and ended at Pathapadu covering about four churches and three temples. The villagers carried photos of gods of their choice and uttered catchy phrases like ?Govinda! Save us from the garbage,? and ?God bless them with wisdom.? Women belonging to as many as 20 DWCRA groups participated in the rally and offered prayers to register their protest. ?We are at receiving end for the sin that we have not committed. The garbage polluted the ground water in our village. Now, we have to walk four km to fetch a pot of water. We can?t accept this injustice anymore,? said K. Malleswari, a villager. No positive response Committee president K. Venkataratnam said that the Corporation officials slapped false cases against the villagers for preventing the sanitary vehicles last Sunday. Even police is aware of the fact that the villagers did not damage any of the sanitary vehicles. But, they slapped cases on the plea that government property was damaged, he said, adding, ?it is nothing but intimidating the villagers who were resisting the dumping of garbage.? ?The government identified our village as Indira Adarsa gramam. But, where is the development? Instead, we are facing regress with the dumping yard,? said G. Narayana, another villager. Bezwada Nageswara Rao, who was picked up by the police during midnight of last Saturday, said that they were opposing the dumping of garbage since one-and-half years. But, there was no positive response from Corporation officials. The officials were scaring the villagers by slapping non-bailable cases, he said, adding, ?promises to provide drinking water and roads are nothing but bait. We cannot accept the municipal refuse at any cost.? It may be recalled that the trouble broke with Nunna Police picking up two persons?Bezawada Nageswara Rao and Nallamothu Ananda Rao -- from the village in connection with the dumping issue last Saturday. The villagers instantaneously staged a protest and prevented entry of sanitary vehicles. --------------------------------------------------- Greenpeace blasts deforestation Jakarta Post - October 7, 2008 Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura -- The Greenpeace ship Esperanza and its crew of activists arrived in Jayapura on Monday, beginning a two-week campaign on forest protection that is focusing on a moratorium on deforestation in Papua. Greenpeace Southeast Asia spokesperson Bustar Maitar said the 23 activists would hold discussions, a photo exhibition and gatherings to encourage the public to help protect forests. "Indonesia suffers from severe deforestation, with large areas of forests across the country being converted to plantation areas, such as commercial palm oil fields," Bustar said. Bustar said Greenpeace had decided to start the campaign in Papua because the province has limited areas of natural forests that are threatened with deforestation. The majority of forest areas in Papua are threatened with illegal logging practices and forest conversion into industrial zones, he said. Greenpeace had urged the Indonesian government and private companies to stop forest clearing, Bustar said. Indonesia is currently ranked forth in the world after the United States, China and Brazil in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which was largely because of forest clearing, he said. "Prolonged destruction of forests will have a huge impact on people, cultures and biodiversity. It also constitutes around 20 percent of world's total emissions each year, worsening climate change," Bustar said. Deforestation in Indonesia (including Papua) has been caused mainly by expansion of palm oil plantations, Greenpeace reports. Bustar said about 600,000 of some six million hectares of land in Papua had been converted for palm oil plantation use by private investors. He said Greenpeace hoped investors would steer away from palm oil plantations because of the negative impacts they have on the environment. Separately, Yuven Ledang of Papua's NGO cooperation said deforestation in Papua was also caused by the country's development, since there were many new regencies there with development projects that required land. "Tropical forests and peat forests play important roles in global climate change. If people destroy them we will all suffer because we will no longer be able to control greenhouse emissions, which will have a huge impact on the entire human race. Consequently, we need more forest areas to save the planet from the devastating impacts of climate change." The Greenpeace team will continue its campaign to Manokwari, Kalimantan, Jakarta and Sumatra, before heading to Singapore on the same mission They will continue to use the Ezperanza which is equipped with a helicopter to support the team in conducting aerial observations. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_09/10/2008_101143 Locals protest ?lagoon threat? A decision by the Environment and Public Works Ministry to declare the area around Lake Vistonida, in northern Greece, a protected zone includes a loophole that will facilitate industrial development in precious wetlands in the broader region, academics have told Kathimerini. According to Lazaros Vassileiadis, a professor at the Democritus University of Thrace, most at risk is the Vasova Lagoon, near Kavala, protected under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands. ?The pressure has begun for the installation of fuel tanks in the Vasova area,? Vassileiadis said. ?We do not want our region to become an energy hub,? he explained, adding that residents were planning protests. Development in the area would destroy the lagoon and pose a threat to the entire Kavala Gulf, locals say. ?We don?t want our area to become Elefsina Bay,? said Dinos Antoniadis, the president of the regional technical chamber. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97658 Bulgaria Environmentalists Protest over Illegal Construction 7 October 2008, Tuesday Environmentalists are to stage simultaneous protests in Bulgaria's cities of Sofia and Varna over ongoing construction works in protected territories. File photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Environmentalists are to stage simultaneous protests in Bulgaria's cities of Sofia and Varna over ongoing construction works in protected territories. "Lets make noise for the nature" is the banner of the rallies and protesters are to bring all kinds of noise making instruments. According to the protesters, offshore companies under government protection are plundering Bulgaria's natural resources. The start of the protest in Sofia is scheduled for 7 pm in front of the National Palace of Culture. The rally in Varna starts 6.30 pm on Nezavisimost square. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/13/2389845.htm Florentine forest protest over Posted Mon Oct 13, 2008 5:47pm AEDT Updated Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:17pm AEDT ? Map: Maydena 7140 Police in Tasmania's south have broken up a forest protest in the Florentine without making any arrests. They were called to the Florentine road this morning at Maydena, where 17 environmentalists had blocked a road to one of Forestry Tasmania's logging coupes. The protesters left when told they were inside an exclusion zone, and breaking the law. Police removed one person from a tree and took away chains and ropes blocking access to the coupe. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/31094594.html Kakaako Redevelopment Prompts Protest By Olena Rubin Story Updated: Oct 15, 2008 at 10:11 PM HST More than a hundred concerned residents, business owners and environmental activists attended a public hearing Wednesday night, to learn more about a redevelopment plan for the Kakaako ? Ward area. The Ward Neigborhood Master Plan would bring in new stores, restaurants and housing over the next 20 years. These Ward warehouses and markets could become a thing of the past, artist renderings show what General Growth hopes to eventually call the Ward Neighborhood. ?It will be a true neighborhood with housing, shops and services, such as supermarkets, doctors, dentists a satellite city hall and police sub stations,? General Growth Vice President Jan Yokota said. The Ward Neighborhood plan would transform Auahi Street into a boulevard of shopping, restaurants and residences. But some are not too happy about the proposal. ?Keep hawaii hawaii,? protestors said. A group of concerned residents and business owners took to the streets Wednesday prior to a public hearing regarding the redevelopment plan. ?EIS yes yes EIS, EIS yes yes,? they said. At the public hearing 56 people signed up to testify both for and against the redevelopment. "I want to see a healthy economic growth right in the heart of our city,? Lauri Yanagawa said. The Ward Neighborhood plan is projected to generate 33,000 jobs during construction and nearly 8,000 long term. ?You can?t have a healthy economy in Hawaii without having a healthy construction industry,? Pacific Resource Partnership Kyle Chock said. The plan includes 4,300 residential units...20% of those would be offered as affordable housing. ?This plan looks feasible that?s why we want to support it,? a Kakaako resident said. Meanwhile others are weary of offering support. ?What we have is severe and serious concerns about the process in which, by which you are following through approve, potentially approve this master plan,? Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation attorney Alan Murakami said. Concerns regarding ancient burial grounds and the environmental impact. ?You have the ability to require an EIS as part of this process and I hope you will use your power and do it correctly,? The Outdoor Circle Mary Steiner said. General Growth Properties are affected by the economic slowdown, but the company says Hawaii?s market is strong. They also say it?s a good time to prepare for growth when the markets rebound. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/10/06/barachois-brook.html?ref=rss Barachois Brook residents revive protest over oily soil Last Updated: Monday, October 6, 2008 | 12:54 PM NT Demonstrators in a western Newfoundland community returned Monday to protest the burial of oil-laden soil in their neighbourhood. Residents of Barachois Brook were holding an information picket, and complained that they were not consulted over a plan to dig up contaminated soil at Stephenville Airport and treat it in their community. Under a plan managed by Transport Canada, the treated soil is being buried in a containment area lined with heavy plastic sheeting. The protesters had halted trucks briefly two weeks ago. Universal Environmental Services sought a court injunction after a meeting with residents proved fruitless in resolving the dispute. "We can't barricade the road and stop those trucks at this point because there's a court injunction pending against us," Gerard Lee, a protest organizer, said Monday. A hearing is set for Tuesday. "We have to wait for developments there. We're slowing down, yes, [but] we're not stopping ? It's terribly sad because of what they're hauling there, we should be stopping, but we have to abide by the law," said Lee, who chairs the local service district. Lee, meanwhile, said residents of Barachois Brook are planning their own court challenge, to ask for a stop-work order against Universal Environmental Services. http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Parliament-doors-closed-in-protest.4587644.jp Parliament doors closed in protest Published Date: 14 October 2008 POLICE were last night forced to lock the doors to parliament after protesters tried to storm the Palace of Westminster. Scotland Yard said none of the demonstrators, protesting against airport expansion, had breached security. There were six arrests. The full article contains 43 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper. Page 1 of 1 ? Last Updated: 13 October 2008 11:54 PM http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7668288.stm 13 October 2008 20:09 UK Parliament hit by green protest Environmental protesters disrupt Westminster Police have been forced to close the main public entrance to Parliament after environmental protesters attempted to force their way in. Up to 600 demonstrators, including some against the expansion of Stansted and Heathrow airports, took part. Officers made six arrests and have shut the St Stephen's Gate entrance. Organised by the Climate Rush group, the aim was to emulate the attempt by the Suffragette movement to storm Parliament 100 years ago. At about 1830 BST, demonstrators marched to Parliament where they were stopped by police at the St Stephen's entrance. We simply wanted to exercise our legal right to make our representations to Parliament Protester Carole Barbone Police said none of the environmental demonstrators had managed to breach security. Inspector Tim Barfoot, who was on the scene, said: "The situation is being dealt with. "We are concerned to ensure the effective running of Parliament." Five people have been arrested for breach of the peace and a 23-year-old woman has been held for breach of bail, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. Doors at the main St Stephen's Gate entrance were closed and secured with two large metal bars. Protesters striking the doors were clearly audible from the inside. About 400 demonstrators from a number of organisations had gathered during the afternoon for a protest and rally. 'Peaceful protest' One protester, Rosie Haworth-Booth, 62, from Wandsworth, south-west London, said: "It's a pity we couldn't get into Parliament. I was near the front and got a bit afraid. I'm too old for this. "The government is prepared to give ?50bn to help the banks and more people will be affected by this issue." Carole Barbone, of Stop Stansted Expansion, said: "I can understand the police might have felt there was a risk due to the numbers of people involved but there was no intention from anyone involved to cause any damage or harm to people or property. "We simply wanted to exercise our legal right to make our representations to Parliament." The government gave the go-ahead to Stansted's expansion this month and a decision on Heathrow is due this year. http://itn.co.uk/news/5d96c8bc2175d049ec1f6cd2bff84077.html Protesters try to storm Parliament Updated 20.17 Mon Oct 13 2008 Police were forced to lock the doors to Parliament after protesters tried to force their way inside. Scotland Yard said none of the environmental demonstrators, who are campaigning against airport expansion, managed to breach security at the Palace of Westminster. Doors at the main St Stephen's entrance were closed and secured with two large metal bars, with the hammering of protesters clearly audible from the inside Doors at the main St Stephen's entrance were closed and secured with two large metal bars, with the hammering of protesters clearly audible from the inside. The protest was organised by the Climate Rush group, which is angry about airport expansion and other Government policies on the environment. Climate Rush organiser Jennifer Ruhemann said the action was by a broad coalition of groups including the Women's Institute, the Green Party and Plane Stupid. Many of the protesters were dressed as Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the suffragette movement, and said they wanted to "rush" Parliament to mark the centenary of similar action by the suffragettes. The latest attempt to breach security comes months after anti-aviation group Plane Stupid gained access to the roof of Parliament, unfurling banners and chaining themselves to the building. A Met Police spokesman said six people were arrested as a result of the protest. He added: "Police were aware that this group intended to lobby their MPs, as is their democratic right. "On arriving at the St Stephen's Gate entrance the crowd attempted to rush the entrance. "A pre-deployed line of police officers prevented this from happening. Additional officers were put in place to start to disperse the crowd from the Palace of Westminster." http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Canadian_scientists_protest_Harper%27s_attacks_on_science Canadian scientists protest Harper's attacks on science From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! Jump to: navigation, search Monday, October 13, 2008 Citing actions taken by the Conservative government since winning a minority government in 2006, 85 scientists across Canada have signed an open letter to all national party leaders calling on them to state how they will 'improve Canada?s track record' regarding the objectivity of science. This is the second such initiative within the week, the letter on 7 October being signed by 120 scientists. The scientists signing the latest letter represent hundreds of researchers such as Deans, Department Heads, Research Chairs, and research team leaders. They come from academic fields of Anthropology, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Biology, Community Health and Epidemiology, Criminology, Earth & Ocean Sciences, Educational Psychology, Environmental & Engineering Sciences, Land Resource Science, Medicine, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics, Psychiatry, Social Work, and Sociology. Queen's University climate researcher John Smol lamented the need for scientists to protest in a public forum. "I think scientists tend to be conservative when it comes to voicing their opinions. But as far as the environment is concerned, the problem is so bad and the consequences are so terrible if we do not act," he told CBC News. The Harper government was cited for actions across the academic spectrum, from nuclear safety to human health to climate science. A repeated charge is misreprestation and/or suppression of scientific finds, as well as acting to prevent the dissemination of research, to silence scientists. ... While science is not the only factor to be considered in political decision-making, ignoring and subverting science and scientific processes is unacceptable. ... ?Canadian Scientists Against the Politicization of Science Within the government's own Environment Canada the Conservatives have been accused of muzzling the department, even interfering with the release of one researcher's science fiction novel. The novel, entitled "Hotter than Hell", deals with a not-too-distant future strongly affected by global warming. Then-Environmental Minister Rona Ambrose ordered the scientist not to attend talks to promote his novel where his job title was given. ?It?s absolutely Orwellian what?s going on here in science in Canada,? said environmental scientist Andrew Weaver in an interview with The Georgia Straight. Weaver, lead author on three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and the recently published "Keeping Our Cool: Canada in a Warming World", was not surprised when references to the UN's IPCC reports were removed from Canadian government websites. He wrote in his book about new rules the Harper government put in place, requiring journalist questions for Environment Canada scientists be submitted in writing, and responses must first be presented to media-relations staff for editing and approval. Vancouver's Safe Injections Site project, Insite, a program designed to provide intravenous drug users with a medically-supervised location, is an internationally recognized model of successful harm-reduction public health policy, supported by both provincial and municipal governments. The national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, engaged in a campaign to undermine the project according to documents discovered in a Freedom of Information Act query, including financing politically-motivated research. The conservative government has been antagonistic to the program since coming to power, and though losing its case at every level of courts has appealed the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruling which struck down portions of Canada's drug laws as unconstitutional. The judge gave the government one year to pass replacement legislation which addresses the Charter Right of addicts to health care which may save their life. Conservative Health Minister Tony Clement has questioned the ethics of physicians who support the harm-reduction model of Insite. "Is it ethical for health-care professionals to support the administration of drugs that are of unknown substance, or purity or potency ? drugs that cannot otherwise be legally prescribed?" he said at the Canadian Medical Association's annual meeting. "The minister was off base in calling into question the ethics of physicians involved in harm reduction," CMA president Brian Day responded. "It's clear that this was being used as a political issue." More than 80% of physicians support the harm-reduction model, he said. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/12/activists-climatechange Westminster protester prepared to risk jail in cause of climate change On the eve of another demo against airport expansion, would-be priest Tamsin Omond is resigned to breaching her bail terms ? Amelia Hill, social affairs correspondent ? The Observer, Sunday 12 October 2008 ? Article history Tamsin Omond doesn't live like the granddaughter of a baronet, a candidate for priesthood or a first-class honours graduate from Cambridge who will be sitting her Open University MA examination tomorrow. Despite a flat crammed with political treatises and teetering heaps of campaign banners, high-visibility protest jackets and demonstration handouts, Omond is all three. In a few hours' time, however, the dissonance between Omond's lineage and her surroundings could be even greater. Tomorrow, she could exchange her chaotic but comfortable north London flat for a single room provided at Her Majesty's pleasure, via an examination hall and a high-profile Westminster demonstration attended by the likes of Baroness Tonge and Rosie Boycott. 'I don't want to go to jail. I don't want to break the law,' said 23-year-old Omond. 'The idea of going to prison makes me sick and nervous. It's very definitely not part of my life plan and I absolutely don't want it to happen. But if that's the price of protest, I find myself in a very difficult position.' Omond is the founder of Climate Rush, the group behind tomorrow's demonstration in Parliament Square that will call for an end to airport expansion and tougher measures to control carbon dioxide emissions. It is a case in which she passionately believes: last February she was one of the so-called 'Commons Five' whose faces flashed across news programmes throughout the world when they scaled the Houses of Parliament to protest against a third runway at Heathrow. The group stayed on the roof for three hours: a period carefully timed to coincide with Gordon Brown's arrival for Prime Minister's questions, during which at least one MP was to ask questions about the anti-aviation debate. Brown cancelled at the last minute - Omond is not sure whether his non-appearance was linked to the protest - and the group descended from the rooftops to be met by police who arrested them on charges of trespass. The group were kept in custody for 12 hours before being released on bail to await their trial on 11 November, at which they could receive a maximum penalty of 51 weeks' custody and a ?5,000 fine. But if the idea of a year's incarceration makes her feel queasy, it is the bail conditions that are causing her immediate concern. 'If I go into the Houses of Parliament or break the law before the court case, I will be held on remand,' she admitted. 'Part of me doesn't want this life at all. But if you look back at history, the world has been changed by people with the courage to fight for the right thing at a time when that thing was being completely ignored. This is exactly the position we're in now. 'What I find most shattering is this amazing discrepancy between what is scientifically proven and what the public are being told,' she added. 'Time is fast running out to stop irreversible climate change. Global warming experts agree that we have only 100 months to avoid disaster, and yet we're in this ridiculous situation where the public are saying climate change can't be that bad, otherwise the government would do something. And the government is saying it is that bad, but we can't do something because the public's not ready for it.' It was this Alice in Wonderland world that, five years ago, shunted Omond on to the path she is now hurtling down. 'I was in my final year at Cambridge and had my life planned out: I was going to go into marketing and get a nice job in the City. Then one day, instead of reading King Lear for the eighth time, I picked up some climate change research and found I couldn't put it down.' In the year after graduating from Cambridge with a first-class honours degree in English, Omond continued her environmental research. 'I became completely convinced by the evidence that we only have a really limited time to make a large social change,' she said. 'I realised that direct action was the only way to raise public consciousness to a point where those changes could be made.' Omond had never attended a protest but she took to grassroots campaigning like a duck to water; helping co-ordinate carnival marches, protest camps, lock-on's (attaching herself to buildings and gates with locks) and banner-drops. In December 2007, she became London co-ordinator for the environmental network Plane Stupid, organising protests at corporate offices, high-street travel agents and local airports. Last July, she was one of the group who blasted aircraft noise through the letterbox of the then Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly's Docklands apartment at 7.30am - leaving peacefully, albeit pursued by Kelly's husband, Derek Gadd. Shortly after Omond left Cambridge, she had decided she wanted to become a priest. Already a church administrator, she asked her vicar to initiate conversations with the local bishop about beginning her training. It is, she now admits, a dream she might never realise. 'I would love to return to training for the priesthood, but this whole period of me breaking the law might mean that they don't want me any more,' she said. 'I desperately want to be a priest, but I don't have the time to commit myself to the Church and to activism at the same time. I had to pick one and, at the moment, my environmental action is more important.' Tomorrow afternoon, Omond will gather together her banners, handouts, high-visibility jackets - and her revision notes - and head off to sit her MA. It is a three-hour examination but she has to finish it in two hours if she is to reach Parliament Square by 5.30pm and catch the impressive list of speakers who support the cause: Rosie Boycott will be followed by, among others, Sam Roddick and Baroness Tonge. The line-up concludes at 6.30pm with a speech from Omond herself. And then there will be an hour left to protest in the best way the group know. http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=9249324 Group protests gas leases in Beaverhead County Associated Press - October 28, 2008 6:04 AM ET BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A hunting and angling group is protesting oil and gas leases on 5,200 acres of public land in Beaverhead County that it says is sensitive wildlife habitat. Bill Geer is executive director of the Missoula-based Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He says his group has formally protested the leases on U.S. Bureau of Land Management parcels north and east of Monida. The parcels were chosen from about 6,000 acres of BLM land that is slated for a November 4th energy lease sale. The group says the land provides important habitat for sage grouse and is a migration route for mule deer and antelope. Geer says he is trying to preserve hunting and fishing in the area. Tim Bozorth is a BLM manager in Dillon. He could not be reached for comment yesterday (Monday). Information from: The Montana Standard, http://www.mtstandard.com http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/16/2003426067 Lo Sheng activists protest at Ma?s private residence FAST GETAWAY: Ma Ying-jeou once suggested that he would help negotiate to have the Sinjhuang MRT line extended to Taoyuan and build the depot there By Loa Iok-sin STAFF REPORTER Thursday, Oct 16, 2008, Page 2 Unhappy with President Ma Ying-jeou?s (???) inaction in helping to preserve the Lo Sheng Sanatorium despite earlier promises, preservation activists again staged a demonstration outside Ma?s residence ? but they were completely ignored this time. The activists, including Youth Alliance for Lo Sheng members, Lo Sheng residents and sympathizers arrived in front of Ma?s apartment in Taipei City?s Wenshan District (??) around 6:30am without prior notice ? most media organizations were given the information less than an hour before their action. ?Down with Ma?s bad check!? ?Stop lying!? ?Save Lo Sheng now!? they shouted as they sat on the sidewalk across the street from the apartment building where Ma lives. The demonstrators, numbering around 50, were surrounded by dozens of civilian and military police officers, as well as agents from the National Security Bureau. The sanatorium, located in Sinjhuang City (??), Taipei County, was built in 1930 during the Japanese colonial period to isolate patients of Hansen?s Disease ? also known as leprosy ? as it was believed to be highly contagious at the time. A decision to demolish buildings of the sanatorium complex to make way for a Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) maintenance depot drew criticism from preservationists who think forced eviction of elderly former patients who have lived on the campus for decades is a violation of human rights, and that the demolition itself is a destruction of buildings with historic value. After more than three years of struggle, the government made a concession last year and came up with a plan to preserve 40 buildings on the campus. However, the Department of Rapid Transport Systems would only guarantee the safety of 15 buildings during the construction. Unable to get a positive response from government authorities, the preservationists turned to Ma and staged their first surprise demonstration in June. At the time, Ma took about two minutes to talk to preservationists, accepted a petition letter and promised to ?ask relevant government agencies to take care of it? before jumping into a car to head to work. In fact, since the sanatorium is situated right on the border between Taipei and Taoyuan counties, Ma suggested during the presidential election that he would help negotiate to have the Sinjhuang MRT line extended to Taoyuan and build the maintenance depot there. However, this time, when the activists returned to urge Ma to fulfill his promises, Ma chose to ignore them. As the presidential convoy approached around 7:20am, an unidentified man, seemingly an officer, showed up and told the uniformed police at the scene to issue warnings to demonstrators and order them to leave. While the man was engaged in a verbal dispute with the demonstrators and when all the attention was centered around the dispute, Ma appeared all of a sudden and quickly got into the car before leaving. After Ma?s convoy drove away, the man also quickly walked away. When approached by reporters, he declined to give his name or his occupation. ?We are here trying to ask for help from the president, but it?s disappointing that he didn?t even bother to talk to us,? Tang Ming-hsiang (???), a Lo Sheng resident, said afterwards. ?Ma said that he considers the protection of human rights an important issue, but what about our rights? One of the residents to be forcibly evicted is over 90 years old and has heart disease!? Lan Tsai-yun (?? ?), another resident, said. ?I think I voted for the wrong person! http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=338083 published: 11.10.2008, 15:58 | updated: 11.10.2008 16:43:39 Odp?rci v?trn?ch elektr?ren protestovali na hranic?ch s Polskem Ceske Petrovice - Some 150 people today protested against the construction of wind turbines in Poland and the Czech Republic at a Czech-Polish tourist border crossing. According to the protesters, various investors plan to build up to 400 windmills in the area - the Czech and Polish side of the Orlicke hory mountains. They say the construction of up to 200 metre high windmills would go against the character of the landscape. "We dislike the investors' arrogance most of all. Their windmills have already damaged the landscape in Western Europe and now they press upon us," Jarmila Schlegelova, from a local civic association, said. "If your environment is deformed, our soul will be, too," she said. Schlegelova also pointed to the fact that windmills were noisy. The protest was held near Anenska Studanka where four new wind turbines started to operate on Friday, being added to six turbines that have been functioning for some time in the place. It was organised by a Polish group and the Union for Landscape (Unie pro krajinu), associating 17 local groups that oppose the construction of windmills in various parts of the Czech Republic. However, people have rejected windmills in public referendums in some areas. Windmills produce only 0.14 percent of electricity use in the Czech Republic. Most of the country's energy is produced in coal and nuclear power stations. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Texans-For-A-Sound-Energy-Policy-Alliance-910132.html Oct 15, 2008 10:20 ET Texans for a Sound Energy Policy Alliance Will Protest Chicago-Based Exelon Corporation In a Twist of Events That Would Put Any Soap Opera or Reality Television Show to Shame, Bush's Home State Takes on Obama's Home State in Energy Policy Protest Taking Place This Thursday in Downtown Chicago CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - October 15, 2008) - Who: Texans for a Sound Energy Policy Alliance, TSEPA (www.tsepanow.com), a group that supports Texas energy supply policies that are reasonable, sustainable and environmentally sound. What: Citizen March at Exelon Headquarters. Texans tell Exelon "Don't Mess with Texas Water" in opposition to a proposed nuclear plant near Victoria, TX. Where: Outside Exelon Corporation 10 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60680 When: Thursday, October 16, 2008 10AM-Noon Why: Less than 12 hours after the final presidential debate where Obama and McCain will address the nation's crucial economic and environmental issues, TSEPA supporters will convene on the Windy City with a very important message for Exelon Corporation -- "Don't nuke our water!" TSEPA spokesperson John Figer states: "Exelon's record in Illinois is clear. We don't want to be a Braidwood, Texas. Beyond safety, this project critically impacts our state's water future. The Guadalupe River has been listed as one of the 10 most threatened rivers in the U.S. and we don't have enough water to support a thirsty nuclear power plant. A lack of freshwater inflow will critically impact the San Antonio bay, wetlands, estuaries, fish and the endangered whooping cranes. Nuclear power plants should go in places with major sources of water? and that is not in Victoria, Texas." TSEPA supports the development of a full range of alternative energy sources, including conservation and renewable, but urges that there must be balance and the full consideration of environmental and economic realities in U.S. energy policies. *Phone and in-person interviews with TSEPA spokesperson John Figer available upon request. http://www.wfsb.com/news/17716413/detail.html?rss=hart&psp=news#- Group Protests Hazardous Waste Station Station Proposed For Hartford Site POSTED: 7:50 pm EDT October 14, 2008 UPDATED: 8:29 pm EDT October 14, 2008 HARTFORD, Conn. -- Protestors concerned over the damaging effects a hazardous waste transfer station staged a "die-in" on a downtown street corner Tuesday. Members of the Connecticut Coalition For Environmental Justice said they want to convey to the city the damaging affects the station would have if allowed to move in. The station is proposed for Murphy Road in the largely industrial South Meadows neighborhood. Hazardous waste such as motor oil and solvent cleaners would reportedly be stored there. A spokesperson for Heritage-Crystal Clean, the company that would operate the facility, said that it would seek the necessary permits over the next few weeks. The environmental group said Hartford is already home to a sewage treatment plant, a sewage sludge incinerator, recycling centers and a landfill. They said the station would impose a risk to residents because large trucks would be transporting chemicals to the site. "Anytime you're transporting hazardous waste, an accident can happen," said group member Jay Stewart. Heritage-Crystal Clean said the material would be kept in drums inside the facility and that the drums would not be opened. http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=9166407 BLM plan in Wyoming draws anti-grazing protest Associated Press - October 12, 2008 4:24 PM ET CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A Bureau of Land Management proposal for managing land in Wyoming has prompted plenty of protests from groups over how much oil and gas drilling should be allowed. But energy development is not why the Idaho-based Western Watersheds Project is concerned. The group says that the BLM plans for long-term management of its land in southwest Wyoming lack sufficient study about the negative affects of livestock grazing on the ecosystem. Jonathon Ratner, director of the Wyoming office of the Western Watersheds Project, said the group plans to contest about two dozen similar plans in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Oregon on the livestock issue. In response, representatives of the ranching industry say modern grazing practices actually enhance the ecosystem. http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/global/story.asp?s=9137202 Park wireless plan draws protests Associated Press - October 7, 2008 10:07 AM ET BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - The new wireless communications plan for Yellowstone National Park would bring additional cellular service to park users and would leave the door open for placing webcams in the back country. Critics say the plan will destroy solitude for the sake of technology. Bill Boteler is with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. He says Yellowstone now aspires to be an amusement park. He says people don't go into the backcountry to be surrounded by cell phone towers and gadgets. Park spokesman Al Nash says Yellowstone is trying to balance visitor demands for solitude with the connectivity people have come to expect in daily life. The communications plan will be up for debate through Oct. 31, when the public comment period closes. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Airport-protesters-let-fly-at.4603139.jp Airport protesters let fly at Salmond's home Published Date: 17 October 2008 CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the expansion of Scotland's airports subjected the First Minister's official Edinburgh residence to an early morning wake-up call when they blasted aeroplane noise from a stereo set up outside. Members of Plane Stupid, which earlier this year staged a protest on the roof of the Scottish Parliament, played the dawn chorus at Bute House in Charlotte Square at 4am yesterday but it is believed Mr Salmond was not at home. Activists wore pyjamas and ear muffs as they sought to highlight the experience of living life in the shadow of a growing airport. Anne, 29, a teacher from Kirkliston, was among those taking part in the protest, which lasted for half an hour and caused 110 decibels of noise ? the equivalent of a jumbo jet taking off. She said: "We have taken our issue to the top to say that we cannot remain passive on airport expansion plans any more." http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0810/S00089.htm Protest Against The End Of A GE Free NZ Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 10:21 am Press Release: Soil and Health Association 7 October 2008 GE Protest in Wellington Against The End Of A GE Free NZ. Today?s 9am ERMA GE hearing in Wellington will begin with a 8-30am protest outside the Terrace Conference Centre, St Johns House, 114 The Terrace. Today?s hearing is in response to the New Zealand Racing Board?s attempt to gain approval to import for release genetically modified vaccines (Proteqflu and Proteqflu Te) to protect horses against Equine Influenza. SEARCH NZ JOBS WOMAD '09 - Buy Tickets Now MY SKY HDi - everything's in here Search New Zealand Business ? This application could mark the end of New Zealand?s GE Free status, as the use of the living GE vaccine would be a release throughout the environment where ever horses live,? said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning. ?A horse race to hell, using avian flu genetic constructs. What is that meant to do to New Zealand?s clean green trading image.? ?Applications by AgResearch for a range of GE animals and experiments will also be the subject of today?s protest. Those applications open for submissions until October 31, effectively amount to a genetically engineered zoo that includes the use of human genes and unacceptable animal welfare practices.? ?The protest will include members of the Soil & Health Association, GE Free NZ, SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation), and the Green Party, in an expression of disappointment in recent applications to the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA).? ?Fundamental safeguards for the environment, and for New Zealand?s economic and public health are not in place, yet ERMA still accepts and processes applications for GE release.? ERMA is yet to decide against an application, despite large opposition including expert technical evidence. GE field test auditing and compliance enforcement by MAF Biosecurity NZ (MAF-BNZ) has also been proven to be poor as shown by the now discontinued Scion GE tree field test. ?When things go wrong, liability will still rest with a community that still does not want GE. ? ?In recognition of the level of community concern, all Northland?s District Councils plus Rodney and Waitakere have agreed on collaborative GE community consultation as the first step in local authorities from Auckland north investigating some type of local regulation (or prohibition) of GMO land use,? said Mr Browning. ?Yet these applications could override the responsible approach of those communities.? ?Today?s protest is also under the shadow of a ERMA decision due on Crop & Food?s earlier application for a GE onion family (alium) field trial for a secret Canterbury location. The Environment Canterbury?s (ECAN) CEO was recently very clear that he did not consider GE experiments or crops a regional responsibility. However in the absence of sound law or decisions at a national level, regional and district councils need to act soon. ? Soil & Health has a vision of an Organic 2020 and is opposed to GE in food and environment. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14/20090113/tpl-5-000-become-owners-of-greenpeace-he-81c5b50.html 5,000 become owners of Greenpeace Heathrow land By Ian Dunt Skip related content Nearly 5,000 people have become 'beneficial owners' of Greenpeace's plot of land next to the site of the proposed Heathrow runway. The group caused surprise and anger last night when it revealed the purchase the land in an attempt to stop the third runway being built. People have been signing up to the plan through the Greenpeace website, and the group's lawyers are now working on ways the supporters can act as a legal obstacle to the runway. "The speed of the public response to this campaign has been simply astonishing," said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven. "Thousands of people now have a stake in this plot of land, and our lawyers are working hard to make sure that they can all act as a legal obstacle to this unnecessary and environmentally disastrous runway." At 03:15 GMT this afternoon 4,640 members of the public had agreed to become co-owners of the plot, and numbers continued to rise by approximately a thousand people per hour. Airport operator BAA described the move, revealed late last night while officials were trying to hammer out a belated government position on the runway, as "clever". The individual's names will appear on the title deeds of the plot and they will be formally represented at future planning enquiries and challenges to compulsory purchase orders. They join actress Emma Thompson, comedian Alistair McGowan and Tory environment chief Zac Goldsmith who are all legal co-owners of the plot of land in Sipson, the west London village that is threatened with destruction if the runway is approved. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/protesters-picket-parliament-in-cairns/2008/10/28/1224956002896.html Protesters picket parliament in Cairns Jessica Marszalek | October 28, 2008 - 10:50AM Around 100 protesters have picketed the start of Queensland parliament in Cairns today to complain against council amalgamations and environmental issues. State parliament is this week sitting at the Cairns Convention Centre in only the third time it has sat outside Brisbane. Arriving politicians met with angry locals protesting against the forced amalgamations of Douglas Shire Council and what they say is the government's lack of protection of the far north Queensland environment. Cook MP Jason O'Brien met with protesters but was jeered by them, who called him Premier Anna Bligh's "muppet". Ronan Lee, who defected from Labor to become a Greens MP, stood with environmentalists who asked for Ms Bligh to stop the "concrete coast". Cairns and Far North Environmental Centre campaigner Steve Ryan said Ms Bligh had to protect remaining habitat in the far north Queensland regional plan if her environmental credentials were to be taken seriously. "Rapacious development is carving up the wet tropics," Mr Ryan said. "Critical wildlife corridors and habitat are still being bulldozed in favour of a concrete coast." More protesters are expected this afternoon. Meanwhile, the parliament was opened with an indigenous welcoming ceremony. Today's sitting is expected to attract hundreds of school children and local observers ahead of a community barbecue this evening to be cooked by MPs. AAP http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7678575.stm Sunday, 19 October 2008 12:17 UK Rainbow Warrior in coal protest The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior sails up the Thames The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior has sailed from Greece to the UK to join the protest against coal-fired power. The vessel sailed along the Thames into London before visiting Kent, where the first coal-fired power station is planned at Kingsnorth on Hoo. Protesters said there was a "huge coalition" building against coal-fired power, including Greenpeace, Oxfam and the Women's Institute. The ship arrived two days ahead of schedule because of good sailing winds. Greenpeace spokesman Joss Garman said: "There's a huge coalition building against planned coal plants, and they'll be joining the Rainbow Warrior to help give coal the boot. "Faith groups, development groups, politicians of all shades, scientists and thousands of ordinary people are standing up and saying no to new coal." Final decision The Hoo peninsula was the site of a week-long protest camp this summer. The current Kingsnorth power station is due to close in 2015 and E.ON wants to replace it with two new coal units which, it says, will be 20% cleaner. Its proposals have already been approved by Medway Council, but the government will make the final decision about the project. Activists have vowed to return to the power plant if the decision is approved. Tougher target Earlier this year, the government said coal-fired power stations would remain a "key source" of energy. Cabinet minister John Hutton said fossil fuels were needed to back up nuclear and renewable energy. He said the UK was playing a leading role in "clean coal" power generation. The Lib Dems said without carbon capture and storage technology, clean coal was "a total myth", and the Tories said that technology was years away. On Thursday, the government committed the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the middle of the century. Climate Change and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the current 60% target would be replaced. http://www.examiner.com.au/news/national/national/general/logging-protest-turns-ugly/1341183.aspx Logging protest turns ugly ANDREW DARBY IN HOBART 23/10/2008 1:00:01 AM FOREST activists say they feared for their lives after a violent attack by Tasmanian loggers led to one man wielding a sledge-hammer and others kicking in a protest car. Police are investigating Tuesday's attack, which was caught on a video that shows a sledgehammer-wielding man assaulting a disabled blockade car, with two protesters caught inside, before others kicked in its windows. The two protesters, Nishant Datt, 22, and Miranda Gibson, 27, said they tried to escape from the car as quickly as they could after the attack began. "I was pretty sure that if we'd stayed in there, he would have started going at us with the sledgehammer as well," said Mr Datt, formerly of Sydney. He said he was thrown to the ground and kicked as he scrambled out of the car, and Ms Gibson, from Brisbane, said she cut her hand escaping through a broken rear window. The two are part of a small group of protesters who on Saturday will celebrate their second year trying to halt logging of old-growth forests in the Upper Florentine valley, about 120 kilometres west of Hobart. The rainforest valley is surrounded on three sides by the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has identified the Upper Florentine as having potential World Heritage value. Ula Majewski, a spokeswoman for the group Still Wild, Still Threatened, said attempts to save the forest were reaching a critical point, with plans to drive a 10-kilometre logging road into the valley this summer. "That would open the entire area up for logging," Ms Majewski said. Ms Gibson said that before the attack an officer from Forestry Tasmania, the state agency that controls the valley, told them he could not hold back the logging contractors, and said they had three seconds to get out of the car. "We said, 'We're getting out of the car' and I just managed to get out of the back. They smashed [the rear window] and I cut my hand getting out," she said. "It was pretty scary." She said the protests would continue. "We just hope the contractors won't be violent, and that Forestry will be present, doing something to stop this kind of thing. We were pretty disappointed that the Forestry officer just stood by and let it happen." Forestry Tasmania's acting general manager of operations, Steve Whiteley, said a staff member at the protest gave a categorical assurance that he did not witness any confrontation and did not receive any complaint. Tasmania Police Inspector Glen Woolley said an investigation into the incident was under way. Evidence had been taken from the site, the video, and statements from the two protesters. He said police would be interviewing the contractors. "We respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, and to work lawfully," Inspector Woolley said. "We don't tolerate heavy handedness and we won't tolerate people being assaulted." A Greens senator, Christine Milne, said the culture of violence against conservationists in Tasmania had to end. "For all Premier [David] Bartlett's rhetoric of a kind and clever Tasmania, what is on global show is thuggery and wilful ignorance." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7678852.stm Sunday, 19 October 2008 15:53 UK Tree protesters take to branches Protestors climbed trees in a bid to stop them being felled In pictures About a dozen people gathered at King's Park in Stirling to protest against council plans to cut down trees to make way for a path and parking meters. The police confirmed a peaceful protest had been held near Victoria Place, where the felling was carried out. Campaigners said they were not properly consulted on the move, arguing the trees added to the area's "charm" and the parking spaces were unnecessary. Stirling Council said 20 trees were being cut, but they would be replaced. One of the protesters, Patrica Pizarro, said she was disappointed the trees were being cut down. She said: "Although some of the mature trees felled have been identified as diseased, they could have been managed in a different way. The majority of the trees felled were perfectly healthy." 'Unsafe' A council spokeswoman said the local authority appreciated the protestors concerns and it had tried to advertise the decision to cut the trees as much as possible. She said: "Victoria Place is well used for parking especially for visitors to the park, and at the moment there are no footways on the park side and cars that park on the verge are causing damage to the verge and the tree roots. For people parking, the lack of footways is unsafe and inconvenient. "Unfortunately, it is not possible to make this improvement without felling some trees." In total, 20 trees are to be removed, and replaced with 23 semi-mature lime trees. Each tree will be between 4m and 5m high and have a life expectancy of about 100 years. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1224428522.0 Greenpeace protests coal energy at Sardinia power plant 19 October 2008, 20:54 CET (ROME) - For the second time in a week, Greenpeace activists demonstrated at an Italian power plant Sunday in favour of renewable energy, amid government doubts about signing onto an EU climate change plan. "Sardinia must scrap all obstacles to wind energy," said the environmental NGO, which entered the power plant on the Italian island to protest the use of coal power over wind energy. It also accused leftist regional president Renato Soru of imposing power limits on wind turbines. Three days earlier, Greenpeace protested at another power station in the northern coastal town of Civitavecchia against threats by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to veto a European Union plan to cut greenhouse gases 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Italy is among several EU members, mostly eastern European ones, worried about bankrolling the planned cuts amid tough economic times. On Saturday, however, Rome signalled it might sign onto the deal, but only if it is revisited and the costs assessed in 2009, ANSA reported. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Council-defies-protests-and-wields.4606206.jp Council defies protests and wields axe over Grassmarket poplar trees The fate of the Grassmarket?s trees has been decided by the city council ? they will come down. Picture: KENNY SMITH Published Date: 18 October 2008 By HAZEL MOLLISON IT is a controversial move which has delayed a multi-million pound project by several weeks. But the fate of five poplar trees in the Grassmarket has finally been sealed after the city council decided to stick to its original plan to chop them down and replace them. Experts have found some decay in the trees, and say they could only last a few more years. But dozens of residents protested against the move, forcing city chiefs to hold two public meetings. Their pleas were in vain, however, and work will start on Monday, replacing the trees with mature lime and oak trees imported from Germany. They hope the project will be completely finished by the first week in December. City centre councillor Joanna Mowat, who chairs the Grassmarket Forum, said: "Obviously there'll be some people who will be very disappointed, but I think this is the sensible solution. In the long term, this is the best way of providing green cover for the Grassmarket for the next 100 years. "The council has listened to people, and this seems to be the best option. No one knows what the lifespan of these trees is. The one thing that has come through loud and clear is that people want green cover for the Grassmarket." Residents and traders met council officials last week to discuss four options, which included keeping some of the trees. But Dave Anderson, director of city development, said retaining one or more poplars would include "unacceptable risks" and would have high maintenance costs. He said: "The disadvantage of this is that the paving works would remain incomplete, the risk may be unacceptable, the maintenance costs would be higher and the retained poplar may affect the growth of the new trees in the group. If the work proceeds without further delay, we will be completed in time for the 2008 festive period. At this time we will have 15 healthy, safe and sustainable trees in the Grassmarket." He said they would be installing festive lighting in the three large London plane trees, as in previous years. Most traders are supporting replacing the trees, and say it makes sense to carry out the work while they have the money. Bill Cowen, who runs Costume HaHa and is a member of the Old Town Community Council, said: "I can understand that some people are very emotionally attached to the trees, but you can't please everybody all the time. At the end of the day there is a compelling argument for replacing the trees. "The ones they have put in already look lovely. I think a lot of the opposition was based on misinformation. Poplars are not the most suitable tree for this space, as they don't like being cut back. "This will provide green cover for the Grassmarket for about ?6000 a tree, whereas it could cost ?18,000 each to replace them in ten years' time." http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-36499.html Bangladesh government removes baul statues, triggers countrywide protests Dhaka, Oct 25 : Cultural organisations, human rights activists, artistes and playwrights across Bangladesh are up in arms over the removal by the caretaker government - allegedly under pressures from Islamist bodies - of statues with folk motifs of the baul singers on the road leading to the international airport here. Despite the countrywide protests for the last 10 days, the military-backed caretaker government has maintained silence on the issue, media reports say. Political parties that generally jump into such controversies are busy preparing for the upcoming parliamentary polls and have either kept quiet or left the matter out after issuing statements, the New Age newspaper said Saturday. However, the left-of-centre parties, belonging to the Sheikh Hasina-led alliance, are gradually joining in the protests over removal of the baul statues on the road to the Zia International Airport (ZIA). The statues are part of a monument to those killed in the Bengali language movement in 1954 during the Pakistan era and often the starting point for political and cultural protests. The university campuses, the nerve centres of Bangladesh's political and socio-cultural movements, have also joined the protest, with Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Arts in the lead. The government is treating it as a law and order issue. It prevented Islamist bodies from staging a rally Friday to counter the protesters. Baul is generally associated with folk music and the baul singer moves from village to village in Bengal, both in Bangladesh and neighbouring India, singing songs that are witty, but also convey home-truths. A baul singer is supposed to be the conscience keeper in the countryside. Statues of bauls, who are part of Bangladesh's cultural tradition, have earned the ire of Islamists who consider any statues as being against their religion. The protests against the demolition have spread spontaneously to smaller towns "with a call for unity among all the progressive forces to resist religious bigots at every front to safeguard the country's culture and heritage", New Age newspaper said. "Down with the zealots; bring the culprits to justice and safeguard culture," are among the slogans chanted by protesters on Dhaka University campus and elsewhere in the country. The protesters have demanded the setting up of a national committee, comprising leading intellectuals, artistes, sculptors, architects and government officials, to formulate guidelines for installation of sculptures. Sachetan Shilpi Samaj, a platform of sculptors, artistes and cultural activists, took out a procession singing baul and patriotic songs in Dhaka University and marched across the campus. Through their songs, the demonstrators chastised the government's leniency towards the fundamentalists and asked the interim administration to take steps to safeguard the country's culture and heritage from religious extremists. Workers' organisations have joined in too. Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishat organised a protest rally and formed a human chain at the Central Shaheed Minar demanding immediate rebuilding of the baul sculptures at the airport crossing. --- IANS http://www.worldpress.org/feed.cfm?http://www.breakingnews.ie/Ireland/mhidcweyqlkf/rss2/ Residents protest over demolition of church 18/10/2008 - 13:23:03 Residents living near Croke Park in Dublin are out in force this afternoon airing their anger at the illegal demolition of an old church. The historic building on Jones' Road, more recently used as a furniture store, was demolished early Wednesday morning without planning permission. Structural engineers say it will be several days before the fate of the building - adjacent to the national GAA stadium - is known. A number of locals, TDs and the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin are protesting at the site today. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 21:25:54 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:25:54 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHINA Addendum - Oct 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB22D2.70901@tesco.net> * Shanghai: Protesters support alleged cop killer * Beijing: Petitioners arrested near party forum * Guangning, Zhaoqing - Police attack construction site protest * Beijing: "Scuffles" at protest over get-rich-quick scam * Yantai: workers fight for union reps * Guangzhou - more on toy factory protest http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24489161-12335,00.html Protesters show support for cop killer From correspondents in Shanghai | October 13, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse PROTESTERS staged a rare demonstration outside a Shanghai court today in support of a jobless man who is appealing against his conviction for murdering six policemen. Around a dozen people staged a brief protest at the beginning of the closed-door trial of Yang Jia, 28, who was sentenced to death last month for the murders. Yang stormed into a Shanghai police station on July 1 and went on a stabbing frenzy, reportedly in revenge for being wrongfully detained on suspicion of stealing a bicycle. Chinese authorities gave out few details of the appeal and court officials refused to comment today, continuing the secretive handling of a case that has generated controversy with Yang regarded by some as a victim. Yang had become an internet cult hero because his case raised questions about police harassment. In the street outside Shanghai's Higher People's Court, the protesters were taken away by police after donning T-shirts with Yang's face on them and a quote from him reading: "If you don't give me a reason then I will teach you a lesson". "We are just ordinary people concerned about Yang Jia's fate. We want to know the truth but they were shutting off all the access," Liang Yin, one of the protesters said. She hid her T-shirt to avoid being taken into custody. Huang Xuemin, a grey-haired protester, complained police beat her when she tried to enter the court premises. "You see how police were treating us, and you could imagine how badly Yang Jia must be treated," she said, showing the assembled crowd scratches on her forearms that she said were from her scuffle with police. Police officials were not immediately available for comment. Lawyer Zhai Jian, who was appointed by the court to defend Yang at the second trial, said his client's fate would largely depend on a new round of psychiatric assessments, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Prosecutors said previously that Yang confessed to attacking the district police headquarters because he wanted revenge for being wrongfully detained overnight in October 2007 on suspicion of stealing a bicycle. http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/hundreds-protest-outside-party-plenary-session-china-5451.html Hundreds Protest Outside Party?s Plenary Session in China By Gu Qing?er Epoch Times Staff Oct 9, 2008 Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon Appellants Gather outside railway station preparing to go to Jingxi hotel to appeal (The Epoch Times) BEIJING?The third Plenary Session of the 17th Communist Party of China Central Committee, was planned to last four days and started in Beijing?s Jingxi Hotel on Oct. 9. Plain-clothes and uniformed police patrolled the area in and out of the hotel. Over 100 appellants from across the country were outside the hotel hoping to express their pleas to party representatives but were quickly apprehended by Beijing police before they even reached the location where the session was to be held. One witness said that the security was especially tight today. At around 10 a.m., a huge squad of plain-clothed and uniformed policemen suddenly made their move to arrest appellants who gathered near Beijing?s Military Museum, apprehending more than 20 local appellants and then arrested appellants who came from elsewhere. By 11 p.m., police had already dispatched two large bus-loads of appellants to the Majialou Appellant Escort Center. A Beijing resident said that not one single appellant was able to make it to Jingxi hotel?s entrance. Police asked people to take detours as soon as anyone was about 100 meters from the hotel. They had already made arrangements today to launch large-scale arrests. Out of disappointment people shouted outside the hotel, ?Bring down the Communist Party.? Jingxi hotel is located at Changan West Street in Beijing, which is across the China Millennium Monument, the Central Television Complex, and the Military Museum. Jingxi Hotel is often chosen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to hold important meetings, and is considered the safest hotel in Beijing. At 100 meter from the hotel, a police signal passerby to take detours (The Epoch Times) People often say that this is not an ordinary hotel that anyone can come and go into easily because its management and security are of the same level as Zhongnanhai Compound and the Great Hall of the People. Beijing resident Zhou Li said, ?I showed up at around 9:00 a.m. and there were several hundred people from all over the country. I was arrested by police as soon as I got there. Out-of-town appellants were sent to Majialou Appellant Escort Center, whereas appellants who are Beijing residents were taken into custody by officers from different local police stations.? Another Beijing resident Wu Tianli said, ?My friend and I were sitting on chairs in the Military Museum and talking and a plain-clothes officer came to check my ID and we ended up here in the police station. They have records of our making appeals before so they arrested us as soon as they saw us.? Ms. Wu also said that making appeals or bringing a case to the court no longer has any meaning in China at all. Over 200 appellants from Shanghai were taken to Beijing South Railway Station Rescue Center. Shanghai appellant Shen Peilan said, ?I was arrested when I was inside the State Petitions and Appeals Office. The authorities have intercepted many appellants and grabbed people and dragged them out as soon as they saw people from their areas.? Shen continued, ?Shanghai resident Ding Juying was grabbed and forced out by officers from Shanghai?s Regional Office in Beijing. Out-of-town appellants were sent to the Majialou Appellant Escort Center. Fifteen to twenty appellants were kept in one room and they lost their freedom as guards watched the door. They even had to obtain permission to use the restroom.? As for the CCP?s proposal for the plenary session, one Chinese blogger expressed his opinion, ?Is it that hard to solve issues concerning education, medical care, social warfare, housing, unemployment, and unfair senior care? Not at all, for it will only cost 600 billion yuan (approximately US$ 87 billion) annually to solve these problems.? He continued, ?Nevertheless, our government officials squander over one trillion yuan (approximately US$ 146 billion) of the public's money annually on meals, drinks, traveling, cars, luxurious homes for personal use, prostitutes, and so on.? http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/police-suppress-guangning-villagers-protest-construction-site-5901.html More Than 1000 Police Suppress Guangning Villagers Protesting Construction Site By Gu Qinger Epoch Times Staff Oct 20, 2008 Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon Police block all entrances to the village, and the construction sites; police entered their village to arrest people seeking their land rights. (The Epoch Times) On October 13, over one thousand police officers and hundreds of unidentified people were sent by authorities to enforce unauthorized construction on village farmland in Guangning County. The authorities of Guangning County, Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province sent these forces into several villages in Jiangbu Region, Jinji Village, Wuhe Town. In the midst of the conflict between the two sides, the authorities fired tear gas to scatter villagers, and used batons to beat many villagers, arresting over a dozen of them. The next day, police blocked all the entrances to these villages and to the construction site. The police also entered the villages and arrested people protesting for their land rights. In his interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Lu from Mabu village said, ?In the past two days, many policemen have been guarding the village day and night. We want to leave the village for some business, but are unable to. Construction goes on at the site goes on around the clock, with the farmland being bulldozed. Quite a few policemen threatened to arrest the head of our village, accusing him of incitement. The police searched his house, threatened to beat him to death. That day, the head of our village was so terrified that he fled to the mountains to hide.? ?That day they were powerfully armed, accompanied by police dogs and firing tear gas at villagers who could do nothing to fight back,? continued Mr. Lu. ?Meanwhile, the police picked targets at random, beating anyone, even if women or elderly women. And some unknown spray was being sprayed on us, making it hard for us to open our eyes. When the police caught someone, they would spray the liquid directly into their face. My mother returned home unable to see anything with her eyes.? On October 13, over 1000 riot police, police officers, and armed police, along with hundreds of hoodlums, were deployed to block each entrance of the Wujiang Region forcibly guarantee construction on farmland in the following nine villages: Hebu, Chayuan, Mabu, Liang, Jiangao, and Sizhe. Villagers in each of these villages went to the sites to try to stop the construction, but were stopped by the police. The authorities set up tents where the police could supervise construction day and night. (The Epoch Times) Mr. Lu said, ?That day, the police did not treat the villagers as humans. My dad and mom had wounds all over their bodies. The situation turned chaotic?riot police walked up to anyone, picking anyone and beating them with batons, whether male or female, young or old.? Another Mr. Lu said that 80% of the villagers objected to the land expropriation. Mr. Li from Chayuan village said in panic, ?The situation here is getting very tough, with villagers wounded and the police searching houses to arrest villagers. The police had cordoned off the farmland. Anyone who crossed the cordon would be beaten. Over twenty villagers were wounded, apart from a few injured elders. Now many policemen are staying there to prevent any interference with the construction. The villagers have been scared off from the cordoned area.? The governor of Wuhe Town started expropriating farmland and mountainous areas in July 2007. This land expropriation has not been authorized by any legal document, nor has any legal procedure been followed. 2200 acres of land were expropriated to construct a Huanan Industry Plant for Energy Recycling and Plastic Recycling. Each villager was paid compensation ranging from ten to several thousand dollars for each acre of expropriated land. Villagers strongly opposed such low compensation. Since then, villagers have submitted over ten appeals, but with no result. This reporter called the local government of Wehe Town to inquire about the land expropriation. One staff member said, ?I had no idea of this.? The reporter asked, ?Which government agent should I call to get a better understanding of the issue?? ?No other government agency has any idea of this. You don?t have to make a phone call; we know nothing about it.? The villagers had turned to local media and newspapers for help for several times. None of the media dared to interview the villagers, saying, ?We know the issue. Many people have called to complain about it, but we have to wait for our supervisors? instructions.? http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK127616.htm Chinese protest after money doesn't grow on trees 20 Oct 2008 08:06:41 GMT Source: Reuters By Ian Ransom BEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people in Beijing scuffled with police outside a government office on Monday, demanding help recovering money from a get-rich-quick scheme involving tree plantations to stem desertification. More than 30,000 investors, mostly retirees, sunk 1.3 billion yuan ($190 million) into a company's tree-planting scheme in the arid northern region of Inner Mongolia, lured by promises of huge returns within eight years. Authorities seized the company's plantations and sued its directors for false advertising after the project was exposed as a failed pyramid scheme, state media reported earlier this year. Police in Beijing detained several protesters for putting up a banner outside the government office, as angry investors from across the country complained of dead trees and lost life savings. Protesters complained the tree plantations on land transferred for the scheme had been left to wither and die after the company was investigated and its assets seized. "(The company) planted trees in the desert in Inner Mongolia, then sold them to us. It was supposed to green the desert," said a Beijing resident surnamed Li, who lost about 100,000 yuan in the scheme. "The company planted about 720,000 mu (48,000 hectares), but about 40 percent died," Li added. The scheme, which saw some farmers transfer their land to the company to use for its plantations, has shone the spotlight on China's recent rural reforms, which will allow farmers to transfer their land-use rights. China's rural residents own the product of their land but not the land itself and were barred from trading their land-use rights. The state-owned land system, a hangover from the huge collective communes set up under Mao Zedong, is routinely abused by local governments who often seize rural plots to sell to factories or developers, often paying only minimal compensation to farmers. State media have hailed the reforms as a landmark step in guaranteeing farmers' rights and boosting the country's agricultural output through larger, more efficient farms. Protesters welcomed the reforms, but expressed doubts that they would protect rural residents from opportunistic officials. "Of course, these reforms are beneficial. But there needs to be more public supervision otherwise people will keep getting cheated," said a Beijing resident who declined to leave his name . http://www.clntranslations.org/article/35/workers-fight-to-save-their-union-activists China Labor News Translations Workers fight to save their union activists Oct 16, 04:42 The case of Ole Wolff (Yantai) Electronics Ltd This case of unusual rank and file union activism in China can be seen as both good and bad news. The good news is that, in the North-Eastern Chinese port city of Yantai there are workers? willing to struggle for two years for their right to form their own union that will stand up for their rights. The bad news is that this struggle has taken a heavy toll on union activists, at least seven of whom have been fired because of their union activity as part of a persistent and illegal union busting campaign by the company. The company in question is Ole Wolff (Yantai) Electronics Ltd, a Hong Kong and Danish co-owned company that produces cell phone speakers, receivers and other electronic productions. Ole Wolff Yantai is owned by Ole Wolff (Asia) in Hong Kong, and the latter in turn owned by Ole Wolff Electronics. Also unprecedented is that these activists have directly sought help from a foreign trade union, in this case a few Danish trade unions. Almost unbelievable is that *the story of this protracted struggle has been widely covered sympathetically by the local media, the ACFTU?s Workers? Daily, China Central Television and Central People?s Radio in Shandong Province and OWYTU?s own excellent website. CLNT has translated numerous accounts of the brave and persistent activism on the part of OWYTU leaders, to assist international trade unions ? especially from Denmark ? rally together in solidarity with trade union activists at Ole Wolff. A rare case of rank and file union activism China is notorious for its ?yellow unions?, bureaucratic entities affiliated with the official All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), more interested in maintaining harmonious relations with management than representing the interests of workers. However the Ole Wolff (Yantai) Trade Union (OWYTU) is different. Ole Wolff workers themselves applied to establish the union after 67 women workers were fired in 2006 for complaining to the local Labor Department about sudden reduction in their wages, and the company?s refusal to sign employment contracts. Ole Wolff Yantai refused to acknowledge the OWYTU, so in September 2006 workers went on strike for 13 days. The OWYTU was successfully established one month later, making it, in workers? own words, ?the first Chinese trade union to be set up through strike.? The OWYTU has taken a confrontational stance towards both the company and the local union branch. It describes itself boldly as a ?red union? (chise gonghui) (i.e. Socialist) while dismissing the ACFTU as a ?yellow union? (huangse gonghui). On the union?s internet blog is a feisty article, entitled: ?Where there?s oppression, there will be resistance!? (Nali you yapo, nail jiu you fankang!) In China, such militant language is very rarely heard in trade union circles. Even though the OWYTU was successfully established in October 2006, what followed was an unbelievable string of union-busting attacks from the company. Union activists have reported an incredible number of threats against them ? too many to list here, and so we instead direct readers to the following chronology of events compiled by the OWYTU on its internet blog translated by Globalization Monitor in Hong Kong. Download the translated article here: ?Chronology of the Ole Wolff (Yantai)Trade Union?s struggle? CLNT_OleWolff_chronology.pdf View the original Chinese version here: ??????????????? http://globalmon.org.hk/news.php?action=detail&news_id=137&class_id=3 http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4d515b740100afgg.html In short, Ole Wolff?s attacks on the union have included: ? Firing seven union activists ? some more than once, such as Ms Liu Meizhen who was been fired from Ole Wolff on four separate occasions! Acting union chair Ms Jiang Qianqiu was fired for objecting to workers made to use cleaning fluid containing benzene (a known toxin). ? Refusing to sign employment contracts with workers until they revoked their union membership (the company has since capitulated). ? Posting a public notice threatening that each striking worker would have to compensate the company 15,000 RMB if they did not return to work. Ole Wolff has ignored two court orders to re-instate six of the fired union activists, one from the Yantai City Labor Department in December 2006, and another from the Yantai City People?s Intermediate Court in October 2007. Ole Wolff has also refused proper compensation. Furthermore, according to Ms Liu Meizhen, the company has never filed the paper work to terminate her employment, and has refused to return her personal documents. Without these documents she is unable to engage in formal employment anywhere else, and her social insurance and pension account are withheld by Ole Wolff. Ole Wolff has also ignored an order from the Yantai City Labor Department to reinstate the current union chair Ms Jiang Qianqiu, who was also fired by the company for her union activity. The company even made false claims that Jiang Qianqiu had signed a document renouncing her claim for compensation. CLNT has translated a sympathetic investigative report of the union?s struggle covered by the Shandong Evening Press. The report is long, however it conveys just how incredibly persistent Ole Wolff?s attack on the union has been and how hard the workers fought back. Download the translated article here: ?Women Workers Repeatedly Fired for Applying to Set Up a Union: the pains of a grassroots foreign-enterprise trade union defending workers? rights? CLNT_OleWolff_newspaper.pdf View the original Chinese article here:* ?????????????? ?- ???????????????? http://218.57.134.148/wbpdf/data/2008-02-19/QA0519C.pdf (?) http://218.57.134.148/wbpdf/data/2008-02-19/qa0619k.pdf (?) ACFTU and local government responses The local trade union ? the Fushan District Trade Union ? has been unsympathetic to the OWYTU and apprehensive about its radical stance against management. In the early days the ACFTU in Beijing was supportive of the OWYTU, and so the local Fushan union followed suit, but very quickly it adopted a critical stance when union activists wrote a letter demanding improvement in working conditions in October 2006. Since 2007 the Fushan union has done nothing to support OWYTU. The OWYTU has proved itself willing to challenge the district union. CLNT has translated a report from the OWYTU?s internet blog, describing how the OWYTU angered the Fushan District Trade Union by video recording a tripartite meeting with the company and Fushan District Social and Labour Protection Bureau, in order ?to prevent their [the Fushan District Trade Union?s] denial of what happened once we were out of the room?. Both the OWYTU?s insistence of filming the meeting, and the confrontational tone of the written account, demonstrates how unusually courageous this union is. Download the translated article here: ?Ole Wolff Trade Union?s Short Video Interlude? CLNT_OleWolff_TUmtg.pdf View the original Chinese version here: ????????????? The Fushan District Labor Department has been unsupportive of the OWYTU. When workers went on strike in support of their application to start the union in October 2006, the company claimed the strike was illegal. When contacted by the OWYTU, the national ACFTU confirmed that the strike was not illegal. But the Fushan District Labor Department sided with the company, insisting the strike was illegal. The response from Chief Shi of the Labor Department was: ?What does the ACFTU know?? The OWYTU had to campaign hard to get the Department to rule in favor of unfairly dismissed union chair Jiang Qianqiu in October 2007, and when Ole Wolff ignored the ruling the Labor Department did nothing. In December 2007 the OWYTU even tried to sue the Labor Department for administrative neglect, but the suit was rejected by the court claiming that the supporting documents were ?not well written?. International Support In yet another rare move by the OWYTU, union advisor Zhang Jun contacted Denmark?s biggest union federation, the United Federation of Danish Workers or 3F (Fagligt F?lles Forbund) in April 2008, requesting its support. In our knowledge, this is the first time that Chinese grassroots union activists have gone to a foreign union for help. In her letter, Ms Jiang expressed: ?We have almost exhausted all means, including judicial, administrative, media, the Internet etc, to stand up for our rights but still unable to make the company to comply with the laws.? By last month 3F, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have made contacts with the Danish parent company of Ole Wolff expressing their concern over the repression of the OWYTU, and other problems with working conditions including lack of employment contracts and underpayment of overtime. The ITUC sent a copy of its letter to the Fushan Labor Department. Mr Ole Wolff responded to ITUC expressing confidence in the ?excellent? working conditions at Ole Wolff Yantai. Ole Wolff also met with 3F personally, and expressed that these problems were out of his control. Ole Wolff?s response to ITUC was translated into Chinese, and the OWYTU itself has rebutted Ole Wolff?s claims about working conditions, saying that the problems outlined in 3F?s letter were only remedied after workers went on strike in 2006. Thanks to the committed concern of a Danish journalist, the case was reported on Danish national television. In another demonstration of solidarity, in early September representatives of four Hong Kong NGOs and the ITUC/HKCTU/HKTUC Hong Kong Liaison Officer (IHLO) protested outside Ole Wolff?s office in Hong Kong. They prepared a protest letter addressed to company management, but the company refused to receive it. News of the protest reached the OWYTU in Yantai. Effective use of internet blogs Another remarkable feature of this case has been the effective publicity work carried out by union members and ? in particular ? an ?advisor? (guwen) to the union, Mr. Zhang Jun, the husband of fired union activist Liu Meizhen. Zhang Jun has used an internet blog to accumulate and distribute an impressive collection of documents in support of the OWYTU struggle. http://blog.sina.com.cn/youyudzhongguoren As the Shangdong Evening Press article (available for download above) points out, Mr Zhang Jun himself has played a unique role in this struggle. We have never before heard of an ?advisor? representing a Chinese trade union in negotiations with management and with upper levels of the ACFTU. In this very complicated case, the Fushan District Trade Union has behaved ambivalently in relation to Zhang. The district union recognizes Zhang as a negotiating partner, but at the same time tries hard to publicly discredit him. Zhang does enjoy some support from the national ACFTU, and this surely influences the local Fushan union?s treatment of him. Given Zhang?s novel role in this saga, it is worth wondering whether in future this might be a way of involving actors from outside the ACFTU and the government in trade union negotiations. At the time when this posting is uploaded the struggle is still continuing. Download PDF version of this introduction CLNT_OleWolff_intro More English language resources from the 3F website: Danish Factory accused of Union Busting in China http://forsiden.3f.dk/article/20080821/INTERNATIONALT/486430696 Chinese Workers Blog Versus Danish Factory http://forsiden.3f.dk/article/20080821/INTERNATIONALT/839981340 Campaign updates are available from the China Reports section of the Globalization Monitor Website http://www.globalmon.org.hk/en/china_reports/chinareports.html http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/16/asia/AS-China-Factory-Protest.php Workers protest at closed Chinese toy factory The Associated Press Published: October 16, 2008 GUANGZHOU, China: Hundreds of workers have been demonstrating outside a large toy factory that closed in southern China amid a global slowdown that has begun hurting Chinese manufacturers. Footage of the workers demonstrating Wednesday outside the factory in the city of Dongguan was shown Thursday night on a newscast by Hong Kong's ATV. The laborers are demanding unpaid wages from the factory's Hong Kong owner, Smart Union Group (Holdings) Ltd., which had three factories in Dongguan in Guangdong province. The factory closed on Wednesday, the same day the company issued a notice to Hong Kong's stock market saying that it was suspending trading of its shares pending the release of an announcement. Calls made to the company's Hong Kong main office were not answered. The Southern Metropolis Daily, one of the most popular mass-market dailies in Guangdong, reported on its Web site Thursday that workers were shocked that the factory had closed. Unidentified laborers were quoted as saying the plant was operating as normal on Tuesday and there were no apparent signs it was about to close. About 1,000 laborers protested outside the factory's main gate, where the local government posted a notice saying the plant was closed because of "unfavorable business conditions," the paper said. This week, the official Xinhua News Agency reported that a total of 3,631 toy exporters ? 52.7 percent of the industry's enterprises ? went out of business in 2008. They shut down because of higher production costs, wage increases for workers, and the rising value of the yuan. The report said most of the failures involved small factories. Xinhua also said the General Administration of Customs was blaming the U.S. financial turmoil for a 5.2 percent drop in exports to America in the first seven months of 2008. http://www.euronews.net/en/article/17/10/2008/unpaid-staff-step-up-protest-at-china-toy-plant/ China Unpaid staff step up protest at China toy plant 17/10/08 14:26 CET Demanding unpaid wages, hundreds of workers are intensifying their protest at a closed-down toy factory in China. The country is the world?s biggest exporter of toys. But the global economic crisis has worsened the outlook for an industry already threatened by falling exports. Riot police have been standing guard outside the plant in the once-booming province of Guangdong. Hong Kong-listed Smart Union Group, one of the area?s largest toymakers, has said that provisional liquidators have been appointed. Factories in the southern province have suffered from tight curbs on loans, rising labour costs and China?s stronger currency, which makes their products more expensive. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 21:55:34 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:55:34 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN and "war on terror" protests, Sept-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB29C6.8070003@tesco.net> IRAQ * Diala - Protest over death of Sunni leader * Ramadi - four escape in jail revolt; 1 later killed, and 13 killed in jail * SYRIA- Iraqis protest USpact * Baghdad: Guards shoot at protesting Nepalese migrants * Global rallies to support shoe thrower * Baghdad: Protest backs shoe thrower * Baghdad: Thousands of Sadr supporters protest US pact, occupation in November, October * Protests also reach Wassit, Basra and other cities * Salah al-Din: Clashes between residents, armed group over kidnapping * Tikrit and elsewhere: Protests support leader against Kurdish critics * Mosul - Protesters want councils * Mosul, Fallujah - protests in favour of pact * SYRIA: Lawyers strike over US deal * Karbala - Doctors protest death threats, strike * Southern Iraq - Christians protest against ethnic cleansing * Fallujah/nationwide - party breaks off links with US forces over killing * Babil - 15 killed in insurgent, tribe clash * Duhuk - Christians protest for self-rule * Kirkuk - Kurds protest in support of Christians * Wassit - reconstruction staff protest over salary discrepancies AFGHANISTAN * Kabul - Protest over civilian death after army shooting, US forces stoned * PAKISTAN: RAWA protest Afghan representatives * Herat - protest over envoy kidnapping * Laghman - Taleban killings of locals lead to protests * Kabul - eight prisoners massacred in revolt Other "war on terror": * PAKISTAN - NWFP: Protest over US drone strikes * SOMALIA: Protests for, against local rulers ?Sock and Awe?, a Dubai-based online game based on the shoe-throwing incident, can be found here: http://www.sockandawe.com/ http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=104122 Demonstration in Diala condemning death of Sunni figure December 3, 2008 - 02:00:12 DIALA/ Aswat al-Iraq: Around 500 persons on Wednesday demonstrated in central Baaquba city, condemning the death of Hamas battalions? (public committees? group) commander, after he was arrested by Diala police last week, according to the commander of public committees in the province. ?Basheer al-Jorani died yesterday after he was arrested by Diala police command last week,? Sabah al-Basheer told Aswat al-Iraq. ?I accuse Diala police crime unit of killing al-Jorani after torturing him,? he said. ?Al-Jorani was sick with kidney problems since the beginning, and after being arrested, he was admitted to hospital where he died and medical reports can confirm this,? he added. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/775860 Militants escape in deadly Iraq clash Reuters Last updated 23:40 26/12/2008 Three senior Islamist militants being held by Iraqi authorities escaped in clashes overnight at a police station in Iraq's western city of Ramadi in which seven police and seven militants were killed, an official said. Police imposed a curfew and searched homes in Ramadi, a largely peaceful city 100km west of Baghdad, the morning after the battle in the al-Fursan police station, said Major-General Tareq Yusuf, police commander for Anbar province. Yusuf said that prisoners in the police station overpowered a policeman who entered a cell around 2 a.m. on Friday, stealing the man's weapon and killing him. Six other police officers, including a lieutenant colonel and a captain, were killed in subsequent clashes and six were wounded, Yusuf said. Seven of the militants inside the police prison were killed in the fighting, he said. Three leaders of the al Qaeda-linked Sunni Islamist group Islamic State in Iraq escaped during the fighting, said Yusuf, also known as Tareq al-Dulami. Anbar province, a vast desert province bordering Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, was once the heart of Iraq's Sunni insurgency. But it became far quieter after local Sunni Arabs began supporting US efforts against al Qaeda and other militants in late 2006. The United States handed security control of Anbar to the Iraqi government in September, but US Marines are still stationed in the province. Yusuf said that police were going house to house with photos of the escaped inmates on Friday morning. He pledged the militants would be captured. "The people of this city will help us bring them back to justice," he said. http://tvnz.co.nz/content/2430596 Militant killed after jailbreak Published: 12:49PM Sunday December 28, 2008 Source: Reuters Police tracked down and killed a suspected Iraqi militant the night after the man believed to have links to al Qaeda disappeared in a bold jailbreak in western Iraq, a senior police official said. Police shot Imad Ahmed Farhan, described as a leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, a Sunni Islamist group linked to al Qaeda, after surrounding a house where he was holed up in the city of Ramadi, said Major-General Tareq Yusuf, police commander for western Anbar province. Farhan, who was accused of killing 37 people, and two other suspected militants escaped from a police jail in Ramadi, 100 kilometres west of Baghdad, in a dramatic riot overnight on Friday. Prisoners lured a policeman into their cell, stealing his weapon and killing him. Six other police officers and seven prisoners were killed in the subsequent fighting. Yusuf said the two other men who escaped with Farhan, were still at large. "We are chasing them, we are following them, and we will soon arrest them, God willing," Yusuf said. Yusuf said that Farhan had taken the family which lived in the home where he was killed hostage and fired at police from inside until he was shot dead himself. A local resident who witnessed the events, however, said that the standoff continued even after Farhan was shot, suggesting the other militants may have been inside as well. A lieutenant colonel in the Ramadi police, who asked to go unnamed, said that two accomplices surrendered after Farhan was shot, but they were not the two escaped prisoners. He said one civilian in the area was killed and one was wounded during the standoff. Three police officers were wounded, he said. Anbar, a vast desert region, was once Iraq's wild west and a hotbed of Sunni Islamist insurgency against US and Iraqi forces. But the province has gradually become far quieter. Earlier this fall, Iraqi security forces assumed control for Anbar's security from US Marines stationed there. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081227/NEWS/812270359/-1/NEWS09 Published: December 27, 2008 3:00 a.m. Briefs Suspected insurgents flee jail in deadly riot News services BAGHDAD ? Four suspected al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents escaped jail during a riot Friday that killed six police officers and seven prisoners in the western city of Ramadi, police said. Maj. Gen. Tariq Yousif, the police chief of Anbar province, said a prisoner held in a cell with 11 others asked a guard to allow him to go to the bathroom. When the guard opened the cell door, the prisoners pulled him in, grabbed his assault rifle and killed him, then attacked other police. Some detainees managed to escape in the ensuing riot. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/dec/27/world/fg-iraq27 Iraq prison riot leaves 13 dead Authorities say a suspected Sunni Arab insurgent with ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq persuaded a guard to open his cell door, then overpowered him, setting off the riot in Ramadi. By Kimi Yoshino December 27, 2008 Reporting from Baghdad ? A suspected Sunni Arab insurgent with ties to the group Al Qaeda in Iraq persuaded a prison guard to open his cell door, then overpowered him and stole his weapon, setting off a deadly riot that left 13 people dead in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, authorities said. Seven detainees were killed in the clash early today, including the suspected insurgent, along with six police officers. Three other suspected Islamist militants escaped and a fourth turned himself in without incident, said Tareq Yusuf Dulaimi, Anbar province police chief. One of the escapees is considered a high-ranking leader in Al Qaeda in Iraq who has confessed to killing at least three police officers, authorities said. Ramadi Mayor Latif Ubaid Iyada blamed the escape on a negligent prison guard, who unlocked the cell while carrying his AK-47. "They attacked our policeman and killed him," Iyada said. "They did their dirty trick and exploited his humanity for trying to help the sick prisoner." Dulaimi said police officers took control of the situation quickly, containing most of the three dozen prisoners held in one of two cells at the station. In all, about 11 suspects escaped their cells. Three were killed inside the jail and three others died just outside the station. Police chased a seventh suspect about 10 miles before fatally shooting him. Authorities immediately instituted a curfew at 5 a.m., which lasted throughout the day. Police searched large swaths of Anbar province to look for the three remaining escapees. Roads exiting to Ramadi were closed. "The citizens of Anbar condemn the jailbreak," Iyada said in an interview on Arabiya TV. "There is no return for terrorism in Ramadi -- not today, nor in the future, because the police forces in Anbar are in full control." At least 10 other police officers were wounded in the attack, which authorities believe may have been premeditated. They were being treated at a hospital in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar. kimi.yoshino at latimes.com A correspondent in Ramadi and Times staff writers in Baghdad contributed to this report. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013531522 13 Dead In Iraqi Al-Qaeda Jail Riot, Four Prisoners Escape December 26, 2008 11:38 a.m. EST Ayinde O. Chase - AHN Editor Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - During a riot on Friday in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, four suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq insurgents broke out of jail. The melee resulted in six police officers and seven prisoners being killed. Three of the militants, including a man Iraqi police described as being a local leader of the Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia remain at large. Maj. Gen. Tariq Yousif, the police chief of Anbar province, Iraq's largest province, of which Ramadi is the capital, said four prisoners escaped from the city's al-Forsan police station. U.S. Military estimates place the numbers for those killed as six too, however, according to their numbers only three prisoners escaped. According to Yousif, the incident began when a prisoner being held in a cell with 11 others asked a guard to allow him to go to the bathroom. Emad Ahmed Ferhan, who is the suspected Al-Qaeda leader in Mesopotamia, complained to police officer, Majid Latif that he felt nauseous and needed to use the toilet. As Ferhan was leaving the cell, which held about 30 inmates at the time, he attacked Latif. The prisoners pulled Latif in, grabbed his AK-47 assault rifle and killed him. The escaping prisoners then attacked other police. The police chief further reveals that the prisoners were all suspected insurgents of the group Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Following the initial shooting, a second police officer rushed to the scene, but he was also shot dead, the authorities said. Next the prisoners, armed with a second automatic weapon, made their way to the police station's armory in order to secure more guns and ammunition, officials said. In a New York Times article Mohammed Dulaimiin a police officer wounded in the attack says, "When they came out of the police station, they were shooting at us." He added, "I shot back and I killed one of them, but some of them escaped." Following the riot and prison break a curfew in the city was enacted. "The locals have played a prominent role in helping with security in town," said Mayor Ayada. Iraq's government took over security for Anbar province from the U.S. military in September. Iraq now controls security in 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces. Anbar which stretches from the western gates of Baghdad to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia was once the focal point in the Sunni insurgency, which broke out soon after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime. However two years ago Al-Qaeda lost its stronghold on the region when Sunni tribes banded together with U.S. Forces and turned against Al-Qaeda in light of the group's brutal tactics. http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-25240-Iraqis-protest-against-US-pact-in-Syria.html Iraqis protest against US pact in Syria Wednesday, December 03, 2008 10:55 GMT Around two thousands Iraqis protested in Sayydeh Zeinab region protested against Iraqi-US security pact. Protesters shouted slogans against the pact while Syrian Tishrin Newspaper criticized the agreement saying it aims to legitimize ?US occupation to Iraq?. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article5279431.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093 December 4, 2008 Iraqi guards open fire as migrants riot about deportation Deborah Haynes in Baghdad Recommend? (Deborah Haynes/The Times) Nepalese squatters in Baghdad. Many foreign workers have come to Baghdad expecting to find work Migrant workers who paid thousands of dollars to get to Iraq, where they hoped to find jobs as contractors, rioted yesterday because they feared they were about to be deported. About 450 men were due to be flown out of Iraq last night after spending up to three months inside a warehouse compound near Baghdad airport. Another 500 from Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka will be forced to leave the country in the coming days after the Kuwaiti company that hired them failed to secure enough contract work at dining facilities inside US bases in Iraq. Each paid up to $3,000 (?2,000) to middlemen on the promise of work as soon as they arrived in Iraq, but the jobs never materialised. Instead, they found themselves confined to three overcrowded warehouses in a secure zone around Baghdad airport. They said that food and hygiene were bad. With fears growing that the company was preparing to deport them without paying any wages, some of the workers turned violent when Iraqi immigration officials visited the compound, according to several Sri Lankans who were there. Iraqi security guards began shooting into the air after a company manager was beaten by the workers. ?People are getting shot at,? said Manoj Kodithuwakku, one of the Sri Lankan workers, as what sounded like gunfire cracked in the background. ?It is pandemonium in here.? Sampa Fernando, 31, also from Sri Lanka, agreed. ?I saw them shoot with my own eyes. As soon as that happened I ran. Nobody was killed and no one was injured in the shooting,? he said. The men were brought to Baghdad in the past three months to work for Najlaa International Catering Services, which is a subcontractor to Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), a main service provider to the US Department of Defence. Last night hundreds were being taken out of the country. ?The buses are going now,? Mr Kodithuwakku, 28, said. ?We have reached a point where there is no other way to turn than to go.? A couple of the workers had minor cuts to their heads after being hit by stones before Iraqi police arrived. The feeling of resentment was running high, with workers accusing Najlaa of tricking them into handing over their passports on Tuesday after assurances that they would be used in the payment of salaries. The passports were not returned, which led to speculation that they were being kept before a mass, enforced departure. Marwan Rizk, the chief executive officer of Najlaa, said the company had decided that the best thing was for the workers to go home. ?They are being demobilised to their respective countries,? he told The Times. ?It is because some contracts have basically vanished or been rescinded.? Mr Rizk, speaking from Kuwait, said that each man would receive a month?s salary when they arrived in Dubai, a transit hub for people travelling from Baghdad. He rejected allegations that the men were kept in poor living conditions. At the warehouses the mood was dark, with people contemplating a premature return to their families in debt rather than with the expected riches of a deployment to Iraq, where wages are much higher than in the developing world. ?We do not have any money to celebrate Christmas,? said Sanjaya Jayawardhana, 29, who has a child. ?I have spent three months without getting anything. We have been turned into beggars.? Mr Kodithuwakku said that he was putting a dream to migrate to Australia on hold: ?It will be a gloomy Christmas. But I will survive.? Both of the men, as well as several others contacted by The Times, feel they have been exploited. Asked about the allegations, a spokesman for the US military said: ?We take every allegation of human rights violation seriously and are looking into the issue. Until that time, we will reserve comment.? http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/26/iranians-march-in-support-of-shoe-protester/ world news There has been a wave of protests in Iraq and other countries, and now people in Iran have made their feelings known. Scores of demonstrators have gathered in Tehran in support of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US president George W. Bush. The TV reporter Muntadhar al-Zeidi has been in custody since the incident in Baghdad on December 14. ?The journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush gave this traitor a good farewell,? said one man. ?Bush has committed a lot of cruelty against the people of Iraq and other countries.? Authorities in Baghdad have confirmed that the trial of the journalist will begin on New Year?s Eve. He has been charged with attacking a foreign leader during an official visit, which carries a jail term of between five and 15 years. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/16/content_10514717.htm Thousands rally in Iraq to support Bush shoe thrower Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq Video:Iraqis demand release of shoe-thrower BAGHDAD, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Iraqis have taken to streets on Tuesday for second day to demand the release of an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a news conference two days ago. A shoe is raised during a protest against the U.S. President's visit in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. Dec. 15, 2008.Thousands of Iraqis have taken to streets on Tuesday for second day to demand the release of an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a news conference two days ago. (Photo: CRIOnline.com) Iraqis across the country hailed the journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who worked for Cairo-based Baghdadia television, and praised his act of throwing shoes at Bush as a heroic action. In Iraq's northern city of Mosul, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the building of the city university carrying banners and chanted slogans, demanding release of the reporter anddescribing him as a national hero. In Nassriyah city, the capital of Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, dozens of people from local civil organizations of the Zaidiya tribe, where the reporter's family belongs, demonstrated in central city and also demanded the release of Zaidi. Several more demonstrations have taken the streets in other cities of Salahudin, Hilla and Fallujah. On Monday, thousands of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied in the Sadr City neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, where Zaidi's family live, burned American flags to protest against Bush and demanded the release of Zaidi. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, head of operation office in the Interior Ministry, said that "an arrest warrant has been issued against Zaidi for committing a misdemeanor for throwing his shoes on President Bush and he has to get proper punishment." "The shoe throwing was also an insult to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki himself," Khalaf said. Also on Tuesday, the Union of Iraqi Lawyers announced in a statement obtained by Xinhua, that it supports Zaidi and it is preparing a group of lawyers for defending him if being prosecuted. "Misdemeanor, according to the Iraqi law, could take sentences ranging from three months to three years in prison, but for Zaidi it could be easier than that because the court may consider Zaidi's act was expressing his rejection for the U.S. soldiers crimes toIraqis," Ali al-Dulaimi, a lawyer, told Xinhua. Zaidi, 29, was immediately wrestled to the ground by security guards on Sunday night after throwing his shoes on Bush and since then he was being held by Iraqi security forces for interrogation and he was also being tested for alcohol and drugs. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Iraq-Shoe-Throwing-Reporter-Muntadhar-Al-Zeidi-In-Military-Custody-Over-George-Bush-Incident/Article/200812315182078?f=rss Protests Back Bush Shoe-Thrower 11:36am UK, Tuesday December 16, 2008 Thousands of protesters have demanded the release of an Iraqi journalist handed over to the military for throwing shoes at George Bush. Protesters in Baghdad call for reporter to be freed Muntadhar al Zeidi was turned over by security guards to face further investigation by the military command in charge of Baghdad, an official said. He was initially taken into custody for interrogation about whether anybody had paid him to throw his shoes at the US President during a news conference. The reporter could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister. He could be jailed for up to two years if found guilty. Journalist throws shoe Around 1,000 protesters marched in the city of Mosul to demand al Zeidi's release, while a few hundred others demonstrated in Nasiriyah and Fallujah. "Muntadhar al Zeidi has expressed the feelings and ambitions of the Iraqi people toward the symbol of tyranny," said Nassar Afrawi, a protester in Nasiriyah. Tens of thousands demonstrated on Monday in support of al Zeidi, who has become a hero among many in the Arab world opposed to US policies. The head of the Iraqi Union of Journalists described his actions as "strange and unprofessional" but urged Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki to give him clemency. "Even if he has committed a mistake, the government and the judiciary are broad-minded and we hope they consider his release because he has a family and he is still young," Mouyyad al Lami said. Sure, he's already something of a hero in many parts of the Middle East, and, if he comes out of this unscathed, he's destined for his own pan Arabic chat show. - Sky's foreign editor, Tim Marshall, in our Foreign Matters blog Al Zeidi, 29, is from the private TV channel al Baghdadia. He was overpowered by Iraqi security forces after he threw the shoes, a gesture seen as the ultimate mark of disrespect in the Muslim world. Lebanese channel NTV, known for its criticism of Washington, offered him a job - saying he would be paid "from the moment the first shoe was thrown". http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081217184021.pi9jpn0bp2&show_article=1 Iraqis protest against the arrest of Muntazer al-Zaidi An Iraqi shouts slogans as he protests against the arrest of Muntazer al-Zaidi who caused a furore when he hurled shoes at US President George W. Bush. The Iraqi journalist who became an instant media star for hurling his shoes at US President George W. Bush appeared on Wednesday before a judge investigating the incident, his brother said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7800453.stm Friday, 26 December 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Iranians join Bush shoe protest By Martin Vennard BBC News The protesters threw shoes at caricatures of Mr Bush Dozens of Iranians in the country's capital Tehran have held their own shoe-throwing rally in protest at US President George W Bush. They were showing support for the Iraqi journalist who threw his footwear at the American leader in Baghdad. The protesters waved their shoes in the air before throwing them at posters featuring caricatures of Mr Bush. The journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, is due to go on trial in Iraq, accused of assaulting a foreign head of state. 'Cruelty' The demonstration took place near Tehran university as people headed to Friday prayers. One demonstrator, who called himself Mr Ghanati, said he was a member of the Islamic guards and that the Iraqi journalist had seen off the "traitor" Mr Bush with his action. "Bush has committed a lot of cruelty against the people of Iraq and other countries," he said. A similar demonstration took place at a university in Iran's Isfahan province on Thursday and there have been other such protests across the region. Iraqis have called for the release of the journalist. Muntadar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush as the president was giving a news conference during a visit to Baghdad this month. Since then a Turkish firm, which claims it made the shoes, says it has had to take on 100 extra staff to cope with the surge in orders. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/protesters-shake-shoes-u-s-embassy-london-photo-02 Protesters Shake Shoes at U.S. Embassy in London -Photo-02 uploaded by Tanweer December 20, 2008 at 01:46 am Protesters pile shoes in a box to post to U.S. President George W. Bush outside the U.S Embassy in central London December 19, 2008. The protesters were demonstrating for the release of Iraqi TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/168443.html Bangladeshi protestors demand release of Iraqi Shoe-Hurling Journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi www.chinaview.cn 2008-12-21 09:32:22 http://www.myantiwar.org/view/168443.html Hundreds in Jordan call for shoe-thrower's release www.chinaview.cn 2008-12-21 00:10:05 AMMAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people on Saturday gathered in Jordan's capital of Amman, calling for the release of the Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush. They chanted "Down, down with Bush," and praised Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist, as a "hero," calling for his release. Protesters held up banners including a picture of U.S. President George W. Bush with a real shoe fixed on it, picture showing Bush dodging a flying shoe and even pictures of late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. At a news conference Bush held last Sunday in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Muntadhar al-Zaidi, reporter of Baghdadiya television, jumped and threw his two shoes one by one at Bush and called him a "dog" in Arabic. Bush ducked and narrowly missed being struck, but the journalist was wrestled by several security members to the floor and then dragged out of the hall as he was screaming. http://paperdragon.newsvine.com/_news/2008/12/20/2234533-protesters-wave-shoes-at-us-embassy-in-ankara Protesters wave shoes at US Embassy in Ankara News Type: Event ? Seeded on Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:16 PM EST Article Source: JPost.com world-news, iraq, protest, shoes, ankara, tukey, al-zeidi Seeded by Dennis P. McCann Protesters laid a black wreath with an imprint of a shoe at the gate of the US Embassy in Ankara on Saturday in a show of support for a jailed Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference in Iraq. About 50 demonstrators, some carrying shoes mounted on sticks, protested the arrest of Muntadhar al-Zeidi and called for his release. "Bye bye Bush the dog," read the sign on the wreath. The group, who called themselves the Turkey Youth Union, said in a statement that detaining a "hero" was unacceptable. http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhsnkfcweyid/rss2/ London protesters call for shoe thrower to be freed Print Email+ Share+ 19/12/2008 - 15:14:12 Protesters waving shoes outside the US Embassy in London today demanded the release of ?courageous? Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi. He remains in custody after hurling shoes towards US President George Bush at a press conference in Baghdad on Sunday. A judge investigating the incident has said al-Zaidi had bruises on his face and around his eyes. Media Workers Against The War delivered a letter to the US Embassy today, which read: ?We as journalists believe that our colleague Muntadar al-Zaidi, who protested at President George Bush in Baghdad on Sunday is guilty of nothing but expressing Iraqis? legitimate and overwhelming opposition to the US-led occupation of their country. ?We call on you to guarantee his safe treatment and affect his immediate release from custody.? Its signatures included Tony Benn, president, Stop The War Coalition, and MP Jeremy Corbyn. The Metropolitan Police estimated that there were around 40 protestors. Most arrived holding shoes in support of al-Zaidi. Media Workers Against The War chairman David Crouch, who handed the letter to an embassy security officer, told the crowd: ?We know the Iraqi Government has a dreadful record on the way that they harass, the way that they persecute and sometimes torture and kill journalists. ?So it?s extremely important that we send our message today to the Ambassador Robert Tuttle and to George Bush that the occupying power has the responsibility for al-Zaidi?s safety and must free him immediately. ?He has stood up against the silence and the lies that we have been forced to take all too often in the British and international media. ?I?m a journalist myself. Our role is to give a voice to people who don?t have a voice and for that reason al-Zaidi might as well have thrown 27 million shoes at George Bush, because he was speaking for the vast overwhelming majority of the Iraqi population. ?There is no press freedom in Iraq. Anyone who tells you any different is lying.? Mr Crouch, a news editor at a national newspaper, added: ?If you are a journalist and you speak your mind in Iraq then you put your life on the line, and this is what al-Zaidi has done.? Another protester, Sabah Jawad, Iraqi Democrats Against The Occupation, said: ?This guy was courageous. He didn?t think about the consequences of his actions. ?He went there fully aware that this might be an implication for him and for his safety. ?His life is in threat but he represented the Iraqi people by this action. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.? http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_world&id=6566404 Protesters shake shoes at US Embassy in London Saturday, December 20, 2008 | 9:15 PM A pile of shoes, seen, dumped in a box outside the US Embassy by demonstrators in London, Friday, Dec. 19, 2008. Stop the War coalition are calling for the guaranteed safety and release of Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who threw his shoes at US President George Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) LONDON (AP) - December 20, 2008 -- Protesters shook their shoes at the U.S. Embassy in London on Friday in a show of support for a jailed Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference in Iraq. Up to 50 demonstrators, some carrying shoes mounted on sticks, protested the arrest of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi and called for his release. "He has stood up against the silence and the lies that we have been forced to take all too often in the British and international media," said David Crouch, the chairman of Media Workers Against The War, a group representing anti-war journalists. "Our role is to give a voice to people who don't have a voice and for that reason al-Zeidi might as well have thrown 27 million shoes at George Bush, because he was speaking for the vast overwhelming majority of the Iraqi population," Crouch said. Story continues below Advertisement The protest ended when demonstrators dumped their shoes - including high heels, sneakers, and slippers - into a box in front of the U.S. Embassy at London's Grosvenor Square http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=cp_giehkfeka19&show_article=1 Footwear to be flying at Montreal protest in support of Iraqi reporter Dec 18 05:07 PM US/Eastern Sidhartha Banerjee, THE CANADIAN PRESS Comments (0) MONTREAL - If nothing else, it's a protest that promises to have a lot of sole. Montrealers are being invited to hurl their footwear at the U.S. Consulate on Saturday in solidarity with an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush this week. The event is being organized by Block the Empire, a Montreal-based antiwar protest group that regularly laces into Bush's foreign policy. Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi has been detained in Iraq since firing his shoes at Bush at a news conference last Sunday. Protest organizer Sophie Schoen said people are invited to bring any footwear. "People everywhere were really inspired by the initial shoe-throwing at George Bush," said Schoen. "I think it's a good way to shed some light on the continued occupation of Iraq, and also for us in Canada the occupation of Afghanistan especially since the U.S. government is planning to intensify its actions in Afghanistan." The afternoon protest will begin at the consulate before moving to the Canadian Forces recruitment centre in downtown Montreal for yet another shoe-tossing - to make the link between Iraq and Afghanistan, Schoen said. To boot, journalists are being asked to take part in solidarity with their detained colleague. "I'm sure there are several journalists who are dying to throw their shoes," Schoen said. Since the incident, thousands have taken to the streets in Iraq and elsewhere to protest al-Zeidi's arrest. The footage of the reporter whipping his shoes one at a time at a ducking-and-weaving Bush has been broadcast repeatedly around the world. The journalist also shouted at Bush in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." In a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, al-Zeidi was repentant and formally requested a pardon on Thursday. Iraqi officials have said al-Zeidi would probably be charged with insulting a foreign leader, which potentially carries a two-year sentence. Schoen says at least a few dozen people might gather on Saturday, but she is hopeful for many, many more. "I think people everywhere it spoke for them - it spoke to what people's views are on the occupation of Iraq and U.S. imperialism," Schoen said. The Canadian Press, 2008 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047974.html 19/12/2008 Palestinian journalists protest for release of Iraqi colleague who threw shoes at Bush By The Associated Press Tags: Iraqi journalist shoes Several dozen Palestinian journalists took off their shoes Thursday in a protest in Bethlehem's Manger Square, to show support for the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush earlier this week. The journalist currently remains in Iraqi custody and could face two years in prison for insulting a foreign leader. A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister says Muntadhar al-Zeidi has apologized for throwing the shoes. In the Arab world, throwing shoes at someone is considered to be a sign of deep disrespect. In Bethelehem, al-Zeidi's Palestinian colleagues waved Palestinian and Iraqi flags. They also held signs in English, reading "Bush deserved it." The shoe toss triggered an outpouring of support for al-Zeidi.The TV station where he works repeatedly aired pleas Monday for his release, while airing footage of explosions and playing background music that denounced the U.S. in Iraq. On Tuesday, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip held a rally in support of al-Zeidi, demanding his release and stepping on photos of Bush. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/168239.html December 18, 2008 Protests rise over alleged beating of 'shoe man' Muntazar al-Zaidi Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent The furore over President Bush?s shoe-throwing assailant spread through Iraq and across international borders yesterday, claiming its first political casualty as protests grew over his continued detention and alleged ill-treatment. The brother of Muntazar al-Zaidi, who secured his place in infamy with his outburst against Mr Bush at a press conference in Baghdad, claimed that the Shia journalist had been so badly beaten in custody that police were unable to produce him in court. Mr al-Zaidi?s family were told that a court hearing had been held in his jail cell instead and that they would not be allowed to see him for at least another eight days. ?That means my brother was severely beaten and they fear that his appearance could trigger anger at the court,? Dargham al-Zaidi said, adding that his brother had been treated for a broken arm and ribs at the military hospital in the green zone. Anger at Mr al-Zaidi?s treatment erupted in the Iraqi parliament, provoking stand-up rows and prompting the resignation of the assembly?s notoriously hot-tempered Speaker. ?I have no honour leading this parliament and I announce my resignation,? Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said after quitting the assembly amid chaos created by Shia politicians. In three days Mr al-Zaidi has gone from minor television presenter to a hero of Islamic resistance. Thousands of Iraqis, both Sunni and Shia, took to the streets in cities from Mosul to Nasiriyah yesterday in a second day of protests demanding his release. Smaller groups gathered in the Paki-stani cities of Lahore and Karachi. In Beirut university students threw footwear at an effigy of the American President before setting it on fire. In Egypt Muntazer al-Zaidi was so struck by Mr al-Zaidi that he offered his daughter in marriage, a proposition she wholeheartedly supported. ?This is something that would honour me. I would like to live in Iraq, especially if I were attached to this hero,? Amal Saad Gumaa, 20, said. In Afghanistan, Mr al-Zaidi has become the subject of aSaturday Night Live-style television comedy show that used actors to reconstruct the scene. Mr al-Zaidi has not been seen in public or by his family since he was hauled out from Sunday?s press conference by the bodyguards of Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister. He is under investigation pending charges of insulting a visiting dignitary, a crime punishable with a jail sentence of up to seven years. At the press conference, Mr al-Zaidi, a reporter for the Iraqi al-Baghdadia television channel, rose to deliver a question before pulling off his shoes, one after the other, and hurling them at Mr Bush. ?This is your farewell kiss, you dog!? he shouted in Arabic, combining two of the harshest insults in Middle Eastern culture. Mr Bush was uninjured but his press secretary, Dana Perino, appeared before reporters in Washington yesterday sporting a faint black eye, the result of a collision with a microphone in the m?l?e. Mr Bush has laughed off the incident, claiming not to understand the implied insult. It was ?just a shoe?, he insisted. But nerves were rising in Washington at Mr al-Zaidi?s continued nonappearance, especially after the official spin that Mr Bush had brought Iraqis the freedom to register such protests without risking imprisonment or torture. The State Department said that it would issue a condemnation if it were true that Mr al-Zaidi had been beaten up. Mr al-Zaidi?s protest has spawned a rash of viral internet games. One, from Dubai, called ?Sock and Awe? gives players 30 seconds to hurl as many shoes as they can at Mr Bush, scoring a point for each direct hit. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=152473 Journalists protest against shoe-thrower?s detention Thursday, December 18, 2008 LAHORE: Around 200 people demonstrated here on Wednesday against the detention of an Iraqi reporter for hurling his shoes at US President George W Bush. Around 150 journalists also demonstrated outside the press club here on Wednesday to demand the release of Zaidi, who risks up to seven years in jail under the Iraqi law. The Iraqi television reporter was swiftly wrestled to the ground after the incident was beaten by security guards, suffering a broken arm and ribs. ?We condemn torture on Muntazer al-Zaidi and demand his immediate release and we also express our solidarity with him? said protester Nasir Naqvi. Another 50 people held a protest in Karachi carrying a 10-feet model of a shoe labelled with the words ?for Bush with love.? ?We are with you Muntazer. The whole Muslim world is with you,? the protesters shouted. Both demonstrations passed off peacefully. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081218141810.fv3cd9o7p1&show_article=1 Palestinian journalists stage a bare-foot protest in Bethlehem Palestinian journalists stage a bare-foot protest in Bethlehem to show solidarity with the Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at US President George W. Bush. Security agents destroyed the shoes during checks to ensure they did not contain explosives, the investigating judge said on Thursday. http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20081122/ZNYT03/811223009/1016/NEWS?Title=Protests_in_Baghdad_on_U_S__Pact Protests in Baghdad on U.S. Pact STEPHEN FARRELL Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 4:12 a.m. BAGHDAD ? More than 10,000 Iraqis, mostly supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, gathered in Baghdad?s Firdos Square on Friday to protest the security agreement with the United States that is scheduled for a vote in Parliament on Monday. Click to enlarge Followers of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Firdous Square in central Baghdad on Friday for a mass prayer to protest a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact. Joao Silva for The New York Times Demonstrators hanged a black-hooded effigy of President Bush from a column with powerful symbolism: it supported the statue of Saddam Hussein that was toppled by American troops in April 2003, after Baghdad fell. Removing the hood to beat the effigy with a shoe, a particularly deep Iraqi insult, they put a whip in its right hand and in its left a briefcase on which was written, ?The security agreement is shame and dishonor.? The government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has signed the pact, which places new limits on the powers of American troops in Iraq but provides for them to stay in the country up to the end of 2011. The final steps are parliamentary approval, and affirmation by the country?s three-man Presidency Council. But opposition has been heated, particularly from the Sadr political bloc. And even if Mr. Maliki?s ruling coalition secures the necessary votes, Iraq?s most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has indicated that he believes the deal will be acceptable to the Iraqi people only if it achieves some degree of consensus. This means Mr. Maliki must somehow calm the opposition?s fury, as well as get some support from Iraq?s minority Sunnis, many of whom are nervous about seeing American troops depart, fearing Iran and its Shiite allies in Baghdad. In Firdos Square, protesters sat in rows of 50 stretching back more than half a mile. They filled Sadoun Street, beside the Palestine Hotel and in front of the colonnaded traffic circle where five years ago American troops pulled down the dictator?s statue in scenes televised around the world. While the rally was billed as a cross-community effort, to be attended by Shiite and Sunni clerics, the vast majority of those in attendance were Sadrists. Many had come from Mr. Sadr?s stronghold of Sadr City, and the chants the crowd took up were ?Moktada, Moktada,? ?No, no to America,? and ?No, no to the agreement.? Sadrist officials said they opposed the security agreement because they did not believe assurances that the Americans would ever leave. They depicted the pact as a successor to colonial-era treaties with Western powers in the last century that, they said, had ?sold the Arab and the Muslim lands into occupation.? Reading from a statement by Mr. Sadr, one of his followers, Sheik Abdelhadi al-Mohammedawi, said: ?America has not and will not be useful. It is the enemy of Islam.? To cheers and cries of ?God is great? he continued, ?The love of Iraq calls us not to let the foot of the atheists on our ground and to not permit them to stay three minutes, not three years.? Quteiba al-Nadawi, a Sunni preacher, told the crowd: ?We have rejected this agreement from the beginning. We are supporting our brothers the Sadrists, and we are supporting all honorable Iraqis who reject this agreement. We need freedom for our people and unity for Iraqis.? Members 0f Iraqi security forces took up positions on rooftops and a mosque overlooking Firdos Square, with snipers and machine gunners keeping an eye on the crowd. There was no sign of American forces, and the protest was peaceful throughout. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37862 Iraqi Citizens Stage Huge Protest Against Continued US Occupation Submitted by Chip on Sun, 2008-11-23 07:53. ? Iraq The US media present SOFA as nearly a done deal, opposed by only a minority of Sadrists in the parliament. You don't hear about the protests of over a million people in our mainstream news against the proposed Status of Forces Agreement in Iraq. These photos never quite make it to the front page (or any other) of our "free press." Related Coverage: Iraqis Pour into Street to Protest U.S. Security "Agreement" | Middle East Online Thousands of Iraqis, mainly Shiite followers of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, gathered in Baghdad Friday to protest a security accord that would allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq until 2011. The crowds swarmed into central Baghdad's Firdoos Square, where a large statue of executed President Saddam Hussein was torn down by U.S. troops a few weeks after the March 2003 invasion. The protestors hung an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush carrying a suitcase labelled "security agreement" from the abstract statue that now stands in the center of the square. A sign pinned to the effigy reflected the mood of the protestors: "The security agreement is shameful and humiliating." The agreement, which was approved by the Iraqi cabinet on Sunday after nearly a year of hard-nosed negotiations, would govern the status of some 150,000 U.S. at the end of the year. It would require all foreign forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June 2009 and to withdraw completely from Iraq by the end of 2011. It has drawn fire from most of Iraqis, who are against signing any agreement that would seek to legitimize the U.S. occupation. "No, No, to the agreement!" the crowds chanted beneath a huge banner with a picture of bloody, cuffed hands reaching out from a map of Iraq and three keys labelled with American, Israeli, and British flags. Other banners in English read "No for the security agreement that makes Iraq a prisoner and without sovereignty" and "Occupied forces must leave Iraq now." "We are following the call of Moqtada al-Sadr to pray and demonstrate against the accord and against the occupation," said Nawfal Faraj, 36, a civil servant. "This agreement is not clear. It allows the occupation forces to stay in Iraq." Sheikh Talal al-Saadi, the imam of Baghdad's revered Kadhimiyah shrine and one of several clerics in the crowd, said he had heeded Sadr's call to demonstrate against the "humiliating" agreement. "The agreement allows the occupiers to stay three years in Iraq, while (president-elect Barack) Obama wants to withdraw them within 16 months. We want the Iraqi government to be patient and to wait for Obama's order," he said. Another imam, the Sadrist sheikh Abelhadi al-Mohammedawi, then led the thousands of protestors in Friday prayers before reading a statement from Sadr. "If they don't leave the country I am going to be with you to make them leave in a way that suits you, as long as it doesn't go against the religion. And if they leave I will be with you to protect the Iraqi people," Sadr said in the statement. The Sadrists had called on both Sunnis and Shiites to attend the demonstration and Sunni imam Quteiba al-Nadawi led the crowd in chants of "Yes, yes to unity ? Yes, yes to Iraq ? No to submission, No to this agreement!" The pact has been loudly debated on the floor of the Iraqi parliament in recent days, where the 30-member Sadrist bloc has sought to derail it. Most Iraqis are opposed to any kind of deal with Washington that would keep American forces in the country, and that would give U.S. forces immunity from being punished when they commit war crimes against Iraqis. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/23/2003429353 Al-Sadr followers protest proposed pact with the US AP, BAGHDAD Sunday, Nov 23, 2008, Page 7 Thousands of followers of a radical Shiite cleric protested a proposed US-Iraqi security deal on Friday, burning an effigy of US President George W. Bush in the same square where Iraqis beat a toppled Saddam Hussein statue five years ago. Chanting and waving flags, Moqtada al-Sadr?s followers filled Firdous Square to protest the pact that would allow US troops to stay for three more years. The demonstration followed two days of protests in parliament by al-Sadr loyalists, who disrupted readings of the proposed agreement. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the pact tomorrow, but presidential spokesman Naseer al-Ani told Iraq?s Sharqiyah television late on Friday that the vote might be delayed until after the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha early next month. ?It will need more time. Perhaps until after Eid al-Adha,? he told the Dubai-based station without explanation. The legislature is expected to go into recess later this month ahead of Eid al-Adha, when scores of lawmakers travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Despite the opposition of at least three small parliamentary factions, the pact is expected to pass in the Shiite-led parliament when it comes up for a vote. Al-Sadr, who controls a group of 30 lawmakers in the 275-seat parliament, views the deal as a surrender to US interests. But supporters say the pact will eventually lead to full sovereignty. If al-Sadr?s group and other legislators opposed to the pact lose by a thin margin, they might attempt to turn their anti-US message into a defining issue in provincial elections on Jan. 31 and general elections late next year. Al-Sadr?s influence in Iraq, however, has dipped from the days when militiamen loyal to him battled US forces and were seen as protectors of Shiites against Sunni militants and his anti-US message earned him and his followers strong nationalist credentials. Al-Sadr, believed to be in Iran, was not at the protest, though his representative read a sermon he wrote that called the US ?the enemy of Islam.? ?The government must know that it is the people who help it in the good and the bad times. If it throws the occupier out, all the Iraqi people will stand by it,? the sermon read, using common rhetoric for the US. Al-Sadr said that his followers in both his movement?s armed and peaceful factions would continue to work for the removal of US forces. The protesters placed the Bush effigy on the same pedestal where US Marines toppled the ousted dictator?s statue in one of the iconic images of the 2003 US-led invasion. After a mass prayer, demonstrators pelted the Bush effigy with plastic water bottles and sandals. One man hit it in the face with his sandal. The effigy fell head first into the crowd and protesters jumped on it before setting it ablaze. The uproar this week suggests that the security pact could remain divisive as the country struggles for reconciliation after years of war. For Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki?s Dawa party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, its senior government partner, the margin of support is almost as important as the victory itself. A narrow passage will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the new terms governing the US troop presence. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1226404800152&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Nov 21, 2008 22:49 Iraqi Shi'ites burn Bush effigy to protest US security pact By ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD Thousands of followers of a radical Shi'ite cleric protested a proposed US-Iraqi security deal Friday, burning an effigy of US President George W. Bush in the same square where Iraqis beat a toppled Saddam Hussein statue five years ago. Chanting and waving flags, Muqtada al-Sadr's followers filled Firdous Square to protest the pact that would allow American troops to stay for three more years. The demonstration followed two days of protests in parliament by al-Sadr loyalists who disrupted readings of the proposed agreement. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the pact Monday, but presidential spokesman Naseer al-Ani told Iraq's Sharqiyah television late Friday that the vote might be delayed until after the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, which falls in early December. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/22/world/fg-iraq22 Iraqi protesters burn George Bush effigy where Saddam Hussein statue once stood The crowd of thousands was protesting plans to keep American troops in Iraq through 2011. By Tina Susman and Caesar Ahmed November 22, 2008 At the same spot where U.S. forces helped Iraqis topple a statue of Saddam Hussein in 2003, protesters today tore down an effigy of President Bush and set it afire in a protest over plans to keep American troops in Iraq through 2011. Demonstrators began arriving at central Baghdad's Firdos Square just after sunrise, some having walked hours across the capital. Most came from Sadr City, the stronghold of the man who called for the gathering, Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr. Iraqi army snipers perched on rooftops along the broad avenues leading to the square, a public gathering spot in the middle of a traffic roundabout decorated with fountains and greenery. The effigy of Bush, wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase, dangled for hours as the crowd, which stretched for several city blocks, knelt in prayer and listened to clerics denounce the Status of Forces Agreement. The pact, which is expected to be voted on in Iraqi's parliament next week, sets a Dec. 31, 2011 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and requires American combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities, towns and villages by the end of next June. But people interviewed in the crowd insisted the pact did not contain any withdrawal deadlines. Others said that whatever the pact said, they did not trust the U.S. or Iraqi governments to live up to it. "They want to keep extending and extending," Bassim Hamoud, dressed in a lavender shirt and pressed beige trousers, said as he prepared to pass one of the Iraqi army checkpoints set up on the edge of the rally. "If there was a concrete time limit, we would go for it." Asked what he wanted that time limit to be for a U.S. withdrawal, Hamoud replied, "We want them to leave today." Protesters' comments reflected both the lack of knowledge of the pact and the distrust many Iraqis feel toward the Americans and the Iraqi government as a result of unmet promises since the U.S.-led invasion. At the time of the Hussein statue's toppling, most Iraqis were not expecting that nearly six years down the line, they still would be living in a city with spotty electricity, sewage running through the streets of their neighborhoods, military checkpoints choking traffic and bombs going off regularly. Loyalists of hard-line anti-U.S. leaders such as Sadr say if the Americans left, the violence would decrease and Iraqis would be able to fix their own problems. As long as the United States has forces here, they say, Iraq never will be sovereign. http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2008-11-21/Bush_burned_effigy_destroyed_in_Iraqi_protest.html Bush burned: effigy destroyed in Iraqi protest e-mail story to a friendprint version 21 November, 2008, 19:45 Thousands of protestors against the U.S. presence in Iraq have burned an effigy of President George Bush in the same square where they toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein five years ago. Yahoo StumbleUpon Google Live Technorati Scoop del.icio.us Digg Sphinn Furl Reddit Most of the protestors were followers of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who view the American military as occupiers. The demonstration comes after two days of heated protest in parliament by al-Sadr loyalists and other small parties arguing that the new security pact, which would ensure a U.S. presence in Iraq for three more years, was a ?surrender to U.S. interests?. In a remarkable turn of events, the effigy, with a banner standing next to it reading ?shame and humiliation?, was placed on the very site where fallen dictator Saddam Hussein's statue stood. It was torn down by U.S. marines and Iraqis in one of the most iconic moments of the Iraq war. Protestors stoned the effigy with water bottles and sandals. One man used his shoe to strike Bush's face. Eventually the image fell and was stamped on before being set alight. Crowds chanted and waved flags while the effigy burned. Security was extremely tight, with Army snipers present and al-Sadr loyalists all around as well. Al-Sadr's representative read a sermon calling the US ?an enemy of Islam? and urging parliament not to pass the new security pact. ?The government must know that it is the people who help it in the good and the bad times. If it throws the occupier out, all the Iraqi people will stand by it,? read the sermon. Among the crowds were protestors holding banners reading ?No, no to the agreement of humiliation?. If the pact passes through parliament it will go to the president and his two deputies for ratification. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/112208a.html Iraqi Shiites Protest Extended US Stay By TheRealNews.com November 22, 2008 The proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact, with its 2011 deadline for U.S. military withdrawal, is slated for a vote by the Iraqi parliament on Nov. 24, but popular opposition continues from many Iraqi Shiites who want a faster U.S. departure. Thousands of followers of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr converged on a central Baghdad square for a mass prayer, to protest the status of forces agreement. McClatchy correspondent Adam Asher who was on the scene says what concerns many Iraqis is "whether Muqtada al-Sadr will call off his cease-fire if the [status of forces agreement] passes parliament. http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/11/22/news0871.htm US troop pact protest paralyses Baghdad Reuters, Baghdad Iraqi forces shut streets in Baghdad and placed snipers on rooftops on Friday before a protest by followers of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr against a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain for three more years. Scores of soldiers with armored vehicles and sniffer dogs blocked off Saadoun Street through the center of the capital ahead of the march after Friday prayers later in the day. A few hundred early arrivals chanted "No, No USA!" They waved Iraqi flags and carried portraits of Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric who led popular uprisings against U.S. forces, in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The Iraqi government signed the pact earlier this week and parliament is expected to vote on it next week. The Sadrists oppose it outright and other groups have expressed reservations. Senior Sadr aide Hazim al-Araji prepared for the rally under the gaze of rooftop snipers in Baghdad's central Firdos square, where U.S. troops toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein shortly after the invasion. "Today is the day of Iraqi unity among Arabs, Kurds, all communities of Iraq, to reject the security pact. These people are coming out to prove the security pact is worthless," he told Reuters. "Of course it will be very big," he said of the rally. "One hundred percent, it will be peaceful." Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ridiculed the Sadrist stance, saying Sadrists had demanded a firm date for U.S. troops to withdraw and when he delivered it they opposed it. The pact requires U.S. troops to leave the streets of Iraqi towns by the middle of next year and to leave the country by December 31, 2011. U.S. forces will need Iraqi warrants to arrest people and U.S. contractors will be subjected to Iraqi law. The firm withdrawal date was a major concession from the outgoing U.S. administration of President George W. Bush, who long opposed setting any deadline, and is a sign of the increasing confidence of the Iraqi government in negotiations. Maliki launched a crackdown on Sadr's followers earlier this year, driving his black-masked Mehdi Army fighters off the streets of Baghdad and cities of the Shi'ite south. U.S. officials say Sadr has been in neighboring Iran since last year. Violence in Iraq has fallen to levels unseen since the early days after the invasion. But militants are able to carry out bomb attacks. A roadside bomb at a checkpoint in Baghdad's southern Doura neighborhood killed three people and wounded 15 early on Friday. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/15/iraq.security.pact/index.html?eref=rss_world November 15, 2008 -- Updated 0733 GMT (1533 HKT) BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for a massive prayer service and a peaceful demonstration in Baghdad next week against the U.S.-led presence in Iraq. In a letter, al-Sadr called for a pan-Muslim Friday prayer sermon in central Baghdad's Firdous Square next week, instead of separate services in individual mosques. After the prayers, al-Sadr said participants should protest peacefully against the proposed security agreement under negotiation between the Iraqi and U.S. governments. "Let them all be united to foil the signing of the agreement that wants to sell Iraq to the occupier just like our holy lands in Palestine and other Arab and Islamic lands were sold before, and let that be next Friday hoping that we clear our conscience in front of God and his prophet and let everyone, after they finish the sacred ritual, gather for a peaceful demonstration to express their rejection of the agreement," al-Sadr wrote in the letter. Sheikh Hazem al-Araji, a senior member of the Sadrist movement, told CNN the letter was read in Baghdad, Kufa, Amara, Nasiriya and other Iraqi cities before thousands of worshippers who attended Friday prayer services. The United States and Iraq have been negotiating a proposed status of forces agreement for months. The pact, which would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after the U.N. mandate on their presence expires at the end of this year, has been controversial among many Iraqi officials. Many say they will oppose any deal that hints of compromising the country's sovereignty. Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a statement on his official Web site this week that he will "forbid any stance that targets the sovereignty of Iraq no matter how small it is." http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/104097/tens_of_thousands_of_iraqis_protest_u.s._plan_to_stay_until_2011/ Tens of Thousands of Iraqis Protest U.S. Plan to Stay Until 2011 By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Posted October 22, 2008. An interview with Iraq correspondent Patrick Cockburn and Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar on the Status of Forces Agreement. Amy Goodman: The Iraqi cabinet is examining a controversial draft law that would allow U.S. forces to stay in Iraq for three more years. U.S. military chief Michael Mullen warned Tuesday Iraq could risk "losses of significant consequence" if the deal is not approved quickly. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, also defended the deal Monday, saying it "fully restores Iraq's sovereignty." But tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated against the proposed Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, on Saturday. ? AG: Patrick Cockburn, you're just back from Iraq. There were tens of thousands of people protesting the agreement this weekend. Michael Mullen, the U.S. military chief there, bluntly warned Iraq on Tuesday it risks security "losses of significant consequence" unless it approves the agreement. The deadline is -- UN mandate runs out December 31st. Patrick Cockburn: Yes, and I think that the protests against it, I mean, in this case, by the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, and the general mood in Iraq, it illustrates, first of all, the occupation was never popular, from day one five years ago, and it's still very unpopular. So it's going to be very difficult to get this through. You can feel the opposition to it mounting in all -- lots of corners. And the people who negotiated it, when I was talking to them in Baghdad, seemed to live in a bit of a Never-Never-Land about how this agreement was going to go down among the broad mass of Iraqis. AG: Your book is called Muqtada al-Sadr and the Battle for the Future of Iraq. How significant is his opposition to this? PC: Well, you know, the Sadrists, Muqtada's movement, is the only sort of mass movement among the Shia, and it has shown that it has the ability to mobilize tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people against the accord. So there are signs over this week that the government has been influenced, the Iraqi government has been influenced, by the demonstrations and the general unpopularity of the agreement. ? AG: -- throughout the whole thing, relief that maybe there is no war going on. PC: Sure. I mean, I think it's extraordinary. I mean, there's an obvious reason. First of all, the mortgage crisis from March, and afterwards the great financial crisis, concerns people. But I think also that the, if you like, propaganda about the surge, giving the impression that Iraq somehow had returned to peace, has had quite an impact. But, you know, it's extraordinary, in Baghdad, people -- you ask an Iraqi what the situation is, they say, well, it's a bit better. What they mean is better than the bloodbath than we had two or three years ago, but it's still the most dangerous country in the world. You know, we have a couple of bombs, twenty people killed in a day. Nobody in the outside world notices, there's a large American army there. So the crisis which has been going on in the last five years is still going on, and the war is still going on. And I imagine that this will become more apparent after the election again. But, yes, it is rather extraordinary the way it's sunk from the headlines. AG: You write that Iraqis are staying in exile, too afraid to return. PC: Sure. This is the best barometer on what's really happening in Iraq. You have 4.7 million Iraqis, out of a population of about 26 million, who have fled homes either within the country or 2.2 million without. They're desperate to go back, but they know it's too dangerous to. This is what really tells one that the situation is still pretty grim there. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/38201 Thousands protest against US-Iraq deal Baghdad, 18 October 2008 ( AFP ) Angry supporter of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chanted anti-US slogans and burnt effigies of American leaders in a mass rally here on Saturday. Protesters urged Iraqi lawmakers to reject a planned US-Iraq security deal. Effigies of US President George W. Bush with bandaged head and fractured right arm and of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were set ablaze along with several American flags as protestors chanted anti-US slogans. Tens of thousands of protestors spat out their anger at the US during a protest march which began at the cleric?s Sadr City bastion in east Baghdad and ended at nearby Mustansiriyah Square, where the effigies were torched. ?No, No, to America! No, No to the devil!? shouted crowds of men, women and children as they walked the three kilometre (two mile) route through the dusty streets of Sadr City to the square. Carrying Iraqi flags and banners of the Sadr movement, the demonstrators demanded an end to the US occupation of Iraq. ?Get out occupier! We demand an end to the occupation!? they shouted. Large numbers of Sadr supporters had gathered since Friday night at Sadr City?s Mudhaffar Square where the protest march began, while many arrived at the venue from several Shiite regions of Iraq early on Saturday. ?We are marching to reject the occupation,? said Karim Kadhim, a Shia from Najaf. ?Would America like to be occupied by any other country? Would America like its sons to be attacked? Why are they occupying our country?? he asked. ?They have been lying for the past five years. They told us they are coming to free us and go. But they are still lying.? After the burning of the effigies and flags at Mustansiriyah Square, protestors chanted slogans praising Sadr?s Mahdi Army militia. ?The Mahdi Army is still powerful and Sadr is still powerful,? they chanted, referring to the cleric?s feared 60,000-strong militia. The organisers of the march also read out a statement by Sadr in which he urged the Iraqi parliament to reject the proposed security deal with Washington. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/37763 Sadrists in Wassit protest security pact ? Send to friend ? Print ? [-] Text [+] ? Baghdad, 12 October 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) Hundreds of the Sadrist Movement followers in Wassit demonstrated at central Kut city after today?s Friday prayers, condemning the Iraqi-U.S. long-term security agreement and the assassination of a Sadrist lawmaker on Thursday, said a Movement source in the city. ?The demonstration, which started from the Kut Grand Mosque and ended at the city?s Martyr al-Sadr Office, denounced the Iraqi-U.S. long-term security agreement, military foreign presence in Iraq and the assassination of Dr. Salih al-Igaili,? the source told Aswat al-Iraq.He added during the demonstration that ?a release issued by (Shiite leader) Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr calling on his followers to go to Baghdad on Saturday, October 18th 2008, to demonstrate against the security agreement and foreign forces? presence in Iraq was read out?.Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of Baghdad. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/37770 Angry protesters stage demonstration in Baghdad?s southern suburb Baghdad, 12 October 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) Angry people in Baghdad?s southern suburb of Doura ran to the street after a car bomb hit their district on Friday, witnesses reported. Local witnesses said scores of people staged demonstrations in Baghdad?s southern suburb of al-Doura following the car bomb that ripped through a market in Abu Dishir district in spite of strict security cordon imposed by U.S.-Iraqi forces. They said demonstrators set tyres ablaze to protest the bombing that claimed 35 casualties along with material damage to many shops in the district. Earlier, a police source said ten individuals were killed and 25 wounded by a car bomb in Baghdad?s southern al- suburb of al-Doura. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/38635 Anti-deal protests in Basra Basra, 24 October 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) The Sayyed al-Shohadaa (Master of Martyrs) Movement on Saturday staged a demonstration in Basra, where scores of civilians in the city marched to condemn the security agreement planned to be signed between Iraq and the United States. ?The movement organized the demonstration today in the central Basra area of al-Ishar to demand imposing Iraq?s sovereignty in the security pact,? a protester, Hassan Kareem, told Aswat al-Iraq. The deal is triggering a row amongst government, religious and popular circles in Iraq. Some government officials say hat the U.S. side has offered great concessions to ink a final draft of the agreement while others claim that it still contains articles undermining Iraq?s sovereignty and independence. The protesters called for ?guaranteeing the Iraqi people?s rights in the pact and not to allow foreign and U.S. troops in Iraq to have a free hand to act outside the parameters of the law?. The eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, the stronghold of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr?s movement and Mahdi Army militias, had witnessed 10 days ago a similar demonstration in which hundreds of Sadr supporters expressed rejection of the security deal. The agreement, if endorsed, will govern the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq as the UN mandate granted to the United States will expire late this year. According the draft pact, the U.S. presence in Iraq will continue until December 31, 2008, the date after which the Iraqi government would be entitled to ask the U.S. administration to withdraw its troops from Iraq. http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NzE2NjU4OTA5 Shiites protest US-Iraqi pact Published Date: October 26, 2008 BAGHDAD: About 300 Shiites rallied yesterday in the southern city of Basra against a US-Iraqi security pact currently under negotiation. In Baghdad, bombs killed an Iraqi army brigadier general and a soldier, police said. The protesters were members of a local Muslim charity linked to Iraq's largest Shiite political party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, or SIIC. The council has not decided whether to support the security agreement and its decision will be crucial in determining whether it wins parlia mentary approval. Critics oppose the pact as an infringement of national sovereignty. Demonstrators raised banners that read "No to the agreement of humiliation" while chanting "No to America." Tensions have been rising as the Dec 31 deadline to reach agreement on the pact approaches. The proposed security pact calls for all US combat forces to be removed from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and for all forces to leave the country by the end of 2011, unless both sides agree to an extension. Opposition from members of Sayyid al-Shuhada, a charitable organization in Basra is significant because the protests against the deal so far have largely been led by followers of anti-US cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. Iraq's Cabinet decided Tuesday to ask the US for changes to the draft agreement as key Shiite l awmakers warned the deal stands little chance of approval as it stands. The decision also raised doubts that the agreement can be ratified before a new American president is elected next month. The deal is aimed at replacing the UN mandate for foreign forces in Iraq, which expires on Dec 31. In violence yesterday, a bomb attached to a car exploded near Andalus Square in central Baghdad, killing the general and wounding his guard and a civilian bystander, according to police and hospital officials. Defense Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for confirmation or more details. Elsewhere in Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol, killing one soldier and wounding three others, a police official said. The Iraqi officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information. - AP http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=101364 Prepared for tomorrow?s demonstration ? Sadrists October 17, 2008 - 02:13:48 BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A senior Sadrist official on Monday said that preparations were finalized to render success Saturday?s massive demonstration, which would call for the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq and condemn the long-term Iraq-U.S. security agreement. ?The movement formed several committees to arrange how demonstrators leave and return,? Sayyed Hazem al-Aaraji, a senior figure of Shiite leader Muqtad al-Sadr?s movement, told Aswat al-Iraq. ?Instructions were made to demonstrators that it would be necessary to raise Iraqi flags and chant slogans that reject the occupation and express the unity of Iraq?s people and land,? he said. ?Demonstrators coming from other provinces have started arriving in Baghdad, to participate in the demonstration that was recently postponed for security reasons,? he added. ?This demonstration would be an annual occasion arranged by Sadrists to express their stances regarding the occupation,? he noted. On October 15, 2008, Ahmed al-Massoudi, a lawmaker loyal to Sadr, said that the U.S. army forces closed down the outlets of the Shiite Sadr City in eastern Baghdad to prevent demonstrations to be staged by Sadrists this weekend. Sadr?s parliamentary bloc has 30 out of a total 275 seats in the Iraqi council of representatives. MH (S)/AmR http://www.myantiwar.org/view/164196.html U.S. troops close down outlets of Sadr City-MP October 15, 2008 - 02:59:06 BAGHDAD/Aswat al-Iraq: A lawmaker from a bloc loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday said the U.S army forces closed down the outlets of Shiite Slum Sadr City to prevent demonstrations to be staged by Sadrists this weekend. ?U.S troops closed down the outlets of Sadr City, preventing entrance and departure to the sprawling slum,? MP Ahmed al-Massoudi from Sadrist bloc loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told Aswat al-Iraq. ?The measures are attempts to thwart 1 million-strong demonstration to be held by Sadrists on Saturday,? he stressed. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for staging demonstrations to protest the U.S-Iraq security agreement to be signed between the two countries to regulate the presence of foreign troops in Iraq when the UN made expected by the end of December this year. The U.S. and Iraq have been negotiating their own bilateral accord for months but have so far failed to seal the deal because of disagreements on whether American soldiers should be immune from Iraqi law when off-duty. The lawmaker called for the government ?to intervene and to lift the closure?. The Sadrist bloc, holding 30 out of the parliament?s total 275 seats, held several rallies to protest the security deal with the U.S. and also to denounce the visits of U.S. officials to Iraq. AM(S) http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=103640 6 killed, wounded in Dalouiya clashes November 25, 2008 - 09:49:39 SALAH AL-DIN / Aswat al-Iraq: Six persons were killed or wounded during armed clashes that erupted between civilians and a group of armed men in Salah al-Din?s Dalouiya district, a police source said on Tuesday. ?Clashes broke out between residents of Bishkan village, eastern Dalouiya, and Sahwa council fighters on the one hand, and a group of armed men on the other hand following yesterday?s abduction of a farmer,? the source told Aswat al-Iraq. ?Two young men, including a brother of the kidnapped farmer, were killed and four others, including two Sahwa members, were wounded in the clashes,? the source noted. Salah al-Din has an area of 24,751 square kilometers (9,556.4 sq mi). The estimated population for 2003 was 2,146,500 people. Located in Central Iraq, north of Baghdad, it is a mainly Sunni province with only two Shiite districts, namely Balad and al-Dujail. Its capital city is Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. It also includes other important districts like Baiji, north of Tikrit, 175 km north of Baghdad. SS (S) http://www.myantiwar.org/view/166100.html Thousands attend anti-Kurdish protests Web posted at: 11/16/2008 1:35:27 Source ::: AFP TIKRIT, IRAQ: Thousands of Sunni and Shia Arabs took to the streets across Iraq yesterday to defend Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki against criticism from leaders of the country?s Kurdish minority. Demonstrations were held in the northern Sunni town of Tikrit?the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein?the once-restive Sunni town of Hawijah, and the mostly Shiite southern cities of Karbala, Najaf, Nasiriyah, Samawah. They came out to protest remarks made earlier this week by Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani, who accused Maliki of illegally allying with tribes in areas with large Kurdish populations to expand the power of the state. In his remarks Barzani had compared the tribal alliances?which Maliki refers to as ?Support Councils??to the so-called Jackass Brigades of Kurds who fought for Saddam against Kurdish rebels from the 1980s up until 2003. The dispute has exposed yet another potentially explosive faultline in a country still scarred by sectarian tensions that until a few months ago had transformed large parts of Iraq into grisly battlefields. Most of Iraq?s roughly five million Kurds live in the three northernmost provinces, which are governed by Barzani and are largely autonomous. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/40352/refid/RSS-latest-24-11-2008 Mosul Protesters Demand Forming Sahwa Councils, Signing SOFA Ninewa, 22 November 2008 Hundreds of Arab tribesmen in the districts west and south of Ninewa province on Saturday staged a demonstration in the heart of the city http://www.alsabaah.com/paper.php?source=akbar&mlf=copy&sid=73555 Demonstrations in Mosil and Faluja support pact ???????: Sunday, November 23 ??? ??????: Alsabah Newspaper Mosil-Ramadi , Nov.23, P.4 Hundreds of tribesmen in the cities of Mosil and Faluja demonstrated yesterday to show their support for security agreement. The demonstrators expressed their support for the government's intention to specify the multi national forces position to facilitate the withdrawal process from the country according to the agreement. The demonstration in Mosil occurred at the center of the city while the participants came all over the province's districts.In Faluja, Tribes' chiefs and awakening groups' leaders were from the demonstrators besides the local inhabitants http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/40579/refid/RSS-latest-26-11-2008 Syrian Lawyers Cease Work for Hour in Protest of US-Iraq Security Agreement Damascus, 26 November 2008 The Syrian lawyers on Tuesday temporarily ceased work in courts across the country from 10 to 11 AM, as called for by the Syrian Bar Association http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Medical&set_id=1&click_id=117&art_id=nw20081013185932985C709616 Iraqi doctors protest by closing 200 clinics October 13 2008 at 07:45PM Related Articles ? Baghdad doctors may carry guns Baghdad - More than 200 Iraqi doctors in the city of Karbala who say they have received death threats after unsuccessful medical procedures have closed their clinics in protest, their leader said on Monday. "More than 200 doctors closed their clinics and stopped their work after they received death threats," Ali Abu Taheen, head of the doctors' association in the southern city, said in a statement emailed to AFP. The doctors, who also work in Karbala's largest public hospital, the Al-Hussein, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad, say they will strike until the government guarantees their safety. Angry families of patients who died during surgery must stop asking for financial compensation and recognise that medical procedures often do not meet expectations, Taheen said. Angry families of patients who died during surgery must stop asking for financial compensation "Everyone knows surgery is dangerous and the chance of success is often very low, let alone not speaking of the will of God," Taheen said, adding that complex surgery often has to be carried out with rudimentary devices. The doctors have presented the government with a list of five demands. They called for police protection, for death threats to count as terrorist acts and for legal support in handling patient claims. Tribal leaders should show respect for doctors while relatives of patients should sign pre-surgery agreements banning them from resorting to violence if medical procedures are unsuccessful. Last month the Iraqi government said it would allow doctors to carry guns in self-defence and pledged not to detain them during security operations. 'Everyone knows surgery is dangerous and the chance of success is often very low' The move to grant weapons permits to doctors came in the light of the killing by insurgents of a large number of professional people, especially medical experts, since the 2003 US-led invasion. - Sapa-AFP http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-23522-Iraq-Christians-protest-against-displacement.html Iraq Christians protest against displacement Thursday, October 16, 2008 08:40 GMT In southern Baghdad, tens of Christians demonstrated along with tribal figures in protest to displacement and killings of Christians in Mosul. The Secretary General of the national council for tribes and awakening leaders council Mostapha Kamel expressed solidarity with Christians. Meanwhile, an Iraqi official announced that around 1390 families and more than 8300 people have flown the province last week. Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, based in Damascus, denounced displacement of Christians in Mosul saying that the situation is unfamiliar for Iraqis mainly Mosul residents noting that Christians and Muslims have lived together in peace, security, understanding and national unity despite attempts of Iraq enemies to spur discord. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7691458.stm Saturday, 25 October 2008 00:33 UK Iraqi party protests at shooting Iraqi troops often carry out operations with close US support The largest Sunni party in Iraq says it is suspending all official contacts with US civilian and military personnel after the killing of a man in Fallujah. The Iraqi Islamic Party said the dead man was one of its senior members and that he had been killed during a joint US-Iraqi raid on Friday. The party alleged that the raid had been politically motivated. The US military acknowledge that one man was killed and another arrested during a raid in the city. Fallujah was the scene of heavy fighting four years ago but has become more peaceful since the US military and local tribes started co-operating in 2006. In a statement on its website, the Iraqi Islamic Party said that a senior party member had been killed in his bed, and five others had been arrested, during a raid in the Halabsa area of Fallujah. "The hidden political motive behind this incident is clear," it said. As a consequence, the party had "decided to suspend all official contacts with the Americans, both military and civilians, until the party receives a reasonable explanation about what happened, along with an official apology". It also demanded an assurance that those responsible would be punished, compensation for the victims and the release of the five detainees. According to the US military, US-backed Iraqi soldiers killed an armed man who had opened fire when they went to arrest a "wanted insurgent leader suspected of training roadside bomb cells", the Associated Press reports. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24531467-12335,00.html 15 killed in insurgents' clash with Sunni tribes ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print From correspondents in Hilla | October 22, 2008 Article from: Australian Associated Press AT least 15 men were killed and 14 more wounded today in fierce early morning clashes between insurgents and Sunni tribes in the central Iraq Shi'ite province of Babil. The ferocious firefight came just two days ahead of a planned transfer of security control in Babil by US forces to Iraqi troops. Police lieutenant Haider al-Lami from Hilla, the capital of Babil, said the battle broke out in Jurf al-Sakhr, a town located on the border of the Sunni Anbar province and Shi'ite Babil, around 5am (1300 AEDT) and raged for about two hours. Lami said the fighting pitted suspected insurgents against members of the Sunni tribes Al-Osan and Al-Ojan, who had formed anti-al-Qaeda militia to oust the jihadists from their areas. Doctor Mohammed al-Shammari from the nearby town of Iskandiriyah confirmed receiving the bodies of the victims. Jurf al-Sakhr had been a violent town after insurgency broke out in Iraq following the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. But since the anti-al-Qaeda groups were formed late last year, a measure of stability was restored. http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=100608 Christian demonstration in Duhuk calls for self-rule October 2, 2008 - 01:29:28 DUHUK / Aswat al-Iraq: Some 10,000 Christians demonstrated in the northern Iraq city of Duhuk on Thursday demanding a self-rule in their areas and restore an article granting them representation in local councils to the law on provincial elections. ?The demonstrators will present an official memo to the local authorities in Duhuk province to back their efforts and help them demand the rights of our people,? Jamal Zeno, the chief of the Chaldo-Assyrian Popular Council, told Aswat al-Iraq. ?The demonstrations will continue and calls to have self-rule for the Chaldeo-Assyrian people in their areas included into the constitution will never stop,? Zeno said. He added that efforts will also continue to restore functioning of article 50, which was abrogated from the law on provincial councils election. The Chaldo-Assyrian Popular Council, in a release received by Aswat al-Iraq, had appealed to the Iraqi Christians last week to organize marches of protest in all the areas where they reside. The statement was issued after a meeting held by the council. The call came after the Iraqi parliament endorsed last week a law on the provincial councils election, in which an item that guaranteed seats for Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities seats in the local councils by virtue of the quota system was abrogated. The measure, however, drew outcry from the political and social organizations representing Christians and other minorities despite assurances by the parliament speaker and the UN Secretary-General?s representative after the law was passed. Iraqi Christians, mostly speak a dialect of ancient Aramaic, are concentrated in the northern Iraqi provinces of Duhuk, Arbil and Ninewa. Duhuk, also spelled Duhok, Dohuk Dehok or Dahok; is a city in the far northern part of Iraq to the borders with Turkey. It has about 500,000 inhabitants, mostly consisting of Kurds and Assyrians. According to some sources, the name ?Duhuk? comes from Kurmanji Kurdish meaning ?small village?. Circled by mountains along the Tigris river, Duhuk, the third province with Iraq?s Kurdistan region, has a growing tourist industry. Its population grew extremely since the 1990s as the rural population moved to the cities. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, Duhuk and Iraqi Kurdistan in general have remained the only safe places for foreigners. AmR (S) http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=101382 C.H.A.K to organize pro-Christian demonstration in Kirkuk October 17, 2008 - 05:07:47 KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: Head of the Kirkuk branch of the Center of Halabja Against Anfalization and Genocide of Kurds said that C.H.A.K will stage a demonstration in Kirkuk on Sunday in support of Christians who have become targets of killing and forced displacement by armed groups in Mosul city. ?We will demand the Iraqi government to exert serious efforts to protect Christians in Mosul,? Dhair Zengana told Aswat al-Iraq. ?The demonstrators will carry candles and flowers to show respect for Christian victims who fell in Mosul,? he said. Mosul, 405 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad has been witnessing an escalation in violence against Christians since September 2008, prompting nearly 200 Christian families to flee the city for other places in or outside Ninewa province. C.H.A.K is a non-governmental organization that was founded in 2002. MH (P)/AmR http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20081017085319/Reconstruction%20company%20stage%20demonstrations%20over%20salaries%20in%20Wassit/ Reconstruction company stage demonstrations over salaries in Wassit 16 October 2008 Wassit - Staff of a reconstruction company on Thursday staged demonstrations in Wassit to call for their inclusion in a new plan of counting differences in salaries. "The Staff for Humurabi Contracting Company, in Wassit rallied in front of Provincial Council's building, calling for their inclusion in a plan giving government public servants differences of their low monthly salaries," Saad Jabbar, one of the demonstrators, told Aswat al-Iraq. "The demonstrators called to re-work a scheme considering service period and university degree in a salary system and they also called to turn fixed contract employees into permanent posts," Jabbar noted. Hamurabi Company, a subsidiary of the Housing and Reconstruction Ministry, has 500 employees including 76 working in fixed contract for six years with 100 thousands Iraqi Dinars (nearly $85) salary. Kut, the capital city, Wassit, a border province and the main route from Baghdad to southern provinces, lies 180 km south Baghdad. http://en.rian.ru/world/20081128/118603222.html Afghans protest civilian death in Kabul 21:00 | 28/ 11/ 2008 KABUL, November 28 (RIA Novosti) - Crowds of angry Afghan citizens in Kabul took to the streets on Friday protesting the death of a civilian, who was killed by British troops after being allegedly mistaken for a suicide bomber, local officials said. The accident in the Afghan capital occurred when British soldiers part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) opened fire on a minivan, causing it to crash into a shop. "The vehicle was riding from a subsidiary road to the main road. The British possibly thought these were suicide bombers and started firing at the vehicle," a local police chief, Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, said. Four other civilians were also injured in the accident, he said. However, locals said four people had died. Meanwhile, the ISAF rejected the claims of the shooting saying in a statement that it had "received reports that a civilian contractor had been involved in a traffic accident." "On their arrival, the patrol found a large crowd surrounding the contractors' vehicles," the statement said. Locals pelted police with stones and bricks and blocked the road to Jalalabad, chanting "death to Bush, death to America." Afghanistan is facing its worst rise in violence since the U.S.-led international force overthrew the hard-line Islamic Taliban movement in 2001. The latest incident occurred a day after at least four people died when a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of foreign troops near the U.S. embassy in Kabul. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,RFERL,,AFG,4562d8cf2,4933af2ac,0.html Afghans riot in Kabul after civilian killed November 28, 2008 KABUL (Reuters) ? Dozens of angry Afghans pelted police with stones after a U.S. military vehicle struck a van and and one civilian was killed and three wounded in the Afghan capital on November 28, officials and witnesses said. Seething resentment against the presence of some 65,000 foreign troops is growing in Afghanistan after scores of Afghan civilians have been killed in a series of mistaken air strikes this year. The incident began when a U.S.-led coalition struck the minivan and it skidded off a main road in eastern Kabul and hit a shop, the U.S. military said. A security contractor's vehicle also travelling along the road was then surrounded by an angry crowd and the driver called for assistance, but managed to leave before troops from a nearby British base arrived at the scene, a NATO spokesman said. It was not clear if the civilian died in the traffic incident or was shot afterwards, but the NATO-led force said none of its troops had fired any shots. But the quickness with which ordinary Afghans turned to violence illustrates the depth of resentment against the presence of foreigners in their country, many of whom drive aggressively at great speed to avoid the threat of suicide bombers. Ambush The killing of an Afghan civilian in a Taliban suicide bomb targeting foreign troops on November 27, close to the scene of the incident, provoked no such protest. Afghans often blame the presence of foreign troops for attracting suicide bombs. Crowds chanted "death to Bush, death to America" as the body of the victim of the November 28 incident was put into the back of a taxi and driven away from the scene. "They killed my son, my son is dead," said a weeping old man. The rioters pelted Afghan police with stones and were chased down side-streets before dispersing. Violence in Afghanistan has reached its highest level since U.S.-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban for sheltering Al-Qaeda leaders behind the September 11, 2001 attacks. Taliban insurgents killed 13 Afghan soldiers and police and wounded 23 more in an ambush in the northwest of the country, an Afghan army general said onNovember 28. General Fazel Ahmad Sayaar said the insurgents also captured 19 more troops and police, as well as 26 military vehicles in the attack in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province on November 27. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=143797 Rawa protests against Afghan representatives Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Obaid Abrar Khan Rawalpindi Members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (Rawa) here on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against representatives of Afghanistan in ?Peace Jirga? held in Islamabad. Rawa, a democratic and anti-fundamentalist organisation, condemned the assembly, ?which is not at all related to our people and their immediate demands for peace and stability.? According to Rawa, this assembly would not lead to the establishment of peace and security in the two countries. Sohaila, a member of Rawa, said that the composition of the Afghan delegation, under the leadership of Dr. Abdullah, is enough to expose the real nature of the assembly. The assembly is being held to deceive the world, especially people in Afghanistan and Pakistan, she said. She said that if the government of Pakistan feels bound to democratic values, it shouldn?t allow such people to enter Pakistan, let alone sit together with the ?brethren-in-creed of Taliban? to discuss war on terrorism with a hope of finding a solution to this problem. She said that the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan is only possible by rooting out the real cause of insecurity, which is terrorism. ?Any sort of compromise with terrorists, ?jehadis? or Taliban is not only an unforgivable and unforgettable insult to our mournful people but will also encourage terrorists to commit crimes persistently,? she said. ?Practically, such steps are destined to fail despite the efforts of the American masters of the ?jehadi? criminals,? she added. http://www.myantiwar.org/view/163814.html Protest in Afghanistan over envoy?s kidnapping HEART: Hundreds of people demonstrated on Wednesday in the hometown of Afghanistan?s kidnapped ambassador-designate to Pakistan to demand greater efforts for his release, a local governor said. They marched for Abdul Khaliq Farahi, the Afghan consul general abducted in Peshawar on September 22. ?Around 1,000 people, mostly influential elders, marched in a peaceful protest calling on both countries, the United Nations and the Taliban to free Mr Farahi,? Farah province Governor Rohul-Amin said. The demonstrators read a statement in front of the governor?s office accusing both countries of not doing enough for the release of the Afghan diplomat, who had been promoted to ambassador but had yet to take up the job. ?In the past 17 days the Afghan and Pakistani governments have not taken any serious steps to free Farahi,? a protester, Haji Shah Mahmoud, told AFP by telephone. afp Thursday, October 09, 2008 Daily Times, Pakistan http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?207175 More than 1,000 Afghans protest Taliban killings Saturday October 25, 2008 (1302 PST) KABUL: More than 1,000 demonstrators shouted anti-Taliban slogans in eastern Afghanistan to protest the slayings this week of 26 young men from their community by militants in the south. The unprecedented demonstration Friday in the eastern Laghman province was one of the largest anti-Taliban gatherings since the fall of the hard-line Islamist regime following the U.S. invasion in late 2001. On Sunday, Taliban militants stopped a bus in southern Kandahar province`s Maiwand district, a militant-controlled area, and killed26 of the passengers beheading at least six of them. A Taliban spokesman said the men were targeted because they were members of Afghan security forces. But Afghan officials disputed that any soldiers were on the bus, saying the Taliban insurgents had killed innocent civilians who were on their way to find jobs in neighboring Iran. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans cross illegally into Iran every year, seeking jobs and refuge. Protesters from Laghman`s Alingar district where most of those killed came from shouted ?Death to Taliban`` and ?Death to killers`` in the provincial capital of Mehtar Lam. They waved black flags in a sign of mourning. ?They were innocent people, trying to find jobs, and they killed them,`` Abdul Wakil Attock, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said about the victims. The protest in Laghman, a province next to Kabul, underscores the growing rivalry among Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan that also form the core of the Taliban fighters. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/26/2003427003 Anti-Taliban protesters rally after slaughter UNPRECEDENTED: The protest rally by Pashtuns against the Taliban, also a majority Pashtun group, underscores growing rivalries as Afghanistan?s daily death toll mounts AP, KABUL Sunday, Oct 26, 2008, Page 5 Demonstrators hold portraits of slain men during an anti-Taliban protest in Laghman Province, Afghanistan, yesterday. PHOTO: AP More than 1,000 Pashtun demonstrators shouted anti-Taliban slogans in eastern Afghanistan to protest the slayings this week of 26 young men from their community by militants in the south. The unprecedented demonstration Friday in Laghman Province was one of the largest anti-Taliban gatherings since the fall of the hardline Islamist regime following the US invasion after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. On Sunday, Taliban militants stopped a bus in southern Kandahar Province?s Maiwand district, a militant-controlled area, and killed 26 of the passengers ? beheading at least six of them. A Taliban spokesman said the men were targeted because they were members of Afghan security forces. But Afghan officials disputed that any soldiers were on the bus, saying the Taliban insurgents had killed innocent civilians who were on their way to find jobs in neighboring Iran. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans cross illegally into Iran every year, seeking jobs and refuge. Protesters from Laghman?s Alingar district ? where most of those killed came from ? shouted ?Death to Taliban? and ?Death to killers? in the provincial capital of Mehtar Lam. They waved black flags in a sign of mourning. ?They were innocent people, trying to find jobs, and they killed them,? Abdul Wakil Attock, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said about the victims. The protest in Laghman, a province next to Kabul, underscores the growing rivalry among Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan that also form the core of the Taliban fighters. An anti-Taliban protest by Pashtuns, like Friday?s, will likely provide the US and other international forces with an opportunity to exploit the rift to drive a wedge between the insurgent group and the civilian population. Separately, a US coalition raid in Paktika killed three insurgents on Thursday; four others were detained, the coalition said in a statement. The troops were targeting an insurgent leader accused of facilitating the movement of foreign fighters and weapons throughout eastern Afghanistan. The region borders Pakistan?s lawless tribal belt, which the US says militants use as a sanctuary from which to launch attacks in both countries. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081123060102.vrlkaawlp2&show_article=1 Jamiet Ithad-i-Ulama activists protest against a US missile strike Jamiet Ithad-i-Ulama activists take part of a protest in Peshawar against a US missile strike in a Pakistani tribal region. The alleged Al-Qaeda mastermind of a 2006 transatlantic airplane bombing plot was killed in a US missile attack in northwest Pakistan. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Protests-after-UK--militant.4722992.jp Protests after UK militant killed in US missile strike Published Date: 24 November 2008 By Angus Howarth PAKISTANIS yesterday protested over an American missile strike that intelligence officials believe killed a British citizen linked to a plot to blow up airliners. The Foreign Office said it was still investigating the reports and could not confirm whether Rashid Rauf, who is originally from Birmingham, had been killed. But Pakistani intelligence officials said he died in Saturday's raid.His death would be a major blow to al-Qaeda and Taleban extremists believed to be sheltering in the lawless region. It would also bolster US claims that missile strikes on extremist strongholds in north-western Pakistan are protecting the West against another 9/11-style terror attack. About 100 people in the eastern city of Multan demonstrated against the strike, chanting "Down with America" and burning an effigy of US President George Bush. "The government should take concrete measures to protect the country's sovereignty instead of just paying lip service," said one demonstrator, Arif Fasihullah. Meanwhile, two senior MPs called for the UK government to reveal if it knew in advance about the US missile strike. Andrew Dismore, the Labour chairman of the Parliamentary committee on human rights, said that he would ask the committee to investigate whether British intelligence services had been consulted about the attack. " If there is any suggestion of complicity of the UK security services in this particular incident, then that is certainly something we would want to take into account in our work on this subject." Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP for Newark and former shadow security minister, said: "This raises the question of how much co-operation the British intelligence agencies provided in what is ultimately the execution of a British subject." Three Pakistani intelligence officials and a senior government official said Rauf and a Saudi militant named Abu Zubair al-Masri were among five killed in Saturday's raid in North Waziristan. Pakistan's information minister, Sherry Rehman, confirmed that the two men were targeted in the raid. Rauf was suspected of having links to an alleged plot in 2006 to bring down up to ten transatlantic passenger jets. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2006 following an apparent tip-off from British anti-terrorism officers, days before a series of raids in the UK which were followed by the tightening of hand baggage restrictions on flights. But Rauf later escaped from police custody. Eight men went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in April accused of conspiring to smuggle home-made liquid bombs on board a series of Atlantic passenger flights. Three men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder, but they will face a retrial next year on a more serious charge alongside four other defendants on whom the jury did not return verdicts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7767040.stm Friday, 5 December 2008 Inmates die in Afghan jail clash Prisoners say there was a hunger strike over conditions Afghan authorities say eight inmates have been killed in clashes with prison guards at the Pul-e-Charkhi jail in the capital, Kabul. Justice Minister Sarwar Danesh said the violence started after some prisoners resisted attempts by officers to search their cells. Officials said they had information that a prison escape was being planned. In June some 900 prisoners escaped from jail in the southern city of Kandahar after Taleban fighters blew up a gate. 'Under control' The Afghan authorities said the officers were searching for weapons and mobile phones in Pul-e-Charkhi. About 900 inmates escaped in the Kandahar incident Mr Danesh said some of the prisoners had contacts with insurgents on the outside and that an explosion was going to be set off to help the escape. He said 12 prisoners and three officers were injured in the clashes and the situation was now under control. Some prisoners who contacted the BBC put the casualty figures higher. They confirmed the clashes started after a refusal to allow cells to be searched. This followed an earlier hunger strike over conditions in the jail. The BBC's Pam O'Toole says the authorities have accused Taleban prisoners of stirring up unrest over poor conditions but there are also accusations of poor security and rampant corruption in Afghan jails. Pul-e-Charkhi houses several thousand prisoners, including members of the Taleban. In the incident in Kandahar in June, 15 guards died in the truck bombing and rocket attack that began the outbreak. The Nato forces admitted it was a success for the Taleban but insisted it was an isolated incident. http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2008-11/2008-11-20-voa3.cfm?CFID=156475059&CFTOKEN=80104830&jsessionid=6630198d9638c5d681ba5322672b20202217 Pakistani Government, Militants Protest Alleged US Missile Strikes By VOA News 20-November-2008 Taliban militants in Pakistan's northwest have threatened to launch suicide attacks on foreigners and government targets if the United States does not stop alleged missile strikes from neighboring Afghanistan. The warning, issued by militants in the North Waziristan tribal region, came as Pakistan's government summoned the U.S. ambassador, Anne Patterson Thursday to protest the alleged U.S. attacks. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called the missile strikes "intolerable," and said they undermine Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts.A missile attack by a suspected U.S. drone hit Bannu district in the North West Frontier Province Wednesday, killing several al-Qaida-linked militants. It was the first such attack to hit deep inside Pakistan.Meanwhile, Pakistani warplanes and artillery pounded suspected al-Qaida and Taliban strongholds in the Bajaur tribal region and the northwestern Swat valley Wednesday and Thursday, killing about 40 militants. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811241234.html Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu) Somalia: Protestors March in Capital Back New Regional Administration 24 November 2008 Mogadishu ? Hundreds of demonstrators have staged demonstration in the Somali capital Mogadishu showing support of the new Mogadishu administration led by Mohamed Osman Dhagahtur who has been appointed on Sunday night as the mayor of Mogadishu on Monday The protestors including women and children have marched in Yaqshid and Karan neighborhoods north of the capital chanting recommendation words in show of support to the new administration. Dhagahtur should think about the internally displaced persons at outside of Mogadishu one slogan one slogan read. Waving the portraits of Dhagahtur the demonstrators have peacefully ended their demonstration hoping a new change of Mogadishus administration. http://allafrica.com/stories/200812160889.html Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu) Somalia: Demonstration Against New Premier Ahmednor Mohamed Farah 16 December 2008 Mogadishu ? Hundreds of demonstrators protesting against the new prime minister Mohamed Mohamud Guled ( Ga'ma Dhere) nominated by Somali president marched through the long road between Mogadishu and Afgoye where thousands of displaced families reside, witnesses said Tuesday. "We are protesting against the new prime minister Ga'ma Dhere who displaced us when he was the interior minister and we condemn his nomination," Halima Ismail, one of the demonstrators said. Somali president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed nominated former interior minister Mohamed Mohamud Guled as new prime minister, ignoring the decision of the parliament which reinstated Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein after the president announced that he sacked him The protestors in KM 13 outside Mogadishu were chanting slogans against the president and his new prime minister. They accused the new prime minister that he had ordered them to flee from their houses in Mogadishu when he was the interior minister of the transitional federal government of Somalia. "Mohamed Mohamud Guled ordered 10 squire km of south of Mogadishu to be abandoned in March 2007 and we afraid that he will displace us again," Omar Farah, one of the protestors said. Millions of civilians fled from the capital Mogadishu when Ethiopian soldiers backing the transitional government and insurgents fought in the city. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 22:01:35 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:01:35 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Peace protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB2B2F.7050608@tesco.net> * US: New York - violent police attack on anti-war veterans * US: Pakistani-Americans protest Obama attack comments * US: Protester tries to arrest Karl Rove * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Hill tribes reach peace deal * INDIA: Protests continue against nuclear deal * PAKISTAN: Protest against US warmongering * INDIA: Kerala - Indo-US naval exercise sparks leftist protests * UK: Brighton - mass protest against arms dealer * UK: Aldermaston - peace protesters blockade base * UK: Bath - protesters call for peace jobs * UK: Bristol - Raytheon rooftop occupation * NORTHERN IRELAND: Sinn Fein protests army parade http://socialistworker.org/2008/10/17/antiwar-vets-attacked Antiwar vets attacked by police outside debate Lucy Herschel and Hannah Wolfe report on how police met antiwar dissent with batons and horses at the last presidential debate in New York. October 17, 2008 | Issue 683 Nassau County police injured several people in their assault on antiwar protests outside the presidential debate WHILE BARACK Obama and John McCain were getting makeup touch-ups for their Wednesday night debate at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, N.Y., police outside made sure that the voices of antiwar veterans wouldn't be heard. Officers of the Nassau County Police Department reacted with reckless violence to a protest organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) outside the debate site. Among several people injured in the assault, former Army Sgt. Nick Morgan was knocked unconscious and his cheekbone broken when he was trampled by a police horse. "We were there to force the issue that the leaders of this nation are not listening to or are not caring about veterans," said IVAW member Matthis Chiroux, who was among several veterans and activists arrested. "And they couldn't have done a better job of proving us right. They stomped my friend Nick's face into Jell-o. I put this on both candidates, on the major press and on the Nassau County police." The IVAW had sent a request to the debate moderator that they be allowed to ask their own questions of the candidates at the Hofstra event, but this was ignored--and so the third and final presidential debate passed without an antiwar voice being represented. That night, IVAW organized a nonviolent demonstration to request entry into the debate. Marching in uniform and in formation, IVAW members led several hundred activists to an intersection in front of the Hofstra campus gates--where they were confronted by an army of mounted police and riot cops. Ten IVAW members were arrested, apparently for no more than insisting on their right to be heard. Mounted police then pushed the crowd back onto the sidewalk, recklessly pulling their horses around and at times backing them into the crowd. The police continued to drive protesters back, pinning the crowd up against a fence. Riot cops reached past the IVAW members at the front of the crowd, grabbing protesters behind them and dragging them into the street. A mounted cop leapt with his horse onto the sidewalk and trampled protesters, including Morgan. Chiroux said the police took Morgan aside and bandaged him, but then placed him in a truck with other arrestees to go to processing and detention. "He was incoherent, he couldn't even say his name," Chiroux said. "He had blood running down his face. We kept telling the police he needed immediate medical attention. One officer said, with a smirk, 'Get him to say it. He has to say it.' I said, 'He can't even talk!' The officer said, 'Tough luck.' Finally, we said, 'Nick, you have to say I need to go to the hospital.' We got him to say it, and they took him in." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CHIROUX SAID that while they were detained, he and his fellow IVAW members were verbally harassed by police. "They called us traitors, cowards, idiots," he said. Three women IVAW members who had been arrested were handcuffed to a bench, and "the male officers kept coming closer to them, verbally sexually harassing them," Chiroux said. "One kept holding up Marlisa's ID to her face and saying, 'Wow, you look like you came out of a Barbie magazine.'" Morgan was brought back from the hospital, still incoherent and in great pain. He was left chained to a bench for five hours without further medical attention, Chiroux said. IVAW members repeatedly asked officers for their names (they weren't wearing badges) or to contact lawyers--they were refused on all counts. When most of the IVAW members were finally released at 2:30 a.m. (according to reports, one vet remained in custody as this report was written), they went, still in uniform, to a nearby diner--where the same group of cops who had detained them were eating. Chiroux went up to them and asked again for their names. One officer "got up in my face," he said, "screaming and waving his finger at me and saying, 'I'm gonna kick your ass if you keep asking that.'" The IVAW members say they wanted to ask Barack Obama if he would support soldiers who refuse to serve in Iraq, since in the past, he had called the Iraq war illegal. They also wanted to question John McCain about his votes to cut veterans benefits. "Neither of the candidates have shown real support for soldiers and veterans," said Jason Lemieux, a former sergeant in the Marine Corps and a member of IVAW who served three tours in Iraq. "We came here to try and get serious questions answered--questions that we, as veterans of the Iraq war, have a right to ask--but instead we were arrested. We believe that the time has come to end this war and bring our troops home, and we will be pushing for that no matter what happens in this election." IVAW members thanked activists for coming to support the march and for enduring the police violence. "For many of our members, this was their first protest," said Hannah Fleury of the Campus Antiwar Network, which mobilized chapters from as far away as Boston for this protest. "Now that we see what we're up against, we're going to fight even harder on our campuses to end the war, and to support the veterans." The New York Civil Liberties Union is asking for an immediate investigation into the use of horses at the demonstration. "It is shocking that someone who served his country would be treated so disgracefully by the Nassau County Police Department," Tara Keenan-Thomson, director of the group's Nassau County chapter, said in a press release. As Chiroux said, "Both candidates claim they support veterans. And this is how we got supported last night: by being pushed back, trampled and arrested. "We demonstrated to the country and the world that democracy is not dead in the United States--that the people in the U.S. still ultimately hold the power. They can try to force our voices to be silent, to block us out of the media, but we won't let these people shut us down." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/USA/15_protesters_arrested_at_US_presidential_debate_venue/articleshow/3601978.cms 15 protesters arrested at US presidential debate venue 16 Oct 2008, 1018 hrs IST, AP HEMPSTEAD, New York: Police say 15 people have been arrested during anti-war protests outside the Long Island university campus where the presidential debate was held. Nassau County Police Lt. Kevin Smith says the 15 protesters were arrested on disorderly conduct charges Wednesday night outside the gates of Hofstra University in Hempstead. He says they identified themselves as Iraq war veterans. Police say they were arrested trying to get onto the campus after they had been turned away from a university gate. They say one person may have received a minor injury and has been taken to a nearby hospital. About 350 people had gathered outside the campus in the afternoon and were met by mounted police and officers in riot gear. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/10/local/chi-pakistani-protest-10-oct10 Archive for Friday, October 10, 2008 Pakistani-Americans ask Obama to ease rhetoric about bombing targets in Pakistan By Noreen S Ahmedullah October 10, 2008 A group of Pakistani-Americans and anti-war activists delivered a letter Thursday to the Chicago office of Sen. Barack Obama, calling on him to cool political rhetoric about bombing targets in Pakistan. ?We are particularly concerned with your public pronouncements earlier this week in support of violating the borders of our ally, the country of Pakistan? . You must understand the sweeping dismay that your avowed support for U.S. military incursions into Pakistan ? has elicited among untold numbers of Pakistani-Americans and peace activists across the country,? the letter stated. During his debate Tuesday with Sen. John McCain, Obama said he was not calling for the invasion of Pakistan. But Obama added, ?If Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down [Osama] bin Laden and take him out, then we should.? Ifti Nasim, host of a Pakistani radio show in Chicago called ?Sargam,? said the U.S. was ?making a mistake? by ?attacking Pakistan and making Pakistan your enemy.? He and other protesters criticized U.S. military incursions into Pakistan?s tribal areas in the northwest part of the country to attack Taliban and Al Qaeda targets. They also decried the Bush administration?s use of unmanned military drone aircraft, which have resulted in civilian deaths. Nasim said McCain wants to continue the policy. The group plans to send a similar letter to the Arizona senator. According to Said Umar Khan, his hometown of Mardan outside Peshawar in Pakistan?s troubled North-West Frontier Province has seen a wave of displaced people escaping fighting in the tribal areas. On Thursday, Obama campaign officials restated his comments from the debate this week. They said Obama understands Pakistan is an ?important ally? and is calling for a partnership with the South Asian nation through increased U.S. aid for health, education and security. Pakistani-Americans and other immigrant and anti-war groups such as the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism are planning an anti-war march at 2 p.m. Saturday at Devon Avenue and Leavitt Street. http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=101&num=180758 Published: Oct 23, 2008 Share This Article | Send Us A Tip Photo and Video: Karl Rove Arrest?! Protester Tries Handcuffs for Treason by Jim Brogan Former Bush Administration aide Karl Rove was "arrested" by an anti-war protestor for "treason"! Karl Rove was speaking at a San Francisco mortgage bankers' association meeting Tuesday when an anti-war protestor decided to attempt to handcuff Rove. She was not successful. Fox News reports: A statement by the group Code Pink identified the woman as 58-year-old Janine Boneparth, who tried to handcuff Rove in what she called a citizen's arrest for "treason." In total, five Code Pink members were removed from the hall during Rove's appearance. The organization says none of the five women were charged. So what did Karl Rove do during this mess? He elbowed Miss Boneparth as she was removed from the stage. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/10/22/rove/index.html?source=rss Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 12:50 EDT Protester tries citizen's arrest of Rove A member of the antiwar group Code Pink attempted to place former Bush advisor Karl Rove under arrest as he was speaking at a mortgage bankers meeting in San Francisco Tuesday. She moved to put handcuffs on him, but Rove managed to keep her away and then security escorted her offstage. Video, via Think Progress, is below. The protester, who has been identified as Janine Boneparth, comes onstage about 40 seconds in. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200810/s2384715.htm PNG hill tribes negotiate peace deal Updated Tue Oct 7, 2008 10:36pm AEST In Papua New Guinea, at least 30 warring hill tribes from the Southern Highlands have agreed to lay down their arms and cease generations of fighting in what's being described as the regions first peace agreement. The so-called Tari District peace deal has taken 5 years to negotiate through a series of peace building activities organised by a team of local and international volunteers lead by a former Philippines born nun now living in Australia. Presenter: Claudette Werden Speakers: Joy Balazo BALAZO: In 2003, we started with the Young Ambassadors for Peace workshops, and that was involving members of opposing tribes, of warring tribes. When they had finished with the workshops they found out that there's a way of resolving a problem without having to kill each other. WERDEN: And how did you manage to get the 32 warring tribes to agree to a peace agreement? BALAZO: It was when these two tribes agreed to go into mediation, they started to talk about what was the cause of the conflict and why this person killed that person and all those issues that are related to it and then when they decided they did not want to go anymore into fighting, so we throw the question back to them, what do you want to do. In their culture they have to have what they call compensation, if you kill five of my people, you as the leader will have to compensate the relatives of those people who have died, so the whole thing boils into compensation and what to do next, so it's really them who decide whether to finish with the fighting and start the peace building, our role their is to see whether they really want to go into peace, so when they say they want to go for peace, that's when we go into mediation and we facilitate it. WERDEN: And how has this peace agreement been received in Papua New Guinea? BALAZO: It's been, people really couldn't believe the fighting going on for 20, 11 years is over. Even for them to see these fighters even if they have not seen them they know their names because its a common knowledge that this "Peter" has been fighting and everyone has been scared to hear their names that they're around and they couldn't believe that things are finished and the other manifestation that they have accepted it really well is that so many people coming together and the following day after the signing you could see the whole of Tari was full of people just walking around leisurely without that fear that was there when we started the initiative Ambassador of Peace in 2005, you could hardly see a person walking on the road because everyone is just so scared and now it's just so different. WERDEN: And that's not the first peace agreement you've helped negotiate, you've been involved in peace negotiations in Sri Lanka, Indonesia.. BALAZO: That's true, yes, been involved in peace building in Sri Lanka, in Solomon Islands, in Ambon Indonesia but this is the first in Papua New Guinea, that's what they said in the Highlands, because it is in their culture that once you are enemy you are enemy forever. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100657930300.htm Tamil Nadu CPI protest held NAGAPPATTINAM: A protest against the nuclear deal was organised by the Communist parties at Avuri Thidal here on Sunday evening. CPI and CPI(M) leaders M. Selvaraj and A.V.Murugaiyan participated in the protest. A large number of cadres belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) led by Neelamegam, Thanjavur district secretary of the CPM, staged a black flag demonstration near the railway station in Thanjavur on Saturday condemning the Indo-US nuclear deal and urged the Centre to give up the deal. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100658240300.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstration staged Staff Reporter ? Photo: M.Balaji Voicing protest: Members of CPI (M) staging demonstration in Tirupur on Saturday, to protest against the Central Government?s decision to move forward with the nuclear deal . Tirupur: Members of Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged demonstrations at 20 places in the city on Saturday evening, to protest against the United Progressive Alliance Government?s decision to move ahead with nuclear deal. They held the agitation on the day when US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice arrived in New Delhi for the high-level talks on nuclear deal with top leaders of the country. Terming it as ?Black day?, the agitators alleged that the Central Government had sacrificed the nation?s foreign policy at the doorsteps of United States of America by going ahead with a deal which was ?against the interests of the people?. The CPI (M) members expressed apprehensions that the reverting provisions of Hyde Act would put additional burden on full civilian nuclear co-operation. They said it was indeed annoying that the country was committing itself to buy 10,000 MW worth of reactors from the dying nuclear industry that had not received any fresh order for the last 30 years. According to them, the move is unviable considering that the nation have to pay Rs 2,80,000 crore to obtain these reactors about eight times the capital cost of establishing a thermal power plant. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453610300.htm Kerala - Kollam Demonstration against nuclear deal KOLLAM: Protesting against the signing of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, the district unit of the Federation of State Employees and Teachers Organisations (FSETO) will hold a demonstration in front of the civil station complex here at 1 p.m. on Saturday. FSETO district convener Basil Joseph has requested the participation of all teachers and employees in the demonstration. ?Staff Reporter. http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/06/local21.htm HYDERABAD: Protest against US policy Bureau Report HYDERABAD, Oct 15: Activists of the Fundamental Rights Commission of Pakistan, Shia Ulema Council and members of civil society burnt an American flag during a demonstration held outside the press club on Sunday in protest against the US foreign policy. The chairman of the commission, Abdul Jabbar Rehmani, and other speakers said that Bush was trying to take its war into Iran and Pakistan to hide its defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan. They said that the US had violated the sovereignty of Pakistan through aerial bombardments despite the fact that Pakistan had always supported American policies. They said that innocent people, including women and children, were being killed in tribal areas in flagrant violation of the charter of the UN. Pakistan?s foreign policy based on unrealistic theories had pushed the country towards isolation, they said and cautioned that the government should not depend solely on the Friends of Pakistan group for help because the country would not get anything from this group. They proposed advised the government to convene a conference of the heads of Muslim countries to seek their financial help. Later, provincial president of Shia Ulema Council, Allama Altaf Hussain Al-Hussaini led a collective prayer for the solidarity of Pakistan. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102555880700.htm Kerala CPI(M) protest against Indo-U.S. naval exercises Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI(M) organised rallies at various coastal centres across the State on Friday to protest against the joint Indo-U.S. naval exercises off the Malabar coast and to press for immediate withdrawal of the U.S. naval forces from the Arabian Sea. Hundreds of CPI(M) activists participated in the rallies, which were organised in the coastal belt, braving drizzles in some places and heavy rain in others. They carried banners and placards denouncing the joint Indo-U.S. naval exercises, accusing the UPA government of having surrendered the country?s sovereignty before the U.S. and asking the government to sever its military ties with the U.S. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102555810700.htm Kerala - Others Protest against naval exercise Fighting imperialism: A rally organised by the Anti-Imperialism Forum in Kozhikode on Friday in protest against the Indo-American joint naval exercise. https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/410912.html Anti-Arms Protesters Shut ITT imc-uk-features | 15.10.2008 11:12 | Anti-militarism | South Coast A mass protest against Brighton-based arms manufacturers EDO MBM/ITT took place on 15 October, 2008. Organised by the Smash EDO campaign, the event was called Shut ITT! and was the third such demonstration this year. Last June, Brighton saw the Carnival Against the Arms Trade, organised by Smash EDO too. As the 400-strong march was prevented by police from reaching the EDO factory, 40 bottles of red paint were thrown over the back fence by a group of protesters who split off. The 'bomb factory' was reportedly shut down for the day. At least 10 people were arrested and some injured from police violence, including a photographer. Full Timeline 22:00: Houses in Leeds have been searched in connection with the demo. One of the arrestees has been released from custody. 16:45: Snatch squads are being sent in to the North Road kettle. Several de-arrests have been reported. 10 arrests have been confirmed so far. More are anticipated. 16:10: 9 arrests have been confirmed so far. The 'criminal damage' to the EDO factory is said to have been 40 bottles of red paint thrown over the back fence. 16:00: A small group of protesters are 'kettled' by police on North Road, near the Earth and Stars pub. The rest of protesters have 'dispersed'. Earlier, around 15:00, a group tried to break through police lines at the other end of Home Farm Road but were unable to. 15:45: The march has split up. Police are using dogs at the Level to stop people leaving. A group of about 40 is being pursued by cops near St. Peter's church. 15:00: About 60 people are in a police 'kettle' on Lewes Road, moving slowly towards the city centre. There are unconfirmed rumours of some damage to the EDO factory after a group of protesters split off into the woods. Most of them have now left, though, and are near the Level (part of the Valley Gardens area) with a loud sound system. 13:45: The stand-off remains, with the march unable to proceed further up Lewes Road. About half of the protesters have split off and gone into the woods, followed by some 40 cops. 13:15: Some 8 police vans are blocking the Lewes Road in both directions. Police with batons are trying to force the march up Home Farm Road, but the march is refusing to go. Riot police are also out, hitting protesters over the banners and pepper-spraying the crowd. As reported earlier, a Section 14 is in place, stating that any static demo must be at the bottom of Home Farm Road. 12:50: The march, with about 400 people, is now on the A27 heading towards the EDO factory in Moulescoomb. Police have blocked both sides of the road. There are lots of whistles and noise. FIT Watchers are reportedly "very active". 12:30: The march has moved off early due to a number of violent arrests taking place. An estimated 250 protesters are heading down the path towards the A27 road, but people are still arriving. 12:20: More arrests. Police are seizing anyone with a mask on. Cops are now attempting to seize the reinforced banners. 12:15: One arrest has already been made at the meeting point and police are trying to arrest another person right now. The crowd are attempting to de-arrest him/her. About 80-90 cops are at the meeting point at the moment. 11:50: There are some 15 cops on the Falmer Station side of the University underpass conducting stop-and-search. There are also some 25 cops and several police vans at the meeting-up point. A Section 60 is in place and scarves are being removed. There is also a Section 14 in place, which states that any static demo must be at the bottom of Home Farm Road. Police cars are placed at strategic points in the area, including the bus stop and the university entrance. 11:30: A Forward Intelligence Team (FIT) were seen outside Cowley Club. Minutes later, 8 cops arrived at Falmer station with a FIT team. Another another FIT team was seen outside Moulescoomb primary school on Lewis Road stopping vehicles, but have now left. There is still one police vehicle stationed halfway up the road into Stanner park. 10:30: A few police cars have been spotted near the Brighton railway station and St Peter's church in the Level (part of the Valley Gardens area). The EDO factory in Moulsecoomb is apparently open, but with skeleton staff. imc-uk-features http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7692498.stm Monday, 27 October 2008 Dozens arrested at nuclear demo Officers on horseback were monitoring the protest More than 30 people were arrested when anti-nuclear protesters blocked entrances at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire. Campaigners said hundreds of people gathered at Aldermaston to mark the start of World Disarmament Week. They are concerned the facilities are used to design and manufacture a new generation of nuclear warheads. Thames Valley Police said 33 people had been arrested and some roads had been blocked but were cleared later. AWE provides the warheads for Trident - the submarine-launched missile system that constitutes the UK's nuclear deterrent. The protest was organised by Trident Ploughshares and supported by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Block the Builders and the Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp group. Officers from Thames Valley Police, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Hampshire Constabulary, including horse mounted officers, were at AWE "to facilitate lawful protest, deal with any individuals who break the law, and ensure the safety of the public". A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said the protest, which started at 0600 BST, had been peaceful with no violent incidents. 'Peaceful blockade' Kate Hudson, chairwoman of the CND, said the gates were blocked by protesters "peacefully sitting and lying in the road, some locked together with concrete, glue, climbing clips and chains". "Today's action at Aldermaston has been a great success," she said. "We have effectively obstructed work at the site for many hours, closing gates and blocking roads. "This is the largest blockade of Aldermaston for many years and signals an increased public concern about Britain's weapons of mass destruction. "At a time of economic crisis, our government is prioritising nuclear bombs over healthcare, job creation and investment in sustainable energy production." Ch Insp Robbie Robbins, from the Ministry of Defence Police, said: "We take the responsibility of public safety seriously and wanted to ensure that disruption to the community was minimised. "Officers ensured that everyone who attended could exercise their right to engage in lawful protest, while at the same time making sure that members of the public could go about their normal day-to-day business." http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37052 Protesters Call for 'Peace' Jobs Submitted by Chip on Thu, 2008-10-23 11:45. Protesters call for 'peace' jobs By Darren Fishell | Submitted by Bruce Gagnon | TimesRecord.com Nearly 80 peace protesters gathered outside of the gates of Bath Iron Works on Saturday during the christening of the Wayne E. Meyer, urging the shipyard to convert to producing equipment for harvesting sustainable resources. "Today our message is conversion," said Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. "We want to see taxpayer dollars go to produce more jobs in sustainable industry and to combat global warming." The protesters, led by the Veterans for Peace, Chapter 001, marched from Bath's Waterfront Park to the gates of BIW to hear speeches from Gagnon, BIW maintenance mechanic Peter Woodruff and Carol Windham, who spoke on behalf of the event's keynote speaker Doris "Granny D" Haddock, among others. Haddock, a peace activist best known for her 1999 cross-country walking trek at the age of 88 to petition for campaign finance reform and her 2004 U.S. Senate bid in New Hampshire, was the centerpiece of the day's events but was unable to attend due to illness. A small, plastic ship to be christened the USS Granny D was carried along the marching route in her honor. "The only other women to have boats named for them are three queens of England," Haddock wrote. "I'm feeling very regal indeed. "The big destroyer to be dedicated in these waters is a remarkable achievement in the defense of our nation," Haddock wrote, "but this little ship is the magical thing that makes our nation worth defending, for it cuts the deepest moral draughts and any veterans who know the sufferings of war will agree." Marchers came from as far as Liberty and Kennebunkport. "We don't do this very often, but it's becoming more and more necessary," Liberty resident Diane Shelplee said. Jordan Shaw, a seminarian of the United Methodist Church and the performer of the christening, had religious reasons for marching. "Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers,' not 'kill everyone you know,'" Shaw said. "We need to support peace and not counter-productive killing." Before the gates of BIW, Gagnon delivered the first speech, focusing on conversion's ability to create jobs and asserting that the ships built at BIW are not in the interests of national defense but rather national offense. Gagnon cited an October 2007 study authored by economics professor Robert Pollin and Heidi Garret-Peltier at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst that compares the economic benefits of military spending to those of alternative spending targets. "If you spend $1 billion at BIW building warships," Gagnon said, "it's true: for every billion dollars you spend there you create 8,500 jobs. But if you take that same $1 billion and you invest it in home weatherization, per $1 billion you create more than 12,000 jobs. If you invest the same amount in building rail systems at BIW, you create more than 15,000 jobs." The study actually estimates the job creation caused by a $1 billion investment in mass transit to be higher, at nearly 20,000 jobs. However, each alternative spending category (tax cuts, health care, education, mass transit, and construction or home weatherization), with the exception of education, has lower average wages and benefits relative to that of defense. Yet, the study shows defense spending to have the second worst level of compensation for the economy overall, with spending on education, again, estimated to provide the highest level of compensation. "We could expand BIW's work force to as many as 12,000 employees," said Woodruff, a BIW maintenance mechanic. "We could work ourselves out of the severe recession we are working our way into. . We are standing at the edge of a green revolution in this country and we must take the steps to realize it." Woodruff, who co-hosts a radio show called the Truth Radio Underground Experience (TRUE) with Gagnon on WBOR 91.1, Brunswick, claimed to be the first BIW worker ever to address a peace rally at the production facility. "We're going through a whole effort of talking to workers because what we're hearing from them is that they would rather do something else," Gagnon said. "The peace movement can't do this by itself." Woodruff lauded the skill and training of his co-workers at BIW and said that the time has come to turn efforts to the production of wind, tidal and hydro power equipment. And young Mainers, Woodruff said, are learning the skills necessary in state universities and community colleges to move forward with sustainable development. Following the christening of the USS Granny D, Veterans for Peace member Jack Bussell also encouraged protesters to look toward the future. "Someday, we will come here in celebration of what they are building," Bussell said. "But not today." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411478.html Raytheon Protest, Bristol - 24 hour roof occupation messenger | 24.10.2008 10:36 | Anti-militarism | South Coast On Going - support needed! Raytheon Protest - 24 hour roof occupation ongoing! following last thursdays noise demo/ roof occupaton...there back! sketchy details: 8 arrested yesterday (thurs) 4 still on roof 24 hours later (!) the building is closed this morning. anyone able to support address is Unit 510, bristol business park, opp. UWE frenchay campus. fairplay to those involved. messenger http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411500.html Protest at Raytheon Bristol 16th October 2008 anti arms trade | 24.10.2008 14:18 | Anti-militarism | Iraq | Palestine | World there is currently a rooftop occupation of Raytheon in Bristol this is the second protest in a week here is a report of the protest on the 16th from Bristol Indymedia From October 16th: At around 8.30 this morning a musical band of protestors turned up at the Bristol Offices of missile and defence company Raytheon Systems Ltd. As employees arrived at work they were told about killing of civilians and other human rights violations using weapons they develop and manufacture. They were asked to consider the part they were playing in the killing of innocent people, particularly in occupied Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. It was put to employees that their pay packets were funded through abuses of the UN Charter and other fundamental human rights. This short video report contains some swearing http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9085991939348927616 http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?t=15945 see also The quiet Bristol company that sells bombs to Israel http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/25262 WHY RAYTHEON? Raytheon Systems Limited is the UK subsidiary of one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world ? the US company Raytheon. Raytheon is a major manufacturer of Israeli weapons. RSL and Raytheon are also at the frontline of enabling the US's 'Star Wars' system to go ahead. The "Raytheon 9" are facing trial in Derry in January 2008. They took action at RSL in Derry last summer to save lives of innocent civilians in Lebanon. RSL at Glenrothes manufacture the GPS-aided navigation system and control systems for the Paveway guided "bunker busting" bombs produced in the United States and sold to Israel who used them in their war on Lebanon July/Aug 2006 ? at least 100 of which were delivered to Israel by US during height of the war. http://www.raytheon9.org/ Currently there are reports that the US is stockpiling Raytheon Tomahawk missiles in preparation for a possible attack on Iran. The group believe that those companies involved in making bomb components are accountable and have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure they are not facilitating and committing and war crimes. The group state they were also acting against Raytheon and RSL being a prime provider at the "Star Wars" RSL facility at Fylingdales, Yorkshire where they are at the forefront of the installation of the upgrade to the radar used in the US National Missile "Defence" programme. As outlined by UK CND this system has already provoked global instability, and will provoke arms proliferation, a space arms race, and gives the US the ability to strike with impunity. It puts the UK at the frontline in future wars and ties the UK even closer to US foreign and military policy. ("The US National Missile Defence programme: a destabilising provocation." http://www.cnduk.org/ For more info: Email info at act4peace.org.uk Related Link: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/25262?&condense_co...32004 anti arms trade http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7675355.stm Friday, 17 October 2008 07:56 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Party defends homecoming protest A rally organised in protest at a homecoming parade for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has been defended by Sinn F?in. It is planned for the same day, 2 November, as the homecoming event in Belfast city centre. "I'm on record, saying I want to see as many of these British troops coming home uninjured," said Paul Maskey MLA. "But many thousands of people expressed their concern with regards to these illegal wars." Mr Maskey added that he thought Belfast "as a city, should not be getting involved in the issue" by welcoming the troops home. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 23:10:18 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:10:18 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Student and education protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB3B4A.8050102@tesco.net> Student protests * PAKISTAN: Students seek early accreditation * PAKISTAN: Karachi - clashes after police attack peaceful sit-in * ZIMBABWE: Riot police sttack student demonstration * KENYA: School students under attack after unrest * ITALY: Student protests over "reforms", clashes with police * INDIA: Kerala - medical students end strike * LEBANON: Students fight station guards over extortion * TRINIDAD: Dental students protest over conditions * NIGERIA: Ibadan - students protest fee increase, blockade campus * PAKISTAN: Karachi - students protest admissions policy * KENYA: School student canes teacher * PAKISTAN: Rawalpindi - Students protest end of cheap fares * IRELAND: Students protest visiting minister, block car * IRELAND: Fees, cuts prompt mass student protest * US: Martin University students protest firings * US: School students stage walkout after shooting Education protests * ECUADOR: Protest for school expansion, journalist injured * TANZANIA: Protesting teachers clash with police * INDIA: Himachal Pradesh - Police baton-charge teacher protest * INDIA: AP - Police violence injures teachers during dharna * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - 10 injured in clash over headmaster * INDIA: Puducherry - teachers protest * INDONESIA: Protest by teacher reform group * FRANCE: Thousands protest against education reforms * ROMANIA: Teachers protest for wages * US: Westfield - college faculty protest contract impasse * CAMEROON: Lecturers to protest poor pay * POLAND: Protests over extension of compulsory education * AUSTRALIA: Teachers protest over transfer scheme http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142829 AIOU students hold protest Friday, October 24, 2008 Islamabad Hundreds of students of the Allama Iqbal Open University have called for early accreditation of BE (Telecom) programme of the university to save their career. The students of the programme staged protest in the university?s campus on Thursday and set tyres on fire as part of strategy they had announced early this month in case of the university?s failure to get the programme accredited with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). They protesting students were holding banners and placards inscribed with different slogans against the university?s administration and were asking for early resolution of the issue. Addressing on the occasion, President of Students Action Committee Umar Mughal said that 1309 students were enroled in the BE (Telecom), whose future was at stake for being unregistered status of the programme. The students expressed dissatisfaction on efforts of the university for resolving the issue with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), saying it had failed to have the programmed accredited. The Pakistan Engineering Council has asked the university to stock the lab with required facilities, provide adequate number of qualified faculty for the programme and revise the programme?s syllabus with introduction of some new subjects, but the university had so far failed to meet the requirements, the angry remarked. Having assurance from the vice chancellor of the university that the programme would be accredited with the PEC, they said, the students had taken admission and each one submitted around Rs200,000 fee for the programme, but now the VC failed to keep his word, leaving the students in the lurch. They said they would continue with the protest unless the university took serious steps to have the programme accredited. The protesting students also disputed the appointment of the VC, and alleged him for being involved in misappropriation. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=143948 Six held after students-police clash Thursday, October 30, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi A student protest outside the Islamia College took an ugly turn on Wednesday after a clash erupted between students and the area police. A journalist was injured and six students were arrested in the incident. The police claimed that students had blocked the entire road for traffic, and had turned rowdy, which is why law-enforcers had to take action, while students said otherwise. Eye witnesses told The News that the protest was peaceful until the police started moving students from the spot. It was learnt that the police resorted to baton-charge to disperse students and arrested six of them. After 20 minutes, the students pelted more stones on the police to vent their anger. During the brawl, a female journalist from a local news channel sustained minor injuries. In order to control the situation, the police fired teargas shells. Later, students and the police issued contradictory statements about the incident. ?We were completely peaceful, and we were not doing anything different than what we have been doing since our protests began,? said IJT Information Cell (Karachi) chief Riaz Ahmed Siddiqui. ?After the baton-charge and shelling, of course it is expected the students would retaliate?, confessed Riaz. Jamshed Quarter Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Fawad Khan told The News that the impression that the clash was started by the police was incorrect. He said that the police had to make students obey the rules. Students were violating orders and were blocking roads even after they were warned. ?Their protest was peaceful till yesterday, but if they are now thinking that they could get away with blocking roads and disturbing traffic flow, then they are mistaken. Secondly, students were the ones who started pelting stones on the police first.? According to Khan, around six students were arrested, and FIRs being lodged against them. These students were identified as Taha Riaz, IJT head of Islamia College, Nauman Hameed, Makhdoom Hussain, Abdul Wahab, Niaz Ahmed, and Sonu Khan. Khan said they were arrested under sections 147 and 148. ?The future of the students or the college is not the police?s concern. Our concern is with keeping the situation in check, and this was very much out of line?, Khan said. DSP Nawaz Ranjha also gave a statement along similar lines. He told The News that the police were being dragged into this controversy for no reason. ?We tried to clear the road for the public. If we hadn?t done that, the public would have blamed us; now when we have done it, we are being blamed for starting the clash. The media was present, and it is clear from the footage who started what.? Ranjha said that the police were not against the students. ?The students had been given half a road to protest on, but they took over the entire road. When they were asked to clear the way for traffic, especially for ambulances and fire brigades, they did not listen, and instead started pelting stones. We feel that the students were misled. We do not know who asked them to react like this, but we are trying to further investigate the matter?, he said. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1436955.php/Riot_police_use_violence_to_break_up_student_demonstration__Extra__ Riot police use violence to break up student demonstration (Extra) Africa News Oct 14, 2008, 16:32 GMT Harare - Riot police broke up a student demonstration in Harare, injuring at least four people and arresting three Tuesday, in the first such incident of police violence since the signing of a power-sharing agreement by Zimbabwe's political protagonists a month ago. The attack on the peaceful demonstration took place just as former South African president Thabo Mbeki began mediating to try and rescue the agreement from collapse after President Robert Mugabe at the weekend unilaterally allocated to his ZANU(PF) party the most important posts in the proposed power-sharing government. Privilege Mutanga, a member of the national executive of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, said about 200 students had marched to Zimbabwe's parliament to present a petition protesting over the failure since August of nearly all the country's universities to open for the new academic year. About 30 riot police, with batons, dogs and firearms, stopped them and told them to send two representatives with the petition to the parliament doors. 'As soon as we did, they arrested them,' she said. 'Then they charged us, and we scattered. I tried to hide inside a shop doorway, but they saw that I was wearing a ZINASU T-shirt, so they pulled me out and beat me with baton sticks and kicked me.' She was treated for bruising and swelling about her body and face. She said another student had suffered a fractured skull. Clever Bere, the president of ZINASU, was in police custody. Police appeared to have suspended their outright ban on all public demonstrations following the signing of the agreement on September 15, and allowed several peaceful demonstrations to proceed without interruption. Until then, any demonstrations, except by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU(PF) party, have been met with force, with sometimes hundreds being savagely beaten - including, last year, Morgan Tsvangirai, who is prime minister-designate under the power-sharing deal - and people being detained in filthy police cells for weeks on end. Observers say the attack on the demonstration is an indication that Mugabe's regime is resuming its hard-line strategy against the octogenarian dictator's regime as hopes for change falter. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Africa&set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20081027121007232C879966 Riot police break up students protest October 27 2008 at 02:43PM Harare - Zimbabwean riot police broke up a demonstration by a group of around 100 students on Monday outside the hotel in the capital Harare where talks were under way to salvage a crucial power-sharing deal. Police baton-charged the students, who were calling for the talks on the formation of a unity government to be expedited so that schooling, which has come to a halt amidst a severe economic crisis, can resume. South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating in Zimbabwe, and Swaziland's King Mswati III went into talks Monday with President Robert Mugabe and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai on how to avert the collapse of their September agreement to form a unity government. Six weeks after agreeing to share power, Mugabe and Tsvangirai are at loggerheads about which ministries should go to which party. Arthur Mutambara, leader of a minority faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), is also involved in the talks. The MDC accuses Mugabe of keeping all the most important ministries for his Zanu-PF. The dispute is riveted on control of the home affairs ministry, which the MDC is demanding, but Zanu-PF is reluctant to relinquish. The power-sharing deal is seen by many as the only way of rescuing Zimbabwe from economic meltdown. The once-prosperous nation is experiencing acute shortages of all essentials, including fuel, electricity, cash, food and drugs. Inflation officially stands at more than 200-million percent, though independent analysts put it at more than one billion per cent. - Sapa-dpa http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/23/2311544.htm Kenya bans mobile phones to stem school riots Posted Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:43am AEST The Kenyan Government has banned the use of mobile phones in schools in a bid to stem a string of deadly riots that have rocked the country. "I am banning the use of mobile phones by our students in our schools," Education Minister Sam Ongeri told parliament. The ban, which takes effect immediately, comes a day after police charged dozens of students with arson after weekend riots that left at least one student dead and several injured. Officers charged several students on Monday over the burning down of hostels and other violence that had shut down 20 secondary schools across the country, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe. "We will continue arresting the students for the crimes they commit," said Mr Kiraithe. More than 300 secondary schools have gone on strike in Kenya over the past month, while students have destroyed properties worth millions of shillings as they protest poor living conditions and bad management. Mr Ongeri said mobile phones had been used to coordinate the riots, which he blamed on widespread political incitement and drug abuse. "We cannot afford careless actions; we cannot afford a carefree attitude. If we don't have discipline in our schools, life will be chaotic," he told reporters. -AFP http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2245348 Italian students clash at protest Published: 9:18AM Thursday October 30, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read Clashes broke out in Rome's historic Piazza Navona when students throughout Italy occupied squares and blocked traffic to protest against a new law expected to cut spending on education and research. The Rome demonstration was peaceful until a group of right-wingers wielding clubs and chains arrived and clashed with other students, witnesses said. Tables and chairs from an outdoor cafe were hurled into the air, sending tourists running for cover as police in riot gear moved in to break up the melee. About 15 students were detained, police said. Three students and one policeman were injured, they added. The protests took place as the Italian Senate approved the law drawn up by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government but which the centre-left opposition has vowed to repeal with a national referendum. "We are protesting because we have no future," said Francesco Marri, a university student protesting outside the Senate, which is next to Piazza Navona. Demonstrations against the reforms have been swelling over the past two weeks across Italy. The students say the changes will hinder their ability to get a good education. The government says the law, which deals mostly with primary and secondary schools, will trim waste and put Italian schools on an equal footing with other European school systems. The secondary pupils have been supported by university students and professors opposed to cuts in education and research in the 2009 national budget. To underscore their discontent, some secondary school teachers and university professors held classes in the squares. "Most of my students realise that they will have to go abroad, either to the United States or elsewhere in Europe, if they want to advance their careers," said Carlo Maria Bertoni, a physics professor. Bertoni, the department head of a university in northern Modena, held a lecture in geology in Piazza Navona in the shadow of Bernini's 17th century Fountain of the Four Rivers. "This whole situation stinks," said Nella Converti, a high school student from the Analdi school in Rome's outskirts. "As soon as I graduate, I want to go to Spain to study - anywhere but here in Italy, which is mired in petty politics". Medical students from the Sant' Andrea teaching hospital of Rome's University bicycled through Rome wearing their white coats and stethoscopes around their necks to protest against the cuts in spending on research. Similar demonstrations were held up and down Italy, from Milan in the north, where students blocked traffic and occupied a train station, to Naples in the south, where they occupied the main square. Minor clashes were reported in Milan. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/10/2008102716921850562.html Monday, October 27, 2008 20:53 Mecca time, 17:53 GMT Italians protest over education cut Protesters hold a placard that reads: 'Public school is a right, to defend it is a must' [AFP] Thousands of high school and university students have been protesting in the Italian capital against the government's plan to cut jobs and funding for the education system. Police blocked the road leading to the residence of Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, as the demonstrators marched in Rome on Monday. The proposed changes include budget and job cuts at state universities. In changes to lower education, students could fail for poor conduct, and primary schools would return to the practice of having only one teacher per primary school class. Many students have been missing classes for weeks to protest against the plan, and in some cases they have occupied schools. Some teachers have also joined the protest, staging open-air lessons in streets and squares across the country. Berlusconi has said he will not budge on despite the protests. A nationwide strike by school teachers and university professors is planned for October 30. Public opposition Nearly half of Italians are opposed to the cuts, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, suggested in a recent poll. The survey found that 47 per cent of the 1,024 people questioned were against the proposals. About 38 per cent of Italians backed them. The proposals for primary schools would mean that, from autumn of next year, instead of three staff sharing teaching duties in different subjects for two classes, each class would have one all-purpose instructor. Time spent at school would be slashed from 29 to 31 hours a week currently, to 24. The aim is to save $9.7bn over four years. Savings of $1.8bn are being sought in the secondary school sector and higher education over five years. The education ministry said the plans seek to "rationalise spending to improve the quality" of education and that only a few thousands of the country's millions of students are demonstrating. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Europe&set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20081027173329604C813697 Education reforms spark protests in Italy October 27 2008 at 05:55PM Rome - Protests against plans by the Italian government for education reforms, including deep budget cuts, continued on Monday and are due to culminate in a general strike called by unions for later in the week. Opposition to the plans of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, which include a return to the practice of having only one teacher per primary school class, included demonstrations and sit-ins. In Rome, thousands of high school students marched while open-air classes were held in several parts of the capital. Throughout the country for the last two weeks informal classes have been taking place each day in major cities, with students hoping to mobilise public support and fend off claims that they are just avoiding their studies. Nearly half of Italians are opposed to the reforms, a poll published on Monday suggested. The survey for the newspaper La Repubblica found that 47,2 percent of the 1 024 people questioned were against the reforms, which also call for deep budget cuts over several years. The plans had the backing of 38,5 percent of the sample. The proposals for primary schools would mean that from the autumn of next year instead of three staff sharing teaching duties in different subjects for two classes, each class would have one all-purpose instructor. Time spent at school would be slashed from 29 to 31 hours a week currently, to 24. The aim is to save ?7,8-billion over four years. Savings of ?1,5-billion are being sought in the secondary school sector and higher education over five years. Talks between student representatives and Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini failed to make progress Friday. She said in a newspaper interview published Monday that the general strike called by union confederations for Thursday would go ahead, calling it the usual ritual of those seeking to defend the indefensible. "But afterwards I believe we can resume talks on the reform. Obviously with those who put forward suggestions," she told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. The ministry says the plans seek to "rationalise spending to improve the quality" of education and says that only a few thousands of the country's millions of students are demonstrating. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411604.html Rome Film Festival: Police attack protest students antifa | 26.10.2008 00:36 | Education | Repression | World Italian policemen in riot gears stand guard near students gathering outside Rome's Auditorium Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, during the Rome International Film Festival. The attack started in the evening when some student opened banners inside the Auditorium. Students all over Italy staged demonstrations and held university lectures outside as part of a week-long protest against Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government proposed "private revolution" reform on the education system. http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjyVoK9OJ4 antifa Homepage: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjyVoK9OJ4 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fca92e2c-a6ab-11dd-95be-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1 Protests close schools in Italy By Giulia Segreti and Guy Dinmore in Rome Published: October 30 2008 20:05 | Last updated: October 30 2008 20:05 Most of Italy?s schools closed on Thursday for students and teachers to join mass demonstrations organised by trade unions against the centre-right government?s education cuts. Rome ground to a halt in the morning as huge crowds ? organisers claimed 1m ? marched through the centre to Piazza del Popolo in the largest outpouring of public discontent with the government since Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, returned to power in May. EDITOR?S CHOICE Gypsy vaccination scheme starts - Mar-06 Man in the News: Pope Benedict XVI - Feb-06 Vatican provokes crisis over right to die - Feb-06 Rome silent as UK strikes target Italians - Feb-01 Italy?s car workers protest at aid plan - Jan-29 Tensions rise over Italy?s gypsy migrants - Jan-26 Unions said 90 per cent of schools closed down. The education ministry said 57 per cent were shut. Mr Berlusconi responded: ?I see a scandalous left wing which has the ability to reverse the truth and speak the contrary.? The rallies, also held in other major cities after weeks of protests and campus sit-ins, have focused anger on the budget cuts and Mariastella Gelmini, education minister. But with impetus from union leaders the movement threatens to take on broader political significance as the government struggles to push through other public sector cuts against the background of a deteriorating economy. ?I have never seen Piazza del Popolo like today. There is a whole country that is in revolt,? said Guglielmo Epifani, leader of the CGIL union federation. ?The strength of this square is the strength of democracy, and democracy will be a shield for our youngsters.? Leaders of the centre-left and communist parties who split in the April election also joined forces at the rallies. The main opposition Democratic party is seeking a national referendum to reverse the legislation. The Senate approved the ?7.8bn ($9.9bn, ?6.2bn) education cuts on Wednesday by 162 votes to 134. Teachers on full-time contracts do not face dismissal, but 87,000 positions will not be filled over three years. The main target of Ms Gelmini?s cuts are the primary schools, which have performed relatively well in international surveys, unlike the secondary schools. Many smaller schools are to be closed with the loss of 45,000 administrative posts and staff on short-term contracts. Much controversy has focused on the reintroduction of a system of ?one class, one teacher? in elementary schools where one teacher is to cover all subjects. The most devastating impact will fall on working mothers who will only be able to keep their children in primary school for 24 hours a week, instead of full working hours. Future legislation will affect universities. Antonio, a Rome high school professor, said the changes were not reforms, as claimed by the government, but simply cuts. ?There is a lot of talk about meritocracy for teachers, but politicians don?t realise that the current voting system in Italy accounts for neither meritocracy nor representation,? he said. Students were outraged by the way in which the government rammed the legislation through parliament with little debate there or in society. Mirko, a psychology student from Caserta university, warned: ?The protests against this government start from the school as schools are still a place in society where ideas are formed and where dialogue is still possible.? http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/oct2008/ital-o31.shtml Italy: Protests and strikes against Berlusconi education cuts By Peter Schwarz 31 October 2008 Hundreds of thousands of teachers, students and parents marched through Italian cities Thursday in protest over reforms initiated by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. His government?s multibillion-euro education cuts were voted into law on Wednesday. Organisers claim that up to 1 million people marched in the capital, and that nine out of ten schools across the country were closed. Prominent at the rallies on Thursday were large numbers of school and university students who have been conducting a prolonged campaign against the government?s educational reform. Thursday?s strike had been preceded by weeks of protests by pupils, students, parents, teachers and professors. Schools and university faculties across the country have conducted a series of demonstrations, public meetings and occupations of educational establishments. Even the sleepy rural areas in the south of the country were hit by the protest movement. According to the Interior Ministry, since the start of October no less than 300 demonstrations had taken place and an estimated 150 schools and 20 university departments occupied by students. If anything, the official figures are an underestimate. According to the protest movement?s own figures, a total of 60 high schools have been occupied in Naples and 120 in the region of Campania. Demonstrations took place across the country last Friday, with hundreds of thousands taking part. One day later, on Saturday, several hundred thousand protested in Rome against the government. The target of protesters is the reversal of the so-called Gelmini reform, named after the 35-year-old education minister, Mariastella Gelmini, from Berlusconi?s party Forza Italia. The reform plans to cut a total of 87,000 teaching jobs and 44,500 administrative posts at state schools within the next three years. The scheme is aimed at saving ?8 billion. The plan also envisages cuts to university staff, with just one in five vacancies amongst lecturers to be filled during coming years. The Italian educational system has been considered to be one of the worst in Europe for some time. The schools are poorly equipped, teaching methods are outdated, teachers are underpaid and there is a widespread lack of modern teaching materials such as computers. The universities are chronically overcrowded. The government now has the audacity to claim that its austerity program is the answer to this misery. According to Education Minister Gelmini, the reform will make education more effective and efficient by cutting back on bureaucracy and concentrating on performance. In terms of its recommendations for the content of school education, the reform appears to have drawn from educational concepts prevailing in the 19th century. Instead of modern methods, teaching, and textbook material, the plan emphasizes discipline and order. In primary schools the reform advocates the replacement of specialized subject teaching staff with ?general? teachers?a so-called ?maestro??whom all pupils are to greet by rising from their seats when he or she enters the classroom. A form of school uniform is to be made compulsory, school reports are to replace the existing form of more differentiated evaluation, and additional reports will decide on the transfer of pupils. Gelmini?s discipline initiatives are planned for the mass of the student population in public schools. The implementation of the reform will inevitably lead to a precipitous increase in private schools, where the wealthy will send their children to be educated. The reform also discriminates against immigrants. In this respect, Gelmini responded to a demand by a coalition partner in the government, the racist Northern League (Lega Nord). Anyone failing a language test on their first day at school will be required to attend a special class in future. The Lega Nord cynically refers to this measure as ?positive discrimination? and a contribution towards ?better integration.? The broad popular opposition to Gelmini?s plans surprised not only the government, but the opposition parties as well. The spontaneous protest actions across the country took place largely independently of the traditional organizations. Pupils occupied school buildings together with their teachers. Parents demonstrated alongside their children. Professors held lectures in public places. In Venice, teachers blocked motor traffic to the mainland, while in Bari a symbolic funeral cortege paralyzed traffic. University departments were occupied at the universities in Bologna, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples and Rome. In the proximity of Milan, pupils occupied a railway station and blocked the tracks for some time. In response, the government has stubbornly ignored this opposition. It prevented a parliamentary debate over the reform by declaring the bill to be a decree that required a vote of confidence, enabling it to push through the bill without a debate. Gelmini and her mentor Berlusconi have reacted to recent protests with arrogance and contempt. Gelmini described the opposition as ?terrorist.? Other members of the government even spoke of an ?infiltration of the movement by the Red Brigades??a terror organization that emerged in Italy in the 1970s. Berlusconi insisted that he would not give way ?a millimetre,? that he was prepared to use force against the opposition and that he would not tolerate the occupation of schools and universities. He threatened, ?I will invoke the interior minister, and I will give him exact instructions on how he should intervene with the security forces to prevent such things happening.? His comments merely poured oil on the flames. The protests continued to spread and became more radical. Berlusconi then retreated somewhat and stated he had been misunderstood, but he made no concessions with regard to the reform. On Wednesday, the Italian Senate voted through the reform by a vote of 162 to 134, which means it can now enter into force. The Gelmini reform draws on the cuts implemented by the predecessor government led by Romano Prodi. In its two-year term of office, Prodi?s centre-left government cut 47,000 jobs in the education sphere. But as protests grow it is the Democratic Party led by Walter Veltroni that is now trying to place itself at the head of the movement. The Democrats emerged from the Communist Party and were the most important component in Prodi?s coalition. Veltroni was the only speaker at the demonstration held in Rome last Saturday. Following his defeat at the hands of Berlusconi in national elections held in the spring of this year, Veltroni initially made an offer to work together with Berlusconi?s coalition. Now the Democrats are attempting to take the leadership of the movement against the education reform in order to keep it under control. The Democrats will face an uphill fight. The protests against the education reform are part of a broad social movement that will only intensify as the effects of the financial crisis make themselves felt. The past few weeks have also witnessed strikes and protests in public transport, the health service and other sections of public service. Firefighters, air personnel and those employed in jobs in call centres and commercial ventures such as IKEA have also taken part in strikes. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/415380/cs/1/ Kerala medicos end protest after government assurances India Gazette Monday 6th October, 2008 (IANS) After their day-long token protest and the state health department assurances that their demands would be looked into, protesting doctors and medical students called off their indefinite strike here Monday. Doctors, graduate and post-graduate medical students were demanding a hike in their stipend and repeal of the compulsory bond that requires them to work in government service in rural areas for three years. After a marathon two-hour long discussion with the protesters, it was decided that the government will issue a new order at the earliest in view of the medicos' demands. 'The minister (P.K. Sreemathi) has agreed to reduce the compulsory rural service from three years to one year and also changed the stipulations in the bond agreement. Since the government has consented to our demands, we will not go ahead with an indefinite protest,' said one of the prosesters. In Kerala, medical students constitute the majority of the real workforce in medical colleges, with vacancies of doctors remaining unfilled. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=58642 Published On: 2008-10-14 Metropolitan 10 hurt as students, security guards clash in Comilla Unb, Comilla At least 10 people were injured, three by bullets, in a clash between the students of Victoria College and security guards of Comilla Rail Station yesterday morning. Witnesses said physically challenged Saidul Islam, a second year student of the college, collected ticket and boarded the Chittagong-bound train 'Jalalabad Express' from Akhaura. But security guard in-charge Firoz and ansar members Khalil and Abdus Haque demanded money from Saidul. They also beat him up as he refused to give them money. After receiving the news from Saidul over mobile phone, the students of Victoria College ransacked Comilla Rail Station and the engine of the train at about 7:45am. The agitating students also clashed with the security guards, leaving seven people from both sides injured. At one stage, Ansar members fired five gunshots, injuring three college students. Deputy Commissioner Ataul Gani, Police Superintendent Imtiaz Ahmed, and members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The train left Comilla for Chittagong at about 10:15pm. http://www.nationnews.com/story/292925359291323.php Dental students take protest to Ministry Published on: 10/23/08. DENTAL students of the University of the West Indies took their displeasure over the state of affairs at the school to the head office of the Ministry of Science and Tertiary Education yesterday. Despite heavy showers, members of the University of the West Indies Dental Students Association stood outside the ministry's building holding placards before holding a meeting with the permanent secretary of the Ministry. On Monday, students of the school staged a protest at the school citing unhealthy conditions facilities and dated equipment.Devin Jaggernauth, president of the association, stated that the school's problems stemmed from the negligence by the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) and called for the school to placed totally under the control of the university. The facility is owned by the NCRHA although the school falls under the auspices of the medical science faculty of the University of the West Indies. Jaggernauth? told the Express it was agreed that the NCRHA would provide the equipment and receive the fees generated from patients at the school since its inception in 1989. Recently the university has been supplying the apparatus for the school, he said. "So far we have had little problem with how UWI has run the school, it is the NCRHA who has not kept their end," said Jaggernauth. "The permanent secretary told us that she was aware of some of the problems at the school and a committee would be set up to look into how the operations of the school should be split between UWI and the NCRHA," said Jaggernauth. (Trinidad Express) http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161391003 'Hot' dental students protest UWI principal promises air conditioning in a week Aabida Allaham Wednesday, October 22nd 2008 AFTER spending six months in the heat, dental students at the University of the West Indies are calling on the relevant authorities to provide them with a facility that is conducive to learning. "Many of the problems we are facing today are not new, but being without proper air conditioning for so long has forced us to take a different approach," Devin Jaggernauth, president of the UWI Dental Students' Association, said yesterday. In a noisy protest outside the school compound at Mt Hope yesterday, local and international students made sure their voices were heard. They said since the onset of the problems, they have been shoved between a rock and a hard place every time they tried to get a meeting with members of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) and UWI. "The air condition unit has been giving trouble for the past seven years, but it stopped working six months ago and we have lost clinical time because instructors, who are unionised, implemented morning sessions only," Jaggernauth said. The students also complained of a host of other problems. However, UWI principal, Prof Clement Sankat, said a silver lining to the problems experienced by the students was imminent. "I intend to focus on the air conditioning, but we are tenants in that building (Dental School at Mount Hope) and we cannot do as we please," he said. Sankat said tenders were sent out for a new air conditioning system and it should be up and running in a week's time, once NCRHA agreed on who would conduct electrical work. As for the other issues affecting the students, Sankat said they were dealing with them, but red tape would take a while to cut through. "Processes at the university can undo all the good we try to implement at UWI. For every thing we do, we must follow a process and that takes time," he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810140195.html Nigeria: UI Students Protest Increase in Tuition Fees Yemi Bamidele 14 October 2008 Ibadan ? Academic and administrative activities were paralysed at the Uni-versity of Ibadan yesterday as students of the institution embar-ked on a peaceful protest against the 50 percent increase in tuition and other fees announced by the University authorities. All entrances to the Univer-sity campus were barricaded by the aggrieved students who also forced workers out of their va-rious duty posts to show their anger of the fees hike. Many people who were eager to enter or go out of the campus were sighted scaling the over three metre-tall fence as the main gate and other gates to the school were firmly under lock and key. Eye witness accounts said the over 6,000 protesting students had earlier in the day assembled at the front of the Students Union Building (SUB) as early as 8.00 am chanting "war songs", just as they barricaded all the gates leading into the school to condemn the increment in tuition fees and the alleged failure by the authorities to yield to the students demands to rescind the hike in the fees. At about 8.25 am, the angry students, most of who carried placards with various inscriptions in condemnation of the fees increment, had stormed the University's Administration main block to register their rejection of the new fees. They also called on the school authorities to hasten action in democratizing the institution's Students Union Government. By 10 am, the protesting students had virtually taken over the Administrative Block as they forced workers and the principal staff to abandon their offices for fear of possible attack by the protesters. Many of the protesting students who spoke with newsmen under condition of anonymity accused the university authorities of approving and implementing the controversial new fees without considering the views of the students representatives who had contested the increment at the initial stage. Another student leader said with the over 50 per cent increase in the tuition and other fees, undergraduate students of the University are now to pay N15,000 for a space of accommodation as against the initial N10,000 paid last session. Postgraduate students, under the new formula, are now to pay N35,000 for a single room at the "Obafemi Awolowo single man room" of the university as against N30,000 which they were paying before the school vacated. The two-man room occupant in the same hall will now pay N25,000 as against the N20,000 paid before vacation. They said with the present arrangement, returning and fresh students are to pay N3,000, with medical fee increasing from N500 to N1,000, Identity Card from N365 to N650, examination fee from N1,000 to N1,500, development levy from N2,000 to N3,000 and N1,000 as health insurance fee, among others. When contacted, the University's Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Joke Akinpelu, simply told newsmen that "the management of the University of Ibadan are still in a crucial meeting on the development and we hope the meeting will bring positive result at the end of the day." However, policemen were sighted mounting surveillance at the main gate of the University apparently with a view to thwarting the possible hijack of the protest by street urchins or political hoodlums. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142472 KU Students Alliance protests against admissions policy Wednesday, October 22, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Students Alliance of the University of Karachi (KU) lodged their protest and took out a rally against the KU admission policy-2009 on Tuesday whilst a conference of the KU Academic Council was going on at the Chemistry Department. According to a press statement issued on Tuesday, the Students Alliance presented a charter of demand to the faculty members present at the Academic Council?s meeting. They alliance has demanded of the Academic Council to adopt an open merit admission policy and drop the ?category system? with immediate effect. The students also opposed the idea of conducting admission tests in all the departments and insisted that admissions should be given purely on academic record. The student organisations that took part in the protest rally included Islami Jamiat-e-Talba, Imamia Students Organisation, People?s Students Federation and Punjabi Student Association. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810270193.html Kenya: Caning of Teacher By Pupils Sparks Clash Daniel Nyassy 24 October 2008 Nairobi ? The Kenya National Union of Teachers Malindi branch clashed with the education office after pupils assaulted a teacher. Knut officials, led by executive secretary Frederick Nguma, and the district education officer George Ogandoh clashed during a meeting at Ganda Primary School on Thursday following a strike by teachers over the incident. The meeting brought together the board of governors, parents/teachers association, Knut and the education office. Sources said the union demanded that security for its members be guaranteed before teaching could resume. Pleading The union also said the culprits and their parents should have been arrested. As the meeting was going on, the three Standard Eight pupils and their parents were being quizzed at Malindi Police Station. The parents were heard pleading with the police not to arrest the pupils as they were set to sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations soon. A senior police officer told the media later that the pupils had been cautioned against indiscipline. They were warned that they would be arrested if they engaged in assault in future. "We take the matter as minor. It is an incident involving mere pupils and the assault on the teacher was not very serious. So we let them free to go home but keep the peace at school," said the officer. However, a parent, Mr Mitsanze Kadenge, protested that the police were encouraging indiscipline by treating the matter casually. "This is a grave matter. The pupils and their parents should have been locked up because we believe it originates from the parents. Our teachers must be protected and not subjected to such ridicule by pupils," protested Mr Kadenge. The pupils attacked their teacher, Mr Michael Mataza, with a cane when he demanded to know why they had not brought their parents after they refused to be punished. (Daily Nation) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142507 Students protest against charging of full fares Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Khalid Iqbal Rawalpindi Students here on Tuesday protested against charging of full fares by private public transporters from them and urged the government to run its buses to facilitate them or direct public transporters to give 70 per cent concession on fares. They raised slogans against private transporters who don?t give any kind of concession in fares to students. The protesting students of the Government Gordon College told ?The News? that they were facing problems due to high fares of private transport in the city. They alleged that the transporters don?t allow them to board their vehicle. They said that they could not afford full fares and the situation is creating problems for them in continuing their studies. ?The government is snatching the right of education from us by not taking any step to provide concession in transport fares to students,? Muhammad Kamran, a student of Gordon College, said. Most students belong to poor families and they cannot pay high transport fares. The government should run buses for students, he said. A private mini-bus owner, Malik Muhammad Sultan, said that students do not pay a single rupee to conductors, which result in scuffles between them. They should at least pay half fare, he said. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1020/ucd.html Two arrested at protest in UCD Monday, 20 October 2008 21:56 Two students have been arrested at UCD at a protest as Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan was due to chair a lecture at the college. The number of students involved in the protest reached about 150. More than 20 garda? were on duty as well as a number of private security officers. Advertisement Students blocked the vehicle access to the building where Mr Lenihan is due to attend the function. The students were protesting about the proposed reintroduction of third level fees. Mr Lenihan entered the building on foot via a side entrance, at the same time as his State car drove up to the main entrance of the building where the students were protesting. He has been able to chair the lecture at the UCD College of Human Sciences as planned. The students involved in the protest have left. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/budget-2009/news/15000-elderly-and-10000-young-join-in-day-of-protest-1506097.html?r=RSS It was an extraordinary coincidence, and a sign of how the Budget has alienated so many, that shortly after the pensioners' protest reached its climax up to 10,000 third-level students should arrive at the Dail, deeply angered over fees. Like the pensioners, the students came from everywhere, and they brought just one message: 'No to fees'. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=67218&provider=rss Campus workers, students protest more UT budget cuts Brittany Bailey Updated: 10/22/2008 7:40:56 PM Posted: 10/22/2008 5:42:35 PM "No more cuts, no more cuts." That was the battle cry, of sorts, on the University of Tennessee campus Wednesday afternoon. More than 100 people gathered, most of them rallying on behalf of the United Campus Workers union. "We're doing this to demonstrate to the state, to the legislature, to the governor, the damaging effects of the cuts to UT's budget," said Jon Shefner, a union member and sociology professor. This fiscal year, leaders cut $17 million from the UT-Knoxville budget, and more cuts are yet to come. But, the protesters want state leaders to put a stop to it. They say, instead of cutting more money out of higher education , state leaders should find the money elsewhere. They suggest eliminating corporate tax exemptions and dipping into the rainy day fund. "More cuts are to come, and so if we can stand united and make it clear the damage that these cuts will entail for students, for staff and for faculty, then I think we can get the legislature, get the government to rethink how much more they want to bleed the University of Tennessee," Shefner said. Several students who spoke at the rally worried more cuts could harm their education and make it more difficult to earn their degrees. "The University of Tennessee is in a financial crisis , and it's not fair that we have to foot the bill," UT sophomore Stephanie Zuckerman said. "I'm worried about classes that I need to take to graduate being cut. I'm worried about that happening for other students, too, and resources that we need to get the higher education that we're here for being cut, too." Protesters planned their rally to coincide with the UT Board of Trustees' meeting on campus this week. The board and campus leaders are expected to discuss making more cuts to next fiscal year's budget. The first cuts, $11.1 million worth, came back in June, affecting faculty positions, maintenance, technology and research. It also impacted the Audiology and Speech Pathology Department, which, if the plan is approved, will be run by the Memphis campus next year. In October, leaders cut $6 million more. They slashed upper-level courses and made plans to reduce the number of faculty positions. Now, officials are planning to make that last $6 million cut permanent, and they are looking to cut up to $5 million more in the next fiscal year. The cuts will likely, once again, affect courses and teaching positions. http://www.indy.com/posts/martin-university-students-protest-firings Martin University students protest firings October 22, 2008 by indystar A small group of Martin University students gathered across the street from the school Tuesday to protest the direction the institution has taken under a new president. The gathering was unusual for a university demonstration: not youths in their 20s but adults in their 40s. The nontraditional college students were attracted to the university by the opportunity to earn a degree but said they have become disenchanted by the dismissal of faculty, including a popular professor fired the day before the protest. The university's new president, Algeania Freeman, was singled out by the demonstrators as the force behind this dismissal and, according to a release from students, other firings on campus. "Martin was warm, but our school is cold now," said Juanita Hayes, 47, a psychology student. "We're angry, and we're upset; no one wants to talk to us." Representatives of Freeman and the university could not be reached for comment late Tuesday. Freeman was selected in December to succeed the Rev. Boniface Hardin, the Catholic priest who founded the school 30 years ago. Hardin retired last year. The school, at 2171 N. Avondale Place, serves a population that is older than the typical student body and is 95 percent black. Some people close to the university estimate that as many as half of the university's staff and faculty have been replaced since Freeman took over, including some who were hired since the administration changed. "There were so many people who were laid off," said Richard Phillips, 32, a criminal justice student. "She just cleaned house; people were getting fired daily." Freeman's last job, as president of Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., ended abruptly when that college's board of trustees placed her on administrative leave and never brought her back -- essentially dismissing her -- after 31/2 years, even though she had been able to secure large donations for the school. Martin University students had circulated petitions against the changes and had complained for several months, but Monday's firing apparently directly led to Tuesday's protest, which involved about 30 students. Harry Murphy, 59, Gosport, a criminal law professor, said he was dismissed Monday and ordered out of the building. He complained that the situation at the small school had degenerated into one of "harassment and intimidation." A printed report from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Murphy was escorted out of the university building, drove back and sat down at the front entrance. After being told he would be arrested if he didn't leave and responding ". . . he wanted to go the route Dr. King went," Murphy was arrested, according to the report. Murphy was released on his own recognizance, and no charges have been filed, according to court records. Another police report says a former student who had been expelled made a threat against Freeman in May. The liberal arts institution, which offers 17 undergraduate and two graduate degrees, was founded to serve adult, minority and low-income individuals. The 2007 fall enrollment of full-time undergraduate students was 222, according to the school's Web site. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081022/METRO/810220447 Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Henry Ford students walk out of school in protest Jennifer Mrozowski / The Detroit News DETROIT -- More than 100 students walked out of Henry Ford High in Detroit Wednesday in protest, with many criticizing a new security plan implemented at the school following a nearby shooting last week that left one student dead. "They've got a whole bunch of security, but nothing is going to change," said 10th-grader Deon Jordan, 17. Detroit Public Schools issued a new security plan for Henry Ford this week that doubled security and incorporated other measures, but students, many of them wearing black armbands, say they still feel unsafe following the shooting death of Christopher Walker, 16. Others say the security team is overly harsh, handing out hefty suspensions for minor infractions and using chemical sprays on groups of unruly kids. Advertisement Walker's death followed a week of problems at the school in which students have reportedly been beaten bloody in front of teachers and several fires have been set in the school. A football game against Renaissance had to be moved for fear of violence. Officials have said the 1,300-student school appears to be plagued by gang activity, which some attribute in part to the influx of Redford High's students into Henry Ford after Redford's building was closed. The activist group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) helped to arrange Wednesday's protest, organizers said. Walker's mother, Bridget, who was at the school, said she understood the students' frustration. "They're tired of the violence," she said. "It's senseless. It has to stop." She said the school system needs to bring in more teachers and administrators who care about students. The district also needs to make sure students have the resources they need to learn, adding that Christopher and his twin, Joshua, often came home with no homework and said they weren't allowed to take textbooks home. Detroit Public Schools has had difficulties paying textbook vendors, but officials have said they are trying to work with the vendors. Henry Ford High Principal Sharon Dennis said she appealed to students before the walkout over the announcement system to use good judgment and remember they could face consequences for their actions. She told them she understands they need to heal and informed them that the school is organizing an assembly to help with the healing process. The assembly was scheduled for next week but officials are trying to move it sooner to meet students' needs. Assistant Superintendent Derrick Coleman said students still have to face consequences because walking out of school cannot be tolerated, adding that not all students who walked out were protesting security problems. Some didn't know why they were walking out, he said. Coleman added that the school seeks to involve parents quickly in the process so any issues can be resolved. School board member Reverend David Murray, who arrived to see dozens of students milling about the front lawn, said it was a "mess waiting to happen." He said the district needs to understand students are grieving and not punish them for their actions, which could cause their anger to boil over. School board member Marie Thornton said students have a right to protest. Three teens have been arraigned in connection with the shooting, including the son of a city police officer. http://www.ifex.org/ecuador/2008/10/16/cameraman_struck_with_stones_while/ 16 October 2008 Alert Cameraman struck with stones while covering demonstration in Guayaquil (IPYS/IFEX) - On the morning of 7 October 2008, Eduardo Molina, a cameraman for the Red Telesistema (RTS) television network, was struck with stones as he covered a confrontation between students at the Aguirre Abad School and police in Guayaquil, western Ecuador. The students were protesting because an expansion of their school that had been promised by the prefect of Guayas province, Nicol?s Lapentti, has not yet been built. The police suppressed the demonstration using teargas. This is the second time Molina has been assaulted while carrying out his work. In September, a government party supporter hit him and attempted to take his camera to stop him from filming a demonstration. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810150510.html The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) Tanzania: Angry Teachers Clash With Police Over Stoppage Order Deogratias Kishombo 15 October 2008 Riot police yesterday fired in the air to rescue Tanzania Teachers Union officials who came under attack by angry colleagues protesting against the cancellation of their strike that was scheduled to start today. TTU president Gratian Mukoba and the secretary general Yahya Msulwa were whisked away to safety in a police Land Rover amid a hail of missiles including stones and water bottles thrown at them. But efforts by the law enforcers could not stop hundreds of angry teachers from causing extensive damage by smashing furniture at the Diamond Jubilee Hall, the venue of the acrimonious meeting. "Why the heavy police presence. We are not criminals," shouted a sobbing woman teacher. She said teachers in the country have been marginalised, insulted and exploited for many years and were now fed up. "Enough is enough," she shouted. They also vandalised vehicles belonging to the union officials that were packed outside the meeting venue that was turned into a war zone. Some teachers pelted police officers with water bottles. Some teachers lay in the middle of the street to show their anger. Teachers' officials drawn form all over the country had met to plan today's strike. They arrived in the city before the Government won an urgent court injunction barring the strike action. But teachers vowed to press on with the strike despite the court order. The fracas started when Mr Mukoba attempted to persuade the teachers to obey the court order that stopped their strike. Chanting teachers jeered him and one snatched the microphone from the master of ceremony to declare they will not turn back. The TTU officials were branded traitors before a rain of bottles and chairs began flying around. The police arrived immediately to bring the situation under control. The teachers are demanding payment of Sh16 billion in allowance arrears and want the Government to implement a host of other demands. But Judge William Mandia of the Labour Division of the High Court on Monday halting the planned strike. TTU have lodged a counter appeal which comes up for hearing later this week. Meanwhile, teachers in Mwanza said they would proceed with the strike action today irrespective of the court order. Meeting in Shinyanga yesterday, the teachers said they will not be cowed by threats of sacking from education or regional government authorities. They said they will stay out of classrooms and suffer the consequences until the State addressed their plight, urging union leaders not to turn back. The said the strike could only be called off after a vote by the more than 2,500 teachers. "Teachers in Mwanza are set to strike today and expects their leaders to be in the frontline," a male teacher who wished not to be named said. Mwanza TTU chairman John Kafimbi who addressed the angry teachers, said the union agreed with them. He asked the teachers to meet today at Ghand Hall in the morning to chart the way forward. "The Government owes public servants about Sh23 billion out of which Sh16 billion is for teachers alone. This shows how insensitive our leaders are," the TTU official said. Lake zone Research and Academic Workers Union (Raawu) secretary general Ramadhan Mwendwa said teachers' demands will not come easily and asked members to be ready to suffer for it. Additional reporting by Paulina David in Mwanza. http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/10/06/0810062029_protesting_teachers_baton_charged_in_himachal_pradesh.html Protesting teachers baton charged Monday, October 06, 2008 20:28 [IST] Shimla: At least 30 protesting teachers were injured when the police resorted to baton charge to disburse them in the state capital of Himachal Pradesh Monday. More than 10,000 teachers, who were appointed through various parent-teacher associations (PTAs) during the tenure of the previous Congress government, have been on the warpath since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government announced in January this year that it would inquire into the cases of irregularities in their appointments. "More than 500 teachers were protesting when some of the protesters tried to enter the secretariat. This led to clash between us (the police) and the protesters... we had to use force to disperse them (the teachers)," R.M. Sharma, Shimla's superintendent of police, told IANS. He said five police personnel were also injured during the clash. Vivek Mehta, a leader of the protesters, said they were staging a silent protest when the police used force to disperse them. Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal has already announced a number of times that PTA appointees are not government employees and their agitation is uncalled for. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102656910300.htm Andhra Pradesh Protesting teachers lathicharged Correspondent The protest in response to JACTO?s call was total in Telangana Photo: K.V.Ramana Tough fight: Police lifting a teacher from dharna in front of the Collectorate in Nizamabad on Saturday. MAHBUBNAGAR: Several teachers sustained injuries and over 20 were admitted in the hospital, when the police resorted to lathicharge on them, who as part of their agitation staged a dharna at Collectorate here on Saturday. The teachers in response to the call given by JACTO assembled at Collectorate around 12 noon and staged dharna and organised rasta roko. After two hours of demonstration the representatives of JACTO tried to gate crash into Collectorate premises to submit their memorandum to Collector V. Usharani. When the police prevented them from entering premises of the Collectorate, the agitating teachers tried to move in forcibly. Prompting the police to resort to lathicharge. The Police also arrested 29 representatives of teacher organisations. Later, opposing the arrest of their leaders and lathicharge, the teachers staged a sit-in programme in front of the One Town police station for about two hours. They demanded the suspension of Circle Inspector, Muthaiah. They withdrew their agitation after assurance by the Additional Superintendent G. Satyanarayana that he would do justice. Sangareddy Staff reporter adds: protesting teachers on Saturday held a dharna before the Collectorate preventing officials from entering the premises. The agitation continued for about five hours forcing the police to search for an alternative route to divert the traffic on the main road, where the Collectorate was located. Addressing the gathering TRS leader K. Taraka Rama Rao announced complete support to the agitating teachers. JACTO leaders Ashok Kumar, N Sangameswar, V Sangameswar, Ch Ramulu, Laxma Reddy, TRS leaders R. Satyanarayana, Navaj Reddy and CPM leader B Mallesh participated in the agitation. Karimnagar staff reporter adds: In spite of implementation of section 144 in the town, teachers have staged a massive dharna in front of Collectorate in Karimnagar town on Saturday demanding the government to solve their grievances. In the early hours, when the teachers? association leaders assembled in front of the Collectorate, the police had instructed the protestors to leave the place as they had imposed section 144. But the teachers participated in massive dharna raising slogans against the state government. Leaders of various political parties including TRS legislators Etala Rajender, T Harish Rao, BJP leader G Ramakrishna Reddy, TDP leader L Ramana and others also participated in the dharna and expressed their solidarity to the agitating teachers. Nizamabad Staff Reporter adds: Normal work at the Pragathi Bhavan housing several government offices was affected with the thin attendance of the staff members and officers following the picketing by teachers.Leaders and activists of different political hues (except Congress) squatted on the road and at the main entrance of the Collectorate in support of the striking teachers. After a couple of hours the policemen bundled the agitating teachers and Opposition leaders into waiting vans. They were later shifted to different police stations. The arrested were released after a few hours late in the afternoon. According to the One Town police Sub-Inspector, S. Lakshminarayana, 561 agitators were arrested and let off after taking their names. . http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100751790300.htm Tamil Nadu 10 injured in group clash Staff Reporter VANIYAMBADI: Ten persons were injured when two groups clashed over the transfer of the headmaster of the Vellakuttai panchayat primary school in Alangayam union near here on Monday. The police said Durai, headmaster, was transferred against his will. When Assistant Education Officer Vijayalakshmi visited the school, two groups came over there. One of the group, headed by Arumugam, supported Durai. It questioned why he was transferred against his will. The other, headed by Parent Teachers? Association president Vijay Kumar, was in favour of the transfer. After heated arguments, the groups clashed. Then they blocked traffic on the Alangayam-Vaniyambadi Road, near Vellakuttai. The Alangayam police persuaded them to withdraw the protest. The injured were admitted to the government hospital at Vaniyambadi. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/20/stories/2008102053280300.htm Other States - Puducherry Teachers to protest PUDUCHERRY: Members of the Puducherry Government Teachers? Associations Co-ordinating Committee and the Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe Teacher Associations? Joint Protest Committee will take out a rally on Monday to press long-pending demands of teachers. According to a release, several teachers associations would launch a series of protests condemning the government and the Education Department for the delay in fulfilling the demands of the teachers. Seven protest actions to enliven Jakarta today Detik.com - October 16, 2008 At 2pm meanwhile, the Jakarta Office for Primary Education in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, will be visited by the Teachers Reform Forum (FGR). http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/thousands+protest+at+french+reforms/2588112 Thousands protest at French reforms Print this page Last Modified: 19 Oct 2008 Source: PA News More than 30,000 demonstrators marched across Paris to denounce the conservative government's budget restrictions, job cuts and other controversial reforms in France's public education system. Teachers, students, parents and school administrators took to the streets in the march behind a banner that read, "Education is our future," and vowed to press on with their effort in the coming weeks. Organisers said around 80,000 people turned out for the protest, while police put the figure at 32,000. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012710115 Thousands Protest In Paris Against Controversial Education Reforms, Job Cuts ShareThis October 19, 2008 2:10 p.m. EST AHN Staff Paris, France (AHN) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the government's decision to lay off employees and make other changes in the country's public education system. Around 32,000 protestors included teachers, students, parents and school administrators who organized demonstration to stop France from adopting controversial reforms in the field of education. France's National Assembly is due to debate the 2009 education budget on November 4, which is likely to slash as many as 13,500 jobs. The administration under President Nicolas Sarkozy has scrapped as many as 19,700 jobs in 2007 and 2008, instead of replacing the retiring employees. The 47 organizations, including teachers' and students' unions and parents' associations, fear that reforms in education will lead to crowded classrooms and the curriculum will be trimmed. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/15/europe/EU-Romania-Teachers-Protest.php Romania: teachers demand higher wages The Associated Press Published: October 15, 2008 BUCHAREST, Romania: Thousands of Romanian teachers rallied Wednesday in Bucharest to support a law that increases their salaries by 50 percent. The government says Romania cannot afford the wage increase and contested the law ? passed by Parliament ? at the Constitutional Court. The court, however, ruled the law was constitutional. To be enacted, the law must be approved by President Traian Basescu. The government has accused lawmakers in Parliament of passing populist laws to gain public support before general elections on Nov. 30. Unions say 15,000 teachers protested Wednesday. Teachers were also threatening to go on strike around the country if they do not get the promised salary increase. The new law means the government will also be under pressure to increase wages for doctors and public servants. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/09/22/college_faculty_to_protest_contract_impasse/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news College faculty to protest contract impasse September 22, 2008 ? Email| ? Print| ? Single Page| ? Yahoo! Buzz| ? ShareThis Text size ? + WESTFIELD Professors and staff at Westfield State College say they have had enough of stalled contract talks with the state Board of Higher Education. The faculty planned to set up a picket line on the campus today to protest the impasse. Kenneth Haar, president of the school's chapter of the Massachusetts State College Association, said the union will demand that Governor Deval Patrick give the board the financial parameters it needs to negotiate a new contract. Haar said it is time for the governor to "put resources behind his rhetoric." Westfield president Evan Dobelle planned to march in support of the faculty. He said professors at the school, on average, were earning 19 percent less than the national median. The contracts expired June 30. (AP) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810271835.html Cameroon: Lecturers to Protest Poor Pay Azore Opio 27 October 2008 Higher education and research in the country seem to be in grave danger of losing their top-ranking man power due to poor pay and appalling working conditions. Thus, lecturers of the six state universities are turning up the heat on the government to raise their pay and improve their working conditions else, they would go on strike on November 10, this year. It is in this light, that the National Union of Teachers of Higher Education, known by its acronym, SYNES, has served the Minister of Higher Education a statutory notice of intention to go on strike if their demands are not fulfilled. SYNES copied the rectors and vice chancellors of all the state universities.It would appear that SYNES Buea branch held a coordinating meeting mid last week, which, according to a very reliable source, was heavily attended to strategise on how to carry out the strike and how to deal with blacklegs. The meeting, which was also attended by SYNES national executive members from Yaounde, focused on poor remuneration and other disincentives the Cameroonian university lecturer is subjected to. SYNES is demanding that the lecturers be upgraded to salary scales such as obtains in Chad, Ivory Coast and Senegal.An assistant lecturer in Senegal, according to a source, earns about FCFA 600,000 while his/her Cameroonian counterpart receives a paltry FCFA less than FCFA 300,000. Lecturers this reporter spoke to said school facilities directly affect teaching and learning and poor conditions make it more difficult for them to deliver adequate education.Several said poor conditions such as little office space and teaching space; inadequate research funds, yet what little funds there are, are spent on holding meetings and paying up suppliers; no free access to Internet facilities have led them to consider changing schools. Some are thinking about leaving teaching, while others have taken up odd jobs to make ends meet.In addition, many feel that the job of a Cameroonian lecturer requires almost daily compromising of one's meagre income, as some of them often must choose between protecting the fiduciary interests of the government and the educational needs of the students in their caseloads. A case in point is elaborated by some lecturers in the Sciences Department who sometimes are compelled to buy chemicals and reagents from their pockets.This, they consider, is unfair.More fundamental issues, however, are also at stake. Because of the enormous disincentives, which include a staggering amount of paperwork, overwhelming caseloads, endless meetings, escalating poverty and increasingly adversarial, uncivil and often litigious hierarchy, the lecturers resolved that this is their last chance to fight for their rights. Poor working conditions are literally driving the lecturers out of classrooms into the streets, farms, petty trading, taxi businesses, running bars and so on, just to make ends meet.Said one of them your reporter met arranging bottles of beer inside a refrigerator in his bar. "Imagine a lecturer with little money and no time for himself...what do you want him to do? Perish?"All too often, the most highly trained lecturers wallow in a sea of paperwork while under-trained prot?g?es and favoured courtiers of top government officials and politicians feed on fat for doing nothing.Despite their hard work and dedication, many lecturers work for minimum wage. (from Postnewsline) http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Union_of_Real_politics_organizes_protests_against_schooling_for_6-year_olds,id,350549.htm Union of Real politics organizes protests against schooling for 6-year olds 2008-10-14, 14:42 The Union of Real politics non-parliamentary right-wing party is organizing nationwide protests against institutionalized schooling obligation for 6-year olds. According to the organizers, the parents have the right to decide at what age they will send their kids to school. They are calling for freedom of choice for parents. Presently, parents may choose to send kids to public schools at six year old, but the ministry wants to make this an obligation by 2011. Tens of thousands of parents have already protested against the idea in several campaigns, arguing they don't want their children forced into a system that is in a terrible state in many aspects and often harms rather than helps even older students. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24539576-1242,00.html?from=public_rss Teachers protest over transfer scheme AAP October 23, 2008 07:31am TEACHERS from a Sydney school will protest outside the NSW state parliament today after a colleague was denied a position at another school under a new transfer scheme. The teachers from Sackville Street Public School, and surrounding schools in the Campbelltown area, will converge on Macquarie St at 11am (AEDT). NSW Teachers' Federation deputy president Gary Zadkovich said teachers who worked at hard-to-staff schools, such as Sackville Street, no longer had priority when applying for a transfer. "The teacher denied a transfer was advised by the (education) department that, although she matched the required codes and had the highest number of transfer points of any applicant, she will have to compete for the position with other teachers who have applied for the vacancy," Mr Zadkovich said. The Education Department said that Sackville Street Public would be the only school affected by the industrial action. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 23:22:41 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:22:41 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Worker protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB3E31.5050800@tesco.net> * CAMEROON: Workers take shipyard manager hostage * NIGERIA: Oil workers pray, wear dresses in protest * TRINIDAD: Workers walk out over dengue outbreak * INDONESIA: Workers protest against minimum wage cuts, wage cap * INDONESIA: Workers occupy factory for unpaid wages * PAKISTAN: Brick kiln workers protest for bailout * INDIA: Protest roundup * GREECE: Strikes bring country to standstill * BULGARIA: Kremikovtzi steel mill protests continue, without permit * ROMANIA: Public sector workers warn of protest * FRANCE: Renault workers storm car show * UK: Ford workers walk out * US: Arizona - car salesman attacks pickets * US: Toledo - council workers protest mayor's plan * US: Writers' guild protests firings * NEW ZEALAND: Store workers protest "insulting" offer * US: Troy - Protest targets Republicans * UK: Protest for sacked cleaners * US: San Francisco - Banner drop over union-busting * US: Detroit - workers rally against labour board, for Obama * IRELAND: Airline cuts spark protest http://allafrica.com/stories/200810070121.html Cameroon: Protestors Hold Shipyard GM Hostage Joe Dinga Pefok 6 October 2008 A group of protesting temporal Chantier Naval workers October 3, held the interim General Manager of the Cameroon Shipyard and Industrial Engineering Ltd, CNIC, Antoine Bikoro Alo'o, hostage for six hours. The over 300 workers, who were demanding the payment of their three months salary arrears, as well as the improvement of their working conditions, locked the General Manager, GM, and some of his collaborators in the administrative block. The main door was fastened with a chain and barricades were erected to prevent intervention by the forces of law and order.The protesting workers also carried placards, demanding the immediate payment of their salary arrears as well as the granting of certain advantages to improve on their very poor working conditions. A squad of armed policemen who were despatched to the scene did not attempt to force pass the barricades, probably to avoid a violent confrontation.It was the DO of Douala I who moved in with a message of peace and dialogue to the protesting workers. And it was only after midnight that Bikoro and his collaborators were released at about 6 pm, following the intervention of the DO. Meanwhile, sources say the situation would not have degenerated, but for the arrogance of the General Manager, who in a crisis meeting with the aggrieved workers on that day, reportedly said anybody who was unwilling to work under the existing conditions, should leave the company. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810160387.html Nigeria: NNPC Staff in Protest Prayers Against BPE Luka Binniyat 16 October 2008 A major stir was caused yesterday at the otherwise, serene corporate Headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), at the Central Area of Abuja when thousands of its workers appeared in red dresses to work. They barricaded all the gates of the four-tower glass structure as early as 8:am just to settle into a two-hour prayer session in what they tagged, "a four-point agenda and petition to God" against what they believe is the "evil" of the Bureau of Pubic Enterprise (BPE) against their well being and that of the country. Men of the Nigerian Police stood watch at strategic positions, as the workers' leaders took turns to mobilise them to pray against, "the low morale score card" of the Director General of the BPE, Mrs Irene Chigbue and for the immediate reversal of the Sales of the Eleme Petrochemical Company Limited, Port Harcourt. The workers were also enjoined to ask the Almighty to change the heart of government on the proposed sales of Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC). The workers were told by their leaders to ask their creator to intervene that the N3.5 billion realised from the unauthorised sales of the NNPC Pension Fund Limited by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in 2006 be paid back to the coffers of the Fund. But, at a time, the atmosphere became like a carnival as joyous Christians songs from loudspeakers moved the once charged gathering of crimson red-dressed workers into dances and songs. But, the importance of the gathering was not lost. The prayer session was in faith with the 14 days ultimatum issued the Federal Government by the Group Executive Council (GEC). of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and the Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of the NNPC last Thursday. The workers had promised to stage the prayers session in red from yesterday pending the expiration of the ultimatum before a full-scale industrial action was declared if government took no heed of their demands. Comrade John Elibe, Group Chairman of PENGASSAN, who led the last lap of the Christian prayers said, "we want to appeal to you our father", he began, "that you touch the hearts of our leaders to heed to four point demand agenda" as the crowd thunders, "amen!" in response. Addressing the Press after the prayer session, a livid Comrade Ibiba Williams, Group Chairman of NUPENG, NNPC sector said, "the sales of EPCL by the BPE, was in the least, criminal and fraudulent. The integrity score of the DG of BPE, Mrs Irene Chigbue is very low. We want her removed with immediate effect. She is no longer credible in handling the activity of BPE in any privatisation of government parastatal, he said, "we have established and we ready to further establish that sales of EPCL was fraudulent. According to him,. The EPCL was grossly undervalued and that 51 per cent equity of the company was sold to Indorama for $250 million. But, that the PBE went under and raised the equity to 85 per cent but still at the same $250 million in 2005. According to him, even at that, Indorama only paid 10 per cent Initial Deposit and the property was forcefully handed over to them by the past Minister of State of Petroleum Resources of the equity only. "As far as we are concerned the BPE sold EPCL to Indorama on credit and handed over without payment. It is the proceeds from EPCL that Indorama is now using to pay. Till date we do not know if they have finished paying. We are challenging it because it is very bad and dangerous precedent for this country", said the comrade. With the ultimatum expiring on the 23rd of October, government is yet to make any pronouncement on these demands. But it was gathered that the PBE and the NNPC management would be meeting today over the issues. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,87658.html PTSC workers protest workplace environment By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Wednesday, October 8 2008 click on pic to zoom in DENGUE THREAT: PTSC workers walked off their jobs again yesterday in protest of bad environmental working conditions at the engineering department in ... The management of the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) has been described as ?slack? and ?inconsiderate? for not dealing with the environmental conditions at the Corpora-tion?s engineering department which caused the breeding of mosquitoes. Yesterday marked the second day workers of the engineering department, located on the compound at City Gate, boycotted their jobs to protest the unhealthy conditions of their work area. The action came after one of their colleagues fell ill with dengue fever more than a week ago. He is on sick leave. Dengue is transmitted by an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The action by the engineering department caused buses to run behind schedule, but a PTSC official said all the buses were working and ?commuters need not worry.? In an interview at City Gate yesterday the branch President of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union PTSC, Port-of-Spain section, Brian Johnson, said mosquitoes have been breeding in tyres and drums at the engineering department. He said PTSC was aware that the area needed cleaning since March when a team from the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department of the Labour Ministry along with PTSC management did a joint inspection. ?The corporation has been notified of the dangers with respect to the health and safety of workers. PTSC promised to put things in place.? Johnson said the OSH team commented on the general conditions of the compound and in particular the engineering department. ?The situation with the tyres was also highlighted?. Apart from cleaning drains, Johnson said nothing else was done prior to the workers? action. He said the union received information from the contractor hired to remove the tyres that he was prepared ?a long time ago,? however ?bureaucracy? from PTSC delayed him. Johnson said personnel from the Health Ministry also visited the PTSC months ago and ?identified the location of mosquitoes breeding. They asked that the tyres be removed.? Johnson said a follow-up visit found mosquitoes, and spraying was done in August but nothing was done to deal with the breeding ground. ?It is six weeks since they promised to have things addressed,? he added. Approximately 200 people work in the engineering department. Johnson said the workers would resume their duties when the situation is completely rectified. The union he said was doing ongoing inspections to note the progress of the clean up. Commenting on the situation, PTSC Director of Transforma-tion and Infrastructure, Vincent Lynch said, ?we have been making arrangements to dispose of the tyres.? He said the contractor was to begin removal over the weekend but ?ran into difficulties? and began removal on Monday. He said Public Health Inspectors did visit the compound ?a week or so ago? and suggested the area be cleaned. --------------------------------------------------- Union members rally against minimum wage decree Jakarta Post - October 30, 2008 Andra Wisnu, Denpasar -- Laborers gathered under the Bali chapter of the National Front for the Struggle of Indonesian Workers (FNPBI) rallied in Denpasar on Wednesday opposing a recent joint ministerial decree allowing companies to cap their wages. Some 100 workers, mostly women, carried banners and yelled, "No to SKB-4 (in reference to the decree)! Yes to fuel price reduction!", while marching through the Bali Provincial Legislative Council building to the governor's office and Renon Square. The decree, signed by Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris and Home Minister Mardiyanto on Friday, is expected to discourage local administrations from raising regional minimum wages beyond the capabilities of manufacturing firms. Existing regulations give local administrations more authority in determining adjustments to the minimum wage, undercutting companies whose financial resources may be at stake. Laborers at the rally complained that companies may use the decree as leverage to cancel plans by local administrations to raise the minimum wage amidst an already dire economic situation in the wake of the US-led global financial crisis. The decree would only destroy the lives of Indonesian laborers, said Ayu Pradewati, a rally coordinator. "Food prices are rising, fuel is already high. How do they expect us to take care of our family when they're only paying us Rp 600,000 (US$55) a month? "Not only that, but global crude oil prices are down now, so how come our fuel prices are still high? It's just too much," Pradewati said. Ikhsan Tontowi, another rally coordinator, demanded the decree be revoked, calling it an "insult" to laborers across Indonesia. "If our minimum wage increase is based on the national economic growth of 6 percent, then we would receive an average raise of just Rp 48,000," he said. "This is just not enough, not even close to being enough," he said. The rally demanded the government slash export tariffs and raise import tariffs, specifically on consumable goods, and delay payments of national debts for further spending on social programs in order to raise the public's purchasing power. It was the first rally opposing the decree in Indonesia, although other labor unions in cities such as Jakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, have already stated their plans to conduct bigger and louder rallies. The government has stated that the decree was only a temporary measure to protect local economies against fallout from the global economic crisis, setting no official timetable for a cancellation of the decree. *************************************************** -------------------------------------------------- Workers demand pay rise Tempo Interactive - October 15, 2008 Dini Mawuntyas, Jakarta -- Around three hundred workers demonstrated at the Regional House of Representatives in Surabaya East Java to demand rise on low pay. The demo was organized by the Congress of Indonesian Trade Union Alliance (KASBI) urging the regional legislators to mediate negotiation to increase wage with their employers and the Surabaya city administration. Workers demanded a regional minimum wage at Rp 1,5 million per month while the city administration set the minimum pay in the city at Rp 964 thousand (US$96.59). Workers said the current inflation has stretched their low income beyond limit. Workers also demanded the regional representatives to summon PT Propindo Megah Tama, PT Istana Tiara Surabaya, and PT Fastfood Indonesia for not fulfilling the rights of hundreds of workers on oter violation of workers right, saying the regional labor office have failed to impose strict measures against employers. --------------------------------------------------- Ex-Workers occupy plant in demand for pay Tempo Interactive - October 15, 2008 Syaipul Bakhori, Jakarta -- Hundreds of workers occupied a timber company in Jambi demanding their unpaid salaries and severance pay. Around 300 ex-workers of PT Loka Rahayu Plywood demostrated near the company's facility supported by the provincial legislators to demand the company to pay severance fund an unpaid salaries of 555 ex- workers totalled at Rp 31,5 million. The support boosted the protesters to occupy the plant and a sleeping quarter for workers, forcing staff guarding the company's facility to leave. The company reportedly owned by a Taiwan national, a regional representatives joining the demo said the company should fulfill its responsibility to its ex-workers. --------------------------------------------------- Seven protest actions to enliven Jakarta today Detik.com - October 16, 2008 Between 10am and 4pm, it will be the turn of the Victims of the Curator Employees Alliance (AKKK) to hold an action at the Supreme Court, the State Palace and the Constitutional Court. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=140454 Brick kiln labourers stage protest Saturday, October 11, 2008 Noor Aftab Islamabad A large number of brick kiln labourers Friday staged a protest demonstration and urged the government to bail them out from inhuman living conditions, ensuring provision of healthier life standard as envisaged in the Constitution. The demonstration was organised by All Pakistan Brick Kilns Association (APBKA). The labourers from various cities of Punjab including Sargodha, Sialkot, Chakwal, Malakwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Multan and Phalia marched through the street in front of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club (Camp Office) and staged a sit-in for half-an-hour before returned back to their hometowns. They chanted slogans against the atrocities of owners of brick kilns and their contractors who, according to the protestors, subject them to severe torture and force them to lead an inhuman life. The protestors waited with a hope that any of the officials from the Labour Ministry or other relevant department would come and listen to their grievances but all their hopes dashed to the ground as no one bothered to come to them. During an interaction with ?The News? a representative group of these protesting labourers alleged that they have been leading an inhuman life at the hands of owners of the brick kilns and all their requests to the relevant quarters have fallen on deaf ears. Bashir Ahmad, provincial president of APBKA, said the Federal Shariat Court on October 10, 2005 rejected eight similar appeals of owners of the brick kilns against Bonded Labour Act and announced its 40-page verdict against bonded labour. He said the Supreme Court in 2006 also ordered the federal and provincial governments to take effective measures to curb bonded labour and ensure that the labourers lead an honourable life. He demanded of the government to remove false cases against some office-bearers of APBKA and provide land and homes to the labourers who have been facing worst crises since decades. Muhammad Inayat, president of APBKA (Sargodha chapter), said the government has failed to implement minimum wages law, alleging the officials of the Labour Ministry always favoured the owners of the brick kilns. Zubaida Bibi from Mandi Bahauddin said all her family members work round the clock and the owners pay them only Rs200 for 1,000 bricks and they have been living hand to mouth over the last fifteen years. She said they were subjected to torture and inhuman treatment and no one cared if any of them got ill and sustained injuries during their hard work. Bushra Rahim from Gujranwala said the owners cut down their wages at the end of each season (six months period) as an interest on the money borrowed by their forefathers. ?All my three little daughters work with me at the brick kilns and sometimes I wish to die as I cannot see them leading such a disgusting life,? she said. Manzoor Ahmad from Tarlai (Islamabad) said he has been suffering from multiple diseases for the past few years and whenever he requested contractors or any government official for medical help they flatly showed their inability to do anything in this regard. He said they usually could not read or write so they have no knowledge about the debt accounts maintained by the owners and added he believed that most of these accounts were incorrect and tampered. http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/oct/15jet2.htm Jet Airways staff protest against retrenchment October 15, 2008 15:25 IST About 300 Jet Airways [Get Quote] employees, including cabin-crew, on Wednesday staged a protest outside the airline's office in Mumbai against the management's move to retrench nearly 1,000 staffers. "The (Jet) management cannot take away our jobs all of a sudden and without any prior notice," a protesting cabin-crew staff told PTI. The employees, who staged the protest in suburban Andheri, are also contemplating seeking political intervention. "We might approach Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and seek his help in saving our jobs," he said. A top Jet Airways official had, earlier, told PTI that the airline has laid-off up to 1,000 jobs to rationalise its operations. The entire force of unconfirmed staff is being laid off on a 30-day compensation package, the official said. "It is a part of handling economic slowdown and carefully rationalising operations," he said, adding that the downsizing is based on capacity, load-factor and traffic patterns. The rationalisation seeks to optimise operations, the official said, adding the air-carrier has stopped some of its existing flights, including that to San Francisco in the US. Among those protesting are customer-care employees and flight dispatchers. Jet, had on Monday, announced that it was forming an alliance with its main rival -- the Vilay Mallya-run Kingfisher Airlines -- to cut costs, share resources and routes. Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal and Kingfisher chief Vijay Mallya had said the coming together of the two private airlines was in tune with the global practice of reducing 'killing' costs. The tie-up, however, does not have any equity involvement, they had said. The airlines together account for 60 per cent market share in the domestic civil aviation sector. The alliance would work together on seven fronts, including route and code-sharing as also sharing of crew, a move that would help them cut exorbitant costs that had been putting enormous pressures on them, especially in the last two years. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101050300200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai CITU warns of protest Staff Reporter MADURAI: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has warned of staging a protest over the Madurai Aavin management?s decision on the commission paid for vendors. Demand for increasing the current commission rate of 50 paise a litre had been made for years, B. Vikraman, Madurai (urban) district secretary of CITU, said in a release. Condemning the ?unilateral? move to revise commission rate by 10 paise, the CITU called upon the management to hold discussions with the union and arrive at an amicable solution. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101461070400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Black badge protest BANGALORE: Members of Karnataka Raste Mazdoor Sangha Okkoota, employees of State Road Transport Corporations, will work wearing a black badge from October 16 to 18. A release from the okkoota said the protest is being held to protest the 6 per cent increase in salary of corporation employees. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101651390300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Anganwadi employees protest Staff Correspondent Bijapur: Members of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Employees? Association staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office here on Wednesday urging the Government to fulfil their various demands, including minimum wages for anganwadi employees. A procession was taken out from Sri Siddeshwar temple through the main streets, and slogans were raised against the State Government and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. They agitators demanded that 7,194 anganwadi employees, who had lost their jobs owing to the High Court decision, be reappointed by making changes in the recruitment rules. They also demanded that the Government provide job guarantee to all the association members and extend provident fund and retirement benefits to them. A memorandum in this regard was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101652770400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Wage revision: KSRTC staff stage protest Staff Reporter 6 p.c. hike too little than what has been offered to State and Union government staff ? Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. Up in arms: Members of the KSRTC Staff and Workers? Federation staging a dharna in Bangalore on Wednesday. BANGALORE: Members of the KSRTC Staff and Workers? Federation held a dharna near KSRTC central office on Wednesday protesting against the unilateral six per cent wage revision and seeking fulfilment of the various other demands of workers. Federation general secretary H.V. Ananthasubba Rao led the members, who marched from the BMTC central office to KSRTC central office before commencing the dharna. Six per cent hike in wages for employees of KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC was too little than what had been offered to State and Central government employees, the federation said. The managements had been taking unilateral decisions on wage revision, the federation alleged and added it was due to the absence of a representative trade Union. The federation also demanded an immediate halt to the trainee employee concept, saying it violated the Minimum Wages Act. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102351810300.htm Other States - Puducherry Protests dropped PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry State Municipality and Commune Panchayat Employees Federation have decided to suspend their protests after the Chief Minister assured them to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission immediately. The federation has been holding a number of protests demanding implementation of pay-scales recommended by the Commission. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/17/stories/2008101760061200.htm Sacked Jet staff protest at Delhi airport Parul Sharma They shouted slogans against Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya ? Photo: V V Krishnan. ON A WARPATH: Employees of Jet Airways on a protest march at the IGI domestic terminal in New Delhi on Thursday. NEW DELHI: A large number of cabin crew employees of Jet Airways staged a demonstration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday protesting against their abrupt dismissal from service and demanding that they be taken back. Dressed in uniform, the cabin crew staff of the private air carrier gathered at Terminal 1-B and shouted slogans against Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal and Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya and in favour of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for supporting their Mumbai colleagues. The employees stood in front of the airline counters inside the terminal to prevent people from buying tickets, leading to their closure for a brief period. About 300 Jet Airways cabin crew members have been laid off in Delhi alone. ?I was waiting for my cab to take me to the airport on Tuesday. When it did not turn up, I called up our rostering office and that?s when they told me that I have been de-rostered and no reasons were given. They did not even have the decency to call up the crew and inform them about the decision,? said a flight steward. Rahul Jain, who hails from Jaipur, regretted his decision to quit his high-paying job with Qatar Airways to join Jet Airways to be closer home. ?My father recently had a heart attack and I wanted to be with my family, which is why I took up a job with this airline. I have taken a loan for my sister?s wedding. And suddenly, I am out of job. I have no idea how I will repay the loan. When we joined the airline, they said you have become our family. Is this the way to deal with family members?? he asked. The employees carried out a protest march to Terminal 1-A to meet the airline base manager Vipul Bhalla. They even tried to prevent other Jet Airways cabin crew from entering the airport. Not all Delhi-based employees who have been terminated are unconfirmed staff. A number of them had already signed their confirmation letter sometime ago but were yet to receive a copy of it. ?This seems like a pre-planned move. Why else were our confirmation letters not released from the Mumbai office in time? This is no way to treat us. There are other ways of cutting costs,? said another steward. The retrenched staff also feels ?cheated? because they spent Rs. 2 lakh on their training in Mumbai. At a meeting with Mr. Bhalla, the staff told him that they were willing to work without pay for a certain period. He reportedly assured them that he would convey it to the management in Mumbai. Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, who was flying out of the airport, assured the employees that he would speak to the Jet Airways chief. Raktima Bose reports from Kolkata: Members of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport Ground Workers? Union, supported by the Centre of Indian Trade Union, threatened here on Thursday to stall Jet Airways flight operations from the city if the airline?s decision to lay off 1,900 airline staff was not repealed. They submitted a memorandum to Jet Airways authorities demanding reinstatement of the laid-off employees. The union members staged a demonstration in front of the domestic terminal on Thursday along with some of the retrenched staff. Twenty-one cabin crew have been handed the pink slip by the airline in the city. Ground staff of Air India and Kingfisher Airlines also joined the demonstration. ?We want our jobs back even if that means a compromise on our salary,? said Soumen Chakroborty, an entrenched cabin crew member. He had joined the airline in February 2008 and was on probation. He added that they were not served any termination letter and the airline has not yet contacted them personally. ?The deposit amount of Rs. 55,000 that we had to pay at the beginning of our training with the airline as well as our salary for the months of September and October are still not been cleared by the authorities,? said another retrenched cabin crew member Rumela Mukherjee. ?We support the All India Airport Employees? Union?s demand for Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel?s resignation,? said Swapan Gupta, general secretary of the NSCBI Airport Ground Workers? Union. He also pointed out Air India?s declaration to offer leave without pay for three to five years to 15,000 employees and threatened to ?launch greater movement if such irrational policies are adopted by the airlines in the name of cutting costs.? http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/419927/cs/1/ Guruvayoor priests protest colleagues' suspension over cigarette in prasadam India Gazette Saturday 18th October, 2008 (IANS) Guruvayoor (Kerala) Oct 18 (IANS) Junior priests in Kerala's famed Sree Krishna Guruvayoor temple Saturday decided to delay the preparation of prasadam (holy offering) to protest the suspension of four of their colleagues following the discovery of a cigarette stub in the prasadam. Four junior priests (keezhu shantis) were suspended Friday after they were held responsible for the presence of the cigarette stub in the prasadam, which was found by a devotee from Bangalore Oct 11. Everyday at 5 a.m devotees queue up to receive the prasadam, which is kept ready by keezhu shantis by 4.30 a.m. However, the distribution of the holy offering was delayed by about 90 minutes Saturday since the priests took an inordinate amount of time to prepare the prasadam to protest the suspension of their colleagues. 'Since the keezhu shantis were on a 'go slow' mode there was a delay of 90 minutes. They demanded that we certify all the raw material they use to make the prasadam and revoke the suspension of the four junior priests. We agreed to the former demand but not the latter,' temple official P.A. Ashok Kumar told IANS. 'There are about 178 keezhu shantis who are drawn from 13 nampoothiri (Brahmin) families and do the work of preparing the food in the temple. They are not employees but are here on the basis of hereditary rights. They are given a share of the collection made out of the sale of food items,' Kumar added. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sacked-jet-employees-hold-demonstrations_1198706 Sacked Jet employees hold demonstrations IANS Thursday, October 16, 2008 20:11 IST NEW DELHI: Dozens of Jet Airways employees, who were sacked by the airline, held a demonstration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday. "We are jobless. This is a wrong practice and shows the high-handedness of our employer," said an agitated employee, who joined the demonstration at the domestic 1B terminal at the airport. Hundreds of retrenched staff, including pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, held protests at the Jet Airways office in Mumbai Wednesday and even knocked on the doors of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, seeking his intervention in the matter. The airline has laid off 850 employees following a strategic and operational alliance with rival Kingfisher Airlines. Jet said 1,900 jobs were on the block. Senior Commandant of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Udayan Banerjee told IANS the airline employees were holding a peaceful demonstration. CISF oversees security of the airport. "They (the sacked Jet employees) have been on demonstration since 10 a.m. today (Thursday). They are holding agitation peacefully. But despite that, we have beefed up the security and have deployed security personnel from the CISF and the Delhi Police," Banerjee said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453210300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem Loadmen stage demonstration Staff Reporter SALEM: Members of Salem Railway Loadmen Association staged a demonstration here on Friday urging the Railway administration to create basic amenities in the Salem Market Railway Goods Shed. The shed, which employs over 250 loadmen, lacks amenities such as rest room, drinking water supply provisions, proper lighting, toilets and bathrooms. The workers have to sleep on the platforms. Despite repeated representations, the administration continued to neglect the demands of loadmen, they charged. Adequate facilities should also be created in the goods sheds in Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore, they said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7681504.stm Tuesday, 21 October 2008 16:48 UK Strike-hit Greece at standstill The government plans have provoked a series of nationwide strikes Air traffic, urban transport and public services have ground to a halt in Greece, where hundreds of thousands of people have walked out on strike. Thousands marched through Athens in protest at privatisation, caps on pay and reforms to the pension system. A small group of protesters threw stones and clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas. But there were no reports of injuries and for the most part rallies in the capital passed off peacefully. Country 'at a halt' Public offices across the country were forced to close, with hundreds of thousands of people thought to have joined the nationwide strike, called by two unions representing some 2.5 million people. Nearly 200 domestic and international flights and many train services were cancelled, and ferries were forced to remain in port. State hospitals ran on skeleton staffs, while schools, universities and post offices kept their doors closed. Bank staff, lawyers, journalists and civil engineers also joined the strike. Thousands of people take to the streets in Greece "The country has effectively come to a halt," said union spokesman Efstathios Anestis. "Participation is very high, in many sectors it exceeds 90% of the work force." There was no confirmation of that estimate from the government, and with journalists also on strike, reliable news was sparse. Two marches wound their way through Athens, displaying opposition to the 2009 draft budget, due to go before parliament this week. Many of the protesters called for increased government support - demanding the minimum wage be doubled. They decried a 28bn-euro (?22bn) government rescue package to banks hit by the international credit crisis - one banner read: "Not one euro to support the capitalists." The unions are also opposing the government's plans to privatise the loss-making Olympic Airlines. The conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis wants to press ahead with its privatisation plans and the overhaul of the country's debt-ridden pension system. The plans include eliminating most early retirement schemes, merging pension funds and capping auxiliary pensions. Mr Karamanlis has promised to shield consumers from price rises and compensate workers from privatised firms. However, the plans have provoked a series of nationwide strikes and demonstrations. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97905 Bulgaria Troubled Steel Mill Remains without Permit, Unions Stage New Protests 15 October 2008, Wednesday The troubled Bulgarian steel mill "Kremikovtzi" is not going to receive its complex environmental permit by the October 23 deadline because the mill is still not complacent with ecological requirements. Photo by Nadiya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency) | buy photo | The troubled steel mill "Kremikovtzi" is not going to receive its complex environmental permit by the deadline because the mill is still not complacent with ecological requirements, according to the Bulgarian Deputy Environmental Minister Chavdar Georgiev. The Deputy Minister stated Wednesday that the biggest difficulty before "Kremikovtzi" has been the unspecified legal entity supposed to lead the negotiations with the mill. He declined to determine the exact extension to be granted to the mill to obtain the permit. The deadline is October 23, 2008. Georgiev further said that the goal of his Ministry was not to close"Kremikovtzi," but to assist in realizing the mill's ecological program, adding that the fact that the permit was not going to be issued was not the Ministry's fault. The Bulgarian Environmental Minister Dzhevded Chakarov also spoke Wednesday and stated that the complex permit was extremely important to the steel mill and the distribution of quota for the greenhouse gases, but was adamant that "Kremikovtzi" was not going to receive the permit until the mill complies with all ecological requirements. The minister did, however, promise that the Environmental Ministry would negotiate with the European Commission (EC) to avoid imposing sanctions on the country. In the meantime, the mill workers declared that they were preparing new protests for next Tuesday. The reason is the failed contract with the Ukrainian company "Vorskla Steel" for work with raw materials supplied by it. The Trade Unions at the mill have stated that the government had one week to schedule a meeting between the mill management and the unions to discuss ways to solve the crisis at "Kremikovtzi." The Unions are requesting an emergency meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and Environmental Minister Dzhevded Chakarov. The Unions further insist that the contract with "Vorskla Steel" becomes annulled due to the lack of promised investments and salaries, which have not been paid since August The Chair of the "Steel Workers" Federation Vasil Yanachkov, said that the Ukrainian company has not provided the EUR 180 M supposed to lead to the normal functioning of the mill. According to Yanachkov, it was the Cabinet's fault that they have turned down the bigger and better investor "ArcelorMittal," who could obtain the complex permit. The Unions further promised that they would not allow any repressions of workers at the mill due to warnings that some of them might be fired. During the summer of 2008, "ArcelorMittal" of the Indian tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, and Vorskla Steel of the Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Zhevago competed for months with offers to purchase the steel mill. The previous contract with ArcelorMittal was renounced after workers' protests and the Podkrepa trade union at the mill voiced their firm support for "Vorskla Steel." http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/237928,bulgarian-steel-mill-hit-by-new-protest.html Bulgarian steel mill hit by new protest Posted : Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:45:19 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Sofia - Workers at Bulgaria's moribund Kremikovtzi steel mill Tuesday protested to reiterate their demand for unpaid salaries. Hundreds of workers blocked the front gate of the mill near the capital Sofia, complaining that they have not been paid since July. The protest had been on hold after the mill management had promised "all measures" and find money for August and July salaries. The unions are unhappy with the Kremikovtzi majority stakeholder, the Indian-born steel magnate Pramod Mittal, brother of Lakshmi, the chief executive of the world's largest steel concern, ArcelorMittal. ArcelorMittal expressed interest in buying the remaining 25 per cent of the Kremikovtzi capital from the Bulgarian government, but the deal never materialized. Another potential investor, the Ukrainian tycoon Konstantin Zhevago's Vorskla Steel, also seemed interested and has backed Kremikovtzi by supplying raw material since August, when the mill went into a deep liquidity crisis. Vorskla director for Bulgaria, Victor Demyanyuk, however announced Monday it was terminating the deal with Kremikowtzi, saying its workers "became accustomed to holding strikes instead of working." The current output of Kremikovtzi, a Communist-era giant, is at 70,000 tons, less than half of its 150,000-ton capacity. One of the key hurdles to efficient investment into the mill is the cost of upgrades needed to be in line with EU environmental standards. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98106 Kremikovtzi Management Reaches Agreement with Protesting Workers 21 October 2008, Tuesday Workers in Kremikovtzi steel mill staged yet another protest over unpaid salaries. Photo by BGNES The management of Kremikovtzi announced they will take all measures necessary to pay the August and September salaries to the workers in the steel mill, who staged yet another protest on Tuesday morning. "The management said they need to hold more meetings, including with Vorskla Steel and the Ministry of Economy and Energy," Reneta Petrova from the KNSB trade union said after the discussions. Vorskla Steel, the company of the Ukrainian tycoon Konstantin Zhevago, announced Monday it is planning to annul its contract with the troubled factory, which was signed in August and provides for work with raw materials supplied by Vorskla. "The workers have become accustomed at organizing strikes instead of working," the company's Executive Director for Bulgaria, Victor Demyanyuk, had declared in connection with the unions at the mill staging rallies over unpaid salaries. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/25/content_10248201.htm Romanian public servants demand wage hikes, threaten street protests BUCHAREST, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Romanian public sector employees, except those staff in the education system, said Friday they demand a 50 percent wage hikes will start ample street protests and general strikes, after President Traian Basescu passed a law hiking teachers' wages. Public servants said they will stick to their planned protests and start a general strike on Nov. 13, Sed Lex Union leader Vasile Marica said. "Basescu and the Parliament made the right decision. Now we're keeping the government under pressure," Marica said. Unionists in healthcare said they are sticking to their protest plans as well, and they are expecting the health minister's wage hike offer by Nov. 3. President Basescu approved on Friday a 50 percent wage hike for education system employees, a law that the government warned would jeopardize economic stability. Early October, the Romanian Parliament adopted a 50 percent wage increase for education system employees. Following the decision, the government contested the law at the Romanian Constitutional Court, but the court decided the law was constitutional. Mid-October, Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said such an increase cannot be supported financially and would trigger a major crisis in the Romanian economy. According to some local analysts, if the law goes through, the salary increase for education system employees would trigger an avalanche of wage hike requests from all other sectors, including the private one. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/10/business/EU-France-Auto-Protest.php Protesters disrupt Paris auto show The Associated Press Published: October 10, 2008 PARIS: Hundreds of angry Renault workers and other protesters stormed a Paris car show Friday to register their discontent about expected job cuts at the French automaker and restructuring in the industry. Blaring horns and setting off firecrackers, the demonstrators showered union leaflets on prototype cars and unfurled banners as police kept watch at the Mondial de l'Automobile auto show. Renault management last month announced 6,000 job cuts in Europe ? or about five percent of its total work force ? in hopes of keeping the automaker competitive and ensuring its long-term development. Renault workers led the protest, which also included employees of French auto parts maker Valeo, U.S. car maker Ford, French tire maker Michelin and domestic Renault rival Citroen. Protesters said some 5,000 people took part, though police put the number at around 2,400. Separately Friday, Renault SA said it had named Patrick Pelata as chief operating officer, a newly created position aimed to help boost its operational capabilities. Pelata, 53, will keep his previous responsibilities as leader of Renault's European management committee. In July, Renault reported a 37-percent increase in six-month net profit but said it's falling behind sales targets. The company has said it plans to ease back on output to adjust for expected lower sales and economic slowdown. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7681785.stm Tuesday, 21 October 2008 14:00 UK Ford workers in protest walkout The Southampton factory employs 1,100 people Workers at the Ford Transit factory in Southampton have downed tools in a protest over the firm's future plans. The company branded the walkout by up to 100 of the 500 staff on site on Monday as "unconstitutional" and having "no legal basis". Employees left at 1200 BST - two hours before the end of their shifts. The factory has already implemented a four-day week due to "softening market conditions". Ford also wants to cut production by about 50% by 2011. A Ford spokesman said: "This is taken seriously as an unnecessary distraction from the task in hand - satisfying Transit customers in a shrunken and tough market." Future fears He stopped short of promising that workers would face disciplinary action but said the company would respond with the "right reaction". "The plant was not fully manned and it obviously had some impact on delivering what our customers need," he added. The Unite union has said it feared future plans could lead to the long-term closure of the Hampshire plant, which employs 1,100 people. It opposed the introduction of the four-day week, brought in at the start of this month until the end of the year, in response to the downturn in the market. Ford said it was planning to continue making the Transit panel van at the plant until 2011. After that it wants to use the site to only make the "chassis cab" version of the Transit, cutting production from 75,000 to 35,000 a year. http://www.azcentral.com/community/peoria/articles/2008/10/09/20081009gl-peopicket1009-ON.html Peoria car salesman clashes with pickets, gets arrested 133 comments by Cecilia Chan - Oct. 9, 2008 08:49 AM The Arizona Republic Pickets are alleging that a car salesman assaulted them in front of Power Chevrolet-Arrowhead in Peoria as they carried signs denouncing Nissan's handling of a recall problem. The pickets are making the rounds of Valley auto dealerships, including those owned by AutoNation, like Power. Peoria police have forwarded the incident to city prosecutors for possible charges against the Chevrolet employee, who was arrested. ?The case is under review and a decision has not been made,? said Sherine Zaya, city spokeswoman. Zaya said prosecutors hadn't indicated when they would complete their review. ?On the day of the attack, we had been there from 9:30 (a.m.) to 2 (p.m.) without any incidents,? said Chris Caplanis of Black Canyon City. ?We were 30 minutes from leaving when the guy came through the line.? Caplanis, a plumber, and fellow protester Debra Wescott, also of Black Canyon City, claim that salesman Max Cohen charged and pushed both of them on Sept. 21. Three Black Canyon City teens, ages 14, 15 and 16, also took part in the picketing. ?There were no profanities or threats,? said Wescott, a medical assistant who is having problems with her 2006 Nissan Altima. ?We didn't impede anybody, we didn't shout at anybody or stop any sales.? Wescott said they have faced harassment by employees at other dealerships. Cohen told police that Caplanis and Wescott were yelling and scaring off potential car buyers. Upset, he made a cardboard sign that read, ?I am with Dumb and Dumber,? and went to the sidewalk. After putting his sign up, he said, he began walking toward the pickets. Cohen, in the police report, claims he tripped over the pickets' ice chest on the sidewalk and then was pushed, losing his balance and falling into the two victims. His version was supported by two fellow employees. Officer Michael Lesher viewed a video shot by Wescott of the incident and said in his report, ?I observed Max swing his right arm with a closed fist toward Chris. I cannot tell if impact is made with the closed fist. Max then laughs and walks away. ?It appears in the video Max charged through the group, and at a fast pace. With Max being (the) larger male, he collided with Debra Wescott. I cannot tell if Max tripped or was pushed.? The officer also noted that the ice chest, which blocked almost half of the sidewalk, did not appear to have been moved or disturbed during the incident. Lesher said he informed Cohen that the whole incident was on tape but that Cohen did not change his story. In the meantime, both Caplanis and Wescott plan to return this Saturday and Sunday to the Peoria dealership with signs in hand. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081015/NEWS16/810150373/-1/RSS Wednesday, October, 2008 Councilmen protest Toledo mayor's plan Mandatory 2-day furlough criticized By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER The Finkbeiner administration's plan to force more than 100 city employees to take two days off without pay was met with disdain yesterday by some Toledo councilmen who are being asked to approve the budget-cutting measure. "I just don't think that it should be mandatory," council President Mark Sobczak said. "They are asking us to change the Toledo Municipal Code so the city doesn't get into a position where those who were off for two days could challenge it." The measure, which would save $61,184, is part of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's plan to balance a potential $7 million deficit in Toledo's general operating budget. Robert Reinbolt, the mayor's chief of staff, announced last month that 64 "executive exempt" employees, which includes commissioners and directors, would take the mandatory two-day furloughs. Exempt classified employees also will be required to take two days off, Mr. Reinbolt said. Since those employees have civil service appeal rights, the Finkbeiner administration wants the city code to be modified to allow for "this short term off payroll without an argument being made that layoff procedures or pre-determination hearings are required," according to the ordinance. Mr. Sobczak, during yesterday's council agenda review meeting, said, "That would make it easier for the administration to lay people off. "That being said, we are broke and need to find ways to cut," he said. "I'm just not sure this is the right way to go." Councilmen Michael Ashford, D. Michael Collins, Mike Craig, and Joe McNamara questioned the plan to mandate furloughs. "You can't plug the dam with a grain of sand," Mr. Collins said. Mr. Craig suggested the move would be unwise because the city would have to spend money defending the action legally. Council will vote on the request next week during its regular meeting. The Finkbeiner administration earlier this month ordered three layoffs, shuffled seven employees into new positions, and said it would use unspent 2008 capital improvement money to close the budget deficit. The plan will be released in detail at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow to council's finance committee. Also included in the mayor's plan is creating a four-day work week for some employees, taking away city-funded cell phones, requiring employees who use city-owned vehicles to pay for their own commute fuel costs, and voluntary and temporary work furloughs for unionized city employees. Mr. Reinbolt said he has heard concerns about fairness from the nonunion employees who are required to take two days without pay. "We are hoping that by leading by example that we will encourage those in the unions ranks to take furloughs," Mr. Reinbolt said. "There is probably some reluctance on the part of some people because some of them have not gotten a raise for quite awhile ? and I am sure council has heard what I have heard - that it's unfair to be mandated when those in the unions don't have to." Don Czerniak, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 7, said he did not think many of the city's union employees would volunteer to lose two days' pay. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17628868/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news Tyler Perry's Studio Opening Draws A-List Stars, Angry Protesters Sunday, October 5, 2008 ? updated: 3:31 pm EDT October 5, 2008 But not everybody was happy with the celebration. Protesters and a few recently fired writers formed a picket line across the street from Perry?s new studio facility. The Writers Guild of America, West, planned the picket because Perry terminated four writers from his TV show ?House of Payne.? Some said the writers were fired because of their union activities. Perry's attorney, Matt Johnson, maintained the four were fired "because of the quality of their work." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10536038&ref=rss Farmers staff protest 'insulting' pay rise offer 12:02PM Monday Oct 06, 2008 Workers at Farmers stores in Auckland are today taking industrial action against what they claim is an "insulting" 20 cents an hour pay rise. Laila Harre, from the National Distribution Union representing the workers, said most staff had been offered an increase of 20c an hour on their $13.50 wage. She said a small number were being offered 60c and others were being offered nothing. Members were to demonstrate outside the company's Queen St branch around midday and wear stickers saying "I'm Underpaid". The union would also visit the Remuera neighbourhood of the company's owners and distribute leaflets about the issue to residents. "We will be bringing the reality of life on low wages to their doorstep," Ms Harre said. She said the latest offer was "insulting", and that the company could certainly afford to pay its staff what the union considered a fairer wage of at least $15 an hour. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/10/23/ddn102308palinprotestweb.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=16 McCain-Palin protestors join crowd in Troy Related content: ? Palin: 'Now is not the time to experiment with socialism' ? Palin attacks Biden during Troy visit ? Rally energizes supporters ? Spectators comment on the rally ? Rally photos | Video of her speech By Nancy Bowman Staff Writer Thursday, October 23, 2008 TROY ? As people continued to join the line snaking around Hobart arena Thursday morning, Oct. 23, for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's rally, a group of more than 20 protesters from Change To Win gathered outside. The group is a coalition of unions protesting McCain-Palin economic policies. Some carried signs, some wore empty six packs around their necks as they chanted "John McCain More of the Same." Grant Williams of Change To Win said McCain and Palin claim to be for the "Joe Six Pack" worker but their policies speak the opposite. "If you believe they are for Joe Six Pack, I have some oceanfront property in California I want to sell you," Williams said. Jayne Ruiz of Troy joined the protesters, saying she is concerned about continuing job losses. "I am really worried about the economy. I don't think we can take four more years of the same," she said. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081020/NEWS09/810200339/-1/RSS Article published Monday, October, 2008 Protesting plumbers flush with plans for 'Joe' But McCain supporters at rally like his ideas Chris James of Toledo picks out a McCain/Palin button from vendor Lee Kurtz as he waits outside the SeaGate Centre to attend the John McCain rally yesterday. ( THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT ) Zoom | Photo Reprints By ANGIE SCHMITT BLADE STAFF WRITER About 20 members of a local plumbers' union held a protest outside the SeaGate Centre yesterday, site of Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign stop in Toledo. "The real Joe the plumbers support Barack Obama," said Tom Joseph, business manager for Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics in Northwood. Mr. Joseph said the union has extended an invitation to Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher to enroll in an apprenticeship program at the union's training center. Mr. Wurzelbacher, 34, a Springfield Township resident, was catapulted into the national spotlight after being referenced by Senator McCain during last week's presidential debate. Mr. Wurzelbacher had questioned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's tax plan when the senator made an unscheduled campaign stop in Mr. Wurzelbacher's Springfield Township neighborhood Oct. 12. Part of Mr. Obama's response -"I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody" - became a lightning rod for conservative commentators. Mr. Wurzelbacher was later found to be unlicensed and to be the subject of a tax lien. Members of Local 50 shouted "McCain's the same," to the people waiting to attend the speech, which stretched two blocks down St. Clair Street. "Joe's being used by this campaign," Mr. Joseph said. "He needs to get into a program, he needs to go to work for somebody who can offer him a good standard of living and education and benefits ? the things that any working Joe would like to have." Among those who waited in line to see Mr. McCain, however, many expressed support for Mr. Wurzelbacher's position. He since has said he is ideologically opposed to increasing taxes on the wealthy. Walter Schmidlin, 67, of West Toledo brought a plunger in honor of Mr. Wurzelbacher, who has been a patron at his store, Schmidlin Heating & Cooling Inc. in Toledo. "He brought out some of the truth about Obama," Mr. Schmidlin said. "I just feel a person should have a chance to work for something rather than have it handed to them." Temperance resident Kevin Meade, 50, a volunteer with the McCain campaign, wore a homemade button with an image of a toilet. It said "Friends of Joe the Plumber say Flush Obama." "I think Joe the Plumber has a great point and I think Barack Obama's response to him tells us exactly where he's coming from," he said. "We need to keep this country from going socialist." Many of those in the crowd at the speech expressed concern that Mr. Obama's proposals diverge from the country's basic economic principles. "No-bama. No socialism," attendees chanted as they waited to enter the convention center. West Toledo resident Josh Mudse, 33, said he doesn't believe that Mr. Obama represents the common man. The financial adviser wore a T-shirt that said, "Bitter, typical white person clinging to God and my guns." "We need smaller, more efficient government," Mr. Mudse said. "People need to be responsible for themselves and not look to government for solution." Those in the crowd blamed a Democratically controlled Congress and a variety of sources for the global financial crisis. Robert and Jessica Louy of Genoa said Mr. McCain's solutions represented stability, hard work, and fairness. "He's not trying to give my money to other people," Mrs. Louy, 29 said. "He's not a Marxist," said her husband. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411438.html Demonstration for sacked Colombian cleaners Campaign Against Immigration Controls | 23.10.2008 17:54 | Migration | Workers' Movements More than forty people demonstrated outside the Institute of Engineering and Technology in Savoy Place in support of Colombian cleaners unfairly dismissed by the cleaning company Amey. There was a simultaneous demonstration in Bristol outside Amey?s offices there. One of the sacked cleaners and a former trade unionist in Colombia, Julio Mayor, said: ?We were sacked for trying to communicate with the other staff at the National Physical Laboratory about Amey?s violation of the employment rights of cleaners there. We are protesting here to publicly request the National Physical Laboratory to take action against Amey to stop victimising cleaners.? The cleaners, who are members of the Prospect and Unite unions, had been working for the company since it took up the contract at the government?s National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex. The protest is timed to coincide with the 25th Intelligent Sensing Programme, an international conference supported and advertised by the National Physical Laboratory. They were suspended for criticising the company for putting an excessive workload onto ever fewer staff, for unilaterally changing working terms and conditions and for disrespecting grievance procedures. The five were sacked on 14th September 2008. The cleaners were charged with bringing the company into disrepute after they sent a leaflet to other NPL staff explaining what was going on in the cleaning department and asking for their support, especially against victimisation and bullying they were facing from their manager. Since Amey took over the contract in December 2006 the number of cleaners has been reduced from thirty-six to ten as the company has looked to cut costs wherever possible, in the process virtually getting rid of the living wage won by the original workforce. Four of the current ten are temporary workers being paid the minimum wage. In May 2007 two workers were deported to Brazil and one to Colombia after Amey called in the Home Office to check the immigration status of workers who were active in the cleaners? union. Amey, which posted a ?75 million net annual profit, is a majority shareholder in Tubelines, which cleans parts of the Underground. Tube cleaners who went on strike for a living wage this summer were faced with paper checks, immigration raids and deportations to countries including Sierra Leone and the Congo. The action was organised by several solidarity groups including the Trade Union and Community Campaign Against Immigration Controls ( http://caic.org.uk/) the Latin American Workers Association, London Coalition Against Poverty ( http://lcap.org.uk), Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Unite-Justice for Cleaners activists at Schroders investment bank and others. There will be further actions outside the Amey offices in Farringdon and Colindale next Wednesday and Thursday. Please e mail for more details. Campaign Against Immigration Controls e-mail: contact at caic.org.uk Homepage: http://caic.org.uk/ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411264.html Join NPL-Amey cleaner protest Oct 22 cleancake | 20.10.2008 19:07 | Migration | Social Struggles This is to invite you to our next action in support of the five sacked Colombian cleaners working for Amey Plc at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). ( see background story at http://caic.org.uk/node/18 ) Date: Wednesday 22 October Time: meet 12.30 Embankment station (south / river exit) to walk together to the Institute of Engineering and Technology, next to the Savoy Hotel, Savoy Place (south side), where there is an all-day conference which NPL is supporting Bring: anything visible or noisy. cleancake http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=prnw.20081021.DC40560&show_article=1 Oak Harbor Freight Teamsters Protest at Gap Headquarters Oct 21 12:57 PM US/Eastern Write a Comment San Francisco Headquarters Scene of Banner Drop WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters rappelled down the side of a building adjacent to The Gap's headquarters in San Francisco to bring attention to the company's support of union-busting freight firm Oak Harbor Freight Lines. Oak Harbor Freight Lines, the company that transports Gap merchandise on the West Coast, recently cut health care benefits for its workers and retirees. "We are here today at Gap Inc. to let the people of San Francisco, and the country, know that Gap, Inc. supports union-busters," said Dan Jurpik, a striking worker who participated in the banner drop. "I have worked for Oak Harbor for 14 years. Now they are slashing our health care and bringing in professional strikebreakers to coerce and scare loyal long-time employees." In protest over Oak Harbor Freight Lines' violations of U.S. labor laws, workers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho were forced to strike on Sept. 22. The company also made hostile attempts to intimidate workers. One day later, Oak Harbor took the extraordinary step of cutting off health care benefits to its workers and retirees. "This company is treating its employees badly," said Al Hobart, President of Teamsters Joint Council 28 and International Vice President. "Not only do they not want to negotiate fairly, but now they have taken the outrageous step of slashing health care benefits for workers. And, to add insult to injury, they cut health care for retirees - the very workers who built Oak Harbor into a strong company." Oak Harbor's biggest freight customer, retail giant Gap Inc., continues to provide support to Oak Harbor even after it cut retiree health care benefits, froze workers' retirement income and slashed sick leave. More than 600 Teamsters remain on strike in Washington, Oregon and Idaho against Auburn, Washington-based Oak Harbor, after bargaining unsuccessfully for a fair contract for the past 11 months. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded in 1903 and represents 1.4 million hard working men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081018/METRO/810180407&imw=Y Saturday, October 18, 2008 Metro Detroit union members protest NLRB and rally for Obama Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News DETROIT -- Hundreds of union members from across Metro Detroit gathered Saturday at the federal building downtown to protest President Bush's administration and the National Labor Relations Board for what union members called an assault on workers' rights and the middle class. The Workers NOW! Coalition organized a march from Michigan and Trumbull to the rally at the federal building near Michigan and Cass. It was also a show of support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Many attendees wore Obama campaign shirts, held signs showing support for Obama or other campaign-related items. Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO told the crowd to take Nov. 3 and 4 off to help get Obama elected. He said this would send a message to corporations and Republicans that unions have clout. "That is union power," he told the cheering crowd. "That is what we need to do." Participants in the rally held signs deriding the NLRB and calling for more workers' rights. Congress created the NLRB in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act, the primary law governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector, according to the NLRB's website. NLRB officials told The News Thursday that it does not take sides in labor disputes, but makes decisions based on facts. "We enforce the statutes, case law and policy decisions," Stephen Glasser, the NLRB's regional director, said earlier in the week. "When we investigate a case we take what evidence is available to us and make a decision based on both sides. There's no bias." Ronald Meisburg, general counsel for the NLRB, said in a statement released after the rally on Saturday that NLRB collected more than $110 million last year that was then reimbursed to employees who suffered discrimination and helped 2,456 workers get back to work." "Because of the (board's) highly efficient operations, the great majority of parties involved in labor disputes who filed charges of unfair labor practices with the NLRB learned quickly whether their charges had merit and, if so, secured a remedy," Meisburg said. Downtown streets were blocked by 9 a.m. for the event as buses, vans, trucks and cars loaded with union members parked and prepared for the event. Keith Barnett and Eric Erwine, both installers of insulation, brought their children to the rally to show support for unions and Obama. "I wanted them to see what it means for me to get up every morning at 5 a.m. to go to work," the 40-year-old Barnett of Flat Rock said as he explained why he brought his 13-year-old son Santez and 9-year-old son Jaylen. "I don't just sit at a desk, I am making a difference." Santez said his father has talked about union matters at home and he believes his father is right to support unions. "It would be terrible (without unions)," Santez said. "We wouldn't be able to have the things we have at home." Carpenters Emmett Hassen and Josh Geiser said Obama could help restore the middle class. "We need a candidate that is for the working man," the 45-year-old Hassen of Dearborn Heights said. "There is no middle class anymore." http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/1006/aerlingus.html Aer Lingus to cut up to 1,500 jobs Monday, 6 October 2008 Aer Lingus has set a deadline of 1 December for the implementation of a ?74m cost-cutting programme involving up to 1,500 job cuts through redundancies and outsourcing. At a 2.5 hour meeting this afternoon, management told staff that ?50m would have to be eliminated from staff costs, ?14m from a reduction in advertising and distribution costs, airport costs and professional fees, and ?10m by reducing its long haul aircraft fleet from nine to eight. SIPTU workers at Aer Lingus have said they would ballot for all-out industrial action following the airline's proposal. Advertisement The decision was taken at a meeting of shop stewards this evening. However, a spokesperson said that the union would be engaging in the consultation process with management chaired by the Director of Conciliation at the Labour Relations Commission, Kevin Foley. The Aer Lingus plans are far-reaching. The airline said its plan includes a voluntary severance or early retirement package on the same terms as in 2004 for cabin crew and ground staff in airports, catering and cargo divisions. Sick pay entitlements are to be reduced. Contracts based on performance-related pay will be introduced from January. Staff who do not take redundancy may transfer to a new service provider, but there will be no opportunity to redeploy within the airline. In Shannon, the cabin crew base will close entirely. Aer Lingus said between 250 and 280 jobs will be lost in Shannon. Ground operations including check-in, boarding and baggage handlers will be outsourced to other companies. However, Aer Lingus will retain a hangar and a maintenance operation in Shannon. A cabin crew base at Heathrow will also be closed. Staff may be offered redeployment to Dublin or Cork or alternatively will face redundancy. Services from New York, Boston and San Francisco will be staffed with US-based cabin crew from the summer of next year. The company will commence a programme to move its head office to smaller, open-plan facilities. Aer Lingus has already reported losses of ?22m for this year, and is forecasting potential losses of over ?100m next year - depending on the cost of fuel. Last Friday, the Aer Lingus board finally authorised management to proceed with what it described as a cost reduction programme to deliver substantial savings necessary to ensure the company's long-term viaibility as an independent airline. The company also stressed that the cost savings must be delivered as a matter of urgency. IMPACT trade union said after the meeting that it regards the proposals as draconian and severe. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Fri Sep 11 23:33:33 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:33:33 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Health and welfare protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB40BD.5030501@tesco.net> * INDIA: UP - Police charge road death protesters * TANZANIA: Protest against relocation of hospital * SOUTH AFRICA: Gun standoff during hospital protest * KENYA: Internal refugees protest for benefits * INDIA: Pensioners protest treatment * PAKISTAN: "Token" strike by junior doctors * SOUTH AFRICA: NGO protest to extend Child Support Allowance * CANADA: Vancouver - Rally against housing crisis * NEW ZEALAND: Nurses protest over pay offer * CANADA: Vancouver - Paramedics protest ambulance underfunding * US: Lafayette - Motorcyclists protest road death * INDIA: Kerala - power tariff protest * INDIA: Kerala - parking fee protest * UK: Manchester - homeless man interrupts TV show to demand counsellor * IRELAND: Women berate politician at altar over pensions * IRELAND: Pensioners, youths in benefits protest * UK: Sorting office closure protest * UK: Lincoln - Mascot leads post office protest * US: New Jersey - Health workers protest stalled talks * IRELAND: Protest highlights health cutbacks http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101355260300.htm Other States - Uttar Pradesh Policemen injured by protestors, resort to lathicharge Rampur: Police resorted to lathicharge after four of them were injured when a group of people, who were protesting against a student?s death in a road accident near Dhamora township here, pelted stones at them. ?A group of people blocked NH 24 following the death of Seva Ram, a class IX student in a road accident on Saturday,? SSP Veer Bahadur Singh said. ?Though the police persuaded them to withdraw the blockade they relented and pelted stones at them in which four policemen were injured, prompting the men in uniform to resort to a lathicharge, SSP Singh said adding that cases against 45 persons have been registered for rioting and creating public disturbances. Due to the blockade, a jam could be seen up to 10 km on the National Highway. --PTI http://allafrica.com/stories/200810080544.html The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) Tanzania: Villagers Protest Elevation of Selian Hospital Gebo Arajiga 8 October 2008 Arusha ? Arumeru west residents hold placards as they protest the relocation of the local hopital from Ekenywa Villange yesterday. Hundreds of residents of Arumeru West constituency yesterday demonstrated to their council head offices to protest against the relocation of their 'district' hospital from Ekenywa Village to the suburbs of Arusha. They walked in groups for over 30 kilometres to oppose a proposal to have the Selian Lutheran Hospital near the town serve as designated hospital for the area instead of elevating a health facility at Ekenywa village. The residents from nine wards in the area said it was unfair for the people if the church-run hospital serves as a 'district' designated hospital instead of the health centre at Ekenywa village. Their demostration coincided with the Arusha District Council session slated for yesterday to seal an agreement with the Selian Lutheran hospital as the designated hospital for Arumeru West. The protest by over 3,000 villagers took Arusha residents by surprise early yesterday as groups of men and women clad in traditional attire marched to the council head offices close to the Arusha-Moshi road. Council employees were also taken unawares, expecting that the councillors would endorse the Selian Hospital as the designated 'district' hospital for the constituency. The Arumeru district council was last year split into two with the Meru Council serving Arumeru East and the Arusha Council retained for Arumeru West. The district is the most populous in the region. Sensing that the protest could lead to a breach of peace, District Commissioner Elias Wawa Lali hastily convened a meeting of civic leaders and government officials to discuss the matter. They included the chairman of the Arusha Council, Mr John ole Saitabau, Arumeru MP Elisa Mollel, council executive director Hassan Hida and senior police officials from the region and the district. After the meeting which lasted two hours, the DC announced to hundreds of villagers who had camped outside the council's offices that the signiging of a contract with the Selian Lutheran Hospital has been postponed. He said the matter would be brought to the villagers who will have to contribute money and other resources to construct more structures in order to elevate the Ekenywa health centre to a 'district' hospital. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081023062444603C776934 Gun fracas overshadows hospital protest October 23 2008 at 08:49AM By Bonile Ngqiyaza A brief stand-off between a security official and health workers almost derailed a march by hundreds of employees at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Cleaners, porters, nurses, clerks, messengers and switchboard operators on Wednesday marched to the administration section of the hospital, protesting against the flawed implementation of the Occupation Specific Dispensation that was meant to increase the salaries of certain staff categories. Other concerns included allegations of nepotism in appointments; corruption in tenders; outdated equipment; and general mismanagement and lack of consultation, including the change of the hospital's name. According to a witness, the marchers objected to journalists being barred by the hospital's security from covering the march, which started around noon at the hospital's northern entrance. The witness said an official of Pothlako Security Services then produced a gun, which infuriated the crowd even more. Marshals of the unions taking part in the march - the National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), the South African Democratic Nurses' Union, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, and the Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of SA (Hospersa) - then saved the day by whisking the official off. Nehawu branch secretary Motantsi Losaba was arrested in connection with the incident. Hospital CEO Sagie Pillay said he was aware of the incident, and promised it would be probed. He added he was satisfied with the way the marchers had handled themselves. "I am quite upset about what happened (as) we are going into a relationship-building meeting with labour tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. It is quite evident there is a lack of trust. I think we should have given that time," he said. Pillay said many of the demands and grievances had been probed in 2006, but unions did not want to accept the findings. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810130120.html Kenya: Ex-Refugees Protest Over Payments Lorraine Anyango 10 October 2008 Nairobi ? Former internal refugees from the now closed Afraha Stadium held a demonstration demanding Sh35,000 payment each on Friday. They claimed that refugees elsewhere had been paid Sh35,000 each and demanded to know why they were being discriminated against. And at the Nakuru showground, more than 6,000 refugees have vowed not to leave until they are paid Sh10,000 each. The showground camp housed about 15,000 refugees but most have left for satellite camps near their homes. Another group of displaced people camping in Molo is also demanding Sh10,000 each before breaking camp. The camp has about 3,000 refugees. Refugees returning to their farms were promised an additional Sh25,000 to enable them re-build their houses on top of Sh10,000. Last week, about 3,000 refugees from Kuresoi trekked to Molo Town and camped outside the district commissioner's office demanding payment. Payments were initially handled by the Special Programmes ministry but the Provincial Administration took over last month as the ministry is understaffed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100859270400.htm New Delhi SBI pensioners protest against ?step-motherly treatment? Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Pensioners of State Bank of India staged a peaceful dharna at Jantar Mantar here on Monday protesting against ?step-motherly treatment? meted out to them by the Government and the bank. A large number of pensioners from across the country under the banner of State Bank of India Pensioners? Association (Delhi Circle) took part in the dharna. Their main demands included 50 per cent pension on the last drawn pay for all past retirees, immediate revision of pension in respect of those who retired between November 1, 1997, and October 31, 2002, extension of 100 per cent dearness allowance neutralisation to all past retirees and 30 per cent family pension for all family pensioners. Association (Delhi Circle) general secretary H.R. Magon said it was tragic that while the Government had opened its coffers for its own pensioners based on the Sixth Pay Commission report, SBI pensioners continue to receive ?step-motherly treatment?. ?This has compelled the pensioners? fraternity to launch the peaceful struggle. The pension scheme of SBI for its retirees has been in force for the past 150 years. Sadly all pensioners are not getting 50 per cent pension of the last drawn pay,? Mr. Magon added. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142483 CHK?s junior doctors stage protest Wednesday, October 22, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Some over 100 junior doctors (house officers) of Civil Hospital, Karachi (CHK) on Tuesday staged a token strike for two hours, demanding for the same stipend for house officers(HOs), which the Punjab government is giving to their counter parts, amounting to Rs12,000 along with other benefits. They also assembled outside the office of the medical superintendent CHK and chanted slogans. Subsequently, they dispersed peacefully. A delegation of protesting doctors further met with the MS CHK, Dr Saeed Qurashy and presented their demands. Dr Qurashy told The News that this matter was beyond his powers. He said he had conveyed the grievances of the junior doctors to the concerned provincial authorities and adding he said the house officers? demands were legitimate. Dr Jamil Manzar Siddiqi stated that around 150 junior doctors were working at the CHK. He added that they had also launched a sustained campaign last year and the outgoing government had promised that their grievances would be addressed. However, when they received a salary after a three month gap, it was Rs6200, same as before, which is insufficient for the HOs. Dr Ismail said that they work really hard, but they earn a living which is even less than a watchman?s salary and adding he said that they would continue this token strike for a week and if they do not receive any positive response from the provincial government, then they would be compelled to stage a boycott of emergencies. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810170279.html South Africa: Protest Against Limit to Grant Anne Simpson 16 October 2008 The Black Sash and other concerned organisations held the first of three protests on Wednesday as part of their "ten days of activism" to highlight the need for the maximum age of the Child Support Grant to be extended to 18 years. The Alliance for Children's Entitlement to Social Security (Acess) and the New Women's Movement, together with other civil service and children's activism groups, gathered with the Black Sash on the steps of St Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town. Although the constitution defines a child as a person under the age of 18, currently the Child Support Grant is only given to those aged 14 and younger. "What they're doing is suicide. Parliament must see the severity of poverty ... If the state distances itself, the children cannot be taken care of," said Acess media officer Bukelwa Voko on Wednesday. "The grant is an investment to give a child, and we must invest today if we want to have a viable economy tomorrow," Voko said. Studies have connected the grant to school attendance, nutritional availability and therefore a child's health, said Ratula Beukman, Black Sash Advocacy Programme Manager. Acess project officer Sanja Bornman said that children aged 15 to 18 were a vulnerable group. "They really need to stay in school. But if they cannot afford school fees and uniforms, they drop out. They cannot get jobs because they do not even have a matric, and it continues the cycle," said Bornman. The Black Sash and Acess are calling on all South Africans to sign the Child Support Grant petition, which 8 000 people, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have already endorsed. [Cape Argus] http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/10/05/bc-housing-protest.html?ref=rss Vancouver rally points to housing crisis Last Updated: Sunday, October 5, 2008 | 2:37 PM ET Comments33Recommend10 CBC News Protesters say there is a housing crisis in Canada that needs action. (CBC) Advocates called for a national housing policy during a rally and federal all-candidates meeting on housing and poverty in Vancouver Saturday. The event was part of a provincewide "Stand for housing" campaign, in which advocates in communities throughout B.C. staged protests to call attention to what they say is a housing crisis in Canada. In Vancouver, advocates from the Citywide Housing Coalition, Streams of Justice and Community Advocates for Little Mountain lined the sidewalks at Main Street and 36th Avenue in the hopes of making their voices heard. "We're here because we don't have a national housing program," said Wendy Pedersen with the Citywide Housing Coalition. "It's shocking. It's disrespectful. It's beyond belief." Hedy Fry, the Liberal candidate for Vancouver-Centre, says her party would address the housing crisis if elected. (CBC) "I think you and I have to pressure the politicians and have to get it onto the agenda," said one protester, Ray Norgren. With the federal election less than two weeks away, most politicians were eager to tell voters how their parties will deal with the issues of poverty and homelessness. "I can tell you right now it's an important core of the Liberal platform," said Hedy Fry, the Liberal candidate for Vancouver-Centre. "As a Liberal and as a person who grew up in social housing, I know that housing is fundamental to everyone's ability to live a dignified life." Adrienne Carr, the Green party candidate for Vancouver-Centre, said she took her party leader, Elizabeth May, to the Downtown Eastside to highlight the housing and poverty issues there. "Only by putting this issue in the public face and putting attention on it are we going to get action," Carr said. Don Davies, the NDP candidate for Vancouver-Kingsway, said housing needed to be addressed in this federal election. "It's not an issue. It's a crisis facing Canadian housing ?Canada has one of the lowest rates of social housing in the developed world." The Conservatives were the only party missing from Saturday's rally. Lorne Mayencourt, the party's candidate for Vancouver-Centre, cancelled his appearance less than 24 hours before the rally. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/10/16/124379d620ba Rest home workers protest over 'shameful' pay offer Updated at 6:04am on 17 October 2008 Union members at an Ashburton rest home staged a three-hour picket on Thursday to protest what they say is a "shameful" pay offer from their employer. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation, which has more than 50 members working at the Rosebank Private Hospital and Resthome, says they were offered a raise of 1.2% in exchange for a reduction in staff hours. In a statement, Rosebank said that a dramatic increase in costs, coupled with limited, funding means it cannot make a better offer. But union organiser Lynley Mulrine says the District Health Board gave the resthome a recent funding increase of almost 3%. Ms Mulrine says any reduction in staff hours would compromise residents' care. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/10/07/bc-paramedics-victoria-protest.html?ref=rss Paramedics protest in Vancouver over underfunding of ambulance service Threaten strike if new job contract doesn't bring better wages, working conditions Last Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 | 7:32 PM ET Comments22Recommend32 CBC News The president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. says many emergency personnel are facing poor conditions and too much work. (CBC) Hundreds of paramedics gathered outside the provincial cabinet offices in downtown Vancouver Tuesday demanding the B.C. government properly fund the province's ambulance service or face job action. The paramedics' contract expires in six months, and they are threatening to strike if the government doesn't offer a fair settlement, said John Strohmaier, president of Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. CUPE Local 873. "A fair settlement would be to restore our historical relationship with other emergency workers [and] wage parity with other emergency workers in British Columbia," Strohmaier said. B.C. Health Services Minister George Abbott announced last month a $2-million investment in 20 new full-time paramedic positions. 'We are now working in trailers for stations. The crappiest stations are literally crumbling beneath our feet.'? William Chute, Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. But William Chute, the union's director of public education, said the province is losing far too many paramedics to stress, burnouts and other jobs. "The $2 million that they [the government] promised a couple of weeks ago is a project that has been funded for three years already. Let's be clear on that. That's not new money," Chute said. Paramedics' working conditions are below standard, he said. "We are now working in trailers for stations. The crappiest stations are literally crumbling beneath our feet. We've been evacuated many times because of safety hazards such as mould and leaking," Chute said. "The B.C. Ambulance Service and the B.C. government don't seem to want to properly fund the stations the way that paramedics deserve and the patients of our province deserve." The B.C. Ambulance Service, staffed by more than 3,000 members of the paramedics union, provides public ambulance service under the authority of the Emergency and Health Services Commission of the provincial Ministry of Health. The government needs to come up with more funding for the ambulance service, "that can respond to the cries for help in a time we need," Chute said. "We simply cannot cope with the amount of emergencies that we deal with," he said. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/NEWS07/810050393/-1/NEWS09 Published: October 5, 2008 3:00 a.m. Motorcyclists protest peer's death Associated Press LAFAYETTE ? More than a dozen motorcyclists briefly stopped traffic at a busy intersection to protest prosecutors? decision not to file charges against a truck driver who ran over a motorcyclist, killing him. The motorcyclists parked in front of cars at U.S. 52 and Teal Road for about two minutes Friday evening, revving their engines and holding up signs that said: ?See us?? The protest was organized in response to a Sept. 23 accident that killed Bradley Trifone, a Purdue freshman from Glen Ellyn, Ill., on his 19th birthday. Authorities said the truck driver was stopped at a red light behind Trifone. The driver said he did not see Trifone and when the light turned green he accelerated, running over Trifone and his motorcycle. The Purdue freshman was dragged more than 300 feet and was fatally injured. Police said Trifone?s motorcycle may have stalled. Sgt. Max Smith of the Lafayette Police Department said authorities have no reason to believe the driver?s actions were deliberate. He said his blood tests came back negative for drugs or alcohol. But the driver, John F. Stillabower, 47, of Indianapolis, will be issued a traffic citation for an ?unsafe start,? which carries a $130 fine. Anthony Wettschurack of Lafayette organized the protest Friday. He said drivers don?t pay attention to motorcyclists and the protest was intended as a wake-up call. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101355410300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Protest against power tariff hike KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode District Consumer Protection Committee will observe October 15 as protest day against the hike in power tariff imposed on domestic consumers. Committee president T.K.A. Azeez said the additional Rs.10 a unit for domestic consumers who use more than 200 units of power was unjustifiable. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101354590300.htm Kerala - Alappuzha Protests against parking fee Staff Reporter Canal Management Society has imposed parking fee on Alappuzha beach . ? Special Arrangement PAY AND PARK: The vehicles parked on Alappuzha beach on Sunday ALAPPUZHA: The Alappuzha Canal Management Society?s (CMS) move to collect fee for parking vehicles on the beach here has run into trouble. The fee, which the Society started collecting from Friday, is to bolster the Society?s near-empty coffers. With tariffs of Rs.2 for two-wheelers, Rs.5 for three-wheelers, Rs.10 for four-wheelers and Rs.20 for heavy duty vehicles, such a fee is a first at the Alappuzha beach. However, the local unit of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has launched an agitation against the fee. On Saturday and Sunday, AIYF activists forcibly prevented the collection of the fee. AIYF district vice-president B. Naseer, who is leading the strike, said the federation would continue the protest till the fee was withdrawn. ?For centuries, there has been no such system here. Moreover, CMS has no business to impose a fee at the beach, which comes under the Port Department and beautification of which was done by the Tourism Department?s District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). In fact, the DTPC has said that it had no inkling as to why the fee was being collected and that it had no relation with the decision,? Mr. Naseer said. Mr. Naseer points out that thousands of people, a majority of them from other districts, including Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam, visit the beach on weekends. This was apart from the local populace that headed to the beach every evening. ?Imposing a fee is to drive them away. Moreover, they say that the fee is valid for only two hours, after which you have to pay once again. The AIYF cannot accept this and will not let such extortion in Alappuzha,? he said. On the other hand, Municipal Chairman P.P. Chitharanjan, a CMS member, points out that the Society, which pays salaries to gardeners, cleaners and security apart from paying the electricity charges for lighting up the shores of the canals here, requires revenue. ?Such fees are being extracted at other beaches in the State. So what is the need of such a controversy?? asks Mr. Chitharanjan. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/s/1071088_homeless_mans_protest Homeless man's protest 7/10/2008 A HOMELESS man interrupted the Question Time demanding a councillor help him get off the streets. Wayne McCracken, 43, from Salford, says he has been living on the streets on and off for nine months after leaving the home he shared with his partner because he discovered she was using drugs. He claimed he had been turned away from one of the city's homeless hostels and said he was scared of sharing a room with a drug user after finding used needles in a toilet and he complained that day centres for the homeless have been closed leaving people with nowhere to go. Mr McCracken interrupted the event, walking right up to Coun Basil Curley, who has responsibility for adult services, grabbed his microphone and said: "I'm sleeping on the streets, there is no hostel for me to go to, I've been turned away a hostel in Manchester today - what are you going to do for me?" Coun Curley arranged to get Mr McCracken help after the meeting and said: "There is no reason for anyone in Manchester to be homeless, we have hostels, we have beds for everyone." http://www.independent.ie/national-news/protest-women-refuse-to-say-sorry-1510479.html?r=RSS Protest women refuse to say sorry Duo unrepentant after their verbal assault on minister at the altar By Ronald Quinlan Sunday October 26 2008 THEIR behaviour has been described as "rude and bad manners" by one Fianna Fail Senator already. But don't expect Patricia Daly or Margaret Gaynor -- neither of whom is over 70, incidentally -- to apologise any time soon for preventing Minister of State John Moloney from addressing last Tuesday's medical card protest in St Andrew's Church in Westland Row. Spirited vocal assaults by both women on the Laois-Offaly TD's eardrums at the church's altar dominated the newspaper and TV coverage of the so-called "grey power" event. Approached by the Sunday Independent for their response to claims that they and their elderly peers were setting a poor example, both women were singularly unrepentant. Patricia Daly, for one, knows full well the impact the Government's decision to curtail medical card entitlements for the over-70s will have on her role as a senior social worker in Dublin's Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital. American-born but living here in Ireland as a dual citizen for the past 30 years, Patricia is certainly no stranger to standing up to the powers that be. With 40 years' experience of protesting going back to the anti-war movement under her belt, Patricia, it could be said, had seen it all -- until last Tuesday's meeting in St Andrew's Church, that is. Recalling what is now being acknowledged as a momentous event, she says: "That was a mass movement; that was spontaneous. It wasn't organised. I never met the people around me before. They all shouted Fianna Fail down. It wasn't just me. I went up to explain why we were shouting them down." Asked what she had said to a clearly shocked Mr Moloney as he stood speechless on the altar, Patricia says: "I said it was no place for politicians; that it was a place for older people and for Age Action members to be speaking to the politicians. It wasn't a place for politicians and it wasn't a place for him." Given Mr Moloney's mute response and the resulting criticism the church protest has drawn, would she now apologise? The short answer is "no", it would appear. "In my opinion, we should all have universal health care. It should be our right as taxpayers, and they should re-jig the tax regime. I'm not going to apologise for interrupting John Moloney. I told the minister what I thought at the time, on the altar of St Andrew's, that it was inappropriate to have politicians there as speakers. They should have been there to listen to older people and members of Age Action like myself." Commenting on the Government's efforts to arrest the medical card controversy, she adds: "It's not an end to it. And I think they're going to see that people are going to change the way they vote. A lot of the people who were in the church were probably Fianna Fail voters. I know from my experience of helping people get to the polls on voting day, a majority of older people have been voting Fianna Fail for decades. That's going to change." Patricia's sentiments are echoed by Margaret Gaynor, another protestor who seized the moment -- as well as Minister Moloney's microphone for that matter -- at the protest. "I have no regrets over what I have done. And if what I have done has helped anybody other than myself, I'll be very happy. Justice is all I wanted, and I think that with my words (to Mr Moloney) I said enough," Margaret says. Asked what those words were, Margaret offers a reprise. "Excuse me, how dare you stand here in front of the Irish people. You should be ashamed of yourself," she says, placing dramatic emphasis on the word "ashamed". "He never even answered me. He just had the decency to go red in the face," she adds, recalling the junior health minister's reaction. Margaret is annoyed by the reaction of some politicians and commentators to the behaviour of the elderly protestors in the Westland Row church. "What would they (politicians) know about manners? Nothing. If they had manners, they wouldn't have done what they had done in the first place" Asked what she made of the apologies from Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his colleagues for the distress the medical card controversy has caused, Margaret says: "To me, there was no apology. You give an apology to a person into their pocket. Words won't feed and keep people well. For peace of mind, an apology is of no use." - Ronald Quinlan http://www.independent.ie/national-news/budget-2009/news/15000-elderly-and-10000-young-join-in-day-of-protest-1506097.html?r=RSS 15,000 elderly and 10,000 young join in day of protest Pensioners protest outside Leinster House under a strongly-worded banner on the medical card fiasco By Nicola Anderson Thursday October 23 2008 THEy came in their thousands, marching as one from all corners of the land. They were armed only with their free travel passes, the iron in their souls, the anger in their hearts and fire in their bellies. Disembarking from chartered coaches, mini-buses, cars and trains, they formed a formidable force of 15,000 and prepared to lay siege to their target. They swept through the streets of the capital with one single goal -- to shake Leinster House and deliver a simple message: they will not go quietly. The Silver Revolution had begun. The last time many had taken to the streets in this fashion was when they were students. It was an extraordinary coincidence, and a sign of how the Budget has alienated so many, that shortly after the pensioners' protest reached its climax up to 10,000 third-level students should arrive at the Dail, deeply angered over fees. Like the pensioners, the students came from everywhere, and they brought just one message: 'No to fees'. It was a remarkable day. The elderly and the young taking to the streets. When have we we ever seen the like? It was a breathtaking sight as our mighty Grey Army mobilised to display a battling spirit few realised had lain under the respectability of old age. A slumbering beast that the Government must most bitterly regret rousing with the casual wave of a stick. But then, these are the people who truly understand that your health really is your wealth -- and they were determined to hold on to it, whatever obstacle stands in their way. To most of them, the excursion was a pleasure, a welcome opportunity to bond with their peers over their mutual outrage, a chance to hit the capital to show the younger generation a thing or two. And they chatted merrily among themselves as they poured up the city streets in a purposeful wave, banners and placards ablazing. But for some, the mission took all the strength they could muster. The chill wind that blustered along Molesworth Street -- despite the piercing autumn sunshine -- made the frail shiver and the swell of the crowd made the weak feel faint. Some even collapsed. There were the ill, there were the cancer sufferers, there were people in wheelchairs, rugs over their knees. Wheelchair-bound Rita Nolan (88) from Castlebar, now living in Dublin, had arrived early to take her place in front of the stage for the demonstration organised by the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament. "She insisted on coming," said her daughter Maureen. Poignant And so, while the mass turnout of our nation's elderly was humbling and impressive, it was also deeply poignant. They should not have had to be there at all. With Molesworth and Kildare streets well and truly filled up in advance of the 12.30pm starting time, the rally began. Maire Hoctor, the Minister for Older People, had been invited to speak, but her name was uttered to a chorus of jeers and boos when organisers announced she had been delayed. Some 20 minutes later she materialised -- but met the same fate as John Moloney had the previous day and was barely allowed to speak amid volleys of 'Out, Out, Out' and 'Lies.' In vain, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament representatives pleaded with them for quiet -- but all Ms Hoctor managed to get in was an apology that they had felt compelled to come. There wasn't one colleague of hers who did not acknowledge their anger, she said. She was about to embark on the Government line that 95pc of older people would not be affected by the recent changes to the medical card scheme when the chants grew even more deafening, and she was forced to retire in defeat. The roars of 'Fianna Fail Out' could not fail to have been heard along the plush corridors of Leinster House. Eloquence As Enda Kenny addressed them with some eloquence, the older people chatted among themselves. They were not there for political speeches, they were content merely to attend. A man with a 'No Card, No Treaty', in reference to Lisbon, was reprimanded by a woman who said the one issue did not mean the same as the other. A different placard bore a more heartfelt message: 'Mr Cowen, you seem to forget we're the ones who tightened our belts. We gave you our vote. Then where there were no beds, we lay on trolleys. Now you want to take our pills. Do you want to lay down and die?' Ciaran Cuffe sounded desperate as he pleaded that the Greens had learned their lesson from this, saying: "We will never take you for granted." Some pensioners chuckled grimly. "I wouldn't vote for you," one woman in the crowd stopped Liz McManus to inform her. "You don't have to vote for me but I have to vote for you," Ms McManus informed her. Caoimghin O Caolain told them not to to stop at medical cards -- their grandchildren need them in the fight against increasing class sizes. Joe Higgins, of the Socialist Party, got a warm cheer as he informed them this was the biggest demonstration of ordinary people in our society "for many a long day" The rally over, Gerald Whyte (70) from Kerry had a dark take on the medical card debacle -- a certain section of society would rather the old and incapacitated" dropped down dead", he said, likening the situation to Nazi Germany. - Nicola Anderson http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7690914.stm 25 October 2008 15:56 UK Sorting office closure protests Postal workers, business leaders and local politicians marched through the centre of Crewe as part of a campaign to keep the town's sorting office open. Work from the mail centre in Weston is being transferred to a new regional centre in Warrington. Royal Mail has said it wants staff to transfer to the new centre but unions have said many workers could not afford to travel or relocate. It said it could lead to the loss of 600 jobs in Crewe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7675403.stm Saturday, 18 October 2008 10:45 UK Mascot leads post office protest Jolly Fisherman is travelling with dozens of protesters to London A mascot from a Lincolnshire seaside resort has travelled to 10 Downing Street to present a petition opposing the closure of two post offices. The Skegness mascot Jolly Fisherman made his way to London by coach, along with a group of protesters. The 6,000-name petition, opposing the planned closure of the Sea View and Drummond Street post offices, was being handed to officials on Friday. Post Office Ltd is shutting branches as part of a programme to reduce losses. It wants to close about 2,500 post offices and says more than 80% of the rural network is unprofitable. Strong campaign Skegness mayor Neil Pimperton said: "The residents of Skegness have campaigned for many months and we are fed up with people dictating to them. "I am not a defeatist and I am a person who says these post offices should not be closed. "We are taking this campaign to the highest level we can to save the facilities we have." He said residents wanted more facilities, not a reduction in the number of post offices. Protesters demonstrated in August over the proposals, with local residents saying the branches provided vital services in the area. http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20081018/NEWS/810180325/-1/newsfront UMDNJ workers protest stalled talks in New Brunswick By GENE RACZ ? Staff Writer ? October 18, 2008 NEW BRUNSWICK ?Health professionals and registered nurses staged a rally Friday to protest stalled contract negotiations with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). The event, held at the Liberty Plaza building at 335 George St., drew approximately 100 people. Union members handed out leaflets while some spoke on a bullhorn criticizing the current labor talks with UMDNJ. "Management has yet to offer a real wage proposal, the university's proposal of a salary freeze and added 1.5 percent insurance co-pay is unacceptable," said Thomas F. Murphy, co-president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees Local 5094. "In these hard economic times it's unconscionable that the administration would place such an offer on the table. Our health professionals, researchers, social workers and nurses are the engine that keeps UMDNJ working. We take pride in our work and are asking for respect and recognition." Jerry Carey, acting manager of the UMDNJ News Service, on Friday released a written statement. "UMDNJ certainly understands the views of its employees as communicated through their union representatives, and the university respects and supports the right of those employees to express their views publicly about the current contract situation. As always, UMDNJ sincerely appreciates the continued dedication of its employees to the people in the state that we serve. "As is the case throughout New Jersey and the rest of the nation, UMDNJ faces difficult economic times. Already, for the current fiscal year, UMDNJ has seen its state appropriation reduced. UMDNJ also faces increased mandated operating expenses. Despite this, UMDNJ remains committed to good faith negotiations that will ultimately result in an agreement that is fair to all sides." The union represents some 12,000 members statewide with 3,200 represented as part of UMDNJ ? 1,100 of whom are nurses. Friday's rally by union members was its fourth in as many days. Jean Pierce of the union's public policy staff said recent rallies drew approximately 400 in Newark on Tuesday, 125 in Pisctaway on Wednesday and 35 in Stratford on Thursday. "We want the administration to know how serious we are," Pierce said. "This is not just some of the members in Newark, which is a larger campus ? this is statewide. The nurses and the professionals are angry." UMDNJ negotiates collective bargaining agreements with 15 separate employee unions. The current configuration of UMDNJ is eight schools on five campuses, a behavioral health network, and University Hospital in Newark. One of the employees participating in Friday's rally was Judith Cunha, who works as an operation support analyst in the information technology department for UMDNJ. "They refuse to negotiate. That's not a negotiation when you're coming in and saying, "We're not going to give you anything,' and they're not moving," Cunha said. Pierce said the current labor talks with UMDNJ primarily concern a "wage re-opener" in what is a four-year contract. "We're certainly willing to go to (the bargaining) table," Pierce said. "We're in a middle of a four-year contract, we're at two years, and the contract that was signed had a wage re-opener in two years ? so our wage re-opener now is on the subject of wage. "There are a few other little items." Pierce said scheduled negotiations with the registered nurses Local 5089 were canceled by UMDNJ's administration, and no further sessions have been scheduled. "We're going to have membership meetings this coming week and talk to the membership and see what the membership is looking to do," Pierce said. "We're going to keep the heat up, and what our next move is remains to be seen the next week or so." Gene Racz: http://www.breakingnews.ie/Ireland/mhidkfmhojau/rss2/ Demonstration to highlight cutbacks in health service Print Email+ Share+ 11/10/2008 - 09:06:56 A major rally is being held in Dublin later today to highlight cutbacks in the health service. It is being organised by the Public Service Health Campaign which is made up of union representatives, patients groups and hospital action committees. The campaign has real concerns that Tuesday's Budget will lead to further cuts in the health service. Chairperson of the Monaghan Community Alliance, Peader McMahon, has said Monaghan General Hospital is already earmarked for cuts in services before the end of the year. "I think that once people start dying on the roadsides and in the ambulances on the way to hospital then we have to convince the Government that it is time to reassess the whole situation," he said. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 01:07:37 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:07:37 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy, human/civil rights protests - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka - October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB56C9.2010508@tesco.net> PAKISTAN * Protests over chief justice continue * JI protest PPP government * PPP leaders protested for victimisation * Party protests alleged killings by rivals * Strange protest - in favour of cop BANGLADESH * Opposition activists protest irregularities SRI LANKA - INDIA * Wave of protests against killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka * DMK human chain in Chennai * Tamil protests also reach South Africa and Australia SRI LANKA - TAMIL EELAM * Protest in Jaffna against Tamil Tiger attack on merchant fleet INDIA * Tamil Nadu - police killing in "freak accident" leads to protest * Karnataka - Dalits protest atrocities * AP - TDP protests alleged corruption * Malegaon - shutdown to protest police beating * Tamil Nadu - AIADMK protest corruption in corporation * Kerala - clerk appointments become focus for protests * Tamil Nadu - MDMK protest arrest of leader * West Bengal - Trinamool protest against CPI(M) government * Orissa - villagers blockade police in protest over lathicharge * Kerala/Delhi - ministers stage sit-in against centre policies * UP - Congress plans long march * Meghalaya - airport launch cancellation protested by politicians * Karnataka - communalist comments protested * Karnataka - Muslim League members protest against leaders http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=140794 Deposed CJ?s fan in unending state of protest Monday, October 13, 2008 by Malik Ayub Sumbal Rawalpindi Pinning the picture of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on his collar, Latif Mughal, aged 75, is still in a state of protest and quite hopeful for his restoration. Latif Mughal belonging to Kahuta travels throughout the city including far-flung areas by carrying clippings of newspapers, placards and the pamphlets about the deposed CJ. His only hobby is to make files of press clippings of deposed judge?s issue. He collects news stories and pictures from various news sources and updates his file on the issue. He actively participated in all the protests staged by the lawyers? movement from the very first day. While taking to ?The News? Latif Mughal said, ?I have dedicated rest of my life to the deposed chief justice and I will be in a state of protest until the deposed CJ is restored.? He gets up early in the morning and travels throughout the city with his belongings, which are the pictures of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Dr A Q Khan. He said, ?I love the pictures of Dr A Q Khan and Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the reason is because they are my heroes.? Latif Mughal witnessed a lot of tragedies in his life, as his young son and wife had passed away which put him in distress. He said, ?Some time I start weeping after seeing the pictures of my son and beloved wife... I miss them very much... because they left me alone.? Latif Mughal was a renowned athlete of his time and awarded a lot of medals in bodybuilding competitions. He was also a progressive member of Khaksar Movement and still serving as divisional president of the movement. He said, ?I am living with a hope of restoration of the deposed CJ and that day is not far off now.? http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/07/rss.htm#e7 Jamat-e-Islami protest against PPP govt's failures HYDERABAD: Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Sindh chapter, Moulana Asadullah Bhutto has said that his party has launched a train march from Peshawar today against the price hike, rampant lawlessness, massive unemployment, military operation in the northern areas, American aggression against Pakistan and other issues. Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Monday, he said, the main objective of the train march was to highlight the problems confronting the country and the masses. (Posted @ 05:49 PST) http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/07/rss.htm#e4 Protests held against PPP leaders for victimization DADU: Supporters of Dadu Ittehad Panel (Jatoi group) staged demonstration in Mehar on Monday to protest against PPP MPA Fayaz Butt and his supporters for occupying a patrol pump and other property of Sikandar Butt. Butt alleged that PPP leaders and MPA Fayaz Butt were victimizing the Dadu Ittehad Panel leaders and pressing them to change their loyalty from the former minister Liaquat Jatoi group to PPP. (Posted @ 04:49 PST) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142675 ST chalks out protest plan against targeted killings Thursday, October 23, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi Sunni Tehreek (ST) has chalked out a phase-wise protest plan across the country against what they said the targeted killing of its activists allegedly by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The party took this decision at a meeting chaired by ST chief Mohamed Sarwat Ejaz Qadri at its headquarters on Wednesday. The meeting also decided to stage protest demos on main arteries of the country and blocking roads to vent their anger against the continuous wave of terrorism that has claimed the lives of several ST workers. The party leaders have asked their workers to remain vigilant against terrorist activities, ?as the government has adopted a non-serious attitude towards ST?. In the initial phase, Sunni Tehreek will hold protest demos outside the press clubs of the country on October 24, when the local leaders will also stage demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club after Friday prayers. The meeting decided to present a memorandum to the rulers of the country after consulting with all the opposition political parties against terrorism. In its memorandum, the ST will ask the political parties to raise this issue on the floor of the parliament. In the second phase, the ST workers will observe hunger strike outside the press clubs of the country. The detailed programme of phase-wise protests will be announced on Thursday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=141818 It?s strange when people protest in favour of a cop! Sunday, October 19, 2008 By Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD: The people of Okara district have sharply reacted to the removal of honest District Police Officer (DPO) Ehsan Sadiq, who was stripped off his position by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for defying political interference by three MPs of the area in the functions of the police. These ?pampered? MPs of the area had recently joined the ranks of the PML-N in the Punjab and got the honest cop transferred as part of their secret deal with Shahbaz Sharif. The action was against the claims of the CM Punjab and the reaction is something unprecedented as?the public in general and lawyers in particular are showing their open support for a police officer. Earlier, a large number of people, having no idea how to react to the shocking news of Ehsan Sadiq?s transfer, gathered outside the press club. People had tears in their eyes and expressed solidarity with the outgoing cop. Ehsan Sadiq had a lucrative job at the Asian Development Bank and was getting salary in dollars, but he quit after he was given a firm assurance by Shahbaz Sharif that political consideration would not be allowed to interfere in his work at the district level. Major (retd) Ejaz, who lost the recent election on the PPP ticket, blasted the removal of Ehsan Sadiq and said the transfer of an honest officer had disappointed everyone in the area. He said Sadiq had earned the respect of the people within a very short time. Talking to this correspondent, some journalists of the city said Ehsan Sadiq was highly regarded in the area because of his honest and professional dealings and most importantly the defiance to political elites. One of the reporters of an Urdu television channel said Ehsan?s removal had genuinely shocked everybody, as it had greatly demoralised the common citizens, who were given respect and justice by the top cop. Former president of Deepalpur Tehsil Bar Niaz Ahmad Phularwan told The News from Okara that the five former presidents of the bar and senior lawyers were also against the removal of the honest cop. He said honest police cops within the Police department had found a caring officer, who had given full protection to them. He said actually the three MPs of the area, who had recently joined the PML-N had played a major role in the removal of Ehsan Sadiq. He said the cop had refused to oblige their attempts to register fake cases against their opponents as it was usually done in the rural areas. Afzal Ahmad Watoo, advocate, also condemned the removal of Ehsan Sadiq and said the cop had become a new ray of hope for the crime-hit district within a short time. He said the people were seriously disappointed to see an honest officer becoming a victim of political considerations. Tahir Hashmi advocate, the former president of the bar, also condemned the transfer of Ehsan Sadiq. ?Let me tell you clearly that Ehsan Sadiq?s transfer is against the will of the people. This is simply a political revenge,? he commented. A technical staff officer, Imran Khan, said the whole district was protesting against removal of Ehsan Sadiq. ?We appreciate his efforts to introduce good governance in the district,? he said. Meanwhile, talking to The News, Pervez Rashid, the CM?s adviser on media, lost his temper over this issue and said the transfer of any police officer was not a very serious matter to be discussed, asked or even replied. ?Listen, Mr Rauf, you are just making it an issue. Otherwise, its not worth reporting at all. Posting and transfer of any officer is just a routine matter. Don?t give it any importance,? Rashid said in an aggressive tone. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=57465 Published On: 2008-10-06 Metropolitan Puja Mandap 100 Ansar, VDP men protest irregularities in Rajshahi Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi Over 100 members of Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) staged a demonstration in Rajshahi yesterday protesting alleged irregularities in recruiting security men for Puja Mandaps in the city. They alleged that the authorities cancelled their appointments at Puja Mandaps only a day before the Puja without any reasonable grounds and recruited people in exchange for bribes of Tk 50 to Tk 100. The Ansar and VDP members came from Paba and Boalia upazila to join their duty but laid a siege to the district office when they learnt that their appointments were cancelled. They said some 265 Ansar and VDP members were appointed on September 25 for 319 Puja Mandaps in the city. The demonstrators, however, withdrew their agitation programme after senior officials assured them of assigning duty to them in future. When contacted, Ansar VDP District Adjutant Hira Miah said he will look into the matter. "Action will be taken if anyone was found involved in such irregularities," he added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/DMK_human_chain_protest_for_pro-Tamil/rssarticleshow/3635853.cms DMK human chain protest for pro-Tamil support 24 Oct 2008, 0948 hrs IST, Times Now Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu is gearing up for a huge show of solidarity for Tamils caught in a military conflict in northern Sri Lanka. The DMK along with its allies is leading a 60 kilometre long human chain to focus attention on the Tamils caught in the fighting between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army. ( Watch ) Political parties in Tamil Nadu have urged the Centre to stop military aid to Sri Lanka. In fact, MPs belonging to UPA's key ally the DMK have threatened to resign, if the government does not take up the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. But when asked about the lifting of the ban on LTTE, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi evaded a direct reply saying that it's for the Centre to decide on LTTE's ban. Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW the DMK supremo said, "The central government will decide on whether the ban on LTTE has to be lifted or not." But even as Tamil Nadu politicians take up the issue of Tamils in Sri Lanka, they don't want to be seen as LTTE sympathisers. MDMK leader Vaiko's arrest on Thursday for making a pro-LTTE speech has drawn sharp reactions. While the Congress has welcomed the action against Vaiko, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa has termed Vaiko's arrest as politically motivated. Describing MDMK leader and her ally Vaiko's arrest as "politically motivated," AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa questioned the rationale behind the arrest, when other leaders and some Tamil film directors who had made speeches supporting the LTTE, similar to that of Vaiko, were left "scot-free." In a statement in Chennai, she also questioned the locus standi of DMK government for ordering arrest of Vaiko citing the eulogy penned by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the death of "members of the banned organisation," in an apparent reference to SP Tamilselvan, then political advisor of the LTTE, who was killed in a Sri Lankan Air raid last year. Describing the action against Vaiko as "half-baked", she said the law of the land be applied to all and demanded action against the film directors-- Bharathiraja, Seeman and Ameer. Recalling a Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi conference in January this year, Jayalalithaa said pro-LTTE remarks were openly made by party founder Thol Thirumalavan, a DMK ally and wondered why no action had been taken on him so far. And even as Tamil Nadu politicians jostle to take up the Tamil cause, Tamil rebels seem desperate to gain acceptance. Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, LTTE's political voice B Nadesan said that India should realise LTTE is its true friend. When asked what is LTTE's message to Sonia Gandhi and the Indian government on if they should intervene in the matter, Nadesan said, "At this juncture all must realise who are the true friends of India and Indian people. And thus remove the ban on our movement and recognise us. They must also stop the military aid to Sri Lanka." http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=418126 Activists protest killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka ________________________________________ ANI Tuesday 14th October, 2008 Coimbatore, Oct 14 : Thousands of Tamil activists here staged demonstration against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and protested against the killing of Tamils in the country. Shouting slogans, the protesters later torched an effigy of Rajapaksa. They demanded the intervention of the Indian Government to save the life of "innocents". "As a mark of protest today, we urge the Indian Government to take back all the arms given to Sri Lankan army. Military experts sent to Sri Lanka should be withdrawn immediately, no military training programmes should be conducted with Sri Lankan army on Indian soil, and financial aid should be halted to Sri Lanka," said Ramakrishnan, a leader of the Thandai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Government in January accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of using a ceasefire brokered in 2002 to re-arm itself, and threw out the truce both sides had mostly ignored for two years. He has vowed to militarily wipe out the Tigers, which are on U.S., E.U. and Indian terrorism lists, and retake the northern territory the group has fought since 1983 to claim as a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority. The LTTE says it is fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils, who have complained of marginalisation by successive governments led by the Sinhalese majority since independence from Britain in 1948. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1199806 Human chain protest postponed due to heavy rains PTI Tuesday, October 21, 2008 11:04 IST CHENNAI: The DMK announced postponement of its human chain protest, scheduled here on Tuesday to urge the Centre to prevail upon Sri Lanka to end the sufferings of Tamils in the island nation. The human chain, which was to stretch from Chennai to its suburbs, was postponed on Tuesday following heavy rains, DMK sources said. The human chain agitation would now be held on October 24, they said. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced holiday for schools and colleges across the state as rains have been lashing the state for the past few days. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/18/stories/2008101859621000.htm National Advocates stage demonstration Staff Reporter Coimbatore: A group of 20 advocates took out a procession inside the District Sessions Court complex here on Friday and burnt an effigy of Defence Minister A.K. Antony. Court boycott About 2,000 advocates in the sessions and other sub-ordinate judiciary courts have been on a two-day court boycott condemning the ?genocide of the Tamil race in Sri Lanka.? On the second day, the advocates raised slogans against the Defence Minister and the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister M.K. Narayanan, for ?helping? Sri Lanka militarily. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101355470300.htm Tamil Nadu Demonstration staged to condemn attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka Staff Reporter Cadres arrested while trying to burn the Sri Lankan President in effigy ? Photo: N. Bashkaran For a cause: Members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Party staging a demonstration in Krishnagiri on Sunday. KRISHNAGIRI: As many as 62 cadres of Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Party were arrested while trying to burn the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in effigy, here on Sunday. The demonstration was part of the party?s state-wide agitation condemning the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka. The cadres staged a demonstration at Five Road junction in Pudupettai. Mr. R. Kovendan, District Secretary of the Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Party and Deputy Secretaries Mr. V.P. Sitrarasu and S. Asokan led the demonstration. A team of police led by the Krishnagiri Town Police Inspector Mr. Arulmozhi Arasu prevented them from burning the effigy. After the demonstration the cadres went to the nearby marriage hall, where they were arrested by the police. The members demanded that the Central Government should stop the supply of arms to Sri Lankan army, which is on warpath against the Tamils. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=422504 Tamils in Chennai protest against ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka ________________________________________ ANI Saturday 25th October, 2008 Chennai, Oct 25 : Hundreds of Tamils marched on the streets of Chennai on Friday to protest against the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, as a regional political group pressured the Indian Government to stop the war. Protesters braved heavy rains and linked arms shouting slogans "Save the Tamils, stop the battle." "This human chain is formed to protest against the Army's atrocities on innocent Tamils. All the parties from Tamil Nadu - CPI, CPI (M), DMK - and others, participated in the 60-km long human chain. It indicates that Tamils are united against Sri Lanka's atrocities and this problem has to come to an end," said Naganathan, senior leader of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK). On Friday, the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha demanding arrest of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi over his alleged support to the separatist LTTE in Sri Lanka. Earlier, 13 MPs, including six ministers of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) had handed their resignation letters to Karunanidhi on October 17 demanding action from the Central Government. Sri Lanka has vowed to crush the LTTE militarily. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Rain_protest_bring_Chennai_to_knees/rssarticleshow/3638855.cms Heavy rain, human chain bring city to its knees 25 Oct 2008, 0344 hrs IST, TNN CHENNAI: Traffic on the arterial Anna Salai in the city was thrown into chaos on Friday due to the pouring rain and the human chain formed by Police officer stands in front of a protest march in Chennai. (Reuters) More Pictures political parties to express solidarity with Tamils caught in the war in Sri Lanka. The chain, broken though it was at many places despite school and college students forming captive links, added to the misery of those stuck in traffic jams. Rain lashed the city from 3 pm, inundating not just the usually vulnerable areas, but even roads and plots usually safe from flooding. As roads went under sheets of water and the human chain took shape on Anna Salai, vehicles moved bumper to bumper on many of the main roads. Vehicles which tried to take a detour added to traffic jams on Nungambakkam High Road, Triplicane High Road and Arcot Road. The city?s entry points remained clogged from afternoon. The worst-affected were school children returning home, as the downpour and the political roadshow held up their vans for several hours. ?My son, who usually comes home at 4.30 pm from his school in RA Puram, today reached home at 8.10 pm. Like him, 15 other children in the van were on the verge of collapse as they had no food or water for several hours,? said Bhavani of Adambakkam. Flooding of rails near Guindy delayed the suburban train services. Air passengers complained that they missed flights because they could not reach the airport in time. As yet another political show rolled out on Chennai's arterial roads, all hell broke loose. The human chain to express solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils weaved through the arterial Mount Road throwing traffic out of gear, and leaving commuters, office-goers, students and even young children stranded for hours on the road. Over the years, politicians have used public utilities, main roads and streets to promote their parties and propagate their cause, but the human chain which stretched from Tambaram to Kamaraj road would still count among the biggest crowd-mobilising exercises seen in Chennai. Although there are no clear judicial directives with regard to the organising of such events, , it was only last June that the Madras high court had placed restrictions on public meetings so that they caused as little inconvenience as possible to the public and did not disrupt traffic during the rush hour. Ensuring that roads were not blocked and sufficient space was given for free movement of vehicles and pedestrians was a key element in the ruling. Even though a human chain programme may not strictly fall under the category of public meetings, the spirit of the order was that the people were not put to great hardship during political gatherings. These directives were clearly flouted on Friday as thousands of political activists and students were mobilised for the human chain. Civic activists are of the view that the rally could have easily been organised at a location less inconvenient to residents to achieve the same effect. Instead, the show, which had clear political overtones, saw even chief minister M Karunanidhi's family members standing in the human chain, unmindful of being drenched in the rain. ?The most pitiable was the plight of schoolchildren and college students who stood shivering in the rain, intimidated by teachers, waiting for the chief minister to pass by,? said a motorist on condition of anonymity. While the heavy rains may have contributed to the traffic chaos on Friday, the question on many people's minds was whether such protests really achieve the purpose for which they are held. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6102949 Indian Tamils in Human Chain Protest Over Sri Lanka By S. Murari October 24, 2008 CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Hundreds of Tamils marched in the streets of a southern Indian city Friday to protest against the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, as a regional political group pressured the Indian government to stop the war. Protesters braved heavy rains and linked arms in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. "Save the Tamils, stop the battle," they shouted. Sri Lanka's intensifying offensive against the LTTE, which it has fought since 1983 in one of Asia's longest insurgencies, has roiled India's political scene and prompted heated diplomatic exchanges between the two neighbors. Two Tamil politicians were arrested Thursday by the Indian police for speaking publicly in support of the LTTE rebels. Last week, a group of Indian lawmakers, whose support is crucial to the government, handed their resignation letters to their party chief, saying they could not continue in a government that was not reacting to the sufferings of the Tamils. The Indian government urged Sri Lanka to solve the issue through dialogue. But the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party (DMK) which organised Friday's rally has called regular protests, and thousands of people from the Tamil film industry also thronged to an island in the state this week to protest against Sri Lanka. The lawmakers' resignation could force a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government if the letters reach the speaker in India's parliament. But experts have described the threats to resign as only political posturing. "By resigning, they are playing to the galleries and putting pressure on the government, which is very unfortunate," Bhaskara Rao, a political analyst said in New Delhi. The Tigers in Sri Lanka figure on U.S., European Union and Indian terrorism lists for widespread bombings and assassinations. In 1991, they were charged with killing India's former Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka has vowed to crush the Tamil Tigers militarily. India sent peacekeepers to the island nation in 1987, only to withdraw them after losing more than 1,200 men in battle and facing allegations of human rights violations. India now follows a policy of non-interference in Sri Lanka's internal problems. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Alistair Scrutton) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/10/25/180313/Indian-Tamils.htm October 25, 2008 11:21 am TWN, By S. Murari, Reuters Indian Tamils protest over Sri Lanka conflict CHENNAI, India -- Hundreds of Tamils marched in the streets of a southern Indian city on Friday to protest against the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, as a regional political group pressured the Indian government to stop the war. Protesters braved heavy rains and linked arms in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. ?Save the Tamils, stop the battle,? they shouted. Sri Lanka?s intensifying offensive against the LTTE, which it has fought since 1983 in one of Asia?s longest insurgencies, has roiled India?s political scene and prompted heated diplomatic exchanges between the two neighbors. Two Tamil politicians were arrested on Thursday by the Indian police for speaking publicly in support of the LTTE rebels. Last week, a group of Indian lawmakers, whose support is crucial to the government, handed their resignation letters to their party chief, saying they could not continue in a government that was not reacting to the sufferings of the Tamils. The Indian government urged Sri Lanka to solve the issue through dialogue. But the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party (DMK) which organised Friday?s rally has called regular protests, and thousands of people from the Tamil film industry also thronged to an island in the state this week to protest against Sri Lanka. The lawmakers? resignation could force a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s government if the letters reach the speaker in India?s parliament. But experts have described the threats to resign as only political posturing. ?By resigning, they are playing to the galleries and putting pressure on the government, which is very unfortunate,? Bhaskara Rao, a political analyst said in New Delhi. The Tigers in Sri Lanka figure on U.S., European Union and Indian terrorism lists for widespread bombings and assassinations. In 1991, they were charged with killing India?s former Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka has vowed to crush the Tamil Tigers militarily. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/27/stories/2008102753450300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Silent protest against ?killings? of Tamilians Staff Correspondent HUBLI: Members of various organisations staged a demonstration and took out a silent protest march in Hubli on Sunday against ?killings? of Tamil minorities in Sri Lanka. The protest was organised by the Dharwad district unit of the Karnataka Tamil?s Federation. The protesters held placards with messages condemning the ?killings? of Tamilians and urging for steps to save the minorities in Sri Lanka. Led by the office-bearers of the federation, the protesters staged the demonstration in front of B.R. Ambedkar?s statue near the Head Post Office. Later, they took out the protest march Members of the Hubli Tamil Sangam, Buddhist Association, Sri Subramani Samaj, Muttu Mariamma Yuvaka Mandal, Sri Vairamalai Murugan Temple Trust and Baba Saheb Ambedkar Youth Federation were among those who participated in the protest. http://article.wn.com/view/2008/10/12/Tamil_film_industry_joins_protests_on_Lanka/ Tamil film industry joins protests on Lanka The Statesman N Ravikumar CHENNAI, Oct. 12: Confirming the trend in Tamil Nadu that any emotional issue moves to the film arena after it takes the centre-stage in politics, Tamil film industry joined the protests on the Sri Lankan Tamils? issue and announced that all the film stars and technicians would wear black badges ?condemning the genocide of island Tamils?. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Tamil_film_stars_stage_protest_to_show_solidarity/rssarticleshow/3616497.cms Tamil film stars stage protest to show solidarity 20 Oct 2008, 0106 hrs IST, TNN RAMESWARAM: Over 2,000 members of the Tamil film industry staged a rally in this coastal temple town on Sunday to protest against alleged genocide against Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, but the event was robbed of its sheen because of the absence of glamourous stars. Initially, the industry had planned a massive show of support to the Tamil cause, but logistical constraints over transporting hundreds of popular actors to the small town made the organisers think otherwise. Actor-politician Sarath Kumar, president of the South Indian film artistes' association, said top actors would stage a fast in Chennai on November 1 on the same issue. The Tamil industry, which has in the past taken to the streets to take up the state's cause in the Cauvery water dispute and Hogenakkal drinking water scheme, wanted to rally around the political parties in support of Tamils in Lanka, too. Speakers at the rally urged the Centre to take immediate steps to stop the 'massacre' of civilians in the island. Large crowds gathered in Rameswaram to witness the mega-protest, but many were disappointed that the protesters comprised largely of directors and film distributors, and that their favourite stars, even those from the small screen, were not present. President of the film producers' council, Rama Narayan, directors Bharathiraja, Vijaya T Rajender, Seeman, Ameer, Santhana Bharathi and others came by a special train to Rameswaram. People lined up along the road to the venue of the demonstration to welcome the film stars. Speaking to reporters, Bharathiraja said the protest was aimed at expressing solidarity with the suffering Tamils. Some of the protesters visited the nearby Tamil refugee camp at Mandapam and distributed clothes and food items to the residents. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102556351200.htm Tamils protest in South Africa PRETORIA: Hundreds of Tamils settled here took out a march on Friday protesting against alleged human rights violation during the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka. ?Our primary aim is to show that we are concerned about the mass killings of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan government soldiers in the north and east of the island country,? said the spokesperson of Tamil Coordinating Committee of South Africa ? PTI http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/771/39777 Sri Lankan foreign minister met with protests Farida Iqbal 18 October 2008 Around 600 members of the Australian Tamil community converged on Canberra on October 14 to protest Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama?s visit to Australia to meet with foreign minister Stephen Smith. Bogollagama was addressing an invite-only audience of Australian journalists inside the National Press Club. Protesters demanded an end to the restriction of press freedoms within Sri Lanka, in particular the assassination of journalists by the Sri Lankan government and the ban on journalists visiting areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Sri Lankan government has recently intensified its military operations in an attempt to regain LTTE-controlled territory. Activists also condemned Smith?s October 13 announcement that Australia would consider listing the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. The LTTE has led the struggle for Tamil self-determination. The chairperson of the Australian Federation of Tamil Associations addressed the rally. ?There is war going on in Sri Lanka. The Tamils want to be recognised, have the right of self-determination. We should rule ourselves?, he said. ?We want the Tamils to have their own nation, and to live in dignity.? An October 15 Tamilnet.com article quoted a protester saying: ?A Sri Lankan government representative is addressing Australian journalists while the Sri Lankan government has banned journalists from visiting areas where there are more than 200,000 internally displaced, and where Colombo?s embargo on essential food is driving the IDPs [internally displaced people] towards a humanitarian crisis.? Australian media representatives questioned Bogollagama on the issue of press freedom. Mark Dodd from the Australian asked how the Sri Lankan government, given its own record of human rights violations, could ask the Australian government to ban the LTTE. Bogollagama had told Smith that the Sri Lankan government would not negotiate with the LTTE until they laid down their arms. A second protest was held in Sydney on October 15 as Bogollagama addressed the Sydney Centre for International Law. Several hundred people protested outside to condemn Sri Lanka?s failing judicial system. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/24/stories/2008102456101800.htm Protest against LTTE in Jaffna B. Muralidhar Reddy COLOMBO: Jaffna?s civil society, along with business establishments, the administration and many educational institutions on Thursday observed a hartal to protest against the ?cowardly? LTTE suicide attack on two ships with food supplies to the peninsula on Wednesday, said Minister and Eelam People?s Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Doughlas Devananda. ?The cowardly action of the Tigers targeting two ships carrying essential items to the Jaffna Peninsula has angered the people so much that it led to a spontaneous protest,? Mr. Devananda told The Hindu. A group of Tamil parties ? the EPDP, PLOTE, TMVP, EPRLF-P and TULF ? opposed to the LTTE have decided to observe October 28 as a ?protest day? in the north and eastern provinces, where the LTTE is ?holding civilians hostage? in the warzones. The sea route between the peninsula and the mainland provides essential goods to Jaffna. Any attempt to disrupt the supplies? flow must be condemned, said Mr. Devananda. Due to the attack, services in Jaffna were disrupted as there were no transport facilities, he said. Separately, the military said ?counter-terrorist offensives? continued as it encountered stiff resistance from the LTTE in Wanni. The military claimed the LTTE?s casualties might soar following fresh fighting. Meanwhile, 13 civilians from LTTE-held areas in Mullathivu district sought the military?s protection on Thursday. They used sea routes to reach Pulmuddai after escaping from LTTE-held Veththalakerni. ?The escapees have told that they have to undergo untold hardships as a result of LTTE activities, including extortion and conscription of youngsters. However, signs emanating from Wanni indicate that civilians are ready to flee the clutches of the LTTE at any moment as dozens of civilians are fleeing Wanni on a daily basis,? said the Defence Ministry. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-35928.html Shutdown in Jaffna to protest LTTE attack on merchant ships Colombo, Oct 23 : Life came to a standstill in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula Thursday in response to a shutdown called to protest a suicide attack by the Tamil Tiger rebels on two cargo vessels a day ago. A Sri Lankan cargo vessel was damaged when the Tamil Tiger rebels Wednesday carried a pre-dawn-suicide boat attack targeting two government merchant vessels off the Kankesanthurai harbour in the north. Reports from Jaffna said that normal activity in the northern peninsula was badly affected Thursday with schools, government departments and business institutions closed. Public transport was also off the roads. However, the Jaffna Teaching Hospital remained functional. The anti-LTTE Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP), which organised the shut down, said people in the Jaffna peninsula 'have expressed their condemnation to the LTTE attack on ships carrying essential supplies to the north, by extending their fullest support to the hartal'. The ex-militant EPDP is an ally of the ruling coalition and its leader Douglas Devananda is a key minister in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's cabinet. Commenting on the latest confrontation at sea, Devananda charged that the LTTE suicide attack on the ships was 'clearly aimed at crippling the essential supplies to the north by sea', which has become the lifeline after the closure of the Jaffna-Kandy main supply route in 2006. 'The ships were not military targets as they were deployed to transport to essential supplies, including dhal, flour and sugar. The hartal was organised to demonstrate democratically the people's condemnation on the LTTE attack,' Devananda, an open critique of the LTTE, told IANS. The Sri Lankan Navy said that three explosive-laden suicide boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) targeted merchant ships Ruhuna and Nimalawa off Kankesanthurai (KKS) harbour at 5.10 a.m. Wednesday. Claiming that the LTTE attempt was thwarted by sailors providing security on board the targeted vessels, the navy however, said that 'one of the suicide boats has exploded in close proximity to Merchant Ship Nimalawa causing considerable damage to the ship's hull'. The pro-rebel Tamilnet website quoting LTTE sources claimed that the Sea Tigers carried out a 'Black Tiger attack on Sri Lankan ship MV Nimalawa, which carried military and other supplies, in the Sri Lankan naval harbour in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna. 'The supply ship was sunk and another vessel, MV Ruhuna, sustained heavy damage,' the Tigers said Wednesday, adding that two senior LTTE cadres, including the deputy leader of the Sea Tigers' female wing had carried out the suicide attack. The LTTE claims were flatly denied by defence ministry. --- IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/11/stories/2008101159490300.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Freak accident on busy highway leads to protest Special Correspondent Motorcyclist loses control after stopped by police MADURAI: Traffic on the busy Tirupparankundram Road came to a grinding halt after the public resorted to a road blockade protesting against the death of a motorist. The agitators said that Suresh alias Suresh Kumar (32) of Chokalingam Nagar, who was proceeding towards Tirupparankundram, was allegedly stopped by a policemen at the Pasumalai check-post. Suresh lost control and a bus coming in the opposite direction hit the two-wheeler. He died on the spot. As the news spread, some colleagues of Suresh Kumar, working in a private company, and passers-by gathered near the check-post and shouted slogans against the policeman. A few among the crowd pelted stones at the check-post and at the bus involved in the accident. After 90 minutes of traffic hold-up, the police assured of action following which the crowd dispersed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101452290300.htm Karnataka - Belgaum DSS protests against atrocities Staff Correspondent Belgaum: The district unit of the Dalit Sangarsh Samiti (DSS) on Monday took out a procession to protest against the alleged atrocities on a Dalit woman in Kadoli village of Belgaum taluk. The DSS workers, led by district president Ashok Inavar, submitted memorandums to the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Commissioner demanding immediate action against the persons responsible for humiliating 50-year-old Susheela Myageri. Mr. Inavar told presspersons that a group of youths from the village had accused Ms. Myageri of going against the decision taken by the residents of the village not to sell liquor there. He said that the residents had decided to stop the sale of liquor on Sunday. Liquor was being sold by four or five persons, including Ms. Myageri. Some workers engaged in constructing her house were seen consuming country liquor. On learning about it and suspecting that she was going against the decision, the youths attacked Ms. Myageri. Later, she was handed over to the Kakti police station. Mr. Inavar said the people had no right to humiliate or insult her in that manner. He said they could have lodged a complaint with the police. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/27/stories/2008102752150300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Unique protest KURNOOL: TDP leader Bangi Ananthaiah staged a protest with currency against alleged corruption in Congress government. True to his style, Mr. Ananthaiah stuffed wads of currency in the mouth and wore notes on the shirt and head here on Sunday. He said corruption had reached its height during the Congress rule, with even Ministers levelling charges against each other. ? Special Correspondent http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/422016/cs/1/ Shutdown in Malegaon to protest alleged police beating India Gazette Thursday 23rd October, 2008 (IANS) An all-party shutdown was observed in Malegaon Thursday to protest the 'savage beating' of five Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) office bearers, allegedly by the police, three days ago. The MNS functionaries have filed a court complaint against the police, stating that on Tuesday they were encircled by about 25 commandos and severely thrashed after being deceitfully taken to a spot outside the town where they had enforced a road blockade earlier protesting their leader Raj Thackeray's arrest in Ratnagiri that day. 'We were told to get down at the road blockade spot, encircled by the commandos who were ordered to beat us to death,' said Shriram Sonawne, a functionary whose hand was fractured in the alleged beating. The five, who have suffered fractures in their hands, legs and ribs, were taken to the government hospital in Nashik Wednesday after their statements were recorded by the local court in Malegaon. The court has ordered the Nashik district civil surgeon to examine the wounds and submit a report within two days, Gawli said. While additional superintendent of police Sanjay Patil denied the allegations, superintendent of police Nikhil Gupta told IANS that appropriate action will be taken against whoever is found guilty in the incident being probed by the court. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101352020400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai AIADMK demonstration CHENNAI: The AIADMK?s Madurai Corporation unit will organise a demonstration tomorrow (October 13) to condemn irregularities in the corporation. In a statement here party general secretary Jayalalithaa alleged that corporation employees were being recruited on contract basis and farmers who brought their produce for sale at the corporation markets were forced to pay commission. ?Instead of increasing the revenue of the corporation through the best possible ways, the corporation has burdened the people by hiking property tax, commercial tax and industrial tax,? she added. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102554550400.htm Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram TDB holds interview amid protests Special Correspondent DYFI, AIYF workers hold demonstrations THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A tense situation prevailed at the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters here on Friday morning when interview for lower division clerks was held. Board sources said that interview for 91 candidates was scheduled for two days. While TDB president C.K. Guptan and member P.K. Sumathy Kutty Amma reached the office for the interview, another member P. Narayanan chose to keep off. As many as 21 candidates were present for the interview. Eight candidates were interviewed while protest was raging outside the office. Though a huge posse of police were posted to avoid untoward incidents, a group of Democratic Youth Federation of India activists rushed to the office and staged a dharna before the president?s office. All India Youth Federation activists also attempted to storm the office. The youth activists raised corruption charges against the Board and said that Mr. Guptan and Ms.Sumathy Kutty were trying to select candidates who were short-listed by the previous Board which had allegedly taken huge amounts from them. Bharatiya Janata Party workers also marched to the office, but they were stopped at the gate. Interview postponed After interviewing eight candidates, Mr. Guptan fell ill and was taken to hospital. A Board release later said that the interview of the remaining candidates had been postponed and the new date and time would be announced later. Earlier, Mr. Guptan told reporters that he was conducting the interview as per the decision of the Board and also to avert contempt of court proceedings against the Board. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102651910300.htm Tamil Nadu They protest ? Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan For their leader: MDMK cadres staging a demonstration in Salem on Saturday condemning the arrest of their leader Vaiko in Chennai. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102654380500.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai MDMK workers stage protest Special Correspondent Demand release of Vaiko, Kannappan CHENNAI: Members of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staged a protest all over the State on Saturday, demanding the immediate release of party general secretary Vaiko and presidium chairman M. Kannappan arrested on sedition charges. Demonstrations were held in all district headquarters, where the workers raised slogans condemning the Centre for providing military support to the Sri Lankan army in its operations against innocent Tamils. Leading the agitation at Nagercoil, senior party functionary Nanjil Sampath accused Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of succumbing to the pressure of the Congress to arrest Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Kannappan. The Centre had admitted to having given training to the Sri Lankan army. ?Thousands of innocent Tamils are homeless in the war-affected areas, without food or medical aid. The human chain agitation organised by Mr. Karunanidhi is only an eyewash. The Government of India has not withdrawn its military assistance to Sri Lanka,? Mr. Sampath said. The arrest of Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Kannappan was an attempt to stifle the freedom of expression. In Chennai, a large number of workers staged a demonstration in front of the memorial hall. Led by deputy general secretary Mallai Sathya, they demanded the release of the leaders. In Coimbatore, more than 750 workers staged a demonstration. More than 300 activists in Coimbatore and 150 in Tirupur were removed by the police when they attempted to move on to the road, after staging the demonstration near Hotel Tamil Nadu. The Police prevented some of them from blocking traffic. While district secretaries R.T. Mariappan and R.R. Mohan Kumar led a demonstration in Coimbatore, Marumalarchi Labour Front leader S. Duraisamy led the agitation at Tirupur. MDMK MP from Pollachi C. Krishnan also took part in the demonstration in the city. All of them were released in the evening. MDMK workers, led by the district office-bearers, assembled near the Collectorate in Salem. The police removed 116 persons in Salem and 76 in Namakkal district. In Krishnagiri, 165 members, led by district secretary T. Mathaiyan, were removed when they tried to defy a police ban on the demonstration. In Dharmapuri district, 125 members were removed when they tried to stage a demonstration. Participating in the stir, Madurai urban district secretary M. Boominathan, MLA Veera Illavarasan, M.D .Chinnachellam and labour wing secretary Mahaboob John condemned the killing of innocent Tamils and demanded the release of their leaders. They urged the Centre and State governments to protect the lives of Tamils. The police said 250 workers were arrested on North Veli Street in Madurai and detained in a kalyana mandapam. Later in the evening, all the arrested, including five women, were released. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=509c24d7-9556-4aee-a6a2-e5381a85d545&&Headline=Mamata+to+begin+fresh+protests+against+CPI-M Mamata to begin fresh protests against CPI-M First Published: 21:47 IST(25/10/2008) Last Updated: 21:53 IST(25/10/2008) The Trinamool Congress will begin a series of fresh protests in West Bengal from November to protest against the alleged inaction of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led state government in tackling major political issues like Nandigram and Singur. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee Saturday told reporters here that her party would hold rallies after Diwali against the administrative failure in sanctioning compensation to families of missing villagers in Nandigram and giving back land taken from farmers in Singur. "We've decided to hold rallies and public meetings Nov 2 in Singur in demand of the land which was forcibly acquired by the state government for the Tata Motors Nano project," Banerjee said. She said similar protests would be held in Nandigram in East Midnapore district, the region that flared up last year over a notice of land acquisition for a chemical hub project by Indonesia's Salim group. "We'll demand compensation for the family members of those who went missing after the CPI-M sponsored terrorism in Nandigram. We'll also protest the police atrocity all across the state," Banerjee added. She said that between Nov 10 and 20 the Trinamool Congress would hold demonstrations and lay siege on the offices of the district superintendents of police all over the state. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/21/stories/2008102155451000.htm Protest in Kandhamal ? Photo: AFP Anger against CRPF: Villagers block the entry of Central Reserve Police Force personnel at Raikia in Kandhamal district, Orissa on Monday. At least seven persons were injured when police lathi-charged a group of agitating women, who were demanding the withdrawal of the CRPF personnel from the district. They were also opposing police action against their menfolk. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/419479/cs/1/ Kerala ministers stage protest in Delhi, opposition back home India Gazette Friday 17th October, 2008 (IANS) New Delhi/Even as Kerala ministers staged a sit in Friday in front of the Indian parliament to protest against the economic policies of the Manmohan Singh government, leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy led a similar protest in front of the state secretariat against the 'poor governance' of the state government. While Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said what Chandy and his men were doing was 'shameful', Chandy said while inaugurating the sit in that what Achuthanandan was doing in New Delhi 'will show Kerala and its citizens in poor light'. The Congress alleged close to Rs.30 million has been spent by Achuthanandan to stage the protest in New Delhi. The chief minister said that Chandy 'goes around the state and speaks against the government using government money'. Achuthanandan and his cabinet has been saying that the Manmohan Singh government despite several requests is not taking favourable actions to mitigate the issues of Kerala. The state government has said that the central government has cut the supply of ration to the above poverty line category drastically and also reduced the supply of electricity from the central pool. Another issue that they have raised is the request for an Indian Institute of Technology in the state. State secretary of the Communist Party of India Marxist Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at the opposition and said that they too should have joined the team led by Achuthanandan and should have expressed their feelings in New Delhi. 'They have no guts to express their feelings in Delhi and instead they are joining hands with the central government to make life miserable for people here,' said Vijayan while inaugurating a sit in of Left activists in front of the Kerala governor's residence here. Chandy, however, said the 'drama being enacted in Delhi is to cover up the state government's lack of effective governance'. 'You should know that when they say the central government has cut the ration, they have actually sold rice that has to be given for free and what they are doing in Delhi is a blot on Kerala,' said Chandy. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/18/stories/2008101861270100.htm New Delhi VS leads protest march in Delhi Special Correspondent Accuses Centre of neglecting the State ? Photo: V. Sudershan For State?s cause: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan along with his party MPs and MLAs during their Parliament march and dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday. NEW DELHI: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan led a dharna by his Council of Ministers, legislators and members of Parliament from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and other like-minded persons here on Friday to protest against the ?gross negligence? shown by the Central government towards the State. Addressing the dharna at Jantar Mantar, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said it was not usual for Chief Ministers to come and agitate in this fashion in the capital for their genuine demands. Stating that the Public Distribution System (PDS) of Kerala was a role model for other States, he said the Centre was trying to destroy it. ?Over-centralisation? Of the view that the Central government was misusing its powers and critical of what he described as ?over-centralisation? of power, Mr. Karat called for a re-definition of Centre-State relations. Referring to the pressure from the Centre on Kerala to trifurcate the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), he said such a decision should be left to State governments. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said the dharna was a reflection of the sorry state of affairs in the State. Further, according to him, the Centre was being negligent towards Kerala as the Left parties had withdrawn support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Referring to the protest action by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala against the dharna, G. Devarajan of the Forward Bloc said this meant that the UDF was against the people of the State getting relief on their long-pending demands from the Centre for which the LDF was protesting. Rice quota A key demand of the agitators was restoration of Kerala?s quota of rice for distribution through the PDS to the Above Poverty Line card-holders. First reduced to 17,056 tonnes a month in April 2008 from 21,334 tonnes in April 2007, the allocation has been completely stopped since September this year; resulting in a rise in the rice price in the open market. Another plea of the State that has not been addressed pertains to Kerala?s share of electricity from the Central pool. According to the State government, Kerala is to get 1,188 MW electricity a month from the Central pool. This includes 145 MW from the unallocated share from the Central generating stations. The Central allocation has been reduced from 764 MW in June 2008 to 745 MW in July and 667 MW in August; resulting in a severe power crisis in the State. Other demands included a Peninsular Railway Zone, an Indian Institute of Technology and relief for natural calamities. On all counts, the State?s charge is that the Centre has done nothing but make empty promises. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1198830 Cong plans protest march from Lalganj to Lucknow Javed M Ansari Friday, October 17, 2008 2:03 IST NEW DELHI: The Congress-BSP battle in Uttar Pradesh shows no signs of abating, with neither side willing to take a step back. A day after UP chief minister Mayawati announced plans to hold a rally in Sonia Gandhi's stronghold of Rae Bareli; the Congress announced plans of a protest march from Lalganj to Lucknow, the heart of Mayawati's power base. The march to Lucknow will be preceded by protest rallies in each assembly segment of Rae Bareli against the cancellation of land allotment for the proposed rail coach factory. Rae Bareli residents will even present the district magistrate a memorandum demanding setting up of the rail coach factory. According the AICC general secretary in charge of UP, Digvijay Singh, the party will also highlight all the schemes sanctioned by the UPA government for the area, especially Rae Bareli and Amethi, and also educate the people on how the UP chief minis3ter had tried to scuttle them. The protest march will be led by Digvijay Singh and UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna, besides other senior leaders from UP. "We will not bow before her vindictiveness. She can put all of us in jail if she wants," said Digvijay Singh. The Congress party has decided on a calibrated approach to take on the BSP. Rather than make it into a Mayawati versus Sonia Gandhi fight, the party plans to adopt a political approach by raising issues and highlighting the vindictiveness of the BSP supremo's approach. "She has been riding roughshod over everybody in the state. We want to involve all those who have been victims of her high-handedness," says Pervez Hashmi, the AICC secretary in charge of UP. The plan is to take the fight right into her power base by puncturing her claims to be the only representative of the dalits. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081017/jsp/northeast/story_9977330.jsp Meghalaya protests scrapping of airport OUR CORRESPONDENT Shillong, Oct. 16: The Meghalaya government will write to the Centre, protesting against the cancellation of the inauguration of Baljek Airport in West Garo Hills by President Pratibha Patil on October 23. Chief minister Donkupar Roy today said the government had received a communiqu? from the President?s office yesterday about the change. ?We don?t know the exact reason for the cancellation, but there are reports from the Centre that Baljek airport is too small a project for the President to inaugurate,? Roy said. However, after the President?s arrival in Shillong on October 22, she will attend the centenary celebrations of the Laban Bengali Girls High School. ?I have asked chief secretary Ranjan Chatterjee to write to the President?s office and ask whether the inauguration of Baljek Airport is more important thana school function,? Roy said. The change of decision was announced to at a meeting chaired by the chief secretary in Shillong yesterday. The President will attend a civic reception in Tura on October 23. The Centre said no aircraft was available on the day of the inauguration to make the airport functional. This was the reason given for the cancellation of the inauguration yesterday. A government official who attended yesterday?s meeting also said the private airlines were unwilling to operate flights there because of less traffic.Power minister Conrad Sangma opposed the Centre?s decision at the meeting. He wanted to know the reason for the last minute change in the programme, as the airport was ?ready for use since last December.? http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/17/stories/2008101761240300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Okkoota stages protest Staff Correspondent MANGALORE: The Jatyateeta Sanghatanegala Okkoota, a federation of secular organisations in the district, staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office here on Thursday against some alleged derogatory statements that appeared in a Kannada daily. The article, which was written by a popular Kannada novelist, is said to have contained some ?communally charged? comments. Urge The agitators urged that the media be non-partisan and reconciliatory in its representation, especially in view of the communal strife witnessed in the region, quite recently. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/19/stories/2008101952340400.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Protest against IUML leadership Special Correspondent Leader from Tamil Nadu threatens to hold agitation ________________________________________ Wants disqualification of Ahamed from Lok Sabha To get in touch with League supporters ________________________________________ Kozhikode: M.G. Dawood Miakhan, general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Tamil Nadu, has warned that he will organise an agitation against the new leadership of the IUML since in his perception its national president E. Ahamed and all-India secretary K.M. Khader Mohideen ?cannot neither constitutionally nor morally claim to be members of the IUML.? Mr. Miakhan, who is the grandson of the IUML founder-leader Quaide Milleth Mohammed Ismail, said in Kozhikode he had sought disqualification of Mr. Ahamed from the Lok Sabha. He released in Kozhikode photocopies of a letter from the Election Commission which, in response to a request made under the Right to Information Act, stated that there was no member in the present Lok Sabha from IUML. It stated there was ?a lone-member-party in the present Lok Sabha, namely Muslim League Kerala State Committee, which is represented by E.Ahamed, MP.? As per the commission?s records, Muslim League Kerala State Committee and the IUML are separate registered political parties. Mr. Ahamed had got elected to Parliament as a member of the Muslim League State Committee and not as a member of the IUML, Mr. Miakhan said. Mr. Khader Mohideen got elected under DMK?s election symbol. Mr. Miakhan has in a representation appealed to the Election Commission not to take cognisance of the election of Mr. Ahamed and Mr. Mohideen as office-bearers of the IUML. He would get in touch with likeminded Muslim League supporters to organise ?a true and genuine IUML.? http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102654440500.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore MDMK cadres stage demonstrations Staff Reporter Coimbatore: More than 300 cadres of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) were removed by the police on Friday when they attempted to stage a demonstration at Gandhipuram in protest against the arrest of their party General Secretary Vaiko and presidium chairman M. Kannappan. A few also tried to block the road. Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Kannappan were arrested for making speeches at a public meeting in Chennai supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The cadres were led by the party district secretaries R.T. Mariappan and R.R. Mohan Kumar. Pollachi Constituency MP C. Krishnan joined the demonstration later. The demonstrators raised slogans against the State Government. Some protesters tried to squat on the busy Nanjappa Road before they were removed by the police. Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam activists were removed by the police when they staged a demonstration near the Red Cross Society Building on Huzur Road in the City. Tirupur: More than 150 MDMK cadres, led by the Labour Front leader, S. Duraisamy, were removed by the police when they tried to stage a demonstration in the hosiery town. Salem: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) activists staged a demonstration in Salem on Saturday condemning the arrest Vaiko and Kannappan. All of them were arrested. They came to the Collectorate and raised slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government. They also urged that both the leaders be released immediately. The police prevented them from taking out a procession. District?s frontline office bearers took part in the agitation. Later the police arrested them and took them to a nearby marriage hall. Traffic in the area was affected for nearly 45 minutes. Erode: MDMK cadres staged demonstration in Erode in protest against the arrests of General Secretary Vaiko and presidium chairman M. Kannappan. Krishnagiri: About 290 MDMK party workers were arrested in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts on Saturday when they tried to hold demonstrations in protest against the arrests of party leaders Vaiko and Kannappan. MDMK district secretary T. Mathaiyan led the demonstrations at 5 Road junction. About 165 persons, including 12 women, were arrested. About 250 members of Kongu Vellalar Peravai held demonstrations against the killings of Tamils in Sri Lanka. District treasurer Mr. Rajendran led the demonstration before the Revenue Divisional Office. Dharmapuri: MDMK cadres tried to hold demonstrations near Rajagopal Gounder Park. District secretary M. Sampath led the demonstration. Dharmapuri town police have arrested 125 party workers, including 25 women. Udhagamandalam: MDMK activists staged a demonstration in Udhagamandalam on Saturday. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 01:21:24 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:21:24 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and human/civil rights protests, America, Oct-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB5A04.6010808@tesco.net> * Rockers press Obama on music torture * Minnesota - St Paul's repression protested * Sonoma - Vigil to protest taser death * Alaska - Snowman killjoys spark protests * New York - elderly protest at draconian care home rules * Arizona - speed camera protests continue * Lakeville - protest against orders to remove private trees * Texas - execution leads to protest * Texas - "no refusal" drink-driving tests spark protest * Los Angeles - man hangs Palin effigy * Nebraska - protest over cancellation of Ayers lecture * Michigan - Amish protest "Mark of the Beast" RFIDs * Kentucky - rally against death penalty * Chicago - teen protest against semi-automatic police guns * California - protests over takeover of local trade union * Street racers plan demo against repression * Pennsylvania - protest targets Palin * Virginia - Palin confuses protesters and supporters * Anti-Palin T-shirts popular * Philadelphia - sports fans boo Palin * Ohio - Palin "let them eat cake" protest * CANADA - US: Protests for Khadr, Canadian child-prisoner in America * Arizona - speed camera operator attacks protester * Georgia - Troy Davis execution threat leads to protests * New Jersey - compulsory flu shots protested * Maryland - saboteurs target speed cameras http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/uk-human-rights.html Rockers to Press Obama on Music Torture By Nathan Hodge December 23, 2008 | 12:55:00 PMCategories: Dissent Tech, DR Soundtrack, T is for Terror Reprieve, a British human rights law group that represents over 30 Guantanamo Bay detainees, is planning to work with musicians to lobby President-elect Barack Obama to end the practice of sonic torture by military interrogators. Earlier this month, Reprieve and the U.K. Musicians Union launched Zero dB, a "silent protest" over the use of music in interrogations. According to Reprieve, many of its clients have been subjected to hours of music played at deafening volume -- sometime for days or even weeks on end. And the BBC has reported on a particularly insidious practice: using the theme songs from Sesame Street and Barney to break the will of prisoners. This has musicians furious. Last week, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails even suggested he might pursue legal action to stop the practice. Chloe Davis, a researcher for Reprieve, told Danger Room the Zero dB campaign was planning to work with prominent musicians to lobby the incoming administration. "It is really important that we seize the chance to alert Obama to this practice," she said. "... I think there will be people on the other side trying to catch Obama?s attention, saying we need to be tough. We?re trying to counter that message." This may be a promising strategy. Musicians contributed mightily to the Obama campaign; and the inaugural next month is supposed to be a celebrity-studded event. http://www.theledger.com/article/20081209/news/812090330 Musicians Protest Use of Songs in Torture Detainees are subjected to weeks of heavy metal auditory assault. By ANDREW O. SELSKY The Associated Press Published: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7:20 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7:20 p.m. GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba | Blaring from a speaker behind a metal grate in his tiny cell in Iraq, the blistering rock from Nine Inch Nails hit Prisoner No. 200343 like a sonic bludgeon. Composer and producer Christopher Cerf poses for a picture at the piano he wrote songs for the children's TV show "Sesame Street" in New York, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. The U.S. has used loud music against those held in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, and detainees now aren't the only ones complaining: Musicians are banding together to demand the U.S. military stop using their songs as weapons. AP Photo/Seth Wenig "Stains like the blood on your teeth," Trent Reznor snarled over distorted guitars. "Bite. Chew." The auditory assault went on for days, then weeks, then months at the U.S. military detention center in Iraq. Twenty hours a day. AC/DC. Queen. Pantera. The prisoner, military contractor Donald Vance of Chicago, told The Associated Press he was soon suicidal. The tactic has been common in the U.S. war on terror, with forces systematically using loud music on hundreds of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the U.S. military commander in Iraq, authorized it on Sept. 14, 2003, "to create fear, disorient ... and prolong capture shock." Now the detainees aren't the only ones complaining. Musicians are banding together to demand the U.S. military stop using their songs as weapons. A campaign being launched Wednesday has brought together groups including Massive Attack and musicians such as Tom Morello, who played with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave and is now on a solo tour. It will feature minutes of silence during concerts and festivals, said Chloe Davies of the British law group Reprieve, which represents dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainees and is organizing the campaign. At least Vance, who says he was jailed for reporting illegal arms sales, was used to rock music. For many detainees who grew up in Afghanistan - where music was prohibited under Taliban rule - interrogations by U.S. forces marked their first exposure to the pounding rhythms, played at top volume. The experience was overwhelming for many. Binyam Mohammed, now a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, said men held with him at the CIA's "Dark Prison" in Afghanistan wound up screaming and smashing their heads against walls, unable to endure more. "There was loud music, (Eminem's) 'Slim Shady' and Dr. Dre for 20 days. I heard this nonstop over and over," he told his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith. "The CIA worked on people, including me, day and night for the months before I left. Plenty lost their minds." The spokeswoman for Guantanamo's detention center, Navy Cmdr. Pauline Storum, wouldn't give details of when and how music has been used at the prison, but said it isn't used today. She didn't respond when asked whether music might be used in the future. FBI agents stationed at Guantanamo Bay reported numerous instances in which music was blasted at detainees, saying they were "told such tactics were common there." According to an FBI memo, one interrogator at Guantanamo Bay bragged he needed only four days to "break" someone by alternating 16 hours of music and lights with four hours of silence and darkness. Ruhal Ahmed, a Briton who was captured in Afghanistan, describes excruciating sessions at Guantanamo Bay. He said his hands were shackled to his feet, which were shackled to the floor, forcing him into a painful squat for periods of up to two days. "You're in agony," Ahmed, who was released without charge in 2004, told Reprieve. He said the agony was compounded when music was introduced, because "before you could actually concentrate on something else, try to make yourself focus on some other things in your life that you did before and take that pain away. "It makes you feel like you are going mad," he said. Not all of the music is hard rock. Christopher Cerf, who wrote music for "Sesame Street," said he was horrified to learn songs from the children's TV show were used in interrogations. "I wouldn't want my music to be a party to that," he told AP. Bob Singleton, whose song "I Love You" is beloved by legions of preschool Barney fans, wrote in a newspaper opinion column that any music can become unbearable if played loudly for long stretches. "It's absolutely ludicrous," he wrote in the Los Angeles Times. "A song that was designed to make little children feel safe and loved was somehow going to threaten the mental state of adults and drive them to the emotional breaking point?" Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, has been especially forceful in denouncing the practice. During a recent concert in San Francisco, he proposed taking revenge on President George W. Bush. "I suggest that they level Guantanamo Bay, but they keep one small cell and they put Bush in there ... and they blast some Rage Against the Machine," he said to whoops and cheers. SOME SUPPORT TACTIC Some musicians, however, say they're proud that their music is used in interrogations. Those include bassist Stevie Benton, whose group Drowning Pool has performed in Iraq and recorded one of the interrogators' favorites, "Bodies." "People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that played over and over it can psychologically break someone down," he told Spin magazine. "I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that." The band's record label told AP that Benton did not want to comment further. Instead, the band issued a statement reading: "Drowning Pool is committed to supporting the lives and rights of our troops stationed around the world." http://www.twincities.com/rnc/ci_11240253?nclick_check=1 After the court hearing, some activists took their complaints about the convention directly to Mayor Chris Coleman, who was hosting a Mancini's Char House fundraiser for his 2009 re-election bid. As Coleman's supporters gathered in the middle of the steakhouse's lounge, a group of about 20 activists sat in an adjacent seating area. Shortly after Coleman arrived, the activists began tinkling their glasses and proposed a "toast" to Coleman, briefly disrupting the restaurant with chants and allegations that St. Paul used a $50 million convention-security grant to "terrorize and brutalize our entire community." Coleman ignored the group, chatting with a defense lawyer for some RNC protesters with whom he attended law school. One activist got on top of a booth before she was helped down by Mancini's co-owner Pat Mancini, who then showed the group the door. The episode lasted less than five minutes. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081225/news/812250281 Vigil planned to protest recent 'Taser' death By LAURA NORTON Published: Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 5:40 p.m. Responding to a frantic mother?s calls for help, a Sonoma County sheriff?s deputy arrived at the Vaughn residence in Santa Rosa on Saturday morning to assist the mother in controlling her son, who was assaulting his father. Less than two minutes after the deputy entered the home, 39-year-old Nathan Vaughn was hit with a Taser three times; 53 minutes later, he was declared dead. Now local activist groups including the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County and Petaluma CopWatch are calling for Tasers to be removed from the arsenals of local law enforcement agencies. ?Two people have been killed in the last two months. I don?t think you can say it?s a non-lethal alternative anymore, or that it can be used in situations where the officer?s life is not at risk,? said Carl Patrick, an organizer with Impact, a social advocacy group in Petaluma. The groups, which also include the October 22nd Coalition, an anti-police brutality group, have planned a vigil in Vaughn?s memory today Friday in Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, followed by a protest at the Sonoma County Sheriff?s Department. Law enforcement agencies consider Tasers to be a less-than-lethal weapon that, like all weapons, includes the risk of death, said Lt. Scott Dunn of the Sheriff?s Department. ?There are risk factors,? he said. ?But there?s less risk using a Taser than a gun.? Petaluma police, who are investigating Vaughn?s death, released details of the event in a timeline Wednesday. Deputies went to the Brighton Drive home about 10:38 a.m. and said they found Vaughn throwing and breaking things. Deputies were familiar with Vaughn, who has an extensive criminal record and who had been in custody at the County Jail the day before. To get control of Vaughn, who was 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, a deputy used his Taser. When Vaughn continued struggling, the deputy activated the Taser two more times, Lt. Chris Spallino said. Vaughn then was handcuffed, and once he was secure, began showing signs of medical distress, Spallino said. The Petaluma police report did not detail the nature of the emergency. An ambulance crew already on scene began working on him and took him to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Petaluma Police Lt. Mike Cook said the deputy who shot Vaughn with a Taser has been placed on administrative leave, according to procedure in officer-involved deaths. The Sheriff?s Department has not authorized release of the deputy?s name, Cook said. Vaughn?s death is the second officer-involved fatality this month for the Sheriff?s Department and the second death in two months to follow the use of a Taser by local law enforcement. In November, 42-year-old Guy James Fernandez died after being hit with a Taser and handcuffed by Rohnert Park police. Four other people have died in Sonoma and Lake counties this year after law enforcement officers used lethal force. Craig Von Dohlen of Sonoma, David Vestal of Clearlake, Heather Kathleen Billings of Rohnert Park and Jesse Hamilton of Santa Rosa were shot by law enforcement officers. Von Dohlen and Vestal were armed with guns and threatening police when they were shot. Billings carried a razor blade, and Hamilton carried a knife. Today?s 4 p.m. vigil in Santa Rosa will be in their honor, as well as in honor of the eight people killed in 2007 and two in 2006, Patrick said. The coalition of groups is also asking for independent investigations of officer-involved deaths. Under current procedure, evidence is gathered by a county law enforcement organization other than the one involved in the shooting. The evidence is forwarded to the district attorney, who rules if the shooting was justified or if the death could have been avoided. Demonstrators hope to send two representatives into the department to meet with Sheriff Bill Cogbill and discuss removing Tasers from the department?s arsenal. Cogbill and Capt. Dave Edmonds, the department spokesman, were on vacation Wednesday and not expected to be in the office the rest of the week, Dunn said. ?We are not opposed to dialoguing with the sheriff, but we are not going to back down or compromise,? Patrick said. ?We?ll do whatever it takes, phone calls or a regular protest or a petition drive. We?re going to take action.? Reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton at pressdemocrat.com. http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/12/27/Protesting-snowmen-show-up-at-city-hall/UPI-54381230416787/ Protesting snowmen show up at city hall Published: Dec. 27, 2008 at 5:26 PM Order reprints | Feedback ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A group of protesting snowmen carrying signs like "Snowpeople have rights" made a brief appearance at city hall in Anchorage, Alaska, this week. The 3-foot-high snowmen appeared Christmas Day, the Anchorage Daily News reported. By Friday morning, they had been removed and their signs placed in the trash. The city has been going through a flap over Snowzilla, a supersized snowman created every winter since 2003 by Anchorage resident Billy Ray Powers. This year, the city enjoined Powers from building Snowzilla, but a 25-foot-high snowman appeared overnight on his property -- and he says it was the work of anonymous supporters. Powers also denies being the creator of the snow protest. He said he did get a look at it Thursday and described the undersized snowmen as "cute as can be." Other signs carried by the snowmen included "Heck no we won't go" and "Snowzilla needs a bailout." City officials have said they do not plan to take any action against Snowzilla's latest incarnation until after the holidays. http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/2008/apple.htm Crab-Apple Clash, Birdhouse Ban Pushed Seniors to Take a Stand By Philip Shishkin, The Wall Street Journal December 2, 2008 Rules at Housing Complex Created Activists; Fighting for Wind Chimes. The imminent chopping down of a crab-apple tree, to make way for a large trash bin, was the last straw. Lee Perrone and Pat Henry, residents of a subsidized housing complex for the elderly here, tied chairs to the tree and sat down to protect it. Their protest kept the chain saws at bay, drawing curious onlookers and local reporters. A meals-on-wheels program sent them food. Their landlord, the Shrewsbury Housing Authority, sent them eviction notices. "My daughter thinks I lost it," says Ms. Perrone, 74 years old. Her friend Ms. Henry is 65. The eviction notices brought to a head more than a year of friction between the housing agency and tenants of Shrewsbury's Francis Gardens apartments, in a battle over cluttered patios, fire codes, an allegedly dangerous garbage bin, and who decides what's best for old people. It was the garbage-bin hazard that meant the crab-apple tree had to go, the housing agency said. Another tenant injured her arm after falling on uneven pavement near the trash bin. The place chosen to relocate it was where the tree stood. Francis Gardens is the kind of "independent living" community that more people who want to avoid nursing homes are winding up in. Residents of such places often cope with limited mobility and advancing infirmity, as they try to preserve their quality of life. In Shrewsbury, a central Massachusetts town of some 33,000, tenants bristled at what they saw as excessive safety precautions. Francis Gardens, an array of brick-and-yellow-clapboard houses, has 100 one-bedroom apartments that tenants rent for a third of their monthly income. Many residents, especially elderly women living alone, have taken special pride in their decks and patios and decorated them with flower pots and rugs. In the warm months, social life revolves around the outside areas. The trouble began in June 2007, when a state public-housing inspector noticed that a door on one apartment's deck was blocked by furniture, which it called a "fire-egress obstruction." In a letter the next month to residents, Dennis Osborn, executive director of the Shrewsbury Housing Authority, cited violations of building and fire codes. Later that summer, the authority issued a new obstruction policy. "No chairs, tables, flowerpots, wind chimes, flags, mobiles, birdhouses or similar items shall be placed on decks or patios, or hang from, gutters, hand railings, trees, or the buildings," it said. "Common entry hallways must remain clear of floor mats, throw rugs [and] welcome mats." Tenants acknowledge some decks were overflowing with clutter. Ms. Perrone recalls one deck in particular looked like "the city dump." But in a letter to the housing authority, 65 tenants asked why everyone should be punished. "Now you want us to take ALL things off our porches/patios," a move that would give Francis Gardens "a blank sterile atmosphere," the letter said. "That would only serve to hinder people [who] can't walk very well from getting out at all." The authorities didn't back down. "You can't look at that as your patio or your deck," says Gerald LaFlamme, who was the town's fire chief at the time the obstruction policy was issued. "You have to look at it as a legal entity called 'the fire exit.' " Mr. LaFlamme says blocked exits have hampered his firemen in the past. Helen Jarzobski, 93, had set up a plastic table and four chairs on a grassy patch next to her small patio. "I had a little sign that said 'friends welcome,' " recalls Ms. Jarzobski. "People would walk by, and they would sit and talk to me." The housing authority removed the table and chairs, she says. The new restrictions were particularly hard for Ms. Jarzobski. After a car accident a year ago convinced her to give up driving after 53 years, her world shrank to the size of her small apartment and her patio. Ms. Perrone threw away the flowerpots hanging over the handrail of her deck, and removed the sun umbrella under which she used to read. Housing officials took away a rug and curtains she placed in a common hallway, she says. Mr. Osborn of the housing authority declined repeated interview requests. Richard Ricker, one of the authority's five commissioners, says the obstruction policy was based on "the lawful commands of the fire chief, and of the state and local inspectors." Before Halloween last year, Ms. Perrone borrowed a striped prison-style tracksuit and a cap and wore it to a small protest in the middle of Francis Gardens. She carried a sign that read "State-funded prison for senior citizens." The protest brought local media attention and put the battle on the map. After her patio furniture was confiscated, Ms. Jarzobski removed a birdbath from her deck. But Ms. Jarzobski, who is of Italian descent, refused to take down wind chimes and an Italian flag nailed to a tree in memory of her brother, who died in World War II. Her family bought her a new, elevated chair that was easier on her ailing legs -- and chained it to a post on the deck to prevent housing officials from taking it. In September, Ms. Jarzobski received a letter from Mr. Osborn, who ordered her to remove the chair and wind chimes or face possible eviction. Ms. Jarzobski ignored it, and on Sept. 23 received a 30-day eviction notice citing a "violation of the obstruction policy." She'd lived in Francis Gardens for 32 years. Ms. Perrone and Ms. Henry, who had been sitting guard at the crab-apple tree, received their eviction notices the same day. The two women, already angered by the obstruction policy, worried that the moved garbage bin would be too close to their windows. And Ms. Perrone says that just because the tree is old and scraggly doesn't mean it needs to die. "My skin is flaky and I'm old, too," she says. Facing eviction, the tree defenders and Ms. Jarzobski filed complaints with the local housing court. Their lawyer chartered a bus to ferry the plaintiffs and other residents to the court hearing scheduled for late September. After a state legislator decided to mediate, the housing authority chose to avoid a courtroom battle. On Sept. 29, the eviction notices were rescinded. Shrewsbury's new fire chief, Robert Gaucher, says that as long as the tenants keep the fire-escape paths clear, they can have some personal items on their decks. "We are a little more flexible," he says. The crab-apple tree was saved, and the garbage bin is staying put. Housing officials say they plan to patch up the cracked concrete in its current location. To celebrate victory, Ms. Perrone dressed up as a crab-apple tree for Halloween this year. A new tenants committee has been meeting with the housing director twice a month to discuss concerns. "We are not looking for trouble at our age," Ms. Perrone says. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2617.asp Anti-Camera Protest at Arizona Redflex Office Members of the public protest at the Phoenix, Arizona office of Redflex Traffic Systems. Protesters hit the main Arizona office of photo enforcement vendor Redflex Traffic Systems yesterday to urge the company to pack its bags and "return to Australia." About three dozen activists armed with signs stood out in front of the speed camera company's posh new Phoenix suite at 23751 North 23rd Avenue to hold signs while passing motorists honked in approval. "This event was fantastic," camerafraud.com member Todd Kandaris wrote after the event. "Who would have guessed that expressing dissent could be so much fun?" Local media interest was high as the group's organizers are actively plotting a statewide ballot initiative that would give residents a chance to ban photo ticketing. More residents have opened to that opportunity in the past three months as Redflex has issued 40,401 freeway photo tickets worth $7.5 million. With the program generating revenue at a rate of $10,000 an hour, a storm of complaints has hit state officials who have reported an increase in angry telephone calls. Observers now wonder whether the legislature will act before the ticket ban initiative even qualifies for the ballot. The photo radar program's staunchest defender, Governor Janet Napolitano (D), is leaving the state to head the US Department of Homeland Security. Her successor, Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R), has been snubbed in the past by Redflex. Regardless, the unrest brings uncertainty to the company operating the greatest number of red light cameras and speed cameras in the US. Losing the statewide freeway contract and the ability to issue tickets in Chandler, Pinal County, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Prescott Valley, Star Valley and Tempe would deliver a multi-million dollar blow to the Australian firm. In 2005, shares of Redflex stock plunged to just A$3 on the Australian Securities Exchange after the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill that would have banned photo ticketing. The stock recovered after the bill narrowly failed to pass the state Senate. Investors down under have yet to take the current Arizona situation into account. Shares closed today at A$3.15, up significantly from its low of A$2.06 as recently as July. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081205/news/812050318 Clash over iconic trees County puts pressure on property owners as dispute over removing hazardous eucalyptus trees along Lakeville Highway heats up CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / The Press Democrat Gigi Hendricks is a resident along Lakeville Highway, east of Petaluma, who is opposed to the removal of the nearly 370 eucalyptus trees along the highway. She and her husband, Sid, are furious at the county's assertion that they can be held liable for damages from falling trees or limbs. By DEREK J. MOORE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Friday, December 5, 2008 at 4:21 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 5, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. For Sid Hendricks, the massive eucalyptus trees bordering his ranch and for as far as the eye can see on Lakeville Highway are historical treasures. The 77-year-old grape grower and horseman long has opposed efforts to cut down the trees, which Sonoma County officials insist are a danger to motorists on the busy stretch of road east of Petaluma. In the latest offshoot of the dispute, the county sent letters to Hendricks and his neighbors informing them that most of the 370 trees are on private property and not on county-owned land. Hendricks is buzz-saw angry at the letter's assertion that he is liable for any damages that result from a falling limb or tree and that he's responsible for cutting down the 40 or so trees on his property to prevent such an occurrence. "This isn't Russia," he said. "They can't tell me to cut down my trees." County officials insist they want to work with property owners toward an equitable solution. But in the rural area, where Ernie's Tin Bar is the de facto city hall and suspicion of government runs deep, many aren't buying it. "The county is blackmailing them (property owners) to tear down the trees at their expense," said Jim Kriegsman, who lives on a 140-acre horse farm and started a petition drive to save the trees. The dispute resonates widely. What happens to the iconic stand of eucalyptus trees between Stage Gulch Road and the Blackpoint Cutoff could be a harbinger of how the county deals with these antiseptic-scented mammoths lining highways across the region. Of these, the Lakeville grove is perhaps the most famous, gracing postcards for wineries and forming a natural tunnel for motorists. Some see beauty in the "blue gums," which were planted in 1905 on the Foster Ranch, once part of the giant Tolay Ranch that was acquired by the county as open space. They were an addition to the huge trees, planted in 1860, that mark the site of the vanished port of Lakeville on the Petaluma River. Others, however, view the trees as unsightly invaders, brought from Australia and growing into veritable death traps. In 2005, a limb fell on a car on Lakeville Highway, injuring the driver. In 2002, a 30-footer from the "Gum Grove" near Infineon Raceway at Sears Point fell and killed a motorist. County officials, recognizing the passions attached to the Lakeville trees, promised last year to proceed slowly with any plans to cut them down. Supervisor Mike Kerns, whose district encompasses this territory, stated flatly that the trees would not be clear-cut. "We could remove the trees over a period of years and not all at once," he said in a June 2007 interview. But Kerns said this week he now supports the desire of county staff to remove the trees by next winter. Kerns said his change of heart was based on an arborist's report -- the second commissioned by the county -- that deemed nearly all of the Lakeville trees a serious hazard to motorists. "We now realize the problem is much worse than what we anticipated," Kerns said. "That being said, we still don't plan to just clear-cut all those trees in one day. We want to work with individual property owners and take those trees down." John Meserve, an arborist with Horticultural Associates in Glen Ellen, said in his report to the county that pruning the trees could alleviate the hazards they pose "somewhat." But Meserve's preference is for the most hazardous trees to be taken down. Of the 370 trees surveyed, Meserve identified 252 as having a high potential for structural failure. Sixty-three have moderate potential, he wrote, while only 11 were deemed low risk. Supervisors met in closed session before directing county staff to draft the letter to property owners. The correspondence informs residents they are liable for any damages caused by the trees and the trees "are your responsibility to remove." Phil Demery, director of the county's Transportation and Public Works Department, said the goal of the letter was to jump-start negotiations. "Maybe there are individuals that understand the risk and would be willing to contribute," Demery said. "Maybe that contribution is in the form of an easement or temporary right of way to conduct the work. Maybe it's a dollar amount." But so far, some of the property owners don't seem in a mood to cooperate. Cathy Bachman, who along with her husband, Tom, owns Pegasus Ranch where 113 of the eucalyptus trees grow, labeled the county's position "ludicrous." "They've always taken responsibility for the trees. They've done all the cleanup. The precedent has been set over and over," she said. "If there's been an accident, the county takes care of that. We've never been in a position that we are liable for damage from the trees." Hendricks recalled one occasion where he rode out on his tractor to help in the aftermath of a traffic crash that involved a eucalyptus. He said he was turned away. "They think they're going to pass the liability to us, they're crazy," Hendricks said. But Demery said some property owners have expressed tentative support for removing the trees. Cathy Bachman said she's never been opposed to the trees on her ranch being cut down. "I would certainly feel horrible if a tree went down and hurt somebody," she said. "If it's known to be a hazard, then that's what has to happen." But she reiterated her position that it's the county's responsibility to do the work and pay for it. Kerns said the county doesn't have the money right now to do the job, thus his desire to share the costs with property owners. "It would not surprise me if there was litigation at some point," Kerns said. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/mckinney_1113/ Presidential candidate joins protest of execution By Gloria Rubac Huntsville, Texas Published Nov 5, 2008 4:02 PM Cynthia McKinney made history in Texas Oct. 30. Never has any politician or any candidate for public office been in Huntsville, Texas, on an execution night to join in with those protesting. Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney comforts Misty Smith, stepdaughter of Greg Wright, executed in Huntsville, Texas, Oct. 30. Photo: Jon Axford McKinney, the Green Party candidate for president of the United States, joined the ranks of protesters this evening, Oct. 30, and quietly introduced herself to the family and friends of Greg Wright, who was scheduled to be executed 45 minutes later. As Wright?s stepdaughter stood outside of the death house holding a cell phone in one hand and a framed photo of Wright in the other, McKinney approached her and asked about the photo. ?How long has your family been dealing with fighting this execution? Did you ever think that your family would ever have to deal with the issue of the death penalty in such a personal way?? McKinney listened to Misty Smith explain that they had been fighting to prove Wright?s innocence for seven or eight years and that never did she think she and her mother would be going through this injustice. Then McKinney was introduced to the crowd opposing Wright?s execution. The candidate told them: ?I am sad to join you tonight, those of you who have a conscience and who want the U.S. to join the community of nations that respect life, rights and the administration of justice. It?s one thing to feel politically, academically and intellectually opposed to the death penalty. It?s quite another thing to meet the family of someone who has maintained his innocence throughout his entire ordeal and yet they find themselves on the opposite side of justice. ?Most people in this country have believed in the justice system. They believe that they would never be the victims of injustice. And yet I am here in the very place where Shaka Sankofa was murdered by the state of Texas. ?Texas is the execution capital of the country. Why is it that the state of Texas wants the world to know that killing is wrong yet it engages in killing?? McKinney continued: ?Our president, George W. Bush, has engaged in killing. One million Iraqis are dead from war and occupation. How many Afghanis are dead from war and occupation? How many Pakistanis dead from war and occupation? ?The war machine is a death machine. It?s a killing machine. As a leader of the Green Party, I join with the families that are here right now and say that we must end all of this killing, including the death penalty, including the use of depleted uranium munitions, and including the interminable march of the imperialistic war machine. ?Misty, thank you for allowing me to be here. Thank you for helping me to understand how barbarically this country can treat people, people who believe in it still. Thank you.? Greg Wright expressed his appreciation for the Green Party just hours before his execution when his spouse, Connie Wright, told him that Cynthia McKinney would be in Huntsville for the protest. ?Well, now, you sure know who to vote for, don?t you?? he told Connie. ?I can?t believe she will be here for me.? Music that Connie Wright and Greg Wright chose for the evening played over the sound system outside of the death house as the prison clock chimed at 6:00 p.m. Then Connie and the four other witnesses to the execution walked into the death house for the 419th Texas execution, while ?You are the Wind Beneath My Wings? could be heard for blocks around. Some 1,125 people have been executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s. Over one-third of all executions have been in Texas and over 85 percent have been in the South. Texas has 13 more executions scheduled, including another likely innocent person, Eric Cathey. Over 65 percent of those on death row are African-American or Latino. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=223402 No refusal DWI policy in effect despite protestors 11/1/2008 12:40 PM By: News 8 Austin Staff Not everyone was out for a good time Halloween night. Protestors were out to voice their views of an Austin police no refusal DWI policy. Austin police officers were out Friday night looking for drunk drivers and they weren't taking no for an answer. Drivers who were pulled over were given a choice. They could take a breathalyzer test or a judge would issue a warrant for blood to be drawn to check their blood alcohol level. The protestors believe the policy is a violation of civil rights. Austin police say it's legal and necessary to crack down on DWI. "We're one of the last major cities in the state that has not had one of these (policies) yet. All the other large cities--I've spoken to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and they do them all the time," Lt. David Mahoney said. "It's legal, you know what I mean. There hasn't been much challenge to it. There's a high conviction rate because blood is one of your best forms of evidence for DWI." Lt. Mahoney said Austin police DWI unit has actually been using the system for years. This weekend is the first time the entire police force is making use of the warrants. A trained phlebotomist was on hand to draw the blood. According to Mahoney, over 6,000 people were arrested for DWI in Austin last year. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/31/worldupdates/2008-10-31T011010Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-362362-1&sec=Worldupdates Friday October 31, 2008 Palin effigy removed from U.S. home after protests By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man who prompted protests by hanging an effigy of U.S. Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin by a noose from his home at Halloween has removed the display because it was causing too much trouble. A mannequin portraying U.S. Republican vice-presidential nominee Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hangs by a noose as a mannequin portraying U.S. Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain protrudes from the chimney of a private residence in West Hollywood, California October 27, 2008. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni) Chad Michael Morrisette had dressed a mannequin to resemble the Alaska governor, complete with beehive hairstyle and her trademark glasses, and hung it by the neck from the eaves of his home in famously liberal West Hollywood. In the run-up to next Tuesday's election, this triggered counter-protests and a visit by the U.S. Secret Service, although officials concluded he had violated no law. "It was just creating such a disturbance. There were helicopters circling overhead, counter protesters," Jake Stevens, spokesman for West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang, said in explaining why Morrisette agreed to remove the effigy. "Mayor Prang just kind of appealed to his common sense. He had made his point and it was becoming counter-productive," Stevens said. Morrisette also plans to take down a mannequin of Republican candidate John McCain which had protruded from the chimney surrounded in flames, Stevens said. "There was a huge mob scene. The whole thing became a life of its own," Morrisette, a professional window display designer, told the Los Angeles Times. Counter protesters had held up a large sheet to screen the display and Stevens said someone had created a similar effigy of Morrissette with a sign reading: "Chad, How Does it Feel?" And a woman in Redondo Beach, about 15 miles (24 kms) away, included in her Halloween decorations a dummy of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama smeared in fake blood, apparently stabbed through the neck with a large knife. Palin, who is seen as more conservative than running-mate McCain, has been a lightning-rod of criticism from the left. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1207483/nebraska_faculty_students_to_protest.html Nebraska Faculty, Students to Protest Canceling of Bill Ayers Lecture November 14, 2008 by J. K. Baurain Recommend (1) Font Size Post a comment The controversy over Bill Ayers continues this week in America's heartland. On Friday, November 14, a teach-in protest is taking place on the Lincoln campus at the University of Nebraska. Flyers are billing the event as a chance to "make Nebraska history" as Nebraska Faculty, Students to Protest Canceling of Bill Ayers Lecture Date: November 14, 2008 Lincoln, NE United States of America students and faculty come "to protest UNL's decision to cancel the November 15 lecture by Prof. William Ayers and that decision's violation of academic freedom." Ayers was originally invited to give a lecture as part of an education conference this weekend. When news of his scheduled appearance came into the spotlight, an outcry from some Nebraskans and university donors prompted the university to retract the invitation for Professor Ayers to speak. A number of faculty and students intend to show they protest that decision on Friday afternoon. Participants are being invited to join "open discussions on academic freedom" and hear individuals present about "the history of defending civil rights in Nebraska." At least one group of faculty and students is planning to meet before the protest and walk together to the event as a display of solidarity. Although this weekend's conference is being run by the College of Education, the English Graduate Student Association is sponsoring Friday's teach-in. Faculty from several departments, including English and education plan to present their perspectives on the issues at stake. Following a video covering the history of teach-ins, speakers will address topics that include on academic freedom and its history at UNL. To conclude the event, a faculty member will read "What I Might Have Said" and "The Right to Think at All" by William Ayers. Sources: Flyer by the University of Nebraska English Graduate Student Association, "Teach-In on Academic Freedom." Distributed on the UNL campus during the week of November 10, 2008. Lee, Melissa. "UNL cancels William Ayers speech." Lincoln Journal Star. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/788/1049788/amish-farmers-protest-mark-of-the-beast-rfid-tagging Amish farmers protest Mark of the Beast RFID tagging Beastly regulations By Sylvie Barak Friday, 14 November 2008, 13:52 A LAWSUIT BY an angry bunch of Michigan-based Amish farmers - protesting having to tag their cattle with radio frequency identification devices (RFID) - will probably be dismissed by a federal judge after some cajoling by the outgoing Bush administration. The Amish have raised their pitchforks in protest at new State regulations about tagging cattle with RFIDs, claiming the move "constitutes some form of a 'mark of the beast' and/or represents an infringement of their 'dominion over cattle and all living things' in violation of their fundamental religious beliefs". Beelzebetsie The United States Department of Agriculture, however, reckons the RFID tagging of beasts ? Satanic or otherwise ? is completely voluntary, and a sensible measure put in place to help agricultural officials keep track of livestock diseases. But after finding it devilishly hard to persuade the Amish, the outgoing current administration has now had to step in. Bush?s team wrote a missive claiming the case should be dismissed "because plaintiffs cannot establish that any rule issued or action taken by the USDA either mandates the use of RFID tags on livestock located within Michigan, or, conversely, prevents the Michigan Department of Agriculture from granting appropriate religious exemptions imposed by that department." RFID tagging is becoming more and more common lately, as the technology replaces barcodes and labels. But as RFID tagging becomes more prevalent, so too do allegations from Christian religious fundamentalists who reckon all this electronic tagging symbolises the mark of the beast, and the coming of the antichrist. As if the world doesn?t have enough on its plate. Still, the Virginia-based Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which brought the case on behalf of the Amish farmers, says if the programme isn?t dealt with, some of its clients ?may have to quit farming?. Goddamn! Ooops. ? http://www.mail-archive.com/deathpenalty at lists.washlaw.edu/msg08785.html Death-penalty foes meet across Ky. for protests A dozen death-penalty opponents held a vigil outside the Kentucky State Penitentiary last night as state officials executed confessed child killer Marco Allen Chapman. Huddled in a tent holding candles, the opponents read the names of Kentucky's 37 death-row inmates and their victims and prayed. "It's important to the policymakers to know the current policy of killing people is not acceptable to everyone in Kentucky," said the Rev. Patrick Delahanty, chairman of the Kentucky Coalition Against the Death Penalty, who organized the vigil. He said he wasn't disappointed by the small turnout because of freezing temperatures and the distance to Eddyville from the state's population centers. Vigils were organized in other communities, including Louisville, Frankfort and Bowling Green. About 40 people gathered in downtown Louisville in Jefferson Square at 7 p.m. for an hourlong vigil and demonstration. Many held candles and signs with messages such as "Execute justice, not people." The opponents at the Kentucky State Penitentiary were directed to a field facing the building where Chapman was executed at 7:34 p.m. CDT. The group began arriving about an hour before the scheduled 7 p.m. CDT start time. Some held signs, which had sayings such as "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." 2 large, heated tents were set up. In a tent about 100 yards from the tent where the opponents gathered, 4 individuals huddled, saying they were "observers." They would not identify themselves or say whether they supported the death penalty. Amanda Bragg, a death- penalty opponent from Bowling Green, said she drove to the prison from Lexington, where she is a law student at the University of Kentucky, because she believes the death penalty is unnecessary. "I don't support the execution of anybody," she said. Sister Judy Morris, of Louisville, said she made the long drive to Eddyville because the event "demanded sacrifice." She said she does not believe Chapman's execution will offer the family of the victims closure. Chapman was convicted of killing two children, Chelbi Sharon, 7, and her brother, Cody Sharon, 6, in 2002 in the Northern Kentucky town of Warsaw. He also sexually assaulted their mother, Carolyn Marksberry, and attacked their sister, Courtney Sharon, who survived and is now 16. Chapman asked for a death sentence, and a week ago was permitted to dismiss public defenders who were trying to halt his execution. At the Louisville vigil, participants also read the names of prisoners on Kentucky's death row and those of their victims, observed several moments of silence and sang a rendition of "We Shall Overcome." Cathy Hinko, 56, of Louisville, stood with the circle of people huddled beneath the city's Christmas tree for the demonstration, spearheaded by the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. She said she attended the vigil because she believes capital punishment does not deter crime, is costly and could be used on innocent citizens when the justice system fails. "I think the death penalty is an unintelligent response to crime," Hinko said. Dona O'Sullivan, 61, said she opposes the practice even in cases where death- row prisoners abandon their appeals. "He wants to die and really it's state-sanctioned suicide," she said. (source: Courier-Journal) http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/nov/21/local/chi-assault-rifles-copsnov21 Teenagers protest Chicago police getting high-power rifles Department says guns aren?t in use yet By Angela Rozas and Steve Schmadeke November 21, 2008 Nearly 100 teens marched outside Chicago police headquarters Thursday night to protest the department?s plans to equip officers with semi-automatic rifles, saying the weapons could make the streets more dangerous. Carrying signs like ?Stop the War on Youth,? teens said they didn?t trust police with the high-powered weapons and worried gangs would be encouraged to bolster their own arsenals. ?The only people who need these guns are in Iraq,? said Arthur McGraw, 19, an organizer with the nonprofit Southwest Youth Collaborative, which organized the rally. ?It?ll shoot through brick, car doors. Say your family is in the house eating and there?s some gang violence. When they shoot these [the bullets] can come into your house and shoot your kids.? Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said Thursday that though police have ordered and received some of the guns, police are not yet using them. Their use will be phased in over the next three years. In April police Supt. Jody Weis said he wanted to equip all of the department?s officers with the high-powered weapons as part of an overall crime-fighting strategy, arguing that officers are outgunned on the streets. Officers currently carry pistols, and only SWAT officers carry rifles, M4 carbines. Mayor Richard Daley publicly backed Weis? plan, saying the rifles would put officers on equal footing with armed gangs and criminals. http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/11/30/protests-intensify-over-local-union-takeover-by-seiu/ Protests Intensify Over Local Union Takeover By SEIU Posted on November 30, 2008 -By Warner Todd Huston The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is still going ahead with its plans to perpetrate a hostile takeover of California local California Healthcare Workers union (UHW). Naturally, the local isn?t too happy to be forcefully dissolved and integrated into the SEIU national and losing their identity. The UHW folks with their president Sal Roselli in the lead, are staging all sorts of protests and efforts to deny the SEIU its victory. Roselli has been a thorn in SEIU president Andy Stern?s side for quite a while now. The SEIU has been trying to mount a massive take over of unions all across the country (whether forcefully or not) with the goal of becoming the biggest union in the nation. SEIU president Stern?s goal has been to create a giant union run from the top down with the locals having little power over their own areas. This is a particularly amusing plan because unions have always been about ?democracy? and ?local control? of its own destiny yet here is Stern trying to emulate the sort of powermongering, top down control that unions usually fight. In any case, the UHW raised a special fund to be used on something or another, but the SEIU claims it was ?illegal? and meant to be used to fight their takeover. The resulting back and forth lawsuits gave the SEIU another excuse to claim that the UHW is ?corrupt? and needs to be taken over to root out the supposed corruption. It?s a mess of a power struggle, to say the least and amusing in that the whole situation seems to go against the grain of what unions always claim to be. The UHW has posted their point of view on the ?retaliation? on their website. From our perspective, the mess reveals the hypocrisy of unions all the way around. (Updated to correct spelling of name of UHW president) http://www.kirotv.com/video/18035664/index.html?rss=sea&psp=video VIDEO: Street Racers Plan Big Weekend Demonstration http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Palin_fields_Pennsylvania_protests_1012.html 'Hockey Mom' Palin fields Pennsylvania protests Nick Cargo and David Edwards Published: Sunday October 12, 2008 Alaska Governor and McCain running mate Sarah Palin was greeted with assorted protests during her visit to Pennsylvania Saturday. Before the start of the Philadelphia Flyers' opening game against the New York Rangers, "Hockey Mom" Palin, flanked by daughters Willow and Piper, met a mixed reception as she stepped onto the ice at the Wachovia Center. Cheers and boos were both heard, and audience members were visible holding their thumbs down and displaying signs supporting the Obama/Biden campaign. Also joining the Palins was Cathy O'Connell of Erdenheim, Pennsylvania, winner of the Flyers "Ultimate Hockey Mom" contest, team captain Mike Richards and native Alaskan and Rangers assistant captain Scotty Gomez. "I've been warned that Flyers fans, they get so enthused, that they boo everybody at the drop of the puck," Palin said at a Saturday fundraiser. "But what I thought I'd do is I'd put Piper in a Flyers jersey, bring her out with me. How dare they boo Piper!" While Allegheny County Republican Party Chairman Jim Roddey presided over the $1,000-a-plate fundraiser at Pittsburgh's Westin Convention Center Hotel, demonstrators across the street waved signs, mostly in protest of Palin's appearance. Among signs waved as the McCain/Palin "Straight Talk Express" bus drove by were "I'm a 6-packer for Obama" and "Palin = Bush with lipstick." McCain and Palin represent "extremism," said participant Janice Markowitz. "That's the intelligence we're dealing with in this country," said McCain supporter Jeamour Matthews of her opponents. "They don't have no grace (sic), they have no manners, they don't obey the law...these people should be arrested. They're blocking the sidewalk." "I'm going to tell her that we really have to concentrate on two things," Roddey said, adding that he felt the campaign remained "winnable." "John McCain and Sarah Palin, look at what they've accomplished. She's been a mayor; she's become a governor of a state. He's got a twenty year track record in the Senate, and a 26 year record in the navy. Great accomplishments and he's a man of character. We don't know that much about Obama." Video of the Wachovia Center appearance follows, as posted to YouTube, followed by an accompanying report from KDKA as broadcast on October 11, 2008. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/10/13/palin_rally/index.html?source=refresh Monday, Oct. 13, 2008 17:10 EDT Palin confuses supporters for protesters Things took a turn toward the hypothetically ugly Monday when Sarah Palin reacted to what she thought was a protest during a rally at the Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Supporters at the far reaches of the audience apparently couldn't hear what Palin was saying, and began chanting "Louder, louder!" the Associated Press reports; the chant spread from there. Perhaps too used to seeing protests at this point -- and, in her defense, it's not often that supporters interrupt the candidate they've come to see in this fashion -- Palin responded, "I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest.? ? Andrew Burmon http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-32664.html Protesters wear T-shirts saying `Sarah Palin is a C-T' New York, Oct.14 : John McCain may be taking a lot of heat from his critics, but his running mate - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is not lagging too far behind. According to Fox News, an array of T-shirts, for instance, displaying the image of Sarah Palin and some variation of the "C-word" are gaining new popularity as Election Day nears. A group of protesters outside Palin's fundraiser in Philadelphia Saturday wore shirts emblazoned with the words, "Sarah Palin Is a C--T." Cafe Press is selling a slew of off-color Palin T-shirts, including the one spotted in Philadelphia. The Portland Tribune also reported over the weekend that two men in Oregon were arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a large McCain campaign sign, igniting part of the structure. And on Monday at a McCain rally in North Carolina, an Obama supporter stood outside and repeatedly yelled, "McCain is a murderer." One woman yelled back: "He fought for your right to say that." Republicans argue that while neither campaign can curtail every action of its supporters, McCain is being unfairly depicted as the only candidate who attracts audience members with extreme views. Indeed, both candidates are still attracting rowdy supporters. But both campaigns seem to be making an effort to dial back negative rhetoric, or at least calm down their crowds. Obama scolded his audience Monday in Toledo when they began booing at the very mention of McCain. "We don't need that," he said. "We just need to vote." McCain corrected a woman Friday who said Obama is "an Arab," drawing boos from the crowd. --- ANI http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sarah-palin-booed Political Protests at Sporting Events Flyers-Rangers Fans Boo Sarah Palin One might expect a warm welcome in the ?City of Brotherly Love,? but fans at last night?s hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers did not give Governor Sarah Palin, one of America?s most viral political icons on the Internet and self-proclaimed hockey mom a warm welcome. The boos were so loud that the music was cranked up to try and drown them out, despite flyers around the Wachovia Center that read: Flyers fans, show Philadelphia?s class and welcome America?s No. 1 hockey mom, Sarah Palin. The fact that Sarah Palin was booed by Flyer fans regardless of cute little daughter Piper being in tow (who was waving and smiling in her Philadelphia Flyer hockey shirt) following along on the ice with her mother and Willow, was merciless jeering and will surely provide Bill O?Reilly with some fodder during the ?Talking Points? section of the ?O?Reilly Factor?. He?ll probably chastize Flyers fans for booing and give Sarah Palin a thumbs-up because she stood strong and smiled and waved at the crowd which was a good example for both of her daughters. But Sarah Palin isn?t the only individual on the Republican ticket to be booed. Senator John McCain was booed at one of his own rallies last week when he defended Senator Barack Obama?s character. Palin is expected to parody Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live soon and, if she was booed amongst a swing-state crowd, one can only imagine how she?ll be received among the liberal-leaning state of New York. My advice to Sarah Palin is to lay off the hateful Obama rhetoric and maybe you?ll receive a better reception from the SNL audience. Because of the tremendous amount of publicity she has brought to our sport, we invited the most popular hockey mom in North America to our home opener to help us get our season started," said Snider, the Comcast-Spectacor chairman who founded the Flyers in 1967. "We are very excited she has accepted our offer and we are very proud of the publicity she is generating for hockey moms and the sport of hockey." - NHL.com (latimesblogs.latimes) http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081023/NEWS09/810230259/-1/RSS Article published Thursday, October, 2008 Palin greeted by 'Let them eat cake' protest and questions about new wardrobe Republican supporters back Palin's spending on clothes Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speaks during a rally at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio, Thursday. BY TOM TROY BLADE STAFF WRITER TROY, Ohio - Ignoring scrutiny of her costly wardrobe paid for with party funds, hockey mom Sarah Palin wowed a crowd of strong supporters here in the local hockey arena Thursday. The Republican vice-presidential running mate made no reference to the controversy over the $150,000 spent to purchase her and her family a new wardrobe after she became the party's nominee. Several of Mrs. Palin's supporters, who filled the 6,000-space arena, said they were not bothered by the report that the Republican National Committee outfitted her from swanky shops like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. "I don't think that it should be an issue. I don't see anyone asking about Obama's clothes or how much he spends on his wife," said Michelle Robertson, 37, of Celina. "They want people who represent the country to look good. To be a leader you gotta look good. Dress for success." Henk Brunsveld, 49, a retired Marine Corps sergeant major, said "Sarah Palin's from Alaska, it's not warm up there. It's not Texas. She probably was in need of a wardrobe." He noted approvingly that the stores patronized for Mrs. Palin's clothing appeared to be American businesses. John Schweser, Troy city councilman, said Mrs. Palin has a smaller income than any of the other three in the presidential campaign. He said the issue is "superficial." "The issue is the economy," Mr. Schweser said. "For us to be talking about what people are wearing, it says a lot about our culture." Outside the arena, a handful of Obama supporters carried signs making fun of the wardrobe ruckus. Shelby Scott, 17, a high school student in Troy, carried a sign listing some expensive items and ending with the punch line, "The look on your face when you lose the election - priceless." "I think it's unnecessary," Miss Scott said of the buying spree. She said the high-priced adornments conceal a lack of substance. "When she opens her mouth not the brightest things come out of it and I think the media's trying to hide that." She didn't have a problem with Mr. Obama's $1,500 suit. "At least he has something to say," Miss Scott said. Her brother's sign said, "$150,000 makeover - let them eat cake." "I can go to Kohls and find a nice wardrobe for 150 bucks," said Julian Scott, 22. The rally in Hobart Arena in downtown Troy was Governor Palin's fourth in deep Ohio Republican territory in two days as she and GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain turn to the party's base in the waning days of the campaign to try to hold the crucially important state of Ohio. Polls show the state moving dramatically in the direction of Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee. Quinnipiac University's latest poll of battleground states released Thursday showed Mr. Obama leading Mr. McCain in Ohio 52-38. On Wednesday, Mrs. Palin spoke in Findlay, suburban Akron, and Cincinnati, where she was joined by Senator McCain. Mr. McCain was in Florida yesterday running a grueling campaign schedule and Mrs. Palin was to continue Thursday night in Pennsylvania. In her speech, Mrs. Palin continued to play up Joe the Plumber - Lucas County's Samuel Wurzelbacher - whose question to Senator Obama made him a kind of folk hero, at least for the McCain-Palin campaign. She said Mr. Wurzelbacher got Mr. Obama to admit that he wants to "spread the wealth." She hailed Mr. McCain as the candidate in the race who can be counted on in a crisis and to end wasteful spending. She repeated her personal commitment to be a champion of special needs children, and reminded the crowd that she and Mr. McCain are the anti-abortion ticket in the race. "John and I have a vision of America where every innocent life counts," she said. She said the McCain-Palin ticket will drill offshore for oil, and will "mine, baby, mine," a reference to expanding "clean coal technology," to wean America from dependence on foreign energy sources. Republican U.S. Rep. John Boehner rallied the crowd saying, "If you're tired of people running around saying they want change when what they really mean is they want to raise your taxes, we need to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081005/omar_khadr_081005/20081005?hub=Canada Protesters plan week of action to help Omar Khadr Updated Sun. Oct. 5 2008 2:15 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Rallies were planned for Sunday to highlight the plight of Omar Khadr, a former child soldier who is the only Westerner still detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay. Demonstrators in Toronto were expected to march outside the U.S. Consulate. In Ottawa, the wife of Maher Arar was expected to be at a rally that will also include Amnesty International protesters. Sunday's rallies were to be a launching pad for a week-long rally that demonstrators hope will force Ottawa to bring the Canadian citizen home. A street theatre performance is planned in Montreal on Monday. On Thursday, the law society at the University of British Columbia will host a lunchtime speech on the issue. Khadr has been in U.S. custody since 2002, when he was captured in Afghanistan and charged with murdering an American soldier during a firefight. He was 15 years old at the time and has now spent more than a quarter of his life in prison. Khadr, who was born in Toronto, is facing a U.S. military trial that his supporters say will not provide due process. He is accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. medic. Aside from Canda, all Western countries who had citizens incarcerated at the prison in Cuba have had them repatriated. The Conservative government has repeatedly said it wants to let the U.S. legal process play itself out. Critics from around the world have said the American process is extremely unfair and have condemned Canada's inaction on the case. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2575.asp Arizona: Speed Camera Operator Attacks Protester Redflex speed camera van operator uses violence to end a peaceful, anti-photo radar protest. A speed camera operator with a criminal record used violence to end a peaceful protest in Tempe, Arizona earlier this month. Corey Fleetwood, 35, is an employee of Australia-based Redflex Traffic Systems. On the evening of October 3, Fleetwood had set up an automated speed trap on Priest Drive just south of 14th Place. At around 11pm, D.T. Arneson, a volunteer for the group camerafraud.com, noticed the Redflex camera van was parked in front of a fire hydrant. He called the police to report the violation and began to protest the photo ticketing effort by holding a "SCAMERA" sign in front of the van. He was soon joined by two female motorists saw the sign and wanted to join in. All three were encouraged by the honks and acknowledgments of passing motorists, which enraged Fleetwood. The six-foot-five, 265 pound operator rushed out of the van. Arneson, a much smaller man, began to back away. Fleetwood yanked the sign out of Arneson's hands and threw it to the ground. When police arrived, Arneson insisted that Fleetwood be charged. He estimated the cost to replace his sign, which was taken into evidence, at $35. "A visual inspection of the sign revealed minor damage to the surface paint on the right side and bottom right corner," the Tempe police report stated. According to the report, Arneson had told the two women that he drivers of speed camera vans "are not nice people." In September, for example, another operator was accused of nearly running motorists off the road with a Redflex speed camera van. He was charged with driving the photo radar vehicle under the influence of alcohol. According to Arizona court records, Fleetwood has also faced serious charges in the past. Although his job was to set up the van to mail moving violation notices to other drivers, less than two months earlier, Fleetwood was unable to drive legally himself. In February, Fleetwood had received his own speeding citation. When he failed to pay, the court suspended his license. In a 2007 incident, Fleetwood was accused of "touching with intent to injure." The incident was videotaped, and the official Tempe police report is available now in a 3.7mb PDF file at the source link below. Source: Incident Report 08-167022 (Tempe, Arizona Police Department, 10/2/2008) http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/10/23/troy_davis_rallies.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 Rallies protest impending execution of Troy Davis By CHRISTIAN BOONE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday, October 23, 2008 Rallies were held around the globe Thursday as part of a final push to save the life of death row inmate Troy Anthony Davis. An hour north from where Monday?s scheduled execution is to occur, roughly 200 protesters ? including Davis?s mother and sister ? gathered at the state Capitol urging Gov. Sonny Perdue to intercede. ?The whole world is watching Georgia,? said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. ?Nowhere in the world is there a more serious violation of human rights than what Georgia is about to do to Troy Davis.? Davis, 40, was convicted of the Aug. 19, 1989 murder of 27-year-old Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Since his trial, seven of nine key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony. ?If it was only one witness, that would be understandable. But seven of nine? That?s a different story,? said Ytunde Orumgbeni, of Atlanta. Unlike most of the protesters, Orumgbeni said she is not opposed to the death penalty. ?We have to do something,? she said. ?I feel they?re taking an innocent life.? Davis? case has mobilized unprecedented support for groups opposed to capital punishment, said Sara Totonchi, chair of Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. ?I?m used to being at vigils down at the prison with 10 other people,? Totonchi said. ?I?ve never seen a turnout like this in Georgia.? Totonchi?s group is holding a mock funeral procession in downtown Atlanta Friday morning and will deliver petitions signed by more than 140,000 people to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Thursday?s event was organized by Amensty International, which coordinated similar rallies in 14 other American cities and across much of Europe. The European Union issued a statement Wednesday opposing Davis? execution, saying there is great risk of miscarriage of justice with irreparable consequences.? Having already pursued a number of unsuccessful state and federal appeals, Davis? lawyers on Wednesday asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay his execution. Despite long odds, some attending the Capitol protest said they believe Davis will be spared. ?We?re going to get justice for Troy Davis,? said Darryl Hunt, wrongfully convicted in North Carolina for rape and murder. He spent 19 years behind bars before DNA evidence exonerated him in 2003. ?No matter what happens, Troy Anthony Davis will get justice,? said his sister, Martina Correia. As they did throughout Thursday?s rally, the crowd responded in unison, ?I am Troy Davis. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27225500/ Preschoolers? parents protest required flu shots N.J. policy is first in the nation to require the vaccine for small children Hilary Downing, left, of Readington, N.J., holds a sign as she stands in a large crowd in front of the statehouse in Trenton, N.J., during a rally for vaccination choice. Mel Evans / AP KIDS AND PARENTING VIDEOS Lengthy surgery separates conjoined twins Jan. 17: Angel and Alex Mendoza ?born joined from chest to pelvis ? are enjoying their first days apart thanks to an 18-hour surgery in Phoenix. NBC?s Michael Okwu reports. updated 4:07 p.m. ET Oct. 16, 2008 As flu season approaches, many New Jersey parents are furious over a first-in-the-nation requirement that children get a flu shot in order to attend preschools and day-care centers. The decision should be the parents?, not the state?s, they contend. Hundreds of parents and other activists rallied outside the New Jersey Statehouse on Thursday, decrying the policy and voicing support for a bill that would allow parents to opt out of mandatory vaccinations for their children. ?This is not an anti-vaccine rally ? it?s a freedom of choice rally,? said one of the organizers, Louise Habakus. ?This one-size-fits-all approach is really very anti-American.? http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2569.asp Maryland Vigilantes Protest Speed Camera Vigilantes in Potomac, Maryland use paint warn of speed camera scam. Vigilantes painted "SCAM" on the pavement in large, white letters near a speed camera in Potomac, Maryland. The sign serves as a warning to approaching drivers that the automated ticketing machine on the side of River Road is active. WUSA television used a helicopter to capture a unique perspective on the warning. Montgomery County jurisdictions are notorious for issuing as many speed citations as possible using ticket quotas, even though the practice is banned under state law. The county program generated $7.2 million worth of tickets last year. The village of Chevy Chase used cameras to nearly double its entire budget, spending a significant amount that was promised for "public safety" instead on "beautification improvements." The latest incident marks an increase in the number of anti-camera incidents in the US. Just two months ago, vigilantes struck four speed cameras in Gaithersburg. Source: Vandal Fights Back Against Speed Camera (WUSA-TV (DC), 10/14/2008) From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 01:29:44 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:29:44 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] THAILAND: PAD protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB5BF8.6070300@tesco.net> * In Thai hearlands, anger over protests (IHT) * Redshirt protesters target Democrat Party * 27 Oct - summit moved to avoid protests * 20 Oct - protest against police brutality * 22 Oct - Thai PM flees shoe-throwing protesters at Government House * Redshirts target army chief * Protest snippets * 20 Oct - protesters call for ousting of PM * 19 Oct - man dies of heart attack during protest * 13 Oct - protests called off for now * Human Rights Watch calls on both sides to avoid violence * 14 Oct - Thai queen attends protester funeral * Govt supporters protest Chiang Mai doctors * 7 Oct - two dead, dozens injured in clashes between PAD and police near parliament * Protests disrupt Thai tourism http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/13/asia/thai.php In Thai heartland, anger over protests By Seth Mydans Published: October 13, 2008 BAN HUAY CHAN, Thailand: When he was a young man, Damneun Pangsopha worked for a while in a doll factory in the big city, Bangkok, and he didn't like it. "They think differently from the people here in Isaan," he said, referring to the rural heartland of Thailand's northeast. "In Bangkok it's all work and pressure, work and pressure. Not like here, where life is slower. Fish in the river, rice in the field." The rice is ripening now in this village 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, northeast of Bangkok. As the farmers wait for the harvest, they gather in the mornings to pass the time, and they are angry. "The people of Isaan are people, too," said Damneun, 48, who is now a farmer, like most people in this small village. "We also eat rice, and we also have an education, and they can't insult us like this." The insult comes from the leaders of an anti-government protest in Bangkok who say that rural voters are misguided and ignorant. In the hope of changing the balance of political power, the protesters have put forward a new plan that would weaken those rural voices. Huge crowds have barricaded the prime minister's office in Bangkok for nearly seven weeks in what has become Thailand's most severe crisis in years, splitting the country along social, economic and political lines. More than 400 people were left injured and at least two were killed after tear-gas-filled clashes between the police and demonstrators last Tuesday. As the protesters see it, Damneun and rural people like him are the root of the country's problems. It is largely their vote - making them the biggest constituency in Thailand - that has kept the political opposition from power. The proposed solution is to dilute the influence of rural voters by creating a mostly appointed Parliament that might better represent the aspirations and needs of a traditional urban, middle-class elite. "That's not democracy," said Sawai Marongrit, 56, another farmer. "They can't win, so they try to find another way to fight. Because if we have an election, they'll lose again." The farmers gathered in the shade here in Khon Kaen Province swagger a bit when they talk of their political clout. In the last election, in December, the party that won the rural vote, the People Power Party, took 233 of 480 parliamentary seats. It formed a six-party government coalition that makes up two-thirds of the legislature. "If the Isaan people don't vote for them, the Democrats will never have a chance to win," said Sawai, referring to the main opposition party. To put it another way, said Damneun, "The only way they'll ever win is if all the people of Isaan drop dead." Thailand is sometimes described as two nations - Bangkok, and everything else. About 10 percent of the country's population of 65 million lives in the capital, and that number expands by several million when migrant workers, mostly from the north and northeast, are counted. Nearly a third of the Thai population lives in Isaan. On election days, the city's taxi drivers and laborers and housekeepers and street vendors and factory workers head home to Isaan to vote, draining the streets of much of their life. Wooed by populist programs like low-cost health care and cheap loans, the rural poor came together in support of Thaksin Shinawatra, who transformed Thai politics during six years as prime minister. Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is now in London, where he has fled to evade corruption lawsuits. But the rural base he created remains solid, and his supporters control the government. "The people of Isaan and the poor people everywhere all like Thaksin," said Prasart Pangsopa, 54, who breeds cows and grows long beans, red chilies and rice. The farmers here are one element in the destabilizing divisions that have become sharper and more emotional as the Bangkok protests continue. The protesters, calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, are a diverse mix of royalists, military officers, business owners, social activists, students and middle-class homemakers whose common ground is a passionate discontent with the state of the nation. These passions showed themselves last week when doctors at a Bangkok hospital said they would refuse to treat police officers wounded in the clash with protesters. Separately, the pilot of a Thai Airways plane refused to fly three members of Parliament from the ruling party last week, calling one of them a threat to national security. The anger runs the other way here in Ban Huay Chan, where the farmers spin spin violent fantasies of mayhem against the protesters. "If those people come here I'll beat them to death and throw them into the river!" cried Noochen Sinkham, 67, as he squatted on the ground with a cleaver, chopping strips of bamboo. Everybody laughed, and the farmer named Marongrit upped the ante. "I want the police to throw a bomb into that demonstration," he declared. "Let them die." The rural-urban divide plays itself out here in Isaan, where many people in Khon Kaen city support the PAD and disparage people like the farmers in Ban Huay Chan, 12 kilometers to the north. "Khon Kaen University and Khon Kaen city look more like Bangkok," said Suthipun Jitpimolmard, a professor of neurology at the university. "Most people around here don't support Thaksin. Only rural people who don't get the correct information." Suthipun was among a small crowd of people who gathered the other night in the city's central square to watch a live broadcast of angry, nonstop speakers at the Bangkok demonstration. "It is impossible to change the way rural people vote," said Achara Chantasuwan, 53, a librarian, who sat on a red plastic chair in front of the big-screen outdoor broadcast. "That's why the PAD wants to introduce the New Politics," she said, referring to a plan in which 70 percent of the parliamentary seats would be appointed by professional groups, while just 30 percent would be elected by voters. "They'll have the right to vote, but it will not allow their vote to dominate our country," she said. "If we let people be like that, we cannot develop our country." But the ruptures run far deeper than a clash between city and countryside, she said. They are dividing friends, colleagues and even family members, who have sometimes stopped talking to each other. Sompap Bunnag, 62, a social worker, stopped at the screening for a few minutes on his way to Bangkok to take part in the PAD demonstration. He said social activists here were also split into opposing camps and were struggling to save their friendships. "When we meet, we agree that we won't talk about politics," he said. "Just, 'How are you, how's your family?' Things like that." He said he would catch an overnight bus to Bangkok and join the protest in the morning. In his hand he held a set of newly bought plastic swimming goggles to protect his eyes in case of a tear gas attack by the police. "I don't know what's going to happen," he said, speaking of the violence that threatens to break out again. "I hope nothing happens." Police used powerful tear gas An investigator said that the Thai riot police, while trying to disperse crowds of anti-government demonstrators last week, used a cheap Chinese tear gas that contained an explosive powerful enough to rip craters in the ground, The Associated Press reported from Bangkok on Monday. The investigation by forensics experts and a human rights commission could explain why several protesters had limbs and feet blown off and at least two people died in clashes with the police. Police officials insist they only fired tear gas into the crowd. Investigators found that the police used three types of tear gas - from China, the United States and Spain - but "relied heavily on tear gas made in China," said Pornthip Rojanasunand, director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science. Pornthip said an experiment showed that the Chinese gas contained high levels of RDX - a chemical commonly used to make bombs and not a standard component of tear gas intended for crowd control. Pornthip's institute conducted the investigation as part of an inquiry into the clashes by the National Human Rights Commission. One of the people killed in the clashes was a 28-year-old woman who had a wound on her chest that was "roughly the same size" as a Chinese-made tear gas canister, Pornthip said. She said it was too soon to tell whether the Chinese tear gas caused the woman's death. Queen Sirikit presided on Monday over a cremation ceremony for the woman, which was also attended by thousands of supporters of the anti-government movement. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086923 Govt supporters protest against Democrat Some 20 pro-government people rallied in front of the Democrat Party head office Monday morning demanding the party to disband for not carrying out its parliamentary duty. The group, led by Sukhum Wongprasit, demanded Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to come out to receive their protest letter. They refused to hand over the letter to Democrat director Natthapol Teepsuwan. The letter said the Democrat refused to carry out its duty by joining the government policy debate on October 7 and refused to take part in the meeting of the prime minister, House speaker and Senate speaker to try to end political crisis so the party should disband itself. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086952 DAAD protesters outside Democrat disperse Protesters led by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship dispersed after demonstrating in front of the Democrat Party head office for eight hours. They dispersed at 6:16 pm. They called on the Democrat to disband for failing to participate in the government policy debate on October 7. The Nation http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2416294,00.html Summit moved to avoid protests 27/10/2008 09:16 - (SA) Bangkok - December's summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) has been moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to avoid ongoing anti-government protests in the capital, media and ministerial sources said on Monday. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat announced the shift over the weekend during a visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, located 550km north of Bangkok, the Bangkok Post said. The change in venue, however, has yet to be confirmed with Thailand's fellow Asean members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. "It's 90% certain, but this will have to be ruled on soon," Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tharit Charungvat said. Bangkok has been the scene of anti-government protests led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) since May, culminating in the seizure of Government House on August 26. The PAD continued to occupy the seat of the administration, forcing Somchai's government to shift offices to Don Muaeng, Bangkok's old international airport. There are fears that the PAD would disrupt the Asean summit if the December 15-18 meetings are held in Bangkok. Chiang Mai is the hometown and a political power base for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by a military coup in September 2006. Somchai, Thaksin's brother-in-law, also has a house in Chiang Mai. The PAD is a loose coalition of conservative groups opposed to the return to power of Thaksin and his populist policies. - DPA http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2412431,00.html Thai police 'brutal' 20/10/2008 07:45 - (SA) Bangkok - About 1 000 anti-government protesters marched past Bangkok's upmarket shopping malls on Monday accusing police of brutality, upping pressure on the increasingly-isolated prime minister. In a repeat of a similar rally on Friday, supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) handed out leaflets and CDs showing graphic images of protesters injured in a deadly clash with police earlier this month. "The police try to distort the truth. I insist that what we bring is the whole truth," Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the PAD leaders, told crowds of people dressed in yellow shirts, which shows loyalty to the revered Thai king. Two people were killed and nearly 500 injured on October 7 when police fired tear gas to prevent thousands of PAD supporters from blocking Parliament, prompting some protesters to fight back. A police officer at the scene on Monday estimated that about 1 300 protesters had turned out, blocking much of the traffic on a normally-busy road. About 300 police officers stood on the sidelines. The PAD are trying to bring down the democratically-elected People Power Party (PPP) government, accusing it of running the country on behalf of ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who they accuse of corruption. Although the PAD rally was sedate, Thai newspapers on Monday warned of possible clashes with pro-government groups. Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, a pro-government activist, told AFP that they planned to gather supporters on Monday outside the National Police Headquarters, not far from the shopping district where the PAD are rallying. "We will ask police to come and fight back if the army stages a coup ... and we want to give moral support to police," Somyos said. "We do not have the means to create violence because we are innocent people who will come out without weapons. We just want to keep our democratic system." Thailand's powerful army chief on Thursday strongly hinted that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat should step down and dissolve Parliament to take responsibility for this month's clashes. Somchai - Thaksin's brother-in-law - has only been in his post for a month after a court decision removed his predecessor Samak Sundaravej, and has insisted he will carry on in his role for the time being. - AFP http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-22-thailand_N.htm?csp=34 Thai prime minister flees protesters Posted 10/22/2008 2:57 PM | By Sakchai Lalit, AP Anti Government Protesters celebrate inside the government house in Bangkok on Oct. 21. A Thai court found former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra guilty of corruption Tuesday and sentenced him to two years in prison. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) ? Thailand's prime minister was forced to flee one of his own government ministries Wednesday as protesters demanding his resignation taunted him, tossing sandals and plastic bottles at his entourage. Security officials hustled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat though a mob of 100-200 demonstrators a day after a Thai court convicted the country's former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, of violating a conflict of interest law when he was in office from 2001-2006. Ousted by a 2006 military coup, Thaksin is reviled by protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy, who claim his administration was characterized by massive corruption and abuse of power. The protesters regard Somchai, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, as a mere puppet, and accuse him of trying to amend the constitution to help clear Thaksin, who fled to self-imposed exile in Britain before the court's decision. Wednesday's confrontation started on the grounds of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, outside the headquarters of the state-owned telecom operator. Somchai's motorcade detoured into an underground parking lot to avoid the crowd calling him a "murderer," referring to violence unleashed by a police crackdown on demonstrators on Oct. 7 which resulted in the death of two protesters. Wednesday's demonstrators swarmed around Somchai in the parking lot, waving "clappers," plastic noisemakers shaped like oversized hands that have become a hallmark of their movement. Many of the protesters appeared to work for the state phone company. The employees of many state enterprises dislike Thaksin for his attempts at privatization. After holding a meeting inside the building, Somchai ? smiling tensely ? was muscled by security personnel past an angry crowd and into a waiting vehicle, as protesters tossed rubber sandals, empty water bottles and clappers toward him. Throwing shoes is particularly insulting in Thai culture, which considers feet the dirtiest part of the body. Somchai, who took office last month, has been under growing pressure to resign to ease Thailand's deepening political crisis. He repeatedly rejected such calls, while leaving open the possibility he could change his mind in the future. "Nobody stays in office forever," he said in response to a reporter's question. "I am considering the pros and cons of the situation if I quit." Thaksin was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison, but many Thais doubt he will ever serve time behind bars. The protest alliance is making his extradition from Britain one of its main demands. Thai prosecutors said Tuesday they "will speed up" their effort to extradite Thaksin, which has not yet been formally requested. Thaksin told The Associated Press Tuesday he was confident he would be able to remain in Britain. "I think I can stay here because this is (a) very mature democratic country," Thaksin said. "There is no way I will be extradited because the (Thai) court is a political court." http://www.stuff.co.nz/4736317a12.html Thaksin case emboldens Thai protesters Reuters | Thursday, 23 October 2008 A jail sentence imposed on former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for graft will add vigour to the street campaign trying to topple the present government led by his supporters, a protest leader says. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), whose supporters have occupied the prime minister's official compound since August, said the verdict vindicated their long-running campaign against Thaksin and what they call his puppet regime. "The verdict meant our campaign against Thaksin was right all along, which will bring more people to join our campaign now to bring him back home to serve his sentence," PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila said. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Thaksin, who is living in exile in Britain, had violated a conflict-of-interest law while in office and sentenced him to two years in prison. Minutes after the verdict, Thaksin said by telephone he had expected the trial to end that way because the whole case was politically motivated. A series of graft charges were initiated by a panel set up after the military coup that ousted him in 2006. An elected government returned to power in early 2008. It is already on its second prime minister, Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat. Somchai was booed and jeered by around 500 state employees during a visit to the telecommunications ministry. "Somchai, murderer! Somchai, get out!" the demonstrators shouted, blaming him for violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police outside parliament on October 7, when two people were killed and hundreds injured. Somchai, who took over from Samak Sundaravej last month after Samak, too, was found guilty of a conflict of interest, has come under pressure from the PAD and military chiefs to accept responsibility and quit. He had to be escorted by 10 police officers to get past the crowd at the ministry and into a car as shoes and bottles were thrown at him, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. EXTRADITION Suriyasai said the PAD, a led by band of royalists, business people and academics, would continue their occupation of Government House to press Somchai to work for Thaksin's extradition. "What we have to do now is to adjust our campaign tactics to avoid violence, otherwise it will give Thaksin an excuse for political asylum in Britain," Suriyasai said. Thaksin denies he is seeking asylum. The verdict has done nothing to narrow the political divide in Thailand, where Thaksin remains popular among rural voters and the poor, and there is no consensus on what happens next. "The army chief was calling on Somchai to quit on TV, but what they have struck behind the scenes might have been a house dissolution and a snap election," political commentator Sukhum Nualskul said. "I think that is the best option for all sides." Analysts said Somchai's People Power Party was likely to win again and lead a new coalition government. That course of events might give the government breathing space to pursue the drafting of a new constitution to replace the one brought in by the military government, but preventing that was one of the reasons the PAD took to the streets in May. The political crisis dates back to 2005, when the PAD launched street protests against Thaksin, alleging corruption and abuse of power. It has meandered through a coup to elections and back to protests and shows no sign of resolution. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7684141.stm Wednesday, 22 October 2008 13:01 UK Protesters throw shoes at Thai PM The protesters refuse to give up until Mr Somchai and his government resign Angry protesters have thrown shoes and bottles at Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. About 200 state employees surrounded his car outside the Information Ministry, and called him a murderer. Mr Somchai is under pressure to resign over recent clashes between police and an anti-government group. Protesters also say he is too close to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was sentenced to two years in jail on Tuesday for violating corruption laws. Thai prosecutors have now begun to gather evidence to submit to the UK, where Thaksin currently lives in self-imposed exile, asking for his extradition. 'Colourful morning' Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have been camping outside Government House for two months now, calling for the government to be disbanded and a partly appointed administration put in its place. The continuing demonstrations are virtually paralysing Mr Somchai's administration. Repeated attempts to move the protesters have failed, and the government has been forced to operate from a disused airport. Thai prosecutors are gathering evidence to try to extradite Thaksin The demonstrations began peacefully, but there were violent clashes between police and protesters earlier this month, and the country's army commander has backed calls for Mr Somchai to step down to take responsibility for what happened. But Mr Somchai has only been in his post for a month, and despite Wednesday's attack, he is standing firm. "This morning was a bit colourful, but I have to work and I am not worried about these things - people can have different opinions," Mr Somchai told the French news agency AFP. "It would not be a problem for me to resign, but what will people get from my departure?... I cannot stop working otherwise government development projects would be halted." Extradition case On Tuesday Thailand's Supreme Court found Thaksin guilty of corruption and sentenced him to two years in jail in absentia. In a landmark ruling, he was found to have violated conflict of interest rules in helping his wife buy land from a state agency at a knock-down price. Prosecutors are now gathering evidence to submit to the UK. "The extradition process began today [Wednesday]," said Sirisak Tiyapan, international affairs director at the attorney general's office. "All documents must be translated into English before we can prepare the petition and that will take considerable time," he told the AFP news agency. "In our petition, we have to prove Thaksin committed a crime that is common between the two countries." After the ruling, the PAD said the court's decision had vindicated the protesters' actions. "The verdict meant our campaign against Thaksin was right all along, which will bring more people to join our campaign now to bring him back home to serve his sentence," PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila told Reuters news agency. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/231450.html Thai Pm Flees Angry Protesters New leader cornered for second time in fortnight as anti-government violence paralyzes Bangkok Thailand's new prime minister was forced to flee angry protesters for the second time in a fortnight yesterday when he was cornered in an underground car park. A crowd of about 200 jeering workers from the state telecoms operator screaming "Somchai, murderer" pelted Somchai Wongsawat with plastic bottles and shoes as he visited the information ministry in Bangkok. As the mob surged around him, Somchai slipped into the building and emerged through the front entrance, apparently in an effort to talk to the demonstrators. But the mob threw bottles and shoes at him. Hurling shoes is insulting in Thai culture as they are associated with what is considered the dirtiest part of the body. Violent anti-government protests have paralyzed the capital for months. Two weeks ago as protesters laid siege to parliament Somchai crawled under a barbed wire fence to escape before being flown to safety in an army helicopter. Two people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes between anti-government protesters and police outside parliament on October 7. Protesters accuse Somchai of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, sentenced in his absence on Tuesday to two years in jail over a corrupt land deal. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086788 DAAD protests against supreme commander A pro-government action group Friday rallied at the Supreme Command to protest against what it called the military interference in civilian politics. Leaders of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship also announced their plan to hold demonstrations at Sanam Luang Saturday and on October 30 and 31. About 25 DAAD members led by Wiphuthalaeng Pattanaphumethai, Somyos Prueksakasemsuk and Chinnawat Haboonphad, rallied in front of the Supreme Command head office on Chaeng Wattana Raod at 10:30 am. They submitted a protest letter against Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jakkabatra for having gone on TV with other military top brass and the national police chief earlier this month to demand Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign. The letter was received by Lt Col Kueakul Buathes, an officer on duty at the Supreme Command. The letter also called on the Supreme Commander to announce his stand that he would ?stand by the people? to protect democracy and calle don the military to stop all forms of interference in politics. The DAAD also called on the Supreme Command to investigate reports that plainclothes military officers with arms had taken part in the rallies of the People?s Alliance for Democracy inside the Government House. Speaking to reporters, Wiphuthalaeng said the DAAD came to rally to call on the military not to stage another coup and to protect democracy. He said the DAAD made the move for fear that the military would take the chance when Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was visiting Beijing to attend the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting to stage a coup. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086426 People welcome PAD protesters on Sukhumvit A lot of passers-by and officer workers on Sukhumvit Road welcomed the anti-government protesters by coming out to rock their "hand clappers" and get video CDs and documents distributed by protesters. The march by the People's Alliance for Democracy caught a lot attention of the passers-by and office workers on the section of the Sukhumvit Road from the Rajprasong Intersection to the Wireless Road. The PAD organised the march to hand out VCDs and documents to raise awareness on the Oct 7 bloody crackdown. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086413 Protesters gather in front of Central World The People's Alliance for Democracy parked its five sound trucks in front of the Central World shopping mall Monday morning in preparations for a march to the Wireless Road. The march is scheduled at 10 am. Some protesters arrived at the scene since 9:30 am. Security officers of the shopping mall put up barriers to prevent the protesters from gathering on the main ground of mall so they waited on the sidewalk. Some street vendors also put the "hand clappers" and head banners on sale on the sidewalk. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/22/politics/politics_30086637.php PAD to continue protesting but cut down to one rally site By The Nation The People's Alliance for Democracy has resolved to continue its protests although it has agreed to just confine to one rally site inside Government House, PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said. The decision is in response to a suggestion by a number of academics that the PAD should suspend street protests following the punishment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to serve two years in jail for committing conflict of interest. Chamlong said the PAD-led protests would focus dual objectives - opposing the charter rewrite and pressuring the government to quit in order to assume responsibility for the October 7 violent crackdown. He said the PAD will not rebuild the rally stage at Makawan Rangsak Bridge which was dismantled to make way for the royal motorcade scheduled for tomorrow's ceremony for the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day at the Royal Plaza. The Nation http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6519612.html Thai anti-gov't group vows to continue protesting at Gov't House + - 19:52, October 22, 2008 Thai anti-government group People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) announced Wednesday that it will continue its anti-government demonstration at the Government House. PAD core leader Chamlong Srimuang said the group will maintain its main objectives, which are ousting the coalition government led by the People's Power Party (PPP) and opposing the charter amendments. He said the PAD will not leave the Government House. Regarding former deputy police chief Salang Bunnag's plan to use a group of officers to surround the Government House and cut off food supplies to the protesters, PAD key figure Somkiat Pongpaiboon said the group was informed that Salang already fled, and his plan could not be implemented. "Somkiat was quoted by the Nation," a local newspaper, saying that the PAD never took Salang into account, and the group only took half a minute to consider his threat. Former deputy national police chief Salang Bunnag Wednesday vowed to besiege the Government House to starve the protesters inside. He said he will not disclose the exact date and time for besieging the PAD supporters inside the Government House, adding that the PAD supporters would be blocked from food and water supplies for at least three days. Source:Xinhua http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086259 PAD protesters gather at Lumpini Park Protester led by the People's Alliance for Democracy gathered at the Lumpini Park Friday morning. They were gathering at 9 am to make preparations to march on Silom Road to denounce the government over the crackdown on protesters on October 7. About 500 policemen were deployed to keep order. The Nation http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30086260 Brief confrontation between PAD protesters and police supporters A brief confrontation occurred Friday morning between a group of police supporters and protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy at the Lumpini Park. While the PAD protesters were gathering in front of the park to make preparations for marching to Silom Road, a group of police supporters led by People Power Party MP Lt Col Kan Thienkaew arrived on three pick-up trucks. They tried to distribute leaflets in support of police to the PAD protesters who greeted them with boos and jeers. The group of police supporters quickly left the scene. The Nation http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6069091 Protest Calls for Ouster of Thai Premier Thousands Rally in Bangkok Demanding Prime Minister Resign BANGKOK, Thailand October 20, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy shout slogans as they march on Sukhumvit Ave Monday, Oct. 20, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. The group is calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat . (David Longstreath/AP Photo) Thousands of anti-government protesters marched through the streets of Bangkok on Monday, calling the prime minister a "murderer" and demanding he resign over the violent quashing of a previous rally. The demonstrators have stepped up their protests against Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat since a protest outside parliament Oct. 7 ended in a violent confrontation with police that left one demonstrator dead and hundreds of others injured. Pressure on Somchai increased last week when the powerful army chief hinted he should resign, leading to fears the military would carry out its second coup in two years. Somchai has brushed aside calls for his resignation, saying he would await the outcome of an investigation into the violence that was expected to conclude in the coming weeks. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/19/headlines/headlines_30086380.php A man collapsed and died while attending PAD-led protest By The Nation A 59-year-old man died at a hospital after collapsing while attending a protest led by People's Alliance for Democracy in the Government House on Sunday. Somruek was waiting for his turn to have medical check at a medical tent in the Government House when he collapsed. He was rushed to Wachira Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Somruek collapsed possibly because he had heart problems before and because it was a hot afternoon on Sunday, doctors at the protest site said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/20/politics/politics_30086395.php A 59-year-old man collasped and died during protest By The Nation Published on October 20, 2008 A Bangkok native, Somrit Kasemsuppakarn, 59, one of thousands of anti-government People Alliance of Democracy (PAD) protesters, died during demonstrations at the Government House compound yesterday. "He died because of a congenital disease," Veera Somkwamkid, one of the PAD leaders, said. Somrit suffered heart failure while he was walking to the medical tent at Phitsanulok Road in front of Government House. The medical team provided him emergency aid by pumping his heart but his condition did not improve. He was sent to Vachira Hospital in an ambulance but he could not be rescued. The PAD medical team said Somrit suffered from a heart disease. The hot temperature during the demonstration aggravated his condition. Veera has asked PAD protesters to mourn the death of Somrit. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1436496.php/Anti-government_movement_calls_off_protest_in_Bangkok_ Anti-government movement calls off protest in Bangkok Asia-Pacific News Oct 13, 2008, 2:46 GMT Bangkok - Thailand's anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has called off a planned protest in Bangkok Monday, defusing political tensions after the prime minister apologized for a crackdown on the movement last week. PAD leader Sonhdi Limthongkul announced the cancellation of a planned protest outside the National Polcie Bureau late Sunday night after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat publicly apologized for a police crackdown on the movement on October 7 that left two dead and almost 500 injured. The cancellation of the protest has defused fears of another bloodbath in Bangkok. Some 1,350 police officers had been stationed outside the police headquarters, and about 10,000 pro-government followers of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) had gathered in Bangkok to counter the PAD. Instead of protesting, the PAD will attend the funerals of two victims of the October 7 crackdown, in which police fired tear gas canisters directly in to the demonstration, causing casualties, and prompting a violent response from the PAD followers, many of whom were armed with golf clubs, iron rods, sticks and pistols. An investigation is still underway into how so many people could be injured Somchai, in a televised speech Sunday night, also called for national unity and noted that the government is tasked with several important jobs in coming months including organizing a state funeral for Princess Galani Vadhana on November 14, King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 81st birthday on December 5 and hosting the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in mid-December. The PAD has been leading anti-government rallies in Bangkok since May, this year, culminating with their seizure of Government House - the seat of the government administration - on August 26. The movement is staunchly opposed to the return to power of coup-ousted former premier Thaksin Shinwatara, who is currently living in self-exile with his family in London. Although Thaksin is banned from politics and facing numerous corruption charges in Thailand, the government is headed by the pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP). The current prime minister Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law. Thaksin faces several corruption charges dating back to his two-term premiership between 2001 to 2006, and his wife Pojaman has been sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion. He was ousted in a bloodless military coup on September 19, 2006. The PAD, which is pro-monarchy and highly critical of the type of 'money politics' Thaksin came to represent, has drawn many of Bangkok's middle class to its ranks and enjoys the tacit support of members of Thailand's political elite. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/15/politics/politics_30086129.php Government and protesters should end political violence : HRW Political Crisis Threatens Lives and Democracy Thai authorities and anti-government protesters should immediately cease using political violence to resolve their differences, Human Rights Watch said recently. The organisation called on the Thai government to initiate an independent and impartial investigation into politically motivated violence by both sides since the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) began its street protests in Bangkok on May 25, 2008. Members of the PAD, pro-government groups, and government officials responsible for unlawful acts, including police using excessive force, should be held legally accountable. "Instead of attacking each other on the streets, the Thai government and PAD should use democratic and legal channels to end their disputes," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The authorities should only use the force necessary to protect public security, while PAD should end violence, vacate government buildings it has occupied, and disarm its supporters." The PAD, led by opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has tried to force the resignation of successive Thai governments it claims are surrogates for Thaksin, who is living in the United Kingdom after fleeing corruption charges. Three protesters have been killed and hundreds of others injured, including at least 40 police officers, and more violence in Bangkok is feared. In the most recent bout of serious violence, on October 7, police tried to disperse 2,000 anti-government protesters in front of Parliament using teargas and rubber bullets. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that they heard loud explosions when police charged the protesters. The blasts nearly severed the leg of one PAD protester, while many others suffered deep wounds and burns. PAD protesters responded by firing guns, shooting slingshots, throwing bricks and metal pipes, trying to run over police officers with pickup trucks and stabbing police with flagpoles. According to the Public Health Ministry, two PAD supporters died and 443 were injured, including four cases of amputation. At day's end, about 20 police had been injured. On October 13, the head of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand, announced that her investigation with the National Human Rights Commission concluded that Chinese-made tear gas canisters and grenades may have caused the deaths and severe injuries to PAD protesters on October 7. She found that this type of tear gas generates a powerful explosion before releasing the gas cloud. When fired from a tear gas gun, Chinese-made canisters travel 60 meters per second and deliver a powerful impact that can lead to death, loss of limbs, or serious burns. News footage and accounts by witnesses indicate that police fired tear gas in a straight line and at close range directly at the protesters. Because of its excessive risk of causing serious harm, Human Rights Watch called for the withdrawal of all such tear gas from use by Thai police. Available information from the recent protests indicates that, in at least some instances, Thai police appeared to have acted lawfully in using force in self-defense. In such cases, police and other security personnel should abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. The Basic Principles call upon law enforcement officials to apply nonviolent means before resorting to force. Whenever the use of force is unavoidable, law enforcement officials are to use restraint and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offense. The legitimate objective of public security or self defense should be achieved with the least possible damage and injury, and with respect for the preservation of human life. "While the Thai government has a duty to maintain law and order, police actions on October 7 appear to have been disproportionate and to have led to avoidable deaths and injuries," said Adams. "The government should never be using deadly tear gas canisters against crowds of protesters." Since the standoff began in late May 2008, pro-government groups have attacked about a dozen rallies across Thailand organized by the PAD. Human Rights Watch found that many of these attacks were financed and coordinated by members of the governing People's Power Party (PPP). For example, on July 24, more than 1,000 members of the pro-government Khon Rak Udorn Club, led by Kwanchai Praipana and Uthai Saenkaew (the younger brother of Theerachai Saenkaew, who was then the agriculture minister) used force to break up a peaceful rally of about 200 PAD supporters in Udorn Thani province. The police stood by while pro-government thugs beat and critically injured at least 13 PAD supporters and destroyed public property. "By allowing pro-government thugs free rein to unleash brutality on protesters, the Thai authorities have contributed to political violence and tensions," said Adams. While public attention and media coverage in Thailand have focused almost entirely on violence committed by the authorities and pro-government groups, Human Rights Watch emphasized that the PAD and its supporters have also committed widespread violence. After using roadblocks to block traffic in Bangkok, armed PAD protesters on August 26 besieged many government buildings in the city, including the National Broadcasting of Thailand ( NBT ) headquarters and the Government House, where the cabinet meets. The government obtained judicial injunctions and arrest warrants against PAD leaders, but could not end the siege of the Government House due to fear that it would result in serious violence. After clashes between police and PAD protesters on August 29, the PAD effectively closed international airports in the southern provinces and imposed work stoppages on train service across the country. Violence escalated when the pro-government Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) engaged in street fighting with heavily armed members of the PAD on the morning of September 2, resulting in one death and more than 40 injuries. Pro-government media have been verbally and physically harassed by the PAD during their coverage of the protests. The PAD has also shown open hostility toward government media outlets. On August 26, armed PAD protesters stormed the NBT headquarters and tried to stop the broadcast of NBT television and radio stations. NBT reporters and staff at Government House were threatened by PAD protesters and chased out of their mobile broadcast trucks. Tensions increased in October when the police arrested PAD leaders Chaiwat Sinsuwongse and Chamlong Srimuang. In retaliation, thousands of PAD protesters on October 7 surrounded Parliament to block Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from giving his policy statement to Parliament. Somchai insisted that the parliamentary meeting must proceed, and the police were ordered to disperse PAD protesters - leading to a new series of violent clashes between police and PAD on Bangkok's streets. PAD protesters cut electricity and water supplies to Parliament. Surrounded by angry PAD protesters, hundreds of members of Parliament, ministers, senators, and parliamentary staff were stuck inside for more than five hours. The PAD has also actively advocated the use of charges of l?se majest? (insulting the monarchy) against supporters of the government to stifle free expression. It accuses many pro-government websites of promoting anti-monarchy sentiments, a serious attack on freedom of expression given Thailand's strict l?se majest? laws. More than 400 websites have closed in 2008, some under compulsion, others out of fear. The PAD has advocated greater power for non-elected officials in the government. PAD leaders proposed that the number of elected members of Parliament be reduced to 50 percent of the total - with the remainder filled through the appointment of "retired officials and important people" and others. This follows the support of many PAD leaders for the September 2006 military coup that overthrew Thaksin's elected government. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called for investigations into human rights abuses by Thaksin, but condemned the coup and current calls for another coup by Sondhi Limthongkul and other PAD leaders. Since 2006, PAD leaders have repeatedly asserted that the military has the right to intervene in politics to check corruption and to protect the monarchy and sovereignty. Human Rights Watch urged the army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, to continue to show restraint in refusing calls from both sides for the army to intervene in the crisis. "The PAD's support for violence, unelected government and military coups threatens democracy and human rights in Thailand," said Adams. "Sadly, it has allowed an aggressive mob to hijack peaceful protests to provoke a heavy-handed government response and incite another coup." http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/royalwatch/news/article_1436839.php/Queen_Sirikit_attends_protestor_funeral Queen Sirikit attends protestor funeral Royal Watch News Oct 14, 2008, 11:00 GMT Thailand's Queen Sirikit attended the funeral of a protestor killed in her country's clashes last week. The royal - who has donated a reported 800,000 baht (around ?13,000) to public hospitals treating those injured in the riot - was greeted by thousands of anti-government demonstrators, who believe her presence at the cremation of 28-year-old university student Angkhana Radappanyawut was a sign of support for their campaign. Angkhana's father said: "Her majesty said my daughter was a good woman since she had helped the nation and preserved the monarchy." Queen Sirikit's daughter Princess Chulabhorn, Thailand's Army Chief Anupong Paojinda and senior members of the opposition Democrat Party also attended the ceremony at Wat Sriprawat in Nonthaburi's Bang Kruai district yesterday (13.10.08). A demonstration outside Parliament turned violent last Tuesday (07.10.08), after thousands gathered outside the building to stop Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat meeting and formally authorising the new government. The clashes between protestors and police left two people dead. Hundreds of demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were injured. It is feared the violence has divided the country, with the possibility of further riots a constant threat. The country's prime minister has vowed to "find out what really happened", and while he regrets the clashes he is refusing to step down from his position. He said: "Many groups in society are calling for me to resign or dissolve the parliament. I am not attached to my position. However, I am not confident that is the right solution." http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/13/worldupdates/2008-10-12T213218Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-359219-1&sec=Worldupdates Sunday October 12, 2008 Thai protesters postpone march against police BANGKOK (Reuters) - Leaders of a street campaign against Thailand's government have postponed a march against the police, easing fears of a repeat of last week's violence in which two people were killed and 400 injured. Citing the continued funerary rites of the two supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) killed on Oct. 7, PAD head Sondi Limthongkul said his demonstration at national police headquarters would now be on Wednesday, not Monday. Head of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) Sondhi Limthongkul arrives at a police station in Bangkok October 10, 2008. (REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom) Despite this delay, the political atmosphere in Bangkok remains highly charged, with thousands of pro-government demonstrators gathering on Sunday for a two-day rally against the PAD. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra and the PAD's main target, told a news conference on Sunday he would not resign or call a snap election, saying neither would resolve Thailand's fundamental problems. The country has been riven by political conflict for the three years since the PAD started its street campaign against Thaksin, accusing him of corruption, cronyism and threatening the monarchy. The dispute between the Thaksin camp and the military and royalist elite who despise him has seen a coup, elections and more street protests, but appears to be no nearer a conclusion. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30085736 Govt supporters protest against Chiang Mai doctors A group of over 10 supporters of the government submitted a letter of protest against doctors of the Chiang Mai Provincial Hospital Friday, accusing them of lacking medical ethics. The group led by Somchai Chanawan, a leading member of the Federation of Northern People, came to the Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai at 2:15 pm to file their protests to Assoc Prof Doctor Chairat Khunawiktikul, acting dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chiang Mai University. The group alleged that a group of doctors of the hospital violated medical ethics for announcing that they would not provide medical services to members of the Cabinet, coalition MPs and police. Chairat replied to the group that the doctors simply expressed personal opinions but the hospital would not discriminate in providing medical services. He said 32 police officers had received medical services at the hospital since Tuesday. The Nation http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/10/07/thai-minister.html Troops on streets of Bangkok after violent protests Two people killed, more than 380 injured in clashes Last Updated: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 he Thai military ordered unarmed troops to patrol the capital Bangkok on Tuesday to keep order after a day of clashes between police and protesters who want the government to resign. Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said police have enlisted the military's help in containing protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy, a coalition of coalition of businessmen, academics and activists. Sansern said the troops would not carry firearms. Violent clashes between police and protesters on Tuesday left more than 380 people injured, at least 48 of them seriously. One woman protester died and a car bomb near parliament killed one man. Early Tuesday, the violence began when police cleared the street outside parliament, where protesters had set up a blockade to prevent lawmakers from leaving. Violence erupted again in late afternoon when the demonstrators expanded their protest and police fired tear gas to break through the crowd. During the clashes, the protesters regrouped repeatedly. Protesters also set fire to parked cars, trucks and vans. Thousands of demonstrators have occupied the grounds of the prime minister's office for the past six weeks trying to force the government to resign because they think it is too closely aligned with Thaksin Shiniwatra, the former prime minister overthrown in a coup two years ago. Somchai Wongsawat, Thailand's newest prime minister and Thaksin's brother-in law, was expected to make a major policy speech in parliament on Tuesday. Earlier, deputy prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh resigned in an effort to take responsibility for the violent clashes. He had ordered police to use restraint against the protesters. Agriculture Minister Somsak Prisananantakul said Chavalit took partial responsibility for the clashes in his resignation letter. Chavalit, in charge of security, was seen as an important figure in helping the government to resolve the ongoing political crisis. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=608127 Thailand: Nearly 70 protesters injured by tear gas, police charge at Parliament Posted: 2008/10/07 From: MNN At least 69 protesters were injured shortly after dawn Tuesday as police fired tear gas canisters and then moved physically against several thousand protesters blocking entrances to Parliament in an attempt to block the PM from delivering his govt`s policy statement to lawmakers later in the day. Two persons were seriously injured, according to hospital officials and the Erawan Medical Centre, which reported that about 69 demonstrators are being treated at three area hospitals. A protester identified as Mr Thanya Khunkaew,30, nearly lost his left leg, which was almost ripped off, while a radio reporter was knocked unconscious and his back was seriously injured when he was hit by a tear gas canister. Electricity and water mains serving Parliament were cut, but power was restored by using emergency generators following a short blackout. However, opposition Democrat Party MPs and some senators boycotted the parliament session, as they object with the police use of tear gas to disperse the crowd and to clear the entrance of Parliament. There must be 236 lawmakers attending the session in order to form a quorum. Under the law, the prime minister is required to deliver his policy to Parliament within 15 days. Mr. Somchai was sworn in on September 25 and is due to deliver his government's policy statement by October 9. Thai share prices opened 2.71 per cent lower as the use of tear gas on protesters heightened up political crisis. (TNA) # http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30085349 Protestes seize police's batons, shields Protesters managed to seize a pickup-truck full of batons and shields and police them to guards of the People's Alliance for Democracy. The seized the gears after they broke through police's barrier at the Karn Ruen Intersection at noon. The Nation http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200810062237DOWJONESDJONLINE000753_univ.xml Protesters Cut Power To Thai Parliament As Police Use Tear Gas10-6-08 10:37 PM EDT | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--Protesters cut the power to Thailand's parliament building Tuesday, after police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. Emergency generators quickly kicked in after a short blackout in the assembly room and Senate building, an AFP reporter at the scene said. About 1,000 police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse thousands of protesters massing outside parliament, critically injuring at least three people and hurting dozens more, police and doctors said. Antigovernment protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, marched to parliament late Monday, mobilizing against plans to amend the country's constitution, which they say is aimed at helping ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Police made way for MPs as they arrived at parliament Tuesday ahead of the new government's first policy announcement. The PAD began their campaign in late May seeking to force the elected government to resign, raising tensions in the kingdom after they besieged government offices late August. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4896732.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093 October 7, 2008 Two dead and many injured in Bangkok battle between police and protesters (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn) Anti-government protesters duck as police fired tear gas smoke in front of parliament in Bangkok Image :1 of 3 Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor Two people died and hundreds were injured in Bangkok today, as police fought to prevent thousands of protesters from seizing control of Thailand?s Parliament . Two demonstrators lost their legs and eight police officers were shot or stabbed in the latest confrontation in months of chaotic and sometimes violent protests between the elected Thai Government and the group that is demanding its overthrow, the People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Police bombarded the demonstrators with tear gas throughout the day to try and disperse about 8,000 protesters. They eventually created an exit for the trapped politicians, who hurried out of the building. A crowd of between 500 and 8,000 demonstrators first attempted to stop MPs from attending the opening of parliament and later, after this has proved unsuccessful, to prevent them from leaving. The casualties inflicted during the operation will further inflame a raging political confrontation which has driven the country?s Prime Minister out of his offices and forced him to work out of an abandoned airport. More than 380 people were injured by the impact of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, according to the hospital that treated them, a handful of them critically. Television images showed one demonstrator who had lost his foot. Journalists at the scene reported seeing at least three PAD protesters carrying guns, and two police inside the parliamentary compound were shot in the chest and in the shoulder from outside by unknown parties. One other person was killed in a separate incident when a jeep exploded near the headquarters of a party allied with the Government, apparently because of a bomb, a mile from the scene of the demonstrations. Overnight the PAD had erected barricades of barbed wire and tyres to prevent the opening of Parliament, without which Somchai Wongsawat, the Prime Minister, could not fulfil his constitutional duty of announcing his legislative programme. ?The speech will take place as scheduled by the parliament president,? said Mr Somchai. ?I came in to do my job, so I will not quit working. A decision will come at an appropriate time.? Having failed to prevent the Prime MInister from being evicted from his office by an unarmed mob, the Bangkok police evidently decided that surrendering Parliament too would be a step too far. "We did not use any weapon other than tear gas and shields to clear the path for parliamentarians to go into the building,? Major General Umnuey Nimmanno, the deputy Bangkok police chief, said. ?It is conventional practice in dispersing a crowd. We did not use disproportionate force.? The PAD?s initial goal was the overthrow of Mr Somchai?s predecessor, Samak Sundaravej. He was elected last December after the general election victory of his People Power Party (PPP), and made no secret of his loyalty to Thaksin Shinawatra, the most popular, but most divisive, prime minister in Thailand?s history. Mr Thaksin?s enemies, mainly among the urban middle class, accused him of using his great wealth to compromise human rights, freedom of the press, and of undermining the constitutional checks and balances on his own power. But he was adored by rural Thais, who felt themselves to be unrepresented by Thailand?s mainstream political establishment. He faced criminal charges for alleged fraud perpetrated during his period in office. After his wife was convicted by a Thai court, Mr Thaksin abandoned his attempts to return to power. In August he skipped bail and flew back to exile in London, where he has applied for political asylum. Mr Samak was forced to resign in bizarre circumstances last month, after a court ruled that he improperly accepted payment for his appearance on a television cookery programme. But the subsequent election of Mr Somchai has done little to soothe the PAD, because he is Mr Thaksin?s brother-in-law. Despite its name, the PAD advocates an end to a fully democratic system in favour of a partially appointed assembly. ?No matter how hot it will be, how heavily it will rain, how hungry you will be, or how desperately you want to go to toilet, you must surround parliament to prevent this government from delivering its policy to parliament,? its most prominent leader, the media magnate Sondhi Limthongkul, said overnight on a specially erected stage at Government House. Around ten thousand protesters have gathered there, many of them sleeping rough in the official compound, promising to protect their nine leaders who have been charged with numerous crimes including insurrection. In the past few days, two of them ? Chamlong Srimuang and Chaiwat Sinsuwong ? have been arrested after leaving the sanctuary of Government House. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the Deputy Prime Minister, resigned to take responsibility for the casualties. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30085336 Protesters lob tear gas into Metropolitan police compound Anti-government protesters lobbed tear gas into the compound of Metropolitan Police Bureau at 11.05am. Sounds of explosions were heard from time to time. A Thai TV channel reporter reported that she was also affected by the tear gas from the protesters. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/world/asia/08thai.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Hundreds Injured in Thai Protests By SETH MYDANS and THOMAS FULLER Published: October 7, 2008 BANGKOK ? Thailand?s political crisis worsened Tuesday when antigovernment protesters trapped lawmakers inside the Parliament building and fought running battles with the police that left one person dead and nearly 400 injured. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images Riot police officers beat an antigovernment protester outside Parliament in Bangkok on Tuesday. At least one person was killed during a series of street battles. Rungroj Yongrit/European Pressphoto Agency The violence on Tuesday included attacks on the Thai police by protesters armed with sticks. Lawmakers were trapped inside Parliament for several hours before they were able to escape. The army was deployed on the streets of Bangkok after the worst political violence since 1992 as protesters continued a six-week sit-in outside the prime minister?s office, forcing the government to conduct its business from a former international airport. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat asserted that he would not step down, and the military repeated a promise not to stage a coup, while the protesters said they would continue their actions until they brought down the government. They accuse the ruling party of being an extension of the rule of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was elected on a populist program in 2001 and ousted in a coup in September 2006. He now lives in London but continues to exert influence among his allies here. The protesters surrounded Parliament throughout the day Tuesday, and Mr. Somchai left by escaping over a back fence in the morning after delivering a policy address. But other members of Parliament were unable to leave for more than five hours, until the police dispersed the protesters with volleys of tear gas. The Thai military announced that it would deploy unarmed troops to help the police keep peace in the days to come. ?We ran, ran, ran,? said one Parliament member, Niyom Vejkarma, who had stripped off his jacket and tie and fled from the building in his patent leather shoes. ?My eyes are sore,? he said, referring to the tear gas that lingered in the air as he and fellow lawmakers stood at a street corner with their cellphones and called their drivers. The assault on Parliament was the culmination of an escalating feud between an urban elite trying to reclaim traditional hierarchical authority and a democratically elected government backed by a rising rural underclass. The protesters were led by the People?s Alliance for Democracy, a patchwork coalition of businessmen, academics and activists who have held street demonstrations against the government since May, and occupied the grounds on Aug. 26. Their protests have remained mostly peaceful, but they have set the country on edge with memories of a military crackdown in 1992 when the army killed dozens of pro-democracy protesters demanding the ouster of a military-backed government. Speaking to reporters after the violence subsided late Tuesday, Cmdr. Gen. Anupong Paochinda of the army asserted: ?We will not stage a coup. A coup would not do any good to the country. It won?t accomplish anything. It is not hard to stage a coup. But making a country function after staging one is.? The civilian government installed by the military after its coup in 2006 was widely seen as incompetent and ineffective. When Mr. Thaksin?s allies regained power in a parliamentary election last December, the country returned to the political standoff that had led to the coup. Mr. Somchai is a brother-in-law of Mr. Thaksin. He has sought to find a compromise with the protesters since taking office last month, but the protest at the Parliament building appears to have derailed the early stages of talks. The alliance says it wants to modify the country?s democratic system to weaken the electoral power of the rural poor, who formed the base of support for Mr. Thaksin and now for the governing People Power Party. The protesters? assault on the Parliament building and the street battles appeared to have been well planned and well supplied ? demonstrators distributed food, water and masks to protect against tear gas. The protesters made barricades of tires and razor wire and secured the entrance to the Parliament building. Reinforcements arrived during the afternoon, some carrying banners. The police attacked repeatedly, firing tear gas canisters and chasing protesters down alleys. The protesters, some wearing motorcycle helmets and masks, some armed with metal rods, machetes and slingshots, threw back the tear gas canisters and used rocks and firecrackers as missiles. A total of 381 people were injured and 48 were admitted to hospitals, including 4 who lost legs, said the Erawan Medical Center, which coordinates responses to medical emergencies. It said that one person was killed during the protest and that one died in a car explosion. A police spokesman said several police officers were also wounded, including one who had been stabbed in the abdomen with a metal pole. A Thai newspaper, The Nation, reported on its Web site that two police officers had been shot. Queen Sirikit, the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, donated about $2,900 to Vachira Hospital to help treat the wounded, said the hospital?s director, Wanchai Chareonchoktawee. Both sides in the political standoff have claimed allegiance to the highly revered monarchy, which has no direct political power but wields enormous influence. ?Together we win or lose, we will know it today, we won?t give up,? said Anchalee Paireerak, a People?s Alliance leader. Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh resigned early in the day, taking responsibility for the failure of the talks. In his speech before he fled the building, Mr. Somchai said, ?This government is determined to tackle economic problems and to listen to all sides to find a solution to end the crisis.? Mr. Somchai took office after his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, was forced to step down by a court that had found him guilty of conflict of interest because he was paid for his appearances on a televised cooking show. During the day of violence, protesters also set fire to parked cars and trucks and smashed the windows of police vans. A photographer for Reuters said that a protester fired about a dozen shots from a handgun at a line of riot police officers. It was unclear if any were hit. About three-quarters of a mile from the fighting, an unidentified person was killed when a vehicle exploded near the headquarters of the Chart Thai Party, a member of the six-party government coalition. The police said they suspected that a bomb had caused the explosion. Earlier in the day, however, the crowd outside the Parliament building had a sometimes lighthearted air, with middle-class men and women and even a few children joining in. ?I?m here to chase out the government,? said Piyanuch Klangrach, 19, a computer science student. But a driver of a three-wheel ?tuk tuk? taxi voiced the feelings of many other Thais who have become weary of the protests and the economic damage they have caused. ?I?m bored with this,? said the driver, Supit Nakham, 42. ?The economy is bad,? he added. ?Fewer tourists are coming to Thailand. There are traffic jams all over the place. I can?t work. They should talk this out, and the demonstrations should stop.? http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200810080645DOWJONESDJONLINE000349_univ.xml Troops On Thai Streets As Protest Leaders Vow To Fight On10-8-08 6:45 AM EDT | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--Security forces patrolled Bangkok's streets Wednesday in an effort to maintain calm a day after deadly clashes, as Thai protest leaders vowed to seek revenge for those killed or hurt in the violence. Small groups of soldiers and police stood guard near state buildings including parliament - the focus of Tuesday's clash between police and antigovernment protesters which left two people dead and hundreds injured. Troops were largely monitoring empty avenues in the historic district, with few signs remaining of the unrest, when police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters and angry mobs retaliated with gunfire and fighting. Leaders of the antigovernment People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, said they'd continue their rallies until the elected administration steps down. "We will fight with our wits to reach our goal, to get justice for the people who were injured and died," PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul said at the prime minister's offices, which demonstrators have occupied since late August. The health ministry said in a statement that 443 people were injured on Tuesday, including eight who had to have damaged limbs amputated. Twenty police were among the injured, some suffering gunshot wounds. One woman died of internal injuries, while a man was killed in a car bomb near parliament, the ministry statement said. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat defended the use of force as he toured a hospital to visit injured police. "The protesters wanted to seize parliament, so police used tear gas, which is an international practice," he told reporters. "Police are also wounded, and this clearly shows that the protests are not peaceful and protesters are not unarmed as claimed," he said. The PAD claims that the current government is running the country on behalf of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and objects to their plans to amend the constitution, which was brought in after the September 2006 coup. Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law, and Thailand's old power elite in the palace, military and bureaucracy - a mainstay of support for the PAD movement - resent the return of Thaksin's allies. The PAD began their campaign in May, and late Monday thousands marched to parliament where Somchai was due to give his first policy address to the house on Tuesday, prompting the clashes. Pibhop Dhongchai, another PAD leader, said the group was considering their next move. He denied they had planned to send gangs of protesters to the foreign ministry, where Somchai met foreign diplomats Wednesday to reassure them about stability here. Thailand's media described the violence in cataclysmic terms Wednesday - the English-language daily The Nation said the "mini civil war" had created a " bloodbath in Bangkok" - and accused police of aggravating the situation. The recent unrest followed months of protests by the PAD, whose rallies in early 2006 contributed to the unrest culminating in the coup that ousted Thaksin. The army has sought to reassure people that despite the presence of troops in the streets, no fresh military takeover is in the works in Thailand, which has suffered 18 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932. "Absolutely the military will not stage a coup," army chief General Anupong Paojinda said on Tuesday. "It's not good for our country." The premier, who has only been in the post for three weeks, has declared he'll not resign or declare a state of emergency in the capital - although one of his deputies, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, has already resigned. The streets around parliament were almost deserted early Wednesday, except for police deployed to sweep the area of debris and about 20 overturned cars left from the clashes. Schools around parliament were closed, but in the rest of Bangkok, people went to work and continued their daily chores, seemingly unaffected by the unrest. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=7496 Thai car bomb victim was protest organizer (10-08 20:12) Thai police on Wednesday identified the man who died in a car bombing during chaotic anti-government protests as a former senior policeman and demonstration organizer. Metha Chartmontri, 37, quit his police career in 2005 to work for the anti-government group the People's Alliance for Democracy in the north of Thailand, said authorities. Metha was killed Tuesday when a car burst into flames close to Thailand's parliament building, where PAD members clashed with police. One female protester was killed during clashes after suffering internal injuries, a doctor from a Bangkok hospital said. Eight police officers were shot or stabbed in the unrest, police said, which capped months of demonstrations aimed at removing Thailand's elected government because of its ties to oust http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/08/thailand Two dead as Thai troops battle protesters ? Ian MacKinnon, south-east Asia correspondent ? The Guardian, Wednesday 8 October 2008 Anti-government protesters clash with police outside the parliament in Bangkok. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA Troops were deployed on the streets of Bangkok last night to bolster Thai police after a day of clashes with anti-government protesters left two people dead and more than 350 injured. Police fought pitched battles from early morning with demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (Pad) who gathered outside the Thai parliament as it met in a new session. Two policemen were shot as thousands of protesters massed in an effort to force the resignation of the new prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, accusing him of being a puppet of his deposed predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra. Somchai escaped the parliament building by crawling through a fence and was evacuated by helicopter. The deputy prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who had been the government's chief negotiator with Pad, quit his post. Pad has occupied the grounds of the prime minister's offices for months. The violence was the worst since Pad protesters clashed with pro-government supporters almost two months ago, prompting the prime minister to declare a state of emergency and call troops on to the streets. Last night the army dismissed speculation that the arrival of soldiers on the streets heralded another coup, two years after Thaksin was forced out and sought asylum in Britain after fleeing corruption charges. The demonstrators' siege of parliament delayed proceedings for a time as police fired teargas to try to clear a path to enable MPs to reach the chamber. One man lost a foot from the blast of a teargas grenade. Some protesters broke away and targeted police headquarters, overturning police vehicles, erecting barricades and fighting with sharpened flagpoles. http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/9451 Thai car bomb victim 'was protest organiser' 09/10/2008 ________________________________________ Thai police identified the man who died in a car bombing during chaotic anti-government protests as a former senior policeman and demonstration organiser. Metha Chartmontri, 37, quit his police career in 2005 to work for the anti-government group the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in the north of Thailand, said authorities. "He was a lieutenant colonel...who resigned and began working with the People's Alliance for Democracy as coordinator from Burirum province," Major General Amnuay Nimmano, deputy commander of Bangkok police, told reporters. Metha was killed when a car burst into flames close to Thailand's parliament building, where PAD members clashed with police. One female protester was killed during clashes after suffering internal injuries, a doctor from a Bangkok hospital said. Eight police officers were shot or stabbed in the unrest, police said, which capped months of demonstrations aimed at removing Thailand's elected government because of its ties to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. AFP http://www.newssafety.com/index.php?view=article&catid=153%3Athailand-security&id=10192%3Athai-protesters-vow-revenge-after-clashes-with-police-&tmpl=component&print=1&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=100405 Thai protesters vow revenge after clashes with police Source : AFP 08.10.2008 BANGKOK, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - At Thailand's main government complex in Bangkok, anti-government protesters bow their heads in silence -- a tribute to the two people killed in clashes with police outside parliament. Thousands of demonstrators trying to bring down the country's elected government have been camped out here peacefully since August 26, but one day after the bloodshed in the capital's historic district, they want revenge. The mood of the protesters, clad in the yellow royalist shirts and neckerchiefs that have become their uniform, has turned from sombre to angry. "We want payback. The government has beaten us and beaten our king. This is our land to command," said one 62-year-old protester who would only be referred to by his nickname "Ronson". Demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who shot at police with guns on Tuesday after tear gas was fired at them, rested and reflected at the government complex, decorated with yellow and violet orchids. "The government treats people like they treat dogs," said a 27-year-old protester who gave her name as Bee. "We had no weapons in hand, just clappers and water bottles, but they treat us like we are dogs. They don't stop, I feel pain inside my head. I feel I want to take revenge." The PAD is largely made up of the middle classes and Bangkok's pro-royal elite, and seeks to bring down the government they accuse of acting on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a September 2006 coup. They also object to the ruling People Power Party's plans to amend the constitution, one of the causes they marched to parliament for on Monday night, provoking the teargas that triggered the unrest. The recent turmoil follows months of protests by the PAD, whose rallies in early 2006 contributed to the unrest culminating in a coup later that year. A small gaggle of PAD supporters sat outside the compound across from the largely deserted Royal Plaza, the scene of the bloody clashes that ended with 443 people injured, including eight who had limbs amputated, officials said. One woman died of internal injuries in the violence, while a man was killed in a car bomb near parliament. By midday, government workers had used high-pressure water hoses to clean up most of the debris left over from Tuesday's violence -- and the blood stains. But banks of water bottles used to aid protesters hit by tear gas were left scattered around the area, signalling the possibility of further troubles ahead. The Thai capital's historic district was eerily calm, with troops in riot gear smiling as they kept watch over key intersections close to government buildings. The parliament building -- surrounded by 8,000 protesters during the unrest -- was deserted on Wednesday, after the protests forced an early end to scheduled policy debates and the PAD stayed away. Workers calmly touched up the red paint on the building's gates, which kept lawmakers trapped inside for hours as protesters swarmed outside, forcing Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to escape by police helicopter. "It's closed because of yesterday. There are no meetings here," said Jirut Tippayaruk, 30, a civil servant who was there only to return a book to the parliament library. "Everyone is very sad. We don't like to see anything like this." http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=7512 Thai anti-government protesters hijack bus (10-09 00:30) Thai protesters squatting in Bangkok's main government compound hijacked a city bus late on Wednesday, a day after they clashed violently with police leaving two dead and hundreds injured. Police said a group of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which seeks the overthrow of the elected government, posed as passengers on the bus service that passes near their protest site. In a police statement the authorities said around 10 PAD members boarded the bus and ordered everyone on board to leave before driving it to their camp at Government House. The bus was used to blockade the front of the Government House building which protesters have besieged since August 26. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhidkfauaumh/rss2/ Thai protesters call for revenge 09/10/2008 - 07:57:06 Anti-government protesters have vowed to avenge those killed and injured in clashes this week with the police. Soldiers helped maintain an uneasy calm today in Bangkok, two days after two people died and more than 400 were injured when police attempted to break up protests that degenerated into Thailand?s worst political violence in more than a decade. While each side accused the other of using excess force, many pointed to the grievous wounds suffered by several demonstrators, including four who lost parts of their legs, as evidence that the police used heavy weapons. Police said they only used tear gas, and said they believed some demonstrators were hurt by explosives they themselves were carrying. Protesters rallied in their stronghold at the compound of the prime minister?s office, which they have occupied since August 26. ?We will not negotiate with a man who has blood on his hands,? said key protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul to loud applause. ?I ask our brothers and sisters to be strong and turn your sorrow into anger so we can have our revenge!? The protesters from the People?s Alliance for Democracy say Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is a pawn of ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006 by military leaders who accused him of corruption. He now lives in exile. Somchai is his brother-in-law. The alliance wants sweeping changes to Thailand?s electoral system to prevent what they call corrupt politicians from exploiting the rural majority to take power. Though police insisted they used only tear gas in Tuesday?s clashes, Associated Press reporters said stun grenades were also employed. Protesters claimed their gathering on Tuesday morning aimed at blockading Parliament was peaceful, but many had brandished iron rods, slingshots, firecrackers and bottles to attack police. An AP Television News reporter saw at least three carrying guns, and witnessed two of them firing at police. Three police officers were shot and one was stabbed with a flagpole. Almost a dozen doctors at Bangkok?s Chulalongkorn Hospital said they would refuse to treat policemen because of their actions on Tuesday, and urged colleagues to join them. But the hospital?s director said all patients would be treated. A pilot on a domestic flight of Thai Airways International, the national carrier, refused to allow politicians from Somchai?s ruling People?s Power Party onto his flight. The airline later suspended the pilot from duty, The Nation newspaper reported on its website. The People?s Alliance for Democracy claims Thailand?s rural majority ? who gave strong election victories to Thaksin and his allies ? is susceptible to vote buying and too poorly educated to responsibly choose their representatives. The group wants the country to abandon one-man, one-vote democracy and instead adopt a mixed system in which some representatives are chosen by certain professions and social groups. They have not explained how exactly such a system would work or what would make it less susceptible to manipulation. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081008/world.htm#1 Choppers rescue Thai PM amid anti-govt protest Bangkok, October 7 It could have been a scene from the closing chapters of the Vietnam War - US-made ?Huey? helicopters flying in across a steamy southeast Asian city to rescue people trapped inside a besieged compound. But the city was Bangkok in 2008, not Saigon in 1975, and the people included Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, holed up inside the parliament building as thousands of protesters outside called for his resignation. Amid a thick air with teargas from earlier clashes between protesters and the riot police, Somchai was forced to climb through a barbed wire fence at the back of parliament and onto the lawns of an adjoining palace before being flown to safety. Left behind were hundreds of ruling party members of parliament who had gathered on Tuesday to hear Somchai's inaugural policy address - an event the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators were determined to prevent. One man?s leg was blown off and another lost his foot when the riot police moved in just after dawn to clear a route to a side entrance of the parliament building. Furious at what was seen as police brutality, thousands more PAD supporters joined the protest, eventually forcing the riot officers to flee, abandoning their batons, shields and six trucks. ?We are going to block them inside for as long as possible,? said a 45-year-old chartered surveyor, as MPs milled around inside the compound, speaking on mobile phones. The protesters, who believe Somchai is a puppet of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra, then went to vent their rage at Bangkok?s police headquarters. The police fired volleys of teargas rounds and stun grenades. The protesters, clad in yellow to show their allegiance to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, responded with fireworks, sling-shots and bottles. ?This is all Thaksin's doing. He is evil,? said Siriwan, an unemployed 43-year-old housewife, who blamed Thaksin personally for the violence, even though he is now in exile in London. Shortly afterwards, a sewage truck drove slowly down the tree-lined avenue, spraying torrents of excrement all over the road outside the police HQ. Sheets of cardboard were placed across drain covers to prevent what the protesters said was teargas pumped into the sewer system by police. Nearby, a team of army and volunteer medics combed through the debris on one side of the road looking for a man?s toe they said had been blown off in one of the clashes. ? Reuters http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=9&art_id=71051&sid=20411045&con_type=1&d_str=20080902&fc=10 Political protests put dampener on outlook for Thai tourism - Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Lugging their suitcases under the Thai sun, foreign tourists walked around cars lining the highway to Phuket's airport, hoping for an end to the protest that had shuttered the runway on the resort isle. "We don't know what happened, we don't know anything about Thai politics," said one German tourist. "They keep telling us we are on standby, but they are still not sure if our flight can take off." He was among 15,000 passengers stranded in Phuket since anti-government protesters marched Friday on the island's airport, the nation's second-busiest, forcing a cancellation of all the nearly 120 daily flights. Similar protests temporarily closed down the airport in nearby Krabi and the southern commercial center of Hat Yai, cutting off air traffic to much of southern Thailand. By Sunday, all three aviation hubs had resumed services, but protesters have threatened to return to airports, including Phuket, the crown jewel of Thai tourism - an industry that generates 6 percent of the economy. The anti-government protests are centered on Bangkok, where up to 25,000 people have occupied the main government complex calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. The protests turned violent Friday, with skirmishes between activists and police. Only about 35 people suffered minor injuries, but Australia, Britain and the United States have warned their nationals to exercise caution traveling to Thailand, while South Korea has urged tourists to postpone their plans. Thai tourism has weathered political protests before, when street demonstrations led to a coup against Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. But travelers have so far been undeterred by the political turmoil, just as they kept coming after the Indian Ocean tsunami, deadly bombings in downtown Bangkok and a fiery plane crash in Phuket. Despite the disasters, Thailand has posted record tourist arrivals in each of the past four years. But the current protests come at a particularly bad time, with high global oil prices putting airlines under pressure and forcing many travelers to rethink their plans. "The current political standoff will absolutely have an adverse effect on our tourism industry but the extent of the damage will depend on how long the turmoil lasts," said Prakit Chinamourphong, president of the Thai Hotel Association. "It would be best if it ended swiftly." Even before the protests broke out, tourism growth showed signs of slowing. The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects 15.48 million arrivals this year, up slightly from 14.46 million last year. The government agency has revised down its forecast for next year, predicting 16 million people will visit Thailand, generating 600 billion baht (HK$136.9 billion) in revenue. The slowdown has been largely blamed on soaring oil prices, which have taken a heavy toll on flag carrier Thai Airways, forcing it to cut its direct flight to New York while reducing other long-haul routes to rein in fuel costs. The airline posted a 9.23 billion baht loss in the second quarter - its worst quarterly showing in a decade. But some experts predict Thailand will once again rebound, in part because political turmoil there has become seen as somewhat normal. "We're still generally bullish on Thailand," said Oliver Martin, an associate director at industry body the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Even if the political situation deteriorated into another coup, Martin said that he did not expect many people to change their travel plans. "If anything, the security situation with these coups is nothing new in Thailand," he said. "It's taken as fact. If you look at their history, they have coups every couple of years. Here, it's generally not violent and generally it's looked at as a domestic issue." AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 01:48:13 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:48:13 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and rights protests - Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, Americas, Europe - October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB604D.6090905@tesco.net> * VIETNAM - AUSTRALIA: Human rights protests greet Vietnam PM visit * INDONESIA: Rallies against draconian indecency "porn" bill * INDONESIA: Rallies in Jakarta * INDONESIA: Protest against death penalty for Bali bombers * EAST TIMOR: Political tensions contribute to continuing crisis * EAST TIMOR: Opposition holds "peace march" * MALAYSIA: Hindraf supporters stage new protests for release of leaders * TAIWAN: "I work for China" says cop at opposition protest * BURMA: Labour activist in prison treatment strike * BURMA: Detained activists protest trial conditions * PHILIPPINES: Cagayan de Oro - protest against "oppressive collection" of taxes (extortion) * PHILIPPINES: Balas protesters put up "longest streamer" * PHILIPPINES: Protesters gather at airport against corrupt politician * PHILIPPINES: Balas protesters question inquiry end * SINGAPORE: Students use Speakers' Corner to call for democracy on campus * SINGAPORE: 31 protests since relaxation of rules * GLOBAL: Amnesty carries out wave of death penalty protests * NIGERIA - NIGER DELTA: Ijaw group seeks to shut down govt offices * NIGERIA: NIGER DELTA: Itsekeri protest marginalisation * NIGERIA: Ekiti - Women may protest nude against poll delay * ZIMBABWE: Police attack student protest * ZIMBABWE: Arrests during talks protests * ZIMBABWE: Rights group raided after protest * NIGER: Protest for release of ex-PM * UGANDA - UK: Protest over child abductions * TRINIDAD: Protest over murder by police * FIJI: Lone protester blocks traffic over political trial * MAURITANIA: Repression of pro-democracy protests raises tensions * UK: Writers pen terror bill protest * UK: March over deaths in custody * UK: Bondage protest over "extreme porn" ban * GREECE: Protest over monastery real estate deals * IRELAND: Impromptu protest over impounding of horses * IRELAND: Sinn Fein to hold budget protests * SPAIN: Judges strike over govt interference * CANADA: Police repress charity concert * NEW ZEALAND: Protest over political imprisonment * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: PM's office trashed over death of party member * CANADA: Marijuana protest over cafe charges http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-14-voa16.cfm?CFID=89829956&CFTOKEN=75347202 Protesters Greet Vietnamese Prime Minister in Australia By Phil Mercer Sydney 14 October 2008 Mercer report - Download (MP3) Mercer report - Listen (MP3) Human rights protesters have greeted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on his arrival in Australia. He is in Australia for talks on trade with his counterpart, Kevin Rudd. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. A small but noisy crowd of about 300 human rights demonstrators gathered in Canberra Monday at the start of Nguyen Tan Dung's official visit to Australia. They demanded that Vietnamese authorities release political prisoners and allow democracy. The Vietnamese prime minister is in Australia for a two-day visit to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. To honor the occasion, Vietnam is granting clemency to two Australians facing execution in Hanoi for drug smuggling. Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung, left, and Victoria state Premier John Brumby in Melbourne, 14 Oct 2008 Trade and human trafficking have been key points of discussion between Mr. Dung and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Concerns about human rights in Vietnam have not been a central feature of this visit, despite the concerns of critics of the Vietnamese government. They say it violates the rights of its citizens and blocks basic freedoms, such as freedom of religion and land ownership. Melanie Beresford, a regional expert at Sydney's Macquarie University, says Vietnam is pursuing an increasingly liberal political and economic path, which has reduced criticism of its record on human rights. "My impression is that Australians are not too worried about it. I think there have been huge changes that have taken place in Vietnam over the last decade or so," she said. "You know, most Australians feel quite comfortable with the way Vietnam is progressing on the, sort of, long-term scale of things. It is not a country that is going backwards into evermore repression of the population." However, in Hanoi on Tuesday, two journalists who exposed official corruption went on trial for allegedly writing inaccurate stories and what the court calls "abusing freedom and democracy." Trade between Australia and Vietnam has grown by 20 percent annually over the past five years and is estimated to reach $8 billion this year. Australian businesses have invested more than $1 billion in Vietnam and the country is Vietnam's third biggest export market. http://itn.co.uk/news/87694e9d7d3081f2e8f7d6ad5124c9db.html Several thousand Indonesians have held a rally to protest against an anti-pornography bill that is before parliament. The protesters, who came from Papua, North Sulawesi, Yogyakarta on Java island and Bali, carried a 230-metre long Indonesian flag and performed several traditional dances as they rallied. "As a nation that cares about unity and cultural diversity, we must unite to maintain our democracy, not a democracy of the repressed minority" - protester Protester Bambang said: "As a nation that cares about unity and cultural diversity, we must unite to maintain our democracy, not a democracy of the repressed minority." The anti-pornography bill, which aims to shield the young from pornographic material and lewd acts, is being pushed by a small group of Islamist parties in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. The plan has been condemned by some minorities groups in the country, including Balinese, who are Hindu, as well as Christians, and some tribal groups who favour near nudity as traditional attire. Lawmakers have so far stopped short of passing the bill, which has been discussed for about three years and watered down from its original form, after a series of demonstrations. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/10/22/seven-protest-rallies-to-hit-jakarta-wednesday/ 10/22/08 09:39 Seven protest rallies to hit Jakarta Wednesday Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Seven protest rallies will hit several corners of Jakarta on Wednesday and have potential to cause traffic jam on main roads in the capital, according to an information from Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center (TMC). The TMC information said the first rally would be staged by a group of so-called Non-Party People (RNP) in front of General Election Commission (KPU) office on Imam Bonjol street in Central Jakarta. Similar action (the second and the third) would also take place in front of Jakarta Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD) office on Kebon Sirih street, Central Jakarta, and in Pedongkelan area on Kayu Putih street, East Jakarta. The fourth rally would be staged by a group of so-called People Front to Smash Corrupter at Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office on Rasuna Said street in South Jakarta. While the fifth rally would also be staged at the same place afterward by People Movement to Try Band Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (Gerak-BLBI) corrupter. The sixth and the seventh rally would be staged by Merah Putih Warriors at Defense Ministry office on Merdeka Barat street in Central Jakarta and in front of Jakarta City Hall on Merdeka Selatan street by Poor People Alliance and Legal Aid Institute (LBH). All the protest rallies are scheduled to be held between 9:30 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49U2UM20081031?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Indonesia Islamists protest bombers execution plan Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:19am EDT SOLO, Indonesia (Reuters) - Over 100 members of a hardline Islamist group staged a protest in Indonesia on Friday against the planned execution of three militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people. Indonesia has said it will execute the three men -- Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Mukhlas, also known as Ali Ghufron -- in early November, but has not specified a date. The protesters from Ansharut Tauhid -- a new hardline group led by firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir -- said they would continue the fight of the three bombers, who were sentenced to death in 2003. "Amrozy et al, we are the successors of your fight," read a poster held by a man whose face was covered with a scarf at the rally outside the police and prosecutor's offices in Solo, about 500 km (310 miles) from the capital, Jakarta. Indonesia's police spokesman said on Friday police across the sprawling archipelago have heightened security at key places and foreign embassies. Some analysts say there are fears of a hardline backlash because of the execution. (Reporting by Andry Prasetyo, writing by Olivia Rondonuwu, editing by Sugita Katyal) Protest actions to add to Jakarta???s traffic woes Detik.com - October 20, 2008 Following this at 10am, the South Sumatra Social Alliance of Concern for the Organisation of Clean Elections (AMSSPPPB) will be holding a protest action at the offices of the General Elections Commission on Jl. Imam Bonjol. (ken/nrl) [Translated by James Balowski.] --------------------------------------------------- Silent protest held against porn bill Jakarta Post - October 24, 2008 Dicky Christanto, Bali -- As many as 30 people from the Bali People's Component (KRB) organized a silent protest against the pornography bill at Sanur Beach on Thursday. The group, mainly consisting of youngsters, unfurled giant banners stating their opposition to the bill. The silent protest was organized because the group believed lawmakers in Jakarta had not taken the Balinese people's views into consideration, Wayan Semaracipta, the protest's field coordinator, said. "We want to draw the attention of many foreign athletes currently competing at the Asian Beach Games. We want them to know that Indonesians are currently facing serious threats to humanity and civil liberties through the bill's deliberation," he told reporters. Besides holding giant banners, the group presented contemporary art performances and meditated for an hour. Following their ancestors' lead, the group meditated because it was a peaceful way to protest, Semaracipta said. "We have done our part by yelling and rallying to refuse the bill. Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika himself has officially sent a letter of objection against the bill to the central government," he said. "Now, we want to give out everything to the God Almighty by doing the meditation, just like our ancestors used to do if they thought that they had carried put every effort to cope with a problem." --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Seven protest actions to enliven Jakarta today Detik.com - October 16, 2008 Moksa Hutasoit, Jakarta -- It is as if protest actions are never absent from the lives of Jakarta residents. Today, seven demonstrations will be held by various different groups across Greater Jakarta. Based on data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre for Thursday October 16, the first protest action will take place at 8am at the State Palace, the offices of the Department for State-Owned Enterprises, the House of Representatives building and the national police headquarters. Between 10am and 4pm, it will be the turn of the Victims of the Curator Employees Alliance (AKKK) to hold an action at the Supreme Court, the State Palace and the Constitutional Court. At 10am, the offices of the Central Leadership Board of the National Awakening Party on Jl. Sukabumi, in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta will be visited by the Jakarta Papua Social Solidarity Forum (FSMPJ). Starting at 11am, the Legal Aid Foundation Red and White Militia (LBH-LMP) will be patrolling the central office of the state housing company Perum Perumnas on Jl. DI Panjaitan in East Jakarta. Also at 11am, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia will hold an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta. At 2pm meanwhile, the Jakarta Office for Primary Education in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, will be visited by the Teachers Reform Forum (FGR). The State Palace will again be the location for a protest action at 4pm by the Solidarity Network for Victims and Families of Victims (JSKKK). Even though without the presence of protest actions Jakarta???s traffic will continue to be congested, it is advised that you try to avoid these locations. (mok/mok) [Translated by James Balowski.] -------------------------------------------------- East Timor: Political tensions, security forces Lusa - October 28, 2008 Dili -- Mounting tension between East Timor's government and the opposition and continued regional-based rivalries in the police and army have left the country in a state of "pre-crisis and fatalism", a Timorese expert in strategic affairs warned Tuesday. "People begin to interiorize a new crisis and no one appears to be able to keep it from erupting", Loro Horta, the son of President Josi Ramos Horta, told Lusa in Dili, referring to the bloody turmoil two years ago that involved rival security force factions and communal gangs. "The risk we face is that the irritation between the government and (opposition party) Fretilin spins out of control with groups reacting to the constantly escalating tensions", Horta said. The Singapore-based academic described the country's leadership as hobbled by "three egos, each bigger than the other" that limited the possibility of the president, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmco and opposition chief Mari Alkatiri combining to quell rising political uncertainty and unrest in the police and the army. Fretilin, which denounces Gusmco's coalition government as unconstitutional, was "one step away" from withdrawing from parliament and provoking an "institutional crisis", Horta said. The prolonged political feuding, he added, was developing against a background of continued dissention within an "unraveling" and "demoralized" national police that lacked a "strong command structure" and an army still suffering the consequences of regional rivalries that fractured it during the 2006 wave of violence. Horta forecast that "if a new crisis erupts" it would first break out in the police force. As an additional sign of the reigning uncertainty and instability, Horta said his father's Timorese presidential guard had not been paid in two months and remained without radio equipment. Though severely wounded, President Ramos Horta survived an assassination attempt by renegade soldiers in Dili last February. *************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- East Timor opposition defends 'peace march' ABC News Online - October 23, 2008 East Timor's Opposition Leader has rejected Government accusations that the Fretilin party is stoking security tensions by planning a mass demonstration. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao says the Government will not hesitate to arrest violent demonstrators. Mari Alkatiri has told Radio Australia it is Fretilin's democratic right to hold its so-called Peace March, just as it is the Government's right to arrest violent people. He says the Government was trying to blame others for its own mistakes. "They've been trying to solve problems by using only money, but not to solve the political problems through political means, that they've failed," he said. "The Government has failed at all levels, and they're trying to blame others for their own mistakes." Fretilin has not named a date for its mass demonstration. Violence between eastern and western factions in East Timor flared in May 2006, killing 37 people and displacing 150,000 East Timorese. Mr Alkatiri says his party was not behind an anonymous pamphlet circulating in Dili threatening more violence if a person from the island is named the new commander of the police force. "Fretilin has nothing to do with this kind of issue," he said. "Xanana has to be blamed for this kind of 'east and west' in Timor Leste. He was the one in 2006 to divide the country into east and west, Xanana himself." --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- East Timor PM threatens to arrest anti-government protesters Agence France Presse - October 20, 2008 Dili -- East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao threatened Monday to arrest protesters who respond to opposition calls for a mass antigovernment rally, amid concerns for the country's stability. "We will arrest those involved in any protests for the sake of the nation's security," he said when asked about the rally planned by opposition party Fretilin. "I don't care if people call me a dictator because our priority is stability and security for all citizens." Opposition leader Mari Alkatiri, who claims the coalition government is unconstitutional, is threatening to stage a large protest to unseat Gusmao but so far no date has been set. East Timor formally won independence from Indonesia on May 20, 2002 but its brief history has been marred by political unrest and infighting. Unsigned pamphlets have also been circulating in the capital Dili threatening protests if an easterner is appointed the new police commander when the post becomes vacant in November. Such claims of regional discrimination sparked a mass desertion by members of the armed forces, leading to fighting in 2006 between military, police factions and gangs in street violence that killed at least 37 people. An Australian-led international peacekeeping force has been helping to secure the country in the wake of that violence. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-36535.html 10 arrested Hindraf protesters face five years in jail Kuala Lumpur, Oct 25 : Ten Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) protesters, arrested Thursday for gathering outside Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's house to demand the release of five others, are likely to spend Diwali in jail. They face a maximum of five years' imprisonment if convicted, media reports said Saturday. An appeal for their release in time for the Hindu festival Tuesday is pending before Magistrate Nurdiana Mohammed Nazir, who Friday remanded them to three days' police custody. The 10 include two women. One of them, Mary Lourdes, a diabetes patient who could not get insulin, fainted in the courtroom. She was rushed to hospital, The Daily Star said. Another male detainee was also admitted to the Putrajaya Hospital Thursday night following medical complications. Several opposition lawmakers, including ethnic Chinese Fong Po Kuan and Lim Lip Eng, and ethnic Indian S. Manikavasagam were present in the courtroom. The 10 protesters and a minor girl were detained Thursday for gathering outside the prime minister's office to submit a memorandum seeking release of five Hindraf leaders before Diwali. Called Hindraf-5 by the media, M. Manoharan, S. Kengadharan, P. Uthaya Kumar, Vasanth Kumar and Ganabatirau, are serving two year jail terms under the stringent Internal Security Act (ISA) for organising a protest rally last November, joined by 10,000 people, that was forcibly dispersed by police. The 10 Hindraf activists had gone to the prime minister's office along with K. Santhi, wife of self-exiled London-based leader P. Waithyamurthy, and their child. Their lawyer N. Surendran said the 10 detainees and a six-year-old girl had gone to the prime minister's office to hand over a memorandum, seeking the release of all Internal Security Act detainees and invite Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to their Diwali open house. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar Friday said the government was considering prosecuting Santhi on charges of child abuse. Hindraf has been urging the government to repeal the ISA. The demand is gaining wider momentum. In a related development, five more opposition MPs submitted a memorandum to the prime minister's office voicing this demand, taking the total to 85 in a 300 member parliament. --- IANS http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/26/2003426943 OPPOSITION RALLY: I work for the PRC, police officer tells rally protesters By Jimmy Chuang STAFF REPORTER Sunday, Oct 26, 2008, Page 3 The director-general of the National Police Agency (NPA) Wang Cho-chiun (???) yesterday apologized for the conduct of a female officer who told protesters that she works for ?the People?s Republic of China.? ?What she said has damaged the police?s public image,? Wang said. ?I would like to apologize on behalf of my fellow police and instruct her superior officers to come up with proper punishment for her.? Wang made the remarks when asked by the press for comments on the incident, which took place earlier yesterday during the demonstration. The female officer, surnamed Chou (?), belongs to Jen-ai Road Police Station of the Chungcheng First Precinct in Taipei City. Around 2pm, while on duty dispersing vendors who crowded around the Jing Fu Men (? ??) on Ketagalan Boulevard, she said in response to a protesters? question about whether her boss is President Ma Ying-jeou (???) that ?my boss is the People?s Republic of China.? Chou?s response irritated pan-green supporters, who surrounded her, demanding an apology. The female officer apologized and then left the scene. ?We will find out what was wrong with her, but she will be punished for sure,? Wang said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14408 Labor Rights Activist Su Su Nway Stages Prison Protest ________________________________________ By SAW YAN NAING Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Jailed Burmese labor rights activist Su Su Nway is refusing to accept medical treatment in protest at not being allowed to be treated outside prison, according to her sister. Htay Htay Kyi said her sister, who was imprisoned in November 2007, also refused to attend a scheduled court session in Rangoon?s Insein prison on Wednesday. Her lawyer, Khin Htay Kywe, said her non-appearance was also a gesture of protest. Htay Htay Kyi said the authorities had prevented her from visiting her sister for more than two months after she visited the Rangoon office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to report on Su Su Nway?s deteriorating health. Su Su Nway suffers from heart trouble and hypertension and was now experiencing glandular problems, Htay Htay Kyi said. Su Su Nway, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy, was arrested after participating in a demonstration in November 2007 and charged with ?threatening the stability of the government,? under articles 124, 130 and 505 of the penal code. In 2006, she was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award for her work in promoting labor rights. Htay Htay Kyi said the Insein prison court rescheduled Su Su Nway?s appearance for next Wednesday. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14391 Detained Activists Protest against Trial Conditions ________________________________________ By MIN LWIN Monday, October 6, 2008 Detained members of the 88 Generation Students Group will refuse to cooperate with the court at their trial unless family members are allowed to attend, their lawyers have announced. Aung Tun, brother of activist Ko Ko Gyi, said the authorities had informed families of the accused on Friday that they would not be allowed to attend court hearings in Insein Prison. Family members were admitted to a previous hearing in early September. Aung Tun said it wasn?t known why they were being excluded from the next sessions of the Rangoon East district court. The authorities have also changed the days for family visits, and refused Htay Htay Kyi, the sister of detained political and labor activist Su Su Nway, permission to visit her. Tate Naing, secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP)?said family members of detained political activists have the right to attend court hearings. Prominent leaders of the 88 Generation Students group were arrested in August 2007, at the start of demonstrations leading up to September?s uprising. They included Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Win Aung, Min Zeya, Kyaw Min Yu (also known as Jimmy) and Mya Aye. They had led a march on August 19 protesting against sharp increases in the prices of fuel and other commodities. Many former student leaders are serving long prison terms?some have been in prison for more than 15 years. On Monday, activist Soe Myint Hein was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment. A woman activist, Khin Aye, and other two others received sentences of two years and six months. Two Burmese human rights groups released a report on Monday saying the number of political prisoners in Burma had nearly doubled in little more than one year. A UN report in June 2007 gave the number of political prisoners as 1,192 political prisoners in Burma. The number now was at least 2,123, said a report issued jointly by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the United States Campaign for Burma, based in Washington, DC. The report accused the Burmese military government of defying a UN Security Council demand in October 2007 for the release of all political prisoners, including the world?s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi. ?By nearly doubling the number of political prisoners, the Burmese regime is directly defying the UN, including the UN Security Council,? said Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner and co-founder of the AAPP. The AAPP and USCB sent an open letter to the UN Secretary-General calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20081023-167955/Protest-in-Cagayan-de-Oro-City-a-first Protest in Cagayan de Oro City a first By Ramon Tulfo Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 04:52:00 10/23/2008 Filed Under: Local authorities Business establishments in Cagayan de Oro City made history when they closed shop for one day to protest the alleged oppressive collection of taxes by the local chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). ?Oppressive collection? is another word for shakedown or extortion allegedly committed by Regional Director Mustapha Gandarosa. The one-day protest has set the stage for future mass actions by business establishments against oppressive government officials and employees. If jeepney drivers can stage strikes and are able to paralyze a city, why not businessmen who play a more important role in the economic life of the nation? Businessmen and women are always prey to abusive taxmen and law enforcers. Before the Cagayan de Oro protest action, business establishments adopted a ?to each his own problem? attitude regarding alleged extortion activities of tax collectors. Men and women in business now have realized their new ?power,? much like people in Metro Manila found ?people power? when they toppled Marcos and Erap. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/10/10/news/protesters.put.up.longest.streamer..html Friday, October 10, 2008 Protesters put up 'longest streamer' By Jovi T. de Leon CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The protesting former members of the Biyaya A Luluguran At Sisikapan (Balas) installed the other day what they call the longest protest streamer so far in their two-month old picket at Arnedo Park. The streamer, about 30 feet long and 3 feet wide, contains a series of close-up photographs of Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu and several questions directed to the Capitol executives regarding their position on the grievances of the sacked quarrymen. Roperlee Syquia, Governor Eddie Panlilio's former social services aide and a staunch supporter of the protesters, said it is the longest streamer they have installed in front of the Capitol, on top of the alleged defamatory and libelous signs they have reinstalled early last week. Syquia added that the streamer contains no defamatory remarks and just "questions" designed to generate answers from the Capitol executives. "The streamers are just asking questions," he said. On Monday, Panlilio and Dabu filed charges of libel, grave slander and oral defamation, alarms and scandal and unjust vexation against five former Balas leaders and the governor's former chief of staff, including 39 other dismissed quarry checkers calling for their ouster. They said the Balas boys' streamers and posters, as well as remarks publicly voiced, are "below the belt" and scandalous. On Thursday morning, Dabu said she has told their legal counsel to file one more count of libel against the protesters after she received information that a new streamer has been installed. She said she has not seen the streamer, but has nevertheless notified her lawyer to file one count or charge more for every sign that they install in the capitol's front. "I have asked our lawyer to file additional counts for every new sign they put there," she said, "and additional daily counts for rounds their 'truck attack' makes here." On Sunday, Dabu oversaw two foiled attempts by the combined forces of the Capitol's civil security group and general services office to dismantle and confiscate the protest streamers. The Sunday showdown resulted two clashes and an overnight standoff. Former Balas leaders Alex Pineda, Chris Ocampo, Edu de leon and Fil Rodriguez said they are consulting with their respective lawyers on these charges and that they are ready to face their complainants in court. "Definitely," said Rodriguez, "we will clear our names regarding these and the other alleged anomalies we are being accused of." http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20081028-168907/Protests-to-welcome-Bolante Protests to welcome Bolante By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez INQUIRER.net First Posted 14:25:00 10/28/2008 Filed Under: Joc-joc Bolante, Graft & Corruption, Protest MANILA, Philippines -- The arrival area under the "letter B" at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be the busiest this Tuesday night as protesters are expected to gather there to greet a controversial and former government official embroiled in a corruption scheme. Former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn ?Joc Joc? Bolante, who has been tagged as the alleged mastermind in theP728-million fertilizer fund scandal, will reportedly arrive at 11:55 p.m. via Northwest Airlines from Chicago after being deported by US authorities. Members of the Black and White Movement will position themselves in the arrival area at around 10 p.m. and will bring "welcome home" banners to greet Bolante's return, said Leah Navarro, one of the convenors. "We're glad he's back to face the music," said Navarro. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, Anakpawis partylist and other militant groups will go to the airport at 5 p.m. and hold vigil until Bolante's arrival. But also expected to be part of the crowd would be the Senate sergeant-at-arms, who had been tasked to serve the warrant of arrest on Bolante for snubbing the Senate inquiry last year. Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano said the public would be treated to the Halloween tradition of "trick or treat" when Bolante comes home. "The 'trick' part is when Bolante consciously allows himself to be part of Malaca?ang's continuing cover-up of the 2004 plunder cum electoral scandal," Mariano said in a statement. Mariano said he was "not too optimistic" about the ?treat? from the former official and called on the Ombudsman to immediately act on the plunder case against Bolante that was lodged four years ago. "Because we're still uncertain on what Bolante will say, the most acceptable and moral thing to do right now is for the Ombudsman to charge Bolante before the Sandiganbayan and send him behind bars," Mariano said. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/10/21/news/protesting.balas.leaders.question.probe.fold.up..html Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Protesting Balas leaders question probe 'fold-up' CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Sacked quarry task force leaders Edu de Leon and Alex Pineda are decrying the sudden "fold-up" of an investigation being conducted for the alleged anomalies they committed in Minalin during their term as monitoring leaders. On Sunday, the two raised their "curiosity" amid reports that the investigation has indeed been called off by the Capitol's investigating unit led by Human Resources Manager Jesusa Goseco who opted to discontinue the investigation on the Minalin quarry anomalies on the grounds that the services of the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) members concerned have already been terminated and because "they have not been attending the investigation." What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers De Leon and Pineda have been accused and "found guilty" by Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu of anomalies in connection with 600 sand-loaded trucks which "passed under their noses" in Minalin. "What do they mean we do not attend the investigation? Never once were we notified of it. Now they say the investigation is closed? Is that it?" asked a fuming de Leon, adding "How about our dignity which they tarnished because of their failure to gather evidence and prove that there were anomalies there?" The sacked Balas members have since last month demanded the release of the results of the investigation to once and for all clear the names of those allegedly being investigated. Former leader Fil Rodriguez has allegedly been "taken off the hook" because he voluntarily resigned for "conflict of interest," but nevertheless remained true to the challenge hurled by De Leon and Pineda since he said he "could shed light on the issue." "We were demoted. We were terminated. We were found guilty. Where is the good governance and justice that they talk of?" de Leon said. For her part, Dabu said, "I am not part of the investigation committee. But the investigation has been conducted but it has not reached a final conclusion because the protesters were not attending the investigation." But De Leon said they should have been investigated first before being demoted, terminated and accused of being guilty of wrongdoings. He also said because of the irreparable damage to their dignity and persons, they are now contemplating on filing charges against Dabu. (JTD) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/380416/1/.html Tertiary students organise protest at Speakers' Corner By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 05 October 2008 2134 hrs SINGAPORE: The Speakers' Corner was host to another airing on Sunday. Some 100 tertiary students turned up to listen to their fellow students' call for greater freedom of expression on campus. Four students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) were speaking against the university's recent decision not to publish some students' articles in its campus newspaper. The students hope to engage their professors and the university administration on this matter. More signatures will be collected before the petition is sent to NTU's president, Dr Su Guaning, next week. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/5/worldupdates/2008-10-05T170710Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-358043-1&sec=Worldupdates Sunday October 5, 2008 Singapore students protest university censorship SINGAPORE (Reuters) - About 60 people gathered at a park in central Singapore on Sunday to protest against a university's decision to censor news stories in the school media related to a prominent opposition politician. The group, about half were students and former students from the Nanyang Technological University, were upset the school had stopped a news article and halted the airing of a news bulletin about Chee Soon Juan, a vocal critic of the government. Student Scott Teng (L) speaks to a small crowd during a protest at "Speaker's Corner" in Singapore October 5, 2008. (REUTERS/Vivek Prakash) "This is not the first time the school has interfered with the publication of articles. Why must the school dictate certain articles for certain issues? It is stifling," said Thaddaeus Wee, a second-year student from the university. Protests are rare in Singapore, where public speeches and demonstrations are banned unless they are approved by the government, or take place at Speakers' Corner. Sunday's protest was held at the Corner, modelled on London's Hyde Park haven of free speech. The group -- large by Singapore's standards -- clapped and cheered briefly after the four organisers spoke. A banner that said "Responsible press for the students" lay before the crowd. Media in Singapore is tightly regulated, and the government says it is necessary to maintain social stability and help attract foreign investments to sustain economic growth. But critics say the tight regulation is a way for the government to stifle critics. "It's a historical thing to stand up publicly against our school. For the university to cancel the article, it is uncalled for," said Alexis Cheong, who was standing in the crowd. The university's broadcast network had ran a news bulletin on Chee after he visited the school in late August to meet students and hand out fliers, said Clarence Chua, 25, a graduate from the university and one of the organisers of the protest. But school officials pulled the bulletin off the airwaves after three days, and stopped a planned news article about Chee's visit, citing concerns school media were airing "unsolicited views" from an "uninvited" person, Chua said. University officials were not available to comment. Chee, who was at the protest, said he was glad the students were making themselves heard. "It always takes one to step forward and the rest will follow," he said. Copyright ? 2008 Reuters http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/singapore/2008/10/06/177519/Students-protest.htm October 6, 2008 9:51 am TWN, Reuters Students protest in Singapore SINGAPORE -- About 60 people gathered at a park in central Singapore on Sunday to protest against a university?s decision to censor news stories in the school media related to a prominent opposition politician. The group, about half were students and former students from the Nanyang Technological University, were upset the school had stopped a news article and halted the airing of a news bulletin about Chee Soon Juan, a vocal critic of the government. ?This is not the first time the school has interfered with the publication of articles. Why must the school dictate certain articles for certain issues? It is stifling,? said Thaddaeus Wee, a second-year student from the university. Protests are rare in Singapore, where public speeches and demonstrations are banned unless they are approved by the government, or take place at Speakers? Corner. Sunday?s protest was held at the Corner, modelled on London?s Hyde Park haven of free speech. The group ? large by Singapore?s standards ? clapped and cheered briefly after the four organisers spoke. A banner that said ?Responsible press for the students? lay before the crowd. Media in Singapore is tightly regulated, and the government says it is necessary to maintain social stability and help attract foreign investments to sustain economic growth. But critics say the tight regulation is a way for the government to stifle critics. ?It?s a historical thing to stand up publicly against our school. For the university to cancel the article, it is uncalled for,? said Alexis Cheong, who was standing in the crowd. The university?s broadcast network had ran a news bulletin on Chee after he visited the school in late August to meet students and hand out fliers, said Clarence Chua, 25, a graduate from the university and one of the organisers of the protest. But school officials pulled the bulletin off the airwaves after three days, and stopped a planned news article about Chee?s visit, citing concerns school media were airing ?unsolicited views? from an ?uninvited? person, Chua said. University officials were not available to comment. Chee, who was at the protest, said he was glad the students were making themselves heard. ?It always takes one to step forward and the rest will follow,? he said. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/379598/1/.html 31 registrations at Speakers' Corner one month after relaxed rules By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 01 October 2008 1746 hrs Some 100 people turn up at the Speakers' Corner to hear a debate on the public transport system SINGAPORE: It has been one month since rules were relaxed to allow public outdoor demonstrations at the Speakers' Corner and it seems the site, which is Singapore's version of London's Hyde Park, is seeing a little more activity. Singapore's National Parks Board which took over the management of the Speakers' Corner from the Police said it received 31 registrations in September - of which 11 were indicated as public protests. This is a far cry from the seven or so registrations received each month, over the past three years. One group, called Hearers of Cries made history in Singapore on September 1. They were the first to hold a legal public outdoor demonstration here. Despite a brief appearance to raise awareness on the plight of abused maids, the group did manage to gain some exposure for its cause. Some critics may want to see civil and political space in Singapore open up beyond the Speakers' Corner. But this group said it's really up to Singaporeans to make Speaker's Corner a success. Mike Goh, founder, Hearers of Cries, said: "We can complain that nobody goes there but if you really want to make it work, you can send an e-mail to inform your friends, relatives to lend support to go there or even advertise." Observers said the new rules have given netizens a face. Gillian Koh, senior research fellow, Institute of Policy Studies, said: ?Now you can actually mobilise to make sure that there's an audience and that's what's different. Previously if you mobilised, it would be viewed as an illegal demonstration. Clearly the online activists are trying to see how they can make a real world impact.? Speaking on the topic of Singapore's public transport system, bloggers of The Online Citizen - a socio-political website, attracted what could perhaps be one of the biggest crowds seen at the Speakers' Corner in recent years. The website's editor Choo Zheng Xi said : "I think it's important for The Online Citizen not to barricade ourselves behind an online platform, but bring our discussions offline once in a while. ?Many of those we interacted with at the Speakers' Corner were passers-by or people who had heard of our event through the mainstream media or word of mouth, who actually don't use the internet. It's a different demographic out there." ?So perhaps the key is in Singaporeans taking full advantage of the liberalised rules.? Before demonstrating, Singaporeans must register at the National Park's website at www.nparks.gov.sg. And those who've done so said it was a breeze and they might even make a re-appearance at the site. Now the true measure of success for this space is how it will impact the lives of Singaporeans. Observers said this should be a space where people can voice issues and educate fellow Singaporeans to make some real-world impact. - CNA/vm http://ca.news.yahoo.com/indepth/eu/s/capress/081010/world/eu_death_penalty_1 Amnesty International protests death penalty use worldwide Fri Oct 10, 10:12 AM By Constant Brand, The Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium - Anti-death penalty activists staged a mock hanging outside the Japanese embassy today to mark the European day against the death penalty, calling on nations around the world to stop executions. Three actors with ropes around their necks stood in front of a large Japanese flag to draw attention to the practice that remains legal in Japan, the United States, Iran, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, among other nations. Francoise Dieryck from Amnesty International's Belgium office says that in Asia, there are a lot of countries that still apply the death penalty. Japan hanged three death-row inmates last month, bringing the number of executions there this year to 13 - up from just one inmate executed in 2005. The protest came as European Union leaders issued a declaration against capital punishment, demanding a global moratorium and eventual ban on the practice. EU nations agreed last year to make Oct. 10 an annual day to protest the death penalty. The 27-nation bloc has pushed hard at the United Nations to get UN member states back a universal ban on the practice "The death penalty constitutes a violation of the most fundamental of human rights: the right to life," said an EU statement. Rights groups agree that China executed more people than any other country in the world last year, but estimates of those executions vary widely. Amnesty International says at least 470 people were put to death in China last year, down from an estimated 1,010 in 2006, although it cautions the real figure could be much higher because of China's lack of transparency. Another monitoring group, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation, says its research indicated about 6,000 people were executed in 2007, a 25 to 30 per cent drop from the year before. The Rome-based Hands Off Cain, which campaigns to stop the death penalty, estimated that China executed least 5,000 people in 2007. Iran had the second highest number of executions, with 377 in 2007, according to Amnesty. The United States was fifth in the rankings with 42 executions, 11 less than in 2006. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810130749.html Nigeria: Police Ready for Planned Protest By Ijaw Youths Osa Okhomina 13 October 2008 Yenagoa ? The Nigerian Police Command in Bayelsa State at the weekend put its men on red alert over threats by rival factions of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to shut down government activities in the state on today. Special patrol Teams have been reportedly deployed in Yenagoa, the state capital, ahead of the planned protest of the IYC against the administration of Governor Timipre Sylva. The Police Commissioner, Mr. Julian Okpaleke, said his command was aware of the text messages that had been sent to members of the public calling for a shut-down of government activities. Okpaleke said he had beefed up security in the state and that his command was on top of the situation. leadership gathered that rivalry between the factions of the Ijaw Youth Council had become a threat to the peace and security of the state. While the Winston Amain faction insisted on dialogue and maintainance of the prevailing peace in the state, another faction led by Odengs Eradiri, is urgently determined to go ahead with the protest and a shut down all government ministries today. A text message that began circulating on Saturday night called all youths in the state to take their destiny in their hands to free themselves from the marginalization of the Sylva administration. "Our destiny we must decide on Monday. No ministry will operate until jobs are provided to engage youths. We must all come out. Better to be killed by the Joint Task Force demanding jobs than be killed as kidnappers and armed robbers or militants". http://allafrica.com/stories/200901120807.html Nigeria: Itsekiri People Protest Over Marginalisation By Desopadec Emma Arubi 12 January 2009 HUNDREDS of aggrieved men, women and youths from eight Itsekiri riverine oil bearing communities in Warri South council, yesterday, marched through major streets of Warri, protesting what they described as "Total and gruesome marginalization and neglect of their communities by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) in the distribution and execution of projects in the state." The placard-carrying protesters under the aegis of Obi-Eri for Peace Movement in a letter addressed to the Executive Chairman of DESOPADEC, Chief Wellington Okirika, alleged that since the creation of the development agency for the oil bearing communities in the state, "They have been totally disregarded and ostracized," just as they further said that the Itsekiri representative on the Board of the Commission has been unhelpful to their case. The Obi-Eri for Peace Movement comprises communities like Atankporo, Aja-Osolo, Otumara, Ugboritseduwa, Okogho, Ugbosien, Obontie, Ubagboro and others. The letter signed by Messrs Thomas Atsedosan, Tony Akoma, Benson Uremure, Daniel Eyikimiaghan, David Asifor, Edwin Fenemigho, Sunday Edema for the various communities and Johnson Onire, Chairman and Paul Oniyegwarion, Secretary respectively, of Obi-Eri for Peace Movement said their well- thought out dreams and aspiration at the birth of DESOPADEC as a development instrument for the oil communities have been thwarted as no project exist in these communities that produces a large quantity of oil and gas in the state. While calling for a good percentage of patronage in the distribution of the micro-credit facility to people from these affected communities, they warned that as patriotic Itsekiris and ardent supporters of the Governor Uduaghan administration they are entitle to benefit from both the human and infrastructural development programmes of DESOPADEC, just as they would no longer keep mute while their oil wealth is being used to develop other areas. The statement reads in part: "We will have no other cause than to resort to the law and seek an injunction restraining DESOPADEC from carrying out any development in any area of oil producing communities if we are excluded from further benefiting from development, just as we may wish that development does not exist at all in the entire organization of DESOPADEC." http://allafrica.com/stories/200810070286.html Nigeria: Women Threaten Nudity to Protest Delay in Ekiti LG Polls Ralph Adekunle 7 October 2008 Ado-Ekiti ? Thousands of women in Ekiti State yesterday protested against the delay in the conduct of the local government elections in the state, saying they would go nude next Monday in further protests if the situation is not addressed. All the women from the 16 local government councils in the state, dressed in white attires walked barefooted, storming the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex. Led by Sango worshippers with palm fronds and several other instruments of Sango worship, they condemned the delay of the grassroots election. The women who went on a peaceful protest, sprinkled several bags of salt on the floor of the Assembly as they expressed anger and total disapproval for the inability of the state to conduct the councils elections. Answering questions from newsmen, Mrs Dupe Ayorinde (Iya Onisango), head of the Sango worshippers from Emure-Ekiti and Mrs Abiola Ayeni, expressed displeasure with the attitude of the lawmakers for not allowing the council polls to take place since the inception of the present administration. The women noted their disappointment with the lawmakers, the state government and other relevant government bodies which failed to organise the election The women told reporters that they had spoken with the Speaker, Mr. Olatunji Odeyeymi, and gave him an ultimatum which would expire Friday, to give a definite date for the election. They warned that if by Friday no definite day is given, they would mobilize next Monday to stage a more dangerous protest. Mrs. Ayorinde noted that all the protesters would appear naked, or put on black attires and curse those behind the frustration on the election. The worshippers said their action was not political or from any political party but to reduce the hardships facing the masses of the state. Reacting to the development, the Speaker, Olatunji Odeyemi pointed out that there was nothing new in a protest, but a way to register their minds against the happenings in the state. The speaker said everyone has the right to protest, saying what the women were protesting against was a public issue which he said must not be wished away. "They came to bare their minds over the conduct of the council poll, especially the constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), and we told them that in the next one week everything would be over," Odeyemi said the House had its master plan already, and had met with the clerk and deliberated extensively on the SIEC issue. He opined that the major problem facing the Assembly on the SIEC bill was a court action against the Assembly by the leadership of the National Conscience Party (NCP), saying the legal action was a mere writ of summon. The Speaker assured the public that all outstanding issues on the conduct of the election would be resolved soon, saying the public should remain calm and allow the House to carry out its legislative duties. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810080720.html Nigeria: SIEC - Ekiti Deputy Governor Backs Women Over Protest Victor Ogunje 8 October 2008 Ado Ekiti ? Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Dr Sikiru Lawal has thrown his weight behind the group Ekiti Concerned Women for protesting against the lacklustre attitude of the members of the state House of Assembly in the passage of the State Independent Electoral Commission(SIEC) nominees presented before them by the executive arm. The women, drawn from all the 16 local government areas of the state had On Monday besieged the State Assembly complex, threatening to invoke the spirit against the members of the House , if they fail to screen the seven nominees by Friday pledging support for the women yesterday in Ado Ekiti at the NULGE Secretariat , where over 808 health workers got letters of appointment from the State Local Government Service Commission, Lawal disclosed that the action of the women was well intended and could abate the political problems of the state . Admonishing the lawmakers to heed the advice of the women, the state number two man noted that the conduct of the local government elections was long overdue, stressing that any agitation alluded to for the conduct of the election must be supported. He, however, alluded to those fanning the embers of discord between the executive and the legislature, which he said had stalled the screening of the nominees as fifth columnists, calling on the populace to rise against them. Presenting letter of appointments to the beneficiaries, Lawal said the PDP administration used the opportunity to ask the new recruits to vote for the PDP candidates in the forthcoming council polls. Lawal who distributed letters of employment to the council employees who were recruited to man the over 282 primary health centers in the state to compensate the PDP administration by voting into power at the council level to enable more dividends of democracy to come to the people of the state. He urged them to be dedicated to duty, as the state government had no room for indolent workers saying their welfare would be given utmost priority by the state government. Chairman of the State Local Government Service Commission, Chief Femi Akinyemi said the recruitment was informed by the need to achieve the Millenium Development Goals, (MDGs) especially reducing infant and maternal mortalities. According to him the commission identified the human resources gaps and requested for the recruitment of additional health workers across the state. He said the request was approved by the Governor who gave the Commission the power to employ 1,000 health workers into the councils in the state. Akinyemi said 1,400 applicants applied for the existing vacancies in the health departments adding that after rigorous examination and interviews conducted for the applicants, 808 of them were found to be qualified for employment. He charged the new employees to make good use of the opportunity provided by their employment by adhering strictly to the rules and regulations of the state public service. The Chairman urged them to be diligent, avoid lateness to work in their respective places of primary assignment saying the Commission would not tolerate indiscipline from its work force. (Daily Champion, Nigeria) http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2409766,00.html Zim cops quell student protest 14/10/2008 22:11 - (SA) Harare - Riot police broke up a student demonstration in Harare, injuring at least four people and arresting three on Tuesday, in the first such incident of police violence since the signing of a power-sharing agreement by Zimbabwe's political protagonists a month ago. The attack on the peaceful demonstration took place just as former SA president Thabo Mbeki began mediating to try and rescue the agreement from collapse after President Robert Mugabe at the weekend unilaterally allocated to his Zanu-PF party the most important posts in the proposed power-sharing government. Privilege Mutanga, a member of the national executive of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, said about 200 students had marched to Zimbabwe's Parliament to present a petition protesting over the failure since August of nearly all the country's universities to open for the new academic year. About 30 riot police, with batons, dogs and firearms, stopped them and told them to send two representatives with the petition to the Parliament doors. "As soon as we did, they arrested them," she said. "Then they charged us, and we scattered. I tried to hide inside a shop doorway, but they saw that I was wearing a Zinasu T-shirt, so they pulled me out and beat me with baton sticks and kicked me." She was treated for bruising and swelling about her body and face. She said another student had suffered a fractured skull. Clever Bere, the president of Zinasu, was in police custody. Police appeared to have suspended their outright ban on all public demonstrations following the signing of the agreement on September 15, and allowed several peaceful demonstrations to proceed without interruption. Until then, any demonstrations, except by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, have been met with force, with sometimes hundreds being savagely beaten - including, last year, Morgan Tsvangirai, who is prime minister-designate under the power-sharing deal - and people being detained in filthy police cells for weeks on end. Observers say the attack on the demonstration is an indication that Mugabe's regime is resuming its hard-line strategy against the octogenarian dictator's regime as hopes for change falter. - SAPA http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1436955.php/Riot_police_use_violence_to_break_up_student_demonstration__Extra__ Riot police use violence to break up student demonstration (Extra) Africa News Oct 14, 2008, 16:32 GMT Harare - Riot police broke up a student demonstration in Harare, injuring at least four people and arresting three Tuesday, in the first such incident of police violence since the signing of a power-sharing agreement by Zimbabwe's political protagonists a month ago. The attack on the peaceful demonstration took place just as former South African president Thabo Mbeki began mediating to try and rescue the agreement from collapse after President Robert Mugabe at the weekend unilaterally allocated to his ZANU(PF) party the most important posts in the proposed power-sharing government. Privilege Mutanga, a member of the national executive of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, said about 200 students had marched to Zimbabwe's parliament to present a petition protesting over the failure since August of nearly all the country's universities to open for the new academic year. About 30 riot police, with batons, dogs and firearms, stopped them and told them to send two representatives with the petition to the parliament doors. 'As soon as we did, they arrested them,' she said. 'Then they charged us, and we scattered. I tried to hide inside a shop doorway, but they saw that I was wearing a ZINASU T-shirt, so they pulled me out and beat me with baton sticks and kicked me.' She was treated for bruising and swelling about her body and face. She said another student had suffered a fractured skull. Clever Bere, the president of ZINASU, was in police custody. Police appeared to have suspended their outright ban on all public demonstrations following the signing of the agreement on September 15, and allowed several peaceful demonstrations to proceed without interruption. Until then, any demonstrations, except by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU(PF) party, have been met with force, with sometimes hundreds being savagely beaten - including, last year, Morgan Tsvangirai, who is prime minister-designate under the power-sharing deal - and people being detained in filthy police cells for weeks on end. Observers say the attack on the demonstration is an indication that Mugabe's regime is resuming its hard-line strategy against the octogenarian dictator's regime as hopes for change falter. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=8592 50 arrested in protest during Zimbabwe talks (10-27 22:23) About 50 people were arrested on Monday in Zimbabwe as they tried to march toward the hotel where African leaders are holding talks in a bid to rescue a troubled power-sharing deal, activists said. About 100 students and activists from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an umbrella body of rights organisations, marched from downtown Harare toward the Rainbow Towers hotel, said the group's spokesman Thabani Moyo. But police blocked the protesters' march about 300 meters from the hotel, Moyo said. ''The police fired teargas cannisters and chased away students,'' Moyo said, adding that about 50 people were arrested and taken to Harare's central police station. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Africa&set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20081027121007232C879966 Riot police break up students protest October 27 2008 at 02:43PM Harare - Zimbabwean riot police broke up a demonstration by a group of around 100 students on Monday outside the hotel in the capital Harare where talks were under way to salvage a crucial power-sharing deal. Police baton-charged the students, who were calling for the talks on the formation of a unity government to be expedited so that schooling, which has come to a halt amidst a severe economic crisis, can resume. South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating in Zimbabwe, and Swaziland's King Mswati III went into talks Monday with President Robert Mugabe and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai on how to avert the collapse of their September agreement to form a unity government. Six weeks after agreeing to share power, Mugabe and Tsvangirai are at loggerheads about which ministries should go to which party. Arthur Mutambara, leader of a minority faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), is also involved in the talks. The MDC accuses Mugabe of keeping all the most important ministries for his Zanu-PF. The dispute is riveted on control of the home affairs ministry, which the MDC is demanding, but Zanu-PF is reluctant to relinquish. The power-sharing deal is seen by many as the only way of rescuing Zimbabwe from economic meltdown. The once-prosperous nation is experiencing acute shortages of all essentials, including fuel, electricity, cash, food and drugs. Inflation officially stands at more than 200-million percent, though independent analysts put it at more than one billion per cent. - Sapa-dpa http://allafrica.com/stories/200810161035.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: While Politicians Talk, Woza Women Beaten And Arrested Violet Gonda 16 October 2008 Power sharing talks between rival political parties are underway in Zimbabwe but there is no respite for human rights activists and journalists. Students were arrested and assaulted by police during demonstrations when parliament opened on Tuesday. Also this week state agents used repressive laws to unceremoniously throw out two journalists, Peta Thornycroft and Brian Hungwe, from the hotel where the political parties are meeting, saying they are not accredited under the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). On Thursday Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, the leaders of the pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested during a demonstration protesting the deteriorating situation and hardships being suffered, while the political impasse continues. Some people were allegedly beaten when the riot police used force to disperse the peaceful protesters. Group spokesperson Annie Sibanda said several women went to the police station in Bulawayo to hand themselves in, in solidarity with their leaders, but were turned away. She said seven people were arrested before the demonstration started. The seven had been waiting for the others, near a group of foreign exchange traders but were arrested and taken to the police station where they were beaten, together with the forex traders. As the day progressed the seven were released one by one, but Williams and Mahlangu remain in custody at Bulawayo Central police station. Sibanda said: "We don't have any details as to what charges they are facing as their lawyer has not been allowed access to them as yet." Riot police had descended on the protesters as they were holding a peaceful sit-in at the Mhlahlandlela government complex in Bulawayo. The group were demanding to be addressed by the Heads of service delivery, about what is being done to address the humanitarian crisis that is affecting millions of Zimbabweans. The latest incident exposes the fact that there is no fundamental change in the attitude of the Mugabe regime, even during the interparty talks being mediated by ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki. Ironically one of the main cabinet posts that the politicians are haggling over is the Home Affairs ministry that controls the police force. The WOZA spokesperson said the deal is meaningless as there is no sign of its implementation on the ground. "The very reason that we were demonstrating today was because in the agreement they make reference to the humanitarian crisis, to the food crisis, to the welfare of Zimbabweans and yet absolutely nothing is being done to help people through this horrendous situation they find themselves in," Sibanda said. She added: "People are dying, children are dying, electricity and water cuts are getting worse. People are getting beaten in food queues and some are not actually surprised that the police continue to arrest and beat people because we can see everyday that the deal is meaningless in the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans." http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Africa&set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20081016174003455C676329 Police beat Zim rights protesters - group October 16 2008 at 06:01PM Harare, Zimbabwe - Police used sticks to beat women in southern Zimbabwe who were urging politicians to resolve their differences and turn their attention to their suffering people, organisers of Thursday's demonstration said. The police could not be reached for comment While the demonstrators rallied in the city of Bulawayo, President Robert Mugabe and his chief political rivals were in their third day of talks aimed at saving a power-sharing deal signed a month ago. The opposition says the deal is threatened by Mugabe's insistence on keeping the most powerful Cabinet posts. The stalemate over Cabinet posts has left Zimbabwe rudderless as its economy deteriorates. Inflation is 231 million percent. Food, medicine and most other basic goods are scarce. The UN estimates 45 percent of Zimbabwe's population, or 5,1 million people, will need food help by early 2009. The Bulawayo demonstrators were carrying a statement from the civil rights group Women of Zimbabwe Arise, accusing politicians of offering empty promises in their September 15 agreement. "How many more Zimbabweans must die before you act?" the statement said. "This is a national disaster and we demand food for all Zimbabweans now." The group said in a later statement that as about 200 of its members sat outside local government offices waiting for officials to come and hear their demands, riot police arrived and arrested two of its leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, and dispersed the other protesters by beating them with sticks. The women's group said at least one protester required medical attention. Repeated attempts to reach the national police spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful. Police regularly crack down on protests by this and other groups critical of the government. Williams and Mahlangu were jailed for five weeks earlier this year after being arrested during a peaceful protest in the Zimbabwean capital. Former president Thabo Mbeki has been mediating discussions with Mugabe, main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and Arthur Mutumbara, leader of a smaller opposition faction. An article on Thursday in The Herald, a state-run newspaper, quoted an unidentified official from Mugabe's party as saying compromises could be made that would change the Cabinet lineup Mugabe unilaterally announced last week. Mugabe had claimed the most powerful Cabinet posts for his own party, including the ministries in charge of finance and police. The opposition denounced the move and threatened to abandon talks on forming a unity government after disputed elections. During a break in Thursday's talks, Welshman Ncube, a negotiator for Mutumbara, said negotiators had reached a compromise on the finance and police ministries. He would not describe the compromise, but said the deal could be complete later Thursday. - Sapa-AP http://allafrica.com/stories/200810101149.html ________________________________________ SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Rights Group Offices Raided After Demonstration Lance Guma 10 October 2008 The offices of a human rights pressure group were raided by police on Friday, immediately after the group held a demonstration around 11am. About 200 members of Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) took to the streets of Harare marking what they called a campaign for democracy and justice in Zimbabwe. The demonstration itself was without incident as the police were taken by surprise and only deployed after it had ended. According to ROHR Information Director Edgar Chikuvire, riot police patrolled the Harare city centre before some of the officers raided their Alexandra Park offices, looking for the leaders who organized the march. Chikuvire spoke to Newsreel while in hiding and says several other members of the group have also gone underground. ROHR feels the power sharing accord signed by the MDC and ZANU PF sets a very bad precedence for human rights in the country because people are being denied the chance to get a government of their own choosing. 'Our hopes are underpinned in the need for people to embrace and feel passionately for the need to be ruled by a government that will be accountable to them simply because they chose it into power,' ROHR said in a statement. The group also pointed out that despite the deal being signed the country's crisis, 'continued unabated.' The group further argues that, 'Zanu-PF is making frantic efforts to retain the power that it lost to Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC during the March 29 election, a situation that is a direct assault on the people's power and constitutional right to choose the leader they want.' ROHR says it's campaign will encourage Zimbabweans to demand free and fair elections, whose outcome will reflect the people's will. ROHR is led by the former MDC Chairman for the UK province, Ephraim Tapa. Several activists run the Zimbabwe office. Last month it sponsored a High Court application by Rodgers Chigwededza, Tinashe Gotora, Jackson Mabota, and Precious Mateyeni, demanding that the central bank scrap cash withdrawal limits. Justice Joseph Musakwa ruled the case was not urgent and had to wait in line like all the other court cases. ROHR slammed the decision saying, 'in other words we are supposed to join another queue to stop the cash queues.' http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gruQ92KRWjNr-7D2k8pgRRxjswoQ Demonstrators urge release of detained Niger ex-PM Oct 19, 2008 NIAMEY (AFP) ? Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Niger's capital Niamey on Sunday to call for the release of a former prime minister who has been detained for almost four months. Long seen as the probable succesor to incumbent President Mamadou Tandja, Hama Amadou has been held in a high security jail west of Niamey since his arrest on June 26 for alleged embezzlement. The protestors, many wearing clothing showing Amadou's picture or carrying giant portraits of him, called for him to be released and demanded that he be freed before presidential elections due to be held next year. Among the demonstrators were several members of parliament belonging to the ruling National Movement for a Developing Society (MNDS), of which Amadou, in spite of his imprisonment, remains president He was appointed prime minister in January 2000 but ousted in May last year by a surprise vote of censure. Amadou claimed he had been victim of a "machination" by Tandja to stop him standing in the forthcoming presidential election, which Tandja is constitutionally barred from contesting. In a message to the demonstrators, Amadou said he hd not in any way "lost his determination to be freed and to lead the party to final victory in (the election in) 2009." The message was read by a MNDS deputy Soumana Sanda who condemned the "difficult moment" the party was going through "because of the determination of the regime to establish absolute power." "The justice system, the police, state media are abusively employed to settle the party's internal problems," he said. Police were on standby to prevent any incidents but the demonstrators dispersed peacefully. Two applications for provisional freedom for Amadou have been rejected by the courts. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1030511.html 09:32 24/10/2008 U.K. Jewish students protest Uganda child abductions at Jerusalem rally By Max Julius Tags: Jewish World A group of British Jewish students marched in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest the plight of the some 30,000 children abducted in Uganda over the last two decades. The rally was be one of more than 100 worldwide, coordinated by the international "Gulu Walk" campaign for the Ugandan children. The conflict's being going on for 22 years, and as it's not on our doorstep - and it's not about a little blonde girl called Madeleine McCann - people don't care," said Deborah Blausten, an organizer of the Jerusalem march. Blausten, 18, was referring to the British 4-year-old girl whose name made headlines when she disappeared in 2007 while on a trip with her family in Portugal. According to a recent United Nations report, at least 30,000 children have been kidnapped in Uganda over the last 22 years. After their abduction, many are forced into becoming child soldiers and sex slaves. The British students, all aged 18-19, belong to the RSY-Netzer Reform Judaism youth movement. They planned on bringing to the march many of their peers from other movements who are also in Israel for the year to learn about Judaism, Zionism and youth leadership. Blausten, speaking from the group's base in Jerusalem, stressed that the issue was important to her because of her identity as a Jew. "Judaism says you mustn't stand idly by while your neighbor's blood is being shed. Even more so now, when we live in a global village-it makes their plight even harder to ignore. We have no excuse for not knowing," she said. While most of the other marches worldwide will be held on Saturday, Blausten added that the Jerusalem group chose to hold theirs on Thursday so as not to violate Shabbat. "This is going to be the first kosher gulu walk," she noted. The march began at the Supreme Court at 6:30 P.M., after which it will proceed downtown across Bezalel Street, King George Street, Gershon Agron Street, King David Street, Hillel Street and Ben Yehuda Street. The rally concluded at Zion Square at 8:30 P.M. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161386951 'We want justice' Protest over latest police shooting Denyse Renne drenne at trinidadexpress.com Monday, October 13th 2008 SHOT DEAD: Russel Rodney Samuel Lighted debris strewn across the roadway, placards outlining cries for justice, while relatives and friends angrily voice displeasure over yet another police killing. "We want justice, we not taking that so," screamed a man as he spoke with the Express following last Thursday's shooting death of Russel Rodney Samuel. Samuel is the latest addition to the number of people killed by police officers during alleged shoot-outs with law enforcement. Prior to Samuel's death, Careme Immanuel Saint Aime, Akiel Parris and Kerry Springer were killed in separate incidents by police officers within a five-day period. And just like previous police killings, residents, relatives and the police have conflicting accounts of what transpired. It is because of these conflicting accounts which led to inquests being ordered, and murder cases against police officers being dismissed. But despite assurances from senior police that all shootings will be thoroughly investigated, the time frame involving these investigations has increased from months to years. Thirty-two people have been killed by police officers for the year thus far, this figure is four less than last year's total. Of the 32, eight occurred within the North Eastern (NED) and Port of Spain Divisions respectively, Northern Division accounts for six, while Central had three and Southern, Western and Eastern all tied with two killings and Tobago, one. Fifteen police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing at a coroner's inquest for the year thus far, while Constable Anthony Sylvester was vindicated by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls, following the November 9, 2007, killing of Laventille resident Sheldon des Vignes. Sylvester was charged with murder earlier this year. McNicolls ruled eyewitness accounts of what transpired were conflicting. Exactly one year after the shooting deaths of Jordan Charles, Lincoln Forde, Dale Liverpool, Hayden Gardner and Wendy Courtney , the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ordered an inquest. The shootings occurred on August 18, 2007. Again relatives and residents protested, since they claim the police shootings were not provoked and the men had just returned from work. It was further revealed that Courtney was shot by a stray bullet. But despite the public outcry for investigations into the shootings, several residents have been left breathing sighs of relief following some of the deaths. On April 10, officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force received information that several armed men came in a car to Pump Trace, Laventille, looking for 21-year-old Mustapha "Taliban" Edwards. Edwards, who police say was well known to them and involved in a series of criminal activities, was not in the area at the time, however, when he returned residents told him what occurred. Sources say Edwards armed himself and waited in nearby bushes for the men to return. IATF officers then received calls from residents telling them what was happening, the officers responded, identified themselves to Edwards, but were greeted with gunshots. The officers returned fire killing Edwards. Following Edwards' death relatives and several residents blocked the roads in a bid to protest saying Edwards was unarmed and was murdered by the police. But in subsequent interviews, residents who did not wish to be identified were pleased with the police response. "He used to cause real fear in this area and was a menace," an elderly resident said. With investigations still on-going into several of these killings dating back to 2006, several families of the dead men believe nothing will come out of the investigations since their relatives have tainted pasts with the law. Last week, Attorney General Bridgid Annisette-George said the police have the capability to investigate themselves with respect to police killings. Annisette-George made the comment during her contribution to the Budget debate in the Senate following concerns raised by Independent Senator Dana Seetahal about deficiencies in the Police Complaints Authority. Also adding their concern to the number of police killings was Amnesty International. In their 2008 report, Amnesty International said: "Several people were killed by the police. In most cases the police claimed that the victims had been killed in a 'shoot-out.' "These claims were disputed by witnesses. Those responsible for such killings were rarely brought to justice; only six per cent of cases of killings by the police had gone to trial since 1999." http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/9603 Lone anti-State protester denies charge 13/10/2008 ________________________________________ Vilisi Nadaku, the man who stopped traffic in Nabua at the weekend to protest against the High Court decision on the Laisenia Qarase case against the President, pleaded not guilty in court today. Nadaku has been charged with malicious intent to act in a prejudicial manner under the Public Order Act. He is alleged to have stopped traffic with his Honda CRV vehicle in Nabua and carried out a lone protest brandishing a sign ?Where is Justice??. The four lane traffic in Nabua was reduced to two lanes as he allegedly called on the public to stand up against the court decision and the interim Government. Nadaku, who was represented by Barbara Malimali, appeared before Magistrate Amani Rokotinaviti and told the court that the police took him to the military camp. He has been released on $200 bail and will reappear on the 13th of the next month for mention. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-08-voa29.cfm?CFID=258842359&CFTOKEN=75690290&jsessionid=0030abe0cc0e8828dfc85750492b1349b303 Repression of Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Raises Tension in Mauritania By Scott Bobb Dakar 08 October 2008 Bobb report - Download (MP3) Bobb report - Listen (MP3) For the second time in three days, police in Mauritania have used clubs and tear gas to disperse demonstrators calling for the re-instatement of the country's president, who was deposed in a military coup d'etat. The crackdown has heightened tension in West African nation, as we hear from VOA's Scott Bobb in Dakar. Policemen disperse protesters in a street of Nouakchott, 5 Oct. 2008 Pro-democracy activists rallied Tuesday in Nouakchott, chanting for the return to power of deposed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. But the demonstration was quickly dispersed by police using batons and tear gas. Two people were treated for minor injuries. The march was organized by trade unions that oppose the government of Mohamad Ould Abdel Aziz, which two months ago overthrew President Cheikh Abdallahi, the first elected president in Mauritania in more than two decades. A pro-democracy coalition of 11 parties called the National Front for the Defense of Democracy says it will continue the protests, although its supporters were prevented from demonstrating two days before. Mauritania's junta leader Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in Nouakchott, 07 Aug 2008 The president of the coalition, Oumar Ould Yali, said Mauritania has signed international agreements that forbid taking power by force. He says those who have the interests of Mauritania at heart should oppose the coup d'etat because investors will only come if there is stability in the country. The United States has suspended aid to Mauritania and the African Union issued a deadline, which expired Tuesday, for the government to restore the elected leadership or face diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions. But many Mauritanian parties support the coup, highlighting a growing rift in Mauritanian society. The vice president of one of these, Sanghot Ousman Racine of the Union for Democracy and Progress, said Mauritanians should reject any attempt by foreign governments to pressure his country. He says Mauritania is an independent state and is not controlled by the United Nations or the African Union. He says any solution will have to come from within the country. Amid the rising tensions another group, called the Mauritanian Intellectuals Club for Democracy and Development, is urging a third way. One of its leaders, former ambassador Mohamed Lemine Ould Ketab, says the AU threat is not helpful. "Ultimatums are not efficient," he said. "Sanctions are not efficient. They would not bring people to do what they are not ready to do." His group says Mauritanians must find a solution through dialogue and negotiation. A senior Mauritanian delegation met Tuesday with AU officials in Ethiopia. The African Union subsequently issued a statement saying it was standing by its position. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/12/uksecurity-terrorism Writers pen protests at terror bill Authors have united to write poems, essays and stories to sink the 42-day detention plan ? Jamie Doward, home affairs editor ? The Observer, Sunday 12 October 2008 In an unprecedented outpouring of anger, 42 of the UK's most celebrated writers will each publish a short story, essay or poem tomorrow attacking the government's determination to proceed with legislation to hold terrorist suspects without charge for 42 days. The list of writers taking part reads like a literary 'Who's Who' of modern Britain. They include Philip Pullman, Julian Barnes, Monica Ali, Ian Rankin, Alain de Botton, Ali Smith and AL Kennedy. The writers' decision to speak out comes on the eve of a House of Lords vote on the legislation tomorrow night. The government managed to push the legislation through the Commons in June by only nine votes - secured with support from the Democratic Unionist Party. But it is widely believed that the government would lose a subsequent vote on the bill if it were rejected by the Lords and returned to the Commons for further amendments, as a number of Labour backbenchers have recently withdrawn their support. Both Gordon Brown and the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, strongly support the measure, and there was little sign of the government backing down this weekend. 'We are resolute in our determination to put our arguments to the Lords and we are hoping they will listen,' said a source close to Smith. But what has until now largely been a political row is fast becoming a cause c?l?bre for Britain's literary establishment, who are flexing their intellectual muscles in a manner not seen since leading figures in the arts world regularly clashed with the Thatcher government in the Eighties. Pullman, the author of the trilogy His Dark Materials, uses his essay to launch a sarcastic diatribe against the government. 'We don't know how lucky we are to live in a nation where police officers have all of six weeks to discover why they've locked us up,' Pullman writes. 'Ask them after 41 days why a prisoner is still behind bars and they can honestly and innocently say, "No idea, mate." But give them that extra day, and they'll crack it.' Kennedy, the winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award, argues that the legislation will transform every suspect's life for the worse. 'In 42 days we will have made you different,' she writes. 'You may be charged, you may be released. You will always be different.' And Barnes, who has been shortlisted three times for the Man Booker Prize, writes of the urgent necessity to reject the legislation. 'Claiming to defend British liberty by diminishing British liberty has become a political norm over the last 30 years or so,' he claims. 'Digging in the heels and shouting is now more important than ever.' The highly public attack on the government, co-ordinated by the campaign group Liberty, will crystallise the long-running debate surrounding detention without trial. 'It is so heartening to see Britain's finest writers joining Liberty's campaign against extending detention without charge,' said Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty. 'Not a single writer that was approached turned down the opportunity to register their opposition to this divisive policy. Tomorrow the House of Lords will speak and we urge the government to listen.' Crossbenchers including Baron Dear, a former Inspector of Constabulary, and Lady Manningham-Buller, former head of MI5, have already expressed their opposition to any extension beyond the current 28 days. A number of high-ranking police officers, including Andy Hayman, the Met's former head of counter-terrorism, and Sir Ken Macdonald, Director of Public Prosecutions, have also attacked the plan, while international figures such as Noam Chomsky and Desmond Tutu have voiced their concerns. Opposition parties have attacked the bill, which the government claims is necessary to give police sufficient time to investigate complex and often international terror plots. 'These proposals are unnecessary, unjustified and unworkable, as well as counter-productive, and now a distraction when the world is facing an economic crisis,' said the shadow home secretary, Dominic Grieve. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, said: 'The government managed to bully and bribe this legislation through the Commons, but fortunately it has much less leverage over the Lords. I hope they will do their worst.' The 42 who put pen to paper Monica Ali Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Tahmima Anam Lisa Appignanesi Nadeem Aslam Julian Barnes John Berger Terence Blacker Alain de Botton Shami Chakrabarti Jenny Diski Anne Donovan Stella Duffy Joe Dunthorne Bernadine Evaristo Michael Faber Esther Freud Linda Grant Jay Griffiths Mohsin Hamid Tom Hodgkinson Maria Hyland Sadie Jones Jackie Kay AL Kennedy Hari Kunzru Nick Laird Nikita Lalwani Darian Leader Ann Leslie Toby Litt Alexander Masters Hisham Matar Daljit Nagra Rachel North Andrew O'Hagan Philip Pullman Ian Rankin Kamila Shamsie Hardeep Singh Kohli Ali Smith Craig Taylor Sally Vickers http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/march+protests+over+custody+deaths/2651057 March protests over custody deaths Print this page Last Modified: 25 Oct 2008 Source: PA News The mother of Jean Charles de Menezes wept as she joined a 300-strong protest calling for an end to the deaths of people in state custody. Maria Otone de Menezes, 63, and her elder son Giovani da Silva, 36, marched to Downing Street alongside people whose loved ones died in police custody, prisons and psychiatric hospitals. Since 1969 there have been 2,533 such deaths in the UK in which the individuals' names were known and hundreds more unnamed fatalities, according to campaigners. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/pandora-bondage-protest-set-to-spice-up-the-commons-967685.html Pandora: Bondage protest set to spice up the Commons By Henry Deedes Tuesday, 21 October 2008 The photographer Ben Westwood's campaign against the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is stepping up a notch. Two months ago, I reported that Westwood, the son of the fashion doyenne Dame Vivienne, was planning a protest against the Government's Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which will come into force in the new year. Part of the Act will outlaw anything which might be considered "extreme pornography". This means that a Westwood book of erotic photographs will become illegal as of 1 January 2009, and anyone caught in possession of the work could theoretically receive a three-year jail sentence. Today, Westwood, above, will begin his protest against the Bill with the help of a "chain gang" of models and activists from the Consenting Adult Action Network (CAAN) in what promises to be a lively demonstration. The models will be "bound and gagged" and dragged through the streets of central London. The festivities will kick off at noon at Westminster Tube station, in full view of the House of Commons. Police have apparently already been in touch with the organisers to ensure that Westwood is planning a peaceful protest. Meanwhile, the photographer says he is making an important stand for human rights. "The Government gets away with murder when it comes to legislating about our sexual behaviour because we are a strait-laced nation," he says. "Far too many of us are embarrassed talking about sex." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7682319.stm Tuesday, 21 October 2008 16:39 UK Porn protesters hit Westminster Ben Westwood and other protesters in Parliament Square Models wearing chains, stockings and gags have been led around Westminster in protest at laws to make owning "extreme pornography" illegal. From next year, possession of images such as those showing a threat to life or serious injury to a person's genitals will be banned. Demonstrators opposite Parliament described this as the government interfering with people's sex lives. Ministers argue the law is needed to cope with more use of internet images. Traffic hold-up The demonstration, organised by the Consenting Adult Action Network, was led by photographer Ben Westwood, son of fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. He paraded two "slaves" - models called Jade and Dolly Blowup - across the road from Westminster underground station and around Parliament Square, with police having to hold up the traffic. I think that people might be worrying that what they have got in their video collection might be breaking the law Ben Westwood A group of about 20 marchers carried placards with messages including "No to thought crime", "Penalise crime, not sex" and "Depiction harms no-one". Mr Westwood said to the BBC: "Why are the government doing this? I think they are just mucking about. "They want to seem as though they are doing something to help society, that they must seem strong on law and order. "Coming from a government that lied about going into war in Iraq, that seems strange. "There are more important issues to be debated than this." 'Worrying' Tourists, drivers and workers in suits looked bemused as the models were led around Parliament Square, passing by statues of Nelson Mandela and several past British prime ministers. Mr Westwood said: "I think that people might be worrying that what they have got in their video collection might be breaking the law. People are going to get a bit nervous. "I hope our demonstration does change some minds." The Criminal Justice Act, which was passed earlier this year, shifts criminal responsibility from the producers "of violent and extreme pornography" to consumers. This, the government says, is necessary to deal with material obtained via the internet from websites based abroad. 'Unfair' The maximum sentence for possession will be three years in prison. Campaigners say the new law risks criminalising thousands of people who use violent pornographic images as part of consensual sexual relationships. Bruce Argue, of the group Esinem, said: "We want to draw attention to what is an unfair and ill-thought-out law." The Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "We believe that the new legislation will only catch material which is already illegal to publish in the UK under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and therefore material which is already legally available should not be affected." The act comes into force on 1 January. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/05/europe/EU-Greece-Church-Land.php Greece: Protesters slam monastery's land deals The Associated Press Published: October 5, 2008 OURANOUPOLIS, Greece: About 500 people demonstrated Sunday afternoon in this northern Greek down bordering the monastic community of Mount Athos to protest profitable real estate deals made by one of the community's 20 monasteries. The protest was led by four deputies from the Coalition of the Radical Left, a left-wing opposition party. "No to holy business" said one banner carried at the protest, which was peaceful. The 1,000-year-old Vatopedi Monastery, one of the largest of the 20 monasteries on Mount Athos, was found to have profited by at least ?100 million (US$138 million) from swapping land it owned for state-owned plots throughout northern Greece, a preliminary investigation led by Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas found last month. The swaps started after 1999, when the government recognized the monastery's claim to public land in northern Greece. In exchange, Vatopedi agreed to relinquish its lakeside property, which has been farmed for decades and includes a nature reserve. Ownership of the property has been hotly disputed. Vatopedi and other monasteries, which own huge tracts of lands across Greece, base their claims on ancient documents from rulers of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Critics allege the monasteries have forged many of these documents. "(Mt. Athos) could have been paradise on earth. It has become, instead, a temple of commerce harboring a mafia that engages in real estate business," said Coalition parliamentary group leader Alekos Alavanos. He called for the separation of church and state. Alavanos said other monasteries across Greece are also engaging in dubious land deals. He mentioned a case on the island of Crete in which a monastery with a single resident monk is planning to build a series of golf courses over disputed tracts of land it claims it owns. The outcry over the Vatopedi land deal led the government to announce Friday that it had revoked the land swaps. The monastery has said it will appeal to the European Court of Justice. Revelations that government officials, including government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, enjoyed a close relationship with the monastery's abbot have tarnished the reputation of the conservative government. It now trails in opinion polls for the first time since it gained power in March 2004. Vatopedi Monastery is a treasure house of mediaeval artifacts and books. It attracts large numbers of male guests, including Britain's Prince Charles, who is a frequent visitor to Athos. Females ? including even female animals ? have been banned from Mt. Athos since 1046. The church holds powerful influence in a country where Christian Orthodoxy is the faith of about 97 percent of the native-born population. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1022/moyross.html Garda? called to Limerick protest Wednesday, 22 October 2008 14:40 Garda? were called to diffuse a situation which developed outside the offices of the Northside Regeneration Agency in Moyross in Limerick yesterday. A crowd of around 30 people gathered to protest that their horses had been impounded. Four horses which had been wandering in the Moyross area were impounded during an operation by Limerick City Council backed up by garda?. A number of horse owners gathered at the Regeneration offices to protest, even though Regeneration staff were not involved in the impounding operation. A number of threats were made to staff. Regeneration Chief Brendan Kenny said it was a very frightening experience for staff and they were very disappointed that staff were targeted in this way. No arrests were made, and neither Mr Kenny nor his staff have made a complaint to garda? Mr Kenny says that the incident again shows the need for the rgeneration plan to get underway to bring stability to these areas. He along with the original Regeneration plan author John Fitzgerald will be presenting their 10-year regeneration plan to Limerick city council next Tuesday. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/sinn-fein-to-hold-public-protests-at--ministers-offices-1510120.html?r=RSS Sinn Fein to hold public protests at ministers' offices By Senan Hogan Saturday October 25 2008 Protests will be held today at constituency offices of Government ministers over the botched Budget. Sinn Fein, which is organising the demos, called on local communities to join its campaign to reverse cost-cutting proposals hitting pensioners, students and low-income families. Next week the party will back Labour's call for a reversal of the decision to raise pupil-teacher ratios. - Senan Hogan http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1438233.php/Judges_protest_paralyzes_Spanish_judiciary__Roundup_ Judges' protest paralyzes Spanish judiciary (Roundup) Europe News Oct 21, 2008, 11:23 GMT Madrid - A work stoppage by judges and judicial secretaries Tuesday paralyzed a large part of Spain's court system. The judiciary was protesting what it saw as government interference in its work and a lack of resources. Judicial secretaries stopped working for three hours and judges, who were not allowed to stage a formal work stoppage, held meetings during that time. The protesters were accusing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government of interference in urging the highest judges' organ to adopt stronger sanctions against a Seville judge for failing to jail a paedophile who then killed a five-year-old girl in January. The General Council of Judicial Power (CGPJ) had handed a fine of 1,500 euros (2,000 dollars) to judge Rafael Tirado in the so-called case Mari Luz, the girl whose murder shocked Spain. The Justice Ministry also barred a court employee from office for two years, alleging that she had failed to inform Tirado of the paedophile's situation. The protesters accused the government of using the Seville court as a 'scapegoat' to hide the problems of the judiciary, where a lack of resources is contributing to constant bottlenecks and delays at courts. Socialist spokesman Jose Antonio Alonso said the protest was unjustified, because the government had only expressed an 'opinion' without interfering with the judiciary. He also said the government was increasing judicial resources. Spain has only one judge per 10,000 residents, according to a figure quoted by the daily El Mundo. http://www.euronews.net/en/article/21/10/2008/judges-in-spain-stop-work-in-organised-protest/ Spain Judges in Spain stop work in organised protest 21/10/08 19:37 CET The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Striking judges in Spain have paralysed the legal system for three hours in defence of colleagues . They claim the government is interfering in the country?s legal system and that there is a lack of resources. They are calling for the country?s justice minister to be sacked. He has called for stricter penalties against a judge and his secretary in Seville for failing to jail a paedophile who allegedly went on to kill a child . Defending her colleages in Seville , one judicial secretary said they were ?respected profesionals and that the problem was with the system.? The fatal error concerns the case of five year old Mari Luz. She was murdered and the man charged with her death was convicted of paedophilia back in 2002. Itis said that there was a failure to follow up the 2002 trial ensuring that the paedophile remained in jail. Spain?s minister of Justice is confident of who is to blame and claims the system does work and that such negligence must be punished sufficiently. Last month the General Council of the Judiciary sanctioned the secretary who was barred from office for two years and fined the judge 1500 euroes. Their supporters say they have been used as scapegoats for a out-moded and under-funded judiciary. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/10/23/bc-insite-concert-cancelled.html?ref=rss Bedouin Soundclash concert for Insite shut down by Vancouver police Last Updated: Thursday, October 23, 2008 | 8:59 PM PT Comments72Recommend22 CBC News People in support of Vancouver's safe injection site gathered Thursday for a barbecue and free street concert, which was stopped before it could begin. (CBC) Vancouver police helped city officials stop a free street concert Thursday night before it could begin in the Downtown Eastside. More than 100 officers descended on the 100 block of E. Hastings Street, where hundreds of people had gathered to attend a barbeque and watch a concert by the Canadian band Bedouin Soundclash, in support of Insite, the city's safe injection site. Police said the structures and tents set up for the concert were taken down because the organizer, the PHS Community Services Society, which operates Insite, didn't have a permit for the event. More than 100 police officers helped city officials shut down a concert Thursday night in the 100 block of E. Hastings Street. (CBC) "The city had declined a permit that was requested by the group," Const. Jana McGuinness said Thursday night. "The city is concerned that pedestrians or motorists may be unduly put at risk by the event." Mark Townsend, a PHS spokesman, said people should have the right to organize street festivities to support the safe injection site. "It's a demonstration. It's what we are allowed to do. We're allowed to put up tents, and it's all organized," Townsend said. McGuinness said police had offered to close off a section of Columbia Street to be used as the venue for the concert, but the offer was declined. The heavy police presence was a precautionary measure, and there was no violence or any arrests when officers moved in to assist city officials in taking down the structures, she said. "These structures were put up as part of an event that was anticipated by a crowd that was gathered there," McGuinness said. "As the city moved in to take down the structures, our officers just assisted in keeping the lid on things." The three-member, Juno-award winning Bedouin Soundclash did show up at the site, but the concert was shut down before they could perform. The band was also scheduled to give another performance at the Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street Thursday night. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4733438a11.html?source=RSSnationalnews_20081020 Protesters call for release of contempt prisoner Monday, 20 October 2008 Supporters of an Auckland-based American businessman jailed after failing to remove material from his website are staging a protest outside Mt Eden prison this afternoon. Vince Siemer is serving a six month jail term for contempt of court after failing to remove the material relating to Auckland accountant Michael Stiassny. Siemer's supporters say he was jailed unlawfully on an unproven allegation of defamation. The protest calling for his release is planned for 3.30pm. Siemer had filed court action in order to be released from jail until he appeals the sentence later this month, but the Supreme Court dismissed his application on Friday. - NZPA http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24429558-5012752,00.html Papua New Guinea PM's office attacked Article from: AAP From correspondents in Port Moresby October 01, 2008 08:50am THE office of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has been attacked by angry relatives of a dead party member. Earlier this week windows were smashed at Mr Somare's home town Wewak office, in the East Sepik Province, north western PNG. It is alleged disgruntled family members of the late former National Alliance (NA) party, East Sepik provincial chairman, Teddy Sane, are to blame, PNG's The National newspaper reported. The attack comes in the same week Mr Somare once again publicly flirted with the idea of retiring after his 40 years in politics. However, when he would "bow out" is still unclear. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/11/25/7526816-sun.html Charges at cafe trigger protest By JENNY YUEN, SUN MEDIA TORONTO -- They passed around a joint for the coffee shop they love. About a dozen people -- many smoking pot -- gathered at Old City Hall yesterday to protest marijuana trafficking charges laid at the Kindred Cafe last week. Members of the Toronto Hash Mob chanted, "We're here, we're high, get used to it!" to early morning commuters on Queen St. W. "If we legalize and regulate marijuana, then we can easily raise $1 billion in this province to get people homes, food and jobs," said Hash Mob member Michael Bone, 55. "Let us have our medicine." Two employees were charged with trafficking and five patrons for possession of marijuana after a raid late Thursday sparked by complaints in the Yonge-Wellesley Sts. community, police said. The cafe's owner Dominic Cramer's bail hearing is set for 9 a.m. today at Old City Hall. Undercover officers claim they purchased marijuana-laced milkshakes, hot chocolates and baked goods inside the club. "We don't understand why (the charges) happened after three years of being in business," Chad Cooke, a spokesman for the Kindred Cafe, said at the rally. "We have a rooftop patio for marijuana users, mostly for medicine. We thought it was an okay thing." The coffee shop on Breadalbane St. has very "strict rules" for rooftop patio users and "nothing is sold there. People are bringing it themselves." The cafe will re-open in a few days, he said. Officers found that many people didn't have government-issued certificates for medicinal marijuana use, Det.-Sgt. Paul MacIntyre said. A YouTube video of the cafe in which an employee states, "this is not a legal business, we choose to break some laws," piqued police interest, MacIntyre said. "I can't say if there's any ongoing investigations right now on other cafes, but we do follow up on any complaints we get," he said. "Kindred Cafe was not on our radar until we got a complaint." The raid has caused similar coffee houses to keep a low profile. A Kensington Market tobacco shop and cafe owner said she "didn't want to make any comment and please don't mention (the name of) mine in the story." Not surprising, said Cramer's lawyer, Alan Young, who estimates there are a half dozen such cafes in the city. "The idea is to fly slightly under the radar screen and be transparent so that you're not hiding anything, but you don't throw it into people's face," Young said. "Police have been fairly tolerant because they have more pressing priorities. Without that suspicion of trafficking, I think police were quite happy to leave things alone." Vancouver cannabis libertarian Marc Emery called the police raid over a "$15 milkshake, allegedly with cannabis in it" a waste. "There's no public safety reason to arrest pot people. The (raid) probably costs the taxpayers of Toronto $20,000. It's good to see that Toronto can afford all that in these dark times." From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 02:09:37 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:09:37 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression news, August 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB6551.90305@tesco.net> United States * Sharpton, activists convicted over road blocks * Texas - amid protest, ban lifted on dorm displays * RNC protesters face "terror" charges (later dropped) * Women targeted for prosecution in nonviolent port protests * Execution despite problems finding vein * Judge dismisses case against "11-year-old terrorist" * Charges dismissed against lawyer in port protest * Abortion tax protester convicted * No convictions so far in Denver protest cases, money wasted * Inquiry sought on brutality against veteran protesters * Olympia May Day activist arrested twice * Elderly women get eviction notices for protesting * Convictions for Rove arrest Global North * UK: Animal rights protesters raided for banner drop as use of raids to persecute spreads * AUSTRALIA: Palm Island resident sues over violent arrest * AUSTRIA: Human rights under threat in animal rights raids * MACEDONIA - GREECE: Detention of journalists protested * NORTHERN IRELAND: Draconian punishment for legitimate prison resistance * UK: Rightist columnist wises up to police state * UK: Police seek to extend stop-and-search terror even further * SPAIN: Galician independence activists on trial * NEW ZEALAND: Jailed for website * ISRAEL - PALESTINE: Olive grove defenders arrested * ITALY: Vindictive statists still chase dissidents on decades-old allegations * AUSTRALIA: Police violence, repression at parties * AUSTRALIA: State persecution causes panic attack, hospitalisation for Palm Island repression victim Global South * INDONESIA: Bali - sex worker crackdown drives workers itno villages, spreads HIV * TURKEY: Police violence, killing cause for concern * MALAYSIA: Hindu protest group banned * PHILIPPINES: Threat to deport migrants for protesting * WEST PAPUA: Australians jailed for sightseeing * AUSTRALIA - INDONESIA: Criticism of Australian govt's complicity in state murder * LAOS: Repression against Hmong protesters * KOREA: Police arrest website owner for encouraging protests * KOREA: Protester jailed for internet rumours * SINGAPORE: Convictions for peaceful protest * BURMA: Long jail sentences for oppositionists * TAIWAN: Accusations of repression at protests * MEXICO: Police arrested for protest killings * MEXICO: New cover-up attempt over Brad Will killing * EGYPT: Broadcaster under attack for showing protest pics * TUNISIA: Attacks on free expression, human rights activists * DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Migrant biometric surveillance planned * JORDAN: Writers protest indictment of poet for blasphemy * KENYA: Parents blamed over school uprisings, "discipline" demanded * KENYA: State bans mobile phones in schools over uprising * KENYA: Protesting students allowed to sit exams - but not to mix with colleagues * BAHRAIN: Repressive arrangements for protester appeal * KOREA: Continuing concerns about repressive protest law http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/260940 In protest of the shooting, Al Sharpton rallied his troops and brought several roadways to a halt in May when the officers were acquitted on all charges earlier this year. The group's rally for Sean Bell blocked blocking the streets and entrances to the Triborough, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges. More than two-hundred were arrested for disorderly conduct, including Sharpton and Bell's parents, but only eight of those charges stuck. Yesterday, Al Sharpton and his cohorts, who were arrested and charged, were found guilty of disorderly conduct. The guilty verdict in this case is not a criminal offense. Since they were locked up following the May incident, the judge ordered the sentence as time served. They were each ordered to pay a $95 US court fee as well, for which Sharpton has graciously volunteered to pick up the tab for all of the disorderly conducteers. And according to the New York Times, Judge Larry R. Stephen explained his verdict: [he was] ?sympathetic to the underlying causes which gave rise to the protests and demonstrations,? he added, ?The evidence is overwhelming.? ?My view is, if you decide to take a bullet for the team, you should not complain about the consequences that flow from that act,? Judge Stephen said. Sharpton, however, continued with his justification over the protest: ?I hope the city would think about how the pedestrians who couldn?t walk that day, and the drivers who couldn?t drive, were no different than the three young men who sat in the car that day and were shot at? while others saw the verdict as injustice saying ?For the judge to find us guilty of any crime when the police were found not guilty of anything, there?s no justice.? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-utsigns_10tex.ART.State.Edition1.4b273ed.html Amid protests, ban lifted on dorm displays at University of Texas 12:00 AM CDT on Friday, October 10, 2008 By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News kmbrooks at dallasnews.com AUSTIN ? Students at the University of Texas at Austin will be allowed to put political signs in their dormitory windows, officials decided Thursday, reversing a policy that had caused a growing uproar across campus in recent days. UT leaders also decided to lift the punishment of two students who had been barred from registering for spring classes for refusing to remove their Barack Obama signs from their dorm window. They had argued that they had a right to political expression in their homes. The policy, in place for more than 15 years, bans signs of any kind in windows ? for aesthetic reasons, officials say ? but allows students to put them up on doors, inside the halls and on other parts of campus. A new rule was put in place Thursday allowing the signs until a committee created by UT President William Powers Jr. can look at the policy and recommend changes. "I am keenly aware that this prohibition is of intense concern to many members of the student body, as well as the larger community," Mr. Powers said in an e-mail to students. "I believe that the free expression of ideas is crucial to our educational mission and that our rules should foster civil discourse and debate." The news was welcomed by students from all sides of the political spectrum. "Fantastic!" said Ashley Crutchfield, who had removed her McCain/Palin sign for fear of being kicked out of her dorm. "I will absolutely be putting my sign back up in my window, and I think this is, for the time being, excellent." The university maintains that the policy is legal because the school offers plenty of alternatives for students to practice their free-speech rights. But the adamant protests of the College Republicans, University Democrats and other students caused officials to rethink the policy, said Jeff Graves of the Office of Legal Affairs. On Wednesday evening, cousins and roommates Connor and Blake Kincaid were barred from registering after being told during an on-campus hearing that they'd be punished if they didn't remove the signs. Connor Kincaid and his father, Austin attorney Mark Kincaid, were prepared to take the policy all the way to court, the 20-year-old sophomore music major said. Student groups were encouraging all dorm students to put up signs in their dorm windows as a form of civil disobedience, hoping to force the university to hold thousands of hearings between now and Election Day. The school's decision Thursday avoided that ? for now. "This is a victory for us, a victory for students, and it shows what happens when you get the College Republicans and University Democrats working together," said Zack Hall, president of the University Democrats. "I wish that could happen a little more in Washington. "But we still have a lot of work to do to make sure this isn't just a policy for the interim," he said. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/rnc_1009/ ?Terrorism? charges levied against RNC protesters By Tyneisha Bowens Published Oct 4, 2008 10:05 PM For four days in September the top-ranking members of the Republican Party staged their national convention in St. Paul, Minn., to officially announce the presidential and vice presidential candidacies of John McCain and Sarah Palin. While corporate interests and corrupt local politicians welcomed the Republicans with open arms, the citizens of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul organized mass protests and pockets of resistance all over the city. In preparation for the protests and plans to shut down the Republican National Convention, the city of St. Paul was given $50 million for security, which it used to terrorize protesters and residents of the Twin Cities before and during the RNC. Harassment included preemptive raids on private homes and public meeting spaces with no warrants or legal reasoning; the arrests of 800 protesters, journalists and locals; brutality and torture in the jails and detention centers where protesters were held; and the use of gas, concussion bombs, pepper spray, rubber bullets and marker ammunition on protesters. Of the 800 arrested, eight?Monica Bicking, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald, Luce Guillen-Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Max Spector and Eryn Timmer?are being charged with ?conspiracy to commit riot in furtherance of terrorism.? This is the first use of this charge, under the USA Patriot Act. The charge is a second-degree felony that could result in several years in prison for these eight brave organizers. The eight are members of the Welcoming Committee, an anarchist/anti-authoritarian group that organized activities to shut down the RNC. Their arrests took place on Aug. 30 and Sept 1, six of them in raids of homes and public meeting spaces. It is clear that the RNC 8 are political targets being used to set a repressive precedent against organizers and activists across the country. The U.S government is setting the stage for mass repression of movements for social and economic justice by equating activism to terrorism. This can be seen in the arrests and charges of the eight as well as the new presence of an active military unit, fresh from Iraq, which has been placed within U.S. borders to put down acts of ?civil unrest? and subdue groups and individuals. Organizers across the country are mobilizing support for the RNC 8 through fundraising for legal expenses, letters of support, building awareness locally and nationally as well as putting pressure on Minnesota elected officials to drop the charges and free the eight. Their trials are underway at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center in St. Paul. This is the time to stand together against the repression of our right to call out and act against injustice, our right to stand up against oppression, war and poverty. It is time for us to call for justice for the RNC 8 and all political prisoners. For more information on the RNC 8 and their trial dates visit rnc8.org. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.olyblog.net/women-targeted-prosecution-nonviolent-port-protests Women Targeted for Prosecution in Non-Violent Port Protests Submitted by listening on Sun, 10/26/2008 - 5:12pm. (Olympia, WA 10/25/08) Prosecutors have brought charges against twenty- six people arrested during a non-violent women's protest in November, 2007. Thoughtful, Moral Demonstrations For two weeks in November, hundreds of demonstrators blocked military equipment from moving through their publicly owned port. On November 13th, 39 women were arrested during a non-violent demonstration in solidarity with each other, women nationally, and the women in Iraq. Patty Imani, one of those charged, said Friday: "Thousands of women have been killed in Iraq. It's obscene that the city's response is to jail those of us who were only trying to stop more from dying." The women in Olympia saw the suffering that the United States' occupation of Iraq was causing, to the Iraqi people and particularly to the women of Iraq. The protest was carefully planned to bring attention to how the war has effected the lives of women in Iraq and the United States. Inappropriate Prosecution The City has waited nearly a year to bring these charges, and has suspiciously brought these new charges less than a week after their other cases against port protesters were dismissed. Also, prosecutors have a history of targeting women and people of color in protest cases. Twenty-six demonstrators have been singled out for prosecution, 25 of whom are women. A Call for Solidarity Those being prosecuted are calling for solidarity and support from all those who are concerned that women and people of color are being targeted for carrying out their constitutionally protected right to non-violently dissent. Defendants are available to speak to the press. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008310434_apwaportprotest.html October 25, 2008 at 8:50 AM | Page modified October 25, 2008 at 8:50 AM E-mail article Print view Charges filed against 26 Wash. demonstrators Thurston County prosecutors have filed misdemeanor charges against 26 of the 42 anti-war demonstrators who were arrested at the Port of Olympia protesting Fort Lewis-Iraq war shipments. OLYMPIA, Wash. ? Thurston County prosecutors have filed misdemeanor charges against 26 of the 42 anti-war demonstrators who were arrested at the Port of Olympia protesting Fort Lewis-Iraq war shipments. Each of the 26 was charged Friday with one count of attempted disorderly conduct and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer. Most of those charged were women. For one week in November, protesters blocked shipments of Stryker vehicles and other military cargo from the Port of Olympia to Fort Lewis. The military equipment was used in the Iraq war. Larry Hildes, a lawyer, said he was angry the charges were filed so close to the one-year statute of limitations running out. Hildes said some of the women who were arrested Nov. 13 were forced to disrobe in plain view of policemen at the Olympia City Jail. Thurston County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jon Tunheim said the charges were brought against the 26 protesters after a review of video and photographic evidence and the police reports his officer had received. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10537716&ref=rss Murderer's protests prove in vain 4:00AM Thursday Oct 16, 2008 Richard Cooey. Photo / AP LUCASVILLE - The first convict to die by lethal injection in Ohio in more than a year argued to the end that his obesity would make it difficult for prison staff to find suitable veins in his arms to deliver the deadly chemicals. During preparations for his execution yesterday, Richard Cooey shouted for one of his lawyers as prison staff tried to insert a shunt in his left arm. "He was worried that we were on the brink of another botched execution," said Greg Meyers, a lawyer with the Ohio Public Defender's Office. There were no difficulties, said a spokesman for the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, where Cooey was executed for killing two University of Akron students in 1986. He was one of two people executed in the United States yesterday. Cooey, who stood 1.7m and weighed 121kg, said in numerous legal filings that his obesity made death by lethal injection inhumane. Problems finding veins had delayed other executions in Ohio. - AP http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/01/15/gharani_guantanamo/index.html Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 17:35 EST Judge not buying feds' case against 11-year-old terrorist It's no secret that the government doesn't exactly have ironclad cases against some of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Even so, actually seeing the flimsiness of one of these cases is shocking -- it would be funny if it weren't so devastatingly sad. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ordered the release of detainee Mohammed El Gharani. The feds argued that Gharani, a 21-year-old born in Chad, had traveled to Afghanistan to train and fight with al-Qaida. While there turns out to be little evidence for this claim, it's at least vaguely plausible. The government?s other accusation against Gharani, however, is laughable. He's alleged to have been a member of a London-based al-Qaida cell, but at the time the government claims this happened he was 11, and living in Saudi Arabia. This prompted Leon to write: Putting aside the obvious and unanswered questions as to how a Saudi minor from a very poor family could have even become a member of a London-based cell, the government simply advances no corroborating evidence for these statements it believes to be reliable from a fellow detainee, the basis of whose knowledge is -- at best -- unknown. This brings up another topic in the news about Guantanamo recently. In response to the discussions about the time it will take the Obama administration to close the facility, conservatives have taken to crowing that the president-elect's going to have a hard time reconciling high-minded liberal ideals about the rule of law with the harsh reality of the situation. (Call it the ?You can?t handle the truth? argument.) Here, for example, is the Weekly Standard?s Michael Goldfarb: Barack Obama has come up with a clever strategy on Gitmo -- order the closure of the U.S. prison there and take the next one to eight years figuring out how best to implement the new policy. The left has given him a pass on this as they will give him a pass on just about anything for the foreseeable future, but the implication is clear: Obama has no idea what to do with men... who pose a very real threat to the American people but cannot be convicted in federal court for the crimes they have already committed. Of course, there are people in Guantanamo who constitute a graver threat than Gharani does. But this case is the kind of thing that should at least make people like Goldfarb think a little harder about the argument they're making in favor of keeping the prison open. ? Gabriel Winant http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/261591 The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench has ruled that a man convicted last fall of not paying income tax because he refuses to be part of government funding for abortions must pay his taxes. Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com David Little has lost his appeal before the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench. Little is a devout Roman Catholic and stopped filing tax returns and paying taxes years ago to protest against government-funded abortions. In a court in Fredericton, NB, Little, representing himself, argued his conviction last year on three counts of not paying his income taxes should be overturned because it violates his religious beliefs under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Little made a two-and-a-half hour submission before Judge Hugh McLellan. The presentation included quotes from the Bible and his strong belief that abortion is "an abomination." The judge interrupted him twice reminding Little he should stick to legal arguments, not moral, religious or political ones. The judge ruled that despite Little's intense beliefs, he did not show any legal error by the judge who convicted him and dismissed the appeal. "The first time any court does something on such a precedent, it's of considerable importance. So we've always felt along the road it's going to end up in the Supreme Court," Little said. Little had pro bono help from a lawyer who believes in his cause, but did not identify the lawyer, saying only that he was from outside the country. Little is confident he will win his case, and that it will force the Canadian government to change its laws on abortion. "I'm gonna be in jail until I rot, because I'm never gonna file again until the law's changed," Little said. His goal has from the mid-1990s been to be charged with tax evasion to raise the profile of his cause. Little has a website to raise money for his defence and has moved his family to Alberton in western P.E.I. in May of this year because abortions are not performed in Island hospitals. Little is supported by several wealthy benefactors. http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/633944.html Charges dismissed against Olympia lawyer during anti-war protest The Associated Press | ? Published October 25, 2008 TACOMA ? Charges against an Olympia lawyer who refused to show identification during an anti-war protest at the Port of Tacoma have been dismissed. The lawyer for Legrand Jones had argued that it's not a crime to refuse to identify yourself to police. Attorney William Ferrell said police were stopping people without cause during the July protest to gather information and discourage demonstrators. The Tacoma News Tribune reports that Municipal Court Judge Karl Haugh also dismissed a trespassing charge Thursday against Jones, who was accused of approaching a port fence with a "no trespassing" sign. Ferrell argued that such signs usually mean the area on the other side of the fence is off limits, not the area in front of the fence. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17795540/detail.html No Convictions So Far For Denver Convention Protesters Charges Dropped In 7 Cases, Jurors Deadlocked In 2 Cases POSTED: 10:35 am MDT October 24, 2008 UPDATED: 10:50 am MDT October 24, 2008 DENVER -- Denver prosecutors have come up empty-handed against the first nine protesters facing trials stemming from the Democratic convention. The city attorney dropped charges against seven protesters who faced trials this week. Jurors deadlocked on the other two, and a judge threw out one of them, saying "no reasonable person" would convict the defendant in a second trial. Prosecutors haven't decided whether to retry the other case. More than 150 people were arrested in Denver between Aug. 23 and Aug. 28 in convention-related incidents. Up to 60 were facing trials after they refused plea agreements. City Attorney David Fine defended the prosecutions, he said some people on the deadlocked juries had voted for convictions. http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/18589/NYCLU_seeks_probe_into_protest_melee_at_Hofstra_debate NYCLU seeks probe into protest melee at Hofstra debate Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:44:30 -0500 Summary: Kudos to the New York Civil Liberties Union for taking up the case of anti-war protesters outside this week?s presidential debate. While America?s next president was strutting his stuff inside Hofstra University, 350 American citizens were trying to resurrect the antiquated notion of democracy outside. After being denied entry into the debate, representatives of Iraq Veterans Against the War and students were corralled by police. One attendee, Nick Morgan, sustained injuries to his cheek and was knocked unconscious when a police horse mounted the sidewalk on which he had been told to stand. More importantly, the issues that protesters sought to air were largely absent from the ?debate? ? which international commentators seem to have decided was more about an obscure politically illiterate plumber named Joe, than the state of the world and America?s role in worsening it. [Posted By Szamko] By Patrick Whittle Republished from Newsday Police brutality meted out to veterans and students as presidential candidates debated A day after an anti-war protester was injured in a melee with Nassau police outside the Hofstra presidential debate, the New York Civil Liberties Union called for the department to conduct an investigation into its use of horses to control the crowd. The protester, Nicholas Morgan of Washington, D.C., was among 15 people charged with disorderly conduct. Morgan and 13 others are due in District Court in Hempstead on Nov. 10, while one protester pleaded not guilty yesterday. At least one other person was injured, but police said none of the injuries were serious. The melee happened when police refused to allow a protest group, Iraq Veterans Against the War, into the debate. Mounted police pushed a group of about 200 protesters from various organizations away from the gates, inciting some demonstrators to push back. Morgan, 24, an Iraq War veteran, was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured cheekbone. [end excerpt] http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/599030.html Man charged in Olympia May Day protest arrested again THE OLYMPIAN | ? Published September 28, 2008 ? Comments (0) Recommend (0) A man arrested on suspicion of felony malicious mischief and riot during a May Day protest in downtown Olympia was arrested again Friday. Daniel K. Wilson, 20, was arrested by Olympia police and booked into the city jail on suspicion of malicious mischief. Olympia police say Wilson was taking part in a Critical Mass Ride when at about 5:50 p.m. an officer reportedly saw him write a profane message with a black marker on the side of a white box van. The van was parked on the north side of Legion Way and Adams Street. Wilson was one of many bicyclists with the group Critical Mass that took to the streets during rush-hour, which caused traffic back-ups and delays for motorists, police said. In the earlier arrest, Wilson was taken into custody along with two others who threw rocks, breaking windows at the Bank of America downtown. police allege. http://www.mediaisland.org/en/seniors-get-eviction-notices-after-tree-protest Seniors get eviction notices after tree protest Submitted by pirate on Thu, 09/25/2008 - 16:06. Sept 25, 2008 AP SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Two elderly women who tied themselves to a crab apple tree to protest its removal say they're being evicted from their senior housing complex. Lee Perrone, 74, and Pat Henry, 65, were protesting the Shrewsbury Housing Authority's decision to cut down the tree to make way for a trash bin. The women say the housing authority is now retaliating against them. Henry said she spent seven consecutive days ? about 10 hours a day ? tied to the tree. "It's a beautiful tree. It blooms. It's a beautiful sight we can see from our porches," she said. Henry, Perrone and Ethel Casey, 85, last week tied themselves together with rope strung through patio chairs and around the tree, taking breaks for trips to the bathroom and meals. Henry said the eviction notice she received Tuesday says she has 30 days to leave her apartment at Francis Gardens for "obstructing members of the Shrewsbury Housing Authority from carrying out their duties." Casey said she did not receive an eviction notice because she sat with the other women after the tree removal company left. A Worcester attorney has filed a court action to try to stop the evictions. The executive director of the housing authority declined comment. http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/rovearrestii.html 4 Found Guilty in Citizen?s Arrest Attempt on Rove DES MOINES, IA - The four Iowans arrested while attempting to effectuate a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove were found guilty of trespassing Friday, November 21, 2008, in Iowa District Court in Polk County. Retired Methodist minister and Peace and Justice Advocate, Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, as well as three Des Moines Catholic Workers, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and Mona Shaw, 57, were arrested at the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines, Iowa, where Rove was scheduled to speak at a Republican Party Fundraiser last July 25, 2008. On that date the four had presented Des Moines Police with a written arrest complaint citing Iowa Code provisions for making Citizen's Arrests as well as citing Federal Statute violations they claimed Rove had violated. The four maintained during their trial that they were acting within the guidelines of Iowa Code that obligate private citizens to make such an arrest if they believe a felony has been committed and turn Rove over to police officials to bring Rove before a judge for formal indictment. Instructions to the jury allowed that a citizen's arrest was potentially justification for the defendants to refuse to leave the property and that if it was reasonable for the defendants to believe the subject of their arrest had committed a felony that then they should find the defendants not guilty. The jury returned a guilty verdict for each defendant nonetheless. "It's astonishing that there are six people who still don't find it reasonable to believe that Karl Rove has committed a felony," defendant Mona Shaw said after the verdict. Sally Frank, attorney for the defendants, said in court that she will file a motion to set aside the verdict and that the verdict will be appealed if the motion is denied. Judge Colin Witt sentenced three of the defendants to the minimum $65.00 fine plus court costs. One defendant, Kirk Brown, stated he could not in conscience pay the fine and was sentenced to one day in jail instead. Rove remains unindicted for any misconduct during his affiliation with the Bush administration and has refused to cooperate with a Congressional subpoena in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. To date there have been more than 4200 US Military deaths in Iraq, 900 in Afghanistan, about 70,000 casualties (wounded as well as those removed for other injuries and illnesses), and more than 400,000 Iraqi and Afghani citizens killed and many more wounded. Background Four Iowans were arrested Friday, July 25, 2008, while attempting to make a Citizens' Arrest of Karl Rove in Des Moines, Iowa. Citing Iowa Code provisions for making Citizen's Arrests as well as citing Federal Statute violations they claimed Rove had violated, the four were stopped at the gate of the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines where Rove was scheduled to speak at a Republican Fundraiser. The four arrested are retired Methodist minister and Peace and Justice Advocate, Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, as well as three Des Moines Catholic Workers, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and Mona Shaw, 57. All four were cited for trespassing and released. The four maintained that they were acting within the guidelines of Iowa Code that obligate private citizens to make such an arrest if they believe a felony has been committed and turn Rove over to police officials to bring Rove before a judge for formal indictment. By law, a federal judge should consider the charges and determine if an indictment should be made. A copy of their Arrest Statement is below. Brown and Shaw made a similar attempt last March when Rove spoke at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Brown and Shaw were arrested and released without charges following that attempt. Deaths in the Middle East since the March attempt number in the thousands including, 151 more US troops have been killed in Iraq, and 284 killed in Afghanistan as well as far more citizens of those two nations. Rove remains unindicted and recently refused to cooperate with a Congressional subpoena in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Despite mounting evidence of Rove's wrongdoing concerning leading the U.S. to war as well as other actions, Congress and the U.S. judicial system remain reluctant to bring charges against either Rove or the Bush administration. Recent evidence includes Articles of Impeachment presented by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Vincent Bugliosi's new book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" carefully lays out a case against Bush and his administration for war crimes and felony murder. Bugliosi was prosecutor for the Charles Manson Family murders and author of the book "Helter Skelter," which dealt with that crime. To date there have been 4,125 US Military deaths in Iraq, 896 in Afghanistan, 66,775 casualties (wounded as well as those removed for other injuries and illnesses), and more than 200,000 Iraqi and Afghani citizens killed and many, many more wounded. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411564.html Animal rights protesters raided for banner drop SchNEWS | 25.10.2008 00:44 | Animal Liberation | Health | Repression | South Coast CIBA PUNKS - Issue 652 IN THE VIRTUAL REALITY OF THE CRACKDOWN ON ANIMAL RIGHTS PROTESTS The British Govt?s attempts to smash the animal rights movement have long been catalogued in SchNEWS over the years, but this week it turned from the pernicious to the ridiculous as Police stretched their already tenuous use of the word ?blackmail? with regards to animal rights protest... Last Tuesday (14th) some activists did a banner drop protesting against Ciba Vision, a subsidiary of Novartis, from an overpass over the motorway near Ciba Vision?s premises at Hedge End, near Southampton. Ciba Vision make contact lenses, and are a client of vivisection lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). The protest was just outside the exclusion zone which limits protests near the premises of a list of companies associated with HLS as named on the injunction against SHAC (See SchNEWS 581). The two were not arrested, and only had their details taken by police for a possible court summons. But things turned serious last Friday at 10am, when police kicked the door down at the house they were staying. With a search warrant regarding Tuesday?s banner-drop, 25 coppers arrived - including Hampshire Police?s two ?animal rights specialists?, Martin Foster and Andrew Tester - and some plain-clothes CID to do the interviewing. The two banner-droppers were arrested for criminal damage and conspiracy to blackmail ? because, the police said, they had used spraypaint to make the banner, and that spraypaint had been used in other actions against HLS targets previously! Their clothes were confiscated for forensic analysis, to see if they could be linked to a recent ?home visit? on the manager of a HLS client which involved paintstripper on his car and other nasty surprises. As one of them said, ?It?s as though police think we?re the only people in Hampshire with spray cans?. This was the third time this same household had been raided in the past year, and police also took a computer, owned by another resident, who is currently one of the defendants in the upcoming SHAC trials (see below). A total of six computers, three printers and ten mobile phones have been taken from this household during these raids. How can a banner drop in a public place ? for all intents and purposes a legal, non-violent action - blow out into a possible charge of ?conspiracy to blackmail?? With the evidence at hand this case would get laughed out of court - that is unless the police try to pin something on them ? but this is just the latest chapter in the British Govt?s tenacious and heavy handed campaign to smash animal rights activism in this country. Said one of the arrestees - ?If they take what is legal protest, and use it to arrest people, it forces protesters underground because if they put their faces to actions ? even legal ones ? they risk having their house raided and being dragged into court cases with possible prison sentences. The Police are the biggest recruiters for the ALF (the name used for covert, anonymous animal rights actions).? ?Any animal rights activist saying ?I will continue to protest until they stop? is now seen as tantamount to blackmail. But what is happening to SHAC and other animal rights groups is going to happen to other types of campaigns.? TRIAL & ERROR Rumbling in the background to this weeks incident is the first of two SHAC trials, which is currently into it?s third week and is due to last over four months, ending in January. The second trial begins then, but it may be affected by the results of the first. Eight have been charged - two with blackmail and the others with ?conspiracy to blackmail?. Since then, four are on remand and three have pleaded guilty. But what is all this ?blackmail? thing about? Since 2001 SHAC have published the names of companies doing business with HLS, and initially sent them polite letters saying, ?Do you know what HLS do? Please stop dealing with them.? Since then there have been demos and ALF-style actions against some of them. It turns out that some of the companies involved did stop working with HLS. Many did so after being visited by police, who told their management that now they were on the SHAC website they needed to beef up security - warning staff of dire threats to life and limb and advising them to check under their cars for bombs. These companies include those making cages, other torture equipment, and supplying transport and other services to HLS, as well as clients using HLS?s ?research? on animals. The police and prosecution are alleging that, by hosting the names of companies that work with Huntingdon Life Sciences, SHAC are giving a nod and a wink to ALF-style attacks. Yes covert attacks have taken place against HLS related targets ? including paintstripper on cars, phonecalls and letters to directors? homes and more ? and people have been prosecuted for various offences in the past ? but these attacks against HLS (and associated companies) are not being linked to the SHAC defendants in this trial. Instead re-publishing public information and writing to companies about animal abuse inside HLS? labs is made to look like a scene from a Mafia movie where the don says ?...we wouldn?t want any nasty accidents to happen to you on your way back from the animal murdering lab, would we now.? This trial is just the latest court case involving animal rights activists, coming after the recent Sequani trials which saw Sean Kirtley banged up for four years for running a website (See SchNEWS 634). In May 2007 police made 32 arrests across the UK in ?Operation Achilles?. 700 police were involved as homes and animal sanctuaries were raided, with police seizing computers, mobile phones and cash in what a popular weekly direct action newsletter described as a ?fishing expedition? (See SchNEWS 586). But while HLS are being protected by the bootboys and laws of the British state, they are in fact in a tenuous state. They took a loan from the British Govt in 2001, and are battling to repay it. Novartis are being targeted because they are a major client of HLS, which HLS would sorely miss, and their status on the New York Stock Exchange is another weak point for them. If they get kicked off the NYSE before 2011 ? as has happened in the past due to the international efforts of SHAC - they will go into liquidation. That animal rights activists are portrayed in Britain as ?extremists? or ?terrorists? is deeply ironic seeing as they are about protecting animals from torture. * See also www.shac.net SchNEWS Homepage: http://www.schnews.org.uk http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,24561073-3102,00.html?from=public_rss Palm Islander sues for $1m over police riot arrest Article from: Tanya Chilcott October 28, 2008 12:00am A PALM Islander who beat charges of rioting is suing the State Government for $1 million claiming he was assaulted by police. David Bulsey was captured on TV footage trying to physically restrain fellow islander Lex Wotton during the riots off Townsville in 2004. Mr Bulsey was allegedly thrown naked from his bed by armed police who arrested him the morning after the riots, which saw the police compound burned to the ground. His long-term de facto Yvette Lenoy was seven months' pregnant at the time and had to be medically evacuated to the Townsville Hospital where she later gave birth prematurely. Wotton was convicted on Friday of leading the riots. Mr Bulsey was the first of a group of men to have charges against them dropped. Mr Bulsey, 56 and Ms Lenoy, 33, are suing the State Government for $500,000 each, claiming police assaulted them. In a statement filed in the Supreme Court registry in Townsville it was alleged Ms Lenoy was drinking tea about 5.50am on November 27, 2004, when police with guns drawn broke down their front door. Mr Bulsey and six children were in bed at the time. Ms Lenoy was ordered on to her stomach, the claim alleged, but eventually told she could sit because of her pregnant belly. "The police officers entered the bedroom where the first plaintiff (Mr Bulsey) was sleeping naked and threw him on the floor, whereupon one police officer placed his booted foot on the first plaintiff's head and another police officer placed his boot on his back," the statement said. Mr Bulsey was taken outside in a towel before being given a pair of jeans to put on in the street. in front of his neighbours. He was then interviewed and jailed. The claim stated he was released on bail a fortnight later on the condition he did not return to Palm Island, where his de facto partner and now seven children lived. "On the 20th of July 2005, at the closure of the prosecution case against the first plaintiff, the prosecutor conceded that there was no prima facie case for the first plaintiff to answer, whereupon the magistrate dismissed the charged and discharged the first plaintiff," the claim stated. It went on to claim police should have known Mr Bulsey tried to stop the riot and was otherwise not involved in it. The claim stated Ms Lenoy suffered pain, humiliation and distress at her children being left alone while she was in the Townsville Hospital and her partner was in jail. http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=1516 Human rights under threat in Austria? 26 June 2008 at 08:54 by Oor Wullie Tags: Austria hunger strike animal rights There's a protest planned for London tomorrow at the Austrian Embassy. The issue surrounds the detention of 10 animal rights campaigners in Austria imprisoned under a new law intended to fight organised crime gangs. According to supporters of the detainees, the chairman of one of Austria's biggest animal protection groups is being force fed in prison after nearly 5 weeks on hunger strike. They say that in the early hours of May 21st, special forces of the Austrian police, many armed, in black clothing and wearing masks, forced entry to 23 homes and offices of animal protection campaigners across Austria. Fourteen people were arrested. All the premises were searched and and police took away computers, discs, mobile phones, videos, cameras, photos, video tapes, papers, records, and databases. Among those targeted were groups such as the Austrian Vegan Society, and mainstream animal protection groups VGT, Vierpfoten, Respekttiere and TierWegehave, as well as other campaigners and individuals. Most of the groups have been left without the basic means to continue their legal and political work or even communicate with supporters and friends. The police have stated that the examination of the computers will probably only start next year, because they are very busy, so there is little prospect of these groups recovering in the near future. Ten people are being held without charge in pre-trial detention, which could last for months. One of those in detention, Martin Balluch, the Chairman of VGT, has been on hunger strike for almost 5 weeks in protest at his treatment and continued detention without charge, and is now being force fed in the prison hospital. The official justification for the continued detention without charge is the controversial Austrian Law 278a StGB which outlaws the "formation of a criminal body". This law was intended to fight organised crime gangs, such as drug smugglers, gun runners or people traffickers. Campaigners say that instead it is being used as a political weapon by the current Austrian government to silence legal campaigners and to break up the animal protection movement, which has had some remarkable success in recent years. Many of those detained have played a key role in very successful political campaigns, including a ban on fur farms, an end to the keeping of battery hens and a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses One supporter said in an email to me: " It is shocking and disturbing that such terror and corruption can take place in a modern, so-called democratic country in Europe. If those in power in Austria are allowed to get away with this, it isn't just animal rights campaigners whoare in danger, but all groups around the world fighting for social justice, human rights, the environment, and all who value justice and compassion over corruption and profit. The demonstration on Friday 27th June in London is part of a growing wave of international protest against the Austrian government's treatment and of lawful animal protection campaigners. For more information please read the following article published by The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/05/animalwelfare.austria Thanks for your time. http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/10/15/nb-04 Skopje protests detention of Macedonian journalists in Greece 15/10/2008 SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The foreign ministry on Tuesday (October 14th) delivered a note of protest to the head of the Greek Liaison Office in Skopje, Alexandra Papadopoulou, following the detention of four Macedonian journalists in Greece earlier in the day. "Macedonia considers [the journalists' detention] an inhumane act," the note read, calling on Greek authorities to take appropriate measures and prevent such incidents in the future. Police detained the journalists -- two reporters and a cameraman from the A1 and A2 TV stations and a correspondent from the Nova Makedonija daily -- in the village of Zabrdani, near the northern town of Florina. They underwent questioning for over one hour at a police station and had to present special permits issued by Greece for taking photographs. Later, police released them but barred them from talking to local residents. Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski described the episode as "outrageous". The Greek government responded, describing Skopje's statements as yet another "provocative attempt at the utter distortion of reality" and "an unacceptable attempt to interfere with Greece's internal affairs". (Vecer, Dnevnik, Utrinski Vesnik, Eleftherotypia, Kathimerini - 15/10/08; MIA, Makfax, A1, Sitel, ANA-MPA, ERT, Naftemporiki - 14/10/08) http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidkfsneyau/rss2/ Governor attacked in protests at Portlaoise Prison 15/10/2008 - 08:11:40 An investigation is underway into an incident at Portlaoise Prison in which inmates threw the contents of their chamber pots at the governor and prison officers. The incident followed a search of a cell on one of the wings housing republican prisoners. Reports this morning say prison officers were investigating allegations that an INLA member had created a home-made weapon out of a soup ladle. A number of inmates subsequently protested that they were being unfairly targeted. During these protests, two of the prisoners were brought to the segregation unit. Governor Ned Whelan was later attacked while making his regular rounds of the jail and extra staff were called in to deal with the situation. The five prisoners involved in the incident are believed to have been punished by being locked in their cells without access to phone calls or visits for a month. http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2009/01/the-onward-marc.html 07 January 2009 9:47 AM 'It's not debatable,' they bawled. My chilling encounter with Britain's jack-booted paramilitary police This posting is about the horrible thing that has happened to our police, which I will get to in a moment, but first let me explain how I had the unpleasant experience I underwent last Saturday evening. First, let me explain what I was up to. I was absolutely not taking part in any street demonstration. Nothing could have induced me to join the march to protest against Israel's attack on Gaza. This is not because I agree with the attack - as readers know all too well by now. It is because I am not prepared to demonstrate alongside militant Islamists, supporters of Hamas or people who carry ridiculous placards calling for a 'Free Palestine'. Whatever the formerly occupied territories might be under the unlimited rule of Fatah and Hamas, they would certainly not be free in any normal meaning of the word. They would fall under the rule of repressive, intolerant and ( especially in the case of Fatah) corrupt mini-despots. The fate of the Arabs of the region, since the creation of the Palestinian Authority, has been shameful. This is one of the many reasons why I do not support the 'Two-State Solution'. For the same reason I never took part in the demonstrations against the Iraq war, though I opposed it as much as anyone who did. The same people, the Islamist fanatics and the 'Free Palestine' crowd, would be along too. And I once turned down an invitation to speak at such a demonstration. The old Roman saying "Non Tali Auxilio" "Not with such allies" seemed to apply very strongly. My cause wasn't theirs, even though I shared an objective with them. I don't imagine they missed me all that much. This sometimes happens if you follow your own instincts and stay true to yourself. You lose all ways. Your former friends suddenly become your snappish, scornful opponents. Your enemies suddenly applaud you, if rather faintly. It isn't specially pleasant ( in fact, praise from foes is more hurtful than the denunciations of friends, in my experience). In this state of mind, I left the Mail on Sunday office on Saturday evening, planning to walk to Paddington Station and go home. The Israeli Embassy is nearby, on Palace Green, but Palace Green is a closed street, blocked by gates, and anti-Israel demonstrators cannot get close to the actual building. Instead, they tend to gather opposite the gates, and when there are more than a few dozen of them, they block the whole street. This is what had happened on Saturday. I couldn't get through, so I went round by back streets to the other side of the (fairly small) protest. I began walking eastwards along Kensington Road. Suddenly, out of the gloom I saw more demonstrators approaching me, presumably stragglers from Trafalgar Square, come to shout at the Israelis. That didn't bother me. They were quiet and peaceable. What did bother me that, in front of the demonstration was a sort of skirmish line of black-clad, helmeted figures, each carrying a large round black shield and a big club. All were wearing clompy, macho boots and ( if my memory serves me right) leather trousers as well. They were both ridiculous and creepily frightening, and - to my eye - wholly unBritish. I've seen riot squads lurking (and on some occasions turned loose) in Moscow, Prague, Paris and East Berlin. In such places, everyone knows that they are the fist of the strong state. But when I observed these formations, they were one of those interesting things about being abroad, rather than in Britain, where we had no need of such things. You knew never to approach them, make eye contact with them, get within range of them. They were dangerous, officious and all-powerful, and longing for trouble. Ask them the way or the time? They'd think you were mocking them and club you over the head for your pains. I agree that things have been changing here for quite a while. But this lot were far more fearsome than anything I'd previously glimpsed in this country. They were part-astronaut, part-samurai, all menace. They were also pointless. I couldn't see any reason for this riot squad to be there. There was no trouble, before or behind or beside them. Later on, they might be needed, in which case I'd stay well away from them. But now, they were just there. So I behaved as if they were what they weren't, normal constables. I carried on walking towards them, peaceably, on my lawful business. I'd already made a big diversion to avoid the main demonstration. If I had to go back the way I'd come, I'd need to go miles to get round. If there had been any obvious reason to do so, I'd have done it. But there wasn't. That was when they started bellowing at me. "Get back!" (or something like that). I looked round to see if I had accidentally got into the middle of a sudden melee, but the street was as peaceful as it had been before, and the marchers were still advancing quietly behind the black-garbed figures. I held out my hands in a shrugging, mock-pleading gesture and began to ask why I couldn't just walk on the pavement undisturbed. "I am", I began to say " a private person on his way to Paddington station". I didn't finish. I couldn't. The figures began bawling again, in a strange robotic chorus of Arthur-Mullard-like voices. And this is what they bawled :"It's not debatable!" . Then they bawled it again "It's not debatable!". And then one more time, I think. I don't think words like "debatable" come naturally to such people. I think this is what they had been trained to say in some riot-rehearsal long ago, to clear aside some imaginary band of quarrelsome troublemakers with fancy ( and outdated) ideas about their rights. Instead, they had to make do with me, the only man in London silly enough not to flee at the very sight of them. It even crossed my mind to think that they might have been longing to bawl "It's not debatable!" ever since they had been trained to say it, and here was their chance. It's an interesting set of words, especially for police officers to use in a free country with free speech, where power is supposed to subject to the law and the police are supposed to be the servants of the people. It was clear that they thought I had no business even looking at them, let alone asking them ( as I believe I'm entitled to do) under what law they were acting. Until recently I'm quite sure they'd have had no legal right to order me about like that without explanation. Nor would they have tried. I'd have been allowed to pass, as it was quite reasonable for me to do. I know this as the veteran of many demonstrations in other days, and one who developed some respect even as a far left-winger for the restraint and level-headed, humorous good sense of the police ( as they then were) on such occasions. But all that's gone. Such persons are not, like old-fashioned coppers, servants of the law. They are servants of the state and you'd better believe it. Technically the law now supports them, but only because the whole purpose of the law has been subverted so that it doesn't restrain the police at all in such circumstances. 'Terrorism' of course, has been the pretext for it. But most of us, most of the time, don't see the ugly face of the thing we have created by letting this happen. No doubt some catch-all 'Anti-Terror' statute, making disobedience itself an offence, without regard to what was being ordered, would have been absurdly invoked if I could have found one of them willing to answer such a question. If it hadn't been for my polished shoes, middle-aged professional appearance and expensively-acquired plummy baritone, I suspect things might have ended rather more abruptly. Even these robocops are still a little restrained by the dying conventions of our disappearing freedom, and they could have guessed that it would have been faintly unwise to get rough with someone like me. Ten years from now, this won't be true. We'll be like the continentals, hating and mistrusting our cops and being hated and mistrusted by them in return. As it was, I had time to ask the foremost of them, in what I hoped were wondering tones "Are you a police officer?", with the emphasis on the word "police", and then to answer on his behalf "No, you're not. You're some sort of paramilitary force" . The expression I was groping for was 'militia' but by then I was too enraged ( my patriotism was grounded in, amongst other lost things, pride at having an unarmed, peaceful police force - and the loss of this precious possession brings me close to tears) and dismayed to find the right word. They continued to advance towards me, like a sort of human street-sweeping machine, so I admitted defeat and stepped into a side road to watch them go by. This, alas, was not enough. After the robocops had passed, a second rank, this time of more ordinary but still militarised officers in high-visibility vests, came hurrying importantly up , brusquely and arrogantly ordering me and several other baffled subjects of Her Majesty to move back down the side-road. What was coming? A nuclear convoy? Barack Obama? The national gold reserve? I resigned myself to missing several trains and waited to see what all the fuss was about. What then passed was two parts of the square root of nothing. The mighty, bass-voiced police escort preceded a high-pitched straggle of perhaps 300 demonstrators, many of them women, walking quietly down the road and followed in turn by a phalanx of police vans. Then nothing. In my demonstrating days we'd have turned round and gone home rather than marched, with a group as small as that. Quickly, before another riot squad turned up, I returned to my original route and went home, only to find that my mobile phone had mysteriously stopped working. It recovered soon after I left the area. This horrible development, the transformation of our police into a state gendarmerie, has many causes. One of them is the way in which our politicians - and much of the public - have simply forgotten, or never even knew, the intricate arrangements made to ensure that we did not suffer this fate. Parliament at the beginning of the 19th century resisted the foundation of a Metropolitan force precisely because such bodies had invariably become engines of repression all over the continent. Sir Robert Peel only got the measure through by ensuring that our police force was subject to law, policed by consent, and was not allowed to become a militia. The rules were set ( see my book 'the Abolition of Liberty') so as to ensure we didn't have a Prussian or Gallic riot squad in London, and very effective they were until quite recently. But now we are moving quite fast towards the very fate that MPs feared 200 years ago. The paradox is that we have these grim jawed enforcers ( predicted rather accurately in Constantine Fitz Gibbon's amusing future fantasy thriller 'When the Kissing Had to Stop' back in the early Sixties) but that the criminal classes have never had such an easy time. How can this be? My theory is fairly simple. In a liberal state, the police are weak on crime because it is officially regarded as a social disease, not really the fault of the criminals. But they are tough on individuals who tackle crime themselves, because they threaten the state monopoly of law-enforcement (worse, their methods, if generally allowed, would be more popular than the feeble methods of the state police); and they are tough on street protest because they represent a state which regards itself as good, and so sees all protestors as automatically malignant. How do you think totalitarianism would establish itself in a once-free country? What do you think it would look like? I think it would look like this. Fortunately, it is still debatable. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/13/knife-crime-police-gang-violence Police seek new rights for searching rail passengers ? MPs asked to change 'conditions of carriage' ? Home secretary seeks new powers against gangs ? Alan Travis, home affairs editor ? guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 January 2009 17.59 GMT Blunt 2: the Metropolitan police operation to cut knife crime comes to the Elephant & Castle railway station in south London. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Passengers who buy a London train or tube ticket would automatically be giving their consent to be searched, under proposals now under consideration. Senior British Transport police officials told MPs today that they wanted to change the railways' "conditions of carriage" to close a loophole that means officers using mobile knife-detecting arches at stations have no legal power to search someone who sets them off unless they have a reasonable suspicion that they are breaking the law. Assistant Chief Constable Paul Crowther of British Transport police told the Commons home affairs select committee that, as the law stood, it often made more sense to search passengers who deliberately avoided going through the arches. The proposal emerged as Alf Hitchcock, the Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, said the programme had made a significant impact. Hitchcock, who heads the government's drive against knife crime in police forces across the country, said the forces involved had achieved percentage reductions "in the mid-teens" since it was launched last June. The police figures support the broad picture of improvement indicated in Home Office figures published last month, which were the subject of stern criticism from new Whitehall watchdog, the Statistics Authority. The authority said the numbers were were "selective" and "unchecked". The Home Office also confirmed today that the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, wants to introduce banning orders to tackle gang-related violence. She is considering legislation to allow civil injunctions to be used to ban individual gang members from visiting particular areas or wearing insignia or clothes that signal their allegiances. The idea was given a lukewarm reception by the Labour chairman of the select committee, Keith Vaz, who said he preferred to see measures that tackled the underlying causes of gang culture rather than another method of simply containing the problem. British Transport police say the proposal to make an agreement to being searched a condition of buying a railway or tube ticket would put the railways on the same footing as public events such as football matches or concerts. Consent is already a condition of travel in the United States. Crowther told MPs the issue had arisen since 100 mobile search arches were deployed at railway stations and other crowded public places as part of the drive against knife crime. "We want to conduct these measures with the support of the public and the community," he told journalists today. "I think we would need to engage in debate about whether there was an appetite for that and whether people saw it as reasonable and proportionate." The transport police chief told MPs they could currently use the arches only to scan people who volunteered to go through them, unless they had a reasonable suspicion the travellers were breaking the law. Police codes of practice ban voluntary searches. "In effect, a suspect may not be searched, even where consent is provided, in an absence of 'reasonable suspicion'; a procedural stumbling block to the unfettered use of knife arches," said transport police evidence to the MPs' inquiry into knife crime. "An exception to the procedural prohibition on the conduct of voluntary searches, however, is where submission to examination is a condition of entry to a named premises of a specific location. In relation to policing the railways, one [possibility] may be to have as a condition of carriage, when people purchase a ticket, that they agree to being searched." http://www.rootforce.org/2008/10/30/infrastructure-targeting-independistas-going-on-trial/ Infrastructure-Targeting Independistas Going on Trial Oct 30th, 2008 Three activists accused of carrying out sabotage actions for Galician independence are being tried by the Spanish government: Maria Bagaria is accused of setting fire to trucks being used to build a hydroelectric power station and is facing 3 years in prison; Giana Gomes and Ugio Caamanho are accused of using explosives to destroy an ATM at a Caixagalicia bank, and face 19 and 21 years, respectively. The trial begins November 3. Caixagalicia has been targeted for its involvement in destroying the Galician countryside with eucalyptus plantations and infrastructure projects such as highways and a high-speed train (AVE). Our only information on this case comes from this article (in Spanish) which says that the prisoners have widespread support among many members of the Galician public. If we find out more and it seems relevant, we?ll let you know. UPDATE (Nov. 4 2008): The Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network has supplied addresses for two of the prisoners; the third is out on bail. More information is available on this website, which is presumably in Galician: www.ceivar.org. GIANA RODRIGUES GOMES Modulo Verde Apartado 206 Centro penitenci?rio de Brieva Ctra. De Vicolozano 05194 Brieva (?vila) Spain UGIO CAAMANHO SAM-TISSO Prisi?n de Puerto de Santa Maria I Apartado de correos 555 Ctra. Jerez-Rota km. 6.4 11500 Puerto de Santa Maria (C?diz) Spain http://www.stuff.co.nz/4733438a11.html?source=RSSnationalnews_20081020 Protesters call for release of contempt prisoner Monday, 20 October 2008 Supporters of an Auckland-based American businessman jailed after failing to remove material from his website are staging a protest outside Mt Eden prison this afternoon. Vince Siemer is serving a six month jail term for contempt of court after failing to remove the material relating to Auckland accountant Michael Stiassny. Siemer's supporters say he was jailed unlawfully on an unproven allegation of defamation. The protest calling for his release is planned for 3.30pm. Siemer had filed court action in order to be released from jail until he appeals the sentence later this month, but the Supreme Court dismissed his application on Friday. - NZPA http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127985 Adei Ad Attackers Released; Human Rights Group Protests by Maayana Miskin (IsraelNN.com) Four Israeli anarchists who took part in a violent attack on the fledgling community of Adei Ad in Samaria on Wednesday were released just hours after they were arrested. Arabs and Israeli leftists who were granted permission to harvest olives near the town went on a rampage, attacking a Jewish home, brutally killing a guard dog, and burning holy books. Most attackers fled when Jewish residents of the town returned from their own olive harvest, but four were captured and detained until police arrived. Their release sparked protest from the Judea and Samaria Human Rights Group, which accused police of bias against Jewish farmers. While several Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria have been forbidden to enter the area during the olive harvest for fear that they might interfere with Arab farmers, the group said, Jewish farmers are not protected. Arabs often abuse their ability to access olive orchards near Jewish communities in order to attack, members of the group pointed out. Inadequate enforcement of the law on local Arabs puts Jewish farmers in danger, they said. Human Rights group head Orit Struck wrote a letter to GOC Central Command Gabi Shamni asking him to explain the situation. Stuck demanded that Shamni say why the anarchists were released, under what conditions they were released, whether or not they will be forbidden to enter Judea and Samaria and if so, for what period of time. In addition, she asked him to say what steps are being taken to prevent Arabs given permission to harvest olives near Jewish communities from exploiting the situation to attack Jews and Jewish property. Struck also took issue with Shamni's failure to reply to previous inquiries. ?Almost two months ago I asked you to address the intolerable rift between the defense granted by law enforcement agencies to different groups in Judea and Samaria: the over-enforcement meant to protect the Arab farmer, next to the under-enforcement that abandons the Jewish farmer and his field,? she began. "For whatever reason, you haven't seen fit to answer my letter, despite the fact that the law requires you to do so,? Struck continued. ?However, you did manage in that time to sign more exile-orders for Jewish residents of the region. I remind you again of the important principle of equality before the law, which is the foundation stone of the rule of law that you oversee.? Last week, three Arab men attempted to infiltrate the town of Har Bracha in Samaria after getting permission to enter the area in order to harvest olives. The three were spotted and fled, and were later arrested in a nearby village. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10-17-red-brigades-controversy_N.htm?csp=34 Italian terror victims protest France's inaction Posted 10/17/2008 4:48 PM | Comments 8 | Recommend 3 ROME (AP) ? The head of a victims group said Friday he has written to France's first lady protesting Paris' decision not to extradite a former leftist terrorist to Italy because she is in poor health. Giovanni Berardi, president of the Italian Association of Victims of Terrorism, told RAI state TV on Friday that he had sent the letter to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the Italian-born first lady who has become personally involved in the case of convicted terrorist Marina Petrella. In the letter, parts of which were read on the evening TV news program, Berardi said it is "a sacred duty" to provide medical assistance to those in need, but that this should not be used as an excuse "by those who have committed crimes to escape justice." Bruni-Sarkozy visited the severely depressed woman in the hospital both before and after her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, decided not to extradite Petrella for humanitarian reasons. In 1992, Petrella, who was a member of the Red Brigades, was convicted in absentia in Italy of complicity in the murder of a police chief a year earlier. She was sentenced to life in prison. Now 54, Petrella has been in France since the 1990s and was jailed last year. But a French court ordered in August that she be freed after she was diagnosed with severe depression. Sarkozy's decision, which was announced Sunday, caused an outcry from politicians and relatives of victims in Italy. "I harbor no resentment or desire for vengeance ," wrote Berardi, whose father was a police officer killed by the Red Brigades in 1978. "The right to justice must be given back to the victims of terrorism." The Red Brigades plagued Italy with attacks mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. The group's most notorious act was the 1978 kidnapping and slaying of former Premier Aldo Moro. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=77&ContentID=104610 Party riots keep Perth police busy 26th October 2008, 11:00 WST Three out-of-control parties, including a fight involving up to 100 people outside a Morley house, kept police busy in Perth?s northern suburbs overnight. A police spokesman said officers had attended wild parties in Balga and Wanneroo, as well as the Morley incident which required 15 police cars to respond to quell the massive brawl. The spokesman said police had gone to the corner of Rodda and Crimea Streets in Morley about 12.40am after reports that a huge group of men had spilled out of a house party and were fighting in the street. The huge police contingent managed to quickly bring the situation under control and shut down the party. The spokesman said there were no reports of serious injury but police had arrested a 17-year-old youth and charged him with disorderly conduct. Just 10 minutes after police first arrived at the Morley address, officers were called to another huge fight between about 30 men outside a party in Wanneroo. The spokesman said police had attended the address about 12.50am and most of the men had fled the scene. It was believed the fight had started after a large group of gatecrashers arrived at the party. Police patrolled the area for 30 minutes but were not able to locate the gatecrashers. No arrests were made and there were no reports of serious injury. Then at 4.45am, police were called to another rowdy party in Balga. The spokesman said five police cars had gone to the party, which was quickly shut down. One man had been arrested and charged with assaulting a public officer while a woman had been taken to hospital with unknown injuries. PERTH RONAN O?CONNELL http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,24543795-3102,00.html?from=public_rss Palm Island riot accused Lex Wotton rushed to hospital Article from: Tristan Swanwick October 25, 2008 07:05am ACCUSED Palm Island rioter Lex Wotton remains in hospital this morning after he was rushed there with breathing difficulties as a jury deliberates his fate. Wotton had a panic attack and suffered shortness of breath and was taken to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital about 8.30pm last night. Wotton, 40, is charged with rioting with destruction after an attack on Palm Island police in November 2004. The Brisbane District Court jury is expected to continue its deliberations today. --------------------------------------------------- Sex workers pushed to roam Bali's villages Jakarta Post - October 26, 2008 Andra Wisnu, Denpasar -- Commercial sex workers have been found roaming some of Bali's more remote villages, increasing the possibility of a wider spread of HIV, a report from the Bali Regional AIDS Commission (KPA) revealed Friday. Yahya Hanshori, program coordinator at the Bali Regional AIDS Commission who works with the island's HIV-infected former sex workers, said sex workers began working in Bali's villages after public order officers tightened their grip on the island's cities. Yahya, who delivered the report at the KPA office in Denpasar, said the condition had forced sex workers to develop new ways to receive income, including by stationing themselves in areas that were not as fiercely monitored. "But sadly, this only increases the possibility of a wider spread of HIV because villagers are even less aware of sexually transmitted diseases than city people,"he said. "This is a really, really troubling development." According to the report, only 20 percent out of the estimated 3,000 sex workers in Bali use condoms during intercourse, which, Yahya said, led to an HIV infection rate of 840 males who pay for sex services each year. Yahya, who could not specify how many sex workers had been found in villages or the name of the villages, said the commission would continue to monitor these sex workers while offering free counseling on the prevention of HIV infection to anyone. "Obviously we are trying to work together with sex workers and those key population groups who are most prone to HIV infection,"Yahya said. "We simply do not want this disease to hit anyone, so I urge those who feel like they need counseling to come to the KPA,"he said. Bali still struggles to contain HIV because the island is known as a destination spot for tourists looking for sex workers. The sex industry continues to thrive due to the island's popularity with tourists and its dependency on the tourism industry. The government established the KPA to contain the spread of HIV by offering free contraception and education on sexually transmitted diseases to sex workers and drug users, another population group prone to HIV infection. The report, which is based on interviews and monthly reports from Bali's hospitals, further revealed there were a total of 2,323 known cases of HIV infection on the island in September this year. Heterosexuals and people in the age group of between 20 and 29 make up the largest number of people known to be infected with HIV, while Injected Drug Users and people in the age group of between 30 and 39 make up the second largest group. The KPA has estimated that there are actually more than 4,000 people living with HIV or AIDS in Bali. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGPRE200810227806&lang=e&rss=recentnews October, 22 2008 Turkey: One dead and scores injured as police breakup demonstrations The recent death of a protester in Turkey, and the allegations of excessive use of force by police and other ill-treatment of demonstrators must be investigated, Amnesty International said today as protests continue in the southern city of Adana and the eastern city of Do?ubeyaz?t. Reports that imprisoned Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK) leader Abdullah ?calan had been ill-treated by prison guards sparked demonstrations in provinces across southern and eastern Turkey and in Istanbul, starting on 17 October. In some instances the protests became violent after police used force to prevent demonstrations taking place -- stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police and property was damaged. Police used plastic bullets and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators. One protestor, named as Ahmet ?zhan, was killed in the town of Do?ubeyaz?t, eastern Turkey, and many others, including some who are critically wounded, remain in hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries. Many of the injured are children. It was reported that of 62 people who have been hospitalized, seven were police officers. According to the Turkish Human Rights Association, more than 200 people are currently being detained in relation to the demonstrations. At least one child is being held in an adult detention facility. Amnesty International acknowledges the difficulties faced by law enforcement officers when policing violent demonstrations and also that the Turkish authorities have an obligation under international law to provide for the safety and security of people and property. However, the Turkish authorities must carry out these obligations in accordance with international standards, particularly the principle that force may only be used by law enforcement officers when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the lawful performance of their duty. ?The Turkish authorities must ensure that police do not use excessive force against demonstrators. They must also investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially the death of Ahmet ?zhan and the allegations of ill-treatment against other protestors? said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey. International standards require that law enforcement officials must, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to proportionate use of force and firearms, which should be used only if other means remain ineffective. Law enforcement officers may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not effective and only to the minimal extent necessary, in order to protect themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. Amnesty International also calls on the authorities to ensure that law enforcement officials and detaining authorities respect the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/16/asia/AS-Malaysia-Indian-Group-Banned.php Malaysia bans ethnic Indian protest group The Associated Press Published: October 16, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia has banned an ethnic Indian activist group it accuses of inciting racial hatred, but the group's leaders said Thursday they are only demanding equal rights for minorities in the Muslim Malay-dominated country. The banned group, Hindu Rights Action Force ? or Hindraf ? shot to prominence last November when it led tens of thousands of ethnic Indians in a rare street protest calling for an end to pro-Malay policies and better opportunities for Indians, who form the bottom rung of Malaysia's social ladder. The protest was seen as a watershed in the country's politics, emboldening Malaysians unhappy with the government and boosting opposition parties to spectacular gains in general elections in March. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar issued the ban order late Wednesday, saying Hindraf was an "extremist group" and "detrimental to public order and security." Hindraf "is clearly using religion as a tool to create disharmony between religions and between races," Syed Hamid told reporters at a news conference Thursday. The order will almost certainly fuel anger among the ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities, who are chafing at the highly unpopular government's policies favoring majority Malays in education, jobs and business opportunities. Hindraf had applied last year to become a legally sanctioned group. But the ban, effective immediately, means it no longer has any hope of receiving legal status. Anyone who joins activities associated with the group can be prosecuted and faces up to five years in prison, said N. Surendran, a lawyer who frequently represents Hindraf supporters. "It's a way to criminalize Hindraf... with the aim to stamp out the movement," Surendran said. Syed Hamid said the ban was not a "political move" and defended the order as necessary for public security. "If Hindraf activities are not stopped, public safety and harmony of Malaysia's multiracial society will be put at risk," he said. Muslim Malays account for 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people while ethnic Chinese and Indians, who are mostly non-Muslims, make up a third. The protest led by Hindraf last November was quelled with tear gas and mass arrests, and five of the group's top leaders were jailed under a strict security act that allows for indefinite detention without trial. Its chairman, P. Waytha Moorthy, fled the country and now lives in exile in London. In an emailed statement Moorthy said the group would continue fighting for the "downtrodden Malaysian Indians who have been systematically marginalized, suppressed and oppressed." The country's ethnic Indian's will not "wither away with this illegal declaration," Moorthy said. R. Shan, another Hindraf leader in New York, called the ban "a flagrant violation (of) basic human rights" and warned the government "can no longer carry on bullying the minority" Indians. Hindraf's complaints about discrimination are echoed by many ethnic Chinese as well as academics and intellectuals. But the government, despite its heavy losses in the elections, denies there is widespread disenchantment. Syed Hamid dismissed suggestions that the ban, coming just weeks before the important Hindu festival of Diwali on Oct. 27, will further alienate ethnic Indians. "Hindraf doesn't represent the Indians and doesn't have many supporters," he claimed even though most Indians voted against the government. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20081027-168762/Foreigners-shouldnt-join-protests Foreigners shouldn?t join protests By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:54:00 10/27/2008 Filed Under: Warnings, Immigration, Protest, Migration, Laws MANILA, Philippines -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reiterated its warning that foreigners participating in anti-government protests actions can be deported for violating the country?s immigration laws. Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan renewed the warning after the bureau monitored some foreign activists with members of militant groups who demonstrated against the ongoing Global Forum on Migration and Development (GMFD). ?Perhaps, they are not aware that the BI can initiate deportation proceedings against them if they continue to join these mass actions,? the immigration chief said, adding that the foreigners ?should not abuse our hospitality and their privilege to stay in the country.? He added that the BI can also place the foreigners in the immigration blacklist of undesirable aliens to prevent them from re-entering the Philippines for abusing their privilege to stay in the country. ?Foreigners should have no business joining these mass actions because it is tantamount to meddling in our country?s internal affairs,? Libanan said. He also stressed that since the foreign activists entered the country as tourists, their participation in these demonstrations is a violation of the conditions of their admission and stay as temporary visitors. Libanan said reports reached him that various television stations had aired news footages of protest marches organized by leftist groups to protest yesterday?s opening of the four-day GFMD at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Television stations even aired interviews with some of the foreigners who joined the mass actions by the militant groups, he noted. More than a thousand delegates from 151 countries are taking part in the conference. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/jailed-australian-sightseers-to-appeal/2009/01/16/1231608979874.html Jailed Australian 'sightseers' to appeal January 16, 2009 - 5:50PM Five Australians jailed for illegally landing a plane in Indonesia's Papua region are likely to appeal their sentences, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says. Queensland pilot William Henry Scott-Bloxam, 62, was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday for flying a small plane into Indonesia without permission last September. The four passengers - Scott-Bloxam's 54-year-old wife Vera, 57-year-old Hubert Hufer, 51-year-old Karen Burke and 60-year-old Keith Ronald Mortimer - were sentenced to two years in a Papuan prison. Fines of 25 million rupiah ($A3,400), which could be exchanged for an extra two months imprisonment, were also imposed on the passengers. The group embarked on their ill-fated sightseeing adventure from Cape York, in far north Queensland, and landed in Papua in the belief they could apply for visas on arrival. Mr Smith said the five had received consular and legal assistance from the moment of their arrival and detention. Consular assistance was continuing for the group, who were likely to appeal, he said. "I'm advised that the sentencing of the court is open to appeal," Mr Smith told reporters in Perth. "So on the basis that we are fully expecting an appeal to the sentencing of the court, it would be inappropriate for me to reflect upon the sentencing of the court in the first instance," he said. The group have seven days to appeal their sentences. Mr Smith said once an appeal was made they could apply for bail. The group were released on bail while the charges were dealt with. AAP http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/18/2394690.htm Priest wants Govt to protest Bali bombers' execution Posted Sat Oct 18, 2008 12:22am AEDT Updated Sat Oct 18, 2008 12:32am AEDT Indonesia is preparing to announce details of the militants' impending executions. (ABC News ) High profile Catholic priest Frank Brennan has called on the Australian Government to speak out against the execution of the three Bali bombers as it draws nearer. Father Brennan said Australia needed to maintain a strong stance against capital punishment - including for the Bali bombers - or risk confusing the issue. "We all feel profound sympathy for the victims and the victims' families," he told a death penalty panel discussion at the Ubud Writers Festival in Bali today. "It's no denial of our sympathy to say we have a deep sympathy for you and your plight, but we still maintain a constant philosophical approach, namely that the death penalty in all circumstances is wrong." His comments came as three Islamic militants on death row over the 2002 Bali bombings were today visited by family members as Indonesia prepares to announce details of their impending executions. Indonesia's attorney-general today reportedly reiterated the men would be put to death this year, and he would announce the month next week. "Information is expensive ... later on the 24th, I will not announce everything," Hendarman Supandji said on Indonesia's ElShinta radio. Indonesia's Constitutional Court is expected to rule on Tuesday on a side challenge by the bombers' lawyers, who have argued the country's use of firing squads to carry out executions amounts to torture. Defence lawyer Achmad Michdan said Amrozi and Imam Samudra were visited by their wives, mothers and other relatives at their Nusakambangan Island prison, off Central Java, today. He said relatives of Amrozi's brother Mukhlas would visit next week. The men were convicted of playing key roles in the October 12, 2002, Bali nightclub bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. Rush hopeful Meanwhile, death row Australian drug mule Scott Rush has written a letter read to the Bali writers' festival, hoping for changes to laws which one day might overturn his own death sentence. "I'm not a writer but I am a convicted criminal," the now 22-year-old Rush wrote. "I have been through some very rough times and have experienced some very long, slow nights. "I have had a lot of time to think and I'm very sorry for what I have done and what I have caused. "I still hope that one day I can show I'm capable of reform." - AAP http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-28-voa19.cfm?CFID=92831706&CFTOKEN=71581761&jsessionid=8830cc051eab7622194e1d721471462b3c34 Rights Group Calls on Laos to Release Information on Hmong Protest Leaders By Ron Corben Bangkok 28 October 2008 Corben report - Download (MP3) Corben report - Listen (MP3) A human rights group has called on the Lao government to release information regarding several Hmong refugees who led protests in Thailand earlier this year and were later repatriated to Laos. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, Human Rights Watch also wants Lao authorities to allow independent witnesses to verify the well being and whereabouts of Hmong refugees sent back to Laos. The report released Tuesday raises fresh concern over the whereabouts of five Hmong who led protests in Thailand in June. The refugees were protesting Thailand's policy of holding them in camps. The five were among 5,000 who marched at the Huay Nam Khao refugee camp, 370 kilometers north of Bangkok on June 20. Hmong refugees in Huay Nam Khao camp (File) The refugees had been held at the camp for more than a year. Afterward, 800 protesters were forcibly repatriated to Laos, while thousands more were returned to the camp. Human Rights Watch says eight protest leaders and their families were sent back to Laos. The report quotes witnesses as saying three of the men were later released from a prison in Laos after being detained for three months. Sunai Pasuk, a Human Rights Watch spokesman in Thailand, says the group is worried about the remaining five. "We have concern that leaders of Lao Hmong who have been politically active while they were in the shelter in Thailand may face prosecution after they were sent back to Laos. Now many of them have disappeared," said Sunai." "That has increased our concern." Hmong refugee families stand behind bars at a Thai detention centre in Nong Khai province near Thai-Laos border (File) The report also criticizes Thailand's policy of blocking United Nations officials from verifying that Hmong who go back to Laos do so voluntarily. Thai foreign ministry officials say no one has been forced back to Laos. Sunai says the report repeats earlier requests for more openness. "What Human Rights Watch want from the Lao government is to provide transparency, to provide honest and transparent information regarding the whereabouts of the refugees, particularly the leaders of the Lao Hmong, and to allow for international agencies to have regular and unhindered access to the resettlement areas," added Sunai. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong fought alongside United States forces. After the war ended in 1975, many were forced to flee Laos, with thousands crossing into Thailand. Since then many have been granted homes in the U.S., Australia and other countries. Both Thailand and Laos say the current refugees are economic migrants, not victims of political persecution. http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2008102057938 Protest Leading Fugitive Arrested in Seoul OCTOBER 20, 2008 08:44 A deputy leader of an online community against President Lee Myung-bak was arrested yesterday on the charge of leading illegal street demonstrations. Baek Eun-jong, 55, was apprehended by the Jongno Police Station in Seoul. ?We arrested Baek yesterday," a police spokesman said. "He had been hiding in the (Buddhist) Jogye Temple for more than 100 days. We will send him to an arraignment hearing for his involvement in illegal protests.? To evade police, Baek sought safety at the temple on July 5, along with fellow fugitives. He ventured out Saturday to join a demonstration at Cheonggye Plaza and got arrested. The goal of the street protest, meanwhile, changed from blasting U.S. beef imports to urging action on the economic downturn. Over the last two months, they had not held a rally. A total of 1,100 members of leftist groups held a demonstration at the plaza Saturday, criticizing the Lee administration for the national economic crisis. They said recent tax cuts will help only the top one percent of the income bracket and blasted the police crackdown on protestors as undemocratic. Authorities said the latest protest was an overture for continuing demonstrations to topple the administration by highlighting the hobbling economy. The protesters plan to launch a new organization this coming Saturday. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/South_Korea_jails_man_for_internet_lies_during_beef_protests/rssarticleshow/3631392.cms South Korea jails man for internet lies during beef protests 23 Oct 2008, 0910 hrs IST, AFP SEOUL: A South Korean court has jailed a man who spread false Internet rumours that police raped a demonstrator during protests against US beef imports, officials said on Thursday. In the latest legal action against Internet rumour mongers during the protests, court officials said the man was sentenced to 10 months in prison plus two years' probation and ordered to perform 160 hours of community service. The court said the man used a fake identity to join a website and posted two articles alleging police had raped one participant in the protests, which rocked the country a few months ago. "He was fully aware that his post was untrue, but he even went so far as to fabricate pictures to support the false argument, posing a great danger to society," the court said in its judgement. Internet postings fuelled the mass protests, which began in May after Seoul lifted a ban on US beef imports. The ban had been imposed in 2003 over fears the meat was infected with mad cow disease. The rallies died down after Seoul negotiated extra safety conditions for the imports. Courts have punished several groups and individuals for breaking the law in various ways during the sometimes violent rallies. The demonstrations took on an anti-government flavour and rocked the administration of President Lee Myung-Bak. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/384955/1/.html Two fined a total of S$1,800 for taking part in protest By Shaffiq Alkhatib, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 24 October 2008 0130 hrs SINGAPORE: Two men involved in a protest against recent price hikes have been fined a total of S$1,800. 31-year-old PhD student, Ng E-Jay, and 44-year-old freelance offshore engineer, Jeffrey George, admitted to taking part in an unlawful demonstration dubbed the "Tak Boleh Tahan" protest near Parliament House on March 15 this year. They, together with 17 other similarly accused persons ? including Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan, his sister Chee Siok Chin and lawyer Chia Ti Lik ? turned up in full force at the Subordinate Court on Thursday with their supporters. While nearly all of them claimed trial, Ng and George did otherwise and threw in the towel. Deputy Public Prosecutor Isaac Tan said the two men took part in the rally even after they found out from the SDP website that a permit was not granted for the event. In his mitigation, Ng's lawyer, Dennis Chua, said his client took part in the protest as he was "very passionate" about issues on how the rising cost of living affected the average Singaporean. He told District Judge Ch'ng Lye Beng that Ng was an "offender of conscience" and had no intention to cause any mischief during the rally. Ng was fined S$600 for taking part in the illegal assembly and George was fined a similar amount for the same offence. At a separate hearing later in the evening, the latter was fined a further S$600 for taking part in an illegal procession. DPP Tan informed District Judge Liew Thiam Leng that on that day, George had walked from the driveway of the Parliament House towards the nearby Funan DigitaLife Mall. Police ordered George and the other alleged protesters to halt, but they refused to do so. The authorities arrested them after repeated warnings, said DPP Tan. The remaining 17 accused persons intend to proceed to trial on Friday. - CNA/so http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/25/2401289.htm Burma opposition members 'jailed over protests' Posted Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:43pm AEDT Updated Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:42pm AEDT Burma's Opposition National League for Democracy says six of its members have been given long jail sentences for their part in protests last year. It says a court in the central city of Mandalay sentenced the six to terms of between two and 13 years each. They had been charged with inciting people to harm the peace of the state. About 200 members of the NLD were detained during and after the protest marches, dubbed the "Saffron Revolution" in reference to the colour of the robes worn by monks who led the protests. The marches began in protest at rising fuel prises but quickly grew in number to become the biggest uprising against Burma's military regime since 1988. Burma has been ruled by the military since 1962. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/25/2003426858 DPP accuses KMT of stifling protests ROAD RAGE: DPP Taipei City councilors said the KMT had reserved the use of several streets to block pan-green camp protests during the visit of ARATS chief Chen Yunlin By Mo Yan-chih STAFF REPORTER Saturday, Oct 25, 2008, Page 3 The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of scheming to deprive people of their right to protest in key locations during the visit of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (???) next month. DPP Taipei City councilors Lee Ching-feng (???) and Chien Yu-yen (? ??) said President Ma Ying-jeou (???) and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (???) of the KMT had helped the KMT to obtain permits to use Ketagalan Boulevard next month in an attempt to prevent the pan-green camp from staging a rally there to protest against the Chinese official?s visit. Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (???) said on Thursday that he expected to meet Chen on Nov. 3 in Taipei, with the schedule expected to be finalized during a preparatory round of talks in China on Monday. ?The KMT government cleared the roads to make sure that Chen Yunlin will not hear Taiwanese people?s opposition to his visit,? Chien said yesterday at the Taipei City Council. ?The KMT takes Chinese people?s dignity seriously, but how about the dignity of Taiwanese people?? According to Taipei City?s Public Works Department, the KMT has obtained permits to use Ketagalan Boulevard from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9, as well as Yuanshan Park (????) and Zhongshan N Road Sec 3 and Sec 4 from Nov. 3 to Nov. 15. Chien said the KMT obtained permits to use the roads around the Grand Hotel in Taipei, where Chen is expected to stay, to prevent members of the pan-green camp from protesting outside the hotel. KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (???) said in response that the party applied for the permits long before Chen?s schedule had been confirmed, and that the party did not intend to prevent pan-green camp protests. At a separate setting, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (???), when asked for comment, said that the KMT had booked the roads to prevent the public from expressing opposition to Chen?s visit. This constituted an infringement of the freedom of speech, she said. Tsai called on the KMT not to ?play tricks? to limit people?s right to express themselves. She said the KMT government would have to accept full responsibility if any conflict were to erupt at the DPP?s planned overnight vigil as a result of the party not being able to gain permission to use Ketagalan Boulevard. Chen, Chiang and their respective delegations are expected to discuss a wide range of topics, including food safety concerns related to China?s tainted food exports, the establishment of direct shipping and cargo charter links and increasing the number of direct passenger charter flights on weekends between Taiwan and China. Meanwhile, in response to speculation that Chen might avoid visiting Tainan following the confrontation between ARATS Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (???) and pro-independence advocates in the city on Tuesday, Chiang yesterday said the foundation would respect whatever schedule China has planned for Chen?s visit. People First Party Legislator Lin Cheng-er (???) yesterday raised concerns at the legislature over the safety of Chen and his delegation. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (???) responded by saying that he had on many occasions given his assurance that there would be no gaps or lapses in security during Chen?s visit. Lin asked Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (???) whether the government was ready to provide airtight personal protection for Chen and his group. ?Absolutely,? Liao said. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44166 MEXICO: Police Arrested for Killing Indigenous Protesters By Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Oct 7 (IPS) - The recent killings of six indigenous people and the injuries suffered by 17 others in a clash with police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas were the result of a strategy of "criminalising social protest" adopted by the state?s "supposedly leftist government," according to a prominent local human rights group. Thirty police are under investigation or arrest in connection with the deaths. In Chiapas, Mexico?s poorest state, "most expressions of indigenous discontent are treated as criminal acts, whether openly or in a veiled manner," Jorge Luis Hern?ndez, an activist with the Fray Bartolom? de las Casas Human Rights Centre, told IPS. On Friday, Oct. 3, around 40 police officers swarmed into the village of Miguel Hidalgo, which is home to 750 families of the Tojolabal indigenous community, and used tear gas in an attempt to evict local protesters who had occupied the entrance to a nearby Maya archaeological site since Sept. 1. Hundreds of protesters were blocking the entryway to the Chinkultic ruins, which belong to the state, to demand that locals be given a role in administering the site, and that some of the revenue brought in by the tourism it draws be reinvested in infrastructure and other projects in the area. Instead of dispersing when the police began their operation, the protesters fought back with sticks and rocks, and seized, disarmed and locked up a number of police officers. The police then sent in 300 reinforcements to free their colleagues, and six indigenous people were killed and a number of villagers and police were injured in the resulting violent confrontation. Five injured villagers were still in hospital on Tuesday, one seriously wounded by gunfire. The 36 locals who were arrested during the incident were released in exchange for the return of the guns seized from the police by the community. "What happened in Miguel Hidalgo is part of a pattern adopted by the authorities in Chiapas in response to protests by indigenous people, regardless of their political or religious affiliation," Hern?ndez said in a telephone interview with IPS from the human rights group?s offices in the city of San Crist?bal de las Casas in Chiapas. The Fray Bartolom? de las Casas Human Rights Centre was founded in 1989 by Catholic bishop Samuel Ru?z, a follower of liberation theology, which is based on a "preferential option for the poor." In Mexico, indigenous people are variously estimated to make up between 12 and 30 percent of the country?s 104 million people (the smaller estimate is based on the number of people who actually speak an indigenous language). But in Chiapas they form a much larger proportion of the population. Since December 2006, the Chiapas state government has been led by Governor Juan Sabines of the leftwing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). But Sabines, a former member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that ruled Mexico from 1929-2000, has had several public differences with the PRD. Hern?ndez, who pointed out that a number of state government officials belong to the PRI, said the characteristics of the administration are more along the lines of that party than the PRD. After Friday?s incident, Sabines visited Miguel Hidalgo to apologise and offer his condolences. "The government here is not fighting with the people; these incidents did not only happen to you, they happened to everyone in Chiapas," said the governor. "Justice will always be on the people?s side," said Sabines. "I am outraged by what happened; you can count on me." The state government promised to punish the police who were responsible for the violence, indemnify the victims? families, provide scholarships to their children and pensions to their widows, and launch productive projects in the community. But Hern?ndez said that although the state government took an "apparently different stance this time, the pattern of criminalising social protests remains in place." The human rights group has closely followed a number of cases in which indigenous people in Chiapas have been oppressed, mistreated or framed on false charges. Hern?ndez challenged the state government to take the investigation of the incident in Miguel Hidalgo all the way up to Sabines?s close associates in the government, and to hold them accountable if they are found to be responsible. "We?ll see if this goes any farther than rank and file police officers," he said. The Human Rights Centre documented several incidents of what it described as "repression" in rural areas of Chiapas blamed on "state agents" this year. In April, several indigenous villagers were threatened with fines or jail terms by officials for working on privately-owned land located near an archaeological site. In July, the police forcibly evicted indigenous people who had occupied land caught up in an ownership dispute. And in September, the police entered an area under the influence of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) to arrest two locals who were not facing any charges, the human rights centre reported. The EZLN, a barely-armed indigenous guerrilla group, staged an armed uprising in the state in January 1994, demanding justice, democracy and respect for native rights. Two weeks later it agreed to an armed truce with the government and since then has been holed up in remote mountainous jungle areas of Chiapas, where a number of villages remain under its control, although it has lost the degree of national and international influence or solidarity it once enjoyed. In Chiapas, where most of the population is indigenous, the literacy rate stands at 80 percent, 11 percentage points lower than the national rate, and life expectancy is two years lower than the national average of 74.5 years. (END/2008) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/world/americas/18mexico.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Mexico Says U.S. Journalist Was Killed by a Protester By ELISABETH MALKIN Published: October 17, 2008 MEXICO CITY ? Bradley Will, a journalist from New York City, was shot and killed at close range by an antigovernment protester during civil unrest in the state of Oaxaca two years ago, the Mexican authorities said Friday, a conclusion that was challenged by Mr. Will?s family and human rights groups. The protester, Juan Manuel Mart?nez, was arrested in Oaxaca on Thursday and accused of homicide. Another man, who was accused of protecting him as he fled, was also arrested, said V?ctor Emilio Corzo Caba?as, a deputy federal attorney general. Officials said the two men were members of a coalition of left-wing organizations, the Oaxaca People?s Popular Assembly, that was seeking to topple the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz. The death of Mr. Will had drawn widespread attention because of the Mexican government?s failure to solve a string of slayings of journalists, as well as its lack of response to the killing of 17 protesters during the months of unrest in Oaxaca. Mr. Will, who was 36, had gone to Oaxaca to cover the protests, which began with a strike by teachers in May 2006. The strike escalated into a larger movement after Mr. Ruiz tried to crack down on the teachers in June. The left-wing coalition demanded that Mr. Ruiz step down. They shut down the city of Oaxaca, the state capital, and some protesters burned buses and buildings. Mr. Will had been in Oaxaca for four weeks shooting video of the protests for the New York chapter of the Independent Media Center, a left-leaning media collective, when he was shot on Oct. 27, 2006. His death, and the killing of three other people that day, prompted the president at the time, Vicente Fox, to send in the federal police to clear the streets. Although Mr. Will was one of 18 people killed during the protests, the federal government has dropped the investigations into every case except his. Protesters contend that many of the killings were carried out by government-backed paramilitary thugs. Officials have argued that Mr. Will was killed by nearby protesters during a street battle between the demonstrators and groups loyal to Mr. Ruiz. Human rights groups, including the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico, have called on the attorney general?s office to broaden its inquiry to include the possibility that Mr. Will was shot from a distance. Kathy Will, Mr. Will?s mother, blamed right-wing paramilitary groups for her son?s death and accused the government of trying to point the blame elsewhere. ?It?s been two years of the same thing,? Ms. Will said in a telephone interview. ?They are absolutely determined to pin it on somebody nearby.? The left-wing coalition in Oaxaca said in a statement that the two men under arrest were innocent and that they had been mistreated. Antonio Betancourt contributed reporting. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2416362,00.html Broadcaster fined over protest 27/10/2008 13:10 - (SA) Cairo - An Egyptian court fined the head of a broadcasting company on Sunday for operating without a licence, judicial sources said, after the firm aired shots of protesters stamping on a picture of the country's president. The court ordered Nader Gowher, chairperson of Cairo News Company, to pay 150 000 Egyptian pounds for possessing satellite communications equipment and operating a network without a licence. Images from an anti-government labour protest taken by Cairo News Company had been aired on stations including pan-Arab satellite channel al-Jazeera. Gamal Eid, a lawyer representing the company, said the ruling was a result of broadcasting images from the protest. "The security agencies succeeded in presenting a scapegoat but they cannot extinguish the anger of the people expressed in what happened to the picture," he said. Three people were killed and nearly 150 injured over two days of unrest in the Nile Delta textile town of Mahalla el-Kubra in April, the culmination of more than a year of strikes by workers at a giant state-run factory. Arab governments, led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have sought to entrench state control over broadcasters. Arab states passed a satellite charter this year which echoes language found in press laws used by some Arab countries to prosecute journalists critical of their governments. Egypt jailed a challenger to President Hosni Mubarak in presidential elections in 2005, charging him with forgery, and often arrests members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group. - Reuters http://allafrica.com/stories/200810270197.html International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto) Tunisia: TMG Protests Restrictions And Attacks Against Rights Defenders And Websites 24 October 2008 The members of the Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of 18 freedom of expression organisations who belong to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) network, are concerned about recent attacks against human rights defenders and representatives of independent media outlets in Tunisia. The TMG believes that these attacks are part of a broader pattern of intimidation against journalists and free media advocates perpetrated by the Tunisian authorities to curb freedom of expression in the country. The TMG has been informed that the website of "Kalima" ( http://www.kalimatunisie.com ), an independent online newspaper that has unsuccessfully attempted to register in the country since 2000, was recently attacked by hackers who completely destroyed its content. The damage was so severe that "Kalima"'s webmasters have been unable to access the site since 8 October, and it will now need to be rebuilt. We are pleased that "Kalima" will re-launch again and hope it will not be destroyed again. Disconcertingly, "Kalima"'s website, which was recently re-launched as a multimedia platform and archive and could be a very important source of information for Tunisian citizens, is one of several independent Tunisian and foreign websites with a political or human rights focus that have been intermittently inaccessible to Internet users in Tunisia during the past several years. Furthermore, members of the TMG strongly condemn the recent attacks by plainclothes political police officers against "Kalima"'s editor and founder Sihem Bensedrine, who is also head of the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC), IFEX's member in Tunisia. Bensedrine was subjected to physical and verbal abuse in downtown Tunis on her way to a solidarity rally for writer and activist Zakia Dhifaoui, currently serving an eight-month prison sentence in connection with her human rights advocacy work. Commenting on the incident, TMG Chair and Index on Censorship Associate Editor Rohan Jayasekera said: "The Tunisian authorities' intolerance of peaceful, independent opinion is well known and well recorded and increasingly condemned by Tunisia's international partners. Yet this kind of thuggery continues to prevail." Naziha Rjiba, Deputy President of OLPEC and a well-known writer, is now also under intensifying pressure. The TMG is alarmed to hear that she has been summoned to appear before a public prosecutor on 27 October, after she wrote a critical opinion piece in the opposition weekly "Mouatinoun" about the destruction of "Kalima" in which she accused Tunisian authorities of being behind the attack. The 22 October issue of "Mouatinoun" has been banned. Rjiba's husband, Mokhtar Jallali, a member of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT), is currently in jail after being involved in a fatal traffic accident for which he was not responsible. CNLT says that he is being detained in order to "settle scores with rights defenders, because Jallali is a member of CNLT and the husband of Rjiba, whose pen name is Om Zied. CNLT says "the family has already received indirect threats targeting their security and freedom." In a separate incident this week, Internet writer, lawyer, and human rights activist Mohammed Abbou was prevented by immigration authorities from leaving Tunisia. On 22 October, Abbou was about to board an airplane to Paris to participate in a live broadcast for the Qatar-based satellite TV station, Al-Jazeera, when immigration police prevented him from leaving the country on the grounds that he lacked documentary proof that his period of conditional release was over. Abbou was sentenced in 2005 to 18 months in prison for "having published information that would disturb public order" and for "insulting the judiciary" in an article posted on the Tunisnews website in August 2004, as well as to two years in prison for an alleged incident at a 2002 conference. He was released from prison in July 2007 and his period of conditional release ended in August 2008. Members of the TMG urge President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and government authorities to abide by Tunisia's international human rights obligations, as well as to the commitment to freedom of expression and access to information, as reported in the final documents of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which took place in Tunis from 16-18 November 2005. The TMG has written to Frank La Rue, the new UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, requesting he monitor the situation and visit Tunisia ( see: http://www.ifex.org/download/en/TMG_LaRue_letter_Oct2008.pdf ). http://dr1.com/news/2008/dnews111108.shtml#10 Biometric ID cards for foreigners Interior and Police Minister Franklyn Almeyda has told Listin Diario that a nationwide foreigner registration program would be implemented starting in the first quarter of next year. Foreigners will be issued biometric identity documents. He said the registration program could take a year. He said the plan also involves carrying out a census to determine the number of foreigners living in the DR. This would run parallel to the implementation of biometric ID cards for Dominicans. He said this plan would define who is legally in transit, who is here illegally, and who is a permanent resident. He said his department contracted Gallup to poll Dominicans on the issue of regularizing the status of foreigners in the DR. The foreigners will receive an ID card as foreigners. Almeyda also told Listin Diario that the Ministry of Interior & Police is responsible for migration issues, and that the Department of Migration and the Police fall under his ministry. The Central Electoral Board (JCE) is the institution responsible for issuing the cards after a person's legal status has been determined by the Department of Migration. ________________________________________ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/238162,jordanian-writers-protest-indictment-of-poet-on-religious-grounds.html Jordanian writers protest indictment of poet on religious grounds Posted : Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:27:26 GMT Author : DPA Category : Middle East (World) News Alerts by Email click here ) Amman - The Jordanian Writers Association (JWA) on Wednesday blasted the indictment of Jordanian poet Islam Samhan for allegedly insulting Islam after using verses from the holy Koran in his love poetry, and called for his release. Similar calls were also made by the Amman-based Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) and the Cairo-based Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). The 27-year-old poet, who works for the independent daily paper Alarab Alyawm, was referred to the court earlier this week by the Press and Publication Department (PPD) after accusing him of violating the Press and Publication Law in his newly published poem collection "Grace Like a Shadow." Samhan, who was arrested on Sunday, denied the charges, saying that he had no intention to offend Islam or the Koran, according to judicial sources. JWA chairman Saoud Qbeilat expressed disappointment over Samhan's detention and indictment as a "strange decision and serious development ... Such a measure is likely to suppress freedom and creativity." Qbeilat also protested a fatwa (religious judgment) issued by the Kingdom's mufti Nouh Qudah, the country's top religious authority, who labelled Samhan as an "infidel" and described the use of Koranic verses in his poem collection as an act of "blasphemy." PPD Director General Nabil Momani said that there was more than one reason behind referring Samhan to the public prosecutor's office. He said Samhan's book was printed by an unlicensed press and thus the writer violated the article 35 of the Press and Publication Law, which stipulates that the writer or publisher of any book that is printed or published in the country should submit an advance copy to the PPD. He said that the book also violated the law's article 38 which prohibits the publication of any material that entails libel, slander or insult to any religion, in line with the constitution. "The issue is in the hands of the judiciary and we accept whatever ruling the court issues," Momani said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810270572.html Kenya: School Riots - Probe Finds Parents Guilty Caroline Wafula 25 October 2008 Nairobi ? Parents are in the spotlight over child neglect, with a parliamentary committee recommending that they send their children to boarding schools only when they attain 11 years. The team investigating school unrests notes that some parents take their children to boarding schools at tender ages, thus denying them family comfort and parental care. "Some parents have neglected their children and relegated their responsibility to teachers, who are also too busy to guide them," the committee on Education, Research and Technology notes in its findings tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The concerns have led the team, chaired by Mosop MP David Koech, to recommend that boarding primary schools be limited to the admission of children aged 11 and above. The role of parents The team stresses the role of parents in the upbringing of their children: "The way parents handle their children in the formative years will impact on the discipline of children in later years," it notes. The committee says evidence gathered from interested parties shows that parents have failed to impart the relevant cultural values to their children. "Some parents are poor role models to their children; some drinking and fighting in front of their children, in which case, some children extend the same vices to schools," the team says in its report It notes, at the same time, that some parents overprotect their children whenever they make mistakes in schools, adding to student indiscipline. Also of concern to the investigating team is that some rich parents give too much pocket money to their children and drive them to and from school in expensive cars. This makes the children display undesirable behaviour later in life, such as drinking, smoking and being rude to everybody. The committee also accuses moral decay in a society that lacks a value system. "Students are therefore a direct product of the moral decadence in the society," it says. Lack of respect There is lack of respect for seniors by the youth and a complete disregard for taboos and expected norms. The team blames this state of affairs on politicians as well the religious and professional elite whom it accuses of failing to impart values to the youth, "leaving them to assimilate all that goes on on television and the internet." The committee recommends the strengthening of spiritual and moral character building and pastoral care in schools by acquiring resident chaplains. The MPs recommend also that schools inculcate values in youth by organising special interactions with eminent people. With regard to role modelling, the Koech team urges people holding positions of authority to project a good image and seek ways to resolve conflicts in order to encourage the youth to grow into responsible adults. Schools should adopt a system of counselling in which a teacher is identified and assigned a specific number of students to work with them as a "foster parent." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/23/2311544.htm Kenya bans mobile phones to stem school riots Posted Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:43am AEST The Kenyan Government has banned the use of mobile phones in schools in a bid to stem a string of deadly riots that have rocked the country. "I am banning the use of mobile phones by our students in our schools," Education Minister Sam Ongeri told parliament. The ban, which takes effect immediately, comes a day after police charged dozens of students with arson after weekend riots that left at least one student dead and several injured. Officers charged several students on Monday over the burning down of hostels and other violence that had shut down 20 secondary schools across the country, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe. "We will continue arresting the students for the crimes they commit," said Mr Kiraithe. More than 300 secondary schools have gone on strike in Kenya over the past month, while students have destroyed properties worth millions of shillings as they protest poor living conditions and bad management. Mr Ongeri said mobile phones had been used to coordinate the riots, which he blamed on widespread political incitement and drug abuse. "We cannot afford careless actions; we cannot afford a carefree attitude. If we don't have discipline in our schools, life will be chaotic," he told reporters. -AFP http://allafrica.com/stories/200810220086.html Kenya: Students Who Took Part in Riots to Sit for Exam 19 October 2008 Nairobi ? Students who participated in school riots four months ago in central Kenya have been conditionally allowed to sit for KCSE examinations. The affected students will have to find alternative accommodation outside the schools during the exam period and will not be allowed to mix with their colleagues. The schools have also made arrangements for extra security in case the indisciplined students try to disrupt the exams. Not to allow In Nyeri South District, the school management of Wamagana Girls Secondary School has resolved not to allow a candidate implicated in the recent school unrest to reside at the school. However, the Form Four candidate will sit for her examinations while commuting from her home, about 5km away. The principal, Mrs Beatrice Maina, said that the student was secluded so that she might not influence the rest of the student fraternity negatively. The decision was arrived after a meeting between the school's board of governors, the teacher and parents. In Murang'a North and South districts more than 50 candidates will have to get their own accommodation as they sit for their exams next week. They were expelled for engineering strikes last term. More than 40 secondary schools went on strike last term protesting over mock examinations. "The decision to expel them was reached by the BOG members after they were identified as having led in the strikes and they will have to get their own accommodations. "They are however not many since most schools expelled between two and four candidates," said Murang'a North district education officer Kaugi Micheni. Wahundura Boys' High School has the largest number of expelled students, but the school principal, Mr Michael Kinyua, is optimistic that the candidates will perform well. State of the art "We have no reason to panic. Our candidates are well prepared, we did a lot of counselling and worked overtime to recover time wasted when the students went on strike. We are sure we will perform very well," Mr Kinyua. At Kiru Secondary School, the principal Mr Chege Kariuki, said that all students were readmitted after the strike. At Mananga in Mathioya Division, five students were expelled, but they are lucky since the institution is a day school. In Meru, 14 students of Gikumene Girls implicated in an arson attack on the school's dormitory early this year will sit their Form Four exams while residing outside the school. The students were part of a group that was expelled. Also affected were four students from Kanyakine High School. The students were expelled after they went on strike demanding that their school bus be fitted with state of the art entertainment equipment. The students from the two schools have now rented houses outside the school. Relevant Links ? East Africa ? Kenya ? Education A student from Gikumene Secondary told the Nation that the affected students are not allowed to mingle with other students and are not allowed to visit the boarding section. In Embu, all Form Four candidates who were either expelled or suspended from school for various reasons will sit for the examination. Elsewhere at Kiamutugu Boys' Secondary school in Kirinyaga District, examinations will commence under tight police security. About 30 candidates who participated in school riots will sit their exams under close police watch to ensure they do not cause trouble. Reports by John Njagi, Waikwa Maina, Charles Wanyoro, Silas Nthiga and George Munene (Daily Nation) http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=230774 Tight security for suspected rioters' case By NOOR TOORANI, Posted on ? Monday, October 06, 2008 BAHRAIN's courts were once again under lockdown yesterday as 11 men convicted of rioting, torching a police car and stealing police weapons launched an appeal. Riot police surrounded the Justice Ministry complex in Diplomatic Area, and the men's relatives had to be escorted out of the courtroom at the end of the hearing. Their case appeared for the first time in the High Criminal Appeal Court, which adjourned it until October 19 to summon witnesses for cross-examination. The men's lawyers urged the court to overturn their convictions, which were originally handed down by the High Criminal Court in July. They were among 15 men charged with rioting during the Eid and National Day holidays last December. However, four of their co-defendants were acquitted of charges against them. One of those found guilty was jailed for seven years and fined BD9,985 for causing unrest, violence against police and hurling a Molotov cocktail inside a police car. Another four were jailed for five years for causing unrest, violence against police, torching a police car and stealing guns and ammunition. Six were jailed for one year each for obtaining and possessing a gun and causing unrest. Defence lawyers previously claimed that all 15 defendants were arrested as a result of a misunderstanding by police. They claimed they were attending a peaceful gathering to mourn the death of Ali Jassim Makki, who died during a protest in Jidhafs a few days earlier. The lawyers claimed it was a religious gathering, but those present started fighting back when police tried to break it up. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2008/200810/news20/20081020-1805ee.html October 20. 2008 Juche 97 "Law on Assembly and Demonstration" in S. Korea Termed Unjust Pyongyang, October 18 (KCNA) -- The Catholic Human Rights Committee of south Korea laid bare the injustice of "the law on assembly and demonstration" on Oct. 13. The committee held that the said law which stipulates that "any demonstration likely to pose a direct threat to social order should not be allowed" is ambiguous in the standard to judge it. In fact, there is great possibility of rallies and demonstrations critical of the "government" policies being banned in advance by the above-said law as the right to judge the "direct threat" is in the hands of the police authorities, the committee noted, and continued: The "law on assembly and demonstration" infringing upon the freedom of assembly is illegal. On Oct. 9 the Seoul Central District Court filed a suit in the "Constitutional Court", recognizing the illegality of some of the provisions of the above-mentioned law. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 02:35:07 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:35:07 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Animal rights protests, Oct-Dec 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB6B4B.3080607@tesco.net> December * ANTARCTICA: Whaling protesters hound whalers * CHINA: Guangdong - protests against cat eating * US: Pet stores targeted over puppy mills * UK: Police attack anti-fur protesters * UK: Fur protests greet opera singer * UK: Protest targets Tory hunter * UK: Foie Gras protest targets famous chef * AUSTRALIA: Naked KFC protest November * INDIA: Kolkata - protest over killing of dog * US: Protest over gas chamber for animals * US: Florida, Ybor - Protest to save wild chickens * NEPAL: Protests over monkey exports for vivisection * US: PETA protester hits streets in tiger paint * US: Nude circus protest * NEW ZEALAND: Protesters target rodeo * US: "Dogfighters repent" protest * FRANCE: Greenpeace protest over tuna fishing * US: Protest against horse carriages * US: Mall protest over fur October * HOLLAND: Big protest against vivisection lab * BELGIUM - SPAIN: Brussels protest against bullfighting * US: Woman changes name to URL in dissection protest * CANADA: Protest against puppy seller * PERU: Protest against cat-eating * ITALY: PETA target Armani over fur * UK: Football wives targeted at fashion show * US: Protest over elephants at zoo http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/10/2442347.htm Whaling protest ship heading south Posted Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:23am AEDT Updated Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:58am AEDT "As long as they're running, they're not killing whales." (ABC News: Mark Smith) ? Map: Hobart 7000 The anti-whaling ship Steve Irwin has docked in Hobart to refuel before heading to the Southern Ocean to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says the ship has a new deck for a helicopter to be flown by a former US Marine. The captain Paul Watson says it is hoped the mission will stop the Japanese from killing 500 piked and fin whales. "We pretty much got the key to shutting them down," he said. "We just keep on them, keep them running and keep chasing them. "As long as they're running, they're not killing whales. "So we'll go down there with the resources we have and we'll harass them enough so they don't get their quota and don't get their profits," Mr Watson said. Mr Watson criticised the Rudd Government for being even less supportive than the previous government. He said it had been a "wimpy response" on the whaling issue from the Federal Government and its Environment Minister. "September of 2007, Peter Garret stood up and admonished the Howard Government and said it's all talk and no action." "It's all pretty pictures you know, you've got to take an aggressive stand. "You've got to do something, you've got to take this to court. "Well he might have well been talking to himself a year later because he's even doing less." Garrett responds Mr Garrett has rejected the claims. In a statement, Mr Garrett said the Government had done more in 12 months, than the previous Government did in 12 years. He said it had pushed a strong reform agenda at the International Whaling Commission and put constant diplomatic pressure on Japan to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean. Mr Garrett said the Government had also spent $32 million on new research methods to help countries study whales without killing them. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/09/content_10479131.htm Greenpeace protests Japanese whale hunting in Mexico City Members of Green Peace protest in front of Japanese Embassy to Mexico against whale hunting in Mexico City, Mexico, on Dec. 8, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/anti-whaling-body-art-campaigns-greenpeace-tattoos Anti-Whaling Body Art Edit Greenpeace Tattoos Turn Bodies Into Canvases of Protest ________________________________________ Greenpeace Tattoos Turn Bodies Into Canvases of Protest 2,090 Views - Click for Larger Image The Lee Burnett Hong Kong advertising agency came up with a unique anti-whaling campaign, ?Greenpeace Tattoos.? The bodies of a man and woman are covered with tats of dark water, whales, clouds and other images. Also used are particularly disturbing Buddha-like images slicing whales open and biting them with their teeth. Japan?s whaling industry continues to be at odds with many countries because endangered whale meat, sold by Japanese whalers, has been found commercially. This doesn?t include their brew-ha-ha with animal rights activists who want the killing of all whales to stop, whether they are endangered or not. The tag-line for the Greenpeace Tattoos against whaling is ?Not all traditions deserve to be preserved. Put an end to whaling in Japan.? I couldn?t have said it better myself. Creative Directors: Connie Lo, Chong Kin, Yiu Man To Art Directors: Kenny Ip, Jacky Tong Copywriters: Chong Kin, Jove, Cheung Illustrator: Thomas Ho Photographer: Lewis Ho Photo Retoucher: Bon Leung (coloribus) http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pet-lover-protests-chinese-demonstate-against-cat-meat-industry Pet Lover Protests Edit Chinese Demonstrate Against Cat Meat Industry Chinese Demonstrate Against Cat Meat Industry 1,082 Views - Click for Larger Image A group of animal lovers gathered outside the Guangdong government?s office in Beijing yesterday, displaying banners in protest against the Chinese cat meat industry and calling for the ?cruel slaughter? of cats for food to be stopped. According to the protesters, every week thousands of cats are caught by traders and transported to the Guangdong province to be slaughtered for food. Animal protection groups have in the past ambushed trucks packed with cages filled with cats headed for Guangdong. In one recent incident, hundreds of cats escaped after their cages were opened, though hundreds more remained trapped. In China, cat meat is thought to be very nutritious, and it is also quite cheap, selling for around $1.30 a pound. A popular soup called ?Dragon, Tiger and Phoenix,? is made by cooking snake, cat and chicken together. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, issued a statement Thursday decrying the cruel treatment. "China has no animal protection laws, and throughout the country scores of cats and dogs are bred or rounded up, crammed onto trucks and driven for days under hellish conditions to animal markets, where they are beaten to death, strangled or boiled alive," said a spokesman for the group, Michael V. McGraw. (news.yahoo) http://news.scotsman.com/world/Animal-lovers-protest-as-cats.4808036.jp Animal lovers protest as cats rounded up for eating Published Date: 19 December 2008 By Gillian Wong in Beijing ANIMAL lovers protested in Beijing yesterday, calling on the southern province of Guangdong to stop the "shameful" and "cruel slaughter" of cats for food. Thousands of cats have been caught in the past week by traders and transported to Guangdong province to be killed for food, said the protesters gathered at the Guangdong government's office in Beijing. The protesters urged the provincial government to crack down on cat traders and restaurants that serve cat meat, although no law says it is illegal to eat cats. It has long been common for cats and dogs to be eaten in some parts of China and in some other Asian countries. The protest was apparently in response to Chinese media reports of felines in cages, apparently en route to Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital. Other pictures show cats being skinned in restaurant kitchens. About 5,000 cats were sent from Nanjing to Guangzhou, while cats from Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places were also being rounded up, the Chengdu Business Daily reported last week. The paper said people in Guangdong eat 10,000 cats a day. No reason was given for the increased coverage, or whether there has been an increase in cat-meat consumption. http://wbztv.com/watercooler/china.cat.eating.2.890204.html Dec 18, 2008 8:47 am US/Eastern Protesters In China Say 'Stop Eating Cats' BEIJING (AP) ? Click to enlarge A southern Chinese province must stop the "shameful" and "cruel slaughter" of cats for food, a group of more than 40 animal lovers in Beijing said Thursday as they unfurled banners in a tearful protest. (File) A southern Chinese province must stop the "shameful" and "cruel slaughter" of cats for food, a group of more than 40 animal lovers in Beijing said Thursday as they unfurled banners in a tearful protest. Thousands of cats across the country have been caught in the past week by traders and transported to Guangdong province to be killed for food, said the protesters gathered at the Guangdong government's office in Beijing. "We are very angry because the cats are being skinned and then cooked alive. We must make them correct this uncivilized behavior," said Wang Hongyao, who represented the group in submitting a letter to the Guangdong office. The protesters urged the provincial government to crack down on cat traders and restaurants that serve cat meat, although no law says it is illegal to eat cats. It has long been common for cats and dogs to be eaten in some parts of China and in some other Asian countries. The demonstrators held up banners saying "Cooking cats alive! Shame on Guangdong!" and "Resolutely oppose cruel slaughter" as they met with a representative of the Guangdong office. Calls to the Guangdong provincial office in Beijing rang unanswered, while the government news office in the province refused to comment. The protest was apparently in response to Chinese media reports in recent days that carried pictures of furry felines peering out through bamboo crates and metal cages, apparently en route to Guangzhou, Guangdong's capital. Other pictures show cats being skinned in restaurant kitchens. About 5,000 cats were sent from Nanjing to Guangzhou, while cats from Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places were also being rounded up, the Chengdu Business Daily reported last week. The paper said people in Guangdong eat 10,000 cats a day. No reason was given for the increased media coverage, or if there has been an increase in cat meat consumption. Many of the protesters in Beijing were retirees who said they have been caring for strays cats. The protesters said they believed that some street cats in Beijing, "especially the fat ones," have disappeared and were likely nabbed by cat meat dealers. "These cats, they are like our children," said Cui Qingzhen, a 56-year-old woman who said she has been feeding street cats for six years. "We can't let these people do this to them." The demonstrators also noted that a virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, is suspected to have been spread to humans by civet cats, mongoose-like animals considered a delicacy in southern China. SARS was first reported in Guangdong in November 2002 and killed 774 people worldwide before subsiding in July 2003. In 2004, Guangdong banned the raising, selling, killing and eating of civet cats. "Haven't they learned from SARS that some animals just shouldn't be eaten by humans?" Cui said. "Ask the Guangdong people: What else must they eat?" http://newsok.com/more-protests/article/3331799 Published: December 21, 2008 Cats as food GUANGZHOU, China ? While animal lovers in Beijing protested the killing of cats for food on Thursday, a butcher in Guangdong province ? where felines are the main ingredient in a famous soup ? just shrugged her shoulders and wielded her cleaver. "Cats have a strong flavor. Dogs taste much better, but if you really want cat meat, I can have it delivered by tomorrow,? said the butcher, who gave only her surname, Huang. It was just this attitude that outraged about 40 cat lovers who unfurled banners in a tearful protest outside the Guangdong government office in Beijing. Many were retirees who care for stray felines they said were being rounded up by dealers. The protest was the latest clash between age-old traditions and the new sensibilities made possible by China?s growing affluence. The Associated Press http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=533152 Protesters picket at Petland Updated: 4 months ago Despite falling snow and frigid temperatures, protesters rallied outside of two metro area Petland pet shops on Saturday. The animal activists say the purpose of the protest was to raise awareness of the abuse and suffering of pet shop and puppy mill dogs. CAPS, the Companion Animal Protection Society, organized these rallies in 18 cities across the country this weekend. The protests specifically target Petland pet stores. The National Humane Society alleges that Petland stores sell puppies from puppy mills and then tell customers the dogs are from good breeders. During an eight month investigation involving 21 Petland stores, the Humane Society says they shot video showing dogs at mills in dirty cages with faulty wiring that would cause dogs to fall through the bottom. The manager at the Shakopee Petland, who wishes to remain anonymous told KARE 11 that the company does not support "substandard breeding facilities." Petland, Inc. also issued a statement denying the accusations. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426431.html?c=on#comments Police forcibly evict peaceful anti-fur demonstrators JimDog* | 04.04.2009 14:26 | Leeds Bradford A quick upload of pictures from the ongoing campaign against the Bristol branch of Cruise and their decision to sell real fur in their outlets nationwide. A full report is to follow later. At around 2pm, protestors from around the country, gathering in bristol for the National ARC meeting tomorrow (sunday 5th April) gathered outside the Bristol branch of Cruise to voice their disgust at the sale of fur. The police and store security however decided not to allow the activists their right to peaceful protest and forcibly manhandled them from the area in full public view. Here are some pictures and a video of the action, more are to follow later. Anyone in the Bristol area are encouraged to join the protest and show solidarity with the evicted activists, adding weight to their demand that the Cabot Circus shopping centre and the Cruise chain of 'fashion stores' stop advocating the barbaric trade in animal fur and allowing it's sale. JimDog* Homepage: http://bristolanimalrights.org.uk/ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/2008/12/27/fur-protesters-greet-opera-singer-91466-22558079/ Fur protesters greet opera singer Dec 27 2008 Katherine Jenkins arrived at Harrods to a chorus of boos as dozens of anti-fur campaigners protested against the Welsh singer's decision to open the store's winter sale. Protesters chanted "shame on Catherine" as the mezzo soprano arrived at the historic Knightsbridge store by horse-drawn carriage. The boos were eventually drowned out by claps and cheers from bargain hunters queuing outside as Jenkins - wearing a black dress with white detail - was ushered into the store by chairman Mohamed al Fayed. The queues started to form outside the shop overnight, a Harrods spokesman said. Further cheers were heard as Catherine began the traditional annual countdown to mark the start of the sales. Jenkins reportedly stepped in after chart-topping singer Leona Lewis refused a lucrative invite to open the sales because of Harrods' policy to sell fur. Campaigner John Wilson, from the Coalition to Abolish Fur Trade, said: "We are gathered here today because of our disgust at Ms Jenkins who professes to be against animal cruelty and the fur trade. "We understand that Harrods is now the only major store in the UK to sell imported fur." Followed by a group of bagpipe players, Jenkins and al-Fayed visited the shop's stationery, pets and musical instruments department. Jenkins was then pictured buying two Jasmine di Milo dresses - one in grey and one in black. Vegetarian Jenkins said she tried not to let the campaigners "dampen everyone's fun". Flanked by her mother Susan, who joined her on the tour, the singer said: "I was very excited to join the sales - I am a girl's girl, so obviously this is my idea of fun. Personally I do not eat meat or wear fur, but people are entitled to their opinions." http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/29/katherine-jenkins-fur-protesters-harrods Katherine Jenkins heckled at Harrods ? Sean Michaels ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 29 December 2008 16.05 GMT Boo Christmas ... Katherine Jenkins. Photograph: Brian Rasic/Rex Features Katherine Jenkins endured a deluge of boos this weekend, not because of how she was singing, or what she was wearing ? but because of where she was smiling. The 28-year-old mezzo-soprano was opening the Harrods winter sale when she was heckled by anti-fur protesters. "Shame on Katherine!" the protesters chanted, condemning her support of the Knightsbridge retailer. Activists claim that Harrods is the only major store in the UK to sell imported fur. Jenkins seemed unfazed by the jeering. "Personally I do not eat meat or wear fur, but people are entitled to their opinions," she told reporters, sniffing at protesters for "dampen[ing] everyone's fun". The Welsh singer had arrived by horse-drawn carriage, led a countdown for the queuing hordes, then trotted around the pets, music and stationery departments. Perhaps she should have bought some gifts for the livid protesters. "We are here today because of our disgust at Ms Jenkins, who professes to be against animal cruelty and the fur trade," John Wilson, from the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, told Wales on Sunday. Last year pop star Leona Lewis turned down an invitation from Harrods, reportedly because of its policy of selling fur. Jenkins was escorted into the shop by owner Mohammed Al Fayed, who presented her with a pair of diamond-encrusted Christian Louboutin shoes; she later picked up two Jasmine di Milo dresses. "I am a girl's girl, so obviously this is my idea of fun," Jenkins said, as protesters stood outside and booed her. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414966.html Protest at office of Tory pro hunt MP International Animal Rights Day Protest | 10.12.2008 23:40 Mr Jones was recently quoted as saying, " I support the right of people to hunt as long as there are suitable safeguards on animal welfare." But there is no animal welfare in fox hunting; the fox suffers in barbaric ways, end of story! The public has a right to know the truth about fox hunting and those who support this ancient barbaric pastime. Animal Rights campaigners from North Wales and surrounding areas joined forces for International Animal Rights Day and paid visits to two areas of concern. The first was to the constituency office of David Jones MP for Clywd West, in Colwyn Bay. This MP has made it clear he approves of hunting and will vote to repeal the ban should the Tories gain power. 15 Protesters paid him a visit and informed his constituents of his views re this barbaric pastime. We will be sure to let all his constituents know of his views so they can make an informed choice about who to vote for. With 73% of the public wanting the ban to remain and David Jones only gaining his seat last time by 133 votes, the future does not look too bright for pro hunt supporter David!! International Animal Rights Day Protest http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7776399.stm One of Devon's best-known chefs has been given a 600-signature petition to take a controversial dish off his Exeter restaurant's menu. Protesters want double Michelin star-winning chef Michael Caines to stop serving foie gras at the Abode Exeter. Production of the pate made from force-fed geese and ducks' livers is banned in the UK, but it can be imported. Mr Caines did not take the petition in person. Neither he nor anyone from his restaurant was available for comment. 'Cruel product' Protesters showed a human being force fed with spaghetti to compare the conditions, they said, birds were subjected to to produce it. Sharon Howe of the organisation Exeter Friends for Animals, which held the protest outside the restaurant while the petition was handed in, said: "It's quite ironic. "Michael Caines promotes local produce, which we think is a very praiseworthy. But at the same time he is importing a product, which, were it produced in this country, would be banned because it contravenes animal welfare legislation. "It's a very cruel product." Mr Caines was born in Exeter in 1969. He appeared in the BBC's Great British Menu programme and was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry in 2006. http://news.www24.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=678046&rss=yes Naked chicks protest against KFC 15:43 AEST Tue Dec 2 2008 123 days 9 hours 21 minutes ago By Larine Statham VIEWS: 0 | FLOCKS: 0 | 0 comments so far Three women have staged a naked protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken shop in Adelaide. Three naked women have stood outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in Adelaide's CBD, calling on the fast food giant to improve its animal welfare standards. Wearing nothing but Santa hats, the three "naked chicks" held a banner which read: "Make it a Merry Chickmas (Chickmas) and boycott KFC". The banner was strategically positioned so as to prevent onlooking police from making any arrests. The three vegans, all aged in their 20s, said they were strongly opposed to the massive numbers of chickens consumed by KFC diners each day being plucked and sent to the boiler while they were still alive. Despite their efforts in attracting a large crowd of onlookers in Rundle Mall, KFC remained full of diners at lunch. "In the long term KFC is going to pay the price, because today's young people who still want the quick fast food restaurants, they are going to be taking a few more steps and going somewhere else," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia Pacific director, Jason Baker said. "Those that aren't going in, it will effect their bottom line and it happened with McDonald's, Hungry Jacks and Wendy's. "Animal welfare standards are on people's minds," he said. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/celebs-hit-kolkata-streets-protesting-against-killing-of-dog_100119841.html Celebs hit Kolkata streets protesting against killing of dog November 16th, 2008 - 8:21 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Kolkata, Nov 16 (IANS) After making known their discontent over happenings in Nandigram and Singur, celebrities Sunday hit the city streets for a different cause - protesting torture of stray dogs by fellow humans. Placards in hand, the celebrities took part in a silent procession from Deshapriya Park to Chetla Park in South Kolkata, spreading the message of humane treatment of animals. Organised by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the procession saw the participation of around 300 eminent persons from various walks of life. The immediate trigger for the protests was the burning alive of a stray dog that had entered a house twice in Chetla on October 23. Buli Sen, an inhabitant of the house, allegedly emptied a can of kerosene over the canine and burnt it alive. Following an FIR lodged by the locality?s animal lovers, Sen has been arrested. ?We have taken out the procession with the hope that it will help instil some amount of sympathy and love for animals, which many of us don?t have. We are human beings. Let us behave like humans,? said film actress Debosree Roy. ?How can you burn an animal alive? How can such things take place in a civilised society?? asked writer Nabanita Deb Sen. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4838576&autostart=y Animal advocates protest plans for animal shelter November 19th, 2008 @ 7:00am By Shara Park and Andrew Adams Tempers raged at a West Valley City Council meeting last night as dozens of animal activists showed up in protest over the city's new animal shelter. They're angry over plans to build a gas chamber for euthanization. The new West Valley Animal Shelter is going to be built at 4400 West and 3500 South. It is near a park and not too far from homes. One resident, Marlene Alva, who opposes the shelter says if gas is to escape the shelter, it could be dangerous. She also says euthanasia by carbon monoxide poisoning is not humane or painless for animals. "They are going to attack each other. They are going to thrash around, and it is going to be a long, slow death. Where is our integrity as a human race? To me that is barbaric," she said. The council says both the American Veterinary Association and the Humane Society of the United States support the use of the chamber in some cases. The council says the shelter will only use this method when animals are diseased, dangerous or feral. However, The Humane Society of the United States recommends the injection of sodium pentobarbital, prepared specifically for use as a euthanasia product, as the "preferred agent" for the euthanasia of dogs and cats. Councilman Mike Winder said, "The carbon monoxide chamber would only be used in the case of an extremely rabid dog or some other extreme case when lethal injection was not an option for the handlers or the animal." The majority of Salt Lake Valley shelters still use carbon monoxide. The West Valley City Council listened to the concern from Alva and other residents who attended last night's meeting. The question now is whether the city will re-evaluate its plans. Winder said that because the issue has drawn so much attention, the city council may re-address its plans. But he says at this point it could go either way, and right now no date has been set for that discussion. http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Protests-Sunday-for-Ybors-wild-chickens/-rBlC443skmUNf79Pvwaew.cspx Protests Sunday for Ybor's wild chickens Reported by: Keith Baker Email: kbaker at abcactionnews.com Last Update: 11/17/2008 1:48 pm (Lauren Weinhold, Creative Commons 2.0) TAMPA, FL -- Ybor City is known for its culture, history and wild chickens. Some consider the chickens a nuisance due to the dirt and noise. Others believe the chickens have rights that need to be protected despite efforts to ban the chickens. Tourists have been known to feed the chickens that roam through parts of 19th Avenue and 5th Street. "I love the chickens," says Debra Hawkins. "I think they are a heritage of Ybor City and I think they belong here". Trappers were brought in to control the roosters and chickens because they were making too much chicken noise. Michael Martinez spent the day tagging the chickens saying, "a lot of people want them to stay and a lot want them to go". Martinez caught up with about 80 chickens by Sunday afternoon. Regardless of where on the fence residents sit regarding Ybor chickens, for now they are here to stay. City leaders are expected to talk about the subject this week. It is believed the chickens were brought to the area in the 1800's and they have flourished ever since. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94H69SG0&show_article=1 Nepalese conservationists protest proposed export of monkeys to U.S.+ Nov 18 01:43 AM US/Eastern Comments (0) KATHMANDU, Nov. 18 (AP) - (Kyodo)?Nepalese wildlife activists are protesting the proposed export of rhesus monkeys from a breeding center in Nepal to the United States for what activists have called potentially lethal medical research. A breeding center in Kathmandu's neighboring Lalitpur district is preparing to export 25 rhesus monkeys to the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research Center, an independent research organization, where the primates will be used to research HIV and tuberculosis vaccines. "The export of wildlife for subjecting them to experiments that could kill them is illegal," said Mangal Man Shakya, chief of the Wildlife Watch Group in Nepal. The breeding center, which has a government license, currently has 300 rhesus monkeys, including 100 babies bred there in the past three years. The monkeys, which are red in color, have high value for research into cures for human ailments owing to their genetic proximity to humans, said Shakya. "The monkeys are commonly found in the Indian subcontinent. In recent years, research organizations have turned their eyes on Nepal for procuring the monkeys as India has banned their export," he told Kyodo News. The proposed export of monkeys from Nepal has prompted a global campaign with conservationists such as Jane Goodall joining in the protest. On the campaign website, http://www.stopmonkeybusiness.org, Goodall says: "Nepal's monkeys are both sacred and beautiful creatures. They should not be exported to any country for research purposes but should be allowed to live wild and free." An official at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation under Nepal's Ministry of Forest defended the proposal to export the monkeys, saying the breeding center has paid royalties to the government and therefore can export the monkeys for research. "As far as I remember, Nepal has exported 29 rhinos to foreign countries for similar purposes," said Surya Bahadur Pandey, an official at the department. "If rhinos can be exported, why not monkeys?" But the department has yet to issue an export permit to the breeding center. "The permit will be issued as soon as we have a director general. Right now, we only have an acting director general," Pandey said. http://war-online.org/DemoReport10-30-08.htm Thursday, October 30, 2008 - Evening Protest to Free the Nepal Monkeys On Thursday, October 30, 2008 activists once again gathered on Second Avenue at the office of the Nepal Consulate to the United States to protest the captivity of Nepalese macaque monkeys. These monkeys are being held for eventual transport to the United States where they will become the subjects of horrific research. During our first visit, in the summer (7/25/08), the Consul General assured activists that Nepal had absolutely no intention of exporting the captive monkeys to US research laboratories. Activists were given an allegedly official press release stating clearly that the monkeys were not in any danger. Now, it would appear that their story has changed. Under pressure from US monkey torturers, the government is now claiming that the monkeys do not ?BELONG? to them and that they are the property of the US researchers. Activists from New York are working with the global Gateway to Hell Campaign and supporting the Stop the Monkey Business Campaign in Nepal. Win Animal Rights has promised to keep the pressure on the Consulate Office until the monkeys are set free. More information, on the campaign, can be found here: Gateway to Hell - Global Campaign Stop Monkey Business - Nepal Campaign Activists distributed leaflets and urged caring New Yorkers to contact the Consulate Office and the Embassy in Washington DC to advocate on behalf of the imprisoned monkeys. Many promised to do so. As an added bonus several Nepal nationals, who were visiting the Consul Office, stopped to find out what the protest was about. All promised to talk to officials and to do what they could to stop the monkey trade. Currently, under pressure from the US, the government of Nepal is considering reversing the monkey export ban that is their active law. You can support this campaign by contacting the following: Nepalese Diplomatic Mission/Consulate General 820 Second Avenue, 17th Floor New York, N. Y. 10017 Tel : 1-212-370-3988 or 3989 Fax : 1-212-953-2038 e-mail Nepal New York Consulate Royal Nepalese Embassy 2131 Leroy Place, NW Washington DC, 20008 USA Tel : 1-202-667-4550, 4551, 4552 Fax : 1-202-667-5534 e-mail Nepal Embassy http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ALFront/Actions-Nepal/PrimateProtection09.htm ARAs ask Supreme Court for Stay Order on Monkey Export printer friendly, larger print version Animal rights groups ask Supreme Court for Stay Order on Monkey Export Maneka Gandhi sends appeal to Nepal government Kathmandu ? 20-01-09 ? Animal rights campaigners today appealed to the Supreme Court to issue a stay order on the export of rhesus monkeys to US labs. The petitioners call for an immediate halt of the breeding and export of monkeys as this is 'illegal', 'inhumane' and 'unethical'. Seven petitioners today filed a Public Interest Litigation against the government, the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, as well as the US-backed companies who received a license to breed rhesus monkeys for biomedical research. The petitioners argue that Nepalese laws do not support the export of monkeys. The Muluki Ain promotes the humane treatment of all living beings. The Wildlife Breeding Act ?which introduced the breeding of rhesus monkeys in 2060/2003- has no legal base as it was passed as a budgetary declaration during the royal regime. Both the National Parks Act 1973 and the Breeding Policy do not facilitate the export of live monkeys. Also, the government failed to monitor the breeding facilities, as a result of which there is no clarity on the status of the monkeys. The petitioners also say they are shocked by the high death rate (around 20%) among rhesus monkeys destined for the US at a Lele breeding centre. According to a 1992 UK research 75% of lab monkeys are killed in research centres across the world. The breeders claim the monkeys will be used in AIDS research. However the petition includes a letter from the US Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine explaining that the ongoing use of monkeys in AIDS research is 'contrary to available scientific evidence'. Animal rights campaigner and member of Indian Parliament Maneka Gandhi in a letter appeals to the Nepal government to ban the breeding and export of monkeys. "As a person who is deeply respectful of your country's traditions and is a true well wisher, I would urge you to put right this terrible mistake. I speak for thousands of people who have been equally appalled", writes Gandhi. The Indian MP reminds the government that India in 1977 banned biomedical research on monkeys. "It brought international acclaim to us. I would request you to show the enlightenment of your government by standing firm on your promise not to export monkeys," notes Gandhi who claims monkeys will be euthanized upon arrival in the US when carrying the slightest infection. According to Gandhi the breeding and selling of monkeys 'is an unethical and lucrative business' and a bad deal for Nepal: "This company will earn thousands of dollars which will be kept overseas for them. In return Nepal will lose monkeys that are extremely important for the propagation of so many plants." According to the Indian campaigner 'India and Nepal have traditionally been known for their respect for all creatures'. "This sudden and mysterious decision to give a license to one company to send our monkeys to a painful and prolonged death is not in keeping with our cultures. It brings shame to a government to try and earn money through the exploitative suffering of species that are so much like us." This export of monkeys has led to protests all over the world. In July 2008 some 100.000 protest letters were send to the government. Demonstrations have been held in Kathmandu and almost all European capitals as well as in India, Russia and the USA and at United Nations offices. Some groups have even gone as far as calling for a tourism ban for Nepal. Ironically the government on June 20, 2008, decided not to export monkeys. This was confirmed by former Director General Dr Annapurna Das of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation in a letter addressed to Swiss animal rights groups. In the letter he notes that the Wildlife Breeding Policy 'does not include any clause for the export of rhesus monkeys in order to use in biomedical research'.[1]. Lately however interviews with government officials and breeders have suggested that 25 rhesus monkeys will be exported to the US soon. For more information and original documents: c/o Manoj Gautam, Roots and Shoots Nepal, 9841-496822. Email: stopmonkeybusiness at gmail.com Also go to: Animal Welfare Network Nepal ? www.awnnepal.blogspot.com Stop Monkey Business Campaign ? www.stopmonkeybusiness.org Dr. Shirley McGreal, OBE, Chairwoman International Primate Protection League PO Box 766 Summerville, SC 29484, USA Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988 E-mail - smcgreal at ippl.org , Web: www.ippl.org Working to Protect All Primates Since 1973 http://www.mail-archive.com/ahimsa108 at googlegroups.com/msg00474.html {animalrights} Nepal Supreme Court Grants Temporary Injunction for Monkeys Apesman2727 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:55:01 -0800 forwarded message: From: "helenandsteve2003" <_raysh... at msn.ray_ (mailto:raysh... at msn.com) > Date: January 24, 2009 3:23:27 PM EST We have news, good, we hope. A Public Interest Litigation, (PIL), petition against Nepal's monkey farming has been placed before the Supreme Court of Nepal, and yesterday the action was not only sanctioned by the court but it was also placed on the court's "priority list" due to the "seriousness" of the case. As a result a temporary injunction has been granted, so no monkeys will be exported, and the responsible parties have been given 15 days to respond in writing to justify their actions. Nepal activists are asking us to keep up the pressure. Please continue to write to the consulates and embassy. (See below for contact info and sample letter.) For those of you who got a misleading form letter from the DC embassy, their claims that they have no plans to export monkeys are disproven by the fact that the Supreme Court has issued this injunction. Plus, we now have copies of the NIH approved grant for paying for these monkeys and setting up the vivisection, and an email from the Southwest Biomedical Research Center confirming all this. They also report that the protests are really helping. For the animals, Helen & Steve ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please email the Nepalese Consulate in Boston today and ask him to do everything in his power to ban the capture and breeding of monkeys and export to US labs. Also mention that you support the MARC protest on Thursday. It would also be great if you forwarded your message and any response you get to us. Contact info: Honorary Consulate General Julian Sobin: _so... at aol.com_ (mailto:so... at aol.com) Please cc the Washington Embassy on your message: i... at nepalembassyus a.org Sample Letter (with the above contact info): To: _so... at aol.com_ (mailto:so... at aol.com) cc: i... at nepalembassyus a.org Re: Nepalese Monkeys Dear Honorary Consulate General Sobin: I am writing in opposition to Nepal's capture, breeding and export of monkeys for vivisection. As I understand, in 2003 the Nepalese government issued the nefarious Wildlife Farming, Breeding and Research Policy, opening the door for US primate centers to prey on Nepal's wildlife. In just three years, 200 rhesus monkeys have been caught and taken to the National Bio- medical Research Centre in Nepal. At the Centre there are currently over 300 monkeys, including 105 babies, all of whom were born in captivity. It has recently been disclosed that at least 60 monkeys have died already, through neglect or euthanasia because they were "unsuitable"were "unsuitable"...even though they could hav the wild. The remaining monkeys will soon be sent to the U.S. where they will be used in horrible lab experiments. The Centre is funded by the U.S. government. Opponents of this dirty deal say that the Nepalese government should have consulted the WHO before approving the export of monkeys because Rhesus monkeys are listed on the CITES Appendix II, meaning they are on the verge of becoming an endangered species. The Nepali government gets 25,000 Nepalese rupees per monkey as permission fees to export them. The Nepal Ministry of Forestry is currently re-writing the 2003 Policy and will very soon decide the fates of these monkeys and many more in the future (wild capturing and breeding is ongoing). They will either be rehabbed and released to the wild (where they have a good chance of survival because Rhesus monkeys are sacred to Hindus who are the majority of the population) or sent to US labs. Although vivisectors will no doubt claim great future medical gains from these poor animals' agony, massive past experimentation upon primates has failed to produce tangible data for AIDS, Alzheimer's, stroke, cancer, and other diseases. Still, electrodes are lodged in the brains and spinal cords of monkeys, seizures and infections are artificially induced, and toxic substances are injected. Babies are forcibly separated from "breeding" mothers. It is irresponsible to promote animal research when so many animal- free methods now offer data more relevant to humans. Findings from distressed animals do not result in accurate extrapolation to humans. Though primates possess physiological and psychological instincts as intricate as our own, lab variables such as pain, injury, confinement, loneliness and repeated handling generate misleading data. Primate research is so controversial that it is banned or severely restricted in Spain, New Zealand, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, UK, and Sweden; and in 2007 the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban all primate research within 5 years. As part of an international campaign, activists and groups around the world, including the Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition, are protesting at consulates and embassies to urge Nepal to do the right thing at this critical time in the decision making. I strongly support the protests and ask you to do everything in your power to ban the monkey capture and breeding Centre and send the monkeys that are in captivity there to sanctuaries for rehab and release. Until this happens, I will boycott visiting Nepal so please let me know when this matter is resolved. Name Address http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/nov/20/peta-protester-hits-streets-tiger-paint/?subscriber/national PETA protester hits the streets in tiger paint By ArkansasOnline PETA members Virginia Fort (left) and Lindsay Rajt (right) help Christina Dang of Holland, Mich., get into a cage painted like a tiger Thursday afternoon in the River Market to protest the treatment of circus animals. Staton Breidenthal Hoping to draw attention to its fight against circuses that use animals, PETA sent protesters to the River Market District in Little Rock on Thursday, including a partially nude woman painted like a tiger. The scene drew plenty of onlookers who watched as PETA member Christina Dang got in a cage to rail against the coming Ringling Bros. circus. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claim that the circus abuses its elephants, tigers and lions. "I'll gladly bare my skin if it will help expose Ringling's abusive treatment of animals," Dang said of her experience. "The best way to stop this abuse is for people to boycott Ringling and other circuses that use animals." http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl111708cbhouma.1bf84376d.html PETA plans nude protests against Houma circus 08:28 AM CST on Monday, November 17, 2008 Matthew Pleasant / Houma Courier HOUMA -- An animal-rights group plans to stage a nude protest to discourage locals from attending an upcoming Ringling Brothers Circus show at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. Houma Courier PETA is planning to protest a Houma circus Two women are scheduled to appear 1 p.m. Monday at the corner of Lafayette and West Main streets, one of whom will sit in a cage wearing little more than a coat of orange body paint. Both are activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, a Virginia-based animal rights group that has demonstrated against the 138-year-old touring circus for years. The group alleges mistreatment by the circus?s trainers that has led to the deaths of tigers and elephants in their care. The caged and painted woman is meant to represent one such tiger. A lawsuit against the circus by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, for the circus? alleged abuse against elephants is scheduled to begin February in federal court, according to officials with Feld Entertainment, the company that produces the circus. ?A lot of them are beaten and forced to perform unnatural tricks,? said Virginia Fort, one of the volunteers who will protest. ?It?s unacceptable when animals are dying for Ringling to turn a profit.? The organization staged similar tiger-lady protests in Shreveport in 2002 before a Ringling performance. The protestors were jailed, drawing a lawsuit against the city and six officers by the American Civil Liberties Union. Houma Police officials said they may intervene in Monday?s planned protest. ?If she plans on getting naked, it ain?t going to happen,? Capt. Greg Hood said. Public nudity is banned under Terrebonne Parish law. Fort said nudity is just one way that the organization attempts to draw attention to animal abuse. ?In today?s world, we have to do eye-catching demonstrations to get media attention,? she said, adding that the protests are effective. ?Most people are compassionate. If they knew it was going on, they?d be disgusted.? Jason Gibson, a production manager with Ringling Brothers Circus, denies the alleged mistreatment. He said the circus goes out of its way to care for animals on the road and during training. ?We tell everyone that?s coming, come and see for yourself,? he said. ?Come see how healthy and beautiful the animals are.? Three Asian elephants and six Bengal tigers are among the animals the circus will bring through in a one-ring version of its show in Houma, which has performances scheduled for Nov. 28, 29 and 30. The circus presents between 350 and 400 shows a year. An animal compound is immediately set up when the circus arrives and animals are allowed to exercise. A veterinarian is on-call in every city they perform in, he added. He said circus performers are used to the protests, and they?ve had little impact. ?It?s happened so many times now,? Gibson said. ?Most people want to see her because she?s scantily clad.? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10542523&ref=rss Protest group targets rodeo 4:00AM Wednesday Nov 12, 2008 By Jarrod Booker Auckland may have banned it, but rodeo is still riding high in Christchurch where an international event is spurring animal rights activists into action. Lobby group Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) is promising protest action ahead of the International Rodeo being held in Christchurch this weekend - a feature of the New Zealand Cup and Show Week. SAFE this year successfully lobbied the Auckland City Council to ban rodeo events from its land, in a first for New Zealand. Councillor Cathy Casey said: "I disagree we should use animals as some means of entertainment." The International Rodeo in Christchurch has attracted 39 of the world's best "cowboys and girls" from the United States, Canada, Brazil, England, Australia and New Zealand, in an event dubbed the "biggest wild west stand-off ever staged in New Zealand". Rodeo exponents say the sport is popular, and animal welfare is carefully monitored. But SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek said rodeos tormented animals for people's amusement, and sent the wrong message to children. Straps and electric prods were deliberately used to get horses and cattle to buck. Advertisement Advertisement "It has got nothing to do with good stockmanship. Good stockmanship is all about handling animals [while] causing them the least amount of stress. The whole principle of a rodeo is to cause them the highest amount of stress, so they will actually perform. "They call it man versus beast. It's akin to the mentality that you see in Spain with bullfighting. We want to prove somehow we can dominate these creatures - and it's such nonsense." Gary Jackson, of the Rodeo Cowboys Association, said that rather than being forced, animals were "encouraged to perform to the best of their ability", and some simply would not. His association was made up of experienced animal owners, and it engaged regularly with bodies like the RSPCA. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/719399 Call to rein in rodeo protesters The Press Last updated 23:40 14/11/2008 DAVID HALLETT/The Press STATEMENT: a helicopter flies past a banner protesting against tonight's rodeo in Christchurch. Relevant offers A rodeo promoter has hit out at animal rights campaigners lobbying Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker to ban rodeos. The International Rodeo will be held in Christchurch today, but Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe) is urging Parker to follow the Auckland City Council's lead and ban rodeos on its land. Rodeo promoter Craig Douglas yesterday rubbished Safe's claims that rodeos were cruel. He said only the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (Nawac) or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had any authority in the matter. "I have been battling this for a couple of years," Douglas said. "Why we are not listening to (Nawac or the SPCA) I don't know." The rodeo had to meet Nawac guidelines and was inspected by SPCA officers to ensure the welfare of the animals involved. "We spend $400,000 a year putting this together. "This is no pony ride, we are not here with a couple of sheep mucking around." Nearly all of the 8000 seats in the Westpac Arena had been sold ahead of tonight's event. The Auckland City Council banned rodeos on its land this year after a submission from Safe, which says rodeo animals are tormented into behaviour such as bucking. Although the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had voiced its disapproval of rodeos in the past, it said they were legal if they complied with animal welfare guidelines. Safe launched a campaign yesterday in which a light plane flew a banner over Christchurch calling for a council ban on rodeos. Safe campaign director Hans Kriek said he had asked for a meeting with Parker to try to persuade him to take action. "The time has come to sit down with those in authority who make those decisions and lobby them to do the right thing," he said. Tight flank straps and spurs goaded rodeo animals into bucking and caused them distress, he said. Douglas has sent tickets to tonight's event to Parker, who said he was interested in attending. "I am interested in seeing for myself," he said. It was for bodies such as the SPCA to make judgments on animal welfare. "If those bodies say there's no problem with the way the animals are treated then it seems to me that it would be a ridiculous situation if the council turned around and said: `There's a group of people against this and we shouldn't do it'," Parker said. Activists Protest Griffith Park Elephant Enclosure - Truveo Video ... Activists say the city could save money by sending the Los Angeles Zoo's lone elephant to a sanctuary. Sharon Tay reports. www.truveo.com/Activists-Protest-Griffith-Park-Elephant-Enclosure/id/2305843012612386054 http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_local_PETA_protest_at_vick_plea.1e8b08df3.html PETA members protest at Vick sentencing 12:24 PM EST on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Associated Press SUSSEX (AP) -- Members of an animal rights group protested outside the courthouse where former NFL star Michael Vick is expected to plead guilty to state dogfighting charges. Nine protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held signs with photographs of bloodied fighting dogs and others that read "Dogfighters repent". Vick arrived at the courthouse in Sussex about 6:40 a.m, more than two hours before his scheduled appearance. Vick is already is serving a 23-month sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081126171442.4ezbhhdqp0&show_article=1 A protest against tuna fishing Greenpeace activist set up a banner behind tunas, they dumped in front of French Agriculture ministry, on November 17, 2008 in Paris during a demonstration, calling for a ban of tuna fishing. Bluefin tuna fishing will have to be cut by 30 percent over two years in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean under an international accord reached in Marrakesh, the European Commission said Tuesday. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/science/news/article_1444133.php/Thousands_join_protest_to_save_Mediterranean_bluefin_tuna Thousands join protest to save Mediterranean bluefin tuna Science News Nov 20, 2008, 16:21 GMT Rome/Marrakech, Morocco - Almost 16,000 people from 149 countries have signed up to join numerous restaurants, retailers and chefs in boycotting Mediterranean bluefin tuna in a campaign to save the endangered fish species, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Thursday. WWF said it had presented a petition on behalf of 15,941 concerned individuals to top fishery decision-makers, meeting at an international conference in Marrakech, Morocco. There, the 46 member countries of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) are meeting to decide on the future of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, which activists say is threatened by overfishing. The conference lasts until Monday, November 24. 'Thousands of consumers from across the world are voting with their wallets by not buying or eating endangered Mediterranean bluefin tuna,' WWF's Mediterranean branch head of fisheries, Sergi Tudela, said in a statement issued in Rome. WWF also noted that the list of chefs, restaurants and retailers around the world who have stopped serving and selling bluefin tuna is growing. Such 'trailblazers' included chain stores Auchan in France, Carrefour in Italy, Coop in Italy and Switzerland, ICA in Norway, Moshi Moshi in Britain, and Memento in Spain, WWF said. They have been joined by German seafood processors Deutsche See and Gottfried Friedrichs, and French restaurant chain Elior among others, according to WWF. 'Bluefin tuna was one of the star items on our menu, but the critical situation of the stocks made me take it off the plates so that diners can keep enjoying it in years to come,' Spanish celebrity chef Sergi Arola was quoted as saying in the statement. 'I believe it's my duty to take care of the sustainability of a dish as well as its taste,' he added. Tudela noted that, should ICCAT fail to act this week in Marrakech, support would grow for a move away from the attempt to control fishers, in favour of a full-blown trade ban to save the species from collapse. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/protesting-horse-drawn-carriages-kirsten-johnston-for-peta Protesting Horse-Drawn Carriages Edit Kirsten Johnston for PETA Kirsten Johnston for PETA 2,078 Views - Click for Larger Image Kirsten Johnston objects the use of horse-drawn carriages, so much so that she bares all to lie naked on a horse in the latest ad brought to you by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). According to the PETA site, horses that pull carriages deal with horrible respiratory problems associated with breathing in exhaust fumes, suffer agonizing leg pain from traversing the pavement, and have even dropped dead from heat stroke. They are also sometimes involved in traffic accidents. We haven?t seen much of Johnston since ?Third Rock from the Sun,? in which she played the ever-so-horny Sally Solomon, was canceled by NBC. I must say, she looks absolutely stunning in her PETA ad campaign against horse-drawn carriages, although I?m sure she was helped with a bit of photoshopping magic. Each year the number of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages continues to rise, resulting in injuries not only to the horses but also to humans. It's time to put an end to this cruel industry once and for all?especially in New York City, where tourists can find countless activities that don't involve animals. (peta.org) http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/scottsdale-local-news-112808-fur-protest.11085d5e.html Animal activists protest outside Scottsdale mall More Phoenix/Scottsdale Local News 09:46 PM Mountain Standard Time on Friday, November 28, 2008 By 3TV Model would "rather go naked" azfamily.com VIDEO: PETA protest SCOTTSDALE -- A group of protesters had a message for shoppers on the busiest retail day of the year. Animal activists protested outside Scottsdale Fashion Square Friday, urging shoppers to not buy fur. Popular model Anna Lexington revealed her stance on fur by only wearing signs that read, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." Fur Free Friday is one of the world's oldest anti-fur demonstrations. It takes place internationally the day after Thanksgiving every year. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/409946.html Big protest in the Netherlands against Europe's largest primate research centre Paul | 05.10.2008 11:45 | Animal Liberation | World From across the Netherlands over three hundred animalfriends on Saturday came to Rijswijk to demonstrate against the Biomedical Primate Research Center. The demonstration was organized by the Anti Vivisection Coalition (www.stopdierpoeven.org). Anti Vivisection Coalition wants closure BPRC By: Paul Kraaijer Zwolle, 04-10-2008 - The Anti Vivisection Coalition (AVC) has BPRC, "the monkeyhell?, as spearhead in its action program. After the great success of the AVC in Venray, where mostly under pressure from animalrightsactivists protests against the prestigious Science Link-project was stopped, the organization now demands closure of the BPRC. In this primate research centre tests are conducted on 1300 primates (macaques). Recently it became known that mid-2009 the number of monkeys will be expanded by 150 so-called Java monkeys. These monkeys will be moved from the University of Utrecht to the BPRC-complex in Rijswijk. At this moment there is some uncertainty about the future of the BPRC in Rijswijk. The citycouncil of Rijswijk provided on April 1st this year to the BPRC a buildingpermit for the construction of an new office and a research building. The decision came as a blast for the local Green Party and several local residents. Bert van Velthuijsen of the Green Party said the buildingpermit to be "remarkable". According to the Green Party the BPRC disappears from Rijswijk in 2015. There is housing planned for the land where the BPRC is located. "It can not be that the BPRC plans to build a new research building, while in a few years housing is planned.," says Van Velthuijsen. However according to the AVC the BPRC started already with construction of a new building before the permit was given. The new buildingplans of the BPRC lead to more actions of animalrightsactivists. The demonstration on Saturday was just a peak in the protestcampaign against the BPRC. In the center of Rijswijk there first was held a brief manifestation. Several local animallovers from Rijswijk joined the protesters, watched by many policemen. Some speakers set to speak to the demonstrators. Among them was the British animalrights activist John Curtin. In England he fights for over 25 years already against the notorious animallab Huntingdon Life Sciences, where 70,000 animals are used for various tests. Curtin knew how to get the attention of the demonstrators with his speech and was pleased to note that in the Netherlands there are still animalrights actions against the vivisection industry and related businesses. The demonstration went through part of the center of Rijswijk to the BPRC where Danny Flies of the Belgian branch of the Anti Vivisection Coalition held a fiery speech. He made clear to the demonstrators that behind the fences around the site of the BPRC some 1300 monkeys are used/abused by animalresearchers. The protest was peaceful and many demonstrators appeared not at all to be the recently in some Dutch media called 'dangerous animalrightsactivists', on the contrary. The only things that the animalrightsactivists want is the immediate closure of the BPRC and a good housing for the remaining monkeys. Paul Homepage: http://animals-in-the-news.blogspot.com http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-10/13/content_10188236.htm Half-naked protesters against Bullfights Partially clothed protesters seen with taped on banderillas, a decorated barbed dart, lay in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. The activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were protesting against EU tax payers money being used to organize Bullfights in Spain. (cnsphoto) http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1223555521.72 Semi-naked anti-bullfight protest at EU parliament 09 October 2008, 14:21 CET (BRUSSELS) - Semi-naked animal rights activists staged a fake-bloody protest outside the European Parliament on Thursday to draw attention to the suffering of bulls during bullfights. Around 30 people taking part in the protest organised by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) lay on the ground with banderillas, the traditional darts used to wound and weaken bulls in the fight, attached to their backs, some spattered with fake blood. Bullfighting -- ever popular in Spain -- and the European Union's lack of action to stop the practice, have long raised the hackles of animal rights activists in Europe and the debate has increased in recent years. Last year several European Parliament lawmakers published a declaration which severely criticised bullfights and demanded that the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, ban them in Europe. The pro-bullfighting group Mesa del Toro responded at the time that the spectacle was a "European heritage" and that the European Commission did not have the authority to ban a "cultural and traditional" activity which has been held for centuries in Spain. http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/kmov-national-news-081014-woman-url-name.1106b9bbf.html Woman changes name to URL to protest 10:03 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- You can call her CutoutDissection.com, Cutout for short, but just don't call her Jennifer. The former Jennifer Thornburg -- whose driver's license now reads Dissection.com, Cutout -- wanted to do something to protest animal dissections in schools. The 19-year-old's new name is also the Web address for an anti-dissection page of the site for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, where she is interning. "I normally do have to repeat my name several times when I am introducing myself to someone new," she told The Asheville Citizen-Times. "Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about." The Asheville High School graduate who's working in Virginia said she began opposing dissections in middle school after a class assignment to cut up a chicken wing made her uncomfortable. She helped create a policy at her high school that allows students who object to dissections to complete an alternative assignment. Despite her legally changing the name, she said most of her family members still call her Jennifer. "It will take me a while," said her dad, Duane Thornburg, who lives in Daytona Beach, Fla. "She's still Jennifer to me. I understand why she's done it. Believe it or not, I totally respect it." A CD showing the treatment of animals before they are dissected finally convinced him to support his daughter's cause, he said. http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-259455-Protesting-puppy-sellers-activities.html Protesting puppy seller?s activities by John DeMings/Digby Courier View all articles from John DeMings/Digby Courier Article online since October 10th 2008, 15:59 Protesting puppy seller?s activities A protest is planned for tomorrow, Oct. 11, in Digby to raise public awareness of puppy sale activities by area resident Gail Benoit. A news report quotes Bridgitte Bellerose, a spokesperson for the protesters, as saying that Benoit has been selling ?puppy mill? puppies for too long and it has to stop. Digby mayor Frank Mackintosh says he was asked today by Benoit?s partner Dana Bailey to block the protest, but the town does not require protesters to have a permit. http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194405.php October 12, 2008 PETA Protests Peruvian Pussy-Eaters (Canete, Peru) This week, the annual two-day Gastronomical Festival of the Cat was held near Lima and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have expressed outrage at little pussycats being butchered and eaten (story/video). Reportedly, local people consume hundreds of cats prepared several ways, including fried cat, grilled cat and catburgers, as a cure for bronchial disease and as an aphrodisiac. http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/10/08/PETA_protests_Armani_use_of_rabbit_fur/UPI-66781223442522/ PETA protests Armani use of rabbit fur Published: Oct. 8, 2008 at 1:08 AM Order reprints | Feedback MILAN, Italy, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Animal rights activists demonstrated at one of Italy's leading fashion houses Tuesday, accusing Giorgio Armani of reneging on a promise to avoid fur. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals displayed posters outside Emporio Armani, the flagship store, that showed the designer as Pinocchio, the puppet whose nose would grow when he told lies, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. They held the demonstration because the fall collection included some items with fur. The Giorgio Armani Group released a statement saying it never pledged to avoid all fur. It said the one exception it makes is rabbit, since the animals are killed for food, not just for their pelts. ''The use of fur in the house's collection has always been extremely limited, in contrast to what happens at other fashion houses that make fur their core business,'' the statement said. PETA has also been lobbying movie stars and other celebrities to boycott Armani fashions. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pamela-anderson-activism Lipstick Activism Edit Pamela Anderson's Against Giorgio Armani Fur Pamela Anderson is accustomed to the limelight, but it hasn?t always been for the most positive reasons. A few short years ago, you were more likely to read about Pamela Anderson marrying, divorcing or releasing naughty tapes than you were to hear about Pamela Anderson?s commitment to activism. The former ?Baywatch? beauty is a vocal activist for PETA. Pamela Anderson is known to vehemently and vocally express her distaste of other celebrities who wear fur or do not actively campaign for animal rights. Most recently, Pamela Anderson wrote a letter to actress Cate Blanchett imploring her to urge friend Giorgio Armani to stop using animal fur in his designs. Pamela Anderson has also targeted Jessica Simpson and KFC in recent months. http://story.londonmercury.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/415361b06433ee08/id/422660/cs/1/ WAGS attacked by fur protestors at fashion show London Mercury Saturday 25th October, 2008 (ANI) London, Oct 25 : WAGS Alex Gerrard and Coleen Rooney became the latest victims of Fur campaigners, when a few caught hold of them at a fashion show. Gerrard got the shock of her life when a campaigner dressed up as a bear and grabbed her as she made her way down the red carpet to the Grey Room in Liverpool. Later, Coleen and her mum had to dodge a smack from a huge placard, as the Furfree Liverpool campaigners gave the girls a red card for shopping at the fur friendly store. "It was crazy. The girls were really shaken when they got inside the venue," the Mirror quoted a source, as saying. "They weren't even wearing fur but they were terrified incase one of their expensive outfits was going to get ruined by a flying egg or something," the source added. http://news.opb.org/article/3311-activists-protest-zoo-measure-over-elephant-handling/ Activists Protest Zoo Measure Over Elephant Handling BY BECCA BARTLESON Portland, OR October 16, 2008 4:53 p.m. E-mail Discuss new! Animal rights-activists gathered at the Oregon Zoo in Portland Thursday. They were there to protest the treatment of elephants and urge voters to reject the zoo's bond measure on the November ballot. Becca Bartleson reports. Zoo keepers routinely use what's called an ankus, or bull hook, to handle elephants. They call it the free contact method. In Defense of Animals opposes that method, saying the sharp tool causes lacerations. The group says it will not support the bond unless the zoo pledges to use other handling methods Phil Prewett is a keeper at the Oregon Zoo. Phil Prewett: "I just can?t see signing away a hundred and twenty-five million dollars without saying we will indeed protect these animals and treat them humanely which can not be done in the free contact system." Zoo Director Tony Vecchio says he supports free contact because it allows keepers to be closer to the elephants. Tony Vecchio: "They develop a great bond with the elephants. If you could ever watch our elephant keepers with the animals you?d see what an incredible relationship they have cause they love those elephants." The zoo was fined in 2000 for numerous ankus wounds sustained by Rose-Tu. The zoo says it was an isolated incident. $19 million of the zoo bond would go to expand the elephant enclosure. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 02:47:59 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:47:59 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-racist protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB6E4F.10900@tesco.net> * DENMARK: Protesters storm asylum detention centre * SUDAN: Hausa clash with cops after racist comment by politician * NEW ZEALAND: Antifa, Nazis clash in Wellington * ITALY: Naples - anti-racist protest after murders * FRANCE: Self-immolation over deportation * UK: Man tries to jump during question time * INDIA: Mass anti-racist protests in Bihar after anti-migrant protests in Maharashtra; trains burnt, 1000 arrests * TANZANIA: Albinos stage protest against killings * CANADA: Protest over racist murder by police * INDIA: Bihar passenger hijacks bus over anti-migrant racism in Mumbai * BANGLADESH: Migrants clash with police after repression of march * US: Texas - protest plans over modern-day lynching * PHILIPPINES - UK: Protests at comedy about abuse of maids * US - Arizona - Arpaio protest at meeting * US - Chicago - rally against anti-Muslim beating * UK: Protest against racial profiling at airports * INDIA: Dimapur rally protests anti-Christian attacks * UK: Zimbabwean asylum-seekers demand right to work * ISRAEL: Ethiopian immigrants protest conditions at centre, fast * US: Colorado - event on Yom Kippur protested * INDIA: UP - Protest against communalism * US - INDIA: Chicago protest against India pogroms * US - Florida: Protest against persecution of Sikhs in prison * INDIA: Madurai - caste groups clash over apartheid wall http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2232067 Danish police arrest protestors 3:09PM Sunday October 26, 2008 Danish police arrested at least 43 people and used tear gas in clashes with hundreds of protesters outside a compound for asylum-seekers on Saturday. Activists said the aim of Saturday's demonstration was to protest against a restrictive Danish asylum system and try to close the Sandholm refugee centre. A spokesman for the North Zealand police said that at least 43 protesters had been arrested during the clashes, but that several had been released by Saturday evening. Organisers said about 1,500 people took part in the demonstration. It started peacefully but turned into a battle with police when some protesters tried to cut through the fence around the centre. Sandholm is a former military barracks 20 km north of Copenhagen. Run by the Red Cross, it houses about 500 immigrants. An asylum request in Denmark is usually processed in about six months, but rejected asylum-seekers who refuse to go home sometimes stay on in camps for years. About 2,000 immigrants live in centres like Sandholm in Denmark. http://greatphotojournalism.com/brianberg_series627.html PHOTOS http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081025/danish-police-fire-teargas-at-asylum-camp-protest.htm Danish police: 20 arrested at asylum camp protest By AP 25 October 2008 @ 12:28 pm EST Next Politics & Policy Article COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish police fired tear gas and arrested at least 20 activists Saturday during a large protest at the country's main camp for asylum-seekers. Police spokesman Henrik Suhr said there were no reports of injuries. A small group of protesters broke away and ran toward the camp fence. Police fired tear gas, and footage from Danish broadcaster TV2 showed clouds of smoke over the area. Suhr said between 1,000 and 1,500 people took part in the protest at Sandholm, a former military barracks-turned-asylum center 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Copenhagen. He said most dispersed after the arrests. The "Shut Down The Camp" action was staged to protest Denmark's treatment of refugees. Organizers said camps such as the one in Sandholm demonstrated "brutal and concrete manifestations of racism" by isolating refugees from society. Protesters said it was unacceptable for asylum-seekers to wait for years for their cases to be processed. Before the demonstration, organizers called for a nonviolent protest--but they still encouraged participants to cut down the camp fence, climb onto roofs and shut down control posts. Demonstration spokesman Emil Nielsen said police dispatched a helicopter and 200-300 officers to keep activists from entering the camp. Police would not confirm that. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article28970 Sudan tribesmen in violent clashes over alleged Bashir statements Sunday 19 October 2008 06:35. Printer-Friendly version Comments... October 18, 2008 (KHARTOUM) ? Members from a tribe in Eastern Sudan clashed with security forces following a news report which quoted Sudanese president as saying that they have no roots in the country. According to the independent Al-Ayaam newspaper Al-Bashir described the Hausa tribe as non-Sudanese and that ?there is no tribe in Sudan with that name?. The pro-government Akhir-Lahza newspaper said that scores were killed in Kassala state and many injured during the clashes. There were also material damages to properties and installation, the newspaper said. The official news agency (SUNA) published statements attributed to Al-Bashir denying that he made any such remarks. He also affirmed that ?the Hausa were one of the most coexisting and integrated tribes in society?. Al-Bashir accused some parties of attempting to deliberately ?fan the fire of sedition? and push the Hausa tribe to retaliate against the central government. Some officials have accused the opposition People Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan Al-Turabi of standing behind the report. The Sudanese head of state met with a delegation of the tribe after which their leaders issued a statement commending its outcome and called for self restraint. They further said that will file a lawsuit against the newspaper for publishing the report. The Hausa tribe exists in several other countries in West Africa. (ST) http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/690066 National Front, anti-fascist groups clash Stuff.co.nz Last updated 13:35 25/10/2008 Up to 120 people have been involved in a clash between National Front and anti-fascist demonstrators in Wellington today. The face off occurred after the National Front members went to the Cenotaph to commemorate what they called ?National Flag Day? only to find anti-fascist protesters already there, Radio New Zealand reported. The right-wing group then went on to the Seddon Memorial in Parliament grounds. Police formed a barricade between the groups and then broke up a scuffle which occurred when the anti-fascist protesters pursued National Front members to the railway station. While no-one was arrested during the scuffle, two anti-fascist protesters were arrested for disorderly behaviour for throwing items. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-04-voa14.cfm?CFID=259000488&CFTOKEN=32366208&jsessionid=8430588b49c0356247de27241226c132e375 Demonstrations, Police Crackdown Against Organized Crime in Italy By Sabina Castelfranco Rome 04 October 2008 Castelfranco report - Download (MP3) Castelfranco report - Listen (MP3) Over 10,000 people, many immigrants, demonstrated against racism on Saturday in the southern town of Caserta, near Naples. Meanwhile, the Italian government deployed some 500 soldiers in the area in efforts to combat the Camorra organized crime syndicate. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome. Immigrants are in despair following the slain of six Africans, one of them lying on ground, in Castelvolturno, near Naples, Italy, 18 Sep 2008 The Camorra has shown it has no intention of giving up its control of the territory in the area of Caserta, near Naples. Just two weeks ago members of the organized crime syndicate opened fire and gunned down six immigrants. There have been more killings since then, although not of immigrants. Italian police said the murders of the immigrants were connected to drug trafficking in the area, where it appears Africans have begun to deal independently and stopped paying kickbacks to the Camorra. A massive demonstration was held in Caserta Saturday morning against racism and against the Camorra. More than 10,000 people turned out. In addition to immigrants, who sang songs from their countries of origin - Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria - there were also many students, members of local associations and institutional leaders. This African immigrant, who took part in the demonstration, said the climate here after the killings has changed. It is no longer what it was like before. Now, he says, there is discrimination of immigrants and killings of immigrants. An Italian Army 'Folgore' corps paratrooper patrols the streets at a checkpoint in Castelvolturno, near Caserta, southern Italy, 04 Oct 2008 The Italian authorities have stepped up their fight against the Camorra. On Saturday 500 soldiers began their deployment in the area to provide assistance to the other police forces in the area. The troops are patrolling streets and manning checkpoints in Caserta. Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has said the aim is to preside and render visible the presence of the state. Just this week sweeping arrests were made against the mob in the area and Maroni said the Italian state is waging a war against the Camorra. He added pressure like never before is being exerted now on organized crime and that this pressure will be kept up until the war is won. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081004193733.uzon8d7l&show_article=1 Thousands protest against racism in Italy Oct 4 03:37 PM US/Eastern Write a Comment Protestors hold a banner reading "Stop racism" during a demo... Thousands of people demonstrated against racism near Rome's coliseum on Saturday in the wake of a series of violent assaults on immigrants in Italy. Hundreds of Chinese immigrants were among those who took part in the demonstration, two days after a 36-year-old man from China was beaten up by a group of teenagers in the Italian capital. Demonstrators also held pictures of six African immigrants who were killed by mafia gunmen on September 18 in the southern town of Castel Volturno. Meanwhile, another 5,000 people demonstrated against racism in Caserta, near Castel Volturno, ANSA news agency reported. In Rome, placards were also held up in memory of Abdul Guievre, a 19-year-old Italian of Burkina Faso origin, who was beaten to death with a metal bar by two bar managers on September 14 in Milan. According to witnesses, the two men shouted racial epithets as they pummelled the victim. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, during a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday, expressed concern about "worrisome new manifestations of racism" in Italy and Europe. Gianfranco Fini, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, proposed the creation of a parliamentary panel on racism. The leader of the leftwing Democratic party, Walter Veltroni, said the fight against racism would be a theme of the opposition's October 25 demonstration against the government of conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012709029 Sixty Year Old Woman Dies After Self-Immolation Protest In France ShareThis October 19, 2008 10:23 a.m. EST AHN Staff Paris, France (AHN) - Josiane Nardi, a 60-year-old French woman, died on Sunday morning at a hospital in Tours after being seriously burned from the self-immolation, the local officials said. She set herself on fire on Saturday in front of the prison in the western city of Le Mans during a protest on a decision by the authorities to deport her companion back to Armenia. Some of the witnesses of the incident were shocked to see her burning right in front of the detention center where the 31-year-old Henrik Orujyan was held to serve two years for different crimes. Reports said he will be expelled from the country after he is released from the prison. Nardi was immediately rushed to the hospital where doctors said that she suffered third degree burns to almost her entire body and her condition was declared to be "very serious." Two journalists, who were among other witnesses at the site of incident, were in a state of shock and one of them was being treated for the burns on his hand as the tried to save Nardi. Movement against racism and for friendship between peoples (MRAP), a French human rights group, said the action by Josiane Nardi was "an act of absolute despair." Deportation of Orujyan is part of a measure taken by the French government to deport as many as 25,000 illegal immigrants living in the country by the end of this year. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/protester-threatens-to-jump-during-question-time/2008/10/22/1224351331470.html Protester threatens to jump during question time October 22, 2008 - 2:44PM Parliament House security guards had to wrestle down a man who was threatening to jump from the public gallery to the floor of the House of Representatives. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard had just begun answering a question when the man started yelling, and leapt across public gallery seats to the ledge. The man called out "20 years without a visa, 10 days without food" as he teetered on the edge. "Shame on you, try some humanity and do something," three people with the man also yelled out. Security guards raced to the spot and wrestled him off the ledge, sending others in the public gallery running to get out of the way. Guards then carried the man out of the public gallery. His friends were also escorted out. The incident caused only minor delay to proceedings, but stunned the house into silence. After the man was bundled away, outspoken Liberal MP Wilson Tuckey called out to Speaker Harry Jenkins: "There you are, Harry, that's how you quieten things down." AAP http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102354940500.htm Other States - Bihar Anti-MNS protesters go on the rampage in Bihar Patna: In a backlash against attacks on North Indians by activists of Raj Thackeray?s MNS in Mumbai, angry students in Bihar torched a train, vandalised railway stations and disrupted road and train traffic, prompting police to fire in air. Hundreds of protesters descended on the Barh railway station in rural Patna demanding that Thackeray be tried for sedition and set ablaze an AC coach of the Danapur-Durg South Bihar Express, Superintendent of Railway Police (Patna) D N Gupta told PTI. The fire soon spread to adjoining sleeper coaches, but no one was injured. ?Five coaches of the train have been set on fire on the station. All passengers are safe,? Chief PRO of Eastern Railways A K Chandra said. Government Railway Police, Railway Protection Force and armed police baton-charged the mob, which soon dispersed. Violence spread to other parts of the State including Sasaram, the headquarters of Rohtas district, where police fired three rounds in the air to quell a group of stone-pelting students, who blocked the tracks since 5 a.m., Superintendent of Police Vikas Vaibhav said. The agitators detached the engine of the Gaya-Patna passenger train at Jehanabad and smashed the window panes of a ticket counter on the platform. They also obstructed train traffic and blocked the road in front of the railway station. District Magistrate Sanjay Agarwal and Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj failed to persuade the agitators to call off their stir and ordered a baton-charge to disperse them after trains were held up for more than three hours. The protesters ransacked the Nawada railway station and set a generator on fire. -- PTI http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/421545/cs/1/ Train bogeys burnt in anti-Thackeray protests in Bihar India Gazette Wednesday 22nd October, 2008 (IANS) Angry mobs, comprising mostly students, Wednesday set ablaze some coaches of three trains, blocked railway traffic and damaged public property in various parts of Bihar in protest against assaults on Biharis by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists in Maharashtra. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Wednesday evening held a meeting with top officials to take stock of the situation. He called an all-party meet Thursday evening to discuss the issue and appealed people, particularly students, to maintain peace. The police said protesters targeted railway stations in Patna, Jehanabad, Barh, Khusrupur, Fatuha, Saharsa, Ara, Sitamarhi, Sasaram, Purnia and Bhagalpur. At the Khusrupur railway station, an agitated mob delinked the engine of an express train blocking the traffic. According to the railway police, at least 25 students were detained in the morning from various places and extra security was deployed to control the situation. The rail traffic on the Delhi-Howrah link was the worst hit. The police opened fire and cane-charged a mob in Sasaram where a track was blocked disrupting railway traffic on the Delhi-Howrah route, according to police. Some protesters tried to set ablaze a train in Sasaram and threw stones at security forces, railway sources said. Two AC and four general coaches of the Durg-Danapur Express were set ablaze at the Barh railway station. The protesting students also damaged ticket counters and vandalised platforms there. Protesters also set ablaze an AC bogie of the Patna-Kosi Express at Athamal Gola in Patna district. Mobs also broke glass panes of windows of government offices at different places. The police baton-charged and opened fire to disperse the protesters, but the protests continued. The students were protesting the attacks by MNS activists on north Indian candidates, particularly from Bihar, who were appearing at a railway recruitment examination in Mumbai Sunday. Youths who returned to Bihar Tuesday after being assaulted in Mumbai alleged that a candidate was killed by Raj Thackeray-led MNS supporters in Mumbai. Pawan Kumar, 25, a resident of Bara-Khurd village in Nalanda district, about 100 km from here, was one of the hundreds of students from Bihar appearing for the exam in Maharashtra. Police at the Patna railway station have filed a first information report (FIR) against Thackeray and his supporters for the assault on the students from Bihar. 'A case was registered on the basis of the statement of the students who returned here Tuesday after being assaulted by MNS activists,' said D.N. Gupta, superintendent railway police (Patna). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Protest_against_MNS_continues_in_Bihar/rssarticleshow/3638657.cms Protest against MNS continues in Bihar 25 Oct 2008, 0150 hrs IST, TNN Angry Biharis continued to throw stones and damage shops owned by their own brethren for the fourth day running on Friday, in protest against the attacks on job-seekers from the state in Maharashtra by MNS goons. While the intensity of the protests waned substantially, the fact that the rage of Bihari students is still simmering, continues to spell bad news for people travelling through Bihar with trains hit by delays and disruption. In Patna, anti-MNS protesters, armed with bricks and sticks, smashed glass panes of some shops and pulled down arches put up by shopkeepers for Diwali. Some of them also pelted stones on the police outpost. The agitating youths, however, dispersed as soon as the police reached the spot. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081025150304.v58e4alx&show_article=1 India police arrest 1,000 student at Bihar protest Oct 25 11:03 AM US/Eastern Write a Comment Police arrested more than 1,000 students in India's eastern Bihar state on Saturday after their protests over the release on bail of a firebrand politician turned violent. Raj Thackeray was arrested on Monday for allegedly inciting violence against migrant workers travelling from poor states like Bihar to the Indian financial capital Mumbai, but was freed two days later. Students in Bihar enforced a strike on Saturday in protest against his release, attacking several railway stations, blocking national highways and clashing with police in some areas of the state. "We are protesting against Raj Thackeray's hooliganism," said student leader Awadesh Lalu who was later arrested. "We will protest until action is taken against him and he is jailed again." At least 1,021 students arrested across the state, police officer Anil Kumar Sinha told AFP. Some 20 cases have been filed against the 40-year-old politician in connection with the attacks last Sunday on north Indians who had come to Mumbai in search of jobs on the railways. The attacks were allegedly carried out by activists from his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) or New Maharashtra Army party incensed at what they saw as under-representation of local people in the recruitment process. The MNS strongly supports jobs for people from western Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, and promotes the use of the local Marathi language and culture. Their stance frequently puts the MNS at odds with wider efforts to encourage a stronger national identity and a mobile workforce. Thackeray's arrest sparked fierce clashes between police and supporters who demanded his release. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, buses and businesses were attacked while three people died in rioting in the town of Kalyan, northeast of Mumbai. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Patna/Students_ransack_Bihar_railway_station_to_protest_MNS_attacks/articleshow/3639823.cms Over 50 arrested for violence in Bihar 25 Oct 2008, 1110 hrs IST, AGENCIES PATNA: More than 50 people were arrested and about a dozen injured in clashes with police in Bihar on Saturday in protests against attacks on non-Maharashtrians in Mumbai, police said. Various student organisations have given a call for a Bihar shutdown to protest the attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere by Maharashtra Navnirnam Sena (MNS) activists on non-Maharashtrian candidates appearing for railway recruitment examinations. Protesters vandalized railway stations, blocked rail and road traffic and caused shops to shut down in the eastern state of Bihar, as police struggled to control street violence for a sixth day in a row. ( Watch ) Migrant workers from Bihar said they were attacked and thrown out of Mumbai over the last week by supporters of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS). Protesters in one district of Bihar squatted on railways lines and unscrewed the engine of a passenger train, demanding the punishment of the MNS leader, who was arrested on Tuesday for rioting and provoking attacks on migrants but later released on bail. The protesters were later dispersed by baton-wielding police. "The protesters tried to take possession of a train engine and blocked railway lines but we have driven them away", senior police official Rajesh Kumar said. Police sources said that hundreds of students virtually laid siege to Shekhpura railway station, 100 km from here, and ransacked it. Police used batons to charge at the crowd after the students threw stones at them, district police officials said. In Patna, things were normal since morning with heavy deployment of security forces. Traffic on the roads was normal, but most educational institutions remained closed. Anticipating trouble, the district administration had deployed extra police and security forces all around. "We have deployed 5,000 police personnel and directed them to use force against trouble makers and not allow anyone to create violence," Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said. On Wednesday, students' organisations had demanded that ministers and parliamentarians from Bihar resign en masse over the issue. On Friday, hundreds of slogan shouting students blocked roads and attempted to forcibly shut down shops in Patna. Protests by students were also reported from Motihari, Bettiah, Sheikhpura and Gaya districts. After three days of widespread violent protests that saw railway stations being ransacked and the movement of at least 200 trains affected, a semblance of normalcy had returned on Friday. Railways started operating most trains from Patna and Danapur railway stations. But they continued to run behind time. In the last five days, over half a dozen complaints have been filed across Bihar against MNS chief Raj Thackeray. The father of Pawan Kumar, a youth who was allegedly killed by MNS activists in Mumbai, filed a murder case against Raj Thackeray Friday in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Biharsharif, the district headquarters of Nalanda, about 100 km from here, court sources said. Earlier, the police at Patna railway station filed a first information report (FIR) against Raj Thackeray and his supporters for the assault on students from Bihar. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE49O0M220081025 Over 50 arrested in India migrant violence Sat Oct 25, 2008 2:37am EDT PATNA (Reuters) - More than 50 people were arrested and about a dozen injured in clashes with police in eastern India on Saturday in protests against attacks on migrants in the financial hub of Mumbai, police said. Protesters vandalized railway stations, blocked rail and road traffic and caused shops to shut down in the eastern state of Bihar, as police struggled to control street violence for a sixth day in a row. Migrant workers from Bihar said they were attacked and thrown out of Mumbai over the last week by supporters of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS), a militant Hindu group. Protesters in one district of Bihar squatted on railways lines and unscrewed the engine of a passenger train, demanding the punishment of the MNS leader, who was arrested on Tuesday for rioting and provoking attacks on migrants but later released on bail. The protesters were later dispersed by baton-wielding police. "The protesters tried to take possession of a train engine and blocked railway lines but we have driven them away," senior police official Rajesh Kumar told Reuters. Many residents chose to stay indoors as the violence caused banks, businesses and schools to shut down. The MNS is fuelling anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of national and local elections due next year and trying to hold on to its Marathi support, some political commentators say. That in turn has provoked tit-for-tat violence in northern and eastern India, a sign of the strains that inequality is placing on society as parts of the country's economy booms. (Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by David Fox) http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/22/india.riots/index.html?eref=rss_latest October 22, 2008 -- Updated 0856 GMT (1656 HKT) NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Mobs barged into a railway station in the eastern Indian state of Bihar Wednesday and set two passenger cars on fire to retaliate against alleged attacks on Biharis in another state, police said. Police arrested a dozen people, said Amit Kumar, senior superintendent of police of in Bihar's capital, Patna. The train was on its way to the capital from the neighboring state of Jharkhand when protesters, mostly students, set two of its cars on fire after the train stopped at a railway station, Kumar added. The attackers were protesting alleged assaults on Bihar natives in the western state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital, Mumbai, he said For months, a local politician in Maharashtra has railed against natives of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, saying they have been coming to his state and taking jobs that should rightfully go to Maharashtrians. The politician, Raj Thackeray, heads the nationalist Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which promotes the use of Marathi language and culture. His firebrand speeches have sometimes incited followers to attack migrant workers, mostly cab drivers, in Mumbai. Police arrested Thackeray on Tuesday for inciting riots. His arrest, in turn, spurred more riots as angry supporters clashed with police. Watch Thackeray in custody ? In retaliation, Biharis attacked the train Wednesday -- even though there is not a significant population of Maharashtrians in their state. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102261721200.htm Bihar students protest MNS attack Darbhanga: Students in Bihar on Tuesday blocked train and vehicular traffic to protest the attack on North Indians by Raj Thackeray?s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Hundreds of students squatted on the Darbhanga-Samastipur railway line near Donar for more than 30 minutes after they received information that eight of the examinees from here were mercilessly assaulted by MNS activists in Maharashtra, police said. A train on the route was held up for about half-an-hour due to the agitation, sources said, adding police later used mild force to get the track cleared. The agitators then headed for Donar Chowk where they brought vehicular traffic to a halt by burning tyres. A bus, which happened to pass by, was attacked by the students, who smashed the windscreen and window panes. Teams from Sadar and Town Police Station rushed to the spot and persuaded the agitators to lift the blockade after about an hour of chaotic scenes. In Patna, where hundreds of students arrived from Mumbai, lodged complaints with the government railway police accusing MNS activists of having beaten them up and looted valuables. They alleged that the Mumbai police refused to entertain their complaints. ? PTI We have called MNS bluff: Congress New Delhi Special Correspondent writes: The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the arrest of Raj Thackeray showed that the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance would not allow political fringes to hijack the country?s basic principles of federalism, secularism and fraternity. ?The Congress has unequivocally condemned such scurrilous behaviour not only by Raj Thackeray but also by those who share and practise the philosophy he represents. Such utterances, particularly divisive and inflammatory politics, has no place in a proud democracy like India,? party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. By arresting the MNS leader, the UPA has called Mr. Thackeray?s bluff that dared the Maharashtra government to face the consequences. Mr. Singhvi said the Congress-led government in Maharashtra accepted the challenge, arrested the MNS leader and produced him in a court of law. ?The government intends to prosecute Mr. Thackeray and will oppose every step he takes to legitimise his stand.? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7678507.stm Sunday, 19 October 2008 15:02 UK Tanzanian albinos stage protest Many albinos are living in fear of their lives Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has met albinos protesting against the killing of members of their community. Organisers of the demonstration in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, urged the government to do more to protect albinos. About 30 - some of them babies - have been killed over the past year. Witchdoctors want their body parts for potions which they say make people rich. Dozens of people have been held in connection with the deaths. One of the organisers of Sunday's protest, Ernest Kimaya, said its aim was "to show our concerns regarding the brutal murder of our community". He added: "We also feel that the government has not yet given the matter due attention." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081012/montreal_protest_081011/20081012?hub=Canada Protesters demand inquiry into police shooting Updated Sun. Oct. 12 2008 7:29 AM ET The Canadian Press MONTREAL -- Montreal police braced for trouble -- but it never came. About 600 people marched through the city's north end yesterday demanding an inquiry into the police shooting death of 18-year old Freddy Villanueva. The August 9th shooting sparked a night of rioting and violence in the neighbourhood. One of the people who organized yesterday's protest was a member of an anti-police brutality group linked to the August riot. Villanueva's family members also marched, along with the family of Quilem Registre, who died after being Tasered by Montreal police last fall. Police were out in force to keep a lid on any possible trouble, but the protest ended peacefully. The marchers also demanded an end to racial profiling and police brutality, and more help for Montreal's poor. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7694498.stm Tuesday, 28 October 2008 India bus killing sparks protests A passenger was injured in the firing A number of senior Indian politicians have protested against the killing of a migrant job seeker by police in the city of Mumbai (Bombay). Police said Rahul Raj, from Bihar, shot and injured a bus passenger as he tried to hijack the vehicle, demanding to meet local politician Raj Thackeray. Mr Thackeray has been accused of inciting violence against migrants. Some senior politicians have demanded an investigation, saying police could easily have disarmed him. Rahul Raj, who was in his early 20s, had come to Mumbai recently to look for a job, according to his father, Kundan Pratap Singh. Mr Singh denied that his son had hijacked the bus, and that there was "something more" to the incident. PM's concern News channels showed footage of the man brandishing a revolver and asking for a mobile phone from passengers in the half-empty bus. At least 15 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time. Mr Thackeray says jobs should be given to locals The police said he fired inside the bus, injuring one passenger. Senior politicians from Bihar state, including the federal railway minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, expressed shock at the shooting and demanded a judicial probe into the incident. "The boy did not look like a terrorist. So [the police] could have captured the boy. The police could have spoken to him on the phone and negotiated with him," Mr Yadav said. Bihar's chief minister Nitish Kumar has said the boy could have been disarmed and arrested. But Maharashtra's interior minister, RR Patil, defended the police action, saying that no "unstable person can hold hostages with the help of a revolver". Some reports said that Indian PM Manmohan Singh had expressed concern over the incident and spoken to Maharashtra's chief minister "to ensure" the security of migrant workers in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray is the leader of the right-wing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party and was granted bail last week after being accused of incitement. His party has been accused of several attacks on migrant workers in recent months. Students in Bihar paralysed rail services last week in protest at the ill-treatment they say Biharis have received from the MNS. The unrest in Maharashtra has forced many migrants to leave their neighbourhoods, but Mr Thackeray has consistently denied inciting it. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=57279 Published On: 2008-10-05 National 13 hurt as Bangalees clash with law enforcers Samo Odhikar blames PCJSS for Friday's alleged arson Our Correspondent, Rangamati At least 13 people including law enforcers were injured in a clash between police-BDR and Bengalee settlers at Mrishya Bazar in Baghaichhari upazila yesterday. The clash ensued as both police and BDR obstructed a procession brought out by Bengalee settlers under banner of Samo Odhikar Andolan (SOA). They brought out the procession protesting arson and attack on Bengalee settlers at Charmile, about five kilometre off Marishya Bazar Friday night, police said. Processionists and law enforcers chased and counter chased each others injuring five BDR members, four policemen, Samo Odhikar Baghaichhari unit president Selim Bahari and three of its members. All of them were admitted to Baghaichhari Upazila Health Complex, police said. Earlier, 14 houses were burnt to ashes by a gang of unidentified criminals at Charmile. Bengalee settlers blamed Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) for the incident. But PCJSS denied the allegations. Two SOA activists were arrested. http://a.abcnews.com/US/wireStory?id=6109563 At Service, Activists Decry Texas Dragging Death Nation of Islam, New Black Panthers promise protests over prosecution of Texas dragging death By JEFF CARLTON Associated Press Writer PARIS, Texas October 25, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Jacquline McClelland poses with a photo of her son Brandon McClelland, Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, in... (AP) Members of the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panthers and the NAACP on Saturday promised protests to bring more attention to the killing of an east Texas man whose death recalls, for some, a notorious decade-old hate crime. Speaker after speaker at a memorial service said they disagreed with the district attorney's stance that Brandon McClelland's death was not racially motivated. "If this is not a hate crime, then there is no such thing as a hate crime," said Krystal Muhammad of the New Black Panthers. "Even though our brother was viciously slain, we will not let him die in vain." Two white men, accused of running McClelland down and dragging his body about 70 feet beneath their pickup, remain jailed on murder charges. They face up to life in prison if convicted. Authorities have cast doubt on theories that the attack was a hate crime but said they will take another look when autopsy results become available this week. A determination of racial bias in a crime can increase penalties, but not for the murder charges these defendants face. Still, a finding of racial bias in McClelland's killing could make a powerful statement. And Deric Muhammad of the Nation of Islam called McClelland's death an "exact copycat" of the 1998 James Byrd case. Byrd, a black man in Jasper, about 200 miles south of Paris, was chained by the ankles to the back of a pickup by three white supremacists and dragged for three miles. Two of the killers are on death row; the third is serving a life sentence. McClelland died after going with two white friends on a late-night beer run across the state line to Oklahoma. On the way back, authorities said, McClelland argued with the two suspects ? Shannon Keith Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, both 27. He left the pickup to walk home. Authorities said that the men then ran him over and that his body was dragged beneath the truck. His body was discovered Sept. 16. McClelland's mother said fragments of her son's skull could still be found three days later. Crostley and Finley are jailed on charges of murder and evidence-tampering. Finley's attorney did not immediately respond to a voice mail message Saturday, and a call to a listing for Crostley's attorney was not answered. A truck down Farm Road 2648 past a wreath that sits near where Brandon McClelland died, Friday, Oct.... (AP) Unlike the Byrd case, there is no evidence that McClelland was tied or chained to the truck. Officials also point out that McClelland was friends with the two murder suspects. In an odd twist, McClelland served jail time after pleading guilty to perjury for providing a false alibi for Finley in the latter's murder trial in 2004. Finley eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter. "What this case shows is that if a white person wants to lynch a black man, all they have to do is befriend him first," Deric Muhammad said. Officials said they have uncovered no evidence that Finley, who served time for manslaughter, had joined a white supremacist gang while in prison. "There is nothing about that in his prison records, and there are no tattoos on his body" that would indicate Finley had joined such a gang, said Allan Hubbard, a spokesman for the Lamar County and District Attorney's office. Finley does have a tattoo of a Paris-area gang that includes blacks and whites, Hubbard said. "There is nothing racially motivated in the state's eyes about this murder," Hubbard said. The differences between the Byrd and McClelland cases were dismissed at the memorial service, which also served as a meeting to organize future protests. Speakers chanted "No justice, no peace," "Power to the people" and "Never again," and condemned Paris as a racist town. "The time has come for a black man's life to be equal to a white man's life," said Anthony Bond, founder of the Irving chapter of the NAACP. "Whatever happens in Paris affects every other person in America." The service later moved to a two-lane road lined by farms, where McClelland's torn body was found. Family members and activists from across the state placed flowers and wreaths at a spot alongside the road where white spray paint indicated where authorities had located body parts. Bobby McCleary spoke movingly of his dead son, who called him "Pops." Jacquline McClelland wipes her face while talking about her son, Brandon McClelland, Friday, Oct.... (AP) "A couple of times, I've found myself calling him just to see what he is doing," he said. "I just want to hear 'Pops' one more time from my son." http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1007/190389.html Philippines protests at BBC's comedy show involving Filipino maid 2008-10-07 14:33:53 GMT2008-10-07 22:33:53 (Beijing Time) xinhuanet MANILA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government protested a popular comedy program aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for allegedly humiliating a Filipino maid, reports said on Tuesday. Officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippine embassy in London has sent letters to different British government offices, including the Mayor of London, and the BBC itself to protest the "slur" on Filipino domestic workers in Britain. Besides, British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham was summoned to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs by Secretary Alberto Romulo to discuss the matter, the Philippine News Agency reported. The protest came after BBC aired an episode of the TV show "Harry and Paul" on Sept. 26, in which a woman playing the character of a Filipino housemaid was ordered by her employer "Harry" to dancing lasciviously in front of his friend "Paul." "It was revolting. It was disgusting and an insensitive and racist attempt to satirize a scene of exploitation," said Risa Hontiveros, a Philippine lawmaker, demanding an apology from the BBC. She said that "by making a horrible scene of exploitation an object of ridicule, the show trivializes an act of abuse commonly experienced by Filipina workers abroad." The BBC did not comment immediately but the British Embassy in Manila issued a statement saying the BBC has editorial independence and the views expressed and portrayed by the network "are completely independent" from the government. It said Filipinos in Britain "are an important part of British society, making invaluable contributions to our scientific and service sectors, and enriching UK culture." There are some 200,000 Filipinos working and living the United Kingdom. "If this particular item has upset people in the Filipino community and seen them as offensive, it's something that we regret," Ambassador Beckingham told reporters after meeting with Secretary Romulo on Tuesday afternoon. Beckingham said that programs of the BBC are independently-produced and are outside of government interference, a suggestion that government is not in the position to apologize for the company. "But obviously as a government, we hope the media always respects the human rights and dignity of ethnic groups, minority groups, particularly religious groups," he said. It was the second time in recent months that Filipinos reacted vehemently against their negative portrayal on major foreign television. Last year, Filipinos were offended by the American Broadcasting Co. and made the U.S. television giant apologize and deleted the controversial segment from its TV show "Desperate Housewives." http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/16/20081016supervisorprotest1016.html Arpaio protest at meeting ends peacefully 143 comments by Yvonne Wingett - Oct. 16, 2008 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic Wednesday's protest of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at a county meeting was muted, compared with past protests and demonstrations by members of the Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability. Wearing duct tape over their months and T-shirts saying "He's finished," several dozen people turned out for a news conference to criticize the sheriff. The group issued a report card on him, giving him passing grades on "showmanship and self-promotion, and arresting citizens for speaking out," and failing grades for "effective law enforcement" and "responsible use of taxpayer dollars." The group peacefully gathered outside of a meeting by the county's Board of Supervisors as protective service officials and sheriff's deputies watched on. "This is politics," Arpaio said. "They just don't want me to be sheriff, and they don't want me to enforce the illegal immigration laws. When I get re-elected, I will change nothing. I'm happy to see everything went along OK, so we didn't have to make any arrests." Last month, a leader of the citizen's group was arrested after refusing to leave public property when ordered by a sheriff's deputy. Over the summer, the group has drawn several hundred protesters to county meetings to speak out against Arpaio's policies. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/09/20081009arpaioprotest1009-ON.html 'Joe Arizona' is back to mock Joe Arpaio 588 comments by JJ Hensley - Oct. 9, 2008 04:07 PM The Arizona Republic Joe Arizona has returned to engage his old foe Joe Arpaio just in time for election season. Nick Tarr, an actor who plays a character named "Joe Arizona" that mocks Arpaio, stepped up to a podium on the steps of the Old County Courthouse just after noon Thursday, and joined the chorus of Arpaio critics who set up shop each day on the corner of First Avenue and Washington Street. For Tarr, it's personal. Arpaio's deputies detained Tarr, dressed as Joe Arizona, in 2002 for impersonating a police officer when Tarr donned a partial sheriff's uniform and some pink boxers to hand out leaflets supporting a proposition that would allow slot machines at dog-and-horse tracks in the Valley. Arpaio opposed the measure and sheriff's deputies arrested Tarr on a street corner in downtown Phoenix. "I was just doing my job," Tarr said. "I was a good example of (Arpaio's) ridiculous abuse of power." On Thursday afternoon Tarr was back at it on the steps of the courthouse, wearing his familiar garb and promising to be a menace for the next four weeks to his nemesis, Arpaio. The protest masquerading as a press conference was over in less than 10 minutes, with Tarr espousing platitudes that are now familiar to critics of the Sheriff's Office: excessive spending on lawsuits, extravagant spending on office space in the Wells Fargo Building and the number of open felony warrants in the county. Arpaio easily dismissed his foil. ?Joe Arizona is an actor comedian and in these ads is acting like a clown. Nothing he says in these ads has an impact on me or my office in any way,? Arpaio stated in a written release. An independent expenditure group called Arizonans for Professional Law Enforcement asked Tarr to reprise the role that ultimately earned him a $125,000 settlement from the county for the actions of sheriff's deputies who detained him in 2002. The group is also planning to run nearly 175 TV advertisements through the weekend, all starring Tarr and raising questions about Arpaio's record. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/11/local/chi-elmhurst-folo-both-11oct11 Archive for Saturday, October 11, 2008 Elmhurst College rallies in support of Muslim student attacked by masked man Sophomore was hit at Elmhurst College By Gerry Smith and Russell Working October 11, 2008 Tensions that had been boiling at Elmhurst College spilled over this week amid reports that a Muslim student had been physically assaulted by a masked gunman. The 19-year-old sophomore said she was hit with a gun in a bathroom in the college?s science center Thursday night, authorities said. Anti-Muslim graffiti was written on the wall, authorities said, similar to a threat written on the same student?s locker the week before that said: ?Die Muslims, Rid us of your filth.? As officials at the private college affiliated with the United Church of Christ on Friday called the incident a hate crime, hundreds of students rallied to show solidarity with their Muslim peers, who constitute about 25 of the school?s 3,300 students. Elmhurst police are investigating, but declined to comment. Friends said the student had hired a lawyer, who did not return calls for comment. A college spokesman said authorities have not found any witnesses of the attacker, who was described by the woman as a 5-foot-8 male wearing a mask and gloves. The woman?s father said Friday that she said the gunman asked her: ? ?Now who is going to protect you?? ? He said his daughter replied: ? ?God will protect me? . You can kill me, but you cannot take my soul.? ? Students have reported tensions on campus since students held a Sept. 18 rally to protest the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and several witnesses reported that three female Muslim students, including the woman who reported the attack, were harassed and verbally threatened. Since then, ?it?s all kind of spiraled out of control,? said Soofia Ahmed, president of the Muslim Students Association. After students were outraged by the graffiti on the woman?s locker, they staged a second rally Thursday, and the woman read a poem she had written about the events. Afterward, she said she was attacked. ?This is a blow against our entire community,? Elmhurst College President Alan Ray told students at Friday?s rally. Carly Notorangelo, a friend of the woman, said she received a text message from her at 8:47 p.m. that said: ?Emergency,? and referenced the Schaible Science Center. Notorangelo said she found her friend lying face down, unconscious with her glasses knocked off. There was no blood, she said. She called campus security and 911. Another friend of the woman said she sought treatment at an area hospital. Ray said the college is beefing up security, including foot and car patrols by Elmhurst police and campus security offering to escort Muslim students around the campus. Tribune reporters Steve Schmadeke and Jeremy Gorner also contributed to this report. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7669187.stm Tuesday, 14 October 2008 13:51 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protest over Muslim 'harassment' Protesters accuse the authorities of "psychological torture". A protest has been staged outside Strathclyde Police headquarters over alleged "harassment" of Muslim travellers at Glasgow Airport. About 60 demonstrators claimed that Pakistani and Afghan passengers had been "interrogated" for up to three hours by officers from Special Branch. They accused police of operating "discriminatory policies". Strathclyde Police said it welcomed dialogue over the implementation of terrorism legislation. President of the Scottish Afghan Society, Mohammad Asif, said Strathclyde Police had a duty to treat Muslim passengers like "human beings". "Muslim community members have been singled out for questioning for no apparent reason other than being Afghan or Pakistani," he said. The authorities treat us like terrorists, as well as putting pressure on Afghans to become informers and spies Mohammad Asif Scottish Afghan Society "This treatment is unacceptable in a democracy and we are fed up with the discriminatory policies of Strathclyde Police Special Branch. "We cannot bear the psychological torture anymore. The authorities treat us like terrorists, as well as putting pressure on Afghans to become informers and spies, but we are not going to be intimidated and pressurised." Strathclyde Police issued a statement saying that a study was under way into the application of terrorism legislation at ports in Scotland. The statement said: "This is to ensure that these powers are used effectively and are enforced with due regard to community impact and, at the same time, promote understanding and support. "This study is being carried out under the direction of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. "In that regard we would welcome dialogue from anyone in the community who may have concerns regarding how the legislation is implemented." http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-32712.html Dimapur rally protests anti-Christian attacks Kohima, Oct 14 : A peaceful rally, organised by the Christian Forum of Dimapur, protested the atrocities committed on minorities across the country. The rally was carried out yesterday in collaboration with the Naga Council, Dimapur Naga Students' Union (DNSU), Naga Women Hoho, Nagaland Theological College Association and All Nagaland Private School Association and addressed by the leaders of the organisations. The speakers condemned the injustice meted out to the minorities in many parts of the country. They also voiced their resentment against the majority fundamentalist groups. Rev Daniel Shayan chaired the rally and said the minorities could take up arms to defend themselves, but they do not want to ascribe to violence. --- UNI http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKTRE50C68120090113 Zimbabwe asylum-seekers demand right to work in UK Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:42pm GMT By Martina Fuchs LONDON (Reuters) - Zimbabweans seeking asylum in Britain handed in their resumes at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office on Tuesday in a protest against a ban on them working. Hundreds of Zimbabweans took part in a demonstration to demand the right to work in Britain and to acquire the skills needed to rebuild their devastated country. A six-strong delegation went to Brown's Downing St office with the resumes. Supporters say around 11,000 Zimbabweans, many of them opponents of President Robert Mugabe, have sought asylum in Britain. Thousands of them have had their applications for asylum refused and fear reprisals if they go home. The government says people with pending asylum applications may not work as it would encourage others to lodge bogus claims. "Zimbabweans in this country are in a state of limbo. They should be allowed to work ... so that they can go back with skills in their bags once Mugabe has gone," Kate Hoey, a ruling Labour Party lawmaker, told demonstrators. Protesters, some wrapped in Zimbabwean flags, waved banners saying "No work, no life" and played the drums. Some wore t-shirts backing Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change or the slogan "Mugabe Go!." Millions of Zimbabweans have fled, mostly to neighbouring countries, as the economy has collapsed under Mugabe's 29-year rule. While Mugabe and the opposition are deadlocked over a power-sharing deal, cholera has killed 2,000 people. Lorna Chivandire, who worked as a lab scientist in Harare before leaving for Britain in 2002, said: "I would like so much to work in my profession again, or at least contribute to the community where I could do wonders and help people. I just want to work and have a decent life." The protest was organised by pressure group Citizens for Sanctuary which is calling for Zimbabweans to be allowed to work in Britain until it is safe for them to return home. A spokeswoman for the UK Border Agency, which oversees immigration, said the government considered each asylum application on its merits. "Those who are not at risk will not be granted asylum and we expect to return home," she said. (Editing by Louise Ireland) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1222017499186 Oct 10, 2008 0:30 | Updated Oct 10, 2008 1:34 Ethiopians insist on Kippur protest By RUTH EGLASH Despite reassurances that things at the Jewish Agency-run absorption center on Kibbutz Beit Alfa, near Beit She'an, would change starting as soon as next week, 33 Ethiopian immigrants spent the Yom Kippur fast outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem protesting what they see as unacceptable conditions at the center. Just hours before the fast began, the agency, in coordination with the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the National Insurance Institute, issued a statement pledging to provide the more than 500 Ethiopian immigrants with emergency aid starting Sunday. Jewish Agency chairman Ze'ev Bielski called on the people, including more than 100 young children, who had already spent two cold nights sleeping in the capital's streets, to return to the absorption center in time for the holiday. The agency provided several buses to take them home, as well as food packages to last them through next week. The immigrants claim that they have not received government benefits for the last few months and that because the absorption center is fairly isolated, there is no chance for them to find work or an additional income. Some of the people claim they have absolutely no resources with which to feed their children. Following the first year as new immigrants, funding from the Immigrant Absorption Ministry ends and benefits are supposed to come from the NII. Most of the Ethiopian immigrants have been in Israel for more than a year. A spokesman for the Immigrant Absorption Ministry admitted there had been a delay in the NII payments but said that a small advance had already been handed out to the immigrants. A spokesman for the Jewish Agency told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that some of the immigrants' claims were unfounded, but he added that the agency would do all it could to make their lives more comfortable and attempt to solve their problems. Avi Masfin, spokesman of the Israel Association of Ethiopian Jews, a nonprofit organization that has been helping the immigrants since they arrived in Jerusalem on Monday, said that the 33 people who had remained in Jerusalem over Yom Kippur were dubious that the authorities would really follow through on their promises to change the situation at the absorption center. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1222017492953 Oct 7, 2008 22:25 | Updated Oct 7, 2008 22:48 Ethiopian olim protest conditions at Beit Alfa absorption center By RUTH EGLASH Some 300 Ethiopian Israelis, including more than 100 young children, spent Monday night outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem protesting poor conditions at the Jewish Agency-run Beit Alfa Absorption Center where they live and to highlight a breakdown in financial aid that has left them without food for their youngsters. Ethiopian olim protest outside the Prime Minister's Office. Photo: Avi Masfin/Israel Assocaition for Ethiopian Jews Slideshow: Pictures of the week "We are literally dying of thirst and hunger," said Zavak Kasa Avka, a 37-year-old father of five who has been living at the center for exactly a year. "The absorption center is isolated and there is no place for us to find work. It's been more than five months since we received any of our benefits from the National Insurance Institute and I don't have any food for my children." According to a spokesman for the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, the residents of Beit Alfa, which is housed on the kibbutz near Beit She'an, stopped receiving their immigration benefits after their first year in Israel and the National Insurance Institute only picked up the responsibility at the end of the 13th month. He said the NII had taken into consideration the two month gap by handing out part of the benefit payment earlier this month. "It was obviously not enough for them to live off," the spokesman said. RELATED ? Confusion remains as officials discuss issue of Falash Mura The Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the Jewish Agency issued a joint statement calling on those involved in the demonstration to return to the absorption center before the Yom Kippur fast and seek an alternative solution to the problems there. The demonstrators also say that living at Kibbutz Beit Alfa, a secular community, may cause problems for the Ethiopian immigrants, who are undergoing an Orthodox conversion process and must live in a religious community and require that their children be bused long distances to state religious schools. "Some of the protesters claim that their children must travel at least four hours by bus to reach their schools and they are just too exhausted to participate in lessons," said Avi Masfin, spokesman of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, which provided the demonstrators with aid during their night in Jerusalem. "They claim they have not received their National Insurance benefits and that there is no work in the area of the kibbutz so they have no income." "It is not important why this has happened, only to point out that the conditions these people are living under are disgraceful," he said. A Jewish Agency spokesman denied that the children traveled more than an hour to school and said the secularism of the kibbutz would not affect the conversion process of the immigrants. A solution to the hunger problem was currently being sought by the agency, he said. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17667581/detail.html Mother Protests Gymnastics Meet On Jewish Holiday Disctrict Moves Event An Hour Earlier Jaclyn Allen, 7NEWS Reporter POSTED: 9:22 pm MDT October 8, 2008 UPDATED: 11:24 pm MDT October 8, 2008 AURORA, Colo -- An Aurora mother asked Cherry Creek Schools to reschedule a gymnastics meet scheduled on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. She said it is not fair for a child to have to chose between their faith and taking part in high school athletics. ?Every year, it seems like something falls on Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah,? said Lisa Buechler. ?It?s been really difficult as a parent because the child wants tot go to the event, the band competition, the gymnastics meet.? So when she saw another meet scheduled on Yom Kippur this year, she spoke out. ?We are a minority, we know. But in our society, we should respect other religions,? she said. A district spokeswoman said the information was passed on to them too late to reschedule the event, but they moved it forward an hour so that the student could compete before sundown, when the holiday begins. Bruce DeBoskey with the Anti-Defamation League said the Colorado High School Activities Association already prohibits athletic events on Sundays. ?So if they can have that rule and enforce it throughout the state, why can?t nthey say no meets, no practices on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah?? said DeBoskey. CHSAA does prohibit playoff events during Jewish Holidays, but Commissioner Bill Reader says it is up to member school to decide if they want to hold regular season events. ?To tell all those kids from a variety of other religions they can?t play today would be inconsistent with what the state government does, the federal government does, school districts do in terms of operation of their offices,? he said. A spokeswoman for Cherry Creek School said scheduling the meet on Yom Kippur was a mistake. She said the athletic director didn?t realize the holiday started at sundown the night before when he scheduled it. She said they will make a special note of it in the future and work hard to make sure it doesn?t happen again. She said they did move the meet forward an hour so that the student could compete before sundown, when the holiday begins. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/20/stories/2008102054180500.htm Other States - Uttar Pradesh Dharna to protest terrorism, attack on minorities Special Correspondent LUCKNOW: Representatives of political parties, academicians and intellectuals have decided to take up cudgels against communalism and terrorism and protest the move of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad to target the Christian community in Orissa and Karnataka. Participants at the daylong dharna staged by ?Jan Abhiyan? here on Saturday, decided to stage a similar in Gorakhpur on November 15 to draw attention towards the activities of BJP MP Yogi Aditya Nath. The members of the ?Jan Abhiyan? said terror activities in the State had increased. He assailed the attempts to target a particular community for the terror acts and said the police action in this regard should be transparent. Speakers at the dharna supported the demand for a judicial inquiry in the Batla House encounter in Delhi?s Jamia Nagar locality. They said the police role in the encounter has come under scrutiny. They also blamed the fundamentalist elements of a particular community for misleading some members of the community for their vested interests. They criticised Mr. Nath for allegedly trying to vitiate the communal atmosphere in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The dharna was attended by Subhashini Ali of Communist Party of India (Marxist); State unit president of Nationalist Congress Party Ramesh Dixit; Ashok Mishra of CP; Manzoor Ahmed and Satyadeo Tripathi (Congress), retired police officer S.M. Naseem; S.P. Kashyap (State Secretary of CPM); academician Sabiha Anwar; Naresh Saksena and others. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/orissa-karnataka-violence-protest-chicago-0 Orissa Karnataka violence protest in chicago uploaded by pankaj kumar October 5, 2008 at 02:14 am http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=120441&provider=rss Religious Group Protests Jail Policy on Hair Posted By: Jennifer Lindgren Created: 10/6/2008 11:27:34 AM Updated: 10/6/2008 8:54:29 PM JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A Duval County Jail policy that requires inmates' hair to be cut has sparked outrage among Sikhs, who say the policy violates their freedom to practice religion. Protesting outside the Duval County Jail Sunday, men and women carried signs alleging discrimination and violations of religious freedom. The group protests on behalf of Jagmohan Ahuja, an inmate in the jail who is a practicing Sikh. Prosecutors say Ahuja is behind bars for a reason. Convicted of domestic violence against two women in his family, Ahuja is three months into serving a three year jail sentence. But Ahuja's supporters say it's his rights as an inmate that have been violated. Jaspreet Singh, a lawyer for United Sikhs, says it is against Sikh religious practice to cut one's hair. Hair covered by a turban is one of the five articles of faith which a Sikh must keep at all times. Singh spoke on behalf of protestors, along with a local representative of the ACLU. "We would like the jail to change the policy on the issue. We would like the jail to stop shaving prisoners where it violates their constitutionally guaranteed religious rights," Singh said. Ahuja, 36, was arrested in April on misdemeanor charges of violating probation and violating an injuction for protection against domestic violence. Ahuja is appealing his conviction. His supporters in the community say Ahuja has been forced to have his haircut twice since his incarceration, and that the policy violates the religious rights of other religious peoples as well, including Orthodox Jews, Rastafarians, Muslims and Native Americans. "We're Americans, we love this country, and we want our religious rights to be protested," Singh said. Howard Maltz, Deputy General Council for the City of Jacksonville, has this statement in response to the accusations: "The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is committed to respecting and accommodating the religious beliefs and practices of all our inmate population. However, when an inmate's religious practices compromise the safety and security of our corrections facilities, safety and security must take precedence. "The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has a long-standing policy that mandates sentenced male inmates have short hair and wear no coverings. This policy is consistent with that of many other correctional facilities throughout Florida and the United States. "This policy has been determined by courts to be lawful. "While we fully respect the involved inmate's religious beliefs, the safety and security of our correctional facility must prevail." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100250620100.htm Groups clash in Uthapuram Staff Reporter ________________________________________ Trouble erupts over painting of wall adjacent to temple ________________________________________ MADURAI: Two groups belonging to different castes clashed at Uthapuram village in Madurai district, hurling stones and country bombs at each other. Trouble erupted when the members of one group painted the wall adjacent to the Muthalamman Temple despite objections from the other group. Police resorted to a mild lathi charge and opened three rounds of teargas shells to disperse the mob. The situation is now under control, said Inspector-General of Police (South Zone) Sanjeev Kumar. Adequate police strength, led by the Deputy-Inspector General of Police S.S. Krishnamoorthy, had been deployed at the village, he told The Hindu. Superintendent of Police M. Manohar said that they were on the lookout for some suspects behind the incident. Security had been strengthened and combing operation was on, he added. The village had been witness to animosity between these two groups over the construction of a wall preventing the entry of Dalits. A portion of the wall was later demolished on the initiative of the State government. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 03:21:34 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:21:34 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests - gender, gay rights, disability - October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB762E.2030005@tesco.net> Gender and women * US: Fort Bragg protest over army killings of women * US: New Haven - Sounds of Hope protests domestic violence * UK: Filipino protest over maid sketch * INDIA: Girls protest violence against women * IRAQ: Women protest against polygamy in Arbil Gay rights / LGBT * US: Mormons face protests over anti-gay ballot * US: Tampa - Protest against gay marriage ban * US: Gay marriage protest roundup * TAIWAN: Protest at change in transgender ID policy * UGANDA - UK: Protest against gay ban * RUSSIA: Gay rights protest banned Disability * UK: Haemophilia grant protest * US: Autistic rights group protests comedian http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/260955 Fort Bragg Sacked With Protests Against Violence Published Oct 9, 2008, by ? Paul Bright Fort Bragg Sacked With Protests Against Violence by Paul Bright. It's not too much of a stretch to find protesters in front of a military base, especially when our country is in controversial conflict. This is a different kind of protest. Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com Fort Bragg, North Carolina was greeted by an army of protesters not happy with the Army's dealings against domestic violence. Led by a former Army Colonel, protesters are specifically upset that in the last week, four female military members have died because of fellow male military. Three of those deaths were on Fort Bragg. ?It?s military killing other military,? retired Army Colonel Ann Wright said. ?Why are these men feeling like they can kill these women? ... The military has to address this.? The protesters believe that the Army tries to cover up or minimize publicity around domestic and violent crimes of this nature because they don't want to hurt morale. Instead, some believe, that perpetuates the violence because there isn't enough awareness. A Fort Bragg spokesman, Tom McCollum, says otherwise. ?Nothing could be further from the truth that we don?t attempt to be proactive in reducing domestic violence...They can go to our chaplains, Womack Army hospital and to the Army Community Services. We are sometimes baffled ? why would someone do that and especially with all the help that is available? A divorce is so much easier.? Yet military members say that although the resources are there, sometimes getting access to them isn't easy. This is horrible to me because I grew up in Fayetteville during my junior high/high school years. Yes, Fort Bragg encompasses 10,000 soldiers at any given time, all going through training and deployments. I truly don't believe that the Army has supported any sort of transition from war zone to home in terms of mental health. Even before these conflicts there were problems. These guys were all trained up to be killers but had nothing to kill and no way to separate home life from work life other than more running and lifting weights. I believe that putting a better spotlight on the Army will force them to do the right thing and not only offer support but follow through. You can't stop every situation, but you have to be responsible at some level, especially when there is a trend and women are dying. http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/sound_of_hope_e.php Sound of Hope Event Protests Domestic Violence by Staff | October 6, 2008 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) Susan L. Hartt Photos By Josiah Brown At the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Sound of Hope event is held each October by Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven to remember all those who lost their lives to this problem statewide over the prior year, as well as others harmed by its reach. The occasion aims to raise public consciousness about domestic abuse and to galvanize support for public, private, and nonprofit measures to halt this sadly common injustice. Concerned citizens gather by the harbor of Long Island Sound to hear the names of those who died and to cast flowers into the water in their memory, as solemn bagpipe music honors them and the cause of ensuring that their deaths help drive corrective action. Yale University Chaplain Sharon Kugler gave the invocation at this year?s event, which took place Oct. 2., and Rev. Bonita Grubbs of Christian Community Action the benediction. In between, the following speakers each made brief remarks: * April Capone Almon, Mayor of East Haven; * Agnes Maldonado, of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence; * Burton Weinstein, Esq., the attorney for Tracey Thurman, whose landmark legal suit in the 1980s helped propel the movement against domestic violence across Connecticut and the nation through the Family Violence Prevention and Response Act of 1986 ; * Sandra Koorejian, Executive Director of DVSGNH; and * Erika Tindill, Co-President of DVSGNH and Deputy Director of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. Gathering%20in.JPG Especially moving were the comments of two survivors of domestic violence, Augustina Chima and Louise Hebert, who spoke with passion about what they and their children have overcome through courage and the support of family, friends, counseling, advocates, and law enforcement professionals. Ms. Chima and Ms. Hebert, separately and stirringly, offered the ?hope? promised by this event?s title, on a gorgeous day by the water. Also acknowledged was the City of New Haven?s interest in provision of domestic violence services, particularly in light of the recent passing of Police Sergeant Dario Aponte and the critical injury to Officer Diane Gonzalez, both of whom were rushing to respond to a report of a domestic incident. Mayor JohnDeStefano and members of his administration, including Robert Smuts and Kica Matos, are working with community providers on related challenges in a climate of tight budgets, lean staffing, and heightened socio-economic pressures that can add to caseloads. With public funding from federal, state, and local sources under strain, the role of private philanthropic support is ever important. DVSGNH offers free, confidential services including a shelter for women and children, emergency hotline, court-based advocacy, counseling, transitional housing, and preventive public awareness. Connecticut?s 24-hour toll-free DV hotline is 888-774-2900. Josiah Brown is Volunteer Co-President (with Erika Tindill) Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/uk_national_entertainment/3769859.Sketch_spark_protest_outside_BBC/ Sketch spark protest outside BBC 9:29pm Friday 17th October 2008 ? Press Association 2008 Members of the Filipino community staged a silent vigil outside the BBC in an attempt to force the broadcaster to apologise over a "sexist, racist and immoral" Harry Enfield sketch. The group gathered outside the BBC media village in White City, west London, in response to the comedy skit in which a character's "pet Northerner" is urged to "mount" a neighbour's Filipina maid. Those present at the protest held banners stating: "Sexual abuse and exploitation is no joke," and "Comedy is not an excuse for prejudice." The sketch that caused the offence was part of the Harry And Paul show aired on BBC1 on September 26 and repeated on BBC2 three days later. During a segment of the show a man can be seen urging his lethargic pet Northerner to have sex with a Filipina maid who is wriggling provocatively. Enfield's character tells a passing postman: "Our chums up the road want to see if we could mate their Filipina maid with our Northerner, but he's not having any of it." He encourages the Northerner, saying: "Come on Clyde, mount her." And he shouts at the maid, wearing a grey uniform and apron: "You, you, present your rear." The sketch ends with Enfield's character shooing the neighbour's maid away having failed to get the pair to mate. It was part of a running gag in the programme in which a Southern family treat a Northern man who lives with them like a dog. The BBC have said the producers of the programme did not intend to cause any offence. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/20/stories/2008102057890200.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai They join hands to protest crime against women Staff Reporter ? Photo: R. Ravindran United they stand: Students form a human chain on the Marina Beach to protest crime against women on Saturday. Chennai: About 600 girls, mostly students of city colleges, joined hands to protest crime against women on Saturday. The human chain was organised along the Marina Beach by the Rotaract Club of Women?s Christian College. Students from Rotaract Clubs in other colleges also participated. Rose, who hosts the TV talk show ?Ipadikku Rose,? encouraged the students to continue their efforts to bring out such social problems into the open. The human chain is part of a project titled ?Stree Suraksha? for the empowerment of women. Lawyer Geetha Ramaseshan launched the project on Friday and told students how to get legal help when faced with sexual harassment. Vidya Reddy, founder, Tulir, a centre for the prevention and healing of child sexual abuse, was also present. The project is supported by Rotary Club of Madras Metro. Cassandra Sundaraja, project chairperson, said that a campus survey done in Women?s Christian College showed that many students were not clear what constituted sexual harassment. About 88 per cent of the students knew that sexual harassment was punishable by law but 70 per cent did not know that eve teasing could be called sexual harassment, the survey found. [NOTE: ?Eve teasing is a euphemism used in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan for sexual harassment or molestation of women by men. Considered a growing problem throughout the subcontinent, eve teasing ranges in severity from sexually suggestive remarks to outright groping.? (Wikipedia)] http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/38837 Women protest against polygamy in Arbil Arbil, 27 October 2008 ( Voices of Iraq ) Nearly 200 women from 40 women?s organizations staged a demonstration in front of the Kurdistan Regional Government?s (KRG) building in Arbil calling to amend a Personal Status Law article allowing polygamy. ?We demand equality between men and women in the Personal Status Law, on which the parliamentary legal committee is currently working,? one of the organizers of the demonstration, Siran Abdullah, told Aswat al-Iraq. ?We are particularly against men?s polygamy. Law no. 62 of the year 2001 banned polygamy with the exception of certain cases,? Siran, who is also a member of Kurdistan?s Women Union, added. Arbil, also written Erbil or Irbil, is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited in the world and is one of the largest cities in Iraq. The city lies eighty kilometers (fifty miles) east of Mosul. In 2005, its estimated population was 990,000 inhabitants. The city is the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). It hosts the headquarters of the Kurdistan region ministers and parliament. Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, only isolated, sporadic violence has hit Arbil, unlike many other areas of Iraq. Parallel bomb attacks against the Eid celebrations arranged by the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani?s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and KRG President Massoud Barazani?s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) killed 109 people on February 1, 2004. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamist group Ansar al-Sunnah, and stated to be in solidarity with the Kurdish Islamist faction Ansar al-Islam. Another bombing on May 4, 2005 killed 60 civilians. Despite these bombings the population generally feels safe. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/26/BAP113OIRD.DTL Mormons face flak for backing Prop. 8 Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion Writer Monday, October 27, 2008 ? (10-26) 14:40 PDT OAKLAND -- Christine Alonso's body trembled and her lips quivered as she walked up and spoke to a few of the 50 protesters in front of the Mormon Temple in Oakland on Sunday. ________________________________________ "Don't think they're all against you," said Alonso, 27, explaining that she was Mormon and that despite her religious leaders' support of a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, she was actively opposed. As she walked away, she said, "I'm afraid that a gay or lesbian friend might hear that I'm Mormon and think that I want to tear their marriage apart." Alonso's solitary act came as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members are increasingly under fire for their support of Proposition 8, which would take away the right of gays and lesbians to marry. In addition to increased protests, online campaigns seek to identify and embarrass Mormons who support the ballot measure. << Database: Look up Prop. 8 contributors >> The church largely stays out of politics. But in this case, the Salt Lake City-based church has sent letters, held video conferences and in church meetings asked for volunteers to support the campaign. In response, some church members have poured in their savings and undertaken what may be an unprecedented grassroots mobilization for the effort. Prop. 8 is on pace to be the costliest race in the nation, except for the billion-dollar presidential election. The Yes on 8 campaign estimates that up to 40 percent of its donations come from Mormons. Some others estimate that Mormons account for over 70 percent of donations from individuals. All of California's Catholic bishops have all come out in favor of the measure. So have many evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews. Yet it is Mormons, who account for 2 percent of the state population, who are catching the most heat. "We seem to be the symbol of the Yes on 8 campaign," said Rand King, 60, a Walnut Creek resident who is Mormon and who was watching Sunday's protest from inside the temple's gates. Prop. 8 opponents are increasingly narrowing their focus on Mormons, harnessing technology and open-records laws in their efforts. One Web site run by a Prop. 8 opponent, Mormonsfor8.com, identifies the name and hometown of every Mormon donor. On the Daily Kos, the nation's most popular liberal blog, there is a campaign to use that information to look into the lives of Mormons who financially support Prop. 8. It has led some Mormons to question why other religious groups in the coalition aren't being targeted. "I don't think it's politically expedient to point the finger at the Catholic Church," said Dave Christensen, 52, a Mormon and an Alamo resident who donated $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign. "You don't get the mileage criticizing a church that has more clout." Nadine Hansen, who runs Mormonsfor8.com, said the church decided to enter politics and can't excuse itself for the ramifications. "Any group that gets involved in the political arena has to be treated like a political action committee," said Hansen, 61, a Mormon who lives in Cedar City, Utah, and has stopped going to church. "You can't get involved in politics and say, 'Treat me as a church.' "Hansen said she focused on Mormons because she is one. She said Mormons have contacted her to shut the site, saying it was being used by the Daily Kos campaign in a "witch hunt." "I didn't think there were any witches on the list, so I wasn't worried," said Hansen, whose site is "neutral" on its views, though she is opposed because she views it as "divisive." The person who initiated the Daily Kos campaign to look into the lives of Mormon donors is Dante Atkins, an elected delegate to the state Democratic convention who said he's the vice president of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats. Atkins said his goal was to "embarrass the opposition by pointing out and publicizing any contributors they may have." He said focusing on Mormons made sense. "If one religious group is putting close to the majority of the money and the effort into passing this proposition, it is fair to single them out." The Mormon church hasn't taken the same level of interest in Arizona or Florida, which also have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. But California is a bellwether, said LDS spokesman Mike Otterson. "If same-gender marriage is approved in California... other states will follow suit." Several Bay Area Mormons said they would support the right of gay and lesbian unions to have all the rights of married couples. But the word marriage was sacred, pivotal to their concept of families, who can be "eternally united" in the afterlife. A key church document - "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" - says that "marriage between man and a woman is essential to His eternal plan." They also believe that children are entitled to be raised by a father and a mother. Those words speak for Michele Sundstrom, 47, of San Jose, who has been married for 18 years and has five children. She and her husband gave $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign and put a sign on their home. But in response, two women parked an SUV in front of their home, with the words "Bigots live here" painted on the windshield. Sundstrom believes such responses must come from deep places of pain - and that gays and lesbians are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, just not the word marriage. Any animosity toward gays or lesbians is wrong, she said. "There must be such deep, deep, deep hurt; otherwise there couldn't be so much opposition," she said. "They've lived with this. I guess we're getting a taste of where they live." http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article873075.ece Hundreds in Tampa rally against gay marriage ban By Chandra Broadwater, Times Staff Writer In Print: Monday, October 27, 2008 TAMPA ? For Bobbie Hernandez, it's about knowing that her children would be taken care of if something were to happen to her. It's knowing that the home the 35-year-old has with her partner, Shar Ishee, would still be there for the family. "And if I were in the hospital or something like that, I'd want to know that she and the kids could come and visit me," Hernandez said. But if Amendment 2, the proposed gay marriage ban, passes, the couple think their rights will be denied. Along with about 200 Tampa Bay area residents, Hernandez and Ishee attended a Sunday afternoon rally against the ban at Lowry Park. Organized by more than a dozen interfaith leaders, the event also included civic, local and state government leaders. Those who attended the rally sat on benches, at picnic tables or on blankets in the grass, enjoying the pleasant afternoon. "Despite all of our differences, we are all united in our opposition to Amendment 2," said Abhi Janamanchi, minister of Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, at the start of the rally. "It promotes division and fear, not equality and love." The amendment would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and would not recognize any other legal pairing. Though Florida already has such a state law, supporters say the law could be overturned, as it was recently in Connecticut, or the Legislature could change it. People against the constitutional change contend that the proposal will ban legal recognition and benefits for all unmarried couples, whether straight or gay. It could also adversely affect the state's large senior population, many of whom form domestic partnerships rather than remarry and risk losing benefits from previous marriages. Those at Sunday's event also pointed to 2000 Census figures. They said Amendment 2 could affect 360,000 Florida residents, about 90 percent of whom are heterosexual. Largo Mayor Pat Gerard told the crowd that it was time to stand up for "real family values" in the Tampa Bay community. She called the proposal an "intrusion" on her life and on the lives of everyone else who lives in the state. When he spoke, state Rep. Bill Heller reminded residents that a ban on gay marriage already exists. The Democrat, running for re-election in District 52, said that the constitutional change would deny rights to many Florida citizens and allow "big government" to interfere. "It says that it protects marriage, but it also denies the rights of people to make decisions important to them," Heller said. "We need to say no, emphatically, to Amendment 2." As she sat and listened at a picnic table with her 11-year-old daughter, Ana, Ishee said the amendment won't change the structure of their family if it passes. "It's not like it's going to destroy our family," Ishee said. "We love each other and will be together no matter what. We just don't think our rights should be denied." Chandra Broadwater can be reached at cbroadwater at sptimes.com, or 661-2454. http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/10/bakersfield-gay-marriage-ban-supporter.html October 25, 2008 Bakersfield gay marriage ban supporter punches protestor The leader Kern County's campaign in support of a ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California was videotaped at a pro-gay marriage rally kicking and punching a protester. Ken Mettler, a school board member and head of the county's Yes on Proposition 8 campaign, appeared at a raucous event that featured pro-and-anti gay marriage protesters. A video posted on The Bakersfield Californian Web site shows Mettler in front of gay marriage supporters holding Yes on Prop. 8 signs that had been altered to read No on Prop. 8. Mettler was confronted by a protester who tried to grab the signs from him. The video shows Mettler swinging and kicking the protester. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/California_Teachers_Association_Donates_to_the_No_on_8_Campaign.html Parents Protest Prop. 8 Donations California Teachers Association says schools, teachers hurt by protest Updated 5:09 PM PST, Mon, Oct 27, 2008 Related Topics: California Teachers Association KNSD Two students work from home after their parents decide to protest a donation to the No on Prop. 8 campaign. Tensions have been running high lately over one proposition in particular --Proposition 8 -- which would amend the state constitution and ban gay marriage. Watch Video Some North County students didn't go to school Monday after their parents stage a protest over the teachers union's donations to the "No on Prop. 8" c... Parents Protest Prop. 8 Donations On Monday, upset parents in Carlsbad took a stand by keeping their kids home from school in opposition to the $1.25 million donation given by the California Teachers Association to the "No on Prop. 8" campaign. The parents are upset because they say the union should be fighting for legislation that will actually affect schools -- legislation like the budget and class size -- not gay marriage. Anita Kelley's family is one of many who received e-mails about the protest and said she believes the teachers union has no business supporting a social issue that doesn't affect schools. "It's nothing that will benefit students or teachers. It was just wasteful spending," said Kelley. "I think the money could be better used and spent in areas that would have benefited more kids." One member of the CTA board of directors, Jim Goth, says for years the union has supported legislation's fighting rights and civil rights including, for example, rights for pregnant teachers in the classroom. He says the students and teachers are the ones hurt by the protest. "If parents are keeping their students away they're missing education and they'll also be hurting school districts because financially, they would lose average daily attendance," said Goth. The "Yes on Prop. 8" discouraged the protest and some parents who were going to keep their children home said they changed their minds. As for Kelley, she said she hopes her one-day protest made the point and brought awareness to the CTA's donation. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-17-2957109465_x.htm Mormon group protests church's gay marriage stance Posted 10/17/2008 10:42 PM | Comment | Recommend by Trent Nelson, AP Linda Stay, left, and her husband Steve Stay (behind her) and Yvonne Tavares, right, deliver signed petitions to a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Friday Oct. 17, 2008 in Salt Lake City. Mormons who support gay marriage delivered ribbon-tied packets of protest letters and bundles of carnations to church headquarters Friday in an appeal to end the faith's support of a California ballot proposition that would ban same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Trent Nelson) By Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY ? A group of Mormons who support gay marriage delivered protest letters and bundles of carnations to church headquarters Friday in an appeal to end the church's support of a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in California. The group, called Sign for Something, disagrees with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' opposition to gay marriage and its efforts to boost Mormon involvement before the Nov. 4 election. The church is part of a coalition of conservative groups backing Proposition 8, which would amend the state constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman and thereby overturn the California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage. More than 40 people sang hymns as they made the delivery, which was accepted by a church spokeswoman. Included in the packet is a petition signed by more than 400 people, including church members from around the world. It asks the church to "stop political organizing efforts and financial support of attempts to use government to restrict the secular and religious rights of gay and lesbian individuals." FIND MORE STORIES IN: Internet | San Francisco | God | Utah | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Proposition | California Supreme Court | Mormons | Hastings | Kim Farah | Stays Andrew Callahan, of Hastings, Neb., helped lead Friday's delivery. He said many Mormons with gay and lesbian loved ones are torn over the gay marriage issue and want very much to be heard by leadership. "They feel like (the loved ones) should be treated fairly and evenly and equally, just like you and me, but their church tells them 'no, they can't be,'" he said before handing over the letters. Steve and Linda Stay drove more than 300 miles from southern Utah to be among the protesters. Two of the nine children in the Stays' blended family are gay. Their son, Tyler Barrick, married his partner, Spencer Jones, in San Francisco, Linda Stay said. "This is a huge issue for us. For us, it's a civil rights issue, not just a religious issue," said Linda Stay. "It's taking away their right to have the same benefits that I do." Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said the church understands that some members disagree with its stance. "It also understands that this issue affects people in very private, individual ways," Farah said. "However, the church does have a moral obligation to speak out on issues that affect the moral fabric of society as it has in this case." Officially, the Mormon church is politically neutral and does not endorse individual candidates or political parties. The church does, however, weigh in on issues it considers morally important. The church holds traditional marriage as a sacred institution ordained by God. Church members are taught that gay sex is a sin. Gays can continue to hold church callings if they remain celibate, however. Those who act on what the church calls "same-gender attraction" have sometimes been excommunicated. Mormons have given $8.4 million to the Proposition 8 campaign, according to the Web site mormonsfor8.com. http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=fb3ee484632ed515a751d0865ced2b30 Transgenders Protest New Policy in Taiwan Chinanews.com, News Report, Staff, Translated by Jun Wang, Posted: Oct 06, 2008 TAIPEI, Taiwan ? A government policy in Taiwan has made it more difficult for transgenders to get an ID, creating panic in the community. The policy, which went into effect last year, stipulates that female-to-male transgenders cannot get an ID card that identifies them as male unless they have undergone all three parts of gender reassignment surgery. Transgender rights organizations in Taiwan have asked the government to withdraw the policy. Xukuan Gao, spokesperson for the transgender organization Taiwan TG Butterfly Garden, pointed out that in the past, a female-born Taiwanese person who had had her breasts, womb and ovaries removed ? the first stage of a three-part surgery, was recognized as a ?he? and received a new male ID from the government. But since last October, Taiwan?s government decided not to issue a male ID until the transgender completes all three stages of the surgery, including the last step in which the person gets a surgical penis. There is no similar barrier added for male-born Taiwanese who have surgery to become women, reports Taiwan?s United Daily News. Gao says the policy has created panic in the transgender community. Many Taiwanese who were born female and are preparing for gender reassignment surgery don?t know what to do, says Gao. After the first two stages of the surgery, they will still be unable to get a male ID card, which could lead to harassment in the work place, at school or in public restrooms. The third stage of gender reassignment surgery, in which the person gets a surgical penis, is expensive, time consuming and very risky, according to one transgender who recently completed the first stage of surgery. As a result, many transgenders choose to skip the last stage of surgery. ?People have to take half a year off, and the surgery costs at least 800,000 Taiwan dollars ($25,000 U.S. dollars), which is not something everyone can afford,? he said. Youmei Lai, president of Taiwan?s Gender Equality Education Association, says the government?s regulation violates peoples? rights, and was not publicly discussed before being approved. The association wrote a letter to the government arguing that it should consider the issue from the transgenders? point of view. Cosmetic surgeon Maoshan Wang says a doctor?s letter should be enough for transgenders to obtain a new ID after their breasts and other female organs have been removed. From a human rights perspective, he says, ?transgenders? feelings must be considered.? Two-thirds of the gender reassignment surgeries that Wang has done are from female to male, which is about the same ratio as transgender surgeries in Japan. This could be a result of the fact that men still rule in many Asian countries, says Wang, and being perceived as a man allows for greater privileges in society. Taiwan government official Hangui Zen says the government consulted with a hospital before putting the new rule into effect. He acknowledged that the onslaught of complains has been ?a major headache,? but added that the government?s rule must be enforced. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/410411.html Demonstration Against Ugandan Human Rights Abuse, London 9 Oct, 2008 Peter Marshall | 11.10.2008 19:17 | Anti-racism | Gender | Social Struggles | London | World October 9 is Uganda Independence Day, but for gay Nigerians in particular there is little to celebrate. Around 50 people met in a demonstration sponsored by the NUS outside the Ugandan Embassy in Trafalgar Square at noon on Ugandan Independence Day, Oct 9, to protest against human rights abuses in Uganda. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and the penalty can be imprisonment for life, and gay rights campaigners have been imprisoned and subjected to torture. The Ugandan Anglican church is a leading force in anti-gay campaigns. Organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty have documented the government's use of torture and intimidation, and the LGBT community is excluded from healthcare. British arms sold to Uganda include armoured vehicles from companies owned by BAE Systems which have been used against civilians, killing at least three demonstrators. Because of these abuses, many Ugandans seek asylum in the UK. One of the more disturbing speeches at the event was by Emma Ginn of Medical Justice. A report by Birnberg Peirce & Partners, Medical Justice and NCADC ( http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/content/view/411/88/) published in July 2008 catalogued the appalling abuses against people being forcibly deported by the private "escorts" employed by the Home Office. From the report it is obvious that our the Home Office deliberately turns a blind eye to the shocking and inhuman treatment, refusing to make proper investigations into well-substantiated cases of extreme abuse. Ugandan asylum seekers are also the most frequently assaulted by police and immigration escorts when they come here and are detained at Heathrow and taken to immigration removal centres such as Harmondsworth. Many of asylum seekers are then "fast-tracked", resulting in 99% being turned down without real investigation or proper consideration. Six Harmondsworth detainees have committed suicide rather than be deported. During the protest the 2008 Sappho in Paradise book prize, awarded by the International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network was presented to Kizza Musinguzi, editor of the gayrightsuganda.org web site for their work in supplying information within Uganda and about the human rights situation there to the world. He was was jailed by the Ugandan government for his work in 2004, and subjected to four months of forced labour, water torture, beatings and rape. In 2005 he fled to the UK and claimed asylum - and was detained at Harmondsworth. The Home Office claimed that his treatment in Uganda was not persecution and that he was not a legitimate asylum seeker and wanted to deport him back to Uganda. Whilst in detention at Harmondsworth he was racially and homophobically abused by staff and denied medical treatment that he needed. His asylum papers were confiscated and he was fast-tracked for deportation. He appealed to Peter Tatchell of Outrage! for help, appointing him as his legal representative. The authorities at Harmondsworth refused to accept Tatchell as his representative or his claim for asylum. Tatchell wrote a long and detailed letter about the case to Home Office minister Tony McNulty MP, sending a copy to Harmondsworth Labour MP John McDonnell. McDonnell's intervention stopped the deportation as Musinguze was being put on a plane at Heathrow in September 2005. It was the start of a three year fight to gain refugee status. Other speakers at the protest included Peter Tatchell of Outrage!, Lucy Brookes of the National Union of Students, and Davis Makyala of Changing Attitudes. More pictures on My London Diary http://mylondondiary.co.uk shortly when I catch up with things. Peter Marshall e-mail: petermarshall at cix.co.uk Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2192649 Officials ban gay rights demonstrations Published: 12:10PM Friday October 10, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read Russian officials have banned two gay rights demonstrations in the city of Tambov, thwarting the efforts of local activists to protest at what they call officially sanctioned homophobia, the events' organiser said. Local officials said they had received numerous letters and phone calls from townspeople, urging them to forbid the demonstrations as an offense to the city's traditions, Interfax news agency reported. Gay pride parades, unheard of in the days of the Soviet Union, have been allowed in some cities in recent years but are generally met with public and political derision. The mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, famously called such events "satanic" after banning a gay pride parade in 2006 and saying that he would never allow them in the capital. Nikolai Alexeyev, the Moscow-based activist who was organising the events in Tambov, said he would appeal to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg if local courts refused to reverse the ban in the central Russian city. "The bureaucrats who made this decision are just following the official line set by the mayor of Moscow," Alexeyev said. "It is officially forbidden to discuss homosexuality in public." He added that about 25 demonstrators were to picket the offices of the Tambov administration, and another 200 people were to rally in the city on October 18. Activists who have ignored similar bans have often faced violent clashes with counter-protesters, arrest and prosecution. The Russian Orthodox Church, resurgent since the fall of the Soviet Union, has helped turn public sentiment against gay pride events, which the head of the church, Patriarch Alexey II, has called "propaganda for homosexuality". http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/health/haemophilia+grant+protest+at+lords/2493022 Haemophilia grant protest at Lords Print this page Last Modified: 09 Oct 2008 Source: PA News A protest is to be made in the House of Lords about the Government's decision to reduce its annual grant to the Haemophilia Society from ?100,000 to ?30,000. Labour peer Lord Morris of Manchester, who is president of the Society, is to ask what prior study the Government made of the deprivation to the haemophilia community by the decision to cut the grant. Lord Morris, who was Britain's first minister for the disabled, said: "This is one of the most stricken communities in the country. Over the past 20 years, some 4,000 haemophiliacs have been infected with HIV or hepatitis C from contaminated National Health Service blood products." He said: "A total of 1,757 have died and two-thirds of the remainder are incapable of work. What is more they are uninsurable except at prohibitive premiums. "The Society which helps the next-of-kin of those who have died as well as those surviving is now in dire financial straits." Christopher James, chief executive of the Society, said: "We depended very greatly on that income and the decision to cut it has made a huge impact on us. We have had to make redundancies in our staff. "The Government have told us that the ?100,000 core grant was never meant to be an unending grant. We have made protests about this, and our cries have become louder." When the explanation for these infections first came to light, Lord Winston described it as "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the National Health Service". http://newsblaze.com/story/20081018064749zzzz.nb/topstory.html October 18,2008 Send to a friend Nationwide Autism Protest Against Dennis Leary By NYC Group Evelyn Ain President of Autism United , a National Advocacy Group Representing Over 5,000 Parents With Children Effected With Autism is Calling for a Rally and Protest Against Dennis Leary. When He Appears At Comics Come Home 14, in Boston At The Agganis Arena. The Group Plans to Have Hundreds of Parents and Children Picketing The Concert. It is One of The Largest Comedy Events in The Usa. The Protest is in Response to Upcoming Book "We Suck"" Which Describes Kids With Autism Both Stupid and Lazy. The Group is Calling for a Book Boycott and Asking Companies Likes Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Any Other Store Not to Carry It as Its Hurtful to Families Nationwide. One Out of 150 Children Nationwide are Diagnosed With Autism. According to Ms. Ain '' The Autism Community is Not Taking This as a Joke, If Dennis Leary Feels By Putting These Shockley Comments in Book is Going to Create Hype, Were Going to Have Autism Families From Coast to Coast Protesting His Appearances, Showing The Joke is Really on Him'' From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Sat Sep 12 03:53:12 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:53:12 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ethnoreligious and miscellaneous protests, October 2008 Message-ID: <4AAB7D98.1030203@tesco.net> Protests focused on group conflicts, politically dubious protests and a few which don't fit anywhere else * AUSTRALIA: Abortion protesters target safety event * US: Portland - abortion opponents oppose new HQ * US: Yellowstone Valley - 100 in "life chain" protest * BANGLADESH: Train passengers protest ticket forgery * CAMEROON: Shutdown in anti-banditry protest * PAKISTAN: Crime increase protested * INDIA: Maharashtra - doctors strike against assaults * MANIPUR: Women march against militants * PAKISTAN: Sindh - protest against shanty towns * MANIPUR: Protest over attack on bus * INDIA: Dharna against murders * NEW ZEALAND: Protest to support shopkeeper who beat alleged shoplifters * MONTENEGRO: Unrest after recognition of Kosovo * KOSOVO: Serbs, Albanians clash in Mitrovica * INDIA: Maharashtra - arrest of bigoted politician sparks protests by supporters * TURKEY: Nationalists rally against Ergenekon trial * INDIA: Congress supporters protest Tamils * US: Protest over politician's affair * CANADA: Harper faces Conservative protests, infighting * HONG KONG, SINGAPORE: Lehman investors protest * KUWAIT: Stock traders protest instability * THAILAND: Beer listing protested * SOUTH AFRICA: ANC activists target breakaway group * IRELAND: Soldiers' relatives protest barracks closure * ISRAEL: Protests over captured soldier continue * SOUTH AFRICA: Clashes between supporters, opponents of boundary change * BRAZIL: Police battle police * BULGARIA: Rightist protest camp sparks political fallout * SPAIN: Police protest over pay, conditions * BANGLADESH: 50 injured in student group clashes * INDIA: Factional clashes newsclippings * NEPAL: Clash between youth factions * SOUTH AFRICA: ANC, IFP clash * BANGLADESH: Parties clash * KENYA: Deaths, displacement in water clashes * PAKISTAN: Deaths in hill ownership dispute * PAKISTAN: Karachi - Robbery escalates into clashes across city * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: "Stolen ciggie leads to tribal clash" * NIGERIA: Farmers, herdsmen clash * KENYA: Rivals fight over ranch * UGANDA: Rival grouns in food raiding * BANGLADESH: Fishermen clash * UGANDA: 1 killed in herder-farmer clashes * ASSAM: Ethnic clashes, police shootings kill dozens * MEXICO: Punks, emos clash * GHANA: Students injured in faction clashes * BANGLADESH: Group clashes * NIGERIA: Unrest grips Obajana * GHANA: Rival parties clash * NAMIBIA: Swapo supporters disrupt opposition event * AUSTRIA: Street fight over tightrope event * TURKEY: Anti-Kurdish unrest after van deaths * CANADA: Prison guards protest for impunity * INDONESIA: Muslims rally for "porn" bill * INDONESIA: Islamists revolt after jailing of leader * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Clashes and payback raids over stolen cabbage http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24564466-29277,00.html?from=public_rss Abortion protest hijacks safety show AAP October 28, 2008 12:26pm ABORTION protesters have disrupted a road safety campaign launch attended by grieving relatives in Melbourne. About 10 protesters waved placards and posters of aborted foetuses at the launch of the road toll campaign at Federation Square. The launch included moving testimonies of families who had lost loved ones in road smashes. At one point, protesters compared the road toll to abortion statistics and accused Premier John Brumby of hypocrisy. Mr Brumby had joined police and road safety officials for the launch of a Transport Accident Commission (TAC) exhibition. The exhibition, Car Crash Reality Check, features two real car wrecks and stories from accident victims, their families and police. The protesters yelled out as Mr Brumby addressed the media and were urged by his advisers and police to show some respect. Mr Brumby was heckled as he made his way to his car. Earlier this month, the Victorian Parliament passed the Abortion Law Reform Bill which decriminalises abortion, giving women open access to terminations up to 24 weeks. http://www.katu.com/news/local/32630304.html Clinic's groundbreaking draws crowd of protesters YouNews? Story Published: Oct 22, 2008 at 6:04 PM PST Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 3:22 AM PST By Brian Barker KATU News and KATU.com Web Staff Video PORTLAND, Ore. ? Planned Parenthood broke ground Wednesday on a new regional headquarters in northeast Portland, and more than 150 protesters turned out with signs to crash the party. Protesters say the new 40,000 square foot building, to be constructed near the intersection of Northeast Beech Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, should not be built because it will offer abortion services. They came from a group of religious organizations around the Portland area. Organizers of the protest gathered hundreds of signatures to try to get the Portland Development Commission to deny the application to build on the site, which is on a piece of city-owned property. Protesters said bringing abortion services to the neighborhood is a way of targeting the poor and African Americans. It also promotes a promiscuous lifestyle among young people, they said. "We do not want Planned Parenthood building a facility where they are going to kill unborn babies in this town because ? those babies are all innocent human beings," said protester Christina Degoede. "That's not acceptable for us." But Planned Parenthood officials say they are building there to help all people who need preventative health care services. "Abortion is a really small percentage of what we do, less than 5 percent," said Liz Delapoer of Planned Parenthood. "Ninety-five percent of our services focus on preventative health care." Planned Parenthood officials said they help 60,000 people a year in the northwest. The new facility would be one of the biggest in the United States. Planned Parenthood officials have said in the past that the organization supplies the so-called abortion pill to about 17 people per month in its current clinic in northeast Portland. The new clinic is expected to open in early 2010. And protesters say they will return to the site frequently. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/10/06/news/local/39-lifechain.txt Life Chain brings 100 to busy intersection to protest abortion By LAURA TODE Of The Gazette Staff More than 100 pro-life supporters gathered at one of Billings' busiest West End intersections Sunday for the annual Life Chain, sponsored by the Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life. They held signs with messages that drew attention to the issue of abortion, but the event at the intersection of King Avenue and 24th Street West was not to protest abortion, organizers said. Instead, it was intended to be an opportunity for prayer and to provide awareness. "The Life Chain is key this year because it's an election year," said Grace Reif, president of Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life. "We're not a political organization, but it is important for people to be aware. The (political) parties are so different on this issue people need to know." Concerns about the upcoming election brought Irene Snortland, a senior citizen, to the Life Chain event where she held a sign that said "Pray to end abortion." Snortland recently joined a group of women at the St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Roundup that prays the rosary for victims of abortion, women considering abortion and women who may be suffering the physical or emotional effects of abortion. Although the Life Chain has been held in Billings for several years, it was the first time Snortland volunteered. "I always wanted to get involved, but didn't know what I could do," she said. Snortland was among a wide range of people at the gathering. There were pastors and priests from various local churches, families with young children and young people. "We all work to defend life for different reasons," Reif said. "For as many people there are out here, there are that many reasons." Isabella Sutton, 15, joined the Life Chain because she believes that if teenagers see other teenagers who are opposed to abortion they will realize abortion is not just an issue that is important to adults. Sutton held a sign that said, "Life is the first inalienable right." "I just want to speak out to other teenagers," she said. Reif said there were more teenagers involved this year than she had seen in the past. "They're our hope for tomorrow and they safely made it through that stage as an infant in the womb," she said. The Life Chain, which is always held on the first Sunday in October, is one of three annual events hosted by the Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life. The organization also has a float in the Christmas parade and holds a March for Life on the January anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion. Every Wednesday, members of the Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life gather at Planned Parenthood on Wicks Lane to pray during the time abortions are performed at the clinic. Throughout the hour-long Life Chain event, there were few encounters with rude motorists who disagreed with the messages supporters were carrying. "Most people are happy and waving, which has been good," Reif said. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=58199 Published On: 2008-10-11 Metropolitan Train passengers protest ticket forgery in Rajshahi RU Correspondent Padma Express, a Dhaka-bound train, left Rajshahi railway station yesterday one hour after the scheduled time following a demonstration staged by its passengers. Sources said at least four passengers got into the train, scheduled to leave at 4:00pm, with the same ticket numbers for one seat. The passengers demanded their own seats and at a one stage, a scuffle broke out among the same ticket holders. Later, they informed the ticket checker of the train about their ticket forgery. The agitating passengers later re-organised and staged a demonstration inside the station compound, sources added. Following the demonstration, a huge number of police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Hafizul Islam, a passenger of the train, alleged that his ticket number is Cha-13881965 and he found four passengers of the same tickets for one seat. General Manager of Rajshahi Railway Mushfiqur Rahman and other high officials rushed to the spot and assured the passengers of taking action against those responsible for the computerised ticket seller employees. When contacted, the general manager told newsmen that some computerised ticket sellers might be involved in suck kind of phony acts. ?We have already formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the forgery. We also arranged an additional train for the rest of the passengers,? he added. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810060495.html Cameroon: Calm Returns to Bepanda after Protest Effa Tambenkongho 3 October 2008 The youths were on strike after complaining of banditry and harassment in the neighbourhood. The inhabitants of Bepanda were on a protest march on October 1, complaining of a lot of banditry and crime wave in the area. The inhabitants gathered with placards condemning banditry before the seventh Police Station in Bepanda. They called on the police to act because they are tired of seeing their daughters and wives being raped, their goods stolen, their young men wounded by armed bandits. The population had complained on September 30th calling on the police to intervene and help them out. According to them no action was taken and they blamed the forces of law and order for laxity. They complained it is disheartening there is a police station in their neighbourhood but armed bandits stroll in and harm them and leave successfully. The inhabitants gathered and had a discussion with the commissioner of Police and the Divisional Officer for Douala V. They came out with a Communiqu? which was disclosed only to the striking population and signed by Ngounou Gabriel the Divisional Officer. The Civil Administrator in a bid to reinforce security promised to reinstate local vigilante groups which had been dissolved and this time around will be reinstated after a scrupulous study of the lists of nominees proposed by the inhabitants to be in the groups. It is worth noting that in the neighbourhood had been terrorised by armed men who apart from looting, battery, wounding the inhabitants also raped the women, and according to the inhabitants there was no response from the forces of Law and Order despite clarion calls by the inhabitants for police intervention. The police represented by the Second Commander boss, decried lack of personnel, while calling on the population to collaborate by revealing the bandits and their hideouts. The striking inhabitants dispersed satisfied with the decision which was reached by the authorities. It is worth remarking that some three ladies and goods worth more than FCFA three million, and human damages were registered in the area within the last five weeks. (Cameroon Tribune) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=142357 Protest against sudden increase in crimes Wednesday, October 22, 2008 By our correspondent NAUSHAHROFEROZE: Dozens of shopkeepers here on Tuesday staged a demonstration at the local press club to protest against the sudden increase in crimes in the jurisdiction of Kandiaro and Halani police stations. The protesters said that law and order situation was poor in the jurisdiction of both police stations. They alleged that cases of plunder, abduction and theft were increasing in the jurisdiction of Kandiaro and Halani police stations but the local police were not taking steps to curb the increasing trend of crimes in the area. The protesters were carrying banners and placards and demanded intervention by higher authorities. Meanwhile, DPO Naushahroferoze Nisar Ahmed Channa while talking to newsmen in his office on Tuesday claimed that police had arrested notorious dacoit Ghulam Shabir Depar who was wanted in 10 cases of looting, murder and abduction. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/416767/cs/1/ Doctors in Maharashtra on strike to protest assaults India Gazette Friday 10th October, 2008 (IANS) Private medical practitioners in Maharashtra observed a token strike Friday to protest the growing incidents of assaults on their fraternity members and the government's failure in enacting a law for their protection, an Indian Medical Association (IMA) spokesperson said. Private practitioners kept their clinics and consultancies shut while hospitals refused to entertain cases in the out-patient departments or admit new cases except emergencies, IMA president-elect and state unit member Ashok Adhao told IANS. Doctors in government hospitals have been urged to wear black badges on duty he said, claiming a 'fairly good' response to the association's appeal. 'Only a small number of cases of assaults on doctors get reported as the victims themselves are reluctant to make police complaints,' Adhao said. Pointing out that it was only a token strike wherein care was being taken not to inconvenience patients or neglect emergencies, Adhao said the objective of the IMA was to highlight the members' plight to the society and the authorities. While silent sit-in demonstrations were held in various cities, including Nagpur, Pune and Chandrapur, doctors took out a silent procession in Aurangabad. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-32854.html Women in Manipur protest against atrocities by militants By L.C.K Singh, Imphal, Oct. 14: Women in Manipur were recently out on the streets to protest against the atrocities committed by the militants. They took out a torch rally in west Imphal last week against militant groups. The women condemned the underground groups as criminals who were operating in the guise of revolutionaries. The protestors said that the worst sufferers of militants' atrocities were women, as it is the women who suffer the most when the family's breadwinner loses his life. They carried placards reading 'Humans should not torture humans' 'In the name of revolution, don't extort money'. Meena Devi, one of the participants, said: "We are participating in this protest to express our grievances. We request the militants not to hurt innocent people. We are expressing our unhappiness through this." Chanchan Devi, another participant in the street march, said: "We do not agree with the militants throwing bombs at local residents. They consider innocent people as worthless beings and this is not right. That is why we are protesting against them." The women's protest march was carried out following a recent grenade attack on the house of Khamba Singh, an engineer working in the state's electricity department. Militants here wish to keep people under control by arousing fear among them. Every one in Manipur is wondering why the militants attacked simple government servants, who are trying to work despite the limited resources available at their disposal. Anita Devi, a local resident, said ;"Militants throwing bombs at an innocent civilian's house is not right and we are protesting to voice against such activities. We are taking this step to tell them to stop such activities." Bimolini Devi, another woman, said: "If these things keep on happening frequently, it will be very difficult for us to live on. We want them to stop such activities as soon as possible. This is our urgent request to the revolutionaries." The placards carried by the women protestors read : 'Does revolution means destroying peace', 'Torturing family members is not revolution'. The placards reflected the dislike of Manipuris in general of the underground groups. Local residents are today well aware that the so called revolutionaries are basically extortionists and do not reflect the aspirations of the people of the state. --- ANI [NOTE: Katchi abadis are shanty-towns. I have no idea why local separatists are protesting against legalisation.] http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/07/rss.htm#e3 Protests against Katchi Abadi regularisation NAUSHAHRO FEROZE:The activists of Jeay Sindh Mahaz took out a rally in Moro on Monday demanding of the Sindh government to withdraw its announcement about the regularisation of 450 katchi abadis in Karachi. JSM (J) activists led by their leaders, Mohammad Hashim Khoso, Ahmed Khan Chandio and Sikandar Jarwar, took out a rally from Shaheed Abdul Razzaq Soomro chowk and after marching through Shahi Bazaar, National Highway and other roads, reached opposite local press club where they observed token hunger strike. (Posted @ 04:32 PST) http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37150.html Bandh called to protest attack on passenger bus Imphal, Oct 27 : The All Manipur Inter-State Bus Association today called a 12-hour Manipur bandh on October 29 to protest the torching of a tourist bus with passengers on board, leading to the death of two people, on October 23 at Lahorijan, Assam, by suspected Kuki militants. President of the association Athokpam Budha Luwang said considering the frequent attacks on vehicles in Assam and Nagaland, it was decided to suspend all inter-state bus services. The association said many militant groups on truce with the government were involved in extorting money from transporters from Manipur. Besides huge monetary demands by militants, security personnel were also involved in illegal tax collection from passenger bus services transporting people of Manipur to Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya, the association alleged. The association and other organisations supporting the cause of the passenger bus services today submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh urging him to ensure protection of the passengers especially on National Highways 39 and 53. The Union Surface Transport Ministry and Union Home Ministry were also apprised of the frequent harassment of passengers on the highways. The United National Liberation Front (UNLF), United Committee Manipur (UCM) and other organisations also condemned the killing of the two passengers, including a woman. --- UNI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101656110300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Nellore MRPS stages protest Nellore: Activists of Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) on Wednesday organised a dharna in front of the Collectorate protesting the violence and the brutal killing of six persons in Bhainsa in Adilabad. The protestors raised slogans demanding that the government book the culprits and take steps to bring normalcy in the area. -Staff Reporter http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=146765 Protest outside court for shop owner 24/10/2008 6:49:49 Supporters of an Auckland liquor store owner who want charges against him withdrawn are stepping up their campaign. Virender Singh is charged with injuring with intent after a brawl outside his liquor store in Otara earlier this month with youths he suspected were shoplifting. Singh claims he was stabbed while holding down one of the youths. Police say the law allows for shop owners to use reasonable force to defend themselves, but those who clearly exceed that force can expect to be arrested. A protest by members of the Indian Central Association will take place outside the Manukau District Court at 10am, coinciding with Singh's appearance. Organiser Veer Khar is expecting a sizeable turnout. He says people are sick of being told how to run their lives and want reassurance they can walk the streets without being beaten up. Mr Khar says law and order is a national issue and not one pertaining to any particular community. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Montenegro-Dozens-Hurt-In-Clashes-As-Pro-Serbians-Protest-Against-Recogition-Of-Kosovo-Independence/Article/200810215120017?f=rss Montenegro Protests Turn Violent 12:12am UK, Tuesday October 14, 2008 Police in Montenegro have used tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators at a mass rally against a government decision to recognise the independence of Kosovo. Riot police clash with protesters in Podgorica At least 34 people, including 23 policemen, were injured and admitted to Podgorica's emergency medical centre, its manager, Vladimir Dobricanin, said. Most of those hospitalised suffered slight injuries caused by stones or "direct clashes", he said. Police said they had detained 28 people. Earlier some 10,000 pro-Serb opposition supporters rallied to demand that the government of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic revoke its recognition of Serbia's breakaway province. But as the demonstration officially ended, some protesters broke the police cordon in front of the parliament building in central Podgorica, throwing stones and breaking windows, according to witnesses. Police then fired tear gas and broke up the crowd. Several groups of hooligans continued running through the capital, breaking windows and setting fire to containers. Kosovans celebrate independence Police blocked Podgorica's main boulevard, Sveti Petar Cetinjski, and surrounding streets, cordoning off government buildings. The situation calmed down in the evening but a major police presence remained. Police said in a statement: "New protests will be banned considering violent behaviour at the rally." Last week Montenegro recognised the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo, despite strong opposition from its former federal partner Serbia and pro-Serb opposition parties in Podgorica. The protest, called by four opposition parties in favour of closer ties with Serbia, set a deadline of Wednesday at 11am for the government to revoke its "illegal decision" and for parliament to call a referendum on whether Montenegro should recognise the independence. Protesters chanted "treason, treason" and "Kosovo is Serbia", as well as slogans against Mr Djukanovic, accusing him of "betraying Kosovo". Bishop Amfilohije Radovic of the Serbian Orthodox Church said: "This is the most shameful decision in the history of Montenegro." There is a strong Serb community in Montenegro, with more than 30% of the 650,000 population describing themselves as Serbian. Montenegro separated from Serbia and proclaimed independence in 2006 after a majority of Montenegrins approved the move in a referendum. Kosovo proclaimed independence in February and has so far been recognised by 50 nations, including the UK, most EU countries and the United States. The latest to do so were Serbia's neighbours bordering Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia, sparking an angry reaction from Belgrade, which in turn asked ambassadors of the two former Yugoslav republics to leave Serbia. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/ProSerbia-protests-rock-Montenegro.4587647.jp Pro-Serbia protests rock Montenegro Published Date: 14 October 2008 By ANGUS HOWARTH POLICE fired tear gas at thousands of angry pro-Serb Montenegrins who pelted state buildings with rocks and flares to protest their government's recognition of Kosovo's independence last night. At least 34 people were injured. The protesters chanted "Treason! Treason!" and "Kosovo is Serbia!" to condemn the government's decision last week to recognise Kosovo, the former Serbian province which declared its independence in February. Eleven protesters and 23 police officers were injured during the running clashes in downtown Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, hospital officials said. Police said 28 demonstrators were arrested. Earlier, about 10,000 protesters gave the country's pro-western government until tomorrow to withdraw its recognition of Kosovo, or they would try to topple it "by unparliamentary means." "This is the biggest shame in Montenegrin history," Andrija Mandic, a leader of the pro-Serbian opposition in the parliament, told a rally in Podgorica. He and other pro-Serbian officials demanded a referendum on Kosovo's recognition. About 35 per cent of Montenegro's population of 650,000 declare themselves as Serbs. After Montenegro and Macedonia, Serbia's neighbours, recognised Kosovo on Thursday, Belgrade expelled the two Balkan countries' ambassadors and threatened additional retaliatory measures. Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia were once all part of Yugoslavia. Montenegro, considered Serbia's closest ally, did not split from Serbia until 2006. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=10&dd=14&nav_id=54211 Podgorica peaceful after protests 14 October 2008 | 10:32 | Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug Belgrade, Podgorica -- The Montenegrin police arrested 28 people during yesterday?s protest against Podgorica?s recognition of Kosovo independence. Yesterday night's clashes in Podgorica (FoNet) 34 people were injured, according to police. Following the violence, the police have decided to ban the next anti-Kosovo independence rally, scheduled by the opposition for October 16. The rioting ended at about 21:00 CET last night, and the rest of the night was calm in Podgorica. The injured included 23 police officers and 11 civilians. Cars were destroyed, along with shop fronts, state buildings, while all of Podgorica was covered in tear gas. A video of the protest is being studied in order to identify some of the more serious trouble-makers and to establish the responsibility of the protest organizers. The violence broke out at the end of the rally, when the last speaker, Serbian List leader Andrija Mandi?, warned of violent demonstrations if the Montenegrin government did not revoke its decision to recognize Kosovo?s unilateral independence declaration by Wednesday. ?You remember what once happened when we went up to the government. There was a bit of tear gas and that was it, and then the people were declared terrorists. What we are standing for today is supported by two-thirds of Montenegro, and we will not allow tear gas to kill the will of the majority,? he said. The violence broke out when several hundred younger demonstrators, their faces covered with hoods and caps, broke through a barricade and started throwing stones, flares and bottles at the police. Mandi? and Montenegrin Church official Afilohije Radovi? tried unsuccessfully to calm the crowd down. Police fired tear gas at the hooligans, but then the violence later spread throughout the city, as windows on government buildings and store fronts were smashed all around the city, while the opposition and church leaders took cover behind the parliament building. Before the violence, opposition leaders addressed some 10,000 people, who had come from all parts of Montenegro, calling on the government to revoke its decision to recognize Kosovo by Wednesday. Chants of ?betrayal? were heard and many Serbian flags could be seen, along with Chetnik iconography. Police are expected to submit a detailed report of the events later in the day. Mandi? has also started a hunger strike in front of the Montenegro parliament, as he promised during the protest, after he was banned from doing so inside the parliament building or on parliament property. http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/10/14/34_hurt_at_protest_over_kosovo_policy/ 34 hurt at protest over Kosovo policy October 14, 2008 Montenegro PODGORICA - Police fired tear gas yesterday at thousands of angry pro-Serb Montenegrins who pelted state buildings with rocks and flares to protest their government's recognition of Kosovo's independence. At least 34 were injured. The protesters chanted "Kosovo is Serbia!" to condemn the government's decision last week. Eleven protesters and 23 police officers were injured during the running clashes in downtown Podgorica, hospital officials said. (AP) http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97865 Montenegro Protesters Clash with Police over Kosovo 14 October 2008, Tuesday Clashes with the police erupted in Podgorica at a rally against the government's decision to recognise Kosovo's independence. Photo by B92.net Protesters in Podgorica have clashed with police at a rally against the government's decision to recognise Kosovo's independence. Police have deployed tear gas against protestors after rioting broke out and least 20 people were injured. Policemen were also injured as stones and flaming torches were thrown at parliament buildings. Last week Montenegro joined the US in recognising Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia, thus enraging the traditional ally, which responded by expelling the Montenegrin ambassador from Belgrade. Opposition parties, which organized the protest against the government's decision, declared that by recognizing Kosovo, the authorities had cast shame on Montenegro and taken a decision that ran completely counter to the will of the people and Montenegro's historical and current interests. The National Party (NS) labeled the act of recognition an "unscrupulous and unfriendly act towards Serbia." http://www.b92.net//eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=10&dd=31&nav_id=54632 Serbs, Albanians clash in K. Mitrovica 31 October 2008 | 10:17 | Source: Beta, Tanjug KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Five people have suffered minor injuries during clashes between Serbs and Albanians in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Du?an Petrovi?, a doctor at Kosovska Mitrovica hospital, told Tanjug that the patients were discharged after receiving treatment, and their lives were not in danger. The town?s deputy Kosovo Police Service commander, Predrag Vasovi?, told Tanjug that the incident had been triggered when a group of Albanians crossed over to the northern Mitrovica with the intention of rebuilding their houses, that were destroyed in 1999. "A group of Serbs gathered round and stood in their path, and that?s when the clashes broke out. They used crowbars and wooden bats,? Vasovi? said. Immediately after the incident, that part of Mitrovica was cordoned off by UN police and KFOR. Serb National Council President Milan Ivanovi? told Tanjug that ethnic Albanians had come to the northern part of the town with the clear intention of provoking an incident. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/21raj5.htm Raj's arrest sparks protests in Pune, Nashik October 21, 2008 11:47 IST Sporadic incidents of stone pelting at municipal and private buses were reported from Pune on Tuesday morning following the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray [Images] in Ratnagiri. In Kothrud area, some alleged MNS activists damaged a company's bus that was taking its employees to workplace. Elsewhere, a few Pune Municipal Transport buses were stoned by miscreants, police said. Meanwhile, police have picked up around 100 MNS activists, including some corporators on Monday night as a preventive measure. In Nashik, MNS activists set ablaze a truck near Public Works Department minister Chhagan Bhujbal's farm on Tuesday morning and also damaged another truck at Vilholi-Phata area, police said. Incidents of stone pelting on Maharashtra State Road Transport Coporation buses and other vehicles were reported in some areas, the police said, adding vehicular traffic on the busy Mumbai-Agra-national highway was disrupted following the protest. Also, police have rounded up 70 MNS activists in Nashik so far in connection with these incidents and security has been tightened in the city. In Solapur, incidents of stone pelting on state transport buses around 0630 hours has also been reported, the police added. http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/oct/22mns.htm Retailers bear the brunt of MNS protests BS Reporters in Mumbai | October 22, 2008 09:48 IST Protests following the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday crippled retail businesses in and around Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country. MNS activists forced shopkeepers to shut down on Tuesday, barely a few days before Diwali, the busiest sale season, which could translate into serious financial loss for the retailers. Leading retailers such as Kishore Biyani-controlled Big Bazaar, Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance [Get Quote] Fresh, Aditya Birla's More, among others, downed shutters during the day. Their cumulative loss could not be ascertained. Big Bazaar, which runs eight stores in Mumbai, closed at least half of them in the city, which is expected to result in a loss of Rs 40-50 lakh (Rs 4-5 million), according to a company executive. "When costs are fixed and business is not happening, it is a big blow to retailers. One day, they ask you to put hoardings in local language and another day, they force us to close stores. It is becoming difficult to conduct business here," said a chief executive of a leading electronics retail chain, who did not wish to be named. Consumer durables retailers, who were already seeing slower sales because of an economic downturn, said sales have further plunged as customers stayed away from shops. Vijay Sales, a consumer durables dealer chain, admitted to a 50 per cent drop in sales due to the tension-filled atmosphere in the city. Sufi Electronics claimed a 75 per cent drop in sales on Tuesday as a result of the violence in the city. The dealer also admitted that this year, despite Dhanteras and Diwali, barely a week away, sales have remained poor compared with that a year earlier. While BPO firms like WNS, Intelenet and others had regular attendance, some said firms were allowing employees in the second shift to leave early. By and large, offices were well attended, even as stray incidents of violence were reported during the day. The suburban railway system and the bus service of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport remained unaffected. Bank branches were functioning normally, though there were fewer customers. Employees at public-sector establishments, including insurance firms, headed home early. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/23/2003426721 Three killed in riots after Indian politician?s arrest AFP, MUMBAI Thursday, Oct 23, 2008, Page 5 Three people were killed in overnight rioting in India?s Maharashtra state after the arrest of a firebrand politician accused of inciting violence against migrant workers, police said yesterday. State police chief A.N. Roy said that the three died in clashes between supporters of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray and what he called ?outsiders? near the town of Kalyan, northeast of Mumbai. Roy said that a ?large? number of police officers had been deployed and he was confident they could contain the violence. ?We have made all preparations,? he said. Thackeray was arrested on Tuesday and later released on conditional bail in connection with weekend attacks on northern Indians who had come to Mumbai to seek work on the railways. His party strongly supports jobs for local people and promotes the use of the Marathi language and culture, which frequently puts it at odds with wider efforts to encourage a stronger national identity and a mobile workforce. MNS activists claimed Maharashtrians were under-represented in the railways? recruitment process and attacked examination centers and candidates. On Sunday one northern Indian man died after falling off a train, allegedly after being attacked by MNS supporters, and northern Indians were also among the dead in the Kalyan clashes, media reported. Some 2,000 people have been arrested in connection with the disturbances and as a preventative measure ahead of Thackeray?s high-profile court appearance in central Mumbai on Tuesday. But stone-throwing crowds still clashed with baton-wielding police outside the court and across the state. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, buses and shops were attacked while attempts were made to burn other vehicles and set up roadblocks. Thackeray was given conditional bail but still faces questioning on a number of separate charges in connection with the weekend violence, including inciting rioting, destroying public property and murder for the railway death. His MNS is an offshoot of his uncle Bal Thackeray?s Shiv Sena party, which has pushed a similar ?Maharashtra for Marathis? agenda since the mid-1960s. The party changed the former Bombay?s name to Mumbai in 1995. Shiv Sena activists were also identified in a judicial report as being involved in the communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in Mumbai in 1992 and 1993. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=155858 Neonationalist organizations set to protest Ergenekon trial The trial of suspected members of Ergenekon is due to start on Oct. 20 in the town of Silivri, where neonationalists have announced they will be to protest the trial, dubbed the most important case in the history of the republic by much of society. The existence of Ergenekon, a behind-the-scenes network attempting to use social and psychological engineering to shape the country in accordance with its own ultranationalist ideology, has long been suspected, but the current investigation into the group began only in 2007, when a house in ?stanbul's ?mraniye district that was being used as an arms depot was discovered by police. Nearly 90 suspects, more than half of whom are currently under arrest, are accused of having links to the gang. Suspects face accusations that include "membership in an armed terrorist group," "attempting to bring down the government," "inciting people to rebel against the Republic of Turkey" and other similar crimes. The indictment, made public in July, claims that the Ergenekon network is behind a series of political assassinations carried out over the past two decades, including the killing of journalist U?ur Mumcu in 1993 and a deadly attack on the Council of State in 2006. A number of neonationalist civil society organizations who have either indirect links to Ergenekon leaders or who are merely sympathizers with similar worldviews announced a new campaign called "the Silivri meeting." These groups include the Solidarity Movement for the Republic, the Turkey Youth Union, the Workers' Party (?P), the National Awakening Program, Patriotic Citizens, the Support for Modern Life Association (?YDD) and the Grand Jurists' Union, the last of which is famous for countless cases filed against writers and journalists expressing opinions different from the state ideology with respect to the Kurdish question or Armenian allegations against Turkey. The protestors will travel to Silivri from ?zmir, which they will depart from at 10 p.m. on Oct. 19. In addition to the groups above, the ?zmir Bar Association, the Chamber of Accountants, the ?zmir Doctors' Union, the ?zmir branch of the Education Personnel Union (E?itim-??), the Republican Women's Association, the National Education Platform, the first branch of the Highway Builders' Union (Yol-??), the Turkey Administrators Union and the Food Sector Workers' union (Tek G?da) are involved. The groups laid out their program for the beginning of the trial at the Dokuz Eyl?l University Rector's Hall in the past few days. Bus rides to ?zmir will be organized from other cities, including ?stanbul and Ankara, by the ?P. The protestors will meet in front of the Silivri Prison, where the trial will be held. This is not the first time neonationalist groups have protested with hopes of influencing the judiciary. Similar groups have appeared at the trials of writers, including Orhan Pamuk and the late journalist Hrant Dink -- killed by a neonationalist teenager with possible links to Ergenekon -- when they were being tried for violation of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which criminalized the "denigration of Turkishness," before it was amended in response to criticism from many segments of Turkish society and the EU for its restriction of freedom of speech. Lawyer and Ergenekon suspect Kemal Kerin?siz and his Grand Jurists Association are responsible for a large number of Article 301-related cases filed last year. Security will be tight in front of the courthouse in Silivri, police sources said. Pamuk horrified by plans for his assassination In a related development, Turkey's Nobel-Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk said on a television program Sunday night that he was informed by police about the spine-chilling details of the Ergenekon gang's plan to assassinate him. Hearing the details was not only horrifying, but also repulsive and exasperating for the author. Pamuk, speaking on the ?effaf Oda (Transparent Room) program on Kanal D Sunday night, said the police had informed him that Ergenekon was plotting to kill him. "I saw their plans. The police had me listen to their phone conversations about my assassination," he said. He also expressed his anger toward those who do not take the Ergenekon investigation seriously. "These people [Ergenekon suspects] have killed. They have been involved in many incidents. I don't understand how some people can say 'nothing will come out of this investigation'," the famous author said. "The police informed me about the details of an Ergenekon plot to kill me about eight months before the Ergenekon investigation fully started. The government assigned me a bodyguard. Now some papers understate this organization. I don't like talking about politics, but this is a reality. This organization exists. I have seen their plans; I have listened to their phone conversations about killing me." Pamuk moved to New York last year after buying a house there for $ 1.8 million, a move that was mostly interpreted as a response to the increasing number of assassination threats against him. Ergenekon suspect ?lsever undergoes surgery Meanwhile, journalist and Ergenekon suspect Ferit ?lsever, who was moved on July 29 from jail to a hospital due to health problems, underwent lung surgery at the S?reyya Pa?a Respiratory Disease and Breast Surgery Research Hospital in ?stanbul's Maltepe district yesterday morning. Medical information on the result of the operation was not immediately made available to the press. Speaking to journalists a day ahead of his operation, ?lsever had stated that he would not show up on the first day the Ergenekon case, scheduled for Oct. 20. 14 October 2008, Tuesday http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102652550300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli Congress holds protest Staff Reporter ? Photo: A. Shaikmohideen UP IN ARMS: Congress cadres staging a demonstration in Tirunelveli on Saturday. TIRUNELVELI: Protesting the damaging of Rajiv Gandhi statue in Chennai and demanding the arrest of the supporters of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) under National Security Act, Congress functionaries staged demonstrations here on Saturday. Led by the party?s Tirunelveli City district president Sundararaja Perumal, Congress functionaries raised slogans against LTTE supporters and demanded their arrest under NSA. They also condemned the vandalising of Rajiv Gandhi?s statue in Chennai. Party office-bearers Mohan Kumararaja, Saravanan, Somu, Vaikuntaraja and others participated. Another group of cadres staged a demonstration in front of the railway station here. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2008/10/15/1015mahoneyprotest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76 Stuart protesters chant "Mahoney must go" By CARA FITZPATRICK Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 15, 2008 STUART ? Chanting "Mahoney must go" and "Where is Ma-phoney," about 20 people stood today in front of U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney's congressional office on Osceola Street, calling for answers about his alleged affair. Many of the protesters held homemade signs that said, "Shame!" and "Cheater Tim!" and "Character Counts." Diane McKechnie, of Hobe Sound, yelled, "Come on Tim, come on out" and "Come on Tim, answer the questions" in the direction of Mahoney's office. The office was open, but had few workers inside. Democrat Mahoney, running against Republican Tom Rooney for District 16's seat, agreed to pay $121,000 to stop a lawsuit by a former staffer with whom he allegedly had an extramarital affair, sources familiar with the matter say. ABC News first reported the story Monday. Nina Bechtel, who held up her sign for passing motorists, said she was offended by Mahoney's actions and his arrogance. "I think Tim Mahoney misused his office. He misused funds by paying his mistress," she said. State Rep. Gayle Harrell, who lost her bid in the primary for the Congressional seat representing District 16, joined the protesters, saying she was upset to see such a scandal when Mahoney ran on a platform of ethics and family values. "I think this is totally inappropriate behavior and he should resign immediately," she said. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/CanadaVotes/News/2008/09/13/6756876-cp.html Protest greets Harper in N.L. as he downplays rift By Alexander Panetta, THE CANADIAN PRESS 2008-09-13 HARBOUR GRACE, N.L. - Stephen Harper cast the campaign against him by Newfoundland's premier as a one-man war Saturday and urged the province's residents not to follow Danny Williams. The Conservative leader downplayed the bizarre confrontation that he finds himself in - fending off a sustained attack from a Conservative premier at election time. As he arrived in hostile territory, Harper's campaign convoy was greeted by about a dozen protesters. One man was detained by police when he tried attending the prime minister's speech without an invitation. Other protesters honked horns, chanted unflattering slogans about Harper, or used nationalist symbols to voice their disdain as they waved Newfoundland's pre-Confederation tricolour flag along the highway. Harper did his best to avoid escalating the federal-provincial Conservative family feud. He said his election rivals in this campaign are the Liberals and New Democrats, not Williams, and that he doesn't take the premier's attacks personally. He noted Williams also had his run-ins with the previous Liberal government, at one point lowering the Maple Leaf outside the legislature during a squabble over federal transfers. But the point he stressed a number of times Saturday was that it's up to Newfoundlanders themselves - not their premier - to decide how they vote on Oct. 14. "You are - as the slogan says - proud, strong, determined," the prime minister said to a crowd of about 150 people. "I can't tell you how to vote. No one can tell a Newfoundlander or a Labradorian how to vote. "Your vote is not about personality fights. Your vote is about your own best interests." While his party may not win Williams' vote, the prime minister argued that his party has a solid case to make to the other half-million voters in the province. He said his opponents would clobber Newfoundland's booming oil industry just when the province's long-languishing economy was finally taking flight. He said the Liberal carbon-tax plan would damage the province's burgeoning energy sector, and NDP policies would harm the Alberta oilsands that employ so many Newfoundlanders. He suggested only one thing wouldn't change after the next election - Danny Williams. "Premier Williams didn't like the last government. He doesn't like this government," Harper said before boarding a flight to Newfoundland. "And I don't think he'll like the next government - whoever that would be." But Harper faces obvious hurdles in the province. The Tories held three of its seven seats, and two of Harper's MPs have decided not to run again. The choice of campaign destination Saturday was telling. Until now, Harper has campaigned exclusively in ridings he does not hold and hopes to gain in his quest for a majority government. But for the first time in this week-old campaign, Harper visited one of his own party's ridings Saturday in an effort to keep it from slipping away - that of Conservative incumbent Fabian Manning. For one placard-waving protester, the party's fate in the province is practically sealed. "In their two St. John's seats the Conservatives are going to run a distant third," said Jack Swinimer of Holyrood, N.L., a self-described 20-year Conservative voter. "You can lay money on it." Ironically, it was Harper's election pledge in the 2004 campaign that prompted then-prime minister Paul Martin to copy his promise to reform federal equalization transfers. During those negotiations with Martin's Liberal government, Williams stormed out of a first ministers' conference in Ottawa and returned home to an adoring crowd. It was hardly a prelude to his spectacular flame war with Harper. The two have clashed for two years over the equalization program. But Williams has escalated the feud and launched an all-out war to prevent the Tories from being re-elected. In a vitriolic speech Wednesday, Williams warned that the federal Tories under Harper would stoop to any depths to implement their hidden "right-wing, Conservative-Reform" agenda. "A majority government for Stephen Harper would be one of the most negative political events in Canadian history," Williams said last week. Williams has repeatedly criticized Harper since he backed away from an election promise to fully remove oil revenues from a new equalization transfer formula. The Conservatives gave Williams a choice: take the new equalization cash available to all provinces or forego the extra cash and get oil revenues excluded from the formula, to the province's long-term benefit. He was told he couldn't have both. Williams says the decision will cost his province $10 billion. Harper disagrees with that calculation and says the province has benefited from Ottawa's revised equalization program. Williams has adopted an "A-B-C" slogan for the campaign, urging the province to vote Anything But Conservative. The prime minister turned it on its head Saturday, urging those same voters to also vote "A-B-C" - for Anything But a Carbon tax. The Liberal Green Shift plan would place a tax on gasoline in exchange for personal income-tax cuts. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/21/asia/AS-Hong-Kong-Lehman-Protest.php Hundreds of Lehman investors protest in Hong Kong The Associated Press Published: September 21, 2008 HONG KONG: Hundreds of angry Lehman Brothers investors rallied in Hong Kong on Sunday to demand the government help secure their money after the U.S. investment bank collapsed this past week. The investors, many of them nearing or at retirement age, waved investment papers and chanted slogans outside the territory's government headquarters as they accused regulators of not doing enough to safeguard their interests. "This is all my money," said Peter Wang, 62, a former furniture store owner who said his entire retirement savings, about 2 million Hong Kong dollars (US$256,000), was tied up in Lehman-backed bonds. Albert Ho, head of Hong Kong's Democratic Party, which helped organize the rally, criticized the government for not taking more steps to educate investors in Lehman products, including complex bonds tied to the performance of the territory's equities market. He and other organizers said about 800 people joined the demonstration; police did not offer an estimate. Billions of dollars in souring debt forced Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., once the fourth-largest investment bank in the U.S., to file for bankruptcy last Monday amid the world's worst financial crisis in decades. Responding to growing public ire, Hong Kong regulators contacted Lehman management and met with investors in the bank's bonds over the weekend, the government said in a statement. Regulators vowed to investigate complaints that local banks which sold Lehman Brothers investment products failed to properly disclose connections to the U.S. company. But they warned investors might recover "substantially less" than the original amount. A message left with Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong was not immediately returned. Brian Fong, 45, who works at a private security firm, said he invested about HK$1.3 million (US$167,000) saved over the last 20 years in a Lehman bond purchased through a local bank. When news of Lehman's bankruptcy broke, he frantically called bank officials for answers. But he said the bank still hasn't said for certain what will become of his investment. "I feel terrible. I'm afraid I will lose everything," said Fong, adding his wife will have to go back to work instead of caring for their 10-year-old son if they don't recoup their money. "We never expected this," he said. "I believed it was safe." http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20081026-96312.html 500 protest lost savings Sun, Oct 26, 2008 The Straits Times By Gracia Chiang For the third week in a row, about 500 investors gathered in Hong Lim Park eager to find out how they can seek redress for Lehman-linked financial products they claim were mis-sold to them. Organised by former chief executive officer of insurer NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian, the rally was intended for those who had sunk their money into such products to band together and exchange suggestions. Unlike the previous two Saturday rallies which saw mostly Mandarin-speaking and older investors, many who showed up on Saturday evening were those who did not fall into the 'vulnerable' group which financial institutions have said they would focus on when compensating investors. http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/saudi/?id=28483 First Published 2008-10-27, Last Updated 2008-10-27 10:11:21 Stressful time for Kuwaiti traders Kuwaiti traders stage new protest for third day Panic keeps impacting on Gulf Arab stocks due to fears of global economic downturn. KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaiti traders protested for the third day in a row on Monday as shares across the oil-Gulf region dropped amid a lull in trading because of fears over the global economic meltdown. With the Kuwait Stock Exchange Index sliding below the 10,000-point mark for the first time since mid-March 2007, investors protested inside and outside the bourse building, urging the government to intervene to stop the losses. The latest protest, for the third straight trading session, came despite a number of government measures aimed at shoring up the financial system. On Sunday the government pledged to guarantee bank deposits after the Gulf Bank, Kuwait's second largest lender, incurred losses from trading in derivatives on behalf of a number of private investors who defaulted. Trading in Gulf Bank shares remained suspended for the second day running. The central bank said on Sunday that the government will submit urgently a draft law to parliament to guarantee bank deposits. The cabinet also formed a task force headed by the governor of the central bank and given executive powers to deal with the fallout of the financial crisis on the oil-rich emirate. The finance minister and the head of Kuwait Investment Authority, the emirate's sovereign wealth fund, were quoted by newspapers on Monday as conceding that Kuwaiti foreign investments have taken some losses. Kuwait is estimated to have invested more than 260 billion dollars overseas, mainly in the United States and Europe. The officials were quoted as saying -- without elaborating -- that the losses were minimal. The Kuwait Stock Exchange, the second largest in the Arab world, was trading down 2.6 percent at below the 10,000-point mark for the first time since March last year. The leading banking sector was down 3.7 percent and investment firms shed 3.2 percent. Market leader telecommunications giant Zain shed 1.9 percent. Saudi Arabia's stock market, the largest in the Arab world, opened slightly higher but then immediately went into the red, dropping 3.8 percent. The Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI), which shed about 11 percent over the past two days, was trading at 5,323 points, its lowest level in almost four and a half years. The leading petrochemicals sector shed four percent and banks dropped 5.3 percent. The Dubai Financial Market which opened 0.26 percent higher, was trading down 1.9 percent as the market leader, property developer Emaar, dropped 2.3 percent after rising in initial trades. The decline came despite Emaar announcing plans to buy back about 100,000 of its shares to shore up its prices. Fellow UAE market the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange declined 1.74 percent as the key real estate sector dropped four percent and banks fell by 2.8 percent. The Doha Securities Market dropped 0.9 percent after initially rising, while the small Muscat Securities Market was down 7.3 percent. Bahrain Stock Exchange shed 2.8 percent. The lower trend in Gulf markets came as world oil prices weakened after OPEC's decision to cut supply at a time of global financial turmoil seen as further hurting already weak energy demand. Brent crude oil dropped below 60 dollars on Monday to 59.40 dollars. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery, dropped 22 cents to 63.93 dollars a barrel. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D942QPRO0 Protesters oppose plans to list Thailand's largest beer company on stock market October 27, 2008 - 07:54 a.m. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Hundreds of people demonstrated outside Thailand's stock exchange Monday to protest plans by the country's largest beer maker to list its shares on the market. They said the move would encourage drinking. Thai Beverage PLC, which brews Beer Chang (Elephant Beer), the country's top seller, has applied for listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Senior Vice President Ueychai Tantha-Obhas said earlier. It plans to complete the listing by the end of the year. If successful, it would be the first alcoholic beverage company to list on the market in the predominantly Buddhist country. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/10/28/business/business_30086984.php Protesters oppose listing for ThaiBev By Siriporn Chanjindamanee, Sucheera Pinijparakarn The Nation Published on October 28, 2008 More than 100 activists yesterday held a rally at the Stock Exchange of Thailand to protest the dual listing of Thai Beverage's shares. ThaiBev, producer of Chang beer and a range of spirits, hopes to complete its listing by the year's end, according to its senior executive, Ueychai Tantha-Obhas. The company already lists on the Singapore exchange. Kumron Chudecha, a protest leader, said the plan was being opposed because alcoholic drinks are bad for public health, society and the economy. In addition, the SET should not support the alcoholic beverage business, he said. Kumron also said the listing plan appeared to have exploited the ongoing political conflict, since some of the key opponents who previously led the protest against ThaiBev's 2005 listing plan are now preoccupied with ousting the government. Besides the SET, protesters will summit letters opposing the listing plan to the Finance Ministry and ThaiBev tomorrow. While the government's tax collection on alcoholic drinks amounts to more than Bt72 billion per year, it is not worthwhile when considering the economic losses resulting from alcohol consumption, which are estimated to be Bt150 billion a year, said Kumron. "Though Maj-General Chamlong Srimuang did not join the protest this time, we've decided to go ahead with our own plan to oppose the listing," said Kumron. Naree Boontherawara, senior vice president of the SET, said the Securities and Exchange Commission would decide on ThaiBev's plan within 30 days. Meanwhile, Pongphan Apinyakul, head of research at Kim Eng Securities, said ThaiBev's listing would not do much to change investor sentiment at this juncture, even though it would be a big-capitalisation stock. ThaiBev plans to float 80 million shares in its public offering on the SET. The offering will represent 0.3 per cent of the company's shares. Suthathip Peerasub of Kim Eng Securities (Thailand) said the target price for the ThaiBev stock could be revised upwards from the previous estimate of 0.30 Singapore dollars. Kosin Sripaiboon, research head at UOB KayHian Securities (Thailand), said the economic slowdown would affect sales of beverages and alcoholic products. "Therefore, ThaiBev is not as attractive as before. Moreover, the business and its ads are now regulated more tightly," he said. An analyst at Trinity Securities said that even though ThaiBev would be a big-cap stock, it could be difficult to boost sentiment in the Thai market amid the global financial crisis. Thai Bev, one of Southeast Asia's biggest brewers and distillers, first attempted to list on the SET in 2005, but a major protest movement derailed the plan. The firm then turned to the Singapore stock market for listing in May 2006. http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Cape%20Argus&fArticleId=4684018 Back off, ANC warns anti-Lekota protesters October 28, 2008 Edition 1 GAYE DAVIS and XOLANI MBANJWA The ANC's national working committee has unequivocally condemned "acts of disruption" intended to interfere with Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa's breakaway convention movement, calling on members and supporters "to allow those with dissenting views to meet and proceed with their business without let or hindrance". But it also warned that the ANC could not allow its structures to be used by "those who feel they can no longer be associated with the movement" to organise and mobilise membership in opposition to the ANC, saying such activity was "equivalent to actively disrupting the ANC in violation of the principles of freedom of assembly". This comes as Shilowa announced the convention to be held from Friday to Sunday has been moved from Bloemfontein to the Sandton International Convention Centre because of the large number of people expected to attend. The convention is expected to lead to the launch on December 16 of a new political party. While the DA has said it will send a delegation of observers to the convention, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa cautioned against non-ANC members attending. "We need to give Terror (Mosiuoa Lekota) and his group space because they made it clear in their founding statement that they want ANC members who are not happy with the way the ANC has handled the Freedom Charter," Holomisa said. ANC president Jacob Zuma will be in Gauteng on Sunday as well, addressing a rally in Soweto's Jabulani amphitheatre. Helen Zille said the DA will "see for ourselves what emerges and? have our say, if it is appropriate". Zille agreed with Holomisa a coalition bid to keep the ANC out of government would have to wait till after next year's elections. At its meeting in Johannesburg yesterday, the NWC found ex-defence minister Lekota and his former deputy, Mluleki George, both suspended, should be disciplined speedily. It also appealed to "those in sympathy with the dissidents to take their activities outside the ANC where they have the right, like other opposition parties, to organise and mobilise support for their cause". There is growing concern about the potential for violence in the run-up to next year's 2009 elections. Police have intervened to prevent clashes several times. ANC MPs working in constituencies around the country have told the Cape Argus of high levels of political intolerance and militancy among members determined to prevent organisers of the new movement from mobilising support in their areas. The NWC heard regional general council reports on the "new challenge" from across the country, All the reports confirmed the NWC's assessment that the ANC as a movement "remains stable and that despite the activities of a number of dissident members who are unreconciled to the outcomes of the Polokwane national conference last year, the overwhelming majority of the ANC's support base remains loyal to the movement and its objectives". The NWC said all South Africans had the "untrammeled right" to join and form any political organisation they wished, provided such a body acted in line with the constitution and its supporters' rights had to be respected in law and by other political players". "This includes the right to convene and hold public meetings without fear of disruption by others who hold a contrary view," the statement said. "The NWC therefore condemns unequivocally any acts of disruption that interferes with or impairs the rights of others to assemble peacefully." The NWC said it had urged the ANC's national disciplinary committee to convene hearings against Lekota and George "as speedily as possible so that the matter can be disposed of". It said Lekota and George would be "expected to respond to the charges laid against them in the manner prescribed by the ANC constitution", but gave no date for the hearings. The NWC encouraged ANC members "to express their views freely in letters to editors as well as on radio talkshows. It is the ANC who is the champion of freedom of speech". The statement also hit out at the SABC for alleged bias in its coverage "of an entity with no political name, nor a constitution to guide its utterances and actions". It said this exposed the public to " exhibitions of rhetoric that are blatantly emotional, often without fact and intended to be divisive. Lekota and his ilk even publicly declare that they will endeavour to have an alternative labour formation". The NWC said the ANC, "as a political formation with a long record of fighting for and defending human rights" could not allow the breakaway movement "to employ its structures to organise and mobilise its own membership in opposition to the ANC". "Such activity, undertaken with whatever motive/s, is equivalent to actively disrupting the ANC in violation of the principles if freedom of assembly." The ANC would not allow itself to be distracted from its programme of action to mobilise members and supporters for a voter registration drive. This would focus on attracting "new voters, the youth and working people of all races and creeds", it said. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1023/army.html Soldiers' relatives protest over closures Thursday, 23 October 2008 22:41 Family members of soldiers serving in Longford, who have been demonstrating against the closure of the local barracks, have accused the Government of walking on the people of the area. However, during a visit there this afternoon, the Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Dermot Earley, said he listened to the concerns of troops, their families and public representatives. However, he said the closure would have to go ahead. Up to 80 wives, partners and children of Longford soldiers picketed Connolly Barracks during the visit of the Chief of Staff. Advertisement The 130 soldiers based in Longford will be redeployed to Athlone at the end of January. Barracks are also being closed in Donegal and Monaghan, involving more than 650 redeployments in total. The army wives and partners are angry because the soldiers will now face long commutes to their new places of work, or families may have to sell their current homes to move closer to their new workplaces. The women also said some troops serving in Chad at the moment are angry that the closures were announced while they are on peacekeeping duties abroad. The deputy Mayor of Longford town, Peggy Nolan, estimated that the closure would mean an annual loss of ?6m to the town. General Earley said he hoped to help the troops in dealing with their concerns but he insisted that the closures would proceed. The soldiers' relatives have taken out a full page advertisement in their local newspaper criticising the closure. A march through Longford town is planned for Saturday afternoon as the next step in their campaign to keep the barracks open. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1024/1224715116100.html October 24, 2008 Barracks closures will hurt towns and families of soldiers, say protesters Locals in Longford town protest yesterday over the planned closure of Connolly Barracks. The decision to close four barracks was announced in last week's Budget speech. Photograph: Willie Farrell MARESE McDONAGH in Longford ARMY RELATIVES protested yesterday as the Chief of Staff of the Defences Forces insisted that the planned closure of four Army barracks would go ahead at the end of January. Lieut Gen Dermot Earley travelled to Letterkenny, Lifford, Longford and Monaghan to address soldiers who are to be relocated as part of the measures announced on Budget day. Families who plan to hold a demonstration outside the D?il next Wednesday complained that they learned of the plan when it was flashed on television screens during the Minister for Finance's Budget speech. They said that colleagues serving in Chad learned that their jobs were being moved when they received text messages from relatives watching television at home. While no jobs are being lost under the plan, an estimated 650 military and 40 civilian personnel are being transferred, including 130 who will move from Longford to Athlone. A newly formed lobby group in Longford who complained that the Government was "walking on the people" said the proposals would mean the loss of ?6.5 million to the local economy. They are also holding a protest in the town tomorrow and say they are adamant that the plan must be reversed. Sheila Shields, whose husband is an Army sergeant based at Connolly Barracks in Longford, said the reaction of families had been of "devastation and humiliation". S?amus Keaveney, a former vice-president of soldiers' representative association PDforra who joined more than 50 women and children picketing the barracks during Lt Gen Earley's visit, said men who had spent 120 hours a week doing Border duty in difficult times had learned of their fate when watching television. Ms Shields pointed out that rumours about the planned closure of Connolly Barracks had persisted for 23 years but they had repeatedly been given assurances that it would not happen. She did not accept that the extra 100km round-trip to Athlone seemed small compared to distances covered by some commuters. "You are talking about people who in some cases do 24-hour straight shifts," she said. Lieut Gen Earley said the change would be "disruptive and difficult" but it must go ahead. He said the Army would help the soldiers and their families in every possible way. The measures will mean the transfer of 135 personnel from Rockhill, Letterkenny, and a further 125 from Lifford in Co Donegal to Finner camp, Ballyshannon. An estimated 200 personnel will move from Monaghan to Aiken Barracks in Dundalk. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=249049&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 Thousands of Israelis protest failure to free captive soldier Women hold pictures of Palestinian prisoners during a protest in the West Bank city of Jenin yesterday calling for their release from Israeli jails KEREM SHALOM, Israel: Thousands of Israelis yesterday protested their government?s failure to recover a captured soldier near the site where he was seized on the edge of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Three thousand demonstrators gathered at the site, according to Israeli police, with many of the demonstrators wearing shirts bearing the portrait of the 21-year-old reservist and the caption ?Gilad Shalit is still alive.? The crowds held banners reading ?Gilad Shalit, we have been waiting for you for two years,? and ?No more Ron Arad, free Gilad,? referring to an Israeli airman who disappeared in south Lebanon in 1986. Protesters began gathering at the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing - one of the main goods terminals supplying the besieged Gaza Strip - in the early hours, burning tyres and forced the army to delay the crossing?s opening. The crossing was eventually allowed to open, allowing some 80 trucks to bring food and medical aid into the impoverished territory of 1.5mn people, which has been ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement since June 2007. Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli army radio every effort is being made to bring Shalit home but warned that such demonstrations could ?raise the price of his release? by encouraging Hamas to increase its demands. Hamas wants the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who was seized by Gaza militants in a deadly cross-border raid in June 2006. Noam Shalit, father of the missing soldier and the public face of the campaign for his release, rejected Barak?s comments. ?The government had almost two and a half years to bring Gilad back without demonstrations and without protests, but failed to do so,? Shalit told the Ynet news service on his way to the rally. Israel has sealed Gaza off to all but limited humanitarian aid since June 2007 when Hamas seized power after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The blockade has remained in place despite a four-month truce that has virtually halted the near-daily rocket attacks Palestinian militants used to launch on Israeli communities near the Gaza border. - AFP http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Politics&set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=nw20081017063155187C345161 Shops burnt, bullets fired in protest October 17 2008 at 06:42AM A march in support of Matatiele's inclusion in the Eastern Cape degenerated into clashes on Thursday, with police firing rubber bullets in a bid to gain control over factions for or against incorporation from KwaZulu-Natal. Two shops had been burnt down and nine people were arrested after clashes between residents and people who were allegedly bussed in for the march in support of the municipality's incorporation. Police spokespeson Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said he expected the number of people arrested to increase as police tracked down those involved in the looting of shops, including the two that were burnt down. He said extra officers had been deployed to the town to restore calm. Eastern Cape health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said 11 people were admitted to the Taylor Bequest Hospital with injuries, most sustained as a result of the rubber bullets. Three people with serious injuries had to be referred to hospitals in Mthatha and Pietermaritzburg. The Matatiele-Maluti Mass Organising Committee (Maoc) was "highly disappointed" that Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa had failed to respond to a request to intervene in Thursday's march, said the organisation's chairperson Mandla Galo in a statement. Galo said the march was organised by the Matatiele Municipality and the ANC in the Eastern Cape. He said one of those arrested was Fundiswa Njobe, the Matatiele secretary of the South African Communist Party. Kenny Biggs, chairman of the Cedarville and District Farmers Association, said that there had been "a substantial confrontation" after locals saw "foreigners" marching in support of the region's incorporation into the Eastern Cape. "It is surprising that the march was allowed. There was a stakeholders' meeting where they (the Matatiele municipality) were told of the dangers of a march. We were trying to avoid that (violence) at all costs. People are being provoked," he charged. There were unconfirmed reports that one person was shot in the shoulder. Apparently when an Eastern Cape ambulance arrived to pick up the injured person, it was sent away. A KwaZulu-Natal ambulance was demanded instead. Matatiele mayor Ntai Sello's cellphone went unanswered. Maoc filed papers with the Constitutional Court in August this year to argue against the district's incorporation into the Eastern Cape. In August last year, the Constitutional Court ruled the re-demarcation of KwaZulu-Natal's boundaries invalid as procedures had been inconsistent with the Constitution. While the Eastern Cape had held public hearings on the re-demarcation of Matatiele, KwaZulu-Natal had not. It was found there had been insufficient public participation. On November 1 the KwaZulu-Natal legislature voted by a narrow margin in favour of the controversial Constitution 13th Amendment Bill. Matatiele was incorporated into the Eastern Cape on February 28, hours before voting started in the 2006 local government election. Similarly the Umzimkulu region was incorporated into KwaZulu-Natal from the Eastern Cape. The African National Congress has been accused of ignoring the wishes of the district's residents. More than 8 000 residents attended public hearings last year at the town's soccer stadium. More than 5 000 submissions against the district's incorporation into the Eastern Cape were received. According to the Democratic Alliance there were only 80 submissions in favour of incorporation, including one from mayor Sello. - Sapa http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=14970 Gruesome injuries in Matat riot 17 Oct 2008 Bheki Mbanjwa One person had a rubber bullet stuck inside his nose, another inside an ear, and a third person had one lodged in a thigh. These were some of the injuries reported after rioting in Matatiele on Thursday, the spokesman for the Eastern Cape Health Department, Sizwe Kupelo, told Weekend Witness. He said one person was moved from Taylor Bequest Hospital to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg and the other two to a hospital in Umtata. They were said to be in a stable condition. A total of 11, and not three people as police earlier reported, were injured, as police fired rubber bullets at a crowd in the centre of the town on Thursday as two opposing groups clashed over the demarcation of the town. Police said they used rubber bullets and stun grenades after they were pelted with stones by a group of protesters who in support of the re-incorporation of the town into KZN. It is believed that the group tried to disrupt a march organised by a pro-Eastern Cape grouping. The Matatiele Maluti mass action organising committee (Maoc) said the executive will explore the possibility of taking legal action against the police as they feel police acted improperly during the riots. Mandla Galo, the convenor of Maoc, said that apart from the people injured by rubber bullets, one person was injured after police fired live ammunition, an allegation that was denied by the police. He was speaking after the Maoc held a mass meeting yesterday to take stock of the previous day?s events. ?We are very sad because the police provoked people, they never even warned them,? said Galo. He alleged that politicians, including councillors in Matatiele, funded the march by the pro-Eastern Cape grouping. ?The municipality used taxpayers? money to pay for buses that were used to bus people to Matatiele for the march,? he said. Ntai Sello, the mayor of Matatiele, rubbished Galo?s claims. ?These allegations are very far from the truth and malicious, to say the least. We had nothing to do with that march and we as the municipality will never fund any march. We just do not do that.? Sello warned ?those fomenting violence? that such behaviour will only serve to destabilise the town. The ANC in the Eastern Cape?s Alfred Nzo region dismissed Galo?s assertions that the marchers were bussed in from towns outside Matatiele. The regional leadership also denied allegations that the march was used to drum up support for an ANC breakaway party. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/17/content_10208700.htm Brazilian military police clash with civil police protestors, leaving 23 people injured RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's military police clashed with striking civil police officers in Sao Paulo Thursday afternoon, leading to a shooting and at least 23 people were injured. The conflict started when at least 500 civil police officers, who have been on strike for a month, decided to protest in front of the Bandeirantes Palace, the state government building, and were stopped by the military police. Officials said the turbulence occurred after the strikers were informed that Sao Paulo State Governor Jose Serra would not meet them to negotiate a 15-percent wage rise. The injured included a cameraman from a local TV station and one of the strike leaders. Dozens of police cars, as well as buses, were used to prevent the strikers from reaching the Bandeirantes Palace. Tear gas bombs were also thrown at the strikers. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/230504.html Brazilian Riot Police Clash With Striking Colleagues S?o Paulo police striking for better pay fight pitched battle with colleagues in city streets Brazilian police who are striking for better pay fought a pitched battle with colleagues in riot gear in S?o Paulo yesterday, leaving 13 people wounded and the reputation of the city's force in tatters. Local television broadcast live images of violent mayhem when hundreds of plainclothed detectives tried to break through a phalanx of riot police to reach a state government palace. Baton rounds, tear gas and stun grenades were used during the melee in the heart of Brazil's commercial capital, a metropolis that bills itself a safe alternative to crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro. Police on horseback failed to restore order. The governor of S?o Paulo, Jos? Serra, played down the significance of the clash. "I want to make it clear there is no police war in S?o Paulo. Security is guaranteed." He said the strikers represented a politically motivated minority of the force and that many of protesters were not police but members of other unions and political groups. Yesterday was the fourth protest in a month by detectives who are seeking a 15% pay rise for this year and 12% for the next two years. They also want the post of commissioner general to become an elected one, a change in the system of promotions, a 40-hour working week and pension rights after 30 years' service. Andr? Dahmer, a strikers' leader, accused the authorities of inflaming the situation. "This government does not want dialog, it wants war," he said. The detectives, who form a branch of the state police, were marching towards Pal?cio de los Bandeirantes, the headquarters of the city government, to demand to speak to the governor when they were blocked by barriers and lines of colleagues from the military police, who were decked out with riot shields and helmets. Shoving and tugging turned to punches and swiftly escalated into a battle. The Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement yesterday that it treated 13 people who were injured in the clash, but none seriously. The hospital did not specify whether the injured were riot police or detectives. ? Guardian News & Media 2008 http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/10/18/179213/Striking-police.htm October 18, 2008 11:07 am TWN, AP Striking police battle state troopers in Sao Paulo protest SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Striking police investigators in Sao Paulo clashed violently with state troopers deployed to contain their protest march on Thursday. Brazilian television news showed the melee between hundreds of state police in riot gear and the plainclothes investigators after the protesters tried to break through a barrier protecting the state government palace. Officers fired shots, tear gas and shock bombs. The Albert Einstein Hospital, located a few blocks from the government palace, said in a statement it treated 13 people who were injured in the clash, none seriously. It did not say whether they were state police officers or investigators. Brazilian states have two separate law enforcement groups ? a uniformed police force in charge of maintaining public order, and the so-called civil police who are plainclothes investigators. In some cities there are also municipal guards in charge of protecting public property. Investigators in Sao Paulo state have been striking for a month to demand better pay. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=97952 Bulgaria President, Sofia Mayor Fall out over Protesting Extremists 16 October 2008, Thursday The extreme right Ataka party is holding a permanent protest camp in front of Bulgaria's Presidency disrupting meanwhile a number of the official meetings and ceremonies taking place there. Photo by Kameliya Atanassova (Sofia Photo Agency) A conflict has emerged between the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and the Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov over the permanent protest by activists of the extreme nationalist Ataka party. On Thursday the head of the President's cabinet Nikola Kolev had a harsh conversation with the Mayor Borisov because in his words the rightist extremists were constantly disrupting official ceremonies and meetings of the President. In his capacity as the Sofia Mayor, at the beginning of August Borisov allowed the extreme right opposition party to set up a "People's Parliament", a permanent protest camp some 30 meters away from the building of the Bulgarian Presidency. Ever since the Ataka activists have desecrated Bulgarian and foreign national symbols including the national anthems of the USA and Russia during the ceremonies when the President welcomed the new ambassadors of the two countries. The Sofia Municipality reacted quickly to the complaints by the President's administration and warned the Ataka activists to turn down the volume of the songs and speeches by their leader Volen Siderov that they are constantly playing. The extremists were threatened their permit to protest might be repealed unless they keep the public peace and order. As the informal leader of the most popular Bulgarian opposition party GERB, the Sofia Mayor Borisov has supported protest campaigns, including those of the Ataka party, against the present socialist-led government and the socialist president. However, Borisov said he would not succumb to the pressure of the Ataka leader Siderov, who asked him to declared himself either an opposition leader, or an associate of the ruling socialists, and would force his protesters to obey the public order regulations. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/18/europe/EU-Spain-Police-Demo.php Spanish police protest poor pay, conditions The Associated Press Published: October 18, 2008 MADRID, Spain: Hundreds of Spanish national police and Civil Guards are demonstrating in Madrid to protest poor pay and conditions. United Civil Guard Association representative Alberto Moya says unarmed law and order workers from around the country are marching in civilian clothes to central Colon square, where they will hold a rally. The officers' main complaint is that regional and local public safety workers are paid about ?500 (US$670) more per month than their national counterparts. Men and women of both services are carrying placards saying "(Interior Minister Alfredo Perez) Rubalcaba, raise our pay," and "Equality." Saturday's march is going ahead despite Interior Ministry warnings that participants could be sanctioned. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/50-injured-in-students-clashes-in-dhaka_100111758.html 50 injured in students? clashes in Dhaka October 26th, 2008 - 4:11 pm ICT by IANS - Dhaka, Oct 26 (IANS) Over 50 students of rival bodies were injured in a clash at a cultural function at a university campus, adding to the tension as Bangladesh prepares for parliamentary elections in December. Leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country?s largest islamist party, Saturday attacked a cultural function of Udichi Shilpi Goshthi on the Jagannath University campus. Witnesses said that the clash took place when the Shibir activists, joined by outsiders, attacked the Udichi programme with hockey sticks, iron rods and cricket stumps, New Age newspaper said Sunday. Awami League student wing Chhatra League leaders and activists aided by other students countered the Shibir attack. While the Chhatra League leaders said 20 of their members were injured in the clash, Chhatra Shibir said that 30 of their members had been injured. Both the groups equipped with sticks, cricket bats, stumps and iron rods attacked each other. They also pelted each other with stones. University Vice-Chancellor Abu Hossain Siddique said: ?The cultural programme was postponed after the clash. We are looking into what actually happened.? The clash came even as the protests by cultural organisations continued against removal of Baul statues and sculptures on the road leading to Zia Intentional Airport. There has been no response from the government to the demand by protesters from across the country that these statues, removed allegedly under pressure from Islamist bodies, be restored. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/23/stories/2008102353030300.htm Karnataka - Bellary Congress, BJP workers clash; two injured Staff Correspondent BELLARY: Two persons, one each from either side, were injured in a clash between Congress and BJP activists in Hadagali town here on Wednesday. According to information reaching the district headquarters, officials of the Public Works Department went to perform ?bhoomi puja? on land donated by M.P. Prakash, former Deputy Chief Minister, for construction of a Government First Grade college. By then, some BJP activists, who came there, objected to the puja in the absence of local MLA Chandra Nayak. On coming to know of the objections raised by the BJP, Congress activists came to the spot and entered to a verbal tussle with the BJP workers. Later, two persons Rudresh and Jayagouda sustained injuries. Timely intervention by the police prevented the situation from going out of control. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102251490300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Clashes leave Balussery tense Staff Reporter Area committee office of the CPI (M) attacked ________________________________________ Attackers threw country bombs at the police Shops remained closed for hartal called by BJP ________________________________________ Kozhikode: A tense situation prevails in Balussery in the district following clashes between activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past couple of days. Several persons belonging to both the groups have been injured in the series of clashes. In the latest incident, the area committee office of the CPI (M) was attacked, allegedly by BJP workers, in the early hours of Tuesday. The attackers also hurled country-made bombs at a police team that attempted to thwart the attack on the office. No casualty has been reported. Two BJP activists were taken into custody in connection with the attack, the police said. Meanwhile, the BJP observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the Balussery Assembly constituency on Tuesday in protest against the attack on the offices of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP on Monday. No untoward incidents were reported during the hartal period. However, shops and commercial establishments at Nenmanda, Kakoor, Chelanoor and Cheekilood remained closed. The situation in the town and adjoining areas remains volatile after the CPI (M) workers took out a march in the evening against the attack on its area committee office. A large posse of policemen has been deployed to avert further clashes. Vadakara Superintendent of Police K. Natarajan and Thamarassery Deputy Superintendent of Police C.T. Tom are camping in the area. Clashes erupted in Balussery after three CPI (M) activists were assaulted at Thiruthiyad on Sunday night. The injured were admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital here. The CPI (M) had called a hartal on Monday in protest against the incident. The protesters then attacked the BJP and RSS offices during the hartal. Two BJP activists waiting at a bus stop were also attacked. The police had to resort to lathi-charge and fire teargas shells to disperse a violent mob that gathered in the town. The BJP-CPI (M) clashes started from a youth festival at the higher secondary school at Kokkallur last week. Two houses of CPI (M) activists and the house of a BJP worker were attacked after the incident. District CPI (M) leaders allege that the BJP and RSS were behind the violent incidents at Balussery. They have demanded that the culprits be brought to book. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102253170300.htm Other States - Haryana Groups clash over candidate selection Sonepat: Two groups of Congress workers clashed with each other over the issue of selection of candidate for Lok Sabha seat from Sonepat. The clash took place in the presence of Rajni Patil, a Central observer of the AICC, after she arrived here on Monday evening to know the party workers? choice for the possible candidate for the Sonepat Lok Sabha seat. While a large number of workers favoured Krishna Gahlawat, former Haryana Minister another group harped for Jatinder Singh Malik, MLA and a close associate of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The agitating workers also raised slogans in favour of their candidate. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/421203/cs/1/ Shiv Sena, LJP activists clash in Delhi India Gazette Tuesday 21st October, 2008 (ANI) New Delhi, Oct 21 : A violent brawl broke out between the activists of Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) here today as the two parties took to streets to protest against militant attacks and atrocities of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on North Indian students in Mumbai. The Sena activists were protesting against the recent militant attacks in the country when the LJP activists reached the site to stage a demonstration against the MNS atrocities in Mumbai. On the other hand, the Sena activists accused the LJP workers of disturbing their peaceful rally. "Shiv Sainiks had gathered here in thousands. Our MP Mohan Rawale was with us. In between this some traitors who are sympathetic towards the militants attacked us but we are proud that we managed to defend ourselves. We have beaten them with cane sticks and in future we would ensure that nobody escapes," said Sandeep Kulkarni, a Shiv Sena activist. While referring to the recent attacks on students from outside Maharashtra the LJP accused the Sena activists of hampering the unity of the country and demanded registration of cases against them. "They are beating our people, making them apologise and move out. They can do anything. They are trying to disrupt the unity of the country. That is why our party has demanded a case of anti-national activities against them," said Ram Chandra Paswan, an LJP member. The reason of the clash is yet to be ascertained. Police was deployed in large numbers to control the situation and prevent a violent outbreak. On Sunday, the MNS activists in Mumbai had beaten students, particularly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and disrupted the Railway recruitment examinations. Earlier today, MNS chief Raj Thackeray was produced before the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate court where his bail plea was rejected. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100858020300.htm Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur Demonstration THANJAVUR: A section of people of Kovilacherry village near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district staged a demonstration in front of the Revenue Divisional Office in Kumbakonam on Tuesday demanding the arrest of the people involved in the reported murder of Veerachamy (45), an agricultural worker belonging to Scheduled Caste community. The body of Veerachamy was found with cut injuries in Kovilachery village on Monday and a section of villagers refused to take the body on Monday. Following an assurance by the police and revenue officials that the culprits would be booked, the villagers gave up the agitation and took the body for cremation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100551800300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Students stage demonstration Special Correspondent GULBARGA: Students of different colleges here staged a demonstration on Friday under the aegis of the All-India Mahila Samskrutika Sanghatane (AIMSS) protesting against the Karnataka High Court ruling allowing women to be employed in bars and restaurants. They held the demonstration at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk for more than an hour. They said the decision to allow women to work in bars would give room for sexual abuse and harassment. They appealed to the Government to move the Supreme Court and bring a stay on the High Court order. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/18/stories/2008101861600300.htm Kerala - Kochi Two students held after clash on campus Staff Reporter KOCHI: Two students of the Government Law College were injured in a clash between activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishath (ABVP) on Friday. Two students were arrested in connection with the clashes. Those arrested were Rohit, 23, of Eroor and Ansu, 22, Neyyattinkara, both SFI activists, on charges of assault. Aneesh, and Ramanunni, activists of the ABVP, were admitted to City Hospital. The skirmish followed the SFI strike call to protest against the clash between two groups at Maharaja?s College on Thursday. http://newsblaze.com/story/20081019082746nava.nb/topstory.html Published: October 19,2008 Send to a friend Group Clashes Shock Northeast India By Nava Thakuria India, October 19 - Group clashes that erupted in middle Assam, Northeast India, during the first week of this month shocked the entire populace of the country. Violence broke out in Udalguri district of the State on October 3 and elongated for almost a week to snatch away the lives of over 50. Moreover, the hostility between the Bodo tribespeople and immigrant Bangladeshis in four districts of Assam(Udalguri, Darrang, Baksa and Chirang) left hundreds wounded and thousands of families with women and minor children in the relief camps. The incident was surprising because nobody outside the localities under the Bodo territorial council knew about it. Not to speak of common people, the police and intelligence department also failed to understand and predict the growing intolerance between the two communities since August. The Bangladeshi settlers were angry with local Bodos in some areas of Udalguri and Darrang, as they opposed an agitational program, sponsored by the Muslims, during the middle of August. The violence this time erupted with a small incident of stealing of cattle by the Bangladeshi settlers from a Bodo village. The flame of communal violence rapidly engulfed the adjacent areas and finally it spread widely in four districts of the Bodoland Territorial (Autonomous District) Council. Cartoon by Nituparna Rajbongshi The BTC was formed after the Bodoland Tiger Force made a peace agreement with New Delhi in 2003. The leaders and members of BLT later gave birth to Bodo People's Front to join the electoral process. Now the BPF is an ally of the Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi. The government tried hard to get the situation under control. Thousands of police, army and paramilitary troops were deployed in the strife torn areas. The army and paramilitary forces continued to stage flag marches in the affected areas over many days. Army choppers were also engaged for air surveillance. Even a curfew was enforced for more than a week, though it was relaxed during day time as the situation started improving. The Assam Tribune, the oldest English daily in the Northeast, commented in an editorial that 'the ethnic riots in Udalguri and Darrang districts expose the failure of the State government to maintain law and order and provide security to the people living in sensitive areas'. It also added, "It is unfortunate that the State government led by Tarun Gogoi, miserably failed to anticipate the situation and allowed the mayhem to continue for several days. It also made the situation more complicated by issuing off the cuff remarks by the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the government spokesperson, Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah." The State chief minister Gogoi was quick to blame the National Democratic Front of Bodoland militants for the violence. He found a supporting voice in his loyalist minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's comment. The State Health and Family Welfare minister Sarma visited some affected areas and later addressing the local media at Mangaldai, he termed the act as a systematic ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the NDFB militants. He even warned the militant outfit, which is under ceasefire agreement with New Delhi, to review the truce. The BTADC chief Hagrama Mohilary also accused the NDFB as being involved in the killing. But the NDFB general secretary Govinda Basumatary refuted the allegation promptly. Amazingly the State police chief RN Mathur also revealed that there was no evidence of NDFB's involvement in the violence of Udalguri and Darrang districts. The minister's comment about 'ethnic cleansing' was not digested by many. The Bodo Women Justice Forum president Anjali Daimary also condemned the minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his irresponsible comments. Addressing the media persons at Guwahati Press club, Ms Daimary even held the minister responsible for the recent carnage in Udalguri and Darrang districts. She also asked the young minister 'not to meddle in the internal affairs of the Bodo people' any more. The main opposition party of Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad asked Gogoi to resign as he failed miserably in both ways, as the head of the government and also the Home minister of the State. After visiting the riot affected areas, the party's newly elected president, Chandra Mohan Patowary also demanded an impartial inquiry to find out whether Pakistani flags were hoisted in the violence affected areas. Patowary, also the leader of the opposition in the State Assembly asked the Gogoi government not to take the issue lightly. Gogoi earlier tried to clarify that the flag, which was seen by many people including some journalists at Mohanpur under Udalguri district, was associated with the festival of Eid and did not symbolize Pakistan. The Assam government spokesman Sarma also rubbished the report that there were Pakistani flags in the conflict ridden areas. Of course, the local television channels telecast the visuals of Pakistani flags flying at Sonaripara and Mohanpur village. Many Guwahati based newspapers also published photographs of the Pak flag on the front page. The All Assam Students' Union and the All Bodo Students' Union representatives expressed their annoyances that 'the indigenous people of Assam were forced to leave their residences to take refuge in the relief camps'. After visiting the affected localities, the AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya alleged that Gogoi had compromised national security by protecting those involved in the incident. Worried New Delhi asked the State government to take all possible means to restore normalcy in the violence hit localities and rehabilitate the victims. The central government also suggested Gogoi to maintain adequate security and food at the relief camps. Soon after paying a visit to the affected areas, E. Ahmed, the Union minister of state for External Affairs met Gogoi and informed him about New Delhi's thoughts on the matter. Even the Asom Sahitya Sabha president Kanaksen Deka blamed Gogoi for his inefficiency in handling the situation. Earlier the Bodo Sahitya Sabha criticized Gogoi for not 'visiting the violence-hit areas (even though less than 200 km away from Dispur) to assess the situation'. The BSS president Dr Kameswar Brahma blamed Gogoi as he failed to take prompt actions to save the lives and property of the victims even though he holds the Home portfolio. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (of India) has accepted the incidence of group clashes seriously. Taking suo moto cognizance of the media reports regarding the violence, the commission has already issued notices to the state government to submit a report in the matter. The NHRC also decided to send a team to assess the situation in the affected areas. Earlier facing the increasing heat of criticism, Gogoi visited the affected areas on seventh day of the violence. He initiated a judicial probe into the incidences of violence after his visit to the location on October 9. Lately Gogoi opted for a CBI probe into the incidence of hoisting of Pakistan flags with an aim to punish those involved. Nava Thakuria is an independent journalist based in Guwahati, Northeast India, whose main interest is in socio-political developments of Northeast India and neighbouring Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103154080500.htm Kerala - Kalpetta Mananthavadi town tense after CPI(M)-BJP clashes A Correspondent Hartal called by trade unions passes off peacefully KALPETTA: Tension prevailed at Mananthavadi town in the district following clashes between CPI(M) and BJP workers on Wednesday night . A peace committee was called by A. Anil, RDO in-charge, on Thursday. But violence broke out again and two vehicles were damaged in attacks. The office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Chootakkadavu and two houses of BJP activists at Kammana and Valliyoorkavu were partially damaged. A house of a BJP activist was set on fire at Chootakkadavu on Wednesday night after a CITU worker was hacked by a four-member masked gang at Kozhikode Road in the town. A hartal called jointly by trade unions at Mananthavadi town on Thursday went off peacefully. The hartal was called in protest against the attack on the CITU activist. Shops and business establishments remained closed but vehicular traffic was not disrupted. A.K. Babu, Circle Inspector, Mananthavadi, said that a case had been registered in connection with the incidents. A strong police force is camping in the town. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/27/stories/2008102759831000.htm Andhra Pradesh - Guntur TDP groups clash Staff Reporter GUNTUR: The differences between warring groups in the Telugu Desam Party came to the fore again on Sunday after leaders of a Backward Class group clashed with each other at the ?Yuva Garjana? venue in the presence of the party?s polit bureau member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and other senior leaders. The incident was a setback to the party that is trying to revive itself in the district by organising a massive show of strength on November 5. It took a turn for the worse when partymen thrashed mediapersons covering the fistfights. A videographer of Tv9 channel, Phanindra, was injured and rushed to the NRI Hospital, while three others received injuries. Mediapersons and journalists associations condemned the attack and staged a sit in in front of the TDP district party office and submitted a representation to Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha who assured that he would arrest the main accused, Kolli Lakshmaiah Chowdary, Navuluru sarpanch. TDP president Nara Chandrababu Naidu assured the management of Tv9 that necessary action would be taken against the guilty. http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/09/17/0809171807_30_arrested_for_rioting_in_chennai_suburb.html 30 arrested for rioting in Chennai suburb Wednesday, September 17, 2008 18:03 [IST] Chennai: At least 30 people were arrested Wednesday following clashes between two armed groups having allegiance to the ruling and the opposition political parties over a prime piece of property in a northern suburb here, the police said. Conflicting claims over 3.5 acres of prime land in Red Hills north of here led to the clash in which over a dozen people sustained minor injuries late Tuesday. The arrested include "Gym" Karuna of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam along with eight of his supporters and 21 supporters of an All India Anna DMK leader Muniyandi, official sources told IANS. Trouble arose when a former AIADMK leader pitched tents over the land proclaiming it "Dr Ambedkar Manram". He tried to sell it to real estate speculators to which a ruling party supporter Karuna staked a rival claim a few days ago. Karuna's supporters allegedly forcibly stopped the car owned by Muniyandi's brother Tuesday night and apparently took away valuables and Rs.250,000 cash after smashing the vehicle's windscreen. Those arrested were charged with rioting and attempt to murder, police sources added. Karuna's boss, "Vellai" Ravi, a criminal, was shot dead in a police shoot-out a few months ago. Source : IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100453520300.htm Kerala Three injured in clashes Staff Reporter Private bus workers strike work KASARAGOD: Three persons were injured in separate clashes between Congress and CPI (M) workers at Cheruvathoor and Cheemeni areas in southern part of the district on Thursday. The injured are P. Narayanan (43) a Congress worker and driver of a private bus service based at Cheruvathoor; Babu (34) a CPI (M) worker who works as cleaner of a private bus operating between Cheemeni and Cheruvathoor and Mohanan (33) a head load worker at Cheemeni and a member of INTUC. The clashes began after Mr. Narayanan was attacked by a group of people. Private buses plying between Cheemeni and Cheruvathoor did not operate on Thursday following a strike call by unions of bus workers to protest against attack on bus workers. Tension continues in the area. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100451800300.htm Kerala - Thrissur DYFI-RSS clash THRISSUR: Three Democratic Youth Federation of India workers and two Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activists were injured in clashes at Pazhanji on Friday. The injured have been admitted to hospitals. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102651360300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem Congress cadres stage demonstrations Staff Reporter SALEM: Cadres of the Congress party staged demonstrations in various parts of Salem and Namakkal districts on Thursday and Friday condemning the damage to Rajiv Gandhi statue in Kodunkaiyur in North Chennai. In Salem city, cadres attempted to block the traffic on Five Roads demanding the arrest of those who were responsible for the act. State Pradesh Congress Committee member K. Mariappan led the protest. Police arrested 44 cadres. Another group of party cadres demonstrated in front of the old Collectorate. State secretary Susheendrakumar led the protest. Members of the youth wing of the party staged a similar a demonstration in front of the Rajiv Gandhi statue here. State Youth Wing deputy president S. Selvam led the protest. Similar agitations were held in Siddhar Koil, Attur and Namakkal. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102653860400.htm Tamil Nadu Congress workers stage demonstration Tiruvannamalai: Congress workers staged demonstrations at various places here on Saturday, protesting against the damage caused to the Rajiv Gandhi Statue in Chennai. A faction headed by P.S.Vijayakumar, Polur MLA and district president of congress party, held demonstration in front of a taluk office, while another group headed by former district congress committee president Subramanian staged demonstration in front of a Gandhi statue. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/27/stories/2008102758860300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Guntur TD, PR supporters clash GUNTUR: Clashes broke out between supporters of Telugu Desam Party and Praja Rayjam on Sunday evening while the latter were taking out a rally on Donka Road leading to the venue of public meeting at Arundelpet, which was to be addressed by K. Naga Babu. The supporters armed with soda bottles clashed sparking tension. The Arundelpet police rushed to the venue and chased the supporters, SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha said. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct27/news01.php Dozen injured in YCL-YF clash Around one dozen cadres of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML)-affiliated Youth Force (YF) have been injured in a clash with Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) in Gorkha district on Sunday evening. The local UML leadership has said that following the clash that occurred in Arutar of Aruchanaute VDC, the whereabouts of five of their cadres are still unknown. The YCL leadership has said that the clash occurred after YF cadres made accusations against their party. Even though the Maoists and UML have joined hands to build a coalition government at the center, the clashes between their youth cadres in various districts have remained routine. nepalnews.com sd Oct 27 08 http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Politics&set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20081027054411683C812608 ANC, IFP clash during campaign in KZN October 27 2008 at 10:40AM By Jeff Wicks & Sipho Khumalo A man was taken to hospital after being injured in an apparent stand-off between IFP and ANC campaigners in Umlazi, Durban on Sunday. ANC Kwazulu-Natal secretary Senzo Mchunu blamed IFP members, saying they were responsible for the "rampage". "I heard about physical attacks on ANC members in Umlazi. One man was injured and was taken to hospital by a senior member of the ANC leadership. "The IFP had a rally in the area and we had our door-to-door campaign in the vicinity. Apparently when the IFP members saw the ANC campaigners, they went on a rampage, attacking them as they moved from home to home. I am told that all the residents came out of their homes and it was a very ugly scene." IFP eThekwini regional chairperson Mdu Nkosi blamed the ANC for the confrontation and denied that the situation had turned violent. "We were busy with our visibility campaign and we wanted to go to the hostels. The ANC supporters blocked the way and we couldn't get in. Nothing bad happened and we understood the situation and we backed down." Police Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said an ANC supporter had opened a case of assault. "I am aware that there was a slight problem at M section and an ANC member has opened a case of assault. Whether he was assaulted by someone from the IFP is unknown." Political parties deployed senior officials throughout KZN at the weekend as they upped their electioneering tempo ahead of the 2009 elections. The ANC focused on the North Coast and northern parts of the province, where leaders including Tokyo Sexwale, treasurer-general Matthews Phosa, Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Intelligence Minister Siyabonga Cwele addressed rallies and conducted door-to-door campaigns. The ANC's campaigning will culminate in the party's provincial executive committee meeting in Richards Bay on Monday. The IFP intensified its voter registration campaign at the weekend with party chairperson Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi taking the campaign to the eThekwini metro area. The African Christian Democratic Party President, the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, spoke at a party dinner in Durban. This week, ANC President Jacob Zuma will venture into the IFP strongholds of Mtubatuba, St Lucia, Manguzi and Newcastle. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=60591 Published On: 2008-10-27 Metropolitan DU SM Hall 5 BCL activists hurt in intra-party clash DU Correspondent Five activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of Awami League (AL), were injured in a factional clash at Salimullah Muslim (SM) Hall of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday. Of them, two activists Saikat and Shafin were critically injured and rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Later, Saikat was shifted to Orthopedic Hospital in the city. Sources said Sumon and his group attacked Saikat and his men with iron rods, wood sticks and machete in front of the hall gate at around 7.00pm. Sumon, an alleged fake student of the university, and his men brutally beat Saikat with machete. They cut the veins of Saikat's leg and left hand with machete, sources added. A conflict between Sumon, known as a supporter of BCL DU unit President Sohel Rana Tipu, and Saikat, a fellow of DU unit General Secretary Sajjad Saqib Badsha, had been continuing over the hegemony of the hall compound. Last week, fellows of Sumon and Saikat were engaged in a clash over the allocation of rooms among their supporters in the hall. Four bombs also exploded after the clash. Tension was prevailing on the hall compound as of filing this report at 9.30 last night. http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50669/story.htm Clashes Over Water Kill Four In Drought-Hit Kenya Date: 20-Oct-08 Country: KENYA Locals said the death toll was higher after two days of clashes between the Murulle and Garre clans in Elwak, Mandera District. "We have confirmed the killing of four people. Two are missing and we got a fresh report about the injury of four police officers," Red Cross spokesman Titus Munga told Reuters. Police in the remote area could not immediately be reached for comment. Dozens of people have been killed in other parts of northern Kenya in recent months as communities clash over water sources and pasture for livestock in a region ravaged by drought. (Reporting by Noor Ali; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Janet Lawrence) http://kenvironews.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/thirteen-dead-in-mandera-clashes-over-water/ Thirteen Dead in Mandera Clashes Over Water Posted on 13 September 2008. Filed under: Development, Public Health | Photo: Neil Thomas/IRIN The clash was over water NAIROBI, 12 September 2008 (IRIN) ? At least 13 people have been killed in inter-clan clashes over water in the north-eastern region of Mandera, a humanitarian official has said. ?The two clans clashed over the ownership of a borehole,? Titus Mung?ou of the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told IRIN. The clashes broke out on 7 September between the Murule and Garre clans. ?The borehole, which was destroyed in the fighting at Alongo, was an important water source for thousands of people and livestock for the two clans,? Mung?ou said. Alongo is located along the border of Mandera Central and Mandera East districts. The total number of people injured as well as those displaced remains unclear, according to Mung?ou. ?The fighters retreated with their injured while those living in the affected area are now with relatives,? he said. A police post was also targeted and two police officers were among the dead. ?This was criminal activity,? Eric Kiraithe, the police spokesman, told IRIN. The motive of the attack was to allow the criminals to escape, Kiraithe said. A police vehicle was also badly damaged, he said. Inter-clan clashes are common in the north-eastern region over scarce resources. ?What is different is the audacity in directly assaulting the police,? said Kiraithe. He said activities aimed at recovering illegal weapons were ongoing in the area. Security has also been intensified although no arrests have been made, he said. Meanwhile, the KRCS has mobilised personnel, relief and medical supplies to the area, according to Mung?ou. There are plans for relief food distribution, which will target at least 30,000 people, he said. Water trucking is also ongoing. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=80981 KENYA: Clan clashes add to plight of displaced in northeast Photo: Melvin Chibole/ActionAid Pastoralists water their livestock in Mandera: Clan clashes in the region are adding to the plight of those displaced by recent flooding NAIROBI, 17 October 2008 (IRIN) - At least two people have been killed and scores wounded amid fresh inter-clan fighting in the northeastern region of Mandera, a month after clashes there over water displaced hundreds. "Fighting broke out on 16 October between members of the Garre and Murule clans over land that people displaced by flooding in Mandera town had settled on temporarily," Titus Mung'ou, a Kenya Red Cross Communications Officer, said. At least 10,000 people have been displaced after heavy rains this week in the region and in parts of neighbouring southern Somalia. "Two people have been confirmed dead," Mung'ou said. Scores of people have also been injured. Fighting has also been reported at Gari Hills, 130km from Mandera town. Four people are feared dead, said the KRCS. The clashes have disrupted distribution of aid to about 1,000 households displaced by floods, said KRCS. "Some of the people affected by the flooding had earlier been displaced by drought," he said. The region has suffered recurrent drought in the past. Among the affected are also households that fled clashes between the two clans in September. "They are facing multiple problems," he said. Some traders have been forced to abandon their businesses after receiving threats from rival clans, said a resident of Elwak town, Muktar Elmoge. Security patrols in the area have been stepped up while local leaders have held peace meetings to facilitate humanitarian access. Thousands of people in the area are facing extreme food shortages and are reliant on food aid. An official at Mandera district office said police escorts were being provided to aid workers and transporters after some of them threatened to withdraw their services over insecurity. This was after five vehicles were carjacked by people suspected to be from Somalia. Mandera town remains tense. "Roadblocks have been erected on either side of town by members of the two communities," said KRCS. On 15 October a herdsman was killed in the neighbouring district of Tana River, "in what is believed to be a recurrence of conflict between the Wardey and Oromo communities" in the region, said the KRCS. The herdsman was killed in an attack in the local Wayam Oro area, which has not received rainfall for several months. Inter-clan clashes over scarce resources are common in the northeast region. na-aw/am http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/15/rss.htm#23 Six killed in Khuzdar clash over hill ownership QUETTA: Six people were killed and eight others injured in a gunbattle between two groups of Jatak tribe in the Mula area of Khuzdar district on Tuesday. Police said the clash was caused by a dispute over the ownership of a hill. The firing started in the morning and both sides used rockets, machine-guns and other weapons. (Posted 11:20 PST) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=141713 Robbery bid gone wrong sparks clashes across city Saturday, October 18, 2008 By our correspondent Karachi A robbery attempt gone wrong, in which a victim lost his life, sparked a retaliatory attack, claiming another life, which ultimately lead to fierce clashes and high tension in different parts of the city on Friday. As per reports, it all started when two armed men intercepted Danish, 21, son of Shamsuddin, near the Kala School situated in New Karachi in the Bilal Colony police area. The outlaws ordered him to hand over the valuables. When he resisted, the armed men opened fire upon him. As a result, he died. The police said the deceased was an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). A little while later, a Sunni Tehreek (ST) activist was gunned down and three others sustained bullet wounds in sniper firing in the Bilal Colony police limits. Irfan, 24, Hammad, 18, Faiaz, 22, and Junaid Khan, 17, sustained bullet wounds, when unidentified people opened fire on them in New Karachi situated in Sector 5/E in the Bilal Colony police jurisdiction, while they were sitting near Babu Pan Shop. The armed men, after spraying bullets on them, managed to flee from the scene. The police took the injured to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) in a critical condition. However, Irfan died on way. The police said the deceased and injured were activists of the ST. They were of the view that unknown assassins attacked the young men to take revenge for Danish?s murder earlier in the day in a robbery bid gone wrong. When ST activists heard of the death of Irfan, they came onto the streets and closed shops in the New Karachi, Azizabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar police limits. They started aerial firing in various parts of the city. The mob pelted stones on vehicles and torched tyres on main roads. After the incident, personnel of the Rangers and police controlled the situation. Gun shot victims were brought in to JPMC from Orangi Town No. 4, where firing by unknown assailants resulted in the injury of two people, Lines Area, (one injured), Golimaar, where a bus was set on fire but no one was injured, and unknown people were terrorising the streets by firing in the air. Reports said there was firing in Dalmia area, along with Lyari, but no injuries were reported. In Shah Faisal Colony No. 1, shops were forecfully shut down, and there was aerial firing. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24493887-38196,00.html?from=public_rss Stolen ciggie leads to tribal clash From correspondents in Port Moresby, PNG AAP October 14, 2008 10:03am PORT Moresby police have used tear gas to break up pitched battles between rival tribesman sparked by a stolen cigarette. About 200 Goilala tribesmen stormed the city's main downtown Koki Market yesterday after Tari tribesmen retaliated to an early morning confrontation with two Goilalas. Police said a Goilala had stolen a single smoke from a Tari cigarette seller who was attacked with a bottle when he protested and demanded payment. The bashed seller told PNG's Post-Courier newspaper: "When I got hit I was shocked and stood there with blood running down my head. "My mates who sell cigarettes and other relatives close by chased the two men towards their village,'' he said. Local police said the incident sparked on-going fights, rock throwing and two stabbings. Police said the fighting, which lasted all day, was result of an accumulation of incidents in recent days, including the Taris trying to stop Goilalas selling at Koki market. Police closed several roads around the market and dispersed the crowds with tear gas. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810131284.html Nigeria: Sokoto - Causes of Farmers/Herdsmen Clashes Identified Rakiya A. Muhammad 13 October 2008 Sokoto ? The frequent clashes between farmers and herdsmen have been blamed on lack of adequate grazing reserve and encroachment into cattle routes. Speaking during an awareness campaign for farmers and herdsmen in Sokoto yesterday, Chairman Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Sokoto State branch, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Wamakko, said almost all cattle routes in the state have been turned to farms. The chairman also said about 80 percent of the herdsmen have migrated to southern parts of the country to rear their cattle, and therefore called on the state government to address the problems. Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer All Farmers Association in the state, Murtala Gagadu, said the association was poised towards ensuring peaceful coexistence between the two groups. He urged farmers and herdsmen not to take laws into their own hands, but instead should report any grievances to appropriate authorities. He also said plans are on to organise a sensitization workshop for herdsmen and far-mers on the importance of peaceful coexistence. On his part, the Director, Livestock, Ministry of Forestry and Animal Heath, Alhaji Bello Raba, said the ministry set up a reconciliation committee for both farmers and herdsmen to address the problem of encroachment into cattle routes and clashes between the two parties. (Daily Trust) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810130922.html Kenya: Man Arrested After Rival Groups Clash Over Ranch 12 October 2008 Nairobi ? Several people were on Sunday injured when two rival groups clashed over the controversial 28,000-acre South-Ngariama ranch in Kirinyaga District. A man lost his tooth while another sustained serious lip injury during the incident. Police had to move in fast to quell the fight, which disrupted business in the area as villagers abandoned their work to witness the drama. Led by the area deputy police boss Patrick Oduma, the officers lobbed teargas canisters at the violent groups, forcing them to disperse. A man was arrested and locked up at Kerugoya Police Station for interrogation over the fight. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810130126.html Uganda: Bagisu, Bagwere Clash George Bita and Daniel Edyegu 11 October 2008 Kampala ? LIKE a thief expecting to get caught any time, Ayub Barasa glances over his shoulder as he hurriedly harvests rice from his garden in Namatala wetland. He stuffs the harvest into a sisal bag he drags behind him, ready to flee at the first sign of danger. In his haste, he spills some of his precious harvest, ending up with more on the ground than in the bag. His face is covered in sweat, blinding his eyes, but he ignores it, just as he does the simmering midday sun, as he focuses on the task at hand. He can't ignore the nagging feeling that his life is in grave danger. Barasa is one of many Bagwere farmers with gardens on the eastern side of Namatala River, who live in constant fear of deadly raids from their Bagisu neighbours who live on the western side of the river. The bone of contention is the Namatala wetland, where for years the two tribes peacefully worked side by side, growing yams, rice and sugar cane. But recently the wetland has become a battlefield, as the two neighbours accuse each other of trespassing. Barasa, a subsistence farmer from Nyanza village, Kamonkoli Parish, Budaka District, has to harvest his crops before they mature because, if he doesn't, the Bagisu will come and forcibly take them away. According to Barasa, the bad blood between the two tribes started flowing in 2004, when the Bagisu, who in the past used to be friendly, turned hostile and started raiding the Bagwere's gardens. "They would raid our fields after we had left, filling their sacks with potatoes, yams and cassava, which they would sell in Mbale. One thing led to another and before we knew it, they were claiming the whole area on the Bugwere side of Namatala wetland," Barasa says. Bagwere farmers believe peace would exist in the wetland if the Bagisu had not decided to go on the war path. According to the Bagwere, the Bagisu hire ruffians to terrorise them. These are armed with deadly weapons like several sharp pangas welded together. "They strike you from a distance, giving you no chance to defend yourself," laments a Mugwere survivor of the Bagisu's 'long-range machete'. According to Bagwere elders, Namatala stream, flowing from Mt. Elgon, has always served as a natural boundary between their district, Budaka, and Mbale. The Bagisu have been accused of tampering with the natural boundary by trying to divert the course of the river. But the fast-moving water body always reverts to its original course, leaving the artificial channels dry. Nyanza LC1 chairman Nyende Mujasi recalls that at Uganda's independence in 1962, the railway line near Doko in Namatala, a suburb of Mbale town, served as the boundary between the Bagisu and Bagwere. "There are maps to prove this. However, in 2004, the Bagisu claimed they owned the wetland. When we objected, they invaded the area, attacked the Bagwere farmers and killed some," Mujasi said. But in spite of the harassment, the Bagwere are unlikely to surrender the wetland to their more aggressive neighbours. Mujasi explains that there are many Bagwere families with ancestral burial sites in the wetland, which makes them treasure it very much. The fact that a number of their tribesmates have perished there has only strengthened the Bagwere's attachment to the swamp. In March 2007, Saidi Balikoowa was tending to his yams when a gang of Bagisu pounced on him and dismembered him. His decomposing body was recovered two weeks later. His widow, Aisha Logose, who now has to fend for their four children, tearfully recalls how for days she kept calling her husband's mobile phone but got no response. "He was taking too long to get back home, and yet some people had told me about an attack in Doko Zone where our garden is. Two people were killed that day. My husband's body was only discovered a fortnight later," she narrates. Although Logose has four mouths to feed, she cannot risk going back to the garden in the wetland which is now overgrown with bushes. She and the children are surviving on the goodwill of neighbours and friends. "Several farmers here in Kamonkoli can longer cross into Namatala wetland for fear of being killed like my husband was," Logose says. Abdullah Kakyo and James Watala, both survivors of the Bagisu-Bagwere clashes, bear ugly scars on their bodies. Kakyo was attacked on September 18, 2006 and his hand was almost cut off. Although he has a wife and 10 children to look after, he has never gone back to his cassava garden. Watala was attacked on January 6, 2007, and sustained a deep cut on the shoulder, which rendered his right hand useless. Like Kakyo, Watala today fears going anywhere near the swamp. He is still trying to figure out a way of fending for his two wives and seven children without his garden and one of his hands. Watala says the Bagisu are struggling for the wetland because of the rich volcanic soils washed down from the Mt. Elgon slopes. "Most crops grow well here and result in a bumper harvest. When the Bagisu realised this, they came to force us out. If this doesn't explain it, where were they when our forefathers farmed here?" he asks. According to the Bagisu, it is the Bagwere who first provoked them. Ahmed Wamimbi, the LC1 information secretary of Kibiniko village on the Mbale side of the wetland, attributes the current clashes to provocation from the Bagwere. He has facts to back up his claims. "On January 1, 2007 a group of Bagwere armed with spears, slings and machetes attacked Kibiniko village, injured two residents, Rashid Musoke and Muzamiru Lungiso, and afterwards retreated to their side with their loot - 23 goats, three cows and 10 iron sheets," he says. Wamimbi also argues that the stream can no longer serve as the boundary between the two districts because its course has changed a number of times. "In 1992, for example, when road works on Tirinyi Road were going on, engineers diverted the water flow to allow the bridge under construction near Kamonkoli to dry properly. Afterwards, they never corrected the course of the river," he says. However, Mujasi argues that the area Police could be siding with the Bagisu since those arrested are usually charged with flimsy counts and released soon afterwards on Police bond. "More than a year since Balikoowa and other farmers were killed, the Police are yet to track down the people responsible. In both cases, the suspects were released, prompting the Bagwere to accuse the Police of taking sides," he said. However, Idi Ssenkumbi, the regional headquarters Police spokesman refutes claims that they have taken sides. "Those people are violent and we're not on any side. Take, for instance, the September incident. We were informed at about 10:00am and we rushed to the scene to find both sides armed to the teeth with spears, machetes and sticks. Our work was simply to calm the situation," Ssenkumbi explains. He argues that there was no incriminating evidence to prosecute the two Bagisu suspects earlier arrested over the violent murders of Bagwere farmers in the wetland. "We called people from both tribes to give us evidence and no implicating evidence came up. Our hands were tied. We make charges bearing in mind that there is a court judge to convince," Ssenkumbi says. Relevant Links ? East Africa ? Uganda However, the local government minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, criticised the Police over the way they handled the conflict and the Bagisu aggressors. "As a government, we can't tolerate people who kill others and just walk away scot free. Those suspects should be charged with murder, prosecuted and hanged," Otafiire stated, after touring the disputed wetland and listening to the warring parties. Otafiire said the Police should have preferred charges against the arrested people as a deterrent to the rest of the invaders. He also called on the lands ministry to demarcate the district boundary afresh, to stop further bloodshed. Otafiire warned that any escalation of the conflict would force the Government to ban both tribesmen from the government-owned wetland. (New Vision) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=58225 Published On: 2008-10-11 Metropolitan 12 injured as fishermen clash in Bhola Unb, Bhola At least 12 fishermen were injured in an attack by their rival group in the river Meghna yesterday. Witnesses said fishermen of Babul group of Daulatkhan attacked and hacked 12 fishermen of Sayed group in the morning when they went there for fishing. The attackers also threw some 10/12 fishermen into the river who were, later, rescued by the fellow fishermen, said the injured. The injured fishermen were admitted to Bhola Sadar Hospital. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810100364.html Uganda: One Killed in Fresh Kasese Land Clash Michael Karugaba and Kagyenda Bwebale 10 October 2008 One person was killed and two others injured following renewed land clashes between the Basongora pastoralists and Bakonzo cultivators in Kasese District. The District Police Commander, Mr Felix Ebong, told Daily Monitor on phone that the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon in Kayanja Village Kitswamba Sub-county after the Basongora attacked the cultivators accusing them of encroaching on their land. The Police publicist for western region, Mr Elly Maate, identified the dead as Ezekiel Bingibyaghire, 50, a cultivator and a resident of Bigando Village Kitswamba Sub-county. The injured are both cultivators whose identities could not easily be established by press time. They were rushed to Kilembe Mines Hospital in critical condition. During the clash, close to 40 houses belonging to the pastoralists were burnt by enraged cultivators and property worth millions was reduced to ashes. The clash, which started from Kayanja, later spilled to Bigando Village about 10km away where several houses were burnt and three cows belonging to Mr Nicodemus Mbuba were killed. But the DPC denied knowledge of any dead cow and said only the cultivators wanted to take them alive but the Police prevented them from doing so. The Police have since increased its presence in the area to avert more clashes. However Daily Monitor saw two carcasses with some parts chopped. The pastoralists accused the Police of siding with the cultivators, participating in the burning of some houses and attempting to shoot those who tried to defend their properties. But Mr Maate denied any Police involvement in the clashes. "I don't think that can happen," said Mr Maate in a phone interview. Police has since arrested over 20 pastoralists on charges of murder and are currently being held at Kasese Police Station. Mr Maate identified some of the suspects as Mr Abel Mulindwa, Mr Robert Rukundo, Mr Amos Rwakabana and Mr Amos Karangwa. The clashes come less than three months when another cultivator was killed during a bloody clash between the two sides in Munkunyu Sub-county. There have been bloody clashes between the two sides since October last year when the pastoralists were chased from Queen Elizabeth National Park and resettled on some parts of government land. (The Monitor) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/northeast-tribal-bodies-want-assam-ethnic-clashes-to-be-stopped_100106151.html Northeast tribal bodies want Assam ethnic clashes to be stopped October 11th, 2008 - 8:39 pm ICT by IANS - Agartala, Oct 11 (IANS) Parties representing tribals in the northeast Saturday urged the central government to take stern action to stop ethnic clashes in Assam.The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), North-East Students? Organisation (NESO), National Conference of Tripura (NCT) and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) have expressed serious concern over the recent ethnic clashes in Assam. ?If the central and Assam governments fail to take stern action, the situation would go out of control,? said INPT general secretary Rabindra Debbarma. ?Unchecked infiltration from across the border is the root cause of these ethnic violence,? Debbarma, a former Tripura minister, told journalists. At least 55 people were killed and more than 100 injured in violent clashes between tribal Bodos and migrant Muslims settlers and subsequent police firing last week in two Assam districts, Udalguri and Darrang. Influential organizations like the NESO, the NCT and UDA, a conglomeration of various Mizoram-based tribal parties, have also asked the governments to take steps to prevent recurrence of such ethnic clashes. NESO vice-chairman Upendra Debbarma said: ?Tribal and non-tribals in the northeast should live together with communal harmony.? NCT general secretary Animesh Debbarma said: ?Infiltration alone cannot be the reason for the clashes. Fundamentalist elements are also responsible for such type of ethnic violence.? http://janamejayan.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/bodo-bangladeshis-clashes-kill-30/ Bodo-Bangladeshis clashes kill 30 By janamejayan Syed Zarir Hussain | Udalguri (Assam) 400 houses torched; curfew, shoot-at-sight ordered in Assam The death toll in three days of clashes between two communities in Assam has mounted to 30 and more than 100 injured, besides about 30,000 people displaced, officials said on Sunday. ?According to updated figures, 30 people were killed so far, 14 of them died in separate incidents of police firing, including four on Sunday,? an Assam Home department statement said. A Government spokesman said police and paramilitary troopers on Sunday opened fire on three different locations to disperse armed mobs trying to set ablaze villages of a rival community in the northern district of Udalguri, about 120 km from Assam?s main city of Guwahati. ?At least four people were killed when police opened fire on armed miscreants trying to set ablaze a village,? a senior police official said requesting not to be named. All the four victims belonged to the minority Muslim community. ?Miscreants on Sunday also managed to set ablaze a cluster of homes in the violence-torn district of Udalguri. The violence has spread to the adjoining districts of Darrang and Baksa,? the official said. The two districts of Udalguri and Baksa are near the Bhutan border. Violence erupted after village officials belonging to the tribal Bodo group were attacked by Muslims on Friday, police said. Other groups in the violence-torn districts joined the clashes, with mobs armed with machetes, spears and homemade guns targeting rival communities. ?Now the violence is not just confined to the tribal Bodos and the Muslims, even indigenous Assamese and tea garden workers called as the Adivasis are also caught in the clashes,? the official said. Troops were instructed to shoot at sight in two districts of the State where a curfew has been imposed since Friday, police said. ?About 400 houses have been torched,? the official said. About 30,000 people have fled their homes and are living in State-run relief centres. Police and locals blamed militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a tribal rebel group currently on a ceasefire with New Delhi, of attacking and torching villages belonging to the Muslim community. ?We have also got such reports of the NDFB instigating the violence and if such reports are found to be true then we shall have no options other than calling off the ceasefire,? Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told newsmen on Sunday. Community leaders and opposition political parties blamed the State Government for failing to control the violence. ?Despite the Government issuing curfew and shoot-at-sight orders, violence is continuing and there are complaints that there are no security forces present in several vulnerable areas,? former Assam Chief Minister and leader of the Asom Gana Parishad-Progressive, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, said after visiting the violence-hit districts. In August, the area witnessed similar clashes between two communities in which about 10 people were killed and several injured. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/415405/cs/1/ Toll in Assam ethnic clashes mounts to 49 India Gazette Monday 6th October, 2008 (IANS) The toll in ethnic clashes in Assam during the weekend has mounted to 49 and more than 100,000 people have been displaced, officials said Monday, adding that the situation was limping back to normal. 'As many as 49 people have died since violence broke out Friday, 15 of them in police firing, and the rest in incidents of clashes,' Assam government spokesman and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told journalists. Eight of the injured died in hospitals, while nine more bodies were recovered from various parts of the violence-hit districts of Udalguri, Darrang, Baska, and Chirang in northern Assam Monday. An additional 2,000 paramilitary troopers were deployed Monday to quell clashes between Muslim migrants and tribal groups that forced an estimated 100,000 to flee their homes as a result of the violence that broke out Friday and swiftly spread through three districts of the northeastern state, officials said. 'Curfew is still in force with shoot-on-sight orders issued to the security forces. The situation is gradually returning to normal with no fresh incidents of violence reported,' Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said. The clashes, between members of the Bodo tribal group and Muslim settlers originally from Bangladesh, have witnessed raids on numerous villages by groups armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows, spears and machetes. 'They set fire to a large a number of homes in my village,' said Dipali Basumatary, who had taken shelter with her two children in a government-run relief camp. Although there have been cases of tension between indigenous and immigrant communities in Assam, violence on such a scale is very rare, and some state officials accused local separatist groups of fuelling the unrest. Health Minister Sarma said the root cause of the trouble was a programme of 'ethnic cleansing' implemented by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a rebel group fighting for an independent tribal homeland. 'They want to drive out all non-Bodos from the area... it's a systematic pogrom,' Sarma told IANS. The NDFB, which is a largely Christian outfit, entered into a ceasefire with the Indian government in 2005, and renounced its demand for independent homeland, union home ministry official disclosed Sep 30 on condition of anonymity. 'We are investigating reports of the involvement of the NDFB in the clashes and, if proved, we shall be forced to call off the ceasefire,' the chief minister said. 'Army helicopters are conducting aerial surveillance over the violence-hit districts, besides round-the-clock patrol by security forces,' Assam police chief R.N. Mathur said. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/asia/police-clashes-kill-14-in-india-13993503.html Police clashes kill 14 in India Sunday, 5 October 2008 14 people have been killed in India in violent street clashes with the police. At least 30 people have been killed in three days of ethnic conflict, with about 25 thousand villagers fleeing their homes. Most of the people have been killed by police, who have been given the authority to shoot anyone fighting in the streets. The fighting began on Friday when a group of young ethnic Bodo men were attacked by Muslim settlers after they finished patrolling their villages. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7653481.stm Sunday, 5 October 2008 15:36 UK Deadly clashes break out in Assam Some of the worst violence has been in Udalguri district At least 25 people have been killed in several days of violence in north-east India's Assam state, officials say. Police opened fire to disperse rioting groups and killed 14 people, a state government spokesman said. The clashes broke out on Friday between Bodo tribespeople and Muslim settlers from Bangladesh in Udalguri district, and have spread to nearby areas. The groups have been fighting with bows and arrows, machetes and guns and several villages have been set on fire. Long-running tension Police have imposed a curfew and have orders to shoot rioters on sight. On Sunday four people were killed when police shot into a group setting houses on fire in Dhola village in Darrang district said Assam state government spokesman, Dinesh Deka. Police also opened fire at several groups on Friday, killing another 10 people. There have been long-running tensions in Assam state between indigenous peoples and settlers. Thousands of people have fled their homes in the latest wave of violence, seeking shelter in camps set up by the police. "The picture is hazy and compilation of casualty figures has become difficult because of the continuing arson," said another state government spokesman, Himanta Biswa Sarma. "We are mobilising all resources to control the situation." Over the last two months, members of indigenous communities such as the Bodos have been targeting immigrant Muslims of Bengali descent, describing them as "illegal infiltrators" from Bangladesh, says the BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta. The Muslim leaders say most of their people came to Assam before Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 and obtained Indian citizenship legally, adds our correspondent. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7412629.stm Wednesday, 21 May 2008 12:44 UK Punks and Emos clash in Mexico Riot police have been deployed in a number of Mexican cities to break up the fighting between Punks and Emos. Duncan Kennedy reports. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=151441 General News of Sunday, 12 October 2008 Five KNUST students injured during clashes NEW. Watch live television from Ghana plus the latest Ghanaian movies plus OBE TV. Kumasi, Oct. 12, GNA - The 40th hall week celebrations of the Unity Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology in Kumasi turned violent on Saturday morning when members of the hall clashed with their counterparts from the University Hall (Katanga). Four students from Unity Hall and one from University Hall were injured and were treated and discharged at the University Hospital. Several vehicles belonging to students, lecturers and visitors were damaged during the clashes which lasted for about 20 minutes. The students also vandalized property belonging to the University Hall and women who sell food and other items in front of the hall. It was through the intervention of the police personnel who had been detailed to protect the processors and tutors from the two halls who helped to control the rampaging students. Mr Mark William Adoriwuni, Senior Tutor of the Unity Hall, was manhandled by the students from University Hall when he attempted to calm down tempers. No arrest had been made and a source at the security section of the university said investigations were ongoing. An eyewitness told the Ghana News Agency that the clashes ensued when some students from the University Hall threw stones and other missiles at their counterparts from Unity Hall who were going on procession on the university campus as part of the week celebrations. The source said when the procession of the students of the Unity Hall reached Kantanga Hall some members of the hall had mounted a road block but was removed by six police from the Bufalo Unit in Kumasi who were detached to protect the processors. He said students of Unity Hall armed themselves with sticks and stones and stormed University Hall but because the main door was locked they vandalized anything on sight before moving away to continue the procession. The source said the police personnel who were not carrying any riot control equipment looked on helpless while the students attacked each other. Source: GNA http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=57879 Published On: 2008-10-09 National 20 injured in Pabna clash Our Correspondent, Pabna At least 20 people were injured in a clash between people of two villages at Kailtola village in Bera upazila on Tuesday. A motorcycle was also damaged during the clash. The clash ensued following previous enmity between chairmen of Kaitola and Natun Varenga villages, sources said. Equipped with iron rods and bamboo sticks, both the feuding groups locked in clash in front of Bera Kaitola pump station. Being informed, police rushed to the spot and controlled the situation. Police arrested 14 people from the spot, Bera Police Station duty officer Md Ashraful Islam said. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=57471 Print Friendly Version Published On: 2008-10-06 Metropolitan One beaten dead, 40 hurt in clash over trifle Our Correspondent, Kushtia One person was killed and at least 40 people, including some women, were injured in an attack by a group yesterday after a cow ate some plants in a paddy field at Sundha village in sadar upazila yesterday. Sixty year-old Jamsed Mondol was beaten dead on the spot allegedly because his cow ate plants of the paddy field owned by Momtaj. Five of the injured were admitted to Kushtia Gneral Hospital and one of the injured menHasmatwas shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Police said the local community police called an arbitration meeting quell the tension but the group led by Momtaj refused. All of a sudden, men belonging to Mamtaj group attacked the house of Jamsed in presence of community police leader Year Ali. The attackers beat Jamsed dead. About 40 people were injured in the clash. Local people claimed that the incident took place only 600 yards from the Sundha police camp but police did not take any step during the incident. ?The clashes have worsened the humanitarian situation for the population, which was already depending on monthly food rations,? he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810010364.html Nigeria: Obajana Clash 1 October 2008 editorial On Sunday, September 7, 2008 Obajana , a sleepy town in Kogi State witnessed a most gory violence involving drivers of haulage trucks and a group calling itself the Oworo boys. When the dust settled, over 10 people had lost their lives, shops and houses looted and several vehicles burnt. While the fracas lasted all manner of dangerous weapons were used including dane guns, machetes, spears, arrows and other wooden projectiles. The bedlam so created caused a major thorough fare [Lokoja Kabba Express way] , used by many to be closed for several hours, thereby impeding free movement of people and goods. The immediate cause of the incident, according to accounts, had to do with the haphazard and disorderly manner the truck drivers, who were waiting to lift cement at the Obajana Cement Factory packed their trucks which as alleged, obstructed free flow of traffic and periodically caused accidents. Ostensibly, the real reason for the disturbances however was that the Oworo boys wanted some concession by the Obajana Cement Factory to buy and sell cement and the violence was just a way to force the hand of owners of the factory to accede to their quest. Easily, the first issue that needs to be addressed is the disorganized way trucks are parked at the vicinity of the factory such that it constitutes a veritable obstacle to free flow of traffic. It is in the interest of the Obajana Factory authorities to ensure that orderliness is maintained. To enforce this, the Kogi State Police command should detail its personnel to the factory to ensure long haulage trucks waiting to evacuate cement do not constitute a hindrance to smooth traffic flow. Long haulage drivers can sometimes be irritable due to the long distance they have to cover, the delay in loading and the sense of loafing engendered which is usually aggravated by the incessant hectoring of the owners of the vehicles. The factory authorities and the Police command in conjunction with the community leaders should work together to build a friendly relationship between the drivers and the host community. The factory authorities should realise that frequent accidents resulting in deaths cannot be a good advertisement for their business. Therefore helping to organize crisis free evacuation of cement could create the needed conducive atmosphere for smooth undertaking of business. Indeed that could constitute a major corporate responsibility, including of course, contributing to the development of the Obajana community through helping to provide needed amenities. It surely could be a way out to douse the smoldering anger of the natives, acted out by the Oworo boys in the resulting violence. It may also be wise to look into the demand for concessions involving the transaction of the cement, of course within plausible business limits. It cannot be gainsaid that long haulage drivers provide essential service in oiling the wheels of the economy as they transport goods - petroleum products, cement, foodstuff etc- needed for both domestic and industrial uses. Their importance is not noted until they withdraw their services. Still, they should realize that they cannot always behave as if they are above the law. In an earlier piece we drew attention to the danger lack of organization on their part constitutes to the public. Accidents in Tafa, Shagamu, Mararaba, Ogere and many other places are due to their anarchic road sense with no thought for the safety of other road users. This attitude should not be allowed to stand. It is the duty of both the road traffic and the law enforcement authorities to ensure that traffic laws are obeyed. But again it is the duty of the communities in which they operate to provide them with suitable places to park their vehicles. Such places should be well removed from major roads so as not to cause accidents. (Daily Trust) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810021113.html Ghana: After NDC, NPP Clash At Berekum Michael Boateng 2 October 2008 Berekum ? The National Organizer of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has visited victims of the bloody political clash between supporters of the NPP and the NDC to express his personal sympathy and that of the party to the injured. Mr. Ofosu Ampofo claimed he had been assigned by the NDC to ascertain what led to the clash, and described the incidence as very unfortunate. He said Ghanaians should live beyond lawlessness to protect the peace of the country. The National Organizer of the NDC noted that the 2008 elections should not be seen as a do or die affair, to the extent that people have to shed blood instead of sticking to the democratic principles of elections. According to him, media reports on the incidence have portrayed the NDC as the cause of the clash, due to the hasty manner in which the NPP organized a press conference to cover-up their acts of intimidation against supporters of the NDC. Mr. Ofosu Ampofo added that the NDC believes in democracy, therefore they belief in the principle of losing or winning in any election, and would not resort to violence to scare its political opponents, but would rather abide by the democratic rules of elections to ensure peace before, during and after the elections. He revealed that there have been several reports of provocation against the NDC by the NPP, but the National Executives of the NDC has advised its members to remain calm and resolute to support the campaign in peace, and to secure political victory come December 7. The NDC National organizer stated that members of the party could have reacted to the recent "Shit Bombing" at the Berekum Constituency offices of the party, but due to the advice given by the national executives, the Constituency resorted to the appropriate agency for investigations. He, however, stated that being a calm party did not necessarily mean cowardice, and that sometimes self-Defence was needed when provocation gets out of control. He assured that as peace loving people, the NDC would do its best to restrain its members from any acts of violence. Hon. Ofosu Ampofo visited the family of a 23-year old victim of the incident, Salifu Musah, a third-year student of the Accra Training College, who sustained multiple knife injuries on his face, chest and the arms. He donated an amount of GH?50 to the victim and assured the family that the party would offer the needed assistance to ensure the recovery of Musah, for him to get back to school. The mother of the victim Mariamma Musah expressed her happiness to Mr. Ofosu Ampofo and the NDC for not betraying the son after the incident, and assured that the family would forever support the party to victory. The NDC National Organizer and his entourage, made up of the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Berekum, Lord Oppong Stephen and some regional and Constituency Executives of the party visited other victims of the clash. Mr. Ofosu Ampofo had wanted to visit the District Police Commander, ASP Charles Koosono, who was injured during the clash, but he was out of town at the time of his visit. The NDC national organizer therefore visited the Divisional Police Commander, ASP Lord Obeng Mensah to thank them for controlling the situation. According to Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, the police should exercise their duty professionally to avoid unnecessary accusation of bias during the electioneering period. He said, though the police did well, the NDC still doubted the credibility of the investigations conducted before preparing nine NDC supporters for court, whilst only one NPP member was arrested. Mr. Lord Obeng Mensah reacted that the police would always remain neutral as well as exercise their duty professionally and fairly without any political, religious and ethical bias, to ensure peace in the country. He suggested that for the interest of peace, the leadership of the two political parties should have met to settle the matter out of court for the followers to know that politics is not about war. The Gyaasehene of Berekum Traditional area, Nana Okofo Darteh, has meanwhile withdrawn the case involving supporters of the NPP and NDC who were allegedly engaged in the Berekum bloody clash. According to Nana Okofo Darteh, it was prudent to call for an out of court settlement of the case, since the culprits were all royals of Berekum, despite their political affiliations. He therefore, assured that he would settle the matter with the support of other opinion leaders in the area, without any prejudice, to ensure peace and unity among the people of Berekum traditional area. (The Chronicle) http://allafrica.com/stories/200810201314.html Namibia: Rally Riot a Sign of Anarchy - NSHR 20 October 2008 THE National Society for Human Rights has condemned the "signs of anarchy" and breakdown of law and order which manifested itself near the 'One Nation' section of Windhoek's Katutura suburb on Saturday. A group of Swapo Party supporters defied repeated Police instructions to clear an area where a rival party, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), was to hold a rally. Swapo Party supporters came together at the spot and, when instructed by the Police, refused to move. The NSHR said some of the members of the group allegedly provoked the Police by shouting obscenities and insults at them. Human rights monitors claimed to have overhead some Swapo leaders encouraging their supporters to confront the Police and to "stay put" and "never allow RDP to hold their meeting here". Swapo Party supporters claimed that the area was a "no-go area" to the RDP as "this is our turf". "This riotous conduct, on the part of certain, not all, members of the ruling Swapo Party, is not at all a spontaneous one. One must not look elsewhere for an answer. This behaviour is part of the clearer and more ominous manifestations of what has been happening in this country since the fateful meeting Swapo Party Politburo on April 3-4 2004," said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh. At that meeting former Namibian President Sam Nujoma said he will not run for a fourth term of office. The NSHR claimed that Nujoma was forced to step down. "These riotous behaviours by conservative and opportunistic Swapo Party members are reflective of the fact that clearly there are now two rival factions with the ruling party," said Ya Nangoloh. One faction, he claimed, supported Nujoma and was hard at work to ensure that the country becomes ungovernable "supposedly because of the ineptitude and incompetence on the part of President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula". He said Namibians must wake up and realise "these dangerous machinations by the former President". "Hence, as long as former President Nujoma is allowed to implicitly or explicitly involve himself in active party politics at the expense of taxpayers' money, there would be no peace and stability in this country, let alone the much-talked-about socio-economic development", Ya Nangoloh said. (The Namibian) http://www.austrianews.co.uk/2008/10/15/tightrope-walker-show-ended-in-massive-riots/ Tightrope walker show ended in massive riots A tightrope walker show of a German artist group in a little Styrian village ended in riots and many casualties. The exceptionally gifted artists wanted to dance on a high wire in the centre of the village. A 18-year-old local inhabitant was not happy about such an attraction in his home village. He started to organize a protest and attacked members of the artist group with fists and empty beer bottles. His first victim was the cashier of the artists. She was hit by a construction site plate, and collapsed in the middle of the street. More casualties followed in a street fight between the artist group and local inhabitants. During the savage street fight the locals got into defensive and escaped into the next pub. They started a second raid out of the pub with empty beer bottles. Even little children were involved in the riots. Finally police units had to come and finished the worthless outbreak of violence. At the end the locals won. The artist group was not allowed to do their tightrope walker show. Everday life is going to continue in this little village without any special attractions. Locals prefer the calm and melancholic country life instead of artistic shows on high wires. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Europe&set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20081002123654686C377735 Driver sparks riot in Turkey October 02 2008 at 01:13PM Ankara - Nearly 40 people were arrested in a town in western Turkey after riots triggered by the death of two men who were deliberately run over by a Kurdish van driver, news reports said on Thursday. Police fanned out across the coastal resort town of Altinova on the Aegean sea, where Kurdish-owned homes and shops were attacked and Kurds stoned after Wednesday's incident. The trouble started when a Kurd crushed two men to death with his van shortly after becoming embroiled in a fight with the pair. An angry crowd of about 3 000 took to the streets of the Turkish-majority town, brandishing Turkish flags and screaming: "Altinova belongs to us," the Vatan newspaper reported. Security has been beefed up in the area, the Sabah daily said. Kurdish rebels from the PKK have been waging a bloody 24-year campaign for self-rule in southeast Turkey, which is Kurdish dominated. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community. According to figures recently released by the Turkish army, the campaign had cost the lives of 32 000 Kurdish rebels, 6 500 members of the security forces and 5 500 civilians. - Sapa-AFP http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2008/10/14/guards-demonstration.html?ref=rss Jail guards demonstrate outside justice offices Last Updated: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | 5:05 PM AT Comments5Recommend12 CBC News Dozens of corrections officers took their concerns to the street Tuesday, a week after 12 guards were disciplined following an altercation with an inmate. The unionized guards demonstrated outside Justice Department offices in downtown Halifax. They're outraged that three part-time guards were fired and nine suspended without pay after they tried to restrain a prisoner at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth in August. The suspensions run from two days to one week. The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, which represents correctional officers, says an inmate punched a guard in the face, and then a number of guards answered a call for help. The union says guards used reasonable methods to restrain the inmate. "It's my understanding that nothing was done out of the ordinary and the offender sustained no real injuries," said Jim Gosse, president of NSGEU Local 480. The union has filed grievances. Justice officials have promised to expedite those hearings so they take place in a matter of weeks. However, the head of Nova Scotia's correctional system, Fred Honsberger, said the discliplinary action was justified because the guards used excessive force. He said the proof is on a videotape of the incident, which he said he can't release for privacy reasons. He wouldn't describe what was on it. "What we saw on camera was disturbing to us in terms of the level of force that was used on the offender. The concern on our part prompted the discipline that was taken," Honsberger said. The union says the demonstration was also an attempt to draw attention to what guards say continue to be overcrowded and understaffed conditions at the Dartmouth jail. --------------------------------------------------- Indonesian Muslims rally to support anti-porn bill Reuters - October 23, 2008 Jakarta -- At least 500 Muslims from an Islamic party marched through the Indonesian capital on Thursday to push legislators to pass a controversial anti-pornography bill. The supporters of the bill from the United Development Party, or PPP, said the anti-porn bill would save the nation from moral destruction and called to protect the nation's morals through bills based on sharia or Islamic law. They marched to parliament with their party's green flags and banners that read "Pass anti-pornography bill immediately." The bill, which aims to shield the young from pornographic materials and lewd acts, is being pushed by a small group of Islamist parties in predominantly Muslim, but officially secular, Indonesia. The plan to pass the bill has been condemned by minority groups in the country, including the Balinese, who are Hindu, as well as Christians. Lawmakers have so far stopped short of passing the bill, which has been watered down from its original version after concerns that it could be misused against minority groups. (Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Writing by Telly Nathalia; Editing by Sugita Katyal and Sanjeev Miglani) --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- NTB residents rally for pornography bill Jakarta Post - October 27, 2008 Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara -- Hundreds of people grouped under the Anti-Pornography Generation Alliance staged a rally at the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) governor's office Friday in support of the anti-pornography bill. The demonstrators carried a 100-meter-long cloth, asking residents to write their signatures on it to show their support for the bill now being deliberated at the House of Representatives. Speaking before the demonstrators, Governor Zainul Majdi said he supported the demonstrators approval of the bill. "Let's not make noise about anti-pornography, then secretly enjoy porn materials. It's hypocritical," Zainul said. He added his signature to the cloth prepared by the demonstrators. He said the bill was important because of the omnipresence of pornographic materials in the country, including in his province. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- FPI members clash with police after Rizieq verdict Jakarta Post - October 31, 2008 Jakarta -- Hundreds of members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) clashed with police outside a Central Jakarta court and attempted to force the closure of a nearby Ahmadiyah mosque after their leader, Rizieq Shihab, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The FPI members, stationed outside the Central Jakarta District Court, were outraged at the guilty verdict handed down to Rizieq for his role in instigating an attack on religious freedom activists at the National Monument park on June 1. After a shoving match with police officers securing the courthouse on Jl. Gajah Mada, the FPI members headed to the Al Hidayah mosque, run by the Ahmadiyah community, on Jl. Balikpapan, Gambir, to close it down. They were stopped 50 meters shy of the mosque by the police, leading to a scuffle between the two. It ended when the FPI members dispersed. No one was detained during the clash, but Central Jakarta Police deputy chief Heri Wibowo said there were elements inciting the crowd. Some 1,500 police officers had been deployed in anticipation of the hard-liners' reaction to the verdict. Rizieq's supporters inside the court were also outraged. Several shouted and swore at the judges, but were asked to restrain themselves by their leader. Rizieq's wife and children were crying. Rizieq and his subordinate Munarman, commander of the Islam Troop Command, were both given 18-month sentences for their role in the attack on members of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, rallying for the Ahmadiyah community after it had been declared heretical by the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI). The presiding judge at both trials, Manusunan Harahap, said Rizieq had been proved guilty of instigating violence, and Munarman of committing violence. Both men protested the verdicts, claiming they were handed down based on dubious evidence. Both said they would appeal, and Rizieq maintained his calls for anti-Ahmadiyah actions. "Even if we risk breaking the law... even if I'm thrown in jail or die, we will never stop our efforts to disband Ahmadiyah," Rizieq said after the sentence was read out. There was a visible sense of relief among police officers outside the courthouse after a police car carrying Munarman, whose sentencing followed Rizieq's, left the compound. The officers had frequently been engaged by the FPI in clashes throughout the trial. (mri) --------------------------------------------------- http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/667474 Man killed over cabbage patch clash AAP Last updated 14:42 10/10/2008 A stolen cabbage sparked fights that left one Papua New Guinea man dead and several injured. A Western Highlands man in his late 20s was killed and his brother seriously injured after their tribe attacked another in a row over the contested vegetable Reports said one of their tribesman had been caught stealing a cabbage from a local school garden in the Nebilyer district of Western Highlands province. The school's deputy principal hit the thief, who had threatened school staff members with a bush knife, after being caught red-handed with the cabbage, police told Papua New Guinea's the Nation newspaper. The next day the thief's relatives attacked the deputy principal while he was playing darts in a village market. In a payback raid, the deputy's tribe killed the rival tribesman, injured several others, and brought about the demise of a pig. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 04:54:51 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:54:51 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PERU: Protests over mining royalties, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB0D20B.7080102@tesco.net> Protests over distribution of mining royalties Police station attacked, police taken hostage http://www.livinginperu.com/news/7746 31 October, 2008 [ 17:51 ] Peru riots continue as citizens protest distribution of mining royalties Living in Peru Israel J. Ruiz Affirming the fight is far from over, the governor of Tacna Hugo Ordo?ez has stated his region will continue protesting a mining tax bill recently passed by congress. With violent protests taking place in several regions across Peru, some of the worst have been in the southern part of the Andean nation, in the regions of Tacna and Moquegua. Unable to agree on the distribution of millions of dollars in mining royalties, protestors have blocked roads, fought police and set government buildings on fire for the past four days. Protests worsened on Thursday after congress passed a law which is to reorganize the way taxes paid by mines are distributed. In an effort to push congress to reconsider, riots continue to break out in Tacna. Only receiving 20 percent of royalties, citizens in Moquegua are demanding a change while protestors in Tacna have blocked access to Chile and cut water supply to Moquegua protesting this change. It is expected that Alan Garcia will sign this bill into law. Once ratified, it would change the way royalties are distributed to all provinces in hundreds of mines. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610320 Peru mining law triggers huge protest Posted: 2008/10/31 From: Source Thousands of angry protesters in Peru`s Tacna province have blocked the region`s main road after congress approved a bill that would redirect a portion of mining royalties to neighbouring Moquegua. The protests on Thursday marked the third day of demonstrations in Tacna and Moquegua, which have been at odds over how millions of dollars of taxes from local mines should be distributed. The law, which can still be amended ahead of a second round of voting, was provisionally passed on Thursday and reforms how mining royalties are split in provinces across the country. Juvenal Ordonez, a congressional representative for Tacna, said: "They have tricked us. We are ready to fight." The current system levies taxes based on how much earth is moved at a mine, while the new law would shift the focus on how much mineral wealth is produced. Mining wealth Alan Garcia, Peru's president, who has seen his approval numbers drop following allegations of corruption in congress and perceptions he has not done enough to address widespread poverty, backed the bill. Yehude Simon, Peru's prime minister, had previously said congress would not hold a vote until protests were halted, but he appears to have backed down. The law has been most controversial in the south of Peru, where most of the mines are run by Southern Copper, one of the world's largest mining companies. Southern Copper operates the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna. Moquegua expects to get 20 per cent of the revenues from Southern Copper this year, while 80 per cent is set to go to Tacna. Politicians in both provinces say they need the funds to develop basic services. About 40 per cent of Peruvians live in poverty and have seen little relief despite seven years of economic growth in the country, largely driven by booming mining exports. # http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N31361487.htm Protests over mining law rock Peru for fourth day 31 Oct 2008 21:41:14 GMT Source: Reuters By Diego Ore LIMA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Protesters in Peru's southern province of Tacna, who have cut the water supply to neighboring Moquegua, blocked roads on Friday, hoping to make Congress reconsider a law that would redistribute mining royalties. It was the fourth day of protests in the two provinces, which have been locked in a dispute over how to share millions of dollars in mining taxes paid by Southern Copper Corp , one of the world's largest mining companies. Protesters broke an underground water pipe that supplies Ilo, a city in Moquegua, authorities said late on Thursday, while two bridges and parts of the Pan-American highway remained blocked by boulders, sticks and steel bars. "The struggle of Tacna is far from over. We are calling on everyone to keep fighting," said Hugo Ordonez, Tacna's regional president. The legislation, which passed on Thursday, overhauls the way royalties are distributed to all provinces in a country with hundreds of mines. The bill was approved by a big majority in Congress. President Alan Garcia is expected to sign the bill into law. The legislation would assess taxes based on how much mineral wealth a mine produces, rather than on how much dirt a mine moves, as the system does now. The bill has been most controversial in southern Peru. Under the current system, Moquegua will receive 20 percent of taxes paid by Southern Copper that are distributed to provinces, while 80 percent will go to Tacna. The new law would direct more money to Moquegua. Southern Copper has the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna. A company official said all operations were normal. Politicians in both provinces say they need the revenue to pay for basic services like water, electricity and education. Some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty, despite seven years of fast economic growth, and critics say Garcia has not done enough to bring the boom's benefits to the poor. (Writing by Dana Ford) http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-30-voa65.cfm?CFID=150969028&CFTOKEN=47461124&jsessionid=6630a7d7982c4aee0591704569602a5b6315 Peruvians Stage Protests Over Change in Mining Law By VOA News 30 October 2008 Angry Peruvians have demonstrated in the southern Tacna province to protest the government's adoption of a bill that will mean fewer mining revenues for the area. Officials say some demonstrators Thursday blocked the Pan American highway linking Peru and neighboring Chile, while others set fire to a government building or hurled rocks at Chilean authorities at the border. As many as seven Peruvians were arrested. Earlier this week, protesters rallied in Peru's Moquegua province near Tacna to demand a bigger share of regional mining revenues. Authorities say the demonstrators blocked a bridge and took at least three police officers captive. At least 10 people were reported injured during clashes between protesters and police. In June, protesters in Moquegua took about 60 police officers hostage, after overpowering security forces trying to clear their week-long roadblock in the mining region. The officers were later released. Those protesters said the Tacna province has received a larger share of the tax revenue generated by Southern Copper, Peru's largest copper producer. http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-10-30-764735790_x.htm Peru mob torches police station as protests spread Posted 10/30/2008 12:54 AM | Comment | Recommend LIMA, Peru (AP) ? Angry villagers in Peru's northern jungle have torched a police station a day after 71 people were hurt in a clash between police and protesters in the south. RPP radio says a 1,000-strong mob set fire to the station and took 25 officers captive in San Martin province. They reportedly were angered when police threw tear gas near a school and several children were affected. Mounting unrest has spread to five provinces as demonstrators press a variety of demands with local authorities or the central government. On Tuesday, police and protesters clashed violently at a blockaded bridge in the province of Moquegua. Authorities raised the toll of the injured to 71 on Wednesday and protesters still held the bridge after routing police. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20081029-1036-peru-protests-.html Protests sweep Peru, rattling Garcia's new cabinet By Diego Ore REUTERS 10:36 a.m. October 29, 2008 LIMA ? Thousands of people demonstrated in five provinces in Peru Wednesday, threatening politicians and torching a police station, in a crucial first test of President Alan Garcia's new cabinet. In unrest that began earlier this week, dozens have been injured in clashes with police who shot tear gas into crowds, and three police were released early Wednesday in Moquegua after being taken hostage. Protesters in the provinces of Tacna and Moquegua demanded a fair share of taxes generated by local mines. In Cuzco province, they hoped to prevent a mining company from taking water for a power dam, and in Cajamarca crowds surrounded local politicians to press for a new highway. In San Martin, they set fire to a police station, RPP radio said. Garcia overhauled his cabinet this month in a bid to end a wave of protests that has plagued Peru this year, quell a corruption scandal and lift his popularity rating from around 20 percent. His new prime minister, Yehude Simon, a prominent leftist, was named to dissuade the opposition from taking to the streets and make sure social programs reach the poor, who have been left behind during a 7-year economic surge. But Simon, a former left-wing activist who was imprisoned for 8 years in the 1990s over ties to the Tupac Amaru insurgency, has so far failed to prevent conflicts. Simon said he would not tolerate violent protests and threatened to prosecute people who block roads. He said talks could start once the protests stop. ?If they want to talk, they can come talk. We aren't closing any democratic space,? he said. He told protesters in Moquegua they will need to give up control of a bridge they took over before Congress will vote on a bill they want passed that would give their province a bigger share of mining royalties. Defense Minister Antero Flores said the government would not be forced into making concessions. ?I think discipline must be imposed. Dialogue is important but not when a gun is aimed at your head,? Flores said. Despite nearly a decade of fast economic growth, some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty. Critics say Garcia has not done enough during two years in office to spread wealth from a boom in mining exports to the poor. (Additional reporting by Teresa Cespedes; Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30323132.htm Thousands protest as Peru cuts mining royalties 30 Oct 2008 17:01:28 GMT Source: Reuters By Diego Ore LIMA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters in Peru's Tacna province blocked the Pan-American highway on Thursday after Congress approved a bill that would cut mining royalties for the province and give them to neighboring Moquegua. It was the third day of protests in the two provinces, which have been locked in a dispute over how to share millions of dollars in mining taxes paid by Southern Copper , one of the world's largest mining companies. The law, which overhauls how the royalties are distributed to all provinces in a country with hundreds of mines, was approved in a first-round vote in Congress and could be amended in a second-round vote that is pending. "They have tricked us. We are ready to fight," said Juvenal Ordonez, a member of Congress who represents Tacna. President Alan Garcia has supported the bill, which would assess taxes based on how much mineral wealth a mine produces. The current system levies taxes based on how much dirt a mine moves. The bill has been most controversial in the south of Peru. This year, Moquegua expects to get 20 percent of taxes paid by Southern Copper that are distributed to provinces, while 80 percent will go to Tacna. Southern Copper operates the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna. Politicians in both provinces say they need the revenue to pay for basic services. Despite seven years of fast economic growth, some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty and critics say Garcia has not done enough to make sure that a boom in mining exports trickles down to the poor. (Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by John O'Callaghan) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29477467.htm Protests sweep Peru, rattling Garcia's new cabinet 29 Oct 2008 18:37:09 GMT Source: Reuters By Diego Ore LIMA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of people demonstrated in five provinces in Peru on Wednesday, threatening politicians and torching a police station, in a crucial first test of President Alan Garcia's new cabinet. In unrest that began earlier this week, dozens have been injured in clashes with police who shot tear gas into crowds, and three police were released early on Wednesday in Moquegua after being taken hostage. Protesters in the provinces of Tacna and Moquegua demanded a fair share of taxes generated by local mines. In Cuzco province, they hoped to prevent a mining company from taking water for a power dam, and in Cajamarca crowds surrounded local politicians to press for a new highway. In San Martin, they set fire to a police station, RPP radio said. Garcia overhauled his cabinet this month in a bid to end a wave of protests that has plagued Peru this year, quell a corruption scandal and lift his popularity rating from around 20 percent. His new prime minister, Yehude Simon, a prominent leftist, was named to dissuade the opposition from taking to the streets and make sure social programs reach the poor, who have been left behind during a 7-year economic surge. But Simon, a former left-wing activist who was imprisoned for 8 years in the 1990s over ties to the Tupac Amaru insurgency, has so far failed to prevent conflicts. Simon said he would not tolerate violent protests and threatened to prosecute people who block roads. He said talks could start once the protests stop. "If they want to talk, they can come talk. We aren't closing any democratic space," he said. He told protesters in Moquegua they will need to give up control of a bridge they took over before Congress will vote on a bill they want passed that would give their province a bigger share of mining royalties. Defense Minister Antero Flores said the government would not be forced into making concessions. "I think discipline must be imposed. Dialogue is important but not when a gun is aimed at your head," Flores said. Despite nearly a decade of fast economic growth, some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty. Critics say Garcia has not done enough during two years in office to spread wealth from a boom in mining exports to the poor. (Additional reporting by Teresa Cespedes; Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page504?oid=71654&sn=Detail DEMANDING BIGGER SHARE OF MINING TAXES Protesters take police hostage in Peru Protestors on the Pan-American highway in Peru have taken police officers hostage, demanding a larger share of mining taxes from Congress. Author: Diego Ore Posted: Wednesday , 29 Oct 2008 LIMA (REUTERS) - Thousands of protesters in Peru's Moquegua province took three police officers hostage and blocked a bridge on the Pan-American highway on Tuesday to demand that Congress give their province a bigger share of mining taxes. The protesters snarled traffic along the main road to the neighboring province of Tacna, and to Chile. Moquegua and Tacna provinces are locked in a dispute over how to share mining taxes, paid mostly by Southern Copper Corp , a unit of Grupo Mexico and one of the world's largest mining companies. Four policemen were wounded, and three of them were taken hostage, said Emilio Contreras, a police colonel. Community leaders said at least 10 people were injured when police fired tear gas into the crowd. Southern Copper, which operates the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna, said its operations were not affected. Tensions have simmered since June, when protesters in Moquegua took 60 police officers hostage to urge Congress to pass a bill overhauling how taxes are shared among provinces. President Alan Garcia has supported the bill, but he lacks sway in Congress to pass it. The bill would assess taxes based on how much mineral wealth a mine produces, and scrap the current system, which levies taxes based on how much dirt a mine moves. This year, Moquegua expects to receive 20 percent of taxes paid by Southern that are distributed to provinces, while 80 percent will go to Tacna. Politicians in both provinces say they need the revenue to pay for basic services. Despite seven years of fast economic growth, some 40 percent of Peruvians live in poverty and critics say Garcia is facing protests because a boom in mining exports has yet to trickle down to the poor. This month he named a prominent leftist, Yehude Simon, as his prime minister in the hopes of averting more protests, which have been held in at least three other provinces this week as Peruvians demand better access to water, taxes and infrastructure. (With additional reporting by Miguel Zegarra; Writing by Dana Ford, editing by Philip Barbara) From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 05:18:11 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:18:11 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] US: Proposition 8 gay rights protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB0D783.7090405@tesco.net> A massive wave of gay rights protests over the passage of a gay marriage proposition by voters in California. After initial mass marches across America, protesters turn to picketing and boycotting financial supporters of the proposition. * Thousands marchacross US * Seattle: Ground zero for gay rights protest * California: Protests in Los Angeles, San Diego - tens of thousands demonstrate * Church leaders grumble about gay rights protests * Gay rights struggle takes to the Internet * Protests "turn ugly" as church supporters targeted * Utah: Gay rights protests target Mormon establishment * Utah: Pro-gay Mormon group protests * Indiana: Gay marriage protests in several cities * Georgia: Protests on steps of State Capitol * Illinois protests * Cincinnati protests * Santa Rosa protests * Seattle protests * St Louis protests * Dayton protests * Olympia protests * Houston protests * Dallas protests * San Francisco protests * Los Angeles protests enter 5th day * New York protests * Boston protests * Vigil in Salt Lake City * Anchorage protest * Denver protest * Charlotte protest * Minneapolis protest * Atlanta and Chicago protests * Florida protest * Iowa protest * Providence protest * Tucson protest * Phoenix protest * Sacramento protesters target ice cream parlor * Comedian comes out during protests * Vermont protest * Chicago: Theatre protested over Prop 8 support - "no dollars for hate" * Maryland protest * Texas protests * Orlando protest * Chicago protest * More protests in Sacramento * New York - protests target Mormon church * Michigan protest targets church * Seattle Mormon church protested * California: 10,000 in new protest * Fresno protest * Mesa protest http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/16/national/main4607867.shtml Across U.S., Thousands Protest Gay Ban Advocates March Following Passage Of Calif.'s Prop. 8 Rescinding Rights Of Same-Sex Marriage Comments 403 BOSTON, Nov. 16, 2008 Demonstrators turn out for marriage equality at Los Angeles City Hall as part of a "National Day of Action," Nov. 15, 2008, in response to the recent passage of Proposition 8 repealing the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas) (AP) Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed. Crowds gathered near public buildings in cities large and small, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Fargo, to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change. "Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," said Karen Amico, one of several hundred protesters in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8". "We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal rights across the country." Connecticut, which began same-sex weddings this past week, and Massachusetts are the only two states that allow gay marriage. The other 48 states do not, and 30 of them have taken the extra step of approving constitutional amendments. A few states allow civil unions or domestic partnerships that grant some rights of marriage. Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon Church. However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility. "If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change," she said. Balliett said supporters in 300 cities in the U.S. and other countries were holding marches, and she estimated 1 million people would participate, based on responses at the Web sites her group set up. "We need to show the world when one thing happens to one of us, it happens to all of us," she said. The protests were widely reported to be peaceful, and the mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing to the song "Respect." Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read "Gay is the new black." But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests. One sign in Chicago, where several thousand people gathered, read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics." "I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person," said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally. (AP Photo/Darryl Bush) In San Francisco (left), demonstrators took shots at some religious groups that supported the ban, including a sign aimed at the Mormon Church and its abandoned practice of polygamy that read: "You have three wives; I want one husband." Chris Norberg, who married his partner in June, also referred to the racial divisions that arose after exit polls found that majorities of blacks and Hispanics supported the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "They voted against us," Norberg said. In Salt Lake City, where demonstrators gathered just blocks from the headquarters of the Mormon Church, one sign pictured the city's temple with a line adapted from former Republican vice president candidate Sarah Palin: "I can see discrimination from my house." More than 500 demonstrators in Washington marched from the U.S. Capitol through the city carrying signs and chanting "One, two, three, four, love is what we're fighting for!" A public plaza at the foot of New York's Brooklyn Bridge was packed by a cheering crowd of thousands, including people who waved rainbow flags and wore pink buttons that said "I do." Protests were low-key in North Dakota, where people lined a bridge in Fargo carrying signs and flags. Mike Bernard, who was in the crowd of hundreds at City Hall in Baltimore, said Proposition 8 could end up being a good thing for gay rights advocates. "It was a swift kick in the rear end," he said. In Los Angeles, protesters gathered near City Hall before marching through downtown. Police said 10,000 to 12,000 people demonstrated. Supporters of traditional marriage said the rallies may have generated publicity but ultimately made no difference. "They had everything in the world going for them this year, and they couldn't win," said Frank Schubert, co-manager of the Yes on 8 campaign in California. "I don't think they're going to be any more successful in 2010 or 2012." In Chicago, Keith Smith, 42, a postal worker, and his partner, Terry Romo, 34, a Wal-Mart store manager, had photos of a commitment ceremony they held, though gay marriage is not legal in Illinois. "We're not going to wait for no law," Smith said. "But time's going to be on our side and it's going to change." By Associated Press Writer Jay Lindsay; contributing to this report were AP writers Rupa Shenoy in Chicago, Adam Goldman in New York, JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia, Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Linda Ashton in Salt Lake City, Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, N.D., Tom Verdin in Sacramento, Calif., and Kamala Lane in Washington. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111502394.html Sunday, November 16, 2008; Page A02 Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Spurs Protest Across U.S. Tens of thousands of gay rights supporters rallied throughout the nation Saturday, protesting the California vote that banned same-sex marriage there. The largest protests took place in California: More than 10,000 gathered near Los Angeles' City Hall, at least 7,500 rallied at San Francisco's civic center, and a march in the state capital in Sacramento drew 1,500, police in the three cities estimated. Elsewhere, crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities, including New York, Boston and Chicago, to vent their frustrations, celebrate same-sex relationships and renew calls for change. Hundreds protested at Lafayette Square, adjacent to the White House. "Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8,"which references Proposition 8, the California ballot measure. "We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker, a special education teacher who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal rights across the country." Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only two states that allow same-sex marriage. All 30 states that have voted on constitutionally banning same-sex marriage have approved such measures. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/11/17/183528/Gay-rights.htm November 17, 2008 9:56 am TWN, By Jay Lindsay, AP Gay rights advocates across the U.S. protest marriage ban BOSTON -- Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed. Crowds gathered near public buildings in cities large and small, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Fargo, to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change. ?Civil marriages are a civil right, and we?re going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens,? said Karen Amico, one of several hundred protesters in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading ?Don?t Spread H8?. Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon church. However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday?s demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility. The protests were widely reported to be peaceful, and the mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing to the song ?Respect.? Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read ?Gay is the new black.?But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.One sign in Chicago, where several thousand people gathered, read: ?Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics.? ?I just found out that my state doesn?t really think I?m a person,? said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally. In San Francisco, demonstrators took shots at some religious groups that supported the ban, including a sign aimed at the Mormon church and its abandoned practice of polygamy that read: ?You have three wives; I want one husband.? In Salt Lake City, where demonstrators gathered just blocks from the headquarters of the Mormon church, one sign pictured the city?s temple with a line adapted from former Republican vice president candidate Sarah Palin: ?I can see discrimination from my house.? More than 500 demonstrators in Washington marched from the U.S. Capitol through the city carrying signs and chanting ?One, two, three, four, love is what we?re fighting for!? A public plaza at the foot of New York?s Brooklyn Bridge was packed by a cheering crowd of thousands, including people who waved rainbow flags and wore pink buttons that said ?I do.? Protests were low-key in North Dakota, where people lined a bridge in Fargo carrying signs and flags. In Los Angeles, protesters gathered near City Hall before marching through downtown. Police said 10,000 to 12,000 people demonstrated. Supporters of traditional marriage said the rallies may have generated publicity but ultimately made no difference. In Chicago, Keith Smith, 42, a postal worker, and his partner, Terry Romo, 34, a Wal-Mart store manager, had photos of a commitment ceremony they held, though gay marriage is not legal in Illinois. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/top-prop-8-protest-slogans Top Prop 8 Protest Slogans Share: by josiemitchell | November 15, 2008 at 03:20 pm 1301 views | 0 Recommendations | 3 comments Throughout history protests have been the battleground for numerous human and civil rights. The energy they generate can re-write history and there is no denying that their social and political importance is necessary in all societies. Plus you get some really clever slogans out of them, complete with bad grammar and incorrect spelling! Proposition 8 Protests, protesting the ban on same sex marriage, are taking place around the world today are doing just that: changing history (hopefully) and having fun while they do it! In researching Proposition 8 Protest photos I have found some wonderful tag lines that I thought needed highlighting. Due to the public forum they were presented in, first the protest itself and then Flickr photos, I am not able to cite the authors, but I hope they can agree that getting the message out is more important than ownership. And of course they are just so awesome, I got to share them! So here are the top 13, in no real order because they're all good: 1. "As far as I can I can tell, Massachusetts didn't got to hell!" 2." For Sale- My Rights" 3. "Who do you think designed your wedding dress?" 4. "Would you rather I married your daughter?" 5. "Gay Marriage! What's next polygamy?- Oh wait..." 6. "Against Gay Marriage? Don't Have One!" 7. "Marriage is so Gay!" 8. "TO DO: -deny fellow citizens fundamental rights. -buy eggs. -pay bills." 9. "Gay is the new black" (I took this in the fashion and social sense.) 10. "Jesus had two daddy's, Why can't I?" 11. "You want 2 wives, I only want 1 husband!" 12. "Hate makes you look fat, just look at Arkansas" 13. "Keep your gospel off my Gonads" I am more than positive that there are many many more than just these, so please share comments and photos! http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/17/2003428885 Gays take to streets to protest Mormons PROPOSITION EIGHT: The bill that banned gay marriage in left-leaning California caused divisions among Republicans as well as people of different race THE GUARDIAN, NEW YORK Monday, Nov 17, 2008, Page 7 Ralph Hodgdon, 74, left, and Paul McMahon, 75, both of Boston, Massachusetts, hold a sign during a protest against the passage of Proposition Eight in California, at City Hall Plaza in Boston, on Saturday. PHOTO: AP It was a building under siege. Thousands of placard-wielding demonstrators chanted angrily behind police barricades set up outside a huge Mormon temple on New York?s plush Upper West Side. The banners condemned the Church?s active sponsorship of the successful campaign to ban gay marriage in California. Michael Hogan, a gay illustrator who lived nearby, explained why he had joined the growing protest movement that swept across the US last week. ?It is important to be here,? he said. ?We have to stand up.? The marriage ban has motivated gays in the US to protest perhaps more than any other event in recent times. Since the California ban was passed by a referendum on Nov. 4, huge protests have been staged in cities from San Francisco to Chicago to New York. The scale of the protests has shocked many and led some commentators to compare it to the sort of communal political awakening that marked the birth of the civil rights movement. That was the tone of many of the banners and chants in the New York protest, which made references to the earlier struggle for black people?s rights. ?Gay, straight, black, white ? marriage is a civil right!? went one chant. One man carried a poster with the question: ?Should we sit at the back of the bus too?? Those words sent a powerful signal in a country that elected its first black president, Barack Obama, on the day of the ban and seemed poised to take a liberal turn in its politics. California?s passing of Proposition Eight, which in effect reversed an earlier move making gay marriage legal, was one of the few electoral disappointments for liberals. That the move should come in California ? a state that is usually famed for its liberalism ? was even more of a surprise. ?I was shocked at California. It was the one bad thing about election night,? Hogan said. Organizers of the protests said that ?Prop Eight? was simply encouraging hate and discrimination. ?Hatred has no place in society and it has no place in state constitutions,? said Corey Johnson, joint organizer of the New York demonstration. If supporters of Prop Eight thought their victory would be accepted quietly, they were very wrong. It has opened a huge can of political worms. For many it showed how California, like the US itself, was still deeply divided over how to treat gay people. It split the Republicans, with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opposing it and most of the conservative wing of his party campaigning for it. It opened up a racial debate as many Hispanics and black voters, who tend to be politically liberal but socially conservative, voted for it. It also triggered a debate over the role of religion and the state as many churches fought to get the measure through. Many of those churches were high-profile evangelical institutions that have long opposed any moves towards accepting gay marriage. But most of the outrage has focused firmly on the Mormon Church, whose members contributed more than US$20 million in support of Prop Eight. http://www.wftv.com/politics/17943094/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=nationalnews Prop. 8 Detractors Protest At Calif. Capitol Gay-Rights Protests Continue Across California Posted: 6:40 pm EST November 9, 2008Updated: 7:02 pm EST November 9, 2008 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A crowd of about 4,000 protesters gathered Sunday at the California Capitol building in Sacramento to vent their opposition to a same-sex marriage ban. Protests are taking place up and down the state of California as many are venting their opposition to the passage Tuesday of Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage. The rally in Sacramento started at 1 p.m. Sunday and was expected to wrap up at 4 p.m. PST. California Highway Patrol officials said the protest had been mostly peaceful and that they planned for supporters of "Yes on 8" to show up at the Capitol, KCRA reported, but that as of 3 p.m. only two supporters of the gay marriage ban had shown. In Orange County, police officials and protest organizers estimated that about 250 to 300 gay-rights advocates fanned out along sidewalks leading to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest -- the same church whose popular pastor brought Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain together last summer for a "faith forum.". The protesters were angered by the mega church's support of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that overturns the state Supreme Court decision in May legalizing such unions. In Oakland, a large anti-Proposition 8 protest at the city's Mormon Temple led the California Highway Patrol to close two nearby highway ramps to ensure pedestrian safety. "Our members of the church throughout the state are only about 5 percent of the votes, so obviously millions of other people voted against this proposition," said the church's Don Eaton. "So, do I think we're being targeted unfairly? Yeah, but we'll live with it." Rallies have been taking place in the state since Proposition 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote. Not all churches backed the ban. In Pasadena, the pastor of the All Saints Church spoke out against the new ban, calling the religious community's support of it "embarrassing." Speaking on CNN's "Late Edition" Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed disappointment at Proposition 8's passage. "It is unfortunate," Schwarzenegger told CNN correspondent John King. "But it is not the end because I think this will go back into the courts. ... It's the same as in the 1948 case when blacks and whites were not allowed to marry, this falls into the same category." There was more vandalism also Sunday associated with the divide over Prop 8. A progressive Jewish Synagogue in Sacramento was vandalized. "Leviticus 18-3" was spray painted on the wall at the Congregation B'nai Israel following Tuesday's election. That verse in the Bible says ''You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.' It appeared whoever spray painted the scriptural reference was condemning this Jewish Synagogue for performing several same-sex ceremonies. A video shows one such ceremony from September. Congregation B'nai Israel said they acknowledge there are other Jewish temples that do not support same sex marriage. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/prop_8_1127/ Prop. 8 protests sweep the country By Gerry Scoppettuolo Published Nov 19, 2008 5:47 PM In just one week a major political struggle has rocked the U.S. from coast to coast and even gone international. From Montreal to Puerto Rico and from California to Maine to Europe, literally hundreds of cities in the U.S. and elsewhere have mounted solidarity rallies and protest marches opposing California?s backward Proposition 8, which passed on Nov. 4 and disenfranchised the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities in that state from the recently won right to marry. Front of New York march, Nov. 13. WW photo: Imani Henry In North Carolina alone, seven cities mobilized communities angered by the right-wing attacks: , Raleigh, Greensboro, Asheville, Greenville, Wilmington and Boone. This kind of response was repeated all across the South and elsewhere and is unprecedented in U.S. LGBT history. In Bozeman, Mont., the Queer/Straight Alliance, the Bozeman Peace Seekers and the Gallatin Task Force organized a spirited Prop. 8 protest. The Montana cities of Billings, Helena and Missoula also held protests. Among the assemblages in big U.S. cities, a number of reports cited the one in San Diego as the largest, with estimates of over 25,000 participants. It was a long march on an especially hot day. At an end-point rally one recently married gay man urged the crowd: ?Look around! This is just the start of what the sleeping giant has awoken. We must carry this march on.? Boston WW photo: Liz Green In fact, word is spreading of more nationally coordinated actions to come, including a Dec. 10 ?Day without a Gay? and a Jan. 10 coast-to-coast protest. And Black lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes, who addressed the Las Vegas protest, told the crowd: ?We shouldn?t have to settle for less. Instead of having gay marriage in California, no! We?re going to have gay marriage across the country.? (thestrippodcast) In New York on Wednesday evening, previous to the national mobilizations on Saturday, Nov. 15, a huge crowd, many with homemade signs, gathered near a Mormon temple at 65th Street and Columbus. Later, as the crowd continued to grow, thousands marched down Broadway. The militantly chanting marchers took up the whole street, curb to curb, for five or six blocks. Then on Saturday more than 10,000 focused on the metropolis?s City Hall area, as was the case in most other cities. The Los Angeles mobilization drew more than 10,000 despite the raging wildfires that are devastating southern California. San Francisco, with no official planning, also drew 10,000 to the City Hall area. Not since the 1970s and the days when Anita Bryant and the Moral Majority launched their reactionary attacks (see Lavender and Red series at workers.org.) has the LGBT community reacted with such a visceral response, tens of thousands mobilizing seemingly overnight via Facebook, YouTube, a national Web page and other means. California?s Prop. 8 passed 52 to 48 percent, carried to victory by a multimillion-dollar campaign funded by the Mormon Church, Focus on the Family, the Catholic Church and its affiliated Knights of Columbus, and other racist and backward forces?today?s equivalents of the Moral Majority, the Campus Crusade for Christ and the Liberty Lobby of the early 1970s. Falsely casting their attack as a ?moral? issue, these racist forces worked hard to deprive millions of the economic class benefits that derive from civil marriage in the areas of health insurance, partner benefits, tax relief and other spousal benefits and rights. Critical to the growth of this struggle is the overcoming of racial divisions exploited by the right wing. An attempt by conservative pundits to blame communities of color is being challenged. Rallies featured speakers from oppressed African-American, Latin@ and Palestinian communities, especially in San Francisco and Oakland, and in Raleigh, N.C., where Rev. Carl Kenney, former pastor of Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, spoke words of encouragement to the hundreds gathered there. R. Dooley, who organized the protest in Montreal, explained this challenge to Workers World this way: ?I do think this is part of a broader struggle. I agree very strongly that this isn?t our only fight. Marriage rights aren?t the only issue that our communities have to address at this time.? Ten thousand rallied at City Hall in Boston, where speakers included African-American state Rep. Byron Rushing; Gary Daffin, director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition; and Mark Solmonese, director of Human Rights Campaign. Twenty-two-year-old Ryan MacNealy, a main organizer of the Boston rally, acknowledged the challenges facing the equal-marriage rights movement in a statement to Workers World: ?Our advocacy groups are very exclusive, only focusing on the matter at hand. We need to reach out to other struggles.? MacNealy will be leading a relationship-building effort with African-American church leaders in Boston in the coming weeks. Others, like Curtis Morrison from Louisville, Ky., cited Rosa Parks as having inspired their organizing efforts. Progressive LGBT blog sites like www.queertoday.com are leading the way at refuting the false racist charges raised by the right wing. One thing is certain: the potential for unity is unlimited and the classwide power that could result for the benefit of all the oppressed everywhere would be a welcome sight. Reports from Imani Henry, John Lewis, Bob McCubbin and Dante Strobino contributed to this article. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_111408WAB_prop_eight_protest_KS.1b270b682.html Global gay rights protest has roots in Seattle 05:42 PM PST on Friday, November 14, 2008 By DON PORTER / KING 5 News Video: Worldwide gay-marriage protest being organized in Seattle Larger screen E-mail this clip SEATTLE - The fight for gay marriage escalates Saturday with rallies in Seattle and many other cities around the globe. The worldwide protest is being organized in Seattle. "We're calling for the entire gay community to come together as one," said Amy Balliett, key organizer of Join the Impact, an effort to expand the protests that erupted after Proposition 8 passed in California. Balliett's effort to stage a Seattle protest quickly mushroomed on social publishing Web sites and blogs set up and run by Seattle-based WetPaint.com. "We've gotten people in over 300 cities to start planning protests, each in their own city," said Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz. Elowitz is openly gay and campaigning for gay rights online. "Join The Impact" scored more than 1 million hits this week alone. "Flash activism here," Elowitz said. "People are coming to a Web site, organizing, getting the word out with viral tools like Wetpaint and Facebook and immediately getting thousands of people all to organize one protest." In West Seattle, a gay couple twice married in California feels keenly the pain of Proposition 8. Ken Molsberry and his partner of 15 years, Chris Vincent, were first wed in 2004 in San Francisco, and then again last July. "This is something that we think is a terrible injustice," Vincent said. KING Join the Impact is an effort to expand the protests that occurred after Proposition 8 passed in California. The nationwide protest gives them new hope. "If anything, this turmoil has brought us closer together," Molsberry said. The Seattle demonstration against California's passage of Proposition 8 starts with a noon rally in Volunteer Park followed by a march to Westlake Center for a 2 p.m. rally. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449127,00.html Thousands Protest Passage of Anti-Gay Marriage Ballot Initiative Sunday, November 09, 2008 | FoxNews.com Nov. 7: Supporters of same-sex marriage rally in San Francisco. SAN DIEGO ? As many as 10,000 people took to the streets in San Diego and similar numbers marched in Los Angeles Saturday to protest passage of an anti-gay marriage ballot initiative, authorities said. Demonstrators began marching through central San Diego at noon, according to police Sgt. Diane Wendell. The event lasted about 90 minutes and was peaceful, with no arrests. The march in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles began at Saturday evening and lasted about four hours, said police Sgt. Jake Bushy. No incidents were reported as demonstrators marched down Sunset Boulevard carrying signs and waving banners. The demonstrations were the largest of several marches that followed Tuesday's passage of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and overturning the state Supreme Court decision that legalized such unions in May. A candlelight vigil in Laguna Beach Saturday evening drew about 1,000 people and police reported no incidents. On Friday, tensions flared at a vigil at Palm Springs City Hall when a supporter of the gay marriage ban carrying a plastic foam cross clashed with protesters, according to The Desert Sun. The crowd ripped the cross from her hands and stomped on it. Police made no arrests. Related Stories ? Gay Marriage Supporters March in California, Utah ? Protests Over Gay-Marriage Ban Escalate in California About 2,000 people gathered in Long Beach Friday night and there were three arrests. A thousand people also marched Friday in San Francisco. In Salt Lake City Friday night, a crowd of about 2,000 chanted "Separate church and state" and waved rainbow flags outside the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which encouraged its members to work to pass the amendment by volunteering their time and money for the campaign. http://cbs5.com/national/prop.8.protest.2.859939.html Nov 8, 2008 9:19 pm US/Pacific Prop. 8 Protests Continue In California Less than 24 hours after arrests were made at a Prop 8 protest in Long Beach, activists unhappy with Tuesday's vote to ban same-sex marriages again took to the streets in Los Angeles. A protest in the Silver Lake town of Los Angeles hosted speakers Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, a lesbian couple whose lawsuit led the California Supreme Court to rule in May that denying same-sex couples the right to get married was tantamount to discrimination. About 18,000 couples have been married since gay marriage was legalized but, on Tuesday, California voters approved Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. That prompted county clerks to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples the next day. Demonstrators have taken to the streets each night since Tyler and Olson had their attorney, Gloria Allred, file a writ with the high court Wednesday, challenging the voter-approved initiative. At least three people were arrested at a Long Beach protest Friday night for failing to disperse when police tried to break up the demonstration. Several demonstrators were also arrested in Hollywood and Westwood on Wednesday and Thursday. About 2,000 demonstrators massed in front of the Mormon temple in West Los Angeles Thursday evening to protest the church's support of Proposition 8. Members of the group Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, also called the A.N.S.W.E.R coalition, which formed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack, is supporting Saturday's demonstration. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081109/wire/811090457 Tens of thousands protest passage of Proposition 8 Peaceful demonstrations over same-sex marriage ban By ARI B. BLOOMEKATZ and RAJA ABDULRAHIM Published: Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. LOS ANGELES -- Tens of thousands of protesters spilled into the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and even Modesto on Saturday in hastily organized and peaceful demonstrations over passage of Proposition 8, the statewide ballot measure which bans same-sex marriage. A estimated 10,000 boisterous protesters converged around 6 p.m. at Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards, in the Silver Lake district, near the site of the former Black Cat bar which Los Angeles recently designated as an historic-cultural monument for its '60s role as home of the local gay-rights movement. Other demonstrations seemed simply to pop up in places around the state, motivated by frustration and anger over the ballot initiative that amends the state Constitution to declare that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized" in California. "They are mixing religion with politics," said Steve Ramos, 46, who marched in the Silver Lake protest. "Everyone should have equal rights." Like other demonstrators, Ramos was carrying a banner fashioned from a sheet with spray-painted words, "Teach tolerance, not hate." The Silver Lake rally began with fiery speeches from atop the flatbed of a pickup. Among the speakers was Robin Tyler, half of the lesbian couple who was denied a marriage license in 2004 and challenged that rejection all the way to the California Supreme Court. Tyler and her partner married after the court cleared the way for gay weddings, but the legal status of thousands of those marriages is now uncertain. She expressed frustration over the leadership of the unsuccessful campaign to defeat the ballot measure and lashed out at those who supported it. "The No on 8 people didn't want us to use the word 'bigots.' But that's what they are, bigots, bigots, bigots," Tyler said, bringing a round of cheers from the growing crowd. "We will never be made invisible again. Never again will we let them define who we are." The march's organizers, LA Coalition for Equal Marriage Rights and the ANSWER Coalition, did not apply for a permit, police said. But the protesters were peaceful, at least through 7 p.m. "It's a boisterous crowd, but so far, no problems," said Los Angeles Police Department Commander David Doan. Several hundred police officers were on hand on motorcycle, bicycles and sprinkled through the crowd. The protest closed Sunset Boulevard between Fountain Avenue and Sanborn Avenue. Demonstrators then were planning to march west on Santa Monica Boulevard, then head north on Vermont Avenue, then east on Hollywood Boulevard back to Silver Lake. An estimated 300 counter-protesters were on the scene. Some stood on the side of the parade route, segregated from the marching crowds by a line of police on horseback. One man was held up a large sign, "God does not love you, just the way you are." Nicole Vizcarra, 21, a senior at San Diego State, said she and a friend helped organize an early morning rally Saturday in the Morley Field area adjacent to Balboa Park. Police estimated the crowd at 8,000 to 10,000. The event last about 90 minutes and was peaceful, leading to no arrests. "It started out with one of my good friends calling me" early Thursday morning, Vizcarra said in a telephone interview. The protests have been building all week. Thousands of demonstrators marched down Market Street in San Francisco on Friday night, as well as 2,000 in Long Beach, leading to 15 arrests. Protests are planned today for downtown Los Angeles, Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, La Jolla, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose and Visalia. Many of these plan to congregate or march to the steps of Catholic churches or Mormon temples. Catholic organizations spoke in favor of Proposition 8 and the Church of Latter-day Saints gathered millions of dollars from church members to help finance the campaign to help its passage. Bloomekatz and Abdulrahim are Times staff writers. Staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Joanna Lin, Sam Quinones and Kenneth R. Weiss contributed to this report. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/08/us/08protest.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin Protesting Ban on Gay Marriage By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: November 7, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO ? Thousands of people marched through the streets here Friday night to protest the passage on Tuesday of Proposition 8, a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage. Skip to next paragraph Related (November 6, 2008) The march, which began near City Hall, snaked down the city?s main artery, Market Street, to the Castro district, a bastion of San Francisco?s gay men and women. Rush-hour traffic was stopped as marchers, some carrying signs reading ?We Shall Overcome,? peacefully swarmed around cars. It was the latest demonstration since voters approved the proposition. On Thursday, more than 1,000 people protested at a Mormon temple in Los Angeles, shutting down traffic and leading to several arrests. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supported the measure.) Seven people were arrested Wednesday in protests in other parts of Los Angeles, the police said. Same-sex marriages had been legal in California since May, when the State Supreme Court struck down two laws prohibiting such unions. http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/mormons-and-catholics-upset-being-tar Mormons And Catholics Upset At Being The Target Of Prop 8 Protests By Nicole Belle Saturday Nov 08, 2008 5:03pm Pam's House Blend: Hypocrisy much? The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints is unhappy about the fact that the media spotlight is trained on its participation in making Prop 8 happen. In an official statement on the church's web site, bearing false witness and hypocrisy is the order of the day. It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election. Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States - that of free expression and voting. While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process. Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information. Bzzt. Wrong answer. The people protesting the church's significant role in an another state's democratic process -- members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave millions of dollars to remove the civil rights of human beings -- are merely exercising their right to free speech to highlight that role. And what is this "erroneous information"? Who knows, the church doesn't say. [..] And the Catholic church is also lying baldly: Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church was also a target for supporting Proposition 8. "Proposition 8 is not against any group in our society. Its sole focus is on preserving God's plan for people living upon this earth throughout time," Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, said in a statement Thursday. WTF? Wait a minute. Prop 8 just removed an existing right from one specific group of people. There's no way to whitewash this. There's no spin that takes away the fact that religious institutions that backed Proposition 8 did so because of their faith -- interfering with the laws of California. Sorry, LDS and Catholic Churches, let me pull out my tiny violin for you. You have used the tenets of your faith to infringe upon my secular government to take away rights from people, and I'm supposed to feel bad that protests are targeting you? I just don't think so. Remember Pastor Martin Niem?ller? You have targeted the LGBT community today, but what happens when someone targets any faith, because it's not the "right" faith? What if they target you? Inequality is inequality and it should never be tolerated. http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=51000 Do Gay Marriage Protests Cross the Line? Posted By: Sharon Ito 4 months ago SACRAMENTO, CA - Monday's Live_Online at 11 a.m. featured a rebuttal to the protests against Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage in California. Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute and Yes on 8 supporter, told viewers that some of the protests have gone too far, when financial supporters of Prop 8 are being targeted at their jobs and "bullied because of their personal beliefs." Brad Dacus, a Sacramento civil rights lawyer and president of the Pacific Justice Institute, filed a legal opinion with the California Supreme Court in defense of Prop 8. He said the justices need to respect the voters' will in upholding the ban and called the constitutional challenges to Prop 8 "a cheap attempt to undermine the voters of California." A decision by the California Supreme Court could come by next June. Dacus said should the court overturn the gay marriage ban, the next fight will be aimed at the justices themselves and would entail a recall campaign. See the full interview with England and Dacus in the video player to the right. Last Monday's Live_Online program, featuring gay rights activists Tina Reynolds and Michael Boyd, has been archived. Click here to see the interview. Here was what some viewers had to say in the online conversation: Viewer, John, wrote: "I'm a young successful gay male in long term relationship. I voted YES ON 8!! I'm not about to support a group that turns to violence to get their point across." Viewer, NetAmigo, wrote: "We need to remember who is being attacked - gay people who are losing their freedoms." Viewer, guest, wrote: "It's not a show of hate at all, it is a belief in traditional values for marriage." Viewer, Brian in San Diego, wrote: "It amazes me that people will go so far out their way to keep the gay community down." Viewer, sue, wrote: "Will we have to vote on this every 2 or 4 years?" Viewer, Ron, wrote: "Life is too short people . . . live your own lives! If 2 people love each other . . . let them! Who cares???" News10/KXTV http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8217 ________________________________________ Is the Prop 8 Protest Stonewall 2.0? by: Paul In SF Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 03:22:32 AM EST We quite rightly credit the Stonewall Riots as being the catalyst for the surge of queer political energy that blew "The love that dare not speak its name" out of its closet and into the streets, the living rooms, the workplaces and the political halls of America. The story of that bar full of queers standing up and fighting for their right to be treated as full citizens galvanized GLBT people, especially the young, across the land. Inspired, these young folks organized themselves into a fluid movement with no hierarchy and a simple mission; to fight discrimination against GLBT folks wherever it was found. That movement turned out to be successful beyond the wildest dreams of those early days. But one must keep in mind that those dreamers were the product of their time. The wild eyed pipe dreams of the early 70's are now simply life as usual for the queers of the 21st Century. After nearly 40 years of advancement the sense of urgency had dulled, we had become complacent. Then along came Prop 8. (continued after the fold) Paul In SF :: Is the Prop 8 Protest Stonewall 2.0? If we had learned anything in the 4 decades from 1969 to 2008 it was that time was on our side. It was that sense of inevitability that allowed us, for the most part, to stand on the sidelines with barely a whimper while state after state banned same sex marriage. We were willing to wait, we thought. Yet the reaction to our ballot loss in California is so, so much different. As I write this it has been 8 days since we learned we lost and there have been 8 days of protests. We are streaming into the streets not only across California, but across the whole country. No whimpers here. It is a full throated roar. We were played, and we are angry not only at those who played us, but at ourselves for allowing it to happen. So the Prop 8 backers may have won that particular battle, but by doing so they awakened the spirit of Stonewall in us all. They have awakened that same righteous anger and call to arms that changed what might have been just another routine police raid on a homosexual bar in June of 1969 into a piece of history. As jonpincus points out in the excellent diary "Join the Impact: taking social network activism (and LGBTQ rights) to the next level" today's young queers aren't limited by 1970 technology. No ditto machines or black dial phones for this crowd. This is the generation who grew up with a mouse and a keyboard in their hands. And man, have they been using those techno-tools! Literally hundreds of thousands of feet have hit the pavement in the past few days, and hundreds of thousands more will have before the week is up. And every one of those people who were able to march, and the 10 more he or she represents who wasn't able to be there in person, now OWN this movement. It has become personal to them the same way that Stonewall became personal to us in the years immediately following the riots. We owe the Mormon and the Catholic churches a word of thanks. They just spent millions of dollars making activists out of our complacent, distracted community. Really, thanks. Welcome to Stonewall 2.0 http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE4AB8RC20081112 U.S. gay marriage fight takes to the Internet Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:34pm ES By Peter Henderson SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The rejection of gay marriage by California voters has unleashed a hurricane of protest on the Internet, with some supporters venting their anger and others planning national demonstrations. Amy Balliett, 26, used her lunch break last Friday to start a website -- www.jointheimpact.com -- to call for coordinated action across the United States this weekend. In a few days, more than 1 million people have visited her site and dozens of marches and meetings are now planned for 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) on Saturday. By the evening jointheimpact.com was created, it was visited 10,000 times. By Sunday, there were 50,000 visits per hour and the computer running the site crashed. It has moved computers twice since in an effort to keep up. "Why do we have to wait for someone to step up and say let's do a protest?" Balliett remembered thinking after her friend, Willow Witte, posted a blog about California. "Over email we decided to do it." California's Supreme Court opened the way to gay marriage in May, putting it among a handful of states, provinces and European countries that allow same-sex couples to marry. But after a $70 million-plus campaign, a measure to ban gay marriage in California passed in a vote held alongside the U.S. presidential and congressional elections on November 4, stunning a community that had expected its first major ballot box win. Balliett's plan is to create an educational dialogue but others have diverse goals or are simply speaking out as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messages, blogs and websites buzz with protest about the vote in California. Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community say they were hurt deeply and want to bring their civil rights argument -- that same-sex couples deserve the same treatment as others -- to a national audience. "It took the rights being taken away from people to really get across that it's not a California issue. It's a nationwide issue," said Brandon Williamson, who was about to start his own protest website when he found Balliett's and joined forces as publicist. 'IT'S MASSIVE' Gay marriage is legal in two U.S. states, Massachusetts and Connecticut, where court-approved same-sex weddings began on Wednesday. But dozens of states have laws that limit marriage to a man and a woman. This month's election also saw bans on gay marriage pass in Florida and Arizona, while Arkansas stopped gay couples from adopting children. This is not the first time gay marriage proponents or their adversaries have used technology. Both sides of California's Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, used websites and more. But the ability of the Internet to organize grass-roots movements has been especially clear since the ban's passage. Balliett, whose job is publicizing websites through searches, says she has never seen anything like it. Civil rights campaigners agree. "It's massive," said Scott Robbe, a gay rights veteran based in Wisconsin, adding that election campaigns from Howard Dean to Barack Obama had paved the way for the civil rights movement to use the Internet on a massive scale. Balliett directs volunteer organizers to start MySpace and Facebook sites for their own cities but the Internet action is about more than her efforts. The Facebook group "1,000,000 Million Strong Against Newly Passed Prop 8" has about 68,000 members, for instance. The group's creators identify themselves as high school students. (Editing by John O'Callaghan) http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/Tens_of_thousands_across_America_protest_marriage_1115.html Tens of thousands across America protest marriage ban by Reuters North American News Service Gay marriage supporters rally across United States Peter Henderson Reuters North American News Service Nov 15, 2008 19:46 EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thousands of gay marriage advocates held boisterous rallies Saturday across the United States and abroad in a coordinated protest of California's vote this month to ban same-sex marriage.
In Manhattan, where some protesters were offering hula-hoop demonstrations, Sean Petersen, 21, a musician from Brooklyn, called the vote "mean-spirited and divisive." In Chicago, Andy Thayer, a co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network, exhorted a crowd that had listened to a gay men's choir sing a peppy version of the hymn "Down by the Riverside" to follow through on the spirit of the protest. "We can't just let this be a blowing-off-steam rally, as satisfying as that might be," he said. "We're here to win equal marriage rights right here in Illinois." Demonstrations had been organized for Saturday afternoon in the United States and elsewhere, including Canada, Europe and Australia, coordinated by a campaign on the Internet. Los Angeles police estimated 8,000 attended, and thousands filled the central plaza in San Francisco. Other cities had crowds estimated in the hundreds or low thousands. "I am here to protect my marriage and my family," said 39-year-old Susan Ferris at Los Angeles City Hall. On Nov. 4, California voters narrowly approved Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. It reversed the right of gays and lesbians to marry that had been granted by the state's Supreme Court this year and triggered a series of protests. "A turning point has been reached," landscape architect James York, 45, said at the San Francisco rally. $70 MILLION CAMPAIGN Measures to ban gay marriage also passed in Florida and Arizona, while Arkansas barred gay couples from adopting children. In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriages. Last month, Connecticut became the second when the state's top court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage. The California measure passed by 52 percent after one of the most expensive ballot campaigns in history in which both sides combined raised some $70 million. Gay marriage advocates have asked the California Supreme Court to overturn the ban, arguing that more than a majority vote is needed to make a fundamental change in the state constitution. In May, the court had declared same-sex marriage a right, unleashing a flood of weddings. The rallies drew a few opponents of gay marriage. "We're troubled by the intolerance on their side about what obviously is the will of the American people," Peter LaBarbera, a board member of Protect Marriage Illinois, told Reuters. "We think they represent the minority viewpoint." Despite the setback in the country's most populous state, gay marriage advocates said they were upbeat about their cause in the long run. "History is on our side," said Ferris in Los Angeles. (Reporting by Chris Michaud in New York, Matthew Lewis in Chicago, Nichola Groom in Los Angeles, Peter Henderson in San Francisco; Editing by Xavier Briand) Source: Reuters North American News Service http://pewforum.org/news/rss.php?NewsID=16941 November 14, 2008 Gay marriage activists protest Mormons online, in streets by Nicole Neroulias Religion News Service NEW YORK -- Angered by last week's passage of Proposition 8 that reversed California's same-sex marriage ruling, gay rights activists have taken their battle to the blogosphere and to the streets, targeting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) for encouraging Mormons to bankroll the Yes on 8 campaign. As gay groups mount a court challenge to Proposition 8, the anger over its passage has taken the form of clashes and protests outside Mormon temples from Los Angeles to New York, and non-Mormons have rushed to defend the church from what they call bigoted attacks. Despite heavy support for Prop 8 from the Mormon hierarchy, Mormons make up less than 2 percent of California's population. According to exit polls, most of the 52 percent of California voters who approved Prop. 8 were white evangelical Christians, Catholics or African-Americans. Nevertheless, numerous Web sites venting anger over Prop 8 have focused on Mormons, arguing their church violated its tax-exempt status by urging its national membership to contribute to California's "Yes" campaign. According to Mormonsfor8.com, a Web site founded by Utah attorney Nadine Hansen to match campaign records to church membership rosters, about half of the $36 million raised by the Yes on 8 campaign came from Mormons -- a figure the Yes on 8 campaign has neither confirmed nor denied. "Their members put the lion's share of the money into it," said Ron Oliver, 48, of Palm Springs, Calif., who launched a "Mormons Stole Our Rights" Facebook page last week. "On a fundamental level -- and I don't use that pun lightly -- they continually say they're for goodness and wholesomeness and love, and it strikes me that it's a tad hypocritical that it's `except if you're this,' or `except if you're that.'" Oliver admits getting the Mormons' tax-free status revoked is a long shot -- churches are allowed to lobby on social issues, and are only prohibited from endorsing individual candidates -- but argues that the larger principle of separation of church and state warrants further discussion. In response to the online petitions and protests outside Latter-day Saints temples and church meetinghouses in California and other states, Roman Catholic Bishop William K. Weigand of Sacramento, a former Bishop of Salt Lake City, said the Protect Marriage coalition behind Prop. 8 included Catholics, Jews, and a range of other faiths and ethnicities. "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8," he said in a statement. Mormon bloggers have also hastened to defend themselves, arguing that they have the same rights as any other American citizens to volunteer, vote and give money to a political campaign. Carlos Morgan, 18, who lives in Utah, launched his own Facebook page, "Aftermath: The TRUTH About Proposition 8," a few days after Oliver. He didn't vote in California or give money to the campaign, but he said he felt compelled to present the Mormon point of view. The money raised by the Yes on 8 campaign may have disproportionately come from Mormons, but the Yes on 8 side was still outspent by $2 million. Furthermore, he added, Mormon donors weren't doing anything illegal by giving money to a campaign, even from other states. "It's a democratic right, it's freedom of speech," he said. "It's something completely up to them, if they want to do that." While gay activists said they were upset by commercials funded by the Protect Marriage coalition, which showed young children forced to learn about same-sex marriage in school, Morgan said he and other Mormons were deeply offended by a "No" commercial that depicted Mormon missionaries barging into a lesbian couple's house and tearing up their marriage certificate. Angela Rockwood, a 32-year-old devout Mormon who lives in southern California, launched "Beetle Blogger" two months ago, as a way to counter the criticism she heard from opponents of Prop. 8. As someone who campaigned for and gave money to the "Yes" campaign, she said she views the post-election protests as ranging from "sour grapes" to outright persecution. "Churches have always spoken out on moral issues, they have not only the right to do so, but the responsibility to do so," she said. "Singling the LDS church out from the rest of the coalition is just a means of intimidation in a hope that the LDS church will somehow change its stand on the issue of the importance of marriage. It'll never happen." The protests have spread from California throughout the country. On Wednesday night, thousands of demonstrators brought traffic to a stop in a rally outside the Mormon temple in midtown Manhattan. Among the marchers was entertainer Whoopi Goldberg. Among the crowd chanting "2-4-6-8, Separate the church and state," and smiling at the baby strollers decorated with signs like "I love my married mommies," Goldberg said she felt Mormon leaders should not have used religious beliefs to encourage members to contribute to a legal issue. "If it's against your religion, I understand that -- then, you should not marry a gay person," she said, as she walked down Broadway. "But, if you really separate church and state, then your religious beliefs should not interfere with (a gay couple's) ability to be married." http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Thousands_protest_Mormon_involvement_with_Prop_1108.html Thousands protest Mormon involvement with Prop 8 Andrew McLemore Published: Saturday November 8, 2008 SALT LAKE CITY -- More than 2,000 people protested outside the headquarters of the Mormon church Friday night for the organization's heavy support for Proposition 8, the Associated Press reported. The proposal was passed by a thin margin Tuesday and adds an amendment to the California constitution banning gay marriage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraged members to donate money and time to aggressively pushing the passage of Proposition 8. "Separate church and state," or "I didn't vote on your marriage," protesters said as they marched around the headquarters. Many held signs with messages including "Mormons: Once persecuted, now persecutors," "Proud of my two moms" and "Protect traditional marriage. Ban divorce." The measure overturned a California Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that legalized gay marriage within the state, allowing thousands of gay couples to marry. The fight surrounding the definition of marriage was the most expensive in the country with both sides raising $70 million, CBS reported in a video available below. Although the Mormon church does not officially endorse political leaders or parties, it speaks out on moral issues important to the church's beliefs. "With the L.D.S. church?s vast involvement in the passage of Proposition 8, we are seeing a repeat of a tragic and deplorable history," a former Salt Lake City mayor, Rocky Anderson, said. Church officials said they were "disturbed" that the Mormon church is being "singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election," said LDS spokesman Scott Trotter earlier Friday. Trotter said millions of people of all creeds and backgrounds voted for Proposition 8 that were not being criticized by the gay rights movement. The African-American community, which saw the election of the first black president Tuesday, voted overwhelmingly for the measure, CBS News reported. But activists remained livid that the measure was passed and were intent on blaming the Mormon establishment. "The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand," John Aravosis, an influential Washington, D.C.-based blogger, told the Associated Press. "We're going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state." Another protest against Proposition 8 drew up to 10,000 in San Diego on Saturday, as gay rights activists hit the streets in a peaceful, 90-minute demonstration. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4792274 More protests planned over gay marriage issue November 14th, 2008 @ 7:00am By Tom Callan and Paul McHardy More protests are planned for this weekend over the issue of same-sex marriage. Eighty rallies around the nation are set for tomorrow. One of them is planned for the Salt Lake City and County building. The featured speaker is an Iraq war veteran who says he was dismissed after declaring that he is gay. Also, a candlelight vigil is set for the state Capitol. Organizers are hoping for a turnout of 3,000 people. That's about how many showed up at protests this week against the passage of California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, Bill Marriott wants his hotels left out of the protest. On a blog, Marriott acknowledges that he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which supported Prop. 8, but says he didn't contribute to the Proposition 8 fight and neither did his company, Marriott International. In fact, he points out that Marriott has had domestic partner benefits for years, and his hotels have hosted gay community events. Still, some activists have proposed a boycott. http://www.kcra.com/news/17969525/detail.html Gay Activists Divided On Protest Tactics Silent Protest To Be Held Early Thursday POSTED: 9:22 pm PST November 12, 2008 UPDATED: 6:13 am PST November 13, 2008 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As a silent rally against a ban on gay marriage gets set to take place at the Capitol early Thursday, some gay activists are debating the merits of such protests. Rallies and boycotts against churches and businesses that supported Proposition 8, a measure passed by California voters that overturned the right for same-sex couples to marry, have been taking place since the measure passed on Election Day. A recent protest includes a boycott threat against the artistic director of the California Musical Theatre Scott Eckern, who donated $1,000 to the "Yes on 8" campaign. "An eye for an eye," said rally organizer Jade Baranski. "This is one of the circumstances where if you hurt us we can't turn around and support you." But now, there are some protests among the protesters. Some gay and lesbian activists are pushing for a more strategic approach to educate people about civil rights instead of direct boycotts or marches. "We need to be careful that we continue to keep a positive image in the community and that our efforts are acknowledged as honorable and purpose," said Lester Neblett, executive director of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. Thursday's silent march against the gay-marriage ban will start at midnight at the Capitol and move through the streets of downtown, organizers said. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450884,00.html Cross-Bearing Woman Says She Was Attacked by Gay Marriage Supporters, May Press Charges Thursday, November 13, 2008 | FoxNews.com Nov. 7: Phyllis Burgess, 69, attended a rally against Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage approved this month by California voters. An elderly woman who attended a gay rights protest carrying a cross to voice her support of the new California ban on gay marriage says she was attacked by demonstrators and now may press charges. Palm Springs Police Department spokesman Sgt. Mitch Spike told FOXNews.com no arrests had been made as of Thursday evening and added that victim Phyllis Burgess still is deciding whether she'll press assault charges. "The investigation is proceeding as it should," Spike said. Asked if the charges could be elevated to include hate crime penalties, Spike told FOXNews.com, "That's a possibility. That's one of the things we're looking at." Carrying a large, foam cross, Burgess, 69, showed up at a rally last Friday against Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage approved this month by California voters. She was there to show her belief in traditional marriage, she said. Within minutes, however, angry protesters swarmed around the Palm Springs resident, yanked the cross from her hands and trampled on it, as seen in a video of the incident posted on YouTube. "I guess I didn?t see the gravity of the whole thing and how it was being portrayed to the public," Burgess told The Desert Sun newspaper. "People are incensed. They seem to want some kind of justice." Video ? Freedom of Speech? If charges are filed, Spike said prosecution could be difficult because the alleged suspect or suspects seen in the video have yet to be identified. "We haven't been able to identify everyone in that video," Spike told FOXNews.com. http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50266 Prop 8 Protesting Turns Ugly Posted By: Will Frampton 2 months ago ORANGEVALE, CA - The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department says they don't have any early leads on who spray paint-vandalized a Mormon church in Orangevale. The graffiti, sprayed sometime late Thursday or early Friday morning, was on the church's front sign and nearby sidewalks. In red lettering, it read, "No on 8." "Paint washes off and we're just thankful there was no major damage done," said LDS Church spokeswoman Lisa West. For the church, the damage is more emotional than physical. They, along with other religious organizations, had encouraged followers to support Proposition 8. "This is a very emotionally charged issue and we understand it goes to the core of people's lives," West said. She said all they can do is let the vandalism go and move on. But moving on does not seem to be on the agenda for many No on 8 supporters. "If you strip somebody of their rights, nobody's going to let go of that," said No on 8 protester Jason Word. "It's more than just marriage for us. It's very personal for us in that we feel attacked," said Darnell Fray-Stephenson, also demonstrating for No on 8. For the third night in a row, No on 8 protesters gathered at the State Capitol to voice their frustrations over the ban on gay marriage. Some have taken it further. A Bay Area group has started the Mormons Stole Our Rights Web site. It accuses the church of advocating for the Yes on 8 campaign, and says they should have their status as a religious organization stripped. "The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS did not donate any money to Prop 8, but supported the measure, and encouraged members to go out and give up their time and their means," said West. "The (church) members themselves did donate." At the Friday night Capitol protest, many of those in opposition to Prop 8 said they weren't familiar with the Web site. They also said they're outraged that someone vandalized a church on their behalf. "We certainly don't agree with that," said Fray-Stephenson. "I think that rallies we've been having here have been real peaceful," said Word, "I think that's the message we should use." Many of the No on 8 protesters said they're looking ahead to Sunday afternoon, saying it's going to be their biggest rally yet. They say it could include protesters from across the state, convening at the Capitol. The Sacramento Police are planning for a large crowd. http://cbs5.com/national/proposition.8.protesters.2.859492.html Nov 7, 2008 6:15 pm US/Pacific Prop. 8 Protesters Take To Streets In Calif., Utah Protesters Take To Streets In San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (CBS) ? Click to enlarge Hundreds of supporters of same-sex marriage march for miles in protest against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Nov. 6, 2008, in Los Angeles, Calif. People angry with the Mormon church for promoting a ban on gay marriage in California took to the streets in California and Utah Friday and are promoting a boycott of Utah's growing tourism industry and the Sundance Film Festival. The church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, encouraged its members to work to pass California's Proposition 8 by volunteering their time and giving money for the campaign. Thousands of Mormons worked as grassroots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign. A tourism boycott in Utah could prove costly for the state. It brings in $6 billion a year. In California Friday, thousands of Proposition 8 protesters marched through the streets in San Francisco during rush hour, snarling traffic. Protest organizers posted information about the protests on Web sites like Facebook, according to CBS station KPIX-TV. In Los Angles, what started out as hundreds quickly turned to an estimated 1,000 activists, who gathered in front of a Mormon Church in Westwood, according to CBS station KCBS-TV. Los Angeles police arrested two people after a confrontation between the crowd and an occupant of a pickup truck that had a banner supporting Proposition 8. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/north-america/1000s-protest-over-gay-marriage-ban-14048508.html?r=RSS 1000s protest over gay marriage ban Sunday, 9 November 2008 Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in California against a ban on gay marriage in the state. Between eight and ten thousand demonstrators marched through central San Diego last night. The protest was peaceful and there were no arrests. It was the largest of several marches following Tuesday's passage of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and overturning the state Supreme Court decision that legalised them in May. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/faith/news-article.aspx?storyid=121346&provider=rss Mormon Group Protests Church's Gay Marriage Stance Posted By: Cindy Krenek Created: 10/18/2008 10:30:56 AM Updated: 10/18/2008 10:33:24 AM SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A group of Mormons are hoping to convince the church to stop supporting a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in California. The group, called Sign for Something, delivered protest letters, bundles of carnations and a petition in support of gay marriage to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The delivery was made by a group of about 40 people who sang hymns as they approached the church's offices. Their delivery was accepted by a church spokeswoman. One member of the group says many Mormons with gay and lesbian loved ones are torn over the issue. Officially, the Mormon church is politically neutral and doesn't endorse candidates or parties. But it will weigh in on issues it considers morally important. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/07/national/main4582439.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4582439 Prop. 8 Protests Head To Salt Lake City Demonstrations Planned At Mormon Headquarters Over Church's Funding Of Gay Marriage Ban Comments 187 SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 8, 2008 Married couple Melba Duncan, holding the flag, and her partner Shannon Rex, with the sign, join hundreds of others protesting the passing of Proposition 8 at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (CBS/ AP) A group of protesters plans to rally in front of the headquarters of the Mormon church over the faith's support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in California. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraged its members to work to pass Proposition 8 by volunteering their time and money for the campaign. California voters approved the measure Tuesday. The Friday evening protest comes a day after people demonstrated outside a Mormon temple in Los Angeles. About 1,000 gay-marriage supporters waved signs and brought afternoon traffic to a halt. On Thursday, outside the gates of a Mormon temple his father helped build, Kai Cross joined more than 2,000 gay-rights advocates in a chorus of criticism of the church's role in the likely passage of a statewide ban on same-sex marriage. Once a devout Mormon who graduated from Brigham Young University, the 41-year-old Cross was disowned by his family and his church after he was outed as a gay man in 2001. "They are on the losing side of history," Cross said Thursday of the church's opposition to gay marriage. Cross and other protesters blame leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for encouraging Mormons to funnel millions of dollars into television ads and mailings in favor of Proposition 8. The ballot measure was sponsored by a coalition of religious and social conservative groups, would amend the California Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual act. It would override a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed. According to the CBS News Election and Survey unit?s analysis, black voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop. 8 - by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin. Hispanic voters overall favored the measure as well but only by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin. White voters were slightly on the side of approving it, 51 percent to 49 percent. There is disappointment that the African-American community, which just saw the election of the first black president, voted overwhelmingly against same-sex marriage, reports CBS Early Show correspondent Hattie Kauffman. The protest came amid questions about whether attempts to overturn the prohibition can succeed and whether the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in California over the past four months are in any danger. For Cody Krebs, 27, four months was not enough time to fulfill his "intense hope" to marry one day; he and his boyfriend have been together for little more than a year, so they aren't ready to wed. On Thursday, Krebs dodged eggs hurled at protesters from an apartment building. He said he'd seen worse growing up in Salt Lake City. "It's important to come out like this because it gets the gay community into the public eye," Krebs said. "I feel like this has started a lot of conversations that had to get started." The demonstration began outside the temple in the Westwood section of Los Angeles and noisily spilled through the western side of the city, with chants of "Separate church and state" and "What do we want? Equal rights." Some protesters waved signs saying "No on H8" or "I didn't vote against your marriage," and many equated the issue with the civil rights struggle. Two people were arrested after a confrontation between the crowd and an occupant of a pickup truck that had a banner supporting Proposition 8. One demonstrator ended up with a bloody nose in the fracas. Seven arrests occurred during Los Angeles-area street marches late Wednesday. The temple protest was organized by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Its chief executive, Lorri Jean, announced a Web-based effort dubbed InvalidateProp8.org to raise money to fight the constitutional amendment. Gay-marriage proponents filed three court challenges Wednesday against the ban. The lawsuits raise a rare legal argument: that the ballot measure was actually a dramatic revision of the California Constitution rather than a simple amendment. A constitutional revision must first pass the Legislature before going to the voters. Andrew Pugno, attorney for the groups that sponsored the amendment, called the lawsuits "frivolous and regrettable." "It is time that the opponents of traditional marriage respect the voters' decision," he said. The high court has not said when it will act. State officials said the ban on gay marriage took effect the morning after the election. "We don't consider it a `Hail Mary' at all," said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "You simply can't so something like this - take away a fundamental right at the ballot." With many gay newlyweds worried about what the amendment does to their vows, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said he believes those marriages are still valid. But he is also preparing to defend that position in court. The amendment does not explicitly say whether it applies to those already married. Legal experts said unless there is explicit language, laws are not normally applied retroactively. "Otherwise a Pandora's Box of chaos is opened," said Stanford University law school professor Jane Schacter. Still, Schacter cautioned that the question of retroactivity "is not a slam dunk." An employer, for instance, could deny medical benefits to an employee's same-sex spouse. The worker could then sue the employer, giving rise to a case that could determine the validity of the 18,000 marriages. Supporters of the ban said they will not seek to invalidate the marriages already performed and will leave any legal challenges to others. A 2003 California law already gives gays registered as domestic partners nearly all the state rights and responsibilities of married couples when it comes to such things as taxes, estate planning and medical decisions. That law is still in effect. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2008/11/07/protests-after-californians-reject-gay-marriage-91466-22204784/ Protests after Californians reject gay marriage Nov 7 2008 WalesOnline An estimated 1,000 protesters have taken to the streets over California?s new ban on gay marriage as the political turmoil and legal confusion over who should have the right to wed deepens. California voters approved a constitutional amendment disallowing gay marriage. The measure, which won 52% approval, overrides a California Supreme Court ruling last May that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed. About 1,000 gay-marriage supporters demonstrated outside a Mormon temple in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Sign-waving demonstrators spilled onto Santa Monica Boulevard, bringing afternoon traffic to a halt. The temple was targeted because the Mormon church strongly supported the ban on gay marriage. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Protesters_demonstrate_in_front_of_Latter-day_Saint_temple_in_L.A.?curid=116436 Protesters demonstrate in front of Latter-day Saint temple in L.A. From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! Jump to: navigation, search Thursday, November 13, 2008 More than 1,000 protesters showed up to demonstrate in front of the Los Angeles temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Friday, November 7, to protest the church's involvement with the passing of Proposition 8. The proposition passed with 52% support, and would amend the California constitution to ban gay marriage, which was recently made legal by court order. The temple is located in Los Angeles, California. According to a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, the Temple grounds were vandalized by protesters, and a group of apparently non-LDS Hispanic women attempting to remove critical signs from temple grounds were attacked and beaten before police stepped in and arrested those involved. A breakdown of support for Proposition 8 in California Protesters have claimed that the church's institution made small cash donations to the Proposition 8 campaign, though no evidence has yet surfaced to corroborate the claims. It appears that many members of the church (also known as Mormons) donated to the "Yes on 8" campaign. Jeff Flint, a strategist for Yes on 8, has criticized the protest and related negative media placed on those Latter-day Saints who supported Proposition 8: "I am appalled at the level of Mormon-bashing that went on during the Proposition 8 campaign and continues to this day. If this activity were directed against any other church, if someone put up a website that targeted Jews or Catholics in a similar fashion for the mere act of participating in a political campaign, it would be widely and rightfully condemned." In addition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the proposition was supported by other Christian groups, the Hispanic population of California by a slight majority, and overwhelmingly by California's African-American population. Protests have targeted these communities as well. F. Damion Barela, who had obtained a gay marriage to his husband five months ago, said, "I'm disappointed in the Californians who voted for this." In particular, he was bothered that some ethnic groups supported the ban: "To them I say, 'Shame on you because you should know what this feels like.'" Protests of up to 20,000 people were held in other cities throughout the country in opposition to Proposition 8, and some Latter-day Saints have left the church over the matter. Several other churches have been vandalized by protesters since its passage. Similar constitutional provisions were passed in Florida and Arizona during the election, and such provisions already exist in 27 other states, with a further 15 featuring statutory bans on same sex marriages. http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=9356895 Prop 8 protesters gather in Evansville Posted: Nov 15, 2008 11:10 PM Updated: Nov 24, 2008 01:35 PM Posted by Rachel Folz- email EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE)- Protesters gathered around the nation and in Evansville on Saturday. On election day, California voters approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The ban is known as Proposition 8. The passing of the ban has triggred heated protests across the country, including right here in the Tri-State. Same-sex marriage supporters planned simultaneous rallies in all 50 states. One hundred people stood out in the cold in front of the Centre to get their message out. Similar protests were held in Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Louisville. It's estimated 100 million people took part in the protest in more than 300 cities. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17988951/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news#- Proposition 8 Protesters Overtake Georgia State Capitol Posted: 4:29 pm EST November 15, 2008Updated: 5:52 pm EST November 15, 2008 BOSTON -- Thousands of gay rights supporters gathered Saturday across the country, including on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol, for a national day of protest. ? SLIDESHOW: Proposition 8 Protesters Overtake State Capitol Demonstrators protested against Proposition 8, the vote that banned gay marriage in California. In other parts of the country, people assembled in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change. "Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8". "We are the American family. We live next door to you. We teach your children. We take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker, a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal right across the country." Massachusetts and Connecticut, which began same-sex weddings this past week, are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans. Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon church. However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. The mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing and signing to the song "Respect." Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read "Gay is the new black." But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests. One sign in Chicago read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics." "I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person," said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally. Planning for the nationwide protests was started by a Seattle blogger, Amy Balliett, just days after the California vote, which took away gay marriage rights that had been granted by the state's high court. The idea rapidly spread online and Join the Impact predicted that Saturday's protests would involve tens of thousands of people in hundreds of communities. In North Dakota, where voters in 2004 overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, low-key protests were held Saturday in Grand Forks and Fargo, where people lined a bridge carrying signs and flags. "It's been very peaceful," said Josh Boschee, who helped organize the Fargo protest. In Chicago, Keith Smith, 42, a postal worker, and his partner, Terry Romo, 34, a Wal-Mart store manager, had photos of their wedding ceremony which they held even though gay marriage is not legal in Illinois. "We're not going to wait for no law," Smith said. "But time's going to be on our side and it's going to change." http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/11/15/news/doc491e51e62054b544257033.txt November 15, 2008 12:20 PM CST Comments (292) | E-mail this page | Print this page | Enlarge type | Reduce type | Search archives | RSS feeds | Add to My Yahoo! More than 100 turn out at ISU to protest gay marriage bans By Bridget Flynn bflynn at pantagraph.com NORMAL -- David Lawrence said Friday he doesn?t know if he will marry someday, but he wants the opportunity to. ?I should have the option as a citizen of this country,? he said. That?s why he joined about 100 to 200 people who marched on and around the Illinois State University campus Friday night to protest bans on same-sex marriage adopted Nov. 4 in statewide referendums in California, Arizona and Florida. Voters in Arkansas approved a measure preventing gays from adopting. ?As a gay man, I find it completely ridiculous,? said David Lawrence, a senior from Peoria. ?We should have the same rights and economic benefits as everybody else.? The protesters gathered at the flagpole on the quad and then marched on the quad and to the surrounding streets, including Locust, University and Main streets and College Avenue. Students held signs with slogans such as ?Did we vote on your marriage?? and ?Love, not h8,? the latter in reference to California?s Proposition 8. ?Everybody has the right to a family with love,? said sophomore Melissa Grogan of Tinley Park, who held a sign that said, ?I may be straight, but I?m not narrow.? The ISU and Illinois Wesleyan University chapters of PRIDE (People Realizing Individuality and Diversity through Education) organized the event the night. ?We want to get to the streets,? said ISU chapter President Ashley Clark. The march also was held for the morale of the marchers, she added. ?A lot of it is more about those of us who are here to get energized,? she said. ?I think this is really important for our generation.? As the marchers reached Watterson Towers, they stopped briefly and chanted ?One, two, three, four, we won?t take this anymore! Five, six, seven, eight, stop the violence, stop the hate!? At no point along the route was there evidence of counter protesters. Although Clark said PRIDE opposes all marriage bans, Proposition 8 especially offended her because the California State Supreme Court had already ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Gays were being permitted to marry until the referendum stopped it. ?The rights of a minority should never be put to a popular vote,? she said. A.J. Kastinas, a sophomore from Champaign who said he hopes to marry someday, agreed. ?The thing about Proposition 8 is that it took away rights that were already there,? he said. ?I feel it?s a terrible, terrible thing.? Danielle Rossi, president of the IWU chapter of PRIDE, said she considers Proposition 8 ?a horrible stain on our nation?s history.? http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/neighborhoods/downtown_cincinnati/story/Local-Activists-Protest-CA-Same-Sex-Marriage-Ban/kzvimbrvHkeA0Jm2SdokBw.cspx Local Activists Protest CA Same-Sex Marriage Ban Reported by: Jay Warren Email: jay.warren at wcpo.com Last Update: 11/15/2008 12:06 am Cincinnati will be among 300 cities in which gay rights activists will take to the streets on Saturday. "I know that there are people from Lexington and smaller communities coming in to Cincinnati for the protest at City Hall," said Mark Goins, who plans to be there also. Goins and other activists hopes the demonstration will raise the issue of what he sees as unequal protection under the law. "I would hope that it would open people's minds to say, 'Hey, why can't everybody have the same right to get married as straight people do?," continued Goins. Citizens for Community Values (CCV), a local organization that advocates marriage between a man and a woman, believes same sex marriage bans are not unconstitutional. "I think our marriage laws treat everybody the same and I think it's not right for someone to come to the rest of society and ask that the rules be changed just for them," said David Miller, a vice president of the organization. The demonstration will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be held at Cincinnati City Hall.It is set to coincide with other demonstrations around the country. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Proposition-8-Protest-Held-Outside-City-Hall/Dk9Tmyi8cEKAfuEInWo_0Q.cspx Proposition 8 Protest Held Outside City Hall Web Produced By: Megan Wasmund Email: megan.wasmund at wcpo.com Contributor: Jennifer Moore Last Update: 11/16/2008 9:40 am (9News) The issue of equal marriage took the focus Saturday afternoon at Cincinnati's City Hall. A couple hundred people stood in the rain to protest the passage of Proposition Eight in California, which bans marriage between gay and lesbian couples. This was part of a national protest at city halls across the nation. The local group, Impact Cincinnati, organized it in Cincinnati. Protesters say the passage of the law in such a liberal state as California was a true wake-up call. Cameron Tolle of Impact Cincinnati said, "I think today it's time to let our communities know that this hatred and second class citizenship that is being imposed on our laws is not going to be acceptable. And we're no longer going to be complacent and we're ready to start some change." Comedienne and actress Margaret Cho also made a stop at the protest here. Organizers hope to rally support for gay marriage here in the Tri-State. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081115/news/811150282 Parade of protest Downtown marchers demonstrate against passage of Proposition 8 Kent Porter / PRESS DEMOCRAT More than 1,500 people marched through Santa Rosa Saturday November 15, 2008 in response to Proposition 8 failing in the election. By MICHAEL COIT THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 9:05 p.m. Protestors ringed Santa Rosa?s downtown core to demonstrate against California?s gay marriage ban Saturday, marching to band music and chanting slogans as part of a national show of support for same-sex marriage. More than 1,700 people from across Sonoma County walked the six block route from courthouse square to the city hall steps, spilling onto side streets to display posters and banners for passing motorists. ?We knew it was going to be big, but not like this,? said Andrew Miles, of Sonoma. Miles and a dozen friends turned out Saturday, brought together like many groups through Internet bulletin boards, emails and phone calls. More formal organizing was through a local coalition campaigns against Proposition 8 and a national internet campaign www.jointheimpact.com. Saturday?s showing reflected frustration with voter approval this month of California?s gay marriage ban and a feeling that opponents could have done more to defeat the measure, said Chari Davidson, an organizer of the march. ?All of us feel we could have done better,? the Santa Rosa resident said. ?But we can?t stop now. There?s too much momentum.? Whatever anger and frustration there may be among same-sex marriage supporters wasn?t evident Saturday. The march was as much parade as protest. http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_111508WAB_prop_eight_protest_KS.1b62f5e75.html Thousands march in Prop 8 protest 11:54 AM PST on Sunday, November 16, 2008 By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News SEATTLE - Thousands took to the streets of Seattle Saturday to protest California's recently passed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Organizers of Saturday's protest say the same thing could happen in Washington state. There were eight anti-Proposition 8 rallies across Washington Saturday, but perhaps none were bigger than the one held in Seattle. Seattle Police say roughly 6,000 people took part in a rally and march from Volunteer Park to Westlake Center. Related Content Global gay rights protest has roots in Seattle Federal Way residents Donna Candiliere and Joy Pothan brought their kids along. "We're the same as everyone else," Pothan said. "We go to works, pay our bills. We shouldn't be separated from what everyone else deserves." King County Executive Ron Sims helped rally the crowd at Volunteer Park. "Don't tell me that when two people love each other that is immoral," he said. KING Protesters march through downtown Seattle Saturday as part of a national protest against California's Proposition 8. The throng of supporters spread into the streets of Seattle, mirroring images seen at hundreds of other anti-Prop 8 rallies across the country. Police say the Seattle march was peaceful, minus a handful of heated exchanges between marchers and gay rights opponents at Westlake Center. Candiliere and Pothan - together six years with eight children between them - hope the day's events altered perceptions. "Our marriages count just as much as everyone else," Candiliere said. http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov-stlouis-news-081115-same-sex-marraige-protest.1b741b85e.html One thousand gay rights supporters hold rally in downtown St. Louis 03:58 PM CST on Sunday, November 16, 2008 St. Louis (KMOV) -- Gay rights supporters are holding rallies in cities across the country, including downtown St. Louis. Police said more than 1,000 people gathered at the Old Courthouse on Saturday to support changing the law so same-sex couples could get married. The protest included not only gays and lesbians but many heterosexual supporters as well. Protesters said the rally is part of the greater struggle for civil rights in America. Hundreds gathered on the western steps of the Old Courthouse, which has come to symbolize the fight for equality since the Dred Scott slavery case was decided there more than 150 years ago. Hundreds more gathered across the street in Kiener Plaza. California residents recently voted to take away same-sex marriage rights which provoked Saturday's protest and others like it from coast-to-coast. Connecticut and Massachusetts are the only states that allow gay marriage. Thirty states have banned same sex marriage, including Missouri. http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/kmov-stlouis-news-081115-same-sex-marraige-protest.1b741b85e.html One thousand gay rights supporters hold rally in downtown St. Louis 03:58 PM CST on Sunday, November 16, 2008 St. Louis (KMOV) -- Gay rights supporters are holding rallies in cities across the country, including downtown St. Louis. Police said more than 1,000 people gathered at the Old Courthouse on Saturday to support changing the law so same-sex couples could get married. The protest included not only gays and lesbians but many heterosexual supporters as well. Protesters said the rally is part of the greater struggle for civil rights in America. Hundreds gathered on the western steps of the Old Courthouse, which has come to symbolize the fight for equality since the Dred Scott slavery case was decided there more than 150 years ago. Hundreds more gathered across the street in Kiener Plaza. California residents recently voted to take away same-sex marriage rights which provoked Saturday's protest and others like it from coast-to-coast. Connecticut and Massachusetts are the only states that allow gay marriage. Thirty states have banned same sex marriage, including Missouri. http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/11/15/ddn111508gayrallyweb.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=16 Local gay rights supporters join national protest ? Photos from the rally By Valryn Warren Staff Writer Saturday, November 15, 2008 DAYTON ? Gay rights supporters in the Miami Valley joined others across the nation Sunday in a unified protest against California's Proposition 8, which restricted marriage to same-sex couples Those who gathered at Courthouse Square on Saturday, Nov. 15, had to brave miserably cold, wet weather to take their stand. "It shows how strongly we feel about it, that we'd stand out here on day like today," Quinn Gibson, of Fairborn, said. The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) community saw several setbacks at the polls this month. Arkansas voters made it illegal for unmarried but cohabiting partners to adopt or foster a child, a measure that was intended to target gays but has a broader application, and Arizona and Florida also banned gay marriage. There are now 30 states restricting marriage to male/female unions only by state constitutional amendment, including Ohio, which did so in 2004. Same-sex marriage is permitted in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The situation surrounding California's constitutional ban is unique because it was passed only about five months after a state Supreme Court decision made it legal. It's still uncertain when the ban goes into effect or what the status is of the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who married during the brief time it was legal. "I have friends out there this directly affected," Julian Haydu of Fairborn said. "How can people say this is about protecting the family, when it's tearing families apart?" Cherish Cronmiller of Dayton carried a sign saying "My Mom has been married 3 times (to men) My Dad has been married 4 times (to women) ? What exactly are you trying to protect?" "Two consenting adults can enter into a contract and that should include marriage," Cronmiller said. "There are over 1,400 rights associated with being legally married. People just don't realize how far it extends." http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/663251.html About 300 gather in Olympia to protest gay-marriage ban By Rolf Boone | The Olympian ? Published November 16, 2008 About 300 South Sound residents, spurred to action by a recent initiative that overturned gay-marriage rights in California, gathered today at Olympia City Hall to rally support for the rights of gay men and women to marry. The 90-minute morning rally, organized by Anna Schlecht of Olympia, coincided with similar rallies across the country today. Schlecht said she was pleased with the turnout because there were so many new faces at the rally, people who had attended to show their support. Some at the rally held signs that said, ?We are Americans, too,? ?When can I vote on your marriage?? or ?Vote no on Proposition 8.? Proposition 8 was the citizens initiative in California banning gay marriage that won support in the Nov. 5 general election. Rally attendees also listened to a series of guest speakers, including Gery Gerst, a retired Olympia High School teacher who talked briefly about growing up gay with a homophobic father. Afterwards, Gerst, who taught American history and civics when he was a teacher, said the rally was about equal justice for all. ?Evil happens when people don?t speak up,? he said, adding that American history has been filled with moments when sub-groups such as gays, minorities and religious groups have been discriminated against. ?As long as that goes on it makes a mockery of the U.S. constitution,? he said. ?It?s time for America to step up and face its own bigotries.? Gerst said that when he learned that Proposition 8 had passed in California he was disappointed and outraged but thinks the issue eventually will wind up with the U.S. Supreme Court. It may receive more support there because Democratic President-elect Barack Obama will be in a position to appoint new Supreme Court Justices, Gerst said. http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou081115_mp_prop-8-protest.1b75a128a.html Gay rights activists protest against Proposition 8 07:40 PM CST on Saturday, November 15, 2008 KHOU.com staff report HOUSTON -- Thousands of gay rights activists gathered around the country on Saturday. They were protesting against California's Proposition 8 which prohibits same sex marriage. November 15, 2008 One of the protests took place in Houston. Hundreds of people gathered in front of Houston City Hall to voice their concerns over California?s constitution that now bans same-sex marriage. The supporters of Proposition 8 believe marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, but the opponents believe that sex doesn?t matter. ?It?s civil rights and not somebody's religious beliefs that count. Everybody is entitled to their religious beliefs, and that's fine. But their religious beliefs don't have anything to do with people's right to do and live how they want to live their lives," said Greg Hartman, protestor. Similar protests were held in other Texas cities. In Austin, about 200-people gathered, and in Dallas, about 700 protestors showed up. In Dallas, they were met with counter-protestors, who support the ban on gay marriage. They stood across the street and prayed. Gay rights activists said they organized protests in all 50-states and the District of Columbia. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111608dnmetprop8protest.1b72a49ee.html 1,200 protest California's gay-marriage ban at Dallas City Hall 06:21 PM CST on Saturday, November 15, 2008 By DAN X. McGRAW / The Dallas Morning News dmcgraw at dallasnews.com Louise Young never cast a vote on Proposition 8, but the measure changed her life. Married three months ago in California, Ms. Young and Vivienne Armstrong, her partner, joined more than 1,200 other Dallas-area residents who gathered outside Dallas City Hall on Saturday to peacefully protest California?s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state. Video Scenes from the Dallas protest 11/15/2008 ?This is not a religious issue,? said Ms. Young, 61, of Dallas. ?This is about legal rights. This isn?t right.? Proposition 8, narrowly approved by California voters on Nov. 4, amends the state?s constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Opponents have already challenged the measure in the California Supreme Court, arguing that gay marriage is a fundamental right. The legal ramifications seem far from settled. California Attorney General Jerry Brown has said Proposition 8?s passage probably won?t nullify about 18,000 same-sex marriages in that state, but legal experts say the matter isn?t clear. Voters in Florida and Arizona passed similar constitutional amendments. Since Proposition 8?s passage, numerous protests have occurred in California and other states. On Saturday, many protests were held simultaneously across the nation. In Texas, rallies were held in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Etta Zamboni, who organized Dallas? rally, said the proposition has galvanized the gay and lesbian community. The community had become complacent about the issue prior to the vote, she said, but the California measure has incited people to step up the fight for gay rights. While Proposition 8 has had an immediate impact on the gay community in California, she said, its effects could ripple across the nation. ?It impacts us because it takes our rights away,? Ms. Zamboni said. ?If they can do it in California, then they can do it elsewhere.? Also Online Proposition 8 sparks rallies nationwide Across from City Hall on Akard Street, Angela Cummings, 38, of Irving and nine other people protested the gay rally with a bullhorn and a cross, saying that gay marriage is against God?s wishes. No confrontations occurred between the two sides, but gay rights activists did file complaints against the group to police. Kat McKena, 30, of Dallas, said counter-protesters were simply seeking attention and were educated on Proposition 8. Everyone ? no matter their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation ? deserves equal rights without having others force their religious beliefs onto them, she said. ?I pay taxes,? she said. ?Why am I being denied the same rights?? Julie Hertwig of Dallas stood near her father, Jim Hertwig, and his partner, John Perez, carrying a sign that read ?My Daddies deserve marriage.? Mr. Perez said that Proposition 8 took away his fundamental rights as a citizen and that he hoped rallies across the country would help persuade politicians to overturn the amendment. ?These are my rights,? he said. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/protest-over-prop-8-san-francisco-15-nov-2008-3 Protest over Prop 8 in San Francisco 15,Nov. 2008 uploaded by SF Emperor November 15, 2008 at 04:47 pm 47 views | add comment | 10 recommendations Todays Protest started at the stairs of San Francisco's city hall. The protesters then took to the streets, they marched down Polk to Market. At this time they headed west towards the Castro. When people in the front of the flipped a U-turn and started to walk east bound on Market. The crowd came back on itself and there was a few moments of question. the crowd split in two and one group went west and the other went east. I stayed with the east bound crowd. They marched down Market to Stockton where the crod turned up into on coming traffic and bring it a complete stand still for the next 15 to 20 minutes. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6496204 Prop. 8 protests for 5th straight day Saturday, November 08, 2008 LOS ANGELES -- Backlash to the passage of an anti-gay-marriage law continued to sweep across California on Sunday, with hundreds of protesters rallying outside an Orange County megachurch whose popular pastor brought Barack Obama and John McCain together last summer for a "faith forum." In Oakland, a large anti-Proposition 8 protest at the city's Mormon Temple led the California Highway Patrol to close two nearby highway ramps. A CHP dispatcher said the ramps were closed to protect pedestrians from traffic. In Pasadena, the pastor of the 4,000-member All Saints Church spoke out against Proposition 8, calling the religious community's support of it "embarrassing." Several other demonstrations were planned around the state. In Orange County, about 1,000 gay-rights advocates fanned out along sidewalks leading to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. The protesters were angered by the church's support of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment approved by voters Tuesday that bans same-sex marriages and overturns the state Supreme Court decision in May legalizing such unions. Human Rights Campaign volunteer Ed Todeschini accused the church of helping propagate what he called misinformation about the Supreme Court ruling, including that gay marriage would have to be taught to kindergartners. A message for comment left at the church's main office, which was closed Sunday, was not immediately returned. "They told such obvious lies, they used their lies to deceive the public," Todeschini said of the church, which gained national attention in August when its pastor, Rick Warren, brought Obama and McCain together to discuss their religious faith. The two candidates embraced during what was otherwise an often-contentious presidential campaign. Todeschini said Sunday's rally was peaceful, with demonstrators waving placards with slogans including "Equality for all" and "Shame on you." Other demonstrations were planned across the state, including in San Francisco, Laguna Niguel, at a park in Los Angeles and outside a Mormon Temple in San Diego. Rallies have been taking place since Proposition 8's passage. It won with 52 percent of the vote. In Oakland, where the highway patrol rerouted traffic, protest organizers said they hoped to tone down the anger that has characterized some previous protests. "Our intent is not to disturb churchgoers," organizer Tim DeBenedictis said in a statement. "Our goal is to mend fences and build bridges so that all Californians can achieve marriage equality under the law." Not all churches favor Proposition 8. In Pasadena, the All Saints Church announced that while it could legally no longer marry same-sex couples, it would continue blessings of gay civil unions. "It's very unfortunate and embarrassing that the (Christian religion) is in large part responsible for this act of bigotry," the Rev. Ed Bacon told The Associated Press following his Sunday sermon. Bacon heads the 4,000-member All Saints Church. http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=eef406f4022069732e4cb479eb94f825&from=rss New Yorkers Protest Gay Marriage Ban New America Media, , Jonathan Mena and Jacqueline Fernandez, Posted: Nov 16, 2008 Editor's Note: Yesterday thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York to protest the passage of Proposition 8 in California. NAM contributors Jonathan Mena and Jacqueline Fernandez are senior journalism students at Hunter College. Both are editors/reporters for the journalism program's online publication, The WORD. http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO95319/ Gay rights supporters rally in Boston to protest Calif. ban BOSTON -- Gay rights supporters in the state where same-sex couples first exchanged wedding vows gathered Saturday to protest the California vote that banned gay marriage there and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed. Crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change. "Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8". "We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal right across the country." Massachusetts and Connecticut, which began same sex weddings this past week, are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans. Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon church. Some of that sentiment was on display Saturday in San Francisco, one of dozens of California cities to host the rallies. Hundreds of gay marriage supporters packed Civic Center plaza in front of San Francisco City Hall, many carrying banners protesting involvement by religious groups in the Proposition 8 campaign. The Mormon church, which sent volunteers to California and encouraged its members to donate money, was a favorite target. "Leave your church out of my state," read one sign. Others were more pointed: "You have three wives; I want one husband," read another. Alan Wheeler said he was raised Mormon, married in the church and had six children -- before he was excommunicated for announcing he was gay. Saturday's rally in San Francisco marked the first time he had participated in a gay and lesbian rally, but Wheeler said he was compelled to turn out in part because of the church's involvement in the campaign. The 58-year-old Oakland resident held a sign that read, "Brigham Young had 55 wives ... We only want one." "I had no problem with the church until they started taking rights away," he said. Some of those at the rally said they were conflicted about the boycotts and protests outside churches that have been called by gay-rights activists after California voters passed Proposition 8 on Nov. 4. Chris Norberg, who married his partner in June, said many in the gay and lesbian community were angered by voters' overturning same-sex marriage rights and wanted their voices heard. "I don't want to cause damage, but sometimes you have to make noise," said the 26-year-old furniture builder from San Francisco. He also referred to the racial divisions that have arisen since the election. Exit polls found that majorities of blacks and Hispanics supported the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "A lot of my friends are really pissed off at minority populations in this city right now," Norberg said. "They voted against us." The Civic Center crowd on Saturday was predominantly white. Among the minorities participating was Jane Francis of San Francisco, who held a sign that read, in part, "Equal parts black and lesbian." The 26-year-old came to the rally with two friends -- one white, one Hispanic. "There are those of us who exist in both communities. Both identities are equally important," she said. Among the speakers at the San Francisco rally was the Rev. Amos Brown, also a national board member of the NAACP. While his church does not perform same-sex weddings, Brown characterized the push for gay marriage as a civil rights struggle. "Though I'm a Baptist, I refuse to be a bigot," he told the crowd before it left Civic Center plaza around noon for an impromptu march downtown. Emmett Oliver, 54, watched the procession while sitting along Market Street. He voted yes on Proposition 8 and disagreed with the argument that gay marriage was a civil rights issue. "It doesn't have anything to do with color," said Oliver, who is black and describes himself as a Christian. "Anyone who tries to put it in with that I find it very offensive." Representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations nationwide, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests. One sign in Chicago read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics." "I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person," said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally. Planning for the nationwide protests was started by a Seattle blogger, Amy Balliett, just days after the California vote, which took away gay marriage rights that had been granted by the state Supreme Court earlier this year. The idea rapidly spread online. http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story/Prop-8-protestors-hold-candlelight-ceremony-at/w6PWSbprU0KEOsCpG-WpZA.cspx Prop. 8 protestors hold candlelight ceremony at state Capitol Reported by: Kerry Kinsey Last Update: 11/15/2008 11:28 pm Print Story | Email Story SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Jessica Conaty and her partner Pam Roberts were in front of the state Capitol Saturday night talking about the annoying winds. The stiff breeze kept them from using candles to spell out the word, ?equality.? Conaty said, ?It's a bit of a challenge, but we're here.? More than 150 people braved cool temperatures to be a part of the candlelight ceremony, including Elaine Bell who organized Saturday?s March for Equality. She answers some of her critics who want the protestors to get over the fact that Proposition 8 passed in California. The measure banned same-sex marriage in the Golden State. Bell said, ?What I say is that the constitution protects the rights of minorities in America. So the majority can vote that down, but it's still not right.? Right or wrong, both sides of the gay marriage issue were pretty vocal this morning at the City and County Building in downtown Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City police estimated the crowd at about 1,000. Two groups who were in favor of the passage of Proposition 8 were short in numbers, but long in words. Lonnie Percifull said, ?They break man?s laws they go to jail; they break God's laws they go to hell.? Police reported no incidents of violence, 50 officers were on duty just in case. Salt Lake City Police Lt. Lamar Ewell said. ?We were well staffed today for any potential problems.? As expected, both sides claimed victory after the march, even though Bell predicted a crowd of more than 3-thousand. Bell said, ?I?m not disappointed by that, I thought we had an excellent turnout.? Bell said she thinks the energy shown tonight will not slow down. She believes people are ready for a change on the issue of same sex marriage, opponents disagree. The Salt Lake City march was one of several around the country against the passage of Proposition 8. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/590928.html Supporters protest gay marriage ban NATIONWIDE RALLY: Fifty to 100 gather in Anchorage to voice opinions. Daily News wire and staff Published: November 16th, 2008 04:22 AM Last Modified: November 16th, 2008 04:22 AM Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed. Crowds gathered near public buildings in cities large and small, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Fargo, N.D., to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change. In Anchorage, between 50 and 100 people gathered in front of the downtown Atwood Building holding signs in support of same-sex marriage. Some chanted ?Gay, straight, black, white, marriage is an equal right. ? The group marched to nearby City Hall, then back again to the Atwood Building, which houses many state offices, including the governor?s when Sarah Palin is in Anchorage. ?No citizens have the right to vote away other citizen?s rights,? said organizer Stef Gingrich, in a later phone interview. In Fairbanks, about 30 people showed up in below-freezing temperatures and stood in front of City Hall for about 45 minutes, said organizer Kristen Magann. At the protest in Philadelphia, Karen Amico said, ?Civil marriages are a civil right, and we?re going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens.? ?We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly,? said Heather Baker a special education teacher who addressed the crowd at Boston?s City Hall Plaza. ?We need equal rights across the country.? Connecticut, which began same-sex weddings this past week, and Massachusetts are the only two states that allow gay marriage. A handful allow civil unions or domestic partnerships that grant some rights of marriage. Representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday?s demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility. ?If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change,? she said. http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081115/NEWS/811159981/1058&title=Nearly%201%2C000%20protest%20gay%20marriage%20ban%20in%20Denver Nearly 1,000 protest gay marriage ban in Denver Colleen Slevin The Associated Press Aspen, CO Colorado Luke Duran holds up a sign during a protest against the passage of Proposition 8 in California, outside the City/County Building in Denver on Saturday. Nearly 1,000 people were there to voice their opposition to Proposition 8. David Zalubowski/AP DENVER ? Nearly 1,000 people gathered in Denver on Saturday to protest California's same-sex marriage ban. The peaceful demonstration outside the City and County Building featured speakers and live music and was timed to coincide with protests across the country. As people held signs with slogans such as "Love is all you need" and "It's a contract not a sacrament", Monica Ward held a copy of her California marriage license. She and her partner, Natascha Seideneck, wed at San Francisco's city hall on Nov. 3, the day before California voters passed Proposition 8. It overruled a May court ruling in May that had legalized same-sex marriage. "The day after they said this isn't real. That's why I'm here," she said. Ward, 38, said the couple had planned to marry in October to celebrate their fourth anniversary of their partnership and "to make it real" but had to wait until the day before Election Day because so many other couples had already scheduled their weddings last month. She said they were prepared to sue if their marriage was nullified by the passage of the measure. Their marriage isn't recognized in Colorado, where voters passed a gay marriage ban in 2006, but Ward hopes it will be someday. Gay-marriage proponents have filed three court challenges against the new California ban. They've also called for a boycott of Utah's ski resorts and the Sundance Film Festival to punish the Mormon church for its support for the ban. Colorado was torn apart a decade ago by a debate over gay discrimination after voters passed Amendment 2, which barred cities from passing anti-discrimination laws to protect gay people. Conventions were canceled and some threatened to boycott the state after its passage in 1992. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the law four years later. In 2006, Colorado voters passed an amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. They also rejected a proposal to allow domestic partnerships statewide. http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-111608-mk-prop_8_protests.1bacf1aa4.html Gay rights rallies held in Charlotte, nationwide 02:33 PM EST on Monday, November 17, 2008 By NewsChannel 36 Staff E-mail Us: NEWS at WCNC.com CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ralllies were held across the country this weekend in support of gay rights and some Charlotte residents took part in uptown. California voters passed Proposition 8 -- the gay marriage ban -- two weeks ago with 52 percent voting for the ban and 48 percent against. Thousands showed up to protest in San Franisco and about 100 people showed up for the Charlotte protest at the Government Center on Fourth Street. Protesters hope their message will have an impact in the Bible Belt. Protester Pete Santucci said, "I know this is the South and this is a highly religious area of the country. However, I think that people will realize that giving equal rights to people doesn't fly in the face of God." Organizers say an estimated 1 million people took part in protests over the weekend in about 300 cities. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/charlotte_1204/ Hundreds in Charlotte, N.C., protest Prop 8, rally for LGBT rights By David Dixon Charlotte, N.C. Published Nov 24, 2008 3:47 PM Some 300 people rallied outside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in downtown Charlotte on Nov. 15, part of a national day of protest against California?s Prop 8. The narrowly passed proposition denies the right of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people to marry and receive the more than 1,000 benefits that marriage entails. Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 15. Photo: Carol Marley There were a large number of energetic youth in the crowd. People driving by honked and raised their fists in support, as chants of ?Out of the closet, into the streets!? filled the air. Some of the signs read: ?Yes we can.? ?You can?t outlaw love.? ?Ban H8.? ?Marriage is a human right.? ?Gay rights are human rights.? Many of the signs were homemade. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte?s student newspaper reported: ?To open up the program, two choral groups, Gay Men?s Chorus of Charlotte and One Voice, serenaded the crowd. Following their selections, Reverend Catherine Houchins of the Metropolitan Community Church spoke and offered a blessing for those couples, gay and straight, who were in serious and committed relationships. After Rev. Houchins, Mandy Plante, Providence High School president of the Gay/Straight Alliance, gave a captivating speech that promoted equality.? (nineronline.com, Nov.18) Protests were held in hundreds of cities throughout the U.S., and are expected to continue until marriage equality and equal rights for LGBT people are attained. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force states: ?The 1,138 federal benefits and protections of marriage are only available to couples that are allowed to legally marry. These include Social Security survivor and spousal benefits, the ability to file a joint tax return, immigration rights, and coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act. To date, civil unions are not ?portable,? meaning that when a couple moves to another state, none of the benefits, rights or responsibilities coming from civil unions move with them.? (www.thetaskforce.org) The Charlotte protest was organized by UNC-Charlotte PRIDE. To get involved, contact Braxton Midyette at 704-687-4150 or pride at uncc.edu. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=529741 Protest in Minneapolis supports gay marriage Updated: 4 months ago A University of Minnesota student from Wisconsin was among about 700 people who turned out in Minneapolis to support gay marriage. The demonstration Saturday was one of many held around the country in reaction to constitutional amendments in California, Arizona and Florida to prohibit same-sex marriage. Kendra Atkins from Eau Claire, Wis., prepared a banner for the Minneapolis gathering with the words, "Legalize Love." She says it's sad that it's an issue at all. She says love is something everyone experiences in their own way, and its unfortunate some think there's a right way and wrong way to love. The protests came after the vote in California of Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and woman. http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/11/16/proposition_8_protest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 Rallies in Atlanta, U.S. protest Proposition 8 By ASSOCIATED PRESS Sunday, November 16, 2008 Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted and danced in cities coast to coast Saturday to protest the California vote that banned gay marriage there. At the Georgia Capitol, more than 1,500 opponents of California?s Proposition 8 crowded the plaza and steps, spilling onto Washington Street. Enlarge this image M. Spencer Green / AP IN CHICAGO: Hundreds of protesters hold signs condemning Californians? approval of a ban on marriage among gays and lesbians in the city?s Federal Plaza on Saturday, when supporters of gay marriage demonstrated in cities across the nation. Enlarge this image Rhonda Cook / rcook at ajc.com IN ATLANTA: A rally organized by Georgia Equality drew more than 1,500 people to the State Capitol to protest California?s gay marriage ban. ?I think that we have a long way to go with gay rights, and people need to realize it?s not just supported by gay people,? one participant said. Speakers led the crowd in chants during the Saturday afternoon protest. ?We support marriage equality,? said Carlton Eden, who attended the Atlanta rally with his wife, Claire, and three daughters. ?We believe everyone should be able to marry.? Another Atlanta demonstrator, Casey Calahan-Fitzgerald, said, ?I think that we have a long way to go with gay rights, and people need to realize it?s not just supported by gay people.? Nationwide, demonstrators cast Prop 8 as a civil rights issue. One sign in Boston read, ?Gay is the new black.? ?Civil marriages are a civil right, and we?re going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens,? Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading ?Don?t Spread H8.? ?We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly,? said Heather Baker, a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston?s City Hall Plaza. ?We need equal rights across the country.? Connecticut, which began same-sex weddings this past week, and Massachusetts are the only two states that allow gay marriage. All 30 states that have voted on gay marriage have enacted bans. The Los Angeles Police Department estimated that 40,000 people would attend the march there. Both sides on the Proposition 8 debate made religious arguments at the demonstration outside Los Angeles City Hall. Among about half a dozen Prop 8 supporters was Dan Burton, 50, a retired air traffic controller, who held a sign that said, ?Gays hate God. Romans 1:18-32,? a reference to biblical passages denouncing wickedness and debauchery. ?There?s two sides to every story,? Burton said. ?Most people in this country don?t want gay marriage, because it?s biologically, culturally and religiously perverse.? Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, have sometimes been angry and even violent, and demonstrators have targeted faiths that supported the ban, including the Mormon Church. However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday?s demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies. Seattle blogger Amy Balliett, who started the planning for the protests when she set up a Web page three days after the California vote, said persuasion is impossible without civility. ?If we can move anybody past anger and have a respectful conversation, then you can plant the seed of change,? she said. The protests were widely reported to be peaceful, but anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests. One sign in Chicago read: ?Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics.? ?I just found out that my state doesn?t really think I?m a person,? said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally. In San Francisco, demonstrators vilified the Mormon Church and its abandoned practice of polygamy. One sign read: ?You have three wives; I want one husband.? http://www.justnews.com/news/17990210/detail.html?rss=mia&psp=news Hundreds Protest Against Amendment Two POSTED: Saturday, November 15, 2008 UPDATED: 10:13 pm EST November 15, 2008 MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- There were protests across the country and right here in South Florida for gay rights Saturday. Hundreds of people locally voiced the opposition to the passage of Amendment 2 on Miami Beach. The amendment passed on Election Day. It defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Similar amendments have passed across the country, in states like California and Arizona. http://www.kcci.com/news/17989191/detail.html Protesters Call To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage Iowa Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Facing Court Challenge POSTED: 4:49 pm CST November 15, 2008 UPDATED: 7:10 am CST November 16, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- About 100 protesters picketed at Des Moines' City Hall to challenge voter passage of a measure that banned gays and lesbians from marrying in California. The Join The Impact protest was part of an effort in cities all over America to express opposition to California's Proposition 8, as well as similar votes in Arizona and Florida. In Des Moines, demonstrators talked about the legalization of same-sex marriage in Iowa. The state's first and only legally married same-sex couple attended the protest, as did Iowa's only openly gay state senator, Matt McCoy. Protesters said gay and lesbian couples only want the same rights as straight couples. "They work, they pay their bills, they maintain their households, they raise their kids, and yet, they don't have those same rights and protections," said protester Linda Trudeau. "That's just wrong." Six same-sex couples will go before the Iowa Supreme Court on Dec. 9 to argue for legal same-sex marriage in Iowa. It was legal in Polk County for two days in August 2007. One couple was married before a court ended the practice. http://www.projo.com/news/content/PROP_8_PROTEST_11-16-08_UQC9UNT_v44.34b8bb8.html 500 protest in Providence over Calif. ban of gay marriage 01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 16, 2008 By Paul Edward Parker Journal Staff Writer PROVIDENCE ? Some 500 people gathered at the rain-swept stairs of the State House yesterday to protest California?s passage of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and to urge Rhode Island lawmakers to legalize gay marriage here. ?I think it says a lot that this many people are willing to stand out in the rain for marriage equality in Rhode Island,? Susan Heroux told the crowd. Heroux, chairwoman of the board of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, served as the emcee for yesterday?s rally, which included speeches by politicians, gay-rights activists and everyday people who support gay marriage. ?In spite of some religious folk on our right that are in favor of discrimination, God is not in favor of discrimination,? said the Rev. Eugene Dyszlewski of Riverside Congregational Church, who is also a member of the Marriage Equality board. ?I am pleased to personally take a religious position that same-gender marriage is God?s will. God does not make mistakes. God makes all people to be equal.? The rally was prompted by voter approval Nov. 4 of an amendment to the California Constitution that reversed a state Supreme Court ruling that had legalized gay marriage there. Similar rallies across the country yesterday, including one in Boston, protested the California vote. But the gathering here also served to give voice to Rhode Island?s gay community, which hopes the Ocean State will become the first to legalize gay marriage through the legislative process. Connecticut and Massachusetts, the only states to allow gay marriage, did so only after their supreme courts ruled that barring same-sex couples from marrying violated their state constitutions. ?We expect to be able to get marriage equality within three years based on the legislature,? Heroux told the crowd. ?This State House is going to bring you marriage equality,? said state Rep. Frank Ferri, D-Warwick. Eve Condon, who dressed as the Statue of Liberty, said that that would be appropriate ?especially in Rhode Island, a state that was founded on the idea of equality, of separation of church and state.? She made her remarks on the south steps of the State House, below an inscription excerpted from Rhode Island?s 1663 charter: ?To hold forth a lively experiment that a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained with full liberty in religious concernments.? ?I am certain that we are going to be the next state to pass this,? Condon told the crowd. ?We are going to be the next state to have marriage equality.? The rally offered many of the typical trappings of political protests, including signs and T-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as: ?When do I get to vote on your marriage?? ?Let love determine who I marry? ?How will my marriage affect the sanctity of yours?? ?Equal taxes? Equal rights!? And one sign that had a map of Connecticut and Massachusetts in blue and Rhode Island in red with the inscription: ?Join the free states!? The rally also offered personal stories, including one from Paige Parks, who told of her grandmother being born in Mississippi in 1915, the daughter of sharecroppers. ?She was told over and over again that she was not equal, and she made it her mission to teach my mother and aunts to not believe these people,? Parks said. ?My mother shared that message with me.? It is a message that Parks said she took to heart. ?Today, I?m here in a very similar position as my grandmother. I?m denied the right to marry my wonderful, wonderful fianc?e. And that?s not right.? Rodney Davis, co-chairman of Rhode Island Pride, addressed the crowd. ?What took place on Nov. 4 really broke our hearts,? he said. ?We need to be vigilant. We need to be awake. What we have must be worked on. Now is the time for action.? And, as the rain bore down, he sang a song whose lyrics included: ?When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high and don?t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm is a golden sky.? After his song, the rain abated, and the dark clouds lightened a bit. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/15/20081115tucsonprotest-ON.html Tucson gays, lesbians protest Prop. 102 passage 11 comments Nov. 15, 2008 05:29 PM Associated Press TUCSON - Nearly 1,000 people marched in downtown Tucson Friday night to protest Arizona voters' approval of a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community marched from the city's El Presidio Park to a nearby development. Next to the park, dozens of heterosexual couples were being married in the Pima County courthouse. March leaders vowed not to remain silent about their lifestyles and families. Proposition 102 was approved by 55 percent of the state's voters on Nov. 4. Only Pima County voters disapproved of the measure. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/15/20081115protests-ON.html 2,000 in Phoenix protest gay marriage ban 609 comments by Astrid Galvan - Nov. 15, 2008 11:03 PM The Arizona Republic Donavon Goodsell of Phoenix celebrated his 67th birthday on Saturday by marching for gay rights at a rally that drew a large group from the gay community and its supporters. Goodsell has been in a relationship for 42 years and he said it was now time for marriage rights. Goodsell was one of close to 2,000 people who gathered in Phoenix to protest the recently adopted Prop. 102, a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage in Arizona. The rally, which began at the Cesar Chavez Memorial at Phoenix City Hall and ended at the Capitol, was also a part of national protests against California's Prop. 8 and other measures that outlaw gay vows. The protests were organized by Join the Impact, a grass-roots movement that said about 300 cities were participating in the marches. Nearly 1,000 people demonstrated in downtown Tucson on Friday night to protest Prop. 102, which was approved by 55 percent of voters. Pima County was the only Arizona county in which a majority of voters disapproved of the measure. In Phoenix, the effort was lead by Annie Loyd, a community activist and a member of Be A Human and Equal Rights Organizer, a local movement. Organizers spread the word through e-mail and Facebook. "I've been gay all my life and a lot of us, we were patiently waiting for people to get it, and now that you're saying (we are) second-class citizens in the United States of America in the year 2008 is completely unacceptable," Loyd said. Loyd said the protests were not aimed at the Mormon Church, which had been a vocal supporter of Prop. 8 in California. Prop. 8 reversed a California Supreme Court decision in May that recognized same-sex marriage as a right, overturning a previous ban on gay marriage. But resentment for the Mormon Church was evident, as many participants held signs denouncing the church. Still, the event remained peaceful and there was no counterprotest. Phoenix Councilman Tom Simplot, who is openly gay, was one of about a dozen speakers. He got the already-energetic crowd even more charged. "We have let our rights slip away because we weren't paying attention," he said. "We need to focus this newfound anger so we don't let more things slip away." Rachel Boyer, her husband and her 14-month-old son drove from Tucson to participate in the rally. Boyer said it was one way to show her support for the gay community and for her sister, who is a lesbian. "It shouldn't even be an issue," Boyer said. "When people who love each other make a commitment to each other, that strengthens marriage." After about two hours of speakers, live music and chants such as "Yes, we can," protestors marched to the Capitol. Phoenix police escorted the participants. The rally will not be the end of this movement, organizers said, but rather a beginning. Be A H.E.R.O, Loyd's group, will begin holding community meetings every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Community Church of Hope, 4121 N. Seventh Avenue. For Goodsell, whose birthday coincided with the rally, the event gave him an opportunity to express the voice he says he has kept quiet for most of his life. Goodsell said he never before participated in gay activism for fear of losing his job. "I guess it's finally time to speak," he said. http://www.kcci.com/politics/17994780/detail.html?rss=des&psp=nationalnews 'No on 8' Supporters Protest Ice Cream Parlor Family-Run Creamery Gave Thousands To 'Yes on 8' Campaign POSTED: 8:54 pm CST November 16, 2008 UPDATED: 9:03 pm CST November 16, 2008 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Some supporters of "No on 8" gave out free ice cream Sunday in protest of a Sacramento family-run creamery, KCRA-TV reported. About a dozen protesters rallied outside Leatherby's Family Creamery with signs and free rainbow sherbet. Owner Alan Leatherby, his business and his relatives gave a total of $20,000 supporting the "Yes on 8" campaign. Proposition 8 was a measure passed by California voters on Nov. 4 that put a ban on gay marriage in the state. "I think that providing people with information is never a bad thing to do," said "No on 8" supporter Rachel Gregg. "Make an informed choice about where they are spending their money." A crowd also lined up out the door of Leatherby's to show their support for the ice cream parlor. "We've had people drive in from Auburn," Leatherby said. "It's nice to have friends, it really is." http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50625 Leatherby's Owner Faces Prop 8 Protest Posted By: Cristi Jessee 4 months ago SACRAMENTO, CA - The after-church crowd got more than lunch and a scoop of ice cream at Sacramento's Leatherby's Family Creamery on Arden Way Sunday afternoon. Customers also got an earful from yet another group of Proposition 8 protesters. Protesters Amanda Booth and Erin Domingo, along with a handful of vocal supporters, said they wanted everyone who eats at Leatherby's to know that the family behind the business donated money to help pass Proposition 8. "We're protesting Leatherby's because they contributed over $20,000 to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign," Booth said. "That money went toward defeating my equal rights." "We just thought it would be nice to let people know where their money is going when they buy ice cream from Leatherby's," Domingo said. Despite the turmoil outside, Leatherby's was packed Sunday, filled mostly with people who said they support the family-run business and Proposition 8. "The people have spoken. We won," said customer Craig Abi-Nader. "The Supreme Court was wrong and they should end it there." At one point, Dave Leatherby Jr. greeted the protesters and shook some of their hands. Leatherby said he doesn't have any animosity or hatred toward anyone. "Our vote was not a vote of hate. It wasn't a vote against them," Leatherby said. "It was a vote to support something that we though was good. I have no animosity toward anyone." Leatherby said since his family's donation has been made public, they've received threats and hate mail. "Sending mail that said, 'We're going to put you out of business, you're hate mongers, you people are evil,'" Leatherby said. "That was startling." Despite some harsh words, Sunday's protest was peaceful. Booth said she would not give up the fight for her rights any time soon. "We just want to make people aware of what's going on in their neighborhoods and communities and that there are those people who don't support equal rights," Booth said. http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8259 Wanda Sykes comes out during Prop 8 protest by: Pam Spaulding Sun Nov 16, 2008 at 06:47:07 AM EST Via Queerty: Having never (so?) publicly discussed her sexual orientation - but having made light of it on stage and on The New Adventures of Old Christine, where her character remains married to Julia Louis-Dreyfus - comedian Wanda Sykes surprised Las Vegas Prop 8 protesters by announcing she is gay and married her wife on Oct. 25. Why speak up now? Because of Prop 8's passage. "I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked - our community was attacked. ... Now, I gotta get in their face. ... I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay. ... Instead of having gay marriage in California - no - we're going to get it across the country." http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=9356847 Vermonters Protest California's Same Sex Marriage Ban Burlington, Vermont - November 15, 2008 From California, to New York, to downtown Burlington, thousands turned out in all 50 states this week to voice their opposition to Proposition 8. "I was so angry because it's just bigoted legislation," said James Neily, a protester in Vermont. Proposition 8 is the ballot measure passed in California on election day that bans gay marriage. That legislation throws into question the legality of more than 18,000 marriages of gay and lesbian couples. "It's shameful. It's un-American," said one Burlington protester. "This is a very frightening development for all of us," added another. A steady downpour symbolized the mood in Burlington. Same sex couples stood in solidarity holding signs while speakers stepped up to the mike to share their fears. In 2000 Vermont became the first state in the country to legalize civil unions for same sex couples. Several other states have since followed suit. Earlier this year California became the second state in the nation to legalize same sex marriages. But Proposition 8 repeals that law. "It's one thing to deny them in the first place, but when you have them and they're taken away I think that's just terrible," said Neily. It's legislation with potential far reaching implications, as gay and lesbians here push for passage of a same sex marriage law in the Green Mountain State, despite the decision in California. http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2008/11/24/City/Hundreds.Protest.Theaters.Support.Of.Prop.8-3559228.shtml?reffeature=htmlemailedition Hundreds protest theater's support of Prop. 8 Lara Takenaga Issue date: 11/24/08 Media Credit: Lara Takenaga "No dollars for hate!" That's what protesters chanted as they marched up and down the street outside Century Theatres, 1715 Maple Ave., on Saturday night. Armed with pride flags, picket signs and banners, about 400 people came to protest a $9,999 donation that Cinemark CEO Alan Stock made to the Yes on 8 campaign. "If you're going to target our community with hate, whether it's Prop. 8 or any other measure going forward, it's no longer going to be without consequences," said Andy Thayer, Weinberg '85, the co-founder of Chicago's Gay Liberation Network. "We are going to hit you in the pocketbook just the way you hit us in terms of our rights." The Gay Liberation Network began planning a response to Stock's donation on Nov. 15 during the Chicago rally against California's Proposition 8, a measure that bans same-sex marriage. "This is a local protest that should keep the pot stirring until we have the next national day of protest," Thayer said. Cinemark Theatres, an international corporation that includes Century Theatres and Cin?Arts, is the third-largest movie chain in the country. Managers of Evanston's theater said they could not comment on the protest, and calls to Cinemark corporate offices were not returned. Several volunteers made it a point to inform passersby about the exact amount Stock donated. "Instead of donating $10,000, he donated $9,999," Harold Washington College sophomore Eric McNally said, adding that he thought he knew the reason for donating that specific amount. "He did that so he'd be just shy of the line for the top donators, so that way no one would find out about it, and no one would do what we're doing tonight." Century Theatres notified Evanston police in advance of the protest, Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington said. "It's America; everybody can do this, so it's not a problem," Eddington said. "Other than making sure everybody can get by, it's not really a significant police issue." So many people flooded the sidewalk that two groups formed at different ends of the street. Some protestors carried signs that said "Cost of Admission: Civil Rights" and "We Will Not Finance Our Own Oppression." Others blew whistles in between chants of "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the CEO has got to go" and "Gay, straight, black, white, marriage is a civil right." In addition to chanting and marching, protesters handed out sheets listing other show times and movie theater locations in the Chicago area. "It's nice that they have the flyer with all the options and other places you can go," Edgewater resident Ann McCallister said. "I've been patronizing this theater for years, and I had no idea. This protest has definitely affected my decision about where I'm going to see movies." McCallister also noticed that the usual Saturday night lines and crowds did not form inside the theater. "For the first show in the evening, I usually see a lot more people here," she said. While the protest may have influenced some people to turn away, moviegoers continued walking through the theater's doors. "They're just exercising their First Amendment rights," Evanston resident Gabby Tulbure said. "As far as what the owner's doing, I think that's his choice, so it doesn't affect me. I want to see a movie." While members and allies of the gay community see the passage of Proposition 8 as a major blow, they also see it as a way of revitalizing the community. "I think people got complacent beforehand," said Rebecca Sitter, a Weinberg senior and Northwestern Rainbow Alliance member. "But now the same people are realizing how important it is to still be vocal and still fight about things that really matter to you." ltakenaga at u.northwestern.edu http://www.abc2news.com/mostpopular/story/Maryland-Protests-Prop-8/GQTlmEyRZkeJyZYZkEggXA.cspx Maryland Protests Prop 8 Reported by: Cheryl Conner Email: conner at wmar.com Last Update: 11/17/2008 6:43 am Proposition 8 Protest in Baltimore Maryland was caught up in a nationwide protest today, as gay rights supporters from Baltimore to San Francisco protested a vote banning gay marriage in California. "With all this talk about American values these last few years, is this what we want America to stand for?" said Emcee Sean McGovern. Advocates for gay rights filled the front lawn of city hall, carrying signs that say "I didn't get to vote on your marriage" and "Prop 8 equals hate." Baltimore was part of a simultaneous rally happening in all 50 states after voters in California passed Proposition 8 that takes away court-approved gay marriages. "There's just hate behind it," said one protester. Hundreds say civil marriage is a civil right. Cliff Ayers and Paul Martin are a new couple, but they fear what passed in California may spread to other states. "We might as well nip it in the bud right now and show the rest of the states we're for gay marriage and equal rights for everyone," said Ayers. In San Francisco, thousands of people turned out. Nole Starkey is heterosexual, but she's showing support for her best friend, who lives in California. "It just breaks my heart that he couldn't legally get married like the rest of us," Starkey said. Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only two states that allow gay marriage. In May, Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law a bill allowing domestic partners to make medical or funeral decisions for each other. But the protesters won't stop there. "We have to come out and take a stand and show people we are willing to fight for it," said Paul Martin. "Some of us have been together for 15, 20, 30, 50 years and we don't have our rights," said Deborah Kleinmann. The national protest is expected to be one of many that will push for equal marriage rights. Supporters of traditional marriage said today's rallies have generated publicity, but will ultimately make no difference in California's vote. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-prop8protest_16met.ART0.Central.Edition1.4a82b66.html California gay marriage ban spurs protests in Dallas, across Texas 12:00 AM CST on Sunday, November 16, 2008 By DAN X. McGRAW / The Dallas Morning News dmcgraw at dallasnews.com Louise Young never cast a vote on Proposition 8, but the measure changed her life. JENN ACKERMAN/DMN Harry Benshoff of Dallas holds a cross during a demonstration in front of Dallas City Hall. The protesters were rallying Saturday against California's Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban that passed Nov. 4. Similar events were held Austin, Houston, San Antonio and other cities nationwide. Married three months ago in California, Ms. Young and Vivienne Armstrong, her partner, joined more than 1,200 other Dallas-area residents who gathered outside of Dallas City Hall on Saturday to peacefully protest California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state. "This is not a religious issue," said Ms. Young, 61, of Dallas. "This is about legal rights. This isn't right." Proposition 8, narrowly approved by California voters on Nov. 4, amends the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Opponents have already challenged the measure in the California Supreme Court, arguing that gay marriage is a fundamental right. The legal ramifications seem far from settled. California Attorney General Jerry Brown has said Proposition 8's passage probably won't nullify about 18,000 same-sex marriages in that state, but legal experts say the matter isn't clear. Voters in Florida and Arizona passed similar constitutional amendments. Across the nation Since Proposition 8's passage, numerous protests have occurred in California and other states. On Saturday, many protests were held simultaneously across the nation. In Texas, rallies were also held in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Etta Zamboni, who organized Dallas' rally, said the proposition has galvanized the gay and lesbian community. The community had become complacent about the issue prior to the vote, she said, but the California measure has incited people to step up the fight for gay rights. While Proposition 8 has had an immediate impact on the gay community in California, she said, its effects could ripple across the nation. "It impacts us because it takes our rights away," Ms. Zamboni said. "If they can do it in California, then they can do it elsewhere." Across from City Hall on Akard Street, Angela Cummings, 38, of Irving and nine other people protested the gay rally with a bullhorn and a cross, saying that gay marriage is against God's wishes. No confrontations occurred between the two sides, but gay rights activists did file complaints against the group to police. Equal rights Kat McKena, 30, of Dallas, said counterprotesters were simply seeking attention and were educated on Proposition 8. Everyone ? no matter their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation ? deserves equal rights without having others force their religious beliefs onto them, she said. "I pay taxes," she said. "Why am I being denied the same rights?" Julie Hertwig of Dallas stood near her father, Jim Hertwig, and his partner, John Perez, carrying a sign that read "My Daddies deserve marriage." Mr. Perez said that Proposition 8 took away his fundamental rights as a citizen and that he hoped rallies across the country would help persuade politicians to overturn the amendment. "These are my rights," he said. http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/11/15/orlando_group_joins_nationwide_protest_of_gay_marriage_ban.html?refresh=1 Orlando Group Joins Nationwide Protest Of Gay Marriage Ban Saturday, November 15, 2008 11:39:09 PM ORLANDO -- Protest against Florida's passage of Amendment 2, effectively banning same-sex marriage in the state, became part of a national movement Saturday as supporters of same-sex laws held simultaneous protests across the country, including one in Central Florida. The Orlando Human Rights Campaign held a three hour "Join the Impact National Peaceful Protest" at Orlando City Hall Saturday afternoon. It was one of 175 rallies held in different cities, including the U.S. Capitol. Protesters said Amendment 2 not only affects gay couples, but also people who choose to live together outside of marriage whether they are straight or gay. ?We want to have the same rights. If Wendy by chance gets seriously hurt in the hospital I have no rights to come visit her although we've been together for 3 1/2 years. She's the woman I love. I plan to spend the rest of my life with her," said Stephanie Stilson. Outrage over the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which also banned same-sex marriage, has already spurred massive protests throughout that state in the last two weeks. A coalition of civil rights groups is mounting the fourth legal challenge against the ban. The coalition said the ban sets a precedent that could be used to undermine the rights of minorities. http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/Prop.8.protest.2.865660.html Nov 15, 2008 7:26 pm US/Central Thousands Gather, March In Chicago Prop. 8 Protest Reporting Mike Puccinelli CHICAGO (CBS) ? While the American flag swayed in the wind high above, the rainbow flags of the gay rights movement flapped in Chicago's Federal Plaza Saturday as thousands gathered to protest a California referendum banning gay marriage. The people took to the streets Saturday afternoon in protest of Proposition 8?a constitutional amendment that overturned the right for gays to marry in California on Nov. 4. The crowd gathered in Chicago's Federal Plaza just after noon, holding signs that read "Erase the H8" and "We are not second class citizens." Soon, the crowd grew from a few hundred to thousands and began marching in the streets. From Federal Plaza, the protesters marched in the streets?among police on bicycle and horseback?to City Hall, the Thompson Center and ultimately on to Michigan Avenue. There was singing, shouting, and a sea of signs held by people, who in many cases believe California's Proposition 8 is synonymous with hate. Gay marriage advocates are fighting the November 4th decision in court. Part of their offense involves taking the fight to the court of public opinion. "People marched because they are sick and tired of their rights being disrespected," said Andy Thayer, a speaker at the protest and a co-founder of Chicago's Gay Liberation Network. "We know that a mass movement of gay people can secure our equal rights," he said. "The court has not ruled on the disaster that happened a week ago Tuesday. And we're here to tell the court to rule the right way." The crowd, a mix of young and old, gay and straight, black and white, was peaceful?police said no arrests were made throughout the nearly four hour event. Thayer was hit with a ticket at the end of the protest for failure to secure a parade permit?a small price to pay, he said. "If [this protest] is a step on the path to winning equal rights, you betcha it's worth it." Libertyville native Jake Bersie, 18, and his dad, Dave Bersie, 55, came to the protest to support the cause. "I'm not gay, but my friend is," Jake said. "I came to support her." He brought his dad along. Dave Bersie said the gay movement has come a long way since he was younger, but there is still work to do. "People should be able to do what they want," he said. "I support freedom." St. Louis native Kelsey Risman, 20, drove to Chicago Friday night, and slept in her car. She planned on doing the same Saturday. Simultaneous protests were planned across America. Organizers say protests like the one in Chicago are being held in 80 cities and in all 50 states. St. Louis also had an anti-Proposition 8 protest Saturday, but Risman said it would not have been as big as the Chicago event. "It's not as tolerated there," Risman said. "Things are changing, but there is a lot of work to do." Risman said police attempted to block the crowd from marching on Michigan Avenue?but failed. "We took over and broke through the bikes and barricades," she said, comparing the march to 1960s-style protest. "I've never seen this. It's insanity." But where there were protesters, there were counter protesters also trying to make their voices heard in the halls of the California Supreme Court. "Democracy is attempting to be trampled with these frivolous lawsuits that have been filed to try to overturn the will of the people and the vote there on Prop. 8," said Matt Barber of the Liberty Council. Officials with Protect Marriage Illinois say they hope to join other states in passing a Constitutional amendment to prevent courts from, in their words: "foisting gay marriage on citizens." The only openly gay member of the Illinois General Assembly hopes his colleagues will soon vote to pass his bill allowing civil unions in Illinois. "I hope everyone who is here today calls their representatives, calls their senators, and lets them know how many thousands and thousands of people in Illinois believe in marriage rights for all people in Illinois," said Rep. Greg Harris (13th). Thousands took to the streets after the rally to show their support for gay rights one step at a time. Among them was Karen James and Jill Grove -- a couple who were married in June in California. "We just want civil marriages. We want what everyone else in the country has. We're a threat to no one," James said. But now she says her marriage is threatened by Proposition 8. That's why she hopes her voice will be heard in the collective footsteps of the thousands of people marching in Chicago and around the country. The protest was organized online in just seven days, Thayer said. A group called Join the Impact called on community members in more than 100 cities to organize and come together for Saturday's protest. Thayer estimates the marching crowd at 5,000 Saturday. http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50470 Gay Marriage Protest Takes to Sacramento Streets Posted By: Julia Fox 4 months ago SACRAMENTO, CA - The backlash over California's passing of Proposition 8 took to the streets of Sacramento and to the steps of the State Capitol early Thursday morning. Between 50 and 100 activists participated in a silent march through mid-town Sacramento early Thursday morning. It began at 12 a.m. and ended by 5 a.m. on the west steps of the State Capitol. Between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., demonstrators reinacted what they called "the battle," a live performance piece based on events leading up to election day. Those behind the grassroots effort said the idea of the demonstration was to show same-sex couples aren't backing down. "We're not going to go anywhere," said activists Jade Baranksi. "We're your neighbors, we're your sisters, we work for you, and we're here and we want our rights back. Another rally is to resume at noon Thursday at the State Capitol. News10/KXTV http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/at-mormon-temple-thousands-protest-prop-8/?partner=rss&emc=rss November 13, 2008, 11:02 am At Mormon Temple, a Protest Over Prop 8 By Colin Moynihan Thousands of protesters marched to Columbus Circle from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple at 125 Columbus Avenue on Wednesday evening to protest the church?s support of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. (Photo: Rob Bennett for The New York Times) Thousands of people gathered in front of the Upper West Side temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday evening to protest the Mormon church?s support for Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California last week. Those at the front of the march held a banner proclaiming ?God Loves Gay Marriage.? There were chants demanding equality and signs with slogans like ?Would Jesus spend tax-free dollars to support hate and injustice?? Some in the crowd said they simply wanted to take a public stance in support of friends or relatives. Others said they were also motivated by anger over the idea that a religious institution would use the ballot process in what they saw as an attempt to impose religious values in a democracy based on separation of church and state. Riding on a Segway at the front of the march was Christopher Harrison, 47, from Hell?s Kitchen, who said he was a fifth-generation Mormon but disagreed with the church on the matter of same-sex marriage. ?It is time to promote love,? he said. ?If they want to call themselves Christians, they have to do as Christians are supposed to do.? The crowd started gathering on sidewalks around 6 p.m. outside the temple, which opened in 2004, on Columbus Avenue at West 65th Street. Police officers with metal barricades and news vans with satellites were also present, and soon the crowd grew and swelled into nearby streets. Just before 7 p.m., the crowd began marching south on Broadway. Lawyers said the group had negotiated with police commanders at the scene and reached an agreement that because of the size of the assembly, the crowd would be permitted to march in the roadway for about six blocks, until reaching Columbus Circle. Similar demonstrations to denounce Proposition 8, as the measure was called, have been held in the last week in California cities like Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in Salt Lake City, where the Mormon church is based. After the measure for a constitutional amendment banning same sex-marriages in California was placed on the ballot, the church played an important part in the Proposition 8 coalition and urged its members to donate time and money ? by some estimates, more than $20 million ? to helping get the amendment passed. (The church itself did not give money to the backers of Proposition 8.) California had permitted same-sex marriages since May, when the State Supreme Court there ruled that the ban on the unions was unconstitutional. Phone calls to the Mormon church in New York on Thursday morning were not answered. In the past, church leaders have asked that people debate the issue with civility. The Mormon church was one of several denominations that proposed in 2006 that Congress amend the Constitution to prevent same-sex marriage; marriage has long been a matter for the states. As the marchers reached Columbus Circle, its members spread across a wide plaza and into a lane of traffic on 59th Street. For a brief time, police officers deployed orange netting to separate the crowd from the cars. Some in the crowd echoed a criticism that has been made by Mormons themselves ? that the Latter-day Saints, of all religious groups, should be tolerant of nontraditional forms of marriage, given that the early Mormons were persecuted for polygamy (a practice the church renounced in 1890). Standing near the entrance to Central Park, Lindsey Dixon, 26, a public school teacher from City Island, held aloft a placard with a reference to the church?s charismatic founder that read: ?Joseph Smith had 28 wives. Why can?t I have one?? ?We should be given equal rights,? she said. ?I pay taxes. I served four years in the military.? Nearby, Mitchell Stout, 41, an actor from the Upper West Side, said, ?We want to have the freedom and liberty to express our love for our partners the same way every American has.? http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=101381 ? Updated:11/12/2008 12:51:03 PM - Posted: 11/12/2008 12:49:30 PM LANSING, Mich. (Detroit Free Press) - A well-known Lansing-area evangelical church was the target of a raucous demonstration by gay anarchists during Sunday services. The disruption came from a group that calls itself Bash Back, and involved demonstrations outside the church and inside the sanctuary while services were under way, said Mt. Hope Church communications director David Williams. Members of the group inside the church shouted pro-gay slogans, threw leaflets, unfurled a banner and pulled a fire alarm, then hastily departed, Williams said. There were no injuries, he said. Williams said the episode was over in minutes. Eaton County Sheriff's Department deputies arrived quickly, Williams said, but no arrests were made. Police were not available for comment Tuesday. Williams said the actions were "an attempt to bully. The pastor here preaches the Bible and he doesn't back down." But Mt. Hope doesn't place a special emphasis on homosexuality, he said. In a statement released Tuesday, church officials said they believe "homosexuality to be a sin, just as fornication, stealing, drunkenness and lying are sins. No sin greater than the next." In an online news release, Bash Back described Mt. Hope as "a deplorable anti-queer mega church." No one from the group could be reached. Mt. Hope has a reported membership of more than 4,000 and distinctive grounds lined with dozens of national flags. Dawson Bell, Detroit Free Press http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008371441_protest10m.html?syndication=rss Page modified November 10, 2008 at 4:50 PM Mormon church targeted for Prop. 8 support A California measure banning gay marriage was the subject of a protest Sunday outside a Seattle Mormon church. Similar protests occurred Sunday in California. By Janet I. Tu THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Darcy Rubel, of Seattle, and her 6-month-old son, Anton, joined more than 40 protesters Sunday outside a Mormon church in the University District. More than 40 people demonstrated in front of a Mormon church in Seattle's University District on Sunday morning, expressing anger at the role the national church played in the passing of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in California. They lined the sidewalk, chanting slogans such as "Tax the church!" and holding signs saying "Shame on the church" and "All marriages are equal." "I don't tell them what to do in their religion. They shouldn't tell me what to do in my life," said Chris Campfield, 27, of Seattle. Matthew Wilson, 26, of Seattle, who organized the protest, said: "We want to make it very clear to this church that Washington will not accept divisive or discriminatory actions." Proposition 8 defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and overrides a California Supreme Court ruling that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. It passed with 52 percent of the vote and throws into question the status of about 18,000 same-sex couples who wed in California. Proposition 8 drew a range of opponents ? including some Mormons. Proposition supporters, in addition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), included the state's Roman Catholic bishops, some evangelical churches, and others. But the Mormon church drew special attention after its top leaders issued a letter in June read in every congregation in California, asking members to "do all you can to support" the proposition by donating "your means and time." The church's position, the letter said, was that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the formation of families is central to the Creator's plan for His children." During the campaign, a Web site created by Proposition 8 opponents using campaign-finance data and other public records estimated that members of the LDS church had given more than $20 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. That amount is difficult to confirm, though, since the state does not track the religious affiliation of donors, the newspaper said. Similar protests occurred Sunday around California ? at the state Capitol in Sacramento and outside the enormous Saddleback Church in Orange County. In Oakland, a protest at the city's Mormon temple prompted the California Highway Patrol to close two highway ramps. There are calls by gay leaders to boycott Utah and an online effort to challenge the church's tax-exempt status. Mormon church leaders in Salt Lake City issued a statement late last week calling for mutual respect and civility. "Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong," the statement said. "The Church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians," and the church does not object to rights for same-sex couples such as hospital visitation, fair housing and employment rights, according to the statement. Church leaders also said they found it disturbing that their church was being singled out. That sentiment was echoed by Roman Catholic Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento, who issued a statement saying: "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful." Doug Clark, of Seattle, who is Mormon, counterprotested at the Seattle demonstration by holding a sign saying: "9.5 million voted on Prop 8. Mormons are not alone in their opinion." Some Proposition 8 opponents in California also protested in front of Catholic and evangelical churches over the past week. Gay-rights supporters, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, along with cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, have filed lawsuits asking the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8. Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=9317805 Gay Marriage Protests Continue Across the State Posted: Nov 9, 2008 06:49 AM KESQ.com News Services Gays and lesbians outraged by passage of a ballot measure that makes same-sex marriage unconstitutional in California took to the streets again Saturday night, this time in Silver Lake, in what may be the biggest protest yet against Proposition 8. The crowd began marching from Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard about 7 p.m., said Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department. The crowd grew to an estimated 10,000 people, many of whom carried signs saying such things as "Gay is good" and "Stop H8," as they walked west on Santa Monica, KCAL9 reported. A few counter-demonstrators opposing gay marriage also showed up, and one held up a sign reading, "Face it, you lost." Police surrounded the counter-demonstrators to ensure the two groups did not clash. Around 8 p.m., the marchers reversed course and headed east on Sunset, back to Silver Lake, according to KCAL9. At 9 p.m. there was a brief standoff with police who tried to get the crowd to disperse. Instead, they eventually took over Sunset Boulevard, NBC4 reported. As of 11 p.m., most of the protesters had dispersed, but a group of several hundred were heading toward Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, and a few were trying to block streets, the TV station reported. However, organizers stressed keeping the protest peaceful and respectful, and no major incidents were reported and no arrests were made, Eisenman said. Groups represented at the march included the L.A. Coalition for Equal Marriage Rights, Roots Equality, Latino LGBT Coalition and Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, an antiwar and anti-globalization group that has become adept at staging massive marches and rallies. Latino/a LGBT Coalition announced another rally beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Park in East Los Angeles. Many gays have compared their battle for equal marital rights to the black civil rights movement of the 1960s. "We are the last minority left," one protester told KCAL. "They put a black man in the White House and left us in the dust," another said, referring to the election of Barack Obama. The protesters included Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, a lesbian couple whose lawsuit led the California Supreme Court to rule in May that another ballot measure, Proposition 22, approved by voters in 2000, that outlawed same-sex unions, was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Following the decision, the two were among the first same-sex couples to tie the knot in California. About 18,000 couples got married over the summer, but on Tuesday, voters approved Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Following the election, Attorney General Jerry Brown said same-sex unions would be honored for now, but he also ordered county clerks to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Following passage of Proposition 8, Tyler and Olson had their attorney, Gloria Allred, file a writ with the high court challenging the voter-approved initiative, and every day since the election, gays and lesbians upset over the outcome have been protesting throughout the Los Angeles area and the state. Wednesday night, about 800 people walked from La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood to Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood and then back. Thursday afternoon, about 2,000 demonstrators massed in front of the Mormon temple in Westwood, then moved to the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, creating a massive traffic jam throughout West Los Angeles for evening commuters. Friday night in Long Beach, 15 people were arrested for allegedly "inciting a riot," when three tried to lead groups of protesters away from the permitted route and 12 others led a group of about 100 protesters who blocked an intersection and failed to disperse in response to police, according to Long Beach police Sgt. David Marander. "We worked with demonstrators to help plan a peaceful event," said Marander, who added that officials were pleased with what was "by and large, a peaceful demonstration." In San Diego today, between 8,000 and 10,000 people marched from Hillcrest to North Park to protest the passage of Proposition 8. Advocates of same-sex marriage are especially angry at the Mormon church because its head encouraged members to contribute money to the "Yes On 8" campaign. "No one's religious beliefs should be used to deny fundamental rights to others," Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, said earlier. "Our civil rights are inalienable." Jean said Mormons -- at the urging of church President Thomas Monson -- contributed more than $15 million to fund the campaign in support of Proposition 8. "It is a travesty that the Mormon Church bought this election and used a campaign of lies and deception to manipulate voters in the great state of California," Jean said. The Mormon church in Salt Lake City issued a statement denying that the church's opposition to same-sex marriage has anything to do with bigotry. "It is important to understand that this issue for the church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage -- a union between a man and a woman," according to the statement. "Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the church were and are simply wrong. The church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. "Even more, the church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches." The day after the election, Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Los Angeles Archdiocese issued a statement thanking his parishioners for supporting Proposition 8. "I am grateful to the Catholic Community of Los Angeles for your commitment to the institution of marriage as fashioned by God and to work with such energy to enshrine this divine plan into our state's Constitution," he said. Mahony said support for Prop. 8 had nothing to do with discrimination against gays. "Proposition 8 is not against any group in our society," he said. "Its sole focus is on preserving God's plan for people living upon this earth throughout time. The Catholic Church understands that there are people who choose to live together in relationships other than traditional arriage. All of their spiritual, pastoral and civil rights should be respected, together with their membership in the church." About 70 percent of blacks and a majority of Hispanics also voted for Proposition 8, according to election officials. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/10/BAM51419AN.DTL At least 400 protest outside Mormon Church, thousands more in Sacramento John Wildermuth,Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writers Monday, November 10, 2008 (11-09) 17:02 PST Sacramento - -- A couple thousand people gathered outside the Capitol in Sacramento this afternoon to rally for the legalization of same-sex marriages just days after voters imposed a constitutional ban. The gathering follows several similar events around the Bay Area and California. Earlier today, more than 400 people gathered outside the distinctive Mormon Temple in Oakland to protest the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' support of Proposition 8. That gathering prompted the Highway Patrol to shut down two Highway 13 ramps to protect pedestrians. The ramps at Lincoln Avenue and Joaquin Miller Road reopened around 2 p.m. And amid chants of "Stop Mormon hate" and "Enough is enough," many protesters worried that they had been complacent before the Nov. 4 election. A previous protest outside the Mormon Temple on Oct. 25 drew only about 50 people. "I don't think people thought it was going to pass," said Carrie Blanche, 52, an Alameda schoolteacher who got married Oct. 29. In Southern California, about 1,000 gay-rights advocates gathered outside the large Saddleback Church in Lake Forest (Orange County) to protest the evangelical congregation's involvement in passing Proposition 8. An estimated 10,000 backers of gay and lesbian marriage gathered Saturday in San Diego. The rallies have been generally peaceful, with crowd members waving U.S. and rainbow flags and carrying signs. In Sacramento this afternoon, a few protesters said they were hopeful the courts would strike down the voter-approved ban while others said they would push for another statewide initiative. Meanwhile, opponents of same-sex marriage have been relatively silent. At the Mormon Church in Oakland, church spokesman Don Eaton said his congregation had been unfairly singled out. He pointed out that Mormons make up only 5 percent of California voters and many other religious groups also advocated for the same-sex marriage ban. "We're an easy target. People have been picking on us for years and we can accept that," said Eaton, who said church leaders asked members to support the initiative. Mormons are believed to have contributed several million dollars to the campaign, according to estimates. One of the organizers of the Oakland protest, Ted DeBenedictis, said the church had been forewarned about the rally, which was not held during religious services. Protesters at the Oakland event waved both American and rainbow flags and held signs that said "I am a child of God" and "Mormon church: latter-day discrimination." Two men in a passing car popped out of a sun roof and kissed passionately, drawing applause. Some of those who gathered advocated for a boycott of travel to Utah, the home of the Mormon Church, and of Mormon-owned businesses. A flier that was passed out listed several such firms and asked that "gay dollars" not be spent at Utah ski resorts and at the Sundance Film Festival in January in Park City, Utah. The Associated Press contributed to this report. E-mail Demian Bulwa at dbulwa at sfchronicle.com. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20081110-1352-ca-sjvalley-gaymarriage-protest.html Fresno students protest gay marriage ban ASSOCIATED PRESS 1:52 p.m. November 10, 2008 FRESNO ? About 40 young gay rights advocates are chanting outside Fresno City Hall to protest the gay marriage ban passed in California last week. The raucous crowd wants Fresno Mayor Alan Autry to apologize for speaking at a rally in support of Proposition 8, which overturned a Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples marriage rights. A smaller group of high school and college students are blocking the main entryway into the building, but employees can walk around the human chain to get inside. Local leaders of the nonprofit Marriage Equality USA say a few students briefly handcuffed themselves to the doors, but there are no reports of disturbances or arrests. http://www.kcra.com/news/18041856/detail.html 2,000 Protest Prop. 8 At State Capitol POSTED: 5:28 pm PST November 22, 2008 UPDATED: 5:35 pm PST November 22, 2008 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gays, lesbians and their supporters are taking their protest of Proposition 8 to the State Capitol. On Saturday, the steps of the capitol 2,000 people from across the state took part in a rally against the same-sex marriage ban. On Nov. 4, California voters passed Proposition 8 a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/11/28/20081128gaymarriage1128.html Gay marriage backers to protest at Mesa Arizona Temple 293 comments Nov. 28, 2008 12:40 PM Republic and wire services Supporters of gay marriage are vowing to be out in force when Mormons light their massive Christmas displays Friday night on the grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple. They're upset with Mormons' opposition to same-sex marriage and the passage of state constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in Arizona, California and Florida in the Nov. 4 election. Organizers say they're hoping thousands will turn out in solidarity for gays and lesbians seeking full civil rights. The Mormon church urged members to donate money and vote for the gay marriage bans. Protestors will include members of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, according to a group spokesman. "It will be a non-violent demonstration," said David Douglass, of the national group's Phoenix chapter. "We'll try to keep everything peaceful." Douglass said tonight's protest participants will meet at Pioneer Park, across the street from the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors' Center and Gardens, before the Christmas Lights Celebration kicks off at 7 p.m. Affirmation organized in the late 1970s when a group of gay Mormons began meeting quietly at Brigham Young University, according to the group's Web site, www.affirmation.org. In 1979, Affirmation proclaimed its unification and marched in the Gay parade in Los Angeles and the March on Washington for Gay Rights. Supporters of the gay and lesbian rights are particularly upset at churches and religious leaders, including the Mormon churches, that they say drove out the vote to pass legislation that outlaw same-sex marriages. In Arizona, voters approved Proposition 102, which added a 20-word amendment to the state Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Six days after passage of Prop. 102, more than 200 supporters of the gay community rallied at the corner of Camelback Road and Central Avenue in Phoenix, holding candles and signs that said "Stop the LDS" and "Prop 102 makes me a second-class citizen." They chanted, "Equality now, equality today," and they sang the civil-rights anthem We Shall Overcome. Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman, said officers have been working with demonstrators to ensure a peaceful event and are anticipating a candlelight protest. He said demonstrators are hoping to attract upwards of 2,000 people but the actual turnout is difficult to predict. Mormon spokesman Don Evans says the church finds it surprising it is being singled out by protesters. He says the amendments were also supported by the Catholic church and various evangelical denominations. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 05:47:40 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:47:40 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] TAIWAN: Free speecht and anti-China protests, Oct-Nov 2008 Message-ID: <4AB0DE6C.5040800@tesco.net> * Protesters attack Chinese envoy * More protests planned * Protest "a victory for the people" - cops stoned, firebombed * Chinese cancel visits after protests * Taxi drivers protest * Self-immolation during protests * Controversy over repression * Ongoing protest sit-in over police abuse, free speech violations http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/20/international/i211013D95.DTL&tsp=1 Taiwanese protesters attack Chinese envoy By PETER ENAV, Associated Press Writer Tuesday, October 21, 2008 (10-21) 21:58 PDT TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Angry protesters in southern Taiwan assaulted an envoy from rival China on Tuesday, part of an escalating reaction by the pro-independence opposition to President Ma Ying-jeou's policy of greater engagement with Beijing. The attack on Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait is a personal embarrassment to Ma, who has made closer economic and political ties with the communist mainland the centerpiece of his new administration. The Harvard-educated Ma was elected in March after promising to turn the corner on the pro-independence policies of predecessor Chen Shui-bian. In Tuesday's attack, about a dozen protesters surrounded Zhang at a Confucian temple in the southern city of Tainan, then knocked him to the ground while shouting anti-communist and pro-independence slogans. "Taiwan does not belong to China," protesters shouted. Zhang was helped to his feet by an escort and rushed to a waiting vehicle. He cut his visit short and back to China on Wednesday. The assault attracted a strong response from China, although Beijing was careful not to discount Ma's efforts to push for closer mainland ties. "We express strong indignation and fiercely condemn such barbaric acts of violence, and demand severe punishment for the troublemakers," China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement posted on its Web site. Yet it also said the incident "cannot block the peaceful development of cross-strait relations." Zhang is a well-recognized figure in Taiwan. He was formerly the spokesman for Beijing on Taiwan affairs, often depicted on Taiwanese television as making strident comments that many Taiwanese regarded as offensive. The attack on Zhang comes several weeks before a more significant visit by Chen Yun-lin, Zhang's boss and the point man in pushing for unity across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. That visit is supposed to provide tangible evidence of reduced tensions between Taipei and Beijing and give Ma's program of greater engagement with the mainland a big boost. The program ? unveiled during Taiwan's lengthy election campaign ? features regular direct flights across the strait, increased Chinese tourism, and a more liberalized regime for bilateral investments. Ma has also advocated a formal peace treaty with Beijing ? though without going into specifics. China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. China continues to claim the island as part of its territory and has threatened to invade if it ever moves toward formal independence. Promises of better relations with China helped propel Ma's Nationalists to an overwhelming victory in legislative elections in January, and the presidential poll two months later. A key factor was popular displeasure over Chen's China brinksmanship ? Beijing regularly excoriated him for insisting that the island and the mainland are two separate countries ? and a growing Taiwanese belief that closer links with Beijing would provide a much needed spark for the island's laggard economy. But since then, the bloom on the China rose has faded, as Ma's promises of a brighter economic day have largely fizzled, and Taiwanese have watched in dismay as health inspectors have stripped supermarket shelves of a succession of tainted Chinese food products. Tuesday's assault on Zhang reflected a profound lack of agreement among Taiwanese on how relations with China should proceed, said political scientist Hsu Yung-ming of Taipei's Soochow University. "Ma should have first sought consensus within Taiwan on cross-strait policies instead of zealously pushing forward his policy of close exchanges with (the mainland)," he said. "Now there can be more conflict when other Chinese envoys visit." On Saturday, Chen's Democratic Progressive Party is scheduled to hold a mass rally in Taipei to support its claims that that Ma's China policies are undermining Taiwan's sovereignty and putting the island's de facto independence and its democratic political system at risk. The DPP is particularly miffed at Ma's readiness to compromise with China on symbols that Chen put at the forefront of his own pro-independence administration ? particularly his insistence that the island should be referred to officially as "Taiwan" rather than the Nationalists'"Republic of China" formulation. The rally is seen as a litmus test of whether Ma can ride out the current wave of DPP-led China discontent, or whether his ambitious attempts to dampen one of the post-World War II world's most enduring political conflicts will come up short. A large crowd ? say in excess of 150,000 ? would provide ballast to the DPP's claims that Ma is out of touch with Taiwanese opinion, while a smaller turnout would suggest that notwithstanding Tuesday's incident in Tainan, the new president is well on course. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6117394 Taiwan Opposition Plans Fresh Anti-China Protests October 27, 2008 TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan opposition leaders on Monday planned a fresh wave of street protests to coincide with a visit next week by China's top negotiator as 7,000 police officers prepared to stand guard. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and has threatened to use force, if necessary, to bring the island under its rule. But the two sides have established new trade and transit links since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May. Chen Yunlin, Beijing's top negotiator on Taiwan affairs, is expected to lead a 60-person delegation to the island for his first time from November 3 to 7 to discuss new direct flights and food safety, Taiwan officials said. Last week, demonstrators in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan pushed to the ground a visiting Chinese official who had traveled there for an academic conference, outraging Beijing. Demonstrators organised by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which wants Taiwan to seek formal independence from China and opposes Ma's friendly approach toward Beijing, are planning street action to protest against Chen's visit. "They can't sign any kind of political agreement," party spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang said. "If they sign any economic agreements, they must not add any political conditions." About 7,000 police officers would be ready to handle any upsets, Taiwan National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun told reporters on Monday. "Of course they're to protect Chen Yunlin and to ensure public safety," police agency news official Wang Chi-chung said. About half a million demonstrators flooded Taipei on Saturday, calling on Ma to resign and China to back off. Beijing, for its part, sent Taiwan a rare letter of apology for any losses due to tainted milk powder from China, Taiwan's negotiating agency said on Monday. Taiwan has banned Chinese dairy products and pulled packaged goods from supermarket shelves since the milk powder scandal emerged in September. China has claimed Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's KMT fled to the island. (Reporting by Ralph Jennings; editing by Roger Crabb) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2008/11/09/182355/Protest-a.htm Sunday, November 9, 2008 9:52 am TWN, The China Post new staff Protest a victory for Taiwan people: Tsai TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen yesterday described the anti-China protests last week as a successful display of the people?s will to defend Taiwan?s sovereignty, but she played down concerns over the violent actions. Tsai said Thursday?s ?Operation Siege? that saw 100,000 people protesting the visit by China?s top envoy has delivered a message to Beijing that cross-strait ties cannot be dictated by President Ma Ying jeou or the ruling Kuomintang alone. ?They must have the support of Taiwan people,? said Tsai. Prior to his meeting with the China envoy, Ma was forced by the ?power of the people? to reiterate that Taiwan?s future must be determined by the entire nation. Such a reiteration thwarted China?s plot to turn the Ma-Chen meet into an occasion to ?dwarf? Taiwan?s sovereignty, the DPP chief claimed. The protest actions also sent a message to the international media that Taiwan?s people did not welcome Chen Yunlin, head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). The anti-Chen actions prevented the KMT?s welcome for the China envoy from overwhelming the coverage by the international media, she said. But Tsai said she may met with Chen if there is a chance. She said she would relay to Chen Taiwan?s determination to remain a sovereign state if she met him. ?I am not opposed to meeting Chen,? she said. ?I will tell him what we tried to tell President Ma.? Operation Siege, which was meant to have opposition supporters demonstrate outside the Taipei Guest House during the Ma-Chen meet, ran wild late in the night when hundreds of them rioted outside the Taipei Grand Hotel, where the ARATS chief was staying. The rioters pelted police with stones and petrol bombs before they were dispersed early Friday morning. But Tsai dismissed the labeling of the DPP as a ?violent party,? saying anyone attempting to portray the DPP so is trying blur the focus. She said if the Ma administration apologizes for its violations of the human rights, and formally demands China to recognize Taiwan?s sovereignty, then the people will not have to take to the streets. She blamed the clashes on the police?s over-protection for Chen, and accused police of using excessive force and of violating human rights during the dispersal. ?The Ma administration went from ?protecting Chen Yunlin?s safety? to ?preventing Chen Yunlin from seeing the protests? ? that?s the main reason for the clashes,? Tsai argued. She demanded Ma retract his description of the ties between Taiwan and China as that between two ?districts.? But KMT Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said the clashes set bad examples for Taiwan?s democracy. Although the protest actions allowed the Chinese guests to understand more about the island, Taiwan should also make adjustments to show more hospitality and rationality towards Chinese and foreign visitors. He said he hopes last week?s incidents were temporary, and that cross-strait ties will become more harmonious, paving the way to eventual peace. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/10/asia/taiwan.php Chinese officials cancel Taiwan visits following protests The Associated Press Published: November 10, 2008 TAIPEI: At least two groups of Chinese officials have canceled plans to visit Taiwan because of violent protests against a Chinese envoy when he visited the island last week, a Taiwanese official said Monday. The Chinese called off the trips after protesters clashed with the police during the bridge-building trip by the envoy, Chen Yunlin, according to Chen Chu-jung, spokeswoman for the governing Kuomintang party. She declined to say which delegations had canceled. "They may not have acted on government orders, but were concerned about their own safety," she said. The Taiwanese media have said that Deputy Mayor Huang Qifan of Chongqing canceled a planned visit to Taipei this week, though it was not clear whether this was one of the trips the spokeswoman was referring to. While in Taiwan last week, the Chinese envoy signed several deals to expand transport links with the island. Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, which fears that closer economic ties with the mainland could pave the way for political union, organized a series of demonstrations during the trip. At one point, protesters threw stones and other objects at the police. They also surrounded a hotel where the Chinese envoy was having dinner, preventing him from leaving until after midnight. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said that any moves to formalize the island's de facto independence would be met with war. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2008/11/10/182454/China-shows.htm November 10, 2008 9:39 am TWN, The China Post news staff China shows displeasure about violent protest TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Beijing is showing its displeasure with how its top negotiator on Taiwan affairs was treated in Taipei, according to the United Evening News. Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, and his 60-member delegation faced a violent protest organized by the Democratic Progressive Party. There were bloody clashes between protesters and police while Chen and his ARATS delegates were here from Monday to Friday last week. They were bottled up at a downtown Taipei hotel for eight hours on Thursday, while DPP supporters fought it out with security guards. The displeasure was manifested by the State Council in Beijing, the United Evening News reported yesterday. All Cabinet ministers, the afternoon paper said, were told to call of their planned visits to Taiwan. A deputy mayor of Chongqing had to cancel his visit tomorrow, it added. Kuomintang leaders believe the People?s Republic is ?retaliating? against the extremely unfriendly reception the opposition party had given Chen, his delegates and one of his vice chairman. Zhang Mingqing, the vice chairman, was mobbed at the Confucian temple in Tainan on October 21, the day after he had delivered a lecture at a seminar on media exchanges between Taiwan and China in his capacity as dean of the journalism school at Xiamen University.?We understand the other side of the Strait wants to suspend the exchange of personal visits by ranking government officials,? said Lee Chien-yung, spokesman for the Kuomintang. But Lee added the ruling party hopes the suspension ?is just temporary.? ?It will return to normal shortly,? Lee predicted. A Kuomintang heavyweight, Chang Hsien-yao, said he knows a number of top provincial officials have canceled their visits to Taiwan. ?It isn?t quite clear why they called off the visits all of a sudden,? said the lawmaker, who used to be a top aide to James Soong, chairman of the People First Party. At any rate, Chang went on, the cancellation ?has something to do with the ill treatment given Zhang Mingqing and Chen Yunlin.? The Mainland Affairs Council, the Cabinet agency supposed to lay down China policy, denied the press report. Chang Teh-hsun, its spokesman, said he has no information on any cancellation. ?I haven?t heard of it,? Chang said. ?I should have known, if there were any cancellation,? he added. The MAC?s Chinese counterpart is the Taiwan Office of the State Council in Beijing, which Chen Yunlin had headed before his current ARATS assignment. Taiwan Office sources were also quoted in an official Central News Agency dispatch from Beijing as denying the cancellation of any impending visits to Taiwan by ranking Chinese government officials.Denials perhaps were made perfunctorily.Neither side of the Strait wants their newly started rapprochement aborted. The fact is that Beijing is warning the opposition party against repeating the violent protest in the streets, sources close to the SEF said. ?What Beijing wants,? one SEF source said, ?is for the DPP to offer an open apology.? That certainly won?t be coming. ?If they don?t want to come, let it be,? DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan said of the reported suspension of visit exchanges. People took to the streets to protest the Chen visit simply because China and the Kuomintang government misjudged Taiwan?s ?main stream public opinion,? said Cheng. ?If China wants to send any more top level government official to Taiwan,? Cheng went on, ?he has to know what stand our people have vis-a-vis the People?s Republic.? A great majority of the people on Taiwan, Cheng is convinced, are for independence or at least ?one country on either side of the Strait,? which is an anathema to Beijing. China threatens to invade Taiwan, if Taipei moves towards de jure independence. ?Unless Chinese officials would face this harsh reality (of the people?s opposition to unification), their visits to Taiwan are absolutely meaningless,? Cheng pointed out. A DPP lawmaker even urged President Ma Ying-jeou to commit harakiri or jump into the Tamsui River to end his life for bringing shame to Taiwan as a sovereign state by meeting Chen Yunlin. Ma met Chen in Taipei as president on Thursday. The latter did not address the former as ?President Ma.? Chang Hua-kuan, the DPP legislator, regarded Chen?s refusal to use the proper form of address as downgrading Taiwan?s dignity as a sovereign state on an equal footing with the People?s Republic. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/388246/1/.html China envoy ends historic Taiwan visit amid violent protests Posted: 07 November 2008 1057 hrs TAIPEI - China's top envoy Chen Yunlin on Friday wrapped up a historic visit to Taiwan paving the way for closer co-operation between the traditional rivals but overshadowed by massive and sometimes violent protests. Chen made history on Thursday when he met Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou and was the most senior Chinese official from Beijing to visit the island since it split from China at the end of a civil war in 1949. But angry protests followed his five-day visit at every turn. More than 60 police were injured in clashes in Taipei overnight, the National Police Agency said, while local media reports said more than 20 protestors and reporters were also hurt. Some 2,200 riot police backed by water cannon were dispatched to Taipei's Grand Hotel where Chen was staying, while around 1,000 people staged rowdy and at times violent protests, police said. Some threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at police in an attempt to get past barbed wire barricades. At a press conference shortly before his departure, Chen, his eyes red, appeared close to tears as he thanked Taiwanese security officials. "I would like to express our thanks to the police," he told reporters. "They made many sacrifices and shed blood during the tense protests. Words cannot describe our appreciation," Chen said, bowing briefly. On Thursday, thousands of demonstrators, mostly supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), rallied in central Taipei to protest Chen's brief meeting with president Ma. Organisers put turnout at more than 100,000 while police estimated the size of the crowd at 10,000. The cacophony could be heard for kilometres (miles) around the central government plaza as they moved off, on foot and in vans equipped with loudspeakers, towards the Grand Hotel. The protesters are opposed to deals that Taipei and Beijing insist that it will bring enormous economic benefit to both sides as they are fearful that money and jobs will flood out of Taiwan to take advantage of cheap labour and resources in China. - AFP/vm http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Asia&set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20081107103743211C863581 Police injured in anti-China protest November 07 2008 at 04:31PM Taipei - More than 60 police were injured in Taiwan overnight during massive protests against a visit by top Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin, police said on Friday. About 2 200 riot police backed by water cannon were dispatched late on Thursday to Taipei's Grand Hotel where Chen was staying, as some 1 000 people staged rowdy and at times violent protests, police said. Some protesters threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at the police in an attempt to get past barbed wire barricades. Around 64 police were injured during the protests in various parts of Taipei which lasted until early Friday before police used water cannon to dispel a crowd of some 100 protestors. Local media said more than 20 protestors and reporters were also hurt in the clashes. Several people were arrested, but police have yet to say how many. On Thursday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, mostly supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party, rallied in central Taipei to protest Chen's meeting with the island's President Ma Ying-jeou. Organisers put the number of protestors at more than 100 000 while police estimated the crowd at 10 000. - Sapa-AFP http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24616072-5001028,00.html?from=public_rss 64 police hurt in anti-China protests in Taiwan Article from: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Taipei November 07, 2008 02:34pm MORE than 60 police were injured in Taiwan during massive protests against a visit by top Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin, police said today. Some 2200 riot police backed by water cannon were dispatched late yesterday to Taipei's Grand Hotel where Mr Chen was staying, as some 1000 people staged rowdy and at times violent protests, police said. Some protesters threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at the police in an attempt to get past barbed wire barricades. Around 64 police were injured during the protests in various parts of Taipei which lasted until early today before police used water cannon to dispel a crowd of some 100 protesters. Local media said more than 20 protesters and reporters were also hurt in the clashes. Several people were arrested, but police have yet to say how many. Yesterday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, mostly supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party, rallied in central Taipei to protest Mr Chen's meeting with the island's President Ma Ying-jeou. Organisers put the number of protesters at more than 100,000 while police estimated the crowd at 10,000. Mr Chen, who will leave Taiwan today, described his historic trip as a success but noted the rivals had a long road to travel toward better relations. During his protest-marred visit, Mr Chen signed a landmark trade deal. He thanked the thousands of police who were deployed in the capital, Taipei, to protect him. In a possible dig at the protesters, Mr Chen assured the Taiwanese that if they visit China, they will see "harmony everywhere". "We have successfully accomplished this memorable voyage and will return to Beijing," he said, before leaving for the airport. "We have completed the mission that people across the strait have long desired and have handed over to us." But he acknowledged that major differences still existed between the two sides. "We believe the future road is long but we will shoulder it and face up to this and that difficulty," he said. "We will do our best to contribute to the welfare of the people across the strait." http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/02/2003427549 Protesters heckle Ma ahead of meeting HEAD OF STATE: During an interview with a radio station, the president vowed to protect Taiwan?s sovereignty, joking that he hoped he would be called ?president? By Jenny W. Hsu And Mo Yan-chih STAFF REPORTERS Sunday, Nov 02, 2008, Page 3 Liang Chen-hsiang, a Changhua County councilor of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, shouts slogans yesterday as police remove him from the Longshan Temple in Lukang Township during President Ma Ying-jeou?s visit. His shirt bears the words ?Taiwan is an independent sovereign state.? PHOTO: WANG PAI-LIEN, TAIPEI TIMES Protesters in Changhua County heckled President Ma Ying-jeou (???) yesterday ahead of tomorrow?s arrival of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (???) for a second round of cross-strait negotiations. Dozens of pan-green protesters accused Ma of ?selling out? Taiwan and shouted ?Ma Ying-jeou, step down!? as he arrived for a dedication ceremony for a century-old Buddhist temple in Lukang Township (??). Holding up banners that read ?Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country? and ?Traitor to Taiwan,? the protesters chanted against what they called Ma?s China-leaning policies and said that ?Regional Head Ma? must step down immediately before he destroys Taiwan?s hard-won democracy. A minor scuffle broke out when protesters, led by a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilor, tried to confront Ma inside the temple. Police apprehended several protesters and dragged them out of the temple. ?You [would] bet he calls me [President Ma]? I hope you win.? ? President Ma Ying-jeou ?Ma?s personal police won?t let me go worship in the temple,? one protester angrily yelled, saying he lost his religious freedom when the police prohibited him and his group from entering the temple ground. Ma did not acknowledge the protesters and made no comment. Later, during an interview with a local radio station in Taichung, Ma vowed to protect Taiwan?s sovereignty as the nation?s leader, while joking about placing a bet with the radio show host over whether Chen would address him as ?President Ma? when they met this week. ?You [would] bet he calls me [President Ma]? I hope you win,? the president told the radio show host. Ma said later that he would implement his ?three noes? policy in handling relations with China. The ?three noes? referred to no pursuit of unification, no Taiwanese independence and no use of force. Meanwhile, former vice president Annette Lu (???) yesterday urged Ma to skip the meeting with Chen in order to prevent the country?s sovereignty from being belittled. ?President Ma should not meet Chen if he sees himself as the leader of the ROC. His rank is higher than Chen?s, and the people in Taiwan should protest if he insists on meeting Chen,? Lu told a press conference yesterday after returning from a trip to Mexico. ?ARATS is not an official organization, and President Ma should not act like a daughter-in-law who is going to meet the Chinese in-laws,? she said, adding that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (???) should also refuse to meet Chen. Lu further condemned the government for deploying over 7,000 police to maintain public order for Chen?s upcoming visit of Chen, while calling on DPP members and supporters to treat the Chinese official as a guest and demonstrate a democratic spirit to the Chinese delegates as long as he does not humiliate Taiwan?s sovereignty during his visit. ?We should give Chen Yunlin a chance to see that Taiwan is a democratic sovereignty and that we have our own culture,? she said. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (???) said that Chen must refer to Ma as ?president? if they meet, or Ma must cancel the meeting if he refuses to do so. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2263875 China official meets Taiwan president 7:47PM Thursday November 06, 2008 Source: Reuters Taiwan's president met briefly with a Chinese official in one of the highest-level contacts between the two sides since the Chinese civil war, while protesters clashed with riot police outside. President Ma Ying-jeou met China's top Taiwan affairs negotiator, Chen Yunlin, who has already signed agreements opening up trade and transport between the two sides that in past years have edged to the brink of war. "What cannot be denied is that between the two sides some differences and challenges still exist, especially on the issues of Taiwan's security and international space," Ma said at the five-minute meeting. According to Taipei, China has more than 1,000 missiles aimed at the island just across the Taiwan Strait, one the world's most dangerous flashpoints. Beijing, with about 170 diplomatic allies compared to Taiwan's 23, also bars the island from international organisations such as the United Nations, which requires statehood as a precondition for membership. Communist China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949 and has vowed to bring the island of 23 million people under its rule, by force if necessary. Ma's predecessor advocated formal independence from China, outraging Beijing and freezing high-level contacts. Ma told Chen he wanted to see more high-level exchanges and said the two sides should not mutually deny each other's existence. He shook hands with Chen and gave him a vase in exchange for a scroll with a horse painting. Ma, in Chinese, means horse. Chen's reply to Ma was inaudible to the audience, but local media had speculated on whether Chen would address Ma as president. As China claims Taiwan as its own, it does not recognise Taiwan's leader as a head of state. "The meeting is highly symbolic, mainly to show a parity between the two sides," said Chao Chien-min, a political science professor at National Cheng Chi University in Taipei. "The protests can't have any effect on it." Ma is under pressure at home to be politically tough on China while improving the island's sagging economy by getting a piece of the other side's booming markets. Negotiators from Taiwan and China signed a series of deals on Tuesday expanding daily direct flights and agreeing new air routes, direct cargo shipments and direct postal services. But protesters have been camping out in the streets since Chen arrived on Monday, accusing Ma of selling out. Late on Wednesday, about 1,000 people, many of whom want Taiwan to declare formal independence from China, mobbed a Taipei hotel where Chen had attended a banquet. They clashed with hundreds of police after a seven-hour standoff. Ma gave a televised speech earlier on Thursday to announce he was moving up the time of his meeting with Chen to avoid further trouble. On Wednesday, he defended the deals with China and condemned the protests. "You can't say that love for Taiwan will become the selling out of Taiwan," he said. Chen also attended a ceremony to mark an upcoming exchange of two giant pandas, a gift symbolic of China, for an indigenous goat and deer from Taiwan. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/04/2003427726 CROSS-STRAIT TALKS: Taxi drivers stage protests against Ma-Chen summit IN DEFENSE OF SOVEREIGNTY: The DPP promised to stage daily evening protests outside the Legislative Yuan until China's top cross-strait negotiator leaves on Friday By Loa Iok-Sin STAFF REPORTER Tuesday, Nov 04, 2008, Page 3 Taxi drivers and Taiwanese independence join a ?Safeguard Taiwan? campaign organized by the Taiwan Society in Taipei yesterday to protest against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Yunlin?s visit to Taiwan. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES Amid applauses and cheers, about 100 taxis, carrying flags with the slogan ?Defend our sovereignty, defend Taiwan? set out to stage surprise protests at random locations after a rally outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday. Before the official departure at 3pm, about 100 taxis had already lined up on Jinan Road outside the legislature. The drivers then began decorating their cars with small flags with the slogan ?Defend our sovereignty, defend Taiwan? and yellow headbands with ?Taiwan is my country? written in English and Chinese. Some brought their own placards to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou's (???) pro-China policies and the visit of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???). ?Since Ma took over the presidency [in May], he has been repressing [the pro-Taiwan camp] through political and judicial means ? and now he's even trying to compromise Taiwan's sovereignty,? Wu Shuh-min (???), chairman of the Taiwan Society, which organized the event, told the crowd. ?We must act now before it's too late,? he said, and was answered with loud applauses and cheers. With supporters lined up on both sides of the road cheering, the taxis set out after blowing their horns five times. ?They will be out there like viruses making random protests at random locations,? said Zhang Ming-you (???), a Taiwan Society office director. Earlier yesterday, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) also staged a demonstration in front of the legislature. ?The Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] did a 180-degree turn from their anti-communist stance in the past to their pro-communist stance,? TSU chairman Huang Kun-huei (???) told a crowd of supporters. ?And this change really disgusts me.? At the venue, the TSU displayed tainted or toxic products imported from China. ?As Chen Yunlin arrives this morning, I'd like to call on him to apologize to Taiwanese for the tainted milk products and propose real compensation,? the TSU chairman said. After his brief remarks, Huang invited supporters to hit a dummy of Chen labeled ?Executioners of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople,? ?Smiling to hide his intention to annex Taiwan? and ?President Ma's emperor.? Huang said that as face-to-face confrontations were not allowed, the TSU would seek ?flexible means? to voice its discontent. Later last night, thousands of people ? all wearing yellow headbands that read ?Taiwan is my country? and some holding flags with an illustration of the map of Taiwan ? rallied outside the legislature. The rally, organized by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was held outside the legislature rather than near the Grand Hotel where Chen was staying because all of the party's applications for assembly and parade permits around the hotel had been turned down. A rally will be held every evening until Thursday. Chen leaves on Friday morning. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/19/2003428994 Self-immolating protester?s family pleads for help By Chen Hsuan-yu STAFF REPORTER Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008, Page 4 Family members of Liu Po-yan (???), 80, who set himself on fire in a protest at Liberty Square in Taipei last Tuesday, said they could not afford the expensive treatment he needs and appealed to the public for donations. Liu sustained second and third-degree burns over more than 80 percent of his body. He was in stable condition at National Taiwan University Hospital yesterday. Liu?s protest was aimed at what he called the government?s affront to national dignity during the visit by China?s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???). Born and raised in Nantou County, Liu had been a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for 58 years. His son Liu Feng-long (???) said that while his father had sustained serious injuries in his self-immolation protest, he could not receive adequate doses of anesthesia because he suffered from low blood pressure, leaving him in excruciating pain. Since Liu Po-yan was taken to the hospital, he has twice undergone surgery, costing a total of NT$110,000, Liu Feng-long said. Although Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators and private individuals have donated NT$100,000 to help pay for Liu Po-yan?s treatment, Liu Feng-long said the family needed to reach out to the public for donations to help pay for further treatment. Donations can be made by postal service wire transfer, and should include a note that the donation is for Liu Po-yan. Money can be paid into the account of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (????? ??????), account number 19066111. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/14/2003428562 Self-immolating protester remains in critical condition By Meggie Lu Friday, Nov 14, 2008, Page 4 ?I saw many police officers beating people.? ? Liu Po-yan An 80-year-old man, Liu Po-yan (???), who sustained second and third degree burns over more than 80 percent of his body on Tuesday after setting himself on fire in a protest at Liberty Square was still in critical condition in National Taiwan University Hospital?s intensive care unit yesterday, hospital officials said. ?Liu has gone through a series of debridement surgeries, one of which occurred [yesterday],? the hospital told the Taipei Times. The hospital said that there was no word on when Liu?s life would be out of danger, adding that skin transplant surgery would be scheduled soon. Liu on Tuesday staged the demonstration by pouring gasoline and burning himself in protest at the government?s affront to national dignity during the visit last week by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???). In a suicide note, Liu claimed that he had been a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for some 30 years and expressed dismay toward the government?s handling of Chen?s visit. ?I saw pedestrians walking on the street holding the national flag and getting arrested by the police, who even broke the flag pole. I saw many police officers beating people without consequences. I hear that sixteen ordinary people have been arrested and will be indicted. If so, are the thousands of police who hit people going to be given citations of merit?? the note said. ?When Chen [Yunlin] met the president, he pointed at the president and said, ?you, you, you.? I see that the president smiled and was very happy ? If China sends an even higher ranking official, would the president kneel to receive him?? the note said. http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=140198&CtNode=39 President visits police officers injured amid protests 11/07/2008 (CNA) Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou visited several police officers Friday to show his concern for the injuries they sustained the day before amid clashes with demonstrators protesting the just-concluded visit to Taiwan by a senior Chinese official. Accompanied by National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun, Ma arrived at Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital in Taipei's suburban Shihlin district in the afternoon, where injured police officers are recuperating. Among the injured was Liao Jui-lung, a squadron chief at the Datong branch of the Taipei Municipal Police Department, who sustained a serious injury to his nose after being attacked by pro-independence protesters. Ma expressed his anger and regret over violence that erupted during a street protest organized by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thursday when Ma met briefly with Chen Yunlin, China's top negotiator with Taiwan in his capacity as president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). "Thank you for your brave efforts to maintain law and order. Otherwise, Taipei would have become a battlefield where mobs prevailed," Ma said. He urged Wang and city police chiefs to step up reviews of security video footage as soon as possible to bring to justice those who instigated violence and conflicts during the DPP-organized demonstration, code-named "siege." Chen, the most senior People's Republic of China official ever to visit Taiwan, concluded his historic visit Friday. During his five-day visit, Chen was dogged by pro-independence protesters. Police manned 17,000 shifts to protect his safety and the smooth proceeding of his visit, according to police sources. In addition to police officers, many protesters and journalists were also injured in melees that happened over the past few days. Meanwhile, in an effort to allay the opposition camp's misgivings about the possible impact of increasingly warming-up cross-strait engagements, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung said Friday that what the SEF and the ARATS have been doing is to create an environment favorable for peaceful development on both sides. "All of the four agreements signed during Chen's visit will contribute to cross-strait trade and civilian exchanges for mutual benefits," Chiang noted. (By Sofia Wu) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/11/08/182205/18-arrested.htm November 8, 2008 9:52 am TWN, The China Post news staff 18 arrested for ?disturbing order? in siege protest TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Eighteen people have been rounded up on charges of disturbing order in connection with Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen?s Operation Siege, Taipei police said yesterday. Tsai ordered a 1,000-strong crowd to besiege the Taipei Guest House, where Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, met briefly with President Ma Ying-jeou Thursday morning. Among the suspects were college students, factory and unemployed laborers, a Taipei police spokesman told the press. ?We are trying to find out whether they have any connection with the mob,? the spokesman said. After the clashes between the crowd and riot police, Tsai said she did not order a siege of the Grand Hotel in Taipei, where Chen and his ARATS delegates stayed during their four-day stay. ?There might be those with mob connections among those protesters milling at Yuanshan,? she added. A serious clash took place after the crowd broke through a police cordon at the northern end of Zhongshan Bridge at Yuanshan. But there were a score of ?young men? among the crowd gathered at the Jingfu Gate or the East Gate, which is the eastern end of Ketagalan Avenue leading to the Office of the President, the police spokesman said. They couldn?t be identified. Taipei police are looking for them. All the suspects, the police spokesman said, will be arraigned before Taipei district prosecutors today. ?They were all taken in their clash with police at Yuanshan,? the spokesman added. They marched peacefully on the Grand Hotel until 11 p.m. Then, the police spokesman said, some in the crowd threw feces at the guards at the northern end of the bridge across the Keelung River. ?Molotov cocktails were also thrown,? a lieutenant in command of a riot police contingent said. ?It looked like a street war,? he lamented. Fire engines were called for to disperse the crowd at 1 a.m. yesterday. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012945565 Taiwan Police, Protesters In Violent Clashes During China Envoy Visit ShareThis November 7, 2008 6:08 a.m. EST AHN Staff Taipei, Taiwan (AHN) - Sixty-four policemen and 20 protesters and reporters were hurt in Taipei, Taiwan from Thursday to Friday when demonstrations against a visiting China official turned violent. The police said Friday 1,000 protesters clashed with 2,200 police late Thursday at the Grand Hotel, where Chinese negotiator Chen Yunlin was staying. The protesters threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at the police in their attempt to get past barbed wire barricades and the police fired water cannons to disperse the mob. Protesters clashed again with police at the Taipei Guest House Friday morning as they tried to prevent a meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and Chen, who arrived Monday to sign several cross-strait agreements with Taiwan. Protesters broke through barricades in the afternoon leading to clashes that hurt 14 protesters, 11 police officers, three reporters and two lawmakers. The protesters opposed to the union of China and Taiwan accused the government of selling off the Taiwanese people. Taiwan and China split in 1949 and Beijing regard the island as its province. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/06/2003427872 CROSS-STRAIT TALKS: DPP encourages protesters to join a ?siege of Boai? BALANCE LOST: The NPA denied rumors that it had ordered the confiscation of ROC flags or that buses carrying demonstrators from the south be stopped By Rich Chang And Loa Iok-sin STAFF REPORTERS Thursday, Nov 06, 2008, Page 3 Yellow ribbons reading ??Taiwan is my country?? in English and Chinese are hung outside the legislature yesterday in support of the series of protests against the visit of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin. PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES Calling on people to join the Democratic Progressive Party?s (DPP) rally to ?besiege? Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???) when he meets President Ma Ying-jeou (???) today, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (???) said yesterday she would take full responsibility for the rally. Tsai said the DPP would do all it can to hold a peaceful demonstration, but that it cannot guarantee that protesters would not be radicalized if police denied them their right to free expression. The DPP-organized ?Yellow Ribbon Siege? will start at 1pm, with protesters walking to the Taipei Guest House on Ketagalan Boulevard and besiege the Boai District (??), chanting slogans and using horns, bells, whistles and other objects to generate noise, DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (???) said. Cheng said that the party expects 100,000 to take part in the rally. ?We will let Ma and Chen hear the voice of the people,? he said. ?Balance has been lost on this visit [by Chen]. Taiwan is paying too high a political price, in terms of sovereignty, democracy, freedom of speech and all other forms of expression commonly enjoyed in a free and democratic society.? ? Tsai Ing-wen, DPP chairwoman After initially denying the DPP permission to hold the rally, the Taipei City Police Department yesterday afternoon announced it had given the DPP permission. Saying that the DPP is not opposed to cross-Taiwan Strait exchanges or dialogue to help maintain stability and peace, Tsai said the party is simply worried that Taiwan is paying too high a price. ?Balance has been lost on this visit [by Chen]. Taiwan is paying too high a political price in terms of sovereignty, democracy, freedom of speech and all other forms of expression commonly enjoyed in a free and democratic society,? Tsai said. ?I am depressed because we are going through a dark period in Taiwan?s history,? she said. ?People?s rights, personal liberties, freedom of speech and judicial rights were seriously violated in the past couple of days. Facing an authoritarian government, the party had no choice but to take to the streets, just as it fought for Taiwan?s democracy before.? At a separate setting yesterday, National Police Agency director-general Wang Cho-chiun (???) denied allegations that government officials had ordered the confiscation of Republic of China flags, and rebutted rumors that local police departments in central and southern Taiwan were to stop any bus heading to Taipei carrying demonstrators on their way to the rally. ?Our goal has always been to protect all legal activities, block illegal ones and sanction violent acts,? Wang said, acknowledging that there are had been problems in how police had handled demonstrators. He said, however, that police had acted within the law. Wang said all police officers on duty would follow three main guidelines: act according to the law, remain neutral and strictly reinforce the law. ?So far, all police action has respected the legal framework,? he said. ?Although I have to say that some officers do need to improve their skills and attitude.? Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (???) said yesterday he would also lead TSU supporters at the rally. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus urged the DPP to call off its plan to ?besiege? the Taipei Guest House during Ma?s meeting with Chen. Calling the plan ?illegal,? KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (???) yesterday urged Tsai to ?stop throwing Taiwan into chaos.? ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=139706&CtNode=39 DPP launches 3-day sit-in to protest Chinese negotiator's visit 11/04/2008 (CNA) Taipei, Nov.3 (CNA) The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) launched a three-day sit-in at Jinan Road near the Legislative Yuan in downtown Taipei Monday to voice opposition to closer ties with China as its top negotiator arrived in Taiwan earlier that day. DPP members and supporters began to gather at the venue hours before the activity formally kicked off at 7 p.m. They tied yellow ribbons reading "Taiwan Is My Country" on trees that line the street at the site. Some of them tied the ribbons on their heads or necks. Some people carried the Republic of China national flags to satirize the Kuomintang government's reluctance to fly the national flags at venues where China's top point man on Taiwan, Chen Yunlin, will stay or stop over during his five-day visit. Previously, ROC flags were seldom seen at rallies organized by the pro-Taiwan independence DPP. DPP politicians, academics and popular TV talk show hosts took turn to deliver speeches highlighting Taiwan's sovereign status and protesting China's diplomatic suppression and deployment of ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan as well as its shipment of substandard products and foodstuffs to Taiwan. Some young anti-China academics led the demonstrators in shouting anti-communist slogans and singing anti-communist patriotic songs popular during Taiwan's martial law era. The round-the-clock sit-in, dubbed "vigil for Taiwan, heckling China," will last until Wednesday. Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling accused the police of using "near martial law tactics" to disperse protesters who intended to heckle Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), when he appeared. A number of pro-independence activists, including several DPP Taipei City councilors were forcefully taken away by police earlier Monday as they intended to break police lines to approach Chen when he was leaving a hotel to pay a courtesy call on Cecilia Yen Koo, the widow of Straits Exchange Foundation founding Chairman Koo Chen-fu, who had been Taiwan's top negotiator with China before his death in 2005. Kuan said the police's physical removal of the protesters could mislead visiting Chinese delegates into believing that Taiwan's people could be suppressed and that Taiwan was not a mature democracy, and she urged them to take a "softer" approach to enforcing the law. Excessive security meausres and police deployment would only reflect the intensity of opposition of local people against Chen's visit, Kuan argued. Chen arrived in Taipei around noon Monday at the end of a 60-member delegation. During his visit, he will sign four pacts with SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung to further facilitate cross-strait exchanges and trade. (By Sofia Wu) http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/06/taiwan-defending-rights/ Taiwan: Defending Rights to Protest Thursday, November 6th, 2008 @ 05:50 UTC by I-fan Lin Following David's article on ?The Phantom of Police State? coming back with Chen Yun-lin (???)'s visit to Taiwan on 3 of Nov, I have collected some visual materials showing the conflict between the protesters and police with brief translation. Since Nov 3rd, many protesters wearing pro-Taiwan T-shirt or banners or waving the ROC national flag have been harassed by the police, and some of them were wounded. To the extent that people playing Taiwanese songs (Sunrise records, ????) were disrupted with force, and a cup of coffee became all too dangerous. Manuscript translation: Unlawful object: drinks? When do citizens lost our rights to walk around with drinks on our hands? Is it lawful for the police to push citizens toward the wall? Is a cup of drinks a dangerous item now? A group of motorcyclists waving the ROC national flag and Tibet flag were stopped by the police without any explanation. When seeing the pro-Taiwan banner (?Taiwan is Taiwan?), the police (?) ran to the spot and took the banner away. The protesters asked ?This is our hotel room, and this banner is our property. Who gives you the right to come in and take our banners?? Protesters said ?We are Taiwanese. Why can't we express our opinions?? Protesters asked the police ?What's the problem with our national flag?? After the police took and damaged these flags, the reporters asked the police ?Isn't it wrong to damage our national flag?? Defending rights to protest Facing these incidents, Carolina thought Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou should take the responsibility. ???????????????????????????????????? ????? When the (national) flags and banners on the streets were taken away and people holding these flags were shocked, Ma Ying-Jeou lied that he absolutely did not give orders to remove the (national) flags. OJ is also very disappointed with the current government. ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????? Seeing our government treat our people in this way, we bitterly realize that?the democracy and human rights are thrown away by this shameful government. However, citizens prepare to fight back, non-violently. Francais asked citizens to collect evidence if they see these incidents. ??12????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????? Asian human rights groups will gather and voice on the Human Right Day this December. We thought we would denounce the repression of Taiwan from China. However, our own government shows their dictatorship, and Taiwan is formally listed as a country whose human rights are endangered now. We appeal for gathering information about incidents that endanger human rights after President Ma inaugurated. We will put them together and reveal them to the international media. I am sorry that when we see the degradation of Taiwan, this is the only thing we can do. We should work hard now. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/11/worldupdates/2008-11-11T154352Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-364431-1&sec=Worldupdates Tuesday November 11, 2008 Taiwan man sets himself on fire at protest site TAIPEI (Reuters) - A 79-year-old Taiwan man set himself on fire on Tuesday near a week-old anti-government protest but the reason for his action and his condition were not immediately known, the capital's fire department said. The man, Liu Bo-yan of central Taiwan, poured fuel on himself and then set himself alight. Firefighters found him alive and sent him to a hospital for treatment, a department official said. Fire investigators are examining the incident near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Plaza in downtown Taipei, where a group of students have been staging anti-government demonstrations for the last six days. A United Evening News photograph showed him on the ground with flames rising a metre above his body, except for his lower legs, as a bystander poured water on him from a bottle. A representative of the student group, which is protesting the government's ties with China and Taiwan's law on demonstrations, told the newspaper that the man came with a leaflet saying the ruling party had "ruined" him for 30 years. http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=140618&CtNode=39 Aged man tries to immolate himself at scene Taiwan student protest 11/12/2008 (Taiwan News) A 79-year-old man was fighting for his life on Tuesday after trying to immolate himself near the student protesters at Taipei's Liberty Square. The man, surnamed Liu, was covered in an inflammable substance and set himself on fire, but bystanders and police rushed to douse the flames. Police later said the liquid might have been gasoline or diesel oil. Liu was taken by ambulance to nearby National Taiwan University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition with burns over 80 percent of his body, doctors said. He left behind a letter critical of the government, police said. In the letter, Liu said he joined the ruling Kuomintang in 1950, but expressed dissatisfaction at police action against people carrying the Republic of China flag during the visit of Chinese top negotiator Chen Yunlin last week. Students said they would be vigilant and try to dissuade visitors from taking extreme action. The students have been sitting under the gate of Liberty Square since Friday in a campaign to demand changes to the Parade and Assembly Law. They say protesters should not first have to apply to police for permission to hold a protest. The students also want government leaders to apologize and top security officials to resign over what they allege was the brutal treatment of anti-Chinese protesters last week. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/11/2003428354 Community Compass: Opinions swirl after ARATS protests By Jenny W. Hsu STAFF REPORTER Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008, Page 4 VIEW THIS PAGE For days last week, images of furious protesters battling against the police filled the nation?s headlines. Police were caught in news footage beating people with wooden clubs and metal shields, while some protesters threw objects such as glass bottles and stones at the police. The clashes led the government and the opposition party to point fingers at each other, each blaming the other for the chaotic display. The scenes also stirred up strong feelings from the expatriate community from all points of the spectrum. David Reid, an Australian student studying at National Chengchi University who witnessed the protest on Wednesday, said that the violence that ensued last week gravely affected Taiwan?s democracy by ?turning the clock back 20 years.? ?By banning the display of the Republic of China flag, the government sent a very clear signal that Taiwan?s sovereignty was made subordinate to the People?s Republic of China. I think that was the most dangerous thing the government did during the week and this led to the situation where people were very angry. There is no question that Taiwan is in a very dangerous position right now.? Jacques Stroebel, a teacher from Canada, applauded Taiwanese police for dealing with the protesters in a ?very strong but gentle manner.? ?I give my respect to the police. Back home, the police could seriously hurt you for throwing things at them,? he said. Anti-China rhetoric and scathing criticism against the police and the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (???) have been posted on various Web sites and blogs managed by foreigners. Tim Maddog wrote on his blog: ?Martial law is being reintroduced to Taiwan, and the philistine police response to protesters as well as to people simply expressing their feelings is a clear indication of this situation.? Some said the cops used excessive force on the people, but argued that protesters should also be blamed for the chaos. Others observed that the majority of the protests were not at all violent and blamed the press for sensationalizing the events. Some others speculated the emotionally charged protests were orchestrated by pan-green politicians for the sole purpose of boosting their own popularity and that of the party. ?Isn?t it so obvious? The rallies were full of politicians wearing vests with their names written on them. They are taking advantage of the chaos to have more face time. If the focus was to give the power to the people, commoners should also be allowed to speak their minds on the stage,? said a German professional who refused to go on the record because she feared offending her Democratic Progressive Party coworkers. One blogger labeled as a ?Fried Chicken Parts Vendor? wondered if the people were just ?doing this for kicks?? ?There is no reason for all this shit ... I understand people are concerned, but is anyone out of [or inside] Taiwan going to take these people seriously? What?s on the news now is insane and it will be on TV in other parts of the world and it will make Taiwan look very bad in the eyes of the world.? http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/11/taiwan-at-the-protest-frontline/ Taiwan: At the Protest Frontline Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 @ 05:24 UTC by I-fan Lin It seems that many people, especially if you are outside Taiwan, found the recent protest against Chen Yinlin in Taipei confusing. Bob pointed out that in China, some incidents in the protest were interpreted as democratic violence. Such impression is probably a result of the mainstream media report on the violent scene. You may want to ask what had happened during this long day, Nov 6th? Why did so many people decide to demonstrate in the street? How did the violence happen? Let's take a closer look at and listen to these protesters. aswing explained why protest: ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ??????????????? Many people asked me why don't we choose a more ?rational? way to express our emotion and the opposition party's position than protesting on the street? I would ask these people: if we can vote in an air-conditioned room, who wants to protest on the street and take the risk of facing police violence? If Ma Ying-Jeou thinks he can do whatever he wants to do regarding Taiwan-China relationship because he won the presidential election, he fails to be a responsible president for all citizens? We know that democracy is majority-ruled. However, from what the Kuomintang have done in the past half year, I, as the minority, do not feel I am respected?When the opposition party needs to protest on the street again, we know that our democracy is degrading. Photo courtesy of kajin. The government's overreaction in ?protecting? Chen Yunlin and the police action in harassing the protesters had agitated more people to join the protest on 11/6. Bo-Yu's mother arrived early. ????????????????,?????,????????????? ?,?????????,????????????????????????. Some protesters who had joined the protest yesterday at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei reminded me not to tie the yellow ribbon on my body, because the police would pull the ribbon. I helped the elders beside me to tie the ribbons on their hats or backpacks. Photo courtesy of judie. Protester harnyi was shocked when she arrived at the gathering location: ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????? The terrible scene shown on the television was right in front of me: dozens of policemen stood at the exit of the Mass Rapid Transit. There were barricades everywhere and sounds of airhorns, horns and slogans were echoing in the air, as if a bloody battle was about to happen. obs noticed that the barricades didn't leave enough room for the protesters to move around. ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????? From the setup of the barricades on Zhongshan N. Rd, we could imagine that the protest would not be easy to control. I have attended protests for several years, but I have never seen such ??? shape before. These barricades were easily to be pushed over when the number of the protesters increased. Most of the protest was peaceful, harnyi reported: ???????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ????????? This person with the yellow ribbon on his head was cute. He asked us to step on this flag. He said, ?step on it and expel your anger, and then let it go.? Well, who said the supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party are rioters? We have our way to release our anger, which is humorous and harmless. Photo courtesy of judie. Photo courtesy of judie. She disagreed with what was reported on the mainstream media later about their protest. ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? There were some incidents at Jingfumen (???) . However, they only represented one of tens of thousands protesters. I came home and watched the television. Under the selective camera, ?riot? became the only focus of today's protest. This is the ecology of our media. Sigh? The Democratic Progressive Party claimed to end the protest at around 6pm, but some protesters kept going to the Grand hotel, where Chen Yunlin stayed. dayinfu joined the protest there. She described: ??????, ??????, ???????? ??????, ??, 18:30~~22:30??, ??????????????6?700??? Several foreign friends brought ribbons to us and cheered us up. There were people going and people coming, so the number of the protesters did not change a lot from 18:30 to 22:30?I guess there were 600-700 protesters there. dayinfu left at 10:30pm, and she saw the incidents occur on the media after she came back home. ???????????(?20:00??, ??), ????????????/?? ????? ?22:30, ????????, ????????????, ???? ??????????????????, ???? ? Later the three protest trucks left (around 20:00, I guess), but some protesters stayed and continued to express anger with slogan and airhorns. At around 22:30, we felt that there would not be any new development and decided to go home. When I came home, I saw the news and learned that the police had launch attack at the people there. a-gu described these following incidents and said both some protesters and the police were way over the line. At one point in the afternoon the crowd suspected a man in a black shirt of being a gangster sent to make trouble or a police spy sent to collect information. They beat him up pretty bad and ripped his shirt off, presumably to see if he was wearing a wire?The second incident was the molotov cocktail thrown last night at the scuffle near the Grand Hotel. Could have very seriously injured a number of police officers and scared them for life. Maybe even kill somebody. Not cool. On the other hand, the police were not the picture of calm law and order either. Some of the riot police were really unnecessarily violent with their billy clubs, really ripping on guys who were running away and who the police had no intention of actually arresting or anything. I also had a friend who stayed until the end of the protest at the Grand hotel last night?I asked if the police were being reasonable or crossing the line, and he thinks the latter. Yuglory left just before this incident. ??????DPP???????????????????????????? 10??????????????????????? ?????????????DPP???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ??????. I disapprove that the Democratic Progressive Party left protesters like that. I saw the condition and knew there would be trouble, so at about 10pm I left with my friends, who were not aware of how dangerous it might be. Later I discussed with some friends. Of course we were not happy with the Democratic Progressive Party and those politicians. However, we thought from what we saw, it was very difficult to brought those protesters away. They were so angry, which is very obvious. Some people were not happy with the violence: ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? These people threw rods and stones violently and caused several bloody violent incidents. What's the meaning of these activities? It became a big stage for people to express their anger. It is not peaceful, and it is not rational. On the other hand, baladaily stated that what happened in the past few days was a culmination process of the confrontation between the protesters and police. Citizens do not spontaneously become violent - and while there are always people in any demonstration who simply seek to cause chaos, they are vastly outnumbered by ordinary citizens who simply wish to express their dissent. It is only when those in power seek to use their authority to silence dissenting voices that good people may feel that they have little recourse. Successive administrations from both parties have been loath to relinquish the promise of almost unlimited authority offered by the current Parade and Assembly Law. What we saw over the last two days is simply the culmination of that process. The government could not resist the temptation to overstep their bounds far beyond what was required for public safety, and ended up facing the inevitable backlash. Knowing that the decision of inviting Chen Yunlin to Taiwan was decided by the ruling party itself, jjw543 was disappointed with the ruling party due to what happened. ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????700???????500????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????? I am sad because the ruling party should know how sensitive this event is. Why couldn't they discuss with the opposition party beforehand? Why did they decide what to do only by themselves? If seven million votes show public opinion, how can you say five million votes do not show public opinion? Even if we decide that the majority rules, it does not mean that the majority should ignore the opinions of the minority and do whatever they want. Besides, the so-called minority is not a small number, and the so-called majority is not a very large number. In addition, people who voted for you may not agree to draw close to China in such a rapid pace. At the end of the day, obs concluded that: ????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ????????????????? ????????????????? ??????????????????? ?????????????????????????? At this moment, what is important is not the national flag, not the the slogans, even not besieging the city. What is important is that everyone who believes democracy, freedom, and diversity should voice in our own way. There will be no peace if the city is monitored by the policemen's rods. There will be no progress is the society is sad and silent. There will be no tomorrow if citizens in the country stop shouting. Not for any political party. Not for anyone. This is the moment that we should voice for ourselves. Photo courtesy of avant. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/09/china-taiwan-a-street-violence-brought-by-an-envoy/ China: Protest in Taiwan criticized as democratic violence Sunday, November 9th, 2008 @ 09:27 UTC by Bob Chen Mainland China envoy Chen Yunlin (???) flied back to Beijing 7, Nov after his 4-day ?ice-breaking? visit to Taiwan. As the chairman of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), Chen, led the highest-ranked official delegation ever from mainland to Taiwan, to negotiate for new deals that set down agreements on direct shipping and flights, mail services and food safety. It's said to be a historic leap on cross-strait tie. In spite that Chen allegedly came to for the peaceful and constructive purpose that is to ?enhance the economic cooperation across the strait?, people sided with the ?one China, one Taiwan? principle viewed it more than abhorrent. Even though as many as 20000 police were dispatched to guard the visitors, swarms of Taiwanese numbered by 100,000, most of them mobilized by the present out-party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), still flowed to wherever Chen showed up to brandish their topmost hostility. It goes without saying to be a straightforward political demonstration to mainland that ?you are not welcomed, F**K off!? But the firepower is not only directed at the visitor. The Taiwan president Ma Yingjiu, has been railed against in these days for the crackdown of protests, speech freedom black-out, and the downgrading of Taiwan's sovereignty. During the ?Action of Seige??designed by DPP to trap the envoy Chen in the hotel, city police responded, unfortunately, in a way to catalyze it into a violent clash. On 4, Nov, when Lian-zhan, the Honor President of KMT was dining Chen at Yuanshan hotel, the alerted police guarding outside forced a shop across the street to shut down the ?Song of Taiwan? being played aloud. People exhibiting Taiwan's national flag and emblem were dispersed and blocked from the hotel, and speeches like ?Taiwan doesn't belong to China? were muzzled. The bloody clash finally broke out at the night when the present KMT president Guo-Boxiong dined Chen on another hotel. The police were confronted by a group of thousands of agitated people, including a few aldermen. Stones and clubs were hurled, barricades were pulled down, and gasoline bombs were fired. More than one hundred police were injured, many of them sent to hospital, while the opposing party suffered as well, scores of the protesters injured or arrested. Chen is thereby trapped in the hotel for 8 hours until midnight, a quite embarrassing situation to the host. The Democratic Progressive Party played a major role in the incident by a fanfare mobilization. In the days following, Taiwan witnessed a mutual accusation. The president of Republic of China, Ma-yinjiu, criticized DDP of irresponsible ,who rebutted that they were just calling for a protest against the government's crackdown upon speech freedom. Taiwan bloggers gave enthusiastic responses. A GV post by Taiwan author I-FAN shows the native bloggers' anger with the way police restrained people's legitimate right to protest. Some of them moaned the value of democracy is lost. Meanwhile, a broadcast is on air to record a sit-in of college students and scholars in Taipei, against the resurgence of marshal law and violent authority in Taiwan. But the other side of voices is not out of its momentum. Blogger Xinhua posted his opinion on Duowei blog, analyzing the motive behind DDP's action ????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ? ????????????????????????? DDP tried to seize the chance of the envoy's visit to rid of its hot potato at hand, that is, the corruption accusation of the its former president Chen Shuibian, and its extremely low popularity. It launched the protester to street to bring back group conflict on the island, and to restore its slumping state. ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ? ????????????????????????????????????? The street riot and DDP's resort to violence is seen internationally as a shame of democracy, also widely lashed out by the public opinions in Taiwan?. Some college students even choose to sit in against the police's overuse of violence rather than question the street violence. Their naive understanding of democracy is evident. ????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????? ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? Democracy comprises all the peace, understanding, harmony and tolerance, compromise, communication, but none of street fight, mob, letting alone violence. So, democracy is above all a quality of discipline and tolerance. Street fight gives birth to irrational conflict and impulses. Without constraint, excessive action will be made when appeal is not satisfied, resulting in a tumultuous society. ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ?????? There is not democracy without law. You can assemble, parade, express, but everything should certainly bein the framework of law, applied, and done along certain route. No harm to public order, no harm to traffic, and no harm to others, and the social safety. He conclude that, there is not a slight of democracy in DPP's actions. On youtube, a comment was made following the footage of the clash: hastobright : ???????????????? ???????????? ????????????? ????? ????????? The democracy in Taiwan has been put to the extent of people's abuse of right. Those non-mob voters should stand out not to withstand such hooligans any more. Now a critical question: is Taiwan over-democratic? Is citizen disobedience allowed to such an extent of violence? Whatever clash is left on the island, CPC this time made itself a big gain. It wins popular support, embarrasses the Taiwan authority so that it can further pressure it near the mainland, and signs treaties with practical meaning. That might be why the chief of State Office of Taiwan, Wangyi, praised the home-coming Chen Yunlin: You don't disappoint your mission. ? Stephan Larose I highly, highly doubt that the DPP was somehow able to control the crowd and coordinate its movements. Xinhua?s assertion that people have limited rights to protest ?within the framework of law? demonstrates a typical, authoritarian response to democracy, IE, the Olympic ?protest zones.? There are protest zones, but the ?law? says nobody can protest. If a law is immoral, then it is no law at all. Violence and ?hooliganism? (what an atrocious word) can be avoided only there is more democracy. There is an extremely large demographic in Taiwan that do not want Taiwan to become subject to Chinese rule, they deserve a place at the negotiating table as a stakeholder. Give dissenting parties a seat at the table and you avoid violence. Send out 100,000 police to take away their right to hold flags, sing the national anthem, and voice dissent, and you will cause violence. That?s the response of a police state clawing back civil rights. It?s a provocation, and of course the public will respond. That?s not news, that?s democracy 101. Get a clue Bob. # 2008-11-10 at 2:50 am Reply to this ? Steven Chiang now u guys still dont see why Taiwanese people are striking. Taiwan is acttually being sold to China, the treaties are bringing Taiwan too close to China and the KMT part are actually selling Taiwan. This is crap for over 60% of Taiwan and they are pissed. If Taiwan acctually becomes China, u?ll see lots of people commit suicide or u?ll see riots and hell will break loose in Taiwan. There will be a civil war before Taiwan becomes part of China. So great to see u guys want that to happen. People are angry trust me, the DPP are the only party that acctually cares about these people. People do you think calling them violent will stop them? No! they will continue to fight for their countries freedom, and they all might as well fight to there deaths. Once China owns Taiwan, all is dead. BTW, Whats so important about Taiwan to China that China cant just let Taiwan be a free country? Also, screw China and KMT. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/09/2003428103 Students reconvene, protest on ROUND TWO: Although demonstrators were evicted on Friday, many returned to continue their sit-in, demanding an apology for how police handled last week?s protests By Lin Chia-chi STAFF REPORTER, WITH STAFF WRITER Sunday, Nov 09, 2008, Page 1 A protester winces as rain beats down on him at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in downtown Taipei yesterday. Hundreds of college students have taken part in a sit-in protest against heavy-handed policing of recent demonstrations. PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES ?We want human rights!? chanted students at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall as they continued their sit-in for a third day, demanding an apology from the government over what they called the ?rough? tactics used by police to deal with protesters during the visit by China?s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chaiman Chen Yunlin (???) last week. Despite the poor weather yesterday, more than 100 students wore simple raincoats and remained sitting in protest in the Taipei rain. The first two days of the sit-in protest saw hot, humid weather. Yesterday, downpours began at around 10am. ?The first trials of the weather have started, but despite our efforts, no one has stepped up to respond to our demands,? Hsu Ching-fang (?? ?), president of the National Taiwan University Student Association, said to the crowd of students in the rain. About 400 students, led by assistant professor of sociology at National Taiwan University Lee Ming-tsung (???), started the sit-in in front of the Executive Yuan on Thursday at noon. The students believe that police, while protecting the safety of Chen and his delegation, acted improperly and that freedom of speech had been suppressed. Students brave the rain yesterday to protest at Taipei?s National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall against the government?s handling of the recent street demonstrations. Their banner reads ?A whole new feeling for the past martial law.? PHOTO: CNA The student demonstrators were forcibly evicted by police from the front gate of the Executive Yuan on Friday night because they had not applied to conduct a protest there. The students linked their arms together and refused to leave. Police had to take them away to nearby police vehicles, and then drove them to National Taiwan University. ?It is no longer a technical question of excessive law enforcement tactics, nor is it simply a partisan issue between supporters of various political parties. This is a proliferation of state-sponsored violence.? ? student statement Some students later reconvened in Liberty Square at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall to continue the sit-in. ?Police officers have engaged in numerous abusive acts against peaceful protesters from various dissenting groups, under the guise of ?keeping the peace,?? read an English statement issued by the students. ?These acts have included arbitrary searches and prohibitions, seizure and destruction of property, physical assault, dispersion, and even arrest and detention.? ?Through reports in the media, we have come to realize the seriousness of the current situation. It is no longer a technical question of excessive law enforcement tactics, nor is it simply a partisan issue between supporters of various political parties. This is a proliferation of state-sponsored violence that is provoking and attacking civil society. All these oppressive acts, which ignore human rights and democratic values, are reminiscent of martial law,? the statement said. The students yesterday insisted that they would continue with the sit-in protest until their three appeals were met: an open apology from President Ma Ying-jeou (???) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (???) to all citizens, the resignations of National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (???) and National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chaoming (???) and the swift amendment of the Assembly and Parade Law (?????). Some observers compared the sit-in to the Wild Lily Student Movement (? ????) of 1990, which started as a student movement that eventually drew hundreds of thousands calling for political reforms, including the abolition of the National Assembly. The protest this time not only brought students from different schools to the sit-in, but also redefined social movements as the students used the Internet to promote their appeal. They have launched Internet petitions and set up live streaming videos with audiences all over Taiwan and in the US, Japan, Holland and Germany. TAKE TURNS The students have taken turns hosting the event in various languages. They also opened lines for call-ins during the night. Sitting with the students, Lee said: ?Taiwan?s youth still care about public issues, only nowadays, they are using new channels to voice their concerns.? The Taipei City Government yesterday urged the student demonstrators to complete the legal processes for holding the protest. Yang Hsiao-tung (???), the city government?s spokesman, said the sit-in protest, which was organized by students and has continued for more than one day, was an illegal demonstration. He urged the students to apply with the city government for a rally permit to turn the sit-in into a legal protest. ?As the illegal protests during the past week have caused social instability, we urge the students to follow the law and apply for rally permits to prevent unnecessary confrontations between the police and protesters,? he said at Taipei City Hall. Yang said the city government would grant the students a rally permit if they filed applications according to regulations. Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party yesterday lent support to the students, and urged Ma to deliver on his campaign promise to change the Assembly and Parade Law so that notification would be enough to stage a protest rather than having to apply first with authorities. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH, JIMMY CHUANG AND CNA http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/11/09/182353/Students-continue.htm Students continue sit-in to protest unfair assembly laws TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Scores of college students continued their sit-in protest yesterday in a downtown Taipei park demanding changes to the assembly law in the wake of huge controversies sparked by a recent visit by China?s top envoy. The students, bracing the rains, were staging the protest at the Liberty Square after they had been carried away by police from the Cabinet building?s front gate where they had been holding a sit-in demonstration Friday. They later continued their action at the square near the presidential palace. They were protesting what they said was the police?s over-protection for Chen Yunlin, head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). The tight security measures to protect the Chinese visitor were denying the people?s rights to stage demonstrations, they argued. They demand that the government revise the assembly law that requires demonstration organizers to submit applications seven days in advance. They said they were staging the ?illegal? sit-in protest to underline the fact that assembly law violates the people?s constitutional rights to hold public demonstrations and rallies. Government spokesman Vanessa Shih said the government had heard the students demand. But Shih stressed ?legality? as the precondition for any expressing one?s views in a democratic society. The issue of having the assembly revised can be discussed, but the government hopes the students can resort to a rational and legal way of doing it, she said. She said the students could have applied for permission to hold a demonstration to express their views, or used legal channels to lobby legislators. Shih said police and education officials were trying to talk the students into ending the protest. Police said they would not disperse the students in the meantime, as they were not obstructing traffic in the city. But they urged them to obtain a legal basis for the protest by submitting an application, so that their rights to hold public assemblies could be protected. Education Minister Cheng Jei-cheng voiced concern over students? safety. He said that the students should take care not to catch a cold in the rains, and that they should give top priority to their school work. Legislator Chang Shou-wen, a whip of the ruling Kuomintang, disclosed that some members of the party caucus have already submitted a bill to revise the assembly law. Chang said the KMT caucus does not oppose the bill, which proposes that public assemblies need no permits, and that no areas be off limits to demonstrations. According to the bill, organizers will only need to inform authorities of their demonstration plans, but will not need to obtain an approval. KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng said the bill has already passed the first reading at the Legislature. As the Legislature currently focuses on screening the budget bills, the revisions to the assembly law is likely to be discussed further in the next legislative session in spring, he said. But Wu stressed that the proposed revisions have nothing to do with last week?s violent anti-China protests by the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party. He said if the DPP does not observes the law, any changes to the assembly law would be futile. KMT Legislator Chou Shou-hsun said the timing of the revisions is a sensitive matter. If it came on the heels of the recent violent protests, it would be taken as tolerance of violence, he said. DPP Legislator Lai Ching-te lauded the students for their actions, saying they have the full support of his party caucus. DPP Legislator Huang Wei-che gave 100 percent backing for the students. He said if they do not need to obtain a permit, demonstration organizers will be fully responsible for the activities, while the authorities will still need arrange police to maintain order. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2008/11/10/182455/Liberty-Square.htm Monday, November 10, 2008 9:40 am TWN, The China Post news staff Liberty Square student sit-in protesters give name to movement TAIPEI, Taiwan -- University students staging a sit-in protest at the Liberty Square last night decided to title their protest the ?Wild Strawberry Movement,? and will unite university and college students around the island to demand liberal changes to the Assembly Law to further safeguard Taiwan?s democracy, liberty and human rights. Spokesman Hsu Jen-shou of the movement, said that wild strawberry boasts a strong and tenacious vitality, and therefore participants in the ?Wild Strawberry Movement? won?t bow to pressure, so as to scrap the impression that current university students are of ?greenhouse strawberry generations? that are fragile and can hardly resist any pressure from the outside world. Hsu said the existing Assembly Law allegedly violates the free-assembly spirit of the Constitution, thus undermining the human rights. Accordingly, they demand the government revise the law that now requires organizers to submit applications seven days in advance for any public rally. The students, bracing the rains, were staging the protest at Liberty Square after they had been carried away by police from the Cabinet?s Building front gate when they had been holding a sit-in demonstration last Friday. They were protesting what they said was the police?s over-protection for Chen Yunlin, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits. The tight security measures to protect the Chinese visitor were denying the people?s rights to stage demonstrations, they argued. Also yesterday, former President Chen Shui-bian called for President Ma Ying Ying-jeou to positively respond to the request by the sit-in students, saying that their request is quite reasonable. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/11/15/183266/Students-to.htm November 15, 2008 10:20 am TWN, CNA Students to expand sit-in protest today TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The organizers of a recently established student movement pushing for reform of Taiwan?s assembly law announced yesterday their plan to expand their ongoing sit-in protest. According to Lin Yu-hsuan, spokesman for the Taiwan Wild Strawberries Movement, the sit-in, which has been held at Taipei?s Liberty Square since last Friday, will be expanded on Saturday and is expected to draw approximately 1,000 participants, including student representatives from Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The sit-in once saw around 500 students participate, but the number has dropped to below 100 over the past few days as many returned to school to sit for midterm exams. Lin said the group does not rule out the possibility that politicians sympathizing with their cause may be invited to take part. They have previously banned non students from participating. Lin said the group will continue their peaceful demonstration until their appeals are answered, with disregard for possible dispersal by the police. Over the past week, the group of students has been staging the sit-in to protest against what they called the use of excessive force by police to disperse pro-independence demonstrators who protested against the recent visit to Taiwan by a Chinese envoy. The envoy, Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, is China?s top negotiator with Taiwan. He was in the country from Nov. 3-7 to sign four non-political pacts with his Taiwan counterpart Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation. Some protesters, who feared the visit and agreements would jeopardize Taiwan?s independence and sovereignty, threw bottles and rocks at police and pushed down police barricades. Police responded by spraying water at the protesters, scuffling with some of them, and arresting others. In addition to demanding an open apology from President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan, the student group is also asking for the replacement of National Security Bureau Director General Tsai Chao-ming and National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun. Furthermore, the students want the Parade and Assembly Law be amended to relax its restrictions on people?s right to demonstrate. Protesters had complained their application to protest in many areas were rejected. Ma said in a radio interview Wednesday that Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi has on many occasions apologized over the alleged misconduct by law-enforcement officers and promised to review the methods adopted by the police in performing their duties. Ma admitted there was room for improvement in the performance of Tsai and Wang in handling the demonstrations, but said ?this was not to an extent where they should be removed from their posts.? The president said the legislative caucus of the ruling Kuomintang will hold a public hearing to discuss a possible amendment to the Parade and Assembly law, with representatives of the protesting students to be invited to express their opinions at the hearing. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/15/2003428655 Strawberries returning to sit-in protest GROWING: A spokesman for the student movement said that the sit-in protest was expected to draw about 1,000 participants from around the nation today STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Saturday, Nov 15, 2008, Page 4 The organizers of a recently established student movement pushing for reform of the Assembly and Parade Law (?????) announced yesterday a plan to expand the sit-in protest. Lin Yu-hsuan (???), spokesman for the Taiwan Wild Strawberries Movement, said the week-long sit-in at Taipei?s Liberty Square would be expanded today and was expected to draw approximately 1,000 participants, including student representatives from Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The sit-in earlier saw around 500 students participate, but the number has dropped to below 100 over the past few days as many returned to school for mid-term exams. Lin said the group did not rule out the possibility that politicians sympathizing with their cause may be invited to take part. They had previously banned non-students from participating. Lin said the group would continue their peaceful demonstration until their appeals were answered, disregarding possible dispersal by the police. Over the past week, the group of students has been staging the sit-in to protest what they called the use of excessive force by police to disperse pro-independence demonstrators during a recent visit to Taiwan by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Yunlin (???). In addition to demanding an apology from President Ma Ying-jeou (???) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (???), the student group is also asking for the resignations of National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Chao-ming (???) and National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chun (???). The students also want the assembly law to be amended to relax its restrictions on people?s right to demonstrate. Protesters had complained that their applications to protest were rejected in many areas. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Ma said there was room for improvement in Tsai and Wang?s performance in handling the demonstrations, but added: ?This was not to the extent that they should be removed from their posts.? http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/29/2003429831 Academic calls for dedicated protest zones RALLY: Setting up special demonstration zones would remove the need for people who want to protest to apply for a permit, a professor said By Flora Wang STAFF REPORTER Saturday, Nov 29, 2008, Page 4 A university professor yesterday urged government agencies around the country to establish special zones for demonstrations to allow the public to voice demands. Chen Chwen-wen (???), a political science professor at National Taiwan University (NTU), told a school forum that with the establishment of such zones, people who wish to protest would only have to complete an on-site registration instead of having to seek approval from law enforcement authorities prior to a demonstration as stipulated in the Assembly and Parade Law (?????). Liberty Square in front of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall could also be turned into a ?demonstration square,? he said. Chen said the Assembly and Parade Law's ban on demonstrations at certain locations should also be relaxed. The law prohibits protests in the immediate vicinity of the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Examination Yuan, courts and the residences of the president and vice president. Demonstrations are also banned outside international airports, sea ports, important military facilities, foreign consulates and the Taiwan offices of international organizations. ?The biggest difference between us and the People's Republic of China is that we are a democracy and a nation ruled by law,? Chen said. Chang Wen-chen (???), a law professor at NTU, said legislators and civic groups were ?on the right track? in seeking to amend the law. Chang said many local civic groups had been forced to end their peaceful demonstrations just because they had not or were unable to obtain approval from the authorities. If the proposed amendment were passed, there would never be another demonstration in Taiwan deemed illegal from the start, she said. ?Anyone can freely assemble and parade without having to obtain approval from the police,? Chang said. ?However, demonstrators must also respect other people's freedom and obey the law.? From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 06:00:12 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:00:12 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Uprisings - November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB0E15C.1030508@tesco.net> * EGYPT: Bedouin take police hostage, storm copshop in protest over killing * EGYPT: Aswan - Uprising after police murder of trader * COLOMBIA: Unrest after pyramid scheme collapse * YEMEN: Police murder protesters during attack on vote protests * PERU: Municipal building torched in protest over mining laws * PERU: Police kill protester during clashes over waste plant * GUINEA: Clashes with police in fuel price protests * KYRGYZSTAN: Unrest in southern city over Eid * NIGERIA - NIGER DELTA: Protests, militant attacks * PARAGUAY: Clashes as protesters demand agrarian reform, prosecutor resignation * KURDISTAN - TURKEY: Police tear-gas Kurds, battle protesters during PM's visit http://www.arabianbusiness.com/537909-bedouin-kidnap-egypt-police-to-protest-smuggler-shooting Bedouin kidnap Egypt police to protest shooting by AFP on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 SINAI STRIFE: File photo of a Bedouin at the Al-Arish camel festival. (Getty Images) Armed Bedouin tribesmen briefly kidnapped a truckload of 25 Egyptian policemen in northern Sinai on Tuesday in protest at the killing of one of their number, a security official said. "The Bedouin freed them in a mountainous area near the Israeli border," the official said of the policemen, held for around two hours after being seized by three pick-ups of armed Bedouin as they were heading for the Israeli border. Medics said another three Bedouin were killed in a wave of anti-police protests that swept the peninsula in response to the killing of an alleged Bedouin drug smuggler in a shoot-out with police on Monday. Bedouin in the Sinai frequently complain of marginalisation and police abuse although some of the tribesmen are also involved in trafficking people, drugs and goods across the border into Israel or the Gaza Strip. Monday's killing sparked protests around the northern Sinai desert, including the siege of a police station in the small town of Madfouna on the Israeli border. At least 12 people were wounded in the protests. Four policemen, including an officer, and four protesters were hurt in the Madfouna protest, the interior ministry said, with the situation reportedly calm on Tuesday evening. The Bedouin have been protesting in Madfouna since police killed the suspected drug smuggler. Hundreds turned out to protest the shooting, firing guns into the air and burning tyres. One policeman and three Bedouin were wounded in a shoot-out following another protest on Tuesday in Wadi al-Azareq, also in north Sinai, a security official said. Medics and a Bedouin said three more tribesmen, including two brothers, were killed, although officials could not confirm the deaths. Monday's shooting happened when a four-wheel-drive drove at high speed towards a police patrol and overturned, the official MENA news agency reported. "The driver and another got out of the car and started firing at the patrol. A shoot-out ensued leaving one of the two attackers dead and the other wounded," MENA quoted an unnamed official as saying. Bedouin say police routinely carry out arrests in north Sinai and that they feel under threat of having their car licences confiscated or homes searched at any time. In July, the detention of one of their number in the Sinai without charge saw hundreds of Bedouin burn tyres and block roads in protest. A spate of bombings that hit popular tourist destinations in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 led to massive sweeps of the peninsula with thousands of Bedouin arrested. The Egyptian government has regularly promised to pump money into the impoverished north Sinai and there have been several attempts in recent months at a rapprochement between authorities and the Bedouin. The 250-km Egyptian-Israeli frontier has become a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers, with some Bedouin involved in the trafficking. Dozens of migrants have been arrested in recent months as Egyptian police try to halt the constant stream into Israel. Several have been killed while trying to make the crossing. Israel occasionally hands over to Egyptian authorities Bedouin they suspect of drug or people trafficking. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LB275359.htm Egypt bedouin protest killing, besiege police post 11 Nov 2008 13:06:58 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds bedouin besiege police post near border) ISMAILIA, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Egyptian bedouin protesters besieged a police post in the Sinai peninsula near the Israeli border on Tuesday after police shot and killed a bedouin man a day earlier, security sources said. The assault on the post followed overnight street protests by hundreds of bedouin in which some guns were fired into the air, tires burned and a road blocked off, bedouin sources said. They said police had briefly pulled back from the area. "There are 700 bedouins at least taking part in the protest. Some opened fire heavily in the air," said Moussa Salem, who was taking part in the demonstration. Bedouin sources said some members of their community entered and seized control of a police post near the border on Tuesday, prompting police to flee the station although one officer remained inside and was refusing to leave. Security sources gave a conflicting version of events, saying bedouin had surrounded but not entered the post and that an officer and around 20 police remained inside. Negotiations were ongoing to resolve the stand-off. The protests erupted after police opened fire on a vehicle driven by "two bedouin suspects" on Monday when they ignored orders to stop and tried to flee, a security source said. One bedouin was killed and the other wounded. State news agency MENA identified the dead man as a drug dealer, although bedouin sources denied that. Relations between the police and bedouin have been tense for a long time and deteriorated further in 2004 when police detained thousands on suspicion of possible links to a group that had bombed Sinai tourist resorts. Egypt has blamed a series of attacks on tourist targets in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 on a group of bedouin with militant Islamist views. Bedouins resent the mistrust and complain of police harassment. Northern Sinai is home to about 200,000 formerly nomadic bedouin. It is one of Egypt's poorest areas with high unemployment levels. (Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Matthew Jones) http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811110500DOWJONESDJONLINE000139_univ.xml Sinai Bedouins Protest After Killing Of Tribesman - Official11-11-08 5:00 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article CAIRO (AFP)--Hundreds of Sinai Bedouins fired guns in the air and burnt tires Tuesday in protest at the killing of a tribesman in a shootout with Egyptian police, a security official said. The Bedouin was killed and another injured Monday in an exchange of fire with police after their jeep obstructed a police car, the official said. "The Bedouins have declared an open protest and are staging a sit-in near the Israeli border," the official said. Bedouins say police routinely carry out arrests in north Sinai and that they feel under threat of having their car licenses confiscated or homes searched at any time. A spate of bombings that hit popular tourist destinations in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 led to massive sweeps of the peninsula with thousands of Bedouins arrested. The Egyptian government has regularly promised to pump money into the impoverished north Sinai and there have been several attempts in recent months at a rapprochement between authorities and the Bedouins. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081113/FOREIGN/512929327/1002/rss Bedouin shoot policeman in protests ? Last Updated: November 13. 2008 6:42PM UAE / November 13. 2008 2:42PM GMT Bedouin gunmen shot and wounded an Egyptian policeman in Sinai today, as it emerged the tribesmen had seized dozens of guns and thousands of bullets during two days of protests. Bedouin angered by the death in a shoot-out of one of their number launched violent protests in the peninsula on Tuesday, including seizing a police station. Peaceful protests continued on Wednesday. One protest saw Bedouin take 72 automatic rifles, 20,000 bullets as well as walkie-talkies and night-vision goggles, from another police station, in Wadi al Azareq, north-central Sinai, a security official told AFP. Three Bedouin died and 30 policemen were wounded during Tuesday?s protest at Wadi al-Azareq, the official said. ?Security forces are looking for the missing equipment,? the official said. In El Matala, close to the Israeli border, Bedouin gunmen wounded a policeman in a drive-by shooting today. Mohammed Mustafa Bandari, 22, was hit in the leg by three bullets and taken to hospital in stable condition, the official said. The Bedouin were protesting against the killing of a tribesman in a shoot-out with police on Monday. In July, the detention of one of their number in the Sinai without charge saw hundreds of Bedouin burn tyres and block roads in protest. A spate of bombings that hit popular tourist destinations in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 led to massive sweeps of the peninsula, with thousands of Bedouin being arrested. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_North%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw20081111120533581C562630 Death prompts Bedouin protest in Egypt November 11 2008 at 12:13PM Ismailia, Egypt - Hundreds of Bedouin in an Egyptian village fired into the air and burnt tyres overnight in protest about police killing one Bedouin man and wounding another, security sources said on Tuesday. "There are 700 Bedouins at least taking part in the protest. Some opened fire heavily in the air," said Moussa Salem, a Bedouin who was taking part in the demonstration. He said the protesters in a village in the Sinai peninsula near the Egypt-Israel border had also burned tyres and barricaded a road with rocks, while police had pulled back from the area. Two Bedouin sources who asked not to be named said the protesters had torched a police vehicle. Security sources said the demonstration erupted after police opened fire on Tuesday on a vehicle driven by "two Bedouin suspects" when they ignored orders to stop and tried to flee. One was killed and the other wounded. State news agency MENA identified the dead man as a drug dealer, although Bedouin sources denied that. Relations between the police and Bedouin have been tense for a long time and deteriorated further in 2004, when police detained thousands on suspicion of possible links to a group that had bombed Sinai tourist resorts. Egypt has blamed a series of attacks on tourist targets in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 on a group of Bedouin with militant Islamist views. Bedouins resent the mistrust and complain of police harassment. Northern Sinai is home to about 200 000 formerly nomadic Bedouin. It is one of Egypt's poorest areas with high unemployment levels. - Reuters http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Egypt/237721 Egypt sends troops to Israel border to face rioting Bedouins Posted: 12-11-2008 , 11:42 GMT An Egyptian security official said large numbers of security forces were heading to Egypt-Israel border area in a bid to stave off any further Bedouin strife. According to the AP, dozens of armored vehicles have already arrived at the border following violent clashes between angry Bedouins and police that led to killing of three Bedouins and injury of at least five policemen. Bedouins also looted and burned several checkpoints along 15 kilometers of Egypt-Israel borders south of Rafah Tuesday and seized a total of 70 members of the security forces in separate incidents. They later freed most of them. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/241023,egyptian-bedouins-protest-after-police-shootings.html Egyptian Bedouins protest after police shootings Posted : Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:24:14 GMT Author : DPA Category : Middle East (World) News Alerts by Email click here ) Cairo - Groups of Bedouins protested Monday in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, blocking a main road, after Egyptian security forces opened fire, killing one man and wounding another, security sources said. Police shot the two men when they refused to stop their car at a security check point, sources told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa. Bedouins often accuse Egyptian police of discriminating against them, including arresting Bedouins without charge. Egypt has accused Sinai Bedouins of committing two terrorist attacks since 2004, using primitive explosive devices. The first bombing hit an upscale Taba resort, killing tourists and damaging the hotel building, and the second struck the Red Sea tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The bombings damaged Egypt's tourism industry, a major source of income for the country. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gN6XhihMtaBTC538Q3Yj1PYe_owg Riot in Egypt city after police kill man by mistake (AFP) ? Nov 23, 2008 CAIRO (AFP) ? Police fired tear-gas at about 2,000 rioters in the southern Egyptian town of Aswan on Sunday as they protested the police shooting to death of a bird-seller, a security official said. Police with the anti-drug squad had mistaken the man, Abdel Wahab Abdel Razeq, for a drug dealer. "They were going to arrest a drug dealer. They went into the wrong apartment," the official said. Egypt's official MENA news agency reported that the man had opened fire on police before being shot, although this was not possible to confirm. On hearing of Abdel Razeq's death, the protesters surrounded the hospital where his body was taken and pelted it with stones, smashing windows. Riot police clashed with the demonstrators, firing tear-gas to disperse them. Four protesters were injured in the clash. MENA reported that an Aswan prosecutor has summoned the policemen for questioning. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_North%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw20081124105511903C597591 Man dies after Egypt city riot November 24 2008 at 12:25PM Cairo - Rioting in Egypt's southern city of Aswan sparked after police killed a bird-seller on Sunday continued overnight, leaving one man dead, security officials and medical sources said on Monday. Yayha el-Magribi, 59, died in hospital after inhaling tear gas that police fired at around 2 000 protesters after members of an anti-drugs unit shot dead Abdel Wahab Abdel Razeq in his apartment on Sunday. The interior ministry said in a statement that Abdel Razeq was harbouring a drug dealer in the building, and had fired at police when they approached his apartment. About 2 000 protesters then rioted in front of the hospital where his body was taken, pelting it with stones and burning tyres. Riot police clashed with the demonstrators, firing tear-gas to disperse them. The official MENA news agency reported that an Aswan prosecutor has summoned the policemen involved in the Abdel Razeq shooting for questioning. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/15/2003428728 Pyramid scheme collapse leads to riots in Colombia AP, BOGOTA Saturday, Nov 15, 2008, Page 7 At least one man was killed in rioting over the collapse of a pyramid scheme that offered 70 percent returns and fleeced its mostly poor investors out of millions of dollars, Colombian authorities said on Thursday. The victim was shot dead on Wednesday evening in a southern region where angry investors were demanding their money back from a company called ?Dinero Rapido Facil Efectivo,? or DRFE. The name means ?Fast Money, Easy Cash? in English. Authorities seized 66 company offices and confiscated 14 billion pesos (US$6 million), according to national police director General Oscar Naranjo. He said no arrests had been made but authorities were seeking DRFE?s owners. On Tuesday, the Finance Ministry ordered DRFE to return deposits to investors. It calculated the company took in 400 billion pesos from January through September. Finance Minister Oscar Zuluaga told reporters that authorities were investigating whether DRFE was involved in laundering drug money. Reporters could not confirm media reports that the company?s owner fled the country. The man killed on Wednesday night, Byron Santander, was a public official who was trying to calm upset investors in Buesaco when he was shot by an unknown assailant, Mayor Jose Maria Moncayo said in a telephone interview. ?We don?t know who did this or why,? Moncayo said, adding that nearly every family in Buesaco, population 22,400, had money in DRFE. Most of the rioting occurred in the southern province of Narino, a cocaine-producing region. Authorities imposed curfews in Buesaco and at least two other towns. According to the Finance Ministry, DRFE offered 70 percent returns on investments, charging a 1 percent handling fee and 16 percent tax. Payment depended on the amount of cash deposited. Returns were promised within 23 days on investments of up to 5 million pesos. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-11-15-1279766940_x.htm Yemeni teenager killed in clashes Posted 11/15/2008 9:14 AM | SAN'A, Yemen (AP) ? A Yemeni lawmaker says police shot dead a teenager during clashes between police and protesters in the south of Yemen. Nasser al-Khabagi, an opposition member of parliament, says the 16-year-old boy died Saturday when police fired at locals demonstrating at a voter registration center. He says the crowds were protesting the government's rejection of opposition attempts to amend the country's electoral law. Police declined to comment on the death and said they opened fire in self defense. Yemen's political parties have been preparing the amendment to the electoral law for the past year in an effort to bring more women into parliament, curb vote-rigging and limit the influence of government officials. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-27-voa68.cfm?CFID=261387166&CFTOKEN=81429865&jsessionid=88302b7e6acd891fe1dd4b7d3efe17656319 Yemeni Police Break Up Demonstration By VOA News 27 November 2008 A group of young Yemenis take to the streets in the capital Sanaa, 27 Nov 2008 Yemeni security forces fired warning shots to break up a rally by thousands of demonstrators Thursday calling for a boycott of parliamentary elections. Demonstrators say at least 10 people were wounded and another 10 arrested during Thursday's clashes in the capital Sanaa. Thousands of protesters gathered in Sanaa to oppose the planned April vote. They say they will not take part unless the government reforms the nation's electoral laws to prevent vote-rigging and other fraud. In southern Yemen Thursday, foreign media report that two people were killed in the explosion of a explosive-laden motorcycle. The Reuters news agency quotes a security official saying the dead were Islamist militants whose bombs went off accidentally. Yemeni officials have arrested numerous suspected militants in recent months, including 25 said to be linked with the September attack near the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/426394/cs/1/ City closed down in Peru after demonstrations Australian Herald Wednesday 5th November, 2008 Peru has declared a 30-day state of emergency in its south after violent protests in the city of Tacna that left 20 people hurt and 35 in police custody. The measure was announced by Prime Minister Yehude Simon, who has sent soldiers and police to secure the city, which lies close to the border with Chile. The state of emergency will be in force for 30 days in Tacna, The decision came after a day of protests that degenerated into attacks on a municipal building in a suburb of the city. A mob set fire to the building to protest against the death of a demonstrator last weekend. A strike is underway in Tacna to protest a vote by congress to modify a law that would redistribute tax revenues from a giant mining company, Southern Peru, in favour of residents in the neighbouring region of Moquegua. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=93992&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true Protesters, police clash in Peru (00:38) Report Nov 17 - Opposed to plans for a new waste treatment plant, thousands of demonstrators raided a government construction site in Peru. One man died and at least 36 people were injured when police and protesters clashed. Sarah Irwin reports. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gN6XhihMtaBTC538Q3Yj1PYe_owg 31 October, 2008 [ 17:51 ] Peru riots continue as citizens protest distribution of mining royalties Living in Peru Israel J. Ruiz Affirming the fight is far from over, the governor of Tacna Hugo Ordo?ez has stated his region will continue protesting a mining tax bill recently passed by congress. With violent protests taking place in several regions across Peru, some of the worst have been in the southern part of the Andean nation, in the regions of Tacna and Moquegua. Unable to agree on the distribution of millions of dollars in mining royalties, protestors have blocked roads, fought police and set government buildings on fire for the past four days. Protests worsened on Thursday after congress passed a law which is to reorganize the way taxes paid by mines are distributed. In an effort to push congress to reconsider, riots continue to break out in Tacna. Only receiving 20 percent of royalties, citizens in Moquegua are demanding a change while protestors in Tacna have blocked access to Chile and cut water supply to Moquegua protesting this change. It is expected that Alan Garcia will sign this bill into law. Once ratified, it would change the way royalties are distributed to all provinces in hundreds of mines. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL3620972 Guineans demanding cheaper fuel clash with police Mon Nov 3, 2008 6:07am EST By Saliou Samb CONAKRY, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Several people were injured in Guinea's capital on Monday in clashes between police and youths demanding cheaper fuel. The worst clashes were in Bambeto, a poor neighbourhood of Conakry, where police fired tear gas at demonstrators. Residents said they heard shots that they thought came from locally made rifles. Guinea is the world's top exporter of bauxite, the raw ore used to make aluminium. Public protests frequently turn violent in the former French colony, where security forces regularly use tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds. On Saturday the government reduced diesel, gasoline and paraffin prices by a little over 20 percent, but the protesters say that falls short of the drop in world crude prices. "Demonstrators blocked roads with pieces of wood and rocks. They also burned tyres. They think the reduction in fuel prices is not enough," Souleymane Diallo, who lives in Bambeto, told Reuters by telephone. "Some taxi drivers who wanted to force their way past got hit by rocks. The traffic is blocked now, and there are a lot of people here," Diallo said. Police could not be reached on Monday for more details on the number of people injured. Conakry Governor Soriba Sorel Camara, an ally of Guinea's ageing President Lansana Conte, had on Sunday banned public gatherings to prevent violent protests. Early last year more than 130 people were killed during a general strike, mostly shot dead by police and soldiers. Last week one person was killed during protests over electricity shortages, and a railway used to transport bauxite for export was blocked for a time. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Alistair Thomson; Editing by Catherine Bosley) http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/05/africa/guinea.php Guinea, already shaken, rattled by protests By Lydia Polgreen Published: November 5, 2008 DAKAR, Senegal: Frustrated youths have taken to the crumbling streets of Guinea's capital, Conakry, throwing stones and setting tires on fire in escalating protests over high gas prices. Three days of demonstrations - and the violent reaction they have provoked from the country's security forces - have heightened tensions in a country that has been teetering on the brink of mass unrest for two years. Witnesses said that at least one person was killed Monday when government troops shot at demonstrators, according to Reuters. But movement has been severely restricted in Conakry, and human rights advocates and aid groups fear that the toll is considerably higher. "What is clear is there is a tremendous amount of frustration and anger in Guinea," said Corinne Dufka, West Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch. "People protest to express that anger, and security forces respond with excessive force." On the surface, the protests are about fuel prices, which have remained forbiddingly high despite slumping crude oil prices. The government announced Saturday that it would reduce gas prices by 20 percent, to the equivalent of about $4.15 a gallon from more than $5, to quell simmering anger over the high cost of living, but Guineans had been expecting a deeper cut because crude oil prices had fallen more than 50 percent. But Guinea's problems go much deeper than expensive gas. The country, a former French colony, is one of West Africa's longest-festering sores, a holdover from a recent era when autocrats ruled the region and civil wars raged over the spoils of diamonds, gold and other riches. It is the world's top exporter of bauxite, the ore from which aluminum is made, but it is also one of the world's poorest nations. Its president, Lansana Cont?, has ruled Guinea since 1984. Now in his 70s, he is in poor health and has made frequent trips abroad in recent years for medical treatment. As his health has declined, so have his country's fortunes. The government brutally suppressed a general strike early last year led by the country's trade unions. As many as 200 people were killed, and human rights groups documented dozens of cases of beatings, torture and unlawful imprisonment in the crackdown. Cont? agreed to some changes, bringing in a reform-minded prime minister with wider powers. But the reforms did not take. Little more than a year later, Cont? fired the prime minister and appointed a close ally in his place. In May, frustrated soldiers mutinied over back pay and miserable living conditions, taking the army's second in command as a hostage until their demands were met. Frustrated police officers later stopped working as well. The unrest within the security apparatus, which Cont? had controlled firmly, raised fears of a possible coup. Legislative elections that were supposed to open up the country's political system have been postponed repeatedly. "The mutiny by soldiers, unrest within the national police and strike action by customs officials are symptoms of the disintegration of the state and its incapacity to provide security," said an analysis by the International Crisis Group, published in June. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3399176.htm Guinea troops shoot fuel price protesters,man killed 03 Nov 2008 15:34:42 GMT Source: Reuters (Updates with man killed, details) By Saliou Samb CONAKRY, Nov 3 (Reuters) - One man was killed and several others were injured on Monday when Guinean security forces opened fire on youths demanding cheaper fuel, witnesses said. The clashes were concentrated in poor, outlying neighbourhoods of Conakry, capital of the former French colony where public protests often turn violent and security forces frequently use live ammunition to disperse crowds. Guinea is the world's top exporter of bauxite, the ore used to make aluminium. But most of its people remain desperately poor and anger has festered as prices for food and fuel have risen sharply in the past three years. Soldiers began shooting in the district of Enco 5 when a crowd of young men taunted them. One man, whom residents said was an off-duty trainee police officer who happened to be passing by, was killed and four other people including a woman were hit by bullets, witnesses said. "The victims were taken by ambulance to two different clinics," Enco 5 resident Sotigui Kaba told Reuters. "The dead man was a trainee policeman in civilian clothes. He was doing his training," Kaba said. Police spokesmen could not be reached on Monday for comment. Riot police and army troops trying to restore order mounted checkpoints at intersections in the affected districts and occasional shots rang out in the early afternoon. In Bambeto, another poor neighbourhood, police fired tear gas at demonstrators and residents said they heard shots that they thought came from locally made rifles. Shops and banks in the centre of the Atlantic coast city remained open but some people headed home earlier than usual. On Saturday the government reduced diesel, gasoline and paraffin prices by a little over 20 percent, but the protesters say that falls short of the drop in world crude prices. "Demonstrators blocked roads with pieces of wood and rocks. They also burned tyres. They think the reduction in fuel prices is not enough," Souleymane Diallo, who lives in Bambeto, told Reuters by telephone. "Some taxi drivers who wanted to force their way past got hit by rocks. The traffic is blocked now, and there are a lot of people here," Diallo said. Conakry Governor Soriba Sorel Camara, an ally of Guinea's ageing President Lansana Conte, had on Sunday banned public gatherings to prevent violent protests. Early last year more than 130 people were killed during a general strike, mostly shot dead by police and soldiers. Last week one person was killed in the mining town of Boke during protests over electricity shortages, and a railway used to transport bauxite for export was blocked for a time. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Alistair Thomson; Editing by Giles Elgood) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/03/africa/AF-Guinea-Protests.php Guinea police fire at protesters; 1 killed The Associated Press Published: November 3, 2008 CONAKRY, Guinea: Police in Guinea's capital fired bullets and tear gas Monday to disperse rock-throwing mobs who blocked roads with burning tires to protest high fuel costs. The violence killed one man and wounded 20 others, police said. The government reduced fuel prices by 21 percent over the weekend, but protesters say the cuts should have been at least 50 percent, in line with the global drop in fuel prices in recent months. Record high world oil prices earlier this year pushed fuel prices in Guinea up from 4,300 Guinea francs ($0.83) per liter to 7,000 francs ($1.40). The government lowered the price to 5,500 francs ($1.10) over the weekend. Monday's violence was confined to neighborhoods outside the capital, but traffic in the city center was light and some businesses and banks were closed as some braced for the possibility that violence could spread. Sporadic gunshots could be heard through the afternoon. Police officer Ousmane Diaoune said one police trainee was killed by accident by a stray bullet believed to have been fired by soldiers. He said 20 civilians and police were injured in the skirmishes, many by rocks thrown at them. Residents of two neighborhoods in Conakry say police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who put large pieces of wood and burning tires into the streets. Tensions have simmered in Guinea for years as a desperate population expresses discontent over the rule of the country's dictator president, Lansana Conte, who grabbed power in a 1984 coup and has refused to let go despite repeated demonstrations. The majority of Guinea's 10 million people live in poverty, even though the country is the world's largest producer of bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum. http://www.afrol.com/articles/31551 A man shot dead in fuel cut protests afrol News, 4 November - At least one man was killed and several others injured yesterday when police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse a mob of young protesters who took to the streets in Guinea's capital Conakry, police said. Demonstrators were angry after government slashed only 20 percent on fuel prices despite global oil prices having fallen by 50 percent since July. Police officer Ousmane Diaoune said one police trainee was killed by accident by a stray bullet believed to have been fired by soldiers. He said 20 civilians and police were injured in the skirmishes, many by rocks thrown at them. "The police officer, a new recruit, was watching clashes between authorities and protesters when he was hit by a bullet in the chest fired by soldiers," said a police official. Residents of two neighborhoods in Conakry said police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who put large pieces of wood and burning tires on the streets. Witnesses said victims were ferried by ambulance to two different clinics. Tensions have simmered in Guinea for years as a desperate population expresses discontent over rule of country's dictator president Lansana Conte, who grabbed power in a 1984 coup. The protests point to the general sense of resentment against a government that has for some time been ineffective, political obsevers have said. Conakry Governor, Soriba Sorel Camara, an ally of Guinea's ageing president Lansana Conte, had on Sunday banned public gatherings to prevent violent protests. The majority of Guinea's 10 million people live in poverty, even though the country is the world's largest producer of bauxite, raw material used to make aluminum. Aware that global fuel prices have significantly dropped in recent months, Guineans had been wondering why they had not seen similar falls at petrol pumps and in price of fuel used for cooking. Early last year more than 130 people were killed during a general strike, mostly shot dead by police and soldiers. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2434539,00.html 32 jailed over Eid riots 2008-11-29 14:15 Bishkek - A court in Kyrgyzstan sentenced 32 Islamists to jail terms of between nine and 20 years for their role in riots in the southern region of Osh in October, state television reported on Saturday. The riots took place in the town of Nookat on October 1, the day when Kyrgyzstan was marking the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr at the end of the Ramadan holy fasting month. The television said the verdicts were handed down by the provincial court of the Osh region and were greeted by shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest) from the accused. Officials have said that the unrest was sparked by the refusal of the local administration to hold a public celebration marking Eid ul-Fitr, which is known in Kyrgyzstan as Orozo Ait. The demonstrators threw stones against the building of the local government and behaved violently towards the local police. The head of the regional administration was sacked as a result of the disturbances. Officials have also said that the demonstrations were linked to the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Islamic Liberation) movement, a Sunni Muslim group which advocates the establishment of Islamic states in Central Asia. State television said the accused were found guilty on eight counts, including damaging public buildings, creating mass disturbances, behaving violently towards the police and membership of a banned party. Muslims make up about 80% of the ex-Soviet state's population, with Orthodox Christians next with up to 17%. The parliament earlier this month passed a new law limiting the registration of religious groups to those with 200 or more members and introducing state control over financing and religious education. - AFP http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/22287/43/ Militants kill 2 policemen, JTF shoot protesters Written by Emma Amaize, Emma Arubi, Jimitota Onoyume & Emma Nnadozie Friday, 21 November 2008 TWO policemen ? a Sergeant and a Corporal ? were shot dead by militants, Tuesday night, in Port Harcourt, while seven protesters were injured after men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) shot at them in Warri, yesterday. In Port Harcourt, the policemen were killed on the Opobo Nkoro waterways in the state capital. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Rita Inoma Abbey, who confirmed the incident to Vanguard said the deceased cops were accompanying members of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) who were on tour of the state government project in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government. They were on their way to the local government when the incident occurred close to the shore of the local government area. She said the policemen were attached to the Police Marine Waterways Division in the state capital. Another source told Vanguard that some other persons sustained gun shot wounds from the incident. The police men were said to have been recently posted to the state. This development came on the heels of a similar incident where two policemen were reportedly gunned down around Kaduna Street area of the state capital. They were said to be on routine police duty around the area when gunmen opened fire on them, killing the two on the spot. A civilian also reportedly lost his life that night in that same spot. It could not be confirmed if the civilian was gunned down by police bullet or that of the militants. In Warri, a woman and a young boy were shot, yesterday, by men of the Joint Task Force on the Niger Delta at Escravos in Delta State following a peaceful protest by Ugborodo youths against the Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) over job slots and contracts. The two injured villagers were conveyed yesterday evening to an undisclosed hospital in Warri by the CNL for medical attention after the dust on the incident settled. However, a community source said seven persons were shot and gave their names as Ms Toju Akitikori, Messrs. John Toghanrose, Tony Mene, Samuel Mejebi and one Arubi all of whom are currently receiving treatment in various private clinics in Warri. But Commander of the JTF, Brigadier-General Nanven Rimtip, who visited Escravos, yesterday, to assess the situation told Vanguard that some armed youths invaded the Chevron facility in Escravos and opened fire, forcing his men to shoot to defend themselves and the location. He said he was not aware of any casualty on the side of the ?attackers? but none of his men was injured. Vice chairman of the Delta Waterways Security Committee (DWSC), Mr. Ayiri Emami, who is also a youth leader in Ugborodo, however, told Vanguard that it was not true that the protesting villagers carried arms or fired at the JTF operatives. He said the community carried out a peaceful protest against the company for breaching the Memorandum of Understanding entered by both parties on the issues of job slots and contracts, adding that they came with boats. He said when he got a call from a senior military officer that the youths were protesting with arms, he requested the officer to send his men to the scene and if anybody was found with arms, he (Ayiri) should be arrested. Ayiri said the JTF operatives callously opened fire on the peaceful protesters, apparently with a mistaken notion that since armed youths hijacked a ship conveying goods for the Escravos ?Gas-to-Liquid project, last weekend, they might have regrouped to attack the company. But he said the protest should not have come as a surprise to the company because the community had made known its grievances before then, adding that it was because the company knew it was a peaceful protest that it offered to take the victims to the hospital for treatment. Brigadier-General Rimtip who spoke to Vanguard from Escravos said: ?If it was a peaceful protest as they claimed, then, why did they open fire on my men? They cannot fold their hands and watch while people are firing at them. Enough is enough.? He said the situation was under control as at yesterday evening, a development which a furious Ayiri also confirmed, pointing out that he had contacted the governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan over the assault on his people by the JTF. Vice-chairman of Ugborodo Community Trust, Mr. Isaac Botosan, who corroborated Ayiri?s claim told Vanguard that the soldiers shot into the community on sighting the peaceful crowd of protesting natives, saying many of the natives were now hiding inside the bush with varying degrees of gun shot injuries. Mr. Botosan said the community could no longer guarantee a safe working environment for the continuation of the EGTL project following the unprovoked attack on their people. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCsE6iNZWXb02P6yTeDiDB4bxqkg Child dies in Guinea after hit by stray bullet during protest Nov 4, 2008 CONAKRY (AFP) ? A child of nine, hit by a stray bullet during a violent protest in the Guinean capital Conakry against the cost of fuel, died Tuesday, his family and the hospital where he was taken said. The boy, the son of a local imam, was at home Monday when he was hit by a bullet when groups of youths were confronting security forces in the neighbourhood. Clashes continued Tuesday in several parts of Conakry. Mobile and well-organised gangs of youths built barricades and threw stones at police who riposted with tear gas. There were dozens of arrests but no injuries, according to reports. Soldiers shot dead a police officer and wounded several people in Monday's clashes. The police officer, a new recruit, was watching the skirmishes between authorities and protesters when he was hit by a bullet in the chest fired by soldiers, according to the police. Security and Civil Protection Minister Madifim Diane toured the most restive suburbs, police said, and asked senior figures in mosques to keep their children at home. Military chiefs met President Lansana Conte but no details of the discussions were given. Police took up positions at major crossroads and others patrolled in pick-up trucks to clear barricades. Warning shots could be heard and taxis stuck to a limited number of streets. While Guinea has a vast mineral wealth with bauxite, iron, gold and uranium deposits, most of its nine million inhabitants live on less than a dollar a day. Reeling from the twin effects of the financial crisis and the global rise in food prices, the lot of the poor has been exacerbated by spiralling inflation, estimated at 21.4 percent in August -- the latest month for which figures are available. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6528645.html Clash in Paraguay injures at least 14 policemen, 50 protestors + - 13:31, November 06, 2008 Related News At least 14 policemen and 50 protesters were injured Wednesday during a clash in the capital of Paraguay, according to reports. According to information received from Asuncion, capital of Paraguay, hundreds of people, mainly peasants and activists, gathered in front of the Prosecutor Office building, asking Ruben Candia Amarilla, the general prosecutor, to resign. Clashes erupted when police officers tried to prevent protesters from entering the building. Demonstrations began Tuesday in seven parts of the country as protesters demanded reforms in judicial power and agrarian structure. The organizer of Wednesday's protest, the Social and People's Front, said police intervention was "excessive." Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo in a short communique called the protest "a right of citizens and associations" that is protected by his government, but he also stressed that the constitutional and institutional order of the country could not be broken. Lugo said his government "guarantees and reaffirms that agrarian reform, a electoral campaign promise, will be done" when conditions are ready. Source:Xinhua http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/02/turkey.protests/index.html?eref=rss_world November 2, 2008 Police tear gas Kurds amid Turkey PM's tour From Journalist Andrew Finkel ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon on Sunday to disperse thousands of Kurdish protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Turkish media reports. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's tour has generated protests. Erdogan is visiting Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, hoping to drum up support for his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ahead of upcoming nationwide local elections. Turkey's southwest is largely controlled by the Kurdish nationalist Democratic Society Party (DTP) but Erdogan's AKP performed strongly in the region during the July 2007 general election. It is unclear whether DTP will be able to participate in the upcoming local elections in March, which will decide local councils and mayorships across Turkey. The country's public prosecutor is asking the constitutional court to shut down the Kurdish party on charges of fomenting separatism -- which could lead to the expulsion of eight DTP ministers. DTP has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- a separatist faction with rebels based in northern Iraq that has been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey. Erdogan's own party narrowly avoided being shut down by the constitutional court, earlier this year, although the AKP was convicted of violating Turkey's secular constitution. Sunday's demonstration happened in the remote town of Yuksekova -- in Hakkari province along Turkey's border with Iran and Iraq -- in front of the DTP's headquarters, Turkish media reported. It is the second day of sporadic protests against Erdogan in the Kurdish dominated region. Don't Miss ? Turkish warplanes bomb Kurd rebel bases An explosion struck AKP's provincial headquarters in the town of Hakkari on Saturday, injuring two people, according to Zaman Newspaper. Also, police on Saturday clashed with stone-throwing demonstrators in Van, two blocks away from where Erdogan addressed a crowd of supporters, according to Turkey's Anatolian news agency. Demonstrations also continue throughout the region in praise of the outlawed PKK and its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan was tried and convicted on charges of treason in 1999. The Turkish government has staunchly denied recent claims that Ocalan has been physically abused while he is in solitary confinement on the prison island of Imrali. There have been sit down protests in the center of Diyarbakir -- the main city in Turkey's Kurdish region. Police in Istanbul are on high alert on Sunday amid possible protest plans in the main Taksim Square, according to Turkish media. Some commentators see the renewed protests as an attempt -- possibly by the PKK -- to polarize opinion ahead of the local elections. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7705293.stm Sunday, 2 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Kurdish protests at Erdogan visit Turkish police have clashed with demonstrators protesting against a visit by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the country's restive south-east region. About 3,000 people took to the streets in the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, close to the Iraqi border. Teargas was used to disperse another protest in Istanbul, where about 27 people were arrested, say reports. Mr Erdogan has called for unity and pledged funding to develop the impoverished region. "Let us protect our peace and stand united," he said, during a ceremony to open a new hospital in Yuksekova. "If we increase our solidarity, we will also increase our development." Recent weeks have seen a series of protests in the mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey. Unrest broke out amid rumours that a leader of the rebel group PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, had been mistreated in prison - claims strongly denied by the government. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in the south-east for over two decades and has stepped up its attacks in Turkey. The Turkish government has also intensified its campaign against the PKK in recent weeks. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=157680 Violence discredits DTP?s attempts at peaceful protest The Democratic Society Party (DTP) is trying to show that it is ready to hold peaceful demonstrations, but it's not giving up vandalism -- a dichotomy represented Saturday by the party's simultaneous sit-in protest in Diyarbak?r and supporters' attacks in Van. Protestors attacked police and stores with stones and Molotov cocktails and set five vehicles on fire on Saturday in the eastern province of Van, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an paid a visit. The DTP, while holding a sit-in protest in Diyarbak?r, urged its supporters to protest Erdo?an's visit to Van. At the Diyarbak?r protest, DTP deputy Emine Ayna claimed that they were not the ones implementing violence; instead, she said, their legitimate demands were terrorized. In the same speech, she claimed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) presented the DTP as violent. The DTP is facing a closure case before the Constitutional Court on charges of being the focus of separatist activities. DTP officials are defending their party by saying that the EU's Venice criteria should be taken into consideration. The Venice criteria suggest that in order to close a political party, there should be an imminent danger of violence. DTP leader Ahmet T?rk, who was unable to attend the sit-in protest in Diyarbak?r on Sunday because he missed the plane, told Today's Zaman that the sit-in protest should be seen as evidence that the Kurdish problem cannot be settled without "dialogue, consensus and common sense." T?rk said he was disturbed about the recent incidents, which broke out in the Southeast, as he added: "We keep saying that using weapons as a means to obtain rights is not right." The DTP leader urged the government to develop a democratic project in order to prevent such incidents from happening. Emphasizing that he disapproved of violent protests held by DTP supporters in the Southeast, T?rk said: "Democratic reactions should be given through democratic messages. But indifference sometimes leads to anger. The prime minister talks about abandoning weapons in Van and says consensus and dialogue are the solutions to the problem. For years, we have been saying the same thing." The former chairman of the Diyarbak?r Bar Association, Sezgin Tanr?kulu, said that it is difficult to understand what the DTP is trying to do. "The DTP encouraged the protest demonstration, and then the participants burned cars and got violent. If it wants, the prosecution can link the incidents in Van to the closure case for its indictment," Tanr?kulu said. He said the violence, especially in the cities, is not helping to find a solution to Kurdish problems. "It is very unfortunate to react in this way," he said. At the sit-in protest, DTP Diyarbak?r deputy Ak?n Birdal suggested that Erdo?an is responsible for the incidents in Van. "Without taking a step toward a solution in Ankara, to come to this region is not politically correct. If he were taking steps toward a pluralistic constitution, he would have the security for free circulation," said Birdal, who is the former chairman of the Human Rights Association. He said that during the Nevruz events this year in Van and Hakkari, police and demonstrators clashed, four were killed and several were wounded. "The government, instead of punishing the ones who used excessive force against the people, were not punished and promoted," Birdal said. "In people's memories, the scenes from those days are very fresh, while the security forces were attacking people, children and women. The real reason for people's reaction should be understood." T?rk said that settling the Kurdish problem requires the Kurds' winning their cultural, identity and education rights. "We know how everyone expresses their identity and culture in today's world and what kind of rights they have. The esteemed prime minister also knows about this," T?rk said. "We do not want a different thing; we ask them to find formulas that will solve the problem within the unity of the state and grant cultural, identity and education rights of our citizens. We believe in the brotherhood of people. We are making efforts to live together." http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=157660 A sit-in protest while dancing The DTP's sit-in protest, which started on Saturday and is expected to last until today, involved more dancing and performing the halay around a fire than sitting. "Please be seated. Please be patient, we will be here for two days, we will be here until Monday morning," Nejdet Atalay, the chairman of the Diyarbak?r branch of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) said while addressing the crowd who gathered in Diyarbak?r's Bat?kent Park on Saturday morning for a two-day sit-in protest, demanding a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. DTP deputy Emine Ayna, in her speech to demonstrators at the beginning of the protest, claimed that the DTP is the party of peace, and said that the DTP had been the victim of a smear campaign and presented as a party of violence by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The pro-Kurdish political platform has been under constant criticism for being unable to put space between itself and violence. The DTP's refusal to denounce the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is one of the most important reasons behind the closure case it faces in the Constitutional Court. The indictment the DTP is fighting claims that the party has become the focus of separatist actions. Criticism against pro-Kurdish politics has recently been stepped up as a result of the appearance of children at the frontlines of clashes with state security forces during violent demonstrations during the last two weeks. Tension in predominantly Kurdish areas erupted after abuse was rumored of Abdullah ?calan, the leader of the PKK, who is serving a life sentence on maximum-security prison on ?mral? Island in the Marmara Sea. During these demonstrations, one protestor was killed, more than 200 children were detained and several of them were arrested. "We condemn the distortions of politicians who are encouraging harsh reactions from the security forces towards us while we are searching for democracy," Ayna said in her speech. She is known as a radical in the DTP, and she is resolute in her refusal to use the term of "terrorist" for the PKK. "Our legitimate struggle and humanitarian demands are terrorized by distortion," she said and protested the alleged abuse of ?calan. While Ayna was giving this speech in Diyarbak?r, violent demonstrations were erupting in Van to protesting a visit by the prime minister to the predominantly Kurdish city. Hasip Kaplan, DTP deputy for ??rnak, who has frequently suggested holding peaceful demonstrations, including a sit-in protest in Parliament, is among the protesters in Diyarbak?r and changes his sitting position every few seconds. He turns to a protestor sitting next to him, Osman Baydemir, the mayor of Diyarbak?r, and says: "This is the most difficult method of demonstration for us. We used to protest things with shouting and "halay" (a folk dance)." Baydemir smiles and says, "For a long time, I have not had the opportunity to rest like I did today," but before he has a chance to finish his sentence, someone approaches him and asks him about the library which has not yet been opened. Kaplan turns to Baydemir and again and asks: "Do you know of any sit-in protest of politicians which has been as long as ours? Maybe be can enter the Guinness Book of World Records." The answer comes from not Baydemir, but another protestor, "Gandhi." Then a moment of silence covers the huge tent where the demonstrators are sitting on tiny carpets. "These types of demonstrations are very important since they are non-violent. This is the first sit-in protest arranged by pro-Kurdish politicians," says Kaplan. Kaplan underlines the fact that the positioning of children was taken into consideration when they took the decision to hold a protest. Almost 40 percent of the population in predominantly Kurdish areas are children, and in the children are not only there taking part in the demonstration itself; they are also shouting political slogans or selling water and sandwiches to the protestors. The most frequent slogan one can hear is "The youth are the fedayeen [those who are ready to sacrifice themselves] of Apo [the nickname of ?calan]." The youngsters have some difficulty keeping still, often breaking into the halay dances, or covering their faces with scarves, or unfurling PKK flags and walking with them towards the sitting crowd. The adults, chatting with each other, using the protest as an opportunity to socialize, move just slightly to make room for the children waving the PKK flags. One of them who looks no older than 14 but says he is 16, carefully watches me and approaches me, while I am writing down the slogans of the banners in my notebook: "We've had enough. We want a democratic solution to the Kurdish question." A banner has a sentence in Turkish and another sentence in Kurdish. The boy asks me why I am only scribbling down the Turkish one in my notebook. I tell him it's because I don't understand Kurdish. He stares at me for short moment and tells me, "But I know your language." The demonstrators are wearing white shirts which carry the same slogan in Turkish on one side and Kurdish on the other. A printing shop opposite the park where the demonstration is taking place is hanging the fresh shirts outside to dry the ink on them. When the shirts are ready, they are carried to the demonstration area to be distributed by youngsters. The demonstration looks like a social event in a sunny day than a political demonstration because many participants are not sitting, but dancing, chatting or shouting slogans from time to time. The demonstration is definitely a peaceful one, but Atalay complains that state security forces frequently call him and warn him about the slogans in the demonstration. Ayla Akat Ata, DTP deputy for Batman, has another complaint, she believes that the sit-in protest in Diyarbak?r does not have news value to the media, who are, in her opinion, very harsh when it comes to being critical of other pro-Kurdish demonstrations. "They will not use this sit-in protest to inform the public about what the Kurds want," she argues. For the deputies of the DTP and for other elected party officials, the sit in protest is a good opportunity to meet with their electorate. DTP deputies S?rr? Sak?k, Osman ?z?elik and Emine Ayna, if they are not joining in the halay dances, are listening to the problems of the people. The small groups of protesters talk about many issues if there is no politician beside them, such as football, recipes and the economy. The DTP's sit-in protest planned to finish Monday morning with a declaration of ideas towards a peaceful solution. But when Ata is questioned if these kinds of peaceful protests from now on will be the main demonstration form, she is hesitant to answer: "The executive board and the leadership of our party will decide on that," she says, but her words are mixed with sounds of guns which accompany the chorus of the most frequently played song in the demonstration. The "guerilla" song of the sit-in protest invites the youngsters to the mountains. 03 November 2008, Monday AY?E KARABAT D?YARBAKIR http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7705293.stm Sunday, 2 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Kurdish protests at Erdogan visit PKK and police clash in Istanbul and Yuksekova Turkish police have clashed with demonstrators protesting against a visit by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the country's restive south-east region. About 3,000 people took to the streets in the town of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, close to the Iraqi border. Teargas was used to disperse another protest in Istanbul, where about 27 people were arrested, say reports. Mr Erdogan has called for unity and pledged funding to develop the impoverished region. "Let us protect our peace and stand united," he said, during a ceremony to open a new hospital in Yuksekova. "If we increase our solidarity, we will also increase our development." Recent weeks have seen a series of protests in the mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey. Unrest broke out amid rumours that a leader of the rebel group PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, had been mistreated in prison - claims strongly denied by the government. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in the south-east for over two decades and has stepped up its attacks in Turkey. The Turkish government has also intensified its campaign against the PKK in recent weeks. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081101210749.ogatbwfhp1&show_article=1 Turkish riot police clash with a demonstrator in the eastern Turkish city of Van Turkish riot police clash with a demonstrator in the eastern Turkish city of Van. Hundreds of Kurds rioted Saturday in eastern Turkey and a suspected bomb blast rocked the offices of the ruling party as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the conflict-torn region. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 07:28:02 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:28:02 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] THAILAND: PAD protests and counter-protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB0F5F2.7010707@tesco.net> * Analysis: Thai crisis exposes class struggle * Parents "giving up kids for cash" in protests * Airport occupations hit Thai tourism industry * Dec 1: Thousands of Redshirt counter-protesters gather * Nov 30: Courts threaten airport protesters * Nov 29: Protesters overrun police cordon, rout riot cops * Nov 29: Protesters injured in grenade attack * Nov 28: Airport protesters prepare for long stay * Nov 27: PM sends cops after protesters * Nov 26: Protesters shut down airports * Nov 26: Chiang Mai - 1 killed in clash between PAD, Thaksin supporters * Nov 24: protesters blockade parliament, postpone sitting * Nov 25: protesters besiege PM's office * Nov 25: protesters "retreat" from govt office * Nov 24: protesters cut off parliament electricity * Protesters "trying to provoke repression, coup" - analysts * Nov 24: protesters leave camp for "final battle" * Nov 24: protester dies from bomb blast injuries * Nov 24: Redshirts to avoid parliament clash * Paper calls for "break" from protests * Nov 24: blasts near protest leader's office * Nov 22: blast injures 8 as opponents attack protest * Nov 17: govt calls for Govt House pullout, talks * Nov 14: Redshirts target British embassy * Nov 13: Protesters lift road blockade for royal cremation * Nov 11: Two wounded in bomb blast * Nov 9: Bomb blast at PAD HQ * Nov 4: Thaksin supporters protest payment accusation * Nov 2: Injury in clash at protest site * Nov 2: Redshirts shut down Democrat party meeting * Nov 3: Shooting near protest site * Oct 31: Protest site hit in grenade attack * Oct 30: Plastic hand clappers popular with protesters http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7716033.stm Saturday, 8 November 2008 Thai crisis exposes class struggle By Jonathan Head BBC News, Bangkok For weeks the yellow-shirted protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have hogged the limelight in Thailand. Pro-government supporters are fighting back with their own rallies With the backing of powerful military and palace figures, they have helped unseat one prime minister and two members of his cabinet. The embattled government, led by allies of controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has in vain protested that it was popularly elected less than a year ago. Now it has started fighting back with a series of mass rallies by its own red-shirted followers. This is a dangerous contest between two power-hungry political factions who see it as a zero-sum game, in which they either win everything, or lose everything. But it has become much more than that. The rift has split Thai society, along regional and especially along class lines. 'Dress in red' It is Monday morning, in a quiet backstreet in Udon Thani, provincial capital of a north-eastern province bordering Laos and a known Thaksin stronghold. Radio DJ Kwanchai Sarakam is taking calls. He is a firebrand Thaksin loyalist who already faces criminal charges over his involvement in a clash with PAD supporters in July. But his callers are just as fired up. If the PAD cannot convince me their version of democracy will help grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath Farmer Ankham Ratanasingha (left) The first is an old lady, with a warning for the military. "Listen to me, soldiers," she shouts down a crackly phone line, "if you dare try another coup, forget about getting roses, because I will dress myself entirely in red - red hair, red panties, red bra, red fingernails - and jump in front of your tanks. You will have to run over me, a grass-roots woman, and crush me to death." Other calls follow in a similar, if less melodramatic, vein. The show finishes with a rousing song, scorning "educated people" for their ignorance and lack of manners. Kwanchai threatens to bring a red-shirted army to Bangkok to declare war on the PAD. He says there will have to be bloodshed before Thailand can get through this crisis. He almost seems to relish the prospect. But the sense of being engaged in a class war is commonplace on both sides of this struggle. Rich-poor divide "You see these people here - they are all educated people," one man told me at a PAD gathering in Bangkok. "But the ones who support the government party, they are all uneducated, especially from the north and north-east." This is a typical comment from the PAD, implying that the millions of rural people who consistently vote for pro-Thaksin politicians are either bribed or do not understand what they are doing. Anti-government rallies have been held in Bangkok for weeks It is the justification the PAD gives for demanding a parliament which is part-appointed. Such an attitude infuriates Ankham Ratanasingha, who runs a small farm with her husband just outside Udon Thani. She had to leave school at 10 years old, but takes pride in having educated her two children to university level. "If the PAD cannot convince me that their version of democracy will help grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath," she said. "They should treat us with respect, not as people they can just squash under their feet." "The problem of Thai political crisis is a class struggle", says Attajak Satayanutak, an academic from Thaksin's home town Chiang Mai. "We have a wide gap between rich and poor. The poor did not receive anything from the state for a long time. Then, for the first time, Thaksin gave this opportunity for them." The affection for Thaksin Shinawatra has held up remarkably well in the north-east, a poor and arid region known as Isaan. Local people say his populist policies, like universal healthcare and the village loan scheme, brought big improvements to the quality of their lives. But time and again they cite something else - dignity. They told me he offered them the hope of improving themselves, without making them feel small, or humble. If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war Thaksin supporter His darker sides - abuses of power, human rights violations, arrogance - were brushed aside as less important. Isaan has long been the butt of jokes in Thailand. It has a culture and language closer to that of neighbouring Laos than the central plains around Bangkok. It supplies much of the cheap, migrant labour to the capital. But it has one valuable asset Thaksin Shinawatra identified as he began planning his bid for power in the late 1990s - voters, around one third of the total. He was the first politician to court them directly, with appealing policies, rather than relying on the local godfathers to deliver their support. In doing so, he has awoken a new political self-awareness in a previously passive region. And Isaan people are furious about the comments they are hearing from the PAD in Bangkok. "Those who think Isaan people blindly follow Thaksin Shinawatra have an outdated image of our region," I was told by Puttakarn Panthong, a local politician who is not affiliated with Mr Thaksin's party. "They have better education now, and they understand who and what they are voting for." Stuck in exile So at the first of the big rallies in Bangkok, the former prime minister's phone-call, from somewhere overseas, was the most eagerly awaited moment of the night. Politician Chaturon Chaiseng's song made the link with past class struggles A huge roar went up from the 60,000 red-shirted faithful as his voice came over the speakers, asking: "Have you missed me?" There were more than a few tearful faces in the crowd. But this was also a carefully-choreographed event, intended to send out a signal to the PAD and its royalist backers, that they face formidable opposition. The crowd was far larger than any the PAD has managed to attract this year. Aside from Mr Thaksin, the highlight of the night was a song sung by Chaturon Chaiseng, one of the most respected politicians in the Thaksin camp. He was also once a left-wing activist who took up arms against the military during the communist insurgency of the last 1970s. And the song he chose was written by one of his comrades-in-arms, which tells of the sadness of a young rebel unable to return home. The reference, or course, was to Mr Thaksin, stuck in exile, facing a two-year prison sentence if he comes back. But it also connected his poor, rural followers today, with the class conflicts of Thailand's past. Behind Mr Chaturon they held up the words "NO MORE COUP" in bold red letters. It seemed more of a warning than a plea. One man turned to me and said: "If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=676153&rss=yes Parents 'giving up kids for cash in Thai protests' 14:00 AEST Sun Nov 30 2008 125 days 14 hours 21 minutes ago By Matt Bachl, ninemsn VIEWS: 0 | FLOCKS: 0 | 0 comments so far Inga Vennell (right) says parents are giving up their children as protesters in Thailand for money. Protesters in Thailand are luring children into their airport rally by paying mums and dads to give up their kids, according to an Australian trapped in the country. Thousands of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy have blocked Thailand's two main airports, preventing up to 10,000 tourists from leaving and sending businesses that operate within the terminals broke. Inga Vennell, who was due to leave the country on Wednesday after a backpacking trip, told ninemsn shopkeepers, out-of-pocket tourists and children were being paid to join the rally. "People who work at clothing stores, cafes and bars ? and who don?t have any affiliation with the protesters ? are getting paid about 100 Baht ($AU4.30) to go in there. "We're not sure who is paying them but they're saying its great; there's so much food and water. "The protesters have made walls of barricades that are made with boxes of water wrapped in barbed wire." Families who joined the "peaceful" demonstration with babies or children were getting paid more, Ms Vennell said. "Many families are pushing their children to enter into the situation to provide more money for their families," she said. The idea is that the military or police won't use as much force because children were still there, she said. Ms Vennell said the more violent protesters ? the "rebels" ? were taking stimulants and pills to keep themselves awake, which was making them more agitated and angry. "They've tied together airport trolleys and wrapped barbed wire around them ? that's what the police are having trouble getting through," she said. Demonstrators seized the Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday night and the smaller Don Muang airport on Wednesday. The alliance has accused the government of being a puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006 and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Thailand's current prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, is Thaksin's brother-in-law. Police overnight cordoned off the protesters, sparking fears a showdown is imminent. The five-day protest inside the airport has so far been without violence but a grenade attack against protesters who have occupied the prime minister's office in Bangkok has wounded 46 people, emergency services said. National Chief General Pateep Tanprasert said he was following the prime minister's orders to end the crisis "as soon as possible". "My strategy is also based on non-violence," Chief General Pateep said. "Currently, we are trying to open negotiations with protesters." http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262748 Thailand Tourism Suffers as Defiant Protesters Occupy Airports By Leo Reyes. Published Nov 28, 2008 by ? Leo Reyes This is about the forced closure of the major airports in Thailand by militant protesters that stranded thousands of foreign tourists, businessmen and ordinary passengers in the airports. Tourism in Thailand is a booming industry until a few days ago when anti-government protesters occupied two major airports. The forced occupation by the militant protesters leaves thousands of passengers stranded for the last three days and damaging the country?s image as major tourist destination. The militant protesters are demanding the resignation of the current Thailand Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. Somchai is the brother-in-law of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who is presently in exile and rumored to be staying in China. The militant group accused Somchai of being a puppet of Thaksin. They also accused Thaksin and his allies of corruption and abuse of power. Upon his return from the APEC meeting in South America, Somchai declared a state of emergency at the airports authorizing police to take back the terminals from the militant protesters. Sensing that the police and military may not carryout the order, the government opted not to use force and just negotiate with the protesters. Nattawut Sai-Kau said that the police have been instructed to get the protesters out of the airports as soon as possible and were instructed to avoid violence. ?Firstly, the police should open negotiation with the protesters. If they refuse to go, police should do whatever is necessary to open the airports on the basis of non-violence? he added. The government?s option of not using force on the militant protesters, raised doubts about the support of the army in a situation where force is the only option left for the government to exercise. The Army Chief remained neutral so far in the current political turmoil and has even encouraged Somchai to call for new election. The standoff that gathered momentum about three months ago when protesters took the prime minister?s office have paralyzed the government and brought the stock market down. If the situation remains unresolved and prolonged, it will kill the tourism industry and bring Thailand?s economy in shambles. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/01/2433695.htm?section=world Pro-Govt protesters hold rally in Bangkok Posted Mon Dec 1, 2008 12:00am AEDT Updated Mon Dec 1, 2008 12:34am AEDT Slideshow: Photo 1 of 2 Police said around 4,000 supporters had gathered. (Reuters: Darren Whiteside) Thousands of red-clad Government supporters have rallied in downtown Bangkok, stoking tensions after grenade attacks wounded dozens from a rival group that has occupied Thailand's main airports. The demonstration added to the political turmoil paralysing the kingdom, which has left foreign nations scrambling to evacuate around 100,000 tourists left stranded by the anti-government airport blockade. Wearing red headbands emblazoned with the words "No Coup", backers of the current administration and of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra raised fears of violence by rallying for the first time in the six-day stand-off. "We gather here today to protect the democratic system, to say we don't want a coup," said Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the pro-government group known as the "Red Shirts", adding that they would stay there until Thursday. Police said around 4,000 supporters had gathered. The Government's failure to end the occupation of Bangkok's two airports by its foes in the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has sparked speculation of a repeat of the putsch that toppled Thaksin in 2006. The PAD - whose supporters wear yellow in what they say is a symbol of their desire to protect Thailand's revered monarchy - have refused to budge until Thaksin's brother-in-law, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, resigns. The demo took place about five kilometres away from where a grenade attack early on Sunday wounded 49 PAD supporters who have occupied the nearby Prime Minister's cabinet offices since August. "Whatever happens, we will fight," senior PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang told reporters at the site earlier. Hours later, a blast outside the domestic Don Mueang airport injured two passers-by, police said. A grenade was also found at the offices of a party in the ruling coalition but did not go off. Grenade attacks this month at the Premier's besieged offices killed two protesters and prompted the PAD to launch its "final battle" to topple the government. Thai authorities used carrot and stick tactics on Sunday to end the siege at Don Mueang and the larger Suvarnabhumi international airport. Police said fresh talks had started at both airports. But they later issued a new order to protesters at Don Mueang, warning that they faced two years in jail if they did not disperse. "Time is running out but we still have time to find a solution. Police will work with compromise, no force, no weapons," said Pongsapat Pongcharoen, assistant to the national police chief. At Suvarnabhumi, PAD guards were still entrenched behind barricades of tyres, wooden stakes and razor wire. They have armed themselves with golf clubs, sticks and other weapons. But there was a thin police presence around the airport, and most protesters inside the gleaming terminal building opened in 2006 were sleeping, AFP correspondents said. The PAD accuses Mr Somchai's Government of being a corrupt puppet for Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon who is in exile to avoid corruption charges. Supporters of the group have backing from elements in the military, palace and urban middle classes. The apparent stalemate has prompted speculation that the rival factions are waiting for other events scheduled this week. The Constitutional Court is due Tuesday to wrap up a case that could see the ruling party disbanded for fraud and Mr Somchai and other leaders banned from politics. Meanwhile deeply-respected King Bhumibol Adulyadej is due to give a speech on Thursday, the eve of his birthday. Foreign countries meanwhile arranged more flights for their stranded nationals through the Vietnam War-era naval base at U-Tapao, 190 kilometres from Bangkok. "They have killed tourism in this country, the authorities should go do something," said tourist Danny Mosaffi, 57, from New York City as he waited for a flight. - AFP http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Thailand-Protesters-Ordered-Out-Of-Bangkok-Airports/Article/200811415166725?f=rss Thailand: Protesters Ordered Out 11:00am UK, Sunday November 30, 2008 Thai police have ordered thousands of anti-government protesters to immediately leave Bangkok's two airports or face prosecution. Thai police say they want a peaceful solution to the stand-off Suvarnabhumi international airport and Don Muang domestic airport have been taken over by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy, leaving thousands of tourists stranded. At least 2,000 police have surrounded the airports, and all flights have been cancelled in and out of the Thai capital. Yesterday, activists attacked a checkpoint outside Suvarnabhumi, forcing more than 150 riot police to retreat. The confrontation came as Thai authorities tried to stop more demonstrators joining the blockade. Elsewhere in the capital, at least 51 anti-government protesters were injured in two explosions. Protesters close airport The first incident - a grenade attack on the prime minister's office - left at least 49 wounded, nine of whom were taken to hospital. Somchai Wongsawat's office compound has been controlled by protesters since August. In another pre-dawn attack, an explosive device was detonated near the main entrance to Don Muang airport, wounding two. The explosions have raised fears of widening confrontations in a stand-off that has strangled the country's economy and shut down air traffic. Thai police say they are in talks with protesters in a bid to end the stand-offs without resorting to force. "We are in a negotiation process. We want to avoid any violent confrontation. We will not use weapons," police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen told a news conference. More than 100,000 air passengers have been left stranded in the city. Spain has reportedly said it will send three planes to the country to fly people home. Two Spanish military aircraft and an airliner chartered from a private company were due to depart on Sunday afternoon for Thailand, reports in the country's media said. http://www.theledger.com/article/20081129/news/811290339 Protesters Attack Thai Police Cordon By CHRIS BLAKE & VIJAY JOSHI Published: Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. BANGKOK, Thailand | Anti-government protesters who have closed down Bangkok's airports broke through a police cordon meant to shut them off from supplies, raising fears Saturday of widening confrontations in the standoff that has strangled the country's economy. Related Links: ? Thai Premier Is Ousted; Airports Will Open Again About 400 protesters, traveling in a convoy of cars from the occupied international airport, attacked a police checkpoint staffed by more than 100 police. The perimeter had raised expectations authorities were preparing for a raid to end the four-day-old siege. But instead, the dramatic 4-minute assault effectively broke the cordon around the airport, which protesters overran Tuesday night as part of their campaign to force Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office. Bangkok's domestic airport also has been seized, severing the capital from all commercial air traffic and virtually paralyzing the government. The closure of the airports has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy and reputation. According to Thai media reports, some 100,000 tourists are stranded, and schedules of airlines around the world have been disrupted. The protesters, carrying metal rods and some guns, smashed windshields and threw what appeared to be firecrackers at the police. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thai-protesters-overrun-airport-blockades-1041656.html Thai protesters overrun airport blockades More than 100,000 tourists still stranded as the country remains paralysed by five-day siege. Oliver Wright reports from Bangkok Sunday, 30 November 2008 AFP Anti-government protesters ignored police calls for them to leave Bangkok airport yesterday as more than 3,000 Britons were still unable to fly home Hundreds of protesters occupying Bangkok's main airport yesterday stormed a police blockade, forcing 150 officers to flee a checkpoint as tensions mounted in the five-day stand-off that has virtually paralysed Thailand. Anti-government demonstrators armed with metal bars, baseball bats and golf clubs overran the cordon around the airport's perimeter, letting down the tyres of four police vans. In the city itself last night, a grenade was lobbed into a rally of protesters occupying the compound at Government House, injuring 46 people. Suriyasai Katasila, leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the movement behind the protests, blamed government supporters. "I had come down from the stage about 30 minutes before the grenade dropped into a crowded area," he told Taiwanese television. As protesters fought with the security forces outside the airport, one policeman was grabbed, forcibly put in a vehicle by three of the protesters, and driven away towards an area controlled by the demonstrators. It was unclear whether they intended to hold him hostage. After the confrontation, about 500 more protesters arrived at the airport in a convoy of trucks. "If they enter the airport, we won't open the door for sure," said a protest leader. "If they enter and fire, we will fire back for sure. If we must die, then we will die." Later, about 2,000 policeman were deployed for the first time around the main exit and entry points to the airport, raising fears among the protesters inside that they intended to clear the airport by force. One checkpoint on the main road leading to Suvarnabhumi airport, on the outskirts of Bangkok, was manned by about 400 policemen accompanied by 20 navy personnel armed with M-16 rifles. The roadblocks, police said, were meant to prevent more protesters from joining the thousands already inside the terminal building. The confrontation has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy and reputation. Some 100,000 tourists, more than 3,000 of them British, are stranded, while many more who planned to go on holiday to the country cannot get in. Thailand's airport authority said yesterday that Suvarnabhumi would not reopen before tomorrow at the earliest. Some airlines are operating rescue flights out of an old navy base, 90 miles south of Bangkok, to ferry stranded passengers to Malaysia and Singapore. However, this has limited capacity and it would take weeks to move all the trapped passengers. Both the European Union and the US urged protesters to vacate the airports, saying the protests were "seriously damaging" Thailand's image. The PAD is seeking the overthrow of the current Thai government led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Mr Somchai, who is the brother-in-law of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected last December after a military coup in 2006 ousted Mr Thaksin. But despite PAD's name and its allegation that the government is a puppet of Mr Thaksin, more democracy is not what it seeks. It wants to change Thailand's constitution to reduce the democratic representation of Thailand's poor, the main backers of the ruling People's Power Party (PPP), and increase the number of appointments to parliament. The group has the backing of powerful forces within Thailand that are upset by what democracy has brought to the country in the shape of Mr Thaksin and his rural backers. Senior army leaders are also broadly sympathetic to PAD, and the group has backers in the royal household. The police, on the other hand, are generally loyal to the government but it is unclear even here how wide the Prime Minister's writ runs. On Friday, he was forced to demote the national police chief for failing to take strong enough action against protesters, and Mr Somchai himself has been unable to return to the capital from the party's northern stronghold of Chiang Mai since the crisis began on Tuesday. But the PAD may have overplayed its hand. Holding Bangkok's new ?2.6bn airport hostage is risky because it alienates the business community, its core backer. Even if PAD wins and there is a military coup that ousts Mr Somchai and the PPP, the crisis is far from over. The PPP could unleash its own mass movement, the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), to confront the PAD ? but with similar or even bloodier results. "We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out," said Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the group. "They have been told to bring their clothes and food because we will be here for a long time." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5257097.ece November 29, 2008 Thai riot police flee as protesters storm airport checkpoints Kevin Dowling Riot police have fled a checkpoint near Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport after coming under attack by several hundred anti-government protesters. About 150 police at the checkpoint jumped into their vehicles and drove away when they saw a convoy of protesters speeding toward them. Protesters have occupied the airport since late Tuesday, forcing the halt of all flights and leaving British holidaymakers stranded. The situation for hundreds of Britons trapped in the country worsened today with the announcement that the airport will remain closed until at least 6pm Monday. Andy Cooper, director general of the Federation of Tour Operators, said the five or six hundred British tourists stranded in Thailand with tour operators were in a "wait and see situation". It is estimated there are hundreds more independent travellers also stuck in the country. A spokesman for Abta, the travel association, said: "Hundreds of British tourists are over in Bangkok with our members. They are in a better position than people who travelled independently. "The operators are keeping in contact with them, making sure they are in hotels, and in many cases paying their bills. They are being looked after." He said people with bookings to fly out to Thailand were being dealt with on a "rolling basis" and could choose to delay their trip, go to an alternative destination or ask for their money back. A spokeswoman for tour operator Kuoni said they had been looking after about 200 clients in Thailand. The confrontation, severing the capital from civilian air traffic, has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy and reputation. So far security forces have only issued a warning to the protesters to leave and refrained from using force. The protesters say they will not leave until the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns. But the government's patience is wearing thin. "The police will issue another warning to protesters to leave the two airports. The language in the warning will be stronger than the first one," said a police spokesman, Major General Amnuay Nimmano. He said if the protesters do not leave, a deadline will be issued "in the third warning ? the last one before we take action." The 2,000 policeman at Suvarnabhumi were deployed at all exit and entry points around the airport, said police Major General Rachandra Ruenkamon, the deputy chief of operations in the area. One checkpoint on the main highway leading to the airport on Bangkok's outskirts was manned by about 400 policemen accompanied by about 20 navy sailors armed with M-16 rifles. The roadblocks were meant to prevent more protesters from joining thousands of others inside the terminal building. About 50 soldiers guarded the maintenance facility of the airport, a few kilometers away from the main complex. Several airlines are flying rescue flights to the U-Tapao naval airport, 140 kilometers south of Bangkok, to evacuate stranded passengers. But the small airport is overwhelmed by the load, unable to process thousands of travelers quickly. Among those stranded are about 3,000 Chinese tourists who will be flown out on special flights by four Chinese airlines beginning Saturday, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. It said the Hong Kong government has also arranged two Cathay Pacific flights to help stranded passengers. Several groups around the world have canceled planned tours, and 88 aircraft, many of them belonging to foreign airlines, are parked at Suvarnabhumi unable to take off. The Federation of Thai Industries estimates the cost of lost trade due to the airport shutdowns at $57 million to $85 million a day. Thailand's central bank said the number of tourist arrivals is likely to fall by 40 percent next year if the airport shutdown drags on until the end of December. It said the tourism industry, a key component of the Thai economy, is expected to lose $4.28 billion, equal to 1.5 percent of the gross domestic product. With international repercussions obvious, the European Union and the United States urged the protesters to end their siege. The People's Alliance for Democracy accuses the government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Prime Minister Somchai, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, is now operating the government out of the northern city of Chiang Mai, blocked out of his office in Bangkok. Tension rose further Saturday after a pro-government group expressed frustration at the continuing stand-off and called for an indefinite sit-in starting Sunday in central Bangkok. "We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out (for the rally). They have been told to bring their clothes and food because we will be here long," said Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the group, which in the past has clashed with the alliance. Its members wear red shirts to distinguish themselves from the alliance, whose supporters wear yellow. At the Suvarnabhumi airport, Associated Press reporters saw one policeman being grabbed Saturday at a checkpoint by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven away toward areas controlled by the demonstrators. His whereabouts remained unclear. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Thai-police-cordon-off-airport.4746175.jp Thai police cordon off airport: 2,000-strong force 'ready to act' against government protesters Published Date: 30 November 2008 By Chris Blake in Bangkok POLICE built a massive cordon around anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's main airport yesterday, raising fears of violence in a standoff that has disrupted the country's economy and the travel industry worldwide. At Suvarnabhumi International Airport there were unconfirmed reports of a policeman being grabbed at a checkpoint by three protesters, forced into a vehicle and driven away toward areas controlled by the demonstrators. About 2,000 officers were deployed around the airport, where protesters calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy have camped out since Tuesday night, forcing the grounding of all flights. With no sign of the standoff easing, the airport authority said Suvarnabhumi will remain closed at least until Monday evening. The protesters have also occupied Bangkok's domestic airport and the prime minister's office compound, virtually paralysing the government in their campaign to bring it down. The confrontation, severing the capital from civilian air traffic, has hit Thailand's economy and reputation hard. According to Thai media reports, about 100,000 tourists are stranded, and worldwide airline schedules have been disrupted. So far security forces have only issued a warning to the protesters to leave and have refrained from using force. The dissidents say they will not leave until the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns. But it appears the government's patience is wearing thin. "The police will issue another warning to protesters to leave the two airports. The language in the warning will be stronger than the first one," said a police spokesman, Maj Gen Amnuay Nimmano. He said if the protesters do not leave, a deadline will be issued "in the third warning ? the last one before we take action". The officers at Suvarnabhumi were deployed at all exit and entry points around the airport, a senior policeman said. One checkpoint on the main highway leading to the airport on Bangkok's outskirts was manned by about 400 policemen accompanied by about 20 armed naval troops. The roadblocks were meant to prevent more activists from joining thousands of others inside the terminal building. About 50 soldiers guarded the maintenance facility of the airport, a few miles away from the main complex. Several airlines are organising flights to the U-Tapao naval airport, 90 miles south of Bangkok, to evacuate stranded passengers. But the small airport has been overwhelmed by the load, unable to process thousands of travellers quickly. Among those stranded are 3,000 Chinese tourists who were due to be flown out on special flights by four Chinese airlines. The Hong Kong government has also arranged two Cathay Pacific flights to help the evacuation. Several groups around the world have cancelled planned tours, and 88 aircraft, many of them belonging to foreign airlines, are parked at Suvarnabhumi, unable to take off. The Federation of Thai Industries estimates the cost of lost trade due to the airport shutdowns at ?37m to ?55m a day. Thailand's central bank said the number of tourist arrivals is likely to fall by 40% next year if the airport shutdown drags on until the end of December. It said the tourism industry, a key component of the Thai economy, is expected to lose ?2.8bn, equivalent to 1.5% of the GDP. With international repercussions in the offing, the EU and the US urged the protesters to end their siege. The People's Alliance for Democracy accuses the government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Somchai, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, is now operating the government out of the northern city of Chiang Mai, having been blocked from his office in Bangkok. Tensions rose further yesterday after a pro-government group expressed frustration at the standoff and called for an indefinite sit-in starting today in central Bangkok. "We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out. They have been told to bring their clothes and food because we will be here long," said Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the group, which in the past has clashed with the alliance. Its members wear red shirts to distinguish themselves from the alliance, whose supporters wear yellow. ? The plight of stranded Britons trapped in Thailand was described as "deeply concerning" by a Foreign Officer minister. Among them is the pregnant wife of England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock. The 30-year-old said he was worried not enough was being done to help those stranded. His wife Faye, 33, who is six months pregnant, their son Lewis, four, and Faye's mother Pat, were due to fly back to England from Bangkok when Suvarnabhumi was overrun by protesters. He said: "I think the story has gone under a little bit, and more of an effort needs to be made to get all the people who are stuck there out of there, because the country is on the brink of a lot of trouble." http://www.seattlepi.com/national/389982_thailand29.html Last updated November 28, 2008 10:01 p.m. PT Thai protesters refuse to back down Thousands of travelers stranded at Bangkok airports By AMBIKA AHUJA AND CHRIS BLAKE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's prime minister pledged Friday to use peaceful means to end the siege of the capital's airports by anti-government protesters and he demoted the national police chief, amid speculation that the chief had disagreed with government policy. But the likelihood of a violent confrontation still appeared high, as both protesters and police reinforced their presence at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, seized Tuesday by the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy. "Today, we see blood with our eyes. We will fight," said top protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul. "At this moment, there is no way we will negotiate." The group is demanding the resignation of the government, which it accuses of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is Thaksin's brother-in-law. The capital remains cut off from all civilian air traffic, stranding thousands of travelers and dealing a severe blow to the economy and tourism industry. More protesters arrived at the airport in cars and buses despite roadblocks set up by police, boosting their number to several thousand. Police, many in full riot gear, also had a much more visible presence, guarding an airport hotel and airport management offices, and assembling in a nearby administrative building. In Washington, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid on Friday said the U.S. government was "deeply concerned" about the situation and called on the protesters "to walk away from the airports peacefully." The Thai government on Thursday declared a state of emergency at Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don Muang domestic airport -- also occupied by demonstrators -- but has not taken any further firm steps. Its failure to end the illegal airport closures has led to calls in the media for Somchai to step down, even from those who oppose the protesters. In a brief televised speech Friday night, Somchai gave no clue as to when the deadlock might be resolved. "Do not be concerned. The security forces will use peaceful means. There will be negotiations and whatever else which is appropriate in the situation," he said. Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kua said National Police Chief Gen. Pacharawat Wongsuwan was demoted to an inactive post in the prime minister's office. It was not clear if Pacharawat was removed because police failed to evict the protesters, or because he apparently made no attempt to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis, as the government had asked. The lack of use of force by the government and the firing of the police chief have raised doubts about whether Somchai has the support of the police and army. Many of the demonstrators were defiant, and said they did not fear if police attempted to disperse the crowd. "Even though they are going to come here, it doesn't matter. They can arrest us but we will come back again," said Vichai Hanvivatpong, 40. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/27/international/i014608S07.DTL Protesters move to besieged airports By AMBIKA AHUJA, Associated Press Writers Sunday, November 30, 2008 (11-30) 23:24 PST BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Anti-government protesters camped at Thailand's government seat were shifting tactics to join colleagues at Bangkok's besieged airports Monday as the politically paralyzed country struggled with more than 300,000 stranded travelers. ________________________________________ Images View More Images ________________________________________ A leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy said demonstrators will end their more than three-month sit-in at the prime minister's office compound and move to both Bangkok airports, which they seized last week in their push to oust the government, severing all civilian flights in or out of the capital. Airlines were meanwhile flying dozens of empty planes out of Bangkok's main international airport. Some 30 planes had been flown out starting Sunday and an additional 50 were to be moved later Monday, some of them to protest-free airports elsewhere in Thailand so that stranded travelers can fly out of the country, said Serirat Prasutanont, director of the Airports Authority of Thailand. Thailand's political crisis escalated Sunday when some 10,000 pro-government activists converged on Bangkok to counter rival protesters who have forced the prime minister to run the country from outside the capital. Explosions Sunday targeting the anti-government protesters injured at least 51 people, officials said, with blasts hitting the prime minister's compound and a road near the occupied domestic airport. No one claimed responsibility for Sunday's blasts, but the alliance blamed the government. Alliance leader Chamlong Srimuang called on protesters who have the prime minister's compound since Aug. 26 to "move to the airports to support our people there." The move did not represent a softening of the protest group's stance nor was it clear whether the three-month-old occupation of the compound was entirely over. Chamlong told supporters that they should move because it was not safe to remain at Government House. Neither the army nor Thailand's revered king have stepped in to resolve the crisis ? or offered the firm backing that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat needs to resolve the leadership vacuum. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has intervened to resolve several political crises over the past four decades, is scheduled to deliver a much-anticipated speech on his 81st birthday Friday. But whether he will actually move to resolve the paralyzing situation is uncertain. Another awaited event is a Constitutional Court ruling Tuesday on whether three parties in the governing coalition, including Somchai's People's Power Party, committed electoral fraud. If found guilty, the parties would be dissolved immediately, and executive members including Somchai would be barred from politics for five years. Whether this would satisfy the anti-government protesters is also uncertain. Thailand's foreign ministry planned to propose Tuesday the postponement of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, scheduled for mid-December in Thailand, ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdee told The Associated Press. The alliance says it will not give up until Somchai resigns, accusing him of being a puppet of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the alliance's original target. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, was deposed in a 2006 military coup and has fled the country to escape corruption charges. Alliance protesters managed to shut down the international Suvarnabhumi airport last Tuesday, stranding scores of planes. Kongrit Hiranyakit, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said over 300,000 travelers were stranded in Thailand, with 35,000 to 45,000 being added to that number for each day the airports remain closed. Thousands of others trying to enter Thailand from around the world are also in a holding pattern. Some countries evacuated nationals by land. The Australian embassy was helping stranded tourists in Bangkok travel by bus to the southern resort island of Phuket, where air traffic has not been disrupted, for onward travel to Australia. "This is my 47th birthday today. This is also my first trip out of Australia and it is also my last," said a woman waiting for the buses who asked not to be named. The government has alleged that the protesters are trying to spark anarchy so that the military will feel compelled to take over the country. But the army, which overthrew Thaksin among other previous coups, says it has no plans to oust the current prime minister. Still, the army has failed to back up Somchai's efforts to restore order. Nattawut, the government spokesman, denied rumors that Somchai left the country, saying he was operating out of the northern city of Chiang Mai and traveling to Nakhon Phanom province, a northeastern province 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Bangkok. The Federation of Thai Industries has estimated the airports takeover is costing the country $57 million to $85 million a day. Some of its members have suggested withholding taxes in protest. The supporters of the alliance are largely middle-class citizens who say Thailand's electoral system is susceptible to vote-buying and argue that the rural majority ? the Thaksin camp's political base ? is not sophisticated enough to cast ballots responsibly. They have proposed discarding the one-man, one-vote system in favor of appointing most legislators, fostering resentment among rural voters. The divisions have slipped into deadly violence. So far, six people have been killed in bomb attacks, clashes with police and street battles between government opponents and supporters. ___ Associated Press reporters Vijay Joshi and Michael Casey contributed to this report. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612728 Thailand: Protest leaders refuse Saturday talks Posted: 2008/11/29 From: MNN Key protest leaders have refused to hold talks to end the siege of Bangkok`s two main airports, after four parties including the police tried to bring them to the negotiating table on Saturday. After a security meeting, regional police deputy commander Major General Piya Sorntrakoon claimed protesters had agreed to hold formal talks on Saturday with authorities. People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Somsak Kosaisuk however denied the police?s claim, saying no such contact had been made. He said more PAD guards had been called in to protect the protesters? defence lines. Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant General Suchart Muankaew, the metropolitan police bureau chief, issued an order telling protesters at Don Mueang airport to leave the premises immediately. "All protesters must leave the protest site otherwise law enforcement officers will carry out necessary measures to handle the situation," said the senior police officer. The order came a day after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency at the two main airports and authorised police to end the protests. The anti-government protesters have said they will not leave until Mr. Somchai, whom they accused of being a proxy of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, resigns. The premier reiterated on Friday he had imposed the emergency decree with the intention of tackling the problem, which had caused serious damage to the nation. It was meant to restore order, not to cause violence. ?The handling of protesters will be carried out in accordance with international practices. The best way out is negotiation. First, we must end the airport seizure. Otherwise, it will cause negative consequences to all sides,? said the premier. Interior Minister Kowit Wattana assured the public that the government would adopt a soft approach to handle with the protesters who have closed Bangkok's two main airports for days. Meanwhile, the Administrative Court dropped an appeal filed by a PAD lawyer against the Civil Court?s injunctions ordering the PAD to leave Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. (TNA) # http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Thailand-Protests-Grenade-Attack-Injures-Protestors-As-Bangkok-Airport-Remains-Shut/Article/200811415165384?f=rss Blast Injures Thai Protestors 8:51pm UK, Saturday November 29, 2008 A grenade attack on anti-government protesters in Bangkok has wounded at least 46 people, say hospital officials. The blast took place at a rally near the Thai prime minister's office, which has been occupied by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy since August. It comes amid ongoing unrest in Thailand's capital, where thousands of protestors have taken over the city's two main airports. The stand off with police has left an estimated 100,000 tourists stranded in the country. Earlier, riot police fled a checkpoint near the airport after clashes with demonstrators intensified. About 2,000 police have been deployed around Suvarnabhumi international airport after activists holed up inside forced the cancellation of all flights. About 150 police at a checkpoint half-a-mile from the terminal jumped in their vehicles and drove away when they saw a convoy of protesters speeding toward them. Local journalist Andrew Drummond, who is with the protesters in Bangkok, said the activists were well-armed and thousands strong. "They seem to have a very good spy network, and they are heading the police off before they get a chance of getting into the airport," he told Sky News Online. "Thousands of protesters here have moved out of the airport, they have got iron bars, wooden clubs, if that checkpoint has gone it wouldn't surprise me. "Nothing can resist that - there's massive amounts of people here at the moment." Officials said the airport will stay closed until at least Monday evening, leaving thousands of tourists stranded in Bangkok. Flight operators had been telling passengers that the airport was expected to open on Sunday. Protesters have seized both of Bangkok's airports in their effort to unseat the government. They have also taken a police officer captive as tensions escalate. The kidnapping intensifies fears that the four-day siege will end in violence, despite the Thai prime minister pledging to use peaceful methods to resolve the issue. Britain's Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell described the situation as "deeply concerning". Protest at Bangkok's main airport Protesters are demanding the resignation of the government it accuses of being a puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Shinawatra, who recently relinquished control of Manchester City football club, was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Current prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, Shinawatra's brother-in-law, declared a state of emergency at Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don Muang domestic airport, also occupied by demonstrators. Several hundred Britons have been trapped in Thailand including the pregnant wife of England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock. The 30-year-old, who plays for Leeds Rhinos, said he was worried not enough was being done to help those stranded. One British tourist said no one was offering them "a way out" of the country. Carol Hobbs said: "They seem to think because we are here and we are comfortable and we are eating and drinking and safe then that is fine." She added: "The embassy in Thailand, Bangkok, is closed. It closed yesterday at one o'clock and doesn't open again until Monday." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/29/2433335.htm Thai protesters face off against police Posted Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:33pm AEDT Updated Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:46pm AEDT Protester numbers are expected to swell over the weekend. (Reuters) Anti-government protesters have ignored orders to leave one of Bangkok's besieged airports and faced off with Thai police, raising fears of clashes as crippling demonstrations escalated. Tensions mounted with Thai television showing angry demonstrators arguing with police on a road to the main Suvarnabhumi airport as police tried set up a checkpoint to stop more people heading to the protest site. Despite Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's declaration of emergency rule at the airports, protesters trying to topple his elected Government have remained entrenched, barricading themselves in with barbed-wire and tyres. Late on Friday authorities ordered protesters to clear the small domestic hub Don Mueang, while police in body armour began gathering at the Suvarnabhumi international airport, which is heavily guarded by the activists. Suvarnabhumi has been closed since late Tuesday, and every day the siege continues, 30,000 more passengers miss flights and the kingdom loses millions of dollars in tourism revenue, ministers and officials have said. Chamlong Srimuang, a retired army general and one of the key leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group, said demonstrators at Suvarnabhumi should prepare for police action and a prolonged siege. "All who have just arrived from up-country and those who are still at home, please continue your journey to Suvarnabhumi," he told crowds at the Prime Minister's Bangkok offices, which the PAD has occupied since late August. "Bring food and drink because police have sealed off our protesters." Police were not immediately available to comment on the situation. The army chief has said he does not want to remove the protesters for fears of bloody clashes, and on Wednesday urged Mr Somchai to dissolve parliament and hold new elections, calls the Prime Minister promptly rejected. In signs of further rifts between the Government and security forces, Mr Somchai recently removed national police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, as police failed to take action after the emergency rule order. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the Government elected in December, saying it is running Thailand on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is banned from politics. The Government said it tried to start negotiations with the PAD, but protest leaders have so far rebuffed the overtures, and say they will stay remain at the airports until the resignation of Mr Somchai, Thaksin's brother-in-law. A police officer estimated that 3,000 protesters were camped out at Suvarnabhumi, about 1,000 were at Don Mueang, and only 700 remained at the Prime Ministers's offices. Numbers are expected to swell over the weekend. - AFP http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94OKP4O0&show_article=1 LEAD: Thai police await to negotiate with antigovernment protesters+ Nov 29 09:03 AM US/Eastern Comments (0) BANGKOK, Nov. 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)?(EDS: UPDATING THROUGHOUT) Thai police urged antigovernment leaders on Saturday to end the siege of Bangkok's two main airports through talks. The head of operations at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Police Region One commander Chalong Sonchai, said the door for negotiations was still open and the police will not set a time frame to remove protesters from the airport. He said about 2,000 police have been deployed at Suvarnabhumi so far, together with 300 supporting troops from the army and the navy, but not all of them were in action at the moment. "I want to urge PAD to please send representatives to negotiate with us. We are all Thais and we should solve this problem peacefully," he said, referring to the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has spearheaded the antigovernment campaign. Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief Ammuay Nimnano said the police were drafting a second order telling protesters about regulations, such as prohibiting more protesters from entering the airports before taking the next step if protesters disobey. The first order was issued Friday evening telling protesters to leave the Don Muang International Airport, or they will face charges. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat reiterated Saturday that he was ready to negotiate with PAD but refused to dissolve the Parliament or to step down. Somchai said PAD's campaign to oust him was a grave danger that is destroying the country's economy and stability. Interior Minister Kowit Watana met with law enforcement officials on Saturday to cope with the political unrest in Thailand after antigovernment protesters rejected negotiations with the government. Kowit said after the meeting that the police want to negotiate with the protesters but if PAD refuses to talk, the police have to do something. He declined to go into details. PAD leaders reiterated Saturday that they will not negotiate with the government until Prime Minister Somchai and his government step down. A PAD leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said he believes the situation will end before King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday on Dec. 5. In a statement broadcast live from Chiang Mai on Friday night, Somchai said officials were told to use "gentle means" to deal with the protesters occupying Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports. Somchai went on television after he demoted police chief Gen. Watcharawat Wongsuwan to an inactive post. Thousands of PAD protesters continued to barricade themselves in the Government House and Bangkok's two airports, saying they are ready to fight back if police use force to disperse them. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters forced police deployed at checkpoints around Suvarnabhumi airport to leave after police tried to bar people from joining the protest. Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the army is under pressure due to the current crisis but insisted it will not stage a coup. Meanwhile, the government continued to send back foreign tourists who have been stranded after Bangkok's two airports were shut down Tuesday. Airports of Thailand on Saturday extended the closure of the two airports for another two days. According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, the government will try to send foreign tourists home from U-Tapao airport in Rayong Province, located in a naval base some 190 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, and from airports in other provinces, including Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaiprawat said the number of foreign tourists to Thailand is expected to shrink by half while around 1 million employees in the service sector will be unemployed next year. The U.S. government issued a statement expressing its concern over the closure of Bangkok's airports by PAD, and urged the protesters to pull out peacefully. "While we respect the right to freedom of expression, seizing the airports is not an appropriate means of protest...we hope that the situation can be resolved without violence and in accordance with the law," the statement said. The European Union expressed serious concern over the situation and urged the Thai government to restore security and guarantee public order with rule of law. The European Union also said the airport siege has damaged Thailand's international image. The PAD activists, who have occupied the Government House in central Bangkok since August, began their antigovernment protests May 25 and continued even after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was unseated by the Constitutional Court in early September. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/496498/-/s0fwhe/-/index.html Protesters send Thai police fleeing By REUTERSPosted Saturday, November 29 2008 at 19:31 Hundreds of anti-government protesters on Saturday forced several dozen Thai riot police to abandon a checkpoint as they tightened their siege of the country?s main airport, witnesses said. Around 2,000 People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters forced back about 150 police officers from 1km north of Suvarnabhumi Airport, although the incident passed off without violence. The protesters are seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat in the latest escalation in a long-running political crisis. A day after their police chief was sacked for mishandling the protests, commanders on the ground said they would not yet try to evict by force the thousands of protesters at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports. But PAD supporters were taking no chances and today deflated the tyres of ambulances and police vehicles at the checkpoint.Several vehicles were left stranded in the middle of the road. The PAD say they are ready for a prolonged siege, with their ?security guards? armed with clubs, sticks and golf clubs, and dug in behind a series of barricades of fire trucks, razor wire, car tires and luggage trolleys. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/11/29/185350/Thai-PM.htm Updated Saturday, November 29, 2008 11:52 am TWN, By Ed Cropley, Reuters Thai PM sacks police chief as protesters continue seige BANGKOK -- Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat sacked his national police chief on Friday, fuelling speculation that the government is preparing to crackdown on protesters besieging Bangkok?s main airports. General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, who was moved to an inactive post, had resisted previous orders to crackdown on the street protesters who began a ?final battle? to unseat the government on Monday, Thai media reported. ?The removal was the result of his performance during this current crisis,? government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar told NBT television a day after Somchai declared a state of emergency to end the crippling airport sieges. Dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields gathered at Bangkok?s Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday, but took no action against the People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters camped outside the main terminal. Police at Don Muang airport ordered protesters there to leave immediately, but softened the edict by saying they hoped the situation would return to normal within three days. In a televised address, Somchai said the government would be gentle with the protesters.?Don?t worry. Officials will use gentle measures to deal with them,? Somchai said, and invited human rights and media organizations to observe the process. The siege at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi International Airport have cut the Thai capital?s air links to the world, leaving thousands stranded and hurting the tourist-dependent economy. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said if the political turmoil and airport closures go on for another month, it would cost the economy up to 215 billion baht ($6 billion). ?While the question on whether the mess can be cleared up in a year is still an important one, the question on whether confidence would return even if it does get cleaned up in a month is beginning to look less clear,? said Carl Rajoo, an economist at Forecast in Singapore. Declaring a state of emergency at the airports from the government stronghold of Chiang Mai, 700 km (400 miles) north of Bangkok, Somchai said the export- and tourism-driven economy could not tolerate further disruption. PAD guards had set up roadblocks on the main expressway to the airport and were stopping all cars and checking passengers and trunk compartments. The roadblocks were manned by youths in black jackets, faces partly covered by masks. Some wore body armour and wielded wooden stakes and golf clubs. ?We will not leave. We will use human shields against the police if they try to disperse us,? PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila told Reuters. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243921,protest-leaders-send-mixed-signals-to-thai-government--update.html Protest leaders send mixed signals to Thai government - Update Posted : Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:03:11 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) Bangkok - Protest leaders holding Bangkok's two airports hostage in their bid to topple the government sent mixed signals on Saturday to authorities preparing to crack down on the demonstrators. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Thursday declared both Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang, Bangkok's former international airport, under emergency decree and ordered the police, air force and navy to clear out thousands of followers of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a movement that has been staging increasingly violent protests for the past six months. PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul on Saturday vowed to "fight to the death" if police attempt to seize him at his ASTV headquarters in Bangkok, but another core leader, Chamlong Srimuang, claimed he was ready to open talks with the prime minister. The two leaders have proven master strategists over the months of directing anti-government protests that have succeeded in occupying Government House - the seat of the administration - and now the capital's two airports in their efforts to bring the government down. The airport takeovers this week may have shifted public opinion against the movement. Suvarabhumi has been closed to air traffic since Wednesday and Don Mueang since Thursday. The PAD has drawn a diverse base of backers from Bangkok's middle class, provincial people opposed to corruption and the country's political elite. The police have been reluctant to attack the demonstrators, who include many middle-aged women, families with young children, veteran political agitators and hardcore, golf club-wielding guards. By mid-day Saturday, police had gathered several kilometres away from the two airports, but had refrained from attacking. The last time police cracked down on the PAD, at a demonstration outside Parliament on October 7, two protestors were killed when tear-gas cannisters were fired into the crowds. The police came under public criticism for the action, and Queen Sirikit, the wife of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, attended the funeral of one of the victims. The airport closures have stranded an estimated 100,000 passengers who want to leave the kingdom, according to Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat. Industry sources said they are losing 3 billion baht (86 million dollars) a day in unshipped cargo. Governments around the world have warned their citizens against travel to Thailand, hitting the country's tourism sector, which has already been hurt by the global financial crisis. The US government on Friday criticized the PAD's seizure of the airports as "not an appropriate means of protest." The airport crisis has demonstrated the weakness of the current government. Somchai has essentially moved his cabinet to Chiang Mai, 550 kilometres north of Bangkok, for fear of a coup. Somchai is the brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who was ousted by a bloodless military coup in September 2006 and is now living in self-imposed exile, a fugitive from the law after being convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of power. However, Thaksin remains a key character in Thailand's unfolding political drama. Using his blog, Thaksin has called on the PAD to cease its protests and the police and military to enforce the law, ironically, since he is fleeing a court sentence himself. Many political observers believe the growing political chaos is setting the stage for Thaksin's political comeback. The PAD's main mission is to block his return to power, and the kind of money-politics he represented. The group is known to be seeking a military coup to launch their proposed "new politics," which would favour appointee governments over elected ones. But if the military stages a croup this time, it would face immediate opposition from the "Red Shirts," a pro-government group that has rivalled the PAD in leading civil unrest. "They will fight back right after the coup, starting in Bangkok, so they will have to kill a lot of people," said Chaturon Chaisaeng, the former leader of Thaksin's now defunct Thai Rak Thai party who has close ties with the current government. Although the military's last coup toppled Thaksin from power in a bloodless putsch, it ultimately failed to stop his followers from returning to power in the December 2007 general elections. The current government is led by the People Power Party, which came to power on a pro-Thaksin platform. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AO4TX20081128 Bangkok airport protesters prepare for long stay Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:28pm EST 28 Nov 2008 By Ed Cropley BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters in Bangkok blockaded one of Asia's busiest airports for a fourth day on Saturday, with riot police ruling out an immediate assault to end the stand-off. The protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat in the latest escalation in a long-running political crisis. A day after their police chief was sacked for mishandling the protests, commanders on the ground said they would not yet try to evict by force the thousands of protesters at the city's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports. "Tonight, we are staying here," Police Colonel Sutin Meekajit said in the hotel car park at the $4 billion Suvarnabhumi airport, gateway for nearly 15 million tourists last year. In a televised address, Prime Minister Somchai said the PAD members barricaded at the airports were doing massive damage to the economy, but he would avoid violence to end the protests. "Don't worry. Officials will use gentle measures to deal with them," Somchai said, inviting rights groups and journalists to monitor the imposition of emergency rule at the two airports. Somchai took a tougher line with his police chief, demoting General Patcharawat Wongsuwan to an inactive post on Friday. While dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields kept watch on protesters at Suvarnabhumi, police at Don Muang airport ordered demonstrators there to leave immediately. But they softened the edict by saying they hoped the situation would return to normal within three days. The PAD refuses to end the airport sit-ins, which have forced hundreds of flights to be canceled, stranded thousands of foreign tourists and grounded millions of dollars of air cargo. "We will not enter in any talks with the police. We will fight until the end," PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said. The PAD say they are ready for a prolonged siege, their "security guards" armed with clubs, sticks and golf clubs, and dug in behind a series of barricades of fire trucks, razor wire, car tires and luggage trolleys. EXPORTERS DESPERATE Thailand's three-year-old political crisis has deepened dramatically since the unelected PAD began a "final battle" on Monday to unseat Somchai, whom they accuse of being a pawn of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, his brother-in-law. Pressure is building on the army to oust the prime minister, as they did Thaksin in 2006, after Somchai rejected military calls to quit this week. But army chief Anupong Paochinda has said he would not take over, arguing the military cannot heal fundamental political rifts between the Bangkok elite and middle classes who despise Thaksin, and the poor rural and urban majority who love him. Exporters were scrambling to get perishable goods and key components to customers around the world. The question of compensation may arise later, but for now, they are focused on shipping goods, said Kasem Jariyawong, president of the Thai Air Freight Forwarders Association. "We haven't had time to think about suing anybody, being occupied with how to cope with the immediate problem. What we and the shippers don't know is how long the siege will drag on." A prolonged closure of Suvarnabhumi, which can handle 3 million tons of cargo a year, would do serious damage to an export-driven economy already struggling to cope with a global slowdown, experts say. Repairing Thailand's tarnished image as a safe place to do business and travel may also take time. The government began shuttling thousands of stranded tourists by bus to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval airbase 150 km (90 miles) east of Bangkok, as an alternative landing site for airlines, but travelers reported delays and confusion. The U.S. embassy in Bangkok said it had asked the Thai foreign ministry to provide "appropriate compensation" to U.S. citizens stranded by the airport closures. (Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Keith Weir) http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=10334 Thai protesters face action at Don Muang airport (11-28 22:00) Thai police have ordered protesters to immediately leave one of Bangkok's besieged airports, as anti-government leaders rejected last-ditch attempts to negotiate an end to the crisis. An officer at the domestic Don Muang airport, which was seized late on Wednesday, read out an order to protesters a day after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency. ''All protesters must ... leave the rally site otherwise law enforcement officers will carry out appropriate and necessary measures to solve the situation,'' the order said. The order came after Somchai, the target of protesters' wrath, dismissed the national police chief for the failure of security forces to take any action despite his declaration of emergency rule. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862722,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-world Bangkok Braces for Action Against Protesters By Robert Horn / Bangkok Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 Anti-government protesters set up the barrier in front of Don Mueang airport in Bangkok Sakchai Lalit / AP Thailand appeared to be bracing for a crackdown on anti-government protesters occupying Bangkok's two main airports on Friday evening, as riot police gathered near the airfields and a government spokesman claimed the administration had international support to use force against the demonstrators. That spokesman's claim was quickly denied by a Thailand-based representative of Human Rights Watch, who said the government must act responsibly in dealing with the demonstrators. Several thousands protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy have seized New Bangkok International Airport and Don Muang domestic airport since Tuesday in an attempt to force the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign. They claim the government's attempts to rewrite the country's constitution will wipe away corruption convictions and court cases against the ruling People Power Party and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is Somchai's brother-in-law. Rumors already swirling across the country of an imminent military coup were further fueled by a spokesman for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat who told The Nation newspaper on Friday that the prime minister would remain in the northern city of Chiang Mai because of uncertainty related to movements of the armed forces. Tanks were seen in several locations around Bangkok on Thursday, but Army Commander in Chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda, who urged the prime minister the day before to dissolve parliament to hold new elections and the PAD to end its demonstrations, denied his forces would topple the government. Government spokesman Natthawut Saikua said Friday that Thaksin, who fled Thailand in August rather than serve a two-year prison sentence for a conflict of interest conviction, was ready to make publicly broadcast phone calls to supporters around the clock to urge them to fight a coup. "If a coup is staged, Thaksin will fight against it along side with Thais. He can make phone calls to us 24 hours a day," Natthawut said. Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, but later returned to Thailand earlier this year after elections were held. Meanwhile, the government removed National Police Chief General Gen Phatcharawat Wongsuwan on Friday without giving a reason. "Nobody wants to have blood on their hands," said Sunai Phasuk, the HRW representative in Thailand. He said that the police chief, like the army chief, was reluctant to move quickly against the protesters for fear of a bloodbath. Police officials had said on Thursday they would begin by trying to talk the protesters out of the airports. Government spokesman Natthawut took a harder line. "I am informed by a non-governmental organization that the international human rights organizations and foreign diplomats want government to evacuate over 3,000 tourists to safety first, then the government can do anything with the protesters. They will not oppose or question government about it actions against the protesters," Natthawut told reporters. Sunai said that was a distortion of a conversation he had with Natthawut in which he told the spokesman that the government had a responsibility to maintain law and order, but it couldn't just go into the airport with guns and use violence. The risk of violence appears to be high, as police seized two PAD pickup trucks Friday heading to the airport carrying homemade guns and arrested the occupants. PAD guards have shot at pro-government supporters who pelted PAD members traveling to the airport in recent days. Several PAD guards have also been killed or wounded in recent days by grenade attacks by government supporters. "The PAD has become an armed group," Sunai said. While the group's guards are armed, most PAD members occupying the airports are not. They are a mix of middle-aged women and men, and some parents with children. Sunai strongly criticized PAD leaders for not demanding that parents with children leave the airports, as a police move against the protesters was being prepared. "They are getting like Jim Jones," Sunai said, referring to the American religious cult leader who led more than 900 of his followers in a mass suicide in Guyana in 1978. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7749399.stm Wednesday, 26 November 2008 Thai protesters shut down airport The protesters say they will not leave until the PM resigns Flights from Thailand's international airport have been suspended after hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed the building outside Bangkok. The demonstrators are in full control of Suvarnabhumi airport, leaving at least 3,000 passengers stranded. A BBC correspondent says it is the most dramatic move so far in the protesters' campaign to oust the government. The government is to hold an emergency cabinet meeting, and the head of the army is due to make a statement. There is speculation that the army chief may impose emergency rule. A leader of the protesters has rejected a government offer of talks to end the stand-off. The head of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Sondhi Limthongul, said his group would only agree to talks if Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigned. A series of small explosions among the PAD protestors on Wednesday morning injured several people, underlining the risk of more violent clashes with pro-government groups, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Evacuation Yellow-shirted protestors from the PAD took over strategic areas of the airport, such as the control tower, on Tuesday. The protesters, who have been occupying a government compound in the capital, claim that the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy. They also accused it of being a proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, but who critics say is still very influential. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law. AIRPORT SYMBOL Building the new airport was former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's pet project Plagued by delays, it opened in 2006, days after Mr Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup Shoddy construction work was used by the military as one of the justifications for the coup Designed by German architect Helmut Jahn, thought to have the world's tallest control tower at 132.2m (433.7ft) One of the busiest airports in Asia Chaos at seized airport Q&A: Bangkok protests The PAD is a loose grouping of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle-class opposed to Mr Thaksin. The protesters had hoped to intercept Mr Somchai as he returned from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru, but his flight has been diverted elsewhere. Now the PAD says it will keep the airport closed until Mr Somchai resigns. "We will stay until the government steps down. This government is not legitimate," retired university lecturer Sunthorn Kaewlai told the Reuters news agency. The PAD also handed out leaflets to stranded passengers, apologising to tourists for the disruption, adding that "the alliance believes the measure is crucial to bring an end to the traitorous killer government". Reports say the authorities have begun evacuating stranded passengers. However, the evacuation appeared chaotic, with the authorities making no announcement, the Agence France Presse news agency reported. Christopher Persson, from Sweden, spent the night underneath a check-in desk. "I understand the people but the airlines are terrible. They've given us no information," he told the Reuters news agency. Thousands of other passengers spent the night sprawled across suitcases, luggage carts and even security conveyor belts. Provocation? Airport director Serirat Prasutanon said operations had been "totally shut down" since early on Wednesday, and that 78 outbound and incoming flights had been affected. "We are trying to negotiate with them to allow outgoing passengers stranded by the protest to fly," he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. "The incident has damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond repair." Organisers say the protest is a "final battle" to bring down the government. Our correspondent says that the government appears to have followed a strategy of allowing the PAD to attack government buildings while avoiding clashes, in the hope that it will wear the protesters down. The government has so far resisted calling in the army. Analysts says it is a thinly disguised aim of the PAD to provoke such a move. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458567,00.html Thailand Wants to Avoid Violence, Negotiate Peacefully With Airport Protesters Friday, November 28, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP/TPBS Nov. 25, 2008: A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy points a revolver during a confrontation in Bangkok, Thailand. BANGKOK, Thailand ? Thailand's government backed off Friday from its threat to forcibly remove protesters occupying Bangkok's two airports, dashing hopes of a quick resolution to a standoff that has stranded thousands of travelers and tarnished the country's image. Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kau said police would avoid violence and attempt to negotiate with the protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has been campaigning for months to oust the government. Police have been instructed to get the protesters out of airports "as soon as possible" in a "peaceful manner," Nattawut told The Associated Press. "Firstly, the police should open negotiation with the protesters. If they refuse to go, police should do whatever is necessary to open the airports on the basis of nonviolence," he said. The comments came hours after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency at the Bangkok airports, authorizing police to take back the terminals that signaled an imminent crackdown. The protesters occupied the main international Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday and the secondary Don Muang airport on Wednesday, forcing both facilities to be shut down indefinitely. All flights to the airports have been canceled, leaving the capital completely cut off to air traffic and stranding thousands of local and foreign travelers. Among those stranded are Thai Muslims planning to go on pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia this week. Thai Airways said it will arrange a special flight for about 250 pilgrims from Hat Yai in southern Thailand later Friday. More such flights are planned, said Narongsak Sangapong, a senior airline official. On Friday, there was no sign of police at the airport. Cleaning crews in uniforms were seen going into the terminal, wading their way through hundreds of protesters camped inside and outside the building, to clear garbage piling up. "We were instructed by the government not to use any violent force against protesters. We will definitely follow the instructions strictly," said national police chief Kowit Wattana. The government's unwillingness to deploy security forces has raised doubts about whether Somchai has the support of police and the army, a powerful institution that has traditionally played a key role in the country's politics. Army commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda has so far been neutral in the political turmoil, and even urged Somchai to call new elections, triggering speculation of a military coup.The whispers were further fueled by press reports Thursday of tank movements that the military later said were only a training exercise. In an address to the nation Thursday night to announce the emergency, Somchai said that navy and air force personnel would help the police, but was vague about any participation by the army, saying only the government would also ask the army "to help take care of the people." The emergency measures also empower the government to suspend some civil liberties, including restricting the movement of people and prohibiting mass assembly. Emergency was declared once before in the three months since the protesters seized the prime minister's office, but there was no move to take advantage of its provisions, apparently because the army was reluctant to take on the alliance, which at the time enjoyed greater popularity. The protesters remained defiant on Friday. "We are ready to defend ourselves against any government's operations to get us out of those places," Parnthep Wongpuapan, a spokesman of the People's Alliance for Democracy, told the AP. "We are going to stay at the airports until Somchai resigns," he said. Protesters at the international airport donned goggles and helmets, and first aid stations handed out surgical masks in anticipation of a police raid. The group's "guards" were patrolling the area with slingshots and metal batons. Many also carry concealed handguns. Speakers from a makeshift stage repeatedly yelled: "Are you scared?" The crowd roared back: "We're not scared!" They alliance's protest grew out of its hatred of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a brother-in-law of Somchai. Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless military coup in September 2006 after months of protests by the alliance. It accused Thaksin and his allies of corruption and abuse of power. Thaksin is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a conflict of interest law. The group says Somchai is merely a Thaksin puppet and should go. However, Somchai has stood his ground, saying his departure would be a blow to democracy. In his televised address, Somchai accused the alliance of "holding the country hostage and the public hostage." Somchai has been in the pro-government stronghold of Chiang Main in the north since he returned from a summit in Peru on Wednesday. The protests, which gathered pace three months ago when demonstrators overran the prime minister's offices, have paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry. The Bangkok Post quoted experts as saying that the damage from the airport shutdown could range between $3.7 billion and $6 billion if the standoff extends to December. The meeting and convention business has already suffered losses of $310 million, it said. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/392834/1/.html ASEAN head travels to protest-hit Thailand to "clarify" summit Posted: 28 November 2008 1306 hrs Surin Pitsuwan BANGKOK: The secretary general of Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN said Friday that he had travelled to Thailand to assess whether the kingdom was still able to host a summit as protests shutter the main airports. Speaking by phone to AFP as he made his way overland to Bangkok, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) head Surin Pitsuwan - a former Thai foreign minister - said the final decision lay with the Thai government. "Part of my trip here is to discuss the ASEAN summit with the Thai government. I have to listen to the Thai government first," he said. "The Thai government should make a decision on its readiness and the internal situation." Surin has been in Singapore, and said he was travelling overland from Penang, Malaysia, which is near the Thai border. Current ASEAN chair Thailand has insisted it will go ahead with the December summit in the northern city of Chiang Mai, even as anti-government protesters stepped up a six-month campaign to topple the prime minister. They swarmed the main Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday and shut it down, and on Thursday, the smaller Don Mueang was also forced to shut its doors when protesters surrounded it, cutting almost all air travel in and out of Bangkok. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have raised the possibility of postponing the ASEAN summit due to the worsening political crisis in the country. In a statement late Thursday out of Singapore, the ASEAN secretariat said Surin would "clarify this matter with Thailand." Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared emergency rule at the two airports on Thursday to try to rein in the protests, after holding a special cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai to discuss the escalating turmoil. He has rejected calls by the army chief to hold new elections. Thailand announced in late October that the ASEAN summit would be moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, a government stronghold. The government said it was because of northern Thailand's cooler climate, but the anti-government protests are believed to be a key factor. - AFP/yb http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Second_Bangkok_airport_closed,_protests_continue?curid=117224 Second Bangkok airport closed, protests continue From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! Jump to: navigation, search Thailand Other stories from Thailand ? 25 March 2009: Authorities search home of owner of German Wikileaks domain ? 21 January 2009: Australian writer Harry Nicolaides jailed for three years for insulting Thai Royal Family ? 4 January 2009: Bangkok nightclub owner to face charges over New Year's fire ? 1 January 2009: New Year fire kills at least 59, injures 212 more at Bangkok pub ? 1 January 2009: Wikinews Shorts: January 1, 2009 ...More articles here Location of Thailand To write, edit, start or view other articles on Thailand, see the Thailand Portal Friday, November 28, 2008 Following on from Tuesday night's invasion of Bangkok's new international airport, Suvarnabhumi, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has now taken over the Thai capital's old Don Mueang International Airport, forcing the Thai authorities to shut it down. The expansion of the protest at Don Mueang is reported to be a move to prevent cabinet ministers flying to Chiang Mai for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. The closure of the Don Mueang airport saw 3,000 PAD supporters gathered outside Don Mueang airport, although there were no passengers inside the terminal, as the last flight had arrived a few hours earlier. The airport operates a few domestic flights, and was the only airport left serving Bangkok after protesters swarmed the main airport earlier this week, forcing flights from there to be suspended. "I authorised Don Mueang's director-general to close the airport from midnight. It is closed indefinitely until normalcy is restored," said the president of operator Airports of Thailand, Saererat Prasutanond, speaking in a televised address. "The two airports that serve Bangkok are completely closed." A Thai court has ordered the demonstrators occupying the Suvarnabhumi airport to leave, but the protesters say that they will stay until the government resigns. The closures of the airports come at the height of the tourist season, and threatens the tourist industry, which is one of Thailand's largest earners. http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811270556DOWJONESDJONLINE000473_univ.xml Protest-Hit Thailand Clears Airlines To Use Naval Base11-27-08 5:56 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--Thai aviation authorities on Thursday gave airlines permission to use a naval base in the country's east after protesters blocked off both of Bangkok's airports. Several planes had already landed at the U-Tapao air base after demonstrators seized the Don Mueang domestic airport Thursday and the main Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night. "It's already begun," said Chaisak Angkasuwan, director general of the Civil Aviation Department, referring to the use of the air base. "Many flights have landed there and I have authorized more than 20 airlines to utilize U-Tapao airport." The protests have left thousands of passengers stranded in Thailand, with about 3,000 of them having to spend the night in Suvarnabhumi before they were evacuated Wednesday. Chaisak said he had asked immigration and customs to reinforce their staff at U-Tapao, which is located in the eastern province of Rayong and operated by the Thai Navy. Thai Airways International said its Bangkok-Los Angeles flight landed at U- Tapao early Thursday. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013210890 Thai Cabinet Declares State Of Emergency, Orders Police To Remove Protesters At Airports ShareThis November 27, 2008 8:19 p.m. EST AHN Staff Bangkok, Thailand (AHN) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Thursday declared a temporary state of emergency at Bangkok's two main airports and ordered the police to remove protesters occupying the said terminals since Tuesday. The prime minister declared the emergency in a televised speech after meeting cabinet officials in his hometown in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. "It is wrong for protesters to take the entire Thai nation hostage. The government is not intending to hurt anybody but is just facilitating authorities' works, and the emergency will be temporary," TNA quoted the prime minister as saying. Flights at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports have been suspended while travelers have been stranded in the two terminals after thousands of members and supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed and occupied the airports in a bid to paralyze the government of Wongsawat and force him to resign. The PAD is accusing the leader of acting as a proxy of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Wongsawat is a brother-in-law of Shinawatra, who is in Britain seeking political asylum. PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila said his group will ask the Supreme Court to revoke state of emergency and order to remove them from the airports. He added that the protesters will not leave the airport until Wongsawat resigns. http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/435543/cs/1/ Thai police preparing for battle with protestors Australian Herald Thursday 27th November, 2008 In Thailand, riot police have been put on stand-by to clear the city's airports of thousands of opposition protesters. On Thursday, the Thai Prime Minister declared a state of emergency as air traffic to Thailand was re-routed to a naval base in the east of the country. Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi airport, which is occupied by anti-government protesters, will remain closed at least until Saturday. The protesters have also stormed and occupied Bangkok's old airport of Don Muang, which is mainly used for domestic flights. People's Alliance of Democracy protestors have now erected road blocks of razor wire and crash barriers on the expressway leading to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport to stave off any police action. Men, armed with sticks and metal bars, have been checking cars entering the area. For a second consecutive night, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat spoke to the nation from the northern city of Chiang Mai, which is known to be populated by government supporters. During a television address, he told the people that he would imposed a temporary emergency decree in and around both airports in Bangkok. He said he needed to restore peace and order to bring stability back to the tourism-driven economy. He said he had put the police in charge of the operation, and would call on the military in if there was any trouble. A similar call in September to dislodge People's Alliance of Democracy protesters occupying Government House was ignored by the army. The military leadership has been at odds with Mr Somchai after the Chief of the Army, General Anupong Paochinda, backed calls for a dissolution of parliament and new elections. The PAD have refused to end their sit-ins, which has stranded thousands of foreign tourists and halted the processing of millions of dollars of air cargo. The group has also threatened to expand the movement's six-month campaign by bringing Bangkok's traffic network to a halt with flying protests at dozens of motorway intersections. The tension in Thailand has arisen due to political rifts between the Bangkok elite and middle classes who despise former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and the majority rural and urban poor, who support him. The current prime minister is Thaksin?s brother-in-law. Somchai is believed to be a proxy for Thaksin policies, delivered from overseas, where the former PM is in exile after being convicted in Thailand on criminal charges. http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/11/27/thai_government_protesters_reject_armys_plan/ Thai government, protesters reject army's plan General's call for an end to crisis falls short By Chris Blake and Ambika Ahuja Associated Press / November 27, 2008 BANGKOK - A call by Thailand's powerful army commander to end the country's deepening political crisis was rebuffed yesterday, as the prime minister rejected his suggestion to step down, and protesters refused to end their occupation of the country's main airport. Early today, Thai authorities closed a second airport after protesters stormed the terminal. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat justified his stance, saying he came to power through elections and has "a job to protect democracy for the people of Thailand." He spoke from the northern city of Chiang Mai, a stronghold of government supporters. His rejection of Army General Anupong Paochinda's plan seemed to put him on a collision course with the military, although the general has said he would not launch a coup. The anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy insisted it would continue its airport occupation and other protest activities until Somchai resigns. It rejected the general's proposal for new elections, pushing instead for the appointment of a temporary government. As the deadlock continued, political violence spread yesterday to Chiang Mai, where government supporters attacked a radio station aligned with the protesters. Separately, there were unconfirmed reports that one man was killed and several people assaulted in an attack on the city's local airport. However, it was the occupation of the international Suvarnabhumi Airport, just outside the capital Bangkok, that put the world on notice of the turmoil that has reduced Thailand to a dysfunctional nation. European Union and Britain's Foreign Office both issued statements of concern about the political situation. Thousands of travelers were stranded in Bangkok when members of the alliance swarmed the airport Tuesday night, forcing a halt to virtually all outgoing flights. Several thousands passengers were bused to city hotels yesterday to await developments, but many other passengers spent a second night at the airport after a day of behind-the-scenes negotiations failed. All flights have been suspended until further notice. Some travelers took the inconvenience in stride. "It's really horrible to be delayed and I'm missing my friend and things, but the local people have given us food, offered us drinks, and the airport's actually quite a nice place at the moment," said Andy Du Bois-Barclay, an English traveler . Protesters were also occupying late yesterday the passenger terminal at the older and smaller Don Muang airport, which appeared to effectively cut off civilian aviation services to the Thai capital. The protest alliance accuses Somchai of acting as the puppet for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a September 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. Thaksin is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a conflict of interest law. Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law. PAD, as the protest alliance is known, launched its current campaign on Aug. 26 with a failed attempt to take over a government television station, after which they stormed the grounds of the prime minister's office, which they continue to use as their stronghold. They prepared for their "final showdown" Sunday in an almost festive atmosphere at their Government House stronghold. Even as they pushed through police lines Monday to blockade parliament and the temporary government office at Don Muang airport, crowds remained relaxed as police yielded to them. The situation soured Tuesday, with scattered violence between political rivals in different parts of Bangkok. At one point, government supporters threw rocks at a truckload of alliance members, who shot back with pistols and then chased and beat their attackers. Skirmishes continued in several spots Tuesday night and yesterday, leaving more than a dozen people hurt. "It is no secret that the PAD are armed with guns, bombs, knives, and wooden batons. They constantly break the law with impunity," said Ji Ungpakorn, an associate professor of political science at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/world/story/45319C7E080AE4558625750E0010E00C?OpenDocument BANGKOK, THAILAND: Protests force closure of second airport 27/11/2008 Thai authorities have closed a second airport in the capital after anti-government protesters stormed the terminal. The country's main international airport has been closed since early Wednesday because of tens of thousands of protesters laying virtual siege on the terminal in their push for the government's resignation. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081127043620.40mkk7rw&show_article=1 Thai protesters take second airport as both sides defy army Nov 26 11:36 PM US/Eastern Comments (0) Thai anti-government protesters shut down a second Bangkok airport on Thursday, isolating the capital, as both sides in the dispute defied a call from the army chief to end the turmoil. Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) started massing at the old Don Mueang airport late Wednesday, aiming to prevent ministers from flying to Chiang Mai in the north to meet Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. "I authorised Don Mueang's director-general to close the airport from midnight. It is closed indefinitely until normalcy is restored," Saererat Prasutanond, president of operator Airports of Thailand, told Thai television. "The two airports that serve Bangkok are completely closed." A fresh gunbattle also broke out at a Bangkok protest site a day after an anti-government activist was killed, police said, heightening fears that tensions between rival groups could explode into widespread bloodshed. Somchai on Wednesday refused to heed pressure from powerful army chief General Anupong Paojinda to dissolve parliament and call elections. Anupong also ordered protesters to leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport , which they besieged late Tuesday forcing the airport to suspend flights and leaving 3,000 tourists temporarily trapped inside. In open defiance of his calls, the protesters instead blockaded Don Mueang, which serves a handful of domestic routes. It is also the site of Somchai's temporary offices, since his own premises were seized by protesters in August. The PAD launched their campaign to topple the democratically-elected People Power Party (PPP) government six months ago, accusing it of being a puppet of ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is banned from politics. Somchai -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- landed in Chiang Mai on Wednesday evening from Peru, where he had been attending a conference. He has called a cabinet meeting for later Thursday. The premier has refused to yield to the pressure from the army chief, saying: "my government will preserve democracy." The PAD, meanwhile, has vowed to stay at three protest sites -- Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang and Somchai's Government House offices in central Bangkok -- until the premier quits. "The PPP has repeated its slogan of no house dissolution, no resignation. The PAD will repeat our slogan: no pull out and we are not going home," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters late Wednesday. At Suvarnabhumi, thousands of PAD supporters clad in their signature yellow clothes -- symbolising support for the revered king -- massed outside listening to rousing songs. Others freshened up for the day in the airport toilets. Thai television reported that a court ordered the approximately 8,000 PAD supporters to end their occupation of Suvarnabhumi Airport -- the 17th busiest in the world -- but they appeared entrenched. Of the 3,000 tourists who were stranded and spent a night sleeping on trolleys and crates, most were evacuated Wednesday afternoon. No passengers were in Don Mueang when it was seized. Also Thursday, provincial police confirmed that a man killed in Chiang Mai on Wednesday was the father of a local PAD leader. The 60-year-old was shot dead when a gun fight erupted between pro- and anti-government groups. Shooting broke out again early Thursday outside the Government House protest site in Bangkok's historic district. Emergency services said no one was hurt. The outbursts of violence between rival groups have raised fears of escalating unrest. "Certainly there will be bloodshed because protesters have refused to cave in," said Manit Jitchanklab, a pro-government activist, labelling the PAD "guerrillas." http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811261116DOWJONESDJONLINE000713_univ.xml Thai Court Orders Protesters To End Airport Siege - Report11-26-08 11:16 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--A Thai court on Wednesday ordered thousands of anti-government protesters to end their occupation of Bangkok's international airport, a government-run television station said. Bangkok civil court issued an injunction for the eviction of the protesters from Suvarnabhumi Airport "to protect other people's rights," the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand said. Protesters overran the two-year-old airport, a major Southeast Asian transport hub for millions of travellers, on Tuesday night to press their demand for the resignation of the government. "Demonstrations are guaranteed under the constitution but must not violate other people's rights and freedom," the channel said, reading out the court injunction. A similar injunction in late August ordering demonstrators to leave the prime minister's offices at Government House in Bangkok was later overturned by the court of appeal. http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811261008DOWJONESDJONLINE000656_univ.xml One Killed In Clash Between Thai Protest Groups - Police11-26-08 10:08 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--A man was killed in a clash between pro- and anti-government supporters in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai Wednesday, shortly after the prime minister arrived in the city, police said. Fighting between the rival groups broke out after premier Somchai Wongsawat flew in from a foreign trip to receive the news that the army chief had asked him to call elections in a bid to end months of political protests. "There was an argument between a red-shirt group and a yellow group in front of the radio station and a man was attacked and killed," Lieutenant Colonel Atipong Thongdaeng of Chiang Mai police told AFP. He said it was not clear whether the victim was from a pro-government group, which usually wear red clothes, or if he was part of the movement against Somchai's administration, which is often clad in yellow. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,592906,00.html 11/26/2008 ORDERLY CHAOS Thai Protesters Refuse to Clear out of Bangkok Airport By Thilo Thielke The occupation of the Bangkok airport by anti-government protesters continues on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has rejected army calls for new elections. The young men manning the barricades at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok are wrapped in scarves, wear sunglasses and are armed with wooden clubs. And most who try to pass on Wednesday are being turned away. Only journalists are let through, along with pick-ups which periodically speed past carrying water. The water is for the thousands of anti-government protesters that have occupied the airport terminals a few hundred meters behind the barbed-wire barricades. Late on Tuesday night, demonstrators stormed the check-in hall and brought all air traffic to a standstill. All flights have been cancelled and the airline counters are vacant. There is likewise no sign of immigration officials, security personnel, police or military. The facility has fallen completely under the control of the anti-government protest movement, says a spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy, the group which is behind the airport occupation. On Wednesday, the demonstrators continued solidifying their hold on the building. According to one airport employee, armed protestors wielding iron rods were even trying to force their way into the tower. The protest is aimed squarely at Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. For months, the People's Alliance for Democracy has sought to topple his government, seeing him as little more than a puppet of his predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was convicted on corruption charges in October and sentenced in abstentia to two years behind bars. The group has staged a number of dramatic protests in recent months including taking over the prime minister's office in August and blockading parliament. Demonstrators turned to the airport because Somchai was scheduled to touch down there today after a trip to the APEC summit in Peru. (He was re-routed to an airport in northern Thailand and has since landed.) And yet, even though the airport has been shut down, the chaos has something of an order to it. The demonstrators, mostly dressed in yellow, have clearly learned from their months of protests. They also look as though they plan to be staying for a while, despite calls from the military for them to leave. Many have spread out straw mats or set up cots -- some even have extra mats for sale. Lunch packets were handed out, complete with crackers, sandwiches, water and coffee. In front of the check-in hall, others are waving the Thai flag and giving speeches through megaphones. Thousands of tourists were unwittingly caught up in the demonstration; according to airport personnel, close to 3,000 were trapped. Early on Wednesday, there were still hundreds of them in the check-in hall, waiting patiently in line to be registered by the few representatives of the Thai tourism bureau still on duty. They were then bused to hotels in the city center. "We were completely overrun," said Robert Wolfer, who was brought to the airport by his daughter early on Wednesday morning. He had just spent two weeks on the resort island of Ko Samui and had heard little of the crisis. On Wednesday, Wolfer, from Switzerland, wanted to head back to Z?rich. "I have no idea how I will get out of here," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Franz and Anna Sparber are also stranded. From northern Italy, the couple were set to transfer in Bangkok on their way from Bali back home. Now, they say, they are a little afraid about what might happen next. The Thai tourism industry stands to suffer immensely from the demonstration. Already, numerous travel agencies across Germany and Europe have cancelled trips to Thailand through the end of the week. Also those who had planned to transfer in Bangkok have seen their flights cancelled. NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday. What happens next at the Bangkok airport is unclear. The head of Thailand's army Anupong Paojinda called on the demonstrators to leave the airport, but was rebuffed. He also called for Prime Minister Somchai to step aside and call new elections, but the government rejected his call. The army chief was careful to emphasize that there was no putsch planned. "We are not putting pressure on the government," he said, "but the government should give the people a chance to make their decision in new elections." The comments from the army head quickly made the rounds among the demonstrators at the airport. But the atmosphere of peace there remained somewhat uneasy. Earlier, unidentified attackers threw a number of explosives at the anti-government activists. One of them exploded near a group not far from the airport. Another blew up at the domestic airport Don Muang, injuring three according to police reports. In downtown Bangkok, two further explosives went off. During clashes between pro and anti-government protesters on Tuesday, 11 people were injured. And there may be more such clashes in the future. The governing party on Wednesday called for large-scale, pro-government marches. "I challenge our people today to go out on the street and show what they think of this putsch," said Jatuport Propman, a member of Prime Minister Somchai's party and the leader of a major pro-government organization. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6337044 Protesters Force Second Thai Airport to Shut Down Thailand shuts down second airport as prime minister refuses protesters' demands that he quit By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand November 26, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Thousands of passengers stranded after Thai protesters take airport. Thai authorities shut down Bangkok's second airport Thursday after it was overrun by anti-government protesters, completely cutting off the capital from air traffic as the prime minister rejected their demands to resign, deepening the country's crisis. Thailand's powerful army commander, who has remained neutral in the conflict, stepped into the fray Wednesday, urging Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down. He also asked thousands of protesters to end their siege of the main international Suvarnabhumi airport. It has been shut since Tuesday night, leaving hundreds of flights canceled and drawing world attention to a turmoil that has reduced Thailand to a dysfunctional nation. The anti-government protests, which gathered pace four months ago, have paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry. http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhidqlsncwcw/rss2/ Tourist chaos as protestors force Thai airport shutdown 26/11/2008 - 06:37:47 Thailand?s main international airport cancelled all flights today as protesters thronged the complex in an effort to bring down the government. Thousands of tourists, were stranded by the invasion, which dealt a major blow to the country?s already fragile tourism industry. The airport takeover was one of the boldest gambles yet by the People?s Alliance for Democracy in its four-month campaign to topple prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom it accuses of being the puppet of a disgraced fugitive predecessor, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra. Exhausted travellers were sleeping everywhere ? on their suitcases, luggage trolleys, security conveyer belts and behind vacated check-in counters. Protesters dressed in yellow shirts walked around distributing food, ham sandwiches and packets of rice. The alliance vowed to bring its campaign to a final showdown this week and violence has increased, including streets clashes between supporters and opponents of the government that included the first open use of firearms by the anti-government protesters. Police said 11 government supporters were injured, some with gunshot wounds. Four small bombs exploded near the airport and Don Muanh domestic airport, which is also in the city. The explosions were reported in the early hours of today. Demonstrators ? some masked and armed with metal rods ? had swarmed the international airport overnight, breaking through police lines and spilling into the passenger terminal. Several anti-government protesters armed with metal rods entered and briefly held the airport's control tower, demanding the prime minister's flight schedule. Group Captain Chokchai Saranon, a control tower official, said 50 protesters demanded to enter the empty control tower at Suvarnabhumi but only three were allowed up by security officials. He said the protesters at the control tower eventually left. The airport was fully shut down today, resulting in 292 flights being cancelled and stranding thousands of passengers. ?The incident has damaged Thailand?s reputation and its economy beyond repair.? airport director Serirat Prasutanont said. ?However, we are trying to negotiate them to allow outgoing passengers stranded by the protest to fly." The alliance said the airport would be shut down until Mr Somchai quits. The prime minister was due to return later from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru and would land at a military airport, officials said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/26/2430615.htm?section=world Thousands evacuated from Bangkok airport By South East Asia correspondent Karen Percy Posted Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:37pm AEDT Updated Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:37pm AEDT Stand-off: Anti-government protesters block Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport (Reuters: Sukree Sukplang) Thai authorities have begun evacuating thousands of passengers who have been stranded at Bangkok's international airport after anti-government protesters stormed the terminal, forcing the airport to close. Hundreds of weary travellers have been herded out of the arrivals area on to buses provided by the airport's operator. Earlier, the protesters took over the control tower. All flights have been suspended and Thai Airways says 16 flights have been diverted to the old airport north of the capital. The demonstrators are trying to oust Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his government. The leader of a pro-government group has urged supporters to march in Bangkok, raising the prospect of street clashes with anti-government protesters. The Thai army chief is due to hold a media conference this evening. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/peoples-alliance-for-democracy Rioting protesters close Bangkok airport ? Demonstrators rampage with bats and clubs ? Anti-government party hopes to provoke coup ? Ian MacKinnon and agencies in Bangkok ? The Guardian, Wednesday 26 November 2008 ? Article history Ian MacKinnon: "It's generally very good natured" Link to this video International flights to and from Thailand's main airport were halted last night after rampaging anti-government protesters surged through police cordons and stormed the sprawling terminal. The airports' authority said it had no choice but to close Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport as the yellow-shirted protesters carrying iron bars smashed doors and roamed the concourses. The demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is dedicated to bringing down the prime minister, caused mayhem across Bangkok as they fired on government supporters and left 11 injured, one critically. A PAD spokesman said last night that a bomb had been thrown at a group of its supporters outside the terminal, injuring three people. Police lieutenant Suthep Wongsaeng said it was unclear what type of explosives were used in the early morning attack at the Don Muang Airport, nor who was responsible. The closure of the international hub, which hosts 14.5 million tourists each year, is one of the most disruptive actions the group has staged in six months of protests that have unseated one prime minister and two ministers. Ian MacKinnon at Bangkok airport Link to this audio Last night leaders of the anti-democratic PAD vowed to keep the airport closed until the prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, who is due to arrive home from an official trip today, resigns. His spokesman said he would not land at Suvarnabhumi. The airport diverted incoming flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Singapore, after the departure area had to be closed because hordes of protesters pushed through lines of riot police, who were under orders not to use violence. Many demonstrators wore masks and goggles and attacked waiting taxi drivers with bats and golf clubs, before moving inside. "There were a lot of people armed with sticks and baseball bats," said a Belgian tourist, Ben Creemers. "They looked ready for a fight." The protesters, waving Thai flags and portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, had blocked the motorway to the airport earlier. Many passengers had to drag heavy suitcases miles to the terminal in the hope of catching their flights, while others turned back or waited vainly by taxis. The airport siege capped a dramatic second day of protest - billed as a "final showdown" - that saw violent clashes and several other mass protests designed to disrupt the government. Earlier tens of thousands of PAD supporters picketed Bangkok's old Don Muang airport, which has become the temporary seat of power since the anti-government demonstrators occupied the prime minister's office in Bangkok last August. The protesters surrounded the airport's VIP building prevent a cabinet meeting yesterday, though no ministers appeared after the discussions were postponed. A day earlier there were similar scenes outside parliament, which was besieged by tens of thousands of protesters even as that session was cancelled. There, too, police melted away as the authorities feared a repeat of clashes last month that left two demonstrators dead. But yesterday some of the PAD mob made their way to Bangkok's army headquarters, where they believed the postponed cabinet meeting would be held. Others, riding in a lorry, were ambushed on a Bangkok highway by government supporters who threw stones and poles. The PAD fought back with stones, bars and catapults. At least two men were seen firing revolvers at their rivals. Hospital officials said 11 pro-government supporters were injured, eight with gunshot wounds. Earlier the PAD had urged government staff to strike to support their demand. The PAD's desperate tactics are aimed at provoking the army to mount another coup - following that which deposed Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 - as a way to unseat the government. But the PAD's extreme actions are alarming its broader base and polls show support for it is dwindling. http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/we-control-bangkok-airport-protesters/2008/11/26/1227491584334.html We control Bangkok airport: protesters Trouble in Thailand ... a passenger sleeps on his suitcase at Suvarnabhumi airport, top left, a man fires a gun on pro-government activists in a screengrab taken from Thai TV, top right, and anti-government protesters sit in front of the departure terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport, bottom. Latest related coverage Stranded passengers angry November 26, 2008 Page 1 of 3 | Single page Thai anti-government protesters say they completely control Bangkok's international airport and that airlines must seek their direct permission to land at the facility. -------------- Are you in Thailand? Do you know more? Message 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764) or email us with information or images. -------------- "The PAD has completely taken control of Suvarnabhumi Airport so any airline that wants to take off or land must seek permission from us directly,'' said Chaiwat Sinswuwong, one of the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy. "We have allowed one flight for the Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage) to take off, but not others'' he added. Staff had been asked to leave the control tower at the airport because of the closure, said Puttawan Noirod, a spokeswoman for Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, which controls air traffic across the country. "First Airports of Thailand told us that the airport would be closed until midday but then they informed us that the airport will not operate the rest of the day," Puttawan told AFP. Australia's acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean says the duration of the closure is not known at this stage. The development comes after a second day of demonstrations in Bangkok descended into violence, with 11 injured in clashes. Singapore Airlines cancelled all its flights to and from Bangkok as a result of today's situation. The airline said it would try to book affected customers on later flights once the airport resumed normal operation. Serirat Prasutanont, the director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said earlier the airport has been temporarily closed since 4am (8am AEDT) after protesters stormed the complex late and all flights had been cancelled. As many as 500 passengers have been stranded because of the closure, he said. It was unclear how many flights have been cancelled, but Serirat said some incoming flights are being diverted to other airports in Thailand including Don Muang, Chiang Mai and Phuket. "We have to close the airport because of (alliance) protesters blocked the entire airport,'' Serirat said. "However, we are trying to negotiate them to allow outgoing passengers stranded by the protest to fly.'' Qantas said none of its passengers were stranded at the airport as no Qantas flights were due to depart from there today. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94L6NEO0&show_article=1 Thai protesters block Parliament, postpone session+ Nov 24 03:50 AM US/Eastern Comments (0) BANGKOK, Nov. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo)?(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE INFO) Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters on Monday blocked Parliament and other government buildings, forcing the postponement of a joint session of both houses. House of Representatives Speaker Chai Chidchob announced the postponement, saying the session will be put off until the "political situation returns to normal." "We are trying to negotiate with all concerned parties including the PAD, the opposition and the government," he told reporters by telephone from Parliament. Chai also urged the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy to keep in mind the country's interests, saying Thailand will suffer greatly if the government cannot sign agreements with other countries because Parliament cannot legislate. PAD protesters also blocked the nearby Metropolitan Police Bureau, while some of them marched to the Finance Ministry and staged a protest there. The Finance Ministry and Metropolitan Police Bureau were in darkness when the PAD cut electricity lines to the buildings. The protesters later in the afternoon pulled out from Parliament but vowed to come back if Chai calls the houses into session. The protesters later headed to Don Muang Airport, where the interim prime minister's office is located, to interrupt a Cabinet meeting. Protestors have been occupying the prime minister's offices at Government House since late August. Deputy government spokeswoman Suparat Nakboonnam said the special Cabinet meeting had to end when the protestors approached. Suparat added the government believes that police and military can deal with the protesters. "The government will be patient as much as we can, because we don't want to make the situation worse, which is PAD's target," she said. One of the PAD leaders, Pipob Thongchai, said the PAD succeeded in its aim of forcing the postponement of the parliamentary session. He said he is confident that the movement will succeed within a week in toppling the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. In a "final showdown" called by their leaders, PAD members vowed to stop political and economic activities, especially Parliament's joint session, which was to discuss amending the 2007 Constitution. Chai said earlier that the joint session would not discuss the Constitution, but the PAD insisted it does not believe his statement. The PAD opposes any revision of the Constitution, saying changes would benefit the government. About 2,000 police were deployed in the Royal Plaza and Parliament on Sunday, but they were told not to use tear gas or weapons to deal with the protesters. On Oct. 7, several thousand demonstrators attempted to block access by lawmakers to Parliament, which led to a clash with security forces that left one dead and some 500 injured. Early Monday, there were small explosions near the office of a media company owned by Sonthi Limthongkul, who is one of the PAD leaders, but no one was injured. PAD leaders called the latest showdown after two of its members were killed in separate grenade attacks inside the government compound over the past month. The PAD began its antigovernment protests May 25, accusing the government led by then Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of being a political proxy of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who skipped bail in August to avoid corruption charges. The protesters moved into the compound of Government House on Aug. 26 and have occupied it since then, even after Samak was unseated by the Constitutional Court in early September. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/11/2008112562125769985.html Protesters besiege Thai PM's office PAD campaigners say the government is too closely tied to former PM Thaksin [AFP] Anti-government protesters in Thailand have switched the focus of their demonstrations to the government's temporary offices as they continue efforts to topple the elected administration. On Tuesday thousands of protesters surrounded Bangkok's old Don Muang airport, from where Somchai Wongsawat, the prime minister, and his cabinet have run the country since protesters occupied Government House in August. Protest leaders said their aim was to block the government from meeting. "We'll protest until there is no cabinet meeting," said a protest leader, Somsak Kosaisuk. "We'll interrupt their every attempt to ruin the country further." But a government spokesman told the AFP news agency said the weekly cabinet meeting normally scheduled for Tuesday was not taking place as the prime minister had not yet returned from the Apec summit in Peru. "The cabinet meeting was rescheduled on Wednesday afternoon after prime minister Somchai arrives from Lima. The government has not cancelled or postponed its meeting," Nattawut Saikuar said. Six-month campaign The protest came a day after supporters of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) surrounded the Thai parliament building, forcing MPs to postpone a joint session. Tensions soared last week after a demonstrator was killed and several others injured in a grenade attack on a PAD protest camp in the ground of Government House. The PAD ? a loose alliance of royalists, academics and businessmen - accuses the government elected in December last year of being tainted by corruption and of being a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 coup. PAD leaders have called the latest protests the "final battle" in their six-month campaign to unseat the People Power Party, which has close ties to Thaksin. Unions had said they would call a nationwide strike on Tuesday if the government did not quit, but the threatened walkout did not materialise. The ongoing political crisis has stymied government decision-making and undermined confidence in Thailand's export-driven economy, which has also been hit by the global financial crisis. According to the latest government data, the Thai economy will grow at 4.5 per cent this year, its slowest rate in seven years ? due both to slumping investment and a slide in exports. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/26/2003429574 At least five injured as Thai protests turn violent AFP, BANKGKOK Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008, Page 1 Anti-government protesters blockading the Thai prime minister?s temporary offices and Bangkok?s main airport opened fire on rival activists yesterday, wounding at least five people, police said. The violence erupted on the road to a disused air terminal where thousands of demonstrators behind a six-month street campaign have surrounded the makeshift headquarters of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Separately, anti-government protesters clad in yellow clothes that symbolize their loyalty to the monarchy tried to blockade the main Suvarnabhumi International Airport ahead of Somchai?s return from a trip abroad. ?Five supporters of the government have been wounded from gun shots by PAD [People?s Alliance for Democracy] who were on a pickup truck,? a senior Metropolitan police officer told reporters on condition of anonymity. Television footage showed at least one man in a pickup truck opening fire on an unarmed group, before men in yellow shirts got out and beat them with white poles, as fires burned in the background. The PAD ? a coalition of royalists, Bangkok?s old elite and the middle class ? accuses the government of being a corrupt puppet of exiled former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who is Somchai?s brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup. Somchai has rejected calls to quit, while the government insisted that a key Cabinet meeting would go ahead today at an undisclosed location to prevent further protests. ?Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a rebellion,? Somchai told the Thai National News Agency on board a flight from an APEC summit in Peru. The Thai army chief meanwhile dismissed protesters? calls for the military to step in as it did two years ago. ?The armed forces have agreed that a coup cannot solve our country?s problems and we will try to weather the current situation and pass this critical time,? army chief General Anupong Paojinda told reporters. A day after PAD protests forced the cancellation of a parliamentary joint sitting, about 10,000 demonstrators moved to the old Don Mueang International Airport early on Monday to shut off Somchai?s current base. Protesters have occupied the prime minister?s official office and Cabinet headquarters at Government House in Bangkok since August. Riot police largely withdrew on Monday amid fears of a repeat of clashes between protesters and police on Oct. 7 that left two people dead and 500 injured, the worst political violence in Thailand for 16 years. ?There are more than 10,000 of us here and we are prepared for a long siege like at Government House,? said Sawit Kaoewan, a PAD leader. Police confirmed the figure. About 1,000 demonstrators later moved to the Suvarnabhumi international airport in a bid to block Somchai?s return from a trip abroad, airport authorities told reporters They said there was no disruption to the handful of domestic flights that operate from Don Mueang or to services at Suvarnabhumi, which took over as Bangkok?s main airport two years ago. Hundreds of PAD supporters also went to the nearby military headquarters after speculation that the cabinet would meet there with Somchai today. Government-run corporations said there was no response to a strike call by Thailand?s main public sector union. The protests spread a day after the PAD blockaded parliament in what they called a ?final battle? in their six-month campaign against the administration. The PAD, which also launched huge street protests in 2006 that led to the Thaksin coup, called this week?s rallies in response to a grenade attack on Thursday that killed one protester. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/asia/26thai.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Thai Protesters Shut Down Airport European Pressphoto Agency Anti-government protesters blocked the main access road to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday. By THOMAS FULLER Published: November 25, 2008 BANGKOK -- Thailand's main international airport remained shut Wednesday after protesters besieged the facility, startling tourists, halting flights and escalating months of simmering political tensions into a full-blown national crisis. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Thomas Fuller on Protests in Bangkok (mp3) Related Demonstrators Surround Parliament in Thailand (November 25, 2008) Enlarge This Image Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images Protesters gathered outside a terminal at the Bangkok airport early Wednesday. Thousands of those opposed to the government began demonstrating on Tuesday. The airport raid, carried out Tuesday by men wielding metal rods who pushed past riot police officers, was the climax of three years of intermittent protests that have tarnished Thailand's long-standing image as a freewheeling but stable nation. A series of extreme measures by protesters, including a violent clash with government supporters on Tuesday in Bangkok that left 11 people injured, has brought the government near collapse and left Thailand's democracy teetering. The government has struggled to carry on its business while trying to quell the most recent demonstrations, but has found itself consumed by the stalemate. A sit-in at government offices forced Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to conduct business elsewhere. This week, protesters began what they called a final push against the country?s leaders. They prevented Parliament from holding one important session and have said they plan to prevent any future sessions or cabinet meetings, effectively paralyzing the government. The protesters, a loose coalition of royalists, academics and members of the urban elite, say they are frustrated by years of vote-buying and corruption. Many are also skeptical of Thai democracy in its current form and propose a voting system that would lessen the representation of lower-income Thais, who they say are particularly susceptible to vote-buying. The latest protests come at a time of anxiety over the health of 80-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej and worries about his succession. There is also frustration about an underperforming national economy. The recent protests have centered on Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who was removed from power two years ago in a military coup. Protesters accuse the current government and the one before it of being Mr. Thaksin?s proxies. Mr. Thaksin was recently convicted in absentia of abuse of power and remains in exile. The current prime minister is Mr. Thaksin?s brother-in-law. At the cavernous Suvarnabhumi airport early Wednesday, protesters said they would not leave until the government stepped down. During the original face-off with riot police officers on Tuesday, one protester said she was willing to die if necessary. ?If they shoot, let them shoot,? said Pranee Rattanatakerngporn, a 55-year-old protester who traveled to Bangkok from the northern city of Chiang Mai. ?I will stay here until we win.? Officials decided to shut the airport around 9 p.m. Tuesday ?for the safety of all passengers.? ?I?m very worried about the situation now,? said Sereerat Prasutanon, director of the airport. ?I think it?s time that the army comes out and helps to take care of the situation.? By shutting down the airport, protesters are ultimately holding the country hostage, analysts say. ?The gateway to the country is now blocked,? said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. ?This is an acute problem for the government.? Suvarnabhumi is the world?s 18th-largest airport in terms of passenger traffic and a major transit hub for Southeast Asia. It handled 41 million passengers last year. Among the passengers stranded at the airport was Anna Plahn, a 34-year-old from Sweden wrapping up a vacation with her two young children. ?My two kids are sick and they want to go home,? she said. ?This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us.? On Tuesday, thousands of protesters were camped out on the main entrance ramp to the airport, blocking traffic to the departure terminal. They spread razor wire on the road to limit traffic, which was allowed to trickle through. A truck parked in front of the terminal served as a makeshift stage where a well-known actor, Saranyu Wongkrachang, led the crowd of protesters in song throughout the night. The protesters, who had mainly confined their demonstrations to their sit-in at the government compound, took to the streets Monday, when they forced the cancellation of Parliament and temporarily cut electricity to the police headquarters. On Tuesday, thousands of protesters kept the Thai government on the run, blocking the entrance to its temporary offices north of the city and massing in front of army headquarters. In the late afternoon a clash erupted between protesters and government supporters on a major road in Bangkok. Television reports showed two protesters shooting handguns in the direction of the government supporters and beating them with metal rods and sticks. There were no reports of deaths on Tuesday. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Thomas Fuller on Protests in Bangkok (mp3) Related Demonstrators Surround Parliament in Thailand (November 25, 2008) The video also showed protesters surrounding a motorcycle taxi driver and holding a knife to his throat as he clasped his hands together, begging for mercy. Mr. Thaksin has many supporters among taxi drivers. It was unclear what happened to the man. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that the police said assailants had thrown four explosive devices at anti-government protesters, injuring at least six people. With nearly daily protests taking place in Bangkok for the past six months, many Thais have grown frustrated. The Thai print news media, which has been generally critical of the government and supportive of the protests, has recently run articles skeptical of the daily street demonstrations. One columnist in the newspaper The Nation on Tuesday called the protests a ?never-ending saga that is futile and a drain on society.? The latest spate of protests began in April, but became more serious in August, when the alliance raided and took over the prime minister?s office compound, forcing the previous prime minister to operate out of the V.I.P. terminal of Don Muang Airport, the capital?s older airfield, now used for domestic flights. Mr. Somchai and his staff had used the same airport offices. On Monday, protesters blocked access to those offices. ?You don?t have to doubt what we will do next,? Somsak Kosaisuk, a protest leader, said Tuesday from a temporary stage set up at Don Muang airport. ?First, we will not let the cabinet use this place for their meetings anymore. Second, wherever they go for their meetings, we have our special troops that will follow them.? A cabinet meeting had been planned for Wednesday, but government officials said it might be pushed back. The prime minister is scheduled to return late Wednesday, from a trip to Peru, where he attended a summit meeting of Asian and Pacific leaders. As the Thai economy slows down with the global financial crisis causing ripples here, and as the stalemate between government and protesters deepens, many Thais are hoping for a coda. ?How is it going to end?? said Bharavee Boonsongsap, a 34-year-old producer for MTV Thailand. ?I keep asking people but they have no answer. Thais are fighting Thais. People have become aggressive, and even children have been taught to hate the opposite side.? http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/25/worldupdates/2008-11-25T141925Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-366829-1&sec=Worldupdates Tuesday November 25, 2008 Govt retreat deals big blow to Thai protest By Ed Cropley BANGKOK (Reuters) - It was billed as a "final battle" to unseat Thailand's government but, unfortunately for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), it now looks as though the government, not it, could be the last one standing. Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat gestures during a meeting with Peru's President Alan Garcia at the government palace in Lima November 24, 2008. (REUTERS/Pilar Olivares) By some yardsticks, Monday's marches were "mission accomplished" for the PAD, the monarchist street movement that has occupied Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's offices for three months and paralysed his government for six. Its siege of parliament forced the postponement of a debate on some international treaties, and its occupation of the elected administration's temporary headquarters at Bangkok's old airport caused several ministers to beat a hasty retreat. But by other measures, the day was a washout for a protest movement that has relied on the oxygen of publicity and openly courted anarchy and bloodshed on the streets of the capital in the hope of triggering a military coup. Determined to avoid confrontation, unarmed riot police at parliament simply walked away or climbed over locked gates into Bangkok zoo at the approach of the PAD vanguard, a phalanx of masked heavies wielding clubs and iron bars. A threatened nationwide strike on Tuesday by the PAD's public sector union allies, who also accuse Somchai of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, ousted and exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra, failed to materialise. "Thaksin's provocations will give them some energy, but the PAD simply cannot mobilise sufficient mass support to maintain a drawn-out campaign," Thailand researcher Andrew Walker of Australian National University said. "There is every chance that, left to their own devices, the PAD will degenerate into a rather eccentric political cult with a bankrupt and self-absorbed leadership," he said. MOOD SWING Such views had little traction six weeks ago amid widespread public anger in Bangkok at alleged brutality by the police in breaking up an identical PAD protest at parliament. Two people were killed and hundreds, including scores of police, injured in a day of running street battles, the worst unrest in Bangkok in 16 years. Since then, however, two things have changed. First, the PAD has become ever more bellicose and erratic -- six of its "guards" were arrested on Monday for hijacking a bus with a sawn-off shotgun -- making it hard for establishment supporters ranking as high as Queen Sirikit to stay on board. "The people who've been backing PAD in the background have got frightened that it's getting out of control. It's a threat to public order and even the structure of the state itself," said historian Chris Baker. "There has been a change of mood." Second, the threat to Thailand's export-driven economy from a major global slowdown has suddenly got very serious, and the businessmen and middle classes who have been bankrolling the PAD are worried about its impact on their wallets. Data released on Monday, as thousands of PAD faithful chanted victory slogans outside parliament, showed the economy on track to grow just 4.5 percent this year, its slowest since 2001. In the last week, foreign investors from General Motors to Nikon <7731.T> have revealed Thai production cuts. DOWN IN THE POLLS Even before Monday, opinion polls showed waning support among a Bangkok public weary of months of disruption to traffic, schools and businesses, suggesting the PAD's cries for people's unpaid time and energy is starting to fall on deaf ears. "We are recruiting non-stop for supporters to oust the tyrants," core PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk told a rally on Tuesday. "The job does not carry any pay, but you are defending the nation, religion and the monarchy." In the three years since it started as an anti-corruption drive against Thaksin, the PAD has been in the doldrums several times but has always shown an uncanny ability to engineer a new flashpoint or yet another headline-grabbing "final push". But if the police and the disarmingly uncharismatic Somchai continue to refuse to rise to the bait, and Thaksin keeps his mouth shut from exile -- admittedly, a big if -- the powers that be could well tell the movement's leadership to pack its bags. "I would guess that, away from all of our eyes, people will start talking to the leaders and say: 'Come on, own up to reality,'" Baker said. "And if that doesn't work, there will be a kind of clean sweep. They will try and decapitate them." http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23591402-details/Thai+parliament+shut+as+protesters+cut+off+electricity/article.do#readerComments Thai parliament shut as protesters cut off electricity Ed Harris 24.11.08 THE Thai parliament was forced to close down today after thousands of anti-government protesters managed to cut off electricity to the building as they called for a "final showdown". A squad of riot police had to retreat to their headquarters when activists, many singing and dancing in a sea of yellow shirts worn in tribute to the Thai monarch, surrounded the gates of parliament in Bangkok. Nearby, dozens of other police in riot gear retreated inside their headquarters as demonstrators pushed past a metal barricade and blocked off the street with razor wire. The protest alliance, which calls itself the People's Alliance for Democracy, has been occupying the grounds of the prime minister's office in the capital for three months. They say the administration is the puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. Today's protest spread across a much wider area of the capital than earlier rallies. Protest leader Somsak Kosaisuk said outside parliament: "We'll keep doing this until they quit." There were reports that the government had set up a makeshift office at Bangkok's former international airport. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1126/p04s01-woap.html Few gains in Thai protesters' 'final war' The antigovernment group swarmed the airport where the prime minister was supposed to arrive Wednesday. By Patrick Winn | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor from the November 26, 2008 edition Bangkok, Thailand - Despite the increasingly violent "final showdowns" that Thailand's antigovernment protesters have carried out this week, the months-old movement appears to be losing steam. On Tuesday, members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) clashed with government supporters and continued besieging Don Muang airport, where government officials had set up a temporary office. They also swarmed Thailand's main international airport and blocked the road to it in anticipation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's return Wednesday, forcing all departing flights to be suspended. But the PAD's self-declared "last war" ? which follows months of disruptive protests ? failed to achieve its goals of compelling the government to step down or of triggering a military coup. Meanwhile, the PAD's ranks are thinning as followers weary of the prolonged turmoil. "They've run a little dry and have become more desperate," says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst with Thailand's Chulalongkorn University. "The longer it goes on, the more of a drain it becomes. They've been trying to close this game." Tired protesters snoozed on tile floors at Don Muang airport Monday night. More slept on a traffic ramp outside despite blaring music. "This has to come to a pinnacle at some point," said Soontorn Rakong, a PAD coordinator, surrounded by dozing protesters. "Win or lose? I can't say." For much of this year, the alliance has rallied hard to topple the elected People Power Party, which they accuse of buying votes to win elections late last year. The party has close ties to exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. To many Thais, he is a hero, but the PAD casts him as archvillain, insisting that he still holds sway over Thailand's political leadership ? especially Prime Minister Somchai, his brother-in-law. In August, roughly 10,000 protesters stormed the prime minister's compound with pipes and clubs, transforming its grounds into a 24-hour tent city and alliance headquarters. Government workers fled, eventually setting up offices in the now-seized Don Muang airport VIP lounge. Alliance leader Sondhi Limthongkul, owner of a TV and newspaper enterprise, set up live satellite feeds to bring more disaffected Thais to his cause. Mr. Thitinan and other analysts say the alliance's "final war" is meant to provoke a military coup and force the current government out. The country has a history of coups ? 18 since World War II, the latest being Thaksin's ouster in 2006. Though coup rumors have electrified Bangkok in recent months, prospects of another one appear dim. The Royal Thai Armed Forces leadership has taken a hands-off approach during the protests. Thailand's Army chief, Gen. Anupong Paochinda, has stated that his soldiers cannot heal Thailand's political wounds. The coup route, he said, is "a closed door." Many analysts believe that only out-and-out anarchy would convince the military to intervene. But if the alliance hoped for a fight this week ? it barricaded streets, mocked riot cops, and disrupted parliament ? police and soldiers disappointed them by keeping their distance. Meanwhile, the PAD's supporters appears more ragged and spare. Only about 2,000 people occupy the prime minister's compounds on weekdays ? a mix of paid guards, vendors hawking T-shirts, and retirement-age Thais. Bleaker still is the financial picture of its propaganda network, Manager Media Group. After ducking a civil court hearing with creditors this month, its assets may be eligible for seizure. The firm has more than $133 million in debt ? a fortune in Thai business terms. Its "news" channel, which runs nonstop footage of protests, posts frequent banner ads requesting donations. The PAD has protesters to feed, satellite trucks to maintain, technicians, bodyguards, and others to pay. According to Sondhi, occupying the compound costs roughly 1 million Thai baht ($28,400) a day. Adding Don Muang's occupation to its balance sheet will further sap its resources. The thought of another coup is not particularly welcome to the PAD's rank and file. "It's a hard question. I don't really want a coup," said Rattana Somleak late Monday night. The dessert salesman, prepared for a long occupation at Don Muang, had just finished brushing his teeth over an airport railing. "The government has all the power and, yes, they got it from elections. That's the correct way. But they also got power from buying votes, buying the media." Could he stomach another coup? Mr. Somleak's brow tightens. "Maybe. I just don't know." Away from the megaphone, Soontorn, the PAD coordinator, acknowledges that the violent protests must end soon. We can't keep going on with these little wins and little losses, back and forth, between us and the government." http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/391950/1/.html Analysts say Thai protesters trying to provoke violent response from authorities By Channel NewsAsia's IndoChina Correspondent Anasuya Sanyal | Posted: 24 November 2008 2125 hrs BANGKOK: Thousands of protesters in Thailand have blocked off Parliament, forcing it to call off its session. At least 15,000 have fanned out across Bangkok as part of their final battle against Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government. In a symbolic move to cut off power in Parliament, members from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) not only caused a blackout, they also surrounded the building, making it inaccessible to Thai lawmakers. One of the protesters, Wasant Kasemsap, said: "This thing would not have happened if the government had moral principles. You see the building behind me, it's not Parliament, it's a thieves' den full of criminals in there. I want everyone to realise that if we don't stand up to fight, we will not have anything left for our country." Some even hijacked buses in their attempt to seal off the police headquarters and other state buildings. Tensions ran high as thousands of riot police tried to stop the protesters from advancing. A police spokesman said they are not carrying guns and have been instructed to use as little force as possible. Many are eager to avoid a repeat of an episode last month when exploding tear gas canisters caused two deaths and hundreds of injuries. PM Somchai, who is in Peru for the APEC conference, has refused to resign and instead called for restraint. The PAD has occupied the prime minister's office compound for nearly six months and looks unlikely to vacate anytime soon. Some analysts said they are trying to provoke a violent response from authorities and trigger a military coup, which would then oust the Somchai government. The PAD said Mr Somchai is simply a puppet for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is thought to be gearing up for a political comeback. The PAD is expanding its protests to include Don Muang Airport, which serves as Mr Somchai's temporary office. Many Thais feel that the PAD is now simply obstructing necessary government business, but the group and its backers show no signs of giving up. - CNA/so http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391804/1/.html Thai demonstrators leave protest camp for "final battle" Posted: 24 November 2008 0757 hrs Anti-government protesters wave a national flag during a protest inside the Government House in Bangkok BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai demonstrators began leaving their protest camp early Monday and prepared to march to key state buildings in a "final battle" to topple the government, their leaders said. Crowds began leaving the Government House -- the prime minister's cabinet offices which they have occupied since late August -- at about 6:00 am (2300 GMT Sunday) and gathered at a road junction just outside the compound. "Get ready, gather at the intersection with masks, clean water and towels," a spokesman from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group told the thousands of people gathered in Bangkok's historic district. The protesters were told to bring the masks in case the police use tear gas to disperse them."People who stay at Government House, don't worry, we have mechanisms, we will not be dispersed," he said. The speakers on stage did not reveal their supporters' destinations, but rumours circulated that protesters were heading to the nearby Bangkok police headquarters or to the finance ministry. Thai television, meanwhile, speculated that other targets could be the stock exchange or Don Mueang airport, where Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's cabinet has been meeting since Government House was occupied. PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul had late Sunday said supporters would divide into groups and descend on different locations for a "final battle" against the government, which they accuse of acting as a corrupt puppet of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. "It will be our longest day. The leaders have already planned our battle tactics... in this war the protesters will seize our capital back," he said. PAD leaders had also said Sunday that their main aim was to block parliament to prevent a joint session due to start at 9:30am Monday. The last time PAD protesters left Government House and rallied outside parliament on October 7, police fired tear gas and the crowd fought back, with the resulting clashes leaving two people dead and nearly 500 injured. - AFP/vm http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391828/1/.html Thai protester dies from bomb blast injuries Posted: 24 November 2008 1043 hrs Anti-government protesters hold portraits of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit during a protest BANGKOK - A Thai demonstrator injured in a grenade attack at an anti-government protest site in Bangkok at the weekend has died in hospital, medical staff said Monday. A forensic official at Bangkok's Ramathibodi Hospital said that 21-year-old Anupong Samerpak -- a volunteer guard for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement -- died Sunday afternoon. "Relatives have already claimed his body," the official said, adding that the victim's injuries were caused by shrapnel. Seven other protesters were wounded Saturday when an unknown assailant on a motorbike tossed a grenade at the protest site at the prime minister's Government House offices, which the PAD has occupied since late August. Last Thursday, one protester was killed and 29 injured in a similar attack in front of a stage at the compound, prompting PAD leaders to blame the government and call for a massive rally on Monday. Police say about 18,000 protesters have turned out Monday morning, blocking parliament in what PAD leaders say is their "final battle" to remove the government, which they say is a puppet for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- has denied any government involvement in the blasts and promised an investigation. No arrests have been made so far. Two PAD supporters were also killed on October 7, when police and protesters clashed outside parliament in street battles that also injured nearly 500 people including police. - AFP/vm http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Cape%20Times&fArticleId=4727521 Thai protesters rally for push to topple the government November 24, 2008 Edition 1 BANGKOK: Thousands of Thai protesters gathered yesterday for a rally they say will be the final push in a six-month campaign to topple the government. "I am confident in the strength of the people," anti-government leader Chamlong Srimuang said. "We will go to parliament to seal off every side on Monday (today)." Thai television showed images of police manning steel barricades outside Bangkok's parliament building and fire engines parked nearby, while witnesses said more than 10 000 protesters had gathered at Government House. "Protesters, please do not damage the country," Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said on Thai television from Peru, where he is attending a conference. About 2 000 police have been deployed, officials said, while nearly 2 000 troops are on standby to prevent a repeat of street battles outside parliament last month which left two protesters dead and nearly 500 people injured. "The army has prepared about 21 companies to help police take care of the situation," spokesperson Nattawut Saikuar said. "The government will not use force or weapons to disperse the demonstration, (but) parliament will meet as planned." On Thursday, one protester was killed and 29 wounded when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in the middle of the Government House protest site, and on Saturday eight protesters were injured by a similar weapon. The People's Alliance for Democracy protest group has blamed the government for both attacks. The government has denied any link to the attacks. - Sapa-AFP http://www.bangkokpost.com/241108_News/24Nov2008_news03.php UDD told to avoid protest march route MONGKOL BANGPRAPA The United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) yesterday told its supporters not to gather today to counter a rally by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) at parliament. The pro-government group's stance was announced yesterday during the Kwam Jing Wan Nee (Truth Today) talk show at Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi, which coincided with a massive gathering of PAD supporters at Government House. Key UDD leader and talk show host Veera Musikhapong claimed the pro-government group would avoid confronting the PAD today, which has decided to wage its "final war" on the Somchai Wongsawat government. The PAD accuses Mr Somchai of being a proxy for convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. "If there is a clash, it would be between the PAD and police," Mr Veera said. "Let them [PAD supporters] show their real self and let military and police officers do their duty." He asked the PAD to "honour the nation" by not blocking parliament and stopping it from convening. Legislators will sit today to consider 12 agreements to be signed during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Chiang Mai on Dec 15. The 2007 constitution demands all international commitments be approved by parliament before they are signed. Key UDD leader Chatuporn Promphan said Thailand would suffer if parliament could not consider and approve the agreements. Another talk show host, Kobkaew Pikulthong, questioned why no one came out to oppose the PAD rally in front of parliament. Some people, including some senators and opposition party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, just let things go on without making any efforts to put the brakes on the PAD, he said. The main reason the PAD is staging its rally at parliament today is to prevent the People Power party-led government from amending Article 291 of the constitution, which would pave the way for the setting up of a body to draft a new charter. Mr Veera also asked UDD supporters to send five million postcards as a petition to His Majesty the King in a bid to help Thaksin, who is on the run after being convicted of breaking a conflict of interest law last month. In a phone-in speech at the UDD rally at Rajamangala National Stadium on Nov 1, Thaksin told his supporters that only royal kindness or the power of the people could bring him home. Several thousand UDD supporters crowded into Wat Suan Kaew yesterday to join the talk show. However, temple abbot Phra Payom Galayano, who faced criticism for allowing the UDD to hold the controversial event at his temple, did not allow Thaksin to make a phone-in from abroad to his supporters. The abbot said he would not become the political tool of any party. The peaceful atmosphere in the temple may reduce the anger between the rival groups, he said. "In fact, Mr Veera and his colleagues have become a tool of my moral teachings," the monk said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/241108_News/24Nov2008_news14.php November 24 2008 EDITORIAL Time for rest from protests It is difficult to credit the two extreme political groups for exercising restraint and conducting peaceful demonstrations yesterday. There was a time not so long ago when protests meant a lack of violence - flowers in gun barrels were symbolic. Now, the nation cringes when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) or the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) take to the streets. In these troubled times, the country is worried when the UDD calls its red-shirted supporters to the political front. So the stress factor was pretty high in Bangkok during the weekend, and in many provincial centres as well. The contrary protests, even separated as widely as they were, caused strong concern, and there is relief that major violence was again avoided. It might be relief, but is there release? The PAD, yet again, promised the Sunday rally, its supposedly biggest ever, would be its last gasp victory - or, in the words of core leader Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, "We will all just pack up and go back home". If victory means forcing the government to resign, the PAD has fallen short of its goal. No one doubts that the PAD leaders will continue their campaign for their vague goal of a "new politics". No one doubts there will be more protests and more tension. The PAD backs a general strike (with some labour union backing) and using force to besiege parliament. Some leaders have called for a military coup. For its part, the UDD claims to be on a roll. Political icon and criminal fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra will address a UDD gathering on Dec 13. Followers will undoubtedly pack the old national stadium at Patumwan and roar at the increasingly open threats of violence against the PAD. UDD convert Maj-Gen Khattiya "Seh Daeng" Sawasdipol has made the grenade a symbol of opposition to the PAD. Such threats are a disgraceful act, testing the laws against inciting violence. All of this is approaching the point of disservice to the nation. There is no doubt dissent is both healthy and necessary in a free society. But more than three years of steady street protest, interrupted only by an ill-considered and harmful military coup, has inflicted serious wounds on the country and all Thais. The PAD and the UDD have one thing in common: Both are minority groups trying to force their views and policies on the public. Poll after poll shows clearly that the vast majority are tired of the constant political tension sparked and fanned by these groups and supporters. The nation's business is not being done. The PAD - perhaps rightly - has forced the courts to rule that the government must submit all foreign pacts and policy to parliament for approval. Then, the PAD has besieged parliament, preventing such public debate. Thailand, the chairman of Asean, will go to its own summit in Chiang Mai next week as the only member not to have approved vital Asean agreements on peace, trade and cross-border security. Protest is patriotic, but lowering the prestige of the country is to humiliate Thailand in the world's eyes. On one hand, the PAD denies the legitimacy of the government as a Thaksin puppet. On the other it denies the people's business. It would be useful if the PAD reconsidered the overall effect of its continuing political tension. UDD leaders should also think about how useful its mass rallies are to the nation. The birthday of His Majesty the King is next week. The Asean summit comes to Thailand two weeks later. Economic problems are becoming a crisis. Now would be a good time to take a holiday from huge political rallies and attend to the country's business. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391806/1/.html Three small blasts hit near Thai protest leader's office Posted: 24 November 2008 0802 hrs Protesters run for safety after Thai police fired tear gas at them during an anti-government protest in Bangkok. BANGKOK - Three small blasts went off near the offices of a key Thai anti-government protest leader early Monday, police said, but no one was injured in the latest in a string of small-scale explosions in Bangkok. All three blasts hit Bangkok's Banglampoo area, near the offices of ASTV, which is headed by Sondhi Limthongkul, a co-founder of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is trying to topple the government. An officer at the Metropolitan Police who did not wish to be named said they still did not know what had caused the explosions. "As far as we know so far, no one was hurt in those blasts," he said. Local television footage showed glass at a police box shattered in the first bomb attack. The blasts come the same day that the PAD has promised fresh rallies in its "final battle" to remove the government, which they accuse of acting as a corrupt puppet of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thousands of PAD supporters were early Monday preparing to leave the Government House compound they have occupied since late August and descend on various state locations throughout the capital. PAD leaders called for the fresh rallies after one of their supporters was killed and 29 injured in a grenade attack at Government House last week, which Protesters blamed the government for the casualties, but Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has denied any involvement and vowed to investigate. - AFP/vm http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/24/2003429447 Thai alliance plans to rally 100,000 for biggest protest yet AP, BANGKOK Monday, Nov 24, 2008, Page 5 Anti-government protesters gathered in the Thai capital yesterday for their biggest rally yet in a final showdown with the government, while the military deployed soldiers to deter violence. The protest group, which calls itself the People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), hoped more than 100,000 supporters would join them yesterday evening or early this morning. They were expected to try to march on parliament to disrupt a session of lawmakers today. ?D-DAY? ?It will be D-Day. This will be our final push to bring down the government,? said protester Chokchuang Chutinaton, 64, as he and fellow protesters gathered at the Government House compound. Alliance protesters have camped out Government House since August and are demanding that Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resign. They accuse him of being a proxy for his brother-in-law, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. ATTACKED The protesters have been attacked several times by small bombs and grenades, including a blast on Thursday that killed one person and wounded 29, and another on Saturday that injured eight. No one took responsibility for the explosions. The Thai military said that it was deploying more than 2,000 soldiers yesterday to deter violence. Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd said police would be responsible for keeping the situation under control, but that the army would be on standby in case police ask for help. ?We have prepared more than 2,000 soldiers to support them,? Sansern said. Police said 2,400 police would be stationed outside parliament, which stands about a 1km from Government House, where the protesters were gathering. CLASHES The last time the protesters marched on parliament, street battles with police left two dead and hundreds wounded. Nearly 100,000 protesters were involved in the demonstrations on Oct. 7, the biggest march so far and the country?s worst political violence in more than a decade. ?We expect for more than 100,000 supporters for the rally,? PAD spokesman Parnthep Wongpuapan said yesterday. Key protest leader Chamlong Srimuang said on Saturday that the upcoming rally would be a final push. ?If we cannot drive out this illegal government then we will give up and let them do whatever they want to the country. Everyone in PAD will go home,? he said. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-22-voa7.cfm?CFID=150987084&CFTOKEN=52020126&jsessionid=0030a529e18cff3092a0213a16a206020573 Blast in Bangkok Injures 8 Thai Anti-Government Protesters By VOA News 22 November 2008 An injured anti-government protester is treated by medic men after a bomb attack at the government house compound in Bangkok, Thailand, 22 Nov 2008 Thai authorities say a pre-dawn blast has injured at least eight anti-government protesters in Bangkok near the site of a similar attack two days ago. Sources in Bangkok say unidentified assailants on a motorcycle early Saturday threw a grenade at a checkpoint manned by protesters outside the prime minister's office compound. Protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy have occupied the compound for nearly three months. On Thursday, a grenade attack on the grounds of the compound killed one protester and injured 23 others. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, and protesters have refused to allow police to enter the compound to investigate the incident. PAD leaders blame the government for the attack and are organizing a mass rally on Sunday to protest what they say are the government's daily brutal crackdowns. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat denies the accusations. On Friday, Thailand's main public sector unions threatened to strike nationwide next week if the country's current administration does not step down. The group of unions urged its nearly 200,000 workers to join an anti-government rally planned for Sunday in Bangkok. Protesters have been calling for the administration to step down since they began occupying Thailand's Government House compound in late August. They say the current administration is too close to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The standoff has paralyzed the government and led to fears it will plunge Thailand into economic chaos. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/242812,grenade-attack-at-thai-protest-leaves-one-brain-dead--summary.html Grenade attack at Thai protest leaves one brain-dead - Summary Posted : Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:24:04 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) News Alerts by Email click here ) Bangkok - Unknown assailants launched a grenade at anti-government protestors Saturday, injuring eight and leaving one brain-dead while also fanning worries that Thailand was heading for more street violence this weekend. Witnesses said two young men fired the device from an M-79 grenade launcher at guards for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) outside Government House, the seat of the Thai government. One of the eight victims was pronounced brain-dead in hospital, having sustained shrapnel wounds to his body and neck, said the Ramathipbodi Hospital's director, Dr Than Suphatphan. PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said the attack was the handiwork of a professional. "It had to be a soldier," he said at a press conference. Another leader of the movement, Sondhi Limthongkul, warned that the attack might spark a violent backlash. "The government needs to take responsibility because this kind of action will encourage people to take up weapons and fight the government," Sondhi said. "This will destroy the whole country." On Thursday, a similar early morning attack on the PAD killed one man and injured 24 people. The attacks on the PAD, a loose coalition of groups adamantly opposed to the return to power of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have intensified in recent weeks. The PAD seized Government House on August 26 and have occupied it since, demanding the resignation of the cabinet, which is now led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, and packed with Thaksin nominees and political allies. Thaksin, a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon who used his personal fortune and populist policies to dominate Thai politics during his premierships from 2001 to 2006, was toppled by a coup two years ago. He has been living in self-imposed exile since August and is a fugitive from Thai justice. On October 21, the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders found Thaksin guilty of abuse of power for allowing his ex-wife, Pojaman, to successfully bid on a prime plot of Bangkok land at a government auction in 2003. Thaksin was sentenced to two years in jail. Thaksin criticized the verdict as being politically motivated and last week vowed to return to Thai politics despite his conviction. The threat, along with recent attacks, has emboldened the PAD, which vowed to stage a mass rally of 100,000 people Sunday to demand the resignation of the cabinet. On Monday, it plans to march on Parliament to prevent the legislators from meeting. At its last mass protest outside Parliament on October 7, police opened fire with tear-gas canisters, leading to a melee that left two PAD followers dead and hundreds injured. More than 1,700 police have been assigned to keep the peace at Sunday's rally. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10544233&ref=rss Grenade attack on protesters at PM's office 4:00AM Friday Nov 21, 2008 The attack killed one person and injured at least 23. Photo / AP BANGKOK - A grenade attack on anti-government protesters occupying the Thai Prime Minister's office killed one person and wounded at least 23 yesterday, an Army official and protesters said. The protesters have occupied the Government House compound since August and refuse to leave until Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns or is overthrown. The protest movement has been the focus of several small bomb and grenade attacks, but yesterday's was the first deadly assault at the compound. The explosion occurred after a band performed onstage on the front lawn outside the Prime Minister's office, said Amorn Amornratamanon, one of the protest leaders. It landed on a giant tent near the stage that was sheltering dozens of people, he said. "I was listening to the music when I heard a big bang. I ran to the stage and turned back to see several people lying on the ground," said Wimonwan Pranratsmee, a 42-year-old woman who was among the wounded. Army General Prathomphong Kesornsuk, who was at the scene, said the device was an M-79 grenade that was fired from a nearby building. Advertisement Advertisement The protesters, calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, have vowed not to leave the grounds of Government House until the allies of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra are removed from power. Somchai is Thaksin's former brother-in-law and protesters call him Thaksin's proxy. Somchai has been forced to operate out of a makeshift office at Bangkok's old international airport. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup after protests led by the same alliance, a mix of activists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents and royalists. Thaksin was accused of corruption and abuse of power. A Thai court handed down his first conviction last month and sentenced him in absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict-of-interest law while in office. Thaksin, who is in exile, is in Dubai. The occupation of Government House has paralysed the Government and last month sparked the country's worst political violence in 16 years. Two protesters were killed and more than 470 injured when they clashed with riot police outside Parliament on October 7. A street clash between Government supporters and opponents in September left one person dead and several more hurt. - AP http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/20/thai-blast.html 1 killed, 23 injured in grenade blast at Thai protest site Last Updated: Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 12:36 AM ET Comments1Recommend7 Reuters, special to CBC News An injured anti-government protester is treated by medical officials after a blast at the Government House in Bangkok Thursday. (Associated Press) A grenade attack on protesters occupying the Thai prime minister's office killed one person and wounded 23 on Thursday, the most serious assault on the three-month sit-in at the compound, police and protest leaders said. The Bangkok Post said an M-79 grenade had exploded near the main stage of the protest, which began in late August with the aim of forcing the elected government from power and changing the electoral system. "Last night, they threw a bomb at our rally at Government House," Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), told the crowd. Police said the attack occurred at around 3:25 a.m., but they were barred from entry to the compound and so had little information. The Nation newspaper identified the dead person as a 48-year-old man who died of shrapnel wounds to the throat. The PAD protest is led by royalist businessmen and academics trying to prevent former leader Thaksin Shinawatra returning to power following his removal in a 2006 military coup. The protesters accuse current prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, and Somchai's predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, who resigned in September, of being too closely aligned with the ousted leader. The PAD campaign, which started in late 2005 and contributed heavily to the 2006 coup, has paralyzed government decision-making and exacerbated the threat of recession in Thailand as its export-oriented economy takes a hit from a global slowdown. Thailand's political temperature has been relatively calm for the last two weeks, with many people in both the pro- and anti-government camps turning their attention to last weekend's high-profile cremation of the king's elder sister. A PAD speaker read a letter on stage from protest leader Chamlong Srimuang vowing to respond to the latest attack, the most serious in a spate of small grenades lobbed at the protest venue in the last month. "We will no longer let this kind of incident happen. ," Chamlong, a retired major-general, said in the letter. "PAD leaders will have an urgent meeting this morning and will announce to PAD members what we will do next." There was no immediate comment from the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is . Since the PAD overran the Government House compound in August, Somchai has been working out of temporary offices at Bangkok's old airport. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612220 Thailand: Medical teams, hospitals stand by to assist wounded protesters Posted: 2008/11/22 From: MNN More than 30 medical teams and 11 gov`t hospitals in the Thai capital are on standby to provide emergency treatment to any wounded protesters of the anti-government People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` as the group will rally at Parliament on Sunday and Monday to express opposition to any consideration of constitutional amendments by the House. Public Health Minister Pol. Capt. Chalerm Yubamrung said he had ordered permanent secretary of Public Health Dr. Praj Boonyawongvirot to prepare some 30 emergency medical teams, comprising over 100 personnel, to be stationed at the rally site from early Saturday. Also, 11 government hospitals in Bangkok must be well prepared, having physicians, medical staff and patient beds available round-the-clock, Mr. Chalerm said. The urgent order was made out of concern that violence might occur -- like the October 7 incidents in which two persons were killed and nearly 500 others wounded when police fired teargas into the PAD protesters at Parliament. Dr. Praj, meanwhile, said he had instructed the officials of two emergency relief centres to coordinate with the assigned hospitals to delegate work if violence breaks out. Initially, officials of the emergency relief centres will work from Saturday morning through Monday. (TNA) # http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611716 PM urges anti-govt protesters to vacate Gov`t House Posted: 2008/11/17 From: MNN Thailand`s PM Somchai Wongsawat on Monday urged anti-gov`t demonstrators of the People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` to vacate Gov`t House in Bangkok. After having occupied it for nearly three months, adding his government was prepared to hold talks with them. Mr. Somchai, who also serves as defence minister, said he had requested the People's Alliance protesters to leave Government House, which they have held since August 26, for the sake of the country. "It will take a long time and a lot of money to repair Government House after the protesters leave the premises," the premier said. "Don't forget that Government House is a national treasure, and has been built from peoples' taxes". He said that a group of well-intentioned persons is prepared to act as middlemen to negotiate between the government and the PAD, and that he agreed with the idea. Stressing that building reconciliation among the people is his government's policy, Mr. Somchai who came to power in September, said it "needs time" to solve the country's problems and that his administration was putting effort into keeping things running smoothly. (TNA) # http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK405742.htm Thai protesters blame government for grenade attack 20 Nov 2008 10:53:35 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds PAD quote paragraph 4, details paragraphs 16-17) By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The leader of a long-running anti-government street movement in Thailand called for a major rally on Sunday to oust the "murderous" administration after one of its supporters was killed in a grenade attack. Sondhi Limthongkul accused the government of having a hand in the firing of the bomb in the early hours of Thursday into the prime minister's official compound, occupied by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) since August. "The PAD can no longer tolerate this murderous government that kills its people daily and cruelly," he said, reading out a statement on PAD radio and television after an emergency meeting of his inner circle. Chamlong Srimuang, a retired general and fellow PAD chief, painted the rally as "the last round of the final battle" -- a cry used many times before, most recently in the run-up to bloody clashes with riot police outside parliament on Oct. 7. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat denied Sondhi's accusation, telling reporters the government had "never had a policy to cause unrest or hurt any Thai". Besides the dead man, identified as a 48-year-old with shrapnel wounds to the chest, 23 people were hurt in the blast, the most serious in a series of small attacks against the PAD sit-in in the last few weeks. The PAD, a loose coalition of royalist businessmen and academics who accuse the government of being a puppet of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, have managed to muster crowds in the tens of thousands this year. However, in the last few weeks the crowds at Government House have been dwindling, largely through fatigue and the absence of anything too inflammatory from the government, which is operating out of temporary offices at an old airport. Policy-making has been almost totally paralysed, causing Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech to suggest the political crisis could tip the export-oriented economy into recession when it feels the full force of the global slowdown. WHO DID IT? Thailand's political temperature has been relatively cool in the past two weeks, with both anti- and pro-government camps focused on last weekend's high-profile cremation of the king's elder sister. However, analysts always said the lull was only temporary, and so Thursday's attack comes as no surprise. For several hours, PAD sentries barred police from entering the barricaded government compound, making it extremely unlikely anybody would ever be caught. "It is difficult to say who did this. Many people -- both pro- and anti-government -- carry weapons," said political analyst Panitan Wattanayagorn of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. A renegade major-general known as Seh Daeng, who has offered basic military training to pro-government protesters and threatened to attack the PAD with bombs, rifles and snakes dropped from helicopters, also said he took no part. Compounding the economic threat, state enterprise labour unions that caused havoc on the roads and railways in August in action supporting the PAD said they would meet on Friday to discuss possible strikes in response to the grenade. Tensions are likely to remain high for some weeks, with Thaksin, now in exile having after skipping bail in a corruption case, set to address a mass rally of supporters around Dec. 13. However, the army has said repeatedly another coup would not solve Thailand's fundamental political problems, and analysts say it is highly unlikely to change that view unless major street violence breaks out. (Additional reporting and writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Jerry Norton) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6535342.html PM: Thai gov't to hold talks with anti-gov't protesters 19:43, November 17, 2008 Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat reiterated on Monday his coalition government is prepared to hold talks with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who has led the protests and occupations of the Government House for nearly three months. Somchai said that a group of well-intentioned persons is prepared to act as middlemen to negotiate with the PAD, and that he agreed with the idea. He stressed that building reconciliation among the people is his government's policy. He said it needed time to solve problems. Somchai urged anti-government protestors to vacate the Government House. Somchai said he had requested the People's Alliance protestors to leave THE Government House, which they have held since August 26, for the sake of the country. Somchai, who was appointed as prime minister in September, has not yet been able to work in the Government House. His government has to move the office to Don Muang airport. Source: Xinhua http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/14/content_10358722.htm Pro-Thaksin group protests in front of British embassy in Bangkok BANGKOK, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Some 150 supporters of a pro-Thaksin group gathered in front of the British embassy in Bangkok Friday morning to protest the British government's revocation of Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visa to the country. They burnt effigies of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband to show their anger after Britain revoked visas of Thaksin and his wife, Khunying Pojaman. They claimed Thaksin is a good man, and that he is unfairly treated. About 150 police were deployed to provide security at the embassy. They placed iron barricades to prevent the protesters from getting near the embassy. The protest went on for about half an hour. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611425 Anti-govt protesters unblock road for royal funeral Posted: 2008/11/13 From: MNN More than 500 Thai soldiers and workers from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Wednesday cleaned a major thoroughfare in central Bangkok after the anti-government protesters dismantled barricades and opened all traffic lanes of the Thai capital's Rajadamnoen Avenue to facilitate the royal cremation ceremonies of the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, elder sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Over 200 military helped clean areas near the Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge and dismantled tyre barricades and other obstacles earlier placed by protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue. The avenue is the traditional main route, the historic Royal Way which the monarch and royal family members use to travel to Sanam Luang where the royal cremation ceremony for the late princess will be held November 14-19. The PAD have agreed to open traffic lanes on the avenue through December 5, the birthday of the beloved Thai king. The monarch will celebrate his 81st birthday on that day. BMA workers are trying to open traffic lanes on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue before midnight Wednesday, and they will repair damage to the road later. PAD protesters now occupying Government House, not far away from the Makkawan Bridge site, said they had requested police and military to set up checkpoints around Government House in order to prevent their rivals from attacking them. (TNA) # http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/389051/1/.html Two Thai protesters wounded in bomb blast Posted: 11 November 2008 1141 hrs Thai anti-government protestors at a demonstration inside Government House in Bangkok. BANGKOK: Two Thai protesters were taken to a Bangkok hospital early Tuesday after a small bomb went off before dawn at the site of a months-long anti-government rally, police said. The explosion took place near the stage inside the grounds of the prime minister's offices, where supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have been camped out since August. "We don't know what kind of bomb it was because as usual they (PAD) don't allow police in immediately to examine the site inside Government House," police officer Colonel Somchai Chueyklin said. The bomb comes after another explosion at the same site last Saturday left three protesters injured, according to the PAD. A day later two PAD volunteer guards were arrested and have since been charged with drugs and weapons offences. The pair, who PAD leaders say are no longer part of the group, were found with 23 homemade bombs, three grenades, four bullets, knives and sticks, according to local media. PAD accuses the government of corruption and took their protest to parliament on October 7, causing riot police to fire tear gas that led to clashes leaving two dead and nearly 500 injured. - AFP/yb http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/11/09/182405/Bomb-wounds.htm Updated Sunday, November 9, 2008 10:42 am TWN, AP Bomb wounds Thai protester BANGKOK, Thailand -- A bomb blast wounded a Thai anti-government protester Saturday inside the government compound that an opposition movement has occupied for months, a spokesman for the group said. People's Alliance for Democracy spokesman Parnthep Wongpuapan said he wasn't sure how the bomb was planted inside Government House grounds in the capital, Bangkok. He blamed unspecified enemies of the protest movement, which has vowed to topple Thailand's elected government. The protesters did not report the blast to police, though officers were aware it had happened, police Sgt. Nareukrai Buran said. Parnthep said the demonstrators did not report the bomb because they didn't want police to enter the compound to investigate. He said the blast occurred around dawn and the injured protester was in serious condition, but gave no details. The PAD -- a loose alliance of royalists, business owners, students and activists -- has illegally occupied Government House, which houses the prime minister's office, since August. They demand that the government resign, saying it is a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption. Thaksin's allies won elections in December, but the government they formed has run into trouble almost from the beginning. Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, has been forced to operate out of a makeshift office at Bangkok's old international airport. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/09/2003428154 Explosion wounds Bangkok protester AFP, BANGKOK Sunday, Nov 09, 2008, Page 5 An explosion wounded a protester in the grounds of the Thai prime minister?s offices in Bangkok yesterday, where anti-government demonstrators have been camped out since August. A police commander said the volunteer guard at Government House was not seriously injured in the blast, but gave few details as he was not allowed inside the protest compound. ?It?s their own bomb. It exploded inside the tent,? Colonel Somchai Chueyklin said, referring to a tent where the guards were stationed. Local media reported the guard, Methi U-thong, was taken to a Bangkok hospital with head injuries and chest pain at around 4:20am. The anti-government People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed Government House in late August and have refused to leave since, accusing the government of corruption and demanding it step down. The bomb is the latest in a series of violent incidents at the camp. On Tuesday a hand grenade was tossed at a group of guards, though nobody was hurt. But 10 PAD guards were injured last week when another grenade was hurled at the camp, and one man was found shot dead nearby. The PAD took their protest to parliament on Oct. 7, causing riot police to fire tear gas that led to clashes leaving two dead and nearly 500 injured. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/387527/1/.html Fresh bomb attack on Thai anti-government protesters Posted: 04 November 2008 1711 hrs Anti-government protesters shout slogans inside the Government House in Bangkok BANGKOK: A hand grenade was tossed at a group of guards at an anti-government protest site in Bangkok early Tuesday, Thai police said, but no one was hurt in the second such attack within a week. The small bomb went off before dawn outside the prime minister's offices -- known as Government House -- which have been occupied since late August by protesters trying to being down the elected administration. "The bomb fell to the ground about three to four metres (yards) from a barricade. Up to seven guards manned the barricade," Lieutenant Colonel Chalermchai Wongjiem of the local police station told AFP. "Nobody was hurt," he added. Ten volunteer security guards for the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group were injured last Thursday when a grenade was hurled at their camp, raising fears of escalating tensions in the kingdom. In other violent incidents, one man was shot dead last week and another injured on Sunday near the Government House protest site after arguments with PAD guards, who are believed to be armed. The PAD launched its campaign to bring down the government in May, saying it was running the country on behalf of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism. The movement erupted into violence on October 7 when police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters trying to block parliament. Two people were killed and nearly 500 injured in the resulting clashes. At least 60 people were injured Tuesday when twin bomb blasts ripped through a local government office and a busy teashop in the insurgency-hit south of Thailand, police said. Elsewhere in Thailand, a car bomb hit at about 11.15am (0415 GMT) outside a district office where village heads were meeting in Narathiwat province, a local police officer told AFP, and minutes later a bomb went off at a nearby tea shop. "More than 60 injured people were hospitalised at Sukhirin district hospital and Sungai Kolok district hospital," said the police officer, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. "No deaths have been reported yet," he added. The first bomb hit as people gathered at a fruit market opposite the Sukhirin district office in an area near the border with Malaysia. In separate incidents, a 47-year-old religious teacher was shot dead in Narathiwat province on Monday night, while a 41-year-old man was killed later in a similar attack in nearby Pattani province, police said. Tuesday's twin explosions come a week after new Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat visited the Muslim-majority far south and told reporters that the five-year-long insurgency appeared to have eased. More than 3,400 people have been killed in rebel attacks by shadowy insurgent groups operating in the region since January 2004 and successive governments have struggled to quell the unrest. Thailand's three far southern provinces were an ethnic Malay sultanate until mainly Buddhist Thailand annexed the region in 1902, provoking decades of tensions. - AFP/yt http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=100267 THAILAND: Protesters storm Thai PBS Members of Rak Chiang Mai 51 protest a report that said some of its members were paid to attend the Thaksin rally on Saturday Bangkok Post Tuesday, November 4, 2008 CHIANG MAI --- About 200 red-clad members of the pro-government Rak Chiang Mai 51 group yesterday stormed into the grounds of the Thai PBS branch office in Chiang Mai. They surrounded the building in an angry protest against a report that some its members were paid to attend Saturday's rally at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. They cut open the fence, blocked the building's entrance with tents, announced they planned to stay overnight. They threatened to cut off power and water supplies if Thepchai Yong, the director of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), the news reader and the others involved in providing the story refused to meet them. The protesters said the channel reported that about 200 of the movement's red-clad members were paid 2,000 baht each and asked to travel to Bangkok in 13 buses along with others to join the pro-government rally, organised by the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). An estimated 80,000 people packed the stadium and heard a 10-minute speech from overseas by convicted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thai PBS yesterday set up a fact-finding panel to look into the allegation. Editor-in-chief Anuwat Chairit had a meeting with the representatives of the group, but the protesters were not satisfied with the talks as they also wanted to meet Mr Thepchai. "We will not leave without talking to Mr Thepchai," one of its leaders said. The group has threatened to bring a 200-million-baht lawsuit against the station over what it says was a false report. Yesterday's raid is causing fresh worry among members of the media, who later announced in a joint statement that "media members once again were being threatened as a result of political conflicts in the country." The Thai Journalists Association, Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, and the Thailand Cable TV Association, called on the group to stop threatening the Thai PBS and use proper channels to voice its protest. "Thai PBS will be happy to give you an opportunity to defend yourself because it is an international practice," read the joint statement. In 2006, the headquarters of the Nation Group was surrounded by Mr Thaksin's supporters, called the Caravan of the Poor after its sister paper and Thai daily Kom Chad Luek published an interview of media firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul, who was alleged to have offended His Majesty the King. Mr Sondhi is one of the five key leaders of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Another protest from the pro-government camp also erupted in Prachin Buri province yesterday when about 100 members of the UDD Prachin Buri rallied in front of the TOT Plc's branch office to express their outrage at the on-going PAD demonstration. The group laid a wreath with words "disgraceful action" in front of the office and condemned the PAD supporters and members of the TOT union at its head office in Bangkok for having booed and jeered PM Somchai Wongsawat during his visit to the Information and Communications Technology Ministry late last month. Sutha Pakakan, the TOT branch manager in Prachin Buri, told the UDD that the TOT staff were exercising their personal right and the event had nothing to do with the branch office. Date Posted: 11/4/2008 http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20081102-169823/Thai-shot-after-row-with-protesters Thai shot after row with protesters Agence France-Presse First Posted 13:09:00 11/02/2008 Filed Under: Civil unrest, Politics, Protest, Government BANGKOK--A Thai man was shot and injured on Sunday after an argument with volunteer guards at an anti-government protest camp in Bangkok, police said, as tensions heated up between rival political groups. Four men from Samut Prakan province south of Bangkok were in the capital for a night out and were returning home in the early hours of Sunday morning when they drove past the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest camp. "They had an argument with PAD guards and then they drove away and crashed with a taxi and gunfire was heard," said police captain Pomphet Choteklang. One man in his early 20s received a gunshot wound in his right shoulder, Pomphet told AFP, but said they were still investigating who fired the shot. Ten of the volunteer PAD security guards were injured last week when a grenade was hurled at their protest camp, heightening fears that political tensions in Thailand were again spiralling towards increased violence. A man was also shot dead last week near the PAD protest site, while a grenade was thrown at the home of a judge. The PAD have occupied the prime minister's Bangkok offices since late August and are demanding the government step down because of links to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism. On October 7, the campaign boiled over into violence after police fired tear gas on PAD protesters trying to block parliament. Two people were killed and nearly 500 injured in the resulting clashes. Tens of thousands of anti-PAD, pro-Thaksin supporters crowded into a Bangkok stadium on Saturday to listen to Thaksin give a video address from abroad. He fled Thailand in August as graft charges mounted against him. Saturday's event had raised fears of clashes between the red-shirted Thaksin supporters and yellow-shirted PAD, but the event ended peacefully. Pomphet said the injured man had not attended the pro-government rally. http://www.bangkokpost.com/021108_News/02Nov2008_news07.php Sunday November 02, 2008 Protesters force Democrats to scrap meeting BLOCKADES SET UP AT SESSION VENUE >>CHIANG MAI : Democrat party executives abruptly cancelled their latest regional meeting here yesterday after the pro-government Rak Chiang Mai 51 group blockaded the session venue, deputy leader Chaiwut Bannawat said. POWER OF RED: A cardboard cut-out of Thaksin Shinawatra with United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship supporters in their red shirts at the Rajamangala National Stadium yesterday, where they heard Thaksin?s remarks from overseas. Mr Chaiwut said the meeting was aimed at discussing how to develop regional offices. He insisted the current political turmoil was not on the agenda. The meeting was scheduled for the Chiang Mai Orchid hotel in Muang district, and was to be attended by about 100 party key members and MPs from 17 area offices in the North yesterday. However, more than 100 red-clad members of Rak Chiang Mai 51, led by chairman Narisuan Thongyaem, blockaded the hotel entrance on Huay Kaew road amid tight security provided by about 50 police officers. The Rak Chiang Mai 51 leaders took turns to criticise the Democrat party, saying the people of Chiang Mai did not welcome opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, party chief adviser Chuan Leekpai and other party executives. Mr Chaiwut said regional meetings had been held in every region and the North was the last leg. He said Mr Abhisit, Mr Chuan and shadow agriculture minister Trirong Suwannakhiri were not scheduled to attend the seminar, and party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban cancelled his trip to Chiang Mai when he learned news of the protest at the hotel. Chiang Mai is the hometown of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and a stronghold of the government and pro-Thaksin supporters. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his cabinet members have been met by protests and blockades by the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) almost everywhere they have gone in recent months, particularly in the southern provinces which are Democrat strongholds. Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech met similar resistance in Chaiyaphum yesterday after being confronted by more than 50 PAD supporters carrying hand-clappers. He was booed by the protesters when he arrived at the provincial hall for a briefing on the progress of a local entrepreneurship stimulus project. Although he was greeted with jeers, Mr Suchart was buoyed by the presence of more than 500 red-clad government supporters who welcomed him elsewhere in the province. Meanwhile, Mr Abhisit is due to meet Wanchai Wattanasap, director of the King Prajadhipok's Institute Centre for Peace and Governance, tomorrow. The centre is among those heading moves for a peace forum to break the political deadlock. Mr Abhisit said he was looking forward to seeing if progress could be made. The peace forum was spearheaded by the institute and the Thai Journalists Association. Nevertheless, Mr Abhisit rejected Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart's suggestion that the Democrat party should make peace with the People Power party and form a new government. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610517 Man shot near PAD`s Rajdamnoen Road protest site Posted: 2008/11/03 From: MNN One man was shot and seriously wounded by a security guard from the People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` near its protest site at Makkhawan Bridge Saturday night. A man identified Charoon Saengsawang was shot in the right shoulder by a PAD guard as he drove his car past a barricade which the Peoples' Alliance protesters set up on Rajdamnern Avenue. The PAD guard fired several shots at the car and the man was rushed to hospital. Seksan Ayuman, one of four passengers in the bullet-riddled sedan, said the party had come from Khaosarn Road and intended to go home by way of Rajdamnern Avenue. About 50 soldiers, with helmets and shields, stood guard at the PAD-occupied Government House to maintain peace. (TNA) # http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445608,00.html Security Heightened After Thai Protest Grenade Deaths Friday, October 31, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Oct. 30: Anti-government protesters march past a shopping street during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand. BANGKOK, Thailand ? Authorities in Thailand said they are preparing for possible trouble at a rally Saturday by supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The rally comes on the heels of several outbreaks of violence connected to the efforts of a protest group opposed to the current government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law. Thaksin, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup and fled to Britain before being sentenced to two years in prison on a conflict-of-interest charge, is to give a speech by video link to thousands of supporters at a stadium in the capital, Bangkok. His critics fear he may inflame tensions. On Thursday, a grenade attack wounded 10 members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy who have been blocking a main street in Bangkok. Click here for photos: (Warning graphic content). "We fear that there will be more violent incidents so security officials have been ordered to be on alert," Metropolitan Police Chief Lt. Gen. Suchart Muenkaew said Thursday, adding that there would be at least 600 policemen at the rally, organized by the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD. Jatuporn Phromphan, one of the UDD organizers, said Thaksin "will be talking about the benefits of a democratic system and how the coup has thwarted that." "This demonstration will be a peaceful show of force by those who support Thaksin and those who support democratic values in Thailand," Jatuporn said. Concern about what Thaksin will say is widespread. "The event organizers have claimed that the program will not be provocative," the English-language Bangkok Post said in an editorial. "Should it turn out otherwise, the UDD must be held accountable." Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the military would also be on alert in case the situation spirals out of control. "If the police ask for help or if the situation appears to escalate toward violence, we would come in to prevent another round of that," he said in a telephone interview. The UDD is opposed to the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is seeking Somchai's resignation. They charge that Somchai is a puppet of Thaksin, whom they accuse of corrupting Thai politics. The alliance's militant tactics have sparked increasing tension and violence since it took over the grounds of the prime minister's offices in late August. On Sept. 2, a street clash between government supporters and opponents left one person dead and several others seriously hurt. Photo Essays ? Thailand Political Unrest Even greater violence took place Oct. 7, when the anti-government alliance tried to blockade Parliament, and police efforts to dislodge them with tear gas led to running street battles. Two people died and more than 400 were injured. Thaksin was convicted Oct. 21 of violating a conflict of interest law in a case relating to a real estate deal by his wife, who was acquitted. He had fled to Britain earlier, saying he could not get a fair trial in Thailand. He is facing an array of other corruption charges. Prosecutors have said they will seek Thaksin's extradition. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7699624.stm Thursday, 30 October 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Thai protesters snap up 'clappers' By Lucy Williamson BBC News, Bangkok Many protesters buy bulk-loads of these plastic hands There are lots of things about Thailand's long-running anti-government protests to startle a casual visitor. The toilet paper stalls that lead down to the tangle of plastic tents inside Government House, for example, or the free haircuts handed out to protesters beside its elegant steps. But perhaps the most surreal hallmark of this political crisis is the craze known as "clapping hands". Their noise rises from inside the government compound every few minutes - a sound somewhere between the chattering of insects and the clickety-clack of factory machines. One for the man who betrayed the country, and one for my husband! Buntheung, shopping for clappers It is the sound of thousands of protesters waving the latest must-have accessory - hand-shaped plastic rattles, in lurid colours, which clatter loudly when shaken. The stalls here sell them in every colour, big or small, tied with string to hang around your neck, or carrying slogans: "Clapper warrior!" "Clappers stop the evil!" "My wife is making me do this!" Buntheung is shopping for a new one. "I already have two," she tells me, "one for the man who betrayed the country, and one for my husband!" I ask her how effective they are. "Oh it works on the husband," she says. And the country, which many people feel has been let down by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his brother-in-law, the current leader Somchai Wongsawat? "We're almost there," she says. The handy thing about the clapping hands is that they can be used to express either agreement or anger. The daily speeches from the main tent at Government House are punctuated with the rise and fall of the clapping hands. Protesters, some of whom have been camped out here for months, wave them lazily or vigorously depending on who's speaking, and what's being said. "When I like what they say I just wave it," says Chin-Noi. "It's easier than clapping my own hands. It's fun and it makes me happy. I use a lot of clapper." New friends In fact, there's a lot of clappers around these days - inside the protest camp and outside it. If you have one, it means you support the protest Local businessman Pad-chang Lots of shoppers browsing the stalls outside the rally admitted to buying up several to give away as souvenirs. One woman said she'd been bought dozens as presents. "I think they're cute," she said, "People keep asking me to bring some back for them - they're very cool." Another shopper, businessman Pad-chang, had already bought up several bags of them, and was still browsing. "You have to test them first," he said earnestly, "not all of them make a good sound." They're useful, he explained, because they stop your hands from hurting when you clap for too long. "It's the easiest way to show your opinion. When you don't like someone or you disagree with them, you shake it in front of their face! But we use it as a greeting too - everyone in my office has clapping hands, and everyone uses it." So who are the hands in his bag for? "Ah," he says, "these are for the children of my customers in the south of the country. You can see it spreading to other provinces. "I went to a Thaksin stronghold out in the country the other day, and a clerk in the bank waved his clapping hand at me, so I took mine from my pocket and waved it back. Now we're friends." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7699180.stm Thursday, 30 October 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Thai protests for Thaksin return Protesters want Thaksin to be sent back to face justice in Thailand Thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand have been rallying outside the British embassy to press for the extradition of Thaksin Shinawatra. The former prime minister was convicted in absentia last week of violating conflict of interest rules. Tension between pro and anti-government groups has been heightened by a grenade attack on Thursday morning, targeting guards for the anti-government camp. Correspondents say the violence highlights the stark political divide. Protesters' anger Early on Thursday, two attacks took place on anti-government targets. An explosive was lobbed into the garden of a senior judge, and a grenade was thrown at a group of men guarding the encampment of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Police say about 10 people were injured in the blast. The PAD has been occupying the main government offices for more than two months, with the aim of toppling the administration led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Protesters say Thaksin is the real power behind the government They claim Mr Somchai is a proxy for Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and now lives in the UK. Pro-government groups are promising to bring thousands of their own supporters in from the countryside this weekend in a show of strength. But according to the BBC's correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head, on Thursday the streets belonged to the PAD, who gathered outside the British embassy. They are demanding that the UK government extradite Thaksin, who was sentenced to two years in prison for violating conflict of interest rules last week, and still faces several other charges. However his conviction may not be covered by extradition agreements between the two countries, and Thaksin argues that he cannot get a fair trial in Thailand because, he says, the judiciary is sympathetic to the opposition. Correspondents say there still seems to be little appetite for compromise in a conflict which is now taking on dangerous regional characteristics. The government has just announced it will move the site of next month's South East Asian summit from Bangkok, which it is no longer confident of securing, to Chiang Mai in the north, where support for Thaksin is still strong. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 08:18:13 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:18:13 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy protests, Southeast Asia, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB101B5.4090106@tesco.net> * BURMA: Lone protester demands Suu Kyi release * INDONESIA: Various protests * INDONESIA: Makassar - Journalists protest for press freedom * INDONESIA: Event to commemorate massacre of students * INDONESIA: Protest after Islamists shut down film * INDONESIA: Bekasi - protest over sacking of veiled woman * INDONESIA: Makassar - protesters demand return of funds * INDONESIA: Protests over Bali execution plan; Islamists, clergy, human rights activists condemn death penalty * INDONESIA: Executions spark protests, clashes * INDONESIA: Bali - Protests against "porn"/indecency law * KOREA: Conscript refuses repression service, jailed for 2 years as conscientious objector * NORTH KOREA: Activists send protest balloons over border * TAIWAN: Supporters protest arrest of ex-PM Chen * TAIWAN: Chen on hunger strike over detention * TAIWAN: Hunger strike, vigil for referendum law reform * NEPAL: Kathmandu - shutdown over alleged abduction, murder by Maoists * Protesters win concessions from government * PHILIPPINES: Mayor supporters launch recall caravan * PHILIPPINES: Balas crisis continues * PHILIPPINES: Bataan - sit-down strike over corruption claims * PHILIPPINES: March commemorating repression repressed * PHILIPPINES: Anti-Arroyo and charter change protests continue * MALAYSIA: Candlelight vigil against repressive law attacked by police http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/11/24/associated-press-sole-myanmar-protester-demands-activists-release/ Associated Press: Sole Myanmar protester demands activists? release Mon 24 Nov 2008 Filed under: News, Inside Burma A lone demonstrator staged a silent protest in front of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi?s party headquarters Saturday demanding the military government free all student activists as the country celebrated its National Day. The holiday commemorates a boycott by Yangon University students 88 years ago in defiance of British colonial rule, a protest that inspired Myanmar?s independence movement. Although the government does not hold any public events to mark the day, Suu Kyi?s National League for Democracy regularly celebrates with a party. Before the celebration, party member Min Thein walked into the middle of the street in front of the party headquarters and stood silently with a placard reading, ?Release Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners.? Min Ko Naing is a member of the 88 Generation Students group, which participated in a brutally suppressed 1988 democratic uprising. Along with many of his fellow former students he was sentenced to 65 years in prison this month for taking part in an Aug. 21, 2007, street protest against a massive fuel price hike by the government. Plainclothes police took videos and photos of Min Thein?s lone protest but did not arrest him during the minutes he stood silently. ?I am expressing my feelings and I am ready to face all consequences,? Min Thein told reporters after the protest. The party marked the anniversary by calling for the release of all political prisoners, including student activists and Buddhist monks who were arrested during anti-government demonstrations in September last year. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi has spent more than 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest. --------------------------------------------------- Four demos planned for Tuesday Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008 Fery Firmansyah/TMC, Jakarta -- Jakarta Police informed four demonstrations planned for Monday in the capital, the first at 9 AM outside the State Palace. The second at 10 AM will be staged at the Health Ministry office and the Corruption Eradication Commission office. At 10:30 AM one group of protester to hold a demo at the National Police Headquarters in Jl. Trunojoyo South Jakarta and the parliament building in Central Jakarta. The fourth group will stage two demos starting at 11 AM at the Corruption Eradication Commission office in South Jakarta and the Jakarta Police Headquarters. Police said the demos are potential of disrupting the traffic without informing the number of people to join the protests or the issues that prompt the protests. However Tempo received information that the second demo at the Health Ministry will be stage by hundreds of malpractice victims and poor residents to demand better allocation and monitoring of the health budget. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== At least six protest actions in Jakarta and Bekasi Friday Detik.com - November 14, 2008 Rachmadin Ismail, Jakarta -- In the lead up to the weekend be prepared to face traffic jams as a result of protest actions. Today, Friday November 14, at least six groups of demonstrators will be protesting on the streets of the capital city and nearby Bekasi. As reported by the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC), the first demonstration will take place at 9am at offices of the Corruption Eradication Commission. The second protest will be held at 11.30am in front of the House of Representatives building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta. Following on from this, a group of protesters will organise an action at the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) between 9-11am. Next, there will be a demonstration at the UNAIDS representative office in Jakarta at 10am. A group of demonstrators will also be protesting at the State Palace in Central Jakarta at 3pm. Finally, protesters are scheduled to demonstrate at the Bekasi Mayor???s office at 11am. So avoid the roads mentioned above when protest actions are taking place. (mad/ndr) [Translated by James Balowski.] --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Nine demonstrations to open the first day of the working week Detik.com - November 24, 2008 Taufiqqurrahman, Jakarta -- Demonstrations are again set to enliven Jakarta and the nearby satellite city of Tangerang today. Not being half-hearted, nine separate protest actions will open the first working day of the week with traffic congestion along roads being used by residents to travel to work being a real possibility. As reported on the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Center website on Monday November 24, for the Jakarta area the demonstrations will start at 8am in the Cakung Clincing area of North Jakarta at the entrance to the Nusantara Bonded Zone (KBN). Also at 8am, three separate demonstrations will take place at the central office of the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta and the House of Representatives building in Senayan, South Jakarta. Following this at 10am, a protest action will take place at the State Place, the Hotel Indonesia roundabout and the KPU offices. The Capital Market Supervisory Agency on Jl. Dr Wahidin in Central Jakarta will also be the target of a demonstration. The final protest will take place at 10am at the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives building on Jl. Kebon Sirih and the Jakarta City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan. Tangerang meanwhile will face two protest actions at 9am at the Tangerang District Attorney's Office on Jl. TMP Taruna and in front of Tangerang regent???s office. (mad/mad) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Five protests to colour Jakarta today, watch out for traffic jams Detik.com - November 6, 2008 E. Mei Amelia R, Jakarta -- Five protest actins will be held today in various parts of Central and South Jakarta. Those passing through these areas should be on guard for traffic jams. ???We don???t yet know the total number of protesters, but we ask [the public] to be on the look out for traffic jams???, said Briptu Heri from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre when contacted by Detik.com on Thursday November 6. The first demonstration will be held at 10am in front of the Department of Labour and Transmigration and is being organised by the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) and the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation. At the same time, the Solidarity Forum for North Sumatra will also be holding a protest action in the vicinity of the Hotel Indonesia roundabout. Also at 10am, Bureaucracy Supervisory Social Movement (GMPB) will be demonstrating front of the Vietnamese Embassy on Jl. Teuku Umar. A protest will also be held by the Friends of Falun Gong Indonesia in front of the Chinese Embassy in the Mega Kuningan area of South Jakarta. Finally, a protest action will be held in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara by the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims of Human Rights Violations (JSKKP-HAM). (mei/nwk) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/11/21/three-protest-rallies-to-happen-in-jakarta-friday/ 11/21/08 13:37 Three protest rallies to happen in Jakarta Friday Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three protest rallies are expected to take place at different locations in Jakarta on Friday with the potential of causing traffic jam on a number of main roads in the capital city. According to the Jakarta Police`s Traffic Management Center (TMC), the first rally would be staged in front of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office at Rasuna Said street in South Jakarta at about 10 in the morning. The second group of protesters would stage a similar rally in front of PT Nokia Indonesia at Mulia Building on Gatot Subroto street, South Jakarta at 2 in the afternoon. An hour later at 3 p.m., the last group of protesters would stage the third rally in front of Merdeka Palace on Merdeka Utara street, Central Jakarta, and would probably be continued at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Thamrin street. However, the TMC did not mention the name of the three groups of protesters and the number of people who would take part in the rallies. Friday`s rallies were the second this week after three similar ones on Tuesday at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, at the Supreme Court (MA) office on Merdeka Utara street, and at the Merdeka Palace on Merdeka Utara street. (*) =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Journalists protest criminalisation of the press Detik.com - November 13, 2008 Makassar -- At least 50 journalists demonstrated at the South and West Sulawesi (Sulselbar) regional police headquarters in Makassar on November 13 over a case involving Upi, who has been declared a suspect in a case of defamation against Sulselbar police chief Sisno Adiwinoto. The journalists, who came from a number of media organisations and wore black clothing, gave speeches in front of the police headquarters condemning the criminalisation of the press. Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) chairperson Andi Fadli said that parties that have problems with the press should seek redress through the press law. ???The regional police chief should be impartial and not use his authority to manipulate the law and coerce journalists???, said Fadli. --------------------------------------------------- Reporters protest naming of suspect Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008 Makassar, South Sulawesi -- Around 50 journalists staged a rally Thursday in front of the South Sulawesi Provincial Police headquarters over a police decision to name a reporter as a suspect in a defamation case against provincial police chief Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto. The police named Jupriadi, alias Upi Asmaradana, coordinator of the Journalist Coalition Against Press Criminalization, as a suspect after Sisno filed a report against him. Upi was questioned by detectives for over six hours Thursday, while the rally took place outside. Sisno, previously the National Police chief spokesman, accused Upi of defaming him in news articles challenging a recent statement made by Sisno in August. Sisno granted parties accusing news publishers of slander to directly file police reports instead of requesting a right to respond to the allegations as formally took place. The coalition believes the changes are a threat to press freedom and a form of press criminalization. Led by Upi, the coalition have staged various rallies and filed reports to the National Police Commission, Press Council, and the Press Legal Aid Institute. --------------------------------------------------- Semanggi tragedy to be commemorated with flowers, prayer Jakarta -- Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Semanggi tragedy in which more than 10 students were shot dead by security forces, a number of activities will be held on Thursday November 13 to commemorate the incident. The first event will be a visit to the grave of one of the victims, Sigit, at the Tanah Kusir public ceremony in South Jakarta where a group of visitors will scatter flowers on the grave. Following this, a public discussion on the Semanggi tragedy will be organised at the Atmajaya University in Jakarta at 10am, followed by the screening of the film ???A Struggle Without End???. ???A ceremony placing flowers on their graves will also be at 12 noon???, said one of the activity committee members in an SMS message sent to Detik.com. Joint prayers will also be held at the Maria Kusuma Karmel Church in South Meruya at 7pm. In addition to these events, a photographic exhibition has been organised at the Atmajaya University. Indonesian artists protest after Islamists shut down film Agence France Presse - November 18, 2008 Surakarta -- Indonesian artists protested here Tuesday after police bowed to pressure from Islamic hardliners and shut down production of a film about the 1965-66 massacres of communists. Protesters rallying outside police headquarters in Surakarta, Central Java, said police should protect the filmmakers from religious fanatics rather than shut down the film. "We have deep concerns that police failed to stop intimidation by militant groups that accused the film of disseminating communist ideology," protest coordinator Kelik Ismunandar told reporters. He said Islamic militants had threatened the crew three or four times and ordered them to halt production of the film, which focuses on events surrounding an alleged coup in 1965 blamed on the outlawed Communist Party. The communist plot has never been proven but then- major general Suharto used the coup allegations to launch a massive pogrom against Communist Party members which killed up to 500,000 people. Islamic groups were tasked with doing much of the killing and Suharto went on to become the country's military dictator for 32 years. The slaughter remains a highly sensitive episode in Indonesian history. Surakarta police chief Taufik Ansorie, quoted by local newspaper Solo Pos, suggested the filmmakers avoid sensitive topics like the mass slaughter of communists in the 1960s. "As it is about public wounds, the film has faced lots of resistance. We urge the production to be reviewed," the police chief said, adding: "We are responsible for maintaining security." Eros Djarot, the director of the film entitled "Lastri" after a female communist activist, said the police were backing militant Islamic extremists over artists whose rights are protected under the constitution. "I can't understand why the security apparatus bowed to those who want to set up Islamic law. They should have respected our laws. Our laws ensure the freedom of expression of the Indonesian people," he told AFP. "I'll fight this and finish the film. I'll never stop. This is tyranny from minority groups that are threatening our nation." The Attorney General last year banned schoolbooks that failed to comply with the official version of history by explicitly blaming the Communist Party for the alleged coup. Debate about the coup was banned under Suharto, who ruled from 1966 until 1998 and died earlier this year. Historians have suggested the US-backed military orchestrated the alleged coup to tighten its grip on power and wipe out the Communist Party, which had been thriving in mainly Muslim Indonesia. --------------------------------------------------- Women activists demand reinstatement of worker sacked for wearing veil Bekasi -- Around 5,000 women activists demonstrated at the West Bekasi Mitra Keluarga public hospital on November 14 in protest over the dismissal of an employ for wearing a jilbab (veil). During the action, the protesters called on the hospital to reinstate Wine, a physiotherapy nurse, who was dismissed for wearing a jilbab while working. They also urged the hospital to revise its regulations on official uniforms. ??The dismissal was a violation of human rights. We are calling for Wine to be reinstated??, said Women's Social Concern (MPP) chairperson Sri Widianti. Student protesters demand return of state funds Makassar -- The arrival of Bima Regent Ferry Zulkarnain in the South Sulawesi regional capital of Makassar to take part in the Nusantara Royal Festival (FKN) on November 15 was greed by a protest by around 20 students. The students were demanding that Zulkarnain return Rp1.6 billion in funds used for the royal festival and a development project in Belo sub-district that they say will cause environmental damage. According to action coordinator Nurdin, Zulkarnain has been incompetent in holding office and his administration is ridden with corruption, collusion and nepotism. ??Ferry goes fishing more often that taking care of Bima residents' interests??, said Nurdin. --------------------------------------------------- Bashir in the thick of it as radicals gather in villages Sydney Morning Herald - November 5, 2008 Tom Allard, Tenggulun, East Java -- The radical cleric and co-founder of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir, said he expected to attend the funerals of Amrozi and Mukhlas in Tenggulun as his followers yesterday began descending on the men's village. A large turnout at the funeral of the brothers is just one of many security issues facing Indonesian authorities before the executions of the Bali bombers. The executions have been repeatedly delayed, giving hardliners more chance to mobilise and make threats. Yesterday, Indonesian police revealed that the US and Australian embassies in Jakarta received a bomb threat via SMS, prompting a security sweep outside the diplomatic missions. In an interview with the Herald, Bashir said that ideally he would attend both funerals. "If the murder takes place, most probably I'll go to Lamongan [the regency in which Tenggulun is situated] because I live in Solo. Lamongan is the closer." Imam Samudra -- the other Jemaah Islamiah member on death row for orchestrating the bombings on Kuta Beach that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians -- comes from Serang, West Java. Bashir, who was released from prison in 2006 after serving a short sentence for his alleged role in inspiring the bombings, said Muslims would be angry if the men were executed. "But what I [fear] the most is if God is angry. If Muslims are angry, it will be only words. But if God is, it will be real problem." Asked if he would give a speech after the funeral, he said: "Preaching is my job. If I am asked, of course I will." Bashir recently formed a new group, Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid, and about 30 members of the organisation arrived at Tenggulun yesterday. Abdul Rahim, a key figure in the group, said: "Hundreds of us are waiting in Solo to come ... but on the day of the execution there could be 1000 here." Another Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid member, Mujaziin Muzakir, repeated the mantra that infidel countries such as Australia were behind the executions and were paying for them. Bashir's followers believe that the CIA planted a small nuclear device that was responsible for the larger explosion that levelled Bali's Sari Club in October, 2002. Supporters of the bombers maintain the executions are unjust and must be stopped but Nusakambangan prison chief Bambang Winahyo said the bombers appeared calm and ready to die, in line with their claims that they were looking forward to becoming "martyrs". --------------------------------------------------- Islamist militants protest execution of Bali bombers Agence France Presse - November 6, 2008 Jakarta -- Islamic extremists rallied in the Indonesian capital Thursday against the imminent execution of three Bali bombers, as defence lawyers demanded the families be allowed a final visit. Chanting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater), some 100 militants descended on the offices of the national human rights body as the bombers' lawyers met officials inside to demand access for the families. The radicals condemned the executions, believed to be hours or days away, and praised bombers Amrozi, 47, his brother Mukhlas, 48, and Imam Samudra, 38, as "holy warriors." They carried banners pledging to follow the bombers' path of jihad or "holy war" and warning that "hell" awaits the executioners. Defence lawyer Mahendradatta urged the human rights body, Komnas Ham, to back the families' demand for visiting rights. Komnas Ham chairman Ifdhal Kasim said the prisoners had a right to meet their families before they faced the firing squad. "A prisoner awaiting execution must be given a chance to meet their families," he said, promising to take up the matter with the prosecutors office which handles executions. Meanwhile the families wrote to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pleading for a delay in the executions, defence lawyer Fahmi Bachmid said. He said however that the letter was not a request for clemency. The bombers have said they want to die to become "martyrs" for their dream of creating an Islamic utopia across Southeast Asia. "We don't know the contents of the letter. The families only told me that they hope the execution will be postponed until the president gives an answer to the letter," he said. The bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists. The government has said the condemned men will be executed by firing squad in "early November" after they exhausted the appeals process. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- NGOs, priest urge abolition of death sentence Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008 Ruslan Sangadji and Indra Harsaputra, Palu, Surabaya -- Three organizations held a peace rally at the Hasanuddin traffic circle in East Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Thursday evening to call for the abolition of death sentence in Indonesia, saying it is not an effective deterrent. The Sulawesi office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Students League for Democracy (LMND) and the Central Sulawesi branch of the Indonesian Forum of Environment (Walhi) said their opposition to the death sentence did not mean they supported the actions of the Bali bombers. "We are fighting for their right to live," coordinator of the Sulawesi Kontras, Edmond Leonardo, said. Other rally participants expressed their opinions one by one coming to similar conclusions that the death sentence fails to deter potential criminals. The group also accused the government of being tendentious for not sending corruptors to the firing squad. Security personnel tightly guarded the event, which ended at 11 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Jakarta time) Meanwhile, Reverend Renaldy Damanik, former leader of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church synod, opposed the death sentence for the Bali bombers, saying it would not solve the problem of terrorism in Indonesia. "Will terrorism and violence in Indonesia stop after Amrozi and friends are executed?" he asked. "I think life sentences could be the solution." Bali bombers Imam Samudra and brothers Amrozi and Muklas have been placed in isolation at the Batu penitentiary on Nusakambangan prison island, Central Java, a hint that their executions are imminent. Anticipating the executions, police officers from Poso Police and the Central Sulawesi Police Mobile Brigade have established checkpoints along the Trans Sulawesi highway in Tagolu subdistrict, as well as at the Tentena Main Market in North Pamona district. Officers are not only checking vehicle documents and motorists' identities, but also inspecting goods carried by vehicles. Luggage is also being scanned with metal detectors. "We are focusing the operation on the search for explosives and other dangerous goods," said Poso Police operations chief, Comr. Baitul Manaf. Residents in Poso voiced fears that the executions will reignite sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims in the region. Residents are avoiding crowds, while vendors are selling their goods along religious lines. Christian vendors are afraid to conduct their business at the Poso Central Market and feel safer selling their merchandise at Tentena Market, a Christian dominant area. Tentena is located some 50 kilometers from Poso. The vendors come from Christian villages such as Maliwuko, Sepe, Silanca, Tangkura and Malei in Malei district. Meanwhile in Lamongan, East Java, prosecutors have conveyed the last wishes of Amrozi and Muklas to their mother, Tariyem, and their wives. On behalf of the Attorney General's Office, Lamongan's chief prosecutor, Irnensif, passed on Amrozi's last wishes to his older brother, Khozin, and younger brother Ali Fauzin, in a closed-door meeting at the former's house in Tenggulun village, Solokuro district. "I was assigned to convey the last wishes of Amrozi and Muklas before they are executed," Irnensif said. Irnensif, however, said he was still in the dark on when the executions would be carried out. Khozin acknowledged the prosecutors information, saying the wishes were conveyed verbally and not in writing. "Our mother and their wives have been prepared to receive their bodies after being executed," Ali Fauzi said. "They also want to meet Amrozi and Muklas before the execution. The Lamongan prosecutor's office will help them enter Nusakambangan." --------------------------------------------------- http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=29&ContentID=106735 Islamic militants protest execution of Bali bombers 6th November 2008, 14:30 WST Islamic extremists rallied in the Indonesian capital today against the imminent execution of three Bali bombers, as defence lawyers demanded the families be allowed a final visit. Chanting ?God is great?, some 100 militants descended on the offices of the national human rights body as the bombers? lawyers met officials inside to demand access for the families. The radicals condemned the executions, believed to be hours or days away, and praised bombers Amrozi, 47, his brother Mukhlas, 48, and Imam Samudra, 38, as ?holy warriors?. They carried banners pledging to follow the bombers? path of jihad or ?holy war? and warning that ?hell? awaits the executioners. Defence lawyer Mahendradatta urged the human rights body, Komnas Ham, to back the families? demand for visiting rights. Komnas Ham chairman Ifdhal Kasim said the prisoners had a right to meet their families before they faced the firing squad. ?A prisoner awaiting execution must be given a chance to meet their families,? he said, promising to take up the matter with the prosecutors office which handles executions. Meanwhile the families wrote to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pleading for a delay in the executions, defence lawyer Fahmi Bachmid said. He said however that the letter was not a request for clemency. The bombers have said they want to die to become ?martyrs? for their dream of creating an Islamic utopia across South-East Asia. ?We don?t know the contents of the letter. The families only told me that they hope the execution will be postponed until the president gives an answer to the letter,? he said. The bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians. The government has said the condemned men will be executed by firing squad in ?early November? after they exhausted the appeals process. JAKARTA AFP http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/america/Protesters_clash_after_Indonesia_executes_three_Bali_bombers_74613.shtml November 10, 2008 Protesters clash after Indonesia executes three Bali bombers Abdijan Thousands of people including some hardliners gathered for the funerals of three Indonesians executed on Sunday for the 2002 Bali bombings, sparking clashes between police and emotional supporters. The three men from the militant group Jemaah Islamiah -- Imam Samudra, 38, Mukhlas, 48, and Amrozi, 46 -- were executed by firing squad on Nusakambangan island in central Java shortly after midnight, the attorney-general?s office said. The two explosions on Bali?s Kuta strip on October 12, 2002 killed 202 people including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. The bombers? bodies were flown from the prison by helicopter to their hometowns -- brothers Mukhlas and Amrozi to Tenggulun in Lamongan, East Java, and Imam Samudra to Serang in West Java. ?Looking at this, I feel sad, but then I am also proud that he is a Mujahid,? said Nuranda, a woman who came to offer her condolences to Imam Samudra?s family. About 3,000 people from West Java cities gathered amid tight security as Samudra?s body was carried to a mosque for prayers, with some jostling to touch the body. Security has been tight in Indonesia and some analysts have said they feared a backlash if the executions went ahead. Although there have been no major bomb attacks since 2005, Indonesia is considered still at risk. In Tenggulun, thousands of militant Islamists from groups such as the Islamic Defenders? Front, some wearing white skull caps, had gathered, shadowed by armed police and many reporters. SOURCE: Reuters --------------------------------------------------- Protests over Indonesian 'anti-porn' law Agence France Presse - November 15, 2008 Hundreds of people rallied in the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali against a tough anti- pornography law branded by critics as a threat to religious freedom. About 400 people marched through the Balinese capital Denpasar in defiance of the law passed by mainly Muslim lawmakers in Jakarta last month. Protesters denounced as too broad the law's definition of pornography, saying it was a threat to Indonesia's diverse non-Muslim minorities and could shatter national unity. High-spirited protesters in traditional sarongs and translucent temple blouses marched toward the provincial governor's office, cheering wildly at traditional dances and performances by local pop singers in curve-hugging pants. The chair of the West Papua provincial parliament, Jimmy Demianus Ijie, said the law passed after years of deliberation in Jakarta criminalised Papuan culture, where many people go semi-naked. "I've taken part in many Papuan performances in many places and I've only worn traditional clothes, but you could see my arse and I was swaying my hips, I was being sexy. Are they going to arrest me for that too?" he told reporters. A challenge to the law would be launched in Indonesia's Constitutional Court next week, activist Ngurah Harta told the protest. "We have to win this judicial review or we will hold a massive civil disobedience campaign," he said. Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika pledged last month that his government would not enforce the pornography bill, but he did not turn up to Saturday's protest. Muslims make up roughly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 234 million population, which also contains sizeable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities. --------------------------------------------------- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=666289&rss=yes Hundreds protest against anti-porn law 16:52 AEST Sat Nov 15 2008 132 days 3 minutes ago AFP Hundreds of people have rallied in the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali against a tough anti-pornography law branded by critics a threat to religious freedom. About 400 people marched through the Balinese capital Denpasar in defiance of the law passed by mainly Muslim lawmakers in Jakarta last month. Protesters denounced as too broad the law's definition of pornography, saying it was a threat to Indonesia's diverse non-Muslim minorities and could shatter national unity. High-spirited protesters in traditional sarongs and translucent temple blouses marched toward the provincial governor's office, cheering wildly at traditional dances and performances by local pop singers in curve-hugging pants. The chair of the West Papua provincial parliament, Jimmy Demianus Ijie, said the law passed after years of deliberation in Jakarta criminalised Papuan culture, where many people go semi-naked. "I've taken part in many Papuan performances in many places and I've only worn traditional clothes, but you could see my arse and I was swaying my hips, I was being sexy. Are they going to arrest me for that too?" he told reporters. A challenge to the law would be launched in Indonesia's Constitutional Court next week, activist Ngurah Harta told the protest. "We have to win this judicial review or we will hold a massive civil disobedience campaign," he said. Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika pledged last month that his government would not enforce the pornography bill, but he did not turn up to Saturday's protest. Muslims make up roughly 90 percent of Indonesia's 234 million population, which also contains sizeable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081115190048.wyg41xfip0&show_article=1 Indonesians attend a protest Indonesians attend a protest against the new pornography bill in Denpasar. Hundreds of people rallied Saturday in the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali against a tough anti-pornography law branded by critics a threat to religious freedom. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_33732.html 11-02-2008 17:39 3-Yr Jail Term Sought for Riot Policeman Lee Gil-jun By Kim Rahn Staff Reporter The prosecution has demanded a three-year prison term for a riot police officer who refused to return to his unit in protest of a police crackdown on a candlelit rally against the import of American beef. Prosecutors Friday asked the Seoul Northern District Court to hand down the jail term to officer Lee Gil-jun, who was indicted in August on charges of deserting his squad, not responding to senior officers' orders, and defaming his seniors. On July 27, Lee, a 25-year-old riot policeman of six months, held a media briefing after a three-day leave to announce his resolution not to rejoin his Jungnang Police Station unit in northeastern Seoul. He said he was forced to suppress protesters, which he said was against his conscience, and called for the abolishment of the riot police system. A few days later, he presented himself to police for questioning. Lee said in court, ``Everything has happened in a flash since I decided not to return to the unit. I listened to my conscience and acted on it.'' In South Korea, a man can be dispatched to an ordinary military camp or the riot police on a random basis after being drafted. ``If officer Lee had the faith to keep democracy and a law-abiding society, he should not have refused the order to crack down on demonstrators. Lee also disparaged riot police, who exercise public power fairly, by calling them a means of violence,'' a prosecutor said. A member of civic coalition Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection said, ``Lee can be considered a conscientious objector, and such people usually get an 18-month jail term. His seems too harsh.'' Lee was not the only riot police officer to protest the rally crackdown. In June, another riot policeman (Lee Gye-deok) requested a transfer to military camp, claiming police work was against his political beliefs and conscience. He was confined in the guardhouse for a month. http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/03/korean-policeman-jailed-for-refusing-to-use-excessive-force/ Police Officer Ordered to Use Excessive Force Jailed as Conscientious Objector Written by Gavin Hudson Published on May 3rd, 2009 Posted in About Politics, In Asia Korean police officer Lee Gil-jun is in prison on a 2 year sentence for not returning to work after commanding officers ordered him to fire a water cannon into a crowd of peaceful protesters last May. Last may, South Koreans took to the streets by the tens of thousands to protest US beef imports, mainly over concerns about mad cow disease in US beef. For several months on any given Saturday night, you could see protesters with white candles in the downtown centers of many cities, especially Seoul. As the candlelight vigils grew, they became more political. President Lee?s entire cabinet offered to resign and the newly elected leader was caught between Koreans, who wanted to scrap the beef import deal, and the US government, which wanted more access to Korean markets. It was then that police officers called in to monitor the demonstrations began using water cannons and physical force to push protesters back from the Korean capital building. Lee Gil-jun had been drafted into the military like every young Korean man and was serving as a police officer when the candlelight vigils started. From May 31 to June 1, Lee?s commanding officers ordered his unit to use a water cannon to push demonstrators back. Lee recalls sitting down on the ground afterwards and feeling sick with guilt. Lee says he became determined that he would no longer be used as a tool of suppression. Afterwards, Lee took a leave of absence to see his parents and decided not to go back. He wanted to tell the media about the situation, but his parents were against the idea. So the 25 year-old filed as a conscientious objector and went alone to a police station to turn himself in. At his court case, the judge asked ?How do you think the treatment of illegal gatherings should change?? ?Peace protesters, marchers and the weak who represent social rights must be respected as much as possible. The government should keep within its principles and show maximum self-control,? answered Lee. The judge continued, ?If every person who has a complaint about their government can assemble in front of the Blue House [the South Korean equivalent of the White House], this society could become chaos.? ?Shouldn?t the government do more than to treat people like gang members or children? If they respect people?s decisions, democracy and peaceful gatherings will grow,? Lee replied. Lee is currently in the 10th month of his sentence. He will be kept at Anyang Prison until his release date in 2010. Readers can advocate for Lee?s freedom: ? via this Facebook group ? by filing a petition with the Korean government ? by emailing the Korean police agency ? by filing a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea or ? by writing words of support to Lee via a Korean web chat page set up to relay the messages http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=29&ContentID=106538 Activists send protest leaflets into North Korea 5th November 2008, 17:00 WST South Korean activists have launched tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea, despite appeals from the South and threats from the North. The Fighters for Free North Korea and a group of relatives of kidnapped South Koreans each launched 50,000 leaflets by balloon from Imjingak village near the western part of the border, the activists said. They said 10 large plastic balloons, inscribed with slogans such as ?Down with Kim Jong-il?s dictatorship?, were carried northward by the wind. ?The winds were blowing right and the weather was very fine,? Choi Sung-yong, who chairs the relatives? group, said by phone. He said the balloons were expected to reach both North and South Hwanghae provinces across the border. The Fighters for Free North Korea, a group of North Korean defectors, released 100,000 leaflets from fishing boats on October 27. Some leaflets released today urged North Koreans to rise against the communist regime and repeated claims that leader Kim Jong-il is sick. The 66-year-old leader is widely thought to have suffered a stroke in mid-August. Others contained appeals from South Koreans whose relatives have been kidnapped by the North. Seoul says North Korea has abducted more than 480 South Koreans - mostly fishermen - since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It says some 540 prisoners of war were never sent home. South Korea?s Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong last week appealed to the activists to stop the leaflet launches, saying they were impeding hopes of reconciliation. The North?s military has threatened ?resolute practical action? to stop the leafleting. The hardline communist state has threatened to evict South Koreans from a joint industrial complex in protest. SEOUL AFP http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/390611/1/.html Supporters protest Taiwanese ex-president's detention Posted: 18 November 2008 1553 hrs Supporters of former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian protest outside the prosecutor's office in Taipei (file picture). TAIPEI - Around 100 supporters of Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian protested outside the hospital where he is on hunger strike Tuesday, criticising his ongoing detention as political persecution. Chen was rushed to hospital on Sunday suffering from dehydration, four days after refusing to eat in protest at what he says are politically-motivated corruption allegations against him. The protesters, who came from the former leader's hometown in the south of the island, shouted "unfair justice" and "political persecution." Doctors said Tuesday that Chen's condition had improved but it was not clear if doctors would discharge him and return the former leader to the detention centre where a judge ordered him to be locked up last week. Chen, who stepped down earlier this year after eight years, still has a large following despite a string of scandals implicating him, his family and former top officials from his administration. Chen, whose pro-independence stance in office set him against Beijing, has repeatedly accused the island's China-friendly government of being behind allegations of embezzlement, money laundering, taking bribes and forgery. He is the first former Taiwanese leader to be arrested, and could be held for up to four months before prosecutors have to charge him. Chen's lawyer has lodged an appeal with the Taipei District Court against the former president's detention. His office is planning to stage a mass night rally in Taipei on Saturday in a show of support. - AFP/ir http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/22/worldupdates/2008-11-22T190906Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-366421-1&sec=Worldupdates Saturday November 22, 2008 Thousands in Taiwan protest ex-president's arrest TAIPEI (Reuters) - Thousands of Taiwanese on Saturday protested the arrest of former president Chen Shui-bian, an anti-China firebrand who says his detention as part of a graft probe was politically motivated. About 6,000 people waved flags at an evening rally in a Taipei park in support of Chen, who has gone on a hunger strike for much of the time since his arrest on Nov. 12. He was hospitalised for almost three days after refusing to eat for 108 hours, his lawyer said. Supporters of former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian gather during a night rally in Taipei November 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh) Chen's fate is likely to affect public opinion of Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which backed Chen in office and faces tough local elections next year, experts say. The 57-year-old ex-president, who upset Beijing and Taiwan's key ally the United States while in office from 2000 to 2008, was arrested on suspicion of graft, forgery, money laundering and other crimes. Chen has denied wrongdoing and called the probe against him and other senior opposition leaders a political plot. A probe into the ex-president's suspected role in several money-related crimes will be finished by year end, possibly leading to an indictment, a special prosecutor's spokesman said. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/16/2003428749 Group protests former president?s detention STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Sunday, Nov 16, 2008, Page 3 People mobilized by independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Cheng Hsin-chu show their support for former president Chen Shui-bian outside the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng City, Taipei County, yesterday. PHOTO: CNA Supporters of former president Chen Shui-bian (???) and Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (???) yesterday rallied outside detention centers in Taipei and Chiayi counties to show their support. Chen Shui-bian was sent to the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng (? ?), Taipei County, on Wednesday on charges of embezzlement, bribe-taking, money laundering and illegally removing classified documents from the Presidential Office. For his part, Chen Ming-wen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was detained at the Chiayi Detention Center for alleged acts of corruption. About 100 Kaohsiung residents mobilized by independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Cheng Hsin-chu (???) boarded buses to Taipei Detention Center yesterday to show their support for Chen Shui-bian. Holding up banners, the supporters shouted ?A Bian innocent? and ?unfair justice? to protest against his detention. Police were deployed to the site to control the crowd. No incidents were reported. Meanwhile, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (???) yesterday visited Chen Ming-wen at the Chiayi Detention Center. Outside the detention center, a sit-in was staged by demonstrators as a show of support for Chen Ming-wen. Deploring the fact that Chen Ming-wen was being held incommunicado without formal charges being made, Tsai said to the crowd: ?This is a violation against human rights.? ?It should not happen in a democratic country,? she said. Tsai also visited Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (???) at hospital yesterday where the county chief is recovering after an 11-day hunger strike. Tsai said the party would nominate Su to run for re-election next year in Yunlin County despite her indictment on Friday on corruption charges. After going on a hunger strike for 11 days to protest her detainment, Su was set free by the Yunlin District Court late on Friday night after she was indicted on corruption charges earlier the same day. The court, finding there was no reason to keep Su in custody after the indictment was filed, allowed her to eb released, but required that she report any change in residence and barred her from leaving the country. Su was charged with taking a total of NT$21 million (US$635,000) in bribes in two separate cases involving the operation of a county landfill and the expansion of the Yunlin branch of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Prosecutors recommended she be sentenced to prison for 15 years, deprived of her civil rights for eight years and fined NT$21 million. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/14/2003428578 Chen Shui-bian fasts in detention protest ACTION: It was not clear if the former president intends to go on a hunger strike, but his lawyer said he had not eaten since being detained, and has only taken water By Ko Shu-ling STAFF REPORTER Friday, Nov 14, 2008, Page 1 Police stand outside the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng, Taipei County, yesterday after the Democratic Progressive Party caucus of the Taipei County Council called on supporters to protest the detention of former president Chen Shui-bian. Chen is being held in the center. PHOTO: CNA Former president Chen Shui-bian (???) has stopped eating to protest against what he called the ?death of the judiciary,? his lawyer Cheng Wen-long (???) said yesterday. In a statement issued by Chen?s office, Cheng said his client had not eaten since he was detained on Wednesday morning in connection with corruption allegations, although he was drinking water. Cheng did not use the term ?hunger strike? in describing Chen?s action, and at press time it was not clear if Chen?s fast was intended to be a hunger strike. Cheng said he had visited Chen at the Taipei Detention Center yesterday morning. Officials at the center said they would keep a close eye on Chen?s condition, the lawyer said. Chen is suspected of embezzling about NT$15 million (US$450,000) during his two terms in office. He is also suspected of money laundering, taking bribes and forgery. The court?s decision to detain him capped a six-month investigation into the graft allegations against the former president. Chen has denied any wrongdoing. Chen?s fast manifesto ? The judiciary is dead. ? Democracy has regressed. ? He is willing to go to jail for the Taiwanese. ? He is willing to sacrifice his life for a Republic of Taiwan. ? He is opposed to authoritarianism, communism and dictatorship. ? He wants sovereignty, freedom and democracy for Taiwan. ? Taiwan must be protected from China?s bullying. ? Taiwan and China are ?one state on each side of the Taiwan Strait.? ? Taiwanese must rise and make an all-out effort for the cause. ? Persistence will prevail. His detention came five days after Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???) ended a controversial visit to Taipei. Chen has criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration for ?political persecution? and waging a ?political vendetta? against him to curry favor with Beijing. Cheng said he tried to talk Chen into eating something during their meeting yesterday, but Chen refused and asked him to make public the 10 reasons why he stopped eating. From reasons were: The judiciary is dead; democracy has regressed; he is willing to go to jail for the Taiwanese; he is willing to sacrifice his life for a Republic of Taiwan; he is opposed to authoritarianism, communism and dictatorship; he wants sovereignty, freedom and democracy for Taiwan; Taiwan must be protected from China? bullying; Taiwan and China are ?one state on each side of the Taiwan Strait?; Taiwanese must rise and make an all-out effort for the cause; and persistence will prevail. Cheng said Chen wanted him to relay his appreciation to those who cared about him, especially the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has issued a five-point statement, and DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (???). Tsai has called Chen?s detention ?shoddily administered and an abuse of power.? She also urged authorities to show more respect for the rights of a former president and not to incite people and cause division. Chen also thanked former vice president Annette Lu (???), DPP legislators, human rights groups and other private institutions for their support. Meanwhile, Chen?s office said it was helping plan a nighttime event on Nov. 22 in Yuanshan Park to back Chen. The event would be organized by the Ketagalan Institute, which Chen founded. Chen?s office said it had asked the DPP?s Taipei chapter to apply for police permission for the event and Tsai has promised to offer any necessary assistance. Executive Yuan Spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (???) refused to comment on Chen?s detention, saying his case had not been discussed at the weekly Cabinet meeting. ?The government?s position on cases under judicial investigation has been ?no comment and no interference,?? Shih said. She urged those planning to take to the streets in support of Chen to respect prosecutorial independence, keep faith in the judicial system and remain rational. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/31/2003427407 Youth to join Referendum Law protest DEMOCRATIC DRIVE: Student organizations heeded the call of a professor staging a hunger strike outside the legislature to demand the Referendum Law be changed By Shih Hsiu-Chuan STAFF REPORTER Friday, Oct 31, 2008, Page 3 A group of young people plan to stage a vigil tonight in support of Tsai Ting-kuei (???), chairman of the Taiwan Association of University Professors, and other localization activists who are staging a seven-day hunger strike to back demands for amending the Referendum Law (???). Fifty students representing 10 groups will join the hunger strike outside the legislature starting tonight, said Chen Ya-lin (???), a rally organizer. Tsai said he wished to see more young people join him in response to an appeal by some students that he should stop his strike to retain his strength for further protests. In a message he left on the association?s Web site on Monday, Tsai expressed regret that no young people had joined the hunger strike. Tsai says the law is undemocratic because it sets unreasonably high thresholds for a referendum to be initiated and to be passed. ?Professor Tsai has said that he wished young people would join him, and we also think that we are obliged to play a role in the fight for a better democracy,? Chen said. Chen said the student groups launched a drive on the Internet, asking for 1,000 young people to participate in the hunger strike. ?We hope young people planning to join the vigil will bring flashlights so that they can shine them on the legislature to dispel its darkness,? Chen said. The Taiwan Association of University Professors said in a statement on its Web site that Tsai would end his hunger strike if young people would take over the protest, because that would mean young people are also concerned about issues related to the public interest and that he was not alone in his concern. Whether he receives support or not, Tsai would continue to push for amending the law, the statement said. http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/432128/cs/1/ Kathmandu shutdown called to protest 'Maoist murders' Irish Sun Wednesday 19th November, 2008 (IANS) Enraged family members and members of the public have announced a shutdown of Kathmandu valley Thursday after the discovery of the bodies of two cadres of a ruling party who were allegedly abducted by Maoists a month ago. Angry protests Wednesday paralysed the capital city as people went on the warpath following the recovery of the bodies of Nirmal Pant and Pushkar Dhangol, residents of Kathmandu, buried near the bank of a stream in Dhading district. Both Pant and Dhangol were members of the Youth Force, the militant youth wing formed by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), which is the second largest party in the Maoist-led government. The Youth Force, formed this year to combat the Young Communist League (YCL), the strong arm of the Maoists, has been frequently engaged in violent combats with the latter. The two young men had disappeared a month ago while travelling to Dhading. A third youth who was with them at the time they were marched off but managed to escape alleges that the YCL was behind the abduction. The discovery of the bodies Tuesday caused public outrage in Kathmandu Wednesday with people attacking a YCL office and vandalising nearly half a dozen vehicles. Traffic was disrupted at three major junctions of the city as Youth Force cadres fought pitched battles with the YCL. The murders are reminiscent of the slaying of a local businessman Ram Hari Shrestha, who was abducted by the Maoists despite his proximity to them. Shrestha was beaten to death inside a UN-monitored camp of the Maoists' guerrilla army after which his body was tossed in a river. The Maoists at first denied they were behind the killing but had to admit to it after growing public pressure and outrage. However, the People's Liberation Army combatant responsible for Shrestha's murder is still at large and there are allegations that he is being sheltered by the Maoist top brass. The new murders show that the Maoist top leaders are losing their grip on the party ranks and files, who are running amok. Maoist Prime Minister and chairman of the party Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' himself faces a growing challenge to his leadership Thursday when his party holds its national convention after over a decade to decide the future policies of the party. The murders also raise fresh doubts about the former guerrilla party's intention and ability to return to non-violent mainstream politics. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=64076 Published On: 2008-11-20 International Protests in Nepal over Maoist murders Afp, Kathmandu A Nepalese student (C) walks past policemen deployed to control protests in Kathmandu yesterday. Protesters in Kathmandu burned tyres and smashed car windows to protest the deaths of two young men who were allegedly abducted by the youth wing of Nepal's ruling Maoists. Photo: AFP Protesters in Kathmandu burned tyres and smashed car windows yesterday to protest the deaths of two young men who were allegedly abducted by the youth wing of Nepal's ruling Maoists. Nepal's former rebel Maoists now run the country after winning elections in May, but their youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL), has been accused of using mafia-like tactics to extort money and threaten opponents. "There were protests in at least five places where students and young people burned tyres and vandalised vehicles," police officer Mohan Man Singh Bohara told AFP. "They were protesting against the YCL after the deaths of the two people were reported in today's newspapers," said the police officer from Kathmandu. The decomposing bodies of Nirmal Panta, 22, and Pushkar Dangol, 24, were found in a shallow grave in a district neighbouring Kathmandu on Tuesday, a month after they were allegedly taken by the YCL, local media reported. "Relatives identified the two victims and their bodies have been taken back to Kathmandu for further investigation," said Shyam Prasad Poudel, a police officer from Dhading district, 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of Kathmandu. "We do not know the cause of death or who killed them," Poudel said. The head of the Maoist youth wing, Ganesh Man Pun, denied his organisation had anything to do with the deaths. http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/11/19/0811191942_kathmandu_shutdown_called_to_protest_maoist_murders.html Kathmandu shutdown to protest Maoist murders Wednesday, November 19, 2008 19:41 [IST] Kathmandu: Enraged family members and members of the public have announced a shutdown of Kathmandu valley Thursday after the discovery of the bodies of two cadres of a ruling party who were allegedly abducted by Maoists a month ago. Angry protests Wednesday paralysed the capital city as people went on the warpath following the recovery of the bodies of Nirmal Pant and Pushkar Dhangol, residents of Kathmandu, buried near the bank of a stream in Dhading district. Both Pant and Dhangol were members of the Youth Force, the militant youth wing formed by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), which is the second largest party in the Maoist-led government. The Youth Force, formed this year to combat the Young Communist League (YCL), the strong arm of the Maoists, has been frequently engaged in violent combats with the latter. The two young men had disappeared a month ago while travelling to Dhading. A third youth who was with them at the time they were marched off but managed to escape alleges that the YCL was behind the abduction. The discovery of the bodies Tuesday caused public outrage in Kathmandu Wednesday with people attacking a YCL office and vandalising nearly half a dozen vehicles. Traffic was disrupted at three major junctions of the city as Youth Force cadres fought pitched battles with the YCL. The murders are reminiscent of the slaying of a local businessman Ram Hari Shrestha, who was abducted by the Maoists despite his proximity to them. Shrestha was beaten to death inside a UN-monitored camp of the Maoists' guerrilla army after which his body was tossed in a river. The Maoists at first denied they were behind the killing but had to admit to it after growing public pressure and outrage. However, the People's Liberation Army combatant responsible for Shrestha's murder is still at large and there are allegations that he is being sheltered by the Maoist top brass. The new murders show that the Maoist top leaders are losing their grip on the party ranks and files, who are running amok. Maoist Prime Minister and chairman of the party Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' himself faces a growing challenge to his leadership Thursday when his party holds its national convention after over a decade to decide the future policies of the party. The murders also raise fresh doubts about the former guerrilla party's intention and ability to return to non-violent mainstream politics. Source : ians http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/11/20/0811201352_nepal-protest.html Kathmandu shuts down in protest of youth's killing Thursday, November 20, 2008 13:50 [IST] Kathmandu: An Indian diplomat escaped unhurt when a mob pelted stones on his car as anti-Maoist protests paralysed life in Nepal's capital today, pushing vehicles off roads and forcing schools and major markets to remain closed. Agitators attacked the car of First Secretary S K Joshi near the Indian embassy here this morning. Joshi, who was inside the vehicle was unhurt, but his car was badly damaged in the incident, Indian Embassy sources said. Protests against the killing of two youths allegedly by the Maoists youth wing cadres intensified across the capital today. All private and public vehicles remained off roads, schools and colleges were closed and major markets were shut down as the youth wings of main opposition Nepali Congress and coalition partner CPN-UML called a valley-wide strike. At least two motorcycles, a passenger bus and an army jeep were vandalised in different parts of the capital this morning for defying the shut down, police said. A group of students also attacked the National Institute of Science and Technology, which was holding classes during the strike. Demonstrators had vandalised vehicles and blocked roads yesterday, following the recovery of bodies of two youths who were allegedly abducted by the Young Communist League cadres last month. Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa and CPN-UML's Pradip Gyawali, who addressed a gathering here, held Prime Minister Prachanda morally responsible for the killing and condemned the Maoists "anarchist activities". Source : PTI http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov19/news01.php Two youths abducted by YCL found killed; protests in Kathmandu Two youths from Kathmandu ? Nirmal Panta and Pushkar Dangol ? who were abducted by Maoist-affiliated Youth Communist League (YCL) cadres a month ago on October 20, have been found killed. The relatives, rights activists and police found their dead bodies in Bhorlephant Bagar of Dhading district. The bodies of the two youths who hail from Syuchatar of Kathmandu were exhumed from a place where they had been buried. ?We could identify them only because of jackets and socks they were wearing,? said Kishore KC, a coordinator of local struggle committee formed to locate them. The bodies were exhumed from the place after a local farmer complained of strong stench coming from the place. According to reports, the two had been abducted by YCL cadres from Malekhu a month ago. The two were returning from a trip to Gorkha with their friends. In Malekhu, they were attacked by YCL cadres who were protesting the killing of their local activist. While their other friends returned home later, the two went on missing. According to Krishna Gautam, central region coordinator of rights organisation INSEC, the YCL did abduct them but it is still unclear who killed them. Maoists have denied the involvement of YCL in the incident. ?It is only accusation. The party does not have information regarding those youths,? said Akansha, Maoists? Dhading district secretary. Meanwhile, local residents in Kalanki, Chabahil and other areas in Kathmandu obstructed transportation from early morning Wednesday protesting the death of the two youths. The agitators have demanded action against those involved in murder of the two youths. Transportation in various parts of Katmandu has been disrupted. Long routes buses from east and west entering Kathmandu valley have been stranded in Thankot. The dead bodies have been taken to TU Teaching Hospital for post mortem. nepalnews.com sd/ia Nov 19 08 http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov20/news01.php Demo continues protesting killing of two youths; YCL denies its hand Students have continued demonstrations, Thursday, condemning the killing of two youths allegedly by cadres of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL). Students of Amrit Science Campus at Lainchour,... Students have demonstrated in Kalanki, Chabahel and Sorhakhutte, among other places, from Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the Kathmandu district committee of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) has called valley bandh on Thursday to protest the killings of its ?two cadres.? Two youths from Kathmandu ? Nirmal Panta and Pushkar Dangol ? who were abducted by Maoist-affiliated Youth Communist League (YCL) cadres a month ago on October 20, were found killed. The relatives, rights activists and police found their dead bodies in Bhorlephant Bagar of Dhading district. The bodies of the two youths who hail from Syuchatar of Kathmandu were exhumed from a place where they had been buried. This incident has sparked protest demonstrations in Kathmandu since Wednesday. On the other hand, the YCL has flatly denied its hand in the killing. YCL chief Ganesh Man Pun said that he has no idea who abducted or who killed the two youths. ?Just because some people abduct by claiming themselves as YCL, does not mean they belong to us,? he said, disowning the people who abducted the two youths from Malekhu. nepalnews.com sd Nov 20 08 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Kathmandu_shutdown_in_protest_of_youths_killing_paralyses_life/rssarticleshow/3736397.cms Kathmandu shutdown in protest of youths' killing paralyses life 20 Nov 2008, 1339 hrs IST, PTI KATHMANDU: An Indian diplomat escaped unhurt when a mob pelted stones on his car as anti-Maoist protests paralysed life in Nepal's capital on Thursday, pushing vehicles off roads and forcing schools and major markets to remain closed. Agitators attacked the car of First Secretary S K Joshi near the Indian embassy on Thursday morning. Joshi, who was inside the vehicle was unhurt, but his car was badly damaged in the incident, Indian Embassy sources said. Protests against the killing of two youths allegedly by the Maoists' youth wing cadres intensified across the capital on Thursday. All private and public vehicles remained off roads, schools and colleges were closed and major markets were shut down as the youth wings of main opposition Nepali Congress and coalition partner CPN-UML called a valley-wide strike. At least two motorcycles, a passenger bus and an army jeep were vandalised in different parts of the capital this morning for defying the shut down, police said. A group of students also attacked the National Institute of Science and Technology, which was holding classes during the strike. Demonstrators had vandalised vehicles and blocked roads yesterday, following the recovery of bodies of two youths who were allegedly abducted by the Young Communist League cadres last month. Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa and CPN-UML's Pradip Gyawali, who addressed a gathering here, held Prime Minister Prachanda morally responsible for the killing and condemned the Maoists' "anarchist activities". http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20081120092556279C296739 Protest shuts down Nepal's capital November 20 2008 at 09:57AM By Binaj Gurubacharya Katmandu, Nepal - Activists chanted slogans and halted traffic by burning tires in Nepal's capital in a general strike on Thursday protesting alleged killings by former communist rebels who head the country's coalition government. Schools and markets were closed in Katmandu and several vehicles that tried to defy the strike were attacked and vandalised. Strikers accuse members of the Young Communist League, the youth wing of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) which leads the coalition government, of killing two supporters of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist), the second largest communist party in the Himalayan nation. Although the two communist parties are partners in the government, there have been several clashes between their members over influence and control of voters and trade unions. The Young Communist League has denied involvement in the deaths. Its chief, Ganesh Pun, told reporters on Thursday that it did not kill the two men and was also investigating the incident. The two men were abducted last month and their bodies were found on Tuesday buried in a river bank. Witnesses said they saw the men being taken from a restaurant by people identified as Maoists. Police and the National Human Rights Commission are investigating the killings. - Sapa-AP http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/11/20/0811201352_nepal-protest.html Kathmandu shuts down in protest of youth's killing Thursday, November 20, 2008 13:50 [IST] Kathmandu: An Indian diplomat escaped unhurt when a mob pelted stones on his car as anti-Maoist protests paralysed life in Nepal's capital today, pushing vehicles off roads and forcing schools and major markets to remain closed. Agitators attacked the car of First Secretary S K Joshi near the Indian embassy here this morning. Joshi, who was inside the vehicle was unhurt, but his car was badly damaged in the incident, Indian Embassy sources said. Protests against the killing of two youths allegedly by the Maoists youth wing cadres intensified across the capital today. All private and public vehicles remained off roads, schools and colleges were closed and major markets were shut down as the youth wings of main opposition Nepali Congress and coalition partner CPN-UML called a valley-wide strike. At least two motorcycles, a passenger bus and an army jeep were vandalised in different parts of the capital this morning for defying the shut down, police said. A group of students also attacked the National Institute of Science and Technology, which was holding classes during the strike. Demonstrators had vandalised vehicles and blocked roads yesterday, following the recovery of bodies of two youths who were allegedly abducted by the Young Communist League cadres last month. Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa and CPN-UML's Pradip Gyawali, who addressed a gathering here, held Prime Minister Prachanda morally responsible for the killing and condemned the Maoists "anarchist activities". http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov21/news05.php Agitating kin of two slain youths reach agreement with govt; protests called off The agitating locals and kin of Nirmal Panta and Pushkar Dangol of Syuchatar, Kathmandu, who were alleged killed by Young Communist League (YCL) cadres, have called off their protests following an agreement with the government Friday. A meeting between the government team headed by Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam and a committee of the agitators that had been coordinating the protests in Kathmandu ended in 9-point agreement, according to which the committee will stop the agitations and the government will form a judicial commission to probe the murder of the two youths and provide Rs 1 million compensation to each of their families. As per the agreement, the government will also provide government job to one member of each victim family. Home Minister Gautam and Kishor K.C of the 'struggle committee' signed the agreement. K.C told reporters after the talks at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar that the government must immediately act on the understanding reached today. Prime Minister Dahal was also present during the meeting. Agitators continued demonstration, blocking vehicular traffic in different parts of the capital Friday morning. Protests started in Kathmandu from Wednesday, a day after the dead bodies of the two youths were found buried at Bhorlephant Bagar in Dhading. Normal life in the capital city was paralysed today due to a shutdown strike called by the CPN (UML) to protest the killing of the two youths. UML has said the victims were its cadres. nepalnews.com mk Nov 21 08 http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov21/news02.php Protests continue over killing of two youths The agitators have continued their protests over the killing of two youths allegedly by Maoist-affiliated YCL cadres on Friday also. Despite the assurances by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam to form a judicial probe committee and provide compensation to families of victims, the agitators have said they would continue with all protest programmes on Friday. According to Kishore KC, chief of the local struggle committee formed to protest the killings of Nirmal Pant and Pushkar Dangol ? who were abducted by YCL a month ago and whose bodies were found a few days ago ? they will continue their protests until and unless the culprits are arrested and actions taken against them. The protest called by the struggle committee has received backing from student unions like Nepal Student Union (NSU) and All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU). Meanwhile, the representatives of the struggle committee DPM Gautam are expected to hold meeting on Friday as well in order to reach an understanding. nepalnews.com sd Nov 21 08 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/11/16/news/8.gov.t.cars.among.convoy.of.50.vehicles.protesting.soc.recall.html November 16, 2008 8 gov't cars among convoy of 50 vehicles protesting Soc recall A MONTH after the launching of a recall move against Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, it was the turn of the mayor?s political allies and supporters yesterday to defend him through a caravan. A convoy of 50 vehicles, led by a police patrol car (Nissan Terrano), and over 40 motorcycles, made rounds in the city?s major thoroughfares at 2 p.m. Bystanders, however, observed that government vehicles, such as service multicabs and mini-trucks, were part of the convoy that kicked off from the Talisay City Hall. When the caravan slowed down at the busy intersection beneath the flyover in Barangay Tabunok, reporters noted at least eight vehicles bearing red plates. These vehicles were with plate numbers SGV 532 and SJC 130 of Barangay Lawaan 3; SGT 187 of Barangay Pooc; SJC 244 of Barangay Cansojong, SGW 767 and SGW 765. Two more government-owned multicabs also took part in the caravan but their license plates were covered with pro-Fernandez banners. Prohibits Section 1 of President Arroyo?s Administrative Order 239 strictly prohibits all government agencies and offices from using government vehicles for purposes other than for official business. Most of the vehicles had banners bearing words of support for Fernandez?s leadership and strong objections to the recall. The caravan had a fiesta atmosphere because of the presence of two drum and bugle corps aboard flatbed trucks. Some vehicles were also bedecked with colorful balloons. A streamer plastered on a multicab called on the mayor?s political foes to wait for the 2010 elections instead of initiating an ouster move. Last month, businessman Crisologo Saavedra, backed by former Jaclupan barangay captain Avelino Labajo, launched the ouster move against Fernandez. They cited grave abuse of authority, obstruction of justice and conduct unbecoming of a government official as grounds for the recall petition. The call came amid a series of controversies and alleged abuses committed by the mayor?s adopted son, Joavan. Saavedra vowed to gather 30,000 to 40,000 signatures of Talisaynons, much higher than Fernandez?s reelection votes of more than 25,000. Talisay City has a voting population of 94,156. But administration supporters downplayed the ouster move, saying that Fernandez still enjoys the support of majority of Talisaynons. Violation Some of the mayor?s supporters, however, may have some explaining to do for using government vehicles in yesterday?s caravan. Arroyo?s order states that the use of government vehicles on Sundays, legal holidays or beyond regular office hours or outside the route of the officials or employees authorized to use them is, unless properly authorized, ?prima facie evidence of a violation of this section in the administrative proceeding against the officials or employees responsible of such violation. In June this year, the Office of the Ombudsman re-launched Oplan Red Plate in the Visayas to ensure government vehicles will not be used illegally. (GC) http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/11/17/news/dabu.power.consumption.to.be.taken.from.protesters.back.wages.html November 17, 2008 Dabu: Power consumption to be taken from protesters' back wages By Jovi T. De Leon CITY OF SAN FERNANDO ?- Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu lashed back at the protesting quarrymen Friday, telling them to "get their hooks off the Capitol's power lines if they want their salaries released." Friday marked the Biyaya A Luluguran At Sisikapan (Balas) protesters' 100th day of picketing at Arnedo Park where the call for Dabu and Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio's resignation remain the "standing and continuing" core of their rally. The Balas boys have earlier demanded Dabu to release their back wages by November 15. Dabu got a beating from the protesters when they assailed her of holding back their 2007 night differential, overtime and terminal leave pays despite what the protesters' claimed as submission of all requirements essential for their release. But Dabu said in a previous letter that the pays are being withheld pending cuts and deductions that would be made as the Commission on Audit (COA) found out some "overpayment" in their salaries, particularly some supervisors and checkers who were downgraded to salary grade 1 by the Provincial Board (PB) from salary grade levels 5 to 7. Previously, Dabu said the "illegal tapping" of the protesters' power lines to that of the Capitol's main source has complicated the release of their back wages, since Capitol now has to deduct the cost of power consumed by the protesters in their picket line, dating back to August 11. In a recent communiqu? sent to them by Dabu on Friday, which the Balas boys' jokingly took as an "anniversary present," the provincial administrator said their "night differential, cash gift and terminal leave pay was in order but would only be released after the determination and deduction of the overpayment and cost of power consumption." Dabu reiterated her previous statement that the protesters are "illegally tapping on the power lines of the Provincial Government and is but proper that we withhold the release of your claims." She said the claims would only be released after the illegal connection has been taken off-the-hook by the protesters. Dabu earlier said they could not finalize the computation of the protesters' claims because of their continued stay and use of electricity at Arnedo Park. "What if they stay there for three years? How do we go about releasing their claims?" The Balas boys on Friday said they would stay on the picket line "if it takes forever" just to get justice on their plight and the "cause of truth to come out. The protesters said they have yet to meet and react to Dabu's letter, but are still contemplating on filing charges of oppression and grave misconduct against Dabu, whom they said has refused to hear their pleas. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/11/15/news/sacked.quarry.workers.mark.100th.day.of.protest.html November 15, 2008 Sacked quarry workers mark 100th day of protest By Jovi T. De Leon CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Their spirits unbroken despite long days of waiting for justice to be accorded them on their grievances. The protesting sacked quarry workers of the Biyaya A Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) marked their 100th day at the picket line Friday. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers Balas boys possess renewed vigor as all 46 of them -- supervisors and checkers -- set their sights anew to another period. They are still calling for the resignation of Governor Eddie Panlilio and Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu. Their protest is now officially becomes one of the longest ever known protests in the country topping the 68-day hunger strike of the infamous ?Tagaytay 5? in 2007 where five farmers launched a prison protest so "justice and truth may reign, freedom is regained, and prisoners' rights respected." Unidentified armed men who turned out to be intelligence operatives seized farmers Axel Pinpin, Aristides Sarmiento, Rico Yba?ez, Michael Masayes, and Riel Custodio while traversing a narrow road in Tagaytay City on April 28, 2006. They went on fasting at first before escalating their act to a full-blown hunger strike, which ended 68 days later after they were freed from prison and the allegations that they were communist insurgents was found by a court there unfounded. "Though we are not on hunger strike, we could not help but compare ourselves with them who waited for the truth to come out, with the will and the spirit to continue fighting for our cause," said the Balas boys. "If it takes forever, we will wait for truth and justice to prevail," former Balas supervisor Edu de Leon said. But after the group took a break at noon from their province-wide motorcade Friday, signs of weariness and emotional pain were evident on their faces as they bannered "100 days and nothing yet" on their posters plastered on vehicles and motorbikes. "We're humans too. If you open our hearts you will see all the pain we've been going through under the heat of the sun, rains, dust and exposure to the environment," de Leon said. He said that during their long days at the picket line, many of the Balas boys have suffered from various ailments. "Even our families and our very lives have already suffered because of the inability of the capitol executives to hear our pleas." He added that most of the protesters are tired too and severely affected by economic woes. They however vowed to continue their quest for justice as long as they can. "All we want is for the truth to come out. We want Panlilio and Dabu to see what they have done to us who have served them well," de Leon said. "We were maligned before the people, dismissed from our jobs without probable cause and due process, and were treated unfairly. This is what we want people to see, whether they support our cause or not. If the capitol executives would admit that they were wrong in deciding our fate, then we could pack up, go home and start rebuilding our future," he added On Thursday, Panlilio said his doors remained open to the protesters for a dialogue and that he was extending his hand for a possible win-win solution regarding the issue. Panlilio said he has even asked his friends and prominent members of civil society to employ the protesters as he could no longer "accommodate" them back at the Capitol since they have violated a government ruling for the second time. Government employees are not allowed to join or hold protest actions, Panlilio said. But de Leon said the protesters have lost their interest in regaining their former jobs and are only holding on at the picket line because of sheer principle and dignity. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/133205/Protesters-picket-Senate-frown-on-fertilizer-fund-mess-probe Protesters picket Senate, frown on fertilizer fund mess probe 11/13/2008 | 08:57 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - A number of protesters picketed the Senate premises in Pasay City Thursday morning, questioning the Senate's authority to grill former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante on a multibillion-peso fertilizer fund mess. The protesters, brandishing new streamers, insisted the courts, and not the Senate, should be the proper venue for investigating the fund mess. Senate security did not allow them to go beyond the gates, however. Security personnel also made last-minute inspections of the session hall where the hearing was to take place. On the other hand, some nuns and members of groups made their way inside the Senate session hall. - GMANews.TV http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081111-171413/Protest-halts-services-at-Bataan-capitol Protest halts services at Bataan capitol By Greg Refraccion, Tonette Orejas Central Luzon Desk First Posted 01:15:00 11/11/2008 Filed Under: Regional authorities BALANGA CITY ? The services of the Bataan government were disrupted Monday as provincial capitol employees held a sit-down strike to protest the six-month preventive suspension issued by the Office of the Ombudsman on Gov. Enrique Garcia Jr. and three other officials. The suspension stemmed from alleged graft and plunder in the disposition of a disputed paper mill in Orani town in 2005. ?There are no transactions. The workers are on a sit-down strike,? Senior Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, Bataan police director, told the Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). Garcia told his more than 3,000 supporters and capitol employees that he would only step down if proven guilty of the charges. Preventive suspension The six-month preventive suspension also covered provincial legal officer Aurelio Angeles Jr., provincial treasurer Merlinda Talento and former provincial administrator Rodolfo de Mesa (now Balanga City administrator). ?If it is proven that we are right and the decision of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is wrong, maybe we should challenge her to resign because she does not know the law,? Garcia said in Filipino. Garcia on Monday filed a motion before the Court of Appeals seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Ombudsman?s suspension order. Gaerlan said Garcia told the crowd he would step down if he failed to obtain a TRO from the appellate court by Friday. Garcia met with the board members and mayors at 9 a.m. before he addressed his supporters. His supporters carried placards and streamers that expressed love for the governor and criticized Gutierrez for supposedly harassing their leader. ?Political harassment? was how Garcia called the suspension as well as the graft case the Ombudsman filed earlier in connection with the compromise agreement the provincial government entered with the Presidential Commission on Good Government on the sequestered properties of Baseco, a firm formerly owned by the brother of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. Garcia said the cases progressed because this was Gutierrez?s way of getting back at him. He said she blamed him for the defeat of her brother, Roseller Navarro, in the mayoral race in Samal town in last year?s elections. Gutierrez, however, inhibited herself from the cases, documents showed. ?We will stay here until we get a TRO because we know [this] is a form of political vendetta,? Garcia said. ?Why is she blaming me for the defeat of her brother?? Unpaid taxes Former officials of Mariveles town filed the Baseco case while former workers of the Sunrise Paper Products, who were seeking unpaid salaries, brought the case to the Ombudsman. Garcia got involved in both cases as he tried to recover unpaid real property taxes due the provincial government. Renato Brion, regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, said he has yet to serve the suspension order on Garcia and other officials because his office has yet to receive a copy from the DILG national office. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081129-175155/Police-block-protesters-on-Edsa Police block protesters on Edsa 50 others detained briefly By Julie M. Aurelio Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 15:50:00 11/29/2008 MANILA, Philippines -- Around 100 militants commemorating the Manila Peninsula siege were prevented from marching to Camp Crame in Quezon City when police blocked their path on Edsa, claiming that the militants were holding an illegal assembly. Some 50 other members of Sanlakas partylist were detained at the Quezon City Police District's Kamuning station after they were picked up along Timog Avenue. Superintendent. Ferdinand Ampil, station commander, eventually allowed their release after lawyers JV Bautista and Argee Guevarra negotiated for the dropping of all charges at around noon Saturday. "We would not allow them near Camp Crame as they have no permit. They can only hold their prayers and program here," said Ampil in an interview. The protesters, mostly from the Sanlakas partylist, Buklurang Manggagawa ng Pilipino, and the N29Movement, were supposed to hold a program in front of Camp Crame to commemorate the first anniversary of the failed Manila Peninsula siege in Makati City last year. Fr. Robert Reyes said he was supposed to celebrate a Mass for detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV had their march had not been blocked. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081126072128.tqaidm2vp0&show_article=1 Protesters wearing masks display slogans in front of the House of Representatives in Manila Protesters wearing masks display slogans in front of the House of Representatives in Manila on November 25 as an impeachment hearing against Philippine President Gloria Arroyo takes place. Philippine lawmakers allied with Arroyo on Wednesday voted to throw out an impeachment case against her for large-scale corruption. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081125-174331/Cops-gird-for-protest-actions Cops gird for protest actions By Nancy C. Carvajal Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 21:31:00 11/25/2008 Filed Under: Police, Joc-joc Bolante, Charter change, Impeachment, Protest, Congress MANILA, Philippines--Police have thrown a security shield around Metro Manila in anticipation of massive street actions protesting the revelations coming out of the various hearings being conducted in both houses of Congress. At the same time, Operation Manila Shield has been aimed at preventing criminals and terrorists from taking advantage of the situation and the coming Christmas season, said National Capital Region Police Office Director Leopoldo Bataoil. Speaking to reporters during the 69th anniversary celebration of the Quezon City Police District on Tuesday, Bataoil said, ?We reactivated Manila Shield on Monday in anticipation of sporadic mass protests due to the public hearings being conducted in the House of Representatives and the Senate.? The House is deliberating the latest impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in which she stands accused of corruption, among other things, while the Senate is investigating the multimillion-peso fertilizer fund scam in which government funds were allegedly diverted to Ms Arroyo?s 2004 presidential campaign. Both chambers are also looking into the ?euro generals? scandal in which former top Philippine National Police officials are being probed for failing to declare millions of pesos in public funds with them on a recent trip to Russia. Bataoil said Manila Shield would ensure the protests would not hamper public services and the smooth flow of traffic. ?The activation of the shield is also a way to prevent criminal elements and terrorists from taking advantage of the situation while our men are focused on the mass protests,? Bataoil said. Manila Shield is usually activated when the President delivers the State of the Nation Address and when the police are placed on high alert. Bataoil said the shield would remain until ?it?s appropriate to lift it.? He said the police would exercise maximum tolerance and ground commanders have been directed to ?always coordinate with protest leaders to ensure peaceful and orderly assemblies and dispersals.? Bataoil said the security shield already bore fruit with the arrest of two members of a robbery gang at the Navotas fish port complex at dawn on Monday. Under Oplan Manila Shield, police will monitor all roads leading to Metro Manila, including the North and South Luzon Expressways, and put up checkpoints around the metropolis. The increased police visibility is also in anticipation of the Christmas season when the the number of petty crimes usually rises, according to Bataoil. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20081129-175169/Palace-shrugs-off-anti-Cha-cha-protests Palace shrugs off anti-Cha-cha protests By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:28:00 11/29/2008 Filed Under: Charter change, Politics, Government, Laws MANILA, Philippines -- Malaca?ang officials shrugged off Friday night's protest rally against perceived efforts by the administration bid to extend President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term. "To whom are they addressing it?'' Undersecretary Anthony Golez said, pointing out that Malaca?ang has consistently declared it would not support any constitutional amendment extending the President's term. Business, religious, and political leaders massed up at Makati's business district Friday night, banging drums and blowing horns to protest the administration's plan to amend the Constitution. After the dismissal of the fourth impeachment complaint, minority lawmakers warned that Charter change designed to extend the President's terms was next on the administration's agenda. At least six out of 10 Filipinos disapproved of Charter change. Malaca?ang officials said the President supports lifting the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Charter, but not the term limits of public officials, including the President. But they said they're giving lawmakers a free hand whether to do it before or after Arroyo?s term ends in 2010. Lawyers uncovered a House resolution filed by an administration lawmaker seeking to postpone the 2010 elections and extend the terms of public officials, including the President. Golez also reminded protesters to hold rallies within the bounds of law. "It's their right to hold rallies, but they should maintain respect for the rights of others. But before anything else, they should secure permits. They should observe the rule of law,'' he said. At the Senate, Senator Panfilo Lacson vouched for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's sincerity when he vowed to oppose any attempt to amend or revise the Charter that excludes the Senate. "That has no chance of getting past the Senate. Senate President Enrile has said so in our caucus,'' he said over dwIZ. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/134878/Militants-plan-protests-vs-Cha-Cha---report Militants plan protests vs Cha-Cha - report 11/21/2008 | 12:50 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Militant groups have started planning a series of protest actions against what they called a grand plan to force Charter change to extend President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term beyond 2010. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) plans to start its demonstrations in December. Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr pointed out that the Palace already has an ally, Juan Ponce Enrile, who was installed Senate President early this week. On the other hand, Reyes said several appointees of President Arroyo are likely to do her bidding once they get in the Supreme Court. He rejected repeated claims by the Palace and its allies that term extension is not on the list of priorities in pushing for Charter change. For his part, House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr said moves to amend the 1987 Constitution are "not something new," saying such moves had been attempted since the Ramos administration. "Last week ang batikos sa amin gagawin to extend term of the president. For the record there is no proposal in the House and there is no proposal in the Senate that seeks to extend the term of the president or any public official's term. Kung yan ang slant nila, I'm asking them point to any proposal there (Last week we were accused of trying to extend the term of the president. For the record there is no such proposal in either House of Congress to extend the term of the president or any public official. If our accusers insist on making that slant I am asking them to point to any proposal there)," Nograles said in an interview on dzBB radio. ,b>- GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136004/Protests-readied-vs-bid-for-Arroyo-term-extension Protests readied vs bid for Arroyo term extension 11/27/2008 | 06:36 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Civil society groups are readying a series of protests against a House resolution seeking to extend the term of President Arroyo and other elected officials beyond 2010. Radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported that one of the groups, the Black and White Movement, said it is now in the planning stages for such protest actions but declined to elaborate for now. Vicente Romano III, one of the group's conveners, said they expect many Filipinos to join the mobilizations. At the Senate, dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported that Sen. Panfilo Lacson warned of civil unrest if Malaca?ang and its allies ram the term extension resolution through Congress. Lacson said Filipinos will not take kindly to such tactics, and President Arroyo may find her term "shortened" instead of extended. Meanwhile, National Union of People's Lawyers secretary general Neri Colmenares lamented the "double whammy" facing Filipinos if House Resolution 550 is passed. House Resolution 550 seeks to postpone the 2010 presidential elections and extend the terms of office for all elective officials. In an interview on dzBB radio, Colmenares said government will go into deficit spending in 2009 for a plebiscite to amend the Constitution removing the term limit for the president and resetting the 2010 elections. The second whammy would be that this comes at a time Filipinos are trying to cope with the effects of a global economic meltdown. "Grabeng pahirap kasi may economic crisis, deficit spending ka para sa isang plebisito. Para sa akin double whammy yan sa mamamayan (Deficit spending for a plebiscite will be a very heavy load for the people because of the economic crisis. For me it's a double whammy)," he said. - GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136670/Man-found-with-marijuana-at-protest-rally Man found with marijuana at protest rally 11/30/2008 | 10:18 PM MANILA, Philippines - A man was arrested during a protest rally in northern Metro Manila Sunday afternoon for possession of marijuana, a radio report said Sunday night. Radio dzBB's Bernie Morales reported that police accosted Raymundo Zacarias, 54, after seeing him "circle" the rally area at Balintawak in Quezon City, then found marijuana in his possession. It was not immediately clear if Zacarias was taking part in the rally or just an onlooker. Zacarias will be charged with violating the Dangerous Drugs Act, police said. - GMANews.TV http://jkwy.blogspot.com/2008/11/isa-vigil-at-pj-being-intruded-by-fru.html Sunday, November 09, 2008 Updated with my thought - Anti ISA Vigil at PJ being intruded by FRU! Malaysia is coming to an END! I Need to cool down first! I attended the vigil which was suppose to be held at the field near Amcorp mall. As I drove to th destination, police barricade the whole area. From main entrance to the back lane entrance, all being block to prevent the CITIZEN who is HUNGER for JUSTICE to attend the vigil! When I reached around 8.50pm, the place was not hype with people as it was suppose to be. As I approach the people surrounding, they told me that the police asked the people not to gather. Malaysiakini.com (BM Version) have the report of what that had been going on before I reached. As we retreat from Amcorp mall after singing Negaraku Song, we moved to Civic Hall and continue there. BERSIH organizer have a short sharing, then invite MP Ronnie Liu to speak. After Ronnie finish, he asked for BERSIH President, if I am not mistaken with the position, to share what BERSIH long to achieve. Then RPK surprise us by coming to the vigil. Initially, we did not expect him to be here. He and Marina showed up and greets people around. PJU MP TONY PUA spoke and later RPK take over. I did not listen to what he said as I am actually putting my focus on the FRU. I heard their whooo haaa warning sign for us to stop the meeting. As RPK spoke half way, the FRU stormed the group of people and start chasing after those who wore NO HOLD BARRED / I AM WITH RPK / NO TO ISA/ BERSIH t-shirt. It is indeed a chaos that were created by the FRU. The people never throw anything or threaten anything against the FRU. Are we deem as threatening? The gathering without permit allow you to arrest people just like you are the POWER that behold Malaysia? As I ran, I was on the phone with a friend. I turned back and look at the situation. There was this guy who wore Red RPK shirt who is trying to walk across the road was confronted from behind by FRU Officer. MAN! He was trying to walk away from causing trouble!! I do not know his fate. There were younger children and youth who was there to give support for this movement. I salute them for their awareness. I also want to tell their parents that indeed you are farsighted to bring them there to see for them selves! This will bring an awareness in them about Malaysia politic. However, I do not know how they will react to this cruel incident. I do not know whether do they injured them selves when the FRU chase after those people who were there. I remember this young girl who asked me whether her A & W French fries paper cup with candle looked weird or not, I replied by saying NO. I wanted to say that what ever you are doing now, it LOOKS GREAT from my EYES sight! I never have the chance to say it. If you or the parents of the young child who are reading this, do let me know you are doing fine. VIA COMMENT. RPK last seen walking with his wife Marina and a group of people to the car park. I am not sure where they park their car. I walked as fast as I could and get home safe. Today is the day we see how worst the FRU could be. Indeed angered me to the MAX! There was tears in my eyes but it would not want to flow out. It must have been the HARDDEST day for me to bring TEARS for my self! I am totally angry about it. I really want to do something about it. I will never let my anger down for the people I care! FRU, you are nothing. You are just Forest Reserve UNCLES! For more latest update, go to Anil blog. http://anilnetto.com/civil-society/live-road-block-ahead/ LIVE: Pandemonium erupts as police charge into crowd There are two vigils today at 8.00pm in Ipoh and 9.30pm in PJ. Live updates with Rakyat at Work reporting from Ipoh and other sources in and around Amcorp Mall in PJ: This is a sad night for peace-loving, justice-loving rakyat after 23 people were detained when police charged into a peaceful crowd in PJ. But love conquers hatred and violence; justice will triumph over oppression. By attacking a peaceful crowd and detaining justice-loving Malaysians, the authorities have further undermined whatever moral authority they had. 2354: Eye-witness and blog reader Paradiz recalls what happened: My wife and I were there tonight, the FRU charged at us as the Negara Ku was being sung. They were waving their batons threateningly and shouting for us to disperse. I think they were itching to start beating people up. We had no choice but to run although some did not. After scattering, we went back into the park and were shouted at by the FRU to disperse. That was when we saw some plainclothes cops chasing a few of the people in yellow Bersih and black and red ?Free RPK? T-shirts. Blog reader Ben reports: RPK and Marina are safe. I saw them walking towards Shah Motel at about 10.20pm. The commotion was at the MBPJ park. The Centre for Independent Journalism has issued a press statement condemning the police action: CIJ calls on the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to free those arrested and explain the use of the riot police in controlling the crowd, which had planned for a peaceful gathering. The continuous use of force against people expressing their views on issues such as the need for free and fair elections and abolishing the ISA is a demonstration of the intolerance for public criticism of the status quo. 2349: Eaglewings reflects on the recent vigils: For the past four weeks, we had such peaceful vigils. With no police presence, everyone left peacefully and took back a little something with them in their hearts. We made new friends, sang songs together but we were there for only one reason: ?Give those detained under the ISA their rights back?. Today, with police presence, just look at the commotion. Isn?t it obvious? Have they forgotten that they have to protect the rakyat and not attack the rakyat? Until we get rid of this Home Minister, the story continues?. 2348: Detained MBPJ city councillor Ms Tiew Way Keng has sent an SMS to her fellow councillor: 23 arrested. Tony, Ronnie, Weng San, I and others. 2341: Blog reader Eric reports again: My wife saw RPK being ushered/hurried away by a green-stripes collar shirt man. Hope RPK is not caught. 2340: People are just so upset. Among them is blog reader Desmond who was at the scene: I was there at the Civic Centre garden, we were singing the Negara Ku and the FRU charged at us, banging their shields and shouting angrily at us and ordering us to disperse. It was barbaric and uncalled for. We will not be intimidated by their brute force and will continue our fight for a better tomorrow. 2336: It appears that police could have been targeting some of those wearing the Bersih and RPK T-shirts, says another contact at the police station. ?We have started lighting candles. The speaker just now was Gobind Singh. Lim Kit Siang has just turned up.? 2326: A press conference is being held outside the police station. It appears there could have been a few more arrests. 2316: About a hundred people have gathered at the PJ police headquarters. Apparently, police have now started blocking roads leading to the station. Among those arrested is believed to be Rev Fr Paulino Miranda, the parish priest of the Church of the Divine Mercy in Shah Alam. Eye-witness Eric reports: My wife saw the plain-clothes police taking away a few women and small-built persons (could be teenagers). The police also dragged a man on the floor for 10 feet while heading to the Black Maria. 2311: MBPJ councillor Ms Tiew Way Keng is among those arrested, a fellow councillor in MBPJ tells me. If you know of any other person who was arrested, do let us know. 2306: Lis who was at the scene earlier tonight is shocked: So upset! So upset! I was there at the Taman Jaya station car park, but didn?t go to the mall when I was told by a family that the people had dispersed. I left the place as I was alone. I didn?t know so many things had happened until I got home to read all the internet postings! Another sad day! Why the arrests? What did they do? 2301: Malaysiakini reports that their videographer Shukri Mohamad has also been arrested. I hope someone has video footage of the police charge. Malaysiakini adds in its report: Eyewitnesses said that Pua was physically manhandled and thrown into a waiting Black Maria. The police were also seen chasing the crowd into an Indian restaurant located opposite the Civic Centre. Those arrested have been taken to the PJ police station. A small group of people have gathered there in solidarity. A team of police anti-riot squad is also on standby. 2254: Blog reader Eric reports: Tony Pua and Lau Weng San have been nabbed. I was there; my friend got caught too. They are waiting in the Black Maria. 2253: About 20 people are believed to have been detained including MPs Tony Pua, Adun Lau Weng San, blogger Ariff Abdul and a town councillor. MPs Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, Charles Santiago and Teresa Kok have now arrived at the scene. 2246: ?One of my friends was apprehended,? says Rakyat at Work. 2225: My other source reports: ?We gathered at the Civic Centre garden open space. Tony Pua gave a short talk followed by RPK and we ended by singing Negaraku. At that point, the line of FRU personnel started moving towards us, knocking their shields and shouting in a threatening manner and they walked through the crowd - at which point we had to open up the crowd as they moved towards the core of the crowd. We broke up and there was some scuffling and there was some chasing. ?So at this point we don?t know what happened to RPK and the other three MPs, Ronnie Liu, Tony Pua and Lau Weng San. At this moment, the crowd has dispersed having run helter skelter. The police are still there shouting at some of the crowd still lingering there.? I can hear sirens wailing in the background. Are we witnessing the return of the worst intolerance for dissent reminiscent of the Mahathir era? 2220: Police, FRU and SB charge at the crowd as they are trying to walk to the road outside Civic Centre. ?Personally, I saw about seven people being detained,? says my source. The police appeared upset as RPK was speaking. ?They are running after someone now. Oh God, I see about six or seven police trying to drag a guy in yellow shirt who is resisting. They are taking him away now. I would imagine more than ten have been taken by now.? 2203: Some of the crowd are now at the A&W awaiting the arrival of the Bersih group. 2200: Well, well, well, I spoke too soon again. It?s not quite over. A section of the rakyat is now heading for the Civic Centre, about 15 minutes walk from Amcorp Mall. Among the crowd are RPK and Ronnie Liu. The police are probably aware and will no doubt be meeting them there again! 2154: Earlier tonight, Zorro spoke in Ipoh and congratulated the people there for coming out to call for the abolition of the ISA. The event there was well-organised with tents erected, banners and audio equipment. Syabas, Ipoh! 2157: ?They are still not satisfied with my release,? says RPK over the phone, as I welcomed him back to freedom. ?I think they want to re-detain me. Anyway, I have just posted something on the Malaysia Today website.? 2149: A big thank you to our brave god-sent ?angels? - Rakyat at Work and other sources - hovering at the scene, taking note of everything and providing us with live reports tonight. 2135: It?s all over. About 300 of the rakyat re-group at the lobby of Amcorp Mall; Haris leads the group in singing Negaraku, and then the crowd disperses peacefully. They have made their point loud and clear. They want the ISA to go. Mansuhkan ISA! 2118: The vigil in Ipoh ends without incident. It?s an unqualified success. But tonight the spotlight is trained at Amcorp Mall in PJ. 2106: Lim Kit Siang addresses the crowd in Ipoh. ?Stand up for your rights!? he exhorts them. Other speakers include Sivarasah and Zorro. About a dozen police personnel are watching from a distance. 2105: Over in Ipoh, Rakyat at Work arrives at the venue and is surprised to find a larger than expected crowd. ?Wow, turnout of 350 people!? 2104: Organisers inside the mall have told the rakyat to go shopping(!) until 9.30pm, reports my contact at the scene, and then they will decide what to do. ?The police are still outside; they have not come in,? he says. 2054: About 20 FRU personnel are outside the Mall, while 200 of the rakyat are inside the Mall in the lobby area. The rakyat are barely 30 feet away from the FRU outside. ?As long as the FRU do not advance on us, we are safe,? says my contact in the lobby. But the FRU personnel appear to be armed with tear gas cannisters. 2048: He spoke too soon. The FRU are forming a line; someone shouts ?Mansuhkan ISA!? and that prompts the FRU to move forward. ?The FRU are advancing now and people are retreating to Amcorp Mall,? reports my contact at the scene. There are a few yellow-shirted Bersih people around now. 2046: The police have once again asked the crowd to disperse or face the consequences. Haris has addressed the crowd, telling them he leaves it up to them. They can remain there or walk around in groups of four. People are not quite sure what to do. ?For the moment, it is still peaceful,? says my contact. Bersih-affiliated MPs are expected to arrive at 9.00pm. 2035: The crowd has moved away from the field. There are now about 200 people in the area with another one or two dozen blue-uniformed cops including senior officers. My contact tells me there is bit of a stand-off but it?s not confrontational. Police have been cordial in advising the crowd to disperse. Tony Pua and Haris arrive at the scene. Meanwhile, Rakyat at Work is nearing the venue of the Ipoh vigil. 2022: Police have asked the crowd near Amcorp Mall to disperse. There is no one on the field now. 2010: An eye-witness reports that close to a hundred people are now at the padang near Amcorp Mall. They are just milling around; nothing has started. The talk is that the proceedings will begin at 9.00pm. All roads to the venue are still blocked. 2005: From what I hear, the Bersih group are now trying to think of an alternative location. They were supposed to have gathered near Amcorp Mall at 9.30pm after the 8.00pm Abolish ISA vigil, but that?s not looking possible now. 1940: My contact in PJ has been circling around, trying to get to the venue, but all four entry points into Amcorp Mall are blocked by traffic police. 1928: Federal Highway from Jalan Utara is blocked. Police are said to be present around Padang Timor near Amcorp Mall. They are obviously not taking any chances, even though it is unlikely the Bersih folks would have managed to get a big crowd this time. 1909: The road blocks near Amcorp Mall could be because the Bersih coalition (campaigning for electoral reforms) is expected to join the Abolish ISA group. Meanwhile, Rakyat at Work is now in Taiping, heading to Ipoh. 1857: It looks as if roads are blocked in all directions heading towards Amcorp Mall and even A&W. 1852: We are getting reports of a road block heading to Amcorp Mall. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44665 RIGHTS-MALAYSIA: Gov't Edgy Over Candlelight Protests By Anil Netto Candlelight vigils against the ISA are drawing government ire. Credit:Baradan Kuppusamy/IPS PENANG, Nov 12 (IPS) - Heavy handed police action against a gathering of Malaysians, near the capital of Kuala Lumpur, protesting against a draconian preventive detention law, suggests government nervousness at persistent public vigils. The show of force comes at a time when the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)and its coalition partners are experiencing leadership transitions and factional struggles after a general election in March saw the coalition losing substantial ground to opposition parties. On Sunday, riot police moved in as the crowds were singing the national anthem and about to disperse peacefully. They detained 23 people, including three elected representatives, media personnel, activists and a Catholic priest. All of them were released the next morning but await possible charges. A few protesters complained that they were assaulted and roughed up. The incident took place near a shopping mall in the residential town of Petaling Jaya, bordering Kuala Lumpur. The police action came as a surprise as, until now, the weekly regular protests in four major cities passed without incident. "Two guys came over to grab one arm each and pushed me towards the (police truck),'' recalls parliamentarian Tony Pua in his blog. ''I stated that I will walk, don't be rough but they tore my shirt instead. I repeated my call and three other police officers came at me, one with the knees into my belly while another attempted to kick my shin.'' ''They then chucked me against the back of the ... truck and shoved me up despite me stating that I can climb myself.'' Against a storm of criticism, police have defended their action. "We don't take sides. Even if an NGO, or even government parties were to organise such a gathering without permit, we would have acted in the same way," Selangor state chief police officer Khalid Abu Bakar was reported as saying. The country's police chief, Musa Hassan, pointed out that the group had not applied for a permit, the gathering was illegal and police had acted lawfully. The candlelight vigils to 'Abolish the Internal Security Act' began in September, when three individuals were detained without trial under the law. An immediate outcry was followed by weekly vigils in Penang and later in Petaling Jaya. Instead of the vigils gradually fizzling out, residents in Ipoh city and Seremban, a town south of Kuala Lumpur, have joined in with their own weekly protests. Each of these protests typically draws 150 to 300 people. Holding lighted candles and clad in ?Abolish ISA? T-shirts, they listen to speeches and poems, sing songs of freedom and justice and sign petitions. Afterwards, eye-witnesses post pictures and accounts of these vigils on blogs and websites, reaching a larger audience. The ISA allows the police to hold anyone for up to 60 days for interrogation, after which they are either released or sent to a detention camp in northern Malaysia under renewable two-year detention orders - in effect, indefinite detention without trial. Although the three who were detained in September have since been released, another 65 detainees, many of whom are alleged to have links to regional terror groups, remain incarcerated without trial, several of them for close to seven years. Sunday's vigil in Petaling Jaya was joined by civil society activists belonging to the campaign group Bersih, which is lobbying for electoral reforms and cleaner elections in Malaysia. The vigil coincided with the eve of the first anniversary of a huge ?Bersih? protest rally on the streets of Kuala Lumpur last November which drew about 40,000 people. That, coupled with the presence of Malaysia Today news-portal manager Raja Petra Kamarudin, the last of the three ISA detainees to be freed, could have unnerved the authorities. Raja Petra's articles on scandals in the corridors of power have attracted a huge following - but they have also landed him in hot soup on a number of occasions. A court last Friday, in a rare decision against the Home Minister's power to detain anyone under the ISA, surprisingly freed him from the Kamunting detention camp, much to the delight of civil society activists. But Raja Petra is currently embroiled in a sedition trial over articles he is said to have written linking deputy prime minister Najib Razak with the murder of a Mongolian woman. Najib has vehemently denied any involvement. The action to break up the vigil on Sunday comes against the backdrop of a leadership transition in UMNO and an intensely fought campaign for party elections scheduled for March. Although Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has effectively handed over the UMNO presidency to the current deputy Najib without contest, critics claim the premier's hand was forced after the coalition's dismal performance in the general election. Three candidates are now vying to be the next Umno deputy president, taking over from Najib. Former premier Mahathir Mohamad's son Mukhriz, meanwhile, is staking claim to become the party's next youth chief. In the midst of all this, the party's disciplinary committee has reportedly received 900 complaints of money politics (a euphemism for vote-buying) while factional disputes in party divisions have led to some bitterness. Some fear that with the rise within UMNO of those close to the former authoritarian premier, Malaysian society could be in for a return to the strong-arm methods that the Mahathir administration was known for. Meanwhile, the Abolish ISA Movement - which comprises over 80 civil society groups, and other civil society activists - is unlikely to slacken the campaign to repeal the law. The police action on Sunday may deter some from participating in future vigils, but others are vowing not to be cowed. ''In the midst of all this uncertainty and adversity, something pure is bound to be born,'' says a regular participant at the vigils, who declined to be identified. ''My friends have literally come face to face with reality and now have to choose between fear and truth. I remain hopeful and steadfast.'' From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 08:39:48 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:39:48 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-neoliberal, anti-capitalist and anti-corporate protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB106C4.6090302@tesco.net> * TURKEY: Ankara - Police attack workers' anti-IMF protest * MALI: Uprising over water privatisation in northwest, 1 killed as troops open fire * BULGARIA: Protesters shut down pipeline presentation * PERU: Cop killed during mine protest - informal workers demand pay, benefits * COLOMBIA: Scam protests cut oil output * KOREA: Beef protesters target retail outlet * PHILIPPINES: Protest against G20 summit * US: Washington DC - Hundreds rally outside summit * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - workers protest foreign investment increase * GREECE: Annual commemorative march - US embassy targeted, stores torched * GREECE: Clashes in Thessaloniki, youths Molotov police, banks * INDONESIA: Protest against G20 summit - US "angel of death" * FRANCE: Clashes at Vichy immigration summit * PARAGUAY: Victory for rural reform protesters after clashes * PERU: Bush visit sparks "timid" protests * PERU: Thousands blockade city, torch govt building in mining dispute * UKRAINE: Protests planned over IMF deal * SPAIN: Barcelona - workers attack Nissan office over layoffs * PHILIPPINES: Farmers protest slow action on Luisita massacre * TAIWAN: Protests target national debt * ZIMBABWE: Workers target foreign exchange shops * ZIMBABWE: Bulawayo - Police attack bank customers, spark clashes over currency crisis * HUNGARY: Rally against austerity measures * US: Nationwide protests demand "bail out the people" * ICELAND: Thousands protest at parliament over crisis, seek fall of govt Protesters clash with police after arrest * US: Richmond - protest at Federal Reserve * SWITZERLAND: Protest at bailouts, bonuses * PAKISTAN: Protest against IMF package * US: Week of action against banks * UK: Victory for Brighton Starbucks protesters * SPAIN: Camp-out at bank over bailout * US: Louisville, Kentucky - Protest against bailout * UKRAINE: Lvov - Left and right clash on revolution anniversary http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/11/30/nb-05 Police clash with workers in Ankara 30/11/2008 ANKARA, Turkey -- Police clashed with protestors who rallied in Ankara on Saturday (November 29th) against growing unemployment and higher prices According to the media, tens of thousands of workers took part in the action. Several were hurt when they clashed with police after refusing to be searched. Tear gas eventually dispersed the demonstrators. (Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal - 30/11/08; AP, RBK, AFP, Anadolu news agency - 29/11/08) http://www.euronews.net/2008/11/29/economic-protests-spark-clashes-in-turkey/ Turkey The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. There have been clashes in Turkey as the country?s two largest unions took to the streets to protest against spiralling prices and a possible government deal with the International Monetary Fund. Turkey is in negotiations for a loan from the IMF. But the Unionists say they will not pay the price for the financial crisis. ?We are here to protest against price increases and being poor?, said one man. ?We have had 80 to 90 per cent price increases in energy, food and every aspect of our lives since the beginning of the year?. Thousands of people joined in the angry demonstrations, and not just unionists. Numerous university students took part too. They face a very uncertain future as unemployment in Turkey hovers around 10 per cent. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/30/content_10433033.htm Police, demonstrators clash in Turkey Police protect themselves behind their shields from stones being thrown by leftist demonstrators during clashes in Ankara November 29, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LT641884.htm Turkish workers clash with police at anti-IMF demo 29 Nov 2008 14:38:34 GMT Source: Reuters ANKARA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of Turkish workers clashed with police in Ankara on Saturday at a demonstration held by the country's two biggest unions to protest rising prices and a possible new International Monetary Fund deal. The workers chanted slogans against the government and the IMF, which is holding negotiations with Turkey on a loan to stem the impact of the global financial crisis on the country. Riot police used truncheons and tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters after clashes erupted when police asked demonstrators to leave behind sticks used to carry their signs before entering a square in the city centre. Six police officers and several protesters were injured and being treated in hospital, the state Anatolian news agency reported. "We will not pay the price of the crisis," a sign carried by protesters said. University students were also among those at the demonstration. The rising price of basic commodities such as heating gas has hurt consumers and the government is working on a stimulus package to trim rising unemployment, which is hovering around 10 percent. (Reporting by Selcuk Gokoluk; Editing by Sophie Hares) http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hA40p1aCePt_eyliWfiOeq1wH1Qg One dead, five hurt after Mali authorities open fire on protest Nov 10, 2008 BAMAKO (AFP) ? One person died and five were injured Monday when security forces opened fire on a protest over plans to privatise drinking water distribution in northwestern Mali, hospital and official sources said. Authorities intervened after hundreds of protesters ransacked city hall in the town of Lere and threw stones at the mayor and his deputy, injuring them and several other people, said a municipal official. "There was disorder, so the national guard shot real bullets," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ousmane Diallo, the head of the local medical centre, said the facility treated six demonstrators for bullet wounds. "We have received for emergency care six demonstrators wounded by bullets fired by elements of the national guard. Some cases are very serious," Diallo told AFP. "Some of them had bullets in the shoulder, others in the buttock, which may indicate that they were fleeing the security forces," Diallo said. One of the six injured, Kassim Sidibe, later died, a source close to the medical centre said. It was unclear how many guards shot, with a city hall source putting the number at "one or two," while others said several had opened fire on the crowd. Like other towns in Mali, Lere, which is in the region of Timbuktu 700 kilometres (435 miles) north of Bamako, suffers from water distribution problems. A delegation of Lere residents plans to be in Bamako Tuesday to ask authorities to suspend the decision to privatise drinking water distribution, sources said. They will also demand that the guards who shot protesters be punished. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98820 Protesters Cause Cancellation of Presentation of Burgas- Alexandroupolis Project Society | November 12, 2008, Wednesday A loud protest rally interrupted on Wednesday a scheduled presentation about the construction ot the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil line to be conducted by the "Trans Balkan Pipeline company", About 50 people busted in the conference hall in the Black Sea city of Burgas, forcing the cancellation of the presentation. Before the beginning of the event, the demonstrators rallied in front of the building holding sings and shouting against plans for the construction of the pipeline. Alexander Tarakanov, Chief Executive Director of "Trans Balkan Pipeline" has been just 2 minutes into his presentation, when the protesters busted into the conference hall and interrupted his speech. The accusations were directed at the Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Regional Development Kalin Rogachev, who tried to appease the rally by explaining that the pipeline construction would not interfere with Bulgarian laws and NATURA 2000. The presentation moderators declared a 30-minute break and later decided to cancel the presentation altogether. Alexander Tarakanov stated that he was shocked by to the strong reaction. "Honestly, we did not expect such rally. Our main goal was to come here and give people reliable information to dissipate the many rumors surrounding this project," Tarakanov said. http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-11-25-764735790_x.htm Peru police officer killed in mining protest Posted 11/25/2008 12:46 PM | Comment | Recommend LIMA, Peru (AP) ? Mining protests in the highlands near Peru's capital have left one police officer dead and 17 workers in custody. Police say the officer was killed when a 50-kilogram (100-pound) rock thrown down a hillside by protesters hit him in the head. Police were attempting to clear a highway blocked by some 400 miners. The workers are employed informally by silver, zinc and copper miner Casapalca Mining Company and are demanding higher pay and formalized benefits like social and health insurance. A police communique says 17 protesters were arrested during the protest early Monday, but gave no more details. Labor Minister Jorge Villasante called on workers to abandon protests, but also urged the mining company to honor its labor obligations. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSN2529020120081125?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews&rpc=22 Protest cuts south Colombia oil output - Ecopetrol Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:34pm EST BOGOTA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Oil production in the southern Colombian province of Putumayo, which accounts for almost 4 percent of the country's crude output, has been slowed by protests over a financial scam, Ecopetrol said on Tuesday. Thousands of bilked investors have taken to the streets to protest a series of pyramid investment schemes, which are not related to the oil industry, that threaten millions of dollars in losses. People in Putumayo were heavily invested in the scams. "We have problems with the Putumayo operation," a spokesman for state-controlled oil firm Ecopetrol said. "We are producing partially. We have increased security at the installations," the spokesman added. "There is no state of emergency. We are trying to reestablish full operations." (Reporting by Javier Mozzo; Editing by Walter Bagley) http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/081126/16/4kigb.html Wednesday November 26, 4:56 PM Civic GRPs Protest's Korean Retailers' Decision to Sell US Beef SUWON, Nov 26 Asia Pulse - A local civic group rallied Wednesday in front of a major discount outlet, urging the retailer to rethink its decision to sell U.S. beef. Some 30 people from the People's Association Against Mad Cow Disease gathered at a Home Plus location in Suwon, a city just south of Seoul, holding signs reading, "Do not sell dangerous U.S. beef!" "The U.S. inspection protocol on the mad cow disease is not trustworthy. If major stores start selling the U.S. beef, South Koreans will be exposed to the potential danger of the disease," the group said in a statement. South Korea was the third-largest importer of U.S. beef, after Japan and Mexico, until a blanket ban was imposed in 2003 following the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in the U.S. state of Washington. After rounds of negotiations, Seoul agreed in April to resume U.S. beef imports. But fears over the brain-wasting illness stirred thousands of South Koreans to take to the streets daily for months on end throughout the summer, demanding the deal be renegotiated. President Lee Myung-bak apologized twice to the public over the issue, and the import agreement was partially amended to introduce stronger health safeguards. When imports resumed in June, the demand for U.S. beef surged, although the sales were limited mostly to smaller butcher shops, fueled by the price competitiveness compared to homegrown beef. South Korea's top three discount chains -- E-Mart, Home Plus and Lottemart -- had been reluctant to stock U.S. beef at their sales counter, worried about public reaction and their reputation after the large-scale demonstrations. "We urge the South Korean government to come up with measures to prevent the disease from breaking out in the country," the protesters said. After reading their statement, the protesters went inside the store and marched chanting, "No to U.S. beef." (Yonhap) http://www.gmanews.tv/story/133808/Militants-hold-protest-march-vs-G-20-summit Militants hold protest march vs G-20 summit 11/15/2008 | 10:21 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Militants took to the streets of Manila Saturday to denounce the formal opening of the G-20 summit called by US President George Bush Jr. in Washington D.C to address the global financial crisis. The Freedom from Debt Coalition said Saturday's action was part of the Global Day of Action against summit, which it branded as an "elite jamboree." "Sadly, the G-20 Summit is not only elite-centered, inequitable and dominated by US interest, moreover, the solutions that it would be promoting is more or less the same under an unchanged and archaic economic system which for the longest time has been proven to be crisis-endemic, debt-generating and poverty-creating," FDC President Walden Bello said in an article on the FDC Web site (www.fdc.ph). A report on Q-11 television said the marchers tried to proceed to the US Embassy but police blocked their path. They proceed to T.M. Kalaw Street instead. The protesting groups led by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Focus on the Global South, Jubilee South and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) said while they support moves for different nations to come together in order to develop sustainable and viable solutions to the crisis, they believe the process to come up with the necessary solutions should not only be more open and participatory. Groups joining the protest included Akbayan, Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD), Youth For Nationalism and Democracy (YND), Makabayan, Kilusang Mangingisda (KM), Alab-Katipunan (AK) and Youth Against Debt (YAD). They underscored the culpability of the Bush administration in the global economic meltdown. Bello said social movements as early as the late 1970s already warned that the policies of aggressive loan pushing, financial and trade liberalization would only result in more poverty and social inequalities. "Neoliberalism, as we have already said so many times has only facilitated the further disconnection of economic activities to the real needs and activities of the people. This has happened time and time again, and we are now witnessing the end-result of how immense wealth-creation is juxtaposed with growing social inequality amid the widening gap between the financial and the real economy," Bello said. Focus on the Global South campaigner Joseph Puruganan added G-20 is more about rescuing a flawed system rather than resolving the root causes of the crisis. "On international trade, they will prescribe a more open and deregulated trading system when clearly, it is this regime of liberalization that's partly to blame for the crisis," Puruganan said. GCAP Philippine Coordinator Joel Saracho said G-20 leaders should prioritize the needs of people living in poverty especially during the economic downturn. "Surely, even in a time of an economic crisis, the priority should not be the bailout of banks and big corporations but the social bailout of the people," Saracho said. The protesting groups also said the G-20 summit is no more than a "private clinic" of the global elite to prescribe another escape route for the system to run away from the crisis. "The G-20 Summit can take two options to address the crisis. It can either push for the continuation if not the completion of the neoliberal framework of less and less government intervention in the market and trading or return to a "regulated-type of capitalism such as the Bretton Woods system under the Roosevelt era," Bello said. Lidy Nacpil, regional coordinator of Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement for Debt and Development, reiterated a global call signed by 209 international, regional and national networks, made demands to address the crisis. These include: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/15/america/NA-US-Meltdown-Summit-Protests.php Hundreds protest as world leaders meet for summit The Associated Press Published: November 15, 2008 WASHINGTON: Hundreds of protesters rallied in the U.S. capital as world leaders met for an emergency economic summit. Outside the summit, the largest protest came from the nearly 200 demonstrators supporting Tibetan independence. They were joined by a smaller group from the spiritual movement Falun Gong in protesting China, which is attending the financial meeting at the National Building Museum. Protesters chanted "Shame on China" on the outskirts of the perimeter established by police. About 10 protesters from the ANSWER coalition ? a group that has drawn thousands of antiwar protesters to Washington in the past ? marched and picketed outside the building. Farther away, more than 100 protesters rallied at Murrow Park. About midday, they began marching in the streets, led by a band of horns and protesters on stilts. At a traffic circle, they placed banners on a statue with messages like "Bury Capitalism" and "People Over Profit." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/14/america/NA-US-Meltdown-Summit-Security.php Security focused on protesters more than terror The Associated Press Published: November 14, 2008 WASHINGTON: U.S. intelligence officials say they have no credible information about potential terrorist or criminal attacks against a weekend summit in Washington of world leaders to deal with the global financial crisis. In fact, law enforcement officials said they were more concerned about angry protesters, such as people left jobless by the financial meltdown, than they were about terrorists. The summit ? the largest gathering of presidents and prime ministers in Washington since NATO's 50th anniversary in 1999 ? opens Friday with a dinner at the White House, followed by a day of policy discussions Saturday at the National Building Museum. It is the first in a series of meetings intended to deal with the enormity of the economic meltdown, and the next meeting will not be until after President George W. Bush leaves office on Jan. 20. The high profile event ? drawing many world leaders and members of the media to one place ? is an appealing target for terrorists and other extremists who want to make a point. The short notice for the summit, announced last month, combined with the high level of security, makes it a less attractive target for al-Qaida and similar groups, because they generally like to take time to plan a successful attack, according to a Nov. 12 joint assessment by the FBI, Homeland Security Department, National Counterterrorism Center and the Washington Regional Threat & Analysis Center. "It is possible, however, that an individual adversely affected by the current economic downturn and acting impulsively" could see the summit as an opportunity to commit violent acts, the assessment said. The U.S. jobless ranks zoomed past 10 million last month, the most in a quarter-century, as 240,000 more people lost jobs. Tight security around the National Building Museum lessens the possibility of an attack or disruption there, but it could also give extremists motivation to take advantage of nearby infrastructure that will not have the same amount of security, the assessment said. The event has been designated a National Special Security Event, and the Secret Service has the lead for security. The Service has coordinated with 57 other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the local Metropolitan Police Department. The Service said it is prepared for all security risks, but has no indication that extremists or protesters currently pose any dangers. A group called Global Justice Action has organized protests Friday at Lafayette Park near the White House and Saturday at Murrow Park near the World Bank. The group provided an estimate of 200 protesters in its permit applications to the National Park Service. The ANSWER coalition, which has been a leading participant in anti-war protests, is organizing a protest Saturday outside the National Building Museum where the summit is being held. Protesters then plan to march to the Capitol building to join a separate protest against California's recent referendum outlawing gay marriage. Authorities plan to close several streets in downtown Washington Friday and Saturday nights in the vicinity of the National Building Museum. President-elect Barack Obama is steering clear of the summit but will have a couple of representatives available to meet with leaders on his behalf. Besides the United States, the countries represented will be Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. Those countries and the European Union make up the G-20. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/08/stories/2008110858950200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Demonstration staged Staff Reporter MADURAI: The Madurai Division of Insurance Corporation Employees? Union staged a demonstration on Wednesday to protest against the Centre?s move to increase the upper cap of foreign investment in the insurance sector from the current 26 per cent to 49 per cent. Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) urban secretary B. Vikraman presided over the protest. In the wake of an global economic crisis which has affected many multinational companies, FDI in insurance must not be allowed, a press release from the union said. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,453445,00.html Greek Protesters Firebomb Police Outside U.S. Embassy Monday, November 17, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Nov. 17, 2008: Molotov cocktail burns in front of police outside U.S. Embassy in Athens during annual march to mark anniversary of a student uprising. ATHENS, Greece ? Greek riot police fired tear gas to disperse protesters throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails outside the U.S. Embassy on Monday during an annual march to mark the anniversary of a student uprising. Three police were injured in the clashes, while 11 protesters were detained, authorities said. Damage was reported at two bank branches in central Athens, a car showroom and to three vehicles. About 10,000 people braved a thunderstorm to mark the 35th anniversary of the student uprising against the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74. They marched to the U.S. Embassy to protest Washington's support for the junta at the time. A group of about 100 youths broke away from the peaceful rally, throwing rocks and firebombs at riot police deployed outside the embassy building. Heavy rainfall quickly extinguished the fire from the petrol bombs, and the youths dispersed after police responded with tear gas and gave chase. Police had deployed 8,000 officers in Athens and an additional 1,500 to 2,000 in Greece's No. 2 city, Thessaloniki. Major roads in both cities were closed. The annual marches are often marred by violence. The U.S. Embassy had warned American citizens to avoid the demonstration areas and instructed U.S. diplomats in some areas of Athens to remain at home. Both the embassy in Athens and the consulate in Thessaloniki closed early. The exact death toll from the events in November 1973 has never been definitively established, but some say dozens of people were killed in the days around the student uprising. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7734817.stm Tuesday, 18 November 2008 Greek marchers clash with police Some 8,000 riot police were deployed in Athens Greek riot police have fired tear gas to disperse protesters hurling stones and firebombs outside the US embassy in the capital Athens. The clashes took place during a march by some 10,000 people to mark a 1973 student uprising that was crushed by the then ruling military government. Dozens of students are believed to have been killed during that uprising. Every year, demonstrators march to the US embassy to protest against American support for the junta at the time. 'Injured' The clashes began after a group of about 100 people broke away from the peaceful march in Athens on Monday. Greek police fired volleys of tear gas at the protesters who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at a police cordon protecting the US embassy. Three policemen were injured and 11 protesters were arrested, Greek officials were quoted as saying by the the Associated Press. Some 8,000 police were deployed to guard the protesters, many of whom chanted slogans against the US "war on terror", the banking industry and the conservative Greek government. A big demonstration was also held in Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki. The 1973 student revolt was crushed when the Greek junta sent tanks into the campus of Athens Polytechnic University. Dozens of students are said to have been killed in the clashes, although the exact death toll has never been established. The student revolt heralded the end of the 1967-1974 junta in Greece. http://www.topix.com/gr/thessaloniki/2008/11/greek-youths-firebomb-bank-clash-with-police Nov 2, 2008 Greek youths firebomb bank, clash with police ATHENS, Greece : Greek police say a group of masked youths firebombed a bank and about 30 cars and clashed with police in the northern city of Thessaloniki. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_03/11/2008_101798 Youths injure police in Thessaloniki riot A group of masked youths went on the rampage outside university faculties in Thessaloniki in the early hours of Sunday morning, hurling homemade Molotov cocktail bombs at police and injuring eight officers. Three of the officers were briefly hospitalized and nine of the youngsters were detained for questioning. The rioting youths caused widespread damage, destroying the facades of several banks as well as a street kiosk and wrecking around 30 parked cars. In Athens, early on Saturday, a group of around 15 assailants used stones and bottles to pelt a riot police van parked outside opposition PASOK?s headquarters in the central district of Exarchia. Among those detained for questioning were a 46-year-old Greek and a 17-year-old Albanian. No injuries were reported. Protesters oppose G20 meeting, say US is 'angel of death' Detik.com - November 14-17, 2008 Jakarta -- Around 100 people held a protest action in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta on November 15 demanding that a G20 ministerial level meeting in Washington be dissolved. The protesters, who came from the People's Struggle Front (FPR), said that the meeting would not solve the problems facing ordinary people. During the protest, which was joined by workers, farmers and students, protesters held a theatrical action depicting the countries that are consistently subservient towards the US government. Played by seven youths, five were wrapped in white cloth with their hands chained while two others played the role the ??angel of death?? wearing black robes and white painted faces. The angels of death were depicting the US that consistently dictates to other countries. The protesters also gave speeches and shouted ??Dissolve the G20?? and ??President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla are US lackeys??. ??We believe that the G20 meeting is a waste of time and will be unable to solve the people's problems. There is not one agenda item that will discuss these problems that bring suffering to workers and farmers. It is workers and farmers that will feel the flow on effect??, said action coordinator Rudi HB Daman. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hyQoZikGdY0x56CEwG6v2MphkUDQ Protests as France's Vichy hosts first conference since war Nov 3, 2008 VICHY, France (AFP) ? Protesters against Europe's immigration policy descended on the town of Vichy Monday as the shamed capital of France's former pro-Nazi dictatorship hosted its first international government conference since World War II. Anarchists torched three cars in the town centre and smashed a shop window on the sidelines of the demonstration, organisers of the march and an AFP journalist said. Riot police used tear gas after they were pelted with objects. Police said 1,700 people joined the protest while organisers put the figure at 2,500. Shortly before the march police detained several demonstrators dressed as Nazi camp inmates. Some protesters said they sought to link the pro-Nazi Vichy era with the EU countries' controversial immigration policies. Police said these demonstrators were freed by Monday night. Two other people were later also arrested. Vichy's municipal leaders hoped that by finally hosting European ministers 64 years after the fall of Marshall Petain's regime they could shake off their wartime stigma and become a popular spa resort once more. But several busloads of militants had other ideas, and turned up to protest a conference called to discuss the integration of ethnic minorities in Europe, with some linking current French policy to that of the pro-Nazi past. "We denounce the worrying evolution of European migration policies, which recall the ideas that led to deportations at the end of the 1930s," declared the leader of a small anti-globalsation group, Xavier Renou. Ahead of the conference, Vichy's conservative mayor Claude Malhuret, had expressed hope that the town was on the verge of escaping its grim past. "It's a scandal that there are 10 conferences per year in Berlin, Hitler's city, and in Moscow, Stalin's city, and no-one says a thing, while Vichy has been shunned," complained Malhuret. He thanked Brice Hortefeux, France's minister of immigration, integration and national identity, for organising the conference and breaking the taboo. "If conference organisers in future are looking at Vichy, Evian and Cannes, they won't systematically choose Evian or Cannes," Malhuret said, looking forward to a day when Vichy can compete with other potential venues. "Things won't change overnight, but it's a way of rediscovering our dignity, and especially our ordinariness." Officials from the 27 EU members are to hold two days of talks. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1570/68/ Paraguay: Agreement with Rural Activists Puts End to Protest Written by Natalia Ruiz D?az Tuesday, 11 November 2008 (IPS) - Rural and social activists ended three days of protests Friday in the Paraguayan capital after their leaders met with President Fernando Lugo and reached a preliminary agreement for addressing their demands. The agreement, which was reached after the campesino (peasant) leaders met at length with the country?s new centre-left president, includes the creation of a National Council on Agrarian Reform and the development of a social assistance programme for rural communities. The Council will be coordinated by the National Institute on Rural Development and Land (INDERT) and made up of representatives of the ministries of agriculture, education and health, campesino organisations and civil society groups. After the meeting, the rural protesters left the capital and the traffic blockades that had been set up around the country, especially in the northern department (province) of San Pedro, were dismantled. According to the organisers, some 15,000 people had taken part in the protests in Asunci?n since Wednesday, and 45,000 were participating nationwide. The three-day protest declared by the Social and Popular Front, which groups some 50 social and labour organisations, began Wednesday with violent clashes with the police in front of the attorney general?s office in Asunci?n. Among their main demands were the impeachment of the members of the Supreme Court and the removal of the attorney general, all of whom were named by the government of former president Nicanor Duarte of the right-wing Colorado Party, which ruled the country for nearly the entire 20th century (including the 1954-1989 dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner). They were also calling for the release of protesters arrested over the past few weeks, and plots of land for landless farmers. The demonstration by the Social and Popular Front was joined by other organisations, like the homeless people and slumdwellers? movement, which is demanding decent housing and the removal of the minister of social action, Pablino C?ceres, and the public transport workers union, which is calling for compliance with the country?s labour laws and the dismissal of a high-level transportation official in the capital. Lugo promised to step up efforts to provide a solution to the needs of people without adequate housing, and they left Asunci?n Thursday evening The centre-left president, who took office in August, said in a news briefing Thursday that his government guarantees the right to peaceful protest, but would take the necessary measures against any group that seeks to destabilise the country?s institutions. In response to the protesters? complaints about a supposed delay in implementing a comprehensive land reform programme, the president said agrarian reform efforts had in fact already got underway. "The demands voiced by the organisations that make up the Social and Popular Front are, in general, legitimate and form part of the hopes of these sectors, to which state bodies should do their best to respond," said the president, a former Catholic bishop who worked on behalf of the landless rural poor in San Pedro for nearly a decade before his shift into politics. Belarmino Balbuena, a leader of the Paraguayan Campesino Movement and the Social and Popular Front, told IPS that the mobilisation was the result of the need for a social assistance plan for rural areas. He also said Paraguay?s judiciary must be overhauled, because the current Supreme Court magistrates only rule in favour of wealthy landowners and soybean agribusiness interests. Balbuena pointed out that the campesinos under arrest include two town councilors from districts in San Pedro, who recently took part in demonstrations by landless peasants against violations of the country?s environmental protection laws by large soybean producers. The Paraguayan Catholic bishops? conference has also spoken out on the crisis in rural areas. In their 183rd ordinary assembly, the bishops urged Lugo to expedite the purchase by the state of a 17,000-hectare rural district in San Pedro known as Barbero, where thousands of small farmers have been living and working the land for decades, without legal title to their farms, which keeps them from being able to take out loans. The Rural Network of Paraguay, an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations, notes that the rural exodus has been aggravated over the last few years, due to the growing concentration of land ownership and the aggressive expansion of the agro-export model. This land-locked South American country has the most unequal distribution of land in Latin America. One percent of the population of nearly seven million own 77 percent of the arable land, while 40 percent work just one percent of the land. In Paraguay, 351 wealthy landholders own 9.7 million hectares, with the largest estates averaging over 27,000 hectares. With respect to the problem of slums, a study by the national census and statistics office estimates that the shortage of decent housing amounts to 636,000 units, equivalent to over half of all existing proper dwellings in the country. According to the study, around 91,000 families are living in shacks, slum housing or other inadequate structures, 289,000 are living in homes that are made of adequate materials but lack sanitation, and 256,000 are living in overcrowded conditions. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6528645.html Clash in Paraguay injures at least 14 policemen, 50 protestors 13:31, November 06, 2008 At least 14 policemen and 50 protesters were injured Wednesday during a clash in the capital of Paraguay, according to reports. According to information received from Asuncion, capital of Paraguay, hundreds of people, mainly peasants and activists, gathered in front of the Prosecutor Office building, asking Ruben Candia Amarilla, the general prosecutor, to resign. Clashes erupted when police officers tried to prevent protesters from entering the building. Demonstrations began Tuesday in seven parts of the country as protesters demanded reforms in judicial power and agrarian structure. The organizer of Wednesday's protest, the Social and People's Front, said police intervention was "excessive." Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo in a short communique called the protest "a right of citizens and associations" that is protected by his government, but he also stressed that the constitutional and institutional order of the country could not be broken. Lugo said his government "guarantees and reaffirms that agrarian reform, a electoral campaign promise, will be done" when conditions are ready. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/242789,bush-arrives-in-peru-amid-timid-protests-tight-security--summary.html Bush arrives in Peru amid timid protests, tight security - Summary Posted : Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:25:24 GMT Author : DPA Category : America (World) Lima - United States President George W Bush arrived in Peru Friday for the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum amid tight security, but timid protests. The president's Air Force One landed at a military base near Lima's international airport, where he was met by Peruvian Defence Minister Antero Flores Araoz. The APEC forum is to be Bush's last international summit as US president, before he hands over power to president-elect Barack Obama in January. Bush made no comments and got into a black limousine that was escorted by a score of SUVs. However, he was to speak of the importance of the summit "at a time of serious turmoil in the global economy" but also one of "unprecedented cooperation," in his weekly radio address Saturday, the text of which was available to the media. "As we work to rebuild confidence in our financial systems in the short term, we must also work to promote long-term economic growth," Bush was to say in his address, adding that countries must remain focused on "three great forces that drive this growth - free markets, free trade and free people." The outgoing US president was to say that the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates the power of these forces more vividly than any other part of the world. "Free markets have helped millions lift themselves out of poverty. Free trade has helped small nations turn themselves into global economic powers. And as more people in the Asia Pacific are free to develop their talents and pursue their ambitions, the whole region has grown in prosperity," Bush was to say. Meanwhile, on Friday hundreds of activists from various indigenous, student and workers' groups gathered in different areas of Lima to protest Bush's presence in the Peruvian capital. About 1,500 police officers were deployed to keep the situation under control, said police commander Carlos Paz. Earlier Friday, five university students were arrested in Trujillo, about 550 kilometres north of Lima, as they attempted to paint anti-Bush slogans on walls, Peruvian radio station RPP reported. Ahead of his trip to Peru, Bush stressed that he has not neglected relations with Latin America. "I care about our Latin American neighbours," he said in an exclusive interview that the Peruvian daily El Comercio published in Spanish on Friday. "It is very important for a US president to pay attention to its neighbours, because their orderly and peaceful progress is of great interest for the United States. "I worry when I hear someone talk about the United States as the big boy in the neighbourhood, always telling people what to do in any particular country," he said. Bush stressed his support for free trade as a key aspect of his presidency, and spoke of 13 free-trade agreements negotiated during his administration, including one with Peru, "that were a complete success." http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44813 LABOUR-PERU: Protest Against Bush and Alan Garc?a By ?ngel P?ez Protesters dressed like prisoners at Guantanamo. Credit:?ngel P?ez/IPS LIMA, Nov 21 (IPS) - A demonstration in the Peruvian capital by left-wing political movements against U.S. President George W. Bush?s visit to the country turned into a protest Friday by hundreds of laid-off workers and trade unions in conflict with local and foreign companies. Bush arrived in Lima Friday, for the weekend?s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Percy Or?, head of the trade union representing workers at Topy Top, Peru?s second-largest textile exporter, said he was laid off for organising the company?s employees. "Topy Top is one of the country?s leading garment exporters, and has amply benefited from the free trade agreement with the United States," Or? told IPS. "However, alleging a supposed drop in production, it threw 60 workers out on the street in February, 28 in May, 17 in June and 10 in July, including me. The dismissals started after we organised the union. It?s no coincidence that many of those who were sacked belong to the union." The peaceful demonstration in the Dos de Mayo plaza, which was completely surrounded by dozens of police in riot gear, is the other face of the 16th APEC summit. The anti-Bush demonstration was convened by the Political and Social Coordinator (CPS), an umbrella of community organisations, labour and student groups, and leftist parties and movements. The police, who were equipped with tear gas, rubber bullets, and anti-riot vehicles with water cannons, were ordered to keep the protesters from leaving the square and attempting to march to the government palace, 10 blocks away. The CPS set up three symbolic tribunals to try Bush. The verdicts debated and decided by the participating organisations were read out, to the applause of the crowd. Human rights violations committed by the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Guantanamo prison camp, and the country?s aggressive policies, were condemned, and Washington was blamed for the current global financial crisis. Peruvian President Alan Garc?a was also found guilty of "selling the country out to U.S. imperialism and submitting to his master Bush." Alexander Caballero, the head of the union of Swiss-based Nestle Co. workers, said he was taking part in the protest because the Garc?a administration preferred to defend the interests of foreign companies rather than the rights of Peruvian workers. "We have been on strike for 23 days because Nestl? refuses to negotiate a fair wage hike," Caballero told IPS. "Our strike is legally recognised by the Labour Ministry. But we have reported to the Ministry that Nestl? has hired replacement workers, and that production has continued. The Ministry, however, does not want to take action against the company because it is a foreign firm. "Nestl? is violating Peru?s labour laws, and the government isn?t doing anything," he complained. "We will continue our strike, although the company has already begun to lay off some of our leaders in reprisal." President Garc?a has stressed in his speeches to foreign dignitaries and business leaders that despite the global crisis, the Peruvian economy is strong. And he calls those who criticise it "losers" and "failures." "The number of chickens raised has climbed from 31 million a month in November 2007 to 36 million a month today, in November 2008. Who is eating them? Rich people in Lima?" he said in an interview with the El Comercio newspaper. "Beer consumption has risen 17 percent in the last three months. Who is drinking it? Dionisio Romero and Pedro Brescia (two wealthy Peruvian businessmen)? National consumption of rice is up eight percent. Who is eating it? The people know all of this, I don?t have to be repeating it on TV," said the president. But when it was pointed out to him that 77 percent of respondents in a recent survey by the Apoyo polling firm disapproved of his administration, he said "that?s something different. We are a nation of whiners, who have been spoiled by stories like that of Atahualpa, who sells his soul to the devil for ransom." "Garc?a is a liar, a snake charmer, a snake oil salesman, an extraordinary pretender - and I know that because we used to be friends," businessman Ricardo Letts, a former left-wing congressman, told IPS. Letts is president of the Malpica Committee, an organisation named after former leftist Senator Carlos Malpica, who investigated corruption during Garc?a?s first term in office (1985-1990). The Malpica Committee argues that Garc?a should resign, early elections should be held, and a constituent assembly should be set up to rewrite the constitution. "President Garc?a has not only failed to live up to a single election pledge, but has dedicated himself to selling the country to the highest bidder," said Letts, in the Dos de Mayo square. "You can?t believe anything he says. That?s why he should step down. We?re calling for a popular uprising, which under the constitution is the right of a nation deceived by their leaders." The head of the trade union of water and sewage workers (SUTOPEC), Juan Cancio, said his union represents those who provide services to the state company SEDAPAL by working for subcontractors. "We work for SEDAPAL but we aren?t part of SEDAPAL. We are not on the payroll, which means we are deprived of many of our rights, even though we do the hardest, dirtiest work. We are discriminated against," Cancio told IPS. During his election campaign, Garc?a promised to put an end to subcontracting, saying it was a system that violated workers? rights. And on Jul. 21, 2006, just a few days before he was sworn in, he met with SUTOPEC leaders to promise that he would adopt a measure to that respect. "But the subcontractors are still there," said Cancio. "We earn 500 soles a month (165 dollars) while workers on the SEDAPAL payroll earn up to 2,000 soles (665 dollars). Garc?a did not live up to his promise. Around 3,000 workers are caught in this horrid subcontracting trap." A verdict against the APEC summit was also read out during the protest, "because it is an instrument of transnational corporations and imperialist countries to free up trade and investment," said the speakers, who said "APEC is hunger, APEC is unemployment, APEC is plunder." Ronald Amaro, head of the union of workers in Star Print, a subcontractor for Topy Top, said the company used to make them work up to 36 hours in a row. "We founded the union on Jan. 14 to demand an eight-hour workday, and we got it. But in retaliation, the company sacked 180 workers, including the leaders of the union," Amaro told IPS. "Now the workers don?t want to join, because they?re afraid of being laid off. There are 1,300 workers, and we are paid 550 soles (182 dollars) a month. It?s a pittance, but we need the money to survive." But for others, Peru is a paradise for investors. Peru has become an ideal place for investment, Bush told the local press here. "We are a refuge for investors fleeing other countries," Garc?a, for his part, told foreign business leaders. (END/2008) http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/05/peru-emergency.html?ref=rss Peruvian PM refuses talks until mining protests stop Last Updated: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 | 10:07 PM ET Comments0Recommend6 Reuters, special to CBC News Riot police officers clash with protesters in Tacna, Peru, on Tuesday. The Peruvian government has declared a state of emergency in the city after thousands of demonstrators blocked roads and cut water supplies this week to protest against a mining royalty law. (Associated Press) A day after declaring a state of emergency in the southern province of Tacna, Peru's prime minister said Wednesday he would not discuss protesters' demands to change a new mining law until the area was calm. Tacna is locked in a dispute with Moquegua, a neighbouring province, over how to share millions of dollars in taxes paid by Southern Copper Corp., one of the world's largest mining companies. Protesters, who have asked for a commission to review the law that would redistribute royalties, have blocked roads, cut water supplies and burned a mayor's office. Over the weekend, the government gave the military the green light to maintain order. Tuesday, it went a step further and declared a state of emergency. "There will be no commission until Tacna is peaceful," said Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon, a leftist whose appointment last month was seen as an effort by the government to dissuade protesters from taking their complaints to the street. "They have the right to protest, but not ? to burn government buildings," he told reporters. The legislation, passed by Congress last week, overhauls the way royalties are distributed to all provinces in a country with hundreds of mines. It would assess taxes based on how much mineral wealth a mine produces, rather than on how much dirt a mine moves, as the system does now. President Alan Garcia is expected to sign the bill into law. Under the current system, Moquegua will receive 20 per cent of taxes paid by Southern Copper that are distributed to provinces, while 80 per cent will go to Tacna. The new law would direct more money to Moquegua. Southern Copper, which is a unit of Grupo Mexico, has the Cuajone mine and Ilo smelter in Moquegua and the Toquepala mine in Tacna. Leaders in both provinces say they need the revenue to pay for basic services like water, electricity and education. Some 40 per cent of Peruvians live in poverty, despite seven years of fast economic growth, and critics say Garcia has not done enough to bring the boom's benefits to the poor. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610695 Protestors torch gov`t building in mining royalties dispute in Peru Posted: 2008/11/05 From: MNN Peruvian protestors angry at the distribution of mining royalties set fire Tuesday to a government building in the country`s southernmost city of Tacna. LIMA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Flames spread over a large area and smoke engulfed the municipal headquarters in Ciudad Nueva district, some 15 minutes' drive from Tacna, causing damage to documents and a supply center nearby. Earlier Tuesday, more than 200 protestors demanding better distribution of mining royalties clashed with local police, and at least two people were injured. The protestors insisted on repealing a mining royalties law approved by the National Congress which says that Tacna must share the proceeds with the neighboring region of Moquegua. They said the law was no longer the reason for the fighting. Instead, people were now protesting over those killed in clashes at the weekend http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Peru_declares_state_of_emergency_in_11042008.html Peru declares state of emergency in south after protests Published: Tuesday November 4, 2008 Peru late Wednesday declared a 30-day state of emergency in its south after violent protests in the city of Tacna that left 20 people hurt and 35 in police custody. The measure, announced by Prime Minister Yehude Simon after an extraordinary cabinet meeting, will see soldiers and police take over the city, which lies close to the border with Chile. "The government has declared a state of emergency for 30 days in Tacna because of the acts of violence," he said. The decision came after a day of protests that degenerated into attacks on a municipal building in a suburb of the city. A mob set fire to the building to protest the death of a demonstrator last weekend. Last week, a crowd vented fury at another public building in the city. A strike is underway in Tacna to protest a vote by congress to modify a law that would redistribute tax revenues from a giant mining company, Southern Peru, in favor of residents in the neighboring region of Moquegua. The unrest was occurring ahead of a November 21-23 summit by heads of state and government of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations that will be held in Lima under tight security. http://en.rian.ru/world/20081103/118108479.html Ukraine's communists condemn IMF loan, plan mass protests 14:36 | 03/ 11/ 2008 KIEV, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Communist Party accused the government on Monday of burdening the nation with debt and filling the pockets of oligarchs by obtaining a $16.5 billion IMF loan, and announced plans for mass protests. On Friday, Ukraine's parliament passed a set of laws needed to receive the loan from the International Monetary Fund, as the country struggles to cope amid the global credit crisis. Communist Party leader Pyotr Simonenko told a news conference that the loan was "for the benefit of oligarch circles, the leadership of the International Monetary Fund, and multinational corporations." He warned that the debt would harm the economy, particularly ordinary citizens. "On November 7, we will start mass protests throughout Ukraine under the slogan: 'against Yushchenko and the oligarchs. Give the workers a respectable life'." The parties led by President Viktor Yushchenko and his former ally Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko backed the legislation for the IMF loan, while the Party of Regions, led by pro-Kremlin ex-premier Viktor Yanukovych, abstained from the vote. Under the new laws, a national stabilization fund will be set up to help struggling banks repay their foreign debt. The government will also provide more extensive guarantees for deposits in banks. Anti-crisis measures have met similar criticism in several other countries, as governments hand money to corporations to ease the credit crisis. In the United States and Great Britain, banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and the Bank of Scotland have come under severe criticism for handing out vast bonuses to their upper management, after receiving taxpayer bailout funds. In Russia, the country's richest businessmen have received multi-billion dollar state loans to retain their stakes in major companies. Oleg Deripaska is reported to have received a $4.5 billion loan to keep his stake in the world's largest nickel producer Norilsk Nickel, while oligarch Mikhail Fridman's Alfa Group received a $2 billion bailout loan to hold on to mobile phone operator VimpelCom. Ukraine's economy has suffered both from the global credit crunch and the falling price of steel, the key national export. The country's stock exchange has lost around 70% of its value, while the national currency, the hryvnia, hit a record low of 7.2 to the dollar last Wednesday. http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081116210145859 Barcelona: Protesters attack Nissan's Spanish HQ over layoffs Sunday, November 16 2008 @ 09:01 PM CST Contributed by: Anonymous Views: 246 MADRID, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Several hundred people protesting against Nissan's plans to lay off staff at its plant in Spain threw bottles, fireworks and fencing at the Japanese company's offices in Barcelona on Tuesday. Reuters pictures showed the demonstrators gathering in central Barcelona to protest at Nissan's decision to cut 1,680 jobs at its factory in the city because of weak demand. Protesters attack Nissan's Spanish HQ over layoffs November 11, 2008 Source: Reuters MADRID, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Several hundred people protesting against Nissan's plans to lay off staff at its plant in Spain threw bottles, fireworks and fencing at the Japanese company's offices in Barcelona on Tuesday. Reuters pictures showed the demonstrators gathering in central Barcelona to protest at Nissan's decision to cut 1,680 jobs at its factory in the city because of weak demand. The protests coincided with demonstrations against the closure of a shipyard in Gijon, northern Spain, where protesters barricaded streets with burning tyres and set off fireworks. When Nissan announced the layoffs in October, it said the global economic crisis had caused a dramatic drop in vehicle sales, and new environment laws had cut demand for all-terrain vehicles made at the plant in eastern Spain. Volkswagen and Ford have also announced layoffs at their factories in Spain in recent weeks because of falling demand. Car sales in the European Union fell 4.4 percent in the first nine months of the year from a year earlier, according to the manufacturers association ACEA. Spain's Socialist government had hoped that improvements in productivity would help the car manufacturing sector, but Spain has borne the brunt of the sector-wide production cuts seen in Europe because of the economic slowdown. (Reporting by Jonathan Gleave, Albert Gea in Barcelona and Eloy Alonso in Gijon; editing by Tim Pearce) http://www.gmanews.tv/story/133491/Police-disperse-farmers-protesting-slow-Ombudsman-action-on-Luisita-massacre Police disperse farmers protesting slow Ombudsman action on Luisita massacre 11/14/2008 | 10:44 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City policemen on Friday tried to disperse some 20 farm workers of Hacienda Luisita Inc. who staged a protest action in front of the Office at the Ombusdman to push for the speedy resolution of charges they filed against military personnel involved in the Nov. 16, 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre. Rene Galang, United Luisita Workers Union(ULWU) President, said that after 4 years, massacre victims have yet to receive justice. Galang said administrative and criminal charges filed by the victims' relatives before the Ombudsman on January 13, 2005 against the Cojuangcos, (former Labor) Secretary (Patricia) Sto. Tomas and police and military officials remain unresolved up to this date. "Nothing happened with our case at the Ombudsman, it's like that being massacred is a natural thing under the Arroyo government, justice is no way near from being served," Galang said. "We have little hope with this legal recourse, we clearly know that the government is controlled by the rich landlords like Cojuangcos and Arroyo herself, but we will not cease in yelling for justice for our martyr agri-workers, " he added. To recall, seven agricultural workers and residents of communities within the hacienda were killed when police and military forces fired to disperse protesting workers to enforce an Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) order issued by then Labor Sec. Sto. Tomas. - GMANews.TV http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-43868.html Villagers protest over setting up liquor bottling unit Pudukkottai, Nov 11 : Venting protest against the proposal to set up a bootling unit by an Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) firm at Kallakottai in Gandarvakottai taluk of this district, villagers and political parties argued that it would deplete the groundwater table and cause pollution. At a meeting convened here by the district administration to elicit the views of the villagers, they urged the Tamil Nadu government not to give consent for the project. District Revenue Officer R Mahendravel, who presided over the meeting, said he would inform the administration about the views expressed by the villagers of Gandarvakottai. District secretary of the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist), Asaithambi and P Shanmugam, district executive committee member of the CPI, said the unit, if commissioned, would deplete the groundwater table, affecting agriculture in and around the area. --- UNI http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/29/2003429811 Protesters complain of ?underestimated? national debt By Loa Iok-sin STAFF REPORTER Saturday, Nov 29, 2008, Page 3 Members of the Alliance for Tax Reform protest on the corner of Ketagalan Boulevard and Gongyuan Road in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES Concerned that efforts to stimulate the economy will only increase the national debt, the Alliance for Fair Tax Reform (AFTR) created a ?human national debt clock? on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office yesterday. Wearing purple T-shirts with numbers written on their backs, AFTR members lined up at the intersection of Ketagalan Boulevard and Gongyuan Road, together spelling out ?13,800,000,000,000? ? or NT$13.8 trillion (US$390 billion). ?This number represents Taiwan?s actual national debt ? on average, each one of the country?s 23 million citizens has to shoulder about NT$600,000 of it,? spokesman Chien Hsi-chieh told reporters. While figures released by the Ministry of Finance earlier this month showed the current national debt to be NT$4.3 billion, AFTR member Son Yu-lian (???) said that the number was inaccurate as many ?hidden debts? were not accounted for in the official figure. ?The government should deal with our national debt honestly. They need to stop tax reforms that benefit large corporations and refrain from making policies that will only make the situation worse,? Chien said. ?We don?t want our children and grandchildren to be born into debt.? Alliance members said they were concerned that the government?s policy direction would make the situation worse. Since President Ma Ying-jeou (???) took office, the government has increased the national debt with several projects, including plans to expand domestic consumption and the i-Taiwan construction projects. The recent consumer vouchers policy ? which will require another NT$80 billion in public debt ? is only the latest addition, Son said. ?With the NT$400 billion ?economic stimulation? program on the way, the Ma government has already added more than NT$726 billion to our national debt,? he said. The AFTR urged the government to hang a real national debt clock outside the Presidential Office, ?so that every person can see how seriously we?re in debt,? a press statement said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811070859.html [Zimbabwe Independent] Zimbabwe: ZCTU to Protest Against Forex Shops 7 November 2008 The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has threatened to protest against the introduction of foreign exchange licenced retailers and wholesalers demanding the Reserve Bank to lift daily cash withdrawals now at $500 000. Barely a month after the introduction of the Foreign exchange licensed warehouse and retail shops (FOLIWARS), mixed sentiments have been expressed over the modus operandi of the shops. For business this move was received as a paradigm shift from a "command" type of economy to a more liberalised one. However, for labour and the National Incomes and Pricing Commission (NIPC), the heralded September 26 decision allowing retailers, wholesalers and fuel importers to sell in foreign currency has not only stoked inflation but also relegated low-income earners to unprecedented levels of penury. "The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is perturbed by the current wave of dollarisation or Americanisation of the Zimbabwean economy by the authorities at a time when most workers in Zimbabwe are earning their wages in Zimbabwean dollars," read the statement. "The ZCTU says no to dollarisation and the extension of America into Zimbabwe. If they want the use of the American dollar in all payments to continue, then the ZCTU is demanding that all workers be paid in American dollars, since it seems we are now part of America, despite the veiled denials by our politicians, particularly President Robert Mugabe," said the ZCTU. According to Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, as of September 25, a total of 600 applications had been submitted and 570 foreign currency licences were issued. Of the figure 533 licences was issued to FOLIWARS operating retail and wholesale licences, with 37 issued to FELOCS and FELOPADS, being oil companies and service stations who will sell in foreign currency. NIPC chairman, Goodwills Masimirembwa whose grip on business was clipped by the Reserve Bank recently accused foreign exchange licensees of "shooting" themselves in the foot through price distortions. At the launch of the economic policy that was ostensibly crafted to preserve foreign currency inflows, Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono said the move was driven by compassion. "Before the introduction of the foreign exchange shops, the central bank watched and observed with heavy hearts the suffering of Zimbabweans as they waited at the borders seeking to import basic commodities," said Gono. But soaring prices that followed on the back of a record inflation of over 231% could leave the central bank with another "heavy heart". An observation by businessdigest this week indicated that prices charged in foreign currency shops were at least three times higher than those charged in neighbouring countries. Currently enjoying a waiver on food import costs, analysts said transport costs were major costs incurred by business. A senior manager at a local retail group this week said uncertainty in forming a new government and a "vacuum" in regulating the foreign exchange shops could have necessitated wide pricing disparities between Zimbabwe and regional peers. "Most retailers are a bit sceptical about this policy," said a general manager at a retail group. " There is a vacuum in governance and things could go either way. Business is coming from a background of a command type of economy and there is need to maximise profits in the duration of this stalemate." He added that shortages of lower denominations of foreign currency had also resulted in shops charging higher prices. He said most retailers were caught "unawares" when the Reserve demanded a refundable US$20 000 that was then required to receive the trading licence. With one month on retailers and wholesalers have also failed to form the Foreign Exchange Licensed Wholesalers and Retail Shops Association mandated with regulating the new shops. - http://allafrica.com/stories/200811101474.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Chaos in Bulawayo as Riot Police Clash with Bank Customers Tichaona Sibanda 10 November 2008 The city of Bulawayo was engulfed in tension over the weekend, following bloody clashes between riot police and people queuing to try to access money from their banks. Scores were left injured on Saturday when heavily armed riot police ran pitched battles with anxious customers who were losing patience after failing to access their money from the city banks. With tensions running high, things boiled over when the banks called police to control the crowds. A witness to the chaos wrote to us saying the police used baton sticks to try to control the crowds and this inflamed the situation. Outside the CFX Bank, irritated customers retaliated and pounced on a lonely policeman who was overpowered by the angry mob. 'The policeman was left in a daze after the clients at a local bank vented their anger on him in revenge. He was left bleeding profusely after he was attacked,' our source said. Other reports said that on Friday some banks had enlisted the services of soldiers to keep the peace in the queues. The soldiers used this to jump queues and access the cash for themselves, beating up people in the process. 'Managers blamed the Central bank for its limited allocation of money to the banks. While the Reserve Bank has increased the cash withdrawal limits to Z$500 000 from $50 000, the money is still not enough as people spend the nights sleeping outside the banks.' In Harare, the military police on Saturday battled fellow soldiers who were creating problems in bank queues. Reports say baton-wielding military police beat soldiers in uniform. At Coal House in central Harare, where two building societies are located opposite each other, fights erupted as members of the public cheered. It's alleged that a number of soldiers were bundled into military vehicles and taken to barracks where they were expected to be detained. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/30/global-economy-turkey-demonstration Protests over global recession ? Rajeev Syal ? The Observer, Sunday 30 November 2008 The governments of Turkey, Hungary and Iceland, three of the countries hit hardest by the global economic downturn, faced mass demonstrations against austerity measures yesterday. Thousands of Turkish workers clashed with police in Ankara, at a demonstration held by the two biggest unions to protest against a possible International Monetary Fund deal. The IMF is negotiating with Turkey on a loan to stem the impact of the global financial crisis on the country. Six police officers and several protesters were injured and are being treated in hospital, the state news agency reported. The rising price of basic commodities such as gas, oil, wheat and rice has hurt consumers and the government is working on a stimulus package to curb rising unemployment, which is hovering at 10 per cent. In Budapest, thousands of firefighters, teachers and other public employees demonstrated outside Hungary's parliament to protest against austerity measures. To reduce the state budget deficit, the government plans to temporarily suspend or limit wage bonuses and pensions, among other steps. Icelanders gathered outside their parliament to demand the resignation of the government they blame for leading their country into an economic abyss. Violence flared as protesters tried to storm a police station to free an arrested demonstrator. At least five people were injured. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459090,00.html Hungarian Workers Protest Wage, Pension Rollbacks Aimed at Meltdown Saturday, November 29, 2008 | FoxNews.com ? E-Mail ? Print ? Share AP Nov. 29: Hungarian prison guards shout anti government slogans during a public employee demonstration in downtown Budapest, Hungary. Nov. 29: Hungarian prison guards shout anti government slogans during a public employee demonstration in downtown Budapest, Hungary. ? ? BUDAPEST, Hungary ? Thousands of firefighters, teachers and other public employees are rallying outside Hungary's parliament to protest the government's austerity measures. Some 30 trade unions are taking part in Saturday's rally despite the cold and rain, demanding that state authorities respect earlier deals that guaranteed wage levels. Some firefighters are carrying a coffin symbolizing the demise of their trust in the law, which they say was changed to enable the cutbacks. Click here for photos. In an effort to reduce the state budget deficit, the government plans to temporarily suspend or limit wage bonuses and pensions, among other steps. Hungary has had the largest budget gap in the European Union in the past few years, increasing its exposure to the current global financial crisis. http://www.workers.org/2008/us/protests_1106/ From Wall Street to Main Street Protests demand: Bail out the people! By Betsey Piette Published Oct 29, 2008 2:43 PM It was a strange sight on Wall Street. In the heart of U.S. finance capital, stage left of the statue of the wealthy slaveholder George Washington, more than 100 veterans and youths from unions, housing, civil rights and other popular movements began a conversation with the U.S. working class from the steps of the Federal Building. The topics: capitalism and socialism. Six weeks ago, the speakers might have been whistling in the wind. On Oct. 24, after the credit collapse and bailout of the banks, their talks at the corner of Wall and Broad brought many people to a halt. Wall Street workers stayed to listen for a quarter hour, took literature, asked questions of those participating and thought about the economic crisis that threatens to disrupt life as they know it. Wall Street, NYC. WW photo: John Catalinotto The speakers represented a cross section of progressive New York. Whether it was City Councilmember Charles Barron explaining how Bloomberg climbed up the ?wealthiest person? ladder since he became mayor of New York; housing activist Nellie Bailey chiding the landlord domination of local politics; Katrina-survivor supporter Brenda Stokely making it clear that solidarity must begin with the most oppressed; people?s lawyer Lynne Stewart denouncing capitalism; or FIST youth organizers LeiLani Dowell and Larry Hales, mobilizing for future struggles; they had an audience. A rousing speech was presented by a leader of women steelworkers in South Korea, who have been striking the SIRIUS Corporation for the past three years. Their example of struggle despite hardship may turn out to be one of the important lessons of the rally. Teresa Gutierrez from the May 1st Coalition for Immigrant and Workers Rights; Charles Jenkins, a leader of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; and Bernadette Ellorin from BAYAN-USA spoke on workers? unity across all borders. For those distributing literature, there was constant interaction with passers-by, most of it friendly questions. A group of Chinese visitors enjoyed photographing each other beside a sign on the Workers World table that called capitalism the problem and socialism the solution. Media from Spain, France, Venezuela and local Spanish-language TV stations interviewed participants and recorded the rally/street meeting that Bail Out the People Movement organizer Larry Holmes opened and which kept going for more than three hours until Monica Moorehead gave an update on the struggles to save death-row prisoners, Troy Davis and Mumia Abu-Jamal. The final speaker read a message from a Philippines revolutionary to the U.S. working class. It was a new day on Wall Street. John Parker and Gloria Saucedo in Los Angeles. WW photo: Maggie Vascassenno In Los Angeles, the Labor/Community Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions held a ?Bailout the Workers, Not the Bankers? forum on Oct. 24 and a street protest on Oct. 27. The forum was held at Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, located in Panorama City in Los Angeles County. Led by Gloria Saucedo, Hermandad services the immigrant community with legal assistance and was an initiator of the historic Mar. 26 demonstration for immigrant rights in 2006. Rosie Martinez, executive board member and chair of the Latino Caucus of Service Employees International Union Local 721, addressed the forum about the need for unity and organization to fight for justice and against our wealth being given away to the banks. Chito Quijano and Martha Rojas in Los Angeles. WW photo: Scott Scheffer Chito Quijano, national chair of BAYAN-USA, explained the origins of the economic crisis and motivated for unity and action as the only means to make sure the fallout from the crisis does not all land on the shoulders of workers. Martha Rojas, co-coordinator of the coalition, spoke about her personal experience going through foreclosure. One of the demands of the forum was for a moratorium on foreclosures as well as against the raids targeting immigrants. Detroit WW photo: Alan Pollock In Detroit dozens of people, including many victims of home foreclosures and evictions, demonstrated outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in downtown Detroit on Oct. 27 to demand the interim mayor declare a state of economic emergency in the city and formally apply to the governor for a two-year moratorium on foreclosures. They also demanded a federal bailout for the people of Detroit, who have the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the U.S. Since interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. took office in mid-September, organizers with the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions have sent him three letters demanding a meeting to discuss the state of emergency facing the city and the action he should take. Cockrel ignored the letters until coalition activists confronted him at two ?meet and greet? community meetings he hosted on Oct. 21 and 23. Coalition spokespeople received a tremendous response from the audience and the mayor was forced to acknowledge that a moratorium was ?a good idea.? Following those meetings and the continued organizing and outreach done by coalition activists throughout Detroit and beyond, a representative from the mayor?s office contacted the coalition to arrange a meeting. A multinational grouping of 16 activists went to the mayor?s office on Oct. 27 after the demonstration, only to find out that the mayor?s representative was postponing the meeting due to a funeral. The activists were outraged and a confrontation occurred with city police and members of the mayor?s security detail. One senior shouted, ?You show some respect! We pay your salary and this is OUR office!? Coalition members then went to the City Council auditorium and discussed a plan of further action. Calls were placed to the mayor?s representative, who finally agreed to come to the coalition?s office on Oct. 28 and meet with organizers. Coalition members will present a draft letter for the mayor to send to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, formally requesting a declaration of a state of emergency in the city and asking her to use her emergency powers under the law to impose a two-year moratorium on foreclosures and evictions in the city. Organizers see this as an important step in getting a statewide moratorium passed by the legislature. Buffalo, N.Y. WW photo: Bev Hiestand On Oct. 24 in Buffalo, N.Y., a ?Bail Out the People, Not the Banks? rally staked out a spot in the heart of the financial district, surrounded by huge glass-covered banks and the Federal Reserve office. The rally expressed such clear, intense anger against the rich and against the whole capitalist system that it drew the interest and attention of all the downtown workers waiting for the transit trains just inches away. High school and college students stood for an hour in the cold wind. The banks even sent observers to listen. One community activist pointed at the windows all around, and said, ?Don?t think this is small, because you can see how many people are paying attention, even in those windows, and standing over there listening and reading our signs. The word will be out to a lot more people by tomorrow.? The rally and speak-out was endorsed and co-sponsored by Buffalo Forum, Buffalo State College Students for Peace, Center for a Livable World, Citizen Action of New York-WNY, Coalition for Economic Justice, Code Pink Buffalo, Green Party of Erie County, International Action Center (member of the Ad Hoc National Network to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions) and Western NY Peace Center. In Baltimore, protesters braved pouring rain to gather at the Federal Reserve Bank for a speak-out and press conference denouncing the trillion dollar bailout of the banks and to announce a statewide campaign to demand emergency measures for workers this winter. The speak-out was widely covered by local television and C-Span. Speakers included union delegates, community organizers and student activists. Among the emergency measures called for are a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, a halt to utility shut offs, no layoffs and an extension of unemployment benefits, and no budget cuts. The City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland have begun already to announce budget cuts that threaten workers jobs and services. The speak-out and protest was called by the Baltimore Chapter of the National Network to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions. Several people gathered in front of a midtown Chase Bank in Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 26, unfurling a large banner reading ?Bailout The People?Not The Banks!? The busy intersection was active with hoots and hollers of support, horn-honking and other signs of approval from passersby. People feel betrayed by the massive handout to the wealthiest bankers while workers are left to fend for themselves. The state of Arizona needs $2.6 billion to cover its budget shortfall. Less than one-half of 1 percent of the $850 billion guaranteed to bankers would allow the state to continue providing the essential services working and poor people need and would also prevent the planned mass layoffs of state workers. The banks get bailed out and we get thrown out! On Oct. 25 in Charlotte, N.C., about 50 people rallied in front of the world headquarters of Bank of America, one bank which stands to profit from the deepening economic crisis. A spirited and militant picket included city workers from the Charlotte chapter of UE Local 150; Raleigh Fight Imperialism, Stand Together; Atlanta International Action Center; Charlotte Action Center for Justice; UNC-Charlotte Students for a Democratic Society; and UNC-Chapel Hill SDS. Demonstrators demanded a moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions, an end to cuts in student loans and a moratorium on state budget cuts. The response to the demonstration was overwhelmingly positive, with many passersby honking their horns, raising their fists and even joining in the picket. As the crisis deepens, affecting more and more working people, organizers expressed a commitment to continue raising these demands against Bank of America and building a working class fight back against the bailout. Around 20 youth, workers and community activists converged at the Wachovia building in downtown Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 24 to protest the fraudulent bailout of the superrich. Demands to ?Bail out the people, not the banks!? and ?Money for jobs and education, not banks and corporations!? as well as ?no? to massive public sector budget cuts, were met with mixed support from the bankers, but strong support from workers who occasionally joined the protests. Representatives from Black Workers for Justice; Raleigh FIST; UNC Chapel Hill SDS; UE 150, North Carolina?s Public Service Workers Union; and various community allies picketed Wachovia and marched through the streets to kick off a weekend of nationwide protests against the nearly one trillion dollar handout to the gambling bankers. The Cleveland Chapter of FIST held a protest and speak-out at the national headquarters of National City Bank, just one day after it had been bought out by PNC Bank. Protesters went inside the bank, passing unhindered by a lone security guard. Later FIST members went to the Public Square area in Cleveland to distribute Workers World newspaper. Led by youth from FIST and SDS, nearly 30 people gathered for a rally and speak-out against the bankers? bailout on Oct. 27 at Philadelphia?s City Hall, across from Wachovia Bank. Despite its defunct status, Wachovia is one of many banks responsible for the subprime mortgage scandal and the subsequent tightening of credit markets, and stands to receive $25 billion of taxpayer dollars to fund their acquisition by rival Wells Fargo. Speakers pointed out Wachovia Bank?s origins in profits from slavery in the U.S. as well as its recent practice of ?redlining? neighborhoods of color to deny loans for development. More than a thousand fliers were handed out to passersby, many of whom stopped to sign a petition for a bailout that would provide for programs people really need. Chants of ?Money for health care, not for bankers? welfare!? went over well with downtown shoppers and drivers honked horns in support. The protest was sponsored by the Philadelphia International Action Center; Brandywine Peace Community; N?COBRA; Code Pink, Delaware River Area; Justice for Families; Neighbors Against McPenntrification; RASH?Philadelphia; Philadelphia Socialist Action; and FIST. Boston WW photo: Liz Green In Boston about 50 people attended a rally and press conference at Boston City Hall chaired by Miya Campbell of FIST and featuring Boston?s three city councilors of color, Chuck Turner, Charles Yancey and Sam Yoon. The councilors called on the governor and mayor to declare a state of emergency and ensure that the thousands of people who are facing winter without heat or light have their utilities service restored. More than 100,000 received shutoff notices from the Massachusetts utility companies last May. Nan Genger of the Women?s Fightback Network outlined the group?s ongoing campaign for an economic state of emergency, linking the shutoffs to the war budget and the Wall Street bailout. Tony Hernandez, organizer for District Council 35, Painters and Allied Trades, described how the economic crisis is affecting poor and working people in every community. Other speakers included members of USW 8751, Boston School Bus Drivers; Jason Lyden, pastor of the Community Church of Boston; a representative from Action for Boston Community Development, which advocates for fuel assistance for low income families; and a member of New England Human Rights for Haiti. Campbell told how the economic crisis impacts youth, with homeless youth attempting to attend school; school closings from recent budget cuts being used to attack desegregation and the African-American communities? access to education; and of the more than one million Black men in prison. The participants are planning further action and vowed to continue until there is no one in Massachusetts without heat or lights this winter. The event was covered by both TV media and the Boston Globe. June Reyno holds the chain she will use to defy eviction from her San Diego home. WW photo: Bob McCubbin An unanticipated but welcome addition to the October 24-27 Call to Action activities, initially planned by the Ad Hoc National Network to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions, came when San Diego homeowner June Reyno called the Ad Hoc Network office to announce her intention to chain herself to her home of 19 years in the Mira Mesa area rather than submit to eviction. She had been served with an eviction notice, but had been granted an additional 18 days to vacate. Since Reyno publicly announced her intention to resist, the police were expected the morning of Oct. 27. The Network office was able to put her in touch with San Diego activists from the International Action Center and others who stood with her on Monday morning, anticipating the arrival of police, and who were instrumental in bringing out much of the San Diego media to cover her struggle. Reyno is angry that an offer was made to sell her back the house and then withdrawn when she and her husband found a willing lender. The bank that now holds title clearly intends, instead, to sell the home at a bigger profit, perpetuating the greedy financial feeding frenzy that has produced the present catastrophe of foreclosures and evictions. Throughout the country, many thousands of people are being deprived of their homes because of corporate greed and a system that puts profits first and people last. By defying the eviction, Reyno is providing an example of resistance to injustice that will resonate among the millions who have or are in danger of losing their homes. As of this writing, Monday morning and early afternoon have passed with no sign of the police. Sharon Black, Ben Carroll, John Catalinotto, Ellie Dorritie, Kris Hamel, Caleb Maupin, Bob McCubbin, Monica Moorehead, Frank Neisser, John Parker, Paul Teitelbaum and Scott Williams contributed to this report. ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/protest-reykjavik-iceland Protest in Reykjavik - Iceland Share: by dorisig007 | November 2, 2008 at 06:36 am 132 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment Videos Protest in Reykjavik - Iceland see larger video uploaded by dorisig007 Few thousand people gathered yesterday in front of the Icelandic Parliement building ,to protest. They where demanding that the goverment resign and the Icelandic Central bank ,change the men that control it.More and more people are getting unemployed.Truckers that where protesting last spring - took part in the protest today and used the horns to let people know that they where there .And people dont like the local press theses days - in the local news web pages - they say that there where 6 hundred or 1000 people at the protest - but the foreign press tell us that there where a few thousand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9V5xWSEqsM http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/387060/1/.html Iceland protesters seek government resignation over crisis Posted: 02 November 2008 0237 hrs REYKJAVIK : Some 1,000 people demonstrated in Reykjavik on Saturday to call for the resignation of Iceland's government and central bank chiefs over the financial crisis. Demonstrators carried posters showing Prime Minister Geir Haarde with a pig's snout and chanted slogans such as "Geir No More." This was the third straight Saturday that demonstrators gathered to protest against the crisis that has pushed the country to the brink of bankruptcy, after the government in early October nationalised Iceland's three biggest banks. The protesters urged the government to step down and called for the governors of the central bank to be replaced, as organisers urged Icelanders to protest every Saturday until their goal was achieved. A poll published by Capacent Gallup on Thursday showed that 46 percent of Icelanders support the government compared to 51 percent in September and 54 percent in August. Another survey published by television news channel Stod 2 on Wednesday showed that only 10 percent support the chairman of the central bank's board of governors, David Oddsson. Haarde has said Iceland, a country of just 320,000 people, needs six billion dollars to pull itself out of the crisis. Reykjavik has agreed with the International Monetary Fund on a loan of 2.1 billion dollars (1.6 billion euros), and hopes to obtain the additional four billion dollars from its Nordic neighbours, the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. Earlier this week, Haarde said the cost of the banking crisis could be as high as 85 percent of GDP, or 1.1 billion kronur (7.2 billion euros, 9.4 billion dollars). The country's public debt would increase from 29 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2007 to just over 100 percent of GDP at the end of 2009, he said. - AFP /ls http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/430597/cs/1/ Icelanders protest over government failures Irish Sun Saturday 15th November, 2008 Around 6,000 Icelanders took to the streets over the weekend in protest against the effects of the financial crisis. Iceland only has 320,000 residents. The demonstrators threw eggs, tomatoes and toilet paper at the parliamentary building and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde. Inflation has increased 15 percent and unemployment has rocketed, as the state treasury waits for rescue money from the International Monetary Fund. It is possible the state of Iceland could go bankrupt, now that the country's three largest banks have collapsed. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/iceland-protesting-and-rioting-america-next-31 Iceland, Protesting and Rioting, is America Next? #31 Fighting for Freedom 11/25/2008 With Iceland's financial catastrophe that has wiped out half of the krona?s value which has put the population at risk of losing their homes and savings the people are now protesting and having riots calling for the Government to resign in Reykjavik. Reports from the Scotsman says "It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since October?s banking collapse crippled the island?s economy. At least five people were injured and Hordur Torfason, a well-known singer in Iceland and the main organizer of the protests, said the protests would continue until the government stepped down.? As crowds gathered in the thousands at the Icelandic parliament, on Saturday, Mr Torfason said: ?They don?t have our trust and they are no longer legitimate.? A few hundred more protesters gathered at the local police station after a protester was arrested and threw rubish at windows and used a bettering ram on the front doors to force them open. A 36-year-old office worker, Gudrun Jonsdottir, said: ?I?ve just had enough of this whole thing. I don?t trust the government, I don?t trust the banks, I don?t trust the political parties, and I don?t trust the IMF. ?We had a good country and they ruined it.? The United States are having more peaceful protests against the Federal Reserve during the "End the Fed events" this past weekend, being largely ignored by the main stream media (as usual) which could lead for wider chaos should the dollar finally fall because of the the hyper inflationary bubble that is being created by the continuance printing of money to fund this multi-trillion (7.4 Trillion to be exact) dollar bailout. We must pay attention to the top Russian analysts who predicted the decline and break up of the United States along with Gerald Celente who is deadly accurate with forecasting trends, who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union stated to Fox New earlier this month ?America?s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,? said Celente, noting that people?s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis. The scenes in Reykjavik may be coming to America should a significant portion of the dumbed down public wake up to this huge fraud of the bailout and begin to feel the impact of its consequences. This may be the reasoning behind the Military activating a Army brigade in the United States for the first time in American History to work under NORTHCOM who's main purpose is to protect the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities. http://story.philippinetimes.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/433537/cs/1/ Icelandic protest turns to violence Philippine Times Sunday 23rd November, 2008 A protest in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, over the government's handling of the financial crisis has ended in violence. At least five people were injured after around 200 demonstrators gathered outside police headquarters to demand the release of a man who was arrested for his part in an earlier protest. Some demonstrators tried to storm the building and the police used pepper spray and batons to dispel them. Iceland's banking system collapsed in October. http://itn.co.uk/news/f2008c1b0aa236217aa17cd7f75d9df6.html Reykjavik protest ends in clashes Updated 07.38 Sun Nov 23 2008 Keywords: imf, Reykjavik, Prime Minister Geir Haarde, Iceland, Central Bank Governor David Oddsso Police in Reykjavik have made several arrests after they clashed with protesters who had gathered to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank Governor David Oddsso. Five people were injured when police used pepper spray after a breakaway group of protesters tried to storm a police building to release one protester who had been detained in an earlier demonstration. "They don't have our trust and they are no longer legitimate" - Hordur Torfason It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since the financial meltdown that crippled the island's economy. Hordur Torfason, a famous troubadour in Iceland and the main organiser of the remonstrations, said the protests would continue until the government stepped down. In front of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament, Torfason said: "They don't have our trust and they are no longer legitimate." Iceland's three biggest banks - Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir - collapsed under the weight of billions of dollars of debts accumulated in an aggressive overseas expansion, shattering the currency and forcing Iceland to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This week, the North Atlantic island nation of 320,000 secured a package of more than $10 billion (?6.7 billion) in loans from the IMF and several European countries to help it rebuild its shattered financial system. Despite the loans, Iceland faces a sharp economic contraction and surging unemployment while many Icelanders also risk losing their homes and life savings. A young man climbed onto the balcony of the Althing building, where the president appears upon inauguration and on Iceland's national day, and hung a banner reading: "Iceland for Sale - $2,100,000,000", the amount of the loan Iceland is getting from the IMF. The rally lasted less than one hour and as daylight began to wane, demonstrators drifted away into the nearby coffee shops where the price of a cup of coffee has shot up to 300 kronas in the last few weeks, up by about one third from before the crisis struck, as the currency has tumbled. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/23/2427381.htm Demonstrators injured in Reykjavik protest Posted Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:15pm AEDT A protest in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, over the government's handling of the financial crisis has ended in violence. It has been reported that at least five people have been injured. The trouble began when around 200 demonstrators gathered outside police headquarters to demand the release of a man who was arrested for his part in an earlier protest. Some demonstrators tried to storm the building and the police used pepper spray and batons to dispel them. Iceland's banking system collapsed in October. - BBC http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/icel-n29.shtml Iceland: Street protests against government and economic meltdown By Jordan Shilton 29 November 2008 Thousands protested in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik last Saturday, calling for the resignation of the government and for early elections. The protest follows weeks of unrest on the streets, in the aftermath of the banking collapse last month that left the economy in meltdown. Protestors gathered to demand the release of a fellow demonstrator who had been held by police from the previous day. After demonstrating in front of the parliament (Althingi), several hundred protestors proceeded to the main police station where violent clashes took place. Police used pepper spray against demonstrators, and it was reported that at least five people were taken to hospital with injuries. Days before, the government reached a negotiated settlement with a number of European countries to determine the terms by which savers' deposits in Iceland's banks would be reimbursed. The deal meant that the loan to be made to Iceland by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of US$2.1 billion could be finalised. The loan will be conditional on "reforms" to bring the government's soaring public debt under control, which will inevitably mean deep cuts to public services. Having assumed responsibility for the debts of Iceland's three main banks, government debt is set to rise to a staggering 130 percent of GDP next year. In tandem with the IMF-backed loan, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland announced a joint plan to lend a further US$2.5 billion to Iceland. Underscoring the fragility of government finances in the current climate, Finland revealed it would have to borrow the funds in order to make them available. Following the announcement of this package, loans from a number of European countries, including Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, were announced, bringing the total loaned to Iceland to approximately US$10 billion. Some of this funding, from Britain and the Netherlands, is to be used to finance the compensation package by which the Icelandic government will re-pay depositors in the failed banks. The amount being made available to Iceland in loans is almost one and a half times the size of its economy. Far from guaranteeing stability, it threatens to cause serious uncertainty. Credit rating firm Standard & Poor's reduced its rating on Iceland's national debt from BBB to BBB- in the wake of the loan deal. As John Danielsson, writing in the Financial Times, pointed out, "The governments of the UK and the Netherlands have demanded that the Icelandic government cover losses from Icesave savings accounts. Since the total amount of losses may exceed the gross national product of Iceland, it is hard to see how Iceland could meet those demands.... [A] settlement along the lines demanded by the creditors would likely lead to a national bankruptcy." While the current government won election in early 2007, protestors have made it clear that they have no confidence that it can do anything to avert an economic catastrophe. Gudrun Jonsdottir commented, "I've just had enough of this whole thing. I don't trust the government, I don't trust the banks, I don't trust the political parties, and I don't trust the IMF." Opposition to the IMF was evident at the protest, with one sign reading: "The IMF will crush education, welfare, healthcare and democracy." A number of those who spoke at the protest indicated their fears that many of these services could face privatisation. Similar sentiments were expressed by a number of comments published by the BBC from readers in Iceland. Responding to the recent interest rate hike in late October, one said, "This will cause many companies to go under and will put extra pressure on households. I thought it was enough as it was. People have lost a lot of their savings and pensions and I have heard that young males aged 25-35 who are heavily indebted are committing suicide as they can't bear the heavy interest payments." The interest rate rise from 12 percent to 18 percent was announced in late October by the central bank (Sedlabanki) as a condition for receiving the US$2.1 billion loan from the IMF. Predictions suggest that Iceland faces an economic contraction of at least 10 percent in the coming year. A third of the total population of 310,000 face the loss of their home and life savings, with the government refusing to guarantee that domestic depositors in the failed banks will receive their money back. Job losses will also rise dramatically in the coming months. With Iceland facing bankruptcy, it has been suggested by some companies with headquarters there that they may relocate. Others will look to shift their operations elsewhere. Figures for October indicate that unemployment stood at 1.9 percent, but it is expected that by the end of November unemployment will be well above 3 percent. Compounding these problems, the krona has virtually ceased to be traded, with the only sale being a daily auction by Sedlabanki. While it is currently trading at around 170 kr?nur per euro, Dansk bank analyst Lars Chrissansen believes that when the currency is allowed to be traded freely, its value will plummet to nearer 300 kr?nur per euro. Such a decline will hit ordinary people hard. On November 26, figures put the rate of inflation at 17.4 percent with prices having risen by 1.7 percent in a month. Food prices led the way in the increase, rising by 30 percent since the start of the year. Along with the ongoing protests calling for the resignation of the government and Sedlabanki governor David Oddsson, recent polls show an overwhelming majority of the population in favour of early elections. The latest poll conducted by local newspaper Frettabladid published on November 25 shows 70 percent in favour of early elections, with 38 percent demanding elections in the first few months of next year. Having been re-elected last year, the governing coalition of the Social Democrats and Independence Party does not have to call another election until 2011. Reflecting growing tensions within the ruling establishment, Sedlabanki governor Oddsson issued a speech criticising the handling of the economic crisis by politicians. A former prime minister and Independence party leader, who worked closely with current Prime Minister Geir Haarde to liberalise the country's financial system, Oddsson attempted to shift blame away from Sedlabanki for the banking collapse. Stating that "over the past several weeks, the Central Bank of Iceland and its leaders have been at the top of the most-wanted list," he said, "the most fascinating thing is that among the people behind this campaign are those who bear the most responsibility for the situation now facing us." In Oddsson's opinion, this responsibility lies with the Financial Supervisory Authority. Citing examples of statements provided by Sedlabanki over a period of 18 months prior to last months banking collapse he stated, "it is a blatant misstatement to assert that the Central Bank of Iceland had not long ago become aware of the situation and warned about it. The Bank issued repeated warnings in the public arena and was even more vehement in private discussions." While he did not directly criticise the government by name, this was his target?particularly with regard to its inquiry in to the banks' downfall. He described this as a "whitewash" which was "unsuitable and insufficient" to uncover what had caused the collapse. Oddsson also made comments to the effect that the decision by the British government to use anti-terror laws to freeze the assets of Landsbanki following its failure was justified. The Financial Times quoted him as saying, "Not all conversations concerning this matter have been made public.... When the matter is investigated, other conversations will have to be made public. I am aware of what they are about and I am aware of what in fact determined the position of the UK authorities." As the paper goes on to note, this account could undermine attempts by the Icelandic government to sue the UK over its use of the anti-terror legislation. A no-confidence vote was brought against the government on November 24 by the opposition parties, the Progressive Party and the Left Green Movement. As well as calling for the resignation of the governing coalition, it demanded immediate elections. The motion was defeated by 42 votes to 18 with 3 abstentions. A further protest is scheduled for December 1. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/22/iceland-protest.html?ref=rss 5 injured during protest in Iceland over economic meltdown Last Updated: Saturday, November 22, 2008 | 11:40 PM ET Comments42Recommend48 CBC News Protesters in Reykjavik, some holding signs reading Stop The Corruption, are seen outside the parliament building during a demonstration Saturday by several thousand people against Iceland's economic meltdown. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson) At least five people were injured in Iceland's capital Saturday during a protest over the country's economic meltdown. Several thousand people attended the demonstration that began in front of the country's parliament in Reykjavik. A few hundred of those people then made their way to a police building, where they demanded a fellow protester being held by authorities since Friday be released. Five people were reportedly injured when officers used pepper spray and batons to repel demonstrators after some tried to storm the building. The crowd was finally placated when authorities freed the man in custody, who had been detained for his role in a previous demonstration, after someone agreed to pay his outstanding fine. Saturday's protest was one of several held recently in Iceland, whose banking system collapsed in October. About a third of Iceland's population of 320,000 are believed to have lost their savings. Demonstrators accuse the government, which was elected last year, of not doing enough to regulate the banking industry and have called for early elections. Iceland's next election is not required until 2011. The value of the krona, Iceland's national currency, has been cut in half since January. Four Nordic countries, as well as the International Monetary Fund, have pledged to lend the country a combined $4.6 billion US to help revive its deflated economy. The loan would be the first by the IMF to a Western nation since 1976. Iceland Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde, has said the government will use the IMF money to reintroduce a flexible interest rate regime and revise financial regulations, particularly insolvency laws. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7744355.stm Sunday, 23 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Iceland protest ends in clashes Clashes with police during protests in Reykjavik Protesters in Iceland's capital Reykjavik have clashed with police during a demonstration over the handling of the financial crisis. Several hundred protesters gathered outside the city's main police station to demand the release of a man jailed in a previous demonstration. Five people were injured when police used pepper spray to disperse the group after some tried to storm the building. Iceland faces a sharply contracting economy over the financial collapse. The group outside the police station broke away from a much larger group of several thousand people who had gathered outside parliament to demand the government's resignation. Some in the group tried to storm the police building. The man they wanted to release was later freed, after a fine he owed over a previous demonstration was paid. There has been a series of protests in Reykjavik calling for the government to resign over its handling of the economy. The banking system collapsed in October and the currency, the krona, has lost half its value in the past year. Iceland's government was forced to take over three of its biggest banks last month when they could not keep up with billions of dollars of debt taken on to finance overseas expansion. The government has taken out $4.6bn (?3.1bn) in loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and four of its Nordic neighbours to stay afloat. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1123/iceland.html Violent protest in Iceland over bank crisis Sunday, 23 November 2008 19:32 Thousands of Icelanders demonstrated in Reykjavik yesterday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank Governor David Oddsson for failing to stop a financial meltdown in the country. It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since the financial meltdown that crippled the island's economy. A separate group of 200-300 people gathered in front of the city's main police station demanding the release of a young protester being held there, Icelandic media reported. Police in riot gear used pepper spray to drive back an attempt to free the protester during which several windows at the police station were shattered. The protester was later released after a fine he had been sentenced to pay was paid. Iceland's three biggest banks - Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir - collapsed under the weight of billions of dollars of debts accumulated in an aggressive overseas expansion, shattering the currency and forcing Iceland to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund. This week Iceland secured a package of more than $10 billion (?8bn) in loans from the IMF and several European countries to help it rebuild its shattered financial system. Despite the loans, Iceland faces a sharp economic contraction and surging unemployment while many Icelanders also risk losing their homes and life savings. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1124/1227293466464.html Monday, November 24, 2008 Thousands take part in street protest over economic meltdown in Iceland REYKJAVIK - THOUSANDS of Icelanders demonstrated in Reykjavik on Saturday demanding the resignation of prime minister Geir Haarde and central bank governor David Oddsson for failing to stop a financial meltdown in the country in which its three biggest banks collapsed. A separate group of 200-300 people gathered in front of the city's main police station demanding the release of a young protester being held there. Police in riot gear used pepper spray to drive back an attempt to free the protester, during which several windows at the police station were shattered. The protester was later released after a fine he had been sentenced to pay was paid. - (Reuters) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9b3f246-e865-11dd-a4d0-0000779fd2ac.html Icelandic protesters clash with police By David Ibison in Stockholm Published: January 22 2009 09:32 | Last updated: January 22 2009 17:20 Iceland?s government may be forced to call an election two years ahead of schedule as anti-government protests intensify following the collapse of the country?s banking system and economy last year. Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir, vice-chairman of the Independence party, which governs in a two-party coalition with the Social Democratic party, told parliament on Thursday her party could not avoid an election this year. EDITOR?S CHOICE In depth: Icelandic economy - Nov-20 Slideshow: Iceland - the land that Christmas forgot - Nov-11 The rise and fall of Iceland - Nov-14 But her comments contradicted repeated statements by Geir Haarde, prime minister, that the existing government needed to stay in place and focus on stabilising the economy and currency before considering an election. Mr Haarde pointedly made no reference to an election during his appearance in parliament on Thursday, although he did say in an earlier television interview that an election might be possible next winter. ?The political scene in Iceland is currently at boiling point and it is no exaggeration to say that the coalition is teetering on the brink of collapse,? argued Glitnir Research, an arm of the nationalised bank. ?Although national elections are not scheduled until the spring of 2011, the present coalition is unlikely to last so long,? it said. This would not be the first time Ms Gunnarsdottir has called the prime minister?s stance into question, having broken with party policy last year by saying the crisis-hit nation should start thinking about membership of the European Union. The confusion at the top of the Independence party comes amid deepening public anger at its role in the crisis. There have been regular protests outside Iceland?s parliament and central bank, but the situation escalated this week after police were forced to use tear gas to disperse protesters. None of the protagonists in Iceland?s demise ? the prime minister, the central bank governor and the head of the financial regulator ? have lost their jobs and protesters are now demanding that heads roll. Mr Haarde ? whose car was pelted with eggs this week, but who is respected internationally for his intelligence and financial experience ? has insisted the crisis is so severe that the country needs stable leadership to manage the downturn. The latest opinion polls reveal the Left-Green movement would emerge victorious if elections were held today with 28.5 per cent of the vote, compared with 24.3 per cent for the Independence party and 17 per cent for the Social Democrats. Officials are worried about the possibility of a massive swing to the Left-Green at a critical juncture in Iceland?s history, given its anti-business stance and radically pro-environment manifesto. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/01/2009122114617259734.html News Europe Iceland police and protesters clash Protesters in Reykjavik surrounded the prime minister's car and pelted it with eggs Anti-government protesters in Iceland have clashed with police during a demonstration outside parliament in Reykjavik, the country's capital. Police used tear gas when a protest became violent early on Thursday, a police spokesman said, adding that two officers had been sent to hospital after being hit by rocks. Regular protests have been held in the city after the country's financial system collapsed in October due to banks incurring billions of dollars worth of foreign debt. Protesters are calling for the resignation of Geir Haarde, the country's prime minister, who has insisted he will not step down. But a senior politician in the country's ruling party said she expects early elections this year. Protests About 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside Reykjavik's parliament building late on Wednesday, with some throwing rocks, paving stones, fireworks, shoes and toilet paper, Stefan Eiriksson, the city's police chief, said. He said police used pepper spray and then tear gas to try to disperse protesters. "We had to take action to split up the people and try to avoid further damage and injuries to the police,'' he said. "This was our last resort.'' Witnesses said some demonstrators tried to stop others from throwing rocks at police. On Wednesday, protesters pelted eggs at the car of the prime minister, surrounding the vehicle and banging it with cans. The limousine was able to drive away after riot police arrived. Elections The financial crisis has caused the country's currency to plummet, leading to demonstrations by people who are angry at the coalition government's handling of the situation. Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir, deputy leader of the centre-right Independence party, told parliament she expected elections this year. Iceland does not officially have to hold a national election until 2011. Haarde's office did not comment on Gunnarsdottir's remarks. The government could fall if the Social Democratic Alliance, partner to Haarde's Independence party, were to withdraw its support. At a meeting on Wednesday, the party's Reykjavik chapter called on it to sever its alliance with the ruling party and trigger elections by May. But Haarde, speaking as demonstrators chanted outside the parliament building, said he still had the support of his Social Democrat coalition partner. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/11/23/124380354ce4 Icelanders demand PM resignation as protests swell Updated at 7:06pm on 24 November 2008 Thousands of Icelanders demonstrated in Reykjavik on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank governor David Oddsson for failing to stop a financial meltdown in the country. It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since the financial meltdown that crippled the island's economy. Protest organiser Hordur Torfason said the rallies would continue until the government stepped down. "They don't have our trust and they are no longer legitimate," Torfason said as the crowds gathered in the drizzle before the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. Iceland's three biggest banks - Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir - collapsed under the weight of billions of dollars of debts accumulated in an aggressive overseas expansion, shattering the currency and forcing Iceland to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund. This week, the North Atlantic island nation of 320,000 secured a package of more than $US10 billion in loans from the IMF and several European countries to help it rebuild its shattered financial system. Despite the loans, Iceland faces a sharp economic contraction and surging unemployment while many Icelanders also risk losing their homes and life savings. Opposition parties tabled a no-confidence motion in the government on Friday over its handling of the crisis, but the motion carries little chance of toppling the ruling coalition which has a solid parliamentary majority. http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/RFEDGAT_20081122-151614/119365/ Group protests at Federal Reserve By STAFF REPORTS Published: November 22, 2008 Blaming the Federal Reserve System for the current economic crisis, a group of 21 protesters demonstrated outside the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond today. Drawing occasional honks from passing vehicles, the group was part of a nationwide protest in all 39 cities that have a branch of the Federal Reserve. The grass-roots organization that sponsored the protest, End the Fed, advocates the passage of legislation abolishing the Federal Reserve. A bill to that effect was proposed by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a former presidential candidate who advocates a limited role for government. Many of the local protesters are also supporters of Paul. -- Daniel Neman http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=12941 Angry Americans Protest U.S. Monetary Policy Published on 11-23-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: Russia Today While leaders in Peru grapple with the financial fallout, Americans angry at the multi-billion dollar bailout plans are protesting in Washington. They say the U.S. Federal Reserve, far from helping solve the financial crisis, is taking money out of their pockets. Today is National End The Fed day, and a number of U.S. citizens concerned with the country?s fiscal policy have gathered in 39 cities nationwide at each Federal Reserve building saying that they are sick and tired of being robbed. ?What bothers me about the Fed - they?re so secretive about how the monetary policy is done. They just keep on printing more and more money and everyone knows you can?t run a printing press and create wealth,? a protester in Washington said. Some Americans are calling for a sound monetary policy and an end to bailouts. They claim that the Federal Reserve system is at the very heart of the current economic crisis which these days might be beating out of control. Debbie Krueger is a former marine, and a mother of five. She helped to organise the protest. ?The Federal Reserve is monopolising our money system and I know people that are working at three jobs and still can?t make ends meet. It?s just sad and disgusting that we don?t have the same quality of life that we used to have. The way that they are using the money is a disgrace, all the foreign wars that they are fighting for no reason are based on lies, and the Federal Reserve is based on lies,? she said. Another marine, young Adam Kokesh who served in Iraq, has been a vocal critic of the war since leaving the U.S. Marines. ?I think that the Federal Reserve is the driving force for corporatism in America and the military industrial complex which of course is driving out imperialist foreign policy and often they have no regard for human morality, or life, or decency,? he said. http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=12930 Protest Group Calls For End Of Federal Reserve Published on 11-23-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: El Paso Times EL PASO -- About 24 people, several with "End the Fed" signs, protested Saturday in front of the Federal Reserve Bank in Downtown El Paso. The group, which included businessmen and college students, was part of a nationwide protest in 39 cities calling for support of House Resolution 2755, a bill proposed by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, to abolish the Federal Reserve System and its board of governors. "We want to bring to the public's attention what the Federal Reserve is and what it's doing to the country," said Bill Lenderman, a financial planner. "The serious economic problems we're experiencing were created by Congress and the Federal Reserve." A security official who identified himself as Officer Monarrez said no one would be available at the Federal Reserve at 301 Main until Monday to respond to protesters' allegations. Several El Paso business leaders are on the El Paso Federal Reserve board, but they are not permitted to comment on policies or procedures. El Pasoan Andy Rosales, a student at New Mexico State University, said he's concerned about America's economy. "We need to enlighten people about the imminent crisis if something is not done," he said. Critics contend the Federal Reserve seeks to devalue the dollar to the point that Americans will be willing to accept a new North American currency, such as the Amero, which will not be backed by anything. http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=12918 National Protest Against The Federal Reserve Published on 11-22-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: First Coast News JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A massive crowd is gathered outside the Jacksonville Landing, as part of a national rally to end the Federal Reserve. There is a Federal Reserve office near The Landing at 800 W. Water Street. JSO officers are filtered throughout the area, to make sure it remains a peaceful protest. The national protest was organized by bloggers. Their ultimate goal is to end the existence of The Federal Reserve System. They believe the Fed is to blame for the current economic crisis. Protestors say if the Federal Reserve continues at the current rate of spending and credit regulation, it will be the fall of America. Protestors blame the Federal Reserve for the Great Depression and say America will face even harder economic times if the fed remains in place. The protest is happening in 39 cities across America today. According to their website, endthefed.us, the "End the Fed" organization has some notable supporters, including former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=124539&provider=rss Protestors in Downtown Jacksonville Want to Shut Down Federal Reserve Posted By: Talia Naquin Created: 11/22/2008 1:19:52 PM Updated: 11/22/2008 7:48:23 PM JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A massive crowd gathered outside the Jacksonville Landing Saturday, as part of a national rally to end the Federal Reserve . There is a Federal Reserve office near The Landing at 800 W. Water Street. JSO officers are filtered throughout the area, to make sure it remains a peaceful protest. The national protest was organized by bloggers. Their ultimate goal is to end the existence of The Federal Reserve System. They believe the Fed is to blame for the current economic crisis. Protestors say if the Federal Reserve continues at the current rate of spending and credit regulation, it will be the fall of America. Protestors blame the Federal Reserve for the Great Depression and say America will face even harder economic times if the fed remains in place. The protest is happening in 39 cities across America today. According to their website, endthefed.us, the "End the Fed" organization has some notable supporters, including former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=75564§ionid=3510213 Swiss protest at UBS bailout and bonuses Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:47:43 GMT Protestors held up placards saying "UBS: The Union of Swiss Bandits," and "No looting of social funds by banks." Demonstrators have protested outside the headquarters of Swiss bank UBS against high executive salaries and a $60 billion state rescue plan. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Zurich on Saturday following an appeal for action by Swiss trade union, the USS. Organizers claim that up to 3,500 people attended the demonstration. Paul Rechsteiner, president of the USS, declared that the "neo-liberal rip-off system" had failed adding that it was morally bankrupt and a danger to democracy. "This gigantic sum was given to a single bank by emergency law," Rechsteiner said, referring to the $60 billion rescue plan for UBS unveiled by the Swiss government in return for a 9.3 percent stake in the banking giant. "The same people are telling us that we can't afford a few hundred million for pensions," he added. In a report to share-holders to be presented later this month, UBS announced that it is considering repaying bonuses to staff, in a move that further fuelled anger against the banking giant. A senior UBS executive has also been accused of conspiring to defraud the United States of tax revenues and hiding $20 billion dollars of assets from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). UBS has been hit particularly hard by the global economic crisis and clients withdrew over $70.1 billion from July to September. WR/CW/RA http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081115100016.prs00104p0&show_article=1 Anti-IMF protestors in Islamabad this week A Pakistani protester carries a placard at an anti-IMF and World Bank demonstration in Islamabad earlier this week. Cash-strapped Pakistan will receive a rescue package worth at least $7.6bln from the IMF, a senior government official has said. http://www.connietalk.com/bail_out_the_people_instead_101408.html Grassroots Organize Bank Protests Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 by Connie T. Stop Foreclosures and Evictions is organizing a nationally coordinated Call To Action from October 24 - 27 to send the message "Bail out the people, not the bankers!" During that weekend, grassroots protestors will be holding demonstrations in front of banks, particularly JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and local Federal Reserve Banks. The stock markets are crashing, the world economy is headed into a deep recession or even depression, and the U.S. government and its top bankers, along with their counterparts around the world, are giving what's going to amount to trillions of dollars to the bail out the richest 1 percent of the people while doing nothing to rescue ordinary working and poor people, the group's website states. The Nationally Coordinated Local Days of Action are being organized here, and include groups like coalitions to stop foreclosures and evictions, employee unions, groups for Katrina and Rita Survivors, and more. This is just one of the events on our calendar, so make sure you are a member of our forum for all the latest events! http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413380.html Victory for Brighton Starbucks protesters? SCIMC | 23.11.2008 07:38 | South Coast THE CONTROVERSIAL Starbucks cafe in Brighton, which has been the subject of a longstanding campaign, may now be forced to close. The report has come from the BBC and, although protesters are not counting their chickens yet, the signs are encouraging. The most recent big protest in St James St was on Saturday November 29. It marked the sixth month anniversary of the cafe opening without plannimg permission and against the wishes of lots of local residents and traders. The BBC news story says: "A coffee shop which opened in Brighton without planning permission has been ordered to stop operating as a cafe. Brighton and Hove City Council said it had served an enforcement notice on the Starbucks store in St James's Street, which takes effect from 9 January. Starbucks will be allowed to sell takeaway coffee and sandwiches, but they cannot be consumed inside. The shop opened in May even though it had not received planning permission to use the site as a cafe or restaurant. Starbucks will have to take out all the seats and tables from the shop. It has been given six weeks to comply, with full compliance with the enforcement notice required by 20 February unless an appeal is received on or before 9 January. The company said it was currently considering the options. "We believe that our coffee houses make positive contributions to their local areas and, in particular, Starbucks store on St James's Street has helped its community by creating around 14 new jobs and by providing a relaxing and safe environment for customers to enjoy great tasting coffee," a statement said. Every weekend since its opening a protest has been held outside the store by campaigners worried that if too many chain stores open in the area rents will increase, making it more difficult for independent retailers. More than 2,000 signatures on a petition were gathered and presented to the council this week. Councillor Lynda Hyde, chairman of the council's planning committee, said: "We are responding to local concerns and making it clear we will not tolerate planning regulations being flouted in this way. "Our planning team has been monitoring the operation and it is clear that sales of food and drink for consumption on the premises form a considerable part of the business, in breach of planning consent." (End of BBC story) There a whole range of reasons for not liking Starbucks, ranging from their nasty habit of forcing out locally based competitiors to the ethical deficit that allows them to run a branch in Guantanamo Bay! Said one of the campaigners: "The arrogant twats even refitted as a caf? before permission was even determined assuming (or knowing more like) their money, clout, and fancy solicitors could sort any annoying little details like, you know, planning laws and community feeling. "The latest crap to come ? other than their (unfairly traded) coffee - from these shameless profit-hungry lot is that they?re not in fact a caf? - they?re a SHOP. Riiiight! So the cuddly sofas are imaginary and mannequins sitting in there are sipping on skinny lattes and local traders' blood. "The council ARE for once doing something about it and are taking enforcement action but as we know nothing?s fast in local government and in the meantime this faceless company are taking trade away from the 17 other independently-run cafes in the area and local economy. "Well, this time they?ve met their match because this is Brighton, right, you with me? Alternative, independent, quirky, you know the place. Well, if you love it here then come along and show your support, persuade a few shoppers to see the light, and help protect our city because the chains are coming quick and fast and it?s time to say ENOUGH." SCIMC http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/15834/bank-and-real-estate-firm-stormed-in-bailout-protest BBVA sit-in ends peacefully By: thinkSPAIN , Thursday, November 20, 2008 Around 300 protesters who camped out inside BBVA headquarters in Granada city centre last night in protest at the government's bank bailout scheme for banks and real estate companies, have now left the building after local MP Antonio Cruz agreed to a meeting at 9am this morning. Among other demands, protest organisers are calling for two billion euros to be set aside out of next year's budget to guarantee "at least four months basic wages" for those most directly affected by the current economic crisis. Bank and real estate firm stormed in bailout protest By: thinkSPAIN Thursday, November 20, 2008 Around three hundred members of the Andaluc?a Workers Union (SAT), including United Left (IU) MP, Juan Manuel S?nchez Gordillo, occupied BBVA offices and the headquarters of the Osuna property firm in Granada city centre yesterday lunchtime in protest at the government's bank bailout scheme. Speaking inside the BBVA building, where some protesters camped out overnight, Mr S?nchez said that "now that the myth of the free market has fallen," the government should nationalise the banking sector, and demanded a "more social and sustainable" approach to urban development. Accusing the government of "robbing from the poor to give to the rich," Mr S?nchez said that it was a "political scandal" that it "has spent 150 billion euros rescuing the banks, another three billion on major construction and real estate firms, and that it is now time to save the poor and weak who are being made to suffer the consequences of the crisis." Among SAT's demands is that when "rural land is reclassified as buildable for this to be publicly owned and free from speculation, which would reduce the cost of building new homes by 62%." They also argue that the government should set aside around ?1.5 billion euros out of next year's budget to rescue bankrupt town councils, and vow to continue protesting until their demands are heard by "a valid regional or national governmnent representative." http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=9398374 Louisville rally protests government bailouts Nov 22, 2008 9:27 PM GST Saturday, November 22, 2008 4:27 PM EST Dec 03, 2008 8:38 PM GST Wednesday, December 3, 2008 3:38 PM EST LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Concerned citizens in Louisville took their frustration about the economy to the streets Saturday afternoon. At Fifth and Jefferson, more than 100 people showed up to protest government efforts to bailout private companies. The protest was part of a "Campaign for Liberty Effort." Those involved say they want to end the Federal Reserve because it has become corrupt. They want to see more fiscal responsibility in Washington. "We want politicians to know that when they go up to represent the people. They need to understand that they've taken a constitutional oath to obey and defend the constitution and voting for bailouts like this is against their oath and literally they are traitors to the country," said Charles Zoeller, a concerned citizen taking part in the protest. The Louisville protest was a regional segment of a national event. Rallies were also scheduled to take place in 58 other cities Saturday, including Lexington and Cincinnati. http://en.for-ua.com/news/2008/11/07/155042.html 7 November 2008 | 15:50 Left and right forces clashed in Lviv Representatives of different political forces clashed in Lviv Friday during the celebration of the October Revolution anniversary. According to UNIAN, representatives of several political forces, namely the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, gathered to celebrate the revolution anniversary near the Glory Monument in Stryiska Str. in Lviv. Political forces opposed to this action, namely the Ukrainian Party, the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, and Svoboda all-Ukrainian Union, gathered at the same place. Despite that there were nearly a thousand of policemen, rally participants tore off police cordons and came to blows. Svoboda representatives tore to pieces several posters of Communists and burnt down their flags in presence of police. According to Ihor Tsykalo, head of the city police directorate, police did not arrest any of action participants. ForUm From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 09:13:03 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:13:03 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Land grabs and land rights protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB10E8F.9050900@tesco.net> * SUDAN: Clashes at massive shanty-town near Khartoum as police demolish shacks * MEXICO: Other Campaign occupation under attack * SOUTH AFRICA: Hangberg - police attack sparks clashes * SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town - residents defend Rastafarian squat from police attack * SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu - Macambini community warns of massive disruption if land grab goes ahead * GREECE: Successful protest at auction saves pensioner's home * DENMARK: Attack on Christiania sparks protests * EGYPT: State kills two as women resist building demolition * INDONESIA: Residents block roads to prevent demolition * INDIA: Mumbai - stone-throwing and fires as residents resist eviction drive * INDIA: Karnataka - SEZ resisters forced into hiding, return to find village flattened * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest against squat crackdown * INDIA: Orissa - Vedanta faces protest over land grab * INDIA: Karnataka - Shopkeepers demand compensation over demolitions * INDIA: Kerala - Protest against demolition of bus stand * INDIA: Jharkhand - Protests against Arcelor-Mittal land grab * INDIA: Goa - land grab protested * INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - coastal corridor protest * MALAYSIA: Rent increase leads to protest * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest against land grab for bus stand * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Temple demolition protest * INDIA: Orissa/Delhi: POSCO protests reach capital * INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - Protest against river project * INDIA: Karnataka - Protest against corrupt building officials * PHILIPPINES: Farmers picket for land rights, occupy building * BANGLADESH: Injuries in land dispute * NEPAL: Landless march, dharna * US: Protests against foreclosures at Fannie Mae office * ARGENTINA: Vendors clash with state goons * THAILAND: Vendors protest for new market contracts * UK: Birmingham - Council onslaught against occupation for social housing * CANADA: Homelessness protest * NEW ZEALAND: Lone truck protest over eviction * CANADA: Native protest for homes * UK: Suicide in eviction protest * MALAYSIA: Plan for naked protest over rent hikes * UK: Bristol - Rooftop protest against squat eviciton * US: Rockies - Protest over zoning change http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2008/11/sudanese-police-demolish-mandela-slum.html Thursday, November 27, 2008 Sudanese police demolish Mandela slum, home to around 50,000 people, south of Khartoum Sudanese Police Demolish 10,000 Shanty Homes November 27, 2008 (AFP) report from Khartoum, Sudan - via Dow Jones: Sudanese police have demolished about 10,000 homes in a shanty town south of Khartoum, using tear gas to disperse protesting residents, a security source and witnesses told AFP Thursday. Police demolished the buildings, home to around 50,000 people, in the Mandela slum which is inhabited mostly by migrants from war-ravaged Darfur and south Sudan, late Wednesday, the official said. "The demolitions were done for the purposes of urban planning," he said. Police have cordoned off the remains of the shanty town, 10 kilometers south of Khartoum, and were turning journalists away from the area. "The police came yesterday with orders for us to evacuate the homes," said Dominique Matthew, a resident, adding that police used tear gas to enforce the evacuations. The residents remained in the shanty town amid the rubble of their former homes, he said. http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/kristin-bricker/2008/11/mob-evicts-other-campaign-adherents-san-cristobal-chiapas Mob Evicts Other Campaign Adherents in San Cristobal, Chiapas Posted by Kristin Bricker - November 10, 2008 at 8:26 pm On the morning of November 9, a group led by a man who is alleged to have been involved in the 1997 Acteal massacre chased a family of adherents to the Zapatista's Other Campaign off of the land where they've lived since 1973. The confrontation started when the group began work to construct a road through land occupied by adherents to the Zapatista?s Other Campaign in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. The adherents consider the construction of the road to be a pretext to evict them because the construction crew was accompanied by surveyors who came to measure the property?s boundaries, ostensibly in order to sell the land. The land the adherents occupy is legally federal property and a protected zone because the Utrilla mansion, officially a historical monument, is located there. However, the property is registered with the Zapatistas? Good Government Council in Oventik. A bulldozer arrived at the Utrilla mansion at 7am yesterday morning accompanied by a group of about forty people, some of whom have violent pasts. According to Salvador Santiz Perez, an adherent to the Other Campaign who has lived with his 26-member family in the Utrilla mansion since 1973, the invading group felled eight trees without permission on federally protected land in order to construct a small road that would connect two roads that lead from the highway into the Cuxtitali neighborhood. Santiz Perez says that this is the latest in a series of confrontations provoked by this group, which doesn?t currently belong to any organization. He pointed out one man in particular who was photographing Other Campaign adherents who came to support his family. Santiz Perez says the man taking pictures kidnapped and beat him up in 2002. The man has never been prosecuted for the crime. Domingo Lopez Angel, a local leader who supports the Santiz Perez family, alerted the police that a group of people began construction in the federally protected zone. Two municipal police arrived accompanied by Jose Alberto Corso, the Ecology Director from the Attorney General?s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa in its Spanish initials). Upon inspecting the damage, Corso declared, ?They knocked down the fence; they knocked down trees. This is a provocation. This is a monitored zone, and there haven been any permits issued in this zone for this sort of work.? Marcos Santiz Shilon, Santiz Perez?s father and the leader of the group attempting to construct the road, admitted that he did not have permission to carry out the work. Santiz Shilon argued that he plans to purchase the land. Santiz Shilon contracted a surveyor that was observed yesterday morning measuring the property?s boundaries. Santiz Perez says that this is not the first time Santiz Shilon has hired surveyors to measure the property. He claims Santiz Shilon wants to sell the land even though it isn?t his to sell. He says Santiz Shilon has already sold lots to various people for MX$40,000-$60,000 each, cheating them out of their money because he doesn?t hold the deed to the land. Some of the buyers have been able to construct houses on the property even though they don?t hold legal deeds to the land, but others have had to abandon their ?property? because the purchase was not legal. Statements from both Santiz Perez and San Cristobal?s northern zone?s official representative to the municipal government, Pedro Ramirez Lopez, indicate that Santiz Shilon is attempting to legalize his business of selling lots on the Utrilla property. Both men claim that Santiz Shilon has hired private surveyors to measure the land so that he can come to an agreement with the government to ?regularize? (a Mexican term that refers to the legalization of squatted land) the land surrounding the Utrilla mansion, leaving the mansion to the government but developing (and selling, as Santiz Perez claims) the land in the immediate vicinity of the mansion. A Tense Confrontation While the Profepa agent was still assessing the situation, Santiz Shilon?s group swarmed the area, led by two local political bosses: northern zone representative Ramirez Lopez and Criselio Gomez Lopez, secretary of San Cristobal?s northern zone. Gomez Lopez declared that Santiz Perez?s family could be jailed without bail for occupying a house owned by the federal government. However, the political bosses are not officially government agents, and therefore have no direct power over arrests and bail. However, as the zone?s representative and secretary, they do have weekly meetings with government officials from all of the political parties. These meetings are called cabildos, and there the representatives negotiate benefits for themselves and the zones they represent in exchange for votes. They therefore do carry significant weight within the local government. After the zone representative and secretary spoke, an unidentified member of Santiz Perez?s mob addressed the crowd. He stated, ?Maybe, if the person living in that [Utrilla] house behaves himself, he?ll have an opportunity. If he behaves badly, like he did in 2000?.? The man didn?t finish the sentence. But he continued, this time addressing Santiz Perez, ?Cooperate and you?ll get a little lot where you can live with your children.? Santiz Shilon and his supporters began to argue with Agent Corso from the Profepa. Then the entire crowd of at least forty people chased the Other Campaign adherents away from the police. The adherents decided to leave the property, but found that their cars (along with the police cars) had been blocked in by a truck belonging one of Santiz Shilon?s goons. The owner of the truck moved his vehicle, but by the time he did so the mob had descended upon the Other Campaign adherents and their cars. Most managed to get their vehicles off the property, but the mob focused its anger on Domingo Lopez Angel because he was supporting the Santiz Perez family instead of Santiz Shilon?s group. Blocked in by the entire mob?led by Santiz Shilon?Lopez Angel was forced out of his car to negotiate. After an intense argument in the Mayan language Tsotsil, the mob let Lopez Angel leave. Santiz Perez says he will return to the Utrilla mansion and will defend it with his life, if that becomes necessary. ?They can kill my body, but they can?t kill my soul,? he declared. Santiz Perez claims his father wants to kill him and his family. For now, the Santiz Perez family has sought refuge in CIDESI, the local indigenous university that is also part of the Other Campaign. The Other Campaign in San Cristobal remains on alert pending notice from the Zapatista?s Good Government Council in Oventik. A Complicated History The Utrilla property and the groups who are fighting over it have a long and complicated past. Marcos Santiz Shilon and his family?including his son Salvador Santiz Perez?arrived on the Utrilla property in 1973. Local political bosses had expelled the family from their Chamula community for being evangelical Christians. Ermilio Dominguez, who owned the Utrilla property at the time, offered the family refuge in the Utrilla mansion in exchange for looking after the property. At some point prior to 1994, the Dominguez family sold part of their land to the federal government, including the part where the Utrilla mansion sits. The federal government?s Tourism Development Fund (Fonatur in its Spanish initials) is responsible for the land and had long-term plans to develop the historical monument into a tourist zone, but in 1993 it informed the Santiz family that the property was ?theirs? and that they could continue living and working there. This was a verbal agreement. In 1994 when the Zapatistas staged their infamous uprising, other families came to the Utrilla property and staked their claims on the federal land, away from the Utrilla mansion. Given that an indigenous organization had declared war on the government, Fonatur decided that it was best to avoid conflict, and it allowed the family to continue to live in the mansion, which does not have any basic utilities such as electricity or running water. Santiz Perez is very clear that this verbal agreement with Fonatur never meant that the Santiz family owned the property. It meant that the family lived and worked there to protect and preserve the historical site, and it shared these goals with Fonatur. Following the 1994 uprising, Santiz Perez?s father, Marcos Santiz Shilon, was decidedly anti-Zapatista. However, Santiz Perez says that Santiz Shilon took advantage of the uprising and named himself representative of the people living on the Utrilla property so that he could negotiate with the government. Santiz Shilon even made an official stamp for himself that contains the image of an armed Emiliano Zapata. While acting as self-appointed representative of the recuperated lands, Santiz Shilon joined the Frente Cardenista political party. The other families who had taken advantage of the uprising to stake their claims on the federal land also jointed the Frente, and they flew the political party?s flag on the land. They used the Zapatista uprising as leverage to negotiate perks from the government, which was more than happy to dole out gifts in order to quell revolutionary sentiment amongst the poor and indigenous populations. Santiz Perez says they received a MX$70,000 fish farm project. He says that in addition to courses in managing a fish farm, the project also gave cash to the Frente members in order to start up their fish business. Santiz Perez claims that his father used part of this money to purchase a car. Santiz Perez claims that he and others observed his father organizing meetings in preparation for the infamous Acteal massacre that left 45 unarmed people dead. Santiz Perez also says that on December 21, 1997, the night before the massacre, men in trucks arrived in the neighborhood looking for Santiz Shilon. According to Other Campaign adherents close to Santiz Perez, the men in trucks left for Chenalo (the county where Acteal is located) with Santiz Shilon and others from the Frente Cardenista. They were gone all day on December 22, 1997. When Santiz Shilon and the other local Frente Cardenista members returned, Santiz Perez and others confronted his father and asked him where he was during the massacre. Santiz Perez reports that his father replied, ?We went over there because there was a problem.? Santiz Perez made an official statement against his father through the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center and Enlace Civil, arguing that if Santiz Shilon didn?t directly murder anybody during the massacre, he certainly helped those who committed the crime. As often happens in war?and especially in the low intensity war in Chiapas?this drew the battle lines between father and son. Santiz Perez says that his father?s constant threats against his family worsened in 2000 when Santiz Perez kicked Santiz Shilon out of the mansion for swindling people out of their money by selling them the Utrilla land without a deed. The situation became violent in 2002, when Santiz Shilon and his followers began to attack the family living in the mansion. In that year Santiz Shilon sent word through his brother that he had a militia of eighty armed men. That was also the year that one of Santiz Shilon?s goons kidnapped and beat up Santiz Perez. Santiz Perez argues that his father?s attacks are based in his hatred for the Zapatista National Liberation Army, and not in a family conflict. Indeed, when attempting to convince the municipal police, Profepa, and the northern zone?s representative and secretary that he deserved the land, not his son?s family, Santiz Shilon argued that he was a law-abiding citizen, while his son is ?a Zapatista.? Santiz Perez says that the Utrilla mansion is registered with the Zapatista Good Government Council in Oventic, and is under their control as part of the land recuperated by the movement. He?s also publicly declared his intentions to turn the Utrilla property into a cultural, artistic, and political space for Zapatistas and the Other Campaign in San Cristobal de las Casas, known as La Otra Jovel. One of the family?s first actions in this regard was to use the space construct a massive paper mache Emiliano Zapata for a Zapatista event in the Oventik aguascalientes. Possible Federal Intervention The situation remains tense. Santiz Perez and his family have been displaced since yesterday afternoon when the mob ran them off their land. Neither Santiz Perez nor members of La Otra Jovel have been able to return to the Utrilla property to assess the situation there because of fears of violence. Members of the mob were observed photographing adherents? license plates on the Utrilla property yesterday. This morning an Other Campaign adherent observed Santiz Shilon entering the San Cristobal de las Casas municipal palace with Representative Ramirez Lopez and Secretary Gomez Lopez. The same adherent noted that the weekly cabildo meetings happen every Monday morning in the municipal palace. Subsequently, adherents to the Other Campaign in San Cristobal, including Santiz Perez, have stated their ?certainty that there [in the cabildo meeting] they will request the municipal government?s support and intervention in negotiating and speeding up the eviction process? at the state and federal level, ?given that they [Santiz Shilon and his group] argue that the building is federal property.? The adherents are concerned that Santiz Shilon will request federal intervention in the conflict. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Environment&set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20081125114549320C557822 Tensions simmer in Hangberg after riot November 25 2008 at 02:55PM By Natasha Prince Officials are set to meet with residents of Hangberg near Hout Bay to clarify the housing dilemma that plunged the community into violent clashes with police. The violence on Monday was sparked after Metro Police, SAPS and Law Enforcement dismantled two makeshift structures. Several people were injured as police fired rubber bullets and residents allegedly fired back using live ammunition and stones. Police arrested two men, one for public violence and another for attempted murder, after a Metro Police officer was shot in the hand. A community meeting with housing officials has been scheduled for tomorrow night to clear up any confusion about the housing issue. Densil Faure of the informal settlements department, said the two newly erected illegal structures would have disrupted plans for a housing upgrade project underway in the area. On Monday after the running pitched battle between police and residents, some argued about the housing situation and several unsubstantiated allegations were made against some community members, councillors and leaders. Questions had arisen about a housing list for the new development while a list of people whose homes were allegedly targeted to be removed had surfaced. Residents shouted and argued among themselves while black smoke clouded Karbonkel street. Faure said Hangberg had been identified for a housing upgrade project instituted two years ago. He said the area was chosen for its relatively low density, open spaces and footpaths that would allow the city to construct the necessary infrastructure to accommodate formalised water and sanitation structures. Faure said a community list had been drawn up to control the number of residents setting up structures. Tourism facilities and backpackers were among some of the other planned initiatives in the area. "Tuesday morning's incident was part of our zero tolerance policy on the newly erected makeshift structures," he said. Tensions ran high on Monday as residents blockaded the street near the entrance to the settlement, refusing vehicle access to Hangberg. Residents burnt tyres and dirt in the streets. However they later grabbed spades and cleaned up the debris. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_General&set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=nw20081103110211687C868199 Cape police disperse Rastafarian protesters November 03 2008 at 11:09AM Cape Town police dispersed a group of about 150 Rastafarian protesters with rubber bullets on Monday morning, a spokesperson said. "There's a community of Rastafarians here who built a structure for a church on the city's land without council permission. The council instructed the city's police to demolish the structure," said Inspector Nkosikho Mzuku. He said the structure was demolished near Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula on Monday morning, sparking a protest by members of the Rastafarian community on Slangkop Road. "They were burning tyres, throwing big stones and blocking the traffic. City police intervened and dispersed the crowd with rubber bullets," said Mzuku. Five people were arrested and would appear in court soon. The situation was calm by 10am but a strong police presence would be maintained throughout the day, said Mzuku. - Sapa http://www.arabianbusiness.com/539787-new-protest-over-ruwaads-4bn-south-african-plan New protest over Ruwaad's $4bn South African plan by Andy Sambidge on Friday, 28 November 2008 MEGA PROJECT: Dubai-based Ruwaad is planning the largest development of its kind in the African continent. (ITP Images) Dubai-based developer Ruwaad has been warned to prepare for major disruption to construction work if it goes ahead with its propsed $4 billion Amazulu World project in South Africa. The Macambini community in KwaZulu-Natal, says it will disrupt all economic activities on the North Coast near Durban if loal people are forced from their homes to make way for the ambitious leisure, retail and residential development. Hundreds of Macambini residents on Thursday marched to voice their anger at the proposed project, which community leaders claim would result in about 8,500 families being uprooted from their ancestral land, reported South Africa's Independent Online newspaper. Leaders, who are backing a rival development scheme from another Dubai-based company, said they had given Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sibusiso Ndebele, a seven-day ultimatum to respond to their demands for the Ruwaad plan to be withdrawn. The provincial government signed an agreement with Ruwaad Holdings earlier this year to give impetus to the project, which would include Africa's first internationally branded entertainment theme park, a shopping centre, a sports village and a dedicated education and health village. This would be alongside hotels, resorts, spas, a marina, residential offerings, community facilities and nature reserves. Arabian Business contacted a spokesperson for Ruwaad but they were unable to provide a comment on the latest developments. Last month, Ruwaad CEO Hayan Merchant told Arabian Business he was confident that the development - planned to be built in phases over 25 years - would "progress as planned". He added: "We remain committed to developing this project which we believe will have huge benefits for the local community, the Kwazulu-Natal province and South Africa." Initial studies indicate that Amazulu World will create more than 200,000 new jobs, and will increase tourism to the region by almost 40 percent through attracting millions of tourists. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_30/10/2008_101701 Auction protest helps pensioner keep home A pensioner who could not keep up his mortgage payments was poised to have his 52-square meter apartment repossessed at the start of the day, but ended yesterday in much better shape after his bank decided to waive all outstanding payments. Nikos Theocharidis was due to see his apartment in Patissia auctioned off yesterday after his overdue debt to Marfin Bank had risen to 1,850 euros. But the auction did not take place due to a protest by several groups, including leftist organizations and the Union for Borrowers Protection. This prompted Marfin to give Theocharidis a reprieve. Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) MP Panayiotis Lafazanis hailed the cancellation of the auction as a ?huge success.? A law due to be passed today seeks to prevent banks from auctioning off properties if the owner owes less than 20,000 euros. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7699042.stm Thursday, 30 October 2008 Anti-eviction protests flare in Denmark At least 15 people have been arrested and two police officers injured in clashes in Copenhagen in Denmark. Riot police moved in during demonstrations against the eviction of squatters in the city. Vanessa Heaney reports. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Africa&set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20081110165504845C895880 Woman protester in Egypt killed by bulldozer November 10 2008 at 08:04PM Cairo - A woman was killed and another injured in the southern city of Qena after they stood in the way of a bulldozer that was demolishing a home built without a permit, a security official said on Monday. The two women, whose family had moved onto the land and built a home there, were protesting against the demolition, which followed a court order. Housing regulations are regularly flouted in Egypt, where portions of neighbourhoods were constructed without permits and people often illegally add storeys to their homes, sometimes causing building collapses. - Sapa-AFP Residents blockade roads to prevent planned demolition Jakarta -- Scores of resident from Directorate General for Taxation housing complex in West Jakarta blockaded access roads to the complex on November 11 after hearing that a planned demolition of 150 homes that they have occupied for 30 would soon go ahead. In addition to the blockades made from bamboo and chairs, residents also erected banners at the entrance to the road reading ???Don???t be arrogant, respect the law??? and ???Don???t use taxes collected from the people to demolish state-owned housing???. ???[This] case must be resolved legally first, only then executed. Don???t just evict [us]???, said one of the residents. ???If we are forced to leave the complex we must be provided with adequate compensation to buy new houses or financial compensation???, said another resident. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=e26f58b4-4991-4aef-8df6-0504a21e8b2d&Headline=Protestors+resort+to+arson+in+suburban+Bandra Protestors resort to arson in suburban Bandra Press Trust Of India Mumbai, November 26, 2008 First Published: 15:12 IST(26/11/2008) Last Updated: 15:13 IST(26/11/2008) Protestors resorted to stone throwing and arson at a north west suburb when civic authorities attempted to carry out a demolition drive there, police said on Wednesday. Authorities had gone to clear encroachments on a plot which reportedly belongs to the Mumbai University in suburban Bandra when protestors opposing the drive began throwing stones at civic authorities and police officials accompanying them, they said. Some protestors also allegedly set some huts on fire following which police resorted to cane charging protestors and bursting tear gas shells to disperse the crowds, police said. The situation has been brought under control and the demolition of the encroachments is expected to continue, they said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110759750300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Activists return to Kudubi-Padavu, stage protest against MSEZ Staff Correspondent The disputed 15.34-acre plot has been flattened by the company ________________________________________ Some Kudubi tribal people say they have not received compensation Decision taken to intensify the agitation in the coming days ________________________________________ VOICING THEIR OPPOSITION: Activists taking an oath that they will not allow their land to be acquired by Mangalore Special Economic Zone at Kudubi0-Padavu on Thursday. MANGALORE: The activists of the anti-Mangalore Special Economic Zone, who had gone into hiding following alleged threats to their lives, returned to Kudubi-Padavu village for an agitation on Thursday only to find that the place had completely changed. The Kudubi-Padavu village, which was popularly known as emerald green farmland until a few days ago, now resembles a barren playground. The Mangalore Special Economic Zone Ltd (MSEZ), which is seeking 15.34 acres of land here for the construction of some temples, has flattened the land, allegedly without the permission of its owners. The activists, who, led by the Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti, held a meeting here on Thursday, vowed to retrieve the land that had been allegedly taken over by force. The members of the Jamat-e-Islami Hind, seers of the Kollya and Khemaru maths and the Nagarika Seva Trust-Guruvankere, a non-governmental organisation, also participated in the meeting. But, some of the Kudubi tribal people told The Hindu on Thursday that the resurgence of theses activists might have come a tad too late. ?When the company?s contractors were running bulldozers on our lands there was nobody to support us. Our fertile farmland land is now under tons of infertile soil; everything is ruined,? said a Kudubi tribal woman. Vidya Dinaker of the Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti (KBSS) told The Hindu that she had received threats from contractors and proponents of the MSEZ. While she abstained from attending the Thursday?s meeting out of fear, Natesh Ullal, a KBSS activist who attended the meeting, said that several Christian members of the samiti were living in fear of the police. One of the Christian members of the samiti said: ?The police lathi-charged some Christians in this region, when they were on a peaceful protest against the attacks on churches. Now, there was a feeling of mistrust towards the police. That is why we were reluctant to openly support the Kudubis? cause.? Honnappa Gowda of the Kudubi community said: ?I have never taken any money from anybody in exchange for my land. Still the company contractors are forcibly entering my land.? He claimed that the company officials refused to furnish any proof for the company having taken over his land. ?They are maintaining that they have bought my land. But, they are not revealing who did they pay the compensation to,? he said. Theresa Bai, a land-loser, said: ?All the documents pertaining to to my land are with me. Yet, the company officials entered my land in my absence and filled it with soil.? Those who spoke at the meeting told the residents here that they would support them in their struggle, henceforth. The over-500 activists decided to intensify their agitation in the coming days. http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/current-affairs/farmers-protest-against-mangalore-sez-allege-harrassment/17/38/358616 Farmers protest against Mangalore SEZ, allege harrassment Published on Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 14:47 , Updated at Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 17:47 Source : CNBC-TV18 Email Print Watch Video The 2009 Great Depression : Millions Will Suffer Don't Be One of Them Earn ?10- ?20k Every Month www.timlowesystem.com/Home_Help Ads by Google The special economic zone (SEZ) battle has now reached South India. The Mangalore SEZ is threatening the livelihood of around 20,000 people. It's also threatening their way of life and that can hardly be compensated. The farmers are now fighting back. Here is a transcript of Abhirr VP?s comments on CNBC-TV18. Also see the accompanying video. Every morning, for the past 50 years, Mallapa Gowda, a proud owner of 37 cents of land, worked at this field. It is this land that has helped him support his family of nine. Mallapa dreams that his grandchildren would be doctors, and believes that it is this land that will help him achieve his dreams. However, now Mallapa's rice fields must make way for the Mangalore SEZ, that is, if the government of Karnataka has its way. Mallapa Gowda said, ?They have been harassing us, forcing our women to sign the land deal. This is my land and I will not leave it. I have left it to god now." He added, ?What can we do? We know no other profession other than agriculture. I can't understand the language that these officials speak then how can I believe them?? Around 20,000 people have to move out before the Mangalore special zone comes up. The petrochemical zone that is to be built over a staggering 3756 acres of land promises to create 5000 jobs. Although, half the land has already been acquired, farmers are now refusing to buy the relief package. The Mangalore SEZ may promise prosperity to this coastal town, but for farmers here this is their livelihood and the only way of life they know. The tug-of-war between the agitating farmers and the Mangalore SEZ has stalled the acquisition process. Since June 2007, this coastal town has seen countless demonstration by protesting farmers. For a state government that flaunts its pro-farmer image this is bad news. However, with 24 notified SEZ and Rs 6000 crore in the pipeline, the government is desperate for a middle path. Murugesh Rudrappa Nirani, Small and Heavy Industry Minister, said, ?Without industry our country will never develop, and we are expecting to set up more industries for that. Some will lose and some will gain. We will give better compensation.? http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110550820300.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam Councillors stage demonstration Special Correspondent Udhagamandalam:Members of the Udhagamandalam Municipal Council took to the streets on Tuesday in protest against the ongoing operation to demolish unauthorised constructions here. Cutting across party affiliations many of the blindfolded councillors sat on the road leading to the municipal office and staged a demonstration. It continued even after dusk with the councillors putting up a shamina and starting a bon fire to keep the winter chillness at bay. In a memorandum submitted to the Nilgiris Collector Anandrao V. Patil, they said that the operation demolition had severely affected many poor and middle class families. They wanted the government to evolve a scheme by which the violations can be regularised by the district and civic administrations. A. Imtiaz (AIADMK) pointed out that if the officials concerned had done their jobs properly over the years, the building rules violations would not have taken place and the poor and middle class people would not be suffering now. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/06/stories/2008110650820500.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam Councillors intensify protest against demolition of unauthorised structures Special Correspondent They want demolitions halted and scheme formulated to regularise violations Photo: D. Radhakrishnan For a solution: B.Gopalan, MLA, emphasising a point while interacting with councillors in front of the municipal office in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. ? Udhagamandalam: With councillors intensifying their protest against the ongoing demolition of unauthorised structures in this hill station, the municipal office here witnessed a great deal of action on Wednesday. The protest started on Tuesday afternoon with many of the councillors staging a dharna near the main gate of the municipal office. Their main demand was that a scheme should be evolved to regularise the violations and until then the operation to demolish the unauthorised structures should be put on hold. With the siege of the municipality continuing on Wednesday vehicles could neither go in nor come out. As a result civic works like removal of garbage and supply of water through tankers were hit. When the local MLA B.Gopalan arrived at the municipality, the agitating councillors pointed out that the operation demolition had affected a large number of poor and middle class persons. Blaming the officials for deviations, they sought the intervention of the district administration. Some of those present pointed out that officials were only complying with the orders of the High Court. Mr. Gopalan said that concerted efforts should be made to find a lasting solution to the problem. Meanwhile members of the Joint Action Committee of political parties arrived and informed the councillors that the Khadi Board Minister K.Ramachandran had sought an appointment with Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi to apprise him of the situation prevailing here. They added that the officials here had also been asked to temporarily stop the operation. A short while later the seige was lifted. However AIADMK members continued their agitation for some time. The Convenor of the Joint Action Committee J.B.Subramaniam told The Hindu that its stand was that help should be extended to the poor people who have been affected by the building rules. At the same time large scale violations should be dealt with as per the law and on no account should the environment of this place be affected. The State Deputy General Secretary, PMK Padmanabhan in a memorandum sent to the Chief Minister on Wednesday said that the district administration should convene an all party meeting without delay to discuss various problems confronting the people of the Nilgiris. The Makkal Sattaiyam regretted that the officials were taking action only against small houses instead of targeting unauthorised multi-storied buildings. The officials who were responsible for the sorry state of affairs should be exposed. http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20081114/158083.htm Friday, November 14, 2008 British company faces protest in Orissa's Kalahandi From correspondents in Orissa, India, 05:01 PM IST Hundreds of people, mostly tribals, Friday staged a protest and blocked roads in Orissa's Kalahandi district against British company Vedanta Resources for allegedly not taking care of local interest after setting up a refinery in the area, the police said. The people of about five villages marched carrying traditional arms and weapons and blocked the roads at Lanjigarh, some 600 km from here, where the company has already built a $800-million alumina refinery. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded when the protestors raised slogans and blocked roads, a district police official told IANS. The protesters alleged that the company had cheated them by not spending adequate money on development even after they had given up their land. "The company had promised to provide jobs to all people who had studied up to class five, but it did not keep its promise," an anti Vedanta leader Sidhartha Nayak told IANS. "The company should go back from the area. It has no right to stay if it cannot take care of local interest,' Nayak said. A company official, however, said that their projects would significantly enhance employment and economic growth in the state. He described the protest as unjustified. The company is also facing protests in the region for its mining project which got the Supreme Court nod in August this year. The court allowed the company to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills to feed its alumina refinery in Lanjigarh and an aluminium smelter project the company is building, costing Rs.70 billion in Jharsuguda district. The tribals of Kalahandi, as well as from Gajapati and Rayagada districts, have been protesting after Vedanta signed the mining agreement with the state government four years ago. The tribals claim that mining would pollute their rivers, destroy the jungles and displace them. "We never went to the Supreme Court. We don't care about what the court says," a tribal leader said. "We will not allow any body to mine in our sacred hills." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110757580300.htm Karnataka - Shimoga Shopkeepers stage protest in Shimoga Special Correspondent ________________________________________ Each of the shopkeepers wants at least Rs. 2 lakh compensation ________________________________________ SHIMOGA: Building owners and shopkeepers on Bangalore-Honnavar Road here staged a demonstration on Thursday in protest against the alleged ?dictatorial? action by the Government and the district administration in demolishing shops and other buildings to widen the road. They took out a procession from the Science Field and later staged a dharna on the premises of the Deputy Commissioner?s office and submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding adequate compensation for the loss they had incurred following the demolition of their buildings. Their demands include the payment of at least Rs. 2 lakh each for their sustenance and compensation for the land acquired for the widening of the road. They demanded that the Government should bear the expenditure of reconstruction of the shops. They should be allowed to construct the buildings after leaving a width of 13 metres on either sides of the road, they said. The demonstrators suggested that the Government should hold a public meeting to consider alternative arrangements for the demolition of their buildings before taking up widening of roads hereafter. They also demanded that the demolition of shops should be taken up only after paying compensation to shop owners. The demonstrators condemned the Government and the district administration for not paying compensation to building owners even one month after demolition of buildings and other commercial structures. Members of the District Congress Committee, Janata Dal(S), NSUI, CPI, Shimoga District Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in the demonstration to express solidarity with the building owners and shopkeepers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112953010300.htm Kerala - Kollam UDF protests against demolition of bus stand Staff Reporter Demands construction of temporary sheds SEEKING CORRECTIVE STEPS: DCC president Kadavoor Sivadasan inaugurating a dharna by Opposition councillors against the demolition of the Chinnakada bus stand by the Kollam Corporation, on Friday. KOLLAM: Protesting against the alleged haste in which the Kollam Corporation authorities demolished the Chinnakada bus stand, Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) councillors organized a dharna at the bus stand on Friday. The bus stand was demolished for facilitating the construction of an underpass through the Chinnakada over bridge. The UDF councillors alleged that the bus stand was demolished even before the formalities to construct the underpass were completed. They pointed out that the demolition and shifting of the bus stand had caused much hardship to the travelling public. They demanded construction of temporary sheds at the site and permit entry of buses into the stand till the time the formalities are completed. Leader of Opposition in the council George D. Kattil said that uncertainty looms large over when the formalities to construct the underpass would be completed. Inaugurating the dharna, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Kadavoor Sivadasan blamed Mayor N. Padmalochanan for the hasty demolition of the bus stand. He alleged that the mayor was ruling like an autocrat. Mr. Sivadasan wanted the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) to corrective steps against the mayor?s autocratic rule. He said that most of the decisions taken by the mayor are putting the people of the city into a lot of difficulties. The mayor was in fact challenging the people. The stand was demolished not only before finalizing the contract for it but even before the railways could give the green signal for constructing the underpass. Mr. Sivadasan said that when it comes to demolitions, the mayor was trying to make up at Kollam for the failure of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan at Munnar. The dharna was presided over by Mr. Kattil. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-39269.html JDP to intesify protest against Arcelor-Mittal Jamshedpur, Nov 1 : The Jharkhand Dishom Party today said it would intensify its protests on the issue of displacement of local people against various industrial groups, including the world's largest steel producer Arcelor-Mittal, who had inked MoUs with the Jharkhand government and other eastern states for setting up their projects. In a statement issued here, party president Salkhan Murmu informed of opposing the displacement of locals, especially tribals, due to establishment of various industries, adding that his party would intensify its agitation. ''We have orgainsed two meetings against the Arcelor Mittal's proposed plant in Khunti near Ranchi and will intesify our agitation against the company in near future. On this issue we are completely against Congress MP Sushila Kerketa,'' the statement said. ''We are also organising meetings on Novemeber 7 in Potka area of East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand against Bhusan power and steel, on November 9 against Jupiter Cement in Hadisai village of Saraikela-Kharsawa district. On the same issue a meeting of the Visthapan Virodhi Morcha (Anti-displacement front) of the party will be organised in Putra village of Sundergarh district in neighbouring Orissa,'' he added. Arcelor-Mittal Group had signed a MoU with Jharkhand government for setting up of its greenfield steel plant of 12 million tonnes per annum capacity with an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore in the state. It has reportedly shown interest in Khunti and Gumla areas of the state for the project. --- UNI http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080072781 Goans take to local protests to fight ills Ketki Angre Sunday, November 16, 2008, (Panjim) Goa means different things to different people. It is the perfect holiday spot for the reclusive or adventurous, a bohemian rhapsody for the hippie and is viewed as prime land for the mining lobby. But over the years, local protests have gathered momentum there as residents try to save their state. Those are angry voices that one wouldn't associate with Goa's 'sussegad' or laid-back image. A case in point is Cheryl Marina De Souza. Cheryl and her family were barred entry to the mine near her property and she paid for it by being thrown in jail for 24 hours. After further threats from the mining lobby, Cheryl hired a private bodyguard for her daughter Aki's protection. (Watch) "Aki's father is cremated there, there's no compromise on a home," said Cheryl Marina De Souza, resident, Quepem. From retired medical officers to the average farmer or housewife, ordinary Goans are coming together to fight the rape of Goa. They are fighting against illegal mining, land grab, political sleaze, even if it means taking risks. It was in fact a people's protest that actually forced the Goa government to scrap the controversial regional development plan, that would have plundered the natural beauty and wealth of Goa. The people's movement has also spilled into other campaigns. Recently, Goans got the government to scrap the SEZ policies, including three of the seven which were already notified by the Centre. "Fundamentally what they are doing is trying to expose the corruption and the very fact that they are sought to be silenced or sought to be assaulted. What it effectively means is that the pressure is working on these guys," said Dr Oscar Rebello, Goa Bachao Abhiyan. Last but not the least, Goa is the only state in India that has a special law for children called the Goa Children's Act. It's a remarkable step that was made possible only after a decade-long determined fight by activists against child abuse. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111454980500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam Protest against Coastal Corridor as scheduled, says CPI leader Staff Reporter VISAKHAPATNAM: The protest planned by the Opposition here on November 15 against the coastal corridor and the Vodarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and Industries Corridor (VANPIC) will take place as scheduled, according to CPI national council member and district secretary J.V. Satyanaranayana Murthy. His assertion came in the wake of reports that the TDP would stay away from the protest. Mr. Murthy said till now no official communication was received from the TDP on not participating in the public meeting planned for the day. The TDP had participated in the all-party protests against the Polepalli special economic zone (SEZ) and at Chirala against the VANPIC. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110951820300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Ongole Opposition to go ahead with protest against VANPIC Special Correspondent Top leaders to participate in the dharna at Chirala today ________________________________________ White paper sought on plans to develop coastal corridor No clarity on acquisition of land in Guntur, Prakasam districts ________________________________________ ONGOLE: Even though the government has withdrawn the controversial GO 34, the Opposition parties decided to go ahead with their agitation at Chirala on Sunday to protest against indiscriminate land acquisition in Guntur and Prakasam districts for Vodarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC). CPI State secretary K. Narayana, Punyavathi (CPI-M), Erraballi Dayakara Rao (TDP), Parakala Prabhakar (Praja Rajyam) are expected to participate in the dharna at VANPIC office in Chirala at 4 pm on Sunday. Speaking to newspersons here on Saturday, CPI district secretary Venkaiah expressed happiness over the withdrawal of GO 34. He said the government had proposed to acquire 4-5 lakh acres in coastal areas from Srikakulam to Nellore for development of coastal corridor affecting the lives of fishermen. He said the government had proposed several chemical industries in the corridor, which would pollute sea waters and affect aquatic life endangering environment. He felt happy that the government was compelled to withdraw the order under pressure from Left parties which had rallied the people against the project. In the same vein, Mr Venkaiah expressed concern over the statement of Minister for Ports and Infrastructure M.V. Ramana Rao that the government withdrew the order only to give up its plan to lay four-lane road along the coastal areas parallel to the existing National Highway No 5. The Minister was silent over the proposal to acquire lakhs of acres of land for infrastructure development and establishment of chemical industries. He demanded the government to release a white paper at least now to explain to the people and Opposition parties about its plans to develop coastal corridor. He wanted to know what kind of industries would come up in the corridor and the extent of land needed by them. As there is no clarity whether the government gave up its plans for acquiring 28,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts for VANPIC, the Opposition parties are going ahead with their plans to agitate against it at Chriala on Sunday. http://www.nst.com.my/Saturday/National/2396619/Article/index_html 2008/11/08 Protest over 100pc rent hike SHAH ALAM: Some 60 residents of Lembah Subang and Kota Damansara council homes demonstrated peacefully at the state secretariat building here yesterday to protest against the more than 100 per cent hike in their rents. They rose from RM124 to RM250 a month. Chairman of the action committee Johari Nander said most of the residents were former squatters, single mothers, senior citizens and the disabled and many could not even afford the old rate. The Kota Damansara residents started paying RM250 a month from May while those in Lembah Subang from July. "There was no supervision and we feel neglected. We did not hear anything from the government and the next thing we knew, we were asked to pay RM250," said Johari. He said they were also asked to pay an extra RM800 as a deposit on Oct 20, even though they had paid more than RM500 when they moved in years ago. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111652880300.htm Tamil Nadu AIADMK protests against move to set up new bus stand Staff Reporter Flaying proposal: AIADMK cadres observing a fast at Vaniyambadi on Saturday. VANIYAMBADI: Political parties, headed by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), observed a fast here on Saturday condemning the Vaniyambadi Municipality?s decision to set up an additional bus stand adjoining the Bypass Road. Former Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan led the protest. Traffic was disrupted at 1.30 p.m. as large number of AIADMK cadres squatted on C.N.A. Road. Shops and hotels on the road remained closed. The Municipality, headed by chairman V. Sivaji Ganesan, recently adopted a resolution in favour of an additional bus stand for Vaniyambadi. Land was procured for Rs.18 lakh for the additional bus stand adjoining the Bypass Road. However, various political parties including the AIADMK, the Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) opposed the proposal saying that the site was 4 km away from Vaniyambadi. It was under this context that the AIADMK cadres observed a fast on Saturday opposing the municipality?s move. Mr. Sengottaiyan said that vehicles which need not pass through C.N.A. Road could be diverted through Bypass Road. The existing bus stand on C.N.A. Road could be expanded to accommodate more buses. Former MP Jayamohan (Congress) said that people had to spend at least Rs.50 for autorickshaw to reach the bus stand proposed adjoining the Bypass Road. District organising secretary of the PMK A.C. Venkatesan said that his party was not opposed to expanding the existing bus stand or shifting it to a bigger place. But the issue was why should the land be acquired 4 km away from the town. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110451520300.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against temples? demolition Staff Reporter ? Photo: M. Balaji ?Hidden agenda?: Members of Hindu Munnani staging demonstration in front of the Tirupur Corporation office on Monday to protest against the demolition of temples. Tirupur: Members of Hindu Munnani staged a demonstration in front of the Corporation office here on Monday, to protest against the demolition of two temples situated at Kulathupalayam and Kumar Nagar. The temples were recently demolished by the Public Works Department and Highways Department to initiate development works. Target They alleged that the authorities concerned were targeting Hindus and their places of worship with a ?hidden agenda?. The Hindu Munnani men demanded the arrest of two persons who had attempted to convert residents of Thilagar Nagar into Christianity on Sunday. C. Subramanian, State general secretary, Hindu Munnani, led the agitation. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/hundreds-protest-in-new-delhi-against-posco-plant-in-orissa_100119519.html Hundreds protest in New Delhi against POSCO plant in Orissa November 15th, 2008 - 7:52 pm ICT by ANI - New Delhi, Nov 15 (ANI): Hundreds of people marched in New Delhi on Saturday to protest against a plant being built by South Korean steel maker POSCO in Orissa. Activists belonging to anti-POSCO groups - POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti - PPSS, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity and All India students Federation held placards and banners to pursue central government about the drawbacks of the project. Anti-POSCO project activists have come to New Delhi to raise their voice against the project and also to demand release of at least three anti-POSCO leaders arrested in Orissa last month. Today we have staged this mass protest because POSCO, which is known as the steel giant of Korea, is bringing a project in Orissa. Orissa government has allowed it as well. But with the project flourishing economy of that council will be destroyed. People will be displaced and their identity will be lost. So that??s why we want to raise our voices on the issue, said Mamta, member of Posco Pratirodh Solidarity. Police in Orissa had arrested Abhay Sahu, chairman of the anti-POSCO group PPSS, on October 12 in connection with attacks on the house of a POSCO supporter two years ago. Activists of All India Students Federation (AISF) supported anti-POSCO groups and demanded release of Sahu. There about 127 cases have been registered by the police and the Orissa government in support of the company against the common people who are fighting against the project. We demand that those cases should be cancelled as they are all false cases. Government should provide all required facilities to the people so that they excel by staying on their land. And we also demand that Abhay Sahu should be released, Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra, state president AISF. The Supreme Court ruled in August that POSCO could use large tracts of forestland to build the 12 billion dollar plant ? the country??s largest foreign investment. Villagers say the construction will force them off farmland and displace about 20,000 people. The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers unwilling to give up land in India, where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living. POSCO and the state have said the plant, in the Jagatsinghpur district of the mineral-rich state, will create jobs in an impoverished part of the country. But villagers have refused to hand over land and political parties have joined them in regular protests against POSCO. The region has witnessed numerous clashes since POSCO inked a deal in June 2005. Recently, Tata Motors Limited quit West Bengal after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop production. (ANI) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113056820300.htm Andhra Pradesh TDP stages dharna protesting Babli project Staff Reporter ADILABAD: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will stage a dharna on December 1 in Nirmal protesting the Babli project on Godavari river in Maharashtra. Inaction Party leaders will expose the State government?s inaction on the issue during the dharna, said Kadiam Srihari, TDP general secretary and Polit Buro member. Evident Addressing a meeting of party workers at district level, Mr. Srihari said it was found that contrary to its stated version, the Maharashtra government was constructing the 11 barrages across Godavari for the purpose of irrigation and not augmenting drinking water. This became evident during the recent visit of Telugu Desam Party and other party leaders to the barrages, Mr. Srihari added. Operational He said once the barrages go operational the 18 lakh acre ayacut in the districts of Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Nalgonda under the SRSP project. Party spokesman S. Venugopalachary and others were present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112152770300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Congress workers protest against ?illegal construction? Staff Correspondent DHARWAD: Members of Hubli-Dharwad Mahanagar Zilla Congress Committee staged a demonstration against what they termed illegal construction in front of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Dharwad on Thursday. The members led by Vasant Arkachar and Anand Jadhav alleged that the APMC office-bearers were acting at the behest of merchants without considering the problems of farmers. They said the office-bearers had permitted construction of stalls in front of what hitherto used to be an entrance. ?Now the office-bearers are claiming that there existed a compound wall according to old documents and some people had demolished it for sake of getting an entrance,? they said. The Congress members urged the district administration to conduct an inquiry into the incident and punish the guilty. They submitted a memorandum addressed to the Deputy Commissioner. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081127-174715/Negros-farmers-arrested-in-QC-protest Negros farmers arrested in QC protest By Nancy C. Carvajal, Abigail Kwok INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 14:54:00 11/27/2008 Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Farmers from Negros Occidental who picketed the Land Registration Authority (LRA) office in Quezon City were bodily carried out by police and taken to a police station Thursday morning, officials said. Superintendent Ferdinand Ampil said the farmers would be charged with ?illegal assembly for occupying a public property establishment.? The Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) quoted Ampil as saying that 28 farmers -- 8 women and 20 men -- were detained at Police Station 10 in Kamuning and would be subjected to inquest proceedings. But in a separate interview with INQUIRER.net, Police officer 3 Merlito Tubog of Quezon City police district station 10 said only nine were arrested and detained there. Jose Rodito Angeles, president of Task Force Mapalad, identified the nine as Alexander Celis, Bonifacio Alegona, Josem Pasesola, Rogelio Salba, Irene Celis, Romeo Pidoy, Salestiano Pasesola, Eduardo Oracion, and Liezel Amonhay. They and 19 others were protesting outside the LRA office to demand the transfer of the land title to the 157-hectare Hacienda Bacan from the family of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to farmer-beneficiaries. The protesting farmers were reportedly seeking a dialogue with LRA officials but were, instead, greeted by arresting police officers. ?We had no choice but to hold a rally because no one wanted to talk to us and we were given the runaround,? Angeles told the Inquirer in Filipino. ?TF Mapalad condemns the arrest of the farmers...This is another injustice done to them. We are calling on First Gentleman Mike Arroyo to stop pressuring the register of deeds [ROD] and let the LRA do their jobs,? he said. Angeles also accused the First Gentleman of ?trying every step to stop the CARP [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program] process? in Hacienda Bacan. The Arroyo-owned Rivulet Corporation allegedly tried to stop the Land Bank from issuing the memorandum of valuation of the property and from issuing the certificate of cash deposit, Angeles said. He added that Rivulet Corporation was allegedly preventing the registration of the certificate of land ownership to the farmer beneficiaries. Angeles also claimed that the ROD in Bacolod City insisted on reissuing the certificate of cash deposit (COD) of Land Bank in the name of the First Gentleman when ?Mike Arroyo himself declared that Rivulet Corporation was the hacienda owner and that he does not oppose the sale of the property to CARP. Yet the ROD still refused to register the CLOA of the farmers even when it was presented with Arroyo?s declaration,? said Angeles. ?The Hacienda Bacan farmers, after hurdling so many obstacles for the past 10 years, are just one step away from obtaining their land, but First Gentleman Mike Arroyo continues to stand in the way and does not show any indication of giving up,? Angeles said. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/136034/Protesters-rounded-up-for-illegal-assembly-at-LRA-office Protesters rounded up for ?illegal assembly? at LRA office 11/27/2008 | 09:29 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - After failing to convince protesters to leave, police brought in an air-conditioned bus Thursday morning to "fetch" some 30 farmers who picketed the Land Registration Authority (LRA) office in Quezon City since Wednesday night. In a radio interview, Quezon City police Station 10 commander Superintendent Ferdinand Ampil said they took special care in bodily carrying the farmers out of the area so as not to be accused of violating human rights. Ampil said the protesters face charges of illegal assembly. "Iiwasan naming masabi nila nilalabag namin ang kanilang karapatang pantao (We don't want them to think we are violating their human rights)," Ampil said in an interview on dzBB radio. Tension gripped the office of the Land Registration Authority Wednesday night as 30 farmers from Negros Occidental picketed it to demand action on their case. This prompted the police to ask the protesters to leave or be carried out of the area. The farmers continued with their picket rally and refused to leave until their demand for action is met. Police and security guards secured the LRA compound even as LRA lawyer Shirley Morales tried in vain to get the farmers to leave. The farmers said they had been waiting for action on their dispute with the relatives of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, who own Hacienda Bacan in Isabela, Negros Occidental. When Morales said the paperwork was still in Bacolod City, the farmers claimed Malaca?ang was deliberately holding the papers. Ampil said that when police failed to convince the farmers to leave at midnight, they were already bodily moved out of the premises. "May violation sila na illegal assembly. Ito ay isang government installation (They can be held liable for illegal assembly. They entered a government installation)," he said. - GMANews.TV http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=62387 Published On: 2008-11-08 Metropolitan 20 injured in Sirajganj clash Our Correspondent, Sirajganj At least 20 people were injured in a clash over a land dispute at Alokdiar Guchchhogram at Ullapara in the district yesterday. The injured were admitted to different local hospitals. Of them, condition of one Suruzzaman, 40, was stated to be critical. Shah Alam, officer-in-charge of Solonga Police Station, said that there was a long-lasting dispute over a piece of land between the landless inmates of the Guchchhogram and influential local BNP activist Mozammel Master. A case was also under trial in Sirajganj Court over the land. At one stage, a group of local BNP cadres numbering 30 to 35 led by Mozammel Master launched attack on the villagers (inmates of Guchchhogram) at around 7:30am in a bid to evict them from the land. When the villagers (landless) protested, it turned into a fierce clash that continued for about two hours. Both the groups chased and counter chased each other and hurled brickbats, leaving 20 people of both the groups injured. On information, Solonga police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/videos/2008/nov/nov27/video02.php Landless people protest at Khulla Munch Landless people have been staging dharna (sit-in) at Khulla Munch in Kathmandu with 13-point demands which include distribution of least 10 katthas of land to freed Kamaiyas, landless farmers, Haliyas, and other landless people ? protesters voice their opinion. http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=77681 Protesters Demonstrate At Fannie Mae Offices Posted By: Bill Starks WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- The home Edna Barber once owned is gone. The 69-year-old retiree now stays with relatives or sleeps wherever she can. Barber and many of the people demonstrating outside Fannie Mae are angry about their plight. "Mortgage fraud. That's what I'm a victim of. Mortgage fraud," said Barber. The mortgages of many of the nearly 100 protestors marching along Wisconsin Avenue, NW, are in danger of foreclosure. Wendy Torres and the four other people in her family are all working to try to save the family's home. She says her Dad got behind on mortgage payments when his overtime hours were cut out. "If we don't get any help at all, we're going to lose our house, which I don't want because we are a family and we've been there four years already," said Torres. The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America unloaded furniture in front of Fannie Mae. Organizers say they wanted to point out the pain of foreclosures. They are demanding that Fannie Mae, which received billions in federal bailout funds, do more to restructure loans and establish new industry standards for at-risk homeowner assistance. "I bought at peak and the value started falling immediately after I bought," said Constance Combs, a condo owner. "There was never an opportunity to refinance. I was upside down from Day 2." Combs and other protestors struggling to pay mortgages saw their payments skyrocket before they could re-finance. The CEO of NACA says Fannie Mae owns or guarantees 30% of all home loans. He is pushing the agency to do something about lenders that are refusing to restructure loans or lower interest rates. "If Fannie Mae changes its standards to implement affordable restructure solutions that sets a standard for the country," said Bruce Marks, CEO of NACA. The protestors sat on the steps of Fannie Mae until they got a meeting with its CEO, Herbert Allison. Both sides described the discussion as positive. A NACA spokesman says changes are in the works and more meetings are planned. One Fannie Mae executive told 9 NEWS NOW that stopping foreclosures is in the best interest of everyone. "We are actively working and doing everything we can. We're constantly addressing all of the solutions we have in place to see what new and better ideas are out there. There's a lot we have done and there's a lot more that we are going to do," said Stacey Stewart, senior vice president at Fannie Mae. NACA's CEO says the organization has assisted more than 100,000 at-risk homeowners. Some of the protestors have been waiting months for lenders to work out affordable mortgage payments. "What are they going to do to help us out? I think it's time that Congress do it. We can help everybody else, but they cannot seem to help us," said Robert Robinson, a retired federal worker. Federal officials are expected to unveil a new plan Thursday to assist struggling homeowners. It would guarantee about $500 billion in loans and lower interest rates for borrowers. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/30/protesters-demand-fannie-mae-meeting/ Protesters demand Fannie Mae meeting Associated Press Thursday, October 30, 2008 Rev. Graylan Hagler rallys protesters on the steps of Fannie Mae's headquarters in Northwest on Wednesday. The group protested against Fannie Mae's foreclosure practices. Nearly 100 activists from a Boston-based housing advocacy group protested Wednesday in front of Fannie Mae's headquarters in the 3900 block of Wisconsin Avenue Northwest. The protesters from the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America sat on the steps of the expansive brick headquarters. They demanded that the government-controlled company modify loans to lower interest rates. The group held signs reading, "Restructure our loans now," "Fannie Mae destroys lives" and "Foreclose on Fannie Mae," and demanded a meeting with the company's chief executive officer, Herbert M .Allison Jr. Protesters from the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America dump old furniture outside the headquarters of Fannie Mae in Northwest. Photographs by Joseph Silverman/The Washington Times Protesters held signs reading, "Restructure our loans now," "Fannie Mae destroys lives" and "Foreclose on Fannie Mae." Mr. Allison was hired seven weeks ago after the government bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The companies collectively own or guarantee about $5 trillion of the country's outstanding mortgages ? nearly half of the home loans the United States. Photo Gallery: Fannie Mae Protest click image to view gallery Nearly 100 activists from a Boston-based housing advocacy group, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, protested Wednesday in front of Fannie Mae's headquarters in the 3900 block of Wisconsin Avenue Northwest. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) created to ensure liquidity in the mortgage markets, though they do not make loans themselves. The two companies made money by purchasing mortgage loans in the secondary market from the banks that initiated the loans for a guarantee fee. As banks lowered credit limits to provide loans to lower-income, or subprime borrowers, the GSE's guaranteed more and more subprime loans and took a major hit as default and foreclosures increased in recent years, requiring the government to step in and help. http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/98588 Journalist stabbed during street protest Espa?ol: Periodista herido con arma blanca en un enfrentamiento callejero Country/Topic: Argentina Date: 17 November 2008 Source: Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA) Person(s): Fabricio Glibota, Santiago Petinich Target(s): journalist(s) Type(s) of violation(s): attacked Urgency: Flash (FOPEA/IFEX) - The Argentine Journalism Forum (Foro de Periodismo Argentino, FOPEA) condemns the assault on journalist Fabricio Glibota on 14 November 2008. The incident took place while Glibota was carrying out his work in the city of Resistencia, the capital of the northern province of Chaco, and is one of the worst attacks against the press to occur in Argentina this year. Glibota, a journalist for Radio Universidad radio station, was stabbed in the back during a confrontation between municipal employees and street vendors in the centre of the city. According to witnesses, at the time of the attack there were no police present. The police arrived an hour later. The protest had been announced in the local media, and resulted from an ongoing conflict between the street vendors and the municipal employees' union. Medical assistance also failed to arrive promptly. Glibota, who also works at "Diaro Norte", was stabbed in the back near his kidneys and had to undergo surgery. He is currently in the intensive care unit. Relatives of the journalist have told FOPEA that his life is not in danger. The journalist was standing away from the centre of the confrontation and had with him equipment that identified him as a journalist, which leads to the assumption that he was not confused as a protester but rather was attacked because he is a journalist. The characteristics of the action against him and the context in which it occurred prevent it from being considered a random act of violence. The police have detained a person presumed to be responsible for the attack on Glibota. Santiago Petinich, a cameraman for the local Channel 6 television station, was also injured when he was hit in the leg with a rock. Petinich's injury was not serious and he received treatment for it at a private hospital. FOPEA publicly demands that the governor of Chaco, Jorge Capitanich, of the Peronist Party (Partido Justicialista), and the mayor of Resistencia, A?da Ayala, of the Radical Civic Union Party, take steps to ensure that these types of confrontations and attacks do not occur again. FOPEA also energetically insists that they investigate the attack and find those responsible for it. FOPEA believes that the only way to prevent such attacks is to end impunity. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4AC0NH20081113?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews Bomb thrown at Bangkok market protest wounds 13 Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:26am GMT BANGKOK (Reuters) - A bomb thrown at a rally of Thai market vendors protesting over new rental contracts in Bangkok wounded 13 people, police and witnesses said on Thursday. The incident had nothing to do with an anti-government movement whose supporters have been occupying the official compound of the prime minister since August, police said. Witnesses said the bomb was thrown at around 1 a.m. from a flyover above the rally site near the main Bangkok port, blowing up speakers, chairs and tents and seriously wounding two protesters. "The bomb injured a woman in the cheek and her husband has shrapnel in his arms, legs and back," Anjira na Nakorn, a leader of the protest, told a radio station. (Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Alan Raybould) http://www.bangkokpost.com/141108_News/14Nov2008_news11.php Friday November 14, 2008 Bomb injures protesters at Klong Toey market rally site AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK An explosive device was hurled into a group of protesting vendors in front of Klong Toey market early yesterday, wounding 15 vendors, two seriously. The attack took place about 1.30am at a tent set up at the Ratchada-Rama IV intersection near the market. Vendors have manned a roadblock there since Wednesday in protest against a market development plan by a new developer. Police are still checking to discover what type of device it was. Witnesses said a motorcycle rider threw a plastic bag containing the explosive from a flyover bridge into the protesters as they were listening to a speech. Fifteen vendors were wounded, two seriously. Penthiwawan Kaewsuk, 37, sustained wounds to her head, while Yakob Lormoh, 51, received wounds to several parts of his body. The blast caused chaos at the protest venue. Sujittra Damrongsiriwut, 52, one of the protesters, said about 1,000 vendors had received constant threats by a group of men. She asked why police had not strengthened security for vendors. Protesters are unhappy with a company which has won a contract to manage a market area leased from the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Tha Rua police said an investigation was underway to establish the type of explosive thrown at the vendors. Police would check footage from a closed-circuit television camera at the intersection. Tha Rua police were sent to several locations on Wednesday night where Loy Krathong festivities were being held. The company which won the contract to redevelop the market denied any involvement in the attack. Thammanat Chompao, the owner of Legal Professional Co, the company which won the bid, said his firm had nothing to do with the incident. His contract with the PAT was signed on Oct 29. The company was now working on a market management plan, which it has to submit to the PAT within 180 days. He claimed his firm had no reason to intimidate the vendors. Pichet Mankhong, the PAT's assistant director, said the PAT had scrapped market management contracts with three companies and awarded the new contract to Legal Professional Co, which will take over the market area. The new developer has offered lease fees of 61 million baht a year to the PAT and agreed to spend 120 million baht redeveloping the market. The three former developers, which had rented the plot from the PAT since 1964 and paid rental fees of 12 million baht a year, refused to take part in the bidding, said Mr Pichet. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2425608,00.html Protesters wounded in blast 13/11/2008 12:00 - (SA) Bangkok - A blast wounded 13 people in Thailand's capital early on Thursday when assailants hurled an explosive device at market vendors who had gathered to protest a rent hike by new managers of the government-owned facility, police said. The blast occurred in the Thai capital at around 01:00 when some protesters were sleeping in makeshift tents and others had gathered outside, police Col Sutip Palitkusontap said. Two of the protesters remained hospitalised with serious injuries, but the rest have been released, said Surachet Sathitniramai at the Narenthorn Medical Centre. Sutip said hundreds of vendors who operate stalls at the outdoor market in Bangkok have been staging a protest since Wednesday against Legal Professional Co Ltd, the facility's new privately contracted management company. The company denied involvement in the attack. Two men were seen dropping a plastic bag from an overpass bridge onto the protest side at a major intersection in Klong Toey district before the blast occurred, Sutip said, citing witnesses. "It remains unclear what kind of explosive device it was and who was behind the attack," he said. "We will step up security for protesters to prevent further attacks." There was no claim of responsibility for the attack and no indication that the blast was related to Thailand's ongoing political strife. Protesters have been camping out for months at the Thai prime minister's office in hopes of forcing the government to resign. The market's land is owned by the Port Authority of Thailand, which recently hired new management for the market. The protesters allege the bidding process for the hiring was not transparent, and that they have been treated unfairly by the new management, which has sharply raised rents without improving conditions. One protester at the market who identified herself only as Wanida said mobs have been harassing them since July to agree to the higher rents or leave. "We will not move out or sign the new contract with the new developer," she said. The director of Legal Professional, Thamanat Pompao, said his company was not involved in the blast, and declined to comment on the alleged months of harassment. "We do not resort to violence," Thamanat said. "We want to improve the condition of the market. That was why we asked the vendors to register with us so we can work together." Hundreds of protesters remained at the market on Thursday afternoon, vowing to stay until the situation has been resolved. - AP http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7717423.stm Saturday, 8 November 2008 Council seeks to evict protesters The protesters want more land to be used for social housing Birmingham City Council has obtained an eviction order to take action against protesters camped out on its land. The council was granted the order at Birmingham County Court on Friday to evict the campaigners who are on land off Pershore Road in Birmingham. The Justice not Crisis campaigners want the council to provide more social housing and claim thousands of people in the city are on waiting lists. The council said the protest was stopping homes being built at the site. Birmingham City Council also said that it built about 900 affordable homes a year. "This organisation is trespassing on council land which had been earmarked for new family homes," the council said. The campaigners, who have set up tents and banners, said they were committed to continuing their campaign. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7703370.stm Friday, 31 October 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protesters camp out in homes plea Protesters have said they are prepared to camp out for months in an effort to force Birmingham City Council to build more affordable homes. A group of protesters have begun squatting on council-owned land off Pershore Road in Birmingham. They said they were among thousands in the city on waiting lists for social housing. The city council said it built about 900 affordable homes a year and the protest was stopping new development. The protesters have set up tents at the site and put up banners. Protesters say they are prepared to stay at the site for months Some of the people at the site said they had been on housing waiting lists for years. Colette Tedstone said she had been on the council's waiting list for about three years. She said: "I was sleeping in people's houses wherever I could, I was on the street for a bit as well." Birmingham City Council said the protesters were preventing the building of new homes by trespassing on the site. "This organisation is trespassing on council land which had been earmarked for new family homes," it said in a statement. It said it was taking legal advice to "ensure this valuable site remains available". http://www.nowpublic.com/world/getting-ready-be-homeless-protest-nov-12-13 "getting ready to be homeless" - protest on nov 12 & 13 Share: by isabella mori | November 10, 2008 at 02:43 pm 82 views | 10 Recommendations | add comment Photos from david chudnovsky: Dear friends, While the City of Vancouver is putting $100 million dollars into the hands of private developers for the Olympic village, the City has at the same time given permission to shutdown some of the precious social housing and affordable rental housing units in the City. Many of the units in the Little Mountain Housing Complex (LMHC) have been boarded up, to intimidate the remaining tenants into moving out. While thousands in Vancouver are homeless, more than 200 homes now sit empty at Little Mountain. 224 homes will be destroyed years before the reconstruction begins. A new development is about to begin on the site of 4545 Prince Albert and 4550 Fraser Street; tenants of 126 low-end market rental units are about to lose their homes. The city of Vancouver's Rate-of-Change bylaw, which requires one-to-one replacement of any rental housing converted or demolished, does not require owners to rent to their former tenants, and cannot prevent the new rent from being beyond the means of the former tenants. Furthermore, the by-law excludes rental apartments in commercially-zoned areas such as the 4500 block of Fraser Street, where 78 of the 126 units to be redeveloped are slated for demolition. What does this all mean? It means our friends and neighbours living in these 350 units of housing are either being forced out of their familiar homes, or in danger of becoming homeless. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1386226 Wellington city council evicts truck protester By DAVE BURGESS - The Dominion Post Last updated 00:40 30/01/2009 JOHN CROWLEY/Dominion Post MOVING OUT: A policewoman lends a hand as Jennifer Graham removes belongings from her housetruck before the vehicle was towed away by wellington City Council. Last night Graham camped out on the street. Relevant offers A Woman is living on the street after her illegally parked housetruck was seized by Wellington City Council. Jennifer Graham has lived in her truck in the same central Wellington parking space in Stout St since September even getting mail delivered there. About $5000 of parking fines had been issued before the council instead tried moving her along. The council has issued written warnings saying it is illegal to camp on a city street, but Ms Graham has refused to acknowledge the council as a legitimate authority. Yesterday the council had a towing company remove the housetruck and a 1957 Morris Minor called Annabel, which sat on an attached trailer. Three police officers, requested by the council, were on hand. Ms Graham was given two hours to remove her possessions including suitcases and cardboard boxes on to the Stout St pavement, where she remained last night, sitting on a cushion and covered by a tarpaulin. A postie briefly interrupted her move to deliver a handful of mail. Letters found their way to Ms Graham, despite being addressed to "Jennifer at concrete pole No 462" or "Jennifer in Stout St". Ms Graham refused to comment. Council spokesman Jon Visser said negotiations to help her had broken down. "She has voluntarily decided to live on the streets. Obviously, we couldn't leave her vehicles sitting there, so we organised for them to be taken away." She would be charged several hundred dollars in towing fees. Council citizen engagement director Wendy Walker said the situation was far from ideal. "We don't want Jennifer to live on the street. We are very concerned for her wellbeing. However, the central city is not the place for people to commandeer a number of parking spaces and set up semi-permanent camp." Council offers to make the housetruck roadworthy and have it warranted and registered, as long as she stopped camping in a public place, had been rejected. Accommodation with the council-funded Downtown Community Ministry was also refused. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/734293 House truck protester defies Wellington council The Dominion Post Last updated 01:17 26/11/2008 ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post THERE TO STAY: Jennifer Graham refuses to move her house truck, despite racking up thousands of dollars in parking fines in Wellington. Relevant offers A woman who refuses to pay parking fines risks losing the roof above her head as Wellington City Council considers impounding her house truck. Jennifer Graham has lived in the truck in the same central Wellington parking space for 11 weeks, racking up thousands of dollars in fines she refuses to pay. She could be there indefinitely; she says she will not leave till "democracy has been restored" - a dig at what she sees as politicians looking after themselves before the people they serve. The city's parking wardens are regular visitors. However, most of the fines were because her 1982 Isuzu house truck and trailer's warrant of fitness had expired. On the unwarranted trailer sits a 1957 Morris Minor called Annabel, with the number plate 57BABY - her other mode of transport. "I usually get two [tickets] first thing in the morning," she says. "I send them all back saying I'm not going to pay for them." While The Dominion Post was interviewing her, truckies, a tour bus driver and a tow-truck driver honked greetings as they whizzed by. "I've always been nice to the towies. Just in case." She has driven around the country in her mobile home, stopping in Bluff, Napier and Awanui before coming to rest in Stout St, not far from Parliament, to object to politicians' perks, increased wages and election spending. Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said Ms Graham had amassed several thousand dollars in fines - so many that the council had told wardens to stop doling them out. The council had received complaints that the central city had "turned into a camping ground" and was considering taking her to court or seizing the truck and trailer to recover the fines. "You can tow her if she's not in it. We've no compunction in doing that." Someone had e-mailed the council saying that, if Ms Graham was allowed to stay, they would tell everyone they knew to park their house trucks in the city, he said. "She's certainly no threat to security, but the point is she's starting to annoy quite a lot of people. We are going to have to do something about it." Ms Graham said that, if her truck was seized, she would live on the street. "If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. What will be will be." http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/11/25/pe-homeless-shelter.html?ref=rss Natives protest lack of homeless shelters Last Updated: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 | 5:11 PM AT Several members of the Native Council of P.E.I. are camping out on a street corner in downtown Charlottetown Tuesday to raise public awareness about the problem of homelessness. The "Freezing for Warmth" demonstration is also a fundraiser for Grandmother's House, a homeless shelter in Charlottetown for women. Grandmother's House program manager Sandra Knockwood said Islanders need to wake up to the reality of homelessness. "Still today there are people who don't believe there is homelessness," said Knockwood. "It is becoming more prevalent because we now only have one female shelter in Charlottetown that's a homeless shelter, and quite a lot of females who are in need at any point in time." The camp-out demonstration is scheduled to continue through the night. Knockwood said money raised during the fundraiser will go towards the operating costs of Grandmother's House. Those costs are about $50,000 a year. A similar protest last year raised $4,600. Knockwood is hoping to double that amount this year. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262522 To Protest Eviction, Man Commits Gruesome Suicide and Cuts Head Off With Chainsaw By Debra Myers. Published Nov 20, 2008 by ? Debra Myers Share: A desperate David Phyall, 50 of Bishopstoke in the UK, used an electric chainsaw to cut his own head off to protest his eviction from a block of flats set to be demolished. Phyall had refused to leave his one-bedroom flat and had been taken to court. Bishopstoke, UK - David Phyall, 50, was the last remaining tenant in a building that was set to be demolished to make way for a massive redevelopment in the area. Even though he had been ordered to vacate, Phyall refused to leave his one-bedroom flat. Two days before his body was found, it's reported that he "carefully planned" his suicide, as a way to make a statement. What follows is gruesome. Phyall plugged-in an electric chainsaw and set it on a timer. Using sellotape, he taped the trigger to the 'on' position, then secured the chainsaw to a table leg to hold it steady. Phyall rested the saw against his neck and waited for the timer to go off. The Black and Decker chainsaw sliced through his neck in an instant but kept going for a further 15 minutes. Mr. Phyall's parents had gone to the flat and after discovering that the door was locked from the inside, called Sergeant Mark Carter. Using a crowbar, he forced the door open only to find the grisly scene. Phyall was dressed only in underpants and a T-shirt, and covered in blood. Sgt. Carter said, 'The carpet was covered by a layer of blood and the ceiling above my head was also splattered with blood." Carter goes on to tell that the chainsaw was embedded in Phyall's neck, and it had quit running three quarters of the way through the man's neck. He saw that the trigger to the chainsaw was taped to the "on" position, as well as the saw being tied to the table leg. The saw and the timer were still plugged-in, although not running. "I have never come across an incident quite this graphic." At the inquest, Detective Sergeant Mark Huxford continued telling the details. He said that the head was still attached by the right shoulder and his head was lying to the left. Because of the way the chainsaw had spun while running, a large area of the carpet was covered with blood. John Phyall, David's father, told the hearing that he had no idea that his son meant to kill himself. 'We had seen him a week prior to his death and he had appeared cheerful and had been making jokes. His death was totally unexpected.' Deputy Central Hampshire Simon Burge who recorded David's death as a suicide, felt that this manner of how Phyall had chosen to kill himself was to 'make a statement'. He described the scene as "appalling" and "bizarre". 'Mr Phyall had thought through how he was going to commit suicide very carefully - he went to a great deal of trouble to rig up the chainsaw knowing full well the result would be fatal. If his death was to make a statement about the injustice of being evicted from his home of 8 years, he certainly accomplished that. What's even sadder is that he turned down 11 offers of a new home. http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811180330DOWJONESDJONLINE000101_univ.xml Malaysian Activists Threaten Naked Protest Over Rent Hikes11-18-08 3:30 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)--Malaysian activists have threatened to stage a naked protest over a sudden hike in rental rates for government housing, drawing criticism from Muslim leaders and police Tuesday. Ramlan Abu Bakar of the Malaysian People's Reform Movement said its members were prepared to strip off outside the offices of the chief minister of Selangor state, after it more than doubled the cost of low-income housing. "Protesting naked is our final act of desperation as the state government is literally stealing the clothes off our backs with this price increase," Ramlan said. "They are not helping the poor people here who barely make enough to afford the present rental of MYR124 ($34) so how can we afford to pay MYR250?" he said. The hardline Islamic party PAS, which is part of the opposition alliance, criticized the plans, with its spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat saying only "uncivilized" people would resort to such an act. "Even an animal like a cow which is stark naked, God created a tail to hide its genitals and here we are talking about human beings who have been given a mind," he told state news agency Bernama. Ramlan said his group would submit a memorandum to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose alliance runs Selangor state, and that if it failed to bring about any change they will push ahead with the nude protest. State police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said action will be taken against anyone staging an illegal assembly. "We will take firm action against any NGO that holds a gathering without a permit, and even more so if they are nude," he told Bernama. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/29/nation/2674100&sec=nation Saturday November 29, 2008 Police won?t give permit for group?s naked protest SHAH ALAM: Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar has make it clear that any application to publicly gather in the buff will be rejected. However, he did not think anyone would make the application. ?No one is stupid to request to be naked in public. ?No (permit) consideration will be given, but they are welcome to be naked in their room if they want,? he said after receiving 1,200 ketamine drug test kits, courtesy of the Selangor Justice Peace Asso?ciation, at the state police headquarters yesterday. Khalid was asked about the proposed intention of Malaysian People?s Reform Movement (Reformis) members to strip naked, as a last resort, to protest against a hike in rental rates for government low-cost houses under the People?s Housing Scheme. It had been reported earlier that the group was prepared to strip off outside the office of the Mentri Besar after a state executive council decision in July to raise rent for around 6,200 homes under the scheme from RM124 to RM250 a month. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7751903.stm Thursday, 27 November 2008 Squatters stage rooftop protest A rooftop protest is being staged in Bristol by squatters who have been evicted from the building. A group occupying the four-storey house in Ashley Road, St Pauls, moved onto the roof after eviction orders were made on 12 November. The squatters are calling for talks with the housing association which owns the building - Places For People. A spokeswoman for the association said the protest was holding up plans for an affordable homes development. Protesters said they were concerned about the organisation's treatment of empty properties and its selling of rental stock on the open market. "All that we have been asking is that Places for People come and talk to the community about what it is they plan for the building, so at the end of the day, people are staying up there until this enormous organisation decides it is able to talk," one of the protesters told the BBC. Donna Johnson, regional manager of Places for People, said: "What they're essentially doing is preventing us from being able to continue to develop and deliver an affordable housing project. "I rather would enter into dialogue and I think the best way to do that is around the table in a spirit of partnership and not through communication with people sitting on a roof and refusing to come down." A public meeting is being held on Thursday in St Pauls Learning Centre at 1830 GMT to discuss this situation. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/03/neighbors-clash-with-developer-on-215-acre/?partner=RSS Neighbors clash with developer on 21.5-acre proposal By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 3, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. Photo by Javier Manzano / The Rocky Real estate developer Chad Richardson stands inside one of his properties in Park Hill on Thursday. He's been affected by another contentious downzoning proposal, which is going before the Denver City Council. The proposal, which would rezone 21.5 acres in south Park Hill, is pitting Richardson against neighbors. Zoning is a touchy subject. Just ask Denver City Councilwoman Carla Madison, whose proposal to downzone 21.5 acres in south Park Hill has neighbors butting heads with a developer who says he'll lose hundreds of thousands of dollars if the rezoning is approved today. Madison is sympathetic. Up to a point. Madison said Chad Richardson initially wanted to build nine townhomes, but then he partnered up with a "front man" who saw an opportunity to build 22. Residents of the mostly single-family neighborhood balked at the bigger development. When the downzoning was initiated - a proposal that would limit Richardson's project to four townhomes - Richardson and his partner submitted an application to build 40, Madison said. "Unfortunately, I think he's learned a very expensive lesson," she said. "Or he may. We'll see how this whole thing goes." Contentious rezonings are not new to the Denver City Council. In April, for example, property owners in northwest Denver duked it out over proposals to rezone large swaths of land in two neighborhoods, limiting development to single-family homes. The council approved the downzonings after a marathon session that ended in the wee hours. But by then, neighbors on opposite sides of the issue had become bitter enemies. Denver is dealing with such divisive rezonings because the city hasn't implemented Blueprint Denver, its land-use and transportation plan, Madison said. "All these people expect - and rightfully so - for their neighborhood to be what Blueprint set out for it to be, and we haven't put those things in place to make it happen yet," she said. Adopted in March 2002, Blueprint Denver divides the city into two planning categories: areas of stability and areas of change. An area of stability is usually an established neighborhood where the city wants to maintain the existing character. An area of change is where the city wants to steer development and higher-density projects, such as around light-rail stations. But the zoning code update, which will provide the tools to implement Blueprint Denver, has been six years in the making. The last time the code was updated was about 50 years ago. The revision is expected to be finished in a year or two, and Madison said it will probably lead to more dissent. The zoning code affects all property owners. "We're going to be in this position all over the city," Madison said. "The whole place is going to be rezoned." In the meantime, the council will have to deal with controversial rezonings. Richardson, who wants to build nine townhomes in south Park Hill, said he doesn't oppose Madison's downzoning proposal. But he said he wants it to exclude projects like his, which, although not approved, is already in the city's planning pipeline. Richardson has hired The Kenney Group, a powerful government affairs and public relations firm in Denver, to help lobby council members to sponsor an amendment to Madison's proposal. Madison said she would oppose such an amendment. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 09:36:20 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:36:20 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Service delivery protests - food, water, power, etc - November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB11404.9060600@tesco.net> SOUTH AFRICA * de Doorns - Police kill protester as roads blocked, stones thrown * Johannesburg - "no electricity, no vote" - residents march for free service * Johannesburg - protest at ANC HQ * Anti-privatisation protests * DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Power blackout protests block traffic * GUINEA: Protest over public services leads to blockade of bauxite trains; police kill 1 * INDIA: Karnataka - Wave of opposition protests over power crisis * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest for basic rations * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - demos against price rise * INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Chennai - protest for better amenities * INDIA: AP - Protest over ration cards * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protests against power cuts * INDIA: Karnataka - Protests against neglect, "anti-people policies" * INDIA: Karnataka - Protest for rural electricity * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest for water pipe repairs * INDIA: Kerala - Protest to save cooperatives * INDIA: Kerala - Ration dealers observe protest day against neglect * INDIA: Ghaziabad - Residents stage sit-in for infrastructure * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest against rice short-weighting * INDIA: Kerala - Protest for Kochi development speedup * INDIA: Karnataka - Farmers protest water supply schedule * INDIA: Chennai - Left parties protest for fuel price cut * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Opposition party protests for road repair by begging * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest at failure to complete rail link * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest over drinking water project * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest over closure of bus terminal * PHILIPPINES: Locals protest for extra rail stop * PHILIPPINES: Activists to picket over fertiliser fund mess * BAHRAIN: Longest protest reaches 250 days, still no houses * INDONESIA: Mudslide survivors demand compensation * INDONESIA: Village officials protest for funding increase * INDONESIA: Lapindo survivors block building work to demand compensation http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20081118054349286C142288 Man killed in service delivery protest November 18 2008 at 08:40AM By Caryn Dolley and Natasha Joseph A de Doorns resident was killed and eight were injured during a service delivery protest in which thousands of people blocked the N1 and threw stones at police, who fired rubber bullets. Residents of Stofland, an informal settlement in de Doorns, threatened on Monday night to again block the highway until their demands are met for electricity and decent housing. A handful of businesses on de Doorns's Station Road, its main business area, were damaged by protesting residents, but they were driven back by police before they could move further into the town. De Doorns, between Touws River and Worcester, was hit hard by floods that ravaged the Cape Winelands and Overberg. Police spokesperson Andre Greyling said nearly 4 000 Stofland residents blocked the N1 in de Doorns on Monday afternoon after being addressed by Breede Valley Local Municipality mayor Charles Ntsomi. Greyling said when residents started throwing stones at officers, the police retaliated by firing rubber bullets. One man received head injuries and later died in the Worcester Regional Hospital. Greyling said: "We can't say he was shot because he was injured by stones which were thrown as well." A post-mortem would be performed to determine what had caused the man's death. He could not be identified until his next of kin had been notified, Greyling said. Greyling said eight others received injuries that were mostly bruises, and were also taken to the Worcester Regional Hospital for treatment. After being dispersed by police, some of the residents returned to the N1 and there were "sporadic stone-throwing incidents" into the evening, Greyling said. He said last night that some officers from Cape Town's Crowd Control Unit had "come through to help" and the situation was "under control". Stofland resident Andrew Claassen said on Monday night that about 600 people were still gathered near the N1 and would "keep standing on the (N1)" until their grievances were met. "We're unhappy, nothing is happening... there are no houses, no electricity," Claassen said. The mayor's office said the area's municipal manager and a housing executive had gone to Stofland late yesterday to speak to the residents. caryn.dolley at inl.co.za natasha.joseph at inl.co.za http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Environment&set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20081119113607164C713209 Service delivery protest turns violent November 19 2008 at 02:22PM Related Articles ? 'We will keep blocking the N1' ? N1 protest leaves residents 'shaking' ? Man killed in service delivery protest ? Cape to get 110 000 homes, service sites By Natasha Prince, Nomangesi Mbiza and Ella Smook Police quelled sporadic incidents of violence in De Doorns early on Tuesday as some angry residents from informal settlements intimidated workers and threw stones businesses in the town. On Tuesday's action continues days of protest over poor service delivery that has gripped the Breede River Valley. Police fired "a few" rubber bullets as stones were hurled at a Pep Stores branch and other businesses in the town as tensions flared when some residents headed to work earlier on Tuesday, according to police. By around 7am police had the situation under control and maintained a heavy presence in the area. Standoffs between residents of informal settlements in De Doorns and police continued throughout the day as residents vowed to keep up the fight for basic services. Council workers arrived to clear the remains of burnt tyres, slabs of concrete and scattered rocks that were strewn across the N1 last night. At around 7:30pm the community gathered to discuss their grievances with Provincial Housing Department authorities. Residents demanded to be addressed by Housing MEC Whitey Jacobs. Authorities told the group they would get houses and asked for patience. People living in Stofland, Hassie Square, Ekuphumuleni and Maseru settlements were warned that police would be patrolling and had deployed maximum security in the area, arresting anyone who broke the law. At around 2pm police arrived and marched toward the protesters, opening fire with rubber bullets on residents who were toyi-toying. The residents scattered quickly, running into their houses, shutting doors, closing spaza shops and heading for the mountain as the officers moved in. Stofland resident Noluthando Mkhetsu said: "We were just singing and showing our dissatisfaction when they started shooting at us. We were not armed and we were no threat to them," she added. Five residents were arrested and several others injured on Tuesday. On Monday resident Freddie Louw was killed, 12 people were injured and three people were arrested. Municipal speaker Joe January said residents should address their issues to the ward committee, which would inform the municipality. Themba Mbali, a community leader, said residents were demanding electricity, sanitation and housing. Problems surrounding the housing waiting lists and municipal funding of about R152 000, intended for De Doorns settlements that had been "pumped into" other settlements in Worcester were also among concerns raised. Meanwhile, the ANC has laid responsibility for the violent protests in De Doorns at the door of its new nemesis, the Congress of the People (COPE). Cope has denied the allegations, saying it was untrue. Issues raised by the community were not political and were about service delivery. ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary Max Ozinsky told the Cape Argus that the new party had distributed pamphlets in the area and that they had mobilised people on Sunday evening. The people organising the march were three former ANC members who had joined the new party, said Ozinsky, adding that they would probably be standing in the upcoming by-election. COPE spokesperson Mbulelo Ncedana said: "It is untrue, it is a lie." He said ANC president Jacob Zuma had previously visited the area and had promised to contact the relevant authorities and send in a team to address their issues. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081118114714921C313434 N1 protest leaves residents 'shaking' November 18 2008 at 05:08PM Related Articles ? Man killed in service delivery protest ? 'If only I had two hands' ? Cape to get 110 000 homes, service sites By Esther Lewis De Doorns was still tense on Tuesday and the N1 remained closed after a protest about service delivery turned violent and claimed a man's life. Nine other people were injured during Monday's protest, when residents blocked the road with burning tyres and hurled stones at police and vehicles. Police responded by firing rubber bullets at the mob. The protest involved residents from Stofland, in the eastern part of De Doorns, who demanded to speak to Breede Valley Mayor Charles Ntsomi. Traffic was on Tuesday still being diverted off the N1 and through the town to keep vehicles out of harm's way, said police spokesperson Inspector Andre Greyling. "Residents blocked trucks carrying people to work and forced workers off the trucks to join their protest," said Ntsomi. They were unhappy with issues including housing, employment, and because refugees had been assisted with relief measures during floods. They told Ntsomi that money meant for housing development in their area had been used in Worcester. He said he met a group of people - who were not the leaders of the protest action - and invited them to select a delegation of representatives for a round table meeting today to discuss possible solutions. Leaders of the protest have yet to confirm they would meet with Ntsomi. "The invitation is still open, because if they are serious about this, a meeting is the only solution to the problem," he said. Ntsomi said he suspected "political games" had been behind the protest, and that the community had been fed misinformation. He denied claims that money had been taken from a De Doorns housing development and redirected into Worcester. Greyling said protesters had thrown rocks at the police who had responded by firing rubber bullets into the crowd to disperse them. "At the moment, we are not sure if the man died from the stones which were thrown by the residents or if he died from the rubber bullets fired by the police," said Greyling. The injured were taken to Worcester Hospital. - Additional reporting by Henri du Plessis http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081119054952113C217330 'We will keep blocking the N1' November 19 2008 at 08:09AM Related Articles ? N1 protest leaves residents 'shaking' ? Man killed in service delivery protest By Caryn Dolley Hundreds of De Doorns residents scrambled between their shacks and fled up mountain paths when police fired rubber bullets at a crowd of protesters for the second day in a row. Officers opened fire on Tuesday to disperse the crowd. The protesters are demanding better service delivery. They want access to water and electricity to be connected immediately to their homes in the Stofland informal settlement. 'We need electricity, more toilets and more taps' Nearly 4 000 protesters blocked the N1 in De Doorns and threw stones at motorists on Monday. Police responded with rubber bullets. Freddie Louw, 63, was injured and died in hospital. Eight other people were injured. Louw's family said the father of four was a "peace-loving, quiet man". On Wednesday, shortly before the N1 was cleared of stones and reopened, a group of protesters toyi-toyied through Stofland. They confronted scores of police officers and two armoured vehicles that had taken up position on the N1, which is separated from the settlement by a fence and sandy strip of land. 'We'll block the N1 every day for seven days' After police repeatedly warned the crowd to disperse, officers streamed through a small opening in the fence to get to the residents. Two armoured vans entered the area and other vans were seen stationed around it. When the group continued to refuse to disperse, officers began firing rubber bullets. Residents ran between the shacks to escape. Others ran for the mountain behind the settlement, with officers in pursuit. Children were heard crying and a woman, her head bleeding, was seen running into a shack. "This is unnecessary," she shouted. Officers walked through the streets shouting at residents to go back to their homes. An hour later, the atmosphere remained tense. Stunned schoolchildren who were walking home stared at the armed police officers. Earlier, residents met Breede Valley council Speaker Joe January. But community representative Anton Femboes said they had not been assured their needs would be met. "We need electricity, more toilets and more taps. We'll block the N1 every day for seven days if we don't get this," Femboes said. There was one toilet to about eight shacks. People wanted a toilet for every shack. Another meeting had been planned for Stofland community leaders and municipal representatives. But Breede Valley municipal manager Allen Paulse said residents had not pitched up. "They want to talk about foreigners coming into the area and taking their jobs, (which is a matter for) the Home Affairs Department. They also want electricity for their homes." Paulse said Eskom was willing to provide the area with electricity if the shacks remained for three years. Meanwhile, as the protests continued, Louw's family was in shock. Louw's son, Freddie jun, was with his father when he was shot. "He went to listen to the (Breede Valley) mayor (Charles Ntsomi) speak. "A fight broke out afterwards, when the police captain said the people must move away and they didn't. They began throwing stones. That's when my father was shot. He wasn't throwing stones." Louw's daughter, Maria Bezuidenhout, said she had seen her father 15 minutes before he left. "The next thing I heard was he was shot. I ran next door and called the ambulance. When I got (to him), my father was on the ground with a bullet sticking out of his head. He was still breathing." The De Doorns police said they had received no reports of injuries in yesterday's clashes. caryn.dolley at inl.co.za http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2428044,00.html Man killed during protest 17/11/2008 22:33 - (SA) Johannesburg - A man was killed and nine people were injured during a protest in Breedevallei on Monday, Western Cape police said. Residents of the Stofland informal settlement were protesting over service delivery on the N1 at 10:00 when the man was killed. Residents were throwing stones after the Mayor Clarence Johnson addressed them, said Inspector Andre Greyling. "Police used rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. At the moment we are not sure if the man died from the stones which were thrown by the residents or if he died from the rubber bullets which were fired by the police," said Greyling. The nine injured were taken to the Worcester hospital with minor injuries. "We closed the road and we are still monitoring the situation," he said. No one was arrested and police are investigating a case of public violence and murder. - SAPA http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Cape%20Argus&fArticleId=4718518 De Doorns still tense after protest on N1 November 18, 2008 Edition 1 ESTHER LEWIS De Doorns was still tense today and the N1 remained closed after a protest over service delivery turned violent and claimed a man's life. Nine other people were injured during yesterday's protest, when residents blocked the road with burning tyres and hurled stones at police and vehicles. Police responded by firing rubber bullets at the mob. The protest involved residents from Stofland, in the eastern part of De Doorns, who demanded to speak to Breede Valley Mayor Charles Ntsomi. Traffic was today still being diverted off the N1 and through the town to keep vehicles out of harm's way, said police spokesman Inspector Andre Greyling. "Residents blocked trucks carrying people to work and forced workers off the trucks to join their protest," said Ntsomi. They were unhappy with issues including housing, employment, and because refugees had been assisted with relief measures during last week's floods. They told Ntsomi that money meant for housing development in their area had been used in Worcester. He said he met a group of people - who were not the leaders of the protest action - and invited them to select a delegation of representatives for a round table meeting today to discuss possible solutions. Leaders of the protest have yet to confirm they would meet with Ntsomi. "The invitation is still open, because if they are serious about this, a meeting is the only solution to the problem," he said. Ntsomi said he suspected "political games" had been behind the protest, and that the community had been fed misinformation. He denied claims that money had been taken from a De Doorns housing development and redirected into Worcester. Greyling said protesters had thrown rocks at the police who had responded by firing rubber bullets into the crowd to disperse them. "At the moment, we are not sure if the man died from the stones which were thrown by the residents or if he died from the rubber bullets fired by the police," said Greyling. The injured were taken to Worcester Hospital. - Additional reporting by Henri du Plessis http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_General&set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=nw20081030152202533C743404 'No electricity, No vote' October 30 2008 at 03:47PM Johannesburg residents demonstrating for free basic electricity threatened on Thursday to boycott next year's general election if their demands were not met. "They are failing us, therefore no electricity no vote, and no water no vote", Anti-Privatisation Forum spokesperson Silumko Radebe told a group of protesters outside Luthuli House in central Johannesburg. Radebe said that in 1995, the government had promised the people free basic services, including water, electricity and housing. At the Johannesburg Metropolitan Centre in Braamfontein, calls were made for Johannesburg City Mayor Amos Masondo to personally accept and sign a memorandum of demands. Instead, a City representative appeared on the mayor's behalf, as Masondo was apparently in a city council meeting. "He is never available when we, the people who placed him in power, want to address our problems with him," said an elderly protester who did not want to be named. Refusing to deal with the city representative, Radebe said they would wait until Masondo presented himself, to accept and sign their memorandum. Earlier, at Eskom's offices, a memorandum was accepted and signed by director general Bulelani Khoza. "We accept a memorandum in good faith, we will attend to it seriously, we will study the memo and respond in due time," said Khoza, further apologising to Gauteng's elderly residents for the lack of electricity. At the minerals and energy department, a smiling administrator accepted and signed the memorandum on behalf of the ministers, drawing sharp criticism from Earthlife Africa member Nqobile Tau. "You are disarming the people with your smiles. We don't want your smiles, we want electricity," he said. The protest was expected to end at the Johannesburg Civic Centre. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20081030104330960C837717 Protest for free basic electricity in Joburg October 30 2008 at 10:49AM The Anti-Privatisation Forum and Earthlife Africa are protesting for free basic electricity in central Johannesburg on Thursday morning. Over 500 people were chanting as they gathered at the Library Gardens. Earthlife Africa spokesman Makoma Lekalakala said the marchers would make their way to Eskom's and the minerals and energy department's offices in Braamfontein. The protest was expected to end at the Johannesburg Civic Centre. - Sapa http://www.worldpress.org/feed.cfm?http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2429016,00.html Protesters march to ANC HQ 19/11/2008 14:12 - (SA) Johannesburg - Police had to form a human chain on Wednesday outside the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters as protesting Johannesburg inner-city residents handed over a memorandum of their grievances. "We demand that the ANC lobby for debt write-offs, as most debts are inherited or caused by administrators and managing agents," the memorandum read. "The ANC must develop a comprehensive strategy to protect the elderly and vulnerable from evictions." The memorandum demanded that a task team be set up to look at the evictions, intimidation and high rentals being experienced by community. Inner-city indaba The protesters also demanded that he ANC convene an inner-city indaba on housing-related issues before the end of January. The residents gave the ANC 14 days to respond to their grievances. The march began at the Joubert Park art gallery, and ended at Luthuli House. Residents were protesting against evictions, the private security company which carried them out - the so-called Red Ants - intimidation by police and water and electricity cuts. "For the past 10 years we have lived under threat. Different people came and claimed to be owners of buildings or flats demanding money," said Johannesburg Inner-City Residents Association spokesman Moses Ka Moyo. He said residents had also received fake court orders. 'We live in a pigsty "We demand protection from the ANC." A disgruntled resident, Sifiso Nkomo said: "We pay high rentals but we live in a pigsty. We also have rights that are being infringed upon. For the past ten years we have lived under unfavourable conditions, this must end." The protesters toyi-toyied and chanted liberation songs. They carried placards reading: "Leave Hillbrow Alone"; and "ANC protect our human rights". The First National Bank on Sauer street closed its security gates as protesters moved towards its entrance during the march. Accepting the memorandum, ANC head of security Bongani Zuma assured the protesters that the ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe would receive their grievances. "It's not because you (protesters) are being disrespected. The ANC is the congress of the people. It is here to listen to you and give you platform for your grievances. "I assure you that I will deliver this memorandum to Mantashe's office". - SAPA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20081111095331918C455922 APF to protest against pre-paid water meters November 11 2008 at 09:58AM The Anti-Privatisation Forum will march to the Johannesburg mayor's office on Tuesday to protest against the installation of pre-paid water meters. "The reasons why the community is opposing water pre-paid meters is because they pave the way for privatisation and prepaid water meters pervert demand management," said APF spokesperson Silumko Radebe. The protesters will march from Beyers Naude Square to the mayor's office at 10am. - Sapa http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20081113103238499C398908 APF to protest against housing allocations November 13 2008 at 10:55AM Mooiplaas and Kruger Park flats residents gathered at the Pretoria City Hall on Thursday in preparation for a protest against corruption in the allocation of houses in city. "Some have already gathered at city hall while we are waiting for others to arrive," said Silumko Radebe of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF). The protesters were expected to march to the Union Buildings. "The main thing is that the march is about the RDP housing corruption involving the City of Tshwane," he said. According to the APF, Tshwane 's housing department had in a corrupt manner allocated houses to other people and not the Mooiplaas residents who were the rightful recipients of the houses. Residents of Kruger Park flats - which was set alight in July over evictions - and Schubart Park flat residents would join the march. Radebe said a memorandum calling for a formal inquiry into the city's housing department would be handed over at the Union Buildings at around noon. "The memorandum also calls for residents of Kruger and Schubart Park flats to be given ownership of their flats," said Radebe. - Sapa http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/11/8/29997/Protests-continue-in-Dominican-Republic-due-to-blackouts Local - 8 November 2008, 12:22 AM Protests continue in Dominican Republic due to blackouts Santo Domingo.? Protests over an energy crisis are growing violent across the Dominican Republic as residents face nearly 24-hour blackouts that have snarled traffic and forced businesses to close. Power companies on average are supplying less than half of the 1,960 megawatts the country demands daily. According to Radhames Segura, administrator of the state-owned power company corporation, the crisis is temporary. He blamed mounting debt and faulty equipment. Privately owned power companies are seeking US$400 million from the government and say they cannot afford the petroleum needed to run electric plants. Police say at least one person has died and dozens have been injured in protests against the crisis. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1227450.htm Guinea bauxite trains restart after protest ends 01 Nov 2008 18:19:23 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds details, background) CONAKRY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Trains used by Guinea's main bauxite exporter Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) resumed work on Saturday after a protest that had blocked the line since Friday ended, a company official said. "Traffic has restarted. The first 120-wagon train arrived this afternoon," said the official, who asked not to be named. One person was killed during the protests in which local people in Boke, where the world's largest bauxite exporter CBG digs the aluminium ore, erected barricades on the railway line to protest over electricity shortages. U.S. metals giant Alcoa , part-owner of CBG, said late on Friday that production had not been affected by the protest. Guinean President Lansana Conte personally intervened to end the protests, the company official said. "He (Conte) brought together the local authorities and they spoke. The people understood and agreed to let trains pass," he said. Protests about poor public services are common in the west African country, where most people live in poverty despite Guinea's lucrative natural resources. Demonstrations about inadequate electricity supply often target bauxite operations as these tend to generate power for surrounding towns under their deals with the government. In October, one person was killed during a five-day power protest in the town of Mambia that stopped trains carrying bauxite for Russian aluminium firm UC RUSAL. Alcoa and Rio Tinto Alcan control the Halco joint venture that owns 51 percent of CBG, and the Guinean government holds the remainder. In July, the Guinean government said it was replacing Alcoa as manager of CBG with an interim committee. [ID:nL18903866] As well as bauxite, Guinea has large reserves of steel-making raw material iron ore. Rio Tinto is majority owner of the $6 billion Simandou iron ore project, which the firm says is the world's best unexploited resource. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; editing by Keith Weir) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111652640300.htm Karnataka - Mysore Power crisis: CPI (M) stages protest Special Correspondent MYSORE: The Mysore unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a dharna in the city on Saturday to protest against the State Government?s administrative ?failure?, and its inability to resolve the power crisis and protect the common man?s interest. The party activists listed various administrative lapses of the State Government and said it had earned the wrath of all sections of society, including industrialists and hoteliers. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on the assurance that power would be supplied free of cost to the farmers, it has turned out to be a chimera, said the CPI (M). It said the Chief Minister of the State has surpassed all his predecessors in issuing promises. He seemed to be disconnected with the ground realities and problems plaguing the people, they said. The CPI (M) said different leaders were airing different views on the power crisis and creating confusion in the minds of the public. ?Instead of blaming the Union Government for the power crisis, the State should make arrangements to procure power from the Central Grid to tide over the crisis,? the party said. The CPI (M) underscored the need to resolve the power crisis as it had a direct bearing on industrial production and agricultural output. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111452040300.htm Tamil Nadu - Erode AIADMK volunteers stage protest against power cut Staff Reporter DMK Government challenged to dissolve Assembly and face elections PHOTO: M.GOVARTHAN For a cause: AIADMK volunteers stage a demonstration in Erode on Thursday against power cut and anti-people policies. ? ERODE: Former Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader N. Thalavai Sundaram has dared the ruling DMK Government to dissolve the Assembly and face elections. Participating in the protest the party organised here on Thursday against power cut and its impact on industry, particularly powerloom, he said, if the DMK Government faced the next election they would be routed, for such is their performance. Unprecedented ?The power cut the State is experiencing today is unprecedented. ?The industry is hit and production has come down. As a result, labourers are losing jobs. ?And, in agriculture, farmers are not able to water crops, which are fast wilting. In short, the industry and agriculture in the State is in poor shape.? Criticism Mr. Sundaram also criticised the deterioration of law and order in the State. ?From law college students to political leaders to the leader of the Opposition, nobody is spared,? he said and asked the voters to decide if such a Government should continue the next term. He added that in the ensuing Parliamentary election, the voters would give a befitting reply to the ruling DMK, leaders of which are part of the Union Cabinet. Former State Minister Durai Ramasamy said industries in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Perundurai had been hit so hard because of the power cut that there were on the verge of closure. Former Minister P.C. Ramsamy said, ?Investments worth Rs. 1,500 crore will go waste and 15,000 labourers will lose jobs, thanks to the power cut.? He also blamed the Government for not making full use of the windmills, which were not running to the optimum. He added that powerloom industry in Erode, Perundurai, Vellakoil, Thandampalayam and neighbouring areas were facing the worst crisis ever. AIADMK?s Erode south district secretary K.V. Ramalingam said the DMK rising Eelam Tamil issue was a ploy to divert people?s attention for price rise and power cut. Thousands of party cadres participated in the meeting. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111452960300.htm Karnataka - Shimoga Protest against unscheduled power cuts Special Correspondent SHIMOGA: Members of the District Youth Congress Committee staged a demonstration in front of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) office here on Thursday to protest against unscheduled power cuts. They said that Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa, who had been confusing people by issuing conflicting statements on the power scenario, had failed to improve the power situation in the State. They said that the confusion on the power scenario could be attributed to the lack of coordination between the Minister for Energy and the officers of the authorities concerned. Instead of trying to overcome the crisis by securing power from other States, the Government was unnecessarily blaming the Centre for the situation, the protesters said. The demonstrators urged the Government to announce the schedule for power cuts. President of the committee N. Ravikumar led the demonstration. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112052500300.htm Nov 20 2008 Karnataka - Gulbarga Congress protests against power cut Special Correspondent GULBARGA: The Gulbarga District Congress Committee on Wednesday criticised the State Government for not ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply in the district and for resorting to unscheduled and scheduled power cuts in the urban and rural areas for hours on end. Members of the District Congress Committee (DCC), who took out a procession in the city and staged a dharna in front of the office of the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Ltd. (GESCOM), in protest against the frequent interruptions in power supply, demanded uninterrupted power supply to irrigation pumpsets in rural areas to save standing crops dependent on lift irrigation and groundwater irrigation. DCC president Allamprabhu Patil and leaders of the party, including former Mayor and president of the women?s wing of the district unit, Chandrika Parameshwar, took part in the procession and the dharna. In a memorandum submitted to GESCOM managing director, Mr. Patil blamed the inept handling of the power situation by the BJP Government for the power crisis in the State. Mr. Patil demanded that the Government take concrete steps to end the power crisis by purchasing power from other States. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110954040300.htm Karnataka - Bidar Protest against power disruption Staff Correspondent BIDAR: Hundreds of Gadawathi residents of Humnabad taluk on Saturday blocked National Highway 9 for about two-and-a-half hours protesting against power disruption in the taluk. Minister for Public Works C. M. Udasi, Tejaswini Sriramesh, MP, and Managing Editor of Vijaya Karnataka Vishveswar Bhat, who were on their way to Basavakalayn to attend Sharana Kammta, had to wait for about an hour before the way was cleared. Villagers said that owing to power disruptions, they faced drinking water problems and could not irrigate their crops. A large number of vehicles came to a halt on the national highway. Police tried to placate the mob into withdrawing the blockade but they did not relent. Later, police took them into custody and cleared way for vehicular movement. Later, at a press conference, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said that the State government had taken steps to overcome the power crisis in the State. Mr. Yeddyurappa said the State Government had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Chhattisgarh Government to generate 2,000 MW of power. Police said the villagers were released after Humnabad MLA and officials worked out an amicable solution with the residents. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/17/stories/2008111757910300.htm Karnataka Protest against power cut Staff Correspondent ________________________________________ Sangha wants to know why power cut is longer in rural areas ________________________________________ Davangere: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (Nanjundaswamy faction) will launch agitation across the State on November 20. Vice-president G. Veeranna and general secretary Basavareddy informed this during a press meet in Davangere on Sunday. They said that they will protest against the discriminative policy of the State Government with respect to supply of power to rural and urban areas. Mr. Veeranna said that the Government had announced 6-hour 3-phase power and 6-hour single-phase power to rural areas while in urban areas continuous power supply had been restored. He questioned why the Government was following such a policy of discrimination. He demanded that proper power supply should be restored in all places immediately. He said that as power was supplied to rural areas only during the night farmers were forced to sacrifice their sleep and work on the farms during the night. Irrigation pump sets function only when there is electricity supply and only then farmers can water the crops. But, if they are forced to work in the night, the farmers risk snake bite and attack by wild animals. Huchavanahalli Manjunath, a farmers? leader, said that standing groundnut crop had been destroyed in Jagalur and other places in Davangere district owing to short supply of water due to power cuts. Blaming the BESCOM for crop loss, he informed that groundnut was grown in 5,250 hectares of lands in the district and the crop in the whole area was destroyed. Veeranna said that industries in Bellary were supplied large quantity of water from the Tungabhadra reservoir while people residing adjacent to the reservoir were deprived of drinking water. He said that 4.5 TMC of water was being supplied to Kirloskar, four TMC to Jindal and 1.5 TMC to Mukunda and he noted that over 10 TMC water was being supplied to industries while not much water was supplied for agricultural purposes. The sangha will launch an indefinite agitation against the Government?s discriminative policy in supply of water from November 24 in front of the Tungabhadra dam in Hospet. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111454550500.htm Karnataka Janata Dal (S) threatens protest CHIKMAGALUR: H.H. Devaraj, general secretary of the district unit of the Janata Dal (Secular), has warned that his party will organise a demonstration in front of the Mescom office if the power crisis is not set right in a week. Mr. Devaraj told presspersons here on Wednesday that drinking water problems had arisen in rural areas and agricultural operations were hit. He blamed the Government for its ?negligence? on the crisis. ? Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111159670300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Congress workers stage protest Staff Correspondent MANGALORE: Congress workers, led by president of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee B. Ramanath Rai and Mangalore MLA U.T. Khader, staged a demonstration in front of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) office here on Monday. They were agitating against the growing power crisis in the State. In a memorandum addressed to the Governor and submitted to the MESCOM officials, Mr. Rai called for the dissolution of the BJP Government in the State. Stating that this was the greatest power crisis in the history of the State, Mr. Rai said that the BJP had gone back on its election promises wherein it had promised uninterrupted power supply. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Khader called for the resignation of Power Minister S. Eshwarappa alleging that the Minister?s mismanagement had led to the present crisis. Warning that the party would intensify its struggle against the ?anti-people? policies of the BJP Government, Mr. Khader said, ?We are giving the State Government one week?s time to sort out the electricity supply issues.? http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111153920400.htm Karnataka Protest against erratic power supply CHICKBALLAPUR: Congress workers took out a procession and blocked National Highway 7 in Chickballapur town on Monday to protest against the erratic power supply in the district. Raising slogans against the State Government for not ensuring proper power supply, they marched from the Travellers? Bungalow to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company office and staged a demonstration. As the protesters squatted on the road, movement of vehicles was affected for some time. Addressing the protesters, Congress leader Yeluvahalli N. Ramesh said the State Government should come out with a special power supply scheme for Chickballapur and Kolar districts as farmers in the two districts were totally dependent on borewells for irrigation. The Government should make arrangements for supplying power to irrigation pump sets for at least eight hours a day, Mr. Ramesh said. ? Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111358080800.htm Tamil Nadu Protest over denial of PDS items in Karur Staff Reporter KARUR: Residents of Vadivel Nagar and Andankoil East staged a demonstration in front of LNS Cooperative Bank on Wednesday protesting denial of essential commodities to them under the public distribution system. They also demanded that the authorities look into the erratic supply of potable water in the locality. The protest was led by Ward member K. Devaraj and included members from all parties and organisations. They included P.K. Murugesan (CPI-M), V.N. Veeramani (DMK), K. Selvaraj (Congress), and cadres of the DMDK, MDMK and DYFI. The protestors claimed that essential commodities was not being supplied at the PDS shop, and water was being supplied once in 10 days. They demanded that the authorities solve the problems. They demanded expeditious completion of the storm water drain. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111952510300.htm Tamil Nadu - Salem Demonstration against price rise Special Correspondent Women drink gruel to symbolically suggest the price hike ________________________________________ ?The State which announced groceries for Rs.50 in fair price shops couldn?t ensure its steady supply ? ________________________________________ ? Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan Symbol of dissent: Members of CPI and NFIW staging a novel demonstration of drinking gruel in Salem on Tuesday to condemn the price hike in essential commodities SALEM: Members of Salem district units of CPI and National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to protest against the price hike of essential commodities. The members claimed that the prices of vegetables, groceries and rice had recorded steep hike of late thus forcing the people to suffer heavily. When the centre hiked the prices of petrol and diesel, the Left opposed it stiffly. This had led to all round price hike in the country, they said. But when the crude oil price came down, the centre did not bring down the prices of the petroleum products. The State which announced 10 packets of groceries for Rs 50 in fair price shops also could not ensure its steady supply to the poor. The members insisted that the Government should take immediate action to control the price hike. The women drank gruel to symbolically suggest the price hike. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111954160300.htm Tamil Nadu CPI workers stage demonstration Staff Reporter - Photo: N. Bashkaran Yet another protest: Members of the Communist Party of India staging a demonstration near the revenue divisional office in Krishnagiri on Tuesday. KRISHNAGIRI: Workers of the Communist Party of India staged a demonstration in front of the revenue divisional office here on Tuesday, condemning the State and Union governments? failure to control price rise. State-wide agitation The demonstration was held as part of its state-wide agitation against price rise and wrong economic policies of the State and Union governments. Slogans Workers raised slogans against the DMK and Union governments for not initiating measures to bring down the rising prices of the essential commodities, vegetables and other products etc. More than 100 workers, including 20 women, participated in the demonstration. CPI District President P. Nagaraja Reddy presided over the demonstration. CPI State Executive Committee Members D.S. Pandiyan, S. Kannu, N.V. Venkateswaran were among those who participated in the protest. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/03/stories/2008110358720400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Demonstration against poor civic amenities Staff Reporter CHENNAI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham on Sunday organised a demonstration in Tiruvottiyur against the poor civic amenities in the Municipality limits. The participants also opposed the property tax revision announced by the Municipality and demanded that the road from Tiruvottiyur Tollgate to Ernavur Bridge be widened to 65 feet. Participating in the rally, AIADMK leader E. Madhusudhanan said bad roads, on which accidents were not uncommon, long hours of power cut, non-functioning of streetlights and slow pace of implementation of an underground drainage scheme were some of the problems faced by the residents. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103159130300.htm Andhra Pradesh Protest demonstration The CPI, under the leadership of its corporator (44th division) P. Gowtham Reddy, organised a protest demonstration with applicants for white ration cards in front of Maruthi Gas Company in Satyanarayanapuram on Thursday to demand issuance of the cards without any delay. Mr. Reddy said though 24,000 people had applied for white ration cards after the government increased the income limit to Rs.75,000 a year, the officials had not started the verification process. CPI activists collected the receipts given by the officials to the applicants. The officials assured the agitating applicants that verification would be completed in seven days. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110154010400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai CPI(M) stages demonstrations Special Correspondent ? Photo: K. Pichumani IN Protest: CPI(M) members staging dharna against power cut in Chennai on Friday. CHENNAI: The south Chennai district unit of the CPI(M) on Friday conducted demonstrations in 11 centres to urge the State government to find ways to tide over the power crisis. Increase State?s share Addressing demonstrators at Pallavaram, K. Beemarao, the district secretary of the party, said efforts should be made to increase Tamil Nadu?s share from the power stations under the control of the Centre. ?Our share is 2350 MW. Currently, we are getting only 1500 MW,? Mr. Beemrao added. Demonstrations were held at Pallavaram, T. Nagar, Saidapet, Porur, Villivakkam, MGR Nagar market, Tambaram, Anagaputhur, Medavakkam and Ekkaduthangal. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112859440300.htm Karnataka - Udupi Congress stages protest Staff Correspondent Udupi: The Udupi Block Congress Committee held a public meeting and took out a torchlight rally here on Thursday to protest against frequent power-cuts in the State. A minute?s silence was observed at the beginning of the public meeting to condole the death of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh and the policemen who laid their lives in fighting against the terrorists in Mumbai. M.A. Gafoor, president of Udupi district Congress committee, said that the power policy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was a complete failure. Unscheduled load shedding and frequent power cuts had become the order of the day. There was no sector which had been left untouched by the power cuts. Students were finding it difficult to study. The industrial sector, including small and medium enterprises, was hard hit. ?People in both the urban and rural areas are suffering owing to power cuts,? he said. After the meeting, the Congress workers took out a torchlight procession. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/17/stories/2008111757210300.htm Tamil Nadu Protest against load shedding Staff Reporter Tirupur: Members of the women?s wing of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam staged a demonstration in front of the Corporation office on Sunday to protest against the load shedding and hike in prices of essential commodities. The urged the State Government to take steps to as the prolonged load shedding enforced in the state had affected industrial production considerably. ?Control price rise? If the situation continues, many workers might lose their jobs, they said. Similarly, central and state governments should come out with monetary measures to control the rise in prices of essential commodities. M.S. Sharmila Bharati, district secretary (Coimbatore North) of the women?s wing, led the agitation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112853620300.htm Karnataka - Madikeri Protest planned against BJP Government Staff Correspondent Madikeri: Kodagu district unit of the Congress will stage a protest here on December 2 against the ?neglect? of the district by the State Government, its president Veena Achaiah said here on Tuesday. She was speaking to presspersons. Erratic power supply, poor road conditions, shortage of doctors in government hospitals and confusion in distribution of ration cards were the burning issues in the district and the State Government had turned blind eye to them, Ms. Achaiah alleged. A procession would be taken out on December 2 to the Deputy Commissioner?s office in the Fort where a demonstration would be held. If anomalies were not set right within a month, the issue would be taken to the State level, she added. The BJP Government had virtually stopped functioning and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was indulging in ?transfer deals?, Ms. Achaiah alleged. The Mangalore-Madikeri road was in a pathetic condition. Mangalore-Kodagu MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda should resign owning moral responsibility, Ms. Achaiah said. She said that people of the State had now realised the mistake of bringing the BJP to power. People in Kodagu were getting less than 12 hours of power supply every day. People of the district were optimistic and believed the BJP Government?s promises. On the other hand, the BJP had taken advantage of the innocence of the people, she charged. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111151470300.htm Karnataka - Shimoga Congress plans protest against ?anti-development? policy Special Correspondent Party workers to take part in district-level programme on November 19 ________________________________________ Tirthahalli MLA to launch padayatra to villages in his Assembly constituency on Friday Need for expeditious completion of development works in Shimoga district stressed ________________________________________ SHIMOGA: The Congress would stage a district-level protest here on November 19 against the alleged anti-development policy of the BJP Government in the State. Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa said that party workers from the district would take part in the protest. He said that Tirthahalli MLA Kimmane Ratnakar, who would launch his padayatra to villages in his constituency to highlight the power problem there on November 14, would join the protest on November 19. Mr. Thimmappa said a procession would be taken out during the protest rally in which a large number of leaders and workers would participate. He said that the purpose of holding the protest was to draw the State Government?s attention to the need for the speedy completion of the development works. He said that Shikaripur taluk was getting a lion?s share in the allocation of funds. Mr. Thimmappa noted that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa?s love for his home constituency of Shikaripur was so intent that he had virtually become its district in-charge Minister neglecting the other parts of the district. Many development works were hampered due to the improper utilisation of funds, he noted. He alleged that the police in the district were acting as the agents of the BJP going by the way the many ?innocent? Congress workers were being harassed and ?false? cases being registered against them. He said that politicising policing in the district by the BJP was an unfortunate development. He said that the Congress leaders would meet Superintendent of Police S. Murugan in this connection. On the progress of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) of the Union Government, he pointed out that the funds released for the district under the project were not utilised properly, though it was hailed as a novel project to generate employment opportunity in the rural areas. Mr. Thimmappa said that of the Rs. 26 crore sanctioned for the district under NREGS the Government had released Rs. 5 crore this year but these funds were not used for the implementation of the scheme. He said that the zilla panchayat had failed in making the NREGS a success in the district. The panchayat officials were not cooperating in its implementation. He alleged that the Chief Minister was also not showing any interest in the implementation of the NREGS and other Central projects, as the credit would go to the Union Government led by the Congress. Mr. Thimmappa said that various Union Government-sponsored programmes such as the Prime Minister?s Vidharbha model relief package for people affected by irrigation projects had not been implemented effectively. Bhadra canal He pointed out that even the much publicised Bhadra canal modernisation project was not showing any progress. He said that Union Government programmes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Project, Central Road Projects and others had been stalled due to lack of funds. District Congress Committee president R. Prasanna Kumar, former MLA Kariyanna, leaders such as Ismail Khan and Kalgod Ratnakar were present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111151330300.htm Karnataka - Belgaum Mahila Congress stages protest Staff Correspondent FOR POWER: Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress staging a protest against the BJP Government for its failure to provide regular electricity supply in rural areas, in Belgaum on Monday. Belgaum: The Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress organised a protest against the alleged failure of the BJP Government to stand true to its promise on providing non-stop electricity supply in rural areas here on Monday. The protest was led by State general secretary of Mahila Congress Laxmi Hebbalkar. The Belgaum District Congress Committee members, headed by S.S. Bhimmannavar, party workers from Belgaum and Khanapur taluks, and Seva Dal workers also participated. A human chain was formed at Rani Channamma Circle resulting in traffic jams for some time. Party MLA representing Belgaum North joined the protesters while submitting a memorandum to the Government at the Deputy Commissioner?s office. In its memorandum, the Congress criticised the Government stating that though Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa took oath of office in the name of farmers and had promised regular and free power supply to farmers, he had no time to look into their (farmers) problems resulting from long hours of power cuts. Added to it were the hardships due to inadequate supply of fertilizers. Standing crops had dried as there was no power supply in rural areas for irrigation for the fortnight. Even flour mills were not working for want of power supply which was only compounding hardships of the people both in the rural and the urban areas. She said the power supply situation was worst in the urban areas as a large number of powerlooms had come to a grinding halt. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110459090300.htm Tamil Nadu Councillors stage novel protest Staff Reporter Mettuppalayam: Five councillors of the Mettuppalayam Municipality on Monday staged a novel protest urging the civic body to close the trenches dug up for repairing the leaks in drinking water pipelines. They protested by taking bath in the open using the stagnant water (in the trenches dug up for plugging the leaks) near the bus stand on the Coimbatore main road. The councillors who staged the protest included R. Murugesan, R. Jagannathan, KMG Murali, P. Subramani and D. Sathish Kumar. The councillors alleged that the trenches had remained open for more than a week and caused a lot of accidents. S.T. Rajan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Periyanaickenpalayam; R. Arumugam, Vice-Chairman of the Municipality; Commissioner Rajan and others held talks with the agitated councillors. They assured that the leaks will be plugged immediately. Municipal authorities also assured that in future such repair works will be entrusted to private firms. Following these assurances, the councillors withdrew their agitation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110453680300.htm Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram Protest against cooperative policies Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram: The Sahakarna Janadhipathiya Vedi, under the auspices of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, has decided to stage protest demonstrations in front of the offices of the joint registrar of cooperatives in every district on November 6 in protest against the State government?s policies. In a statement here, Karakulam Krishna Pillai, vedi convener, said the State government had adopted vindictive measures by disbanding cooperatives controlled by the Congress. . The demonstrations would be conducted in all districts. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112253730300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Ration dealers? protest Staff Reporter Kozhikode: The All Kerala Retail Ration Dealer?s Association will observe November 24, the day the Assembly session resumes, as ?Black Day? in protest against the ?neglect of the public distribution system by the State and Union governments.? Addressing a press conference here, Association State president K.V. Thomas, MLA, said the association represented over 10,000 retail ration dealers out of the total 14,000 in the State. He said the commission received by the ration dealers had not been revised for 20 years. The association said the government should take measures to reinstate the amount of food grains and other necessary goods that had been cut by the Union government. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-40123.html Residents on sit-in protest to demand civic amenities Ghaziabad, Nov 3 : Over 250 residents of Kaushambi, including lawyers, doctors and professionals, staged a protest sit-in at the Ghaziabad civic corporation office Monday demanding basic infrastructure development of the area. The protesters, representing over 20,000 residents, allege their area is neglected by the civic authorities. "We want certain percentage of the tax we pay to be spent on development of our area. This will solve the problems of the remaining areas," said Vipin Mittal, a resident. The residents had stopped payment of house tax to the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad for two years earlier and had agreed to pay it on the assurances of the municipal commissioner. "Our demands have not been met by the agency as promised," said Arvind Kejriwal, a resident and an RTI activist. The residents allege rampant corruption in the department. Municipal Commissioner Ajay Shanker Pandey assured the protesters he would look into the matter. However, the protesters are not ready to call off their agitation. They demand 60 percent of the revenue be spent on infrastructure development of the area and development of basic facilities be done on a priority basis. --- IANS http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/18/stories/2008111853250300.htm Nov 18 2008 Tamil Nadu - Salem Protest against short-weights Special Correspondent SALEM: Villagers of Mittapudur near here resorted to a road blockade on Monday accusing that they were not being given adequate amount of rice under the Re. 1 per kilogram rice scheme as the short-weights were being used to weigh the rice. The villagers, a majority of them women, blocked the traffic and urged the District administration to ensure correct amount of rice to the card holders who buy rice from the fair price shop in Mittapudur. Nearly 1500 card holders were attached to the shop where the Rs 1 a kilogram rice is supplied along with other essential items. The women claimed that it had become a regular practice for those in the shops to give less rice. ?Instead of one kilogram, it is just 750 grams. How can we survive,? asked a woman who insisted on immediate action against those who were responsible for this act of negligence. Officials rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators. They also assured the villagers that correct amount would be supplied to the card holders. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111659860300.htm Kerala - Kochi Protest over SmartCity delay Staff Reporter KOCHI: Thrikkakkara East and West mandalam committees of the Congress will observe Sunday as ?a lost year? marking the completion of one year of the laying of the foundation stone of the proposed SmartCity Kochi project. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Benny Behannan will place a wreath where the foundation stone was laid on November 16 last year. This will be followed by a protest march to the Kakkanad junction where KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala will inaugurate a public meeting to protest the delay in implementing the project. K. Babu, MLA, will preside. District Congress Committee president, V.J. Paulose; United Democratic Front district convener, K.P. Dhanapalan; and former minister, Dominic Presentation, will speak. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111351590300.htm Karnataka - Bijapur Farmers to protest against new water supply schedule Staff Correspondent ?Tail-end areas haven?t received water for 25 days? Bijapur: Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal Advisory Committee member Panchappa Kalburgi has said that beneficiaries of the Indi Branch Canal, on the stretch from 88th km to 172nd km, would stage a dharna in front of the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited (KBJNL) office and a rasta roko on National Highway19 from Monday to protest against ?improper schedule of releasing water and inadequate power supply?. Speaking to presspersons here on Wednesday, he said that owing to the improper schedule of water supply to Indi Branch Canal, the beneficiaries on the stretch from Balaganur Tank (88th km) to the tail-end villages (172nd km) had not received water for 25 days. If the authorities concerned did not take immediate steps to regulate water supply, wheat crop on 10,000 acres of land and other crops on 20,000 acres would be destroyed, he added. ?Instead of following the old schedule of seven days, the authorities have introduced a ten-day schedule to release water into the canal. According to the new schedule, farmers in the tail-end villages were supposed to receive water once in three months, he said. Mr. Kalburgi demanded that the officers implement the old schedule of water supply. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised uninterrupted power supply to farmers after coming to power, it failed to supply ?even minimum power to farmers and the common man in the State?, he charged. Instead of blaming previous governments for the power crisis, the BJP Government should sign pacts with other States to overcome the problem. Mr. Kalburgi said that Indi and Sindagi farmers had withdrawn their agitation based on the assurance of the State Government that compensation for uncrushed sugarcane for 2006-07 would be released. A detailed report in this regard had been submitted to the Government, and the compensation would be released in the first week of December, he added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/27/stories/2008112759440500.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai Left parties to stage protest Special Correspondent CHENNAI: The Left parties will stage a protest on December 2 all over the State to condemn the Central government?s failure to reduce the price of petroleum products in the wake of the dip in the price of crude oil in the international market. ?When we protested the increase, the government rejected our demand, saying the price in the international market had gone up. Now the price of a barrel has come down to $50 from $150. But the government is remaining silent. It is cheating the people,? said CPI(M) State secretary N. Varadarajan, CPI State secretary D. Pandian and Forward Bloc leader P.V. Kadiravan in a joint statement. The protest would be held at the district and taluk headquarters. Discussions Earlier in the day, the CPI leaders, including D. Pandian, R. Nallakannu, A.M. Gopu and G. Palanisamy, visited the CPI (M) office and held discussions on various issues. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112955110300.htm Tamil Nadu Novel protest by DYFI members SIVAKASI: Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India staged a novel protest of ?begging? to highlight the poor state of a stretch of State highways road, on Friday. Over 100 members went around the town ?begging?, the federation Sivakasi town secretary, P. Balasubramanian said. The 1.5 km. of road from the bypass junction to Naranapuram was unmotorable, he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/17/stories/2008111754130400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai AIADMK plans demonstration in Karur Special Correspondent CHENNAI: The AIADMK will organise a demonstration on November 18 in Karur district to condemn Union Minister of Shipping and Road Transport T.R. Baalu for his failure to complete the railway flyover in Lalapet. In a statement here, party general secretary Jayalalithaa said the delay in completing the work had caused enormous difficulties to the people. ?Whenever the railway gate is closed the traffic comes to a standstill,? she alleged. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111351650300.htm Karnataka - Mysore Vatal Paksha stages demonstration against Hogenakkal project Staff Correspondent Yeddyurappa urged to convene a meeting of leaders of all political parties ? PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM Raising slogans: Activists of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha staging a demonstration in Mysore on Wednesday. MYSORE: Activists of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha (KCVP) staged a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office here on Wednesday in protest against the Tamil Nadu Government?s decision of implementing the controversial Hogenakkal drinking water project. The activists gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s office and raised slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and burnt an effigy. They urged Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to convene a meeting of leaders of all political parties and an emergency legislature session to discuss the issue. They appealed to him to take a delegation to the Prime Minister and apprise him of the seriousness of the issue. Addressing the activists, president of KCVP Vatal Nagaraj said that the Tamil Nadu Government had started work on the project and appointed an officer for its early completion. The Tamil Nadu Government had changed its original plan of providing drinking water to Dharmapuri district by including Krishnagiri district in it. If the project was implemented, Karnataka would face problems. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government had failed in protecting the interests of the State, he alleged. He said that the Tamil Nadu Government did not bother to intimate its plan of action to the Karnataka Government and the Centre. The Tamil Nadu Government had obtained financial assistance from the Japan Government for the implementation of the project. The Karnataka Government had to pressure the Japan Government against funding the controversial project. Urging the Tamil Nadu Government to make public the project plan, he appealed to Mr. Yeddyurappa to act immediately to stop Tamil Nadu from implementing the project. He said that his party would intensify its agitation if the Tamil Nadu Government went ahead with its plan, by organising protests and bandhs across the State. M. Nanjundaswamy, president of the district unit of KCVP, spoke. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111153880400.htm Tamil Nadu - Chennai AIADMK to hold demonstration today CHENNAI: General secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Jayalalithaa has said that her party members will stage a demonstration near the Rajapalayam old bus terminus in Virudhunagar district on Tuesday to protest against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government?s decision to close down the old terminus. In a statement, Ms. Jayalalithaa has charged the government with taking decisions that are against the wishes and interests of the people. She said the newly constructed bus terminus was situated outside city limits. ? Special Correspondent http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20081104-170088/Protesters-bat-for-1-more-LRT-stop Protesters bat for 1 more LRT stop By Beverly T. Natividad Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:22:00 11/04/2008 Filed Under: Railway, Local authorities MANILA, Philippines ? Some 100 residents of Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, Monday blocked the northbound lane of Edsa near Balintawak to dramatize their appeal to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). The residents of Bagong Barrio ? which is located between the North Luzon Expressway and Monumento ? asked the DOTC to build one of the stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 near their area. Under the LRT Line 1 north extension project, a 5.71-km elevated railway would be constructed to connect the LRT Monumento station to the North Avenue station of the Metro Rail Transit. The project is expected to be completed by 2010. According to the protesters, who halted traffic on Edsa shortly before noon, they will not benefit from the LRT north extension project because the stations that will be built are far from their area. Caloocan Mayor Enrico ?Recom? Echiverri told Inquirer that the Bagong Barrio residents wanted the DOTC to implement their original plan for the LRT-MRT Loop. According to him, the DOTC?s original plan called for the construction of LRT stations at Roosevelt, Balintawak and Bagong Barrio. Under the current plan, however, only the Roosevelt and Balintawak stations will be retained. Light Rail Transit Authority Administrator Mel Robles, however, defended the agency?s decision. ?Studies show that Roosevelt and Balintawak would have the highest ridership. We are in the business of moving people. Where there is high density, we will go there,? Robles told Inquirer. A station, he said, costs around P800 million to build ?which is why we need to put it up where it could be most profitable. We need to base that decision on a study, not on politics.? http://www.gmanews.tv/story/134149/Group-readies-protests-at-House-fertilizer-fund-mess-hearing Group readies protests at House fertilizer fund mess hearing 11/18/2008 | 08:38 AM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis MANILA, Philippines - Militant workers prepared early Tuesday to picket the House of Representatives with the expected appearance of former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante at the hearing on the P728-million fertilizer fund mess. Radio dzBB's Manny Vargas reported that members of Anakpawis plan to make Bolante feel the heat for the effect of the fertilizer scam on workers' lives. Anakpawis deputy secretary general Sammy Malunes said most of the protesters will include workers from Central Luzon. Bolante was scheduled to appear at the House of Representatives Tuesday for the fertilizer fund mess, where he had been tagged as the scam's architect. During his testimony at the Senate last week, Bolante insisted there was nothing irregular in the government's fertilizer program. - GMANews.TV http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/November/middleeast_November36.xml Longest Protest in Bahrain 3 November 2008 MANAMA - The longest peaceful protest in Bahrain completed 250 days on Friday demanding immediate solution to problems of residents of four villages with more than 1400 families waiting for houses from government for decades. In a festival held on Friday to mark the completion of more than eight months of sit-in, the residents urged the interference of His Majesty the King to solve the problem. They vowed to continue with their protest until fulfillment of their demands. The protest was fun for the residents with games, pony rides to spice up the longest-ever demonstration held in Bahrain. shamada at khaleejtimes.com Lapindo mud flow victims demand payment of compensation Jakarta -- Victims of the Brantas Lapindo mud flow disaster in Central Java have again protested demanding the payment of compensation for their land and homes. The action was held in front of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) offices in Central Jakarta on Thursday November 13. The protesters, the majority of whom originate from the villages of Kedung Bendo, Jatirejo, Siring and Renokenongo, have been staying overnight at YLBHI since Monday. During the action, the protesters called on Lapindo to pay the remaining 80 percent of compensation money as regulated by Presidential Regulation 14/2007. They also called on the government to force Lapindo to pay the outstanding monies. --------------------------------------------------- Lapindo victims demand to meet the president Tempo Interactive - November 15, 2008 Anton Septian/Wikipedia, Jakarta -- Lapindo mudflow victims demanded on Friday to meet President Yudhoyono in a meeting with presidential advisor Adnan Buyung Nasution. Around 250 people from representing thousands of Lapindo mudflow victim stated their demand saying "the president should interfere. His ministers (members of the the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigatin Team) have failed to solve this problem." The meeting took place at an NGO office in jakarta, The Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation where victim asked Adnan to faciliate a meeting between the mudflow victims and the president. Over 10,000 people in Sidoarjo, East Java have been forced to leave their homes since mudflow spurred in 2006 from an oil exploration well run by Lapindo Brantas. Victims demanded compensation but the company controlled by Bakrie & Brothers a holding company owned by the family of Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie forced the government to pay the compensation, as the company argued the mudflow was a natural disaster The company also acquitted by a Jakarta Court from environmental damage charges in 2007 which include PT Energi Mega Persada, Kalila Energy Limited, Pan Asia Enterprise, PT Medco Energy, and Santos Australia Limited in the consortium of Sidoarjo exploration field. The parliament even declared the mudflow as a natural disaster, while a group of world geologists in their recent Cape Town meeting late in October said the drilling by Lapindo Brantas in May 2006 responsible for the mudflow. The first meeting between Lapindo mudflow victims and the president was in April 2007. --------------------------------------------------- Village officials besiege parliament, demand funding increase Jakarta -- More then 3,000 village officials from the Archipelago Village People's Union (Parade Nusantara) held a protest action in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Central Jakarta on November 17 demanding that 10 percent of the state budget be allocated for village development programs. The demonstrators threatened that if their demands are not met they would boycott the 2009 general elections. ??Certainly there are funds from departments that are concerned with village development such as the Agricultural Department and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Affairs. But this is not enough, we are asking for 10 percent. If not, we will boycott the elections??, action coordinator Slamet Rahardjo told journalists during a break in the action. As a result of the demonstration, which was watched over by around 60 police offices, traffic became congested from the Semanggi overpass to the DPR building. Despite this, the action proceeded in an orderly fashion and protesters demanded to meet with DPR members to discuss their concerns. --------------------------------------------------- Mudflow victims stage sit-in protest over dike raising Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008 Ridwan Max Sijabat -- More than 300 mudflow victims Saturday stopped work to heighten the huge dike in their village, protesting the suspension of damaged assets payments. Children held posters and banners demanding Lapindo pay the compensation, while many women planted banana trees on the dike. Bambang Wuryantoro, head of the Renokenongo village, said the protesters would not disperse until Minarak came there and paid 20 percent of the assets compensation. "Twenty percent of the total compensation is merely peanuts for the Bakrie Family, who have multibillion-dollar assets," he said. Before working hours, hundred of women and children launched a sit-in protest on the dike and project site located east of the hot mud pond. Meanwhile, hundreds of men, mostly youths, locked heavy equipment steers with iron wires, and put boulders and bars on the road leading to the site. "Any worker daring to operate a crane to drive the people away is defying us. No worker should come in to this project site, Sunarto, chairman of the Renokenongo mudflow victims grouping (Pagarrekorlap), said. "We are waiting for the management (of PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya) to come here and pay the compensation." Workers suspended operations for hours, resuming after several mudflow handling agency (BPLS) employees came to the site to speak with protesters. The BPLS employees demanded the management of Minarak, a subsidiary of Lapindo Brantas Inc., come and fulfill their promise of compensation. The employees asked protesters to go to Minarak's office, adding that they should not disturb the project otherwise the mudflow would spread. BPLS has sped up the dike heightening project in anticipation of any dike falls and floods on the eve of the rainy season. Pagarrekorlap deputy chairman Pitanto said the victims staged the blockade as a last resort to press Lapindo to pay the compensation because they were deceived many times. "Lapindo's commitment to buying the damaged assets was signed in the middle of September, and all victims were given bank accounts. But 14 days after the signing, nothing happened," he said. The mudflow victims staged a demonstration at the Lapindo office last month, demanding the compensation payment. But they were asked to exercise patience because the management was experiencing financial difficulties triggered by the global financial crisis. "Until when do we have to remain patient? What is the global financial crisis? We cannot suspend hunger because of the crisis. We don't know what excuses the company will give," Pitanto said. He said the victims still staying in makeshift accommodation at Porong market building were in need of money to pay for a 10-hectare plot of land where they would resettle permanently. In a dialogue between BPLS, Minarak and the regional administration last week, Sidoarjo regent Win Hendrarso was unable to do much, but told the victims about the energy company's financial difficulties. Win said the acting governor had sent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a letter, asking BPLS to provide money in advance. But, he said, the President had not responded Sidoarjo legislative council deputy chairman Djalaluddin Alham protested the proposal. He said it went against the 2007 presidential instruction requiring Lapindo to pay the compensation to the residents of Renokenongo and three other villages devastated by the disaster. "The compensation payment for the four villages cannot be taken from the state budget, which covers BPLS' operational costs and infrastructure repair projects," he said. To avoid floods during the incoming rainy season, BPLS is constructing a 2.5-kilometer drain along the nearby railway in the Besuki and Djatirejo villages leading to River Porong. "With the drain, rain water will not submerge the villages, but rather flow directly to the river," BPLS spokesman Zulkarnain said, adding construction would be completed by December. BPLS and tap water company PT Jasa Tirta I have worked to reroute river water to the Lengkon Baru Dam in Mojokerto to prevent the river from flooding Surabaya. "The dam has a capacity of 1,500 cubic meters per second. With the rerouting, Surabaya can be salvaged from floods during the wet season," Jasa Tirta I spokesman Wahyudutonoto said. --------------------------------------------------- From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 11:16:13 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:16:13 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy, human/civil rights protests, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Tamils, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB12B6D.90608@tesco.net> PAKISTAN * Lawyers protest locking of courts * Protests over judge sacking continue * New York Pakistanis protest Musharraf * Journalists protest kidnapping * Amnesty protest tour against disappearances * Baloch nationalists block Karachi roads TAMIL EELAM - SRI LANKA * MALAYSIA: Tamil protest * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Wave of protests - marches, fasts * NEW ZEALAND: Tamil protest for human rights INDIA * Haryana - Uprising after police murder student * Delhi - Bogus terror arrests protested * Tamil Nadu - Lawyers protest judge's comments * Tamil Nadu - AIADMK protest attack * AP - Protest for arrest of cop * Batala - Relatives protest after fatal police "rebuke" * Manipur - Journalists protest killing * Assam - Protest after journalist killed * Hyderabad - Protest against torture despite police repression * AP - Protest over attack on PR leader * MP - BJP faces protests over candidate selection * Delhi - Protest over delay in giving ticket * Delhi - Protests over Congress choice of candidates * AP - Opposition activists demand MP arrest over assault * Hyderabad - Actor egged in separatist dispute * UP: Anti-corruption protests erupt, attempt to burn down leader's house * AP: Angry dispute between PR, Congress BANGLADESH * Protests over Awami League candidate list * Arrests of former ministers spark protests * Protests over BNP candidate listPro-e http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/07/nat27.htm Lawyers Protest LHC?s suo motu action: Locking of courtrooms By Our Staff Reporter LAHORE, Nov 6: Lawyers on Thursday gathered in front of judges? gate and criticised the Lahore High Court chief justice and other judges in protest against the suo motu proceedings into locking of lower courts on Nov 4. Some 50, out of about 1,000 protesting lawyers, marching towards the Charing Cross, stopped in front of judges? gate of the LHC and started chanting slogans against the judges through a megaphone. The Lahore Bar Association?s action of locking the courtrooms and a sharp response by the administrative committee of the high court has driven a wedge between the sitting judges and the lawyers seeking restoration of the deposed judges. Several lawyers at the general house meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) said they would stand with their colleagues, who locked the courtrooms, if the judges passed any order against them. At the rally too, the presidents of the LHCBA and the LBA marched shoulder to shoulder in a show of unity between the two bars. Members of LHCBA, the LBA and a few workers of Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam and Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat were present in the rally. A woman and a man represented the PML-N at the rally although lawyers, and recently a deposed judge, Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif, had urged the party to improve its? presence in the lawyers? rally. Neither the group called the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan nor the Students Action Committee attended the protest. A group of lawyers chanted slogans against President Asif Ali Zardari and Governor Salman Taseer. The lawyers made speeches in front of the Punjab Assembly on The Mall and later dispersed peacefully. Earlier, addressing the LBA, its president Manzoor Qadir said he had given the call to lock courtrooms. He added the lawyers were fighting for an independent judiciary and did not believe in running into a conflict with the judiciary. Addressing the LHCBA, Pakistan Bar Council member Hamid Khan said the proposal to lock courtrooms was on the lawyers? agenda but it should have been done in coordination with other bars throughout the country. He added on November 3, 2007, Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf had pulled a coup against the judiciary by sending the army to shut down the Supreme Court and all the high courts. ?At that time a seven-member Supreme Court bench had declared illegal the imposition of emergency, the Provisional Constitution Order and the oath of office order,? Mr Khan said, criticising the sitting judges for ?flouting? the Supreme Court order and accepting oath under the PCO issued by a dictator. He said the LHC took suo motu notice of the locking of courtrooms, which was a symbolic exercise but failed to take any notice of the imposition of emergency on November 3 and beating of lawyers on November 5, last year. Mr Khan added the LHCBA and the whole lawyers? community stood behind the LBA ? which had locked courtrooms on Nov 4. He said the perpetrator of Nov 3 action was still being given president?s protocol, and the judiciary watched in silence. He said the judges would be responsible if the situation spun out of control. Former Lahore High Court Bar Association president Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari said lawyers would physically restrain those who tried to harm their colleagues. ?If judges want to start a fire, the lawyers, who did not submit to Gen Musharraf, would not watch in silence,? he said. He predicted a surge in the movement because of the suo motu notice. Save Judiciary Committee member Mian Jamil Akhter said the LHC chief justice, who headed the inquiry into November 5 police action against lawyers, did not give a proper inquiry report, whereas he formed a bench to proceed against lawyers. ?The arrest of even a single lawyer would ignite a full-scale war,? he said. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144426 Hyderabad lawyers to protest on 3rd Sunday, November 02, 2008 By our correspondent HYDERABAD: The legal fraternity here on Saturday announced to observe November 3 as a black day to mark the emergency rule imposed by Pervez Musharraf and his decision of sacking over 60 judges of the superior judiciary. This was announced by representatives of political parties and lawyers while addressing a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club. The representatives and lawyers included Lawyers Movement Action Committee Hyderabad Convener Zafar Rajput, High Court Bar Association Hyderabad Vice-President Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Secretary-General Abdul Wahid Qureshi, Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Hyderabad President Saleem Khan Tareen, Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi of the Tehrik-e-Insaf, Israr Chang of the Awami Tehrik, Sachal Gopang of the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party and others. They said a rally would be taken out in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Islamabad on this day. Scores of lawyers from across the country would assemble to take part in the rally, they added. They said the lawyers here would hoist black flags atop the bar office and stage a sit-in before the office of the Hyderabad DPO. They would wear black armbands and take out a rally, they added. Component parties of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) would also join the lawyers on that day, they said. Meanwhile, a lawyers? delegation, led by Kazi Sattar, would leave for Islamabad to attend the rally there. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/international/2008/November/international_November164.xml§ion=international Pakistan lawyers warn of storm of protest over judge (Reuters) 3 November 2008 RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - Pakistani lawyers campaigning for the the restoration of a deposed chief justice vented their anger on Monday against President Asif Ali Zardari and warned of a storm of protest if their demands are ignored. Thousands of lawyers across the country held protests on Monday, the first anniversary of the imposition of a six-week stint of emergency rule by then president Pervez Musharraf. After declaring a state of emergency, Musharraf purged the judiciary of the independent-minded chief justice, Iftikar Chaudhry, and other judges who Musharraf saw as a threat to his plans to hold on to power. Musharraf?s resignation in August did not end controversy over Chaudhry, and the failure of the government led by Zardari?s party to reinstate Chaudhry led to a split in the coalition. Zardari is the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in December. About 3,000 lawyers, political party workers and rights activists, many chanting ?Go Zardari, go? gathered in the city of Rawalpindi to mark the anniversary of Musharraf?s emergency with a fresh call for Chaudhry to be reinstated. ?Don?t compel us to knock on the doors again,? firebrand lawyers? leader Ali Ahmed Kurd told the rally. ?We want the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in the country and if that doesn?t happen, the power of 100,000 lawyers and members of civil society will emerge like a storm,? Kurd said. Analysts say Zardari, who was elected president in September, does not want Chaudhry to be reinstated as the country?s top judge. Zardari fears Chaudhry might reopen legal challenges to an amnesty from graft charges Musharraf granted Bhutto, Zardari and other senior officials in their party last year as part of a proposed power-sharing deal, analysts say. Chaudhry also spoke to the rally, recounting the events that led to his ouster. Zardari?s refusal to restore Chaudhry led to the country?s second biggest party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, quitting the coalition, prompting fears of a return to the fractious politics of the 1990s. Although that has not happened, a new round of protests over the judge will raise concern for the government as it struggles with a balance-of-payments crisis and escalating militant violence. Musharraf?s initial attempt to sack Chaudhry in March last year triggered a country-wide protest campaign that dogged Musharraf until his resignation under threat of impeachment. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144513 PML-N to participate in Nov 3 protests in a big way Monday, November 03, 2008 By Tariq Butt ISLAMABAD: The PML-N will participate in a big way in the Nov 3 protests to mark the sacking of several superior court judges by Pervez Musharraf a year ago and their non-restoration by the PPP government. The PML-N wants to dispel the impression that it has become lukewarm to the struggle for the reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and some other deposed judges. ?Democracy has been restored but the judiciary has not been, even after the passage of one year,? PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told The News. He said that the PML-N would make its presence felt in five major functions to be organised on the day in the provincial capitals besides Rawalpindi and Islamabad. PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif will preside over a special function in Lahore on the day that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will also attend. These two leaders are not attending any rally mainly for security reasons. Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N would also participate in the rallies starting from the Rawalpindi District Courts to the Supreme Court, Islamabad, and Lahore?s Nasir Bagh to the High Court. ?We will prove again that all the political parties and the civil society are together in backing the restoration of the Nov 3 judiciary,? he said. Recently, the PML-N appeared to have become remarkably inactive in the lawyers? movement, which too has turned markedly sluggish. The PML-N came under tremendous pressure after being criticised for not participating in the lawyers? movement. Ahsan Iqbal said that the PML-N had issued instructions to its rank and file in the provinces to fully participate in the protest rallies on Nov 3. He said that the victory of Ali Ahmed Kurd in the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election had fired up the lawyers. Apart from the PML-N, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf are also taking part in the protest. The SCBA and other lawyers? bodies are also geared up for rallies and processions on Monday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144841 Lawyers observe black day to protest November 3 emergency Tuesday, November 04, 2008 By Wajih Ahmad Sheikh LAHORE: Lawyers observed Monday as black day to condemn declaration of emergency on November 3, 2007. Lawyers across the country boycotted courts, held rallies and staged sit-ins. Political workers, students, doctors and civil society activists joined them. In the provincial metropolis, lawyers staged sit-ins, wearing black armbands and holding black flags. The Lahore Bar Association (PBA) staged a sit-in at the PMG Chowk and the Lahore High Court Bar Association outside the Governor?s House. Earlier, both the bar associations held general house meetings where speakers condemned the ?unconstitutional? acts of November 3. Lawyers also criticised the PPP-led government for not undoing acts of a ?dictator.? Activists of the Jamat-e-Islami, the Tehrik-e-Insaf, the Insaaf Students Federation, the Jamiat Talaba Islam, the Jamiat Ulema Islam, the Tehrik-e-Khaksaar, the Pakhtoon Khawa Milli Awami Party, the Students Action Committee, the Shabab-e-Milli, the Muslim Students Federation and the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan joined lawyers at the GPO Chowk from where they then marched towards the Governor?s House. Ahsan Rasheed of the PTI, Liaquat Baloch, Fareed Parracha and Ameer-ul-Azeem of the JI, Mobeen Khan of the PKMAP, Alam Hameed-ud-Din Ahmad Al Mashraqi of the KT, Hamid Zaman of the CCP and PML-N MNA Naseer Ahmad Bhutta were present there. Interestingly, lawyers affiliated to the People?s Lawyers Forum led by Mian Jahangir also joined lawyers when they began marching from the LHC. Traders of the Hall Road showered protesters with rose petals when they passed the Regal Chowk. The PTI had arranged a pickup van, carrying cold drinking water. The Mall Road was decorated with PML-N flags and banners with photos of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif. PTI activists removed PPP banners fixed at the Governor?s House Chowk. Highly-charged lawyers and other protesters were seen chanting slogans against the PPP government, blaming it for not reinstating the deposed judges.Protesters stayed at the Governor?s House for two hours and listened to speeches delivered by lawyer leaders and political activists. They pledged to continue the movement until the reinstatement of all the deposed judges. When the protesters gathered outside the Governor?s House, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer sent soft drinks to the protesting lawyers which were returned by the lawyer leaders. An employee of the Governor?s House twice brought juice packs and presented them to Lahore High Court Bar Association Secretary Rana Asadullah, who asked him to take them back. He said lawyers were protesting against the government so they could not accept the drinks. Addressing the gathering, Rana Asadullah said the people had gathered outside the Governor?s House to remind the government of its promises to reinstate the deposed judges. He said the government of a dictator could not stand in front of lawyers and the present government would have to face a similar fate if it did not reinstate the judges. He said the people had rejected the policies of the government. Workers of various parties holding party flags separated into groups to make their presence felt. They chanted slogans in favour of their leadership and against the government. Traffic on The Mall remained blocked for many hours because of the lawyers? rallies and sit-ins from 11 am to 3 pm. Riot police was deployed there. Earlier, addressing the general house meeting of the LHCBA, PML-N MNA Naseer Ahmad Bhutta advocate said some people thought the lawyers? movement had weakened but lawyers were united for the restoration of the deposed judges. He said Mian Nawaz Sharif stood with lawyers for the reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. HRCP Chairperson Asma Jahangir said lawyers alone forced General (retd) Musharraf to quit. President PML-N Lawyers? Forum Khwaja Mehmood Ahmad said General (retd) Musharraf followed US policy and tried to distance the Army from the people by bombing the tribal areas and killing innocent people inside the Lal Masjid. The house applauded PLF member Raja Zulqarnain for his role in the movement for the restoration of the deposed judges when former LHCBA president Firdous Butt invited its attention to it. The house also unanimously passed a resolution, asking the federal government to try General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for treason under Article 6 of the Constitution. http://www.workers.org/2008/world/pakistanis_protest_1113/ Pakistanis protest in NYC Published Nov 8, 2008 6:36 AM Pakistani residents of the New York metropolitan area and their supporters and friends demonstrated outside that country?s consulate in Manhattan Nov. 3 on the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Iftikhar Chaudhry and his sixty fellow judges of the Pakistani Superior Courts. That day, the dictator of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, imposed the equivalent of martial law and awoke a response from lawyers and judges that spread to the mass of the people and eventually led to Musharraf?s removal. The protestors, from the Pakistan-U.S. Freedom Fund, criticize the new president, Asif Zardari, for not fulfilling his promise to reinstate Chief Justice Chaudhry and all the other judges, and because he has not provided basic needs to the people of Pakistan. The organization also wants the U.S. to stop air strikes on Pakistani territory. Similar protests were called in other major world cities with significant Pakistani communities. ?Report and photo by Sara Flounders ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=100140 PAKISTAN: Journalists protest kidnapping PFUJ hold rally to condemn police inaction in recovering the kidnapped father of former Hyderabad Press Club president Lala Rehman Samoon Dawn Saturday, November 1, 2008 HYDERABAD --- A large number of journalists belonging to print and electronic media held a big rally on Saturday on a call given by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) to condemn police inaction in recovering the kidnapped father of former president of the Hyderabad Press Club, Lala Rehman Samoon. Lala's father Jam Nawaz Hussain Samoon was kidnapped on Sept 21 in the limits of Makki Shah police station when he left his home for offering morning prayers. Police have picked up a number of suspects and interrogated them but they have so far failed to recover the hostage. Jamaat-i-Islami leaders Abdul Waheed Qureshi, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, Pakhtoon Khwa Milli Awami Party's Saleem Tareen and vice-president of High Court Bar Association Abdul Rehman Sheikh also joined the rally. The participants of the rally signed a memorandum, which stated that the culprits had been identified but police had still been unable to recover the journalist's father. The memorandum was later presented to police. In Sanghar, journalists held a rally and staged a sit-in outside the press club here on Saturday, demanding safe and early recovery of Jam Nawab Hussain. Date Posted: 11/2/2008 http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU200809025853&lang=e Protest launches tour against enforced disappearance in Pakistan 2 September 2008 Amnesty International called on the Pakistan government to reveal the fate and whereabouts of hundreds of disappeared people, amid international protests to mark the 25th International Day of the Disappeared on Saturday 30 August. Amina Janjua, the founder of Defence of Human Rights, a Pakistani organisation that campaigns for the release of the disappeared, was joined by Amnesty International activists to demonstrate outside the Pakistani High Commission in London. They chanted ?Justice now for the disappeared? and handed over a petition. The demonstration marked the start of an international tour by Amina Janjua, supported by Amnesty International. Amina Janjua will appeal to governments around the world to raise their voices against enforced disappearance in Pakistan. She speaks for 563 families of the disappeared. She knows only too well the pain and suffering caused by this illegal practice - her own husband, Masood Janjua, was apprehended in Pakistan over three years ago while travelling on a bus to Peshawar. State officials deny his detention and all knowledge of his whereabouts. Amina Janjua will go to Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and the USA as part of the tour to raise awareness of the issue in Pakistan. She will join Amnesty International in campaigning for governments to put pressure on Pakistan's new ruling coalition to investigate all cases of enforced disappearance and to ensure the practice is brought to an end. Background The Pakistan government began widely using the practice of enforced disappearances after it joined the US-led "war on terror" in 2001. Hundreds of people suspected of links to terrorist activity have been arbitrarily detained in Pakistan and held in secret facilities. Denied access to lawyers, families and courts and held outside all protection of the law, they are victims of enforced disappearance. Most, if not all, are subjected to torture and ill-treatment. The government has repeatedly denied any knowledge of their whereabouts, despite mounting evidence, including official court records and affadavits. Many of those picked up in Pakistan were secretly handed over to the US authorities, often for financial reward, ending up in Guant?namo Bay and secret CIA detention centres. Domestic political opponents of the Pakistani government were also targeted, in particular, members of Pakistan's Sindhi and Baloch nationalist groups advocating greater autonomy. Amnesty International's recent report Denying the Undeniable: Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan, confronted the authorities with evidence of how government officials obstructed attempts to trace those who have "disappeared." http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=145170 BNP protest causes monster jam in city centre Thursday, November 06, 2008 By Farooq Baloch Karachi Vehicular traffic on Dr Zia Uddin Ahmed Road, Club Road, PIDC bridge (M.T. Khan Road) and adjoining thoroughfares came to a standstill during peak hours on Wednesday evening. Commuters remained stranded in a massive gridlock as traffic did not move an inch for at least one hour due to a sit-in by activists of the Baloch National Party (BNP) in front of the Chief Minister House. At about 6 p.m., when vehicular traffic is usually at its peak, activists of the BNP blocked the already-congested Dr Zia Uddin Ahmed Road. As a result, traffic from all four directions at the vital PIDC signal came to a standstill. A large number of people remained stuck in a massive traffic jam for more than an hour at the PIDC Chowk, while scores of motorists and motorcyclists took U-turns and went back to find alternative routes to make it to their respective destinations. A large number of mini-buses and coaches also remained stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic jam due to the road being blocked, forcing many passengers to disembark and walk long distances. The effects of the sit in were far-reaching. Some motorists complained that they were trapped in prolonged traffic jams on Sharea Faisal in the evening. They complained that the vehicular traffic, if not stationary, moved at snail?s pace all the way from FTC flyover up to the Metropole intersection. Similarly the flow of traffic on Sharah-e-Liaquat and M.A. Jinnah Road was also very heavy and commuters were trapped in traffic jams at different intersections along these busy arteries. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/92519 MIC Youth, NGOs protest against Sri Lankan violence Nov 5, 08 4:29pm MIC Youth wing and several non-governmental organisations this morning staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Jalan Damai, off Jalan Ampang against the civil war in that island. Boycott call on Sri Lankan products Another bigger demonstration planned http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112650550300.htm Tamil Nadu - Dharmapuri Protest condemning attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka Staff Reporter Members of various political parties participate ? Photo: N. Bashkaran Joining hands: Members of PMK, MDMK, CPI, Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam blocking road near the Dharmapuri Head Post Office on Tuesday. DHARMAPURI: Condemning the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka by the military forces, cadres of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Communist Party of India, Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam blocked Salem Road, near the Head Post Office, here on Tuesday. They raised slogans against the Sri Lankan Government, its President Mahinda Rajapaksa and also the Centre and demanded immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Traffic on the road was affected for half-an-hour. About 200 workers of the parties participated. A police team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Sundararajan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Vijayaraghavan arrested 115 workers including Dharmapuri MLA Ila Velusamy (PMK). They were released in the afternoon. CPI district secretary P. Ilamparuthi, MDMK district secretary V.S. Sampath, Dharmpuri MP R. Senthil, district panchayat chairman S.S. Venkateswaran and PMK State deputy general secretary A. Saravanan took part in the agitation. In Krishnagiri, the members of PMK, MDMK and Left parties staged a flash protest blocking traffic at the Five Road Junction. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110451350300.htm Tamil Nadu Voice of protest ? Photo: Special arrangement. For the downtrodden: Malayaha Makkal Maruvazhvu Manram members observing a fast at Kotagiri on Monday to protest against the attack on Tamils in Sri Lanka. http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27542 4TH LEAD (ADDS VOICE, PHOTOS) Civilians in Vanni protest against Colombo's use of humanitarian supplies as tool of war [TamilNet, Friday, 21 November 2008, 16:07 GMT] People in Vanni marched in thousands towards two Government Agents' offices and two Divisional Secretariat offices in four locations on Friday protesting against Sri Lanka Government's restrictions on food and essential supplies, blaming Colombo for using humanitarian supplies as a tool of war to force civilians to flee against their will into the hands of Sri Lanka Army (SLA). K. Mahethevan, a representative of Vanni Peoples Welfare Organisation (VPWO), addressing more than 5,000 protesters in front of Ki'linochchi Government Agent's office at Tharmapuram described how the supplies were reduced from 600 lorries per month in 2007 to 250 lorries per month in 2008, but only 54 have allowed to cross into Vanni in the recent days. Demonstration to condemn the Sri Lankan government that denies food supplies to Vanni people ? Appeal to the ICRC from Vanni Peoples Welfare Organisation The VPWO, a civil society forum with representatives of various organisations throughout the Vanni, held protests in front of Government Agent's offices at Tharmapuram and Mullaiththeevu and in front of AGA (Divsional Secretary) offices at Puthukkudiyiruppu and Oddichuddaan in Mullaiththeevu district, urging global community's awareness on the humanitarian plight of the civilians in Vanni. Voice: Slogans by the demonstrators Direct Link (mp3) VPWO's General Secretary Vethavanam, who expressed gratitude to the solidarity shown by the people of Tamil Nadu towards Eezham Tamils, said the ICRC, which was expected by the people of Tamil Nadu and also by their Chief Minister, as a neutral agency to facilitate the supplies itself is now getting restricted itself by the government of Sri Lanka even to operate the Oamanthai crossing. "The Sri Lankan government is using food as a tool of war against civilians to force them to act against their will," said S. Thuraisingam, the president of the organisation, while addressing the participants at Tharmpuram. "But, we have a democratic right to urge the global community and also Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa at the same time, to allow unhindered access to humanitarian supplies," he said reminding the participants that the demand is a universally recognised fundamental right. K. Mahathevan Voice: Speech by Mr. K. Mahathevan Direct Link (mp3) Mr. Mahathevan, in his address said: "While the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa tells India and the world that he was allowing humanitarian supplies to civilians in Vanni, he has instructed his army at Oamanthai to continue an un-announced embargo and block additional lorries. They block essential supplies from petrol and diesel to medicines needed to cure snakebite." When 80 lorries are forced to wait for 10 days with supplies at the crossing, what would happen to food items that need immediate preservation, he asked. "In October 2007, 600 lorries were allowed to pass through the crossing, in November it was reduced to 30 lorries, in April 2008 only 400 lorries were allowed, and in June the number became 370. Now it is reduced to 254 lorries, but only 54 lorries have crossed over so far," he said. S. Vethavanam Voice: Speech by Mr. Vethavanam Direct Link (mp3) "Now there are many more civilians displaced. The Sri Lankan military occupies the entire district of Mannaar and vast areas of agricultural lands of the other districts, depriving our people to produce their own food." "Every day, a new item is added to their un-announced list of banned items at Oamanthai," he said. "The message is you can't eat enough as free people. Even when you eat, you can't add spice," he said with a remark: "Everybody knows you [Colombo government] are fighting puli (Tiger), but are you also fighting pu'li [Tamarind fruit pulp, a spice]." "Now they don't want to allow trouser-cloth. Do they want us not to wear cloth?," he asked. The World Food Program (WFP) had decided on 200 grams of rice per person earlier, which means 1.4 kg rice per week per person. But, only 600 grams are provided due to the limited supplies, he noted. "We condemn the Sri Lanka government, which blocks humanitarian supplies to the people of Vanni." More than five-thousand civilians took part in the demonstration at Tharmapuram alone. "We condemn the Sri Lanka government, which blocks humanitarian supplies to the people of Vanni." Women, most of them mothers, took part in the demonstration Text in the placards: Don't make food a weapon of war, Don't block cloths, Don't kill people by blocking medicine Demonstration to condemn the Sri Lankan government that denies food supplies to Vanni people Text in the placard: Don't block fishing People from all walks of life took part in the demonstration in Vanni The march began at 9:30 a.m. and concluded around Participants marched from Number 1 school located near Neththali-aattup-paalam in Tharmapuram towards Ki'linochchi GA's office. More than 5,000 civilains took part forming a 1 km long march http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/24/stories/2008112451370300.htm Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam Fast observed in protest against attack on Tamils Special Correspondent Udhagamandalam: A fast was observed under the aegis of the Human Rights Organisation at Kotagiri on Sunday. It was in protest against the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Led by the Organiser of the Human Rights Organisation, the Nilgiris North, S. Saravanan, several speakers at the protest regretted that in many ways human rights were being violated by the Sri Lankan armed forces. They urged the Central Government to take steps without delay to safeguard the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka and put an end to their sufferings. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/24/stories/2008112454610400.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Tamil movements plan protest MADURAI: Several political parties and Tamil movements in the State will organise a protest in front of Central government offices on Tuesday in southern districts to urge the Centre to intervene and stop the war in Sri Lanka, said P. Nedumaran, president, Ulaga Tamilar Peramaippu. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Mr. Nedumaran said the protests were aimed at sensitising the Tamils here to sink differences and voice their support for the Lankan Tamils. ? Staff Reporter http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080070836 TN stars protest for Lankan Tamils Sanjay Pinto Saturday, November 01, 2008, (Chennai) Close to a hundred speeches on their emotional ties with Sri Lankan Tamils and a donation of 45 lakh rupees towards a relief fund. That's what this 8-hour token fast in Chennai by the Tamil Film Industry resulted in. Sarath Kumar, president South Indian Film Artists Association, said: "The TN Govt must ensure that the money and relief materials reach the right and deserving people through the right channels." Unlike protests in the past over the Cauvery and Hogenakkal water sharing disputes, there were no fiery speeches this time around. That's because the Stars themselves decided to play Censor. This is after some of them burnt their fingers in the recent past. Like Rajinikanth who had to pacify angry pro Kannada groups for his speech during the Hogenakkal fast, in order to have his film ''Kuselan" released in Karnataka. Or Directors Ameer and Seeman who were recently arrested for pro LTTE speeches in Rameshwaram. Rajinikanth came up with an emotional plea to end the war in Sri Lanka. "For 30 to 35 years, the Sinhalese have not been able to win the war against the Tamils. Then what sort of warriors are they? Are they man enough? Not just in Sri Lanka, anywhere in the world, the curse of innocent people, women and children will not let any nation prosper," said Rajinikanth. A politically correct stance in a State where everyone is keen to emerge as champions of the Tamil cause. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111353070300.htm Tamil Nadu MDMK fast to protest against killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka Staff Reporter They want the Central Government to immediately intervene in the matter Photo: M. Periasamy For a cause: MDMK cadres observing fast in Coimbatore (left) and Tirupur on Wednesday, to press for cessation of war in Sri Lanka. ? Tirupur: Members of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam observed a fast in front of the Corporation office here on Wednesday. Killings They undertook the agitation in order to protest against the killings of innocent Tamilians by Sri Lankan armed forces in the island nation. They asked the Central Government to immediately intervene in the matter to stop the genocide that was taking place in Sri Lanka. Atrocities The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam men levelled a charge that the State Government was not showing any interest in fighting against the atrocities on Tamilians, so far. Former MLA S Doraisamy led the agitation that had been organised for the purpose, to press the demand for which the fast had been organised. District treasurer of the party M Eswaran, Corporation councillors representing Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam S. Sivabalan, Govindaraj, Shantamani, Kalamani and Parameswari, were among the prominent persons who took part in the agitation that was organised in the hosiery town of Tirupur. Demand A similar fast was observed in Coimbatore in order to press the same demand in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils, on the same day. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10543405&ref=rss Tamils protest 5:00AM Monday Nov 17, 2008 Tamils from Sri Lanka demonstrate during the Sri Lankan independence celebrations outside Aotea square. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey About 200 Sri Lankan Tamils living in New Zealand took to the streets in Botany to protest against their homeland Government's failure to uphold human rights and its lack of action against violence. In Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting since 1983 to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east. Protest organiser Nirupa George said the protest was held to raise awareness of the harsh reality of life and injustice Tamils in Sri Lanka face. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1202956 Haryana burns after cops shoot Bhiwani youth dead Ajay Bharadwaj Monday, November 3, 2008 14:33 IST Police mistook Kuldeep for a robber and killed him CHANDIGARH: In an alleged case of mistaken identity, Haryana Police shot dead 22-year-old college student Kuldeep in Bhiwani on Sunday night. The incident occurred when the student was returning home from a wedding with brother Vikas and a friend. While the police said it was "accidental firing", head constable Karanbir Singh, who is accused of the shooting, has been booked and arrested for murder. Seven other police personnel present at the site of the incident have also been booked. The killing sparked widespread protests from college students in Bhiwani, Rohtak, Hisar and the state capital of Chandigarh. A group of students demonstrating outside the governor's residence here demanded suspension of all policemen involved in the incident. In Bhiwani, Rohtak and Hisar, vehicular traffic was blocked and police vehicles damaged. Narrating the incident, victim's brother Vikas said they were returning home on a motorcycle when a police van stopped them and without provocation or questioning, one of the policemen fired at Kuldeep from "point-blank range". He said the police began enquiry only after Kuldeep fell from the bike after being hit in the forehead. Soon, he breathed his last, prompting the police to flee the site, Vikas claimed. A witness alleged the policemen were drunk and manhandled them before firing at Kuldeep. However, Hissar superintendent of police Anil Kumar Rao said the student's death at the hands of Hansi Police was an accident. He said the police stopped the youth as they had information that Dara Singh, a prime suspect in a robbery of Rs2.16 lakh at Sorkhi village in May, was in Bhiwani. When the police signalled them to stop at midnight, the youth tried to speed away, Rao claimed, after which a police party chased them on Tosham-Bhiwani Road. As the cops neared their motorcycle, a constable's gun went off accidentally due to the poor condition of the road, he said. Leaders of opposition parties questioned the police way of dealing with criminals. Former finance minister Sampat Singh said the incident reflected the brutality with which they dealt with people. "How could police identify criminals without arresting and interrogating them?" he wondered and demanded that the governor intervene and check police highhandedness. In the last one year this is the third incident of Haryana Police shooting down a person after dubbing him an outlaw. Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said a magisterial inquiry had been instituted even as an ex-gratia of Rs2 lakh granted to the victim's family. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/03stu.htm Student's 'accidental' killing sparks protests in Bhiwani November 03, 2008 15:18 IST A 22-year-old youth was shot dead by the police in Bhiwani when he was returning from a party in the wee hours of Monday, his family alleged. But the police have claimed that it was a case of accidental firing. The main accused, constable Karmbir, has been arrested and a case against seven other personnel of Hisar's Hansi police has been registered, Superintendent of Police, Bhiwani, Sanjay Singh said. The killing of Kuldeep, a student of Vaish College, sparked violent protests in the area with mobs damaging police vehicles. Kuldeep's brother Vikas, who along with another friend was with the victim when the incident took place, alleged that they were proceeding towards their house on a motorcycle when a police van suddenly stopped them. One among the personnel, some of whom were in plain clothes, fired a shot from point blank range at Kuldeep, he alleged. He said that the police inquired about their whereabouts after the firing. Kuldeep fell from the bike and died on the spot, Vikas claimed, adding that the police team fled from the site. Hukam Singh, who was also traveling with the two brothers, alleged that the policemen were inebriated and manhandled them before firing at Kuldeep. However, Hisar Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar Rao said that the gunning down of a student by the Hansi police was not an encounter but a case of accidental firing. He said that policemen had stopped the youths as they had information that one Dara Singh, a prime suspect in a robbery case, was in Bhiwani. When the police signaled the motorcycle to stop at midnight, the youths tried to speed away, Rao claimed. However, the police party chased them on the Tosham-Bhiwani road. When the policemen neared the motorcycle, a constable's gun went off due to the poor condition of the road, the superintendent claimed. "It is a case of accidental fire and not an encounter," he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110456241100.htm Gloom, protests in Bhiwani Special Correspondent The ?encounter? victim was to get married soon ________________________________________ Encounter a mistake, admit authorites Government orders magisterial inquiry ________________________________________ CHANDIGARH: Commercial and educational establishments were forcibly shut down as students took to the streets in Bhiwani in Haryana to protest against the killing of a college student by the Hansi police late on Sunday night. Demonstrators clashed with police over the ?encounter? killing of Kuldip (22), which authorities later admitted was a ?mistake.? The final-year graduation student was returning to Bhiwani after attending a social function, when some policemen from Hansi in Hisar district, who had set up a ?naka? to nab a gangster, reportedly shot him in the head. Kuldip was to get married soon. A pall of gloom descended on the district headquarters town as news spread of the killing of the youth, who was to get married soon.During the protests, a mob surrounded the police station near the Clock Tower and burnt vehicles and threw stones at the policemen. The protesters were demanding the immediate arrest of and registration of a case against the policemen who shot Kuldip. The government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. A senior district police officer said a case was registered against eight Hansi police personnel and one constable arrested. Compensation Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dharambir Singh announced that the government would give a grant of Rs. 5 lakh and employment to a member of Kuldip?s family. The Bhiwani District Red Cross Society would give Rs. 2 lakh to the family. Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldip Bishnoi charged the government with ?letting loose a reign of terror in the State through the police.? The former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, who visited the residence of the victim, demanded imposition of President?s Rule in the State as ?utter lawlessness? prevailed. The Indian National Lok Dal also demanded the sacking of the Hooda government as ?jungle raj and total anarchy? prevailed in the State. In a statement, INLD secretary-general and Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Singh Chautala said it was highly condemnable that the police and the government were trying to protect the policemen by stating that it was an ?accidental death? or that ?the police opened fire after the boy ran away.? In another incident two weeks ago, the Haryana police killed Jaswir Singh Jassa of Dhakla village in a ?fake? encounter, Mr. Chautala said. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/26protest-against-delhi-ats-arrest-of-innocent-youths.htm Protest against Delhi ATS' arrest of innocent youths Vicky Nanjappa | November 26, 2008 21:17 IST Over 100 members of the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Group staged a protest in front of the Special Cell of the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Delhi [Images] Police on Wednesday morning, demanding action against police officers who had arrested two innocent Kashmiri youths on terror charges in 2006. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which probed the case, had found both Irshad Ali and Mohammed Moarif Qamar innocent. Qamar and Ali, both from Kashmir, were arrested by the police from Mukarba Chowk on G T Karnal Road in north Delhi in February 2006. The Special Cell claimed that the two young men had been arrested while alighting from a Jammu & Kashmir Roadways bus in February 2006. The Delhi ATS officials alleged that the duo, which was carrying two pistols and two kgs of RDX, were militants belonging to the Al Badr outfit. In its report to the Sessions Court, the CBI disclosed that Ali and Qamar were informers of the Intelligence Bureau. The protestors alleged that the 'Al Badar operation' of the Special Cell was very similar to the recent Batla House encounter. Though arms have been seized in both the operations, no seizure list was made or verified in either case, claimed the protestors. This only adds to the doubts raised about the Batla House encounter, they said. Speakers at the protest raised questions about the veracity of the Special Cell's claims regarding the Batla House 'encounter'. They also expressed their outrage at the fact that those who indulge in fabricating evidence to implicate innocents are glorified and rewarded, but those who raise questions and wish to exercise their democratic right to protest are harassed by the police. Incidentally, the CBI has demanded action against sub inspector Ravinder Tyagi, who won a President's Medal for Gallantry on Republic Day. The protestors alleged that Tyagi was instrumental in fabricating evidence against Mohammed Arif Qamar and Irshad Ali. He was also part of the police team that was involved in the Jamia Nagar encounter, in which two suspected terrorists and a police officer were killed. In its closure report, the CBI has said that action must be taken against Tyagi. The case in this regard is coming up for hearing on November 27. http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/nov/26/jamia_teachers_students_stopped_protesting_against_special_cell.html Jamia teachers, students stopped from protesting against Special Cell Submitted by Tarique on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 15:52. ? Indian Muslim By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net, New Delhi: In a clear show of highhandedness of security forces, the Jamia Nagar Police today, with orders from higher authorities, stopped Jamia Millia Islamia teachers and students from some universities from protesting before the Delhi Police Special Cell office. The protesters were forcibly stopped from moving out of Jamia University area while the Delhi Police Special Cell office was 10 km away. As soon as the bus carrying the peace marchers moved it was stopped at few meters, some policemen entered the bus and forced the driver to stop. SHO of Jamia Nagar Police Station told marchers that they have been detained and they cannot move unless they change their place of agitation. After the heated argument between the police and marchers, organizers were forced to agree to protest at Jantar Mantar. The police took into custody the bus along with its passengers and escorted it to Jantar Mantar. ?We wanted to do a peaceful protest in front of the Special Cell office but we were not allowed. It is unfortunate that in this country one needs to get permission for peaceful protest but those who carry out fake encounters and implicate people in false cases do not need any permission,? Manisha Sethi, Jamia Millia Islamia teacher who heads the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Group, told TwoCircles.net. Manisha Sethi who as head of the teachers? group has been in the forefront to blast the police theory on the Batla House encounter told TCN: ?We wanted to protest at the office of Delhi Police Special Cell as it symbolizes the brutal face of the Indian government. The CBI has just come out with a report that says the Special Cell was guilty of forging evidence to implicate some innocents as terrorist in another case. We were protesting because most of the Special Cell team members who took part in that case were also involved in the Batla House encounter. And this has made the Batla House encounter more suspicious.? The group has demanded stringent action against Special Cell officers involved in false frame ups of innocents as terrorists. The CBI has recently revealed that the Special Cell had falsely implicated two youths, Irshad Ali and Md. Moarif Qamar as Al Badr 'terrorists' in 2006. The Special Cell claimed that the two young men had been arrested while alighting from a Jammu & Kashmir Roadways bus in February 2006 and were carrying two pistols and two kg of RDX. In its report to the Sessions Court, however, the CBI disclosed that Ali and Qamar were innocent and in fact police informers, who were abducted by the Special Cell in December 2005. ?These startling revelations have brought into open the way in which such 'special' security agencies operate: kidnapping, framing innocents, planting pistols and explosives, and justifying their high-handedness in the name of fighting 'terror'. The 'Al Badar operation' of the Special Cell is very similar to the Batla House 'Encounter',? said the group. The group has also provided some facts: The Special cell team which conducted the 'Al Badr' operation was headed by ACP Sanjeev Yadav and Inspector Sharma ? the very same people who led the Batla House operation. Moreover, there were several common members between the two Special Cell teams: Sub-Inspectors Ravinder Tyagi, Sanjay Dutt and Rahul Kumar played an important role in both events. Arms have been shown to be seized on both occasions. No seizure lists made or verified in either cases. ?This naturally deepens our suspicions about the claims that the Delhi Police has been making about the Batla House 'encounter'. Today's protest was against the shameful tainted past of the Special Cell. However, when the protestors were leaving from Jamia, the Delhi Police stopped the bus and detained the teachers and students, denying them the right to express their outrage at the Special Cell office,? said the teachers? group. The protesters were sloganeering against the Delhi Police, its Special Cell and Home Minister. When they reached Jantar Mantar they were also blocked there. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112653730200.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Advocates stage demonstration Special Correspondent MADURAI: Advocates affiliated to the Madurai Bar Association (MBA) staged a demonstration in front of the district courts here on Tuesday in protest against the remarks of a High Court Judge. The members said that many advocates appearing on PIL petitions were unhappy with the remarks made by the Judge. The members, led by MBA secretary A. K. Ramasamy, also shouted slogans against the Judge. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110151170300.htm Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil Attempt to stage demonstration Nagercoil: Members of AIADMK attempted to hold a demonstration here on Friday in protest against the attack on the convoy of their leader Jayalalithaa on the way to Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district to pay homage to Pasumpon Muthramalinga Thevar. However on request of the district secretary Pachaimal, they did not resort to any kind of agitation. The police had made elaborate security arrangements throughout the district to prevent any untoward incidents. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/12/stories/2008111252510300.htm Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil Protest against attack on Jayalalithaa Staff Reporter Nagercoil: Activists of All India Anna Dravida Munnettra Kazagham staged a demonstration on Tuesday in protest against the recent attack on former Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa at Kamuthi in Ramanathapuram district. Prior to the agitation, former Health Minister N. Thalavai Sundaram came to the spot to inaugurate the demonstration. According to sources, in order to facilitate him to participate in the agitation, activists tried to remove a barricade put up by the police. However police refused to remove the barricade. Traffic was affected in front of the collectorate and after the intervention of police and revenue officials the activists withdrew their agitation. The police have registered a case in this connection. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111052940300.htm Tamil Nadu AIADMK cadres stage protest VILLUPURAM: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres led by C.Ve. Shanmugham, former Minister and district secretary of the party, observed a fast at Mandakarai grounds here on Sunday. They were protesting the recent attack on the convoy of party general-secretary Jayalalithaa at Pasumpon. They urged the authorities to book those who were involved in it. Party functionaries, trade union leaders and members of women?s wing participated in the fast. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110151720300.htm Tamil Nadu - Erode Protest staged Staff Reporter ERODE: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party men protested across the district against the attack on the party leader and former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Ms. Jayalalithaa?s car and another vehicle in her convoy were stoned in Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram District when she went there to pay homage to Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar. In Ammapettai party men gathered in front of the party office and raised slogans. In Erode on Thursday, AIADMK activists led by Councillor Market Raja protested near Panner Selvam Park junction. The district police took the protesters in custody and later released them. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110752160300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Protest staged demanding arrest of police officer Special Correspondent KURNOOL: Leaders of SC, ST and BC organisations staged a demonstration at the Collectorate here on Thursday urging the authorities to take action against the police officer who misbehaved with them and institute CB CID inquiry into the death of an engineering student Venkata Krishna. The leaders said a panel which went to the college yesterday to inquire with the management about the death was abused by the police. They alleged that Inspector Janardhan Naidu had misbehaved with the leaders abusing them in the name of caste. Cases were framed against leaders on a complaint from the management. They said the management which owed an explanation on the death was allowed to go scot free while cases were framed against the leaders. Leaders M.K. Ranga Swamy, Seshaphani were present. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081126/punjab1.htm ?Rebuked? by cop, woman dies Chander Parkash Tribune News Service Batala, November 25 Leela Devi died within a few seconds after she was allegedly reprimanded by a police official here. After the November 23 incident came to the notice of SSP Naresh Kumar, he transferred the police official to the Police Lines and deputed the DSP(D) to probe the incident. The SSP said today evening that a case would be registered if the police official, identified as Harjit Singh, assistant sub inspector (ASI), was found guilty of misconduct. He added that a probe was also being held by the executive magistrate, Batala. According to reports, Ajay Kumar, son of deceased Leela Devi, was allegedly marrying a minor girl of the Urban Estate area on November 23. A police party reached the spot after the matter was reported to the Urban Estate police post by Ajit Singh of the locality. Harjit Singh, who, along with other policemen, reached the spot, took Ajay, his mother Leela, the minor girl and Mohinder Rani, mother of the minor, to the police post where he allegedly rebuked Leela. Leela, a heart patient, fell down. When taken to hospital by a relative, she was declared brought dead. The relative of the deceased also protested in the police post against the inhuman treatment given to the deceased by Harjit Singh. The ASI said neither had he taken Leela to the police post nor had he threatened her. When he took Ajay and others to the police post, Leela Devi came on her own to the police post, he added. He said before he took Ajay and Mohinder to the police post from the venue of marriage, which was a temple, he got a case registered against them in the police station. The case was registered under the Child Marriage Act by sending constable Balraj Singh to the police station. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/23/Journalists_protest_killing_of_reporter/UPI-17991227462813/ Journalists protest killing of reporter Published: Nov. 23, 2008 at 12:53 PM Order reprints | Feedback IMPHAL, India, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Journalists in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur were on strike to protest the killing of a colleague gunned down this week, union officials said. No daily newspapers were published Saturday in the state for the third consecutive day, The Calcutta Telegraph reported. Reporters and editors demanded a full investigation into the killing of Konsam Rishikanta and punishment for the culprit. The president of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union said Saturday that officials had not responded to their call. A large rally is planned for next week. Rishikanta, 22, was the fifth reporter to be killed in Manipur with no one charged, Press Trust of India reported. The state lies on India's eastern border with Myanmar and is closed to foreigners who do not have entry permits. National journalism groups supported the Manipur union and pledged to seek justice through the national government. http://newsblaze.com/story/20081122085425nava.nb/topstory.html November 22,2008 Send to a friend Another Assam Scribe Shot Dead: Protest Meet on Tuesday By Nava Thakuria After Manipur, within a week Assam has lost a young reporter, who fell prey to miscreants on Saturday. Jagjit Saikia, a Kokrajhar based scribe, associated with a vernacular Assamese daily, Amar Asom, was shot on November 22 afternoon in Kokrajhar town. He was taken to Rupnath Brahma hospital, but Jagjit succumbed to his injuries. He was also an office bearer of Assam Press Correspondents' Union. He has left behind his wife and a minor daughter. The northeastern part of India earlier witnessed the brutal killing of a scribe in Imphal on November 17, when unidentified assailants shot dead Konsam Rishikanta, a trainee sub-editor of The Imphal Free Press, an English daily in Manipur. The Manipur police are yet to get any breakthrough, and no armed group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing. The Journalists' Forum, Assam strongly condemned the killing of Jagjit Saikia. In a press statement, the forum also demanded the Assam government take prompt and appropriate actions to book the culprits for stringent punishment. Meanwhile, The Journalists' Action Committee, Assam is organizing a protest meet on November 25 (Tuesday) at Guwahati Press Club. In a statement, JAC revealed that Assam has lost 16 journalists since 1991, all of them were targeted by miscreants and banned armed groups. The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union, Editors' Forum, Manipur had already taken the path of agitation and asked for a four-day strike by all Imphal-based daily newspapers and local channels in protest against the murder of Rishikant. The All Manipur Working Journalists Union members also called on the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh demanding a prompt investigation. North East Media Forum, a body of New Delhi-based journalists also strongly condemned the killing. In an official statement the forum said that it urged the Manipur government 'to immediately take measures to ensure [the] safety and security of the journalists working in the State'. Even the Paris based media rights body, Reporters Without Borders issued a statement that 'both the Manipur state government and the federal authorities must ensure that the murder investigation has the resources it needs to establish the motive and identify those responsible'. The RSF also extended support to the strike announced by the local press in protest against this cowardly murder'. Earlier the Editors Guild of India, while expressing shock at the killing of Rishikant, extended 'its support to the struggle of the Manipur editors and journalists, and demand immediate action by both the central and state governments to protect the media in Manipur'. Nabbing the killers of Rishikant Singh must be a high priority for the governments, it asserted. In a letter to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Guild also appealed to him 'to take personal interest in the situation in Manipur and if necessary, order a CBI investigation into the murder of journalists'. Signed by Rajdeep Sardesai and K S Sachidananda Murthy, the President and Secretary General of the forum, a copy of the letter was sent to Shivraj Patil, the Union Home Minister, Gurbachan Jagat, Governor of Manipur and Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur. Nava Thakuria is an independent journalist based in Guwahati, Northeast India, whose main interest is in socio-political developments of Northeast India and neighbouring Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh. http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/nov/22/hyderabad_police_didn_t_allow_protest_meeting_against_police_torture.html Hyderabad Police didn?t allow protest meeting against police torture Submitted by Tarique on Sat, 11/22/2008 - 17:39. ? Indian Muslim By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net, Hyderabad: The Hyderabad city police did not permit a public meeting where the victims of police torture were to present details of the physical and mental torture after they were picked up following last year's bomb blasts in Hyderabad. Assistant Commissioner of Police S Chaturvedi said that the permission was not granted for the protest meeting by Majlis Bachao Tehreek due to the apprehensions of breach of peace. The meeting was organized on Idgah Ujale Shah Ground in old city of Hyderabad to protest against the incidents of subjecting Muslim youth to physical torture and failure of the police to nab the culprits of the blast in Mecca Masjid in May last year. "We wanted to expose the real face of the police before the people. Victims of police torture were to present their case in the people's court but fearing the exposure the police did not permit our meeting", said Amjadullah Khan Khalid, the leader of MBT. Heavy police force was deployed in Sayeedabad, Malakpet, Chanchalguda and other surrounding areas. The venue of the meeting was also locked by the police. ACP Chaturvedi said that if they had allowed the MBT to hold the meeting, then other groups of people would have also insisted to hold similar meetings leading to tension and disruption of communal harmony and peace. Imran Khan and Shoaib Jagirdar, who were acquitted by the court in a criminal conspiracy case were scheduled to speak at the meeting and give the details of how they were picked up after the Mecca Masjid blast and how the police subjected them to third degree torture to extract confession of their involvement in the blast. Before the meeting was cancelled, a team of plain-cloth policemen visited Shoaib's home in Hyderabad and warned him against attending the protest meeting. They told Shoiab's father that higher police officials were against Shoaib attending the meeting. But Shoaib's father, a central government employee Yunusullah Khan rejected their threats and warned the policemen against visiting his home. "My son was innocent but you tried to frame him in a false case and project him as a terrorist. Now that the court has found him innocent, you are still threatening us", Yunusullah Khan told the policemen. The police also threatened and warned Imran's friends not to support him or attend the meeting. Two of his friends were even summoned to Bowenpally police station, Imran said. Earlier Imran was also asked by the police to turn an informer and provide information about the activities of Muslim youth, which he firmly rejected. Shoaib Jagirdar, who had come from Jalna to attend the meeting, said that he too was under constant pressure from the police and intelligence sleuths. The issue of subjecting Muslim youth to torture in Hyderabad has come into focus at the international level after the Human Rights Watch Group recently issued a statement demanding prosecution of the guilty police officials. The HRW said that after last year's blasts in Hyderabad about 100 Muslims were picked up and many of them were subjected to brutal torture including stripping, beatings and electric shocks. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/06/stories/2008110656820500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Warangal PR workers stage protests Staff Reporter Take out rallies condemning the attack on party chief Chiranjeevi ________________________________________ Workers wash the portrait of Chiru with milk Eggs distributed to the poor as mark of protest ________________________________________ --Photo: Uppu Damodar Expressing solidarity: PR leaders taking out a rally in Karimnagar on Wednesday in protest against the attack on Chiranjeevi. WARANGAL: The Praja Rajyam workers organised protest meetings and took out rallies condemning the attack on their leader Mr. Chiranjeevi by the TRS workers on Tuesday. The PR leaders staged a dharna near Public Gardens and Ambedkar statue and some of them washed the Gandhi statue with milk and also the portrait of Mr. Chiranjeevi as well at a series of meetings held across the district. The Praja Rajyam leader Dr. M. Seshu Madhav said the TRS leaders were feeling threatened by Mr. Chiranjeevi?s tour in Telangana area as he came out with the social justice as agenda. ?The PR raised a banner against the feudal parties and pledged to give top priority to BCs, SCs and minorities. The TRS leaders are apprehensive that they might lose their base in Telangana region,? he pointed out. Mr. Seshu Madhav said PR would put up an excellent show in Telangana region despite the odds being created by the TRS leaders. No conspiracies or obstacles could deter the Praja Rajyam from sweeping the polls. Another leader Madati Ravinder Reddy led a group of party workers and washed the Gandhi statue at Public Gardens and distributed eggs to the poor people as mark of protest against the attack on Mr. Chiranjeevi. PR senior leader J. Jacharaiah lashed out at Mr K.Chandrasekhar Rao and his son Mr Ramu accusing them of conspiring against Mr Chiranjeevi. The TRS had hoodwinked people by promising to accord top priority to BCs, SCs and minorities. ?Mr. Rao virtually sold the Assembly tickets to candidates of forward castes. Now, Mr Chiranjeevi came out with social justice as agenda, Mr. Rao is feeling threatened,? he said. Karimnagar Staff Reporter adds: Condemning the attack on the Praja Rajyam party president Chiranjeevi the PR district unit leaders have taken out a peace rally in Karimnagar town on Wednesday. Demand action PR leaders Md Arif Ahmed, Bejugam Madhu, K Harikrishna Goud, G Balakrishna and others participated in the peace rally by wearing the black badges. They also distributed eggs to the passersby in protest against the attack on the actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi. They also demanded the government to stern action against the culprits involved in the attack. Mr Jacharaiah warned the TRS leaders of dire consequences if they went ahead with such actions. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/as-protests-gather-police-force-guards-madhya-pradesh-bjp-office_100115455.html As protests gather, police force guards Madhya Pradesh BJP office November 5th, 2008 - 7:39 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Bhopal, Nov 5 (IANS) Heavy police force has been deployed at the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) Madhya Pradesh state office in Bhopal since Tuesday in the wake of growing protests over its selection of candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections.Protests and demonstrations are being held at the state BJP headquarters by several groups, including those who have arrived here from other parts of the state. Hundreds of BJP workers protesting the candidature of Chetram from Amla constituency arrived here in the afternoon and held demonstration at the party office. Soon the police force surrounded the office to prevent any ugly incident or fracas from breaking out. BJP workers from Amla constituency in Betul district gathered outside the office and raised slogans against Chetram. They claimed the party would lose heavily if the candidate was not changed. Earlier in the day, the Sindhi Samaj Sangharsh Samiti protested the candidature of Jitendra Daga, said to be the choice of senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. The Samaj wants Bhagwandas Sabnani to contest from the state capital?s Huzur constituency. Sabnani, it is said, was brought back to the party fold from Uma Bharati?s Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) Party a couple of weeks ago with the promise that he would be fielded from the constituency. ?We (the community) would field Bhagwandas Sabnani as an Independent candidate if the BJP doesn?t give him the ticket,? Samaj?s spokesman Dharmendra Bulchandani told reporters. The members of the Samaj also held demonstrations at the party office Monday and kept shuttered their establishments across Bairagarh township. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/madhya-pradesh-bjp-swamped-by-protests-over-poll-tickets-lead_100115506.html Madhya Pradesh BJP swamped by protests over poll tickets (Lead) November 5th, 2008 - 9:17 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Bhopal, Nov 5 (IANS) Heavy police force has been deployed at the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) Madhya Pradesh state office in Bhopal since Tuesday following growing protests over its selection of candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections. Supporters of more than a dozen legislators have so far turned up from their respective constituencies to lodge their protest against the party decisions. The polls to the 230-seat state assembly are scheduled for Nov 27. Protests also continued for the fourth day Wednesday as over 2,000 party workers arrived here to protest against the candidature of Finance Minister Raghavji from Vidisha constituency. Raghavji is a legislator from Shamshabad constituency, but this time he has been fielded by the party from Vidisha, thereby denying a ticket to legislator Gurucharan Singh. The party workers said any candidate other than Singh was not acceptable to them at Vidisha. ?Our legislator has been denied a ticket simply because the state leaders including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wanted to disturb both Raghavji and Gurucharan knowing well that both were well entrenched in their respective constituencies and any other candidate will not be able to make it through,? said a worker from Vidisha. Hundreds of BJP workers protesting the candidature of Chetram from Amla constituency also arrived in the afternoon and held demonstration at the party office in Bhopal. Soon the police force surrounded the office to prevent any ugly incident or fracas from breaking out. BJP workers from Amla constituency in Betul district raised slogans against Chetram, and claimed the party would lose heavily if the candidate was not changed. Earlier in the day, the Sindhi Samaj Sangharsh Samiti protested the candidature of Jitendra Daga, said to be the choice of senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. The Samaj wants Bhagwandas Sabnani to contest from the state capital?s Huzur constituency. Sabnani, it is said, was brought back to the party fold from Uma Bharati?s Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) Party a couple of weeks ago with the promise that he would be fielded from the constituency. ?We (the community) would field Bhagwandas Sabnani as an Independent candidate if the BJP doesn?t give him the ticket,? Samaj?s spokesman Dharmendra Bulchandani told reporters. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/protest-outside-malhotras-residence-over-ticket-distribution_100114147.html Protest outside Malhotra?s residence over ticket distribution November 2nd, 2008 - 4:14 pm ICT by IANS - New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Unhappy over ticket distribution for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders along with their supporters protested outside the house of the party?s chief ministerial candidate V.K. Malhotra here Sunday.The BJP had released the first list of 53 candidates late Saturday for the Delhi assembly polls, which it will contest in alliance with the Akali Dal. The list that included names of 19 sitting BJP legislators was cleared at a meeting of the Central Election Committee chaired by party president Rajnath Singh. ?Everyone, however, is not happy with the ticket distribution. Some had arrived at Malhotra?s residence since the morning to wish him while some had come to complain and register their protest,? a BJP supporter working with Malhotra told IANS. ?The protestors raised slogans and criticised the party?s decision. They alleged that several candidates selected by the party were not the best bet and should be changed,? he added. The protest outside Malhotra?s residence at 6, Dr Bishamber Das Marg also resulted in a traffic jam. According to the list announced Saturday, Malhotra will contest from the Greater Kailash constituency. Delhi party unit chief Harshvardhan and veteran leader Vijay Jolly will contest from the Krishna Nagar and New Delhi constituencies, respectively. Names of candidates for the remaining 13 seats are expected to be released in the next few days. The Akali Dal will fight from four constituencies - Shahdara, Adarsh Nagar, Rajauri Garden and Jungpura. Elections to the 70-member assembly will be held Nov 29. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111059610300.htm New Delhi MLA?s supporters protest Staff Reporter Photo: V. Sudershan Zile Singh Chauhan along with his supporters protesting outside the AICC office in New Delhi on Sunday. NEW DELHI: Supporters of Bhalaswa Jahangirpuri MLA Jile Singh Chauhan held a demonstration outside the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road here on Sunday to protest against the delay in grant of the party ticket from Burari to the two-time MLA. The protesters insisted that Mr. Chauhan is the only Rajput and advocate MLA in Delhi and had carried out a lot of development work in his area during his 10-year term. Mr. Chauhan was also a member of the Delhi Development Authority and in that capacity had also been closely associated with the new Master Plan for Delhi. As a lawyer too he had been associated with the Congress for a long time and had represented its interests in the Jain Commission of Enquiry and other important cases. But despite these credentials, the protesters insisted unnecessary weightage was being given to the Tyagi factor in Burari as both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party haven given tickets to candidates from the community here. After much deliberations, the BJP finally announced the name of its candidate from Burari, three days after having announced its candidates from all the other 69 seats. It has now fielded Shri Krishna Tyagi, a party worker and executive member of All-India Kisan Morcha from the seat. In the Congress too, a Tyagi emerged as one of the frontrunners after the process of delimitation took the representation of people from the community in the area to 10 per cent. So Deepak Tyagi, who climbed the political ladder by securing a post in the Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress, is now posing a challenge for Mr. Chauhan. A break up of voters in the constituency shows that at 8 per cent, the Rajputs are only marginally behind the Tyagis. But if caste were to be the criteria for selection here, the Scheduled Castes at 16 per cent should have got the tickets. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=55ef08ab-6d7b-46ae-898e-cd9bc83ffaa7mydelhimyvote_Special&Headline=Cong+list+leaked%2c+protests+follow Cong list leaked, protests follow Anuradha Mukherjee, Hindustan Times Email Author New Delhi, November 10, 2008 First Published: 00:25 IST(10/11/2008) Last Updated: 00:37 IST(10/11/2008) With only two days left for filing nominations, Congress leaders were left speculating on the probable candidates for the 22 Delhi assembly seats. The party is yet to make an announcement. The Congress was expected to announce the list on Sunday noon. By noon, however, several names were leaked and pandemonium broke loose. Burari MLA Jile Singh Chauhan?s supporters gathered outside the AICC office to protest against his reported non-inclusion among the 70 candidates who would contest the elections. The protest turned so violent that the police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. ?Some names were leaked to party members in the noon and local workers got to know that I would not be given a ticket. These were people who had assisted Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her son, MP Sandeep Dikshit, win elections. I have worked as the area MLA for 10 years. Let them field Deepak Tyagi. Can he win?? posed Chauhan. Fourteen names were doing the rounds in Congress circles. Health minister Yoganand Shastri was named as the choice from the Mehrauli seat, while Tarwinder Marwah was reported to be the candidate from Jangpura where veteran city leader Tajdar Babar was also a contender. ?Fielding Shastri from Mehrauli does not make sense. There is hardly any Jat vote there. This is one of the Gujjar dominated seats,? said a party insider. Similarly, former Union minister Buta Singh?s son Ravinder Singh Lovely (Deoli), IPS officer Amod Kanth (Sangam Vihar), Ramesh Lamba (Hari Nagar), Deepak Tyagi (Burari), Vijender Jindal (Rohini), Rajesh Jain (Sadar), Mehmood Zia (Matia Mahal), JS Rana (Narela), Shabnam Riaz (Kirari), P.C. Kaushik (Mundka), Bhisham Sharma (Ghonda) and Anil Vashishth from Babarpur were the other names. DPCC chairman Jai Prakash Aggarwal, however, called the protests unnecessary as the official list was yet to be announced. ?Jile Singh is a senior leader and has been an MLA for 10 years. If he had a problem, he could speak to me or the chief minister,? he added. ?This is an ill thought out list. They have merely looked at personal equations, not a candidate?s ability to win,? said Chauhan. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110457150300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kadapa Assault on civic staff protested Special Correspondent KADAPA: The TDP, CPI and CPI(M) and municipal staff staged a dharna before the Badvel municipality office on Monday demanding arrest of Congress functionary Chandrasekhar Reddy, who allegedly assaulted Municipal Commissioner A.C. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/04chira.htm TRS workers greet Chiranjeevi with protests and eggs Mohammed Siddique in Hyderabad | November 04, 2008 19:34 IST Actor turned politician Chiranjeevi [Images] got a taste of the murkier side of politics on Tuesday, when workers of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti pelted eggs at the megastar at Narsampeta in Warangal district. Smeared in egg yolk, Chiranjeevi was forced to make an unscheduled stop at a school to take a bath. Chiranjeevi supports Telangana cause The TRS workers initially blocked Chiranjeevi's state-wide yatra, demanding a clear statement from the actor on the contentious Telangana issue. When Chiranjeevi pointed out that he had already clarified his stand on the issue, some TRS workers started pelting eggs at the actor, who was addressing the crowd from the roof of his 'rath'. Chiranjeevi's grand entry into politics "This is not good, not proper. You should not indulge in such things," Chiranjeevi said even as his security guards tried to shield him. When the miscreants continued throwing eggs, the actor was taken inside the vehicle. The unpleasant incident left the star visibly jolted. Countdown begins for Chiranjeevi's D-day Chiranjeevi, who is visiting the Telangana districts of Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam, is yet to take a definite stance of Telangana. "If the central government initiates steps for the formation of Telangana state, the Praja Rajyam will not object or oppose it," he had said. Chiranjeevi hints at an alliance with BJP BJP and TRS supporters have held demonstrations during Chiranjeevi's rallies in the last four days, pressing him to clarify his stance further. Speaking about the attack, the actor said, "I will not be threatened or deterred by such acts of vandalism. I am determined to serve the people and I will continue to do that." http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-38131.html One dead as mob targets BSP leader's house in protest in UP Lakhimpur Kheri, Oct 29 : A youth was killed in firing after a mob allegedly attempted to set afire the house of ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Akhilesh Gupta here today. The whole matter had started yesterday, when some men were extorting money from shopkeepers in a fair at Tikuniya town. Sweatmaker Chetram had, however, objected to the move after which the men had ransacked his shop. As per sources, the police had also denied to register a case in this regard as the men charged with extortion were supported by the BSP. The enraged shopkeepers, who staged demonstration outside the house of BSP leader Akhilesh Gupta and also attempted to set afire his house today, allegedly faced firing from the other side, in which one Kuldeep Singh (25) died. As many as 12 others sustained bullet wounds in the incident and have been admitted to hospital. An uneasy calm, meanwhile, prevailed in the area and police and PAC sleuths have been deployed on the site. --- UNI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112060991100.htm Andhra Pradesh ?Manhandling of activist led to protest? Special Correspondent Ruling party cadres raid R&B guesthouse at Pulivendula ________________________________________ Irate group of people damage some vehicles Police restrain Congressmen from staging protest ________________________________________ Tense situation: A Congressman pulling out Praja Rajyam flag from a vehicle in Pulivendula on Wednesday. PULIVENDULA: Manhandling of a Congress activist, Chinna, by Praja Rajyam activists after he objected to their attempt to tie their party banner and flag atop his house sparked off trouble in Pulivendula, leading to the ruling party activists raiding the R&B guesthouse at Pulivendula, according to Pulivendula DSP Khaleel Saudagar. Following the manhandling, Praja Rajyam activists rushed to the guest house and took shelter inside and an irate group of people damaged some vehicles, a Congress leader Ravimohan said. Rather than chide the partymen, PR leader K. Vidhyadhara Rao levelled allegations against Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, resulting in a dharna by Congressmen, he added. Congress functionaries staged a peaceful demonstration for a while before Kadapa MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy?s office on Wednesday morning, with policemen restraining them from protesting during Chiranjeevi?s tour. The Chief Minister is said to have directed party leaders and activists not to obstruct or protest during the Chiranjeevi?s tour, Congressmen said. Chiranjeevi, who said PR activists exercised restraint and staged peaceful protests, ought to have admitted that yesterday?s incidents were a fall-out of overzealous PR functionaries? bid to put up party flags atop Congress sympathisers? houses, a Congress leader said. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63958 Published On: 2008-11-19 National Angry protests against AL tickets in Rajshahi-4,5, 6 Rallies, token hunger strike: Nominees declared unwanted Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Awami League leaders and activists burst into angry protests in three constituencies in Rajshahi yesterday against party nominations to businessmen newcomers, instead of senior party leaders suggested from the grassroots. On the other hand supporters of the businessmen candidates also held meetings hailing the nominations, unleashing a flurry of protest programmes and tension between AL factions. Hundreds of AL leaders and activists held protest meetings, formed human chain and observed token hunger strike. They declared the businessmen candidates unwanted in the areas and threatened to quit the party. They demanded immediate cancellation of nomination of industrialist Enamul Haque in Rajshahi-4 (Bagmara), businessman Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara in Rajshahi-5 (Puthia-Durgapur) and industrialist Shahriar Alam in Rajshahi-6 (Bagha-Charghat) constituencies. They demanded nomination of minister Sardar Amjad Hossain, Rajshahi district AL president Tajul Islam M Faruk and former lawmaker Raihanul Haque in these Jatiya Sangsad seats. These senior party leaders were selected through vote of grassroots leaders in party meetings but their opinions were ignored, they said. The party leaders in protest meetings blamed Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton for helping the businessmen to get nomination. They are not even party members, speakers at the meetings said. AL chance of victory in the coming election, created by alleged crime and corruption by BNP-Jamaat, would evaporate if proper candidates are not selected, they said. Rajshahi-4 Several hundred AL men held a protest meeting at Bhawaniganj in Bagmara and formed a 200-member citizens' committee headed by Abdus Samad to create resistance against nominee Enamul Haque. The meeting held with the upazila AL secretary Zakirul Islam Santu in the chair demanded ticket for Sardar Amjad Hossain from the constituency. ?Out of 63-member upazila committee, only 13 support Enamul and he was not a party member even a month ago. How can we abide by him if he gets party nomination?, said Santu. Rajshahi-5 Several hundred AL men formed a human chain and held token hunger strike at Puthia and Durgapur upazilas demanding nomination for Tajul Islam M Faruk. They announced a seven-day protest programmea and declared Abdul Wadud Dara unwanted in the area. Following allefged threats, Dara along with some 50 people rushed to Rajshahi city and held a press conference at Miapara Central Public Library auditorium welcoming the nomination. Dara vowed to recover the Rajshahi-5 seat that, he said, was lost to BNP four times for wrong selection of candidate. Rajshahi-6 Shahriar Alam was also declared unwanted in Rajshahi-6. At a protest meeting held at Charghat AL office with the upazila AL president Anwar Hossain in the chair, a number of party-men demanded nomination for Raihanul Haque. They threatened to leave party en masse if the grassroots selection is neglected. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65239 Published On: 2008-11-28 National Protest by 2 Khulna AL aspirants' men Staff Correspondent Supporters observe a token hunger strike on the premises of Khulna Press Club yesterday demanding nomination to Khulna district Awami League President Sheikh Harun-ar-Rashid for Khulna-1 and senior Vice President Sheikh Nurul Huq for Khulna-6 constituencies. Photo: STAR Police foiled observance of token hunger strike by over 2000 people in the Khulna Press Club premises at 10 am yesterday (Thursday) in demand of nomination to Khulna district Awami League president Sheikh Harun-ar-Rashid from Khulna-1 and senior Vice President Advocate Sheikh Nurul Huq from Khulna-6 constituencies. Later, they went to the Khulna Awami League office to observe token hunger strike from 10:30 a.m. till 2 p.m., which was followed by a rally. The grassroots level people came to Khulna from Batiaghata, Dakop, Koira and Paikgacha upazilas of Khulna-1 and Khulna-6 seats of the Parliament in protest against nominations of Nani Gopal Mandol and Advocate Sohrab Ali Sana. After the token hunger strike a rally was held where speakers appealed to AL Chief Sheikh Hasina to review nominations by fielding Sheikh Harun in Khulna-1 (Batiaghata-Dacope) and Advocate Nurul Huq in Khulna-6 (Koira-Paikgacha) constituencies. Otherwise, the speakers warned that the party would face polls debacle in the two seats. AL Parliamentary board has fielded Dacope upazila AL president Nani Gopal Mandol in Khulna-1 and Advocate Sohrab Ali Sana in Khulna-6 to contest in the upcoming national elections. Nominations to these two new faces have triggered discontent among grassroots level workers and leaders of the two constituencies. Sheikh Harun and Advocate Sheikh Nurul Huq said they were stunned at the decision of the AL parliamentary board regarding nomination in the two constituencies. Advocate Sheikh Nurul Huq who won Khulna 6 seat in 1996 said he would contest as an independent candidate if the nomination were not reviewed. . Sheikh Harun-ar-Rashid who was elected lawmaker from Khulna-1 in 1986 national elections said that the decision was unacceptable to him. "Yet, I would not go against party decision", Harun said urging Sheikh Hasina to review the nomination and field him in Khulna-1. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65573 Published On: 2008-11-30 National Election 2008 Protesters to lose right to do AL politics, says RCC mayor Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi Rajshahi city Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, centre, introduces six Awami League nominees for constituencies in the district at a meeting of grassroots AL leaders yesterday as nomination deprived party leaders continue agitation. Photo: STAR Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, who himself opposed party decision during the last RCC polls, yesterday said the protesters against the Awami League nominations for six seats in Rajshahi district will lose their right to do AL politics. ?Sheikh Hasina's [AL chief] decision for nomination is the final. Those who are protesting should stop it immediately or they will have no right to do Awami League politics in future,? he said at the party's special workers' meeting at Rajshahi Zila Parishad auditorium. Rajshahi AL General Secretary Omar Faruk Chowdhury, also AL nominee for Rajshahi-1 constituency, chaired the meeting. A large AL faction led by district AL President Tajul Islam M Faruk is holding protest meetings demanding AL nominations to senior politicians. They criticised AL nominations to three industrialists who are newcomers to the party. At the meeting, Liton called upon all to unite for ensuring victory in upcoming election as well as to fight against the undemocratic, communal and militant forces and establish pro-liberation ideologies. All six AL nominees from the seats under district Omar Faruk Chowdhury, Prof Abdul Khaleque, Meraj Uddin Mollah, Enamul Haque, Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara and Shahriar Alam were present at the meeting. Khairuzzaman Liton himself went against the AL decision before August 4 RCC election when the party gave the AL-led combine ticket for Workers Party leader Fazle Hosain Badsha in the mayoral poll. Following Liton's role under the banner of Rajshahi Nagorik Committee, Badsha had to withdraw from the RCC mayoral race. Liton later won the election. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/241053,detention-of-former-ministers-sparks-protests-in-bangladesh.html Detention of former ministers sparks protests in Bangladesh Posted : Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:12:01 GMT Author : DPA Category : Asia (World) Dhaka - The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies announced nationwide protests against the detention of three former ministers in a graft case, saying it was a ploy to keep the alliance out of the December elections, media reports said Tuesday. The party's right-wing ally - Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamic party - said in a statement that it was starting five days of protests Tuesday to demand the immediate release of two of its party officials, Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed. The two top Jamaat leaders and former BNP finance minister M Saifur Rahman, who served as ministers in then-prime minister Khaleda Zia's cabinet from 2001 to 2006, were detained as they appeared before a court Monday in a corruption case related to a coal-mine contract. The BNP-led alliance, which has yet to clarify its position over contesting the December polls, plans nationwide demonstrations Wednesday to denounce the arrests and push a list of demands, including the withdrawal of a state of emergency before the elections, slated for December 18. BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, after an emergency meeting of alliance leaders chaired by Zia late Monday, accused the military-backed interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed of making arrangements to bring a "certain quarter" to power. "The arrest of the senior alliance leaders indicates that the government wants to keep the alliance out of the election race," he said, asking the government to refrain from hatching a conspiracy. Leaders and activists of the BNP and Jamaat parties on Monday staged rallies and marched down streets across the country to protest the court's decision. Jamaat's assistant secretary general, Muhammad Quamaruzzaman, announced non-stop demonstrations and protest rallies across the country from Tuesday to Thursday. The party said it would also organize prayers and protests Friday. The detained former ministers were accused of ignoring lower bids and awarding a contract to a foreign firm to develop a coal mine in northern Bangladesh. Zia is also accused in the case. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65702 Published On: 2008-12-01 National Eligible Aspirants Deprieved of Ticket from Dinajpur-3 BNP office locked protesting nomination to 'stranger' Three new faces, three stalwarts chosen Our Correspondent, Dinajpur Dinajpur BNP candidates, from left, Mahbubur Rahman, Akhtaruzzaman Miah and AZM Rezwanul Haque Aggrieved at BNP nomination to Jatiya Ganatantrik Party leader Md Shafiul Alam for Dinajpur-3 constituency, local BNP men locked Dinajpur BNP office protesting the decision. The central BNP has given party ticket for the seat to a person who does not have any relation with grassroots BNP leaders while eligible party leaders have been deprived, said grassroots BNP leaders and activists. Shafiul Alam Prodhan, who hails from Panchagarh, went to file his nomination paper to Dinajpur returning officer under police escort. At the time he was accompanied by Jatiya Ganatantrik Party leaders but no BNP leader or activist was seen around. In 2001 national elections, four out of six BNP-led four-party alliance candidates in the district were from BNP while two others from its key alliance partner Jamaat. The alliance won five of the seats while BNP candidate for Dinajpur-5 Rezwanul Haque was defeated to AL man. However, the political situation in Dinajpur district has changed as alleged large-scale corruption by the then ruling BNP-led four-party alliance lawmakers caused resentment among the people and many corrupt suspect party leaders are on the run to evade arrest. Death of former minister Khurshid Zahan Haque, elder sister of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, in June 2006 also created a vacuum in BNP leadership in the district. Nominees of BNP and its alliance partner Jamaat yesterday filed nomination paper in all six constituencies in Dinajpur district. In Dinajpur-1, Jamaat leader Maulana Abu Hanif filed his nomination paper. Md Aftab Uddin Mollah of Jamaat contested in 2005 by-election but was defeated to independent candidate Monoranjan Shill Gopal. BNP standing committee member Lt Gen Mahbubur Rahman, who won from Dinajpur-2 in 2001, filed his nomination paper in the seat. In Dinajpur-3, Shafiul Alam Prodhan filed his nomination papers but grassroots leaders and activists want BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia here, which is also her home constituency. Khaleda Zia had submitted her nomination from this constituency for January 22, 2007 election (later cancelled). Md Akhtaruzzaman Miah, who won from Dinajpur-4 in 2001 election, filed his nomination paper with BNP ticket from the constituency. BNP sources said there is severe intra-party feud in the constituency as several aspirants including industrialist Hafizur Rahman Sarker and advocate Abdul Halim sought BNP tickets from the seat. In Dinajpur-5, BNP leader AZM Rezwanul Haque, who was defeated to AL's Mostafizur Rahman Fizar in 2001, filed his nomination paper. Md Anwarul Islam, general secretary of Dinajpur Jamaat, filed nomination paper in Dinajpur-6. In 2001, Jamaat leader Maulana Azizur Rahman Chowdhury was elected lawmaker from the seat but the party later expelled him following allegations of corruption, said party sources. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 12:02:56 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:02:56 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Pro-democracy and civil/human rights protests, Africa-Americas-Middle East-Europe/North, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB13660.5080806@tesco.net> AFRICA * SUDAN: Journalists arrested after protest against censorship * ZAMBIA: Unrest after election, opposition alleges fraud * DR CONGO/UK and CANADA: Protest against Congo killings, UK deportations * NIGERIA: Women protest naked over Ekiti poll * NIGERIA: Protests for, against "corrupt" Parliament leaders * ZIMBABWE: Protests for democratisation process * ZIMBABWE: Protesters target forum * CAMEROON: Opposition protest at president celebration * RWANDA: Arrest of minister in Europe sparks massive protests * Protests also reach America, Sweden and other European countries * SOUTH AFRICA: Labour protests over Western Sahara status * NAMIBIA: Municipal workers protest leader's suspension * NIGERIA/UK: Students remember Ken Saro-Wiwa AMERICAS * ST LUCIA: Opposition protest * BRAZIL: Flash mob protest over cyber-repression * NICARAGUA: Supporters, opponents rally over disputed election MIDDLE EAST * SAUDI ARABIA: Campaign launched over detentions * SAUDI ARABIA: Women re-unite to remember driving protest * EGYPT/SAUDI ARABIA: Protest over whipping of doctor * EGYPT: Protest against political imprisonment * LEBANON: Hundreds protest attack on journalist * YEMEN: Clashes at opposition protest * UAE/UK: Protest against dictatorship EUROPE * UK: Two arrested as SOCPA protests continue * UK: ID cards protest in Stockport, Solihull, Brighton, Wales, Leeds * UK: Brixton protest over Ricky Bishop killing * CANADA/MEXICO: Protest over Canadian jailed in Mexico * CANADA: Ontario - Teens protest driving ban * SPAIN: Basque protest * QUEBEC - CANADA: Protests on election day * AUSTRIA: Protest at performance cancellation after death threats * CANADA: Pot activists protest cafe raid http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2427791,00.html 70 journos held after protest 17/11/2008 14:10 - (SA) Khartoum - Sudanese police detained about 70 journalists, herding them into a truck after they protested against draconian censorship outside parliament on Monday, witnesses and reporters said. Scores of journalists rallied outside parliament condemning the censorship which flouts the freedom of expression supposed to be enshrined in the country's interim constitution following the end of a north-south civil war. A member of parliament came to talk to the reporters. After he went back into the building, police came and ordered all the remaining journalists into at least one waiting truck, said journalists. They were driven to a police station in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum just across the Nile river, shortly after midday (09:00 GMT). "We are about 70 journalists now in custody in Omdurman police station, near the passport department," said Murtada el-Ghali, the editor in chief of the daily newspaper Ajras Al-Hurriya. "We are in one room. We are sitting on the floor. They took our names. I am the only editor in chief, but there are editing managers, high-ranking journalists, and 27 girls among us," he added. "We were treated in a very harsh way. They made us sit on the seats in the lorry. We were more than 70, there was not enough room and they were hitting the outside of the lorry with sticks," he added before the phone went dead. Two witnesses put the number of arrested journalists at 60 to 65. Another two reporters said initially that 100 had been driven away. Police were not immediately reachable for comment. Sudanese journalists this month stepped up protests against government censorship and the arrests of colleagues, staging a hunger strike on November 4 in a demonstration spearheaded by staff at the Ajras Al-Hurriya newspaper. Sudan's interim constitution, which is supposed to guide the country through a six-year phased implementation of a 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended two decades of civil war, upholds freedom of the press and expression. But laws guaranteeing press freedom have not been passed and security officials inspect the editions of every newspaper nightly. Editors who resist censorship risk their publications being banned outright or confiscated from distribution offices. - AFP http://allafrica.com/stories/200811190071.html International Federation of Journalists (Brussels) Sudan: Seventy Journalists Arrested At Demonstration Against Government Censorship 18 November 2008 The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the arrest and detention of about 70 journalists on Monday, as they were demonstrating against the censorship practice and tactics employed by the Sudanese government. "We consider the arrest of the journalists on Monday by the Sudanese authorities as an act of intimidation aimed at preventing the media from reporting the truth in Sudan," said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office. "The Sudanese government must respect the rights of journalists and their independence. Censorship is not acceptable in modern journalism and the media in Sudan must be allowed to exercise its duties without any form of interference." According to a statement issued by the Eastern Africa Journalists Association, the journalists were arrested together with politicians and other members of civil society who had joined in the demonstration at the Parliament to register the journalists' discontent because of the government's censorship. "The Sudanese government has posted officials to newspaper houses that vet the content of all these papers and determine what should be published," said EAJA. The IFJ urges the Sudanese Government to respect the right to press freedom and freedom of expression, and to create an environment which enables journalists to operate according to internationally recognized standards of journalism. MORE INFORMATION: For further information about ongoing censorship in Sudan, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/98208 http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29295 Sudanese police arrest 70 journalists over protest for press freedom Monday 17 November 2008 12:30. Printer-Friendly version Comments... November 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) ? Sudanese authorities arrested over 70 journalists who demonstrated outside the national parliament to protest against press censorship, this morning. A Sudanese journalist protests against censorship in Khartoum November 4, 2008. (Reuters) The Sudanese police arrested on Monday morning 70 journalists that gathered to present a memorandum to the lawmakers asking them to revise Press and Media Law and to make it conform to the interim constitution. Two of the arrested journalists told Sudan Tribune that Yasir Arman the head of the SPLM caucus addressed the gathering before their detention and pledged to raise the issue inside the parliament. Over 150 Sudanese journalists launched on Tuesday on 4 November b a 24-hour hunger strike and the Ajras Al-Hurriya, Al-Maidan and Rayal Al-Shab newspapers halted production for three days, saying they could no longer accept government restrictions over editorial content. Sudanese Journalists are subjected on daily basis to increased harassment, arrest, detention and interrogation; and their printed newspapers are confiscated, say rights activists in a letter submitted to Submitted to the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights Abuja, Nigeria 14 November 2008. Since the indictment of the Sudanese president by the prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC); the security service imposed a pre-censorship process which involves the appointment of a security officer attached to each newspaper who every evening reviews the text of the edition and decides which articles are to be cut or re-written, columns excised or whole pages and sections removed. The current escalation in repressive measures against the independent media began in February 2008, immediately after the attempted coup in Chad in which the government of Chad alleged the government of Sudan was complicit. (ST) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811070643.html Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo) Sudan: Hunger Strike Held to Protest Proof Censorship 5 November 2008 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said in a statement on 5 November 2008 that journalists in Sudan have organized a sit-in and went on a hunger strike from the morning of 4 November until ten o'clock (local time) on 5 November in protest against the censorship of press proofs imposed by intelligence officers in charge of checking newspapers and excluding topics banned by the government. "Ajras Al Hurriya" newspaper has been off the presses since 1 November and announced the hunger strike and a sit-in at its premises. A number of Sudanese newspapers, including "Ra'y Alshaab" newspaper have also announced their suspension for three days as of 8 November in solidarity with "Ajras Al Hurriya"'s protest against proof censorship carried out by intelligence forces. Columnists have also decided to withdraw their columns in protest against the repressive mechanisms imposed on the press by the intelligence forces. In the same context, ANHRI condemns the arbitrary arrest of journalist Salah Bab Allah of the Khartoum-based "Al Entibaha" newspaper. Bab Allah has been in custody since his arrest at the newspaper's premises by security and intelligence forces on 1 November. Security officials have not allowed his wife to visit him. The basis for the arrest was his publication of news about an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in the El Fula area in Kordofan region, western Sudan. Proof censorship had previously concealed this news which was on the third page, but the journalist published it on the front page. Security forces refused to disclose his whereabouts or say what charges have been brought against him. Instead, they claimed that the arrest is for "inquiring about news." Accordingly, ANHRI demands the immediate release of the detained journalist and the cessation of arrests of journalists because of their profession. Gamal Eid, executive director of ANHRI, said: "We add our voice to the voices of the Sudanese journalists in their collective protest against proof censorship, and we demand the Sudanese Journalists Union take up its role in defense of freedom of the press and the protection of journalists. At the same time we urge the Sudanese government to respect press freedoms and end the arbitrary arrests of journalists in deliberate violation of international covenants and conventions that provide for these freedoms." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/17/africa/AF-Sudan-Journalists.php Dozens of protesting journalists arrested in Sudan The Associated Press Published: November 17, 2008 KHARTOUM, Sudan: Sudanese authorities arrested dozens of journalists Monday who gathered in front of the parliament building to protest state censorship, said eyewitnesses and those who were detained. Press freedom is supposed to be guaranteed under Sudan's constitution. But journalists have said they have experienced a mounting crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of elections expected next year. Murtadha al-Ghali, the editor-in-chief of the independent Ajras al-Hurria newspaper, said he was arrested Monday along with 77 other male and female journalists and released five hours later after promising to return for trial. "It seems there is a move to try us, but we will see how that is going to happen," al-Ghali told The Associated Press. Ajras al-Hurria, which means "Freedom Bells" in Arabic, is one of two newspapers that pledged to suspend publication for three days earlier this month to protest censorship. The publisher of Ajras al-Hurria, Salah Kajam, said earlier this month that state security agents regularly visit his paper's offices late at night to remove articles critical of the government and reports of violence in Darfur, among other things. The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum criticized Monday's arrests and urged the Sudanese government to end censorship. Suleiman Hamid al-Hajj, a human rights activist and spokesman for Sudan's Communist Party, said 63 journalists were arrested. The reason for the discrepancy in the numbers was not immediately clear. The Sudanese government has not commented publicly on the arrests. The Sudanese journalists union said it disapproved of censorship but did not condone Monday's protest. "We do not approve of turning the issue into a political agenda," the secretary general of the union, al-Fatiha al-Sayed, told the AP. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1440548.php/Banda_sworn_in_as_Zambian_president_-_riots_spread Banda sworn in as Zambian president - riots spread Africa News Nov 2, 2008, 14:49 GMT Lusaka - Rupiah Banda was hastily sworn in as president of Zambia Sunday after snatching victory from the jaws of opposition leader Michael Sata amid accusations from the opposition of vote- rigging. Banda, 71, of the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, will serve out the remaining three years in ex-leader Levy Mwanawasa's term following Mwanawasa's death of a stroke in August. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was among the dignitaries that attended Banda's swearing in at State House, a few hours after the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announced he won Thursday's by- election with 40.09 per cent of the vote to 38.13 per cent for Patriotic Front leader Sata. In his inauguration speech, Banda, a former vice-president under Mwanawasa, extended an olive branch to the PF, which has vowed to challenge the election result in court. 'United we stand, divided we fall,' Banda said, calling on the opposition to put aside their 'petty squabbles'. When it became apparent that Banda was going to win the vote, small-scale riots broke out Saturday in some poor neighbourhoods of Lusaka a Sata stronghold. Sata had been tipped to win the presidency in two of three opinion polls. By Sunday, the riots had spread to the town of Kitwe in the Copperbelt mining region, where Sata is also popular. Radio Phoenix reported that police were engaged in running battles with Sata supporters. It was not clear how many protestors were involved. Voter turnout in the election was down noticeably on the last presidential election at 45 per cent of the registered 3.9 million voters, against a turnout of over 70 per cent in 2006. Sata has claimed numerous alleged irregularities during the vote. Among other things, he claimed voting continued in some places while the first results were being announced. 'We will not recognize Mr Banda unless a court tells us why we should,' PF spokeswoman Given Lubinda said. Two African election observer teams, however, ave the election a clean bill of health. A pro-democracy NGO, the Foundation for Democratic Process, which carried out a parallel vote count said their numbers tallied with those of the ECZ. In the only confirmed incident of what looked like a rigging attempt, an election officer in a Lusaka constituency was found in possession of an envelope of ballots pre-marked for Banda on election day. The man was detained by police. Sata, who was on his third attempt to become president, had looked comfortably ahead at one point but that was before the votes from pro- Banda rural areas had come in. The Zambian army has been on alert since earlier this week, amid fears of violence over a disputed outcome. In 2006, Sata's initial refusal to accept his defeat at the hands of Mwanawasa sparked days of rioting. Zambia is Africa's largest copper producer but 65 per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day. The global financial crisis loomed large over the election, as fears of a worldwide recession drag down prices for the commodity. Banda has promised to continue Mwanawasa's legacy of prudent economic management, while cutting taxes on food and fuel. 'This will help Zambia to become a middle income country by 2030,' he said.' He also warned foreign investors to respect Zambia's labour laws and to improve workers' wages. Sata had curried a lot of support by demanding better conditions for workers in Chinese-owned mining firms. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811031290.html Zambia: 14 Nabbed for Rioting 3 November 2008 FOURTEEN suspected opposition political party cadres have been arrested in Lusaka's Mandevu and Chipata townships after they rioted as MMD candidate, Rupiah Banda was leading in the presidential race on Saturday night. The protesters looted and burnt makeshift shops and stoned motor vehicles soon after the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)'s 20:00 hours update, which showed that Mr Banda was likely to win the election. Lusaka police chief, Greenwell Ng'uni said one vehicle was extensively damaged while motorists were forced to divert elsewhere during the rioting which the police only managed to contain around 04:00 hours yesterday. He said police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and prevent them from causing further damage to vehicles and shops. Mr Ng'uni said the 14 suspects have been charged with riotous behaviour and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. Meanwhile, former Mineworkers Union of Zambia president, Andrew Mwanza has described as unpatriotic and irresponsible people resorting to violence. Mr Mwanza said political party leaders that took part in the presidential election should concede defeat and support the ruling party in its efforts to improve people's welfare. Mr Mwanza said Zambia had always been a peaceful nation and it would be irresponsible for any politician to resort to violence. He proposed an amendment to the Republican Constitution so that if a Republican president dies, his party should hold a convention to replace him, instead of holding a presidential election where other political parties also contest. He said holding a presidential election where other political parties participated after the Republican president has died was costly. (Times of Zambia) http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/107/article_2026.asp Zambia Banda wins presidential election with narrow margin Article published on the 2008-11-02 Latest update 2008-11-02 17:19 TU Rupiah Banda, acting president since Levy Mwanawasa's death from stroke in August last, was sworn in as President on Sunday. He won the election with a score of 40.09 per cent of the vote, narrowly defeating his opponent Michael Sata who took 38.13 per cent. Banda, sworn in just hours after the official result, said he would continue the policies of Mwanawasa and would fight poverty. He appealed to the opposition to "put aside petty squabbles" Police broke up protesters on Saturday night with tear-gas on the streets of Lusaska. Supporters of opposition candidate Michael Sata marched in Mandevu, an area of the capital, to voice their anger that, after an initial lead, Sata had dropped back behind Rupiah Banda. Police spokesman Benny Kapeso said the protests had begun at 9 pm Saturday and witnesses claimed that the demonstrators had attempted to set fire to the market. On Sunday police were deployed in key areas of the city and patrols were increased. Brian Lingeloa of the Media Institute of Southern Africa says that independant observers have described the election as free and fair and that Lusaka has been calm today. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811140147.html Zambia: Police Revoke Permit 14 November 2008 KITWE police yesterday withdrew the permit issued to the Patriotic Front (PF) to peacefully demonstrate against President Rupiah Banda's victory in the October 30 elections citing security of the public. And various stakeholders yesterday condemned the riot that disrupted business and left various properties damaged in the city. Kitwe district police chief, Daniel Kasonde said the police had cancelled the PF demonstration which was due to be held tomorrow. Mr Kasonde said the situation was very delicate for an event of that nature to be held. < "The current situation is so unstable and tempers among the people are so high," said Mr Kasonde. Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Jennipher Musonda said some notable opposition political party leaders are alleged to have masterminded the riot that took place in Kitwe yesterday. And Mrs Musonda has urged all peace-loving Zambians to condemn and reject any violence that some politicians may try to fuel in the country. Mrs Musonda was speaking in Kitwe yesterday evening after inspecting some of the shops that were damaged by youths who were alleged to have been mobilised from Kalulushi by one of the political party officials. "We have information that some taxi drivers and street children were paid by some notable political party leaders to cause the riot. Police are pursuing the issue. This was a paid riot and I urge all peace-loving Zambians to condemn this behaviour. We are a peaceful nation and let us nurture our peace. "However, I would like to assure the Kitwe residents that everything is under control and they should go on with their business. As Government, we are in-charge and we shall not allow anarchy in the country," Mrs Musonda said. And Action National Group for Emerging Leaders (Angel) Copperbelt Chapter chairman, Thabo Kawana condemned yesterday's violence. Speaking in an interview in Kitwe shortly after relative calm had been restored in the town, Mr Kawana said it was unfortunate that people should take advantage of the prevailing political situation to cause confusion in the nation. He said the violent protest by suspected PF cadres was most unfortunate because the arrest of Radio Icengelo station manager, Frank Bwalya by police was something that was done in accordance with the law. Mr Kawana said as much as Father Bwalya was doing his job as a journalist, people should understand that police were also doing their normal routine job. He said there was need for young people to desist from engaging in acts of violence because property being destroyed was for the betterment of their lives. "Young people should desist from engaging in acts of violence because Zambia is not only for the old generation. It is in fact us the young who should be more responsible, bearing in mind that the future will face us," Mr Kawana said. And Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) acting secretary general, Ian Mkandawire condemned the violence and the destruction of public property by suspected PF cadres. Mr Mkandawire, who advised residents to maintain calm, said resorting to property destruction was not the best way of expressing displeasure because property had nothing to do with the political misunderstanding. A Kitwe pastor also condemned the rioters who allegedly took part in the looting of shops in the city centre following disturbances over the arrest of Fr Bwalya. Pastor Godfrey Kafunga of Christian Faith Ministries of Kitwe described the disruption of public services as a sad development which could have been avoided had both parties allowed common sense to prevail. "That type of expression cannot be allowed to continue, at least not in our land that has been declared as a Christian nation and I hope the authorities will use their powers to ensure culprits are brought to book," he said. Opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Copperbelt provincial chairman, Teddy Kangwa condemned Fr Bwalya for allegedly behaving like a political party cadre when he was a clergyman who was supposed to preach reconciliation, love, peace and unity in the country. Mr Kangwa commended the police for arresting and detaining Fr Bwalya for allegedly issuing unpalatable, provocative statements aimed at inciting people to rise against the Government. "As much as we support the work Radio Icengelo is doing, the comments of Radio Icengelo station manager are provocative and have gone to extremes. "What is happening in other countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda where there are wars started with inciting people by others," Mr Kangwa said. He charged that Fr Bwalya was abusing his powers and that if he wanted to join politics, he should come out in the open instead of using his position to fight political battles. The Times of Zambia http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7729317.stm Friday, 14 November 2008 Zambia bans poll 'fraud' protest Michael Sata had said he would not accept defeat Police in Zambia have withdrawn permission for an opposition protest at alleged election fraud after riots, in which 38 people were arrested. Shops were looted, cars stoned and a police station reportedly attacked. "The current situation in the country is not suitable for such events," said Daniel Kasonde, a police commander in the area where the trouble broke out. The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has reportedly lodged an official challenge to the results of last month's poll. PF leader Michael Sata says he was robbed of victory. The official results gave ruling party candidate Rupiah Banda a narrow victory and he was immediately sworn in. African regional election observers declared the poll free and fair. Thursday's violence in the opposition stronghold of Kitwe came after the release of a priest arrested during a live radio show over charges of inciting possible hostility by alleging the elections were fraudulent. Police detained Father Frank Bwalya while he was on air for the Roman Catholic church-owned Radio Icengelo. The BBC's Boyd Chibale in Kitwe says earlier in the day hundreds of people supporting Father Bwalye - an influential figure in the town - had brought Kitwe to a standstill and many shops were closed for fear of riots. Taxis and buses were tooting their horns and protesters in the crowd chanted: "We want change". http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16433 Tuesday 11 November 2008 News & Reports online only Manchester protest for Congo by Mark Krantz and Thomas Haines-Doran Around 200 people protested in Manchester last Saturday against the killing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the deportation of Congolese asylum seekers. Protesters, including many from the Congolese community, made clear that the reason for the fighting, which has claimed over five million lives, is Western interests in the country?s abundant natural resources. Western companies, supported by their governments, expropriate uranium, copper, gold and coltan ?a heat resistant substance used in mobile phones and laptops. Meanwhile the Congolese people suffer from horrific poverty and malnutrition. At a rally outside the BBC a spokesperson from the Congo Support Group explained what lies behind the upsurge in killing, saying, ?It is all about the Western multinationals who are after out mineral resources, especially coltan. People don't have mobile phones in my country. We don't have electricity at night. ?In the Congo we don't have proper roads but there are massive resources. There is a squabble over control of these with the multinationals prepared to deal with any one. We do not want the Balkanisation of our country with foreign interests backing different warlords marking out a stake.? After seeing the horror in the Congo, campaigners against deportation should draw fresh confidence in their fights to gain refuge here in Britain. http://www.citytv.com/edmonton/yourcity_63972.aspx Protest for Peace (Video) The Congolese community sends a message at a downtown protest. - - - STORY CONTINUES BELOW IMAGE - - - Nov 10 | 1:06 PM The Congolese community in Edmonton is small--only about one thousand people. But their voices were loud on Friday as they held a protest parade calling for peace in thier homeland. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811030785.html [ThisDay Nigeria] Nigeria: Of Protesting Women and Ekiti LG Poll Toba Suleiman 2 November 2008 Lagos ? After several unsuccessful attempts in the past, Ekiti State Government has fixed December 20, 2008 for the conduct of the local government election in the state. The election had earlier been scheduled for at least twice. The development accounted for why people of the state were skeptical of the ability of the state government and the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to successfully conduct the election. To this end, indigenes of the state have been unenthusiastic about the new election schedule. Their doubt has been strengthened by the popular axiom, "once beaten, twice shy," So, to avoid being disappointed, after another failure might have been recorded over the conduct of the election, people's indifference to the schedule is obvious. It is no longer news that some of the problems generated by the election controversy culminated in the impeachment of the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamishile. While holding sway as the speaker of the House, Bamishile was accused by his colleagues of screening of members of the former SIEC in absentia and even at dawn, by only seven members of the House on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and excluding the Action Congress (AC) lawmakers. Besides the removal of Bamishile, opposition parties in the state, specifically the AC and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) instituted a legal action against the government, and joined the Assembly and SIEC as respondents. The two courts which handled the cases simultaneously upheld the prayers of the two parties, and declared the SIEC illegal and unconstitutional, having been constituted at an "unparliamentary hour." Since then, a stalemate had been created over the conduct of the election, viewed against the interest of politicians, especially those who have been campaigning for the council chairmanship position since last year. Pressure began to mount on the Assembly on the need to conduct the election into the local government, which they described as the closest tier to the grassroots, who are believed to constitute the bulk of the electorate in any given society. Sources hinted that the inability of the state government to have conducted the council poll over a year ago, has cost most aspirants in the two major parties, the PDP and the AC their fortunes. This, it was further gathered, has been generating a bad blood among members, especially between those in power and those aspiring for chairmanship positions in the state. So, in realization of what they lost while campaigning for the election before the recent schedule, a protest was staged by some women a tthe state House of Assembly complex to put the honourable members on their toes. A group of women on the aegis of Concerned Women accused the House members of lackadaisical attitudes in the conduct of the council election. The women in their thousands, across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State, besieged the Assembly complex in a peaceful protest to register their displeasures over the attitudes of the lawmakers, who they accused of deliberately frustrating the election from being held. On the fateful day, the women, who dressed in white attires, walking barefooted, stormed the assembly as early as 8 a.m. They were led to the assembly complex by women who were believed to be Sango worshippers, who were also armed with palm fronds and several other instruments of sango deity. When they first arrived, it was not clear to those present, what their mission was, because of the strange way they dressed - in that significant white attire. All the assembly staffers, workers at various parastatals, agencies, the state secretariat, whose offices were within the vicinity of the assembly complex, as well as security operatives, marvelled at the sight of the women. Without minding the presence of the security operatives, they began to sprinkle several bags of table salt on the floor of the assembly complex to indicate that the first protest was a peaceful one, only meant to warn the lawmakers on the consequences of their actions. The protest, which lasted for several hours, was carried out without any harassment by the security operatives, who watched them, as they moved round the assembly complex, fuming with anger and depression on their faces. Most of the women, in their multitude, especially their leaders, also wore beads across their necks and wrists, just as some did not cover their heads with head ties. They also behaved as if they were drunk. According to the leader of the group, Mrs Dupe Ayorinde (Iya Onisango), head of sango worshippers from Emure-Ekiti, assisted by one Mrs. Abiola Ayeni, also known as (3/3), the protest was an expression of their disappointment about the attitude of the lawmakers over the conduct of the council poll, since the inception of this administration in 2007. She said the purpose of their coming to the assembly was to register their disappointment with the assembly men and the state government or any other body concerned with organizing the election, but failed to do so to the detriment of the larger society. Mrs Ayorinde said they had spoken with the speaker of the House, Hon. Olatunji Odeyemi, when they gave him a three-day ultimatum, with which he was expected to come out with a definite date for the conduct of the election. According to her, if after the expiration of the three-day ultimatum, no definite day was given, the women would be mobilized again, to stage another protest that would be more serious. According to her, all protesting women would appear naked, or if they would wear anything at all, it would be black attire altogether, while they would not hesitate to curse whoever is frustrating the conduct of the council poll in the state. She said the need for the conduct of the election became necessary in view of the hardship being faced by the people of the state, especially the downtrodden masses of the state. According to her, there was no doubt that women of the state were the most affected by the assembly's failure to conduct the council poll, since local governments are the closest arm of government to the grassroots, with women forming the bulk of dependants. Mrs. Ayorinde further accused the lawmakers of not adequately representing the interest of the larger society, but only interested in their own pockets. Asked if they were sponsored by a particular political party in the state, Ayorinde insisted that the protest was without bias and was not at the instance of any political party, but purely, a matter that affected all Ekiti women. She said, they had been waited for so long, expecting the government to organize a credible election for the people of the state, but all to no avail, prompting them to take their destiny in their own hands, by mobilizing one anotherr to stage a peaceful protest at the Assembly Reacting to the development, Odeyemi said there was nothing unusual in the protest, saying it was an avenue to register their feelings against the happenings in the state. Odeyemi, who acknowledged that everybody had a right to protest, however, noted that what the women protested was a public issue, which he said must not be wished away. "They came to bare their minds over the conduct of the council poll, especially the constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). And we told them that in the next one week, everything would be over," Odeyemi said. According to him, the house has its master plan, saying before the protest, he had met with the clerk of the House, during which they deliberated exhaustively on the SIEC issue. He said a major assignment had been done on the SIEC matter, such as the amendment of SIEC Bill which he said had been passed adding that the state governor, Mr. Segun Oni had equally signed it into law. Odeyemi therefore, assured members of the public that soon, all things being equal, the Assembly would conclude the process that would lead to the conduct of the council election. He appealed to members of the public to remain calm and allow the House to carry out its legislative duties. True to this promise, 72 hours after the women handed down their threats, the House which probably knew what the action of the women suggested, hurriedly convened to screen and confirm the membership of the commission. Apart from the screening of the SIEC members, the House for the second time, went further by suspending the chairmen of the caretaker committees of the 16 local government areas of the state and subsequently froze their accounts. The chairmen were also directed to handover control to the councils' secretaries, who are the most senior officers in their respective local government areas. During the sitting, the House confirmed five of the seven members of the commission, while it dropped two others for lack of sound educational qualifications and incompetence. Those cleared included the chairman, (Rtd.) Major General Simeon Kayode Oni, Mr. Babatunde Abel Odutola, Mr. Olusegun Babatunde Akinola, Mr. Awopeju Vincent Olutayo and Chief (Mrs.) Tola Ajayi, who was screened in abstentia. The two who were dropped are Chief Solomon Olu Osaloni and Mr. Yemi Komolafe. According to the report of the committee in charge of SIEC, Osaloni was said to have been dropped because of his educational background. He was said to have possessed only a standard six certificate as against the Senior Secondary School Certificate, which is the minimum requirement as stated in the 1999 Constitution. Komolafe, on his own part, was dropped because he was allegedly inconsistent and inconsistent, when he appeared before the Bolu Komolafe-led committee. Relevant Links ? West Africa ? Nigeria ? Women and Gender He said, the fifth person (Mrs) Tola Ajayi who was not physically present, had taken an excuse that she was indisposed, adding that she would come back to take a bow and collect her letter of confirmation. He said, the chairmen of the caretaker committees were suspended based on the agreement between the House and the state governor, Mr Segun Oni. According to him, within the next 65 days, after the constitution of the SIEC, the council election would be conducted. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811070099.html Nigeria: N2.3 Billion - Anti, Pro Bankole Groups Clash Tordue Salem 7 November 2008 A Group under the auspices of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders yesterday demanded the resignation of Speaker Dimeji Bankole, while another Group Coalition for Stable Democracy described Festus Keyamo's petition against the leadership as a plot to destabilize the parliament. Besides the Chairman of the Committee on Media and Public Affairs yesterday claimed members were receiving threats to through text messages to"pull down the House" if the power probe report is not shelved. The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) protested to the gate of the National Assembly yesterday and called on Speaker Dimeji Bankole to step aside to pave way for investigations into the controversial N2.359 billion car deal. The Coalition for Stable Democracy in a flier circulated at the National Assembly described Keyamo's petition as a tissue of lies and named a state governor as the chief financier of the 'campaign of calumny' with the support of six members of the House. The statement entitled 'beware of these men', 'the under listed persons are enemies of the Nigerian state and people. They conspired to pull down the institution of the National Assembly, Nigeria 's symbol of democracy. They induced unpatriotic elements in the account department of NASS. procured and circulated forged NASS transactions with intent to mislead the public just because they lost out in grade A committee chairmanship, and some lost out completely. (Vanguard) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811080102.html [ThisDay Nigeria] Nigeria: Car Saga - Protest Rocks National Assembly Onwuka Nzeshi 7 November 2008 Abuja ? Crisis in the House of Representatives assumed a different dimension yesterday, as two groups took the National Assembly Complex by storm, distributing handbills on the allegations of fraud levelled against leadership of the House. The first group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) arrived the National Assembly in the early hours of the morning in a chartered bus, armed with leaflets and banners denouncing the leadership of the House and demanding that Speaker Dimeji Bankole steps aside to allow for thorough investigations into the crisis. The group, numbering about six, was however, restricted to the first gate by security operatives.Armed with a megaphone, the group said the allegations of fraud against the House must not be swept under the carpet, but must be exposed, as it was during the era of the immediate past Speaker, Patricia Etteh. The group aligned itself with the testimony of Keyamo during his appearance before the Ethics and Privileges Committee, and challenged the House to prove the lawyer wrong. It also faulted the argument and defence of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) that the company had the right to rename the model of its cars. "?t reasons to follow that the House earmarked money for a more expensive model and had an inferior quality supplied at the price of the model quoted in the offer letter by PAN and this is fraud, which the House doesn't want Nigerians to know about, rather they engaged Keyamo in a shouting competition that we cannot help but wonder why they weren't at the ringside of Samuel Peters when the Ukranian beat him blue black." This present crop of leaders in the House rode on the label of integrity, claiming to be righteous and above the murky waters that drowned Mrs Olubunmi Etteh , the first female Speaker of Nigeria. Bankole should not be a judge in his matter. He should step aside while the probe commences," the group said in its statement. The second group, Coalition for Stable Democracy, circulated a two paged leaflet warning Nigerians against the antics of those it described as enemies of the Nigerian state and people. The group alleged that six lawmakers and members of the House of Representatives have been contracted to pull down the leadership of the House for some selfish political reasons. It gave the names of the lawmakers as Honourables Independence Ogunewe, Festus Adegoke, Solomon Ahwinahwi, Austin Nwachukwu, Gbenga Oduwaiye and Kayode Amusan. The group alleged that these lawmakers, in collaboration with Festus Keyamo, have been hired by Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, and some unnamed persons indicted by the Power Probe, to cause disaffection within the House and stall consdideration of the Elumelu Report on the sector. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811270180.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Police Violently Disperse NCA Peaceful Protesters in Harare Violet Gonda 26 November 2008 Scores of NCA activists took to the streets of Harare Wednesday, to call for the setting up of a transitional government to address the urgent needs of the population. The activists also want a people driven constitution, that will pave the way for a fresh elections. The pressure group said 700 people heeded their call to participate in the peaceful protest. Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa said he saw protesters marching from the city's Nelson Mandela Avenue and Leopold Takawira Avenue, towards parliament. They were singing and holding placards but were violently dispersed by anti riot police when they reached parliament. NCA Chairperson Dr. Lovemore Madhuku told us several people were seriously injured, while at least two activists were arrested. After the protesters were forcibly dispersed they regrouped along First Street and started marching towards the Reserve Bank, where they addressed crowds in cash queues and at food outlets. The demonstrations were supposed to be held in the country's four other main cities but the NCA says this time around they invited their 'commanders,' who mobilise people in other towns, to take part in the Harare demonstration. The pressure group says it will continue holding peaceful protests. Meanwhile political analyst Professor John Makumbe believes if these protest marches are to have any positive impact, thousands of people have to take to the streets, and not just a few hundred. Ironically while the NCA activists marched for a better standard of living, most people remained watching from their bank queues. Makumbe said unfortunately people are busy scavenging for food and will not drop everything for street protests, when they feel they have to survive first. He said: "Secondly the organisers of street demonstrators have to first of all convince the people that it is right to be killed, it is right to be injured, it is right to be locked in a nasty cell in Matapi. And if you don't convince people mentally along those lines you will not mobilise them." The NCA and Women of Zimbabwe Arise have been at the forefront of street protests, but it's rare to see the general public and other civic groups coming out in solidarity. Professor Makumbe said unfortunately at the moment there is no organisation in Zimbabwe that has been able to successfully convince the masses of a sustainable, non-stop confrontation, against the despotic regime. He said civil society is lacking the capacity to organise and that the management in spreading information to the public is currently very poor. The outspoken analysts said this is in spite of 13 non governmental organisations coming together recently, to say they will work together, but they have failed to mobilise the people. http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/2008111116325/weekday-top-stories/nca-stages-demonstrations-in-5-cities-protesters-experience-police-brutality.html 11 Nov NCA stages demonstrations in 5 cities; protesters experience police brutality By James The NCA today staged demonstrations in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo and Gweru. In four of these locations, the police disrupted the protests, arresting NCA members and injuring many demonstrators. These peaceful protests were intended to push for a three point plan aimed at achieving democracy in Zimbabwe. The plan indicated the necessity of 1) a Transitional Government, 2) a People-Driven Constitution, and 3) Free and Fair Elections. In a calculated move, police detained NCA National Chairperson Dr. Lovemore Madhuku for four hours, prohibiting him from participating in the protest in Harare that he planned to lead. Operating without Madhuku, hundreds of protesters in Harare faced a violent attack from riot police that disrupted the demonstration from its outset. Many NCA members were injured and 15 individuals are currently seeking medical attention for their injuries. Additionally, innocent bystanders who were in bank queues suffered injuries from indiscriminate attacks by police. A yet to be determined number of protesters were arrested and are currently in police custody. The demonstrations in Bulawayo, Mutare and Gweru were each attended by between 200 and 400 individuals. In each location riot police interrupted the protests with violent beatings and arrests. In those three locations, a combined 25 arrests have been confirmed. Other protesters are currently receiving medical attention. In Masvingo, approximately 400 NCA members engaged in a successful protest action. Although a small number of police witnessed the demonstration, the protesters were allowed to conclude their demonstration in peace. Today's demonstrations mark the beginning of a campaign that will continue to push for democratic reform in line with NCA's three point plan. The campaign will be resumed next Tuesday, with more demonstrations in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo, Gweru and other areas. The NCA today condemns the government's violent response to peaceful actions by Zimbabweans seeking democratic change. However, we will not be intimidated or discouraged. The NCA will continue to push for a new, democratic and people-driven constitution that will help Zimbabwe emerge from the current political and socio-economic crisis. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24639943-12335,00.html Riot police beat protesters From correspondents in Harare | November 12, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse RIOT police beat dozens of students and pro-democracy activists marching today in Zimbabwe's capital to demand a new government to tackle the country's worsening economic and political crisis. Dozens of university students and activists from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a pro-democracy pressure group, held hands as they marched through downtown Harare. Riot police used to batons to break up the protesters, chasing them through the streets and beating passers-by along the way, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The NCA said its leader Lovemore Madhuku was arrested before the protest. He was ordered to report to police in the morning and has not been released, the group said. "The NCA emphatically condemns this unjustified obstruction of the organisation's peaceful protest actions," it said. The protesters were calling for a caretaker government to guide the country until President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai end their feud over forming a unity government. Students wanted "a transitional arrangement that will urgently work towards addressing the desperate humanitarian catastrophe in the country," said Clever Bere, president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union. The protest came two days after a regional summit failed to break an impasse on forming a unity government under a power-sharing deal signed nearly two months ago. Mr Mugabe has said that a new government will be formed soon, despite objections from Mr Tsvangirai over the distribution of key cabinet posts. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811060046.html SW Radio Africa (London) Southern Africa: Large Protests Expected at SADC Summit On Sunday Tichaona Sibanda 5 November 2008 Thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets of Pretoria in South Africa on Sunday, during the SADC summit on Zimbabwe. A wide coalition of placard waving Zimbabwean groups will march to the venue of the summit to hand over a petition to the regional grouping, calling on the leaders to stop the rot in Zimbabwe. Leaders from the 15-nation SADC bloc will be meeting to discuss the deadlock in talks between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe over the formation of a coalition government. Nickson Nyikadzino, a pro-democracy activist, told us from Johannesburg that Zimbabweans in South Africa will register their discontent over Mugabe's intransigence in forming an inclusive government. Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing agreement in September, but the establishment of a unity government has stalled as Mugabe shows that he is not prepared to fairly allocate important ministries to the MDC. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki and the SADC have been trying to broker an end to the dispute. 'We want to send clear message to Mugabe and the SADC leaders that people in Zimbabwe are dying unnecessarily because ZANU PF does not want to share power equally with its partners in the tripartite power-sharing deal,' Nyikadzino said. He said Sunday's march against the regime is expected to be by far the largest. Authorities in South Africa have remained tight-lipped over the summit venue but South African based journalist Brian Latham confirmed the crisis summit is to be held in Pretoria, although authorities have not said anything about the exact venue. Nyikadzano said they have information that authorities are trying to frustrate them from going ahead with their protest, citing their unwillingness to disclose the summit venue. He said they are working round the clock to get that information before Sunday. 'We know they (authorities) become averse when it comes to issues pertaining to protests against Mugabe whenever he's in the country. But that won't stop us from registering our disapproval against him and his party,' Nyikadzino added. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810290032.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Protester Beaten to Death Inside Zanu PF Office Lance Guma 28 October 2008 A protester from Monday's demonstration is alleged to have been beaten to death at ZANU PF's offices in Fourth Street, Harare. Newsreel has been told that Osborne Kachuru from Mbare was abducted immediately after the demo by unidentified men, and bundled into a twin cab truck belonging to ZANU PF. A few minutes later 3 other people were abducted by youths using a Nissan single cab truck, believed to be owned by Zanu PF political commissar Eliot Manyika. Manyika was allegedly driving the car and instructing the youths to beat up some of the protesters. Speaking to Newsreel on Tuesday Edgar Chikuvire, the Information Director for the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR), said their lawyers traveled to Parirenyatwa Hospital in an effort to positively identify Kachuru's body. The lawyers were turned away by hospital authorities who told them they needed to bring at least one relative for the identification exercise. Kachuru's friends insist their colleague was killed inside the ZANU PF office after being brutally assaulted. Newsreel spoke to several of his friends who say they saw his body being removed from the ZANU PF office and transferred to the mortuary at Parirenyatwa. Of concern is the role a prominent ZANU PF official such as Manyika plays in such acts of violence. He is said to have hired the youths from the Machipisa high density suburb of Harare and witnesses saw him driving the single cab truck with the militant youths crammed in the back. Manyika is well known for leading violent attacks against the opposition, particularly in his home town of Bindura. He is also known for his involvement in Zanu PF's youth militia. More than 200 ROHR activists participated in a series of demonstrations on Monday that brought business to a standstill in Harare. Around 300 women from the Women's Coalition also took to the streets, demanding a unity government be formed urgently. Over 200 students held another protest decrying the strike by lecturers and the continued closure of some of their colleges. Police violently put down all the protests using tear gas and baton sticks. ROHR say 23 of their members were hospitalized 7 arrested, while 4 are still missing. Moses Mutasa from Hatfield, Tinei Tinarwo from Glen Norah, a Mr Ncube from Dzivarasekwa and Adam Muchiriri from Hatfield are all still unaccounted for. The Women' Coalition meanwhile reported that 47 of their members were arrested and a further 11 had to seek treatment for injuries sustained from police beatings. On Tuesday ROHR staged another demonstration in Masvingo but fortunately reported no major incidents. They distributed fliers in the city centre as part of their 'Demand for Democracy and Justice Campaign'. These protests happened on the sidelines of the SADC summit and there is no doubt that the leaders would have been informed of the brutality that was taking place, while they were sitting talking and having tea with the architect of the repression. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24639943-12335,00.html Riot police beat protesters ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print From correspondents in Harare | November 12, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse RIOT police beat dozens of students and pro-democracy activists marching today in Zimbabwe's capital to demand a new government to tackle the country's worsening economic and political crisis. Dozens of university students and activists from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a pro-democracy pressure group, held hands as they marched through downtown Harare. Riot police used to batons to break up the protesters, chasing them through the streets and beating passers-by along the way, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The NCA said its leader Lovemore Madhuku was arrested before the protest. He was ordered to report to police in the morning and has not been released, the group said. "The NCA emphatically condemns this unjustified obstruction of the organisation's peaceful protest actions," it said. The protesters were calling for a caretaker government to guide the country until President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai end their feud over forming a unity government. Students wanted "a transitional arrangement that will urgently work towards addressing the desperate humanitarian catastrophe in the country," said Clever Bere, president of the Zimbabwe National Students Union. The protest came two days after a regional summit failed to break an impasse on forming a unity government under a power-sharing deal signed nearly two months ago. Mr Mugabe has said that a new government will be formed soon, despite objections from Mr Tsvangirai over the distribution of key cabinet posts. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811101477.html Zimbabwe: NCA Countrywide Protests on Tuesday Violet Gonda 10 November 2008 It is reported that SADC leaders admitted at their extraordinary summit in Sandton, Johannesburg on Sunday that they had never experienced a situation in their own countries where rival parties actually share ministries, and yet they chose to prescribe this bizarre solution to end Zimbabwe's political impasse. In their final communiqu? they said the rival political parties should immediately form a government of national unity and that the contentious Home Affairs ministry should be shared. There has always been a clear division of powers in cases where rival political parties are expected to share power. Not even in Kenya (held up as the role model for Zimbabwe) do President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga share a ministry. But National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairperson Dr Lovemore Madhuku says the decision by SADC is not surprising as the regional body has a history of taking positions that are in favour of ZANU PF. He said SADC merely endorsed this 'ministry share' to appease Robert Mugabe. The outspoken civic leader also said it is "unrealistic and na?ve" for anyone to think SADC would have taken a different position from its Troika and mediator Thabo Mbeki. Both the former South African President and the SADC Troika on Security and Defence had in recent weeks supported the co-sharing of the Home Affairs ministry. Madhuku urged the MDC and Zimbabweans in general to focus more on finding their own solutions locally, saying the solution doesn't lie by just waiting for SADC, the African Union or the UN, as their results are very predictable. Madhuku said as a political party with the greatest support in the country the MDC will always have permanent options and should be urging supporters to make a noise in Zimbabwe, rather than wasting time on "lengthy and useless discussions" with ZANU PF. "You must ask why the MDC is in an arrangement with such a dishonest party like ZANU PF. If they found reason to sign a deal on the 15th of September I think it is too much to simply blame ZANU PF. The blame must be put on the shoulders of both parties as that agreement on the 15th was unworkable from the start," Madhuku added. Starting Tuesday the NCA will embark on countrywide demonstrations as part of their civic initiative to focus the nation on pushing for a transitional government that would address hunger and other forms of suffering. The NCA chairperson said they also want fresh elections, under a new constitution. The Zimbabwe National Student Union (ZINASU) is expected to support the pressure group, while other organisations are expected to join in a week from Tuesday's demonstrations, (Southwest Radio Africa) http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2305020 Protest crackdown in Zimbabwe Published: 4:24PM Wednesday November 12, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read Zimbabwean police broke up an anti-government protest with teargas and batons on Tuesday and detained the leader of the group behind the demonstration, the group said. The crackdown came as hopes fade in Zimbabwe that a power-sharing deal agreed in September between veteran President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will end the ruinous political and economic crisis. Mugabe looked certain to press ahead with setting up a new government soon after a regional summit called for the immediate installation of a new administration. He said on Tuesday a new government could be formed as early as this week. "We will try to institute the decisions reached by the summit as quickly as possible. Maybe this week, maybe next week, but as soon as possible," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Herald newspaper. State television said Mugabe would chair an extraordinary meeting of his ZANU-PF party's decision-making politburo on Wednesday to discuss the SADC resolution - a firm step towards naming a new cabinet. The police crackdown on protestors was the first such action in several weeks. The National Constitutional Assembly pressure group said its chairman Lovemore Madhuku had been detained ahead of the protests to demand political reform from Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980. There was no immediate comment from police or government officials. Advertisement Riot police later fired teargas and used batons to break up a protest by about 40 activists from Madhuku's group in Harare. Pursuing the protesters, police dispersed queues of Zimbabweans waiting to withdraw money from banks, witnesses said. Cabinet deadlock Zimbabweans had hoped the September 15 power-sharing deal would ease political tensions and create a united leadership that could rescue the ruined economy. Instead, Zimbabwe's parties are deadlocked over allocating cabinet ministries. A regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit failed to break the deadlock at the weekend when leaders asked Mugabe and Tsvangirai to share the powerful home affairs ministry, a demand swiftly rejected by the opposition leader. The Zimbabwean parliament broke off for a month on Tuesday, delaying a national budget and proposed constitutional changes which will allow the formation of a power-sharing government. MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese told Reuters the parliamentary break highlighted a crisis brought about by the failure of both parties to form a unity government. "This almost certainly means there will not be any budget presentation this year. It also means they (Mugabe's government) will not be able to bring the Constitutional Amendment bill to parliament anytime soon," Gonese said. But the government said Mugabe would proceed to form an "inclusive" government, even before parliament amended the constitution. "The (constitutional) amendment has not yet been drafted, but the (SADC) summit enjoined us to move with haste to form a government," Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told Reuters. "We will abide by their resolution." South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Tuesday it was crucial for Zimbabweans to have a government. "You cannot keep the suffering people of Zimbabwe at ransom at the altar of the ministry of home affairs, it is important to begin the process that will change the life of the people of Zimbabwe because they have been suffering for a long time," Dlamini-Zuma told reporters in Brussels. She said an imperfect government can be changed but stressed the importance of setting up a new administration. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2424884,00.html Police stop anti-Mugabe protest 12/11/2008 08:05 - (SA) Pretoria - President Robert Mugabe's police broke up anti-government demonstrations across Zimbabwe on Tuesday, arresting some people and beating up others, according to the opposition. The police action came as human rights lawyers were holding a news conference in South Africa to say that state-sponsored violence was increasing in Zimbabwe. They joined other independent groups in condemning a suggestion from regional African leaders that Mugabe retain some control over his police force. Police detained human rights activist Lovemore Madhuku, who called for the protests, keeping him from a demonstration in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, according to a spokesman for Madhuku's group, the independent National Constitutional Assembly. Police also showed up at protests in four other cities. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said pro-democracy organisations had recorded more than 1 300 cases of political violence in September, up 39% from the previous month. The cases ranged from property destruction to rapes and killings. Mugabe and main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing agreement on September 15, but that has yet to lead to a unity government, partly because of a dispute over who should control the police ministry. Police blamed for violence At a weekend summit in South Africa, regional leaders suggested that Mugabe and Tsvangirai run the police ministry together. Tsvangirai rejected that suggestion, raising the possibility that Mugabe will unilaterally name a government. The lawyers and other independent Zimbabwean groups meeting on Tuesday in neighbouring South Africa blame the police for the recent violence and say Tsvangirai is right when he insists the opposition have complete control of the police. The government denies charges that its security forces and ruling party militants have attacked the opposition, instead blaming the violence on Tsvangirai's supporters. Yet independent human rights monitors say the government is responsible for an overwhelming majority of attacks. Activist Elinor Sisulu called the police ministry-sharing idea a recipe "for conflict and paralysis". Magock Chigasa, spokesperson for the independent National Constitutional Assembly, said police detained and beat an unknown number of protesters and passers-by in Harare. Arrests and beatings He said protests in four other cities were more successful because demonstrators finished marching before police arrived, but that there were also arrests and beatings in those cities. In all, Chigasa said, about 1 000 people protested across the country. "We will continue with these demonstrations," Chigasa said, saying more protests were planned for November 25 - and every Tuesday thereafter. Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said he had no information on the protests. Madhuku's alliance of civic and labour groups is pressing for a transitional government to replace Mugabe's regime and prepare for new elections. The group also wants a new constitution. Without a government, Zimbabweans are without leadership as their economy collapses. Zimbabwe's inflation rate is the highest in the world. Hospitals and schools have closed because there's no money to pay doctors and teachers, and food and most other essential goods are desperately scarce. The UN World Food Program said on Tuesday that without extra donations, it will run out of food in January - just when it says the number of Zimbabweans needing food aid will rise to 5 million, or nearly half the population. - AP http://allafrica.com/stories/200811110975.html Cameroon: CPDM Militants Protest At Biya's Anniversary Chris Mbunwe 10 November 2008 A score of hefty young men of Meforbe Santa Subsection stormed the Santa municipal grandstand during the 26th Anniversary celebrations of President Paul Biya's ascent to power, in protest. The youths were protesting that the Santa Section led by John B. Ndeh had sidelined them in the organisation of the event.Incidentally, the irate youths hailed from the same area where detained former Director of Douala Shipyard, Zacheaus Fornjindam, militated as Subsection President. They waited up to when the ceremony was about to end then they moved up to the microphone where they confronted Ndeh.They wanted to know why even if Fornjindam's name did not feature in speeches and prayers, the entire Subsection could not be involved in the organisation of the anniversary. In response, Ndeh told the youths that what they were trying to dramatise was a non-event because the second in command in Meforbe Subsection to detained Fornjindam, one Godfrey Nototo, Provincial Delegate of Agriculture, had been contacted and unfortunately he was called to Yaounde and had only returned early that morning. As such, according to Ndeh, information could not have circulated to them to know that each Subsection was to celebrate at the Subsection level not in Santa Central."You people travelled all the way up to Santa town without this knowledge and we can only say sorry, it is unfortunate," said Ndeh. Talking to The Post shortly after the celebrations, Nototo regretted that the CPDM barons in Santa have abandoned Fornjindam who single-handedly sponsored the July 22, 2007 twin elections to rot in prison. "These elders in the party here are practising politics of hatred. Fornjindam's name to them is a taboo. I can rightly say that Fornjindam's freedom is a big threat to them, so, they don't care what happens to him," Nototo averred. The Meforbe CPDM scribe said Ndeh and his executive contacted him very late and this, to him, was deliberate so as to deprive Meforbe Subsection from participating in the event. Earlier, in his speech, Ndeh presented a catalogue of socio-economic and diplomatic achievements of President Paul Biya in 26 years and urged Biya to stand for 2011 presidential elections. "After all, Mezam II Santa Section took the lead in preparing the groundwork for the next presidential elections when we requested for a constitutional amendment of Article 6.2 and others," said Ndeh. He said anniversary celebrations of this magnitude have always been exceptional in the Northwest, in Mezam where the umbilical cord of the CPDM party lies and Santa in particular, which is the gateway to Mezam and the Northwest Province. The WCPDM Section President, Becky Acham, lauded President Biya for fighting corruption and embezzlement of public funds through operation Sparrow Hawk, but urged that those detained be speedily tried. The leader of the Central Committee to the event, Robert Achu, said the theme of Biya's 26th Anniversary, "Peace and Social Cohesion", was timely because the regime is consolidating achievements gained as a result of peace. Highlights of the event, was the initiation of the new Provincial Paymaster General, Moses Khan into the CPDM by Ndeh.Khan said since he entered the Public Service and has served in various top jobs, he had never militated in any political party. "Today, I have chosen to follow the right path and I will deliver Santa to CPDM and President Paul Biya, in the next elections, come what may," Khan remarked.Other speakers included Christopher Boma, Provincial Delegate of Basic Education Northwest, who was recently appointed as Central Committee Member of the CPDM by. Rene Sadi, CPDM Secretary General. The Director of Transport in the Ministry of Transport, Jonathan Fru, assured Santa people of major projects if they remain solidly behind Biya. (The Postnewsline) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811180578.html Rwanda: Mega National Protests to Be Staged Tomorrow Edwin Musoni 18 November 2008 Kigali ? All businesses across the country are expected to come to a standstill tomorrow morning as Rwandans stage a mega protest against Rose Kabuye's arrest and detention in Germany. Kabuye, the Director of State Protocol, was arrested in the German city of Frankfurt on November 9, as she arrived at the airport on state duty. The arrest was based on the heavily contested indictments issued in 2006 against nine senior Government officials by French Judge, Jean Louis Bruguiere. The mega protests are also expected to be held in many countries worldwide. Protestors will gather to criticise Rwandan's commonly term as the 'western culture of abuse of universal jurisdiction'. Rwanda's Minister of Information and government Spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo confirmed the mega protests saying that they (protests) have been organised by the civil society organisations in partnership with the media. Despite the continued rising tempers among Rwandans and government denouncing Kabuye's arrest, the demonstrations are expected to be held peacefully. A former Mayor of Kigali, Kabuye is among the nine former members of the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA) who were indicted by Bruguiere. The indictments which were issued without hearing from the persons allegedly implicated, accused the nine officers of having played a role in the shooting down of the plane that was carrying former President Juvenal Habyarimana. The government has continuously blamed Paris for playing a political game designed to blur the truth about France's role in the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. Rwanda has on several occasions pointed an accusing finger at France, for financing and spearheading the 1994 Tutsi Genocide that claimed over one million people. (The New Times) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hxpBFLdE4PEr9MVfTeOi7RFFT_Pw Rwandan presidential aide extradited as protests rock Kigali Nov 18, 2008 PARIS (AFP) ? French officials took custody Wednesday of an old comrade-in-arms of Rwanda's president charged over an assassination in the run-up to the 1994 genocide, amid mass anti-European protests in Kigali. Germany extradited Rose Kabuye, a former guerrilla leader who now serves as chief of protocol to President Paul Kagame, ten days after police acting on a French warrant arrested her as she arrived at Frankfurt airport. French officials took charge of her in Frankfurt, and she was flown to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris aboard an Air France jet. From there she was transferred to the main law courts in Paris, where she was to appear before anti-terrorism investigating magistrate Marc Trevidic, Kabuye's lawyer Bernard Maingain told AFP. Trevidic was to decide whether to charge Kabuye with "complicity in murder in relation to terrorism" and whether to remand her in custody pending an eventual trial, prosecutors said. French investigators suspect Kabuye, 47, of involvement in the downing of a plane that killed presidents Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi and two French pilots on April 6, 1994. Habyarimana's ethnic Hutu supporters went on the rampage following the attack, slaughtering 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutu men, women and children in an horrific 100-day orgy of bloodletting. French investigators accuse Kagame's Tutsi rebels of attacking the jet, although other observers have speculated that Hutu hardliners killed their own president to serve as a pretext for the subsequent killings. Kabuye was a senior military leader during Kagame's successful war to drive out the genocidal Hutu militias, and the arrest of his trusted lieutenant has cast a fresh chill on already frosty ties with France. Rwanda severed diplomatic relations with Paris in 2006 after a French anti-terrorism judge issued their first arrest warrants over the case. Kagame accuses France of having actively supported the Hutu militias, and the legal dispute has stymied attempts by both governments to re-establish friendly ties 14 years after the massacre. He has accused Europe of persecuting the genocide's survivors instead of hunting its perpetrators, some of whom are said to be living in Europe. Large numbers are also believed to be involved in unrest currently shaking neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. "It is not only Rose who is in the dock, it is Rwanda that is in the dock," Kagame said on Monday. Her arrest led to three days of demonstrations in Rwanda and on Wednesday tens of thousands of people again took to the streets of Kigali to vent their anger. Large numbers converged on the German embassy -- Rwanda expelled the German ambassador after Kabuye's arrest -- and the local offices of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, an AFP correspondent said. "Mrs Kabuye is calm. She's a real fighter. You must know she faced other battles. She spent years in the bush after her family was expelled from Rwanda in the 1950s," her lawyer told AFP Tuesday. Kigali, however, may soon turn the tables on Paris. Judicial sources there say Rwandan prosecutors could soon issue warrants and indictments against some of the 33 political and military French officials named in a Rwandan report on France's alleged role in the events of 1994. These who could find themselves accused include former prime ministers Alain Juppe and Dominique de Villepin and former foreign minister Hubert Vedrine. Some European investigators fear that Kabuye deliberately delivered herself to German authorities so her lawyers could gain access to the case files prepared against her and other Kagame allies. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811280072.html Rwanda: Kabuye Arrest - Protests Continue James Karuhanga 28 November 2008 Kigali ? Rwandans based in Belgium have called upon the European Union (EU), to consider looking at the legal basis, of the French indictments against top Rwandan officials. This is Nineteen days after Rose Kabuye's arrest in Germany and extradition to France, with protests against what many consider an illegal arrest of the Director of State Protocol continuing. These have included the ongoing online protests and petitions by Rwandans the world over. As part of the pressure on the EU leadership, Rwandans also mounted a rally in Brussels, at La Place Schuman, Thursday afternoon. Chantal Karara, head of the Rwandan Diaspora in Belgium confirmed this in a phone interview. She told The New Times that La Place Schuman, an area in close proximity to the European Commission institutions was where the protestors gathered. "More than one hundred and twenty people came and from there, we sung and danced in protest to Rose's arrest," she said. Adding that they also sent, through a representative, a memo of protest to Jos? Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. "His representative came and listened to our protests," she said, explaining that they also wrote, among other things, calling upon the EU to consider looking into the basis of the indictments and arrest warrants issued by French Judge, Jean Louis Bruguiere. "We pointed out that people like Rose Kabuye are the ones who fought to liberate our country, unlike what is being suggested in the faulty indictment charges," Karara said. (The New Times) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811240257.html Rwanda: Kabuye Protests Paralyze Kampala Edmund Kagire and Berna Namata 22 November 2008 Kampala ? Business came to a standstill Thursday as thousands of anti-Rose Kabuye arrest protesters hit the streets of Kampala,Uganda. They had joined the rest of the world to express their misgivings on the arrest of Rwanda's Chief of State Protocol on November 9 in Frankfurt , Germany. Chanting slogans like 'Who do we want? Rose Kabuye. When do we want her? Now Now France, shame on you! < Germany .shame on you! Release Kabuye .Release Kabuye," protesters who included students from different Ugandan Universities, members of the Civil Society, Pan- Africanists, sympathisers and people from all walks of life converged at Buganda Road Primary School Play Ground. They were then addressed by Pastor Martin Ssempa and Grace Kabayo of the Pan African Global Movement, the protest organisers. "We are assembled here to join our friends in Rwanda to condemn in the strongest terms, the acts of the French and Germans in arresting Rose Kabuye, a comrade and a sister and we demand for her immediate release and apology from the French," Ssempa told the visibly angry crowd. "Africa oyee, Africa oyee .we stand here as Africans united against the re-colonisation of Africa by the French and Germans. As Pan-Africanists, we must rise up and tell the French to release Kabuye now. She's a freedom fighter and a mother, they should know that. They should be ashamed," Kabayo told the crowd which was responding, "Shame ..shame." The protesters then marched to the French and German embassies, Parliament and EU delegation to deliver a document demanding for the immediate release of Kabuye. Carrying placards with statements like 'We condemn the Kidnapping of Rose Kabuye', 'Investigate France for Rwanda Genocide Crimes', 'Africa to boycott French Products', 'Why abuse women's rights?' And many others, the protesters who were in a buoyant mood peacefully descended onto Bombo Road, joining Kampala road before they branched off at Kampala Pentecostal Church, joining Lumumba avenue in Nakasero where the French Embassy is located. The protesters guided by Police, approached the French mission, apparently catching the embassy officials off guard as they moved closer and closer to the heavily fortified and guarded 'Ambassade'. Lumumba Road, one of the busiest roads in Kampala, was blocked as protesters waving the Rwandan, AU and Pan African flags chanted anti-France slogans. Sssempa, mounting a truck loaded with loudspeakers read the 2 page document which was to be given to the French Ambassador. The crowd braved the afternoon heat for two hours until Kabayo and Ssempa, donning Release Kabuye T-Shirts and two Journalists were allowed entry into the embassy where they handed the petition to the French Ambassador to Uganda, Rene Forceville. On return from what seemed a triumphant mission, Ssempa told the restless crowd that it didn't matter whether French judges' act with a high degree of independence with less Government influence like the ambassador was claiming, as long as Rose Kabuye was treated the way she was. "All we want is the release of Kabuye or the French will see that Africans can act on their own. We will banish anything French, we will not refuel at Total, we will not use any of their products, we will freeze them out until they realize how angry we are," he told the cheering crowd. Snaking along Speke Road, the crowd headed to the Ugandan Parliament where they delivered the petition to the Speaker received by the Clerk to Parliament, Aeneaus Tandekwire on his behalf. The protesters braved the hot sun and proceeded to the German embassy giving a document condemning Germans for their role in Kabuye's arrest to the German ambassador to Uganda Reinhard Buchholz and the European Union delegation in Uganda. Speaking to The New Times in Kampala, Joan Kakwenzire, a Presidential advisor on Poverty Eradication and human rights activist who was among the protestors, described the arrest as a total disregard of Human Rights and an act of aggression towards Rwanda 's sovereignty. She argued that the French were trying to cover up for the crimes they committed during the Genocide. "It is them who should be arrested and prosecuted not Rose who was and is a victim of their crimes. This is an act of Neo-colonialism and there is no doubt, Rose will pull Rwanda out of Neo-colonialism," she said. Adding, "Africa must struggle and resist Neo-colonialism. It is clear that France is humiliated that Rwanda has resisted colonial influence." She observed that if France succeeds with Rose, such acts that undermine the rights of Africans would continue. Grace Kabayo, the Executive Director Pan African Movement in Uganda said that the arrest of the diplomat was illegal and as such, France had "kidnapped" her. "We are not going to be colonised politically, economically and judicially. We demand that she is released immediately. Why do they want to keep her in France as if she has no home?" She added that the Pan African Movement would not stop the protest until Rose is released. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811110081.html Rwanda: Niboye Joins Anti-Kabuye Arrest Demonstrations Moses Gahigi 11 November 2008 Kigali ? Residents of Niboye sector in Kicukiro district Monday joined the nation-wide demonstrations against Germany's arrest of Rose Kabuye, the President's Chief of Protocol. The people were mobilised from youth committees, civil society and companies found in Niboye sector. "This is total disrespect. How can the well known genocidairs be left at large and instead arrest a person who stopped the genocide? It is a cover up for the real criminals!" commented an infuriated demonstrator. When The New Times talked to Joyce Munyaneza the Executive Secretary of Niboye sector, she said that the people were voluntarily compelled to participate in the demonstration, owing to the circumstance surrounding the arrest. "We also came to participate in the demonstration to express our disappointment to the world in regard to Germany's arrest of Rose Kabuye, as influenced by a French judge," she said. "She is one of the people who stopped the Genocide! It is ironical to find that she is arrested in connection to the same thing, it is really absurd and the world should know that we are not happy at all," she added. The demonstrators from Niboye set off from the sector headquarters and joined the rest of the spirited demonstrators at a play ground in town, who later set off to the Germany embassy in Kigali. The demonstrators, who marched peacefully, chanted anti-French slogans, while displaying banners with rhetoric's like "Rose is innocent, she is ready to defend herself" and others "The truth will set us free." A lady, demonstrator, spirit fully commented, "The French are trying to sway the entire world to take their eyes away from the real villains, but time is ripe the entire world knows the truth." She added in a local proverb that "God brings a problem to solve another one" meaning that this might be an opportunity to bring facts to light. Rose Kabuye was arrested by Germany authorities on Sunday in Frankfurt while on official duty. Her arrest is a result of indictments issued by a French Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere against Rwandan army officials in connection to Habyarimana's death which is the accuser's claim to have sparked off the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. (New Times) http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-19-voa43.cfm?CFID=152972579&CFTOKEN=22748712&jsessionid=6630bb04d58567f4b84b1574344fec412338 Rwandan Capital Protests Extradition of Top Official to France By Thomas Rippe Kigali 19 November 2008 Rwanda's capital was closed for business as the city turned out for mass demonstrations against the extradition of a top Rwandan official to France. Thomas Rippe reports for VOA from Kigali. Protest in Kigali against the extradition of Rose Kabuye from Germany to France, 19 Nov 2008 Much of Kigali was unusually quiet today. Stores were shut and schools and businesses were closed. But around the German embassy, near the center of town, tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the extradition of Rose Kabuye from Germany to France. There is a deep anger among the protesters. Kabuye was arrested last week in Germany on a 2006 French indictment that alleges she was involved in the 1994 downing of a plane that killed then-Rwandan President Juv?nal Habyarimana. His death sparked the genocide that killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Germany recently released the secretary general of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda Callixte Mbarushimana. Many of those responsible for the 1994 genocide are FDLR members. Rwandans like Jeff Madali cannot understand why Germany would release Mbarushimana and then arrest Kabuye, the protocol chief for Rwandan President Paul Kagame. "But now if you look at a country like Germany arresting Rose," he said. "Germany is a place where people who committed genocide are staying comfortably. They are being fed. They have houses and cars. They are living as diplomats. But Rose, who is on diplomatic duty, is being arrested for nothing at all. It is so shaming." Protest in Kigali against the extradition of Rose Kabuye from Germany to France, 19 Nov 2008 Rwanda severed diplomatic relations with France in 2006, after a French judge issued indictments against several top Rwandan officials in connection with the genocide. There is no French embassy in Kigali for the Rwandans to direct their anger towards. Jean-Bosco Rutegengwa is still angry with France for supporting the previous government against the Rwandan Patriotic Front, now Rwanda's ruling party. "We are fighting against the French from 1990 when France supported the genocide peoples, the killers," he said. "Now is another kind of war the French are bringing to our country. We know, we know." In August, Rwanda issued a report detailing French involvement in the genocide, and has raised the possibility of indicting French military and political officials including former President Francois Mitterand. But Information Minister Louise Mushikiwabo says it is important not to get the impression that Rwanda and France are engaged in a tit-for-tat. "Rwanda has something to accuse France of," she said. "France has nothing to accuse Rwanda of. France was involved on the side of genocide planners. France participated in the genocide in this country." For all the anger and marching in the streets some still see hope and a way forward. Rwanda Foreign Affairs Minister Rosemary Museminali says even now there is dialogue between the countries. "Rwanda has made it clear that we leave our doors open for talking," she said. "And then we hope that through that we will be able to clear the air. But based on principles, based on mutual respect, based on working together. Not as subservients and masters, but as people working in an equal combination. And this is what we demand, not only of France, but of Germany and of the world." Officials like Minister Museminali and protesters like Jeff Madali hope the situation can serve as a starting point for greater dialogue between Africa and Europe. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/489704/-/1485eiiz/-/index.html Rwanda clerics protest at arrest By KEZIO-MUSOKE DAVID in Kigali, RwandaPosted Tuesday, November 11 2008 at 18:49 Rwanda?s religious leaders Tuesday added their voices to several protests against the arrest of Mrs Rose Kabuye, a top aide to President Paul Kagame. Addressing a press conference in Kigali, leaders representing different religious denominations criticised Germany over Mrs Kabuye?s arrest in Frankfurt on Sunday. Mrs Kabuye was arrested while on official business in Germany, prompting various street protests by thousands of Rwandans in Kigali. The arrest came as a result of a warrant issued in 2006 by a French magistrate, Mr Jean-Louis Bruguiere, for Mrs Kabuye?s alleged involvement in a 1994 plane crash that killed the then Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana. The killing sparked the Rwanda genocide in which one million people were killed. Judge Bruguiere?s indictment was followed by those issued by a Spanish judge, Fernando Andreu Merelles, against 40 top Rwandan officials. The Spanish judge argued that all the forty were involved in the killing of nine Spaniards. Different protests in Kigali, including one by parliamentarians, have been opposing the indictments by both the French and the Spanish judges. The religious leaders are also question Germany?s decision, saying the arrest of Mrs Kabuye makes the government in Berlin an accomplice to the Spanish and French motives. Just a week ago, Germany released two people linked to the 1994 Rwanda genocide. One of them was Callixte Mbarushimana, the Secretary General of Democratic Republic of Congo-based rebel group called Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The move was questioned by officials in Kigali. Members of the FDRL are remnants of the ex-Interahamwe genocide militia that carried out atrocities during the 1994 genocide. One of the most powerful religious leaders in Rwanda, the Mufti Habimana Saleh, said that the religious leaders are collectively organising prayers to petition Germany over Mrs Kabuye?s arrest. ?We have written a declaration to the whole world to petition what the Germans have done. We are also quite disappointed that of all countries it should be the Germans. They should have learnt from there own experience since they very well witnessed the holocaust,? said the Mufti. Mrs Kabuye?s arrest is seen by many in Kigali as a diversionary effort to undermine the work of the Mucyo Commission, an independent team which the Rwanda government set up to investigate France?s role in the genocide. According to the commission?s report, the French trained the Interahamwe Hutu militia who carried out the 1994 killings. Opponents disappeared The report also says French officers were in training centres, where torture was perpetrated, and where political opponents disappeared. It also implicated 33 former high ranking Frenchmen, including former president Francios Mitterrand. A source said that, basing on the team?s findings, Rwanda is considering preparation of an indictment list of about 23 Frenchmen for instigating the genocide. According to the source, a Rwandan judge will then at an appropriate time issue arrest warrants for the Frenchmen, for trial under the principle of ?universal jurisdiction?, which was also invoked by French judge to indict Mrs Kabuye. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811210281.html Rwanda: Gasabo Residents Protest at Germany Radio Station George Kagame 21 November 2008 Kigali ? Thousands of Gasabo district residents Wednesday braved the midmorning heat and afternoon rains at the Deustch Weller radio masts to protest Rose Kabuye's arrest in Germany and transfer to France. Deustch Welle is a German radio. Its masts in Rwanda are located on a hilltop in Kibagabaga, a Kigali suburb. Kigali residents, filled all roads, waving protest banners and placards calling for Kabuye's freedom, walked from as far as Kabuga and Kacyiru to the Kinyinya intersection from where they joined groups and moved to the radio station. Many of the protesters spotted a green badge with a rose a symbol of solidarity with with another Rose, Kabuye. Demonstrator, Robert Mugenzi, a resident of Kanombe said that he was marching to show his support for the current government. "This government has moved us from being ignored to our present status. I am proud to be a Rwandan today because this government has done a lot of good. The Germans and the French want to discredit our leaders by issuing warrants, but we shall rally behind our leaders and we will not accept Europeans making decisions for us," he said. For Claude Ntambara, the protest was about Rwandans showing their anger against the insensitivity of Europeans towards Africans. "How can the French be concerned or care about Rwanda? They are jealous that the country has moved on without their patronage and instead of cooperation they have resorted to arresting our leaders who have done more for the country in a short time than Habyariamana and his French cohorts ever did since independence (1962)." According to another protestor Jacques Nzamwita, France is mad with Rwanda for breaking away from its wings. "I am here to protest France's role in Rwanda before and even now. They are using Kabuye to prove that they are a power in the international community but we are determined to protest peacefully to let the truth be known." Kabuye arrived in France on Wednesday and was immediately taken to a French court. Yesterday she was released on bail and will report to court every fifteen days. [The New Times] http://allafrica.com/stories/200811110001.html Rwanda: Thousands Brave Downpour to Protest Kabuye Arrest Felly Kimenyi 11 November 2008 Nyarugenge ? Thousands of Kigali City residents braved a heavy downpour that washed the city yesterday afternoon when they took to the streets in protest against the weekend's arrest of Rose Kabuye, the Director of State Protocol. Kabuye was arrested in the German city of Frankfurt as she arrived at the airport on state duty. The arrest was based on the heavily contested indictments issued in 2006 by French Judge, Jean Louis Bruguiere, against nine senior Government officials. "It is a shame for Germany to arrest an innocent woman just 70 years after the Holocaust you should be arresting the Genocidaires who are freely roaming in your country!" read one of the many banners that were held by protesters who converged at the German embassy in Kiyovu, a Kigali suburb. The peaceful demonstration was held under a heavy deployment of riot police that controlled the masses who were consistently chanting "we want our Rose back." A former Mayor of Kigali, Kabuye is among the nine former members of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) who were indicted by Bruguiere. The indictments were apparently based on testimonies by well known Genocide perpetrators while other witnesses have since retracted their testimonies saying that they had testified due to political pressure from the French Government. The indictments which were issued without hearing from the persons allegedly implicated, accused the nine officers of having played a role in the shooting down of the plane that was carrying former President Juvenal Habyarimana. "We Rwandans strongly condemn the arrest of Rose (Kabuye) by the Germans this shows the way those from the poor countries are humiliated by the so called rich countries," said Immaculee Ingabire, a veteran journalist who spoke on behalf of the citizens. She continued: "Rose has no case to answer and she is ready to stand trial all we ask is for her to get the justice she deserves because she is our hero." "What we request the French is to assure us of her security before they bring her back here," said Evanys Nyinawankusi, a 55-year old who said she had walked many kilometres in protest over Kabuye's arrest. The protests started off from different parts of the city attracting dwellers from all the three districts of Nyarugenge, Gasabo and Kicukiro who converged at the embassy which seemed deserted throughout the two-hour demonstration. Others interviewed by The New Times included Odda Gasinzigwa, the Chairperson of the National Women Council. "Rose is a woman who has devoted her life to the restoration of the rights of Rwandans in general and women in particular; she is an inspiration to many young Rwandan women, both as a mother and a leader. Why arrest her over these fictitious allegations?" questioned Gasinzigwa. She added that she believed Kabuye will go through the circus, "because I have known her as a strong and courageous woman for all the time I have known her and we shall fight alongside her to ensure that she overcomes this smear campaign because an attack on her is an attack on us all." The protests follow the Rwandan government's denunciation of the arrest at a news conference held by the Minister of Information, Louise Mushikiwabo, Sunday afternoon. Mushikiwabo, who is also the government spokesperson, in a statement, said that the Government of Rwanda believes it is a political game designed to blur the truth about the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. Together with Maj. Gen. (rtd) Sam Kanyemera and Jacob Tumwine, Kabuye a retired Lieutenant Colonel filed a case in a French court protesting the indictments but the court has ignored the case. Germany is currently home for Ignace Murwanashyaka--the leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDRL), an outfit composed of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide of Tutsis. [The New Times, Kigali] http://allafrica.com/stories/200811190030.html Rwanda: LOcals in Sweden Protest Kabuye's Arrest Felly Kimenyi 19 November 2008 Kigali ? The Rwandan community in Sweden yesterday added their voice in condemning the arrest in Germany of State Protocol Director, Rose Kabuye. During the demonstrations that were staged at both the German and Frech embassies, the protesters called for Kabuye's immediate unconditional release, saying that in the arrest, Rwanda's sovereignty was attacked. < This is part of the demonstrations that have been going on countrywide and in other countries following Kabuye's arrest in the German city of Frankfurt upon her arrival in preparation of President Paul Kagame's visit. "This arrest is a serious invasion on the sovereignty of our country she held diplomatic immunity and her arrest was very unfortunate," said Norman Gatarayiha, the chairman of the Rwandan Association in Sweden. He added that even the charges on which the arrest was based are speculations which are not legally binding. Kabuye's arrest was triggered by the contentious indictments against her and eight other officers formally of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) which is responsible for stopping the 1994 Tutsi Genocide, a 100-day mayhem that left over one million people dead. "We are calling for her unconditional immediate release," said Gatarayiha by telephone from the Swedish Capital Stockholm. According to Gabriel Gabiro, a Rwandan living in the Nordic country, the march started from the German Embassy to Sweden where protesters holding placards and banners demonstrating the injustice surrounding the arrest camped for over an hour before walking an estimated half a kilometre to the French embassy to express their anger. "Both embassies were given memos protesting the arrest and they told us that they would be sending these memos to their respective ministers of Foreign Affairs," said Gabiro adding that the protest which attracted hundreds also attracted Swedish sympathisers. Throughout the protest, according to Gabiro, police accompanied the demonstrators "and the process has been peaceful but people were visibly angry." Rwanda's ambassador to Sweden said that the demonstrations were organised by Rwandans living in that country as a civil society but added that the embassy was informed. "They were condemning this unfortunate act by Germany and the unfairness surrounding it has been clearly explained by our government," said Ambassador Jacqueline Mukangira, who on top of Sweden represents Rwanda in other Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland and Norway. She said that the embassy had presented the communiqu? that was issued by the Government of Rwanda protesting the arrest to all the countries into which the mission represents Rwanda. "We also gave them the Note Verbale from the African Union Secretariat and we have been briefing several diplomats accredited to Sweden," said Mukangira. She called upon African countries to act in solidarity by condemning the arrest "because this is not only an attack on Rwanda by these countries but to the entire continent because it will inevitably happen to any other country." Similar demonstrations are expected to take place in the coming days, according to Mukangira. She added that Rwandans living in Denmark will protest from Copenhagen, the Danish capital today while on Thursday and on November 26, demonstrations are slated to take place in Norway and Finland respectively. Demonstrations which started on November 10, a day after Kabuye's arrests have been going on both in Rwanda and in other countries that include the United States and in the UK and have all called for the release of Kabuye, whom they say is a hero who helped stop the Genocide. A countrywide demonstration is expected to take place today, the same time Kabuye is expected to be transferred to France from where she opted to be taken to defend herself. The other option according to a German court was challenging the charges from Germany. Germany, whose ambassador to Rwanda was asked leave Kigali until the matter is resolved, has been accused of double standards especially by arresting Kabuye who had diplomatic immunity and in the same week releasing two Genocide fugitives on Interpol Red Notice. Callixte Mbarushimana and Onesphore Rwabukombe were released by a German court despite pleas from the Rwandan judiciary to have them extradited to bring them to account for the atrocities they committed in the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. (The New Times) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811170605.html Rwanda: Pro- Rose Kabuye Protests Go to G20 Summit in U.S. Florence Mutesi 16 November 2008 Kigali ? Scores of Rwandans from across the United States and friends of Rwanda, Saturday, braved a heavy downpour to protest the arrest in Germany of Rose Kabuye. The demonstration was held outside the venue of the G20 Summit, a gathering of leading industrial powers such as the US, Japan and Germany, and emerging market countries such as China, India and Brazil - representing 85% of the world economy. < The Diaspora targeted the summit to inform the international community of the political abuse of the principle of Universal Jurisdiction invoked by the French government to indict Kabuye and nine other senior Rwandan Government officials. The demonstrators held a five-hour vigil with participants expressing their disappointment over Genocide perpetrators who continue to enjoy a good life in Europe while the liberators who stopped the Genocide are threatened with arrest. "It is unbelievable, if it was in our countries it would be so alarming! Picking a member of the international community, an official and arresting just like that," said Patrikk Salemme, of Consultant Corporate Executive Board. He said there are better progressive things to do for a country like Rwanda rather than harassing her and putting her officials behind bars, which only hinders the country's development. Adding: "We stand up against this because we are all human beings created equally, and we believe in justice." Another protestor Rwandan, Robert Kayinamura, said that the European Union (EU) should not join France in the of universal jurisdiction principle. France is currently in the rotational seat of EU Presidency, neither of the two countries, (France and Germany) have brought Kabuye's illegal detention to the rest of the EU member States. "For the Germans, we ask them to release Rose (Kabuye) immediately without any precondition because the arrest was illegitimate. For France, they should leave Rwanda alone, they should drop the political indictments and stop the neo-colonial agenda's," Kayinamura explained. Relevant Links ? Central Africa ? Europe and Africa ? Rwanda Lionel Gahima another Rwandan in the Diaspora, said the two countries have no right to arrest Kabuye because she is protected by immunity, explaining that she was on official duty. "They should stop their injustice against Rwanda which I think if it continues will be extended to other African countries. They should release her, we demand it and there is no real reason for her arrest. She should be doing her job rather than being in jail," he asserted. Adding, "We as Rwandan people should fight for her liberty and the government should use any diplomatic means to free her." http://allafrica.com/stories/200811140318.html Rwanda: Women Protest Kabuye Arrest Robert Mugabe and Sam Nkurunziza 14 November 2008 Kigali ? Thousands of women from across Kigali city Wednesday braved a heavy downpour to add their voice to the protests against the arrest in Germany of Director of State Protocol, Rose Kabuye. It was a very emotional day. The protesters, some with tears' rolling down their cheeks held banners calling for the immediate release of Kabuye. "Rwandan women are tired of France and Germany's arrogance and disrespect," read one of the banners. < "We thank all friends of Rwanda who have come up to condemn the injustice against Rwandan women in general and Rose in particular. She is among the women who stopped the 1994 Tusti Genocide and as women we demand for her immediate release," read another. The nonviolent demonstration which lasted over four hours was attended by women from all walks of life visibly disappointed that perpetrators of the Genocide continue to enjoy life in Europe while the heroes who stopped it are being threatened with arrest. They presented their protest message in five languages, including German. Germany also harbours Ignace Murwanashyaka, the leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDRL), an outfit composed of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide of Tutsis. "The main message from Rwandan women to the western world is that Rose is innocent and that is why she took the trip despite the warnings. The indictment against Rwandan officials is a gimmick to blur the role of France in the Genocide," read the message in part. The women who kept on chanting "we want our Rose back" were fighting for a cause that was also widely joined by the African Union and some members of the European Union. Eugenie Musayidire, a Rwandan with German citizenship and whose husband and children live in Germany described the whole scenario as comic and shameful. "I am a German but standing here without fear to condemn actions by a country where the whole of my family lives," the 54 year old mother of four said. Ndabaga Women Association comprising women who participated in the country's liberation struggle who stopped the Tutsi genocide also firmly called for Kabuye's release. They sang songs they used to sing during the liberation war. Police had to be firm on the Gatsata women council, who threatened to sleep at the German embassy until Kabuye is set free. "We want our woman. Rose is a hero. If you are to arrest the innocent, come take us all," they challenged. "We are fed up with these imperial politics," their banners read. Senator Aloysia Inyumba and Angelina Muganza were also among the demonstrators. Meanwhile, the German Ambassador to Rwanda, Christian Clages was Tuesday given 48 hours to leave the country and Rwanda's envoy to Germany, Eugene Richard Gasana, recalled for consultations in protest over the arrest which government terms as politically motivated. The New Times, Kigali http://allafrica.com/stories/200811170332.html Rwanda: Pro-Kabuye Protests Planned Across Europe Edwin Musoni 17 November 2008 Kigali ? Demonstrations against the Germany November 9 arrest of the Director of State Protocol, Rose Kabuye, are expected to be carried out at different German Embassies in Europe. Some of the confirmed protests are expected to take place in the United Kingdom and in Sweden where Rwandans living in those countries and their friends have finalised preparations. The UK based Rwandese Community Association, (RCA), will on Tuesday, November 18, demonstrate at the German Embassy located in London, Chesham Place, 23 Belgravia Square. < According the Chairman of the Rwandese Diaspora in the UK, Ignatius Mugabo, RCA has already organised demonstrations against continuing French hostility and injustice meted against Rwanda and her people. "This follows the arrest and detention of Director of State Protocal Rose Kabuye in Germany on a politically motivated indictment issued by French judge against Rwandan leaders," says his communication. The Tuesday protests in the UK are expected to kick off at 1p.m up to 5p.m. According to Mugabo, thousands of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda are expected to turn up for the demonstrations. "Evidence of France's role in the killings of over a million Rwandan has been adduced but instead of owning up, France, has embarked on a campaign to convince the rest of the world that the victims of the Genocide were the perpetrators. We are shocked that any country could believe this but we are also sure that this is a lie whose time to be exposed has come," Mugabo said in a protest email. He added: "RCA, therefore, calls upon all Rwandans, friends of Rwanda and other peace-loving people to come out and condemn France's attempt to poison other countries and turn them against our country, which is trying to rebuild itself following a French-aided Genocide of 1994. We call upon all EU nations and other countries of the world not to accept France's dirty games against Rwanda." According to Mugabo's email, RCA has sought and obtained the permission of the Metropolitan Police making assurances that the protests will be peaceful and civilised. "We therefore ask everyone turning up for this protest to respect these principles as we shall not tolerate any acts of violence, racism or violation of the law," the email reads further. The demonstrators will assemble at Hyde Park Tube Station (Nightsbridge exit) at 1pm and then proceed to the German Embassy. The New Times has also learnt that Rwandans living in Sweden have finalised preparations for similar protests. Information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that the Swedish demonstrations will take place on Thursday at 10.00a.m in front of the German Embassy in Stockholm. From there, the demonstrators are expected to proceed to the French Embassy also based in Stockholm. Other planned demonstrations in Europe are yet to be confirmed but are all expected to be conducted in a calm and secure environment. These demonstrations follow the just concluded one in the United States of America which drew scores of Rwandans and Americans alike, who protested Kabuye's arrest. The demonstration was held outside the venue of the G20 Summit, a gathering of leading industrial powers such as the US, Japan and Germany, and emerging market countries such as China, India and Brazil - representing 85 percent of the world economy. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-15-voa24.cfm?CFID=146205126&CFTOKEN=10580913&jsessionid=84301540af7a2a79f2943191476d30231767 Rwandans In the Diaspora Protest Diplomat's Arrest By Jackson Mvunganyi Washington D.C 15 November 2008 Kabuye?s arrests last week, while on official duty, sparked objections from the Rwandan government, which accused Germany of contravening UN conventions. Kabuye was arrested based on a warrant issued by French Judge Jean Louis Brugui?re, in which Kabuye and nine other Rwandan officers are accused of masterminding the assassination of former President Juvenal Habyarimana. The Washington protestors said Judge Bruguiere?s indictments are illegal and should not be recognized by any government. Robert Kayinamura a Rwandese attorney working in the Washington area hoped the protests would ?send a message to the international community that the arrest was illegitimate?because she (Kabuye) had diplomatic immunity.? He said the indictments were politically motivated and have no legal basis. Ines Kaliza one of the other protesters said they want to draw ?the attention of these world leaders, and let them know about the violation of the principle of universal jurisdiction.? She said Germany?s actions should be condemned by all nations because ? of the way weaker countries are treated by some developed nations?they don't see us as partners but subordinates? http://www.afrol.com/articles/31716 SA labour protests Western Sahara inclusion in EU-Morocco deal afrol News, 17 November - A global protest campaign, contesting occupied Western Sahara's inclusion in a Morocco-European Union (EU) free trade deal is gaining momentum. Today, South Africa's dominant labour union COSATU told the EU it was breaking international law by its planned inclusion of the territory. COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi today personally wrote to the Brussels union, "demanding" that Morocco's "advanced status" within the EU "must exclude Western Sahara." The advanced status to be granted Morocco will increase free trade but also political and cultural cooperation. So far, the EU has indicated that the occupied territory of Western Sahara will be included in the deal, contrasting its agreement with Israel, where occupied Palestine is excluded, and contrasting the US-Moroccan free trade agreement, which excludes Western Sahara. In the current EU-Moroccan fisheries agreement, Western Saharan seas were included, despite strong protests, giving EU trawlers access to these waters in return for payment to the Rabat government. COSATU, representing about two million workers in South Africa, is the last among many prominent organisations now joining the global petition demanding that "occupied Western Sahara is specifically excluded from the agreement." COSATU leader Vavi says that if the EU were to include Western Sahara, "through its negotiations with Morocco as the occupying power, it would give an unfortunate sign of support to the unfounded Moroccan claims over the territory. It could also lead to the EU damaging the UN's efforts to decolonise the territory." The South African labour leader holds that the EU could be breaking international law. "Under International Customary Law, the EU and its member states have a duty of non-recognition of the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara, and to support the decolonisation of the territory," Mr Vavi says. COSATU is not the first trade union to join the petition. Also, two of Spain's largest union, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Uni?n Sindical Obrera (USO), in addition to unions in Norway and Sweden have joined the fight. Even political parties in Europe, mostly liberal and socialist parties in Scandinavia, have signed the petition. But for the organisers, the global network Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRV), the support from outside the EU is of particular encouragement. Ronny Hansen, representing the Norwegian partners behind WSRV, told afrol News that "the support from COSATU and other prominent organisations worldwide is a clear recognition that the petition is a matter of global solidarity, and just an internal EU affair." "We hope COSATU's support for this petition will inspire organisations and governments in other parts of Africa to join our ranks and express clearer support for the rights of the Sahrawis," Mr Hansen says. "After all, Western Sahara is the only African Union member currently under foreign occupation," he concludes. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811260660.html Namibia: Karibib's Kandetu Suspended a Fourth Time, Workers to Protest Adam Hartman 26 November 2008 KARIBIB'S entire municipal workforce plans to demonstrate today after the Karibib Town Council on Monday suspended the town's CEO, Lydia Kandetu. < During an extraordinary meeting, the council placed Kandetu "on special leave indefinitely". She will still get her salary and full benefits, but will not be allowed on the council's premises until further notice. "The resolution was taken in order for the council to ascertain [alleged] irregularities and inconsistencies suspected at your office," the suspension letter read. It is the fourth time in Kandetu's less than three years in office that she's been suspended for reasons that up until now have not been clarified. A meeting yesterday between the workers and the acting CEO, Edward Hashela, led to the workers demanding a meeting with the council to get a full explanation of the purported charges against Kandetu. The meeting was scheduled for yesterday afternoon. "We said 16h00, and gave them until 16h30, but they did not come," a reliable source told The Namibian. "Now we will march". The workers will meet at the municipal office at 08h00 today, and will begin their march at around 10h00. A petition has also been compiled and it will be directed to the Minister of Regional and Local Government, Jerry Ekandjo. "We cannot go on like this. We are not prepared to work if Kandetu is not here," the source stated. "Our jobs are negatively affected by this foolishness from the council." The source said the workers want answers as to why Kandetu is being suspended, and are not interested in "vague explanations" like "alleged irregularities and inconsistencies". Previous charges against Kandetu earlier this year and last year were handed to the Minister, who later called for the charges to be dropped and ordered that Kandetu be reinstated. Karibib is currently experiencing a collapse in municipal services because of alleged poor management by the town's leaders. [The Namibian] http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413448.html Manchester Students remember Ken Saro-Wiwa in University Shell protest Manchester Campaigns Collective | 24.11.2008 19:14 | Climate Chaos | Education | Manchester Students from the University of Manchester held a memorial protest in remembrance of Nigerian human rights activists who were killed by the Nigerian military in 1995. The protest highlighted the new partnership to research biofuels between the University of Manchester and Shell. STUDENTS HANG MEMORIAL EFFIGY IN UNIVERSITY SHELL PROTEST Monday 10th November 2008 Students from the University of Manchester held a memorial protest in remembrance of a Nigerian human rights activist who were killed by the Nigerian military in 1995. November 10th marked the 13th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists.[1] Shell oil company will be taken to court this February 2009, charged with complicity in his murder. ( http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8792/236/) The protest highlighted the new partnership between the University of Manchester and Shell. [2] (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/business/s/1068530_shell_and_manchester_universitys_biofuels_project) The group held banners reading 'Remember Ken Saro-Wiwa murdered on behalf of Shell on 13th of November 1995' and 'Shell operating at the University of Manchester' outside the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre. They also displayed an effigy of Ken Saro-Wiwa as a powerful reminder of the execution of the environmental and human rights activist. Philosophy student Gabriel Hassan said, "Until Shell sort out their human rights record and stop devastating the environment with their oil projects they have no business being on campus. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a man who stood up to the ruin brought upon his people in Nigeria by Shell and for that Shell had him hung. This is the kind of the thing that the university was always going to turn a blind eye to though." The group asked if someone from the Institution could explain the ethical problems concerning the University?s partnership with Shell but were told to speak to the University?s press office. The press office suggested writing a letter to President and Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert. The group will deliver an open letter to the Vice-Chancellor asking for an explanation. Security were called and removed the banners from the University building wall. Some students remained to flyer outside. Meanwhile another group retrieved the banner and displayed them high up on a lamppost on the other side of the building on Princess Street. The student group held a discussion on the role of Shell in the Niger Delta and Rossport later that evening attended by around 100 people. ( http://www.corribsos.com/) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES TO THE EDITOR [1] Ken Saro-Wiwa was a leader in the protest against the devastation of the Ogoni people's homeland in Nigeria caused by oil extraction projects run by Shell and Chevron. For more information about Ken Saro-Wiwa and the circumstances of his execution visit http://www.remembersarowiwa.com/ [2] Shell is one of 17 companies working with The Centre of Excellence in Biocatalysis, Biotransformations and Biocatalytic Manufacture (CoEBio3) based at The University of Manchester. See http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/archive/list/item/?id=3983&year=2008&month=09 and http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2008/10/shelling-out/ for more information. Manchester Campaigns Collective e-mail: mcrcampaignscollective at gmail.com http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=11905 Opposition leader launches protest against St Lucia government Published on Monday, November 3, 2008 Email To Friend Print Version By Oscar Ramjeet Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent Email: oscar at caribbeannetnews.com CASTRIES, St Lucia: Opposition leader Kenny Anthony said that he is fed up with the state of affairs in St Lucia and has served notice of protests against the Stephenson King administration. Anthony, who served as Prime Minister of St Lucia for three terms, said that there is no sign of direct leadership in the country, and said that he has put not only his party, but the country on alert because of the issues confronting the entire country, Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony A CMC report stated that the opposition leader added that the country is in a tailspin with the economy and is now in a recession. He added that he has written to the Attorney General about taking legal action in relation to the ?Texedogate? affair involving the Health Minister Dr Keith Mondesir, who Anthony alleges violated the Tourism Act in furnishing his private residence with items that were imported duty free for Texedo Villas, which he owns, even though the minister constantly denies the charges. The former Prime Minister also alleges according to the CMC report, that three unnamed ministers of government were involved in an attempt to obtain millions of dollars from an undisclosed investor. Anthony lost power in December 2006 to veteran politician Sir John Compton, who retook leadership of the United Workers Party (UWP), but the 82-year-old politician who had led the country to independence, died less than a year after becoming prime minister for the third time. King became prime minster in late 2007 after Sir John's passing. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/16/brazil-flash-mob-protest-against-digital-crimes-bill/ Brazil: Flash mob protest against Digital Crimes Bill Sunday, November 16th, 2008 @ 11:05 UTC by Paula G?es Brazilian bloggers and netizens took to the streets of S?o Paulo to protest against the Digital Crimes Bill, which typifies the cyber-crimes punishable by law and stipulates penalties accordingly. They claim the law has so many flaws that, instead of punishing real criminals, it might end up deeming as crime trivial conduct when surfing the Internet. Proposed by senator Eduardo Azeredo, the bill has passed through the Senate, has proceeded to the House of Representatives and has been labeled as urgent, which means that voting might happen at any time. Over 50 bloggers, students and netizens participated in the flash mob last Friday at Avenida Paulista, one of the city's most important avenues and financial centers. The protest was organized through blogs and mostly twitter. L?cia Freitas reports: A postos, mostramos nossos cartazes. algu?m de dentro do ?nibus acena. Pessoas param nas cal?adas de ambos os lados. Motos e carros buzinam. Ao comando, viramos para o outro lado (?mpar) da avenida. Os fot?grafos fazem farra. A gente diz em alto e bom som: N?o! Put in place, we showed our posters. Someone waves at us from inside a bus. People stop on both sides of sidewalks. Motorcycles and cars honk their horns. At the command, we turn to the other side of the avenue. Photographers enjoy it. We say in loud and clear voices: No! In fact, due to bad weather and terrible traffic, many people only managed to get there late. Political Scientist S?rgio Amadeu [pt] says that these late comers demanded to be part of the protest, so a quick decision was made for another performance, this time attended by over 100 people: Bom, como uma manifesta??o auto-organizada ela resolveu se auto-constituir de novo. A flashmob virou uma refreshmob. Well, as an auto-organized protest, it decided to reproduce itself again. The flashmob became a refreshmob. Photo by Paulo Fehlauer who also has a video showing the protest at Avenida Paulista On the day before, a public hearing was held in Bras?lia and some bloggers took the time to attend the debate (see a video and twitter reactions). They had their mouths closed with sellotape to protest against the over-surveillance on the Internet that the bill may bring if approved. Daniel Padua [pt] was there and said it had a positive outcome as the case against was very well laid by both specialists and members of parliament: A for?a dos argumentos foi uma surpresa pros defensores do projeto, que acabaram soando rid?culos e despreparados - como no caso do delegado da PF (alguma coisa Sobral) - que apresentou uma hist?ria na qual a PF tinha os IPs de suspeitos de pedofilia, mas s? conseguiu prender 1/5 deles pela falta de um processo jur?dico adequado, e foi questionado pelo deputado Paulo Teixeira: ?bom, a PF tinha os IPs, n?o? ent?o se voc?s j? conseguem os IPs das pessoas, porque precisam desse projeto de lei?? The strength of the arguments (against the bill) was a surprise for the project supporters, who ended up sounding silly and unprepared - as in the case of a police officer who had a history in which the police had the IPs of suspected pedophiles, but only managed to arrest 1/5 of them because of the lack of an appropriate legal process. He was questioned by parliament member Paulo Teixeira: ?Well, the PF had the IPs, right? So if you already get people's IPs, what do you need this bill for??. Marcelo Tr?sel [pt] says that a battle was won but the fight goes ahead. He unveils whose interests are in fact behind the bill: Porque no fim das contas ? disso que se trata: os bancos est?o tentando impor uma legisla??o est?pida para deixarem de assumir a responsabilidade por tornar seus sistemas de transa??o eletr?nica mais seguros. Afinal, garantir a seguran?a de dados custa dinheiro. E dinheiro ? o que os bancos deram, coincidentemente, para a campanha a senador de Azeredo e muitos outros deputados. Est?o pouco ligando se v?o emperrar o processo cultural ou o avan?o da inclus?o digital no Brasil. At the end of the day this is it: banks are trying to impose this stupid law so that they don't have the responsibility for making their electronic transaction systems more secure. After all, ensuring data security costs money. And money is what the banks have, coincidentally, donated to Senator Azeredo's and many other [politicians] campaigns. They don't care if it will paralyse the cultural process or the enhancement of digital inclusion in Brazil. According to Jo?o Carlos Carib? [pt], this public hearing, virtually the first open debate about the bill, was made possible through liaising by the organizers of an online petition [pt] in defense of freedom and progress of knowledge on the Brazilian Internet. It has been signed by over 121,400 citizens, which is not much, considering Brazil's nearly 200 million population. Gabriel Sadoco [pt] writes about it at this Saturday's blog carnival [pt] about politics and says that people should not be so apathetic regarding this and others issues: E a esses brasileiros que n?o se incomodam com o que acontece no seu pa?s. Que preferem assistir as trag?dias do jornal antes da novela das oito e s? servem pra fazer peso no mundo, acordem para a realidade e comecem a protestar, porque voc? ainda tem direito a isso. N?o ao vigilantismo. Privacidade e liberdade pra todo mundo! For those Brazilians who do not care whatever happens in their country, who prefer to read the tragedies in the newspaper before the eight o'clock soap opera and are only good to put weight on the world, wake up to reality and begin to protest, because you still have the right to do so. Say no to surveillance. Privacy and freedom for everyone! M?rio Amaya [pt] has designed the poster that many bloggers have been carrying with them, which can be downloaded and printed out. He is also the designer of many of the online banners that have spread on the blogosphere. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/242096,roadblocks-target-nicaraguan-opposition-in-election-protests.html Roadblocks target Nicaraguan opposition in election protests Posted : Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:39:17 GMT Author : DPA Category : World Managua, Nicaragua - Nicaragua's capital was bracing for large demonstrations Tuesday by the ruling Sandinista party and the opposition after supporters of President Daniel Ortega blocked an important highway through Managua, forcing opposition leaders to seek refuge in a church. The supporters of the Sandinista National Liberation Front cut off the Pan-American Highway and important streets in the capital Monday to block the movements of Eduardo Montealegre, who ran for mayor of Managua in November 9 elections and is now charging electoral fraud. The member of the Liberal Constitutionalist Party and other opposition leaders then had to hole up in the church. The Sandinista-dominated Election Commission said the ruling party won about 100 of the 146 mayoral posts up for grabs last week, but Montealegre, who according to official results lost to boxing champion Alexis Arguello, said he intends to present data to diplomats to back up his charges of electoral fraud. Post-election violence has shaken the impoverished Central American country for a week. Two people have been killed. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/19/america/managua.php Sandinista protesters intimidate opposition in Nicaragua By Marc Lacey Published: November 19, 2008 MANAGUA: Waving sticks and hurling stones, thousands of protesters backing the leftist Sandinista party angrily took to the streets here to support the results of local elections earlier in the month that the opposition says President Daniel Ortega rigged to expand his power. The opposition leader, Eduardo Montealegre, had called for a march through the capital in protest of the Nov. 9 elections, which he says the Sandinistas stole to deny him the mayoralty of Managua. But the pro-government forces, some of them federal employees released early from their jobs to join the fray, surrounded Montealegre's backers, who then disbanded. "This fight isn't about the Managua mayoralty," a fuming Montealegre said in an interview on Wednesday morning, insisting that he was the legitimate winner. "It's more fundamental. It's about dictatorship versus democracy." The streets have turned into a free-for-all over the past week and a half, with Sandinistas firing off homemade mortar rounds, stoning passing vehicles and angrily confronting journalists, and opposition backers sometimes responding. Ortega has remained silent. A Sandinista revolutionary who led Nicaragua in the 1980s, he was ousted in 1990 but re-elected in 2006, in a hotly contested race in which his closest rival was Montealegre. The violence affected other parts of the country on Tuesday as well, with pro-government protesters invading and destroying three radio stations in Le?n considered sympathetic to the opposition. The Sandinista mayoral candidate in that city, northwest of Managua, was declared the winner despite widespread reports of fraud, including ballots found in a municipal dump. "The streets are ours," said one Sandinista supporter, Jos? Bonilla, holding a homemade plywood shield during the tumult Tuesday afternoon in Managua. Fellow demonstrators, waving red-and-black Sandinista flags, shot mortar rounds over the heads of riot police officers who were blocking them from Montealegre's rally a block away. When Ortega cast his ballot on Nov. 9, in an election that was viewed as the first test of his influence since he took office, he defended the integrity of the polling and accused the local media of attempting to discredit the results and "create an image of Nicaragua at war." Montealegre, backed by leaders of the Catholic Church and Nicaragua's two largest business organizations, is demanding a full recount monitored by international observers. Ortega had not allowed observers during the municipal elections, which took place nationwide. The Supreme Electoral Council, in its initial report, said the Sandinista mayoral candidate in Managua, Alexis Arguello, a three-time world boxing champion, had triumphed over Montealegre, who is a Harvard-educated ex-finance minister. But faced with a barrage of criticism from foreign governments, Roberto Rivas, president of the electoral council, ordered a recount. "It's a special process we're going to do even though it's not required," Rivas told reporters earlier in the month. "We are doing it so that the Nicaraguan people - not the embassies - but the Nicaraguan people are completely satisfied that their vote was respected." Rivas did not address allegations that polls had closed early and that opposition electoral delegates had been forced out of the final vote count in Managua. He did request that state prosecutors investigate the ballots found in the trash. "It must be found out whether public officials are involved," he said, vowing to "get to the bottom of this case." Montealegre said it was the government that was responsible for the violence. Gesturing at newspaper photos that showed his supporters waving flags and Sandinista backers clutching rocks and sticks, he said Ortega was responsible for the violence on the street. "He is the president of the country, not me," he said. "He can end this." Blake Schmidt contributed reporting from Managua. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/world/americas/20nicaragua.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Claims of a Rigged Vote Foment Bitter Protests in Nicaragua By MARC LACEY Published: November 19, 2008 MANAGUA, Nicaragua ? As homemade mortar rounds exploded over this capital, and angry demonstrators poured into the streets for a second consecutive day, Nicaragua found itself mired Wednesday in an increasingly bitter struggle over who controls Managua and scores of other cities across the country. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters Police officers on Sunday in Le?n, Nicaragua, detained a supporter of Eduardo Montealegre, who insisted he was the winner of the mayoral race in Managua. Enlarge This Image Esteban Felix/Associated Press Supporters of the left-wing Sandinista party of President Daniel Ortega threw stones during a clash on Sunday in Le?n. Opposition leaders accuse President Daniel Ortega?s left-wing Sandinista party of rigging the mayoral race here and hundreds of other municipal races across the country in an effort to extend its political reach. Before Election Day, Nov. 9, Mr. Ortega limited the access of outside election observers and then, his critics contend, ordered his underlings to tamper with the balloting to ensure that candidates loyal to him came out on top. ?This fight isn?t about the Managua mayoralty,? said Eduardo Montealegre, who insisted he was the legitimate winner of the mayoral race even though the Sandinista-controlled electoral council said preliminary figures indicated that he had lost. ?It?s more fundamental,? he said. ?It?s about dictatorship versus democracy.? Mr. Montealegre, a member of the Constitutional Liberal Party, has tried to protest the results, but he has been met by angry Sandinistas at every turn. They have chased away his supporters and have turned the streets into a free-for-all. Demonstrators blocked intersections and pelted cars with rocks. Members of rival political parties have faced off in angry confrontations, and nervous merchants have closed up their businesses. Mr. Ortega has remained silent. A Sandinista revolutionary who led Nicaragua in the 1980s, he was ousted in 1990. But he was re-elected in 2006 in a hotly contested race in which his closest rival was Mr. Montealegre. While Mr. Ortega won with only 38 percent of the vote, he has moved to impose his Sandinista stamp on all aspects of society. Sandinistas clearly control the streets. For weeks before Election Day, the party?s supporters began camping out at traffic circles in what they called prayers for peace over hate. Opposition leaders saw it as an attempt to hold on to central public spaces and to limit opposition rallies. ?The streets are ours,? said Jos? Bonilla, a Sandinista supporter holding a homemade plywood shield, during the tumult in Managua on Tuesday afternoon. Fellow demonstrators, waving red-and-black Sandinista flags, shot explosives over the heads of riot police officers who were blocking them from Mr. Montealegre?s rally a block away. When Mr. Ortega cast his ballot in an election that was viewed as the first test of his influence since his re-election, he defended the integrity of the balloting and accused the local media of trying to discredit the results and ?create an image of Nicaragua at war.? Mr. Montealegre, backed by leaders of the Catholic Church and Nicaragua?s two largest business organizations, is demanding a full recount monitored by international observers. Mr. Ortega?s skepticism of international observers traces back to the 1990 election, in which he was defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. ?From that moment, the truth is that I lost faith in the Organization of American States and all the other organisms,? he said in a speech before the election. The Supreme Electoral Council of Nicaragua, in its initial report on the voting on Nov. 9, said the Sandinista mayoral candidate in Managua, Alexis Arg?ello, 52, a three-time world boxing champion, had defeated Mr. Montealegre, 53, who is a Harvard-educated former finance minister. But in response to a barrage of criticism, including some from the United States and other governments, Roberto Rivas, the president of the electoral council, ordered a recount. But he said it would not be monitored by independent outsiders. ?We are doing it so that the Nicaraguan people ? not the embassies, but the Nicaraguan people ? are completely satisfied that their vote was respected,? Mr. Rivas said in a news conference last week. Mr. Rivas did not address accusations that polls closed early and that opposition electoral delegates were forced out of the final counting of the vote in Managua. He did request that state prosecutors investigate reports that ballots marked for the opposition were found in the municipal dump in Le?n, northwest of Managua. ?It must be found out whether public officials are involved,? he said, adding that he would ?get to the bottom of this case.? In his news conference, Mr. Rivas chided Mr. Montealegre for failing to file a formal fraud complaint with Nicaraguan prosecutors and for calling on his supporters to take to the streets in protest. But Mr. Montealegre, in an interview on Wednesday, said it was the government that was responsible for the violence. Gesturing at newspaper photographs that showed his supporters waving Nicaraguan flags and Sandinista backers clutching rocks and sticks, he said Mr. Ortega was responsible for the violence in the streets. ?He is the president of the country, not me,? Mr. Montealegre said. ?He can end this.? Blake Schmidt contributed reporting. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/online-tools-amplify-culture-protest-where-there-none Online tools amplify a culture of protest where there is none! by astroleni | November 8, 2008 at 10:34 am 44 views | 2 Recommendations | 1 comment Today 70 Saudi activists launched a two-day hunger strike via Facebook to protest the detention of 11 human rights activists who have been held in Saudi Arabia for months - some for almost two years - without charge. Operating under oppressive restraints of freedom of expression and assembly, the activists' defense team and supporters have harnessed the power of online tools to amplify their voices and calls for justice. Calling for the release - or fair and public trails - of detainees is incredibly restrictive under the absolute monarch. In July 2007, the Mabahith, Saudi secret police, arrested five women who were peacefully demonstrating for the release or trial of their relatives detained for over two years without trial. Operating under oppressive restraints of freedom of expression and assembly, the activists' defense team and supporters have harnessed the power of online tools to amplify their voices and calls for justice. Under Saudi law, one can be detained for up to six months (and up to 60 days in solitary confinement) without a formal sentencing or trial. Once in custody, detainees are "commonly the victims of systematic and multiple violations of due process and fair trial rights, including arbitrary arrest and torture and ill-treatment during interrogation," according to Human Rights Watch. "We are trying to introduce a culture of protest where there is none. Without the Internet, this wouldn't have been possible," said Mr. al-Qahtani, an organizer of the hunger strike in an interview with Canada's Globe and Mail. A combination of few freedoms to assemble, express or associate oneself publicly, reasonably high internet connectivity, and a 60% population under the age of 30 has made it possible for this unprecedented event to occur online. Word is quickly spreading in online chat rooms, social networks and the blogosphere. World media is reporting on this unprecendented act of civil disobedience. Watch an exclusive video interview with Saudi journalist Ebtihal Mubarak about the hunger strike at http://hub.witness.org/en/SaudiHungerStrike. WITNESS' online channel for human rights video, the Hub, was fortunate enough to attain the only video interview on this subject, due to its strict adherence to safety and security issues for participants. Read more about it on the Hub blog: http://hub.witness.org/en/blog/facebooking-a-hunger-strike Visit the Facebook Protest Page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45829380308 Listen to an audio interview with one of the people participating in the protest: http://hub.witness.org/en/node/11279 Though this is not the first human rights-related campaign from the region on Facebook (see WIRED's "Cairo Activists Use Facebook to Rattle Regime"), it is notable because it's the first one of its kind in Saudi Arabia to get around repressive laws by harnessing power and the ubiquity of the internet to gain attention and hopefully change policy. I hope you'll share this info with your online colleagues who may have more room to cover this story online or continue to look to WITNESS and the Hub as a source of stories and information about the challenges and struggles of people all over the world and ways in which they are confronting them face. Sincerely, Suvasini Patel Communications & Outreach Manager/WITNESS Tel: 718-783-2000 ext. 316|suvasini at witness.org http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97541372&ft=1&f=1004 Saudi Women Reunite To Remember Driving Protest by Caryle Murphy Listen Now [4 min 15 sec] add to playlist Morning Edition, December 16, 2008 ? Every year, nearly four dozen Saudi women get together for a reunion. Eighteen years ago, on Nov. 6, 1990, they staged a public protest against their country's ban on women driving. For half an hour, they drove their cars in a convoy around the capital city of Riyadh until they were stopped by police. The women paid heavily for their actions ? all the drivers, and their husbands, were barred from foreign travel for a year. Those women who had government jobs were fired. And from hundreds of mosque pulpits, they were denounced by name as immoral women out to destroy Saudi society. Almost two decades later, the ban is still in place, making Saudi Arabia the only country in the world where women cannot drive. "I think it was worth it, because we raised the issue of the women in Saudi Arabia and the consciousness about it," says Aisha al Mana, a businesswoman in Al Khobar who took part in the driving protest. "We went through around a year of harassment because they thought we did something that is not acceptable by society. 'The drivers,' they call us," she says with a laugh. Two years after their demonstration, the women fired from jobs were reinstated. But Fawzia al Bakr, a professor of education who was one of the 47 protest drivers, says there is still lingering discrimination. "Wherever you work, you are labeled as a 'driver' and you will never be promoted, no matter how good you are," she says. Facing Backlash The women also have had to contend with critics who say they chose the wrong time to protest, given that their country was on war footing just three months after Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait. In addition, Saudi Arabia's conservative religious forces were furious about the government's decision to let in thousands of non-Muslim U.S. troops to protect the kingdom from Saddam Hussein. Other critics say focusing on driving detracts from more important problems faced by women. And there are plenty of Saudi women who say that lifting the ban would threaten the Saudi family. Al Bakr says none of these arguments means she should have to forgo her right to drive. "In every society, you have different opinions," al Bakr says. "I think these women have the freedom not to drive, but then we should have the freedom to drive if we want to. If you drive, it means that you have access to the public, you have access to the institutions. But if you are totally unable to move unless you have a male to actually drive you, then you're completely paralyzed. And that's the essence of it." Hossa al Sheikh, dean of women at Riyadh's Yamama University and another of the protest drivers, says the ban is a hardship for families who cannot afford a chauffeur. "I see poor women ? they ask 'I want to drive. I can't work because I don't have a driver,' " al Sheikh says. Progress Under King Abdullah The drivers agree that under King Abdullah, Saudi women have made progress in terms of expanding educational opportunities and growing access to jobs. But the king, who has said that allowing women to drive is a social, not a religious, issue, has so far not moved to lift the ban. Al Bakr says it may be a matter of priorities for the king. "At the practical level, King Abdullah is working in a quiet way to support women," al Bakr says. "But when it comes, unfortunately, to the driving, it's just too much headache, and that's why I think King Abdullah doesn't want it ? because he has more important issues." Yet opposition to women driving seems to be fraying. A Gallup poll last year found that 55 percent of Saudi men now want to let women drive. A handful of women caught driving this year were only briefly detained, according to press reports, and a university student was called a heroine after she drove her badly burned father to the hospital. "I think now people are at ease talking about it," al Mana says. "It's not like it was 18 years ago ? it was taboo." For now, those who defied the driving ban 18 years ago get together every November. They put on T-shirts that say "Drivers," and they share a cake with a car on it. They take a group picture ? just as they did back in 1990, right after their protest. "It was so scary at that time, because we were chased by all the religious people," al Bakr says. "But then we decided that this is a very historical moment, so as many of us, we should get together and have a picture and just keep it. And we did, actually. We gathered in one of our friend's house and we took a historical picture, and I'm sure this picture is going to be in some museums somehow." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Front/~3/445040411/ Saudi hunger strikers risk arrest for protest SONIA VERMA From Friday's Globe and Mail November 6, 2008 at 10:17 PM EST JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia ? Mohammad al-Qahtani rose before dawn, kissed his children and prayed before embarking on the most radical act of his life: He skipped breakfast. The professor of economics is among a group of 64 Saudis staging this conservative kingdom's first public hunger strike, denouncing the detention of nearly a dozen political prisoners. To outsiders, the two-day protest might seem tame, but in a country where political parties, civic organizations and public rallies are strictly banned, the strikers could face arrest for dissent. ?Yes, we are afraid,? Mr. al-Qahtani, 43, said, ?but to get our message out we are willing to take the risk.? He admits, however, their risk is a calculated one. The protest, which ends Friday, was timed to coincide with the weekend here so strikers could fast in hiding or in the safety of their own homes. Recruitment was also kept low-key, with organizers using online networks such as Facebook to enlist supporters and talk to each other. ?We are trying to introduce a culture of protest where there is none. Without the Internet, this wouldn't have been possible,? Mr. al-Qahtani acknowledged. Saudi's state-controlled media have not reported on the strike, although the story is beginning to capture headlines in the international press. The protesters' demands centre on the cases of 11 prisoners who are being held in Jeddah and Riyadh jails without charge. Strikers are demanding the Saudi government give the prisoners fair, public trials or set them free. Nine of the detained men, who were arrested in Jeddah in February, 2007, were accused of supporting terrorism and sent to solitary confinement without formal charge. Human-rights groups say they were jailed for pressing for political reform. The most high-profile prisoner is Matrouk al-Faleh, a political science professor at Riyadh's King Saud University, who was arrested in May after publishing a report criticizing conditions in Saudi jails. He was previously jailed in 2003 after calling for a constitutional monarchy, but was subsequently freed by King Abdullah when he assumed the throne in 2005. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Mr. al-Faleh's wife, Jamila, said she didn't think the hunger strike would change her husband's fate. ?It won't solve our problem, but at least I feel there are others who are standing with us,? said Ms. Al-Faleh, who is only allowed to visit her husband once a week and says his health is declining. Government officials canvassed by The Globe said they were unaware of any protest but, hypothetically speaking, said hunger strikes are against the law. They declined to comment on the cases of the 11 men in detention. With the government effectively ignoring the protest, it was unclear what kind of impact it would have. The activists, mostly young, prominent Saudis ? lawyers, writers, professors and journalists ? hold positions that would likely insulate them from harsh prosecution. Some hoped their protest would encourage others from all walks of Saudi society. Others described their participation as personal victories. ?I see the hunger strike as my little personal gesture to the detainees,? wrote Ahmed al-Omran, a popular Saudi blogger known as Saudijeans. ?I don't know what it would mean to them or if they even know about it, but it certainly means something to me. It means that I do not accept injustice,? he wrote. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08307/924739-82.stm?cmpid=nationworld.xml Saudi activists plan protest over detainees Sunday, November 02, 2008 By Faiza Saleh Ambah, The Washington Post JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- A group of Saudi activists is planning the country's first public hunger strike to draw attention to the detention without charge of a dozen political reformists. The participants, who include lawyers, university students and relatives of the detained, could face arrest for their protest in this authoritarian kingdom. The 48-hour strike is planned in several Saudi cities on Thursday and Friday, a weekend here. Organizers said they are demanding that the government grant the prisoners fair and public trials or set them free. "To the government, we want to say that you can't put prisoners of conscience in jail without facing consequences," said Walid Abu-Alkhair, a writer and lawyer in Jiddah. "And to the activists, we want to say, 'you are not alone.' We want to show that when you put human rights activists in jail, a new wave will come and take their place." Although the state-controlled media have not reported on the strike, it has gained attention online through bloggers and announcements posted to Facebook and Google groups. "This act of peaceful protest is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, and I believe this is the least we can do for those people," wrote Ahmed al-Omran, who blogs as Saudi Jeans. "Please join the call and spread the word." Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, bans demonstrations, political parties and civic organizations. The reformists were jailed for various reasons, including organizing protests. In their online announcements, the strike organizers urged "all activists and citizens who have a conscience" to show "solidarity with all detainees, whose basic rights have been violated." "We announced the names of 26 additional participants on Wednesday," said Fowzan al-Harbi, an engineer. "Five more have joined us, but the final list will be announced next week." The strikers will remain at home without food or water on the designated days, organizers said. Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Riyadh-based college professor who also hosts a television show, said he was excited about participating. "This is the first time something like this happens in Saudi Arabia. I ask my friends to pinch me to make sure I'm not daydreaming," said Mr. Qahtani, whose wife will also join in the hunger strike. "These people are in prison for defending our rights. And now, it's time for us to defend their rights." The most prominent of the detained dissidents is Matrouk al-Faleh, who was arrested in May in the capital, Riyadh, for criticizing conditions in the kingdom's jails. In 2003, he was jailed for calling for a constitutional monarchy but was pardoned by King Abdullah when he took the throne in 2005. Nine of the detainees, arrested in Jiddah in February 2007, have been accused of supporting terrorism, but human rights groups say the men were detained for calling for political reform. "I think the hunger strike represents the failure of the Saudi judicial system to address what is clearly the arbitrary arrest of Professor Matrouk al-Faleh and the group of reformers in Jiddah," said Christoph Wilcke, who researches Saudi Arabia for the New-York based Human Rights Watch. "The Saudi government ... still thinks it can silence dissent by locking up reformers. But this puts pressure on the Saudi government to justify why these people are behind bars." http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-lashes_12int.ART.State.Edition1.4a6b03c.html Egyptians protest doctor's whipping sentence in Saudi Arabia 12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 The Associated Press CAIRO, Egypt ? Demonstrators in Cairo demanded Tuesday that Saudi Arabia release an Egyptian doctor sentenced to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes after he was convicted of malpractice ? reportedly after treating a Saudi princess. Dr. Raouf Amin el-Arabi, who has been serving the Saudi royal family for about 20 years, was convicted last year of giving wrong medication. Egyptian newspapers reported that he was accused of driving a Saudi princess "to addiction." He initially was sentenced to seven years in prison and 700 lashes, but when he appealed two months ago, the judge not only upheld the conviction, but more than doubled the penalty. Family members, friends and colleagues gathered at the headquarters of Egypt's doctors' union in downtown Cairo and urged Saudi King Abdullah to pardon Dr. el-Arabi. "My children want their father to return swiftly and safely," the doctor's wife, Fathiya el-Hindawi, told The Associated Press. "I hope the king will give them back their smiles." She fears the punishment will kill her husband. Banners at the protest read "1,500 lashes is unprecedented in the history of Islam," and "Who is responsible for the humiliation of our doctors abroad?" In Egypt, human rights groups have demanded that President Hosni Mubarak, who maintains close ties with the Saudi royal family, intervene to free 53-year-old Dr. el-Arabi. The doctor is jailed in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and is believed to have received at least one of his weekly installments of 70 lashes. The Associated Press http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article2.aspx?ArticleID=187714 Three Protests Calling for Uncovering Place of Bloger, Releasing Samalout Detainees and Bringing Policeman to Trial By Farouk el-Gamal and Shaima? Ade 24/ 11/ 2008 Hundreds of demonstrators staged a protest yesterday before the office of the public prosecutor, calling for revealing the place of a bloger, releasing Samalout detainees and bringing a policeman to trial. During the protest, the April 6th and Youth for Change Movements called for revealing the place of bloger Mohamed Adel, who was detained on his way to Arish to end some personal matters. "I called on the public prosecutor to release my son or even illustrate why he was detained, especially as he is under 20 years of age. When they searched the house, they did not find leaflets as they had alleged," Adel's father said. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Egypt called for releasing Samalout detainees and bringing a policeman who killed a pregnant woman while trying to arrest her brother-in-law to trial. Hisham Mubarak Law Center for Human Rights and Al-Nadeem Center for Human Rights screened a documentary film in the Press Syndicate on the relatives of the detainees and on eyewitnesses. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=98110 Hundreds protest against SSNP attack on Future TV journalist Assault prompts condemnation from across political spectrum By Andrew Wander Daily Star staff Saturday, November 29, 2008 Listen to the Article - Powered by Hundreds of protestors turned out Friday to demonstrate against Thursday's attack on Future TV journalist Omar Harqous by Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) members. Journalists, politicians and charity workers took part in an hour-long sit-in at the car-park of Future TV's headquarters in Qantari. http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1128/201307.html Lebanese journalists protest against assault by opposition party 2008-11-28 15:32:23 GMT2008-11-28 23:32:23 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English BEIRUT, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Lebanese journalists gathered in a sit-in at the parking lot of Future TV in Beirut to protest against the assault against its reporter, the broadcaster aired Friday. Omar Harqous, who works as a reporter for Future TV owned by majority leader Saad Hariri, was badly beaten, with wounds in the head, neck and chest by members of the Syrian Socialist National Party (SSNP), the report said. The army has arrested five members of the Lebanese opposition party, who were involved in the assault in Hamra area of west Beirut on Thursday. Harqous was attacked when covering attempts by Beirut municipality employees to remove a SSNP poster, in line with an agreement reached between the Western-backed majority and the opposition over a month ago to defuse tension by removing all political posters. The SSNP set the Future TV building on fire in riots between the opposition and the government supporters in early May, leading to the Arab intervention and the production of a Qatari-brokered accord between rival Lebanese groups in Doha on May 21. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&D063FE525AF48EE7C225750E00631161 SSNP Assailants Wound Mustaqbal Reporter, Sit-In Protest Called Assailants from the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) attacked Future television reporter Omar Harqous with sticks in Beirut's Hamra street on Thursday, wounding him in the head, neck and chest. Harqous was admitted to the emergency ward of the American University Hospital for treatment as an army patrol moved in to the area and arrested at least five SSNP members involved in the attack on a news reporter on duty. Harqous and a cameraman were covering attempts by Beirut Municipality employees to remove an SSNP poster in Hamra in line with an agreement reached more than a month ago to defuse tension in the capital after the May attacks by Hizbullah, SSNP and other allies on the capital's western sector. SSNP partisans were apparently trying to prevent Municipality employees from removing their poster when Harqous and his cameraman arrived. Information Minister Tareq Mitri denounced the attack and called for "immediate measures to apprehend the culprits." He said all political factions should put a "final end" to attacks on media personnel. The March 14 forces said the attack on Harqous was carried out by "the pro-Syria mercenary squad of March 8." That was in reference to the SSNP. The attack was another chapter of the "May 7 invasion of Beirut," the March 14 statement said. It urged Interior Minister Ziad Baroud to "act immediately to clear the area from gunmen who are using Hamra street as a launching pad to resist freedoms of Beirut citizens." It called for a sit-in protest scheduled for noontime Friday at Future Television offices to protest against attacks targeting the media and freedom of expression. The SSNP media office, in a statement, expressed regret for the attack that targeted Harqous, and said it turned over to security forces the SSNP members involved in the incident. Beirut, 27 Nov 08, 20:09 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7752863.stm Thursday, 27 November 2008 Yemen opposition protest clashes Opposition parties are demanding electoral reform and free elections clashed with police at an anti-government rally in Sanaa Police have fired warning shots and hurled batons at an opposition rally in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Early reports suggest at least five protestors and two police officers were injured in the clashes. Thousands gathered for the rally called by Common Forum, an opposition umbrella group demanding electoral reform anbd free and fair elections. The grouping is threatening to boycott of next year's parliamentary poll unless its demands are met. The party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the General People's Congress, has refused election monitors or to reform the electoral law. The Yemeni Socialist party and the Islamist al-Islah (Reform) Party want government officials banned from using their power to influence the vote and an end to voter-registration in the workplace. On Monday, parliament postponed local elections for another four years, citing expense and the fact that the last local elections were only held in September 2006. This prompted a parliamentary walk-out by opposition parties. President Saleh has ruled the middle east's poorest state since its unification in 1990. He was re-elected in 2006. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&FF25E9FD39B640E6C225750F0015BF9F Bomb Shakes Sanaa, Scores Injured in Police Clash with Protesters Three people were killed and four wounded on Thursday when a bomb ripped through a minibus at a central bus station in Sanaa, a police official said. "A bomb exploded on a minibus, killing three people and wounding four among the passengers," the official told Agence France Presse requesting anonymity. The explosion took place at al-Hasba bus station. The official said that police was investigating whether the bomb was a terrorist attack or motivated by tribal vengeance. The attack came the same day Yemeni security troops opened fire on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections and wounded about two dozen demonstrators, the organizers of the rally said. An Interior Ministry official said the troops fired into the air to disperse the "illegal" demonstration in Sanaa, but he refused to comment on any injuries. The Yemeni Socialist Party said it had called the protest with several other opposition groups because they believe the balloting next April will not be fair, mostly because a 9-member electoral body overseeing the vote is all-appointed by the country's president and its members are closely linked to the ruling party. Socialist leader Yaseen Said No'man said the opposition has been holding demonstrations across Yemen to protest the government's rejection of amendments to the country's electoral law proposed by the opposition and meant to curb vote-rigging. No'man said the opposition wants the electoral body to include independent figures and opposition members. A Socialist Party statement issued after the protest Thursday said 23 people were wounded, three of them critically. It said the police arrested at least 34 protesters.(AP-AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 28 Nov 08, 06:05 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008444761_wdig28.html?syndication=rss Yemen protesters attacked by troops Yemeni security troops opened fire Thursday on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections and wounded about two dozen demonstrators, the organizers of the rally said. KHALED FAZAA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES Yemeni protesters rally in San`a on Thursday, calling for a boycott of parliamentary elections. San`a, Yemen Yemen protesters attacked by troops Yemeni security troops opened fire Thursday on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections and wounded about two dozen demonstrators, the organizers of the rally said. Yemeni Socialist Party leader Yaseen Said No'man said the opposition has been holding demonstrations across Yemen to protest the government's rejection of electoral reforms. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power since 1978, ruling North Yemen and then South Yemen when the two united in 1990, won 1999 elections overwhelmingly amid opposition boycotts, claims of vote-rigging and clashes at polling booths that left several dead. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7752863.stm Thursday, 27 November 2008 Yemen opposition protest clashes Opposition parties are demanding electoral reform and free elections clashed with police at an anti-government rally in Sanaa Police have fired warning shots and hurled batons at an opposition rally in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Early reports suggest at least five protestors and two police officers were injured in the clashes. Thousands gathered for the rally called by Common Forum, an opposition umbrella group demanding electoral reform anbd free and fair elections. The grouping is threatening to boycott of next year's parliamentary poll unless its demands are met. The party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the General People's Congress, has refused election monitors or to reform the electoral law. The Yemeni Socialist party and the Islamist al-Islah (Reform) Party want government officials banned from using their power to influence the vote and an end to voter-registration in the workplace. On Monday, parliament postponed local elections for another four years, citing expense and the fact that the last local elections were only held in September 2006. This prompted a parliamentary walk-out by opposition parties. President Saleh has ruled the middle east's poorest state since its unification in 1990. He was re-elected in 2006. http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=12447 Yemen police clash with protesters at election boycott rally, seven injured SANAA (AFP) - Seven people, including two policemen, were injured in clashes on Thursday between security forces and pro-opposition supporters protesting parliamentary polls next year, police and the opposition said. Police fired warning shots and beat up protesters, injuring five demonstrators and arresting 18, sources from the opposition told AFP. Security sources told AFP that two policemen were injured in the clashes. The violence broke out as police tried to prevent thousands of opposition supporters from joining a rally called to boycott parliamentary elections due to take place next year. An AFP correspondent said that police fired their guns in the air and hurled their batons on demonstrators who flocked from several areas to Sanaa?s Tahrir Square. Security forces blocked access to the square in the Yemeni capial, forcing demonstrators, who carried banners that said ?no to rigged elections,? to pull back into side streets and alleyways. The gathering was called for by the opposition Common Forum, which groups Al Islah (Reform) Party, the main Islamist opposition party, and the Yemeni Socialist Party, as well as other smaller opposition factions. Parliamentary elections are due to be held on April 27. Opposition parties are demanding amendments to the electoral law, including banning government officials from using their influence to affect the vote, and confining the registration of electors to their place of birth or residence while ruling out the place of work. They have been organising demonstrations across Yemen, after negotiations with the ruling General People?s Congress (GPC), the party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, failed to reach a compromise. The GPC, which holds 235 seats in the 301-member parliament, had already tried to placate the opposition by accepting amendments to the election law, such as extending the deadline for vote-counting and announcing results from 72 hours to 10 days. On Monday, parliament postponed local elections for another four years because they were due to be held at the same time as the parliamentary polls. The government also justified the postponement on the grounds that the term of the current councils, which were elected in September 2006, would be too short and that holding the local ballots would be expensive. Opposition MPs, who hold 63 seats in parliament, stormed out of Monday?s session in protest at the decision and called on voters to boycott the elections. 28 November 2008 http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LR248239.htm Yemen police clash with protesters, 11 wounded 27 Nov 2008 14:51:03 GMT Source: Reuters SANAA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Eleven protesters were wounded in clashes with police in Yemen on Thursday, activists said, as the opposition stepped up rallies against what is sees as government efforts to manipulate parliament elections next year. At least 10 were arrested after police broke up the protest by several thousand people in the capital Sanaa, they said. Government officials were not available for comment. In a separate incident, witnesses said at least two people were injured when a van running on liquefied gas blew up in Sanaa. Other witnesses said the blast was caused by a bomb. The opposition has accused the ruling party of trying to "hijack" the April 2009 parliamentary elections by excluding opposition figures from a body that will oversee the polls. The opposition boycotted the election in May of provincial governors by local councils, saying 2006 polls that elected the councils were rigged. EU observers said the polls, which also included a presidential election, were "genuine" despite some breaches. The opposition has organised several demonstrations over unemployment this year, some of which led to clashes between government forces and activists. Poverty and unemployment is fuelling discontent in the country of 22 million people, one of the poorest outside Africa. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, re-elected in the 2006 vote, has ruled Yemen since its unification in 1990. Yemen is the ancestral home of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has cracked down on militants. It cooperated closely with Washington after the Sept. 11 attacks and al Qaeda attacks at home, including the bombing of a U.S. warship in 2000. Two Islamist militants were killed in southern Yemen on Thursday when explosives they were carrying on a motorcycle blew up accidentally, a security source said. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari and Mohammed Mokhashef; writing by Inal Ersan) http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2433563,00.html Cops clash with protesters 27/11/2008 16:46 - (SA) San'a - Witnesses say Yemeni security troops have opened fire on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections, wounding a number of demonstrators. An Interior Ministry official says troops fired into the air on Thursday to disperse the "illegal" demonstration in San'a. Witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal, say at least 10 protesters were wounded. The ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, refused to comment on the reported injuries. Yemen's opposition has been holding multiple demonstrations over the government's rejection of amendments to the country's electoral law to curb vote-rigging. - AP http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Middle%20East&set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=nw20081127125328202C215925 Yemen police clash with protesters November 27 2008 at 01:36PM Sanaa - Seven people, including two police officers, were injured in clashes on Thursday between security forces and pro-opposition supporters protesting against parliamentary polls next year, police and the opposition said. Police fired warning shots and beat up protesters, injuring five demonstrators and arresting 18, sources from the opposition said. Security sources said that two officers were injured in the clashes. The violence broke out as police tried to prevent thousands of opposition supporters from joining a rally called to boycott parliamentary elections due to take place next year. An AFP correspondent said that police fired their guns in the air and hurled their batons on demonstrators who flocked from several areas to Sanaa's Tahrir square. Security forces blocked access to the square in the Yemeni capial, forcing demonstrators, who carried banners that said "no to rigged elections," to pull back into side streets and alleyways. The gathering was called for by the opposition Common Forum, which groups Al-Islah (Reform) Party, the main opposition party, and the Yemeni Socialist Party, as well as other smaller opposition factions. Parliamentary elections are due to be held on April 27. Opposition parties are demanding amendments to the electoral law, including banning government officials from using their influence to affect the vote, and confining the registration of electors to their place of birth or residence while ruling out the place of work. They have been organising demonstrations across Yemen, after negotiations with the ruling General People's Congress (GPC), the party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, failed to reach a compromise. The GPC, which holds 235 seats in the 301-member parliament, had already tried to placate the opposition by accepting amendments to the election law, such as extending the deadline for vote-counting and announcing results from 72 hours to 10 days. On Monday, Parliament postponed local elections for another four years because they were due to be held at the same time as the parliamentary polls. The government also justified the postponement on the grounds that the term of the current councils, which were elected in September 2006, would be too short and that holding the local ballots would be expensive. Opposition MPs, who hold 63 seats in parliament, stormed out of Monday's session in protest at the decision and called on voters to boycott the elections. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6346738 Yemeni Police Clash With Protesters Yemeni police clash with protesters calling for election boycott By AHMED AL-HAJ Associated Press Writer SAN'A, Yemen November 27, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press A group of y oung Yemenis take to the streets in the capital San'a, Yemen, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008.... (AP) Yemeni security troops opened fire on Thursday on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections and wounded about two dozen demonstrators, the organizers of the rally said. An Interior Ministry official said the troops fired into the air to disperse the "illegal" demonstration in the capital San'a, but he refused to comment on any injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The Yemeni Socialist Party said it had called the protest with several other opposition groups because they believe the balloting next April will not be fair, mostly because a 9-member electoral body overseeing the vote is all-appointed by the country's president and its members are closely linked to the ruling party. Socialist leader Yaseen Said No'man said the opposition has been holding demonstrations across Yemen to protest the government's rejection of amendments to the country's electoral law proposed by the opposition and meant to curb vote-rigging. No'man said the opposition wants the electoral body to include independent figures and opposition members. A Socialist Party statement issued after the protest Thursday said 23 people were wounded, three of them critically. It said the police arrested at least 34 protesters. "What happened in San'a today was a strong expression of the popular rejection of authorities' attempts to falsify the elections," No'man said. "It's clear evidence that people rejects anyone forging their will." Later Thursday, the interior ministry accused the opposition of attempting to destabilize the country and warned in a statement that the parties would be held responsible for "the consequences of their illegal acts." Separately, the Yemeni journalists union issued a statement saying the troops using batons and weapon butts beat seven journalists who were covering the rally. Mohammed Saleh Ahmad, a witness at the rally, said the government troops opened fire and threw bricks and tear gas at the protests, prompting a stampede, which caused some of the injuries. Yemen is an impoverished country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, with strong tribal rules and lawless areas. It's also the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power since 1978, ruling North Yemen and then continuing in power after North and South Yemen united in 1990. In the 1999 elections, Saleh won overwhelmingly amid opposition boycotts, claims of vote-rigging and clashes at polling booths that left several dead. The Socialists are Yemen's second biggest party and ruled southern Yemen before the unification. The country's opposition bloc has 60 members in the 301-seat parliament. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458429,00.html Police Open Fire on Protesters in Yemen Thursday, November 27, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Nov. 27: A group of young Yemenis take to the streets in the capital San'a, Yemen. Witnesses said Yemeni security troops opened fire on protesters. SAN'A, Yemen ? Yemeni security troops opened fire on Thursday on thousands of protesters calling for a boycott of April parliamentary elections and wounded about two dozen demonstrators, the organizers of the rally said. An Interior Ministry official said the troops fired into the air to disperse the "illegal" demonstration in the capital San'a, but he refused to comment on any injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The Yemeni Socialist Party said it had called the protest with several other opposition groups because they believe the balloting next April will not be fair, mostly because a 9-member electoral body overseeing the vote is all-appointed by the country's president and its members are closely linked to the ruling party. Socialist leader Yaseen Said No'man said the opposition has been holding demonstrations across Yemen to protest the government's rejection of amendments to the country's electoral law proposed by the opposition and meant to curb vote-rigging. No'man said the opposition wants the electoral body to include independent figures and opposition members. A Socialist Party statement issued after the protest Thursday said 23 people were wounded, three of them critically. It said the police arrested at least 34 protesters. "What happened in San'a today was a strong expression of the popular rejection of authorities' attempts to falsify the elections," No'man said. "It's clear evidence that people rejects anyone forging their will." Later Thursday, the interior ministry accused the opposition of attempting to destabilize the country and warned in a statement that the parties would be held responsible for "the consequences of their illegal acts." Separately, the Yemeni journalists union issued a statement saying the troops using batons and weapon butts beat seven journalists who were covering the rally. Mohammed Saleh Ahmad, a witness at the rally, said the government troops opened fire and threw bricks and tear gas at the protests, prompting a stampede, which caused some of the injuries. Yemen is an impoverished country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, with strong tribal rules and lawless areas. It's also the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power since 1978, ruling North Yemen and then continuing in power after North and South Yemen united in 1990. In the 1999 elections, Saleh won overwhelmingly amid opposition boycotts, claims of vote-rigging and clashes at polling booths that left several dead. The Socialists are Yemen's second biggest party and ruled southern Yemen before the unification. The country's opposition bloc has 60 members in the 301-seat parliament. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412300.html Police assualt student to prevent LSE protest Michael Deas | 05.11.2008 15:50 | SOCPA | Education | Repression | World Police have used unlawful violence to prevent a student demonstration at the London School of Economics. Students gathered outside the opening of the New Academic Building by the Queen to protest against the naming of a lecture theatre after Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the dead dictator of the UAE. When the group dropped a banner reading "No more Dirty Money at LSE" a policeman approached the group and, without warning, kneed a student in the crotch and punched him on the side of the head twice. The group also hoped to draw attention to the corporate and unethical direction of the LSE. A photographer from The Beaver, the newspaper of the LSE Students' Union, took photographs of the violence. The policeman who had used violence then approached the photographer and used aggressive and forceful language to unlawfully coerce the photographer to delete the photographs. When the group arrived, police informed them that a demonstration would not be permitted due the Queen's presence at the opening. The group sought legal advice from a professional lawyer and were told that a demonstration would be legal and any action to prevent it would be illegal. Protesters were prevented from distributing leaflets on the patio of the New Academic Building by LSE security. A spokesperson for the group said, "We gathered to lawfully protest against the corporate and unethical direction of the LSE. We made our lawful and non-violent intentions clear to both the Police and the LSE at the beginning of the demonstration. The freedom of association and free speech are essential parts of any liberal democracy. We condemn in the strongest terms both the actions of the Metropolitan Police and LSE security staff. We shall not allow this incident to deter us from drawing attention to and opposing the unethical direction which LSE is taking." Other banners that the protestors had intended to display read "LSE not ?$?" and "Human rights for UAE." Students wore t-shirts that read "LSE not ?$?". One student, who had been invited to greet the Queen, wore an "LSE not ?$?" tshirt to meet the Queen and LSE Director Sir Howard Davies. The group intend to make representation to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and other authorities. Executive Editor of The Beaver Joseph Cotterill said, "For the police to treat protesters in this way is reprehensible in any case, but to deny a member of the media the right to report what happened is completely unacceptable. We want answers." Aled Dilwyn Fisher, General Secretary of the LSE Students' Union, said, "Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of academica. Freedom to protest is an integral part of that. Students should be free to make their voices heard on matters relating to the university they pay fees to attend. The police used powers given to them under increasingly authoritarian legislation, as well as straightforward brutality, which all believers in freedom of expression should strongly condemn. The police have many questions to answer about they way they treated innocent non-violent protestors." The leaflets that the protestors distributed read, "A theatre inside the New Academic Building is named after Sheikh Zayed, the former dictator of the United Arab Emirates. We oppose commemorating a dictator who: According to Amnesty International, sanctioned torture of his citizens and refused to sign international agreements on human rights Outlawed Trade Unions and implemented employment law which forbid workers from leaving their job or the country without their employer's permission. Outlawed homosexuality and imprisoned LGBT people But there is more. The LSE also: Invests money in arms companies BAE Systems, Boeing and Rolls Royce Invests in BHP Biliton, a firm which produces produces uranium for nuclear weapons Accepted donations of over ?1m from BP, a company which cut safety budget, leading to the death of 15 people. Appointed BP Chairman Peter Shutherland as Chair of LSE Council despite large scale student opposition. We are a broad coalition of students concerned with the corporate and unethical direction of the LSE. We resent the fact that the LSE has decided to commemorate former UAE dictator Sheikh Zayed in exchange for ?2.5m. By naming a lecture theatre after him the LSE is endorsing his dismal human, workers' and LGBT rights record. We resent too that this is representative of a wider culture at LSE. The LSE currently invests in arms companies and firms which enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons. The LSE has accepted donations of over ?1m from BP and named BP Chairman Peter Sutherland as Chair of LSE Council. Sutherland was present at BP board meetings that authorised the cutting of safety budgets, which cost the lives of 15 people and caused monumental environmental damage. Our facilities and our knowledge are increasingly harnessed to the demands of an administration subordinated to the profit motive above all else. LSE's students, academics and staff deserve better. In anticipation of further steps in this direction by the School, we have decided to make a stand. Please join us in the fight for a better LSE." ENDS Notes to Editors 1. The group would appreciate it if they were informed if this story is to be printed. 2. The attached photos were taken by a different photographer than the one who had his photos deleted. These photos were taken by Lorenzo Levrini. High resolution versions are available at http://rapidshare.com/files/160898133/police.zip. Please credit Lorenzo Levrin and The Beaver for the photos. 3. The Beaver is currently trying to use data recovery software to recover the superior photos taken from a better angle that clearly show unnecessary force being used. Any expertise or advice on this would be greatly appreciated. 4. For more information contact 07533058329 or 07825779606 or m.deas at lse.ac.uk or ethicalLSE at googlemail.com 5. To contact Joseph Cotterill telephone 02079556705 Michael Deas e-mail: michaeldeas at gmail.com Homepage: http://michaeldeas at gmail.com http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412198.html 02nov - two men arrested for illegal socpa protest reason | 04.11.2008 13:06 | SOCPA | Repression | Social Struggles | Terror War two men were arrested at downing street on sunday 2nd november for protesting without permission. they were left wondering why there was only two of them when all activists should unite to break this silly law. one man was holding a piece of paper with the words "this is illegal" & a tshirt with the slogan "investigate 911". the other man was holding various messages including "more pay for police" (which got a few giggles). 2 americans asked to be photographed holding the signs and this flagrant flouting of the law was ignored by the police. they were first approached by 3 pcsos who asked them to move on and then, on further instruction, to go and break the law over the road where authorised protests are permitted. then 2 policemen arrived saying that the option of breaking the law over the road was no longer available. there was some debate and several requests to move on. then, on further instruction, they were again given the option to break the law over the road. this offer was declined by both men and after about 30mins of discussion they were arrested, handcuffed & taken to belgraveyard police station (belgravia as it's commonly known to police, as it's not usually that busy). one man refused to give any details and was to be remanded in custody to face court in the morning. he was also not allowed his 'sealed' food or book as the custody sergeant couldn't perform a safety assessment without the suspect confirming his identity. one handcuff refused to open and the man was slightly injured in releasing himself from the cuff using soapy water. he was informed that the handcuff maker had gone bust! the other man gave his name/dob with 'no fixed abode'. it was thought that he would also have to stay overnight to face court in the morning. no fingerprints or dna were taken as they were told it was not a recordable offence. the man who refused to confirm his details, did so later after deciding that he was not currently prepared to see it all the way through to a prison sentence for not confirming his details. this was synchronistically or telepathically decided around the time that his colleague was bailed, even though he had no idea that this had happened! both men were later bailed to appear at horseferry magistrates court on 12 November and agreed to the bail condition of "not entering the city of westminster before the court date". Additions update 05.11.2008 22:33 one man was charged with organising and the other with participation. the 'investigate 911' tshirt was not admitted as evidence and was said to be a 'fashion accessory' by the arresting officer. it is thought that the man charged with participation will refuse to enter a contract with the court (as detailed at www.tpuc.org). if this fails his defence will be that he was trying to prevent the ongoing commission of genocide & war crimes by the uk government under sections 51 & 52 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001 (british law). reason http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413167.html Death in Custody Protest London Sat 22. Nov posted by PigBrother | 19.11.2008 03:45 | Anti-racism | Repression This is the annual ?Justice for Ricky Bishop March? but this year it?s been extended to include the demand to end all forms of violence against our community, and so the route of the march has also been extended. Starting at 1:00 PM Brixton Library (near Ritzy cinema), marching to Brixton Police Station -> Coldharbour Lane -> Camberwell Green -> Peckham Square. Saturday 22nd November ? ?Justice for Ricky Bishop March ? End all forms of violence against the African/black community!? The date is of particular significance as the day before the march will mark exactly 7 years since the police murder of Ricky Bishop in Brixton police station on 21st November 2001. Flyer: http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8237/justside1onlineas6.jpg http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1552/justside2onlinebo4.jpg Map: http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/729/brixtonmapsi8.jpg http://www.inpdum.org http://www.uhurunews.com http://www.myspace.com/inpdum posted by PigBrother e-mail: inpdum_london(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413175.html ID Cards protest against Thales in Stockport - Monday 17th November Manchester Campaigns Collective | 19.11.2008 12:07 | Other Press | Technology | Terror War | Liverpool | Manchester A group of student activist held a noise demo outside the offices of Thales in Stockport to protest at their involvement in ID Cards and the National Identity Register. A group of activists, including the Student Union Campaigns Collective, Manchester NO2ID and Students Against ID held a demonstration outside the office of Thales in Stockport. The demo, which took place on Monday 17th November, occured a week before foreign nationals will need to submit their personal details, including biometric information, to the National Identity Register. The defence company has received the first contract under the ID Cards Act, though has received little media attention. The demonstration took place to highlight the role that Thales will play in producing the National Identity Register and ID cards, and the profit they will be making from their production. The company is 27% owned by the French government , so those who made the decision to accept the deal will not be directly affected by it. The protestors don?t think the company should honour such a contract, especially in light of the Conservatives saying they will scrap the scheme . The protestors took an array of instruments, from ukuleles to horns, to make as much noise as possible outside the offices, and grab the company?s attention. Workers were given flyers as they passed giving the reasons for the action, and later an open letter was presented to the company expressing the groups concerns . The event was marked with a notable police presence, but passed entirely peacefully. Though the police did little in their presence, some took issue with the reason for them being there. Hazel Kent, a fourth year Arabic and French student, commented: ?This demo was always going to be peaceful, and it was. Yet the police still laid on a large number of officers for the demo, and even trailed us in a car as we travelled on a local bus. We don?t need permission to lawfully protest. ID Cards are part of a wider issue of increasing control by the state of its citizens.? ?We are targeting Thales because they are set to benefit from our misfortune?, said Andrew McCarthy, a first year politics student. ?ID Cards, when looked at together with the Government?s insistence on 42 day detention without trial or even a charge, represents a serious threat to the civil liberties and human rights of people living in the UK, especially those originally from outside the EU. They represent a fundamental shift in the relationship between citizen and state.? The London School of Economics has estimated that the National Identity Scheme will cost up to ?20 billion. The individual cost will be at least ?100 per person. The UK National Identity Scheme would be illegal in Germany due to their stricter data protection laws. Manchester Campaigns Collective e-mail: campaigns at umsu.manchester.ac.uk Homepage: http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/campaigns http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413565.html Solihull protest against the imposition of biometric ID cards on migrants Noborders Birmingham | 26.11.2008 10:37 | Anti-racism | Migration | Birmingham Yesterday Noborders Birmingham protested against the imposition of biometric ID cards at the UK Border Agency Office in Solihull. They were met by a puzzling disproportionate police response at Dominion Court, 41 Station Road, Solihull - around 12 police officers, including 3 police vans and an evidence gatherer. This may have something to do with the policing of a previous protest around the corner at Sandford House, the home office reporting centre, where hundreds of Congolese demonstrators facing mass deportation occupied the main road http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2007/04/368076.html A banner proclaiming 'Freedom of Movement for All' was held by the entrance of the UK Borders Agency Office. The police offered to 'facilitate' our protest by a seemingly polite offer to arrange for a metal barrier to hang our banner from. However, we realised that the six foot high hedge in front of the building would make our protest invisible to almost everyone, so instead we hung our banner by the main road and distributed around 600 leaflets to some very interested members of the public. Following a concerned report from a dedicated community police officer earlier in the day, two equally committed council workers from the environmental and health department at Solihull Council turned up in their lunch hour to ensure that the literature being distributed was of a political, rather than commercial, nature and thus would not run afoul of local bye-laws on littering/flyering (no one seemed quite sure). This follows several other incidents known to us in central Birmingham where council officials have attempted to apply similar bye-laws (with accompanying threats of fines and court appearances) to dissuade people from handing out political literature. It has been noted before that the parliamentary legislation which serves as the basis of these bye-laws specifically exempted materials of a political nature. The council workers also showed some interest in the banner, raising concern over the manner of its attachment to some local shrubs and something else about private property, but in the end they seemed to decide that neither the public nor the shrubs were at any risk (potential, real, or otherwise) and returned to what remained of their lunch hour. Two students from Pakistan informed us that they had to book an appointment to begin the biometric ID card process and they couldn't return home until this had been completed. They claimed today they were told by staff that they would be required to give blood samples and have iris scans for their biometric cards so if they committed any 'crimes' in the UK they could be identified immediately. It appears that the private company contracted to the tune of ?5.6 billion, and entrusted with sensitive biometric data, are already doing their best to impress upon applicants that ID cards will be effective at 'fighting crime'. Liberty, the civil liberties and human rights organisation, have already expressed concern about the Government?s ability to safeguard individual?s intimate details on the National Identity Register after Government departments last year lost 30 million pieces of personal data, including those of 25 million child benefit claimants. 'We have ID cards in our country but they aren't biometric' said one of the students. 'It feels very discriminatory that we are being targeted first. Why aren't they processing UK nationals first?' The international students also pointed out that this was costing them a great deal of money. Not only did they have to pay exorbitant fees for their courses but on top of that they have to pay ?300 for their visas and now they have to pay for their biometric ID cards and they are only permitted to work 20 hours a week. They also added that these measures would serve to put overseas students off studying here citing Australia as a more welcoming alternative. The use of foreign nationals as guinea pigs for the more widespread introduction of ID cards is a strategy to run a testbed for the technology on people without a voice. It has become apparent that the government is likely to pick off certain sections of the community in Britain one at a time. This divide and rule strategy has been used throughout history, most notably by the Nazi regime in Germany. When the British government came for the migrants, I remained silent; I was not a migrant. When they came for the airline workers, I remained silent; I was not an airline worker. When they came for the convicts, I did not speak out; I was not a convict. When they came for the health workers, I did not speak out; I was not a health worker. When they came for the students, I did not speak out; I was not a student. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out. Noborders Birmingham e-mail: noborders-brum @ riseup.net http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413352.html Demonstration against first ID cards Brighton and Hove NO2ID | 22.11.2008 01:31 | South Coast Tuesday, 25th November ? meet on New Road at 12:20. Visual demonstration to raise awareness that this is the day the first ID cards will be issued! We will be doing two short stunts, at 12:30 and 13:00. We need as many people as possible to stand in a queue, where you will eventually be either ?authorised? or not. Brighton and Hove NO2ID Meeting 7.30pm at the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre, opposite the train station.We will also be going to the Battle of Trafalgar afterwards if meetings aren?t your thing. Brighton and Hove NO2ID e-mail: brighton at no2id.net Homepage: http://brighton.no2id.net http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412982.html Protest against ID cards on 25th November No Borders South Wales | 14.11.2008 23:53 | Bio-technology | Migration Biometric ID cards will come into force for non-EU students and spouses from 25th November and will be issued from offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Sheffield. We will be holding a protest outside the Home Office building in Cardiff and hope for protests outside each of the other offices on that day. The protest will start at 12 noon. We welcome all opponents of the increasing levels of social control that the government wishes to extend over all our lives to take part. Join us during your lunch break from work or study to show solidarity with migrants being victimised by these cynical divide and rule tactics by The Home Office. By resisting the repression of migrants, we defend the freedom of everyone! Though ID cards come into force on 25th November, somewhat unsurprisingly The Home Office are predicting considerable delays in their processing time, and the Border Agency centres will not all be ready to take ID applications at the same time, the roll out of the scheme being - 25th November: Croydon, 1st December: Sheffield, 4th December: Liverpool, 8th December: Birmingham, 10th December: Cardiff, 12th December: Glasgow. By resisting the repression of migrants, we defend the freedom of everyone! More info here: http://noborderswales.wordpress.com/tag/id-cards/ http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=3147 No Borders South Wales http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412945.html Leeds Protest against 'ID cards for foreigners' James Elsdon-Baker | 14.11.2008 14:04 | Other Press | Leeds Bradford Leeds NO2ID will be protesting against the Introduction of ID cards on 24th November Protest against the Introduction of ?ID Cards for foreigners? On the 25th of November the government will be introducing compulsory Identity cards for Non-EAA students and Non-EAA national applying for marriage Visas. Those affected will be required to attend one of six centers (Croydon, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow) on arrival their fingerprints and photographs will be taken and they will be issued with an ID card. The government has made use of the UK Borders Act 2007 to enable these cards, cards that discriminate against certain visitors in placing these groups of people under a regime of state surveillance and suspicion. Although the government has made no significant headway with developing the intrusive National Identity Register, they have cynically altered the existing visa infrastructure to introduce these cards. Once the methods of Identity card registration and management have been trialed on some of the most vulnerable groups in society they intend to start picking on their next target group. They seek to whittle away our opposition, but we will stand together in defense of our liberty, freedom and right to a private life as enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights. In opposition to the scheme we invite all individuals and groups opposed to ID cards to join us in Leeds City Centre where we will be setting fire to a mock ID card, PROTEST TIME: 6pm DATE: Monday 24th November LOCATION: Dortmund Square, Outside St John's Shopping Centre, Headrow, Leeds Called by Leeds NO2ID Contact: James Elsdon-Baker, Regional Yorkshire NO2ID coordinator, 07817605162, yorkshire at no2id.net James Elsdon-Baker http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413384.html Ricky Bishop and Economic Development Protest, Brixton 22 Nov Peter Marshall | 23.11.2008 12:21 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles The 'Ricky Bishop and Economic Development' demonstration organised by The International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) marched from Brixton to Peckham on Saturday, holding several rallies including one outside Brixton Police Station. Pictures copyright ? 2008, Peter Marshall. Ricky Bishop, Sean Rigg, Derek Bennett were the names on the banners and placards as demonstrators made their way from Brixton to Peckham on Saturday afternoon. Around 50 people had gathered outside the Tate Library for the march up to Brixton Police Station, where Ricky Bishop died after being arrested during "Operation Clean Sweep" - which they describe as a "modern day lynching" - on November 22, 2001. Others joined them there for a short rally around what they have named the "lynching tree" in front of the station where a number of arrested black men have died in highly suspicious circumstances. Among those taking part were members of Bishop?s family and those of Derek Bennett, shot in the back by armed police while holding a gun-shaped cigarette lighter in i Brixton in July 2001, and Sean Rigg, who died after being taken ill in police custody in Brixton Police Station on Thursday 21 August 2008. There was a minute's silence in memory of the victims and family members added a wreath and other flowers to those already present on the lynching tree. Arican drumming and some fine singing added to the impact of the event. Speakers called for a boycott of the official enquiries that are designed to hide the truth and whitewash the police. Justice would only be delivered by the prosecution of all officers responsible for these and similar deaths, including ten officers who were named for their part in the murder of Ricky Bishop. Speakers and the slogans chanted on the march called for an end to all official violence against the black community, and for economic development, with resources for black businesses rather than increased spending on police repression. They called for the community to get organised through organisations such as InPDUM, http://www.inpdum.org/ "a grassroots organization, led by the black working-class community... founded in 1991 in Chicago by the African People's Socialist Party" as the only way to defend themselves. More than 60% of black families live on less than half the national average income and they suffer from under-funded schools and welfare services, poor food and high levels of drugs, gun and knife crime. Marchers accuse the police and government of bringing drugs, guns and knives into the country and of carrying out a public policy of brutality to contain the African community through policies such as Operation Clean Sweep. Black men are harassed on the street, being stopped and searched 8 times more than the average, and a high percentage have had DNA samples taken against their will. I left the march on its way to further rallies at Camberwell Green and Peckham Square. You can see more pictures from the event on My London Diary, http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/11/nov.htm#brixton as well as those from the recent annual Whitehall march by the 'United Friends and Families' of those who have died in police custody http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/10/oct.htm#united More about: Ricky Bishop http://www.4wardever.org/#/rickybishop/4528086733 Derek Bennett http://www.4wardever.org/#/derekbennett/4528134956 Sean Rigg http://www.4wardever.org/#/seanrigg/4530787293 Peter Marshall http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.warrested1028/BNStory/National/home Protesters seek help for Canadian jailed in Mexico The Canadian Press October 28, 2008 at 4:55 PM EDT VANCOUVER ? Friends and family are urging the Canadian government to help a B.C. man jailed in Mexico. About 50 people gathered in front of the Mexican consulate in Vancouver Tuesday to demand help for Pavel Kulisek. Mr. Kulisek was arrested in Los Barriles on March 11 and remains behind bars in a maximum-security Mexican prison, charged with promoting drug trafficking and organized crime. His family and lawyer say he was swept up in the arrest of Gustavo Rivera Martinez, an accused drug kingpin and an acquaintance Mr. Kulisek knew only through dirt biking. They say Mr. Kulisek, who lived in North Vancouver before temporarily moving to Mexico with his wife and two young daughters a year ago, was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mr. Kulesik's wife, Jirina Kuliskova, says her husband's health has deteriorated, leaving him suffering from constant stomach pains and unable to sleep. http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1036047 A protest at Vancouver's Mexican consulate this afternoon 10/28/2008 About four dozen protesters gathered in front of the Mexican consulate in downtown Vancouver this afternoon. They were there to show their support for Pavel Kulisek - a Canadian man serving time in a Mexican jail for something ralliers say he didn't do. The message was loud and clear. Protesters want the Canadian government to step in and bring Pavel Kulisek back to Canada. The man was arrested in march and is now serving time in a maximum security prison in Guadalajara, Mexico. His wife Jirina says Kulisek's health is deteriorating in poor hygienic conditions. The man was charged with conspiring to traffic narcotics, but his wife says he's innocent. So far the ministry of foreign affairs and Mexican consulate have not responded to the family. Kulisek's lawyer, who also defended the Brenda martin case several months ago, says it could be months before the man could have his case heard in a Mexican court. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008410866_apcanadayoungdrivers.html?syndication=rss Teens protest Ontario's proposed driving rules Canadian officials proposed tougher restrictions on teen drivers in Ontario, including a prohibition on new motorists 19 and younger from driving with more than one teenage friend, prompting thousands of young drivers to protest online. By CHARMAINE NORONHA Associated Press Writer TORONTO ? Canadian officials proposed tougher restrictions on teen drivers in Ontario, including a prohibition on new motorists 19 and younger from driving with more than one teenage friend, prompting thousands of young drivers to protest online. The bill, introduced in the Ontario legislature Tuesday, also included a zero blood-alcohol limit for drivers under 21 and escalating sanctions for young drivers who speed, starting with a 30-day license suspension. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty called the legislation a modest restriction on the freedoms of young people and safe-driving advocates lauded the move, but it raised the ire of many young drivers. Peter Robinson, 18, who created a group about the legislation on Facebook, an online social network, said that while he agreed with some of the restrictions, the passenger limits represent "the worst law ever made." "Sometimes I have to pick up two or three different teammates to go to a game," said Robinson, who plays on sports teams and relies on carpooling. "If I'm not able to do that we may not have the right amount of players to play." Others are concerned about designated drivers getting their friends home safely. Alex Popescu, 17, said the law, if passed, would mean he wouldn't be able to bring his friend and girlfriend to parties and accused the officials of age discrimination. "I passed my test just like any other person," Popescu said Wednesday. "I did good and I think I deserve to be able to drive with anybody I want. Dominique Noel started an online petition Tuesday opposing the new restrictions on young drivers in Canada's most populous province. By Wednesday afternoon 3,563 people had signed it. The law would limit drivers between the age of 16 and 19 to having only one passenger 19 or under in the vehicle during their first year of driving. The government said there would be special passenger rules for siblings. The new legislation was prompted by Tim Mulcahy, whose son and two young friends died after their car plunged into a lake in Ontario this summer after they had been drinking. Mulcahy started a petition and published a letter to McGuinty seeking to tighten the laws that regulate young drivers. "We owe it to our kids to take the kinds of measures that ensure that they will grow up safe and sound and secure, and if that means a modest restriction on their freedoms until they reach the age of 22, then as a dad, I'm more than prepared to do that," McGuinty said. The provincial police, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Canadian Automobile Association praised the legislation. Studies show just one teenage passenger with a teen driver doubles the chances of an accident and that risk increases with the addition of every teenage passenger, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Licensing systems in the U.S. vary from state to state. Some states, such as Virginia, restrict new drivers to no more than one passenger younger than 18 in the first 12 months of driving, while other states, such as Indiana, allow no passengers except for family in the first 90 days of driving, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety based in Virginia. http://msnpicturethis.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F00981BA80032347!229.entry Basque policemen control the perimeter near where pro- independence Basque supporters protest and hold banners saying ''We don't have Democracy'' against the visit to the Basque Country of the Spanish King Juan Carlos, November 19, 2008. ? Alvaro Barrientos/AP/PA Photos http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/11/08/7349631-cp.html Protests, barbs mark day four of Quebec election campaign By Jessica Murphy, THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL - Protests and barbs marked day four of Quebec's provincial election campaign. Meanwhile, about 100 people gathered in front of the Montreal offices Christine St-Pierre, provincial minister for the status of women, to ask the government not to appeal a recent judgment by Quebec's Superior Court that struck down a law preventing home daycare workers from unionizing. And, police were called to another protest in front of PQ candidate Scott MacKay's nomination meeting. About 30 people tried to block the entrance to the meeting in a Montreal suburb to protest the official nomination of MacKay, the former Quebec Green Party leader. The protesters supported former PQ member Jean-Claude St-Andre, a hardline sovereigntist whose candidacy in the same riding was rejected by the party. "We had a party convention last March," Marois said. "We agreed on certain directions and Jean-Claude St-Andre didn't back them. So the party's executive committee decided they wouldn't accept his candidacy for this election." St-Andre, who held the L' Assomption riding from 1996 to 2007, is appealing the decision http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/29622/austrian-artist-withdraws-work-in-protest/ Austrian Artist Withdraws Work in Protest Published: November 26, 2008 KLAGENFURT, Austria?The Viennese Actionist G?nter Brus has withdrawn his artworks from an exhibition at the Kunstverein K?rnten in Klagenfurt in protest of the local government's cancellation of a performance by cabaret artists Dirk Stermann and Christoph Grissemann after the duo received death threats, reports Artforum via the Austrian Press Agency. Eckhard K?ttler, president of the Kunstverein, read a statement from Brus at the exhibition's opening last week while another center official removed the works. The Kunstverein took Brus's side. "We are decisively against every form of preventing freedom of speech and questioning the freedom of art," said K?ttler. The exhibition, "68/08," features works by Valie Export, Cornelius Kolig, Meina Schellander, Daniel Spoerri, Peter Krawagna, Franz Ringel, and the Munich artist collective King-Kong-Kunstkabinett. It runs through January 15. http://www.thestar.com/Crime/article/540975 Pro-pot activists protest after coffee shop raid Nov 21, 2008 04:30 AM Henry Stancu STAFF REPORTER Toronto police raided a popular downtown coffee house frequented by medical marijuana users and other cannabis-smoking patrons. More than a dozen officers converged on Kindred Cafe, on Breadabane St., near Yonge St. and Wellesley Ave., about 7 o'clock last night. Two people were taken into custody and four others were issued summonses for trafficking and possession of marijuana before police began removing furniture, electronic equipment, coffee machines and paraphernalia used to smoke. A group of activists gathered outside while police loaded a five-tonne truck and carted away much of the cafe's contents. The three-storey building has a restaurant on the main floor, lounges on the second floor and a rooftop patio with propane heaters and a canopy where patrons can legally smoke outside. It has been in business since 2000 and sells fair trade coffee beans and pastries, some allegedly laced with cannabis. "They don't sell any cannabis in this establishment," said an angry Matt Mernaugh, an activist and registered medical marijuana user, who arrived as the police raid was underway. "This is just a place for people who use medical marijuana to socialize.'' From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Wed Sep 16 12:52:23 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:52:23 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Student and education protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB141F7.20604@tesco.net> * UGANDA: Uprising by Kenyan students at Ugandan university over fees * UGANDA: School student uprising at two schools * SIERRA LEONE: School students battle police * NEPAL: Student groups take part in shutdown * MEXICO: Protesters battle police, demand funding * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Student protest police inaction during clash * INDIA: Bihar - Students involved in anti-communalist unrest * ITALY: Students strike, protest, battle police over cuts, "reforms" * MALAYSIA: Students protest to keep dean, for academic freedom * SPAIN: Students fight back against police at Barcelona degree reform demo * IRAN: Ongoing protests over ban on dissident students * UGANDA: Sponsored students protest fees * TURKEY: Student protest * SOUTH AFRICA: Protest over delayed exams * INDIA: AP - Protest over campus delays * GREECE: Protests against neoliberal reform * SERBIA: Students protest admissions delay * PAKISTAN: Students protest road death * INDIA: Himachal Pradesh - Students protest grant cut * INDIA: Student protest roundup * CANADA: Ontario - Protest against tuition fees * UK: Student protest over finances * CANADA: Walkout over health policing * ISRAEL: Students blockade Knesset over funding * BANGLADESH: Teachers protest demolition of sculpture * INDIA: Transfer of principal sparks school student protest * IRELAND: Fees protests continue * NEPAL: Protest against insufficient fare cut * US: California - Students protest budget cuts, fee increases * ST MAARTEN: Students abandon classes over stench * INDONESIA: Teachers mark anniversary, rally for pay increase * PAKISTAN: Violent crackdown on lecturers' protest * CHINA: Beijing - Compulsory school jogs lead to protests * TRINIDAD: Protest at school * INDIA: AP - Teachers rally * SPAIN: English-language citizenship course scrapped after protests * INDIA: Education protests roundup * NIGERIA: Teachers protest over salaries; 15 suspended * LEBANON: Teachers protest over pay * IRELAND: Teachers warn of more protests * IRELAND: Galway cuts protest * US: Pittsburgh - Teachers strike, parents protest * ROMANIA: Teachers strike over pay * US: Protest over school shuffling * US: California - Protest against college cuts * IRELAND: Protest over cuts; thousands rally in Dublin, Cork, Donegal * US: Parents demand reason for firings * US: Dallas - Protests for change * INDIA: Puducherry - Lecturers stage sit-in protest * US: Kentucky - Protest over escrow paychecks * PORTUGAL: Teachers protest performance surveillance * FRANCE: Teachers strike over job cuts * US: Pittsburgh - Students protest schedule change * SCOTLAND - UK: Parents hand in petition against funding cuts http://allafrica.com/stories/200811060707.html Uganda: Kenyan Students at Makerere University Riot Richard Wanambwa 6 November 2008 Kenyans students studying at Makerere University yesterday rioted and blocked the main entry to the main building forcing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Livingstone Luboobi and other senior staffs to lock themselves in office. The main building is the central administration block that houses senior academic and administration staff. The students who numbered about 600 paralysed most of the morning and afternoon routine work at the university, forcing the university authorities to call in police to re-enforce the regular university security. The students told Daily Monitor that they have been forced to riot because their grievances which they forwarded to the Vice Chancellor were not answered as he had earlier promised that the university council would handle their concerns. "They have forgotten about our concerns, the Vice Chancellor did not reply direct to us but he summoned few members threatening them instead of giving us the solutions from the university council," said one of the students who led the riot, who did not want to be named because he fears he would be victimised by the university administration. A fortnight ago, Kenyan students blocked the Vice Chancellor from accessing his office and followed him to his home because of the alleged discrimination in tuition and functional fees. " They are trying to intimidate our leaders because they feel they can divert us from our cause" another Kenyan leader who preferred anonymity for fear that he would be expelled, said. Over 7,000 Kenyans students are studying at Makerere University; they accuse the university administration of discrimination when it comes to paying tuition, functional fees, and compulsory identification on their identity cards as Kenyans. "We pay our tuition in dollars. They also double our functional fees and lecturers harass us because of our nationality," one of the students said. Prof. Luboobi and the Kenyan High Commissioner were holed up in a meeting yesterday, trying to find solutions to the problem. "We are trying to establish whether some people are using these Kenyan students to advance their interests. I am in a meeting with the High Commissioner of the Kenyan High Commission" Prof Luboobi said yesterday. (The Monitor) http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Makerere_imposes_curfew_as_Kenyan_students_riot_74712.shtml November 11, 2008 Makerere imposes curfew as Kenyan students riot Richard Wanambwa Makerere Makerere University last Friday imposed a curfew around the university community for fear that Kenyan students at the university could harm senior managers or destroy university property at night. A notice issued by the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Prof. David Bakibinga, stated that it was because of the unwanted behaviour by these students that the curfew was imposed. Stated the letter to the university community, ?As you are aware, Kenyan students have been involved in a standoff with Makerere University over demands that they pay the same tuition fees as Ugandan students. On Thursday morning, the same students were involved in acts of hooliganism.? ?These acts were exhibited by their attempts to use Petrol to burn electricity transformers and buildings, and they went as far as harassing motorists,? Prof Bakibinga further wrote. The imposed curfew means students and lecturers staying on campus and the neighbouring community cannot be allowed to get out of the university and cannot as well access the University after midnight and not before 6am. ?These acts, therefore, constitute a security risk, which management looked at and agreed to impose an immediate curfew from midnight to 6am every day,? Prof. Bakibinga added. Although they are not supposed to be out of their halls of residences past Midnight especially for those students residing in the halls of residences, these students have failed to heed the rules by staying outside even after midnight. Kenyans students last Thursday blocked the main entry to the Main Building forcing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Livingstone Luboobi ,and other senior staff to lock themselves in office. The students are protesting what they called segregation in paying tuition as they are charged extra charges of about $470 functional fees and the alleged mistreatment by lecturers basing on their nationality. ?They are trying to intimidate our leaders because they feel they can divert us from our cause. What we want is an explanation how we differ from our Ugandan colleagues,? said one of the ringleaders of the riot last week. Prof. Luboobi, who met the Kenyan High Commissioner that day, told Daily Monitor that his meeting was to try and find out whether individuals were using the Kenyans students for selfish interest. According to University spokesperson Gilbert Kadilo, the curfew will remain in place for as long as the Kenyan students remain hostile to the university administration. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811210460.html The Weekly Observer (Kampala) Uganda: Dismas Nkunda - Rioting Students Should Be Careful Dismas Nkunda 19 November 2008 Did I hear that Kenyan students at Makerere University rioted and even manhandled the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Livingstone Luboobi? Their complaint is that they pay more tuition than Ugandans for university education! And our dear President goes on to ask Parliament to allow foreign students to pay the same tuition as Ugandans, even before the storm at the university is over! Am I damn or something has terribly gone wrong in the Uganda that we long knew! What would the two students Tom Onyango and Tom Okema who were shot dead by Police during a strike by Ugandan students on December 10, 1990, say were they to know how Kenyans were being treated? Where was the riot Police? Where were the mambas? Where were the Military Police? Where were the NRM cadres who beat the hell out of us in the early 1990s at Makerere for simply asking what we thought were genuine requests from a government that we can now say cares less about Ugandans? I don't get it! A foreign student rioting, wanting to use petrol to burn university installations and nothing is done to them? Our strike leaders of the olden times, the likes of Norbert Mao, Wilbroad Owor, Richard Mugolo Kapiriri, Jacob Oulanya and many more must be wondering what on earth happened to Makerere! These were Ugandan student leaders who led us into some of the more memorable battles. We were proud Ugandans fighting for our boom, our books, our transport allowance, our welfare which unfortunately has been slowly and surely removed by turning the university into a commercial institution. What would these leaders tell us today; that Ugandans students have become so impotent that they have nothing to strike for and have to wait for Kenyans to show them the way? And now we have turned eastwards for help? I am shocked! Look, if we allow these Kenyans who are still basking in the Barrack Obama glory to take over the leadership of anger at Makerere, we are cooked. If we want to make an East Africa Federation which is headed by Kenyans and not Ugandans, we are dead. That is why I think the President was making a strategic point about having the same school fees in the region. So were these students being encouraged to go on and strike since they had gained support from the man himself? Where are the Richard Nabuderes of the Police fame who clobbered us with no let? Where were all the men dressed in Police uniform but shooting on the meat? Where were all the tanks that patrolled the university before we were summarily ordered to leave the university? We were so thoroughly beaten and scared that we did not even remember to pick our luggage as the university was closed. You returned to the university only after the Special District Administrator (SDA) cleared you. Imagine a Ugandan studying in Kenya; they even fear mentioning that they are Ugandans! Otherwise the rungu wielding policemen will turn you into minced meat if you open your mouth. You will be lucky if they dump you in some prison or at Malaba or Busia border posts and bid you farewell. Are we now content with having a Kenyan style of education here; where strikes are part of the curriculum? Some of these are students who have never completed their courses despite being in university for 10 years because every year the university is closed due to students' unrest; is that what we want at Makerere? I am really at loss. Agreed, Makerere has changed for worse; but where were the Ugandan students during this rioting; why couldn't they intervene and show these Kenyan brothers that post Kyankwanzi indoctrination, we abhor anyone who resists any authority? Can someone tell these students that anger for us Ugandans is kept under wraps for fear of what will come with it? Did these students see what happened at the Uganda High Court? Do they know the Black Mamba? Have they ever tasted the sweet and sour smell of tear gas? And these people go as far as harassing innocent motorists going about their mundane work? Where do they get the courage from? Next time these students want to riot, they should first inform the older generation of Makerere to show them how things are done. Ours were painstakingly planned, executed to such perfection that even a government minister would come to beg students. But these were Ugandan students. What if the many Burundian, Rwandese and Tanzanian students that are supporting the myriad of schools in Uganda began striking for this and that? There are so many of these foreign students in this country that we may not be able to countenance if they begin taking the law into their hands. Strikes are a preserve of only Ugandans; we are the ones who can brave the kind of consequences that come with the state machinery should it seem to them that a strike might cause harm to the establishment. My advice to the Kenyans students is that if you want to burn our buildings and assault our docile motorists, be careful, we might take the law into our hands and escort you to Busia. We have the means! Dismas Nkunda, The author is a human rights expert and specialist on refugee issues http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/491182/-/tm24io/-/index.html Face-off at Makerere as Kenyans protest higher fees Makerere University?s library. Kenyan students at the institution are complaining of discrimination by the administration. Photo/FILE By SAMUEL SIRINGI Posted Friday, November 14 2008 at 22:46 In Summary ? Dispute threatens to tear apart pact saying regional institutions will charge same rates Kenya?s 20,000-plus students studying at Ugandan universities are embroiled in a bitter fees row that threatens to tear apart a pact among regional institutions. A decision by Makerere University to charge Kenyan students higher fees than their Ugandan counterparts sparked off the dispute that has sucked in the countries? governments and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). Last week, 7,000 Kenyan students studying at the university staged a demonstration in protest at the decision to charge them at least Sh35,000 more in tuition fees than local students. And following the protest, the university administration imposed a curfew on the campus, saying the students could harm senior managers or destroy university property. Deputy Vice Chancellor David Bakibinga said Kenyan students were ?involved in acts of hooliganism.? ?These acts were exhibited by attempts to use petrol to burn electricity transformers and buildings, and they went as far as harassing motorists,? he said. Besides being made to pay extra fees, the students alleged that the lecturers discriminated against them because of their nationality. This week, the Kenyan Government moved in to investigate the allegations and the Education ministry wrote to Kenya?s ambassador to Uganda seeking clarification on the Makerere incident. Director of Higher Education David Siele said the ministry wanted to ascertain the reasons behind to the students? demonstration. He said that ministry officials, together with those from the Commission of Higher Education, will visit Uganda in a couple of weeks to, among other things, assess the learning conditions for Kenyan students at the institution. He said the ministry was collecting data that ?will allow us to get to the bottom of the issues affecting our students.? Jump onto buses Mr Siele said that although Kenyans wishing to study outside the country should seek clearance from the ministry, some were not doing so. ?Most of those going to Uganda merely jump onto buses and cross the border without notifying us,? he said, adding, ?it is the reason we do not know the actual number of students studying there?. He said that some universities even offered holiday programmes for teachers ?who travelled there in buses and matatus without informing anybody.? Matters have been made worse by revelations that Kenya does not have an education attach? in Uganda. Mr Siele said plans were being made to establish an office there so it could monitor education activities and compile statistics on students studying there. The Saturday Nation however, learnt that Makerere has not implemented an agreement by the East African Cooperation (EAC) council of ministers over harmonisation of college fees in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, an agreement that was adopted by the IUCEA. According to IUCEA executive secretary Prof Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, Kenyan students were within their rights to dispute the fee discrepancies ?though I do not condone strikes?. New rule ?A decision was made by IUCEA and EAC that students from member countries should get the same treatment at universities in the region,? he said. ?Some universities have had no problem with the new rule?s implementation,? he said, citing Kenya?s United States International University and Tanzania?s University of Dar es Salaam. But the University of Nairobi is yet to implement the new rule and is charging higher fees for foreign students. Prof Nyaigotti-Chacha said some universities in the region that had implemented the rule made a U-turn after they learnt that Makerere had reneged on the agreement. Prof Nyaigotti-Chacha appealed to university councils to embrace the new rule to avert further protests. His statements were echoed by Commission of Higher Education secretary Prof Everret Standa who confirmed that an agreement had been reached that students from the region be charged the same fees at any of the 56 member universities. ?That is the agreement and I do not understand why Makerere is behaving like this,? he said. MPs rejected But as they spoke, Ugandan MPs rejected a presidential directive that foreign students pay the same tuition fees as locals. According to our sister newspaper Daily Monitor, the MPs described President Yoweri Museveni?s directive as a ?ridiculous proposal,? with one MP saying: ?President Museveni is unfair to Ugandans studying abroad who are overcharged with impunity. The global trend dictates that foreign students in any country should pay higher fees than local students.? The MPs said that President Museveni?s directive will cause an influx of foreign students, exerting pressure on universities, affecting the quality of education. ?We cannot stop overcharging foreign students simply because some Kenyan students have staged a strike. There should be a policy and leaders in the region should have a harmonised position on the matter,? said an MP, Ms Sylvia Namabidde. Prof Standa singled out cost as the major reason why many Kenyan parents were opting to send their children to Uganda. The former Kenyatta University vice-chancellor said Ugandan universities charged half the fees charged by Kenyan universities. Roll out On harmonisation of degree programmes, Prof Standa said the regional universities were developing quality assurance systems that would ensure that students could accumulate their credits and transfer them to any of the member country universities. ?We have focused on specific degree programmes to roll out systems that will make it easier to transfer credits to any of the member universities students wished to move to,? Prof Standa said. Prof Standa said regional universities had been advised to adopt a C+ as the minimum entry requirement. Those without the minimum benchmark should be put on a programme that can upgrade their qualification, he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811190079.html Uganda: Kyegobe, Elgon Students Riot Hope Mafaranga and Daniel Edyegu 18 November 2008 Kampala ? STUDENTS of St. Leo's College Kyegobe in Kabarole district on Sunday went on strike, protesting poor hygiene in the school and demanding the removal of their head teacher, Joseph Mary, Etubire. "The school has only two toilets, has poor shower rooms and bushes all over the place," one of the students said. The students damaged Etubire's house and car and smashed the windows of his office before anti-riot Police were called in to calm the situation. The students also said Etubire was "chasing away skilled teachers". Etubire, however, denied the allegations. The district education officer, Victoria Rusoke, appealed to the school administration to address the students' grievances in order to bring sanity to the school. The Bishop of Fort Portal Diocese, Robert Muhirwa, said investigations into causes of the strike were going on. An emergency meeting attended by the college's governing board, the parents association, school administrators and security personnel was held at the school on Monday in which it was resolved that student grievances be addressed. "We shall beef up the board with other members and have the issues resolved," Paul Kasande, the board chairman, said. Meanwhile Uganda Technical College (UTC) Elgon in Mbale district has been closed for one month following a demonstration by the students. The students were protesting what they called poor administration at the institute. "The students refused to attend lectures demanding that the Principal, John Twesigye, be sacked. We explained to them that it was a technical decision that could not be made immediately, but they refused to budge so we decided to send them home for a month pending investigations," Mbale resident district commissioner, Henry Nalyanya, told The New Vision. http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200510429.shtml Sequel to St. Edwards/Police Riot?:Police Threatens BBC Correspondent in Sierra Leone By Aruna Turay Nov 17, 2008, 17:30 Email this article Printer friendly page You May Click Here To Read or Discuss Views About This Article Following the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) report of Friday 14th November 2008 on the riot between the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and pupils of the Saint Edwards Secondary School in Kingtom, information reaching the Awareness Times news desk indicates that a group of hooligans and senior police officers at the Police Barracks in Kingtom have threatened to either kill or at the very least, "seriously manhandle" the BBC Correspondent, Lansana Fofana. This was even confirmed in the presence of this reporter by one of the senior officers (name withheld), who alleges that the BBC Correspondent "filed in a false, unfounded and one sided report against the police", and therefore "must be dealt with". When he was contacted, the BBC?s Lansana Fofana indeed confirmed the report of the threats on his life. The senior journalist disclosed that he got wind of the ugly development in the wake of filing the said report that was aired on the BBC Network Africa. "According to my intelligence report, the threats were coming from these senior officers and other relatives of the police at the Barracks," Lansana Fofana told this reporter, adding that he wasted no time in contacting the police hierarchy about the occurrence. However, the swift intervention of the police hierarchy was able to calm the tension that was gradually developing into a breach of public peace. Meanwhile, a meeting intending to bridge the misunderstanding was summoned yesterday Sunday 16th November 2008 and the outcome of that meeting is believed to have been an amiable ending to the misunderstanding. However, given the seriousness of the threats made on the BBC?s correspondent?s life, this newspaper is continuing to closely monitor the situation. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov27/news04.php Protests disrupt traffic in Kathmandu Transport services in Kathmandu valley have been disrupted from early morning Thursday as student groups and relatives of the two slain youths staged protests in several places. An empty road as transport services in Kathmandu valley was disrupted as student groups and relatives of the two slain youths... Traffic in Kalanki, Kalimati, Balkhu, Pradarshanimarg and other places have halted with the situation turning tense due to the protests. The protestors alleged police authorities of not paying attention though the parents of Ritesh Rauniyar and Ashish Manandhar reported their disappearance on November 16. The protestors also demanded guarantee of security for citizens and compensation to the deceased families. The two teenagers from Tahachal were reported disappeared since November 15. Their dead bodies were discovered in Thankot on Wednesday. nepalnews.com ia Nov 27 08 http://www.blinkx.com/burl?v=I7p1fpWl8TLmJv9xkRxJH6DiYw49NIcQRSzR3X6AA0Gbwk5yFawOuk--8qYtxGnuDTl-iaaQrmAi7rQqPwyOi6SuepdRDpHC Police, Protestors Clash In Mexico The dispute centered on the students' demand for additional education funding from the government. Glen Walker reports. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1206089 Students protest police inaction during clash PTI Thursday, November 13, 2008 17:03 IST COIMBATORE: A group of students on Thursday went on the rampage and damaged furniture and windows of a law college here protesting the alleged inaction of police during the clash between two groups of students in Chennai, police said. About 60 students reportedly involved in the stone pelting and damaging college property have been arrested, they said. The college students, covering their faces with handkerchief, were found breaking window panes and furniture and the total loss was estimated to be around Rs four lakh, college sources said. Coimbatore Range DIG Sivanandi said that police entered the college premises following a request from the Principal. About 200 police personnel were maintaining vigil. Students protested against the police for "remaining mute spectators" during the clash at the Dr Ambedkar Government Law College in Chennai yesterday in which three students were severely injured. The students here would boycott classes and exams till the culprits were arrested, the sources said. The college has since been closed and the examinations for Friday and Saturday have been postponed, they said. Meanwhile, a person belonging to the 'Vishwakarma Traditional Gold Manufacturers and Trade Association' removed his shirt and set it on fire in the District Collectorate premises, protesting the alleged police inaction. He has been taken into custody for interrogation, police said. http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/701ee96610c884a6/id/429753/cs/1/ Law college students protest police inaction, court asks for report India Gazette Thursday 13th November, 2008 (IANS) Law college students across Tamil Nadu held demonstrations and pelted stones on government property Thursday to protest alleged police inaction during a clash between students in the city law college that left three students seriously injured. The high court has ordered the state government to file a detailed report on the incident by Tuesday. The violent protest by law college students across the state led to examinations being postponed for three days, officials said. The Madras High Court Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to file a detailed report before Tuesday on a clash on the campus between students of the Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Chennai. Hearing a writ petition filed in public interest by a PMK lawyer V. Balu, the bench comprising Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and Ibrahim Khalifullah posed questions about the apparent lawlessness that prevailed on the campus. Appearing for the state government, advocate Raja Khalifullah informed the court about the police officials suspended and transferred on charges of dereliction of duty, and said the situation was under control. Joint Commissioner of Police Abhay Kumar Singh announced the suspension of nine policemen, including Assistant Commissioner Narayan Murthy, and the transfer of six others. The repercussions of Wednesday's violence and the alleged police inaction saw violent protests in various parts of Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, a mob set fire to a government bus in the northwestern suburbs here as protest. Ten people were remanded in judicial custody for the violence, police said. Over 60 students were arrested in Coimbatore, 500 km southwest of here, for indulging in violent acts in the law college there, Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Sivanandi told reporters. The students were, however, let off in the evening, he added. Several law colleges were declared closed till further notice to contain the statewide unrest by agitated students who attacked educational institutions and government property, sources said. On Wednesday, students of Dr. Ambedkar Law University in Chennai had fought pitched battles over the contents of an invitation for a political event, attacking each other with sticks and iron rods. The three students injured in the clashes are in hospital in a serious condition. In the state assembly, Law Minister Durai Murugan Thursday announced the suspension of the college principal K.K.Sridev and a probe into the incident by P. Shanmugham, a retired judge of the Madras High Court. Eyewitnesses said police officials had remained mute spectators and failed to control the violence in which three students were injured. The college and its hostel would remain closed till further notice, he said. He said seven students had been detained and more arrests would follow. One of the injured students is on life support, hospital sources said. Opposition parties slammed the police for being 'mute spectators as students set upon each other murderously'. While opposition leader J. Jayalalitha expressed shock at the inaction, Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary D. Pandian termed the violence 'barbaric' and the 'unwillingness on the part of the police - a sad despicable state of affairs'. Opposition AIADMK legislators were expelled en masse from the house by speaker Auvudaiyappan when they repeatedly shouted slogans against the government's 'failure to tackle lawlessness in the state'. MDMK legislators staged a walkout in support. Many opposition leaders demanded the resignation of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who is in charge of the home portfolio. 'Breakdown of law and order in the face of a stunned police force manacled by political interference has become a regular feature during DMK rule,' political commentator Cho S. Ramaswamy said. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/24raj4.htm Arson, violence marks anti-MNS protests in Patna October 24, 2008 15:01 IST Anti-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena protests continued unabated in Bihar for the fourth day on Friday with agitated students indulging in arson and vandalism in Patna over assault on Hindi speaking candidates of railway recruitment examination in Mumbai. Around 100 youths armed with sticks descended on the streets in Boring Road area of the capital on Friday and smashed window panes of shops and pulled down arches put up for Diwali, police said. The agitators also hurled stones at a police outpost on Boring Road-Srikrishnapuri intersection. Initially exercising extreme restraint, the men in uniform baton-charged the violent crowd when they started smashing private vehicles, sources said. The students also resorted to burning tyres to block traffic on Boring road, which were soon extinguished. Two students suffered minor injuries in the baton-charge they said, adding, a strong contingent of police was rushed to the spot. When contacted, Srikrishnapuri police station sources said no arrests have been made so far and claimed that the situation was "calm and under control." Patrolling has been intensified and static forces deployed at vital points to meet any eventuality, they said, adding, there were no reports of violence from any other part. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/09/Student_protests_turn_violent_in_Rome/UPI-10531226208362/ Student protests turn violent in Rome Published: Nov. 9, 2008 at 12:26 AM Order reprints | Feedback ROME, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Hundreds of students protesting planned changes in the Italian university system tried to occupy a Rome train station. Police beat them back at the Ostiense station Friday, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. There were claims of brutality on both sides, with protesters saying that officers used their batons freely while police said some students threw bottles. Students also gathered around the main railway station and tried to block bridges over the Tiber River. Marches were also held in other cities, including Milan, Turin, Naples and Palermo. Protests by both university and high school students have been under way for three weeks. Last week, about 1 million people attended a mass rally in Rome. The government of Silvio Berlusconi has proposed a number of changes, including cutting down on the number of degree courses, allowing universities to become foundations to get private funding and distributing some government funding based on performance. Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said change is necessary because Italian universities "produce fewer graduates than Chile" and have a poor reputation. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-30-voa41.cfm?CFID=145594729&CFTOKEN=87167328&jsessionid=00309e5d73ae63d610ef1b4086026311d167 Italian Students, Teachers Protest Education Cuts By VOA News 30 October 2008 Italian students in Rome at a demonstration against school reforms, 30 Oct 2008 Thousands of students and teachers are marching through the streets of Rome and other Italian cities to protest new education reforms. A strike Thursday closed schools across the country as students joined in the demonstrations. Students and unions representing teachers called for the strike to protest the reforms, which will reduce spending on education and research. Italy's Senate gave final approval to the new education law Wednesday as student protesters clashed with right-wing counter-demonstrators in Rome. Witnesses say some students started throwing cafe chairs and tables in Rome's historic Piazza Navona, sending tourists and shop owners running for cover. Police intervened, and four people were injured. Demonstrations against the cuts have been swelling over the past two weeks. Some teachers are holding classes outside in city squares, publicly expressing anger over new education policies. They include provisions where teachers can fail students for bad behavior, and elementary school students will be given the same teacher for five years. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2008/10/30/180990/Clashes-in.htm Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:04 am TWN, Reuters Clashes in Italy as students protest against cuts ROME -- Clashes broke out in Rome?s historic Piazza Navona on Wednesday when students throughout Italy occupied squares and blocked traffic to protest against a new law expected to cut spending on education and research. The Rome demonstration was peaceful until a group of right-wingers wielding clubs and chains arrived and clashed with other students, witnesses said. Tables and chairs from an outdoor cafe were hurled into the air, sending tourists running for cover as police in riot gear moved in to break up the melee. About 15 students were detained, police said. Three students and one policeman were injured, they added. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2245348 Italian students clash at protest Published: 9:18AM Thursday October 30, 2008 Source: Reuters ? Read Clashes broke out in Rome's historic Piazza Navona when students throughout Italy occupied squares and blocked traffic to protest against a new law expected to cut spending on education and research. The Rome demonstration was peaceful until a group of right-wingers wielding clubs and chains arrived and clashed with other students, witnesses said. Tables and chairs from an outdoor cafe were hurled into the air, sending tourists running for cover as police in riot gear moved in to break up the melee. About 15 students were detained, police said. Three students and one policeman were injured, they added. The protests took place as the Italian Senate approved the law drawn up by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government but which the centre-left opposition has vowed to repeal with a national referendum. "We are protesting because we have no future," said Francesco Marri, a university student protesting outside the Senate, which is next to Piazza Navona. Demonstrations against the reforms have been swelling over the past two weeks across Italy. The students say the changes will hinder their ability to get a good education. The government says the law, which deals mostly with primary and secondary schools, will trim waste and put Italian schools on an equal footing with other European school systems. The secondary pupils have been supported by university students and professors opposed to cuts in education and research in the 2009 national budget. To underscore their discontent, some secondary school teachers and university professors held classes in the squares. "Most of my students realise that they will have to go abroad, either to the United States or elsewhere in Europe, if they want to advance their careers," said Carlo Maria Bertoni, a physics professor. Bertoni, the department head of a university in northern Modena, held a lecture in geology in Piazza Navona in the shadow of Bernini's 17th century Fountain of the Four Rivers. "This whole situation stinks," said Nella Converti, a high school student from the Analdi school in Rome's outskirts. "As soon as I graduate, I want to go to Spain to study - anywhere but here in Italy, which is mired in petty politics". Medical students from the Sant' Andrea teaching hospital of Rome's University bicycled through Rome wearing their white coats and stethoscopes around their necks to protest against the cuts in spending on research. Similar demonstrations were held up and down Italy, from Milan in the north, where students blocked traffic and occupied a train station, to Naples in the south, where they occupied the main square. Minor clashes were reported in Milan. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611615 Italian students protest against gov`t education reform Posted: 2008/11/17 From: MNN ROME, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of university and high school students from across Italy joined a national protest here against government spending cuts in the higher education sector on Friday, Italian News Agency ANSA said. Traffic was paralyzed as students marched through the streets towards Piazza Navona for the main rally after arriving in special coaches and trains from all over the country. Italian trade unions said around 500,000 students took part in the protest, although police said 100,000 was a more accurate estimate. Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said ahead of Friday's protests that she "understood the concern" of the students over government reforms. But Gelmini said the government would go ahead with the reforms despite protests from students and teaching staff alike, who have been staging sit-ins, marches and open-air lessons for the last four weeks. "I'm working so that at least one Italian university can be counted among the top 100 in the world," she said. "It's a difficult challenge and I realize as minister I have full responsibility, but I also realize that to be successful everyone needs to work together." Students are protesting over planned government spending cuts of 1.5 billion euros (about 1.91 billion U.S. dollars) in the sector as well as a raft of cost-reducing reforms which have yet to be finalized and are tipped to include a reduction in the number of courses offered and the closure of some outlying university branches with low student attendance. The government also has plans to allow universities to become foundations in order to top up public funding with private investments. The economist blasted on Friday the current university system as "one of the worst managed, worst performing and most corrupt sectors in Italy." But opposition politicians say the government reforms are primarily motivated by the need to cut costs rather than for the good of the system. High school students joined Friday's rally to protest against school reforms already passed by parliament, which include a return to a single-teacher system for most subjects for children in elementary schools. This is the second national protest held by the education sector in two weeks following one focusing on the school reforms on Oct. 30. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/ital-n21.shtml Italy: Student protests continue against cuts in education By our reporter 21 November 2008 On November 14, students in Italy continued to protest against government cuts in higher education. According to organisers, up to 500,000 students demonstrated in a national mobilisation in Rome. Students came to the capital from scores of towns and cities including Milan, Turin, Pisa and Naples. Traffic ground to a halt during the day as the students made their way to the main final rally, held in Piazza Navona. The university students were also supported by many high school students. The students are protesting the passage of Law 133, the so-called Gelmini reform (after Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini). The decree will lead to at least 87,000 teaching jobs and 44,500 administrative posts being lost at state schools over the next three academic years to 2012. Universities also face the threat of privatisation. Many smaller schools are to be closed as part of ?8 billion in cuts. The law will also re-introduce the single-teacher system for most subjects for children in primary schools. According to a report at the ansa.it web site, many students carried banners stating their opposition to Law 133 and to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Mariastella Gelmini. Other students left a coffin symbolising the death of education in the entrance of the Senate. Students from Rome high schools held up banners reading, ?How long, Gelmini, will you abuse our patience?? On the same day, smaller rallies were held in other Italian cities while protests were also held by Italian researchers and students in Germany, France and Belgium. In opposition to the large student demonstration, a small right-wing protest was held outside the Education Ministry in Rome. At the rally placards were held that read, ?Go Gelmini? and ?Against the new 1968ers?. This banner was in reference to the massive student movement that occurred in a number of European countries in 1968. According to a lecturer interviewed by BBC News, Law 133 will have a ?disastrous? impact on the future viability of universities. Professor Giancarlo Ruocco, who lectures in physics at the University of Rome, told the BBC his department could lose 30 percent of its staff in three years if the full cuts go ahead. ?It would be a disaster,? said Ruocco. ?Not only for the immediate future, but 10 years from now when we no longer have researchers carrying out fundamental inquiries into pure science.? Ruocco also warned that the measures could lead to the closures of universities and their eventual privatisation. A second year student, also quoted by the BBC, said that the law ?would double my fees next year.? She added, ?Universities would become elitist and only attract rich kids.? http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/international/2008/November/international_November914.xml§ion=international Tens of thousands protest higher education cuts in Italy (AFP) 14 November 2008 ROME - Tens of thousands of students and academics took to the streets of Rome to protest massive cuts in Italy's higher education budget on Friday to coincide with a nationwide university strike. The Italian capital was brought to a standstill by two separate marches -- one by high school and university students and the other by university faculty and researchers -- amid a heavy police presence as a helicopter circled overhead. To the beat of reggae music and behind a banner proclaiming "Together for the Country's Future," protesters holding colourful balloons marched against a plan to cut some 1.4 billion euros (1.8 billion dollars) from funding for universities and research institutes over the next five years. "Hands off public schools, universities and research," one banner urged the centre-right government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that took office in May. "These are not university reforms the government is proposing," said protester Claudio Gatti, a researcher at the National Nuclear Physics Institute. "The mandarins, who cost the most, will stay in the system and the vulnerable youth -- the life force of research and universities -- will be left out," Gatti, 35, told AFP. Italy's three main unions called the national higher education strike several weeks ago, but one, the Catholic-oriented CISL, announced Wednesday that it was pulling out of the action after meeting with Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini. The minister sought to assure the young protesters that she sympathised with their cause and was trying to help them. "I say to all these young people that I understand their upset and share their concerns. I am by their side," she said in an interview with the daily La Repubblica. "I was a student too, and I was worried about my future." Gelmini said she was committed to "education that encourages the talents of young people, that offers them real opportunities to study and obtain worthwhile diplomas in the world of work." The higher education strike was observed in several Italian cities, the ANSA news agency reported, adding that protests were held in the Sardinian capital Cagliari, the northern economic hub Milan, northwestern Genoa and Palermo, in Sicily. On October 30 more than 100,000 people protested in Rome against planned cuts to primary school education. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6534290.html Italian students protest against gov't education reform 10:28, November 15, 2008 Thousands of university and high school students from across Italy joined a national protest here against government spending cuts in the higher education sector on Friday, Italian News Agency ANSA said. Traffic was paralyzed as students marched through the streets towards Piazza Navona for the main rally after arriving in special coaches and trains from all over the country. Italian trade unions said around 500,000 students took part in the protest, although police said 100,000 was a more accurate estimate. Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said ahead of Friday's protests that she "understood the concern" of the students over government reforms. But Gelmini said the government would go ahead with the reforms despite protests from students and teaching staff alike, who have been staging sit-ins, marches and open-air lessons for the last four weeks. "I'm working so that at least one Italian university can be counted among the top 100 in the world," she said. "It's a difficult challenge and I realize as minister I have full responsibility, but I also realize that to be successful everyone needs to work together." Students are protesting over planned government spending cuts of 1.5 billion euros (about 1.91 billion U.S. dollars) in the sector as well as a raft of cost-reducing reforms which have yet to be finalized and are tipped to include a reduction in the number of courses offered and the closure of some outlying university branches with low student attendance. The government also has plans to allow universities to become foundations in order to top up public funding with private investments. The economist blasted on Friday the current university system as "one of the worst managed, worst performing and most corrupt sectors in Italy." But opposition politicians say the government reforms are primarily motivated by the need to cut costs rather than for the good of the system. High school students joined Friday's rally to protest against school reforms already passed by parliament, which include a return to a single-teacher system for most subjects for children in elementary schools. This is the second national protest held by the education sector in two weeks following one focusing on the school reforms on Oct. 30. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-10/2008-10-30-voa41.cfm?CFID=156465972&CFTOKEN=44606833&jsessionid=66302435f4e76c93d5432a3e462537304530 Italian Students, Teachers Protest Education Cuts By VOA News 30 October 2008 Italian students in Rome at a demonstration against school reforms, 30 Oct 2008 Thousands of students and teachers are marching through the streets of Rome and other Italian cities to protest new education reforms. A strike Thursday closed schools across the country as students joined in the demonstrations. Students and unions representing teachers called for the strike to protest the reforms, which will reduce spending on education and research. Italy's Senate gave final approval to the new education law Wednesday as student protesters clashed with right-wing counter-demonstrators in Rome. Witnesses say some students started throwing cafe chairs and tables in Rome's historic Piazza Navona, sending tourists and shop owners running for cover. Police intervened, and four people were injured. Demonstrations against the cuts have been swelling over the past two weeks. Some teachers are holding classes outside in city squares, publicly expressing anger over new education policies. They include provisions where teachers can fail students for bad behavior, and elementary school students will be given the same teacher for five years. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6534290.html Italian students protest against gov't education reform 10:28, November 15, 2008 Thousands of university and high school students from across Italy joined a national protest here against government spending cuts in the higher education sector on Friday, Italian News Agency ANSA said. Traffic was paralyzed as students marched through the streets towards Piazza Navona for the main rally after arriving in special coaches and trains from all over the country. Italian trade unions said around 500,000 students took part in the protest, although police said 100,000 was a more accurate estimate. Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said ahead of Friday's protests that she "understood the concern" of the students over government reforms. But Gelmini said the government would go ahead with the reforms despite protests from students and teaching staff alike, who have been staging sit-ins, marches and open-air lessons for the last four weeks. "I'm working so that at least one Italian university can be counted among the top 100 in the world," she said. "It's a difficult challenge and I realize as minister I have full responsibility, but I also realize that to be successful everyone needs to work together." Students are protesting over planned government spending cuts of 1.5 billion euros (about 1.91 billion U.S. dollars) in the sector as well as a raft of cost-reducing reforms which have yet to be finalized and are tipped to include a reduction in the number of courses offered and the closure of some outlying university branches with low student attendance. The government also has plans to allow universities to become foundations in order to top up public funding with private investments. The economist blasted on Friday the current university system as "one of the worst managed, worst performing and most corrupt sectors in Italy." But opposition politicians say the government reforms are primarily motivated by the need to cut costs rather than for the good of the system. High school students joined Friday's rally to protest against school reforms already passed by parliament, which include a return to a single-teacher system for most subjects for children in elementary schools. This is the second national protest held by the education sector in two weeks following one focusing on the school reforms on Oct. 30. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/14/europe/EU-Italy-Student-Protest.php Italian students protest proposed reforms The Associated Press Published: November 14, 2008 ROME: Thousands of students are marching through Rome to protest proposed changes to the education system backed by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government. The students say such changes, including funding cuts, would damage education, while the government says they would target waste and corruption in the university system. The students came to the capital aboard trains and buses from up and down Italy, and marched Friday through central Rome, snarling traffic. It's the latest in a series of protests by the university students. Late last month a demonstration in Rome turned violent, with clashes among rival groups of students. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/92678 Students protest to retain principal Lee Way Loon | Nov 7, 08 4:26pm Gathered in front of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) office, they held banners and shouted slogans such as "Don?t ignore our wishes", "Campus democracy, academic freedom" and "Extend dean's service". http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/15843/students-clash-with-police-at-degree-reform-demo Students clash with police at degree reform demo By: thinkSPAIN , Friday, November 21, 2008 A student demonstration march through Barcelona yesterday lunchtime led to a brief but violent clash with riot police deployed to stop them reaching the Ramblas, leaving a number of protesters, as well as some journalists, slightly injured. Following the scuffle, the demonstrators returned to the Pla?a Universitat where around a hundred stormed the headquarters building in a failed attempt to the occupy the Rector's offices. A large banner with the slogan 'Aturem Bolonya' (Let's stop Bologna) was unfurled from the building's terrace, which encapsulates the motive for the campaign. Students are unhappy that traditional Spanish degrees are being scrapped under the Bologna Process, the purpose of which is to make academic degree standards more comparable and compatible across Europe. They argue that the scheme will lead to "educational inequality and insecurity," and "the commercialisation" of higher education. http://www.rferl.org/Content/Banned_University_Students_Continue_Protest_In_Tehran/1352523.html Banned University Students Continue Protest In Tehran November 24, 2008 Four students banned from Tehran's Allameh Tabatabai University entered the third day of a demonstration today in an effort to gain their readmittance. The students say they were banned from classes after they protested the closing of a student publication by university officials. The students say they were beaten by security forces and removed from their sit-in at the university on Sunday. Protester Mahdieh Golrou told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that many students support the protest. Golrou -- who has not been allowed to attend classes for two years -- says she and the others will continue protesting until they have written permission that they can return to the university. In the past three years, dozens of students have been banned from classes and suspended from studies because of their activism or criticism of the government. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/659036 Kichwamba government-sponsored students protest fees Tuesday, 11th November, 2008 E-mail article Print article By Hope Mafaranga STUDENTS of the Uganda Technical College, Kichwamba in Kabarole have gone on strike to protest against an order that government-sponsored students pay a functional fee of sh378,000. The students said they were not supposed to pay extra fees because the Government meets all their expenses. They said the functional fee has forced some students to abandon their studies because they cannot pay the money. The students have vowed to boycott classes until the Ministry of Education looks into the matter. The principal, Joram Adutu, said the functional fee was intended to help the college meet the extra costs. He said the Government only caters for the tuition of the students and teachers? salaries. Adutu said the Government introduced new courses last year, but did not give the college money for the lecturers. He added that he would convene a meeting next week to discuss the matter. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/03/Turkish_students_sued_for_protest_slogans/UPI-92641225733925/ Turkish students sued for protest slogans Published: Nov. 3, 2008 at 12:38 PM Order reprints | Feedback IZMIT, Turkey, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Eight students at Turkey's Kocaeli University violated a penal code article by shouting derogatory slogans during a recent protest, a lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit filed by the Gendarmerie, a Turkish group that polices the civilian population, alleges the students used hurtful slogans against Yusuf Turkish Council of Higher Education President Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, Bianet reported Friday. The use of those derogatory slogans during Ozcan's April 3 visit to Kocaeli University violated penal code Article 301 that makes any comments against Turkey or its government illegal. The slogan at the center of the legal controversy was "Get out Gendarmerie, universities are ours," Bianet reported. The students allegedly used the questionable slogan during a protest by nearly 100 university students at the university's Umuttepe Campus. Bianet said the Ministry of Justice must approve the Article 301 case before the Gendarmerie can move forward with its request for two years in prison for the university students. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Top&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081104055401807C829669 Matric exam dispute leads to protest November 04 2008 at 08:18AM By Angelique Serrao Police had to be called in to calm a group of angry matriculants who were told they could only write their exams in May next year. Last week The Star uncovered a situation where over 200 matrics at Siyaphambili Secondary School in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, were told by their teachers they would only be allowed to register as part-time candidates next year. Some teachers had also been fired and asked not to return to the school. The school said they were forced to ask the pupils to write their exams next year because the pupils had not handed in their portfolios. The Grade 12s denied this, saying their portfolios had been deliberately lost by their teachers. On the first day that the majority of pupils across the country wrote their first Outcomes Based Education curriculum exams, about 30 matrics from Siyaphambili were protesting outside the school on Monday. While the shouting and threats were going on outside the school, about 50 Grade 12s were sitting in classrooms trying to concentrate on their English exam. "We are angry that those learners can write and we can't," said one pupil. "We want to make noise and disturb them." District officials from the Gauteng department of education were at the school to try to sort out the situation. Even though the issue of portfolios had not yet been resolved, the district organised for pupils to write their exams if they wanted to. But most of the protesting pupils refused, and only two took up the offer to write their exams. "We can't write now, we didn't study," said Nonkululeko Madi. "Why didn't they tell us sooner, and we could have prepared ourselves?" Basetsana Phehle said she was angry because the school kept on lying to her. "Now they change their story. When we wrote our trial exams, nobody bothered to mark them, and the teachers often don't teach us. What about our portfolios? What will happen to them?" The director of the school, Michael Mabaso, urged the pupils to come in and write their exams. He said only a few pupils were causing trouble while the majority had signed forms saying they would write their exams next year. "This is a properly run school. The pupils did not want to do their work and didn't hand in their portfolios, so,in trying to comply with the rules, we told the learners that if they write as part-time candidates next year, they won't need portfolios." When asked if they would go in and write, the pupils demanded to be shown their exam numbers and timetable. When these were produced, they still refused to write. Mabaso said the school asked two teachers to leave the school last month when it was discovered they did not have South African Council of Educators accreditation, and he believed these teachers were urging the pupils to cause trouble at the school. "I don't understand what the problem is," said Grade 12 pupil Mzwandile Msibi. "I made an agreement with school that I will write next year. There are advantages to my writing next year. It's too late to fight now, and why disturb the other learners who are writing now?" Mzwandile wasn't the only one unhappy with what the others were doing. Vusi Maphike said he was at a parents' meeting last week and he was satisfied that his son would write his matric next year. "These are only a few children causing trouble. My son didn't work this year. I went to work thinking he went to school, but when I checked his books, I saw he didn't do his work. I told him that either he works or he must just forget it. He will write next year." Police eventually managed to calm the crowd down and got them all into a classroom where many reluctantly agreed to write their exams next year. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Education&set_id=1&click_id=105&art_id=vn20081104055401807C829669 Matric exam dispute leads to protest November 04 2008 at 08:18AM By Angelique Serrao Police had to be called in to calm a group of angry matriculants who were told they could only write their exams in May next year. Last week The Star uncovered a situation where over 200 matrics at Siyaphambili Secondary School in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, were told by their teachers they would only be allowed to register as part-time candidates next year. Some teachers had also been fired and asked not to return to the school. The school said they were forced to ask the pupils to write their exams next year because the pupils had not handed in their portfolios. The Grade 12s denied this, saying their portfolios had been deliberately lost by their teachers. On the first day that the majority of pupils across the country wrote their first Outcomes Based Education curriculum exams, about 30 matrics from Siyaphambili were protesting outside the school on Monday. While the shouting and threats were going on outside the school, about 50 Grade 12s were sitting in classrooms trying to concentrate on their English exam. "We are angry that those learners can write and we can't," said one pupil. "We want to make noise and disturb them." District officials from the Gauteng department of education were at the school to try to sort out the situation. Even though the issue of portfolios had not yet been resolved, the district organised for pupils to write their exams if they wanted to. But most of the protesting pupils refused, and only two took up the offer to write their exams. "We can't write now, we didn't study," said Nonkululeko Madi. "Why didn't they tell us sooner, and we could have prepared ourselves?" Basetsana Phehle said she was angry because the school kept on lying to her. "Now they change their story. When we wrote our trial exams, nobody bothered to mark them, and the teachers often don't teach us. What about our portfolios? What will happen to them?" The director of the school, Michael Mabaso, urged the pupils to come in and write their exams. He said only a few pupils were causing trouble while the majority had signed forms saying they would write their exams next year. "This is a properly run school. The pupils did not want to do their work and didn't hand in their portfolios, so,in trying to comply with the rules, we told the learners that if they write as part-time candidates next year, they won't need portfolios." When asked if they would go in and write, the pupils demanded to be shown their exam numbers and timetable. When these were produced, they still refused to write. Mabaso said the school asked two teachers to leave the school last month when it was discovered they did not have South African Council of Educators accreditation, and he believed these teachers were urging the pupils to cause trouble at the school. "I don't understand what the problem is," said Grade 12 pupil Mzwandile Msibi. "I made an agreement with school that I will write next year. There are advantages to my writing next year. It's too late to fight now, and why disturb the other learners who are writing now?" Mzwandile wasn't the only one unhappy with what the others were doing. Vusi Maphike said he was at a parents' meeting last week and he was satisfied that his son would write his matric next year. "These are only a few children causing trouble. My son didn't work this year. I went to work thinking he went to school, but when I checked his books, I saw he didn't do his work. I told him that either he works or he must just forget it. He will write next year." Police eventually managed to calm the crowd down and got them all into a classroom where many reluctantly agreed to write their exams next year. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110958200200.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Infosys BPO?s campus recruits protest delay Staff Reporter HYDERABAD: When they were selected by Infosys BPO, they felt victorious. When the company asked them to be ready with their passports and pan cards, they saw their dreams taking flight. However, the slump in the job market upset the apple cart. The graduates who were hired by Infosys BPO through Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKCs) in July 2008 from across the State are yet to receive their appointment letter and were told to wait till next May. When a HR manager of Infosys sent out a mail to the JKC co-ordinators asking the new recruits to attend the job fair being held at Osmania University, their hopes were up again. Little did the 600-odd recruits realise that their dreams were to be shattered yet again, when there was no one present at the job fair assuring them of their jobs. The hires decried that each month they would be told by the company that they would be appointed soon. They say that they not only lost money, but also other job opportunities apart from a valuable academic year. ?I was on cloud nine and didn?t join the MBA as I thought that I would join the job at Infosys BPO,? says Bharath, who got 69 rank in I-CET. Dayanand, a parent from Krishna district said that her daughter got 500 rank in M.Sc entrance exam but did not join the course. ?If my daughter was to be withdrawn from the course, we had to pay the full fee. That?s why we didn?t join her in the course,? he said. Similar stories were narrated by the rest of the recruits. ?We were disqualified from the other JKC interviews as we had received an offer letter. Many of us were to appear for the Wipro?s written test today. But, we came here with the hope of receiving the appointment order,? says a recruit from Kadappa district. ?We didn?t expect such blunder from a company like Infosys. What we want is clarity as to when they would take us into the jobs?? questions a girl recruit. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/06/europe/EU-Greece-Student-Protest.php Greek students rally against EU university ruling The Associated Press Published: November 6, 2008 ATHENS, Greece: About 2,000 students marched in central Athens to protest against an EU court ruling they claim effectively ends the state monopoly on university education. Under the ruling, Greece must recognize most diplomas issued by private colleges affiliated with overseas universities. Greece currently has a state monopoly on universities. Protesters say the ruling by the EU's highest court effectively legalizes private universities, lowers the value of state education and will compromise a pay-bonus system for graduates in state jobs. Thursday's march to Greece's parliament ended peacefully, but a group of youths scuffled with an Associated Press cameraman and photographer. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=11&dd=10&nav_id=54888 Students to hold protest in Belgrade 10 November 2008 | 14:08 | Source: Beta BELGRADE -- Students will protest in front of the University of Belgrade administrative building on Monday, it has been announced. The university students are protesting because the statistics on how many of them have met the conditions for registering for the next year of schooling has not been released. Student liaison at the Political Science Faculty David Baki? stated that the protest will begin at 14:00 CET and that it is aimed ?against the university, which is not giving data on the exact number of students who have fulfilled conditions for registering for the new school year and who will be financed from the budget, even after the deadline for doing so has expired.? On the other side, university officials told Beta news agency that all of the data that is being asked for by the protesting students was given by the universities to the Education Ministry. An expert group with the ministry was expected to evaluate over the weekend how many students will be financed by the state outside the 20 percent quota. The recently adopted changes and additions to the Law on Higher Education call for an additional 20 percent of students to be financed by the budget in addition to the students that were on scholarship last year. The university makes lists of top ranking students based on the number of points earned and average grades. http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/08/rss.htm#16 Students protest, demand arrest of driver Saturday, 08 Nov, Peshawar: Students on Saturday staged a protest rally and demonstration against the killing of a classmate by a minibus the other day at Khyber Bazaar. Students from various colleges and schools blocked main GT Road as a protest and marched towards Peshawar Press Club. The infuriated students also broke the window glasses of vehicles and protested in front of the Peshawar High Court. They were carrying banners and placards for the arrest of the killers, along with chanting slogans. (Posted @ 15:29 PST) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/himachal-students-protest-cut-in-government-grants_100115766.html Himachal students protest cut in government grants November 6th, 2008 - 4:10 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Shimla, Nov 6 (IANS) Over 2,000 students and their parents took part in a rally here Thursday as part of the ?save education? campaign launched by those studying at four colleges in Himachal Pradesh to protest a cut in government grants.Students of the country?s oldest all-woman college, the prestigious St. Bede?s, the DAV colleges at Kangra and Kotkhai and Maharaja Lakshmi Sen Memorial College at Sundernagar participated in the rally to protest the decision of the state government to cut grant-in-aid. With a change in government rules in March this year, grant-in-aid to private colleges, including St. Bede?s, was reduced from 95 percent to 50 percent. Earlier, these four colleges were the only ones getting the grants. Now it is being distributed among 20 colleges. The students have also launched a signature campaign, requesting Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Governor Prabha Rau to restore the grant-in-aid to 95 percent. ?We are facing a severe financial crisis and we are not in a position to run the college too much longer,? St. Bede?s principal Molly Abraham told IANS. The college, started in 1904, boasts of alumni like actress Preity Zinta, late model and beauty queen Persis Khambatta and Himachal Pradesh?s first woman police officer Satwant Atwal. ?We are bound by a 2006 high court ruling which directs us to disburse the grants among all private colleges on an equal basis. Earlier, only four colleges were getting the grants. Now the funds are distributed among 20 colleges,? state education secretary P.C. Dhiman said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/18/stories/2008111852640300.htm Vet students stage protest BHUBANESWAR: Students of veterinary college in the State on Monday staged demonstration here demanding establishment of Indian Council of Veterinary Research (ICVR), independent from Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR). Orissa Veterinary College students? demonstration coincided with agitations planned by All India Veterinary Students Association (AIVSA). Veterinary college students in the State demanded a separate university. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/06/stories/2008110654530500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool Protest over student?s death KURNOOL: Tension prevailed at GPR Engineering College here on Wednesday after students union leaders questioned the management over ?suspicious? death of a student K. Venkata Krishna who was found hanging from a tree near a temple. The management also refused to declare a holiday as demanded by student leaders. -Special Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110554740500.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad ABVP on mass protest HYDERABAD: Protesting against the government?s failure to contain corporate colleges despite several unfortunate incidents, the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a massive demonstration in front of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) here on Tuesday. Thousands of students gathered in front of the BIE and raised slogans against the government and corporate colleges like Sri Chaitanya and Narayana. City ABVP secretary, T. Ramakrishna said that the officials were in hand in glove with the corporate colleges that were ?destroying? the future of students with their extreme teaching methods. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081120/punjab1.htm Nursing students hold silent protest march Tribune News Service Patiala, November 19 Around 230 students of the three-year BSc nursing course, being conducted by Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, here today held demonstration in front of the office of the medical superintendent and principal of Government Medical College. They then proceeded to hold a silent march to intensify their on-going agitation to protest against alleged apathy of the Punjab government to urge their demands. The silent march by the nursing students passed through Sheranwala Gate, Bukhniwaran Gurdwara and other areas of the town and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner. Harvinder Kaur, student leader of the nursing association, said the nursing students had also decided their next line of action in view of failure of the Director Research and Medical Education (DRME) to implement their demands. The students demanded better working conditions and revival of stipend during their four years of training. They also alleged that due to shortage of regular nursing staff in Rajindra Hospital, students, who were under training, were made to work for long hours without break. A student leader said medical education minister Tikshan Sood on November 18 had given assurance and said the process of stipend and notification of the college was in progress and would be decided soon. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110461100300.htm New Delhi JNU students protest stay order Staff Reporter ?Largest students? gathering in Delhi against curbing of their democratic rights? ? Photo: Rajeev Bhatt JNU students protesting at India Gate in New Delhi on Monday. NEW DELHI: On the day originally listed for polling for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students? Union election that was stayed by the Supreme Court recently, the JNU student community boycotted classes and formed a human chain at India Gate on Monday. Intensifying its agitation against the court stay order and in defence of the JNUSU election model, students gathered near the India Gate lawns to form a human chain. They were detained by the police and taken to the Parliament Street police station and released later. ?This turned out to be the first and the largest students? gathering in the heart of the Capital against the curbing of students? democratic rights. We were taken to the police station, but there also the protest continued in the form of a mass meeting and sloganeering,? said JNUSU president Sandeep Singh. The joint struggle committee of JNU had issued a call for a university strike and formation of a human chain. Former JNU students and now leaders of different political parties, Sitaram Yechury and Ashok Tanwar, came to the police station to express their solidarity. ?Mr. Yechury said as a former JNUSU president he expressed solidarity with us in our struggle. Earlier in the day, no classes were held and we observed a complete strike on the campus,? said Roshan Kishore, an SFI activist. A delegation of students went to the office of the Chief Justice of India to seek an appointment with him. A delegation of the National Students? Union of India met Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi this past weekend.?They said they will look into the matter and see what can be done.We suggested setting up a committee to review the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations,? said Harshvardhan Shyam, a NSUI activist. A joint solidarity public meeting was organised on the campus on Sunday night, which was addressed by the national leadership of different students? organisations. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110454040300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur All-India students? forum observes protest day Staff Reporter NKC, Lingdoh panel recommendations condemned ________________________________________ Protestors go on a signature campaign Kothari panel reforms favoured ________________________________________ ANANTAPUR: The All-India Democratic Students? Organisation (AIDSO) observed Monday as a protest day against the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) and Lingdoh Committee against student union elections. The activists also collected signatures of students and general public on the anti-student policies of the government. Speaking at a protest meeting here, secretary (town) of the student outfit K. Nagaraju alleged that the Centre was making all efforts to bring education under GATT agreement. He requested the government to stop implementation of recommendations of the NKC as that would tantamount to totoal privatisation and commercialisation of the education sector. Student union elections in the Delhi Central University were cancelled based on the recommendations of the Lingdoh Committee and there was a large-scale opposition to the government decision. In stead, he demanded the government implement the Kothari Commission recommendations for allocation of 10 per cent of the Union budget and 30 per cent of States? budget for education. Besides, he also opposed closure of government schools in the name of merger of upper primary schools with high schools and hike in fee in government educational institutions. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081105.wprotests1105/BNStory/National/home Ontario students protest tuition fees CLINT THOMAS The Canadian Press November 5, 2008 at 6:38 PM EST TORONTO ? Thousands of college and university students chanted slogans and marched through the streets of Toronto on Wednesday as part of a provincewide campaign calling on the Ontario government to slash tuition fees. The protesters, who marched to the provincial legislature for a rally, blamed the government of Premier Dalton McGuinty for cancelling a tuition freeze in 2006 and allowing fees to rise by as much as 8 per cent annually. ?Dalton McGuinty has betrayed us time and time again,? Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario chairwoman Shelley Melanson told the students gathered at Queen's Park outside the legislature. ?Students across Ontario are fed up with McGuinty simply paying lip service to accessibility. Today we are demanding concrete action to drop fees.? Ms. Melanson noted that when Mr. McGuinty went to law school, tuition cost $700 a year, compared to the $20,000 it now costs at the University of Toronto. Students also held similar rallies in Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Orillia, Ottawa, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Windsor. The protesters cited Statistics Canada data released last month that indicated students in Ontario pay an average of more than $5,643 in tuition per year for an undergraduate arts program. That makes Ontario's average fees the second-highest in Canada, behind Nova Scotia. Jay Han, a second-year University of Toronto physiology student, said Ontario's fees are too high and force students to take on part-time jobs to make ends meet. ?I think it's a little bit too much for someone that wants to study at the same time as well,? Mr. Han said. Crystie Doell, a University of Toronto biology student, said it's difficult for medical students to find enough time for both studies and work. ?All you want to do is become a doctor and help other people, but we can't even do that because we don't have enough money,? Ms. Doell said. ?It's not fair.? Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton and his wife, MP Olivia Chow, addressed the protesters along the march route from atop a flatbed truck. ?Right now, the barriers of tuition fees and student debt are standing in the way of your dreams,? Mr. Layton said. ?Let's lower those barriers.? The march also featured a symbolic stop in front of the building housing the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Security officials at the legislature estimated the crowd size at about 3,000, while police estimated it could have been as high as 5,000. John Milloy, the province's minister of training, colleges and universities, insisted Ontario's post-secondary funding approach is reasonable. ?What you've got to do is you've got to balance issues around fees,? Mr. Milloy said. ?We have a framework in place, a very thoughtful framework that came about after two years of discussion. ?You've got to balance it with student assistance, and we have ... a very generous student assistance program.? Mr. Milloy was to meet Wednesday evening with three representatives of the student federation about their concerns. Last month, students submitted more than 50,000 petition signatures calling on the government to drop tuition fees and establish a new framework to increase Ontario's per-student funding level to the national average. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7708987.stm Wednesday, 5 November 2008 Students protest over finances Students in Liverpool took a campaign bus around the city University students across England staged local protests against the top-up fee system of student finance. The National Union of Students has organised a "Students in the Red" day of action to urge the government to scrap the current fee system. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said debt was not affecting student applications. The action comes ahead of a government review of tuition fees, which is expected some time next year. 'Stop tinkering' The action saw students stage a range of protests, from rallies to releasing helium balloons and from campaign buses to creating a fictitious wall or mountain of debt. In the North East, students hung a banner from the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, spelling out the average student debt there - ?25k. President of Durham Students Union Andy Welch said students were angry about the situation. Liverpool student also signed postcards urging their MPs to review funding "We accept that students should contribute to their education, but the whole policy should be reviewed," he said NUS President Wes Streeting said the current funding system was "completely unfair". "All students have to pay ?3,145 a year in top-up fees, but they face a postcode lottery when it comes to financial support," he said. "Richer universities in the Russell Group can offer poorer students an average annual bursary of ?1,791, but those from the Million+ group can only offer ?680. ?We want a national bursary scheme, so that poorer students get financial support based on how much they need it, not on where they study. "Students and parents also deserve a full, frank and public debate about the current fees system ahead of a general election before families are saddled with even more debt by those who want to see the cap on fees lifted." The government needed to stop tinkering with grants and fees every year, he added. Full and partial grants The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said there was no evidence that students were being put off going to university because of a lack of finance. "Undergraduates starting degree courses do not have to pay tuition fees before beginning their studies and only start repayments once they have left university and are earning over ?15,000 per year, " a spokesman said. "We are committed to ensuring finance is no barrier to going to university which is why last year we committed to provide two thirds of students with a full or partial grant - a commitment which we will continue to deliver." Last week, Universities Secretary John Denham announced the government would cut partial grants for middle-income families, after it underestimated the number of poorer students who would be eligible to claim full grants. It is thought that up to 10% of prospective students - around 40,000 in total - will lose out due to the move. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/11/04/westport-protest.html?ref=rss Principal's anti-smoking, healthy-food policies spur walkout Last Updated: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | 5:57 PM NT Comments132Recommend71 CBC News Forty students left their northeast coast community school Tuesday with the full support of their parents because they're unhappy with how the principal handles smoking and junk-food eating. Students and parents at St. Peter's Academy in Westport said Principal Stewart Ralph doesn't want students smoking or eating junk food. And they're protesting that the way he is enforcing those rules shows a lack of respect. Parent Sherry Gale said the principal is following the kids around off the school's grounds to check if they're smoking. And if they're caught smoking, even off the school grounds, they are suspended. Parents also claim the principal won't let the students outside at recess and that he won't let them go to the store to buy junk food. While more healthy food is supplied in the school, students say there isn't enough variety. Student Chelsea Jacobs said Ralph wants kids to stop smoking and eat better, but he's not going about it the right way. Students also claim there is no school sports, because the principal won't allow smokers to play sports. Principal Ralph wouldn't speak with media Tuesday, nor would the Nova Central school authority. Parents and students planned to meet with school district officials Tuesday night, but they promised to continue their protest if changes aren't made to the principal's policies and the way he treats students. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1032811.html Hundreds of students block Knesset in protest over university funding By Ofri Ilani Tags: Israel News, universities Hundreds of university students and lecturers yesterday blocked the entrance to the Knesset after another meeting broke down between university representatives and government officials. One group of students tried to break into the Knesset compound. The meetings have been going on since Monday, when college students, teachers and university officials assembled a convoy of vehicles on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, blocking the road intermittently and creating traffic jams. The protesters are demanding that the Finance Ministry release education funds that have been held up in negotiations. The talks are expected to resume today, with Finance Minister Roni Bar-On meeting the negotiation panel representing the university heads. The lecturers say that without additional funds, they are unable to begin the academic year. They cite the slashing of some 20 percent of the universities' budgets over the past five years. During that time, they add, the student body has grown in numbers and research costs have only increased. Education Minister Yuli Tamir yesterday said that it would be a disaster for higher education if the school year does not open as scheduled. She added that although talks with the treasury and education officials have been going on since April, the Finance Ministry has been "dragging its feet," as she put it at an emergency Knesset discussion yesterday morning about the impending crisis over the opening of the university school year. Treasury officials say the Finance Ministry is prepared to transfer NIS 300 million for higher education, provided the funds be allotted according to pre-set criteria in accordance with the recommendations of the Shochat Committee on higher education. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=60960 Published On: 2008-10-30 National Demolition Of Lalon Sculpture Teachers join protest rally at RU Ru Correspondent Teachers and students of Rajshahi University join a procession organised by Bhaskarya Rakkha Mancha on the campus yesterday demanding re-installation of Lalon sculpture near Zia International Airport in the capital. Photo: STAR Teachers, cultural activists and general students under banner of Sculpture Protection Forum yesterday formed a human chain in front of the central library on Rajshahi University (RU) campus demanding immediate re-installation of Baul sculptures at the airport roundabout in Dhaka. The human chain was formed as part of the forum's three-day programme announced earlier. Later, they brought out a protest procession and held a protest rally in front of the central library. Speakers urged the university teachers, general students and progressive people to launch a tougher agitation against the anti-liberation forces. They also demanded of government trial of war criminals through speedy trial tribunal. They urged the government to announce the airport roundabout area as 'Lalon Chattar'. Demanding exemplary punishment of bigots, they urged the government to ensure the atmosphere to flourish the Bengali culture and heritage. Finally, they vowed to continue their agitation until re-installation of the sculptures at its original place. Among others, Prof SM Abu Bakkar, Prof Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, Susmita Chakrabarti, Faruk Hossain and cultural activists addressed. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081118/punjab1.htm Principal?s transfer: Girl students protest again Chander Parkash Tribune News Service Fathegarh Churian (Gurdaspur), November 17 Hundreds of students of the local Government Senior Secondary School for Girls today jammed traffic on almost all major roads of the town for hours together and took out a march in the city. They were protesting against the transfer of Principal Sukhdev Singh Kahlon to Ludhiana from here allegedly for political reasons. The students, who have been agitating ever since the principal was transferred about a week ago and had braved ?manhandling? by the police on Children?s Day, intensified their agitation by raising slogans against the state government and district education authorities, apart from staging dharnas at various points in the city. On the other hand, Bhupinder Kaur, officiating principal of the school, while admitting that the situation had gone out of control, said she felt unsafe as she had been getting threats on the phone. She added that she had reported the matter to district education officer Gurmeet Singh Saini and the police. She alleged that a section of influential people were funding the agitation of the students. She added that these people were even deciding the manner of protest. She said she had apprised parents of students of the situation. The students carrying placards were demanding that Principal Kahlon should be brought back on the same job. Kahlon, national and state award winner, has already threatened to return his medals as a protest against victimisation. Interestingly, the police, which ?overacted? on the Children?s Day by ?manhandling? students on the pretext of maintaining law and order, today remained indifferent and allowed the students to vent out their anger. Information gathered by TNS revealed that when school classes were going on, the school authorities locked the door from inside so that students could not go out to lodge protest. However, the students first raised slogans against district education officials, who visited the school for enquiring the reasons which had led to the agitation, and then broke open the door to come onto the streets. The students claimed that during the tenure of Kahlon as principal, there used to absolute discipline in the school. They said now the administration had lost control over the school affairs. They declared that they would continue their agitation till the transfer of Kahlon was cancelled. Gurmeet Singh Saini, district education officer, could not be contacted. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidojqlsney/rss2/ UCD students protest over fees re-introduction Print Email+ Share+ 12/11/2008 - 07:35:46 Students at University College Dublin will attempt to blockade a Government minister from the campus this evening in protest at the proposed re-introduction of third-level fees. Campaign group Free Education for Everyone says it will try to stop Minister of State Conor Lenihan from speaking at a debate on the campus this evening. It says the demonstration is also to express anger at the ?600 increase in annual college registration fees announced in the Budget. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov23/news09.php#1 Students announce protest against 'insufficient' transport fare cut Eight student organisations have announced protest programmes demanding cuts in public transport fares commensurate with the reduced price of petroleum products. A meeting of the student groups on Sunday decided to launch protests, saying the fare review publicised by the government is not reasonable given the significant decline in POL prices in recent weeks. Student unions affiliated with CPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress were not present at the meeting. Ram Kumari Jhakri, president of the UML-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) said the meeting has decided to exert pressure on the government to issue ration cards to students -- apart form reducing public transport fares. The student unions have decided to enforce 'chakka jam' (traffic blockade) in front of campuses in the capital on Monday and organise sit-in protests in front of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Prime Minister's residence on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. The students' demand came a day after the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management asked transporters to reduce fares by six percent in buses, mini buses and tempos and seven percent in taxis. On the other hand, the transporters have challenged the government's directive, saying the fares will not be reduced now. nepalnews.com mk Nov 23 08 http://www.kcra.com/news/18046031/detail.html Students Protest Proposed Budget Cuts Rally Took Place At UCLA Campus POSTED: 5:15 pm PST November 23, 2008 UPDATED: 10:48 pm PST November 23, 2008 LOS ANGELES -- University of California students from across the state protested proposed budget cuts and fee increases Sunday. More than a thousand students chanted, marched and demanded a long-term solution to the continuing rising cost of higher education during a rally held at the University of California-Los Angeles. Last week, the CSU chancellor announced a $66 million cut to campus spending. "Rising fees is one of the largest barriers for low-income and students of color to access the Universities," said Lucero Chavez, UC Student Association president. Some students said that many lower-income students have a difficult time finishing school because of the costs, and that those who do finish have a mountain of loan debt to pay back. The rally was part of the 20th annual "Students of Color Conference" and was sponsored by the University of California Student Association. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6522089 UC students protest proposed tuition hike Sunday, November 23, 2008 WESTWOOD -- About a thousand University of California students have rallied at the Los Angeles campus to protest budget cuts and tuition increases proposed by the governor. The students marched Sunday afternoon from UCLA to the Westwood Federal Building to demonstrate against a proposed 10 percent fee increase for the 10 UC campuses. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for the tuition hike to help reduce an $11 billion state budget deficit. Education officials are also considering cutting admissions at the 23 California State Universities by 10,000 students. http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/l166/acade166.html Academy students abandon classes, protest foul stench EBENEZER--More than 100 third and fourth formers of the Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) section of St. Maarten Academy abandoned classes Thursday in protest of a foul stench emanating from the water-drenched basement of the school?s Business Centre. The protest action follows a petition the irked students submitted to the school earlier this week drawing attention to the problem and requesting that it be corrected. A board spokesperson said Thursday that the problem was being looked into and required an ?engineering opinion.? The angry students wrote up placards expressing their frustrations and walked around the school chanting demands that the problem be rectified post-haste before their exams start today. Their action began as early as 7:30am and dissipated after the mid-morning break. The students said the problem was concentrated in the school?s D-building, which houses the Business Centre in which all business and administrative classes are held. They complained that the scent nauseated them and caused headaches. ?We do not want to sit our exams in those conditions,? said P3B student Tameika Royer. Academy Principal Solange Duncan and a number of teachers have thrown their support behind the students and are also calling for the problem to be rectified. Administration and Commerce teacher Hester Philbert told The Daily Herald she and several other teachers had had to cancel classes because the scent was ?unbearable.? Duncan said temporary arrangements had been made to ensure that students wouldn?t sit exams in the affected building. She said the exams for those affected had been rescheduled to later in the day so students could use classrooms that were not affected by the foul scent. Duncan explained that the basement of the D-building was located over an enclosed pit that collected excess water from the premises and possibly groundwater. She said too that the school was built over a spring, which compounded the problem in the low-lying basement. A foul scent emanates from the basement every so often and peaks at certain periods. Duncan explained that the Fire Department had assisted the school in the past to pump out the water from the pit. However, the department has informed the school that the problem should be rectified structurally, as it cannot continue pumping indefinitely. Duncan also said the school had been informed by health authorities who had conducted a dengue information session at the school recently that the stagnant water in the pit was a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes ? a major concern now that the island is experiencing a dengue epidemic. ?The stench has been terrible this week. It?s unbearable,? said Duncan. ?The entire management team supports the students and we are hoping that something can be done quickly.? Philbert said she hadn?t had ?proper classes? for the entire week. ?This week it was overbearing. Some days it will cool off a bit, but it has been horrible this week. It has affected classes. It gives me more than a headache and irritates my sinuses,? Philbert said. Copyright ?2008 The Daily Herald St. Maarten --------------------------------------------------- Thousands of teachers mark anniversary, rally for wage Jakarta Post - November 26, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni and Rizal Harahap, Bandung, Medan -- To commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) on Tuesday, thousands of teachers across the country staged rallies demanding improvement in their working conditions. In Bandung more than 20,000 teachers working on contract at private schools across West Java urged the National Education Minister to require all foundations to pay educators the minimum wage as set for each regency and municipality. The coordinator of the Private Teachers Forum in West Java, Dede Permana, said Tuesday most private teachers across the province were paid between Rp 250,000 (US$19.53) and Rp 300,000 a month. "Only a few contract teachers receive an additional Rp 200,000 in allowances, so they are earning below the minimum wage set for laborers." He said private teachers' salary levels were inhumane and denigrated the teaching profession, an honorable career. Their compensation was far below public teachers' salaries which reached up to Rp 2 million or Rp 3.5 million, he said. "It's discrimination. We're doing the same job as those teachers," Dede said, adding contract teachers also lacked insurance benefits and job security public teachers depended on. Separately, hundreds of teachers from the Indonesian Private Teachers Union (PGSI) in Medan staged a rally in front of the legislative council building, demanding the city pay more attention to their welfare. The Medan PGSI leader, Partomuan Silitonga, said the living standard of most of the 21,860 private teachers in Medan did not meet standards set out in the human needs index. "Many private teachers are still paid between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000." To make a decent living, Partomuan added, private teachers had to work outside teaching hours, driving pedicabs or working as day laborers. "It seems the government closes its eyes and lets the teachers' commitment to educate their students weaken," the union leader said, adding the demonstrators also demanded the Medan administration set private teachers' minimum pay to match the minimum wage for laborers. "Teachers working for private institutions currently earn less than factory workers with no more than a junior high school degree. They are entitled to earn not less than Rp 918,000 a month. Why doesn't the government care about us, who have higher degrees but receive less compensation? If we're prosperous enough, we can assure the students will achieve more," Partomuan said, adding some 400 teachers who had passed the certification test more than a year ago had yet to receive the higher compensation they were entitled to. PGSI Medan urged the city to increase private teachers' income from Rp 200,000 to between Rp 700,000 and Rp 1 million per month. Private teachers were also asking for allowances which match those of public school teachers, including an annual 13th salary, meals allowance, leave dispensation and insurance. Separately in Semarang, about 100 contract teachers and officials from several regions in Central Java staged a rally in front of the governor's offices, demanding the provincial administration put them on the civil servant rolls because they had already work for 10, some 15, years at a monthly salary of Rp 200,000. In Central Java alone, 27,000 teachers and education administrators officers work as temporary or contract employees. [Suherdjoko contributed to the article from Semarang.] --------------------------------------------------- http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/25/rss.htm#e8 Crackdown on protesting teachers mars PA session Tuesday, 25 Nov, KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly had a somewhat lacklustre session on Monday despite a violent police crackdown on ad-hoc lecturers who sought to stage a demonstration at the main entrance of the assembly building. The demonstrators were holding placards and raising slogans demanding their regularisation when the police pounced upon them and took into custody some of them while the others took to their heels. The lecturers were being roughed up by the police at the main entrance of the assembly building when Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro called the house to order and was about to take up the agenda at 11.15am. (Posted @ 10:52 PST) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/21/china-education-forced-excercise-protest Pupils and teachers protest after Beijing imposes daily winter jog ? Tania Branigan in Beijing ? The Guardian, Friday 21 November 2008 ? Article history For years it was the bane of every British schoolchild's life. Now cross-country has made a comeback in China - and is proving equally unpopular. The ministry of education has launched a winter running campaign, which it hopes will boost both patriotism and health. Schools have been ordered to take their pupils for a jog every day until the end of April. Primary school pupils must run 1km (0.6 miles), junior high school students 1.5km and senior high and college students 2km. But the People's Daily newspaper - the Communist party's official mouthpiece - acknowledged yesterday that the scheme had proved controversial, with parents and teachers as well as children complaining. Critics argue that it will distract students from their studies and warn that urban schools often struggle to find space for sports, questioning whether they can map out a safe route for pupils. Others have loftier philosophical objections. "It is the right of every school or even every student to choose. Asking the students of the whole country to run is a bad sign for education, whose nature is freedom," wrote one blogger. According to the state news agency Xinhua, the ministry has said that physical education plays an important role in carrying out ideological and moral education and stressed the need for such work in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic next year. But one commentator, Ya Wei, of the Da He newspaper, said that the only fault with the campaign was that it did not go far enough. "Records show the physical condition of youth in China is dropping fast," he argued. "I think for a student running 60km in a winter is not too much but too little." http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,89333.html Students learn art of protest Thursday, November 6 2008 click on pic to zoom in LESSON IN PROTEST: Bien Venue Presbyterian School students hold up placards as they protested outside the Presbyterian School Board in San Fernando ye... ANGRY parents yesterday gave their children a lesson in how to protest as they gathered outside the office of the Presbyterian School Board on Rushworth Street in San Fernando demanding that a faulty electrical system be repaired a the Bien Venue Presbyterian School in La Romaine. As a result of this faulty system, the school day ends before midday which robs students of valuable hours of study. Dharamraj Rampersad, first vice-president of the school?s Parent/Teacher Association, said there was an overload of the electrical system which caused a fuse to blow. He said the problem was partly due to the recent acquisition of 15 new computers which placed an added strain on the electrical grid of the school. Rampersad said the school?s power supply was disconnected by the Trinidad and Tobago Electrical Commission (TTEC) and that TTEC has refused to reconnect the power until the burnt fuse box and electrical wiring are replaced. But Rampersad said the School Board could not afford to pay for repairs because they had no money. He also said the Education Ministry promised to pay for the repairs, but since the Presbyterian Board failed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry, nothing has been done. He said 260 pupils enrolled in the school and the 16 teachers are forced to leave at 11.30 am every day because the midday sun causes severe heat in the classroom which makes it unbearable for students and teachers. Geeta Ramlogan, a parent whose daughter is preparing for next year?s Secondary Entrance Assessment examination, said she was concerned that Standard Five pupils did not have enough time to study. Windy Partap, chairman of the Presbyterian School Board, said the Presbyterian Synod?s lawyers were looking at the MOU, but confirmed that it had not yet been signed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103159720300.htm Oct 31, 2008 Andhra Pradesh Protest rally MAHABUBNAGAR: A huge protest rally was taken out by the agitating teachers here on Thursday. Several speakers who addressed the meeting strongly condemned the government indifferent attitude towards solving their pending demands.- Correspondent http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/15792/thousands-return-to-streets-to-protest-against-citizenship-in-english-scheme Valencia govt. throws in towel over Citizenship in English scheme By: thinkSPAIN , Tuesday, December 16, 2008 The regional government is hoping that it has managed to avert tomorrow's teachers' strike after backing down over its controversial scheme to teach the national government's new Citizenship curriculum in English after months of unrest and public protests. The decision, which means that schools are now free to teach the subject in Castilian Spanish or Valenciano, directly affects 47% of the region's 550 schools. Gemma Piqu?, a spokeswoman for the Platform for the Defence of Public Education that called the strike has described the regional government's decision as a satisfactory "first step," but added that "if there is consensus, the strike will be postponed until January or February, but, under no circumstances, are we prepared to call it off at this stage." Thousands return to streets to protest against 'Citizenship in English' scheme By: thinkSPAIN Sunday, November 30, 2008 Tens of thousands of disgruntled parents, teachers and students marched through Valencia city centre yesterday evening in the biggest protest march to date against the regional government's insistence that the new Citizenship curriculum be taught in English. Stretching back over two kilometres, by the time those at the front had reached regional government headquarters those at the back had still not left the starting point in the Plaza San Agust?n with protesters filling the calles X?tiva and Col?n, the Plaza de Alfonso el Magnanimo, the calle de la Paz and the Plazas de la Reina and la Virgen. Organisers claim that at least 80,000 took part in the demonstration, making it the best attended in the city since the anti-Iraq war protests back in 2003 though Valencia police estimate the total at nearer 10,000. Inspectors label Citizenship in English scheme 'absurd' By: thinkSPAIN Thursday, November 13, 2008 School inspectors from all over Spain have described the Valencia regional government's scheme to teach the new Citizenship course in English as an "educational absurdity." At the 10th Federal Conference of the School Inspectors Association in Zaragoza last week, it was agreed that the initiative lacks "objective justification," and to roundly reject the regional Education ministry's "attempt to use school inspectors to impose such absurd and arbitrary obstacles in the path of teachers and schools trying to teach the Education for Citizenship curriculum." By insisting that the new subject, which is the government's alternative to the Catholic Religious Studies courses traditionally taught in Spanish schools, be given in English, the PP-led Valencian administration has made it practically impossible for the region's teachers to cope. In turn, this has led to an increasing number of public protest demonstrations - the second photo shows parents and teachers outside the regional government's Valencia headquarters building earlier this week - and has even attracted the interest of a BBC Radio 4 investigative news team, who have been in the region conducting interviews with those affected by the political stalemate for a programme to be broadcast next December 4th, according to a report on the 20minutos website yesterday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/08/stories/2008110860050300.htm Kerala - Kochi Protest forum seeks support KOCHI: St. Albert?s Forum has urged the general public to unite against the suspension of Sebastian K. Antony, faculty member of St. Albert?s College here. A.P. Jubiraj, secretary of the forum, said here on Friday that the college management had violated all government and university rules by not providing justice to Prof. Antony. St. Albert?s Forum has urged the support of the government, cultural leaders and the academia in the ongoing fight demanding the revoking of suspension of Prof. Antony. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111952680300.htm Nov 19 2008 Karnataka - Raichur Students protest against lack of teachers, infrastructure Staff Correspondent College does not have building, laboratories and library ________________________________________ Five teachers from the Government Polytechnic deputed to the college College functions in a portion of a building of the Government Degree College ________________________________________ Raichur: Students of the Government Engineering College here boycotted classes and began a dharna on Tuesday in protest against the Government?s ?failure to post teachers and provide infrastructure at the college?. They have decided to continue their dharna until they get a written assurance from the Directorate of Technical Education conceding their demands. The students said the functioning of the college had been affected owing to lack of teaching staff and infrastructure such as building, laboratory and library. They said that 230 students were studying computer science, electronics and communication, and civil and electrical engineering at the college from the first semester to the third semester. The college required about 25 teachers for managing all the four courses. Only five teachers from the Government Polytechnic had been deputed to the college as a temporary arrangement. Nothing had been done to set up laboratories in any of these branches even as the college management had procured the equipment for the computer science and electronics departments. In the absence of laboratories, practical classes could not be conducted so far. The third semester students, however, had to attend their practical examination scheduled to be held this month-end. They said that besides lack of a library, the college did not have its own building. Presently, the college was functioning in a portion of a building of the Government Degree College at Yermarus, 8 km from Raichur. Sources from the college told The Hindu that the management faced difficulty in running classes regularly in absence of required number of teachers and infrastructure. The sources said the Government had sanctioned 34 teacher posts at the engineering college. But these posts had not yet been filled. It had also sanctioned 75 staff for management of laboratories, workshops and administration, taking the total number of sanctioned posts to 109. But 75 posts, including that of principal, registrar, administrator and draftsman, were still vacant. The sources said that in the last one year, the college had submitted several reminders to the Directorate of Technical Education requesting it to recruit teachers and other staff. But there had been no response from the directorate. It is learnt that a team of officials from the directorate is likely to visit the college shortly to study the situation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110556410300.htm Kerala - Alappuzha Diocese protest march: inquiry ordered Staff Reporter Coastal schools in Alappuzha reportedly declared holiday ALAPPUZHA: A protest march organised by the Alappuzha diocese of the Latin Catholic Church on the tsunami scholarship issue on Tuesday, in which over 2,500 children from 17 coastal schools participated, is snowballing into a controversy. The government has ordered an enquiry into how the schools could use these children for an agitation by illegally declaring a holiday. Children from all classes including lower primary and higher schools at Pllithode, Azheekal, Arthnukal, Kattoor, Omanapuzha and Punnapra participated in the agitation. The schools had reportedly declared a day?s holiday so that the diocese could take the children for the protest march. A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Director, Public Instruction, told The Hindu that an enquiry had been ordered following reports that schools had ?unwarrantedly and illegally? given holidays. A report from district-level education officials was awaited, based on which ?stringent action? would be taken against managers and headmasters of the schools, he said. The protest march, from the Bhattathiri Purayidom to the district collectorate, was part of the ongoing 49-day relay satyagraha and agitation by the diocese, alleging that students from the Alappuzha coast were denied tsunami scholarships. The march, held under the scorching heat from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, is said to have drawn objections from several parents. Meanwhile, talks convened by Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran with diocese representatives at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday failed to reach at a solution. Earlier efforts of the State government, most recently by Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, to convince the diocese that the funds allowed by the Centre were inadequate to grant scholarships to all the 21,656 students from Alappuzha, had failed. Mr. Sarma had said that the State government would have to distribute the scholarships equally to students from all the nine coastal districts. A request to the Centre to enhance the funds for the scholarship was yet to receive any response. The diocese has refused to buy this theory, conducting various protests for the last two months. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110554370400.htm New Delhi Demonstration at Delhi University NEW DELHI: The Democratic Teachers? Forum for Social Justice held a demonstration at Delhi University on Tuesday demanding ?social justice for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes at all levels?. The Forum has demanded immediate implementation of the University Grants Commission?s guidelines (May 2006) regarding reservation in teaching positions for SC/ST candidates. It has also said that the ad hoc positions for teaching posts reserved for SCs/STs/OBCs must be filled by reserved candidates only, said Forum coordinator Ratan Lal. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112556350300.htm Karnataka - Mysore Teachers protest against ?injustice? Staff Correspondent Demand upgrading of pay scales, promotion of eligible teachers ? PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM Demand: Members of Mysore University Teachers? Association staging a demonstration in front of Crawford Hall in Mysore on Monday. MYSORE: Members of Mysore University Teachers? Association (MUTA) staged a demonstration in front of Crawford Hall here on Monday protesting against the ?injustice? meted out to teachers eligible for upgrading pay scales and promotions under Career Advance Scheme (CAS) of the University Grants Commission. The members led by general secretary of the association Thimmarayappa met acting Vice-Chancellor of the university C.P. Siddashrama and urged him to intervene in the matter. They submitted a memorandum pressing him to expedite the process of upgrading the pay scales and promoting eligible teachers, which was being withheld for the past three years. Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Thimmarayappa said that a delay would create a problem in fixing pay scales of teachers when the revised UGC pay scales were introduced and eligible teachers would be denied promotion and upgradation in accordance with seniority. He alleged that the university administration had denied upgradation of pay scales and promotions to 18 eligible teachers. Though it was mandatory for the teachers to complete refresher and orientation courses to get senior scale promotion after completion of stipulated years of service, the university had upgraded teachers who had not completed refresher course in 2005. Interestingly, 18 teachers who had fulfilled all the eligibility requirements and completed refresher and orientation course had been denied promotion, he said. MUTA referred the issue to the Syndicate which formed a subcommittee to look into the matter. The subcommittee concluded that the administration had meted out injustice to 18 teachers. Mr. Thimmarayappa alleged that when the MUTA delegation met Registrar B.J. Hosmat, he ill-treated members of the delegation. Prof. Siddashrama promised the teachers to set right the ?injustice?. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112053050300.htm Nov 20 2008 Other States - Puducherry Lecturers stage protest Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Government Directly Recruited Higher Secondary Lecturers? Association staged a protest on Wednesday to demand creation of additional posts of Vice-Principals and proper implementation of Assured Career Progression (ACP). Secretary of the association K. Ramu said the government had announced the creation of 48 additional Vice-Principal posts in the Assembly in 2006 to enhance the promotion chances of lecturers. But the posts have still not been created, leaving the lecturers with eight per cent chance of being promoted. ?As many as 200 lecturers are working in the same cadre of lecturers for the last 27 years. If the additional posts of Vice-Principals are created, then the chances for promotion will increase,? he said. The association urged the government for proper implementation of ACP with full monetary benefits for the lecturers. ?In the last three years, 14 posts of Vice-Principals in government higher secondary schools remain vacant. We want the government to fill the posts immediately. In addition, the government should evolve a regional transfer policy before executing the inter-regional transfers,? he pointed out. Apart from this, he said lecturers in rural areas should receive an additional 10 per cent as ?village allowance.? http://allafrica.com/stories/200811110533.html Nigeria: Teachers Protest Payment of Old Salary Scale Francis Ugwoke 11 November 2008 Enugu ? A good number of primary school teachers yesterday took to the streets in Enugu metropolis to protest continued payment of old salaries instead of the new salary scale that was approved by the State Government for the workers in the state. The teachers who were representatives of various schools in the state were armed with placards, marching from one street to the other in the Independence Layout in Enugu. They had first gone to the premises of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) at Independence Layout, which is close to the State House of Assembly, before heading to the Government House, where they called on the State Governor, Mr Sullivan Chime to compel the State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) to pay their new salary structure or face the wrath of teachers. It was gathered that the action of the teachers may have taken government functionaries by surprise as the Permanent Secretary, State School Board, Mr Gabriel Aja , made spirited efforts to persuade them to call off their action. Aja, who had traced the protesting teachers to the NTA premises made attempts to dialogue with them but was rebuffed, as the teachers maintained that they preferred to take their grievances to the governor instead. Some of the teachers who blamed the problem on the State Schools Board said it was better to take the problem to the governor for immediate attention. At the Government House, the Governor's Special Adviser on Conflict Resolution, Mr Casmir Ngwoke was on hand to appeal to the teachers to calm down, promising that government would respond to their demand without delay.But the spokesman for the teachers, Mr Silas Ugwu, insisted that they want the Governor to personally intervene on the matter, adding that the management of the State School Board has not been sincere to the teachers on the payment of the new salary scale. (ThisDay) http://allafrica.com/stories/200811241295.html Nigeria: Delta Suspends 15 Teachers Over Planned Protest Austin Ogwuda 24 November 2008 THE Executive Chairman of the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Nkem Okwuofu has ordered the suspension of fifteen primary school teachers for planning to instigate teachers to go on strike in demand for 2006 promotional arrears among other demands. Trouble started when a group of primary school teachers under the aegis of Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAM), Delta State chapter led by its President, Mr. Lawrence Salami, paid a courtesy visit to the SUBEB boss in Asaba last week Thursday. But they got the shocker when she dressed them down describing the body as illegal and lambasted them for circulating a communiqu? reached at the earlier meeting threatening to call out their colleagues on strike over the alleged failure of the state government to pay the 2006 and 2007 promotion arrears among other demands, where they warned that the strike would commence if the demands were not met by the end of this month of November. Okwuofu, who was visibly angry while addressing them, said that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan's administration has been magnanimous in seeing to the welfare of teachers, noting that the suspension placed on the affected teachers will be for a period of month without pay, but threatened that if such a thing occurs in the future, they will be summarily dismissed. from service. [Vanguard] http://www.ameinfo.com/176203.html Lebanese teachers stage protest over pay Lebanon: Wednesday, November 19 - 2008 at 08:59 At least 100,000 teachers in public and private schools in Lebanon are staging a one-day protest to demand better pay, forcing about 1 million students to stay home, reported Reuters. The teachers' unions say a recent government-decreed pay raise of 200,000 Lebanese pounds ($133) a month for all employees was not enough. http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/1228/55/ Warning as more education protests planned Thursday, 06 November 2008 THERE will be more protests to come. That was the stark warning following the huge protest at the D?il last week, which included thousands of Northside teachers and parents vehemently opposed to the education cutbacks proposed in Budget 2009. North inner city schoolteacher and member of the Workers? Solidarity Movement, Gregor Kerr, was among the protestors. ?For me the main issue is class size,? Mr Kerr told Northside People. ?In the last two Programmes for Government, we were promised they would decrease but now they are set to increase. ?There is now a great need to launch a campaign to make the Government reverse this ill thought out decision. Mr Kerr believes there are many elements to the budget that are ?petty and mean-minded? such as cutbacks on Traveller education and loss of language support teachers. ?If we want to see proper integration in our schools and ensure that people from disadvantaged backgrounds make it to third level, an alliance between teachers, parents and students to fight these cutbacks is needed,? he added. Michelle Keane, principal at St Patrick?s Senior National School in Skerries, told Northside People she sent a letter home to every parent encouraging them to attend the protest. ?We worked very hard for the last few years to maintain our numbers so we wouldn?t lose any teachers,? said Ms Keane. ?Now the goalposts have moved and we will be losing a teacher. ?We were also told there will be no substitute teachers available.? Ms Keane said people are very concerned that this is going to cause havoc for the school. ?Therefore, I was delighted to see such strong numbers at the Dail,? she added. ?It is a short-sighted decision as the Government can?t make up for the years of education it is about to take away from its citizens. ?We are not going to give up and seeing so many people taking to the streets was extremely heartening. ?I was unable to attend myself unfortunately but fully intend to start putting pressure on local public representatives over this.? Cllr Aodhan O Riordain (Lab), who is also principal of St Laurence O?Toole?s Girls? National School in the north inner city, said the protests went very well. ?It was good to see a strong crowd of angry parents and teachers standing together on this issue,? he stated. ?The protest was as impressive as the demonstrations by the pensioners and third level students which had preceded it.? Cllr O Riordain said there was a great sense of unity of purpose between the unions, parents and members of political parties. ?There are more marches planned,? he warned. ?We won?t let the Government get away with these cutbacks. ?People are getting more and more angry with the current situation.? Cian O?Callaghan, Labour?s candidate in the Howth ward for next year?s local elections, slammed the Government for breaking its pledge to reduce class sizes to under 20 for all children under nine. ?One in four children across Ireland is taught in a class of 30 or more and some children in Baldoyle are forced to learn in classes of up to 38,? claimed Mr O?Callaghan. ?Now not only is the Government breaking its promise to reduce class sizes, it is making a bad situation worse. ?These cuts are also shortsighted as the population of schoolgoing children in the Baldoyle area is about to mushroom due to the development at the Coast.? Mr O?Callaghan said it?s difficult to overstate the seriousness of what the Government is now proposing and the implications for the future prospects of children. ?These cuts will cost up to 2,000 job losses, according to the teachers? unions, while the decision to increase class sizes will force our children into the largest classes in Europe,? he added. ?Ending cover for teachers who are sick will inevitably result in children having to be sent home.? Dublin North East TD Terence Flanagan (FG) was also among the protestors. ?How can students learn and teachers teach in massive classes?? he asked. ?What will happen to the large amount of foreign students who will now be denied access to a language support teacher? ?The ending of substitution hours will leave schools with no choice but to send pupils home, forcing parents to go sick from work.? Deputy Flanagan said he has received numerous calls and letters from schools in Dublin North East affected by the cutbacks. ?Teachers in the Donahies have informed me that their school will be unworkable and that the education of students will seriously deteriorate,? he added. ?The Donahies will lose two teachers which will lead to the surplus students being shoved into other classes that are already full to the brim.? http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1108/education.html Galway protest over education cuts Saturday, 8 November 2008 Up to 8,000 parents and teachers staged a protest in Galway today against what they called the 'savage' education cuts in last month's Budget. Among those addressing the rally was INTO General Secretary John Carr and Sean Holian of the Irish Primary Principals' Network. It is the first of a series of countrywide protests calling for a reversal of the new measures. Advertisement Further demonstrations are expected to take in Offaly, Cork and Donegal, finishing with a mass rally in Dublin on 6 December. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08305/924405-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml S. Butler parents protest as teacher strike continues Friday, October 31, 2008 By Anya Sostek, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dozens of parents and students in the South Butler County School District held a rally across the street from Knoch High School this afternoon, holding signs that read "Taxpayer on Strike" and "I Miss My Teacher" to protest the teacher strike that began last week. About 185 teachers in the school district went on strike Oct. 23 after working without a contract since June 30. At the rally, many parents expressed frustration over the teacher's union. "They're asking for such a large raise in these economic times," said Ron Brooks, whose son David is in the fourth grade. "They're holding out for a little bit too much." The two sides are working with a state mediator to schedule another negotiating session next week, said Butch Santicola of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. First published on October 31, 2008 at 3:30 pm http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/30/europe/EU-Romania-Teachers-Protest.php 190,000 Romanian teachers plan strikes over pay The Associated Press Published: October 30, 2008 BUCHAREST, Romania: About 190,000 teachers in Romania said Thursday they will strike next month to protest a delay in receiving a 50 percent raise. Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu issued a decree Tuesday delaying the raise, which had been approved by Parliament, saying it must wait until April 1 given Romania's economic problems. He warned that other public workers would demand big pay increases, too. Hundreds of thousands of them have threatened a strike Nov. 20 if they do not also get a 50 percent raise. President Traian Basescu called on workers not to strike before elections Nov. 30. But he added that Romania should redirect resources to education and health, saying teachers and doctors were emigrating due to low salaries and poor conditions. The teachers plan to walk off the job for two hours Nov. 10, then to begin an indefinite strike Nov. 18. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081118/LOCAL04/811180351/-1/LOCAL11 Published: November 18, 2008 3:00 a.m. Parents protest shuffling at NACS Kelly Soderlund The Journal Gazette Northwest Allen County Schools Superintendent Steve Yager is proposing redistricting students from Hickory Center, Huntertown and Cedar Canyon elementary schools and moving them to the new Eel River Elementary School and Perry Hill Elementary School. Below are some neighborhoods that would be affected under the plan. Parents upset that their children will have to switch schools for the second time in three years pleaded their case at the Northwest Allen County Schools board meeting Monday, asking the superintendent to reconsider his redistricting plan. Under Superintendent Steve Yager?s proposal, about 130 students who live in The Oaks and Oak Crossing neighborhoods would be moved from Cedar Canyon Elementary School to Perry Hill Elementary School for the 2009-10 school year to balance the two schools? populations. Parents are upset because their children were just moved to Cedar Canyon from Perry Hill when it opened for the 2006-07 school year as part of a redistricting plan to fill the school. ?As a parent from this neighborhood, we sort of feel like you don?t know what to do with us,? parent Tim Dinius told the board. The proposal was attached to another redistricting plan that will populate the new Eel River Elementary School, set to open for the 2009-10 school year at Hathaway and Bethel roads. The new school will take a third of the students and staff from both Huntertown and Hickory Center elementary schools and house a projected 420 students. Yager told the board to think about his plan until the Dec. 1 board meeting when he would like them to vote on it. Parents are hoping the board scraps the Cedar Canyon and Perry Hill portion. ?I know that a lot of people are unhappy about it,? parent Julie Taylor said. ?I think a lot of us feel like we?re kind of getting kicked out.? The construction of both Cedar Canyon and Eel River is because of the enrollment boom the school district has seen over the past couple of years. The enrollment at Cedar Canyon this year is 523 students ? fewer than 30 students less than the building?s capacity. The district grew by 114 students this year and by 180 students from the 2006-07 to the 2007-08 school year. ?When you?re growing that rapidly, things are going to change,? Yager told parents. Parents believe that because of the poor economy not as many people will move into the district, and the growth spurt is finished. They want district officials to wait longer before moving the students to see whether projected future growth pans out. ksoderlund at jg.net http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=50802 Protesters Argue Against CSU Cuts Posted By: Jennifer Smith 4 months ago SACRAMENTO, CA - They call it a "Board of Consequences." CSU Sacramento faculty, students and staff rallied Wednesday to protest proposed cuts of $66.3 million to the CSU budget and caps on enrollment, and posted their concerns on a big board outside the campus library. All 23 CSU campuses have been directed to reduce their budgets by about 7 percent, and some have already laid off or trimmed the work of lecturers and other part-time faculty. A hiring and pay freeze may also be considered. Joining us Live_OnLine Wednesday was Dr. Kevin Wehr, Professor of Sociology at Sacramento State University. He described how CSUS students and faculty are posting personal stories of the impact of the cuts on the "Board of Consequences." They have sent several hundred fax messages to Governor Schwarzenegger to protest the cuts, and will continue to send them. Professor Wehr said faculty and students are getting anxious, as the cuts continue to come. He said it makes it difficult to prepare curriculum, and for students to to plan their progress toward graduation, which for some may now be delayed. Professor Wehr said the Administration, Faculty, staff and students are all working together to try and preserve and protect the CSU education. News10/KXTV Copyright 2009 / All Rights Reserved http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=56349 Educators, Students Rally Against Higher Ed Cuts Posted By: Julia Fox Posted By: Nicole Chavez 9 days ago SACRAMENTO, CA - Thousands of college students, faculty and staff descended on the State Capitol to protest budget cuts, fee increases and layoffs. Protestors who marched from West Sacramento to the capitol Monday morning said community colleges are only being funded about two percent more each year, while their enrollments are increasing by 10 percent. According to students, this means that it's harder to get classes and that it's taking longer to get through school. "We're looking ahead," said Dean Murakami, who teaches at American River College. "I think California needs to decide what's important, not only for California now, but in our future and we are willing to make the proper investment in education today." Also at Monday's rally were representatives from the University of California and California State University systems. The budget approved in February chopped $450 million from UC and $283 million from CSU. "I need that piece of paper to get a better job, " said Patricia Hoskins. She's worried that increased fees and overcrowded classes will force her to give up her full-time student status. "I'll have to become a part-time student and go back to work making minimum wage. I don't want that. I want to become a teacher," she said. Bob Price, a professor at the City College of San Francisco, said he fears that college budget cuts will keep eventually hamper California's ability to get back on firm financial footing. "We've already reduced the number of classes we offer," said Price. "A lot of times we see students waiting semester after semester for classes that they need to move on to UC or CSU. It really delays their education and sometimes they give up." Marchers said they realize there's not much they'll be able to do about the current budget, but they hope legislators spare them more pain if the economy worsens. According to the California Legislature's budget analyst, the recession has created another $8 billion hole. The unemployment rate, further declines in the stock market and lower tax collections have led to the lower revenue projections. "We're going to have another $8 billion shortfall," said Axel Borg, a UC Davis librarian. "I think we're going to have to do a new budget and hopefully legislators recognize the role higher education plays." http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidgbmhidkf/rss2/ Teachers and parents to protest at education cuts 15/11/2008 - 12:24:19 Teachers and parents are taking to the streets of Tullamore in Co Offaly today, in protest against the education cuts contained in last month's Budget. The rally has been organised by the Irish National Teacher's Organisation and members from Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Meath, Westmeath, Longford and Tipperary are expected to take part. Protestors are gathering at the Tullamore Court Hotel at around 1pm and will then march to O'Connor Square. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1115/budget.html Teachers protest over education cuts Saturday, 15 November 2008 Around 4,000 teachers protested against cuts in the education sector in Tullamore, Co Offaly, this afternoon. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation, which represents primary school teachers, said teachers and parents from Offaly, Laois, North Tipperary and Kilkenny took part. Parents, principals, and representatives of boards of management were among the speakers. Advertisement A protest organiser said that Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright is the only national politician who has agreed to address the protest, which marched to O'Connor Square. Meanwhile, education cuts are expected to be raised at the annual conference of the National Parents Council for primary schools in Athlone, Co Westmeath this weekend. The Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe was listed in the conference agenda to open proceedings this morning. He did not address the delegates. Protest against cancer vaccine cuts Elsewhere, a protest against the suspension of the cervical cancer vaccination programme has taken place in Dublin. The rally was organised by a group calling itself the Feminist Open Forum. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidqleyqlmh/rss2/ 25,000 protest in Cork over education cuts Print Email+ Share+ 22/11/2008 - 15:59:53 Up to 25,000 people have taken to the streets of Cork today, to protest against education cutbacks in the budget. Parents, teachers and unions took part in the demonstration, to highlight their concerns over rising class sizes and staff cuts. Today's march is one in a series of protests organised by the Irish National Teacher's Organisation, culminating in a national rally in Dublin on December 6. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1122/education.html Protest in Cork over education cuts Saturday, 22 November 2008 Between 20,000 and 25,000 people have marched through the streets of Cork to protest at education cuts. The march was one of a series of demonstrations organised by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, which says children should not be made to pay for the current difficulties in the economy. Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe said he simply does not have the funds to reverse the cuts. Advertisement This is the third time teachers, pupils and their parents have taken to the streets protesting against education cutbacks and the INTO says marches will continue until the cuts are reversed. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1122/education.html Protest in Cork over education cuts Saturday, 22 November 2008 Between 20,000 and 25,000 people have marched through the streets of Cork to protest at education cuts. The march was one of a series of demonstrations organised by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, which says children should not be made to pay for the current difficulties in the economy. Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe said he simply does not have the funds to reverse the cuts. Advertisement This is the third time teachers, pupils and their parents have taken to the streets protesting against education cutbacks and the INTO says marches will continue until the cuts are reversed. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhidideycwmh/rss2/ Protest in Donegal over education cuts Print Email+ Share+ 29/11/2008 - 08:46:46 Teachers, parents and children are taking to the streets of Donegal today to voice their concerns at education cutbacks announced in last month's Budget. The protest is one of a series of demonstrations organised by the Irish National Teachers Organisation. Up to 5,000 people from Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo are expected to attend the protest. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1129/budget.html Separate protests over Budget cuts Saturday, 29 November 2008 Teachers groups and farmers and have staged separate protests against Budget cuts. Up to 8,000 people took part in a protest march in Donegal town against cuts in education. They were addressed by the General Secretary of the INTO, John Carr. Representatives of other teaching unions were also there. Advertisement The protest also involved teachers, parents and members of boards of management from schools across Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. A national rally will be held in Dublin next Saturday. INTO President Declan Kelleher has said there was strong political support for the campaign. Meanwhile, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association demonstrated outside a meeting of Fianna F?il councillors in Tullamore, Co Offaly where Taoiseach Brian Cowen and other Government Ministers were in also attendance. http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/1309/55/ Northside education protests to continue Thursday, 27 November 2008 GROUPS of concerned Northside parents, students and teachers, who have been picketing the constituency office of Se?n Haughey, the Minister for Lifelong Learning, for the past four weeks, have vowed to continue their protests. Around 100 people turned up at Deputy Haughey?s office in Artane last week to vent their anger over the cuts in education that were announced in Budget 2009. Teachers and parents and schoolchildren spoke to the assembled crowd about the effects the cuts would have on them. They vowed to carry out the protests every week in the hope that Deputy Haughey might ?finally turn up? to explain his Government?s cutbacks. Martin O'Sullivan, from Edenmore, is among the protest organisers. ?Things have been going very well,? Mr O?Sullivan told Northside People. ?Word has been spreading around the area and we have been getting a great turnout every week. ?This week there were loads of schoolchildren present; it?s good that we have a mix of teachers, parents and the students themselves. ?Class size affects everyone and we are calling for the Government to reduce class sizes, as well as get rid of hidden costs brought in during the budget.? Mr O?Sullivan is part of the People Before Profit group, a network of campaigning groups from across the country. He said members of Sinn Fein, Labour and the Socialist Workers Party have also supported the protests. ?We are building towards the big Irish National Teachers? Organisation (INTO) protest, which will take place at noon on December 6 in Parnell Square,? he added. ?We will be protesting every week until then. Anyone is welcome to come along on Thursdays at 7.30pm and the office is at 5 Mornington Park, Artane.? When contacted by Northside People Minister Haughey declined to comment. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081120/LOCAL04/811200318/-1/LOCAL11 Charter firings stir protest Parents demand reasons for 2 educators' hasty exit Kelly Soderlund The Journal Gazette Dean Musser Jr. | The Journal Gazette Georgia Brown hands out petitions Wednesday protesting the firing of two administrators at Imagine MASTer Academy. A group of Imagine MASTer Academy parents want the company behind the charter school to implement better employment safeguards for teachers, reinstate two administrators who were fired and terminate the man who fired them. Parents have held several heated meetings to discuss the decision of Guy Platter, regional director for Imagine Schools, to fire former principal Bruce Greening and Jennifer Murray, who held a number of administrative duties and was a teacher last year. Parent Steve Neeley is spearheading an effort to gather signatures for a petition to be sent to Imagine Schools, the Virginia-based company that oversees the charter school. Neeley and several other parents stood outside the Wells Street school Wednesday and handed petitions to parents picking up their children. ?The parents are not against Imagine,? Neeley said. ?Our kids are receiving an awesome education there. We?re just worried about the direction of the school.? Despite their efforts, Platter said parents will not get what they want. ?I think, at this point, the decisions have already been made by the company. They?re not going to be reversed. It?s unfortunate (the parents) are creating ? a situation which is only going to tarnish the reputation of the school,? Platter said. Parents have threatened to take their students out of the school, but Platter said since the controversy began, six students have been added to the student body. Parents do not feel Platter has provided them with a good enough reason for his decision. A meeting Friday with new MASTer Academy Principal Jim Huth, who was transferred from Imagine Schools on Broadway, and local entrepreneur Don Willis, president of the Imagine board, who helped bring the school to Fort Wayne, became heated, with emotional parents shouting over one another, Neeley said. The petition asks that teachers have the same protection that employees at other at-will companies have to prevent them from being terminated without just cause or warning. It cites the school?s charter with Ball State University, the authorizer of many charter schools in Indiana, which states that any terminations include the appropriate due process. ?I really was like, ?Can this be right? No reason? No reason for them getting fired?? ? parent Sheri Pedersen said. ?You can?t just turn around and get rid of your top two people for no reason. That?s just ridiculous.? Larry Gabbert, director of Ball State?s Office for Charter Schools, would not comment on the firings, saying it?s Imagine Schools? job to handle personnel matters for its employees. The parents? petition also asks that Greening and Murray be reinstated in their positions, though Greening said he would only consider taking his old job back if Platter was fired. Platter?s termination is the third demand. ?I?ve heard nothing but negative things about Mr. Platter,? Neeley said. ?I believe the oversight that was given to Mr. Greening was overbearing.? Parents have criticized Platter for allegedly micromanaging his staff, being aloof to parents, cursing in front of parents and students, and hurting the morale of the Imagine MASTer Academy community. Greening is flying to Virginia on Saturday to deliver the petition to the founders of Imagine Schools, even though he does not have a confirmed meeting with them. ?I think it?s critical that they meet with me and hear my side,? Greening said of Imagine founders Dennis and Eileen Bakke. Greening has been vocal about his firing and said he was given no warning. Greening said Platter told him he did not execute the school?s vision and lacked ability as a leader to support the decisions made by staff members. Murray also feels she was not given a valid reason for her firing. Platter said all employees are given a letter of intent to hire that states they can be terminated with or without cause. All employees must sign the letter before beginning their job at the school, he said. Platter said it?s important that he listen to parents? advice and be responsive to them for the overall program, but the company also has the right to run its own business, he said. ?We?re just not going to sit down with the parents and have them dictate how it is internally we run our organization,? Platter said. ?It would be similar to any business, feeling like they have to get an OK from their clients for every particular aspect internally for how they run their business.? ksoderlund at jg.net http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa081115_lj_hino.1b77949ec.html Anti-Hinojosa protesters take campaign to his doorstep 07:51 PM CST on Saturday, November 15, 2008 By MONIKA DIAZ / WFAA-TV DISD discord Many inside the Dallas Independent School District are calling for change. On Saturday, protesters took their complaints right to what some think is the root of all the district's problems. Parents, teachers and community leaders have been protesting at DISD and at the homes and businesses of some board trustees. Today's target: Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. Protesters called for the resignation of Hinojosa but this time they did it in front of his house in north Dallas. Maria Yrachata, a concerned parent with two kids in the district, says her faith in its leader is gone. "We need to set the example for our kids. Let's get rid of this one and get someone in here who is going to make a change," she said. There was no sign of the superintendent but that didn't stop the protesters from knocking on his door, begging his neighbors for their support. "We need more support," said one protester. Suzanne Warner and her husband's kids do not go to DISD schools but the controversy plaguing the district is connected to their wallet. "We are dissatisfied. This is our taxpayer money and we pay a lot in taxes," said Warner. They didn't say if Hinojosa should stay or go but they want change. Without it and without a new leader, these protesters say DISD cannot move forward. "Let's rebuild the future of our children, the future of DISD and with Hinojosa at the helm, that is not going to happen," said Carlos Quintanilla from Accion America. They promise to keep on fighting. "I will not stop. I will continue. The fight must go on for kids to achieve what they need to achieve," said former DISD teacher Shemika Taylor. E-mail mdiaz at wfaa.com. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/24/stories/2008112454290300.htm Other States - Puducherry Teachers to stage sit-in protest from today Staff Reporter PUDUCHERRY: The Joint Action Committee of Puducherry State Lecturer?s Association has decided to go on a three-day sit-in protest from November 24 to put forward various demands including provision of grade II and grade III pay scales for lecturers as per the Sixth Pay Commission?s recommendations for teachers. ?For a teacher in the entry grade, the pay scale of grade II should be given for the next 12 years. After 24 years, the salary of grade III should be given. The Sixth Pay Commission has recommended this for teachers and we want the government to implement the same,? one of the organisers of the association S.K. Subramanian said. In 2007, a committee headed by the Director of School Education was formed after a meeting with the Chief Minister, Education Minister and Education Secretary to analyse the situation and come up with recommendations to give promotions for lecturers in government higher secondary schools as per the Central government?s rules and regulations, he said. ?The committee had submitted its report this year and has recommended promotions through change in the recruitment rules for head master grade I. But this has not yet been implemented,? he added. The association said nearly 400 lecturers of government higher secondary schools would go on a sit-in protest in Puducherry region from November 24 to 26. http://www.kentucky.goeport.com/teacher-pay-issue-sparks-protest Teacher pay issue sparks protest Tue, 11/11/2008 - 11:21 ? eport About 25 teachers picketed outside last night's Jefferson County Board of Education meeting, expressing concerns that the district no longer allows part-time teachers to escrow their paychecks. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4A731X20081108?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews 100,000 teachers protest in Lisbon over appraisals Sat Nov 8, 2008 9:14pm GMT LISBON (Reuters) - More than 100,000 teachers from all over Portugal marched in Lisbon Saturday in one of the country's biggest rallies in a decade to protest against the government's attempts to measure their performance. Portugal has some of the lowest school achievement levels in western Europe and the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Socrates has made boosting education a priority. That includes performance evaluation for teachers. Protesters, carrying banners reading "Respect for Teaching," demanded that the government cancel the program. They say the appraisals and excessive bureaucracy involved in the process all but paralysed schools, causing stress and lack of motivation among teachers and students. Unions said as many as 120,000 people took part in the demonstration that clogged Lisbon's main Liberdade avenue and the vast Palace Square facing the Tagus river. Police officials could not confirm the number, saying it was difficult to calculate "given the size of the protest," but witnesses said the crowd was in excess of 100,000 people. Some of the banners called for the resignation of Education Minister Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues. The minister said the evaluation model would continue despite the promise of further protests and a nationwide teachers' strike on January 19. "We have to guarantee to the country the quality of schooling, which will allow us to distinguish and reward those who are better teachers," Lusa news agency quoted Rodrigues as saying. "Giving up is not a solution ... The improvement of teaching is absolutely essential." (Reporting by Andrei Khalip and Jose Ribeiro; Editing by Janet Lawrence) http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/2296667 Portugal protest at education reforms Published: 10:45AM Sunday November 09, 2008 Source: Reuters More than 100,000 teachers from all over Portugal marched in Lisbon on Saturday in one of the country's biggest rallies in a decade to protest against the government's attempts to measure their performance. Portugal has some of the lowest school achievement levels in western Europe and the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Socrates has made boosting education a priority. That includes performance evaluation for teachers. Protesters, carrying banners reading "Respect for Teaching", demanded that the government cancel the programme. They say the appraisals and excessive bureaucracy involved in the process all but paralysed schools, causing stress and lack of motivation among teachers and students. Unions said as many as 120,000 people took part in the demonstration that clogged Lisbon's main Liberdade avenue and the vast Palace Square facing the Tagus river. Police officials could not confirm the number, saying it was difficult to calculate "given the size of the protest", but witnesses said the crowd was in excess of 100,000 people. Some of the banners called for the resignation of Education Minister Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues. The minister said the evaluation model would continue despite the promise of further protests and a nationwide teachers' strike on January 19. "We have to guarantee to the country the quality of schooling, which will allow us to distinguish and reward those who are better teachers," Lusa news agency quoted Rodrigues as saying. "Giving up is not a solution ... The improvement of teaching is absolutely essential." http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612072 French teachers on strike to protest job cuts Posted: 2008/11/21 From: MNN According to teachers` unions, more than half of secondary school teachers and 70 percent of primary school teachers joined the strike. PARIS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- French teachers went on strike Thursday to protest against a government plan to cut jobs in education system, but the government insisted on the reform. According to teachers' unions, more than half of secondary school teachers and 70 percent of primary school teachers joined the strike. Education Minister Xavier Darcos said on Thursday he "heard" the teachers but "the job cuts will continue." He said on RTL Radio: "What counts is the way in which we organize ourselves, the services provided by the teachers, but not simply the number of teachers." The government has cut 11,200 jobs from national education system. Another 13,500 educational positions are due to disappear next year. The teachers' unions said that government aimed to cut state costs at expense of teachers and pupils. Teachers are not the only professionals currently on strike in France. Public TV broadcasters, doctors and air hostesses have also called strikes in the coming weeks. # http://pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/news/s_600268.html?source=rss&feed=31 Apollo-Ridge students protest schedule change Buzz up! By Brian C. Rittmeyer, VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Wednesday, November 26, 2008 About the writer Brian C. Rittmeyer can be reached via e-mail or at 724-226-4701. Home Delivery Over the objections of about 300 students who signed a petition, the school board voted last night to change its high school schedule from a four-period day to an eight-period day effective with the 2009-10 school year. The change was included with the adoption of the high school program of studies for the 2009-10 school year. Included was reducing the number of credits required for graduation from 28 to 25. The state Department of Education requires 21 credits for a student to graduate. A committee had been studying the high school schedule since fall 2007. Apollo-Ridge High School has used the four-period block schedule for about a dozen years, Superintendent Cheryl Griffith said. Students complete four classes per semester that are 80 minutes long, rather than the traditional 40 minutes. Board President Gregory Primm said the new schedule will allow the district to offer more opportunities to high school students and will result in a better education for all students. The school is looking at having classes of 42 to 50 minutes. "It's something we didn't take lightly but we feel it's better for the K-12 program. We have to make use of our resources," board member Dominick Duso said. "The whole idea is to provide the most we can K to 12." Duso said the district will allow for flexibility in the schedule, and will consider adding labs to certain courses that need the additional time. "We are going to try to be as flexible as we can and provide the best we can with what we have," he said. "This is going to be modified every year. This is something we are going to be trying to improve over time." Sophomore Isabelle Glass, 15, of Apollo, organized the petition effort, which saw 294 students in ninth through 11th grade sign on Thursday and Friday. She said students preferred the four-period schedule. "We feel we have more time in class to talk to teachers about concerns with homework assignments," she said, saying she was disappointed with the board's decision. "For the reasons they gave, I hope the students will be able to adapt, but it's going to be very hard." Board member James Carnahan said the board realizes the transition will be most difficult for upper classmen. "I don't think anybody needs to be concerned they'll fall through the cracks and this is going to be a devastating experience," he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7739241.stm Thursday, 20 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version School cash cut protest delivered Parents took their campaign to Scottish Borders Council A 2,800-signature petition against cuts to school funding in the Borders has been handed over to councillors. Scottish Borders Council is considering imposing a 2% "efficiency saving" on the devolved school management money, having already reduced that budget. Pressure group Parents Against Cuts in Education (PACE) said it would oppose any such action. It delivered its petition to a meeting of the authority in Newtown St Boswells. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 07:51:49 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:51:49 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] GERMANY: Massive anti-nuclear protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB24D05.8050208@tesco.net> Anti-nuclear protests blockade route, delay train - some clashes, fires; protesters chain themselves to railways http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3774426,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf 08.11.2008 Protesters Delay Nuclear Waste's Return to Germany Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The nuclear waste left France on Friday Thousands of anti-nuclear demonstrators were trying to obstruct a tightly guarded convoy of spent nuclear fuel on its way to a German storage facility. Near the warehouse in Gorleben in northern German, where many tons of radioactive waste are stored, more than 6,000 protesters thronged roads on Saturday, Nov. 8, just before a protest rally. In the south of Germany, other demonstrators flocked to railway tracks expected to be used by the freight train convoy when it arrived from a French waste-reprocessing plant at La Hague on the Atlantic coast. Two men and a woman chained themselves to the rail track at the small border town of Berg. A police spokesman said it would be difficult to cut them free. Protesters said the train was waiting at Lauterbourg on the French side of the border. Police expect more protests Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The waste was delayed as police had to remove protesters from the train tracks The anti-nuclear movement seeks the immediate closure of all nuclear power stations and believes that waste transport and storage is unsafe. Police said they expected protesters to try to block the convoy route through Germany. Protests became violent in town of Wendland in Lower Saxony on Friday when some demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at the police and set fire to police barricades. They also reportedly smashed the windows of a police car and punctured its tires. Police, however, don't expect the violence to continue. "We're assuming that most of the local demonstrations will take place peacefully," a spokesman said. Germany is studying whether to use an old saltmine near the warehouse in Gorleben as long-term storage for the waste. Fuel from Germany's nuclear plants is routinely sent abroad for reprocessing. It is then returned to the Gorleben storage facility where German anti-nuclear protesters try to delay its arrival. The convoy Saturday, carrying 17 tons of waste encapsulated in 100 tons of glass, was the 11th over the years to carry spent waste to the small town. Some 16,000 German police were detailed to protect the convoy. http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/11/10/protests-turn-violent-in-germany-as-train-loaded-with-nuclear-waste-rolls-through-countryside/ Protests Turn Violent in Germany as Train Loaded with Nuclear Waste Rolls Through Countryside [Updated w/ Video] Written by Timothy B. Hurst Published on November 10th, 2008 Posted in Action & Activism, Energy & Fuel, Nature & Conservation Thousands of anti-nuclear campaigners have assembled along a train route in Germany to protest the annual convoy carrying tons of nuclear waste from France to a storage facility in northeastern Germany. 10 votesBuzz up! In what is becoming an annual ritual of civil resistance and direct action in Germany , more than 15,000 anti-nuclear protesters turned out along the route to Gorleben on Sunday?twice the number at a similar protest at the site two years ago?in the largest and most violent anti-nuclear protest in Germany since 2001. ? ? Read more on Action & Activism The train is carrying spent nuclear fuel that was originally used in German power stations, turned into pellets at a factory in France and then returned to Germany for long-term storage. The cargo consists of 17 tons of waste pellets encapsulated in 100 tons of insulating glass. It is the 11th trainload of waste to be taken from the retreatment facility in Normandy to the salt mines in Gorleben. At the border between the two countries three German demonstrators blocked the train for more than 11 hours by chaining and cementing themselves to the track. Protesters also set barricades on railroad tracks on fire forcing police to use water cannons to extinguish them. As many as 16,000 police mobilized to protect the train throughout its three-day journey, which began in France on Friday. According to reports, several protesters and police were injured in the confrontation, but police gave no reports about the number of victims. To the north, close to the waste facility, protesters defied a ban on demonstrations near the railway and invaded the line. Riot police used batons to disperse the crowd back into nearby woods. The robust anti-nuclear movement in Germany seeks the immediate closure of all nuclear power stations. Demonstration organizers were pleased with the turnout at Gorleben. Jochen Stay, spokesman for the anti-nuclear group x-tausendmal quer, called it the ?rebirth of the anti-nuclear movement in Germany.? Although the German government has officially begun phasing out its 17 nuclear power plants by 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the ambitious plan must be slowed if the country hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions significantly. The opposition Social Democrats have vowed to block any attempt to roll back the plans to phase-out nuclear power and will likely make the issue a centerpiece of their campaign in next year?s election. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3776272,00.html Germany | 10.11.2008 Despite Hefty Protest, Nuclear Waste Train on Home Stretch Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Police forces had to remove nuclear protestors from the tracks A train carrying spent radioactive fuel to a long-term storage site in Gorleben near Hamburg is set to embark on the last leg of its journey, after riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters on the weekend. A shipment of spent radioactive fuel was prepared for the last stage of its trip to a long-term storage site in Gorleben as thousands of police protected the train against protestors. The train carrying the waste from France arrived at Dannenberg terminal in Lower Saxony early Monday, Nov. 10, at 1:15 am CET with a 14-hour delay after protests tried several times to halt the transport, police said. As during 10 previous shipments of waste to long-term storage in the small town south of Hamburg, protesters aimed to obstruct the freight train. At Dannenberg, the 11 containers carrying the waste will be transferred to trucks which are to take them the final 20 kilometers (12 miles) to Gorleben. Clashes with police Riot police had clashed with 700 protesters Sunday in the North of Germany as the anti-nuclear movement tried to disrupt the train's journey. Elsewhere, wiring and signal gear along German railway lines were set on fire. Though most of the attacks were anonymous, police said it was likely the sabotage was the work of anti-nuclear militants. By early Sunday afternoon, the train, loaded with 17 tons of waste pellets encapsulated in 100 tons of insulating glass, had reached Goettingen in central Germany. To the north, at Hitzacker, close to the waste warehouse, protesters defied a ban on demonstrations near the railway and invaded the line. Some tried to damage it, a police spokesman said. Riot police using batons dispersed the crowd back into nearby woods. Protesters set fire to bales of straw on the rails, which were extinguished by police water-cannon. A Lower Saxony state police spokesman said police had used force, as the protesters had used force. Arson attacks blamed on extremists Three deliberate fires on Saturday knocked out high-speed rail links between the capital Berlin and Hamburg. Federal police said Sunday an anti-nuclear leaflet had been left at the scene of another fire the previous day, near Wiesbaden. At Kassel, central Germany, track wiring was destroyed in a fire Sunday, halting many passenger trains. Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protestors braved terrible weather to make their point Protesters said that with 15,000 demonstrators waiting in cold and rain near Gorleben for the train, their anti-nuclear movement had surged up to a level of support not seen since 2001. At Gorleben many tons of radioactive waste have been accumulated from German power stations after being sealed into glass pellets at a factory in France. Berlin plans to dump the waste long-term in an old salt-mine. The anti-nuclear movement seeks the immediate closure of all nuclear power stations and has been upset at debate in Germany about extending the stations' operation in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. The issue has intensified in Germany after revelations that another salt-mine dump, near Wolfenbuettel, has developed leaks and cracks. On Saturday, the freight train was delayed for about 12 hours by three militants who chained themselves to a lump of concrete under a track near the French border. Police had to carefully dismantle the concrete to detach the trio, delaying the entire transport operation. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g35I36pjyLfDWvOq65T2R-OYNQXQ Police crackdown on German nuclear waste train protests Nov 9, 2008 BERLIN (AFP) ? Police wielding truncheons beat back environmentalists Sunday trying to block a train carrying highly radioactive nuclear waste from western France to a dump in Germany, authorities said. In the largest and most violent anti-nuclear protests since 2001 in Germany, activists set fire to barricades on the tracks in the north of the country, which police extinguished with water cannon. Several protesters and police were injured in the confrontation, police said, without giving any numbers of victims. Railroad crews scrambled to repair the damage overnight to allow the shipment of the 23 tonnes of treated, but still extremely toxic, nuclear waste to continue on to the Gorleben disposal centre. The train had resumed its journey after being stopped for nearly 12 hours Saturday near the Franco-German border by three protesters, German police said. About 15,000 demonstrators rallied along the tracks, most of them in the Gorleben region, joined by a caravan of 300 tractors festooned with anti-nuclear banners. Some 16,000 police were deployed across Germany to ensure the load reached the dump safely. Anti-nuclear group x-tausendmal quer, which organised the demonstrations, argues that the shipments are dangerous and that Germany has not found any permanent solution for what to do with the waste from its nuclear reactors. "This is a strong sign of the renaissance of the anti-nuclear movement," group spokesman Jochen Stay said of the weekend protests. The organisation calls for the quick phase-out of the country's nuclear power plants. By late Sunday, at least 200 anti-nuclear protesters continued to block access to the dump, having decided to keep up their sit-in until Monday, the earliest the convoy could arrive at the site, according to police. The German government has approved plans to mothball the last of its 17 reactors by about 2020. But Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for slowing down the process over fears it will be impossible to slash greenhouse gas emissions without nuclear energy, which emits no carbon dioxide and produces a quarter of the country's electricity. The opposition Greens and the far-left Die Linke party called on their members to join the protests. Polls show most Germans oppose nuclear power but skyrocketing energy costs have sparked the calls to reconsider the phase-out. The waste's odyssey began Friday at the nuclear waste retreatment plant at La Hague in Normandy. The trainload is the 11th of its kind to date. The cargo was halted Saturday for half the day on the French side of the frontier at the station in Lauterbourg when three German militants, two men and a woman, jammed their arms into a block of concrete hidden under the track. Police eventually managed to dislodge them. About 500 demonstrators took part in a sit-in Saturday night at the site. Police reported finding fire accelerant and damage at signal stations which hindered other rail traffic. The shipment was to reach the northern city of Lueneburg late Sunday, 12 hours behind schedule. The cargo will be offloaded onto trucks in the town of Dannenberg 50 kilometre (30 miles) away and is expected to finish the last 20 kilometres of the journey to Gorleben Monday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/12/nuclear-protest-reawakens_n_143229.html Nuclear Protest Reawakens In Germany stumble digg reddit del.ico.us mixx.com ShareThis Der Spiegel | November 12, 2008 09:45 AM ________________________________________ A shipment of radioactive waste from German nuclear plants arrived at a storage site on Tuesday morning after being delayed by fierce protests from nuclear activists. The demonstrations are partly in response to conservative calls for a rethink of the planned phaseout of nuclear power stations. German riot police confronted activists along the route of the nuclear waste transport. Eleven trucks carrying radioactive waste from German nuclear power stations arrived a day late at their destination, a storage site near Gorleben in northern Germany, early on Tuesday morning after thousands of anti-nuclear activists tried to stop the convoy. The protests were far stronger than during the last nuclear shipment to Gorleben in 2006 and are a response to growing calls from the ruling conservative Christian Democrats and from German industry to reverse the decision to phase out the country's nuclear power stations in the next 15 years. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,589782,00.html 11/11/2008 ANTI-NUCLEAR PROTEST REAWAKENS Nuclear Waste Reaches German Storage Site Amid Fierce Protests A shipment of radioactive waste from German nuclear plants arrived at a storage site on Tuesday morning after being delayed by fierce protests from nuclear activists. The demonstrations are partly in response to conservative calls for a rethink of the planned phaseout of nuclear power stations. Getty Images German riot police confronted activists along the route of the nuclear waste transport. Eleven trucks carrying radioactive waste from German nuclear power stations arrived a day late at their destination, a storage site near Gorleben in northern Germany, early on Tuesday morning after thousands of anti-nuclear activists tried to stop the convoy. The protests were far stronger than during the last nuclear shipment to Gorleben in 2006 and are a response to growing calls from the ruling conservative Christian Democrats and from German industry to reverse the decision to phase out the country's nuclear power stations in the next 15 years. At the weekend more than 15,000 people took part in the protests which involved holding up the trucks with sit-down demonstrations, blocking the route with tractors and chaining themselves to concrete obstacles placed in the road. http://news.theage.com.au/world/police-break-up-german-nuclear-protest-20081111-5lw7.html Police break up German nuclear protest Simon Sturdee November 11, 2008 Riot police began breaking up a human blockade of a radioactive waste disposal site in Germany's biggest anti-nuclear protests since 2001, German television reported. Television pictures on Monday showed riot police in groups of four extracting and carrying away one-by-one some of the roughly 1,000 demonstrators at the entrance to the Gorleben plant in northern Germany. In a sign of the fierce popular opposition to nuclear power in Germany, the demonstrators were seeking to block the arrival of 11 trucks containing a total of 123 tonnes of radioactive waste. The shipment, transported by train from western France since Friday, had already seen the biggest and most violent anti-nuclear protests for several years with around 16,000 police deployed. Police had wielded truncheons and sprayed water cannon to put out barricades put on the train tracks and set alight by activists. Several protesters and police were injured. The cargo had been halted Saturday for half the day on the French side of the border when three German militants - two men and a woman - jammed their arms into a block of concrete hidden under the track. Once in Germany, around 15,000 demonstrators rallied along the tracks to block the 11 containers, joined by a caravan of 300 tractors festooned with anti-nuclear banners. The train carrying the waste, which left a retreatment centre in western France on Friday, made it to Dannenberg between Hamburg and Berlin - almost 14 and a half hours late - in the early hours of Monday morning, police said. There it was transferred onto lorries on Monday morning and was due to embark on the final 20-kilometre journey by road - but not until the blockade at Gorleben had been cleared, television channel N-TV said. There were also several dozen tractors in place to block the trucks' two possible routes. Greenpeace said that 12 of its activists had also chained themselves to the trucks. Environmental pressure group BI Umweltschutz said the containers were emitting stronger radioactive rays than is allowed on public roads, calling it "irresponsible" to subject police and demonstrators to such a health risk. The German government has approved plans to mothball the last of its 17 reactors by about 2020, and opinion polls show a majority of people in Western Europe's most populous country oppose nuclear power. But Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the process to be slowed down over fears it will be impossible to slash greenhouse gas emissions without nuclear energy, which produces a quarter of the country's electricity. Skyrocketing energy costs have also sparked the calls to reconsider the phase-out. Anti-nuclear group X-tausendmal quer, which organised the demonstrations, argues that the shipments are dangerous and that Germany has not found any permanent solution for what to do with the waste from its nuclear reactors. "This is a strong sign of the renaissance of the anti-nuclear movement," group spokesman Jochen Stay said of the weekend protests. Many of the protesters outside Gorleben have been there all weekend and have set up camp in chilly and damp conditions outside the site between Hamburg and Berlin. "We haven't had a shower and there is a real camp atmosphere. But we are all on good form," one young female protester said on N-TV. http://rawstory.com/news/2008/German_riot_police_disband_nuke_protest_1110.html German riot police disband nuke protest Agence France-Presse Published: Monday November 10, 2008 BERLIN (AFP) ? German riot police tried Monday to break up a human blockade of a radioactive waste disposal site in the country's biggest anti-nuclear protests since 2001. In a sign of the fierce popular opposition to nuclear power in Germany, security forces in riot gear began extracting and carrying one-by-one some of the roughly 1,000 demonstrators away from the entrance to the Gorleben waste dump in northern Germany, a police spokesman said. The demonstrators, many of whom had braved cold, damp conditions to camp outside the site for several days, were seeking to block the arrival at the site of 11 trucks containing between them 123 tonnes of radioactive waste. The shipment had already seen the biggest and most violent anti-nuclear protests for years as it made its way by train from France over the weekend, with 16,000 police deployed against some 15,000 protestors along the route. Police had used truncheons to disperse protesters and used water cannon to put out barricades set on fire by activists. As a result the train, which left a retreatment centre in western France on Friday, made it to the town of Dannenberg almost 14-and-a-half hours behind schedule, police said. There it was transferred onto lorries on Monday morning and was due to embark on the final 20-kilometre (12-mile) journey by road -- but not until the blockade at Gorleben had been cleared, authorities said. Police said they expected this to happen by the end of the day but the protesters were not leaving without a struggle, with activists doing everything they could to hinder the authorities. A few kilometres from Gorleben, activists built two tall cement pyramids, chaining four demonstrators to each, and parked 37 tractors along the route. "We will stick it out," one young female protester said on rolling news channel N-TV. Environmentalist groups have for years demanded that the shipments be stopped due to possible radiation leaks and security risks. In March 2001, 30,000 police were deployed to halt protests in the largest single security operation in postwar Germany. Environmental pressure group BI Umweltschutz said Monday that the containers were emitting stronger radioactive rays than is allowed on public roads, calling it "irresponsible" to subject police and demonstrators to such a health risk. The German government has approved plans to mothball the last of its 17 reactors by about 2020, and polls show a majority of people in Western Europe's most populous country oppose nuclear power. But Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the process to be slowed down over fears it will be impossible to slash greenhouse gas emissions without nuclear energy, which produces a quarter of the country's electricity. Skyrocketing energy costs have also sparked the calls to reconsider the phase-out. The head of Germany's Green Party, which was in government with Gerhard Schroeder's SPD when the decision to phase out nuclear energy was taken, said that opposition to nuclear power had been less visible in recent times. "But when it comes to it, it can be mobilised," Reinhard Buetikofer said. "The peaceful protest by 16,000 people on Saturday and the numerous actions along the route have shown that people are firmly opposed to nuclear power," the head of the Greens' parliamentary fraction Volker Beck said. The lawmaker called the protests a "huge success." http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3780102,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Environment | 11.11.2008 Nuclear Transport Protests Particularly Violent, Say Police Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The convoy of 11 nuclear waste containers arrived in Gorleben A train carrying nuclear waste has finally reached its destination in Gorleben, Germany, where the radioactive material is to be stored. But it was a long, eventful trip. Thousands of protesters held up a truck convoy carrying nuclear waste in Germany Monday, repeatedly invading a 20-kilometer (12-mile) road leading to a secure storage warehouse. Police said the protests, the biggest since 2001 during the waste transport operations, which take place every few months, were also more violent than usual. Protesters had tried to undermine a railway, seize a truck and shot signalling flares at a police helicopter. Federal police commander Thomas Osterroth said, "A few of them are willing to be very violent." Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Many protestors were peaceful, but police said some were prepared for violence The 10,000 police at the scene were ordered to clear the road before the trucks departed from a railway freight yard carrying the 11 containers. They were bound for the storage site at Gorleben where tons of similar waste are already guarded round the clock. The big containers are a new type, code-named TN 85, with shells designed to withstand greater heat from the high-grade waste, the remains of uranium fuel rods used in German nuclear power stations. Greenpeace claims containers are dangerous The environmentalist group Greenpeace charged that neutron radiation from the containers was 40 percent greater. State regulators rejected this, saying their tests showed the radiation remained within the legally safe limit. About 1,000 protesters who blocked the entrance to the warehouse were carried away one by one by riot police. Police said they faced a major challenge removing eight demonstrators who had chained themselves to concrete blocks near the site. On Saturday it took 12 hours to drill out concrete and remove three protesters who chained themselves to a railtrack on the French border before the waste passed on a train. The train carried the waste from a reprocessing plant La Hague, France to a railhead in the town of Dannenberg, close to Gorleben. Nuclear energy debate in Germany About 15,000 protesters defied a storm to camp out near Gorleben. They said the large turnout was prompted by debate in Germany about returning to nuclear power for the sake of reduced carbon-dioxide emissions. The protesters, who reject nuclear power as unsafe, aim to draw attention to the issue by disrupting the convoys. Under legislation, Germany is to close all its nuclear power plants within the next 15 years. The German government has said little about the protests. But Dieter Althaus, premier of Thuringia state, said Monday the protesters were breaching a national consensus to end nuclear power and store away the waste. DPA news agency (kjb) http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=59710 Thousands protest against France nuclear waste train Updated at: 2030 PST, Sunday, November 09, 2008 PARIS: Thousands of protesters took part Saturday in a demonstration at a nuclear waste disposal centre in northern Germany where a trainload of treated waste is due to arrive from France next week. Police put the number at the Gorleben site at 14,000 with the organisers claiming 16,000 environmentalists had turned out, twice the number at a similar protest at the site two years ago. The train, transporting 123 tonnes of waste, left western France Friday and made its way Saturday through the east of the country, where two demonstrations greeted its passage. It is the 11th such trainload of waste to be taken from the retreatment plant at La Hague in Normandy to Germany and is due to arrive Monday. At the border between the two countries three German demonstrators blocked the train by chaining themselves to the track, police said. The high turnout at Gorleben signalled the "rebirth of the anti-nuclear movement in Germany," said Jochen Stay, spokesman for the organisers of the demonstration. About 10,000 German police officers have been mobilised to protect the train. The waste will be taken by road for the final 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Dannenberg to Gorleben, about 200 kilometres (120) northwest of Berlin. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/09/europe/EU-Germany-Nuclear-Waste.php Protesters delay nuclear transport to Germany The Associated Press Published: November 9, 2008 BERLIN: A disputed shipment of reprocessed nuclear waste has reached Germany 12 hours behind schedule after anti-nuclear demonstrators chained themselves to railroad tracks along the route. German police say some 1,000 people were demonstrating Sunday along the route of the 11 atomic waste containers as they headed to the Goerleben storage site in northern Germany. The containers will be transferred from the train to trucks for the final few miles (kilometers) to the site. They are expected to arrive Monday. Thousands of police are on hand to secure passage of the containers. Spent fuel from Germany's nuclear power plants is sent each year to France and returned reprocessed to the site. Goerleben is a traditional focus of anti-nuclear protests. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/240736,german-nuclear-waste-train-enters-germany-after-protestor-removed.html German nuclear waste train enters Germany after protestor removed Posted : Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:24:15 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Woerth - Police early Sunday ended an 11-hour protest blockade that held up atightly-guarded rail convoy of spent nuclear fuel, freeing the train to enter Germany on its way to a waste dump. The waste train had beenwaiting nearby at Lauterbourg, France. A spokesman for German police said officers had been able to remove the last of three demonstrators who had chained themselves to the tracks by embedding their arms into a huge lump of concrete under the track. Earlier, police had managed to drill away enough of the concrete to detach one protester's bonds at the small border town of Berg. Police said they had to be careful not to harm the protesters. A federal police spokesman said the removal of one protester's bonds enabled police to understand how the other two had secured themselves. German rail officials would determine whether the tracks needed to be repaired after the blockade. The train had originally been expected at 1230 GMT Saturday in Woerth, where the French locomotive was to have been changed out for a German locomotive. The transport began Friday evening in France. The convoy is headed to the warehouse in Gorleben in the northern German countryside, where many tons of radioactive waste are stored. Some 14,500 demonstrators gathered there Saturday to protest, police said. The anti-nuclear movement seeks the immediate closure of all nuclear power stations and believes that waste transport and storage is unsafe. Police expect picketers to try forcibly to block the convoy route through Germany. Germany is studying whether to use an old salt mine near the warehouse in Gorleben as long-term storage for the waste, which originated in German power stations. The issue has become controversial after revelations that another salt mine dump, near Wolfenbuettel, has developed leaks and cracks. The convoy Saturday, carrying 17 tons of waste encapsulated in 100 tons of glass, was the 11th over the years to carry spent waste to the small town. Each shipment has faced fierce demonstrations. More than 16,000 German police were detailed to protect the convoy. Sabotage attacks disrupted high-speed passenger rail services Saturday in both France and Germany. There were no claims of responsibility, but similar attacks have coincided with waste shipments in the past. Police in Germany said they could not rule out a link between three fires in signalling equipment on the high-speed line between Hamburg and Berlin and the protests, but there were no clues as to who the attackers had been. German bullet trains had to be diverted to another route. Metal pipes placed atop overhead power-supply lines in northern France crippled high-speed rail transport between Paris and other European cities, rail company SNCF said. The French railway network management company RFF said the incident was very likely to be "pure vandalism." An RFF spokesman said there was no connection to the transportation of nuclear waste through northern France. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/240717,extra-detaching-chained-german-protesters-proves-long-job.html EXTRA: Detaching chained German protesters proves long job Posted : Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:12:42 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Berlin - Separating three protesters from a German railtrack was slow work Saturday for a team of police after the anti-nuclear activists used an ingenious method to lock themselves in place. During the morning, the two men and a woman fixed their hands and arms inside tubes inside a huge lump of concrete under the track, according to fellow protesters. A trainload of nuclear waste was unable to pass along the line. Obstructing tracks is one way the anti-nuclear movement shows its opposition to the transport of waste. After nightfall, police said they had drilled away enough of the concrete to detach one protester's bonds at the small border town of Berg. Police said they had to be careful not to harm the protesters. The waste train was meanwhile waiting nearby at Lauterbourg, France, at least four hours late. A federal police spokesman said the removal of one protester's bonds enabled police to understand how the other two had secured themselves. This raised the chances the blockade could be broken within a few more hours. http://www.activistmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=952&Itemid=143 14,000 Protest Nuclear Waste Shipment in Germany Written by Al Jazeera Sunday, 09 November 2008 Hundreds of anti-nuclear demonstrators at a waste storage plant in northern Germany are preparing to peacefully protest against the delivery of the spent fuel to the site. About 23 tons of nuclear waste are set to be delivered to the Gorleben plant by truck on Monday, after being transferred from a train which began its journey in France. The train has already been held up by environmental protesters during its journey through Normandy, Bavaria and Lower Saxony. Three German demonstrators stopped the train for 12 hours on Saturday by jamming their arms into a block of concrete hidden under the track at Lauterborg station, on the French side of the border, German police said. The train left for Wuerzburg in Bavaria in southern Germany after police managed to dislodge the protesters on Saturday evening. "This action was prepared, we shall conduct an inquiry," Joerg Zenner of the German police told German television. Hundreds of protesters have attempted to block the line at several points. In one incident, demonstrators set fire to barricades on the track. Large protest On Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated near the nuclear waste disposal centre at Gorleben. Wolfgang Ehmke, a spokeman for the People's Initiative for Ecological Protection, said that the group had protested for 31 years against nuclear waste being stored in Gorleben. "Scientists say it is very dangerous to have a plant here, as the soil stock is in contact with water," he told Al Jazeera on Sunday. "The government originally wanted to stop the production of nuclear energy, but the nuclear industry wants to carry on. Angela Merkel [Germany's prime minister] thus wants the industry to go on, although the opposition Social Democrats want to put all this to a stop. "The demonstration here yesterday was a good day. We were supported by the Social Democrats, the Green party and the Socialists - we are very proud because we now know that we belong to the political mainstream." bout 14,000 demonstrators converged on the site, police said, with protest organisers saying that 16,000 people had turned out. About 500 demonstrators took part in an overnight sit-in at the site, pledging to protest when the waste arrives on Monday. Spent fuel from Germany's nuclear power plants is sent each year to France and Britain for reprocessing and then is returned to the Gorleben site. The waste consignment is the 11th this year to be transported from La Hague to Germany. In 2003, the German government set a two-decade timetable for closing the country's nuclear power plants. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081110183755.ymcwxapsp1&show_article=1 Environmentalists block a road in protest against nuclear power Environmentalists block a road in protest against nuclear power in Grippel, northwestern Germany. German riot police tried Monday to break up a human blockade of a radioactive waste disposal site in the country's biggest anti-nuclear protests since 2001. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/11/10/12437f6f53b2 Nuclear waste train delayed by protests Updated at 2:36pm on 10 November 2008 Police have beaten back protesters trying to block a train carrying radioactive nuclear waste from western France to a dump in Germany. The demonstration is described as the largest and most violent anti-nuclear protest in Germany since 2001. Barricades on railway tracks in northern Germany were set on fire on Saturday. Police used water cannon to extinguish them. Railroad crews have been repairing the damage overnight to allow the shipment of 23 tonnes of nuclear waste to continue to the Gorleben disposal centre. German police say the train was stopped for nearly 12 hours near the Franco-German border. About 15,000 demonstrators rallied along the tracks, mostly in the Gorleben region. Eleventh transport The consignment left a nuclear waste retreatment plant at La Hague in Normandy on Friday. The load is the 11th of its kind to date. The cargo will be loaded on to trucks in the town of Dannenberg and is expected to finish the last 20km of the journey to Gorleben on Monday. About 16,000 police were deployed across Germany to ensure the load reached the dump safely. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 08:21:48 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:21:48 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB2540C.70700@tesco.net> * NIGERIA: Women in nude protest over oil spills * CHILE: Dam-building protested * INDONESIA: Scavengers demand end to waste imports * MACEDONIA: Protests force pollution monitoring at refinery * RUSSIA: Eco-activists under violent attack * PHILIPPINES: Architect pulls out of port project over ecological impact * INDONESIA: Greenpeace blockade palm oil tanker * PHILIPPINES: Aerial spraying protesters shave heads * SPAIN: Greenpeace target nuclear plant * UK: Manchester - Airport "tea party" protest * INDIA: Orissa - Protest against proposed slaughterhouse * INDIA: Orissa - Protesting the entry of GM crops * INDIA: Karnataka - Tree-cutting protests in two cities * HOLLAND: Rotterdam - Eco-activists form protest chain at coal plant * POLAND: Coal mine protest; protesters attacked by miners * CANADA: Oilsands intrusion protested * JAPAN: Road-building project blockaded * ITALY: Protest against polluting cars * US: Vermont - Nuclear plant protested * AUSTRALIA: Activists chain selves to power station conveyor belt in coal protest * UK: Two days of action against coal * Climate protests escalate worldwide * AUSTRALIA: Protests for preservation of forests * AUSTRALIA: Fremantle - Protest against lead exports * AUSTRALIA: Protesters demand GM crops ban * TAIWAN: Conservationists join China protests * AUSTRALIA: Dam protester kayaks from Brisbane to Sydney * SCOTLAND - UK: Protest fails to save park trees * UK: Protest at opencast mine * WALES - UK: National Trust members protest building on site * AUSTRALIA: Gunns AGM attracts protesters * US: Texas - Protest for TV recycling * AUSTRALIA: Pipeline route blockaded * AUSTRALIA: Thousands protest global warming * US: Rockies - "dump the dump" protest * US: Tampa - protest over building plans * US: Brentwood - development protest * US: Oregon - Treesit over logging * Greenpeace fly kite against GM maize * AUSTRALIA: Pipeline protest * NEW ZEALAND: Solid Energy AGM protested - Save Happy Valley * NEW ZEALAND: Farmers join protest over sewage * UK: Fancy dress protest against Heathrow expansion * US - HAWAII - Rail controversy continues * US: Cheyenne - Plans for drilling at reserve draw concern Preservationism * US: Historical re-enactors protest park, site closures * CANADA: Protest to save red caboose * WALES - UK: Protest over hospital demolition * UK: Protest to save quay * GEORGIA: Armenian bloggers protest demolition of churches http://allafrica.com/stories/200811241401.html Daily Independent (Lagos) Nigeria: Bayelsa Women Prepare for Nude Protest Over Agip's Recalcitrance Emma Gbemudu 24 November 2008 Yenagoa ? Aggrieved Ikebiri community women in Southern Ijaw Local Government, Bayelsa State, have concluded arrangements to embark on a nude protest in Yenagoa this week. This, according to them, was because of alleged failure of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to pay compensation for several oil spills in the area since 2006. The protest became imperative as the people alleged the state government and NAOC had been insensitive to the plight of inhabitants, especially on the spill disaster. They are demanding for a compensation of N15 billion from the Italian oil giant to address the problem of their polluted river, fresh water swamp and farm lands which are the means of their livelihood. Emotions are rising in the community as no fewer than 13 persons from the area had lost their lives following the adverse effects of the several spills, resulting from corrosion and equipment failure of NAOC's facilities in the locality. Speaking with Daily Independent in an interview on Sunday in Yenagoa, Ikebiri Women leader, Ebitari Agbakabuwou, however, noted that the police authorities were aware of the proposed protest but that they were appealing to them to shelve the idea. Agbakabuwou said: "Ikebiri kingdom are the victims of Agip's incessant oil spills from the crude oil pipelines since 2006 till date. The impacted area cover over 130,124 and 489 hectares of fresh water and forest swamp land, which is completely wasted due to high level poverty, hunger and malnutrition in the community." The women leader continued: "We will go naked in the state capital because we have been raped by oil spillage for the past 25 years. There was no oil spill site inspection report. The cause of the spill was as a result of corrosion and equipment failure as the lines were due for change due to long stay within the environment. The leakage points have not been clamped by Agip. The company should effect the cleanup of the impacted area." Embittered Agbakabuwou lamented that her aged mother, Madam Bouse-ere James, died just last week from an acute diarrhea attack, since there was no alternative water than that from the polluted river to drink from. She disclosed that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered with NAOC had since expired in 2003, and that the company allegedly refused to embark on any developmental project in the community. According to her, when an MoU expires, the oil firm was bound by relevant provisions to embark on a project yearly, pending when a new one would be written. Several efforts to reach NAOC's spokesman in Port Harcourt, Hardine Orife, failed as his mobile phone was ringing out. http://en.mercopress.com/2008/11/20/marches-to-protest-building-of-dams-in-chilean-patagonia Thursday, November 20th 2008 - 12:00 pm UTC Marches to protest building of dams in Chilean Patagonia Several hundred demonstrators gathered outside of Endesa?s Santiago headquarters Wednesday evening to protest the Spanish-Italian electricity company?s plans to build a huge hydroelectric complex in Chilean Patagonia Accompanied by a musicians and a troupe of colourful costumed dancers demonstrators crowded around the building?s entrance carrying signs that read ?Protect Patagonia? and ?Let?s Get Chile?s Water Back.? ?I think there are different ways to produce energy and in this case, although it would be relatively clean energy, I don?t think flooding Patagonia is the best option,? Fernando, a natural resources engineering student, told the Patagonia Times. Endesa, working in collaboration with Chilean energy company Colb?n, plans to build five massive dams in far southern Chile?s Region XI: three along the Pascua River and two along the Baker. Together the dams, which have an estimated price tag of 3.2 billion USD would add some 2,750 MW of electricity to Chile?s strained central grid. Chile?s current overall generating capacity is approximately 13,000 MW. The project is currently being evaluated by Chilean environmental authorities, which must approve the plan before construction can begin. Backers say it will go a long way toward meeting the country?s growing appetite for electricity, estimated to increase by some 6% annually. Patagonia?s glacier-fed rivers, furthermore, represent clean and efficient energy sources, Endesa and Colb?n insist. And, because the water is located right here in Chile, it is not ? unlike imported oil and natural gas ? subject to uncertain price and supply variations. The project?s many opponents, on the other hand, say the dams will devastate the Baker and Pascua Rivers and open up Chilean Patagonia ? considered one of the world?s last pristine wilderness areas ? to further industrial exploitation. Of equal concern, they say, are plans by Canadian-owned Transelec to build a 2,300 kilometre power line, potentially the world longest to transport the electricity from Patagonian Region XI to energy hungry central Chile. The estimated 1.6 billion USD transmission line, critics warn, would mean clear cutting countless acres of wilderness land and promises to leave a lasting scar across southern Chile?s unique landscape. ?Even though there are other ways to produce energy, (Endesa and Colb?n) choose what?s cheapest for them and most harmful for us,? said Angelo, a Greenpeace volunteer. ?There?s wind and solar energy, also tidal and geothermic energy. In they end those options require a bit more investment, but it has to be done. In Spain they?re already doing it, because the laws require it. Here, companies do what they want.? By Benjamin Witte (patagoniatimes at gmail.com) Scavengers call for end to waste imports Jakarta -- As many as 12,000 scavengers calling themselves the Indonesian Scavengers Association (IPI) demonstrated at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on November 11 demanding an end to the importation of waste into Indonesia. ???Stop waste imports???, shouted IPI general chairperson Kuswoyo during a speech in front of the DPR. According to Kuswoyo, the importation by ???ill- disciplined??? companies not only brings down the price of domestic waste and brings suffering to scavengers, but also violates the law. ???This is clearly written in the law???, said Kuswoyo when speaking with Detik.com. Kuswoyo and around 50 other representatives of the scavengers were later allowed to meet with DPR members who told the protesters that they would follow up their concerns. http://see.oneworldsee.org/article/view/151584/1/3193 Protests Succeed: OKTA Accepts Obligation to Install Pollution Measuring Stations Dejan Georgievski 26 November 2008 The protests of the local population in the villages surrounding the Macedonian oil refinery OKTA, near Skopje, including the block of traffic into and from the refinery, yielded results. The management accepted the demands of the locals and will install pollution levels measuring equipment and will reconstruct the waste water disposal system of the Refinery. The agreement was reached last Monday, at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which will be one of the signatories, together with the representatives of the refinery and the Municipality of Ilinden. ?ika Stojanovski, Mayor of Ilinden, said he was optimistic that the problem with traffic blocks will be solved and added that it was agreed for OKTA to procure the necessary equipment as a donation to the Ministry. The agreement marked the end of the prolonged protests of the citizens of Bujkovci and Miladinovci, the two villages closest to the refinery, who have complained for years over the pollution released by OKTA, causing rising rates of incidence of cancer and respiratory diseases and conditions. Stojanovski noted that all activities will commence immediately after the signing, and that road-blocks will be removed but could appear again if the implementation of agreement doesn`t proceed as planned. The pollution of the refinery has had huge negative effects on the air and the soil in the area, causing irreparable damages to current and future generations. Furthermore, the horrible stench coming from the refinery installations can be felt for kilometres around. An anonymous group of authors retreated to satire and prepared, motivated by the plight of the local population, an internet web-site for the `faux` OKTA Village Travel travel agency, which offers the so-called pollution tourism, offering the refinery as an attractive destination under the motto: OKTA Village ? A place for a new and colourful experience. (For more, visit www.oktavillagetravel.com). The OKTA Management, owned by Greek company Hellenic Petroleum, has refused for years to accept the responsibility for the pollution. From the moment it was privatized, the media repeatedly claimed that the Greek owners invested almost nothing to improve the environmental protection standards at the Refinery, which uses outdated technology and needs through reconstruction and upgrading of technology. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/24/f-rfa-szacka.html Moscow File Chilling attacks The price of protest in today's Russia Last Updated: Monday, November 24, 2008 | 6:15 PM ET A neighbour discovered Mikhail Beketov on November 13. He was lying unconscious, beside his house near Khimki, a suburb of Moscow. File photo of Russian journalist Mikhail Beketov from June 2001. The editor of the Khimkinskaya Pravda newspaper, Beketov was brutally beaten in November 2008 and found unconscious near his home outside Moscow. (Mikhail Metzel/Associated Press) Covered in blood, his skull was cracked and his leg was fractured, those being just some of the wounds he had sustained. Nobody knows how long he was out there. He was taken to the local hospital. Currently, he's in a coma. His leg and several fingers have been amputated due to frostbite. A few days ago, he was transferred to another hospital because of the severity of his condition. But also because the first hospital had received a number of anonymous phone threats concerning Beketov. "I 'm not sure he will make it," says his friend and fellow environmental activist, Mikhail Matveev. Saving a forest Beketov, 49, is a journalist, the owner and editor-in-chief of a local newspaper, Khimkinskaya Pravda, which has been critical of the authorities in Khimki. Beketov blew the whistle more than once on local officials and murky businesses. His latest battle was to try to save a section of the Khimki forest where developers want to build a commercial and service centre, part of a future highway connecting Moscow to St. Petersburg. The first threats came a year ago. In May 2007, his car was set on fire. Last summer, his puppy was shot dead by strangers in front of his neighbours' eyes. Then, a few weeks ago, he received a phone call. An unknown voice said: "You are targeted." To protest the brutal attack on Beketov, a small group of about a dozen people gathered last week in a square near the Kremlin on a cold November afternoon. They wanted to deliver a letter to President Dmitry Medvedev, alerting him to the Beketov case as well as to other, similar attacks on journalists and human rights activists recently. "This brutality, this intimidation, has to stop," says Matveev. "We should have the right to voice our opinions and to protect our forests." When I asked, who did he think was responsible, he answered without hesitation: "Local authorities linked to local developers." At that point, the group of protesters was suddenly surrounded by more than 20 police officers. Only three were allowed to enter the presidential administration office at a time. Most of them just had to wait, while the police kept an eye on everyone. Attacked with a syringe Among those left outside to freeze was a young French women, a sociologist who has lived in Moscow for almost 10 years. Carine Clement, 38, runs the Institute for Collective Action, which connects activists and researchers concerned about rights for tenants and workers. Carine Clement (CBC) On November 13, the same day that Beketov's body was found, she was heading to a public meeting to discuss the current economic crisis when two young men approached her and stuck a syringe with some sort of liquid in it in her thigh. "It was the third physical attack against me in two weeks," she said. She went to a hospital but so far no toxic substance has been detected in her body. She thinks it was simply aimed to scare her. "But next time," she says, "Who knows?" She is absolutely positive that these attacks are linked to her actions against illegal construction and the violations of environmental and democratic norms in Moscow and its outskirts. Movements such as hers are spreading very fast in Russia, she says, and they are not at all welcome by local authorities and the developers, who she suspects of being behind the attacks. "It can also be some fascist movements," she adds. For Clement, it's clear these incidents are on the rise. What seems to have changed, she says, is that now the attacks are not only being perpetrated against specific political dissidents and intellectual leaders. More and more ordinary people, who have become active by simply defending their fundamental rights, are currently being victimized. Is she scared? "I'm more careful now," she says, smiling and pointing to the young man who stands behind her. He is her bodyguard. Men in the shadows It is difficult to know exactly how many journalists and social activists have been attacked and murdered in Russia in recent years. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists reports that at least 47 Russian journalists have been killed in questionable circumstances since 1992. Of those that took place in the past eight years, 13 "bear the marks of contract hits," it says. Indeed, the attacks against journalists and activists continue even as the high-profile trial of those linked to the killing of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who was gunned down two years ago and who happened to be a harsh critic of Vladimir Putin and his protege, Chechen President Ramsan Kadyrov, is getting underway in the Russian capital, behind closed doors. The Russian Interior Ministry, trying to reassure the public, said that the best Moscow investigators have been assigned to find those responsible for the brutal assault on Mikhail Beketov In Politkovskaya's case, the investigation took two years. But those facing trial today are only small fry. The big fish, the main suspect who pulled the trigger, is still at large. No need to say that those who ordered the killing will probably never be found. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081129-175207/Architect-gives-up-1M-in-protest Architect gives up $1M in protest By Robert Gonzaga Central Luzon Desk First Posted 23:37:00 11/29/2008 Filed Under: Environmental Issues SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines?For his belief in protecting the environment, architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. lost what could have been six months of payroll worth $1 million (P48.8 million). Palafox said he had broken ties with a Korean-backed project in this free port after he learned that more than 300 trees would be destroyed to give way to a casino and hotel resort. ?There are 366 trees there, and 37 of them are century-old, so they are heritage trees already. The reason why I broke with that group (Grand Utopia Inc.) is because I refuse to compromise myself and the environment,? Palafox told the Inquirer by interview on Friday. ?I would have gotten $1 million?six months worth of payroll. But that?s rape of the environment,? he said. ?Frankly, in Korea, a project like this will never be allowed. Their government and people will not allow it. But here, government officials let it happen and we are treated like second class citizens,? he said. Not his work Palafox said a foreign architectural firm tapped him to design Grand Utopia?s casino hotel but in the end, he noted, it all amounted to being asked to sign on other people?s work. ?They wanted my name and license, asked me to put my name on the work of others. They have to be investigated for that. No foreign architect can practice in another country without a license,? he said. Palafox said the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is ?trying to get away from the issue.? ?They said in their letter to Eric Park of Grand Utopia that the area was classified as an urban jungle zone. How can they build several levels of basement garages there if they won?t get rid of the trees?? he asked. SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, however, said the agency would protect trees inside the free port and would exert all efforts to save these amid the development of the $120-million Ocean 9 Casino and Hotel Resort. SBMA promise ?We won?t stand for the cutting of trees. Definitely, we won?t allow it,? said Arreza. Amethya dela Llana-Koval, head of the SBMA Ecology Center, said the project site is within the central business district of the free port zone that is not classified as a protected area. ?We only characterized that area as an urban jungle because it was densely populated by trees. But the zoning of that area is commercial, so there should really be no objection to establishments being built there,? Koval said. ?Green spaces? She said no trees would be cut in that area, a former mini golf course established by the United States Navy here. ?No trees will be cut. That?s our policy. What we?re going to do is ball the trees, nurture them, and place them in ?green spaces? within the free port. Some of them will even be left in the area, around the perimeter of the proposed establishment,? she said. The relocated trees, Koval said, would be taken to the ?green spaces? or areas where no or minimal development are allowed. She said the SBMA has given Grand Utopia a demolition permit and a temporary fencing permit. The firm does not have any authority to touch any of the trees in the area, she said. ?They have applied for permits to ball (transplant) the trees, but they have yet to submit the balling plan. The relocation areas are already identified and by the time the environmental compliance certificate has been issued to Grand Utopia?probably by December this year if they comply with all requirements ?then the relocation of the trees can begin,? she said. Koval said the casino and hotel resort project is considered by the SBMA as ?non-critical,? which means that the ecology center can issue an ECC to Grand Utopia without the need of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to approve it. ?It is within the jurisdiction of the SBMA, but we will coordinate with the DENR,? she said. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/11/14/greenpeace-continues-its-protest-in-dumai/ 11/14/08 16:00 Greenpeace continues its protest in Dumai Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - Environmental activists from Greenpeace continued their campaign in Riau Province on Thursday by hanging on the anchor chain of a crude palm oil tanker MT Iso Corallo at Dumai port. Southeast Asian Greenpeace Campaigner for Forest Bustar Maitar said here on Thursday the ship was carrying the CPO of PT. Sinar Mas to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. "This action is a protest against Sinar Mas's continued damaging of peat land in Papua, Kalimantan and Sumatra," Maitar said. Previously, the Greenpeace activists also launched such protest by tying them up to the anchor chain of another CPO tanker, the Gran Couva, on Monday (Nov 10). The action was stopped by the police. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfR4ra3YHr4m8pgdDgWJni7HfSTw Greenpeace stops palm oil shipments from leaving Indonesia (AFP) ? Nov 10, 2008 JAKARTA (AFP) ? Environmental group Greenpeace said Monday it had stopped several palm oil shipments from leaving Indonesia and called for an end to forests and peatlands being destroyed to make way for plantations. The ships were about to leave from Dumai, Indonesia's main oil export port, to Europe. "Greenpeace activists painted the words 'Forest Crime' and 'Climate Crime' on the hull of three palm oil tankers and a barge full of rainforest timber," Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Campaigner Bustar Maitar told AFP. "The government and businesses should stop the rapid conversion of forests and peatlands into palm oil plantation in order to combat climate change," Maitar said. A Greenpeace activist was also chained onto the anchor chain of a ship carrying palm oil owned by the Wilmar group to stop it leaving for the Netherlands. "Deforestation will continue without strong commitment," Maitar said, adding that meeting demand for palm oil was possible without further deforestation. Greenpeace said massive tracts of tropical forests in the easternmost Papua region were being converted for oil palm plantation. The group has also exposed ongoing forest destruction for timber in Papua and discovered fresh forest clearances in the peatland forests of Riau. The rapid conversion of forests and peatlands for palm oil and pulp plantations is a major driver of deforestation in the country. Forest destruction has made Indonesia the world's third biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind the United States and China. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/11/22/news/environmentalists.shave.heads.to.protest.delay.in.ca.ruling.html November 22, 2008 Environmentalists shave heads to protest delay in CA ruling TIRED of waiting for the Court of Appeals (CA) resolution on the controversial ordinance banning aerial spraying, some members of the militant group Mamayan Ayaw sa Aerial (MAA) Spraying shaved off their heads. The group said CA justices gravely violated their rights as they continue to delay the resolution of the case. What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers The night before this, the students treated the protesters to a night of music and poetry from various universities and colleges of Cagayan de Oro. Male protesters shaved off their heads in front of the CA building before staging a noise barrage that lasted for 10 minutes. Also they encouraged motorists to blow their horns as a sign of support to their cause. Alfredo Calud, one of the senior members of MAAs from Davao City, said their decision to get bald was triggered by the CA's undue delay in resolving the issue on whether or not the ordinance banning the aerial spraying is constitutional. Earlier, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association questioned the constitutionality of the Davao City ordinance that banned aerial spraying in the banana plantations. "We are demanding justice and this justice is being stolen from us. This (shaving of heads) is our way of telling the Court of Appeals that many are being lost in our villages-lives, good health, livelihood and the environment," Calud said. Doods Tangonan III, a volunteer of Xavier University's Kristohanong Katilingban Pagkakabana (KKP), one of those who joined the group of people who shaved their heads, explained that he was in solidarity with Maas "because what they are fighting for is the sanctity of human life and the integrity of the creation." "Let this be the statement of the youth group that I am representing, this is in solidarity of the struggle against aerial spraying because I know, we know, that the environment that they are fighting to be preserved and the lives they struggle to be protected against the harm of aerial spraying, speak of the goodness of their intentions," Tangonan said. Two members of the Sumilao farmers also shaved their heads. The Sumilao farmers also traveled from Bukidnon to Cagayan de Oro to show their support to the cause of Maas. For three days, they stayed at the camp called Kampo Alang sa Luwas ug Makinaiyahanong Pag-uma (Kalampag), setup by the Maas few meters away from the CA office. After shaving their heads, the protesters staged a noise barrage in the hope that they will smash the "continued inaction of the CA justices." Around 4 p.m. Thursday, at least 30 nuns visited the campers and led a prayer rally, with the special intention that the justices will be enlightened into resolving immediately the fate of the ordinance. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/20/europe/EU-Spain-Nuclear-Protest.php Spain: Greenpeace protests outside nuke plant The Associated Press Published: November 20, 2008 MADRID, Spain: Greenpeace parked a cargo container at the entrance to an aging Spanish nuclear power plant Thursday and some of its activists climbed inside, in a protest demanding the facility's immediate closure. Other activists chained themselves to the gate of the plant in Garona in northern Spain, the environmental group said. The entrance was not blocked. Greenpeace said the protest is to press the government to shut down Garona immediately and eventually Spain's five other nuclear power plants. Greenpeace said the Garona plant, which came on line in 1970, is obsolete and has safety problems. Spain's six nuclear plants provide 20 percent of the electricity consumed in the country, according to the Industry Ministry. In its general election campaign earlier this year, the ruling Socialist party said it would phase out nuclear energy in favor of renewable sources. "It is time the Socialist government lived up to its pledge to close Garona and the other nuclear plants, said Greenpeace's director in Spain, Juan Lopez de Uralde. Industry Ministry Miguel Sebastian said in an interview published Thursday that the government is open to letting utilities invest money in existing plants to improve safety and prolong their operating lives. "Otherwise, they will gradually be closed as planned," Sebastian was quoted as saying by the newspaper Publico. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1081365_tea_party_airport_protest?rss=yes Tea party airport protest Brian Lashley November 23, 2008 PROTESTERS staged a tea party in the grounds of an historic cottage to show their opposition to plans to expand Manchester Airport. Airport bosses want to build a ?20m extension to the freight terminal on land off Runger Lane, Wythenshawe. They have applied for permission to demolish Grade II-listed Rose Cottage and three other historic properties nearby, as well as a natural pond and dozens of mature trees. Chilly Environmental campaigners, politicians and locals braved chilly winds and rain for the tea party at the 400-year-old cottage on Hasty Lane. Lib Dem councillor Martin Eakins said: "These plans were drawn up before we entered recession. The arguments for local air flight expansion didn't add up then, and they've lost further credibility since. "The airport should do the right thing and withdraw these barbaric plans before its reputation is totally discredited." Committee The plans are expected to go before the main planning committee next month. A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: ?Rose Cottage and the area around it have been proposed for airport development since 1974 and we have kept our tenants informed of the plans. ?The long term prospects for aviation freight are strong, and we want to continue to build upon the success that Manchester Airport has provided for our region in terms of economic growth.? The airport forecasts cargo using its World Freight Centre will increase from the current 166,000 tonnes to more than 271,000 tonnes by 2015. They say both units, measuring 196,000sq ft and 50,000sq ft, would create 60 jobs. The extension is part of the airport's massive expansion programme between now and 2030, enabling it to cope with 50m passengers a year and a huge amount of freight. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110151540300.htm Other States - Orissa Protest against proposed slaughterhouse Correspondent CUUATCK: Hundreds of residents drawn from at least half-a-dozen villages falling under erstwhile Ward No.46 of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Friday demonstrated in front of the district collector?s office demanding shifting of the proposed slaughterhouse in Mattagajpur of the locality. The CMC on October 21 had notified that five slaughterhouses would be opened in the city including one at Mattagajpur on the eastern limits of the city. Ever since the notification came, people of the locality resented the proposal. At a protest meeting held here earlier this week, people from adjacent areas of Mattagajpur, Hat Sahi, Dhia Sahi, Gatiroutpatna, Poporda, Kantilo, Nuapada, Sartol, Bali Sahi and Tini Gharia resented the CMC proposal stating that the area is famous for having several Hindu worship places of repute. ?Having a slaughter house in the vicinity would spoil the spiritual sanctity of the place,? the people complained. They had threatened that they would go to any extent to protest the opening of the slaughter house in the area. Accordingly, villagers took out a massive rally and demonstrated in front of the collector?s office and submitted a memorandum to this effect. http://article.wn.com/view/2008/10/28/Protesting_GM_brinjals_Orissa_entry/ Protesting GM brinjal's Orissa entry The Statesman BHUBANESWAR, Oct. 28: While anti-genetically modified (GM) crop activists continue to protest against GM crops, the Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) brinjal is most likely to be sown in the state next month, claimed Living Farm, an anti-GM group. The brinjals will be sown as part of the countrywide field trials of Varanasi-based Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), said Mr Debjeet Sarangi of Living Farm. The seeds of Bt brinjal developed by Mumbai-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, a... http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111660180300.htm Karnataka - Mangalore Okkuta protests against tree-cutting Staff Correspondent ________________________________________ Agitators carry a cut tree in? funeral procession and put it on pyre? ________________________________________ MANGALORE: The Rashtreeya Parisara Mattu Vanya Jeevi Premigala Okkuta staged a protest here on Friday against cutting of trees. The trees had been cut for widening and concreting of the stretch between Lalbagh and KSRTC bus-stand and between Canara College and Lalbagh. The protestors took out a funeral procession of a cut tree. They later kept the tree on the pyre in front of Gandhi statue near Saibeen complex. The procession was led by secretary of the Okkuta Shashidhar Shetty. The agitators were holding candle lights and banners that read: ?ahimsa paramo dharmaha?. ?Bangalore-model? Mr. Shetty criticised the corporation for cutting trees in the name of development. ?The authorities in Bangalore have not cut the trees for development. As a result, Bangalore has remained a garden city in spite of developments.? He urged the authorities in Mangalore to adopt the same model here. Although the authorities had promised to plant three saplings for every tree cut, the same quantity of oxygen and shade could not be expected to be given by the new trees, he said. Representation The okkuta, in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, has urged the Government to protect trees and wildlife. The trees and wildlife had the right to survive and it needed to be respected, the okkuta said in the letter. It suggested to the Government to provide solar fencing for agriculture fields of farmers and appointment of a wildlife expert in every district. The okkuta demanded that natural and organic farming be promoted in the State. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080071974 Bangaloreans protest to save city's green cover Rati Ramadoss Monday, November 10, 2008, (Bangalore) In Bangalore over 500 people gathered to protest against the widening of 140 arterial roads for the metro train. Widening the roads will mean cutting down thousands of trees that line the roads, and a complete loss of green spaces in the city. A court appointed committee and the Bangalore municipal corporation recently sanctioned the widening of the roads, which will mean more than 30,000 trees will be cut. "Trees as part of the built-in heritage is very important to protect, and I think Bangalore also belongs to people who walk, not just those who drive around in cars," said a Bangalore resident. It's not just the green cover that people are worried about. Krishnamoorthy has owned a stationery store on Avenue road in the city for the past 48 years. But when the road is widened, the 100-year-old shopping area will go, and that will be the end of business for the shopkeepers. "Avenue Road has been around for so many years. It will be a huge problem for all of us. They are widening the road by 1 kilometer. This will make sure that 1.5 lakh people lose their jobs," said Krishnamoorthy, shopkeeper. The reduction in Bangalore's green spaces is an issue that resonates with many environmental activists throughout the world, and is relevant to all our major cities today. With the voices of dissent only growing louder in Bangalore, one just has to wait and see what the government has to say. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Science&set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20081115160530243C177680 Environmental activists form protest chain November 15 2008 at 04:56PM The Hague - Dozens of Greenpeace activists have chained themselves to construction equipment at the building site of a new coal-fired power station in Rotterdam, police and the environmental body said Saturday. Three journalists were fined for trespassing on the Maasvlakte building site of power company E.ON, and negotiations were underway to get the activists to leave, police spokesman Huub Veeneman told AFP. "About 40 to 50 people have chained themselves up to all kinds of machines and cranes since this morning," he said. "We are busy talking to them to persuade them to unchain themselves. If not, we will take them into custody." About another 40 activists were walking around freely on the site, where the group had set up camp on Friday night. The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was offshore with another few dozen people on board to provide moral and logistical support to the activists on the ground, spokeswoman Agnes Derooij told AFP from the ship. Greenpeace said in a statement its activists have halted construction to protest "unfolding climate disaster." They intended to stay there "until the coal plant is cancelled." "The consequences for the climate from this coal plant would be so dramatic, that urgent action is needed now," said the head of Greenpeace's energy and climate campaign, Meike Baretta. The body contends that coal is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. "Coal-fired power stations undermine European targets to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2020. Quitting coal is essential to a meaningful deal to save the climate." E.ON said in a statement earlier in the year that the new power station had been approved in line with Dutch nature conservation laws. "Its environmental performance is leading in the world and fits in with the plans of the Rotterdam/Rijnmond area to continually improve the air quality," it said. Whatever the outcome of Saturday's negotiations, said Veeneman, "everybody who was in the forbidden area will get a fine." Sapa-AFP http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081115204736.ic8bqdrw&show_article=1 Dutch arrest dozens at Greenpeace chain protest Nov 15 03:47 PM US/Eastern Comments (0) Dutch police on Saturday arrested more than 80 Greenpeace activists, many of whom had chained themselves to structures and machinery at the site of a new coal-fired power station in Rotterdam. The environmental group said its action, part of a Europe-wide protest against German power giant EON, was to protest an "unfolding climate disaster". Police spokeswoman Mignon van der Laan told AFP the 82 people arrested had been taken to three police stations in Rotterdam for trespassing on the Maasvlakte building site. "They will all be freed by the end of the evening," she said. The group had set up camp on the perimeters of the site on Friday night. "This morning, in spite of an agreement with the police, they entered the site and were therefore trespassing," said Van der Laan. Thirty-two among the group chained themselves to machinery, buildings and cranes, and had to be freed by police. "We had to arrest all of them. Fifty have been fined for being on forbidden territory, but the 32 who chained themselves will be given a warning to appear in a Dutch court within days to answer to charges." Three journalists were also fined. "The consequences for the climate from this coal plant would be so dramatic, that urgent action is needed now," the head of Greenpeace's energy and climate campaign, Meike Baretta, said in a statement. The body contends that coal is responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. "Coal-fired power stations undermine European targets to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2020. Quitting coal is essential to a meaningful deal to save the climate," Baretta's statement said. The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was offshore from Rotterdam with dozens more people on board to provide moral and logistical support to the activists on the ground, spokeswoman Agnes Derooij told AFP from the vessel. EON said in a statement earlier in the year that the new power station had been approved in line with Dutch nature conservation laws. "Its environmental performance is leading in the world and fits in with the plans of the Rotterdam/Rijnmond area to continually improve the air quality," it said. EON spokesman Hans Schoenmakers told AFP from the site that while activists were entitled to protest, "what we don't like is that they enter our premises and create unsafe conditions. "Of course, we cannot deny that carbon dioxide is emitted from power plants, but we do try to do this in as clean a way as possible. "Electricity has to be produced, and it cannot all come from wind and solar energy," he said. Greenpeace spokesman Andre van der Vlugt said 18 nationalities were represented by the group, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?n=1&neID=20081116375.4_bb0200259951187a Greenpeace blocks Rotterdam harbor to protest coal-fired power plant Copyright: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY BRUSSELS, Nov 16, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- Two Greenpeace ships have blockaded a harbor in the Dutch port of Rotterdam in a bid to stop the construction of a coal-fired power plant in the port area. The German energy company E.ON plans to build eight new coal- fired plants in Europe, one of them in Rotterdam's industrial area. The two ships are preventing ships carrying coal from entering the port, Radio Netherlands reported Sunday. Greenpeace says coal is the most polluting energy source. On Saturday hundreds of environmental activists blockaded the construction site of the new E.ON plant. Dutch police intervened to end the protest. http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Greenpeace_protests_against_planned_coal_mine,id,354207.htm Greenpeace protests against planned coal mine 2008-11-12, 15:25 Greenpeace activists from Poland and abroad are protesting near the lake of Goplo, north eastern Poland against the construction of the Konin coal mine. The ecologists claim that the mine will not only cause the drying out of the lake, but also threaten the whole eco-system of the region. A huge Greenpeace camp had been set up in the village of Roztoka, where the ecologists also constructed a giant sphere shaped conference room, resembling the globe. The Konin mine authorities were surprised to hear about the planned protest; the company had not received any information about the Greenpeace action. The mine?s spokesman said that the allegations of the mine causing the drying up of the lake, had not been confirmed by experts. The Greenpeace protest precedes a giant conference planned for December in the western city of Poznan devoted to climate changes. http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4AN5SL20081124?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews Polish miners, greens clash on eve of climate talks Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:43pm EST By Gabriela Baczynska WARSAW (Reuters) - Greenpeace protesters clashed with coal miners at a new opencast mine on Monday in an incident highlighting Poland's environmental dilemma on the eve of a major U.N.-led conference on climate change. The western Polish city of Poznan will be the venue for the December 1-12 conference aimed at agreeing a new global climate package to replace the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012. But Poland still relies on polluting coal for more than 90 percent of its growing energy needs. Along with other ex-communist European Union states, it opposes parts of an EU climate package forcing big cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. "This is a protest against burning coal and against extracting coal from a mine like this one," Greenpeace Poland spokesman Jacek Winiarski said at the Jozwin opencast mine near Poznan. "We were stopped violently by miners... but fortunately nobody was hurt," he said of the protest, which involved about two dozen Greenpeace activists waving "Quit coal!" banners. The Jozwin mine lies near Goplo lake, listed on the EU's Nature 2000 program aiming to safeguard threatened species in the bloc. Investments can still be conducted in such areas if studies show there is no better option. Konin, the firm that operates Jozwin, also plans to open a second opencast mine in nearby Tomislawice but environmentalists say this could destroy Goplo, home to rare wildlife. The company says it has all necessary permits to press ahead also with the second project, which it estimates to cost around 200 million zlotys ($65.10 million). "We don't plan to scrap this project. Why should we?... We will open the site in two to three years' time. Usually such mines operate for 15 to 20 years," Konin spokesman Radoslaw Stankiewicz told Reuters. KING COAL Greenpeace says Poland should cut its reliance on coal and switch to more environmentally-friendly sources of energy. The Polish government wants to diversify the country's energy sources without harming economic growth, especially at a time of global financial crisis which threatens to undermine Poland's efforts to catch up with richer western Europe. Some Poles share Greenpeace's concerns but others say wealthier western EU states had built up strong infrastructure before embracing the environmental cause. Poland has begun to receive large-scale EU funds to modernize its dilapidated infrastructure, including roads. Greens clashed with local residents and police two years ago in months-long protests over a key highway bypassing the Rospuda river, a wilderness area also protected by Nature 2000, an event that triggered a debate in Poland over how to balance economic growth and protect the environment. (Editing by Gareth Jones) http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=e0fcc582-3fc3-4601-9d66-c0cf163a3cd3 Ft. Chip residents, activists protest oilsands intrusion Clara Ho, The Edmonton Journal Published: Sunday, November 02 2008 Mike Mercredi is ready to fight what he calls the "slow industrial genocide" that oil companies are waging on the people in his hometown of Fort Chipewyan. Last year there were over 20 deaths in the community of 1,200 people. Many were cancer-related deaths, which Mercredi said are linked to the oilsands activities in nearby Fort McMurray. "Let's put a lid on it and slow things down," he said. "The graveyard is getting full." View Larger Image Participants from the Council of Canadians annual general meeting on Saturday march from Veteran's Park at 102nd Street and MacDonald Drive to the legislature to demand a freeze on new approvals of oilsands expansion. The banner's reference to Olympic activity on native land refers to land-claim conflicts on the West Coast. Greg Southam, The Journal Mercredi was among the group of 200 activists who marched through downtown to the legislature grounds Saturday afternoon demanding a halt to new approvals for oilsands projects. As they walked down Jasper Avenue from the Crowne Plaza Hotel, they waved signs and large banners with messages such as "Oil boom, planet doom" and "Crude is rude" while cars drove by and honked in support. The march was organized by the Council of Canadians who were in Edmonton hosting their annual general meeting. Supporting the aboriginal residents of Fort Chipewyan who have been impacted by oilsands development were Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan, Friends of Medicare executive director David Eggen and members of the local Raging Grannies activist group. Duncan said the economic downturn provides an opportunity for the federal and provincial governments "to bring people together, figure out a strategy, and figure out how we're going to consider environment and human health." Assembling on the steps of the legislature building, Maude Barlow, the United Nations' newly appointed water adviser, said oilsands activities need to be slowed down for the sake of future generations. "This is not a sustainable future, this is a death future. This is a future that rapes from the planet so that we can continue to live a certain lifestyle for a few more years and leave our children with the legacy of a dying planet," she said. Barlow clarified that she's not calling for to end all oilsands activity. Rather, she is rejecting the approval of new projects while recommending a full, environmental assessment to find safer, more sustainable ways of mining energy. Barlow's message was the focus of this year's annual general meeting, which started Friday and ends today. One of Saturday's workshops, led by Council of Canadians energy campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue, Greenpeace oilsands campaigner Mike Hudema and Parkland Institute director Gordon Laxer, examined the need for a Canadian energy strategy in the wake of peak oil and climate change. Laxer said he is advocating for a strategy that would supply Canadians first to develop a strong environmental policy as well as "ensure that Canadians don't freeze in the dark in an international supply crisis." Harden-Donahue argued there would not be jobs lost in the slowing of oilsands activities, but more green jobs available in the renewable resources industry. And Hudema urged workshop attendees to consider the human impact of the oilsands on northern communities such as Fort Chipewyan. As for Mercredi, he said he would keep fighting to spread the message to slow oilsands development. "When faced with death, you do whatever you can to survive. So I'm going to fight to the end." http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200811190076.html Protests as roadblock dismantled THE ASAHI SHIMBUN 2008/11/19 Print Share Article Land ministry workers began dismantling a large wooden structure blocking a planned expressway tunnel site in Tokyo, amid protests by opponents to the project on Tuesday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said it took action to aid construction of the Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway, known as the "Ken-O Expressway," to connect Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures through western Tokyo. Conservationists set up the structure in February near the south exit of a tunnel under construction through Mount Takaosan in Hachioji, western Tokyo. The group carries out preservation work on the 599-meter mountain.(IHT/Asahi: November 19,2008) http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-22-voa29.cfm?CFID=156225121&CFTOKEN=63960790&jsessionid=66305def028d02e173b1637e6976364b2859 Greenpeace Protests Against Polluting Cars in Rome By Sabina Castelfranco Rome 22 November 2008 Ancient Rome was the backdrop for the latest protest staged by the international environmental group Greenpeace against polluting cars. Activists say a new European standard aimed at reducing automobile carbon dioxide emissions must not be lessened. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome. Greenpeace activists staged a bit of theater to make their point against polluting cars. Some dressed as barbarians drove three German cars: a Mercedes, a BMW and a VolksWagen into Circus Maximus Saturday morning. Other activists dressed as ancient Romans blocked the cars in a symbolic show of protest. One of the costumed activists explained the significance of colorful protest. "I am a barbarian, just like car-manufacturers are," the activist says, "because they do not reduce their carbon dioxide emissions in such a devastating climate." Greenpeace blames the Italian government for backing German carmakers in efforts to diminish new planned legislation on carbon dioxide emissions for cars. Campaign Director Giuseppe Onufrio explains. "German car producers are heavily lobbying the European Commission to lower the existing proposal on the regulation for the CO2, carbon dioxide emissions for cars," he says. The European Union has proposed reducing emissions by 130 grams per kilometer by the year 2012, and reducing another 95 grams by 2020. Greenpeace says governments including, Germany, Italy, France and Britain have been applying pressure to lessen these objectives. Andrea Lepore is one of the Greenpeace campaigners. "They are trying to weaken the first European legislation to reduce emissions from passenger cars," he says. Activists unrolled a banner in Latin that read: "Go back CO2. Polluters will not prevail." They accused Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whom they described as the new Roman Emperor Nero, of helping to destroy a new proposed E.U. energy and climate package. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=D94LA1G80&utm_source=markets&utm_medium=rss Greenpeace protests genetically modified crops being used in food sold in European Union November 24, 2008 - 07:36 a.m. BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Greenpeace is urging the European Union to ban genetically modified crops from being used in food sold in the bloc. The environmental group says genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, pose "unpredictable risks" to both consumers and the environment. Greenpeace activists climbed the EU headquarters building in Brussels and unfurled a huge yellow banner saying "Stop GMOs!" http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081104/NEWS02/811040368/1003/NEWS02 Yankee protest clears PSB offices A Montpelier firefighter lets a pedestrian into the Chittenden Bank on State Street in Montpelier on Monday while, in the foreground, a protest against Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant takes place on the sidewalk. Authorities said members of the Yankee protest made demands inside the building, then dumped a smelly substance on the floor, sparking a precautionary evacuation of part of the building. The material was determined not to be hazardous and no one was harmed. Police are investigating. Stefan Hard/Times Argus By THATCHER MOATS Times Argus Staff - Published: November 4, 2008 MONTPELIER ? Protesters dumped material that had been soaked in urine ? or a similar smelling substance -? in the offices of the Vermont Public Service Board on Monday, prompting an evacuation of parts of the building, according to police and fire officials. About 15 to 20 protesters entered the office on the fourth floor of the Chittenden Bank building on State Street to express displeasure with Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, officials said. The group made demands of a secretary, handing her something to sign, said Montpelier Police Sgt. Neil Martel. When she would not sign, they dumped material on the floor that smelled of urine, Martel said. The material seemed to be some type of foam packing material, said Montpelier Fire Chief Gesualdo Schneider. The fourth floor and most of the third floor were evacuated, said Schneider, but the fire department quickly determined that the material was not hazardous. Schneider said firefighters spoke with protesters through a third party, and were told that the material was not dangerous. In addition, some protesters had their children with them when the material was dumped, which also indicated it wasn't hazardous, Schneider said. Montpelier Police Chief Anthony Facos said the activity amounted to unlawful mischief or disorderly conduct, but Martel said no one has been charged with a crime and police will not continue their investigation. "There is no further investigation at this point," Martel said. Martel said the people who actually dumped the material were at the back of the group, so no one in the Public Service Board office was able to identify them. There is also no video of the incident, he said. The fact that the protesters are seeking the spotlight also played into the decision not to keep investigating, Martel said. "It's a fine line; they're looking for attention," Martel said. Protesters handed out reading material that said the group was named Green Mountain Earth First! and was rallying against the "unsafe conditions at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power reactor and to petition the Public Service Board to revoke Entergy's Certificate of Public Good." The 36-year-old nuclear power plant is in Vernon, and the owner of the plant, Entergy Nuclear, is seeking a 20-year extension on its license, set to expire in 2012. The Vermont Public Service Board is responsible for regulatory oversight of power plants in the state, including the Vernon plant. Problems with the plant's cooling towers along with a recent evacuation because of increased radiation levels in the control room has prompted public concern about the safety of the plant. http://news.www33.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=661871&rss=yes Two charged over power station protest 18:34 AEST Fri Nov 7 2008 74 days 20 hours 14 minutes ago Demonstrators who chained themselves to a Tarong Power Station conveyer belt have been arrested. Two environmental protesters have been charged after spending four-and-a-half hours chained to a conveyor at one of Queensland's largest coal-fired power stations. A third protester, who unfurled a banner reading "Stopping climate crisis at the coalface" on a pile of coal, was also charged on Friday with trespassing at the Tarong power station in southern Queensland. The trio triggered an evacuation of the power station around 7.15am (AEST) when they were discovered. Police removed the pair, who had attached themselves to a coal conveyor, just before noon. Protest spokeswoman Clare Towler said the action was taken to highlight the need for faster action by the federal government on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. "Community-led action like this is not going to go away," Ms Towler said. "The UN climate talks are coming up in December and that's when the federal government will be releasing emission targets for 2020. "Well, 2020 is too far away. We want to know what Australia's reduction targets will be for the next year, the year after or in five years time before climate change is irreversible," she said. Tarong Energy CEO Helen Gluer said the action was irresponsible. "To have these trespassers show such a blatant disregard for the safety of our employees and themselves is abhorrent," Ms Gluer said. "Thankfully, there were no injuries to Tarong Energy employees, contractors or the trespassers." The protest did not disrupt power supplies. The three protesters are due to appear in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court on December 4. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/07/2413496.htm Police negotiate with conveyor belt coal protesters Posted Fri Nov 7, 2008 2:00pm AEDT ? Map: Tarong 4615 Police say two demonstrators are still chained to a conveyor belt at a south Burnett power station in south-east Queensland. It is believed they are protesting about Australia's continuing reliance on coal as an energy source. Three people entered the grounds of the Tarong Energy power station, south of Kingaroy, just after 7:00am AEST today. Two of them have been chained to the conveyor belt taking coal into the power station for about five hours. A Tarong spokesman says the plant was evacuated when the security breach occurred. He says there is no threat to power supplies at this stage. Police are at the power station trying to resolve the situation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/01/2407554.htm Protesters chain themselves to power station conveyors Posted Sat Nov 1, 2008 10:43am AEDT Updated Sat Nov 1, 2008 11:55am AEDT ? Map: Muswellbrook 2333 Environmental activists managed to disrupt operations at one of the country's largest coal-power stations at Muswellbrook, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley this morning. Four protesters have attached themselves to conveyor belts while another 25 have been taken away from the site by police. The activists say they hope to highlight the failure of the Federal Government to stop Australia's rising greenhouse gas emissions. The operators of the plant will not comment on the disruptions but protester Georgina Woods says production has been affected. "We have attached ourselves to the conveyor belts that send the coal into the furnaces that burn it and create carbon dioxide pollution," she said. Management at the power plant have spoken with protesters but Ms Woods says the action will continue "for as long as possible". "Actions like this are only going to become more common while the Government continues twiddling their thumbs," she said. Ms Woods says police have approached the four protesters padlocked to the conveyor belt and asked them to leave, but there has been no violence or aggression. Bayswater power station was commissioned in 1985 and has been the state's greatest source of electricity, producing about 17,000 GWh a year, or enough to power two million Australian homes. -ABC/AAP http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4A009520081101?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews Environmentalists protest at Australian coal plant Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:20pm EDT SYDNEY (Reuters) - Environmental activists chained themselves to a conveyor belt at one of Australia's largest coal-fired electricity plants Saturday to protest slow government action on climate change, a spokeswoman said. Four protesters from the group Rising Tide, three men and one woman, carried out the action at the Bayswater plant north of Sydney, Rising Tide spokeswoman Georgina Woods told Reuters. Police were at the scene and had detained approximately 25 other protesters, Woods said, adding that electricity generation had also been disrupted. "They have chained themselves with piping. They have locked themselves there," she told Reuters. "They cannot be removed. The police will have to cut them off." Run by Macquarie Generation, the Bayswater plant is one of Australia's largest coal-fired plants. Located near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales state, it generates approximately 17,000 GWhs of electricity a year and is one of the state's main sources of electricity. Rising Tide says the plant produced 14 million tons of carbon dioxide in the year to June 2007 and is Australia's biggest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. The group said its protest was prompted by an upcoming UN climate change conference in Poland, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is expected to attend. One of Rudd's first actions after his election last year was to commit Australia to ratifying the Kyoto protocol on climate change, leaving the United States as the only major country not to have done so. Spokesmen for Macquarie Generation and the New South Wales state police could not immediately be contacted for comment. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=658908&rss=yes 25 arrested at NSW power station protest Three climate-change protesters were "needlessly wasting police time" when they chained themselves to a conveyor belt at one of Australia's largest power stations, NSW police say. Two men and a woman were charged over the protest at the Bayswater power station in the NSW Hunter region, while another man was charged after filming the protest. A police statement said three Newcastle men, aged 45, 26 and 27, and a Katoomba woman, aged 26, had been charged with entering and remaining upon enclosed lands over the incident. "While police respect the right of an individual or group to protest, the community needs to remember these are people who willingly placed themselves in this position," Assistant Commissioner Lee Shearer said in a statement. "These people are intent on needlessly wasting police time and resources when the community expects our police to be out there preventing crime and helping the public when they most need assistance." Energy production at the site was brought to a standstill. About another 20 protesters at the site were asked to leave, which police say they did without incident. Climate action group Rising Tide had said that 29 people were arrested. Rising Tide spokeswoman Georgina Woods said the protest, which started at 8am (AEDT) on Saturday and finished about 2pm, aimed to send a message to the Australian government that it is not acting fast enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "We are waiting for the government to announce our greenhouse gas reduction strategy in December," she said. "We are here to send a message to the federal government that they are not acting fast enough, that there is a growing level of frustration in the community about this, the biggest single challenge that we face." Bayswater power station was commissioned in 1985 and has been the state's greatest source of energy, producing about 17,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year which is enough for two million average Australian homes. The plant uses about eight million tonnes of coal each year. Ms Woods said Rising Tide was planning another protest on November 22 at Australia's equal largest power station, Eraring Power Station, south of Newcastle. "That will be a vigil," she said. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/protesters-cut-power-production-at-tarong/2008/11/07/1225561095172.html Protesters arrested at Tarong Power Station November 7, 2008 - 9:36AM Three demonstrators who chained themselves to the main conveyor belt carrying coal to Tarong Power Station, north-west of Brisbane, have been arrested. Protest spokeswoman Clare Towler said the action was taken to highlight the need for faster action by Rudd government on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. "Australia's greenhouse pollution is rapidly increasing, and our addiction to coal-fired power is the main cause,'' Ms Towler said. "We are taking peaceful direct action because we refuse to stand by while our government sacrifices the Great Barrier Reef and a safe future for our children.'' A police spokesman said the demonstrators were being taken to a watchhouse and charges would be laid. It took police several hours of negotiating to remove the demonstrators from the conveyor belt. The trio caused an evacuation of the power station around 7.15am when they were discovered. Tarong Energy chief executive officer Helen Gluer said police removed all protesters by 11.50am. Ms Gluer said there were no injuries. "To have these trespassers show such a blatant disregard for the safety of our employees and themselves is abhorrent,'' Ms Gluer said. She said the demonstration did not have an adverse impact on the station operations. AAP http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/environmental-activists-to-stage-48hour-protest-1039249.html Environmental activists to stage 48-hour protest By Elizabeth Barrett, PA Friday, 28 November 2008 Up to 30,000 climate refugees could be created if plans to build a new coal-fired power station go ahead, a report claimed today. The findings by the World Development Movement were released as environmental activists prepare to stage a 48-hour protest today as part of their ongoing campaign against the new plant at Kingsnorth power station in Kent. The group's report entitled "Carbon Evictions: the UK's role in the forced migration of climate refugees", claims 30,000 people - the population of Strood, close to the site - would become refugees worldwide as a result of the new plant. It estimated the UK would be responsible for 5 per cent of global C02 emissions causing a 4C rise in global warming, thus creating 10 million of the predicted 200 million climate refugees by 2050. Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said: "The effects that climate change will have on the world include more and worse cyclones; flooding; drought; and sea level rises that will force people to leave their homes. "The Government must wake up and realise that we can't promise to reduce carbon emissions with one hand and give carbon intensive projects like the Kingsnorth coal power station the thumbs up with the other. "If emissions aren't reduced significantly in the UK, 10 million of the poorest people in the world will become homeless. Those people have done little to contribute to climate change, but they will suffer the worst consequences." Camp for Climate Action, who is organising the two-day action, said protests will take place across the country, with supporters planning to target plant owners E.ON and potentially banks that have invested in the company. The group orchestrated a week-long heavily policed protest at the site near Hoo in August, culminating in a day of direct action, during which campaigners attempted to "shut down" the power station. Susan Moore, of Camp for Climate Action, said: "E.ON, companies in its supply chain and anyone associated with new coal in the UK are all potential targets. Burning coal is the dirtiest way to produce electricity and we refuse to stand by as the green light is given to a new generation of coal fired power stations." The current E.ON-owned Kingsnorth plant is due to close in 2015. However, the company plans to replace it with a new two-unit coal-fired power station, the first for 30 years, which it claims will be 20 per cent cleaner. Emily Highmore, E.ON spokeswoman, said: "We are respectful of their right to protest. Our concern is that they do it peacefully and lawfully." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413424.html UK Coal Industry Braced for 48hrs of Protests E.on F.off | 24.11.2008 13:07 | Climate Chaos | Globalisation | Social Struggles Today the ?E.on Face Off? direct action campaign was officially announced to the press (see press release below). The direct action campaign will start with the 48 hours of action against E.on and New Coal (Friday 28th / Saturday 29th Nov). Get together, get creative, and plan an action! For target ideas and action resources see - http://www.e-onf-off.org.uk/ If you would like a pre-made leaflet to use on the day ? you can download one from - http://risingtide.org.uk/node/306 PRESS RELEASE UK COAL INDUSTRY BRACED FOR 48 HOURS OF PROTESTS Climate activists launch ?E.on Face Off? direct action campaign November 24th 2008: For immediate release The stage is set for a face off between climate activists and the UK coal industry, with 48 hours of action kicking off at 12.01AM on Friday 28th November 2008 [1]. The protests, called by the Camp for Climate Action [2], are part of an ongoing struggle to prevent a return to coal powered electricity generation in the UK, and will be the first major salvo of a new campaign to stop the construction of a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent [3]. Susan Moore, of the Camp for Climate Action, said today: ?With these protests, we are launching an ongoing direct action campaign designed to cause maximum disruption to all aspects of the construction of Kingsnorth power station. E.on, companies in its supply chain, and anyone associated with new coal in the UK are all potential targets. Burning coal is the dirtiest way to produce electricity, and we refuse to stand by as the green light is given to a new generation of coal fired power stations?. Campaigners have been spurred on by their recent victory against Kingsnorth?s owners, E.on. This month, a national wave of student protests forced E.on to abandon its graduate recruitment tour [4]. Activists are now preparing to step up the campaign against E.on and new coal by targeting both their day to day operations and their brands. ?We are going to hit E.on where it hurts, by damaging their brand. Once we expose E.on?s greenwash, and people see the company for what it truly is ? one of the biggest climate criminals in the UK ? we will start to see people changing their energy suppliers and organisations refusing their dirty sponsorship money?, said the Camp for Climate Action?s David Elliot. Activists have used the internet to organise and advertise the 48 hours of action, launching a new website (www.e-onf-off.org.uk), and using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The new E.on-F.off website provides activists with resources for direct action and information on key targets, such as addresses for the Coal Authority, E.on and UK Coal offices, and schedules for FA Cup games. The 48 hours of action have intentionally been organised to coincide with the 2nd round of the E.on-sponsored FA Cup. Organisers predict dozens of actions across the UK during the 48 hour period, but details of the planned actions are being kept under wraps. ENDS For more information visit: http://www.e-onf-off.org.uk www.climatecamp.org.uk Contact: Telephone: 07772 861 099 and 07932 096 677 Email: press at climatecamp.org.uk Notes for editors: [1] Full details available at: www.e-onf-off.org.uk. [2] The Camp for Climate Action (www.climatecamp.org.uk) has called the 48 hours of action. Rising Tide, Plane Stupid and the Campaign against Climate Change are all supporting the call and mobilising their supporters. [3] E.ON have applied for Government permission to build the first new UK coal-fired plant in thirty years at Kingsnorth in Kent. If built, this power station would produce the same amount of carbon dioxide as the world's 30 least polluting countries combined. The new government Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently deliberating over whether to give the go-ahead for a new coal power station at Kingsnorth, and an announcement is expected soon. The Kingsnorth decision is likely to influence plans for six other coal-fired power stations: Longannet, Cockenzie, Tilbury, Fiddler?s Ferry, Ferrybridge and Blyth. See: www.peopleandplanet.org/dl/kingsnorth_briefing_June_08. [4] Anti-coal protests at graduate careers fairs around the UK have forced E.on to cancel the remainder of its recruitment tour. The energy company has seen at least seventeen of its careers events disrupted over the last month. For more information see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412804.html E.on F.off Homepage: http://www.e-onf-off.org.uk http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413427.html Tell E.ON to f off! - Protest Climate Camper | 24.11.2008 13:31 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis | Nottinghamshire As part of 48 hours of nationwide action against E.ON, called for by the Camp for Climate Action, Rising Tide, Plane Stupid and Campaign against Climate Change, Nottingham students are calling a demonstration outside E.ON's city centre offices (Mount St, NG1 6PG). Meet at 11.45 in front of the the town hall in Market Square on Friday 27th Nov. We'll then move over to the offices at 12pm to flyer and protest about E.ON's plans to build a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, a venture that will wreck any serious plans to cut carbon emissions and protect the planet and its' population from the most disastrous effects of climate change. Why target EON and Kingsnorth? The proposed power station will emit between 6 and 8 million tons of CO2 every year, and is just the first in a plan to build up to seven new coal fired power stations. This will wreck the UK's chances of meeting its own target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Climate change isn't about warmer summers in Blighty. It's about serious changes that will cost millions of people (particularly those that are the worst off and living precariously) their livelihoods and lives. If we can stop E.ON, other companies will be discouraged from risking similar plans, and we will send the strong message that the energy crisis needs to be tackled positively, implementing the solutions that will get us off fossil fuels. If you're in need of some motivation, watch this short animation 'Wake Up, Freak Out ? then Get a Grip'. Very well made and stunningly lucid. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_3WJPYY9g Everyone welcome, spread the word! Bring banners, costumes, instruments and a sense of injustice; help us tell EON to f off! Climate Camper Homepage: http://www.e-onf-off.org.uk/ http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/38691 From: , Worldwatch Institute, More from this Affiliate Published November 20, 2008 08:01 AM Climate Protests Escalate Worldwide Lynne Purvis stood apart at a Ritz Carlton cocktail party Thursday night. Surrounded by coal, oil, and natural gas executives at a Bank of America energy conference in Key Biscayne, Florida, Purvis and her six friends had not been invited. Armed with banners and signs, they still made their presence known. "Bank of America forgot to put alternative energy into the agenda," Purvis, a member of the activist group Everglades Earth First!, said into her megaphone. "So as the clean energy transition team, we were asked to speak to you all tonight." The party guests were less than impressed with Purvis's sense-of-humor. One guest allegedly wrestled the activists' banner out of their hands. During the melee, Purvis said, two of her associates were doused with beer. "We did commit trespassing," Purvis said. "But is trespassing truly a crime as opposed to putting the entire planet in turmoil?" Climate activists worldwide are raising the stakes, with many turning to civil disobedience to make their voices heard. Actions in recent months have ranged from chaining themselves to coal conveyor belts in Sydney, to forming port blockades in the Netherlands, to scaling smokestacks in the United Kingdom. The rise in activism reflects growing frustration against the continued, and expanding, use of coal as a source of energy. The fuel, while affordable, is directly linked to climate change and air pollution. "What I see is - in the last year - it just exploded and went from being a sizable amount of people, several thousands of very active youth all around the country, to just hundreds of thousands of young people," said Brianna Cayo Cotter, communications director for Energy Action Coalition, a network of North American youth climate activists. "I feel like the floodgates are about to open. We have the numbers. We have the skills. We have the passion." In Europe, where some 50 new coal plants are being planned, Greenpeace is leading a continent-wide campaign [PDF] to halt eight upcoming projects in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, plans are under way to build the country's first coal plant in 34 years. Activists have escalated their opposition to the proposed construction this year. In the United States, a nationwide fight against 150 proposed new coal-fired power plants that began four years ago has put a serious dent in the coal industry's plans. Through the courts, government lobbying, and acts of civil disobedience, activists have helped cut in half the number of new coal power stations. The movement achieved a major victory last week. In response to a Sierra Club lawsuit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that a proposed coal plant in Utah would need a plan for controlling its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before being granted a federal operating permit. The ruling essentially delays all such permits for the time being. "In the immediate future, no new coal plant will be moving forward," said Virginia Crame, a Sierra Club associate press secretary. Meanwhile, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has staged campaigns targeting two of the largest funders of such coal projects: Bank of America and Citibank. Last weekend, RAN and Greenpeace organized more than 50 events across the country to protest the banks' financial support of the fossil fuel industry. "A lot of people are jazzed up about it because global warming was such an important issue in the election on the state and federal level," said Mary Nicol, the Greenpeace student network coordinator. "The cleanest coal plant is the one that isn't built. The youth generation really understands that." Environmental author Bill McKibben organized 1,400 simultaneous call-to-action events, known as Step It Up, in 2007. He has since founded 350, an organization that raises awareness of the 350 parts per million of CO2 equivalent that many climate scientists consider the maximum level necessary for a stable climate. Following a rally at the U.S. Capitol yesterday, McKibben said that plans for a fall 2008 global day of action would be announced at the climate conference in Poland next month. "Hopefully there will be rallies on every corner of the planet. We have organizers working on every continent except Antarctica," he said. "We need people to realize that coal is the dirtiest fuel on our planet." McKibben also said he expects more acts of civil disobedience in the next year. "It'll happen. Keep your eyes open in D.C.," he said. The Energy Action Coalition is expecting 10,000 participants at its second annual Powershift, a conference of climate workshops, lobbying, and protests in Washington in February. Similar "climate camps" have been held this past year in London, Hamburg, and Newcastle (Australia). The large-scale campaigns rekindle memories of effective grassroots campaigns from the 1960s and ??70s. But a saturation of information has made it more difficult now for organizers to attract attention, said Paul Wapner, director of the Global Environmental Politics Program at American University. "There is a changing landscape in which activism in general, not just environmental, finds its expression," Wapner said. "With the Internet and all sorts of media, it's hard to figure out how one makes a difference and not just have their message get lost in the virtual world." Regardless of whether the world is watching, more activists are risking arrest for the cause, and more support is coming their way. In the U.K., six Greenpeace activists faced criminal charges this past summer for damaging a coal-fired power station on the Kent coast. With the support of NASA climatologist James Hansen, an Inuit leader, and other environmentalists, the defendants argued that they were acting on behalf of the world - specifically the Pacific island state of Tuvalu, the Arctic ice cap, and China's Yellow River, they said. The jury ruled that their actions were indeed protecting property in England and across the globe. The activists were cleared of all charges. In the United States, 11 protestors who formed a human barrier to a power plant construction site in Virginia in September faced 10 criminal charges and a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, until a plea bargain was reached last month. Hansen again offered his support. "If this case had gone to trial, I would have requested permission to testify on behalf of these young people, who, for the sake of nature and humanity, had the courage to stand up against powerful ??authority,'" Hansen said in a prepared statement [PDF]. Next month, Lynne Purvis will appear in court as well. She faces charges of trespassing, unlawful assembly, and resisting arrest following a protest earlier this year against the construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in the Everglades. She, too, requested that Hansen testify on her behalf, but he has yet to respond. Stories of climate activists who have avoided punishment did not, however, influence Purvis, she said. "I honestly don't pay too much attention to that kind of stuff. My personal motivation is that whatever the consequence, it's better than the massive consequence that will be felt by the entire community and the entire planet." Ben Block is a staff writer with the Worldwatch Institute. He can be reached at bblock at worldwatch.org. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2412620.htm Protestors push for preservation of native forests PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY PM - Thursday, 6 November , 2008 18:30:00 Reporter: Jayne Margetts MARK COLVIN: With a fresh round of logging starting in NSW, conservationists are calling on the State Government to stop cutting down native forests. Logging has just begun on an area of land at Bermagui on the state's south coast. Protestors have been out in force arguing that all native forests should be preserved as carbon sinks, and as valuable habitats for animals. Jayne Margetts reports. (Sound of chain saw) JAYNE MARGETTS: Another swathe of Australia's native forest is getting the chop. This time it's a 180 hectare area of land in between two national parks at Bermagui. John Hibberd from the Conservation Alliance wants it and other areas like it to be preserved as carbon sinks. JOHN HIBBERD: All native forests are really important for carbon sinks. As they get older more and more carbon is stored in them and we believe that if native forest logging stopped in Australia a massive saving in carbon emissions could be made at the stroke of a pen. I'm not talking about carbon emissions straining and something in 10 to 15 years time, right now the Federal and State Governments across Australia could massively reduce the carbon emissions of this country. JAYNE MARGETTS: Environmentalists and local residents have begun a campaign to protect the forest. ENVIRONMENTALISTS: Save our forests! JAYNE MARGETTS: Protestors say the forest is a valuable habitat for animals, especially the severely depleted koala population. But so far their calls have fallen on deaf ears. POLICE OFFICER: Your arguments, your discussions about koalas are irrelevant to me. JAYNE MARGETTS: The police have been blocking them from entering the logging site. POLICE OFFICER 2: All you people right now are currently within the exclusion zone PROTESTER: Remove the loggers then. POLICE OFFICER 2: If you don't leave the exclusion zone you'll be arrested. Okay? You've got 2 minutes. JAYNE MARGETTS: One woman who swore at a police officer was carted off to the station. FEMALE PROTESTOR: I wanna be arrested! JAYNE MARGETTS: Environmentalist Prue Acton says the forest is only just recovering from the last logging operation 20 years ago. PRUE ACTON: The spotty gums are only just coming back, when they're starting to have their full carbon and their full size and their full beauty and the understorey is coming and the animals are returning and the soil is stabilising. What are we doing instead? We're just going to chop them down. JAYNE MARGETTS: Research from the Australian National University is adding weight to the campaign. A study has found that eucalypt forests hold three times the amount of carbon than was previously thought. And there are economic arguments too. Dr Judith Adjani, an economist from the ANU say the logging of native forests is unnecessary. JUDITH ADJANI: We can substitute for, easily substitute for all of our native forests chip exports using our hardwood plantation resources. If we want to not log native forests we can do that because we have enough plantations both hardwood and softwood to meet virtually all of our wood needs. JAYNE MARGETTS: The protestors are hoping to get their message through to the state government. John Hibberd again. JOHN HIBBERD: We're asking the State Government to immediately intervene in this matter. We want them to stop the logging not only in this Bermagui corridor forest but also in the forest to the South where the logging is intended to move next year and where the koalas are actually living and breeding at the moment. And we also want them to scrap the Regional Forest Agreement. That agreement was made 10 years ago. It's now out of date. The world has moved on. JAYNE MARGETTS: But The NSW Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt says large areas of forest are already protected under legislation and there's no plan for a review. CARMEL TEBBUTT: There were very important conservation gains that came out of the Regional Forest Agreements. 300,000 hectares of national parks and reserves added for example in that Eden area as a result of the Regional Forest Agreements. Now it is simply not possible to go back and unpick those agreements, without placing at risk those important conservation gains. MARK COLVIN: NSW Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt ending that report by Jayne Margetts.*(see editor's note) *Editor's note: the ABC acknowledges that although a balancing comment was gathered from the NSW Environment Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, a representative of the logging industry should have been included to cover all aspects of the story. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=77&ContentID=109049 Hundreds expected at Freo lead protest 20th November 2008, 9:00 WST Protesters will rally in Fremantle today calling on the State Government to scrap its plans to export lead through the port city. The protest, starting at noon in Kings Square next to the Town Hall, has been planned by Fremantle mayor Peter Tagliaferri and various community groups. Flagged as ?the first lunch-time rally in Fremantle?s history?, the protest is being held in anticipation of the Government?s approval of Magellan Metals proposal to transport lead through the Fremantle Port despite Premier Colin Barnett?s pre-election pledge he would not permit the shipping of lead out of any ?heavily populated area?. Mr Tagliaferri said he anticipated hundreds of people would attend as a sign of the community?s firm anti-lead stance. Fremantle MHR Melissa Parke, Fremantle MLA Jim McGinty and shadow local government minister Paul Papalia are also expected to attend. PERTH LILSA CALUATTI http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/06/2412059.htm Protesters demand GM crops ban Posted Thu Nov 6, 2008 1:01pm AEDT Updated Thu Nov 6, 2008 1:00pm AEDT ? Map: Mount Barker 6324 A group of people calling for a ban on genetically modified (GM) crops in Western Australia has staged a protest in Mount Barker. About 30 people marched to the Minister for Agriculture Terry Redman's office yesterday afternoon. The protest follows an anti-GM demonstration of about 500 people in Perth last week. Protest organiser Karen Andersson says the group has collected about 160 signatures from people in Denmark who are opposed to GM crops. "We want to extend the moratorium, we need more time, we need more independent research before we can give it the go ahead," she said. "And we need labelling so people, consumers can make choices." Mr Redman says while he understands the group's concerns, he is confident trials of GM crops will go ahead in WA. "This Government did highlight prior to the election that it was likely to be more liberal in respect to GM in Western Australia and I think the cautious approach we've taken so far is an appropriate step to looking at that technology and seeing if it is appropriate in WA," he said. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2008/11/03/181467/Conservationists-protest.htm November 3, 2008 9:36 am TWN, The China Post news staff Conservationists protest arrival of pandas TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Wildlife conservationists joined yesterday in a noisy protest against a visit to Taipei by Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). Chen will arrive today for a four-day visit. ?We have three presents for the ARATS chairman,? a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Animal Society Research Association said yesterday. While here, Chen will formally exchange two giant pandas with Formosan serows and Sika deer, both indigenous to Taiwan. Chen first gave the pandas to honorary Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan in 2005. The animals could not come to Taiwan while the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party was in power. Wildlife conservationists are opposed to their arrival in Taiwan too. Chen Yu-min, the spokeswoman, said the three presents ? two reports on the cruelty to caged animals and an animal well-being encyclopedia ? will be handed over today to Lai Shin-yuan, chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council. ?We want the MAC chairwoman to give our presents to the ARATS chairman when they meet,? Chen Yu-min said. The reports tell stories of cruelty to black bears and other animals China has imported from abroad and caged in their zoos. Taipei is ready to accept the two giant pandas. A new house for them has been built at the Taipei City Zoo in Muzha. ?No matter how gorgeous and comfortable their house in Taipei may be,? Chen Yu-min said, ?the giant pandas won?t be happy here because they are caged.? She called on Lien Chan and Chen Yunlin not to make the giant pandas their ?political pawns.? http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/01/2407719.htm Dam protester kayaks from Brisbane to Sydney Posted Sat Nov 1, 2008 8:35pm AEDT A Queensland man has wound up a month-long mission paddling his kayak from Brisbane to Sydney to protest against plans to build a dam on a river in south-east Queensland. Kayaker Steve Posselt arrived in Sydney Harbour this afternoon. He is protesting against the Queensland Government's proposal to build a dam on the Mary River, saying it threatens the local habitat, in particular the survival of the Lungfish. Mr Posselt carried with him a bag containing thousands of protest letters, which he handed over to the Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett, who has the final say on whether the dam proceeds. "[Environment Minister] Peter Garrett accepted the 3,000 or so letters from us, said thank you for bringing them to him and we're just asking him to use his powers under the Act," he said. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24586448-421,00.html?from=public_rss Kayaker protesting Queensland dam reaches Sydney By Belinda Cranston AAP November 01, 2008 05:57pm Water courier ... Steve Posselt hands 3000 protest letters to Environment Minister Peter Garrett / Carlos Furtado A 55-year-old kayaker's marathon paddle from Brisbane to Sydney ended today as he handed protest letters to Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett. Civil engineer Steve Posselt paddled about 42km a day since his protest journey began on October 4. He is protesting against the proposed Queensland Traveston Crossing Dam, which he said risked the local waterways. "We are treating our rivers as drains and they are responding as drains," Mr Posselt said. "If we don't fix this, we are threatening our very existence." Mr Garrett met Mr Posselt at the Sydney Opera House, along with a small crowd of conservationists, and said he was happy to accept the bag of letters. The Environment Minister was also shown a life-sized replica of the waterway's threatened lungfish. Professor Jean Joss, who breeds lungfish for research purposes, said she was not sure if Mr Garrett would reject the Queensland plan to dam the Mary River. "If you had have asked me that five years ago I would have said `of course'. But who knows now. He's a politician," she said. Mr Posselt said he intended to return to Queensland tomorrow, but this time he would travel by road. "I'm not going to paddle. I'm not that silly," he said. http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Grassmarket-trees-axed-after-protest.4651717.jp Grassmarket trees axed after protest Published Date: 01 November 2008 THE remains of five poplar trees in the Grassmarket were being cleared away yesterday, after the council moved in to chop them down. They were removed after experts found decay in the trees and said they could only last a few more years. Dozens of residents protested, delaying the multi-million redevelopment of the area while the council debated their fate. The trees will be replaced with mature lime and oak trees imported from Germany, and it is hoped the project will be completely finished by the first week in December. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412127.html Local residents protest at Lodge Farm open cast site Jonny Lloyd | 02.11.2008 11:46 | Climate Chaos | Nottinghamshire At noon yesterday (Saturday) around 40 people braved rain and cold winds to protest outside the new open cast mining site at Lodge Farm, in Smalley Derbyshire. UK Coal, which owns the site, plans to extract one million tonnes of coal from the 300 acre site over the next four years. From the outset, UK Coal?s plans were opposed by local residents, several MPs and Amber Valley district council, and Derbyshire County Council refused planning permission for the open cast site. However UK Coal appealed the decision and following an appeal hearing, communities secretary Ruth Kelly overrode ordinary people?s concerns in favour of UK Coal?s interests and agreed that the scheme could go ahead. Saturday?s protest was organised by Erewash and Amber Valley Environment Network, EAVON, and was just the latest in a long series of protests and direct actions by people concerned at the local and global effects of coal. Speaking to the Ilkeston Advertiser, prior to the protest, Neil Padget, from The Smalley Action Group, said: "Opencast mining at Lodge House is bad enough, and the national precedent that has been set by the government, in allowing this, is appalling. Many locals also fear, and with good reason, that UK Coal will be given permission to extend the site, and that mining in the local area may go on for decades." While there are justifiable fears for the impact on the local community, many of Saturday?s placards demonstrated that protesters were equally concerned with the wider effects on climate chaos of coal burning. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/02/national-trust-wales-heritage Protesters take on National Trust Heritage group leaders win key vote over plan to develop Welsh site, but members fight on ? Lisa Bachelor ? The Observer, Sunday 2 November 2008 ? Article history National Trust members have vowed to continue their fight against the charity over a planned housing development on one of its heritage sites. The members lost a vote to scrap the plans at the trust's AGM yesterday but are now planning to call an emergency meeting of the trust, which they hope will see off the development. The long-running protest centres on the charity's plans to build a new village in the grounds of the Erddig estate, near Wrexham in north Wales, which will be made up of 223 houses and flats, including 55 affordable homes. The trust maintains that the new development is necessary to secure future funding for the upkeep of the estate, which was bequeathed to it in 1973 by its last squire, Philip Yorke. But opposition to the plans has been growing for two years both from locals who are concerned the development will destroy the character of the area and from members around the country who are concerned about the trust's new role as housing developer. 'It is a breach of the National Trust's duty to protect our heritage and the rural environment,' said protester Aran Jones, one of the 352 to sign a petition against the plans. 'They are acting like speculative developers rather than a heritage organisation.' Only last week the National Trust announced that it would take a more positive environmental stance with a focus on protecting green spaces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland after a survey of its members revealed that 94 per cent want the charity to become more involved in local green spaces. 'My objection is about the hypocrisy,' said Marc Jones, Plaid Cymru councillor in Wrexham and trust member. 'The charity's chairman announced it should spend its reserves buying up greenfield land to protect that land from government housing development, yet the same trust is going full speed ahead to build a commuter housing estate.' Two resolutions about Erddig were put forward at the AGM. The first was to scrap the development and the second was to remove the directors who are behind what the protesters describe as 'a major switch in policy from conservation to speculative property development'. The resolutions were defeated, but the Rhostyllen group is resilient, claiming it expected the decision because of a voting system they say gives the trust's chairman 'a proxy block vote of several thousand'. Now the group says it is confident it has enough support to press ahead and call an emergency meeting of the National Trust. To do this it will need the support of 8,000 members. 'We are very confident that we have this level of support,' said protester Carrie Harper. 'We know that many people have resigned their membership in protest and others have contacted us to say they are disgusted by what the trust is doing.' Residents of Rhostyllen have been running a 'Not on Erddig' campaign for almost two years . Locals also argue that the low-cost homes in the development will be affordable only to outsiders coming in from Liverpool and Manchester and not for locals. Cymuned, a Welsh-language pressure group supporting the Rhostyllen protest, claims the plans violate the wishes Philip Yorke made when he donated the estate. The National Trust maintains that Yorke left the property in the knowledge that some of the land to be sold was developable. 'Where we take on land, we have to ensure there is a potential source of funding and it was always intended this land could and would be sold,' said Peter Nixon, director of conservation at the National Trust. Things came to a head in January when local people voted against the plans in an official referendum organised by the council. 'The National Trust director in Wales said they would bide by popular will but they totally ignored this referendum result,' said Jones. The trust may yet be forced to reconsider its future direction as this is not the first time it has faced opposition to a planned development. Five years ago it faced the wrath of locals over its plans to demolish a derelict hospital in the grounds of the Cliveden Estate in Berkshire, in order to build houses. The development went ahead despite this opposition. The mounting concern over this move into the arena of housing development was underlined by another resolution at yesterday's AGM. Seven people put forward the resolution, backed by the required 50 other members, asking the trust to ensure sustainability be at the heart of all its decisions in the future. 'The Cliveden Village was a missed opportunity; it is not large enough to sustain any of its own services and every journey to and from its rural setting will have to be by car,' claimed the group. 'We call on the trust to take great care in controlling future developments.' The trust recommended members to vote for that resolution, unlike the two concerning Erddig, and it was passed. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/30/2405458.htm Gunns AGM attracts protesters Posted Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:08am AEDT About 50 protesters gather outside the Gunns AGM. (ABC News: Chook Brooks) About 50 protesters have assembled outside Gunns' headquarters in Launceston. The timber company's annual general meeting is being held today. The protesters have signs reading "Stop the Pulp Mill" and "Gunns - Extreme Capitalists." But there are also pro-forestry signs at the AGM this year saying "It's the Greens who Stink " and "Compost all Greens rubbish." http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa081117_wz_dtvprotest.1c07733bb.html Protesters target TV recycling 02:26 PM CST on Monday, November 17, 2008 WFAA-TV Staff TV Recycling Protest Cynthia Izaguirre reports November 17th, 2008 More WFAA Latest News DALLAS ? With just three months remaining until the nation's transition to digital television, manufacturers of old analog TVs got a ghoulish recycling report card. The Texas Campaign for the Environment says more than half of the 17 companies ranked by the group scored a failing grade because they have no recycling programs in place. Members of the group marched in Dallas Monday dressed as zombie-like "dead" TVs to emphasize their point. Sony received the highest grade ? a "B-minus" ? based on its pioneering a national "takeback" program for old receivers. Funai, Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Philips, Thomson, Vizio, Target and Sanyo all recieived an "F" because they have failed to establish any voluntary recycling program. Manufacturers were graded on things like the size and scope of their program and how committed they are to recycling products responsibly. The digital switch will occur on February 17, 2009. That's when full-power TV stations will cease analog transmissions and viewers who don't have cable or satellite service will need either a digital-capable TV set or a digital TV converter box to continue to watch free TV. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/13/2418823.htm Eight arrested in pipeline protest Posted Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:41pm AEDT ? Map: Melbourne 3000 Eight people were arrested during a protest today against the north-south water pipeline near Glenburn, north of Melbourne. Workers began laying pipes for the project this week and protesters tried to block the route today. One of those arrested, Jan Beer from the protest group, Plug the Pipe, says they had a stand off with security and police. "The Sugarloaf Alliance security people are the ones that have arrested everyone not the police," she said. "The police just stand there as sort of a back up, it is the alliance people that say they are arresting us under the water act for tresspass or obstruction or sometimes both." The protesters say they will continue to fight the project. "We are not finished, we're angrier than ever," she said. "Mr Brumby and Mr Holding need to be very aware that this will be pursued to the bitter end and it will mean the end of their Government." http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/thousands-march-to-stop-climate-warming-20081115-67k0.html Thousands march to stop climate warming November 15, 2008 Thousands have taken part in marches around Australia calling for action to stop climate warming. Nature Conservation Council of NSW spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann said the group was pleased with the number of people who took part in its fourth annual Walk Against Warming. "The year after Kevin Rudd was elected (prime minister), we were wondering if people would turn out in force," Ms Faehrmann told AAP after the event in Martin Place in Sydney's CBD. "This demonstrates people are still concerned about this issue. "They get that the government is acting too slow." A colourful crowd showed up in Martin Place, despite the grey skies. Some were dressed as polar bears. Others wore windmills on their backs. Others carried placards of penguins with messages that read: "Don't build your home on my home," and "Some like it hot, penguins not". Ms Faehrmann told the Martin Place crowd the government needed to reduce greenhouse pollution "to the levels that science is telling us is necessary for a safe climate, not just to the level the fossil fuels industry can live with". "How hard is it to stop logging our native forests and protect them in perpetuity to the vital role they play in stabilising our climate?" she asked. "How hard is it to build a fast and efficient rail service at the same time as you are planning new suburbs?" Fellow speaker, 17-year-old schoolgirl, Sasha Hunt, said urgent action was needed. "Looming on the horizon is the destruction of my future," she said. "I know we still have the ability to change the world for the better. "To not act now would be a disaster." Ian Smallman, who brought his 11-year-old daughter Ciara to the Sydney march, said: "I think it's the most important issue in the world right now." He said he thought it unfortunate people were more focused on the global financial crisis, which he described as a short-term problem, compared to the long-term problem of climate change. John Mobbs, 73, said the world was on a unsustainable path in many areas, including population, pollution of the ocean, and general food production. "This is a chance to walk with people with similar views," he said. He added he wasn't sure if the government would take the walk seriously. "The government has proven many times it hasn't taken much notice of people walking in the streets, but I remain optimistic." After the speeches, the crowd marched to Hyde Park where they were treated to entertainment. In NSW, walks took place in towns including Bowral, Wagga Wagga, Port Macquarie and Yass. Walks were also organised in all Australian capital cities on Saturday, except Canberra, which is due to host a similar event on December 6. Participants at the Brisbane CBD Walk against Warming rally formed a people-map of Queensland. Rally organiser Cassie McMahon said Queenslanders were particularly concerned with the impact of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef and neighbouring Pacific Islands. "We're asking the federal government to set targets that will mean Pacific Islanders will not be inundated due to rising sea levels and that they will be able to have a better chance of adapting to climate change," Ms McMahon said. The Brisbane rally featured the slogan "Save our Neighbours, Save our Reef". http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/10/adams-group-protests-ok-of-dump-site/?partner=RSS Adams group protests OK of dump site By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 10, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. A group of Adams County residents piled garbage bags Sunday to protest what they say is a dump that has been approved by county officials without a public hearing. The group, calling itself "Dump the Dump," objects to a landfill at East 88th Avenue and Schumaker Road, about five miles east of Denver International Airport. The residents say the county gave the dump administrative approval without notifying neighbors. Most neighbors were unaware of the site until graders showed up and began preparing for the landfill, said Leslie Gerbracht, who said she can see the dump from her front porch. County Attorney Hal Warren said the county approved the site as a place to store fly ash, a byproduct of burnt coal that is used as an ingredient in concrete. In 2005, a county planning director approved switching the permit to household waste. The residents have challenged that decision in Adams County District Court, where the lawsuit is pending, Warren said. http://southshore2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/26/ss-dozens-protest-plans-for-homes/news/ Dozens Protest Plans For Homes By YVETTE C. HAMMETT yhammett at tampatrib.com Published: November 26, 2008 TAMPA - Taxpayers didn't purchase conservation lands all across Hillsborough County only to have developers access subdivisions through the middle of them, South Shore residents told a county official last week. They showed up by the dozens at a zoning hearing to oppose plans to put 1,087 homes in a rural area, then pave an access road through endangered scrub habitat. The zoning hearing master has two weeks to submit a recommendation to the county commission on the proposed rezoning of 537 acres in Balm and Wimauma from agricultural residential to planned development. County planners have already put a condition on the rezoning request, limiting the development to 350 homes unless owner Turfgrass America can purchase right-of-way for a second entrance into the property. Turfgrass America purchased the 537-acre sod farm after the original owner sold 1,600 acres to the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program in 1999, but retained the 50-foot right of way to Balm Road for farm access. The right of way runs through the ELAPP tract and would be used as a roadway in and out of the development. A second entrance would require an extension of 19th Avenue over Bullfrog Creek, which could create other environmental issues, residents said. The developers have agreed to provide wildlife crossings on both roads at the urging of county biologist Keith Wiley. Opponents say that's not good enough. "This project will isolate and fragment Balm Scrub and Bullfrog Creek," environmental activist Vivien Handy said. "Environmental protection is ranked as a top priority among citizens in Wimauma," she said, adding that this project doesn't meet that priority. Balm activist Marcella O'Steen said the development could become yet another ghost town as the bad economy keeps people from buying new homes. Turfgrass attorney Andrea Zelman said the developer has agreed to concentrate most of the density on the innermost portions of the property with open space between the development and the ELAPP site. And, she said, the rezoning is just a first and early step. "They are not going to go out and build a ghost town." The alternative to the controversial development is for the county to purchase the land. The Turfgrass America land is ranked on the "A" list for acquisition through ELAPP. That list goes to the county commission in December for consideration. ELAPP purchases only from willing sellers. Turfgrass Vice President Ron Mahan said he is aware of the ranking and that the company will consider all serious purchase offers. http://www.citytv.com/calgary/yourcity_64505.aspx Brentwood Development Protest Not everyone is pleased with the new development in mind for Brentwood. For Your City Kristen-Ellen Fleming The northwest community of Brentwood is split about plans to transform the area into a transit-oriented-development. "We already have our share of traffic problems within the community," says Ward 7 alderman Druh Farrell, adding "our intention is to make them better not worse with this development." A petition with 850 signatures was delivered to city hall Wednesday afternoon. The residents behind it want to stop the TOD. "Get the community directly involved because now that they know the scale of the project the community is up in arms, says one 25-year resident. City planners want to see an urban village, including high density housing around the Brentwood LRT station. Although new to Calgary, the TOD model is being incorporated in cities all over North America. The idea being, TODs ease traffic problems by encouraging people to use transit and walk within their communities. The petition will be delivered to city aldermen when the project goes before council on December 8th. Residents will also get a chance to speak at the public hearing that same day. http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_111208_news_tree_protest.1a6eea4e1.html Student protester in Salem tree cited for trespassing 05:39 PM PST on Friday, November 14, 2008 By ERIC ADAMS, kgw.com SALEM, Ore. -- A protestor who camped in a pine tree this week in the State Capitol State Park was cited for trespassing Friday. Watch KGW report on protest Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky clambered about 50 feet up the pine tree on Tuesday and originally planned to stay through Friday night. Zimmer-Stucky was protesting a Bush administration plan to increase logging on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Others who were protesting with her may also face tresspassing citations for being in a closed area without a permit, according to Oregon State Police. Zimmer-Stucky is a member of the Eugene chapter of the environmental group Rising Tide, based in Britain. The group draws attention to climate-change issues, including public transportation and cap-and-trade permits. A Rising Tide spokeswoman in Oregon said the logging plan provides a short-term gain for a few companies at the expense of long-term environmental and economic sustainability. State Capitol Park Manager Jim Bader said Oregon supports using the park for political expression; however, camping is not allowed in the park and those staying overnight must first obtain proper permits. "Park rules are there to protect people and the park's resources," Bader said. "Visitors who don't follow those rules risking being cited." The group had also hoisted a platform into tree, which Bader said also violates park policy. The Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/387499_logging13.html Last updated November 12, 2008 9:13 a.m. PT Student in Oregon Capitol tree to protest logging THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SALEM, Ore. -- A University of Oregon student plans to spend the rest of the week in a pine tree at the state Capitol to protest a Bush administration plan to increase logging on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky clambered about 50 feet up the pine tree on Tuesday and plans to stay until Friday. Zimmer-Stucky is a member of the Eugene chapter of the environmental group Rising Tide, based in Britain. The group draws attention to climate-change issues, including public transportation and cap-and-trade permits. A Rising Tide spokeswoman in Oregon said the plan provides a short-term gain for a few companies at the expense of long-term environmental and economic sustainability. http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081112193432.u2xywr9mp0&show_article=1 Greenpeace activists fly a kite to protest against the cultivation of genetically modified maize Greenpeace activists fly a kite to protest against the cultivation of genetically modified maize. Genetically-modified maize can affect reproduction in mice, an Austrian study has found, although its authors have dismissed warnings by environmental groups that it could also harm humans. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24710198-2862,00.html No arrests at peaceful pipeline protest Nick Higginbottom November 26, 2008 02:30pm DOZENS of anti north-south campaigners protested today at the sugarloaf pipeline construction site just outside Yea. Though no-one was arrested, the protestors claimed victory and said the pipeline alliance, which is responsible for the pipe's construction, was on legally shaky ground when it arrested eight people two weeks ago. Plug the Pipe spokeswoman Jan Beer said the protest was identical in nearly every way to the one conducted a fortnight ago yet this time no-one was arrested. She claimed the pipeline workers had been given strict instructions not to arrest anyone. Pipeline workers have the authority to remove people from the construction site under the Water Act. But Melbourne Water rejected the claim, and said it was pleased the protest had been conducted peacefully and without incident. The Senate last night passed an amendment to bill for the Rudd Government's $13 billion takeover of the Murray Darling Basin that would veto the Sugarloaf Pipeline project. Water minister Tim Holding said he couldn't understand why any political parties would want to support the ammendments which would ultimately block part of Melbourne's water supply. http://www.guide2.co.nz/money/news/business/solid-energy-public-meeting-attracts-protest/11/4127 Monday, 24 November 2008 - 7:21pm Wellington, Nov 24 NZPA - State-owned coal miner Solid Energy held an annual meeting for the first time today, saying it wasn't a hint about privatisation or an invitation to protest. The "stakeholder" meeting in the end did not resemble a typical shareholder meeting as protesters stormed the stage. "They tried to chuck a great big cream pie in my face from point blank range and didn't succeed," said chief executive Don Elder. "I knocked their arm and they missed and they tried to pour coal over me but I managed to grab the bag out of their hands," he said. The Save Happy Valley Coalition said the meeting was a stunt. The group staged a stunt itself, four dressing up as Santa Claus to highlight its belief that the coal industry was in a fantasy world perpetuating a myth of "clean coal". "What was needed was another fantasy character to help bring Solid Energy back to reality," the coalition said. Mr Elder said the coalition was invited but a group of them disrupted the meeting and were removed by security at the Langham Hotel. About 150 people turned up for the annual meeting. The audience included shareholding minister Simon Power and Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee. "The rationale for the meeting is to improve the understanding of what we are doing as a company," said chairman John Palmer. He said it was an opportunity for the board and management to be subjected to the sort of scrutiny that businesses of size, particularly those in public ownership, were subjected to regularly. "By using a more standard public company reporting format, it should not be implied that we have an expectation about the privatisation or partial privatisation of state-owned enterprises in general and Solid Energy in particular," Mr Palmer said. Dr Elder said executives from other energy companies and customers attended the meeting. The NZ Shareholders' Association was invited but no questioners identified themselves as members of the association. There was good news for the government shareholder as the company said it expected dividend and dividend provisions in the current year to exceed $100m. The company paid a dividend of $34.4m to the Crown on October 31 for the 2008 year. Dr Elder said Solid Energy wanted to be transparent. Most of the questions were about strategic, rather than operational issues. The protesters said the company planned to turn the pristine wilderness of Happy Valley on the South Island's West Coast into an open cast coal mine, killing endangered species. NZPA WGT pjg kn http://tvnz.co.nz/business-news/solid-energy-attract-sturdy-protest-2329596 Solid Energy attract sturdy protest Published: 2:08AM Tuesday November 25, 2008 Source: NZPA State-owned coal miner Solid Energy held an annual meeting for the first time on Monday, saying it was not a hint about privatisation or an invitation to protest. The "stakeholder" meeting in the end did not resemble a typical shareholder meeting as protesters stormed the stage. "They tried to chuck a great big cream pie in my face from point blank range and didn't succeed," says chief executive Don Elder. "I knocked their arm and they missed and they tried to pour coal over me but I managed to grab the bag out of their hands," he says. The Save Happy Valley Coalition says the meeting was a stunt, and so the group staged a stunt itself, four dressing up as Santa Claus to highlight its belief that the coal industry was in a fantasy world perpetuating a myth of "clean coal". "What was needed was another fantasy character to help bring Solid Energy back to reality," the coalition says. Elder said the coalition was invited, but a group of them disrupted the meeting and were removed by security at the Langham Hotel. About 150 people turned up for the annual meeting. The audience included shareholding minister Simon Power and Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee. "The rationale for the meeting is to improve the understanding of what we are doing as a company," says chairman John Palmer. He said it was an opportunity for the board and management to be subjected to the sort of scrutiny that businesses of size, particularly those in public ownership, were subjected to regularly. "By using a more standard public company reporting format, it should not be implied that we have an expectation about the privatisation or partial privatisation of state-owned enterprises in general and Solid Energy in particular," Palmer said. Elder says executives from other energy companies and customers attended the meeting. The NZ Shareholders' Association was invited but no questioners identified themselves as members of the association. There was good news for the government shareholder, as the company said it expected dividend and dividend provisions in the current year to exceed $100 million. The company paid a dividend of $34.4 million to the Crown on October 31 for the 2008 year. Elder says Solid Energy wants to be transparent. Most of the questions were about strategic, rather than operational issues. The protesters say the company plans to turn the pristine wilderness of Happy Valley on the South Island's West Coast into an open cast coal mine, killing endangered species. Burning cleaner? Solid Energy says it is confident it will be able to produce cleaner thermal power in 2009. It follows the connection to the national grid of a new generator near Huntly , powered by coal seam gas. Elder says the gas is almost pure methane, which means it only produces 1% of CO2. On that basis, it has a much lower carbon footprint than other natural gases. The new generator powers about 500 households. Elder says while that number is small, the company is currently exploring other coalfields in Huntly. The coal seam generator is a first for New Zealand. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10544825&ref=rss Farmers join protest over sewage 4:00AM Tuesday Nov 25, 2008 A farmers' group has added its voice to those trying to stop the Whangarei District Council from dumping untreated sewage into Whangarei Harbour during emergencies. The council has applied to the Northland Regional Council to renew its resource consent to discharge up to 24,000 cu m a day. The council says the cost of fixing the infrastructure is $5 million to $21 million, and it would use its consent only during emergencies, usually brought on by deluges. Five Whangarei Harbour hapu - Ngati Kahu o Torongare, Te Parawhau, Waiariki, Ngati Korora and Nga Uri O Pohe - last week announced their opposition, and they have been joined by Farmers of New Zealand. "Northland Regional Council requires dairy farmers to provide for stormwater diversion and sufficient storage to ensure there are no discharges during wet periods," operations director Bill Guest said. "We are of the opinion that rules relating to management of waste or effluent must be consistent across sectors." Mr Guest said any claims that the district council did not have the money to pay for a necessary infrastructure upgrade were unacceptable. "We believe [the council] needs to address its core business by prioritising its revenue towards the provision of adequate sewage-treatment infrastructure." The council's infrastructure manager, Simon Weston, said the only way to end the spills would be a huge investment. This would require a change in priorities or extra charges on ratepayers, he told the Northern Advocate. Mr Weston said those wanting to end the discharges should think about making submissions to the council's 10-year plan, which comes up for consultation next year. He said only 15 people turned up to a meeting the council called last year to get feedback before it spent millions on fixing overflows from two pumping stations. The Advocate said the discharge consent was for the equivalent of 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Public submissions on the consent application close with the Northland Regional Council today. - NZPA http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7756329.stm Saturday, 29 November 2008 Fancy-dress protest at Heathrow Ministers are expected to make a decision on Heathrow within weeks Up to 100 protesters dressed as the prime minister are expected to join a rally to oppose the expansion of Heathrow Airport in west London. Campaigners wearing Gordon Brown masks and ears joined other protesters in Lampton Park, Hounslow, west London. Any expansion would include a new runway, allowing the total number of flights to increase from 480,000 at present to 605,000 by 2020. Ministers are expected to make a decision on Heathrow in weeks. Independent body Rally organiser John Stewart from the campaign group HACAN said: "All the Gordon Browns in the world - and there will be a lot of them at this protest - won't convince anybody that expansion is needed. It's bad for the environment and most people don't buy his line that it's needed for the health of the economy John Stewart, rally organiser "It's bad for the environment and most people don't buy his line that it's needed for the health of the economy." The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats oppose the idea of a new runway, as do environmental groups, while some backbench Labour MPs are calling for a rethink. Richmond councillors are also taking part in the protest. "We are totally opposed to any form of expansion at Heathrow," said Richmond council leader Serge Lourie. "The airport has reached maximum capacity." Heathrow's owner BBA said that if a third runway was approved, then it would an accept an independent body with the power to limit flights for environmental reasons. http://www.khnl.com/global/story.asp?s=9280937 City releases draft EIS on rail transit; groups still clash Posted: Nov 03, 2008 2:47 AM GST Sunday, November 2, 2008 9:47 PM EST Updated: Nov 03, 2008 7:57 AM GST Monday, November 3, 2008 2:57 AM EST Cliff Slater Kirk Caldwell By Diane Ako - bio | email and Joe Aikala HONOLULU (KHNL) - The city releases a major report today, which does nothing to quell the controversy about rail. This 2 inch thick book is the city's draft environmental impact statement, released Sunday morning. The estimated costs to build rail have jumped, now $4.2 billion to $5.3 billion depending on the route. Salt Lake Boulevard is one of the possible stops of the proposed rail line. The city says you'll see more than 20% less traffic with the help of rail transit. Opponents say that's all spin. Cliff Slater of Stop Rail Now hastily called an afternoon press conference. "Why did they take so long to release this? They're releasing it on a Sunday morning when they could've released it last week." Slater's Stop Rail Now group said the report doesn't say anything. "We're very disappointed we don't have even the kind of access to information we had with the alternatives analysis." He and his staffers added that they only had a few hours to skim the material and will release more statements as they have time to study and digest the information. At the supporters' headquarters, Go Rail Go, dozens of volunteers were ready to canvass more homes on Sunday afternoon, and they will do it again Tuesday. State representative Kirk Caldwell (D-Manoa) of Go Rail Go encouraged the volunteers to continue to tell people, "Rail is the best solution to moving people from their homes to their jobs so they can get home earlier and spend more time with their families." Caldwell said the report confirms all that they've been saying, and more. "The draft EIS says traffic congestion will be reduced by 20%. Previously we thought it was going to be 11%. People are concerned the cost will be out of the ballpark. The draft EIS says that, adjusted for inflation, the cost is within the ballpark." Opponents said it's just not true. Said Slater, "We're going to spend billions of dollars and traffic is going to get worse." Here's another sticking point. Who will pay for the rail? The draft report says the feds "have agreed to consider" the city's request for $1.2 billion. Go rail Go says this is going to be THE economic stimulus for Hawaii for the near future. Stop Rail Now said think about it- the federal government has other economic problems on its table now. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/11/21/news/wyoming/24-blm.txt BLM to review protests of leasing of popular area Energy company spokesman says drilling would cause little disturbance By The Associated Press CHEYENNE - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has received 127 protests on its plans to sell oil and gas leases in a popular hunting and recreation area near Flaming Gorge Reservoir, south of Rock Springs. The BLM has identified 18,049 acres in the Little Mountain area for a lease sale scheduled on Dec. 2, agency spokesman Roger Alexander said Thursday. Conservationists, hunters and others say they value the area too much to allow oil and gas development. Industry representatives say they are confident they can extract natural gas from the area without much disturbance. The BLM will review the protests, and the agency's state director in Cheyenne will decide whether the proposed Little Mountain leases will be included in the sale, Alexander said. He said the decision on the parcels likely would be announced one or two days before the sale. For the same sale, the agency also has proposed leasing 2,960 acres in the Jack Morrow Hills area north of Rock Springs. That drew 13 protests. Conservationists say the Jack Morrow Hills, part of the Red Desert, should be protected. Alexander said the agency is considering a total of 247,645 acres for the sale. The Little Mountain area drew the most protests of the tracts being considered for sale. Alexander said written protests were received from conservation groups, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and many individuals. Leases have already been sold in the Little Mountain area, and Devon Energy Corp. has drilled one pilot natural-gas well and plans to drill another next year. It also has been conducting a seismic survey to gather data on where best to drill. Devon spokesman Chip Minty said the company has not determined the scope of any future drilling beyond the two pilot wells and cannot say now whether it will participate in the Dec. 2 BLM lease sale. However, Devon has determined that if more expansive drilling activity is undertaken, it can be done with comparatively little disturbance, because the natural gas is contained in a rock formation that encompasses a large area and can be tapped from anywhere, Minty said. "So we're able to avoid historic locations, we're able to avoid places that are sensitive habitat, and so we're able to pinpoint where we want to drill because the shale is pervasive," he said. And with the use of horizontal drilling, in which drilling rigs sink wells down and then angle out horizontally, Devon can drill multiple wells from one pad, he said. It all means fewer natural-gas well pads will be needed in the Little Mountain area compared to other fields, such as Jonah in Sublette County, where the natural-gas deposits are more dispersed and horizontal drilling isn't as effective and efficient. "So you look across the landscape and you're not seeing a horizon dotted with well sites because the well sites that we have will be far more limited than what you might have in the Jonah field," Minty said. Minty also noted that Devon has halted its pilot drilling and seismic surveying during hunting season. The seismic survey will cost the company an additional $1 million because of the hunting season stoppage, he said. The Little Mountain area is prized among locals for its elk, antelope and mule deer hunting. Gov. Dave Freudenthal, himself a hunter, is among those who expressed concern about the energy activity in the area, saying hunting there is "truly a once-in-a-lifetime event." "I would ... emphasize that the Little Mountain area is considered by many to be Sweetwater County's crown jewel for wildlife and recreation," Freudenthal has said. "Any activity in the area must be undertaken with the greatest caution and sensitivity." Trout Unlimited has also expressed concern about how energy development will affect fishing in the area. http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/11/19/news/doc49247bb921462936163449.txt Historic re-enactors protest park, site closings in Springfield By Mike Riopell mike.riopell at lee.net Advertisement SPRINGFIELD -- A group of historic re-enactors protested at the Illinois Capitol Wednesday in an effort to keep state parks and historic sites open. | Prison supporters take fight to Springfield | Judge blocks transfers from prison | Mayor: State cooking the books on parolees About two dozen parks and historic sites are set for closure at the end of the month as part of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's budget-cutting plans. Southern Illinois University doctoral student Dan Hechenberger was among the protesters Wednesday, saying staff at historic sites in particular can help teachers make history lessons more interesting. Hechenberger said many students don't perk up at the thought of learning history, but hands-on experience can help. "They can help bring it alive for the kids," Hechenberger said. The protest came on the same day hundreds of prison workers and their families were to gather in the Capitol to fight the governor's plan to close Pontiac Correctional Center. Lawmakers have tried to send more money to Blagojevich in an effort to keep the sites and parks open past Nov. 30. But Blagojevich said Tuesday he wants to cut the state budget even further. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/11/17/nb-caboose-move.html?ref=rss Protesters hope to derail caboose move Last Updated: Monday, November 17, 2008 | 3:57 PM AT Comments6Recommend12 CBC News A small group of people in Grand Bay-Westfield are hoping to save a town landmark before its northwestern trek to a new home. An old, red caboose that once served as the town's visitor information centre will be on its way to Edmundston later this week. The northwestern city is turning its old train station into a tourist attraction, and the 1930s vintage caboose that now rests in Grand Bay Westfield, about 20 kilometres north of Saint John, will fit right in. But that's not going over well with the roughly 15 placard-waving protesters in Grand Bay-Westfield who rallied around the caboose on Monday morning. Louise Touchbourne, 10, was among the demonstrators hoping to keep the landmark from leaving. "Shediac has its lobster and Nackawic has its axe, and I don't think they would just give that away," she said. The transfer to Edmundston was made possible when Grand Bay-Westfield decided it didn't want to pay to maintain the caboose now that the town has a new tourist centre at the River Centre. Concern over heritage seems to run in the family. Jim Touchbourne, Louise's father, said it's a shame Grand Bay-Westfield is losing a symbol of its railway past. "I think that a town of this size, in this day and age, should be able to maintain something of this magnitude for the future and use it as a teaching tool," he said. Touchbourne admitted it's unlikely the town will be able to save the caboose from its northern trip, but said he hopes this serves as a reminder of the importance to save heritage items. "If we ever have the good fortune to have an artifact of this size and magnitude ever again, that we know not to take it for granted and that the citizens don't take it for granted, and that we want to maintain it and keep it, it's worth it." Linda Caron, a member of the town's heritage committee, said the caboose is the community's largest artifact and losing it comes as a shock. "We weren't consulted on that at all, I don't know how that came about, we weren't part of that decision making and it would have been nice for the heritage committee to be part of that," Caron said. So far, 500 people have signed a petition to keep the caboose. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7725254.stm Friday, 14 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Protest over hospital demolition Protesters are against the demolition of any buildings on the site Around a dozen people have protested against the demolition of buildings at an ex-psychiatric hospital as the site is prepared for future development. Work to demolish some outbuildings at the North Wales Hospital in Denbigh has been halted after the discovery of a protected species of bat. Protesters are concerned some buildings which are grade-II listed could be in danger when work re-starts. The site owners said no buildings will be demolished without permission. Ayub Bhailock, a consultant with Freemont Denbigh Ltd, which owns the site, said permission for demolition of certain buildings had been issued three years ago, in conjunction with Denbighshire Council, the Welsh Assembly Government and Cadw. I think people might be worried that the whole site is being demolished - that's misconceived Ayub Bhailock, developer He said they were parts of the site which were added after the original hospital was built. Misconceived He said: "The main purpose of this is to protect and maintain the main building. It's a beautiful building. "I think people might be worried that the whole site is being demolished - that's misconceived, it's the later buildings that were added." The property was bought by a private owner in 2002 and the council granted outline planning permission for new housing on the site. The downturn in the economy means there is now little demand for housing land, and other options are being considered for the site, including its possible use as a prison. Demolition work began earlier this month. Denbigh Hospital was built in 1844 and closed in 1995 Campaigners say one of the demolished buildings, Erddig Ward (also known as Bryn Golau) was a listed building and should have been left intact. Bats Colin Jones, who runs the website www.northwaleshospital.co.uk and has organised Friday's protest, said many campaigners were against the demolition of any buildings. He added: "We're particularly concerned about listed buildings - none of them should go. "It is a sad day because for so long the hospital has been left stagnant, and their only resort to solving the problems is pulling down the history of our town, rather than making use of what we have." Some campaigners are concerned about the preservation of bats found in the complex. Campaigner Craig Hornby said he had seen them on numerous occasions. He said: "I believe bats are protected within the UK and I hope something can be done to highlight this issue." In a statement, Denbighshire Council said: "Only those buildings which are the subject of the listed building consent can be demolished. "The owners and contractors are aware that separate procedures have to be followed before demolition proceeds, including the need for licensing from the Welsh Assembly Government if bat roosts are to be disturbed." http://www.bluesheets.co.uk/dnn/News/tabid/56/newsid416/139/FREE-THE-QUAY---TIE-A-YELLOW-RIBBON/Default.aspx FREE THE QUAY - TIE A YELLOW RIBBON.... From 10.30 am on Saturday 8 November Free the Quay protestors will be tying protest ribbons to the Mistley Quay fence Since the fence went up over a month ago, people have spontaneously come from far and wide to attach numerous protest ribbons, flowers and signs to the fence. Hundreds of small ribbons were attached by sailors at the Boat Rally on 28 September. But earlier this week Trent Wharfage workers spent over two hours laboriously removing them all. Saturday's mass ribbon tying session follows Free the Quay's spectacular and award-winning protest float in the Harwich Guy parade, as another expression of popular feeling about the fence. All are welcome to join in. Ribbons and rags will be available on the day, but people are also encouraged to bring their own. http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27839 Armenian bloggers protest destruction of Armenian churches in Georgia 27.11.2008 17:59 GMT+04:00 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian bloggers gathered at the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan today to demand that demolition of the Armenian cultural heritage be stopped and those guilty be punished. The protesters were carrying posters of Norashen church and banners reading ?Save Armenian churches in Georgia?, ?Republic of Georgia not Europe still Asiatic? and a small coffin with an inscription ?The newborn Georgian democracy. This newborn democracy is dead already? on it. What is happening to Armenian churches in Georgia is nothing but genocide of our cultural heritage, according to historian Samvel Karapetyan. A crime has been committed and those guilty should be punished by the international court, he said yesterday. Over 650 Armenian churches are situated in the territory of Georgia, most of them already appropriated or destructed by the Georgian side. On November 16, Georgian monk Tariel Sikinchelashvili instructed workers to raze to the ground the graves of Mikhail and Lidia Tamamshevs. This barbarian act outraged Armenians, who demanded to let the graves in their place. However, Father Tariel responded with harsh statements. Upon arrival of representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church and parliament member Van Bayburt, the Georgian monk said he just wanted to replace the gravestones to ?clean under them.? From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 08:32:28 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:32:28 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Peace protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB2568C.8060301@tesco.net> * IRAN: Protest marks embassy takeover anniversary * SYRIA: Thousands protest US raid * TRIPURA - INDIA: Children protest warfare through paintings * CZECH REP: US radar base protested * RUSSIA: Proetsters with pumpkins oppose American "plots" * MOLDOVA: Russian military presence protested * US - Georgia - Annual School of the Americas protest * UK: New Afghanistan war protest * US: Oregon - Soldier joins war protest; hunger striker arrested * US: Vermont - Protest for peace economy * UK: Protests against troop homecoming celebration * UK: Anti-nuclear protest at Aldermaston * AUSTRALIA: Noisy protest at war event * SCOTLAND - UK: Protests over football militarism http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/03/content_10301376.htm Iranians hold demonstrations to mark U.S. embassy takeover TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Iranians held demonstrations on Monday to mark the 29th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by Iranian students. The demonstrators, including schoolchildren and university students, gathered outside the former U.S. embassy in central Tehran, shouting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans. Monday marks 13 of Aban (the eighth month) in the Iranian calendar. On 13 of Aban in the Iranian year of 1358 (Nov. 4, 1979), the U.S. embassy was stormed by Iranian students and its personnel were held hostage for 444 days. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980 over the embassy takeover and their ties have remained severed ever since. "The first fruit of the seizure of the 'Den of Spies' was to clarify the Islamic regime's anti-arrogance stance in the world," Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Seied Mohammad Hassan Abutorabifard told the rally, referring to the former U.S. embassy. "The second achievement of this event was to pave the path for other muslim nations to preserve their identity and dignity," Abutorabifard said in front of cheering crowds. Referring to the United States implicitly, he said that "downgrading the global arrogance's pretence to greatness was another achievement of the seizure of the 'Den of Spies.'" Iran holds rallies and meetings every year to mark the day for three significance in Iranian history: Takeover of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran by university students in 1979; Declaration of the day as the "Students' Day" in remembrance of several students killed in 1978 while taking part in protest rally against the former Shah; Sending to exile of the late Imam Khomeini in 1963. Editor: Zheng E http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=659670&rss=yes Iranians protest at old US embassy 19:17 AEST Mon Nov 3 2008 Thousands of young Iranians have rallied outside the former US embassy in Tehran to mark the 29th anniversary of the seizure of the building by Islamic radicals after the revolution. The demonstrators, mainly schoolchildren and students, brandished banners proclaiming "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and carried Uncle Sam effigies that were to be torched later. "We will not get on with America even for a moment," read one placard carried by demonstrators standing in the rain outside what is dubbed the "Den of Spies" in central Tehran. Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations for nearly three decades since students took US diplomats at the mission hostage for 444 days following the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah. Monday's demonstration came ahead of the US presidential election between Republican John McCain and Democrat front-runner Barack Obama, who many Iranians think might aid a thaw between the arch foes. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/10/20081030101832817729.html October 30, 2008 15:07 Mecca time, 12:07 GMT Syrians march in protest at US raid Demonstrators denounced the US raid as a "criminal act" and "terrorism" [AFP] Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets of the capital Damascus to protest against a US raid which killed eight people near the border with Iraq. Riot police were deployed outside the US embassy as the demonstrators, mostly civil servants and students, gathered for the government-backed protest a few kilometres away. The embassy, which was pelted with stones during a protest against US-led air raids on Iraq in 1998, was closed on Thursday due to security concerns. But the situation remained peaceful as the protesters filled the Youssef al-Azmi square and surrounding streets in the al-Maliki neighbourhood, with some Syrians forming circles and performing traditional dances. Some demonstrators carried banners denouncing the United States, as well as national flags and pictures of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president. "America the sponsor of destruction and wars," one of the banners read. 'Civilians killed' Damascus says that eight civilians, including a number of children, were killed when US troops in helicopters crossed into eastern Syria last Sunday. The US state department and the Pentagon have both officially refused to comment on the incident in Abu Kamal, but a US official has told news agencies that the operation targeted an Iraqi national who was smuggling arms and fighters across the border. Damascus says eight civilians died in the US raid in Abu Kamal [AFP] Hussam Baayoun, a 20-year-old university student at the rally, said the US raid was a "criminal act". "We want the Americans to stop their acts of terrorism in Syria, in Iraq and the rest of the world," he said. Syria has demanded a formal apology for the raid and has threatened to cut off co-operation over border security if there is any repeat of the incident. "This aggression did not succeed," Mohsen Bilal, Syria's information minister, said. "It was supposed to yield a catch so that they could show it to the world ... But the catch turned out to be an innocent family." In response to the attack, Damascus has ordered the closure by November 6 of a US school and an American cultural centre in the capital. The United States has repeatedly accused Syria of not doing enough to stop the trafficking of weapons and anti-government fighters into Iraq, but Damascus says it is doing all it can to secure the porous border. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-40028.html Tripura's young protest against militancy through their paintings By Pinaki Das, Agartala, Nov.3 : Young children in Tripura capital Agartala have adopted a unique way of protesting against militancy, especially the bomb blasts - through a painting exhibition. The children, aged between 10 and 15 years, see their imaginative creations as an effective way to challenge the subversive activities of the militants and send out a message of peace and unity among the people. While one painter said that without peace there could no development, another said people should unite against the evil and work for development. All painters said they did not support militancy, as it was a malaise that has left the northeast bleeding for decades. The organizers described the painting exhibition as a new concept in the state. The three-day exhibition attracted a sizeable crowd and most visitors said events such as this should be held more frequently. Joydeep Bhattacharjee, a visitor, said: "See each and every picture depicts society. Maybe it is in the painters' sub-conscious. It is true also in the case of children. They produce them in their way. They draw what they see or what we make them see. Here, there are different types of pictures with vivid bright colours. One thing that I have noticed is that the children have brought out the region in their own way, without thinking. These pictures have spontaneity. Three is nothing what has been pressed upon them and so the pictures are lively, even the elderly people have lot to learn from them. I have enjoyed the exhibition and hope in the future more such takes place." --- ANI http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6535891.html Czechs rally in Prague to protest U.S. radar base 15:17, November 18, 2008 Nearly 1,000 people rallied in Prague Monday to protest U.S. plans to build a missile defense radar base in the Czech Republic. Holding banners and posts reading "No U.S. base needed here" and "76 percent citizens against radar base," the demonstrators chanted slogans like "referendum, referendum" during the day-long protest. A demonstrator told Xinhua that there should be no more foreign troops in the Eastern European country. The man also believed the U.S. radar base will be aimed at Russia, not Iran or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The United States on July 9 signed a treaty with the Czech Republic on construction of a missile defense radar base, which would mean the stationing of foreign troops in the country for the first time since the 1968 Soviet invasion. The march was organized by the No to Bases group which was established in 2006. Along with over 40 other groups, it has organized many rallies across the country in protest of the establishment of the U.S. radar base. Source:Xinhua http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/world/europe/03moscow.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Russians With Pumpkins Protest Many U.S. Plots Sergey Ponomarev/Associated Press Police officers stood guard on Sunday in front of the United States Embassy in Moscow as thousands of demonstrators from the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi protested against the United States and the war in Georgia. The protesters, in their teens and early 20s, carried jack-o?-lanterns with the names of war victims. By ELLEN BARRY Published: November 2, 2008 MOSCOW ? Thousands of Russians from the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi gathered in front of the United States Embassy here on Sunday night carrying jack-o?-lanterns inked with the names of war victims and charging that the war in Georgia was part of an American plot to improve Senator John McCain?s electoral prospects. As music by Johnny Cash and the Allman Brothers played from loudspeakers, a stream of young people climbed off buses that had carried them to Moscow from far-flung provincial capitals. They held the pumpkins aloft for a moment of silence as a deep bass thumped and carnival-style lights played on the embassy?s facade. In a film projected on several large screens, an actor playing President Bush (though with a heavy Russian accent) delivered a speech in which he gloated over the United States? control over world affairs. The film asserted that the United States orchestrated World Wars I and II so that the American economy could overtake Europe?s, carried out the Sept. 11 attacks to broaden government powers and planned to brand every person on the planet with the ?mark of the beast,? as referred to in the Bible. ?When that will happen, we will totally control all humanity,? said the actor playing Mr. Bush, swigging a beer, as a picture of the globe in chains glowed behind him. The opinions in the crowd were far more nuanced. Most of the demonstrators, men and women in their teens and early 20s, said they held the United States responsible for the war in Georgia, saying President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia would not have attacked the separatist enclave of South Ossetia without express permission from American officials. Several demonstrators said they had become disillusioned with the United States during the 1990s, saying the reforms it pushed had led Russia into financial and political chaos. ?We don?t like to be told how to live, and we don?t like it when our peacekeepers are attacked,? said Yura Yakor, 23. ?You?re not likely to find any fans of America here.? As they shivered in the wintry rain, nearly everyone had something to say about the coming United States elections. Many agreed with the theory, espoused by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin in a televised interview this fall, that the war in Georgia was planned to increase the chances of Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate. A few said they thought a victory for Senator Barack Obama would greatly improve relations between the United States and Russia. ?If McCain wins, I think everything will get worse,? said Yekaterina Anisimova, 20, who had traveled from Vladimir, about 125 miles east of Moscow, for the rally. ?He is categorically against Russia. Obama is the opposite. All this could end.? Her friend, Yana Vinogradova, agreed. ?We don?t hate America,? she said. ?We just have a bad relationship with this administration.? As the American reporter departed, Ms. Anisimova yelled after her, ?Vote for Obama!? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27504200/ Moscow youth protest U.S. ? with pumpkins Some hold lit jack-o'-lanterns with names of South Ossetians Russian police officers stand guard on a street during an anti-American protest near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Sunday. Sergey Ponomarev / AP U.K. reality star dies March 23: After a very public battle with cervical cancer, British reality TV star Jade Goody died over the weekend. NBC?s Stephanie Gosk reports from London. updated 4:32 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2008 MOSCOW - About 15,000 members of a pro-Kremlin youth group have staged an anti-American protest near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Some held lit jack-o'-lanterns for what they called the Helloween American Show, with Halloween intentionally misspelled. On each pumpkin was written the name of someone who supposedly died as a result of conflicts allegedly unleashed by the U.S. Some of the names appeared to be those of South Ossetians. The breakaway region of South Ossetia was at the heart of the August war between Russia and Georgia, a U.S. ally. Mikhail Potyomkin says he joined Sunday evening's protest to show his opposition to the actions of the U.S., which he says "cause a significant number of deaths of innocent people." http://politicom.moldova.org/news/political-party-will-again-protest-against-russian-military-presence-in-moldova-163810-eng.html Political party will again protest against Russian military presence in Moldova November 10, 2008 Subscribe to: RSS, Email The Liberal Party will protest against the Russian military presence on Moldova?s territory on November 13, when the Summit of CIS Prime Ministers will open in Chisinau. Russia?s Premier Vladimir Putin will also attend the event. In a communiqu?, PL says that the party demanded and demands that the Russian army be pulled out from Moldova in accordance with the international commitments that Russia made at the OSCE Istanbul Summit of 1999, when it was accepted as a member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. ?We consider that the Russian military presence on the left bank of the Dniester and Russia?s support for the secessionist Transdniestrian regime represent the major obstacles that hinder Moldova?s admission to the EU,? the communiqu? says. In this connection, the Liberals call on all the political parties and representatives of the civil society that have similar stances to take part in the protest and demand that Russia withdraw the army and tanks from Moldova. The protest will be held at the intersection of Maria Cibotari and Bucharest streets, starting at start at 9.00. REPORER.MD http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/georgia/news-article.aspx?storyid=124589&provider=rss Protesters Call for Closing of Georgia Military School Posted By: Brian Bendetti Created: 11/23/2008 7:37:01 PM Updated: 11/23/2008 9:37:09 PM COLUMBUS, GA (AP) -- Demonstrators renewed their call Sunday to shutter a school on a Georgia Army base for Latin American military and government officials and say they're optimistic the new president or a more sympathetic Congress will act within the next year. School of Americas Watch protests each November outside Fort Benning to mark the 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador. A United Nations panel concluded that some of the killers had attended the School of Americas, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest who has been leading the demonstrations since 1990, said his supporters view President-elect Barack Obama as the ''president who stands for peace.'' ''Our movement has worked hard to get him into the White House,'' Bourgeois said. ''We think it is very reasonable to have a meeting with President Obama.'' Protesters also blame the school for human rights abuses in Latin America. Obama could close the school by executive order or Congress could deny funding, a proposal that was narrowly defeated earlier this year, Bourgeois said. ''There is a good possibility we'll shut the school,'' Bourgeois said. ''If we do, we're going to gather here next year for a fiesta.'' Bourgeois has also taken on another cause. He has been threatened with excommunication by the Vatican for supporting the ordination of women as priests. But as of Sunday, he was still a man of the cloth, he said. ''I'm waiting to hear from Rome,'' he said. Fort Benning officials had no comment other than to say they worked with local officials to ensure a safe, peaceful gathering. The protesters, many of them students from as far away as Minnesota and Washington state, listened to music, speeches and marched in a funeral procession. Some, dressed in black robes, carried mock coffins while the majority lifted white crosses as the names of alleged victims of human rights abuses were read. They cheered an announcement that the crowd had grown to 20,000. But Capt. Mike Massey of the Muscogee County Sheriff's Department said deputies had counted about 8,500 entering the area in the morning. Most years, the group and local officials differ on crowd estimates. Eric LeCompte, an SOA Watch organizer, said six protesters crossed a line on the military base and were arrested. Juanita Sherba of Canfield, Ohio, has been attending the demonstrations for 12 years. ''We believe that Obama's words are true,'' she said. ''He seems to be a man of conscience and I think he's going to look into the way our government does business and truly make it a democracy again.' http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=825&Itemid=144 Protest against Afghanistan war this Thursday 20 November Written by Stewart office Monday, 17 November 2008 Thursday 20 November marks 7 years since the so called liberation of Afghanistan by the US and its allies. In that time thousands of innocent Afghan civilians have been killed and many more wounded, as the security situation goes from bad to worse. Stop the War groups across the country will be protesting on that day to say that troops should be brought home from Afghanistan. If you would like to organise a protest in your area contact us today. http://salem-news.com/articles/november162008/caqpitol_vigil_11-16-08.php Nov-16-2008 13:16 Oregon Guard Soldier Joins Capitol War Protest (VIDEO) Tim King Salem-News.com An Oregon Guard soldier joins the 24-hour vigil protesting a deployment to Iraq in 2009. Photo and video by Tim King Salem-News.com (SALEM, Ore.) - An Oregon woman protesting a national guard deployment to the Iraq War was arrested Friday night by Oregon state troopers. Political activist Michele Darr of Corvallis is no stranger to capitol demonstrations; she spent months outside the capitol in protest of the Iraq War in 2003. Advocates taking part in the vigil and fast say Michele Darr's Civil Rights were violated when she was arrested, and Saturday the list of advocates on the capitol steps grew to include an Oregon soldier who is part of the scheduled deployment. "They showed us their building policy that indicates that between the hours of 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, the building is closed to the public," Darr said. But an assembling group of attorneys like former Salem Mayor Mike Swaim and Elizabeth Baker, say the state law flies in the face of civil rights granted by federal law. News of the arrest prompted Richard Portelli, a soldier in the Oregon Guard, to join Darr's cause. "Everything I've heard from other soldiers who have been over there is that it's a really terrible thing, and they have stretches of road they patrol where there are bombs, and they are patrolling them because there are bombs there and the bombs are there because we're patrolling them; it all seems very weird to me." Portelli said. Attorneys say the state law that allow police to arrest Darr conflicts with federal laws that grant the public, rights to access public property. Darr believes the Governor could take steps to keep the soldiers in Oregon. Legislation has also been drafted that could keep the troops home, but at this point Darr has been told there will be no word on that until January at the earliest. "They are already preparing the early members of the deployment, and all of these families are waiting to find out what will happen, all of this just before the holiday season," Darr said. Michele Darr's dedication to what she is doing seems immense, and she says Oregon's soldiers deserve better in her opiniom, than to be sent on another yearlong deployment to Iraq. She says people like Private Richard Portelli are stepping forward to join her, and she hopes Oregon's elected officials are listening. http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/11/16/news/community/1loc10_anti.txt Local anti-war protester arrested By the Gazette-Times A Corvallis woman camping on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol Building to protest the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to Iraq and Afghan-istan was arrested for trespassing Friday night by Oregon State Police troopers. Michele Darr was on her 15th day at the Capitol. She said she has been on a hunger strike during that time because she wants Gov. Ted Kulongoski to refuse to send Oregon National Guard troops overseas. Although state governors don?t have the authority over troops deployed overseas by the U.S. Department of the Army, Darr argued otherwise and insisted Kulongoski meet with her or another representative. Troopers allegedly told her she couldn?t camp at the Capitol between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Darr, 38, said many of her supporters only come to see her at night. ?Civil rights don?t end at night,? she said. Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Darr was arrested at 12:40 a.m. She was processed and released at the Marion County Jail, where she received a second citation for trespassing. ?We are being told that our soldiers overseas are fighting for our freedoms,? Darr said, ?and this is my freedom, handcuffed behind my back.? http://salem-news.com/articles/november152008/darr-arrest-11-15-08.php Nov-15-2008 00:47 Peaceful Protestor to be Arrested at Oregon Capitol Salem-News.com A former Salem Mayor and attorney says the First-Amendment rights of Michele Darr, who has been on a food strike for 14 days, are being violated. Night shot of the Oregon State Capitol where Michele Darr has been protesting. Photo by Tim King Salem-News.com (SALEM, Ore.) - Following the delivery of a letter to Governor Kulongoski earlier today, Michele Darr was set to be arrested at 11:30 PM Friday. Darr has been vigiling and fasting in protest the deployment of the Oregon National Guard on the capitol building's steps since November 1st. Despite the capitol building steps being public property, Darr has been issued a citation for criminal trespass. Darr and fellow citizens spoke to the police who they say were apologetic about the situation, but explained that it was "a reaffirmed administrative order". Thursday, two-time Salem Mayor and civil rights attorney Mike Swaim advised Darr that this is a violation of her first amendment rights. In 1983, US vs. Grace upheld a protestor's right to public forums, including state buildings. "We are being told that our soldiers overseas are fighting for our freedoms," Darr explained, "and this is my freedom, handcuffed behind my back." Once Darr is arrested, Came Homebound will clean up for the night. However, they say this arrest will not deter them from their protest and they will set up once again Saturday morning. For more information on Corvallis CODEPINK, Came Homebound, and the Keep the Oregon National Guard Home campaign, see corvalliscodepink.org http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_112808_news_corvallis_war_protest_fast.b4d332e.html Corvallis woman fasts on Capitol steps in war protest 05:10 PM PST on Thursday, November 27, 2008 By AMANDA BURDEN, Kgw.com SALEM, Ore. - Rather than spend Thanksgiving with her family, a Corvallis woman fasted on the steps of the State Capitol in Salem. Michele Darr has protested here for nearly a month with no food and no shelter. She sleeps on a thin mat and only consumes water, vitamins and an occasional cup of coffee. Mike Galimanis, KGW-TV Michele Darr has been on a hunger fast in protest of an Oregon National Guard deployment. Darr is protesting the proposed deployment of 3,500 Oregon National Guard to Iraq and Afghanistan. ?I have close friends in the National Guard,? Darr said. ?I instantly saw the toll it took on them to be called up again and I found that very sad and disheartening.? She said sacrificing this time away from her children is nothing compared to the sacrifices that soldiers are required to make overseas. ?It's taken a huge, tremendous toll on the guard and their families,? Darr said. ?We feel at the very least they're owed a justification for the sacrifice they're being asked to make.? Darr?s partner, Reese Gooch, stayed by her side. Other protestors occasionally stop by to show support. Darr says she plans to camp out on the steps until Gov. Ted Kulongoski agrees to meet with her. Kulongoski is the commander and chief of the guard but he does not have authority over deployment. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x33036 Anti-war protesters call for peace economy (VT) Anti-war protesters call for peace economy November 2, 2008 By LISA RATHKE The Associated Press MONTPELIER ? Three days before the presidential election, anti-war activists rallied in front of the Statehouse on Saturday calling for an end to the war and a continued fight for change after Nov. 4 ... About 50 demonstrators marched down State Street to the Statehouse led by a single drummer. They carried signs saying "Vermonters Say No to War," "Share the Wealth! Cut the Military Budget!" and "How Much Longer."Organizers urged the state to pursue what they called a peace economy. They insisted that the state should not give tax breaks to military weapons manufacturer General Dynamics of Burlington, which they said received $3 million in tax breaks last year. "We don't want Vermont's taxpayer dollars going to war. We want it spent here to help with health care. There's over 60,000 Vermonters who don't have health care. That's where we need to be spending our money," said S'ra DeSantis of Burlington ... http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20... http://www.independent.ie/national-news/clashes-feared-as-protests-set-for-royal-irish-parade-1517392.html?r=RSS Clashes feared as protests set for Royal Irish parade National News Home Search Query: Independent.ie Web Search By ALAN MURRAY Sunday November 02 2008 Tension remains high in Belfast ahead of today's homecoming parade for the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) through the centre of the city. Despite a climbdown by Sinn Fein over the routing of their protest, thousands of loyalists will flood the centre of Belfast before lunchtime to show their support for the 280 Royal Irish soldiers who will parade with other members of the British armed forces. There are major concerns that dissident republican elements will attempt to disrupt the event with bomb hoaxes, and fears that loyalists and dissident republican supporters will clash on the way to and from the first major military parade of this type in Belfast since just after the Second World War. The decision of Sinn Fein to redirect its protest route away from the Divis Flats area in the Falls Road where dissident republicans are planning an illegal protest has eased security worries and has been generally been welcomed by unionist politicians. But there remain significant concerns that the two protests mounted in the Markets area near the city centre and at Divis Flats could spark a confrontation with loyalists travelling from east Belfast to see the military parade. The decision by the British Army's General Officer Commanding (GOC) in Northern Ireland, Major General Chris Brown, to cancel an RAF flypast and announce that the homecoming RIR troops will parade without weapons was followed by Sinn Fein's announcement that it proposed to alter its route and protest at a less strategic point on the parade route. Many loyalist paramilitaries, however, still intend to travel into the city to show Sinn Fein their feelings. One north Belfast loyalist said he was going into the city for the parade, adding that he feared that trouble would erupt. "I'm going with my brother and other members of my family. I'm not going as a paramilitary and that's the way most guys are thinking," he said. "If Sinn Fein hadn't announced they were going to stage a protest, a large number of people on the loyalist side wouldn't be near the city centre, but they've basically thrown down the gauntlet and people are going just to defy Gerry Adams and Alex Maskey." In east Belfast, thousands are expected to make the short journey across the Albert Bridge and the Queen's Bridge to see the parade. Loyalist sources in the area say large numbers of Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA) members are planning to go but are not intending to cause any trouble. "They're going to give their support to the troops but people have been told to stay in the background and not to get involved in any confrontations," one paramilitary source said. "There are a lot of inter-community projects on the go and the organisations don't want to damage those so there is no plan to attack, riot or fight. It's just to say that Gerry Adams can't dictate who can walk in Belfast." Bandsmen from all parts of the city have been told to give their support to the event but not to cause any trouble. The organisers of the protests by the dissident republican support groups Eirigi and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement haven't applied for permission to take to the streets, and it is expected that there will be a confrontation with the PSNI when the Eirigi-organised protest at Divis Flats attempts to move towards the city centre. Eirigi chairman Brian Leeson said: "We do not regard the PSNI as a legitimate police force and we will certainly not be asking their permission for our protest." - ALAN MURRAY http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/774/39943 Ireland: British Army ?parade of shame? Peadar Whelan, Belfast 8 November 2008 First came two British soldiers, decked out in desert battle dress, leading a pair of Irish wolfhounds. Behind them strutted the first contingent of soldiers from the Irish Guards. Left right, left right, they marched with their chests puffed out pompously. Next came the military band in their ?Royal Irish? green dress uniforms, blasting out the hymn, ?Onward Christian Soldiers?, no doubt in an attempt to hide this display of naked militarism behind a religious fig leaf. Not that it mattered as the strains of the hymn were all but drowned out by the bellicose screaming of hundreds of loyalists ? supporters of continued British rule over the six counties that make up Northern Ireland ? who crammed into Fisherwick Place. The jeering of those who support the British ?union? was directed at the families of nationalists gunned down by British state forces in the six counties ? families who stood not 30 metres away, protesting against the British Army?s march of shame. This was November 2 in Belfast City Centre, and if the actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the British Army, loyalist mobs and the unionist politicians in the city centre say anything, it is to tell nationalists that the struggle for justice and equality has a long way to go. When the British Army decided in September to hold a ?homecoming? parade in Belfast to ?welcome? home soldiers from the British army unit Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) who had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the idea was greeted with disbelief by the nationalist population. The relatives of those killed by the British state over the past four decades of war in the six counties knew instinctively this march was to be an exercise in militaristic posturing that dove-tailed perfectly with the unionist campaign ? driven by Belfast daily The Newsletter ? to ?Welcome Home the Heroes?. This campaign provided unionist politicians, Democratic Unionist Party members in particular, with a stage on which they could pose as latter day Winston Churchills ? totally committed to the military prowess of the British armed forces (or their efficiency as a killing machine). Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was also quoted in the October 20 An Phoblacht stating: ?There are also people, including many who are not Sinn Fein supporters, who feel that a march to celebrate the actions of the British Army and the British government in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is wrong.? It didn?t matter to unionism that the many thousands of nationalists who suffered at the hands of this very same army would be offended by the proposed armed parade and fly-past by the RAF. But when Sinn Fein announced its intention to organise a demonstration to give voice to the disgust felt, traditional unionism ? enjoying the support of ?green unionists? in the chattering classes, the churches and the Social Democratic and Labour Party ? went on the offensive. The unionist strategy was to accuse Sinn Fein of sectarianism, of fomenting trouble and jeopardising peace, the power-sharing executive (involving Sinn Fein, the DUP, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party) and community relations. They conjured up images of Belfast City Centre in flames as a scare tactic. Most vociferous was Nelson McCausland from the Orange Order, who insists on imposing unwanted marches on nationalist communities of Belfast year in, year out. McCausland, enraged that the Parades Commission had the temerity to allow the Sinn Fein demonstration to go ahead fulminated, ?the Parades Commission has handed Donegall Place over to Sinn Fein?. What irked unionists most was the way in which Sinn Fein spokespersons, such as MLA Paul Maskey, articulated the legitimacy of the nationalist case. The West Belfast assembly member argued that the British Army gunned down over 400 nationalists during the conflict in the North; that the RIR and Ulster Defence Regiment operated as surrogates for unionist death squads; that members of the UDR were members of the death squads, supplying weapons and intelligence that were used to kill hundreds of Catholics and nationalists. As the day of the march drew near, unionists whipped up their supporters into a frenzy. The loyalist paramilitaries Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Volunteer Force played their part and mobilised within their strongholds, telling people to be in Belfast City Centre on the day. The tension was slowly but surely ratcheted up. However, unexpectedly on October 31 the British Ministry of Defence cancelled its proposed RAF fly-past and said the marching troops would not be armed. Then at a noon press conference, Sinn Fein proposed an alternative route for the relatives? counter-demonstration. The Sinn Fein decision, that would take the nationalist protest closer to the British Army?s march route, meant, according to North Belfast assembly member Gerry Kelly, that the focus would remain on the relatives? protest against the British Army. On their arrival at Fisherwick Place on November 2, the families of those victims of British state terror, at the head of a 2000-strong crowd, were met by vile sectarian abuse ? as well as bottles and other projectiles ? from the hundreds of loyalists. The ?welcoming? was soon being exposed for what it was, another exercise in loyalist coat-tailing. The loyalist crowd chanted vicious rants, such as ?The Famine is over, why don?t you go home?, and ?Would you like a chicken supper Bobby Sands?? (in reference to the Irish republican prisoner who died on hunger strike in 1981). And when the soldiers and their dogs appeared on Fisherwick Place, the baying got louder and as each contingent of Irish Guards, the military band and the RIR swaggered past, the cheers and jeers became more venomous. The triumphalism and sectarianism of unionism were on show for anyone willing to look. Alas most of the media didn?t want to see it. Unionism didn?t want see it. The churches ignored it and the SDLP as usual were afraid to see it. What provoked this torrent of bigotry was a silent, dignified demonstration of grieving families looking for truth. Instead, they were confronted by a rabid loyalist mob, whipped up by unionist politicians and left alone by the PSNI, telling the croppies to lie down. They need to know that it is long past the time when nationalists will ever cower before such a display of bigotry. [Reprinted from the November 6 An Phoblacht, http://www.anphoblacht.com.] http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest021108.html Take the Message Back to Your Masters in Downing Street 02/11/08 400 Irish republicans today gathered in west Belfast in defiance of the British government, the British army, the PSNI and the Six County Parades Commission. Activists from all over Ireland saw through the lies and black propaganda mustered up by the Royal Irish Regiment?s cheerleaders and stood face to face with heavily armed PSNI personnel in a powerful statement of opposition to British rule. ?ir?g? activists and supporters gathered at 10.30am on a glorious day which matched the enthusiasm of the large crowd. The demonstrators marched towards the PSNI barricade which was set up to stop protests against the British military display taking place in the city. ?ir?g? stewards marched to the barricade and set up a protective line, whilst banners bearing messages such as ?Oppose Britain?s Murder Machine?, were erected and a platform prepared. Only metres from the barricade, the rally was addressed by Alex McCrory, a former H Block republican political prisoner and blanketman, who read a statement from Relatives for Justice ? the group which campaigns on behalf of victims of British state violence. Following Alex?s contribution, Brenda Downes, whose husband was shot dead by the RUC in 1984 at a similar rally, and whose killer was acquitted of the charge of manslaughter in a British court, addressed the rally and condemned the RIR and British state forces as murderers. Finally, Brian Leeson, ?ir?g? chairperson, addressed the crowd and explained the reasons behind ?ir?g??s decision to mobilise on the streets of Belfast. Before finishing he addressed the ?paramilitary police force of the state? and told them to take a message back to their masters. He said: ?Tell them that hundreds of men and women of all ages stood before you today. Tell your masters in Downing Street that those men and women stood without fear, that they disobeyed your Parades Commission and they disobeyed your law. ?Tell your masters, that among the crowds you saw many ex-prisoners, you saw blanketmen, you saw the victims of your violence, and tell them, that beside these men from the H Blocks, who brought the war to the British state for 30 years, stood a new generation that was as determined as any generation that came before them. ?Tell them that you looked into the eyes of a risen people, and that they were not afraid. You tell your masters that!? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7704650.stm Sunday, 2 November 2008 Thousands attend Belfast parade Soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment with Irish Wolfhound mascots A homecoming parade for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has taken place in Belfast city centre. Sinn F?in protesters took part in a demonstration against the British Army's role in the Troubles. Police stopped a separate dissident republican counter parade from marching into the centre of Belfast at the bottom of the Falls Road. After a number of speeches, the protesters made their way back to Divis Tower. Earlier, several thousand people walked down the Shankill Road with banners welcoming the soldiers. DUP delegation, including NI First Minister Peter Robinson, arrive at parade Sinn F?in's Gerry Kelly, speaking to protestors at Dunville Park in west Belfast, said the parade was a "provocative act which had split the city". His party changed the route of its protest and told troublemakers to stay away. Also last week, the RAF cancelled a planned fly-past and and it was agreed soldiers at the parade would be unarmed. Despite the concessions made on both sides, there are still fears that some loyalists and republicans could infiltrate the peaceful protesters. Sinn F?in said it was inappropriate to mark the homecoming because British troops were responsible for the deaths of Catholic civilians during the Troubles. But unionists said the Army had every right to walk the streets of Belfast. They said that the changes made to the parade meant troops in Northern Ireland would receive a different welcome home than soldiers elsewhere in the UK. Sinn F?in protest on way to city centre BBC Ireland correspondent Mark Simpson said the event was being seen as a test for the new peaceful era in Belfast. Politicians on all sides have appealed for demonstrators to be calm and dignified, he added. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610121 Protest against UK updating nuclear weapons Posted: 2008/10/29 From: MNN More than 30 people have been arrested during one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests at Britain`s Atomic Weapons Establishment for 10 years. The protests, at Aldermaston, south England , was directed against the government's controversial decision to upgrade the country's nuclear missiles in defiance of the UK commitment to disarm under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The gates of the site, which develops nuclear warheads, were blocked by hundreds of campaigners at the start of UN World Disarmament Week on Monday in an attempt to halt work at the weapons factory. "The government does not seem to take notice of anything else other than direct action," said Daniel Viesnik, spokesman for Trident Ploughshare, organizing the protest said. "We are opposed to the development of a new generation of warheads and protesters feel more extreme measures like [these on Monday] have to be used to get attention," Viesnik said. Trident Ploughshares, which pledges to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful, safe and fully accountable manner, warned that new bombs being built "will scupper nuclear disarmament for another 50 years." The British government is planning to spend nearly Pnds 6 billion on Aldermaston over the next three years, but insists that although the submarine-based Trident missile system is being replaced, no decision has yet been made to develop new nuclear warheads. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said the protest entitled 'The Big Blockade' also highlighted the "shocking implications" of last year's floods that caused work to be suspended at the nuclear arms plants. Alarm systems were knocked out by the flooding and despite being 'within 2 to 3 hours' of potentially radioactive water being released into the Berkshire countryside, no site emergency was declared, CND warned. CND chair Kate Hudson described the biggest blockade of the plant in more than a decade as a "great success," showing a "renewed commitment that Britain's security should be based on peace and justice, not war and nukes." "At a time of economic crisis, our government is prioritizing nuclear bombs over healthcare, job creation and investment in sustainable energy production," Hudson said. "The majority of British taxpayers do not want their money sent on Trident replacement and the new generation of nuclear weapons that will be made here at Aldermaston," she said. --IRNA # http://www.nowpublic.com/world/land-warfare-convention-protest Land warfare Convention - Protest Share: by wittaman1 | October 29, 2008 at 02:22 am 26 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment Photos Over 50 People attended a Very Noisy Protest outside the 5 Day Land Warfare Convention in Centreal Brisbane {Australia} Today. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Celtic-match-protest-fears-prompt.4675494.jp Celtic match protest fears prompt minute's applause for war dead Published Date: 09 November 2008 By David Leask CELTIC opted for a minute's applause yesterday to mark Remembrance Day amid fears that a more traditional silence would have been disrupted by the home fans. The club, which was hosting Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League, was facing the prospect of protest boos from a tiny minority of supporters. Most fans, however, joined in the applause for the men and women who have lost their lives serving their country. The protest was sparked when the Scottish Premier League asked clubs to incorporate a poppy into their strips yesterday, to mark Remembrance Day. A section of Celtic supporters had planned to walk out 10 minutes into the game to show their anger at the symbol, which they see as supporting British imperialism. Fans had been leafleted before the game by an organisation called Cairde Na hEireann ? a Scottish-based organisation close to Irish republicans ? which urged fans to congregate beside the statue of the club's founder Brother Walfrid, which stands outside the main door. Only a few hundred fans did so. Some veterans, however, had warned that they felt the applause was disrespectful and that they would rather supporters observed a minute's silence. Major Ronnie Proctor, curator of the Black Watch Museum in Perth, said: "The minute's silence is a tradition in this country and people are expected to respect the silence. I'd like it to continue. I think the majority of people will respect it. "I've been to Rangers, Celtic, Dundee and Dundee United games and the silence has been respected." Clubs now routinely encourage applause rather than silence to remember the dead. Celtic fans have warmly applauded the late Jock Stein, their former manager. Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson, who died last month, was remembered with enthusiastic clapping by his club's fans, and his many admirers. Celtic Football Club has distanced itself from any suggestion that the poppy campaign is political or from protesting supporters. A spokesman for the club said: "These groups do not represent Celtic's support. "The club, including playing staff, is pleased to play its part in supporting the Poppy Appeal. "The vast majority of fans share our view." Celtic is believed to have lost several thousand fans in wars over the last century. Games are regularly watched on TV by troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 08:45:53 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:45:53 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Health and welfare protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB259B1.1000202@tesco.net> * ZIMBABWE: Doctors and nurses strike and protest in face of repression, collapse * INDONESIA: Protest for better allocation, monitoring of health budget * INDIA: Orissa - State bans doctors' strike * INDIA: Jharkhand - Food poisoning deaths protested * INDIA: Vehicle damaged in hospital death protest * INDIA: Health protests roundup * UK: Protest at fire station downgrade * US: North Carolina - Protest against hospital closure * BULGARIA: Doctors plan protest * US - Philadelphia - Cuts protests * AUSTRALIA: Pensioners stage naked horseback protest * AUSTRALIA: Queensland - Ambulance workers protest * CANADA: Health workers protest attack on right to strike * US: Toledo - Health furlough protested * SCOTLAND - UK: Protest to save post office * IRELAND: Rally against cervical cancer vaccine scrapping * AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory - Mothers, midwives protest for better maternity services * US: Pittsburgh - Protest against hospital closure * NEPAL: Bandh over road death * US: New Orleans - Protesters want renovation of charity hospital * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - ex-servicemen protest job cuts * US: Philadelphia - Library closure plan protested * IRELAND: Hospital workers, patients protest cuts * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Train passengers stage flash protest over service * IRELAND: Protest wins water filters * UK: Rail users in sardine protest against overcrowding * EGYPT: Hundreds protest accident death * BULGARIA: Blockade over unsafe road * US: South Carolina - Protest over cinema closure * AUSTRALIA: Rural doctors in beach rally http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2428458,00.html Zim riot cops break up protest 18/11/2008 17:22 - (SA) Harare - Riot police in Zimbabwe are preventing striking doctors and nurses from protesting against the country's collapsing health system. Eyewitnesses say police broke up a protest on Tuesday at a Harare hospital. The health workers regrouped later but are being prevented by riot police from leaving the hospital. The protesters planned to present a petition to the government calling for "urgent action" to address the crisis in the public health system. Their grievances include a lack of medical supplies, equipment and drugs, leaving poor Zimbabweans unable to access proper care. A cholera outbreak has killed at least 130 people. Zimbabwe's economic collapse has resulted in chronic shortages of food, fuel and other basic goods. - AP http://allafrica.com/stories/200811181127.html SW Radio Africa (London) Zimbabwe: Doctors and Nurses Beaten by Police During Peaceful Protest Tichaona Sibanda 18 November 2008 About one hundred health workers were injured on Tuesday, some of them seriously, after heavily armed riot police baton-charged their peaceful protest march in central Harare. The health workers from Harare, Parirenyatwa and Chitungwiza hospitals had just embarked on a peaceful procession towards the Ministry of Health offices, to express concern against the total collapse of the health delivery system. Dr Simba Ndoda, one of the protest organizers and a victim of the police brutality, told us the authorities went to extremes in dealing with the unarmed health workers. He said over one thousand health workers, including doctors, nurses, radiographers, administrators and pharmacists, had gathered at Parirenyatwa hospital for the protest march. However hundreds of police in riot gear deployed outside the hospital and cordoned off all link roads. They stopped the health workers and unleashed a baton charge, which left dozens of members of the health fraternity injured. The police flushed out leaders of the protest march and manhandled them before dragging some of them to waiting police vehicles. Unconfirmed reports say a number of protesters were hauled off to different police stations. 'This was supposed to be a peacful demonstration. We were unarmed. We only had our uniforms and stethoscopes. We tried to reason with the police so that we could proceed with the march but like a lightining bolt they just set upon us, without warning and savagely beat us, inflicting serious injuries on many of our compatriots,' Dr Ndoda said. The strike action comes amid the failure of the government to contain the spread of cholera, which has so far killed hundreds of people, due to lack of medicines and drugs. The protesters were also demanding that the government review their salaries, which are not enough to even provide food for a family. 'Enough is enough' and 'Pay health workers properly' were some of the banners carried. The country's health system, once among the best in Africa, collapsed under the weight of the world's highest inflation rate, officially estimated at 231 million percent, but believed to be over 5 quintillion percent. Most hospitals are now unable to provide even basic medicines. Dr Ndoda said conditions at state hospitals were 'traumatising,' explaining that he had personally seen some of his patients 'die unnecessarily' because of lack of drugs, medicines and basic equipment. 'It is very disturbing. There are no drugs, no equipment and now there is no manpower. The country's three major referral hospitals have been closed and the government has still not said a word about it. So how are the ordinary citizens without money going to survive? Asked Dr Ndoda. He said the protest was also meant to show their outrage at the lack of political will by the government to resolve the health crisis. The Zimbabwe Doctors for Human rights strongly condemned the manhandling and ruthless thrashing of health workers at the hands of the police.A doctor who asked not to be named said it was strange the government had resources to deal with a peaceful march, but was doing nothing about the cholera pandemic that threatened the lives of up to 1.4 million people. A statement from Doctors without Borders said the whole country is at risk if cholera continues to spread unchecked. Officially state media reports that only 73 people have died of the disease, but independent estimates put the figure closer to one thousand. Many tens of thousands have fallen ill. In Beitbridge, cholera has killed 36 and 431 have been hospitalised at the border town since last week. Beitbridge medical officer Taikaitei Kanongara said they expected the number of victims to rise. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6277931 Zimbabwe Police Break up Health Protest by Doctors Zimbabwe Police Break up Protest Against Collapsing Health System; Cholera Spreads HARARE, Zimbabwe November 18, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Zimbabwean Riot police keep a close eye on doctors and nurses demonstrating for a better pay and... (AP) Riot police prevented striking doctors and nurses Tuesday from protesting against Zimbabwe's collapsing health care system, which lacks even basic drugs amid a rapid spread of cholera in the country. Eyewitnesses said police broke up a protest at a hospital in the capital, Harare. The health workers regrouped later but were prevented by riot police from leaving the hospital. The protesters planned to present a petition to the government calling for "urgent action" to address the crisis in the public health system, which is crumbling from lack of medical supplies, equipment and drugs. Meanwhile, the official Herald newspaper reported Tuesday that cholera had killed 36 people since Friday in the town of Beitbridge on the South African border. It said that 431 people had been diagnosed with the highly infectious intestinal disease. The Herald said the local hospital had cleared all its wards to make room for cholera victims but that there were not enough staff or equipment to cope. The newspaper reported 11 bodies "scattered all over the place" in the female wards because there was no room in the morgue. Health workers had no idea about the situation in surrounding rural areas because lack of fuel and transport prevented investigations, it said. Beitbridge is one of the regions busiest border crossings, with huge volumes of vehicles and people passing to South Africa to buy supplies that are impossible to find in Zimbabwe. Even before the Beitbridge outbreak, more than 130 people had died from cholera, which is spread by contaminated food and water. The disease is thriving in Zimbabwe because there is no money to maintain the sewage and draining systems, to clear garbage or supply clean water. Aid groups fear the outbreaks will worsen as the rainy season progresses and Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, has warned that 1.4 million people are at risk. MSF said patients were lying outside on the grass at Harare's infectious diseases hospital and the charity was putting up Zimbabwe, which has one of the world's worst AIDS epidemics, once had among the best health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa. But the country's economic meltdown has led to chronic shortages of food and gasoline, and daily outages of power and water. Zimbabwean Riot police keep a close eye on doctors and nurses demonstrating for a better pay and... (AP) President Robert Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, blames Western sanctions for his country's extreme financial woes. But critics point to corruption and mismanagement under his increasingly autocratic leadership. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/11/20081118183917551591.html Zimbabwe police stop health protest Police prevented protesters from leaving a Harare hospital after blocking the protest [AFP] Riot police in Zimbabwe have prevented striking doctors and nurses from protesting against the country's collapsing health care system. The blocked strike was being planned against a backdrop of a rapid spread of cholera and a chronic lack of basic drugs. After police broke up the protest on Tuesday at a hospital in the capital, Harare, health workers regrouped but were prevented by riot police from leaving the hospital. The protesters planned to present a petition to the government calling for "urgent action" to address the crisis in the public health system, which is crumbling from lack of medical supplies, equipment and drugs. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Simbarashe Ndoda, a representative of the striking doctors, said: "There are no drugs and people are dying, we want the government to address these issues." Commenting on pay conditions in the medical sector, Ndoda said: "This has to be the only country in the world where a doctor's salary can only buy a loaf of bread. That is madness." Cholera outbreak Meanwhile, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday that cholera had killed 36 people since Friday in the town of Beitbridge on the South African border. It said that 431 people had been diagnosed with the highly infectious intestinal disease. The paper said the local hospital had cleared all its wards to make room for cholera victims but that there were not enough staff or equipment to cope. Eleven bodies were "scattered all over the place" in the female wards because there was no room in the morgue, the paper reported. Zimbabwe once had one of the best health systems in sub-Saharan Africa [AFP] It said health workers had no idea about the situation in surrounding rural areas because lack of fuel and transport prevented investigations. Beitbridge is one of the regions busiest border crossings, with huge volumes of vehicles and people passing to South Africa to buy supplies that are impossible to find in Zimbabwe. Even before the Beitbridge outbreak, more than 130 people had died from cholera, which is spread by contaminated food and water. The disease is thriving in Zimbabwe because there is no money to maintain the sewage and draining systems, to clear garbage or supply clean water. Warning Aid groups fear the outbreaks will worsen as the rainy season progresses and the French charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, has warned that 1.4 million people are at risk. MSF said patients were lying outside on the grass at Harare's infectious diseases hospital and the charity was putting up tents to cope. Zimbabwe, which has one of the world's worst Aids epidemics, once had one of the best health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa. But the country's economic meltdown has led to chronic shortages of food and gasoline, and daily outages of power and water. Robert Mugabe, the country's president, who has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, blames Western sanctions for his country's extreme financial woes. But critics point to corruption and mismanagement under his increasingly autocratic leadership. --------------------------------------------------- Four demos planned for Tuesday Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008 Fery Firmansyah/TMC, Jakarta -- Jakarta Police informed four demonstrations planned for Monday in the capital, the first at 9 AM outside the State Palace. The second at 10 AM will be staged at the Health Ministry office and the Corruption Eradication Commission office. At 10:30 AM one group of protester to hold a demo at the National Police Headquarters in Jl. Trunojoyo South Jakarta and the parliament building in Central Jakarta. The fourth group will stage two demos starting at 11 AM at the Corruption Eradication Commission office in South Jakarta and the Jakarta Police Headquarters. Police said the demos are potential of disrupting the traffic without informing the number of people to join the protests or the issues that prompt the protests. However Tempo received information that the second demo at the Health Ministry will be stage by hundreds of malpractice victims and poor residents to demand better allocation and monitoring of the health budget. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=a2afc175-b99e-4058-8228-977b3d6181e2&MatchID1=4898&TeamID1=7&TeamID2=8&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1236&PrimaryID=4898&Headline=Cracks+down+on+protesting+doctors Orissa cracks down on protesting doctors Indo-Asian News Service Orissa, November 08, 2008 First Published: 10:12 IST(8/11/2008) Last Updated: 10:16 IST(8/11/2008) Orissa on Friday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against nearly 3,000 government doctors after they refused to call off a strike to protest against the dismissal of three colleagues. The ESMA is a central act, which prohibits strikes in certain jobs, and violations of it can lead to imprisonment and penalties. The act empowers the government to arrest the violator without a warrant. "The state government has invoked ESMA against the state doctors after accepting the resignation of seven office-bearers of the doctors' union," a senior official of the state health department told IANS. "In the interest of the public. it is necessary to prohibit strikes in the form of cessation of work by doctors so that health care delivery in the state is not disrupted," a notification issued by the state home department said. The state government last month dismissed Bibek Swain, an anaesthesiologist, Santanu Sahu, a surgeon, and Anup Nath Sharma, an orthopaedic specialist, for allegedly cutting off the palms of bodies of five tribals while performing autopsies in 2006. Nearly 3,000 government doctors submitted their resignations Monday to protest the three doctors' dismissals and threatened not to join work from Nov 9 if the orders were not withdrawn. State Health Minister Sanatana Bisi said the government has accepted the resignations of seven doctors and will act against others if they do not join work. "All the seven doctors are office-bearers of the Orissa Medical Service Association (OMSA)," he said. The minister said that the government has taken measures to ensure that essential medical services are maintained if the doctors do not join work from November 9. "We are firm on our decision (to hold the protest)," said Madhusudan Mishra, the president of OMSA. "Several doctors posted in remote areas have already left hospitals and are heading towards state capital Bhubaneswar to join our protest," he said. The tribals were killed in police firing during protests in the coastal district of Jajpur. Of the 500 tribals protesting the construction undertaken by Tata Steel at the industrial complex in Kalinga Nagar, about 100 km from Bhubaneswar, at least 13 were killed during the police firing Jan 2, 2006. The doctors said they had cut off the palms of the tribals following directions from the administration and police officials. The incident led to a major controversy. Following pressure from various human right groups, the state government had suspended the three doctors the same year. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-45734.html Jharkhand parents protest food poisoning deaths of children Ranchi, Nov 14 : A day after five students died of food poisoning at a residential school in Baridih, more than one thousand villagers Friday protested the deaths and raised slogans against the Jharkhand government. The villagers, including the parents of school children, blocked the Ranchi Bero road in protest. Students of Adivasi Residential School fell ill Thursday evening after taking snacks and drinking milk. The doctors of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), where the students have been admitted, suspect that adulterated milk caused food poisoning. Five children were reported dead while the condition of 19 is said to be critical. More than 60 students had fallen sick and about 30 were admitted at the hospital. The school, situated at Baridih in Bero block, about 40 km from here, is run by the welfare department to ensure free education and food to tribal students. "I had not imagined I would lose my son this way. The state government is responsible for the death of my son. Free education and food have taken a heavy price," said a mourning father of a dead student. Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren had suspended the school teachers and announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 to the kin of each of those dead. "This is a crime against humanity. The culprit will not be spared," said Soren, who is expected to visit the school Friday. --- IANS http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081120/jsp/siliguri/story_10136046.jsp Protest after hospital death OUR CORRESPONDENT Protesters damage the block development officer?s vehicle at Gajole on Wednesday. (Surajit Roy) Malda, Nov. 19: People ransacked the Gajole rural hospital, attacked the doctors quarters and blocked a state highway after a newborn died at the health facility today. Seven policemen were injured also in the scuffle. Panic-stricken doctors, nurses and other health employees fled the hospital. The residents attacked the quarters of the block medical officer, Brindaban Roy, and damaged his car. The house of Debasish Seal, another doctor, and nurses? quarters were also ransacked. Later, the crowd blocked the Malda-Balurghat state highway for several hours to protest against the ?negligence of the doctors?. Around 9pm, a police team, led by deputy superintendent S. Singh, reached the spot and resorted to lathicharge to lift the blockade. The protesters retaliated by throwing stones, injuring seven policemen who were later hospitalised. The police did a route march to control the situation. Bali Biswas of Panchpara in Gajole delivered a baby at the hospital around 2pm. The baby died within an hour. Her husband Sonaram alleged that there was no doctor around her when she delivered the baby. ?I had requested the doctor to take care of the baby. But I was virtually driven out,? Sonaram said. Brindaban Roy said the woman had delivered a premature baby. The chief medical officer of health, Srikanta Roy, ordered an inquiry. The CPM MLA of the area, Sadhan Tudu, alleged that the Congress leadership had incited the villagers. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110954560400.htm Tamil Nadu AIADMK cadres stage demonstration Special Correspondent VILLUPURAM: About 2,500 cadres of the AIADMK staged a demonstration in front of the Kallakurichi Government Hospital here on Saturday. Led by MLA R. Kumaraguru, the protestors criticised lack of amenities in the hospital. They pointed out that though the Kallakurichi Government Hospital had been declared headquarters hospitals, it lacked adequate amenities. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111654830500.htm Kerala Blind-folded protest Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar NOVEL PROTEST: Members of the Kerala chapter of the Indian Optometrist Association staging a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Saturday in protest against the attitude of the Kerala Public Service Commission. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110951320300.htm Karnataka - Hassan Government medical officers to stage protest Staff Correspondent HASSAN: Government medical officers all over the State will go on strike for one day on Monday, protesting against the failure of Government to implement their demands. Elaborating on their demands, president of the Hassan District Medical Officer?s Association Dr. Nagaraj said their agitation was the result of the decision taken by the State Association. The Karnataka State Medical Officers Association had given 45 days time to the Government to implement their demands. But there was no response from the Government. They said they would now attend to only cases of emergency. The demands are that there should be no disparity in pay scales of teaching staff working in medical colleges and that of government medical officers; medical officers working on contract basis in rural areas should be regular employees with immediate effect; primary health centres working round the clock should have doctors on eight-jour-shifts only; each PHC should have at least three doctors; stern action should be taken against people who attack doctors and staff while on duty. The Andhra Pradesh Government had passed an ordinance ensuring that those who attacked doctors would be punished. A similar ordinance was needed in Karnataka, he added. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/27/stories/2008112752090300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga HKHS to protest before Parliament next month Special Correspondent Leaders of all parties invited to join the protest GULBARGA: The Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti (HKHS) will hold a protest before Parliament House in New Delhi on December 11 demanding amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution to provide special status to the Hyderabad Karnataka region. Samiti president and former Minister Vaijnath Patil and general secretaries Hanumanthrao Desai and B.S.G Melkundi told presspersons here on Wednesday that members of all political parties and organisations would participate in the daylong protest to draw the attention of the Centre to the plight of the people of the backward region. Mr. Patil said, ?The demand for an amendment to Article 371 has been pending for more than two decades, and successive governments in the State and at the Centre have ignored it.? He said the agitation for the cause would be stepped up in the coming days if the Centre failed to move a Bill in the session starting on December 10. The samiti proposed to organise a bandh in the entire Hyderabad Karnataka region in the last week of December or first week of January after consulting other leaders, political parties and organisations supporting the demand. Mr. Patil said that all political parties and other social organisations had been invited to join the protest in New Delhi. . ?When other backward regions in the country such as Telangana, Marathwada and north-eastern States can be given the benefits of Article 371, why is it being denied to the equally or more backward Hyderabad Karnataka region,? he asked. To a question, Mr. Patil said that he would invite Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh to join the protest. The former Defence Minister George Fernandes and other Central leaders would also join the protest, he added. Asked whether Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would join the protest in New Delhi, Mr. Patil said, ?I had spoken to Mr. Yeddyurappa about this and he said that he was preoccupied on that day and promised to depute a senior leader on his behalf to be a part of the protest.? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7715147.stm Saturday, 8 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Protest at fire station downgrade The protesters do not want cover at Balmossie to be cut Campaigners opposing plans to downgrade a fire station in Dundee have said they are "extremely buoyed" by the turnout at a protest against the cuts. Tayside Fire and Rescue bosses are proposing removing the night-time crew at Balmossie and providing overnight cover with part-time firefighters. Retired firefighter Eddie Thomson said 500 people attended Saturday's march and rally protesting against the cuts. The fire service said the plans would provide a better service in the area. It said downgrading Balmossie would free up an extra day crew for Perth and Forfar. The Fire Brigades Union has welcomed additional resources for Perth and Forfar, but claimed that people and businesses in the area which Balmossie serves would be put in danger. It has been holding public information meetings and collecting signatures for petitions around Monifieth, Broughty Ferry and Barnhill. We underestimated the amount of people who would turn up for the march Eddie Thomson Retired firefighter Mr Thomson is leading the campaign to stop the Balmossie cuts. He said: "We know that more people are killed at night and fire deaths are up in Scotland. "If this station goes part-time the men will have to drive from their houses to the fire station to get on the fire engine and then go to the fire. "It's going to take longer to get a fire engine to their house, or their building or wherever the fire is." The march set off from Balmossie fire station, accompanied by the Mains of Fintry Pipe Band. The protesters walked to St Aidan's Hall in Broughty Ferry for the mass rally. 'Best use' Mr Thomson believes the public is on their side. "We underestimated the amount of people who would turn up for the march, especially with it coming up to Christmas," he said. "The whole area is pretty hostile [to the changes], we've had overwhelming support. "We are really hoping that Chief Fire Officer Hunter, in his wisdom, will listen to the firefighters that are fighting the campaign, the fire brigades union and also the local people who are outraged at this attempt to downgrade the fire engine." Alasdair Hay, deputy chief fire officer, said: "Tayside Fire and Rescue have a proposal out for consultation in relation to the best use of the organisation's resources to drive down risk and provide an appropriate level of operational response to all the communities across Tayside. "We are disappointed by the Fire Brigades Union's response to this proposal but recognise their right, and the wider public's right, to voice their opinion in any manner they deem appropriate." http://www.wsoctv.com/news/17930602/detail.html#- Workers, Vets Protest End To Services At Salisbury VA Hospital Friday, November 7, 2008 ? updated: 6:06 pm EST November 7, 2008 SALISBURY, N.C. -- Employees and veterans' groups gathered Friday to protest the elimination of some health care services at the Hefner VA Medical Center. Members of the American Federation of Government Employees, Rolling Thunder and Veterans of Foreign Wars met at a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Salisbury and then picketed in front of the hospital on Brenner Avenue. A local union leader said eliminating services at the hospital will force vets to pay for care previously received for free at the hospital. The union represents employees at the Hefner VA Medical Center. The plan is to end emergency services offered at the VA hospital. That?s not what veteran Patricia Howell said should happen. "We need our health care. We need to be able to go to our hospital and be taken care of the same way we've taken care of our country," she said. But health care would not change, according to hospital leaders. They said what would change is the place medical services were provided. They said the hospital is developing relationships with area hospitals so veterans can get help at medical centers closer to their homes. Bobby Beaver is a veteran and goes to the medical center twice a month. He said he doesn't want anything to change, and he doesn't believe his health care plan would work anywhere else. "We veterans deserve to be taken care of. It's an obligation to veterans who have served well," he said. VA officials said no changes will be made until a final OK is given from the Veterans Affairs office in Washington and contracts have been worked out with local health care providers. Still, Beaver has his own ideas on what should happen. "I can see them scaling down since they've opened other places in Charlotte and other areas, but we have a tremendous number of veterans in this area," he said. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake has heard the criticism of the plan and is having his staff review it. Peake has given his staff members a Dec. 5 deadline to report back to him on their review of the plan. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98519 Bulgaria's GPs Brace for Protests 3 November 2008, Monday General practitioners in Bulgaria consider launching protests in the end of November over insufficient budget. File photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) General practitioners in Bulgaria consider launching effective protests in the end of November if the budget proposed by the National Health Insurance Fund is not approved by the Financial Ministry. The budget for the GPs proposed by the Financial Ministry is BGN 46 million less than the Fund's proposition, chair of the Association of General Practitioners, Lyubomir Kirov, said. The NHIF wanted the health budget for 2009 as whole to amount to BGN 2.3 B, but the ministry said they would approve a budget of BGN 1,9B. "We cannot understand why this huge sum of BGN 400M must be set aside in NHIF's reserve in the Bulgarian National Bank. This is the money of health-insured people, which must be spent solely on production of health," Mr Kirov declared. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081107_Lots_of_protests_about_cuts.html Posted on Fri, Nov. 7, 2008 Lots of protests about cuts By CATHERINE LUCEY & CHRIS BRENNAN Philadelphia Daily News luceyc at phillynews.com 215-854-4172 After weeks of speculation, Mayor Nutter yesterday released his plan to cut $1 billion out of the city's budget over the next five years. Now, get ready for the hollering. Community advocates yesterday promised protests over the planned closures of libraries and pools. Firefighters rallied against plans to cut five engine and two ladder companies. And several City Council members said that they expected to debate the financial plan before voting on enabling legislation. Amy Dougherty, executive director of the independent Friends of the Free Library, said that she was stunned to learn that 11 of the city's 54 libraries would be closed. "I understand the budget challenges that the city is facing and the country is facing," Dougherty said. "What I'm troubled by is that the libraries seem to be taking the brunt." Dougherty said that library advocates would protest the decision. "We're not going to take it quietly. We can't," she said. Longtime activist Michael McCrea, president of the Philadelphia Recreation Advisory Board, said that he expected action against the pool closures. The city plans to close 68 of its 81 pools - six indoor and 62 outdoor. McCrea noted that 62 fewer outdoor pools means fewer summer jobs. He also questioned how Recreation Department summer camps would manage with less pool access. "Are we going to have to increase the cost of summer camp so we can bus kids to a pool for a couple hours a day?" he asked. The firefighters union, Local 22, yesterday protested Fire Department cuts. It plans to go to court to try to keep the engine and ladder companies intact. "The mayor, when he was a councilman, marched with us saying these cuts are unsafe," said David Kearney, union spokesman. Meanwhile, some Council members said that Nutter's plan wasn't a done deal. Councilman Bill Green complained that Nutter was looking in the wrong places for savings, maintaining staffers to work on sustainability and bike programs while cutting fire services and library branches. Green also wants to find savings in consolidating the city's information-technology services and moving toward a paperless government that stores information electronically. "We're going around the fat to get to the muscle and bone," Green said. "We're making incremental changes instead of taking this opportunity to transform our government." * http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/02/2407930.htm Pensioners stage naked horseback protest Posted Sun Nov 2, 2008 2:05pm AEDT Updated Sun Nov 2, 2008 2:33pm AEDT Disability pensioner Marg Lennon was the latter-day Lady Godiva as she rode across the Princes Bridge, in the city. (ABC) ? Map: Melbourne 3000 A naked protest on horseback from medieval times has been recreated in central Melbourne today to highlight the plight of pensioners. Fifty-seven-year-old disability pensioner Marg Lennon was the latter-day Lady Godiva as she rode across the Princes Bridge near Flinders Street Station and Federation Square. She wore a body suit and long wig to look like the noblewoman, who is said to have ridden naked through the streets of Coventry in England in protest against taxes imposed by her husband. Ms Lennon and the Pensioner Action Group are calling for an increase to pensioners' fortnightly payments and not just the lump sum that has been promised. "It makes me really angry that our politicians all say they can't live on $273 a week," she said. "They've given us a poxy $1,400 to ease our burden and stop us whingeing for Christmas. I call it the appeasement payment." She says she normally has just $45 a week of disposable income. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/03/2408980.htm Paramedics protest outside Bligh's office Posted Mon Nov 3, 2008 5:00pm AEDT ? Video: Qld paramedics protest outsider Premier's office (ABC News) ? Map: Brisbane 4000 About 100 ambulance workers have rallied outside the office of Queensland Premier Anna Bligh in Brisbane, as part of statewide industrial action over wages and conditions. The union is pushing for a 6 per cent annual pay rise, a new wage structure and more staff so workers do not have to go without breaks. Garry Bullock from the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) says the decision to stop work for two hours was not taken lightly. A delegation will meet the Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts, and the Industrial Relations Minister, John Mickel. The wage claim will return to the Industrial Relations Commission tomorrow. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/11/18/health-care.html?ref=rss Unions protest 'essential' designations for health workers Last Updated: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 | 9:55 AM CT Comments27Recommend8 CBC News Health-care unions involved in contract negotiations say the government is trying to declare nearly all of their workers "essential." Negotiators from three unions, representing 25,000 health-care workers, came to the legislature Monday to complain. They say health regions are including everyone from librarians to music therapists in their list of workers who are not allowed to strike. And they're worried protracted discussions about essential services could derail further talks. "About 95 per cent of the employees within CUPE's jurisdiction [are] being declared essential at this point," said Gordon Campbell, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees health care council. Under the province's new essential services law, a list of who must work during job action is supposed to be negotiated between the union and employer. The unions say the employer's starting point is basically everyone. Those workers are vital to a fully functioning health system, but they are not essential to public safety, said Barb Cape, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) West. "Are you honestly telling me that the health-care system could not continue to function in a job action situation without the music therapies or the libraries?" she asked. Representatives from the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union were also at the legislature. Whether music therapists or librarians should be covered under essential services legislation is up to the two sides to negotiate, Labour Minister Rob Norris said. "Certainly the onus is on each side to ensure that fair labour practices are being practised and again that remedy remains in place, and that is access to the Labour Relations Board," Norris said. Unions have noted that the Saskatchewan Party government hand-picked the new chair of the Labour Relations Board. However, they don't rule out taking a complaint there, once they receive the employer's full list of who it believes is essential. In the meantime, they say little progress is being made on negotiating a new contract. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081119/NEWS16/811190372/-1/RSS Article published November 19, 2008 Workers protest Toledo mayor's plan for 3-day shutdown Employees cheer move by Ashford to stall proposal Councilman Michael Ashford is trying to push through an ordinance requiring the mayor to honor collective bargaining agreements. ( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER ) By IGNAZIO MESSINA BLADE STAFF WRITER Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's controversial plan to shut down the city's nonessential departments for three days before Dec. 31 attracted a rowdy crowd of 40 city employees to Toledo City Council's meeting last night to protest the idea and, conversely, cheer for Councilman Michael Ashford's attempt to block the shutdown. "I think us being here is having a big effect," said Don Czerniak, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 7. The mayor is looking for ways to reduce a potential $10 million deficit for 2008. His 2009 operating budget calls for a four-day shutdown to help reduce a $21 million shortfall for next year. A number of councilmen have criticized the mayor's idea. Mr. Ashford, a regular critic of the mayor, last night tried to push through an ordinance that would have required Mr. Finkbeiner to adhere to the union's collective bargaining agreements and not implement his planned shutdown. VIEW TOLEDO BUDGET TOLEDO BUDGET CRISIS: Council-Mayor communication, plan assumptions, budget comments, revenue chart, proposed budget Council voted 10-2 to give Mr. Ashford's measure immediate consideration. Councilman D. Michael Collins and Mark Sobczak voted against. However, the proposed ordinance was sent to council's human resources committee by a 7-5 vote rather than get a vote. Voting to send it to committee were Lindsay Webb, Mr. Collins, Phillip Copeland, George Sarantou, Betty Shultz, Mr. Sobczak, and Tom Waniewski. Adam Loukx, acting city law director, argued that the proposal would have violated the city's charter because it prohibits council from interfering with the mayor's command decisions. Mr. Ashford said he disagreed and had hoped the ordinance would have sent a "strong message" to the mayor. "An ordinance is city law and, by passing it, the unions can go and get an injunction," Mr. Ashford said. The mayor wants all nonemergency city departments to shut down Nov. 26, Dec. 26, and Dec. 31. He said the move would save the city $1 million - $300,000 of which would apply to the general operating fund. Some of the city of Toledo's unions are promising legal action Monday to block the shutdown, but as of yesterday they had not filed a request in court for a temporary restraining order. In addition to the shutdown, Mr. Finkbeiner said he plans to balance the 2008 budget by re-allocating about $8 million from the city's capital improvement budget over several years. Under his proposed 2009 spending plan, the city next year would hire no firefighters or police, lay off about 40 employees, eliminate 36 jobs that are unfilled, close all but one of its public pools, require health insurance co-payments from all city employees, and grant no pay raises - except for members of Teamsters Local 20, the union representing trash collectors, because of a previous deal. Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina at theblade.com or 419-724-6171. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Royal-Mail-can-afford-to.4700123.jp Royal Mail can afford to keep post office open say protesters Published Date: 17 November 2008 By Ian Swanson CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Oxgangs Post Office claim a pledge from Royal Mail bosses shows there is no need for the branch to shut. The post office in Oxgangs Broadway was put forward for closure last month to replace two other city post offices which were taken off the hit list. But Royal Mail says if the current consultation ends with Oxgangs being saved, no other branch will be put up for closure in its place. And SNP Lothians MSP Ian McKee said that means there is no need for Oxgangs to close at all. He said: "We have had an assurance from the Post Office that if the appeal is successful and Oxgangs Broadway is spared, they will not put another post office in the frame. "That means they must have worked out they can afford to keep Oxgangs open. They have decided the financial saving from closing Oxgangs does not have to be made ? so the closure is unnecessary. "Why close it if you don't need the money?" Royal Mail named Oxgangs for closure on October 21, when it announced the Calder Crossway and Elm Row branches, which had been earmarked to close, were being kept open. Eleven other city post offices were confirmed for closure as part of the UK-wide drive to shut 2500 branches. But the plan to shut Oxgangs has provoked strong protests, not least from the Army and relatives of troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, who say the post office is vital in preserving contact between soldiers and their families at Dreghorn and Redford barracks. More than 200 people attended a packed meeting in Pentland Community Centre last week. Dr McKee said he had commented during his speech that after a hard fight, campaigners had succeeded in saving Calder Crossway, only to find that Oxgangs was then proposed for closure instead. "I said how dreadful it would be if we managed to save Oxgangs and then there was yet another one put forward which we would have to fight for." But he said after the meeting network development manager Sally Buchanan had assured him that would not happen. "She gave me the assurance that if Oxgangs was saved that would be the end of the process." Norman Tinlin, secretary of Fairmilehead community council, said the Post Office was sending out mixed messages. "They said if Oxgangs was saved, the process had to finish some time and this would be the end of it," he said. "But if that's the situation, they haven't got a very strong case for closing Oxgangs. "Why could they not make that decision when the other two were being saved and draw a line under it?" A Royal Mail spokeswoman confirmed that if it was decided Oxgangs should stay open, no other post office would be proposed to close in its place. She said : "We have been tasked by the Government to close 2500 post offices across the country so there is a process in place for that. "The correct procedures are being followed and Post Office Ltd are following the same process for Oxgangs that we have done for other replacement branches in previous area plans." http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/dublin-protests-over-plans-to-scrap-cervical-cancer-vaccine-14064633.html Dublin protests over plans to scrap cervical cancer vaccine Saturday, 15 November 2008 A rally is to take place in Dublin today against the Minister for Health's plans to scrap the cervical cancer vaccine for young girls. The protest has been organised as a result of an online discussion group on the social networking site Facebook. The demonstration will begin on O'Connell Street at 2pm this afternoon. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/16/2420979.htm?site=darwin Posted November 16, 2008 13:15:00 Mums, midwives protest for better maternity services A group of Northern Territory women have gathered with their babies at the Darwin office of Health Minister Chris Burns to protest for better public maternity services. The group of at least 20 women, including some midwives, want Mr Burns to improve services for pregnant women and their babies. They are at a Darwin produce market holding up a string of nappies inscribed with protest messages, calling for the Minister to act on the maternity services review. They have been granted a meeting with Mr Burns to discuss their concerns. Mr Burns told the group he has already overseen reform. "Yes I believe people can have confidence given the changes that have occurred," he said. But Samantha Phelan from the Maternity Coalition says the Government is dragging its heels. "It will take political will to change it and we are yet to see if Chris Burns has the political will," she said. The minister says he will meet with the group again before the end of the year. http://www.wpxi.com/news/18171703/detail.html South Side Community Protests Hospital Relocation Posted: 9:36 pm EST November 29, 2008Updated: 10:25 pm EST November 29, 2008 PITTSBURGH -- A protest was held Saturday morning against the closing of a local hospital. People who have relied on UPMC South Side for years want the company to get their message loud and clear; keep the hospital open. Pittsburgh resident Larry Pergzola said, "I was hear 82 years and have always depended upon the hospital. To have it taken away from you, that is just a disaster." you, that'sjust a disaster." A group of South Side residents, led by City Councilman Bruce Kraus, held a demonstration outside of the facility to protest the relocation of its services to UPMC Mercy Hospital. Kraus said he is fighting the new plan because it will be difficult for many patients to travel to the Bluff neighborhood for their medical needs. "This hospital has a 100-year history in this neighborhood. When UPMC purchased it 15 years ago, there was an understanding that this hospital would remain in this neighborhood," said Kraus. Mary Dolgy, like some others who've been treated at the hospital, said the move would be an inconvenience, "I would have to take two buses, go into town, take another one. I don't have a car and I don't like to impose on anyone else." Leaders of the protest plan to meet with UPMC President Jeffrey Romoff on Dec. 8. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08335/931769-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml South Side residents protest UPMC's closing of their neighborhood hospital Sunday, November 30, 2008 By Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steve Mellon Baily Degregorio, center, 12, of the South Side, joins about two dozen people yesterday to protest UPMC's decision to close its South Side hospital. About 50 people, many of them gray and frail, stood in the cold yesterday to protest the planned closure of UPMC South Side. They said it is a hospital within walking distance of thousands, a place where doctors and nurses know people by name. They worried about losing 800 jobs in the neighborhood. Mostly, though, they talked about how different the South Side would be if it had no hospital for the first time in more than 100 years. "We can't be known just as an entertainment community," said Nancy Lardo, one of those at the rally. State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Mount Washington, said what many were thinking: If UPMC is committed to serving the region, how can it shutter the South Side's hospital? "One-third of the city population and one-third of the tax base are on the South Side. It's obvious that we deserve a hospital," Ms. Wagner said. UPMC executives did not return calls for comment yesterday. But in June, when they announced that UPMC South Side would close and be consolidated with UPMC Mercy, they said patients would be the beneficiaries. UPMC South Side and UPMC Mercy are just two miles apart, and many physicians already practice at both hospitals, executives said. Under the merger plan, $75 million to $90 million would be spent to expand Mercy's Uptown campus. The South Side campus on Mary Street would close, but its operations would be integrated with Mercy's, improving quality of care for patients, UPMC said. South Side residents do not see it that way. City Councilman Bruce Kraus said closing UPMC South Side would mean more bus rides and longer waits for elderly patients. He also said UPMC should consider how much economic damage would be done by closing the hospital. The South Side, with its bars and restaurants, has plenty of nighttime calling cards. But the hospital is bedrock of the daytime economy, Mr. Kraus said. About 600 people have written letters asking UPMC to reverse itself on the closure, Mr. Kraus said. He said he plans to deliver the letters to Jeffrey Romoff, president and chief executive officer of UPMC, during a personal meeting. Still, Mr. Kraus sounded pessimistic about reversing the decision. "They stand pretty firm that the hospital will close," he said. The rally organizer, Toni Gorenc, said she felt obligated to fight for the hospital but wondered if the neighborhood's voices would be heard. "Perhaps UPMC is so big that the little guy can't have an impact," she said. http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/98444 Two journalists assaulted by protest organisers; another journalist goes missing Country/Topic: Nepal Date: 13 November 2008 Source: Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Person(s): Dinesh Thapa, Netra Paudel, Jagat Joshi Target(s): journalist(s) Type(s) of violation(s): assaulted , missing Urgency: Threat (FNJ/IFEX) - On 12 November 2008, Dinesh Thapa, a member of FNJ's Sindhupalchowk chapter, and Netra Paudel, a news correspondent for "Sindhu Prabaha" weekly, were attacked by organisers of a protest at the Araniko highway, in Sindhupalchowk district, central Nepal. In a press statement, the president of FNJ's Sindhupalchowk chapter, Pabitra Kumar Khadka, said the two journalists went to the Araniko highway to gather information on the bandh (protest), which had been called for after a local citizen, Sahi Kumar Shrestha, died when a minibus ran him over. Those who called for the bandh beat the journalists for not coming to the scene promptly after they were informed of the event and for not disseminating news in their favour. http://www.wdsu.com/news/17977675/detail.html Protestors Want Renovation Of Old Charity Hospital LSU Hopes To Build $1.2 Billion Teaching Hospital POSTED: 11:37 pm CST November 13, 2008 UPDATED: 11:46 pm CST November 13, 2008 NEW ORLEANS -- The debate over whether to renovate the old Charity Hospital or build a new facility was, again, the center of controversy Thursday night. Protesters were out on Thursday to reopen Charity Hospital. The state has said it doesn't intend to demolish the building, but it's not going to reopen it either. "It's not necessary to build a new hospital," protestor Derrick Morrison said. Community activists and supporters demonstrated, upset that the state has no plans to remodel the hospital and, instead, build a new $1.2 billion teaching hospital. The rally to reopen the facility is to provide immediate health care for the uninsured. "The majority in the area are saving, rehabbing Charity and saving lower mid-city," Morrison said. "Talk to LSU about why they want to tear down the neighborhood." Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration said it wants to market the landmark to possible developers and is considering incentives to attract them. "It'll be offered," said Charles Zewe, of the Louisiana State University System. "If state agencies don't want it, then we'll see what else can be done with it." Hurricane Katrina damaged the building and it has been closed ever since. The future of the building has been through several studies, surveys, litigation and other protests. Activists have said they fear the new plan will ruin parts of historic neighborhoods. "It's less money and time to rehabilitate Charity rather than LSU's proposal," Morrison said. "A decision will be made soon, and we're going to start buying property," Zewe said. "The 165 people who live in the area will be treated fairly." University officials said the new plans are moving forward. "We're rapidly at the point where final site selections will be made for LSU and the VA," Zewe said. Protestors said they'll continue to fight, insisting that there are too many people locally in need of health care. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/15/stories/2008111559610300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Ex-servicemen protest retrenchment Special Correspondent Termination orders have been issued to about 60 ? Photo: M.Moorthy Upset: Tiruchi zone Ex-servicemen and his family members taking out a rally in Tiruchi on Friday. TIRUCHI: Members of the Tiruchi Regional Ex-Servicemen and Family Welfare Association took out rally here on Friday protesting retrenchment of ex-servicemen employed in various government institutions and agencies. They alleged that various government institutions and agencies were retrenching ex-servicemen employed as contract labourers under the pretext of cost-cutting. Termination orders have been issued to about 60 ex-servicemen working as watchmen in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited with effect from November 20. Many other State and Central government agencies, including the Bharathidasan University, Indian Oil Corporation (Inam Kulathur unit), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, State Express Transport Corporation, and Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation godowns, terminating the services of ex-servicemen, the association alleged. This was against the Prime Minister?s directive against retrenching ex-servicemen. Despite government orders, ex-servicemen were not given priority in recruitment by various agencies. The association appealed to the State and Central governments to direct all its agencies not to retrench ex-servicemen. The services of ex-servicemen working as temporary/casual labourers should be regularised. The State government should also issue farmers identity cards to ex-servicemen engaged in farming. The association members marched from the St.John?s Vestry Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School to the Collectorate. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081111_Plans_for_library_closures_spark_Fishtown_protest.html Posted on Tue, Nov. 11, 2008 Plans for library closures spark Fishtown protest By DAFNEY TALES Philadelphia Daily News talesd at phillynews.com 215-854-5084 Lisa Hoidra blinked back tears as she tightened her grip on the children's book she chose for her 7-year-old daughter. As she sat in the kiddie seat inside the Fishtown Community Library, she voiced her frustration over the proposed closing of the library her daughter visits weekly. "A kid is proud when they pick out a book and read it," she said. "That stuff is important. It leads to everything else." Her disappointment was echoed by more than 100 people who huddled in the cold in front of the library on East Montgomery Avenue near Moyer last night, holding candles and chanting, "Books before the Budget!" in protest to Mayor Nutter's proposed closing of 11 branches across the city. "There are better ways to cut the budget than to cut free spaces for kids - safe spaces," said A.J. Thomson, a member of the Neighborhood Association in Fishtown. Last night's rally is the first of several scheduled, Thomson said. Others include: Holmesburg on Nov. 17; Kingsessing on Nov. 22; and at Central on Dec. 6. Nutter's sweeping proposals to bridge a five-year, $1 billion budget gap also include closing 68 of 81 city pools, postponing tax cuts, cutting $2 million in funding for the Community College of Philadelphia and reducing the number of proposed additional Philadelphia police officers, from 400 to 200. The 11 library branches slated to close are in mostly lower-income areas where nearby public schools don't have libraries of their own, said Teri Ramsey, a member of a neighborhood parenting program who attended the rally. Located near two public schools and a Catholic school, all without libraries, the Fishtown branch served more than 4,000 people last month, said one staffer. Moreover, under the proposed cuts, a neighboring recreational pool would close and a nearby firehouse would see equipment reductions. "I don't think it's hard to tell we're on the bottom of the totem pole," Thomson said. "We've just about had enough with things being taken away from us in this neighborhood." Councilman Bill Green made an appearance during which he criticized new initiatives introduced by Nutter, such as the new Office of Sustainability and bike czar. "We shouldn't balance the budget on the backs of kids. We can find the money to save the budget," he said. Even students contributed to the cause by handing dozens of letters to Thomson, who plans to deliver them to Nutter, he said. He implored residents to remain vigilant. "In our community this is the only way to get computer use," he said. "We should never close a place where kids choose to go." * YONG KIM / Staff photographer Ryan Ganzel, 4, joins about 100 others yesterday in protesting the proposed closure of the Fishtown library branch, on East Montgomery Avenue near Moyer. Eleven branches are slated for closure. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1111/1226355683677.html Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Staff, public protest against Letterkenny hospital cutbacks NEARLY 200 hospital workers and members of the public braved the wind and rain yesterday to protest against recent cutbacks at Letterkenny General Hospital. The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), Siptu and Impact health unions staged a joint lunchtime protest at the hospital gates in response to the recent closure of two wards and other services under threat. "They say cutback, we say fight back" was the over-riding message of the protest which attracted representatives from local health pressure groups, community groups and Opposition parties. Richie Carruthers of Impact said the protest was organised to galvanise people and politicians into action. "The situation is critical because we've already been told there's going to be less money available in 2009 and we've seen cuts to date. So really this is the thin end of the wedge and we're going to see more frontline services to be cut." Mr Carruthers added that the joint action by the three unions was significant. "Normally we would have our own mutual sectoral interests, but clearly it is out of necessity that our own individual union issues need to be put aside because saving frontline jobs and core services is in our collective interest." Mary Caldwell, an INO representative who is a nurse in the hospital's admission and discharge department, said theatre cutbacks had caused waiting lists to soar. "I see clearly what the cutbacks in the reduced theatre services have had on the volume of patients coming into the hospital now for elective theatre, which will really impact on waiting lists and times in the future." She added: "It doesn't make sense that the HSE are willing to pay for the NTPF [National Treatment Purchase Fund scheme] but they're not willing to provide cover for staffing in hospital to allow theatre activity to return to normal." Local Siptu representative Martin O'Rourke said the joint union protest reflected the seriousness of the situation. "Coming into winter, the demand for hospital services is going to be a lot bigger and the resources just won't be there. People are going to end up on trolleys again." A 12-bed orthopaedic unit in the hospital was closed by the HSE last month following the closure of a 20-bed short-stay ward in August. The HSE says further cost-control measures may be extended and some further measures introduced if activity levels at the hospital continue to surpass the allocated budget. Fine Gael TD for Donegal South West Dinny McGinley said the situation was "absolutely unacceptable". "As usual, these cutbacks are attacking the frontline services and it's true that the old and the sick are going to suffer once more while the people who brought about the economic crisis seem to be getting away scot-free." http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111053320300.htm Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore Train passengers stage flash protest Staff Reporter VENTING IRE: Irate passengers of the Coimbatore - Mayiladuthurai Janshatabdi Express having heated exchange with the railway officials at the Coimbatore Junction on Sunday. Coimbatore: Irate passengers of the Coimbatore?Mayiladuthurai Janshatabdi Express staged a flash protest at the Coimbatore Junction on Sunday morning over the issue of inadequate number of coaches. The protest led to tense moments delaying the departure of the train by nearly one hour and ten minutes. When the train was scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. some of the passengers with had reserved the ticket could not locate their coach. On Sunday the train had 154 wait-listed passengers. The agitated passengers had heated exchanges with the railway officials decrying them for the missing coach and flayed them for not attaching adequate coaches depending on the passenger rush. Even as the commotion was on and when the train started moving as scheduled, the agitated passengers got into the train and pulled the chain. The Railway officials, railway police and Railway Protection Force personnel held talks with the passengers. Railway officials said that the train being a super fast, ordinary coaches though available could not be attached to the train. They also said that one of the coaches meant for the train had suffered damages when it rammed into a trolley on November 3. The damaged coach is yet to be readied for operating it, hence the confusion. After the railway authorities arranged to attach a coach , the train left around 8.10 a.m. with passengers having reserved tickets. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1110/water.html Council agrees funds for Galway filters Monday, 10 November 2008 23:05 Members of Galway City Council tonight voted to provide finds for water filtration systems for 250 houses in the Mervue area where water has been contaminated by lead pollution. But City Manager Joe McGrath said he would not be able to implement the directive until he had received a consultant's report and had discussions with the EPA. He said he would report back to the council on 24 November. 100 residents from Mervue area earlier took part in a demonstration at City Hall. They said they were appalled at what they see as the lack of urgency in restoring safe drinking water to the area. For the past seven weeks 250 families have had to take water from 3000 litre containers which have been located around the estate by the city council. City engineers say it could take up to two years to replace the 3km of lead piping which is causing the problem. Nora Cahill of the Mervue Senior Citizens Committee says any such delay would be totally unacceptable and they want water filtration systems installed in the 250 houses which were affected by the latest water contamination problem. Speaking at City Hall tonight, Mervue resident Maureen Gillen said they were having to endure what were little better than third world conditions, taking water from the tankers in appalling weather conditions, and wanted the situation resolved immediately. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7747873.stm Tuesday, 25 November 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Rail users protest with sardines Passengers said they were packed into trains like sardines Passengers fed up with overcrowded carriages on East Midlands Trains' Liverpool to Norwich line are sending tins of sardines to bosses in protest. Campaigners said they were packed "like sardines" into short trains, serving Nottingham, Manchester and Peterborough, which need to be bigger. Instead of the longer four carriages, trains often arrive with just two, causing overcrowding at peak times. East Midlands Trains said it was working to improve the service. 'Poor communication' In a statement, a spokesperson for East Midlands Trains, said: "We are aware that improvements need to be made on the route and are taking steps to increase seating and increase carriages from two to four at the busiest times." A spokesperson from campaign group TrainSardine.org said: "This campaign is run by passengers who are sick of the poor service offered and the excuses we have been given over the past 12 months to explain the shortage of carriages and overcrowding. "We are frustrated with the inability of anyone to sort the problem, poor communication and a lack of respect." East Midlands Trains took over the Liverpool to Norwich line when it won the contract from Central Trains in November 2007. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1444714.php/Hundreds_of_Egyptians_protest_death_of_farmer_ Hundreds of Egyptians protest death of farmer Middle East News Nov 24, 2008, 13:52 GMT Cairo - Hundreds of farmers demonstrated near the southern Egyptian town of Qena over the death Monday of a 60-year-old farmer by a hit-and-run driver, security sources said. Around 500 demonstrators shouted and burned tyres in the highway through the town, complaining about the lack of road bumps to slow down traffic through the area. Accidents are common in the Qena highway due to inadequate road facilities. Farmers in nearby villages have asked the Egyptian government to build road bumps in the road to prevent accidents. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99192 Samokov Residents Block Major Crossroad in Protest against Heavy Truck Traffic Society | November 24, 2008, Monday More than 100 residents of Bulgaria's Samokov blocked Monday a major crossroad of the town as a sign of protest against the heavy truck traffic on the road, which connects the town with the capital city of Sofia. The same measures will be taken every day between 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., the press center of the Samokov Municipality announced last week. The initiative is supported by the Town Council of Samokov and aims to reduce the truck traffic on the Sofia-Samokov road in order to bring down the high number of car crashes there. The Samokov Mayor Angel Nikolov has warned the state authorities a number of times that he was going to place his own desk out on the road, and to work there as a protest measure. If the state authorities have not reacted to the protest by Wednesday, the Samokov residents are going to block the road all day starting Thursday. Samokov is located at the foot of the Rila Mountain, and is close to the popular winter resort Borovetz. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99108 Bulgaria's Town of Samokov Protests against Heavy Truck Traffic Society | November 21, 2008, Friday Every day between 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. residents of the southwestern Bulgarian town of Samokov are going to protest against the heavy truck traffic on the Sofia-Samokov road. The news was announced Friday by the press center of the Samokov Municipality which is organizing the protests itself. The initiative is supported by the Town Council of Samokov and aims to reduce the truck traffic on the Sofia-Samokov road in order to bring down the high number of car crashes there. The Samokov Mayor Angel Nikolov has warned the state authorities a number of times that he was going to place his own desk out on the road, and to work there as a protest measure. If the state authorities have not reacted to the protest by Wednesday, the Samokov residents are going to block the road all day starting Thursday. Samokov is located at the foot of the Rila Mountain, and is close to the popular winter resort Borovetz. http://www.wyff4.com/news/18038149/detail.html Students, Mayor Protest Closing Of Movie Theater Clemson Students Protest Astro 3 Theater Closure POSTED: 11:26 pm EST November 21, 2008 UPDATED: 10:32 am EST November 22, 2008 CLEMSON, S.C. -- It was an Upstate landmark for 37 years, but the Astro 3 Theater in Clemson suddenly shut down this summer. The small theater meant so much to so many people in Clemson. It ran discount movies in the middle of downtown. The mayor said he's gotten so many e-mails from people saying they had their first date or first kiss there. Friday night, some people teamed up to save the Astro, which is currently chained up and shut down. "How a lot of us found out about it is we drove by and there was a sign on it that said, 'Closed, thank you and goodbye,'" Clemson University senior Kendall Sherwood said. "Nobody saw it coming." The Astro 3 movie theater closed its doors after 37 years this summer with only a few days notice. Students from Clemson University gathered Friday night to save the theater. They rallied in the heart of Clemson with the full support of its mayor. "We're here to demonstrate how much we love the Astro 3, and what an important part of our lives it has been for a long, long time," Clemson Mayor Larry Abernathy said. The protesters signed petitions and raised money. "We don't want to see it turned into condos," a protester said. "We don't want to see it turned into a fried chicken restaurant." They said they were hoping to entice the owners of the small building to lease or sell it to someone who will keep it a venue for arts and entertainment. "We feel that this is very important to this community, and we hope everybody is listening," a protester said. But the story doesn't end there. "These kids, for the past two months, have been killing themselves," Clemson professor Mark Charney said. The students managed to work on the rally for a grade. "They've had to do PR, they have to do marketing, they had to event planning, they've had to get entertainment, they've had to talk to every business, they've had to do contracts," Charney said. "So it involves everything that a good performing arts major should know." The city doesn't necessarily want to buy the building, but the mayor said they'd be happy to work on enticements for future owners so it can stay an entertainment center. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24725415-1242,00.html?from=public_rss Rural doctors in beach rally protest AAP November 29, 2008 05:12pm ABOUT 100 rural doctors and their families have lined Sydney's Bondi Beach to protest against inadequate NSW health services. Rural Doctors' Association (RDA) NSW president Dr Les Woollard said up to 1450 premature deaths in rural NSW could be avoided if the state and federal governments improved access to local hospitals and health professionals in rural communities. "Instead those living in rural NSW witness with monotonous regularity the downgrading and closure of more and more of their hospitals and health services,'' he said in a statement. Dr Woollard pointed to the closure of maternity units across rural NSW to emphasise his point - the latest one being Pambula, on the Far South Coast. "This Pambula closure has forced two-thirds of the GP obstetricians in the Bega Valley to reluctantly resign from obstetric work in the area,'' Dr Woollard said. RDA NSW wants the State Government to develop a rural health plan for NSW, with an emphasis on maintaining and expanding hospital services in towns of less than 35,000. A rally was also held in Merimbula, on the state's south coast. The rally protested the downgrading of maternity, paediatric and other services at the Pambula Hospital. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 09:10:07 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:10:07 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests - gender, gay/LGBT, disability - November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB25F5F.8080507@tesco.net> Gender and Women's Protests * DR CONGO: Women at refugee camps protest against sexual violence * MALAYSIA: Protest against religious ban on women wearing trousers * URUGUAY: Protests after abortion veto * INDIA: BJP women protest lack of women candidates * US: Arkansas - Protest against unmarried foster ban * PAKISTAN: Protest against misogynist violence * INDIA: Orissa - Rape case protest * INDONESIA: Working women call for funds, justice Gay Rights and LGBT Protests * INDIA: Protest against police harassment of eunuchs * MALAYSIA: Protest at Islamic edict against lesbians * US: Seattle - Gay rights protest * CANADA: Attack on lesbians protested * US: Dallas - "Gay is not OK" sermon protested * INDIA: Kolkata - Gay rights protest * INDONESIA: Transgender protest calls for rights * CANADA: Bigots halt gay pride event * US: Detroit - Westboro bigots counterprotested Disability Protests * BULGARIA: Protest for raising disability benefits * TAIWAN: Protest to defend blind masseurs * INDIA: Delhi - Protest marks world disability day http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-19-voa27.cfm?CFID=150898691&CFTOKEN=54319899&jsessionid=de3020cefc3a8a3cb6c05e52204537212432 Women Hold Protest in Eastern DRC Displacement Camp By Joe De Capua Washington 19 November 2008 A group of women held a small demonstration today in the eastern DRC at one of the camps for internally displaced people. The women called for greater efforts to bring peace and protect them from sexual violence. Anjali Kwatra is head of news for the humanitarian agency ActionAid. She spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua. "I'm in a camp called Ngunga One, which is just outside the town of Goma. And it's home to several thousand people. Most of them have been there for a few months or even a year. Some have recently arrived, fleeing the fighting that just flared up," she says. Kwatra was on hand for the demonstration, which ActionAid helped organize. "It was a protest of women, who were demonstrating because a British government minister visited the camp. And they just basically wanted to?point out that women are bearing the brunt of the fighting and of the humanitarian situation. A lot of women are facing abuse. A lot of women have been raped by all sides. They really wanted to make their voices known. So they came out in force in the camp?. They were wearing signs saying things like we want peace and the international community must bring us peace," she says. They spoke to British foreign minister Lord Malloch Brown. Kwatra says, "He responded and I think he's very aware of the situation they find themselves in." She adds, "They want him to use his influence to get both sides to talk peace, to enter into negotiations?. One thing that they're all saying to us is that they want to go home. They don't want to be living in these camps. The conditions are pretty tough, especially as more and more people are coming in and fleeing the fighting. So, there's less food to go around. There's less shelter to go around?. And all they want is to go home." She says that the women recognize that they're powerless in the camps and believe that the international community can help. "Women are the forgotten people here. They're the ones looking after the children. They're the ones queuing up for food and supplies. They're also the ones suffering abuse," she says. Kwatra spoke to one woman who was raped, who told her, "This is happening to so many women, most of whom don't want to speak out because obviously it's a very stigmatized subject. And she was very brave. She's speaking about her experience, which is very traumatic. But she's saying there's a lot more women suffering in this way, and that they don't feel they can speak out." http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4AC4PW20081113?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews Tomboy protests a security threat? Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:42am EST KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's police, who have recently cracked down on dissident bloggers and broken up anti-government demonstrations, say that protests over an edict against Muslim women wearing trousers are a security threat. Mainly Muslim Malaysia's National Fatwa Council recently issued a religious ruling that wearing trousers was un-Islamic. It said that, by wearing trousers, young girls risked becoming "tomboys" who became sexually active. That move triggered small protests later from two non-Muslim non-government organizations -- Katagender and Food-not-Bombs. "I'm warning them and will take stern action as it involves national security," Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan told reporters Thursday, according to the state-run Bernama news agency. Malaysia frowns on oral and gay sex, describing them as against the order of nature. Under civil law, offenders -- male and female -- can be jailed for up to 20 years, caned or fined. As well as women in trousers, the Fatwa Council is considering barring Muslims from practicing yoga. Just over half of Malaysia's 27 million people are Malay Muslims, practicing the moderate form of Islam. (Reporting by David Chance; Editing by Paul Tait) http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=320478&CategoryId=12394 Uruguay President Vetos Abortion, Sparks Protests Catholic congressmen threatened with excommunication By Jorge Figueroa MONTIVIDE0 -- President Tabare Vazquez's veto of a bill partially decriminalizing abortion in Uruguay set off a storm of protests Friday by feminist organizations, criticism in the ranks of the ruling coalition and cheers from the Catholic Church. "The president is human, he makes mistakes and in this case he erred, among other things because he didn't acknowledge the opinion of the congressional majority or even the views of several of his ministers," said Sen. Alberto Couriel, a member of the majority sector of the leftist Broad Front coalition. The CNS women's organization said in a communique that "the will of the president does not represent the will of the people." The group called for a demonstration Friday in downtown Montevideo to demand what is "fair and democratic," stressing that "faced with this situation, passivity and silence are not permissible options." As he had already said he would, Vazquez vetoed Thursday the Law in Defense of the Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health, approved earlier this week by Congress led by the Broad Front and authorizing abortion during the first trimester in cases where the mother's health is at risk or the family is too poor to care for a child. The presidential veto was announced to Congress Friday and if in 30 days the legislature does not rescind it, the president's decision will stand. It would require a three-fifths majority in both houses to override the veto, a margin the Broad Front doesn't have, and opposition lawmakers voted against the original bill. Lawmakers of the Broad Front will decide from next Monday the steps it will take. "This is a matter of principles, of ethical and moral values that goes beyond politics and for that reason we are considering the possibility of taking it to a popular referendum," Sen. Couriel said. In a statement posted Thursday on the presidential Web site, Vazquez based his veto "on judicial, scientific and technical considerations, on philosophical identity and ethical principles." Vazquez, a practicing oncologist, said that a "special mention" should be made about the article referring to the interruption of a pregnancy when a woman's life is in danger or when there is proof of "a pathological process causing congenital deformities incompatible with life outside the womb." "That in itself is a provision we could share and which should be legislated very soon," the president said after returning the bill to Congress with his objections to the remaining articles. "We couldn't doubt what the president would say after he repeated it so many times," the representative of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Monsignor Luis del Castillo, said on Friday, commenting on Vazquez's decision. While the bill was going through Congress, Montevideo Archbishop Nicolas Cotugno threatened Catholic legislators with "automatic excommunication" if they voted for the measure. The bill sparked controversy in civil society as feminist organizations and religious groups carried out competing marches and demonstrations. Even so, 57 percent of Uruguayans said they were in favor of legalized abortion and 63 percent rejected the presidential veto, according to a survey taken by the Interconsult company and released this week. EFE http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1205159 BJP Mahila Morcha protests 'inadequate' women candidates PTI Monday, November 10, 2008 18:46 IST JAMMU: The activists of BJP Mahila Morcha on Monday staged a demonstration here accusing party leadership of not fielding "adequate" women candidates for the state's upcoming assembly elections. Led by spokesperson Geeta Thakur, about 40 activists gathered in front of the Jammu press club this afternoon and shouted slogans against party leaders alleging they failed to give tickets to sufficient female candidates despite party's commitment to give 33 per cent representation to the lot. "We want adequate representation of women both in party and other democratic institutions for women empowerment," Thakur said, adding BJP has so far allotted tickets to only two women candidates in the polls to the 87-seat assembly. "If the party continues to ignore us, we will appeal to the womenfolk not to cast their votes in favour of BJP candidates," Thakur warned. http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/244395/ Demonstrators protest unmarried foster ban BY L. LAMOR WILLIAMS Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 Email this story | Printer-friendly version About 250 demonstrators marched from MacArthur Park to the Capitol steps Friday to protest the recently approved Act 1 that bans unmarried couples from fostering or adopting children. Pushing a coffin and carrying signs with such slogans as ?We mourn lost children, lost family rights and silenced queers? and ?Kids need loving homes. Repeal Act 1,? the group marched peacefully along Ninth Street to Main Street and turned west on Capitol Avenue. Along the way, supporters honked car horns and gave thumbs up signs. Marchers ranged in age from a 3-year-old and his heterosexual but unmarried parents, to older people who used motorized wheelchairs and scooters to participate. By the time the group arrived at the Capitol, the group had grown to about 300. As they stood in front of the building, Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen, who is also a minister, encouraged them to continue demonstrating until the law is repealed. In his speech, Griffen referenced biblical figures such as Naomi, Ruth and Jesus as well as modern-day religious figures such as Mother Teresa and the pope. None of them ?would be allowed to foster or adopt a child according to Act 1,? he said. Griffen said the act ties the hands of judges who hear child welfare cases every day. ?In the name of justice, say to the Legislature: Please respect the judges to do their jobs.? The march was organized by the newly formed Center for Artistic Revolution in cooperation with gay and lesbian student groups from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas, both in Conway. Randi Romo, director of the Center for Artistic Revolution, said Act 1 has a direct impact on her. Romo said she has a chronically ill daughter and that she has been raising her teenage granddaughter. ?I woke up on Nov. 5 to find out I?m no longer allowed to adopt my baby girl, my granddaughter,? she said. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1225704/act_1_protest_starts_march_to_repeal.html?cat=9 Act 1 Protest Starts: March to Repeal Act 1 at the Arkansas State Capitol Scheduled November 19, 2008 by Lynda Altman A march to repeal the passage of Act 1 in Arkansas is scheduled for Saturday, November 21, at the State Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas. The event will take place from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Progressive Democrats of Arkansas is sponsoring the event. A large turnout is expected. On Election Day, November 4, citizens of Arkansas voted to pass Act 1 which prohibits unmarried couples from adopting or fostering a child. The act extends to those currently fostering children who are unmarried. This legislation is poorly written and as Act 1 Protest Starts: March to Repeal Act 1 at the Arkansas State Capitol Scheduled Date: November 21, 2008 Little Rock, AR United States of America it stands it supersedes the rights of birth parents and family court judges. According to the law, birth parents naming a guardian for their children in wills can have that decision challenged if the person named is living with another adult and not married to that individual. The law makes no determination between roommates and borders or those living as a couple. In addition, Act 1 removes the ability of family court judges to make a determination on a case by case basis. This legislation is contradictory to what is best for children currently in the foster care system. The purpose of the march to repeal Act 1 is exactly what is says. It is an event that is being organized in order to show the state lawmakers that the people of Arkansas do not support Act 1, and it should be repealed. Act 1 had a lot of support from conservative Christian groups and clergy. An equally large number of clergy and religious groups were against the legislation. A similar requirement enacted by the Arkansas Dept. of Human Resources was removed just prior to Election Day. http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/29/nat23.htm November 29, 2008 Saturday Ziqa'ad 30, 1429 Candle-lit vigil protests plight of women By Sadaf Siddiqui LAHORE, Nov 28: A candle-lit vigil was held protesting violence against women at Charing Cross on Friday. Members of the Aurat Foundation held placards stating various views like one against karo kari and one saying: ?zulmon se azad zindagi humara haq he?. Nabila Shaheen, an organiser of the event, said it was the male faction of society that was more to blame for the varied forms of violence witnessed against women whether it is at home, at the workplace or elsewhere. While the International Day for Violence against Women falls on Nov 25, the International Human Rights Day comes on Dec 10. By holding various activities from Nov 25 to Dec 10, the movement aims to make people understand that even violence against women comes under violation of human rights. Violence degrades a person?s self-esteem, self-confidence and status, and should therefore be abhorred in all its forms. By way of this campaign, not only the male section of society is being targeted, but help has been sought from the police and jail authorities as well. Traffic wardens have been asked to wear the white ribbons (indicative of males joining in for saying no to violence against women) and to distribute flyers among commuters. While honour-killing has received much attention in our part of the world, violence in any form should be condemned. The campaign aims to make people get more awareness about the disadvantages of violence. Only in a violence-free society can a woman play an equal role in the political and developmental arena. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112952770300.htm Other States - Orissa Rape case: Ravenshaw students stage protest Correspondent Immediate arrest of accused persons demanded CUTTACK: Students of Ravenshaw University, under the banner of All India DSO, on Friday observed Black Day and staged a protest meeting in front of the university gate demanding immediate arrest of the culprits involved in Adaspur college girl rape case. Students belonging to DSO wore black badges and went around the campus in a rally raising slogans and making classroom speeches. Condemning the incident, DSO leaders criticized the police administration for what they called ?sweeping the incident under carpet.? It may be mentioned here that a college student was kidnapped by some anti-socials on Tuesday while the former was on her way to the college. She was allegedly raped after being taken to a deserted place in a car. Although, police complaints have been made, no action has yet been initiated, the students allege. ?We would launch a state-wide students? movement if no action is taken within 24 hours,? threatened the DSO Ravenshaw unit secretary Sanjib Jena. Dig at police Instead of acting firmly on such complaints, police and the State administration were trying to protect the culprits, the leaders alleged in their address at the protest meeting. The speakers also pointed out that many victims, fearing dent in their social status, were not coming forward to report such cases. They also alleged that the State government was indirectly encouraging such nefarious activities across the State by not acting against the illegal trade of blue CD, intoxicants, porno magazines and double-meaning audio cassettes. The students also demanded ban on sex education in educational institutions and ban on AIDS control campaigns. There was also a call for imparting martial art training to girl students. --------------------------------------------------- Female breadwinners call for funds, social justice Jakarta Post - November 29, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung -- Activists from the Women Head the Family (Pekka) group in West Java have urged the legislature and provincial administration to allocate more funds and provide greater access to facilities for female heads of households. More than 5 million women in the province are the main breadwinners in their households. The activists, from 10 regencies -- Sukabumi, Karawang, Cianjur, Subang, Garut, Indramayu, Cirebon, Ciamis, Majalengka and Sumedang -- presented their requests to the legislature on Thursday. The group represents around 1,300 women who head their family, 90 percent of whom are widows. The group is part of the Women Heads of Household empowerment program sponsored by the Japanese government since 2000. Mintarsih, 54, a widow with three children from Sukasirna in Cibadak, Sukabumi, said village and district officials discriminated against female household heads. This occurs when women go through registration procedures for cash assistance and applications for soft loans from banks to set up small businesses, as authorities tend to have greater trust in male household heads when disbursing the assistance, she said. "The registration procedure is unfair. I've been neglected and subject to social jealousy. The government seldom pays attention to widows," said Mintarsih, who became active in her village after joining the group 18 months ago. Mintarsih, who sells tempeh, said she felt boosted after joining the group, made up of a number of widows in Cibadak district. Sumini, 45, a widow from Telagasari in Cadas Kertajaya, Karawang, said the government should pay greater attention to female heads of households who faced great difficulty in getting work they could do from home. "We have to raise our children. So we have to find work that allows us to also take care of our children," said the mother of four. Field counselor of the Pekka Cianjur chapter, Oemi Faezathi, said the provincial administration had begun to address the issue by rolling out the empowerment program to six new regencies in addition to those in Sukabumi, Karawang, Cianjur and Subang. "However, the program is reaching only a small proportion of widows or female heads of households in West Java," Oemi said. National data show that more than 40 million women are widows, about 13 percent of whom are living in poverty. In West Java alone, there are more than 5 million widows in areas including Subang, Karawang, Indramayu and Cirebon. "That's why I urge the provincial legislature and administration to strengthen their commitment to equal opportunity and rights for every citizen," Oemi said. West Java provincial assistant secretary Feri Suparman said the province had set aside 5 percent of the budget for women's empowerment. He added that the administration would seek to raise it to 5.5 percent of the total 2009 provincial budget of around Rp 7.9 trillion. "The issue is still being discussed during debate of the draft budget by the budget commission. Hopefully, they are sensitive to the issue and will approve the budget allocation," Feri said. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-41978.html Rights activists protest harassment of eunuchs by police New Delhi, Nov 7 : Human rights activists held a demonstration here Friday to protest the harassment of eunuchs by Bangalore police last month. The activists submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Resident Commissioner here, demanding action against policemen who arrested five eunuchs from a traffic signal on Oct 20 without levelling any charge and later harassed them. "When some human rights activists reached the police station they were also beaten up and harassed by the policemen, who said they have orders from higher authorities," said Chandini, a member of Sangama, an NGO working for the rights of eunuchs. On hearing of the incident, several groups working for rights of sexual minorities reached the police station to mark their protest. "The police baton charged the group carrying out a peaceful protest outside the police station and detained some more people. Those detained were kept in police custody for two days in inhuman conditions," said Manohar, a member of Karnataka Sexworkers Union. "Measures should be taken so that eunuchs and other transsexuals have access to education, employment, heath and housing," said Lesley, a human rights activist. Several organisations working for rights of eunuchs, like Naaz Foundation and Savera, participated in Friday's protest. --- IANS http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hvVj4q797DjBQMALOLC6BuzvXcSg Malaysian Islamic party slams protests over lesbian sex ban Nov 17, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ? Malaysia's hardline Islamic party has hit out at criticism of a "fatwa" or religious ban on lesbian sex, reports said Tuesday, after civil society groups held street protests over the decision. One of Malaysia's highest Islamic bodies last month banned females from dressing or behaving like men and engaging in lesbian sex, saying it was forbidden by the religion. Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, spiritual leader of the Islamic party PAS, said such rulings should be respected by all in Malaysia, which is dominated by Muslim Malays but also home to large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities. "Not only non-Muslims but also Muslims cannot protest against any fatwa," he was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency. "All fatwa are based on the Koran and Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet Mohammed) and... to protest against them is like going against the teachings of Allah," he said. "Who are we to go against Allah's commands, are we that great?" At least two non-Muslim civil society groups have held street demonstrations in recent weeks to protest last month's National Fatwa Council ruling. Although the Fatwa Council does not have jurisdiction in civil law, the ruling appears to be an attempt to push female homosexuality towards illegality. A top Islamic cleric last month said the Fatwa Council was also planning to ban Muslims from the ancient practice of yoga if they engage in Hindu "religious elements" during the exercise. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and many non-Muslims say they are concerned about growing "Islamisation" of the multicultural nation. http://www.examiner.com/x-260-Seattle-Parenting-Examiner~y2008m11d16-Gay-rights-defended-in-Seattle-as-thousands-protest?comments=true Gay rights defended in Seattle as thousands protest November 16, 8:44 AM ? 1 comment ShareThis Feed Seattle rallies against prop 8 ? photo by Alexander Stevens There have always been people fighting for gay rights. While the rallies were once small, that is no longer the case. Saturday was a perfect example of just how far reaching the fight for gay rights has become. All over the country, people held anti-Proposition 8 rallies. Gays, straights, young, old all marched together against the Proposition, which banned gay marriage in California. Washington held 8 rallies with the largest one in Seattle where it is estimated 6,000 people took part. The march began in Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, where several local politicians spoke to the marchers The crowded cheered when Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced he had declared Saturday as "Marriage Equality Day in Seattle." He stated the Proposition 8 was "a hateful measure which should never have been on the ballot." King County Executive Ron Sims helped rally the crowd and added his support. "If you are going to talk about immortality: talk about hunger. That is immoral. Talk about war. That is immoral. But do not tell me that when two people love each other that is immoral," Sims said. The marched gained supportive protestors along their route which ended at Westlake Center. According to the Seattle police, the demonstration was peaceful with only a couple of heated exchanges between the few gay right opponents who had set up camp at Westlake center http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=106&num=187289 Published: Nov 18, 2008 Share This Article | Send Us A Tip Proposition 8: What Exactly Are They Protesting? by John W. Lillpop On November 4, California voters passed Proposition 8, thereby adding the following language to the state constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Those 14 hate-filled, Nazi-inspired, homophobic words of discrimination and bigotry have caused a major kerfuffel in California as thousands of marchers have taken to the streets to express their outrage. In particular, protesters have targeted the Mormon Church for that church's financial and political support for Prop. 8. Protesters are threatening to create a national firestorm as they congregate, shout, and DEMAND! Demand what? The right to vote in free and open elections? That free and open elections be banned when the results do not suit their minuscule minority and its agenda? Free speech and other rights set forth in the Bill of Rights? An end to discrimination against gays in housing, employment, and education? The right to enter into relationships with same sex partners openly and freely, without being harassed by straight citizens and governments? A Constitutional ban on any religious expression which holds that homosexual behavior is sinful? That an unwilling American public be forced to accept the notion that gay marriage is a right, the infringement of which constitutes a civil rights evil on a par with slavery and Jim Crow laws? Instead of protesting against free religious expression, the protesters should actually take their signs and threats of violence to the headquarters of La Raza and NAACP to demand that those tax-exempt organizations convince Latinos and African-Americans that same-sex marriage is indeed a "civil rights" issue. And why not work to convince the most liberal man ever elected to the U.S. presidency to include acceptance of gay marriage in his CHANGE agenda? After all, President-elect Obama has been very clear: He is opposed to same-sex marriage! John W. Lillpop is an independent columnist http://www.thestar.com/article/537546 Attack on lesbians protested VIDEO: Rally against hate LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR Gloria Prosper, left, and Pamela Couper joined about 300 people in a rally outside Oshawa City Hall on Nov. 14, 2008, sparked by an alleged Nov. 3 assault on lesbian couple in Oshawa. Crowd of 300 calls for 'acceptance for all' Nov 15, 2008 04:30 AM Carola Vyhnak URBAN AFFAIRS REPORTER Oshawa turned on the love last night to speak out against hatred and intolerance after two lesbians were insulted and beaten outside a school almost two weeks ago. Community leaders, politicians, educators, families, couples and even a dog in a Santa hat rallied in the rain outside city hall to show their support for Jane Currie and her partner Anji Dimitriou. "Peace, love, acceptance for all," the crowd of 300 chanted as close to 20 speakers urged them to turn an act of homophobia into an inspiration for change. Cheers greeted Mayor John Gray's message: "Oshawa won't sit back and let anyone or anything sully the good name of our people." Currie and Dimitriou were picking up their three children at Gordon B. Attersley public school on Nov. 3 when a man hurled insults and started hitting them. "Which one of you two 'men' spoke to my kid? F------ dyke lesbians," he said, spitting in Dimitriou's face, according to Currie. Then he punched Dimitriou in the face, slamming her into their truck. When Currie rushed over, he punched her so hard her cheek split open. A spectator said the incident, witnessed by other school kids and parents, grew out of an ongoing feud between the two parties. Mark Scott, 43, of Oshawa, has been charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm. The couple believes they were attacked because they're lesbians and wants the charges treated as hate crimes. Scott's lawyer, Mark Jacula, said in a news release that his client, who is black, has been a victim of racial and physical abuse. "The truth surrounding this incident will come to light. The parties responsible will be held accountable for the racially motivated and unprovoked attack he suffered." Currie and Dimitriou have gathered more than 9,200 supporters on Facebook. The days when gays and lesbians had to hide their relationships are over, said Rev. Brent Hawkes, who performed the first legal same-sex marriage in Ontario several years ago. "We say to Jane and Anji, this kind of incident will not be tolerated. You can count on us to turn this around." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/DN-gayprotest_10met.ART0.State.Edition1.4a4500c.html 'Gay Is Not O.K.' sermon in Dallas draws protesters 12:00 AM CST on Monday, November 10, 2008 By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News whundley at dallasnews.com About 100 people stood in front of First Baptist Church of Dallas on Sunday morning to protest Dr. Robert Jeffress' sermon, "Why Gay Is Not O.K." JENN ACKERMAN/DMN Outside First Baptist Church of Dallas on Sunday, protesters Laura McFerrin (front), with (from left) her mother, Grace McFerrin, Eric Myers and Sam Fulcher, sang 'Jesus Loves Me.' Carrying signs bearing the words "I'm Gay and It's OK" and "Christ Taught Love Not Hate," the protesters lined both sides of San Jacinto Street in front of the downtown church. They sang "Jesus Loves Me" and cheered when passing motorists honked their horns and waved in support. "Most of the people here are Christians, and they're taking offense at the Baptist Church trying to say how Christ's love should be interpreted," said Patrick Hancock, who attended the peaceful protest. It was organized earlier this week when someone noticed the sermon topic on the church marquee. Dr. Jeffress seemed unfazed by the protest. Everyone has a right to express their views, he said. He didn't see any point in meeting with his critics. "I have found from experience that it's very futile to argue with people about these issues," he said. "I believe the spirit of God has to convince people." Dr. Jeffress said this is the first time that he's preached about homosexuality since being elected senior pastor of the 10,000-member church last year. But he's no stranger to the controversial topic. When he was pastor of First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls, he led a fight to remove two gay-themed children's books from the public library. He said Sunday's sermon was part of the "Politically Incorrect" series he's preaching that explores seven of the most controversial beliefs that Christians can articulate in today's culture. Of those, "homosexuality is probably the most culturally explosive issue," he acknowledged. "Even though culture changes, God's word doesn't change." Dr. Jeffress said the purpose of his sermon was to "let Christians know what the Bible says about this important topic, and to reaffirm that any and every sin can be forgiven." Dr. Jeffress addressed what he called two "myths" about homosexuality: that prohibitions exist only in the Old Testament, and that Jesus never condemned this behavior. During one of his three Sunday morning sermons, he cited New Testament passages that he said condemned homosexuality, including Romans 1:27. It speaks of "men, leaving the natural use of the woman, [who] burned in their lust one toward another." Dr. Jeffress acknowledged that "Jesus never used the word homosexual." However, he said, Christ condemned homosexuality by affirming Old Testament truths and by upholding God's plan for human sexuality ? "one man and one woman in a marriage relationship." In next week's sermon, Dr. Jeffress said he will address homosexuality again, including the assertion that "God wired me differently." "My answer will surprise you," he told worshippers at the 9:30 a.m. service. His answer might not sit well with Laura McFerrin, one of the protest organizers. "I'm here because of the gay and lesbian children sitting in the pews now who are being told that being gay is not OK," she said, gesturing toward the church during Sunday's protest. "I was like those kids. The hardest part of coming out as a lesbian is aligning your faith with who you are." Ms. McFerrin added: "God doesn't make mistakes. I was born this way, and God loves me." http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/gays-lesbians-in-kolkata-protest-against-discrimination_100125062.html Gays, lesbians in Kolkata protest against discrimination November 29th, 2008 - 1:40 pm ICT by ANI - Kolkata, Nov 29 (ANI): Hundreds of gays and lesbians in Kolkata staged a protest against discrimination on Friday. Holding up placards and shouting slogans, they sought to attract the attention of people towards their plight. They also protested against a law that terms homosexuality as unnatural and a criminal offence. I think what you see here is a gathering of people of civil society organisations, human rights advocates, activists, who support the issue, who want to end violence against all particularly all sexuality minorities, said Anindya Hajra, a protester. Homosexuality is banned in India under a law first framed British colonialists. It is now codified under Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which defines it as a carnal act against the order of nature. Some rights groups have moved court, asking the government to repeal the law. The sexually marginalized community feels Indian society continues to stigmatize transgender, gays, lesbians and bisexuals and that Section 377 of the IPC is archaic and abusive towards their existence as normal human beings. A report claims that there are about 50 million gays in India. Similar estimates for women are more difficult to collect, owing to social and cultural inhibitions. (ANI) --------------------------------------------------- Transgender group calls for justice Jakarta Post - November 20, 2008 Yogyakarta -- Dozens of transgender people in Yogyakarta on Wednesday commemorated Transgender Day of Remembrance, which falls every Nov. 20, by distributing stickers and flowers to people passing by the Yogyakarta post office on Jl. Malioboro. Coordinator of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual (LGBT) group, Shinta Ratri, said the group's aim was to reduce the negative public perception of the LGBT community. "We call on all institutions and people to stop discrimination against LBGTs," Shinta said. During the commemorations, members of the group also presented roadside art performances. Shinta said members of the group were protected under the human rights law, which states that all people are regarded as individuals and protected by the state. Ironically, the group claims, the government has yet to take real action to protect the LGBT community. --------------------------------------------------- http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=c46c6055-7524-4299-8699-d48f50e90b1d March 29, 2009 Abbotsford pride parade quashed by online protesters Community has to confront homophobia, organizer says Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun Published: Sunday, November 23, 2008 Plans by a group of Abbotsford high school students to hold their community's first gay pride parade were halted after hundreds of people protested their efforts online. Instead, the youths have joined forces with other equality advocates to organize a "social justice rally" Dec. 6. Sixteen-year-old Chantell Gregg created a Facebook page to organize a pride parade in Abbotsford, originally planned for Nov. 15. View Larger Image Vancouver has a pride parade and Abbotsford will have a social justice rally. Stuart Davis / Vancouver Sun Gregg, who has had a friend beaten up at school for being gay, said Abbotsford needs to confront homophobia. But before her event got off the ground, a Facebook group opposing the idea had popped up too. On that group, which had 364 members Sunday, posters debated the Bible's stance on homosexuality and advocated a "straight pride parade." "No one wants to see a pride parade in ABBOTSFORD organized by a bunch of sexually CONFUSED pre-teens who believe they are gay or bi," reads the group's description. "Homosexuals can commute to Vancouver for the parade." Gregg said her group received threats that the parade would be egged. Several letters to the local paper decried her plans. "It was just devastating," she said of the backlash. "I was just amazed that people in this town would do that, but I know that this town is a bit behind other ones in social justice." Seeing that the teens needed support, John Kuipers of the University of the Fraser Valley pride group stepped in, helping them instead organize a social justice rally promoting all kinds of diversity. The event will also protest the Abbotsford school board's cancellation of the Social Justice 12 course, which includes teachings on gay rights. Gregg and Kuipers said the change of plans isn't a failure, but a way to get more support from other social justice groups and create a more inclusive event. Gregg said some opponents had a false impression about her plans for the parade. "They thought it was going to be like the one in Vancouver," she said. "But that was not my intention. There was no nudity going to be allowed there." But she's not completely giving up on the idea of a gay pride parade in her town one day. "We have to start slow," she said. "Because it is Abbotsford, and Abbotsford's not used to the subject because they keep it quiet." Gregg hopes the coming rally will lead to better rules against bullying and return the Social Justice 12 course to local schools. This fall, the Abbotsford school board prevented schools from offering the controversial course, saying it's reviewing its content because of parental concerns. At one school, 90 students had signed up for the class. The gay couple responsible for the course's creation have filed a human rights complaint against the school district, and the B.C. Teachers' Federation supports bringing the class to Abbotsford. The Dec. 6 rally begins at 11 a.m. at Abbotsford Community Services. crolfsen at vancouversun.com http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081122/METRO/811220369/1006/rss01 Saturday, November 22, 2008 Trio picketing play gets counterprotest Supporters respond to Kansas church group angered by gay theme. Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News GROSSE POINTE FARMS -- Three members of a controversial Topeka, Kan., church who protested a gay-themed play at Grosse Pointe South High School on Friday were met with stares and jeers from about 200 students, some of whom hoisted signs touting messages of peace and love. The two women and a 14-year-old girl from Topeka's 75-member Westboro Baptist Church showed up at the school about 3 p.m., just as school was letting out, to hurl threats of condemnation in the cold and wind. Westboro has protested around the country at high school productions of "The Laramie Project," which recounts the torture and beating death of gay college student Mathew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998. The play opened to a sold-out crowd Friday night. Advertisement "It shouldn't matter how a person is -- just concentrate on yourself," said Raven Hoyle, a 16-year-old Grosse Pointe South junior, adding she was glad the school decided to produce the play. Earlier Friday, the trio briefly picketed outside nearby Christ Church, where they sang "God Hates America" as the church carillon played "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." The church was targeted because its rector, the Rev. Bradford G. Whitaker, wrote letters to several newspapers, including The Detroit News, in support of the production. About 100 congregants followed the trio to the school where they lined up in a symbolic shield between the protesters and the school. Police were on hand to keep the protest under control. Westboro has captured headlines nationwide for protests at the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq. They believe God has allowed American soldiers to die as punishment for the nation's acceptance of homosexuality. "We're here to tell you that God does not love everybody," Margie Phelps, a Westboro member, shouted at the students. Silvia Carone, a 15-year-old sophomore from Wayne Memorial High School, traveled from the Wayne-Westland school district to hold a hand-lettered sign saying, "Spread love not hate." "I think what they're doing is wrong," she said. "If they demonstrate against our military and others in our country and nobody protests against them, it's proving them right." Principal Al Diver said the school would treat the protests as a learning opportunity for students. The play was selected by a committee that included both teachers and parents. "I think it's an excellent decision," said Norma Bailey, a professor of middle-level education at Central Michigan University who specializes in lesbian, gay and transgender issues. "The play raises issues that are important for high school children to discuss. "Here was a person who was murdered simply because of who he was. Our job as educators is to talk with the kids about what this means, what it says about ourselves." http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98730 Disabled People on Protest against Low Pensions Society | November 10, 2008, Monday About 300 disabled people gathered Monday to stage protest in front of the Council of Ministers' building in downtown Sofia, demanding higher integration allowances. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) About 300 disabled people gathered Monday to stage protest in front of the Council of Ministers' building in downtown Sofia, demanding higher pensions. The protesters insist on forming their integration allowances on the base of the officially fixed minimal month salary. They demanded also that the Disabled People Agency should get status of a ministry. "The newly established fund for accessible architecture environment for the disabled people should be managed by representatives of the disabled people's organizations all across the country," the protesters said. They announced they have already submitted their demands to the Council of Ministers. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/11/22/184424/Visually-impaired-masseurs.htm November 22, 2008 12:07 am TWN, The China Post news staff Visually-impaired masseurs protest ruling TAIPEI, Taiwan -- About 1,500 visually impaired masseurs yesterday took to the streets in Taipei in protests against a constitutional court?s recent ruling that they claimed was threatening their livelihood. Wearing white work clothes and dark glasses, the protesters paraded in a long queue with their hands on the shoulders of the ones in front of them. They demanded protection for their work rights as they rallied in front of the Interior Ministry. The Council of Grand Justices has recently ruled as unconstitutional the existing ban on non-visually impaired people from working as masseurs. One of the protesters was cited by the Central News Agency (CNA) as saying business has already dropped sharply amid the economic downturn. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/22/2003429231 Masseurs protest court ruling JOB FEARS: The visually impaired workers rallied to demand the government not amend a law that stipulates that they are the nation's only legal masseurs By Loa Iok-sin STAFF REPORTER Saturday, Nov 22, 2008, Page 2 Visually impaired masseurs protest at Liberty Square in Taipei yesterday, calling on the government to protect their right to employment. PHOTO: CNA Around 1,500 visually impaired masseurs from all over the nation took to the streets yesterday, protesting a Council of Grand Justice decision overturning a rule that made them the only legal masseurs. ?Massage is one of the few jobs that a visually impaired person can do well. But in recent years, their jobs have been threatened because of the growing number of illegal massage centers that employ masseurs with no visual impairment,? Sun Yi-hsin (???), a long-time activist for the rights of the physically challenged, told the demonstrators at Liberty Square in Taipei before they began their march to the Ministry of the Interior. Figures released by the National Federation of Masseurs? Unions showed that more than 5,000 visually impaired people ? representing 70 percent of all visually impaired people on the job market ? are currently working in the massage industry. ?Instead of lending a helping hand to the visually impaired masseurs, the government is making the situation worse by planning to allow non-visually impaired masseurs into the market,? Sun said. An article in the Rights and Interests of the Handicapped Protection Law (??????????) stipulates that ?non-visually impaired persons may not work as masseurs.? However, a constitutional interpretation issued by the Council of Grand Justices last month declared the clause unconstitutional as it violates equal rights in employment as protected by the Constitution. The Council then urged that the article be removed within three years. That decision has worried the visually impaired masseurs. Lee Cheng-chia (???), a 54-year-old visually impaired masseur, joined the march out of fear of more competition in the marketplace. ?I?m the only wage-earner in my family ? my wife has just been laid off from a factory, two of my sons have just graduated from college and are looking for jobs, while my youngest son is still serving in the military,? Lee said. He recalled that he used to be able to make between NT$50,000 and NT$60,000 a month as a masseur. But since the illegal massage centers grew in number about five or six years ago, ?I?m making less than NT$20,000 a month now.? Once the legal barrier is lifted for the non-visually impaired to enter the industry, ?things will only get worse,? Lee said. Some of the visually impaired masseurs have tried other jobs, but failed. ?I majored in social works at National Taipei University of Education and I am a certified social worker,? said Chang Tung-fa (???), who suffers from a detached retina and is partially blind. Chang had worked as a social worker at a charity organization for years, but problems with reading made him decide to quit. ?I can only read words at font size 70 on a computer screen. And when it comes to reading printed documents, I had to ask for help from my colleagues,? he said. Prior to getting a college degree, Chang had also worked at his father?s auto repair shop, ?but I cut my little finger once when operating a machine, because I couldn?t see clearly.? ?My eyesight is getting worse as I grow older, so I decided that I?d find a more stable, workable job, and thus I became a masseur,? he said. After receiving representatives of the protesters, Deputy Minister of the Interior Lin Join-sane (???) said the ministry would set up a special task force within a week to come up with solutions to help the visually impaired masseurs. Meanwhile, lawmakers across party lines, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shyu Jong-shyoung (???) and Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chen Chieh-ju (???) and Yu Jan-daw (? ??), also promised to ask the Council of Grand Justices to take another look at the interpretation. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112856520400.htm New Delhi Protest meeting to mark World Disability Day Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: To mark World Disability Day, Disabled Rights Group is organising a protest meeting in which differently-abled persons from across the country will descend on the Capital on December 3. Physically challenged persons from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir will hold a nightlong candlelight vigil to demand a separate Ministry for Disabled Affairs and ask the Government to fulfil promises made in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. According to Disabled Rights Group convenor Javed Abidi, the protest will begin at 3 p.m. at India Gate. ?At night the protesters will light candles and then participate in the nightlong vigil. We will come prepared to stay the night and continue the vigil for as long as it takes for the powers that be to notice us and accept our demands. For us, this is not a token protest but a campaign for our dignity and demand for equal rights as citizens of this country. We want every key Ministry to have a clear-cut plan for disability. Each Ministry must allocate 3 per cent of its resources for disability issues,? added Mr. Abidi. Pointing out that December 3 last year merited celebration for the historic convention and Eleventh Five Year Plan, Mr. Abidi said: It is more than a year since the Eleventh Five Year Plan has been passed but no steps have been taken by the Government to implement them.? From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 08:59:29 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:59:29 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-racist protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB25CE1.6090803@tesco.net> * SWEDEN: Dozens arrested at antifa protest * SPAIN - MELILLA: Migrants clash with border goons * GREECE: Protests for, against migrants * UK: Reading - Muslims set up crisis group against "extremism" initiative * INDIA: Nationwide protest against illegal detention of Muslim youths * CANADA: Protest over Islamophobic article on honour killing * TURKEY: Alevi groups protest rights violations * GREECE: Hunger strikers win leave to remain * US: San Francisco - Protests against immigrant raids * US: Cranston - Protest against police racism * ISRAEL: Ethiopians blockade PM's office over camp conditions * UK: Protest against Congo deportations * SCOTLAND - UK: Two anti-racism protests * INDIA: Protests against anti-Bihari pogroms continue * INDIA: Christians protest pogroms in Orissa * INDIA: Karnataka - Celebration of language status victory * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest over killing of Dalit youth * US: Arizona - Arpaio protesters "undeterred by win" * US: Texas - Modern-day lynching sparks protest * US/INDIA: American Indian groups protest communalist appointment * US: Fresno - Protest over news anchor racism; station reaches deal * UK: Immigration centre protested * INDIA: Kerala - Protest over condition of hostels * INDIA: AP - Hare Krishna protest * ASSAM - INDIA: Protest over discrimination against Assam film-makers * INDIA: Karnataka - Protest for dalit appointment * INDIA: Kerala - Protest for reservations * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Protest against anti-Dalit attacks * INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Dalit Christians protest scheduled list exclusion * INDIA: Delhi - Scheduled caste and tribe forum http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1A1-D94PCJIO5.html Swedish police detain 56 protesters Article from: AP Worldstream Article date: November 30, 2008 | Copyright information Swedish police say they have detained 56 people in the southern town of Lund to stop a violent confrontation between left-wing and right-wing extremists. Police spokesman Calle Persson says left-wing protesters attacked police with cobblestones as police tried to keep them away from a right-wing demonstration. http://www.traveljournals.net/stories/27526.html Fascist Protest!! 2008-12-02, Lund, Sweden Previous | All | Next Hello everyone! I know it's only been a few days, but I had to update again because our student housing was surrounded by a fascist protest on Sunday. Not even kidding you. So here's what happened... On Sunday during the day I decided to do a bit of shopping because it was pretty nice outside and Isaac was off swimming with Edwin. So I go out and the whole town is full of christmas lights, and there are tents set up in the city center with events and singers, and there was a little christmas market with rides and a tent where you could get the traditional Swedish christmas drink called "Glogg"...it tastes a lot like hot apple cider. So basically there were a bunch of lovely christmas festivities going on which was great. Then at around 3:30pm I started heading back home only to realize that there were police set up at every corner, and as soon as I started nearing our student housing, there were police on horses and a bunch of police vans, and lots of people just standing around. I thought it was a bit odd, but I just went back home and figured maybe it was because of all the festivities going on in the city. However, about 30 minutes later, Isaac and Ed came home and informed me that there was going to be a fascist protest that evening!! And omg was there ever. By like 5 oclock there was the fascist group who had torches and were standing right beside our building, and there was the anti fascist group who were chanting "(something, something) inte fascista!" I couldn't understand the first part, but the second part means no fascism or something. Anyway, there were tons of people swarming around our building and the police were riding around on their horses, and people were throwing rocks and causing havoc, it was crazy!!! But really cool to witness. Apparently there is some kind of traditional background to it, something about an old fascist swedish king, and he died on this day and some people still believe in and worship this king, so ever since there have been these protests on November 30th. Don't quote me on that, but that's what I hear! Other than that though, the toga party was really good, I've put up some pictures! and today me Erin, Chris and Ed went to ikea to get some Christmas decorations, and now our floor looks all christmas-y! I'll take some pictures. Anyway, I will have a lot going on this last month so I will try to update as much as possible! TTFN Love love love! Rachel http://www.cerium.ca/Police-migrants-clash-at-border-of 10 November 2008 Police, migrants clash at border of Spanish enclave CNN Europe African migrants armed with sticks and rocks stormed the border of a Spanish enclave in North Africa Monday but police using tear gas repelled them, the Spanish Interior Ministry said. Border guards repelled two waves totaling about 200 Africans in the fifth and largest such attempt to reach the Spanish city of Melilla from Morocco in less than a month, said Gregorio Escobar, the ministry?s top representative in Melilla. No migrant managed to cross into the Mediterranean city of some 70,000 people. Moroccan authorities detained most of the 150 Africans who tried to rush a border crossing in a first attempt. Less than an hour later, a group of about 60 turned violent as they tried to force their way across and Spanish authorities used riot gear and tear gas to keep them out, Escobar said. Two Spanish police were slightly injured and six other officers were treated after inhaling tear gas, he said. Thousands of African migrants seeking a better life in Europe try to enter Spain each year. Most try to reach the Canary Islands by boat and others try to enter Melilla or Ceuta, another Spanish enclave on Morocco?s coast. Police have prevented migrants from crossing into Melilla on all the previous attempts over the past weeks except on one occasion when 37 migrants got through. They were later detained on Spanish soil. Each time, migrants tried to get through a section of border fence damaged in torrential rains in late October. On Monday, however, they targeted a regular border crossing used daily by thousands of people. The migrants often spend weeks or months living in a forest on the Moroccan side of the frontier as they await a chance to cross into Melilla. The rains in October washed away most of their belongings and made living conditions even worse, said Khalil Jemmah, the head of Morocco?s Association of Victims of Illegalized Migration. "They?re desperately trying to cross because they?ve got nothing left to lose," Jemmah told the Associated Press late Saturday after a group of 50 sub-Saharan migrants fought with Moroccan police protecting the breached fence. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100008_25/11/2008_102451 Extremists hijack protest over migrants A demonstration yesterday in Aghios Panteleimonas, near central Athens, by residents objecting to the large increase in the local immigrant population, was hijacked by far-right protesters and anarchists who clashed with each other for several hours. Members of the far-right and anti-establishment groups pelted each other with stones and vandalized local store facades and parked cars, as locals tried to voice their grievances. There were no reports of injuries or arrests. According to witnesses, half the protesters were calling for the neighborhood to be ?protected? from an influx of migrants while the others appealed for migrants to be given greater social support. Most residents expressed sympathy for migrants? problems but said the situation had reached a crisis point. ?There are many migrants here who need help and though we give them food and clothes we cannot solve their problem,? local cleric Prokopios told Kathimerini. Other residents said the state should receive more European Union support for dealing with immigrants. ?The EU has earmarked a lot of funding in support of migrants ? where does all this money go?? said Eleni Papayiannaki, a local resident and store owner. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610441 Muslims protest at extremism initiative Posted: 2008/11/01 From: Source A crisis group has been set up with the support of more than 1,000 Muslims in Reading who object to the local steps being taken under the Government`s Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) strategy launched this year. by Chine Mbubaegbu (Get Reading) A group of Muslims in Reading feel victimised by a Government initiative designed to tackle violent extremism and feel it could cause more harm than good. A crisis group has been set up with the support of more than 1,000 Muslims in Reading who object to the local steps being taken under the Government?s Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) strategy launched this year. Reading Borough Council was picked as a pilot area for the Department for Communities and local Government?s counter-terrorism strategy which aims to challenge violent extremist ideology, support vulnerable individuals being targeted and recruited to extreme causes and increase the resilience of the community towards violent extremism. As part of the scheme, ?10,000 was awarded to the Reading Forum Against Extremism and another ?80,000 to establish the Berkshire Forum Against Extremism. But Reading Muslim Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) Crisis Group said since it started, Muslim groups in the town have become disillusioned with the project which started off as a collaborative effort between organisations and community groups in Reading. The Reading Muslim PVE Crisis Group particularly objects to the council?s adoption of the National Indicator NI35 ? a controversial framework which singles out the Muslim community as the main group to look out for in building communities resilient to violent extremism. It is also concerned about a new PVE toolkit which will be provided to school teachers to look out for signs of ?radicalisation? in pupils ? a move which the group labels ?absurd and disturbing?. Members are also concerned about the possible appointment of special PVE officers at Thames Valley Police. A statement from the group to Michael Coughlin, chief executive of Reading Borough Council, and Superintendent Steve Kirk said: ?The PVE work relies on a number of volatile terms such as ?extremism?, ?violent extremism? and ?radicalisation?. ?These terms are undefined but have been used by members of the Government to demonise the Muslim community by equating Islamic values such as the desire for Muslim unity and adherence to Sharia law with ?extremism? or ?violent extremism?. ?Communities don?t commit crimes, individuals do. ?However, the Government narrative on the causes of the cycle of violence we see occurring in the context of PVE blames an ?ideology? as the overriding cause for people?s radicalisation. ?This is in stark contrast to the way that the political troubles in Northern Ireland, South Africa and Sri Lanka was identified. ?This narrative firmly puts the blame for the cycle of violence at the door of Islam and the Muslim community.? In April, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced 300 PVE police officers in forces ? including Thames Valley ? would be appointed to monitor areas of potential radicalisation in Muslim communities and get engaged with the communities themselves in order to prevent extremism. But the crisis group feels these officers are not needed in Reading as the town does not suffer from significant violent extremism. Speaking to the Evening Post, a spokesman for the crisis group, said: ?We hope that there can be face to face dialogue with the council and the police where we can address our concerns.? For more information, visit pvecrisisgroup.wordpress.com. Police and council give their response Representatives from the Pakistan Community Centre, South Street Mosque, Central Jamme Mosque and Reading Council for Racial Equality were at a meeting on Wednesday with the council where they discussed the crisis group. A spokesman for the Pakistan Community Centre said the centre had not signed up to it. A statement in response to the PVE group from the council and police said: ?Over the years Reading has enjoyed excellent community relations and it has already undertaken good work around PVE, including project ambassadors, consultation, awareness raising and awareness events, which have all been widely recognised as good practice. ?It should be noted however that Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council did not apply for PVE funding. ?This money is allocated by the Government, as part of the national Prevent Strategy, according to a set criteria, namely any town with a Muslim population of more than 4,000. Reading falls in this category. ?In Reading?s Local Area Agreement with the Local Strategic Partnership and councils, the Government pushed ahead for NI35 including in areas where money had been allocated. ?The focus of the PVE work is to continue to ensure our young people are not subjected to any form of radicalisation and we are working with all members of our community to challenge all forms of violent extremism. ?We are required to produce an action plan setting out what we intend to do and a draft has been prepared by a small cross-community working group for consideration by the Ethnic Minorities Forum. ?This is an emerging piece of work in progress, which will be open to consultation. Consideration is also being given on how best to manage and co-ordinate projects of this kind. ?A draft ?Governance? strategy is also to be considered by the Ethnic Minorities Forum. The Ethnic Minorities Forum will lead with consultation and engagement and inform the community about decisions and actions that are taken around PVE. ?It is essential that the members of the community engage with the process as this is an excellent opportunity to use Government funding to promote and support community projects in Reading and build on the trust, understanding and tolerance that already exists.? Prominent representatives of groups in the town including the Reading Council for Racial Equality, the Pakistan Community Association, the South Street Mosque, the Central Jamme Mosque and the Bangladesh Association Greater Reading met with the council and the police on Wednesday to express their concerns about the crisis group. A statement on behalf of the community leaders issued by the RCRE said: ?We do not recognise the Reading PVE Crisis Group and condemn the way in which they have used the names of legitimate local Muslim organisations in order to justify their own political views. ?The contents of the letter issued by the group do not carry the endorsement of many of the organisations listed [on their website]. ?While we believe that more information is needed about the PVE work, we do not believe that it is in crisis and we welcome the opportunity to engage with the planning in the coming weeks. ?Violent extremism can happen in a variety of forms including the rise in tension that we have seen in recent years against Muslims. ?We condemn all forms of violent extremism and will support work to promote respect, understanding and cooperation between all communities. "At the same time, and within these boundaries of respect, we support the freedom of belief and expression.? # http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/nov/15/jih_lead_nationwide_protest_against_illegal_detention_muslim_youths.html JIH to lead nationwide protest against illegal detention of Muslim youths Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Sat, 11/15/2008 - 10:12. By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net, Patna: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has decided to take two All India Caravans- Caravan for Peace and Justice- in the wake of unprecedented havoc created in the country in the name of terrorism and communalism. Addressing a press conference held on 14th November in Anjuman Taraqui Urdu Bihar, Patna, Mujtaba Farooque, National Convenor & Secretary JIH, said that Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is highly concerned that communal conflicts are once more becoming a routine in the country. Innocent men and women are being brutally killed. The result is that society is again divided. Unfortunately India has become haven for all kinds of terrorism. "We are witnessing terrorist activities in the name of separation in North-East and Kashmir, mindless bombings and explosions in trains and public places, genocides and state supported carnages, brutal police firings, encounters, tortures and custodial deaths etc." said Farooque. He further said that Jamaat-e-Islami believes that the system is to be blamed that fails to provide justice and equality. We have failed to inculcate the noble values of love, mutual respect, honesty, patience, sacrifice and fraternity in our men, women and young generations. The politicians and law enforcing authorities are equally responsible for aggravating the situation. Minutes after the blasts, the police comes out with a standard preconceived statement blaming the 'foreign hands' and Muslim-sounding organizations. Later they start arresting Muslim boys and creating terror in Muslim localities. On the other side, despite clear leads against the extremist right wing groups, either action is not taken at all or it is taken half heartedly. Different yardsticks are used to treat different accused based on their community and political affiliations, he added. Highlighting the demands of these caravans he said: "All riots and terrorist attacks of the last decade should be probed into by an independent high powered commission to identify the actual culprits and the report of this enquiry should be made public. Reforms should be initiated in the police and law enforcement machinery and the recommendations of National Police Commission should be immediately implemented. At least 25% police personnel at all levels should belong to minority communities, he added. Effective legal mechanism should be evolved to check police atrocities, illegal detentions, fake encounters, tortures, custodial deaths and fabricated accusations. Harassment of relatives and well wishers of the detainees should be stopped and a whole locality should not be targeted or victimized. Confidential reports and confessions extracted under duress must not be leaked to the media. Effective regulations and legal mechanism should be enacted to ensure fair and unbiased reporting in media. All efforts for undemocratic and unjust legislation should be stopped and all those laws in states should be cancelled wherein confessions in police custody is made admissible in courts or that allow police to keep persons arrested without filing charge sheets. Measures should be adopted to promote human values, respect for human life, tolerance and co-operation so that we can build a hatred free and peaceful India. Jamat-e-Islami Hind requests all those concerned about the country to come forward and co operate with the caravan." When asked about the aim of these caravans he said JIH wants to interact directly with those people, agencies who are misleading the people for their vested interest. He said that JIH is going to lead a nationwide protest against illegal detention of Muslim youths. Responding another question that how JIH will ensure to check these atrocities on Muslims youths especially young professionals, he added: "We will use people intervention, legal process and will work with all secular organisations". Why UPA government is escaping from Batla House case, he questioned. Giving his comment on a question posed by a media person he said that our Home Minister is one of the part Fascist forces. Farooque clearly gave the sign of formation of a third front. He said that we have tested BJP and UPA both but this year all Muslim organizations which have jointly formed coordination committee will support a third front. When hidden agenda of Congress came in light it has started to open some old files like Malegaon to gain Muslim sympathy and their vote banks in coming election he said. Giving details about the caravan in Bihar, Maulana Quamarul Hoda, Amir-e-Halqua, JIH, Bihar, said that the it will start from Katihar, Purnia, Araria, Forbesganj, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur. In response to a question by TwoCircles.net, Dr Suresh Khairnar, President, All India Secular Forum, Maharashtra, attacked Modi and Advani saying that they have no moral right to talk about nation. He said that the government is targeting innocent Muslim youths specially those who are well settled and skillful professionals only with this aim to attack on improving economical and educational status of Muslims. All the boys arrested or encountered are innocents, he added. Answering a question regarding plantation of bomb on trees in Gujarat he said that that was part of deep conspiracy. All the bombs were planted on the directions of the Chief Minister Narendra Modi only to tarnish the image of Muslim community and to arrest Muslim youths on the name of terrorism. Why the whole media and investigative agencies are keeping mum when whole system Army, Intelligence Bureau, CBI and different Hindu saints have come under scanner, said Khairnar. The caravans have started from 10th November and will end on 26th November. These caravans will be laid by Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Ansar Umari, All India President, JIH, and Mohammed Jafar, Deputy President, JIH respectively. Both caravans have been flagged off in a public programme held in New Delhi on 10th November. The first caravan passed through Lucknow (Nov 10,11), Azamgarh (Nov 13), Patna (Nov 14), and will pass through Guwahati (Nov 16), Kolkata (Nov 17,18), Asansol (Nov 19), Bangalore (Nov 21-23), Mangalore (Nov 24), Ernakulam (Nov 25) and the second caravan has passed through Jabalpur (Nov 11,12), Nagpur (Nov 13), Bhopal (Nov 14) and will pass through Indore (Nov 15), Mumbai (Nov 16-18), Ahmedabad (Nov 19,20), Baroda (Nov 21), Kota (Nov 22) and Jaipur (Nov 23,24). http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/11/12/parvez-magazine.html?ref=rss Muslim, women's groups protest article on 'honour killing' of T.O. girl Last Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | 4:08 PM ET Comments166Recommend92 CBC News A coalition of Muslim, immigrant and feminist groups gathered in Toronto Tuesday to express their unhappiness over a magazine article about the killing of Aqsa Parvez. The story by Mary Rogan in Toronto Life's December issue gives an account of Parvez's final months, suggesting that she was killed because she wasn't adhering strictly enough to her family's view of how a Muslim woman should dress. Her father and brother have been charged in connection with the death of the 16-year-old. The group protesting the article particularly objects to the headline on the article, which describes Parvez's death as Toronto's first "honour killing." The Toronto Life article "serves to fuel myths and stereotypes that harm Muslim women and their communities and that distract from the real issues of gender-based violence against women," said Cindy McCowan, executive director of Interim Place, one of the organizations protesting the story. "Violence against women is about the systematic power and control by men, and the assertion that Miss Parvez's murder was because she was Muslim or due to Islam is based in both racism and Islamophobia. Violence against women is not a value in any culture or faith community," she said. Summaya Kassamali said the way the article is written equates Islam with domestic violence. "It sort of implies that anyone who grows up Muslim ? and they are taught there are certain things God wants, or there are certain requirements ? is automatically subject to violence," she told CBC News. Protests anticipated, editor says Toronto Life editor Sarah Fulford says the negative response to Rogan's article is not unexpected. "I'm not surprised at all. It's a very emotional story," she told CBC News. But she said many readers have expressed admiration for the moving descriptions of the final months of Parvez's life. "As Mary Rogan so beautifully illustrated, Aqsa Parvez was caught between the Old World and the New World in a struggle that was familial and domestic and it ? is resonating with many of our readers," Fulford said. "In some ways, it's a common immigrant experience. Parents have a certain vision for their child that conforms to Old World ways and the child, in this case Aqsa Parvez, was curious about the New World and being a teenager, she wanted to have a boyfriend, she wanted to go to a mall, she wanted to wear her hair uncovered." Fulford said the magazine was aware that describing the death as an honour killing would be controversial. But she points out that Parvez herself is not here to tell us whether her death was an honour killing or a domestic dispute gone too far. The girl's final months, as described by her two best friends, were quite frightening, Fulford said. "I don't know whether she would say this is a domestic violence issue or a question of strict religious parenting ? I don't know exactly what she'd call it, she was murdered, so we can't ask her," she said. Rogan denies accusations that her story is racist, Islamophobic or stereotypical. "The suggestion that to focus on the hijab somehow detracts from the issue of violence against women is absolutely incorrect," she said. Rogan said she hopes to participate in Facebook discussions on the issue. The story "Girl, Interrupted" is part of a theme issue of Toronto Life that deals with the immigrant experience. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=157605 Alevi groups plan rallies to protest rights violations Turkey?s Alevi community, a religious group that differs from Sunni Islam, is making preparations for a mass protest in the Turkish capital on Nov. 9 in an effort to highlight the long-standing Alevi issue. Several Alevi associations and hundreds of activists are planning to meet at a ?Grand Alevi Rally? scheduled for Nov. 7-8 in various cities across Turkey, which will be followed by a mass protest in Ankara on Nov. 9. The protests are an effort to push the government to grant Alevis the rights they?ve been deprived of for years, according to a statement sent to Sunday?s Zaman by the Ankara-based Alevi Bekta?i Federation (ABF), which represents dozens of Alevi associations. Turkey?s Alevi community hopes to remind the public of problems they face and call on political parties and groups to keep their pledges to find a solution to the country?s decades-old Alevi question. ?At these events, we will give voice to our demand to be treated as equal citizens of this country with Sunnis. We will call on the government to eliminate all sorts of discrimination against Alevis,? stated Mehmet Yenice, secretary-general of the Hac? Bekta? Culture Association. Turkey?s Alevis, thought to number between 6 million and 12 million, claim they face widespread prejudice and that the state refuses to grant them their religious and cultural rights. Yenice listed demands to be voiced during the mass protest: making state-run religious classes noncompulsory, abolishing the Religious Affairs Directorate and recognizing cemevis, or Alevi houses of worship, by the state. The ABF statement said they want full implementation of the principle of ?equal citizenship? so that all citizens can enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms without being subjected to discrimination regardless of their religion, origin, language, race and gender. ?We should get rid of the widespread conviction that freedom of belief rests on headscarf freedom. What we expect from politicians and civilians is to recognize Alevis as fundamental elements of society and respect their rights and beliefs,? said Fevzi G?m??, head of the Pir Sultan Abdal Association, one of the leading Alevi groups in Turkey. He said political circles have so far failed to find a solution to the Alevi problem; instead, he said, they attempt to make Alevis look like themselves instead of accepting them as they are. ?When politicians set off under promising initiatives to solve the Alevi question, what they did was to turn Alevis into people obedient to their political and religious tendencies instead of taking Alevis as real addressees,? he said. ?They wanted to assimilate Alevis.? G?m?? criticized the failure of the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to keep its pledge to introduce a solution to problems faced by the Alevi community. ?There is serious divergence of opinion and blood incompatibility between Alevis and the AK Party,? he said. ?We witnessed that the AK Party-sponsored Alevi iftar couldn?t serve as a launch pad to produce a solution to our problems.? Reha ?amuro?lu, an AK Party deputy of Alevi origin, spearheaded his party?s efforts in early January to reconcile long-standing animosities between the state and Turkey?s Alevi citizens. A fast-breaking dinner was held on Jan. 11 in honor of Alevis? sacred month of Muharram with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. The move was considered a historic event to thaw the ice between the state and Alevis. The iftar had flourished hope among Alevis that the state would finally lend an ear to their demands and spur into action to legally recognize cemevis, make compulsory religion courses voluntary and stop recording individuals? religion on identification cards. ?As problems faced by Alevis keep growing, the policy pursued by the AK Party toward these citizens is limited to constructing mosques to their villages, turning a blind eye to the cemevi fact and forcing Alevi children to attend compulsory religion courses,? G?m?? said. The Council of State ruled in early March that students should not be required to attend religion courses that focused solely on Sunni Islam. The Ministry of Education made slight changes in the curriculum offered to primary school students and added a few pages of information on Alevism in religion books. The move, however, didn?t please Alevis, who claim forcing children to attend compulsory religion courses violates individuals rights and freedoms and say these courses should be abolished. The directorate of religious affairs, on the other hand, doesn?t agree and says courses on religion should be compulsory and raising children who have no knowledge of religion will lead to serious problems. Hac? Bekta? Culture Association?s Yenice said another point that disturbs Turkey?s Alevi community is that the Mad?mak Hotel in Sivas -- where several Alevi intellectuals were killed in flames -- is still operating as an hotel. ?We want the Mad?mak Hotel to be turned into a museum in respect of our intellectuals killed by religious fundamentalists,? he said. During the Alevi Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural and Literary Festival in July 1993, many participants who were staying at the Mad?mak Hotel in downtown Sivas found themselves besieged by an angry mob. The guests took refuge in the hotel, and the rioting crowd set surrounding cars and the venue ablaze. When the fire was finally extinguished, 37 people were found dead, including two members of the mob and two hotel workers. Fifteen years later, the Mad?mak Hotel is still operating as a hotel, a part of which serves as a kebab house. 02 November 2008, Sunday http://archive.gulfnews.com/world/Turkey/10258453.html Turkish Muslim sect protests 'discrimination' Reuters Published: November 09, 2008, 23:02 Ankara: More than 25,000 Turkish members of a liberal Muslim sect marched in Ankara on Monday in their first big demonstration against what they say is discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. An estimated 15 to 25 million people in Turkey share the Alevi faith, usually keeping a low profile in a country where the majority practice Orthodox Sunni Islam. Demonstrators chanted slogans against the ruling AK Party, which has roots in political Islam. The AK Party has publicly defended the rights of Muslims in officially secular Turkey. "The AK Party ignores the rights of 20 million Alevis in this country. This shows that they are not honest with their talk of religious freedoms," said Sulaiman Erseven, a 48-year old demonstrator. Many Alevis tend to support secularist parties because they fear Islamists will put further restrictions on their faith. When the AK party attempted to change the constitution to overturn a ban on female students wearing headscarves at universities, party leaders said they were aiming to expand individual religious freedoms. Many Alevis say the AK Party strives to expand freedoms for Sunni Muslims, while ignoring the demands of Alevis. 1980 coup Alevis say compulsory religious classes teach Sunni Islam and are part of forced assimilation of Alevi children. Despite court victories for the Alevis, the government has taken them to appeal, citing its own limited power. Religious classes were introduced in the Turkish constitution after the military coup in 1980 to support the government's tight control over religious activities. Some protesters called for abolishing the Religious Affairs Directorate, which they say is defending Sunni Islam. The directorate tightly regulates Turkey's thousands of mosques, appoints imams, pays their salaries and approve sermons for Friday prayers. Alevi representatives also said the government should stop building mosques in Alevi villages. Most Alevis do not attend mosques but prefer gathering in houses of prayer, called Cemevi, where women and men pray together. "The constitution's principle of equality is violated by rejection of the Alevis' creed and their centres of worship," said Ali Yildirim, deputy chairman of Huseyin Gazi Association. http://no-racism.net/article/2751/ 13. Dec 2008 ] The Chania hunger strikers have been granted residence permits! This victory is only a new beginning for the struggle that never ceased! Read about the events on what seems to be the final day of the hunger strike ... On Friday, the 5th of December 2008, or the 25th day of the hunger strike, the Ministry of Interior Affairs promised that the hunger strikers be granted residence permits on "exceptional grounds". The migrants are still on hunger strike, until this is officially confirmed. For the ministry's masterminds, this might be a maneuver to avoid the pressure the strike stood for; for us, it is a great victory of the strikers' determination and the solidarity movement's efforts. The strikers did not fight for their cases only, but for everyone in their condition. A change in the law was not achieved, yet their decision is a sober one and one that should be respected: a very strong message of courageous struggle has been sent and now it is up to migrants and non-migrants, in Greece as in everywhere, to keep the flame alive - as with every flame set up against Fortress Europe across countries and borders... ...the course of the hunge strike... Since 11 November migrants in Chania, Crete, Greece, active members of the Crete Forum of Migrants, had been on hunger strike, demanding the legal status they are eligible for, fighting for dignity and equal rights, for them and their families, for all migrants within Fortress Europe. 10 Hunger Strikers had been in hospital since the 29th of November... They continued the hunger strike from the hospital wards... You can read more about this in :: clandestinenglish.wordpress.com http://www.workers.org/2008/us/san_francisco_1106/ San Francisco protests immigrant raids Published Oct 31, 2008 8:41 PM Protesting flagrant violations of immigrant worker rights, several hundred people organized by May 1st San Francisco, Movement for Unconditional Amnesty and Latin American Alliance for Immigrant Rights noisily demonstrated during the evening rush hour at the local office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown San Francisco on Oct. 23. The previous day, about two dozen homes were raided throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Mission, Tenderloin and Bayview districts within the city of San Francisco, in South San Francisco and in the East Bay city of Richmond. Despite the status of San Francisco as a ?sanctuary city? for immigrants without documentation, San Francisco police assisted federal immigration agents in the arrests of several people. Claiming the raids were necessary to apprehend members of the Latin@ ?MS-13? street gang, authorities said they were part of ICE?s ?Operation Community Shield.? In Richmond the SWAT team was used. However, family and friends of the still-detained immigrant workers told the assembled crowd and media that their arrested loved ones were absolutely not involved in gang activity. Organizers of the emergency protest said this harassment and persecution of undocumented workers will not happen without a response. Cindy Sheehan, candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi?s seat in the U.S. Congress, added her support for the full citizenship of all people working in California. Already planned is another immigrant rights demonstration in San Francisco on Oct. 27, part of a National Day of Action against racial profiling in Arizona. ?Joan Marquardt ________________________________________ Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. http://www.projo.com/news/content/POLICE_PROTEST_11-20-08_LUCBH6E_v22.3904aff.html Protest supports minority groups 01:00 AM EST on Thursday, November 20, 2008 By RANDAL EDGAR Journal Staff Writer CRANSTON ? Carrying signs that read ?We are all human? and ?No one is illegal,? about 40 community activists and students gathered in the cold yesterday evening to chant, cheer and draw attention to the plight of some of their friends. They also came with a demand: that racial profiling and immigration enforcement by local and state police officers end. ?Our brothers and sisters are being targeted and chased around,? said Mary Kay Harris, of Direct Action for Rights and Equality, a Providence-based advocacy group for low-income families of color. ?We?re saying that has to stop.? Organizers said the gathering was a direct response to ?a rash of incidents? in which Latinos and other minority group members have been stopped ?with little or no justification? or tricked into going to immigration authorities so they can be deported. The protest was held at the edge of the grounds of the Cranston Police Department, on Garfield Avenue, but organizers said the protest was not specifically directed at that force. Besides contending that local and state police were acting like ?federal immigration agents,? they criticized Governor Carcieri for signing an executive order in March that directed the state police and state correctional officers to work with federal authorities to enforce some aspects of immigration law. ?With that stroke of his pen? the governor added to the problem of racial profiling, said Harris, one of four speakers. In a news release announcing the gathering, organizers said people have been incarcerated for days and even weeks simply for having expired licenses and have faced deportation proceedings because of misdemeanor charges such as driving without a license. Harris said she was in a van with a group of people, including several minorities, that was stopped for no reason on Route 95 by the state police. ?It must have been very disappointing? that the van contained ?no undocumented immigrants but rather a group of people of color attending a conference,? she said. Racial profiling has been a hot-button issue for years. Studies began to suggest eight years ago that race affects which cars are stopped and searched in Rhode Island, and civil rights groups have said they want legislation to restrict some police practices and identify which officers are inappropriately stopping people. Police chiefs have replied that they don?t tolerate discriminatory enforcement and are working to better train their officers to make sure it doesn?t happen. Yesterday?s gathering lasted about an hour and drew occasional honks from passing drivers who saw signs along both sides of the road. Shannah Kurland, a member of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, read aloud the names of people who have been detained and urged people who are citizens to pull over if they see someone being stopped or searched by the police and ?see if they are OK.? The gathering also drew several Brown University students, representing groups such as Third World Action and Students for a Democratic Society. Lindsey Gaydos, a senior majoring in developmental studies, said she and other students know people who have been affected by the current policies and wanted to voice their concern. Kurland and Harris said there will be more gatherings ? as many as are needed. ?Many of us have gathered before and we will continue to gather,? Harris said. ?We don?t care if it?s raining or snowing.? http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1225910077021 Nov 9, 2008 22:10 | Updated Nov 9, 2008 22:20 8 Ethiopians arrested at violent Beit Alfa protest By ABE SELIG An entrance to the Prime Minister's Office looked more like a refugee camp on Sunday afternoon as a protest by nearly 150 new Ethiopian immigrants over "sub-standard" conditions at the Beit Alfa immigrant absorption center turned violent. An Ethiopian new in immigrant tries to prevent the arrest of her husband during a demonstration. Photo: Ariel Jerozolimksi SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World Crying children, men on crutches, and scattered personal possessions covered the blockaded entrance - behind the Bank of Israel headquarters - as the protesters, who have been there since Tuesday, have said that they refuse to leave the premises until solutions are found to their problems. On Sunday, patience wore thin as protesters attempted to break into the PMO compound, and police detained eight of them for questioning. While police said they had no choice but to prevent the protesters from entering the area, some of the immigrants alleged that police had used unnecessary force. "They were beating people up," one of the protesters said. "They came in and started hitting people, I saw them grabbing a man by the throat." The Jerusalem Police denied the allegation, saying, "The immigrants' protest is illegal to begin with. They attempted, multiple times, to break into the compound and the police obviously had no choice but to respond and keep them from getting inside." While some of the protesters were dispersed during the melee, the majority of them said they have no choice but to continue with their protest, as no one in the government is willing to address their problems - the list of which runs the gamut from overdue allowances promised to the immigrants to a lack of work in the area around the absorption center, located on Kibbutz Beit Alfa, outside Beit Shean. Some of the protesters also complained that their children were being bused all the way to Tiberias every day, just to attend school. "My kids spend more time on the school bus than in the classroom," said protester Desta Alameou. "What kind of education are they getting? What are their chances for success here if this is the way they begin their education?" The protest first began in October, two days before Yom Kippur, when the immigrants alleged that they were not receiving their immigration benefits, and arrived at the PMO compound to protest. According to a spokesman for the Immigrant Absorption Ministry at the time, the residents of Beit Alfa, stopped receiving their benefits after their first year in Israel and the National Insurance Institute only picked up the responsibility at the end of the 13th month. The spokesman also said the NII had taken into consideration the two-month gap by handing out part of the benefit payment earlier this month, but that, "It was obviously not enough for them to live off." That protest did conclude, however, when the Jewish Agency and the Absorption Ministry agreed, just before the holiday began, to pay the immigrants their overdue benefits and set up an independent review committee to examine the living conditions at Beit Alfa. And although that committee is due to file its findings within the next 10 days, protesters said they could wait no longer. "There's a lot of voices here saying they want to pack up and go back to Ethiopia," said an Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews member who was on the scene. "But it could all be solved if they were moved to a different absorption center - that's the main problem." In a statement, the Jewish Agency and the Absorption Ministry said that they "protest the immigrants' violation of the agreement reached before Yom Kippur, according to which a committee will find better ways for the Beit Alfa absorption center to help the immigrants' integration. Both the Jewish Agency and the Absorption Ministry are committed to act according to the findings." According to Absorption Ministry Director-General Erez Halfon and Eli Cohen of the Jewish Agency, the majority of the immigrants' complaints can be easily resolved. Both said that the demonstration, so close to the committee's deadline, was unnecessary. Ruth Eglash contributed to this report. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-21-voa56.cfm?CFID=149266884&CFTOKEN=21847227&jsessionid=8430d6c1a8dc92554e5a4d6742711d4c4169 Protesters Gather in London to Stop Expulsion of DRC Refugees By Mandy Clark London 21 November 2008 About 100 protesters gathered in London on Friday to call on the British government to stop the expulsion of Congolese refugees back to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Britain's High Court judges are set to decide the fate of thousands of asylum-seekers living in the UK as they consider whether the war-torn DRC is safe. VOA's Mandy Clark reports from London. A demonstrator carries a flower tribute during a silent walk in London, 21 Nov 2008 A silent, shuffling protest - 100 people dressed in black, like a funeral procession, mourning the millions who have died in the fighting in the DRC. They walked towards 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official residence, to hand deliver a petition. Nelson Muambela said 4,000 people have already signed it. "The petition is to ask Gordon Brown and the British government to be more involved, to put more pressure on the Congolese government, to do more for the peace," he said. Buka Mwanza, who helped organize the protest, said he cannot understand why Britain would even consider sending Congolese refugees back to a war zone. "How can you return them to a country that is at war, and look what is happening there?" Mwanza asked. "I mean some health organizations have estimated that 75 percent of the rapes that happen in the world, happen in Congo. There is atrocious human rights violations happening there, and you plan on sending someone back to that? It's preposterous." It's estimated there are 4,000 to 5,000 Congolese in Britain whose asylum claims have been rejected. Eastern Congo has been in turmoil since the genocide in neighboring Rwanda in 1994 spilled over into Congo. Unrest then spread into civil war in Congo with a number of armed groups vying for power and drawing in neighboring countries. That war ended in 2003, but tensions among some armed groups remain and fighting has again flared in recent weeks. Britain's Foreign office is currently advising against all travel to eastern and northeastern Congo and all but essential trips to the rest of the country, because of "continued insecurity and lawlessness". Yet, the Home Office said there is "no real risk of ill treatment" to failed asylum-seekers outside the eastern region. Innocent Empi disagreed. He is a Congolese refugee who came to Britain in 2005. He helped compile evidence for lawyers representing the refugees. "We have evidence of failed asylum seekers who were sent back to the Congo and who have been arrested, detained and many of them have disappeared," he said. The High Court is expected to make its decision in the next 3 to 4 weeks. Innocent Empi said he has hope. "I personally am hopeful because I trust the evidence provided. It would be unbelievable for the court to say it is safe to Congolese back to Kinshasa," he said. The other protesters say that even refugee status would not be enough. Britain, they say, must step up its commitment to the Congo. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413014.html Dual Anti-Racism Demonstrations In Glasgow Ethel MacDee | 15.11.2008 20:05 | Anti-racism The nearest tube station is Cessnock tube. Turn right out of the tube station, past the shops and right onto Elizabeth Street which will take you past the Unity Centre and on to Brand Street. Also join us on the Anti Racism and Anti Fascism march on Saturday the 29th. We will be meeting at ten a.m. at St Andrews in the Square just off the Saltmarket. Look out for the black and red flags! Glasgow Anarchists call on all to attend twin demonstrations in Glasgow. * Tuesday 25th November - Defy the introduction of ID Cards, outside Brand Street Immigration Centre at 12:00 noon. * Saturday 29th November - Anti-Rascism and Fascism Demo, St Andrew off the Square 10:00a.m. Join us on the 25th of November in demonstration against the implementation of ID cards. We will gather outside the Home Office @ Festival Court, Brand Street, Ibrox from midday on the 25th. On the 25th of November the state continues with it?s creeping implementation of the ever unpopular ID cards scheme. Having already snuck it in the back door for asylum seekers, pensioners and the disabled they now plan to roll it out to include non-EU students and workers. The state knows full well how unpopular this scheme is and this is why it is pandering to racist attitudes, fostered by the media, in introducing these cards first for foreign nationals and those who do not have a voice to speak out. They tried to claim that ID cards would stop terrorism, despite the fact that all terrorist attacks carried out in the UK have been perpetrated by people who would have carried an ID card anyway. Now they claim it will help stop benefit ?fraud?, despite costing far more than benefit ?fraud? will ever cost. Added to this they pander to the racism of papers like the Daily Mail by extolling how it will stop ?illegal? immigration. Here it is we come to the racist core of the scheme. The scheme seeks to further fragment society by widening the divide between the sans papier underclass of this country and the rest of the working class. By restricting and regulating access to basic provisions such as health care they create a class of people even more at the mercy of their employers. ?Illegal? workers in this country work for a pittance and are always at the mercy of their employer. Should they complain about their conditions then a quick phone call to the Immigration department and the worker is dealt with. Even the threat of this is enough to stop any dissent. Whilst legislation has been passed to allow for sanctioning of employers using illegal labour this rarely happens and it is the worker who is punished. Resisting the introduction of these cards is an act of self defence as well as one of class solidarity. These cards will be being introduced for British nationals from next year. As of 2009 workers in ?sensitive? areas such as airports and hospitals will be forced to carry one, something the pilots union is up in arms about. From 2010 any student who wants to receive a student loan will be forced to have one and soon after that anyone wanting to access health care, state benefits or other provisions will be forced to get one. Yet we are told it will be voluntary. Hah! It is not just the Labour government that are desperate to see this scheme implemented but it is the state as an apparatus. Successive governments have tried, and previously failed, to implement an national ID card for at least 50 years, ever since the end of the ID and ration book scheme after WWII. Why is this? Why are they so determined to push through when we know that it will not affect any of the ?problems? they claim it is to address? To put it simply it is to further reinforce the psychological sensation of being watched over. As with CCTV cameras it is a move towards a panopticon society where our every move is monitored so that we daren?t step out of line. The concept of a panopticon society comes from the prison designs of Jeremy Bantham. Bantham designed a prison in which the prisoners could be observed at all times but could not see those who observed them, much like in the prison drama Oz. The idea behind this was that as the prisoners could be being watched at any time they will behave as if under supervision at all times. In todays society there are cameras everywhere, we are filmed hundreds of times every day. We never know whether or not someone is watching the camera yet we become used to being observed, being watched. Similarly with ID cards. We will not know whether we will need to provide the card that day so we will carry it at all times just in case. We will also become used to providing it when asked. Have you got your papers madame? We must resist this scheme as firstly it is at the moment an outright racist scheme that only serves to weaken the working class. We must also resist it because when fully implemented it will be another step towards the British state having a level of control over its subjects that a totalitarian state could only dream of. No Pasaran! No ID! Ethel MacDee Homepage: http://www.glasgowanarchists.org.uk http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080071701 JD(U) MPs resign to protest attack on north Indians NDTV Correspondent Friday, November 07, 2008, (New Delhi) Five JD(U) MPs from Bihar have submitted their resignations to the Lok Sabha secretary general. The MPs include Prabhunath Singh, George Fernandes, Kailash Betha, Beena Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Lallan. The move, seen as a bid to steal march over Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, followed a day after JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar announced that the MPs from Bihar would resign on Friday to protest the attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra. "The party MPs will submit their resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee tomorrow morning," parliamentary party leader and MP Prabhunath Singh told reporters on Thursday. The resignations have come at a time when Prasad, known detractor of the Bihar Chief Minister, was collecting resignations from his party MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as also MLAs and MLCs and had announced to take a decision by November 15. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/15mang.htm Protest rally turns violent in Mangalore Vicky Nanjappa | September 15, 2008 22:42 IST Communal violence continued to haunt Mangalore on Monday, with fresh incidents of violence being reported from the coastal city. On Sunday, right wing Hindu activists had allegedly desecrated churches and places of worship, claiming that Christian missionaries were indulging in conversions. On Monday, members of the Christian community took out a rally to protest the violence. Don't convert forcibly: Karnataka CM The protest rally began on a peaceful note, but turned violent at the Holy Cross Church in Kulashekar, when a group of protestors began pelting stones at passers-by. In a bid to control the mob, the police resorted to lathi charge and also lobbed tear gas shells. The incident turned uglier when a group of masked men desecrated a statue of St Antony near Bejai in Mangalore. However, Udupi and Chickmagalur, which had witnessed similar incidents of violence on Sunday, remained calm on Monday. Church attacks: Mangalore in turmoil Two persons were reportedly stabbed, but neither has been identified. While the first incident occurred in Kuloor, the second took place in Kodailbail. Meanwhile, several Christian leaders met Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemalatha and submitted a memorandum, urging her to ensure protection of the community. The DCP assured them that adequate steps would be taken to ensure their security. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1205861 Relay fast to protest Orissa killings PTI Wednesday, November 12, 2008 20:21 IST KOLKATA: Christians in West Bengal will organise a three-day relay fast to protest the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Orissa and of the 58 others who lost their lives in subsequent violence. Catholic Association of Bengal (CAB) along with a number of secular organisations will organise the fast from November 14 to 16 to protest the killing of Saraswati in Orissa and subsequent atrocities on Christians in several states, Secretary of CAB Sunil Lucas said here on Wednesday. After the killing of Saraswati and four of his associates, 58 people lost their lives, including Fr Bernanrd Digal, in mob attacks," Lucas said. The objectives of the fast were to express solidarity with the victims of violence and terrorism, urge governments to protect the constitutional rights of citizens, elicit public support for human rights and reaffirm faith in peace and non-violence, he said. He added they also protest against terrorism currently threatening the country's integrity and secular fabric. The relay will begin at 9:00 a m at the Metro corridor in the Esplanade in the presence of Archbishop of Kolkata, Lucas Sircar. Being organised under the aegis of the Catholic Religious of India (CRI) the fast would be participated by leaders from the Greek Orthodox Church, Armenian Church, Baptist Church and the Assembly of God Church, besides representatives of other major religions and nearly 40 secular NGOs, he said. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111354520500.htm Karnataka - Bangalore Protest against communal forces BANGALORE: Members of the Students Federation of India on Tuesday protested against communal and terrorist activities in the country. President of Bangalore District SFI unit, Prasad, said the recent incidents have shown the real face of right wing organisations such as Akhil Bharathiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He accused the organisations of attacking churches and creating communal disharmony. Vice-President Uday Kumar said right wing activists had disrupted peace in Gujarat and Assam and were creating a similar situation in Karnataka. ? Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/03/stories/2008110350660300.htm Monday, Nov 03, 2008 Karnataka Karnataka - Gulbarga Protests, boycotts mark Rajyotsava Day in Gulbarga Special Correspondent GULBARGA: The 53rd Rajyotsava Day was marked with protests, boycotts, and rail roko on one side and jubiliation on the other side in Gulbarga city on Sunday. While the district administration organised a colourful celebration at the Nagareshwar School Ground in the Nehru Gunj area, several Kannada organisations held separate celebrations to mark the victory of their struggle for getting classical status to the Kannada language. The day, however, was also marked by protests and boycott of the Rajyotsava celebrations by various organisations. The Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti organised a rail roko agitation at the Gulbarga Railway Station protesting against the Centre?s indifferent attitude towards the long-pending demand for the amendment of Article 371 of the Constitution. The Hyderabad Karnataka Janapara Sangharsha Samiti and the Hyderabad Karnataka Yuva Horata Samiti boycotted the celebrations and organised protests demanding separate Statehood for the Hyderabad Karnataka region. The Hyderabad Karnataka Janandolana Samiti, consisting of members from all the political parties, did not boycott the celebrations but formed a human chain at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk voicing its concern over the demand for a separate State. Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti president Vaijnath Patil, zilla panchayat president Shailaja Reddy, vice-president Suresh R. Sajjan, and Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Umakant Nigudgi were among those who were arrested after squatting on the railway tracks preventing the movement of the Chennai-bound Madras Mail for more than 15 minutes. Later, the arrested leaders and workers were released by the Railway Police. The Hyderabad Karnataka Yuva Horata Samiti hoisted the Hyderabad Karnataka flag. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110752450400.htm Tamil Nadu - Madurai Protest held against killing of Dalit youth MADURAI: The Centre for Protection of Civil Liberties -- Tamil Nadu held a protest in front of the District Court complex here on Wednesday condemning the killing of a Dalit youth in police firing at E. Kottaipatti in Madurai district. N. S. Nagendran, district secretary, led the protest. A. K. Ramasamy of the Madurai Bar Association, Chinnaraja, president, Tamil Nadu Lawyers? Union, Thiruvalluvan of the Adi Thamilar Peravai and Syed Ibrahim of the Manitha Neethi Pasarai participated. In a resolution, it demanded booking of cases against police personnel involved in the killing of K. Suresh, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. A retired High Court Judge should be appointed to probe the police firing, the CPCL said. ? Staff Reporter http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/05/20081105stillprotesting1105-ON.html Downtown Arpaio protesters undeterred by win 304 comments by JJ Hensley - Nov. 5, 2008 01:54 PM The Arizona Republic Maricopa County voters may have kept Sheriff Joe Arpaio in office for four more years, but a group of resilient protestors still want Arpaio out of his office space in the Wells Fargo Building. About 10 protestors made their way to the corner of First Avenue and Washington Street about 11 a.m. Wednesday, undeterred by the results of Tuesday's election that saw Arpaio keep his office with 55 percent of the votes. Arpaio took the results as a mandate from Maricopa County residents, but Salvador Reza, who organizes the daily protests outside the Wells Fargo Building said at least 45 percent of voters disagreed. The cars that honked in support as they drove by the protestors indicated at least some people agree with Reza, but an immigration-rights activist and leader with Somos America, said his banner-waving bunch would have set up shop outside the Sheriff's Office regardless of Tuesday's results. "This doesn't have to do with electoral politics," Reza said. "It has to do with human rights." Reza noted allegations against Arpaio for racial profiling and the calls from politicians like Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon for a federal investigation into Arpaio's practices as reasons the protestors would continue to return for the foreseeable future- or at least until there are congressional hearings and a Department of Justice inquiry into the Sheriff's Office. But instead of targeting county administrators or federal agencies that authorize Arpaio's tactics, Reza said the dissidents will keep up their daily vigil outside the bank building in the hopes of encouraging customers to boycott Wells Fargo and putting enough pressure on the financial institution that they remove the sheriff's offices from the building. A Wells Fargo spokeswoman said the company would not comment on any of its clients who lease space, but added that the bank has a longstanding commitment to supporting the Hispanic community. County administrators renewed the lease on Arpaio's office space in September. Sheriff Joe Arpaio and dozens of his administrative staff since Oct. 1, 1998, have been based in the 18th and 19th floors of the bank's building. The agency occupies 31,250 square feet of space, at $19.20 per square foot, or about $600,000 yearly. An additional $12,000 is tacked on each month -- $144,000 each year -- for utilities, property taxes, insurance, elevator and plumbing maintenance, roof repairs, pest control, landscaping, cleaning costs, and other services. Workers who pass through the area everyday have become oblivious to the honking horns and chants called out from megaphones, but Eric Long, said the activity borders on harassment. "It doesn't surprise me that they're back," he said. "If their opinion wasn't heard loud enough in the election last night, it's obvious they have work to do. They have four more years to continue on their agenda." http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa081117_wz_draggingprotest.1c0b42133.html Dragging death case triggers protest 05:22 PM CST on Monday, November 17, 2008 Associated Press Brandon McClelland, left, was run over and dragged. Shannon Finley, center, and Ryan Crostley are accused. Also Online 11/14: Prosecutors say it's not a hate crime ________________________________________ 10/27: Black man's death opens old racial wounds PARIS ? Protesters galvanized by a dragging death that stirred memories of the notorious James Byrd case rallied outside an East Texas courthouse Monday to speak out against a justice system they consider racist. About 60 people, led by a contingent from the New Black Panther Party, met at the Lamar County Courthouse to bring attention to the death of Brandon McClelland. Authorities have said two suspects, both of them white, purposely ran over and killed McClelland, a black man, following an argument on the way home from a late-night beer run in September. McClelland's body was dragged about 70 feet beneath a pickup truck and dismembered by the trauma near Paris, a city about 95 miles northeast of Dallas with a history of tense relationships between blacks and whites. The death came 10 years after Byrd was killed in Jasper, another East Texas town. Byrd was chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged for three miles. "How do we get justice for Brandon McClelland?" cried Anthony Bond, founder of the Irving chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "We can't get justice for Brandon," answered another man. "He's dead." Authorities have disputed that racism was the motivation for McClelland's death, citing the victim's decade-long friendship with the two suspects. They also point out that McClelland was run over and not chained to the back of a truck, as Byrd was. That stance angered McClelland's mother and activists, who pressured Lamar County and District Attorney Gary Young to step aside in part because he once was the court-appointed defense attorney for one of the suspects. That suspect, Shannon Finley, was charged with murder in 2003 for the fatal shooting of a friend. He eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter with Young as his counsel. Finley served four years in prison. In that same case, McClelland pleaded guilty to perjury for providing a false alibi for Finley's whereabouts on the night of the shooting. He was sentenced to five years' probation but served some jail time when he violated its terms, prosecutor Bill Harris said. Young has recused himself from the McClelland case, citing his past association with Finley. A judge has appointed former Dallas County assistant DA Toby Shook as special prosecutor. Sitting mostly alone away from the speakers, McClelland's mother said she was attending "to see that justice gets done for my son." She blamed Young for Finley's short sentence. "If he had done the right thing, I'm positive my son would be alive today," Jacquline McClelland said. Young spokesman Allan Hubbard declined to comment. The protest, held just around the corner from a 20-foot tall Confederate war memorial statue dedicated to "Our Heroes," attracted about a dozen white onlookers who watched from the parking lot about 30 yards away. Rock Banks, whose arms were covered in sleeves of tattoos, identified himself as a grand titan in the East Texas Ku Klux Klan. He wore a baseball cap depicting a skull wearing a cowboy hat set against a Confederate flag. He explained that his "boss sent me here" to keep an eye on the protest. "People come from outside and start trouble and leave this place stewing," Banks said. "If those two boys killed that man, they should get what they deserve. But it ain't got nothing to do with Jasper." David Stewart, who said he owns a business in Paris, handed out a flyer saying that the New Black Panther Party is a racist organization. "The Black Panthers have no business being here when they are racist themselves," Stewart said. "They are labeling us as racists because of a couple isolated incidents." http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/11/rss.htm#e6 Sonal Shah?s appointment raises protests Tuesday, 11 Nov, NEW YORK: Three Indian-American organizations have protested the appointment of Sonal Shah in President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, maintaining she is a close associate of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), which had ?openly supported? the persecution of Christians and Muslim minorities in India.? In a joint statement issued Monday, the organizations -- Indian Coalition Against Genocide, Indian American Coalition for Pluralism and Non-President Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India ? said they are holding consultations among themselves and like minded Indian American leaders on the issue. (Posted @ 05:45 PST) http://guanabee.com/2008/11/literally-tens-of-people-protest-fresno-news-for-managers-offensive-remark-against-hispanics-get-results Literally Tens of People Protest Fresno News For Manager?s Offensive Remark Against Hispanics, Get Results 26 November 2008, 12:45 PM. By Guanabee Staff 31 views. 3 Comments Alright, dozens of people showed up in downtown Fresno on Tuesday, in order to protest the remarks made by former KFSN/ABC 30 General Manager Bob Hall. Last week, Hall tried to avoid jury duty by claiming he wouldn?t be a fair juror because KFSN?s newsroom had found statistical evidence that proved Hispanics have a propensity to commit violent crimes. Hall not only managed to escape jury duty, but he also escaped his job as general manager. Hall resigned on November 22 after apologizing and stating that no such research or statistical evidence existed. However, Hispanic leaders would not disband until they were assured an investigation would be called into Hall?s possible perjury, since he was apparently under oath when asked about any preexisting prejudices that might conveniently make him unsuitable for jury duty, and to re-establish that no such evidence exists to prove Hispanics like to commit violent crimes. Hispanic leaders, as they like to be called, also managed to get the news station to promise to create a weekly show that will feature Hispanics in a positive light. So, to summarize, a general manager at a news station claims Hispanics have a propensity towards violent crimes. In response, dozens of people, most ?Hispanic leaders?, come together to force an apology from the station (including several statements all clarifying that no such research or propensity exists in reality) and they get a propaganda show portraying Hispanics only in a positive light. And what, pray tell, would have happened if they didn?t get their show? And why is it bad to lie under oath when a defense lawyer asks if you have any prejudices that would make you unsuitable for jury duty? If we have to refer to a few people as ?white devils? to get out of jury duty, we?ll do it. It?s not a personal; it?s just life. http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=9416818&nav=menu612_2_6 ABC 30 Reaches Agreement with Hispanic Protesters Nov 26, 2008 07:58 AM By: Monty Torres Dozens from the valley's large hispanic community showed up in downtown Fresno on Tuesday. They were there to demonstrate their displeasure over recent comments made by KFSN/ ABC 30's outgoing General Manager, but also to announce some new agreements. "I felt it was kind of inappropriate, said Derek Asayas. The focus? Offensive comments made by KFSN's recently resigned General Manager. Fresno County Democratic Chair Jose Murillo said, "The purpose of this meeting is to express our regret over the comments made by Bob Hall, who was the General Manager of KFSN." In Fresno County Superior Court last week, Hall reportedly said he couldn't be a fair juror because of research by KFSN's newsroom which showed a propensity for Hispanic's to commit violent crimes. Hall later apologized and stated no such research existed---an assertion KFSN management also made clear in separate statements. But outside ABC 30 studios hispanic leaders said, they want to be sure. Murillo made clear, "We just want to verify that there is no such research and such a story that is going to be brought by Channel 30." Murillo also called for an investigation into Hall's possible perjury for making the statement about the research under oath, if there really was no such research. At Fresno State, Associate Professor of Journalism, Dr. Gary Price added some perspective. "He probably should have kept his mouth shut." But Price was careful to make a distinction between the conduct of KFSN reporters, anchors, news personnel, and it's former General Manager's slip of the tongue. "I think most working journalists are professional enough that they really don't need someone to set an example for them because they're going to do the right thing anyway," said Price. Mr. Hall resigned last Saturday. Regarding the incident, Channel 30 released this statement Tuesday. 'We look forward to continuing to work with them and others as part of our historically strong commitment to covering achievements of the Latino community and serving the needs and interests of our Latino viewers. Action News has always been committed to unbiased reporting and upholds the highest journalistic standards of fairness and accuracy." Murillo said KFSN has come to several new agreements with hispanic leaders, including an investigation to establish that no research correlating Hispanic ethnicity and propensity to crime had been or was being conducted by the station, and a promise to create a weekly show featuring Hispanics in a positive light. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412281.html Activists protest in support of asylum seekers Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! | 05.11.2008 12:37 | Anti-racism | Migration | Repression On 4 November activists from No Borders, Southall Black Sisters and the Coalitions to Stop Deportations to Iraq joined Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!?s monthly demonstration outside Communications House Immigration Reporting Centre, Old Street, London in protest against immigration Minister Phil Woolas?s new offensive against immigrants and in support of all those faced with detention and deportation. 60 Iraqi Kurds were deported to by charter flight in September and another 50 in October. The government claims that its war against the people of Iraq has rendered the country ?safe? for deportees to be forced back to. On 18-19 November the High Court will hear the appeal in the ?BK? Country Guidance case about deportations to Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile anyone can see from the news that DRC is not a safe place to be sent to Immigration reporting centres are places of fear for asylum seekers, who have to report to them monthly, weekly or even several time s a week. From reporting centres asylum seekers can be detained without warning and sent to removal centres to await deportation. Solidarity outside the centres is always appreciated. The next demonstration at Communications House will be on 2 December 1-2pm. Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! e-mail: defendasylumseekers at yahoo.co.uk http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112059820300.htm Kerala - Kochi Matric hostels: samajam to stage protest Staff Reporter KOCHI: The Bharatheeya Pattika Jana Samajam will take out a march to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Office at the Civil Station today to protest against the poor condition of the post-matric hostels in the district. The district secretary of the samajam Sajiv Pinarmunda said that basic living facilities and hygiene were missing in the hostels for the Scheduled categories throughout the State. ?The hostel for boys at the Foreshore Road here is in a pathetic condition with unhygienic toilets and kitchen. Water is inadequate and often students do not get enough water for their daily needs. The mess hall is in a dilapidated condition. The toilets do not even have proper lighting,? he said Mr. Pinarmunda said that 46 students are living in the hostel, which can accommodate only much lesser numbers. The condition of the girls? hostel is no better. The safety of the inmates is also a concern as there is no guard or warden at the hostel during night, he said. Proper maintenance is not carried out at the existing hostel on the excuse of building new facilities, he said. The officials of the department are neither concerned about the welfare of the Scheduled category, nor are they performing their duties, they said. Raju Kumbalan, State organising secretary, P.K. Pankajakshan, district president, and Pradeep K. Kunnukara, State secretary, were also present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112054880600.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Novel protest by ISKCON devotees HYDERABAD: For over five hours this busy street morphed into a divine street. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Chirag Ali Lane and streets abutting it resonated with the unceasing chants of ?Hare Krishna-Hare Rama?. No expletives were hurled. And no one tried to antagonise the police during this novel protest. The protest was against Government?s plan to acquire 2,890 square yards of Secunderabad International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple. Over 2,000 devotees converged here on Wednesday to register their resentment, over the proposal, by taking up Krishna chanting and dancing to its tunes. Devotees, drawn from various walks of life, were miffed by a November 5 notification, which said that 2,890 sq. yards of the temple property would be acquired for metro rail project. A human chain was formed and all the incoming and outgoing roads to Hyderabad Collector office were blocked. No one was allowed inside the Collector?s office. Huge speakers blared out Krishna chanting, interspersed by fervent pleas to lay-off the property acquiring process. Women devotees blocked the road and tried to assuage visitors, who were upset for not being allowed to attend their daily work in various offices located in this street. Traffic towards this lane, Nampally station road and Abids had to be diverted. Till 3 p.m., the stretch was completely closed, much to the dismay of commuters. The devotees were also joined by BJP leaders and party workers in large numbers. The ISKCON authorities insisted District Collector Naveen Mittal hold talks with them and assure them of positive action. The Collector later on held discussions with heads of ISKCON and BJP State president Bandaru Dattatreya. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112651951400.htm Jahnu Barua joins protest by North-East film-makers Ziya Us Salam He promises to raise voice for the film-makers from the region ________________________________________ Film-makers from Assam complained of harassment Saikia was denied entry to screening of his own film ________________________________________ PANAJI: National award-winner Jahnu Barua has joined the protest by the North-East film-makers who have complained of harassment and discrimination at the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa. Coming out in support of the aggrieved film-makers, Mr. Barua said, ?I join the protest.? Feeling ?discriminated against,? he promised to raise his voice for the film-makers from the region. Earlier, debutant director Maniram had complained to the Directorate of Film Festival about the ?unprofessional scheduling? of his film, Mon Jai (I Feel Like). ?It is another example of the discriminatory attitude of the Centre towards the North-East,? he said. A couple of other film-makers from Assam, Gautam Saikia and Gautam Bora, had similarly complained of harassment. While Mr. Saikia was denied entry to the screening of his own film, Mr. Bora, a jury member, did not have any better luck at another screening. Tripura film-maker Joseph Pulinthanath had to undergo the embarrassment of his film being confused with Arunachal Pradesh by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anand Sharma at the film?s premiere. Mr. Maniram said, ?Mon Jai (I Feel Like), the Assamese entry in the Indian Panorama section of 39th IFFI, is one of the two films scheduled for a late screening (10 p.m.), and our small film, representing the crisis-ridden Assamese film industry, cannot even be compared to the other film, Jodha Akbar in Hindi, which is a big Bollywood venture that has been released worldwide already. ?The three-hour long film was scheduled for the last show of the day earlier this week, the film ending about an hour after midnight when no official or even local transport is available. I share their agony. I have never seen this kind of scheduling with other language films. ?I am feeling bad, feeling discriminated against. It might not be deliberate but it stems from total ignorance of the North-East. The authorities tend to take the region for granted. It is a wrong attitude. The North-East film-makers work under heavy odds. They deserve some support, not such discrimination. The authorities should try to show more favour to the region,? Mr. Barua said. ?The experience has left a bitter taste in the mouth and shattered the image of IFFI as a platform where all film-makers, big and small, get equal importance,? added Mr. Maniram. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112154720400.htm Karnataka - Bangalore DSS stages protest on varsity campus Staff Reporter Bangalore: Activists of the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti staged a protest on the campus of Bangalore University?s Central College here on Thursday demanding the appointment of a qualified person from the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes as Vice-Chancellor of the university. N. Murthy, State president of the samiti told presspersons that the university had not had a Vice-Chancellor from the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes since its inception. ?There are several qualified persons from the community in the university, including in-charge Vice-Chancellor H.T. Rathod, Jogan Shankar and B.C. Mylarappa,? he said. He also urged Minister for Higher Education Arvind Limbavali to fill the backlog vacancies in all universities in the State as soon as possible. He also said that the Government should initiate action to remove IPS official Sanjay Vir Singh from the post of Registrar. ?Even though he holds such a high position, he is an MBA student in the same university. He even changed the timetable to suit his schedule,? Mr. Murthy alleged. Mr. Murthy said that members of the samiti would be submitting a memorandum of their demands to Governor Rameshwar Thakur, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Mr. Limbavali. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112855400300.htm Kerala - Alappuzha Protest against PSC decision to move Supreme Court Staff Reporter ALAPPUZHA: The Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam has protested the reported move of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) to move the Supreme Court against the High Court directive that appointments to government services should be made on a 50:50 merit-reservation ratio. Addressing a press conference after a board meeting of SNDP at Cherthala near here on Thursday, general secretary Vellappally Natesan said that by moving the apex court on the issue, PSC would be harming the interests of the backward classes, who stood to gain by the High Court directive. The meeting, Mr. Natesan said, had passed a resolution demanding that the State government and PSC should desist from supporting covert moves by certain vested interests to sabotage the concept of reservation. The government, he alleged, was actually helping such vested interests by not taking a decision on the issue for the last six months. The United Democratic Front too had adopted ?double standards? on the merit-reservation issue. Stating that backward classes in the State were facing discrimination because of the lack of unity among them, Mr. Natesan said SNDP would bring together like-minded backward class organisations and communities to launch a massive public agitation against discrimination against these classes. SNDP had a formula of its own to solve the issue, he said, adding that it would submit the same to the government if it was asked to. The meeting also passed a resolution demanding that the annual income ceiling to decide on the creamy layer should be hiked to Rs.9 lakh per annum. SNDP president M.N. Soman and others were also present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112554720300.htm Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli Bid to stage demonstration: 27 arrested Staff Reporter Tirunelveli: Twenty-seven activists belonging to ?Puratchi Bharatham? were arrested when they tried to stage a demonstration in front of the collectorate here on Monday. According to sources, they were demanding the Government to take action against those who attacked the innocent Dalit students at Chennai Law College. While the activists were proceeding towards the collectorate, the police intercepted their vehicles and arrested them at Vannarpettai. The police have registered a case and are investigating. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111161050600.htm Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi Dalit Christians stage demonstration Staff Reporter On non-inclusion in Scheduled Caste list PHOTO: R_M_RAJARATHINAM DEMAND: Members of National Council of Dalit Christians staging a demonstration in Tiruchi on Monday. ? TIRUCHI: The Dalit Christians Liberation Movement organised a demonstration in the city on Monday condemning the non-inclusion of Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste list. The demonstration held near Khadi Kraft Junction was led by the Movement district president Janatha Arokiasamy. Implement panel report The demonstrators demanded the immediate implementation of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission?s recommendations. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110554370400.htm New Delhi Demonstration at Delhi University NEW DELHI: The Democratic Teachers? Forum for Social Justice held a demonstration at Delhi University on Tuesday demanding ?social justice for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes at all levels?. The Forum has demanded immediate implementation of the University Grants Commission?s guidelines (May 2006) regarding reservation in teaching positions for SC/ST candidates. It has also said that the ad hoc positions for teaching posts reserved for SCs/STs/OBCs must be filled by reserved candidates only, said Forum coordinator Ratan Lal. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 09:37:18 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:37:18 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Workers' protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB265BE.6000907@tesco.net> Global South * BANGLADESH: Unrest at textile factory over food * BANGLADESH: 10 injured as police attack protesting workers * MOZAMBIQUE: Seasonal workers protest for owed compensation, fight back against police * MALDIVES: Sacked workers fight back against police * NEPAL: Boss taken hostage in Colgate factory sale dispute * SOUTH AFRICA: Soldiers arrested after transport protest * INDONESIA: Bandung - Workers block roads, fight back against police over minimum wage cut * INDONESIA: Minimum wage protests in Surabaya, Jakarta, Cimahi, Batam, Bandung * INDONESIA: Workers launch election boycott campaign * DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Drivers' union protest snarls traffic * TRINIDAD: Yara workers protest over health and safety * TRINIDAD: Chemical workers protest closure * MOZAMBIQUE: Workers protest scrapping of inspectorate * KOREA: Workers protest precarity law * PHILIPPINES: Workers picket food office over layoffs * NEPAL: Local govt workers warn of protests * TAIWAN: HSBC workers planning protest * INDIA: Mirpur - Workers block roads in protest over attack * INDIA: Labour newsclippings Global North * SPAIN: Protesters storm Nissan HQ over layoffs * POLAND: Workers occupy PM's office * BULGARIA: Kremikovtzi steel protests become daily, block roads * CANADA: Protests on lockout anniversary * NORTHERN IRELAND: Workers in sit-in over factory closure * US: Milwaukee - Protest at CEO's home * CANADA: Customs workers protest mouse infestation * SCOTLAND - UK: Lloyds workers protest merger * US: Olympia - Postal pickets protest union president firing * FRANCE: Pilots strike over retirement age raising * ITALY: Alitalia strike disrupts flights * US: Pilots protest slot auctions * CANADA - QUEBEC - Daycare workers protest for right to unionise * AUSTRALIA: Unions protest prison privatisation * NEW ZEALAND: Store workers in "skinny Santa" protest * IRELAND: Protest over conditions at aluminium company http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA395114.htm Bangladesh textile workers clash over food, 50 hurt 17 Nov 2008 09:21:30 GMT Source: Reuters DHAKA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were injured as clashes broke out at a garment factory near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Monday, police said. They said the violence started as the workers alleged food items supplied to them by the factory authority were stale and of low quality. Witnesses said hundreds of angry workers joined the protest at the Abani Knitwear Textile Mill at Hrishipara, and clashed with factory guards and police called in to restrain them. At least 50 people including a factory official were injured, witnesses told reporters. As the violence spread outside the factory, buses, trucks and other vehicles were stranded on a highway linking Dhaka to the northern districts. Police cleared the roadblock after several hours, the witnesses said. "We rushed to the factory immediately after receiving the information and managed to calm down the protesters by promising to supply better food from now," said Mohammad Fazlul Huq, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Garments account for the lion's share of Bangladesh exports, which totalled a record $14.11 billion in the financial year that ended in June 2008. (Reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir; Editing by Anis Ahmed and Jerry Norton) http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=147402 BD textile workers clash over food, 50 hurt Tuesday, November 18, 2008 DHAKA: At least 50 people were injured as clashes broke out at a garment factory near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Monday, police said. They said the violence started as the workers alleged food items supplied to them by the factory authority were stale and of low quality. Witnesses said hundreds of angry workers joined the protest at the Abani Knitwear Textile Mill at Hrishipara, and clashed with factory guards and police called in to restrain them. At least 50 people including a factory official were injured, witnesses told reporters. As the violence spread outside the factory, buses, trucks and other vehicles were stranded on a highway linking Dhaka to the northern districts. Police cleared the roadblock after several hours, the witnesses said. ?We rushed to the factory immediately after receiving the information and managed to calm down the protesters by promising to supply better food from now,? said Mohammad Fazlul Huq, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Garments account for the lion?s share of Bangladesh exports, which totalled a record $14.11 billion in the financial year that ended in June 2008. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63527 Print Friendly Version Published On: 2008-11-16 Metropolitan 10 injured as garment workers clash with police Our Correspondent, N'ganj At least 10 people were hurt in a string of clashes between garment workers and police at Sonargaon in Narayanganj yesterday. The one-hour-long clashes occurred when police asked the workers of Square Garments to lift their seize on Dhaka-Sylhet highway following an assault of their colleague by the factory officials. Sources said Production Manager Siraj Mia and Assistant Production Manager Shah Alam assaulted Didar accusing him of not working properly. The agitating workers also vandalised around 10 vehicles creating acute traffic jam on the high way at Kanchpur. Officer-in-Charge of Sonargaon Police Station Abul Khayer said additional police have been deployed to avoid further untoward incident. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811181020.html Mozambique: Arrests And Injuries in Malema Demonstration 18 November 2008 Maputo ? Police arrested at least 20 former seasonal workers of the now defunct Malema tobacco company (ETAMA), in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula, on Monday while preparing a demonstration of about 2,000 people, to demand compensation they claim the government still owes them, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias". Another 10 people, including some Malema residents who were not part of the group, were injured in the incident while trying to find somewhere safe to hide, after the riot police unit dispatched from the provincial capital, Nampula city, fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the would-be demonstrators. The demonstrators, armed with spears, machetes and clubs, and wearing clothes made out of sisal sacks, had gathered at the house of Jamal Francisco, the leader of the protest. According to the "Noticias" report, when the police approached Francisco's house, they asked the leaders of the demonstrators to speak with them. After the fourth such appeal over police megaphones, the crowd attacked the riot police unit. The police say that, since the demonstrators outnumbered them, they had no option but to defend themselves with rubber bullets and tear gas. After the confrontation, the police started a hunt for Francsico, who had fled. The police have promised to find him and bring him to court, where he will face charges of incitement to public disorder. After this incident, calm was restored in Malema town, with all shops and public institutions reopening, except for the Malema factory, once owned by ETAMA, and now operated by a private concern. The demonstrators had threatened to occupy the factory. The Nampula provincial government has already stressed that of the about 4,000 former workers of the company, only 701 had contracts signed with ETAMA, and those have already received their due compensations The government says the case and closed and no compensation at all is owed to the casual workers. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL351359.htm Police, fired workers clash at luxury Maldives resort 30 Nov 2008 17:28:00 GMT Source: Reuters By Olivia Lang MALE, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Police and striking workers clashed on Sunday at a luxury Maldives resort on an atoll in the Indian Ocean, police and protesters said. The strike at the One and Only Reethi Rah resort began on Friday when the workers demanded better conditions and the transfer of a manager. Thirteen employees were fired on Saturday but refused to leave and police arrived on Sunday. "They were beating me as they arrested me. They tied my hands at the back and pushed me on the ground," Ahmed Easa, one of about 200 workers taking part in the protest, told Reuters. Other workers said they were beaten with batons. About 200 guests were staying at the resort, where the cheapest room, a beach villa, costs $780 a night during the low season. Tourism accounts for 28 percent of the Maldives' $800 million-a-year economy but many in the nation of 300,000 Sunni Muslims say that only a few people have grown wealthy from it. Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh said officers briefly arrested some workers but released them. "They have exaggerated what happened," he said. Protesters were still on the atoll on Sunday and the resort said it was in talks with the government to resolve the strike. It is the first accusation of heavy-handed action by police since President Mohamed Nasheed was sworn earlier this month after defeating 30-year incumbent Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was criticised for setting police on opponents and protesters. (Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Angus MacSwan) http://story.torontotelegraph.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/432698/cs/1/ Colgate-Palmolive riots flare in Nepal Toronto Telegraph Thursday 20th November, 2008 There has been a massive upheaval at the factory of Colgate Palmolive in Nepal, with the company announcing the sale of the company after 20 years of operations. The sale announcement said that all employees of the Nepal subsidiary would continue their employment on the existing terms and conditions. But, after the announcement the company would be sold to Nepali company Everest Hygiene Products, angry workers seized the subsidiary's general manager Ramesh Singh Rathore. The mob handed him over to police, alleging that the company had not informed them of the sale. The incident has come at a time that Nepal's government has admitted that foreign investors were shying away from fresh investment in Nepal due to the lack of security. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2433154,00.html Protesting soldiers arrested 26/11/2008 20:00 - (SA) Johannesburg - A group of soldiers who marched on the N12 and Golden Highway on Wednesday morning are being held at the Johannesburg central prison, police said. Captain Johan du Toit said the 75 soldiers, who were walking from the Lenasia to the Doornkop base, would be charged with mutiny and for violating the traffic act. "They marched on the highway and that is already an offence because you can't walk on the highway. They were also in uniform and you cannot march [on a protest] in uniform so they are going to be charged in accordance with the gatherings act and mutiny," Du Toit said. He said the arrested soldiers would be released on warning to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court next Wednesday. But the SA National Defence Union (Sandu) denied claims that the soldiers were blockading the freeway or gathering illegally. "It is was not a march but disciplined soldiers going to work because of the failure of the department (of defence) to provide transport," said spokesperson Charlton Broer. Sandu said the department of defence had failed to honour an October order by the Pretoria High Court, forcing it to provide transport for soldiers at the Lenasia base since it had been closed and moved to Doornkop. Broer said the army was providing only five trucks a day, making it impossible for all soldiers to get transport. "We are talking about a battalion with about 1 000 soldiers... those trucks can only accommodate 35 people at a time and once they reach Doornkop they are locked up, leaving other soldiers stranded," Broer said. SA National Defence Force spokesperson, Brigadier General Kwena Mangope, said it was unacceptable for soldiers to protest. "It is not in the culture of soldiers to [protest] in uniform... it is totally unacceptable. If indeed they are soldiers they should have followed the right channels and aired their grievances in regard to transport," Mangope said. Asked why the department had not adhered to the court order, Mangope said: "I'm sure the defence force is addressing the issue... relevant divisions are working on it." - SAPA --------------------------------------------------- Bandung workers clash with police Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008 Ahmad Fikri, Jakarta -- Hundred of workers in Bandung, West Java clashed with police outside Gedung Sate in a protest to reject the Joint Regulation of four ministers which rule the minimum wage level for local workers in the wake of global financial crisis. Workers started to scuffle with police just before 1 PM, about three hours after the first group of workers arrived at the West Java Governor's office. Workers demanded to meet with Governor Ahmad Heryawan. Several trade unions gathered under the Alliance of Bandung Workers Union to protest this year's annual wage level set by the regional administration. Spokesman for the workers said the wage level prepared by the regional administration covered a lesser percentage of 85 percent of the proper basic needs. Last year the level covered 92 percent of the proper basic necessities. Workers also rejected the joint regulation of Labor and Transmigration Minister, Trade Minister, Industry Minister, and the Home Affairs Minister issued late in October which allows employer to increase wage just below the economic growth rate of about 6 percent. Inflation rate according to the Statistics Indonesia were lower on October setting the year on year rate at 11,77 percent slightly above the government limit of 11,5 percent. Workers demanded an increase on their pay by 18 percent. The clashed then ended after protesters and the authorities managed to calm down. However workers threatened the regional government to return on Wednesday and the next day after Wednesday with larger number of protesters and to block toll roads around the city should their demands would not be considered. --------------------------------------------------- Massive rally planned in Bandung Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Jakarta -- West Java branch members of the Alliance of Labor and Worker Unions (ASPSB) have threatened to block access to the Cipularang tollway during a mass rally planned for Wednesday. "We will block the Pasteur and Cipularang tollways tomorrow if the government ignores our demand to reject the joint ministerial decree and its limits on minimum wage increases," ASPSB coordinator Edi Suherdi said Tuesday. The labor union, with members from West Bandung and Cimahi, plan to march 4-5 kilometers along the Pasteur tollway before rallying in front of Satay Parliamant House in Bandung on Wednesday. Edi said more than 50,000 workers from many sectors were expected to take part in the rally. "We'll keep rallying until Governor Ahmad Heryawan receives us to hear our pleas," he said, adding the union had already been granted permission to hold rallies three days in a row. The joint ministerial decree put together by four ministries -- Trade, Manpower and Transmigration, Internal Affairs and Industry -- limits increases in the minimum regional wage to help ensure the sustainability of companies despite the current slowdown in the global economy. With the joint decree, companies are expected to adopt more flexible policies governing wage increases, tying them to a company's bottom line. Under the previous scheme, companies were often required to cope with wage increases set by local administrations regardless of company performance, even though firms had to further negotiate wage levels with the labor unions. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Workers block toll road in protest over wages Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung -- Thousands of workers blockaded the east gate of the Padalarang toll road in Bandung on Wednesday in protest against a recent decision on the minimum wage. Hundreds of police officers were deployed to disperse the workers, who arrived by motorcycles and pickup trucks and tried to enter the toll road connecting Jakarta and the West Java capital city. A queue of vehicles stretched back one kilometer as the protesters, members of the Worker Class Alliance and the Alliance of Bandung Worker Unions, quarreled with police for almost two hours. The workers finally left the scene and joined fellow protesters at a rally at Sate building, the West Java governor's office. Hundreds of police officers stood guard at the building, preventing the workers from entering the complex. At one point, officers and workers pushed and punched each other. The workers, who are members of various unions, including the National Workers Union (SPN), the Indonesian Metalworkers Federation and the All Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), from dozens of factories in the West Bandung area, have rejected both a joint ministerial decree on the minimum wage and the amount of the provincial minimum wage. West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan has drawn criticism for setting the 2009 minimum monthly wage at Rp 628,191 (US$55), an increase of 10.5 percent on this year's wage. The amount is not in line with the current costs of living, the workers said during the rally, which entered its second day. Bawit Umar of the Bandung SPSI demanded the recently installed governor step down over his failure to fulfill his promise to increase workers' prosperity. "He (Heryawan) has broken his promise to increase people's wealth. We should change leadership," Bawit said in his speech. He said the workers had little faith that regencies and municipalities would increase their minimum wages by 10.5 percent as the joint decree allowed companies to increase wages by the same amount as the current rate of economic growth, or 6 percent. Sudaryanto from the Working Class Alliance called on workers to boycott next year's general elections if the government failed to revoke the joint decree. "Politically we have the right to select leaders who struggle for workers' prosperity, but we see many opportunistic leaders who have exploited workers' issues as a political commodity," Sudaryanto said. Asep Jamaludin of the Cimahi SPN said some union representatives had met the governor at his official residence on Tuesday night to voice their demands, but left without satisfaction. "Heryawan did not have the guts to make a written statement to reject the joint decree," Jamaludin said. "He even refused to increase the minimum wage by more." --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Workers against minister's minimum wage joint decree Jakarta Post - November 17, 2008 ID Nugroho, Surabaya -- Workers and activists in East Java have joined forces with other provinces in opposition to the joint ministerial decree on minimum wages, which they say violates the 2003 Labor Law. Unionists from numerous trade unions and activists from NGOs providing legal assistance for workers were preparing for massive labor rallies and demonstrations to press the provincial government to reject the joint decree, which, they said, if passed would bring suffering to workers and their families. "Next (this) week, more than 10,000 workers, unionists and activists from industrial zones in Surabaya, Gresik, Pasuruan and Sidoarjo will take to the streets and stage demonstrations at public offices to warn the government and employers of the joint decree's negative impacts on workers and to demand they ignore the decree, which sets minimum wages in the province and regencies," chairman of the provincial chapter of the Confederation of All- Indonesian Workers Union Suprart told The Jakarta Post in Surabaya over the weekend. All preparations and financing have been completed and the labor rallies are scheduled to start on Nov. 19, he added. Massive labor rallies and demonstrations protesting the law have been staged in Jakarta, and provincial capitals Bandung, Medan and Semarang. The joint ministerial decree, which was issued by the minister of manpower and transmigration, the home minister, the trade minister and the industry minister on Oct. 22, 2008, stipulates that monthly minimum wages are set by companies through a bipartite of employers and workers, and fixed based on economic growth in the respective regions. The decree has also sparked strong opposition from the Malang regency administration, which has said it would file a lawsuit against the four ministers with the State Administrative Court if the provincial government enacts the decree. The governor was scheduled this week to issue a decree hiking the minimum wage in the province that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Suprart said that it was in line with the labor law that minimum wages be debated and determined by the provincial wage council as part of a tripartite dialog and that it was the government's responsibility to protect workers' interests and that any adjustment to minimum wages be based on consumer prices and national economic growth. He also said the workers were suspicious of the government's move to fight for employers' economic interests in line with the global financial crisis, which it said recently would not greatly effect Indonesia's economy. The workers in Surabaya have proposed an 11 percent hike in the monthly minimum wage to Rp 905,000 from the current Rp 805,000. Chairman of the regency branch of the Indonesian Workers Union (SPI) in Pasuruan Sukiyat said the joint ministerial decree was not in line with the labor law and that minimum wages should be based on costs of basic human needs and the inflation rate. He said the government and employers were using the decree to take advantage of workers' ignorance and that many employers had taken advantage of the work force surplus by lowering wages. The provincial legislative council called on provincial, regency and municipal governments to set their monthly minimum wages in accordance with basic human needs and the inflation rate. Chairman of Commission E on labor and social affairs at the provincial legislature Rofi'I Munawar said the governor had been recommended in a series of meetings not to lower the minimum wage below what a person needed to cover their basic needs. He said the council would summon the governor if he did not act on the recommendation. He said the massive rallies and demonstrations would affect workers but to a greater extent employers and could jeopardize the political stability in the province. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Laborers rally to demand minimum wage Jakarta Post - November 19, 2008 Jakarta -- Demanding an end to the minimum-wage talks deadlock between employers and workers, thousands of workers have rallied at the East Java governor's office in Surabaya on Wednesday. "At the moment workers from cities in the province are heading to Surabaya to pressure the governor to step in and immediately set the minimum wage for eight cities and regencies," coordinator of the Alliance of Laborers against East Java Province, Jamaluddin, told tempointeraktif.com. The rallying union members -- congregating in the provincial capital from Gresik, Malang, Mojokerto, Pasaruan and Sidoarjo -- are asking the Remuneration Body to immediate resolve the ongoing minimum wage discussions between employers and workers which are at a standstill, Jamaluddin said. The eight regencies and cities whose minimum wage has yet to be set are Gresik, Kota, Malang, Mojokerto, Nganjuk, Pasaruan, Sidoarjo and Surabaya. The Remuneration Body has already decided the minimum wage for 30 other East Java cities and regencies. "We will pressure the governor to step in and set the minimum wage to be at least in accordance with decent living standards," Jamaluddin said. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Workers protest joint wage decree Antara - November 20, 2008 Jakarta -- Hundreds of workers staged a rally outside of the Presidential Office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday to protest a joint ministerial decree (SKB) that would take power to set provincial minimum wages (UMPs) out of the hands of employees. The protesters -- residents of Jakarta and outlying towns, including Bekasi and Tangerang -- carried banners criticizing the decree and calling on the government to take labor issues more seriously. The SKB stipulates that UMPs are determined through negotiations in bipartite forums involving government representatives and employers. Previously, Indonesian National Workers Struggle Front leader Dominggus Oktavianus said the issuance of the decree would in effect shift companies' financial burdens onto workers. The demonstrators also urged the government to sack company executives whose poor management skills had caused their firms to suffer financial losses that further lead to the implementation of policies that disadvantaged workers. The workers also demanded that employers not cut skimp on employee benefits. --------------------------------------------------- More protests against joint regulation on Wednesday Tempo Interactive - November 19, 2008 Mabsuti Ibnu Marhas, Jakarta -- Around one thousand workers in Banten province resonated protests against new regulation on workers pay on Wednesday by protesting at Banten Governor office. Protester met by the Head of Regional Office of Labor Ministry Eutik Suharta, to discuss the matter as the governor according to regional officials is on a trip to Malaysia. Workers had been protesting on the regulation as four ministries introduced a joint regulation which allows regions to raise workers pay below the country's economic growth rate, to address the slowing economy after the global financial crisis hit Indonesia. The regulation was issued in October by the Labor and Transmigration Ministry, Industry Ministry, Trade Ministry, and Home Affairs Ministry. Workers demanded better pay as inflation rate hit 11.7 percent, way over the 6.1 percent GDP grotwh reported by the statistic agency on monday (17/11). Regions however have set higher wage levels during the annual period to determine wage at the end of the year starting on October. The new levels are to be imposed for one year term before the next regular adjustment in 2009. Banten set the minimum pay for workers in the province at Rp 917.500 (US$75,98) per month, hiked from the previous Rp 837.000 (US$69,29) per month. The average minimum pay for Jakarta workers in 2008 was approximately at Rp 960.000 (US$79,48) per month. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Workers rally against mayor on minimum wage Jakarta Post - November 22, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Cimahi -- Thousands of laborers from various factories in Cimahi, West Java, staged a rally protesting Cimahi Mayor Itoc Tochija's decision to set the city's minimum wage lower than their expectations. Itoc set the minimum wage at Rp 1,019,000 (US$82.17), some Rp 80,000 lower than workers demand of Rp 1,101,700. The workers based their demand on the fair living needs (KHL) amount, as determined by the local Wages Board, a consortium of workers, employers and local administration representatives. The workers also accused Itoc of deception and violating the Manpower Law, as he approved the minimum wage without workers' consent or knowledge. Staging their rally in front of Cimahi municipal office on Jl. Cihanjuang, the workers made speeches before some 900 police officers deployed from not only Cimahi's Police force but the West Java Provincial Police and neighboring Bandung and Sumedang Police forces. Police officers barricaded the entrance gate, which had been damaged by workers at another rally on Thursday. Security was tight, with a water cannon and two police dogs were on standby. Robin Sihombing, chairman of Cimahi's branch of the All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), who coordinated Friday's rally, said more than five labor unions had expressed their dissatisfaction with the mayor's move. They had announced that the minimum wage had been agreed on by workers' representatives during a meeting Thursday evening. The city administration announced that the Wages Board had recommended the 2009 minimum wage be set at Rp 1,019,000. "The city administration is trying to divide the labor force to enforce its proposed minimum wage," he said. Workers demanded that the wage equal the KHL's Rp 1,101,700. "What is the use of conducting the KHL survey or establishing the Wages Board if it is only a formality?" Robin said to the workers. Meanwhile, head of Cimahi Manpower, Population and Registrar Agency, Bambang Adi Nugroho, said that the amount was fair, as it is an 11.8 percent increase on this years minimum wage of Rp 934,250. "The recommendation will be submitted to the governor to be authorized as soon as it has been approved by workers representatives at the Wages Board," he said. "We have ruled out employers' wish of raising the minimum wage to only Rp 964,005." Bambang said the decision also disregarded a joint ministerial decree capping minimum wage increases. Sabilah Rosyad of the Indonesian Metal Workers' Union said the minimum wage was only 95 percent of the KHL level, down from the current level of 97.5. "So this is a backward step for workers. Do not look at it for its amount but from the real living needs that workers have," he said. Several labor unions in Cimahi have agreed to send a rejection letter to West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan on Cimahi's recommended minimum wage. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Thousands of workers stage rally against minimum wage Jakarta Post - November 25, 2008 Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung -- Thousands of workers in West Java took to the streets again Monday in protest over the fixed city and regency minimum wage schemes. Workers from the West Bandung industrial area blockaded the Padalarang highway causing congestion and back-ups for up to 10 kilometers which lasted four hours. Hundreds of police personnel were kept busy directing the clogged up Padalarang traffic while other protesters assembled in front of the West Bandung regency offices. West Bandung is one of the province's five cities and regencies which has delayed submitting its minimum-wage proposal for the governor's approval by Nov. 20 due to the deadlock at the Remuneration Council, made up of workers, academics and government officials with the approval of the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo). The stalemate set in after a difference of Rp 17,500 (US$1.50) in the monthly rate could not be resolved. Apindo demanded West Bandung's monthly minimum wage next year be set at Rp 1,002,500, while members of the Remuneration Council demanded it be fixed higher at Rp 1,020,000. Spokesperson for West Bandung's chapter of the National Workers Union (SPN) Ahmad Yahya said workers favored neither option, perferring the minimum wage be set to match the cost of living as estimated by the West Bandung Remuneration Council, Rp 1,166,000. "If they just want to hit the gavel, why conduct expensive surveys to determine workers' cost of living? Just rate our work according to the wishes of employers and officials," Yahya said. Separately, hundreds of workers in Bekasi municipality and regency staged rallies opposing the minimum wage scheme approved by West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan on Friday, calling it unfair because it failed to categorize workers according to the industries which employed them. They rallied before the governor's offices on Jl. Diponegoro in Bandung, to protest the gubernatorial decree setting minimum wages in 21 cities and regencies scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2009. Rahmat, spokesperson for the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation at the Toshiba factory in Bekasi, said the governor's decision ignored existing Group 1 and Group 2 wage categories. In Bekasi city, Group 1 includes workers involved in metal, automotive, paper, cooking oil, chemical, rubber and plastic industries; Group 2 includes workers involved in electronics, wood and banking services. "If the description is unclear, our fate will also be unclear," Rahmat said. Worker representatives at the Bekasi Remuneration Council Mahmud said the gubernatorial decree had failed to thoroughly consider the minimum wage set by the previous governor in 2007 who had defined the worker categories. "You just have to look at the drafts which set the minimum wage last year, especially those submitted by the mayor and regent of Bekasi. Those were clearly defined and met workers' expectations," Mahmud said. They demanded the governor immediately revise the decree in order to appease more than 1 million workers in both areas and prevent social unrest. The crowd from Bekasi dispersed after Bekasi's regent Sadudin, attending meetings at the governor's offices in Bandung, told them he had sent revision letters to all the workers' unions in Bekasi on Monday. "The information was late, but I guarantee there won't be any protests once they've received and reviewed the explanations," Sadudin said. West Bandung Regent Abubakar, who also attended the meeting, declined to comment on the protests in his area. Governor Heryawan said he was still waiting for the minimum wage proposals from the five regencies and municipalities so they could be immediately approved. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Pay us what it costs to live: Workers Jakarta Post - November 29, 2008 Fadli, Batam -- About 200 members of the All- Indonesia Federation of Workers Union in Batam demonstrated outside the Batam municipal office Thursday, demanding the city's minimum wage be equivalent to the standard costs of living. The workers, coming from 12 companies operating in Batam, demanded a tripartite meeting between government, workers and employers to end the deadlock in labor talks and find a way for the mayor to set the minimum wage in line with the cost of living. Batam's monthly minimum wage is currently set at Rp 960,000 (US$87). Based on a survey by several institutions, including the municipality and the Riau Islands Remuneration Council, an acceptable wage level would be Rp 1,350,000 a month. Deputy chief of the union's electronic and metal division Irham Chairunnas told The Jakarta Post the rally was held because employers had failed to offer the wage rise expected by workers. "The dialogue between workers and employers has reached a stalemate. We demand the mayor take a stance in setting the minimum wage to be on par with the standard costs of living," Irham said. According to Irham, the minimum wage needs to be at that level so workers can survive, given the cost of accommodation, meals and transportation, and a lesser amount could have an impact on workers' productivity. "We will continue to protest until our demands are met," said Irham. Separately, head of the Batam Manpower Office, Rudy Syakyakirti, said his office would convey the workers' demands to employers, but asked for workers' understanding of the current tough economic times. He said the demand for a higher raise was unrealistic. "We ask workers to understand the current condition of the employers. However, we will convey their demands in order to reach a settlement," said Rudy. Secretary of the Riau Islands chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association, Abdullah Gosse, said employers had limited capacity to raise the minimum wage next year, and any raise could be no more than around Rp 20,000. "The government and businesspeople should pay attention to the current global situation. Many orders can't be met, or have been canceled. How can employers meet workers' demands in this kind of environment?" Abdullah said. He has said the governor should decide on the minimum wage, should talks between workers and employers fail, because of the governor's wider perspective. --------------------------------------------------- Workers say capitalist road has failed to bring prosperity Detik.com - November 6, 2008 Henni Marlina, Jakarta -- Hundreds of demonstrators from the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) held a demonstration against a joint decree (SKB) signed by four ministers on wages. They were demanding that a minimum national wage of 3.5 million rupiah per month be put into effect. During the action, which started at 10.45am, the demonstrators demanded that the joint ministerial decree be revoked. ???The four ministers SKB will oppress workers, revoke it now,??? said action coordinator John Silaban in the lobby of the Department of Labour and Transmigration building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, in South Jakarta on Thursday November 6. In addition to demanding that the decree be revoked, the protesters also called for the enactment of a national minimum wage. According to Silaban, a reasonable wage would be 3.5 million rupiah a month. ???A reasonable wage for workers nationally is 3.5 million rupiah,??? he said. During the action, they also unfurled banners with messages such as ???The capitalist road has failed to bring prosperity???. Based on Detik???s observations, the action inside the building proceeded in a peaceful and orderly manner and no traffic jams were apparent along the length of Jl. Gatot Subroto. As of 12noon, the action, which was watched over by 207 police officers from the Metro Jaya regional police and the South Jakarta district police, was still continuing. (mad/iy) [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- Laborers demand withdrawal of decree Tempo Interactive - November 7, 2008 Dini M., Surabaya -- Around 500 laborers representing East Java's Indonesian Laborers Union Alliance Congress (KASBI) has urged the government to annul the four-ministerial decree limiting laborers' wage from exceeding the rate of economic growth. Their demand was conveyed at a demonstration in front of the East Java provincial administration office yesterday. "The joint decree prevents laborers from getting decent wages," complained Mahfudz, coordinator of the protests. According to Mahfudz, businesses will use the decree as an excuse for not paying the laborers what they deserve. In fact, he said, it was the impact of the crisis which led to a drop in the prices of daily commodities, and resulted in a decline in people's purchasing power. --------------------------------------------------- =================^================================== I N D O L E F T - News service > > =================^================================== Workers start election boycott campaign Kompas - November 9, 2008 Jakarta -- Believing that the government has failed to side with them, workers have started campaigning for people not to vote in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. The reason, they feel that it is pointless giving political support to the government. ???There are no guarantees of job security or improvements in workers??? welfare. Conversely, workers have instead been neglected???, said Khasminah, a member of the Cisadane Workers Committee Research and Advocacy Team on Saturday November 8 in Jakarta. The workers noted that in the case of several national policies related to labour and investment, the government has paid more attention to investors than workers. Most recently, was the appearance of the Joint Ministerial Decree on Preserving the Momentum of National Economic Growth and Anticipating Global Economic Developments(1). For workers, this decision provides greater latitude for companies to dismiss workers or refuse to increase wages. ???There has been no attempt to improve workers??? living standards [which is justified] because of the global crisis, companies can refuse to increase workers??? wages on the grounds of being incapable of doing so???, said Khasminah. The cooperation of several labour organisations with political parties, said Khasminah, also cannot be relied upon. The political parties are unable to guarantee that they will resolve the major problem facing workers, that is job security and wages. ???It is because of this therefore, that although at the organisational level not all are yet calling for a boycott, at the individual level, many workers are already calling for a boycott of the elections???, said Khasminah. Not strategic Contacted separately, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislative candidate said that he can understand the workers??? position. He is of the view however, that in order to strive for change, it is better to be part of the institutions of power. Although the political institutions that exist at the moment are not entirely perfect, the space for [people???s participation] if far more open now. According to Putri, the 30 percent quota for women legislative candidates should be taken advantage of by labour activist. ???Golput(2) as a moral force can be accepted because it reflects the socio-political crisis, but it does not have a political force to articulate the reform movement???, he said. In order to address this, strengthening the political parties will offer far more opportunities to influence policy and the circulation of power. ???Although it may be in large numbers, the political articulation by those who golput will in fact be sidelined and power will continue to roll on,??? said Putri. It is because of this therefore, that he is saddened if workers or voters do not use their right to vote. According to Putri, if it was the old regime of former President Suharto, golput would be a choice that makes sense, but not for these times. (JOS) Notes: 1. The Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB-4) signed by Labour and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris and Home Minister Mardiyanto on October 24, limits laborers' wage from exceeding the rate of economic growth and is expected to discourage local administrations from raising regional minimum wages beyond the capabilities of manufacturing firms. 2. Golput - Golongan Putih or White Movement, meaning not to mark the ballot paper or not to vote. [Translated by James Balowski.] **************************************************** http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/10/29/29900/Drivers-union-protest-snarls-traffic-for-miles Local - 29 October 2008, 2:37 PM Text size: Smaller Bigger Drivers? union protest snarls traffic for miles Print Email Bookmark Save to my profile 14 Comments - last on Oct 31 at 11:05 AM Close Gallery Juan Hubieres. File photo Zoom Picture SANTO DOMINGO. - The Police today halted a protest-march the Fenatrano drivers union had planned to begin some eight kilometers from the city center on the highway Sanchez. Numerous police agents still patrol the zone and prevent the union drivers from carrying out the activity. Fenatrano president Juan Hubieres said he?ll remain calm in the zone together with his companions, but affirmed that they abided by legal requirements to stage the march aimed at reaching the Transport Reform Office (OPRET) to deliver a document. Annoyed drivers withstood traffic backed up for several kilometers along the zone known as Los Kilometros, in the capital?s southwest. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161395306 Yara workers protest over health, safety issues South Bureau Saturday, November 1st 2008 HUNDREDS of workers at Yara Trinidad Limited in Point Lisas downed tools yesterday morning, to protest health and safety issues and the lack of discussions between the union and company on a bonus plan for workers. The workers have given the company, which produces ammonia, one week to respond and meet union officials. The protest, held outside the company's compound from around 7 a.m. to about 10 a.m., was addressed by officials of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union. OWTU president general Ancel Roget said there were serious safety and health issues, and the union had met the Occupational Safety and Health Agency on August 15. "The company was supposed to take certain actions to ensure the health and safety concerns of workers were taken into consideration, but up to now those actions have not been taken. Workers are dissatisfied." He said too the union was not satisfied a safety committee was set up according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The union was involved in establishing bonus plans in the company's budget preparations, but Roget said they were also not satisfied with how the company has been dealing with that issue. Roget said there were still some 30 grievances to be dealt with at the Ministry of Labour and the company had not responded positively. Yara officials had no comment up to late yesterday. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161405574 Workers protest to save company Ariti Jankie South Bureau Tuesday, November 25th 2008 State-owned National Agro Chemicals Limited is on the brink of closure. The company supplied fertilisers and chemicals to Caroni (1975) Limited in large quantities and also exported from Trinidad, urea and other products to Guyana. Set up in 1976, it employs 31 workers, who have been protesting the decision to close. They want Government to merge NACL with another fertiliser and chemical supplier, Caribbean Chemicals, which has made a bid for NACL stocks without success. The company recently advertised a warehouse clearance sale in which it said everything must be sold. Officials yesterday said that since the closure of Caroni, the lands have been used for housing and not for agriculture. "There has been a steady decline in agriculture. Too much lands are idle and unless the lands are put back into food crop production, companies supplying fertilisers and chemicals would continue to struggle," an official said. He called on Government to provide drainage, access roads and irrigation to encourage farmers. "Houses must not replace arable lands while the nation suffers for food," he said, adding that the atmosphere had changed and too many farmers had already turned their backs on the land. The clearance sale continues at the National Petroleum Compound, El Socorro, San Juan. Items include agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, irrigation supplies and bee supplies http://allafrica.com/stories/200811100871.html Mozambique: Unions Protest Plan to Scrap Labour Inspectorate 7 November 2008 Maputo ? Mozambique's largest trade union federation, the OTM, has protested vigorously against the government's plan to scrap the Labour Inspectorate, replacing it with a General Inspectorate of Economic Activities. Under Labour Minister Helena Taipo, the Labour Inspectorate has been an activist body in defence of workers' rights, visiting companies across the country, and fining those who are paying below the minimum statutory wage, who fail to provide their workers with protective clothing, who oblige workers to put in illegal amounts of overtime, or who otherwise break the country's labour laws. The labour inspections set off howls of protests from the employers, and demands from the Confederation of Business Associations (CTA) that inspections should be "educative" rather than "punitive". It was claimed that fines and other sanctions against employers would discourage investment. The OTM's Executive Committee, in a statement received by AIM on Friday, strongly opposed any attempt to water down the powers of the Inspectorate, and insisted that Labour Inspectors must have teeth - their work, the OTM said, cannot be seen as merely didactic, teaching companies what they should so. Instead they must retain the power "to apply sanctions against companies that repeatedly violate the Labour Law". As for the employers' new strategy of merging the Labour Inspectorate into a more general economic inspectorate, the OTM warned "this will make inspections very complex and could result in the new institution becoming ineffective". In any case, the 2007 Labour Law, born out of a consensus between employers, unions and government, grants specific powers to the Labour Inspectorate to monitor compliance with the law. Abolishing the Labour Inspectorate would thus be clearly illegal. Labour Inspectorates are not peculiar to Mozambique. The OTM points out that such bodies are internationally accepted, and that a convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) urges all ILO member states to set up inspection systems. The OTM also noted that Labour Inspectorate regulations have already been discussed and adopted by consensus in the Labour Consultative Commission (CCT), the tripartite negotiating forum between the government, the unions and the employers' associations. Instead of toying with the illegal proposal to merge the labour inspectorate into another body, the government should simply approve the regulations already discussed by the CCT. The OTM demanded that any changes in the powers of the Labour Inspectorate should first be analysed in the CCT. It warned that any weakening of the Inspectorate was likely to lead to a deterioration in labour relations. (Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique) http://www.topnews.in/s-korean-union-protests-change-law-294119 S. Korean union protests change in law Submitted by HARESH SHETH on Sun, 11/30/2008 - 06:10. SEOUL, Nov. 30 -- Thousands of people rallied Saturday to protest a South Korean plan to double the time irregular employees must work before they must be made full-time workers. Under current law, employers are required to offer full-time employment to part-time and temporary workers after two years on the payroll. The proposed change would increase the period to four years. About 33,000 demonstrators turned out for the rally in a Seoul park, the Yonhap news agency reported. About 2,500 riot police were deployed, but there were no reports of violence. "The government and employers are forcing laborers to stand on the edge of a cliff," the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which organized the rally, said in a statement. About 5.5 million South Koreans have part-time or temporary jobs, the government reports. (UPI) http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_35286.html 11-29-2008 21:27 Workers Rally to Protest Labor Law Revamp Thousands of workers took to the street in Seoul Saturday to protest the government?s move to extend the required period for a part-time worker to be upgraded as a regular worker, Yonhap News reported Saturday. Under the current law, employers are required to hire a temporary worker as a regular when he completes an initial two-year contract. The protest organizer, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the police, estimate the number of protesters to be 3,000. The Ministry of Labor and the ruling Grand National Party plan to extend the required period of employment to four years, inviting outcries from opposition parties and labor unions. KCTU said it will launch ?major efforts? to stop the government?s planned move. South Korea has some 5.5 million part-time and temporary workers, about three times higher than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, a group of leading economies. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/134419/Employees-picket-NFA-office-to-protest-looming-mass-layoff Employees picket NFA office to protest looming mass layoff 11/19/2008 | 12:50 PM Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThis (Updated 1:15 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Around 100 employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) on Wednesday gathered outside the agency's administration building in Quezon City to denounce a looming mass layoff. Roman Sanchez, president of the NFA-Employees Association, said they staged the protest movement to urge the government to stop the implementation of the Executive Order 366, which would trigger the abolition of hundred of rank and file positions in the NFA. ?Hindi namin sinasang-ayunan ito dahil ang nakalagay sa EO 366 ay mapaganda ang services ng NFA. Pero paano mo mapapaganda ang service kung tatanggalin mo ang mga nasa front line service," Sanchez said in a radio interview. Under the said order, the NFA is expected to implement a ?cost-cutting" measure by laying off around 300 laborers, 100 drivers, and around 80 radio operators. Radio dzBB?s Mao dela Cruz quoted Sanchez as saying that the number of employees expected to lose their jobs comprise about 35 percent of the agency's total workforce. Sanchez said that the rationalization plan would not improve the agency?s delivery service for the public and support for farmers in the province, as claimed by NFA officials. Instead, the brunt of the rationalization plan is expected to be felt not only by the employees but by their families as well. The protesting employees, who gathered at the NFA?s building along North Avenue in Diliman, said they doubted if slashing the agency?s manpower was really a solution to the mounting expenses of the NFA. Sanchez said that a look at the NFA?s expenses for the last three decades would show that the money shelled out for employees? salaries and for the operating expenses has generally been unchanged. ?Hindi po kami naniniwala dahil pinag-aralan po namin iyong data since 1973 to 2007? (na cost for) personal services and maintenance and operating expenses ay halos parehas for the last 35 years," Sanchez said. In fact, Sanchez added that the NFA may actually be losing more money from the operational expenses incurred during importation and from the government?s subsidy program, than from paying its employees. ?Actually, sa ngayon umaabot na sa P70 billion ang losses sa operational expenses dahil sa dami ng ini-import at sa subsidy," he said. Sanchez said the layoff is expected to be implemented before the year ends, pending final approvals from the NFA council and administrators. - Mark Merue?as, GMANews.TV http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/videos/2008/nov/nov25/video03.php NGEO warns of protests Organizing a press conference in Kathmandu Tuesday, Nepal Government Employees' Organization (NGEO) has warned of protests if the government does not fulfill their 17-point demand. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/19/2003428989 Trade federation, HSBC union planning protest LAYOFFS? : Trade unionists and union members say the bank has disguised its layoffs of 500 people as transfers, hoping to prod the relevant staff members into quitting By Shelley Huang STAFF REPORTER Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008, Page 2 Companies have developed several different ways of disguising mass layoffs, such as demotions, transfers or forcing employees to sign long-term contracts, and the National Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the HSBC Union plan to take to the streets to protest what they said was such a move by HSBC. The protest is planned for tomorrow, but whether it will take place depends on ongoing negotiations between the company and its union. ?We have talked with the company and reached some consensus on the issue,? said Lonely Chiu (???), president of the bank?s union. ?However, because they have yet to issue a memo in writing [on the agreement], we still have to wait and see,? he said. The trade federation and the union accuse HSBC of ?disguised layoffs? of 500 employees by shutting down 11 outlets and transferring employees to different departments or branch offices in an effort to get the employees to quit voluntarily. ?After HSBC acquired Chinese Bank, HSBC went back on its promise not to lay off employees,? the statement said. Deputy Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs Pan Shih-wei (???) said yesterday that demotions or transfers without negotiations with workers are against the law, but that mass layoffs were signs of ?serious changes in the economic environment.? Council statistics show the number of unemployed people has risen to 460,000, and the number of people laid off from January to July alone almost matched last year?s total. In the last month, 110,000 people registered to seek jobs, but only 60,000 job openings were available, the council said. While the council has come up with plans to lower the jobless rate, such as the ?get to work immediately? program, it has also predicted even higher unemployment rates for last month. ?This is an economic problem that we can?t do anything about ? The labor market is reliant on the international market,? Pan said. Taiwan relies heavily on exports, and if demand is down internationally, Taiwanese companies suffer, he said. ?This is a tough time that we must all get through together,? he said. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63027 Published On: 2008-11-12 Metropolitan Bus workers block Mirpur roads to protest attack Staff Correspondent Bus workers put up barricades on streets in Mirpur area yesterday to protest the attack on a fellow worker by students, creating severe traffic congestion for almost three hours. One of the employees also filed a case with Mirpur police accusing 50 to 60 unidentified students of beating up Sohel Rana, the supervisor of Dishari Paribahan, and slitting his tongue at around 10:00am. However, neither the police nor the bus workers could identify the institution the students belonged to. Sources said at least 40 students went to Mirpur Section-1 bus stand by a BRTC bus and swooped on Rana. Following the incident, bus workers observed work abstention from 10:30am to 1:00pm and put up the barricades. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110751180300.htm Karnataka - Madikeri Anganwadi workers to stage protest Staff Correspondent They seek assistance for retiring staff ________________________________________ One-time payment of Rs. 2 lakh sought for workers ?Rs. 1 lakh should be paid to an assistant? ________________________________________ Madikeri: Kodagu District Anganwadi Workers and Assistants Joint Action Committee will hold a protest demonstration and satyagraha at the Fort here on November 10, to press for its demands, including a one-time financial assistance to workers and assistants retiring from service during 2008-09. Speaking to presspersons, vice-president of the State Anganwadi Workers and Assistants Association T.P. Ramesh said that 475 workers and 2,254 assistants would retire by March 2009 and the State Government should provide to them a one-time consolidated amount of Rs. 2 lakh to a worker and Rs. 1 lakh to an assistant as retirement benefits. In Kodagu, 55 workers and 75 assistants would retire, Mr. Ramesh said. The Government had utilised their services in every area of administration and it ought to consider their demand to help them eke out a living after their retirement, he said. The Union Government had announced that honorarium of the workers and assistants would be doubled, but to no avail. The BJP leaders too had stated before the elections that if it came to power in the State, it would enhance their honoraria. The Yeddyurappa Government should honour its commitment, Mr. Ramesh demanded. If the demands were met by the Government, various associations of anganwadi workers and assistants would stage a dharna in Bangalore for 187 days, starting from December 12, 2008, he announced. At present, a worker got Rs. 1,750 while an assistant Rs. 850. The other demand was that the Government should introduce pension schemes for the workers and assistants on the lines of those in Maharashtra and Goa, he said. A small sum from the honoraria of workers and assistants were deducted every month and after their retirement, they were given pensions. A worker would get Rs. 1,000 and an assistant Rs. 500, if they retired after a minimum of 20 years of service. This would benefit the workers and assistants, Mr. Ramesh said. He said that invitations were sent to the elected representatives hailing from Kodagu, an MP, two MLAs, four MLCs, president of the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat, Deputy Commissioner, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat, on Thursday requesting them to attend and address the rally here on November 10. Office-bearers of the Kodagu association, including its president, K.A. Kasturi, presidents of the Virajpet, Madikeri and Somwarpet taluks, were present. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110557450300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protest DHARWAD: Many former wrestlers and members of Jayakarnataka formed a human chain and took out a protest march and staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to press for their demands. They formed a human chain at Jubilee Circle disrupting the movement of vehicles for sometime and took out a protest march from there to DC?s office. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/30/stories/2008103055390600.htm 30 Oct 2008 National State Bank of India officers stage protest in Berhampur Staff Reporter BERHAMPUR: Members of the officers association of the Berhampur zone of the State Bank of India (SBI) demonstrated in front of the zonal office of the bank on Wednesday afternoon. They were protesting against the alleged apathy of the bank management towards the problems of the bank officers posted in this region of Orissa. This zone of the bank manages10 southern districts of Orissa which includes KBK districts. These officers were holding token demonstrations in front of their branches every afternoon since past one week. Their non-cooperation movement had also affected the functioning of several SBI ATM counters in the city during past one week as the officers had refused to load money on holidays. The zonal president of the officers? association, P.K.Sahu said they were too understaffed in south Orissa although they had to cater to the needs of this underdeveloped region. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111953900300.htm Kerala - Kollam FSETO to observe November 20 as ?protest day? Staff Reporter KOLLAM: As part of a nation-wide exercise, teachers and government employees of the State under the banner of the Federation of State Employees and Teachers Organisations (FSETO) will observe November 20 as a protest day. In a statement, FSETO district secretary Basil Joseph said that the timely interventions of the left parties had stumped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from fully implementing the neo liberal policies. This had resulted in especially the banking and the insurance sectors from getting fully privatised. Mr. Joseph said that taking advantage of the left withdrawal of support to it, the UPA government now intends to go ahead full steam with the allegedly anti-people liberalisation policies. He said steps were being taken to privatise the provident fund and do away with the pension commutation. He said these circumstances compelled the employees and teachers to observe November 20 as a protest day. They would report for duty wearing badges that will highlight their demands. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/17/stories/2008111754980600.htm Tamil Nadu CITU stages protest Staff Reporter TUTICORIN: Workers of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest against non functioning of SPIC here on Sunday. They expressed their anguish over stoppage of production of urea and urged the government to intervene and take immediate steps to amicably settle the issue. Agriculture produce are subjected to heavy loss and the production got affected due to non production of urea, the key to cultivation of fertile soil, M. Murugan, Town Convener, CITU, said. The unit remained closed for a long period paving way for economic slowdown. A large number of workers in urea industry, heavy water plant and other industries were affected and struggling to earn their daily bread, he said. A.V. Bellarmine, Member of Parliament, inaugurated the protest. K. Ponraj, district secretary, and R. Rusell, State committee member, were present. They took out a rally from the old bus stand to Muthiahpuram. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111461801100.htm Kerala - Kochi Gas agency employees plan protest Staff Reporter ________________________________________ Employees threaten to disrupt supply of cooking gas by Indian Oil Corporation ?IOC indiscriminately cancelling licences of gas agencies? ________________________________________ KOCHI: The CITU-affiliated All Kerala Gas Agencies Thozhilali Union (AKGATU) has warned of a State-wide protest disrupting the supply of the cooking gas of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) unless the company management took steps to resolve, what the union alleged as, its anti-worker policy towards those employed by gas agencies. The union took out a march and staged a dharna in front of the office of IOC at Panampilly Nagar on Wednesday raising a number of demands. V.S. Mani, State president of the union, inaugurated the dharna. T. Reghuvaran, district president, presided. Mr. Reghuvaran said that IOC was indiscriminately cancelling the licences of gas agencies accusing incapability in proper distribution of LPG cylinders thus throwing a large number of employees out of job. ?In the recent past, the company has cancelled three agency licences in Vaduthala, Kakkanad and Paravur,? he alleged. Mr. Reghuvaran accused that this was part of a ploy on the part of IOC to pass the buck for consumer ire resulting from its failure to ensure adequate production of LPG cylinders and their prompt supply for distribution. He said that if some agents were diverting domestic gas cylinders for commercial purposes, as alleged by IOC, the corporation could employ its mechanism to detect it and take punitive measures. Mr. Reghuvaran was also critical of what he regarded as the ?inefficient? functioning of the squad of the district supply officer to detect illegal diversions. He said that the inspections by the squad were infrequent and were carried out only when complaints were raised. He said that gas agencies and IOC spoke in the same voice when it came to the affairs of the employees of gas agencies. Mr. Reghuvaran pointed out that majority of the employees in the sector were forced to work without even minimum wages. ?IOC is washing its hands off the matter stating that it has nothing to do with the issues regarding the employees hired by the gas agent,? he said. A senior IOC official said that the company only had the responsibility to ensure proper distribution of gas cylinders. The employees hired by the gas agent for the process are obliged to perform by the rules set by the agent and IOC has no role in it, he said. The official said that the employees could raise their grievances in appropriate platforms like labour courts. He said that in majority cases employees were thrown out of job for indulging in malpractices. ?We cannot advocate for the reinstatement of such employees,? he said. He denied accusation that IOC was indiscriminately cancelling agency licences, but was forced to do so when the agent expresses his inability to continue the operation. ?We cancel licence on our own only when we detect some malpractices by the agent or by the delivery boys employed by him,? the official said. Asked about the scope for any discussion with AKGATU in the event of its threat to disrupt the gas supply, he said that IOC could not do anything about issues beyond its purview. He said that in the event of disruption of distribution it would be forced to seek the assistance of the district administration and law enforcing agencies. Later the union leaders submitted a memorandum to the IOC authorities seeking speedy resolution of the issues raised by them. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/11/stories/2008111151790300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Nizamabad Village servants stage protests Staff Reporter Nizamabad: Work at Pragathi Bhavan, which houses several Government offices, including the Collector Office, was paralysed till afternoon on Monday following the picketing by village servants to press for the implementation of their charter of nine demands, including promotions for eligible members among them. A large number of village servants arriving from all parts of the district gathered on the Collectorate premises from early morning and blocked main gates preventing employees from entering the offices. As a result, movement of vehicular traffic on the roads was affected. They withdrew the agitation when Collector B. Ramanjaneyulu told them that the Government was willing to solve six of the nine demands and that a decision had to be taken at the higher level on the rest of three. He also said that the eligible village servants would get promotions once the guidelines were framed. Association leaders Kondaiah, Daya Sagar and Posetty took part. Sangareddy Staff Reporter adds: Hundreds of grama sevaks (village assistants) held a procession in Sangareddy and staged a dharna before the Collectorate. Raising slogans against the government and Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, they warned that they would bring down the government during the elections. Due to the large number protestors, the police were forced to divert traffic. The police observed maximum restraint and let the agitators exhaust. District Collector Peeyush Kumar and Joint Collector Ram Shankar Naik, who were in the office at the time of agitation, preferred an alternate route to come out of the office there by not provoking the agitators. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112561070300.htm Kerala - Kochi MACTA to protest Staff Reporter KOCHI: Members of the MACTA (Malayalam Cine Technicians? Association) Federation will stage a protest fast in front of the residences of actors Mammotty and Dileep in protest against the alleged move by leading actors to deny them employment, said Vinayan, filmmaker and general secretary of the Federation. The date of the rally will be decided at the general council meeting to be convened on December 10. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/24/stories/2008112458780500.htm Tamil Nadu Workers protest at EMU Car Shed Special Correspondent TAMBARAM: Work at the Electric Multiple Unit Car Shed in Tambaram was affected for a few hours on Friday when several employees resorted to a demonstration, protesting against the alleged high handedness of senior officials of Southern Railway. The workers resorted to the spontaneous protest once they reported to work on Friday morning after they came to know about the death of R. Kariyampudi, a 50-year-old technician at the Car Shed, at his house in Villivakkam. They alleged that Kariyampudi had died as he was unable to bear the treatment meted out by senior engineers of Southern Railway in charge of the Car Shed. They said that Car Shed was an ISO 9000 facility and in order to improve performance and increase productivity, the management was harassing its workers in the name of better work output. They stayed away from work and also surrounded senior engineers who visited the Car Shed on Friday morning. Only after senior officials of Southern Railway arrived from the headquarters did the workers relent and resume work after lunch. When contacted, Southern Railway officials said that it was a policy decision to initiate action against those who indulged in long periods of unauthorised absence. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112161360600.htm Karnataka Government employees stage protest Staff Reporter BANGALORE: Members of the Akhila Karnataka State Government Employees? Federation staged a protest here on Thursday demanding the Centre check rise in prices of essential commodities and withdraw the decision to privatise the pension scheme of government employees. Over 100 employees of the State Government took part in the protest. Addressing the protesters, federation president U.D. Narasimhaiah urged the Centre to control and bring down rise in the prices of essential commodities and petroleum products and to withdraw the decision to privatise pension scheme, banking reforms and increase FDI in insurance industry. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112251730300.htm Kerala - Kochi Trade union to hold protest Staff Reporter KOCHI: Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) will hold a protest in front of welfare offices for labourers demanding steps to resolve the anomalies in implementation of welfare programmes for those working in the construction sector. R. Chandrasekhar, State president of INTUC, said here on Friday that the government move to bring the existing pension programme for the workers under the common pension scheme would affect the prospects of the workers. He said that the existing pension programme should continue, as it is more beneficial to the workers. Welfare policies Mr.Chandrasekhar alleged that the welfare policies for the construction workers have not been implemented properly in the State. INTUC welcomed the Centre?s decision to hike the pay for officers in the Central public sector units. It requested the government to implement a similar pay hike for other employees in public sector units. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/23/stories/2008112352200300.htm Karnataka Staff protest, demand that suspensions be revoked Staff Correspondent Telling: People waiting outside the closed tahsildar?s office in Davangere on Saturday. DAVANGERE: Four officials including tahsildar of Davangere G.H. Nagahanumaiah were suspended following irregularities detected by Revenue Minister G. Karunakar Reddy during his visit here recently. Several petitions relating to different schemes such as Sandhya Suraksha, widow pension and pension for the disabled were found to be pending owing to ?official inaction?. The other three officials who have been suspended are Revenue Inspector Ajagolla, village accountant Dhananjay and survey supervisor Barikera. Protesting against their suspension, staff at the tahsildar?s office abstained from work on Saturday. They took out a procession and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding that the suspension be revoked. The staff applied for mass leave on Saturday. When Mr. Karunakar Reddy visited the tahsildar?s office, he found that a few applicants had been sanctioned benefits while several others had been denied them. When he questioned the officials, he did not get a convincing answer. He was furious when Halamma, an elderly woman from Shamanur village who lost her husband four years ago and had no children, was running from pillar to post seeking widow pension. The Minister took strong objection to the tahsildar?s decision not to hold meetings to solve the people?s problems. He also summoned Assistant Commissioner of Davangere Janaki and asked her to bring her tour programme diary. Later, he instructed her to hold meetings frequently and review whether the staff at the office had been discharging their duties sincerely. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/01/stories/2008120158240300.htm Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada Grameena dak sevaks plan protest on December 10 Staff Reporter On the warpath: Rural postal employees taking out a procession on Mahatma Gandhi (Bandar) Road in Vijayawada on Sunday VIJAYAWADA: Leaders of Grameena Dak Sevaks Ikya Vedika on Sunday gave a call to postal employees working in rural sector to participate in large numbers in the proposed ?Chalo Delhi? protest programme on December 10 and make it a grand success. Addressing a gathering of 4,000-odd ?grameena dak sevaks? (rural postal workers) at the Grameena Dak Sevaks? Garjana held at the Railway Institute hall, the leaders took objection to the recommendations made by the one-man Natarajan Murthy Committee, which was constituted to look into the woes of grameena dak sevaks. They said the recommendations made by the panel were against the interests of the fraternity and, therefore, the Government must scrap the committee. They said it was ironical that the committee constituted to look into the basic needs of the postal employees working in villages had put forth proposals that were detrimental to their interests. Demanding departmental status for grameena dak sevaks, they also urged trade union leaders to take up their cause and declare an indefinite strike call on behalf of the neglected community. State general secretary of the Ikya Vedika, K. Venkatswamy, said as part of intensification of the protest, the ?Chalo Delhi? protest would see grameena dak sevaks demonstrating before Jantar Mantar for four days in a row to bring pressure on the Centre. Following the conclusion of the Garjana, the leaders submitted a memorandum to Krishna district Collector N. Sridhar. The organisation?s national convener N.V. Raghavendra, Ikya Vedika founder D. S. Nageswara Rao, advisors Kameswara Rao, Nagendra Babu, Ghosh, Ramaiah and others participated. GUNTUR: The Natarajan Murthy Commission Report would spell doom for the strongest public sector organisation bringing it on the verge of privatisation, said former MP Nilotpal Basu here on Sunday. Addressing 3,000 members of All India Postal Employees Union Group-C on the Acharya Nagarjuna University Campus, he said about 140 recommendations made by the panel would close down all the rural post offices numbering 1.27 lakh out of a total of 1.55 lakh in the country. "This was indirectly closing down all the post offices and privatising the postal services, which will directly affect postal employees? future," Mr. Basu opined. Seeking immediate rise in minimum wages for the postal employees from current Rs.7,200 to Rs.10,000 per month, he said that all the posts falling vacant due to retirement were not being filled and existing employees were being burdened with extra work like NREGS, LIC and all new schemes being launched by Government. The three-day conference began on Sunday and would conclude on Tuesday on the campus at which the employees have taken a decision to go ahead with an agitation from January first week if their demands were not met by the year-end. The Postal Savings Accounts had Rs.30-crore accounts also and in the rural areas the savings was Rs.12 crore in post offices, while the entire value of assets with the department was Rs.55,000 crore, said KNN Kutty All India General Secretary. State Postal Employees Union General Secretary M. Krishnan wanted government to desist from corporatising the posts department and reminded all the members that it was the strong trade union in the department that had slowed down privatisation and FDI proposals. http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/nov/27rbi-staff-defer-protest.htm RBI staff defer protest November 27, 2008 18:16 IST The United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees said on Thursday it has deferred its mass casual leave programme scheduled for December 1 and 2. The programme has been deferred following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai which the forum described as a 'great human tragedy and attack on the sovereignty of our country,'. The protest programme was against the Reserve Bank of India's [Get Quote] unilateral action in reducing pension and the rigidity in not even holding a discussion on the issue and other superannuation issues, the forum said. "We have taken this decision (to defer the protest) with a conscious mind to urge our people to help in every way to the civic authorities for immediate restoration of normalcy in Mumbai city, especially by way of donating blood to hospitals, in this hour of need," it said. The future course of action would be intimated soon, the forum said. http://uk.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP/idUKLB39736020081111?feedType=RSS&feedName=consumerproducts-SP Protesters attack Nissan's Spanish HQ over layoffs Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:05pm GMT MADRID (Reuters) - Several hundred people protesting against Nissan's (7201.T) plans to lay off staff at its plant in Spain threw bottles, fireworks and fencing at the Japanese company's offices in Barcelona on Tuesday. Reuters pictures showed the demonstrators gathering in central Barcelona to protest at Nissan's decision to cut 1,680 jobs at its factory in the city because of weak demand. The protests coincided with demonstrations against the closure of a shipyard in Gijon, northern Spain, where protesters barricaded streets with burning tyres and set off fireworks. When Nissan announced the layoffs in October, it said the global economic crisis had caused a dramatic drop in vehicle sales, and new environment laws had cut demand for all-terrain vehicles made at the plant in eastern Spain. Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) and Ford (F.N) have also announced layoffs at their factories in Spain in recent weeks because of falling demand. Car sales in the European Union fell 4.4 percent in the first nine months of the year from a year earlier, according to the manufacturers association ACEA. Spain's Socialist government had hoped that improvements in productivity would help the car manufacturing sector, but Spain has borne the brunt of the sector-wide production cuts seen in Europe because of the economic slowdown. (Reporting by Jonathan Gleave, Albert Gea in Barcelona and Eloy Alonso in Gijon; editing by Tim Pearce) http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/15780/nissan-protest-turns-ugly Nissan protest turns ugly By: thinkSPAIN , Wednesday, November 12, 2008 A demonstration march against the recent layoffs announced by Nissan descended into a riot yesterday as protesters hurled a variety of missiles - including eggs, tomatoes, beer cans, glass bottles, stones, flares and metal barriers - at the company's headquarters in the Pla?a Cerd?. They are protesting at the company's plan to lay off 1,288 workers before the end of this year, and a further 392 before September next year. During the march, insults were aimed mainly at the general director of Nissan Motor Ib?rica, Fumiaki Matsumoto, though Spanish president Jos? Luis Rodr?guez Zapatero, and regional president, Jos? Montilla, also came in for some abuse. Further demonstrations are planned to coincide with strikes each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until the dispute is resolved. Today's march will end in front of the regional parliament building. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLnJq1gEcsSSHggrtrOFnSBNj-DA Hundreds in Spain protest Nissan job cuts Nov 11, 2008 BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) ? Hundreds of people demonstrated in front of the offices of Japanese automaker Nissan in the northeastern city of Barcelona on Tuesday to protest its plan to cut 1,680 jobs in Spain. Some threw eggs, publicity hoardings and other objects at the building as the demonstrators blocked the city's Gran Via avenue for about one hour. Nissan plans to cut 1,288 jobs in 2008 and a further 392 next year in two factories in Barcelona, according to a details of the plan presented to a works committee on Monday. In announcing the cuts in October, Nissan blamed "the global economic crisis that has caused a dramatic decline in industrial output." Nissan, in which France's Renault holds a controlling stake, is Japan's third-largest automaker and currently employs 6,100 people in Spain. US automaker General Motors and Spain's Seat have also announced job cuts in Spain due to the crisis. Sales of new cars in Spain plunged by 40 percent in October from the same month last year, as the country's once-booming economy is pummelled by a property slump and the global financial crisis. The country is now on the brink of recession after its economy shrank 0.2 percent in the third quarter. The number of unemployed also rose by 7.3 percent in October from the previous month, the biggest-ever monthly increase since records began. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/12/europe/EU-Poland-Workers-Protest.php Polish workers occupy PM's parliamentary office The Associated Press Published: November 12, 2008 WARSAW, Poland: A union member says some 200 miners, fishermen and truck drivers have occupied an office of the Polish prime minister's party to protest his proposed pension reforms. Przemyslaw Kupin says the workers are refusing to leave until Prime Minister Donald Tusk agrees to meet with them. Tusk was in Frankfurt, Germany, for a meeting at the European Central Bank at the time the group stormed an office Wednesday he uses in his capacity as a lawmaker. Poland's lower house of parliament approved a bill earlier this month that would sharply cut the number of workers entitled to early retirement, part of a plan to reduce state spending. The bill still needs approval from the Senate and from the president. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_393738978 The protests of "Kremikovtzi" workers to become daily Updated on: 10.11.2008, 16:34 Published on: 10.11.2008, 15:58 Author: Stefan Nikolov Font size: a a a "Kremikovtzi" metallurgists submitted a protest declaration to Premier Sergey Stanishev and this ended their meeting in front of the building of the Ministerial council. Earlier today workers demanded the resignation of the Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov. The metallurgists went out on another protest, because they still have not received their salaries for August and September, while minister Dimitrov had promised them the disbursement to become reality last Friday. The protesters handed their demands to the deputy minister Nina Radeva. The leaders of the two syndicates KNSB and KT "Podkrepa" Zhelyazko Hristov and Konstantin Trenchev headed the protest today. Zhelyazko Hristov defined the policy of the government as cynic, while Konstantin Trenchev announced to the workers that he has handed contracts for over 90 million levs abuses in the factory. After the problems of "Kremikovtzi" remain unheard by the government, metallurgists announced that starting today their protests will be daily. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98769 Continuous Protests Cause Traffic Chaos in Sofia Author: Alexander Markov Society | November 11, 2008, Tuesday The number of alternative vehicles on Sofia's streets is on the rise as continuous protest cause traffic chaos. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Everyday rallies downtown Sofia block further the congested traffic in the Bulgarian capital, frenzied drivers complain, hoping the government would soon fulfill the demands of the protesters. On Tuesday, many of the citizens in Sofia have been desperately trying to find an alternative way to reach their work places, as more than 2000 workers of the troubled steel-maker Kremikovtzi blocked the city traffic once again. The workers have been protesting continuously over the past year, causing headaches to drivers, who have not experienced lately a protest-free day in the city, blocked also by the rallies of milk producers, grain producers, disabled people, environmentalists, etc. It seems the number of motorbikes and other alternative vehicles capable of avoiding traffic jams is on the rise in Sofia as the government say protesters' demands are not easily fulfilled. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98875 Kremikovtzi Workers Protest in Downtown Sofia Again Business | November 14, 2008, Friday The workers of the steel plant Kremikovtzi are going to continue their protests in downtown Sofia until the future of the factory is guaranteed. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) More than a thousand workers from Bulgaria's largest steel-maker are holding a protest rally in downtown Sofia Friday morning. The workers' daily protests are continuing despite yesterday's promise of the Deputy Economy Minister Nina Radeva that they were going to receive their August salaries by Tuesday. Kremikovtzi's trade unions have made it clear they were not going to terminate the daily protests before the building of the Economy Ministry until they were guaranteed the funds for their salaries for September, October, and November, and until they received a clear answer by the government about the future of the troubled factory. The protest of the Kremikovzi workers will be supported by the members of the "Podkrepa" Syndicate of the Administration Employees, who work in the National Health Insurance Fund. In solidarity with the steel workers, the administrators are going to stop their work between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Friday. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98424 Kremikovtzi Protest in Downtown Sofia, Meeting with New Investor Put off Business | October 31, 2008, Friday The protesting workers of the troubled steel mill Kremikovtzi were faced by hundreds of policemen guarding the government buildings in downtown Sofia. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) The workers of Bulgaria's largest steel-maker Kremikovtzi are staging another protest rally in downtown Sofia Friday morning after they blockaded some of the central boulevards of the Bulgarian capital for seven hours on Thursday. Almost 1000 workers are already in front of the building of the Ministry of Energy and Economy repeating their demands for the stabilization of the factory, and for selling it to a new responsible investor. However, the talks scheduled for Friday between the Bulgarian Economy Minister Dimitrov, and the new investor which has expressed interest in running and potentially buying Kremikovtzi - the Ukrainian company Smart Group - have been put off. The reason for the postponement was that the Smart Group representatives have had to go back to the Ukraine in order to report on the present situation of the Bulgarian steell mill so that the management of the company could consider stepping in as the operator of the factory earlier than it had planned. On Thursday Kremikovtzi's trade unions asked the Economy Minister to make a quick decision on the selection of Smart Group as the operator and the potential new owner of the steel mill. Minister Dimitrov announced Thursday that by the end of next week the sale of the factory products would bring in about BGN 25 M, which would be used for paying off the August and September salaries of the Kremikovtzi workers. The unionist leaders of the steel workers met with the plant management Thursday night, and were promised that the August salaries would be paid by Wednesday, and the September salaried would be provided by next Sunday. The workers' demands, however, are not limited to their delayed salaries but also include insistence that the plant be rescued and stabilized, that no workers are dismissed, and that a new owner with a responsible investment program be instituted. The present crisis in the troubled Kremikovtzi was brought about two weeks ago by the decision of the Ukrainian company Vorskla Steel Bulgaria to discontinue its raw materials supplies to the plant over allegations that the trade unions manipulated the workers for political purposes, which caused intermittent strikes. As a result, the factory suffered a severe coal shortage and had to shut down one of its blast furnaces. Bulgaria's Economy Ministry announced Thursday about the interest of the Smart Group company of running and buying the plant. Smart Group is the owner of another Bulgarian steel-maker - ProMet, located close to the Black Sea city of Burgas. Through a merger in 2007 it was taken over by Metinvest Holding, which is owned by Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98383 Kremikovtzi Workers Protest Blocks Downtown Sofia Traffic Society | October 30, 2008, Thursday About a thousands workers of the Kremikovtzi steel plant have staged a protest Thursday morning, blocking the traffic downtown Sofia. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) About a thousands workers of the Kremikovtzi steel plant have staged a protest Thursday morning, blocking the traffic downtown Sofia. Workers from the troubled plant protest once again in front of the parliament building over unpaid salaries and call on the government to take the measures necessary to tackle the issues that make the future of the factory unclear. The main demands of the workers are the guaranteed supplies for Kremikovtzi from the National Electric Company NEK, the natural gas supplier Bulgargaz, and the state railway company BDZ, and the immediate finding of reliable new investors who would operate the steel plant. On Friday the steel-maker declared an emergency situation over a sudden coal shortage and a few days later it completed the process of shutting down one of its blast furnaces, which had never been done before in the plant. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98342 Kremikovtzi Workers on Protest in Downtown Sofia Business | October 29, 2008, Wednesday The workers of Bulgaria's steel plant Kremikovtzi are holding a large-scale protest in downtown Sofia Wednesday morning. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) The workers of Bulgaria's largest steel-maker Kremikovtzi are holding Wednesday morning a protest rally in the downtown of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. More than a thousand workers transported gathered on the St. Aleksandar Nevski Square, and then marched to the building of the Economy Ministry, where they submitted a declaration insisting on immediate measures to tackle all of the factory's issues. According to the Bulgarian information agency BTA, the declaration also asked the Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov to resign if he was unable to take urgent measures to rescue the troubled factory. The main demands of the workers are the guaranteed supplies for Kremikovtzi from the National Electric Company NEK, the natural gas supplier Bulgargaz, and the state railway company BDZ, and the immediate finding of reliable new investors who would operate the steel plant until it was sold as a whole. The trade unions, the Podkrepa Labor Confederation, and the Confederation of the Independent Syndicates in Bulgaria, insist that the government grant the factory a BGN 40 M loan, which would guarantee the production of the plant for a period of one month until the gravest aspects are resolved. The workers also insist that the operative management of the factory, the syndics, and the syndicates meet in order to craft an urgent program of measures to save Kremikovtzi, and that the Bulgarian government and the Economy Ministry in particular come up immediately with a clear position on the future of the steel-maker and its employees. The Kremikovtzi workers were supported by the syndicates of Bulgaria's Danube port of Lom, and of the state railway company BDZ as the both the port, and the freight carrier would be hit if the supplies to the plant were discontinued. On Friday the steel-maker declared an emergency situation over a sudden coal shortage, and five days, on Tuesday, it completed the process of shutting down one of its blast furnaces. The present crisis in Kremikovtzi unfolded as Vorskla Steel Bulgaria recently decided to terminate unilaterally its contract with the plant for production with materials supplied by the client. The company of the Ukrainian tycoon Konstantin Zhevago motivated its decision by stating that the trade unions manipulated the Kremikovtzi workers for political reasons urging them to continue with their intermittent strikes. Bulgaria's government is currently trying to attract a foreign investor who would like to run the plant. The likely new operators of Kremikovtzi include the older brother of the present owner of the plant Pramod Mittal, Lakshmi Mittal, and the Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98809 Protesting Kremikovtzi Workers Now Block Roads Society | November 12, 2008, Wednesday Protesting Kremikovtzi workers arrived Wednesday downtown Sofia with 70 buses, causing enourmous traffic jams. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) Protesting workers of Bulgaria's troubled steel-maker Kremikovtzi have briefly blocked roads outside Sofia, obstructing the traffic going towards the Hemus motorway. On Wednesday the workers declared civil disobedience, as according to them PM Sergey Stanishev failed once again to come out with a clear plan for solving the problems in the biggest Bulgarian steel mill. Stanishev met Wednesday with trade union leaders, who announced the Premier pledged delayed workers' salaries would be paid in the next ten days. More than 2000 Kremikovtzi workers protested downtown Sofia before noon on Wednesday. They arrived with 70 buses causing enormous traffic jams in the central boulevards of the capital. Apart from paying of their salaries, the workers also demand that the government present a plan for the future of the factory, and actual negotiations with investors are started. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=98795 Kremikovtzi Workers' Bus Protest Causes Apocalyptic Traffic Jams in Sofia Society | November 12, 2008, Wednesday Thousands of Kremikotzi workers are expected to arrive with about 70 buses on their protest rally before the Council of Ministers building in downtown Sofia. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency) 2000 workers from the insolvent steel-maker Kremikovtzi arrived in downtown Sofia with about 70 buses Wednesday morning to continue their protests over the unclear future of the factory causing enormous traffic jams in the Bulgarian capital. The bus rally culminated before the building of the Council of Ministers, where the workers are expecting the government's statement about the measures it would take for the rescue of Bulgaria's largest steel factory. During their protest on Tuesday the workers' representatives declared Wednesday the deadline, when the government had to announce what it was going to do for the preservation of Kremikovtzi. The workers are still expecting their delayed salaries for August and September. The funds for the salaries are supposed to be provided through a deal with the Bulgarian government, which is purchasing Kremikovtzi produce at market prices. On Tuesday the leaders of the Kremikovtzi trade unions insisted before representatives of PM Stanishev's cabinet that the money for the workers' salaries be provided by the end of the week. The ongoing crisis in the troubled steel giant has recently been intensified after the Ukrainian company Vorskla Steel terminated unilaterally in mid October its contract with the factory for production with materials supplied by the client. Kremikovtzi was declared insolvent in September, and the Bulgarian government is presently seeking a new investor for the plant. Among the likely buyers are the Ukrainian company Smart Group, the Bulgarian millionaire and former owner of Kremikovtzi Valentin Zahariev, and the Indian company ArcelorMittal. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/240957,bulgarian-steel-workers-launch-new-protest.html Bulgarian steel workers launch new protest Posted : Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:00:39 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Sofia - Workers at the Kremikovtzi steel mill in Bulgaria launched a further protest Monday, demanding backlogged salaries and a programme to save the company from liquidation. Apart from salaries unpaid since July, labour unions want the state, which holds a 25-per cent stake in the bankrupt mill and holds most of its liabilities, to step in and save it from liquidation. The majority-71-per-cent stake belongs to Pramod Mittal, the brother of the Indian-born steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. Pramod acquired the stake in 2005 for 110 million dollars from the the previous Bulgarian owner, who had bought the debt-ridden giant upon privatization for just 1 dollar, with all its liabilities. The workers have accused Mittal of falling short of investment promises and running the Communist-era mill into ruin. Lakshmi Mittal's ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel concern, showed some interest in buying Pramod's stake earlier this year, but as yet no deal has materialized. Another investor, the Ukrainian tycoon Konstantin Zhevago's Vorskla Steel, also seemed interested, but backed out of a deal agreed in August to help pull Kremikovtzi out of bankruptcy. Following Zhevago's termination of the deal, which included supplies of raw materials and fuel, the mill near Sofia was forced to shut down one of its smelters. Apart from more than 300 million leva (195 million dollars) in accumulated debts, Kremikovtzi would require more than 500 million dollars in investments to make it compliant with environmental standards. As it is, the mill, constructed in 1963 and now with some 8,000 employees, is far from meeting the standards of the European Union, which Bulgaria joined in 2007. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2008/17/c9455.html Demonstrations at 20 Petro-Canada stations in Montreal mark lockout anniversary MONTREAL, Nov. 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Workers who have been locked-out by Petro-Canada for one year demonstrated with their supporters today at about 20 of the company's gas stations in Montreal. "Since the beginning of the lockout, we've been targeting individual stations one at a time to educate the public about the lockout," says CEP National Representative Daniel Cloutier. "But today, for the first time, we took action at many stations at the same time." Nationally, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada plans to step up actions to bring pressure on the company to negotiate a settlement. A few weeks ago, CEP, the F?d?ration de travailleurs et travailleuses du Qu?bec (FTQ) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) called for a national boycott of Petro-Canada gas stations. Since then, local, national and international unions and labour organizations have been publicly pledging their support for the boycott. CEP has declared November 21 and 22 as National Days of Action Against Petro-Canada. Activities are being planned across the country to mark the one-year lockout anniversary. For the members of CEP Local 175 "it's a sad anniversary," says Mr. Cloutier. "It is incomprehensible that Petro-Canada management still has not understood that threats and intimidation will not lead to a settlement of this dispute. The only way to settle it is to show some respect for the staff by accepting to negotiate an agreement." Petro-Canada refuses to respect the pattern agreement negotiated for the Canadian petrochemical sector. Locally, the company is requiring major concessions on union gains and with respect to labour training and health and safety. Petro-Canada attempted twice to impose final offers, which the members of the Local overwhelmingly rejected. "It seems to me that management should understand that its strategy is simply not working. We have been repeating for months that this dispute must be settled at the bargaining table", concludes Mr. Cloutier. For further information: Michelle Walsh, CEP Communications Director, (613) 230-5800, ext. 222 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7747379.stm Tuesday, 25 November 2008 Sit-in 'will continue' - workers Jobs go as factory closes Workers at the Calcast factory outside Londonderry have said they are willing to continue their sit-in for 90 days. Meetings are continuing to try to resolve the dispute over redundancy terms for 90 workers. Employees at the car parts plant have been involved in a sit-in protest in the factory since Monday. The company's management announced on Monday that the plant was to close "as a result of current market difficulties". Workers are protesting at the offer of one month's statutory redundancy notice, rather than the expected three. The Foyle MP Mark Durkan said the workers felt they had no alternative. "The workers feel this is the only means they have of concentrating management's minds on their rights," he said. Shop steward Gerald McClafferty said workers at Calcast were being supported by colleagues in Belfast who may refuse to ship parts made at the Derry plant. "Parts have been shipped out of here and they're sitting in Belfast and the gentlemen in Belfast are refusing to handle these heads until this is resolved. "The legal teams are going to speak together, and we're going to have a further meeting sometime today to try and progress where we are," said Mr McClafferty. A total of 102 people are employed at the plant. Ninety are to lose their jobs, while 12 will be offered jobs elsewhere. Donna Lynch worked at Calcast, along with her fianc?e: "I have a wedding planned for next year. "So the two of us are currently unemployed and both of us have children, it's not looking very cheerful. Everything's on hold at the minute until we see what's happening." Philip Oakes from the trade union Unite said its members decided it "would be better for them to remain on site". "Their view is that if they are to leave at this stage, the company might close the gates behind them and not let them back in, so individual members have decided to stage a sit-in at the plant until such times as the issue is resolved," said Mr Oakes. One of the workers' representatives, Liam Helferty, said workers at the plant were angry at the redundancy terms. "If there are 99 people or less, you're entitled to one month's notice, but if there are 99 or more you're entitled to three months notice," he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7749189.stm Wednesday, 26 November 2008 Workers end their sit-in protest The Calcast factory in Campsie is to shut down Workers have ended their sit-in protest at the Calcast car parts factory in Campsie, near Londonderry. The dispute centred on redundancy terms for 90 workers at the plant. The French-owned firm announced on Monday that the factory was closing down. The workers had objected to the offer of one month's statutory redundancy notice, rather than the expected three. Under the new deal, they will still leave after 30 days but with an enhanced redundancy package. A total of 102 people are employed at the plant. Ninety are to lose their jobs, while 12 will be offered jobs elsewhere. Worker Thomas Fleming said he was happy with the deal. "A lot of it is still ongoing but suffice to say that the membership are happy enough with what has been negotiated. "We had a ballot on our proposals to the management, and the ballot returned very favourably in favour of acceptance," he said. "We got more or less what we were looking for at the start, and they're happy that they got what they expected to get." Philip Oakes of the trade union Unite said the length of statutory notice was "no longer an issue". "There is a lot of detail still to be thrashed out, but suffice it to say we have enhanced the redundancy package," he said. "We are still on the 30-day consultation, and I expect some employees may exit before that, but they are happy with what was reached during negotiations." http://www.wisn.com/news/17859191/detail.html Pilots Protest Outside Of CEO's Home POSTED: 2:13 pm CDT October 31, 2008 UPDATED: 6:26 pm CDT October 31, 2008 MILWAUKEE -- Early Friday morning, more than a dozen of Midwest Airline pilots protested in a Waukesha County neighborhood. Midwest Pilots Picket Home Of CEO ?We're not here to house hunt that's for sure,? said Jake Southern, a Midwest Captain. The pilots were protesting outside of Tim Huxema?s house, who is the CEO of the airline. Friday?s gathering was one of many protests over the past four months after job cuts. Midwest had 400 pilots, but by December there will only be 125 because jobs are being outsourced. Midwest pilots said that the people now flying many planes have only entry-level experience. ?We're trying to indicate to him this is becoming very personal. Some of our pilots are in jeopardy of losing their homes,? Southern said. ?They're telling us by next spring if pilots and flight attendants agree to draconian pay cuts and to work rule changes, some of us will be allowed back.? Laid-off flight attendants also held a protest Friday outside of the Midwest ticket counter at Mitchell International Airport. They said they are upset about the recent outsourcing of their jobs, and that they want to inform the public about the changes the airline made. Mike Brophy, the Midwest spokesperson, said that he empathizes with the protesters. ?It hasn't been a good situation for us, but right now it's the time to come together to try to get firm footing so we have a brighter future,? he said. Brophy said the airline will continue to negotiate with the pilots union and that they are making progress. Midwest is asking for wages and work rules that are competitive for an airline of its size. ?We believe it's fair, equitable and we have the numbers behind it,? he said. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/29/america/NA-Canada-Border-Mice.php Canadian customs workers protest mouse infestation The Associated Press Published: October 29, 2008 SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario: Canadian customs officers in Sault Ste. Marie are protesting what they say is a long-running and severe problem with mice at their International Bridge headquarters. About a dozen border guards walked off the job Monday, saying the Canada Border Services Agency failed to respond to the rodent infestation. Managers filled in for the missing members of the Customs Excise Union Local 26. Union representative Sandy Lucio met with port chief of operations James Cameron, and the employees then resumed some of their duties at the Ontario-Michigan border crossing. An agency representative says a contractor began work cleaning up the inspection booths Tuesday. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7737123.stm Wednesday, 19 November 2008 Protests at shareholder meeting Lloyds TSB shareholders are meeting at the SECC in Glasgow to vote on the bank's controversial planned takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS). Union members have protested outside a meeting of Lloyds TSB shareholders to voice concern over possible job losses. Shareholders voted in favour of the bank's controversial takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) at a meeting at the SECC in Glasgow. They also voted to accept ?5.5bn of government bailout funding. Leaders of the Unite union said they remained neutral on the deal, but were determined to prevent any compulsory job losses. At the meeting, shareholders questioned bosses on a range of issues, including the role of the government in the proposed deal, the exposure of HBOS to bad debts, the mechanics of the takeover, redundancies and the potential value of shares after the deal. Protesters gathered outside the meeting at the SECC in Glasgow Lloyds TSB vote on HBOS takeover Read Douglas Fraser's blog Brian Peart, Lloyds TSB shareholder and president of Nexus Financial Group, told the meeting that shareholders had been "blatantly robbed of their assets". "I fear at the moment I have robbers breaking into my house, demanding 40-60% of my worldy goods," he said. Responding, the bank's chairman, Sir Victor Blank, defended the takeover. "I am excited about the prospect of linking the two," he said. "Out of adversity comes opportunity." Another angry shareholder told the BBC: "Clearly our elected board haven't got a clue, or they wouldn't have adjusted the price already. "Nobody knows what's lurking in the talks with HBOS. "The takeover will go through but not with my vote." Outside the meeting, Unite members wore T-shirts with the slogan, Secure Jobs = Secure Bank. Wendy Dunsmore, national secretary with Unite, said: "Unite is the voice of both Lloyds TSB as well as HBOS staff and what we're campaigning for is no compulsory redundancies and also no off-shoring, which would lead to more job losses." Competition rules are being ripped up to allow this to happen Tavish Scott Scottish Lib Dem leader Ms Dunsmore criticised Sir Peter Burt and Sir George Mathewson for mooting the possibility of a state-owned independent HBOS - even though proponents argue this would safeguard more jobs. She said: "They've got no money and no deal on the table - I think it's quite irresponsible to make that type of statement when they've got nothing to show for it." She said the union had called for a meeting with Lloyds TSB bosses. "They have given the shareholders an idea that they're looking to save ?1.5bn with this takeover," she said. "We want to meet with the company immediately to explore how they're going to do that. "We want them to explore all avenues so there's not going to be compulsory redundancies and people's livelihoods ending because of this takeover." Remain independent Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott also staged a protest outside the meeting. The Lib Dems urged shareholders to vote against the planned takeover of HBOS, claiming it jeopardised jobs, branches and competition in the banking sector. Mr Scott said: "This, as the Lloyds TSB chairman says, is a fantastic arrangement for that particular bank, but it's not a great deal for the thousands of staff who may lose their jobs. "It's certainly not a great deal for the account holder or the small business who need to access better banking services. "Competition rules are being ripped up to allow this to happen and I don't think that's in the long-term interests of our economy either." Meanwhile, the SNP has tabled another motion in the Commons calling for HBOS to remain independent. http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Lloyds-staff-in-merger-protest.4703405.jp Thursday, 26th March 2009 Published Date: 18 November 2008 EMPLOYEES of Lloyds TSB are to hold a demonstration outside the bank's Extraordinary General Meeting tomorrow over concerns about the proposed merger with Halifax Bank of Scotland. The meeting, at the SECC in Glasgow, will see shareholders vote on whether to press ahead with a proposed merger with HBOS, which has raised concerns that as many as 17,000 jobs could be lost in Scotland Unite members will wear T-shirts with slogans reading, "secure jobs > secure bank" to remind shareholders employees must not be ignored. http://www.olyblog.net/postal-picket-protests-firing-union-president Postal picket protests firing of union president Submitted by dr on Mon, 11/17/2008 - 7:28pm. Informational picket calls for return of union president and return of mail operations to Olympia. Olympia, WA November 17, 2008. The Olympia local of the American Postal Workers Union held an informational picket on Monday, November 17, 2008 from 7 AM to 9 AM, 12 to 1 PM, and 4 to 5 PM at the Olympia downtown post office located at 900 Jefferson Street in Olympia, Washington. The informational picket was to call for the Postal Service to bring fired union president Clint Burelson back to work and to bring the outgoing mail operations back to Olympia. The Postal Service recently fired local union president Clint Burelson for his union activities and major role as a whistleblower in exposing the fact that mail consolidations would reduce service and would not save money. Since then, mail consolidations all across the country have been stopped once communities have learned the truth about mail consolidation. Burelson is a strong advocate for workers in the post office and management is firing him for performing his duties as a union representative. Despite many grievance settlements signed by the Postal Service in which they agreed to cease and desist in discriminating against Burelson for his union activities, management continues to discriminate against him. The Postal Service recently admitted in their review of the consolidation that they have lost $1.5 million in six months as a result of the transfer of outgoing mail operations from Olympia to Tacoma. The Postal Service had previously claimed that the transfer of the mail to Tacoma would save the Postal Service $1.2 million. The Postal Service therefore made at least a $2.7 million mistake in judgment. The Postal Service has not released all the necessary details of the review of the Olympia consolidation so that the union and other interested parties can properly audit the information. However, from the post office?s own data, it is clear that the consolidation was not cost-effective and the loss of the Olympia postmark and reduction in mail service was unwarranted. The Post Office previously stated they would bring the mail back to Olympia if the move was not cost-effective. Concerned citizens and organizations should contact their government representatives to advocate for the return of Olympia?s outgoing mail to Olympia and for the return of Union President Clinton Burelson to his job with the Postal Service. For more information contact: Louie Mackey at (360) 357-6231. The Postal Service is a federal agency and therefore accountable to the public. Citizens may contact their federal representatives regarding their concerns. http://story.philippinetimes.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/id/429942/cs/1/ Air France pilots protest age-range change Philippine Times Friday 14th November, 2008 Pilots at Air France have started a four-day strike in protest at Government plans to raise their retirement age. Air France says the stoppage will cause severe disruption to about half its flights. The French Parliament is about to consider a reform bill which could raise the retirement age for French pilots by five years to 65. http://uk.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUKL015364020081113?feedType=RSS&feedName=tnBasicIndustries-SP Alitalia protests continue, govt eyes legal options Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:07pm GMT By Deepa Babington ROME (Reuters) - Protests by Alitalia employees opposed to a takeover by Italian businessmen stretched into a fourth day on Thursday, cancelling more than 20 flights and prompting authorities to mull legal options to end disruptions. A group of Alitalia AZPIa.MI workers held an impromptu 24-hour strike on Monday and have since been following a strict "work-to-rule" protest that has caused delays, cancelled nearly 300 flights and heaped misery on travellers across Italy. Alitalia's pilot and cabin crew unions have been up in arms over the planned introduction of new work contracts after the takeover by the CAI investor group, but they too have distanced themselves from the latest protests, blaming them on a small group of renegade workers. Italy's centre-right government, which backs the CAI takeover, has struggled to get the protesters back to work, and the labour minister urged public prosecutors to intervene as Italian television played images of frustrated travellers. Local media reports said the dead body of a woman, due to be flown to Albania, was still languishing in Rome's Fiumicino airport due to the protests, while Monday's strike cancelled a flight carrying 10 billion euros for the Bank of Italy. The precious cargo later took off on a government aircraft. "At this point it's a question of public order, because from my point of view there has been illegal behaviour," said Labour Minister Maurizio Sacconi. "The work-to-rule protest should be looked at carefully by prosecutors because the law is not to be followed just to the letter." An Italian commissioner overseeing strikes said the "work-to-rule" protests were just as illegal as Monday's wildcat strike. Italy's civil aviation agency Enac also fined Alitalia 250,000 euros over the lack of assistance provided to passengers during the disruption this week, and is mulling other penalties against the airline, Enac spokeswoman Loredana Rosati said. The CAI group of top Italian businessmen is proceeding with the takeover -- which foresees it cherry-picking Alitalia's best assets, while leaving the rest to the Italian state -- despite the resistance, and won EU approval for the deal on Wednesday. CAI has offered 275 million euros ($343.5 million) for Alitalia's core flight operations, 100 million euros in a mix of cash and debt for its various units, and will take on additional debt of 625 million euros. Once the deal is wrapped up, CAI is expected to choose either Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) or Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) as a foreign partner to enter the group with a 20 percent stake. Italian daily MF on Thursday, in an unsourced report, said CAI had chosen Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and already informed the Italian government, although an official announcement will not be made until Dec. 2, after Alitalia's relaunch. Air France-KLM, which faces its own four-day pilot strike from Friday, declined to comment. A CAI spokesman was not immediately available to respond. (Editing by Simon Jessop) http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/11/10/daily47.html?ana=from_rss Friday, November 14, 2008 Continental pilots to protest slot auction Houston Business Journal A plan to impose slot auctions at the New York and New Jersey airports could cost Continental Airlines Inc. some flights to Newark Liberty Airport, according to the Houston airline?s pilots? union. Continental (NYSE: CAL) pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association International, will head to Washington, D.C. next week to protest the U.S. Department of Transportation?s slot auctions. The government said last month it will move ahead with plans to auction off nearly 10 percent of the takeoff and landing slots at New York and New Jersey?s three large airports in an effort to relieve congestion in the skies and help reduce ticket prices. ?The auctions will do nothing to help airline passengers or ease congestion at these airports,? Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of the Continental pilots? union, said in a statement. ? We?re not going to be silent and watch our airline?s slots and our jobs be auctioned off to the highest bidder.? Almost half of Continental?s 5,000 pilots are based in Newark, N.J., which is one of the airline?s hubs. ?We could see a loss of up to 10 percent of our flying from Newark,? said Capt. Al Brandano, leader of the local union council in Newark. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/11/08/7349631-cp.html Protests, barbs mark day four of Quebec election campaign By Jessica Murphy, THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL - Protests and barbs marked day four of Quebec's provincial election campaign. Meanwhile, about 100 people gathered in front of the Montreal offices Christine St-Pierre, provincial minister for the status of women, to ask the government not to appeal a recent judgment by Quebec's Superior Court that struck down a law preventing home daycare workers from unionizing. And, police were called to another protest in front of PQ candidate Scott MacKay's nomination meeting. About 30 people tried to block the entrance to the meeting in a Montreal suburb to protest the official nomination of MacKay, the former Quebec Green Party leader. The protesters supported former PQ member Jean-Claude St-Andre, a hardline sovereigntist whose candidacy in the same riding was rejected by the party. "We had a party convention last March," Marois said. "We agreed on certain directions and Jean-Claude St-Andre didn't back them. So the party's executive committee decided they wouldn't accept his candidacy for this election." St-Andre, who held the L' Assomption riding from 1996 to 2007, is appealing the decision. http://dealbreaker.com/2008/11/protest-at-blackstone-boston.php Protest At Blackstone Boston Posted by Bess Levin, Nov 25, 2008, 3:00pm Apparently a union in Boston takes issue with the fact that Blackstone isn't doing anything to prevent foreclosures. Plus, it's Thanksgiving on Thursday. And really, the opportunity was apparently too good to pass up. Holiday-themed "protest" pics after the jump. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/24/2427723.htm Unions to protest against prisons privatisation Posted Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:24am AEDT Updated Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:23am AEDT ? Map: Cessnock 2325 Union delegates from prisons across New South Wales will meet this week to plan a campaign of industrial action in protest of the State Government's decision to privatise Cessnock and Parklea jails. The plan was outlined in the recent state mini-Budget as a cost cutting measure, but the Public Service Association says it will lead to job losses and a downgrading of award conditions for officers who choose to work for a private operator. The union's senior industrial officer, Stewart Little, says he expects any strike action agreed to by delegates, will be supported at all jails. "Our members are outraged at this and it's not just about Cessnock and Parklea - this won't stop at those facilities - the Government has failed to adequately plan for the increase in inmate numbers," he said. "We suspect this is the thin edge of the wedge and we will absolutely fight against plans to privatise these jails, that will be done on a state-wide basis." http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0811/S00375.htm More Workers Join Skinny Santa Protest Friday, 21 November 2008, 9:38 am Press Release: National Distribution Union More Workers Join Skinny Santa Protest November 21, 2008 Media Release from the National Distribution Union Workers from Farmers stores in the Auckland area are walking off the job and holding a stopwork meeting to discuss their stalled pay negotiations as part of the Skinny Santa protest in Queen Street today. Maxine Gay, NDU Retail Sector Secretary says the protest is a chance for low paid workers in Auckland to show they are fed up with struggling to make ends meet. SEARCH NZ JOBS Search New Zealand Business The Unite union and a Green Party MP will also join the protest. ?Workers from the Unite union have decided to join us. Many Unite members in the fast food industry are paid the same sort of ridiculously low wages as our members in the Farmers stores.? Ms Gay says the Green Party has a policy of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and MP Keith Locke will be speaking to workers about that policy at the end of the parade. Skinny Santa Parade 11. 30 am today Queen Elizabeth Square to Aotea Square http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/1121/curran.html Curran employees protest at IBEC Friday, 21 November 2008 15:59 Around 20 people protested outside employer group IBEC's offices in Dublin at lunchtime in support of workers at Limerick company Curran Aluminium. They say the company has failed to fully implement a Labour Court recommendation on pay, conditions and union recognition. SIPTU says 14 of its members have been on strike since October 28 seeking improved terms and condiutions and union recognition. Advertisement It wants IBEC, which acted for Curran Aluminium in the Labour Court, to put pressure on the company to comply fully with the recommendation. It claims that if any companies are permitted to operate on lower terms and conditions for staff, they will undercut compliant firms. A spokesperson for Curran Aluminium - which does not recognise unions for collective bargaining purposes - said that only five of its current 28 employees are on strike. It says that an investigation in October by the National Employment Rights Authority found no breaches of relevant employment legislation. It also criticised SIPTU for its campaign against the company, which it described as 'deeply unreasonable'. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 10:53:10 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:53:10 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ethnoreligious and miscellaneous protests, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB27786.3070300@tesco.net> Ethno-religious group protests and clashes, politically dubious protests and some that don't fit elsewhere * US: "God Hates Signs" counterprotest * EGYPT: Vicious attack on Copts over church extension * INDIA: Kerala - Islamists protest against worker blockade * UK: Congestion charge protest * INDIA: Ghaziabad rich protest jeweller's murder * CROATIA: Anti-violence youth concert * ASSAM - INDIA: Blasts protested * TRINIDAD: Protest over pupil safety * BANGLADESH: Unrest after trader dies * INDIA: Lucknow - Hindu communalists protest bomb "framing" * INDIA: Patna - Protest over ransom kidnapping * MEXICO: Tijuana - Protest against killings, kidnappings * INDIA: Orissa - Hindy groups protest "inaction" * INDIA: Orissa - Hare Krishnas protest car festival * BRAZIL: Loggers protest, ransack offices over Amazon crackdown * INDIA: Kerala - NGOs protest alcohol, drugs, terrorism * US: Talladega - Stop the violence protest * ARMENIA: Protest against Karabakh concessions * AZERBAIJAN/SWEDEN: Armenian visit to Sweden protested * ISRAEL: Ultra-Orthodox groups disrupt voting * ISRAEL: Shalit protesters close Gaza border * ISRAEL: Religious schools protest Sabbath march * ISRAEL: Ashkelon residents protest Gaza rockets * TURKEY: Stockbrokers protest new system, fear losing jobs * EGYPT: Political office torched in factional clashes * INDIA: Shopper camps in store over delivery delay * INDIA - GORKHALAND: Protests over alleged secret meeting * US: Tax protest * EGYPT: Protest over Gaza smuggling, fuel shortages * ROMANIA: Police demand pay rise * ITALY: Alitalia creditors protest * INDIA: Hindus target supermodel over Kali costume * INDIA: Mumbai attacks spark wave of protests, some communalist, some anti-Pakistan * TURKEY: Anti-Kurdish protests at election event * NIGERIA: Hundreds dead in Christian-Muslim pogroms * BANGLADESH: Student group clashes * COTE D'IVOIRE: Youths attack convoy over refugee return * BANGLADESH: Two injured in nominations clash * NEPAL - TERAI: Locals, Madheshi activists clash * BANGLADESH: Violent land clash kills 1 * YEMEN: Pro-, anti-regime "tribes" clash * KENYA: Six feared dead in cattle raiding dispute * BANGLADESH: One dead in fishing clash * UGANDA: Traders clash at market * INDIA: Puducherry - Protest demands capture of "real culprits" in blasts * MOZAMBIQUE: Election prompts clashes between rival groups * BANGLADESH: Councillor killed in land clash * BANGLADESH: Injuries in university faction clash * NIGERIA: Ilorin - 1 dead in land dispute * BANGLADESH: More student group clashes * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Women kill male babies in protest over inter-group warfare * LIBERIA: Screws protest for salaries * SERBIA: Reservists protest for Kosova War salaries * INDIA: Group clashes newsclippings http://www.boingboing.net/2008/10/29/god-hates-signs-prot.html God Hates Signs protest waged against Westboro Baptist Church Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, October 29, 2008 5:27 PM | permalink The ladies and gentleman at Westboro Baptist Church -- who enjoy disrupting memorial services for soldiers killed in battle with their hateful homophobic tantrums -- seem unhappy about this dada-style "God Hates Signs" counter protest campaign. (Photo by Burstein) http://www.christianpersecution.info/news/-thousands-protest-vandalize-church-17223/ Egypt: Thousands Protest, Vandalize Church Added: Nov 27th, 2008 5:30 AM At least five hurt as rioters stone, burn structure after inauguration of extension. ISTANBUL, November 26 (Compass Direct News) -- Thousands of Muslim protesters on Sunday (Nov. 23) attacked a Coptic church in a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, burning part of it, a nearby shop and two cars and leaving five people injured. Objecting to a newly constructed extension to the Coptic church of St. Mary and Anba Abraam in Ain Shams, the huge crowd of angry protestors gathered outside the church at around 5 p.m. following a consecration service for the addition earlier that day. Chanting, ?We will demolish the church,? ?Islam is the solution? and ?No God but Allah,? according to Helmy Guirguis, president of the U.K. Coptic Association, rioters pelted the church with stones and burned part of the structure; priests and worshipers were trapped inside, and five people were injured. ?It was a terrifying moment,? said lawyer Nabil Gobrayel, who was inside the church at the time. ?They were shouting ?holy slogans? like, ?We will bring the church down,?, ?The priest is dead? and ?The army of Muhammad is coming.?? Police slow to arrive were not prepared for the scale of the protest. Angry Muslims swarmed to the area from a two-kilometer radius, and although estimates varied, some suggested as many as 8,000 people gathered. Rioters? stones broke the structure?s windows, and a nearby shop and two cars belonging to Christians were set on fire. Reinforcements for the overwhelmed security forces did not arrive until two hours later and were then engaged in clashes with the mob until the early hours of Monday (Nov. 24) morning. Armored vehicles brought in riot police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd while fire services aided their efforts with water cannons. A United Copts of Great Britain statement suggested that police were slow to arrest perpetrators in the early stages of the demonstration but did eventually detain 41 people around midnight. Of the 38 Muslims arrested, 30 were quickly released ?under the pretext of being minors,? according to the United Copts statement. Three arrested Christians, however, remained in prison without charges. United Copts also reported that Wael Tahoon, a police officer, was said to be involved in instigating the attacks. A source told Compass that Pope Shenouda, head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, ordered that prayers at the church site be stopped. According to Gobrayel, the church will be closed for two months while officials consider its future. Opposition from Outset The newly constructed extension stands on the site of an old factory that was demolished 18 months ago, when the land was purchased using funds raised by donations from the congregation. When building began, church members were surprised to find that construction of a mosque also started just across the street. During construction of the church addition, Muslim radicals insulted and harassed workers, issuing death threats and urinating on the structure?s walls. At 10 a.m. on Sunday (Nov. 23), the morning of the consecration service, the adjacent mosque began broadcasting verses from the Quran at high volume. According to witnesses, the imam of the mosque justified the unusual broadcasts by saying that they were in celebration of the Muslim festival of Eid. Christians said this would be highly irregular, however, with area parishioners maintaining it was done to provoke them. Government Role Church leaders had obtained the necessary permits for building the extension, Coptic leaders said, but protestors said the addition was not licensed for prayer and worship. Christians have found obtaining church building permits from Egyptian authorities rife with obstacles, with many applications never granted. ?The National Assembly cannot make a decision for 15 years about building projects for churches,? said lawyer Naguib Gobrail. ?Every time they say, ?This session we can discuss this project,? but the session ends and we see nothing. Everything is only a promise.? In a recent editorial, Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of Egyptian weekly Watani, addressed the inequality of regulations that govern the building of places of worship. ?It now appears obvious that the government has no intention whatsoever of placing the long-awaited bill for a unified law for building places of worship on its agenda,? he wrote. ?For four consecutive rounds [of Parliament], the bill has remained shelved despite the need for it to ward off so called sectarian problems that erupt every so often.? Wedding Violence Advocacy group Voice of the Copts issued a report on Monday (Nov. 24) that, a day before the attack on St. Mary and Anba Abraam, Muslim radicals ambushed a wedding party at a church just 10 minutes away. A man and woman interrupted the ceremony shouting obscene remarks, according to Voice of the Copts, and when angered wedding guests ushered them outside, the Copts were set upon by a gang of people waiting in a shop across the road. Two were severely injured. While Christians account for varying estimates of 10 to 15 percent of Egypt?s population and date back to the first century of the faith, churches are still seen as foreign bodies and, in the words of the Ain Shams rioters, an ?infidel?s worship house in an Islamic Land.? http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1444588.php/Muslims_Christians_and_police_clash_in_Cairo_ Muslims, Christians and police clash in Cairo Middle East News Nov 23, 2008, 22:40 GMT Cairo - A clash between Muslims, Christians and the police in the Egyptian capital of Cairo late Sunday resulted in injuries and multiple arrests of members of both groups, eyewitnesses and authorities said. Hundreds of Muslims gathered after evening prayers in a Cairo neighbourhood to protest that Christians in the area had gathered to pray in a parish hall. Violence broke out between the group and police then intervened, eyewitnesses said. Security sources said eight people were injured, while eyewitnesses spoke of dozens hurt. Similar confrontations have occurred in the Egyptian provinces. Conflicts between the religions in Cairo have mostly involved instances in which Muslims have converted to Christianity. In Egypt, difficulties receiving state authorization to build a new church have caused many Christians to instead meet in parish halls or other venues. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/02/stories/2008110251590300.htm Sunday Nov 2nd 2008 Kerala - Pathanamthitta Chengara: SYM protesters caned Staff Reporter Miscreants damage vehicles ________________________________________ 10 SYM workers, 5 policemen sustained minor injuries Protesters halted ahead of the police picket ________________________________________ PATHANAMTHITTA: The Chengara-bound anti-road blockade march by workers of the Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM), youth wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, ended in a minor lathicharge at Konnappara, near Chengara, on Saturday. As many as 1,500 SYM workers from different parts of the State congregated at Payyanamon, near Konni, in the morning as part of Saturday?s march. According to SYM leaders, the march was in protest against the three-month-old road blockade by plantation workers under the banner of the Joint Trade Union Action Council at Athumabamkulam, near Chengara, denying entry to all visitors, including medical teams, to the Kumbazha Estate. The march was led by SYM State president P. Mujeeb Rahman, general secretary K.A. Shafeeque, Jamaat-e-Islami political cell secretary Abdul Hameed Vanimel and Students Islamic Organisation State secretary Muhammed Aslam. Violent turn The march took a violent turn when a group of protesters tried to sneak through the police cordon while making way for two vehicles carrying a marriage party. The police party led by Dy.S.Ps Sabu P. Idiculla and M.S. Najeeb resorted to a minor lathicharge in an effort to check the protesters from proceeding to Chengara. As many as 10 SYM workers and five policemen, including Mr. Idiculla, sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. The police force was not sufficient to prevent the protesters from advancing a few metres on the Athumabamkulam Road. Self-restraint However, the protesters showed self-restraint and halted a few metres ahead of the police picket at Konnappara and staged a sit-in on the road for about an hour, raising slogans against the government, Harrisons Malayalam Limited and the trade unions. Mr. Rahman inaugurated the sit-in. He warned the government of intensifying the agitation if it failed to resolve the Chengara issue without any further delay. The SYM leader said that denial of food and medicine to hundreds of landless people who were on an agitation course for land was not befitting a democratically-elected government. Vilayodi Venugopal of the Plachimada Action Council, SUCI district secretary S. Rajeevan and Francis Kulathumkal of the Moolampally Coordination Committee were among those who spoke at the time. District Superintendent of Police K.K. Chellapan too reached the spot and as many as 80 protesters were arrested. Meanwhile, windowpanes of the vehicles that had brought SYM workers from Kasaragod, Malappuram, Kozhikode and other parts of the State, which parked on the roadside, were smashed by unidentified miscreants. Press conference Addressing a press conference at the Pathanamthitta Press Club later, Mr. Rahman called for stern action against those who damaged the vehicles. He said that ten buses, two cars and two jeeps were badly damaged in the attack by trade union activists and goonda elements attached to the estate owners. ?Heathen attitude? He alleged that both the police and trade unions had adopted a heathen attitude towards the landless people staging agitation for land at Chengara. Mr. Rahman said SYM would stage protest marches across the State against the attack. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1079741_onechicken_ccharge_protest?rss=yes One-chicken C-charge protest Dean Kirby November 14, 2008 A CHICKEN plucked up the courage to cross the road to urge drivers to vote against Greater Manchester's transport referendum. He cried 'fowl' at proposals for a congestion charge and strutted his stuff in Regent Road, Salford, wearing a sign that said Vote No to the Toll Tax. Drivers looked baffled as the anti-charge protester, who gave his name as Colonel Kevin Peel Saunders, handed them leaflets dressed in a fancy dress chicken costume. City centre insurance worker 'Kevin', 45, from Worsley, said: "I feel a bit cooped up in this outfit, but it's been worthwhile because the leaflets have just flown out of my hands. "A lot of drivers have honked their horns. They know that, when the charge comes in, they'll be taxed for going to work. I'm just an average guy. It's one man against the system. But I do believe we can stop this." He added: "I had the run of the road, but I wouldn't have to pay the charge anyway - because I'm a chicken. At least nobody told me to get stuffed." The chicken stunt, daringly close to a fast-food chicken restaurant, was in support of protest group Manchester Against Road Tolls. Sean Corker, from the group, said: "We believe the Congestion Charge scheme is a turkey and nobody should support it in the run up to Christmas." Protesters are campaigning for a 'no' vote in Greater Manchester's transport referendum. People will vote in a postal ballot in December on whether to accept the proposals. Voting papers are due to go out at the end of this month, with a voting deadline of December 11. The bid would see more than ?2.75bn ploughed into transport schemes, including ?318m to set up a peak hour, weekday-only congestion charge. Some ?1.2bn of the total would be in the form of a loan, paid back over 30 years out of profits from the charge. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=428794 Well-heeled Ghaziabad residents protest jeweller's murder ________________________________________ IANS Tuesday 11th November, 2008 Residents of upscale housing societies here staged a demonstration outside a police station Tuesday to protest the lack of security following the murder of a jeweller, who was robbed of Rs.2 million. Sanjiv Kumar Tiwari, who was part of the protest outside Indirapuram police station here, said in last 12 days, two major crime incidents have taken place in Richmond Park locality. 'Two major crime incidents of burglary and shooting have also taken place in the nearby India Today society,' said Tiwari, a senior lecturer at Maharaja Agrasen College at Delhi. He alleged that Indirapuram station officer Ashutosh Gautam spoke rudely. Tiwari said: 'In his address, he (Gautam) said it would take about a week to tackle the crime.' Four unidentified armed men robbed jewellery worth Rs.2 million from a jewellery shop and shot dead the owner Amit Gupta when he resisted. The incident occurred Monday at Shri Ram Jewellers, located at Reliable City Centre Market in sector-6 Vasundhara residential locality of Ghaziabad. Family members said at about 11.00 a.m. four men armed with pistols, on two black Pulsar motorcycles, came to the shop. Three robbers, posing as buyers, entered the showroom and asked to be shown jewellery which had to be given as gift to their sister on her marriage. Meanwhile, one of their accomplices spoke to the jeweller's brother Anil Gupta at his mobile shop which is adjacent. He too said that he wanted to buy a mobile phone for his sister. 'When Amit displayed several jewellery sets, one of the robbers collected all the jewellery from the table and put it in his bag and started to flee. When Amit resisted, one of the robbers shot him in the abdomen,' said Anil. 'We are checking bikers and teams have been constituted to nab the robbers. Richmond Park is an elite society in Vasundhara where the two brothers lived with their families. We will strengthen the security measures here,' said Vijay Bhushan, superintendent of police city. http://see.oneworldsee.org/article/view/151551/1/3194 Protest Concert against Youth Violence Dejan Georgievski 11 November 2008 Last Friday, November 7, several thousands of young people gathered at the Ban Jela?i? Square in Zagreb, at the protest concert against youth violence. The concert, Everybody Has the Right to Live, was dedicated to Luka Ritz, a teenager who was beaten to death by a group of other teens who tried to rob him of his mobile phone and couple of pennies. After the medical intervention, he was released from the hospital and died of the consequences of the beating 12 days later. The police apprehended the five assailants after a huge investigation that covered over 1,500 people considered possible suspects. Recently, a award was established, named after Luka Ritz, which will be given to high schools and students in recognition to their achievements in promotion of tolerance and non-violence. Under the sponsorship of the City of Zagreb, all of Luka`s favourite bands played at the concert - Psihomodo Pop, Majke, Gatuzo, Adastra ? including his own band Shangri La. The concert was initiated by Jeronim Mari?, Adastra`s front-man, whose own song Surovi grade (Rude city) speaks of the problem of street violence. Students from the Ritz`s highschool presented an exhibition of their works on the subject of youth violence on the square. A great number of public personalities and political and social celebrities appeared at the concert. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-44130.html Thousands protest Assam blasts on Guwahati streets Guwahati, Nov 11 : Thousands of people, including students and youths, participated in a huge rally in capital Guwahati today to protest the 30/10 serial blasts and express solidarity with the victims and their families. The ?Gana Samavesh?, organized by the All Assam Students Union (AASU), witnessed mass response from people from all walks of life. Thousands of people participated in the rally spontaneously as the three-km long procession marched through the streets. Traffic came to a standstill at the heart of the city during the afternoon hours, but people were hardly complaining as they rendered all support to this united display of anguish against the perpetrators of the blasts. AASU leaders Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya, Tapan Gogoi and Shanker Rai led the rally, with various clubs and women groups also participating under the AASU banner. The state had not witnessed such massive participation in public rallies since the 'Assam Agitation' days when people used to come out in hordes spontaneously. The entire state had been witnessing protests ever since the October 30 bombings in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon which left 85 dead so far. --- UNI http://archive.gulfnews.com/world/India/10256633.html Protests against deadly bombings bring India's Assam to a halt Agencies Published: November 03, 2008, 13:22 Guwahati: A strike to protest against bombings that killed 82 people in India's troubled Assam state last week shut down the region on Monday, police said, with angry Indians blaming illegal Bangladeshi migrants. Protesters marched through the streets of Guwahati, where 43 people died on Thursday when three bombs went off within minutes. A little-known Islamist group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's serial blasts in the tea- and oil-producing state, the worst strike in the troubled region that also wounded 300 people. Police suspect that Islamist militants working with separatists in Assam were behind the bombings. Several students' groups called the day-long strike across the state, demanding a crackdown on illegal settlers. "We are going to intensify our campaign to drive out Bangladeshis from the region," said Samujjal Bhattacharjee of the Northeast Students Organisation. "We also appeal to people to free our society from these elements who are the real cause of terror." Police said they arrested 50 protesters. The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, India's main opposition, has also criticised the government for not doing enough to stop Bangladeshi nationals from crossing over to India. India's home ministry says up to 20 million Bangladeshis live in India illegally. At least 10 Muslims, mostly Bangladeshis, have been detained for suspected links with the Assam bombers, police said. http://www.thetobagonews.com/index.pl/article?id=19798714 Parents, pupils protest for second time in three weeks Friday, November 28th 2008 A handful of parents turned out to protest about the lack of security at the Signal Hill Secondary School. A small number of parents of pupils attending the Signal Hill Secondary Comprehensive School staged a protest for the second time in three weeks citing a lack of concern by personnel at the Education Division to ensure the safety of their children. While they admitted the Division of Education promised relief in terms of security measures being put in place, parents said promises were not enough. They said they wanted action. Some parents said the authorities should not play political games, while the interest of their children was being swept by the way side. "I am very upset. I have a child coming to this school, I was also a student at this school and activities, which are going on here are very upsetting. In terms of other children students are coming into the school compound with cutlasses and knives and so forth to attack other children," Ian Baynes said. "I am totally fed up of the situation going on at the school it is not through the front gate that the person passes with the cutlass, but at the back and we need our fence now. We need security for our children, teachers and everyone who works on the compound. We are going to do this until we are satisfied with the Division of Education" Virginia Campbell said. Teachers at the Signal Hill Secondary Comprehensive School boycotted classes at the on November 5 following which promises were made by Education Secretary Claudia Groome-Duke that security measures would be implemented, some of which included a security wall and surveillance cameras which were being installed. Groome-Duke met with TTUTA and PTA representatives on Monday to inform stakeholders about a proposal for security measures in schools, as well as administrative and management matters that would impact on the situation to create a safe environment. Groome-Duke said security measures at the Signal Hill school were part of talks with stakeholders and quotations from various security firms have been received. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63025 Published On: 2008-11-12 Metropolitan Injured Trader Dies Violent protest at Kachukhet Staff Correspondent Local people put up a barricade on the road at Kachukhet in the city's Kafrul area and damaged several vehicles last night in protest against the killing of an oil trader. Oil trader Nabiruddin, 38, owner of Nirala Tel Ghar at Rajanigandha Super Market at Kachukhet, who was shot on Sunday succumbed to his injuries at the City Hospital at Mohammadpur yesterday morning. Local people went berserk after his body was brought to the area at about 7:15pm. Witnesses said the traders of Rajanigandha Super Market as well as local people took to the street and started vandalising vehicles. They also put up a barricade on the road for over one hour. Armed extortionists shot Nabiruddin as he refused to pay toll to the members of Shahin Shikder group. Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner of Mirpur zone, told The Daily Star, "The police arrested a killer, Murgi Kawsar, who confessed to his involvement in the murder." http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/hindu-group-holds-protests-in-lucknow_100120180.html Hindu group holds protests in Lucknow November 17th, 2008 - 6:47 pm ICT by IANS - Lucknow, Nov 17 (IANS) A group of Hindu sadhus from Uttar Pradesh Monday staged a demonstration at the assembly complex here, accusing the Congress party of ?framing? a number of them in a case of terrorist attack.The demonstration was held under the banner of the Akhil Bhratiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), which also decided to present a memorandum to the prime minister against the the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police. ?Besides Hindu sadhus, the congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is also flasely framing Hindu army officials for political benefits. This is being done to divert the attention away from the Islamic militancy that the country is facing for the past two and a half decades,? state ABHM head Mahant Narayan Giri said. Sadhvi Divya Giri of the Mankameshwar temple, Lucknow, accused the ATS of ?mentally harrasing? Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a prime accused in the Malegaon blast case. ?Not even a terrorist in the country has been subjected to repeated narco-analysis tests as the ATS has been doing with Pragya. This is a conspiracy of the government to woo the Muslim voters,? said Divya, who says she and Pragya are disciples of the same guru. Mahant Giri added: ?We also demand that the millions of Bangladeshis, who are living illegally in various parts of the country, should be driven out of here as they are one of the root causes of the increased terror activities in the country.? Sadhvi Pragya and nine others have been in the ATS custody for their alleged role in the Sep 29 bomb blast in the Maharashtra town of Malegaon that claimed six lives. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Patna/Students_kidnap_triggers_protest/articleshow/3704594.cms Student's kidnap triggers protest 12 Nov 2008, 1554 hrs IST, IANS PATNA: Residents of Darbhanga district in Bihar took to the streets after a 14-year-old boy was kidnapped at gunpoint Wednesday morning, police said. Rupam Kumar, a class 12 student, was kidnapped on his way to school in Darbhanga, about 200 km from here. He is a student of DAV Public School. Kumar, the son of a businessman, is feared to have been kidnapped for ransom. The residents protested after the news of the kidnap sent shock waves in Darbhanga. They demanded that the police recover Kumar safely. Darbhanga Superintendent of Police Pankaj Darad said: "The police have swung into action. All roads that lead to the city's outskirts have been sealed and a search operation is on. We are hopeful that we will recover the child soon." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,452807,00.html Demonstrators Protest Wave of Violence, Murders in Tijuana Sunday, November 16, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Nov. 15: Citizens march during a protest against the tide of killings, kidnappings and shootouts in Tijuana, Mexico. TIJUANA, Mexico ? More than 1,500 demonstrators marched through the violence-plagued border city of Tijuana on Saturday to protest the current of killings and kidnappings. Among the protesters, doctors marched in white hospital garb to protest the general climate of violence and the kidnapping of a urologist in early November. The march was organized by the Civic Medical Committee. Participants carried placards reading "God Save Us." Many dressed in white, in a gesture of peace, and delivered a petition at local government headquarters asking for greater anti-crime efforts. But the killing continued in the Mexican border city across from San Diego. Two people were shot to death Saturday at a Tijuana taco restaurant. Prosecutors in Baja California state, where Tijuana is located, said two other people were wounded in the restaurant shooting, which apparently involved assault rifles. Another man was shot to death at a pool hall, and two men were found shot to death on a street. While prosecutors offered no immediate motive in the attacks, Tijuana has been hit by increasingly violent turf battles between rival drug cartels, in which heavily armed hitmen execute rivals on city streets and attack law enforcement officials. The violence is affecting innocent bystanders, prompting the doctors to organize Saturday's march. On Friday, gunmen attacked a state police convoy on a main boulevard in Tijuana, but prosecutors said no injuries were reported. A man's decapitated head also was found Friday wrapped in duct tape beside a sign threatening members of a drug gang. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/hindu-group-alleges-orissa-government-inaction-to-hold-protest_100116333.html Hindu group alleges Orissa government inaction, to hold protest November 7th, 2008 - 9:37 pm ICT by IANS - Send to a friend: Bhubaneswar, Nov 7 (IANS) A Hindu group Friday announced it would hold a massive rally in the state capital Nov 15 to protest the state government?s alleged inaction in nabbing the killers of Hindu leaders in the Kandhamal district.The district of Kandhamal, some 200 km from Bhubaneswar, witnessed communal violence after the murder of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides Aug 23. The rally to be organised by Swami Laxmananda Saraswati Sradhanjali Samiti is expected to be attended by over 500,000 people, Samiti coordinator Ratnakar Chaini said Friday. ?The rally would serve as an ultimatum to the state government to nab the culprits behind Swamiji?s killing,? Chaini said. Sadhvi Ritambhara, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram national president Jagdeo Ram Oram, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) central committee senior member Indresh Kumar Mahanta, Ramvilash Vedanti of Ram Janmabhoomi Movement, national president of Hindu Jagaran Samukhya Harihar Nanda and several other leaders would attend the rally, Chaini said. The Samiti alleged that the state government is adopting double standards in dealing with the Kandhamal crisis and illegally arresting innocent Hindus. ?Acting on unconfirmed allegations of a 29-year-old Catholic nun, the Orissa government made all-out efforts to nab the culprits while the same crime branch, looking into the murder of Swamiji, is yet to submit its chargesheet,? Chaini said. While the police blamed the Maoists for the murder of Saraswati and his aides, the Hindu groups blamed Christians for the murder, despite repeated denials by Christian organisations, and attacked them. Over 23,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes. While some have returned, more than 10,000 are still living in government-run relief camps in the district. The murder of 40-year-old Dhanu Pradhani, an activist of the RSS by suspected Maoists on Nov 5, has now renewed tension in the region. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/12/stories/2008111251940300.htm Other States - Orissa Protest against proposed car festival by ISKCON Staff Reporter Puri: A number of servitors of Jagannath Temple and cultural enthusiasts of Puri on Tuesday took to the street protesting the proposed car festival to be organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New Delhi on November 23. They were enraged over untimely celebration of the festival. Servitors burnt effigy of Srila Prabhupad, the founder acharya of ISKCON. Shouting slogans against the organisers, these servitors threatened not to allow the ISKCON followers to Puri. ?Ratha Yatra is usually celebrated in the month of June and July. Since Puri is the real abode of Lord Jagannath, the festival timing should be followed by everyone in and outside the State. So celebrating Ratha Yatra on an unscheduled date is anti-Hindu,? said Priyadarshan Patnaik, national convenor of Jagannath Sena, a local outfit. The State government and the Jagannath Temple Administration (JTA) should take action against ISKCON authorities and prevent organisers at New Delhi from celebrating the Rath Yatra. Reacting to the development JTA?s public relation officer Laxmidhar Pujapanda said Dibyasingh Dev, scion of Puri Royal family, had requested other State government not to allow celebration of Car Festival on any unscheduled date. Despite the protest last year, ISKCON had celebrated the car festival in New Delhi. It had evoked sharp reactions among servitors and other die-hard followers of Jagannath cult. However, Bhubaneswar unit of ISKCON had disassociated from the whole controversy. Chief of ISKCON, Bhubaneswar Golak Mohapatra said, ?we are not part of the decision taken at New Delhi. We will follow the rituals of Jagannath Temple at Puri. We have even passed a resolution to this effect.? http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/11/23/0811231237_orissa_protests_rath_yatra_by_iskcon_in_delhi.html Orissa protests 'Rath Yatra' by ISKCON in Delhi Sunday, November 23, 2008 12:37 [IST] Bhubaneswar: Orissa Sunday opposed the 'Rath Yatra' (car festival) organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Delhi as it violates the Jagannath cult and hurts religious sentiments of the devotees. The state law minister Biswabhusan Harichandan wrote a letter to Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit Saturday opposing the Rath Yatra, an annual festival of Hindus celebrated at Puri housing the famous 12th century Jagannath temple. Also, a letter has been sent by the temple administration of Puri to Delhi, Haryana and other states. "We have sent a letter to Delhi chief minister and requested her to stop the festival," public relations officer of Puri temple administration Laxmidhar Pujapanda told IANS. Puri town is the real adobe of Lord Jagannath and the state government says that everyone in and outside Orissa should follow the festival timing. The festival is held in the sea side town some 56 km from here on the second day of the waxing moon during the month of Ashadha (June-July) in the Indian calendar. The festival is now organised in many countries by the Jagannath devotees. Hundreds of devotees in the Puri town Nov 11 burnt effigy of Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of ISKCON, for untimely holding the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. "We are not a part of the decision taken at New Delhi. Here we follow the rituals of Puri temple," said Golak Mohapatra, an office bearer of Bhubaneswar unit of the ISCKON. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/25/brazil-forests Troops sent to Amazon after violent protests at Brazil logging crackdown ? Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro ? guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 November 2008 13.10 GMT A sawmill that processes logs from the Amazon in Tailandia, Brazil. Photograph: Paulo Santos/Reuters Federal troops will be deployed in a remote Amazon town after hundreds of protesters, angry at the government's crackdown on deforestation, ransacked the local offices of Brazil's environmental protection agency. The demonstrators invaded the headquarters of Ibama, the environmental agency, on Sunday night, setting fire to vehicles, smashing computers and destroying documents. The action was triggered when government officials impounded 14 lorries carrying around 400 cubic metres of wood they claim was illegally removed from an indigenous reserve near the Amazon town of Paragominas. After attacking the Ibama officers, the protestors made off with the lorries, while environmental agents took refuge in a local hotel. The riot was eventually broken up by military police using tear gas and pepper spray. "We will hunt down the stolen lorries," one environmental agent, Marco Vidal, who is stationed in Paragominas, told the government news agency, Agencia Brasil. The temperature has been rising in remote Amazon towns like Paragominas since the government launched an anti-deforestation drive, called "Arc of Fire", earlier this year. Many locals are angry at the impact the initiative is having on the local economy, with many saw mills being forced to close. In February locals burned cars in the streets and attacked the town hall in Tailandia, another Amazon town, as a protest against the crackdown. Located in the northeast of Para state, the region around Paragominas is a notorious hotspot for illegal deforestation and violence. Members of the environmental group Greenpeace recently invested in a bulletproof pick-up truck to use while travelling in the region. Brazil's environment minister, Carlos Minc, said the government would "intensify" its actions in the region. "We won't be intimidated," he said. In an interview with the Guardian earlier this year, Brazil's minister for strategic affairs, Roberto Mangabeira Unger, said the country needed to offer alternative employment to the Amazon's 25m inhabitants in order to protect the rainforest. The proponent of controversial plans to industrialise parts of the Amazon, Unger said Brazil needed to adopt "a form of environmental protection which is less and less the result of a police operation and more and more the consequence of a working model of economic and social organisation." He criticised environmentalists who demanded the protection of the rainforest without considering those living there. "What has happened in some parts of the rich world is that concern about the tropical rainforest has become... a form of escapism," he said. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/11/29/185375/Crackdown-on.htm Saturday, November 29, 2008 9:43 am TWN, By Raymond Colitt, Reuters Crackdown on loggers after riots BRASILIA -- Brazil?s environment minister led a crackdown on illegal timber businesses in the Amazon on Thursday, displaying force after loggers ransacked government offices and escaped with contraband wood. Environment Minister Carlos Minc shut down two saw mills in the city of Paragominas in the northern state of Para and impounded 3,000 cubic meters (105,900 cu. ft.) of tropical wood, which would roughly fill up to 150 trucks. He was flanked by police officers and environmental protection agents. The move is part of the government?s uphill battle to try to break the supply chain of illegal wood cut by tens of thousands of loggers, ranchers and farmers and consumed by millions of people in Brazil and abroad. On Sunday a mob in Paragominas ransacked offices of the environment agency Ibama, torched its garage, stole trucks with confiscated logs, and used a tractor to break down the entrance of the hotel where the government agents stayed. The stolen wood has still not been found. ?These acts (of vandalism) won?t remain unpunished. Everything is impounded and the environmental criminals will be punished,? Minc said after visiting saw mills, where illegal tree trunks logs were hidden in the thicket of the forest. Minc ordered the owner of one of the saw mills to pay a fine of 1.3 million reais for having bought tree trunks from a nearby native Indian reservation, where logging is prohibited. ?They pay off Indians to get the wood out,? Francisco Antonio da Silva, Paragominas town hall secretary, told Reuters. ?Unfortunately there are still loggers who don?t obey the law, but they are the minority,? he said. Deforestation rates have slowed in recent years but huge swathes of the world?s largest rain forest are still chopped down each year. Since taking office as minister in May, Minc has cracked down on illegal cattle ranchers and soy farmers advancing into the forest. He also signed agreements with meat packers and saw mills not to buy meat and timber from illegally logged areas. But critics say Ibama still lacks proper financing and staffing and that that big government infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric dams actually promote deforestation. The government will announce its annual Amazon deforestation rate on Friday. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111954200300.htm Nov 19 2008 Kerala NGO Front?s ?rolling? protest Staff Reporter Novel move: Kerala NGO Front leaders protesting against liquor, drugs and terrorism by rolling along the road in Malappuram on Tuesday. MALAPPURAM: The Kerala NGO Front staged a novel protest here on Tuesday against liquor, drugs and terrorism. NGO Front State general secretary P.C. Joseph and district president P.T. Ouseph rolled along the road from the KSRTC bus stand to the District Collectorate gate along with a couple of other party workers. The front claimed that it was the first service organisation to conduct a ?rolling satyagraha? for the cause of redemption from liquor, drugs and terrorism. The front demanded that political parties should state in their election manifestoes their stand on liquor, drugs and terrorism. Kerala Congress (M) district president P.M. Johny inaugurated the satyagraha. http://www.dailyhome.com/news/2008/dh-talladega-1123-cnorwood-8k22v5701.htm Dozens march in protest of recent violence By Chris Norwood 11-23-2008 A group of concerned citizens marched through all three of Talladega?s federally subsidized housing projects Saturday to demand an end to the violence that has left one young man dead and another injured so far this month alone. The event was organized primarily by Talladega City Councilman Eddie Tucker and the Rev. William Baylor, with help from the Talladega Merchant?s Association and several Talladega College students. For most of the route, the column was headed up by Tucker, Baylor, Mayor Brian York, City Council president Horace Patterson and County Commissioner Kelvin Cunningham. The group that headed out of East Side Head Start into the Knoxville Homes community numbered 35 to 40 people (there may have been some confusion about what time the event started), but the march grew quickly as it headed through town, with marchers calling out to bystanders to ?march to stop the violence? and ?just get in where you fit in.? Establishing an accurate head count was difficult, but by the time the marchers reached West Gate, they numbered at least 80 and possibly closer to 100. The marchers went straight through Knoxville Homes and then into Curry Court, where there was a brief pause for logistics and a bathroom break, then on to West Gate. There were several call-and-response chants along the route, most commonly ?Stop The!? ?Violence!? and ?Pray for Peace.? ?What do we want?? One woman demanded during the trip toward West Gate. ?Peace!? The crowd replied. ?What do we need?? ?Peace!? ?What do we want to stop?? ?Violence.? Tucker then led a chant of ?Everywhere we go/ people want to know/ who we are/ so we tell them/we are the community/the mighty, mighty community,? and singing of ?Lil? Liza Jane.? The group then began a call and response of ?Tomorrow?s!? ?Hope!? before actually entering West Gate ? where 17-year-old Thomarcus Holt was murdered Nov. 2 ? chanting ?Our Big T.R.I.P.? At this point, the majority of the marchers were children or young people. The most emotional point in the morning came when the marchers paused in front of Number 26 West Gate, where Holt was shot. ?This is the site our latest murder,? Tucker said, his voice just about ruined from the march. ?We are marching in the hope that we will never have to do anything like this ever again. You can think, oh well, somebody else got killed. But that was somebody?s boy, somebody?s grandchild, somebody?s brother, somebody?s friend. We have to make it not cool to perpetrate violent acts like this. ?You might say, I?m not a snitch, but we need your help?We need to strive for a better community, where there is more love, more peace. All this fighting and cutting up hurts us. We have to all work together.? ?A gun don?t make you a man,? one marcher said. ?And once that bullet leaves it, you can?t call it back.? Patterson then spoke, prefacing his remarks with some words to ?the young man who did this. I don?t know where you are, and I don?t know your name. You?re not evil, but you have done an evil act, and there will be no peace in your soul and no prosperity in your life until you do the right thing, the manly thing, and take responsibility. And those of you who know things but won?t come forward, you?re not helping him, you?re not helping yourself and you?re not helping your community. I don?t care what the DJs say on the radio or what the rappers say in their music, but there is such a thing as right and there is such a thing as wrong. What was done here was wrong, and not coming forward is wrong. ?Let us hope,? Patterson continued, ?that we have a new anointing of our hearts, so that this is the last time we have to do this. When you take a life, you don?t know what you?re taking. You could be killing a future president, a scientist who cures cancer, or a great father to his children. It?s a disaster, a horrible situation?It kills something in all of us.? Patterson also urged patience with the ongoing police investigation into Holt?s slaying. He then urged all the crowd to join hands as he asked for a blessing on the marchers, their intent and the house in front of them. After moving into the community center, several other leaders made brief remarks. York said, ?It?s important to stop the violence because it hurts us all and it hurts us as a town. It?s bad for bringing in business, among other things. But if we reached just one, if we keep just one child from committing an act of violence today, this event will be a success.? Police Chief Alan Watson pointed out that more than 90 percent of gun violence in Talladega takes place between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m., and urged parents to be more mindful of where their children were, especially at night. He added that the investigation into Holt?s murder was still ongoing and making good progress. ?We won?t stop until the person or persons who did this are caught,? he said. He also encouraged people to talk to him or their councilman about whatever problems might arise. Cunningham also encouraged greater awareness. ?We?re here right now,? he said. ?But you live here. It?s up to you. ?You know,? he continued, ?On Nov. 4, people around my age saw a dream fulfilled sooner than we ever thought. You truly have the opportunity, the ability, to do whatever you want to do and to be whatever you want to be. Don?t throw it away. Don?t be influenced by some child who knows even less than you.? Housing authority executive director Mack Heaton also emphasized diligence and cooperation with law enforcement as a pathway to a safer community. Baylor said he was particularly encouraged by the presence of so many young people ?who are tomorrow?s leaders. It is all in your power to stop the violence. And this is a wonderful first step, but it can?t stop here. Start a neighborhood watch, get involved.? Keela Brown, who provided food for the event, said, ?I?m a florist, so I see the aftermath of an event like this, the way it affects the family. Sure, I make money, but I?d rather go broke than make it that way.? Pastor Annie Chapman and college student India Jorge also spoke, the latter outlining the recently launched Big Brothers-Big Sisters program that provides tutoring and mentoring services in public housing facilities. Lastly, Jewel Holt, Thomarcus?s grandmother spoke. ?I?m not going to be saying very much; I don?t want to start crying again,? she said. ?I got two things. Thank you for your support, and thank the police for their work. We got to stick together. And if you know anything, you?ve got to come forward or you could be next.? Baylor said he received a great deal of help organizing the event from Jorge, Tiana Jones, Fontina Fuller and Jamal Dawson in putting out fliers and getting the word out. http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27764 Armenians protest any concessions in Karabakh process 21.11.2008 17:52 GMT+04:00 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Miatsum (reunification) civil initiative organized an action in front of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to protest against any concessions in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process. The action participants handed a petition to Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to warn him that surrender of the liberated territories is inadmissible. ?Surrender of the territories is a grave crime that will undermine the Armenian statehood. Any attempt to cede the liberated territories will be a historical and moral burden and will be equaled to treason,? the petition says. http://www.anspress.com/nid94875.html Politic / 07.11.2008 22:25 Azerbaijanis held protest action in Sweden (Photosession) The picket before the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of this country has been spent in protest at an aggressive policy of Armenia occupying 20 percent of territory of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijanis living in Sweden have spent protest action in connection with arrival of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian to the country. The picket before the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of this country has been spent in protest at an aggressive policy of Armenia occupying 20 percent of territory of Azerbaijan. The Chairman of Sweden-Azerbaijan Society Nasir Mahammadali informed ANS PRESS that there were several diplomats of various countries in the building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden during the protest action was held. The picket proceeded over an hour. Our compatriots made speeches in the Azerbaijani and Swedish languages and sounded various slogans. A delegation of five persons handed over the resolution of the picketers to the employee the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. The latter promised to transfer the document to the management. N.Mahammadali also told that representatives of the Armenian delegation observed of the action as well. http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=27618 Sweden?s Azeri diaspora protest action didn?t frustrate Bildt-Nalbandian meeting 08.11.2008 12:19 GMT+04:00 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt held talks Friday with visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. Bildt said he welcomed the joint declaration this week by the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to seek a peaceful solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, referring to the breakaway region claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Bildt said the recent war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia showed the danger that so-called "frozen conflicts never stay frozen." The Swedish Foreign Minister said he hoped to visit Yerevan before Sweden takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union in July 2009. In a speech organized by the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Nalbandian said that the conflict in Georgia was a "matter of grave concern" for Armenia. As a neighboring state, 70 per cent of Armenia?s transits go through Georgia so "any major event in Georgia, echoes in Armenia," he said. The meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow was "a step forward," Nalbandian said. He also noted that while the ramifications of conflict in Georgia were yet to be assessed, it had sent a signal that "war is never an answer," The Earthtimes reports. On the eve of the meeting, the Azeri diaspora gathered to protest the visit of Edward Nalbandian. After the action, the demonstrators handed a statement ?on Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan? to the Swedish MFA. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/11/Protests_erupt_at_Jerusalem_polling_spots/UPI-11501226462808/ Protests erupt at Jerusalem polling spots Published: Nov. 11, 2008 at 11:06 PM JERUSALEM, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews tried to prevent voting at the Beit Israel neighborhood polling place in Jerusalem, officials said. The ruckus follows similar disputes between different ultra-Orthodox groups, YnetNews.com reported Tuesday. The news site reported police were sent to the scene when clashes broke out and the ultra-Orthodox protesters threw stones. Later in the day, a group of ultra-Orthodox residents, who object to Haredi voters, clashed. Most of the ballots in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods were labeled "sensitive." Authorities were dispatched to prevent voter fraud. Ultra-Orthodox candidate Knesset Member Meir Porush was projected to be losing to businessman Nir Barkat. Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, Mayor Ron Huldai was being challenged by Knesset Member Dov Khenin. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/19/2395273.htm Israeli protesters force Gaza crossing to close Posted Sun Oct 19, 2008 10:00pm AEDT Israel has been forced to shut down one of the main goods crossings into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip when Israeli demonstrators gathered there to call for the release of a captured soldier. "The crossing was supposed to be open today and approximately 80 trucks were supposed to pass, carrying food and medical supplies," a military spokesman said. "Because of the demonstration, it is closed right now." He added that police had arrived on the scene and the army hoped to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing later in the day. Local media reported that dozens of protesters had gathered in the early hours to protest the stalling of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas over the release of Israeli reservist Corporal Gilad Shalit. Defence Minister Ehud Barak told army radio every effort was being made to bring Corporal Shalit home but warned that such demonstrations could "raise the price of his release" by encouraging Hamas to increase its demands. Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Corporal Shalit, who was seized by Gaza militants in a deadly cross-border raid in June 2006. Israel has sealed Gaza off to all but limited humanitarian aid since June 2007 when Hamas - which is sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state - seized power in the impoverished territory. The blockade has remained in place despite a four-month truce that has virtually halted the near-daily rocket attacks Palestinian militants used to launch on Israeli communities near the Gaza border. - AFP http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128546 Religious Schools Protest Ben-Gurion Memorial Sabbath March by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (IsraelNN.com) A national union of religious girls' schools filed a petition with the High Court of Justice on Monday seeking a Holding the march on the Sabbath is contrary to the sensitivity to Jewish culture and unity displayed by Ben-Gurion. temporary injunction against a march in memory of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, on the Sabbath. The petitioners say that the march, to be held this Saturday, is contrary to Ben-Gurion's approach of respecting the holy day in his public roles. They also argue that it is discriminatory because, by necessity, it excludes religious participants. The annual march is traditionally organized by the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council around the date of Ben-Gurion Memorial Day, the anniversary of the Prime Minister's death on the 6th of Kislev in the Jewish calendar. This year is the 16th time that the Council is holding the Ben-Gurion event, which includes a march that ends with a fair at Sde Boker, Ben-Gurion's Negev home. According to the David Ben-Gurion Law, 5737-1976, passed "in memory of David Ben-Gurion and his work, and to transmit his heritage to future generations," when Kislev 6 "falls on the eve of Sabbath or on a Sabbath, the memorial day shall be observed on the following Sunday." This year Ben-Gurion Memorial Day falls on Wednesday, December 3. Ramat HaNegev spokesmen say that the march and fair are not official state-sponsored events and, as such, are not subject to legislated Sabbath restrictions. If the event were held on a weekday, the Council argued, many participants would not be able to come. Saying it was "open and sensitive" to the religious public, the Council noted that two years ago it began holding a parallel Ben-Gurion memorial march on Friday for the religious public. The petitioner, the Federation of Girls' Schools for Judaism and Land of Israel Studies, said that the Regional Council is obligated to allow Sabbath-observant residents to take part in the Ben-Gurion memorial events. Holding the march on the Sabbath is contrary to the sensitivity to Jewish culture and unity displayed by Ben-Gurion himself, the petitioner noted, as the late Prime Minister carefully avoided public Sabbath desecration in his role as a leader of the Jewish State. The Federation says that it turned to the High Court only as a last resort, after efforts at dialogue with the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council proved fruitless. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039260.html Last update - 19:18 20/11/2008 Qassam hits Negev as Ashkelon residents protest Gaza rockets By Haaretz Service, Reuters and the Associated Press Tags: israel news, gaza, hamas Palestinian militants fired a Qassam rocket into the western Negev on Thursday as Ashkelon residents protested against an upsurge in cross-border attacks from Gaza. The Qassam attack was the latest violation of a five-month Israel-Hamas truce in the Gaza Strip. The rocket, which struck an open area in the Sha'ar Hanegev regional council, caused neither casualties nor property damage. Dozens of Ashkelon residents held the protest at the entrance to the southern city. "I call on every parent in the state, on every mother and every father, to cooperate with us, to join our protest, and to demand that the government promise [us] quiet and security," said one of the demonstrators, speaking to Israel Radio. Gunmen from Gaza have fired dozens of rockets at Israel in the past two weeks after Israel launched a raid it said was aimed at thwarting the planned kidnapping of a soldier by Gaza militants. Since then, Israel Defense Forces have killed about a dozen gunmen, and closed crossing points with Gaza, choking off some food supplies to the coastal territory. UN chief to Israel: Ease Gaza blockade Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni rebuffed a new attempt by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to ease a bruising blockade of the Gaza Strip, pledging retaliation and calling on the world to condemn Palestinian rocket attacks instead, an aide to the minister said. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has grown worse since a 5-month truce began coming apart two weeks ago. Responding to near-daily rocket attacks, Israel shut its cargo crossings with the territory. Ban - who called Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this week to lobby for more aid shipments - turned up the heat on Thursday with a similar call to Livni. In a tense conversation with Ban, Livni declared that the blockade would not end until Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel, an aide to Livni reported. "There is no way that Palestinian terrorists will shoot at us and we will not respond," Livni told Ban, the aide said. The international community must speak up and use its influence against the Palestinian rocket attacks. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the telephone call was private. There was no immediate word from the UN on Ban's appeal. Israel hopes by closing cargo crossings it can force Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers to halt militant rocket and mortar fire at Israeli border towns. But the closures have drastically reduced the flow of goods into Gaza, home to 1.4 million people. Although some food is smuggled in through tunnels from Egypt, many basic goods are in short supply. The top UN aid official in Gaza told The Associated Press on Thursday that Israel had reversed a decision to let in 70 trucks of humanitarian aid, bringing UN aid stocks perilously close to depletion. Israel denied it had agreed to let the aid through. "We have pinpoint intelligence warnings that they are planning a terror attack on the crossings," said Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror. "The trucks were never supposed to go through because of the rocket attacks and because of the planned attack on the crossings." Without more supplies, the UN will be forced to suspend food distribution to 750,000 Gazans at the end of the week, said John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. "We have a situation where 80 percent of the population live in abject poverty and the results of that are the daily needs are not being met by any family," Ging said. Earlier Thursday, an explosion in the Gaza Strip killed a member of the Hamas Islamist group, hospital staff and witnesses said. It was not immediately clear whether the man was killed by an Israel Defense Forces strike or an accidental explosion. The IDF had no immediate comment. Also on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces arrested 31 suspected militants south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=158137 Brokers protest new system in fear of losing jobs ?MKB President H?seyin Erkan speaks with a group of brokers demonstrating on the stock market floor in protest against a new system implemented by the Capital Markets Board. Brokers working at the ?stanbul Stock Exchange (?MKB) protested yesterday against a decision to close the main hall, with some brokers waiting outside, refusing to work. ?MKB management recently decided to close the main session hall starting from Jan. 1, 2009, in order to change to an electronic system. Once the switch is complete, hundreds of brokers stand to lose their jobs. Share operations will be handled by the ExAPI, an electronic system used by intermediary firms, rather than the main stock exchange terminal. With the new system, customers will be able to complete their transactions without resorting to a broker. ?MKB President H?seyin Erkan said he cares for brokers' rights. "We do not wish to lose any brokers. I personally want the [main] session hall to continue operating with the brokers working there," he noted. Erkan said he gave importance to the function of brokers, underlining that it is not possible for a capital market to develop without the contributions of knowledgeable brokers. Erkan stressed that there is a well-established infrastructure in place for the operation of a remote access system. "Before the remote access system was instituted, there were 1,200 brokers actively working. This number has now decreased to 400. We do not want more brokers to lose their jobs; we respect the services of our experienced brokers," he noted, underlining that they had no problems with the brokers. Approximately 95 percent of the orders on the ?MKB are made through the remote access system. The remaining 5 percent are handled by brokers. Buying and selling shares through brokers accounts for 15 percent of total volume. Some of the brokers said it will be very difficult for them to find jobs if they lose their current ones. "We are shocked this switchover is being implemented at a time like this," they said, referring to the decision of the ?MKB management. Erkan noted that he expected the brokers to return to work soon, saying the brokers only wanted to show their discontent. Furthermore, he noted that they planned to make some new arrangements to keep up with technological developments. 08 November 2008, Saturday http://www.afrol.com/articles/31598 Protestors torch opposition headquarters afrol News, 6 November - Egyptian protestors have torched headquarters of most prominent opposition politician in clashes between rival factions, eyewitnesses and police said. Police official said seven people sustained minor injuries as rival groups threw stones and bottles at each other at downtown Cairo headquarters of al-Ghad party. The clashes involved supporters of the party's chief Ayman Nour and his deputy Moussa Moustafa Moussa, in their ongoing dispute over who should lead the party. The dispute has been going on since September 2005. Mr Moussa's supporters are said to have raided office when Mr Nour's supporters refused to leave the building. "We had a court ruling that gives us the right to take over the office," one Mr Moussa supporter claimed. Police said eight supporters of Mr Nour including his wife Jameela Ismail, who is also a prominent member of the party were arrested. A witness said protestors first attacked al-Ghad headquarters in downtown Cairo with stones and bottles. "Then some used aerosol cans to spray flames at offices, located in an old building that also houses two 19th century restaurants and shops," he said. A prominent former lawmaker, Mr Nour who founded al-Ghad party in 2004, a year later, was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison after allegedly forging signatures on petitions to register party. However, opposition contends he was imprisoned for running against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in 2005 elections. At the time, president Mubarak had ruled the country unchallenged for two and a half decades. Deputy leader Moussa Moustafa Moussa, a pro-government figure, claimed the right to succeed Mr Nour at the party helm, and right to take over party headquarters and newspaper. He recently won a court order to take over al-Ghad headquarters. The violence was latest infighting in the opposition al-Ghad party, bitterly divided between supporters of jailed dissident Ayman Nour and those who back a pro-government leader. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/240388,headquarters-of-egyptian-opposition-party-set-afire-in-clashes.html Headquarters of Egyptian opposition party set afire in clashes Posted : Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:42:18 GMT Author : DPA Category : Middle East (World) Cairo - The headquarters of Egypt's opposition al-Ghad party were set on fire on Thursday amid clashes between rival factions in the party, security sources told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa. Twelve fire trucks were called in to extinguish the flames in the party's offices in downtown Cairo. The clashes involved supporters of the party's chief Ayman Nour and his deputy Moussa Moustafa Moussa, in their ongoing dispute over who should lead the party. The dispute has been going on since September 2005. Nour was sent to prison in late 2005 on forgery charges after coming second to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the last presidential elections. Many people believe that Nour was sent to prison merely for trying to challenge Mubarak in the elections. Moussa's backers said that they raided the office when Nour's supporters refused to leave the building. "We had a court ruling that gives us the right to take over the office," one Moussa supporter claimed. Nour's backers threw Molotov cocktails to stop the raid. Police arrested eight of Nour's supporters, including his wife Jameela Ismail, who is also a prominent member of the party. The group chanted anti-Mubarak slogans during their arrest, the sources told dpa. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_North%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw20081106131825124C418023 Clashes erupt at Egypt dissident party HQ November 06 2008 at 07:06PM Cairo - Several people were injured on Thursday in clashes between rival factions of Egypt's opposition Ghad party, including one headed by renowned political dissident Ayman Nur, after a leadership dispute. A security official said several people were lightly hurt as the rival groups threw stones and bottles at each other at the downtown Cairo headquarters of the party, whose name means Tomorrow in English. Factions loyal to Nur, who was ejected from the party in 2007 following a government ruling, and the party's leader designate Mussa Mustapha, "clashed violently...using inflammable bottles and stones," the official told AFP. Firemen were trying to extinguish a fire which subsequently broke out in the office's entrance, the official said. "They've set fire to the headquarters, they attacked us with tear gas," Nur's wife Gamila Ismail told AFP by telephone. "We're trapped on the upper floor." Nur mounted an unprecedented challenge against veteran President Hosni Mubarak during the 2005 presidential election before being jailed on forgery charges many see as trumped up. Nur, a 44-year-old lawyer who led his Ghad party during Egypt's first ever presidential elections in September 2005, was put behind bars three months later for fraud, a charge widely seen as politically motivated. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/general/water_cooler_moments/shopper+stages+store+protest/2703677 Shopper stages store protest Print this page Last Modified: 01 Nov 2008 Source: PA News A disgruntled shopper set up home in a store showroom to protest about delays in the delivery of her bedroom furniture. Shahana Ahmad, who is in her 30s, took her three-year-old daughter, Diya, to MFI in Newmarket Road, Cambridge. The research scientist, of Teversham, Cambs, hung her daughter's clothes in the wardrobe then cuddled up with her on the bed before staff intervened. She told the Cambridge News she took the action to highlight the fact that she had been waiting for her order, worth nearly ?800, since July. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-42749.html Vidyarthi Morcha protests against Madan Tamang Darjeeling, Nov 08 : Activists of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha, the student wing of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM), today protested near the house of Akhil Bhartiya Gorkha League(ABGL) president Madan Tamang. Police said they were protesting against Mr Tamang's allegation of a "secret meeting" between GJM president Bimal Gurung and State Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty last month. Tamang had accused Mr Gurung of suspending the name-change agitation after the "secret meeting". The GJM chief had issued an ultimatum to Tamang to prove the charge by November 7 or "face the consequences". Raising slogans against Mr Tamang the Vidyarthi Morcha cadres also warned him to prove the allegation or be prepared to leave the hills. Policemen were deployed near Mr Tamang's house to avoid any untoward incident. Incidentally, the GJM yesterday announced a complete shut down of the hills from today. However, no untoward incident was reported so far in the area, police added. --- UNI http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Group-Protests-Proposals-to-Raise-Taxes/1VnMOZcU5kWS9Ege4qFPfQ.cspx Group Protests Proposals to Raise Taxes Last Update: 11/24/2008 10:41 pm A taxpayer watchdog group staged a demonstration Monday in Bakersfield, as part of a statewide campaign against proposals to raise taxes to balance the budget. Both houses of the Legislature will convene Tuesday in Sacramento in a last-ditch effort to get a budget deal done before the session is over. There's only one day left in the emergency budget session. And so far there's no deal on the table. Meantime, a taxpayer watchdog group staged a demonstration Monday in Bakersfield, as part of a statewide campaign against proposals to raise taxes to balance the budget. They stood in front of the soon-to-be-closed Mervyn's store on California Avenue with a giant ATM machine. In this case, they said, ATM stands for "Already Taxed to the Max." "We're asking the governor and Legislature to come together. Do not burden the citizens of California with additional taxes," said Americans for Prosperity Chairman Peter Foy. "Just because there's not enough revenue to balance the budget does not mean you should go back to people and businesses and further tax," said Debbie Moreno with the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce. Americans for Prosperity say it's time for the governor and legislature to stop treating California taxpayers as their own personal A-T-M machine. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i08hNE5cNOBLn42mRHHs35FhprRw Egyptians protest fuel shortages caused by Gaza smuggling Nov 24, 2008 EL-ARISH, Egypt (AFP) ? About 150 people demonstrated in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Arish on Monday to protest a fuel shortage because of smuggling to the Gaza Strip, a security official said. "About 150 drivers, farmers and construction workers protested the lack of diesel and petrol due to smuggling to Gaza," the official said. The demonstrators called on police to crack down on the smuggling, he said, adding that police seized 70,000 litres (18,200 gallons) of fuel in El-Arish which traffickers were intending to smuggle. Sinai officials told AFP on Saturday that the smuggling to the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory has affected fuel supplies in the region. "Smuggling to Gaza through tunnels has led to a drastic reduction in fuel supplies at petrol stations" in the northern Sinai, said Mohammed Hussein, a senior official of the Sinai regime. Other local officials said work with agricultural equipment was slowing down because of the shortage of fuel. The authorities in northern Sinai have over the past month imposed a ban on the sale of fuel in jerry cans except for agricultural purposes, and ordered all petrol stations to close overnight. Almost 170,000 litres of fuel being readied for shipment to Gaza on the black market was seized last week, officials said. Israel on Monday allowed some supplies into Gaza amid mounting international concern over the worsening humanitarian situation for the territory's 1.5 million inhabitants, virtually sealed off from the outside world. Israel's blockade of the territory has led to severe fuel shortages, power cuts and an ever worsening humanitarian situation. http://newshopper.sulekha.com/topic/slideshow/bucharest-romania/535240.htm Romanian police officer joins a protest about their pay, during a heavy rain storm in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008. Some hundreds of police officers gathered in the capital to express their demands for a 30 percent pay rise, better working conditions and compensation for their families in cases of injuries or death while on duty. Romania will hold parliamentary elections on Nov. 30, 2008.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/21112008/323/alitalia-creditor-s-staff-protest-rome.html Friday November 21, 07:47 PM Alitalia creditor's staff protest in Rome ROME (AFP) - Around 100 employees of Alitalia (Milan: AZA.MI - news) 's creditors protested Friday at Fiumicino airport in Rome over the Italian flag carrier's unpaid debts, Telenews agency reported. Calling themselves the "silent victims" of the failing airline, they hoisted banners saying: "We get no redundancy benefits, we are only suppliers" and "We worked for Alitalia. Now we want to be paid." On Thursday, Augusto Fantozzi, Alitalia's bankruptcy commissioner, said the airline currently owes 3.2 billion euros (four billion dollars). The Italian government on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for Alitalia, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, to be sold to a group of investors for 1.052 billion euros. The assets will be sold to the Italian Air Company (CAI), an investor group set up in an emergency move in August to relaunch the national airline. While outstanding debts will be paid off once unwanted assets are sold off, Fantozzi has stated that the amount raised will not be enough to pay all creditors. http://newsblaze.com/story/20081120084355zzzz.nb/topstory.html Published: November 20,2008 Send to a friend Upset Hindus Broadening Protest Against Supermodel Heidi Klum Hindus perturbed by supermodel Heidi Klum's Goddess Kali Halloween costume and then her evading the public apology call are planning to appeal the corporations like McDonald's, Volkswagen, Liz Claiborne, etc., to take her off from being their spokesmodel. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protests, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that when online entertainment magazine Hollyscoop reportedly caught up with Heidi Klum recently in Miami (USA) and asked her thoughts on the controversial costume, instead of apologizing to the hurt Hindu community, she said, "I loved my costume..." Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, says that they expected a better answer from a responsible person like Heidi Klum who authored "Rules of Model Behavior"; supports various charities; was nominated for five Primetime Emmys; appeared on postage stamps in Austria and Grenada;is an actress, model, producer, fashion designer, singer, television personality, painter, columnist, and successful businesswoman. Klum is thoughtful enough to have the feel for the pain of the one billion strong Hindu populace who revere and worship Goddess Kali. Rajan Zed stressed that ksama (forgiveness) was one of the main virtues of Hindu ethics. If Klum offered a sincere public apology, Hindus would not only absolve her but might also pray for her success in future ventures, if asked. Besides Zed, various other leaders have asked Klum to offer an apology for posing as Goddess Kali, including Reverend Larry Edward Schneider, Minister of Unity Church of Today; Nevada Clergy Association president Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr.; Lonnie L. Feemster of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Somnath Paramshetti of Forum for Hindu Awakening USA. Those who issued critical statements against her on this issue included Swami Pooja Saraswati, a well respected spiritual leader; Annabelle Younger of International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Jawahar L. Khurana, Chairperson of Hindu Alliance of India; and Bhavna Shinde, a spirituality guide. Goddess Kali, who personifies Sakti or divine energy, is widely worshipped in Hinduism. She is considered the goddess of time and change. Some Bengali poets described her as supreme deity. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism, which is the oldest and third largest religion of the world. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113052430300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Protests against Mumbai attacks Staff Correspondent agitated: Members of the district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party staging a protest in Gulbarga on Saturday. GULBARGA: Members of the district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday staged a protest here condemning the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The members burnt the national flag of Pakistan and blocked the road close to the Police Chowk near the Super Market area. In a memorandum, the members alleged that terrorist activities in the country were not carried out by members of Lakshar-e-Taiba alone as was projected but were ?indirectly led by Pakistan?s military forces?. The members felt that a BJP government at the Centre could tackle the terrorist activities in the country. The protest was led by BJP leader Naresh Ukade. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113052390300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protests against terror attacks Staff Correspondent Vocal: Students of the Government Primary School at Nekar Colony in Hubli staging a demonstration on Saturday. HUBLI: Protests against terror attacks in Mumbai continued in Hubli on Saturday with schoolchildren and advocates taking part in them. Students of the Government Primary School at Nekar Colony in Hubli staged a demonstration in front of their school on Saturday condemning the attacks. They held placards with messages condemning attacks on innocent civilians and urged the authorities to take stringent action against those behind the attacks. Members of the Kannada Para Mahamandala, led by D. Govind Rao, took out a protest march and burnt a portrait of Osama bin Laden. The protesters urged the Union Government not to spare anyone who was involved in acts of terrorism and promulgate stringent laws to check terrorist activities. Members of the Hubli Bar Association convened a special meeting in Hubli on Saturday to condemn the terror attacks in Mumbai. In the meeting, chaired by president of the association C.R. Patil, advocates condemned the attacks and said that successive governments had failed to ensure safety of citizens and had indulged in vote-bank politicsThe advocates condemned the terror attacks by abstaining from court proceedings for the day. The meeting mourned the Army and police officers who died fighting against terrorists in Mumbai, by observing silence for two minutes. In Belgaum Belgaum Staff Correspondent writes: Bharatiya Janata Party workers and vegetable merchants staged separate protests in Belgaum on Saturday against the terror attacks in Mumbai. The BJP workers from Belgaum North Assembly constituency took out a procession and burnt an effigy of ?terrorism? at Rani Chennamma Circle. The BJP workers, led by constituency president L.V. Patil, submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President, through the Deputy Commissioner urging dismissal of UPA Government for its ?failure? to check the growing incidents of terror attacks. Vegetable merchants under the banner of Belgaum Cantonment Wholesale Vegetable Merchants? Association took out a procession to register their protest and express solidarity with the security personnel who were part of the operation in Mumbai. Members of the association also submitted a memorandum to the Market police station and demanded adequate security measures to ensure peace and maintenance of law and order in the light of terror attacks in Mumbai. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112950540300.htm Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad Protests HUBLI: Several members of Stree Shakti self-help groups took out a protest march and burnt an effigy in Dharwad on Friday to condemn terror attacks in Mumbai.The members, led by BJP leader Gururaj Hunasimarad, marched to the Jubilee Circle and raised slogans condemning the terror attacks. ? Staff Correspondent http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112950510300.htm Karnataka - Gulbarga Protests in Gulbarga Staff Correspondent GULBARGA: Members of the district unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday staged a protest here condemning the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The members blocked Sharanabasaveshwara Temple Road in Sangameswara Colony as part of their protest. The situation became tense after the ABVP members and a youth exchanged blows. It is said that a youth on a two-wheeler penetrated the road blockade leading to an argument and exchange of blows between him and the protesters. The ABVP protesters are said to have set the two-wheeler on fire. Policemen present on the spot immediately doused the fire, and the youth left the spot. Superintendent of Police Devjyothi Ray, Additional Superintendent of Police Mahantesh, and other senior police officials visited the spot. In another protest, members of the district unit of the All India Youth Federation burnt an effigy of terrorism to condemn the attacks in Mumbai. The protest was staged at Jewargi Cross here. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112855960300.htm Andhra Pradesh Candlelight protests ADILABAD: Citizens of Adilabad on Thursday lighted candles to express solidarity in the fight against terrorism. They condemned the killing of innocents by terrorists in Mumbai. Speakers at a gathering at the Shaheed park here showered praises on the policemen including officers who were killed while facing terrorists. -Staff Reporter http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112856610400.htm Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad Silent protest by Congress HYDERABAD: Congress party workers on Thursday held a silent protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Gandhi Bhavan premises to protest against the terror attack on Mumbai that left over 100 dead. Gagging their mouth with black ribbons, Andhra Pradesh Youth Congress cadres paid floral tributes to the slain police officers in Wednesday night?s attack. They were later joined by former PCC chief K. Keshava Rao, APCC general secretaries and official spokesperson B. Kamalakar Rao. Dr. Keshava Rao termed the incident as international conspiracy to derail the peace in the country. He said the time has come for all the political parties to arrive at a consensus to tackle terrorism that threatened to disturb the secular fabric of the country. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=160157 Protests in Ardahan target visiting DTP Members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) were met with protests yesterday in the eastern city of Ardahan, where they had traveled to campaign for the upcoming local elections. Residents gathered on Kongre Street, where the DTP had scheduled a rally, to protest the DTP members' entry to the city by blowing whistles. "I thank you for the respect you have shown me. What a nice scene this is," DTP co-leader Emine Ayna said, further provoking the angry crowd. Taking the podium at the rally amidst protests, Ayna said seeds of peace could not be sown in Turkey without the DTP and the country's Kurds. Following Ayna's speech, residents clashed with DTP members and the two groups threw stones at each other. Police intervened in the clashes and used clubs to disperse the crowd. The DTP's election bus left the area following the protests. Vehicles nearby had their windows broken during the fighting. Locals left the scene chanting, "We do not want the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party] in Ardahan. We are all Turks. We are all Muslims." http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081130/FOREIGN/376466633/1002/rss Death toll Nigerian clashes rises ? Last Updated: November 30. 2008 7:35PM UAE / November 30. 2008 3:35PM GMT JOS, NIGERIA // Military units on foot and in armored cars have quelled two days of violence that left hundreds dead in a central Nigerian city. Police said they had arrested hundreds of people since the clashes flared early Friday following a disputed local election. Fearful residents who had been trapped in their homes ventured out in search of water as many of the dead were buried. Streets were mostly empty. By yesterday afternoon, at least 300 bodies had been brought to the city?s main mosque for prayers before burial, its imam said. The final death toll could be much higher, since many Christians are also presumed to have died when the political violence quickly took a sectarian turn. The city morgue was not accessible. At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI included Nigerian victims in his prayers and denounced the violence in Jos, calling on the world to express ?horror and disapproval? at the senseless violence. The clashes are the worst in the West African nation since 2004, when as many as 700 people died in Plateau State during Christian-Muslim clashes. Hundreds of women and children carrying plastic jerrycans searched the streets for functioning water taps. Thousands of people could be seen cowering in schools and police and army barracks. A mass burial of 238 bodies took place in the early morning, witnesses said. Jos, the capital of Plateau State, has a history of community violence that has made elections difficult to organise. Rioting in September 2001 killed more than 1,000 people. The city is situated in Nigeria?s ?middle belt,? where dozens of ethnic groups mingle in a band of fertile and hotly contested land separating the Muslim north from the predominantly Christian south. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa; it straddles a fault line between Islam and Christianity that crosses the continent from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. Authorities imposed an round-the-clock curfew in the hardest-hit areas of Jos, where traditionally pastoralist Hausa Muslims live in close quarters with Christians from other ethnic groups. The fighting began as clashes between supporters of the region?s two main political parties following the first local election in Jos in more than a decade. The violence expanded along ethnic and religious lines. Angry mobs gathered on Thursday in Jos after electoral workers failed to post results in ballot collation centres, prompting onlookers to assume the vote was the latest in a series of fraudulent Nigerian elections. Riots flared Friday morning. Local ethnic and religious leaders made radio appeals for calm yesterday, and streets were mostly empty by early afternoon. Troops were ordered to shoot rioters on sight. The violence has handed one of the greatest-yet challenges to the administration of President Umaru Yar?Adua, who came to power in a 2007 vote that international observers dismissed as not credible. Few Nigerian elections have been deemed fair since independence from Britain in 1960, and military takeovers have periodically interrupted civilian rule. More than 10,000 Nigerians have died in sectarian violence since civilian leaders took over from a military junta in 1999. Political strife over local issues is common in Nigeria, where government offices control massive budgets stemming from the country?s oil industry. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65561 Print Friendly Version Published On: 2008-11-30 Metropolitan JCD, BCL clash at JNU Staff Correspondent At least 15 were injured in a string of clashes between the activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on the campus of Jagannath University in the old part of the city yesterday. Police and campus sources said the clash occurred over the watching of a theatre in front of the Shaheed Minar at around 11:00am. As the news of the clash spread over the campus, supporters of both the groups organised themselves separately and were engaged in an hour-long clash. BCL activists took position behind the Shaheed Minar while JCD men in front of the administrative building. Both the groups of BCL and JCD, student wings of Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party, used bricks, wood sticks and iron rods during the clash. As the situation deteriorated, police resorted to baton charge and brought the situation under control. But later at around 2:00pm, the leaders and activists of both the groups were engaged in a fresh clash at Bahadur Shah Park (Victoria Perk). They also staged demonstrations on the campus separately protesting the incident. Officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station told The Daily Star that a police personnel was also injured in the clash. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=81728 COTE D'IVOIRE: Farmers return to land in west after deadly clashes Photo: OCHA People displaced by clashes in the locality of Zeaglo in western C?te d'Ivoire DAKAR, 28 November 2008 (IRIN) - Some 70 long-displaced farmers returned this week to a cocoa plantation in western C?te d?Ivoire, despite deadly clashes triggered when armed youths tried to block their return. UN and local officials say the clashes - in the sub-prefecture of Zeaglo, some 450km northwest of the commercial capital Abidjan - underscore the importance of reconciliation efforts in the volatile west, a zone long wracked by land disputes and hit by some of the worst violence during the country's six-year conflict. ?This is an isolated case but it is clear that social cohesion efforts are extremely important," the UN humanitarian coordinator and deputy special representative for the Secretary-General, Georg Charpentier, told IRIN. ?In most places returns have worked very well. But there are some pockets of resistance and this will need some more intensive [reconciliation] efforts.? On 20 November rifle-wielding youths attacked a convoy - organised by local authorities and escorted by security forces - bringing 81 returnees to farms near Zeaglo, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in C?te d?Ivoire. Hundreds of farmers have already resettled in the region but the plantation to which farmers were to have returned on 20 November is being claimed by a local cooperative. The ambush and ensuing unrest, in which at least two people died, forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and take refuge in a local government building for several days. UN aid agencies provided food and other assistance to the displaced. Photo: OCHA Local youths set fire to homes and other property, including this mill Despite the clash, some 70 farmers reached the plantation in question, while others, along with extended families, stayed behind in Zeaglo to wait for calm to return. Manipulation UN and local officials said it appears some unemployed local youths were manipulated by people with economic interests in the plantation. They said most residents were on board for the return of farmers - immigrants or descendants of immigrants from neighbouring countries as well as Ivorians, all displaced by conflict. ?Youths in Zeaglo are caught between local authorities advocating reconciliation and cooperation among communities, and a group of individuals who are trying to sow division for their own interests,? said Gnons?kan Martin, prefect of Blolequin, the prefecture in which Zeaglo is located. He said since conflict drove farmers off the land, locals have been cultivating much of it, but the situation has now changed. ?The war is over, the situation is normalised. It is time for the illegal occupants of this land to [adjust accordingly].? Gnons?kan spoke with IRIN on 27 November having just led a delegation of returnees and local youths to the plantation to assess and discuss the situation. The cooperative claims rights to the disputed plot of land - about 1,000 hectares, according to a report by UN aid workers monitoring the situation. But UN officials say all parties concerned had agreed months ago on the farmers? return. Land rights As C?te d?Ivoire struggles to restore stability, one major challenge is the return of the thousands of farmers who fled cocoa plantations in the west. In the past few years families have been gradually returning to the land they farmed before the 2002 rebellion. Even before the conflict, land tenure issues were a source of tension in C?te d?Ivoire, which West African migrant workers helped make the world?s top cocoa producer. Recognising local tensions surrounding the return of farmers to Zeaglo, the authorities and the UN have held numerous meetings to stave off problems. In July 2008 local residents and returnees agreed on a formula for sharing the land, said the UN?s Charpentier, who attended the meeting. ...We must push an agenda of reconciliation... ?Both sides had agreed at the time,? Charpentier told IRIN. ?Now, despite that, there has been this resistance.? In the Zeaglo incident at least one local resident died in an exchange of gunfire when armed youths blocked the convoy, and a Burkinab? resident was later killed in an apparent reprisal, according to a UN official. Local youths burnt down several homes of farmers who had earlier settled back in the area. The sub-prefect of Zeaglo, Okou Paulin, said: ?We were surprised, given how much we had worked on preparing for these returns.? UN and local officials said despite the setback they were confident that all the families would soon be able to return to the plantation. Prefect Gnons?kan said an investigation was under way into the Zeaglo incidents. ?Things are still quite fluid? Most of the 300 or so people who had sought refuge at the Zeaglo sub-prefecture building had returned to their homes as of 27 November, according to Alphonse Munyaneza, head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) office in the nearby city of Guiglo. Talking to IRIN from Zeaglo, he said the 80 or so people remaining were those whose homes had been burnt down. ?The situation in Zeaglo is something of a test case, because there are those who want to throw the [July] agreement into question,? Munyaneza said. ?Their efforts are not working, but they are creating turmoil and a sense of instability. Things are still quite fluid. We must push an agenda of reconciliation.? UN agencies and local authorities are working to convince people that it is in everyone?s socio-economic interest to cooperate, he said, pointing out other areas in which communities have been able to deal with population returns and move forward. ?We tell them that they have an incentive to work together because aid groups and the government will be behind them on that. It is the socio-economic reality of this region... These communities need each other.? np/cb http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=64729 Published On: 2008-11-24 Metropolitan Two injured in clash over AL nominations Staff Correspondent At least two people were injured as supporters of two Awami League leaders, who were rejected party tickets, clashed outside the party chief's Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi in the city yesterday. The clash ensued at around 12:45pm as the adherents of Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah of Narayanganj and Dr Hannan Firoz of Jhalakathi tried to take their position before a TV screen on an information that Sheikh Hasina would address the leaders and activists through a video conference. During the 15-minute clash, both the groups first scuffled and then used sticks and brickbats that left two supporters of Shafiullah -- Iqbal and Kiron -- injured. Police charged baton on the angry supporters to disperse them. Earlier, supporters of Shafiullah, who sought the AL ticket for Narayanganj-1 but failed to get it, assaulted the followers of another nominee Gazi Golam Dastgir. Since AL started giving nominations last week, supporters of several deprived leaders have been staging demonstrations outside Sudha Sadan in frantic efforts to get the party tickets for their expected candidates. Similar demonstrations have also been going on at different parts in the country. Meanwhile, the AL president yesterday met delegations of the deprived candidates separately for the second day. The delegations of Mohammad Ali who sought nomination from Narsingdhi-1, barrister Amirul Islam from Kushtia-3, Shamsul Alam Dudu from Joypurhat-1, Dr Hannan Firoz from Jhalkathi-1 and barrister Zakir Ahmed from Brahmanbaria-5 met Hasina and requested her to reconsider the nominations in those constituencies. The party chief assured them of considering their demands after holding inquiries into those constituencies. http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/nov/nov17/news03.php Four injured in Bhairahawa clash A police officer was among the four injured in a clash between Madhesi Commando, a youth wing of Sadbhawana Party (Anandidevi), and local youths in Bhairahawa on Sunday evening. Police had to fire three rounds of tear gas and resort to baton charge to take control of the situation. The situation remained tense even hours after the clash. The report didn?t mention what incited the clash. nepalnews.com Nov 17 08 http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=64412 Published On: 2008-11-22 Metropolitan One killed in clash over land dispute in Natore Unb, Natore A man was killed and seven others were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over land dispute at Boria village in Singra upazila yesterday. The dead was identified as Mozammel Haque. The police said Abul Hossain and Ashraf Hossain of the village had longstanding enmity over the ownership of a piece of land. The clash between the two rival groups erupted after Mozammel went to the disputed land to sow seeds in the morning. Mozammel died on the spot. Three of the injured were rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in critical condition. http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1200&p=front&a=1 Issue: (1200), Volume 16 , From 20 October 2008 to 22 October 2008 Pro-government tribesmen trigger clashes with Houthi followers ________________________________________ By: Mohammed Bin Sallam SA?ADA, Oct. 19 ? The situation in Sa?ada has been calm with the exception of some localized disputes triggered by pro-government tribesmen against Houthi supporters in more than one district, tribal sources from the governorate said on Sunday. Speaking on behalf of Houthi field leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, Sheikh Saleh Habra told the Yemen Times by phone that a group of armed men belonging to the pro-government Al-Bushr tribe had intercepted some Houthi supporters while they were on their way to a popular market in the area of Saqain. The interceptors did not allow the Houthis to enter the market t shop and quarreled with them, Habra said, adding that three Houthis were injured in the incident while one of the attackers from the Al-Bushr tribe was killed and another two tribe members wounded. Asked about conditions in the refugee camps, Habra replied, ?The refugees? situation is tragic and their living conditions are expected to worsen with the advent of winter. What we hear via the official media on relief efforts are merely speeches with no real actions on the ground.? Habra urged humanitarian relief organizations to provide urgent aid to refugees including blankets, medicine and other medical equipment, and to restore water and sanitation systems. Regarding local schools? preparation to receive students, Habra noted, ?The authority said it would provide tents for students to attend classes in as an alternative to damaged schools in cooperation with international organizations. But until now, none of these promises has been fulfilled.? Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmad and Northern Military Flank Commander Ali Mohsen Saleh are attempting to control the situation in the Harf Sifyan district of Amran governorate after five soldiers were killed and many others injured in clashes between local tribesmen and republican guard members two weeks ago. According to a well-informed source from Harf Sifyan, the clashes first broke out when members of the Bin Aziz tribe went to Al-Ammar market where they met Brig. Hamid Muqbil Chairman of Harf Sifyan Local Council, who was accompanied by a dozen policemen aboard a police vehicle. The policemen attacked the tribesmen, killing citizen Mohsen Haqula and disfiguring him in the market for being allegedly a Houthi loyalist, although he has no relation with Abdulmalik Al-Houthi. ?Black shame? As a result, many members of the victim?s tribe gathered in Harf Sifyan district, denouncing the way Haqula was killed and labeled it, according to the tribal tradition, as ?black shame?. In an incident which was the first of its kind since the Sa?ada fighting ceased on July 17, members of the Bin Aziz tribe intercepted a military caravan and opened fire on it, thereby setting fire to two troop carriers and two military vehicles and killing five members of the republican guard including a senior officer, media sources reported. Some media outlets labeled the incident as clashes between Houthi followers and the army in the Al Ammar area, saying it is the beginning of a sixth war in Sa?ada, however, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi immediately denied that his followers have relations with the two incidents in Al Ammar and Harf Sifyan districts. According to witnesses, the Sana?a-Sa?ada highway was blocked by members of the Usaimat tribe who thereby halted the movement of passengers to Sa?ada, Haradh and nearby districts and caused traffic jams along the road. Usaimat tribesmen claim compensations from government Local sources said that the tribesmen deliberately had blocked the highway in order to show their rage and press the government to compensate them for losing their sons in the Sa?ada fighting. According to the sources, more than three thousand solders from the Usaimat tribe were killed or injured during the four-year fighting between the army and Houthis in Sa?ada and other areas. The same sources declared that security authorities in the Amran governorate had not reacted to the blocking of the Sana?a-Sa?ada Highway. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/491770/-/tm297h/-/index.html Six feared dead in clash over stolen cattle By NATION TeamPosted Sunday, November 16 2008 at 21:35 In Summary ? Group attacked by villagers as it went in search of missing animals It is feared that at least six people were on Sunday killed as they pursued stolen animals in a village on the border of Molo and Narok districts. Residents said about 30 men armed with bows and arrows stormed Nkokonani Village in Olpusimoru location saying they were pursuing their stolen cattle. However, the villagers raised the alarm, and a bloody confrontation ensued, resulting in deaths and injuries. Four people were last night nursing injuries at Olokurto health centre. Screaming villagers Local councillor Wilson Masikonde said villagers started screaming when the armed strangers arrived, in the evening, prompting locals to arm themselves quickly and confront them. He said that the locals killed three people at Nkokonani and injured four others seriously. Three other people were killed at Kamurar, said Mr Masikonde. There were fears of further fighting as heavily armed residents pursued the remaining group into a nearby forest last evening. Those who had gone in search of the cattle are said to have travelled from Keringet in Molo Division. The Narok police chief, Mr Patrick Wambani could not give the exact number of those killed, saying he was yet to receive official reports from his officers in the field. Police had accompanied some 100 people who had gone to look for their stolen animals, he said. Mr Wambani said it is suspected that some of the people killed were cornered after they remained behind. He said that police had recovered five animals. Elsewhere, two gangsters were killed in a shootout with police. A third man escaped with gunshot wounds during the 6pm battle at Kimicha market near Kerugoya Town in Kirinyaga District on Saturday evening. Witnesses said the robbers, on a motorcycle, had raided the market and started robbing traders. Police rushed to the scene and on meeting with the gunmen, ordered them to surrender. They, however, shot at the four police officers, starting the gunbattle. Police found an AK-47 rifle and 16 rounds of ammunition on the gangsters. Stories by George Sayagie, Kennedy Masibo and George Munene http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=63515 Published On: 2008-11-16 Metropolitan One killed in clash over fishing at Bakshiganj A Correspondent, Jamalpur At least one person was killed and several others injured in a clash between two groups of people over fishing in Singedoba beel at Bagarchar union under Bakshiganj upazila. The deceased was identified as Ismail Hossain, 25. Witnesses said there was a long-lasting conflict between Ali Rana and Ashraf Ali over the control of the water body. The clash ensued when both the groups went there for fishing. Ismail, younger brother of Ali, died on the spot when he was stabbed with a sharp weapon by the rival group. A murder case was filed accusing Ashraf, Aminul Islam and Sirajul Islam. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/659043 Traders clash in city Tuesday, 11th November, 2008 A mother is shielded by anti-riot Police who were called in to control the market traders clash yesterday By Eddie Ssejjoba HARDLY two weeks after chaos broke out in St. Balikuddembe Market (Owino), unrest yesterday returned to the market where rival traders? groups clashed. Several armed traders from the market confronted a rival group operating on Nakivubo Road in the afternoon brawl. Traders operating within the market said those working outside the market snatch their clients, which they said had thrown them out of business. Members of the two groups hurled metals and sticks at each other, while others exchanged blows. Angry traders within the market uprooted and smashed kiosks and telephone booths, which they said were collection points for stones used by their rivals outside the market to hit them. As the scuffle intensified, traffic and business at the often busy spot downtown Kampala came to a halt. Two unidentified people were injured in the clash. The New Vision, however, could not establish their names. Yesterday?s incident, like the previous one, attracted several policemen, among them anti-riot Police, who fired tear gas and bullets to repulse the rowdy traders. A Police officer, only identified as Mugabi, appealed to the traders to stay calm as authorities find a solution to the problem. But the traders accused the Police of shielding the traders operating outside the market. Traders within the market also said the vendors, who were recently evicted from the market, were backed by the Kampala Central Division chairman, Godfrey Nyakaana. Nyakaana?s efforts to mediate in the traders? grievances reportedly hit a dead-end when the traders chased him away. Iddi Kasozi, the chairman of the Park Yard youth group, said the traders based outside the market often assault those within the market due to a long-standing rivalry. ?The vendors terrorise our people , snatching merchandise and pick-pocketing them,? he said. Some traders said politicians were backing the rivalling groups. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110553820300.htm Other States - Puducherry Demonstration PUDUCHERRY: Members of the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath, Puduvai, staged a demonstration on Tuesday seeking action against the ?real culprits? involved in the Malegaon blasts. They also demanded CBI enquiry into all bomb blast cases in the country, a release said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811100870.html Mozambique: Election Clashes in Beira 7 November 2008 Maputo ? Minor clashes broke out on Thursday, the third day of the municipal election campaign, in the central Mozambican city of Beira between supporters of the incumbent mayor, Daviz Simango, and of Manuel Pereira, the official candidate of the main opposition party, Renamo. Simango was thrown out of Renamo in September, and is now running as an independent candidate. As a result Renamo in Beira has split - though film of the campaign so far indicates that Simango is attracting many more supporters than Pereira. On Thursday, Simango and Pereira motorcades crossed paths. Pereira told reporters from the Maputo daily "Noticias" that a Simango supporter on a motorbike had deliberately run over two Renamo members. The motorcyclist was then beaten up by Pereira supporters, whereupon other Simango supporters joined the fray. Pereira's group eventually dragged the motorcyclist, named as Samuel Claudio, to a nearby police station, but he was then sent to Beira Central Hospital for treatment for his injuries. Claudio claimed the violence was started by Pereira's supporters. He told the independent daily "O Pais" that he had slowed down to avoid hitting anybody, but when he did so Pereira supporters ripped off the photograph of Simango that was dangling from his bike. He tried to retrieve the photo "but instead of giving me what was mine, they attacked me", said Claudio. "The Renamo Beira city delegate, Faque Ferreira, and Manuel Pereira himself know perfectly well what happened. They tried to stop the assault, but nobody paid any attention to them". In the town of Mocuba, in the central province of Zambezia, the ruling Frelimo Party accused Renamo of beating up seven of its supporters. One of the victims received a blow to his head with a machete, and "Noticias" claims that a second suffered a broken back. The Mocuba police commandeer. Almeida Candrinho, said that criminal proceedings would be initiated against those responsible for the attack. Friday's issue of the "Mozambique Political Process Bulletin", published by AWEPA (Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa), reports that both Frelimo and Renamo have violated the legal ban on using state and municipal vehicles for election campaigns. The Bulletin's correspondents report that Frelimo has abused state vehicles in Nampula, Renamo in Marromeu, and both parties in Inhambane. Frelimo supporters are also accused of putting up posters in places where election propaganda is banned, such as municipal and government buildings, schools and hospitals. The posters were reported from buildings in Inhambane, Lichinga, Chokwe and Nampula. AWEPA and the anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) have established a network of "people's correspondents", who are sending n reports from all over the country, which are appearing in the bulletin, currently published on a daily basis, and in an AWEPA/CIP Internet blog. (AIM) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=62358 Published On: 2008-11-08 Metropolitan UP member killed in clash in Khulna Staff Correspondent, Khulna A union parishad (UP) member was killed and six others were injured in a fierce clash over a land dispute yesterday at Fultala village under Batiaghata upazila in the district. Identified as Manoj Mandol, 50, the victim was also the president of Batiaghata Sadar union unit of BNP. The four injured -- Shib Mandol, 52, Sumon Mandol, 29, Chitrali Mandol, 22, Chaitali, 20, -- were undergoing treatment at Batiaghata Upazila Hospital, while two others were released after first aid. Officer-in-Charge of local police station Kazi Abdus Salek said the rival group attacked the Manoj at one stage of the quarrel during a conciliation meeting at Batiaghata union parishad office. The BNP leader was beaten to death there, he added. Police arrested four people -- Naren Sarder, his wife Rani Sarder, Mihir Sarder and Samir Sarder. A case was filed with Batiaghata Police Station in this connection. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=62267 Published On: 2008-11-07 Metropolitan 40 BCL activists injured in clash at Kushtia University Our Correspondent, Kushtia At least 40 activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) were injured when its two factions were locked into a clash on the Kushtia Islamic University campus yesterday. Sources said the clash was a sequel to Wednesday's incident when BCL President Sahanur Alam Keramat was assaulted by the rival faction. Sources said dogged by two factions, the university BCL unit was facing troubles after expiring the date of its present committee two years ago. The factions -- one led by its present President Keramat and General Secretary Sazzad Hossain, who is now central joint secretary, while the other by Saiful, Idrish and Khasru, who are influential activists of the unit. When Keramat was holding a rally on Wednesday to celebrate the return of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, the other faction attacked the programme. They also assaulted him and chased his group out of the campus. Keramat entered the campus with a showdown yesterday and brought out a procession welcoming Hasina's return home at around 11:00am. The rival faction further attacked the rally at the main gate that ensued a clash between the groups, leaving 40 activists of both the groups injured. They used iron rods, bamboo sticks and lethal weapons during the clash. Three of the injured -- Jahidul Islam, Uzzal and Sahinoor Rahman -- received stab injuries. Local police brought the situation under control. Additional police forces were deployed on the campus as a tense situation was prevailing here. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) units brought out separate processions on the campus and protested the incident. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811040669.html Nigeria: Communal Clash Claims One Hammed Shittu 4 November 2008 Ilorin ? At least one person was reportedly killed at Share, headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Council in Kwara State yesterday, when residents allegedly engaged their neighbours at Tsaragi, in Edu Local Government Council area over land dispute. Already, the state police command has deployed about 200 anti-riot policemen to the area. Special Assistant on Media Affairs to Governor Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Buliamin Adedamola, told THISDAY in Ilorin , that Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Saka Onimago, led government delegation to the disputed area. THISDAY checks revealed yesterday that, the on-going onslaught was ignited when people from one of the sides to the crisis allegedly tried to stop construction of a new school at a location described as "far from disputed area. During the crisis, one person was confirmed dead, while three others were on admission over injuries sustained during a gun duel between the two communities. Eye-witness accounts indicate that fighting began on Sunday evening and persisted despite spirited efforts by leaders of the two communities to douse the tension, which led to burning of several houses. Chairman of Ifelodun Council Area, Alhaja Nimota Amuda, who confirmed the incident, said everything was being done to bring the situation under control. She was at the Police Command headquarters with her counterpart from Edu, Alhaji Idris Liman. Also speaking yesterday, the state police Image Maker, DSP Tunde Muhammed, who confirmed the incident said the Command has deployed anti-riot policemen numbering over 200 to maintain peace and order. (ThisDay) http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=61786 Published On: 2008-11-04 Metropolitan 20 students injured as BCL, Shibir clash at Sirajganj varsity College Our Correspondent, Sirajganj At least 20 students were injured, two of them seriously, in a clash between the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) on Sirajganj University College campus yesterday. Police said the clash erupted at around 10:00am over establishing supremacy on the campus. The feuding groups used bamboo sticks and hurled brickbats at each other and ransacked classrooms of the college during the clash that continued for one and a half hours. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Additional police have been deployed on the campus to avert further untoward incident. Of the injured, 18 were admitted to Sirajganj Sadar Hospital and different clinics in the town while the rest given first aid. Seriously injured Chhatra Shibir activists--Mamun and Shahadat--were later shifted to Dhaka as their condition deteriorated. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24732391-663,00.html Papua New Guinea women kill males babies to end tribal war By Ilya Gridneff in Port Moresby December 01, 2008 11:04am ? Male children mean more war ? Women sick of the conflict ? Drastic action "will end tribal war" WOMEN in Papua New Guinea's Highland region are killing their male babies to end a tribal war that has gone on for more than 20 years. Two women from the Eastern Highlands spoke of the slaughter to PNG's National newspaper during a three-day peace and reconciliation course in the region's capital of Goroka. Rona Luke and Kipiyona Belas, from two warring tribes, said male infanticide reduced the cyclical payback violence infamous in Highlands tribal fights. If women stopped producing males, their tribe's stock would go down and this would force the men to end their fight, the women said. "All the womenfolk agreed to have all babies born killed because they have had enough of men engaging in tribal conflicts and bringing misery to them," Ms Luke said. The women could not give a figure on how many male babies had been killed. Ms Belas said getting food was hard as husbands kept fighting and mothers and children were left to fend for themselves. The Salvation Army is working with various tribes to bring peace to the warring groups, one particular fight continues after starting in 1986 over sorcery claims. The Salvation Army told the Australian Associated Press that women were so fed up with the ongoing violence that they were taking drastic steps. "This situation shows the extreme frustration the women have with the men in these areas," a spokesman said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200811201009.html The Inquirer (Monrovia) Liberia: Prison Center Officers Protest Morrison O.G. Sayon 20 November 2008 A group of Correction Officers at the Monrovia Central Prison yesterday staged what many consider as a major protest in demand of their salary and other benefits. The officers began their strike action early yesterday morning by preventing the admission and release of prisoners at the Monrovia Central Prison. In their action, the Correction Officers further prevented those who went to visit their relatives and love ones from entering the prison compound. The aggrieved Correction Officers insisted that they will not allow any prisoner to enter or leave the compound until their demands were met by the Liberian government through the Ministry of Justice. In an interview, the spokesman of the group, Amos T. Pital, narrated that they were among some 209 Correction Officers who were trained by UNMIL to serve at various prison compounds around the country. Pital added that since their deployment at the various prison compounds, 66 out of the number, are yet to receive salaries and benefits while 143 of them are receiving salaries but no allowances and benefits as is being done with the old officers. According to Mr. Pital, the old officers who have not acquired any training are receiving their allowances, benefits and salaries but they who have been trained by UNMIL are excluded by the Ministry of Justice without any tangible reason. The group of officers who converged at the front of the prison compound to apparently draw the attention of the public said they have written several communications to the Ministry of Justice highlighting their plights but to no avail. "We recently contacted the Minister of Information, Dr. Laurence K. Bropleh to intervene in this situation but it appears like our persistent pleas have fallen on dead ears," David Walker, one of the aggrieved officers told this paper. The group has vowed to continue their strike action by preventing the release and admission of prisoners at the Monrovia Central Prison if nothing is done to address their concern. At the same time, the Correction Officers are calling on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to intervene in the situation that is obtaining between them and the Ministry of Justice as they have threatened to intensify their protest if government fails to pay them their just salaries and benefits. Observers are of the opinion that if nothing is done to put an immediate end to the strike action and allow it to continue perpetually, many prisoners might capitalize on the situation and escape from the Monrovia Central Prison and other prison compounds around the country where the strike action is said to be ongoing simultaneously. Our reporter who visited the Ministry of Justice on several occasions yesterday to authenticate the complaint of the officers was told that the Assistant Minister for Corrections and rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice, Fatoumata Sheriff was out of her office and all efforts to see the Director of Prison also proved futile. http://www.b92.net//eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=11&dd=28&nav_id=55373 Reservists protesting in Leskovac 28 November 2008 | 15:57 | Source: B92 LESKOVAC -- Some 1,000 Kosovo war veterans have protested today in front of the Leskovac municipal assembly, demanding reimbursement of their wages. The reservists rejected the proposal of the government working group that the money should be paid only to socially at-risk people, and want the wages to be paid to all those who participated in the Kosovo war. The reservists intend to file a lawsuit against the state for failure to pay money owned to them dating back to conflict in 1999, and have scheduled a big protest in front of government HQ in Belgrade for December 23. Strike leader Rodoljub Vukovi? said that they had been double-crossed by the governments of Vojislav Ko?tunica and Mirko Cvetkovi?, which was why they had been forced to organize new protests in central Belgrade. The reservists from Leskovac have been protesting for 11 months, asking to receive the same compensation of approximately EUR 2,500 as their colleagues from the Topli?ka district received. Around 10,000 reservists participated in the Kosovo war. http://www.zeenews.com/news480559.html Mamata's return to Singur marred by clashes; 12 injured Singur, Nov 02: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's return to Singur on Sunday, nearly a month after the Tatas pulling out of the Nano project, was marked by sporadic clashes and police using batons and teargas shells to restore order, leaving 12 people injured. Trinamool leader Partho Chattophadhyay first faced the fury of protestors belonging to Nano Bachao Committee (NBC), a group of former contractors for the small car project, when brickbats were thrown at his car at Ghanashyampur, a few kilometres from Singur where he was headed to. The Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Chandernagore, Amitabha Maiti, said Chattopadhyayay's car was halted as supporters of the NBC, which enjoyed tacit support of the CPI-M, and Trinamool Congress clashed in the area. Police lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control. Chattopadhyay had to "beat a retreat" after the clash which left four persons, two each from the rival groups, injured, Inspector General (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said. The Trinamool leader, meanwhile, alleged that he had been manhandled by CPM supporters in the presence of 200 senior police officers. A clash took place at Dankuni More on the Durgapur expressway, a few kms from Singur, between the rival organisations and police resorted to lathicharge to separate the fighting groups, eyewitnesses said. CPM supporters were picketing in the area. Bureau Report http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/after-campus-clashes-three-students-in-police-custody_100116307.html After campus clashes, three students in police custody November 7th, 2008 - 8:41 pm ICT by IANS - Kolkata, Nov 7 (IANS) A district court in West Bengal Friday remanded three engineering students in 10 days of police custody, a day after they were arrested along with four others for violent clashes over elections to the students union.The seven students of Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) at Shibpur in Howrah district adjoining Kolkata were arrested after a clash between two student groups over upcoming elections. ?Three students who beat up fellow students at BESU Thursday have been remanded in 10 days? police custody. The remaining four students, who destroyed college property and engaged in a minor scuffle, have been released on bail Friday,? according to the court verdict. Members of the Students Federation Of India (SFI), which is affiliated to the state?s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), and the Independent Consolidation (IC) had fought a pitched battle Thursday. Police used batons to disperse the students and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was called in to control the situation, said district Superintendent of Police N.K. Singh. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/12/stories/2008111251580300.htm Tamil Nadu Two injured in clash TIRUVARUR: Two persons sustained injuries in a clash between CPI and DMDK workers near Tiruthuraipoondi in Tiruvarur district on Tuesday following the damage caused to the DMDK flag mast on Monday night. DMDK cadres picked up a quarrel with the CPI partymen, police said. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/another-clash-in-chennai-college-leaves-three-students-injured_100119221.html Another clash in Chennai college leaves three students injured November 14th, 2008 - 10:58 pm ICT by IANS - Chennai, Nov 14 (IANS) Tamil and non-Tamil students here clashed over food served in a college hostel Friday that left three students injured, police said. This was the second violent clash between students in the city within three days. The institution, Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology, was closed by the authorities following the violence. According to police, the Tamil and non-Tamil students of the institute, located in the southern part of the city, disagreed over the quality of food served in the hostel mess. The argument soon turned violent with some students assaulting members of the other group with iron pipes. Eighteen students were arrested. A local court released them in the evening. A local hospital discharged the injured students later, officials said. The hostel was closed till further notice, a college spokesman told reporters. Meanwhile, a division bench of the Madras High Court heard petitions on the fracas that took place in the campus of the Dr. Ambedkar Law College on Wednesday that left three students seriously injured. The court heard writ petitions from six advocates, including senior lawyer Sriram Panchu, who argued that the suspended law college principal K.K. Sridev had ignored a committee?s recommendations in 2001 to prevent lawlessness in the campus. The court adjourned the matter to Tuesday bunching it with another writ petition that had been filed Thursday. Newly-appointed city police commissioner K. Radhakrishnan told reporters earlier in the day that several teams had been despatched to different parts of the state to apprehend over 20 students of the law college who had beaten their colleagues on Wednesday following disagreement over an invitation for a political event. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/national-conference-congress-supporters-clash-in-kashmir_100118597.html National Conference, Congress supporters clash in Kashmir November 13th, 2008 - 5:03 pm ICT by IANS - Srinagar, Nov 13 (IANS) Supporters of the National Conference and Congress clashed Thursday in north Kashmir Ganderbal during Omar Abdullah?s road show there.?National Conference president Omar Abdullah was on way to Wakura village in Ganderbal when a group of Congress supporters tried to interrupt his road show at Barsoo,? a police officer told IANS. Barsoo village is nearly 30 km from here. ?Security men deployed to protect the National Conference road show fired tear smoke shells to disperse the clashing supporters of the two parties,? the police officer said. Abdullah was also to address a party meeting at Wakura. The road show and the public meeting were National Conference?s first shows of strength in the Ganderbal constituency from where Abdullah is contesting elections against Qazi Muhammad Afzal of the Peoples Democratic Party and Sheikh Muhammad Ashfaq of the Congress. There are nine more candidates in the fray from the north Kashmir prestigious constituency - once considered to be the Abdullah family?s bastion. Abdullah lost the 2002 election from the constituency from where his father Farooq and grand-father Sheikh Abdullah had won previously - many times unopposed. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112253820300.htm Kerala - Kozhikode Four persons injured in IUML-CPI(M) clashes Staff Reporter Clash over tearing up of posters KOZHIKODE: Four persons, including a woman, were injured in clashes between activists of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) at Murad in the Payyoli grama panchayat here on Friday morning. Hameed, an IUML worker, was admitted to a private hospital in the city. Another worker, Majeed, was admitted to the Meladi Health Centre. CPI (M) workers Narayanan and Leela were admitted to the Vadakara Government Hospital. The clashes occurred over a dispute between the workers of the two parties over the tearing up of posters at Murad. The United Democratic Front (UDF) observed a hartal from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the area in protest against the incident. A posse of policemen has been posted to avert escalation in violence. The Payyoli police have registered a case in connection with the incident. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/violent-clashes-between-cpi-m-and-tmc-in-west-bengal_100122056.html Violent clashes between CPI-M and TMC in West Bengal November 21st, 2008 - 9:43 pm ICT by ANI - Bheramari (West Bengal), Nov 21 (ANI): A Communist Party of India-Marxists (CPI-M) supporter was killed at Bheramari village in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Friday in a feud over a plot of a cultivable land. The plot is said to be belonging to a Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter, who was originally a CPI (M) supporter and has recently joined the TMC. Around 300 CPI (M) supporters armed with sticks, guns and country bombs allegedly attacked the TMC supporters to capture the plot of land. This led to a confrontation between the CPI (M) and TMC supporters. Later, around 500-armed TMC supporters chased the CPI (M) activists, which triggered a violent clash between the two groups in which one Mukhter Seikh (38), a CPI (M) supporter was killed and several others from both the groups were injured. The clash took place this morning between the CPI (M) and TMC over a plot of land. Both the parties have been trying to capture the land. One person has been killed in the clash, said Sadhan Murmu, resident, Bheramari village. A large contingent of police force rushed to the spot to control the situation. But the tension is simmering in the village and local people are apprehending violent political backlash. (ANI) http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/01/stories/2008120159000300.htm Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram Six held after clash THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six persons were arrested in connection with clashes in Neyyattinkara on Sunday as a United Democratic Front procession following an election at the Mariaymuttom Service Cooperative Bank turned violent. The police said the UDF activists clashed with Left Democratic Front members. P. Anilkumar, Circle Inspector, Neyyattinkara, and R. Prathapan Nair, Circle Inspector, Vellarada, have been admitted to hospital with injuries. http://news.oneindia.mobi/2008/11/29/761029.html 22 injured in two clashes during Delhi polls Saturday, November 29 2008 New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) At least 22 persons were injured in two clashes in different areas of the capital as workers of different political parties confronted each other. While 12 persons were injured in an altercation between Congress and NCP workers in Khayala area of the Rajouri Garden constituency, another ten persons were injured in Tughlakabad where BJP and BSP supporters clashed. DCP South-East Ajay Chaudhury has rushed to Tughlakabad following the incident. BJP's sitting MLA Ramesh Viduri and BSP's Shahi Ram are in the fray for the Tughlakabad seat. Earlier in the morning, a fight erupted between the Congress and the NCP workers while they were doing their rounds to urge voters to cast their votes, source said. Rajouri Garden this time is witnessing a dramatic change in political equations. While sitting BJP legislator Dayanand Chandela is contesting on a Congress ticket, after the BJP alloted this seat to its ally Akali Dal, Congress rebel Duli Chand is in the fray as a NCP candidate. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 11:18:36 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:18:36 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression news, November 2008 Message-ID: <4AB27D7C.6040405@tesco.net> UNITED STATES: * Police violence at debate - but veterans, not police, on trial * DNC protest trials continue * Judge refuses to defend free speech of Bush protesters * Police try to excuse DNC repression in court, deny legal observers' rights * Short jail term for Olympia port blocker * Protester compensated for expulsion from Bush event * Portland judge recognises right to protest naked * RNC "terrorism" case * Absurd expense of Denver protest trials denounced * Inquiry demanded into provocateurs in Denver * Denver: three convicted, three acquitted in "identical" trials * $13 million payout for LA police violence at immigration protest * Preachers arrested for peaceful protest EUROPE and NORTH * ITALY: Police convicted for G8 abuse - but will avoid jail over statute of limitations * ITALY: Ex-Italian PM urges provocateurs, police brutality * AUSTRALIA: Palm Island repression survivor jailed for six years * SERBIA: Prosecutor accuses police over protester death * UK: Court sides with land grabbers, supports ethnic cleansing of travellers * UK: Judges condemn 5000 Congolese refugees to return * NORTHERN IRELAND: Police harassment of dissident activists on the rise * CANADA: Ontario - "Crack house" law targets basic liberties, excluded groups * AUSTRALIA: Provocateur caught infiltrating protest, socialist groups * SPAIN: Police jailed for brualising arrestee * ITALY: Racist offensive launched * CANADA: Is this Vancouver or Beijing? Attempts to smash Falun Gong camp on technicality * CANADA: Students threatened with arrest for abortion display * AUSTRALIA: State threatens to abuse safety laws against eco-activists GLOBAL SOUTH * WEST PAPUA: Murder by Indonesian military * WEST PAPUA: Refugees driven out by police harassment over fights * INDONESIA: Plans to ID check internet cafe users * INDONESIA: Passport fascism complete with fingerprinting and corruption * INDONESIA: Anti-crime pogrom leads to vicious social cleansing * BURMA: Activists jailed for 65 years for protesting * NIGERIA: Protester testifies to Chevron role in military atrocities * SWAZILAND: Press freedom violated at pro-democracy protest * CHINA: Trials begin over Weng'an unrest - six given vicious sentences * INDONESIA: Atrocity of death penalty * CHINA: 55 sentenced over Tibet unrest * CHINA: Police told to avoid inflaming protests * TAIWAN: Press freedom attacks * TAIWAN: Human rights group concerned about attacks on China protesters; protesters sue police * TURKEY: Youths at risk of massive sentences for protesting * TURKEY: Students sued for protest slogans * KOREA: Pro-North group banned * KOREA: Court gives payout for murder of protesterby police * IVORY COAST: Officers charged over soldier protests * BRAZIL: Draconian crackdown on Internet freedom * INDIA: Trial over murder of Tata protester * PALESTINE: Arab states complicit in border closure, humanitarian crisis * KYRGYZSTAN: Viciouis jail sentences over Eid unrest * KOREA: Conscientious objector to police repression jailed * CHINA: Photos reveal police brutality in Longnan unrest * CHINA: 1000 released over Tibet protests * SIERRA LEONE: Police threaten BBC journalist over unrest coverage http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262419 Final Presidential Debate Protester-Veterans Face 15 Separate Trial Dates For Action By Stephen Dohnberg. Published Nov 17, 2008 by ? Stephen Dohnberg Bill Perry In a follow up to the arrest of the Iraq Vets protest at the final Presidential Debate,reporter Stephen Dohnberg talks with member Sgt Chiroux about the charges faced,support they are receiving,tactics of the Nassau County Police, and Sgt Morgan's injury. On Oct 16 we reported on the demands and the arrest of 10 members of Iraq Vets Against the War (IVAW) members and 5 civillian protesters. IVAW and supporters were seeking to address the final Presidential Debate at Hofstra University, Nassau County, Long Island, New York. The protest coordinators, Sgt. Matthis Chiroux (Army) and Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith (Army), met with Nassau County PD prior to the planned action and outlined their intentions to engage in a non-violent protest, and informed the NCPD that there would be no resistance, and that full cooperation was the intention. Goldsmith and Chiroux had one request that they had also delivered in a written letter to the campaigns of each candidate, as well as CBS's Bob Schiefer: They wanted permission ask one question of each Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain regarding veterans affairs and issues surrounding the Iraq war. IVAW members and supporters felt that both candidates remained "eerily silent" during the 3 televised, CPD sanctioned debates. The IVAW announced their intention to breach police lines if no response from any camp was offered by 7 p.m. That night, something very different happened. The peaceful and legally assembled supporters of the IVAW were pushed back by police using horses to engage in crowd control. Amid that action protesters and IVAW members were also physically pushed back and down. It was during this action that IVAW member Sgt Nick Morgan (Army) possibly had his head trampled by a police horse. After the melee 10 veterans and 5 protesters were arrested. Additionally, members of the IVAW reported verbal harassment and threats from the police while in custody, and indicate that Morgan was initially denied treatment despite having been rendered unconscious, injured, and suffering from a concussion. Chiroux, Goldsmith, and other veterans were arrested while crossing police lines after delivering their questions via bullhorn. Not all veterans were arrested crossing police lines however. Some were plucked by police along with civilian protesters. Morgan eventually required reconstructive surgery, with a titanium plate being placed under his eye socket. The NCPD's "crowd control method" was caught on video by a number of people documenting the event. On Nov 10 at 8 a.m., one day before Remembrance Day (Canada), and Veteran's Day (United States). the group, known as the 'Hempstead 15' appeared at the Nassau County, NY courthouse on 99 Main St, Hempstead, NY, to hear the charge of 'Disturbing the Peace' issued against them. They were greeted that morning by 80 to 100 supporters at the courthouse."Hopefully some understanding of how outraged people are over this action...can be seen by the fact that so many people would be willing to come out on a Monday morning...and will be recognized by the DA (Kathleen Rice)." Sgt Matthis Chiroux continued, "no justice was served" on that morning. Detective Anthony said of the NCPD's actions the night of the protest and of the injuries sustained by Morgan, that the "Protesters were trying to gain access into the debate and police were not going to let that happen. We used necessary force in order to carry out that goal." Jonathan Moore, a former Vietnam-era conscientious objector, is the lawyer representing the Hempstead 15 on a pro bono basis. Moore has represented clients in many social justice issues from Agent Orange victims, environmental concerns, and protesters arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. IVAW member Sgt Adam Kokesh (Marines) was the first of the Hempstead 15 to appear before the courts on Nov 13. His trial was scheduled for Dec 11. The Court attempted to increase his bail amount. The protestors have had their dates spread out individually dating from Nov 13 to the end of January. Sgt Chiroux indicated that further actions are planned to raise awareness and funds in support the of the charged protesters, noting in a press release that "Dec.10 and 11, and Jan. 5 thru 8 are the days set for the 15 of us to be tried. Each day, we will assemble at 8 a.m. to demand that charges are dropped against us and that the officers responsible for brutalizing us are held accountable" Regarding the separate trial dates for each arrested protester, Chiroux noted "I have never heard of this being done before, though I have also never heard of veterans, peacefully assembling Constitutionally to redress grievances, being trampled by police on horseback before. There's a first time for everything and it appears the place is Nassau County." He does feel that there is a tactical component to the decision to hold scattered trials on different dates. In an open press event on the courthouse steps on Nov 10, as Chiroux took questions from a reporter with the Nation, he took of his sweatshirt to reveal a tee shirt with the IVAW logo "You Are Not Alone". "Nassau County wants us to believe this statement is not true." The press release also calls for supporters to contact "District Attorney Kathleen Rice at 516-571-2994" or to contact her through the Nassau County website at "to demand that all charges be dropped against the Hempstead 15." Ultimately ,Chrioux hopes that the DA will see fit to drop these charges "and hold their officers accountable for their crimes against veterans". Official comment from the Nassau County PD states "The police have yet to determine whether Morgan was stepped on by a horse" In a coincidental twist, Sgt. Chiroux has received notification from the Army dated Oct 15 that he faces a "Misconduct" charge for refusing a deployment to Iraq slated for June, 2008. Chiroux was honourably discharged after 5 years of service in June of 2007. He had originally faced Desertion charges and fought his deployment after garnering the support of members of Congress, including Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Lynne Woolsey (D-CA), Jan Schkowsky (D - IL), James McGovern (D-MA), and House Judiciary Chair John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) among others, who comprise the Out of Iraq Caucus. He publicly announced his refusal on the steps of the Canon Building of the House of Representatives on May 16, 2008. It is a development, story, and issue all it's own. Sgt Chiroux discusses additional details of the Hofstra events with New York Times bestselling author Naomi Wolf ('Disaster Capitalism') HERE. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/18/3-dnc-protest-trials-under-way-monday/?partner=RSS 3 DNC protest trials under way Monday Rocky Mountain News Published November 18, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. Trials for three more protesters arrested during the Democratic National Convention got under way Monday, and a woman set for trial today pleaded guilty to put the case behind her. Julie Combest, 26, pleaded guilty to obstructing a street in a deal that will remove the case from her criminal record if she stays out of trouble for six months. She also must perform 10 hours of community service. Jurors were selected and began hearing testimony Monday afternoon in the trial of Lilia Lassiter, Shyam Khanna and Jeffrey Berryhill, all from Olympia, Wash. They are charged with obstructing 15th Street at Court Place on Aug. 25. So far, one person has been convicted by a jury in the 10 cases that have gone to trial. About 100 protesters were arrested, with 60 cases slated for trial. http://www.instablogs.com/entry/judge-rules-against-2-ejected-from-05-bush-event/ Judge rules against 2 ejected from '05 Bush event AP , Denver: Nov 7 2008 Made Popular Nov 7 2008 A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by two people who say they were kept from attending a Denver appearance by President Bush because of their political views. Leslie Weise and Alex Young were ejected from a hall in 2005 just before Bush was to speak at a taxpayer-funded event. They arrived in a car with a bumper sticker reading ?No blood for oil? but say they had no plans to disrupt the event. They accused Greg Jenkins, former director of White House travel planning, and volunteers Michael Casper and Jay Bob Klinkerman of violating their free-speech rights by keeping them out of the event. U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel on Thursday granted motions by the defendants to dismiss the complaints. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/06/observers-monitoring-dnc-protests-not-above-law-po/?partner=RSS Police: DNC protesters were 'bent on destruction' By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 6, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. Photo by Ken PapaleoKen Papaleo ? The Rocky Ken Papaleo ? The Rocky A unit of police officers walks down the 16th Street Mall on Aug. 27. Tens of thousands of visitors were in town for the DNC. People designated as legal observers to monitor protests and marches during the Democratic National Convention were not exempt from arrest, Denver police testified Thursday. Legal observers wore bright green hats to identify themselves, and Nathan Acks, one of three people on trial this week in Denver County Court for allegedly blocking a street, was wearing one when he was arrested. "It's not a free pass, the green hat," said Cmdr. Deborah Dilley. "It's no guarantee they won't be arrested. They should not be interjecting themselves into what is going on." Sgt. Anthony Martinez said police received very little training about legal observers. "It really doesn't matter," Martinez said. "A legal observer does not have the right to violate the law. If they were out in the middle of the street, they were in violation of the law and could be arrested like any other person." Acks, Edward Lloyd and student photographer Stephanie Catlin are charged with blocking the road Aug. 25 at 15th Street and Court Place. Dilley said police blocked 15th Street between Court and Cleveland Place to keep a group of 200 to 300 from reaching the 16th Street Mall. "There were more people downtown than I have ever seen with the exception of New Year's Eve," Dilley said. "They were elbow to elbow." Sgt. Tony Foster said earlier in the day police "received information that a large group of people would be coming from Civic Center Park and would be destroying downtown Denver and possibly the 16th Street Mall." His unit of officers in riot gear was among those called as the group came down 15th Street. "It was probably one of the most dangerous situations I've been in in 22 years," he said. "There were 30 of us and 300 of them bent on destruction." He described "a large mass of people coming down the street yelling and screaming with their arms in the air." Dilley and Foster said no dispersal order was given by loudspeaker, but Foster said that officers, including him, were yelling at the screaming crowd to stop and get out of the street. Martinez said those in the crowd had plenty of opportunities to leave and avoid arrest. "All 130 people that got arrested could have left the area," he said. "We were trying to stop a violent, uncontrolled mob from getting to the 16th Street Mall." http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/525988.html Jurors convict man in port protest case JEREMY PAWLOSKI; The Olympian Published: 11/01/08 11:30 pm A student at The Evergreen State College gets a 10-day sentence and $680 in fines after his conviction for his actions in protests at the Port of Olympia. It took a jury a little more than an hour of deliberation Friday to convict a Port of Olympia protester of misdemeanor obstruction of a police officer and resisting arrest for his actions last November when he stood in front a moving Stryker vehicle near Olympia City Hall. Olympia Municipal Judge Scott Ahlf sentenced Shyam Khanna to 10 days in custody ? but Khanna doesn?t have to serve that time in jail. Ahlf said Khanna can serve that time on electronic home monitoring, in a day jail program or by participating in a work crew. Ahlf also ordered Khanna to pay about $680 in fines. Olympia prosecutor Kalo Wilcox had asked that Khanna serve 40 days in jail, based on what she called his disrespect for authority, his failure to contribute to the community and other pending criminal charges he?s incurred since his arrest ? which include an allegation that he spat on an Olympia police officer. Later, outside court, Khanna said of his conviction, ?I think that in the end, history will absolve me.? Khanna also accused an Olympia police officer of following, harassing and threatening him since his arrest. Khanna, a junior at The Evergreen State College, is the only person to stand trial out of more than 60 who were arrested during two weeks of protests last November that sought to prevent Stryker vehicles and other military cargo from leaving the Port of Olympia to return to Fort Lewis after deployment in the Iraq war. The protesters argued that the public port shouldn?t be allowed to support what they contend is an illegal, immoral war. An additional 26 protesters face pending misdemeanor charges for their alleged actions. Their cases are set for arraignment on various dates this month. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37720 Ejected at '04 Convention, a Protester Gets $55,000 Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2008-11-16 14:47. ? Nonviolent Resistance By COLIN MOYNIHAN, NY Times During President Bush's acceptance speech in Madison Square Garden at the 2004 Republican National Convention, a San Francisco woman briefly interrupted the proceedings by standing on a chair and unfurling a banner that accused the president of lying. That protest set into motion a chain of events that has ended in one of the more unusual legal resolutions connected to the four days of the convention, during which more than 1,800 demonstrators and bystanders were arrested, most of them in street protests. Hundreds of them subsequently sued the city, saying they had been arrested unlawfully or detained in holding cells without access to lawyers. As of September, the city had paid about $1.5 million to settle 142 lawsuits arising out of the convention. The payout total rose by $55,000 on Friday, when the San Francisco woman, June Brashares, 44, an events planner, peace advocate and a member of the protest group Code Pink, reached a settlement in a lawsuit in which she said she had been injured while being ejected from the Garden and had been falsely prosecuted. But unlike the other cases, which were settled after allegations of misconduct by city police officers or other city employees, the defendants in the Brashares case were not under the city's control. They were two convention volunteers from California, a Republican group in California and the Republican National Committee. Yet the city's Law Department represented them anyway because of an indemnification agreement under which the city assumes the cost of defending any lawsuit arising from the 2004 convention that names the Republican National Committee. "This was a reasonable settlement based on the facts of the case," Connie Pankratz, a spokeswoman for the Law Department, said on Friday. Ms. Pankratz said she knew of no other convention-related case in which the Law Department is defending only people or groups outside New York City's control. The Law Department could not say on Saturday which city agencies or officials signed the deal, but Ms. Pankratz confirmed that it was reached as part of negotiations to bring the convention to New York. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said business generated by the convention brought the city hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. No such agreement on legal costs was in place for this year's Republican National Convention in St. Paul ? where police officers used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at demonstrators, arresting about 800 people. Instead, St. Paul officials required that the Republican host committee buy an insurance policy covering up to $10 million in damages for civil rights violations by the police, to avoid saddling taxpayers with legal costs, the St. Paul city attorney said in September. Ms. Brashares's role in the convention litigation began as she and her banner ? reading "Bush Lies People Die" ? were swiftly ushered from Madison Square Garden by the two volunteers, who were assigned to maintain order as "floor whips" for the California delegation. She was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assault and harassment after the two men, Shaun Flanigan and John Peschong, said she injured them while being dragged from the hall. A Manhattan jury rejected those claims about a year later, after watching news videotapes that undercut part of the prosecution's case. Ms. Brashares then filed a civil lawsuit in State Supreme Court against Mr. Flanigan and Mr. Peschong, saying they had torn a ligament in her finger while removing her and had made false statements. The Republican National Committee and the California State Republican Committee were also named because Mr. Flanigan and Mr. Peschong had been acting in the official capacity of those organizations, she said in her suit. "In the course of removing plaintiff, defendants Peschong and Flanigan maliciously beat, pushed, grabbed and otherwise violently battered plaintiff with the intent of causing her injury," stated a complaint filed by Jonathan C. Moore, a lawyer for Ms. Brashares. In an interview, Mr. Moore said Ms. Brashares felt vindicated by the settlement. "She's been compensated for having to undergo a trial when she knew she was not guilty," he said. "It's unfortunate that the city felt they had to indemnify these folks." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008393920_nudecyclist15.html?syndication=rss Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM Protest in the buff OK, Portland judge decides A judge has ruled that you can, indeed, "let it all hang out" in Portland and dismissed indecent-exposure charges against a nude bicycle rider who did just that. By The Associated Press PORTLAND ? A judge has ruled that you can, indeed, "let it all hang out" in Portland and dismissed indecent exposure charges against a nude bicycle rider who did just that. In Portland, the judge said, cycling naked has been anointed as a "well-established tradition" and understood as a form of "symbolic protest." Judge Jerome LaBarre said the city's annual World Naked Bike Ride ? in which as many as 1,200 people took part last June 14 ? has helped cement riding in the buff as a form of protest against cars and dependence on fossil fuels. LaBarre then cleared Michael "Bobby" Hammond, 21, after two days of hearings. Hammond ran afoul of the constabulary June 26, when he stripped down and hopped on his 10-speed in an effort, he says, to show that he alone was powering it. Portland police, however, saw Hammond's two-minute ride through the Alberta Arts District as a stunt, not free speech, and arrested him, citing a city code that states it's illegal to expose genitalia in a public place in view of members of the opposite sex. A bystander recorded the episode, which was posted on the Web. As Hammond pulled to a stop, police began to question him. Hammond said he didn't think he was doing anything wrong. An officer told him to put on some pants or go to jail. "There are kids out there," the officer said. "I just want to ride my bike," Hammond says. "I'm wearing a helmet." The officer said that was nice, but that it was either pants or jail. Three officers then brought Hammond to the ground, cuffed him and left him naked in the street. The district attorney's office sought misdemeanor convictions for resisting arrest, fourth-degree assault and indecent exposure. Hammond, who works at a cafe and as a caregiver for people with developmental disabilities, said he had moved to Portland from New Mexico and thought nudity was legal because he'd participated in his first World Naked Bike Ride without incident. "It's one of the reasons I live in Portland. As far as you can see ? as far in front of you and behind ? it's naked people." Twelve days after the group bike ride Hammond, housemates and friends sat on the lawn of his home selling art and bemoaning the traffic. He and a friend, Walter Geis, decided to strip down and ride their bikes up and down the boulevard. Hammond testified that he was expressing a message in support of bikes and against cars, foreign oil, the Iraq war and air pollution. Deputy District Attorney Ryan Lufkin said Hammond made no attempt to communicate that. "This was, by every definition of the word, streaking," Lufkin said and told the judge that if he dismissed the charges anyone who'd been arrested for indecent exposure could make the same case. In 1985, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in that appearing nude in public can be a protected form of expression if it's done in political protest and should be considered on a case-by-case basis. LaBarre said Hammond's case qualified. Would he ride naked again? "Oh, yeah," he said. http://www.citypages.com/2008-11-12/news/eight-rnc-protesters-accused-of-furthering-terrorism-thanks-to-statute/ Eight RNC protesters accused of 'furthering terrorism' thanks to statute Officials say the RNC 8 plotted to sabotage Xcel, kidnap delegates By Matt Snyders Published on November 11, 2008 at 12:16pm Eryn Trimmer sits in a Loring Park coffee shop and peers out the window to the street below. Dressed in a casual charcoal-colored sweater, with wispy blond hair, the gangly 23-year-old handyman resembles your typical coffeehouse regular. You'd hardly suspect he's an accused terrorist. ? Craig Lassig The RNC 8: Left to right: Eryn Trimmer, Nathanael Secor, Luce Guillen-Givins, Monica Bicking, Garrett Fitzgerald, Rob Czernik, Erik Oseland, and Max Specktor The Saturday before the Republican National Convention, Trimmer was sleeping upstairs in his two-story home in Minneapolis's Powderhorn neighborhood when he was awakened by a clatter. Within seconds, armed officers burst through his bedroom, guns drawn, and arrested Trimmer, his live-in girlfriend Monica Bicking, and their roommate Garrett Fitzgerald. Five more RNC protesters would be rounded up during that weekend in advance of the RNC. Dubbed the "RNC 8," the defendants?seven of whom were members of anarchist group the RNC Welcoming Committee?stand accused of "conspiring to riot," a second-degree felony. According to a police affidavit, the eight acted as ringleaders in a plot to "kidnap delegates" and "sabotage the Xcel Center." Authorities leveled the charges based on evidence provided by paid informants and undercover agents who infiltrated the RNC Welcoming Committee in the months leading up to the convention ("Moles Wanted," 5/21/08). "We assumed the group was under surveillance and that that could include informants," Trimmer says. "It was an open group and we weren't organizing anything illegal, so we didn't want to kick anybody out." But the RNC 8 face more than the standard felony charges. For the first time, authorities are wielding an obscure state anti-terrorism statute passed in the nervous aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Second-degree "conspiracy to commit riot" ordinarily carries a maximum two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, but because the alleged crime was intended to "further terrorism," the sentence can be doubled to a maximum of five years. "The statute's definition of 'terrorism' appears to be modeled after a statute in the Patriot Act," says attorney Bruce Nestor, who is defending one of the accused conspirators. "But whereas the Patriot Act statute requires an act of violence against people, the language here extends the definition to include 'violence to property.'" The original bill, proposed May 2, 2001, had nothing to do with terrorism: It required morticians and funeral directors to issue death notices for unidentifiable homeless people. Twelve months, five revisions, and one national tragedy later, the bill had mushroomed into a massive omnibus bill that included the hastily appended terrorism statute. Because the addendum was a relatively minor part of a larger piece of legislation, no one seems to be able to say for sure who inserted it. "There was reaction to 9/11 and everybody wanted to get prepared," says Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville), who voted for the bill. "I think the rationale behind it was that if individuals act in an organized manner and perpetuate crimes on the public, stiffer penalties are in order." The most controversial aspect of the statute is its characterization of terrorism, which includes any felony that "significantly disrupts or interferes with the lawful exercise, operation, or conduct of government, lawful commerce, or the right of lawful assembly." Attorney Larry Leventhal, who is representing accused RNC 8 conspirator Max Specktor, says the language is overly broad. "By that rationale, the definition of terrorism could be extended to anything," Leventhal argues. "If they don't like what you and I are saying to each other over a phone they're tapping, they can say that it's 'terroristic.'" Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher says that the RNC 8 may not look like the terrorists who crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, but their actions justify the stiffer penalties. Fletcher points to the fact that a 50-pound sandbag was hurled from a freeway overpass onto a busload of delegates as proof. "I think it's fair to say the people who were in downtown St. Paul during the convention, including delegates, felt a level of terror from the actions of the individuals associated with the RNC Welcoming Committee," Fletcher says. The RNC 8 deny having any operational involvement in the sandbag incident, but admit that some members may have planned acts of "civil disobedience," such as blockading the Xcel Center. At a probable cause hearing Monday, attorneys for the RNC 8 successfully argued for an extension to gather further evidence. But even if the defendants are convicted, it's doubtful any of them will serve the five years in prison called for by the new law. "The judge has a great deal of discretion as to what probationary conditions to put into place," says County Attorney Susan Gaertner. "Generally, that might include up to a year in jail, community service, or treatment." That comes as little consolation to Luce Guillen-Givens, one of the eight accused. Having been involved with various immigrant-rights and antiwar groups since the age of 15, Guillen-Givens, now 24, worries what will happen to the next person accused of "furthering terrorism." "Historically, these crackdowns serve the purpose of disrupting and undermining movements of resistance," she says. "First, you try conspiracy charges out on the fringes and, if it works there, you move incrementally in." http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/11/cost-of-prosecuting-protesters-questioned/?partner=RSS Cost of prosecuting protesters questioned Lawyers for DNC activists say cops on losing streak By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 11, 2008 at 10:28 p.m. Updated November 12, 2008 at 1:03 a.m. Lawyers for protesters arrested during the Democratic National Convention want to know how much Denver is spending to prosecute the cases, citing a 1-17 losing streak so far. According to Brian Vicente, executive director of the People's Law Project, of the first 18 cases set for trial, only one has resulted in a conviction. In that case, prosecutors were able to produce videotape that showed protester Eric Nunez standing in the street flashing a peace symbol while surrounded by police officers, Vicente said. So far, the city attorney has dismissed eight defendants, juries acquitted six and judges acquitted two. One faces retrial after a jury deadlocked. "If the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a 1-17 record, people would raise serious questions about what changes needed to be made," Vicente said. He said the mounting number of acquittals suggested that many of the 106 people charged were "haphazardly" arrested during a demonstration at 15th and Court streets on Aug. 25. But City Attorney David Fine noted that about 50 of the protesters who were arrested have entered guilty pleas. He also said that a much larger group that took part in the protest was allowed to disperse. In two trials, Fine added, the juries that acquitted the defendants issued statements essentially praising the behavior of the police and the prosecution. Fine said those juries also admonished the defendants and said their acquittals should not be interpreted as condoning their behavior. On Sunday, Vicente filed an open records request, asking Denver officials to estimate how much money and how many hours the police department has spent preparing for and testifying at the trials. He also asked for the amount spent on the prosecution. He said each trial has lasted an average of three days and involved two to three lawyers from the city attorney's office. "Is that a good use of time?" he asked. "There's domestic violence cases and rape cases and all sorts of other issues plaguing the city of Denver." The People's Law Project recruited 40 lawyers to represent people arrested during the convention and to defend their First Amendment rights. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10920817?source=rss ACLU wants probe into police-staged DNC protest By Felisa Cardona The Denver Post Posted: 11/07/2008 12:30:00 AM MST Updated: 11/07/2008 10:25:14 AM MST When a Jefferson County deputy unleashed pepper spray at unruly protesters on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, he did not know that his targets were undercover Denver police officers. Now the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is questioning whether that staged confrontation by police pretending to be violent inflamed other protesters or officers during the most intense night of the four-day event. The protest occurred Aug. 25 at 15th Street and Court Place near Civic Center. Police ultimately arrested 106 people, the highest number of arrests in a single day during the convention. According to a use-of-force police report obtained by the ACLU, undercover Denver detectives staged a struggle with a police commander to get pulled out of the crowd without blowing their cover. The commander knew they were working undercover, and the plan was to pull them out of the crowd and pretend they were under arrest so protesters would be none the wiser. A Jefferson County deputy, unaware of the presence of undercover police, thought that the commander was being attacked and used pepper spray on the undercover officers. The report says that the commander and an undercover detective were sprayed, but it does not indicate how many others were affected. The report also doesn't say whether the pepper spray used on the undercover police was the first deployment of chemicals that night or whether the riot was already underway. Denver police have said they were trying to control the crowd moving from Civic Center. The officers testified in court that they had intelligence that anarchists planned to gather in the park, then move toward the 16th Street Mall to wreak havoc at delegate hotels and other businesses. The activists had posted that plan on a publicly available website. Probe requested On Thursday, the ACLU of Colorado sent a letter to Denver's Independent Monitor, Richard Rosenthal, asking for the Internal Affairs Bureau to conduct an investigation of the pepper-spraying incident. "The actions of the undercover detectives on August 25, 2008, may have had the effect of exacerbating an already 'tense situation,' as their feigned struggle led nearby officers and the public to believe that a commanding officer was being attacked by protestors and that the situation necessitated the use of chemical agents," says the letter, written by ACLU staff attorney Taylor Pendergrass. "Such actions may have escalated the overall situation by causing officers on the scene to fear that the protestors threatened their safety, when in fact the struggle was only between uniformed officers and undercover officers," he wrote. Denver Police Chief Gerald Whitman did not return a call seeking comment about the pepper-spray incident and whether the officers followed protocol by staging a disturbance with the commander. Rosenthal said he had received the ACLU's letter about the pepper-spray incident. He also received a letter from the ACLU last week requesting a probe into possible conflicting or false statements by police about the riot and whether the department withheld evidence in some of the protesters' criminal trials. The ACLU contends videos show that protesters, as well as otherwise uninvolved onlookers, were never ordered or given a chance to disperse before they were surrounded and detained by police. "The letters have been received, and I am in the process of reviewing and evaluating them," Rosenthal said Thursday. As many as 60 protest suspects declined to accept plea deals after their arrests. Some cases have been dismissed and some suspects acquitted after a judge cited a lack of evidence. Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona at denverpost.com http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/10/prosecuting-dnc-protesters-wastes-taxpayers-money-/?partner=RSS Lawyer wants to know what DNC protest trials are costing city By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 10, 2008 at 7:19 p.m. Lawyers for protesters arrested during the Democratic National Convention want to know how much Denver is spending to prosecute the cases, citing a 1-17 losing streak so far. According to Brian Vincente, executive director of the People's Law Project, of the first 18 cases set for trial, only one has resulted in a conviction. So far, the city attorney has dismissed eight defendants, juries acquitted six and judges acquitted two. One faces retrial after a jury deadlocked. "If the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a 1-17 record, people would raise serious questions about what changes needed to be made," Vincente said. He said the mounting number of acquittals suggested that many of the 106 people charged were "haphazardly" arrested during a demonstration at 15th and Court streets. But City Attorney David Fine noted that about 50 of the protesters arrested have entered guilty pleas. He also said that a much larger group that took part in the protest was allowed to disperse. Fine added that in two trials, the juries that acquitted the defendants insisted on making public statements to the effect of praising the behavior of the police and the prosecution. Fine said those juries also admonished the defendants and said their acquittals should not be interpreted as condoning their behavior. On Sunday, Vincente filed an open records request, asking Denver officials to estimate how much money and how many hours the police department has spent preparing for and testifying at the trials. He also asked for the amount spent on the prosecution. He said each trial has lasted an average of three days and involved two to three lawyers from the city attorney's office. "Is that a good use of time?" he asked. "There's domestic violence cases and rape cases and all sorts of other issues plaguing the city of Denver." http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/21/3-convicted-3-acquitted-at-protester-trials/?partner=RSS 3 convicted, 3 acquitted at protester trials By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News (Contact) Published November 21, 2008 at 12:05 a.m. Three people were convicted and three were acquitted Thursday in trials of protesters arrested for obstructing a street during the Democratic National Convention this August. It brings the number of convictions to four. The trials began in October and are set through January. About 100 people were arrested and many previously pleaded guilty. Thursday, the head of a legal group representing the protesters could not say why one group of three was acquitted and the other group was convicted. Both groups had basically the same trial, said People's Law Project Executive Director Brian Vicente. Police supervisors and officers as well as lay witnesses by now have testified so many times in so many trials that their once- startling descriptions and comments are beginning to sound flat. Eighty-year-old Cecil Bethea, handcuffed during the Aug. 25 incident as he tried to make his way from the library to catch his bus, testified in four trials this week. "I got Wednesday off," he said after testifying at one trial Thursday morning. Legal observer Scott Humphreys got a workout Thursday, testifying at three trials about the video he took of the Aug. 25 incident. Ten defendants were scheduled for trial this week. In addition to the six tried on Thursday, on Monday, a juvenile was acquitted, a woman pleaded guilty to avoid trial, and the city attorney's office dismissed charges against another man. A verdict in three more cases is expected today. http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1120/199490.html Los Angeles city to pay nearly $13 mln to protesters 2008-11-20 19:39:44 GMT2008-11-21 03:39:44 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The city of Los Angeles has tentatively agreed to pay nearly 13 million U.S. dollars to immigration protesters and bystanders injured by police officers during a melee last year, it was reported on Thursday. The proposed agreement still must be approved by the City Council, the mayor and the judge overseeing the claims against the city. Once approved, it would mark one of the largest payouts ever made to resolve the misconduct of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), according to the Los Angeles Times. Several sources confirmed the size of the proposed deal at 12.85 million dollars, the paper said. Further payouts are likely to journalists who also sued, charging they were roughed up by the LAPD while covering the event. A settlement in the case would go a long way toward closing an embarrassing and damaging chapter in the LAPD's recent history, department observers said. During last year's May Day melee in downtown Los Angeles, LAPD's elite Metro Division used batons and fired rubber bullets into the largely peaceful crowd. There were no deaths, but hundreds of demonstrators and journalists and 18 officers suffered injuries. A scathing internal LAPD report blamed poor leadership and planning as well as the overly aggressive tactics by officers. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=70072&provider=rss Pair of preachers arrested for street demonstration Jake Jost Updated: 11/24/2008 6:55:09 PM Posted: 11/24/2008 6:47:45 PM A pair of street preachers spent time in the Blount County Jail over the weekend. Jay Bryant, 28, and Jeremy Burt, 21, were arrested Saturday. Police say the men were waving signs and shouting at drivers on West Lamar Alexander Parkway. Officers said they asked if the two had a permit, and Bryant and Burt said the Bible was their permit and refused to leave. During the commotion, officers said the men's actions caused a minor crash. The two were cited for not having a permit and arrested for disturbing the peace. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/14/2420069.htm 13 Italian police jailed over G8 summit riots Posted Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:28pm AEDT A court in Genoa has sentenced 13 Italian police officers to prison, while acquitting another 16, for the violent crackdown on anti-globalisation protesters at a G8 summit in 2001. Among those acquitted were the three main officials responsible for maintaining order at the summit held in the northern Italian city, according to the sentencing read live on television by the clerk of the court. Cries of "shame, shame" were heard from the public when the acquittal of the police chief was announced. Police officers were accused notably of planting two Molotov cocktail firebombs on protesters while they were being held at the city's Diaz school, as well as beating protesters and conducting arbitrary searches. The case turned in June 2007 when a senior officer in Rome broke ranks and spoke out describing scenes resembling a "butcher's yard". One 23-year-old man died in the clashes. The 13 convicted officers were sentenced to a total of 35 years and seven months in prison. The longest single sentence was for four years. In another separate trial in July this year, jail terms were handed down to 15 members of the security forces for crimes committed in a nearby barracks, while 24 anti-globalisation protesters received between five months and 11 years in prison. The clashes during anti-globalisation demonstrations around the Group of Eight industrial powers summit in July 2001 left several hundred people injured and caused millions of euros in damages. - AFP http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=26071 Article posted Nov 01 2008, 3:36 PM Category: Tyranny/Police State Source: Prison Planet Ex-Italian President: Provocateur Riots Then ?Beat The Shit Out Of Protesters? Cossiga says Italian government should ?do what I did? under Operation GLADIO - infiltrate protest groups with agent provocateurs Paul Joseph Watson Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga has offered a solution to the Italian government in dealing with widespread demonstrations by students and teachers over a cut in state funding of education - use agent provocateurs to start riots and then have the police "beat the shit out of the protesters". Cossiga, former Italian President, Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, and one of the founders of the Operation GLADIO covert intelligence unit, encouraged Silvio Berlusconi and current Minister of the Interior Robert Maroni to "do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior," namely infiltrate what so far have been relatively peaceful demonstrations, radicalize them, start riots, then engender public support for a heavy-handed police response. Cossiga's full statement translated reads as follows. "Maroni should do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior. University students? Let them do what they want. Withdraw the police from streets and universities, infiltrate the movement with provoking agents ready for anything ["agenti provocatori" is the Italian term] and let them devastate shops, put fire to the cars and put cities to the sword for ten days. Then, strengthen by people's support, the sound of the sirens from ambulances will have to overwhelm that from the police and carabinieri [italian military police]. Law enforcement officers should pitilessly beat the shit out of protesters and send them all to the hospital. They should not arrest them since the courts would free them immediately, but they should beat them savagely, and they should beat savagely as well those teachers that incites them: not old professors, just the young school teachers." Cossiga is essentially describing the problem-reaction-solution dialectic that he exploited when he was in government. Under the banner of Operation GLADIO, which was unveiled after parliamentary investigations in Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, NATO sponsored secret armies committed acts of violence and terrorism and blamed the attacks on left-wing political movements, allowing far-right governments to seize power in numerous European countries. "You had to attack civilians, the people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game," right-wing terrorist and GLADIO agent Vincezo Vinciguerra explained the so-called "strategy of tension" in sworn testimony. "The reason was quite simple. They were supposed to force these people, the Italian public, to turn to the state to ask for greater security. This is the political logic that lies behind all the massacres and the bombings which remain unpunished, because the state cannot convict itself or declare itself responsible for what happened." GLADIO-orchestrated false flag terror attacks, such as the Bologna train bombing in 1980 which killed 85 people, were revealed during the Italian parliamentary investigation as having been overseen by elements of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. At the very least, U.S. intelligence sat on prior knowledge of bombings and allowed them to go ahead. Cossiga's call to infiltrate protest groups and provocateur violence, giving the police public backing to "beat the shit" out of them, is a false flag tactic that has been employed numerous times during major protest events around the world. Indeed, the scenario Cossiga is describing is exactly what happened at the violent 2001 Genoa G8 summit, during which Italian police planted bombs in headquarters being used by protest groups as an excuse to conduct raids and "beat the shit" out of peaceful demonstrators. A similar tactic was also attempted during last year's SPP summit protest in Quebec Canada. Canadian police were caught dressed up as rock-wielding anarchists intent on causing riots. Peaceful protesters identified the agent provocateurs and the police later had to admit the fact despite going to the lengths of publicly staging the arrests of their own officers. Last year, Cossiga drew on his first-hand personal experience in conducting false flag terror operations to declare that 9/11 was an inside job and that this fact was "common knowledge" amongst global intelligence agencies. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/riot-ringleader-wotton-jailed-for-six-years/2008/11/07/1225561113987.html Riot ringleader Wotton jailed for six years November 7, 2008 - 1:32PM TOWNSVILLE - Palm Island riot ringleader Lex Wotton has been jailed for six years. The 40-year-old Palm Island man will be eligible for parole in July 2010. Judge Michael Shanahan told the court police and authorities had mishandled communication with locals in the days after the death in police custody of Cameron Doomadgee, which sparked the riot. Many Palm Islanders believed the death in custody would not be properly dealt with, despite a number of investigations being launched, including one by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC), he said. ``Whatever the justification, society cannot accept that this (riot) was an appropriate response,'' Judge Shanahan said. Outside court, supporters of Wotton cheered at news he would be released in 19 months. Aboriginal activist Gracelyn Smallwood said the community had been bracing themselves for a sentence of between 10 years and life in jail. She declared the result a victory for Aboriginal people. ``We are very grateful and are hoping that black and white can come together and move on with the healing process,'' she said. Wotton was found guilty last month of instigating the November 2004 riot that resulted in the destruction of the island's police station, courthouse and an officer's residence. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24616098-601,00.html Palm Island rioter Lex Wotton gets six years jail Padraic Murphy | November 07, 2008 Article from: The Australian PALM Island rioter Lex Wotton has been sentenced to six years' jail and will be eligible for parole in two. There was jubilation among Wotton's supporters outside the Townsville court this afternoon as judge Michael Shanahan handed down the sentence, which was less than the 10 years sought by the prosecution. Taking into account time already served, Wotton will be eligible for release in July 2010. Aboriginal activist Gracelyn Smallwood said it was a "fantastic result", after fears Wotton would receive a heavier sentence. "People can now move on," she said. About 100 supporters had gathered outside the court for prayer and a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony. Many were denied entry because the courtroom was full. Wotton, a 40-year-old plumber, was convicted last month of rioting with destruction for his role in riots on Palm Island a week after Mulrunji Doomadgee died in 2004. The riot destroyed the police station and took authorities days to bring under control. The riot started in the wake of the release of autopsy results into the death of Doomadgee, a local man who died in police custody from massive internal injuries. ``Whatever the justification, society cannot accept that this (riot) was an appropriate response,'' Judge Shanahan said. Unusually, Wotton was not taken down immediately after sentencing but was allowed to spend 10 minutes with family and supporters in the courtroom. In sentencing submissions this morning, crown prosecutor Michael Cowen told the judge that Wotton's was a very serious crime that had hurt the entire community, and he asked for a 10-year sentence. Among the character refereces for Wotton was one from the Queensland parliament's Speaker, Mike Reynolds. Mr Reynolds, whose electorate includes Palm Island, last week called his Government "culturally incompetent" for allowing the presentation of bravery awards to policemen in the Palm Island riots to go ahead in the same week that Wotton is to be sentenced. Mr Reynolds would not return calls yesterday, but he is one of several high-profile people to provide support for Wotton. No officer has been disciplined over Doomadgee's death. Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, who was found not guilty last year of manslaughter, is appealing against coroner Christine Clements's 2006 finding that found him responsible for the death. Ms Clements said the police handling of the death lacked transparency, objectivity and independence, and an internal police report into the conduct of investigating officers is yet to be made public, although its release is believed to be imminent. Wotton's lawyer Stewart Levitt said yesterday his client would appeal against his conviction, regardless of today's sentence. "We'll take this all the way to the International Court of Justice in The Hague if we have to," Mr Levitt said. "We have serious concerns about this conviction. The verdict must leave Aborigines in remote Queensland communities cowering. "The bully boys can have their way with the blacks with impunity; not just with impunity but with state protection. The police union are crowing over their victory even though on any fair reading of the transcript of the police witnesses testimony at Lex's trial, the police should be hanging their heads in shame. "In the new age of Obama, it will be interesting to see how this trial will be viewed given the changing political landscape." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/07/europe/EU-Serbia-Karadzic.php Serb prosecutor: Protester died of police beating The Associated Press Published: November 7, 2008 BELGRADE, Serbia: A prosecutor in Serbia says the death of a nationalist protester resulted from injuries sustained in clashes with police at a rally supporting genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic. State prosecutor spokesman Tomo Zoric says those responsible will be held accountable. Dozens of people were injured in the July protest in Belgrade against the arrest of Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader. Ranko Panic, 41, suffered abdominal injuries. He died two weeks later. The extremist Serbian Radical Party demanded Friday that Interior Minister Ivica Dacic resign over Panic's death. Karadzic was arrested on genocide charges by a U.N. court but Serb nationalists view him as a hero. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/court-defeat-spells-eviction-for-travellers-1513160.html Court defeat spells eviction for travellers By Terri Judd Thursday, 22 January 2009 Oli Scarff/Getty Images The Dale Farm travellers camp on 22 January 2009 near Basildon, Essex. The Court of Appeal has ruled that Basildon Council can evict the travellers living on the site, the largest community of travellers in the UK Hundreds of travellers, many with small children, were left "desperate" and dismayed today after being told they face being moved forcibly from their homes after a ruling by the Court of Appeal. The decision is the culmination of a long and bitter row between the Essex residents surrounding the country's largest traveller encampment, who accuse their unwelcome neighbours of bringing crime and anti-social behaviour to the area, and the travellers, who are adamant they are victims of prejudice and victimisation. Dr Keith Lomax, who represented the travellers of Dale Farm, explained yesterday that many of those under threat were the most vulnerable of the traveller community - the elderly, the sick or those with young children. "The extent of need on that site is great. The first people who give up travelling because of the stresses are those with the greatest medical and educational needs, people with mental health needs, physical disabilities or those who require the stability of education for kids with special needs," he said. But today, after fighting through the courts for four years, more than 60 families heard they could be moved on from the Green Belt land at Crays Hill. The travellers' spokesman Grattan Puxon warned that the situation could explode into violence if the bailiffs were sent in. "The women are very, very upset and the men are very, very defiant. They will defend the farm. There is nowhere for them to go and it is very traumatising for the children. I am not advocating violence but violence is brought to us by the bailiffs who have terrorised the children in the past," said Mr Puxon. Three judges reversed a ruling by a High Court judge who quashed a decision by Basildon District Council to take direct action to force compliance with enforcement notices over the land in Billericay, Essex. Lord Justice Pill said the High Court judge, Mr Justice Collins, was "in error" to find that consideration had not been given to the individual families and the council's decision to clear the sites was lawfully taken. Mr Puxon said that as many as 80 primary school children would lose their places at school while a plan for a new school for 50 secondary pupils - prevented from taking up education to date because of "racist taunts" - would be under threat if they were moved on. Travellers first began settling there in the 1960s when permission was granted for 40 families. But over the past eight years it has grown with many others gravitating towards Dale Farm without permission, often having been evicted from elsewhere. Travellers bought land on an old scrap yard, which is designated Green Belt, and the community grew to more than 1,000 people. Since 1990 the total number of gypsy and traveller caravans had increased nationally by 44 per cent but in the Basildon District, the numbers rose by over 475 per cent. In May 2005, the council voted to bring in enforcement notices to remove more than 1,000 people in because there was no planning permission for their caravans. But the residents won an eleventh hour reprieve to stop the bailiffs and demolishing of the site, starting a long legal battle to hold on to their homes. But today Lord Justice Pill overturned the High Court judgement that the council's decision to evict the residents of Dale Farm by direct action was unlawful. Dr Lomax insisted that the court had ordered that the council still has to decide what action to take and he hoped they would respect its legal duty towards those made homeless. He is still hoping that the case may go to the House of Lords. "It is hoped that the council now acts reasonably and thinks very carefully before sending in the bulldozers to clear the entire site," said he lawyer, adding that the more than a year ago the East of England Regional Assembly determined that Basildon Council needed to provide 81 additional plots for travellers yet not a single one had been created. "Now, Basildon council, it is up to you. People need places to live," he said, adding: "Site provision is the answer, not endless evictions onto the open road. Stop passing the buck." Yesterday Bala Mahendran, Chief Executive, Basildon District Council, said: "The Council wishes to make it clear that although officers will start the detailed planning for the clearance operation straight away, any evictions will not take place immediately." Interesting? Click here to explore further http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-expels-5000-congo-refugees-1055695.html UK expels 5,000 Congo refugees By Emily Dugan Sunday, 7 December 2008 Judges have ruled that up to 5,000 asylum-seekers will be sent back to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. All Congolese citizens with a failed asylum claim are preparing to return, following a decision in the Court of Appeal last week. Innocent Empi, of the Congo Support Project, said: "This is bad, bad news for us. Everyone's frightened. There are people saying they would prefer to kill themselves than go back to Congo. They will be sending them to their death." The ruling came just days after Human Rights Watch revealed the Kabila government has killed around 500 opponents and tortured more than 1,000. Lawyers had maintained that just by returning, asylum-seekers were at risk. But this evidence ? and a further appeal ? were rejected. http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest101108.html State harassment of ?ir?g? activists on the rise 10/11/08 A Lurgan ?ir?g? activist was assaulted and arrested by the PSNI on Wednesday afternoon, leaving his six-year-old nephew, who was in his care at the time, alone on the street. Damien Duffy was walking through the Kilwilkie estate with his nephew at 4.30pm on Wednesday when he encountered a heavily-armed, 10-strong PSNI foot patrol who were in the process of harassing a small group of local teenagers. When Damien challenged the PSNI personnel to leave the young people alone and remove themselves from the area, he was immediately set upon by five officers who pulled his hand away from the child and pinned him to the ground. Damien was then thrown into the back of a Land Rover that had arrived at the scene, leaving his nephew crying hysterically in the street. When Damien requested that he be allowed to phone the child?s mother, the response of a female PSNI officer was ?Fuck the child?. Mr Duffy was then taken to Lurgan Barracks, where he had his fingerprints and a DNA sample taken and was charged with disorderly behaviour, resisting arrest and two counts of assault. Meanwhile, Mr Duffy?s nephew was left unaccompanied and traumatised at the scene of the arrest. When the child began to run up the main road in the direction of his home, a local resident had to chase after him and bring him to a relative who lived near-by. While being detained in Lurgan Barracks, Damien Duffy was questioned about ?ir?g?, the content on its website, the demonstration against the British military parade in Belfast on November 2 and his brother Colin, Damien is the second ?ir?g? activist to be arrested in Lurgan in the last week. On Sunday, another man was detained while on his way to Belfast for the peaceful demonstration against the RIR. ?ir?g? spokesperson Sean Mac Br?daigh said the arrests were part of a pattern of PSNI repression against the party: ?The treatment Damien Duffy and his nephew received at the hands of the PSNI was totally outrageous. To leave a six-year-old child unaccompanied in the street and to assault and level false charges against an innocent person is hardly the behaviour you would expect from a 'normal' police service. ?Members of our party in both Belfast and south Derry have faced harassment and questioning under what is called ?anti-terrorism? legislation in recent weeks ? now, we are faced with a situation where our activists are facing arrest for daring to look out for the young people in their communities. ??ir?g? is an open, democratic political party with an agenda that is publicly available. What we are witnessing is a politically-motivated campaign, operated by the PSNI, that is designed to intimidate ?ir?g??s membership and supporters and prevent it from growing further in working-class republican areas. ?It is a campaign that is doomed to failure. ?ir?g? will not be intimidated and the repackaged RUC will have to learn that republican communities will not shirk from confronting them and their bully boy tactics.? http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/10/31/ot-crackhouse-081031.html?ref=rss Protesters fight Ont. anti-drug private member's bill Last Updated: Friday, October 31, 2008 | 3:13 PM ET Comments12Recommend10 CBC News A private member's bill that would make it easier to close crack houses in Ontario has drawn protesters who say it will trample the rights of drug addicts and sex workers. If passed, the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act would allow a judge to close a property for up to 90 days or evict individual tenants if he or she decides that illegal activity is consistently taking place there and having a negative impact on the surrounding community, Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi said. Naqvi, who represents Ottawa Centre, spoke about his legislation Friday at a news conference as protesters carrying red placards booed and shouted "shame." At the moment, drug houses can only be shut down via landlord and tenant boards and through charges and convictions of residents under the Criminal Code. "Criminal Code as you know is cumbersome," Naqvi said. "At times, it takes ? a very long time to act." Similar legislation targeting crack houses has been introduced in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Alberta, Naqvi said. Protester Chris Bruckert, a University of Ottawa professor and former sex worker, said sex workers should have been consulted. "It's a human-rights issue and it's something that is going to target marginalized populations, including sex workers." Michelle Ball, who co-ordinates AIDS prevention and education services for the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, said the proposed legislation further criminalizes drug addiction, even though addiction is recognized as a disability. "It's of grave concern to me because how can anybody access health care services, how can anybody move forward and go in any direction in terms of drug use, if the only thing we want to do is put them on the street?" But Stephanie Strudwick, a community activist who once lived two blocks from a crack house for a period of three years, said people who live near crack houses are fed up. "You get a drug dealer in a house and it jeopardizes the harmony and safety of every single resident ? in the vicinity. And going through the regular channels just doesn't work," said Strudwick, chair of a committee called Concerned Citizens for Safer Neighbourhoods. "We were having a break-in every day and a half. In broad daylight, we had all kinds of people wandering around in our neighourhood, going in our backyards, kicking in our doors, opening our windows. We had crack cocaine being sold from the fire escape of the building." Ottawa police Chief Vern White said the legislation would give police one more tool. "It's certainly not going to allow us to shut down a crack house overnight," he said. But it will allow police to be more proactive, he added, "and hopefully, at the end of the day, keep it from becoming a crack house again in the future." http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/poli-n15.shtml Police provocateur infiltrates political and protest groups in Australia By Margaret Rees 15 November 2008 In a series of articles published last month, Melbourne's Age newspaper revealed that a covert police agent recently infiltrated several left-wing political and activist groups, including Socialist Alternative, Stop the War Coalition, Unity for Peace, and Animal Liberation Victoria. Beginning in 2006, the agent provocateur was involved in anti-Iraq war demonstrations?including last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) protests in Sydney?animal liberation actions, and participated in planning meetings for a protest to be held against a weapons fair in South Australia. The two-year operation represents an extraordinary abrogation by the state of the right of citizens to participate in public activities and join political organisations without fear of police harassment. It underscores the extent to which basic democratic rights and established legal norms have been torn up under the banner of the so-called war on terror. Political dissent?any form of disagreement with the existing social and political order?is now being effectively criminalised. The police agent who infiltrated the various political organisations was working with the Victorian Security Intelligence Group (SIG)?the police counter-terrorism unit. The SIG is also responsible for protection of dignitaries, strategic threat assessments, and monitoring so-called "issue-motivated groups". Formerly operating as the Operations Intelligence Unit, then re-badged as the SIG, the unit has been expanding its operations in line with increasingly draconian federal and state anti-terror legislation. The activities of another SIG provocateur were critical in securing the recent convictions of seven men on terror charges in Victoria's Supreme Court. The prosecution's case revolved around the evidence of "Security Intelligence Operative 39" who befriended Muslim cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika. The covert agent then offered Benbrika cheap ammonium nitrate, and took him to a remote hilltop to demonstrate how to detonate a small container containing the explosive. As the World Socialist Web Site noted: "[T]he only explosion presented as evidence in the trial was one conducted by a police provocateur for the clear purpose of entrapping the cleric." (See "Contradictory verdicts in Australia's largest terrorism trial") While details of the SIG agent's activities in Socialist Alternative and the other protest organisations remain scant, there is no reason to believe that the modus operandi was any different to that of Security Intelligence Operative 39?infiltrate and gain influence in pursuit of a prosecution and conviction based on provocation and entrapment. According to the Age, Socialist Alternative was "the first group [the cop] targeted in 2006". In September 2007 he travelled with Socialist Alternative to Sydney for antiwar protests timed to coincide with US President George Bush's visit for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The agent also reportedly posed as a vegan and participated in Animal Liberation meetings from February 2007. In June 2008 he took part in an illegal raid on a battery hen farm outside Melbourne. Earlier this year he was a member of the organising committee for an annual antiwar event known as the Palm Sunday rally, organised by church and pacifist groups. The police agent took the minutes during meetings held in the lead-up to the rally. From February this year he also participated in planning for demonstrations in Adelaide against a proposed arms fair, the Asia Pacific Defence and Security exhibition, that was to be held on November 11. According to media reports, information gathered by the agent on the planned protests was passed on to the South Australian Labor government and led to the cancellation of the arms fair. The Age reported that earlier this year: "In the face of increasing suspicions from several community groups about who he really worked for, it was time for the Victoria Police Security Intelligence Group undercover officer to disappear. So he invented one last lie; a sick relative in Cambodia whom he needed to visit. And then he was gone; his phone in his flat in Melbourne's south disconnected, his mobile numbers no longer working, his chair at numerous Victorian activist groups unfilled." The state Labor government responded to the Age revelations by rejecting out of hand any investigation or reform to covert police activities. Police Minister Bob Cameron simply insisted that there was "appropriate oversight" over the Security Intelligence Group. Cameron also rejected criticisms of the government's 2006 amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, which protect intelligence documents at police request. Documents, including intelligence reports on people who may not have committed any crime, can now be stored for an indefinite period. Liberal response The media has quickly dropped its coverage of the issue. In an editorial on October 20, the Age made clear that its central concern was not the threat to civil liberties but rather that the SIG might not only discredit itself but the broader "war on terror" as well. "There is no doubt that the SIG has conducted legitimate infiltration and surveillance operations," it declared. "The recent conviction of several members of an Islamic jihadist terrorist cell, which resulted from an SIG operation, is a notable instance... In this time of heightened anxieties, there has always been a danger that civil liberties would be undermined by those notionally trying to protect them. When a police security intelligence unit starts infiltrating the organising committees of peace marches rather than suspected terrorist cells, that danger has become very real indeed." The Age's description of the SIG's setup of the Benbrika group as a "legitimate" operation dovetails with its claim that the police unit's work is aimed at "trying to protect" civil liberties. This mouthpiece of the Victorian liberal establishment is demonstrating its support for the sweeping assault underway on democratic rights and the authoritarian logic underlying the anti-terror legislation. The so-called war on terror has been promoted by ruling elites in Australia and around the world as a means to legitimise their predatory, neo-colonial operations abroad and their attacks on democratic rights at home. It has nothing whatsoever to do with protecting ordinary people from the threat of harm from terrorist attack. The question can be raised: if it is regarded as legitimate "anti-terror" police work for the agents provocateurs who infiltrated a group of disoriented men, influenced by religious fundamentalist ideas, to actively encourage their disorientation, incite discussions about violence, and provide them with the illegal material that triggered their arrest and prosecution, then on what grounds can one oppose the same methods being applied to other citizens, including members of political parties and protest organisations? Once the framework of the "war on terror" is accepted then the issue is no longer the democratic rights of the people but the rights of police to wage this "war" and the efficacy of police tactics. A clear demonstration of this was provided by Julian Burnside, president of the civil liberties group Liberty Victoria, who responded to the Age reports by suggesting that police infiltration activities might require "greater oversight" by an external body. "I wonder how many people would feel comfortable that they were referred to in a police document, however innocuous," he said. "I don't think the police have asked: to what extent are we invading people's privacy? And what are we gaining from doing so?" But since when has it been up to the police to weigh up the costs and benefits of potential provocations? The real issue is not the judgement of the police agents involved, but whether or not citizens have recognised rights that the state may not legally violate. The SIG's infiltration of political organisations is no accident or aberration. In 2003, after the government bolstered the SIG's powers through the Terrorism (Community Protection) Act, the World Socialist Web Site presciently warned: "The new laws strengthen the hand of the SIG and the entire police force to spy on political opponents of the government, operate as agents provocateurs and carry out entrapment exercises." (See "Australia: State Labor government hands police unprecedented powers") Outstanding questions There are many outstanding questions about the SIG agent's two-year activities within the different political groups. The Age provided only a broad outline and chose not to name him. And none of the affected organisations has issued a public statement providing a full account of their knowledge of the agent and his activity in their groups. Leading Socialist Alternative member Mick Armstrong was quoted in the Age saying: "On the one hand you've got police saying ?we will be open and co-operate with you' if you tell them what you are doing ahead of a rally or some sort of action, but then you learn they are still spying on you. It's completely unjustified." The WSWS made several phone calls to Socialist Alternative requesting to speak with Armstrong or any other available senior member in order to get further details on the agent's activities. None of these phone calls was returned. Instead, the organisation posted an article on its web site on November 10 (also published in the latest version of their printed magazine), titled "Nothing new about cops spying on the left"?their first independent acknowledgement of the Age's revelations. Aside from an admission that the agent had "signed up as a member of Socialist Alternative" (something the Age had not made clear), there is no additional information regarding the cop and his actions. The article, appearing under the by-line of Jerome Small, amounts to a criminally irresponsible underestimation of the seriousness of the police infiltration and the danger posed to left-wing organisations by state provocation. The essential argument is that police infiltration is as old as the socialist movement itself, that nothing can be done to prevent it or to minimise its impact ("So long as we're out to change the world, people paid to lie and spy will never be far away"), and that it is not that much of a problem anyway?"[D]espite the activities of the latest wannabe James Bond outed by the Age, Socialist Alternative has continued to grow." This dismissive attitude and flippant tone reflect the organisation's entirely unserious and opportunist petty bourgeois protest politics. The Socialist Alternative leadership nevertheless has a responsibility to the working class?not to mention to its own membership?to make public all it knows regarding the identity and activities of the agent provocateur formerly working within its ranks. Among the questions that need to be addressed are the following: * What is the agent's name? Are photographs of him available? * When and how did he first approach Socialist Alternative? How did he become a member? Did he hold any elected or leading positions within the organisation? * Did he engage in any provocative behaviour? How did he conduct himself at the APEC demonstrations? * Are there any grounds for believing that the agent's activities assisted the series of raids by anti-terror police on students' homes in the lead up to APEC? Or that his activities during the demonstration contributed to the police targeting and arresting of protestors that day? * When and why did the agent cease his membership with Socialist Alternative? Did anyone have any suspicions about him? If so, were these raised with any of the other organisations subsequently infiltrated? http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/16401/prison-sentences-for-police-officers-in-illegal-detention-row Prison sentences for police officers in illegal detention row By: thinkSPAIN , Thursday, March 19, 2009 The High Court in Barcelona has sentenced three Mossos d'Esquadra (members of the autonomous police force in Catalunya) to between three and four years in prison for illegally detaining and mistreating a man after an off-duty brawl in a Barcelona nightclub in June 2006. The judge handed down a custodial sentence of three years to M?nica Fraile for illegal arrest, and four years each for her colleagues, Alberto Fabregat and Juan Diaz, who were also found guilty of crimes against the victim's 'moral integrity' having humiliated, punched and insulted him while he was held in the police cell. The two male agents were also banned from working as police officers for a total of 13 years, and Ms. Fraile for a total of eight years and they were ordered to pay the victim 8,200 euros in compensation. The court agreed with the victim, Jos? Antonio Medina's version of events and only fined him 60 euros for having assaulted one of the 'mossos d'esquadra' during the argument in the Sala Bikin nightclub. Medina's friend, Pedor S., was also acquitted of sexual harassment, which according to the three agents, who accused him of having felt the female agent's bottom, was the original cause of the argument in the nightclub. Amongst others, this case of police abuse led the Interior Ministry to install cameras in the Mossos d'Esquadra cells in Barcelona, which have, in turn, brought to light other cases of maltreatment. The judge ruled that the agents had acted in an 'arrogant and inappropriate fashion' and that their actions had been a 'blatant abuse of their power'. Medina's detention was described as 'arbitrary, disproportionate and wholly illegal' by the judge who said the agents has flouted all the rules governing the arrest and detention of suspects and the police obligations in such cases. Apart from punching and insulting the victim while in the police cell, the agents were also alleged to have said; 'We know where you live and if you dare report us we'll kill you and screw your wife'. The court was also damning in its opinion of the Police Station where Medina was held, saying that they prolonged his illegal detention 'unnecessarily' and that he suffered an 'unjustified detention and degrading treatment' at their hands. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/774/39906 Italy: Massive protests as racist offensive launched Tim Dobson 7 November 2008 Two-and-a-half million people marched through the streets of Rome on October 25 in opposition to the policies and corruption of the right-wing government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The demonstration was organised by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), led by former Rome mayor, Walter Veltroni. ?It is proof that democracy is alive and well ? We could never have imagined such a large turnout?, Veltroni stated at the rally. Berlusconi?s right-wing bloc came to power in April after a motion of no-confidence in the then-PD government was passed by parliament. The rally, which didn?t have any specific demands, was seen as a show of strength by the PD, which, has been very weak in opposing Berlusconi?s agenda. The PD have accused Berlusconi of moving Italy far to the right and of ?flirting with fascism?. Open fascists, including Benito Mussolini?s granddaughter, have a big influence within the People of Freedom (PdL) party, which is the majority party Berlusconi?s government. The government is also in an alliance with the Northern League ? a racist, far-right party, whose leader Umberto Bossi recently boasted that his party had ?300,000 martyrs ready to come down from the mountains? in order to hunt down immigrants. Cabinet ministers have also defended fascism, as has Berlusconi himself, recently stating, ?We are the new Falange? (the party of Spanish fascist dictator Franco), according to an April 30 London Telegraph article. Berlusconi made this statement after the election of the far-right Gianni Alemanno as the mayor of Rome, whose election was met by supporters with widespread chants of ?Duce, Duce!?, as hundreds raised their hands in a fascist salute. The Berlusconi government has engaged in widespread racist attacks. It has ordered the finger printing of the entire 150,000-strong population of Romani people in Italy, including children. According to the government, this was needed to ?prevent begging? and make it possible to remove Romani children from their parents. According to a July 10 British Guardian article, ?Italy?s highest appeal court ruled that it was acceptable to discriminate against Roma on the grounds that ?all Gypsies were thieves??. Berlusconi?s government has also begun forcibly closing Roma camps and rounding up Romani people. This has been accompanied with violent attacks by iron-bar-wielding racist thugs, including the burning of Romani camps to the ground. The interior minister Roberto Maroni has justified such actions by stating, ?That is what happens when gypsies steal babies?. Bossi said after the attacks, ?The people do what the political class isn?t able to do?. The Guardian article reported that, in response, ?Roma groups have demonstrated, wearing the black triangles Gypsies were forced to wear in the Nazi concentration camps, and anti-racist campaigners in Rome this week began to bombard the interior ministry with their own fingerprints in protest?. Berlusconi?s racist attacks have extended to all immigrants. In May, 400 immigrants were arrested and detained, with more than 100 immediately expelled. In July, a ?state of emergency? was declared to stop immigration. In early August, thousands of Italian soldiers were deployed to find ?illegal? immigrants. A bill was passed by the parliament, which made illegal immigration a jailable offence, made it easier to expel immigrants and allow for the confiscation of property rented to illegal immigrants. Any immigrant rejected as an asylum seeker can be deported before an appeal can be heard. An October 19 Guardian article quoted Italy?s only black MP, Jean-Leonard Touadi from the Values Party, stating that, ?Immigrants are becoming the enemy?. ?With an economic crisis under way, Italy has found a scapegoat to blame its woes on.? These laws have emboldened racists, with the Guardian reporting that in Milan ?last month Abdul William Guibre, 19, originally from Burkina Faso, was beaten to death in an attack. After accusing Guibre of stealing a packet of biscuits, a bar owner and his son called him a ?dirty black? and set on him with a metal pole.? The article reported: ?A Senegalese man selling handbags in a Milan street market was beaten with a baseball bat after stallholders reportedly accused him of ?stealing work from Italians?. ?Outside Naples, six African migrants were shot dead recently by the local mafia, while in Rome a Chinese immigrant was beaten up by boys as young as 15. ?A Somalian-born woman claimed that at Rome?s Ciampino airport she was strip-searched and verbally abused when going through customs. ? The Interior Minister ? said he would personally sue the woman for lying. ?Between her version and that of the police I would have no doubt about believing the police,? said Senate leader Maurizio Gasparri.? Such policies have provoked outrage among large section of the population. The Catholic Church has also criticised anti-immigrant racism, with Pope Benedict XVI calling for a ?culture of welcome?, rather than ?closed borders?. Berlusconi?s government has combined these racist assaults with a neoliberal assault on the education system, which has provoked widespread anger amongst students and teachers. The Berlusconi government has proposed a 1.5 billion euros cut in spending on the university system, decreased the number of courses offered, reduced the number of hours teachers are employed and carried out mass sackings of teachers. In response, students and teachers have engaged in strikes, protests and occupations. The largest protest against the education laws was on October 30, the day the laws were passed through the parliament. More than 1 million people marched in Rome. A strike was called by the union movement and virtually all schools were shut down. Tens of thousands of students have been protesting daily against the reforms across Italy. Peaceful demonstrations have been met with right-wing thugs wielding clubs and chains. Berlusconi has vowed to use police to break-up student sit-ins. Further strikes have been called for November 7 and 14. Associated Press reported on October 31: ?Opposition leader Veltroni ? launched a petition for a referendum to repeal the measures and needs 500,000 signatures for the vote to be held.? http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/falun-gong-vancouver-china-protest-6869.html Lawyers Question Nature of City?s Attempt to End Falun Gong Protest By Helena Zhu Epoch Times Staff Nov 8, 2008 Share: Facebook Digg del.icio.us StumbleUpon A Falun Gong practitioner stands outside the shelter that the City of Vancouver says violates a bylaw. The Falun Gong have maintained a 7-year vigil outside the Chinese consulate on Granville St. to raise awareness of the persecution of their counterparts in China. (Helena Zhu) VANCOUVER?As the hearing over the Falun Gong protest outside the Chinese consulate wrapped up on Friday, Falun Gong's lawyers told the B.C. Supreme Court that there is an ?improper purpose? behind the City of Vancouver's attempt to oust the long-running appeal. Legal counsel Joe Arvay suggested that Mayor Sam Sullivan's efforts to get rid of the protest have more to do with Sullivan's relationship with the Chinese consulate and the regime in China than with a bylaw. The city wants Falun Gong practitioners to dismantle their 7-year 24/7 protest consisting of signs and a small shelter outside the consulate, saying it violates a city bylaw. Falun Gong's lawyers argued that the bylaw is unconstitutional and infringes on free speech, and the city should not shut down freedom of expression of Canadian citizens due to pressure orchestrated by the Chinese regime. The city's lawyer, Tom Zworski, told the court that the enforcing of the bylaw concerning permanent structures on city property has nothing to do with Chinese consulate pressure and is merely part of the city's ?regulatory scheme.? Even if there were an improper purpose, said Zworski, the hearing should not be a judicial review of the city?s decision. The structure is an obstruction of free use of the street, he said, and has simply existed for long enough. Since the city never gave permission in writing for the shelter and signs to be erected, they are therefore illegal. The Falun Gong disputed this, saying they were initially given verbal permission by the city. The group started the protest in Aug. 2001 to appeal for their persecuted family and friends in China where the practice of Falun Gong is banned. Outlining 25 ?incontrovertible facts,? Arvay told Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein of the close relationship that existed between Sullivan and ex-Chinese Consular General Yang Qiang, including the fact that Sullivan and his parents were guests at a private dinner at Yang?s residence where the protest site was discussed. Sullivan, who speaks fluent Cantonese and some Mandarin, has also been invited to China several times, said Arvay, including on a trade delegation with Premier Gordon Campbell in 2004 and as an honoured guest at the Paralympic Games. Noting dozens of coincidences, Arvay said that before Sullivan came to office, the city tolerated the protest and Falun Gong Day was proclaimed by the city up until 2004. That ceased after Sullivan was elected, and beginning with ex-Prime Minister Paul Martin?s trade mission to China in January 2005, formal meetings were arranged and pressure was put on the Falun Gong to dismantle or downsize the site. Arvay also pointed out that after Sullivan became mayor he began to pressure Falun Gong practitioners to remove the protest not because of the structure but because of the messaging on the signs and banners affixed to the consulate fence. ?When coincidence is piled on top of coincidence, on top of coincidence, on top of coincidence, etc., etc., etc., eventually someone needs to ask the question: is there something supernatural going on? Or are you simply not telling the truth?? said Arvay. Zworski said that the city is not after the individuals or the message but the structure itself. The city's enforcement has gone through a ?progress enforcement approach,? where the city gradually enforces the bylaw, starting with dialogue, notification about the bylaw, formal letters and, lastly, enforcement. He told the court that even without the permanent structure and violation of the bylaw, Falun Gong practitioners can still continue to express themselves by holding hand-held signs or posters. It is only a matter of more people and commitment. Since most of the current protestors are elderly women, Falun Gong's lawyers argued that it is beyond the capacity, strength, and number of protestors involved to keep it up. ?The shelter, of course, is what enables them to be there 365 days a year through all the bad weather, the freezing weather and the rain and everything else,? said lawyer Clive Ansley. Zworski indicated the shelter or structure is merely an aid that creates comfort and convenience for the protestors. By attaching a sign to the structure does not make the structure itself expressive. Therefore removing the structure does not affect freedom of speech. He said numerous permanent signs and advertisements have been erected without permission in the city, causing an ?aesthetic disaster.? Therefore it is important for the city to control and adjust the balance of competitive interests and uses. While Arvay agreed that the city should hold the right to regulate signs, he said the city only made regulating policies for commercial and artistic expressions, but not political. Numerous commercial and artistic structures are granted exemptions to remain on city properties. He argued that the city does nothing to promote political expressions that may directly link to social justice and human rights, which is the measure of a free and democratic society and is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Even if the city does not create a policy for political expressions, at least an exemption should be made for this particular site, he said The site, which is the longest-running 24/7 protest in the world, is ?unique? from any ordinary protest, said Arvay, and the message displayed on the signs is significant. The protest has never meant to be permanent, as soon as the persecution in China ends the structure will no longer be necessary. In addition, Arvay emphasised that the structure does not interfere with pedestrians or other users of street. Any ?interference? was coming from the Chinese consulate and regime, he said, as the message imparted by the signs is not to their liking. Fearful that the rapidly-growing Falun Gong was a threat to their power, the Chinese regime launched a crackdown against the spiritual practice in 1999, which led to the imprisonment, torture and deaths of thousands of adherents. ?I think it?s a clear move to curtail the freedom of speech of Canadian citizens, in order to satisfy a foreign dictatorship,? said Ansley. Additional reporting by Sarah Hack. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/11/24/abortion-protest-calgary.html?ref=rss U of C students risk arrest for anti-abortion displays Last Updated: Monday, November 24, 2008 | 11:36 AM MT Comments96Recommend35 CBC News Some University of Calgary students say they will risk arrest and possibly even expulsion by holding an anti-abortion protest later this week. The anti-abortion group University of Calgary Campus Pro-Life plans to put up giant posters outside MacEwan Student Centre on Wednesday and Thursday showing aborted fetuses. The posters compare abortion to the Holocaust, the Ku Klux Klan and the genocide in Rwanda. Earlier this year, university administrators asked the group, which has about 30 members, to make the posters less visible, citing safety concerns. But when they refused to comply, the school issued a letter last month threatening legal action. The letter says the university will consider the students to be trespassing and they will be subject to arrest, fines, suspension or expulsion. Attempts to come up with a "reasonable compromise" have been unsuccessful, according to the letter. "The appropriate forum to resolve this issue is in the courts." University lawyer Paul Beke said the Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not apply to universities, and freedom of expression protection does not extend to trespassers. "Protesters are on the university's private property and they have refused to follow the university's instructions. Because they won't co-operate, they had to give notice to the protesters that they will become illegal protesters. So they will be dealt with legally if they do trespass." University of Calgary Campus Pro-Life has held the Genocide Awareness Project displays five times since 2005, sometimes attracting counter-protests. "The reason we won't back down is simply because of our conviction in the pro-life message, and freedom of speech," said Leah Hallman, president of the University of Calgary Campus Pro-Life. "But the reason why I personally am going ahead with it is because if I do not do this, what will happen to the unborn?" Student Julia Kittelsen, who filed a complaint, says she considers the displays hate propaganda. "I think it unfairly targets women who have had abortions. I think you have to consider that if a student group started targeting Jewish students, then it would be completely unacceptable, so why is their message acceptable?" http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/28/2432757.htm Safety watch on forest protests Posted Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:00pm AEDT Tasmanian Workplace Standards is investigating whether state safety laws have been breached by forest activists. The general manager Roy Ormerod says some protesters are putting their lives and those of workers in danger by their actions in the forests. In a recent example a protester chained himself to cable logging machinery near Geeveston in the south this week. Mr Ormerod says the investigation could result in prosecutions. "This is more of a case of us gathering evidence and if we believe there's evidence there we'll be proceeding down the path of issuing summonses and taking people to court," Mr Ormerod said. --------------------------------------------------- Bloodshed in West Papua New Matilda - November 19, 2008 Setyo Budi -- West Papuan man Opinus Tabuni was shot and killed by the Indonesian military during a celebration of the UN World Indigenous People Day in the highland city of Wamena in August. The murder aimed to strengthen the presence of the Indonesian security apparatus in the province, according to a recent finding of the Indonesian Human Rights Commission. "Tabuni did not participate in the demonstration, and the bullet found in the left side of his heart is of a type usually used by Indonesian military officers. We don't know the motive yet; but we are afraid that it was engineered to create a horizontal conflict, so they have a legitimacy to be in West Papua." said Commissioner of the Indonesian National Commission of Human Rights Yosep Adi Prasetyo when I spoke to him in Melbourne in October. The UN World Indigenous Day was marked by a peaceful demonstration that was attended by over 10,000 West Papuans who travelled to Wamena from the Baliem Valley and neighboring highland areas. The West Papuan nationalist Morning Star flag was unfurled, along with the Indonesian flag, a white SOS flag to call for help for West Papua and the United Nations flag. The Indonesian Government has placed an outright ban on the use of the Morning Star flag, as it symbolises West Papuan self-determination. The regulations state: "The design of a local symbol and flag must not have main similarities to the design, logo and flag of any illegal organisation or separatist organisation/group/institution/movement in the Unitary Republic of Indonesia". According to Prasetyo: "There is strict enforcement of the government regulation; anyone wearing the Morning Star t-shirt or even a woman who knits the Morning Star sign is accused of rebelling against the state, although they are just showing their pride in the symbol." The flag-raising ceremony turned to chaos when security guards fired shots into the air to intimidate demonstrators. Tabuni was caught in the crossfire and the fatal bullet was found to be one typically used by the Indonesian military rather than local police. The finding of the Indonesian National Commission of Human Rights indicates that a taskforce was deployed from Jakarta to Wamena, West Papua to monitor the demonstration. "Two police officers and a few local military officers were the eyewitnesses to the incident as they guarded the area. We don't know, however, where the taskforce officers originated, either from the military or from the intelligence agency, as they never reported to the local authority" Prasetyo said. Indonesian intelligence, military and police officers have long been implicated in human rights violations in West Papua. Atrocities such as the death of Tabuni led 43 West Papuans to risk their lives and seek political asylum in Australia in 2006. The group say they fled West Papua to avoid prosecution by the Indonesian Government for their independence activism, an allegation later denied by Indonesia. They left Merauke on 13 January 2006, travelling by sea in a rudimentary seven-metre long canoe. Their arduous journey, expected to take only one day, lasted nearly five days. Aboard the canoe was Julius Kogoya (not his real name) a 23-year-old political activist. Among those accompanying him were seven women and seven children under 15. Kogoya was politically active when he was a student at Cendrawasih University in Jayapura, West Papua. He was afraid of being prosecuted and traumatised after the murder of 10 relatives in 2001. "My relatives were killed in Bogolakme, an area between Wamena and the peak of Mt Jayawijaya. They were shot when they were sleeping by Indonesian soldiers, because they were suspected as members of Free Papua Organisation (OPM)" said Kogoya when I spoke with him recently. After experiencing harsh conditions for days, the asylum seekers landed in Cape York. They were flown to Christmas Island and detained until the Australian government recognised their status as asylum seekers and granted them Temporary Protection Visas. Gaining a permanent residency in Australia and witnessing West Papuan independence are Kogoya's future hopes. Now living in a public housing estate in Melbourne, he is studying journalism and aims to expose any future human rights violations in his homeland. The acceptance of the West Papuan asylum seekers by the Australian government essentially recognised that human rights violations were committed by the Indonesian authority in the territory, giving weight to West Papuans' quest for independence. The decision generated much debate within Australia and caused a rift between the Indonesian and Australian governments. What the discussions turned on was whether Australian foreign policy should focus on human rights issues or on the maintenance of a good bilateral relationship with Indonesia. Dr Rodd McGibbon, a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University was one of those who was against the decision to grant asylum to the group, and does not believe it is a good idea to support West Papuan self determination. "Instead of creating solution for the conflict, support for the West Papuan independence struggle creates more problems" he claims in his paper, Pitfalls of Papua, Understanding the conflict and its place in Australia -- Indonesia relations, published by the Lowy Institute in 2006. He argues that "Australia needs to directly confront perception in Indonesia that it is supporting Papuan separatism". This perception, he said, is "widespread" and "has been reinforced by the separation of East Timor." Dr Clinton Fernandes, who is a senior lecturer in politics at ADFA, disagrees. "West Papuan independence will not hurt, harm or help Australia as an independent West Papua will not be antagonistic against Australia," he said. He believes that what hurts Australia most is the failure to dispense justice to Indonesian military officers who committed crimes in East Timor and who are now in West Papua. Since the reformasi movement started in 1997 there has been some reform of the Indonesian army, including that which eventually led to the downfall of Suharto. Although the progress of the reformasi movement is slower than expected, it does activate people to monitor the Government's conduct. But while reforms are taking place in the army, the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency remains untouched. "The military is now being careful, because of the accusations of human rights violations in the past. Its business involvement is also being eliminated. The intelligence agency has not been reformed; its officers often create conflicts and then become peace makers" said Prasetyo. To stop further human rights violations in West Papua and to prevent further escalation of the conflict, the Indonesian Government needs to commit to further reform within its institutions and be genuine in recognising the needs of West Papuans. And on the Australian side, orienting foreign policy towards the protection of human rights will prompt further reform in Indonesia; it will also promote solutions to the conflict in West Papua. The bloodshed in Timor and the slowness of the international community -- including successive Australian governments -- to act in the past should be a reminder to those who put bilateral relations before human rights in foreign policy. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Papuans left Australia to 'avoid crime charge' Jakarta Post - November 21, 2008 Angela Flassy, Jayapura -- The return home from Australia of two Papuan asylum seekers was due to legal problems arising from the couples ongoing incidence of domestic violence -- and nothing else, Alfons Adadikam, chairman of the Melbourne based Victoria West Papua Association (VIWPA) said. He criticized the Indonesian government for using the repatriation for political gain and said the repatriation was for no other reason. Hana Gobay and Yubel Kareni were had repeated domestic violence problems. The last reported case was in July, when Yubel hit Hana over the head with a bottle, Adadikam said. "Yubel was then detained. They were ordered to live separately and keep a minimum distance of 200 meters. Due to pressure from the Papuan community, Yubel was released on bail," he said. Adadikam disclosed that the couple often quarreled with each other, including one incident last year when Hana stabbed Yubel in his stomach. "Yubel should have been taken the police office at that time, but I asked the police to release him, as he need to go to the hospital. They kept the court imposed distance, but after living separately for few months, they began living together again," he said. The association helped the couple, along with other 41 asylum seekers, since they came to Melbourne last year, he added. He said the asylum seekers received social support beginning two weeks after their arrival. This included a biweekly allowance of A$450 each, concessions for tram tickets, medication and accommodation. Adadikam said he resented the couple's negative comments about the Papuan community in Australia, given after they returned home. "If they want to return home, it's no problem. But at least they could say farewell and admit that it was their decision to leave. We regret the manipulation of the news, its against the facts," Adadikam, who still holds Indonesia citizenships, said. He criticized the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne, who, instead of helping Hana and Yubel with their problem, used it for political gain. Wiwiek Setyawati Firman, Human Rights and Humanity Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, denied Adadikam's claims. "They came home by their own will, that's what I know. Australia has its laws, we have ours. If they were involved in a crime, I think they should be punished. Many Australians have been punished here in Indonesia," Setyawati said Wednesday. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Internet cafe users to verify identity Jakarta Post - November 22, 2008 Jakarta -- Head of Indonesian Internet Cafe Association's Supervisory Body Judith Monique said Saturday the government should require all internet services users to verify their identity. "There needs to be a log for users, such as a guest book, at every warnet (internet cafe) so as to provide investigators with leads whenever cybercrime surfaces," Monique said, as quoted by Antara news agency. The National Police Cybercrime Unit head Edy Hartono concurred, adding that the police had already planned on ordering internet cafe owners to set up user logs with detailed identity information. "To date, most internet cafe operators only register net billing information and user IDs. Since these can be easily manipulated, it creates a conducive environment for criminals," Hartono said. He added that the police had stepped up measures in publicizing the 2008 Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE), particularly among the internet provider community. According to legal expert Edmon Makarim, the ITE law allows easier access for the police in investigating cybercrimes. "Under the ITE, digital evidences are deemed valid in any investigation of alleged internet misuse," Makarim said. --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Scalpers offer express lane to passport processing Jakarta Post - November 3, 2008 Jakarta -- People swarmed the East Jakarta Immigration office, jostling in and out of different rooms just to get a small yet important gateway book, the passport. Anyone can get a passport simply by standing in line for hours and purchasing a Rp 5,000 (50 US cents) application form, filling it in and then submitting it with all the required documents, including family data, identity card, birth certificate and diplomas. Three days later one comes back, pays the standard Rp 270,000 passport fee before being photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed. This takes a few more hours. "After completing these procedures, your passport will be done in five days to one week," an official in a light brown uniform at information said recently. Or you can contact Kiki or one of the other many neatly dressed men and women who merge with the crowd at the immigration office offering their services to passport applicants. They are the scalpers, the middle-men or women who haunt the immigration office almost every day, trying to convince applicants to use their services. "I can arrange your passport, but there is a price to pay. It is just like buying a train ticket. There are VIP, business and economy classes," said Kiki, a forty-year-old woman with a serious stare. She then stated her rates. For Rp 1.5 million, the passport is printed and done in one day, for Rp 700,000, it takes two days, and for Rp 500,000, it is done in five days. "It's all in the game. We give some money to certain officials at certain desks to facilitate the passport arrangements, so by giving more, it will be done more quickly," said Imam, another scalper. He added that if someone arranged for their passport and did not submit all the required documents, the application might be rejected by the immigration office. On the other hand, if someone who lacked documents arranged for the passport through a scalper, he could get it with the help of insiders, no problem. "You don't even need to queue for hours and go through the hassle. All you need to do is to agree with the price, hand me some documents, and I'll call you to do the interview, photographs and fingerprinting sessions," he said. Although arranging passports through scalpers is more expensive, some people still use this kind of service. In a small restaurant right beside the office, a young woman haggles with a scalper. "Can you trim down the price you've offered? It is too expensive for me," said the young woman. "I don't think so MBak, Rp 450,000 is the final offer," said the male scalper the man. Another applicant, April, a middle-aged business woman wanting to renew her expired passport, said, "I prefer paying them because I don't want to queue all day long, be fussed over and slowed down by bureaucracy at the immigration office. "I'm a very busy person, I don't have time for that. I need my passport done quickly." Santo, who needed his passport immediately because he had to go abroad in three days, had a similar opinion. "The immigration office said my passport would be done in five to six days. I thought I could bypass the process by using a scalper. See, I have had my passport done today," he said while showing off his new passport. (pmf) *************************************************** --------------------------------------------------- 'Raids on thugs create confusion' Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008 Dicky Christanto, Jakarta -- An expert said that up to now the police war on thugs has set unclear objectives and therefore resulted in even greater confusion in the field. "A clear example is that up to now the police themselves are holding no clear description of thug. The police often confuse the term 'thug' with 'criminal' and this has made them arrest whoever wandering the streets without proper documents," criminologist Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia told The Jakarta Post Sunday. More than 1,500 people have been arrested by the police since November 2. They were detained on the streets of cities like Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Semarang. However, only 185 of them were questioned further, while the others were freed as the police could not collect enough evidence to jail them. Meliala said besides the police lack of understanding over the term thug, it was also clear that this operation was not properly supported by other agencies. "Other agencies should help to anticipate any additional problems that may follow the operation," he said. This was clear at the Senen Bus Terminal in Central Jakarta where most self-appointed driver's assistants, who heard about the anti-thug operation, had fled the scene prior to the raid. The absence of the assistants, despite the popular belief that they are criminals who extort public transportation drivers, left additional problems for the drivers who operate at the terminal. "The people actually help us manage the passengers. With them, I only need to wait in line for 30 minutes before having my turn to get passengers. Now I have to wait for at least two hours," Yazin, a driver, said. Such assistants usually help the drivers by telling passengers which vehicle is first in line. They herd passengers to the right vehicle. He said he was not annoyed by the Rp 2,000 (US$20 cent) 'fee' charged by the assistants for their services each time they managed to fill the bus. He added that for now the drivers will have to rely on someone else to manage the passengers. "But we have no experience managing passengers. We don't have the skills like the guys do," he said. According to Sinurat, a vendor at the terminal, the assistants were mostly teenagers aged between 15 and 18 who had dropped out of school due to poverty. "Those lads only do what they can do because they can't go to school and try to earn money for their families. With the raids, how can they earn money now?" he asked. Commenting on this, Meliala said managing passengers was a task the officials from the transportation agency should do. "Ideally, the transportation agency should immediately come to help the bus drivers after the raids," he said. "If there is no such action taken, greater confusion in the field will happen," he added. Concerning the assistants, he added, the administration should provide them with comprehensive courses aimed at improving their economic circumstances. "That is why I have told the officials that this kind of operation is never an easy one. They should consider that a more comprehensive operation would include not only arresting people on the street, but also poverty alleviation," he said. (hdt) --------------------------------------------------- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/235302.html Burmese Activists Jailed for 65 Years Over Protests Another 20 activists are being tried on numerous charges and could face sentences of up to 150 years each A closed military court in Burma sentenced 14 pro-democracy activists to 65 years each in prison yesterday for their part in last year's anti-government uprising. The leaders of the 88 Generation students group had staged small-scale protests against the sudden fuel price rises which fomented unrest that led to demonstrations led by monks. At least 31 people were killed in a subsequent army crackdown in Rangoon. The severity of the sentences handed to the 14 leaders, including five women, at the hearing in Rangoon's notorious Insein jail stunned even those inured to the harsh military regime. Another 20 activists, among the hundreds of political dissidents seized in swoops this year, are being tried on numerous charges and could face sentences of up to 150 years each. Some of those sentenced yesterday faced four charges of using electronic media and were given 15 years on each count, with a further five years for forming an illegal organization. The best known among the group are Thin Thin Aye, also called Mie Mie, and Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Ko Jimmy, who were arrested in August last year. They also included Ko Jimmy's wife, Nilar Thein, who fled into hiding, leaving their four-month old daughter with her parents, but was arrested two months ago. Nyunt Nyunt Oo, the mother of Pannate Tun, said her son was sentenced to 65 years under charges that ban possession of illegal videos, making speeches or statements, and taking part in demonstrations. "No family members or defence lawyers were present at the trial," she said. Defense lawyers Aung Thein and Khin Maung Shein were earlier sentenced to four months imprisonment for contempt of court, while other legal representatives were so tightly restricted that the activists stopped using them. The activists were part of the leadership of the 88 Generation that rose up against the regime 20 years ago. They were tortured and given long jail terms when the rebellion was crushed with the deaths of as many as 3,000 people. On release within the last five years they renewed their activism in less confrontational ways. The sentences came a day after a Burmese blogger arrested after the protests last year was jailed for 20 years and a poet was sentenced to two years. Amnesty International estimates there are now 2,100 political prisoners in Burma. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/31/local/me-chevron31 Protester testifies about Nigerian troops shooting him at Chevron facility Larry Bowoto, whose suit accuses the oil giant of human rights violations, says he was shot four times despite being unarmed. He is the lead plaintiff in the suit on behalf of himself and 18 other Nigerians. By Richard C. Paddock October 31, 2008 A Nigerian villager who is suing Chevron Corp. for human rights violations testified in federal court Thursday that he was shot four times by Nigerian troops at a Chevron oil platform even though he was unarmed. "I saw military men jump off a helicopter and as they jumped off they were shooting," Larry Bowoto, 44, testified through an interpreter. "I was raising my hands [and shouting] 'We are community protesters. We are for peace. Don't shoot us.' " Bowoto is the lead plaintiff in a landmark suit against San Ramon-based Chevron. Under the Alien Tort Claims Act, foreigners can sue American companies for alleged human rights violations overseas. Bowoto brought the suit with 18 other Nigerians who were injured or lost a family member in 1998, when more than 100 villagers came to the Parabe oil platform and an adjoining barge to protest Chevron's actions. Their attorney, Dan Stormer, said Chevron used three company helicopters and pilots to fly the troops to the platform nine miles off the coast. The government troops -- described as "notoriously brutal and vicious" -- killed two protesters and wounded two others, including Bowoto. An autopsy concluded that one of the dead was shot four times in the back. Other protesters were arrested and tortured, Stormer said. Chevron attorney Bob Mittelsteadt said the company acted properly in calling in the authorities to protect its employees and was not responsible for the troops' actions. He said the villagers who came to the platform were "illegal invaders" who held workers hostage for more than three days. Mittelsteadt acknowledged that it was common for Chevron and other foreign companies to supplement the salaries of Nigerian police and soldiers, but said the payments did not make them company employees. The clash at the oil platform had been building for years as villagers in the Niger Delta grew increasingly upset over the lack of jobs for villagers and ecological damage caused by Chevron's oil operations. The company's dredging had destroyed the local fishery, fouled village wells and ruined the soil, depriving the villagers of their livelihood, they say. Leaders of the Ilaje ethnic group repeatedly appealed to Chevron for assistance, but received little response. After the rival Itsekiri ethnic group won jobs by staging a protest at the oil platform in March 1998, the Ilaje decided to try a similar tactic. More than 100 Ilaje villagers went to the platform in late May. http://allafrica.com/stories/200810290024.html Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek) Swaziland: Journalist Harassed, His Photos Deleted By Police While Covering Border Protest 28 October 2008 On 27 October 2008 Sisho Magagula, a journalist with the state-owned "Swazi Observer" newspaper was harassed and had his digital camera confiscated and prints deleted by South African police while covering a border blockade protest by Swazi and South Africa trade unions. This harassment took place at the Swaziland and South Africa border post of Oshoek. According to Magagula, the police demanded to know why he was taking pictures in South Africa when he was a Swazi journalist. His explanation that the Swazi press had an interest in the issue as the border blockade was targeted at Swaziland fell on deaf ears. The officers forcibly grabbed Magagula's camera and went on to delete all pictures before handing it back to him. The journalist said his appeals to the police superiors present were ignored. Magagula says he was shaken by the ordeal. BACKGROUND: Swazi and South African trade unions had planned to block all goods destined for Swaziland to step up pressure on the Swazi government to embrace multi-party democracy. However, the event failed to take place as the unions said they did not intend to blockade the border, but merely to enforce a stoppage in the processing of goods from South Africa to Swaziland. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-11/06/content_7181683.htm Court begins to try people for violent protest (Xinhua) Updated: 2008-11-06 20:03 Comments(0) Print Mail WENG'AN, Guizhou -- A Chinese local court on Thursday began to hear cases related to a violent protest at which government offices and vehicles were burned and police injured. It happened in Weng'an County of the southwestern Guizhou Province in June. The People's Court of Weng'an County heard testimony from a suspect named Xiao Chunping who was accused of disturbing social order, a source of the court told Xinhua. Xiao allegedly stopped a police motorcade on its way to maintain order in the area on June 28. It was after the protest erupted. He climbed over vehicles and instigated the crowd, causing three police cars to be burned. The prosecution noted that Xiao served seven years in jail for theft. He was released in 2004. So far, the court has not reached a verdict in Xiao's case. It held five other similar trials on Thursday. The court did not say how many other many people would be prosecuted for protest violence. Up to 30,000 people were involved in the protest. It was prompted by a controversial police report involving the death of 17-year-old Li Shufen. Her family and relatives contend she was raped and killed, while an autopsy said she drowned. The protest turned violent and rioters mobbed government office buildings. About 160 offices and more than 40 vehicles were torched. More than 150 police and protesters were injured. No deaths were reported. Police believed 134 people committed the destruction. Days after the protest, they took 59 people into custody. Provincial Party chief Shi Zongyuan admitted there were social grievances in the county before the protest broke out. People were upset by mining disputes, demolition of homes for public projects, relocation of residents for reservoir construction and other issues. Shi also blamed local authorities for long-standing disregard of rampant crime in the county and incompetence in maintaining public security. The county's Party secretary and head of government were sacked after the violence. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/15/worldupdates/2008-11-14T214126Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-365088-1&sec=Worldupdates November 14, 2008 China jails rioters, criticises officials BEIJING (Reuters) - China handed sentences of up to 16 years in jail to six people for rioting after the suspicious death of a teenage girl, but also criticised the local government for incompetence, state media said on Friday. Thousands of locals mobbed government offices in Weng'an county, Guizhou in late June. The local police headquarters was torched and police vehicles wrecked after claims spread that authorities had covered up a teenage girl's death. Two members of a local gang caught vandalising buildings, burning police vehicles and throwing rocks at officers were given the longest sentences, the official Xinhua agency said. Another four were sentenced for attacking authorities or "disturbing social order". Police had said the teenage girl had killed herself by jumping in a river, but residents said the girl had been raped and murdered by a relative of a senior government official. More trials are due to take place as the government has detained 59 people. Stability-obsessed leaders in Beijing are keen to tamp down protests and incidents of "mass unrest" which have been growing in China in recent years as a booming economy has also brought rising corruption, inequality and environmental problems. The Communist Party Chief of the province, Shi Zongyuan has admitted the area had been hit by protests in the past, over land confiscation and mining rights, Xinhua said. "He criticised the local authorities for long-standing disregard of rampant crime in the county and incompetence in maintaining public security," Xinhua added. The head of the party and the local government in the area have both been sacked. Shortly after the rioting, which highlighted volatile social clashes, China launched a nationwide campaign to defuse protest ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. But the government is now battling a new stability problem as the global economic crisis threatens China's growth and triggers the closure of factories across the industrial heartlands, sparking protests by laid-off and threatened workers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/09/bali-bombings-islamic-terrorists-executed Reprisals fear as Bali bombers executed Jihadists are tied to poles and shot dead by firing squad, despite pleas from victims' families that their sentence could result in further atrocities ? Peter Beaumont ? The Observer, Sunday 9 November 2008 ? Article history Three Islamic terrorists convicted for their part in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that claimed the lives of 202 people - most of them foreign tourists - were shot dead last night by firing squad. The executions, which had been widely expected, came despite last-minute pleas to the Indonesian authorities from relatives of some of the British dead for the sentences to be stayed, warning that they would be used as a propaganda coup by the militants' supporters and families. Jasman Panjaitan, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office, told a news conference last night that Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim and Ali Ghufron had been executed on the prison island of Nusakambangan off southern Java. The executions are understood to be have been carried out in a clearing in the heavily forested island by police who had been preparing for days. According to sources the men were taken from their cells to the site about 4 kilometres from the prison, where they were strapped to wooden poles, and shot through the heart. Following negotiations with the men's families, their bodies will be flown to their home villages for burial. Amrozi had become notorious as the 'smiling bomber' for his behaviour at his trial when he was convicted of providing the van and explosives for the attack on the Sari Club in the popular resort of Kuta. The carrying out of the death sentences, passed five years ago, brings an end to a protracted period of delays. The dead men said that they carried out the twin bombings in retaliation for US-led aggression in Afghanistan. As news of the killings spread around the globe, western countries renewed warnings to their citizens to be vigilant against reprisal attacks. Although the men had said repeatedly that they were happy to die as 'martyrs', their families and legal representatives had appealed against the death sentences right up to the country's constitutional court. Speculation that the executions were imminent had intensified when the younger brother of two of the militants on death row visited the island yesterday. Ali Fauzi, a brother of bombers Amrozi and Mukhlas, left their home village in East Java earlier in the day to see them. The three men were found guilty of planning and helping to carry out the attacks on 12 October 2002 that thrust Indonesia on to the front line in the war on terrorism. They never expressed any remorse, even taunting some of the relatives of their victims at their trials five years ago. In recent months, the men publicly expressed hope their executions would trigger revenge attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Police responded by stepping up security at foreign embassies, oil depots and at tourist resorts. The fate of the men has become a source of controversy, with some relatives of the victims insisting that the death penalty was 'anomalous' with what they believed. Last night relatives of the victims of the bombings said they did not believe justice had been achieved. Among them was Susanna Miller, of the Bali Bombing Victims Group, who on the eve of the reported executions told BBC Radio 4 that their deaths could provide a propaganda boost to jihadists in the south-east Asian state. Miller, whose brother Dan died in the atrocity, said: 'Capital punishment for jihadist terrorism seems particularly anomalous to me. It effectively provides a state-sponsored route to martyrdom. There are two strands to justice - one is to punish the deed and the other is to deter subsequent deeds.' Tobias Ellwood MP, who lost his brother Jonathan Ellwood, 37, in the attacks said he was unable to draw a line under the Bali bombings. He said: 'Firstly, the ringleader behind the Bali bombings, Hambali, dubbed by the CIA as the 'Osama Bin Laden' and the operations chief for the militant group Jemaah Islamiah, was arrested by Thai authorities in 2003 and handed over to the US. 'He has never been put on trial for masterminding the Bali bombings and no one will explain why.' In Australia, where 88 of the victims were from, there had been last-minute appeals for clemency from some families. Former Adelaide magistrate Brian Deegan, whose son Josh was a victim, told local media: 'I would sooner they repent for the rest of their natural lives rather than meet an unnatural death.' However, others had opposed the calls for clemency, including Australian survivor Peter Hughes, who attended the bombers' trial and has insisted that the three men's deaths would bring some sort of 'closure'. Fear that supporters of the group would use it to encourage further attacks had been prompted both by the arrival of Islamic extremists in Tenggulun, the home village of Amrozi and Mukhlas, and a statement issued by the head of Jemaah Islamiah group, Abu Bakar Bashir, who urged his followers to fight for Islam. Bashir praised the bombers as heroes adding: 'Their fighting spirit in defending Islam should be followed. We will win the fight in this world or die as martyrs. Even if they are murdered, they will die as Islamic martyrs.' Prosecutors in Indonesia had insisted that the bombers would be executed in 'early November', but had not given a date to prevent their supporters organising rallies to concide with the event. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24606071-12335,00.html China sentences Tibet protesters A CHINESE official has revealed fresh sentences for Tibetans accused of rioting in Lhasa in March, while talks continue between Beijing and envoys of the Dalai Lama. The vice chairman of the Tibet regional government, Baema Cewang, said 55 people had so far been sentenced for the deadly rioting that shook the regional capital, Lhasa, on March 14, sparking riots and protests against Chinese rule across many ethnic Tibetan areas, Xinhua news agency reported. "Following the violence, police detained 1317 people, of whom 1115 were subsequently released. The rest stood trial," the report cited Mr Cewang as telling a visiting Australian parliamentarian. The report did not detail the crimes or sentences of those convicted. Nor did it say what had happened to the some 147 people apparently tried but not sentenced. In late April, China announced it had jailed 30 people for terms ranging from three years to life for their roles in the Lhasa riots that left 18 residents and a police officer dead. The unrest triggered a crackdown and then worldwide protests against Chinese policy in Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Beijing blamed the violence on supporters of the Dalai Lama, a claim he has repeatedly rejected. Since April, groups abroad advocating Tibetan self-determination have reported additional sentences, but these have not been confirmed by China. The London-based Free Tibet Campaign said eight Buddhist monks from Gyanbe Township in Tibet were sentenced in September, accused of bombing a government building there during the unrest. Xinhua reported last month that three county courts in Tibet also sentenced 14 Tibetans to jail terms on charges of looting, robbery and rioting in March. The official report of fresh convictions in Lhasa comes as Beijing holds talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader. Beijing calls the Nobel Peace Prize laureate a trouble-making separatist. But he says he wants to negotiate true autonomy for the mountain region he fled in 1959, not outright independence. The Dalai's envoys arrived in Beijing on Thursday for secretive talks days after he expressed pessimism over prospects for the negotaitions. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/03/china-police Chinese police told to go easy on protesters ? Tania Branigan in Beijing ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 3 November 2008 15.07 GMT China's police must avoid inflaming riots and protests, the country's most senior police official has warned, as concern grows about social unrest. Meng Jianzhu, minister of public security, acknowledged that there were a growing number of "mass incidents" caused by economic crimes as well as other issues in an article this weekend. Premier Wen Jiabao warned in the same journal that tensions caused by slowing economic growth and price rises could undermine social stability, adding that this year would be "the worst in recent times for our economic development". According to official figures, there are tens of thousands of protests and disturbances annually. This morning hundreds of angry taxi drivers went on strike and smashed vehicles in Chongqing, China's fourth-largest city. Protesters smashed 20 vehicles, including three police cars, and pulled cab drivers who refused to strike and their passengers out of their cars. The state news agency Xinhua said officials had already taken measures to deal with complaints including fuel shortages, competition from unlicensed cabs and high fines for traffic violations. Other incidents this year have included a riot in Weng'an, Guizhou, where 30,000 residents took to the streets and trashed police headquarters and government offices over allegations of corruption and official abuses; and a two-day riot by thousands of investors in Hunan, who demanded government action after an illegal investment scheme failed. "In handling mass incidents, we must be clear that the chief tasks of the public security authorities are to maintain order on the scene, ease conflicts, avoid excessive steps and prevent the situation getting out of control," wrote Meng, in the Communist party journal Seeking Truth. He urged the authorities to "absolutely avoid inappropriate use of police, poor definition of their role and mishandling that exacerbates conflict, and absolutely avoid incidents of bloodshed, injury and death." He added that economic forces and the internet had made citizens more sensitive to a wider range of ideas. "We must protect not only national political and military security, but also economic, financial and information security," Meng added, pointing out economic crimes and fraud as a particular source of unrest. "Illegal investment and chain-marketing, underground banks and other economic crimes are sparking growing numbers of mass incidents." http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=100309 TAIWAN: Press freedom limits protested National Security Bureau agents dragged away a CNA cameraman covering an event connected to the ARATS chairman's visit The China Post Tuesday, November 4, 2008 TAIPEI, Taiwan --- The Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) filed a protest with the National Security Bureau (NSB) against encroachment on freedom of the press yesterday. In a statement, the ATJ charged the NSB with trying to limit freedom of press workers covering a visit to Taipei by Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). On Sunday, the day before Chen's arrival, a Central News Agency cameraman was manhandled by NSB agents, while he was covering a function of Chen's advance party at the Grand Hotel in Taipei. Cheng Chieh-wen, the cameraman, was dragged for more than 10 meters. Because of the confused arrangements for taking pictures, reporters had rows with NSB agents at the Grand Hotel yesterday, the ATJ statement said. "We wish to condemn the agents for manhandling the cameraman and demand that they apologize to him," said Chuang Feng-chia, ATJ chairman. There should be no encroachment on freedom of the press, Chuang went on. "Whereas all press workers were given press passes, any attempt to limit their coverage by the NSB agents under the pretext of security is an act of seriously encroaching on freedom of the press," he pointed out. Chuang said the ATJ demands that the Government Information Office assure the media of "smooth interaction" to "respect the right of press coverage for the next few days." Date Posted: 11/4/2008 http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/24/2003429413 Federation concerned about police response to protests By Rich Chang STAFF REPORTER Monday, Nov 24, 2008, Page 3 The International Federation for Human Rights has become the latest international group to express concern regarding the response of police to protests against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yun-lin (???) earlier this month. The Paris-based group sent letters to President Ma Ying-jeou (???) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (???) on Wednesday, expressing concern over what it called ?grave violations of human rights? committed by police during the protests. The police?s actions were aimed at suppressing freedom of speech, the group said. In the letter, the federation said the authorities ?had taken many dramatic measures, including: confiscating and damaging private property, harassing and assaulting people who came too close to undefined or vaguely defined areas, clearing communal highway lanes with force, conducting random searches and arrests, and restricting the freedom of movement of citizens.? The organization said it feared the ?aggressions? were intended to suppress ?freedom of expression of citizens.? ?These measures seem to be aimed at silencing political opinions rather than protecting security, and they blatantly violate the Constitution of Taiwan [sic], notably Article[s] 11 and 14 which protect freedom of expression and international human rights standards.? ?The police and national security authority should be held responsible for violating their legal obligations,? the group said. It called on the Judicial Yuan and Control Yuan to investigate the allegations of human rights violations. It also called on the government to amend the Assembly and Parade Law (?????) to abolish the requirement that protest organizers apply for permits from the police. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/21/2003429158 Protesters sue police in anti-PRC demonstration By Loa Iok-sin And Mo Yan-chih STAFF REPORTERS Friday, Nov 21, 2008, Page 1 Seven protesters who were injured during a crackdown on demonstrations against a Chinese envoy's visit to Taiwan earlier this month filed lawsuits alleging police brutality yesterday. The seven who were involved in four cases of alleged police brutality showed medical documents, photographs and video recordings of their injuries and how they were injured during a news conference in front of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in Taipei before submitting their cases to Taipei District Court. ?I was talking with some friends on the sidewalk across a small street from a side entrance of the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei [on the night of Nov. 5],? said Huang Yi-ling (???), one of the plaintiffs. At the time, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (???), was at a dinner banquet hosted by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (???) at the hotel. As demonstrators surrounded the hotel, the guests were unable to leave until a little past 2am when some 2,000 police officers dispersed the crowd by force. ?When we got there at around 9:30pm, the area was still quiet. But about an hour later, a large number of police officers showed up,? Huang said. ?One officer was saying something through a speaker from across the street, and we couldn't hear it very well, so we asked ?are you talking to us??? The police did not answer, and the next thing Huang and her friends knew, they were being pushed back by officers using their shields, she said. ?It was quite strange, because the officers didn't push us away, instead they pushed us against the wall and started beating us with their batons,? Huang said, adding that she and her friends kept pleading for the officers to stop and yelling that there was no way out behind them, ?but they continued for quite some time.? Another plaintiff, Ted Chiang (???), said he turned his back to the riot police who were trying to disperse the crowd in front of the hotel, hoping to stop further physical clashes. However, a video clip showed that he was pulled behind the police line. ?After I got pulled in, I fell on the ground, and the police officers hit me with batons and shields,? Chiang said. ?I just wanted to run away from the madness, but an officer hit my head with his baton, then I started bleeding all over,? he said, holding up a T-shirt with bloodstains and holes that he wore that night. ?To this day, I still feel dizzy and am still taking medicine,? he said. Lin Feng-jeng (???), executive director of the Judicial Reform Foundation, who helped organize a panel of attorneys to provide assistance to the victims of alleged police brutality, said: ?It's very disappointing that the police have only looked into cases in which officers were attacked and tried to find out who attacked them while turning a blind eye to cases in which innocent citizens were wounded.? ?While [President] Ma Ying-jeou [???] has constantly said that the ?the problem [with demonstrations] is the violence,? I would like to remind him that there is also the problem of police violence,? he said. At a separate setting yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chou Wei-you (???) accused the Taipei City Police Department of framing him ? and possibly other protesters ? by putting him on a list of violent protesters during Chen's visit. The department issued a booklet of photos of 66 ?violent protesters? on Wednesday and called on the public to help the police in identifying suspects who allegedly took part in the demonstrations. The photo of Chou, who was allegedly punched in the left eye by an officer while he was protesting against Chen in front of the hotel, was in the booklet put together by the police on Wednesday morning, but the department removed his photo yesterday after the councilor challenged its inclusion. ?If the police department believes I am a suspect, then it is covering me by removing my photo. If not, did the department include my photo by mistake?? Chou said. Chou later showed a video clip of the incident in front of the hotel that night to prove that he did not attack the police and that he was punched by an officer in the eye while trying to separate the police and protesters. He and other DPP Taipei City councilors condemned the department's Songshan Precinct for lying about what happened that night by arguing that Chou was hit by a bottle of water, rather than by an officer, in its news release. In response, Lee Wen-chang (???), deputy chief of the department's Criminal Investigation Division, said that the police hurt Chou by accident, adding that Chou's photo was included in the booklet by mistake because ?the staff member who handled the booklet did not know it was Councilor Chou.? Calling in question the department's handling of the aftermath of the protests, Chou urged Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (???) to look into the department's conduct. ?How many suspects in the booklet are innocent and treated unjustly like me? Such poor handling of the incident is a serious breach of human rights,? Chou said. Putting handcuffs on his own hands, Chou said he refused to enjoy any privilege as a councilor and vowed to file a lawsuit against the police department. DPP Taipei City Councilor Liu Yao-ren (???) urged the public to provide evidence, such as photographs or videotapes showing police taking part in violence against the protesters and to file lawsuits against the police. http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=141378&CtNode=39 Taiwanese police officer receives demerit for chaos at protest 11/19/2008 (Taiwan News) The police announced on Tuesday that it was disciplining a local precinct chief for mishandling protests against visiting Chinese top negotiator Chen Yunlin outside a Taipei hotel earlier this month. Taipei Sungshan Precinct chief Huang Chia-lu receives one demerit for failing to prevent a protesters' siege of the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel on November 5. Chen was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung and attended by dozens of prominent politicians and businesspeople. He was unable to leave the hotel until 2 a.m. the next morning because of crowds of anti-Chinese protesters blocking surrounding streets. Huang was punished for failing to deploy adequate numbers of officers and allowing the siege to continue for so long, police said. National police chief Wang Cho-chiun said he had also disciplined Beitou Precinct chief Lee Han-ching for comments made about police action against a music store playing loud Taiwanese songs during another protest. Police were also continuing an investigation to find which officer was responsible for beating a Formosa Television reporter, Wang said. The father of another young man allegedly beaten by police was taking legal action, he said. The hotel siege was one of the most violent incidents in a week full of anti-China protests. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/young-protesters-facing-prison-turkey/story.aspx?guid=%7BDF069181-3CEB-49FA-9CBD-5AF5C22BFE42%7D Young protesters facing prison in Turkey Last update: 5:42 p.m. EST Nov. 14, 2008 HAKKARI, Turkey, Nov 14, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Six 13- and 14-year-olds should face 23-year prison sentences for allegedly taking part in violent demonstrations in Turkey, a prosecutor says. A Diyarbak?r chief public prosecutor's office indictment recommends that the teenagers be punished severely for allegedly being involved in the illegal protests organized by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Today's Zaman said Friday. Some protesters taking part in the demonstration in the Turkish city of Hakkari on Nov. 1 hurled Molotov cocktails and stones at police, authorities said. The protests were coordinated around the arrival of Prime Minister Recap Erdogan in the southeastern city. The protesters were dispersed by tear gas and warning shots from police. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/03/Turkish_students_sued_for_protest_slogans/UPI-92641225733925/ Turkish students sued for protest slogans Published: Nov. 3, 2008 at 12:38 PM Order reprints | Feedback IZMIT, Turkey, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Eight students at Turkey's Kocaeli University violated a penal code article by shouting derogatory slogans during a recent protest, a lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit filed by the Gendarmerie, a Turkish group that polices the civilian population, alleges the students used hurtful slogans against Yusuf Turkish Council of Higher Education President Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, Bianet reported Friday. The use of those derogatory slogans during Ozcan's April 3 visit to Kocaeli University violated penal code Article 301 that makes any comments against Turkey or its government illegal. The slogan at the center of the legal controversy was "Get out Gendarmerie, universities are ours," Bianet reported. The students allegedly used the questionable slogan during a protest by nearly 100 university students at the university's Umuttepe Campus. Bianet said the Ministry of Justice must approve the Article 301 case before the Gendarmerie can move forward with its request for two years in prison for the university students. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2008/200810/news29/20081029-02ee.html October 29. 2008 Juche 97 Puppet Prosecution's Suppression Protested in S. Korea Pyongyang, October 28 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Solidarity for Implementing the South-North Joint Declaration strongly protested against the puppet prosecution's suppression on Oct. 24, according to the south Korean CBS. The solidarity said that that day the prosecution authorities labeled the above-said organization an "enemy-benefiting organization" and detained and indicted its four core members on charges of the violation of the ill-famed "National Security Law," adding that this is blatant suppression of the reunification movement and retaliation against candlelight actions. In the meantime, the joint defence panel for the solidarity, etc. held an emergency press conference on the same day in protest against the puppet prosecution's tyrannical action. Speakers at the press conference held that the solidarity has conducted a legitimate mass movement for reunification for the past 8 years since its formation. They stressed that it is an unpardonable provocation that the prosecution brought charges of the violation of the NSL to the detained and indicted core members of the organization for the mere reason that they conducted common non-governmental exchange after labeling the solidarity "an organization following the Juche idea." http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=13773 posted 18-11-2008 [281 page views] print Family wins payout for SKorean protester killed by police A South Korean court ruled Tuesday that the government should compensate the family of a farmer who was fatally injured by police during a protest against free trade. ________________________________________ 18 November 2008 Family wins payout for SKorean protester killed by police Source: Two Koreas SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean court ruled Tuesday that the government should compensate the family of a farmer who was fatally injured by police during a protest against free trade. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the payment of 130 million won (91,485 dollars) in compensation to the family of Jeon Yong-Cheol. Jeon, 46, died of a brain haemorrhage after he was seriously beaten by riot police during a November 2005 protest by farmers against the opening of South Korea?s rice market. The National Human Rights Commission concluded after an investigation that police used excessive force. Jeon was one of two protesters fatally injured by police that month while two others committed suicide to protest at the rice market opening. The protest deaths prompted the police chief to step down and the then-President Roh Moo-Hyun to deliver a public apology. South Korean farmers have staged frequent protests in recent years against free trade pacts which they fear will hurt their protected occupation. Several have ended in bloody clashes. source: AFP http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811171835DOWJONESDJONLINE000630_univ.xml Ivory Coast Charges 3 Military Officers Over Sep Protests11-17-08 6:35 PM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article ABIDJAN (AFP)--Three senior Ivory Coast military officers were charged on Monday with inciting revolt following protests in September by soldiers demanding combat bonuses, military prosecutors said. officers, who have been held in custody for more for than a month, were charged by a military tribunal judge. They also face charges of complicity in weapons theft over the disappearance of guns. On Tuesday, 104 soldiers are to go on trial before a military court over the September protests in Daoukro and Yamoussoukro, central Ivory Coast, to demand payment of combat bonuses. Security forces claim they were promised war bonuses during a 2002 crisis when rebels launched a failed attempt to topple President Laurent Gbagbo. The three officers charged on Monday weren't identified, but Ivorian media previously named those arrested as Lt. Col. Lancine Fofana, Col. Moustapha Cherif and Cmdr. Doulaye Sekongo. http://icommons.org/articles/access-versus-surveillance-brazilian-cybercrime-law-project Access versus surveillance: Brazilian cybercrime law project Paula Martini ? Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) ? Nov 05th, 2008 6:37 pm ? 10 votes ? no comments made by Mikey G Ottawa on flickr.com A proposed new law that restricts access and freedom on Brazilian Internet has passed in the Senate without public scrutiny and is now close to being enforced by the House of Representatives. The law project, created by Senator Eduardo Azeredo, restricts devices like open wi-fi networks, obliges Internet service providers to record and keep user information for three years and allows providers to check for copyright infringements over packages on peer-to-peer connections, along with other threats to users' right to privacy. The cybercrime law project by Senator Azeredo (PSDB) proposes that the first Internet regulatory frame must be a criminal one. The natural path for regulating the web, followed by most of developed countries, is to firstly establish a civil regulatory framework that clearly defines the rules and responsibilities in relation to users, companies and other institutions accessing the network ? and only then define a criminal regulation framework. The reason for that is the issue of innovation. In order to innovate, a country needs to have clear civil rules, which allow security and predictability to initiatives that take place on the web (such as investments, companies, archives, databases, services, etc.). The penal rules shall be created from the experience acquired with the civil rules. According to Senator Azeredo, the Brazilian Cybercrime Bill is inspired by the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe. But that convention was not signed by any Latin American country, neither by the absolute majority of developing countries ? actually, very few poor countries ratified the Convention. During the Convention elaboration, which had an active participation of the United States, the text was severely criticized by organizations arguing that it could cause offence to individual?s rights to privacy. But the rich countries that signed the document already did their homework (to regulate Internet from a civil angle) and, only after that, they set criminal parameters for the web. Brazil is in a reverse way: the country is firstly creating criminal punishments, without priorly regulating the Internet in a technical and civil way. ?Tangible property? and data There is an uncertainty generated by the project, which uses vague and wide concepts (?data?, ?communications systems? and others) in order to regulate a subject that requires a prior technical discussion ? which still have not taken place in Brazil. For example, in its article 183-A, the project equates, for penal effects, the ?tangible property? with the data, information or information unit in electronic means. That equalizing generates unforeseeable effects in Brazilian legal system. ?Tangible property?, as the term means, is used in Law to designate objects that have a material existance. The term ?immaterial good? is used as a wider category, also including what is intangible. By equalizing ?data? or ?information? to ?tangible property?, one could take advantage of the criminal consequences that can arise from that equalization. The distinction between material and imaterial ? that refers directly to the different uses of the terms ?tangible property? and ?immaterial good? -- have Penal Law ramifications. Some crimes, like theft, for example, only exist in relation to tangible properties. If the Penal Code says that it is a crime ?to subtract to oneself someone else's chattels [...]?, it is not the subtraction of an immaterial good that is criminalized, but indeed of a material good. With the equalization of ?data? and ?tangible property?, there is the insertion of another category of goods into a label that was more restrictive before. The Internet aggregates characteristics of many media, many of which represent ephemeral or transitory communications. In that sense, a ?phone call? taking place via Internet through a Skype-like software could then be equated with the ?tangible property? for penal purposes. The same is valid for conversations through text, video, webcam flow, e-mail, as well as any other communication mode. That equalizing to the ?tangible property? yield the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to judicial measures that take towards the possibility of restoring those transitory informations, which can then be ?distrained? and used in court. That disrespects basic rights and expectations related to the nature of electronic data. Besides, equalizing ?data? to ?tangible property? disrespects the economic nature of electronic systems. While ?tangible properties? are scarce goods, electronic data are ?non-scarce? goods. A ?tangible property?, when transferred to another person, does not belong to the first one anymore, but does belong to the other one. On the other side, the data have a fluid nature, which means that its dispatching and utilization by one person does not impede its utilization by another. Making use of the jargon, data are ?non-competitive? and ?non-rival? goods. To juridically regulate them as if they were ?tangible properties? goes against those goods' nature itself and generate unforeseeable consequences within Brazilian Law. Digital crimes The project's article 339-A criminalizes the activities of ?to access computer network, communication device or computing system, without autorization by the rightful holder, when required? and ?to obtain data or information available in computer network, communication device or computing system without autorization by the rightful holder?, with penalties of imprisonment and arrestment for 2 to 4 years. That provision creates a criminal conduct that can affect the life of thousands of people, as a true instrument of ?mass criminalization?: in case the Senator Azeredo's project is approved, countless people will become criminals in potential. That article comprehend the access to devices like computers, iPods, mobile phones, DVD players and even digital TV signal converters. So that the content industry can criminalize their consumers, like it happened in the United States in 1998 due to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) approval. Ten years after the approval of that legislation in the US, there is a consensus that, besides having its absolut inefficiency proved, the DMCA produced serious damages for society and public interest, to the point that its provisions are being made more flexible, year after year. Senator Azeredo's law project not only runs against that empiric evidence of a failed legislation in the US, but also amplifies the scope of the North American model. While in the US it became a crime ?to break or circumvent digital protection measures? used by the entertainment industry to protect copyrighted materials, Senator Azeredo's project criminalizes the access itself. That proposed model creates significant costs, both for any Internet user and for any public or private enterprise in the web ? including business initiatives. The reason for those costs is the need for constant verification: when, how, and in what terms do the ?autorization by the rightful holder? take place so that the access can be made. The authorization empire and copyright In synthesis, an ?authorization empire? is created, aggravating a well-known problem, which is the practical difficulty of obtaining ?authorization? and verifying what exactly are each of the respective terms and modalities with the rightful holders. That will increase the problem of transaction costs for the access to information in Brazil. Finally, it is well-known that criminalization and restriction to ?access?, in the way the law project in question does, opposes public and collective interests. Consumers' defense associations of the whole world, together with librarians, universities, companies and academic institutions, among others, have been manifesting in a consistent way regarding the increasing of barriers and the bureaucratization of access. An example of that is the well-succeeded pressure performed by consumers on Apple company, which is progressively quitting from using measures that difficult the access to its contents (the so-called ?digital rights management?, or DRM). The very same occurs with several other content distribution websites. The situation overburdens when one bear in mind that that the law project includes the signals transmitted by digital television in Brazil: the project's article 339 explicitly defines that the ?communication dispositives? also encloses ?the digital radio or television signals' receptors and converters?. It must be considered that the digital TV transmissions in Brazil will be made through public concessions, and using an equally public good, which is the eletromagnectic spectrum. In that sense, it is unconstitutional to criminalize the ?access to communication device? like the TV converter ?without authorization of the rightful holder?. The actual possibility of demanding that authorization, defined by article 339, violates the public nature of digital television transmissions. Actually the possibility of an Internet user to face a lawsuit due to improper access to copyrighted content is not completely remote, because of the vagueness of the expression ?express restriction to access?. That restriction can be the copyright law (access to protected content), contractual (violation of the terms of use of a website) or technological (like a mobile phone lock or mailbox password). In the second scenario, the law project affords opportunity for the judge in charge of the case to understand that there was a violation of the authoral restriction of the files. Access versus surveillance In the project's article 21, several obligations are created for the Internet service providers. Among them, the obligation ?to keep in a secure and controlled environment the data of connections made through one's equipments?, ?during a three years term?. That obligation forces the providers to create instruments for permanent monitoring over its costumers. As mentioned above, such monitoring can lead to a vigilance over all the user's activities, which is foreseen on article VI of article 21. That provision foresee that the provider shall ?preserve immediately, after explicit solicitation from judicial authority, during investigation, the data regarding connections, the user's identification data and the communication carried out regarding that investigation?. With that, the providers are obliged to build technical capacity for monitoring their customers. That monitoring can reconstitute ephemeral communications, like phone calls over the web, e-mails, instant messages and any other data exchanged by the user. Still, subsection V of article 21 obliges the providers ?to inform, in a secret manner, to the proper police authority, denunciation that it got to know, and that contain clues of illegal conduct on the computer network under its responsibility?. Such a provision creates a system of ?surveillants? over the web. The provider becomes a vigilance agent, that every time that gets provoked by a ?denunciation? shall inform the police authority in a secret manner. That provision violates the guarantee of broad defense and the proper legal process, configurating itself as unconstitutional. The user that is under vigilance have broad right to be informed about that vigilance, which derivates directly from his constitutional rights. That system of incentive to ?private surveillance?, together with a secret and secrecy regime is uncompatible with the Democratic State of Right. The incentive to the ?vigilance privatization? is strengthened by the law project's 22nd article, which determines that ?the communication to competent authorities of illicit practices, including the supply of information about access, hosting and user identifying data, when any criminal conduct is detected, does not constitute a violation of secrecy rights?. This article, in practical terms, simply eliminates the privacy and inviolability that protects communications in Brazil. Such a disposition would allow, for example, that the electronic communications among teenagers all over the country could be monitored if an exchange of music files is detected (an activity that can be framed as a crime according to the 184 code in the Penal Code, which criminalizes copyright violation). That and other practices are being object of fierce legislative debates all over the world, many of them seeking for reforms in the law. While the reform doesn't take place, it is not possible to ignore the fact that hundreds of thousands of people will effectively have their electronic communications monitored as an effect of Senator Azeredo's law project. In that sense, the law project in question affects the majority of Brazilians' lifes, being those the owners of mobile phones, or being those who access the Internet through computers, or those that will be future digital television spectators. For that reason, it is inconceivable that a project like this is not being debated in a broader way, together with civil society and representatives of the interests directly affected. This list is long and includes: access providers, technology companies as a whole, consumers, universities, non-governamental organizations, telecommunication companies, just to name a few. All public debate efforts related to such a law project, that aims at regulating the Internet from a criminal viewpoint, should turn itself to the Internet civil regulation, clearly defining its regulatory mark and privileging innovation ? as happened on developed countries. To privilege a criminal regulation of the Internet prior to its civil regulation will have as a consequence the increase of public and provate costs, the disincentive to innovation and, above all, the inneficacy. In that sense, it is needed to firstly learn with the civil regulation, and only then propose criminal measures that can reach their effectiveness, without burdening the society as a whole, like the actual Senator Eduardo Azeredo's law project does. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/11/asia/AS-India-Car-Factory-Protest.php Indian court convicts 2 Marxists over Tato murder The Associated Press Published: November 11, 2008 CALCUTTA, India: An Indian court on Tuesday found two communist party members guilty of the murder of a woman who opposed a Tata Motors car factory in eastern India. Suhrid Dutta and Debu Malik, both members of West Bengal state's ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), were found guilty of the murder of Tapasi Malik, who had been active in protests against the acquisition of land to build the car plant. Judge Amar Kanti Acharya also found the two men guilty of tampering with evidence. They will be sentenced on Wednesday. The two men will appeal the verdict in a higher court after the sentences are announced, Arindam Bhattacharya, one of their defense lawyers said. Tata Motors had planned to build the Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car, in Singur, a village just northwest of the state capital Calcutta, but were forced to relocate to Gujarat in western India after angry local farmers claimed they hadn't been adequately compensated for part of the land used to build the car plant. The company had leased the land for the Singur factory from the state government and had the support of the communists who have ruled the state for more than three decades. The two sides had clashed several times, often violently, during more than two years of protests. The charred body of 18-year-old Malik was found in a ditch in Singur in December, 2006. Her death fueled anger against the land acquisition, forcing the local authorities to hand over investigation into her murder to the federal Central Bureau of Investigation. Two-thirds of Indians still live off the land and conflicts over land for development have become increasingly common. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128589 Arab States Leave Rafiah Closed, Hamas Protests by Maayana Miskin (IsraelNN.com) Foreign Ministers of several Arab states met on Thursday and decided to leave the Rafiah crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt closed. However, the FMs decided to send an aid shipment to Gaza via the crossing. The three main Palestinian Authority factions?Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad?had pressured Arab states to open the crossing. All other Gaza crossings are controlled by Israel. Israel has left the crossings closed for the past two weeks due to daily rocket attacks from Gaza. Humanitarian aid has been allowed through. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum issued an official statement expressing disappointment with the decision not to open Rafiah. Opening Rafiah would end the ?siege? on Gaza, Barhoum said. Egypt has kept the crossing closed since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007. Hamas blew it open in January, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gaza Arabs to enter the northern Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian troops resealed Rafiah several days later with Hamas' cooperation. While the crossing remains closed, residents of Gaza have managed to bring merchandise to and from the area via a network of tunnels built under the city. The tunnels have been used to smuggle everything from livestock to weapons to brides for Hamas terrorists. Many tunnels are poorly built, and dozens of smugglers have been killed in cave-ins since the beginning of the year. Thousands to Leave for Mecca While the Rafiah crossing will remain closed, Egypt has agreed to allow approximately 6,500 Muslim pilgrims from Gaza to pass through the crossing on their way to Mecca. The pilgrims will be allowed to leave via Rafiah over the weekend. Egypt has allowed small groups of Gaza Muslims to leave for Mecca on several occasions. Israeli defense officials have warned that terrorists often pretend to be Mecca pilgrims in order to leave Gaza for terrorist training in Syria and Iran. Crossings Closed Thursday Defense Minister Ehud Barak kept Israeli-controlled crossings closed on Thursday following two early-morning rocket attacks on the city of Sderot. The rockets landed in open areas and did not cause injury. Barak had planned to allow 45 trucks to enter Gaza carrying food, animal feed and chlorine for water purification. Defense officials have repeatedly promised to allow trucks into Gaza as soon as 24 hours pass without a rocket attack. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2434539,00.html 32 jailed over Eid riots 2008-11-29 14:15 Bishkek - A court in Kyrgyzstan sentenced 32 Islamists to jail terms of between nine and 20 years for their role in riots in the southern region of Osh in October, state television reported on Saturday. The riots took place in the town of Nookat on October 1, the day when Kyrgyzstan was marking the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr at the end of the Ramadan holy fasting month. The television said the verdicts were handed down by the provincial court of the Osh region and were greeted by shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" (God is Greatest) from the accused. Officials have said that the unrest was sparked by the refusal of the local administration to hold a public celebration marking Eid ul-Fitr, which is known in Kyrgyzstan as Orozo Ait. The demonstrators threw stones against the building of the local government and behaved violently towards the local police. The head of the regional administration was sacked as a result of the disturbances. Officials have also said that the demonstrations were linked to the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Islamic Liberation) movement, a Sunni Muslim group which advocates the establishment of Islamic states in Central Asia. State television said the accused were found guilty on eight counts, including damaging public buildings, creating mass disturbances, behaving violently towards the police and membership of a banned party. Muslims make up about 80% of the ex-Soviet state's population, with Orthodox Christians next with up to 17%. The parliament earlier this month passed a new law limiting the registration of religious groups to those with 200 or more members and introducing state control over financing and religious education. - AFP http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/11/113_33732.html 11-02-2008 17:39 3-Yr Jail Term Sought for Riot Policeman Lee Gil-jun By Kim Rahn Staff Reporter The prosecution has demanded a three-year prison term for a riot police officer who refused to return to his unit in protest of a police crackdown on a candlelit rally against the import of American beef. Prosecutors Friday asked the Seoul Northern District Court to hand down the jail term to officer Lee Gil-jun, who was indicted in August on charges of deserting his squad, not responding to senior officers' orders, and defaming his seniors. On July 27, Lee, a 25-year-old riot policeman of six months, held a media briefing after a three-day leave to announce his resolution not to rejoin his Jungnang Police Station unit in northeastern Seoul. He said he was forced to suppress protesters, which he said was against his conscience, and called for the abolishment of the riot police system. A few days later, he presented himself to police for questioning. Lee said in court, ``Everything has happened in a flash since I decided not to return to the unit. I listened to my conscience and acted on it.'' In South Korea, a man can be dispatched to an ordinary military camp or the riot police on a random basis after being drafted. ``If officer Lee had the faith to keep democracy and a law-abiding society, he should not have refused the order to crack down on demonstrators. Lee also disparaged riot police, who exercise public power fairly, by calling them a means of violence,'' a prosecutor said. A member of civic coalition Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection said, ``Lee can be considered a conscientious objector, and such people usually get an 18-month jail term. His seems too harsh.'' Lee was not the only riot police officer to protest the rally crackdown. In June, another riot policeman (Lee Gye-deok) requested a transfer to military camp, claiming police work was against his political beliefs and conscience. He was confined in the guardhouse for a month. http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/03/korean-policeman-jailed-for-refusing-to-use-excessive-force/ Police Officer Ordered to Use Excessive Force Jailed as Conscientious Objector Written by Gavin Hudson Published on May 3rd, 2009 Korean police officer Lee Gil-jun is in prison on a 2 year sentence for not returning to work after commanding officers ordered him to fire a water cannon into a crowd of peaceful protesters last May. Last may, South Koreans took to the streets by the tens of thousands to protest US beef imports, mainly over concerns about mad cow disease in US beef. For several months on any given Saturday night, you could see protesters with white candles in the downtown centers of many cities, especially Seoul. As the candlelight vigils grew, they became more political. President Lee?s entire cabinet offered to resign and the newly elected leader was caught between Koreans, who wanted to scrap the beef import deal, and the US government, which wanted more access to Korean markets. It was then that police officers called in to monitor the demonstrations began using water cannons and physical force to push protesters back from the Korean capital building. Lee Gil-jun had been drafted into the military like every young Korean man and was serving as a police officer when the candlelight vigils started. From May 31 to June 1, Lee?s commanding officers ordered his unit to use a water cannon to push demonstrators back. Lee recalls sitting down on the ground afterwards and feeling sick with guilt. Lee says he became determined that he would no longer be used as a tool of suppression. Afterwards, Lee took a leave of absence to see his parents and decided not to go back. He wanted to tell the media about the situation, but his parents were against the idea. So the 25 year-old filed as a conscientious objector and went alone to a police station to turn himself in. At his court case, the judge asked ?How do you think the treatment of illegal gatherings should change?? ?Peace protesters, marchers and the weak who represent social rights must be respected as much as possible. The government should keep within its principles and show maximum self-control,? answered Lee. The judge continued, ?If every person who has a complaint about their government can assemble in front of the Blue House [the South Korean equivalent of the White House], this society could become chaos.? ?Shouldn?t the government do more than to treat people like gang members or children? If they respect people?s decisions, democracy and peaceful gatherings will grow,? Lee replied. Lee is currently in the 10th month of his sentence. He will be kept at Anyang Prison until his release date in 2010. Readers can advocate for Lee?s freedom: ? via this Facebook group ? by filing a petition with the Korean government ? by emailing the Korean police agency ? by filing a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea or ? by writing words of support to Lee via a Korean web chat page set up to relay the messages http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china/longnan-riots-police-brutality-7606.html Photos Reveal Police Brutality in Longnan Riots By Gu Qinger Epoch Times Staff Nov 23, 2008 A man is being beaten by riot police. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) On November 18, 2008, an enormous display of civil unrest unfolded in Longnan City in northwestern Gansu Province. Tens of thousands of residents attempted to attack the communist party headquarters in the city and rioted in the streets, setting official vehicles on fire. The riots were violently quashed by armed police who severely beat and even shot at many of the protesters. Several hundred farmers were wounded, dozens were in critical conditions and several were killed. Currently, the city is under martial law and public gatherings are banned until November 23. Apparently the incident was mainly fueled by resident?s anger over information that had emerged of authorities? plan to move the entire city to another province. People lying on the ground after suffering a beating by the police. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) Longnan City is one of the disaster areas from the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province, and post-disaster reconstruction hasn?t yet begun. This has led to the municipal government?s desire to move the city. In a city of 550,000, such a move would likely have a disastrous effect on the financial situation of the local population. Picture shows protesters being arrested. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) Following the riots, mainland media has claimed the disturbances were the work of merely a few ?lawbreakers? and none of their reports have mentioned the beatings and deaths suffered by the residents at the hands of the police. Armed police face off against a crowed of protesters. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) However, more and more pictures have been posted on the Internet by bloggers, showing armed police beating unarmed residents with clubs. Related Articles ? Thousands Riot in Northwest China Protesters being arrested. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) A resident of Wudu city, Mr. Dong said, ?Yesterday (November 20) the mayor made a public speech and said that this matter (moving the city) hasn?t been approved by the State Department yet, so they might not have to move. The public has calmed down since the mayor?s speech but the authorities have to give an explanation for this incident. Many people are still missing. People might protest again after the martial law is released without having an explanation from the officials.? Police with long clubs getting ready to move in on protesters. (Provided by mainland China Internet users) Original article in Chinese. Last Updated Nov 27, 2008 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-11/26/content_7243894.htm More than 1,000 rioters set free after Lhasa violence (Xinhua) Updated: 2008-11-26 22:05 Comments(1) Print Mail BEIJING - China has set free more than 1,000 rioters involved in the March 14 riot that engulfed Tibet's capital Lhasa, according to a senior Chinese official. "Most of the released rioters had turned themselves in right after the riot," Zhu Weiqun, deputy head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said in a recent interview with BBC. The content of the interview can be seen on the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Zhu said there exist no "suppression" in Tibet. The suspects had enjoyed all legitimate rights based on Chinese law. Local court sent interpreters to help all rioters in trial and ethnic background and religious beliefs were not considered when handing down sentences, he said. With the placard of "non-violence" in his hand, the Dalai Lama on the other hand turned a blind eye to violent activities, the official said. "Many people died in the March 14 Lhasa riot, and he called it a peaceful protest...is it the so-called non-violence?" Zhu questioned. He held that most Tibetans living abroad were against violence and hoped for a better living environment and closer ties with Tibet. "The government sponsors nearly 3,000 Tibetans abroad to visit their hometown each year... and they would feel worried about their safety if there's violence in Tibet." he said. On March 14, groups of rioters launched widespread attacks against people and property in Lhasa, in which 18 innocent civilians and one police officer died and hundreds civilians and police were injured. Rioters also torched houses, vehicles and looted shops. Direct economic loss stood at 320 million yuan (about US$47 million). http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200510429.shtml Sequel to St. Edwards/Police Riot?:Police Threatens BBC Correspondent in Sierra Leone By Aruna Turay Nov 17, 2008, 17:30 Email this article Following the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) report of Friday 14th November 2008 on the riot between the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and pupils of the Saint Edwards Secondary School in Kingtom, information reaching the Awareness Times news desk indicates that a group of hooligans and senior police officers at the Police Barracks in Kingtom have threatened to either kill or at the very least, "seriously manhandle" the BBC Correspondent, Lansana Fofana. This was even confirmed in the presence of this reporter by one of the senior officers (name withheld), who alleges that the BBC Correspondent "filed in a false, unfounded and one sided report against the police", and therefore "must be dealt with". When he was contacted, the BBC?s Lansana Fofana indeed confirmed the report of the threats on his life. The senior journalist disclosed that he got wind of the ugly development in the wake of filing the said report that was aired on the BBC Network Africa. "According to my intelligence report, the threats were coming from these senior officers and other relatives of the police at the Barracks," Lansana Fofana told this reporter, adding that he wasted no time in contacting the police hierarchy about the occurrence. However, the swift intervention of the police hierarchy was able to calm the tension that was gradually developing into a breach of public peace. Meanwhile, a meeting intending to bridge the misunderstanding was summoned yesterday Sunday 16th November 2008 and the outcome of that meeting is believed to have been an amiable ending to the misunderstanding. However, given the seriousness of the threats made on the BBC?s correspondent?s life, this newspaper is continuing to closely monitor the situation. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 12:11:21 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:11:21 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] GREECE Insurrection, December 2008 Message-ID: <4AB289D9.9010300@tesco.net> Overview: Three weeks of intense unrest during which students, anarchists and opponents of the government fought back against the police, threw paving stones and Molotovs, torched banks and shops, stormed police stations and prisons, held streets against the police, held a general strike, occupied universities, hung banners from the Acropolis, tried to storm Parliament, torched the Christmas tree in Syntagma Square, fired laser pointers at police... The government nearly fell, but somehow weathered the unrest, which faded after about three weeks. The immediate cause was the murder of a young dissident, Alexis Grigoropoulos, by a cop. The uprising is also viewed as channelling wider discontent ranging from the unpopularity of the conservative government and dissatisfaction with youth unemployment and lack of opportunities, to rebellion against capitalism asn an alienating system, and struggle against fascistic forces within the state. See also: Occupied London blog which carried day-by-day reports and many of the texts of the uprising: http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/ * Analysis: "Greeks understand protest like few others" * Factbox: Years of unrest in Greece * Does Greek unrest portend global unrest? * Analysis: Greece and the insurrections to come * Greek unrest reveals deep-seated social problems * Analysis: "This chaos isn't over" * Analysis: Unrest shows a deeper discontent * Bank to pay for damage * Analysis: "Potent mix of radicals" at university * Analysis: What a mess our young have to face. No wonder they riot * Analysis: "What Korea can learn" * Universities assess riot damage * Business cuts guidance due to unrest * Day-by-day news roundup http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=161030 [IMPRESSIONS] Greeks understand protest like few others Having arrived in Athens the morning after the riots began, I did not have the chance to enjoy my usual haunts in the city. I did have the opportunity, however, to see the office building across from where I often work burned and hundreds of kids hurl, first, oranges picked off of a nearby tree in Syntagma Square, and then a few moments later, Molotov cocktails at an army of riot police who stood by doing nothing except shielding themselves from the hurled fruit and pieces of marble broken off of the floor. What struck me, and probably most foreigners, however, were the ?spectators?: well-dressed Athenians who it would appear had good jobs, who sat at the caf? in Athens? main square, giggling and commenting on the aim and accuracy of projectile-throwing self-proclaimed anarchist protestors. It was only after coughing through about 10 minutes of tear gas that the ?spectators,? many of whom carried surgical masks in their pockets, decided that it was best to leave the caf?. Greeks understand protest like few others in the world. And it is this understanding, deep in the Athenian political culture, that the government was betting on when it decided not to intervene in the riots. Conservative Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis looks poised to lose his bet as five days of anarchy in the streets have ensued and hundreds of businesses and buildings across the country have been burned, turning popular opinion bitterly against him. Likely drawing lessons from the French riots of 2005, where French President Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister, made a similar bet and allowed violence to escalate before declaring a ?zero-tolerance? stance and later a state of emergency that helped him to consolidate the election, Karamanlis does not look perched to increase his narrow one-seat majority in Parliament. Rather, Karamanlis, whose popularity has been nose-diving after a multimillion euro scandal involving close comrades, an autonomous monastery and mafia-like monks who have embezzled tens of millions of dollars in real estate deals, looks to be on the brink of early elections with his popularity plummeting further with each new torched building. The riots that have wrought havoc in much of downtown Athens have their roots in more than just the police killing of Alexis Grigoropoulos, the 15-year-old boy who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Long-standing popular resentment of police, economic hardships, economic crisis, education reform, widespread government corruption and unpopular privatizations are but some of the many gripes that have coalesced to form this movement of self-described anarchists that has swelled to a broad-based leftist movement which includes a rainbow of interests that is dissatisfied with the government. Riots situated in a deeper Greek political culture However, not even this appears adequate to explain the degree of the riots and the extent of popular approval which, at least in the initial days, supported the democratic right of students to protest and were hesitant to endorse what they described as ?police-state? measures to quash the riots. Although not advocating violence, popular opinion was sympathetic (and still is) to youth frustration with the system. Interestingly, Greek society tolerates such behavior. Such riots are quite common during protest marches. It was only after rioters intensified their attacks to include more than just multinational companies and banks and started torching modern monuments and local businesses that popular opinion turned against the rioters. The political culture of Greece is interesting, if not downright bizarre. Having led the movement that overthrew the military junta in 1974 and after having experienced a number of casualties in this fight as tanks and police crashed through the walls of the National Technical University of Athens, the drafters of the civilian Greek constitution enshrined the right to asylum in universities. Changing this asylum system -- which many point to as outdated given the political times -- is a hotly debated political issue. Advocates of the asylum system (who are growing fewer in number with each passing day) assert that rejecting such a constitutional right that has served as the lynchpin of the country?s democratic gains is a dangerous move. It is this system that they say guarantees Greek intellectual freedom. Opponents point to the fact that many university campuses have turned into ghettos where illegal migrants sell knock-off handbags free from police scrutiny and where wanted criminals take refuge. Indeed, many of the protestors that were out recycling the stones thrown at police the night before (many of which were chipped out of marble slabs on the street) sought refuge in the schools. Although many do, in such a crisis it is not right to blame Greek democracy. A more likely explanation is the frustration that many feel has resulted from the governance of three families (Papandreou, Karamanlis, Mitsotakis) that have ruled over Greece for generations and because too few have an adequate voice to advance their interests. Thanassis Kotsiaros, a close friend and a senior adviser of a member of parliament and research fellow in the University of Athens, commented Wednesday over coffee, ?Democracy in Greece allows for disobedience and deviant behavior to an extent that?s difficult to be seen and understood in other Western democracies.? That?s probably why the middle-aged woman sitting next to me in the posh caf? in on the outskirts of Kolonaki, the Ni?anta?? of Athens, casually reached into her Louis Vuitton bag during Wednesday?s general strike (planned long before the shooting of the boy that set off the riots) and pulled out a white surgical mask and continued casually talking on her mobile before exiting the door and walking in the direction of the riots. 12 December 2008, Friday DAVID NEYLAN ATHENS, GREECE http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=108&num=191409 Published: Dec 7, 2008 Share This Article | Send Us A Tip | Site Search Factbox: Years Of Riots, Clashes With Police In Greece by Staff Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with riot police in Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki on Sunday in a second day of protests at the shooting by police of a 15-year-old boy. Following are some of the biggest riots that have rocked Greece since November 1973, when the brutal repression of a student uprising in Athens helped to bring down the military junta. Police have since been banned from Greek university campuses. November 1985 - After the annual march to mark the student uprising of 1973, anarchists riot in Athens. Youths clash with police in the volatile Exarhia district, where a policeman shoots dead 15-year-old Michalis Caltezas. Anarchists occupy the university chemistry faculty. Next day police storm the burning building and make arrests. Intermittent clashes between students and police continue for several months. January 1991 - Riots break out across the country after a school professor, Nikos Teboneras, is killed during protests against education reforms in the southwestern city of Patras. Years later, demonstrators still chant in his honor: "Tebonaras is alive!" November 1995 - Riots erupt after student protests in Athens and a revolt in the capital's Korydallos prison shortly before the anniversary of the 1993 uprising. Dozens are injured when police in Thessaloniki break up a march in support of the prisoners. In Athens, days of rioting ensue during which protesters attack banks and stores. Amid public outcry, the dean of Athens university lifts the ban on police entering the university and hundreds are arrested. November 1999 - After a peaceful march marking the 1973 student uprising, clashes erupt between police and thousands of protesters opposing U.S. President Bill Clinton's 24-hour visit to Athens. His visit is suspended twice amid fear of protests. Anarchists attack government buildings and businesses in central Athens and more than 40 are arrested. June 2003 - Youths and Black Block anarchists battle police during an EU summit in Thessaloniki. The rioters, dressed in black, smash the windows of shops and banks and start fires with petrol bombs. They later shelter in university buildings but police arrest seven when they try to escape. http://www.slate.com/id/2207290/ What's Going On in Greece?Do riots in Athens portend demonstrations in Paris and Cincinnati? By Anne ApplebaumPosted Monday, Dec. 22, 2008, at 7:59 PM ET An Athens anarchist throws a stone at riot policeFires burned in courtyards, shops were looted, and Molotov cocktails whistled through clouds of tear gas. Hundreds of schools and campuses were occupied by students, and riots brought a major European capital to a halt for more than two weeks. The police seemed powerless, the politicians helpless, the media confused. No, I am not talking about Budapest in 1956 or Paris in 1968. I am talking about Athens over the last two weeks. Since Dec. 6, when Greek police shot and killed a 15-year-old boy, Athens, Thessaloniki, and other Greek cities have been consumed by apparently unstoppable violent demonstrations. Unlike the French riots of 2005, which were mostly led by disaffected immigrants and their descendants, the participants in these Greek riots appear to be middle-class university students. They weren't smashing up shops in impoverished suburbs, either: These self-styled anarchists are based in a "bohemian" neighborhood of central Athens called Exarhia and at a nearby university campus whose unused buildings, according to a rather extraordinary Greek law, cannot be entered by the police. So far, the rioters have done some $1.3 billion worth of damage. Not, I'm guessing, that you've read all that much about them. Certainly the riots' relative absence from European and North American front pages proves that?the rhetoric of European unity aside?not all European countries are taken equally seriously. Although they are members of the European Union, the Greeks' major contribution to European foreign policy is their stubborn insistence (for reasons truly too complex to repeat here) on blocking international recognition of the Republic of Macedonia unless it changes its name to FYROM?the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia?an acronym that everybody else finds laughable. On the domestic front, the Greeks are best known for having faked the economic data they needed in order to join the euro currency. There may also be other, more local, explanations for why these riots feel as if they are taking place so far away from mainstream events. Greek political scientist Stathis Kalyvas argues brilliantly that they are facilitated by Greece's unique political culture: In the years since it overthrew military rule, the Greek political class has come to treat civil disobedience, even violent and destructive civil disobedience, as "almost always justified, if not glorified." Rioting is a "fun and low-risk activity, almost a rite of passage"; the anarchist subculture that thrives in central Athens is "abetted, and in some instances endorsed" by Greece's left-wing parties and mainstream newspapers. And yet?even if Greece is unserious, even if anarchist subculture has uniquely deep roots in Athens, even if Greek corruption and youth unemployment are unusually high?it's a mistake to dismiss these riots as altogether peripheral. If nothing else, they show what can happen to a highly developed, post-ideological society where organized politics no longer interests large groups of people. One sympathizer says the rioters can be divided into three groups: communists, anarchists, and "younger people who like to think that they are anarchists but ? don't know what they stand for. They are the ones who have been looting ? they feel the only way to make themselves heard is to do these things." Another describes the anarchist world of Exharia, approvingly, as "a parallel society with parallel values and parallel ideas." Yet another told a reporter that the tiny shops near the university deserved to be looted because they represent "the corporate machine." The thinking here isn't exactly sophisticated: This is a revolution, among other things, being conducted to the strains of Pink Floyd ("We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control"). Some are also blaming the weakness of Greece's mainstream social democrats, who, like social democrats elsewhere in Europe, have lately lost ground to the further left and are having trouble attracting young people. But I'm guessing the problem runs even deeper: The fact is that political parties in general are weak everywhere, and democracy is therefore weak, too. Which isn't that surprising: After all, we are heading for a global recession, the causes of which may lie far away from Athens?or Paris or Cincinnati?and the solutions to which may not lie in the hands of local Greek, French, or Ohio politicians. Nobody much admires powerless leaders, and nobody much sees the point in voting for people who can't do anything, anyway. Hence the riots in Athens and, maybe, elsewhere soon: If you aren't sure why you are unemployed, if you don't have the political vocabulary to explain what's wrong with your country's economy, and if you don't have leaders who seem able to fix it, then perhaps random violence seems a plausible response. http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081220135521383 CrimethInc.: Greece and the Insurrections to Come Saturday, December 20 2008 @ 01:55 PM CST Contributed by: Anonymous Views: 1,720 From December 6, when police murdered 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in downtown Athens, to the time of this writing, Greece has seen unprecedented rioting. Anarchists and students, supported and often joined by significant swaths of the population, have clashed with police, destroyed corporate and government property, and occupied government buildings, trade union offices, and media outlets, not to mention the usual universities. By December 12, police had used over 4600 capsules of tear gas, and were seeking more from Israel and Germany?an ominous pair of nations, when it comes to repression. What?s going on in Greece? Is it simply a matter of disenfranchised youth protesting a discouraging job market, or is there something more afoot? From December 6, when police murdered 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in downtown Athens, to the time of this writing, Greece has seen unprecedented rioting. Anarchists and students, supported and often joined by significant swaths of the population, have clashed with police, destroyed corporate and government property, and occupied government buildings, trade union offices, and media outlets, not to mention the usual universities. By December 12, police had used over 4600 capsules of tear gas, and were seeking more from Israel and Germany?an ominous pair of nations, when it comes to repression. What?s It All About? The corporate media has ignored the banners decrying police brutality and unaccountable authority, seizing instead on the idea that the unrest is the result of widespread unemployment and poor economic prospects for young Greeks. Thus prompted, many people?including some radicals?have focused on these issues as well. At such a distance, we are not equipped to speak on the causes of the riots or the motivations of the participants, but we know better than to trust the media. Some corporate outlets have gone so far as to announce?in language that might be less surprising in a magazine like Rolling Thunder?that the events in Greece may presage the second coming of the anti-globalization movement thought to be vanquished after September 11, 2001. Though this might be true, we should hesitate to let the corporate media provide us with our narrative, lest it prove to be a Trojan horse. If the riots are not about Alexandros after all, are we to believe that?were the economy more stable?it would be acceptable to shoot down 15-year-olds? After all, police kill people all the time in the United States without anyone smashing a single store window over it. Is this simply because we have a lower unemployment rate? Should we accept that the rage being vented in Greece is economic in origin, the implication is that it could be dispelled by economic solutions?and there are capitalist solutions for the crisis in no shorter supply than socialist ones. Perhaps the exploitation, misery, and unemployment currently rampant in Greece could be exported to some meeker nation, or else enough credit could be extended to the disaffected stone-throwers that they could come to identify as middle class themselves. These approaches have worked before; one might even argue that they have driven the process of capitalist globalization. If Greece could somehow be transformed into Sweden?if every nation could be Sweden, without any having to be Nigeria?would it be OK to shoot teenagers then? They shoot anarchists in Sweden too, you know. To the extent to which the resistance in Greece is simply an expression of frustration at dim financial prospects, then, it is possible that it can ultimately be defused or co-opted. But there are other forces at work here, which the corporate account de-emphasizes. These riots are not coming out of nowhere. Masked anarchists setting fires and fighting the police have been common in Greece since before the turn of the century. In 1999, shortly before the Seattle WTO protests, there were major riots when Bill Clinton visited. At the time, the economy was livelier?and the socialists were in power, which seems to contradict the theory that the current unrest is simply a result of dissatisfaction with the conservative government. Corporate media generally ignore anarchists, trivializing them with qualifiers such as ?self-styled? when they refer to them at all. That corporate outlets have been forced to detail the anarchist involvement in these and other struggles in Greece attests to the depth and seriousness of anarchist activity. Leftists may attempt to portray the events in Greece as a general uprising of ?the people,? and certainly countless ?normal? people have participated, but it is clear even from this vantage point that anarchists started the rioting and have remained the most influential element within it. We hypothesize that the rioting in Greece is not simply an inevitable result of economic recession, but a proactive radical initiative that speaks to the general public. Though the rioting was provoked by the murder of Alexandros, it is only possible because of preexisting infrastructures and social currents?otherwise, such murders would catalyze uprisings in the US as well. Such an immediate and resolute response would not have occurred if anarchists in Greece had not developed a culture conducive to it. Thanks to a network of social centers, a deep-seated sense that neighborhoods such as the one in which Alexandros was killed are liberated zones off-limits to police, and a tradition of resistance extending back through generations, Greek anarchists feel entitled to their rage and capable of acting upon it. In recent years, a series of struggles against the prison system, the mistreatment of immigrants, and the privatization of schools have given innumerable young people experience in militant action. As soon as the text messages circulated announcing the police killing, Greek anarchists knew exactly how to respond, because they had done so time and again before. The general public in Greece is already sympathetic to resistance movements, owing to the heritage of struggle against the US-supported dictatorship. In this regard, Greece is similar to Chile, another nation noted for the intensity of its street conflicts and class warfare. With the murder of Alexandros, anarchists finally had a narrative that was compelling to a great number of people. In another political context, liberals or other opportunists might have been able to exploit this tragedy to their own ends, but the Greek anarchists forestalled this possibility by immediately seizing the initiative and framing the terms of the conflict. It?s Not the Economy, Stupid That is to say, it?s always the economy. But it?s not just the economic hardships accompanying times of recession?the resistance in Greece is also a revolt against the exploitation, alienation, and hierarchy inherent in the capitalist system, that set the stage for police to murder teenagers whether or not a significant percentage of the population is unemployed. To repeat, if alienation and hierarchy were themselves sufficient to inspire effective resistance, we?d see a lot more of it in the United States. The decisive factor in Greece is not the economy, but the cumulative efforts that have built a vibrant anarchist movement. There is no shortcut around developing an analogous movement in the US if we want to be capable of similar responses to oppression and injustice. Militant actions, such as some of the solidarity actions that have occurred in the US thus far, can provide some experience and momentum, but the creation of enduring cultural spaces is probably more essential. Anarchists in the United States face a much different context than their Greek colleagues. Greece is a peripheral participant in the European Union, while the US remains the epicenter of global capitalism, with a correspondingly more powerful repressive apparatus. The legal consequences of participating in confrontations with the police are potentially more severe in the US, at least in proportion to the support for arrestees. Much of the population is more conservative, and both radical and oppressed communities are more fragmented, owing to the tremendous numbers of people in prison and the transience enforced by the job market. There is little continuity in traditions of resistance?in most communities, the collective anarchist memory does not stretch back beyond a decade at the most. The events in Greece are inspiring, but US anarchists can probably learn more from the infrastructures behind them than from the superficial aspects of the clashes. Likewise, radicals in the US can draw inspiration from Greek anarchists without forgetting what is worthwhile in local anarchist communities. Though Greek anarchists clearly excel at confrontation, this does not guarantee that they are equally equipped to contest internal hierarchies and forms of oppression. The capacity to work out conflicts and maintain horizontal distributions of power is as essential to the anarchist project as any kind of offense or defense. It would be unfortunate if a fascination with the Greeks led US anarchists to deprioritize discussions about consent, consensus-based decision-making, and privilege. The Insurrections to Come? The events of the past two weeks may help reframe the global context for struggle, as the Zapatista revolt did in 1994. The rioting in Greece is not the only major unrest in the world right now, but it is perhaps the most promising, because it is explicitly directed against hierarchical power. Most current hostilities, even those not organized by governments, are not as promising. Not everyone who takes up arms outside the state?s monopoly on violence is fighting for the abolition of hierarchy. Nationalist campaigns, fundamentalist crusades, religious conflicts, ethnic strife, and the gang warfare of illegal capitalism pit people against each other without any hope of liberation. We have to set visible precedents for liberation struggles if we hope future conflicts will pit the oppressed against their oppressors rather than against each other. Greece may be one such precedent. We can create similar precedents on smaller scales in the US, by taking the initiative to determine the character of confrontations with authority. The anarchist mobilization at last summer?s Republican National Convention was arguably an example of this, though certainly not the only format for it. Today, party communism is largely discredited, and most influential resistance movements do not see seizing state power as feasible or desirable. This leaves two roads for critics of the current world order. One is to support reformist heads of state such as Obama, Lula, and Chavez, who cash in on dissent to re-legitimize the state form and, as if incidentally, their own power. On the other hand, there is the possibility of a struggle against power itself?whether waged consciously, as it currently is in Greece, or as a result of complete social and economic marginalization, as in France in 2005. The latter path offers a long struggle with no victory in sight, but it may be the first step towards a new world. Resources Our friends at the Center for Strategic Anarchy are following events in Greece closely as they unfold, and their website www.anarchiststrategy.blogspot.com is an excellent resource for news and updates. We also recommend this collection of stirring photos from the conflict. If something scares us, it is the return to normality. For in the destroyed and pillaged streets of our cities of light we see not only the obvious results of our rage, but the possibility of starting to live. We no longer have anything to do, other than to install ourselves in this possibility and transform it into a living experience: by grounding on the field of everyday life, our creativity, our power to materialize our desires, our power not to contemplate but to construct the real. This is our vital space. All the rest is death. -from a statement from the occupation of the Athens School of Economics and Business http://www.nowpublic.com/world/greek-riots-reveal-deep-seated-social-problems Greek riots reveal deep seated social problems Share: by Teacher Dude | December 19, 2008 at 03:07 am 423 views | 85 Recommendations | 5 comments Photos Many people across the world have been shocked by the scale of violence witnessed over the last 13 days in Greece. Scenes of intense confrontations with the police and a level of destruction that you normally wouldn't associate with a country famed for its natural beauty and long history. However, away from the beaches and the museums there are has been a growing sense of despair amongst people, especially those under 25 that the country they live in has no place for them. A feeling that those in charge politically and economically lead lives cocooned by wealth and family connections which leave them indifferent to the problems faced by the rest of the population. Cronyism, corruption and lack of accountability have eaten away at people's respect for institutions at the heart of Greek life. A fact that was vividly illustrated this week by two decisions which added to the impression that those in authority are above the law. The first concerned the parliamentary report on the Vatopedi corruption scandal. The case which involved the dubious acquisition of state owned property by the Vatopedi Orthodox monastery involved several senior government officials and cost hundreds of millions of tax payer's money. However, despite a deluge of evidence indicating the misuse of office by high ranking government members the report concluded that there were no grounds for criminal charges. This is simply the latest in a series of 45 scandals that have come to light since the New Democracy party came to power in 2004 on a platform of clean government. The other case which has helped undermine faith in the Greek justice system and especially ELAS (the national police force) was the verdict in the Augustinos Dimtrios case which came out last week. Dimitrios, a university student from Cyprus was savagely beaten by eight police officers in an incident which was captured on live TV. Although the officers involved were found guilty none was sentenced to a jail term, instead they received a suspended sentence. This has added to the sense, amply supported by numerous cases of police violence that law enforcement officials in Greece operate above the law, accountable to no one. One of the reasons why the clashes between protesters and riot police over the last week have been so fierce is the anger provoked by the possibility that the officer charged with killing 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos will walk free. A toxic mix, of unemployment, disillusionment and frustration has driven young people onto the streets time and time again, it has led them to occupy 600 schools nationwide and hundreds of university departments. As of yet there has been no concerted demands for a program of political change, however, this simply reflects the fact that there are so many disparate participants involved in the protests. The speed and scale of the reaction has been such that there is no one group of people or organisation that can truthfully say that represent the demonstrator's will at the present time. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705270242,00.html Greek riots a symptom of greater discontent By Elena Becatoros Associated Press Published: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008 12:24 a.m. MST 5 comments | E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - ATHENS, Greece ? Protesters took to the streets of Athens for the seventh consecutive day Friday, vowing to maintain pressure on the government with both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes that left one police officer engulfed in flames. Youths pelted riot police with rocks and firebombs. One officer flailed, covered in blazing gasoline, as his colleagues rushed to extinguish him. He was ultimately unhurt. Demonstrators in France and Germany put on shows of support for the Greek protests, which are driven in part by the widening gap between rich and poor in a country where the minimum monthly wage is $850, graduates have poor job prospects and the government is making painful reforms to the pension system. "It is clear that this wave of discontent will not die down. This rage is spreading because the underlying causes remain," said veteran left-wing politician Leonidas Kyrkos. "These protests are a vehicle with which people can claim their rights and shatter indifference and false promises." Beleaguered Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis ruled out early elections, however, saying from Brussels, Belgium that the country needs a steady hand to steer it through the global financial crisis. Story continues below "That is my concern and the concern and the priority of the government, and not scenarios about elections and successions," he said. "We must make a very clear distinction between the overwhelming majority of the Greek people who of course have every right to express their sorrow at the death of a young boy, and the minority of extremists who take refuge in acts of extreme violence." Dozens of people have been treated in hospitals during the unrest, sparked last Saturday by the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The level of violence has abated but tear gas and the smoke from burned cars still hang in the air in central Athens. Hundreds of businesses have been burned or smashed and looted in cities across Greece. Banks in particular have been targeted, with terrified employees fleeing as protesters smashed recently replaced windows of branches along central Syntagma Square. "Financial targets are being attacked, like banks, to prove a point of economic oppression ... some people hardly have enough eat," said Constantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protest organizer. "We're against the attacks on small stores," he added. "The purpose of all this is for our demands to be heard. This just isn't for us. It's for everyone." In Paris, about 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Greek Embassy. Some scuffled with police and spilled over onto the Champs-Elysees, partly blocking Paris' most famous avenue, some ripping out streetlights from the center of the road as they moved along. "Police, pigs, everywhere!" they shouted, bemused bystanders in red Santa hats watching as police vans with riot officers in helmets and shields marched down the avenue in their wake. Outside the embassy, demonstrators shouted "Murderous Greek state!" and "A police officer, a bullet, that is social justice!" Hundreds of protesters also marched through Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood, behind a van broadcasting messages of solidarity with the Greek protesters. Earlier in the week, protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks, while in France, cars were set ablaze outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming "insurrection." http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/roundup/2008/12/12/roundup-bs-04 Business: National Bank of Greece to fund riot damage 12/12/2008 Greece's National Bank announced special measures to help restore small and medium businesses affected by a week of riots. Also in business: the Central Bank of Cyprus and the Central Bank of Qatar sign an agreement, and Romania's Rompetrol expands its capacity. The loan will cover damage caused during this week's riots in Athens. [Getty Images] The National Bank of Greece announced on Tuesday (December 9th) special measures to restore the operation of small and medium-sized businesses damaged during recent street riots. The measures include suspension of monthly loan instalments for up to 12 months and issuance of new loans with a 12-month grace period to repair damaged businesses, equipment and merchandise. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/14/greece-riots-youth-poverty-comment In Athens, middle-class rioters are buying rocks. This chaos isn't over Helena Smith has reported from Greece for two decades, but had never seen anything like the riots that swept the country last week. Here she tries to make sense of an eruption of anger ? Helena Smith ? The Observer, Sunday 14 December 2008 How much tear gas can a nation take? How many stones can it collect? To ask such questions of an EU member state that is supposed to be as sophisticated as it is modern might seem far-fetched, even silly. To ask them four years after that country basked in the glory of staging one of the most successful Olympic Games might be considered absurd. But yesterday, as Greece entered a second week of pitched battles between rock-throwing protesters and riot police - with security forces turning to Israel and Germany to replenish depleted reserves of toxic gases to contain the angry crowds - such questions did not seem foolish. Or, I'm sad to say, remotely absurd. Athens is in a mess and it's not just the rubble or burned-out buildings or charred cars and firebombed rubbish bins and smashed pavements that now stand as testimony to unrest not seen since the collapse of military rule in 1974. Twenty-two years after I moved to Greece I have looked into eyes full of anger and despair. At night, as marauding mobs of Molotov-cocktail wielding youths have run through the city's ancient streets, I have closed the shutters of the windows to my home. My friends have done the same. Those of us who live here - who have seen how frayed the fabric of public order can become - now know, in no uncertain terms, that the orgy of violence that has gripped this beautiful land masks a deeper malaise. It is a sickness that starts not so much at the top but at the bottom of Greek society, in the ranks of its troubled youth. For many these are a lost generation, raised in an education system that is undeniably shambolic and hit by whopping levels of unemployment (70 per cent among the 18-25s) in a country where joblessness this month jumped to 7.4 per cent. If they can find work remuneration rarely rises above ?700 (this is, after all, the self-styled ?700 generation), never mind the number of qualifications it took to get the job. Often polyglot PhD holders will be serving tourists at tables in resorts. One in five Greeks lives beneath the poverty line. Exposed to the ills of Greek society as never before, they have also become increasingly frustrated witnesses of allegations of corruption implicating senior conservative government officials and a series of scandals that have so far cost four ministers their jobs. With these grievances in mind, young people (who would not normally see themselves as revolutionaries and are a far-cry from the 'extremists' Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis says are behind the disturbances) have begun stockpiling stones, rocks and crushed marble slabs from Salonika in the north to the resort islands of Corfu and Crete in the south. They have also started selling them on - at three stones a euro - to other protesters whose parents may live in Hollywood-style opulence, or indeed on the breadline, but who are bonded by a common desire to hurl them at that hated symbol of authority: the police. The ferocity of the riots has numbed Greeks. Yet I write this knowing that the protests are not going to end soon. Greece's children have been startled by their own success - and by reports of copycat attacks across Europe - and almost unanimously they believe they are on a winner. 'It's like a smouldering fire,' says Yiannis Yiatrakis who preferred to leave his study of abstract mathematics to take to the streets of Athens last week. 'The flames may die down but the coals will simmer. One little thing, and you'll see it will ignite again. Ours is a future without work, without hope. Our grievances are so big, so many. Only a very strong government can stop the rot.' So how did it come to this? How did a country more usually associated with sun-kissed beaches and the good life erupt into a spasm of destruction that has shaken it to the core? How could an entire generation - most of whom were not even born when I arrived here - go unnoticed and yet nurture such burning rage? And who is to blame? Greek society, the state, or a political system running on empty that no longer inspires confidence or trust? Like so many, I was forced to ask all these questions last week as I walked through scarred streets that in more ways than one have become their battlefield. My hope is that those in power, the crooked politicians, the corrupt judiciary, the scandal-ridden church, will ultimately tour the same routes. It began with one death, one bullet, fired in anger by a hot-headed policemen in the heart of Athens' edgy Exarchia district on last Saturday. At the time most Greeks - including those who are compelled financially to live with their parents into their late thirties - were sitting in front of their TV sets or were out at their local tavernas. No one thought they would wake up to a revolt in the streets. But the death of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a tousled-haired teenager from the rich northern suburbs was the match that lit the inferno. If the killing had happened in any of the capital's wealthy satellite suburbs, the reaction might well have been more subdued. Exarchia, however, is Athens' answer to Harlem (without the racial component). It is here that anarchists, artists, addicts, radical leftists, students and their teachers rub shoulders in streets crammed with bars and cafes that are covered with the graffiti of dissent. It is Athens's hub of political ferment; a backdrop of tensions between anti-establishment groups and the police. Within an hour of the boy's death thousands of protesters had gathered in Exarchia's lawless central square screaming, 'cops, pigs, murderers,' and wanting revenge. At first, it is true, the assortment of self-styled anarchists who have long colonised Exarchia piggy-backed on the tragedy, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to live out their nihilistic goals of wreaking havoc. But then middle-class kids - children had got good degrees at universities in Britain but back in Greece were unable to find work in a system that thrives on graft, cronyism and nepotism - joined the protests and very quickly it became glaringly clear that this was their moment, too. Theirs was a frustration not only born of pent-up anger but outrage at the way ministers in the scandal-tainted conservative government have also enriched themselves in their five short years in power. Now the million-dollar question is whether protests that started so spontaneously can morph into a more organised movement of civil unrest. What is certain is that Karamanlis's handling of the disturbances will go down as a case study of what not to do in a crisis. Seemingly disoriented and removed, the government's popularity has dropped dramatically over the past week. Even diehard conservatives have called me to say they'll be jumping ship. So far, Karamanlis has roundly rejected demands that he call early elections which means Greece will be saddled with a lame-duck government (the New Democrats are anyway hampered by a razor-thin one-seat majority in the 300-member parliament) for several months yet. With daily demonstrations planned in the weeks ahead Greek youth are not going to give in easily. Far from calming spirits, the tear gas that has been used so liberally against them has only stoked their ire. A fragile democracy From the bitter civil war that raged between 1946 and 1949 to the 1967-74 military dictatorship, Greece's postwar history has been more tumultuous than most. The defeat of the communist EAM party with the help of British and US forces in 1949 led to decades of authoritarian right-wing rule. Thousands of leftwingers were imprisoned or sent to labour camps. The right-left divide was later reinforced on 21 April 1967 when in a coup a group of US-backed junior officers, known as the Colonels, seized power. In a spontaneous uprising on 17 November 1973, students at Athens Polytechnic rebelled against the regime, leading to the Colonels' fall in July 1974. The restoration of democracy under the late Konstantinos Karamanlis laid the foundations for a reconciliation between left and right under Andreas Papandreou, who introduced socialist government to Greece in 1981. ? This article was amended on Sunday 21 December 2008. A slip of the finger last week reduced by 100 the membership of the Greek parliament; it has 300 members. This has been corrected. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/world/europe/15greece.html Potent Mix of Radicals at University in Athens Olivier Laban-Mattei/Agence France-Presse ? Getty Images Young demonstrators, many of them college students, in front of riot control officers on Saturday near the Parliament. By RACHEL DONADIO Published: December 14, 2008 ATHENS ? Early Saturday morning inside the gates of Athens Polytechnic, a dozen groggy young people in hooded sweatshirts slumped on folding chairs around a smoky fire. Others trickled in, holding cups of coffee. Gypsy children scampered around with wheelbarrows, collecting empty beer bottles. One child lit a cigarette. But the young people were not recovering from a long night of drinking or studying. They were preparing for revolution. Many of the violent protests that have rocked Athens in recent days, since a 15-year-old was killed by a police bullet on Dec. 6, have taken place in and around the school, driven by a group of anarchists who have often occupied the buildings here. Come sundown on many nights, the Polytechnic, three graffiti-covered neoclassical buildings set amid pine trees, became an apocalyptic scene. Garbage fires burned in its front courtyard. On nearby streets, youths throwing gasoline bombs and rocks clashed with riot police officers armed with tear gas. The hulks of burned-out cars lay like carcasses in the streets. Someone spray-painted ?Don?t blame us, the rocks ricocheted? on a wall ? a reference to a statement by the lawyer for the policeman who killed the teenager, who said the bullet did not hit the boy directly. The National Technical University of Athens, as the Polytechnic is officially called, is one of Greece?s leading universities, training engineers, architects and scientists since 1836. It moved its main campus outside the city center in the 1980s, leaving its downtown buildings, which now house just the architecture and engineering departments and an auditorium, largely to the whims of protest groups. The university administration has tended to view the demonstrators as uninvited houseguests who overstayed their welcome so long ago that they have become fixtures. But these protests have been different. ?In former times, a couple of years ago, there were only students protesting,? said Konstantinos Moutzouris, the rector of the Polytechnic. ?This time there are all kinds of groups ? this is difficult to control.? Conversations with those inside the Polytechnic revealed a mix of students, older anarchists and immigrants protesting everything from police brutality to globalization to American imperialism. Some are simply thrill-seekers along for the ride. Mr. Moutzouris estimated that there were 50 protesters taking refuge inside the gates, joined by hundreds of others each evening. Under an asylum law instituted after the police crushed a student rebellion at the Polytechnic against the military junta in 1973, the Greek police are not allowed on universities? property unless requested by administrators. Tensions between the police and protesters are so high that Mr. Moutzouris said asking the police to intervene would cause even more disorder. ?We?re not in the mood of inviting them,? he said. ?I think we would have damages and even some people hurt.? He said the architecture and engineering faculty planned to meet with protesters Monday to urge them to leave. Greece has endured a steady level of political violence for decades. Starting in the mid-1970s, the terrorist group November 17 ? named for the date of the 1973 Polytechnic crackdown ? killed at least 23 people in several attacks until the Greek authorities largely dismantled it before the 2004 Athens Olympics. Last year, another group fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the United States Embassy here, causing damage but no injuries. Adding to the tensions, the police are seen here as both overly aggressive and disconcertingly passive. Though the latest violence was sparked by a police bullet, the government told the police not to use force to tamp down the protests, to avoid further mayhem. The cost of the ensuing riots is estimated at $1.3 billion nationwide. That the authorities have not identified and arrested the protest ringleaders also seems a question of political will. Outside the university gates on Saturday morning, merchants were sweeping up broken glass from their vandalized shops. Asked what the stores and their owners had to do with the death of the teenager, one black-clad young woman at the university who declined to give her name said they represented ?the corporate machine.? Protesters have said that they will continue to demonstrate until the officer charged with killing the teenager, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, is tried and jailed. The young woman said the anarchists held ?collective meetings? in the university auditorium. They also organize through text-message chains and on Web sites like indymedia.org. Greek authorities have insisted that the violence has been driven by a radical handful, whom they refer to as ?the known unknown.? That term is ?nonsense,? said Dimitris Liberopoulous, 44, a freelance book editor and anarchist sympathizer who discussed the protest movement over coffee in Exarchia, the neighborhood surrounding the university. ?It?s a game of semiotics.? He said that the authorities did not know who the protesters were and did not understand their frustration at class division, the poor economy, a broken education system and a corrupt government. It is unclear whether the anarchists have ties with terrorist groups. But security experts fear that terrorists might see the new unrest as fertile ground for attacks. They also worry that the anarchists themselves might up the ante. Though Athens was largely calm on Sunday, more protests are expected this week. ?There?s a proverb,? Mr. Liberopoulous said, ?that a civil war never ends.? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/14/youngpeople-greece What a mess our young have to face. No wonder they riot With the dismal bequest left by his generation, a film-maker and father argues the Greek unrest should be no surprise to us ? Nick Fraser ? The Observer, Sunday 14 December 2008 When the life we know came unglued, I was on the Mekong, between Vietnam and Cambodia, watching peasants in conical hats sell pineapples from boats. It was two months ago and I found I was thinking about the world my bright and beautiful 18-year-old daughter, travelling with me, would now inhabit. The same thought occurred to me in New York on the night when Obama was elected, as I walked by the Hudson, surprised to find myself shedding tears of relief among similarly affected strangers. And it lingered with me in rainy Oxford last week - as young rioters wreaked havoc in Greece I watched teenagers who looked as though they were waiting to be interviewed for a university place sitting anxiously in caf?s with their parents. These 18-year-olds were neatly dressed, sober-looking. They didn't look like the young, rock-band Blair. What will become of them, I asked myself. What will their lives be? The job market which so easily provided support, and the means to travel, is drying up. Will my daughter's generation study longer in order to keep from being out of work? How will we afford to allow them to do this? I wonder what I can reasonably bequeath her and her generation. I'd like not to seem wholly negative, or indeed entirely bemused. There must be something of value I can find in my own life and times. Normally, the condition of uncertainty appeals to me. But these are not normal times, and I'd like to be sure that the world available to my daughter and her peers - surely, whatever the spoilsports in the media say, among the best-educated in Britain - will be habitable with a degree of security. It is no longer possible to be even reasonably certain about this. Aghast, I experienced something of the same sense of recognition after the planes hit the tall buildings, appearing to usher in a new century. But the New Crash (I can't think of another, more suitable term) is both larger and harder to understand. It was possible before October to register the existence of current ills - the already degraded environment, mass murder once again perpetrated for ideological reasons, feckless liberal responses to poverty, wars fought for the dumbest reasons - while remaining at some distance from them. You could hope, somehow, that things wouldn't be as bad as they seemed. People my age had protested about many things, steeping themselves in advocacy. With respect to such liberal causes as sexual freedoms and gender equality, our record wasn't bad. But there was much that remained beyond the reach of activism, no matter how persistent or ingenious. The least tractable aspects of our times - the ones with which subsequent generations would have to contend, most urgently - remained unresolved. Now something quite significant, and perhaps irreversible, appears to have happened. In this context, I think of Sir David Attenborough. He frolicked with seals and great apes, playing spot-the-species when it was still possible to believe that the animals he loved could live untouched. Only in grand old age did he come to acknowledge how wrong he'd been. In different ways, my generation are all of us like Sir David. We knew and then we didn't know. And now, alas, we do know. The great political event of my life was the collapse of the worm-infested building of what was known, misleadingly, as socialism. I find it hard to explain to my daughter's generation that people did believe in the bizarre fictions of Marxism-Leninism. Psychopaths were taken seriously, revered in the West for their half-baked ideas. Mass murder apart, the worst thing about places such as the GDR or Mao's China was the way they destroyed potential. It worries me that 18-year-olds, who have not known the absence of possibility, may fail to understand how easily it can be removed, and with what difficulty it is restored. There are many opponents of the open world - jihadists, but also the growing number of the young and nationalistic, alienated from what they see as the feckless, shifting (and now failed) world of liberal capitalism. I've met such people, in Russia and China, even in Canada, and they scare me. It took me too long to despise dogmatism whatever its face. I hope my daughter and her generation will learn faster. What we have now makes me think of a famous passage of Maynard Keynes in which he describes the first age of globalisation. This was before 1914, when the inhabitant of London, 'sipping tea in bed', could order the fruits of the earth by telephone, 'adventure his wealth', contemplating unrestricted travel, if he was a subject of His Britannic Majesty indeed, without a passport. 'Most important of all,' Keynes concludes, 'he regarded this state of affairs as normal, certain and permanent, except in the direction of future improvement.' By 1919, when he wrote these words, Keynes mourned the old, open and liberal world, even as he knew it was gone. We've been lucky to see it back again, even if we do need passports. But in our day, globalisation proved to be a word that meant less than it promised. There was something lopsided in the idea of a world where capital travelled freely, but no system of planetary governance worthy of the name existed. I want liberal internationalism to continue, not because it's synonymous with 'the end of history', or because it works terribly well, but because the alternatives, as Churchill remarked about democracy, have been tried and have all failed. To be sure, people shouldn't have borrowed as they did, and many stupidly titled instruments were traded, often with fraudulent intent. Keynes's 'adventuring wealth' is a quaint description of what people were getting up to in Wall Street and the Square Mile. But I never felt I was living in an age in which stupidity was unusually prevalent. Was the world getting better or worse prior to October? There were at least grounds for hope. This is what Obama told us, and we had no reason to disbelieve him. But he now faces a very different prospect to the one in which he campaigned. 'Sometimes, when I get up in the morning, I don't know where to start,' he said, in what must be the understatement of the year. For my daughter's generation, Obama is a rock star, a seer and a beau. For them, and because he is a wholly remarkable man, I wish him to succeed. It pains me even to think what would become of our hopes if anything happened to him. I have some wishes for my daughter and her generation. The first is that they learn scepticism rapidly. Scepticism appears to me as the virtue of our times, essential if you take the prospect of survival at all seriously. My other wish is that they learn to enjoy things without always owning them. So much conspicuous wealth, recently, has made it seem that one must own as much as one can. Without being a Christian, I can see that this is a foolish idea. It must be evident that I don't believe the world is headed for better things. However, I refuse to conclude, in the approved style of cynicism, that it's all a lottery. How we respond to bad times does matter, and we may somehow, given luck and the rigorous application of intelligence, head off the worst. These days I console myself with the thought that if you can't retire rich, you might as well go on regardless. I want to see what my daughter's generation make of the world. Maybe I'll learn from them. ? Nick Fraser is editor of BBC4's Storyville. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812150032.html Updated Dec.15,2008 13:12 KST What Korea Can Learn from the Greek Riots by Kim Dae-joong Our country's actual unemployment is 3.17 million. The figure adds to the official jobless number those who have given up seeking jobs, are in the midst of the application process, or are "resting." The number corresponds to 12 percent of the working-age population. Employment increase this year dropped from 280,000 last year to 140,000 and is expected to decline to 40,000 next year, according to Bank of Korea statistics. Nearly 1 million people draw unemployment benefits. Sixty-five percent of major businesses have yet to formulate next year's employment programs. A survey of 72 of the nation's 100 biggest corporations in terms of sales found that 65.3 percent were undecided. Of the remainder, 30.6 percent had plans for next year, and 4.1 percent do not intend to hire anyone. A recent poll by the Korea Development Bank of 3,600 companies found that 6.8 percent plan to cut investment in facilities and equipment next year, another signal that employment will decrease. Unemployment is the biggest problem in an economic crisis. The number of people who have lost their jobs and are resting at home or being driven out in the streets is rising. Construction sites offering temporary or daily jobs have long been idle, and small businesses suffering a drastic drop in sales are laying off staff. The shutters are going down on Main Street. Household debt will naturally rise. The BOK predicts that a sharp fall in asset prices will bring about a "reverse-asset effect," and that household real income will shrink due to price rises and falling wages. In short, living standards will fall markedly and even there could even be bread-and-butter problems. That is what should make us look closely at the recent protests in Greece. The situation descended into rioting when a 15-year-old boy was killed by police, but it was caused by economic stagnation and youth unemployment, according to the local media. Greece has a growth rate of 3 percent, the lowest among European countries, and while unemployment overall is 8 percent, youth unemployment is 21 percent. Various factors like low education quality, government corruption, absence of the rule of law, and widespread nepotism are driving people out into the streets. And opposition leaders, academics and anarchists are fanning the sense of grievance. The Greek riots are expanding to other European cities. Needless to say, Korea is in many ways different from Greece. We have, however, the experience of the U.S. beef protests. The beef imports were no immediate threat to our lives, but the situation exploded when it fused with anti-Americanism and the arrogance of the new administration. Now, unemployment is of a different dimension altogether. It involves how a family eats and survives and educates its children and whether they will find work. If this gets serious, nobody can predict the extent of public unrest and indignation. In addition, it is fully possible that the order of priority of the government's economic revival policy will prove ineffective and the opposition parties and progressives will fan protests. The government cannot afford to make light of this. It must realize that the policies, plans, instructions and guidelines President Lee Myung-bak pours out everyday as if he were omnipotent ruler of the economy are limited to businesses' structural reform, pressuring financial institutions and attracting foreign exchange, while people?s actual lives are getting more difficult by the day. The administration's business revival plans are meant to increase employment eventually. A case in point is the mega repair project for the country?s four major rivers. But in terms of priority, saving people from the ordeal of joblessness should have a higher priority than reviving companies or their structural reform. To be sure, weeding out insolvent enterprises, securing the safety network of the economy and asking corporations to cut their workforce through structural reform are important. But it is more important that we can feel that these are matters to be dealt with after the public's bread-and-butter problems have been tackled. Given the explosive nature of abrupt mass unemployment, we need to weigh the order of priority between social and economic safety networks. The problem is not confined to the administration. Politicians need to do their utmost to legislate in favor of symbiosis, calling on businesses to reduce their scale and wages as a means of preserving jobs. Workers will have to cooperate with management in determining their wage levels. In a battle field in the crossfire of joblessness and economic stagnation, they should hunker down. Let us hope that workers can weather this winter of economic stagnation without having to wander the streets, even if they have to put up with less money and a fainter voice. It is common sense to huddle together when the temperatures drop. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_30/12/2008_103404 Universities assess riot damage Authorities inspecting schools find that protesters have left substantial destruction in their wake Universities in Athens and Thessaloniki began assessing the damage done to their campuses, buildings and equipment by rioters who had taken over the institutions for almost three weeks in December. Following the departure of anarchists, protesters and various other groups that had made the universities home following the December 6 shooting of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos by a policeman, university staff moved in yesterday to take stock of the damage done during the turmoil that followed the incident in Exarchia. At the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), there was so much graffiti on the walls that staff judged that the interior of the entire building would have to be repainted. The AUEB rector, Grigoris Prastakos, told Kathimerini that 14 offices had also been broken into as well as a work area from which computers were stolen. At the Athens Law School, walls, windows and doors had been damaged but no offices had been broken into. Repair work started at the school yesterday. The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), formerly the Polytechnic, suffered the most damage. Marble staircases and ledges had been smashed with sledgehammers to provide rioters with ammunition to throw at the police. Doors and windows had also been destroyed. However, the rector of the university, Constantinos Moutzouris, said that student work areas and the NTUA?s library had not been damaged. However, some teaching staff suggested that Moutzouris was downplaying the damage in order not to rile those who caused it. ?It is time to tell the public the truth and for everyone to assume their responsibilities,? one lecturer, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Kathimerini. ?The rector was in a tough position recently and, in this context, I appreciate a possible attempt to cover up the extent of the damage. But we have to stop operating this way now.? In Thessaloniki, an initial estimate of the damage done to the city?s Aristotle University put the repairs at 150,000 euros but this figure is expected to rise. http://www1.reporter.gr/default.asp?pid=16&la=2&art_aid=191014 Greece: Sprider cuts guidance as riots damage stores 12:17 - 11 December 2008 Greek clothing retailer Sprider Stores cut its guidance for 2008 following several days of rioting, which left several of its stores damaged and forced others to close. The company's main store was torched during five days of civil unrest sparked by the police shooting of a teenager. "The total destruction of the group's main store combined with lighter damage in several other stores in Greece as well as the closure of several stores for security reasons have caused a trimming of turnover", the company said in a filing to the stock exchange. Sprider cut its sales forecast to EUR 155 million from EUR 165 million previously, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) seen at EUR 32 million compared to EUR 35.6 million previously. Net profit is forecast to rise 10.4% year-on-year to EUR 15.6 million, compared to EUR 18.6 million estimated previously, the company said late on Wednesday. DECEMBER 14th - DECEMBER 24th http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/european_news/Shots-fired-as-2_000-protest-in-Athens-.html Shots fired as 2,000 protest in Athens At the start of the march, roughly a dozen youths toppled a police vehicle, with the officers inside escaping unscathed. Athens -- Shots were fired at an anti-riot van in Athens on Tuesday and youths damaged a police car as some 2,000 students marched in new protests that have rocked the capital since police killed a teenager. At the start of the march, roughly a dozen youths toppled a police vehicle, with the officers inside escaping unscathed. Earlier in the day, shots were fired at a riot police van in the Goudi district of Athens, missing the 23 officers on board but hitting the engine. One of the van's tires also burst. A group calling itself "Popular Action" claimed responsibility for the strike on Tuesday evening in an anonymous phone call to zougla.gr, the news website said. Police said they found seven shells and two bullet remains from a 7.62 caliber rifle apparently fired from inside a park that forms part of the Athens university campus. Youths have targeted police stations and torched police vehicles in three weeks of sporadic unrest over the killing of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos by a police bullet. Around 2,000 university and high school students peacefully marched on parliament, shouting slogans against the police and the conservative government, which is clinging to power by a one-seat majority in parliament. Some protesters claimed that the death was not an accident, saying " the government, the cops and the state are guilty," and calling Prime Minister Costa Karamanlis "a fascist" and "you can't stop us." Upon reaching parliament, a group of demonstrators set fire to a large paper pig's head sporting a policeman's cap and dumped it at the feet of riot police. Meanwhile a group of high school students staged a separate rally in front of the education ministry slated to be their last before the holidays. The students, who are expected to decide in early January whether to continue their protests over the teenager's death, claim they still occupy about 700 schools and several universities in Greece. The education ministry claims only about 100 are occupied. Grigoropoulos was fatally shot on December 6 by a police officer who claims he fired into the air whilst under attack by a group of youths. The boy's death unleashed a wave of anger, which initially degenerated into the worst rampage Greece has seen in decades with hundreds of stores in several cities vandalized and looted in the days following his death. The violence has since largely subsided, allowing Athenians to salvage a narrowed-down Christmas shopping season. But skirmishes with young protesters continue around occupied university buildings, which are off-limits to police under education laws dating from the restoration of democracy from the seven-year army junta in 1974. Karamanlis's government was already in trouble from unpopular reforms and corruption scandals but the premier has vowed to stay on to help the country steer through the global financial crisis. The depth of anti-government sentiment witnessed over the past fortnight has also cost the government dearly in opinion polls. Socialist leader George Papandreou has overtaken Karamanlis for the first time as the preferred choice for prime minister, and a new survey by pollsters GPO on Monday said the socialists would sweep an election by a massive 22.4-percentage point margin over the ruling party. John Hadoulis/AFP/Expatica http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=United+Kingdom+%26+Europe&month=December2008&file=World_News2008122485551.xml Athens protesters attack police Web posted at: 12/24/2008 8:55:51 Source ::: AFP Riot police walk by a police patrol car overturned by demonstrators during a demonstration in central Athens yesterday. ATHENS: Shots were fired at an anti-riot van in Athens yesterday and youths damaged a police car as some 2,000 students marched in new protests that have rocked the capital since police killed a teenager. At the start of the march, roughly a dozen youths toppled a police vehicle, with the officers inside escaping unscathed. Earlier in the day, shots were fired at a riot police van in the Goudi district of Athens, missing the 23 officers on board but hitting the engine. One of the van?s tyres also burst. A group calling itself ?Popular Action? claimed responsibility for the strike yesterday evening in an anonymous phone call to zougla.gr, the news website said. Police said they found seven shells and two bullet remains from a 7.62 calibre rifle apparently fired from inside a park that forms part of the Athens university campus. Youths have targeted police stations and torched police vehicles in three weeks of sporadic unrest over the killing of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos by a police bullet. Around 2,000 university and high school students peacefully marched on parliament, shouting slogans against the police and the conservative government which is clinging to power by a one-seat majority in parliament. Some protesters claimed that the death was not an accident, saying ? the government, the cops and the state are guilty,? and calling Prime Minister Costa Karamanlis ?a fascist? and ?you can?t stop us.? Upon reaching parliament, a group of demonstrators set fire to a large paper pig?s head sporting a policeman?s cap and dumped it at the feet of riot police. Meanwhile a group of high school students staged a separate rally in front of the education ministry slated to be their last before the holidays. The students, who are expected to decide in early January whether to continue their protests over the teenager?s death, claim they still occupy about 700 schools and several universities in Greece. The education ministry claims only about 100 are occupied. Grigoropoulos was fatally shot on December 6 by a police officer who claims he fired into the air whilst under attack by a group of youths. The boy?s death unleashed a wave of anger which initially degenerated into the worst rampage Greece has seen in decades with hundreds of stores in several cities vandalised and looted in the days following his death. The violence has since largely subsided, allowing Athenians to salvage a narrowed-down Christmas shopping season. But skirmishes with young protesters continue around occupied university buildings which are off-limits to police under education laws dating from the restoration of democracy from the seven-year army junta in 1974. Karamanlis?s government was already in trouble from unpopular reforms and corruption scandals but the premier has vowed to stay on to help the country steer through the global financial crisis. The depth of anti-government sentiment witnessed over the past fortnight has also cost the government dearly in opinion polls. Socialist leader George Papandreou has overtaken Karamanlis for the first time as the preferred choice for prime minister, and a new survey by pollsters GPO on Monday said the socialists would sweep an election by a massive 22.4-percentage point margin over the ruling party. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_24/12/2008_103301 Protests wind down for holiday pause TATIANA BOLARI/EUROKINISSI Riot police stand in front of a patrol car overturned by demonstrators during a protest march in central Athens yesterday. Youths have been protesting the police killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos for more than two weeks. Outbursts of violence, though not as intense as the initial wave of riots, have been regular. Yesterday?s rallies were mostly peaceful, as protestors wind down for the Christmas break. Fresh rallies are already planned for January. Several thousand people staged what is likely to be the last major street protest before Christmas yesterday as leftist students and self-styled anarchists occupying university facililties started heading home for a holiday truce. More than 3,000 demonstrators joined a march organized by leftist groups through the city center, a continuation of more than two weeks of protests at the police killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Exarchia. The rally, which started outside the main entrance to Athens University and culminated in Syntagma Square, was mostly peaceful. One group of youths broke away from protesters at one point to overturn a police patrol car, but there were no reports of any injuries. Another group of protesters burned a model of a pig?s head wearing a police cap in front of riot officers. Schoolchildren, protesting Grigoropoulos?s death and education standards, also staged a peaceful demonstration outside the Education Ministry, singing Christmas carols. They said they would continue their protests in the new year. Leftists have scheduled another protest rally at the newly renovated Monastiraki Square at 4 p.m. today and more for January. Meanwhile, hundreds of self-professed anarchists who have been squatting in university buildings over the past two weeks were reportedly packing their bags. According to sources, the premises of the National Technical University of Athens and the Athens University law school were slowly emptying. University rectors were due to start taking stock today of the damage wreaked during the sit-ins. Sources said windows had been smashed and chunks had been hacked out of marble staircases and floors for use as missiles against riot police. http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1403944.htm 2000 protest in Athens Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:28 Shots were fired at an anti-riot van in Athens on Tuesday and youths damaged a police car as some 2000 students marched in new protests that have rocked the capital since police killed a teenager. At the start of the march, roughly a dozen youths toppled a police vehicle, with the officers inside escaping unscathed. Earlier in the day, shots were fired at a riot police van in the Goudi district of Athens, missing the 23 police on board but hitting the engine. One of the van's tyres also burst. The police found two bullet remains from a 7.62 calibre rifle apparently fired from inside a park that forms part of the Athens university campus. Youths have targeted police stations and torched police vehicles in three weeks of sporadic unrest over the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos. Around 2000 university and high school students peacefully marched on parliament, shouting slogans against the police and the conservative government which is clinging to power by a one-seat majority in parliament. "This bullet did not come by accident, the government, the cops and the state are guilty, (Prime Minister Costas) Karamanlis, you fascist, you can't stop us," the protesters said of the teenager's killing. Upon reaching parliament, a group of demonstrators set fire to a large paper pig's head sporting a policeman's cap and dumped it at the feet of riot police. Meanwhile, a group of high-school students staged a separate rally in front of the education ministry slated to be their last before the holidays. The students ? who are expected to decide in early January whether or not to pursue their protests over the teenager's death ? claim they continue to occupy about 700 schools and several universities in Greece. The education ministry claims only about 100 are occupied. The worst rampage Greece has seen in decades Grigoropoulos was fatally shot on 6 December by a police officer who claims he fired into the air whilst under attack by a group of youths. The boy's death unleashed a wave of youth anger which initially degenerated into the worst rampage Greece has seen in decades with hundreds of stores in several cities vandalised and looted in the days following his death. The violence has since largely subsided, allowing Athenians to salvage a narrowed-down Christmas shopping season. But skirmishes with young protesters continue around occupied university buildings which are off-limits to police under education laws dating from the restoration of democracy from the seven-year army junta in 1974. Karamanlis's government was already in trouble from unpopular reforms and corruption scandals but he has vowed to stay on to help the country steer through the global financial slowdown. The depth of anti-government sentiment witnessed over the past fortnight has also cost the government dearly in opinion polls. Socialist leader George Papandreou has overtaken Karamanlis for the first time as the preferred choice for prime minister, and a new survey by pollsters GPO on Monday said the socialists would sweep an election by a massive 22.4-percentage point margin over the ruling party. AFP http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24831076-2703,00.html Greek protesters hurl firebombs and garbage Correspondents in Athens | December 22, 2008 Article from: The Australian CLASHES between youths and police continued yesterday in the Athens district where a teenager was killed by officers two weeks ago, sparking nationwide unrest. Hundreds of people gathered around the Exarchia district, the site of the December 6 shooting of Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, for a protest organised by youths occupying Athens Polytechnic. Protesters hurled firebombs at police, who responded with teargas. A group threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police and set fire to garbage bins. Police also clashed with protesters after a separate demonstration against racism that was attended by about 200 people in Syntagma Square. "Migrants are killed, schoolchildren are killed," said banners carried by the protesters who marched to the Greek parliament. Protesters threw garbage at police who ringed a Christmas tree on the main square. Police cleared the square to guard the tree after about 150 youths hung garbage from itsbranches. The tree was brought in last week after the original was torched at the height of the unrest. The new tree survived the attack but at least three news photographers were injured by police batons. Masked men broke into the building housing the offices of Tiresias SA, a company that keeps records of delinquent debtors and cardholders, and firebombed the company's offices. The fire was extinguished but the company's offices were destroyed, witnesses said. In Nea Philadelfia, a western suburb of Athens, demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at the police academy and torched six police vehicles parked nearby, without causing any casualties, police said. In Thessaloniki, anarchists occupied a cinema in the city's main square and threw cakes andsweets at Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos and one of hisdeputies. The mayor was attending an open-air Christmas event near the theatre, distributing the sweets to children with sickle-cell anaemia when the rioters disrupted the event. Protesters emerged from the theatre and attacked a nativity scene, throwing away the Christ figure. Masked youths attacked the French cultural institute in Athens after about 1000 students and communist activists staged a march to condemn a second shooting on Wednesday in which the son of a teacher's union official was slightly wounded. Protesters demanding justice over Grigoropoulos's death continue to occupy hundreds of schools and many universities across Greece. The Athens Polytechnic, site of a 1973 student uprising that hastened the fall of military dictatorship in Greece, is among the occupied campuses. Meanwhile, German police arrested 10 people and suffered four injuries in fighting with demonstrators staging a rally inHamburg in support of the Greek protests on Saturday, officials said. Police said some of the Hamburg demonstrators wore face masks and threw bottles andburning missiles at the police, two of whom needed hospital treatment. Greece's conservative Government is under fire over the unrest, with unions putting extra pressure on the Government ahead of a parliamentary vote on the budget. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has shrugged off calls to resign. Last week, he announced financial measures to support the business and tourism sectors hard-hit by the unrest. Hundreds of shops and banks in Athens and elsewhere have sustained damage in street violence. With trading gradually resuming, rumours are rife in the Greek media that Mr Karamanlis will reshuffle his Government, which relies on a fragile single-seat majority in the 300-deputy parliament. AFP, AP http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/23/gunfire-and-protests-in-athens/ Greece world news The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Protests continued in Athens just hours after a police van was hit by gunfire. Thousands of people marched through the city in a demonstration that was largely peaceful. In the earlier incident, shots were fired at a police van when it stopped at traffic lights outside a university campus in eastern Athens. Two bullets hit the van, bursting a tyre, but no-one was injured. The university has become the centre of anti-government protests in Greece that have now run into a third week. The fatal shooting of a teenager at the beginning of December unleashed widespread unrest. Many protestors are angry at high youth unemployment, government scandals, and unpopular economic reforms. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,597899,00.html#ref=rss Protest actions, some violent, also continued to bring chaos to the streets of Athens over the weekend as police battled riots and lawlessness sparked by the Dec. 6 police killingof 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. On Saturday, a memorial service to the slain boy turned violent and led to scattered groups of masked youths showering police with rocks and Molotov cocktails and igniting at least six police vehicles and numerous garbage containers. As black smoke lofted above the skyline of the vast city, heavily armed police broke up crowds of protesters with tear gas. Other incidents Saturday included the fire-bombing and destruction of a credit-reporting agency and clashes around the 18-meter-high (60-foot) Christmas tree in Syntagma Square between police and protesters trying to hang trash bags from its branches. The original tree was burned down by protesters on Dec. 8, the third day of riots, and replaced soon thereafter. Although the protests were initially meant as a response to perceived police violence, they have developed into a wider protests against political corruption and diminished job prospects triggered by the current economic crisis. A Search for 'Solidarity' On Sunday, the protest actions in Athens also spread to include foreign institutions. An estimated 30 masked individuals attacked the French Institute in Athens' upscale Kolonaki district, smashing windows and throwing a Molotov cocktail at guards stationed at its entrance, according to the Athens daily Kathimerini. NEWSLETTER Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday. The paper speculated that the attacks might have been motivated by protesters' hoping to forge links between student protesters in France and the unrest in Greece. In support of this theory, the paper cited graffiti found near the French Institute reading: "Spark in Athens. Fire in Paris. Insurrection is coming" and "France, Greece, uprising everywhere." Also on Sunday, more than 1,500 people gathered for a peaceful protest in support of a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the hand last Wednesday under mysterious circumstances, according to Kathimerini. While police statements had originally claimed that the boy had been hit by an air-gun pellet, recently released tests confirm that the boy was hit by a 38 milimeter gun from a distance. Though the Greek government has expressed its hope that the demonstrations and violent outburts would die down because of protest fatigue and the holiday season, labor leaders and student groups have pledged to continue their actions into the New Year. jtw -- with wire reports http://www.tradearabia.com/news/newsdetails.asp?Sn=INTNEWS&artid=153813 Greek demonstrators call for EU-wide protest Athens: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 Protesters hung banners from the Acropolis in Greece on Wednesday calling for demonstrations across Europe, in the twelfth day of protests since police shot dead a teenager. 'Resistance' read one of the two pink banners in Greek, German, Spanish, and English, which protesters unfurled from the stone wall of the ancient hilltop citadel in Athens. 'Thursday 18/12 demonstrations in all Europe,' said another. Greece's worst protests in decades, sparked by the shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, have fed on simmering anger at youth unemployment and the world economic crisis. 'We chose this monument to democracy, this global monument, to proclaim our resistance to state violence and demand rights in education and work,' one protester, who declined to give his name, told Reuters Television. '(We did it) to send a message globally and to all Europe.' The demonstrations have sparked sympathy protests from Moscow to Madrid and European policymakers, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have expressed concern they might spread as the downturn bites and unemployment rises. Protesters demanding the release of people arrested during the riots occupied the headquarters of the GSEE private sector union federation and hung anti-government banners from the building. The ADEDY public sector workers federation has called a three-hour work stoppage on Thursday against government policy and the teenager's killing, and rallies are planned for Friday. Thursday's stoppage will ground all but emergency flights into Greece between 1000 and 1300 GMT, air traffic controllers said, and disrupt urban public transport services. Hundreds of shops and cars were wrecked in 10 Greek cities during last week's violence. The National Confederation of Commerce estimates 565 shops were damaged in Athens alone, costing 200 million euros and causing more than 1 billion in lost sales during the Christmas shopping period. The protests have rocked the conservative government, which has a one seat majority and trails in opinion polls. They have driven Greek bond spreads -- a measure of perceived investment risk -- to record levels above German benchmark bonds. As the intensity of the protests has cooled this week, students have begun to stage sit-ins. About 20 students occupied state TV on Tuesday, interrupting a news broadcast to briefly hold up banners reading 'Against State Violence.' Scores of schools and university buildings, some of them badly damaged, remain occupied by students. The policeman who shot Grigoropoulos has been charged with murder and jailed pending trial, while his partner was charged as an accomplice. The policeman says he fired a warning shot in self-defense against a group of youths in the volatile Exarchia neighborhood, but the family's lawyer says he aimed to kill without significant provocation.-Reuters http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/21/greece-protests-athens-violence Violence continues in Greece as rioters firebomb buildings Protesters in Athens torch offices and cars amid clashes with police after memorial for teenager ? Buzz up! ? Digg it ? Anil Dawar ? guardian.co.uk, Sunday 21 December 2008 17.05 GMT ? Article history A youth assaults a police officer in Athens during a week of riots after the shooting of a teenager. Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP Violent protests continued in Greece last night as hundreds of rioters fought running battles with police in central Athens and firebombed the offices of a credit checking agency. The violence erupted following a memorial gathering at the spot where 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos died on 6 December after being shot by a policeman. The rioters, using the National Technical University of Athens as a base, launched attacks against police, throwing rocks and petrol bombs and erecting roadblocks. Police responded with volleys of tear gas. Greek law prevents security forces from entering the university grounds unless the school's administration gives the go-ahead. So far no permission has been given. Grigoropoulos's shooting touched a nerve among Greek youths, who took to the streets to protest at what they see as random police violence. The protests, which are now running into their third week, have been fanned by perceptions of corruption among politicians and poor job prospects as the economy takes a turn for the worse. Yesterday's clashes dashed the hopes of the government and police that protest fatigue would set in, as Christmas neared. During the evening an office block housing Tiresias SA, a credit checking agency, was targeted by arsonists and destroyed. Two cars were also torched. Earlier about 150 youths defaced central Athens's Christmas tree, hanging bin liners from its branches, before clashing with riot police. The square was cleared within two hours. The tree, which was a replacement for the one burned down two weeks ago, survived the attack after riot police with shields formed a circle round it while protesters danced around them holding hands. In Thessaloniki a group of self-styled anarchists briefly occupied a radio station and a cinema before disrupting an open-air charity event attended by the city's mayor. The protests have caused hundreds of millions of euros damage, rocking a conservative government that has a one-seat majority and trails the opposition in the polls. Some analysts say continued street protests could force early elections. Unions and students have organised more protest rallies for the new year. The policeman accused of shooting Alexandros Grigoropoulos has been charged with murder. The Greek prime minister, Costas Karamanlis has rejected calls to step down, despite growing public pressure. But he has acknowledged that "long-unresolved problems, such as the lack of meritocracy, corruption in everyday life and a sense of social injustice" are fuelling the anger of young people. Ripples from the Greek protests were felt in Germany, where about 1,000 people turned out for a demonstration in Hamburg. Four people were injured and nine arrested after bottles were thrown at police. A further demonstration by about 250 people near the Greek consulate passed without incident, a police statement said. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-20-voa17.cfm?CFID=253676143&CFTOKEN=32174791&jsessionid=0030e3ae8a52f0498743584414e1b414e7c2 Clashes Between Greek Rioters, Police Enter Third Week By VOA News 21 December 2008 Protesters peacefully dance in a circle around police officers, some in riot gear, protecting the Christmas tree during a protest in central Athens' Syntagma Square, Greece, 20 Dec 2008 Clashes between Greek youths and police in Athens continued well into the night Saturday, dashing hopes that two weeks of rioting would subside as Christmas neared. Hundreds of people gathered for a memorial in Exarchia district near the capital city's center where police fatally shot a teenager, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, two weeks ago. Protesters set fire to more buildings and cars and hurled firebombs at police who responded with tear gas. Earlier in the day, rioters attacked a Christmas tree in the central Syntagma Square with garbage. The square's first Christmas tree was burned to the ground days after the shooting of the teenager. In the northern city of Salonika, protesters occupied a movie theater in the city's main square and pelted the mayor with pastries. Rage over the killing set off Greece's worst unrest in decades and turned into anger over corruption and economic hardship. Greek media describe the protesters as self-styled anarchists and youths belonging to far-left militant groups. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis says the protests have damaged the country's economy, with retailers reporting more than a billion dollars in damages and lost sales. Meanwhile, protests are spreading beyond Greece's borders. In the northern German city of Hamburg, about one thousand demonstrators marched through the streets Saturday in support of the Greek protests. Local officials said protesters threw bottles, iron bars and fireworks at police who arrested several people. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=United+Kingdom+%26+Europe&month=December2008&file=World_News2008122185947.xml Youth hurl garbage at Greek riot police Web posted at: 12/21/2008 8:59:47 Source ::: AFP ATHENS: Protesters hurled garbage at riot police yesterday as the Greek capital saw another day of protests, two weeks after the fatal police killing of a teenager set off nationwide unrest. The police were targetted as they ringed a Christmas tree on the main Syntagma Square which has been a focus of demonstrations since the shooting of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos on December 6. The tree was brought in last week after the original was torched at the height of unrest following the schoolboy?s death. The trouble came on the fringe of an anti-racist demonstration by about 200 people in the capital. ?Migrants are killed, schoolchildren are killed,? said banners carried by the protesters who marched to the Greek parliaments. The march follows daily protests in Athens and other Greek cities over Grigoropoulos? death that have often become violent. In the northern city of Thessaloniki, youths occupied a hall being used for a film festival while others pelted the city mayor with pastries, police said. Masked youths Friday attacked the French cultural institute in Athens after about 1,000 students and communist activists staged a march to condemn a second shooting on Wednesday in which the son of a teacher?s union official was slightly wounded. Protesters demanding justice over Grigoropoulos? death continue to occupy hundreds of schools and many universities across Greece. The Athens Polytechnic, site of a 1973 student uprising that hastened the fall of military dictatorship in Greece, is among the occupied campuses. Athens Polytechnic students were to gather on the street corner in the Exarchia district, where Grigoropoulos was hit by a police bullet two weeks ago. The conservative government is under fire over the unrest, with unions putting extra pressure on the government ahead of a parliamentary vote Sunday on the budget. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is shrugging off opposition calls to resign. Last week he announced financial measures to support the business and tourism sectors hard-hit by the unrest. Hundreds of shops and banks in Athens and elsewhere have sustained damage in street violence. With trading gradually resuming, rumours are rife in the Greek media that Karamanlis will reshuffle his government which relies on a fragile single-seat majority in the 300-deputy parliament http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greek-rioters-throw-petrol-bombs-and-stones-at-police-1203703.html Greek rioters throw petrol bombs and stones at police Friday, 19 December 2008 Protesters hurled firebombs and stones at police outside parliament yesterday, and unions grounded flights and closed public offices in the 13th consecutive day of anti-government violence since police shot dead a teenager. Crowds waving red flags jostled with police cordoning parliament, and tried to burn a Christmas tree in the square outside. Police fired teargas to disperse them. "Down with the government of blood, poverty and privatisations," read one of the banners carried by some 7,000 marchers in protests against social and economic reforms and the government's failure to shelter Greeks from the global economic crisis which were unleashed by the teenager's killing. Unions, students and teachers also staged rallies in the northern city of Thessaloniki and on Crete. Greece's worst protests in decades, which followed the shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, fed off anger at the economic slowdown and rising youth unemployment. The officer who shot the boy is in jail charged with murder and his partner is charged as an accomplice. On Wednesday, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the hand. Police denied opening fire. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7783375.stm Monday, 15 December 2008 E-mail this to a friend Printable version Athens hit by new protest rallies Protesters outside Athens' police headquarters Hundreds of people are staging fresh protest rallies in Athens, after days of rioting sparked by the killing of a teenager by police in Greece. They gathered near the capital's police headquarters and the main court, where some of the protesters arrested last week were to appear before magistrates. The policeman accused of shooting Alexandros Grigoropoulos, aged 15, has been charged with murder. The shooting has also generated widespread anti-government sentiment, Sixty per cent of those questioned by Greece's Kathimerini newspaper rejected the assertion that the disturbances have been merely a series of co-ordinated attacks by a small hard core of anarchists. It [the government] is wasting away, collapsing and dissolving into a dead-end George Papandreou opposition Pasok party Another poll, in the Ethnos newspaper, suggested that 83% of Greeks were unhappy with the government's response to the violence. Kathimerini put the disapproval rating at 68%. The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says the results appear to confirm what many commentators have been saying - that conservative Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has pulled off the unique feat of alienating all sections of Greek society. Mr Karamanlis - who is on Monday attending the funeral of former Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos - has rejected calls to step down. He said the country needed a "steady hand" to deal with the economic downturn, "not scenarios about elections and successions". Economy fears The new street protests are being held amid a heavy police presence. At least 70 people have been injured in the protests sparked by the shooting Demonstrators are chanting anti-government slogans, but no major incidents have been reported so far. Further protests are planned later on Monday outside parliament. They come after calm was briefly restored in the capital on Sunday. In all, some 70 people are said to have been injured in violent protests across Greece during the unrest sparked by the shooting on 6 December. On Sunday, the leader of the opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) demanded elections and said the government "ignores the calls of society, is incapable of steadily driving the country towards change, and is afraid of the people." "It is wasting away, collapsing and dissolving into a dead-end... Its political time is finished," George Papandreou told a party meeting. A top union official meanwhile warned that with around a quarter of the young age group involved in the disturbances being unemployed, the unrest could grow in the coming months as more people lose their jobs. "A massive wave of redundancies will kick in come the New Year when, according to our estimates, 100,000 jobs will be lost, which represents an additional 5% on the unemployment rate," said Stathis Anestis of the General Confederation of Greek Workers. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=United+Kingdom+%26+Europe&month=December2008&file=World_News200812158292.xml Greek government slammed over riot handling Web posted at: 12/15/2008 8:29:2 Source ::: REUTERS ATHENS: A week of violence in Greece has taken its toll on the fragile conservative government, with opinion polls showing yesterday many think authorities mishandled the worst rioting in decades. The December 6 killing of a 15-year-old boy by police unleashed a wave of unrest by thousands of students and anarchists across the country, feeding on growing anger over political scandals and the impact of a global recession on Greece?s economy. While the violence has generally subsided in the past few days, small groups of hooded youngsters hurling fire bombs are still rampaging at night in the capital, fighting running battles with riot police and smashing shops. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has pledged to ensure security, rebuffing calls for early elections, but he has drawn widespread criticism for not acting quickly and decisively to tackle the revolt. An opinion poll published by Ethnos newspaper yesterday said 83.3 percent of Greeks were unhappy with the government?s response to the violence. Discontent was high?65.6 percent?even among supporters of Karamanlis? New Democracy party, which has a one-seat majority in parliament. Another survey, in Kathimerini daily, put disapproval of the government at 68 percent with 60 percent of those polled saying the riots were a social uprising rather than an isolated outburst by a small fringe of violent protesters. Eight days of clashes have caused ?200m ($265.3m) of damage in Athens alone. The city was calm yesterday but broken shop windows bore witness to the latest, sporadic riots overnight, when a few hundred youths wearing gas masks attacked a government building, four shops and two banks. ?I?m tired of coming to the shop every night to check the damages. You think it?s going to calm down and then it starts again,? said Anna Pavlidou, manager of a central Athens mobile phone store that has been repeatedly attacked and looted. ?The government should assume its responsibilities and resign. It didn?t handle it well. If it had, we wouldn?t have 355 damaged shops in Athens. I mean we won?t be able to open until Christmas,? she said. ?Someone has to understand the deeper reasons for this ? poverty, high unemployment ? and solve it radically.? Rocked by a series of corruption scandals, Karamanlis has appealed for calm and vowed to protect people and property. A policeman charged with killing Alexandros Grigoropoulos has been jailed along with a colleague pending trial, while more than 400 protesters have been detained over the unrest. In central Athens, where even in calmer times barely a week goes by without a demonstration, riot police are manning street corners at night, especially in the leftist Exarchia neighbourhood where the teenager was shot. But in a country where many have an instinctive disregard for authority and memories are still vivid of police heavy-handedness during the 1967-74 military rule, the government has taken no emergency security measures. Nor has it tried to address protesters? deeper grievances about the slowing economy and political incompetence. ?The government reacted nervously to the killing. It was already in a very difficult position before the riots and this situation can only make things worse,? said Kostas Ifantis, head of the Hellenic centre for European Studies. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24798063-5006003,00.html?from=public_rss Police, banks, gyms firebombed as Greek riots escalate Article from: Agence France-Presse ? Font size: Decrease Increase ? Email article: Email ? Print article: Print From correspondents in Athens December 14, 2008 04:20pm ? Police station, banks, gym firebombed ? Eighth day of riots after police shoot 15-year-old ? Thousands of protestors march across Greece GREEK protesters unleashed a wave of violence in Athens Saturday night, led by the firebombing of an Athens police station moments after silent vigils for a teenager killed one week ago wound down. Around 100 hooded youths firebombed a station next to the Exarchia district where 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos died from a police bullet last Saturday night, with tear gas being fired in reply and officers in pursuit as the gang fled into dimly lit side streets. At about the same time, similar numbers in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, vandalised a gymnasium before holing up behind university walls, beyond the reach of law enforcement. Shortly afterwards, a police source also reported Molotov cocktails being hurled at three banks, igniting fires, near the Athens Polytechnic from where self-styled anarchist leaders say they are planning a sustained campaign. Ministry of Environment premises and public property were also targeted under the Athens full moon, with bins set ablaze across the area, police added. The fresh outbreak of hostilities followed largely silent ceremonies marking the moment Grigoropoulos was killed, and signalled that disaffected protesters may be in it for the long haul. Greece has been gripped over the past eight days by a deep-rooted protest movement which has succeeded in uniting mainstream and radical youth and that the opposition socialists are seizing upon to press for fresh elections. The lull during peaceful rallies led by several hundred mourners holding lit candles and posting messages on a wall by the spot where the boy fell, had followed overnight attacks on banks and more tense stand-offs with police. Some 2,000 demonstrators -- mainly Polytechnic students -- had earlier squared up to police outside the Greek parliament on the eighth day of their dogged challenge to state authorities. Police had blocked off the central Syntagma Square on Saturday afternoon after an initial sit-down protest by around 300 pupils from the school attended by Grigoropoulos. With riot police staying well back at this stage, demonstrators held aloft a large banner at the rear bearing the inscription: ``06/12/08, Alexis Grigoropoulos, I won't forget''. Student pamphlets also announced rallies planned in front of the Athens police headquarters on Monday and back at parliament square on Thursday, when school pupils and teachers are expected to support the protests. About 2,000 youths also marched peacefully in Greece's second city, Thessaloniki, on Saturday afternoon, while later some 300 gathered in silence around the city's White Tower monument. Meanwhile, police had already identified five banks attacked using gas canisters in Athens overnight Friday -- underlining the link between the crisis here and broader economic malaise. The deeply held anger which has emerged within the lower end of the 15-24 age group, one quarter of whom nationally remain unemployed, could fester for months, if past Greek unrest is taken as a guide. Saturday's protests come after Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis dismissed opposition calls to quit while attending an EU summit in Brussels. "At this time the country faces a serious financial crisis... a steady hand on the helm is needed to deal with it,'' Karamanlis said. "That is my concern, that is the priority of the government, not scenarios about elections and successions. "The compassion with which all of us ought to treat the distress of young people cannot be confused with blind violence, with the activities of extreme elements.'' The offices of lawyer Alexis Kougias, representing two policemen charged over Grigoropoulos's death, have already been trashed, while elsewhere in Europe, demonstrators have blocked traffic on the Champs-Elysees in Paris with hundreds marching in Berlin to show solidarity. The officer who shot Grigoropoulos says he killed the boy by accident out of self defence due to a bullet ricochet. A ballistics report, said to confirm that the handgun was not pointed at him, has yet to be released. Sunday DECEMBER 14 http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2008/12/14/187548/Greek-protests.htm Updated Sunday, December 14, 2008 9:19 am TWN, By Demetris Nellas, AP Greek protests still going strong after a week ATHENS, Greece -- A week after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy sparked riots across Greece, young protesters on Saturday promised to remain on the streets until their concerns are addressed. Several dozen students took part in a peaceful sit-down demonstration in Athens? central Syntagma Square. More demonstrations are scheduled later in the day, including a vigil at the place and time that 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was fatally shot by a police officer a week ago. ?We want to see the policemen (involved in the shooting) punished and the police disarmed,? said a 16-year-old student who gave her first name as Veatriki. Grigoropoulos? death has sparked daily demonstrations that have turned violent, leaving hundreds of stores smashed and looted. At least 70 people have been injured and more than 200 arrested. Besides their anger at the police, young people talk about the deteriorating conditions in their schools. ?We feel that our parents, our teachers do not listen to us. ... Schools are not a place where real learning takes place, it is just a preparation for the university entrance exams,? Veatriki said. ?We are entering a long period of economic crisis,? said Giorgos Kyrtsos, publisher of the City Press and Free Sunday newspapers. ?But there is also a deepening social crisis, combined with a weakened state. We are truly at a crossroads.? Kyrtsos, a conservative, was highly critical of the government?s handling of the incidents. ?This is the only government I remember that has managed to alienate both the rebellious youth and the law-and-order crowd. It has nothing to offer to anybody,? he said. While most of the protesters have been peaceful, the tone has been set by a violent fringe. And more young people have been willing to join them than in the past. ?Young people my age feel that their voice is being heard, immediately, when they smash a shop window or a car,? said Veatriki. Kyrtsos said that the hard-core anarchists ?number about 500 and certainly less than 1,000. They are joined by an anti-social element, many of them soccer hooligans and by many young people who seek excitement but also feel a diffuse sense of frustration and of not being listened to.? At the site where Grigoropoulos was shot, scores of people came to leave flowers and pin messages to a notice board. A privately made street sign bearing the teenager?s name was placed on the corner of the block. Christmas shoppers cautiously returned to central Athens Saturday, but many shops boarded up their windows instead of replacing glass for fear of further violence. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415754.html SENSORED from the YOUTUBE .. Athens .. clash with POLICE gar | 18.12.2008 20:16 | Social Struggles | World SENSORED from the YOUTUBE .. Athens .. clash with POLICE SENSORED from the YOUTUBE .. Athens .. clash with POLICE http://garizo.blogspot.com/2008/12/sensored-from-youtube-athens-clash-of.html is not from the down town Athens events , but is characteristic of the Greek Police violence gar Homepage: http://garizo.blogspot.com/2008/12/sensored-from-youtube-athens-clash-of.html ? Download this article in pdf format ? Email this article to someone; ? Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article Comments Hide the following 2 comments it's from a football game 18.12.2008 20:38 This video is from a football game, the day after the murder. It is the same game that the minister of education attended (yes, the next of the murder, on the night of the murder he was having fun at a club with live music). Apparently some men of the riot squad were found unguarded and got this beating. The voices on the video are coming from the people watching the beating and mean "he was a 15 year old kid, you cunts" etc. dim http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/396202/1/.html Athens shopkeepers resume Christmas sales after protests Posted: 14 December 2008 1145 hrs Riot police are attacked with petrol bombs during a night of protests in central Athens ATHENS: Shopkeepers in Athens are getting back to business for the busy Christmas season after a week of violent protests against the death of a teenager by a police bullet. A group of young people look on as the eighty-something Nikos Papadopoulos opens up his optician's shop in the centre of Athens, a family-run store that has been a fixture for over 50 years. "They won't break anything" he says. "We've become experts. When I saw the tension escalating, I shut up shop." His store was spared Monday evening after the protests in central Athens degenerated into vandalism and looting. Greece has been gripped over the past eight days by a deep-rooted protest movement which has succeeded in uniting mainstream and radical youth and that the opposition socialists are seizing upon to press for fresh elections. The sweeping protests were sparked by the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos who fell victim to a police bullet last Saturday. "Business goes on, even if for the moment, the clients are few and far between. The sales from this year's Christmas holidays will definitely not be that impressive," the octogenarian adds glumly. Further up the street, a number of shops are boarded up. In front of his clothes store, 60-year-old Evangelos Papayorgiou sweeps up pieces of broken glass as workers replace the front windows. "We struggled to find a team of window-fitters, but we will be ready soon, and when we have time, we could even attach some metal shutters," he says. "There will be more protests," said Yannis Saitinis, as he washes the window of his shoe shop. "But the real problem is the economic crisis. That's what has been putting off customers." Ermou Street is normally on the most bustling, upmarket shopping streets in Athens, yet since the violence of the past week, the pavements have been taken over by curious onlookers and African street sellers, holding bags stuffed with counterfeit branded goods. "We sell good things and very cheap," sayas a young Senegalese man. Dimitra Naka, a 24-year-old cashier in an organic food store, vents her spleen, railing against the government. "If I was braver, I would be in the streets as well," she says. "But I would be smashing up the ministers' offices, not shops." Nikos Mainaris, 30, runs a t-shirt store on the same street and hopes that "the government falls". Panayotis Hadztheodorou, 33, runs a bar and bookshop in Athens, which was damaged in the violence. He estimates the repairs will cost around 20,000 euros (26,780 dollars) and has little love for the rioters. "Fortunately, I have run a construction business, so I've got some workers on the job ... "But this time, I would advise that no one comes around here acting funny. I won't let them get away with it," Panayotis said. - AFP/yt http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhsnaueyeyql/rss2/ Youths go on attack as Greece clashes continue Print Email+ Share+ 14/12/2008 - 10:00:30 Rioting youths in the Greek capital attacked a police station, stores and banks and fought running battles with officers as violence continued through the night. The violent protests sparked by the police killing of a 15-year-old boy broke out as candlelit vigils were being held to mark a week since the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos. At 11pm yesterday, police suddenly charged the peaceful candlelight vigil in Syntagma Square in central Athens, when the crowd of several hundred people refused to leave its position near parliament. The protesters retreated, but the tense confrontation continued. Youths ? some on foot, others riding motorcycles ? attacked a police station with petrol bombs as well as at least three banks, several stores and a government building, police said. Several hundred protesters set up burning barricades and attacked police with rocks and flares. Riot police fired tear gas and chased the youths through parts of the city. The protesters chanted ?Murderers out? and used laser pointers to target police for attack. Violence has wracked Greece every day since the death of Grigoropoulos. The riots in cities throughout the country have left at least 70 people injured. Hundreds of stores have been smashed and looted and more than 200 people have been arrested. While most of the protesters have been peaceful, the tone of the demonstrations has been set by a violent fringe, with more young people willing to join those fringe elements than in the past. Hundreds of schoolchildren holding candles gathered peacefully yesterday outside parliament and at the site where the teenager was shot. At the latter site, hundreds of masked self-styled anarchists gathered among the largely peaceful crowd and, on leaving, clashed with riot police which, in turn, used copious amounts of tear gas to clear the area. Some of the rioters entered the National Technical University nearby from which they pelted police with rocks and flares. Outside parliament, they left candles spelling out the name ?Alex? in front of a line of riot policemen. The young protesters promised to remain on the streets until their concerns - including opposition to increasingly unpopular government and worry over economic issues ? are addressed. ?Speaking as an anarchist, we want to create those social conditions that will generate more uprisings and to get more people out in the streets to demand their rights,? said 32-year-old protester Paris Kyriakides. ?In the end, the violence that we use is minimal in comparison to the violence the system uses, like the banks.? Earlier a crowd of about 1,000 people demonstrated in the northern city of Thessaloniki. One 16-year-old student at the Athens demonstration, who gave only her first name, Veatriki, said young people her age felt their voices were being heard immediately when they smashed a shop window or a car. She said young people wanted to see the policemen involved in the shooting punished and the police disarmed. The two officers involved in the boy?s shooting have been arrested. One was charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/14/greece.riots/index.html?eref=edition_europe December 14, 2008 -- Updated 1054 GMT (1854 HKT) Greek protesters call for more action ? Story Highlights ? Greek students have called for daily protests starting Monday ? Violence sparked by police shooting of 15-year-old boy now in 15th day ? Protests have become outlet for simmering resentment of government ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Greek students have called for daily protests starting Monday, 10 days after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy in Athens sparked demonstrations that have thrown the country into turmoil. Riot police avoid being hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown by protesters in Athens. more photos ? Monday's sit-in is set to take place in front of the country's national police headquarters, with students urging similar demonstrations in front of police precincts across the country. They have called for roads to be blocked on Tuesday, a demonstration Wednesday outside the courthouse where the police involved in the shooting will be testifying, and a nationwide protest on Thursday. Authorities are bracing for potential violence following more than a week of riots which have become an outlet for simmering anger about the economy, education and jobs. The unrest is threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. Stores and international businesses have been attacked, and at least 280 people have been detained by police. Of that total, 176 were arrested, 130 of them over looting. There was a rash of demonstrations Saturday, the one-week anniversary of the death of Alexis Grigoropolous, including attacks on a police station in the Athens district of Exarchaia and on the environment ministry building by angry protesters with stones and Molotov cocktails. The main demonstration Saturday was a peaceful candlelit vigil in front of Parliament on Syntagma Square in the capital. Don't Miss ? Clashes, strike shut down Athens ? Explainer: Why is there unrest in Greece? ? iReport.com: At the funeral Several thousand people turned out for the demonstration, many of them students but including people of all ages and from all walks of life. Demonstrators held a similar sit-in in the northern city of Thessaloniki. Some stayed for an all-night sit-in. There was relative calms in the streets and across the country as Sunday dawned. The two officers involved in the December 6 shooting were remanded into custody Wednesday pending trial. One is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081214174736.vn19w8i6&show_article=1 Greek militants warn of new protests Dec 14 12:47 PM US/Eastern Comments (0) Greek militants warned of new protests Sunday after an attack on an Athens police station became the latest clash with authority over the police killing of a teenager. About 100 protesters attacked a police station where two officers accused over the December 6 death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos are based. The police station is near the Exarchia district where the shooting took place and where on Sunday Athens Polytechnic student protest leaders met to plan new action. Pamphlets announced rallies at the Athens police headquarters on Monday and at parliament square on Thursday. The new unrest erupted after vigils were held to mark the week since Grigropoulos' death and triggered a wave of violence with banks targeted and a late-night stand-off between riot police and youths outside parliament. Police said 86 arrests were made during the night. Police said youths hurled Molotov cocktails and set off fires at three banks near the Polytechnic. Protesters also struck an environment ministry office, torched luxury cars and blocked roads with blazing bins. At Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, youths vandalised a gym before retreating behind university walls. Two blasts hit Greek Communist Party offices in the country's second city. Greece's constitution bans police from entering educational establishments, a legacy of a crackdown on a 1973 student protest against the country's then military dictatorship in which 44 demonstrators were killed. The week of protests have reignited radical groups against Greece's right wing government. The opposition socialists have demanded fresh elections and an Athens office of the ruling conservative party was targeted by youths employing slogans including "killer state." Mourners congregated Saturday at the spot where the boy fell after some 2,000 demonstrators had already squared up to police outside parliament. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has rejected calls to quit, saying the country needs "a steady hand" to deal with economic downturn, "not scenarios about elections and successions." However, with a quarter of 15-24-year-olds unemployed, anger would grow in coming months as more and more people lose their jobs in Greece, a top union official said. "A massive wave of redundancies will kick in come the New Year when, according to our estimates, 100,000 jobs will be lost, which represents an additional five percent on the unemployment rate," said Stathis Anestis of Greece's most powerful union, the General Confederation of Greek workers (GSEE). A former socialist minister, Yannos Papantoniou, blamed the "tragic consequences of accumulated failures and (political) impasses." Socialists held power for two decades until September 2007. Solidarity protests have been held in European capitals including Paris, Berlin and Moscow. A Sunday poll suggested most Greeks see the violent protests as a "popular uprising," not driven by "minority activists." Seventy-six percent of those questioned were "dissatisfied" with the police response. Just 20 percent approved of Karamanlis' handling. Before being charged, the officer who shot Grigoropoulos told a magistrate he had shot in self defence and the boy was killed when the bullet ricocheted. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/12/15/124385b0baea More protests ahead in Greece Updated at 6:07am on 15 December 2008 Greek students announced new rallies on Sunday after another night of violence over the police shooting of a teenager. A police station in Athens was firebombed on Saturday night. It was next to the Exarchia district where Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, was killed by a police bullet on 6 December. The officer who fired the shot says he killed the boy accidentally in self-defence due to a bullet ricochet. A ballistics report is yet to be made public. Police said they made 86 arrests over the course of Saturday's protests. Pamphlets announced rallies in front of the Athens police headquarters on Monday and in parliament square on Thursday. Opposition socialists are pressing for fresh elections. However, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has dismissed calls to quit, saying the country needs "a steady hand on the helm" to deal with the current financial crisis. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/14/greece.riots/index.html?eref=edition_europe December 14, 2008 -- Updated 1054 GMT (1854 HKT) ? Share this on: Mixx Digg Facebook delicious reddit StumbleUpon MySpace Greek protesters call for more action ? Story Highlights ? Greek students have called for daily protests starting Monday ? Violence sparked by police shooting of 15-year-old boy now in 15th day ? Protests have become outlet for simmering resentment of government ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Greek students have called for daily protests starting Monday, 10 days after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy in Athens sparked demonstrations that have thrown the country into turmoil. Riot police avoid being hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown by protesters in Athens. more photos ? Monday's sit-in is set to take place in front of the country's national police headquarters, with students urging similar demonstrations in front of police precincts across the country. They have called for roads to be blocked on Tuesday, a demonstration Wednesday outside the courthouse where the police involved in the shooting will be testifying, and a nationwide protest on Thursday. Authorities are bracing for potential violence following more than a week of riots which have become an outlet for simmering anger about the economy, education and jobs. The unrest is threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. Stores and international businesses have been attacked, and at least 280 people have been detained by police. Of that total, 176 were arrested, 130 of them over looting. There was a rash of demonstrations Saturday, the one-week anniversary of the death of Alexis Grigoropolous, including attacks on a police station in the Athens district of Exarchaia and on the environment ministry building by angry protesters with stones and Molotov cocktails. The main demonstration Saturday was a peaceful candlelit vigil in front of Parliament on Syntagma Square in the capital. Several thousand people turned out for the demonstration, many of them students but including people of all ages and from all walks of life. Demonstrators held a similar sit-in in the northern city of Thessaloniki. Some stayed for an all-night sit-in. There was relative calms in the streets and across the country as Sunday dawned. The two officers involved in the December 6 shooting were remanded into custody Wednesday pending trial. One is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081214021359.3utyqpwt&show_article=1 Greece braces for second week of protests over boy's death Dec 13 09:14 PM US/Eastern Comments (0) Greece on Sunday braced for a second week of protests over the death of a teenager by a police bullet, as demonstrators staged fresh violence moments after vigils were held for the schoolboy victim. Around 100 hooded youths firebombed a station next to Athens' Exarchia district late Saturday, where 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos died from a police bullet a week ago. At about the same time, similar numbers in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, vandalised a gymnasium before holing up behind university walls. About 200 youths stationed themselves before parliament in Athens late Saturday as security forces ringed them and then chased them away. A police source said demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails qnd set off fires at three banks near the Athens Polytechnic from where self-styled anarchist leaders say they are planning a sustained campaign. An office of the environment ministry and public property were also targeted, with bins set ablaze across the area, police added. The fresh outbreak of hostilities followed largely silent ceremonies marking the moment Grigoropoulos was killed. Greece has been gripped over the past eight days by a deep-rooted protest movement which has succeeded in uniting mainstream and radical youth and that the opposition socialists are seizing upon to press for fresh elections. The lull during peaceful rallies led by several hundred mourners holding lit candles and posting messages on a wall by the spot where the boy fell, had followed overnight attacks on banks and more tense stand-offs with police. Some 2,000 demonstrators -- mainly Polytechnic students -- had earlier Saturday squared up to police outside the Greek parliament on the eighth day of their dogged challenge. They brandished a large banner which read: "06/12/08, Alexis Grigoropoulos, I won't forget." Student pamphlets also announced rallies planned in front of the Athens police headquarters on Monday and back at parliament square on Thursday, when school pupils and teachers are expected to support the protests. About 2,000 youths also marched peacefully in Thessaloniki on Saturday afternoon, while later some 300 gathered silently around the city's emblematic White Tower monument. Police have identified five banks attacked with gas canisters in Athens overnight Friday. A local party office of the ruling conservative party was also targeted. The deeply held anger which has emerged within the lower end of the 15-24 age group -- a quarter of whom nationally remain unemployed -- could fester for months, if past Greek unrest is taken as a guide. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has meanwhile dismissed opposition calls to quit saying: "At this time the country faces a serious financial crisis... a steady hand on the helm is needed to deal with it. "That is my concern, that is the priority of the government, not scenarios about elections and successions. The offices of lawyer Alexis Kougias, representing two policemen charged over Grigoropoulos's death, have already been trashed, while elsewhere in Europe, demonstrators have blocked traffic on the Champs-Elysees in Paris with hundreds marching in Berlin to show solidarity. The officer who shot Grigoropoulos says he killed the boy by accident out of self defence due to a bullet ricochet. A ballistics report, said to confirm that the handgun was not pointed at him, has yet to be released. http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1382142.htm More protests in Greece Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:55 Greece on Sunday braced for a second week of protests over the death of a teenager by a police bullet, as demonstrators staged fresh violence moments after vigils were held for the schoolboy victim. Around 100 hooded youths firebombed a station next to Athens' Exarchia district late Saturday, where 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos died from a police bullet a week ago. At about the same time, similar numbers in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, vandalised a gymnasium before holing up behind university walls. About 200 youths stationed themselves before parliament in Athens late on Saturday, as security forces ringed them and then chased them away. A police source said demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails and set off fires at three banks near the Athens Polytechnic from where self-styled anarchist leaders say they are planning a sustained campaign. An office of the environment ministry and public property were also targeted, with bins set ablaze across the area, police added. The fresh outbreak of hostilities followed largely silent ceremonies marking the moment Grigoropoulos was killed. Greece has been gripped over the past eight days by a deep-rooted protest movement which has succeeded in uniting mainstream and radical youth and that the opposition socialists are seizing upon to press for fresh elections. The lull during peaceful rallies led by several hundred mourners holding lit candles and posting messages on a wall by the spot where the boy fell, had followed overnight attacks on banks and more tense stand-offs with police. Some 2000 demonstrators ? mainly Polytechnic students ? had earlier on Saturday squared up to police outside the Greek parliament on the eighth day of their dogged challenge. They brandished a large banner which read: "06/12/08, Alexis Grigoropoulos, I won't forget." Student pamphlets also announced rallies planned in front of the Athens police headquarters on Monday and back at parliament square on Thursday, when school pupils and teachers are expected to support the protests. About 2000 youths also marched peacefully in Thessaloniki on Saturday afternoon, while later some 300 gathered silently around the city's emblematic White Tower monument. Police have identified five banks attacked with gas canisters in Athens overnight Friday. A local party office of the ruling conservative party was also targeted. The deeply held anger which has emerged within the lower end of the 15-24 age group ? a quarter of whom nationally remain unemployed ? could fester for months, if past Greek unrest is taken as a guide. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has meanwhile dismissed opposition calls to quit saying: "At this time the country faces a serious financial crisis... a steady hand on the helm is needed to deal with it. "That is my concern, that is the priority of the government, not scenarios about elections and successions. The offices of lawyer Alexis Kougias, representing two policemen charged over Grigoropoulos's death, have already been trashed, while elsewhere in Europe, demonstrators have blocked traffic on the Champs-Elysees in Paris with hundreds marching in Berlin to show solidarity. The officer who shot Grigoropoulos says he killed the boy by accident out of self defence due to a bullet ricochet. A ballistics report, said to confirm that the handgun was not pointed at him, has yet to be released. AFP Saturday DECEMBER 13th http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/12/14/nb-02 New wave of protests hits Greece 14/12/2008 ATHENS, Greece -- As many as 100 hooded youths attacked a police station Saturday (December 13th) in Athens's Exarchia district, where a 15-year-old boy was killed December 6th in an incident that sparked a wave of riots across the country. Police used tear gas to ward off the rampage. Fire bombs were also reportedly thrown at branches of the Greek National Bank and Eurobank, as well as businesses and a government office. Similar violence was reported in Thessaloniki, with local businesses and a gymnasium among the targets. Earlier Saturday, thousands of young people gathered in Athens and Thessaloniki to protest the death of the boy, Alexis Grigoropoulos. He and another teenager were throwing rocks and incendiary devices at a police car when an officer in the vehicle fired his gun, killing Grigoropoulos. The policeman insists the death was an accident. On Friday, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said "no" to early elections. At a press conference in Brussels, Karamanlis vowed to guarantee the security of all Greek citizens. In other news, an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale rattled central Greece on Saturday, damaging several houses. Its epicentre was 10km south of the city of Lamia. (AFP, AP, RIA Novosti, BBC - 14/12/08; Eleftherotypia, ANA-MPA, AFP - 13/12/08; MIA - 12/11/08) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122925608458704661.html?mod=rss_whats_news_europe ? DECEMBER 14, 2008, 8:30 A.M. ET Athens Calm After Rioters Attack Police Station, Banks Overnight ATHENS, Greece -- Athens was calm Sunday after eight days of the worst riots Greece has seen in decades, sparked by the police killing of a teenager. No demonstrations were planned for Sunday. In Athens, traffic returned to normal in the center of town and an open-topped double-decker bus carried tourists round the city's main sights. Greek youths, who have protested daily since the boy's death, are angry not just at the police but at an increasingly unpopular government and over economic issues. View Full Image Associated Press Protesters throw missiles toward Greek riot police officers on a street in Athens on Saturday. Overnight, youths attacked a police station, stores and banks and fought running battles with police, as candlelit vigils were held to mark a week since the shooting. Several hundred protesters set up burning barricades and attacked police with rocks and flares. Riot police fired tear gas and chased the youths through parts of the city. The protesters chanted "murderers out" and used laser pointers to target officers for attack. Violence has wracked Greece every day since the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The riots in cities throughout the country have left at least 70 people injured. Hundreds of stores have been smashed and looted, and more than 200 people have been arrested. While most of the protesters have been peaceful, the tone of the demonstrations has been set by a violent fringe. And more young people have been willing to join those fringe elements than in the past. A poll Sunday found that most Greeks see more in the violence than a simple reaction to the shooting. Asked whether the riots were a social uprising, 60% responded yes. Some 64% felt police were unprepared for the violence. The poll of 520 people published in the Kathimerini newspaper gave a 4.5% margin of error. The young protesters promised to remain on the streets until their concerns -- including opposition to the increasingly unpopular government and worry over economic issues -- are addressed. "Speaking as an anarchist, we want to create those social conditions that will generate more uprisings and to get more people out in the streets to demand their rights," said 32-year-old protester Paris Kyriakides. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7782039.stm Sunday, 14 December 2008 Violent protests resume in Greece Footage of the latest rioting in Greece There have been further riots in Greece in protest at the killing by police of a 15-year-old boy eight days ago. Violent clashes broke out in the capital, Athens, on Saturday evening following a day of largely peaceful vigils for Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Youths threw petrol bombs at banks and the police station where the officer charged with the teenager's killing was based. Police responded with tear gas. At least 70 people have been injured in the protests sparked by the shooting. The unrest has spread throughout the country, and has prompted calls for Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and his government to stand down. Mr Karamanlis has vowed not to be swayed by protests, insisting Greece needs experienced leadership at a time of economic crisis. 'Murderers out' The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says the clashes on Saturday evening have been the most serious disturbances for several days. The protesters used laser pointers to target police for attack New generation flexes muscles Have Your Say The protests in memory of Alexandros Grigoropoulos's death last Saturday in Exarchia had begun peacefully. Students of the school the teenager had attended held a silent vigil during the day in Syntagma Square. Hours later, hundreds of others brought candles to the site, while others gathered at the site of the shooting. But later, about 100 youths hurled volleys of petrol bombs and rocks at a police station in the Exarchia district, where the officer, who shot him and has now been charged with murder, was based. The protesters chanted "murderers out". Wearing hoods and masks, the protesters then turned their attention to a commercial area near the National Technical University of Athens, known as the Polytechnic, overturning cars and setting fire to three banks. Several shops and an office of the environment ministry were also attacked. Riot police positioned at street corners in the area responded by firing tear gas at the protesters. Several restaurants in Exarchia had already closed early in anticipation of the violence. Many shop owners meanwhile boarded up their windows as night fell. Police subsequently charged the vigil in nearby Syntagma Square, when those taking part refused to move further away from the parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Meanwhile in Greece's second city of Thessaloniki, dozens of youths vandalised a gymnasium during a demonstration, according to the AFP news agency. Broader complaints Our correspondent says anger at the killing of the teenager has developed into a widespread sense of anger at Greece's government over the past week. Some semblance of calm had returned to Athens on Saturday Thousands of Greeks have taken to the streets across the country, repeatedly clashing with police and vowing to overthrow the government. Many have identified themselves as anarchists happy to use violence in what they say are legitimate protests against the government. Some, though, have welcomed the return of a semblance of calm prior to the violence on Saturday evening. In Athens, Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis greeted Christmas shoppers with the city's brass band. "People came up to me and were telling me that it was the first time they had smiled in days," the mayor told the Associated Press. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/14/greece Fresh riots in Athens as protests in Greece enter eighth day ? Jenny Percival and agencies ? guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 December 2008 11.48 GMT ? Article history A youth assaults a police officer in Athens during a week of riots. Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP Violent clashes broke out in Athens last night on the eighth day of rioting in protest at the police killing of a teenager. Youths attacked a police station, shops and banks and fought running battles with police, as candlelit vigils were being held to mark a week since the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Several hundred protesters set up burning barricades and attacked police with rocks and flares. Riot police fired teargas and chased the youths through parts of the Greek capital. The protesters chanted "murderers out" and used laser pointers to target officers for attack. Violence has wracked Greece every day since the death of Grigoropoulos. The protesters are demonstrating against not just the boy's death but at an increasingly unpopular government and mounting economic worries. The riots in cities across the country have left at least 70 people injured. Hundreds of shops have been attacked and looted, and more than 200 people arrested. While most of the protests have been peaceful, the tone of the demonstrations has been set by a violent fringe, with more young people willing to join such elements than in the past. Athens remained calm this morning, with no plans for further protests. Traffic returned to normal in the city centre and an open-topped double-decker bus carried tourists round the capital's main sights. An opinion poll published today in the Kathimerini newspaper found that most Greeks consider the violence as more than a simple reaction to the shooting. Asked whether the riots constituted a social uprising, 60% responded yes. Sixty-four percent said police were unprepared for the violence. The protesters promised to remain on the streets until their concerns are addressed. One protester, 32-year-old Paris Kyriakides, said: "Speaking as an anarchist, we want to create those social conditions that will generate more uprisings and to get more people out in the streets to demand their rights. "In the end, the violence that we use is minimal in comparison to the violence the system uses, like the banks." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1228728176403 Dec 13, 2008 12:25 | Updated Dec 13, 2008 12:29 Protesters promise to continue demonstrating on Greek streets By ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece Protesters are promising to remain on the streets of Greece, one week after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy sparked massive riots. A young boy walks by a burning barricade in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki as rioters smashed, burned and looted buildings in several Greek cities on Monday. Photo: AP SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World Demonstrations are scheduled Saturday, followed by daily rallies over the next week, including plans to gather outside police headquarters. Riots that followed the police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos have left hundreds of stores smashed and looted. At least 70 people have been injured and more than 200 arrested. The protests are driven in part by the widening gap between rich and poor in a country where the minimum monthly wage is ?658 ($850), graduates have poor job prospects and the government is making painful reforms to the pension system. "It is clear that this wave of discontent will not die down. This rage is spreading because the underlying causes remain," said veteran left-wing politician Leonidas Kyrkos. At the site where Grigoropoulos was shot, scores of people came to leave flowers and pin messages to a notice board. A privately made street sign was placed on the corner of the block with the teenager's name. Internet tribute sites were also flooded with messages. "We want a better world. We are not hooligans or terrorists ... we are your children. You were young once too." wrote "Theo" on one of several groups dedicated to the dead teenager on Internet networking site Facebook. Beleaguered Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Friday ruled out early elections, and renewed calls on opposition parties to issue stronger public condemnations of the violence. "We must make a very clear distinction between the overwhelming majority of the Greek people who of course have every right to express their sorrow at the death of a young boy, and the minority of extremists who take refuge in acts of extreme violence." he said. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis renewed calls for demonstrations to remain peaceful and promised to replace the city's torched Christmas tree next week. "Those people who caused damage don't love this city," Kaklamanis said. "I'm asking for everyone to come to join the Christmas celebrations, as an answer to these people ... Athens will get back on its feet." Christmas shoppers cautiously returned to central Athens Saturday, with many shops boarding up their windows instead of replacing glass for fear of further violence. Glazier Michalis Mentis said he had replaced several storefronts twice. "There's been a lot of work for us but it's very bad for businesses in general," Mentis said. "It's very lucky more people were not hurt, because there was so much damage." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,466664,00.html Rioters in Greece Attack Police Station, Banks Saturday, December 13, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Dec. 12: Riot police attempt to assist a colleague covered in flames from a petrol bomb thrown by protesters, during clashes in central Athens. ATHENS, Greece ? Rioting youths in the Greek capital attacked a police station, stores and banks and fought running battles with police late Saturday, authorities said, as violent protests against a police killing continued for the seventh straight day. The clashes broke out as candlelit vigils were being held to mark a week since the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy, which triggered the riots that are threatening the stability of the government. Youths ? some on foot, others riding motorcycles ? attacked a police station with petrol bombs in central Athens as well as at least three banks, several stores and a government building, police said. Several hundred protesters set up burning barricades and attacked police with rocks and flares. Riot police fired tear gas and chased the youths through parts of the city. The protesters chanted "murderers out" and used laser pointers to target police for attack. Click here for photos. Violence has wracked Greece every day since the death of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The riots in cities throughout the country has left at least 70 people injured. Hundreds of stores have been smashed and looted, and more than 200 people have been arrested. While most of the protesters have been peaceful, the tone of the demonstrations has been set by a violent fringe. And more young people have been willing to join those fringe elements than in the past. Hundreds of school children holding candles gathered peacefully Saturday outside parliament and at the site where teenager was shot. Outside parliament, they left candles spelling out the name "Alex" in front of a line of riot policemen. The young protesters promised to remain on the streets until their concerns ? including opposition to increasingly unpopular government and worry over economic issues ? are addressed. "Speaking as an anarchist, we want to create those social conditions that will generate more uprisings and to get more people out in the streets to demand their rights," said 32-year-old protester Paris Kyriakides. "In the end, the violence that we use is minimal in comparison to the violence of the system uses, like the banks," Kyriakides said. Earlier Saturday, a crowd of about 1,000 people attended a peaceful sit-down demonstration in Athens and another 1,000 demonstrated in the northern city of Thessaloniki. One 16-year-old student at the Athens demonstration, who gave only her first name, Veatriki, said young people her age felt their voices were being heard immediately when they smashed a shop window or a car. She also said young people want to see the policemen involved in the shooting punished and the police disarmed. The two officers involved in the boy's shooting have been arrested. One was charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear. Giorgos Kyrtsos, publisher of the City Press and Free Sunday newspapers, said the violent demonstrations revealed widespread public discontent. "We are entering a long period of economic crisis," Kyrtsos said. "But there is also a deepening social crisis, combined with a weakened state. We are truly at a crossroads." Kyrtsos, a conservative, was highly critical of the government's handling of the protests. "This is the only government I remember that has managed to alienate both the rebellious youth and the law-and-order crowd," he said. "It has nothing to offer to anybody." Christmas shoppers cautiously returned to central Athens earlier Saturday, but many stores had boarded up their windows instead of replacing the glass, for fear of further violence. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis greeted shoppers with the city's brass band. "People came up to me and were telling me that it was the first time they had smiled in days," the mayor said. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20081213_Greeks_protest_for_a_7th_day_and_vow_more.html Posted on Sat, Dec. 13, 2008 Greeks protest for a 7th day and vow more By Elena Becatoros Associated Press ATHENS, Greece - Protesters took to the streets of Athens for the seventh day yesterday, vowing to maintain pressure on the government with both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes. Youths pelted riot police with rocks and firebombs. Colleagues saved one officer who was covered in blazing gasoline. He was unhurt. Demonstrators in France, Germany and Turkey put on shows of support for the Greek protests, which erupted when police killed a teenager but now seem to be driven in part by economic discontent. There is a widening gap between rich and poor in the country. Graduates have poor job prospects, and the government is making painful changes to the pension system. "This rage is spreading because the underlying causes remain," left-wing politician Leonidas Kyrkos said. Beleaguered Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis ruled out early elections, saying from Brussels, Belgium, that Greece needed a steady hand to steer it through the global financial crisis. "We must make a very clear distinction between the overwhelming majority of the Greek people who of course have every right to express their sorrow at the death of a young boy, and the minority of extremists who take refuge in acts of extreme violence," he said. Dozens of people have been treated in hospitals during the unrest, sparked last Saturday by the killing of a 15-year-old. The level of violence has abated, but tear gas and the smoke from burned cars still hang in the air in central Athens. "Financial targets are being attacked, like banks, to prove a point of economic oppression," said Constantinos Sakkas, 23, a protest organizer. ". . . Some people hardly have enough to eat." In Paris, 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Greek Embassy. Some scuffled with police, shouting, "Police, pigs, everywhere!" Some cautioned that riots could explode in France, too, saying that French students and laborers were struggling to find decent work. Protesters also marched through Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood, and in Turkey, leftists staged a peaceful protest outside the Greek Consulate in Istanbul. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415330.html New protests in Athens, solidarity actions across Europe Chris Marsden | 13.12.2008 20:54 | World Youth clashed with police during a protest in Athens Friday over the police killing of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos. Thousands took part in the anti-government rally, culminating a week of protests that show no signs of abating. Several thousand people, mainly students and teachers, assembled outside the University of Athens and marched towards parliament, chanting, "Blood demands vengeance" and "One underground, a thousand in the street." The protest was headed by a banner reading, "Killer State." Roads were cordoned off around the parliament, which was protected by thousands of police. Youth threw firebombs and stones at police, who fired back teargas before the start of the demonstration near Syntagma Square. Riot police attacked a group of around 100, seizing several and wrestling them to the ground, according to Agence France-Presse. Stun grenades were also fired. Protesters also entered the National Bank of Greece's main branch and staff fled the building. Demonstrators briefly occupied a private radio station in Athens, reading a statement on air, and a municipal building in the northwestern city of Ioannina. Another rally took place in Greece's second largest city of Thessaloniki. Reports state that the police are running out of teargas after using some 4,600 capsules in the last week and have approached Germany and Israel for urgent supplies. The violence employed against demonstrators is such that parents and other adults have had to stand between protesting youth and baton-wielding police. The previous day, youth clashed with police outside the Exarchia district's Athens Polytechnic, where Grigoropoulos was shot dead. The poly has been occupied since Monday. Students staged sit-ins at 120 high schools and 15 universities nationally and blocked 10 major streets in the capital. A 24-hour general strike on December 10 against Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis's austerity budget and ?28 billion handout to the banks also became a focus for anti-government sentiment. Protesters shouted "Sack Karamanlis" as over a thousand police surrounded the parliament building. That same day, police officer Epaminondas Korkoneas was charged with voluntary homicide and illegal use of his service weapon and Vassilios Saraliotis was charged as an accomplice. There was widespread anger over Korkoneas's failure to express regret over the killing, with the Ethnos newspaper describing his lack of remorse as "pouring petrol on the flames." Outside the court, petrol bombs were hurled as the officers' lawyer, Alexis Kouyais, spoke to reporters. Kouyais's denunciations of Grigoropoulos as a "hooligan" who had been kicked out of school were condemned by the Athens Bar Association (DSA) as "slanderous and counter to the lawyers' code of ethics." The student's former school has rejected the claim. "Slandering the dead 15-year-old, either personally or through repetition of the views of his client to the mass media, as well as the defamation of the lawyers who did not accept to undertake the defence, is a contravention of the rules of deontology in the practice of law and the duty of a direct manner of defence. It comprises a new?ethical?murder that fuels the tension in these days when the entire Greek society is rising up and demonstrating, in tribute to his memory and against police arbitrariness," the DSA wrote. Kouyais now faces the threat of dismissal. The Korydallos prison, where the two officers are detained, was besieged by high school students. Thousands of students marched towards police stations at Patissia, Glyfada, Ilioupolis, Korydallos, Melissia and other areas of Athens. At least 10 cities have been hit by protests. There have also been a series of solidarity protests throughout Europe. There are reports of demonstrations in more than 20 countries. Greeks protested in Paris, Berlin, London, Rome, The Hague, Moscow, New York, Italy and Cyprus. According to Reuters, protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy "smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks." There were 11 arrests in Spain and 62 in Copenhagen. Karamanlis, who has only a single seat majority, has rejected calls for his resignation and early elections. On Friday, he insisted that in time of crisis the country required a steady hand. "That is my concern and the concern and the priority of the government, and not scenarios about elections and successions," he told reporters while attending the European Union summit in Brussels. He denounced "blind violence" and "the activities of extreme elements." The BBC reported, "Correspondents say the government may impose a state of emergency to bring an end to the violence, but that there is no question of troops being called in." So deep is the anger over the young boy's killing that, in a parliamentary discussion, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos acknowledged what he called a "murderous act" and promised that "justice will be served." But he went on to defend the police and threaten retribution against the protesters. "Isolated incidents, no matter how heinous, cannot mar the image of police acting within the framework of legality," he said, and warned that "the enemies of democracy will not remain under a hood for much longer. We show no tolerance and never will." The New Democracy government was facing questions from opposition Communist Party of Greece (KKE) MP Spyros Halvatzis and Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) Parliamentary Group Leader Alekos Alavanos, both of whom solidarised themselves with Pavlopoulos's condemnation of violent protest. Halvatzis said that many of those participating in the riots were not students, while Alavanos said his party "condemns violence" and has called only for the democratic reorganization of the police. Everything possible is being done by the opposition parties, led by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), as well as the trade unions to isolate the students and youth and thereby restore order. But none have acted as strenuously as the Communist Party. It has taken up the accusations by the right wing that SYRIZA, which includes former euro-Communists who split from the KKE and various radical groupings, supports violence. Yesterday's demonstration was called on the basis of a common statement of "anti-capitalist left organizations" saluting "the demonstrations against the government of murderers all over Greece" and denouncing police repression under the slogan of all such protests: "Down with this government of murderers and thieves!" The hard-line Stalinists of the Communist Party have accused all those taking part of providing cover for "the provocateurs" and have been congratulated by Employment Minister Fani Palli-Petralia for their "responsible" attitude. The KKE's own demonstrations have urged efforts to preserve "social peace" against the "ultra-left" and "anarchists." The KKE's youth organization has reportedly taken positions inside and outside university faculties, trying to prohibit students involved in protests and occupations from assembling. Chris Marsden Homepage: http://www.wsws.org http://www.fijilive.com/news_new/index.php/news/show_news/11574 School is battleground for Athens protests 12/12/2008 ________________________________________ The overpowering smell of tear gas and smoke from burned out cars hangs in the streets around the elite Athens Polytechnic, where students with scarves covering their faces are holed up. The students, gathered round a fire in a metal bin in the courtyard of one of Greece's oldest universities, have been at the vanguard of nationwide demonstrations after the police killing of a 15-year-old boy in a nearby road. Banners declaring "state killers", "murderers, you will pay", "democracy gives arms, cops assassinate" and "silence only shows complicity" hang from the Polytechnic buildings. The students -- future engineers, scientists and technicians -- sometimes stray out onto the street in the Exarchia district to lob a firebomb or a rock but quickly return, knowing that the police cannot follow them. Greece's constitution bans police from entering educational establishments -- a decision resulting from protests by Polytechnic students in 1973 that played a key role in ending the country's military dictatorship. Forty-four students were killed in the unrest. "We don't have a council of representatives, we meet twice a day to decide on the next step in our struggle," said one of the 12 masked protesters. While there may not yet be revolutionary intent, the protester said the students want "the killers to pay." They told how they have been occupying the Polytechnic since the hours after Alexis Grigoropoulos, 15, was fatally shot in an Exarchia street on Saturday. There have been clashes every night since then. The smell of teargas and smoke is still everywhere. Boutiques and restaurants in central Athens may have reopened, Athens City Hall may have cleaned up the main avenue leading to the Polytechnic, but there are plenty of broken windows and damaged shops that testify to the violence. The students say they do not care about commercial damage. "You speak of windows, we're talking about lives," reads one inscription on the walls of a nearby building. The nearby economy faculty has also been occupied. "We're not calling for the government to resign," the students say in a leaflet distributed at the entrance. "What we want is for the anger in the streets to grow." Faculty head Grigoris Prastakos tried to speak to the students. He said he wants the university to get back to normal. While Prastokos said he believed most facilities in Athens had escaped serious damage, protests in the second city of Thessaoninki are said to have left widespread damage. About 15 university campuses are still occupied in Athens and Thessaloniki, according to police. Exarchia resident Konstantina Starfa, 22, said there is "no justification" for the anarchic scenes witnessed in Athens, yet she also believes Grigoropoulos' killing "reflects an overbearing social crisis within Greece." On the corner of Messolonguiou and Tzavella streets, people stood looking at bouquets of flowers and burning candles left on the pavement. This is the spot where the 15 year-old boy was shot on December 6. "Cops, pigs, assassins," "Screwed-up society" read messages written on pieces of paper among the tributes. AFP http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=226869 Protesters mark one-week anniversary in Greece 12/13/2008 4:39 PM By: Associated Press ATHENS, Greece -- Hundreds of young people holding candles gathered in Athens to mark a week since the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy. The death has triggered massive riots across Greece. The week has seen at least 70 people injured and hundreds of stores smashed and looted. Saturday, teenage protesters held vigils outside parliament and at the site where the teen was shot. Candles spelling out the boy's name were left in front of a line of riot policemen guarding the parliament building. The young people said they're not just angry about the boy's death, but also about the government and the economy. They have vowed to continue their street protests until their concerns are addressed. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1213/breaking49.htm Saturday, December 13, 2008, 20:43 Youths attack police station in Greece protests Dozens of youths on foot and motorcycles attacked a police station in central Athens tonight, while two banks and a government building were also damaged in arson attacks. The attacks followed a candlelit vigil to mark a week since the police killing of a 15-year-old boy that triggered massive riots across Greece. The youths threw at least one petrol bomb at the police station, before smashing paving stones and setting up barricades with burning rubbish bins. Teenage protesters also held gatherings outside parliament and at the site where Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot. Candles spelling out the name ?Alex? were left in front of a line of riot policemen guarding the parliament building. Greek youths taking part in protests everyday since the boy?s death are angry not just at the police but at an increasingly unpopular government and over economic issues. Young protesters have promised to remain on the streets until their concerns are addressed. AP Friday DECEMBER 12 http://www.b92.net//eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=12&dd=12&nav_id=55677 Athens calm after six-day protest 12 December 2008 | 09:26 | Source: AFP ATHENS -- Athens was relatively calm early Friday after six days of protests and clashes, police sources said, according to AFP. The violenece followed the death of a teenaged schoolboy by a policeman's bullet. The only violence reported was an 23:00 GMT incident when stones were thrown at a sports club headed by Antenna television owner Minos Kyriakou, who is also the chairman of the Greek Olympic Committee, the police said. Saturday's fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos unleashed a wave of anger against police and the conservative government leading to demonstrations, attacks on police targets and looting. A protest march on parliament in Athens on Thursday ended in minor clashes between youths and police while another demonstration in Thessaloniki ended peacefully. But authorities were on alert as a number of universities and faculties in Athens and Thessaloniki are still occupied by students and used to spring attacks on police. More demonstrations are scheduled in Athens and Thessaloniki on Friday. Greek embassies in other countries have also become a target for protests. The violence has caused dozens of injuries and left hundreds of banks, stores and public buildings destroyed, badly damaged by fire, or looted. It has also caused a political crisis for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose parliamentary majority consists of just one deputy, and whose government was already shaken by corruption scandals and unpopular reforms. The opposition has called on Karamanlis to resign. Protesters have said they are striking out against police repression, corrupt politicians and a social system that offers little hope. The government has blamed the violence on loosely organized self-styled anarchists who have a long tradition of attacking banks, car dealerships and other business targets though the scale of the recent attacks is unprecedented. The two officers implicated in Grigoropoulos' killing have been placed under pre-trial detention but fresh uproar was caused this week when their lawyer said the death "was sadly brought about by an act of God." The officer who shot Grigoropoulos claims he was trying to defend himself from a gang of youths and killed the boy by accident due to a bullet ricochet. A ballistics report is said to confirm the officer's claim but the findings have yet to be officially released, raising suspicions of a cover-up. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3869141,00.html Crime | 12.12.2008 Athens Riots Calm as Heavy Rains Dampen Protests Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Athens has been ravaged by several successive nights of rioting Athens saw its calmest night since the outbreak of violence after a fatal police shooting of a Greek teenager last weekend, Greek state radio said Friday. Police reported a lull in rioting as protests were dampened by heavy rains falling right across Greece. The quieting came ahead of the release Friday, Dec. 12, of the results of a ballistics examination of the bullet which killed 15-year-old schoolboy Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Saturday. Outrage over the teenager's death sparked widespread riots across Greece and minor flare-ups in other European cities. The policeman who shot the boy, Epaminondas Korkoneas, remains in custody in a high-security prison in the Athens suburb Korydallos after being charged with voluntary homicide, which under Greek law does not necessarily involve premeditation. Policeman claims self-defense Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Violence and rioting throughout Greece has been fierce Korkoneas is accused of killing Grigoropoulos during a clash with around 30 youths in the Exarchia district of Athens. The police officer has claimed self defense. His lawyers said a ballistics analysis indicated the bullet had ricocheted before hitting the schoolboy. Korkoneas's partner, Vassilios Saraliotis, 31, was charged with being an accomplice and will also remain in custody. Fresh rallies New student rallies were planned for Friday and Monday. On Thursday, the sixth day of demonstrations, about 4,000 students took to the streets in Athens in a protest that turned increasingly violent. Demonstrators clashed with security forces near the country's biggest prison and a university in central Athens. Crowds threw rocks and other missiles at police, who retaliated using tear gas, a prison guard said. Attacks on stores in several other areas and road blockades were also reported. More than 400 businesses have been hit by the rioting, with 37 completely gutted. The damage in Athens alone was worth about 200 million euros ($259 million), according to the Greek Commerce Confederation. Anger at government reforms Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protests spread around Europe as Greek consulates came under fire The Athens clashes paralleled similar events in other Greek cities and throughout Europe as anger was focused against Greek consulates. Analysts say the severity of the violence was caused by long-simmering discontent with the government over a series of financial scandals and unpopular economic, pension and education reforms. The shooting of Grigoropoulos was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks, whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment and low wages. DW staff (dfm) http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-12-voa37.cfm?CFID=259716738&CFTOKEN=84033205&jsessionid=6630f6b0ed4a2844ae5c4e4d269427e6752a Fresh Clashes Break Out Between Greek Youths and Riot Police By VOA News 12 December 2008 A protester throws a metal crowd barrier at riot police outside parliament during a demonstration in central Athens, Greece, 12 Dec 2008 Greek youths have hurled rocks and firebombs at riot police in central Athens, as unrest continues for a seventh day following the police shooting of a teenager. Police Friday fired tear gas and clashed with protesters attempting to march toward parliament. Police officials say they are urgently seeking more tear gas from Israel and Germany after using more than 4,600 capsules. Rage over last Saturday's killing has turned into anger over corruption and economic hardship. The violence has shaken the conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, which has a one-seat majority in parliament. Mr. Karamanlis today rejected mounting calls for his resignation, saying his priority was to provide the country steady leadership to tackle the financial crisis. Scores of protesters and police in Athens and the northern city of Salonika have been injured since Saturday, when police gunfire in Athens' central Exarchia district killed the 15-year-old boy. Protesters continue to occupy several schools and universities Friday. Others briefly took over an Athens radio station and read a statement on air. The two Athens policemen involved in the shooting have been jailed pending trial. One faces murder charges, while the other is accused of being an accomplice. The officers say they were only firing warning shots. Their lawyers say initial forensic analysis shows the boy was hit by a ricochet, and not a direct shot as charged by some witnesses. Protests have spread beyond Greece's borders, with demonstrations in other European cities, including Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Rome and The Hague. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3725047/Greece-runs-out-of-tear-gas-during-violent-protests.html Greece 'runs out of tear gas' during violent protests Greece has issued an international appeal for more tear gas after supplies ran low because police fired so much of it during a week of violent protests across the country. By Nick Squires in Athens Last Updated: 6:41PM GMT 12 Dec 2008 Demonstrators, in a cloud of tear gas, hurl rocks at police during clashes in central Athens Photo: AP Officers released 4,600 capsules of tear gas during confrontations in Athens and nearly a dozen other cities since riots erupted over the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old schoolboy by a policeman last Saturday. The greek government is urgently seeking fresh supplies of tear gas from Israel and Germany, the police said. Yesterday, a report disputed claims by lawyers for the policeman accused of killing Alexandros Grigoropoulos that the bullet hit the boy after ricocheting. The Kathimerini newspaper said that the results of forensic tests on the bullet indicated that it had been fired directly at the teenager. Athens Bar Association condemned the policeman's lawyer, Alexis Kougias, for "desecrating the dead" by claiming that the 15-year-old had been a troublemaker. The claims "constitute a moral murder which fuel tensions", the association said. Yesterday, heavy rain helped to curtail demonstrations compared to the intensity of recent days but still students and Left-wing activists again hurled petrol bombs and stones at police outside Greece's national parliament building in the seventh consecutive day of violence. A group of around 80 students peacefully occupied a radio station in Athens, reading a statement over the air and playing music, as many Greeks expressed their frustration with the dire political and economic situation. "It was one of the most intense protests we've had in Greece, but today it could be the last day. I'm afraid it will be forgotten, like everything has been in the past," said Fani Stathoulopoulou, 25. "Politicians didn't react as they should." Greece's socialist opposition has stepped up calls for the prime minister to call new elections, amid the worst unrest Greece has seen since a military dictatorship ended in 1974. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose conservative New Democracy party has a parliamentary majority of just one seat, said he had no intention of quitting. "It's evident that we are undergoing a very serious financial crisis as well as a crisis in terms of what has been happening in the last few days and we therefore need a consistent, responsible government and a firm hand to guide the country," he said at an EU summit in Brussels. "This is for me the priority and not any scenarios about early elections or a change in leadership." As Mr Karamanlis spoke, about 5,000 protesters marched through Athens carrying banners saying: "The state kills" and "The government is guilty of murder". Several schools and universities remained occupied by students and professors on one campus formed a human chain around the main university building to protect it from further damage. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/greece.riots/index.html?eref=edition_europe December 12, 2008 -- Updated 1112 GMT (1912 HKT) Athens calms, but protesters vow more fighting ? Story Highlights ? Police spokesman: Situation more contained than it has been since weekend ? Anarchists disrupted clean up and vowed to take to the streets later Thursday ? Lawyer for officers accused of shooting teenager say he was killed by a ricochet ? Officials fear that if the ricochet theory pans out it could spark more riots ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Athens was mostly calm Thursday, allowing many Athenians to return to work for the first time in days, but protesters warned they were preparing themselves for street fights after nightfall. A police spokesman said the situation was more contained Thursday than it has been since the weekend, when the police shooting of a teenager kicked off days of riots in Athens and across Greece. "Of course there are sporadic clashes between students and police officials, but things are a scale or two lower than they were yesterday," police spokesman Panayiotes Stathis said. "There is a gradual deescalation and that's how we hope the situation will proceed." Hundreds of students have refused to return to school and several of them protested Thursday at local police precincts. Several student groups staged sit-ins along 10 major streets in Athens, at 120 high schools across the country, and at 15 universities. Students planned a protest for Friday in the center of Athens. Student unions in universities and high schools met throughout the day Thursday to decide their course of action for the coming days. At the Athens Polytechnic University -- a major flashpoint with clashes between anarchists and police -- municipal crews were able to clear the streets for the first time in days. So much debris was in the streets from the protests that in some places it was half a foot deep. Anarchists stopped the crews from clearing two streets and taking away burned-out vehicles, saying they wanted to use the cars for barricades in what they said would be street fights Thursday night. Watch how the unrest could cause a crisis ? The only major clash Thursday was outside the large Koyrdallos prison in Athens, where youths faced off violently with police. Shopkeepers and businessmen seemed determined to reclaim their city from the protesters who have wreaked havoc and caused destruction across Athens. Since Wednesday, groups of merchants have been seen confronting hooded, masked youths involved in the protests, and even fighting with them. The violence began Saturday after police officers fatally shot a 15-year-old boy who had been throwing stones at their patrol car along with other youths. The riots and protests soon became an outlet for simmering anger about the Greek economy, education, and jobs. The events are threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. The two officers involved in Saturday's shooting were remanded into custody Wednesday pending trial. One is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice. Their lawyer said Thursday that initial results from a ballistics test show the officer did not fire directly at the teen. Instead, the bullet ricocheted off another object before hitting the boy in the chest, attorney Alexis Kougias said. The initial examination shows the bullet taken from the victim was scraped and deformed on one side, Kougias said. That indicates the bullet was one of two warning shots fired by police into the air, which then ricocheted and hit the boy. Kougias said reports Wednesday that the ballistics test confirmed the ricochet theory were incorrect. The official report is expected later Thursday or on Friday. Officials fear that if the ricochet theory pans out, it could inflame tensions and spark more riots. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1447933.php/Strong_rain_calms_down_Greek_protests Strong rain calms down Greek protests Europe News Dec 12, 2008, 6:05 GMT Athens - Police recorded the calmest night since the outbreak of violence after a fatal police shooting of a teenager last weekend, Greek state radio said Friday. There were no reports of rioting during the night, the protests dampened by heavy rains falling across Greece. The results of the ballistic examination of the bullet which killed 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Saturday are expected to be released Friday. The policeman who shot the boy remains in custody in a high-security prison in the Athens suburb Korydallos. New student rallies were planned for Friday and Monday. On Thursday evening about 4,000 students took to the streets again in Athens in a protest turing increasingly violent, as clashes occurred also in other Greek cities. Analysts insist that violence was the result of long-simmering discontent with the government over a series of financial scandals and unpopular economic, pension and education reforms. The shooting of was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks, whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment rate and low wages. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-12-greece-riots_N.htm Greeks riot for seventh day Updated 12/12/2008 5:00 PM | Comments 16 | Recommend By Petros Karadjias, AP A riot policeman in Athens, chases a demonstrator on Friday. ATHENS (AP) ? Protesters took to the streets of Athens for the seventh consecutive day Friday, vowing to maintain pressure on the government with both peaceful demonstrations and violent clashes that left one police officer engulfed in flames. Youths pelted riot police with rocks and firebombs. One officer flailed, covered in blazing gasoline, as his colleagues rushed to extinguish him. He was ultimately unhurt. GREECE UNREST: Country plans prison release despite troubles Demonstrators in France and Germany put on shows of support for the Greeks protests, which are driven in part by the widening gap between rich and poor in a country where the minimum monthly wage is $850, graduates have poor job prospects and the government is making painful reforms to the pension system. "It is clear that this wave of discontent will not die down. This rage is spreading because the underlying causes remain," said veteran left-wing politician Leonidas Kyrkos. "These protests are a vehicle with which people can claim their rights and shatter indifference and false promises." Beleaguered Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis ruled out early elections, however, saying from Brussels that the country needs a steady hand to steer it through the global financial crisis. "That is my concern and the concern and the priority of the government, and not scenarios about elections and successions," he said. "We must make a very clear distinction between the overwhelming majority of the Greek people who of course have every right to express their sorrow at the death of a young boy, and the minority of extremists who take refuge in acts of extreme violence." Dozens of people have been treated in hospitals during the unrest, sparked last Saturday by the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos. The level of violence has abated but tear gas and the smoke from burned cars still hang in the air in central Athens. Hundreds of businesses have been burned or smashed and looted in cities across Greece. Banks in particular have been targeted, with terrified employees fleeing as protesters smashed recently replaced windows of branches along central Syntagma Square. "Financial targets are being attacked, like banks, to prove a point of economic oppression ... some people hardly have enough eat," said Constantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protest organizer. "We're against the attacks on small stores," he added. "The purpose of all this is for our demands to be heard. This just isn't for us. It's for everyone." In Paris, about 300 demonstrators gathered outside the Greek Embassy. Some scuffled with police and spilled over onto the Champs-Elysees, partly blocking Paris' most famous avenue, some ripping out streetlights from the center of the road as they moved along. "Police, pigs, everywhere!" they shouted, bemused bystanders in red Santa hats watching as police vans with and riot officers in helmets and shields marched down the avenue in their wake. Outside the embassy, demonstrators shouted "Murderous Greek state!" and "A police officer, a bullet, that is social justice!" Hundreds of protesters also marched through Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood, behind a van broadcasting messages of solidarity with the Greek protesters. Earlier in the week, protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks, while in France, cars were set ablaze outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming "insurrection." Thursday DECEMBER 11 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24788986-12335,00.html Athens hit by new protests ? Font Size: Decrease Increase ? Print Page: Print From correspondents in Athens | December 12, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse POLICE clashed with demonstrators and groups of looters in Athens overnight as the Greek government confronted a sixth day of protests over the police killing of a schoolboy. Demonstrators fought security forces outside the country's biggest prison and a university in central Athens while police said groups of youths attacked stores in several districts or blocked main roads. Formal voluntary homicide charges against the police officer accused of shooting 15-year-old Andreas Grigoropoulos failed to stem public anger and Greek embassies in other countries have also become a target for protests. But under fire prime minister Costas Karamanlis went to a European Union summit in Brussels. A clash at Koyrdallos prison in a western Athens suburb blew up after protesters threw rocks and other missiles at police who fired tear gas to force the protesters back, a prison guard said. Demonstrators later staged a sitdown protest in front of the prison amid more confrontations with security forces. Police said there was also unrest at the Athens agriculture university, which has been occupied by students, and that rampaging youths were attacking stores in the upmarket Nea Smyrni and Galatsi districts of the capital. School students also blocked several main roads in Athens. More than 100 schools and some 15 university campuses remain occupied by youth demonstrators in Athens and the second city of Thessaloniki, with student groups having announced a major rally for tomorrow. Slogans such as "state killers", "murderers, you will pay", "democracy gives arms, cops assassinate" and "Silence only shows complicity" are splashed across banners hanging outside the elite Athens Polytechnic building. About 400 people, mainly left wing activists, gathered for protest march on the Greek parliament today. A large number of security forces protected the building. More than 1000 people took part in another march in the northern city of Thessaloniki. Six days of unrest in cities across Greece since Grigoropoulos was fatally shot in Athens have left dozens of injured and scores of banks, stores and public buildings destroyed, badly damaged by fire, or looted. Police have confronted riots every night since the death. Athens police officer Epaminondas Korkoneas was charged yesterday with voluntary homicide - which under Greek law does not necessarily involve premeditation. Mr Korkoneas has claimed self defence with ballistics analysis indicating a ricochet bullet hit the schoolboy, lawyers said. His partner, Vassilios Saraliotis, 31, was charged with being an accomplice and will also remain in custody. Demonstrators and left wing unions have sought to focus the public anger against the right wing government, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months because of the economic crisis and a series of political scandals. A general strike yesterday brought much of the country to a standstill and badly disrupted flights in and out of Greece. The socialist opposition has also stepped up calls for Mr Karamanlis to quit and call new elections, ignoring his appeals for national unity against the worst unrest Greece has seen since the end of a military dictatorship in 1974. Mr Karamanlis now faces intense domestic political pressure, with just a single seat majority in the Greek parliament. Mr Korkoneas is accused of killing Grigoropoulos during a clash with around 30 youths in the Exarchia district of Athens. His lawyer said Mr Korkoneas claims self defence saying the group threw firebombs and other objects while shouting that they "were going to kill them". The crisis has crossed borders, with Turkish left-wing protesters daubing red paint over the Greek consulate in Istanbul, and Greek embassies in Moscow and Rome also targets for firebombers. In Spain, 11 demonstrators were arrested and several police officers injured during clashes in Madrid and Barcelona, while 32 people were arrested in Copenhagen when their protest in support of Greek rioters turned violent, police said. http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013375198 Athens Continues To Be Gripped By Violent Protests ShareThis December 11, 2008 3:15 p.m. EST Julie Farby - AHN Reporter Athens, Greece (AHN) - Protesters entered their sixth day of demonstrations in Athens on Thursday, protesting the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos who was shot by police on Saturday. Athens has been gripped by protests, many of which have turned violent, in an effort to bring attention to police brutality in light of the economic difficulties facing Greece. 37-year-old Epaminondas Korkoneas, the police officer accused of shooting the teenager, has been charged with voluntary homicide and "illegal use" of his service weapon, and was ordered to remain in custody by an Athens court. During his questioning, Korkoneas said he had acted out of self defense when a group of youths began throwing firebombs and other objects while threatening to kill him and his partner. His lawyer also defended his client's actions, saying, the bullet which killed Grigoropoulos showed signs of having bounced off a hard surface, indicating that the boy was killed as a result of an accidental ricochet. According to the Athens Chamber of Commerce said 435 businesses had been hit during the violence, with 37 completely gutted, estimating the damage at GBP 44 million (50 million euros). The conservative daily newspaper Kathimerini said the trouble gripping Greece was a result of long-time neglect. "This is a country with a state that is in a shambles, a police force in disarray, mediocre universities that serve as hotbeds of rage instead of knowledge and a shattered health care system. It is also on the brink of financial ruin." http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415099.html General strike, spreading protests rock Greek government Chris Marsden | 11.12.2008 17:01 | World Yesterday's one-day general strike paralysed much of Greece, while 10,000 marched in Athens against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Flights were halted by the walkout of air traffic controllers, and the country's public transport network was largely shut down. Railways, metro and bus lines, and coach services ground to a halt. Schools, banks and hospitals were also affected. There were battles between police and youth on the main demonstration as well as outside the central courthouse where two officers involved in the fatal shooting of student Alexandros Grigoropoulos were testifying. High school students chanted "Cops! Pigs! Murderers!" Riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators advancing on the parliament building in Athens. Many shops stayed closed and boarded up their windows. A group of around 100 Roma attacked a police station in the suburb of Zefyri. Clashes broke out during demonstrations in Thessaloniki, Kavala and Patrus. Two universities in Athens remain occupied. University teachers have been on strike since December 8 and high school and primary school teachers have struck since December 9. In Athens, officials estimate that more than 200 stores, 50 banks and many cars have been damaged. The Athens Traders Association estimates that the previous four days of rioting have caused ?1 billion ($1.3 billion) in damages. Stathis Anestis, spokesman for a federation of private sector unions, said, "Participation in the strike is total. The country has come to a standstill." The strike was scheduled some time ago by the Greek General Confederation of Workers (GSEE) and the Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY), representing 2.5 million workers?half the Greek workforce. It was called to press demands for higher wages, pensions and social spending and to protest austerity measures. But it has become bound together with the massive popular reaction to the killing of Grigoropoulos, which has become a focus for widespread anger toward both the police and the Karamanlis government. Karamanlis and the New Democrats are hanging onto office by a single seat in the 300-member parliament. His government has agreed to give ?28 billion to the bankers, while cutting social services and pensions and forcing through privatizations. He has blamed the protests on the "enemies of democracy" and said there will be no leniency for the rioters. Amnesty International has called for the Greek authorities to end the "unlawful and disproportionate use of force by police" and noted "mounting evidence of police beatings and ill-treatment of peaceful demonstrators." The leader of the opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), George Papandreou, has called for early elections, but he has done so on the grounds that the government has proven incapable of defending the public from protesters. "This government is unable to protect the public from anarchy," he said. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) also denounced "the blind violence of the hooded people." One Communist Party leader accused the opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), made up of various dissident Stalinist and radical groups, of "indulging" the anarchists. Fresh elections would have the aim of stabilizing a situation that is spiralling out of control. With unemployment at 15 percent, forcing many to emigrate in search of work, social anger, especially amongst the young, is visceral. Zoe Albani, a psychologist and youth counsellor at the IEKEP institute, told the Guardian, "There's so much frustration among the young people, so much anger, rage. So many dreams that can't be realized. If any of them get a job, they earn ?500 a month. You can't live on that. By the time they're 26 or 27, they're still living at home. You want to have kids, but you can't afford to." Christos Kittas, who resigned as dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses, told the Independent, "Everyone has let our children down. Every day, I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and towards figures of authority." Odysseas Korakidis, who took part in the Athens protest, told Reuters, "There is demand for change: social, economic and political change. It's not unusual here to hold down two jobs to get just 800 or 1,000 euros a month. In other countries, that's inconceivable!" "This is not just about the kids. It's about our dreadful education and economic situation. That's what pushed us onto the streets," one protester said. "It's our belief and hope that this is the beginning of a rebellion against the system." A young woman told the Guardian, "I have two degrees but I am a waitress. There is no opportunity for young people here any more but I don't think this is confined to Greece. The economic situation leaves a lot of young people across Europe feeling bleak and hopeless." More is at stake than even the stability of Greece. Several commentators in the British media have looked at the events of the past week and seen the shape of things to come elsewhere in Europe. The Guardian's Ian Traynor wrote, "As Europe heads into a winter of discontent, the bonfires of Athens could signal the first outbreaks of mass rage against the hard times beginning to feed fear and frustration across the continent." He cited Thanos Dokos, the director of a leading foreign policy think tank in Athens, who explained, "People are frightened about job losses, rising taxes, no wage rises. The middle and lower classes are exhausted." Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote in the Telegraph, "The crisis is much further advanced in Spain, which is a year or two ahead of Greece in the crisis cycle... The picture is going to get very ugly as Europe slides deeper into recession next year. The IMF expects Spain's unemployment to reach 15 percent. Immigrants are already being paid to leave the country. There will be riots in Spain too [there have been street skirmishes in Barcelona]. No doubt events will be ugly in Britain as well." More politically revealing still, the Guardian warned not only of the impact of recession, but also the widening gulf between rich and poor in fuelling political and social unrest. It editorialized, "It would be one thing if everyone was suffering equally. But, of course, there are some people in Greece doing very well indeed, including those with connections to a government with a string of scandals, some of them financial, behind it... "The more general lesson of these troubles is that unless governments are more attuned to the difficulties faced by their citizens, and particularly their younger citizens, they may well face similar but much worse times in the future, as the recession begins to bite. Greece's difficulties are not a product of the recession, the major impact of which is yet to come in that country. But that does not mean they are not a sort of model of what might happen elsewhere if governments go into the recession without a new emphasis on equality." Chris Marsden Homepage: http://www.wsws.org http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/10/greece.riots/index.html?eref=rss_topstories December 11, 2008 -- Updated 0656 GMT (1456 HKT) Clashes, strike shut down Athens ? Story Highlights ? Greek protesters clash with riot police at demonstrations in Athens ? Nationwide strike taking place amid unrest over police shooting of teenager ? Banks, schools, and hospitals closed; public transport in Athens halted ? Lawyer for officers accused over shooting says boy, 15, was killed by ricochet ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- The Greek government was struggling to bring violent protests under control Wednesday, five days after they were sparked by the police killing of a teenager. Riot police face protesters in Athens Wednesday as debris burns in the streets. Athens announced aid for small businesses but demonstrators continued to stage standoffs and riots in the Greek capital, while workers held a long-planned strike in one of the city's main squares. Greek police confronted protesters outside the parliament building after days of rioting that have brought the city to a standstill and threatened the government's hold on power. A lawyer for the officers accused of killing the teenager said Wednesday that a ballistics test showed the policeman had not fired directly at the 15-year-old. The bullet ricocheted off another object before hitting Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the chest, attorney Alex Kougias said. The family of the boy, who was buried Tuesday, has called in its own investigators to verify state findings, the Athens coroner told CNN. Watch crowds gather for the funeral ? The shooting happened in a restive Athens neighborhood after six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. Grigoropoulos was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, police said. Striking union members condemned what they called "the cold-blooded murder of the young Alexander," as they demanded higher wages, a ban on mass layoffs by companies receiving government assistance, and the doubling of government funding for education, health and welfare programs. Meanwhile, the mayor of Athens appealed for calm along with help in returning the city to normal, while the government released a statement saying everyone bears responsibility for restoring order. So far, however, the Greek leadership has appeared unable to quell the violence and there is growing pressure on the government to resign. Watch how the unrest could cause a crisis ? Saturday's shooting, which sparked the riots, was only one reason for the days of unrest. Many Greeks were already angry over how the government was run, allegations of corruption, the state of the economy and a lack of jobs. Protesters outside parliament hurled stones and projectiles, some of them on fire, at a line of police dressed in green uniforms, white helmets, and armed with shields. The police occasionally advanced but did not respond. But the violence then spread to other areas, with students responsible for much of the disorder, according to Achilles Popas, a reporter for Greek station Skai TV. The students hurled petrol bombs and caused a lot of damage in the city center, where shattered glass covered the ground, Popas told CNN. Police responded by using tear gas, Popas said. They appeared to be trying to keep their distance from the protesters but the clashes continued, he added. Wednesday's strike went ahead despite a plea from Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to hold off amid the violence. Banks, schools, and hospitals were closed and transportation was at a halt with urban buses and the Athens subway shut. Many local and international flights were canceled. Karamanlis condemned the "destructive fury and brutal violence" of the protesters. "The rioters, with their acts, once again, demonstrated that the only thing that inspires them is the destruction," the prime minister said in a statement. "They have targeted social peace, the rule of law, and democracy itself. That is why they are isolated." Karamanlis said the violence has affected businesses, especially small ones already suffering from the economic downturn. He announced a series of measures to help merchants recover, including reimbursement for losses, direct financial assistance, 15-year loans, and suspended debts. Athens Mayor Nikita Kaklamani asked all Athens residents to buy something from the shops as a symbolic show of support. "The city wants a smile, it wants hope. We will provide it, because this must be Athens' fate," the mayor said in a statement. "We will defend its history, its cultural heritage, the fortunes of our fellow citizens and, above all, human lives." In his statement, Karamanlis said the government was acting responsibly and he called on all political parties to work together. Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakogiannis tried to spread the blame for the broad dissatisfaction. "The central responsibility of managing a difficult crisis undoubtedly remains with the elected government of a land," Bakogiannis said in a statement issued Wednesday. "However, I would like to stress no one is without responsibility, (including) political parties and institutions. A share of the responsibility for order, the city's economic life, remains with us all." Opposition leaders have blasted the government amid the unrest. The leader of the left-wing opposition party SYRIZA has called for protesters to topple the government, but Karamanlis ruled out early elections. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-12-voa1.cfm?CFID=156071694&CFTOKEN=44240405&jsessionid=843010986be2ca2478207163546325327326 Greek Riot Police Uses Tear Gas Against Protesters in Athens By VOA News 12 December 2008 A rioter stands in a cloud of tear gas during clashes between protesters and police in central Athens, 11 Dec 2008 Protesters in central Athens late Thursday threw stones at Greek riot police who retaliated with tear gas. There were reports of looting as violence across Greece, triggered by a police shooting of a teenager, continued for a sixth day. Rage over the killing turned into anger over corruption and economic hardship, shaking the conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Kamaranlis, which has a one-seat majority in parliament. Mr. Karamanlis and opposition socialist leader George Papandreou have issued pleas for calm. Scores of protesters and police in Athens and the northern city of Salonika have been injured since Saturday, when a 15-year-old boy was killed by police gunfire in Athens' central Exarchia district. Protests have spread beyond Greece's borders, with demonstrations in other European cities, including Berlin, London, Copenhagen, Rome and The Hague. Spanish youths attacked banks and police stations in Madrid and Barcelona. There were no reports of serious injuries. The two Athens policemen involved in the shooting have been jailed pending trial. One faces murder charges while the second is accused as an accomplice. The officers say they were only firing warning shots. Their lawyers say initial forensic analysis shows the boy was hit by a ricochet, and not a direct shot as some witnesses have said. In a televised statement Wednesday, Prime Minister Karamanlis promised wide-ranging aid to help the more than 400 businesses damaged in the rioting. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=66711 Published On: 2008-12-12 International Riots and looting across Athens amid protests Afp, Athens Demonstrators block a road near Athens' Polytechnic on Dec 10. Greek union chiefs hailed a "massive turnout" of public and private sector workers for a long-planned general strike on Wednesday, as the country reeled from days of rioting over the killing of an Athens schoolboy. Photo: AFP Riots and looting erupted across Athens yesterday as the Greek government confronted a sixth day of violent protests over the police killing of a schoolboy. Demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the country's biggest prison and a university in central Athens while police said groups of youths were reported to be looting stores in various districts. Others blocked main roads. Formal voluntary homicide charges against the police officer accused of shooting 15-year-old Andreas Grigoro-poulos failed to stem the public anger. Underfire prime minister Costas Karamanlis still left for a European Union summit in Brussels, while Greek embassies in other countries have also become a target for protests. A clash at Koyrdallos prison in a western Athens suburb blew up after protesters started throwing rocks and other missiles at police who fired tear gas to force the protesters back, a prison guard said. The demonstrators were staging a sitdown protest in front of the prison. Police said there was a second riot at the agriculture university in Athens, which has been occupied by students, and that rampaging youths were looting stores in the Nea Smyrni and Galatsi districts of the capital. School students also blocked several main roads in Athens. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/552196 Thousands of Greek students march in protest AP PHOTO A firebomb thrown by rioters explodes in front of police near the National Technical University in Athens, Dec. 10, 2008. Dina Kyriakidou REUTERS NEWS AGENCY ATHENS ? Protesters hurled fire bombs at riot police, who answered with teargas, as 4,000 Greek students marched on Thursday in a sixth straight day of anti-government violence. Riots across Greece, triggered by the police shooting of a teenager but fuelled by deep popular anger over corruption and economic hardship, have shaken the conservative government. "Down with the government of murderers," read demonstrators' banners. Marchers chanted "Cops, Pigs, Murderers" in the latest spasm of Greece's worst unrest since the aftermath of its 1967-1974 military rule. Helicopters hovered overhead as the protesters set fire to piles of garbage in the middle of deserted Athens avenues. The violence was less intense then in previous days, but more protests were planned for Friday and Monday and some Greeks asked how much longer the government could remain in power. "The government has shown it cannot handle this. If police start imposing the law, everyone will say the military junta is back," said Yannis Kalaitzakis, 49, an electrician. "The government is stuck between a rock and a hard place." Earlier in the day, gangs of Greek high school students hurled stones and fire bombs at police stations in Athens suburbs. Violence has hit at least 10 cities and caused damage worth hundreds of millions of euros. Data released on Thursday showed that economic hardship is hitting more Greeks. Unemployment, especially high among young people and women, rose to 7.4 percent in September from 7.1 in August, reversing four years of decline, and economists said it would keep climbing as the global crisis reached Greece. "Our priority is to help social groups that are most in need and protect jobs," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in Brussels, where he is attending an EU summit. SPREADS WIDEN In bond markets, the spread between Greek debt and German benchmark bonds ? a measure of perceived risk ? reached its widest point this decade, nearly 2 percentage points, amid fears of further upheaval. "We ... do not expect investors to forget this situation quickly," said David Keeble, head of fixed income research at Calyon Bank. Many Greeks were angry that the 37-year-old policeman charged with murdering Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15, did not express remorse to investigators on Wednesday. He said he fired warning shots in self-defence which ricocheted. "Pouring petrol on the flames," said Ethnos newspaper. Epaminondas Korkoneas and his work partner, who is charged as an accomplice, were sent to jail pending trial by a prosecutor on Wednesday. Cases often take months to reach court. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, Rome, The Hague, Moscow, New York, Italy and Cyprus. Attacks on a police station and bank by Spanish youths in Madrid and Barcelona also fuelled concern about copy-cat protests. While the Greek government, which has a one-seat majority in parliament, appeared to have weathered the immediate storm, its hands-off response to the rioting will damage its already low popularity ratings, pollsters said. The opposition socialist party, which leads in the polls, has called for an election. "The most likely scenario now is that Karamanlis will call elections in two or three months' time," said Georges Prevelakis, professor of geopolitics at the Sorbonne in Paris. On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Greeks joined the strike to protest against privatisations, tax rises and pension reform. Many people, especially the fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, feel badly hit as the global downturn affects the 240 billion euro ($315 billion) economy. The Greek Commerce Confederation said the riot damage to businesses in Athens alone was about 200 million euros, with 565 shops wrecked. Karamanlis, who swept to power during the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, announced subsidies and tax relief measures for those affected, but shopkeepers were indignant. "I don't care if and when they are going to give me money, l care about getting the shop running again," said clothing shop owner, Michael Bernelos. "I don't want mercy or handouts." In four years of conservative rule, a series of scandals, devastating forest fires and unsuccessful economic measures have erased the optimistic mood of 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3706849/Greek-protest-spread-with-arrests-across-Europe.html Journalists came under attack for the first time in the riots, with a Russian news crew assaulted by a mob of about 50 youths, some of them reportedly drunk. A correspondent and a cameraman for Russian television channel NTV were injured in the confrontation, which happened while they filmed clashes in Exarchia, a crucible of student radicalism. In Athens, around 40 youths threw stones at riot police near university buildings in the volatile Exarchia district where 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot dead on Saturday. They were met with volleys of tear gas and three arrests were made, police said. Overnight, students hurling petrol bombs and stones again battled riot police in Athens, in a continuation of the worst riots to have hit Greece in more than 30 years. There were similar clashes in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where more than 80 shops and 14 banks were damaged, with students continuing to occupy university campuses. Despite the turmoil that has rocked Greece since Grigoropoulos was killed, embattled Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said he would fly to Brussels to attend a European Union summit. His conservative government has a parliamentary majority of just one seat. Corruption scandals and attempts at economic reform have made Mr Karamanlis' administration deeply unpopular, but he has so far resisted calls to resign and call early elections. Epaminondas Korkoneas, 37, the police officer accused of shooting the teenager, has been charged with voluntary homicide and "illegal use" of his service weapon. He was ordered to remain in custody by an Athens magistrate. His partner, Vassilios Saraliotis, 31, was charged with being an accomplice and will also remain in custody. The pair have been held since Sunday. Under questioning by a magistrate, Mr Korkoneas said he had acted out of self defence when a group of youths began throwing firebombs and other objects while threatening to kill him and his partner. His lawyer said the bullet which killed Grigoropoulos showed signs of having bounced off a hard surface, indicating that the boy was killed as a result of an accidental ricochet. Greece has a history of clashes between the police and left-wing, anarchist groups. A student uprising in 1973 helped bring an end to the country's military dictatorship a year later. But the scale of this week's violence has left the country in deep shock as Greeks count the cost of the destruction. The Athens Chamber of Commerce said 435 businesses had been hit during the violence, with 37 completely gutted, estimating the damage at GBP 44 million (50 million euros). Under the headline "Greece in self-destruct mode" the conservative daily newspaper Kathimerini said in an editorial: "This is a country with a state that is in a shambles, a police force in disarray, mediocre universities that serve as hotbeds of rage instead of knowledge and a shattered health care system. It is also on the brink of financial ruin." http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/protesters-run-riot-for-a-fifth-day/2008/12/11/1228584967248.html Protesters run riot for a fifth day in Greece Paola Totaro December 11, 2008 Greek rioters vent their anger in Athens. Photo: AP Greece succumbed to violence for the fifth day running as 10,000 anti-Government protesters took to the streets of central Athens, while a 24-hour strike shut down the nation's banks and schools, stopped public transport and paralysed the international airport. The union organised rally and strike - planned weeks ago in a bid to pressure the government for greater financial support for low income families - was marred by youths throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks and the use of tear gas to disperse the groups The demonstration, against the centre right government's conservative fiscal policies, became enveloped by the fury unleashed by the shooting of a 15-year-old boy at the hands of police on Saturday night. Also on Wednesday, lawyers representing the officer charged with the boy's manslaughter unleashed a new wave of anger after arguing that a ballistics report suggested the boy was struck by a ricochet from a warning shot, not by a direct hit. The death of Alexandros Grigiropoulos in central Athens during an altercation between youths and a police squad car sparked a wave of civil unrest and violence that has not been matched since the anarchic battles of the early 1970s. The young boy, the son of a banker, was buried on Tuesday, and while his funeral was attended by 6000 mourners and passed relatively peacefully, clashes broke out once again after the ceremony and tear gas was used to disperse the warring groups. The Times in London reported that the ballistics and forensic reports from the incident have yet to be published, but apparently state that the bullet was deformed and could have hit something else or been deflected before killing the boy. However, the coroner has reportedly insisted that this does not rule out conclusively a direct hit. Flights to and from Athens international airport have been cancelled and public hospitals across Greece were operating with a skeleton staff. Observers reported that the confrontations nevertheless appear to be lessening, leaving scenes of devastation in Athens's centre as hundreds of shop and small business owners try to clean up the damage and assess their losses. To date, the bill for damage and looted and stolen goods is estimated at a staggering ?1 billion. The Mayor of Athens, Nikitas Kaklamanis, has held emergency talks with the Government and asked for special low interest, long pay off loans to give the small business owners a helping hand. "I asked the prime minister to make available an interest-free loan with a two-year grace period and pa-yoff period of between 10 and 15 years," he said after a meeting with Kostas Karamanlis. Mr Karamanlis, whose centre right government holds power by just one parliamentary seat, has been besieged by his own cabinet to give the police greater powers. Police ability to respond to civil unrest was greatly curtailed in the wake of the anarchic protests of the 1970s - and the socialist government that came afterwards, in the 1980s. The outbreak of violence has split the Greek media with some arms arguing the protesters were simply bored, middle class youths with too much time on their hands and others who have blatantly attacked the police as "murderers". http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/greece.riots/index.html?eref=rss_latest December 12, 2008 -- Updated 1112 GMT (1912 HKT) ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Athens was mostly calm Thursday, allowing many Athenians to return to work for the first time in days, but protesters warned they were preparing themselves for street fights after nightfall. Municipality workers clean the streets around Athens Polytechnic Thursday. A police spokesman said the situation was more contained Thursday than it has been since the weekend, when the police shooting of a teenager kicked off days of riots in Athens and across Greece. "Of course there are sporadic clashes between students and police officials, but things are a scale or two lower than they were yesterday," police spokesman Panayiotes Stathis said. "There is a gradual deescalation and that's how we hope the situation will proceed." Hundreds of students have refused to return to school and several of them protested Thursday at local police precincts. Several student groups staged sit-ins along 10 major streets in Athens, at 120 high schools across the country, and at 15 universities. Students planned a protest for Friday in the center of Athens. Student unions in universities and high schools met throughout the day Thursday to decide their course of action for the coming days. At the Athens Polytechnic University -- a major flashpoint with clashes between anarchists and police -- municipal crews were able to clear the streets for the first time in days. So much debris was in the streets from the protests that in some places it was half a foot deep. Anarchists stopped the crews from clearing two streets and taking away burned-out vehicles, saying they wanted to use the cars for barricades in what they said would be street fights Thursday night. Watch how the unrest could cause a crisis ? The only major clash Thursday was outside the large Koyrdallos prison in Athens, where youths faced off violently with police. Shopkeepers and businessmen seemed determined to reclaim their city from the protesters who have wreaked havoc and caused destruction across Athens. Since Wednesday, groups of merchants have been seen confronting hooded, masked youths involved in the protests, and even fighting with them. The violence began Saturday after police officers fatally shot a 15-year-old boy who had been throwing stones at their patrol car along with other youths. The riots and protests soon became an outlet for simmering anger about the Greek economy, education, and jobs. The events are threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. The two officers involved in Saturday's shooting were remanded into custody Wednesday pending trial. One is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice. Their lawyer said Thursday that initial results from a ballistics test show the officer did not fire directly at the teen. Instead, the bullet ricocheted off another object before hitting the boy in the chest, attorney Alexis Kougias said. The initial examination shows the bullet taken from the victim was scraped and deformed on one side, Kougias said. That indicates the bullet was one of two warning shots fired by police into the air, which then ricocheted and hit the boy. Kougias said reports Wednesday that the ballistics test confirmed the ricochet theory were incorrect. The official report is expected later Thursday or on Friday. Officials fear that if the ricochet theory pans out, it could inflame tensions and spark more riots. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/despite-lull-violence-greek-protests-continue Despite lull in violence, Greek protests continue Share: by Teacher Dude | December 10, 2008 at 11:27 pm The unprededented wave of protests and discontent that has hit Greece since Saturday shows no sign of abating. Although the country enjoyed relative calm last night after days of rioting, high school and university students are planning to block roads in Athens today. In addition at least 100 high schools are under occupation, as well as the universities in many cities in protest against the shooting of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a police officer in central Athens. Yesterday students some as young as twelve clashed with riot police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The central police station in Aristotelous square came under repeated attack from stone throwing teenagers who also set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows. The Greek government has announced a series of measures to help the hundreds of businesses damaged during the riots. Estimates over the cost of disturbances rangge from a three hundred to one billion euros. However, the opposition PASOK party has expressed skepticism over the government's plans to help pointing out that similar promises were made to those who lost homes in last year's devastating forest fires yet not kept. The two policemen accused of killing the teenager claim that the fatal shot was a ricochet and that the officer who fired had shot into the air in order to scare off a gang of thirty youths who previously attacked them with rocks and bottles. The defendents also said in their testimony that the dead student had been expelled from several schools and involved in incidents of football hooliganism. However, several eye witnesses interviewed on Greek TV argue that there were no more than ten youths at the time of the incident and just one bottle was thrown at the defendent's patrol car. They also claim that the officer aimed his pistol directly at the group and fired and after Grigoropoulos fell to the ground walked away. Friends and family of the teenager also denied categorically the accusations concerning the child's supposedly troubled academic career and alleged involvement in football violence. The Greek police federation condemned the the actions of the two officers, calling the death a "horrific criminal act". On the other hand defence lawyer Alexis Kougias, who took on the case other two other lawyers withdrew, claimed that there had been a "misunderstanding" and that foresenic evidence bore out his client's claim that the death was the result of bullet ricocheting. The results of the ballistics analysis of the bullets fired have, however, not been released yet. Wednesday DECEMBER 10 http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=13208 Protests/Riots Continue In Greece Published on 12-10-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: IHT The Greek government on Wednesday defended its response to the crisis that has gripped the country since a teenager was fatally shot in a police confrontation last weekend, saying that officials in Athens had chosen not to crack down on a violent minority in an effort to avoid further bloodshed. Even as new clashes erupted during a general strike that disrupted transport, schools and other services across Greece, a government spokesman said that he expected the crisis to tail off. "I think it's going to fade out," said Panos Livadas, general secretary of the Information Ministry. "I think reason will prevail. I also think we will keep on doing our best not to have a future risk of innocent life. No more innocent blood. It's O.K. if we have to wait a day or two." The statement coincided with an offer by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to compensate shopkeepers whose premises have been damaged in the riots that have swept Greece since Saturday, when the police shot and killed Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15. Tensions remained high Wednesday in Athens and other big cities. Fighting erupted outside Parliament, where several thousand demonstrators had gathered to mark the general strike, and outside the main courthouse in the capital, where two police officers involved in the shooting that started the riots were testifying behind closed doors. The riot police reacted by firing tear gas as youths threw rocks and gasoline bombs. Meanwhile, Alexis Cougias, an attorney for the police officers, said that a ballistics examination showed that Grigoropoulos was killed by a ricochet and not a direct shot, The Associated Press reported. One of the officers had claimed he had fired warning shots and did not shoot directly at the boy. There was no comment from prosecutors, who do not make public statements on cases in the courts. The general strike Wednesday was a new blow to the government after four days of violent protests. Airports were severely affected by the strike as air traffic controllers walked out. Scores of international and local flights were grounded, the state news media reported. Railways, subways, bus lines and intercity coach services were halted. But while labor unions went ahead with the national strike, they called off a planned demonstration in an effort to help limit the disorder that has unfurled. Dozens of people have been arrested over the four days of rioting as protesters fought with the police and rampaged in Athens and other cities. The general strike was originally called to press economic demands for increased pay and to protest belt-tightening measures put forward by the government. But the anti-government movement acquired new impetus following the shooting Saturday. While clashes between the police and students have been common in Greece for decades, the ferocity of the reaction to the boy's death took many in the country - and its government - by surprise. Outrage over the death was widespread, fueled by what experts said was frustration with unemployment and corruption in one of the European Union's consistently underperforming economies, a situation that has only been worsened by global recession. It was expressed in violence in the streets by anarchists, who had been quiet for several years but seemed revived by the crisis. Karamanlis, hanging on to power in Parliament by only one vote, has seemed frozen, his government, once popular but now scandal-ridden, increasingly under pressure. On Tuesday, bands of youths threw gasoline bombs and smashed shop windows in central Athens, as rioters battled the police here and in Salonika, Greece's second largest city. In the port of Patras, residents tried to protect their shops from rioters, while other rioters blocked the police station, the authorities said. While widespread and violent, the protests Tuesday were seen as slightly smaller than those the day before, when after dark hundreds of professed anarchists broke the windows of upscale shops, banks and five-star hotels in central Athens and burned a large Christmas tree in the plaza in front of Parliament. Street-cleaning trucks tackled the mess Tuesday in the shattered heart of Athens. Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis advised Athenians not to drive into the city center and asked them to keep their trash indoors; rioters burned 160 big garbage containers in the streets on Monday night. On Tuesday, the opposition leader, George Papandreou, a Socialist, renewed his call for early elections. But it remained unclear whether the riots would cause the government to fall or whether the stalemate would continue. On Tuesday, as youths scuffled with the police outside Parliament, Karamanlis met with his cabinet council and opposition leaders in an effort to get their backing for security operations. But he seemed uncertain how to contain the disturbances. The authorities seem to fear that cracking down on the demonstrators may lead to other unintended deaths, provoking more rioting. Asked why the riots had not been contained, a spokesman for the national police, Panayiotis Stathis, said "violence cannot be fought with violence." But in a news conference, Karamanlis issued warnings somewhat stronger than his actions, saying there would be no leniency for rioters. "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an alibi for actions of raw violence, for actions against innocent people, their property and society as a whole, and against democracy," Karamanlis said after an emergency meeting with President Karolos Papoulias. Karamanlis faced criticism for not acting with a stronger hand earlier, with some suggesting that this gave credibility to the rioters' anger. "They chose to show tolerance, which backfired," said Nikos Kostandaras, the editor of Kathimerini, a daily newspaper. The riots, he added, "were radicalizing every sector of the population." Meg Bortin contributed from Paris. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/12/11/2003430817 Protesters throw fire bombs on day four of Greek riots AGENCIES, ATHENS Thursday, Dec 11, 2008, Page 1 Protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament yesterday during a general strike that paralyzed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government reeling from the worst riots in decades. ?Government murderers!? demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday that has sparked four days of violence fueled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said yesterday that a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. ?The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident,? lawyer Alexis Kougias said. The ballistics report has yet to be officially published. Thousands marched on parliament in a union rally against economic and social policy, which quickly turned violent. Police fired teargas and protesters responded with stones, bottles and sticks, a witness said. The opposition socialist party has said the government, which has a one-seat majority and trails in opinion polls, has lost the trust of the people and has called for elections. ?Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill,? said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage. Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job. Unions say privatizations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global downturn is hurting the country. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, appealed to political leaders for unity and urged unions to cancel yesterday?s rally. But his requests were flatly rejected by the opposition. ?He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing,? socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou said. One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, but has said he only fired in warning. The officer was due to appear before investigators with his colleague, who has been charged as an accomplice. Rioting at the teenager?s death began in Athens on Saturday and quickly spread to at least 10 cities across the country. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, The Hague and Cyprus. The riots, Greece?s worst unrest since the aftermath of military rule in 1974, have caused more than 20 million euros (US$25.9 million) in damage in wrecked cars, torched shops and banks, insurers say. At the last count across Greece, 108 people had been arrested ? with one of the most graphic attacks by looting rioters involving swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, police said. http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12756043&fsrc=rss Riots in Greece Anarchy in Athens Dec 9th 2008 | ATHENS From Economist.com Riots in Greece put pressure on the government of Costas Karamanlis Reuters GREECE prides itself on the robust quality of its democracy. Despite frustration at the number of traffic-choking demonstrations outside parliament every year?the reported average is two a week?politicians stress that modern Greeks? enthusiasm for protesting underlines continuity with the golden age of ancient Athens. Some demonstrations turn violent. Several times a year a group of hooded young men, who style themselves as ?anarchists?, bring up the rear of a march. They carry metal bars and petrol bombs and ritual clashes with riot police ensue. Shop windows are smashed and tear gas fills Syntagma Square outside parliament for a few hours. This week violence erupted on an unprecedented scale after Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old schoolboy, was shot dead by a policeman in Exarchia, a scruffy central district known as the anarchists? home base, on Saturday December 6th. Shouting insults at passing patrol cars is a Saturday-night ritual for some young Athenians. But the last time police killed a teenager was in 1985. This time protests quickly spilled into main boulevards as anarchists torched cars, broke windows of shops decorated for Christmas and tossed petrol bombs inside. Beyond Athens demonstrators attacked police stations and government offices in a dozen cities. By the evening of Tuesday, after four days of rioting, a respite still seemed far off. Hundreds of high-school students battled police after the teenager?s funeral in the Faliron suburb, while other protesters threw rocks at those on guard outside parliament. Appeals for calm by Costas Karamanlis, the Conservative prime minister, were ignored. Talks have failed between political leaders who were seeking a consensus to quell the unrest. George Papandreou, the Socialist opposition leader, has told Mr Karamanlis to resign and call a general election. ?Effectively there is no government?we claim power,? he said. Mr Karamanlis looks vulnerable. His New Democracy party controls just 151 seats in the 300-member parliament and trails by 4-5 percentage points in opinion polls. The prime minister?s personal approval rating has stayed ahead of Mr Papandreou?s, but if civil disorder continues for much longer that will probably slide too. Retailers and families that run small businesses are the backbone of support for the Conservatives and they are furious over the failure of police to protect their property. Worse, the latest upheaval comes on top of anger directed towards the government over a series of financial scandals. While demonstrators rampaged outside, a parliamentary committee was hearing evidence this week about an illegal exchange of land by Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos. Senior cabinet ministers are alleged to have swindled taxpayers out of an estimated 100m euros ($Xm) while lining their own pockets. Mr Karamanlis?s biggest mistake has been to ignore social reform, in particular of education, health and policing. As the global economic slowdown starts to have an impact on the country young Greeks see their parents struggling to pay bills. If one cannot afford to study abroad, a Greek university offers poor quality tuition and, unless one's family can pull strings, few opportunities for getting a job afterwards. The unemployment rate for young graduates is 21%, compared with 8% for the whole workforce. Weak policing has allowed the anarchists to flourish in Exarchia, which has become a haven for drug dealers and racketeers. Protesters have also exploited a constitutional loophole that bans police from entering a university campus. In the past few days demonstrators have regrouped behind barricades at the Athens Polytechnic and picked up fresh supplies of petrol bombs before venturing back on the streets. Mr Karamanlis?s attempts to abolish ?university asylum? two years ago failed because he could not attract the cross-party support needed to change the constitution. Another set of educational reforms collapsed because a majority of academics refused to raise teaching standards and submit themselves to peer reviews. As the demonstrators rampage through laboratories and lecture rooms, the professors, like the politicians, must wish that they had tried harder. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081210/NEWS04/812100330/-1/NEWS09 Protesters urge head of Greece to resign Associated Press Advertisement ATHENS, Greece ? Masked youths and looters marauded through Greek cities for a fourth night Tuesday in response to the police shooting of a teenager. The nightly scenes of burning street barricades, looted stores and overturned cars have threatened to topple the country?s increasingly unpopular conservative government, which faces mounting calls for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to resign. Police fired tear gas at protesters after the funeral of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who was laid to rest in an Athens burial attended by about 6,000 people. Violence calmed before dawn today, but police were braced for more trouble later in the day when labor unions planned rallies during a nationwide strike called to protest the government?s economic policies. The rioting ? which has engulfed cities from Thessaloniki in the north to Corfu and Crete in the south ? threatens the 52-year-old Karamanlis, who already faced growing dissatisfaction over financial and social reforms amid growing economic gloom. Opposition Socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, charging the conservatives are incapable of defending the public from rioters. ?The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people,? Papandreou said. ?The best thing it can do is resign and let the people find a solution. ... We will protect the public.? The call was echoed by protesters, who, though they have not voiced any particular policy goals, say they want Karamanlis out. ?It?s very simple ? we want the government to fall. This boy?s death was the last straw for us,? Petros Constantinou, an organizer with the Socialist Workers Party, said in Athens. ?This government wants the poor to pay for all the country?s problems ? never the rich ? and they keep those who protest in line using police oppression.? Karamanlis, whose New Democracy party narrowly won re-election a year ago, has ignored the calls. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/500686/-/sduns9/-/index.html Strike paralyses Greece as protesters step up pressure A protester tries to escape from riot policemen during a demonstration in Athens on Tuesday 2008. Photo/REUTERS Posted Wednesday, December 10 2008 at 18:05 ATHENS, Wednesday Protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament today during a general strike which paralysed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government reeling from the worst riots in decades. ?Government murderers!? demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday which has sparked four days of violence fuelled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said today that a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. ?The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident,? lawyer Alexis Kougias told Reuters. The ballistics report has not yet been officially published. Ten cities Riots have raged in at least 10 cities and the cost of damage to shops and businesses in Athens alone is estimated at about 200 million euros ($259 million), the Greek Commerce Confederation said. ?In Athens, we had 565 shops suffering serious damage or being completely destroyed,? said Vassilis Krokidis, vice president of the federation. Thousands marched on parliament today in a union rally at economic and social policy, which quickly turned violent. Police fired teargas and protesters responded with stones, bottles and sticks, a Reuters witness said. The opposition socialist party has said the government, which has a one-seat majority and trails in opinion polls, has lost the trust of the people and has called for elections. ?Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill,? said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage. Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job. Unions say privatisations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global downturn is hurting the 240 billion euro economy. ?There is demand for change: social, economic and political change,? said Odysseas Korakidis, 25, who works two jobs. ?It?s not unusual here to hold down two jobs to get just 800 or 1,000 euros a month. In other countries, that?s inconceivable!? Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, appealed to political leaders for unity and urged unions to cancel Wednesday?s rally. But his requests were flatly rejected by the opposition. ?He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing,? said socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou. One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos, but has said he only fired in warning. (Reuters) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/greek-police-clash-with-protesters-in-fifth-day-of-riots-lead_100129468.html Greek police clash with protesters in fifth day of riots (Lead) December 11th, 2008 - 12:19 am ICT by IANS - Athens, Dec 10 (DPA) The police clashed with projectile-throwing demonstrators Wednesday during a nationwide strike that paralysed the country already crippled by a crisis after five days of the worst violence the country has seen in decades.More than 10,000 demonstrators yelling, ?Down with the pigs,? and carrying black flags marched through a city landscape of burned and looted shops in Athens in a nationwide strike which quickly turned violent as mobs threw fire bombs and chunks of marble at the police. The 24-hour general strike, called by the country?s two largest private and public sector unions, was held amid increasing tensions in the country after days and nights of violence triggered by police shooting dead a 15-year-old youth last Saturday in the bohemian Athens district of Exarchia. Witnesses said the police officer deliberately aimed for the boy, but a ballistics report, not yet made public, showed Wednesday the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. Despite pleas from the officers of their innocence, clashes erupted at the main court house before the hearing for the two officers accused of the shooting. Two people were injured when police chased after youths who were spraying the court house with firebombs. The shooting sparked five days of violence across the country already discontented with the government over rising unemployment, scandals and poverty. Hundreds of youths hurled fire bombs, bottles and stones at riot police on guard in front of parliament, who retaliated with tear gas. The clashes continued for several hours throughout the city centre. The nationwide strike grounded all flights at Athens? international airport, shut down banks and schools and paralysed bus, tram and metro services. Hospitals were operating on emergency staff. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had asked opposition party leaders to unite in an effort to end the crisis and appealed to unions to cancel Wednesday?s rally. But no one was willing to compromise. Instead, the main opposition Socialist party said the government, which has a one-seat majority in parliament, should resign saying it has lost the trust of the people. Greece?s private-sector GSEE and public-sector ADEDY unions are protesting the government?s recent pension reforms, which raise the retirement age and cut back benefits. The unions also oppose recent labour reforms, privatisations and tax-raising measures. The two unions represent more than half of the country?s workforce of 5 million. Four successive nights of rioting and looting have left hundreds of cars, stores and buildings charred and gutted at least 10 cities across Greece and left many Athenians angry about the response of the government and police and their inability to stop the destruction. The protests also spread abroad as the Greek embassies in London, Berlin, Paris and in Cyprus were occupied by demonstrators in the past few days. Reports said rioters have damaged or destroyed more than 350 stores and 200 banks in Athens, while 50 buildings were damaged by fires. Another 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. Damage is estimated in the millions of euros. In the centre of Athens the majority of shops were shut for the day while in the popular areas of Plaka and Monastiraki they were devoid of tourists. The government, which has seen its ratings fall sharply behind the main opposition Socialists, promised once again Wednesday to compensate businesses for the damage suffered, announcing loans, emergency subsidies and tax relief measures. ?The government is determined to safeguard citizens and to support all the businesses which have suffered damage,? Karamanlis said in a televised speech. The prime minister had made similar promises when large parts of mainland Peloponnese suffered devastating forest fires more than a year ago. Residents in those areas hit by the devastating fires claim the government?s promises were never met. The shooting of the teenager was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment rate and low wages. Unemployment is pegged at over 7 percent, and nearly 20 percent of Greeks live below the poverty line, earning less than 600 euros ($775) a month. ?Everyone appears to have let our children down. Students have become more hostile towards us and to figures of authority,? Christos Kittas said on resigning as the dean of Athens University after rioting spread to campuses. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3865172,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Crime | 11.12.2008 Greek Youth Riot Outside Prison as Chaos Continues Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Emotions continue to run high in Greece Young Greeks armed with rocks and firebombs continued to clash with police in Athens. Elsewhere in Europe, protestors burned cars and attacked Greek consulates Emotions ran high in Greece on Thursday, Dec. 11, as the two police officers who were charged in the shooting death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos were scheduled to be transferred to prison. Several hundred protestors camped out in front of the country?s biggest prison to await the officers' arrival. At the Koyrdallos prison, protesters threw rocks and other missiles at police, according to a prison guard. Police fired tear gas at the protestors. Grigoropoulos' death has sparked six days of rioting and protests across the country. The controversy heightened after initial reports indicated that Grigoropoulos was killed by a bullet ricochet, legal sources said. No signs of truce Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Most of the demonstrations have been tense, but peaceful Earlier in the day, gangs of young people threw rocks and firebombs at Athens police stations while demonstrators clashed with police in front of the legislature building. "We are fed up with scandals and corruption," demonstrator Efi Giannisi, a 38-year-old English teacher, told Reuters news agency. Economic damage piling up Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Rioting and looting have caused millions in damages The violence has taken its toll. The Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry said 435 businesses had been hit, with 37 completely gutted. The damage in Athens alone was worth about 200 million euros ($259 million), according to the Greek Commerce Confederation. That left Greeks extremely frustrated, particularly with the inability of the government to contain the violence. George Papalexis, the owner of a gem store, said his business had sustained losses of 80,000 euros after rioters smashed through a reinforced window and made off with jewelry. "Personally, I expect the government should resign," he told AFP news agency. "Very soon we'll see a change of government. It's a disgrace to see a city left to burn." In a televised address, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledged up to 10,000 euros to stricken businesses, plus tax breaks and government-guaranteed loans to rebuild damaged property. Despite the turmoil, Karamanlis's office said he would attend a European Union summit in Brussels that starts Thursday. With the current government holding only a razor-thin majority in parliament, the country could be heading for early elections. The opposition socialist party, which leads in the polls, has demanded just that. "The most likely scenario now is that Karamanlis will call elections in two or three months' time," Georges Prevelakis, professor of geopolitics at Sorbonne University in Paris, told Reuters news agency. Violence around Europe Bildunterschrift: Gro?ansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Greek embassies around Europe have been targeted by protestors But there were signs that Athens was calmer than on Wednesday, when many people took to the streets as part of a long-planned general strike by the country?s two largest unions. Still, there are concerns that the violence is not over. A fresh student demonstration was scheduled for Thursday evening, according to the interior ministry. Outside Greece, small flare-ups were reported around Europe. Arsonists torched two cars outside a Greek consulate in southwestern France before dawn Thursday, police said. Eight residents had to be evacuated from the building. Police found graffiti on a wall opposite the consulate reading "Support for the fires in Greece," "Insurrection Everywhere" and "The Coming Insurrection,? AFP reported. In Istanbul, Turkish left-wing protestors threw paint over the front of the Greek consulate in Istanbul. In Moscow and Rome, there were reports that Greek embassies were targeted by firebombs. In Spain, a dozen demonstrators were arrested and several police injured in clashes that took place in Madrid and Barcelona. Another 32 people were arrested in Copenhagen when a protest in support of Greek rioters turned violent, according to police. DW staff (th) http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081211/FOREIGN/504339928/1002/rss Public mood shifting as riot enters day five Michael Theodoulou, Foreign Correspondent ? Last Updated: December 11. 2008 8:30AM UAE / December 11. 2008 4:30AM GMT Riot police face protesters during a demonstration in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Dimitar Dillkoff / AFP NICOSIA // Protesters clashed with police for a fifth straight day in Greece as the country was crippled by a 24-hour general strike yesterday that intensified pressure on the conservative government. But there were signs that the public mood is turning against the demonstrators and that the unrest could be ebbing. Costas Karamanlis, the embattled prime minister who has rebuffed opposition calls to stand down and blamed the country?s worst unrest in more than three decades on ?enemies of democracy?, pledged to restore order and announced measures to compensate business owners whose premises were torched or pillaged. Mr Karamanlis?s ruling New Democracy Party has a mere one-seat majority in parliament and is behind in the opinion polls. Union leaders had rejected his plaintive plea to cancel industrial action that was planned to protest against economic policies before nationwide violence erupted on Saturday after police fatally shot a 15-year-old schoolboy, Alexandros Grigoropoulos. His death dismayed Greeks across the political spectrum and unleashed a flood of pent-up public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. But leaked initial results from a post-mortem on Grigoropoulos yesterday indicated he was killed by a ricocheting bullet, as police had claimed, and not by a direct and deliberate shot as witnesses had alleged. The ballistics test, if verified, could help defuse the volatile situation. Protesters lobbed two petrol bombs outside a court in Athens as the policeman who allegedly fired the fatal shot made his first appearance before an investigating magistrate. The 37-year-old officer has been charged with manslaughter and his patrol car partner as an accessory. The general strike grounded internal and international flights, disrupted public transport, restricted hospital services and left schools closed. Many shops in Athens stayed shut in case of further rioting and vandalism while some proprietors slept in their premises to protect their livelihoods against looters. But most private sector employees found the means to reach their places of work. Thousands of protesters, who joined a rally organised by Greece?s two biggest trade unions, marched past burnt-out cars and looted shops to gather outside the parliament building in the centre of Athens, chanting ?Government murderers!? and ?Sack Karamanlis?. Leaders of public and private unions had called for a peaceful rally to protest against the government?s economic policies, but the event was soon hijacked by anarchist youths as Mr Karamanlis had warned it would be. Protesters lobbed fire bombs, pavement slabs and bottles at police outside the parliament building, the cradle of Greece?s proud and ancient democracy, while police responded with volleys of choking tear gas. But the numbers protesting outside parliament were far smaller than union leaders had predicted. This is likely to raise the fragile government?s hopes that general dismay at the scale of wanton destruction in recent days could be dampening the widespread anger. A commentary in the conservative daily Kathimerini newspaper reflected a mood of national despair and soul-searching rather than one of mounting outrage. ?It is difficult to discern any logic in such a situation,? the commentary said. ?This is a country with a state that is in shambles, a police force in disarray, mediocre universities that serve as hotbeds for rage instead of knowledge and a shattered health care system. It is also on the brink of financial ruin.? The Athens Trading Association estimated that four days of rampaging, arson and pillaging has caused US$1.3 billion (Dh6.2bn) worth of damage. More than 500 shops in the historic capital were said to have suffered serious damage or were completely destroyed. Elected in 2004 on the promise of combating corruption, Mr Karamanlis?s centre-right government has been hit by a spate of bribery and fraud allegations. Unions, meanwhile, say that privatisations, tax rises and pension reforms have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global financial downturn is hitting the country hard. Unemployment is high, particularly among young graduates. Greece?s two main unions are demanding pay rises, additional support for low-income families and increases for pensions and unemployment benefit. Petros Rembolis, a researcher for one of the unions, estimates that the country?s job market can only absorb half of the 80,000 graduates who leave university each year. Those who do find jobs often earn between $500 and $600 a month while prices are as high as those in Germany or France, he said. ?European prices, African wages,? is a common slogan used by disaffected Greek youth. Anastassia Kotzamani, a sociology graduate, said her only option was to move abroad for work. ?We won?t put up with this government any more. We are 25 years old, we?ve finished our studies but there are no jobs.? While outrage over Grigoropoulos?s death was common in Greece and dissatisfaction with the government is high, many are also appalled by the wanton acts of destructive violence and arson by hooded rioters. Equally, the government has come under fire for not curbing the mayhem: officials fear that heavy-handed police action could further inflame the situation. Kathimerini reported that some government ministers are also unhappy with the decision to encourage the police to adopt a ?defensive? stance which has been exploited by anarchists and radical leftists. A student uprising in 1974 succeeded in ending seven years of detested military rule, but it also left a legacy of activism and simmering tensions between the security establishment and an assortment of deeply entrenched leftist groups that often protest against globalisation and US foreign policy. But their impact has usually been limited to graffiti and late-night firebomb attacks on targets such as high-end shops and banks. Whatever the government?s shortcomings, complacency will no longer be among them. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1211/p04s01-woeu.html Will strike and riots bring Greek government down? Five days of protests, and a nationwide strike Wednesday, have shaken the conservative ruling party. By Nicole Itano | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the December 11, 2008 edition Athens - On an Athens street lined with luxury stores, a small pile of flowers has been laid outside a store owned by the mother of the 15-year-old boy killed by a policeman's bullet Dec. 6. Elsewhere on the street, shops are shut and boarded, victims of five days of rioting. The violent unrest in Greece ? the worst since World War II ? may have begun with Alexandros Grigoropoulos' death, but it has now widened into tide of anger over government corruption and perceived economic failure. Greece's ruling center-right New Democracy Party is now fighting to bring order to the streets ? and for its own political survival. Calls for the government to step down are mounting. "The ruling party is numb. It was caught by surprise and in no way responded as it ought to," says Thanos Veremis, a professor at the University of Athens. "And the opposition ... politicians are fueling the anger" for their own gain. On Wednesday, a nationwide strike led by unions brought the country to a standstill and led to further clashes outside Greece's Parliament. The strike was called long before the events of Dec. 6 to protest the government's economic policies and demand better pensions and higher pay. But the unions are benefitting from anger over the boy's death. "The Greek people are very furious about the things that have happened," says Maria Yaniris, an opera singer who joined the protesters on Wednesday. "Everything started with the death of the 15-year-old boy ... but personally I don't think this was the basic reason." "As a country, we have big problems," she says. "Young people have to face a life that is full of uncertainties." The bulk of the violence is being caused by a comparatively small number of people, mainly anarchists and other radical anti-establishment parties who have now been joined by university students. These loosely organized groups have clashed with police for decades, since the days when Greece was ruled by a military junta between 1967 and 1974. But the killing of Alexandros escalated that simmering conflict to a new level and angered many youths, who are pessimistic about their future. "The youth are in a bad and worsening situation," says Peter Linardos, an economist for Greece's trade unions. "I've been saying for years that ... we were going to have an explosion." In the initial days of the conflict, the police took a restrained stance, generally refusing to engage with protesters. But on Tuesday, police frustration began to show. In one incident, police fired warning shots into the air. Many Greeks are dismayed by the scale of the violence. But there is nevertheless widespread outrage at the police, who are seen as guilty of a pattern of abuse. Skepticism dates to the junta, when police were responsible for torturing people with left-leaning political views. But the circumstances of boy's death have fed that mistrust. Police say he was killed accidentally by a warning shot that ricocheted, and a lawyer for the policemen involved now says a government autopsy confirms that story. But claims that he was shot in cold blood after an argument have become the dominant political narrative here. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis met with leaders of rival parties Tuesday, calling on them to support his effort to bring order back to the country's streets. George Papandreou, leader of Greece's Socialist party, emerged from the meeting with calls for early elections. Desperate to show that it can restore order, Greece's government is sounding a harder note. But the arsenal available to authorities is limited. Greek police have tear gas and shields, for example, but no rubber bullets. And so far, the public is still wary of giving police a freer hand. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/12/11/2003430817 Protesters throw fire bombs on day four of Greek riots AGENCIES, ATHENS Thursday, Dec 11, 2008, Page 1 Protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament yesterday during a general strike that paralyzed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government reeling from the worst riots in decades. ?Government murderers!? demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday that has sparked four days of violence fueled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said yesterday that a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. ?The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident,? lawyer Alexis Kougias said. The ballistics report has yet to be officially published. Thousands marched on parliament in a union rally against economic and social policy, which quickly turned violent. Police fired teargas and protesters responded with stones, bottles and sticks, a witness said. The opposition socialist party has said the government, which has a one-seat majority and trails in opinion polls, has lost the trust of the people and has called for elections. ?Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill,? said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage. Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job. Unions say privatizations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global downturn is hurting the country. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, appealed to political leaders for unity and urged unions to cancel yesterday?s rally. But his requests were flatly rejected by the opposition. ?He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing,? socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou said. One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, but has said he only fired in warning. The officer was due to appear before investigators with his colleague, who has been charged as an accomplice. Rioting at the teenager?s death began in Athens on Saturday and quickly spread to at least 10 cities across the country. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, The Hague and Cyprus. The riots, Greece?s worst unrest since the aftermath of military rule in 1974, have caused more than 20 million euros (US$25.9 million) in damage in wrecked cars, torched shops and banks, insurers say. At the last count across Greece, 108 people had been arrested ? with one of the most graphic attacks by looting rioters involving swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, police said. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/protests+and+strike+grips+greece/2879657 Protests and strike grips Greece Watch the report Print this page Last Modified: 10 Dec 2008 By: Channel 4 News The worst riots in decades, as protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament, during a general strike which paralysed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis announced financial support for businesses damaged in five days of rioting. He also pledged to safeguard people from violence, but did not say how. "Government murderers!" demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday which sparked riots fuelled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said on Wednesday a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-10-voa24.cfm?CFID=159174916&CFTOKEN=32758216&jsessionid=8830676cc80dc759b5291a5649357f401e13 General Strike Pressures Greek Government By Nathan Morley Nicosia, Cyprus 10 December 2008 Violence and turmoil continue in Greece where unions staged a general strike Wednesday in protest against the government's economic policies. The strike had been scheduled before the riots that erupted late last week after the death of a 15-year-old who was hit by a police bullet. Demonstrators attend a union rally at Syntagma Square in central Athens, Greece, 10 Dec 2008 Thousands of marchers turned out in central Athens to protest the government's economic policies, unemployment and general discontent with the current administration. Some demonstrators threw home-made fire bombs and rocks at the police lines, while others chanted slogans such as "Down with the government." This strike shut Greece down - nearly everything was closed, from banks and shops to airports and schools. The powerful Greek workers unions that called this action are demanding more social spending and an increase in wages and pensions. Many people in Greece have complained that since the country adopted the Euro currency, living standards have dropped and prices increased. There is also widespread discontent about high levels of immigration from bordering countries and spiraling crime. This national strike follows four days of violence sparked by the killing of a teenager by police on Saturday - that incident has caused unprecedented waves of violence and rioting to erupt across the southern European country. Despite coming under fire from all sides, Greece's embattled prime minister has vowed to restore order in the country. He has also pledged state help for the thousands of businesses that were destroyed during the riots - some shops and offices were completely gutted by fire. But such assurances and promises are too little, too late says opposition spokesman George Papacostandiniou of the PASOK party, he thinks the government has little chance of surviving the current crisis. "I think the government is in a difficult position; it has been for some time now," he said. "The fact that Greeks for the last few years have been seeing public investments slashed, expenditure on health and education cut back. It is in trouble because inequalities are growing and it is in trouble because a string of corruption scandals at the highest levels of government that has completely eroded confidence." In a separate development, a lawyer representing the police officer who fired the shot that killed the teenager on Saturday said ballistics tests on the fatal bullet showed the death was probably an accident and caused by the bullet ricocheting from a wall. But this new information seems to have done little to calm the violence, which is now in its fifth day. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2440271,00.html Protesters throw fire bombs 10/12/2008 15:24 - (SA) Athens - Protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament on Wednesday during a general strike which paralysed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government reeling from the worst riots in decades. "Government murderers!" demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday which has sparked four days of violence fuelled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said on Wednesday that a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. "The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident," lawyer Alexis Kougias told Reuters. The ballistics report has not yet been officially published. Riots have raged in at least 10 cities and the cost of damage to shops and businesses in Athens alone is estimated at about ?200m, the Greek Commerce Confederation said. "In Athens, we had 565 shops suffering serious damage or being completely destroyed", said Vassilis Krokidis, vice president of the federation. Thousands marched on parliament on Wednesday in a union rally at economic and social policy, which quickly turned violent. Police fired teargas and protesters responded with stones, bottles and sticks, a Reuters witness said. 'A demand for change' The opposition socialist party has said the government, which has a one-seat majority and trails in opinion polls, has lost the trust of the people and has called for elections. "Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill," said Stathis Anestis, spokesperson for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage. Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job. Unions say privatisations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global downturn is hurting the ?240bn economy. "There is demand for change: social, economic and political change," said Odysseas Korakidis, 25, who works two jobs. "It's not unusual here to hold down two jobs to get just ?800 or ?1 000 a month. In other countries, that's inconceivable!" Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, appealed to political leaders for unity and urged unions to cancel Wednesday's rally. But his requests were flatly rejected by the opposition. 'More afraid than ever' "He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing," said socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou. One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos, but has said he only fired in warning. The officer was due to appear before investigators with his colleague, who has been charged as an accomplice. Rioting at the boy's death began in Athens on Saturday and quickly spread across the European Union nation of 11 million people. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, The Hague and in Cyprus. The unrest is the worst in Greece since the aftermath of military rule in 1974. "The death of the kid was an excuse that lit the match," said grocery store owner Yannis Thomas, 60. "Today we are more afraid than ever because of the strike." Wednesday's strike by GSEE and its public sector counterpart ADEDY, which group half of Greece's five-million-strong work force, was the latest in a series of labour protests by unions. Tradition of violence Many shops in central Athens stayed shut, boarding up their windows to prevent further damage. Bus stops and litter bins were blackened by fire, public telephone booths smashed and some buildings gutted by blazes. Greece has a tradition of violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchist groups, which have heightened tensions with police. Amnesty International, in a report on Tuesday, accused police of brutality in handling the riots. Karamanlis has promised to compensate shopkeepers but his government already faces a big deficit. In four years of conservative rule, a series of scandals, devastating forest fires last summer, and misfired economic measures have erased the optimistic mood of the 2004 Olympics. - Reuters http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/10/greece-riots-protests Greece shut down by strike amid renewed clashes ? Pitched battles outside parliament ? Boy died from ricochet, says lawyer ? Country 'at a standstill' as strike deepens ? Helena Smith in Athens ? guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 10 December 2008 17.45 GMT A general strike shut down schools, hospitals, flight and public services across Greece today, touching off further riots that left dozens injured and piling the pressure on a government severely shaken by five days of unprecedented civil unrest. Stone-throwing youths fought pitched battles with riot police outside Athens' parliament as thousands of striking workers joined a separate demonstration, chanting their way through the capital. Amid screams of "let parliament burn," protesters hurled petrol bombs, marble slabs and pieces of cement at police who responded by firing rounds of acrid tear gas into the air. The clashes, triggered by the police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, are the worst disturbances to hit Greece since the end of military rule in 1974. Angry mobs have relentlessly laid siege to cities nationwide, plundering public buildings, stores and cars before sending them up in flames in an orgy of destruction. With the country shut down and Greece's links to the world cut as a result of the strike, the conservative administration ? already clinging onto power by a single seat in Athens' 300 member House ? found itself facing a full-scale political crisis. Addressing the nation in a bid to contain the spiralling tensions, the prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, today pledged financial support for those who had suffered damage and promised to protect individuals from further violence. But opposition to the free-market conservatives' fiscal policies and plans to privatise hospitals and schools, is unlikely to fade soon. Support for the government, even from the most die-hard conservatives, has dropped dramatically with nearly 70% telling pollsters they have mishandled the crisis. "The only way out of this impasse is for the government to resign and call early elections," said Spyros Polyzos, a 60-year-old accountant participating in the demonstration. "Young people are right to take to the streets. They have absolutely no future. It's not just the global economic crisis. Even if they speak three foreign languages and get the best degrees they can't find work, and if they do it pays badly. The only thing that saves them is the strong family ties here." "These protests are our answer to a government that always closes the doors in our face," said Yiannis Yiapitsakis, a student at Athens' fabled Polytechnic. "If the root causes of our problems are not solved there will be more explosions. It's a smouldering fire, all it needs is another match." Symbolic of the fear and loathing gripping Greece is the makeshift shrine erected on the spot in Athens where Grigoropoulos was shot dead. In handwritten notes, cards, paintings and poems, Greeks of all ages not only honoured the young "martyr" but gave vivid testimony to a country that increasingly appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "You have paid for what people like me who belong to the generation of 50-year-olds, know to be true," wrote one father in a note placed on top of a pile of roses, candles, plants and paper icons. "That we are shaking with worry over the future of our children. Something has to happen now." Today, according to a lawyer for the two police officers accused in the fatal shooting, a ballistic examination revealed that the schoolboy had died as an accident after the bullet ricocheted. "Whether it was an accident or not that policemen should never have pulled a gun on a child," said 20-year-old Menelaos Katrakis paying homage at the scene. "The killing somehow sums up everything that is wrong with Greece today: repression, police brutality and fear." http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Greece-Stops-For-General-Strike-Violence-Continues-Following-Teens-Police-Shooting-Death/Article/200812215176072?f=rss More Violence As Greece Strikes 3:00pm UK, Wednesday December 10, 2008 Protesters and police clashed outside parliament during a general strike which brought Greece to a standstill. Protesters clash with riot police More than 10,000 people gathered in the Greek capital to protest against the government's economic policies. But the demonstration quickly turned violent, marking the fifth day of clashes since the shooting of a teenage boy by police on Saturday. Riot police fired tear gas and protesters responded with fire bombs, stones, bottles and sticks. In an effort to restore order, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis announced financial support for businesses damaged during the rioting. "The government is determined not only to make citizens feel safe but to support businesses which suffered damage," he said in a televised address. At least 435 business have been affected so far, including 37 that were completely gutted, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry said, putting the cost of the damage at 50 million euros. The union federation which organised the strike said participation had been "total" and that Greece had "come to a standstill". Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands walked off the job. Alexandros' funeral in Athens Rioting began in Athens on Saturday after the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos and quickly spread across the nation. The lawyer acting for the officer who fired the shot said an initial report showed the 15-year-old was killed by an accidental ricochet. One policeman has been charged with murder, but claims he only fired in warning. A colleague has been charged as an accomplice. Protesters threw two petrol bombs outside a court as the two officers arrived for questioning before a magistrate. Mr Karamanlis' government holds a single-seat majority in the 300-member Greek parliament. It has faced growing opposition over changes to the country's pension system, privatisation and the loosening of state control of higher education, which many students oppose because they feel it will undermine their degrees. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/10/greece.riots/index.html?eref=ib_topstories December 11, 2008 -- Updated 0656 GMT (1456 HKT) Clashes, strike shut down Athens ? Story Highlights ? Greek protesters clash with riot police at demonstrations in Athens ? Nationwide strike taking place amid unrest over police shooting of teenager ? Banks, schools, and hospitals closed; public transport in Athens halted ? Lawyer for officers accused over shooting says boy, 15, was killed by ricochet ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- The Greek government was struggling to bring violent protests under control Wednesday, five days after they were sparked by the police killing of a teenager. Riot police face protesters in Athens Wednesday as debris burns in the streets. Athens announced aid for small businesses but demonstrators continued to stage standoffs and riots in the Greek capital, while workers held a long-planned strike in one of the city's main squares. Greek police confronted protesters outside the parliament building after days of rioting that have brought the city to a standstill and threatened the government's hold on power. A lawyer for the officers accused of killing the teenager said Wednesday that a ballistics test showed the policeman had not fired directly at the 15-year-old. The bullet ricocheted off another object before hitting Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the chest, attorney Alex Kougias said. The family of the boy, who was buried Tuesday, has called in its own investigators to verify state findings, the Athens coroner told CNN. Watch crowds gather for the funeral ? The shooting happened in a restive Athens neighborhood after six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. Grigoropoulos was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, police said. Striking union members condemned what they called "the cold-blooded murder of the young Alexander," as they demanded higher wages, a ban on mass layoffs by companies receiving government assistance, and the doubling of government funding for education, health and welfare programs. Meanwhile, the mayor of Athens appealed for calm along with help in returning the city to normal, while the government released a statement saying everyone bears responsibility for restoring order. So far, however, the Greek leadership has appeared unable to quell the violence and there is growing pressure on the government to resign. Watch how the unrest could cause a crisis ? Saturday's shooting, which sparked the riots, was only one reason for the days of unrest. Many Greeks were already angry over how the government was run, allegations of corruption, the state of the economy and a lack of jobs. Protesters outside parliament hurled stones and projectiles, some of them on fire, at a line of police dressed in green uniforms, white helmets, and armed with shields. The police occasionally advanced but did not respond. But the violence then spread to other areas, with students responsible for much of the disorder, according to Achilles Popas, a reporter for Greek station Skai TV. The students hurled petrol bombs and caused a lot of damage in the city center, where shattered glass covered the ground, Popas told CNN. Police responded by using tear gas, Popas said. They appeared to be trying to keep their distance from the protesters but the clashes continued, he added. Wednesday's strike went ahead despite a plea from Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis to hold off amid the violence. Banks, schools, and hospitals were closed and transportation was at a halt with urban buses and the Athens subway shut. Many local and international flights were canceled. Karamanlis condemned the "destructive fury and brutal violence" of the protesters. "The rioters, with their acts, once again, demonstrated that the only thing that inspires them is the destruction," the prime minister said in a statement. "They have targeted social peace, the rule of law, and democracy itself. That is why they are isolated." Karamanlis said the violence has affected businesses, especially small ones already suffering from the economic downturn. He announced a series of measures to help merchants recover, including reimbursement for losses, direct financial assistance, 15-year loans, and suspended debts. Athens Mayor Nikita Kaklamani asked all Athens residents to buy something from the shops as a symbolic show of support. "The city wants a smile, it wants hope. We will provide it, because this must be Athens' fate," the mayor said in a statement. "We will defend its history, its cultural heritage, the fortunes of our fellow citizens and, above all, human lives." In his statement, Karamanlis said the government was acting responsibly and he called on all political parties to work together. Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakogiannis tried to spread the blame for the broad dissatisfaction. "The central responsibility of managing a difficult crisis undoubtedly remains with the elected government of a land," Bakogiannis said in a statement issued Wednesday. "However, I would like to stress no one is without responsibility, (including) political parties and institutions. A share of the responsibility for order, the city's economic life, remains with us all." Opposition leaders have blasted the government amid the unrest. The leader of the left-wing opposition party SYRIZA has called for protesters to topple the government, but Karamanlis ruled out early elections. http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=7108885&service=142 Demonstrations over teen killing trigger new round of violence Demonstrations held to protest against the shooting of a 15-year-old youth by police triggered another round of violence in Greek cities on Sunday afternoon, with clashes between police and rioters in major Greek cities. The march in Athens was once again marked by mayhem that carried on until late into the evening, as youths belonging to far-left groups came to blows with MAT riot police on Alexandras Avenue and later around the area of the Athens Polytechnic. The streets of the city were rank with the smell of tear gas throughout most of the day as Alexandras Avenue was turned into a battle field, with pockets of violence between rioters and police along the length of Patission and Stournari Streets. Taking part in the march along Alexandras Avenue were protestors belonging to the Coalition of Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) party, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and their respective youth movements, as well as several other leftist organisations. Though starting off peacefully, the march quickly descended into violence once it turned into Alexandras Avenue and self-proclaimed anarchists began attacking shops on both sides of the road, prompting police to use tear gas that forced the peaceful elements of the march into flight. At around 15:00, the rioters succeeded in torching the environment ministry building on the corner of Alexandras Avenue and Harilaou Trikoupi streets, while MAT riot police looked on. The fire threatened to spread to an apartment building next door but was put out by the fire brigade. As a result of the fire, the demonstrators in the march started to pull back because they were unable to continue. The march was eventually stopped near the Supreme Court building and spread to the side streets around Alexandras, where demonstrators were playing a cat-and-mouse game with police, setting fire to overturned dumpsters as they passed. By Sunday evening, Alexandras Avenue was a shambles, with broken shop fronts, rocks strewn all over the road, vandalised bus stops and torched dumpsters all around. A Veropoulos supermarket at Panagiotara was nearly burnt to the ground, as was a Ford car dealership on the corner of Patriarchou Ioakeim street. All along the length of the road, strong fire-fighting forces were attempting to put out fires that had been lit by rioters, who had by then dispersed into sidestreets heading for Exarhia. Scenes of violence were also reported at demonstrations taking place in other Greek cities at around the same time, with demonstrators attacking a police station at Ano Poli in Thessaloniki after they were stopped from attacking a police station at the city's White Tower by riot police using tear gas. Apart from the usual forms of havoc and damage during demonstrations, rioters also set fire to a container at a metro worksite outside the Thessaloniki University central library, while the city also had to contend with violence between rival football supporters after a game between PASOK and Iraklis. Members of far-left student organisations have now indefintely taken over the Thessaloniki Bar Association premises, saying that they intend to use this as a press office to issue announcements and information prompted by the killing of the 15-year-old in Athens. Minor incidents continued to be reported throughout Thessaloniki until late in the evening, with more damage to shop fronts, banks and parked cars in the city. Tension, violence and use of tear gas also marked marches and demonstrations held in the city of Patras, where police arrested five people, and on the island of Crete during demonstrations in Hania and in Rethymno. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20081210140257424C954427 Protests cripple Greece December 10 2008 at 02:34PM Athens - Riot police clashed with demonstrators outside Parliament on Wednesday as a general strike paralysed Greece, shutting down schools, hospitals and international flights and raising pressure on a fragile government reeling from four days of riots. The lawyer for the two officers accused in the fatal shooting of a teenager that set off the unrest said ballistics show 15-year-old Alexandros Griogropoulos was killed by a ricochet and not a direct shot. Lawyer Alexis Cougias said the report corroborated the officers' account that they fired warning shots and did not shoot directly at the boy. One officer has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. They were to appear in court later in the day. Authorities have not made the ballistics report public. The rioting and demonstrations were set off by anger at the shooting but fed by months of widespread discontent with the conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose party holds a majority of a single seat in the 300-member parliament. More than 10 000 people marched through the centre of the city to protest the conservative government's economic policies. Riot police began firing tear gas when a small group of youths threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at them near Parliament in the center of the Greek capital. Flights to and from Athens International Airport were canceled, and public hospitals across Greece were operating with a skeleton staff. Schools and universities were closed. Karamanlis has faced growing opposition over changes to the country's pension system, privatisation and the loosening of state control of higher education, which many students oppose because they feel it will undermine their degrees. The government's support has dropped lower as gangs of youths maraud through cities across the country, torching businesses, looting shops and setting up burning barricades across streets. Storeowners accuse riot police of leaving their businesses unprotected as rioters smashed and burned their way through popular shopping districts. Although police have fired volley after volley of tear gas when attacked by rock- and Molotov cocktail-throwing protesters, they held back when youths turned against buildings and cars. Local media reported early on Wednesday that groups of civilians had begun taking matters into their own hands, confronting looters in the western city of Patras and the central city of Larissa. Opposition Socialist leader George Papandreou claimed the conservatives are incapable of defending the public from rioters. But Karamanlis has so far ignored mounting calls for him to resign and call early elections. An opinion poll for the conservative daily Kathimerini published on Wednesday found 68 percent of Greece believe the government mishandled the crisis - including nearly half of respondents who voted for Karamanlis' conservative party in general elections last year. Only 18 percent approved. The Public Issues survey was based on a sample of 478 people questioned on Monday and Tuesday and had a 4,5 percent margin of error. "The government wanted us to postpone this protest, but they are the ones who have to do something to stop this violence and to improve the quality of our lives," said one demonstrator, drama student Kalypso Synenoglou. Greece has a long legacy of activism; it was a student uprising that eventually brought down a seven-year military junta in 1974. Tensions persist between the security establishment and a phalanx of deeply entrenched leftist groups that often protest globalisation and US foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. The groups have now evolved into various mainly youth factions that claim to fight trends ranging from globalisation to police surveillance cameras. Their impact is usually limited to graffiti and late-night firebomb attacks on targets such as stores and cash machines. Amnesty International accused Greek police of heavy-handed tactics against protesters, saying police "engaged in punitive violence against peaceful demonstrators" instead of focusing on rioters. Authorities are investigating reports officers used their pistols to fire warning shots in the air during Tuesday's riots. - Sapa-AP http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/europe/greek-violence-eases-after-four-days-of-rioting-14100873.html?r=RSS Greek violence eases after four days of rioting Wednesday, 10 December 2008 Street violence has eased in Greece overnight following four days of rioting triggered by the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy. Hundreds of students, anarchists and looters attacked police and shops during an explosion of rage that erupted after the shooting in the Exarchia area of Athens over the weekend. A police officer has been charged with murder in connection with the incident. The nightly scenes of burning street barricades, overturned cars and looted shops have increased pressure on the unpopular conservative government, with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis facing mounting calls to resign. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3700248/Greece-comes-to-a-standstill-as-riots-continue.html Greece comes to a standstill as riots continue Greece came to a standstill today as a nationwide strike piled pressure on the government as it struggled to deal with the worst rioting in decades. By Nick Squires In Athens Published: 10:17AM GMT 10 Dec 2008 Banks, schools and public transport were shut and hundreds of flights in and out of the country were cancelled as air traffic controllers also went on strike. Stathis Anestis, spokesman for a federation of private sector unions, said: "Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill." The opposition Socialist party repeated calls for the centre-right government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to resign and call early elections. "He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing," said Socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou. Newspapers added to the pressure on Mr Karamanlis's beleaguered administration, with the headline in the popular daily Ta Nea warning: "Government and police on the brink of collapse". The paralysis came as police clashed with demonstrators in Athens, Thessaloniki, Ioaninna and on the Aegean island of Rhodes for the fourth night in a row. At least seven officers were injured. In the capital, students hurled petrol bombs and riot police responded with tear gas a few blocks from where 15-year-old schoolboy Alexis Grigoropoulos was shot dead by a police officer on Saturday night, plunging Greece into its worst civil unrest for decades. "The winds of destruction are blowing through our city," said Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis. A ballistics report on Saturday's shooting reportedly concluded that the bullet that killed the schoolboy had ricocheted off something before hitting and fatally wounding him. Alexis Kougias, the lawyer acting for the policeman who fired the gun, said: "The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident." The ballistics report is yet to be published officially. The policeman was due to appear before investigators with his partner, who has been charged as an accomplice. The teenager's death was the catalyst for an outpouring of anger among ordinary Greeks over government corruption scandals, high unemployment, low wages, pension reform and the effects of the global financial crisis. Authorities fear that today's rally, organised by Greece's two main union federations, could spark further violence and police are again on high alert. The riots, the worst since a student uprising toppled Greece's military dictatorship in 1974, have caused tens of millions of pounds' damage in wrecked cars, looted shops and torched banks. Mr Karamanlis, 52, swept to power amid euphoria before the 2004 Athens Olympics but his government's reputation has since been tarnished by a series of ministerial scandals, the handling of devastating forest fires last summer, and economic measures which have brought pain to many Greeks. In a televised address, Mr Karamanlis blamed the four days of violence on the "enemies of democracy." He warned that "the struggles of workers and the unjust death of a youth cannot be confused with acts of vandalism." http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/10/mass-arrests-after-4-nights-of-rioting-in-greece/ Mass arrests after 4 nights of rioting in Greece 10/12/08 07:38 CET Amid the whiff of teargas, flares from Molotov cocktails and the rattle of rocks hurled at police, Greece is witnessing the worst rioting it has seen in a quarter of a century. Much of downtown Athens has been shut down for days with damage to banks, hotels and cars already running into millions of euros In a change of tactic, the police response to rioters has generally been more robust and a number of arrests have been made. A plaza in front of the Greek parliament was a particular target for demonstrators to show their anger but police seemed determined not to allow it to become a battleground. The police however had to move in carefully to make their arrests. After all, it was the shooting dead of a 15-year-old youth which sparked the riots in the first place. Since the protests began, demonstrators have not been voicing particular policy goals, but they are united the Caramanlis government must quit. Meanwhile, in the same area outside parliament, a separate group of demonstrators held what they had planned as a peaceful protest.They claimed they were the alternative to all the violent protests of the last few days. The only guns they wielded were symbolic paper ones printed on posters. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_0_10/12/2008_102909 Attempt at consensus fails as rioting continues PM?s talks with opposition leaders yields no common ground JOHN KOLESIDIS/REUTERS LEFTERIS PITARAKIS/REUTERS OLEG POPOV/REUTERS The funeral of Alexis Grigoropoulos took place in the southern Athens suburb of Palaio Faliron yesterday (left). According to some estimates, more than 5,000 people attended the service. Top left: A protester tries to escape from riot police in front of Parliament, which was the scene of more clashes yesterday. Top right: An Athenian surveys the damage done to stores and businesses in the city center after three nights of rioting. Rioting continued in Athens and numerous other Greek cities for a third full day yesterday as the prime minister?s attempts to achieve some political consensus on dealing with the turmoil failed to find any significant support from opposition parties. Rioters again clashed with police in central Athens after a night of widespread havoc and looting that resulted in the damage done to shops and businesses in the capital being estimated at 1 billion euros. There was also violence in at least a dozen other Greek cities, including Patras, where protesters and police clashed for several hours. For the first time since the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, shot by a police officer on Saturday night, there was a serious outbreak of violence in one of Athens?s suburbs. The funeral of the schoolboy in the southern neighborhood of Palaio Faliron was attended by an estimated 5,000 people and reignited tension between protesters and riot police who fought running battles in the area and neighboring Nea Smyrni. The violence continued despite the efforts of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in particular to build bridges with the opposition parties in the hope of discouraging people from continuing with their protests. Karamanlis met separately with the leader of each of the parliamentary parties, who in turn emerged from the talks to assert that the government could not cope with the crisis and that their respective parties are offering a way out. ?The only thing that this government can now offer is its resignation,? PASOK leader George Papandreou told his deputies after the meeting, as he called for elections to be held. Apart from the divisions between the parties, there also seems to be a split in the government over how it should be handling this explosive situation. During a meeting of the Inner Cabinet yesterday, some ministers expressed disagreement with the decision of Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos to encourage the police to adopt a defensive stance. A Public Issue poll carried out for Kathimerini and Skai indicated yesterday that about two-thirds of Greeks feel the government has not handled the situation well over the last few days. Karamanlis attempted to fend off criticism that his government has not been proactive enough by making a second public address in less than 36 hours. He urged political parties and the public to marginalize the rioters, whom he branded ?enemies of democracy.? Officers to wait for ballistic results before answering prosecutor?s questions The police officer alleged to have shot 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos on Saturday and his colleague who witnessed the incident are due to appear before a prosecutor today but are expected to refuse to answer questions until they are informed of the results of ballistic and toxicological tests. According to celebrity lawyer Alexis Kougias, who yesterday took on the defense of the two officers, the policemen are unlikely to testify before next week. Epaminondas Korkoneas, a 37-year-old special guard, has been accused of murdering the teenager but he claims that he fired only warning shots, one of which ricocheted on the ground and hit Grigoropoulos in the chest. However, the officer?s version of events do not match witness accounts. Witnesses claim that Korkoneas shot straight at a group of youths and that the officers had not come under any kind of physical attack. The ballistic tests are crucial to the case as experts who examined the bullet that lodged itself in Grigoropoulos?s heart should be able to tell whether it struck the ground or any object before entering his body. If the bullet does not bear any such marks, Korkoneas?s defense will collapse. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/12/11/2003430817 Protesters throw fire bombs on day four of Greek riots AGENCIES, ATHENS Thursday, Dec 11, 2008, Page 1 Protesters threw fire bombs at police outside parliament yesterday during a general strike that paralyzed Greece and piled pressure on a conservative government reeling from the worst riots in decades. ?Government murderers!? demonstrators shouted, furious at the shooting of a teenager by police on Saturday that has sparked four days of violence fueled by simmering public anger at political scandals, rising unemployment and poverty. Witnesses said the officer who fired the shot took deliberate aim, but his lawyer said yesterday that a ballistics report showed the boy was killed by an accidental ricochet. ?The investigation shows it was a ricochet ... In the end, this was an accident,? lawyer Alexis Kougias said. The ballistics report has yet to be officially published. Thousands marched on parliament in a union rally against economic and social policy, which quickly turned violent. Police fired teargas and protesters responded with stones, bottles and sticks, a witness said. The opposition socialist party has said the government, which has a one-seat majority and trails in opinion polls, has lost the trust of the people and has called for elections. ?Participation in the strike is total, the country has come to a standstill,? said Stathis Anestis, spokesman for the GSEE union federation which called the 24-hour stoppage. Foreign and domestic flights were grounded, banks and schools were shut, and hospitals ran on emergency services as hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job. Unions say privatizations, tax rises and pension reform have worsened conditions, especially for the one-fifth of Greeks who live below the poverty line, precisely at a time when the global downturn is hurting the country. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who swept to power amid the euphoria of the 2004 Athens Olympics, appealed to political leaders for unity and urged unions to cancel yesterday?s rally. But his requests were flatly rejected by the opposition. ?He and his government are responsible for the widespread crisis that the country, that Greek society is experiencing,? socialist party spokesman George Papakonstantinou said. One policeman has been charged with murder over the shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, but has said he only fired in warning. The officer was due to appear before investigators with his colleague, who has been charged as an accomplice. Rioting at the teenager?s death began in Athens on Saturday and quickly spread to at least 10 cities across the country. Greeks also protested in Paris, Berlin, London, The Hague and Cyprus. The riots, Greece?s worst unrest since the aftermath of military rule in 1974, have caused more than 20 million euros (US$25.9 million) in damage in wrecked cars, torched shops and banks, insurers say. At the last count across Greece, 108 people had been arrested ? with one of the most graphic attacks by looting rioters involving swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, police said. Tuesday DECEMBER 9 http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=1051693 Tear gas, protests mar funeral of Athens teen By John Hadoulis, Agence France-PresseDecember 9, 2008 Stones and tear gas cans lay on the street outside a law school in central Athens during a night of riots early Tuesday. Photograph by: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images, Getty Images ATHENS - Security forces and protesters clashed Tuesday near the funeral of a schoolboy whose killing by police sparked four days of nationwide riots as the Greek opposition called for the government to resign. Greece's president appealed for calm and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vowed to crack down on the unrest, but protesters again defied the government and there was new unrest in Athens and other cities. Disturbances broke out on a main avenue near the cemetery in the Athens suburb where the funeral of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos was held. Youths attacked police and set fire to garbage cans before being in turn fired at with tear gas, according to an AFP photographer. Some youths also shouted anti-police slogans at the cemetery but most people respected the family's request for a solemn service. In Athens, riot police fought demonstrators outside parliament and the main police headquarters, firing tear gas and dragging away protesters in a bid to clear the streets. Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and other missiles in a bid to breach a cordon around parliament and other official buildings. There were also standoffs at two universities in central Athens which have been occupied by students. Police who have surrounded the building fired more tear gas in a bid to end the protests. Salonika in the north also saw new clashes. Police said they made 87 arrests during a third night of rampaging violence on Monday by youths who looted Athens banks and stores. Some protesters staged attacks with swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, they said. Twelve more police were injured in Monday's clashes and at least 10 people were hospitalised with respiratory problems from the cloud of tear gas that blanketed central Athens. Burnt out rubbish bins, glass and paving slabs torn off sidewalks littered the streets and emergency services said fires were put out at 49 office buildings, 47 shops, 14 banks, 20 cars and three ministries. With the crisis increasingly turning into a political confrontation, thousands of students, teachers and left wing radicals joined Tuesday's rallies against the police action and the right wing government. Around 2,000 protesters, led by the OLME teachers' union, marched on parliament carrying a large banner reading "Assassins, the government is the culprit". And with a general strike looming Wednesday, socialist opposition leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign and seek a "public verdict" on the crisis. "The government has lost public confidence," Papandreou told Pasok socialist party deputies. "The only thing it can give this country is to depart... to seek a public verdict so that the people can give a solution." Karamanlis called a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday night and held new meetings with President Karolos Papoulias and leaders of allied and opposition political parties on Tuesday. "We will tolerate no leniency in the attribution of responsibility," the prime minister said after talks with the president. Papoulias meanwhile appealed for calm, calling on Greeks to "honour Alexis' memory peacefully." Grigoropoulos was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens that is known as a radical stronghold. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested. The government, already in trouble over the state of the economy and a series of political scandals, has been strongly criticised over the havoc. "The whole country was delivered to chaos by an irresponsible government," the Eleftherotypia daily said in an editorial Tuesday. The violence has showcased the organisational capacity of urban radicals and the failure of the government to crack down, critics said. Many of the protesters say that the killing of Grigoropoulos was the latest example of police acting as if they were above the law. "This is not just a random incident," said Magda, a 27-year-old hotel worker who was participating in a leftwing demonstration in Athens. "It has to do with the role played by the security forces ... who enjoy impunity." Lawyer Dimitris Beladis, who specialises in urban troubles, the killing "is the detonator of a sort of social explosion due to economic insecurity that affects many youths and those who are unemployed or badly paid." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008489181_greece100.html?syndication=rss December 10, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified December 10, 2008 at 12:14 AM Comments (1) E-mail article Print view Greek protest symptom of governmental ills A fourth day of rioting erupted here and around Greece on Tuesday, as a 15-year-old boy killed by the police over the weekend was buried and the nation's shaky government grappled with how to contain to the worst civil unrest in decades. By RACHEL DONADIO and ANTHEE CARASSAVA The New York Times PREV 1 of 2 NEXT LEFTERIS PITARAKIS / AP Protesters sit in central Athen's Syntagma Square on Tuesday. Athens and other Greek cities were ravaged by three successive nights of rioting after police shot a teen dead Saturday night. ATHENS, Greece ? A fourth day of rioting erupted here and around Greece on Tuesday, as a 15-year-old boy killed by the police over the weekend was buried and the nation's shaky government grappled with how to contain to the worst civil unrest in decades. While clashes between the police and students have been common in Greece for decades, the ferocity of the reaction to the boy's death took the nation ? and its crippled government ? by surprise. Outrage over the death was widespread, fueled by what experts say is a growing frustration with unemployment and corruption in one of Western Europe's consistently underperforming economies, worsened by global recession. But it was expressed in violence in the streets by student anarchists, who had been on the wane for the past several years but seemed revived by the crisis. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, hanging onto power in Parliament by only one vote, seemed frozen, his government, once popular but now scandal-ridden, pushed a step closer to collapse. "He's seriously troubled" about the riots, said Nicholas Karahalios, a strategy adviser to the prime minister. "Whereas before we were dealing with a political and economic crisis, now there's a third dimension attached to it: a security crisis which exacerbates the situation." Another day of demonstrations was expected in a national strike that was called for Wednesday. On Tuesday, bands of militant youths threw gasoline bombs and smashed shop windows in downtown Athens, as rioters battled with the police here in the capital and in Salonika, Greece's second-largest city. In the port city of Patras, business owners tried to protect their shops from rioters, while other rioters blocked the police station, the authorities said. While widespread and violent, the protests on Tuesday were seen as slightly smaller than those the day before, when after dark hundreds of professed anarchists broke the windows of upscale shops, banks and five-star hotels in central Athens and burned a large Christmas tree in the plaza in front of Parliament. At the Athens police headquarters, a spokesman said 12 police officers had been wounded in fighting with demonstrators that flared at 10 major flash points around the Greek capital on Monday night. He said 87 protesters were arrested and 176 people detained and released because of the confrontations. In the shattered city center on Tuesday, street-cleaning trucks tackled the mess. Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis advised Athenians not to drive into the city center and asked them to keep their trash indoors; rioters burned 160 big garbage containers in the streets Monday night. On Tuesday, the opposition leader, George Papandreou, a socialist, renewed his call for early elections. Yet it remained unclear whether the riots would cause the government to fall or whether the current stalemate would continue. "What I foresee is a prolonged political crisis with no immediate results for two or three years," said George Kirtsos, a political commentator and the publisher of City Press, an independent newspaper. "In that time, the country will be going from bad to worse." The authorities seem to fear that cracking down on the demonstrators may lead to other unintended deaths, provoking more rioting. Asked why the riots had not been contained, a spokesman for the national police, Panayiotis Stathis, said "violence cannot be fought with violence." But Karamanlis faced criticism for not acting with a stronger hand earlier, with some suggesting that this gave credibility to the rioters' anger. "They chose to show tolerance, which backfired," said Nikos Kostandaras, the editor of Kathimerini, a daily newspaper. On Tuesday, schools and universities were closed, and thousands of teachers and students joined generally peaceful protests through Athens. George Dimitriou, 22, a member of the agriculture students' union, said the teenager's death was an opportunity to protest other issues. "Our generation is facing a tougher future than our parents," Dimitriou said as he stood outside Athens University. To many Greeks, scarred by the memories of military rule in the 1970s, the police remain a hostile remnant of the military junta. While Greece has a comparatively high ratio of more than 45,000 police officers for 10.7 million people, in the popular imagination they are seen as ineffective and corrupt, so many view the police as a fair target for demonstrations. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1447385.php/Protestors_clash_with_police_near_funeral_of_teenager Protestors clash with police near funeral of teenager Europe News High school students clash with riot police in front of the Greek parliament in Athens, Greece, on 09 December 2008. EPA/SIMELA PANTZARTZI Dec 9, 2008, 15:25 GMT Athens - Hundreds of youngsters clashed with riot police outside the Greek parliament Tuesday, and within sight of the funeral of the 15-year-old whose shooting death by police set off a four-days of riots across the country. Thousands of mourners gathered at the cemetery at the southern Athenian suburb of Paleo Faliro for the boy's funeral while just a few metres away 200 hooded youths clashed with police. Many of the hooded teenagers ran onto the streets and attacked banks, reports said. Meanwhile, in downtown Athens, riot police attempted to fight back protestors as young as 10 years of age using tear gas to keep them from reaching the building. Many demonstrators could be seen hurling firebombs and pieces of marble, and torching barricades in front of parliament in a violent press that threatens to topple the government. In other parts of the city, students attacked four police stations in Nea Smyrni while elsewhere around the country, students clashed with police on the holiday island of Rhodes and in the northern city of Thessaloniki and the western city of Ioannina. The funeral of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos took place before nearly 3,000 mourners, many of them teenagers who gathered to pay their last respects and lay wreaths. Schools and universities across the country closed their doors for three days. The circumstances surrounding the teen's shooting still remains unclear but two officers involved have been arrested and charged with manslaughter. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens. Greece braced for more widespread protests and possible violence following the funeral. The shooting was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment rate and low wages. Unemployment is pegged at over 7 per cent and nearly 20 per cent of Greeks live below the poverty line, earning less than 600 euros (775 dollars) a month. 'Everyone appears to have let our children down. Students have become more hostile towards us and to figures of authority,' said Christos Kittas, after resigning as the dean of Athens University after rioting spread to campuses. Public unrest has grown with the conservative government's austerity measures, with unions regularly demonstrating against privatizations, pension reforms and the cost of living, and this latest incident could topple the unpopular conservative government. The main opposition Socialist party leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign in an effort to end the crisis. Three successive nights of rioting and looting have left hundreds of cars, stores and buildings charred and gutted across Greece and left many Athenians angry about the response of the government and police to the riots and their inability to stop the destruction. Within hours of the shooting, riots erupted throughout Greece, starting from the capital Athens and quickly spreading to the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Volos, Thessalia and to the holiday islands of Corfu and Crete. Almost every city across the country saw cars, buildings, banks and shops torched, looted or smashed. Abroad, demonstrators attempted to take over the Greek embassies in London, Berlin and Cyprus. More than 60 people reportedly stormed the Greek embassy in Paris on Tuesday. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3686905/Greek-riots-Students-vow-fourth-day-of-protests.html Greek riots: Students vow fourth day of protests Greek students have promised another day of protests after hundreds of youths rioted across Athens in repsonse to the fatal police shooting of a schoolboy. By Nick Squires Last Updated: 12:49PM GMT 09 Dec 2008 The boy's funeral takes place later today, and police are bracing for more violence. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has vowed to end the country's worst unrest in decades, but a government spokesman denied reports that they planned to declare martial law. The unrest has left dozens injured and hundreds of buildings destroyed or badly damaged across the country. Greeks abroad also staged demonstrations in London, where five people were arrested, Berlin and Nicosia. Ten people were treated in Athens hospitals for respiratory troubles caused by the blanket of tear gas over the city as the third day of battles for control of the streets went on into the night Monday, a health ministry spokesman said. In the capital, protesters stoned the interior ministry, attacked police stations and clashed with riot police outside parliament. They also set alight a major department store in the centre of the city and torched the official Christmas tree outside parliament. There were street battles from Thessoliniki in the north to Crete in the south, with youths yelling "Cops! Pigs! Murderers!" at police. Mr Karamanlis has vowed to end the riots, saying they were organised by extremists. "All the dangerous and unacceptable events that occurred because of the emotions that followed the tragic incident cannot and will not be tolerated," he said. The shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15, was the catalyst for the violence, but it comes against a background of high youth unemployment, the rising cost of living, stalled pension reform and a widening gap between rich and poor. The centre-right government is accused of doing little to help low-income Greeks who are in the grip of the financial crisis. The government has also been criticised for a 28-billion-euro liquidity support package for Greek banks struggling to cope with the credit crunch - many Greeks feel that the banks do not need, or deserve, the money. The riots are some of the worst Greece has experienced since the country's military dictatorship was toppled in 1974. They began within hours of the teenager's shooting on Saturday night in the bohemian but often volatile Athens district of Exarchia. Two police officers have been arrested and one has been charged with murder. About 30 civilians have been treated for minor injuries in hospitals around the country and Athens police said 37 policemen were hurt in the capital over the weekend. Running battles between riot police firing tear gas and about 400 secondary school students throwing rocks broke out on Monday in Veria, a town about 40 miles west of the port city of Thessaloniki. In Chania, a Crete town popular with British holidaymakers, gangs of school students threw broken chairs, rocks and pieces of wood at riot police, who responded with tear gas. On Rhodes, students pelted a local police station with various projectiles, prompting officers to fire tear gas. Fierce debate swirled around the circumstances of the teenager's death. The officer accused of the shooting said he fired warning shots to scare off a gang of youths and that the bullet ricocheted off the pavement, but witnesses told Greek reporters that he deliberately took aim at the boy. Mr Karamanlis' increasingly unpopular conservatives have a majority of one seat in the 300-member Parliament. The opposition Socialists are ahead in opinion polls for the first time in eight years. Greece is bracing for more violence on Wednesday, when a nationwide strike over pension reform and the government's lacklustre response to the financial crisis are expected to bring the country to a standstill. All flights in and out of the country will be stopped. The unrest spread to Greek diplomatic missions abroad. In London, demonstrators pulled down the Greek flag, set it ablaze and raised the red-and-black anarchists' banner at the Greek Embassy. Police officers were forced to block off the street and arrested five people. In Berlin, 15 youths occupied the Greek consulate, raising a banner describing the shooting as "murder". http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/395131/1/.html Protests continue in Athens student district after looters' rampage Posted: 09 December 2008 1603 hrs A firefighter tries to extinguish the fire of a building in Monastiraki area central Athens, Greece ATHENS: Tension continued Tuesday in Athens as demonstrators and police faced off in the student district after a night of urban violence, the third since the fatal police shooting of a schoolboy. About 100 youths holed up in the polytechnic college near the national archaeological museum continued to badger the security forces, who countered with tear gas, a police source said. But calm returned to the rest of the city centre, the scene until the small hours Tuesday of clashes, vandalism and looting of dozens of shops, banks and public buildings in an atmosphere rendered insufferable by tear gas. Tension also dropped in Salonika to the north and the other cities hit by a wave of destruction and looting Monday night -- Patras in the Peloponnese, Larissa in the centre, Canee in Crete and Ioannina in the north west. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called a cabinet crisis meeting late Monday as police fired volleys of tear gas in a bid to clear the centre of the Greek capital. Karamanlis vowed to end the country's worst unrest in decades but a government spokesman denied reports that the government planned to declare martial law despite fresh student protests planned Tuesday. The unrest has left dozens injured and hundreds of buildings destroyed or badly damaged across the country. Greeks abroad also staged demonstrations in London, where five people were arrested, Berlin and Nicosia. Ten people were treated in Athens hospitals for respiratory troubles caused by the blanket of tear gas over the city as the third day of battles for control of the streets went on into the night Monday, a health ministry spokesman said. After the end of a demonstration by left-wing activists against the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, groups of youths spread out across the centre of the city. Hooded and helmeted youths roamed the plush Kolonaki district, smashing stores near the Mexican embassy and British Council building before retreating. Protesters set fire to the lobby of the Hotel Athens Plaza on central Constitution Square. In Salonika, a policeman was wounded by a firebomb and hundreds of youths attacked cars and looted dozens of stores. The unrest also went on into the night in Greece's second biggest city. Students have called their own rally in Athens on Tuesday to protest at the killing of the teenager during incidents with police on Saturday. A general strike on Wednesday, originally intended to protest against the government, could become a new focus of the unrest. As despairing traders sifted through the wreckage left by weekend rioting, Karamanlis appeared on national television to denounce "the extremist elements who exploited the tragedy. "The unacceptable and dangerous events cannot and will not be tolerated," said the conservative prime minister, whose popularity ratings have plummeted in recent months because of the state of the economy and a number of scandals. At the end of the emergency cabinet meeting Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos defended police action against the riots saying it was intended to "protect human life and property". But he added: "I am not satisfied and I apologise to the people." Several universities in Athens and Salonika were ordered closed and the education ministry said high schools would also remain closed on Tuesday in tribute to the slain boy. Greek police have arrested two officers involved in the shooting of the teenager in the Athens district of Exarchia on Saturday. Grigoropoulos was among youths who had allegedly thrown stones at a police car in the Exarchia district of Athens. One of the two officers left his vehicle to fire three times at the teenager, who was hit in the chest, witnesses said. He was confirmed dead in a nearby hospital. Epaminondas Korkoneas, 37, who allegedly fired the shots, and his patrol partner Vassilis Saraliotis, 31, were both detained. Exarchia is a rebellious neighbourhood in central Athens, which is widely known as an "anarchist stronghold". In 1985 another 15-year-old, Michalis Kaltezas, was shot by a police officer, triggering violent clashes in Exarchia, which was also the scene of student protests in 1973, which led to the fall of the country's military dictatorship in 1974. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-09-voa12.cfm?CFID=164730503&CFTOKEN=24952239&jsessionid=6630b1e7746abd7a6aff446706b15486cd25 Widespread Protests Continue in Greece By Nathan Morley Nicosia 09 December 2008 Demonstrations and protests over the death of a Greek teenager, who was shot by a police officer on Saturday, have continued throughout Greece and even spread to foreign capitals like London, Nicosia and Berlin. Four days after the shooting, the protests show no sign of abating. Angry crowds gathered outside the parliament in the center of Athens - the gathering climaxed as the funeral was held for the teenager whose death has sparked the nationwide rioting. Mourners attend the funeral of 15- year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in suburban Athens, 09 Dec 2008 Thousands of mourners also attended his funeral in the south of Athens, with police officers having to be brought in from cities from across the region to help control the crowds. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the stone-throwing protesters, many of whom vowed to continue their protests. All television and radio networks broadcast the funeral and many commentators said they anticipated more violence in the coming days. Harris Tzanis, a reporter with the Athens News Agency, told VOA News that such incidents had not been seen in Greece for decades and were a source of major concern. "People are really uneasy, there is queasiness in the air - if that makes any sense. This caused unprecedented - you know we keep using this word, but there is really no way around it, unprecedented violence - street violence, urban violence in the country. We have never seen that before," he said. The prime minister earlier held emergency talks with the president, while the main opposition party has demanded that the government resign. Socialist opposition leader George Papandreou said the government has lost the Greek people's trust and called for snap elections to be held. This woman summed up the feelings of many Greeks who have lost all confidence in the government. "I do not expect anything - I want change," she said. Tzanis said what had shocked most citizens in Greece, a country which is no stranger to violence, was the level of unrest and the uncertainty about the future. "The violence here in Athens is actually 10 times worse than we have seen it before," said Tzanis. Scuffles and minor demonstrations were also reported across Europe. In Cyprus, hundreds of students gathered to protest, with police saying they arrested four people. Greece's ongoing instability has sparked public discontent at the country's recent economic slump and rising unemployment levels. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3860831,00.html | 09.12.2008 | 14:00 UTC New protests in Athens ahead of teenager's funeral. Hundreds of protestors clashed with police outside Greece's parliament ahead of the funeral of the teenager shot by police on Saturday. Buildings have been torched and dozens of people injured in four days of rioting following the death of the fifteen-year-old boy. His funeral is due to begin within the hour in a south Athens suburb. He was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens that is known for its anarchist elements. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested. Greece's socialist opposition leader George Papandreou has called for early elections accusing the government of worsening economic hardships and not being able to protect the public. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245417,protestors-police-clash-in-athens-residential-areas--summary.html Protestors, police clash in Athens residential areas - Summary Posted : Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:54:16 GMT Author : DPA Athens - Hundreds of youngsters clashed with riot police in residential areas across Athens Tuesday after the funeral of a 15-year-old whose shooting death by police sparked four-days of riots across Greece. Thousands of mourners gathered at the cemetery at the southern Athenian suburb of Paleo Faliro for the boy's funeral while just a few metres away hundreds of youths clashed with police. Residents said they heard gunshots as police fired tear gas to dispel the youths who threw firebombs and rocks and set trash cans on fire in the suburbs near the site of the funeral. Dozens of shops and banks were destroyed in the clashes. Angry residents could be seen from their balconies yelling at police to stop firing gas in the residential area. Hundreds of students fought running battles with forces at the Polytechnic and Economic Universities in central Athens, where police are forbidden to set foot according to Greek law. Students clashed with police in other parts of the city such as Nea Smyrni students battled officers on the holiday island of Rhodes and in the northern city of Thessaloniki as well as the western cities of Patras and Ioannina. The funeral of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos took place before more than 5,000 mourners, many of them teenagers who gathered to pay their last respects and lay wreaths. The thousands applauded as the body was carried out of the church in a flower-covered white coffin. The circumstances surrounding the teen's shooting still remain unclear but two officers involved have been arrested and charged with manslaughter. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens. The shooting was seen as the last straw by many young Greeks whose economic future is bleak in a country with a high unemployment rate and low wages. Unemployment is pegged at over 7 per cent and nearly 20 per cent of Greeks live below the poverty line, earning less than 600 euros (775 dollars) a month. "Everyone appears to have let our children down. Students have become more hostile towards us and to figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, after resigning as the dean of Athens University after rioting spread to campuses. Public unrest has grown with the conservative government's austerity measures, with unions regularly demonstrating against privatizations, pension reforms and the cost of living, and this latest incident could topple the unpopular conservative government. The prime minister appealed earlier in the day for the country's two largest unions to cancel a planned 24-hour strike on Wednesday, fearing violence would escalate for a fifth straight day. The unions said they would go ahead with the planned protests. The main opposition Socialist party leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign in an effort to end the crisis. Four successive nights of rioting and looting have left hundreds of cars, stores and buildings charred and gutted across Greece and left many Athenians angry about the response of the government and police to the riots and their inability to stop the destruction. Within hours of the shooting, riots erupted throughout Greece, starting from the capital Athens and quickly spreading to the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Volos, Thessalia and to the holiday islands of Corfu and Crete. Almost every city across the country saw cars, buildings, banks and shops torched, looted or smashed. Reports said rioters have damaged or destroyed more than 250 stores and 70 banks in Athens, while 25 buildings were damaged by fires. Another 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. Police have made 157 arrests across Greece and 108 in Athens. Abroad, demonstrators attempted to take over the Greek embassies in London, Berlin and Cyprus. More than 60 people reportedly stormed the Greek embassy in Paris on Tuesday. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414784.html Greece - Fascists attack protesters in Patras! anon1 | 09.12.2008 19:34 Fascists attack protesters in Patras! PATRAS CONFIRMED: The anarchist block was attacked and chased by riot police and fascists. UNCONFIRMED: It is rumored that the fascists were transported from Athens and given tear gas. ATHENS Heavy clashes with the police outside the NTUA (National Technical University of Athens) continue. The situation at the Economics University is calm. from http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/ anon1 http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2008/12/09/nb-02 Protestors clash with police in Athens ahead of teen's funeral 09/12/2008 ATHENS, Greece -- Hundreds of protestors threw rocks and bottles at riot police outside the parliament building Tuesday (December 9th) ahead of the funeral of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 15-year-old whom police shot dead on Saturday. The shooting triggered the country's worst street riots in decades, with dozens of people injured in clashes between protesters and police and hundreds of buildings destroyed or badly damaged. Late Monday, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called a cabinet crisis meeting to discuss urgent measures to restore order. In a TV address afterwards, he again appealed for calm and pledged to punish those responsible for the boy's death. Opposition parties have criticised the cabinet for failing to protect businesses and the public from the riots. Schools and universities across Greece closed Monday and Tuesday as students joined the protests and boycotted classes. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1865326,00.html?xid=rss-topstories Greek Riots Show No Signs of Abating By Emmanouil Karatarakis / Athens Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008 A protester gestures at riot police during clashes in Athens after the funeral of teenager Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who was shot dead by police. Athens and other Greek cities have been ravaged by three successive nights of rioting since the shooting Thanassis Stavrakis / AP "Karamanlis or tanks." That was the choice that Konstantinos Karamanlis posed to Greeks in 1974 upon his return from self-imposed exile in Paris after the overthrow of the country's military junta. The popular former Prime Minister's triumphant return to Athens to lead the country's transition back to democracy was followed by his sweeping election victory and a place in history as one of modern Greece's great statesmen. Now, 34 years later, Karamanlis' nephew Costas Karamanlis is Prime Minister as Greece faces its worst riots in a generation. Radical youths and riot police clashed Tuesday for a fourth straight day following the Dec. 6 fatal shooting of a 15-year-old by Athens police. During a Cabinet meeting Monday night, Karamanlis considered a proposal to declare a state of emergency, and the possibility that troops could return to the streets of Athens for the first time since the military dictatorship of 1967-74. (See pictures of Athens in flames.) For now at least, the 52-year-old Prime Minister has ruled out military intervention, hoping the police can restore order without the government's having to resort to martial law. Professor Thanos Dokos, head of the Athens-based think tank ELIAMEP, says that "even the thought of employing the Greek army to quell the civil disturbances ... is preposterous." Beyond the historical burden the armed forces carry in Greece, Dokos says "they are neither trained nor equipped for riot control." Critics say that the government has lost control over the tactical management of the crisis, with radical anarchists burning shops, cars, banks and even government buildings, including the Hellenic Parliament Foundation and the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic academy. Some 320 stores, 50 banks and a number of other civilian buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Athens, with another 100 stores in the northern city of Thessalon?ki targeted. There have also been outbreaks of violence in several small cities and on the island of Corfu. In Athens' Syntagma square, just across from Parliament, protesters set ablaze a large Christmas tree. Today, more clashes took place in the square and the surrounding streets as police used tear gas to break up a large group of protestors throwing rocks at the Parliament building. Later in the afternoon clashes resumed in downtown Athens with youth groups barricaded in the Athens Polytechnic School, near the Exarchia district, setting up roadblocks outside the school and burning cars and bus stops. In an Athens seaside suburb Tuesday afternoon, some 3,000 people attended the funeral of Andreas-Alexandros Grigoropoulos, whose death sparked the riots. Shortly after the funeral, rioters hurled rocks and oranges at police forces near the cemetery. The Prime Minister has said that full justice will be pursued in the death of the teenager, but also emphasized that there will be no leniency for the rioters. Still, the 45,000-strong police seem unable to find a way to quell the unrest. Dokos says the situation has spiraled out of control because "the government made the assumption that police intervention would have inflamed the crisis even further." In a prime-time televised address to the nation, Costas Karamanlis called those who engage in acts of violence and vandalism "enemies of democracy" and asked for unity in order to isolate the radical elements. The political consequences of failure for Karamanlis may be steep. Already his government was hanging on with a razor-thin majority in Parliament ahead of a crucial budget vote later this month. George Papandreou, leader of the center-left opposition, accused the government Tuesday of being unable to handle the riots and said it has lost the people's trust. After a somber meeting with the Prime Minister early this morning, Papandreou said that "the best thing they [the Government] can do is resign and let the people find a solution ... We will protect the public." A previously announced labor strike and further protest marches are planned for Wednesday. With the Government facing a public-order problem at the same time that the economy is suffering, the Prime Minister must find a way to halt his party's freefall in polls and try to convince the Greek people that his center-right government is the only real hope for stability and security. In rhetorical terms, he might even hark back to his uncle with a new choice: "Karamanlis or chaos." Lately, though, few can see the difference. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/new-riots-erupt-around-greek-funeral-1058333.html New riots erupt around Greek funeral AP Tuesday, 9 December 2008 ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Riot police are attacked with petrol bombs during a night of riots in Athens ? enlarge Riot police fought running battles with mourners after the funeral today of the Greek teenager whose shooting by officers set off waves of rioting across the country. Police fired tear gas to dispel dozens of youths throwing stones and sticks and setting rubbish bins on fire near the burial of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, whose death on Saturday sparked the rioting. Dozens of locals gathered on the streets, shouting at police to stop firing gas in the residential area. Some 6,000 people attended the funeral, applauding as the body was carried out of the church in a flower-covered white coffin. Related articles ? Riots spread in third day of violence Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens, where hundreds of teenagers threw rocks and scuffled with officers. Fighting also continued in the northern city of Thessaloniki. "Everyone has let our children down ... Every day I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, who resigned as the dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses. Tension between security forces and leftist groups is deeply rooted in Greece, dating back to the seven-year military dictatorship that was toppled by a student uprising in 1974. The groups have now evolved into various factions that claim to fight trends ranging from globalization to the growth of police surveillance cameras. Police said rioters damaged or destroyed 200 stores and 50 banks in Athens overnight, while 20 buildings were damaged by fires, including city centre hotels that were temporarily evacuated. A further 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. There was also rioting in Crete, the holiday island of Corfu, and in other areas around Greece. Riot police used tear gas when attacked by youths but stood back as they smashed windows and torched stores along Athens' main commercial streets. Greece's interior minister insisted police had successfully protected human life. The Bank of Greece announced a 12-month delay on interest payments for loans by shopkeepers affected by the rioting. But the Athens Traders Association encouraged its members to sue the government, saying police had failed to protect them. The circumstances surrounding the boy's shooting are still unclear, but the two officers involved have been arrested; one has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. The impact of Greek street unrest is usually limited to graffiti and late-night firebomb attacks on targets such as stores and cash machines. But the latest riots have besieged the administration of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis who is facing a wave of discontent and sometimes violent demonstrations over policies including unpopular reforms to the country's pension system, privatisation's and loosening state control of higher education. "It's very simple - we want the government to fall. This boy's death was the last straw for us," Petros Constantinou, an organiser with the Socialist Workers Party, said after a protest in central Athens. "This government wants the poor to pay for all the country's problems - never the rich - and they keep those who protest in line with police oppression." Opposition socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, saying the governing conservatives were incapable of defending the public from rioters. The government has a single-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament and opposition parties blame hands-off policing for encouraging the worst rioting the country has seen in decades. "The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," Mr Papandreou said. "The best thing it can do is resign and let the people find a solution ... we will protect the public." Even if the opposition Socialists were to come to power, they would find themselves faced with pressure to reform the economy and pensions. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081209/FOREIGN/506636230/1002/rss Clashes near schoolboy's funeral ? Last Updated: December 09. 2008 7:47PM UAE / December 9. 2008 3:47PM GMT A protester kicks a tear gas canister in front of riot police, as rioting continued for a fourth day in Athens. Petros Giannakouris / AP Security forces and protestors clashed Tuesday near the funeral of a schoolboy whose killing by police sparked four days of nationwide riots as the Greek opposition called for the government to resign. The Greek president appealed for calm and the prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, vowed to crack down on the unrest, but protesters again defied the government and there was new unrest in Athens and other cities. Disturbances broke out on a main avenue near the cemetery in the Athens suburb where the funeral of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos was held. Youths attacked police and set garbage cans ablaze before being fired at with tear gas, according to witnesses. Some youths also shouted anti-police slogans at the cemetery but most people respected the family?s request for a solemn service. In Athens, riot police fought demonstrators outside parliament and the main police headquarters, firing tear gas and dragging away protesters in a bid to clear the streets. Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and other missiles in a bid to breach a cordon around parliament and other official buildings. There were also standoffs at two universities in central Athens which have been occupied by students. Police who have surrounded the building fired more tear gas in a bid to end the protests. Salonika in the north also saw new clashes. Police said they made 87 arrests during a third night of rampaging violence on Monday by youths who looted Athens banks and stores. Some protesters staged attacks with swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, they said. Twelve more policemen were injured in Monday?s clashes and at least 10 people were hospitalised with respiratory problems from the cloud of tear gas that blanketed central Athens. Burned out rubbish bins, glass and paving slabs torn off sidewalks littered the streets and emergency services said fires were put out at 49 office buildings, 47 shops, 14 banks, 20 cars and three ministries. With the crisis increasingly turning into a political confrontation, thousands of students, teachers and left wing radicals joined Tuesday?s rallies against the police action and the right wing government. Around 2,000 protesters, led by the OLME teachers? union, marched on parliament carrying a large banner reading ?Assassins, the government is the culprit?. And with a general strike looming on Wednesday, the socialist opposition leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign and seek a ?public verdict? on the crisis. ?The government has lost public confidence,? Mr Papandreou told Pasok socialist party deputies. ?The only thing it can give this country is to depart... to seek a public verdict so that the people can give a solution.? Mr Karamanlis called a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday night and held new meetings with President Karolos Papoulias and leaders of allied and opposition political parties on Tuesday. ?We will tolerate no leniency in the attribution of responsibility,? the prime minister said after talks with the president. Mr Papoulias meanwhile appealed for calm, calling on Greeks to ?honour Alexis? memory peacefully.? Mr Grigoropoulos was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens that is known as a radical stronghold. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested. The government, already in trouble over the state of the economy and a series of political scandals, has been strongly criticised over the havoc. *Reuters http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/buildings-burn-as-greek-riots-escalate-1058333.html New riots erupt around Greek funeral AP Tuesday, 9 December 2008 ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Riot police are attacked with petrol bombs during a night of riots in Athens ? enlarge Riot police fought running battles with mourners after the funeral today of the Greek teenager whose shooting by officers set off waves of rioting across the country. Police fired tear gas to dispel dozens of youths throwing stones and sticks and setting rubbish bins on fire near the burial of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, whose death on Saturday sparked the rioting. Dozens of locals gathered on the streets, shouting at police to stop firing gas in the residential area. Some 6,000 people attended the funeral, applauding as the body was carried out of the church in a flower-covered white coffin. Related articles ? Riots spread in third day of violence Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens, where hundreds of teenagers threw rocks and scuffled with officers. Fighting also continued in the northern city of Thessaloniki. "Everyone has let our children down ... Every day I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, who resigned as the dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses. Tension between security forces and leftist groups is deeply rooted in Greece, dating back to the seven-year military dictatorship that was toppled by a student uprising in 1974. The groups have now evolved into various factions that claim to fight trends ranging from globalization to the growth of police surveillance cameras. Police said rioters damaged or destroyed 200 stores and 50 banks in Athens overnight, while 20 buildings were damaged by fires, including city centre hotels that were temporarily evacuated. A further 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. There was also rioting in Crete, the holiday island of Corfu, and in other areas around Greece. Riot police used tear gas when attacked by youths but stood back as they smashed windows and torched stores along Athens' main commercial streets. Greece's interior minister insisted police had successfully protected human life. The Bank of Greece announced a 12-month delay on interest payments for loans by shopkeepers affected by the rioting. But the Athens Traders Association encouraged its members to sue the government, saying police had failed to protect them. The circumstances surrounding the boy's shooting are still unclear, but the two officers involved have been arrested; one has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. The impact of Greek street unrest is usually limited to graffiti and late-night firebomb attacks on targets such as stores and cash machines. But the latest riots have besieged the administration of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis who is facing a wave of discontent and sometimes violent demonstrations over policies including unpopular reforms to the country's pension system, privatisation's and loosening state control of higher education. "It's very simple - we want the government to fall. This boy's death was the last straw for us," Petros Constantinou, an organiser with the Socialist Workers Party, said after a protest in central Athens. "This government wants the poor to pay for all the country's problems - never the rich - and they keep those who protest in line with police oppression." Opposition socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, saying the governing conservatives were incapable of defending the public from rioters. The government has a single-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament and opposition parties blame hands-off policing for encouraging the worst rioting the country has seen in decades. "The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," Mr Papandreou said. "The best thing it can do is resign and let the people find a solution ... we will protect the public." Even if the opposition Socialists were to come to power, they would find themselves faced with pressure to reform the economy and pensions. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/greek-rioting-abates-after-three-days-unrest-continues_100128755.html Greek rioting abates after three days, unrest continues December 9th, 2008 - 12:25 pm ICT by IANS - Athens, Dec 9 (DPA) The situation in the Greek capital Athens calmed down early Tuesday after three days of heavy rioting, triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager, media reports said, but the unrest was likely to continue.Violence was concentrated in the area around the Polytechnic University, where several dozen hooded youths were still holding out, but police remained on high alert. A government spokesperson denied reports that a country-wide state of emergency was to be declared. Late Monday, Athens was ablaze and gripped by chaos while dozens of other cities were crippled for a third straight day by arson and looting in the worst riots in decades. Thick black smoke, flames and teargas had engulfed central Athens as students set fire to several buildings including the offices of state airline Olympic Airways, the foreign ministry across from Parliament, a luxury department store, Greece?s main law school and two bank headquarters. Hooded protestors, mostly in their teens, clearly had control of the city by late Monday and were looting stores and taking anything that could be used as a weapon. Police have arrested more than 50 rioters, while over 100 people were injured in the violence, media reports said. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis planned to hold an emergency meeting with President Karolos Papoulias and the leaders of Greece?s political parties later Tuesday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/09/greece-athens-riots Third night of rioting sweeps Greek cities ? Helena Smith, Athens ? The Guardian, Tuesday 9 December 2008 Costas Karamanlis, Greece's prime minister, yesterday accused "extremists" of exploiting the fatal police shooting of a teenage boy, as rioting youths brought a third night of chaos to Greek cities. He pledged to take "immediate" action to compensate those whose properties had been destroyed in the worst disturbances to hit Greece since the collapse of military rule in 1974, saying: "The state has a duty to protect society and the citizen." But last night, thousands took to the streets again, burning shops and buildings and even setting alight a Christmas tree in the centre of Athens. One hotel's windows were smashed and guests evacuated. Demonstrators threw rocks and petrol bombs at riot police. The rioting also intensified in the country's second-largest city, Salonika, and for the first time spread to Trikala, a city in the country's agricultural heartland. The riots were triggered by an incident late on Saturday in which 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead by a policeman, allegedly at point-blank range, after youths were said to have thrown objects at a patrolling police car in the gritty Athenian district of Exarchia. Karamanlis warned protesters that he would not tolerate "unacceptable and dangerous events prompted by the tragic incident". But the tension showed no signs of abating, with riots spreading to towns previously unaffected. Greek youths even occupied a consulate in Berlin. The Pasok opposition leader, George Papandreou, lashed out at the ruling New Democrats - who are in power with a wafer-thin majority - for being out of touch with reality. "The whole country, every citizen, is exasperated with a government that doesn't understand the real problems of the people," he said. "Everyone is saying enough is enough." The shooting of the schoolboy on Saturday quickly laid bare the simmering tensions between the police and members of alleged anarchist groups, who retaliated by going on the rampage. But the teenager's death has given vent to a deeper anger that has also been mounting in Greece. With many struggling to make ends meet, and one in five living beneath the poverty line, there is growing anger at the tough fiscal policies of a government determined to reach the prescriptive benchmarks set out by Brussels and reign in budget deficits. The disaffection has been exacerbated by allegations of corruption and a series of scandals implicating members of Karamanlis's inner circle. Indicative of the mood, high school students have rushed to join the protests, stoning police in clashes in front of the Athens parliament yesterday, and on islands and mainland towns nationwide. "A lot of teenagers identify with Grigoropoulos," said Christos Maltzos, an Athenian journalist. "For many, his death was the cherry on the cake. There's a whole generation out there who see their parents in debt and feel they have nothing to look forward to in the future. Fear and despair are what these riots are about." http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2367098 Greeks riot for third day Published: 7:47AM Tuesday December 09, 2008 Reuters Thousands of rock-throwing youths staged running battles with police in central Athens in a third day of demonstrations at the police killing of a teenage boy which has unleashed anger at economic hardships. Tear gas filled Syntagma square outside Greece's parliament as police clashed with left-wing demonstrators, beating some with batons and detaining others. Protests were reported in more than 10 cities across the nation of 11 million people, including Thessaloniki and the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu. More than 130 shops have already been destroyed in the capital, crushing retailers' hope that Christmas would compensate for Greece's darkening economic outlook. Police have detained 35 people in Athens. With a 24-hour general strike due on Wednesday against economic reforms, analysts said Greece's worst riots in decades looked set to continue and could threaten the conservative government, which has a one-seat parliamentary majority. "Enough with this government, which doesn't understand the problems of this country," said George Papandreou, leader of socialist PASOK opposition party. The socialists already held a strong lead in opinion polls before the riots, benefiting from disenchantment at the ruling New Democracy party's privatisations and pension reforms. Political analysts say an early election could be called next year. Anger at the killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a policeman on Saturday has even reached Greeks living overseas, who staged protests in London and Berlin. Advertisement As night fell on the Greek capital, thousands marched arm-in-arm through the city's main streets. Anarchists smashed car windows and chanted "Cops, Pigs, Murders". Some threw fire bombs at police and, for a third night, businesses burned and explosions rang out. "Police have lost control. The dead kid was only an excuse. It seems the police are not on the side of the people, that's why people support the youths," said Alexandros, a teacher who declined to give his second name. Worst riots for decades The shooting angered Greek youths, resentful at a widening gap between rich and poor, made worse by the global credit crisis. Violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchists are common, especially in Athens' Exarchia district where the boy was shot. More than a dozen police stations in Athens were damaged by demonstrators, who also raided a small pro-government newspaper and broke into a weapons shop, emerging with ninja swords and knives. Hundreds of students occupied university buildings, playing cat-and-mouse with police who are forbidden to enter. More than 50 people have been injured nationwide and millions of euros of property damaged. TV images showed one car parking lot in the Piraeus port where nine cars had been flipped on their roofs. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis expressed sorrow for the family of the dead boy but warned demonstrators to stop. The government would try to compensate property owners, he said. "We will not tolerate unacceptable and dangerous events prompted by the tragic incident," he said on Monday, in his first public appearance since the riots began. Thessaloniki also saw street battles between police and hundreds of protesters, who smashed shops and threw rocks at government offices. Clashes took place in Crete and Corfu as well as the cities of Volos, Komotini and Chania. "If this continues, it could have a devastating effect on the government and on stability," said Anthony Livanios of pollster Alpha Metrics. Two police officers have been charged over the shooting -- one with murder and the other as an accomplice. A police statement said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths in Exarchia. A police official said the officer had described firing warning shots, but witnesses told TV he took aim at the boy. A coroner's report on Monday said it was not possible to be sure. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/08/greece.riots/ December 9, 2008 -- Updated 0659 GMT (1459 HKT) ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Authorities vowed to re-impose order after demonstrators rose up across Greece Monday in a third day of rioting over Saturday's killing of a 15-year-old boy that has left dozens injured and scores of properties destroyed. "Under no circumstances will the government accept what is occurring," said Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos. "We will do what is necessary." It was unclear what would be necessary to placate the demonstrators. "We've just lost count of how many demonstrations are taking place now," a police spokesman in Athens told CNN. Police said 34 civilians and 16 police officers were injured Monday in rioting that spread into new municipalities, including Trikala, Larissam and Veria. Riots broke out Saturday in Thessaloniki and Athens, where police killed the teen. Watch the latest report on the rioting ? Demonstrators had torched three government buildings and three offices of the ruling conservative political party in downtown Athens, a National Fire Brigade spokesman told Greek state television. Watch as iReporter witnesses the clashes Thirty-five cars and 160 trash containers also had been set ablaze, he said. See images of anarchy on Greek streets ? Demonstrators Monday barricaded streets in Athens and Thessaloniki and hurled gasoline bombs as they battled with police. Clouds of tear gas hung over the capital city as riot police continued to battle the hundreds of young self-styled anarchists rioting over the boy's death. "Rage is what I feel for what has happened, rage, and that this cop who did it must see what it is to kill a kid and to destroy a life," a student in Athens told reporters Monday. Watch protesters clash with police ? In a nationally televised address broadcast on state television, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis condemned the violence and promised to punish those responsible for Saturday's shooting. He also announced a decision to drop plans to reimburse business owners affected by the rioting. The police officer who fired the fatal shot has been charged with "manslaughter with intent" and suspended from duty, police said, adding that a second police officer was arrested Saturday on criminal accessory charges. Government officials have condemned the shooting. "An investigation is under way and those found responsible will be punished," said Pavlopoulos. "Measures will also be taken to avoid such incidents again in the future." iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video of rioting On Monday, authorities conducted an autopsy on the teenage boy in an effort to answer questions about the circumstances of the shooting, but the boy's family has called in their own investigators to verify state findings, the Athens coroner told CNN. The U.S. and British embassies issued warnings to employees and tourists on Sunday, instructing them to avoid downtown Athens and other major cities until rioting subsides. Tourists in central Athens hotels were advised by hotel staff not to leave their rooms as police fanned out across the city. "There are lots of burning bins and debris in the street and a huge amount of tear gas in the air, which we got choked with on the way back to our hotel," according to Joel Brown, a CNN senior press officer visiting Athens on Sunday. A police statement about the teenage boy's death said the incident started when six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. The teen was shot as he tried to throw a petrol bomb at the officers, police said. Other angry teens converged on the site almost immediately. Fighting between youths and police erupted elsewhere, including Thessaloniki, the country's second-largest city. Hundreds of young people took to the streets of the sprawling port city, finally barricading themselves behind the gates of a state university. Authorities have been barred from entering university grounds since tanks crushed a 1973 student uprising protesting the ruling military junta. It was not clear what authorities would do about the demonstrators still holed up at the university. No deaths have been reported since Saturday. Police said Monday that 20 protesters had been rounded up for questioning. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,464185,00.html Protesters Clash With Greek Police at Slain Teen's Funeral Tuesday, December 09, 2008 | FoxNews.com AP Dec. 9: A protester kicks a tear gas canister to riot police as riots continued for a fourth day in the Greek capital. THESSALONIKI, Greece ? Rioters rampaged in Greek cities for a fourth day Tuesday in an explosion of rage that was triggered by the weekend police killing of a teenager ? but has spread to an array of antiestablishment parties, threatening to topple the government at a time of deep anxiety over growing economic gloom. Gangs of angry youth have looted and damaged hundreds of buildings, including banks and hotels, torched cars and shut down much of downtown Athens. On Tuesday, police fired tear gas at protesters after the dead teenager, 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, was buried in a funeral attended by about 6,000 people. Overnight, gangs of marauding masked youths roamed the streets, erecting burning barricades and pelting riot police with rocks and bottles. High school students joined self-styled anarchists ? a group with a history of nighttime arson attacks on businesses and cash machines. But the protests also drew in a variety of left-wing groups, most of whom did not participate in the destruction. Click to view photos. Opposition Socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, charging that the governing Conservatives were incapable of defending the public from rioters. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is clinging to a single seat majority in the 300-member Parliament, meaning that just one defection would likely bring him down and spark elections that polls suggest the opposition would handily win. The riots erupted at a time when the government is already facing public discontent over the state of the economy, the poor job prospects of students and a series of financial scandals that have badly rattled public confidence. However, the protesters have not articulated specific policy goals and the two leading parties are not far apart on the issues. Greece is heavily dependent on tourism, which could decline as a result of the global economic crisis. It is, however, protected by its membership in the Euro-zone, meaning that it does not face a currency collapse like the one that engulfed Iceland. Greece was torn by years of civil war between communists and right-wing nationalists in the wake of World War II, and was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1967 to 1974. A student uprising succeeded in ending military rule but also left a legacy of activism and simmering tensions between the security establishment and a phalanx of deeply entrenched leftist groups that often protest against globalization and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. The groups have now evolved into various mainly youth factions that claim to fight trends ranging from globalization to police surveillance cameras. Karamanlis, who came to power in March 2004, has faced growing opposition and occasionally violent demonstrations over unpopular reforms to the country's pension system, privatization and the loosening of state control of higher education, which many students oppose because they feel it will undermine their degrees. But even if the Socialists came to power, they would likely find themselves implementing many of the same reforms which are essential if the economy is to progress. On Tuesday, police fired tear gas to dispel dozens of youths throwing stones and sticks and setting trash cans on fire near the funeral for Grigoropoulos, whose death Saturday sparked the rioting. Dozens of local residents gathered on the streets, shouting at police to stop firing gas in the residential area. The clashes were less severe than the rioting over the past three nights. Schools and universities across Greece were closed on the day of the funeral and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens, where hundreds of teenagers threw rocks and scuffled with officers. Fighting also continued in Thessaloniki. "Everyone has let our children down ... Every day I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, who resigned as the dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses. Police said rioters damaged or destroyed 200 stores and 50 banks in Athens overnight, while 20 buildings were damaged by fires, including downtown hotels that were temporarily evacuated late Monday. A further 100 stores were damaged in Thessaloniki. There was also rioting in Crete, the holiday island of Corfu, and in other areas around Greece. Riot police used tear gas when attacked by youths but stood back as they smashed windows and torched stores along Athens' main commercial streets. Greece's interior minister insisted police had successfully protected human life, and Karamanlis said there would be no leniency for rioters. On Tuesday, the Bank of Greece announced a 12-month delay on interest payments for loans by shopkeepers affected by the rioting. But the Athens Traders Association encouraged its members to sue the government, saying police had failed to protect them. The circumstances surrounding Grigoropoulos' shooting are unclear, but the two officers involved have been arrested; one has been charged with murder and the other as an accomplice. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,463406,00.html Protesters Pelt Greek Police With Rocks Ahead of Teen's Funeral Tuesday, December 09, 2008 | FoxNews.com Reuters Dec. 8: Athens' giant Christmas tree is set ablaze by young rioters in front of the Greek parliament. ATHENS, Greece ? Hundreds of teenage protesters pelted police with rocks and scuffled with officers in front of Parliament Tuesday before the funeral of a 15-year-old boy whose shooting by police set off three days of rioting across Greece. Socialist leader George Papandreou called for early elections, saying the conservative government could no longer defend the public from rioters. The government has a single-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament and opposition parties blame hands-off policing for encouraging the worst rioting the country has seen in decades. "The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," Papandreou said. Click to view photos. The funeral of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was to be held in a seaside suburb of Athens Tuesday afternoon. Schools and universities across Greece were closed and hundreds of teachers, university lecturers and students rallied in central Athens. In the western part of the city, officials said groups of high-school students attacked four police stations but riot police did not respond and no injuries were reported. Saturday's fatal shooting drove angry students to join with violent anarchist groups who have a long-standing animosity with police. Commentator say the growing hostility by young Greeks toward authority is fed by public discontent over low wages, frequent public corruption scandals and a strong historic distrust of government rooted in past political upheavals. The worst violence occurred late Monday when gangs of masked and hooded youths screaming "Cops! Pigs! Murderers!" set up burning barricades across Athens streets and fought pitched street battles with riot police firing volleys of tear gas. There was more rioting across Greece, from Thessaloniki in the north to cities in Crete and the holiday island of Corfu. By early Tuesday, hundreds of stores, cars, banks and buildings in about a dozen cities had been torched, smashed or looted. "Everyone has let our children down ... Every day I see that students are becoming more hostile toward us and figures of authority," said Christos Kittas, who resigned as the dean of Athens University after the rioting spread to campuses. Riot police used tear gas and clashed with rioters but stood back as youths smashed windows and torched stores along Athens' main commercial streets. Athens police announced 89 arrests late Monday, while more than 100 other people were detained for questioning. Twelve police officers were injured. Greece's interior minister insisted police had successfully protected human life, and Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said there would be no leniency for the rioters. "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an alibi for actions of raw violence, for actions against innocent people, their property and society as a whole, and against democracy," he said after an emergency meeting with the country's president, Karolos Papoulias. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis said 1,000 trash bins were set alight in the capital, most used as burning street barricades. "These people respect nothing, look what they have destroyed," Kaklamanis said. "These people cannot be considered Greeks." He said Christmas celebrations would take place as planned because he did not want to give the "worthless rioters" the satisfaction of seeing them canceled. Authorities said more than 100 stores and banks were damaged or burned Monday in Thessaloniki. Two police officers have been arrested and charged in the teen's murder, one with murder and the other as an accomplice. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Greece-Athens-Braced-For-More-Violence-On-Day-Of-Shot-Teen-Alexandros-Grigoriadis-Funeral/Article/200812215175334?f=rss Violence At Teenager's Funeral 10:53pm UK, Tuesday December 09, 2008 Greg Milam, Europe correspondent Greece endured a fourth day of serious rioting triggered by the death of a teenage boy shot dead by police on Saturday. Protesters throw stones at police outside parliament A funeral for 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was held in Athens, where thousands of mourners clashed with police at the cemetery. Some 6,000 mourners attended the service for Alexandros, applauding as the teenager's body was carried out of church in a white coffin. There were further violent protests outside the Greek Parliament. Officers used tear gas to break up groups of stone-throwing youths, who attacked television crews, police and shops around the cemetery. Youngsters leaving the funeral also set rubbish bins on fire in a nearby street. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose party has a one-seat majority, held emergency talks with the president and opposition leaders to urge them to close ranks against the rioters. The funeral for Alexandros He described the protesters as enemies of the state and appealed to unions to cancel a protest rally during a 24-hour general strike scheduled for Wednesday. But the opposition leader wants early elections and said the government could no longer defend the public from rioters. "The government cannot handle this crisis and has lost the trust of the Greek people," George Papandreou said. Violence also erupted in the port city of Patras, where the police headquarters came under siege. About 500 people threw stones and Molotov cocktails. Police responded with tear gas. Teenager shot by police The funeral followed a protest outside the Greek parliament where hundreds of people threw stones and bottles at the building and the police officers who tried fend them off. The protesters, including teachers and students, held their demonstration to demand justice for Grigoropoulos. The death of the 15-year-old has sparked days of rioting across the country, with 87 arrests made on Monday night alone. Police say they fired warning shots after being attacked by a crowd on the night Alexandros died. But witnesses claim an officer took deliberate aim at the boy. Mobile phone footage, believed to show the moment the officer opened fire, has surfaced on the internet. The two officers involved have been arrested and charged. "Riots never come out of nowhere, and especially not in Greece." Anarchist groups who have led the rioting have been able to use university campuses to prepare and re-arm as, under Greek law, police are not allowed to enter. Greece's second city Thessaloniki has also seen major unrest with 70 stores and seven banks set on fire. The riots have piled pressure on the Karamanlis government already feeling the heat from economic troubles and a corruption scandal. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7772645.stm Tuesday, 9 December 2008 Protests as Athens funeral held Protesters and police clashed in the streets Violence continued for a fourth day in Athens, as a funeral was held for a teenager whose death has sparked rioting across Greece. Clashes erupted near the cemetery where 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, shot by police on Saturday, was buried. Youths also fought police outside parliament, in a repeat of the violence that has seen hundreds of buildings torched and dozens injured. The opposition said the government had lost public support and should resign. On Wednesday union leaders plan to hold a 24-hour general strike over welfare reforms. Police fear the stoppage, which is expected to bring the country to a standstill, could fuel further violence. Funeral clashes Fresh protests began in central Athens early on Tuesday. Schools were shut as thousands of teachers, schoolchildren and parents marched on parliament to protest against the killing. See where unrest has spread The situation escalated as hundreds of young people joined the protest, throwing stones and bottles at lines of riot police, who responded with tear gas. Police used tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters In the afternoon thousands of mourners gathered for the teenager's funeral in a coastal suburb further south. The ceremony was calm, but violence then erupted outside the cemetery. Police used tear gas against groups of youths who threw stones and set rubbish bins ablaze. By late evening, 15,000 police were deployed in the capital to maintain control, Reuters news agency said. There was more fighting elsewhere in the country too. In Thessaloniki, police clashed with groups of young people following a protest march earlier in the day. In Patras, a western port, rioters armed with petrol bombs and stones attacked the main police station. Two police officers have been charged in connection with Alexandros Grigoropoulos's death, but results of a post-mortem to determine the trajectory of the bullet that killed him are not yet known. The officer who fired says it was a ricochet from a warning shot but witnesses told Greek TV he fired directly at the teenager. Lost confidence In Athens, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis held talks with President Karolos Papoulias and opposition leaders to discuss what action to take. Mr Karamanlis, whose conservative party has a parliamentary majority of just one seat, called for unity and said rioters would not be shown any leniency. "No one has the right to use this tragic incident as an excuse for acts of violence," he said. But socialist leader George Papandreou said Greeks had lost confidence in the government. "The only thing this government can offer is to resign and turn to the people for its verdict," he said. 'Rage' Scores of arrests have been made since Saturday. Protesters wielding petrol bombs have set fire to banks, shops, hotels, vehicles and even the giant Christmas tree in Athens' central Syntagma Square. Violent clashes have been reported in towns and cities across the country. HAVE YOUR SAY The army must take over now to stop these riots Koufos, Thessaloniki, Greece Send us your comments Appeals for calm have so far been largely ignored. Police appear to be powerless to prevent rioters from attacking symbols of wealth and prestige in Athens, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports. "Rage is what I feel for what has happened, rage," said one protesting student. "This cop who did it must see what it is to kill a kid and to destroy a life." Mr Karamanlis has blamed "extreme elements" for taking advantage of the situation to engage in vandalism and pledged to compensate damaged businesses. Observers say a state of emergency may be imposed, giving the authorities special powers to clear the streets. But there is no question of calling in troops, our correspondent says: Greece has bitter memories of military rule so seeing troops on streets would be beyond the pale. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1209/breaking1.htm Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 19:18 Riots rock Greece as opposition calls for election Riot police fought running battles with hundreds of protesters outside Greece's parliament today while the opposition socialist party called for elections to end four days of protests. Rows of riot police squared off with demonstrators for more than an hour outside parliament before firing teargas to disperse the crowd. Bands of young protesters regrouped to throw stones at police and chanted: "Let parliament burn!" Violence spread to the Athens suburbs after the funeral of a 15-year-old boy, Alexandros Grigoropolos, whose shooting by police on Saturday triggered Greece's worst riots in decades, fanned by discontent at government scandals and a slowing economy. More than 5,000 people dressed in black gathered at the cemetery, many chanting: "Cops, Pigs, Murderers". As the boy's flower-covered white coffin was being buried, protesters clashed with police outside and one officer fired shots in the air to disperse an angry crowd. His killing touched a raw nerve among young Greeks, outraged at years of political scandals and rising levels of poverty and unemployment, worsened by the global economic downturn. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose party has a one seat majority, held emergency talks with the president and opposition leaders to urge them to close ranks against the rioters. "We must all have a united stand against illegal actions, to clearly condemn violence, looting and vandalism," he said, and appealed to unions to cancel a protest rally during a 24-hour strike scheduled for tomorrow. Police fear the strike, expected to ground flights and bring Greece to a standstill, will fuel more violence. Both requests were quickly rejected by leftist union leaders and politicians who say the government's reforms have worsened conditions for the one-fifth of Greeks below the poverty line. Protests have swept more than 10 cities across the European Union member state of 11 million people, including the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu. Hundreds of buildings have been wrecked or burned and more than 50 people injured. Police decline to give damage figures, but conservative estimates put it at millions of euros. More than 130 shops have been destroyed in the capital, dashing retailers' hopes that Christmas would compensate for Greece's darkening economic outlook. One policeman has been charged with murder over Grigoropoulos' shooting. Police said the officer fired three warning shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths on Saturday but witnesses said he took aim. Police have arrested some 200 people, some for looting, during the protests but have tried to avoid direct fighting which might worsen tensions, police officials say. Greece has a tradition of violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchist groups, which have heightened tensions with police. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/10/2442065.htm Print Email Share Add to My Stories Athens rocked by new protests as schoolboy buried Posted Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:00am AEDT Police who have surrounded the building fired more tear gas in a bid to end the protests. Police and protesters clashed for the fourth day in Athens as the Greek opposition called on the government to resign over nationwide riots sparked by the police killing of a 15-year-old boy. New unrest has erupted in the Greek capital and other cities as hundreds of people attended the funeral of schoolboy Alexis Grigoropoulos in an Athens suburb. Following Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis' vow to crack down on the unrest, riot police fought demonstrators outside parliament and in the northern city of Salonika firing tear gas and dragging away some protesters in a bid to clear the streets. Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and other missiles in a bid to breach a cordon around parliament and other official buildings in the two cities. There was also a standoff at two universities in central Athens which have been occupied by students. Police who have surrounded the building fired more tear gas in a bid to end the protests. Police said they made 87 arrests during a third night of rampaging violence by youths who looted banks and stores. Some protesters staged attacks with swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop, they said. Twelve more police were injured in Monday's clashes and at least 10 people were hospitalised with respiratory problems from clouds of tear gas that blanketed central Athens. Burnt out rubbish bins, glass and paving slabs torn off sidewalks littered the streets and emergency services said fires were put out at 49 office buildings, 47 shops, 14 banks, 20 cars and three ministries. Funeral Hundreds of people, including many students, attended the funeral of Grigoropoulos in the seaside suburb of Palio Faliro. Some youths shouted anti-police slogans at the cemetery but most people respected the family's request for a solemn service. Grigoropoulos was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens that is known as a radical stronghold. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested. With the crisis increasingly turning into a political confrontation, thousands of students, teachers and left wing radicals joined Tuesday's rallies against the police action and the right wing government. Around 2,000 protesters, led by the OLME teachers' union, marched on parliament carrying a large banner reading "Assassins, the government is the culprit". And with a general strike looming today, socialist opposition leader George Papandreou called on the government to resign and seek a "public verdict" on the crisis. "The government has lost public confidence," Mr Papandreou told Pasok socialist party deputies. "The only thing it can give this country is to depart... to seek a public verdict so that the people can give a solution." Mr Karamanlis called a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday night and held new meetings with President Karolos Papoulias and leaders of allied and opposition political parties on Tuesday. "We will tolerate no leniency in the attribution of responsibility," the prime minister said after talks with the president. "In these critical hours, the political world must unanimously condemn and isolate the perpetrators of this violence," Mr Karamanlis said. The president appealed for calm, calling on Greeks to "honour Alexis' memory peacefully." "This is a day of mourning for us all... but there must be respect for institutions and laws," Papoulias said in a statement. - AFP http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2439655,00.html Greek cops break up protests 09/12/2008 16:14 - (SA) Athens - Greek security forces on Tuesday broke up demonstrations by thousands of people in Athens and Salonika over the fatal shooting of a schoolboy by police. In Athens, riot police used tear gas and formed a blockade of shields to keep demonstrators away from the parliament building. Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and other missiles. The protesters withdrew from the Syntagma square outside parliament to a main avenue in central Athens where there was a stand-off with police. Thousands had joined a march on parliament behind a large banner reading: "Assassins, the government is the culprit". Security forces also used tear gas to breakup about 2 000 students, teachers and left-wing radicals gathered outside a regional government office in Salonika, Greece's second largest city. Greece has seen its worst unrest in decades since the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, whose funeral was to be held on Tuesday. About 2 000 protesters are marching on the Greek parliament in Athens, headed by the syndicate of secondary school teachers (OLME). - AFP http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/09/2442044.htm Protesters clash with police in front of Greek parliament Posted Tue Dec 9, 2008 10:39pm AEDT Updated Tue Dec 9, 2008 11:57pm AEDT Students and teacher protesters in Greece have clashed with police guarding the parliament in the capital Athens, in the latest riots over the police shooting of a teenager at the weekend. The funeral of the 15-year-old boy is underway and there are fears it could spark more violence. The incident caused three days of the worst riots the country has seen in decades. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has begun emergency talks with the opposition parties on how to restore calm. He says it is important for the opposition and the government to present a united front. "In these crucial times, the political world must unanimously and catagerorically condemn the agents of destruction and isolate them," he said. "We are oblied by our duty as democracy. This is what our citizens demand. This is our debt to the nation." But opposition leader George Papandreou says the only way to resolve the crisis is for the government to step down and call new elections. Leonidas Zierock, a medical student in Athens, says some are using the death to express their anger at the government. "There's lots of confusion at the moment," he said. "People are protesting against what happened with the killing of the teenager er mixed with all kinds of different people that misuse the situation for just, you know, rioting and damaging things, just expressing their frustration with the general situation." - BBC http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812090002.html Updated Dec.9,2008 07:52 KST Riot Police Battle Protesters in Greek Capital A vehicle burns outside the Athens University main building as riots went on for a third day, Dec. 8, 2008. Riot police in Athens used tear gas Monday to repel rock-throwing protesters near the Greek Interior Ministry and parliament. The demonstrations were sparked by the fatal police shooting of an Athens teenager on Saturday. The new fighting erupted as Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vowed to end "dangerous" rioting that has spread across the country since the killing. Authorities describe the rioting as the worst to hit Greece in decades. Mr. Karamanlis, speaking on national television, said the rioting will not be tolerated. He said the government "will protect society." Hundreds of protesters also clashed with police in the northern city of Salonika. And at least one police officer was injured in Trikala. Protesters in London scuffled with police outside the Greek embassy, tearing down the Greek flag and raising an anarchist banner. Separately, 15 protesters occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin for a number of hours before leaving peacefully. Authorities in Athens are bracing for wider protests Wednesday as labor groups plan a 24-hour general strike against government economic policies. The violence began Saturday in the Greek capital after police gunfire killed a teenager. The two police officers involved have been arrested and charged -- one with premeditated murder and the other as an accomplice. The officers said their patrol car came under attack and that they responded with warning shots. However, witnesses said one of the officers aimed his weapon at the 15-year-old boy, and fired. Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters. VOA News http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=684062&rss=yes Athens rocked by new protests 23:17 AEST Tue Dec 9 2008 118 days 11 hours 34 minutes ago By Philippe Perdriau VIEWS: 0 | FLOCKS: 0 | 0 comments so far Rioting in Greece has continued into a third day following the shooting of a teenager by police. Police and students clashed outside the Greek parliament Tuesday despite an appeal for calm by the president ahead of the funeral for a 15-year-old boy whose killing by police set off nationwide riots. The troubles entered a fourth day as Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis appealed for national unity to end the violence and the family of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos prepared to hold his funeral. Authorities closed off many Athens streets after a third night of rampaging violence by youths who looted banks and stores. Police, who made 87 arrests, said some protesters staged attacks with swords and slingshots stolen from a weapons shop. Twelve more police were injured in Monday's clashes and at least 10 people were hospitalised with respiratory problems from clouds of tear gas that blanketed central Athens. The latest unrest on Tuesday flared outside the parliament where a molotov cocktail was thrown at riot police during a protest by students. Earlier tear gas battles had been staged at the Athens Polytechnic which along with the nearby Athens Law School has been occupied by students protesting at the killing. Streets around the universities were closed. Both colleges are in the Exarchia district where Grigoropoulos was fatally shot by police on Saturday, setting off the worst unrest to hit Greece in decades. Thousands of teachers and students took to the streets of the capital to demand justice. Around 2,000 protesters, led by the OLME teachers' union, marched on the Greek parliament carrying a large banner reading "Assassins, the government is the culprit". Burnt out rubbish bins, glass and paving slabs torn off sidewalks littered the streets from the third night of troubles on Monday when emergency services said fires were put out at 49 office buildings, 47 shops, 14 banks, 20 cars and three ministries. The northern city of Salonika also saw major unrest. At least 70 stores and seven banks were set ablaze, according to the ANA news agency. Several thousand students staged a protest march there on Tuesday. The funeral of Grigoropoulos was to be held at the southern Athens suburb of Palio Faliro at 1300 GMT (2400 AEDT). He was allegedly among a group of youths that had thrown stones at a squad car in a district of Athens that is known as a radical stronghold. The policeman who fired the shots and his partner have been arrested. Universities and schools have been closed, students planned their own protest rally on Tuesday and unions have said that a general strike, which was called before the killing, will go ahead. The mass unrest has piled pressure on the conservative prime minister who vowed on Monday to end the troubles. Karamanlis called a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday night and held new meetings with President Karolos Papoulias and leaders of allied and opposition political parties on Tuesday. "We will tolerate no leniency in the attribution of responsibility," the prime minister said after talks with the president. "In these critical hours, the political world must unanimously condemn and isolate the perpetrators of this violence," Karamanlis said. The president appealed for calm, calling on Greeks to "honour Alexis' memory peacefully." "This is a day of mourning for us all ... but there must be respect for institutions and laws," Papoulias said in a statement. But the government, already in trouble over the state of the economy and a series of political scandals, has been strongly criticised over the havoc. "The whole country was delivered to chaos by an irresponsible government," the Eleftherotypia daily said in an editorial Tuesday. The top-selling Ta Nea added: "The police were absent from nearly all locations where vandalism occurred." The violence has showcased the organisational capacity of urban radicals and the failure of the government to crack down on them, critics said. Criminologist Ioannis Panoussis said: "There is a well-functioning mechanism in place," with the Internet and mobile telephones speeding up the troublemakers' capacity to react, Panoussis said. "Because this time it connected with the spontaneous anger of the youths, the scale of the incidents vastly expanded," he added. Social and economic factors also shape the anarchist movement, according to lawyer Dimitris Beladis, who specialises in urban troubles. "It is the detonator of a sort of social explosion due to economic insecurity that affects many youths and those who are unemployed or badly paid," Beladis said. Monday DECEMBER 8 http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-08-voa33.cfm?CFID=160209243&CFTOKEN=46210109&jsessionid=8830ee4177ef11a04ee937295775582c6b56 Riot Police Battle Protesters in Greek Capital By VOA News 08 December 2008 A vehicle burns outside the Athens University main building as riots went on for a third day, 08 Dec 2008 Riot police in Athens used tear gas Monday to repel rock-throwing protesters near the Greek Interior Ministry and parliament. The demonstrations were sparked by the fatal police shooting of an Athens teenager on Saturday. The new fighting erupted as Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis vowed to end "dangerous" rioting that has spread across the country since the killing. Authorities describe the rioting as the worst to hit Greece in decades. Mr. Karamanlis, speaking on national television, said the rioting will not be tolerated. He said the government "will protect society." Hundreds of protesters also clashed with police in the northern city of Salonika. And at least one police officer was injured in Trikala. Protesters in London scuffled with police outside the Greek embassy, tearing down the Greek flag and raising an anarchist banner. Separately, 15 protesters occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin for a number of hours before leaving peacefully. Authorities in Athens are bracing for wider protests Wednesday as labor groups plan a 24-hour general strike against government economic policies. The violence began Saturday in the Greek capital after police gunfire killed a teenager. The two police officers involved have been arrested and charged - one with premeditated murder and the other as an accomplice. The officers said their patrol car came under attack and that they responded with warning shots. However, witnesses said one of the officers aimed his weapon at the 15-year-old boy, and fired. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2439177,00.html Riot police tear gas protesters 08/12/2008 18:23 - (SA) Athens - Greek riot police on Monday fired tear gas and staged a baton charge to break up hundreds of youth demonstrators in central Athens in the latest day of troubles sparked by the shooting death of a 15-year boy, an AFP reporter said. Armed with stone shards broken from sidewalks on nearby Syntagma Square, around 300 youths attacked riot police stationed in front of the Parliament who responded with heavy discharges of tear gas. The clashes occurred ahead of a demonstration called by leftists and unions to protest against the killing of 15-year-old pupil Alexis Grigoropoulos on Saturday. - AFP http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/12/09/greek_youths_riot_to_protest_killing/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+World+news Greek youths riot to protest killing 3d day of clashes since shooting of teen by police By Anthee Carassava New York Times / December 9, 2008 ATHENS - Violence by youths angry over the killing of a teenager by the police raged across Greece for a third day yesterday as thousands of police officers failed to contain some of the worst rioting in recent years. A march through downtown Athens turned violent, as protesters threw concrete slabs, rocks, and flaming gasoline bombs at the officers and smashed storefronts. A government Christmas tree along their path was set on fire. Rioting also intensified in the country's second largest city, Salonika, and spread to Trikala, a city in the agricultural heartland. Schools were shut in Athens, the capital, and high school and university students spilled onto the streets, leading to scattered violence throughout the day. But the evening demonstration, which had attracted thousands and was organized by the Communist Party, was accompanied by some of the worst of the violence of the past several days. A strip of five-star hotels was ransacked, including the Grande Bretagne, where a life-size scene of "The Nutcracker" was knocked down, and the Athens Plaza, where a guard said guests had to be evacuated. The rioting began Saturday, shortly after a 15-year-old was fatally shot in what the police said was a confrontation with a mob. The government has charged one police officer with premeditated manslaughter in the case and another as an accomplice. Senior security officials said they had put the country's 45,000-member police force on alert in one of the biggest security mobilizations since Athens was host to the 2004 Summer Olympics. Panayiotis Stathis, a spokesman for the Athens police, said security forces were "trying to control the situation" while using restraint in putting down any protests. As night fell yesterday, rioters were barricaded at two university campuses in the capital. The Greek police and military have not been permitted to enter college campuses since 1973, when tanks quashed a student uprising at Athens Polytechnic, leading to at least 22 civilian deaths. Panagiotis Sotiris, 38, a spokesman for Uniting Anti-Capitalist Left, a coalition of leftist groups that helped take over the Athens Law School yesterday, told Reuters that the violence was connected not only to the killing, "but is a struggle to overthrow the government's policy." "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution," he said. In Athens, some 15,000 police officers fanned out across the city, the authorities said. Rebel youths and anarchists threw rocks at officers in riot gear and shouted anti-establishment slogans as the police countered with rounds of tear gas. Workers who returned to their jobs yesterday expressed anger at the damage, which has destroyed department stores, banks and scores of cars. "What happened with the teenager was terrible," said Marina Christodoulou, a teller at a bank destroyed by rioters. "But watching these rebellious youths tear down the town without an inkling of a response from the police makes the authorities look like cowards." Clashes between the police and anarchists and other radical youth in Greece are common, but the rioting represented the worst such violence in years. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1209/1228571686307.html Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Rioters clash with police across Greece in third night of protests Athens's giant Christmas tree burns in front of the Greek parliament last night. Photographs: Reuters, AP ? ? Prev 1/2 Next ? In this section ? ? Five 9/11 suspects want to plead guilty at trial ? Stopgap nature of Poznan underlined ATHENS - Thousands of protesters rampaged through the heart of Athens yesterday, burning and looting shops on a third day of riots sparked by the killing of a teenager by police. Tear gas filled Syntagma Square outside Greece's parliament as police clashed with left-wing demonstrators, beating some with batons and detaining others. Anger over the 15-year-old boy's killing has fed into resentment over economic hardships and could topple an unpopular conservative government. "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution," said leftist activist Panagiotis Sotiris (38), among those occupying a university building. "The protests will last as long as necessary." Protests were reported in more than 10 cities across the nation of 11 million people, including the northern city of Thessaloniki and the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu. Youths appeared to be in control of central Athens, plundering and setting fire to shops, destroying banks and attacking ministries. The city's huge Christmas tree went up in flames. "We are not counting any more . . . The incidents cannot be counted," said a fire brigade officer. Firemen extinguished a fire at one department store but the headquarters of Olympic Airways were still burning and all the city's fire engines were on the streets, he said. More than 130 shops have already been destroyed in the capital, crushing retailers' hopes that Christmas would compensate for Greece's darkening economic outlook. Police have detained more than 35 people and more than 50 were injured. With a 24-hour general strike due tomorrow against economic reforms, analysts said Greece's worst riots in decades looked set to continue and could threaten the conservative government, which has a one-seat parliamentary majority. "Enough with this government, which doesn't understand the problems of this country," said George Papandreou, leader of the socialist PASOK opposition party. The socialists already held a strong lead in opinion polls before the riots, riding a wave of discontent at the ruling New Democracy Party's privatisations and pension reforms. Political analysts say an early election could be called next year. Prime minister Costas Karamanlis expressed sorrow for the family of the dead boy but warned demonstrators to stop. The government would try to compensate property owners, he said. "We will not tolerate unacceptable and dangerous events prompted by the tragic incident," he said yesterday, in his first public appearance since the riots began. As night fell on the Greek capital, thousands marched arm-in-arm through the city's main streets. Anarchists smashed car windows and chanted "Cops, Pigs, Murderers". Some threw fire bombs at police and, for a third night, businesses burned and explosions rang out. The shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a policeman on Saturday kindled smouldering anger among Greek youths, resentful at a widening gap between rich and poor made worse by the global credit crisis. Violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchists are common, especially in Athens's Exarchia district where the boy was shot. But anger at the killing has even reached Greeks overseas, who protested in London and Berlin. In Athens, more than a dozen police stations were damaged by demonstrators, who also raided a small pro-government newspaper and broke into a weapons shop, emerging with ninja swords and knives. Millions of euros of property was damaged. Thessaloniki also saw street battles between police and hundreds of protesters, who smashed shops and threw rocks at government offices. Clashes took place in Crete and Corfu as well as the cities of Volos, Komotini and Chania. Two police officers have been charged over the shooting - one with murder and the other as an accomplice. A police statement said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths in Exarchia. A police official said the officer had described firing warning shots, but witnesses told TV he took aim at the boy. A coroner's report said it was not possible to be sure. - (Reuters) http://news.scotsman.com/world/Havoc-in-cities-across-Greece.4773233.jp Havoc in cities across Greece as protesters talk of 'social revolution' Published Date: 09 December 2008 By Daniel Flynn and Dina Kyriakidou THOUSANDS of protesters rampaged through the heart of Athens yesterday, burning and looting shops on a third day of riots sparked by the killing of a teenager by police. Tear gas filled Syntagma Square outside Greece's parliament as police clashed with left-wing demonstrators, beating some with batons and detaining others. Anger over the 15-year-old boy's killing has turned to resentment over economic hardships and could topple the unpopular conservative government. "We are experiencing moments of a great social revolution," said Panagiotis Sotiris, 38, an activist among those occupying a university building. "The protests will last as long as necessary." Protests were reported in more than ten cities across the nation of 11 million people, including the northern city of Thessaloniki, and on the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu. Youths appeared to be in control of central Athens, plundering and setting fire to shops, destroying banks and attacking ministries. The city's huge Christmas tree went up in flames. "We are not counting any more. The incidents cannot be counted," a fire brigade officer said last night. Firefighters extinguished a fire at one department store but the headquarters of Olympic Airways were still burning and all the city's fire engines were on the streets, he said. More than 130 shops have been destroyed in the capital, crushing retailers' hopes that Christmas would compensate for Greece's darkening economic outlook. Police have detained more than 35 people and more than 50 are injured. With a 24-hour general strike due tomorrow, in protest against economic reforms, analysts said Greece's worst riots in decades looked set to continue and could threaten the government, which has a one-seat parliamentary majority. The socialists already held a strong lead in opinion polls before the riots, riding a wave of discontent at the ruling New Democracy Party's privatisations and pension reforms. Political analysts say an early election could be called next year. Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister, expressed sorrow for the family of the dead boy, but warned demonstrators to stop. The government would try to compensate property owners, he said. As night fell on the Greek capital, thousands marched arm-in-arm through its main streets. Anarchists smashed car windows and chanted "cops, pigs, murderers". Some threw firebombs at police as businesses burned. The shooting of Alexandros Grigoropoulos by a policeman on Saturday has kindled smouldering anger among Greek youths, resentful at a widening gap between rich and poor made worse by the global credit crisis. Violence at student rallies and firebomb attacks by anarchists are common, especially in Athens' Exarchia district where the boy was shot. But anger at the boy's killing has even reached Greeks overseas, who protested in London and Berlin. Five men were arrested in London yesterday for public order offences after they took part in a 40-strong protest outside the Greek embassy in Holland Park. Two police officers have been charged over the shooting ? one with murder and the other as an accomplice. A police statement said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths in Exarchia. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/europe/july-dec08/greekriots_12-08.html Two Police Officers Charged as Riots Rage in Greece Youth riots across Greece continued for the third day Monday as two policemen were charged in the killing of a young man Saturday night in Athens. Major protests in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, had riot police armed with tear gas clashing with thousands of demonstrators into Monday. Two police officers have been charged in the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, one with murder and another with being an accomplice, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. Grigoropoulos was shot and killed Saturday night when about 30 youths became embroiled in a fight with police in the volatile Athens district of Exarchia. Police accounts say Grigoropoulos was about to throw a fuel-filled device at them, CNN reported. Other witnesses say the firing was unwarranted. The circumstances surrounding the teenager's death Saturday are unclear, but the two officers involved have been arrested. A coroner's report shows the boy was shot in the chest. Schools were to shut on Tuesday in mourning, while staff at universities declared a three-day strike. Mobs of young activists, outraged at Grigoropoulos's death, stormed the Interior Ministry and Parliament in Athens and organized larger protests across the country, building mobility through the Internet and via text messages, the New York Times reported. Protesters threw fire bombs and stones at riot police. Major protests Monday were organized across Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa and the island of Corfu. The Greek embassies in Berlin and London were also attacked. In Berlin, about 15 protesters submitted a letter of protest about the young man's death and raised a banner saying Grigoropoulos was "murdered by the state." In Athens alone, about 130 businesses were damaged in the weekend riots, many on the popular Ermou pedestrian shopping street and extending to the Monastiraki district. Five stores, including a multi-story sports clothing store and a Ford car dealership, were gutted by fire. Many more were damaged on Monday. "This was a show of strength by mindless people. ... At some point someone has to tell us who will pay for all this damage," Athens Traders Association head Panayis Karellas said, according to the AP. The Police Officers' Association has apologized to the boy's family, and President Karolos Papoulias sent a telegram to his parents expressing his condolences. Unrest in the country is being seen as symptomatic of a growing and volatile distrust of government among Greek youth, CNN reported. Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis was reelected last year and promised to prioritize social and economic reform, but the government's popularity has since fallen "amid allegations of cronyism and corruption," according to CNN. At least six Athens protesters were arrested Sunday under the accusation of looting a vandalized department store. The New York Times reported that "dozens of officers had been injured while trying to seal off streets around Athens Polytechnic University" in Exarchia. "The protesters, hiding behind blazing trash bins and the university's gates, continued to pelt the police with stones and fire bombs," the Times reported. "It remained unclear whether the authorities would try to get permission to storm the state university." Karamanlis Monday morning condemned the riots and accused protesters of exploiting "this tragedy for their own purposes," in a televised newscast. "All the dangerous and unacceptable events that occurred because of the emotions that followed the tragic incident cannot and will not be tolerated," Karamanlis said. In the past, youth-led riots against in Greece have disrupted government and escalated to violence. In 1985, a teenager was killed in a police shooting during a demonstration, which sparks protests that took officials weeks to quell. In 1999, Athens businesses were destroyed in rioting sparked by a visit by then-President Bill Clinton. http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081208/FOREIGN/122563149/1002/rss Greece riots enter third day ? Last Updated: December 08. 2008 2:58PM UAE / December 8. 2008 10:58AM GMT Riot police avoid fire bombs thrown by protesters outside the The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki during clashes, on Dec 7 2008. Nikolas Giakoumidis / AP ATHENS // Hundreds of students threw fire bombs at police in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki today in a third day of riots after police shot dead a 15-year-old boy. Dozens of people have been injured and scores of businesses destroyed in Athens and Thessaloniki during Greece?s worst rioting in decades, which has piled pressure on a conservative government already falling behind in opinion polls. The streets of Thessaloniki filled with tear gas today as police chased about 300 left-wing protesters, detaining two youths. Two police officers have been charged over the shooting of Andreas Grigoropoulos on Saturday night in Athens ? one with murder and the other as an accomplice. Despite their arrest, more trouble was expected later today in Athens, where the Greek Communist Party called a protest rally. Cars and pedestrians returned to Athens streets today as Greeks went back to work, but the mood was tense. In the main shopping street, Ermou, a police team began to assess the damage. ?It is quiet now but I?ve never seen anything like it in my life,? said Yiorgos Ganatsikos, 52, a kiosk owner. ?I hope they don?t continue. Otherwise, God help us.? With a 24-hour general strike scheduled for Wednesday against pension reforms and the government?s economic policies, many Greeks fear the demonstrations could last for days. The shooting angered Greek youths, already resentful about a widening gap between rich and poor. Violence at student rallies and firebomb attacks by anarchists are common, especially in Athens? Exarchia district where the boy was shot. ?This comes at a very difficult moment for the government,? said Anthony Livanios of pollster Alpha Metrics. ?If this continues, it could have a devastating effect on the government and on stability.? University professors started a three-day walkout today and many school students stayed away from class in protest. ?He could have been our brother. He could have been our fellow student, he could have been one of us,? said Vangelis Spiratos, 13. Ignoring government appeals for calm, leftist demonstrators and anarchists staged running battles with police following the teenager?s death on Saturday, which has shocked the nation. A police statement said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths in Exarchia. A police official said the officer had described firing warning shots, but witnesses said he took aim at Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Violence spread across the country, as far as the northern city of Thessaloniki and the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu, leaving at least 34 injured. Police detained 20 in Athens. On Sunday, protesters rained petrol bombs down on rows of Athens riot police, while helicopters hovered overhead and tear gas choked the city. Scores of shops and more than a dozen banks were torched in the capital?s busiest commercial districts ahead of the busy Christmas period. The mayor of Athens has postponed the launch of holiday festivities. * Reuters Sunday DECEMBER 7 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3676078/Greek-riots-Protesters-threaten-third-day-of-violence.html Greek riots: Protesters threaten third day of violence Greek demonstrators have vowed to carry out another wave of protests on Monday, two days after police shot dead a 15-year-old boy sparking riots that left one dead and dozens injured. Last Updated: 1:05PM GMT 08 Dec 2008 Thousands of youths clashed with police and rampaged through Athens and other cities on weekend, burning scores of cars and shops in the worst protests to erupt in Greece in years. Pressure on the conservative government showed no sign of easing. The Greek Communist Party called a mass rally in central Athens for Monday evening and the socialist PASOK opposition, which has risen to top spot in opinion polls recently, said Greeks must denounce the government. Related Articles ? Riots spread across Greece ? Greek riots: Students vow fourth day of protests ? Riots continue in Greece ? Third day of rioting in Greece ? G20 protests: Rioters loot RBS as demonstrations turn violent ? Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif under house arrest "We must answer the government's policies en masse and peacefully," the PASOK youth branch said in a statement.. Two Greek police officers were arrested on Sunday over the killing of the boy. Thousands of protesters battled police in central Athens, smashing the windows of shops and banks with Molotov cocktails, and sending three officers to hospital, said police, who used tear gas to disperse the rioters. Police said more than 34 people had been injured, including one woman with a serious head wound, while 20 were detained. Later reports said one person had been killed in the violence. Youths threw petrol bombs, burned cars and smashed shop windows as unrest began on Saturday night after the shooting in the Athens Exarchia district, a regular scene of violent clashes between police and leftist groups. Violence flared again in Athens on Sunday as two thousand protesters marched to on the capital's police headquarters. Rioting spread to Greece's second largest city of Thessaloniki after protesters attacked government buildings, shops, police and the media. Riots were also reported in the university towns and cities of Patras, Komotini, Heralkion Ioannina and Crete's Chania. Nearly 5,000 people rallied outside the National Museum, near where the teenage victim, Andreas Grigoropoulos, died late Saturday. Grigoropoulos was killed by shots fired from a police gun during clashes between police and youths in Athens' Exarchia district. He was among a group of youths who were accused of attacking a police car. One of the two officers in the vehicle allegedly got out of the car and took out his gun, firing three bullets at the teen, who was fatally wounded in the chest. A police official said the officer described his fire as warning shots but witnesses told Greek TV he took aim at the boy. Two police officers were charged over the shooting - one with premeditated manslaughter and the other with abetting him. The shooting touched a raw nerve among Greek youth, whose anger has been fanned by the growing gap between rich and poor in recent years. Violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchist groups are common. The demonstrations began on the streets of Athens late Saturday with protesters denouncing the "arbitrary" police action, shouting slogans against the Right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Mr Karamanlis on Sunday expressed his sympathy in a letter to the parents of the dead teenager. "In these difficult moments please accept my condolences for the unfair loss of your son," Mr Karamanlis wrote. "Like all Greeks I am deeply saddened," he said. "I know that nothing can relieve your pain." Mr Karamanlis also said that those responsible would be brought to justice and that "the state will see to it that such a tragedy does not happen again." http://static.rnw.nl/migratie/www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/europe/081208-greece-riots-redirected Tension in Greece after anarchist riots RNW News 08-12-2008 Schools and universities in Greece are to remain closed for three days after violent riots by anarchists in Athens and other cities. The teachers' unions have called a strike in protest at pension reforms. The rioting erupted after a fifteen-year old teenager was shot dead on Saturday afternoon in a confrontation with police. At least 40 people were injured; eyewitnesses say streets in Athens and Thessaloniki look like there has been a civil war, with burnt out car barricades and smashed shop windows. Police arrested 20 rioters. After two days of rioting, the protests died down in the early hours of Monday morning. But Greece's Communist Party called for another day of anti-government protests on Monday. The opposition socialist PASOK party has called for peaceful mass demonstrations against the right-wing government's policies. Policeman charged The policeman who shot the teenager says he fired three warning shots, one of which must have hit the boy by accident. The boy was among a group of 30 youths who were allegedly attacking the policeman and a colleague. The police officer has been charged with murder. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos has agreed to an investigation of the case and has warned that those responsible for the shoorting will be punished. Violent tradition Greece has a long tradition of violent anarchist protest, usually directed against right-wing governments and the military. The anarchists often target 'capitalist' institutions like banks, shopping centres and car dealers, and people seen as establishment figureheads, such as policemen and journalists. The anarchist movement developed under the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. In addition to the anarchist tradition, Greece has also seen a string of controversial educational reforms which has eroded the universities' confidence in the government. Frequent student strikes are often supported by the universities. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1208/1228571631674.html Monday, December 8, 2008 Second night of riots in Greece after police kill boy Protesters throw stones at riot policemen behind burning barricades during riots in Athens yesterday. Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with riot police in Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki in a second day of protests over the shooting dead by police of a 15-year-old boy. Photograph: John Kolesidis/Reuters In this section ? ? Militants torch Nato's Afghan supplies ? Israeli aircraft attack rocket squad as truce with Hamas declared over HELENA SMITH in Athens THOUSANDS OF youths armed with stones, batons and fire bombs engaged in running battles with riot police, destroying shops, banks and cars in cities across Greece last night in a second night of rioting. The violence, the country's worst civil disturbances in years, erupted late on Saturday when it emerged that a teenage boy had been killed by police in Exarchia, a part of central Athens associated with lawlessness and drug abuse. Within hours, the protests had spread to Greece's northern capital, Thessaloniki, its western port city of Patras and Chania on Crete, as protesters giving vent to a disaffection exacerbated by the economic crisis went on the rampage. By last night, several areas, including the commercial strip in Athens and streets around its Polytechnic resembled a battle zone, with glass, rubble and broken mannequins on the sidewalks. As plumes of smoke filled the capital's skyline, and shopkeepers rushed to clear up the debris, officials reported that more than 30 people had been injured, including police officers, firefighters and a number of passers-by caught up in the chaos. Looting was also rife. Local TV stations showed stone-throwing youths erecting barricades in Athens as police responded with tear gas. The rioters in turn sought sanctuary in the grounds of the Polytechnic and Athens University, which traditionally have been off-limits to security forces since the collapse of military rule in 1974. The chaos deepened yesterday in Athens and Thessaloniki as protesters marched through streets shouting anti-government slogans. "Down with the murderers in uniform," they shouted at the police. "I've never seen anything like this," said Kostas Koskliouris (42), standing outside the Italian-owned Benetton clothing store where he works. "So much of Athens is destroyed, and it all happened in just a couple of hours." The scale of the protests appeared to catch Greece's embattled centre-right government off guard. Angered and embarrassed at the killing of the teenager - named as Alexandros Grigoropoulos, the son of a bank manager and a student at a school in Athens - the interior minister, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, tendered his resignation, promising that "exemplary punishment" would be taken against the police officers involved. Two officers were arrested in relation to the shooting and prosecutors said one would be charged with wilful killing and the other with abetting him. A police statement said an officer fired three shots after his car was attacked by 30 youths in Exarchia. An official said the officer described his gunfire as warning shots, but witnesses told Greek television he aimed at the boy. The prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, publicly apologised to the dead boy's father: "I know nothing can relieve your pain, but I assure you . . . the state will act, as it ought to, so that yesterday's tragedy won't be repeated." There was little sign last night that pleas for calm were being heeded. "Greek society has been besieged by a feeling of hopelessness, many don't believe in anything," said Stelios Bahis (44), a former merchant marine engineer who works as a museum guard. "It was great that the politicians we have today helped get rid of the junta in 1974. But ever since, they've just created their own cliques of power and sidelined those who are not with them. People have had enough of the scandals, the corruption and especially the police, who we all know are not clean." There is growing anger in the country at the widening gap between rich and poor. Statistics released earlier this year showed that one in five Greeks lives beneath the poverty line. Karamanlis's market-oriented government, which is into its second term, has been hit by accusations of sleaze in recent months. Joblessness among the younger generation, especially those aged 20 to 25, is high, with many barely surviving on ?500 a month. "There are a lot of disoriented young people who feel they don't have much to expect from the future and are very disconnected," said Prof Thanos Dokos, an analyst at a Greek think-tank. - (Guardian service) http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1208/p06s02-wogn.html Anarchists' fury fuels Greek riots An uneasy truce between anarchists and police was shattered following a weekend shooting of a teen. A similar event in 1985 sparked months of daily clashes. By Nicole Itano | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the December 8, 2008 edition Reporter Nicole Itano discusses confusion and anger in Greece following the shooting death of a boy and the violent riots that followed. ATHENS - Greece's worst rioting in years erupted late Saturday night after an Athens policeman shot and killed a teenage boy in a central neighborhood known as the base of anarchist and other antiestablishment groups. By Sunday morning, with the riots continuing, a trail of devastation had been blazed across central Athens ? with the stench of tear gas and smoke from charred vehicles and buildings hanging over parts of the ancient city. The violence quickly spread to other parts of the country, including Greece's second-city, Thessaloniki, and the vacation islands of Crete and Corfu. The shooting and its violent aftermath threatens to escalate a decades-long conflict that has simmered between police and far-left groups. The conservative government, which was already struggling to stay in power in the wake of a recent land-exchange scandal, attempted to calm the rioters by arresting the two police officers connected with the shooting. The fatal shooting took place in the Athens neighborhood of Exarchia, a dense warren of concrete apartment buildings home to a mix of students and anarchists. Clashes between police and radicals are common in the neighborhood. Anarchist groups frequently set off small bombs throughout the city ? on Wednesday alone a bomb damaged the offices of the French news service Agence France Presse and arsonists torched a Bosnian embassy car and a bank cash machine. Brady Kiesling, a former US diplomat, who is writing a book about the Greek militant group November 17, says Greek police have limited power to use force against these groups because public sentiment will not tolerate it. This has resulted in a delicate balance in Exarchia, with neither pushing the other too far. Many Greeks cite the events of November 17, 1973 ? a day that is still commemorated, when the army stormed the Athens Polytechnic University and killed a number of striking students ? as a reason why the police must be restricted. "The police stay out of certain areas, unless there's a major emergency, and the anarchists don't trash things badly unless there's a good reason," Mr. Kiesling says. But "once someone gets killed, the doctrine is massive retaliation." Details of the shooting are disputed, but police issued a statement saying the two officers had been attacked by a group of youths. One officer threw a stun grenade while the other responded with three shots. At least one bullet hit the boy, reported to be 15 or 16. According to police, he died on the way to the hospital. The last fatal police shooting of a minor in Greece, in 1985, sparked months of nearly daily clashes between police and anarchists. The terrorist group November 17 also bombed a bus full of riot police in retaliation, Kiesling says. Both officers involved in Saturday's incident have been arrested. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the country's Interior minister, who is responsible for the police, promised punishment for those responsible. Mr. Pavlopoulos, and his deputy minister, also offered their resignations, a move that was rejected by the prime minister. "It is inconceivable for there not to be punishment when a person loses their life, particularly when it is a child," Pavlopoulos said in a press conference Sunday morning. The Interior minister also condemned the actions of the rioters. "No outrage, no matter how ideologically established it is, can lead to such incidents as we witnessed last night." Shortly after the shooting, which took place before 10 p.m., an angry crowd ? summoned by text message and the Internet ? gathered in Exarchia. They clashed with police, shouting "Murderers in uniform," and burned and looted local shops. Later that night, the rioters moved to other areas of the city center, burning or damaging at least 31 shops and breaking windows in the tourist neighborhood of Monistiraki and along one of central Athens' major shopping streets, Ermou. Just a few hundred yards from the ancient site of Hadrian's Library, a charred building still smoldered late Sunday morning. Some two dozen police officers were reportedly injured in the clashes. On Sunday afternoon, more than 2,000 people gathered near the Athens Polytechnic to march towards Athens' central police station in protest of the killings. Greek law bars police from university buildings. "The feeling is anger," says John Gelis, a 28-year psychologist, shortly before joining the march. "A kid was killed just like that. It's a sign of arrogance by the police. It's an act against democracy." Mr. Gelis joined in the riots on Saturday night, saying the targets of the unrest included banks and multinational companies, not small businesses. "No one has anything against the little owners." But some small businesses had been ransacked, including a family-run computer store in the heart of Exarchia. Business owners and residents say they are weary of the unrest. "I'm fed up with this," says Elina Dimitriou, a long-time resident of the neighborhood. "It needs to stop. But I don't know who to blame." ? Material from the Associated Press was used in this story. http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/07/second-day-of-riots-in-greece-after-police-shooting/ Second day of riots in Greece after police shooting 07/12/08 19:50 CET Part of central Athens has been transformed into a battlefield, as protests over the police shooting of a teenage boy continued into a second day. More firebombs have been thrown, shop windows smashed and vehicles burned in the capital and in Greece?s second city of Thessaloniki. Faced with a hail of missiles, security forces responded with tear gas. A number of officers have been injured. Several arrests were made. The shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Athens sparked the unrest that started last night. A police statement said an officer fired after a patrol car was attacked by a group of youths. Sunday?s protest in Athens started peacefully before some broke away from the demonstration to go on the rampage. The disturbances have hit towns and cities across Greece. Even the holiday islands of Crete and Corfu were affected. The wave of destruction has devastated Greek commercial districts ahead of Christmas sales. Anger among youths has been fanned by the growing gap between the rich and poor in recent years. With feelings at boiling point over the teenager?s death, two police officers have been arrested. One of them is reportedly facing a charge of manslaughter. http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/07/wave-of-riots-around-greece-after-teenager-shot/ Wave of riots around Greece after teenager shot 07/12/08 09:27 CET Athens and at least five other Greek cities have been hit by riots following the death of a teenager, shot by police. Shop windows were smashed and cars burned by hundreds of youths who were pushed back with teargas. It appears the dead boy, 15 years old, was with a group of a half-dozen who were throwing stones at a police car. The police opened fire when one of them produced a molotov cocktail. The government has ordered an inquiry and has arrested the police involved, who are being questioned. A large crowd marched to the police station in Athens where they are being held. The interior minister has gone on television to apologise for the incident. http://www.aol.co.nz/celebrity/story/Athens-businesses-the-target-of-rioters%27-wrath/1406361/index.html Athens businesses the target of rioters' wrath December 07, 2008, 09:32 PM Post Comments Ermou Street in downtown Athens, where real estate prices are among the highest in Europe, was blackened and strewn with glass Sunday after a night of rioting following the death of a teenager in a police shooting. At least 21 shops were damaged over a three-block section of the street, off Athens' famed Syntagma Square. Many shops had their doors blown away and were left wide open, although there was no sign of looting. One block was closed early Sunday as firefighters still battled a blaze that had left a three-story emporium a blackened skeleton with a smoking roof. People strolled calmly through the damage, their shoes crunching on glass. A slight haze of tear gas still hung in the air. Repeated alarms drew little attention. The riots that engulfed Athens Saturday night, spreading to Greece's second-largest city of Thessaloniki and at least five other provincial towns, were the most serious since January 1991. Then, two large department stores were burned and four people died as a firebomb-throwing crowd protested the slaying of a left-wing school teacher at the hands of right-wingers. No serious injuried were reported in Saturday night's violence. And while clothing shops _ the majority of Ermou Street outlets _ and banks were heavily damaged, the numerous snack bars were all left intact and were full of customers in the early hours of Sunday. A few blocks north of Syntagma Square, at Akadimias Street, another main Athens thoroughfare, the rioters had almost totally destroyed the bus stops and ticket kiosks used daily by hundreds of thousands of commuters in what is one of the city's major transport hubs. A few of the rioters _ almost all of them self-styled anarchists _ were still there, some still masked and some armed with steel pipes warily eyeing the riot police camped two blocks further on. There seemed to be no prospect of imminent intervention, however: the elite policemen were casually chatting in small groups and they were separated from the rioters by a burning barricade, stoked by chairs and the plastic roofs of dismantled bus stops. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Riots_test_Greece_more_protests_likely/rssarticleshow/3807165.cms Riots test Greek government, more protests planned 8 Dec 2008, 0946 hrs IST, REUTERS ATHENS: Greek demonstrators vowed another wave of protests on Monday, two days after police shot dead a 15-year-old boy sparking riots that left dozens injured across the country. Thousands of youths clashed with police and rampaged through Athens and other cities this weekend, burning scores of cars and shops in the worst protests to erupt in Greece in years. Pressure on the conservative government showed no sign of easing. The Greek Communist Party called a mass rally in central Athens for Monday evening and the socialist PASOK opposition, which has risen to top spot in opinion polls recently, said Greeks must denounce the government. "We must answer the government's policies en masse and peacefully," the PASOK youth branch said in a statement. University professors, who had planned to join a nationwide workers' strike against pension reforms and economic policies on Wednesday, said they would now stage a three-day walkout starting Monday. Blogs popular with high school students urged them to stay away from class. Ignoring the government's appeals for calm, leftist demonstrators and anarchists staged running battles with police after the teenager's killing, which shocked the nation. "Justice has taken over," Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos told reporters after an urgent government meeting on Sunday. "Raw violence directed at social peace and the property of innocent people is unconceivable." The minister submitted his resignation but it was rejected by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who has seen his government's popularity eroded in the face of scandals and as the world economic crisis bites. The shooting touched a raw nerve among Greek youth, whose anger has been fanned by the growing gap between rich and poor in recent years. Violence at student rallies and fire bomb attacks by anarchist groups are common. POLICEMAN CHARGED Two police officers have been charged over the shooting -- one with premeditated murder and the other with abetting him. A police statement said one officer fired three shots after their car was attacked by a group of 30 youths in the bohemian Athens district of Exarchia. A police official said the officer had described firing warning shots, but witnesses told TV he took aim at the boy, identified as Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Just hours after his death, protesters clashed with police in Athens and the violence spread across the country, as far as the northern city of Thessaloniki and the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu, leaving 34 people injured. Police detained 20. For most of Sunday, protesters chanting "Cops, Pigs, Murderers" rained petrol bombs down on rows of Athens riot police, while helicopters hovered overhead and tear gas choked the city. More than 30 shops and a dozen banks were torched in the capital's busiest commercial districts ahead of the busy Christmas period. The mayor of Athens postponed the launch of holiday festivities. In Thessaloniki, more than 1,000 protesters clashed with police, set fire to a bank and smashed several stores. Rioters also clashed with police in the western city of Patras. About 200 protesters rioted outside police headquarters in Crete's second city of Chania. On Corfu, protesters smashed up four cars and two shops, and an 18-year-old woman was injured. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99621 Greece Braces for More Violent Protests World | December 8, 2008, Monday More protests are expected Monday after rioting erupted over the fatal shooting of an anarchist teenager by police in Athens. Photo by BGNES Protests are expected for a third day in Greece, after rioting erupted over the fatal shooting of an anarchist teenager by police. Rallies now become more politically motivated, with protest called in Athens on Monday by the Greek Communist Party and the socialist PASOK opposition party. Riots began on Saturday after 15-year-old Andreas Grigoropoulos was shot dead by police in the traditionally left-wing Exarchia area of Athens. A police statement said that one of the officers had fired three shots after their car was attacked by around 30 youths. After the tragic case, anti-police riots quickly spread to Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, to the northern cities of Komotini and Ioannina, and to Crete. The Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos then handed in his resignation, but Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis rejected it. Clashes between the Greek police and anarchists groups have quite a long history. A similar shooting in 1985 led to years of violence. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7770522.stm Monday, 8 December 2008 Greece braced for further protest Police fire tear gas at protesters on Sunday in the city of Patras A third day of protests is planned in Greece, following riots sparked by the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy by police late on Saturday. The Communist Party has called a mass rally in Athens, while the main socialist opposition party has urged Greeks to denounce the government. Meanwhile, a post-mortem is being carried out on the boy's body to help determine the trajectory of the bullet. Two police officers have been arrested in connection with the boy's death. One of them, who is accused of murder, said he fired a warning shot and that the boy was killed by a ricochet, but eyewitnesses told Greek television that the officer aimed directly. See main locations of Athens protests The second officer has been charged with being an accomplice. The family of the boy, named as Alexandros Grigoropoulos, has hired an independent pathologist to ensure there is no cover-up. Politically motivated Five demonstrations are planned in major cities at dusk. Among the protests called on Monday is a rally by the Greek Communist Party and the socialist Pasok opposition, in Athens. MAJOR RIOTING IN GREECE 1973 - Brutal repression of student uprising in Athens helps bring down the military junta 1985 - Youths clash with police in Athens after rally marking 1973 uprising becomes violent and police shoot dead 15-year-old boy 1991 - Riots break out across the country after a school teacher is killed during protests in Patras 1995 - Riots erupt after protest in Athens and revolt in prison ahead of 1973 uprising's anniversary 1999 - Police clash with protesters opposing a visit by US President Bill Clinton to Athens 2003 - Youths battle police during an EU summit in Thessaloniki 2008 - Protesters battle police across country after an officer shoots dead a teenager in Athens In pictures: Greek riots Eyewitness: Athens riot Pasok's youth wing has called for peaceful protests. Most of the clashes have occurred in university cities and have involved students, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens. The student demonstrators have been given tacit consent to continue by their professors, our correspondent says. University tutors said they would start a three-day walkout on Monday, rather than joining a nationwide workers' strike against pension reforms and economic policies on Wednesday. Although the protests began as an outpouring of anger about the killing, they appear to have become more politically motivated, with opposition parties keen to discredit the struggling government, our correspondent adds. The government has held an emergency meeting to decide how to respond, with the Interior Minister, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, saying the police would adopt a defensive stance. 'Deeply saddened' The riots began on Saturday after Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead by police in the Exarchia area of Athens. The unrest, the worst in the country in several years, later spread to Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, and Volos, and the islands of Crete, Samos and Corfu. Dozens of protesters and police have been injured during pitched battles on the streets, involving petrol bombs and tear gas. A march by more than 1,000 people on two police stations in Thessaloniki descended into violence when protesters attacked police and shops with firebombs and rocks. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has written to the boy's parents expressing his profound sorrow. He wrote: "In these difficult moments please accept my condolences for the unfair loss of your son. Like all Greeks I am deeply saddened." He said his government would act to stop "such a tragedy" from happening again. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=683441&rss=yes Cop arrested over teen killing, protests spread 05:36 AEST Mon Dec 8 2008 120 days 7 hours 39 minutes ago AFP Two policemen have been arrested over the killing of a 15-year-old boy in Greece. The teen was killed during a stand-off between a group of youths and police officers. Two Greek police officers have been arrested over the killing of a 15-year-old boy, touching off a wave of violent protests by angry youths setting Athens and other Greek cities ablaze. Thousands of protestors battled police in central Athens yesterday, smashing the windows of shops and banks with molotov cocktails, and sending three officers to hospital, said police, who used tear gas to disperse the rioters. And in the western city of Patras, a police officer was in hospital after being beaten up by a group of youths. In the Greek capital, officers arrested about 10 protestors and about 14 demonstrators were treated for breathing difficulties caused by the tear gas, said the police. Along Alexandras avenue, at least three banks ? the National Bank of Greece, the Emporiki Bank and the Bank of Piraeus ? as well as supermarkets and dozens of shops were set on fire during the clashes. Nearly 5000 people rallied outside the National Museum near where the teenage victim, Andreas Grigoropoulos, died late Saturday. Grigoropoulos was killed by shots fired from a police gun during clashes between police and youths in Athens' Exarchia district. He was among a group of youths who threw stones at a police car. One of the two officers in the vehicle allegedly got out of the car and took out his gun, firing three bullets at the teen, who was fatally wounded in the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors could only confirm his death. On Sunday the two police officers, including the alleged shooter involved in the incident, were arrested, police said. Epaminondas Korkoneas, 37, who allegedly fired the shots that killed Grigoropoulos was taken into custody, as well as Vassilis Saraliotis, 31, who was in the police car when the fatal shooting happened. The demonstrations began on the streets of Athens late Saturday with protestors denouncing the "arbitrary" police action, shouting slogans against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Karamanlis on Sunday expressed his sympathy in a letter to the parents of the dead teenager. "In these difficult moments please accept my condolences for the unfair loss of your son," Karamanlis wrote. "Like all Greeks I am deeply saddened," he said. "I know that nothing can relieve your pain." Karamanlis also said that those responsible would be brought to justice and that "the State will see to it that such a tragedy does not happen again". Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the police also expressed their "deep sorrow" for what they called an "isolated" incident and have ordered an investigation. The anger spread to other cities as protesters set about 20 cars on fire in Athens, Greece's second largest city of Salonika and western Patras. The facades of 17 banks in Athens and five in Salonika were damaged, while some businesses were also attacked. Demonstrators also threw molotov cocktails at the police station in Patras. On the island of Crete, three banks in the main city of Iraklion were damaged while molotov cocktails were tossed at city hall in the town of Chania. In 1985, 15-year-old Michalis Kaltezas was shot by a police officer, triggering violent clashes between far-left youths and the police in Exarchia, known as bohemian district. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-07-greece-protests_N.htm More riots in Greece over fatal police shooting of teen Updated 12/7/2008 11:05 AM By Thanassis Stavrakis, AP Protesters throw stones at riot police during clashes in Athens. ATHENS (AP) ? Rioters rampaged through Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki Sunday, hurling Molotov cocktails, burning stores and blocking city streets with flaming barricades after protests against the fatal police shooting of a teenager erupted into chaos. Youths wearing hoods smashed storefronts and cars in Athens. Riot police responded with tear gas while the fire department rushed to extinguish blazes. Several bank branches, stores and at least one building were on fire on a major street leading to the capital's police headquarters. Clashes also broke out near Parliament. Streets quickly emptied as word of the violence spread. Local media reported several people sought treatment for breathing problems. Violence often breaks out during demonstrations in Greece between riot police and anarchists, who attack banks, high-end shops, diplomatic vehicles and foreign car dealerships in late-night fire-bombings that rarely cause injuries. Some believe the anarchist movement has its roots in the resistance to the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74. The anarchists often take refuge inside university buildings or campuses, where police are barred under Greek law. The shooting of the 16-year-old boy that set off the first riots took place Saturday night in Exarchia, a downtown Athens district of bars, music clubs and restaurants that is seen as the anarchists' home base. The circumstances surrounding the shooting were initially unclear. Police said the two officers involved claimed they were attacked by a group of youths, and that three gunshots and a stun grenade were fired in response. Youths burning shops, set up flaming barricades and torched cars in cities around the country overnight. At dawn crews cleaned up streets littered with the burned debris of businesses and cars. Tear gas hung in the air. Sunday's riots broke out during demonstrations moving toward the police headquarters in Thessaloniki and Athens. Protesters in the northern city attacked City Hall, two police precincts, several shops and a bank, as well as vans and cars belonging to several Greek television channels. In Athens, violence broke out as more than two thousand protesters marched to the police headquarters. Youths fought with riot police for about two hours before groups split off into different parts of the city. More violence was reported in Exarchia. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos promised there would be a thorough investigation into the teenager's death and pledged to punish anyone found responsible. "It is inconceivable for there not to be punishment when a person loses their life, particularly when it is a child," Pavlopoulos said. "The taking of life is something that is not excusable in a democracy." He and Deputy Minister Panagiotis Chinofotis submitted their resignations, which were not accepted by the prime minister. The two officers involved in the shooting have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, as has the police chief in the Exarchia precinct. Police said the Saturday night riots left 24 policemen injured, with one remaining hospitalized Sunday morning. Rioters damaged or burned 31 stores, nine bank branches and 25 cars, including six police cars, police said in a statement. Six people were arrested, five of them for theft from damaged stores and one for carrying a weapon, it said. Full details for damage from Sunday afternoon's riots were not immediately available. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245081,greeks-protest-death-of-teenager-at-hands-of-police-.html Greeks protest death of teenager at hands of police - 2nd Update Posted : Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:00:23 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) Athens - Angry demonstrators, protesting the death of a teenaged boy shot by police, attacked City Hall, banks, shops and a police precinct in the northern port city of Thessaloniki and burned an apartment building in central Athens Sunday. The march of approximately 2,000 people turned violent in Thessaloniki when participants began hurling rocks at police and erected barricades out of trash bins, which they set on fire along central roads. In Athens, a peaceful demonstration by 3,000 people turned violent when a group of hooded youths among the group started throwing firebombs at the city's main police headquarters, causing most of the protesters to take shelter. An apartment and the offices of the environment ministry were reportedly set ablaze along a main avenue in Athens. Greeces conservative goverment appealed for calm after a night of some of the worst riots in years. The violence spread from Athens to the northern port city of Thessaloniki, the western port city of Patras, the central cities of Ioannina and Volos and also to the southern Mediterranean island of Crete. The rioting and protests began in Athens late on Saturday, shortly after the shooting in the central district of Exarchia. Police said the initial incident started when groups of youths began attacking a police car with stones and firebombs. A statement by police said one of the officers fired three warning shots after patrol cars were attacked by a group of 30 youths. One of the shots fired by the officer seriously wounded a teenager in the stomach. The teenager died upon arrival at the hospital. Witnesses, however, claim that there was only a verbal exchange between the youths and police, and that the policeman shot directly into the group. "It was cold-blooded murder," an eyewitness told a radio broadcaster. Throughout the country, hundreds of riots destroyed dozens of shops, banks and cars. Ten people were arrested, five of them for stealing goods from damaged shops. Downtown Athens had turned into a battlefield, as thick black smoke and broken glass could be seen from burning cars and garbage bins. More than 25 police officers were reported injured in the rioting. One was hospitalised with serious injuries. Police first used tear gas to disperse the crowd of youths. Restaurants and bars, normally full of clients on a Saturday night, shut their doors early. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos offered his resignation to the prime minister. The offer was rejected. The interior minister said "an investigation to clarify the situation has already began and all those involved will be punished so that such a thing does not happen again." The shooting has been described by the media as one of the worst civilian casualties inflicted by police in over a decade and the first time since 1985 that police have killed a minor in Greece. The conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has faced a series of protests from workers' groups and students over the past few months. Reports said the prime minister, whose government rules with a slim majority, may be forced to call early elections. Two police officers have been arrested in the incident and were being questioned. Just as questioning began, dozens of people staged a march outside the police headquarters where the officers were taken. "The government believes that it can rule with an iron fist but no more. People have had enough," said 45-year-old Architect Nikos Polynikas. Public unrest with the conservative governments austerity measures has grown and unions have called for a 24-hour strike on Wednesday over privatisations and pension reforms and the cost of living. One-fifth of Greeks live below the poverty line. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3856466,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf | 07.12.2008 | 16:00 UTC Greek police arrested over teen killing as violent protests spread Two Greek police officers have been arrested over the killing of a 15-year-old boy, which sparked a wave of violent protests by angry youths in Athens and other cities. Thousands of protestors fought street battles with police in central Athens Sunday, smashing the windows of shops and banks with molotov cocktails. Police used tear gas to disperse the rioters. Nearly 5,000 people rallied outside the National Museum near where the teenage victim, Andreas Grigoropoulos, died late on Saturday. Witnesses said he was shot in the chest by police after youths attacked a police patrol car. Greece's interior mininster Prokopis Pavlopoulos announced that anyone found responsible would face exemplary punishment. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2438713,00.html Greek protests: Cops arrested 07/12/2008 18:50 - (SA) Athens - Two Greek police officers were arrested on Sunday over the killing of a 15-year-old boy, touching off a wave of violent protests by angry youths setting Athens and other Greek cities ablaze. Thousands of protestors battled police in central Athens Sunday, smashing the windows of shops and banks with molotov cocktails, and sending three officers to hospital, said police, who used tear gas to disperse the rioters. And in the western city of Patras, a police officer was in hospital after being beaten up by a group of youths. In the Greek capital, officers arrested about 10 protestors and about 14 demonstrators were treated for breathing difficulties caused by the tear gas, said the police. Along Alexandras Avenue, at least three banks - the National Bank of Greece, the Emporiki Bank and the Bank of Piraeus - as well as supermarkets and dozens of shops were set on fire during the clashes. Nearly 5 000 people rallied outside the National Museum near where the teenage victim, Andreas Grigoropoulos, died late on Saturday. Grigoropoulos was killed by shots fired from a police gun during clashes between police and youths in Athens' Exarchia district. He was among a group of youths who threw stones at a police car. One of the two officers in the vehicle allegedly got out of the car and took out his gun, firing three bullets at the teen, who was fatally wounded in the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors could only confirm his death. On Sunday the two police officers, including the alleged shooter involved in the incident, were arrested, police said. Epaminondas Korkoneas, 37, who allegedly fired the shots that killed Grigoropoulos was taken into custody, as well as Vassilis Saraliotis, 31, who was in the police car when the fatal shooting happened. Arbitrary action The demonstrations began on the streets of Athens late Saturday with protestors denouncing the "arbitrary" police action, shouting slogans against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Karamanlis on Sunday expressed his sympathy in a letter to the parents of the dead teenager. "In these difficult moments please accept my condolences for the unfair loss of your son," Karamanlis wrote. "Like all Greeks I am deeply saddened," he said. "I know that nothing can relieve your pain." Karamanlis also said that those responsible would be brought to justice and that "the State will see to it that such a tragedy does not happen again". Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the police also expressed their "deep sorrow" for what they called an "isolated" incident and have ordered an investigation. The anger spread to other cities as protesters set about 20 cars on fire in Athens, Greece's second largest city of Salonika and western Patras. The facades of 17 banks in Athens and five in Salonika were damaged, while some businesses were also attacked. Demonstrators also threw molotov cocktails at the police station in Patras. On the island of Crete, three banks in the main city of Iraklion were damaged while molotov cocktails were tossed at city hall in the town of Chania. - AFP http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081207111428.l7euvpxdp0&show_article=1 Hundreds protested through the night in central Athens A protester throws something at policemen during riots in Athens. Young Greeks enraged by the fatal shooting of a teenager by a policeman, have clashed with police in central Athens for a second day of violent protests following the killing. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3855610,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf | 07.12.2008 | 10:00 UTC Greek protests intensify after police shooting of teenager Greece's interior minister has called for restraint amid growing demonstrations to protest the death of a teenager shot dead by police in downtown Athens. Angry youths clashed with police on Sunday in a second day of violent protests following the killing. The shooting had sparked extensive riots in several cities overnight, including Athens and Thessaloniki. Witnesses said that the teenager was shot after a small group of youths attacked a police patrol car. Police later issued a statement saying the patrol car , with two officers inside, had been attacked by a group of 30 stone-throwing youths. Reports said that Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, submitted his resignation, but that it was not accepted by the prime minister. Pavlopoulos promised a thorough investigation and said that anyone found responsible would face ''exemplary punishment''. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=683362&rss=yes Hundreds protest in Greece after police kill boy 16:32 AEST Sun Dec 7 2008 120 days 20 hours 47 minutes ago AFP Hundreds of people demonstrated in the centre of Athens and other cities early Sunday, setting fire to a dozen cars, after a 15-year-old boy was shot dead by a policeman, police said. The demonstrators, mostly residents of Athens' Exarchia district where the incident occurred, protested against the "arbitrary" police action, shouting slogans against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis. The boy died Saturday after a policeman fired into a crowd of youths who had lobbed molotov cocktails at a police car, police said. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead. Youths set fire to garbage bins in the central Exarchia district, scene of frequent clashes with police, as news of the boy's death spread. Protests later erupted in Salonika to the north and Patras to the south. The demonstrators targeted banks, damaging 17 in Athens and five in Salonika, the police said. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the police expressed "deep regret" over the shooting and ordered an inquiry headed by three prosecutors. Pavlopoulos and junior minister Panayotis Hinofotis offered their resignations to the prime minister, who did not accept them. In 1985, 15-year-old Michalis Kaltezas was shot by a police officer, triggering violent clashes between far-left youths and the police in Exarchia. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/394710/1/.html Hundreds protest in Greece after teenage boy killed by police Posted: 07 December 2008 1328 hrs A firefighter tries to extinguish the fire of a building in Monastiraki area central Athens, Greece ATHENS: Hundreds of people demonstrated in the centre of Athens and other cities early Sunday, setting fire to a dozen cars, after a teenage boy was shot dead by a policeman, police said. The demonstrators, mostly residents of Athens' Exarchia district where the incident occurred, protested against the "arbitrary" police action, shouting slogans against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis. The boy died Saturday after a policeman fired into a crowd of youths who had lobbed molotov cocktails at a police car, police said. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead. Youths set fire to garbage bins in the central Exarchia district, scene of frequent clashes with police, as news of the boy's death spread. Protests later erupted in Salonika to the north and Patras to the south. The demonstrators targeted banks, damaging 17 in Athens and five in Salonika, the police said. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the police expressed "deep regret" over the shooting and ordered an inquiry headed by three prosecutors. Pavlopoulos and junior minister Panayotis Hinofotis offered their resignations to the prime minister, who did not accept them. In 1985, 15-year-old Michalis Kaltezas was shot by a police officer, triggering violent clashes between far-left youths and the police in Exarchia. - AFP/yt Saturday DECEMBER 6 http://www.nowpublic.com/world/riot-police-clash-protestors-outside-university-thessaloniki Riot police clash with protestors outside the university of Thessaloniki uploaded by Teacher Dude December 7, 2008 at 09:09 am 239 views | add comment | 0 recommendations The death of 15 year old in central Athens during clashes with police in the Exearchia district has sparked off a series of violent protests in the Greek capital and other major cities. Thessaloniki, Patras, and Crete all witnessed violent clashes between demonstrators and riot police. According to official reports Andreas Grigoropoulos died after being shot at 9pm by police guarding the Exarcheia police station, which due to its proximity to the university of Athens is often a traget for attacks by anarchist and other leftist groups. News of the death quickly spread via the internet, sms and word of mouth leading to protests across Greece. Today's marches quickly turned violent as enraged demnstrators took our their anger on banks, shops and police stations. In Thessaloniki, Greece's second city the central Leukos Pyrgos police station was attacked by masked anarchists with rocks and molotov cocktails. The police replied with tear gas and flash grenades causing panic and chaos amongst the thousands of marchers not involved in the violence. TV images being shown live on Greek TV show central Athens swathed in smoke and tear gas and tens of small fires burn unattended as the fire fighters are unable to put them out. Although violent scenes are not uncommon in Greece the extent, duration and intensity of the riots seems to have taken the authorities by surprise.In addition the fact that many of those who took in protest marches were neither young nor students is indicative of the fact that the death of the teenager has angered many Greeks. Case in point was the pensioner, who stood in front of a phalanx of riot police, apoplectic with rage shouting, "cops, killer, pigs" during the march in Thessaloniki The events couldn't have come at a worst time for the conservative New Democracy government which has been losing support due to its handing of the recent economic crisis and the alleged involvement of many senior officials in the Vatopedi corruption scandal. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-06-greece-riot_N.htm Witnesses: Greek cops kill teen; riots erupt in 2 cities Updated 12/7/2008 7:48 AM | Comments 28 | Recommend 5 ATHENS (AP) ? Hundreds of rioters are fighting pitched battles with police in the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki following the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in central Athens Saturday night. According to witnesses, the shooting occurred around 9:00 p.m. when a small group of youths attacked a police patrol car. A police officer fired three shots, hitting the teenager in the chest. Witness accounts diverge widely over what happened. Several hours after the incident, police issued a statement saying the patrol car, with two officers inside, was attacked by a group of 30 stone-throwing youths while patrolling the central district of Exarchia. According to the statement, the two officers left their car to confront the rioters. "The two (police officers) maintain that they were attacked again and responded, with one firing a stun grenade and the other, by shooting three times, resulting in the fatal wounding of the minor," the statement said. Two Greek TV stations said the youth was rushed to a hospital but died upon arrival. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Athens | Greece | Crete | National Technical University of Athens | Iraklio | Independent Media Center The two officers and the local precinct commander have been suspended pending an investigation, the statement said. "The government expresses its profound regret over this incident. An inquiry on the circumstances of the death has already begun and, if the policemen are found to have been derelict in their duty, the punishment will be exemplary," Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said in a statement. The news enraged hundreds of youths in the area who began rioting by attacking other police cars with stones and firebombs. Police responded by firing tear gas at the crowd, evacuating some restaurants in the area, and closing several streets to all traffic. A few hours after the rioting began, the youths appeared to divide into at least three separate groups and there was a lull in the fighting. At least one teenager was arrested, but no casualties were reported among the rioters or police. Shortly after midnight, rioting resumed with increased intensity, with some protesters marching through the city center and others fighting police outside the National Technical University of Athens nearby. Police are making heavy use of tear gas, and rioters are hitting them with stones, firebombs and other projectiles. In the northern city of Thessaloniki, dozens of youths attacked a police precinct in the city center and several others have blockaded a central city artery, near the Thessaloniki University campus. Calls are being posted at websites, including the Independent Media Center, for more people to join the protests in Greece's two main cities, as well as the city of Iraklio, on the island of Crete. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/one-dead-in-protests-in-greece_100127992.html One dead in protests in Greece December 7th, 2008 - 6:15 am ICT by IANS - Athens, Dec 7 (DPA) A 16-year-old died Saturday in clashes between demonstrators and police in the Greek capital Athens, media reports said.A policeman intended to deliver a warning shot, but the bullet hit the young man in the chest, the report said. The police officer was sitting in an official car with a colleague when demonstrators attacked the vehicle with rocks and other objects. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 12:28:38 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:28:38 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] GREECE: International protests, December 2008 Message-ID: <4AB28DE6.4060607@tesco.net> * Greek-inspired protests spread across Europe - Spain, Italy, Denmark etc * GERMANY: Demonstrations in several cities, protesters resist police repression * BULGARIA: Protests after Bulgarian activist attacked in Greece * GERMANY: Protesters occupy Greek consulate * FRANCE: Paris consulate occupied * DENMARK: Protesters fight back as police arrest solidarity protesters * UK: Protesters target Greek embassy * RUSSIA: Leftists detained for protest * SCOTLAND: Protests reach Edinburgh * Internet spreads Greek protests * FRANCE: Protesters block Champs-Elysees * NEW YORK: Greek embassy sabbed * Protests in Italy, America * SPAIN: Protesters fight back against police, storm police station * UK: Protest in Newcastle * WALES: Cardiff copshop sabbed * RUSSIA: Molotov thrown at embassy http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=13248 Greek Inspired Protests Spread Across Europe Published on 12-13-2008 Email To Friend Print Version Source: AP MADRID, Spain (AP) ? The unrest that has gripped Greece is spilling over into the rest of Europe, raising concerns the clashes could be a trigger for opponents of globalization, disaffected youth and others outraged by the continent's economic turmoil and soaring unemployment. Protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks this week, while in France, cars were set ablaze Thursday outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming "insurrection." At least some of the protests were organized over the Internet, showing how quickly the message of discontent can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth. One Web site Greek protesters used to update each other on the locations of clashes asserted there have been sympathy protests in nearly 20 countries. More demonstrations were set for Friday in Italy, France and Germany. Still, the clashes have been isolated so far, and nothing like the scope of the chaos in Greece, which was triggered by the police killing of a teenager on Saturday and has ballooned into nightly scenes of burning street barricades, looted stores and overturned cars. Nevertheless, authorities in Europe worry conditions are ripe for the contagion to spread. As Europe plunges into recession, unemployment is rising, particularly among the young. Even before the crisis, European youths complained about difficulty finding well-paid jobs ? even with a college degree ? and many said they felt left out as the continent grew in prosperity. In Greece, demonstrators handed out fliers Thursday listing their demands, which include the reversal of public spending cuts that have brought more layoffs, and said they were hopeful their movement would spread. "We're encouraging nonviolent action here and abroad," said Konstantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protester at the Athens Polytechnic, where many of the demonstrators are based. "What these are abroad are spontaneous expressions of solidarity with what's going on here." Across the continent, Internet sites and blogs have popped up to spread the call to protest. Several Greek Web sites offered protesters real-time information on clash sites, where demonstrations were heading and how riot police were deployed around the city. Protest marches were arranged and announced on the sites and via text message on cell phones. In Spain, an anti-globalization Web site, Nodo50.org, greeted visitors with the headline "State Assassin, Police Executioners" and told them of hastily called rallies Wednesday in Barcelona and Madrid. "We stand in solidarity" with the Greek protesters, the site said. Elsewhere in Europe, reports about the clashes in Greece were quickly picked up online by citizen journalists, some of whom posted details of confrontations on Twitter. At the Independent Media Center, photos and video of the demonstrations were uploaded and plans were listed for "upcoming solidarity actions" in London, Edinburgh and Berlin. One writer on the site london.indymedia.org exhorted people to follow the Greek example and "reclaim the streets. Burn the banks that robbed you ... It is a great opportunity to expand the revolution in all europe." "What's happening in Greece tends to prove that the extreme left exists, contrary to doubts of some over these past few weeks," French Interior Ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet told The Associated Press. But, he added, the coming days and weeks would determine whether "there's a danger of contagion of the Greek situation into France." In cities across Europe, protests flared in solidarity with the demonstrations in Greece. One rally outside the Greek Embassy in Rome turned violent on Wednesday, damaging police vehicles, overturning a car and setting a trash can on fire. In Denmark, protesters pelted riot police with bottles and paint in downtown Copenhagen; 63 people were detained and later released. And in Spain, angry youths attacked banks, shops and a police station in Madrid and Barcelona late Wednesday. Some of the protesters chanted "police killers" and other slogans. Eleven people ? including a Greek girl ? were arrested at the two rallies, which drew a total of about 200 protesters. Daniel Lostao, president of the state-financed Youth Council, an umbrella organization of Spanish youth groups, said young people in Spain face daunting challenges ? soaring unemployment, low salaries and difficulty in leaving the family nest because of expensive housing. Still, he said he doubted the protests in Spain would grow. "We do not have the feeling that this is going to spread," Lostao said. "Let's hope I am not wrong." In France, protesters set fire to two cars and a garbage can filled with flammable material outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux Thursday and scrawled graffiti threatening more unrest, Greek Consul Michel Corfias said. Graffiti reading "solidarity with the fires in Greece," was scrawled on the consulate and the word "insurrection" was painted on the doors of neighboring houses. "The events in Greece are a trigger" for French youth angry by their own lack of economic opportunity, Corfias said. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415269.html Greek Solidarity protests in Germany get stronger Now is the winter of our discontent | 13.12.2008 14:14 | Repression | Social Struggles | World 1000 demonstrate in Berlin, small protests all over the country, major protest ahead As the economy crumbles and prices increase all over Europe, we too raise the price of what it costs to kill one of us. On Friday late evening more than 1000 marched in Berlin in solidarity with Greek comrades, police brutality and repression in Germany. Small protests of between 20 and up to 200 protesters took place in about ten cities across Germany. During the night there were minor arson attacks across Berlin on banks, cars and garbage bins. Significantly the protests have not even reached beyond the marginalised radical left, reverberation among a tiny majority over Alexis death didn?t even catch on with the powerfull German antifa movement. There were no meetings or speakers tours with Greek comades. Nevertheless it seems that protests get stronger. A major national demonstration lies ahead on the Dec 2Oth in Hamburg, but will be limited to the marginalised radical left. But the broader left plans a day of national protest in Berlin or Frankfurt over the economic crisis later next year. The bourgeois media voiced fears of Greek riots sparking youths protest in the whole of Europe against the backdrop of a winter of economic crisis and discontent. Protests are ahead in Berlin again today, tomorrow and the next week in several cities. "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of" Greece... Now is the winter of our discontent ? Download this article in pdf format ? Email this article to someone; ? Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article Additions 2 banks smashed, a porsche burned 13.12.2008 16:02 http://www.germany.indymedia.org/2008/12/235945.shtml rzf http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415911.html Police crush Greece solidarity protest in Germany Richard Grove | 22.12.2008 14:12 | Repression | Social Struggles | World 20/12 Greece European day of action in Hamburg: Police force march of 1300 to stop. But many small protests all over the country On Saturday police stopped and dissolved by force a protest march in solidarity with Greek comrades. The demonstration, which was also directed against state and police terror, was closed in several times by about 1500 police and repeatedly baton-charged. The forces of state finally succeeded in using their infamous "cauldron-tactic" and the march was dissolved. Also on Saturday small Greek solidarity protests took place in twelve cities all over Germany. The protests were attended by around 20 to 50 people varying. There were a few copy cat attacks on police stations. Nevertheless, Greece solidarity protests in Germany have not reached beyond the radical left, and even the radical left has shown restraint in organising solidarity. There have been hardly any public meetings. The broader left has not yet grasped the significance of the Greek unrest in the unfolding major crisis of capitalism. But they are discussing a national mass demonstration to be held before Easter. Even the numerous and strong antifa movement did not realise the importance of adressing the uprising in Greece. Instead, the same day protests in Hamburg and other cities were occuring, the antifa held a protest of over 2000 in Nuremberg. The sole issue being the opining of a small shop with nazi attire in that city. However, a public meeting in Berlin organised by Greek students last Wednesday was packed with 600 from all sections of the left and the broader public. Richard Grove http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081231094528894 Bulgarian union protests Greek attack Wednesday, December 31 2008 @ 09:45 AM CST Contributed by: WorkerFreedom Views: 222 SOFIA, Bulgaria: The head of Bulgaria's largest trade union urged Greek authorities Tuesday to investigate an acid attack that left a Bulgarian immigrant seriously injured. No one has been arrested for the attack Dec. 22 on Kostadinka Kuneva, a union official with the Athens association of cleaners. Bulgaria's top union official, Zhelyazko Hristov, wrote an open letter to Greek President Karolos Papoulias, saying Kuneva's colleagues had received death threats because of their union activities. Kuneva, 44, has been living legally in Greece for seven years, working as a cleaning lady. Police said two men ambushed her on a street outside her central Athens home on her way back from work and splashed acid on her face. She is hospitalized in serious condition. According to Hristov, 80,000 of the 200,000 Bulgarians living in Greece work without labor contracts and do not have social insurance. Today in Europe Russia aside, Georgia chief is pressed at home As German neighborhood changes, raunchy shadow lingers Czech Republic faces daunting challenges with EU presidency On Monday, about 200 people gathered in Piraeus, the main port near Athens, to protest the attack. Protesters scuffled with police, and four officers were slightly injured. The protest took place outside the company that employed Kuneva, which provides cleaners for Athens trains. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/30/europe/EU-Bulgaria-Greece-Acid-Attack.php http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245245,protesters-occupy-greek-consulate-in-berlin--summary.html Protesters occupy Greek consulate in Berlin - Summary Posted : Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:31:36 GMT Author : DPA Category : Europe (World) News Alerts by Email ( click here ) Berlin - Demonstrators angry at the shooting death of a 15- year-old youth by police in Athens occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin for most of Monday before departing peacefully. About 20 protesters wearing ski masks barged their way into the reception area of the building in west Berlin during the morning while supporters on the street outside chanted, "It was murder." One of those outside, a man wearing black who described himself as an anarchist, said, "We are here to defend our dead comrade in Greece. I want to stir up some trouble." In the end there was no trouble, and the protesters left after eight hours with no arrests. The Greek embassy, which is located elsewhere in the city, had asked police not to use force at the consulate, a mission that mainly assists Greeks living in Germany. Police said the consul, the chief of the office, had insisted on a dialogue with the protesters and had refused to lay an official complaint. Occupiers who answered his phone for him said that the consul had been pleasant and had served them coffee. Some 120 armed police warily watched the protesters from outside through the day. The teenager died Saturday in the central Athens district of Exarchia after being hit by a bullet fired by a policeman. Police said groups of anarchist youths had earlier attacked a police car with stones and firebombs. The incident triggered two nights of riots in the capital and the northern city of Thessaloniki, causing widespread damage and injuries to 40 people. Berlin sympathizers said they wanted Germans to know about the issue. During the day, they flung leaflets from a balcony of the Greek consulate to Christmas shoppers on the street. The consulate is located on Wittenberg Platz near a major Berlin department store. A female protester told Deutsche Presse-Agentur [NOTE: Yes it does end there. Mess-up I imagine] http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Europe&set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20081209142629303C599561 Protesters enter Greek consulate in Paris December 09 2008 at 02:34PM Paris - Protesters entered part of the Greek consulate in Paris on Tuesday after three days of rioting in Greece triggered by the shooting of a teenager by police, an embassy spokesperson said on Tuesday. "They have entered the building but not the consulate offices on the first floor," Alexandre Bouzis, the Greek embassy press attache said. The action came a day after demonstrators staged a similar protest at the Greek consulate in Berlin. "This is a symbolic occupation. There are about 20 students outside and 60 inside," a spokesperson for the protesters said. Bouzis said police were at the scene but the situation appeared to be under control. "They are there, they are demonstrating, the situation is quite calm, they are quite calm. French police are there," he said. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Europe&set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20081211131702912C495704 Sixty-three Danes held for pro-Greek protests December 13 2008 at 10:15AM Copenhagen - Danish police say they briefly detained 63 people following a rally to support the demonstrations in Greece. Police spokesperson Michael Paulsen says some of the 150 people who were demonstrating late Wednesday in downtown Copenhagen hurled bottles and paint at riot officers. Paulsen says all those detained were released by Thursday though some might face fines for refusing to obey police orders. The Copenhagen demonstration was meant to support those protesting across Greece over the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Athens. The Greek protests have unleashed some of the worst violence and rioting in the country in decades. - Sapa-AP http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/08/greek-protest-spreads-to-berlin/ Greek protest spreads to Berlin 08/12/08 13:05 CET Greece The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Protests at the killing of Athens teenager Alexandros Grigogorpoulos have spread abroad. About 15 self-proclaimed anarchists stormed the Greek embassy in Berlin, saying Greece itself bears responsibility for his death. There was no violence reported, but the group displayed a banner saying the youth was killed by the Greek state. Berlin police sealed off the embassy while talks began on ending the stand-off. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,597899,00.html#ref=rss 12/22/2008 SOLIDARITY WITH ATHENS Police Squash Violent Hamburg Protest While police and demonstraters continued to battle on the streets of Athens over the weekend, German police broke up a large sympathy protest after it grew violent. Scores of German riot police confronted an estimated 950 protesters in Hamburg over the weekend who were expressing their sympathy for student protesters in Greece by marching under the banner of "Solidarity is a weapon." Police reported that the protest actions -- which allegedly included numerous members of the far-left anarchist scene -- were broken up on Saturday after they escalated to rioting, with special police units and journalists being pelted with bottles, iron rods and fireworks. Four police officers were reported injured. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2439130,00.html Protesters arrested in London 08/12/2008 17:57 - (SA) London - British police arrested two protesters at a rally outside the Greek embassy in London on Monday, held to voice anger at the killing of a teenager in Athens, a spokesman said. Scuffles briefly erupted as some 40 young demonstrators bearing anarchist banners gathered outside the London mission, amid a third day of street battles in Greece over the police killing of a 15-year-old boy. One small group unfurled an anarchist flag in place of the Greek flag next to the doorstep of the embassy, in the upmarket Holland Park area to the west of the city centre, an AFP journalist said. "Cops are pigs and murderers," they shouted in Greek, according to one of the protesters. Scuffles broke out between black-clad demonstrators and police when officers tried to erect security barriers to keep back a second group of protesters outside the building. Two protesters were detained. "They were arrested for a public disorder offence, threatening behaviour," David Morgan from Kensington police told AFP. The protesters had asked to meet the ambassador, but the request was rejected, said a spokesman for the embassy. In Greece itself youths attacked cars and store-fronts in Salonika, Greece's second largest city on Monday, and clashes broke out in the central city of Trikala as students occupied universities in Athens and other major centres. The unrest has left dozens wounded, caused widespread destruction and put new pressure on right-wing prime minister Costas Karamanlis over the death of Alexis Grigoropoulos on Saturday that sparked nationwide riots. In Berlin on Monday about 15 young demonstrators occupied the Greek consulate, but there was no report of violence or arrests. - AFP http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081213/118843075.html Young Russian leftists detained for protest at Greek Embassy 17:03 | 13/ 12/ 2008 MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti) - Police in Moscow arrested eight members of a left-wing youth movement on Saturday for holding an illegal protest near the Greek Embassy, a police spokesman said. The members of the neo-leftist Red Youth Vanguard, including its leader, Sergei Udaltsov, were demonstrating against the December 6 shooting by Greek police of a 15-year-old boy. Alexandros Grigoropoulos's death has sparked a week of youth rioting across Greece. "The Red Youth Vanguard members tried to hold an unauthorized picket of the Greek Embassy in Moscow, and after repeated requests to disperse they were arrested by police," the spokesman said. The eight were taken to a local police station for processing. In cities throughout Greece on Saturday peaceful rallies were held in memory of Grigoropoulos. One policeman has been charged with his murder, and a second as an accomplice. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/alexis-grigoropoulos-edinburgh-protest Alexis Grigoropoulos Edinburgh Protest uploaded by TFleming December 11, 2008 at 01:11 pm http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081212/NEWS/812120340/-1/NEWS09 Protesters in Greece spark unrest in Europe News services Advertisement MADRID, Spain ? The unrest that has gripped Greece is spilling over into the rest of Europe, raising concerns the clashes could be a trigger for opponents of globalization, disaffected youth and others outraged by global economic turmoil. Protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks this week, while in France cars were set ablaze Thursday. In Greece, protesters began handing out fliers listing their demands, which include having riot police pulled from the streets and the reversal of public-spending cuts that have heightened insecurity over jobs. More demonstrations were set for today in Italy, France and Germany. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6440121 Greek-Inspired Protests Spread Across Europe Greek-inspired protests spread throughout Europe with help of Internet and blogs By PAUL HAVEN Associated Press Writer MADRID, Spain December 11, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press The word ?Killers? painted on the wall of the Greek Embassy in Copenhagen, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008.... (AP) More Photos The unrest that has gripped Greece is spilling over into the rest of Europe, raising concerns the clashes could be a trigger for opponents of globalization, disaffected youth and others outraged by the continent's economic turmoil and soaring unemployment. Protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks this week, while in France, cars were set ablaze Thursday outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, where protesters scrawled graffiti warning about a looming "insurrection." At least some of the protests were organized over the Internet, showing how quickly the message of discontent can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth. One Web site Greek protesters used to update each other on the locations of clashes asserted there have been sympathy protests in nearly 20 countries. More demonstrations were set for Friday in Italy, France and Germany. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/3706849/Greek-protest-spread-with-arrests-across-Europe.html Greek protests spread with arrests across Europe Anger over the fatal shooting of a Greek schoolboy by a policeman has spread across Europe with protests as far afield as Moscow and Madrid. By Nick Squires In Athens Last Updated: 7:22PM GMT 11 Dec 2008 Demonstrations against the killing were seen in cities across the continent with left-wing radicals and other sympathisers taking to the streets. In Spain, 11 protesters were arrested and several police officers injured when clashes took place in Madrid and Barcelona. In Copenhagen, 32 people were arrested when their protest in support of the Greek protests turned violent. In neighbouring Turkey, about a dozen left-wing protesters daubed red paint over the front of the Greek consulate in Istanbul. Around 150 people belonging to a Danish underground movement took to the streets, throwing bottles and paint bombs at buildings, police cars and officers. In Moscow and Rome, protesters threw petrol bombs at Greece's embassies. http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2008-12-12&article=26089 Greek Protests Spill over to Sofia Friends and colleagues of Stoyan Baltov beaten to death in a Students Town disco will organize two commemorative processions in Sofia Photo: BGNES A wave of student protests will sweep Sofia. Bulgarian higher students take to the street to protest against the brutal murder of their colleague Stoyan Baltov demanding higher safety and more active police presence in the neighborhood. On late December 5, twenty-year-old Stoyan passed away after a violent drunken fight in front of a disco in the Students' Town in Sofia. The students' rally will be led by the rectors of Sofia universities The rally is organized by the colleagues of deceased Stoyan Baltov from the Medical University. "In memory of the dead boy classes will not be held in the Medical University," MU Rector, Prof Vanyo Mitev told The Standart. Teodora Yolcheva http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99716 Bulgarians to Express Solidarity with Greek Protesters Society | December 10, 2008, Wednesday The Christmas Tree in front of the Greek parliament is burning after the clashes in central Athens. Photo by BGNES A meeting to express solidarity with the Greek protesters over the police shooting that killed a 15-year-old schoolboy will be staged Wednesday evening in Sofia in front of the Greek embassy. In a letter to media "a group of citizens" say that at 8 pm at the embassy they are to place flowers in the memory of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who was shot dead in clashes between anarchist protesters and police in Athens. The tragic death of Grigoropoulos sparked 5-day riots and violent clashes with police all over Greece. The shooting of the boy was the catalyst for the violence, but it comes along with plummeting popularity of the centre-right government against a backdrop of high youth unemployment, rising cost of living, and a widening gap between rich and poor. As the protests became more political, the country's two largest syndicates announced on Wednesday their members were going to hold a 24-hour strike demanding more social spending. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,595033,00.html 12/08/2008 PROTEST FALLOUT Demonstrators Occupy Greek Consulate in Berlin A group of 30 demonstrators has occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin to protest the killing of a teenager by police in Athens on Saturday night. The Berlin protesters are behaving peacefully. DPA Demonstrators on the balcony of the Greek consulate in Berlin waved a black and red flag and threw leaflets. A group of demonstrators occupied the Greek consulate in Berlin on Monday morning in protest over the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy by Athens police on Saturday that triggered the worst rioting Greece has seen in 25 years. Some 30 people pushed their way into the lobby of the consulate at Wittenbergplatz in western Berlin at around 9.40 a.m. local time, said SPIEGEL TV reporter Martin Heller, who is on the scene. Around 120 German police cordoned off the area outside the consulate and negotiations are underway with the demonstrators, who were behaving peacefully and had made no demands, police said. At around 11 a.m., 10 people wearing hats and scarves to mask their faces appeared on the balcony of the consulate and shouted: "Police Assassins" and "Alexandros, That Was Murder!" The Greek embassy in Berlin, located in the east of the city, has not been occupied. One of the demonstrators told the German news agency DPA that the demonstration was in protest against a Greek state that was responsible for the death of the teenager, identified as Alexandros Andreas Grigoropoulos. The protestors removed the Greek flag from the fa?ade of the consulate building and draped a banner from a window that named the victim and said "Murdered by the State." Two police officers have been charged over the shooting -- one with manslaughter and the other as an accomplice. A police statement said one officer fired three warning shots after their car was attacked by 30 youths in Athens' volatile Exarchia district. Police claim the teenager was hit by a richoteting bullet, but witnesses told Greek TV he took aim at the boy. The shooting sparked violent protests in Athens and other Greek cities over the weekend that reflected growing public disenchantment with the government's economic policies. cro -- with wire reports http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,,12215_cid_3857771,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-news-1092-rdf | 08.12.2008 | 12:00 UTC Protesters occupy Greek consulate in Berlin Hundreds of students clashed with police in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Monday in a third day of rioting. They hurled fire bombs and stones at police who responded with tear gas. The demonstrations were triggered by the shooting of a teenager by police in Athens over the weekend. The violence continues, despite the arrest of two police officers in connection with the incident. In Berlin, about 15 demonstrators occupied the Greek consulate to protest the fatal shooting. German police said they had deployed around 130 officers around the building to guarantee access and security. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/berl-d12.shtml WSWS speaks with Greek protesters in Berlin By our correspondent 12 December 2008 Protests by students and school pupils continued in Greece on Thursday. In Athens, students have occupied the polytechnic; another 15 university buildings have been occupied in the capital city and in Thessaloniki, Greece?s second largest city. According to police estimates, around 100 schools have also been occupied by pupils in both cities. At the same time, solidarity demonstrations outside Greek embassies have spread across Europe. Clashes between police and groups of protesters took place in Rome, Madrid and Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, with a number of arrests made. Protests have also taken place in Turkey. The WSWS spoke to demonstrators who had gathered in Berlin on Tuesday?the day of the burial of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, the young man gunned down by Greek police last Saturday. The demonstrators had gathered outside the Greek consulate in Berlin to protest against police violence and the policies of the Karamanlis government. In a peaceful rally, the demonstrators called upon the German public to express its solidarity with the Greek protests and stressed the significance of the events in Greece for Germany and Europe as a whole. In a leaflet handed to passers-by, they called for support for a rally to be held in Berlin this Sunday. The leaflet stated: ?There are good reasons for the protests in Greece. They are a reaction to the economic crisis, unemployment, the destruction of social gains and precarious living and employment conditions. All of Greece is making a stand.? The leaflet then went on to appeal for international support for the mass movement in Greece. The WSWS spoke to Nikos, who studied journalism in Athens and now lives in Berlin. He stated that Greece had not seen this level of revolt and popular opposition since 1974. As a consequence, he was sure there was bound to be an increase in popular awareness. ?The killing of a boy from a wealthy family proves that the police have now become a general threat to society, and not just for the poor, immigrants, and the unprivileged,? Nikos said. ?The Greek population has to try to grasp what is taking place because it?s not just vandalism by some extremists, but has its roots in doubts and fears for the future?the complete lack of the social and economic means for a reasonable future.? ?Greek society is suffering and has suffered in the past from a bad economic situation, low wages, low pensions, and low unemployment payments. At the same time, rents and the cost of living are continuously rising. The country?s welfare system is also being run down and is having a knock-on effect on the social security system and hospitals.? Anthoula is a 22-year-old drama student from Athens. She told the WSWS: ?The issues at stake in Greece go far beyond that of police brutality. There needs to be a general change of the society. It is the system of capitalism that creates inequality and state terror in many countries, and therefore people have to cooperate internationally to fight for a different political perspective.? Of particular concern to the students taking part in the Berlin demonstration was a new law that recognises private universities, while at the same time cuts the funding for public universities. The result is the deliberate creation of an elitist education system. All of those taking part in the demonstration agreed that the death of the teenager last Saturday was merely the spark that made a highly inflammable social situation explode. They expressed their concern that the media and political layers would seek to use the actions of some groups of anarchists to denounce the protests as the action of ?extremists.? A number of protesters also pointed out that police violence is not limited to Greece. Recently, the German newspapers have dealt with the case of two German policemen who were tried (and acquitted) in the murder of a black prisoner in Dessau. At the same time, the social issues which led to tens of thousands of Greeks taking to the streets?the devastating effects of the economic crisis, growing poverty, the dismantling of the welfare state, privatisation and unemployment?were issues affecting every European country and could precipitate similar popular movements. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100009_12/12/2008_102966 Internet spreads Greek protests Outraged protesters in Spain, Denmark and Italy smashed shop windows, pelted police with bottles and attacked banks, in an alarming indication that the unrest that has gripped Greece for most of the past week could spill over into the rest of Europe. In France, cars and a garbage can were set alight outside the Greek Consulate in Bordeaux yesterday, and protesters scrawled graffiti warning of a looming ?insurrection.? More demonstrations had been set for today in Italy, France and Germany. At least some of the protests appear to have been organized over the Internet, showing how quickly a message can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth. Several Greek websites offer protesters real-time information on the location of clashes, where demonstrators are heading and how riot police are deployed around the city. Protest marches are arranged and announced on the sites, while word is also sent out via text messages on mobile phones. In Spain, an anti-globalization website, Nodo50.org, greeted visitors with the headline ?State Assassin, Police Executioners,? telling them of the hastily organized rallies in Barcelona and Madrid on Wednesday. Elsewhere, reports about the protests and riots in Greece were quickly picked up online by citizen journalists, some of whom detailed seeing confrontations on Twitter. At the Independent Media Center, photos and videos of the demonstrations were uploaded and plans were listed for ?upcoming solidarity actions? in London, Edinburgh and Berlin. ?What?s happening in Greece tends to prove that the extreme left exists, contrary to the doubts of some over these past few weeks,? French Interior Ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet told The Associated Press. ?For the moment, we can?t go further with our conclusions and say that there?s a danger of the Greek situation catching on in France.? In Italy, a group of protesters gathered in front of the Greek Embassy in Rome on Wednesday and some turned violent, damaging police vehicles, overturning a car and setting a trash can on fire. In Denmark, protesters pelted riot police with bottles and paint in downtown Copenhagen at a rally late Wednesday. Some 63 people were detained and later released. In France, protesters set fire to two cars and a garbage can apparently stuffed with flammable material outside the Greek Consulate in Bordeaux early yesterday and scrawled graffiti on the building threatening more unrest, Michel Corfias, the Greek consul, told The Associated Press. (AP) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-12-paris-unrest-greece_N.htm?csp=34 Paris protesters block Champs-Elysees Posted 12/12/2008 1:54 PM | Comment | Recommend PARIS (AP) ? Demonstrators are blocking Paris' most famous avenue after gathering in protest at the Greek embassy. The protesters on the Champs-Elysees are shouting: "Police pigs everywhere!" Traffic has been halted on part of the avenue that is adorned with Christmas lights, and riot police with shields raised are moving down the broad street in the wake of the demonstrators. GREECE UNREST: Demonstrators riot for seventh day At least one car window has been broken. The protesters had called the gathering to demonstrate their solidarity with Greek youths who have been rioting for seven days to express deep discontent with the government and poor economic prospects. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Greece-Protests-Spread-To-London-As-Five-Arrested-Outisde-Greek-Embassy-In-London/Article/200812215175101?f=rss Greece Protests Spread To London 9:05pm UK, Monday December 08, 2008 Five men have been arrested in Britain after the Greek protests over the shooting of a 15-year-old by police spread to London. Two protesters are ushered away by police in front of the Greek embassy The Metropolitan Police said the men were being held in custody for a variety of public order offences. They were detained after taking part in a 40-strong protest outside the Greek Embassy in Holland Park, west London. There was also trouble in Berlin, where protesters raised an anarchist flag above the Greek embassy. Rioting has continued across dozens of cities in Greece for a third day following the death of the Athens teenager on Saturday. The London protest began at 10am and had dispersed by 3pm, a Met spokesman said. "It involved up to about 40 protesters and there have been five arrested for a variety of public order offences and they remain in custody," he said. He could not confirm the nationality of those arrested and he said nobody was thought to be injured. http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/11/greek-protests-go-global/ Greek protests go global 11/12/08 13:51 CET Demonstrations against the response of the Greek police have spread well outside the country?s border. In Italy, police blocked off roads around the Greek embassy as protestors tried to gather. The Greek police have been violent and cowardly said demonstrators from the Italian communists and some anarchist parties. Five Italian police officers and a soldier were hurt in the confrontations. In Madrid and Barcelona it was a similar scene. A police station in the Spanish capital was attacked. Demonstrators broke windows and injured several policemen. In Barcelona, 800 mostly Greek protestors had tried to break through a police cordon. A bank was destroyed. At least 32 people were arrested in Copenhagen when their demonstration in support of Greek rioters turned violent. Around 150 people belonging to a Copenhagen ?underground? movement took to the streets, throwing bottles and paint bombs at buildings, police cars and officers. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/10/Protest-vandalism-hits-Greek-embassy/UPI-36961228935701/ Protest vandalism hits Greek embassy Published: Dec. 10, 2008 at 2:01 PM NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Political uproar in Greece spread to New York early Wednesday following the breakage of a window at the Greek embassy and a message about a police killing. "Alex was here" and "Murderer" were scrawled on the building on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, Newsday reported. Alexandros Grigoropoulos, 15, was shot and killed last week by police in Athens, triggering demonstrations and riots in the capital and around the country. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that the vandalism is being investigated as a bias crime. Investigators were checking for fingerprints around the broken window and trying to determine if security cameras caught anything, Kelly said. http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=7122632&service=142 Protests in Manhattan, US Italy over 15-year-old boy's death The Communist Party of Italy and the CGL Syndicate along with college students clubs organised a protest outside the Greek embassy in Rome on Wednesday demanding an in-depth investigation of the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old pupil Alexis Grigoropoulos. Similar protests were held outside the Greek consulate in Naples. Another rally took place outside the Greek consulate in Manhattan on Wednesday. Protestors held a black flag and expressed their solidarity to Greek demonstration against police violence, as they said. http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/15963/greek-riots-reach-spain Greek riots reach Spain By: valencialife.net , Thursday, December 11, 2008 The violence that is currently shaking Greece appears to have spilled over in Spain, where two hundred people protesting the death of fifteen-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos rocked both Madrid and Barcelona, with the worst incidents taking place in Madrid, where a police station on Calle Montera was attacked. Demonstrators injured several policemen and broke windows before nine of them were arrested, and in Barcelona, some eight hundred demonstrators tried to break through a huge police cordon, during which garbage containers were overturned, public benches and bus stops damaged, and an office of the La Caixa bank was almost completely destroyed. Two people were arrested, as it was revealed that the majority of the demonstrators were Greek. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414711.html solidarity action in newcastle for greek riots patty | 09.12.2008 15:03 | Repression | Social Struggles solidarity action in newcastle for greek riots On Monday 8th December at 4pm, more than a dozen protestors gathered outside the BBC Centre in Newcastle, to demonstrate against state violence in Greece and around the world, and to show solidarity with the thousands of people who have been on the streets in Greece, since the police murder of a 16 year-old boy on Saturday evening. International media coverage has failed to take seriously the extent of police violence in Greece, of which this is certainly not the first instance, focussing instead on the responses of the protestors. So as well as raising awareness of events in Athens and around Greece, we wanted to highlight the need for independent media coverage, in a world where investigative journalism is often replaced by copying and pasting articles from country to country. Passing car drivers sounded their horns in support of the protest, and local people were keen to show support and discuss the issues. Protests continue in cities across Europe. patty http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415196.html Cardiff- Police station attacked in solidarity with greek rioters. Alexis | 12.12.2008 17:16 | Repression | Social Struggles In the early hours of this morning (12/12/08) individuals visited a police station in the Canton area of Cardiff. Slogans in support of the Greek rioters, in memory of Alexandros and anti police were painted on the front of the building. Two Police vans outside the station were also painted and covered in paint stripper. In the early hours of this morning (12/12/08) individuals visited a police station in the Canton area of Cardiff. Slogans in support of the Greek rioters, in memory of Alexandros and anti police were painted on the front of the building. Two Police vans outside the station were also painted and covered in paint stripper. We stand in solidarity with the rioters of Greece and with the poor oppressed of the world. For every action they take to repress us we will answer with a millitant attack. We must fight to oppose this death machine. THE SOCIAL WAR CONTINUES. Alexis ? Download this article in pdf format ? Email this article to someone; ? Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article Additions in russia things are also getting hot 12.12.2008 20:24 On the December, 10 a molotov cocktail was thrown to the Greek embassy in Moscow and set it on fire. On the December 12, anarchists hold ACAB demo in Moscow which started from the notorious police station Sokolniki (where at spring 2008 torches of anarchists took place) to the Greek embassy. About 100 people participated the demo with banners, pyrotechnics, shouting anti-cops slogans on the way attacking banks with paint bombs and making anti-cops graffiti on the walls. Nobody was arrested. kronstadt That is a link to video of the solidarity ACAB action in Moscow on Decemeber, 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOZs-Qk7YDo Translation into Russian of the callout of the occupied Athens Polytechnic is here: http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/21306/index.php http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=943985 PS That was a typo, solidarity action took place in Moscow on December, 11th. solidarity http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/11/world/main4662086.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_4662086 MADRID, Spain, Dec. 11, 2008 Greece-Related Riots Spread In Europe Violence Sparked By Greek Teen's Shooting Erupts In Spain, Denmark And France The front door and the facade of the Greek consulate in Bordeaux, southwestern France, are seen after they were set on fire, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP Photo) (CBS/AP) Unrest that has gripped Greece for the past six days showed troubling signs of spreading across Europe, as violence erupted in several cities. Angry youths smashed shop windows, attacked banks and hurled bottles at police in small but violent protests Thursday in Spain and Denmark, while cars were set alight outside a consulate in France. Protesters gathered in front of the Greek Embassy in Rome on Wednesday and some turned violent, damaging police vehicles, overturning a car and setting a trash can on fire. Authorities say the incidents have been isolated so far, but acknowledge concern that the Greek riots - which started over the police killing of a 15-year-old on Saturday - could be a trigger for anti-globalization groups and others outraged by economic turmoil and a lack of job opportunities. "What's happening in Greece tends to prove that the extreme left exists, contrary to doubts of some over these past few weeks," French Interior Ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet told The Associated Press. "For the moment, we can't go farther with our conclusions and say that there's a danger of contagion of the Greek situation into France. All of that is being watched." A Greek court has ordered two policemen to be held in jail pending trial for the teenager's fatal shooting. One officer has been charged with murder while the other has been charged as an accomplice. No trial date has been set. As Europe plunges into recession, unemployment is rising, particularly among the young. Even before the crisis, European youths complained about difficulty finding well paid jobs - even with a college degree - and many said they felt left out as the continent grew in prosperity. At least some of the protests appear to have been organized over the Internet, showing how quickly a message can be spread, particularly among tech-savvy youth. One Web site that Greek protesters have been using to update each other claims there have been sympathy protests in nearly 20 countries. "We're encouraging nonviolent action here and abroad," said Konstantinos Sakkas, a 23-year-old protester at the Athens Polytechnic, where many of the demonstrators are based. "What these are abroad are spontaneous expressions of solidarity with what's going on here." In Denmark, protesters pelted riot police with bottles and paint in downtown Copenhagen at a rally late Wednesday. Some 63 people were detained and later released. And in Spain, angry youths attacked banks, shops and a police station in separate demonstrations in Madrid and Barcelona late Wednesday that each drew about 200 people. Some of the protesters chanted "police killers" and other slogans. Eleven people - including a Greek girl - were arrested at the two rallies, and two police officers were lightly injured. Quote We're encouraging nonviolent action here and abroad. What these are abroad are spontaneous expressions of solidarity with what's going on here. Konstantinos Sakkas, protester The Barcelona daily La Vanguardia said the protests had been convened over the Internet. Daniel Lostao, president of the state-financed Youth Council, an umbrella organization of Spanish youth groups, said young people in Spain face daunting challenges - soaring unemployment, low salaries and difficulty in leaving the family nest because of expensive housing. Still, he said he doubted the protests in Spain would grow. "We do not have the feeling that this is going to spread," Lostao said. "Let's hope I am not wrong." In France, protesters set fire to two cars and a garbage can apparently stuffed with flammable material outside the Greek consulate in Bordeaux early Thursday and scrawled graffiti on the building threatening more unrest, Michel Corfias, the Greek consul, told The Associated Press. "It was a very, very intense fire," Corfias said, adding that it severely damaged the building's front door. Graffiti sprayed on the consulate's garage door read "solidarity with the fires in Greece, the insurrection to come," he said, and the word "insurrection" was painted on the doors of neighboring houses. Corfias said police suspect the attack is linked to events in Greece, and that it might have been carried out by youths unhappy with globalization and economic difficulties in France. "The events in Greece are a pretext, in my opinion," he said. "The events in Greece are a trigger." Elsewhere in Europe, more than 15 people occupied a Greek consulate in Berlin on Monday, hanging a banner out the window with the dead Greek teenager's name and the words, "Killed by the State." Youths clad in black appeared occasionally at a consulate balcony, exchanging chants with more than 50 protesters gathered on the street below. About 100 people protested outside the Greek consulate in Frankfurt on Tuesday evening and minor violence was reported on the peripheries of the demonstration, including the breaking of a bank's window. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 12:38:54 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:38:54 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] THAILAND: Yellow and Redshirt protests, December 2008 Message-ID: <4AB2904E.8030207@tesco.net> * Analysis - Understanding the situation in Thailand * Government, opposition "should reject violence" - HRW * Protests cost Thai Airways $560m * December 2nd-3rd - Protesters end blockade after court victory * December 2nd - court case moved after Redshirts storm court, drive out judges * December 2nd - protester killed in bomb attack on protest camp * November 30 - protesters capture police officer * November 30 - PAD extends protest to minister's home * December 1st - siege "intensifies", protesters vow fight to the death http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/lmnop/news/thailand-dispatch/ Understanding the Situation in Thailand: A Dispatch and Analysis by lmnop ? last modified 2009-04-14 09:15 Thailand has been ruled by 100 families that descend mostly from the thai nobility, or from powerfull thai-chinese business families. Typically, when the nation state emerged, the nobility went into the state formations, while business was done by Chinese families, and the serfs or former slaves became farmers or workers. It is one of the most extreme unequal countries, leading to perpetual social unrest after WW II, but greatly helped by sex-driven tourism (at first, it?s now also a more traditional tourist destination), export oriented agriculture, and manufacturing re-assembly, particularly fuelled by the American investments to keep it away from the feared domino effect induced by Vietnam. The state has never been very mature, and typically elections were (and are still mostly) driven by canvassers who could be bought (and gave money to voters), creating the result that the investment needed to be recouped by corruption once elected. Parties were often led by mafia-type dons (called 'influential figures' here). Before Thaksin, the country was marked by a regular transition from military vs. democratic governments, in the sense explained above, and when democratic, by shifting alliances by the various party factions (most of which, except the Democrats, never really parties in the western sense, but temporary coalitions of powerful local politicians). Into this volatile mix came modernizer Thaksin, who combined neoliberalism with a keyneisan/social-democratic redistributive platform, his model being Singapore. The problem is that though he created the first mass party and marketing driven election, he was also very power-hungry and corrupt. This antagonized the old ruling class; the middle class, the only to pay taxes, became incensed by its taxes funding both corruption, but also his social policies (they generally despise the poor). Factions of the elite, both in business and government, were distraught by the prospect of being permanently excluded from the spoils if the Thaksin regime became permanent, and in particular, Thaksin?s personal popularity threatened to rival that of the formal head of state, which was seen as very problematic. When Thaksin decided to sell the telecom crown jewels to Singapore, this gave the final push to create a coalition bent on ousting him. But because his policies immensely benefited the poor (70% of the population), and they supported him, they couldn't oust him, so resorted to a coup. This coup was at first reluctantly accepted by the rural population, because it was clearly seen as backed by the monarchy, and the population dearly loves their King, both for the social policies expressed by the Royal Foundations, and his positive role as arbiter in past crises. But the military government proved particularly inept, and they froze most of Thaksin?s social policies, if not outright dismantling them. But more crucially, instead of using the moral high ground against the generally agreed corruption, they used the legal system in clear political ways, to outlaw the former parties on the ground of electoral violantions (instead of just punishing the ones responsible for local failures). When they attempted to legitimate that coup in elections, Thaksin's party won again with an overwhelming majority. The first Thaksin-friendly government, led by the corrupt right-wing politician Samak, did not show a particularly population friendly policy either, but when he was legally attacked and had to resign, and replaced by Thaksin?s brother in law, that incensed the royalist-middle class PAD movement, which had provoked the first coup. The opposition (called PAD, the yellow shirts) couldn't accept it, so they launched a civil disobedience campaign, culminating in the airport occupation, which brought the Thaksin-friendly government down. This was done through a legal coup, backed by military threats against dissenting parliamentarians, enough defecting from the majority to form an alternative anti-thaksin government. The last government by Abhisit does clearly lacked enough democratic legitimacy, and their blunders, such as a botched attempt to outlaw organic agriculture, will not have endeared to the farming majority. All of this was a clear sign to the poor supporters of Thaksin, that the system was no longer democratic in any real sense, as their popular choice was twice disqualified. If a democratic system no longer keeps it potential promise of allowing alternance, it is no longer a democracy. The legal system also had become suspect because of its clear political uses, and even the central institution of thai life, the monarchy, no longer appears as a neutral arbiter, as there have been too many signs of side taking. This is very worrying to the Thai elite, as it is seen as the only way to keep this fractious country united. It is often said that because the problematic nature of the succession, anti-Thaksin efforts became even more crucial for them. The status quo thus became in turn unacceptable to the pro-thaksin forces. I think that when Thaksin saw that he would be destroyed, his money taken, but that the popular support would not die down, he decided to mobilize in the same way as the PAD, but now in the other direction, showing that no government can be formed without the consent of his side. The result is a blocked situation, no side strong enough to defeat the other, and with forces around the monarchy having sided with the anti-thaksin forces, they have lost the usual way out which his royal arbitrage. The latter is still possible though, given the enormous credit of the King. However, as disciplined as the royalist PAD is, consisting of better educated middle class professionals and a large contingent of middle-aged women, and with a well-trained militia and support from the disciplined Santi Asoke movement (a kind of ?Protestant? Buddhist reformation movement that forms an alternative to the mainstream Sangha), as indisciplined are the popular forces of the UDD (United Front for Democracy and against Dictatorship). Their violent outburst does not endear them to the local population, and they are probably a too regional movement based on Isaan in northeastern Thailand, the poorest region, and Chiang Mai, the northern home-state of Thaksin. Right now, in yesterday?s editorial, while the Nation calls for a compromise, a sensible thing to do, the Bangkok Post called out for bloody repression. The latter newspaper is a traditional mouthpiece of the elite, supporting Thaksin when he was in power, and now the anti-Thaksin regime, always suppressing internal journalistic dissent against the powers that be (they removed journalists who would report on corruption in the Thaksin era). So their stance reflects the rage of the elite and their willingness to repress the movement in blood if necessary. The military, tarred by past repression, only will move if clearly backed by some political leadership willing to take the lead. A problem of course, is that all institutions of the Thai state are divided themselves between pro and anti-Thaksin forces. As a interesting side note. In the eighties, the then military regime made a deal with the communist insurgency, and a sizeable amount of the returnees were taken in by the royal foundations, which have very progressive social aspects (organic farming, self-suffiency orientation, more egalitarianism than usual in this very hierarchical society, and participation in production, at least according to my sources). The other half went to NGO organizing, and it is these people who were attracted by Thaksin to organize his social policies. The result that some the left is anti-thaksin, the other half pro, which is very confusing of course. A secret document from the Thai military confirmed that part of the motivation for the coup, lay in this cold war interpretation of the crisis, the military seeing the dangerous Thaksin social policies as the continuation of their struggle against the left in that period. In that context, was the choice of red shirts innocuous? The PAD therefore, has some progessive elements as well, though there policy of invalidating the popular vote, marks it as an essentially anti-democratic movement that wants to disenfranchise the unwashed/uneducated masses (literally, hygienic class racism is very strong here). On the other hand, the pro-thaksin red shirts are no angels either, containing their part of former mafia dons, corrupt politicians, and people marching to render the Gay Pride impossible in Chiang Mai a few weeks ago ... It would seem that in any case, the prospects of democracy are dim. A first scenario is that there is a bloody repression, but which can only offer temporary reprieve, as none of the underlying social problems would be solved, and Thaksin would still be popular. The danger of this approach, is that the popular forces would be forced to become independent, a much worse scenario for the Thai elite. This scenario is also rendered more complicated by the current meltdown, which means that not just the democratic hopes of the majority would be dashed, but also their economic hopes. This makes a Chinese scenario, an authoritarian regime compensated by high growth and entrepreneurial freedom, hard to imagine. The second scenario is a historical compromise between both factions, new general elections that pro-Thaksin forces would again win, and a necessary amnesty for the corruption crimes of Thaksin. This would not sit well with the PAD forces. The only person who could force this scenario would be the Thai monarch. I think the third scenario, an outright win of the red shirts at this stage, is highly unlikely, and they do not have enough support in the capital city. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/03/thailand-protest-groups-and-government-should-reject-political-violence Thailand: Protest Groups and Government Should Reject Political Violence End of Protests Is Time for Accountability December 3, 2008 An anti-government demonstrator kicks a suspected pro-government supporter after detaining him in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on December 1. ? 2008 Reuters Related Materials: Thailand: Government and Protesters Should End Political Violence Now is the time for protest leaders and the government to make public commitments to peaceful protest and lawful police action. It is also time for accountability. Many people have died and been injured in recent months, and this cannot simply be forgotten. Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch (London, December 3, 2008) ? With the end of the occupation of airports and government buildings in Bangkok, the Thai government, its proxies, and anti-government groups should commit to ending political violence, which in recent months has caused numerous deaths and injuries, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The organizations called on the Thai government to create an independent commission to carry out a prompt, effective, and impartial investigation into the politically motivated violence by all sides in recent months and hold those responsible to account. ?While the end of the protests and related violence is welcome, violence may resume if political groups oppose the next government,? said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. ?Now is the time for protest leaders and the government to make public commitments to peaceful protest and lawful police action. It is also time for accountability. Many people have died and been injured in recent months, and this cannot simply be forgotten.? On December 2, 2008, Thailand?s Constitutional Court dissolved the governing People?s Power Party (PPP) and two other coalition parties, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya, on grounds of election fraud, using a constitutional provision put in place by the military junta that overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006. The court also banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of the PPP and 108 other executives of the three political parties from politics for five years, effective immediately, as it was deemed that they failed to prevent the fraud committed by members of their party executive committees. The PPP has vowed to reconstitute itself under another name and continue to govern. Claiming the Constitutional Court verdict as a victory, leaders of the opposition People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) ended their protests on December 3. However, the PAD said it would renew protests if another person seen as a proxy for Thaksin, as Somchai was, forms a new party and government and becomes prime minister. ?Members of the PAD, pro-government groups, and government officials responsible for violence and other human rights abuses should be held legally accountable,? said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International. ?The legacy of the Thaksin era and then military rule has been severe weakening of the rule of law and accountability. The present volatile situation demands commitment from all sides to strengthen respect for human rights and end impunity.? During the recent months of political turbulence, the police have at times used excessive force to disperse PAD protesters. The most violent incident took place on October 7, when police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse about 2,000 protesters in front of Parliament. News footage and accounts by witnesses show that police fired tear gas in a straight line and at close range directly at the protesters. Two PAD supporters died and 443 were injured, including four cases requiring amputation. About 20 police officers were wounded by PAD protesters who fired guns, shot slingshots, and threw bricks and metal pipes. Some police officers were run over by pickup trucks or stabbed with flagpoles. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called on the Thai government to use lawful means to protect public safety and stressed that all measures used by the authorities need to be proportionate to the level of threat or legitimate objective to be achieved. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials provide that authorities shall, as far as possible, apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms. Whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, the authorities shall use restraint and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offense. The Basic Principles also require an effective reporting and review process, especially in cases of death and serious injury. ?While police have the right to use force to defend themselves and others from attack, the extensive casualties demand an investigation into whether the police used excessive force,? said Adams. ?Whenever serious injuries occur during protests, such an investigation should be mandatory.? Since November 23, the PAD has carried out what it called ?the final war? to overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Somchai because of its close ties to Thaksin. With strong financial, political, and logistical support from anti-government political parties, business people, and elements of the military and police, the PAD proposes greater powers under a new constitution for the military and non-elected officials. Many of its supporters are armed, and some have engaged in violent attacks against police and pro-government groups. On November 24, Sonthi Limthongkul and other PAD leaders led thousands of protesters from Government House (which was occupied by PAD on August 26) to surround the Parliament and cut electricity supplies in the compound, forcing the joint session between the House of Representatives and the Senate to be canceled. Another group of protesters then surrounded the nearby headquarters of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police. Police decided not to use force to disperse protesters, concerned that if they used force against PAD supporters the army would use it as a pretext for a military coup. Claiming that they wanted to secure the perimeter around the Parliament and Government House, armed PAD members acting as security guards for the movement seized passenger buses and used them as barricades in a roadblock and as shuttles to move protesters between various rally points. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) reported that a number of buses from route numbers 3, 53, 56, and 515 were seized by PAD guards. Thousands of people were stranded at bus stops after bus service in inner Bangkok had to be rerouted or suspended out of security concerns. On November 24, police arrested six PAD guards who were trying to take over passenger bus number 53 from in front of the United Nations regional headquarters, using machetes, guns, and homemade grenades. After declaring victory by forcing the parliamentary session to be canceled, PAD leaders directed protesters to besiege the temporary government office established at Don Muang international airport on November 24. On November 25, they disrupted the government?s attempt to hold a cabinet meeting at the headquarters of the Thai armed forces. PAD supporters then occupied Bangkok?s Suvarnabumi and Don Muang international airports, on November 25 and 27 respectively. Contrary to its claims that PAD is a nonviolent, unarmed group, its leaders have armed many of their supporters and have made no visible efforts to disarm its followers. Many PAD security guards and protesters have been arrested at police checkpoints across Bangkok with guns, explosives, knives, and machetes. For example, on November 25, Thai police reported that they arrested an armed PAD guard with a submachine gun, a pistol, a knife, homemade grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition. On November 28, 17 PAD protesters were arrested at a police checkpoint while trying to use a pickup truck marked with Red Cross symbols to smuggle weapons to the protest site at Suvarnabumi international airport. News footage and accounts by witnesses show PAD armed guards assaulting and detaining many people in their protest sites, accusing them of being government supporters. On November 28, the PAD leader Sonthi, who did not sleep with protestors at the airport or other protest sites, broadcast a message on television and the internet telling PAD?s armed guards and protesters that they should be willing to sacrifice their lives to defend their protest sites. ?We will protect our strongholds,? he said. ?If we have to die, then so be it ... Do not worry brothers and sisters ... Shed your blood if that it is necessary ... Our protest is righteous and constitutional ... We will not open the gate to police. If they charge it and shoot at us, we will fire back.? ?The PAD has been trying for months to provoke a violent police response to its protests in the express hope of triggering a military coup d?etat and bringing down this government,? said Zarifi. ?The PAD should understand that when it uses force, including firearms, to endanger lives not only of law enforcement officers but also of ordinary citizens, it cannot claim to be a peaceful movement.? The PAD has shown open hostility toward the media. On November 29, a PAD leader, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, told reporters covering the protests that: ?We are now at war and cannot control everything. People can get angry [with media reports]. We cannot guarantee your safety.? Reporters for the government media outlet National Broadcasting of Thailand (NBT) have often been threatened by protesters and chased out of the protest sites. On November 30, a mobile broadcast truck of the cable TV channel TNN-24 was shot at while covering the siege of Suvarnabumi international airport. Protesters forced reporters to take off their T-shirts with anti-violence slogans when they entered protest sites, particularly at Suvarnabumi. The PAD has also actively advocated the use of charges of lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) against supporters of the government to stifle free expression. It has accused many pro-government websites of promoting anti-monarchy sentiments, a serious attack on freedom of expression given Thailand?s strict lese majeste laws. More than 400 websites have closed in 2008, some by order of the police, others out of fear. ?Media freedom and freedom of expression in Thailand have been at risk from the political conflict,? said Adams. ?The PAD has shown little respect for these basic human rights.? Pro-government groups have also committed abuses. Members of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) ambushed convoys of protesters with bricks, water bottles, and slingshots. PAD rally sites, as well as its media outlet ASTV, were attacked with grenades and gunfire almost every night, resulting in four deaths and more than 50 injuries to date. PAD leaders accuse pro-government groups, including those led by Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawatdiphol, of being responsible for these attacks. Police crime scene investigation teams, however, have found it difficult to investigate, as the PAD has obstructed police from timely access to the protest sites and tampered with evidence. Over the past seven months, pro-government groups have attacked about a dozen PAD rallies across Thailand. Many of these attacks were reportedly financed and coordinated by members of Prime Minister Somchai?s party. On July 24, more than 1,000 members of the pro-government Khon Rak Udorn Club used force to break up a rally of about 200 PAD protesters in Udorn Thani province. Similar attacks also took place in Bangkok, Udorn Thani, Sakol Nakhon, Chiang Mai, Sri Saket, Chiang Rai, Mahasarakham, and Buriram provinces. On December 2, a grenade was fired from a flyover near Don Muang international airport, killing an anti-government protester and wounding more than 20 others. None of the perpetrators of these attacks have been brought to justice. ?Pro-government forces have carried out violence with impunity against protesters in recent months,? said Zarifi. ?The Thai legal system has to hold these criminals accountable or the cycle of violence is likely to continue.? Schools near PAD protest sites have been closed down to protect students and teachers from the spillover of violence. Many violent clashes between the PAD and pro-government groups have been captured on camera, including a clash on November 25 in front of the headquarters of the pro-government Taxi Radio Group. Pro-government taxi drivers gathered in front of their Bangkok headquarters and threw bricks and water bottles at PAD convoys. In response, PAD protesters opened fire with guns and slingshots at the assailants. Some PAD protestors jumped off their trucks to attack members of the Taxi Radio Group with machetes, wooden sticks, and flagpoles. Before escaping, PAD protesters set motorcycles on fire and tried to force TV reporters to erase their videotapes. At least 11 members of Taxi Radio Group were rushed to hospitals, most with gunshot wounds. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are also deeply concerned about violence outside Bangkok. On November 26, a deadly clash took place in Chiang Mai province, in the north, where Prime Minister Somchai had been forced to set up a temporary office, between the pro-government Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group and the PAD. The red-clad Rak Chiang Mai 51 set up armed units to protect Prime Minister Somchai, who was forced to set up a temporary government office in the north of the country. They first attacked and critically injured two officials of the Constitutional Court, who were mistaken for PAD protesters, at Chiang Mai airport. They went on to ?hunt down? the yellow-clad PAD and block them from staging protests against Somchai. Petchawat Watanapongsirikul, a prominent government supporter in Thailand?s northern region, led about 100 members of Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group to attack PAD?s Vihok radio station in Chiang Mai province with machetes, homemade grenades, guns, slingshots, wooden sticks, iron pipes, and bricks. News footage and accounts by witnesses show that police and local authorities made no effort to stop the violence, in which one member of PAD?s Vihok radio station was hacked and shot to death. ?The police cannot take sides in fights between armed groups,? said Adams. ?They have a duty to intervene impartially when violence occurs and faithfully uphold the law.? The safety of children was at risk during the protests. Despite the fact that many PAD protesters were armed and that PAD protest sites were often the site of explosions and gunshots, many children were present at protest sites. Instead of keeping children away from danger, PAD leaders regularly brought children onto the stage with them at Government House, which had been targeted in a number of deadly grenade attacks. If protests begin again, PAD leaders, protesters, and police should take steps to ensure that all children are kept away from dangerous locations, and in particular from potential clash points. Police and other government forces must ensure that their actions do not endanger children. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed concern about the potential for abuse of the sweeping powers granted to police under the Emergency Decree announced by Prime Minister Somchai on November 27. The decree authorizes the police to end the seizure of both airports. The decree remains in force and the police can activate the following emergency powers at any time: 1. Prohibiting any person from leaving a dwelling place during the prescribed period; 2. Prohibiting the assembly or gathering of persons at any place or any conduct that may incite or lead to an unrest; 3. Prohibiting the publication, distribution or dissemination of letters, print materials or any means of communications that may instigate fear among the people or are intended to distort information to cause misunderstanding of the emergency situation affecting security or public morality, both in the area or locality where a state of emergency had been declared or the whole country; 4. Prohibiting the use of communications routes or vehicles or prescribing conditions on the use of communications routes or vehicles; 5. Prohibiting the use of buildings or barring entry or exit; 6. Evacuating people from a designated area for the safety of such civilians or prohibiting any person from entering a designated area. Section 5 of the Emergency Decree provides no limitation as to how many times a state of emergency can be extended. This creates the risk of arbitrary and disproportionate limitations on rights and freedoms protected under international law on an indefinite basis. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed concern that the Emergency Decree also contains a broad-based immunity provision. Section 17 states that a competent official and a person having identical powers and duties as a competent official are not subject to civil, criminal, or disciplinary liabilities arising from the performance of emergency powers, provided that such act is performed in good faith, is non-discriminatory, and is not unreasonable in the circumstances exceeding the extent of necessity. Extending as it does to all police actions, including those which may violate non-derogable human rights, such as the right to life and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, Section 17 breaches Thailand?s international obligations, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to investigate all such violations regardless of circumstances, and hold perpetrators to account. With the end of the protests, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urged the Thai government to immediately repeal the Emergency Decree at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi international airports. ?No one should be allowed to stand above the law,? said Zarifi. ?It is important that all those responsible for abuses be brought to justice and held accountable for what they did.? http://www.fin24.com/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Nav=ns&ArticleID=1518-1783_2436605 Protests cost Thai Airways $560m Dec 03 2008 13:31 Bangkok - The head of flag carrier Thai Airways said on Wednesday that the airline had lost about $560m because of the protest blockades at Bangkok's two main airports. Both the main Suvarnabhumi international airport and the Don Mueang domestic hub reopened on Wednesday after anti-government protesters ended their occupation, but the cost of the eight-day long movement has been huge. "Since the airports were closed and until now, Thai Airways has lost 20bn baht (about $560m)," said Narongsak Sangapong, acting president of Thai Airways. "This amount does not include the losses that might come from fewer tourists," he added. A Bank of Thailand official has said that tourist arrivals could drop by 3.5m from projected numbers next year because of the turmoil. Airlines have been trying to get an estimated 350 000 stuck passengers out of the U-Tapao naval airport south-east of Bangkok, Chiang Mai international airport in the north, and the southern resort isle of Phuket. Narongsak said that Thai Airways had already sent home 30 000 of the 50 000 stranded passengers that it is dealing with. He said they would hold a board meeting before deciding who to seek compensation from. The flag carrier was already suffering from volatile fuel prices and lower passenger numbers, posting losses of 9.23bn baht in the second quarter of 2008 - its biggest quarterly loss in a decade. Thai Airways president Apinan Sumanaseni resigned from the board late last month, citing health reasons and ongoing disagreements with the board. Protesters gave up their siege of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang after a court on Tuesday dissolved the ruling party and forced out the prime minister, one of the key demands of the demonstrators. - AFP http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=160458 Thai court disbands ruling party, protests set to end An anti-goverment protester reacts to the news that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's ruling People's Power Party must disband. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was banned from politics for five years and his party disbanded on Tuesday, spurring exultant anti-government protesters to end their blockades of Bangkok?s airports. Government party members will switch to a new ?shell? party already set up and they said they would vote for a new prime minister on Dec. 8, setting the stage for another flashpoint in Thailand?s three-year political crisis. Chavarat Charnvirakul, a construction mogul and first deputy prime minister, was named interim leader, an official said. Anti-government protesters cheered Somchai?s fall after only 2? months in power and their leader said they would halt all rallies, including blockades of Bangkok?s airports. People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul said they would start pulling out of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at 10 a.m. (0300 GMT) today. ?We?ve finished our duty,? said Sondhi, who had accused Somchai of being a pawn of his brother-in-law, Thaksin. ?If a puppet government returns or a new government shows its insincerity in pushing for political reform, we will return.? The airports operator said it would decide on Wednesday when passenger flights in and out of the capital could resume. While the chaos may soon be over for thousands of stranded travelers in Thailand, the country?s wider conflict between forces loyal to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Bangkok?s royalist elites looked set to drag on. ?The divisions are so deep, it?s difficult to see how it could be over,? said political analyst Giles Ungpakhorn of Bangkok?s Chulalongkorn University. The Constitutional Court also disbanded two other parties in Somchai?s six-party coalition for vote fraud in the 2007 general election and barred their leaders from politics for five years. The rulings raised the risk of clashes between red-shirted government supporters, who forced the judges to find a new venue after surrounding the court, and yellow-shirted PAD protesters, who had invaded the airports in a ?final battle? to oust Somchai. Hours before the court decisions, one person was killed and 22 wounded after a grenade was fired at protesters at Don Muang. Thailand?s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has intervened in previous political crises during his six decades on the throne, made no mention of the country?s troubles during a short speech at a Trooping the Color military parade in Bangkok. The annual ceremony, in which the king speaks about the need for military probity, was a picture of tradition and serenity, in marked contrast to the chaos elsewhere in Bangkok. Stranded tourists Around 250,000 foreign tourists have been stranded by the week-long sit-ins at Don Muang, a domestic hub, and the bigger Suvarnabhumi international airport. ?By Wednesday afternoon, I should be able to issue a statement on when we return to normal,? Serirat Prasutanond, acting head of Airports of Thailand, told Reuters. Earlier, he said the airports would stay closed until Dec. 15 for security and systems checks. The first cargo flight in a week left Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday, a welcome sight for a tourist- and export-dependent economy already suffering from the global financial crisis. Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech told Reuters on Monday the economy might be flat next year, or grow by just 1-2 percent, after earlier growth forecasts of between 4-5 percent. The travel chaos worried neighbors who were to attend a regional summit in Thailand in two weeks, prompting the government to postpone it until March 2009, a spokesman said. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24741988-38196,00.html?from=public_rss Thai protesters to leave Bangkok airport From correspondents in Bangkok Agence France-Presse December 02, 2008 08:20pm ANTI-GOVERNMENT demonstrators have agreed to allow flights to resume from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport after a week-long blockade, a protest leader said. "As of this moment the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) has allowed flights to take off and land immediately, both passenger and cargo flights," senior alliance member Somkiat Pongpaiboon said. The PAD occupied Suvarnabhumi and the smaller Don Mueang domestic airport last week, stranding 350,000 passengers and causing massive damage to the Thai economy. Thailand's airport authority confirmed there was an agreement with protesters, saying flights may be able to resume if there are no "technical problems". "We have reached an agreement with PAD to start clearing protesters from the passenger zone to reopen Suvarnabhumi Airport," said Vudhihaandhu Vichairatama, chairman of the board of Airports of Thailand. "But how soon depends on technical issues. If there is no technical problem the first flights would resume within 24 hours." http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=6380895 International Air Links Being Restored in Thailand International air links being restored; political parties look for new Thai prime minister By DENIS D. GRAY Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand December 3, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press Court dissolves Thailand's top three ruling parties over electoral fraud. Thailand's battered political parties tried to come up with a candidate Thursday to replace the ousted prime minister as airport authorities hurried to restore international air links severed by protesters who occupied Bangkok's two airports for a week. The airport sieges, which were lifted Wednesday, had stranded more than 300,000 travelers while an unknown number have been trying to fly into Thailand from around the world. Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport was taking in a limited number of international flights but Associated Press reporters at the airport said none were yet flying out. Travelers were using U-Tapao airport in eastern Thailand to leave the country. But the national airline, Thai Airways, said in a news release that it would operate 24 international flights ? 12 outbound and 12 inbound ? to and from Europe, Asia and Australia at Suvarnabhumi before midnight Thursday. http://story.floridastatesman.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/437461/cs/1/ Bangkok protestors lay down conditions for leaving airports Big News Network (UPI) Tuesday 2nd December, 2008 Anti-government protestors in Bangkok have agreed to leave two Thai airports after the Constitutional Court effectively removed the ruling government. Protestors had besieged the airports for over a week, in an effort to topple the administration. The People's Alliance for Democracy said in a statement that they would leave both Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang on Wednesday. But they also threatened to return unless two conditions were met by the new government. The PAD statement said the next government could not be a puppet regime for Thaksin Shinawatra and would need to introduce new politics. The PAD, which has been opposed to the return to power of Thaksin and his followers, described their sit-ins at the airports as a 'last battle' to bring down the government of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law. http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Thai-protesters-force-dissolution-of.4751970.jp Thai protesters force dissolution of government - but airports remain closed A pro-government protester shouts slogans at a court in Bangkok. Picture: AFP/Getty Images Published Date: 02 December 2008 By DAVID GUNN THAILAND'S government finally stepped down today in the face of mass protests, but the country's main airport looked set to remain closed for a least another fortnight. A court found the top three ruling parties guilty of electoral fraud and temporarily banned the prime minister from politics. The Constitutional Court ruling set the stage for thousands of protesters to end their week-long siege of the country's two main airports. Protest leaders said a decision on whether to end the airport protests ? and allow hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers to leave the country ? would be made later today. A Thai aviation official said Suvarnabhumi international airport was to reopen to cargo flights despite the siege. But the country's airports director Serirat Prasutanont said that Suvarnabhumi will remain closed to passenger flights until at least December 15 due to the disruption caused by the anti-government protesters. He said it lost nearly ?7 million due to the week-long closure forced by anti-government protesters. After the court ruling a government spokesman said Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his six-party ruling coalition would step down. "We will abide by the law. The coalition parties will meet together to plan for its next move soon," he said. Somchai had become increasingly isolated. Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country's much-revered king had offered him firm backing. Somchai's People's Power Party, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party were found guilty of committing fraud in the December 2007 elections that brought the coalition to power with a thumping majority. The case stems from an earlier Supreme Court conviction of a PPP executive committee member, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, who was found guilty of buying votes. Under Thai law, an entire party can be disbanded if one executive member is found guilty of electoral fraud. Similar individual cases brought down the other parties. The court dissolved the parties "to set a political standard and an example," said Court President Chat Chalavorn. "Dishonest political parties undermine Thailand's democratic system." Members of the three dissolved parties who escaped the ban can join other parties, try to cobble together a new coalition then choose a new prime minister. Until then, deputy prime minister Chaowarat Chandeerakul will become the caretaker prime minister. Despite the appearance of a smooth political transition, the ruling is expected to widen the dangerous rift in Thai society that many fear could lead to violence between pro? and anti-government groups. Hundreds of Somchai's supporters gathered outside the court to express their anger, saying the swiftness of the ruling ? which came just an hour after the closing arguments ended ? reeked of predetermination. At one point they cut off the power supply to the court, but electricity was restored with diesel generators. Outside the airport, the verdict was read out on a protest stage outside the main terminal, triggering cheers and loud roars of jubilation. Protest leaders, meanwhile, told alliance members to stay put at Suvarnabhumi and the smaller Don Muang domestic airport, despite the ruling. Up to 10,000 protesters have besieged the airports, forcing authorities to shut them down, cutting off all commercial air traffic to the capital, stranding more than 300,000 foreign travellers. With the two main airports closed, stranded travellers are being flown out of provincial airports with limited passenger capacity or are making their way overland to neighbouring Malaysia. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612860 Thailand: Court moves political party dissolution case to new venue to avoid protest Posted: 2008/12/02 From: MNN Thailand`s Constitution Court judges have moved their consideration of the ruling party`s dissolution case Tuesday to the Supreme Administration Court in the Chaeng Wattana area after hundreds of `Red Shirt` group. The pro-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) demonstrators surrounded the office of the Constitional Court in an attempt to bar the judges from entering the office. The People Power Party, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties have been charged with electoral fraud and, if found guilty, would have to be dissolved. The final hearing in the case, which could result in the disbanding of the ruling People Power Party and two coalition partners, began at 10 am at the Supreme Administrative Court. Banhan Silpa-archa, Chart Thai Party leader was the first to give the closing statement for the case to defend his party against charges that it was involved in electoral fraud punishable by party disbandment. The People Power Party and the Matchimathipataya Party did not participate in the session. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, in his capacity asPeople Power Party leader, would consequently be banned from politics for five years as imposed in the Constitution if his party found guilty of electoral fraud. Apart from Mr. Somchai, all 37 executives of the People Power Party would likely be given similar punishment. The case has proceeded amid a demonstration by hundreds of pro-government supporters. The judicial panel moved from the Constitution Court to the Supreme Administrative Court after it was known that the Constitution Court judges has decided to relocate its session to the Supreme Administrative Court. The pro government supporters were protesting the imminent verdict which they assume to be leading to the party's disbandment. However the verdict, if announced as predicted, is not the end of the road for the People Power Party though. The Constitution allows MPs of a dissolved party to move to another party within 60 days in order to retain their parliamentary seats. A new political party is waiting to welcome them, the Puea Thai Party which was registered by some members of the People Power Party. Under such a scenario, the majority of MPs in the three disbanded parties would move to their new homes while the disbanded parties' executives would be banned from politics for five years. There is, however, some leniency in the Constitution. The government bloc would not necessarily lose its seats in the House because MPs of the People Power Party could move to the Puea Thai Party. A few names have surfaced in the political discussions of the past few weeks as potential replacements for prime minister Somchai at the helm of a new government controlled by the ongoing coalition bloc. (TNA) # http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thailand-bomb-blast-protester-killed-and-22-injured-14088927.html?r=RSS Thailand bomb blast: Protester killed and 22 injured Tuesday, 2 December 2008 An anti-government protester points to broken glass inside Don Mueang Airport December 2, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. One person was killed and over 20 injured in a grenade explosion inside Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok early today. An anti-government protester was killed and 22 others were wounded by a bomb blast at one of Bangkok?s two blockaded airports last night. There were reports that a grenade was fired from a flyover near Don Muang domestic airport, which has been occupied since Thursday by royalist demonstrators from the People?s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The PAD, whose supporters wear yellow to show their backing for the King of Thailand, has described its mass sit-in as the ?final battle? in its efforts to remove the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. Amid counter-demonstrations by the red-shirted activists of the ruling People Power Party, there have been fears of a civil war. Until yesterday, the protests had been largely peaceful, although there were accusations that a PPP supporter shot a PAD demonstrator near the main Suwaranabhumi international airport. An emergency official said 17 of the wounded in yesterday?s blast, which took place last night, had already been discharged from hospital. Fears of violence escalated after hundreds of protesters of both factions began moving through the capital. PAD activists abandoned their sit-in at the Prime Minister?s office to reinforce those at the two airports, while PPP supporters surrounded the constitutional court, which is due to rule today on claims that people were paid to vote for the party, which could be dissolved if the claims are upheld. The court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap up the case. If it finds against the PPP, Mr Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. The |dissolution of the PPP, however, will not necessarily mean a snap election, because many MPs will simply switch to a new ?shell? party. The PAD |accuses Mr Somchai of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in exile. Mr Somchai insisted yesterday that he would not step down. ?I will not quit and I will not dissolve parliament,? he said in the northern city of Chiang Mai. The chaos has worried Thailand?s neighbours, who are due to meet in the country in two weeks for a regional summit. This may now be delayed. Suwaranabhumi Airport has been blockaded for a week and stranded foreign travellers were growing more desperate yesterday with no sign of an end to the situation. All the main insurance companies have said they will not pick up the tab for accommodation and other costs, leaving many visitors to Thailand with money worries. Among Britons, there was anger that UK officials had done less for their nationals than most other countries. France, Spain, China are chartering aircraft to fly people out, while the Australian embassy is helping stranded tourists in Bangkok travel to the southern island of Phuket, where air traffic has not been disrupted. The British embassy in Bangkok was closed all weekend and did not return calls yesterday. ?Every other country is chartering aircraft to pick up their citizens; ours is doing nothing,? said Helen Coultish, 55, who was trying to get back to Britain with her husband John, 62. ?I?ve got an elderly mother who thinks we are in the middle of riots. She is very worried.? http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1446041.php/Hundreds_protest_court_case_against_Thai_parties__1st_Lead__ Hundreds protest court case against Thai parties (1st Lead) Asia-Pacific News Dec 2, 2008, 3:34 GMT Bangkok - Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators wearing red shirts and carrying clubs rallied Tuesday against Thailand's Constitution Court, which was expected to read a verdict that could dissolve the ruling political party. The nine judges on the case had to shift the venue to the Administrative Court building in northern Bangkok to avoid a gathering of the pro-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), who had planned to gather outside the Constitution Court in an effort to block the verdict. Even so, the Administrative Court was quickly surrounded by more than 1,000 DAAD members. The court was under the protection of Thai soldiers troops armed with M-16 rifles. The DAAD is a pro-government movement that is a reverse image of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the anti-government protestors who have occupied Bangkok's two airports, closing off the capital to air traffic in their bid to topple the administration. 'Closing the court will cause a lot less damage to the country than the PAD's seizure of our airports,' said one DAAD protestor who asked to remain anonymous. 'And why are the soldiers armed with M-16s against us. They never do anything about the PAD.' The Constitution Court has sped up the final hearing of three election fraud cases involving the People Power, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties, which comprise the current coalition government. The Nation newspaper reported that court president Chat Chonlaworn confirmed that verdicts will be handed down Tuesday following the morning's hearing for closing statements from the three parties. Based on past court precedents, it is expected that all three parties will be found guilty of violating election laws in the December 23, 2007 polls, because top party executives have already been found guilty of vote-buying. Under the Thai constitution, parties must be dissolved and their key executives banned from politics if even one of their members is found guilty of election fraud. If the ruling People Power Party is dissolved by the court, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat would be forced to resign along with most of the cabinet. In the ensuing power vacuum, several scenarios are possible. The remaining members of the People Power party, which won about 230 out of 480 contested seats in the 2007 general election, are expected to shift to the Puea Thai party, which would hold enough seats to form a new coalition government with remnant members of the Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties. The Constitution Court could also establish a Supreme Council to rule the country on an interim basis prior to a new election. While that option is favoured by many Thais as a means of placating the anti-government protesters who have held Bangkok's two airports hostage to force the government step down, it is not expected to be accepted by government supporters. The pro-government DAAD, or 'red shirts,' are expected to protest any guilty verdict against the People Power party and reject any effort to establish a non-elected government. Government politicians suspect the Constitution Court of working hand-in-hand with the PAD, a loose coalition of groups united only in their desire to prevent a political comeback by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinwatara, a populist politician who dominated Thai politics during his two-term, 2001-06 premiership and now lives in self-exile. The PAD has lost much of its popularity by closing the airports last week, causing the Thai economy incalculable damage, but it remains untouchable for the police and military who have refrained from cracking down. The PAD is known to have the support of members of Thailand's political elite, including leaders of the army, which toppled Thaksin with a coup in September 2006. It has, however, been the target of several attacks by unknown assailants. A grenade attack on PAD followers at Don Mueang Airport early Tuesday left one protestors dead and 20 injured. 'Backers of the PAD have been playing a high-stakes game,' said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist from Chulalongkorn University. There are worries that the DAAD will launch the kind of street protests and civil disobedience tactics practiced by the PAD over the last six months that have brought the country to its knees. They could also unleash their fury on the PAD. 'Then, who can stop the DAAD? Only Thaksin,' said Thitinan. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/12/02/185727/Thai-protesters.htm Updated Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9:29 am TWN, By Darren Schuettler, Reuters Thai protesters tighten blockade BANGKOK -- Thai protesters prepared to end their three-month occupation of the Prime Minister's office on Monday to consolidate their grip on the main airport ahead of a court verdict that could dissolve the elected government. Leaders of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said they would invite neutral observers into the Government House compound, which they overran in late August, prior to a hoped-for handover later on Tuesday. "We want to show the authorities that the damage wasn't 100 million to 200 million baht (US$5.6 million) as claimed by the government," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said. "If everybody is happy, we may hold a returning ceremony tomorrow." PAD supporters streamed from the central Bangkok site to Suvarnabhumi airport, suggesting it is merely shifting its focus rather than giving up. Government House site was hit by several grenades in the past two weeks, killing one and wounding dozens. The yellow-shirted demonstrators are trying to topple Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom they accuse of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in exile. Somchai insisted again he would not go. "I will not quit and I will not dissolve parliament," he told reporters in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Forecasts for an economy already suffering from the global financial crisis are grim. Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech told Reuters on Monday the economy might be flat next year, or grow by just 1 to 2 percent, after earlier growth forecasts of between 4-5 percent. Thailand's Board of Trade director said the cost of the airport closures was "incalculable", but a senior board member offered a figure, telling the Nation newspaper lost export earnings ran at around 3 billion baht (US$85 million) a day. The air cargo industry has ground to a halt, while the city's main domestic hub, Don Muang, has also been occupied for 5 days. Rating agency S&P cut Thailand's outlook to negative from stable, saying there was a possibility of widespread violence. The chaos has worried Thailand's neighbours, due to meet in the country in two weeks for a regional summit. The Thai cabinet is expected to approve a delay to March at their Tuesday meeting. The general manager of Suvarnabhumi said it could take a week to resume operations when the protesters finally leave, because security and computer systems had been compromised. http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2008120234538 Clash Between Rival Protesters Expected in Bangkok DECEMBER 02, 2008 03:38 Hundreds of passengers are shouting at the luggage scanner, but the waiting line does not budge. The only four ticket counters are in a mess, and the entrance of the airport has long been a huge parking lot. The Associated Press described the scene yesterday at U-Tapao air base in Pattaya, the only way in and out of Thailand. The situation is worsening as anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok airports for the seventh day. Moreover, pro-government protesters began their own rally, foreshadowing a violent confrontation with anti-government protesters. ? No. of stranded passengers to hit 300,000 The Thai government is airlifting passengers at U-Tapao, located 140 kilometers south from Bangkok, but this is expected to make little difference because the base can only handle 40 flights a day, a far cry from the 700 going through Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Foreign media said an estimated 240,000 passengers were stranded since airports in Bangkok were blocked, and even if the protesters leave, more than 300,000 people will be affected since at least a week will be needed to check airport facilities and security equipment. Bangkok is spending 1.1 million dollars a day on accommodations and meals for stranded passengers, but says the number of tourists next year will be half of this year`s, six million to seven million. ? Confrontation between rival protesters likely AFP said the anti-government People`s Alliance for Democracy were leaving the office of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, which they occupied for three months, and headed for Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. A PAD source said they decided to move because of the continued attacks on the office, including Sunday?s explosions that injured some 50 people. Protestors allowed 37 of 88 flights in Suvarnabhumi to leave, but without passengers. Expected to worsen the situation are some 15,000 members of the pro-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship, or UDD, waged protests for the second day in downtown Bangkok. They plan to besiege the Constitutional Court, which will rule today on if the ruling coalition violated election law, foreshadowing a violent confrontation with the PAD. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20081202_Thai_judges_forced_to_flee_after_protesters_swarm_court.html Posted on Tue, Dec. 2, 2008 Thai judges forced to flee after protesters swarm court By Denis D. Gray Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand - Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators swarmed around a court building today, forcing the relocation of judges who will rule on the fate of a Thai government beset by protests and a virtual shutdown of international air links. Judges of the Constitutional Court had to scurry to a suburban courtroom where they are to decide whether Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and others in his party committed electoral fraud, a move that would see him banned from politics and his party dissolved. Hours earlier, an explosive device was hurled into a crowd of antigovernment protesters at Bangkok's domestic airport, killing one person and wounding 22, said Surachet Sathitniramai of the Narenthorn Medical Center. The court is expected to rule this week, and if the decision goes against Somchai, it could dampen protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has been seeking Somchai's ouster through daily protests and the seizure of Bangkok's domestic and international airports. It also could inflame pro-government supporters who have been gathering their strength in recent days and widen a dangerous rift in Thai society, further paralyzing government machinery and draining the economy. Late yesterday, the explosive device fired from an elevated highway fell among hundreds of protesters, some of them asleep, inside Don Muang domestic airport, Surachet said. A protest leader, Somsak Kosaisuk, said the crowd was hit by a grenade from an M-79 launcher. It was the third such attack in two days by unidentified assailants targeting the protesters. Seven people have been killed and scores injured in bomb attacks, clashes with police, and street battles between government opponents and supporters. Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country's much-revered king have offered Somchai the firm backing he needs to resolve the crisis. Many Thais hope the court ruling will help defuse it. Even if Somchai is removed and the protesters disperse, it is expected to take at least another week before the airports become operational again. The airport closure has severed all commercial flights in and out of the capital, forcing thousands to cancel vacations during peak tourist season, and halted vital postal air services, preventing the arrival of medicines and other necessities. Authorities say more than 300,000 travelers are stranded, with that number growing daily. The lucky ones are being flown out of a provincial airport with limited passenger capacity or are making their way overland to neighboring Malaysia. Somchai has been working out of Chiang Mai since Wednesday, saying he wants to avoid confrontation with the protest alliance. Yesterday, he went to a Buddhist temple in the northern city and prayed with dozens of monks for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrates his 81st birthday Friday. Asked about the crisis, he told reporters: "The authorities are working in line with due process, but we have to depend on police, soldiers and civil servants." He declined to elaborate. The protesters accuse Somchai of being a puppet of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/3540832/Thai-protests-Bomb-kills-one-at-Bangkok-airport.html Thai protests: Bomb kills one at Bangkok airport A bomb blast has killed an anti-government protester and wounded 22 at Bangkok's blockaded Don Muang airport, hours before the ruling in a vote fraud case that could deal a crippling blow to the government. Last Updated: 6:38AM GMT 02 Dec 2008 Channel 7 television said an M79 grenade was fired from a flyover near the domestic airport, which has been occupied by the People's Alliance for Democracy since last Thursday, part of the escalating campaign to topple the six-party ruling coalition. An emergency services official said 17 of the wounded in the blast, which occurred shortly after midnight, had already been discharged from hospital. Related Articles ? Thai PM ousted, flights to resume ? Two Canadians killed and Briton injured fleeing Thailand ? British tourists feel 'deserted' in Bangkok ? Thai protesters mass at airports ? Madagascar opposition 'topples president' ? G20 protests: chanting demonstrators march to London's Hyde Park ahead of talks Thai protesters were due to end a three-month occupation of the prime minister's office on Tuesday to consolidate their grip on the international airport, which has also been blockaded for a week, adding to the pain of a tourist- and export-dependent economy already suffering from the global financial crisis. The Constitutional Court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap up a case that could dissolve the elected government. It is expected to order the disbanding of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's People Power Party (PPP) and two coalition partners. If it does, Mr Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. The PPP's dissolution, however, will not necessarily mean a snap election as many MPs will simply switch to a new "shell" party. The yellow-shirted demonstrators are trying to topple Mr Somchai, whom they accuse of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in exile. Mr Somchai has insisted he will not go. "I will not quit and I will not dissolve parliament," he said. http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/290402/%20class= Sunday, 30 November 2008 Protesters abduct Thai police officer at airport Chris Blake - The Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand -- Anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's international airport seized a police officer, escalating tensions in a four-day standoff that appeared headed for a violent confrontation Saturday. The trouble started after about 1,000 demonstrators moved in on a police checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi international airport, triggering a showdown that ended without violence when officers hastily withdrew. Police, many in full riot gear, had a much more visible presence Saturday with several hundred in the area. Associated Press reporters saw one policeman being grabbed at the checkpoint by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven away toward the airport controlled by the demonstrators. It was not immediately known if the officer was still being held. Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy seized the Suvarnabhumi airport on Bangkok's outskirts on Tuesday night, and the smaller Don Muang airport in the city on Wednesday, in an unexpected twist to their monthslong campaign to oust the government. The alliance accuses the government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges. Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is Thaksin's brother-in-law. The capital remains cut off from all civilian air traffic, stranding thousands of travelers and dealing a severe blow to the Thai economy and tourism industry. Hundreds more protesters arrived at the airport overnight, boosting their number to several thousand, and ambulances lined up in anticipation of raids by police. The alliance has also taken over the sprawling compound of the prime minister's office in the heart of Bangkok. Alliance leader Chamlong Srimuang attempted to rally supporters gathered in the prime minister's compound, accusing police of blockading the airport to deny protesters food and water. "This is urgent. If you want to join us, go help our friends in Suvarnabhumi," Chamlong said in a speech televised on the anti-government television station ASTV. "We are going to encircle police when they try and shut our friends out from any help." But acting National Chief Gen. Pateep Tanprasert insisted they would do everything they could to avert a crackdown on protesters. "We are following the prime minister's instruction to end the crisis as soon as possible," Pateep said. "My strategy is also based on nonviolence. Currently, we are trying to open negotiations with protesters." However, a member of the alliance said discussions were not on the agenda. "Our stance is clear. We do not negotiate," said Parnthep Wongpuapan, an alliance spokesman. "If police try to break in, we definitely will defend ourselves." In downtown Bangkok, about 20 soldiers -- unarmed but wearing flak jackets and carrying batons and shields -- were posted near Victory Monument, a roundabout that hosts a station of the city's elevated transit system. A soldier who refused to give his name told The Associated Press the unit was sent out "to monitor the situation in case third parties and ill-intended people decide to get involved." The Thai government on Thursday declared a state of emergency at Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don Muang domestic airport but has not taken any further firm steps. Its failure to end the airport closures has led to calls in the media for Somchai to step down, even from those who oppose the protesters. In a brief televised speech Friday night, Somchai gave no clue as to when the deadlock might be resolved. He did, however, demote the national police chief amid speculation the two had policy disagreements. Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kua said National Police Chief Gen. Pacharawat Wongsuwan was demoted to an inactive post in the prime minister's office. Nattawut declined to comment on the order, issued by Somchai. The airport takeover capped months of demonstrations that took a dramatic turn when the protest alliance seized the prime minister's office three months ago, virtually paralyzing the government. ------ Associated Press writer Mick Elmore contributed to this report. http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612764 ________________________________________ PAD extends protest to Interior Minister`s home, targets others Posted: 2008/12/01 From: MNN People`s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters moved to stage a protest at the residence of Interior Minister Kowit Wattana to bring further pressure on the government. BANGKOK, Nov 30 ? The anti-government coalition protesters read their statement in front of the minister's house, calling for the revocation the emergency decree at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports. They demanded that the minister resign from his post, claiming he ordered the use of force against protesters. However, the protest was peaceful amid the police security. Amorn Amornrattananon, a protest leader, said the PAD planned to move to protest at the homes of the prime minister and Serirat Prasutanond, acting president of Airports of Thailand (AoT). Meanwhile, there was a report that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat left Chiang Mai to visit a temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom and would stay overnight at a hotel in Udon Thani. (TNA) # http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=676256&rss=yes Thai protesters release empty aircraft 17:57 AEST Mon Dec 1 2008 124 days 7 hours 43 minutes ago By Boonradom Chitradon Government supporters have flooded downtown Bangkok, calling for an end to the six-day standoff. Anti-government protesters have allowed 37 empty airliners to leave Bangkok's besieged main airport after agreeing to a request by Thai authorities, officials say. A total of 88 aircraft had been stranded at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport since demonstrators stormed the terminal and forced it to close last Tuesday, an Airports of Thailand spokeswoman said on Monday. "Thirty-seven aircraft have left Suvarnabhumi since the first aircraft of Siam GA (a regional airline) took off on Sunday evening," the spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, the Australian government was working with Qantas to get about 300 Australians out of Thailand on a flight from Phuket on Monday night, as the department of foreign affairs advised holiday-makers to think twice about heading to Bangkok. The airports spokeswoman said that of the original 88 stranded planes, 29 belonged to flag carrier Thai Airways, 16 to Thai AirAsia and 15 to private-run Bangkok Airways. The remaining 28 aircraft were from various other airlines, 12 of them belonging to the airlines of foreign countries. No passengers were allowed to leave through Suvarnabhumi, officials said. The People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement has refused to leave the airport, and the smaller Don Mueang domestic hub in Bangkok which it has occupied since last Thursday, until the government resigns. Thailand's political crisis escalated on Sunday when thousands of pro-government activists converged on Bangkok to counter rival protesters who seized the two airports last week and have forced the prime minister to run the country from outside the capital. About 15,000 red-shirted pro-government activists had converged on city hall in downtown Bangkok on Sunday night, and about 1,500 of them remained there on Monday morning, police said. "We will rally again this afternoon at the same place. Right now we are allowing our people to rest," Chinawat Haboonpard, a leader of the pro-government group, told Agence France-Presse. Their presence had raised fears that further bloodshed could deepen Thailand's bitter political crisis, with clashes between the two camps in a northern city last week leaving one person dead. Chinawat said the group had not yet decided whether to launch a blockade of the Constitutional Court, which is due Tuesday to wrap up a case that could see the ruling party disbanded for vote fraud and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat banned from politics. "We have to consult among ourselves for the best solution," said Chinawat, whose pro-government group is called the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD). Meanwhile, the anti-government protesters started Monday to abandon the prime minister's offices in central Bangkok, which they have occupied since late August, a spokeswoman for the demonstrators said. Supporters will now move to Bangkok's airports to reinforce the blockade, said Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement. "It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks against us," Anchalee told Agence France-Presse. "All of us have started to move now, we expect to complete the movement this evening." About 100,000 travellers have been stranded in Thailand by the protests, with the main exodus point so far being the Vietnam War-era Utapao naval base 190 kilometres south-east of Bangkok. Acting national police chief General Prateep Tanprasert said the agreement to let the empty planes leave Suvarnabhumi was helpful, adding that negotiations with the demonstrators were "progressing". "There are positive signs such as the releasing of planes and allowing Muslim pilgrims to leave. We may still have a positive end at this stage," Prateep said. Hundreds of Muslims who were trapped at Suvarnabhumi for days as they headed for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were taken to Utapao by bus on Sunday. Foreign passengers began checking in Monday at special desks set up by airlines at hotels in Bangkok and a major convention centre in the capital, as part of a bid to ease the backlog, officials said. Travellers have also been flying from regional hubs including the southern tourist town of Phuket and the northern city of Chiang Mai, where Somchai - who is himself stranded - is currently running a virtual government-in-exile. Local newspapers said protesters allowed the airliners to leave Suvarnabhumi airport starting Sunday, but that the departing planes nevertheless dimmed their lights to avoid notice of anyone potentially violent. Some countries evacuated nationals by land. The Australian embassy was helping stranded tourists in Bangkok travel to Phuket, where air traffic has not been disrupted, for onward travel to Australia. However, the evacuation mission requires a 14-hour bus ride to the tourist resort. "This is my 47th birthday today. This is also my first trip out of Australia and it is also my last," said a woman waiting for the buses who asked not to be named. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has upgraded its advice for Bangkok, suggesting Australians reconsider their need to travel to the city. The overall advice for Thailand is to exercise a high degree of caution. Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Crean said Australian authorities were continuing to negotiate more flights with their Thai counterparts. "We are making every effort to use alternate approaches, not just the Phuket option, but also Utapao airport ... (and) Chang Mai," Crean told ABC Television on Monday. He said the government was very "frustrated" with Thai airport authorities. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5263758.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093 December 1, 2008 Protesters at paralysed Bangkok airport threaten fight to death Sian Powell in Bangkok Thousands of government supporters rallied in Bangkok yesterday, stoking fears of violent clashes with militants who have held the international airport since last week and brought the region's busiest hub to a standstill. The protests came after several grenade attacks against the fiercely royalist anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which injured as many as 52 people and raised fears of open violence in Thailand's worst political crisis in decades. In one attack a grenade was hurled into the Prime Minister's compound in central Bangkok, which has been held by the yellow-clad PAD since August. PAD militants have attacked police trying to order several thousand of them to leave Suvarnabhumi airport, chasing riot squad officers away from the terminal and letting air out of their vehicle tyres. PAD guards, armed with staves and clubs, have blocked roads into Suvarnabhumi - Thailand's main airport - checking identification before allowing access. Egged on by speeches from its leaders, the group said that it would ?fight to the death? before surrendering Suvarnabhumi. The Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, has refused to step down as demanded by the PAD. He has instead moved the seat of government to the relative safety of the northern city of Chiang Mai, a stronghold of government support. Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said he believed the two sides were slowly moving from posturing and isolated acts of violence towards open confrontation. He said: ?With everybody moving into tight corners, nobody knows what will happen.? Polls showed that 60 per cent of Thais did not support either side, he added. With Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at a standstill for more than five days, pressure is on the Government to find a solution, salvage Thailand's tourism industry and find a way to assist as many as 100,000 stranded tourists, including perhaps thousands of Britons, to return home. Openly hinting that he fears a military coup, Mr Somchai is awaiting a Constitutional Court decision - perhaps as early as tomorrow - that may dissolve his party if it is found guilty of vote-buying charges. Dr Panitan said that the King's birthday speech scheduled for Thursday might also push either side into giving way. Meanwhile, thousands of hot and weary tourists, desperate for a flight home, crowded into U-Tapao military airbase, 90 miles south of Bangkok, which has been pressed into service. It has a small terminal with one X-ray machine and two sets of wheeled air-steps. As tempers frayed and tourists began shouting and shoulder-charging the glass doors into the terminal, Anne Ryan and Andrew Carter, from London, waited for newly purchased seats on a flight out of Thailand. Originally booked on Eva Air, they said they could not afford to wait indefinitely for a flight home. Eva Air had told them, they said, that December 11 was potentially the first date that they could fly, and that had to be confirmed. ?We've got to get back,? Ms Ryan said. ?There's life and work and animals waiting for us.? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=6364589 Thai Crisis Deepens as Airport Siege Intensifies Thai leader attends Buddhist ceremony as protest grows at airports, political crisis deepens By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writers BANGKOK, Thailand December 1, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters holds picture of Thai King and Queen during an... (Vincent Thian/AP Photo) Thailand's leader attended a Buddhist ritual Monday, seemingly indifferent to a deepening political crisis that has paralyzed his government, shut down two main airports and stranded 300,000 foreigners in the country. The crisis is draining millions of dollars from the country's economy even as Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat appears powerless to remove radical anti-government protesters who have occupied the airports for the past week. He has refused to send in police to evict them for fear of bloodshed, instead making weak pleas for the protesters to go home. The protesters have vowed to stay until Somchai steps down but he has refused. Late Monday, an explosive device detonated among protesters camped outside the capital's Don Muang domestic airport. An official at Mongkut Wattana hospital said 13 people were injured by shrapnel. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the press. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24738027-38196,00.html?from=public_rss Protests strand 350,000 travellers From correspondents in Bangkok Agence France-Presse December 02, 2008 12:31am AN estimated 350,000 passengers have been unable to fly out of Thailand since anti-government protesters shut down Bangkok's two airports last week, according to a senior tourism official. The main Suvarnabhumi international airport has been shut since last Tuesday when protesters besieged it in their bid to topple the premier, and a day later they stormed the smaller Don Mueang domestic airport. "Around 350,000 passengers remain stranded in Thailand since the closing of the airports," said Sasithara Pichaichannarong, permanent secretary at the tourism ministry,. That figure includes Thais who were booked on flights out of the kingdom. She said that the tourism ministry would today ask the cabinet to give them one billion baht ($42.86 million) to fund repatriation efforts for stranded foreigners, and to bring back the Thais stuck abroad. "We have currently received only a 10-million-baht budget for this operation, which is certainly not sufficient," she said. About 10,000 Thai nationals are estimated to be stuck abroad by the airport closures, an official from the foreign ministry said. Tourists are scrambling to leave Thailand via the small, Vietnam-era U-Tapao airport south-east of Bangkok, where queues snake round the basic terminal and thousands of passengers jostle to get their luggage through one scanner. Check-in facilities have also been opened at a hotel and a convention centre in Bangkok to try to work through the backlog of frustrated holidaymakers. Some tourists are also flying out of provincial airports including Phuket and Chiang Mai. France, Spain and Australia have sent special flights to evacuate desperate citizens stuck in Thailand. The government has warned that the week-long siege of the airports will be crushing for the tourism industry, with one minister saying one million jobs could be lost next year and arrivals could drop by half. http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811300704DOWJONESDJONLINE000264_univ.xml Thai Police Order Protesters To Leave Bangkok's Domestic Airport11-30-08 7:04 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article BANGKOK (AFP)--Thai police Sunday issued a new order to protesters occupying Bangkok's Don Mueang domestic airport, saying that anyone who fails to leave the site could be jailed or fined. The order, the second to be directed at anti-government demonstrators at the airport since a state of emergency was declared there Thursday, also banned gatherings of more than five people. Demonstrators occupied the main Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday and the smaller Don Mueang airport the following day, stranding around 100,000 travellers. "People gathering at Don Mueang should leave the area immediately. Those who defy face a maximum of two years in jail or a maximum fine of 40,000 baht ($1, 140)," said the order issued by the Metropolitan police. Similar orders have been issued at Suvarnabhumi. Don Mueang is also where Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has set up his temporary headquarters, as protesters have occupied the main cabinet offices at Government House in Bangkok since August. But Thai authorities have so far adopted a carrot and stick approach to the protests, with police saying earlier Sunday that they were in fresh negotiations with the demonstrators. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/thailand-protest-airport-pad Thai protesters allow planes to leave Bangkok airport Airlines to ferry stranded travellers home from other Thai airports ? Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok ? guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 December 2008 10.54 GMT ? Article history Travellers pack the U-Tapao airbase from where they have been leaving Thailand after protesters blockaded Bangkok's international airport. Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Empty planes were today being flown out of Thailand's main international airport after anti-government protesters, who have blockaded the site for almost a week, agreed to their removal. The planes, which have sat idle on the apron at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport, were flown to other Thai airports and some will be used to ferry the 100,000 stranded foreign travellers out of the country. The minor advance in the standoff came as People's Alliance for Democracy (Pad) demonstrators began moving from the government headquarters they have occupied for three months to bolster numbers at Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok's barricaded domestic airport. With no sign of police moves to end the deadlock and the misery of travellers, the airports authority warned it would take at least a week to reopen Suvarnabhumi even after the occupation ended because security and computer systems may have been compromised. "Normally checking the IT systems takes one week," said Serirat Prasutanond. "We have to check, recheck, check, recheck." Meanwhile, pro-government protestors, who rallied for a second day in Bangkok, feared a constitutional court ruling tomorrow could be used by Thailand's royalist-military establishment as a back-door way to break the deadlock. The court, which has moved with uncharacteristic haste, will decide if the ruling People Power party (PPP) and two other coalition partners should be disbanded for electoral fraud, a move that would bar the prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, from politics for five years. But even that might not satisfy Pad's desire to force a new election as many PPP MPs could switch allegiance to a new "shell" party. Airline operators said they intended to put the rescued planes into service quickly at the U-Tapao airbase, which has been used to repatriate about 30,000 travellers so far, and other airports like Phuket and Chiang Mai. France said today it had chartered a plane to help its stranded nationals get home. The flight was due to arrive in Thailand tomorrow and depart on Wednesday, with priority being given to "the most urgent situations", according to the French foreign ministry. But for many tourists whose airlines have shown little inclination to use more creative solutions to get them out of the country, they feel trapped and demoralised, unable to enjoy their extended holiday. "We're so tired. When can we go?" asked the Iranian Ali Golbabei. The 25-year-old was told government vouchers for accommodation had run out, but he had no money left after holidaying in Pattaya. "No one is helping us." http://www.nowpublic.com/world/thai-protesters-flock-prime-ministers-office-airports Thai protesters flock from Prime Minister's office to airports Share: by Dave Keating | December 1, 2008 at 03:28 am 37 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment The protestors who have taken over Thailand's airports are refusing to budge until the government steps down. Meanwhile, hundreds of protestors who had camped out in front of the prime minister's office are moving to the airports, as the leadership of the protest movement comes to grip with the unexpected upper hand they now have after the airport takeover. Attention is now shifting to a court verdict that could end the crisis. Tuesday will being the end of a vote fraud case that could deliver such a strong blow to the current government that it would have to step down. The hardline group, calling itself the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), says it will not allow the airports to reopen until Thailand's elected government steps down. Their latest move follows a string of recent bombings at the group's protest sites, particularly Government House, in which injured 51 people were injured on Sunday alone. On several occaisions the PAD's "guards has openned fire. The protesters blame government supporters for the explosions but it is still unclear who is behind them. "It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks against us," said Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the PAD. "All of us have started to move now, we expect to complete the movement this evening. We will go to both Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports," she added. The situation in Thailand remains extremely tense with rumours swirling and several possible scenarios which could unfold over the coming days. None of them provide any comfort for the 100 000 foreign tourists, including over 5 000 Britons, stranded by the week long closure of one of Asia's busiest airports. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/1/worldupdates/2008-12-01T085450Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-367942-1&sec=Worldupdates Monday December 1, 2008 Thai protesters ignore police order to quit airport By Darren Schuettler BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters ignored a police order to end a blockade of Bangkok's main airport, which entered its seventh day on Monday, as the country's attention shifted to a court case that may force the government to resign. Thousands of pro-government supporters rally in Bangkok November 30, 2008. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang) The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has occupied two airports in its campaign to topple Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, let some planes leave the main Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday to pick up stranded tourists from other airports, but there was little other sign of compromise. PAD members in yellow shirts lined up for rice and soup from the back of pick-up trucks as leaders launched anti-government invective from a stage outside the terminal. On Sunday, police ordered the thousands of protesters to end the siege of Suvarnabhumi and the older Don Muang airport, a domestic hub, warning that offenders would be jailed or fined. The stakes have risen with thousands of government supporters rallying in the capital, the first show of strength by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) since the PAD launched its "final battle" against Somchai last Monday. The DAAD rally passed off peacefully, and there were no reports of the feared confrontations during the night with PAD activists who are also occupying the prime minister's official compound, not far from the site of the rally. It was held ahead of a ruling in a vote fraud case that could deliver a crippling blow to the six-party coalition government. The Constitutional Court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap up the case on Tuesday. It is widely expected to order the disbanding of Somchai's People Power Party (PPP) and two other coalition partners. If it does, Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. However, PPP's dissolution will not necessarily mean a snap election as many MPs will simply switch to a new "shell" party already lined up. DAAD leader Veera Musikapong has denounced the court case as a "concealed coup". Government supporters have threatened to take to the streets if the ruling goes against Somchai. THAKSIN'S PUPPET PAD supporters want to evict Somchai because they say he is merely a front for his brother-in-law, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in exile. Enormous damage is being inflicted on the economy by the airport seizures and the collapse in business confidence, at a time when the global slump is hurting exports. PAD supporters see that as a price worth paying. "Obviously it hurts the economy, but it's the only way we can push out this government. We have to sacrifice something," Prathan Tandavanitj, 60, told Reuters at the airport. Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech has said economic growth could slow to 2 percent in 2009 from the 4.5 percent officially projected by the planning agency for this year, a figure that is looking increasingly out of reach. The airport sit-ins have sparked rumours of a military coup, although the army chief has said he will not seize control. The chaos has worried Thailand's neighbours, due to meet in two weeks for a regional summit. Surin Pitsuwan, head of Southeast Asia's 10-nation grouping, ASEAN, said a postponement might be wise. It was unclear how police would enforce their order to clear the airports. Around 200 police in riot gear were spotted at one point on Sunday, but they made no move towards the PAD barricades and later retreated. The government is shuttling tourists to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval air base east of Bangkok, where airlines are picking up stranded travellers. At least 30 of 88 aircraft have flown empty out of Suvarnabhumi since Sunday to pick up passengers from U-Tapao and other airports, the Bangkok Post said on its website. (Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn) Copyright ? 2008 Reuters http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1445772.php/Rival_protests_square_off_in_Bangkok_showdown_looms__2nd_Roundup__ Rival protests square off in Bangkok, showdown looms (2nd Roundup) Asia-Pacific News Nov 30, 2008, 11:48 GMT Bangkok - Leaders of a pro-government rally on Sunday threatened to block what they call a 'judicial coup' while an opposition group continued its occupation of Bangkok's two airports, setting the stage for a showdown. On Tuesday, Thailand's Constitutional Court is scheduled to pass a verdict on whether the ruling People Power Party committed election fraud in the December 23, 2007 general election. A guilty verdict would lead to the dissolution of the PPP and the banning of its top executives from office. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat would lose his post, allowing the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to claim victory. 'On December 2 I think so many people will go to the Constitution Court that there will be no place to stand, and the judges will not be able to enter to pass their verdict,' said Chatuporn Phomphan, a PPP member and key speaker at the pro-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), which gathered for a rally Sunday at the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority. Chatuporn has called the Constitutional Court's planned verdict a 'judicial coup' against the government. Tens of thousands of DAAD followers attended the Sunday rally against the PAD, the anti-government movement that has seized Bangkok's two airports - Suvarnabhumi International and Don Mueang - cutting the capital off from air traffic and causing untold economic damage to the country, while disrupting travel plans for thousands of travellers. The DAAD wear red shirts, to distinguish themselves from the PAD, who favour yellow T-shirts, the colour associated with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The PAD, a loose coalition of groups adamantly opposed to the possibility of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra returning to power, has been holding protests to bring down the government, which is made up of Thaksin loyalists, for the past six months. It launched its 'final battle' last week, invading Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Tuesday, forcing the facility to close down completely by Wednesday, and taking over Don Mueang, the capital's former airport, the following day. Although Somchai declared both airports under emergency decree and ordered the police to clear the protesters from the facilities, the authorities had not acted as of Sunday evening. The police last cracked down on the PAD on October 7. The incident, which left two PAD followers dead, drew immediate criticism of the police. Thai Queen Sirikit attended the funeral of one of the victims. The police are also aware that Somchai may no longer be prime minister after Tuesday, depending on the court's ruling. Copying the PAD's tactics of civic protest, the DAAD is now expected to block the court ruling. If the ruling PPP was disbanded it is expected that the PAD and its political supporters would push for an appointed interim cabinet, set up by the Constitutional Court. Besides broad backing from Bangkok's middle class, the PAD is known to have the support of many members of Thailand's political elite, including the army. While Thai authorities have yet to take action against the PAD, there are growing concerns that pro-government demonstrators will prove less conciliatory. There are fears that the DAAD, which has been law-abiding thus far, will turn to violence in the coming days to rein in the PAD. 'Thailand is tipping out of control,' warned Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. 'The DAAD could go on its own rampage, and then who will stop them? Only Thaksin.' Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunications tycoon turned populist politician who dominated Thai politics during two terms as premier between 2001-06, is currently a fugitive, living in self- exile to avoid a prison sentence for corruption. But he remains the central character in Thailand's unfolding political drama. Thaksin is known to be the main financier behind the ruling People Power Party. Somchai is his brother-in-law. The PAD's main goal has been to keep Thaksin from returning to power but some fear the movement is actually paving the way for his comeback, by creating political chaos and devastating the economy. 'The PAD, ironically, is playing into Thaksin's hands,' Thitinan said. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20081202-175584/Thai-protesters-abandon-PMs-office Thai protesters abandon PM's office Demonstrators redeploy at Bangkok's airports By Thanaporn Promyamyai Agence France-Presse First Posted 04:26:00 12/02/2008 Filed Under: Explosion, Civil unrest, Bangkok Crisis BANGKOK ? (UPDATE) Thai anti-government protesters Monday ended a three-month sit-in at the prime minister's offices, redeploying to help demonstrators tighten their paralyzing grip on Bangkok's airports. Leaders of an alliance trying to force premier Somchai Wongsawat to resign said they were abandoning Government House because of recent grenade attacks that have killed two protesters and wounded dozens more. But in an apparent climb-down in the stand-off, which has left 350,000 travelers stranded, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) allowed 37 empty aircraft to fly out of Suvarnabhumi international airport. "It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks against us," PAD spokeswoman Anchalee Paireerak said. "All of us have started to move now." Despite the shift, one person was killed and 20 protesters wounded by a bomb blast at the capital's Don Mueang domestic airport early Tuesday, reports said, in the latest attack on the anti-government demonstrators. At the heavily fortified Government House compound, last hit by a blast on Sunday that wounded 49 people, an AFP reporter saw hundreds of supporters leaving carrying plastic bags and sleeping mats. "I will miss it. I would like to stay here," said Wan Ounkonc, 63, as she washed dishes before heading off to the domestic Don Mueang airport. Another PAD spokesman, Suriyasai Katasila, said the movement hoped to hand over the site to the government on Tuesday morning. The royalist PAD seized the cabinet offices in August as part of a campaign they launched in May to topple an elected government they accuse of running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup. They took that campaign to unexpected heights last week, storming Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday and then occupying Don Mueang the next day as part of a "final battle" against the administration. Their departure from the premier's offices could ease the risk of clashes with protesters from a rival pro-government group who camped out in Bangkok for a second day just a few kilometers (miles) from Government House. The PAD are known as the "Yellow Shirts" due to the color of their attire which symbolizes devotion to Thailand's King -- while the government's supporters are dubbed the "Red Shirts" because of their scarlet outfits. But fresh tensions were brewing after the Red Shirts threatened a blockade of Thailand's Constitutional Court, which is due Tuesday to wrap up a vote fraud case that could disband the ruling party and bar Somchai from politics. Police said they had asked the army to help protect the court. Meanwhile Somchai is due to attend a ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday ahead of the birthday of the deeply revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- but the premier is currently marooned in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Thais may also be waiting for the king, the world's longest reigning monarch, to point to a way out of the crisis in a birthday-eve speech on Thursday. In the meantime, airport authorities said Suvarnabhumi would remain shut for at least another two days, while a tourism ministry official put the number of stranded travelers at 350,000. The blockade claimed its first foreign victim, a Hong Kong man who died in a traffic accident while traveling to the southern town of Phuket where he was hoping to catch a flight home. Several nations stepped up emergency flights to evacuate frustrated holidaymakers. Australian airline Qantas and Air France-KLM sent extra planes to Phuket, while Spain and France dispatched aircraft to the Vietnam War-era U-Tapao naval base southeast of Bangkok, the main exodus point since last week. The Philippines on Monday sent its flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, to an airport in Chiang Mai to fetch more than 400 Filipinos who traveled by bus for 10 hours from the Thai capital. Exhausted passengers flocked to makeshift check-in desks set up at hotels in Bangkok on Monday. "I'll be happier when I see the runway," said Jason Payne, 33, from Sydney, Australia. Protesters say they will not disperse from the airports until Somchai steps down. Thaksin and his allies draw huge electoral support from Thailand's largely rural northern poor, while the PAD is backed by the Bangkok business elite and middle classes, along with elements in the military and the palace. From onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Thu Sep 17 12:45:47 2009 From: onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca (global resistance roundup) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:45:47 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KASHMIR Protests December 2008 Message-ID: <4AB291EB.4080004@tesco.net> * Dec 27 - Srinagar - separatists, voters clash * Dec 24 - Srinagar - protests as voting ends * Dec 21 - Srinagar - 9 injured in poll protests * Dec 19 - Anti-protest repression in Valley * Dec 17 - Srinagar - clashes over elections * Dec 5 - Kokernag, Anantnag - Uprising after state forces molest girl * Dec 14 - Pulwama - Protests "mar polling" * Dec 13 - Pulwama - Police kill 1 in poll protests, voting suspended at some sites * Dec 7 - Srinagar - Protesters, police battle over poll http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Voters_clash_with_separatists_in_Srinagar_results_on_Sunday/articleshow/3898563.cms Voters clash with separatists in Srinagar; results on Sunday 27 Dec 2008, 0207 hrs IST, Masood Hussain, ET Bureau SRINAGAR: Even as Jammu &Kashmir waits for election results, anti-poll activists have clashed with voters in many places here. Over a dozen people were reportedly injured in these clashes that included a middle-aged man, who received a bullet injury in police action on Thursday. On Thursday, there were reports of certain groups operating in many city localities and marshaling individuals carrying indelible ink marks on their fingers. By afternoon, they attacked a few houses in old city. The attackers, mostly young men and non-voters, alleged they attacked the houses of those who were claiming to be with the Tehreek (movement), but were eventually seen voting on Wednesday. A similar attack was reported from Chanpora as well. A group pelted stones on the ancestral home of a PDP leader in Batamaloo. After seven weeks, Jamia Masjid in Srinagar witnessed a Friday congregation. Separatist Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told the congregation that an election held in presence of a few lakh soldiers is not credible, and will not impact the disputed status of Kashmir. This was his first public appearance after remaining under house arrest for over two months. In a separate incident on Friday, supporters of two contestants from the Shia locality of Zadibal clashed with each other. In almost an hour of rioting, they damaged many houses till the police restored order. The votes are being counted on Sunday, and results will be out well before dusk. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/23/kashmir.vote/index.html?eref=rss_world December 24, 2008 -- Updated 1722 GMT (0122 HKT) Protests as last Kashmir vote ends ? Story Highlights ? Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both ? An 18-year separatist campaign in the region has left at least 43,000 dead ? Elections began after violent protests by anti-Indian groups, Indian nationalists ? Thousands of Indian paramilitary troops and police have been deployed From Mukhtar Ahmad CNN SRINAGAR, Kashmir (CNN) -- The heavily guarded, seventh and final phase of voting for a state assembly ended Wednesday in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. Results are expected Sunday. Voters line up in Jammu amid tight security. Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, has been wracked by an 18-year, bloody separatist campaign that authorities say has left at least 43,000 dead. The regional elections began in November after months of violent protests by anti-Indian groups, fearful state elections will firm up Indian control of the Muslim majority Himalayan state, and by Indian nationalists, fearful that separatist groups will gain control. Anti-election protests erupted Wednesday at more than a dozen places in Srinagar as angry youths shouted pro-independence slogans and pelted paramilitary troops with rocks and bricks. Security forces responded with tear gas and batons. Separatists had called for an election boycott and march to the historic city center, Lal Chowk, for a sit-in, but troops sealed off the main thoroughfares with coils of razor wire and pre-fabricated barricades. Kashmir was placed under curfew-like restrictions Tuesday to help prevent protest marches. Officials said voter turnout in the tense city was low. Srinagar has been the vanguard of the anti-voting campaign ever since the elections were announced by the Indian government in October. Streets were mostly empty of citizens Wednesday morning, as thousands of Indian paramilitary units and police were spread among the eight constituencies eligible to cast ballots. More voters ventured out in the afternoon. "I am voting for good governance and basic civic amenities lacking in this city," said Nazir Ahmed while leaving a polling station at Khanyar, in Srinagar's Old City. In contrast, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din told CNN, "We are not voting. Elections are no solution to this lingering Kashmir problem, which can only be resolved through negotiations." Voting was more brisk in Indian-controlled, Hindu-majority Jammu, Kashmir's winter capital. Referring to the tensions between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday the issue is "dismantling of the terror machine by Pakistan and not war." One of the most active militant groups in Kashmir has been Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT). India blames LeT for last month's brutal massacre of more than 160 people in Mumbai, India, and has demanded that Pakistan hand over leaders of the group. LeT has denied responsibility. Also Tuesday, Indian police said they arrested three Pakistani militants, one of whom they said is in the Pakistani army. Pakistan denied he is an active-duty soldier. The three were arrested during a raid on a hotel in Jammu, where police claimed they were on a "Mumbai-style shooting and bombing mission." Kashmir has been a point of contention between the two countries since the division of the subcontinent in 1947. The neighbors have fought two wars over the territory and narrowly avoided a third war in 1999. Human rights groups and NGOs contest the official claim of at least 43,000 dead in the separatist campaign, putting the number of dead at twice the official figure. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1868687,00.html Big Turnout, Amid Protests, in Kashmir Vote By Yusuf Jameel/Srinagar Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008 An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard as Kashmiri Muslims stand in a queue to cast their votes outside a polling station in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 24, December, 2008. Farooq Khan / EPA Election day in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, brought thousands of people onto the streets ? but a majority of them appeared to be in uniform, armed with assault rifles and long bamboo sticks. enforcing strict security restrictions. Security was tight for the final phase of a staggered poll that will elect an 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to a six-year term. The atmosphere on the streets, and inside the heavily-policed polling stations, was predictably tense, but unlike in previous elections, the main security threat this time came not from Pakistan-backed militants but from disgruntled locals who have taken to the streets this year to vent their anger against Indian rule. That anger translated into an election boycott that failed to keep 60% of voters away from the polls throughout the territory, although it did prompot a majority stay away in parts of Srinagar. At one point on election day, crowds had gathered to chant "we want freedom", but they were driven off the streets of Srinagar by policemen wielding bamboo sticks and firing tear gas. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Srinagar, where most people favor either independence or a merger with Pakistan. But outside the old town, a moderate polling was underway, as people lined up to vote, they said, for better roads and drinking-water supplies, an end to frequent power cuts and more job opportunities for the region's unemployed youth. (See images of Kashmir's previous election) Voting in earlier stages of the election had been largely peaceful, with a higher-than-expected turnout of more than 60%, though scattered anti-India protests continued throughout the staggered election process. On November 17, more than half of over 600,000 eligible voters cast their ballot in the first phase of voting in the hilly districts of Bandipore, Leh, Kargil and Poonch, all of which border the Line of Control that separates the Indian- and Pakistani-administered sides of Kashmir. Large numbers of voters in other regions appeared to follow suit in rejecting the boycott call. New Delhi takes pride in this "constructive" change in the mindset of Kashmir's Muslim majority. India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said recently in Srinagar, "It has been quite encouraging that a large number of people has come out to vote... It is significantly higher [turnout] compared to the elections held in the past which is a very important development. It shows people's faith in India democracy." The positive turnout is all the more remarkable in light of the turmoil of recent weeks, which began in June when furious Kashmiris took to the streets in furious protest against the local government's decision to transfer a piece of forestland to a Hindu consortium. The completion of the final round of elections has left the authorities feeling vindicated: "The people have, once again, shown their faith in democracy, despite many constraints, difficulties and threats," said Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N.Vohra. "Indian democracy has triumphed yet again." Still, even if the boycott proved weak, separatist voices are unlikely to be silenced and may be fueled by the tough security measures adopt to squelch dissent. The Kashmir Valley's chief Muslim cleric and leader of separatist Hurriyat Conference alliance Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the elections a "farce", and alleged ballot stuffing and other irregularities by by "goons" working for the government and various pro-India political parties. "India which claims to be the world's largest democracy stands naked before the International community after what was done and seen happening today," Umar charged. "They can't impose curfew and then hold elections under the barrel of a gun." The election to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly may have been successfully completed, then, but the underlying conflict over the region's status that has simmered since 1948 clearly remains unresolved. http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/24/rss.htm#e8 Police, protesters clash in final leg of Kashmir vote Wednesday, 24 Dec, SRINAGAR: Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters Wednesday in Indian-administered Kashmir, where tens of thousands of soldiers were deployed for the seventh and final leg of multi-stage state elections. At least 20 people were injured in the violence between the security forces and anti-poll demonstrators in Srinagar, where voter turnout was low in line with a boycott call by separatist groups. Around 30,000 troops were deployed on the streets of the city, which has long been the hub of a 20-year insurgency against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority region. Another 20,000 soldiers patrolled the districts of Jammu and Samba where balloting was also taking place. 'I fail to understand if the Indians are holding elections or going to war,' complained Srinagar resident Mohammed Hafiz, 60. (Posted @ 14:48 PST) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Anti-poll_protests_in_Srinagar_turn_violent_9_injured/rssarticleshow/3870258.cms Anti-poll protests in Srinagar turn violent; 9 injured 21 Dec 2008, 1742 hrs IST, PTI SRINAGAR: At least nine persons including three policemen were injured when anti-poll protesters on Sunday attacked supporters of two candidates in Srinagar and indulged in stone pelting at several places on penultimate day of campaigning for the final phase of J-K Assembly elections. Shouting anti-election slogans, groups pelted stones on police and paramilitary forces at Jamia Masjid and adjoining areas including Nowhatta, Gojwara and Rajouri Kadal in downtown Srinagar, official sources said. Police used batons to disperse the protestors and in the ensuing clashes, four persons including two policemen were injured, while shops and business establishments were closed and traffic came to a standstill. Four persons including a policeman were injured when supporters of separatists' Co-ordination Committee which has called for a boycott of elections pelted stones on the cavalcade of an independent candidate in Habbakadal constituency. A group of youth, shouting pro-freedom slogans, appeared at Asyed Ali Akbar and pelted stones on the cavalcade of independent candidate Bilal Ahmad Parra, a senior leader of People's Democratic Front, who was holding a roadshow, the sources said. The youths were later chased by police and paramilitary personnel, the sources said. A police guard also fire in air following a clash between supporters of national conference and its arch rival PDP at Khanyar locality of interior city, they said. No one was hurt in the shooting but one person was injured in the brick-batting between the two sides. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/19jk-restrictions-in-kashmir-to-prevent-protests.htm Restrictions in Kashmir to prevent protests December 19, 2008 13:09 IST Curfew-like situation prevailed in Kashmir Valley today, as authorities imposed stringent restrictions on the movement of people to prevent separatists from staging protest rallies during the day. Thousands of security personnel have been deployed in Srinagar [Images] and other major towns of the Valley as the Separatist Coordination Committee (SSC) had called for protests after Friday prayers against the ongoing Assembly elections. In wake of restrictions imposed by the administration and strike call by the separatists, all shops, business establishments, government offices, banks, courts, educational institutes and other semi-government institutions are closed, officials said. Vehicles were also off the roads here and in other parts of the Valley, they said. The SCC gave a strike call and peaceful protests against the polls after Friday prayers. "We appeal people to stage peaceful protests after prayers to protest against the polls which are being held to hoodwink the international community about the Kashmir dispute," chairman of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. "We hope people of Srinagar will respect the sacrifices of martyrs," he said, claiming, "People should stay away from so-called elections which have no legitimacy in Kashmir." Police and paramilitary personnel were seen patrolling the deserted streets in bid to foil attempts by separatists to stage protests. Government employees and residents alleged that security personnel were not allowing them to come out of their houses as if curfew had been imposed. "Police vehicles fitted with public address systems made a round of the city in the wee hours asking people not to venture out of their houses as curfew has been imposed," a resident claimed. Police, however, denied any curfew, saying security forces have been given strict orders not to allow gathering of four or more people at any place as Section 144 of the CrPC was in force. Officials said preventive measures were taken to maintain law and order and to prevent loss of any life or property which takes place during the protests. There is no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the Valley so far and the situation is under control, sources said. While most of the separatists have been arrested since the announcement of election schedule for the state on October 19, chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, the Mirwaiz, and Syed Ali Shah Geelani had been placed under house arrest. http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=444039 Restrictions imposed to prevent anti-poll protests in Srinagar ________________________________________ IANS Friday 19th December, 2008 The separatist joint co-ordination committee Friday called for anti-poll shutdown and protests, leading again to imposition of restrictions here, an official said. The co-ordination committee of both the separatist Hurriyat groups headed by hardliners Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq asked people to observe a total shutdown and hold anti-poll protests in Srinagar city. The voting for eight assembly constituencies in Srinagar is scheduled for Dec 24 in the seventh and final phase of the staggered elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Markets, banks, traffic and other routine day to day activities remained suspended in the city as heavy deployment of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was made by the authorities to prevent violence and clashes in the city Friday. 'The restrictions are purely preventive to ensure that miscreants do not create any law and order problem in the city. 'These restrictions are only for trouble mongers and not against peace-loving citizens. Strict orders have been issued to ensure that the people be facilitated for offering the Friday prayers throughout the city,' a senior police officer told IANS here. It must be mentioned that the separatists are actually warming up their resistance programme to dissuade the voters in the eight seats of Srinagar city from exercising their franchise. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/polling-picks-up-in-jammu-clashes-in-kashmir-second-lead_100132008.html Polling picks up in Jammu, clashes in Kashmir (Second Lead) December 17th, 2008 - 4:50 pm ICT by IANS - Srinagar/Jammu, Dec 17 (IANS) As the cloudy and bitterly cold weather improved by noon, more people queued up to vote in the sixth phase of the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday. But while polling was peaceful in Jammu, clashes were reported in parts of the Kashmir Valley.Despite a heavy cloud cover, voters turned up in almost all the 10 south Kashmir constituencies of Anantnag and Kulgam districts to elect representatives to the 87-member assembly. In the Jammu region, where six seats in three districts went to the polls, around 40 percent voters had queued up to vote by noon. Former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress is a heavyweight contestant Wednesday. In Kashmir, Homeshalibugh constituency with 22.5 percent voting marked the lowest turnout while Dooru with 63.3 percent marked the highest in the first four hours after balloting began. In Anantanag, 30 percent voting was recorded while during the 2002 assembly polls only seven percent of voters had exercised their franchise. Supporters of the National Conference and the Congress clashed in Dooru constituency from where former minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir of the Congress is seeking re-election. Reports of clashes between supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress have also come in from Kokernag constituency where former Congress minister Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed is seeking re-election. In Noorabad, former PDP minister Abdul Aziz Zargar, seeking re-election, faces a tough challenge from National Conference?s Sakina Itoo, who was a minister till the National Conference lost power in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002 elections. In the Jammu region, with over 450,000 voters and 108 candidates for the six seats at stake in Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts, there was massive voter interest. Former chief minister Azad was safely placed in Bhaderwah constituency although Mohammad Aslam Goni of the National Conference is expected to give a semblance of a contest. Mujib Ali of PDP does not have much of a following while the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) Daya Krishan Kotwal is expected to garner some Hindu votes. Many in the constituency were angry that Azad was made to quit as chief minister following the Amarnath land row by the Kashmir-centric PDP. Imtiyaz Khateeb, a college student, said he and his friends have ?decided to vote for Azad?. ?After casting our vote, we will get others to vote as early as possible,? he added. National Conference supporters too were eager to vote early for Goni, whose family has strong roots in the town. ?Azad is good but we have to look at the larger picture. I don?t think the Congress will be able to form the government this time,? said Javed Iqbal, a long time National Conference supporter. Deployment of election officials in remote and far flung mountainous polling stations in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts had become a big challenge amid snowfall and rains since Tuesday afternoon. http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120551500300.htm Other States - Jammu & Kashmir Protests against assault on girl by security forces Srinagar: The police on Thursday fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse people protesting against the alleged molestation of a girl by security personnel in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said. The trouble started around midnight on Wednesday night when the girl came out of her house at Danipora village of Kokernag and raised an alarm alleging that some security personnel forcibly intruded into her room and tried to outrage her modesty, the sources said. Police assurance Irked by the act of the security personnel, the residents took to streets demanding action against the culprits. They dispersed after senior police officers rushed to the scene and assured them that appropriate action would be taken against the guilty. They said the protesters again took to streets on Thursday morning demanding that a case be registered against the security personnel. Protest turns violent The police and civil officers said the matter had been taken up with the concerned security forces unit but this time the protesters turned violent and resorted to stone-pelting, the sources said. Police fired teargas shells to disperse the protesters, they said. Clashes were on till the last reports. --PTI http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/14/stories/2008121454541000.htm Front Page Protests, firing mar polling in Pulwama Shujaat Bukhari Youth dies as police and CRPF open fire; voting in fifth phase of J&K Assembly elections put at 57 per cent Photos: ? Nissar Ahmad and Akhilesh Kumar Braving the cold: People wait outside a polling station in Pulwama on Saturday. (Below) A jawan stands guard at a booth in the Hiranagar constituency in Kathua district. PULWAMA: Polling in the fifth phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections was marred by the killing of a youth in police firing as anti-poll protests rocked Quil and other areas in Pulwama district. But all segments in Pulwama and Shopian districts witnessed moderate to brisk polling. It was 48 per cent in two segments in Shopian and 47 per cent in four constituencies in Pulwama. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Masaud Samoon said 66 per cent turnout was recorded in Jammu?s Kathua district, where elections were held in five segments. The overall percentage in Saturday?s exercise was put at 57. Braving the chill weather, a large number of people turned up at booths in the Wachi, Shopian, Pulwama, Rajpora, Tral and Pampore segments despite the boycott call given by separatists. But the situation took an ugly turn at Quil when police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel allegedly forced people to come out and vote, and ransacked their houses. This evoked resentment among the people, who gathered in large numbers and shouted anti-election slogans. The police and CRPF tried to disperse them but they were stoned. They later opened fire, in which at least four people were injured, of whom Muzaffar Ahmad, 21, died in hospital. Following this incident, the Quil area with over 3,000 voters witnessed a complete boycott. The people were angry as they restlessly waited for Muzaffar?s body to arrive from Srinagar. In the neighbouring villages, and also in Parigam and Karimabad, the election was boycotted. However, later in the day, voters came out in good numbers at several places and the turnout picked up. Both Shopian and Pulwama districts are considered a stronghold of the People?s Democratic Party. Its president Mehbooba Mufti is contesting in Wachi. But in some areas many booths wore a deserted look as the boycott call evoked near-total response. Interestingly, the militancy-infested Tral town witnessed huge polling. Long queues were seen outside booths. Roads sealed Authorities had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth polling. All roads leading to Pulwama were sealed to thwart marches by separatists. Senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have been put under house arrest, and Srinagar and other towns are under an undeclared curfew. Both leaders condemned the police firing on protesters. Mr. Samoon told journalists that a magisterial inquiry was ordered into the Quil incident. The Pulwama Deputy Commissioner was asked to give his report within 15 days. http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=3334&ad=14-12-2008 Protester killed in Held Kashmir voting SRINAGAR (AP): Voters cast their ballots in the fifth phase of state elections in Indian Kashmir on Saturday as scattered clashes between protesters and government forces left one person dead. A 20-year-old protester died after police opened fire to control a spiraling protest at Koil village, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) south of Srinagar, Kashmir?s Police Chief B. Srinivas said. Two other protesters were wounded, he said. The elections for Kashmir?s state legislature started Nov. 17 and are to be held in seven phases through Dec. 24. Voting was largely peaceful in the first four phases, with a higher than expected turnout of more than 60 percent. Saturday?s was the first election-day death in clashes between protesters and police since the staggered voting began. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people either favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two rival countries and both claim it in its entirety. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. The uprising and a subsequent Indian crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, most of them civilians. On Saturday, thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying automatic weapons patrolled polling stations. Hundreds of protesters chanting pro-independence slogans clashed with forces in several areas, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to drive away protesters, and at least 17 paramilitary soldiers and policemen were injured, the officer said. At Sambura and Karimabad villages, residents alleged that soldiers and police coerced them to vote. ?They threatened us to vote, which we refused to do. As a revenge they came in and beat up our women to disgrace us,? said Tawheed Ahmed, a resident of Karimabad. Srinivas denied the allegations. Separatist leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, saying they will only entrench India?s hold on the restive region. However, early voter turnout was high, despite the security and the chilly weather. More than 800,000 of the state?s 6.5 million eligible voters live in the 11 areas where voting was taking place Saturday. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=6be1249a-c784-4977-9588-427caf219ac3BattleforBallot_Special&Headline=One+dead%2c+six+injured+in+J%26amp%3bK+poll+clashes One dead, six injured in J&K poll clashes Press Trust Of India Pulwama , December 13, 2008 First Published: 14:14 IST(13/12/2008) Last Updated: 16:14 IST(13/12/2008) One person was killed and six others, including three policemen, were on Saturday injured in clashes between anti-poll agitators and securitymen in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to temporary suspension of polling at three polling stations of the district. Eleven constituencies spread over three districts in Jammu region and Kashmir valley went to polls on Saturday in the fifth phase of elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Three persons were injured in the clashes between securitymen and anti-poll agitators at Quil village as law enforcing agencies fired in air and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters who were trying to march towards the Pulwama district headquarters to disrupt the polling, officials sources said. They said one of the injured identified as Muzamil Ahmad Ganai succumbed at the SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The anti-poll protesters took to streets and pelted stones at the security forces when they stopped them from marching towards Pulwama, the sources said. The polling was temporarily suspended in the polling station, the sources said, adding that a photo journalist of AFP, Rauf Bhat, was hit by a stone while covering the incident. Three policemen were injured in the clash that took place outside a polling booth at Karimabad between the anti-poll agitators and the securitymen, the sources said. Polling was temporaily suspended at the polling station due to the clash. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-13-voa12.cfm?CFID=163395337&CFTOKEN=64064222&jsessionid=663014ce9eb5aa7ff56f134a51b7246654f2 Protester Killed During Voting in Indian Kashmir By Shahnawaz Khan Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir 13 December 2008 Indian policemen charge Kashmiri Muslim protesters with their batons during an anti-election protest in Koil, south of Srinagar, 13 Dec 2008 One person has died and several were injured as police clashed with protesters in Indian administered Kashmir during the fifth phase of seven-phased elections on Saturday. Violence broke out early in the fifth phase of elections in Indian-administered Kashmir. Hundreds of anti-election protesters took to streets in Koil village of Pulwama district in Southern Kashmir and staged demonstrations. The demonstrators met resistance from the police. Police also chased away demonstrators at several other places in the district. Ishtiyaq Ahmad Ashai is the top civilian official in Pulwama district. "At Karimabad and Paigaon we had some minor incidents which have been brought under control, however some of our police personnel got injured," he said. "However at Koil, fire had to open [there was firing] which has resulted in injuries to three persons, who have been shifted to hospital." Early in the morning an undeclared curfew was in efffect in Srinagar and major towns to prevent separatist marches. Eleven constituencies spread over three districts in Kashmir went to the polls Saturday. Kashmiri separatists have called for a voting boycott, citing the fact that India uses elections to justify its control over the region. Most of the separatists have been either detained or put under house arrest in the last two months to prevent the poll boycott campaign. Some of them have been booked under the infamous Public Safety Act that allows detention without a trial for up to two years. Undeclared curfews and restrictions have prevented Friday prayers in Kashmir's largest mosque for the last six weeks. Despite the boycott call an unprecedented number of people have cast their votes in the first four phases of voting. The heavy turn out in Kashmir, where anti-India sentiment runs deep, has surprised many Kashmiri analysts. Weeks before the polls began, Kashmir had seen some of the largest pro-freedom demonstrations in decades. The seven phased staggered voting process in Kashmir began on November 17 and will conclude on December 24. The staggered process allows authorities to move and deploy thousands of troops in each area to prevent violence and poll disruptions. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/india/2008/12/14/187626/Protester-killed.htm Updated Sunday, December 14, 2008 10:26 am TWN, By Aijaz Hussain, AP Protester killed in clash during Indian Kashmir polls SRINAGAR, India -- Voters cast their ballots in the fifth phase of state elections in Indian Kashmir on Saturday as scattered clashes between protesters and government forces left one person dead. A 20-year-old protester died after police opened fire to control a spiraling protest at Koil village, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) south of Srinagar, Kashmir?s Police Chief B. Srinivas said. Two other protesters were wounded, he said. The elections for Kashmir?s state legislature started Nov. 17 and are to be held in seven phases through Dec. 24. Voting was largely peaceful in the first four phases, with a higher than expected turnout of more than 60 percent. Saturday?s was the first election-day death in clashes between protesters and police since the staggered voting began. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, where most people either favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. Kashmir is divided between the two rival countries and both claim it in its entirety. Militant separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to end Indian rule. The uprising and a subsequent Indian crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, most of them civilians. On Saturday, thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police officers wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying automatic weapons patrolled polling stations. Hundreds of protesters chanting pro-independence slogans clashed with forces in several areas, a police officer said on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to drive away protesters, and at least 17 paramilitary soldiers and policemen were injured, the officer said. At Sambura and Karimabad villages, residents alleged that soldiers and police coerced them to vote. ?They threatened us to vote, which we refused to do. As a revenge they came in and beat up our women to disgrace us,? said Tawheed Ahmed, a resident of Karimabad. Srinivas denied the allegations. Muslim separatist leaders have called for a boycott of the elections, saying they will only entrench India?s hold on the restive region. However, early voter turnout was high, despite the security and the chilly weather. More than 800,000 of the state?s 6.5 million eligible voters live in the 11 areas where voting was taking place Saturday. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/one-killed-in-anti-election-protest-in-srinagar_100130678.html One killed in anti-election protest in Srinagar December 13th, 2008 - 11:17 pm ICT by ANI - Srinagar, Dec. 13 (ANI): A protestor was killed and six, including three policemen, were injured in clashes between the anti- election protestors and the security personnel during the fifth phase of the seven phased state assembly polls Kashmir here on Saturday. According to sources, a 20-year youth succumbed to his wounds in Quil Pulwama village, some 40 kilometers from here. Police opened fire in the air to disperse the demonstrators who reportedly pelted them with stones. The demonstrators said they were holding peaceful protest march. An eyewitness, Inayat Ahmad said, ?We carried a peaceful anti-election protest march. Security Forces opened fire on us, in which five youth. one has died and some are admitted in Pulwama hospital.? Security forces had to fire and lob teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters who were trying to march towards the Pulwama District headquarters to disrupt polling. Polling for 11 constituencies spread over three districts in Jammu region and Kashmir valley was held for the 87-member assembly. The seven-phased poling in Jammu and Kashmir is to replace central rule imposed after the Congress party-led coalition government fell in July over a Hindu shrine land transfer row. The results will be declared on December 28.(ANI) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/20_injured_as_poll_protesters_clash_with_police_in_JK/rssarticleshow/3805219.cms 20 injured as poll protesters clash with police in J&K 7 Dec 2008, 1924 hrs IST, PTI Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: SRINAGAR: At least 20 people, including 11 securitymen, were injured as police lobbed teargas shells and used batons to disperse a stone-pelting group of poll boycotters, during the fourth phase of elections on Sunday. The clashes erupted in Jamia Masjid and adjoining areas of interior city shortly after authorities relaxed restrictions on the movement of people in view of the forth coming Eid, official sources said. Shouting anti-election and pro-freedom slogans, groups of youth took to streets at Nowhatta, Bohri kadal, Zaina Kadal and Gojwara, and hurled stones at police and CRPF personnel, injuring 11 securitymen. To disperse the mob, police and CRPF personnel lobbed teargas shells and used batons. At least nine protesters were injured in the police action. A police spokesman said activists of Shaheed-e-Milat youth front, the youth wing of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq-led Awami Action Committee, were involved in the attack. As many as 15 vehicles, including two of the government, and eight shops were damaged in stone-pelting, the spokesman added. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24765708-12335,00.html Riots mar elections in India From correspondents in Sopore | December 07, 2008 Article from: Agence France-Presse POLICE used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of anti-election demonstrators in Indian Kashmir during the fourth phase of state elections. The police action left 10 people injured in Sopore town, 50km north of the summer capital Srinagar, after hundreds of residents gathered to protest against the vote today. Four photo-journalists were hurt in the violence. "We were ruthlessly beaten up by the policemen for no reason,'' said one photographer who was admitted to hospital with a head injury. Four more people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse a similar protest in the neighbouring village of Dooru, police said. Separatist politicians and rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen New Delhi's hold over the region. However, the first three rounds of voting saw more than 60 per cent turnout. Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land dispute that triggered a series of major anti-India demonstrations. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,24765769-401,00.html?from=public_rss Violent riots mar elections in India From correspondents in Sopore Agence France-Presse December 07, 2008 12:35am POLICE used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of anti-election demonstrators in Indian Kashmir during the fourth phase of state elections. The police action left 10 people injured in Sopore town, 50km north of the summer capital Srinagar, after hundreds of residents gathered to protest against the vote today. Four photo-journalists were hurt in the violence. "We were ruthlessly beaten up by the policemen for no reason,'' said one photographer who was admitted to hospital with a head injury. Four more people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse a similar protest in the neighbouring village of Dooru, police said. Separatist politicians and rebels have called for a boycott of the polls, arguing elections strengthen New Delhi's hold over the region. However, the first three rounds of voting saw more than 60 per cent turnout. Indian Kashmir was put under federal rule in July following the collapse of the state government over a land dispute that triggered a series of major anti-India demonstrations. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/voting-picks-up-slowly-amid-sporadic-protests-in-valley_100128056.html Voting picks up slowly amid sporadic protests in Valley December 7th, 2008 - 1:49 pm ICT by IANS - Baramulla (North Kashmir) Dec 7 (IANS) Moderate to brisk polling was underway in 12 constituencies of the Kashmir Valley which went to polls Sunday in the fourth of the seven-phase elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Polling began Sunday in six constituencies of the Hindu-dominated Jammu region also. Brisk voting was on in Uri, which registered 12 percent turnout in the first two hours of polling which began 8 a.m., followed by Gulmarg (seven), Pattan (4.5) and Rafiabad (four) constituencies of this north Kashmir district. Polling is yet to pick up in the apple-rich Sopore, Sangrama and Baramulla constituencies in the same district. In Sopore, the hometown of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, the turnout was four percent till 10 a.m. and no untoward incident was reported. Sangrama reported 13 percent polling and Baramulla the lowest of 1.5. Officials said the polling in the north Kashmir region should be seen in the context of freezing temperatures and boycott calls by militants. Reports from the central Badgam district indicate brisk polling at Khansahib (13 percent), Chadura (five), Beerwah (three), Badgam (6.9) and Charar-e-Sharief constituencies (2.3) there. Long queues of voters were seen at many polling stations in Gulmarg constituency of Baramulla district where voters turned up right in the morning to exercise their franchise. Voters also queued up in Singhpora and Hanjiwara villages, while voting was yet to pick up in Palhalan and Pattan towns of the Pattan constituency of Baramulla. However, in the Shia Muslim majority villages of Pattan constituency, brisk polling was on. Small anti-poll demonstrations took place at a few places in Sopore but the police and paramilitary forces chased the protesters away. In Delina town of Baramulla constituency, an anti-poll protest was held by some local youth outside a polling station. ?The miscreants have been chased away and brisk polling is now going on at the polling station in Delina?, a police officer said. In Chadura constituency of central Badgam district, a large number of people gathered to vote in Lasjan, Gowharpora and other polling stations. There was similar voter enthusiasm in Kramshore village of Khansahib constituency. In Beerwah, Badgam and Charar-e-Sharief constituencies also, voting was picking up. ?Polling is taking place normally without any major incident. We expect more voters to come out by midday?, a poll official told IANS. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081124/main1.htm Shutdown in Srinagar; clashes in Baramulla Kumar Rakesh/Shariq Majeed Tribune News Service Grenade attacks on candidates? houses Some militant hurled a grenade towards the house of Abdul Rashid Ganai, Panthers Party candidate for the Kangan constituency, at Arhama, the police said. In another incident, militants hurled a grenade and fired towards the residence of Mohammad Abdullah Dar, candidate of the Democratic Nationalist Party in Sopore. The grenade exploded in the premises of the house but no harm was caused. Srinagar/Rajouri, November 23 Srinagar observed a complete shutdown today as its neighbouring Ganderbal district went for polls while Baramulla in south Kashmir, where two youths were killed in firing yesterday, saw day-long clashes between protestors and security personnel. Large number of protesters collected in Khanpora in old Baramulla town, which has traditionally been more restive, and they tried to march through the area. They raised pro-freedom slogans and lashed out at authorities for the death of two youths yesterday. Locals said security forces in the old town prevented crowd from marching and lathicharged and fired tear gas shells. Though there was no official count of injuries, locals said over 30 locals were injured in clashes. Official sources said at least 10 of their men were also injured. The summer capital of the state remained shut throughout the day as security personnel threw a cordon around city to ensure that there is no unwanted movement of people to adjacent Ganderbal. Separatists? call for Ganderbal march was foiled today. Meanwhile, supporters of political parties and independent candidates clashed in three assembly segments in Rajouri district, which went for polls today. In Darhal constituency, NC supporters of party candidate Choudhary Liaqat allegedly hurled stones at the polling station in the Badi Darhal area, prompting the BSF personnel manning it open fire in air to control the situation. Five persons were injured in the incident, reports said. In Kalakote assembly segment, there were reports of violent clashes between supporters of NC candidate Rashpal Singh and independent candidate Ashok Sharma. At Brow polling station in Kalakote, four persons were reportedly injured in clashes between supporters of the NC and independent candidate. At Taryath polling station also, security forces had to fire in air to control the supporters of the same candidates. There were reports of clashes between supporters of Singh and Sharma at Bandi polling station. At a polling station in Jawahar Nagar area of Rajouri constituency, supporters of independent candidate Muhammad Sharief Tariq and BJP candidate Vibodh Gupta resorted to stone pelting disrupting polling for about an hour.